Patents Examined by Ashish K. Thomas
  • Patent number: 9363784
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus relating to use of actual and/or virtual beacons are described. Virtual beacons are virtual in that an actual beacon need not be transmitted but a rather a virtual beacon transmitter at a desired location maybe considered to transmit virtual beacons. In some embodiments a set of beacon transmitter information for one or more beacons is supplied to devices in a communications system. The beacon transmitter information indicates transmission power and location of actual and virtual beacon transmitters as well as information to be communicated by virtual beacons. Devices with access to beacon information can determine based on the location of a wireless terminal whether the wireless terminal is within coverage area of a virtual beacon and report reception of the virtual beacon to the wireless terminal or a component of the wireless terminal which acts upon receiving an indication of beacon reception.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 28, 2015
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: Mist Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Robert Friday, Neal Dante Castagnoli, Randall Wayne Frei
  • Patent number: 9363723
    Abstract: A heterogeneous network comprising macro network devices and micro network devices operates to maintain a dynamic data set of neighbor relations for a potential transfer of a User Equipment (UE) device from one network zone to another network zone. In response to detecting a failure of a macro network device to establish a network connection with a network device, a dynamic management of the data set initiates. A capacity number of network connections is determined for the macro network device (e.g., macro eNB sector carrier) based on the data set of neighbor relations. A threshold number is determined from the network neighbor device data, representing the set of micro network devices with which the macro network device is operable to establish the network. A defined number of micro network devices is maintained that is less than the threshold number of the network neighbor device data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 5, 2013
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: AT&T MOBILITY II LLC
    Inventors: David Beppler, Arthur Richard Brisebois
  • Patent number: 9363358
    Abstract: A wireless Bluetooth apparatus with intercom and broadcasting functions and operating method thereof are disclosed. The wireless Bluetooth apparatus receives a voice message from a first user, divides it into a first partial voice message and a second partial voice message, and transmits them to a first electronic apparatus corresponding to the wireless Bluetooth apparatus through wireless Bluetooth technology. The first electronic apparatus uses a communication application program to transmit the second partial voice message to a second electronic apparatus corresponding to a second user corresponding to the first partial voice message. The second electronic apparatus uses the communication application program to receive the second partial voice message and transmits the second partial voice message to another wireless Bluetooth apparatus corresponding to the second electronic apparatus through wireless Bluetooth technology.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 8, 2014
    Date of Patent: June 7, 2016
    Assignee: MSTAR SEMICONDUCTOR, INC.
    Inventor: Shih Chang Wang
  • Patent number: 9355187
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus to provide data information and an image forming method using the same. The image forming apparatus includes a control unit to confirm whether data exists from a server that corresponds to a uniform resource location (URL) of the data if the URL of the data is received, and a user interface unit to provide a user interface to display whether the data exists. Accordingly, malfunction of the image forming apparatus and unnecessary printing can be prevented.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 27, 2007
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO., LTD.
    Inventor: Jun-hyung Ha
  • Patent number: 9357080
    Abstract: A system performs residual echo suppression on a microphone signal that receives, e.g., voice commands, and that is exposed to echo from multiple speakers. An example is a smartphone that receives voice commands while the smartphone is playing music through stereo speakers. The system estimates residual echo level in different ways, and determines which estimate to use. The technique responds well to the difficult to handle scenario of a spatially quiescent image suddenly transitioning to a spatially rich image. Even in the face of such difficult scenarios, the system detects and removes residual echo from the microphone signal, instead of allowing the undesired residual echo to pass through.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 31, 2016
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Franck Pascal Beaucoup, Aleksander Radisavljevic, Wilfrid Paul LeBlanc
  • Patent number: 9344945
    Abstract: A system, method, and apparatus are presented for coordinating handover. A first controller that is associated with a first RAN cell determines a first handover parameter value that is for use in determining whether to cause handover from the first RAN cell to a second RAN cell having a different RAT. The first controller transmits, to a second controller associated with the second RAN cell, information relating to the first handover parameter value. The first controller further transmits, to the second controller, a value of a QoS parameter or a UE capability parameter associated with the information. The first controller receives, from the second controller, an indication of whether the second controller has adjusted a second handover parameter value based on the transmitted information, where the second handover parameter value is for use in determining whether to cause handover from the second RAN cell to the first RAN cell.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 1, 2013
    Date of Patent: May 17, 2016
    Assignee: TELEFONAKTIEBOLAGET LM ERICSSON (PUBL)
    Inventors: Icaro L. J. Da Silva, Angelo Centonza, Fredrik Gunnarsson
  • Patent number: 9336322
