Patents Issued in November 20, 2007
  • Patent number: 7298988
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus has an apparatus main body provided with an image forming portion for forming an image, an opening formed in the apparatus main body, an openable and closable cover for opening and closing the opening, and provided with a first cover pivotably provided in the apparatus main body, and a second cover pivotably provided on the first cover, and an image reading device provided above the opening for reading the image of an original, and when the first cover is pivotably moved in a direction to open the opening relative to the apparatus main body, the second cover is pivotably moved to the opening side relative to the first cover, and when the openable and closable cover has opened the opening, the openable and closable cover maintains a state in which it has opened the opening.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 31, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Canon Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Yoshiyuki Nakayama
  • Patent number: 7298989
    Abstract: A laser printer is configured to move a pinch roller, provided to a main body casing and operating in a position in which the pinch roller obstructs attachment/detachment of a process cartridge, to a position in which the pinch roller does not obstruct attachment/detachment of the process cartridge. Such a configuration can reduce the number of components of the process cartridge compared with the case of incorporating the pinch roller in the process cartridge. In addition, the configuration can reduce the size of the laser printer since it is unnecessary to attach/detach the process cartridge so as to avoid the pinch roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Soichiro Nishimura
  • Patent number: 7298990
    Abstract: A developing cartridge includes an engagement device that is capable of being engaged with an engaging member associated with a frame, wherein: the engagement device can be placed in a restricting state where the engagement device is engaged with the engaging member, the engagement device can be placed in an unrestricting state where the engagement device is disengaged from the engaging member, and the engagement device is automatically placed in the unrestricting state when the developing cartridge is placed in an image forming device.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 22, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Soichiro Nishimura
  • Patent number: 7298991
    Abstract: In an image forming apparatus configured to form a toner image on a photoconductive element and transfer it to a recording medium of the present invention, the photoconductive element and an image transferring member pressed thereagainst are constructed into an image transferring unit. The image transferring unit is removable from the casing of the apparatus independently of image forming devices arranged around the photoconductive element other than the image transferring member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventors: Yoshiyuki Kimura, Takeshi Saito, Atsushi Sampe, Misao Tanzawa
  • Patent number: 7298992
    Abstract: A process cartridge includes an image bearing member, a brush, and a supporting portion. The brush includes a base member having an elongated plate shape that extends in the longitudinal direction, a brush member including bristles provided on the front surface of the base member, and mounting portions formed at both latitudinal ends of the base member. The supporting portion includes holding portions that hold the mounting portions formed at the both latitudinal ends of the base member, thereby supporting the brush with respect to the image bearing member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Brother Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Soichiro Nishimura, Fumikazu Sato, Tsutomu Suzuki, Yoshinori Ito, Takashi Shimizu, Satoru Ishikawa
  • Patent number: 7298993
    Abstract: Imaging methods, image engines, and photoconductor charging systems are described. According to one embodiment, an imaging method includes providing a charge device configured to provide an electrical charge to a surface of an imaging member which is usable for imaging, moving a surface of the charge device adjacent to the imaging member and a bias member, during the moving, first charging a discharged portion of the surface of the charge device using the bias member providing a charged portion of the surface of the charge device, during the moving, second charging a portion of the surface of the imaging member using the charged portion of the charge device, the second charging providing the discharged portion of the surface of the charge device, and repeating the first charging and the second charging during the moving.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 5, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P.
