Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120265694 | ONE-TOUCH PLATFORM FOR PRODUCT REGISTRATION AND SUPPORT - According to one embodiment, a request is received at a support center a request from a user for registering a product, where the request includes a machine-readable code that uniquely represents the product. In response to the request, the product is identified and product information is compiled based on the machine-readable code without requiring the user to specifically provide the product information. The product information of the identified product is stored in a user asset store associated with the user, where the product information stored in the user asset store is utilized subsequently for supporting identified product. | 10-18-2012 |
20120265695 | ONE-TOUCH SUPPORT SERVICES APPLICATION PROGRAMMING INTERFACES - According to one aspect, a request is received at a support services application programming interface (API) of a support center that provides support services to a plurality of products of a plurality of vendors, where the request is received from a user for support services of a product. In response to the request, a case identifier (ID) is instantly generated that uniquely identifies a current instant support services session associated with the user for supporting the product. A touch plan is dynamically created representing an instance of the support services session, where the touch plan is identified and tracked by the case ID. A communication session is established between an agent and the user to allow the agent to provide support services to the user based on the touch plan. | 10-18-2012 |
20120265696 | METHODS FOR PROVIDING DYNAMIC AND PROACTIVE SUPPORT SERVICES - According to one aspect of the invention, it is determined, at a support center, a relationship between a first product provided by a first vendor and a second product provided by a second vendor. The first and second products have been purchased by a user via a purchasing facility associated with a client of the support center. In response to a first event received from the client or the first vendor indicating a change of the first product, a first message is transmitted to the user on behalf of the client notifying the user the change of the first product. A second message is automatically transmitted to the user offering a support service of a possible change of the second product in view of the relationship between the first and second products, without requiring the user to initiate a request for the support service. | 10-18-2012 |
20120265697 | METHODS FOR PROVIDING SUPPORT SERVICES VIA AN AVAILABLE COMMUNICATION CHANNEL BASED ON USER PREFERENCE AND CLIENT PREFERENCE - According to one aspect, a request is received at a services application programming interface (API) of a support center from a user for support services of a product. A first list of one or more communication channels that are available for the user to contact an agent of the support center is generated based on a second list of one or more communication channels preferred by the user and a third list of one or more communication channels preferred by a vendor associated with the product. The first list of one or more communication channels is transmitted via the service API to the user. In response to a selection of a communication channel from the first list, a communication session is established between the user and the agent via the selected communication channel for providing support services of the product on behalf of the vendor. | 10-18-2012 |
20120265800 | METHODS FOR PROVIDING SELF-SUPPORT SERVICES USING INFORMATION FROM A VIRAL SOURCE - According to one aspect, a request is received at a services application programming interface (API) of a support center from a user for support services of a product provided by a client of the support center. In response to the request, one or more articles associated with the product are identified that have been published in an online publication forum, where the articles have been extracted from a knowledgebase (KB) based on a support history of the product maintained by the support center. A list of support options is presented to the user, including a first one-touch button to contact an agent of the support center and a link to the one or more articles of the publication forum to allow the user to attempt finding a solution to the product without having to contact the agent of the support center. | 10-18-2012 |
20120266258 | METHODS FOR PROVIDING CROSS-VENDOR SUPPORT SERVICES - According to one aspect, a first request is received at a services application programming interface (API) of a support center from a first user for a first product provided by a first client. A second request is received at the services API of the support center from a second user for a second product provided by a second client. A first knowledgebase (KB) associated with the first client and a second KB associated with the second client are identified. A third KB that contains information common to the first product and the second product is identified. The first KB and the third KB are enabled to be accessible by a first agent assigned to provide support services of the first product. The second KB and the third KB are enabled to be accessible by a second agent assigned to provide support services of the second product. | 10-18-2012 |
