Patents Represented by Attorney, Agent or Law Firm Finnegan, Henderson, Farabow, Garrett and Dunner, L.L.P.
  • Patent number: 8320012
    Abstract: An apparatus associated with a printing device having a plurality of print engines comprising a first print engine and at least one second print engine is provided. The apparatus comprises a pixel clock generating module which generates a reference signal operating at a single video frequency derived from a first clock and the at least one first print engine. The apparatus further comprises a color data modification module which modifies the color data for the at least one second print engine based on an accumulated phase error for at least one second print engine, wherein the accumulated error is calculated based on calibration information for the at least one second print engine relative to the at least one first print engine.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 27, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Laboratory U.S.A., Inc.
    Inventor: Peter Johnston
  • Patent number: 8320701
    Abstract: A smoothing filter generates a smoothed picture by smoothing a brightness component of an input picture. An adjustment filter generates an adjusted picture by applying a filter to an area of the input picture. The filter has the same characteristic as the smoothing filter. The area has a brightness matched with a predetermined condition of noise detection. A contrast component calculation unit calculates a contrast component of the input picture by dividing each pixel value of the adjusted picture with a corresponding pixel value of the smoothed picture. An output picture generation unit generates an output picture by multiplying the smoothed picture with the contrast component.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Kazuyasu Ohwaki, Goh Itoh
  • Patent number: 8316700
    Abstract: An oscillating structure is coupled to a crown portion of a tire. The oscillating structure includes a housing and a piezoelectric element coupled to the housing. The piezoelectric element is able to oscillate in an oscillation direction, which could match either a longitudinal or a radial direction of the tire. An electrical signal generated by the piezoelectric element is processed so as to determine at least one operating parameter of the tire. The processing includes determining whether a rotation speed of the tire is greater than a threshold speed; and, in the negative, extracting information for determining the at least one operating parameter of the tire from a low-pass filtered signal. Such low-pass filtered signal is obtained by removing at least frequency components of the electrical signal having a frequency higher than or equal to a resonance peak frequency of the oscillating structure.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Pirelli Tyre S.p.A.
    Inventors: Massimo Brusarosco, Federico Mancosu
  • Patent number: 8320997
    Abstract: A vein authentication apparatus according to the present invention is provided with a vein pattern extraction unit for extracting a vein pattern from each of the plurality of vein image data, a rotational amount calculation unit for calculating a rotational direction and an amount of rotation of the finger, a registration information selection unit for calculating a shift width of the imaging range, and for determining whether the shift width of the imaging range is equal to or more than a predetermined threshold value, and for selecting a vein pattern to be registered as a template from among the plurality of vein patterns, and for setting the selected vein pattern as registration information, and a registration information compression unit for compressing, in accordance with the shift width of the imaging range, each of the plurality of selected registration information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 25, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Hiroshi Abe
  • Patent number: 8320044
    Abstract: Disclosed is an optical element for use in an optical apparatus having a light source which emits a light flux with a wavelength ? (350 nm???450 nm), the optical element containing: a molded portion formed by molding a resin; and one or a plurality of anti-reflection layers formed on the molded portion, wherein at least one of the anti-reflection layers is made of SixOy; and an elemental ratio r (r=y/x) designating an ratio of O to Si in the molecule of SixOy satisfies a requirement represented by Formula (1): 1.40?r?1.80.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 29, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Hironori Takahashi, Hiroshi Hirayama
  • Patent number: 8321672
    Abstract: An authentication system includes a mobile device carried by a user and a sensor sensing the user's biometric information. The mobile device includes a template storage unit storing the user's biometric information as a template, a first mutual authentication unit performing mutual authentication with the sensor via the user's body, and a template transmitter transmitting the stored template to the sensor via the user's body when the sensor is verified as valid. The sensor includes a second mutual authentication unit performing mutual authentication with the mobile device via the user's body, a sensing unit sensing the user's biometric information, a degree-of-match determining unit determining whether the biometric information matches the template, and a control-signal output unit outputting a preset control signal when the mobile device is verified as valid and when the biometric information and the template are determined to match each other.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 15, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tomoyuki Asano
  • Patent number: 8319897
    Abstract: A noise reduction method for reducing noise in an input video signal to output an output video signal includes the steps of generating a motion-compensated reference video signal from the output video signal; delaying the output video signal to generate a non-motion-compensated reference video signal; mixing the motion-compensated reference video signal with the non-motion-compensated reference video signal to generate a reference video signal; subtracting the generated reference video signal from the input video signal to generate a differential signal; compensating the differential signal to generate a noise reduction signal; and subtracting the noise reduction signal from the input video signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 27, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Seiji Kimura, Masami Ogata, Yosuke Yamamoto, Hisafumi Motoe