    Inventors: Michael H. Lee, Boaz Tagansky, Omer Gila, William D. Holland, Seongsik Chang
  • Patent number: 7298994
    Abstract: Using liquid print color in a printing process in which the print color is transferred from one transfer device onto another transfer device and/or onto a printing medium. To improve handling of the print color, in particular, to optimize it, preferably to avoid adversely affecting transference of the print color and at the same time to avoid adverse effects upon the printing medium, at least one liquid component of the print color is reduced.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
    Inventors: Frank-Michael Morgenweck, Domingo Rohde, Detlef Schulze-Hagenest, Dinesh Tyagi
  • Patent number: 7298995
    Abstract: The developing device 100 includes a stirrer and transferor 122, 124, a magnetic roller 130, and a developing roller 140, that are disposed in a housing 110 which contains the two-component developing agent including the magnetic carrier and the non-magnetic toner, wherein volumetric mean particle size of the non-magnetic toner is set in a range from 6 to 11 ?m and proportion of toner particles not larger than 4 ?m is set to 8% by number or less, thereby making it possible to prevent imaging defect (ghost) and sticking of the toner onto the developing roller from occurring.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 27, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Kyocera Mita Corporation
    Inventor: Takeo Mizobe
  • Patent number: 7298996
    Abstract: A developing device and an image forming apparatus equipped with the developing device are provided to suppress the deterioration in picture quality of an image formed on a sheet due to toner-clump created in a developer vessel. The developing device, comprising: a developing roller adapted to hold toner thereon while rotating and to supply the toner onto a photosensitive surface of a photosensitive body; a toner recovery vessel adapted to accommodate the developing roller therein with facing an opening portion thereof and to supply the toner to be held on the developing roller onto the developing roller while recovering residual toner remaining on the developing roller; and the toner vessel including a protrusion portion protruded toward a roller surface of the developing roller, the protrusion portion being provided at an inner wall part which confronts the roller surface of the developing roller and where the residual toner begins to drop from the developing roller.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 7, 2007
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignees: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba, Toshiba Tec Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Takashi Ikeda
  • Patent number: 7298997
    Abstract: A color image forming apparatus includes primary transferring units that transfer toner images of different colors from photoreceptors to an intermediate transfer body, a secondary transferring unit that transfers a color toner image from the intermediate transfer body onto a transfer material, a pre-charging unit placed downstream of the primary transferring units and upstream of the secondary transferring unit and that applies electric charge to the color toner image on the intermediate transfer body before the secondary image transfer with the polarity of the applied electrical charge identical to polarity of the potential of the toner, and a potential adjustment unit placed downstream of the pre-charging unit and upstream of the secondary transferring unit, and that applies an electric charge that has a polarity opposite to that of the potential of the toner to the color toner image on the intermediate transfer body.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Akira Hamada, legal representative, Yoshiko Hamada, legal representative, Takenobu Kimura, Yotaro Sato, Shuta Hamada, deceased
  • Patent number: 7298998
    Abstract: A system and method to control imaging devices in a single-pass multi-color electrophotographic printing machine that includes a photoconductive member having a timing aperture, the photoconductive member moving along a path in the printing machine, and a plurality of imaging devices, each one of the plurality of imaging devices writing a latent image on the photoconductive member. The system further includes a sensor, located adjacent the photoconductive member, to sense the aperture in the photoconductive member as it passes the sensor and generate a signal indicative thereof and a control device and method that provides a timing signal for each of the plurality of imaging devices based on the signal generated by the sensor and a clock signal that is synchronous for all of the imaging devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 26, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Xerox Corporation
    Inventors: Ana P. Tooker, David M. Kerxhalli, Thomas M. Baretsky
  • Patent number: 7298999
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier that carries a toner image formed of toner, a transfer belt, a primary transfer unit that transfers the toner image from the image carrier to the transfer belt, and a secondary transfer unit that transfers the toner image from the transfer belt to a recording medium. A contact pressure P of the primary transfer unit, a thickness T of the transfer belt, and an average roundness R of the toner satisfy expression 1, and the thickness T of the transfer belt satisfies expression 2, a Young's modulus of the transfer belt being 2,500 MPa or more and 5,000 MPa or less, 1.5T?40?P?1.5T+Aexpression 1 40?T?200expression 2 where P is in g/cm2, T is in ?m, and A=2,000R?1,800.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 3, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Ken Yoshida
  • Patent number: 7299000
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus includes a recording material transporting path that extends in a direction from bottom to top of a body of the image forming apparatus and transports a recording material, a fixing device provided on the recording material transporting path, which includes a rotatable heating member that has an internal heat source and a rotatable pressure member that forms a nip area with the heating member by being located in contact with and pressed against the heating member, to nip the recording material for carrying out a fixing process, and an ejection guide member that guides a recording material ejected from the nip area to the outside of the image forming apparatus. The ejection guide member has a guide surface formed to intersect a tangent line of the heating member at the most downstream point of the nip area, and the guide surface intersects the tangent line at an obtuse angle.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 2, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Fuji Xerox Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Seiji Taira, Kenji Hara, Keiji Miba, Yoshiaki Tainaka, Yumiko Onuma, Keiichiro Sato, Noriyuki Miyoshi, Masakatsu Eda, Keita Yano, Tomofumi Suzuki
  • Patent number: 7299001
    Abstract: A fuser roller surface is cleaned immediately before and or after the fusing operation. The separate cleaning sequence assures that the fuser roller surface is substantially free from residual toner that has accumulated from previous fusing operation. A number of image-transfer sheets is counted, and the cleaning sequence is also optionally activated after a number of detected image-transfer sheets has reached a predetermined number.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Ltd.
