Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090004370 | Metal Inks, Methods of Making the Same, and Methods for Printing and/or Forming Metal Films - Printable metal formulations, methods of making the formulations, and methods of coating or printing thin films from metal ink precursors are disclosed. The metal formulation generally includes one or more Group 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, or 12 metal salts or metal complexes, one or more solvents adapted to facilitate coating and/or printing of the formulation, and one or more optional additives that form (only) gaseous or volatile byproducts upon reduction of the metal salt or metal complex to an elemental metal and/or alloy thereof. The formulation may be made by combining the metal salt(s) or metal complex(es) and the solvent(s), and dissolving the metal salt(s) or metal complex(es) in the solvent(s) to form the formulation. Thin films may be made by coating or printing the metal formulation on a substrate; removing the solvents to form a metal-containing precursor film; and reducing the metal-containing precursor film. | 01-01-2009 |
20090020829 | PRINTING OF CONTACT METAL AND INTERCONNECT METAL VIA SEED PRINTING AND PLATING - Methods of forming contacts (and optionally, local interconnects) using an ink comprising a silicide-forming metal, electrical devices such as diodes and/or transistors including such contacts and (optional) local interconnects, and methods for forming such devices are disclosed. The method of forming contacts includes depositing an ink of a silicide-forming metal onto an exposed silicon surface, drying the ink to form a silicide-forming metal precursor, and heating the silicide-forming metal precursor and the silicon surface to form a metal silicide contact. Optionally, the metal precursor ink may be selectively deposited onto a dielectric layer adjacent to the exposed silicon surface to form a metal-containing interconnect. Furthermore, one or more bulk conductive metal(s) may be deposited on remaining metal precursor ink and/or the dielectric layer. Electrical devices, such as diodes and transistors may be made using such printed contact and/or local interconnects. A metal ink may be printed for contacts as well as for local interconnects at the same time, or in the alternative, the printed metal can act as a seed for electroless deposition of other metals if different metals are desired for the contact and the interconnect lines. This approach advantageously reduces the number of processing steps and does not necessarily require any etching. | 01-22-2009 |
20090085095 | Profile Engineered Thin Film Devices and Structures - The present invention relates to electrically active devices (e.g., capacitors, transistors, diodes, floating gate memory cells, etc.) having dielectric, conductor, and/or semiconductor layers with smooth and/or dome-shaped profiles and methods of forming such devices by depositing or printing (e.g., inkjet printing) an ink composition that includes a semiconductor, metal, or dielectric precursor. The smooth and/or dome-shaped cross-sectional profile allows for smooth topological transitions without sharp steps, preventing feature discontinuities during deposition and allowing for more complete step coverage of subsequently deposited structures. The inventive profile allows for both the uniform growth of oxide layers by thermal oxidation, and substantially uniform etching rates of the structures. Such oxide layers may have a uniform thickness and provide substantially complete coverage of the underlying electrically active feature. Uniform etching allows for an efficient method of reducing a critical dimension of an electrically active structure by simple isotropic etch. | 04-02-2009 |
20090109035 | High Reliability Surveillance and/or Identification Tag/Devices and Methods of Making and Using the Same - The present invention relates to methods of making capacitors for use in surveillance/identification tags or devices, and methods of using such surveillance/identification devices. The capacitors manufactured according to the methods of the present invention and used in the surveillance/identification devices described herein comprise printed conductive and dielectric layers. The methods and devices of the present invention improve the manufacturing tolerances associated with conventional metal-plastic-metal capacitor, as well as the deactivation reliability of the capacitor used in a surveillance/identification tag or device. | 04-30-2009 |
20090137071 | High Reliability Surveillance and/or Identification Tag/Devices and Methods of Making and Using the Same - The present invention relates to methods of making capacitors for use in surveillance/identification tags or devices, and methods of using such surveillance/identification devices. The capacitors manufactured according to the methods of the present invention and used in the surveillance/identification devices described herein comprise printed conductive and dielectric layers. The methods and devices of the present invention improve the manufacturing tolerances associated with conventional metal-plastic-metal capacitor, as well as the deactivation reliability of the capacitor used in a surveillance/identification tag or device. | 05-28-2009 |
20120181636 | Printing of Contact Metal and Interconnect Metal Via Seed Printing and Plating - Methods of forming contacts (and optionally, local interconnects) using an ink comprising a silicide-forming metal, electrical devices such as diodes and/or transistors including such contacts and (optional) local interconnects, and methods for forming such devices are disclosed. Electrical devices, such as diodes and transistors may be made using such printed contact and/or local interconnects. A metal ink may be printed for contacts as well as for local interconnects at the same time, or in the alternative, the printed metal can act as a seed for electroless deposition of other metals if different metals are desired for the contact and the interconnect lines. This approach advantageously reduces the number of processing steps and does not necessarily require any etching. | 07-19-2012 |
