Patents Examined by John Le
  • Patent number: 7487056
    Abstract: Precision and reliability of localization estimates derived from conventional localization systems are improved through a system and method for post-processing of initial localization data, even in environments which may include noise, reflections, or other interference. Such localization systems include conventional sound source localization (SSL) systems based on microphone array inputs, radio source location systems based on directional antenna array inputs, etc. In general, this post-processing system and method applies statistical real-time clustering to initial localization estimates, and then uses this real-time clustering in a multi-stage process to generate new localization estimates having improved precision and reliability relative to the initial localization estimates.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: February 3, 2009
    Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
    Inventor: Ivan Tashev
  • Patent number: 7454309
    Abstract: A wearable computing apparatus includes a processor; a device for presenting information from the processor to a user, and a device for providing user input to the processor in response to the information presented to the user. The device is adapted to be activated wholly or partly by a foot of the user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 18, 2008
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Richard Anthony Lawrence, David Neil Slatter, Glenn Peter Hall
  • Patent number: 7395175
    Abstract: A digital data recording apparatus, which can record the exact acquisition time of data, a sampling data identification method thereof, and a program for identifying sampling data, are provided. A CPU 11 reads out the program of a first conversion formula. The CPU 11 uses the first conversion formula to convert a time series of detection temperature data into a time series of actual oscillation frequencies f? of a reference clock signal. At a subsequent step, the CPU 11 calculates the respective normal sampling timings employing the current time as a reference time by dividing a time series of count values by each of the actual oscillation frequencies f? corresponding to the respective count values.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2006
    Date of Patent: July 1, 2008
    Assignees: National University Corporation Nagoya University, Macome Corporation
    Inventors: Tsuneo Yamauchi, Iwao Fujii, Akane Mandokoro, Masayoshi Kuroyanagi
  • Patent number: 7386413
    Abstract: A testing apparatus includes one or more trace banks. Each trace bank includes (1) an input switch operable to couple an input port to one of multiple output ports, (2) an output switch operable to couple one of multiple input ports to one output port, and (3) transmission lines of different lengths coupled between the output ports of the input switch and the input ports of the output switch. The trace banks can be cascaded using cables to connect their output and input ports. The input and output switches in the trace banks are controlled to provide a transmission path of the desired length.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: June 10, 2008
    Assignee: Avago Technologies General IP Pte Ltd
    Inventor: Jeff P. Kirsten
  • Patent number: 7379821
    Abstract: A system and methods for integrating laboratory instrumentation and applications to provide a unified control and coordination architecture under a common interface. The system may be adapted to a variety of different hardware and software components wherein the individual functionalities and input/output data types for each component are recognized and incorporated into a centralized control and monitoring system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Applera Corporation
    Inventors: Kai Yung, Sylvia H. Fang, John Rohrlich
  • Patent number: 7379833
    Abstract: After a vehicle is started up, a voltage value detected by a voltage sensor while a voltage detection target and the voltage sensor are disconnected from each other is obtained as an offset voltage, and the voltage value detected by the voltage sensor is corrected based upon the offset voltage thus obtained.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Nissan Motor Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Utaka Kamishima
  • Patent number: 7379836
    Abstract: The present invention is directed to a method of identifying test devices having excessive leakage current and also includes computer program products that enable the same. The method obtaining background test data using a test routine to measure the leakage current for a set of test devices as a function of a parameter associated with device speed for the device under test. From the test data, a leakage threshold function is defined that correlates leakage current with the parameter associated with device speed. The test routine and the leakage threshold function are then input into an automated testing apparatus configured to execute the test on production or other devices. Devices are tested to determine leakage current over a range of parameter values associated with device speed. The devices are then screened using the leakage threshold function to determine the status of the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 2005
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: LSI Corporation
    Inventors: Philippe Schoenborn, Ramit Bhandari, Tony Lo, Anh-Ha Tran
  • Patent number: 7379846
    Abstract: A method and system are provided for automated diagnosis for a system. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a fault tree representation of the system, the fault tree specifying propagations of errors generated in the system by problems to produce error reports. At least some of the propagations have timing information associated therewith. One or more error reports having timing information associated therewith are received and analysed using the fault tree representation to determine a suspect list of problems. The suspect list contains those problems that could have generated errors to produce the received error reports compatible with the propagations in the fault tree, and consistent with the timing information associated with the propagations and the received error reports.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 29, 2004
    Date of Patent: May 27, 2008
    Assignee: Sun Microsystems, Inc.
