| Palo Alto Research Center Incorporated Patent applications |
| Patent application number | Title | Published |
|---|
| 20120137340 | IMPLICIT AUTHENTICATION - Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and system for implicitly authenticating a user to access controlled resources. The system first receives a request to access the controlled resource from a user. Then, the system determines whether the user request is inconsistent with regular user behavior by calculating a user behavior measure derived from historical contextual data of past user events. Next, responsive to the determined inconsistency of the user request, the system collects current contextual data of the user from one or more user devices without prompting the user to perform an explicit action for authentication. The system further updates the user behavior measure based on the collected current contextual data, and provides the updated user behavior measure to an access controller of the controlled resource to make an authentication decision based at least on the updated user behavior measure. | 05-31-2012 |
| 20120136812 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR MACHINE-LEARNING BASED OPTIMIZATION AND CUSTOMIZATION OF DOCUMENT SIMILARITIES CALCULATION - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for optimizing and customizing document-similarity calculation. During operation, the system presents a collection of similar documents to a user, collects feedback on the similarity of the documents from the user, generates generic rules for calculating document similarity, and filters documents with customized similarity calculation based on the feedback provided by the user. | 05-31-2012 |
| 20120132255 | Solar Energy Harvesting Device Using Stimuli-Responsive Material - A solar energy harvesting system including a sunlight concentrating member (e.g., a lens array) for focusing direct sunlight at predetermined focal points inside a waveguide containing a stimuli-responsive material (SRM) that is evenly distributed throughout the waveguide material such that the SRM assumes a relatively high transparency state away from the focused sunlight, and small light-scattering portions of the SRM change to a relatively opaque (light scattering) state only in focal zone regions adjacent to the concentrated sunlight. The outer waveguide surfaces are locally parallel (e.g., planar) and formed such that sunlight scattered by the light-scattering SRM portions is transmitted by total internal reflection through the remaining transparent waveguide material, and outcoupled to one or more solar energy receivers (e.g., PV cells) that are disposed outside the waveguide (e.g., along the peripheral edge). | 05-31-2012 |
| 20120130806 | CONTEXTUALLY SPECIFIC OPPORTUNITY BASED ADVERTISING - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates contextually specific opportunity-based advertising. During operation, the system collects contextual information associated with a consumer, and determines a current activity and/or a future activity in which the consumer is engaged based on the contextual information. The system then predicts one or more upcoming advertisement opportunities associated with the consumer based on the determined activities, and presents the predicted opportunities to one or more advertisers, thereby allowing the advertisers to determine a bid amount for presenting an advertisement at the predicted opportunities. The system further selects at least one advertisement to present based on one or more of the following: the bid amount, the collected contextual information, an occurrence probability of the predicted advertisement opportunities, content of the advertisement, metadata associated with the advertisement; and presents the advertisement to the consumer. | 05-24-2012 |
| 20120127308 | Computer-Implemented System And Method For Providing Gun Shot Detection Through A Centralized Parking Services Server - A computer-implemented system and method for providing gun shot detection through a centralized parking services server is provided. Smart parking devices are physically proximate parking spaces. Acoustic sensors are deployed with at least one acoustic sensor in a smart parking device. Vehicle occupancy sensors and parking availability indicators are associated with the parking spaces. Parking space occupancy is sensed through the nearest vehicle occupancy sensor. Use of the parking space is processed based on an identity of a driver. Potential gunshots are detected by aurally monitoring ambient sounds in the service region through the acoustic sensors. The potential gunshots are identified by evaluating the ambient sounds for sound characteristics of gunfire and triangulating the ambient sounds relative to the locations of the acoustic sensor comprised in one of the smart parking devices and at least one other of the acoustic sensors. Finally, an alert is generated for the potential gunshot. | 05-24-2012 |
| 20120120332 | OPTOELECTRONIC PATTERNED TRANSIENT ELECTRODES FOR PARTICULATE MANIPULATION - An optically based transport system and method for transporting particles across a virtual electrode array are disclosed. The system comprises a photoconductor layer where optically induced electrodes are projected thereon through sequential light images in a traveling wave grid pattern in order to transport particles across the virtual electrode array with a traveling wave. | 05-17-2012 |
| 20120120169 | CONTACTLESS INK LEVELING METHOD AND APPARTUS - A method of leveling ink that is printed on a substrate includes establishing a thermal gradient across a thickness of the substrate, the thermal gradient characterized in that it is less than a viscosity threshold temperature of the ink across most of the substrate. | 05-17-2012 |
| 20120119072 | OPTICALLY PATTERNED VIRTUAL ELECTRODES AND INTERCONNECTS ON POLYMER AND SEMICONDUCTIVE SUBSTRATES - An optical electrical system that converts a photo image pattern to a conductance pattern comprises a photoconductive layer for receiving light image patterns and a conversion layer for converting an electrostatic voltage into a conductance pathway for a current flow. The light image pattern can be generated into a page sized area and generated from a light source comprising an array of projectors coupled together. | 05-17-2012 |
| 20120117484 | System And Method For Providing Mixed-Initiative Curation Of Information Within A Shared Repository - A system and method for providing mixed-initiative curation of information within a shared repository is provided. Static content is retrieved from a shared storage associated with a shared information management client. Dynamic content including one or more information items satisfying a similarity threshold with the static content is identified as similar dynamic content. An interactive visualization is generated within the shared information management client from information extracted from the static content and the similar dynamic content. The interactive visualization of the information is linked with the static content and the similar dynamic content. A selection of the information of the similar dynamic content is received from within the visualization. The static content in the shared storage is updated with the similar dynamic content linked with the selected information. | 05-10-2012 |
| 20120117475 | System And Method For Generating An Information Stream Summary Using A Display Metric - A system and method for generating an information stream summary using a display metric is provided. An information stream including a plurality of information stream items is received. A display metric is calculated for each of the plurality of information stream items. The information stream items are grouped into one or more summary objects. A size is assigned to each of the one or more summary objects and the one or more summary objects are displayed based on the assigned size. | 05-10-2012 |
| 20120117115 | System And Method For Supporting Targeted Sharing And Early Curation Of Information - A system and method for supporting targeted sharing and early curation of information is provided. A digital data item selection by a user within a personal information management client is identified. One or more documents in a shared information repository similar to the digital data item are recommended including selecting recommendation criteria. The recommendation criteria are applied to the digital data item and the one or more documents. The one or more documents satisfying the recommendation criteria are identified as the similar documents. The similar documents are displayed visually proximate to the digital data item in the personal information client. A selection of one of the similar documents is received and the selected similar document in the shared information repository is updated with the digital data item. | 05-10-2012 |
| 20120113202 | CONTACTLESS INK LEVELING METHOD AND APPARTUS - A method of leveling ink that is printed on a substrate includes establishing a thermal gradient across a thickness of the substrate, the thermal gradient characterized in that it is less than a viscosity threshold temperature of the ink across most of the substrate. | 05-10-2012 |
| 20120106095 | STRETCHABLE ELECTRONICS MODULES AND CIRCUITS - An electronics module has a flexible substrate having conductors, an array of functional components on the substrate, the functional components arranged to contact at least one conductor, and perforations in the flexible substrate, the perforations arranged to increase stretchability of the flexible substrate, the conductor arranged around the perforation and the functional components arranged to one of reside between the perforations or partially cover the perforations. A method of manufacturing a flexible electronics module involves mounting at least two functional components onto a flexible substrate, forming electrical interconnects configured to provide connection between the two functional components, and perforating the flexible substrate with cuts configured to increase stretchability of the substrate. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120103392 | STRETCHABLE PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES ON WAVY SUBSTRATES - An electronics module has a wavy substrate having ridges and creases, and an array of functional components on the substrate, the functional components including solar components and arranged on the substrate so at least one of the components lies between the creases. A method of manufacturing an electronics module includes providing functional components, at least one of the functional components being a portion of a solar cell, mounting the functional components on a flexible substrate, and forming creases and ridges in the flexible substrate, such that the functional components are arranged to reside between the creases. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120103221 | Cleaning Method for a Variable Data Lithography System - An cleaning method for a variable data lithography system employs a first cleaning member having a conformable adhesive surface disposed for physical contact with an imaging member such that residual ink remaining on the imaging member, such as following transfer of an inked latent image from the imaging member to a substrate, adheres to the conformable adhesive surface and is thereby removed from the imaging member. The cleaning method may further employ a second cleaning member, in physical contact with the first cleaning member, having a relatively hard, smooth surface such that residual ink removed from the imaging member and adhering to the adhesive surface of the first cleaning member may split onto the second cleaning member. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120103219 | Ink Transfer Subsystem for a Variable Data Lithography System - An improved imaging member for a variable data lithography system comprises a reimageable surface layer comprising a polymer, the reimageable surface having a surface roughness Ra in the range of 0.10-4.0 μm peak-to-valley, and peak-to-valley nearest neighbor average distances finer than 20 μm. A structural mounting layer may be provided to which the reimageable surface layer is attached, either directly or with intermediate layers therebetween. The relatively rough surface facilitates retention of dampening solution and improves inking uniformity and transfer. The reimageable surface layer may be comprised of polydimethylsiloxane (silicone), and may optionally have particulate radiation sensitive material disbursed therein to promote absorption, and hence heating, from an optical source. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120103218 | Method of Ink Rheology Control in a Variable Data Lithography System - Methods for controlling the rheology of ink applied to an imaging surface of a variable data lithography system include applying ink in a layer with a first complex viscoelastic modulus such that said ink layer readily separates in regions over the imaging surface covered by a dampening solution and into regions over the imaging surface at which dampening solution has been removed, increasing the complex viscoelastic modulus of the ink to a second complex viscoelastic modulus while the ink is over the imaging surface, thereby increasing the level of at least one of ink cohesive energy and ink tack prior to the transfer of said ink to said substrate at said image transfer subsystem. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120103217 | Cleaning Subsystem for a Variable Data Lithography System - An cleaning subsystem for a variable data lithography system includes a first cleaning member having a conformable adhesive surface disposed for physical contact with an imaging member such that residual ink remaining on the imaging member, such as following transfer of an inked latent image from the imaging member to a substrate, adheres to the conformable adhesive surface and is thereby removed from the imaging member. The cleaning subsystem may further include a second cleaning member, in physical contact with the first cleaning member, having a relatively hard, smooth surface such that residual ink removed from the imaging member and adhering to the adhesive surface of the first cleaning member may split onto the second cleaning member. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120103214 | Heated Inking Roller for a Variable Data Lithography System - An inking subsystem for a variable data digital lithography system comprises a first ink roller disposed to receive ink on a surface thereof, the ink being provided from an ink reservoir such that it may be provided by the first ink roller to a reimageable surface of said variable data digital lithography system, and a heating apparatus disposed proximate the first ink roller to provide heating of the first ink roller preferentially at the point of application of the ink by the first ink roller to the reimageable surface. Various methods and apparatus for heating the first ink roller are disclosed. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120103213 | Ink Rheology Control Subsystem for a Variable Data Lithography System - A subsystem for controlling the rheology of ink applied to an imaging surface of a variable data lithography system comprises an ink reservoir, an ink application subsystem for applying ink from the ink reservoir over the imaging surface at a first ink temperature, and an ink complex viscoelastic modulus control subsystem for modifying the complex viscoelastic modulus of the ink from a first value at the ink reservoir to a second value prior to transfer of the ink from the imaging surface to a substrate. The ink complex viscoelastic modulus control subsystem may comprise a partial curing stage, such as a photo-curing stage. The ink may optionally include photoinitiators to assist with the partial curing. Alternatively, the ink complex viscoelastic modulus control subsystem may consist of an ink pre-heating subsystem and/or a post-application cooling system. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120103212 | Variable Data Lithography System - A variable data lithography system includes an improved imaging member, a dampening solution subsystem, a patterning subsystem, an inking subsystem, and an image transfer subsystem. The imaging member comprises a reimageable surface layer comprising a polymer, the reimageable surface having a surface roughness Ra in the range of 0.10-4.0 μm peak-to-valley, and peak-to-valley nearest neighbor average distances finer than 20 μm. A structural mounting layer may be provided to which the reimageable surface layer is attached, either directly or with intermediate layers therebetween. The relatively rough surface facilitates retention of dampening solution and improves inking uniformity and transfer. The reimageable surface layer may be comprised of polydimethylsiloxane (silicone), and may optionally have particulate radiation sensitive material disbursed therein to promote absorption, and hence heating, from an optical source. | 05-03-2012 |
| 20120099139 | SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR ADAPTIVE LOT SIZING IN CELLULAR MANUFACTURING - The present application presents a new and improved system and method of enhanced Lean Document Production (LDP), which employs cellular manufacturing concepts. The LDP process incorporates an auto-splitting algorithm and/or an earliest completion route algorithm to generate an operation schedule. | 04-26-2012 |
| 20120095812 | Computer-Implemented System And Method For Offering Residential Parking Reservations - A computer-implemented system and method for providing recurring residential parking reservations is provided. Motor vehicle parking spaces located in a residential area are managed through a server. Smart parking devices, vehicle occupancy sensors, and parking availability indicators are interfaced to the server. Use of the parking spaces by a resident is reserved on a recurring basis throughout a subscription period. A parking reservation, including recurring times and dates, is requested. The request is granted provided the parking space is available over any other reservations stored in the server. Use of the reserved parking space is managed throughout the subscription period. Occupancy of the requested parking space is sensed through the nearest vehicle occupancy sensor. A motorist's identity is verified through the nearest smart parking device. The use of the reserved parking space is denied if not by the resident and parking non-availability is indicated during each recurring time and date. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120095792 | Computer-Implemented System And Method For Offering Commercial Parking Reservations - A computer-implemented system and method for offering commercial parking reservations through flexible loading zones is provided. Motor vehicle parking spaces located in a business district are managed through a server. Smart parking devices, vehicle occupancy sensors, and parking availability indicators are interfaced to the server. Use of the parking spaces as a loading zone is reserved. A reservation request from a business is accepted. The business is confirmed as eligible. The request is granted, provided the requested parking space is available over any other reservations. Use of the loading zone is managed. The parking availability indicator is activated contemporaneous to the reservation period. Occupancy of the requested parking space is sensed through the nearest vehicle occupancy sensor. An identity of a driver is verified through the nearest smart parking device. The use of the reserved parking space is permitted upon matching the driver's identity to the business. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120095791 | Computer-Implemented System And Method For Offering Merchant And Shopper-Friendly Parking Reservations - A computer-implemented system and method for offering merchant and shopper-friendly parking reservations through validated parking is provided. Motor vehicle parking spaces are managed through a server. Smart parking devices and vehicle occupancy sensors are interfaced to the server. Use of the parking space is managed. Occupancy of one of the parking spaces by a motor vehicle is sensed through the nearest vehicle occupancy sensor and the location of the parking space is provided to the server. An identity of the driver of the motor vehicle is determined through the nearest smart parking device and the identity of the driver is provided to the server. Use of the parking space is validated. The parking space's location and the driver's identity are retrieved at the location of a merchant. Payment for at least part of the use of the parking space from the merchant is provided through the server. