Patents Represented by Attorney Whitham, Curtis & Christofferson, P.C.
  • Patent number: 7096160
    Abstract: A system and method for measuring and monitoring wireless network performance in campus and indoor environments provides for embedding measured network and signal properties at one or more locations within a facility into a site specific computer model which represents the facility. The computer representation is preferably three dimensional. The system and method allows for automatic, periodic, or location specific taking of measurements, and automatic or periodic embedding of measured data. The system and method allows real time or non-real time measurement and storing of performance data, and the invention is useful for test, measurement, verification, and in-situ or remote monitoring for on-going validation and maintenance of wireless networks.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: August 22, 2006
    Assignee: Wireless Valley Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Roger R. Skidmore, Theodore S. Rappaport
  • Patent number: 7087352
    Abstract: Non-imaging measurement is made of misalignment of lithographic exposures by illuminating periodic features of a mark formed by two lithographic exposures with broadband light and detecting an interference pattern at different wavelengths using a specular spectroscopic scatterometer including a wavelength dispersive detector. Misalignment can be discriminated by inspection of a spectral response curve and by comparison with stored spectral response curves that may be empirical data or derived by simulation. Determination of best fit to a stored spectral curve, preferably using an optimization technique can be used to quantify the detected misalignment. Such a measurement may be made on-line or in-line in a short time while avoiding tool induced shift, contact with the mark or use of a tool requiring high vacuum.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 12, 2003
    Date of Patent: August 8, 2006
    Assignee: Nikon Corporation
    Inventors: Bernard Fay, Arun A. Aiver
  • Patent number: 7064570
    Abstract: A method for improving the signal-to-noise ratio in an IDDQ defect test is disclosed. An integrated circuit is divided into a plurality of areas and each area is provided with and bounded by terminals. An IDDQ defect is activated to generate IDDQ defect current within the integrated circuit. An amount of IDDQ defect current generated within each area is measured at the terminals provided thereto. Based on the IDDQ current measurement on each area, an IDDQ current map is created. By analyzing the IDDQ current map, the presence and location of the defect is determined. Based on the determination, the IDDQ defect is isolated.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 20, 2003
    Date of Patent: June 20, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines, Corporation
    Inventors: Patrick H. Buffet, Douglas C. Heaberlin, Leah M. P. Pastel, Yu H. Sun
  • Patent number: 7055107
    Abstract: A method for engineering management and planning for the design of a communications network in three dimensions (3-D) combines computerized organization, database fusion, and site-specific communication system performance prediction models. The method enables a designer to keep track of communication system performance through the process of pre-bid, design, installation and maintenance of a communication system. Automated selection, placement and configuration of communication component equipment can be performed using desired performance criteria identified at finite locations within the environment along with a finite set of communication component models and suitable locations and configurations in the environment.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: Wireless Valley Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Theodore Rappaport, Roger Skidmore, Praveen Sheethalnath
  • Patent number: 7054828
    Abstract: A computer-implemented method determines current beliefs and/or behaviors of a population, and forecasts the behaviors and/or beliefs which this population is likely to have in the future. The method involves selecting a subset of members from a target population, obtaining survey responses from the members in the subset, generating point estimates of at least one population parameter, generating confidence bounds for the point estimates, and conducting a trend analysis on the survey responses and the point estimates of the at least one population parameter. Future behavior, beliefs, or other attributes of the population is then determined based on the trend analysis.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 20, 2000
    Date of Patent: May 30, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Aliza R. Heching, Ramesh Inaganti, Ying Tat Leung
  • Patent number: 7043837
    Abstract: The inkjet recording head includes a head body and a metallic film is provided at least on a part of at least one side of the head body. The head body includes a plurality of orifices, an ink ejection unit arranged so as to correspond to each of the orifices, an independent ink flow path for supplying ink to each of the orifices and a common ink flow path for supplying ink to the independent ink flow path. The manufacturing method of the inkjet recording head forms the metallic film at least on a part of an opposite surface of a substrate to the individual ink flow paths, before adhering the orifice plate in which the orifices are formed. The inkjet printer uses the inkjet recording head.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2002
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ryoichi Yamamoto, Masao Mitani
  • Patent number: 7044314
    Abstract: A control system for reducing cargo pendulation. The control system calculates a correction factor and adds the correction factor for the operator input motions in addition to the motion of the platform in order to provide a reference position of the suspension point of the hoisting cable. The reference position is then provided to a tracking controller so that the crane can be forced to track the needed motions for reducing the cargo pendulation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 6, 2003
    Date of Patent: May 16, 2006
    Assignee: Virginia Tech Intellectual Properties, Inc.
