Patents Issued in February 4, 2003
  • Patent number: 6516041
    Abstract: A method and apparatus for controlling components in a component control system in a nuclear power plant includes an image processing system and display processor (IPS-DP) for issuing an encrypted command for a selected component in a component command system (CCS) in the nuclear power plant; a soft controller for receiving the encrypted command and matching the command with the selected component in the CCS for issuing a control command to the selected component; and control channel gateway for receiving the encrypted command from the IPS-DP and soft controller, deciphering the encrypted command, and, if authenticated, issuing a control command for said selected component in the CCS. Security and isolation, while complying with applicable codes and regulations, are assured.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Westinghouse Electric Co. LLC
    Inventor: Jeffrey M. Curreri
  • Patent number: 6516042
    Abstract: The invention relates to a fuel assembly for a boiling water reactor which is adapted, during operation of the reactor, to allow water to flow upwards through the fuel assembly while absorbing heat from a plurality of fuel rods, whereby part of the water is transformed into steam. The fuel assembly comprises a steam channel through which the steam flows through the fuel assembly. The steam channel (16a, 16b, 16c, 16d) consists of an empty volume which at least extends through part of the fuel assembly. The fuel assembly is designed such that the water and the steam are brought to rotate around the steam channel whereby the water is thrown away from the steam channel whereas the steam which is separated from the water flows upwards through the steam channel.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 5, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Westinghouse Atom AB
    Inventor: Sture Helmersson
  • Patent number: 6516043
    Abstract: A fuel assembly includes a plurality of fuel rods placed in a square lattice array of 9-rows/9-columns and at least one water rod. In this fuel assembly, the fuel rod pitch of the plurality of fuel rods is in a range of 14.15 mm to 14.65 mm, and means for offsetting and holding a fuel bundle composed of the fuel rods and the water rod is provided in such a manner that the center in a cross section of the fuel bundle is offset from the center in a cross section of the lower tie plate toward the channel fastener side. With this configuration, it is possible to provide a fuel assembly for a D-lattice core, which is capable of achieving the fuel economy comparable to that of a C-lattice core without reducing the thermal margin, and of using the existing fuel spacers.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignees: Hitachi, Ltd., Hitachi Engineering Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Masao Chaki, Koji Nishida, Motoo Aoyama, Junichi Koyama, Katsumasa Haikawa, Yasuhiro Aizawa
  • Patent number: 6516044
    Abstract: An improved scintillator detector cell geometry for converting radiation to light with improved light collection is provided. Shaping the exit face of a scintillator to increase the surface area of the exit face results in a decrease in a fraction of angles that undergo total internal reflection within the scintillator. The scintillator has the advantage of preventing total internal reflection parallel, as well as perpendicular, to the detecting surface of a light collection device. Further, providing a specular reflector on a hemispherical dome portion of the radiation detecting surface of the scintillator results in reduced bounce-off the specular reflector before light contacts the scintillator-photodiode interface. Furthermore, implementing a convex shape when coated with the specular reflector increases the fraction of light directed toward the photodiode compared to a plane surface parallel to the photodiode.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: GE Medical Systems Global Technology Co., LLC
    Inventor: Robert Joseph Lyons
  • Patent number: 6516045
    Abstract: The present invention provides a radiation device that includes a device for retaining therein the body part in a uniform position. In addition, at least two reference materials that have attenuation characteristics are used and retained in the retaining device. The reference materials are being positioned for the comparative determination during a simultaneous irradiation of the body part and the reference materials. The attenuation characteristics of the reference materials are selected in correspondence to the attenuation characteristics of the body materials in the body part. A radiation device for simultaneously irradiating the body part and the reference materials is used to create attenuated beams. A detector is used to detect the attenuated beams as attenuated values. A calculating device is included for calculating the proportion of the body materials that define a particular body part of interest based on the attenuated values of the materials and the body part.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 4, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: The Regents of the University of California
    Inventors: John A. Shepherd, Steven R. Cummings, Karla Kerlikowske
  • Patent number: 6516046
    Abstract: A method for exact positioning of a patient for radiotherapy or radiosurgery comprising the following steps: a) pre-positioning the patient relative to a linear accelerator, b) producing at least one X-ray image of the patient or one of his/her body parts in the vicinity of the radiation treatment target, c) mapping the X-ray image, d) generating at least one reconstructed image from a three-dimensional set of patient scanning data corresponding to said X-ray image, especially isocentrically, e) superimposing the reconstructed image and the X-ray image, and detecting the positional error electronically or computer-controlled on the basis of specific landmarks in both images, and f) correcting the position of the patient on the basis of the detected positional error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 22, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: BrainLAB AG
    Inventors: Stephan Fröhlich, Cornel Schlossbauer, Andreas Blumhofer
  • Patent number: 6516047