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120095790 | Computer-Implemented System And Method For Managing On-Street Valet Parking - A computer-implemented system and method for providing basic valet parking through centrally-managed parking services is provided. Motor vehicle parking spaces are managed through a server. Smart parking devices physically proximate to the parking spaces are interfaced to the server. Vehicle occupancy sensors also physically proximate to the parking spaces are interfaced to the server. Parking availability indicators associated with the parking spaces are interfaced to the server. Use the parking spaces is reserved for a valet service. A reservation request for the parking spaces is accepted through the server for use by the valet service for a period of time. Occupancy of the reserved parking spaces by a motor vehicle through the nearest vehicle occupancy sensor is sensed during the time period. Availability of each parking space is indicated through the nearest parking availability indicator throughout the time period based upon the current time and use by the valet service. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120093421 | DETECTION OF DUPLICATE DOCUMENT CONTENT USING TWO-DIMENSIONAL VISUAL FINGERPRINTING - A system and method of detecting duplicate document content in a large document collection and automatically highlighting duplicate or different document content among the detected document content using two-dimensional visual fingerprints. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120093354 | FINDING SIMILAR CONTENT IN A MIXED COLLECTION OF PRESENTATION AND RICH DOCUMENT CONTENT USING TWO-DIMENSIONAL VISUAL FINGERPRINTS - Visual fingerprinting is used to provide a robust and highly effective method of finding similar content in a large document collection of rich document content composed of multiple text, line-art, and photo image objects. The visual fingerprints capture unique two-dimensional localized aspects of document appearance. The visual fingerprints are highly distinctive; fast for lookup; compact for storage requirements; and scalable to large document collections. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120092191 | Computer-Implemented System And Method For Hands-Free Tagging And Reserving Of Parking Spaces - A computer-implemented system and method for tagging a parking space for a motor vehicle through a gesture is provided. Motor vehicle parking spaces are managed through a server. Smart parking devices physically proximate to the parking spaces are interfaced. Vehicle occupancy sensors also physically proximate the parking spaces are interfaced. Parking availability indicators associated with the parking spaces are interfaced. Those parking spaces that are unoccupied based on their respective vehicle occupancy sensors and currently available over any other reservations stored in the server are identified to a driver of a motor vehicle. One of the unoccupied parking spaces is reserved upon a gesture provided by the driver. Occupancy of the reserved unoccupied parking space is sensed through the nearest vehicle occupancy sensor following parking of the motor vehicle. The identity of the motorist is verified against the reservation through the nearest smart parking device. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120092190 | Computer-Implemented System And Method For Managing Motor Vehicle Parking Reservatons - A computer-implemented system and method for managing motor vehicle parking reservations is provided. Motor vehicle parking spaces are managed through a server. Smart parking devices physically proximate to the parking spaces are interfaced with the server. Vehicle occupancy sensors physically proximate to the parking spaces are interfaced with the server. Parking availability indicators associated with the parking spaces are interfaced with the server. A motorist reserves a parking space. A reservation request for the parking space is accepted. The request is granted if available over any other reservations. Occupancy of the requested parking space is sensed through the nearest vehicle occupancy sensor. The motorist's or the motor vehicle's identity are verified against the reservation through the nearest smart parking device. Parking availability is indicated through the nearest parking availability indicator based upon the current time, any motor vehicle occupancy, applicable parking regulations, or any unfulfilled reservations for the parking space. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120092182 | Method For Event Sensing Employing A Printed Event Sensor - A method for event sensing employs an event sensor comprising a detector and circuitry, connected thereto, produced by printed electronics processes. Operation may rely on fixed characteristic devices, such as a series resistive chain, or variable characteristic devices such as thin film transistors (TFTs) and the like. A pulse is input to the printed electronic circuitry. The printed electronic circuitry divides the pulse across the various devices comprising the circuitry according to pulse amplitude and pulse width. The circuitry provides an output signal which is provided to a plurality of display elements capable of indicating the division performed at the printed electronic circuitry. In one embodiment, each display element is an electrophoretic display which changes contrast as a function of the applied voltage. Not only the pulse amplitude and pulse width, but the number of pulses applied to the printed circuitry (i.e., sensed by the detector) may be indicated. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120092181 | Event Sensor Including Printed Electronic Circuit - An event sensor device comprises a detector and circuitry, connected thereto, produced by printed electronics processes. This circuitry may be comprised of fixed characteristic devices, such as a series resistive chain, or variable characteristic devices such as thin film transistors (TFTs) and the like. A pulse is input to the printed electronic circuitry. The printed electronic circuitry divides the pulse across the various devices comprising the circuitry according to pulse amplitude and pulse width. The circuitry provides an output signal which is provided to a plurality of display elements, which are capable of indicating the division performed at the printed electronic circuitry. In one embodiment, each display element is an electrophoretic display which changes contrast as a function of the applied voltage. Not only the pulse amplitude and pulse width, but the number of pulses applied to the printed circuitry (i.e., sensed by the detector) may be indicated. | 04-19-2012 |
| 20120088330 | AIRGAP MICRO-SPRING INTERCONNECT WITH BONDED UNDERFILL SEAL - A method of assembling a package includes aligning a pad chip with a spring chip to form at least one interconnect in an interconnect area, adhering the pad chip to the spring chip so that there is a gap between the pad chip and the spring chip, dispensing underfill material into the gap to seal the interconnect area from an environment external to the package, and curing the underfill material to form a solid mold. | 04-12-2012 |
| 20120078960 | Computer-Implemented System And Method For Prospecting Digital Information Through Online Social Communities - A home evergreen index and frontier evergreen indexes are maintained. The indexes cover topically-limited subject areas, which include digital information. Each index defines a hierarchy of topics. Each index further matches a topic model to the topic hierarchy's topics. Each topic model includes a pattern evaluable against the digital information, which identifies such digital information matching the topic model's topic. At least one frontier evergreen index that includes topics that are at least partially distinct from the topics included in the home evergreen index is identified. Vetted assessments for articles identified by the at least one frontier evergreen index are obtained. The articles corresponding to the vetted assessments that are favorable are selected. The patterns that include the topic models of the home evergreen index are matched against the selected articles of the digital information. The selected articles of the digital information that were matched are provided on a display. | 03-29-2012 |
| 20120078434 | MULTIVARIABLE CONTROL OF REGULATION AND FAST DEMAND RESPONSE IN ELECTRICAL GRIDS - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for resolving energy imbalance within an electrical grid. During operation, the system receives an imbalance signal and current outputs from a regulation service subsystem and a demand response subsystem. Subsequently, the system generates control signals for controlling future outputs of the regulation service subsystem and the demand response subsystem based on the imbalance signal and the current outputs, and applies the generated control signals to the regulation service subsystem and the demand response subsystem. | 03-29-2012 |
| 20120074074 | SELF-CLEANING SCREEN SYSTEM AND METHOD - A self-cleaning screen system and method removes contaminants from a fluid passed through a screen of the self-cleaning screen system. The self-cleaning screen system includes a cleaning mechanism used to remove contaminants which may have adhered to the screen. The self-cleaning screen system is self-powered by extracting energy from the fluid flow to cause rotation or other movement of either the screen and/or the cleaning mechanism. | 03-29-2012 |
| 20120070091 | GRAPH LATTICE METHOD FOR IMAGE CLUSTERING, CLASSIFICATION, AND REPEATED STRUCTURE FINDING - A document recognition system and method, where images are represented as a collection of primitive features whose spatial relations are represented as a graph. Useful subsets of all the possible subgraphs representing different portions of images are represented over a corpus of many images. The data structure is a lattice of subgraphs, and algorithms are provided means to build and use the graph lattice efficiently and effectively. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120069122 | ELECTROSTATIC IMAGING MEMBER AND METHODS FOR USING THE SAME - Embodiments pertain to a novel imaging member, namely, an electrostatic latent image generating member, and methods for using the same, that can generate an electrostatic latent image digitally with fewer steps and without using a raster output scanner (ROS) or free charge carriers. Embodiments provide a novel way of generating an electrostatic latent image without the shortfalls suffered by current photoreceptors, such as for example, charge mobility issues, unstable cycling, surface wear, lateral charge migration and sensitivity to light shock. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120069024 | METHOD FOR GENERATING A GRAPH LATTICE FROM A CORPUS OF ONE OR MORE DATA GRAPHS - A document recognition system and method, where images are represented as a collection of primitive features whose spatial relations are represented as a graph. Useful subsets of all the possible subgraphs representing different portions of images are represented over a corpus of many images. The data structure is a lattice of subgraphs, and algorithms are provided means to build and use the graph lattice efficiently and effectively. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120068331 | Microsprings Partially Embedded In A Laminate Structure And Methods For Producing Same - At least one microspring has applied thereover a laminate structure to provide: mechanical protection during handling and wafer processing, a spring spacer layer, strengthening of the anchor between spring and substrate, provision of a gap stop during spring deflection, and moisture and contaminant protection. A fully-formed laminate structure may be applied over the microspring structure or a partly-formed laminate structure may be applied over the microspring structure then cured or hardened. The tip portion of the microspring may protrude through the laminate structure and be exposed for contact or may be buried within the contact structure. The laminate structure may remain in place in the final microspring structure or be removed in whole or in part. The laminate structure may be photolithographically patternable material, patterned and etched to remove some or all of the structure, forming for example additional structural elements such as a gap stop for the microspring. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120067637 | Interposer with microspring contacts and methods of making and using same - An interposer including stress-engineered nonplanar microsprings may provide interconnection of bonding pads of electronic structures disposed above and below the interposer. The lateral offset between an anchor portion of a microspring disposed for contact at a bottom surface of the interposer and the tip of the microspring located in a free portion of the microspring for contact and deflection over a top surface of the interposer permits the interconnection of devices having different bonding pad pitches. Microspring contacts at the free portion permit temporary interconnection of devices, while solder applied over the free portion permit permanent connection of devices to the interposer. | 03-22-2012 |
| 20120059738 | System And Method For Identifying Music Samples For Recommendation By A User - A system and method for identifying music samples for recommendation by a user is provided. A music sample playing in an ambient environment is identified as selected by a recommending user. The music sample is recorded and information about the music sample is identified. A music recommendation describing the music sample is generated and includes at least a portion of the information. The music recommendation is transmitted from the recommending user to a recipient user. The portion of information from the music recommendation is integrated into a display of a music collection on a digital media player maintained by the recipient user and is displayed. | 03-08-2012 |
| 20120045258 | Preheating of Marking Material-Substrate Interface for Printing and the Like - Substrate (or marking material) pre-heating is employed to facilitate fusing of the marking material with the substrate and with adjacent marking material. By heating primarily the material which becomes the interface between substrate and marking material, and by minimizing the distance between the point of heat application to the substrate (or marking material) and the marking nip in a print system, the amount of time for heat energy to dissipate prior to the application of the marking material to the substrate surface is minimized, meaning that the total amount of energy required to drive the heat source can be reduced. Addressable heating may be employed to further reduce energy consumption. Furthermore, optical heating may be used to provide rapid, on-demand heating, thereby reducing warm-up time as well as reducing unutilized heat energy. | 02-23-2012 |
| 20120041899 | DATA CENTER CUSTOMER COST DETERMINATION MECHANISMS - A data center management system may include a data center customer profile corresponding to a data center customer. The data center customer profile may include a data center resource usage model and a service level agreement (SLA). A data center resource optimization module may determine a data center resource allocation for the data center customer based on the data center customer profile. A data center customer cost determination module may determine a data center customer cost that represents a cost to the data center of providing data center resources to the data center customer. | 02-16-2012 |
| 20120038726 | THERMAL INK TRANSFER USING ENDLESS BELT - An embodiment is a method and apparatus for thermal ink transfer. An endless belt having a thin thickness transfers ink from an ink donor roll to an image substrate based on a pattern on the belt. A heating unit heats the belt locally as needed in vicinity of contact between the belt and the ink donor roll. | 02-16-2012 |
| 20120037992 | PRINTED TFT AND TFT ARRAY WITH SELF-ALIGNED GATE - A method is used to form a self-aligning thin film transistor. The thin film transistor includes a gate contact formed with a state-switchable material, and a dielectric layer to isolate the gate contact. A source-drain layer, which includes a source contact, and a drain contact are formed with a source-drain material. An area of the gate contact is exposed to a form of energy, wherein the energy transforms a portion of the state switchable material from a non-conductive material to a conductive material, the conductive portion defining the gate contact. A semiconductor material is formed between the source contact and the drain contact. | 02-16-2012 |
| 20120036180 | SERVICE VIRTUALIZATION OVER CONTENT-CENTRIC NETWORKS - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for facilitating network service virtualization. During operation, the system receives a service request from a client, and initializes a communication session with the client. The system constructs an interest using session state information that can identify the client and/or a previous communication session. The interest comprises a hierarchically structured variable-length name. The system then broadcasts the interest to a number of servers. The system subsequently forwards to the client data received from a server which responds first to the interest. | 02-09-2012 |
| 20120033684 | TDMA COMMUNICATION USING A CSMA CHIPSET - A technique for communicating information using an electronic device that includes an IEEE 802.11-compliant chipset is described. This communication technique facilitates transmission of data packets in IEEE 802.11 frames in a communication channel by the IEEE 802.11-compliant chipset using time division multiple access (TDMA). In particular, the electronic device may queue a data packet in a software queue. Based on available space in a hardware queue in the IEEE 802.11-compliant chipset, this data packet may be provided to the hardware queue for inclusion in an IEEE 802.11 frame that is compliant with an IEEE 802.11 communication protocol. Then, the electronic device provides time-slot control information to the IEEE 802.11-compliant chipset based on a timing-synchronization signal. In this way, the electronic device gates the release of the data packet from the hardware queue for transmission in the IEEE 802.11 frame by the IEEE 802.11-compliant chipset. | 02-09-2012 |
| 20120033301 | Stationary Sunlight Redirecting Element And System - A low-cost sunlight redirecting element including multiple substantially identical redirecting structures uniformly arranged and fixedly disposed on a base, where each redirecting structure includes multiple optical surface regions that are cooperatively formed and arranged such that, when the sunlight redirecting element is operably fixedly oriented relative to a stationary target with sunlight directed along an incident direction onto the redirecting structures, at least some of the sunlight is transmitted between the corresponding optical surface regions of each redirecting structure, and redirected from the corresponding optical surface regions toward the target's surface. The optical surface regions are shaped and arranged to redirect the sunlight toward the fixed target surface even when the sunlight's incident angle direction changes during the course of a year. A stationary sunlight redirecting system (e.g., an architectural daylighting arrangement or PV farm) includes the sunlight redirecting element maintained in a fixed relationship to the stationary target surface. | 02-09-2012 |
| 20120033238 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CHARACTERIZING PRINTER STEAKING - Methods and systems are presented for characterizing printer streaking using a basis selection algorithm to determine parameters set for a streak template that best approximate a density profile derived from a scanned printed test image, with wavelet decomposition used to expedite the searching for position and width parameters. | 02-09-2012 |
| 20120031467 | Solar Energy Harvesting System Using Luminescent Solar Concentrator With Distributed Outcoupling Structures And Microoptical Elements - A solar energy harvesting system including a luminescent solar concentrator for generating light emissions in response to received sunlight, and for redirecting and concentrating the light emissions onto a predetermined target (e.g., a PV cell). The luminescent solar concentrator includes a light-guiding slab containing a luminescent material that generates the light emissions, spaced-apart outcoupling structures that provide a distributed outcoupling of the light emissions through predetermined locations on one of the “broadside” (e.g., upper or lower) surfaces of the light-guiding slab, and optical elements positioned to redirect the outcoupled light emissions such that the light emissions are concentrated onto the predetermined target. | 02-09-2012 |