    Inventors: Ali Hasan Nayfeh, Dean Trischler Mook, Ryan James Henry, Zivad Navif Masoud
  • Patent number: 7043112
    Abstract: An optical wavelength-multiplexing system allowing long distance transmission with reducing effects of noise and fiber nonlinealities is disclosed. First wavelength-multiplexing light and second wavelength-multiplexing light within a wavelength bandwidth of 100 nm or more are propagated in opposite directions through the same optical fiber. The wavelength band of the first wavelength-multiplexing light is set to a shorter wavelength side as compared to that of the second wavelength-multiplexing light. In addition, excitation light having a wavelength shorter than the wavelength band of the first wavelength-multiplexing light is propagated through the optical fiber in the same direction as the second wavelength-multiplexing light. The excitation light is shorter in wavelength than the first wavelength-multiplexing light by an amount determined depending on Raman scattering characteristic of the optical fiber.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2001
    Date of Patent: May 9, 2006
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Kiyoshi Fukuchi
  • Patent number: 7035642
    Abstract: A method for engineering management and planning for the design of a wireless communications network in three-dimensions (3-D) combines computerized organization, database fusion, and radio frequency (RF) site-specific planning models. The method enables a designer to keep track of wireless system performance throughout the process of pre-bid design, installation and maintenance of a wireless system. Using a database of information that defines the desired environment, predictions of antenna coverage, system coverage and interference, and other wireless system performance criteria, such as frame error rate and network throughput, can be made. Watch points are created to ensure, in real time, that any modifications to the design of the wireless system do not degrade the performance of the system with respect to the watch point locations.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 25, 2006
    Assignee: Wireless Valley Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Theodore S. Rappaport, Roger R. Skidmore
  • Patent number: 7028095
    Abstract: Positive negative and mixed digital filtering over an arbitrary variable length bit string of a datastream by evaluating bits, bytes or any other desired granularity in accordance with a mask, a filter and a not match byte. Results are accumulated over a plurality of data blocks by ANDing of compare result values similarly representing match and not match results identically depending on the not match bit except where negayive logic has been applied over an entire data block. The preferred form of the digital filter is particularly adapted to be MPEG-2 compliant.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Eric M. Foster, Bryan J. Lloyd
  • Patent number: 7028074
    Abstract: Communication channels among users in a collaborative computing system are automatically adjusted based on users' current states detected by various sensing devices. The collaboration system that includes an awareness system for evaluating, monitoring, and controlling, in real-time, the collaboration environment by having events and occurrences with properties. The awareness monitoring system includes (1) receiving and analyzing real time data from input sensors and (2) an elastic spring energy model for automatically adjusting a distance according to a level of privacy desired by individual users, the requirement of the organization, and a need of the collaborative project to have some shared information about individual user activities. When a spring energy model is difficult to obtain, a matrix looks up model is used to automatically adjust a distance according to a level of privacy desired by individual users, the requirement of the organization, and the need of the collaborative project.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 3, 2001
    Date of Patent: April 11, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yiming Ye, Stephen J. Boies, Paul Y. Huang, John K. Tsotsos
  • Patent number: 7020593
    Abstract: A new method is used to model the class probability from data that is based on a novel multiplicative adjustment of the class probability by a plurality of items of evidence induced from training data. The optimal adjustment factors from each item of evidence can be determined by several techniques, a preferred embodiment thereof being the method of maximum likelihood. The evidence induced from the data can be any function of the feature variables, the simplest of which are the individual feature variables themselves. The adjustment factor of an item of evidence Ej is given by the ratio of the conditional probability P(C|Ej) of the class C given Ej to the prior class probability P(C), exponentiated by a parameter aj. The method provides a new and useful way to aggregate probabilistic evidence so that the final model output exhibits a low error rate for classification, and also gives a superior lift curve when distinguishing between any one class and the remaining classes.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2002
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Se June Hong, Jonathan R. Hosking, Ramesh Natarajan
  • Patent number: 7018891
    Abstract: Thin silicon channel SOI devices provide the advantage of sharper sub-threshold slope, high mobility, and better short-channel effect control but exhibit a typical disadvantage of increased series resistance. This high series resistance is avoided by using a raised source-drain (RSD), and expanding the source drain on the pFET transistor in the CMOS pair using selective epitaxial Si growth which is decoupled between nFETs and pFETs. By doing so, the series resistance is improved, the extensions are implanted after RSD formation and thus not exposed to the high thermal budget of the RSD process while the pFET and nFET can achieve independent effective offsets.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 16, 2003
