Abstract: A memory system that includes a plurality of memory arrays having memory cells characterized by a variable write time. The memory system also includes a memory bus configured to receive write commands, and a plurality of data buffers configured to communicate with the memory arrays. The memory system further includes an address buffer configured to communicate with the memory arrays to store the write addresses. A mechanism configured to receive a write command and to split a data line received with the write command into a number of parts is also included in the memory system. The parts of the data line are stored in different data buffers and the writing of the parts of the data line to memory arrays at the write address is initiated. The write command is completed when write completion signals specifying the write address have been received from all of the memory arrays.

Abstract: A film-formation method is a method for depositing a liquid containing a film material to form a film in a prescribed film formation area enclosed by a partition wall on a substrate. The film-formation method includes forming the partition wall using at least in part a wettability-variable material in which wettability with respect to the liquid is variable, depositing the liquid in the film formation area, varying the wettability of the wettability-variable material in the partition wall in a state in which the liquid is disposed within the film formation area so that liquid affinity of the wettability-variable material becomes higher than liquid affinity of the wettability-variable material before the liquid is deposited in the film formation area, and forming the film by solidifying the film material in the liquid.

Abstract: A metering disk for dispensing two or more crop inputs to achieve proper placement in the soil relative to one another. In one embodiment, dry granular or granulized fertilizer is metered from one side of the disc and seed is metered from the opposite side of the same metering disc. The fertilizer is placed in a concentrated “pulse” approximately equal distances between seeds within a common seed furrow and/or between seed furrows to improved nutrient use efficiency by minimizing soil to fertilizer contact and subsequent chemical reactions that make applied supplemental nutrients less available to plants. Pressurized air may be utilized to assist discharge of both the seed and fertilizer from the disc meter to assure precise spacing in the soil. A cover may be placed on the meter and metering disc to recirculate air and thus minimize potential atmospheric contamination from seed coatings and fertilizer materials.

Abstract: The present invention is directed to methods and systems for assisting users in an ecommerce environment. The method includes displaying a user interface of including products. Each of the products have associated attributes. Each of the associated attributes are displayed in the user interface with an associated selection tool. The method further includes receiving one or more selections of the selection tools indicating selection of one or more of the associated attributes. The one or more selections provide a ranking of each of the selected attributes. For each of the products, the method calculates a real-time score total and displays the real-time score total within the user interface. The calculating includes determining a weighted value for each of the products based on an aggregation of each of the selected associated attributes of the product. Further, the method includes displaying a ranked list of the products based on the determined weighted values of each of the products.

Abstract: A method for embedding “no-scan” or “no-copy” information in a document border includes encoding information as a plurality of data carrying dot pair patterns. For each page of a document to be rendered, the method includes determining whether the border area is blank. If found not blank the border area is cleared. Each of the plurality of data carrying dot patterns is embedded in the blank border area of the document page. The document page with the embedded data carrying dot patterns is then rendered, where each data carrying dot is too small to be visually noticeable.

Abstract: Human ability to perceive higher audio frequencies diminishes with age. Functionality can be implemented to use a combination of audio tones with varying frequencies to identify an age range to which a user belongs and accordingly control access to age dependent access controlled information and services. The user's ability to perceive one or more audio tones in the combination of audio tones depends on the user's age. Thus, different users, depending on the users' age, may perceive the same combination of audio tones differently. Such an age verification system based on human perception of audio tones can minimize the need for identification cards and a reliance on the user providing accurate age information. This can prevent the user from misinterpreting his/her age to access the age dependent access controlled information and can ensure that only an authorized user gets access to the age dependent access controlled information.

Abstract: Systems (100) and methods (400) for selectively controlling access to multiple data streams which are communicated using a shared frequency spectrum and shared spreading codes. The methods involve generating a first product signal (FPS) by spreading first symbols of a first amplitude modulated (AM) signal using a first spreading code (SC). The methods also involve generating a second product signal (SPS) by spreading second symbols of a complimentary AM signal using a second SC. The FPS (124) and SPS 126 are combined to form a protected data communication signal (PDCS) including first data recoverable by a receiver (106). A global data communication signal (GDCS) is combined with PDCS (128) to form an output signal (140) having a spread spectrum format. The GDCS is generated using a digital modulation process and includes second data recoverable by a plurality of receivers (106, 108).

Abstract: System(s) and method(s) are provide to efficiently assess performance of a set of light emitting diode (LED) strings in an illumination system. A multiplexer component collects input signal from the one or more LED strings via a first set of one or more monitoring pins, processes the collected input signal, and extracts at least one output signal. The at least one output signal is conveyed to a demultiplexer component through a second set of one or more monitoring pins, wherein the number of elements in the second set of monitoring pins is equal to or smaller than the number of monitoring pins in the first set. The collected input signal is processed in accordance with at least one mode of operation of the multiplexer component, the mode of operation autonomously configured by the demultiplexer component. The multiplexer component can autonomously generate intelligence on operating status of the set of LED strings.

Abstract: A transmission method in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) communication system, a transmitter in a MIMO communication system and a MIMO communication system are provided. The method comprises the steps of: receiving feedback data representing channel state information from respective receivers of the MIMO communication system; grouping the receivers into one or more groups based on the received feedback data; obtaining a precoding matrix for each group of receivers based on the received feedback data such that precoding vectors or sub-matrices in the precoding matrix associated with respective receivers of said each group of receivers are orthogonal to each other; and applying the precoding matrix to input signals for transmission to said each group of receivers.