    Abstract: An x-ray diffraction apparatus for qualitatively analyzing a sample uses a fixed or variable divergence slit to irradiate a portion of its surface and intensity data are collected at different angles of diffraction. When measured data thus obtained are compared with reference data for the qualitative analysis, the measured data, the reference data or both of these data are corrected in part according to whether the reference data were taken by measurements using a fixed or variable divergence slit such that the comparison can be carried out on the same intensity level and the qualitative analysis can be carried out more accurately.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 9, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Shimadzu Corporation
    Inventor: Kazuo Koyanagi
  • Patent number: 6516048
    Abstract: A voltage control section for controlling a pulsed acceleration voltage applied between a photoelectron releasing layer and an X-ray target in order to accelerate a photoelectron is further provided, so that the acceleration voltage is maintained at a pulse top voltage until the X-ray target is bombarded with the photoelectron after the photoelectron is released from the photoelectron releasing layer. The pulse width of acceleration voltage can be set narrower to such an extent that no discharge occurs, which enables the pulse top voltage to become higher, whereby the energy of pulse X-rays can be made higher by enhancing the speed of photoelectrons.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 31, 2002
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Hamamatsu Photonics K.K.
    Inventor: Kuniyoshi Mori
  • Patent number: 6516049
    Abstract: The current invention provides a method and apparatus for determining insertion loss in wireline communication systems. The method may be implemented with any modulation protocol but is particularly suited for multi-carrier modulation protocols such as discrete multi-tone (DMT). The method for calculation of the insertion loss uses a received signal and a discrete subset of frequency ranges, e.g. DMT tones, within that signal. For each of the subset of frequency ranges the average received power on each of the selected set of tones is determined. Next the average power on each received subset of tones is converted to log2 using a simple log2 estimation circuit that avoids the complexity associated with log tables and other prior art methods of computing logarithms. Then the sum of the log2 of the average power received in each of the selected subset of tone bins is determined.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 6, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Ikanos Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Sam Heidari, Behrooz Rezvani, Hojat Khelghati, Yuwen Su, Qasem Aldrubi
  • Patent number: 6516050
    Abstract: A first pseudo-echo signal approximating an echo of a reception signal superposed on a transmission signal is produced from a delayed reception signal corresponding to a past time according to filer coefficients, and a first residual signal is produced from the first pseudo-echo signal and a delayed transmission signal. Also, the filer coefficients are renewed to reduce the first residual signal. Therefore, when a single-talk state based on a far-end caller's voice of the reception signal is changed to a double-talk state by adding a near-end caller' voice to the transmission signal, the first filter coefficients deteriorate. Also, a second pseudo-echo signal is produced from a reception signal currently received according to the first filter coefficients renewed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 25, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Hirohisa Tasaki, Bunkei Matsuoka, Ikuo Kajiyama, Shinya Takahashi
  • Patent number: 6516051
    Abstract: This invention relates to bulk testing of voice messaging applications by playing back an interaction from a recorded script. During development of a voice response system and application it is necessary to simulate a plurality of calls to the system so that the performance under strain can be monitored. Such a simulation can be performed by a bulk call generator which makes real telephone calls to the IVR through a private branch switch. However with bulk call testing some problems occur which rigorous functional and/or performance testing does not find. This is because real callers behave in unpredictable ways which were not expected or assumed by the creators of the functional and/or performance tests.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 29, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
    Inventor: Jeremy Guy Sanders
  • Patent number: 6516052
    Abstract: Call pattern data is generated for scheduling calls between a number of sites connected to a communication network. The call pattern data defines instructions for a number of sites to make a number of connections across the network to other sites over a predetermined period. This is achieved by creating a list of calls to be scheduled and then assigning in turn each of the calls to a source and a destination site. The source site and destination site are selected to satisfy one or a number of call constraint criteria associated with each call. The call pattern data representing the call is then generated and stored on a computer storage medium for subsequent download to the sites.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 17, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: British Telecommunications public limited company
    Inventor: Christos Voudouris
  • Patent number: 6516053
    Abstract: A modular telecommunication test system is presented including a portable computer system and at least one portable telecommunication test module located external to the computer system. The portable computer system stores a telecommunication test application (e.g., in a memory system). Each test module includes a communication port having an electrical connector, and is thus adapted for coupling to the portable computer system. Each test module also includes electrical circuitry for performing a set of telecommunication tests, wherein each test involves making at least one electrical measurement upon a telecommunication service installation. In coupling a given test module to the portable computer system, a user configures the test system to perform the set of telecommunication tests associated with the given test module. The at least one test module is selected from a group of test modules, each configured to perform telecommunication tests upon a different type of telecommunication service installation.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: National Instruments Corporation