20130069785 | High Reliability Surveillance and/or Identification Tag/Devices and Methods of Making and Using the Same - The present invention relates to methods of making capacitors for use in surveillance/identification tags or devices, and methods of using such surveillance/identification devices. The capacitors manufactured according to the methods of the present invention and used in the surveillance/identification devices described herein comprise printed conductive and dielectric layers. The methods and devices of the present invention improve the manufacturing tolerances associated with conventional metal-plastic-metal capacitor, as well as the deactivation reliability of the capacitor used in a surveillance/identification tag or device. | 03-21-2013 |
20130189823 | Profile Engineered Thin Film Devices and Structures - The present invention relates to electrically active devices (e.g., capacitors, transistors, diodes, floating gate memory cells, etc.) having dielectric, conductor, and/or semiconductor layers with smooth and/or dome-shaped profiles and methods of forming such devices by depositing or printing (e.g., inkjet printing) an ink composition that includes a semiconductor, metal, or dielectric precursor. The smooth and/or dome-shaped cross-sectional profile allows for smooth topological transitions without sharp steps, preventing feature discontinuities during deposition and allowing for more complete step coverage of subsequently deposited structures. The inventive profile allows for both the uniform growth of oxide layers by thermal oxidation, and substantially uniform etching rates of the structures. Such oxide layers may have a uniform thickness and provide substantially complete coverage of the underlying electrically active feature. Uniform etching allows for an efficient method of reducing a critical dimension of an electrically active structure by simple isotropic etch. | 07-25-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110296264 | Scan Insertion Optimization Using Physical Information - In an embodiment, a design methodology and tools to implement the methodology are used to perform scan insertion in an integrated circuit design. The physical location of the scan chains within the boundaries of the integrated circuit may be determined, and the methodology may use the physical information to perform the scan insertion. For example, the physical information may include the location of the inputs and outputs of the scan chains, as well as routability data indicating the ability to insert interconnect in the integrated circuit to make the desired scan connections. The location and routability information may be used to group scan chain inputs and outputs for, e.g., compression/decompression logic. Using physical data to insert scan compression/decompression logic may reduce the amount of area occupied by the scan logic and connectivity, in some embodiments. | 12-01-2011 |
20120233577 | Using Synthesis to Place Macros - In one embodiment, a design methodology is described in which a functional description of each macro may be synthesized along with the other logic in a block. The resulting circuitry, including synthesized circuitry corresponding to each macro, may be placed within an area designated for the integrated circuit. The result may be analyzed, determining a location for the macro based on the location of the corresponding synthesized circuitry. For example, the geometric center of the synthesized circuitry may be located, and the geometric center of the custom circuitry associated with the macro may be placed at the same point as the geometric center of the synthesized circuitry. Because the macros are not placed in advance, the location of the macro may be controlled by other factors such as timing, space, wiring congestion, etc. | 09-13-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110320250 | ADVERTISING PRODUCTS TO GROUPS WITHIN SOCIAL NETWORKS - Within a social network, users may form social groups based on shared traits, such as experiences and interests. The social network may be able to detect a user interest among the users of a social group in one or more products offered by one or more vendors (e.g., by evaluating conversations within the social group and search queries executed by users of the social group), and to notify the vendors of the detected user interest. The vendors may be willing to extend an offer to the users of the social group regarding the product, and the social network may present the offer to the users of the social group. The social network may also track acceptances of the offer by users of the social group, and may provide an e-commerce infrastructure to allow users to complete purchases of the product and to provide the rewards featured in the offers. | 12-29-2011 |
20120150657 | Enabling Advertisers to Bid on Abstract Objects - Computer-readable media, computer systems, and computing methods are provided for employing abstract objects to solicit bids from advertisers and to present ads submitted by the advertisers upon a user invoking the abstract objects while conducting an online search. The abstract objects include entities, entity classes, actions, and tasks, which are mined by crawling storage locations on the Internet. These abstract objects are monetized by building an index with entries referencing the abstract objects and maintaining the index in a location accessible to advertisers. Via the index, the advertisers target the abstract objects and place bids thereon. During a user-initiated online search, the abstract objects that are relevant to a task being carried out by the user are identified. Further, ads submitted by advertisers that placed bids upon the identified abstract objects are selected for presentation. Based on the bids, the winning advertiser's ad is presented to the user. | 