20130325726 | METHODS FOR PROVIDING CROSS-VENDOR SUPPORT SERVICES - According to one aspect, in response to a request from a mobile application running at a mobile device of a customer, a personalized page is transmitted to the mobile application, the personalized page including a list of products retrieved from a customer profile of the customer. Each of the products is associated with one or more communications channels preferred by an associated client, which are retrieved from the client database. A live support request is received from the mobile application initiated from a selected product of the personalized page, the live support request including a selection selecting one of the preferred communications channels listed on the personalized page. A live communication session is established between the customer and a support agent using a selected communications channel for live support services to the customer concerning the selected product. | 12-05-2013 |
20150339675 | METHODS FOR PROVIDING CROSS-VENDOR SUPPORT SERVICES - An analysis is performed on first and second product information to determine a relationship between a first product and a second product. In response to a first notification from a first backend system, a first message is transmitted to a mobile device of the user indicating that the change of a first activity is needed. It is determined whether a modification of a second activity is needed based on the relationship information of the first product and the second product and in response to determining that the modification of the second activity is needed, a second message is transmitted to the mobile device, indicating a possible modification of the second activity and offering a list of one or more options to modify the second activity. A live communications session is established between the user and a support agent of the server to discuss the possible modification of the second activity. | 11-26-2015 |
20150339676 | METHODS FOR PROVIDING CROSS-VENDOR SUPPORT SERVICES - After successfully authenticating a user of a mobile device, products that have been registered with the server are determined. For each of the registered products, a list of support options available to the user is determined for a corresponding registered product, the list of support options including a live support option and a self-support option. For the self-support option available to the corresponding registered product, articles associated with the corresponding registered product are identified that have been published in an online publication forum. For the live support option available a list of communication options is determined that is available for the user to establish a live communication session with a support agent. A personalized page to the mobile device to be displayed at a display of the mobile device, listing the registered products. Each product is associated with the support options available. | 11-26-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080300996 | Digital Photograph Processing And Ordering System And Method - The disclosure presents a system and method for processing and managing customer orders for digital documents, such as digital photographs, through a network, such as the internet. The system may be implemented in a variety of ways, including a system, a method and/or a computer readable medium for processing and managing customer orders for digital documents, such as digital photographs, through a network, such as the internet. The system, method and/or medium includes logic for receiving at a first server an upload of a digital image from a first client computer, receiving at the first server identification data associated with the digital image, storing in a first memory associated with the first server the digital image, storing in the first memory the identification data associated with the digital image, receiving at the first server a first digital image print request, receiving an electronic first remote location identification of a first remote location to have the digital image printed, and electronically sending to the first remote location a second digital image print request to have the digital image printed, without sending the digital image to be printed. The logic can also include receiving a first digital image print request from a client device, at a retail website computer, receiving at a central computer the first digital image print request from the client computer through the retail website computer, receiving at the central computer an availability message from each of the plurality of remote locations, wherein each availability message comprises a store identifier and an earliest time the digital image print request can be completed for an associated store identifier for each of the plurality of remote locations, receiving a selection of a first remote location identification for a first remote location of the plurality of remote locations, to have an associated digital image to the digital image print request printed at a first remote location associated