Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090321576 | Method and Apparatus for Detecting Conditons Conducive to Ice Formation - A method for detecting ambient conditions conducive to ice formation. The method includes the steps of measuring at least one parameter selected from a group of parameters consisting of a static pressure, a total pressure, a total temperature, a dew point temperature, and a liquid water content, and determining whether ambient conditions are conducive to ice formation based on the measured parameter. | 12-31-2009 |
20100108692 | SYSTEM AND METHOD TO MAKE A FUEL TANK INERT - A method and system used to make a fuel tank inert that includes a chiller assembly coupled in flow communication with a vehicle fuel tank, and a system controller assembly operatively coupled to the chiller assembly. More specifically, the chiller assembly includes a pump configured to extract a quantity of a fluid from the vehicle fuel tank, and an evaporator configured to receive a flow of the extracted quantity of fluid from the pump and further configured to reduce a temperature of the fluid. The chiller assembly also includes a chiller controller configured to activate and deactivate the pump. The system controller assembly is operatively coupled to chiller controller, wherein the system controller assembly is configured to transmit to the chiller controller one of a start signal to start chiller operations or a stop signal to stop chiller operations. | 05-06-2010 |
20100108811 | SYSTEM AND METHOD TO MAKE A FUEL TANK INERT - A fuel tank safety system includes an ullage cooling assembly and a system controller. The ullage cooling assembly includes a compressor configured to extract a quantity of ullage gas from the fuel tank, a heat exchanger coupled in flow communication downstream of the compressor, wherein the heat exchanger is configured to receive the quantity of ullage gas from the compressor and reduce a temperature of the ullage gas. The ullage cooling assembly includes a turbine coupled in flow communication downstream of the heat exchanger, wherein the turbine is configured to further reduce the temperature of the ullage gas and facilitate channeling the ullage gas to the fuel tank. The system controller is operatively coupled to the ullage cooling assembly and is configured to transmit to the ullage cooling assembly one of a start signal to activate the ullage cooling assembly or a stop signal to deactivate the ullage cooling assembly. | 05-06-2010 |
20130126193 | FUEL TANK FLAMMABILITY REDUCTION AND INERTING SYSTEM AND METHODS THEREOF - A system for reducing flammability has a heat exchanger that cools ullage from a tank, condenses vapors within the ullage, and returns the cooled ullage and vapors to the tank. | 05-23-2013 |
20130255493 | FUEL VAPOR REMOVAL METHODS AND SYSTEMS FOR FLAMMABILITY REDUCTION - A fuel vapor removal method includes removing fuel vapor from ullage of a fuel tank of a vehicle, adsorbing the fuel vapor removed from the ullage onto adsorption media on the vehicle, and desorbing the fuel vapor from the adsorption media while on the vehicle. A fuel vapor removal method includes purging fuel vapor from ullage of a fuel tank using air added into the ullage, reducing a fuel-air ratio in the ullage using the air purging, and adsorbing the purged fuel vapor onto adsorption media. A fuel vapor removal system includes a fuel tank having ullage, an adsorption system including fuel vapor adsorption media fluidically connected to the ullage and to an ullage purging system, and a controller. The controller includes a flammability determination system and is configured to start fuel vapor removal by the purging system from the ullage onto the adsorption media before the ullage exhibits flammability. | 10-03-2013 |
20140208943 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR REDUCING THE FLAMMABILITY OF FUEL-TANKS ONBOARD AN AIRCRAFT - A fuel vapor removal method for an aircraft includes removing an ullage mixture from ullage of a fuel tank of an aircraft, exposing the ullage mixture to adsorption media on the aircraft to reduce its fuel-air ratio, and returning the reduced fuel-air ratio ullage mixture to the fuel tank. A fuel vapor removal system onboard an aircraft includes a fuel tank, having ullage containing an ullage mixture, a pumping device, configured to pump the ullage mixture in a closed loop from the fuel tank ullage and back, an adsorption system, interposed in the closed loop, and a controller, including a microprocessor and system memory. The adsorption system includes an adsorber having adsorption media capable of adsorbing fuel vapor from the ullage mixture, and the controller is programmed to activate the pumping device, to pump the ullage mixture from the ullage, through the adsorption system, and return a reduced fuel-air ratio ullage mixture back to the ullage. | 07-31-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20130083835 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR CHANNEL QUALITY FEEDBACK WITH A K-BEST DETECTOR IN A WIRELESS NETWORK - A receiver in a multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) system is configured to perform a method for generating channel quality feedback information. The method includes receiving, from a MIMO transmitter, pilot signals in each MIMO layer. The method also includes estimating the MIMO channel using the received pilot signals and performing a QR decomposition of the estimated MIMO channel. The method further includes predicting a probability of error for each MIMO layer after the QR decomposition of the estimated MIMO channel. The method still further includes determining a corresponding signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each MIMO layer based on the probability of error for the each MIMO layer. | 04-04-2013 |
20130083863 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR LOW COMPLEXITY FEEDBACK IN A MIMO WIRELESS NETWORK - A receiver in a multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) system is configured to perform a method for generating channel quality feedback information. The method includes receiving, from a MIMO transmitter, pilot signals in each MIMO layer. The method also includes selecting an optimal precoder matrix for each MIMO layer using a first detection metric. The method further includes determining a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) for each MIMO layer using a second detection metric and the optimal precoder. | 04-04-2013 |
20130235742 | CHANNEL QUALITY INFORMATION AND BEAM INDEX REPORTING - A method and apparatus report or identify channel quality information. The method for reporting includes selecting one or more beams for channel quality reporting. The method also includes mapping, by the UE, indices of the one or more selected beams to one or more channel quality values. Additionally, the method includes sending channel quality information for the one or more selected beams according to the mapping. The method for identifying includes receiving an indication of indices of one or more beams selected for reporting. The method also includes receiving channel quality information for the one or more selected beams. The method further includes identifying a mapping of the indices of the one or more selected beams to one or more channel quality values. Additionally, the method includes identifying a channel quality value for each of the one or more selected beams according to the mapping. | 09-12-2013 |