    Inventors: Arthur Ryan, Rodney Cummings, Hugo Andrade, B. Keith Odom
  • Patent number: 6516054
    Abstract: An adjustment and current-measurement method for a subscriber line circuit of a digital telephone exchange is integrated in the low-voltage section of the subscriber line circuit. A previously determined disturbance variable, which is stored in the low-voltage section with a reversed mathematical sign, is added to the currents which are to be measured, for example, for an adjustment of the supply current or of the operability of the subscriber line circuit. This makes it possible to carry out a current measurement for already corrected current levels.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 26, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Siemens Aktiengesellschaft
    Inventors: Rudolf Dollinger, Roland Krimmer
  • Patent number: 6516055
    Abstract: A trouble report processing system provides an electronic interface between a telephone company's trouble report input system and its trouble report resolution system. The interface eliminates the need for the trouble report input system to generate a paper ticket that must be carried to a trouble report resolution system. An operator receives a call and generates a trouble report which is stored in the trouble report input system as an electronic trouble ticket. The interface continually, periodically or as desired, monitors the trouble report input system for the presence of new electronic trouble tickets. When the interface finds a new electronic trouble ticket, it acquires the information contained therein and uses it to build a trouble ticket in a format that the trouble ticket resolution system can process.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: BellSouth Intellectual Property Corp.
    Inventors: Robert J. Bedeski, H. R. Greene, Jr., Corky Umstead, Debbie A. Hill, Ron D. Stanley
  • Patent number: 6516056
    Abstract: A system and method for preventing fraud. The method typically includes identifying one or more fraud indicators and examining past transactions and/or a pending transaction associated with the account for the presence of the fraud indicators. The method also includes, by said examining, detecting at least one of the fraud indicators. The method also includes calculating a cumulative fraud risk level associated with the pending transaction based on the detected fraud indicators. The method may also include determining whether the cumulative fraud risk level meets or exceeds a predetermined threshold, and if the cumulative fraud risk level meets or exceeds the predetermined threshold, verifying the request for the transaction with an owner of the account. The method may further include assigning a weighted value to each of the fraud indicators. The account is typically a telephone calling account, such as a calling card account.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Vesta Corporation
    Inventors: Scott C. Justice, Eric L. Hopper, Ken C. Obrist
  • Patent number: 6516057
    Abstract: A database for a telecommunication service includes a first record for a first number having a predetermined NXX, and a second record for a second number having the predetermined NXX. The first record includes an indication that a call having an automatic number identification associated therewith is acceptable for the first number. The second record includes an indication that a call having at least one of an automatic number identification and a calling party identification associated therewith is acceptable for the second number. Associated methods and systems for providing a telecommunication service for the predetermined NXX are disclosed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 28, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Ameritech Corporation
    Inventors: William H. Meek, Rodney T. Brand, Conita K. Vandevender, John D. Curtis, Márianne J. Stanke, Judy A. Snider
  • Patent number: 6516058
    Abstract: An authentication system is applied for a voice network in order to provide the same security as that attained by a data network. Provided is a voice network access system wherein a one-time password system, which is used as an access authentication system, is applied for a voice network that is constituted by an private automatic branch exchange that includes an external interface; wherein the private automatic branch exchange is connected to a computer telephony server across the external interface for the exchange of sender number information that is received from a public network; and wherein the private automatic branch exchange is also connected via the external interface to an authentication system server, which receives a user's name from the computer telephony server and performs a personal authentication process using the user's name.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 14, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventors: Nobuo Yamada, Kunio Iimura
  • Patent number: 6516059
    Abstract: A method of allocating resources for implementing certain call-related features, such as call forwarding, includes enabling a centrally accessed unit (e.g., a gatekeeper) to support the features and enabling telephony devices (e.g., personal computers running ToL client software) to independently implement the features. Thus, there is redundant capability with respect to the features. A task-allocation scheme is established for adaptively assigning execution of the tasks needed to perform the features. The scheme is at least partially based upon determining processing resource availability within either or both of the centrally accessed unit and the telephony devices. When a request for a feature is detected, the execution of the requested feature is assigned to either the centrally accessed unit or the particular telephony device with which the request is associated, depending upon the current processing resource availabilities.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 7, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Siemens Information & Communication Networks, Inc.
