ev Map-assisted sensor-based positioning of mobile devices By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 25 Aug 2015 08:00:00 EDT Various methods, apparatuses and/or articles of manufacture are provided which may be implemented to estimate a trajectory of a mobile device within an indoor environment. In some embodiments, the trajectory may be estimated without the use of any signal-based positioning information. For example, a mobile device may estimate such a trajectory based, at least in part, on one or more sensor measurements obtained at the mobile device, and further affect the estimated trajectory based, at least in part, on one or more objects identified in an electronic map of the indoor environment. Full Article
ev Control device and control method for electric powered vehicle By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 22 Sep 2015 08:00:00 EDT In an electric powered vehicle in which vehicle driving force for reverse running is produced by a traction motor, vehicle driving force is set by a product of a base value set at least based on an accelerator opening and an amplification factor. The amplification factor is set at k1=1.0 during reverse running (V1.0 at the start of reverse running (V≧0) depending on the vehicular speed. The vehicle driving force at the start of reverse running can thereby be made larger than the vehicle driving force after the start of reverse running at the same accelerator opening. Full Article
ev Control device for hybrid vehicle By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 01 Dec 2015 08:00:00 EST A control device for a hybrid vehicle includes a portion determining whether an engine torque is necessary, a portion controlling a motor to make a motor torque be a target torque, an engine rotation speed control portion controlling an engine output shaft to rotate at a target engine rotation speed for sudden start/reacceleration while the clutch being disengaged after starting the engine and before an actual rotation speed of the engine output shaft exceeds a reference target engine rotation speed in a case where the engine torque is necessary, a control portion engaging the clutch after the actual rotation speed exceeds the reference target engine rotation speed, and a portion controlling the engine so that the engine torque is assumed to be a target torque by canceling the control by the engine rotation speed control portion after the actual rotation speed exceeds the reference target engine rotation speed. Full Article
ev Vehicle event recorder systems and networks having integrated cellular wireless communications systems By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 01 Dec 2015 08:00:00 EST Vehicle event recorder systems are arranged to be in constant communication with remote servers and administrators via mobile wireless cellular networks. Vehicle event recorders equipped with video cameras capture video and other data records of important events relating to vehicle use. These data are then transmitted over special communications networks having very high coverage space but limited bandwidth. A vehicle may be operated over very large region while maintaining continuous communications connections with a remote fixed server. As such, systems of these inventions may be characterized as including a mobile unit having: a video camera; a microprocessor; memory; an event trigger; and mobile wireless transceivers, and a fixed network portion including: mobile wireless cellular network, a protocol translation gateway, the Internet and an application-specific server. Full Article
ev Semiconductor device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 12 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT A method for bypassing a defective through silicon via x in a group of n adjacent through silicon vias, includes receiving a plurality of relief signals to identify the defective through silicon via x, activating x−1 switch circuits to connect x−1 data circuits to through silicon vias 1 to x−1 in the group of n adjacent through silicon vias, activating n-x switch circuits to connect n-x data circuits to through silicon vias x+1 to n in the group of n adjacent through silicon vias, and activating a switch circuit to connect a data circuit to an auxiliary through silicon via which is adjacent through silicon via n in the group of n adjacent through silicon vias. Full Article
ev Semiconductor device design method and design apparatus By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 12 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT A relationship between distance from a back bias control section which outputs a control signal for controlling a back bias of a transistor and an amount of noise in the control signal outputted from the back bias control section is found. An increase of jitter corresponding to the amount of the noise in a clock transmitted on a clock path connected to a circuit section (IP macro) is found on the basis of the relationship between the distance from the back bias control section and the amount of the noise. The circuit section and the clock path are placed on the basis of the increase of the jitter and an allowable jitter value for the circuit section. Full Article
ev Interconnection substrate design supporting device, method of designing interconnection substrate, program, and interconnection substrate By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 19 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT A via disposition information acquiring unit acquires via disposition information indicating a disposition of the plurality of first vias (212). A second conductor information acquiring unit acquires second conductor information indicating disposition positions of a plurality of second conductors (232) repeatedly disposed in the second conductor layer (230). A via extracting unit extracts an extraction via with respect to each of the plurality of second conductors (232). The extraction via is each of the first vias (212) overlapping the second conductor (232). A via selecting unit selects a selection via with respect to each of the plurality of second conductors (232). The selection via is each of first vias (212) selected in a predetermined number from the extraction vias. An opening introducing unit introduces a first opening (234) to each of the plurality of second conductors (232). The first opening (234) overlaps the extraction via not selected by the via selecting unit in plan view. Full Article