20130301563 | PILOT DESIGN FOR MILLIMETER WAVE BROADBAND - A transmitter in a wireless network configured to utilize a pilot design and channel estimation strategy to reduce pilot overhead, the pilot design based on a channel decomposition of the channel in a ray tracing channel model. A method of using a three tiered pilot design in a millimeter wave broadband (MMB) wireless network to estimate channel state information (CSI) may include assigning a first tier pilot to a first set of resource blocks, assigning a second tier pilot to second set of resource blocks, assigning a third tier pilot in a third set of resource blocks. When two of the pilots are assigned to a common resource block, the lower tier pilot may be given preference over the higher tier pilot. | 11-14-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20120158702 | Classifying Results of Search Queries - Computer-readable media, computer systems, and computing methods are provided for classifying search results as either of good quality or of poor quality. Initially, a portion of the search results, such as the highest ranked documents, are selected for evaluation. A level of quality for each of the selected search results is determined using a classification process that includes the following steps: targeting features demonstrated by the selected search results to be evaluated; evaluating the selected features to generate a level-of-quality score for each of the selected search results; comparing the score against a predefined threshold value; and, based on the comparison, assigning each of the selected search results an absolute measurement. The absolute measurement indicates poor quality when the score is less than the threshold value. Upon recognizing that the selected search results are of poor quality, automatically executing a corrective action that reformulates the issued search query. | 06-21-2012 |
20120158765 | User Interface for Interactive Query Reformulation - Computer-readable media, computer systems, and computing methods are provided for classifying search results as either of good quality or of poor quality. Initially, a portion of the search results, such as the highest ranked documents, are selected for evaluation. A level of quality for each of the selected search results is determined using a classification process that includes the following steps: targeting features demonstrated by the selected search results to be evaluated; evaluating the selected features to generate a level-of-quality score for each of the selected search results; comparing the score against a predefined threshold value; and, based on the comparison, assigning each of the selected search results an absolute measurement. The absolute measurement indicates poor quality when the score is less than the threshold value. Upon recognizing that the selected search results are of poor quality, a corrective action that reformulates the issued search query is automatically invoked. | 06-21-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090248543 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MESSAGE-BASED PURCHASING - Various embodiments of a system and method for message-based purchasing are described. The system and method for message-based purchasing may include a message-based purchase service configured to determine that a selection has been performed through a network-based interface. Such selection may be indicative of one or more items offered for sale via the network-based interface. The message-based purchase service may be configured to, in response to the selection of one or more items, send to a communication device, a message indicating a code corresponding to the selection. The message-based purchase service may receive from the communication device through a communication channel that does not include the network-based interface, a message including the code. The message-based purchase service may be configured to, in response to determining that the message received from the communication device includes the code, generate a purchase request for the one or more previously selected items. | 10-01-2009 |
20090249459 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING REQUESTS FOR TASKS FROM UNREGISTERED DEVICES - Embodiments of a system and method for receiving task requests from unregistered devices are described. Embodiments may include a communication interface service configured to receive from a communication device a message indicative of a request to perform a task. The communication interface service may determine that the communication device is not registered with an existing account that provides information for performing said task. The communication interface service may obtain identification and authentication information for an existing account via a communication channel. The existing account may be an account for that is accessible via a network-based interface. The communication channel through which the identification and authentication information is received by the communication interface service may be any communication channel that does not include the network-based interface of the existing account. Additionally, the communication interface service may use the identification and authentication information for performance of the task using the existing account. | 10-01-2009 |
20120303482 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MESSAGE-BASED PURCHASING - Various embodiments of a system and method for message-based purchasing are described. The system and method for message-based purchasing may include a message-based purchase service configured to determine that a selection has been performed through a network-based interface. Such selection may be indicative of one or more items offered for sale via the network-based interface. The message-based purchase service may be configured to, in response to the selection of one or more items, send to a communication device, a message indicating a code corresponding to the selection. The message-based purchase service may receive from the communication device through a communication channel that does not include the network-based interface, a message including the code. The message-based purchase service may be configured to, in response to determining that the message received from the communication device includes the code, generate a purchase request for the one or more previously selected items. | 11-29-2012 |
20130225287 | SYNCHRONOUS AND ASYNCHRONOUS GAME MODES - A system, machine-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for switching between synchronous and asynchronous game modes is provided. A first game instance of a computer-implemented game of a first player and a second player is generated. The first game instance is generated in a first mode associated with the availability of the second player to play the game. First display data is provided to a client device of the first player to display the first game instance of the game in the first mode. A change in the availability of the second player is identified. A second game instance of the game is generated in a second mode associated with the change in the availability of the second player. Second display data is provided to the client device to display the second game instance of the game in the second mode. | 08-29-2013 |