    Inventor: Hajime Yamazaki
  • Patent number: 7299002
    Abstract: A fixer (heater) includes a heat roller and a pressure roller pressing each other. The fixer heats a heated material by passing the heated material through a press region where the heat roller and the pressure roller meet. The fixer further includes an external heat roller heating the pressure roller from outside the pressure roller. A transit time taken for any given point on the heated material to pass through the press region is less than or equal to 2.3×10?2 sec. The surface temperature, T1 (° C.), of the heat roller and the surface temperature, T2 (° C.), of the pressure roller satisfy T1-T2?100 (° C.), and preferably satisfy T1-T2?70 (° C.). The load on the heat roller is reduced, and so is the power consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 16, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Toshiaki Kagawa, Hiroshi Kida, Takashi Yamanaka
  • Patent number: 7299003
    Abstract: A fixing belt is heated by electromagnetic induction. The fixing belt has a heat generating layer that has a thickness not greater than 40 ?m and a releasing layer that has a thickness not less than 10 ?m. A toner that includes at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a mold releasing agent, and has a glass transition temperature in a range of 35° C. to 50° C. and an outflow-start temperature in a range of 80° C. to 110° C., is used.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 28, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Ricoh Company, Limited
    Inventors: Shigeo Kurotaka, Masami Tomita, Katsuhiro Echigo, Takashi Fujita, Toshihiko Baba, Hisashi Kikuchi, Hiroyuki Kunii, Atsushi Nakafuji, Yukimichi Someya, Kohji Ue
  • Patent number: 7299004
    Abstract: An image forming apparatus, including: an image forming section for forming a toner image on a transfer sheet; a fixing section for fixing the toner image on the transfer sheet; a sheet ejection section for ejecting the sheet on which the toner image has been fixed; and a sheet guide section, including a first guide member and a second guide member both of which are paired for guiding the sheet from the fixing section to the sheet ejection section; wherein a heat radiation characteristic of the first guide member is greater than that of the second guide member.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 24, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Konica Minolta Business Technologies, Inc.
    Inventors: Kunihiro Kawachi, Kazunobu Miura, Ken Nonaka, Kyoichi Mizuno, Shinichi Kawabata
  • Patent number: 7299005
    Abstract: A wireless repeater for receiving, amplifying and transmitting one or more wireless signals. The repeater comprises a signal processing device for determining one or more attributes of a wireless signal received from a mobile device and a memory for storing a reference list that includes one or more preferred frequency bandwidths to be repeated. The repeater also comprises a controller coupled with the signal processing device for comparing the one or more attributes of the wireless signal with the reference list, wherein the controller selects a first active set of one or more frequency bandwidths from the preferred frequency bandwidths based on the comparison. The repeater still further comprises a first reception filter coupled with the controller, where the first reception filter, responsive to control signal(s) from the controller, filters out signals, communicated to the first reception filter, having frequencies outside the first active set of frequency bandwidths.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 7, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Sprint Spectrum L.P.