ev Method and apparatus for generating gate-level activity data for use in clock gating efficiency analysis By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 19 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT A mechanism for generating gate-level activity data for use in clock gating efficiency analysis of an integrated circuit (IC) design is provided. Generating the gate-level activity data includes generating a signal behaviour description for inter-register signals, generating a gate-level netlist for the IC design, generating gate-level stimuli based at least partly on the generated signal behaviour description, and performing gate-level simulation using the generated gate-level stimuli to generate gate-level activity data for the IC design. In one embodiment, generating the signal behaviour description includes performing Register Transfer Level (RTL) simulation of the IC design, and generating the gate-level netlist includes performing RTL synthesis. The RTL simulation and RTL synthesis are performed on RTL data for the IC design. Full Article
ev Prediction of dynamic current waveform and spectrum in a semiconductor device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 19 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT A method for accurately determining the shape of currents in a current spectrum for a circuit design is provided. The method includes determining timing and power consumption characteristics. In one embodiment, timing characteristics are provided through a electronic design automation tool. The timing characteristics yield a current pulse time width. In another embodiment, power consumption characteristics are provided by an EDA tool. The power consumption characteristics yield a current pulse amplitude. The shape of the current pulse is obtained by incrementally processing a power analyzer tool over relatively small time increments over one or more clock cycles while capturing the switching nodes of a simulation of the circuit design for each time increment. In one embodiment, the time increments are one nanosecond or less. Full Article
ev Magnetic tunnel junction device and fabrication By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT A method of forming a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) device includes forming a first MTJ cap layer on a MTJ structure. The first MTJ cap layer includes a first non-nitrified metal. The method also includes forming a second MTJ cap layer over the first MTJ cap layer. The second MTJ cap layer includes a second non-nitrified metal. The method further includes forming a top electrode layer over the second MTJ cap layer. The second MTJ cap layer is conductive and configured to reduce or prevent oxidation. Full Article
ev Fabrication of a magnetic tunnel junction device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT A magnetic tunneling junction device and fabrication method is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable medium includes processor executable instructions. The instructions, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to initiate deposition of a capping material on a free layer of a magnetic tunneling junction structure to form a capping layer. The instructions, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to initiate oxidization of a first layer of the capping material to form a first oxidized layer of oxidized material. Full Article
ev Defect injection for transistor-level fault simulation By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 21 Jun 2016 08:00:00 EDT Aspects of the invention relate to techniques of defect injection for transistor-level fault simulation. A circuit element in a circuit netlist of a circuit is first selected for defect injection. Next, a defect is determined based on whether the selected circuit element is a design-intent circuit element or a parasitic circuit element. After the defect is determined, the defect is injected into the circuit netlist and then the circuit is simulated. Full Article
ev Low-loss superconducting devices By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 10 Feb 2015 08:00:00 EST Low-loss superconducting devices and methods for fabricating low loss superconducting devices. For example, superconducting devices, such as superconducting resonator devices, are formed with a (200)-oriented texture titanium nitride (TiN) layer to provide high Q, low loss resonator structures particularly suitable for application to radio-frequency (RF) and/or microwave superconducting resonators, such as coplanar waveguide superconducting resonators. In one aspect, a method of forming a superconducting device includes forming a silicon nitride (SiN) seed layer on a substrate, and forming a (200)-oriented texture titanium nitride (TiN) layer on the SiN seed layer. Full Article
ev Superconducting devices with ferromagnetic barrier junctions By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 03 Mar 2015 08:00:00 EST A superconducting memory cell includes a magnetic Josephson junction (MJJ) with a ferromagnetic material, having at least two switchable states of magnetization. The binary state of the MJJ manifests itself as a pulse appearing, or not appearing, on the output. A superconducting memory includes an array of memory cells. Each memory cell includes a comparator with at least one MJJ. Selected X and Y-directional write lines in their combination are capable of switching the magnetization of the MJJ. A superconducting device includes a first and a second junction in a stacked configuration. The first junction has an insulating layer barrier, and the second junction has an insulating layer sandwiched in-between two ferromagnetic layers as barrier. An electrical signal inputted across the first junction is amplified across the second junction. Full Article