| 20120031463 | Stationary Sunlight Redirecting System For Increasing The Efficiency Of Fixed-Tilt PV Farm - A low-cost system for increasing the electricity generation of flat panel photovoltaic (PV) farms in which sunlight redirecting elements are positioned in offset spaces provided between adjacent panel assemblies and serve to redirect otherwise unused sunlight onto solar cells disposed on one of the panel assemblies. The redirecting elements are located in a prismatic volume bounded at its upper end by an inclined upper plane that extends across the offset space separating adjacent PV panel assemblies. The redirecting elements are either mounted to at least one of the PV panel assemblies, or placed on the ground between the assemblies. Each redirecting element includes multiple reflecting and/or refracting surfaces that utilize a disclosed microoptical arrangement (e.g., focus and steer or reorient and scatter) to distribute the redirected sunlight in a substantially homogenous (uniform) distribution on the solar cells. | 02-09-2012 |
| 20120031396 | Luminescent Solar Concentrator With Distributed Outcoupling Structures And Microoptical Elements - A luminescent solar concentrator including a light-guiding slab containing a luminescent material that generates light emissions in response to received sunlight, spaced-apart outcoupling structures that provide a distributed outcoupling of the light emissions through predetermined locations on one of the “broadside” (e.g., upper or lower) surfaces of the light-guiding slab, and optical elements positioned to redirect the outcoupled light emissions such that the light emissions are concentrated onto a predetermined target (e.g., a PV cell). Each optical element includes a collimating surface portion and optional returner surface. | 02-09-2012 |
| 20120026516 | COLOR CHARACTERIZATION MODEL COMPUTATION USING WEIGHTED LEAST SQUARES MINIMIZATION - Methods and systems are presented for characterizing a color rendering system or a color marking material design process, in which forward color transform parameters are generated for mapping color from a first color space associated with an internal color representation of the color rendering system or marking material design process into a second color space using a least squares minimization of an error metric weighted according to a Taylor series expansion of the error metric. | 02-02-2012 |
| 20120021170 | Micro-Machined Structure Production Using Encapsulation - Micro-machined (e.g., stress-engineered spring) structures are produced by forming a release layer, forming a partially or fully encapsulated beam/spring structure, and then releasing the beam/spring structure by etching the release layer. The encapsulation structure protects the beam/spring during release, so both the release layer and the beam/spring can be formed using plating and/or using the same material. The encapsulation structure can be metal, resist, polymer, oxide, or nitride, and may be removed after the release process, or retained as part of the completed micro-machined structure. | 01-26-2012 |
| 20120020533 | System And Method For Aligning Maps Using Polyline Matching - A system and method for aligning maps using polyline matching is provided. A global map and a local map are represented as polyline maps including a plurality of line segments. One or more approximate matches between the polyline maps are identified. One or more refined matches are determined from the approximate matches. The global map and the local map are aligned at the one or more refined matches. | 01-26-2012 |
| 20120007079 | Thin Film Field Effect Transistor with Dual Semiconductor Layers - A thin film field effect transistor is disclosed which provides improved time-based channel stability. The field effect transistor includes first and second disordered semiconductor layers separated by an insulator. In an embodiment a carrier injection terminal is provided in a thin semiconductor layer closest to the gate terminal. An electric field is established in the thin semiconductor layer. At sufficient field strength, the electric field extends into the second semiconductor layer, which is in contact with the source and drain terminals. At sufficient field strength a channel is established in the second semiconductor layer, permitting current to flow between source and drain terminals. Above a certain gate voltage, there is sufficient free charge is induced in the first semiconductor layer so that the field does not extend into the second semiconductor, effectively shutting off current between source and drain. Single-device transition detection (as well as other applications) may be obtained. | 01-12-2012 |
| 20120006655 | TRANSPORT FOR PRINTING SYSTEMS - A transport system for cut sheet media has a first and second cylinder to form a nip, a support subsystem to transport edges of cut sheets having at least one image into and out of the nip, and an array of contact points on each cylinder to make contact with the cut sheets without marking the image. A wheel for a print medium transport system has an outer rim having a series of contact points, an inner hub supporting a means to accommodate a drive shaft, and an internal spring connecting the outer rim to the inner hub. A method of transporting cut sheets in a printing system forms a nip between at least one pair of cylinders, each cylinder having an array of contact points, guides a first edge of a cut sheet into the nip, and uses the arrays of contact points to transport the cut sheets through one of either a fusing or drying process. | 01-12-2012 |
| 20120000386 | TRANSPORT FOR PRINTING SYSTEMS - A transport system for cut sheet media has a first and second cylinder to form a nip, a support subsystem to transport edges of cut sheets having at least one image into and out of the nip, and an array of contact points on each cylinder to make contact with the cut sheets without marking the image. A wheel for a print medium transport system has an outer rim having a series of contact points, an inner hub supporting a means to accommodate a drive shaft, and an internal spring connecting the outer rim to the inner hub. A method of transporting cut sheets in a printing system forms a nip between at least one pair of cylinders, each cylinder having an array of contact points, guides a first edge of a cut sheet into the nip, and uses the arrays of contact points to transport the cut sheets through one of either a fusing or drying process. | 01-05-2012 |
| 20110318880 | CONTACT SPRING APPLICATION TO SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES - A contact spring applicator is provided which includes an applicator substrate, a removable encapsulating layer and a plurality of contact springs embedded in the removable encapsulating layer. The contact springs are positioned such that a bond pad on each contact spring is adjacent to an upper surface of the removable encapsulating layer. The contact spring applicator may also include an applicator substrate, a release layer, a plurality of unreleased contact springs on the release layer and a bond pad at an anchor end of each contact spring. The contact spring applicators apply contact springs to an integrated circuit chip, die or package or to a probe card by aligning the bond pads with bond pad landings on the receiving device. The bond pads are adhered to the bond pad landings. The encapsulating or release layer is then removed to separate the contact springs from the contact spring applicator substrate. | 12-29-2011 |
| 20110316845 | SPATIAL ASSOCIATION BETWEEN VIRTUAL AND AUGMENTED REALITY - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that facilitates interaction between two entities located away from each other. The system includes a virtual reality system, an augmented reality system, and an object-state-maintaining mechanism. During operation, the virtual reality system displays an object associated with a real-world object. The augmented reality system displays the object based on a change to the state of the object. The object-state-maintaining mechanism determines the state of the object and communicates a state change to the virtual reality system, the augmented reality system, or both. A respective state change of the object can be based on one or more of: a state change of the real-world object; a user input to the virtual reality system or the augmented reality system; and an analysis of an image of the real-world object. | 12-29-2011 |
| 20110314426 | RISK-BASED ALERTS - Some embodiments provide a system that facilitates use of a computer system. During operation, the system obtains notification of a risk associated with a user action on the computer system. Next, the system generates an alert within a user interface based at least on a severity of the risk. The alert may include a set of user-interface elements representing an effect of the user action. The system then receives a response to the alert from a user of the computer system. The response may include a dragging of a first of the user-interface elements in one or more directions to a second of the user-interface elements. Finally, the system processes the user action based at least on the response. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110314297 | EVENT LOG AUTHENTICATION USING SECURE COMPONENTS - Some embodiments provide a system that facilitates use of a computing device. During operation, the system obtains an event description of an event on the computing device. Next, the system computes a message authentication code (MAC) for the event description using a secure component associated with the computing device. Finally, the system uses the MAC to maintain the integrity of an event log containing the event description. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110313984 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PARALLEL GRAPH SEARCHING UTILIZING PARALLEL EDGE PARTITIONING - A method and system for performing a graph search, includes constructing an abstract representation of the graph using state-space abstraction. The abstract representation of the graph includes one or more abstract nodes having duplicate detection scopes and one or more abstract edges having operator groups. The duplicate detection scopes of the abstract nodes are partitioned into smaller duplicate detection scopes using edge partitioning. The abstract edges include the smaller duplicate detection scopes. Nodes in the current search layer are expanded using the operator groups of outgoing abstract edges of the abstract nodes the nodes map to. The operator groups associated with abstract edges having disjoint duplicate detection scopes are used to expand the nodes in parallel. Once all the operator groups in the current search layer have been used for node expansion the method progresses to the next search layer. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110311145 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR CLEAN DOCUMENT RECONSTRUCTION FROM ANNOTATED DOCUMENT IMAGES - A computer-implemented method and system for reconstructing a clean document from annotated document images and/or extracting annotations therefrom are provided. The method includes receiving a set of at least two annotated document images into computer memory, selecting a representative image from the set of annotated document images, performing a global alignment on each of the set of annotated document images with respect to the selected representative image, and forming a consensus document image based at least on the aligned annotated document images. A clean document based at least on the consensus document image is then formed which can be used for extracting the annotations. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110309513 | BURIED THERMALLY CONDUCTIVE LAYERS FOR HEAT EXTRACTION AND SHIELDING - An embodiment is a method and apparatus for heat extraction and shielding in multi-block semiconductor devices. A plurality of blocks stacked on each other is interconnected by vertical vias filled with thermally conducting material and separated by buried thermally conductive layers. A thermally conductive layer is bonded to bottom or top of the plurality of blocks as a ground plane or a heat extraction layer. The thermally conductive layer has a high thermal conductivity. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110309415 | SENSOR USING FERROELECTRIC FIELD-EFFECT TRANSISTOR - An embodiment is a method and apparatus to sense strain or pressure. A ferroelectric field effect transistor (feFET) structure has a semiconductor layer and a ferroelectric dielectric layer. The feFET structure is capable of sensing strain or pressure. | 12-22-2011 |
| 20110303891 | Mixed Alloy Defect Redirection Region and Devices Including Same - An optical semiconductor device such as a light emitting diode is formed on a transparent substrate having formed thereon a template layer, such as AlN, which is transparent to the wavelength of emission of the optical device. A mixed alloy defect redirection region is provided over the template layer such that the composition of the defect redirection region approaches or matches the composition of the regions contiguous thereto. For example, the Al content of the defect redirection region may be tailored to provide a stepped or gradual Aluminum content from template to active layer. Strain-induced cracking and defect density are reduced or eliminated. | 12-15-2011 |
| 20110302169 | IDENTIFYING ACTIVITIES USING A HYBRID USER-ACTIVITY MODEL - In a user-activity identification technique, a user's actions are monitored while the user is using a computer. While these user actions are associated with user activities, the user activities are initially unspecified, so the tracked user actions constitute unsupervised data. Then, the tracked user actions are aggregated into subsets (for example, using clustering analysis), and user-activity classifications for the subsets (such as activity labels) are provided by the user, so the subsets constitute supervised data. Subsequently, when additional user actions (which are associated with one or more initially unspecified current user activities) are tracked, they can be associated with one or more of the classified subsets. For example, information about the additional user actions can be mapped in real time (or near real time) to one or more of the subsets using a supervised learning technique. In this way, the one or more current user activities can be identified. | 12-08-2011 |
| 20110295591 | SYSTEM AND METHOD TO ACQUIRE PARAPHRASES - An automatic paraphrase acquisition technique is provided. A common theme of the various embodiments described herein resides in careful design of simple tasks that can elicit the necessary information for the automated process. These tasks are performed quickly and inexpensively. By gathering the results produced, paraphrases can be generated automatically using the method and/or system. | 12-01-2011 |
| 20110293187 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR EFFICIENT INTERPRETATION OF IMAGES IN TERMS OF OBJECTS AND THEIR PARTS - The present application is a method and system of interpreting an image by finding a configuration of multiple variables which optimizes an objective function with a factorizable upper bound, by applying an iterative algorithm that relies on efficient dynamic ordering of candidate configurations, in a priority queue, in a descending order of an upper bound score. As an example, consider a constellation model for an object. It specifies the appearance models for individual parts of objects, as well as spatial relations among these parts. These are combined into a single function whose value represents the likeness of the object in an image. To find the configuration in which the object is present in the image, we maximize this function over all candidate configurations. The purpose of the iterative algorithm mentioned above is to find such optimal configurations efficiently. | 12-01-2011 |
| 20110291074 | Semi-Polar Nitride-Based Light Emitting Structure and Method of Forming Same - A structure and method for producing same provides a solid-state light emitting device with suppressed lattice defects in epitaxially formed nitride layers over a non-c-plane oriented (e.g., semi-polar) template or substrate. A dielectric layer with “window” openings or trenches provides significant suppression of all diagonally running defects during growth. Posts of appropriate height and spacing may further provide suppression of vertically running defects. A layer including gallium nitride is formed over the dielectric layer, and polished to provide a planar growth surface with desired roughness. A tri-layer indium gallium nitride active region is employed. For laser diode embodiments, a relatively thick aluminum gallium nitride cladding layer is provided over the gallium nitride layer. | 12-01-2011 |
| 20110290304 | PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULES ON A TEXTILE SUBSTRATE - A photovoltaic module having a textile substrate having conductors, an array of functional tiles on the substrate, wherein the functional tiles include solar tiles, the functional tiles arranged to be spaced apart from each other and to contact at least one conductor, and the solar tiles electrically connect in one of either electrical series or parallel configuration to produce and electrical power output. A method of manufacturing flexible, photovoltaic modules includes manufacturing at least one functional material, forming the functional material into functional tiles, mounting the functional tiles onto a textile substrate into an array of functional tiles, and forming circuitry on the flexible substrate to electrically connect the functional tiles to one of either input/output circuitry or other tiles. | 12-01-2011 |
| 20110290296 | FLEXIBLE TILED PHOTOVOLTAIC MODULE - A flexible photovoltaic module has a flexible substrate having integrated electrically conductive portions, an array of functional tiles on the substrate, wherein the functional tiles include solar cell tiles, the functional tiles being separated by a spacing which determines the bending radius of the module, the tiles at least partially in electrical contact with the electrically conductive portions, the solar tiles electrically connected in one of either electrical series or parallel configuration to produce an electrical power output. A method of manufacturing flexible, photovoltaic modules, includes manufacturing at least one functional material, forming the functional material into functional tiles, mounting the functional tiles onto a flexible substrate into an array of functional tiles with spacing between the tiles, the spacing selected to provide flexibility, and forming circuitry on the flexible substrate to electrically connect the functional tiles to one of either input/output circuitry or other tiles. | 12-01-2011 |
| 20110281424 | Relaxed InGaN/AlGaN Templates - A relaxed InGaN template is formed by growing a GaN or InGaN nucleation layer at low temperatures on a conventional base layer (e.g., sapphire). The nucleation layer is typically very rough and multi-crystalline. A single-crystal InGaN buffer layer is then grown at normal temperatures on the nucleation layer. Although not necessary, the buffer layer is typically undoped, and is usually grown at high pressures to encourage planarization and to improve surface smoothness. A subsequent n-doped cap layer can then be grown at low pressures to form the n-contact of a photonic or electronic device. In some cases, a wetting layer—typically low temperature AlN—is grown prior to the nucleation layer. Other templates, such as AlGaN on Si or SiC, are also produced using the method of the present invention. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110280640 | System and Methods to use context graphs for targeting communications - This disclosure provides a system and method to use context graphs for targeting communications to a user of an image rendering device. According to one exemplary embodiment, the method provides targeted communications generated as a function of one or more attributes associated with a user requested printed document. The attributes are provided by accessing a context graph including a plurality of links between a plurality of entities. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110280490 | LEARNING IMAGE TEMPLATES FOR CONTENT ANCHORING AND DATA EXTRACTION - Methods, and corresponding systems, of generating one or more image anchor templates for extracting data from a data field of a first class of documents are provided. The methods include generating one or more candidate image anchor templates from at least one of one or more exemplars of the first class; determining a quality score for each of the one or more candidate image anchor templates using a computer processor and known locations of the data field within the one or more exemplars of the first class; ranking the one or more candidate image anchor templates according to quality score; and selecting one or more of the most highly ranked image anchor templates. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110280451 | LEARNING IMAGE ANCHOR TEMPLATES FOR DOCUMENT CLASSIFICATION - Methods, and corresponding systems, of generating one or more image anchor templates for discriminating between documents of a first class and documents of other classes are provided. The methods include generating one or more candidate image anchor templates; determining, using a computer processor, a quality score for each of the one or more candidate image anchor templates; ranking the one or more candidate image anchor templates according to the quality scores of the one or more candidate image anchor templates; and selecting one or more of the most highly ranked image anchor templates. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110279739 | PROJECTION SYSTEM AND COMPONENTS - A system including a plurality of pixels disposed on a substrate forming a screen. A signal, such as an image, can be projected on the screen. The pixels of the screen include a sensor configured to sense a portion of the signal, an emitter, and circuitry. In response to information sensed in the signal, the circuitry can be configured to drive the emitter. | 11-17-2011 |