    Inventors: Mark L. Yarkosky, Dae-Sik Oh, Saad Z. Asif, Kristin A. Hayne, Shiva Narayanabhatla, John Cheong Wai Ngan
  • Patent number: 7299006
    Abstract: An exemplary embodiment of the present invention described and shown in the specification and drawings is a transceiver with a receiver, a transmitter, a local oscillator (LO) generator, a controller, and a self-testing unit. All of these components can be packaged for integration into a single IC including components such as filters and inductors. The controller for adaptive programming and calibration of the receiver, transmitter and LO generator. The self-testing unit generates is used to determine the gain, frequency characteristics, selectivity, noise floor, and distortion behavior of the receiver, transmitter and LO generator. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or the meaning of the claims.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 23, 2000
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Broadcom Corporation
    Inventors: Ahmadreza Rofougaran, Maryam Rofougaran, Meng-An Pan, Hung-Ming Chien, Shahla Khorram, William T. Colleran, Jacob Rael, Masood Syed, Brima Ibrahim, Stephen Wu, Shervin Moloudi
  • Patent number: 7299007
    Abstract: An application development platform enables applications to be created easily for, e.g., mobile devices that have short-range wireless communication capability. The development platform exposes a carefully chosen core set of services through an API. Each of the applications can broadcast its services to local and remote devices. Message delivery between devices is guaranteed even for messages that cannot be delivered directly by local short-range wireless transmission. Message delivery through other channels, including the Internet, can occur transparently to the user. Each device can be associated with an “owner”, which can be a person or a entity. Services can be customized to the owner based on stored information that maps owners to devices. Information associated with each of the owners of devices can be stored centrally and used in connection with providing the services at each of the mobile devices. Virtual GPS capabilities can be provided for mobile devices that do not have GPS chips.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 1, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: ACK Venture Holdings, LLC
    Inventor: Eleazar Eskin
  • Patent number: 7299008
    Abstract: A method for establishing a wireless communication interface between a call management device and a plurality of mobile communication devices is provided. The method comprises implementing an association between the call management device and each of the plurality of mobile communication devices; configuring the call management device as a primary device in a personal area network (PAN); and configuring each of the plurality of the mobile communication devices as a non-primary device in the PAN.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: October 8, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: IXI Mobile, Ltd.
    Inventor: Amir Gluck
  • Patent number: 7299009
    Abstract: A method, device, and system use Bluetooth-assisted communication in a wireless local area network (WLAN). The method includes communicating with a wireless network using a wireless local area network (WLAN) interface, establishing an inactive mode based on communication activity with the wireless network, communicating with the wireless network using a Bluetooth interface, and establishing an active mode based on communication activity with the wireless network. The inactive mode disables the WLAN interface and the active mode enables the WLAN interface.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: February 25, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventor: Holger Hussmann
  • Patent number: 7299010
    Abstract: Apparatus and method are provided in a BS (Base Station) apparatus of a mobile communication system including a velocity estimator for estimating a velocity of a mobile station (MS) and a channel estimator for performing channel estimation using a plurality of channel estimation coefficients according to a control signal of the velocity estimator. The apparatus and method comprise estimating reception performance of individual channel estimation coefficients of the channel estimator, and selecting boundary frequencies of a plurality of Doppler frequency bands corresponding to a channel estimation coefficient having the best reception performance; measuring a power spectrum associated with a minimum number of frequency indexes capable of classifying the plurality of Doppler frequency bands; and controlling a detection position such that a Doppler frequency boundary value measured when a weight value is applied to the measured power spectrum approximates a desired Doppler frequency boundary value.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 15, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Ji-Ha Lee, Sung-Kwon Jo
  • Patent number: 7299011
    Abstract: The link adaptation process for selecting a physical layer mode used on a radio link for transmitting symbols of a message between two stations of a wireless communication system among a set of potential physical layer modes comprises the steps of: —evaluating the current radio link conditions; and switching from a current physical layer mode to another physical layer mode by applying a criteria depending on the evaluated current radio link conditions. The evaluation step of the current radio link conditions comprises the calculation of a received modulation accuracy (RMA) for at least a part of the message, the received modulation accuracy (RMA) being de\-fined as the inverse of the expectation of a quadratic error for a predetermined number of symbols between demodulated received symbol values and ideal symbol values and in that the criteria is at least partially dependent on the calculated received modulation accuracy (RMA).