    Inventors: Emrys Williams, Andrew Rudoff
  • Patent number: 7376516
    Abstract: A method of coordinating surveys of different origins and which may be projected into different coordinate systems. The method provides a translation and rotation of the surveys to be coordinated without disturbing the internal geometry of each survey. A geographic information system including a procedure for coordinating surveys of different origins and/or which surveys which projected in different coordinate systems.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 22, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: R.A. Smith National
    Inventor: Robert S. Jones
  • Patent number: 7376513
    Abstract: A geospatial modeling system may include a geospatial model database and a processor. The processor may cooperate with the geospatial model database for extracting ground data from foliage and building data, performing at least one noise filtering operation on the foliage and building data including at least one sum of differences operation, and separating foliage data from the building data based upon the at least one noise filtering operation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: May 20, 2008
    Assignee: Harris Corporation
    Inventors: Mark Rahmes, Stephen Connetti, Harlan Yates, Anthony O'Neil Smith
  • Patent number: 7366621
    Abstract: Program product to measure fluid flow characteristics in a pipeline is provided. A vortex-shedding body is positioned within the pipeline to form vortices. A vortex meter can include a vortex frequency sensor to measure the frequency of the vortices to determine the volumetric flow rate. A differential pressure meter positioned adjacent the vortex-shedding body can produce a differential pressure meter flow rate signal indicative of the density of fluid when flowing through the pipeline. A thermal flow meter positioned adjacent the vortex-shedding body can produce a mass flow rate signal indicative of the mass flow rate of fluid when flowing through the pipeline. The program product can include instructions for a fluid characteristic determiner to perform the operations of processing measured and sensed signals to produce an output of a volumetric flow rate, a flowing fluid density, and a mass flow rate to be displayed on a fluid characteristic display.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 29, 2008
    Assignee: Saudi Arabian Oil Company
    Inventor: James L. Sprague
  • Patent number: 7363182
    Abstract: Systems and methods for correcting measurements of fluid flow using device-specific information to compensate for differences between individual devices of the same design. In one embodiment, a method includes providing device-specific calibration data; sensing a fluid flow; computing a measured fluid flow based on the sensed fluid flow, and correcting the measured fluid flow based on the device-specific calibration data. More particularly, the fluid flow measurement is corrected using correction factors that compensate for the use of a gas that is different from the calibration gas (CF0 (1+aF+bF2+cF3)), for device variations in sensor sensitivity (1+??R), and for variations in the split flow of fluid through the flow meter (1???ADC(Sp/100)2). The sensor and split flow correction factors may be used independently of each other in some embodiments.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 13, 2005
    Date of Patent: April 22, 2008
    Assignee: Celerity, Inc.
    Inventors: Stuart A. Tison, Shiliang Lu
  • Patent number: 7356443
    Abstract: Representative embodiments are directed to systems and methods for analyzing the selection of measurements of events associated with a communications network. In one embodiment, the selection of measurements includes creating a representation of a network. After the creation of the network representation, multiple sets of contemplated measurements associated with the network representation are created. A metric is calculated that is related to the respective diagnostic effectiveness for each set of contemplated measurements when the respective set of contemplated measurements is provided to a network diagnostic algorithm.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Agilent Technologies, Inc.