with the first remote location identification based on the availability message for the first remote location, and sending to the first remote location the first digital image print request to have the associated digital image printed, wherein the first remote location is one of a plurality of remote locations to which the first digital image request can be sent. | 12-04-2008 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100322623 | OPTICAL RECEIVER WITH IMPROVED NOISE TOLERANCE - The present invention provides a system, apparatus and method to improve the signal-to-noise ratio performance in receivers configured to receive differential data signals. According to various embodiments of the invention, a received differential signal is processed to consider both forward-looking and backward-looking error components to improve SNR performance, and ultimately the reach of the optical line system. Additional processing is provided to further enhance noise tolerance related to chromatic dispersion. | 12-23-2010 |
20100322631 | Optical receiver integrated on a substrate - A coherent optical receiver circuit is disclosed in which various components of the optical receiver may be provided or integrated, in one example, on a common substrate. Further integration is achieved by incorporating various optical demultiplexer designs that are relatively compact and conserve space on the surface of the substrate. The optical receiver circuit may be used to demultiplex quadrature phase shift keying (QPSK) optical signals. | 12-23-2010 |
20110076019 | SYSTEM FOR GENERATING OPTICAL RZ SIGNALS BASED ON ELECTRICAL RZ SIGNALS - Consistent with the present disclosure, polarized optical signals having the same wavelength are modulated in response to ERZ drive signals, to thereby yield corresponding RZ optical signals. Each of the polarized RZ optical signals includes a plurality of RZ transitions wherein the power of the optical signal returns to zero or a minimal power between bits or symbols. The phase or timing of the ERZ drive signals, however, is controlled, so that the RZ transitions in one polarized optical signal remain interleaved with the RZ transitions of the other polarized optical signal. Alternatively, the RZ transitions of the two polarized optical signals may be controlled so that the two are temporally aligned with one another. Thus, the timing of the RZ transitions of one polarized optical signal relative to the other polarized optical signal may be adjusted to optimize system performance. | 03-31-2011 |
20110293292 | Mitigating Signal Offsets in Optical Receivers - An optical receiver circuit is disclosed in which a number of electrical signals are processed to extract data encoded therein. The electrical signals may be compared during the process to selectively remove one or more waveforms from one or more corresponding electrical signals. Various data signals, each including one or more waveforms, may then be processed to extract the encoded data. The optical receiver circuit reduces, or eliminates, electrical offsets which may be present in one or more of the electrical signals to reduce corresponding errors in the encoded data signals. | 12-01-2011 |
20120328305 | FORWARD CARRIER RECOVERY USING FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC) FEEDBACK - A system receive, from an optical receiver, a signal derived from a first optical signal and a second optical signal generated by a local oscillator, that includes a first component that is an in-phase component and a second component that is a quadrature phase component; filter the signal, using a filter, set to one or more configurations, to obtain one or more recovered signals, where each of the recovered signals includes a respective quantity of noise; perform forward error correction, on the recovered signals, to obtain one or more quantities of bit errors that correspond to the recovered signals; and process the signal using the filter set to a particular configuration, of the one or more configurations, that corresponds to a lowest quantity of bit errors of the one or more quantities of bit error. | 12-27-2012 |
20130170831 | PHASE-MODULATED TRANSMISSION CONTROL USING EMBEDDED CONTROL SYMBOLS - A system receives a phase-modulated signal that carries client symbols and a sequence that includes first symbols on which a first tone is to be based and having a first power level, and second symbols on which a second tone is to be based and having a second power level; processes the sequence to generate the first tone and the second tone; determines a power difference based on the first power level and the second power level; retrieves condition information that identifies a threshold for determining whether a condition is associated with the signal; determines whether the power difference is greater than the threshold; and outputs an instruction, to adjust a parameter, used to transmit the signal, based on the determination that the condition is associated with the signal, where adjusting the parameter causes the power difference to decrease to a level that is less than the threshold. | 07-04-2013 |