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 22, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventor: Bertrand Penther
  • Patent number: 7299012
    Abstract: An electrical circuit to add and subtract differential input signals may be implemented using distributed differential transmission lines having a length substantially equal to one quarter of a wavelength of the differential input signals according to an effective electrical permeability of the transmission line. Alternatively, the electrical circuit may be implemented with lumped reactive elements.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 15, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Intel Corporation
    Inventor: Meir Gordon
  • Patent number: 7299013
    Abstract: A system and method for correcting for Doppler shift in transmitted and received electromagnetic wave, light wave, or acoustic wave signals between two platforms, where at least one of the platforms is moving relative to the other. The system involves determining a Doppler shift that affects the frequency of a signal being transmitted from a transmitting platform, as a result of motion of the transmitting platform, and adjusting the frequency of the transmitted signal to cancel out the determined degree of Doppler shift that will be experienced by the receiving platform. If the receiving platform is also moving, then a determination is made as to the Doppler shift that will be imparted to the signal being received because of motion of the receiving platform. A receiver on the receiving platform is controlled to account for this degree of Doppler shift. Therefore, the Doppler shift components attributable to the motion of each, or both, platforms is accounted for.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 4, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: The Boeing Company
    Inventors: Phillip R Rotta, Brian J Tillotson
  • Patent number: 7299014
    Abstract: A method for a video call receiving service in a mobile communication system is disclosed, in which a video call and a voice call can be distinguished using a sub-address of the mobile communication system and a user is able to receive the call selectively. The method includes transmitting a message, including a sub-address corresponding to either a voice call and a video call, from an origination terminal to a destination terminal. A call is connected between the origination terminal and the destination terminal in accordance the sub-address received by the destination terminal. The video call and the voice call are distinguished through the sub-address, the user is able to receive the call selectively, and the connection of the respective call can be automatically performed, thereby reducing the processing load on the system.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 21, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: LG Electronics Inc.
    Inventors: Jong-Hyun Jin, Jae-Cheol Kwak
  • Patent number: 7299015
    Abstract: According to a transmitting output control circuit, one end of a coupling capacitor and one end of main line of a directional coupler are coupled with an output terminal of a power amplifier. A switch for coupling the other end of the coupling capacitor and one end of a sub line of the directional coupler with an anode of a first diode or a second terminating resistor is formed in a power amplifying apparatus. Any one of the coupling capacitor and the directional coupler is coupled by switching the switch. By using this structure, the stable transmitting power control circuit, which can be used in a wide dynamic range necessary for detecting a transmitting output signal level, can be provided.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 18, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Hiroki Iwamiya, Yuji Osumi
  • Patent number: 7299016
    Abstract: The present invention discloses a communication device with an adjustable brightness that includes a control circuit coupled to a modulating unit, and the modulating unit includes a tuning button disposed on the communication device that allows user to make adjustments or controls by the tuning button to produce a first set value, and the modulating unit converts the power received by a power supply circuit of the communication device into a corresponding operating voltage according to the first set value and sends the operating voltage to a light emitting unit of the communication device for projecting a light source according to the magnitude of the operating voltage, so as to adjust and change the brightness of the light emitting unit, and achieve the effects of saving power and extending the life of the light emitting units.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 11, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Inventec Corporation
    Inventor: Chien-Hung Liu
  • Patent number: 7299017
    Abstract: A multi-user receiver which uses at least two antenna elements and in which the influence of interference is reduced, the receiver comprises: means (200) for pre-filtering a wideband antenna signal, the pre-filtering means being determined on the basis of a spatial covariance matrix estimate, which spatial covariance matrix estimate is obtained from wideband antenna signals by sampling, arranging sampled values into a signal vector and by multiplying the signal vector by its conjugate transpose vector, means (210, 218) for removing the whitening from signals of predetermined users by using an inverse matrix of the matrix used in the whitening filter, means (202, 204, 206, 208, 210) for performing multi-path combining and multi-antenna combining.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Kari Pajukoski, Esa Tiirola, Juha Ylitalo
  • Patent number: 7299018
    Abstract: Receiver comprising an RF input filter including a digitally controlled capacitor bank with n capacitors being controlled by a tuning control signal for varying the tuning frequency of the RF input filter within a tuning range. For an improvement of the receiver in price/performance ratio the n capacitors of the digitally controlled capacitor bank are monolythically integrated, whereas the bandwidth of the tunable RF input filter is being adjusted to the maximum relative spread of said capacitors. A continuous tuning control signal is being supplied through an analogue to digital (AD) converter to said capacitor bank and to a first input of a differential stage, an output of the AD converter being coupled through a digital to analogue (DA) converter to a second input of a differential stage, an output of the differential stage being coupled to a control terminal of a variable capacitance diode being arranged in parallel to the digitally controlled capacitor bank.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: July 19, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Semiconductor Ideas to Market (ITOM)
    Inventor: Herman Wouter Van Rumpt
  • Patent number: 7299019
    Abstract: A method of effecting a handoff in a cellular network. The method includes monitoring a set of frequencies listed in a mobile assisted handoff (MAHO) list for their respective signal strengths, each of the frequencies being associated with neighbor cell site, logically ordering the frequencies based on their relative signal strengths, identifying in the logically ordered set of frequencies those frequencies having a signal strength higher than a predetermined threshold, determining a level of traffic at each frequency/cell site associated with the set of frequencies, and selecting a cell site for handoff based at least in part on signal strength and in part on the level of traffic at the neighbor cell site.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: April 2, 2001
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: AT&T BLS Intellectual Property, Inc.