20130344963 | MULTIPLAYER SYNCHRONOUS GAMING SYSTEMS AND METHODS - A system, computer-readable storage medium storing at least one program, and a computer-implemented method for providing synchronous multiplayer games are presented. To begin, an enabling request for multiplayer functionality in a multiplayer instance that includes a single player mode game is received. The single player mode game may involve a game board dedicated to a first player. Then, the single player mode game of the multiplayer instance is matched with additional multiplayer instances. Each additional multiplayer instance includes a corresponding single player mode game dedicated to a respective player. The single player mode games from the multiplayer instance and the additional multiplayer instances are then instructed to initiate gameplay at substantially the same time. Final scores from the single player mode games from the multiplayer instance and the additional multiplayer instances are collected. A game summary page is finally communicated to the first player and the respective players. | 12-26-2013 |
20140012702 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR MESSAGE-BASED PURCHASING - Various embodiments of a system and method for message-based purchasing are described. The system and method for message-based purchasing may include a message-based purchase service configured to determine that a selection has been performed through a network-based interface. Such selection may be indicative of one or more items offered for sale via the network-based interface. The message-based purchase service may be configured to, in response to the selection of one or more items, send to a communication device, a message indicating a code corresponding to the selection. The message-based purchase service may receive from the communication device through a communication channel that does not include the network-based interface, a message including the code. The message-based purchase service may be configured to, in response to determining that the message received from the communication device includes the code, generate a purchase request for the one or more previously selected items. | 01-09-2014 |
20140095391 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR RECEIVING REQUESTS FOR TASKS FROM UNREGISTERED DEVICES - Embodiments of a system and method for receiving task requests from unregistered devices are described. Embodiments may include a communication interface service configured to receive from a communication device a message indicative of a request to perform a task. The communication interface service may determine that the communication device is not registered with an existing account that provides information for performing said task. The communication interface service may obtain identification and authentication information for an existing account via a communication channel. The existing account may be an account for that is accessible via a network-based interface. The communication channel through which the identification and authentication information is received by the communication interface service may be any communication channel that does not include the network-based interface of the existing account. Additionally, the communication interface service may use the identification and authentication information for performance of the task using the existing account. | 04-03-2014 |
20140248943 | PRESENTING SEQUENCED SPONSORED CONTENT WITHIN AN ONLINE GAME - An online advertising method comprises presenting sequenced or tiered interactive promotional content to a player of a computer-implemented online game. The interactive promotional content comprises a sequence of sponsored interactions with the content for performance by the player, with at least one of the sequence of sponsored activities being a gated activity which is available to the player only if the player has performed a corresponding preceding activity in the sequence. | 09-04-2014 |
20140250005 | REAL-TIME MOBILE WALLET SERVER - Techniques and apparatuses for providing wallet server information to an entity using a real-time mobile wallet server (MWS) are disclosed herein. The MWS may receive a request for personal information from an entity. The MWS may then display to a user a summary of the request, a list of selections available in the wallet server that may satisfy the request, and a list of selectable response options for the user to choose to respond to the entity. In some aspects, the wallet server may store username and associated passwords, payment information, and/or contact information. In further aspects, the MWS may generate limited-use payment information associated with existing payment information. The MWS may communicate ad hoc messaging to the entity using voice-based or real-time text-based communications over an established communication link between the MWS and entity. | 09-04-2014 |
20140258103 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PERSONALIZED COMMANDS - Various embodiments of a system and method for personalized commands are described. The system and method for personalized commands may include a payment service including a command management component. Such payment service may be responsive to one or more base commands. The command management component may be configured to generate a user interface for specifying personalized commands that correspond to the base commands. The command management component may be configured to generate mapping information from the information received via the user interface. The command management component may be configured to receive one or more messages that may include commands for the payment service, including personalized commands. From the personalized commands, the command management component may be configured to determine a corresponding base commands (e.g., based on the mapping information). Once the base command is determined, the payment service may perform the base command. | 09-11-2014 |
20140358260 | DYNAMICALLY VARIABLE ADVERTISING INCENTIVE REWARDS IN ONLINE GAMES - A system and method for managing a computer-implemented online game provides dynamically variable rewards to incentivize player interaction with sponsored content presented within the game. The particular reward offered to incentivize player interaction with particular sponsored content (e.g., a particular advertisement) can be dynamically variable based on the attributes of the player, thus providing user-specific custom rewards for interaction with sponsored content. Properties of incentive rewards that may be dynamically variable can include a custom type of in-game asset or resource, and/or a custom amount of a particular in-game asset or resource. | 12-04-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20130311650 | MANAGING ALLOCATION OF COMPUTING CAPACITY - Systems and methods are described for managing requests for computing capacity from a provider of computing resources. The computing resources may include program execution capabilities, data storage or management capabilities, network bandwidth, etc. In some implementations, user requests are probabilistically denied or granted while some computing resources are still available. By denying some requests or granting only some, the rate of computing resource usage can be reduced, thus preserving some capacity for a longer period of time. In one embodiment, the capacity can be provided to clients based on client priority, provided to clients with reserved resources, provided to clients probabilistically, sold on a spot market, or allocated in some other fashion. | 11-21-2013 |
