Abstract: The present invention is directed generally to container for reconfigurable products and, in particular, to a display package operable to display a product in multiple configurations. The display package may include product housing portions adapted to slide from a first, adjacent position, where one product portion is positioned adjacent to another product portion, to a second, separated position, where one product portion is spaced from the other product portion. The display package may include a plurality of product housings adapted to rotate with respect to each other along a common axis such that product portions within the product housings may be selectively aligned to form desired configurations of a completed, displayed product.

Abstract: A method, computer program product, and system for detecting and fencing off a failed entity instance so that failover time in the computing system is reduced. Upon detection of a failed entity, for example a failed process, a signal handler invokes an operating system interface to fence off the failed instance from modifying its persistent state, so that the entity may be re-instantiated prior to termination of the failed instance. This approach reduces failover time and eliminates split-brain problems without compromising access to the failed instance to obtain diagnostic information, core dumps, and the like.

Abstract: A system for detecting and locating illicit cellular telephone use within a facility includes an array of radio frequency (RF) receivers, each receiver being placed in a predetermined location in the facility, and a central server, the receivers being in electrical communication with the central server. The server commands a group or groups of receivers to tune to a frequency of interest and to perform detailed sample rate measurements of the RF signal level received at the receivers. The array of receivers is organized into a plurality of measurement areas covering widely separated areas of the facility or different buildings of the facility, and the plurality of receivers of a measurement area is organized into a plurality of measurement groups covering areas of approximately uniform RF propagation conditions. Each receiver scans a frequency band of interest non-synchronously and independently of the other receivers in the array. Also, each receiver is preferably a direct-conversion receiver.

Abstract: A fastener system includes a toy product, a support platform, and a plug that engages a keyhole formed into the product. The plug includes a base and a pronged key extending from the base. The support platform includes a through-hole that permits the passage of the key into the packaging. One or more integrally-formed biasing members are located on the base of the plug to draw the key toward the product and create a secure connection. The pronged key may be formed from a plastic material and configured such that it plastically deforms but remains attached to the key when and predetermined force is applied to the key to pull the key from a misaligned position with respect to the key hole.

Abstract: A glitter circulation device includes a housing defining a chamber configured to receive a doll. A tray is coupled to the housing and configured to hold a plurality of glitter particles. A fan is coupled to housing and in communication with the tray and the chamber. The fan is configured to draw the glitter particles from the tray and expel the glitter particles into the chamber.

Abstract: A method of calculating the noise power in a received signal containing a pilot channel, the method comprising estimating the power of the received signal, estimating the power of the pilot channel and calculating the noise power as a function of the estimated signal and the pilot channel powers. The noise power thus deduced may be used as a parameter of a function defining a channel quality indicator. The invention extends to corresponding apparatus.

Abstract: An electronic device and method of illuminating a display are provided. The electronic device includes a display device, an illumination device, a light sensor and a processor coupled to the illumination device and the light sensor. The processor receives a light value from the light sensor, determines a target illumination value based at least partly on the light value, and causes the illumination device to illuminate the display device at substantially the target illumination value. In one embodiment, the processor causes the illumination device to illuminate the display device at substantially the target illumination value by gradually increasing a current illumination value. In another embodiment, the processor causes the illumination device to illuminate the display device at substantially the target illumination value by gradually decreasing a current illumination value.

Abstract: Techniques are provided for managing long-term reference frames (LTRFs) for two or more video sources. A first video source is selected from a plurality of video sources. The first video source is encoded to produce an encoded video stream, where a reference frame message identifies a recent video frame as long-term reference frame (LTRF) associated with the first video stream. The process is repeated for other video streams. The LTRF associated with the first video stream is used as a reference for temporal predictive coding upon receiving a signal that the first video source has been re-selected.

Abstract: A phase generating apparatus generates an output clock having a desired phase according to a digital signal. The apparatus includes a phase selecting unit and a phase generating unit. The phase selecting unit selects one of a plurality of input clocks according to a portion of bits of the digital signal to generate a reference clock. Each of the input clocks respectively has a difference phase. The phase selecting unit divides the frequency of the reference clock, and selectively delays the frequency-divided reference clock according to another portion of bits of the digital signal to generate the output clock.

Abstract: A Viterbi trellis processing technique in which soft decisions and hard decisions are derived from a received signal and the soft decisions are enhanced by being modified using the hard decisions. A log likelihood ratio for a bit of the received signal can be derived by grouping candidate metrics associated with the decision that the bit has a first state, grouping candidate metrics associated with the decision that the bit has a second state, applying respective functions to the groups and calculating the difference of the function values.

