Abstract: A communication system for a vehicle includes a vehicle speed sensor configured to emit a periodic function with a parameter correlated to the speed of the vehicle, an acceleration monitoring system, a braking system engagement detector to detect a braking status of the vehicle, an alerting device capable of signaling other drivers of a deceleration condition of the vehicle, and a control device. The acceleration monitoring system is configured to compute the acceleration of the vehicle from variations in the parameter of the periodic function of the vehicle speed sensor and to output a deceleration status of the vehicle. The control device is coupled to the acceleration monitoring system, the braking system engagement detector, and the alerting device, wherein the acceleration monitoring system sends signals to the control device and the control device operates the alerting device in a manner dependent on the deceleration status of the vehicle.

Abstract: A package includes a first plated area, a second plated area, a die attached to the first plated area, and a bond coupling the die to the second plated area. The package further includes a molding encapsulating the die, the bond, and the top surfaces of the first and second plated areas, such that the bottom surfaces of the first and second plated areas are exposed exterior to the package. Additional embodiments include a method of making the package.

Abstract: A disaster recovery appliance is described herein. The disaster recovery appliance is coupled to one or more servers. The disaster recovery appliance continuously receives backup data for each of the one or more servers. When a server fails, the disaster recovery appliance, replaces the failed server. While the failed server is inaccessible, the disaster recovery appliance is able to mimic the functionality of the failed server. In some embodiments, the disaster recovery appliance is able to act as a server in addition to a backup device for the other servers.

Abstract: A method of and system for encoding high definition video content using embedded graphics coding is described. The method determines if the video content includes an RGB or YUV444 color format or a YUV422 color format. If the color scheme includes RGB or YCbCr444 data and separate encoding is used, then all three color components are encoded separately using scalar EGC. If the color scheme includes RGB or YCbCr444 data and joint encoding is used, then all three color components are jointly encoded using joint scalar EGC. If the color scheme includes YCbCr422 data and separate encoding is used, then Y, U and V are encoded separately using scalar EGC. If the color scheme includes YCbCr422 data and joint encoding is used, then Y is encoded by itself using scalar EGC and U and V are jointly encoded using joint scalar EGC.

Abstract: A ceramic assembly includes one or more electrically and thermally conductive pads to be thermally coupled to a heat generating device, each conductive pad is electrically isolated from each other. The ceramic assembly includes a ceramic layer to provide this electrical isolation. The ceramic layer has high thermal conductivity and high electrical resistivity. A top surface and a bottom surface of the ceramic layer are each bonded to a conductive layer, such as copper, using an intermediate joining material. A brazing process is performed to bond the ceramic layer to the conductive layer via a joining layer. The joining layer is a composite of the joining material, the ceramic layer, and the conductive layer. The top conductive layer and the joining layer are etched to form the electrically isolated conductive pads. The conductive layers are bonded to the ceramic layer using a bare ceramic approach or a metallized ceramic approach.

Abstract: A system and method for controlling a television antenna includes an amplifier circuit mounted with the television antenna. The amplifier circuit is connected to the television antenna and a control line. The control line is used for controlling the gain of the amplifier circuit.

Abstract: Disclosed is an electroless nickel plating bath not containing harmful metal species. In the electroless nickel plating bath, there are contained at least an iron ion source and an iodide ion source. With the use of the electroless nickel plating bath containing at least the iron ion source and the iodide ion source, it is possible to suppress decomposition of the plating bath without using harmful metal species to stabilize the plating bath.

Abstract: An electronic device such as an AC/DC power adapter includes a conductive heat dissipation system. The device contains heat generating components and is powered via power supply leads by an external power supply circuit. The device further contains a thermally conductive mass that is thermally coupled to both the heat generating components and to the power supply leads. When the power supply leads are coupled to receive electricity from the external power supply circuit, heat generated by the device is thermally conducted into the external power supply circuit via the power supply leads.

Abstract: The appliance comprises a casing, a removable front plate, an electrical connector, and mechanical means for assembling the front plate on the casing and for fastening it thereto. The mechanical means comprise, at a first end, means that form a separable hinge comprising at least one pair of respective magnetic elements such as permanent magnets disposed in the region of the connector and facing one another on the casing and the front plate, and the opposite end, means for locking the front plate to the casing. Mechanical coupling of the front plate on the casing at the location of the separable magnetic hinge results solely from the mutual attraction of the facing magnetic elements.

Abstract: A power storing container replacement and charging method and system which allows continuous/uninterrupted power enables a user to continuously use a device without the device being relegated to a wired device for an extended period of time. The method and system includes an apparatus which is able to retain a power storing container for charging, and then receive a device with another power storing container which is replaced with the charged power storing container contained in the apparatus. The system reduces the wait time for a power storing container to charge and encourages use of the device without fear of the draining all the power from the device being unable to use the device for even a short period of time. The system also allows the power storing container in the device to be replaced without the device losing power and without involving any complicated steps from the user.

Abstract: A display device has a plurality of video inputs and a video selection switch for switching between video inputs based on user inputted commands. An input select menu containing a list of the available video inputs can be displayed on the device. A remote control or input key is used to retrieve the input select menu and enter commands. The list of video inputs can be sorted in the input select menu using an automatic sorting function or a manual sorting function. A storage device keeps track of the number of times each video input is selected. The automatic sorting function uses the information in the storage device and a sorting algorithm to sort the list of video inputs in order of most frequently used to least frequently used. The manual sort function can be used to manually move the video inputs up or down in the input select menu.