    Inventors: Shmuel Shaffer, William Joseph Beyda, Dieter Rencken
  • Patent number: 6516060
    Abstract: A communications system is designed to prevent premature termination of the sequencing process for sequencing calls by a) disabling voice mail features for all calls in the sequence, except for the last call in such sequence and b) insuring that the sequencing subscriber is available to personally answer the sequencing call at each telephone number in the sequence to which such sequencing call is completed.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 12, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: AT&T Corp.
    Inventors: Mark Jeffrey Foladare, Shelley B. Goldman, David Phillip Silverman, Shaoqing Q. Wang, Robert S. Westrich
  • Patent number: 6516061
    Abstract: A system for establishing a voice and signaling link through a PBX system from an remote telephone device includes a PBX system, a setless gateway, and an remote telephone device. The PBX system is coupled to a public switched telephone network (PSTN) via a trunk connection. The PBX system is also coupled to the setless gateway via a digital phone port, which includes a first bearer channel B1 and a second bearer channel B2. DTMF tone sequences from the remote telephone device are decoded by the setless gateway, which acts as a proxy to the PBX system. The setless gateway routes voice and signaling from the second bearer channel B2 to the first bearer channel B1, so as to extend the remote telephone device from the PBX system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 18, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: MCK Communications, Inc.
    Inventors: Michael Horowitz, Robert Vincent
  • Patent number: 6516062
    Abstract: A bidirectional communication device for transmitting and receiving communications signals in a system which presents a transmission path for conducting a communications signal from the device, a reception path for conducting a communications signal to the device, and an echo path which conducts echo signals from the transmission path to the reception path, the device having an echo canceler connected between the transmission path and the reception path for minimizing echo signals in the transmission path, the echo canceler comprising an adaptive filter for filtering the communications signals from the device according to a filter characteristic having a plurality of filter coefficients, wherein a first group of the coefficients, constituting less than all of the coefficients, has finite filter coefficient values and the remaining ones of the plurality of coefficients have values of zero.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 23, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Skyworks Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: Ganning Yang, Kenneth E. Garey
  • Patent number: 6516063
    Abstract: A non-linear processor for use in an echo canceller is set forth. The non-linear processor includes a center clipping digital filter receiving an echo compensated signal. The non-linear processor provides a center clipped output signal having non-linear thresholds at values of +TNLP and −TNLP. The value of TNLP is dynamically dependent, at least in part, on echo return loss measurements. To limit the processor's susceptibility to corruption from double-talk conditions, the non-linear processor inhibits the dynamic setting of the TNLP value when a double-talk condition is present. Additionally, or in the alternative, the non-linear processor locks the value of the echo return loss measurement after a predetermined number of consecutive echo return loss measurements have values falling within a predetermined range of one another. Such locking further reduces the susceptibility of the non-linear processor to corruption from double-talk conditions.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 24, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Tellabs Operations, Inc.
