Abstract: A system (10) for storing and using information associated with geographic locations of interest to a mobile user comprises a mobile apparatus (100) and a remote apparatus (200). The mobile apparatus accepts and transmits information associated with a mobile user's geographic position. The remote apparatus (200) receives the transmitted information, stores the information along with data indicative of the position and time as a waypoint, and allows the user to retrieve and manipulate waypoints. The system is preferably realized as a vehicle information system (20) that allows a vehicle user to store waypoints descriptive of different locations encountered during travel. Each waypoint includes the geographic position of its corresponding location, the time, and may include appended information such as a voice message or a picture. The waypoints are stored in a remote server accessible from both the vehicle and an auxiliary apparatus such as a standard telephone (310) or a personal computer (330).

Abstract: A hand-held communication device with vertically oriented antenna includes a housing with a main body and a cover hingedly attached to the main body for movement between a closed position and an open position. The main body has a control surface enclosed by the cover in the closed position and accessible for operation with the cover in the open position. An antenna is movably affixed to the cover so as to form a portion of the cover with the cover in the closed position and to extend generally vertically from the cover with the cover in the open position and the communication device housing held in an operative orientation.

Abstract: An architecture for a computer system that has lower complexity than prior computer system architectures. In one embodiment the functionality that in prior computer system architectures resides in a central processing unit (CPU) is split between a CPU and a program control unit. This allows the CPU to have lower complexity and can permit the computer system to have greater flexibility and lower cost. In another embodiment the computer system contains a memory mapping unit. The memory mapping unit enables the computer system to use one of a plurality of peripherals without changing the instruction codes of the CPU thus increasing the flexibility of the computer system.

Abstract: An exemplary system and method for providing an integrated photosensing element suitably adapted for use in CMOS imaging applications is disclosed as comprising inter alia: a processed CMOS host wafer (460) bonded with a monocrystalline, optically active donor wafer (300); a photosensing element (390) integrated in said optically active donor wafer (300) having an interconnect via (505, 495, 485) substantially decoupled from the photosensing element (390), wherein the host (460) and donor (300) wafers are bonded through the optically active material in a region disposed near a metalization surface (450, 455, 445) of the CMOS layer (460) in order to allow fabrication of the interconnect (505, 495, 485). Disclosed features and specifications may be variously controlled, configured, adapted or otherwise optionally modified to further improve or otherwise optimize photosensing performance or other material characteristics.

Abstract: An automated transmit combiner monitoring system (100) for an RF radio transmitter system includes a transmitter (101) for providing a primary source of radio frequency (RF) energy and an isolator network (105,107) for isolating the output of the transmitter (101) from secondary sources of RF energy. A transmitter combiner junction (109) is used for enabling the transmitter (101) to provide RF energy to a single antenna (111) while a dummy load (113) is used for loading any unwanted RF energy from the transmitter (101) that is received from the isolator network (103,105). An RF detector (115) is then used for measuring RF energy from the dummy load and an alarm reporting device (119) then monitors the system to provide an alert based on RF energy measured outside a predetermined threshold.

Abstract: A mesoscale micro electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) structure comprises an optical interface member (18) that moves with a pivoting member (15). Such movement serves to occlude and/or to complete an optical signal pathway (19).

Abstract: A semiconductor component includes a semiconductor substrate (210) having a first conductivity type, a semiconductor epitaxial layer (220) having the first conductivity type located over the semiconductor substrate, a first semiconductor device (110) and a second semiconductor device (130) located in the semiconductor epitaxial layer and including, respectively, a first semiconductor region (120) and a second semiconductor region (140), both having the second conductivity type, an ohmic contact region (150) in the semiconductor epitaxial layer having the first conductivity type and located between the first and second semiconductor devices, and at least one electrically insulating trench (160, 360) located in the semiconductor epitaxial layer and circumscribing at least the first semiconductor device. The semiconductor epitaxial layer has a doping concentration lower than a doping concentration of the semiconductor substrate.

Abstract: A semiconductor component for electrical coupling to a substrate (230) includes: a semiconductor chip (110); a non-leaded leadframe (120) including a plurality of electrical contacts (130) located around a periphery (111) of the semiconductor chip; a first electrical conductor (140) electrically coupling together the semiconductor chip and the non-leaded leadframe; and a mold compound (210) disposed around the semiconductor chip, the first electrical conductor, and the plurality of electrical contacts. At least one electrical contact of the plurality of electrical contacts includes: a first surface (310) having a first surface area for electrically coupling to the semiconductor chip; and a second surface (320) opposite the first surface and having a second surface area for electrically coupling to the substrate, where the second surface area is larger than the first surface area.

Abstract: An interference level estimator 205 and corresponding method FIG. 6 can be used in a wireless communications device 200 and is operable to estimate an interference level of interference that is received over a fading channel. The interference level estimator comprises a processor 207 for processing a despread Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) signal and the interference to remove a portion of the despread CDMA signal and a portion of the interference to provide a residual interference and for determining the estimate of the interference level from the residual interference, where the interference level is fading speed invariant.

Abstract: A multimodal network element facilitates concurrent multimodal communication sessions through differing user agent programs on one or more devices. For example, a user agent program communicating in a voice mode, such as a voice browser in a voice gateway that includes a speech engine and call/session termination, is synchronized with another user agent program operating in a different modality, such as a graphical browser on a mobile device. The plurality of user agent programs are operatively coupled with a content server during a session to enable concurrent multimodal interaction.