| 20110276523 | MEASURING DOCUMENT SIMILARITY BY INFERRING EVOLUTION OF DOCUMENTS THROUGH REUSE OF PASSAGE SEQUENCES - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for estimating document similarity. During operation, the system selects a collection of documents which includes a first set of passages, constructs a passage-sequence model based on the first set of passages, receives a new document which includes a second set of passages, and determines a sequence of operations associated with the new document in relation to the collection of documents based on the constructed passage-sequence model. | 11-10-2011 |
| 20110271857 | PRINTING SYSTEM EMPLOYING DEFORMABLE POLYMER PRINTING PLATES - A printing plate has a substrate, an array of cells on the substrate, wherein each cell corresponds to an element of a print image, a deformable polymer material localized into the cells such that each cell is at least partially formed from the deformable polymer material, a reservoir corresponding to each cell to collect the deformable polymer material as needed when the deformable polymer material is one of either melted or softened, and a heater to cause the deformable polymer material to either melt or soften. A method of forming a printing plate provides an array of cells, first heats the array of cells such that the deformable polymer material does one of either melts or softens, actuates the cells in the array to assume a deformed state, cools the array of cells to solidify the cells in the deformed state, second heats the cells such that the deformable polymer material in selected ones of the cells does one of either soften or melt and return to a less deformed state to form a printing pattern, and cools the surface to solidify the deformable polymer material in the printing pattern. A method of forming a printing plate provides an array of cells, heats the array of cells such that the deformable polymer material softens, actuates selected ones of the cells to deform surfaces of the selected ones to form a printing pattern, and cools the array of cells to solidify the printing pattern into a printing plate. | 11-10-2011 |
| 20110270830 | System And Method For Providing Multi-Core And Multi-Level Topical Organization In Social Indexes - A computer-implemented method for providing multi-core and multi-level topical organization in social indexes is provided. A corpus of articles is accessed. Each article includes online textual materials. A finite state pattern is provided for a topic that filters the articles as candidate articles, which are potentially on-topic. Similarity-based representations for on-topic and off-topic core meanings of the topic are provided. An aggregate score for each of the candidate articles is determined using the similarity-based representations to indicate whether the candidate article is sufficiently on-topic. The candidate articles are presented ordered by their aggregate scores. In a further embodiment, a hierarchy of topics is provided and used to guide the presentation of articles from subtopics, with considerations of fairness of subtopic coverage, elimination of similarity-duplicates in articles, and article freshness. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110268143 | Vertical Surface Emitting Semiconductor Device - A semiconductor light emitting device includes a pump light source, a gain structure, and an out-coupling mirror. The gain structure is comprised of InGaN layers that have resonant excitation absorption at the pump wavelength. Light from the pump light source causes the gain structure to emit light, which is reflected by the out-coupling mirror back to the gain structure. A distributed Bragg reflector causes internal reflection within the gain structure. The out-coupling mirror permits light having sufficient energy to pass therethrough for use external to the device. A frequency doubling structure may be disposed between the gain structure and the out-coupling mirror. Output wavelengths in the deep-UV spectrum may be achieved. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110267982 | System And Method For Determining An Optimal Backbone For Robotic Relay Networks - A system and method for determining an optimal backbone for a robotic relay network are provided. A robotic relay network comprising a plurality of nodes including a base station node, one or more mobile relay nodes, and one or more user nodes is provided. A signal strength value for each pair-wise communication link between each of the nodes is identified. A weight function is applied to each communication link value to determine a communication link weight. An optimal backbone tree is determined from the communication link weights. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110265505 | Optimization of a Thermoacoustic Apparatus Based on Operating Conditions and Selected User Input - In a thermoacoustic refrigerator, operating temperatures, ambient temperature, and selected user input are utilized to control frequency and/or input power in order to optimize the efficiency of the thermoacoustic refrigerator operation. In a thermoacoustic heat engine, operating temperatures, ambient temperature, and selected user input are utilized to control impedance of a load to optimize the efficiency of the thermoacoustic heat engine operation. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110265493 | Thermoacoustic Apparatus With Series-Connected Stages - A thermoacoustic apparatus includes multiple thermoacoustic device stages, such as individual thermoacoustic refrigerators, connected in a looped series such that excess acoustic energy from a first stage forms a part of the input energy to the next successive stage. Each stage includes an acoustic source, a regenerator, and a plurality of heat exchangers. The stages are interconnected by transmission lines. The dimensions of the transmission lines, materials used, and the operating parameters are selected so that that excess acoustic power is communicated to a succeeding stage with a pressure phase at the back of an acoustic source of the succeeding stage such that the electric power required by the acoustic source of the succeeding stage is minimized for a given acoustic power produced by the second stage. Improved operating efficiency of the thermoacoustic apparatus is thereby provided. | 11-03-2011 |
| 20110265174 | SESSION MIGRATION OVER CONTENT-CENTRIC NETWORKS - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for facilitating session migration. During operation, the system receives a communication packet from a client destined to a remote server. The system determines whether the communication packet belongs to a pre-existing communication session, and whether session state information associated with the session is available locally. In response to the communication packet belonging to a pre-existing communication session and the session state information being unavailable locally, the system constructs an interest requesting the session state information, disseminates the interest over a network, and receives the session state information. | 10-27-2011 |
| 20110263464 | ENHANCED DROP MIXING USING MAGNETIC ACTUATION - A method and device for merging and mixing at least two separate and distinct fluid drops on a substrate, includes a drop merging area on the surface, where a first magnetic material is placed at a first location. A first drop of fluid is then placed at the first location on the surface, resulting in the first magnetic material being at least partially positioned within the first drop of fluid. A second drop of fluid is then placed at a second location on the surface of the drop merging area. A magnetic field is applied by a varying magnetic field generator to at least a portion of the drop merge area of the substrate, which includes at least the first location on the substrate. The varying magnetic field will act on the first magnetic material to move the first magnetic material within the first drop of fluid, causing a stirring of the fluid. A drop merging force from a drop merging mechanism is applied to at least one of the first drop of fluid and the second drop of fluid within the drop merge area. This causes at least one of the first drop of fluid and the second drop of fluid to move toward the other and make contact. The internal stirring of the fluid in the first drop of fluid by the movement of the magnetic material enhances the mixing of the constituents of the first drop of fluid and the constituents of the second drop of fluid. | 10-27-2011 |
| 20110261127 | METHODS OF LEVELING INK ON SUBSTRATES AND APPARATUSES USEFUL IN PRINTING - Methods of leveling ink on substrates and apparatuses useful in printing are provided. An exemplary embodiment of the methods includes irradiating ink disposed on a surface of a porous substrate with radiation emitted by at least one radiant energy source. The radiation heats the ink to at least a viscosity threshold temperature of the ink to allow the ink to flow laterally on the surface to produce leveling of the ink. The ink is heated sufficiently rapidly that heat transfer from the ink to the substrate is sufficiently small during the leveling that ink at the substrate interface is cooled to a temperature below the viscosity threshold temperature thereby preventing any significant ink permeation into the substrate. | 10-27-2011 |
| 20110259397 | Rotational Trough Reflector Array For Solar-Electricity Generation - A rotational trough reflector solar-electricity generation device includes a trough reflector that rotates around a substantially vertical axis. A strip-type photovoltaic (PV) device is fixedly mounted along the focal line of the trough reflector. A tracking system rotates the trough reflector such that the trough reflector is aligned generally parallel to the incident sunlight (e.g., in a generally east-west direction at sunrise, turning to generally north-south at noon, and turning generally west-east at sunset). A disc-shaped support structure is used to distribute the reflector's weight over a larger area and to minimize the tracking system motor size. Multiple trough reflectors are mounted on the disc-shaped support to maximize power generation. | 10-27-2011 |
| 20110258193 | METHOD FOR CALCULATING ENTITY SIMILARITIES - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for estimating a similarity level between semantic entities. During operation, the system selects two or more semantic entities associated with a number documents. The system subsequently parses the documents into sub-parts, and calculates the similarity level between the semantic entities based on occurrences of the semantic entities within the sub-parts of the documents. | 10-20-2011 |
| 20110258181 | METHOD FOR CALCULATING SEMANTIC SIMILARITIES BETWEEN MESSAGES AND CONVERSATIONS BASED ON ENHANCED ENTITY EXTRACTION - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for estimating a similarity level between documents. During operation, the system receives a number of documents, extracts a number of semantic entities from the documents, calculates the similarity level between the documents based on the extracted semantic entities, and produces a result indicating similar documents based on the calculated similarity level. | 10-20-2011 |
| 20110252027 | System And Method For Recommending Interesting Content In An Information Stream - A system and method for recommending interesting content is provided. A content profile including a vector of words extracted from messages associated with a user is obtained. One or more content pointer profiles each including a vector of words associated with a content pointer located within one or more messages are obtained. The content profile is compared with each of the content pointer profiles. A relevance score is determined for that content pointer by calculating a similarity between the user words and the content pointer words. The content pointers are ranked based on the relevance score. A threshold is applied to select the content pointers and those content pointers that satisfy the threshold are selected as the content pointers most relevant to the user. | 10-13-2011 |
| 20110245581 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR THROMBUS REMOVAL USING MAGNETIC PARTICLES - A method and system for affecting a thrombus after ischemic stroke. The method may include injecting a plurality of magnetic particles into a bloodstream and moving or distorting a thrombus formed or lodged in the bloodstream using a magnetic force to manipulate the magnetic particles. The method may include conjugating ferromagnetic particles, paramagnetic particles, or superparamagnetic particles to a thrombus-specific attachment agent such as an anti-fibrin antibody, and injecting the conjugated particles into the bloodstream. Thereafter, the thrombus may be agitated, broken apart, or dissolved using a magnetic field to exert a magnetic force on the conjugated particles. The method may also include injecting a thrombolytic agent into the bloodstream to interact with and further dissolve the thrombus. | 10-06-2011 |
| 20110238614 | AI PLANNING BASED QUASI-MONTECARLO SIMULATION METHOD FOR PROBABILISTIC PLANNING - A computer-based method and system for AI planning based quasi-Monte Carlo simulation for probabilistic planning are provided. The method includes generating a set of possible actions for an initial state, generating a set of sample future outcomes, generating solutions for each of the sample future outcomes, using an AI planner, generating a set of future outcome solutions that are low probability and high-impact, combining the solutions generated from each of the sample future outcomes with the future outcome solutions generated by the AI Planner into an aggregated set of future outcome solutions, analyzing the aggregated set of future outcome solutions, selecting a best action based at least partially on the analysis of the aggregated set of future outcome solutions, and outputting the selected best action to computer memory. | 09-29-2011 |
| 20110238583 | TECHNIQUE FOR AGGREGATING REACTIVE POWER LOADS - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that aggregates an energy service from one or more participants. An aggregator in the system first sends a plurality of price points to a respective participant, wherein each price point corresponds to a particular range of phase angles between a voltage waveform and a current waveform. The aggregator then receives a price point selected by the participant, wherein the selected price point corresponds to a phase angle to which the participant agrees to adjust. Next, the aggregator aggregates from the one or more participants an energy service with reactive-power reduction. | 09-29-2011 |
| 20110222062 | ANALYZERS WITH TIME VARIATION BASED ON COLOR-CODED SPATIAL MODULATION - A filter arrangement can transmit and/or reflect light emanating from a moving object so that the emanating light has time variation, and the time variation can include information about the object, such as its type. For example, emanating light from segments of a path can be transmitted/reflected through positions of a filter assembly, and the transmission functions of the positions can be sufficiently different that time variation occurs in the emanating light between segments. Or emanating light from a segment can be transmitted/reflected through a filter component in which simpler transmission functions are superimposed, so that time variation occurs in the emanating light in accordance with superposition of two simpler non-uniform transmission functions. Many filter arrangements could be used, e.g. the filter component could include the filter assembly, which can have one of the simpler non-uniform transmission functions. Time-varying waveforms from sensing results can be compared to obtain spectral differences. The filter arrangement, in a practical commercial embodiment, can be manufactured to be disposable, and used in a point-of-care device for use practically anywhere, at low cost, and can also be implemented in an in-line monitoring system. | 09-15-2011 |
| 20110219358 | EXTENSIBLE FRAMEWORK FOR COMPATIBILITY TESTING - A method of receiving mobile code includes receiving, from a source node, a dependency descriptor describing at least one permitted configuration, each configuration comprising necessary conditions on a destination node to execute mobile code, executing, on the destination node, checker code associated with the conditions described in the dependency descriptor, and, if at least one configuration is compatible, receiving the mobile code at the destination node. | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110219315 | System And Method For Flexibly Taking Actions In Response To Detected Activities - A computer-implemented system and method for flexibly taking actions in response to detected activities is provided. A trigger in a computing environment is defined and includes at least one of specifying one or more documents, persons, key words, times, and projects associable with the activities of at least one user, and defining one or more actions associable with the activities of at least one such user. At least one of activities, events, and stimuli occurring within the computing environment is monitored in relation to the documents, persons, key words, times, and projects, and to the activities. Action is taken within the computing environment upon activation of the trigger by the at least one activity, event, and stimuli. | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110219013 | DETECTING DUPLICATES IN A SHARED KNOWLEDGE BASE - Methods and systems supporting curation of items in a searchable knowledge base are provided. The methods and systems include mining one or more search queries of the searchable knowledge base, where each of the search queries includes a plurality of the items. The method further includes determining one or more pairs of items using a processor, where each of the pairs of items includes a correlation value exceeding a threshold. The correlation values for the pairs of items are based upon the frequency the items of the pairs of items co-occur within the search queries. The method further includes providing the pairs of items to a curator, where the curator reviews the pairs of items. | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110216401 | Scanning System With Orbiting Objective - A scanning system including a conveyor unit and a revolver unit that respectively rotate around first and second parallel axes and cooperatively interact to continuously transfer collimated light along a light path between a fixed device (e.g., laser or image sensor) and an orbiting element (e.g., microscope objective or projection optics). The conveyor unit including first and second surfaces disposed to rotate in a fixed parallel relationship around the first axis such that collimated light is directed by the surfaces from a fixed light path portion to a parallel scanning light path portion that orbits the fixed path at a constant offset distance. The revolver unit including an orbiting element rotated around the second axis, which is collinear with the fixed light path portion, and the element orbits at a radius equal to the offset distance between the fixed and scanning light path portions. | 09-08-2011 |