    Inventors: David S. Farrell, Tianfang Liu
  • Patent number: 6516064
    Abstract: A signal reproducing apparatus in which unauthorized decoding or copying is rendered difficult. The apparatus is configured for reproducing ciphered data from a disc-shaped record medium 101 on which there are recorded data ciphered by at least one encryption operation and the key storage site information specifying the arraying site for at least one key information item used for deciphering the ciphered data. The apparatus includes a reproducing head device 12 for reading out the ciphered data and the key storage site information from the record medium 101, a TOC decoder 219, a CPU 224 and a digital signal processing circuit 220 for decoding the ciphered data using the key information stored on the site designated based on the key storage site information.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 10, 1996
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Yoshitomo Osawa, Yoichiro Sako, Akira Kurihara, Isao Kawashima
  • Patent number: 6516065
    Abstract: A mobile satellite communication system is provided to control the transfer of a terminal for a single-hop call from at least one of a clear mode and a ciphered mode with respect to a gateway station to a ciphered mode with respect to a satellite link connecting the terminal with another terminal for a single-hop, terminal-to-terminal call using a cipher key and an encryption algorithm common to the terminal and the other terminal. Frame number offset data, which indicates a mapping delay between received and transmitted time slots at the satellite, is provided to both terminals in a terminal-to-terminal call for ciphering synchronization.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 11, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Hughes Electronics Corporation
    Inventors: Chandra Joshi, Anthony Noerpel, Chi-Jiun Su
  • Patent number: 6516066
    Abstract: An object of the present invention is to turn microphones accurately and quickly toward a sound source. The first microphone pair is rotated by rotation means and driving means, so that the microphones are equidistant from a sound source. The sound picked up by the microphones is analyzed in a plurality of frequency ranges to obtain delay time components of the arrival of the sound wave. The delay time components are averaged with a prescribed coefficients so that the lower frequency components hardly affects the result of the direction detection. The averaged delay is converted into an angle of direction of the sound source. Thus, the microphones pair is directed in front of the sound source on the basis of the direction angle converted from the averaged delay time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 29, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: NEC Corporation
    Inventor: Kensuke Hayashi
  • Patent number: 6516067
    Abstract: In order to quickly decrease voltage applied to a mute pin 18 of an audio amplifier circuit 19 of an electronic appliance, an end of a capacitor 20 connected to the mute pin is connected to a discharge circuit which is fired on when the electronic appliance is switched from on to off or stand-by by exploiting two power supply sources of the appliance. The voltage output of one of them decreases faster than the other one when the electronic appliance is switched off. An active element 27 of the discharge circuit has an electrode coupled to the first source and an other electrode coupled to the second sources so that the active element is fired on as soon as the difference between the two output voltages reaches a threshold.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 24, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Thomson Licensing, S.A.
    Inventor: Kok Fah Lee
  • Patent number: 6516068
    Abstract: A microphone expander attenuates background noise in a digitized microphone signal from a wireless telephone by using a loss function that exhibits hysteresis when the signal is passing through a transition range. This allows the microphone expander to apply loss more effectively because it allows for decreases in speech levels without attenuation. An attenuation level is determined using a first loss function when an averaged signal, derived from the digitized microphone signal using an algorithm that causes the averaged signal to clearly exhibit speech components in the digitized microphone signal, increases from below a lower noise threshold. However, if the averaged signal increases to above an upper speech threshold and then decreases to below that threshold, the attenuation level is determined using a different loss function, which delays introducing loss into the microphone signal as compared to the first loss function.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 25, 1998
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Lucent Technologies Inc.