20130173984 | FORWARD ERROR CORRECTION (FEC) CONVERGENCE BY CONTROLLING RELIABILITY LEVELS OF DECODED WORDS IN A SOFT FEC DECODER - A system receives a first word on which to perform error correction; identifies combinations in which encoded bits, within the first word, can be inverted; generates candidate words based on the first word and the combinations; decodes the candidate words; determines distances between the decoded words and the first word; selects, as a second word, one of the decoded words associated with a shortest distance; compares the second word to the first word to identify errors within the first word; generates a value to cause a reliability level of the first word to increase when a quantity of the errors is less than a threshold; generates another value to cause a reliability level of the first word to decrease when the quantity of the errors is not less than the threshold; and outputs a third word based on the first word, and the value or the other value. | 07-04-2013 |
20140001347 | ROTATOR EXTERNAL TO PHOTONIC INTEGRATED CIRCUIT | 01-02-2014 |
20140093240 | NONLINEAR COMPENSATION IN WDM SYSTEMS - A compensator device may include a selection switch to receive a first optical signal and provide first and second groups of channels associated with the first optical signal; a polarization beam splitter to receive the first channels, and provide first and second components; a photodiode that provides an electrical signal indicative of an intensity of the first group of channels; a first modulator to receive the electrical signal and the first components and to modulate the first components to form first modulated channels; a second modulator to receive the electrical signal and the second components to modulate the second components to form second modulated channels; a polarization beam combiner to receive the first and second modulated channels to form combined modulated channels; and a coupler to receive the combined modulated channels and the second group of channels to form a second optical signal. | 04-03-2014 |
20150093117 | OPTICAL TRANSFER LINEARITY USING TEST TONES - An optical system may have an optical transmitter including a digital signal processor to receive a signal channel, determine a digital signal associated with the signal channel based on information in a look-up table and based on a test tone, and output the digital signal. The optical system may further have a digital-to-analog converter to convert the digital signal to an analog signal, a laser to provide an optical signal, and a modulator to receive the optical signal and the analog signal, and modulate the optical signal based on the analog signal to form a modulated optical signal. The optical system may also have a photodiode to convert the modulated optical signal to a digital signal, a tone detector to detect the test tone based on the digital signal, and a controller to modify the information in the look-up table based on the test tone. | 04-02-2015 |
20150188658 | CONTROLLING AN OPTICAL TRANSMITTER THAT SUPPORTS MULTIPLE MODULATION FORMATS AND BAUD RATES - An optical device receives a modulation format and a baud rate for transmission of an optical signal with multiple subcarrier signals, and generates the optical signal based on the modulation format and the baud rate. The optical device generates a dual-etalon response based on the optical signal, the modulation format, and the baud rate, where the dual-etalon response includes multiple peaks. The optical device compares the subcarrier signals of the optical signal and the peaks of the dual-etalon response, and determines, based on the comparing, whether at least one of the subcarrier signals aligns with a peak of the dual-etalon response. The optical device locks or adjusts a wavelength of the optical signal for the modulation format and the baud rate based on whether at least one of the subcarrier signals aligns with a peak of the dual-etalon response. | 07-02-2015 |
20150333860 | CONTROLLING AN OPTICAL TRANSMITTER THAT SUPPORTS MULTIPLE MODULATION FORMATS AND BAUD RATES - A device receives a modulation format and a baud rate for transmission of an optical signal, and generates optical signals based on the modulation format and the baud rate. The device generates quadrature-delay-interferometer signals based on the optical signal, the modulation format, and the baud rate, and generates a particular optical signal with a particular wavelength for the modulation format and the baud rate. The device determines whether a point of the quadrature-delay-interferometer signals is associated with the particular wavelength of the particular optical signal, and sets or adjusts the particular wavelength of the particular optical signal for the modulation format and the baud rate based on whether a point of the quadrature-delay-interferometer signals is associated with the particular wavelength of the particular optical signal. | 11-19-2015 |