ev Superconducting electromagnet device, cooling method therefor, and magnetic resonance imaging device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 24 Mar 2015 08:00:00 EDT A superconducting magnet device is configured to include: a refrigerant circulation flowpath in which a refrigerant (R) circulates; a refrigerator for cooling vapor of the refrigerant (R) in the refrigerant circulation flowpath; a superconducting coil cooled by the circulating refrigerant (R); a protective resistor thermally contacting the superconducting coil and having an internal space (S); a high-boiling-point refrigerant supply section for supplying a high-boiling-point refrigerant having a higher boiling point than the refrigerant (R) and frozen by the refrigerant (R) to the internal space (S) in the protective resistor; and a vacuum insulating container for at least accommodating the refrigerant circulation flowpath, the superconducting coil, and the protective resistor. Full Article
ev Layered superconductor device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 24 Mar 2015 08:00:00 EDT A layered superconductor device includes multiple layers of a single crystal superconducting material having intermittent layers of superconducting material dispersed in a pattern with a second material such that each layer of the multiple layers a single crystal superconducting material are interconnected via superconducting material, allowing for a continuous current path, and a thickness of the superconducting material never exceeds a first predetermined thickness. Full Article
ev Superconducting magnet device and magnetic resonance imaging system By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 31 Mar 2015 08:00:00 EDT A superconducting magnet device and a magnetic resonance imaging system not only avoid the need for costly aluminum alloy formers but also lower quench pressure effectively, have a baffle covering the former and the coil, with a gap between the baffle and the coil. Full Article
ev Device and method for the densification of filaments in a long superconductive wire By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 21 Apr 2015 08:00:00 EDT A device for the high pressure densification of superconducting wire from compacted superconductor material or superconductor precursor powder particles, has four hard metal anvils (5, 6, 7, 8) with a total length (L2) parallel to the superconducting wire, the hard metal anvils borne in external independent pressure blocks (9, 10, 11), which are in turn either fixed or connected to high pressure devices, preferably hydraulic presses. At least one of the hard metal anvils is a free moving anvil (6) having clearances of at least 0.01 mm up to 0.2 mm towards the neighboring hard metal anvils (5, 8), so that no wall friction occurs between the free moving anvil and the neighboring anvils. This allows for high critical current densities Jc at reduced pressure applied to the hard metal anvils. Full Article
ev Energy storage device and operating method By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 21 Apr 2015 08:00:00 EDT In order to store excess kinetic energy, an energy storage device and an operating method are described, in which the kinetic energy can be partially converted into electrical energy by a first electric machine using at least two electric machines arranged on a shaft and can be partially converted into additional kinetic energy, such as rotational energy, by a second electric machine. The method for energy storage of excess kinetic energy provides for converting kinetic energy partially into electric energy and partially into additional kinetic energy, such as rotational energy. Full Article
ev Magnetic field generation device with alternative quench device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 21 Apr 2015 08:00:00 EDT A magnetic field generation device for a magnetic resonance tomography apparatus has a vacuum container that encloses a magnetic coil made of superconducting material, and a conduit of a pipe system is connected with the magnetic coil so as to conduct heat. The pipe system and the conduit are filled with a coolant that places the magnetic coil in a superconducting state during normal operation of the tomography system. A valve connects the pipe system to the interior of a capture container. In the event of non-normal operation, such as a quench, evaporated coolant passes through the valve into the capture container. Full Article
ev Layered superconductor device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 21 Apr 2015 08:00:00 EDT A layered superconductor device includes multiple layers of a single crystal superconducting material having intermittent layers of superconducting material dispersed in a pattern with a second material such that each layer of the multiple layers a single crystal superconducting material are interconnected via superconducting material, allowing for a continuous current path, and a thickness of the superconducting material never exceeds a first predetermined thickness. Full Article
ev Thought recollection and speech assistance device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT Some embodiments of the inventive subject matter include a method for detecting speech loss and supplying appropriate recollection data to the user. Such embodiments include detecting a speech stream from a user, converting the speech stream to text, storing the text, detecting an interruption to the speech stream, wherein the interruption to the speech stream indicates speech loss by the user, searching a catalog using the text as a search parameter to find relevant catalog data and, presenting the relevant catalog data to remind the user about the speech stream. Full Article