Abstract: A reconfigurable toy gun includes a handle portion, a guide member coupled to the handle portion, and a barrel portion. The barrel portion is slidably coupled to the guide member and movable along the guide member between a first end portion of the guide member and second end portion of the guide member.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a support for a percussion instrument and, in particular, to a cymbal support device. The device includes a body having a base section, an intermediate neck section, and a cap section. A bore extends through the body along body central axis. The cap section is configured to selectively tilt or flex when a predetermined amount of force is applied thereto. In operation, the support device is mounted on a cymbal support pole at the desired vertical position, and the cymbal is placed on the body such that it is supported by the cap. In use, as the cymbal is engaged by a percussionist, the cap flexes with the movement of the cymbal.

Abstract: Techniques are provided herein to add multicast media streams to teleconferencing sessions without the unwanted side effects that occur when a speaker's own media is echoed back to the speaker. Multicast and unicast media streams are generated by a network device, e.g., a conference bridge, and distributed to any number of endpoints, e.g., conference endpoints. A media selector is provided that selects the appropriate multicast or unicast media stream for forwarding to an associated network endpoint.

Abstract: Techniques are provided herein to compute beamforming weight vectors for pre-coding broadcast signals. First, system parameters for a device configured to wirelessly transmit one or more broadcast signals via a plurality of antennas are determined. Based on the system parameters a plurality of beamforming weight vectors are computed. The beamforming weight vectors are computed such that they have omni-directional like characteristics and such that correlation between beamforming weight vectors is relatively low. The plurality of beamforming weight vectors are applied to each of the one or more broadcast signals for transmission by the device to produce beamformed transmit signals for transmission via the plurality of antennas.

Abstract: A device whose location is to be determined (target device) generates a plurality of frames (messages) and time of departure (TOD) timestamp information indicating when the target device transmits the plurality of frames in a sequence or burst. The target device transmits the plurality of frames and the TOD information, wherein the plurality of frames are transmitted such that at least two of the frames are on different radio frequency (RF) channels. Within a sequence or burst (or across multiple sequences or bursts), multiple widely spaced transmissions on the same channel are included to allow for estimation of the crystal frequency offset of the transmitting device. The TOD information included in the transmitted packets allows devices that receive the packets not to change their channels of operation solely for the purpose of receiving packets from the device to be located.

Abstract: To increase effects of KAATSU training and improve safety thereof. A training system includes a tight fitting device 100 having an inflatable tube which is intended to be wrapped around a compression target range of an arm or a leg, a pressure regulating segment 200 that controls an applied pressure applied by the tight fitting device 100 to the compression target range by means of supplying air into the inflatable tube of the tight fitting device 100 or removing the air from the inflatable tube, a measuring segment 300, and a control segment 400. The measuring segment 300 measures a measurement target value which is one of a heart beat rate, a pulse wave value, and an oxygen saturation value, of a user who is receiving KAATSU training. When the measurement target value measured by the measuring segment 300 indicates that the KAATSU training should not be continued, then the control segment 400 notifies it to the pressure regulating segment 200 and terminates the KAATSU training.

Abstract: A method for producing an electronic component of a VQFN (very thin quad flat pack no-lead) design includes the following method steps: anchoring at least one integrated circuit element on a sacrificial substrate; contact-connecting the at least one integrated circuit element to the sacrificial substrate with formation of contact-connecting points on the sacrificial substrate; forming an encapsulation on a top side of the sacrificial substrate, the at least one anchored integrated circuit element being mounted on the top side of the sacrificial substrate; removing the sacrificial substrate, thereby uncovering a portion of the contact-connecting points on the underside of the encapsulation.

Abstract: Embodiments of the invention provide a system and method of automatically generating weights for matching data records. Each field of a record may be compared by an exact match and/or close matches and each comparison can result in a mathematical score which is the sum of the field comparisons. To sum up the field scores accurately, the automatic weight generation process comprises an iterative process. In one embodiment, initial weights are computed based upon unmatched-set probabilities and default discrepancy weights associated with attributes in the comparison algorithm. A bulk cross-match is performed across the records using the initial weights and a candidate matched set is computed for updating the discrepancy probabilities. New weights are computed based upon the unmatched probabilities and the updated discrepancy probabilities. Test for convergence between the new weights and the old weights. Repeat with the new weight table until the weights converge to their final value.

Abstract: Techniques are provided to reduce contention (interference) between bursts associated with multiple isochronous traffic flows. Generally, the techniques involve, at a plurality of wireless access point devices and/or a plurality of wireless client devices in a wireless network, initiating bursts of wireless transmissions carrying isochronous traffic from wireless access point devices to their associated client devices and/or from wireless client devices to their respective wireless access point devices at start times that are scheduled so as to reduce a likelihood of interference between multiple bursts of wireless transmissions for different isochronous traffic flows.