06-14-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110320373 | PRODUCT CONVERSATIONS AMONG SOCIAL GROUPS - Conversations about products and product areas arise among users who also participate in social networks. These conversations often occur over generalized communications channels, such as email or social network messages, which may be unstructured and ephemeral. Such conversations may be promoted among the users of a social group (such as a highly interconnected set of users), and may be restricted to the members of the social group in order to promote reliable discussion and personalized recommendations. The social network may also store such conversations as a product review database that is searchable by members of the social group, evaluate the conversation to identify a consensus recommendation of a product in a product area or a consensus opinion of the social group about a product or recommendation, and compute an aggregated user rating of a product based on the user ratings of the product by various members of the social group. | 12-29-2011 |
20110320423 | INTEGRATING SOCIAL NETWORK DATA WITH SEARCH RESULTS - A user of a social network may submit a search query relating to one or more topics to a search engine indexing a set of data items, but the search results, while authoritative and informative, may be highly impersonal with respect to the user. Conversely, the user may search for social data items within the social network relating to the topics, and such social data items may be more highly personalized to the user, but may also be inaccurate or incomplete. Instead, the search query may be applied to both the search engine and the social network, and the selected search results and social data items may be integrated into a presentation featuring both authoritative and personalized information about the topics associated with the search query. | 12-29-2011 |
20110320441 | ADJUSTING SEARCH RESULTS BASED ON USER SOCIAL PROFILES - Many contemporary computing scenarios involve the submission by a user of a search query to be applied to a data set (such as a set of web pages indexed by a web search engine.) Additionally, many users participate in social networking and have generated a social profile, including demographic information, interests, and associations with other users who also have social profiles. It may be advantageous to improve the presentation of search results from search queries by adjusting the search queries according to a prediction of user interest of the user in the topics associated with respective search results, based on the information in the social profile of the user. For example, search results relating to topics in which the user or the user's friends have expressed an interest within the social network may be presented before other search results, thereby improving the relevance of the search results to the user. | 12-29-2011 |
20120117058 | PRESENTING ACTIONS AND PROVIDERS ASSOCIATED WITH ENTITIES - Computer-readable media, computer systems, and computing devices method of facilitating presentation of actions and providers associated with entities. The method includes determining a query intent of a received query. Entity sets having an entity that matches the determined query intent are recognized. Each entity set includes an entity, an action, and a provider. Actions and/or providers associated with the entity that matches the determined query intent are identified. The actions and/or the corresponding providers associated with the entity are provided for integration with a representation of the associated entity on a search results page. | 05-10-2012 |
20130173639 | ENTITY BASED SEARCH AND RESOLUTION - Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for providing a rich search experience utilizing entity-type characterization are provided. A search query is received and an entity type is determined for the query. A Web search is then performed for the query against a predefined list of sources determined to be authoritative for the determined entity type. The results of the source-specific searches are filtered based upon the entity type providing a filtered list of results that each pertains to an entity of the entity type determined to be associated with the query. The filtered list are then compared to a list of resolved entities to determine equivalent entities identified by different searched sources, the equivalent entities being combined into a single potential search result. The consolidated search results are then ordered based upon rank values. At least a portion of the results may then be presented to the user. | 07-04-2013 |
20130346183 | ENTITY-BASED AGGREGATION OF ENDORSEMENT DATA - Systems, methods, and computer-readable storage media for performing entity-based aggregation of endorsement data are provided. Entity-endorsement data is received from a plurality of different sources, e.g., websites, web pages, database records, files, data feeds, or networks. Entity resolution is then performed to identify like entities. Once the entities are resolved, the relevant endorsement data from each appropriate source is aggregated. The aggregated endorsement data may then be presented with or without an identification of the sources from which the data was aggregated. In this way, sparseness and fragmentation of endorsement data are mitigated and a more complete picture of an entity's endorsement status may be seen. | 12-26-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110288941 | CONTEXTUAL CONTENT ITEMS FOR MOBILE APPLICATIONS - This specification describes technologies relating to content presentation. In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that include the actions of receiving a request to serve a content item to an application on a mobile device; identifying a context associated with the application, the context being derived from an application description page for the application and one or more pages linking to the application description page, the context comprising one or more keywords associated with the application; selecting a content item, from a collection of content items, using the context; and serving the selected content item to the application on the mobile device. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products. | 11-24-2011 |