ev Language model creation device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT This device 301 stores a first content-specific language model representing a probability that a specific word appears in a word sequence representing a first content, and a second content-specific language model representing a probability that the specific word appears in a word sequence representing a second content. Based on a first probability parameter representing a probability that a content represented by a target word sequence included in a speech recognition hypothesis generated by a speech recognition process of recognizing a word sequence corresponding to a speech, a second probability parameter representing a probability that the content represented by the target word sequence is a second content, the first content-specific language model and the second content-specific language model, the device creates a language model representing a probability that the specific word appears in a word sequence corresponding to a part corresponding to the target word sequence of the speech. Full Article
ev Biometric voice command and control switching device and method of use By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT A biometric voice command and control switching device has a microphone assembly for receiving a currently spoken challenge utterance and a reference utterance, and a voice processing circuit for creating electronic signals indicative thereof. The device further includes a memory for storing the electronic signals, and a processor for comparing the electronic signals to determine if there is a match. If there is a match, an interface circuit enables the operable control of the controlled device. Full Article
ev Low power activation of a voice activated device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT In a mobile device, a bone conduction or vibration sensor is used to detect the user's speech and the resulting output is used as the source for a low power Voice Trigger (VT) circuit that can activate the Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) of the host device. This invention is applicable to mobile devices such as wearable computers with head mounted displays, mobile phones and wireless headsets and headphones which use speech recognition for the entering of input commands and control. The speech sensor can be a bone conduction microphone used to detect sound vibrations in the skull, or a vibration sensor, used to detect sound pressure vibrations from the user's speech. This VT circuit can be independent of any audio components of the host device and can therefore be designed to consume ultra-low power. Hence, this VT circuit can be active when the host device is in a sleeping state and can be used to wake the host device on detection of speech from the user. This VT circuit will be resistant to outside noise and react solely to the user's voice. Full Article
ev Service distribution device and service display device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT A service distribution device is provided that, when acquiring services to be used in an information terminal mounted in a vehicle or used in its passenger compartment, recognizes service availability beforehand, thereby improving usability of the services. A service distribution device includes an information correlation unit for correlating information that denotes service utilization conditions in relation to travel condition of the vehicle with the services. The service distribution device distributes to an information terminal the information that denotes the service utilization conditions correlated by the information correlation unit along with contents of the relevant service so that the information and the contents can be visibly displayed on a display unit in the information terminal. Full Article
ev Electronic device and method for providing menu using the same By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT An electronic device and a method for providing a menu are disclosed. The electronic device displays a plurality of words on the screen, detects a first action specifying selection of at least one of the displayed words, searches an option item related to the word selected by the first action, generates at least one menu item based on the selected word and the searched option item, and displays the generated menu item in a first area of the screen. Full Article
ev Information processing apparatus for displaying screen information acquired from an outside device in a designated color By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT An information processing apparatus configured to display a user interface on a display unit according to screen information acquired from an outside device changes the screen information according to a display attribute set by a user, and if setting of a display attribute of an object included in the screen information is unchangeable, color conversion processing of a specified object included in the screen information is performed and the screen information obtained by executing conversion processing according to the display attribute set by the user with respect to the screen information including the object which has undergone the color conversion processing is displayed. Full Article
ev Adaptive user interface for widescreen devices By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for adapting user interfaces for devices that include widescreen displays. In one aspect, a method includes determining a size characteristic of a display of a mobile device, determining a size characteristic of content that is to be displayed on the display, and comparing the size characteristic of the content to the size characteristic of the display. The method also includes selecting one or more controls to display in a portion of the display that is not to be used to display the content based on comparing the size characteristic of the content to the size characteristic of the display, displaying the content, and displaying the selected controls in a portion of the display that is not used to display the content. Full Article