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Bruce B. Doris, MeiKei Ieong, Thomas S. Kanarsky
  • Patent number: 7018010
    Abstract: A computer portion 201 of a printer includes a memory storing a printer driver software 201a and nozzle profile data 211. The printer driver software 201a includes a raster image processor (RIP) 203. When the RIP 203 receives document data 209, the RIP 203 converts the document data 209 into bitmap data 210 which is one dot/one bit data for 300 data/inch. Then, the nozzle data converting portion 204 converts the bitmap data 210 into driving data 212 based on the nozzle profile data 211. At this time, each bit of the bitmap data 210 is replaced by 16 bits. That is, the data amount is increased to 16 times of the bitmap data 210. Accordingly, fine control of ink ejection can be achieved.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 14, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 28, 2006
    Assignee: Ricoh Printing Systems, LTD
    Inventors: Shinya Kobayashi, Takahiro Yamada, Kazuo Shimizu, Kunio Satou, Hitoshi Kida
  • Patent number: 7013286
    Abstract: A method and system generates, distributes, stores, redeems, validates and clears electronic manufacturer coupons and electronic store coupons. A coupon mint generates unforgable blank digital coupons. The promoter of the offer then writes the terms and conditions and other details of the offer, on blank coupons to customize these. These customized coupons are digitally signed by the promoter and distributed to potential customers. A customer may either present these coupons electronically for redemption to an online store, or print these coupons and present them to a conventional offline store. The store may check the authenticity of a coupon by verifying the digital signature and also verifying if the coupon has not been used earlier by contacting a verification center. The store collects all redeemed coupons and sends these to manufacturer for clearing. The verification center verifies that the coupon is authentic and has not already been used before.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Alok Aggarwal, Rahul Garg, Parul Alok Mittal, Natwar Modani
  • Patent number: 7013205
    Abstract: The present invention provides a system and method relating to the operation of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles powered both by electricity from rechargeable batteries and by consumable fuel powered means, such as an internal combustion engine or a fuel cell. More particularly, the system and method of the claimed invention enable optimization of the energy cost associated with the operation of such plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, especially when the cost of recharging batteries from external electric power sources may be less than the cost of recharging batteries from the onboard consumable fuel powered means.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 22, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 14, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: James Lee Hafner, John Anthony Tomlin
  • Patent number: 7009258
    Abstract: The present invention provides improved controllability of the lateral etch encroachment of silicon under the spacer, in light of the fact that the exemplary method, in accordance with the present invention, comprises the step of implanting neutral ions such as Ge or Ar into the source/drain regions. The implantation creates an amorphous silicon surface, and leaves a laterally extended amorphous layer under the spacer and a well defined amorphous/crystalline interface. The etch of silicon then extends laterally underneath the spacer, due to the higher etch rate of amorphous silicon and abrupt interface between amorphous and crystalline silicon.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 9, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Heemyong Park, Fariborz Assaderaghi, Jack A. Mandelman
  • Patent number: 7010564
    Abstract: It is one object of the present invention to perform regional optimization while taking spatial continuity into account, and to provide higher-level spatial data mining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Yasuhiko Morimoto, Shu Tezuka, Kazuyoshi Hidaka
  • Patent number: 7009265
    Abstract: A field effect transistor (FET) has underlap regions adjacent to the channel doping region. The underlap regions have very low dopant concentrations of less than 1×1017/cc or 5×1016/cc and so tend to have a high resistance. The underlap regions reduce overlap capacitance and thereby increase switching speed. High resistance of the underlap regions is not problematic at subthreshold voltages because the channel doping region also has a high resistance at subthreshold voltages. Consequently, the present FET has low capacitance and high speed and is particularly well suited for operation in the subthreshold regime.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 11, 2004
    Date of Patent: March 7, 2006
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventors: Brent A. Anderson, Andres Bryant, William F. Clark, Jr., Edward J. Nowak
  • Patent number: 7004250
    Abstract: A sealing system for the interspace in the transition region between two well pipes of different diameters, and a mounting tool for producing the sealing connection. The mounting tool is lowered via a drilling string through a larger diameter pipe and, with a sealing system, is placed on a holding docket on the upper end of a lower, smaller diameter, pipe. A rotation exerted on the mounting tool via the drilling string; causes the sealing system to be fixed to the lower pipe. Via the drilling string, the mounting tool is pressed vertically downwards against a sealing ring of the sealing system which, as a result, bears in a sealing manner against the inner wall of the upper pipe of larger diameter. This sealing position is fixed by rotating the mounting tool in one direction and by rotating the mounting tool in the other direction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 30, 2003
    Date of Patent: February 28, 2006
    Assignee: H. Butting GmbH & Co. KG
    Inventor: Friedrich Henneicke