20140282629 | MANAGING REQUESTS FOR COMPUTING CAPACITY - Systems and methods are described for managing requests for computing capacity from a provider of computing resources. The computing resources may include program execution capabilities, data storage or management capabilities, network bandwidth, etc. In some implementations, a user can request that computer resources be reserved for guaranteed availability by the user (or others authorized by the user) during a future usage time period. For example, the user can request a desired amount of program execution capacity. The usage period can be flexibly chosen to meet the user's needs. The request can specify, for example, that a particular program be executed during the usage period, that only certain users be authorized to have access to the guaranteed availability computer resources, and so forth. The provider may charge a fee for the request and/or fees for access or use of the guaranteed availability computer resources during the usage period. | 09-18-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20150046182 | METHODS AND AUTOMATED SYSTEMS THAT ASSIGN MEDICAL CODES TO ELECTRONIC MEDICAL RECORDS - The current document is directed to methods and automated systems that assign individual medical codes selected from one or more medical codebooks to electronic medical records. In certain implementations, the currently disclosed automated systems generate multiple streams of medical terms or medical terms and phrases from an electronic medical record as well as multiple streams of medical terms or medical terms and phrases from individual medical codes contained within a medical codebook and then use stream-comparison functionality to select those individual medical codes of the medical codebook most likely to be relevant and related to the information encoded within the electronic medical record. In addition, in a disclosed implementation, the automated medical-coding system includes comprehensive training and feedback components that allow the automated medical-coding system to be trained and to continuously improve, over time, the accuracy, precision, and reliability of the assignment of medical codes to electronic medical records. | 02-12-2015 |
20150178052 | AUTOMATED EXPERIMENTATION PLATFORM - The present document is directed to an automated experimentation platform that provides a visual integrated development environment (“IDE”) that allows a user to construct and execute various types of data-driven workflows. The automated experimentation platform includes back-end components that include API servers, a catalog, a cluster-management component, and execution-cluster nodes. Workflows are visually represents as directed acyclic graphs and texturally encoded. The workflows are transformed into jobs that are distributed for execution to the execution-cluster nodes. | 06-25-2015 |
20150269335 | METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR ESTIMATING VALUES DERIVED FROM LARGE DATA SETS BASED ON VALUES CALCULATED FROM SMALLER DATA SETS - The current document is directed to methods and systems for estimating values that could be derived from a large data set, were it available, from values computed from an available smaller data set. A specific example of the currently described methods and systems are methods and systems that estimate various medical-record-related statistics and values computed from hypothetical datasets. In order to extrapolate the desired statistics and computed values from the observed smaller data set, multiple models are employed by the currently disclosed methods and systems. These models can be employed sequentially to generate relatively fine-grained estimates over various multi-dimensional data-set volumes. | 09-24-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090089128 | SERVICE-ORIENTED PIPELINE BASED ARCHITECTURE - Service-oriented systems employing pipeline architecture to accommodate third party extensions for extending existing functionality or providing additional functionality are provided. User or third party provided plug-ins are registered through metadata and executed in a pipeline along with platform operations. The pipeline is extendable on the fly with newly uploaded plug-ins. Dependency analyses for ordering synchronous or asynchronous pipeline operations enable multiple parties to extend the system and operate predictably. Loop detection mechanisms prevent misuse of system resources through accidental or malicious creation of infinite loops with exceptions for non-degenerate infinite loops. | 04-02-2009 |
20110307442 | TRANSPARENT ACCESS MECHANISM FOR LOCAL AND REMOTE DATA - A unified data access mechanism can provide transparent access to data that is either stored locally or remotely. Application programs can direct data requests and data modifications to this singular component without foreknowledge of where the data is stored. The unified data access mechanism can work in concert with a synchronization mechanism that can maintain data synchronization between local data and remote data. Requested or modified data can be identified as stored locally or remotely based on the namespace of the data. If the data is stored remotely, the user credentials associated with the user's process space within which the application program is executing can be utilized to identify, and then provide, relevant authentication information to the remote data store, should it be required. | 12-15-2011 |
20110320522 | CONTEXT-SPECIFIC NETWORK RESOURCE ADDRESSING MODEL FOR DISTRIBUTED SERVICES - A back-end locator service can be utilized to identify a specific computing device, from among multiple computing devices in a domain, that is the most appropriate computing device to handle a particular type of request for data or other resources. The data or resources hosted by the domain can be divided among multiple computing devices. The domain can expose a network-based application program interface where successive requests by a client computing device become more specific as to the data or resources requested. Responses from the computing devices in the domain can, at some point in time, be informed by the back-end locator service and can comprise location-specific resource identifiers. The client computing device can utilize such location specific resource identifiers to direct further communications to the appropriate, specific computing device without having to incur redirection inefficiencies. | 12-29-2011 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090245116 | METHOD FOR MOBILE NETWORK OPERATIONAL STATE INDICATION - A method to indicate a transitional operational state of a communication link is provided. The method includes indicating the operational state of the communication link is operable, transmitting data between a communication management unit and an endpoint via the communication link, and determining if the transmitted data is received at the endpoint. The method also comprises continuing to indicate the operational state of the communication link is operable when the transmitted data is received at the endpoint and determining if a transport layer has timed out when the transmitted data is not received at the endpoint within a pre-selected time. The method also comprises indicating the operational state of the communication link is transitional when the transport layer has not timed out and the transmitted data is not received at the endpoint within the pre-selected time. | 10-01-2009 |