20110307323 | CONTENT ITEMS FOR MOBILE APPLICATIONS - This specification relates to content presentation. In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that include actions of receiving a request to serve a content item to an application on a mobile device, the application being associated with one or more categories; for each of a plurality of content items in a collection of content items, identifying a performance signal for the content item, the performance signal representing the performance of the content item when served to one or more other mobile devices running the application and one or more other applications associated with one of the one or more categories; selecting, using one or more processors, a first content item from the plurality of content items based on the performance signals of the plurality of content items; and providing the first content item to the application on the mobile device. | 12-15-2011 |
20110321167 | AD PRIVACY MANAGEMENT - In general, this specification relates to content presentation. In general, one aspect of the subject matter described in this specification can be embodied in methods that include the actions of receiving a privacy request from a mobile device, the privacy request including an encoded device identifier; authenticating the request; decoding the device identifier; retrieving mobile device advertising data associated with the decoded device identifier; and applying the privacy request to the mobile device advertising data. Other embodiments of this aspect include corresponding systems, apparatus, and computer program products. | 12-29-2011 |
20120185334 | LOCAL AD SERVING - In general, this specification relates to content presentation. The subject matter of this specification can be embodied in, among other things, methods that include the actions of receiving a group of content items at a user device, the content items configured for presentation to a user in association with other content, each content item of the group of content items including metadata associated with the content item; identifying a request from an application of the user device to present a content item in association with particular content; selecting, using one or more processors, a content item from the group of content items using the metadata for the content items along with local targeting information; and presenting the selected content item. | 07-19-2012 |
20140094193 | NUMBER IDENTIFICATION AND TAGGING - Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on computer storage media, for number identification and tagging. One of the methods includes identifying a content item to be provided to a mobile device. The method includes identifying a location of the mobile device. The method includes identifying at least one calling format based on the location. The method includes identify a calling number included in the content item based on the at least one calling format. The method includes generating an altered version of the content item to tag the calling number. The method also includes provide the altered version to the mobile device. | 04-03-2014 |
20140114773 | ADVERTISING INVENTORY ALLOCATION - A simultaneous ascending price auction (“SAA”) can be used to allocate advertising inventory to bidders. The advertising inventory can be, for example, radio or television advertisement spots (“spots”). The bidders can be advertisers that can provide advertisements for presentation in the spots. Two or more contiguous spots can define an advertising block. Spots or advertising blocks can be allocated to advertisers by the SAA mechanism based on bid criteria. The SAA can perform simultaneous advertisement scheduling and pricing. The auction allocation can be optimized to facilitate efficient allocation of advertisements to spots or blocks. | 04-24-2014 |
20140222571 | DIRECTING COMMUNICATIONS TO SEMANTIC BUNDLES OF LOCATIONS - A system and a computer-implemented method of serving online content items using a semantic description of a feature that is common to a plurality of online content locations are provided. The method includes assigning one or more identifications based on the semantic descriptions to each of the plurality of online content locations using one or more features associated with a respective one of the online content locations, receiving a selection of one or more of the assigned identifications and a physical location of the associated online content locations, determining at least one of a physical location of an online content recipient, and an intended location of the online content recipient, and transmitting an online content item to the online content recipient when the online content recipient is within a specified distance from any of the selected online content locations. | 08-07-2014 |
20140270233 | COMMUNICATING VIA A BODY-AREA NETWORK - In a first example of “Body-Area Networking” (“BAN”), a user wishing to access his electronic device ingests a small pill carrying a transmitter. The transmitter's signal carries an identification code that traverses the user's BAN and is read by the device. If the device recognizes that identification code as authenticate, then the device grants the user the desired access. In another example, the user again swallows a transmitter. When the user shakes hands with another person, the signal originating at the ingested transmitter is carried across the BAN of the first user, travels across the handshake to the BAN of the second user, then traverses the second user's BAN to her device. In a third example, a media player transmits audio information across the BAN to a headset worn by the user. The headset receives the signal, demodulates it, and renders the audio to the user. | 09-18-2014 |