Abstract: A regulated power supply apparatus and method are provided. The apparatus includes a converter circuit for generating a regulated voltage signal. The converter circuit includes a first switching circuit and a second switching circuit both coupled with an output circuit. A first and a second transformer include a first and a second secondary, which are coupled with each other in series or alternatively, coupled with each other in parallel. An input rectifier circuit is coupled with the first and the second switching circuit. The input rectifier circuit is configured for receiving an AC input voltage and for generating a rectified voltage. The input rectifier circuit includes controlled switches and a first and second configuration of a bridge rectifier that couples the first and second switching circuits in series or parallel depending if the AC input power signal is “high-line” or “low-line.” A controller circuit is provided for enabling either the first configuration or the second configuration.

Abstract: An internet packet comprises a header field, the header field including a field identifying a source address of the internet packet, a field identifying the destination address of the internet packet and a next header field identifying whether an extension header follows the header and a type of the extension header. The extension header indicates a hop-by-hop option header, the hop-by-hop extension header including a router alert option header type indicating that the extension field is optional for a router to read, and a field providing information for a gateway support node of a packet radio system network. A gateway support node is thereby provided with information, which may be required for example to support a mobile internet protocol (IP). However, by providing the router alert option field, a router is not required to read the remainder of the hop-by-hop option field.

Abstract: The currently existing ISO/AVC file format is modified by providing extensions to store and access video content currently being defined by the SVC standard. Specifically, extensions to the AVC file format are made to provide a new SVC file format that enables the storage and access of scalable video data. The scalable video data is stored as a single track within a media data section of the SVC file format. New extensions are defined for description entries and boxes within a metadata section of the SVC file format. These extensions provide means for extracting sub-streams or layers from the single track of scalable video data stored in the media data section.

Abstract: A local media cache engine stores content locally for a particular local device. The content is downloaded or copied from other source devices within a network of devices, when the particular local device is coupled to the network. The content is then available to the local device even when that device is not coupled to the network or when the source device is not coupled to the network. Further, even when the source device of the content is coupled to the network, the local cache provides an easier and faster source of desired content for the local device. The content from the local cache is available to be loaded on a portable device through a synchronization operation. The local media cache engine also has the capability to automatically search for content from the source devices within the network and download the content to the local cache, based on user defined preferences and criteria.

Abstract: An indoor range-top grill allows a user to substantially duplicate outdoor grilling indoors. In some embodiments, the indoor range-top grill sits on top of a gas or electric burner of a stove and uses heat from the burner to grill and cook food. Typically, the indoor range-top grill comprises a grill enclosure having an opening at a top and a hole at a bottom, a burner shield positioned inside the grill enclosure, an optional cone positioned above the burner shield, a grate positioned above the cone, and an optional separator configured to position the grill enclosure thereon. In some embodiments, the burner shield comprises a heat director integrally coupled to a grease ring. The grease ring typically guides food residue away from the hole, trapping the food residue between the grease ring and the grill enclosure.

Abstract: An image alignment method includes computationally efficient methods of achieving high-accuracy local motion estimates by using phase correlation. The method also estimates motion reliability that allows a generic robust model fitting algorithm to produce more accurate results while operating much more efficiently. One of three methods are used to determine sub-pel motion estimation with improved accuracy. Each of the sub-pel motion estimation methods uses phase correlation, and are based on fitting computationally efficient 2-D quadratic surfaces to a phase correlation surface. A pre-filter is applied which shapes the phase correlation surface to enable appropriate fitting to the quadratic surface. Bias is also compensated for prior to applying a sub-pel motion estimation method. The method also estimates the reliability of the sub-pel motion estimates determined using phase correlation.

Abstract: Embedded Graphics Coding (EGC) is used to encode images with sparse histograms. In EGC, an image is divided into blocks of pixels. For each block, the pixels are converted into binary representations. For each block, the pixels are scanned and encoded bit-plane by bit-plane from the most significant bit-plane (MSB) to the least significant bit-plane (LSB). The pixels in the block are partitioned into groups. Each group contains pixels with the same value. From the MSB to the LSB, the groups in the current bit plane are processed. During the processing, a group is split into two, if pixels in the group have different bit values in the bit-plane being encoded. Then, the encoder sends the refinement bit for each pixel in the group and the encoder splits the original group into two. A method is described herein to compress the refinement bits which employs context-adaptive prediction and binary run-length coding.

Abstract: A regulated power supply apparatus and method is provided. A converter circuit is configured to generate a regulated voltage signal from an unregulated voltage signal. A power sequencing circuit includes an unregulated voltage source input terminal and is configured for coupling an unregulated voltage signal to an unregulated voltage signal input terminal of the converter circuit. The power sequencing circuit includes an enable output coupled to the enable signal input terminal and includes a power limiting circuit and a trigger circuit. The power limiting circuit includes a first cascade of discrete analog components as controls for a first switching element and the trigger circuit includes a second cascade of discrete analog components as controls for a second switching element. The first cascade is configured as a charge control circuit for controlling a rate of charge of a first filter network and includes a zener diode coupled in parallel.