20110270992 | ENHANCED FLIGHT CREW DISPLAY FOR SUPPORTING MULTIPLE CONTROLLER/PILOT DATA LINK COMMUNICATIONS (CPDLC) VERSIONS - An avionics system comprising a human machine interface configured to display a user interface and a control device is provided. The control device coupled to the human machine interface, wherein the control device is configured to send and receive controller/pilot data link communications (CPDLC) messages and adjust the user interface based on a first CPDLC version of an established first CPDLC session. | 11-03-2011 |
20120066617 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR CONTROLLER PILOT DATA LINK COMMUNICATION (CPDLC) MESSAGE PROCESSING USING DYNAMIC ON-DEMAND SCREEN GENERATION FOR MESSAGE RESPONSE AND COMPOSITION - Systems and methods for CPDLC message processing using dynamic on-demand screen generation for message response and composition are provided. In one embodiment, a method for processing received CPDLC messages comprises: receiving a CPDLC message having a plurality of message elements; extracting the plurality of message elements from the CPDLC message; generating a first display screen at a user display interface for a first extracted message element, wherein the first display screen includes a user response field corresponding to a message-type attribute associated with the first extracted message element; generating a second display screen at the user display interface for a second extracted message element, wherein the second display screen includes a user response field corresponding to a message-type attribute associated with the second extracted message element; composing a response CPDLC message from a first user responses received via the first and second display screens; and sending the response CPDLC message. | 03-15-2012 |
20120078447 | AUTOMATIC PRESENTATION OF A SHORTCUT PROMPT TO VIEW A DOWNLINK REQUEST MESSAGE RESPONSIVE TO A CONFIRM-RESPONSE MESSAGE - A system to reduce head-down time for a flight crew is provided. The system includes a functional module including a set of screens used to receive and send controller pilot data link communications (CPDLC) messages between an aircraft and a ground system; a message composition screen communicatively coupled to the functional module; and a shortcut interface communicatively coupled to the functional module, wherein a shortcut prompt is automatically displayed when a confirm-response message received responsive to a previously-sent downlink request message is viewed, and wherein the previously-sent downlink request message is displayed when the shortcut interface is implemented. | 03-29-2012 |
20120079398 | AUTOMATIC PRESENTATION OF A "WHEN CAN WE..." MESSAGE COMPOSITION SCREEN RESPONSIVE TO A NEGATIVE RESPONSE MESSAGE - A system to reduce head-down time for a flight crew member is provided. The system includes a functional module that includes a set of screens used to receive and send controller pilot data link communications (CPDLC) messages between an aircraft and a ground-based system; a message composition screen communicatively coupled to the functional module; and a shortcut interface communicatively coupled to the functional module, wherein a shortcut prompt is displayed when one of a response timer expires or a negative uplink response message is received responsive to a previously-sent downlink request message, wherein an implementation of the shortcut interface generates a “when can we expect . . . ” message related to the previously-sent downlink request message. | 03-29-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110282596 | Apparatus Configured to Detect Gas Usage, Method of Providing Same, and Method of Detecting Gas Usage - In some embodiments, an apparatus can be configured to detect gas usage. The apparatus can include: (a) a processing module configured to run on a computational unit; and (b) a sensing unit configured to be coupled to a gas regulator, the sensing unit having: (1) at least one acoustic sensor configured to detect two or more acoustic signals produced by the gas regulator and convert the two or more acoustic signals into one or more first data signals; and (2) a transmitter electrically coupled to the at least one acoustic sensor and configured to transmit the one or more first data signals to the computational unit. The processing module is configured to use the one or more first data signals to determine the gas usage. Other embodiments are disclosed. | 11-17-2011 |
20120068692 | Systems and Methods for Measuring Electrical Power Usage in a Structure and Systems and Methods of Calibrating the Same - Some embodiments can concern a method of using a power consumption measurement device. The power consumption measurement device can be mechanically coupled to a surface of a circuit breaker box overlying at least part of one or more main electrical supply conductors for an electrical power infrastructure of a structure. The method can include: determining one or more first magnetic field readings from the one or more main electrical supply conductors using one or more sensors in the power consumption measurement device; after determining the one or more first magnetic field readings, electrically coupling a first calibration load to the electrical power infrastructure; while the first calibration load remains electrically coupled to the electrical power infrastructure, determining one or more second magnetic field readings from the one or more main electrical supply conductors using the one or more sensors in the power consumption measurement device; calibrating the power consumption measurement device using at least in part the one or more first magnetic field readings and the one or more second magnetic field readings, after calibrating the power consumption measurement device, determining one or more third magnetic field readings from the one or more main electrical supply conductors using the one or more sensors in the power consumption measurement device; and determining an electrical power used by the electrical power infrastructure of the structure using at least the one or more third magnetic field readings and the one or more calibration coefficients. Calibrating the power consumption measurement device can include determining one or more first calibration coefficients for the power consumption measurement device using at least in part the one or more first magnetic field readings and the one or more second magnetic field readings. Other embodiments are disclosed. | 03-22-2012 |