20160112118 | OPTICAL LINK PROTECTION USING COMMON MODULATION OF MULTIPLE COMBINED WAVELENGTHS - An optical transmitter may include one or more lasers configured to provide a primary optical signal having a primary wavelength and a secondary optical signal having a secondary wavelength to a modulator via corresponding first and second modulator inputs. The modulator may combine the primary and secondary optical signals into a combined optical signal and modulate, with an electrical signal, the combined optical signal to provide a modulated optical signal to an optical filter. The optical filter may be configured to separate, from the modulated optical signal, a modulated primary optical signal having the primary wavelength and a modulated secondary optical signal having the secondary wavelength and provide the modulated primary optical signal to a primary optical link and the modulated secondary optical signal to a secondary optical link. | 04-21-2016 |
20160112140 | ARBITRARY WAVELOCKING OF AN OPTICAL TRANSMITTER USING EMBEDDED DATA SEQUENCES - An optical system includes an optical transmitter and a controller that determines a particular wavelength for a channel of the optical transmitter. The controller causes the optical transmitter to transmit a first optical signal with a first data sequence that is determined based on the particular wavelength, and determines a first optical power that is generated based on the first optical signal and the first data sequence. The controller causes the optical transmitter to transmit a second optical signal with a second data sequence that is determined based on the particular wavelength, and determines a second optical power that is generated based on the second optical signal and the second data sequence. The controller calculates a power difference between the first optical power and the second optical power, and causes the particular wavelength for the channel to be modified based on the calculated power difference. | 04-21-2016 |
20160112141 | ARBITRARY GRID WAVELOCKING USING DIGITALLY GENERATED OUT-OF-BAND TONES - A device may insert a set of tones into a transmitter signal at a set of frequency offsets from a set of transmitter channels associated with a set of transmitter channel wavelengths. The set of transmitter channels may include a first channel being associated with a first quantity of bandwidth and a second channel associated with a second quantity of bandwidth. The first quantity of bandwidth may be different from the second quantity of bandwidth. The device may repeatedly adjust the transmitter signal to align the set of transmitter channel wavelengths based on a set of observed responses to the set of tones, generated based on the transmitter signal passing through an optical filter, failing to match a set of expected responses. | 04-21-2016 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080285827 | METHOD FOR IMAGE PROCESSING AND RECONSTRUCTION OF IMAGES FOR OPTICAL TOMOGRAPHY - A method for reconstructing three-dimensional (3D) tomographic images. A set of pseudo-projection images of an object is acquired. Error corrections are applied to the set of pseudo-projection images to produce a set of corrected pseudo-projection images. The set of corrected pseudo-projection images are processed to produce (3D) tomographic images. | 11-20-2008 |
20090103792 | Depth of Field Extension for Optical Tomography - An optical projection tomography system is illuminated with a light source. An object-containing tube, a portion of which is located within the region illuminated by the light source, contains an object of interest that has a feature of interest. A detector is located to receive emerging radiation from the object of interest. A lens, including optical field extension elements, is located in the optical path between the object region and the detector, such that light rays from multiple object planes in the object-containing tube simultaneously focus on the detector. The object-containing tube moves relatively to the detector and the lens operate to provide multiple views of the object region for producing an image of the feature of interest at each view. | 04-23-2009 |
20090208072 | 3D IMAGING OF LIVE CELLS WITH ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION - A method for 3D imaging of cells in an optical tomography system includes moving a biological object relatively to a microscope objective to present varying angles of view. The biological object is illuminated with radiation having a spectral bandwidth limited to wavelengths between 150 nm and 390 nm. Radiation transmitted through the biological object and the microscope objective is sensed with a camera from a plurality of differing view angles. A plurality of pseudoprojections of the biological object from the sensed radiation is formed and the plurality of pseudoprojections is reconstructed to form a 3D image of the cell. | 08-20-2009 |
20100296713 | System and Method for Detecting Poor Quality in 3D Reconstructions - A system and method for detecting poor quality images in an optical tomography system includes an acquisition apparatus for acquiring a set of pseudo-projection images of an object having a center of mass, where each of the set of pseudo-projection images is acquired at a different angle of view. A reconstruction apparatus is coupled to receive the pseudo-projection images, for reconstruction of the pseudo-projection images into 3D reconstruction images. A quality apparatus is coupled to receive the 3D reconstruction images and operates to detect of selected features that characterize poor quality reconstructions. | 11-25-2010 |