  • Patent number: 8314863
    Abstract: An image processing device includes: a blurring correction processing unit configured to perform blurring correction processing on output signals of an imaging device having an RGBW array which includes RGB pixels and white (W) pixels, and generate blurring-corrected signals corresponding to each pixels; and a data conversion unit configured to convert the RGBW array into an RGB array; wherein the data conversion unit executes processing of generating blurring-corrected RGB signals (Rd, Gd, Bd) which are blurring-corrected signals corresponding to RGB that have been estimated from blurring-corrected signals generated by the blurring correction processing unit, and applying the blurring-corrected RGB signals (Rd, Gd, Bd) to determine RGB signals values configuring an RGB array.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 23, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Masayuki Tachi
  • Patent number: 8313971
    Abstract: It is possible to provide a camera module manufacturing method and a camera model which can improve performance of a camera module without complicating the manufacturing method. A light shield is formed on the side surface of each lens body (11) and a lens support member (12). Thus it is possible to obtain the diaphragm function for regulating the incident light flux transmission area and the function for suppressing the intrusion of stray light without using a separate diaphragm or a light shielding member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Opto, Inc.
    Inventors: Yuiti Fujii, Shigeru Hosoe, Takemi Miyazaki
  • Patent number: 8315200
    Abstract: A communication system includes: a transmission device configured to transmit predetermined information; and a reception device configured to receive the predetermined information; wherein the transmission device includes an encoding unit configured to encode the information such that the error rate of the information in the case of a signal-to-noise ratio being greater than a first signal-to-noise ratio is at or below a predetermined value, and the error rate in the case of a signal-to-noise ratio being smaller than a second signal-to-noise ratio becomes 1/2; and wherein the reception device includes a decoding unit configured to decode the information subjected to encoding by the encoding unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 4, 2008
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Naoki Ide
  • Patent number: 8315968
    Abstract: In a music information processing apparatus, a characteristic quantity acquiring unit reads out a music file from a music tune file storage unit and acquires a characteristic quantity of a music tune. A class value providing unit provides a class value for each music tune based on the characteristic quantity. The distribution acquiring unit forms a music tune assembly based on bibliography information read from the music tune file by a bibliography information acquiring unit, and acquires the distribution information of class values for each music tune assembly. The distribution information is stored into an analysis result storage unit, and an evaluation unit reads out distribution information based on user input, and evaluates the similarity between music tune assemblies or between a tune and a music tune assembly. An output unit recommends or reproduces a music tune assembly or a music tune according to the preference of a user.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Computer Entertainment Inc.
    Inventors: Akira Sassa, Katsu Saito, Makoto Akabane
  • Patent number: 8314777
    Abstract: There is provided an information processing apparatus including a display control unit that moves a display position of an object in accordance with movement of a contact position when the position in a screen where the object is displayed is contacted and moved and a vibration control unit that vibrates the contact position with a vibration amount in accordance with a parameter amount of data associated with the object when the display position of the object moves.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 30, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsuo Ikeda, Ken Miyashita, Tatsushi Nashida, Kouichi Matsuda
  • Patent number: 8316264
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, electrical test results of a semiconductor memory arrayed in a logical address order are stored in a first memory secured in a main memory, a plurality of second memory areas in each of which loading and storing of each data in a unit size is performed is secured in the main memory, FBMs in which pass/fail information is arrayed in a physical address order are generated based on different parts of the electrical test results stored in the first memory area, respectively, the FBMs generated from the different parts of the electrical test results are stored in the second memory areas, respectively, and the FBMs stored in the second memory areas, respectively, are output.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 9, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Yoshikazu Iizuka
  • Patent number: 8312730
    Abstract: A magnetic refrigeration device, which can be reduced in size and improve magnetic refrigeration efficiency, and a magnetic refrigeration system can be provided. The magnetic refrigeration device has a heat exchanger vessel of a helical structure filled with magnetic particles having a magnetocaloric effect, a magnetic circuit, a driving unit configured to relatively move the heat exchanger vessel and the magnetic circuit so that a magnetic field can be applied to and removed from the magnetic particles, a low temperature side heat exchanging unit, a high temperature side heat exchanging unit, a refrigerant flow device, and a refrigerant circuit formed by connecting the heat exchanger vessel, the low temperature side heat exchanging unit, the high temperature side heat exchanging unit, and the refrigerant flow device by a pipe for circulating a refrigerant. The magnetic refrigeration system is arranged to use the magnetic refrigeration device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 2, 2009