ev Alert event notification By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT Alert event notifications may be provided by: displaying a first user interface layer including at least one user interface element configured to provide an alert event notification; displaying a second user interface layer such that at least a portion of the second user interface layer overlays the at least one user interface element configured to provide an alert event notification; detecting an alert event; and at least partially displaying the at least one user interface element configured to provide an alert event notification in an area where the at least a portion of the second user interface layer overlays the at least one user interface element configured to provide an alert event notification. Full Article
ev Multi-lane time-synched visualizations of machine data events By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT A visualization can include a set of swim lanes, each swim lane representing information about an event type. An event type can be specified, e.g., as those events having certain keywords and/or having specified value(s) for specified field(s). The swim lane can plot when (within a time range) events of the associated event type occurred. Specifically, each such event can be assigned to a bucket having a bucket time matching the event time. A swim lane can extend along a timeline axis in the visualization, and the buckets can be positioned at a point along the axis that represents the bucket time. Thus, the visualization may indicate whether events were clustered at a point in time. Because the visualization can include a plurality of swim lanes, the visualization can further indicate how timing of events of a first type compare to timing of events of a second type. Full Article
ev Device, method, and graphical user interface for managing concurrently open software applications By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 16 Jun 2015 08:00:00 EDT A method includes displaying a first application view. A first input is detected, and an application view selection mode is entered for selecting one of concurrently open applications for display in a corresponding application view. An initial group of open application icons in a first predefined area and at least a portion of the first application view adjacent to the first predefined area are concurrently displayed. The initial group of open application icons corresponds to at least some of the concurrently open applications. A gesture is detected on a respective open application icon in the first predefined area, and a respective application view for a corresponding application is displayed without concurrently displaying an application view for any other application in the concurrently open applications. The open application icons in the first predefined area cease to be displayed, and the application view selection mode is exited. Full Article
ev Handheld electronic device and method for performing spell checking during text entry and for providing a spell-check learning feature By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 16 Jun 2015 08:00:00 EDT A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with a disambiguation routine that is operable to disambiguate text input. In addition to identifying and outputting representations of language objects that are stored in the memory and that correspond with a text input, the device is able to perform a spell check routine during input of a text entry and to learn and automatically correct mistakes typically made by the particular user. Full Article
ev Altering a view of a document on a display of a computing device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 23 Jun 2015 08:00:00 EDT A document authoring program provides different views of a document opened by a user. In the editing view, the user can view the document contents and edit the contents in using a menu bar. In the semantic zoom view, the user is presented with a heading pane and a thumbnail pane and the menu bar is removed. The user can toggle from the editing view to the semantic zoom view by zooming out past a defined threshold using various user interface controls. Once the threshold is exceeded, the semantic view is presented. The editing view is returned to by selecting a heading or a thumbnail page, which respectively returns the user the page incorporating the selected heading or to the page incorporating the selected heading. This page will be displayed in the editing view at the same zoom level prior to toggling to the semantic zoom view. Full Article
ev Data retrieval in a two-way network By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT A system receives a first request for data associated with a data stream received over a first network from a remote source and then determines when the requested data will be available based on analyzing the data stream. The system communicates a second request for the requested data over a second network to the remote source when the requested data will not be available from the data stream within a threshold time and receives the requested data from the remote source over at least one from the list including the first network and the second network. Full Article
ev Portable communication device for providing phone calling service By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT A portable communication device for phone calling is herein disclosed and enabled. The portable communication device includes a USB interface for connecting to an external USB port of a computing device for enabling phone calling services using the portable communication device. Upon connecting the portable communication device to the external USB port of the computing device, a phone calling software component or data stored in the portable communication device may execute for enabling phone calling services. The portable communication device may also include one or more ports, and may include an interface for Ethernet connection for connecting to the Internet and for making phone calls without the need for connecting the portable communication device to the external USB port. The portable communication device may further include a Wi-Fi wireless component for local wireless communication, and may be implemented as an adapter-sized dongle for providing phone calling services. Full Article