    Inventors: Greg Ciurpita, Scott Pennock
  • Patent number: 6516069
    Abstract: A large-time-constant microphone filter which contains resistance and capacitance as its constituent and can be formed in the same semiconductor chip as a microphone unit is achieved, which results in downsizing and cost reduction of the microphone unit. A transistor of a current mirror circuit is used as a resistance of a microphone filter, utilizing a differential resistance produced by a channel length modulation effect of the transistor or an Early effect. When variations in the drain-source voltage of the transistor occur, the drain-source current of the transistor slightly varies in linear characteristics and the transistor serves a high value of resistance. Being a current mirror circuit, the microphone filter is resistant to characteristic variations due to temperature changes and can be formed in a semiconductor chip without a significant increase in chip area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takanobu Takeuchi, Toru Araki
  • Patent number: 6516070
    Abstract: A portable spa including an audio system designed to use the spa shell as the sound generating device. Transducer devices are mounted within an enclosure which is bonded to the spa shell so as to couple the sound vibration energy to the shell so that sound can be heard when using the spa.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Watkins Manufacturing Corporation
    Inventor: Stephen S. Macey
  • Patent number: 6516071
    Abstract: An improved structure of a picture-frame type loudspeaker is disclosed. The loudspeaker structure having a magnetic core is mounted on a housing body adhered to the rear side of a picture frame, and the circumferential edge of the magnetic core is mounted with a conduit containing a voice coil, and the end section of the conduit, close to the magnetic core is connected together with a corrugation portion which is combined with the housing body, the middle section of the conduit is connected to a diaphragm and the other end of the conduit is connected to a vibration board within the picture frame via a medium. By means of the reaction to the signal current by the voice coil, a magnetic field is produced and a relative motion is formed with the magnetic core, such that the vibration board vibrates to produce sound from the picture frame.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Reui Men Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Yu Tsao Liu
  • Patent number: 6516072
    Abstract: A module of loudspeaker 1 for high-quality reproduction of music and voice has a direct radiating base electrodynamic driver (EDD) 2 transforming an electric signal to acoustic one at least in the middle-frequency part of the acoustic frequency range and an enclosure cabinet 3 of this driver 2, the cone 5 of which overlaps the mounting hole in the outside surface of this cabinet.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2001
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Inventors: Alexei Vladimirovich Vinogradov, Alexandr Sergeevich Gaidarov
  • Patent number: 6516073
    Abstract: A self-powered medical device, which is operated independently of the public utility network, has at least one voltage source, a signal input for accepting an analog input signal and a signal processing unit. The sampling rate for the input signal or the clock frequency of at least one digital component can be varied. Therefore, the energy demand can be reduced according to the requirements of the signal processing or when the discharge state of the voltage source requires a reduction.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Siemens Audiologische Technik GmbH
    Inventors: Herve Schulz, Tom Weidner
  • Patent number: 6516074
    Abstract: A hearing device comprises a housing having an outer wall and a compartment adapted to receive a battery. The battery forms a portion of the housing outer wall when engaged with the compartment. The hearing device compartment also includes an integrated switch comprising a contact adapted to engage the battery in response to a deformation of the hearing device, and a conformal tip adapted to engage with the housing such that the conformal tip surrounds the compartment and the engaged battery.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 19, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Sonic Innovations, Inc.
    Inventors: Owen D. Brimhall, Gregory N. Koskowich
  • Patent number: 6516075
    Abstract: A hearing enhancement system, for co-operation with a conventional hearing aid used in T-switch mode, comprises a microphone (10), an electronics module (22) including an amplifier and a power supply, and an induction loop (12). The induction loop (12) has a small number (typically 10-20) of conductor turns formed as a flexible assembly of a size suitable to be worn around the body as a sash or belt.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: A. E. Patents Limited
    Inventors: Walter William Jacobs, Richard Silver
  • Patent number: 6516076
    Abstract: A modular horn loudspeaker principally intended for use on emergency vehicles consists of three coaxially aligned cup-shaped parts, a sound chamber, a cover fitted to the sound chamber and a housing. The first embodiment of the modular, compact horn loudspeaker is implemented with a single siren driver and includes a dome-shaped driver diaphragm integrally formed onto an interior surface of the sound chamber. The sound chamber is an acoustical boundary defining member having curved propagation paths or horn throat channels formed in relief on a cup-shaped exterior surface. The sound chamber is coaxially aligned with and received in a tightly fitted cup-shaped cover member to define a plurality of curved horn throats of expanding rectangular cross sectional dimension directing the sound waves rearwardly around the diaphragm periphery and toward a housing rear wall.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 9, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Atlas Sound, L.P.