20120072143 | System for Monitoring Electrical Power Usage of a Structure and Method of Same - Some embodiments can teach a system for monitoring usage of electrical power by a structure. The structure can have one or more main electrical power lines that supply the electrical power to a first load in the structure. A portion of the one or more main electrical power lines can run substantially parallel to a first axis. The structure can further have a panel that overlies the portion of the one or more main electrical power lines. The system can include: (a) a current sensor unit configured to be coupled to a portion of a surface of the panel, the current sensor unit having: (a) at least one magnetic field sensor having a length substantially parallel to a second axis, wherein the second axis is substantially perpendicular to the first axis, and the at least one magnetic field sensor is configured to detect a magnetic field generated by the one or more main electrical power lines; and (b) a processing unit configured to run on a processor. The current sensor unit can be configured to produce an output signal based on the magnetic field detected by the at least one magnetic field sensor. The processing unit further can be configured to receive the output signal from the current sensor unit and process the output signal to determine one or more parameters related to the usage of the electrical power by the first load in the structure. Other embodiments are disclosed. | 03-22-2012 |
20130154919 | USER CONTROL GESTURE DETECTION - The description relates to user control gestures. One example allows a speaker and a microphone to perform a first functionality. The example simultaneously utilizes the speaker and the microphone to perform a second functionality. The second functionality comprises capturing sound signals that originated from the speaker with the microphone and detecting Doppler shift in the sound signals. It correlates the Doppler shift with a user control gesture performed proximate to the computer and maps the user control gesture to a control function. | 06-20-2013 |
20130179124 | ELECTRICAL EVENT DETECTION DEVICE AND METHOD OF DETECTING AND CLASSIFYING ELECTRICAL POWER USAGE - Some embodiments can concern an apparatus configured to detect an electrical state of one or more electrical devices. The one or more electrical devices are coupled to an electrical power infrastructure and generate one or more high-frequency electrical signals on the electrical power infrastructure. The apparatus can include: (a) a processing module configured to run on a processor of a computational unit; and (b) a sensing device configured to be coupled to an electrical outlet. The sensing device can have: (a) a data acquisition receiver configured to receive the one or more high-frequency electrical signals via the electrical outlet and convert the one or more high-frequency electrical signals into one or more first data signals when the sensing device is coupled to the electrical outlet. The electrical outlet can be electrically coupled to the electrical power infrastructure. The sensing device is in communication with the computational unit. The processing module is further configured to identify the electrical state of the one or more electrical devices at least in part using the one or more first data signals. The high-frequency electrical signals comprise electrical signals in the ten kilohertz to three megahertz range. Other embodiments are disclosed. | 07-11-2013 |
20140347039 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR MEASURING ELECTRICAL POWER USAGE IN A STRUCTURE AND SYSTEMS AND METHODS OF CALIBRATING THE SAME - A magnetic field sensing device can include two or more magnetic field sensors configured to detect a magnetic field in a current carrying conductor. The magnetic field sensing device also can include a phase detector electrically coupled to outputs of the two or more magnetic field sensors. The magnetic field sensing device further can include a phase indicator electrically coupled to the phase detector. The phase indictor can include a display that indicates when the two or more magnetic field sensors are in a position in relation to the current carrying conductor. Other embodiments are provided. | 11-27-2014 |
20140375352 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SENSING ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES USING LIGHT SOURCES AS SENSORS - Systems and methods for sensing environmental changes using electromagnetic interference (EMI) signals are disclosed herein. An EMI monitoring system may be used to monitor an EMI signal of one or more light sources provided over a power line, e.g., in a home or building. The received EMI energy at the power line may be analyzed to detect variations in the EMI signature indicative of environmental changes occurring in the proximity of the light sources. Environmental changes that may be sensed include, but are not limited to, proximity, touch, motion, and temperature change. | 12-25-2014 |
20150233998 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR SENSING ENVIRONMENTAL CHANGES USING EMI SIGNAL SOURCES AS SENSORS - Systems and methods for sensing environmental changes using electromagnetic interference (EMI) signals are disclosed herein. An EMI monitoring system may be used to monitor an EMI signal of one or more EMI signal sources provided over a power line, e.g., in a home or building. The received EMI energy at the power line may be analyzed to detect variations in the EMI signature indicative of environmental changes occurring in the proximity of the signal sources. Examples include detection of gestures on or near liquid crystal displays using EMI signals generated by internal operation of the liquid crystal displays. | 08-20-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110145063 | TARGETING APPLICATIONS WITH ADVERTISEMENTS - Collecting application execution data by a push service and targeting application programs with advertisements based on the collected data. Statistics such as activity, popularity, and frequency of execution for each of the application programs are generated based on the collected data. The statistics are matched to advertising campaigns to select application programs relevant to the advertising campaigns. Advertisers are charged for delivering the advertisements based on the selected application programs. For example, advertisements delivered to frequently executed application programs are more expensive than advertisements delivered to application programs that are rarely executed. | 06-16-2011 |
20120208549 | AUTOMATIC CHECK-OUT UPON LOCATION DEPARTURE - Systems and methods are disclosed for detecting termination of a social check-in session where a user has checked into a location using a mobile device. Upon detecting that the user has left a location, the present system automatically checks the user out of that location, and updates the user's records and friends that the user is no longer at that location. | 08-16-2012 |
