Abstract: A packaging method for assembling a captive screw to a printed circuit board (PCB) includes the steps of providing a captive screw having a screw head, a threaded shank and a sleeve; pressing a fixture toward the screw head for a part of the threaded shank to exposed from a distal end of the sleeve, and then clamping the fixture on the sleeve; providing a PCB having through holes and a layer of solder provided thereon; using a tool to pick up the fixture and the captive screw and align the threaded shank with one through hole on the PCB; releasing the fixture and the captive screw from the tool for a flange at the distal end of the sleeve to extend into the through hole; heating, melting and then cooling to harden the solder layer, so that the sleeve is fixedly held to the PCB; and removing the fixture.
Abstract: A method and apparatus for optimizing a target program including a pattern of instructions to be replaced. The method is performed by execution of program code by a processor of an information processing apparatus that includes an output device and a computer readable storage medium storing the program code. At least one transformation is performed on the target program to generate a transformed target subprogram in which dependencies among the instructions included in the target subprogram are matched with dependencies in the pattern to be replaced. The transformed target subprogram is replaced, with a post-replacement instruction stream determined to correspond to the pattern to be replaced, to generate a replaced target subprogram. An optimized target program that includes the replaced target subprogram is outputted to the output device. The at least one transformation includes a first transformation, a loop transformation, or both the first transformation and the loop transformation.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
September 12, 2007
Date of Patent:
October 23, 2012
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Abstract: A phone plug connector device having a preassembled phone plug and connector, wherein the phone plug includes a conductive tip and a stem, wherein the connector connects the phone plug to a coaxial cable, wherein the coaxial cable comprises a center conductor surrounded by a first dielectric, the first dielectric being surrounded by a first conductive sheath, and the first conductive sheath surrounded by a protective outer jacket, wherein the connector connects the coaxial cable to the phone plug mechanically and electrically by compression.
Abstract: A comparison method and system including retrieving by a computer, first data associated with first interactions between users associated with social networks. The computing system generates a first graph illustrating the first interactions. The computing system identifies targeted users associated with a marketing plan for the users. The computing system enables the marketing plan and retrieves second data associated with second interactions between the users. The computing system generates a second graph illustrating the second interactions, compares the second graph to the first graph, and generates a third graph illustrating first order differences between the first interactions and the second interactions.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
January 11, 2010
Date of Patent:
October 23, 2012
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Abstract: A coaxial cable connector comprising a connector body; a post engageable with connector body, wherein the post includes a flange; a nut, axially rotatable with respect to the post and the connector body, the nut having a first end and an opposing second end, wherein the nut includes an internal lip, and wherein a second end portion of the nut corresponds to the portion of the nut extending from the second end of the nut to the side of the lip of the nut facing the first end of the nut at a point nearest the second end of the nut, and a first end portion of the nut corresponds to the portion of the nut extending from the first end of the nut to the same point nearest the second end of the nut of the same side of the lip facing the first end of the nut; and a continuity member disposed within the second end portion of the nut and contacting the post and the nut, so that the continuity member extends electrical grounding continuity through the post and the nut is provided.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 8, 2009
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
John Mezzalingua Associates, Inc.
Inventors:
Eric Purdy, Noah Montena, Jeremy Amidon
Abstract: A mixing pipe for a gas heater includes an intake port through which gas and air are flowed in; a discharge port through which the gas and the air flowed in through the intake port are mixed and discharged; and an acceleration part disposed between the intake port and the discharge port and having a diameter smaller than the a diameter of the intake port, wherein a distance between the intake port and the acceleration part is greater than 0.5 times of the diameter of the acceleration part and smaller than 1.5 times of the diameter of the acceleration part.
Abstract: A structure. The structure includes a substrate, a resistive/reflective region on the substrate, and a light source/light detecting and/or a sens-amp circuit configured to ascertain a reflectance and/or resistance change in the resistive/reflective region. The resistive/reflective region includes a material having a characteristic of the material's reflectance and/or resistance being changed due to a phase change in the material. The resistive/reflective region is configured to respond, to an electric current through the resistive/reflective region and/or a laser beam projected on the resistive/reflective region, by the phase change in the material which causes a reflectance and/resistance change in the resistive/reflective region from a first reflectance and/or resistance value to a second reflectance and/or resistance value different from the first reflectance and/or resistance value.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
July 23, 2010
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Fen Chen, Richard Steven Kontra, Tom C. Lee, Theodore M. Levin, Christopher David Muzzy, Timothy Dooling Sullivan
Abstract: A charging circuit includes a battery pack having a plurality of serially connected batteries and being connected to a power supply; a changeover switch being serially connected to and between any two adjacent batteries; and a precision voltage detector being parallelly connected to each of the batteries for independently detecting a voltage of the connected battery and sending out a detected result to a charging control circuit for controlling the ON/OFF of the changeover switch corresponding to the battery. When a battery is detected by a corresponding precision voltage detector as having been fully charged, the corresponding charging control circuit sets the changeover switch corresponding to the battery to OFF to stop charging the battery. The remaining batteries that are subsequently fully charged are disconnected from the power source one by one until all the batteries in the battery pack have been fully charged. Thus, all the batteries are balance-charged.