    Abstract: An information processing apparatus improved in operability when a user operates forms (buttons) displayed on a web page and in display quality of the forms (buttons) displayed on the web page. An HDD stores a plurality of form images different in size. The form images are provided for displaying a button on an operation screen. A network section, a modem, or a communication section receives data including instruction information for instructing the button to be displayed and size information representing a size of an area for detecting that the button has been touched by the user. One of the form images stored in the HDD is selected based on the instruction information and the size information. A console section displays the button with the selected form image on the operation screen.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 18, 2012
    Date of Patent: May 10, 2016
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Shiro Kunori
  • Patent number: 9330590
    Abstract: In an image display apparatus, a processor loads background image data into a frame memory via a data bus in a unit of a predetermined number of bits. When the color information for each pixel is divided into n parts to form divided data in a unit of the predetermined number of bits, the number of standing bits is calculated for each of the parts of the divided data, differences in the number of standing bits between the n parts of the divided data are calculated, and the sum of the differences in the number of standing bits is calculated as a difference sum, the background image data has a difference sum that falls within a lower 50% of the difference sums arranged in descending order for the color information that satisfies a condition that a brightness grayscale level is 90% or greater.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: SEIKO EPSON CORPORATION
    Inventor: Katsuya Ota
  • Patent number: 9332103
    Abstract: Portable communication device (100) generates a telephony audio stream and at least a second audio stream. Responsive to the occurrence of a telephony session, the second audio stream is re-routed from a loudspeaker (234) to a handset speaker (230) in the PCD (100) having a low capacity audio output capability. Upon termination of the telephony session, the second audio stream is re-routed from the handset speaker (230) to the loudspeaker (234). Subsequent to such re-routing, an audio output drive level of the second audio stream is caused to gradually increase over a period of time in accordance with a predetermined ramp function. A series of warning tones are reproduced to warn the user of the potential for high volume audio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 23, 2014
    Date of Patent: May 3, 2016
    Assignee: Harris Corporation
    Inventors: Bryce Tennant, Kenton Weigold, Thomas Warsaw
  • Patent number: 9323485
    Abstract: A verifiable security document system, which generates a security architecture from the sensitive information, by applying a security platform equipped with secure print media and secure print configurations for printing of the security architecture on a document to form an anti-counterfeit, protected document. The security of the document system is further heighted by communications between the validation center and the document issuer and between the validation center and recipient of the document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Inventor: Thomas Villwock
  • Patent number: 9325828
    Abstract: A headset disclosed herein relates to a headset capable of sensing an insertion or separation of earphones, and includes a wireless communication unit provided in a body wearable on a user's body to receive a wireless signal from a connected mobile terminal, a microphone provided in the body to receive a user's voice, a plurality of earphones coupled to the body and insertable into the user's ears, respectively, and a controller configured to activate a function of controlling an operation of the mobile terminal based on the user's voice input through the microphone with connecting a call with respect to the mobile terminal, when one of the plurality of earphones inserted is separated during the call. Here, the controller may control the user's voice input through the microphone to be transferred to a counterpart terminal corresponding to the call when the one earphone is reinserted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 22, 2015
    Date of Patent: April 26, 2016
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Sesook Oh, Jongin Lim, Samsick Kim, Kyunghye Seo, Sungjin Kang, Yoonseok Yang
  • Patent number: 9320045
    Abstract: Provided is a communication control device including an allocation unit that allocates transmit power to each of one or more small cells so as to moderate interference on a macro cell of a radio communication system from each small cell that at least partially overlaps with the macro cell, a judgment unit that, in a case in which there exists a second small cell that exerts interference exceeding an allowed level on a first small cell, judges whether the interference is unidirectional or bidirectional, and a control unit that controls the interference between the first small cell and the second small cell with a technique that differs according to a judgment result by the judgment unit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 26, 2012
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventor: Ryo Sawai
  • Patent number: 9319556
    Abstract: A document authentication method determines the authenticity of a target hardcopy document, which purports to be a true copy of an original hardcopy document. The method compares a binarized image of the target document with a binarized image of the original document which has been stored in a storage device. The image of the original document is generated by binarizing a scanned grayscale image of the original document. Halftone and non-halftone text areas in the grayscale image area separated, and the two types of text are separately binarized. The non-halftone text areas are then down-sampled. During authenticating, a scanned grayscale image of the target document is binarized by separating halftone and non-halftone text areas and binarizing them separately, and then down-sampling the non-halftone text areas. The binarized images of the target document and the original document are compared to determine the authenticity of the target document.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2011
    Date of Patent: April 19, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA LABORATORY U.S.A., INC.