20120331090 | COMPUTING SYSTEM FOR MANAGING DATA - Various embodiments are described for systems and methods for managing data. The system may include a device group configured for peer-to-peer communications, the device group including a computing device and one or more peer computing devices. The system includes a cross device application programming interface (API) that is implemented as a device group API client executed on the computing device and each of the peer computing devices. Each device group API client includes a permissions module that is configured to determine whether a request satisfies a device-group-specific permission for access to data stored on any device associated with the device group. Upon authorization of the request, a file storage module is configured to retrieve and output the requested file. | 12-27-2012 |
20130006738 | SHARED ELECTRONIC INCENTIVES AND COUPONS LEVERAGING SOCIAL CONNECTIONS AND SHEPHERDING - Systems and methods for distributing shared electronic coupons are provided. According to one aspect, the electronic coupon may include a coupon benefit display region displaying a textual and/or graphical representation of a coupon benefit. The electronic coupon may further include a candidate display region displaying a list of one or more friends of the user who are determined to be redeemer candidates from among friends in a social network profile or address book of the user. Each redeemer candidate friend in the list has an associated selector, and selection by the user of a selector corresponding to a friend causes the client device to send a message to a coupon server to instruct the coupon server to send the electronic coupon to a client device of the selected friend. Predictive models generated through machine learning may aid in selecting the user to which coupons are distributed and the redeemer candidates. | 01-03-2013 |
20130006794 | ONLINE MARKETPLACE WITH OFFER/BID POOLING - Systems and methods for facilitating purchase transactions through real-time dynamic marketplace sessions are provided. A method may include pooling offers for goods/services to form a pooled offer, and pooling bids to form a pooled bid. The pooled offer and the pooled bid may be matched to form a pooled offer/bid pair. Methods for inducing and using predictive models for successful configuration of properties and participants with machine learning procedures that operate on data about successful and unsuccessful offers may be employed. A real-time dynamic marketplace session may be established between offer agents associated with the pooled offers and bid agents associated with the pooled bids. Upon a successful conclusion to the negotiation, a purchase transaction for the pooled offer/bid pair may be processed. | 01-03-2013 |
20130006904 | PERSONAL LONG-TERM AGENT FOR PROVIDING MULTIPLE SUPPORTIVE SERVICES - A long-term personal agent program, executable as network service and/or on one or more user computing devices and related method for identifying opportunities and making recommendations on behalf of one or more users, are disclosed herein. In one example, the personal agent program includes a monitoring engine configured to monitor and interpret a user's activities over time with a plurality of sensing and logging methodologies according to user authorization, the use of statistical methods for learning to understand a user's goals and behavioral patterns from data, and the use of procedures for computing the expected value of information guiding sensing and logging in different contexts. The personal agent further may include a recommendation methodology configured to make suggestions and to take actions on behalf of the user, in the present moment as well as for future times, based on inferences about user goals and opportunities in the world. | 01-03-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100107251 | MIME Handling Security Enforcement - A model restricts un-trusted data/objects from running on a user's machine without permission. The data is received by a protocol layer that reports a MIME type associated with the DATA, and caches the data and related cache file name (CFN). A MIME sniffer is arranged to identify a sniffed MIME type based on the cached data, the CFN, and the reported MIME type. Reconciliation logic evaluates the sniffed MIME type and the CFN to determine a reconciled MIME type, and to update the CFN. A class ID sniffer evaluates the updated CFN, the cached data, and the reconciled MIME type to determine an appropriate class ID. Security logic evaluates the updated CFN, the reported class ID, and other related system parameters to build a security matrix. Parameters from the security matrix are used to intercept data/objects before an un-trusted data/object can create a security breach on the machine. | 04-29-2010 |
20140150121 | MIME Handling Security Enforcement - A model restricts un-trusted data/objects from running on a user's machine without permission. The data is received by a protocol layer that reports a MIME type associated with the DATA, and caches the data and related cache file name (CFN). A MIME sniffer is arranged to identify a sniffed MIME type based on the cached data, the CFN, and the reported MIME type. Reconciliation logic evaluates the sniffed MIME type and the CFN to determine a reconciled MIME type, and to update the CFN. A class ID sniffer evaluates the updated CFN, the cached data, and the reconciled MIME type to determine an appropriate class ID. Security logic evaluates the updated CFN, the reported class ID, and other related system parameters to build a security matrix. Parameters from the security matrix are used to intercept data/objects before an un-trusted data/object can create a security breach on the machine | 05-29-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100115146 | Pairing Service Technologies - Pairing service technologies is described. In embodiment(s), peripheral devices can be discovered, such as by a computer device, and a peripheral device can be configured with multiple services that each correspond to one or more data communication protocols. The multiple services of the peripheral device can be determined, and a pairing sequence can be prioritized for the multiple services. The data communication protocol(s) can then be paired according to the pairing sequence to configure the multiple services of the peripheral device. | 05-06-2010 |
20100165879 | WIRELESS PROVISIONING A DEVICE FOR A NETWORK USING A SOFT ACCESS POINT - A computing device for provisioning a wireless device for connection to a wireless network via a legacy access point. The wireless device supports a wireless protected setup protocol for obtaining the network profile of the network. A user requests the computing device discover wireless devices for provisioning. In response to the user input, the computing device is configured as a soft access point and broadcasts a beacon signal indicating that the access point supports a wireless protected setup protocol, such as Wi-Fi Protected Setup. A request for provisioning is then received by the computing device from the wireless device. A network profile is transmitted from the computing device to the wireless device in accordance with the wireless protected setup protocol. The wireless device may use the profile to connect to the network via the legacy access point using the network profile. | 07-01-2010 |