    Inventor: Lee A. Barford
  • Patent number: 7356437
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus, an imaging apparatus, and an information processing method, and a computer program are provided. An information processing apparatus includes: an acceleration detecting part which detects an acceleration generated in the information processing apparatus; a storage part which stores history information based on information detected by the acceleration detecting part; and a control part which executes a determination process whether the information processing apparatus is in a falling state based on information detected by the acceleration detecting part and history information stored in the storage part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 30, 2006
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Kou Kobayashi, Kenichiro Imai, Katsuhiko Watanabe, Junichi Yokota, Ryogo Ito, Hiroshi Shimono
  • Patent number: 7356445
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a method and an apparatus for improving measurement fault detection in a sequential measurement processing estimator, and is particularly applied to Global Positioning Receivers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: April 8, 2008
    Assignee: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventor: Keith Jacob Brodie
  • Patent number: 7353126
    Abstract: A method of determining coherent test conditions is disclosed. The method includes receiving constraints from a user, wherein the constraints include desired test conditions, desired tolerances for the desired test conditions, and desired instrument. Further, the method includes determining the coherent test conditions using the constraints. Moreover, the method includes providing each determined coherent test condition to the user, wherein each determined coherent test condition includes a calculated sampling frequency and a calculated analog frequency.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2004
    Date of Patent: April 1, 2008
    Assignee: Credence Systems Corporation
    Inventor: Chris Oberhauser
  • Patent number: 7349826
    Abstract: A plurality of causal ladder is assembled in advance from component system events taken from previous system failures. The ladders classify the various transitions the system goes through from one set of observed states to another in multiple stages representing issues of differing urgency, importance and need for remediation. These stages are used at runtime determine the criticality of any abnormal system activity and to accurately predict the component failure prior to the system crashing. Each ladder comprises a plurality of elevated stages representing criticality of the problem. At runtime, the causal ladder engine correlates real-time events received from the system to stages of one or more pre-constructed causal ladders and identifies a probable problem (and/or the faulty component) from the corresponding causal ladder. The causal ladder engine also determines the stage of the problem from event occurrences. At each stage, a different potential solution is identified for the problem.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 23, 2006
    Date of Patent: March 25, 2008
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Balan Subramanian, Nanchariah Raghuveera Chalasani, Javed Rahman, Ajamu A. Wesley
  • Patent number: 7343258
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for accurately calibrating fusion temperature in optical fiber splicing. With assistance of direct arc-recentering technique, two optical fibers are spliced and then continuously heated with a post-fusion process. In the process, the fusion temperature is automatically determined in terms of effective fusion currents, which is done by real-time monitoring the fusion time dependence of cladding diameter reduction. In comparison with model calculations, variations of fusion temperature caused by changes of electrode condition and operating environment, e.g. altitude, temperature and humidity are derived. To recover the optimal fusion temperature in various fusion processes, the calibrating results are automatically invoked to compensate fusion currents.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson (publ)
    Inventors: Wei-Ping Huang, Kjell Ahlstedt, Ellef Hersoug, Christian Gottlicher Palafox
  • Patent number: 7343251
    Abstract: In one aspect, there is disclosed a method of detecting a hydrogen leak in a fuel cell system, including the steps of (a) calculating a mass of hydrogen in a fuel tank, HT new, at a time step, (b) calculating a mass of the hydrogen consumed by the fuel cell at the time step, HFcp new, (c) calculating a total amount of hydrogen that has left the tank from a start to the time step, HTcons, (d) calculating a total amount of hydrogen consumption, HFcpcons, (e) calculating a difference between HTcons and HFcpcons at the time-step, (f) determining if the difference is above a predetermined threshold, and (g) performing an action based on the determination of step (f).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2007
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Assignee: Toyota Motor Engineering & Manufacturing North America, Inc.
    Inventors: Jared M. Farnsworth, Justin David Ward, Bradley Landon Spare
  • Patent number: 7343264
    Abstract: This patent refers to an electronic equipment unit, which is intended to collects, process and transfer data from a certain area, which it monitors, to a telemetry system. In more detail, data are collected from various intrusion monitoring sensors (e.g. infra-red or microwave detectors), water level detectors, smoke detectors, electrical supply watchdogs etc. These sensor are external and use the logic circuits of the printed circuit board. The above mentioned data are suitably processed by the unit and the output is sent to a telemetry system via an external interface box. The advantages of this patent is the small size of the device and the low cost of the construction and operation of the device. It integrates on one printed circuit board (PCB) the processor and the logic circuits of a variety of sensors. Owing to its small size, the device can be easily installed inside sealed cellular telephony antenna shelters (outdoor shelters).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 11, 2008
    Inventor: Kiriakos Tsigiroglou