| 20110211010 | Apparatus For Controlled Freezing Of Melted Solid Ink In A Solid Ink Printer - An apparatus controls dissipation of heat from melted ink within a component storing melted ink within a solid ink imaging device. The apparatus includes a housing, a passage within the housing that is configured to store melted ink, and a temperature control connector mechanically coupled to the housing and passage, the temperature control connector being configured to mitigate void formation in melted ink as the melted ink cools in the passage. | 09-01-2011 |
| 20110209610 | SEPARATING GAS USING IMMOBILIZED BUFFERS - A layered structure can be formed having immobilized or segregated pH buffering groups that can be used to separate carbon dioxide or other gases. The pH buffering groups can be immobilized within a matrix, confined within a gel, or segregated by a semi-permeable membrane. The pH buffering groups can be configured to increase the efficiency of the system by maintaining a desirable pH profile within the cell and to permit the flow of the carbon-containing ions within the system while controlling diffusion of protons and/or hydroxyl ions. | 09-01-2011 |
| 20110205012 | System And Method For Determining Characteristics Of A Physical Environment With Simple Motion Patterns - A system and method for determining characteristics of a physical environment with simple motion patterns are provided. A plurality of raw orientation readings are received from a simple motion pattern. A distribution of possible wall orientations upon each raw reading is determined. Wall direction is determined as the mean value of the distribution. | 08-25-2011 |
| 20110197121 | EFFECTIVE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR VISUAL DOCUMENT COMPARISON USING LOCALIZED TWO-DIMENSIONAL VISUAL FINGERPRINTS - A method and system detects and highlights changes in documents and displays those documents in a side-by-side aligned view. Aspects of a source document and a revised document are detected and compared. Similarities and/or differences between the source document and the revised document are identified and visual identifiers are introduced to maintain consistent and accurate alignment between content in the source document and content in the revised document. A merged single file is output containing the aligned side-by-side view of the source document and the revised document, with all differences between the source document and the revised document visually identified. | 08-11-2011 |
| 20110196896 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR METADATA-DRIVEN DOCUMENT MANAGEMENT AND ACCESS CONTROL - A system is provided to facilitate tag-based organization of documents. During operation, the system receives an original user query. The system extends the query to include documents with an IN-tag and exclude documents with an OUT-tag. The system then performs a search based on the extended query to indicate a collection of documents which satisfy the extended query. The system further allows a user to add a document to the collection of documents or remove a document from the collection of documents. Next, the system modifies a tagging property of the document. | 08-11-2011 |
| 20110196709 | System And Method For Setting A Rideshare Transaction Fee - A system and method for setting a rideshare transaction fee is provided. Data is maintained for rideshare transactions, each associated with a route. At least one rideshare transaction that travels along a particular route is identified. A number of drivers offering transportation on that particular route and a number of passengers seeking transportation on the particular route are determined. A transaction fee for the rideshare transaction along the particular route is set. The transaction fee is increased when there are more passengers seeking transportation than drivers offering transportation. The transaction fee is decreased when there are more drivers offering transportation than passengers seeking transportation. | 08-11-2011 |
| 20110196708 | System And Method For Financing A Rideshare System - A system and method for financing a rideshare system is provided. A rideshare transaction is arranged. Potential participants are identified for the rideshare transaction. Two or more of the potential participants are matched for inclusion in the rideshare transaction. Revenue is derived through an offering of insurance coverage for the arranged rideshare transaction. | 08-11-2011 |
| 20110194736 | FINE-GRAINED VISUAL DOCUMENT FINGERPRINTING FOR ACCURATE DOCUMENT COMPARISON AND RETRIEVAL - A method and system generates fine-grained fingerprints for identifying content in a rendered document. It includes applying image-based techniques to identify patterns in a document rendered by an electronic document rendering system, irrespective of a file format in which the rendered document was electronically created. The applying of the image-based technique includes identifying candidate keypoints at locations in a local image neighborhood of the document, and combining the locations of the candidate keypoints to form a fine-grained fingerprint identifying patterns representing content in the document. | 08-11-2011 |
| 20110191428 | System And Method For Content Tagging And Distribution Through Email - A system and method for content tagging and distribution through email are provided. A user-to-tag record including content tags, each associated with one or more users, is maintained. An incoming email message with a tag address is received. The tag address is processed to identify a content tag, which is applied to the user-to-tag record. Users associated with the identified content tag are determined. The incoming email message is provided to the associated users. | 08-04-2011 |
| 20110185925 | Digital Gravure Printing with a Pixilated Photoconductor - A printing sub-system including same including a pixilated photoconductive member (such as a photobelt) is disclosed. Electrically isolated cells hold surface application material above the photoconductor. The surface application material is first charged. Charge on the surface application material in an individual cell may then be discharged by exposure of a region of the photoconductor proximate that cell to light from an optical addressing system. The surface application material is brought into proximity of an image receiving member such as paper, which is either charged or proximate a charge source. Charged surface application material in a cell may then be electrostatically transferred from the cell onto the image receiving member, while discharged surface application material remains in the cell. The subsystem may form a part of a complete printing system using many existing components. Among other advantages, viscous liquid surface application material may thereby be printed. | 08-04-2011 |
| 20110185322 | METHOD OF IN-PROCESS INTRALAYER YIELD DETECTION, INTERLAYER SHUNT DETECTION AND CORRECTION - A system and method for in-process yield evaluation and correction in an array type of device are provided. The system and method include measuring electrical resistance between individual GATE lines, DATA lines, a DATA bus I/O pad, and a GATE bus I/O pad; and analyzing the measured electrical resistance to identify at least one of the following: GATE line open defects, GATE line bridge defects, DATA line open defects, DATA line bridge defects, and interlayer shunt defects. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110184959 | SUMMARIZING MEDICAL CONTENT WITH ITERATIVE SIMPLIFICATION RULES - A method for generating a gloss of medical content. The method includes repeatedly applying, using a processor, a plurality of simplification rules to the medical content until the medical content is fully simplified. Thereafter, one or more target patterns having slots associated with ontologies are matched to one or more portions of the medical content and the one or more portions of the medical content are extracted. The one or more portions correspond to the gloss. | 07-28-2011 |
| 20110176193 | Multiple-Source Multiple-Beam Polarized Laser Scanning System - Two integrated multi-beam sources are positioned and disposed such that each emits light toward an optical splitter. The emitted light is polarized such that the splitter brings the optical paths of the two integrated multi-beam sources generally parallel to one another such that the optical system aperture throughput for the two integrated multi-beam sources is roughly the same as for a single integrated multi-beam source. The splitter may be such that a portion of the optical energy from each source is directed into an imaging path and a portion of the optical energy is directed toward one or more non-polarizing splitters and optical sensors for, inter alia, controlling the output of the sources. In various embodiments, the number of splitters, and hence the extent of optical loss, may be reduced by use of a combined polarized and non-polarized splitter, dual polarized splitters, and time-sequenced beam generation and monitoring. | 07-21-2011 |
| 20110173147 | FACTORED ENVISIONING FOR DECISION SUPPORT - A system and method provides decision support for planning in an environment where a competition for use of resources exist and events affecting the planning are occurring dynamically. A system model of an actual system is provided. Then in a dynamic factored manner, an envisionment related to at least some aspects of the system model is built. From this envisionment output is generated related to at least some aspects of the system model. Finally, changes are made to the actual system, based on the generated output thereby changing a configuration and/or operation of the actual system. | 07-14-2011 |
| 20110167526 | Microsprings Having Nanowire Tip Structures - A stress-engineered microspring is formed generally in the plane of a substrate. A nanowire (or equivalently, a nanotube) is formed at the tip thereof, also in the plane of the substrate. Once formed, the length of the nanowire may be defined, for example photolithographically. A sacrificial layer underlying the microspring may then be removed, allowing the engineered stresses in the microspring to cause the structure to bend out of plane, elevating the nanowire off the substrate and out of plane. Use of the nanowire as a contact is thereby provided. The nanowire may be clamped at the tip of the microspring for added robustness. The nanowire may be coated during the formation process to provide additional functionality of the final device. | 07-07-2011 |
| 20110163061 | Method Of Producing Microsprings Having Nanowire Tip Structures - A stress-engineered microspring is formed generally in the plane of a substrate. A nanowire (or equivalently, a nanotube) is formed at the tip thereof, also in the plane of the substrate. Once formed, the length of the nanowire may be defined, for example photolithographically. A sacrificial layer underlying the microspring may then be removed, allowing the engineered stresses in the microspring to cause the structure to bend out of plane, elevating the nanowire off the substrate and out of plane. Use of the nanowire as a contact is thereby provided. The nanowire may be clamped at the tip of the microspring for added robustness. The nanowire may be coated during the formation process to provide additional functionality of the final device. | 07-07-2011 |
| 20110157267 | REUSABLE PAPER MEDIA WITH COMPATIBILITY MARKINGS AND PRINTER WITH INCOMPATIBLE MEDIA SENSOR - A reusable image forming medium, including a substrate; an imaging layer coated on or impregnated into the substrate, wherein an irradiation of the imaging layer produces an image; and a signature material coated on or impregnated into the substrate or the imaging layer, the signature material being detectable by a sensor. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110155311 | LAMINATED PAPER FOR XEROGRAPHY TO REDUCE COST AND RECYCLING WASTE - An imageable medium includes a reusable substrate and a removable surface layer semi-permanently bonded to a major surface of the substrate, the reusable substrate comprising an opaque backing to the removable surface layer and the removable surface layer comprising an imageable surface. A use indicator can be incorporated into the imageable medium, and correspond to at least one of the reusable substrate and removable surface layer. The use indicator can be an RFID chip. A method of imaging includes preparing an imageable medium by semi-permanently bonding an imageable layer to a reusable substrate, the reusable substrate providing an opaque backing to the imageable layer; imaging the imageable layer of the imageable medium; removing an imaged layer upon completion of use of the imaged medium; and repeatedly imaging a revealed imageable layer and removing the imaged layer. | 06-30-2011 |
| 20110153646 | System And Method For Triaging Of Information Feeds - A system and method for triaging of information feeds is provided. A plurality of information feeds are received. At least one topic is identified from each information feed. At least one topic is presented to a user in topic facet including a plurality of identified topics. A selection of one of the plurality of topics is received from the user. The user interface is updated to display only the feeds that contain the selected topic. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110153595 | System And Method For Identifying Topics For Short Text Communications - A system and method for identifying topics for short text communications is provided. Tokens are extracted from a short text communication. A query is generated using the extracted tokens. The query is applied to a set of documents. Those documents in the set that match the query are identified as search results. Salient terms associated with each of the search results are identified. A threshold is applied to the identified salient terms. The salient terms that satisfy the threshold are selected as topics for the short text communication. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110150017 | Relaxed InGaN/AlGaN Templates - A relaxed InGaN template employs a GaN or InGaN nucleation layer grown at low temperatures on a conventional base layer (e.g., sapphire). The nucleation layer is typically very rough and multi-crystalline. A single-crystal InGaN buffer layer is then grown at normal temperatures. Although not necessary, the buffer layer is typically undoped, and is usually grown at high pressures to encourage planarization and to improve surface smoothness. A subsequent n-doped cap layer can then be grown at low pressures to form the n-contact of a photonic or electronic device. In some cases, a wetting layer—typically low temperature AlN—is grown prior to the nucleation layer. Other templates, such as AlGaN on Si or SiC, are also produced using the method of the present invention. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110147742 | Thin Film Field Effect Transistor with Dual Semiconductor Layers - A thin film field effect transistor is disclosed which provides improved time-based channel stability. The field effect transistor includes first and second disordered semiconductor layers separated by an insulator. In an embodiment a carrier injection terminal is provided in a thin semiconductor layer closest to the gate terminal. An electric field is established in the thin semiconductor layer. At sufficient field strength, the electric field extends into the second semiconductor layer, which is in contact with the source and drain terminals. At sufficient field strength a channel is established in the second semiconductor layer, permitting current to flow between source and drain terminals. Above a certain gate voltage, there is sufficient free charge is induced in the first semiconductor layer so that the field does not extend into the second semiconductor, effectively shutting off current between source and drain. Single-device transition detection (as well as other applications) may be obtained. | 06-23-2011 |
| 20110141476 | LIGHT SCATTERING MEASUREMENT SYSTEM BASED ON FLEXIBLE SENSOR ARRAY - A compact, optical measurement system has a non-flat detector array having multiple detector elements arranged on a flexible substrate in a monolithic fashion, one or more illumination sources arranged to provide more than one angle of incidence of light on a subject being measured, and a detection system in electrical communication with the detector array, the detection system arranged to receive inputs from the detector array and provide a measurement from the inputs. A method of measuring reflectance of a surface includes placing the surface adjacent a hemispherical detector array, illuminating the surface from a predetermined angle of incidence, simultaneously detecting reflectance at multiple emission angles using the hemispherical detector array, and repeating the illuminating and detecting processes at different angles of incidence. Optional arrays of lenses, baffles and filters may be employed by the system. | 06-16-2011 |
| 20110141206 | STACKED SLICE PRINTHEAD - A side-firing printhead comprises a stack that includes a plurality of slices, wherein each slice includes a PCB trigger layer and a diaphragm layer, the PCB trigger layer controls the flow of ink from the diaphragm layer, a first side of the diaphragm layer includes at least one cavity that delivers ink via one or more aperture braces. An aperture plate is coupled to one side of the stack to interface to the diaphragm layers contained therein, wherein the aperture plate contains a plurality of apertures that are located at each aperture brace. A first bracket is disposed on the top of the stack and a second bracket is disposed on the bottom of the stack, wherein at least one fastener couples the second bracket to the first bracket such that a predetermined amount of pressure is applied to the stack. | 06-16-2011 |
| 20110137927 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY INCORPORATING HYPOTHETICAL CONTEXT INFORMATION INTO RECOMMENDATION QUERIES - A system facilitates automatically determining the hypothetical context information or the distribution of hypothetical contexts. During operation, the system receives a request from a user for one or more recommendations. The system also receives a current context substantially associated with the request. The system then determines a hypothetical context for the request, wherein the hypothetical context may be determined by considering several sources of information, including but not limited to the current context, past contexts, and relationships between the current context and past contexts. Next, the system determines one or more recommendations for the user based on the hypothetical context. Finally, the system returns the one or more recommendations to the user. | 06-09-2011 |
| 20110134847 | METHOD, APPARATUS, AND PROGRAM PRODUCT FOR PROVISIONING SECURE WIRELESS SENSORS - We present technology that allows layman computer users to simply create, provision, and maintain secured infrastructure—an instant PKI. This technology can be used in a wide variety of applications including wired and wireless networks, secure sensor networks (such as medical networks), emergency alert networks, as well as simply and automatically provisioning network devices whether secure or not. | 06-09-2011 |
| 20110126050 | METHOD FOR QUICKLY RECOVERING FROM TASK INTERRUPTION - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for assisting a user in recovering from a task interruption. During operation, the system records the user's activity while the user is performing a task, and detects an interruption to the task. Upon the detection of the interruption, the system transfers to a storage the recorded user activities during a predetermined time period before the interruption. The system presents a visual representation of the recorded activities to the user, thereby assisting the user in recovering from the task interruption. | 05-26-2011 |
| 20110125679 | METHOD FOR APPROXIMATING USER TASK REPRESENTATIONS BY DOCUMENT-USAGE CLUSTERING - Embodiments of the present invention provide a system for automatically creating a task representation associated with a user task. The system calculates usage footprints of a document based on other applications, documents, and people that have been accessed by the user within a predetermined time frame before and after the user accesses the document. After obtaining usage footprints of a number of documents, the system applies a clustering technique, such as spectral clustering, to create task representations, each including a collection (cluster) of documents and/or applications that are used for accomplishing a particular task. The system also filters the documents based on their average dwell times, and uses user feedback to merge or split different task clusters in order to provide accurate task representations. | 05-26-2011 |