20120139690 | CONTEXT DEPENDENT COMPUTER OPERATION - A context dependent computing device. The computing device configures itself for operations based on its context. The computing device may determine its context by reading a value from a tag using low power transmissions such that receiving a value from the tag provides an indication of proximity to a location where the tag is affixed. The value read provides an indication of a desired operation. In response to reading a value of a tag, the computing device may identify an application to launch, identify devices with which to pair or take other actions that configure the computing device for its context. | 06-07-2012 |
20120144083 | UNIVERSAL DOCK FOR CONTEXT SENSITIVE COMPUTING DEVICE - A dock for interacting with a computing device. The computing device configures itself for operations based on its context, which may be determined form the dock by reading a value from a tag on the dock. The computing device may use low power transmissions such that receiving a value from the tag provides an indication of proximity to the dock. The value read provides an indication of a desired operation, and, in response to reading a value of the tag, the computing device may launch an application, pair with devices in the vicinity of the dock, or take other actions that configure the computing device. A universal dock, usable with computing devices of a plurality of form factors, may be implemented by providing an array of tags and, in some cases, a non-contact power supply. | 06-07-2012 |
20120155643 | SECURE PROTOCOL FOR PEER-TO-PEER NETWORK - A wireless computing device operating as a controller of a peer-to-peer group configured to generate unique master keys for each device joining the group. The wireless computing device may use the unique master keys to selectively remove remote devices from the group such that the remote device cannot later rejoin the group. Other remote devices, each possessing a master key that remains valid, can disconnect from the group and later reconnect to the group without express user action. To support such behavior, the wireless device may provide a user interface through which a user may manage connected remote devices by providing commands to selectively disconnect or remove remote devices from the group. | 06-21-2012 |
20120320886 | PHONE SUPPORTING MODE CONVERSION - A mechanism for a wireless device to obtain access to network connectivity through a WAN-enabled device. The wireless device may use peer-to-peer communication to request the WAN-enabled device enter a mode in which it serves as an access point to its WAN. The wireless device may then associate with the WAN-enabled device in its role as an access point to access connectivity services. Such a capability may be used, for example, to allow a wireless computing device to gain access to the Internet through a smartphone or other device that has Internet access, and can also be configured to communicate in accordance with the Wi-Fi and Wi-Fi Direct standards. | 12-20-2012 |
20130067068 | EVENT-DRIVEN DETECTION OF DEVICE PRESENCE FOR LAYER 3 SERVICES USING LAYER 2 DISCOVERY INFORMATION - Techniques for detecting presence of a remote device at Layer 2 in response to an indication of an attempt to use the device and without maintaining a Layer 3 connection to the device. The techniques allow reducing power consumption without compromising the device's availability. A device that pairs with a remote wireless device may establish a Layer 3 connection to the remote device to provide services to a user. The Layer 3 connection and underlying Layer 2 connection (e.g., WI-FI, WI-FI DIRECT™ or BLUETOOTH®) may be terminated when the Layer 3 connection is not actively used. Once use of the remote device is desired, its presence may be detected using a Layer 2 device discovery mechanism and the Layer 2 and Layer 3 connections to the device may be reestablished. Services provided at Layer 3, such as steaming data, may then be performed over the reestablished Layer 3 connection. | 03-14-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20140187167 | WIRELESS PROVISIONING A DEVICE FOR A NETWORK USING A SOFT ACCESS POINT - A computing device for provisioning a wireless device for connection to a wireless network via a legacy access point. The wireless device supports a wireless protected setup protocol for obtaining the network profile of the network. A user requests the computing device discover wireless devices for provisioning. In response to the user input, the computing device is configured as a soft access point and broadcasts a beacon signal indicating that the access point supports a wireless protected setup protocol, such as Wi-Fi Protected Setup. A request for provisioning is then received by the computing device from the wireless device. A network profile is transmitted from the computing device to the wireless device in accordance with the wireless protected setup protocol. The wireless device may use the profile to connect to the network via the legacy access point using the network profile. | 07-03-2014 |
20140337923 | Efficient Automatic Sharing of Network Access Among Devices - An access point device is configured to improve usability of tethering, while improving battery life and managing data usage among and by the tethered devices. Both access point devices and client devices can remain in a low power state without a high power radio being powered until a shared network connection is to be used. To establish a connection to a network for the client device, the client device communicates with the access point device over a lower power communication device, such as a low power radio. The access point device activates its higher power radio. The two devices then connect over the high power radio, allowing the client device to then to use the access point device as a router to connect to a computer network. | 11-13-2014 |
20140348073 | ALLOCATION OF SHARED RESOURCES FOR VIRTUALIZED NETWORKING - Technology for allocating network adapter resources such as air interface time and queue space amongst multiple virtual network stations or other virtual adapters is disclosed. As one example, the resource allocation may be based on analysis of the relative latency, jitter, or bandwidth considerations for applications communicating via each of the multiple virtual adapters. The resource allocation may also be based on how efficiently each of the virtual adapters utilized previously allocated resources. | 11-27-2014 |
20150229612 | SECURE PROTOCOL FOR PEER-TO-PEER NETWORK - A wireless computing device operating as a controller of a peer-to-peer group configured to generate unique master keys for each device joining the group. The wireless computing device may use the unique master keys to selectively remove remote devices from the group such that the remote device cannot later rejoin the group. Other remote devices, each possessing a master key that remains valid, can disconnect from the group and later reconnect to the group without express user action. To support such behavior, the wireless device may provide a user interface through which a user may manage connected remote devices by providing commands to selectively disconnect or remove remote devices from the group. | 08-13-2015 |