    Inventors: Mark D. Austin, Ali Jabarry
  • Patent number: 7299020
    Abstract: A multiple frequency RF communications receiver is disclosed which permits greater integration on standard silicon chips and consumes less power than previous receivers. A new method for selecting the various frequency bands with a high amount of isolation and low power consumption is described. Compared to previous receiver implementations, there is no loss of selectivity in the receiver.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 5, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: NanoAmp Solutions, Inc.
    Inventors: David H. Shen, Ann P. Shen
  • Patent number: 7299021
    Abstract: Methods and apparatus are disclosed for operating a RF receiver. The method executes, during operation of the RF receiver, by periodically determining existing RF receiver operational conditions; determining RF receiver performance requirements based at least in part on the determined existing RF receiver operational conditions; and by allocating power consumption between RF receiver functional blocks in accordance with the determined RF receiver performance requirements and in accordance with a behavior model of at least one of the RF receiver as a whole and individual functional blocks of the RF receiver. The method may also monitor the resulting RF receiver signal quality to determine if allocation of power consumption has resulted in an optimum allocation of the power consumption.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 13, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventors: Aarno Pārssinen, Pauli Seppinen, Jussi Vepsäläinen, Mikael Gustafsson, Miikka Hämäläinen
  • Patent number: 7299022
    Abstract: A carrier detecting circuit which generates a carrier detection level by integral action based on a reception signal and detects using the carrier detection level whether a carrier exists is disclosed and includes an integration capacitor that is charged and discharged using a difference current between a current charged from a charging circuit and a current discharged to a discharging circuit, where the charging circuit and the discharging circuit are provided in an integrator which performs the integral action.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 17, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha
    Inventors: Takahiro Inoue, Noboru Takeuchi
  • Patent number: 7299023
    Abstract: The present invention is related to a method and apparatus for automatic frequency correction of a local oscillator. The apparatus receives a carrier signal. The carrier signal includes a code sequence known to the apparatus. The apparatus downconverts the carrier signal to a baseband signal using the local oscillator. The apparatus performs a block correlation of the samples of the baseband signal with the known code sequence to generate a frequency error signal. The frequency error signal is fed back to the local oscillator to correct the frequency error.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: May 9, 2006
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: InterDigital Technology Corporation
    Inventors: Donald M. Grieco, Aykut Bultan
  • Patent number: 7299024
    Abstract: In a mobile communication device, a method for compensating for a frequency adjustment in an oscillator shared between a communication circuit and a positioning signal receiver is provided. In one embodiment, a method for determining the operating frequency of an oscillator detects a beginning time point of a reference signal received by the mobile communication device and enables a counter to count in step with a clock signal derived from the oscillator. When an ending time point of the reference signal is received by the mobile communication device, the count is stopped, and the frequency of the oscillator is determined based on the count in the counter and an expected time that elapsed between the beginning time point and the ending time point.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 21, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: SiRF Technology, Inc.