| 20110125678 | GENERATING AN ACTIVITY INFERENCE MODEL FROM CONTEXTUAL DATA - One embodiment provides a system for generating an inference model that determines an activity type for a user from contextual information. During operation, the system receives a set of contextual information associated with the user, wherein the contextual information includes at least a set of location coordinates. The system then determines an association between the contextual information and an activity type. Next, the system generates an activity inference model based in part on the association, wherein the activity inference model takes an instance of contextual information as an input parameter and outputs a corresponding activity type. The model's parameters are based at least on statistics associated with the user's contextual history but not based on the complete contents of the user's contextual history. | 05-26-2011 |
| 20110125547 | METHOD FOR ESTIMATING STRESS FROM TEMPORAL WORK PATTERNS - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for estimating a number of stress factors related to a worker. During operation, the system records a sequence of work steps of the worker for a predetermined period of time, and extracts a number of temporal patterns (T-patterns) from the sequence of work steps. Based on the extracted T-patterns, the system calculates T-pattern statistics, and applies a classification method on the calculated T-pattern statistics to produce a classification result. The system then estimates one or more of the stress factors based on the classification result. | 05-26-2011 |
| 20110119488 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR FACILITATING THROTTLING OF INTERPOLATION-BASED AUTHENTICATION - One embodiment provides a system that facilitates throttling of interpolation-based authentication at a client. During operation, the system receives data points encrypted with a public key associated with a throttle server. The system then applies offsets to the data points, wherein a respective offset for a data point is associated with a user input. The system blinds the offset data points, and sends to the throttle server the blinded offset data points, thereby allowing the throttle server to perform an interpolation on the blinded offset data points and maintain a count of interpolation attempts from the client. Subsequently, the system receives from the throttle server an evaluation point based at least on the interpolation. In response, the system unblinds the evaluation point, and uses the unblinded evaluation point as a secret for a subsequent authentication process. | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110116715 | Computer-Implemented System And Method For Recognizing Patterns In A Digital Image Through Document Image Decomposition - A computer-implemented system and method for retrieving a digital image through document image decomposition is provided. A stored digital image is retrieved. Generic visual features are extracted. The features are grouped into a primitive layer including word-graphs that each include words and features. The words are grouped into a layout layer including zone hypotheses that each include one or more of the words. Causal dependencies between the word-graphs and the zone hypotheses are expressed through zone models that include a joint probability defining a pair of probabilistic models generated through a learned binary edge classifier. Each pair of probabilistic models is expressed as an optimal set selection problem including a set of cost functions and constraints. The optimal set selection problem is evaluated through a heuristic search of the cost functions and constraints and a non-overlapping optimal set of the zone hypotheses is provided that characterize the stored digital image. | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110115861 | METHOD FOR TRANSFERRING TEXTURED SURFACE TO CURABLE GEL INK - A printing system has a print mechanism to dispense a curable ink onto print media, a texture roller having a textured surface arranged to transfer a texture through a film to the curable ink on the media resulting in textured ink, and a curing mechanism to cure the textured ink. A printing system has a print head to dispense a curable ink onto print media, a film arranged adjacent a side of the media upon which the ink is dispensed, a texture roller arranged on a side of the film opposite the media to transfer texture to the curable ink, resulting in textured ink, and a curing mechanism to cure the textured ink. A method of controlling gloss in a printed image includes forming a printed image on print media using curable ink, using a roller to transfer a texture pattern to the curable ink, and curing the ink such that the pattern cures into the ink. | 05-19-2011 |
| 20110113028 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PERFORMING CONTEXT-BASED ENTITY ASSOCIATION - A targeted advertising system performs context-based association mining using a publicly available corpus to identify a product or brand name that, under a given context, is associated with a product or brand being marketed. The system analyzes documents within the publicly available corpus that are associated with the given context, and identifies products or brand names that have a high association to the product or brand being marketed. The system can also analyze the publicly available corpus to determine contextual information which is correlated to two or more products or brand names. This contextual information includes a set of terms that facilitates filtering the publicly available corpus into an optimal set of documents that has a high association to a desired market category or demographic. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110112992 | OPPORTUNISTIC FULFILLMENT OF TASKS BY SUGGESTIONS FROM A PERSONAL DEVICE - A computer tasking system has at least one sensor arranged to provide current location data for a user, an environment module to determine venues local to the user, a data repository having tasking data, and a recommendation module to analyze the current location data, the venues and the tasking data to produce a tasking recommendation for the user. A computer-controlled method of making recommendations of tasks includes receiving situational data from at least one sensor at a computer, accessing a repository of tasking data, determining, based upon the situational data and the tasking data, if an opportunity exists for task fulfillment, and making a recommendation to a user regarding the task fulfillment based upon the opportunity through a user interface. A shared task fulfillment system has a central hub consisting of a device that provides a user interface for entering a request for task fulfillment, the central hub comprising, a repository to store the request, a network interface to allow user devices to access the central hub, a processor to receive communications through the network interface and the user interface to update the repository and communicate with user devices, and a network of users having user devices. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110112890 | SENSOR-INTEGRATED MIRROR FOR DETERMINING CONSUMER SHOPPING BEHAVIOR - A mirror system includes an image sensor coupled to a mirror, and gathers consumer shopping preferences for merchandise items. During operation, the system gathers one or more sequential images, from the image sensor, of a consumer wearing a first wearable merchandise item in front of the image sensor. Next, the system identifies in the one or more sequential images a first merchandise item being worn by the consumer. Then, the system determines a demographic group associated with the consumer, and detects behavior patterns for the consumer, wherein the behavior pattern indicates an interest level of the consumer for the identified merchandise item. The system then determines a mapping between the identified consumer demographic group and an interest level for the identified merchandise item, and produces a model which encodes the mapping. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110111076 | Solar Cell Fabrication Using Extruded Dopant-Bearing Materials - Wafer-based solar cells are efficiently produced by extruding a dopant bearing material (dopant ink) onto one or more predetermined surface areas of a semiconductor wafer, and then thermally treating the wafer to cause diffusion of dopant from the dopant ink into the wafer to form corresponding doped regions. A multi-plenum extrusion head is used to simultaneously extrude interdigitated dopant ink structures having two different dopant types (e.g., n-type dopant ink and p-type dopant ink) in a self-registered arrangement on the wafer surface. The extrusion head is fabricated by laminating multiple sheets of micro-machined silicon that define one or more ink flow passages. A non-doping or lightly doped ink is co-extruded with heavy doped ink to serve as a spacer or barrier, and optionally forms a cap that entirely covers the heavy doped ink. A hybrid thermal treatment utilizes a gaseous dopant to simultaneously dope exposed portions of the wafer. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110108491 | DESALINATION USING SUPERCRITICAL WATER AND SPIRAL SEPARATION - The present application relates to systems and methods for the desalination of water. The systems and methods receive source water containing particles therein from a source of water such as, for example, the ocean. The source water may be pre-treated to remove suspensions and/or sub-micron organics in the source water. The source water is used to generate supercritical water having a pressure and temperature above a critical pressure and a critical temperature, respectively. The supercritical water is run through a spiral separator to generate effluent water and waste water containing aggregated particles therein. Energy may be recovered from the effluent water and used to generate additional supercritical water. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110107928 | DIGITAL PRINTING PLATE AND SYSTEM WITH ELECTROSTATICALLY LATCHED DEFORMABLE MEMBRANES - A printing surface includes a substrate having latching electrodes on a first surface, a spacer layer on the first surface of the substrate, the spacer layer patterned to form wells such that the latching electrodes reside in the wells, a deformable membrane, the membrane having conductive regions, on the spacer layer to enclose the wells, each enclosed well and its associated region of the membrane forming a pixel membrane, and actuation circuitry to actuate the electrodes to cause selected ones of the pixel membranes to remain in a deflected state when the pixel membranes receive an impulse to return to an undeflected state. | 05-12-2011 |
| 20110107434 | PRIVACY THROUGH ARTIFICIAL CONTEXTUAL DATA GENERATION - Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a method and system for protecting privacy by generating artificial contextual data. The system collects real contextual data related to a user. The system then generates artificial contextual data, based on the collected real contextual data. The system also groups the generated contextual data into one or more groups. Each group of contextual data corresponds to a persona that can be presented as the user's persona. Subsequently, the system transmits the generated contextual data to an entity, thereby allowing the user to obscure the real contextual data related to the user. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110107205 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR FACILITATING DOCUMENT SANITIZATION - One embodiment provides a system for facilitating sanitizing a modified version of a document relative to one or more sensitive topics. During operation, the system determines a privacy risk for a term in the modified version relative to the sensitive topics, wherein the privacy risk measures the extent to which the sensitive topic(s) can be inferred based on the term. Next, the system determines an information utility and privacy loss or gain for the modified version, where the information utility reflects the extent to which the modified version has changed and the privacy loss or gain reflects the extent to which the modified version is reduced in sensitivity. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110100419 | Linear Concentrating Solar Collector With Decentered Trough-Type Relectors - A linear concentrating solar collector includes two trough-type reflectors having respective curved reflective surfaces that define respective focal lines, and are connected along a common edge in a decentered arrangement such that the focal lines are parallel and spaced-apart, and such that solar radiation reflected by the curved reflective surfaces is concentrated and overlaps in a defocused state. In one embodiment a solar cell is disposed in the overlap region to receive the all of the reflected radiation from the curved reflective surfaces in a defocused state. An optional solid optical structure is used to support and position the trough-type reflectors and solar cell, and to facilitate self-forming of the curved reflective surfaces. In other embodiments, two solar cells are mounted on the rear surface of the optical element, and the curved reflective surfaces reflect sunlight at angles that produce total internal reflection of the sunlight onto the solar cells. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110100418 | Solid Linear Solar Concentrator Optical System With Micro-Faceted Mirror Array - A concentrating solar collector includes a solid optical structure a flat front surface, and PV cells and a micro-faceted mirror array disposed on the opposing rear surface. The micro-faceted mirrors are arranged in a sawtooth arrangement to reflect sunlight toward the front surface at angles that produces total internal reflection (TIR) and redirection of the sunlight onto the PV cells. The micro-faceted mirror array reflects sunlight onto the PV cells in an extended focus region of concentrated light that has a substantially uniform or homogeneous irradiance distribution pattern. The optical structure is a solid dielectric sheet either processed to include micro-faceted surfaces with reflective material formed thereon, or having a dielectric film including the micro-faceted mirror array adhered thereon. In one embodiment, three PV cells and four micro-faceted mirror arrays are disposed in an interleaved pattern with two side mirrors are disposed on side edges of the optical structure. | 05-05-2011 |
| 20110095342 | Printed Material Constrained By Well Structures And Devices Including Same - A first patterned contact layer, for example a gate electrode, is formed over an insulative substrate. Insulating and functional layers are formed at least over the first patterned contact layer. A second patterned contact layer, for example source/drain electrodes, is formed over the functional layer. Insulative material is then selectively deposited over at least a portion of the second patterned contact layer to form first and second wall structures such that at least a portion of the second patterned contact layer is exposed, the first and second wall structures defining a well therebetween. Electrically conductive or semiconductive material is deposited within the well, for example by jet-printing, such that the first and second wall structures confine the conductive or semiconductive material and prevent spreading and electrical shorting to adjacent devices. The conductive or semiconductive material is in electrical contact with the exposed portion of the second patterned contact layer to form, e.g., an operative transistor. | 04-28-2011 |
| 20110095272 | Organic Memory Array With Ferroelectric Field-Effect Transistor Pixels - An organic non-volatile memory array including multiple pixels and associated signal lines that are disposed on and between a substrate, a single ferroelectric dielectric layer, and a single organic dielectric layer, where each pixel includes a ferroelectric field-effect transistor (FeFET) and at least one organic thin-film field effect transistor (FET) that are connected to associated signal lines in a way that facilitates addressable reading and writing to the FeFET of a selected pixel without disturbing the data stored in adjacent pixels. Analog data storage in the FeFET array is also introduced that does not require analog-to-digital conversion of the stored data. | 04-28-2011 |
| 20110093205 | PROTEOMICS PREVIEWER - A technique for analyzing proteomics data (such as tandem mass-spectrometry data) corresponding to peptides in a sample is described. In a high-speed, low-sensitivity first pass of this analysis technique, analysis parameters, such as the presence of one or more potential modifications to the one or more peptides, are determined using a representative subset of a database of known proteins. For example, a given potential modification in the one or more potential modifications may be determined by comparing matches between measured mass-spectrometry spectra and generated theoretical mass-spectrometry spectra without the given potential modification to matches between the measured mass-spectrometry spectra and generated theoretical mass-spectrometry spectra with the given potential modification. Then, in a lower-speed, higher-sensitivity second pass of the analysis technique, one or more peptides and/or proteins in the proteomics data are identified using the database of known proteins and the determined analysis parameters. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110093193 | System And Method For Monitoring The Security Of Participants In A Rideshare Environment - A system and method for monitoring the security of participants in a rideshare environment is provided. A rideshare transaction is monitored between two or more rideshare participants. At least one of the rideshare participants is associated with a rideshare participant device. A predetermined route for the rideshare transaction is identified. A location of the rideshare participant device is monitored. A security check is triggered when the rideshare participant device location is inconsistent with the predetermined route. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110092083 | OUT OF PLANE INTEGRAL CONDUCTIVE ARMS AND METHODS FOR MANUFACTURING THE SAME - A printed circuit board includes a multiple-layer electrical circuit board and a conductive arm, wherein the conductive arm has an unconnected end located opposite to the connected end of the conductive arm, wherein the conductive arm has a front side and a backside located opposite to the front side of the conductive arm, wherein the backside of the conductive arm is located adjacent to the multiple layer electrical circuit board. The unconnected end of the conductive arm includes a dimple portion formed integrally with and as a unitary part of a remaining portion of the conductive arm, the dimple portion being out of plane with in plane portions of the connected end of the conductive arm so that the dimple portion is at a greater distance from the circuit board than the in plane portions of the conductive arm, the dimple portion being connected to the in plane portions of the conductive arm via an integrally formed and unitary riser portion. An air gap is formed between the backside of the arm and the multiple layer electrical circuit board, wherein the air gap permits the arm to flex within the air gap. An ink jet component is laminated to the printed circuit board, wherein the dimple on the front side of the arm contacts a surface of the component, wherein a restoring spring force of the conductive arm maintains electrical contactivity between the dimple and the component. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110090908 | ADAPTIVE MULTI-INTERFACE USE FOR CONTENT NETWORKING - One embodiment provides a system that forwards a packet with a hierarchically structured variable-length identifier (HSVLI) in a network. An HSVLI indicates a piece of content and indicates a hierarchical structure of contiguous components ordered from a most general level to a most specific level. The length of the HSVLI is not fixed. During operation, the system receives a packet which contains an interest for a piece of content with an HSVLI. Subsequently, the system determines forwarding information for the HSVLI based on one or more of: knowledge of content which matches the HSVLI, a forwarding policy, and contextual information about the network. Next, the system configures a forwarding engine with the forwarding information. The system then forwards the packet based on the forwarding information. | 04-21-2011 |