20140273829 | COMMUNICATING VIA A BODY-AREA NETWORK - In a first example of “Body-Area Networking” (“BAN”), a user wishing to access his electronic device ingests a small pill carrying a transmitter. The transmitter's signal carries an identification code that traverses the user's BAN and is read by the device. If the device recognizes that identification code as authenticate, then the device grants the user the desired access. In another example, the user again swallows a transmitter. When the user shakes hands with another person, the signal originating at the ingested transmitter is carried across the BAN of the first user, travels across the handshake to the BAN of the second user, then traverses the second user's BAN to her device. In a third example, a media player transmits audio information across the BAN to a headset worn by the user. The headset receives the signal, demodulates it, and renders the audio to the user. | 09-18-2014 |
20140283017 | COMMUNICATING VIA A BODY-AREA NETWORK - In a first example of “Body-Area Networking” (“BAN”), a user wishing to access his electronic device ingests a small pill carrying a transmitter. The transmitter's signal carries an identification code that traverses the user's BAN and is read by the device. If the device recognizes that identification code as authenticate, then the device grants the user the desired access. In another example, the user again swallows a transmitter. When the user shakes hands with another person, the signal originating at the ingested transmitter is carried across the BAN of the first user, travels across the handshake to the BAN of the second user, then traverses the second user's BAN to her device. In a third example, a media player transmits audio information across the BAN to a headset worn by the user. The headset receives the signal, demodulates it, and renders the audio to the user. | 09-18-2014 |
20150019892 | LOW-POWER NEAR-FIELD COMMUNICATION AUTHENTICATION - This document describes techniques ( | 01-15-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100059783 | Light Emitting Chip Package With Metal Leads For Enhanced Heat Dissipation - A light emitting chip package includes a planar substrate, an LED die mounted on the substrate, and one or more relatively wide and thick metal leads to serve as a low thermal resistance path. The substrate comprises a chip mounting area and a wire bond area on a dielectric body. The LED die is seated on the chip mounting area and electrically connected to the wire bonding area. The metal leads are attached to the substrate and form terminals for external connection. At least one metal lead is connected to the chip mounting area to serve as a low thermal resistance path between the chip mounting area and an external heat sink. | 03-11-2010 |
20100072582 | Semiconductor Device and Method of Electrically Connecting a Shielding Layer to Ground Through a Conductive Via Disposed in Peripheral Region Around Semiconductor Die - A semiconductor device is made by mounting a plurality of semiconductor die to a substrate, depositing an encapsulant over the substrate and semiconductor die, forming a shielding layer over the semiconductor die, creating a channel in a peripheral region around the semiconductor die through the shielding layer, encapsulant and substrate at least to a ground plane within the substrate, depositing a conductive material in the channel, and removing a portion of the conductive material in the channel to create conductive vias in the channel which provide electrical connection between the shielding layer and ground plane. An interconnect structure is formed on the substrate and are electrically connected to the ground plane. Solder bumps are formed on a backside of the substrate opposite the semiconductor die. The shielding layer is connected to a ground point through the conductive via, ground plane, interconnect structure, and solder bumps of the substrate. | 03-25-2010 |
20100148344 | INTEGRATED CIRCUIT PACKAGE SYSTEM WITH INPUT/OUTPUT EXPANSION - An integrated circuit package system includes: forming a base stacking package including: fabricating a base substrate, mounting an integrated circuit on the base substrate, positioning an input/output expansion substrate, having access ports around an inner array area, over the integrated circuit, and injecting a molding compound on the base substrate, the integrated circuit, and the input/output expansion substrate; and mounting a top package on the input/output expansion substrate. | 06-17-2010 |
20120119348 | Semiconductor Device and Method of Electrically Connecting a Shielding Layer to Ground Through a Conductive Via Disposed in Peripheral Region around Semiconductor Die - A semiconductor device is made by mounting a plurality of semiconductor die to a substrate, depositing an encapsulant over the substrate and semiconductor die, forming a shielding layer over the semiconductor die, creating a channel in a peripheral region around the semiconductor die through the shielding layer, encapsulant and substrate at least to a ground plane within the substrate, depositing a conductive material in the channel, and removing a portion of the conductive material in the channel to create conductive vias in the channel which provide electrical connection between the shielding layer and ground plane. An interconnect structure is formed on the substrate and are electrically connected to the ground plane. Solder bumps are formed on a backside of the substrate opposite the semiconductor die. The shielding layer is connected to a ground point through the conductive via, ground plane, interconnect structure, and solder bumps of the substrate. | 05-17-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20140126400 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DOWNLINK/UPLINK FLOW CONTROL IN AN HSPA+ UE USING AUTONOMOUS CONNECTED DRX MODE TRIGGERING - A method, an apparatus, and a computer program product for wireless communication are provided in connection with controlling a flow of data in a user equipment (UE). In one example, a communications device is equipped to monitor at least one parameter related to processing of data at the UE, detect that the at least one parameter has passed a threshold, and autonomously trigger a discontinuous reception (DRX) mode of operation for the UE. In an aspect, the at least one parameter may include, but is not limited to, a data rate, Central Processing Unit (CPU) utilization, memory utilization, component temperature, etc. within the UE. | 05-08-2014 |