Abstract: In an embodiment, a cell assembly for use in a high-pressure cubic press comprises a substantially tubular heating element including a proximal end region having a proximal mouth, a distal end region having a distal mouth spaced from the proximal mouth, and a passageway extending between the proximal mouth and the distal mouth configured to receive at least partially receive at least one can assembly therein. A pressure transmitting medium extends about at least the substantially tubular heating element. A proximal electrical contact electrically contacts the substantially tubular heating element at the proximal end region thereof. A distal electrical contact electrically contacts the substantially tubular heating element at the distal end region thereof. A gasket medium defines a receiving space that receives at least the substantially tubular heating element and the pressure transmitting medium.

Abstract: A liquid ejecting apparatus in which a pressure adjustment unit having a pressure adjustment valve is provided between a filter chamber that houses a filter and a recording head having nozzles through which ink is ejected, the opening size of filter hole is set to ½ of a minimum inner diameter Da of the nozzle of the recording head or lower, and a pressure for pumping ink with an air pump is adjusted to a value that permits air bubbles in the upstream side space to pass through the filter.

Abstract: A system and method for producing locally austempered ductile iron includes a computer program for closely controlling the heating and cooling of an iron part or workpiece. The process allows for the austempering of a relatively low cost iron workpiece to produce significantly higher quality end products. The locally austempered regions may be formed to a substantial controlled depth.

Abstract: In a multi-domain vertical alignment liquid crystal display wherein a pixel that has two sub-pixels, an additional switching element is used to achieve a voltage differential between the electrode voltage potential in one sub-pixel and the other during and after the charge-sharing period. The electrodes in the sub-pixels are connected to each other through a charge-sharing capacitor and a controlling switching element, such as another transistor. Before the charge-sharing period, the controlling switching element is operated in a non-conducting state and the voltage potentials of the sub-pixel electrodes are substantially equal. During the charge-sharing period, the controlling switching element is operated in a conducting state to facilitate charge-sharing. The additional switching element is used to achieve the voltage differential more effectively and without additional capacitors.

Abstract: A data producing method and an electronic device thereof is disclosed. The electronic device comprises a storage module, a display module, and a control module. The storage module is capable of storing first data. The display module forms a first display area and a second display area. The data displayed on the first display area and the second display area have different optical characteristics. The control module is electrically connected to the storage module and the display module. The control module produces second data. The control module drives the first display area to display the first data and drives the second display area to display the second data. The first data and the second data are simultaneously displayed by the display module.

Abstract: The invention comprises devices and methods for providing operational power to a solar-powered irrigation control system. In one aspect, a method includes producing electrical energy from light, storing the electrical energy in a capacitive module, and operating an irrigation controller using the stored electrical energy independent of another power source. In another aspect, a device includes a control system comprising a computer having a programmed irrigation schedule which operates at least one irrigation device, a photovoltaic power module, and a capacitive module connected to said photovoltaic power module to store the electrical energy provided by the photovoltaic power module, where the capacitive module provides power for the control system to operate the at least one irrigation device independent of another power source.

Abstract: An automatic answering device and an automatic answering method for automatically answering to a user utterance are configured: to prepare a conversation scenario that is a set of input sentences and replay sentences, the input sentences each corresponding to a user utterance assumed to be uttered by a user, the reply sentences each being an automatic reply to the inputted sentence; to accept a user utterance; to determine the reply sentence to the accepted user utterance on the basis of the conversation scenario; and to present the determined reply sentence to the user. Data of the conversation scenario have a data structure that enables the inputted sentences and the reply sentences to be expressed in a state transition diagram in which each of the inputted sentences is defined as a morphism and the reply sentence corresponding to the inputted sentence is defined as an object.

Abstract: Computer-readable media, computerized methods, and computer systems for intuitively invoking a panning action (e.g., moving content within a content region of a display area) by applying a user-initiated input at the content region rendered at a touchscreen interface are provided. Initially, aspects of the user-initiated input include a location of actuation (e.g., touch point on the touchscreen interface) and a gesture. Upon ascertaining that the actuation location occurred within the content region and that the gesture is a drag operation, based on a distance of uninterrupted tactile contact with the touchscreen interface, a panning mode may be initiated. When in the panning mode, and if the application rendering the content at the display area supports scrolling functionality, the gesture will control movement of the content within the content region. In particular, the drag operation of the gesture will pan the content within the display area when surfaced at the touchscreen interface.

Abstract: The present invention includes operational amplifier for an active pixel sensor that detects optical energy and generates an analog output that is proportional to the optical energy. The active pixel sensor operates in a number of different modes including: signal integration mode, the reset integration mode, column reset mode, and column signal readout mode. Each mode causes the operational amplifier to see a different output load. Accordingly, the operational amplifier includes a variable feedback circuit to provide compensation that provides sufficient amplifier stability for each operating mode of the active pixel sensor. For instance, the operational amplifier includes a bank of feedback capacitors, one or more of which are selected based on the operating mode to provide sufficient phase margin for stability, but also considering gain and bandwidth requirements of the operating mode.

Abstract: A method (400) for managing a data stream (30) encoded according to a digital transmission protocol and configured for broadcasting to a consumer network device (14) within a broadband communications network (10). A message relating to the data stream is encapsulated (402) within a transport layer data packet (502). The packet has a destination port number field. A value associated with a predetermined parameter of the digital transmission protocol is created (404) within the field. Based on the value, the packet is forwarded (406) to the consumer network device according to a network layer protocol. When the forwarded message is received by the consumer network device, the consumer network device processes the data stream based on the message, and establishes an application layer communication socket based on the destination port number value. The socket is usable to receive further messages associated with the predetermined parameter of the digital transmission protocol.