    Inventor: Bruce Marlin
  • Patent number: 6516077
    Abstract: A diaphragm of electroacoustic transducer has an edge formed with alternately up-rolled and down-rolled portions with respect to vibration plane of the diaphragm and disposed at regular intervals in circumferential direction and with sloped-plane portions respectively connecting rims opposing above and below of adjacent ones of the up-rolled and down-rolled portions, the sloped-plane portions extending in respective tangential lines with respect to an inner periphery of the edge and intersecting the circumferential direction at an alternately opposite angle with respect to the vibration plane.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 2, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Foster Electric Company
    Inventors: Fumihiko Yamaguchi, Hideo Koreeda
  • Patent number: 6516078
    Abstract: Detection and deterrence of counterfeiting permits one to make legitimate color copies without introducing visual artifacts or experiencing substantial processing delays. We enable an efficient counterfeit deterrence by the use of an hierarchic detection scheme, in which the majority of documents are classified as free of suspicion using a simple algorithm that imposes a negligible computational burden. The remainder of documents, which are labeled as suspicious, receive analysis by one or more potentially complex detection algorithms. If the suspicious document is identified as being a secure document, this will lead to printing with selectively deteriorated service or complete denial of service. For one embodiment, the scheme uses a color look-up table (LUT) to detect a characteristic color (or colors) of frequently counterfeited documents and alters the characteristic color in the copies if a more accurate second test verifies that printing of a counterfeit is being attempted.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 29, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: Xuguang Yang, Poorvi L. Vora, Cormac Herley
  • Patent number: 6516079
    Abstract: To enhance decoding of signals suspected of containing a watermark, a suspect signal is screened to compute detection values evincing presence and strength of a watermark. Screening strategies control detector actions, such as rejecting un-marked signals and improving synchronization of watermarks in suspect signals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 15, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Digimarc Corporation
    Inventors: Geoffrey B. Rhoads, Ravi K. Sharma
  • Patent number: 6516080
    Abstract: A section is prepared from a specimen of porous media, e.g., Rock, typically including filling the pore spaces with a dyed epoxy resin. A color micrograph of the section is digitized and converted to an n-ary index image, for example a binary index image. Statistical functions are derived from the two-dimensional image and used to generate three-dimensional representations of the medium. Boundaries can be unconditional or conditioned to the two-dimensional n-ary index image. Desired physical property values are estimated by performing numerical simulations on the three-dimensional representations. For example, permeability is estimated by using a Lattice-Boltzmann flow simulation. Typically multiple equiprobable three-dimensional representations are generated for each n-ary index image, and the multiple estimated physical property values are averaged to provide result.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 5, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: The Board of Trustees of the Leland Stanford Junior University
    Inventor: Amos M. Nur
  • Patent number: 6516081
    Abstract: When processing a radiation image, an image signal representing a radiation image and a prospective irradiation field information representing a prospective irradiation field of the radiation image are obtained in an image information obtaining section. The prospective irradiation field information is transferred to an image output section attached to the radiation image signal or separately therefrom. An image processing to make the image in the prospective irradiation field more suitable for viewing on the transferred image signal is carried out in the image output section on the basis of the transferred prospective irradiation field information, and a radiation image is output on the basis of the processed image signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Kazuo Shimura, Hideya Takeo
  • Patent number: 6516082
    Abstract: Image processing, which is constituted of a plurality of processes, is carried out on a radiation image signal. An intermediate image signal obtained in at least one process, which is among the processes other than a last process in the plurality of the processes constituting the image processing, is stored on a predetermined storage medium. In cases where an abnormality occurred during the image processing, a process, in which the abnormality occurred, is discriminated quickly, and a cause of the abnormality is specified quickly.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 1997
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Fuji Photo Film Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroaki Yasuda
  • Patent number: 6516083
    Abstract: A continuous cigarette rod advancing along a set path is directed through an electro-optical scanning station where its entire cylindrical surface is inspected by a unit comprising an illumination device of which the function is to shed light in substantially uniform manner on a given annular area of the surface, a line scan television camera positioned relative to the path in such a way as to enable acquisition of a direct image from a first portion of the annular area, and a reflecting element located on the side of the path opposite to the camera, embodied and oriented in such a way as to reflect two images back toward the camera which combine with the direct image to make up the entire annular area.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 19, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: G. D S.p.A.
    Inventors: Alberto Bonechi, Luca Cerati, Armando Neri
  • Patent number: 6516084
    Abstract: A method and system for non-destructive, reference-free thermographic detection of sub-surface defects uses an infrared camera to capture images of a sample that has been heated and allow to cool to equilibrium temperature. The temperature-time data obtained for each pixel in each image is converted into the logarithmic domain and a least squares fit is conducted on the data to generate a polynomial expression corresponding to the temperature-time data for a given pixel. This polynomial expression can be transformed into the original time domain to obtain temperature-time data with improved signal-to-noise characteristics. Defects can be detected by observing the zero-crossing characteristic of the second derivative of the polynomial.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 4, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Thermal Wave Imaging, Inc.