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tadahiko Kobayashi, Akiko Saito, Shiori Kaji
  • Patent number: 8315954
    Abstract: The present invention relates to an information processing apparatus, an information processing method, and a program capable of quickly and accurately creating an algorithm for extracting features from content data such as song data. A feature extraction algorithm creation apparatus 20 includes: a low-level feature extraction expression list creation section 21 that creates as many as “n” low-level feature extraction expression lists each constituted by “m” low-level feature extraction expressions; a low-level feature computation section 24 that substitutes input data of “j” songs into “n” low-level feature extraction expression lists so as to acquire “n” combinations of “m” low-level features corresponding to each input data item; and a high-level feature extraction expression learning section 25 that estimates high-level feature extraction expressions through learning based on training data corresponding to “n” low-level feature outputs (“k” high-level features corresponding to each of “j” songs).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Kobayashi
  • Patent number: 8316082
    Abstract: A configuration is provided in which a client in a home network receives content from a server outside the home network and plays the content. A home IMS gateway maps an external server outside the home network as a virtual home network device, and executes a process of receiving a content providing service provided by the external server by using mapping information. Furthermore, device information of the client is obtained and registered in a database existing outside the home network, and a content providing server executes a process of obtaining the device information and providing the client with content matching the device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Tatsuya Igarashi
  • Patent number: 8316299
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus performing a predetermined process in accordance with an operation of a touch panel on a display, includes: display control means for displaying, on the display, an item associated with predetermined content; detection means for detecting a contact of a user with the touch panel; determination means for determining whether or not the contact of the user is released, the contact being detected by the detection means; selection means for completing, when the determination means determines that the contact of the user is released, a selection of the item displayed by the display control means on a position where the contact of the user was detected by the detection means until just before; and playback means for playing back content associated with the item whose selection is completed by the selection means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignees: Sony Corporation, Sony Music Entertainment (Japan) Inc.
    Inventors: Kotaro Asaka, Takashi Kinouchi, Susumu Takatsuka, Junichiro Sakata, Hideo Tsukazaki, Takeshi Ozawa
  • Patent number: 8314731
    Abstract: Methods for estimating a distance between an originator and a transponder, methods for calculating a fine time adjustment in a radio, computer-readable storage media containing instructions to configure a processor to perform such methods, originators used in a system for estimating a distance to a transponder, and transponders used in a system for estimating a distance to an originator. The methods utilize fine time adjustments to achieve sub-clock cycle time resolution. The methods may utilize offset master clocks. The methods may utilize a round-trip full-duplex configuration or a round-trip half-duplex configuration. The method produces accurate estimates of the distance between two radios.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 24, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: ENSCO, Inc.
    Inventors: Russell Alan Fretenburg, Henry Hon-You Leung, Derek John Pyner, Bradley David Farnsworth, David W. A. Taylor, Jr.
  • Patent number: 8315861
    Abstract: A wideband speech decoding apparatus has means for producing an excitation signal from coded data, means for producing a synthesis filter, and means for decoding a speech signal from the excitation signal and the synthesis filter. The wideband speech decoding apparatus comprises acquisition means for acquiring identification information which identifies the speech signal to be decoded is narrowband. The wideband speech decoding apparatus further comprises control means for controlling decoding means based on the identification information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 12, 2012
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventor: Kimio Miseki
  • Patent number: 8313998
    Abstract: According to one embodiment, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device is disclosed. The method can include forming a stacked body by alternately stacking a plurality of insulating layers and a plurality of conductive layers above a substrate and forming a resist film above the stacked body. The method can include plasma-etching the insulating layers and the conductive layers by using the resist film as a mask. The method can include forming a hardened layer in an upper surface of the resist film by plasma treatment using a gas containing at least one selected from a group consisting of boron, phosphorus, arsenic, antimony, silicon, germanium, aluminum, gallium, and indium. The method can include slimming a plane size of the resist film by plasma treatment using an oxygen-containing gas in a state where the hardened layer is formed in the upper surface of the resist film.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 26, 2010
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2012
    Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba
    Inventors: Tomoya Satonaka, Katsunori Yahashi