ev Systems and methods for dynamic development and deployment of computing applications using blueprints By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT Systems and methods for dynamic development and deployment of computing applications including a development framework, a visual design subsystem, and a deployment subsystem, where at runtime the deployment subsystem is operable to dynamically deploy a computing application realized by a blueprint by sending a request at runtime for graphs and components instantiated by the blueprint. Full Article
ev Virtualizing embedded devices By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 26 May 2015 08:00:00 EDT A device virtualization system is described herein that separates common computer processing tasks of an embedded device from the application-specific peripherals of the embedded device to allow at least some functions of the device to be offloaded to servers or other computing devices. The device virtualization system greatly simplifies management, configuration, and control of virtual embedded devices. Because much of the software of the device runs on the virtualization server, information technology (IT) personnel can be assigned to manage the virtualization server and to apply any updates and diagnose any problems that occur. Moreover, a single server or group of servers can be used to provide virtualization services for a wide variety of virtualized embedded devices for a wide variety of users. Thus, the system enhances the usefulness of embedded devices and allows a longer lifetime and wider variety of uses than embedded devices today. Full Article
ev Printing device, mobile terminal, and computer readable recording medium for the same By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 02 Jun 2015 08:00:00 EDT A printing device includes a printing device side wireless communication unit configured to execute wireless communication with a mobile terminal, an operation acquisition unit configured to acquire user operation thereof, and a processor. The processor is configured to acquire operation data which is generated as the operation acquisition unit acquires a user operation, acquire establishment data which is generated as the printing device side wireless communication unit establishes a wireless communication with the mobile terminal, and issue a request control to control the printing device side wireless communication unit to transmit request data requesting the mobile terminal to transmit print data necessary for printing, via the wireless communication, when the establishment data is acquired, the request control being issued in accordance with the operation data as acquired. Full Article
ev Metronome device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 04 Dec 1990 08:00:00 EST The invention relates to a programmable electronic metronome, capable of registering all meter and speed characteristics of any musical work and of producing, when the musical work is to be performed, substantially sharp, perceivable, e.g. acoustic, signals representing said characteristics in the appropriate succession. The metronome comprises a keyboard for producing signals associated with at least three variables, which are bar number, speed and meter, and defining digital values for said variables, which values are stored in at least one volatile electronic memory, comprising segments severally correlated to each of said variables, to define digital data sequences. The metronome further comprises a reader for the data sequences, whereby to associate to each bar number digital values of speed and meter, and a transducer for transforming said values into electric impulses, which produce a corresponding succession of perceivable signals. Preferably a further transducer, having an inlet/outlet, is provided for transforming said data sequences into recording signals, which may be recorded onto and retrieved from a hard memory. Full Article
ev Clock security device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 11 Dec 1990 08:00:00 EST A clock security device to be hung on a wall of a facility such as, for example, a store. The clock face has a convex mirrored surface which provides reflected panoramic view of the facility. The clock security device also includes a mounting bracket which provides for the mounting of the clock security device on the wall with the concave mirrored surface at different positions from parallel to the wall to tilted downwardly at different selected angles to the wall. Full Article
ev Speech recognition apparatus with means for preventing errors due to delay in speech recognition By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 08 Jan 1991 08:00:00 EST When a speech sound of at least a predetermined sound pressure is externally input while a time measurement is not being performed, a time measuring circuit starts a time measurement responsive to a signal from a speech detector. When another speech sound of at least a predetermined sound pressure is externally input while a time measurement is being performed by the time measuring circuit, a measurement time measured by the time measuring circuit at this moment is stored in a time information memory. After a predetermined time has elapsed, if a speech recognition circuit recognizes that the externally input speech sound is a "stop" command, the time measurement operation performed by the time measuring circuit is stopped, and the time information stored in the time information memory is read out and displayed as measurement time information on a display unit. Full Article
ev Apparatus for recording and quickly retrieving video signal parts on a magnetic tape By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 29 Jan 1991 08:00:00 EST In an apparatus for recording and quickly retrieving video signal parts on a magnetic tape, during recording information about the local position of each video signal part is automatically stored in a memory associated with the apparatus, which is designed for storing identifying information for a large number of magnetic tape cassettes. The retrieval of each video signal part on each of the cassettes can be effected substantially without delay in the quick rewind mode of operation. Full Article