| 20110087882 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR PROTECTING NETWORK RESOURCES - Apparatus and methods are provided for protecting network resources, particularly in association with automatic provisioning of new client devices. A global PKI (Public Key Infrastructure) scheme is rooted at a globally available server. Roots of PKIs for individual organizations also reside at this server or another globally available resource. To enable access to an organization's network, one or more authenticators are deployed, which may be co-located with access points or other network components. After a client device enabler (CDE) and an authenticator perform mutual authentication with certificates issued within the global PKI, the CDE is used to provision a new client device for the organization. After the client is provisioned, it and an authenticator use certificates issued within the per-organization PKI to allow the client access to the network. | 04-14-2011 |
| 20110087766 | APPARATUS AND METHODS FOR MANAGING NETWORK RESOURCES - Apparatus and methods are provided for managing network resources. A central unified services and device management framework is operated to simultaneously manage various types of resources on behalf of multiple organizations. Within the framework, a common management layer provides services (e.g., account management, event logging) common to multiple different services and devices. Within a specific management layer, separate subsystems are implemented for different devices or types of devices. The device-specific subsystems invoke device-independent functional modules through primitives exposed by the common management layer. A given organization may establish tiered logical constructs to group resources deployed at different physical locations (e.g., cities, offices) or within different subdivisions of the organizations (e.g., subsidiaries, departments). | 04-14-2011 |
| 20110087718 | METHOD FOR DECIMATION OF IMAGES - In the case of printing at high addressability, where the cell size is smaller than the spot size, an image can be decimated in a manner that will limit the large accumulation of printed material. The proper decimation of the image will depend on the spot size, the physics of drop coalescence and the addressability during printing. A simple method of using concentric decimation is disclosed herein to enable this process. | 04-14-2011 |
| 20110087717 | METHOD FOR DECIMATION OF IMAGES - In the case of printing at high addressability, where the cell size is smaller than the spot size, an image can be decimated in a manner that will limit the large accumulation of printed material. The proper decimation of the image will depend on the spot size, the physics of drop coalescence and the addressability during printing. A simple method of using concentric decimation is disclosed herein to enable this process. | 04-14-2011 |
| 20110087195 | TRANSMUCOSAL DRUG DELIVERY DEVICE AND METHOD INCLUDING MICRONEEDLES - Devices and methods for transmucosal drug delivery are provided. A device includes a housing configured for intralumenal deployment into a human or animal subject; a drug-dispensing portion which contains at least one drug; and a plurality of microneedles extending, or being extendable from, the housing, the plurality of microneedles being configured to disrupt at least one region of a mucosal barrier adjacent the housing at a selected time after being intralumenally deployed in the human or animal subject. The device is operable to dispense the drug from the housing to a region of the mucosal barrier disrupted by the plurality of microneedles. | 04-14-2011 |
| 20110087192 | TRANSMUCOSAL DRUG DELIVERY DEVICE AND METHOD INCLUDING CHEMICAL PERMEATION ENHANCERS - Devices and methods are provided for transmucosal drug delivery. The transmucosal drug delivery device may include a housing configured for intralumenal deployment, such as intravaginally, into a human or animal subject; a drug-dispensing portion which contains at least one drug, the drug-dispensing portion being configured to dispense the drug from the housing by positive displacement; and a permeability enhancer-dispensing portion configured to release or generate a permeability enhancing substance to disrupt at least one region of a mucosal barrier adjacent to the housing at a selected time while intralumenally deployed in the human or animal subject. The device may be operable to dispense the drug from the housing to a region of the mucosal barrier disrupted by the permeability enhancing substance. | 04-14-2011 |
| 20110087155 | TRANSMUCOSAL DRUG DELIVERY DEVICE AND METHOD INCLUDING ELECTRICALLY-ACTUATED PERMEATION ENHANCEMENT - Intralumenal devices and methods are provided for transmucosal drug delivery. The device may comprise a housing configured for intralumenal deployment into a human or animal subject; a drug-dispensing portion which contains at least one drug; and an electrically-actuatable portion configured to disrupt at least one region of a mucosal barrier adjacent to the housing at a selected time while intralumenally deployed in the human or animal subject. The device may be operable to dispense the drug from the housing to a region of the mucosal barrier disrupted by the electrically-actuatable portion. | 04-14-2011 |
| 20110083728 | Disordered Nanowire Solar Cell - A disordered nanowire solar cell includes doped silicon nanowires disposed in a disordered nanowire mat, a thin (e.g., 50 nm) p-i-n coating layer formed on the surface of the silicon nanowires, and a conformal conductive layer disposed on the upper (e.g., n-doped) layer of the p-i-n coating layer. The disordered nanowire mat is grown from a seed layer using VLS processing at a high temperature (e.g., 450° C.), whereby the crystalline silicon nanowires assume a random interwoven pattern that enhances light scattering. Light scattered by the nanowires is absorbed by p-i-n layer, causing, e.g., electrons to pass along the nanowires to the first electrode layer, and holes to pass through the conformal conductive layer to an optional upper electrode layer. Fabrication of the disordered nanowire solar cell is large-area compatible. | 04-14-2011 |
| 20110078615 | System And Method For Providing Context-Sensitive Sidebar Window Display On An Electronic Desktop - A computer-implemented system and method for providing context-sensitive sidebar window display on an electronic desktop is provided. A document that includes digital data is maintained in electronic storage. The document is operated upon through an application window generated by an application program on an electronic desktop. A sidebar window is initially generated. Contextual information relevant to the document is determined. Part of the contextual information to present is selected based on a current state of the document in the application window. The selected part of the contextual information is presented in the sidebar window positioned visually adjacent to the application window. The contextual information presented in and the positioning of the sidebar window is continually updated in step with the current state of the document and the application window. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110073840 | RADIAL CONTACT FOR NANOWIRES - An embodiment is a method and apparatus of radial contact using nanowires. An inner contact has a center. An outer contact surrounds the inner contact around the center and is spaced from the inner contact by a channel length. A nanowire connects the center of the inner contact and the outer contact in a rotationally invariant geometry. | 03-31-2011 |
| 20110070681 | Interdigitated Back Contact Silicon Solar Cells With Separating Grooves - Interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar cells are produced by depositing spaced-apart parallel pads of a first dopant bearing material (e.g., boron) on a substrate, heating the substrate to both diffuse the first dopant into corresponding first (e.g., p+) diffusion regions and to form diffusion barriers (e.g., borosilicate glass) over the first diffusion regions, and then disposing the substrate in an atmosphere containing a second dopant (e.g., phosphorus) such that the second dopant diffuses through exposed surface areas of the substrate to form second (e.g., n+) diffusion regions between the first (p+) diffusion regions (the diffusion barriers prevent the second dopant from diffusion into the first (p+) diffusion regions). The substrate material along each interface between adjacent first (p+) and second (n+) diffusion regions is then removed (e.g., using laser ablation) such that elongated grooves, which extend deeper into the substrate than the diffused dopant, are formed between adjacent diffusion regions. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110070676 | Interdigitated Back Contact Silicon Solar Cells Fabrication Using Diffusion Barriers - Interdigitated back contact (IBC) solar cells are produced by depositing spaced-apart parallel pads of a first dopant bearing material (e.g., boron) on a substrate, heating the substrate to both diffuse the first dopant into corresponding first (e.g., p+) diffusion regions and to form diffusion barriers (e.g., borosilicate glass) over the first diffusion regions, and then disposing the substrate in an atmosphere containing a second dopant (e.g., phosphorus) such that the second dopant diffuses through exposed surface areas of the substrate to form second (e.g., n+) diffusion regions between the first (p+) diffusion regions (the diffusion barriers prevent the second dopant from diffusion into the first (p+) diffusion regions). The substrate material along each interface between adjacent first (p+) and second (n+) diffusion regions is then removed (e.g., using laser ablation) such that elongated grooves, which extend deeper into the substrate than the diffused dopant, are formed between adjacent diffusion regions. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110069730 | Semiconductor Laser with Integrated Contact and Waveguide - A semiconductor light-emitting device has, in place of a traditional separate cladding layer and contact structure, a non-epitaxial contact and waveguide layer. The non-epitaxial contact and waveguide layer is formed of a conductive material and such that it has a recess therein and over the injection region. Air filling the region together with appropriate choice of material for the non-epitaxial contact and waveguide layer creates desired lateral waveguiding. Metallic silver in one choice for this material. The recess may also be filled with a low-loss material having a refractive index higher than that of the material forming the non-epitaxial contact and waveguide layer. Transparent conductive oxides (e.g., indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc oxide (ZnO), etc.), appropriate metal (e.g., gold), or a composite comprising a conductive oxide and a metal, provide low absorption in the UV and near-IR wavelengths of interest, and are thus good candidate materials for within the recess. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110069729 | Vertical Surface Emitting Semiconductor Device - A semiconductor light emitting device includes a pump light source, a gain structure, and an out-coupling mirror. The gain structure is comprised of InGaN layers that have resonant excitation absorption at the pump wavelength. Light from the pump light source causes the gain structure to emit light, which is reflected by the out-coupling mirror back to the gain structure. A distributed Bragg reflector causes internal reflection within the gain structure. The out-coupling mirror permits light having sufficient energy to pass therethrough for use external to the device. A frequency doubling structure may be disposed between the gain structure and the out-coupling mirror. Output wavelengths in the deep-UV spectrum may be achieved. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110068999 | SHAPED ACTIVE MATRIX DISPLAYS - A display system has an array of display elements on a substrate arranged into a shape having a non-rectangular perimeter, and address lines arranged to transmit signals to the display elements, the address lines conforming at least partially to the non-rectangular perimeter. A display system has an array of display elements arranged on a substrate, the substrate having at least one holes, and address lines arranged on the substrate to address the display elements, the address lines being routed according to the hole. A method of manufacturing a display system includes providing a substrate having a curved perimeter, mapping a rectangular addressing matrix to a curved matrix, the curved matrix based on the curved perimeter, forming address lines according to the curved matrix such that the address lines converge on at least one point, providing an array of display elements arranged to be addressable by the address lines, and providing control circuitry at the point to provide signals to the display elements through the address lines. A method of manufacturing a display system includes providing a substrate, arranging address lines on the substrate, such that the address lines are routed to avoid at least one region on the substrate, forming a hole in the region, wherein the hole penetrates at least partially into the substrate, and providing display elements on the substrate, arranged to be addressable by the address lines. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110068347 | Nitride Semiconductor Structure and Method of Making Same - A structure method for producing same provides suppressed lattice defects when epitaxially forming nitride layers over non-c-plane oriented layers, such as a semi-polar oriented template layer or substrate. A patterned mask with “window” openings, or trenches formed in the substrate with appropriate vertical dimensions, such as the product of the window width times the cotangent of the angle between the surface normal and the c-axis direction, provides significant blocking of all diagonally running defects during growth. In addition, inclined posts of appropriate height and spacing provide a blocking barrier to vertically running defects is created. When used in conjunction with the aforementioned aspects of mask windows or trenches, the post structure provides significant blocking of both vertically and diagonally running defects during growth. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110067590 | ANILOX METERING SYSTEM FOR ELECTROGRAPHIC PRINTING - An embodiment is a method and apparatus to meter ink for electrographic printing. An ink loading mechanism having an anilox roller fills ink from an ink supply into cells in the anilox roller having a plurality of valleys and lands that form the cells. The ink loading mechanism causes the valleys to be full or nearly full with the ink. The anilox roller rotates in a first direction. A blanket roller rotationally engaged with the anilox roller pulls the ink out of the cells and causes the valleys to be partially filled. The blanket roller rotates in a second direction. A first cleaning blade cleans tops of the lands of the cells. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110067589 | ANILOX METERING SYSTEM FOR ELECTROGRAPHIC PRINTING - An embodiment is a method and apparatus to meter ink for electrographic printing. An ink loading mechanism having an anilox roller fills ink from an ink supply into cells in the anilox roller having a plurality of valleys and lands that form the cells. The ink loading mechanism causes the valleys to be full or nearly full with the ink. The anilox roller rotates in a first direction. A blanket roller rotationally engaged with the anilox roller pulls the ink out of the cells and causes the valleys to be partially filled. The blanket roller rotates in a second direction. A first cleaning blade cleans tops of the lands of the cells. | 03-24-2011 |
| 20110066269 | SYSTEM AND METHODS FOR DYNAMIC SCHEDULING IN CELLULAR MANUFACTURING WITH BATCH-SPLITTING - The present application a new and improved system and method of enhanced Lean Document Production (LDP), which applies cellular manufacturing to document printing operations. The LDP process incorporates process friendly cells and, a push model to order to improve efficiency, reduce work in progress and smooth out the “frictions” in production environments. The current application presents an earliest-completion-time strategy for assigning jobs to cells and a dynamic-priority-based-batch-scheduling algorithm. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110063698 | MEMBRANE-BASED METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR COLOR CHARACTERIZATION - Methods and systems are presented for characterizing a printer, display or other color reproduction device in which a forward color transform having a parametric surface forward color transform and a nonparametric residual forward color transform is updated by adapting the parametric surface forward color transform using an input adaptation data set and a measured adaptation data set, generating a prediction data set in the second color space using the adapted parametric surface forward color transform and the nonparametric residual forward color transform, generating a prediction error data set in the second color space using the input adaptation data set and the prediction data set, generating a membrane forward color transform using the prediction error data set, and updating the forward color transform using the adapted parametric and nonparametric forward color transforms. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110063631 | METHODS AND SYSTEM FOR IMPROVED COLOR CHARACTERIZATION - Methods and systems are presented for characterizing a printer, display or other color reproduction device in which parametric and nonparametric forward color transforms are generated to construct a forward color device transform to characterize the mapping of CMYK input data to La*b* data of the device, with the parametric transform adapted to compensate for drifting performance of the color reproduction device. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110063286 | SYSTEM FOR INTERACTING WITH OBJECTS IN A VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT - A system that facilitates interaction with a 3-dimensional (3-d) virtual environment is described. In this system, a controller device provides information associated with the 3-d virtual environment to a first display. Furthermore, the system includes at least one portable electronic device, which includes a second display and a 3-d motion sensor that detects motion of the portable electronic device, such as: linear motion, rotational motion and/or a gesture. This portable electronic device communicates the detected motion to the controller device. In response, the controller device provides a subset of the 3-d virtual environment and associated context-dependent information to the portable electronic device, which are displayed on the second display. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110062622 | Extruded Structure With Equilibrium Shape - An extrusion head is disposed over a substrate, and material is extruded through an oblique (e.g., semi-circular or tapered) outlet orifice of the extrusion head to form an associated extruded structure having an equilibrium shape that resists settling after being deposited on the substrate. The extrusion head includes fluidic channels having a flat surface formed by a flat first (e.g., metal) sheet, and an oblique (e.g., substantially semi-cylindrical) surface formed by elongated oblique trenches that are etched or otherwise formed in a second sheet. The fluidic channel communicates with the outlet orifice, which has a flat edge formed by the first sheet, and an oblique edge formed by an end of the oblique trench. The material is extruded through the outlet orifice such that its flat lower surface contacts the substrate, and its oblique upper surface faces away from the substrate. Two materials are co-extruded to form high aspect-ratio gridlines. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110062486 | FABRICATION FOR ELECTROPLATING THICK METAL PADS - A method of electroplating includes forming a seed region to be electroplated on a first portion of a substrate, forming a ground plane on a second portion of a substrate, electrically isolating the ground plane from the seed region, electroplating the region, wherein electroplating includes causing the ground plane and the region to make electrical connection, and then removing the ground plane region on the second portion of the substrate, but not removing the electrical isolation. This creates a structure having a substrate, a passivation layer on the substrate, and at least one electroplated, metal region on the substrate such that there is contiguous contact between the metal region and the passivation layer. And, after an additional flip-chip assembly to a bond pad/heat sinking chip, results in a device having a bond pad chip having bond pads, solder beads formed on the bond pads, and a component connected to the bond pads by the solder beads. Wherein, the component has a substrate, a passivation layer on the substrate, and at least one electroplated, metal region on the substrate such that there is contiguous contact between the metal region and the passivation layer. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110061718 | Passively Cooled Solar Concentrating Photovoltaic Device - A Cassegrain-type concentrating solar collector cell includes primary and secondary mirrors disposed on opposing convex and concave surfaces of a light-transparent (e.g., glass) optical element. Light enters an aperture surface surrounding the secondary mirror, and is reflected by the primary mirror toward the secondary mirror, which re-reflects the light onto a photovoltaic cell. The photovoltaic cell is mounted on a central portion of heat spreader that extends over the primary mirror. The heat spreader transmits waste heat from the photovoltaic cell in a manner that evenly distributes the heat over the optical element, thereby maximizing the radiation of heat from the aperture surface into space. The heat spreader includes a thick copper layer formed on a flexible substrate (e.g., polyimide film) that is patterned with radial arms that facilitate mounting onto the convex surface of the optical element. | 03-17-2011 |