    Inventor: Steven M. Shepard
  • Patent number: 6516085
    Abstract: Disclosed is a method of inspecting a reticle defining a circuit layer pattern that is used within a corresponding semiconductor process to generate corresponding patterns on a semiconductor wafer. A test image of the reticle is provided, and the test image has a plurality of test characteristic values. A baseline image containing an expected pattern of the test image is also provided. The baseline image has a plurality of baseline characteristic values that correspond to the test characteristic values. The test characteristic values are compared to the baseline characteristic values such that a plurality of difference values are calculated for each pair of test and baseline characteristic values. Statistical information is also collected.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 3, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: KLA-Tencor
    Inventors: James N. Wiley, Jun Ye, Shauh-Teh Juang, David S. Alles, Yen-Wen Lu, Yu Cao
  • Patent number: 6516086
    Abstract: A property of the surface such as height is sensed as a function of position on the surface. A statistical spread in the sensed property as a function of the position is computed. Regions where the material is present are distinguished from other regions on the basis of the spread, e.g. conductor tracks on a PCB assembly are distinguished from a PCB substrate by having lower spread.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 22, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.
    Inventor: Egbert F. A. Land
  • Patent number: 6516087
    Abstract: In a method for correlating two stereo images, the images are subjected to a Laplacian operator and further processed to produce reduced gray scale Laplacian images in which the pixels have a value of +1, 0 or −1. Then the two images are overlapped to produce pairs of overlapping pixels. The values of the two overlapping pixels are summed in a manner so that if both pixels are +1 or both pixels are −1 the summed value is +1, if one pixel is +1 and the other pixel is −1, the resulting sum is −1 and if one or both pixel are zero, the resulting sum is zero. All of the sums or correlation values in regions about each pixel in the two overlapping images are added together to get a new correlation value for each pixel in the overlap resulting in a correlation image. Then, the two Laplacian images are shifted relative to one another and correlation values are again computed for this new overlap.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 10, 2000
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Sensar, Inc.
    Inventor: Theodore A. Camus
  • Patent number: 6516088
    Abstract: An NTSC signal is supplied to a first area extracting circuit and a second area extracting circuit. The first area extracting circuit extracts class taps from the NTSC signal. The second area extracting circuit extracts predictive taps from the NTSC signal. The first area extracting circuit extracts pixels in predetermined positions from same phase pixels as a considered pixel. Based on level differences between extracted pixels, a pattern detecting section performs a class categorization. A class code determining section generates class codes based on the result of the class categorization and supplies the generated class codes to a coefficient memory. The coefficient memory outputs pre-stored predictive coefficients based on the class codes to a predictive calculating section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 28, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Sony Corporation
    Inventors: Tetsujiro Kondo, Takaya Hoshino, Hideo Nakaya, Satoshi Inoue, Shizuo Chikaoka
  • Patent number: 6516089
    Abstract: A process and apparatus is described to improve color digital imaging reproduction quality by quickly, accurately and robustly mapping the gamut associated with a color digital image to the gamut of a particular device in a visually pleasing way. The improvement in appearance of the in-gamut reproduction is based on using calculations similar to those used by the human visual system, namely spatial comparisons. The new approach synthesizes a new reproduction image based on spatial comparisons rather than pixel matches. These spatial comparisons are made first at large spatial separations (or smallest multi-resolution image) with the output interpolated to make the old for the next smaller spatial-separation image (multi-resolution image). Ratio, product, reset, average, resize calculations are made to calculate old intermediate image at this spatial separation (image size). The process continues until spatial resolution equals 1.0 (full resolution).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 30, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Company
    Inventors: John J. McCann, Paul M. Hubel
  • Patent number: 6516090
    Abstract: Digital image signal interpretation is the process of understanding the content of an image through the identification of significant objects or regions in the image and analysing their spatial arrangement. Traditionally the task of image interpretation required human analysis. This is expensive and time consuming, consequently considerable research has been directed towards constructing automated image interpretation systems. A method of interpreting a digital video signal is disclosed whereby the digital video signal has contextual data. The method comprising the steps of firstly, segmenting the digital video signal into one or more video segments, each segment having a corresponding portion of the contextual data. Secondly, analysing each video segment to provide a graph at one or more temporal instances in the respective video segment dependent upon the corresponding portion of the contextual data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 23, 1999
    Date of Patent: February 4, 2003
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Alison Joan Lennon, Delphine Anh Dao Le