    Inventors: L. Scott Bloebaum, Piyush Bharti, Sherk Chung, Benjamin Van Roy, Wallace Mann
  • Patent number: 7299025
    Abstract: Rejection of local oscillator harmonic response is provided in a mixing circuit with a pair of harmonic gating switches serially connected to the outputs of a balanced differential switching mixer and controlled by a gate clock signal having twice the frequency of a local oscillator signal controlling the switching mixer. An aperture or duty cycle of the gate clock signal determines which harmonic is rejected or suppressed, which is preferably a third and/or fifth harmonic since response of the balanced differential switching mixer to even harmonics is negligible. The resulting simple, efficient circuit is readily integrated directly into a phase-alternating mixer structure for a chopper-direct-conversion radio.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 9, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: National Semiconductor Corporation
    Inventors: Hee Wong, Michael Schwartz, James Braatz, Shu-Ing Ju
  • Patent number: 7299026
    Abstract: From a delay profile, path selectors 105a˜105n discard the signals other than those corresponding to valid paths, such as noise, output the channel values, which are obtained through the selection of valid paths alone, to JD decoder 106, and output the received levels of the valid paths to multipliers 108a˜108n. JD decoder 106 performs joint detection operation and multiplies the operation result by a received signal that is output from delayer 103. Allocator 107 separates the soft decision data of individual users on a per user basis. Multipliers 108a˜108n multiply outputs of JD decoder and received levels output of path selectors 105a˜105n. Error correction decoder 109a˜109n performs the hard decision of the soft decision data so as to obtain each user's demodulation data.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: August 5, 2002
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd
    Inventor: Masaki Hayashi
  • Patent number: 7299027
    Abstract: A Multi-Input/Multi-Output (MIMO) receiver may include a plurality of receiving antennas that receive a plurality of radio signals and an estimation section that finds channel estimation values of the plurality of radio signals. A MIMO separation section separates, using a MIMO scheme, the plurality of radio signals in accordance with the channel estimation values, and a compensation section compensates for channel variations of the plurality of radio signals. A selection section selects one of the MIMO separation section and the compensation section.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: November 26, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Hiroaki Sudo
  • Patent number: 7299028
    Abstract: A latch driver circuit is provided as a local oscillator driver for driving a passive mixer of an RF receiver. The driver circuit includes a differential amplifier stage coupled to a supply and a biasing circuit. The amplifier stage is operative to receive and process first and second input signals from a local oscillator for providing first and second amplified signals. The driver circuit further includes a latch stage coupled to the differential amplifier stage, which is operative to receive and process the first and second amplified signals for providing latched versions thereof. A filtering stage of the latch driver circuit is operative to receive and filter the latched versions of the first and second amplified signals for providing first and second mixer signals. Each of the first and second mixer signals includes signal content associated with a fundamental frequency particularly tuned for driving the passive mixer circuit.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: United States of America as represented by the Secretary of the Air Force
    Inventor: Helen Kim
  • Patent number: 7299029
    Abstract: A single chip superhetrodyne AM receiver is disclosed herein. To compensate for process variations in the implementation of the IC, bias currents setting the operating conditions for various amplifiers and other components in the system are adjusted based on frequency control signals in a PLL circuit in the local oscillator. Since the magnitude of the control signal reflects the process variations, the bias currents are adjusted based on the control signal to offset these variations in other portions of the receiver. To further improve the signal to noise ratio of the receiver, the IF filter is tuned within a range so as not to include any integer multiple or integer divisor of the timing reference frequency. Various techniques are described for enabling a complete superhetrodyne AM receiver to be implemented on a single chip which receives an antenna input signal and outputs a digital data signal.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 11, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Micrel, Incorporated
    Inventors: Joseph S. Elder, Joseph T. Yestrebsky, Mohammed D. Islam
  • Patent number: 7299030
    Abstract: A system and method of charging for user traffic without including signaling costs in a wireless communication system is provided. In a system and method of charging a user equipment (UE) in a gateway node in a mobile communication system having a serving support node within a radio network connected to the UE and the gateway node for connecting the radio network to a home server in an external network, the gateway node acquires from the external network the address of a home server that provides a service requested by the UE, stores the home server address, clears charging information collected with respect to signaling generated prior to the allocation of the home server address, and re-collects charging information about the service that the UE receives.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 10, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co., Ltd.
