Abstract: An improved housing for a computing device is disclosed. The improved housing is provided with one of an illuminable connector, a touch pad arrangement, and a palm rest stiffening plate. Normally, the illuminable connector and the touch pad arrangement are provided on external portions of a housing of the computing device such that they are available for user interaction. The palm rest stiffening plate is provided internal to a housing to provide stiffness or rigidity to a palm rest region of the housing.

Abstract: A mold assembly or system includes a moldbase that holds mold inserts and has embedded fluid lines to facilitate cooling during part formation. Mold inserts combine to form mold cavities that receive carbon fiber and resin components to form a carbon composite based part. A permanent release coating along a mold component surface that contacts the carbon fiber and resin components facilitates the release of the finished part from the mold component. Guide pins and guide pin receiving holes facilitate accurate alignment of mold components. Ejector pins within respective ejector pin shafts help eject a finished part from a respective mold component. An ejector pin shaft cover transfers force from an ejector pin to eject a finished part and also prevents substantial passage of resin into the ejector pin shaft. A fluid actuated ejection system provides fluid based mechanical forces to the ejector pins to facilitate finished part ejection.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention include a semiconductor integrated circuit package that includes a substrate having an integrated circuit die attached thereto. The package includes a ESD shield attached to the substrate. The ESD shield configured to increase the ESD hardness of the package. The ESD shield can further serve to stiffen the package to prevent warping and operate as a heat spreader.

Abstract: A portable media device and a method for operating a portable media device are disclosed. According to one aspect, a battery-powered portable media device can manage use of a mass storage device to efficiently utilize battery power. By providing a cache memory and loading the cache memory so as to provide skip support, battery power for the portable media device can be conserved (i.e., efficiently consumed). According to another aspect, a portable media device can operate efficiently in a seek mode. The seek mode is an operational mode of the portable media device in which the portable media device automatically scans through media items to assist a user in selecting a desired one of the media items.

Abstract: Two or more display components are used to provide spatially correlated displays of 3D content. Three-dimensional content is rendered on multiple displays where the 3D content refers to the same virtual 3D coordinates, in which the relative position of the displays to each other determines the 3D virtual camera position for each display. Although not required, one of the displays may be mobile, such as a cell phone, and the other stationary or nomadic, such as a laptop. Each display shows a view based on a virtual camera into 3D content, such as an online virtual world. By continuously sensing and updating the relative physical distances and orientations of each device to one another, the devices show the user a view into the 3D content that is spatially correlated. Each device has a virtual camera that uses a common pool of 3D geometrical data and renders this data to display images.

Abstract: Any client application uses a namespace application to resolve its pathname in order to reference a computer file. Computer files are stored in a fixed-content storage cluster and are accessed by retrieving a unique identifier for the computer file using the namespace application. Any type of pathname scheme from any client application is supported by the namespace. The namespace application uses a bindings table to record bindings between objects including the start date and end date for each binding, and direction and separator data used in the pathname scheme. An attribute table in the namespace keeps track of each attribute and its value for each object of the namespace including a start date and an end date for each attribute. The namespace provides syntactic generality in that any pathname scheme of a client application can be resolved to identify a unique computer file in the storage cluster.

Abstract: Linear and rotational speeds of a mobile device are calculated using distance estimates between imaging sensors in the device and objects or scenes in front of the sensors. The distance estimates are used to modify optical flow vectors from the sensors. Shifting and rotational speeds of the mobile device may then be calculated using the modified optical flow vector values. For example, given a configuration where the first imaging sensor and the second imaging sensor face opposite directions on a single axis, a shifting speed is calculated in the following way: multiplying a first optical flow vector and a first distance estimate, thereby deriving a first modified optical flow vector value; multiplying a second optical flow vector and a second distance estimate, thereby deriving a second modified optical flow vector value; the second modified optical flow vector value may then be subtracted from the first modified optical flow vector value, resulting in a measurement of the shifting speed.

Abstract: A conformal airlock assembly for ingress and egress through a door from a high pressure environment to a low pressure environment. The airlock assembly includes a flexible, gas impermeable membrane that cooperates with a support wall in an airtight manner to form an interior pocket over the door on one side of the wall. A gas displacement system, in flow communication with the interior pocket, is selectively operable to flow air out of the interior pocket, collapsing the membrane toward a collapsed condition. An actuation system coupled to the flexible membrane is operable to displace the flexible membrane, in the collapsed condition, away from the one side of the support wall. Such displacement of the airtight membrane creates a low pressure space in the pocket that is selected to be sufficiently proximate that of the low pressure environment. Hence, the door may be opened to permit ingress and egress therethrough without a large pressure differential.

Abstract: A resin bonding method according to the present invention is a resin bonding method for bonding a first resin and a second resin including (I) a step of irradiating spaces containing oxygen molecules with vacuum ultraviolet light having a wavelength of 175 nm or less, the spaces being in contact with surfaces of the first and second resins; and (II) a step of, after the irradiation, subjecting the surfaces to temperature rise while the surfaces are in contact with each other, to bond the first resin and the second resin together with the surfaces serving as bonding surfaces. In the step (I), the surfaces of the first and second resins may be further irradiated with the vacuum ultraviolet light. In this case, a light amount of the vacuum ultraviolet light having reached the surfaces is preferably, for example, 0.1 J/cm2 or more and 10 J/cm2 or less.