20100321786 | DEPTH OF FIELD EXTENSION FOR OPTICAL TOMOGRAPHY - An optical tomography system for viewing an object of interest includes a microcapillary tube viewing area for positioning the object of interest in an optical path including a detector. A motor is located to attach to and rotate a microcapillary tube. A device is arranged for transmitting broadband light having wavelengths between 550 nm and 620 nm into the microcapillary tube viewing area. A hyperchromatic lens is located to receive light transmitted through the microcapillary tube viewing area. A tube lens is located to focus light rays transmitted through the hyperchromatic lens, such that light rays from multiple object planes in the microcapillary tube viewing area simultaneously focus on the at least one detector. | 12-23-2010 |
20100322494 | Focal Plane Tracking for Optical Microtomography - An optical tomography system for imaging an object of interest including a light source for illuminating the object of interest with a plurality of radiation beams. The object of interest is held within an object containing tube such that it is illuminated by the plurality of radiation beams to produce emerging radiation from the object containing tube, a detector array is located to receive the emerging radiation and produce imaging data used by a mechanism for tracking the object of interest. | 12-23-2010 |
20120105600 | FUNCTIONAL IMAGING OF CELLS WITH OPTICAL PROJECTION TOMOGRAPHY - A method for 3D imaging of a biologic object ( | 05-03-2012 |
20120145926 | 3D IMAGING OF LIVE CELLS WITH ULTRAVIOLET RADIATION - A method for 3D imaging of cells in an optical tomography system includes moving a biological object relatively to a microscope objective to present varying angles of view. The biological object is illuminated with radiation having a spectral bandwidth limited to wavelengths between 150 nm and 390 nm. Radiation transmitted through the biological object and the microscope objective is sensed with a camera from a plurality of differing view angles. A plurality of pseudoprojections of the biological object from the sensed radiation is formed and the plurality of pseudoprojections is reconstructed to form a 3D image of the cell. | 06-14-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110296930 | AUTOMATED CONTAMINATION-FREE SEED SAMPLER AND METHODS OF SAMPLING, TESTING AND BULKING SEEDS - A method is provided for removing tissue samples from seeds. The method generally includes orienting the seeds in a desired orientation and removing tissue samples from the oriented seeds. The method may also include orienting the seeds in the desired orientation using an actuator, where the actuator is configured to position the seed in a desired orientation. In addition, the method may include orienting the seeds together in a seed transport and removing tissue samples from the oriented seeds while the oriented seeds are in the seed transport. Further, various operations of the method may be automated as desired, for example, to permit greater sampling throughput than was previously practical. | 12-08-2011 |
20140020287 | AUTOMATED CONTAMINATION-FREE SEED SAMPLER AND METHODS OF SAMPLING, TESTING AND BULKING SEEDS - An automated seed sampler system includes an imaging device for obtaining images of seeds, an orienting device for orienting the seeds based on the images, and a sampling station for removing tissue from the oriented seeds. In some aspects, the system also includes a transport subsystem for supporting the oriented seeds and conveying the oriented seeds to the sampling station. A method for removing tissue from seeds includes imaging the seeds, orienting the seeds based on image information obtained from the seeds, and removing tissue from the oriented seeds. In some aspects, the method also includes transporting the oriented seeds in a transport subsystem to a sampling station for removing the tissue from the oriented seeds, and/or collecting the tissue removed from the oriented seeds so that a one-to-one correspondence exists between the tissue and the sampled seeds, and/or analyzing the tissue for characteristics indicative of genetic and/or chemical traits. | 01-23-2014 |
20150355058 | AUTOMATED CONTAMINATION-FREE SEED SAMPLER AND METHODS OF SAMPLING, TESTING AND BULKING SEEDS - An automated seed sampler system includes an imaging device for obtaining images of seeds, an orienting device for orienting the seeds based on the images, and a sampling station for removing tissue from the oriented seeds. In some aspects, the system also includes a transport subsystem for supporting the oriented seeds and conveying the oriented seeds to the sampling station. A method for removing tissue from seeds includes imaging the seeds, orienting the seeds based on image information obtained from the seeds, and removing tissue from the oriented seeds. In some aspects, the method also includes transporting the oriented seeds in a transport subsystem to a sampling station for removing the tissue from the oriented seeds, and/or collecting the tissue removed from the oriented seeds so that a one-to-one correspondence exists between the tissue and the sampled seeds, and/or analyzing the tissue for characteristics indicative of genetic and/or chemical traits. | 12-10-2015 |