Abstract: A system, method and program product for associating a biometric reference template with a RFID tag embedded in or attached to a physical object. The method includes coupling a RFID tag having a unique tag identifier to a physical object to be associated with an individual, providing a reference template having a unique reference template identifier that uniquely identifies biometric data pertaining to the individual and forming an association between the reference template and the tag, where the association provides a relationship, including a relationship type, between the object and the individual. In an embodiment, the forming step includes creating a biometric attribute in the tag for identifying the template identifier for the reference template or creating a tag attribute in the reference template, where the biometric attribute created in the tag and the tag attribute in the biometric application form an association between the object and the reference template.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
February 12, 2009
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Abstract: A migration system and method. The migration method comprises receiving a request to generate a migration plan for an entity and generating a strategic plan comprising a first procedure for transferring knowledge required for performing job functions comprised by a first set of individuals to a second set of individuals and a second procedure for defining a set of temporary individuals to perform a transition management process through the transferring. Additionally, an allocation plan and a ramping down plan are generated. The allocation plan is for allocating the set of temporary resources to the entity for the transition management process and second allocating said second set of individuals for the transferring. The ramping down plan is for ramping down to close out the set of temporary individuals based on external data. The resource migration plan is for supporting the entity and includes a procedure for allocating the second set of individuals for supporting the entity.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 11, 2006
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Jennie Harrington Barrett, Hari Dev Garg
Abstract: A surveyor's mark and a method for forming the mark. The mark includes a stick and a head assembled to the stick. The stick is configured to be planted in a ground and the head is configured to be above the ground. The head includes a tag having an identification number. The identification number has a value which is a first code value. The stick includes a thin wire configured as an electrical conducting loop and connected to the tag. If the stick is planted in the ground and the head is above the ground, then pulling the head in an attempt to pull up the mark from the ground results in the head being disassembled from the stick and the thin wire breaking so as to open the loop which changes the value of the identification number from the first code value to a second code value.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
April 19, 2007
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Frederic Bauchot, Gerard Marmigere, Pierre Secondo
Abstract: A method and RFID tag for locating RFID tags. A passive RFID tag A receives a polling command transmitted from a RFID reader and addressed to another passive RFID tag B. The RFID tag A determines that the polling command is not addressed to the RFID tag A and consequent1y, at time t1, switches the RFID tag A to a catching mode for catching echos from other tags. The RFID tag A receives at time t3>t1 an echo of a message sent by the RFID tag B to the RFID reader. The RFID tag A determines a distance (D.t2t) between the RFID tag A and the RFID tag B based on t3 minus t1. The distance D.t2t does not exceed a specified radius limit and the identification of the RFID tag B and the distance D.t2t are stored in a database within the RFID tag A.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
December 16, 2008
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Abstract: A phone plug connector device having a preassembled three conductive phone plug and connector, wherein the phone plug includes a conductive tip and a stem, wherein the connector connects the phone plug to a triaxial cable, wherein the triaxial cable comprises a center conductor surrounded by a first dielectric, the first dielectric being surrounded by a first conductive sheath, and the first conductive sheath surrounded by a protective outer jacket, wherein the connector connects the triaxial cable to the phone plug mechanically and electrically by compression.
Abstract: A protective device is applicable to a casing provided with a first coupling portion and configured for use with an outdoor communication apparatus. The protective device includes a body and a shielding portion. The body is configured to shield the front of the casing and provided with a second coupling portion coupled to the first coupling portion. The shielding portion is laterally provided to the side of the body for shielding the casing sideways. Hence, the shielding portion of the protective device shields the casing from direct irradiation of sunlight, prevents the outdoor communication apparatus from being overheated, and protects the outdoor communication apparatus against rainwater and dirt. A casing configured for use with an outdoor communication apparatus and equipped with the protective device is further provided.
Abstract: A method and system for testing a software application. A description of a test suite for testing the software application being tested (ABT) is inserted into a test database. The ABT is invokes multiple external software applications during execution of a test script of the test suite. Each external application invoked by the ABT is replaced by a corresponding simulator during execution of the test script. Output data to be returned to the ABT by each invoked simulator is inserted into the test database, after which each test script of the test suite is executed. The executing includes: sending a request, by the ABT to each simulator invoked in each test script, for requested data; and receiving, by the ABT, the requested data from each simulator invoked in each test script. The received requested data includes the output data that had been inserted into the test database.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
November 22, 2005
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Abstract: An approach is presented for designing a polymeric layer for nanometer scale thermo-mechanical storage devices. Cross-linked polyimide oligomers are used as the recording layers in atomic force data storage device, giving significantly improved performance when compared to previously reported cross-linked and linear polymers. The cross-linking of the polyimide oligomers may be tuned to match thermal and force parameters required in read-write-erase cycles. Additionally, the cross-linked polyimide oligomers are suitable for use in nano-scale imaging.
Type:
Grant
Filed:
October 18, 2011
Date of Patent:
October 16, 2012
Assignee:
International Business Machines Corporation
Inventors:
Urs T. Duerig, Jane Elizabeth Frommer, Bernd Walter Gotsmann, Erik Christopher Hagberg, James Lupton Hedrick, Armin W. Knoll, Victor Yee-Way Lee, Teddie Peregrino Magbitang, Robert Dennis Miller, Russell Clayton Pratt, Charles Gordon Wade, Johannes Windeln