Abstract: Improved podcasts and techniques that facilitate their use are disclosed. The improved techniques can pertain to creating, publishing, hosting, accessing, subscribing, managing, transferring, and/or playing podcasts. According to one aspect, a client application can subscribe to podcasts and then automatically monitor the podcasts for updates to be downloaded. In the event that user interest in a podcast becomes inadequate, downloading of further updates can be restricted. According to another aspect, a podcast can be subscribed to through use of a portable subscription file. According to still another aspect, podcast feeds can be enhanced to include segment elements and other metadata.

Abstract: A method and system for synchronizing in real-time the voice media of a conversation conducted over a network between a first communication device and a second communication. The method includes at each of the first and second communication devices progressively storing in first and second storage elements and transmitting the voice media created using the first and second communication devices to the other communication device respectively. Both the first and second communication devices store in the first and second storage elements the progressively received media from the other device respectively. A mechanism to continually review, ascertain and request the media stored in the first storage element, but not the second storage element, and vice-versa is provided to ensure that the two storage elements contain the same voice media. As a result, the first and second storage elements each maintain real-time synchronized copies of the voice media of the conversation respectively.

Abstract: Computer implemented machine learning methods are described. A co-operative learning method involves a first rule based system and a second rule based system. A rule base is generated from input data and recursion data is used to recursively update the rule base as a result of newly received input data. Rule data defining at least one rule and associated data are sent to the second system which determines whether to update its rule base using the transmitted rule data, and if so the recursion data is used to recursively determine the updated rules for its rule base. A father machine learning method for a rule based system, involves receiving time series data, determining whether the data increases or decreases the spatial density for previously existing rules, and if so then creating a new cluster and associated rule, otherwise a new cluster is not created.

Abstract: A telecommunication and multimedia management apparatus and method that supports voice and other media communications and that enables users to: (i) participate in multiple conversation modes, including live phone calls, conference calls, instant voice messaging or tactical communications; (ii) review the messages of conversations in either a live mode or a time-shifted mode and to seamlessly transition back and forth between the two modes; (iii) participate in multiple conversations either concurrently or simultaneously; (iv) archive the messages of conversations for later review or processing; and (v) persistently store media either created or received on the communication devices of users. The latter feature enables users to generate or review media when either disconnected from the network or network conditions are poor and to optimize the delivery of media over the network based on network conditions and the intention of the users participating in conversations.

Abstract: A vibration actuator includes a coil that extends in a vibration direction and has a flat shape and a magnet that extends in the vibration direction and has a flat shape, so that a case can be made flat or low profile. A weight portion is supported by a shaft, so that, when a drop impact is applied, the weight portion can move along the shaft and the weight portion is not freely moved in the case. A coil spring is disposed between a spring receiving portion and a weight portion. Therefore there is no unnecessary space in the case, so that space can be saved and the vibration actuator can be made compact.

Abstract: Embodiments include a system and method of synchronizing broadcast signals from multiple broadcast networks on televisions or other media devices. One embodiment includes a method comprising receiving signatures or other data indicative of each of a plurality of video frames from each of a plurality of video devices, each of the video devices having received the frame from a video broadcast. At least one of the video frames is identified as being received by each of the video devices based on the received data. A request or other data indicative of a time to display the one of the video frames is communicated to each of the plurality of video devices. Other embodiments include media devices configured to send such frame data and to display video frames at the indicated time.

Abstract: A peripheral device of the invention is capable of data communication with a host device via one of a first-type interface and a second-type interface having different data communication-related specifications. The peripheral device has a single connector for making electric connection selectively with a first-type connector or a second-type connector. The peripheral device also has a controller for performing an initial connection process that makes a logical connection between the peripheral device and the host device via the first-type interface or the second-type interface. While the physical connection is maintained, the controller breaks the logical connection established by the initial connection process and subsequently makes another logical connection between the peripheral device and the host device.

Abstract: A weight used in a vibration motor includes first and second weight parts that extend along adjacent wing parts to hold the wing parts therebetween; an insertion part that is formed between the first and second weight parts and into which the adjacent wing parts are inserted in the radial direction of the core; and a third weight part that is inserted between the adjacent wing parts (that is, slot) and connects the first weight part and the second weight part in a direction of the rotation axis line such that the insertion part is decoupled.

Abstract: A method of unifying the different, device-specific and platform-specific access control lists (ACL) for different users and user groups in a home network. The home network has networked heterogeneous devices and hosting where a user is presented with a consistent, single view of ACL on home-wide users and user groups. Users in the home network, therefore, do not need to control ACL for device-specific users and user groups on each individual device. Instead, a user controls the home-wide ACL for home-wide users and user groups. The changes to home-wide ACL for home-wide users and user groups are propagated to individual devices. Further, changes on individual devices can be made to device-specific ACL for device-specific users and user groups. Such changes are subsequently propagated to the home-wide ACL for home-wide users and user groups.

Abstract: A gaming peripheral for a gaming machine is described. The gaming peripheral can be configured to emulate the functions of a lighting device, such as a candle. The gaming peripheral can be configured to provide enhanced gaming features such as 1) enhanced networking capabilities, 2) enhanced peripheral device monitoring and upgrade capabilities, 3) enhanced player monitoring and security capabilities 4) enhanced gaming function capabilities and 5) enhanced player reward capabilities. The enhanced gaming features can be provided in a non-intrusive manner such that regulated software executed on a gaming machine does not have to be altered.

Abstract: A method for etching features in a low-k dielectric layer disposed below an organic mask is provided by an embodiment of the invention. Features are etched into the low-k dielectric layer through the organic mask. A fluorocarbon layer is deposited on the low-k dielectric layer. The fluorocarbon layer is cured. The organic mask is stripped.