Abstract: In a device having an integrated circuit (“IC”) 310 with a single-pin output (316) at which a tri-state output is generated, a tri-state charge pump (370) is disclosed for extending the IC output range. The charge pump (370) has a switching circuit (320) coupled to an output circuit (340). The charge pump has (370) three modes of operation: 1) source—wherein the switching circuit (320) causes the output circuit (340) to generate a charge current that can be translated into a maximum saturation voltage that is higher than a maximum value generated by the IC; 2) sink—wherein the switching circuit (320) causes the output circuit (340) to generate a discharge current that can be translated into a voltage that is the same as or smaller than a minimum value generated by the IC; and 3) tri-state —wherein the charge pump (370) replicates a tri-state output of the IC.

Abstract: A solid state electronic device consists of a bottom electrode (10) and a top electrode (20) with a dielectric layer (30) sandwiched in between. In one example, the dielectric layer is aluminum oxide. Microscopic voids or pinholes (40) in the aluminum oxide layer are filled with an electrically nonconductive material (50) to prevent current leakage between the two electrodes, and the addition of the electrically nonconductive material increases the performance of the device. The electrically nonconductive material can be p-nitroaniline, polyvinyl phenol, epoxy, polyurethane, polyacrylate, polyvinyl alcohol, titanium dioxide, barium titanate, oxides of aluminum, and oxides of silicon.

Abstract: A method for a CELP algorithm including the steps of pre-processing (101) a sampled speech s{n} in a signal pre-processor so as to output at least a noise filtered speech output vector and a channel noise estimate, model parameter estimation of the noise filtered speech output vector so as to output a prediction residual and a long term prediction gain, encoding the prediction residual so as to output an adaptive codebook vector including an index of impulse response functions of a filter and a vector gain, formatting the encoded speech packets, is proposed wherein the step of encoding comprises in the following order the steps of determination of the gain by choosing a start value close to a theoretical optimal value, and vector optimisation by successive searching for an extremum of an estimate function based on a recursively corrected correlation vector.

Abstract: A method (200) and decoder system (100) for reducing quantization effects or ringing artifacts imposed upon decoded image of hybrid block based coding schemes such as MEPG and H 261. The system (100), in use, and method (200) receive (220) decoded image decoded blocks that were decoded from transform coded blocks quatized by a selected quantization parameter. The system (100) and method (200) then analyze (230) selected pixel values of selected pixels with neighboring pixel values of associated neighboring pixels in the decoded blocks to determine difference values for each of the selected pixels. Potential object edges, of the decoded image represented by the decoded blocks, are then detected (240) to identify the selected pixels as edge pixels, the detecting is effected by comparing the difference values with selected threshold values that are determined with respect to the selected quantization parameter associated with the blocks.

Abstract: A method for removing silicon oxide from a surface of a substrate is disclosed. The method includes depositing material onto the silicon oxide (110) and heating the substrate surface to a sufficient temperature to form volatile compounds including the silicon oxide and the deposited material (120). The method also includes heating the surface to a sufficient temperature to remove any remaining deposited material (130).

Abstract: A microdevice that comprises a device microstructure (22), a substrate (24), and a silicon cap (30, 130). The device microstructure (22) is attached to the substrate (24). The silicon cap (30, 130) has a base portion (32, 132) and a sidewall (34, 134) that defines a recess (36, 136) in the cap (30, 130). The silicon cap (30, 130) is attached to the substrate (24) such that the recess (36, 136) in the cap (30, 130) houses the device microstructure (22) and forms a hermetically sealed cavity (38) adjacent the device microstructure (22). The silicon cap (30, 130) further has a single crystalline silicon getter layer (40, 140) embedded along its recess (36, 136) for maintaining a vacuum within the cavity (38). There are also methods of making a microdevice containing a single crystalline silicon getter layer (40, 140).

Abstract: A system, method and computer readable medium for scroll displaying of message information stored in message memory (418) of a wireless messaging device (400). The wireless messaging device (400) fetches additional message information from a wireless messaging server (112) over a wireless network, and stores in message memory (418) the additional message information received over the wireless network prior to reaching the end of scroll displaying the stored message information. Additionally, a plurality of received messages can be scroll displayed according to a message receive order or other priority.

Abstract: A mobile device (10) includes a microprocessor (100), a device profile (101) stored in a local memory (102), a device application (103) and a virtual operating system (104). A sharable resources computer network (12) includes a plurality of servers or computer hosts (125), a virtual service provider (121) and sharable resources (122). The virtual service provider includes a broker (123) and a mediator (124). In operation, the mobile device application (103) requests device augmentation. The request is forwarded from the virtual operating system (104) to the broker (123). The broker (123) determines an appropriate sharable resource by comparing the device profile (101) with a directory of sharable resources stored in a knowledge base (126). The mediator (124) coordinates the specific access to the sharable resource with the device application (103). The device application (103) can specify sharable resources by providing an application program interface.

Abstract: A method of dividing a first piconet into two or more piconets is implemented by a master wireless device. The master wireless device selects a master for a second piconet from among the slave wireless devices within the first piconet. The selection can be based upon each operational link between a base site and candidates for master of the second piconet as well as each operational link between the candidates for master of the second piconet and candidates for active slaves of the second piconet. The master wireless device thereafter informs each slave of the first piconet of the selection of the master of the second piconet. The master wireless device can further assign one or more of the slaves of the first piconet to enlist as a slave in the second piconet, or alternatively, each slave of the first piconet can enlist as a slave in either the first piconet or the second piconet.

Abstract: A portable electronic device (100) includes a keypad (e.g. 300) that may be actuated from either side of a single substrate (301, 401, 501, 601, 701, 801). The keypad includes inner actuators (103) and outer actuators (205) that provide active contact, support and tactile feel from both sides of the substrate. The electronic device gains greater operability and utility since a single keypad is operable from either side of one housing.