    Inventors: Xiaonong Zhan, Wei Ming, Songyang Yu
  • Patent number: 9313614
    Abstract: A method of estimating the position of a user device is provided. The user device is initially in electronic communication with a positioning system controller through a communication network. The method comprises determining that a user device meets one or more proximity criteria with respect to an offline region where electronic communication between the user device and the positioning system controller, through the communication network, is expected to meet one or more failure criteria. Responsive thereto and in advance of the user device entering the said offline region, the positioning system controller transmitting local positioning data to the user device, the local positioning data comprising data concerning electromagnetic signal sources in the said offline region. The user device subsequently estimates its position while it is within the offline region by measuring signal data from a plurality of electromagnetic signal sources and processing the measured signal data and the local positioning data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 10, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: SENSEWHERE LIMITED
    Inventors: Firas Alsehly, Zankar Upendrakumar Sevak, Tughrul Sati Arslan
  • Patent number: 9313667
    Abstract: A cellular communication network utilizes cellular communication receivers and cellular communication transmitters in a plurality of unmanned aerial vehicles that are deployed or flown in a point to point line or mesh like environment enabling a ground to air, air to air and air to ground cellular datalink communications network.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 17, 2014
    Date of Patent: April 12, 2016
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventor: Daniel J. Daoura
  • Patent number: 9304187
    Abstract: The present invention relates to a method for estimating the positions of devices in direct communication with each other, to a method for estimating the structure of a network, and to apparatuses for supporting the methods. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method for estimating the positions of devices in a wireless access system which supports direct D2D communication between the devices includes the steps of: obtaining information on distance estimation to an adjacent D2D device (for example, a second D2D device) by a D2D device having two reference points (for example, a first D2D device); and estimating the position of the D2D device by using the information on distance estimation and the position information on the two reference points, at which time the information on distance estimation can be obtained through direct D2D communication between the D2D device and the adjacent D2D device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 8, 2013
    Date of Patent: April 5, 2016
    Assignee: LG ELECTRONICS INC.
    Inventors: Jiwoong Jang, Dongguk Lim, Hangyu Cho
  • Patent number: 9301100
    Abstract: An indoor positioning system and method that correlates map locations to respective wireless access point (AP) fingerprints, and wherein each wireless AP fingerprint is a plurality of wireless AP signal measurements associated with the correlated map location. The method includes receiving position-inference data associated with a user; determining a probable location inside the building based on the position-inference data; receiving wireless AP signal measurements detected by a wireless device associated with the user; associating the probable location with the wireless device based on the association between the position-inference data and the user of the wireless device; and updating the wireless AP fingerprint correlated to the probable location using the received wireless AP signal measurements. The method and system use crowd-sourcing to build and refine the wireless AP fingerprints.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 20, 2015
    Date of Patent: March 29, 2016
    Assignee: BlackBerry Limited
    Inventors: Krishnam Raju Jampani, Daryl Joseph Martin, I-Ming Tsai, Jason Christopher Beckett, Jerry Mailloux
  • Patent number: 9292235
    Abstract: A non-transitory computer-readable storage medium having a computer program stored thereon and readable by a computer of a communication apparatus connected to a network including a plurality of image processing apparatuses, the computer program, when executed by the computer, causing the communication apparatus to perform operations including searching the plurality of image processing apparatuses, obtaining processing information, determining a plurality of executable image processing, which can be executed by the plurality of searched image processing apparatuses, by using the processing information, the plurality of executable image processing including complex processing that is configured to be executed by a first image processing apparatus and a second image processing apparatus, and displaying support information, which is for selecting an image processing from the plurality of executable image processing, on a display unit of the communication apparatus.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 2014
    Date of Patent: March 22, 2016
    Assignee: BROTHER KOGYO KABUSHIKI KAISHA
    Inventor: Yuki Oguro
  • Patent number: 9286012
    Abstract: A system and method is disclosed for imposing a print job. In one example, the system discloses a computer programmed with executable instructions which operate a set of modules, including an imposition sequence module 104 which calculates a time to process the print job 102 relative to a processing operation 117, and an imposition module 114, 116 , or 118 which variably imposes the print job 102 based on the time to process. In one example, the method discloses how to balance a print job 102 workflow relative to a processing operation 117 , and impose the print job 102 based on the workflow balancing.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 1, 2010
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Fabio Giannetti, Shaun Henry
  • Patent number: 9286550
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus that operates according to given operational conditions, comprising: a target power consumption receiving unit configured to receive a target value for power consumption; an option receiving unit configured to receive options selected by a user from among a plurality of options defining the operational conditions; a basic data storage unit storing therein basic data for each of the options; a calculation unit configured to calculate the estimated power consumption from the basic data according to the options selected by the user; an excess informing unit configured to inform the user when the estimated power consumption is greater than the target value; and an alternative option informing unit configured to inform the user of an alternative option when the estimated power consumption is greater than the target value, the alternative option reducing the estimated power consumption to be equal to or less than the target value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2012
    Date of Patent: March 15, 2016
    Assignee: KONICA MINOLTA BUSINESS TECHNOLOGIES, INC.
    Inventor: Natsuyo Higashi