| 20110060750 | MAX-VALUE-FIRST SEARCH FOR TARGET VALUE PROBLEMS - The present application relates to systems and methods for determining at least one target path from a start vertex to a goal vertex within a directed acyclic graph. The systems and methods use a target value search (MFTVS) of a directed acyclic graph. The MFTVS includes beginning with a start vertex as a current prefix and progressing through selected prefixes. The MFTVS further includes determining a selected prefix from successor prefixes of the current prefix according to a selection rule. The selection rule is one of selecting the successor prefix having a highest path value and selecting the successor prefix having a lowest path value. The MFTVS further includes setting the current prefix to the selected prefix until a frontier of a blind spot is encountered. The frontier of the blind spot is defined by an evaluation function. | 03-10-2011 |
| 20110058241 | ULTRA-SHORT PULSE SCANNING OPTICAL SYSTEM - A scanning optical system including an optical source configured to generate an ultra-short light pulse, a dispersion compensation system disposed such that the ultra-short light pulse travels through the dispersion compensation system, an optical deflector configured to rotate about an axis such that the ultra-short light pulse is deflected through a scan angle, and an f-theta scan lens having a group delay (GD) variation versus relative pupil height and group delay dispersion (GDD) variation versus the scan angle that are substantially minimized. The f-theta scan lens is disposed such that the ultra-short pulse is incident on the f-theta scan lens. | 03-10-2011 |
| 20110057193 | FLAT-PANEL DISPLAY SEMICONDUCTOR PROCESS FOR EFFICIENT MANUFACTURING - An embodiment is a method and apparatus to fabricate a flat panel display. A poly-last structure is formed for a display panel using an amorphous silicon or amorphous silicon compatible process. The poly-last structure has a channel silicon precursor. The display panel is formed from the poly-last structure using a polysilicon specific or polysilicon compatible process. | 03-10-2011 |
| 20110055925 | PATTERN-BASED APPLICATION CLASSIFICATION - Embodiments of present disclosure provide a method and system for remotely auditing a security posture of a client machine at a centralized server. The system receives an integrity-protected report from the client machine, or other devices related to the client machine, the report comprising entries associated with security events or security states or both related to the client machine. The report entries comprise characteristics of the security events or security states to facilitate identification of a probable security attack at the client machine. The system also detects a pattern among one or more reports. Finally, the system classifies the security posture of the client machine based on the detected pattern, which could indicate a probable security attack at the client machine. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110054834 | DETERMINING USER COMPASS ORIENTATION FROM A PORTABLE DEVICE - Apparatus and methods are provided for determining a person's compass orientation from data generated by one or more sensors embedded within a portable device transported by the person. Such sensors may include an accelerometer, a GPS (Global Positioning System) receiver, a magnetometer (e.g., a compass), a barometer, etc. In some scenarios (e.g., when the person is walking), the person's initial orientation is directly determined and is used to calculate an initial orientation delta describing a difference between the person's initial orientation and an initial orientation of the device. In other scenarios, the person's current orientation is calculated based on an initial orientation of the device and a known or assumed orientation delta. Later in time, the orientation delta can be applied to the device's current orientation to determine the person's current orientation. As events involving the person and/or the device are observed, an orientation delta may be updated. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110052015 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR NAVIGATING AN ELECTRONIC MAGNIFIER OVER A TARGET DOCUMENT - A method for electronically magnifying a target object with an imaging device. The method includes obtaining a full view image of the target object, where the full view image is focused. The method further includes moving the imaging device in proximity to a portion of the target object and obtaining a key image of the portion of the target object. The method further includes matching the key image to a corresponding portion of the full view image. The method further includes magnifying the corresponding portion of the full view image and displaying the magnified portion of the full view image. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110051768 | Semiconductor Light Emitting Devices With Non-Epitaxial Upper Cladding - The AlGaN upper cladding layer of a nitride laser diode is replaced by a non-epitaxial layer, such as metallic silver. If chosen to have a relatively low refractive index value, the mode loss from absorption in the non-epitaxial cladding layer is acceptably small. If also chosen to have a relatively high work-function, the non-epitaxial layer forms an electrical contact to the nitride semiconductors. An indium-tin-oxide layer may also be employed with the non-epitaxial cladding layer. | 03-03-2011 |
| 20110047619 | NON-SENSITIVE-PASSAGE DATABASE FOR CUT-AND-PASTE ATTACK DETECTION SYSTEMS - One embodiment provides a system that detects sensitive passages. During operation, the system receives a document and disassembles the document into a plurality of passages. For a respective passage, the system performs a search through a non-sensitive-passage database to determine whether the passage is a known non-sensitive passage. If so, the system marks the passage as non-sensitive, and if not, the system determines whether the passage triggers a cut-and-paste attack detection. If so, the system forwards the passage to an administrator and allows the administrator to determine whether the passage is non-sensitive and, further, to add the passage to the non-sensitive-passage database responsive to the administrator determining the passage to be non-sensitive. | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110046877 | MODEL BASED METHOD TO ASSESS ROAD CURVATURE EFFECT ON TRAVEL TIME AND COMFORT FOR ROUTE PLANNING - Methods and systems for assessing the effect of road curvature on the travel time and the comfort level of a path determined by a ground based route planning system. The methods and systems identify a path and determine an allowable speed profile of the path, wherein the allowable speed profile satisfies a cross track acceleration constraint. Thereafter, the methods and systems determine an optimal speed profile of the path, wherein the optimal speed profile satisfies both an along track acceleration constraint and a speed constraint. Using the optimal speed profile, the road curvature of a path may be factored into a determination of the traversal time of the path. Additionally, using the optimal speed profile, the road curvature of a path may be used to derive a comfort level of the path and/or to provide driver assistance. | 02-24-2011 |
| 20110039522 | VENUE INFERENCE USING DATA SENSED BY MOBILE DEVICES - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for determining venue information associated with a mobile device user. During operation, the system collects contextual information recorded by one or more sensors located on the mobile device and extracts a behavior pattern of the user as a function of time and/or an environmental indicator based on the collected contextual information. The system then compares the behavior pattern and/or the environmental indicator with known behavior patterns and/or environmental indicators associated with a number of venues stored in a database, and determines a venue associated with the user based at least on the comparison. | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110039360 | Selective Decomposition Of Nitride Semiconductors To Enhance LED Light Extraction - A method of texturing a surface within or immediately adjacent to a template layer of a LED is described. The method uses a texturing laser directed through a substrate to decompose and pit a semiconductor material at the surface to be textured. By texturing the surface, light trapping within the template layer is reduced. Furthermore, by patterning the arrangement of pits, metal coating each pit can be arranged to spread current through the template layer and thus through the n-doped region of a LED. | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110039194 | SOLID INKS FOR MASKS FOR PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS AND OTHER ELECTRONIC DEVICES - A printed mask derived from a composition comprised of at least one compound including at least one alkaline-hydrolyzable group, at least one compound including at least one ethylene oxide group and at least one ultraviolet radiation blocking agent, wherein the printed mask is removable using an alkaline solution in about 30 seconds or less. | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110039193 | SOLID INKS FOR PRINTED MASKS - A printed mask derived from a composition comprised of at least one compound including at least one alkaline-hydrolyzable group, and at least one compound including at least one ethylene oxide group. The printed mask is removable using an alkaline solution in about 30 seconds or less. | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110037827 | System And Method For Coordinating Data Transmission Via User-Maintained Modes - A method and apparatus for controlling data transmission via user-maintained modes is provided. A first audio data stream is recorded on a transmitting electronic apparatus. A second audio data stream is stored on the transmitting electronic apparatus. Transmission of one of the first and the second audio data streams is controlled via a first user-maintained mode when at least the other of the first and the second audio data streams is being transmitted to the electronic apparatus. The one of the first and the second audio data streams is transmitted to a receiving electronic apparatus and the other of the first and the second audio data streams is suspended. | 02-17-2011 |
| 20110035784 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETECTING CYBER THREATS - A method and apparatus for detecting cyber threats using reinforced cookies, which include HTTP cookies, history cookies, cache cookies and/or other types. A history cookie comprises an entry for a particular web page in a browser's navigation history. A cache cookie comprises an entry for a particular object (e.g., an image file) within a browser's cache. Upon a client's first visit to a web server, an identifier record is generated comprising data such as a user ID, a client device ID, an age (e.g., a counter), a cookie type, an authentication field, etc. From the unique identifier, one or more types of reinforced cookies are generated and stored with the client browser. On a subsequent visit, the client's cookie configuration is examined to determine whether the client may be the perpetrator or victim of a cyber attack. Cookies may be updated or replaced on some or all visits. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110035505 | CAPTCHA-FREE THROTTLING - One embodiment provides a system that throttles access to a web resource. During operation, a throttle server receives a request to access the web resource. The request is associated with a computing device used by a user and is redirected from a server providing the web resource. The throttle server then determines whether the computing device has previously accessed a restricted resource different from the web resource corresponding to the request based on the presence or absence of a unique mark associated with the computing device. Based on the determination, the throttle server subsequently generates a response indicating whether the computing device meets a predetermined requirement for accessing the web resource, and sends the response to the server providing the web resource, thereby facilitating access throttling to the web resource. | 02-10-2011 |
| 20110027947 | PRINTING METHOD FOR HIGH PERFORMANCE ELECTRONIC DEVICES - A method of depositing elongated nanostructures that allows accurate positioning and orientation is described. The method involves printing or otherwise depositing elongated nanostructures in a carrier solution. The deposited droplets are also elongated, usually by patterning the surface upon which the droplets are deposited. As the droplet evaporates, the fluid flow within the droplets is controlled such that the nanostructures are deposited either at the edge of the elongated droplet or the center of the elongated droplet. The described deposition technique has particular application in forming the active region of a transistor. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110027946 | Horizontal Coffee-Stain Method Using Control Structure To Pattern Self-Organized Line Structures - A modified coffee-stain method for producing self-organized line structures and other very fine features that involves disposing a solution puddle on a target substrate, and then controlling the peripheral boundary shape of the puddle using a control structure that contacts the puddle's upper surface. The solution is made up of a fine particle solute dispersed in a liquid solvent wets and becomes pinned to both the target substrate and the control structure. The solvent is then caused to evaporate at a predetermined rate such that a portion of the solute forms a self-organized “coffee-stain” line structure on the target substrate surface that is contacted by the peripheral puddle boundary. The target structure is optionally periodically raised to generate parallel lines that are subsequently processed to form, e.g., TFTs for large-area electronic devices. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110025073 | Thermo-Electro-Acoustic Engine And Method Of Using Same - A thermo-electro-acoustic engine comprises a sealed body having a regenerator, hot and cold heat exchangers, an acoustic source, and an acoustic energy converter. An acoustic pressure wave is generated in a gas in the region of the regenerator. The converter converts a portion of the acoustic pressure into electrical energy. A portion of the electrical energy is used to drive the acoustic source. The acoustic source is controllably driven to produce acoustic energy which constructively adds to that of the acoustic pressure wave in the region of the regenerator. The remaining electrical energy produced by the converter is used external to the engine, such as to drive a load or for storage. The resonant frequency of the engine and the frequency of the energy output can be controlled electronically or electromechanically, and is not limited solely by the physical structure of the engine body and its elements. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110023961 | Melt Planarization Of Solar Cell Bus Bars - Solar cells include bus bars and high aspect-ratio gridlines that are printed on a substrate, and localized melting is induced to slump or flatten the gridline “vertex” portions that are disposed on the bus bars, while maintaining the high aspect-ratio of gridlines portions disposed on the substrate between the bus bars. The localized melting process is induced using one of several disclosed methods, such as rheological melting in which the two printed inks produce a compound that is relatively liquid. Localized melting is also induced using a deliquescing material (e.g., a flux or a solvent film) that is applied to the bus bar or gridline material. Also, eutectic melting is induced using a processing temperature that is between a melting point of the combined gridline/bus bar inks and the individual melting points of the inks alone. Laser-based melting and the use of copolymers is also disclosed. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110023937 | SOLAR ENERGY CONVERTER ASSEMBLY INCORPORATING DISPLAY SYSTEM AND METHOD OF FABRICATING THE SAME - According to one embodiment, a display system disclosed herein includes louver elements adjacent to a light-receiving surface of a solar energy converter. Each louver element includes a display surface and a non-display surface. The display surfaces of the louver elements at least partially obstruct a view of the light-receiving surface. Light is reflectable off the non-display surfaces of the louver elements to the light-receiving surface. | 02-03-2011 |
| 20110022491 | System And Method For Assigning Participants To A Rideshare Based On Financial Transactions - A system and method for financial transactions in a rideshare system is provided. A rideshare environment with multiple rideshare transactions is maintained. Each rideshare transaction includes one or more participants. Bids are received from potential participants for a position in at least one of the rideshare transactions. At least one potential participant is assigned to one of the rideshare transactions based on one of the bids. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110022443 | EMPLOYMENT INFERENCE FROM MOBILE DEVICE DATA - One embodiment of the present invention provides a system for inferring a user's activity. During operation, the system collects contextual information recorded by a plurality of components located on a mobile device associated with the user. The system then extracts the user's behavior pattern based on the collected contextual information, and determines whether the user is engaged in an employment-related activity. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110018785 | SLIDE-OUT INFORMATION DISPLAY - Slide-out and roll-up information displays and methods supply enlarged viewing areas. A slide-out information display device includes stacked display segments wherein each of the display segments except one is at least partially covered by the others. Separable bezel segments support the display segments, the stacked display segments being uncovered when the bezel segments are separated from a collapsed configuration to an un-collapsed configuration for use by a user. A roll-up display device includes flexible display membranes. Scrolling assemblies in the roll-up display include rotatably mounted scrolling assembly mechanisms for rolling up the flexible display membranes. Some scrolling assemblies are movable and can be extended beyond the housing members. At least one display membrane being covered by at least one other display membrane when the movable scrolling assemblies are not extended, and the covered display membranes being uncovered when the movable scrolling assemblies are extended. | 01-27-2011 |
| 20110018719 | System And Method For Rideshare Security - A system and method for rideshare security is provided. A rideshare participant device is made available to at least one rideshare participant during a rideshare. A security check is triggered while the rideshare is in progress. An action is performed based on the security check. Security information regarding the rideshare participant device is gathered and analyzed for inconsistencies. A security response provider is contacted when the inconsistency is identified. | 01-27-2011 |