    Inventor: Tae-Sung Jung
  • Patent number: 7299031
    Abstract: A mobile communication terminal stores a plurality of response messages generated according to respectively different audio compression methods. If the mobile communication terminal is not answered when an incoming call is received, the mobile communication terminal transmits the one of the response messages that has been generated according to the audio compression method designated by a base station.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 16, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignees: Sanyo Electric Co., Ltd., Sanyo Telecommunications Co., Ltd.
    Inventors: Keisuke Nakaya, Akiyoshi Shimogishi, Yousuke Ishida
  • Patent number: 7299032
    Abstract: If an e-mail is sent to a user of a communication terminal while the communication terminal is being used for voice communication, informing the user that the e-mail has been sent is controlled. Mobile phone 500 stores an importance level in association with a telephone number and e-mail address. If a mail alert is received while mobile phone 500 is used for voice communication, an importance level of the voice communication partner and an importance level of the sender of the e-mail are read from a nonvolatile memory. The read importance levels are compared by mobile phone 500, and if the importance level of the sender of the e-mail is higher, mobile phone 500 informs the user thereof that it has received the mail alert.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: December 10, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Kazuhiro Yamada, Yoshiaki Hiramatsu
  • Patent number: 7299033
    Abstract: A network server system includes a download manager that manages the publication, purchase and delivery of digital content from multiple content suppliers to wireless services subscribers in multiple domains. Each domain is defined as a different grouping of subscribers, such as a wireless carrier or subsidiary thereof, a business enterprise, or other defined group of subscribers. The download manager maintains data defining the multiple domains and associations between the domains and wireless services subscribers. Digital content suppliers can publish and manage their products on the server system via a computer network and make their products available to the subscribers for purchase or licensing. The subscribers in each of the domains can access the server remotely to purchase rights to download and use the digital content on associated wireless communication devices.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 19, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Openwave Systems Inc.
    Inventors: Rikard M. Kjellberg, Sheng Liang, Tomas G. Lund, William Chan
  • Patent number: 7299034
    Abstract: A system for wearable electronics devices configured to intercommunicate through wireless communication and, optionally, to communicate with other electronic devices such as cellular telephones, computers, computer networks, etc. is described. In one embodiment, a communication module receives information from one or more devices and provides audio and, optionally, stimulatory information to the wearer. In one embodiment, an electronic device is provided in a shoe. In one embodiment, a wireless (or wired) earpiece is provided to provide audio information to the user. In one embodiment, the shoe-mounted device includes a display to show time, caller-id information, temperature, pulserate, etc.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: June 21, 2005
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Inventor: Lawrence Kates
  • Patent number: 7299035
    Abstract: It is an object of the present invention to allow efficient detection of computer viruses in a portable telephone. The server device 10 comprises a pattern data transmission request receiving unit 12 which receives pattern data transmission requests that include the model name of the portable telephone 100, a pattern data extraction unit 13 which extracts specified pattern data from a plurality of sets of pattern data on the basis of the model name of the portable telephone 100 contained in the pattern data transmission requests received by the pattern data transmission request receiving unit 12, and a pattern data transmitting unit 14 which transmits the specified pattern data extracted by the pattern data extraction unit 13 to the portable telephone 100.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: January 17, 2003
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: NTT DoCoMo, Inc.
    Inventors: Satoru Morota, Yasutaka Urakawa, Tatsuya Kato, Kenji Ishii, Masanori Fujita
  • Patent number: 7299036
    Abstract: A method for creating a contact on a mobile device includes processing a request from a user to create a contact or group. After a predetermined period, if a confirmation of the creation of the contact or group has not been received, then the group is deleted from the mobile device. In one aspect the predetermined time period is measured from the time of the request to create the contact or group. In another aspect, the predetermined time period is longer than the group creation time.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: September 30, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Kyocera Wireless Corp.
    Inventors: Anthony N. Sanding, Murtuza Chhatriwala
  • Patent number: 7299037
    Abstract: Mobile communication terminals in a wireless communication network with identical (DUAL) SIM cards are provided with means for remotely switching of either of the terminals.
    Type: Grant
    Filed: March 19, 2004
    Date of Patent: November 20, 2007
    Assignee: Nokia Corporation
    Inventor: Gerd-Joachim Hospes