ev Device and method for providing accurate time and/or frequency By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 28 Dec 1993 08:00:00 EST A device and method provide for an accurate output from a unit, such as an oscillator and/or clock providing an output indicative of frequency and/or time. The device includes a processing section having a microprocessor that develops a model characterizing the performance of the device, including establishing predicted accuracy variations, and the model is then used to correct the unit output. An external reference is used to provide a reference input for updating the model, including updating of predicted variations of the unit, by comparison of the reference input with the unit output. The ability of the model to accurately predict the performance of the unit improves as additional updates are carried out, and this allows the interval between the updates to be lengthened and/or the overall accuracy of the device to be improved. The accuracy of the output is thus adaptively optimized in the presence of systematic and random variations. Full Article
ev Wind direction indicator and time display device for golf courses By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 31 Mar 1998 08:00:00 EST A wind direction indicating and time display unit is provided for use at the tee areas of a golf course. The unit wind direction indicating device is mounted on an upper surface of a support structure and extends upwardly therefrom. The wind direction indicating device includes a support pole, a sleeve mounted for rotation on the pole at the top thereof, a wind direction indicating element, such as a flag, secured to the sleeve and movable in response to changes in wind direction, and a pole support fitting. Secured to the upper surface of the support structure. A time display device, such as a clock, is secured in a laterally facing wall surface of the support structure. Full Article
ev Electronic device, control method for electronic device, recharge-rate estimating method for secondary battery, and charging control method for secondary battery By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 13 Nov 2001 08:00:00 EST A first circuit having a first coil electrically charges a second circuit having a second coil through electromagnetic coupling of the two coils. When data signals are to be transferred between the first and second circuits, signal transfer is started only after the second circuit has been charged for a predetermined period of time. The position relationship between the coils is also detected, and a charging/transfer selector changes a duty ratio between charge transfer and data transfer in accordance with the detected result. The charge is transferred in an intermittent manner, and the charging rate is adjusted according to the difference between the voltage of a secondary battery observed during a charging phase and the voltage of the secondary battery observed a certain time after interruption of the charging phase, or vice versa. Full Article
ev Method for producing display device By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 21 May 2002 08:00:00 EDT An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing a display device by which a substrate is thinned efficiently. Onto one original substrate having an area for a plurality of display devices, the other original substrate is bonded via a sealing resin layer, the pair of bonded original substrates is divided and separated into a plurality of pairs of substrates of a size of each individual display device, and thereafter a substrate thinning process of thinning the substrates is performed in a state where the substrates are held by substrate holding means. Full Article
ev Diurnal solar event triggering mechanism By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 02 Sep 2003 08:00:00 EDT A mechanism for determining whether the sun is visible at a diurnal solar event and for mechanically triggering actions based upon the sun being visible during the diurnal solar event is disclosed. The mechanisms of the invention can perform these operations without intervention or supervision for long periods of time. Certain embodiments have been applied to provide a diurnal solar event trigger based upon sidereal noon for a clock providing accurate timing for 10,000 years without intervention or supervision. Full Article
ev Multilevel network for distributing trusted time and delegating levels of trust regarding timekeeping By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 25 May 2004 08:00:00 EDT A network is described for providing estimates of the current time. The network includes multiple computer systems each configured to provide an estimate of the current time in response to a received request. The computer systems are logically arranged to form a hierarchical structure, wherein the hierarchical structure includes multiple levels ranked with respect to one another. Each of the computer systems is assigned one of multiple levels of trust, and occupies one of the levels of the hierarchical structure dependent upon the assigned level of trust. The level of trust assigned to a given computer system is dependent upon a timekeeping dependability of the given computer system. The assigned level of trust may also be dependent upon a timekeeping security of the given computer system, where the timekeeping security is dependent upon a tamper resistance of the time clock of the given computer system. Methods for delegating a level of trust to a new computer system (i.e., a computer system not part of the network) and for adding a new computer system to the network are also described. Full Article
ev Method and device for synchronizing integrated circuits By www.freepatentsonline.com Published On :: Tue, 24 Oct 2006 08:00:00 EDT A method and device for synchronizing the time between at least two integrated circuits (201, 202), which receive the same pulse signal. In the integrated circuits (201, 202) a counter (204, 206) is used to count the number of pulses in the received pulse signal to synchronize the common time between said integrated circuits. Full Article