20140126443 | VOICE STATE ASSISTED FRAME EARLY TERMINATION - The present disclosure presents a method and apparatus for reducing power consumption during a voice communication in a user equipment (UE). For example, the method may include receiving a plurality of frames associated with the voice communication. Further, such an example method may include determining whether a frame pattern based at least on the received plurality of frames corresponds to a transition from a speech burst period to a non-speech period, and disabling a portion of a receiver subsystem at the UE for at least a portion of a frame associated with the non-speech period. As such, the power consumption in a UE may be reduced. | 05-08-2014 |
20140169246 | DEVICES AND METHODS FOR FACILITATING DYNAMIC POWER REDUCTION DURING DISCONTINOUS RECEPTION - User Equipments (UEs) are adapted to facilitate power conservation by dynamic selection of power reduction techniques during discontinuous reception (DRX), where the power reduction techniques are selected based on a DRX gap length. UEs may be adapted to calculate a DRX gap length, and identify a power reduction technique associated with the determined DRX gap length. The identified power reduction technique may be applied to a receiver circuit during the DRX gap. Other aspects, embodiments, and features are also included. | 06-19-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090080624 | System and Method for Rules-Based Caller ID Notification - A method for caller identification notification, including determining caller identification information associated with a telephone call to a first device. The method further includes sending a notification to a second device when the caller identification information matches a user defined list of caller identification information. | 03-26-2009 |
20100136958 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT ON A MOBILE MEDIA CENTER - A method and apparatus for providing multimedia content over a wireless network are disclosed. For example, the method receives a request from a customer via a data enabled cellular phone for accessing one or more multimedia content from a multimedia content server of the customer, and performs an authentication for obtaining the one or more multimedia content from the multimedia content server. The method obtains the one or more multimedia content from the multimedia content server, and transmits the one or more multimedia content to the data enabled cellular phone. | 06-03-2010 |
20130090099 | Method And System Of Creating Customized Ringtones - A custom ringtone provisioning device is configured to determine user selectable audio options available for generating a digital audio recording based on ringtone capabilities of a mobile communication device of a user, display the available user selectable audio options for the user to select, generate the digital audio recording using the user selectable audio options selected by the user, and transmit the generated digital audio recording to a server for the server to convert the generated digital audio recording into a customized ringtone for use by the mobile communication device in alerting the user of incoming communications. | 04-11-2013 |
20150072655 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING MULTIMEDIA CONTENT ON A MOBILE MEDIA CENTER - A method and apparatus for providing multimedia content over a wireless network are disclosed. For example, the method receives a request from a customer via a data enabled cellular phone for accessing one or more multimedia content from a multimedia content server of the customer, and performs an authentication for obtaining the one or more multimedia content from the multimedia content server. The method obtains the one or more multimedia content from the multimedia content server, and transmits the one or more multimedia content to the data enabled cellular phone. | 03-12-2015 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090089546 | Multiple multi-threaded processors having an L1 instruction cache and a shared L2 instruction cache - In general, in one aspect, the disclosure describes a processor that includes an instruction store to store instructions of at least a portion of at least one program and multiple engines coupled to the shared instruction store. The engines provide multiple execution threads and include an instruction cache to cache a subset of the at least the portion of the at least one program from the instruction store, with different respective portions of the engine's instruction cache being allocated to different respective ones of the engine threads. | 04-02-2009 |
20090169214 | UNIFIED OPTICAL CONNECTOR ARCHITECTURE - A system, device, and method are disclosed. In one embodiment the system includes an optical link and a peripheral device optically coupled to the optical link. The system also includes a host controller, such as a graphics, network, or I/O controller. The system also includes a unified optical connector port, which is optically coupled to the optical link and electrically coupled to the first host controller. The port has a wavelength allocation unit that can allocate an optical wavelength for an optical signal that is utilized to communicate with the peripheral device. The port also includes an electrical-to-optical transmission unit capable of converting an electrical signal, received from the host controller, to the optical signal that was allocated at the first optical wavelength. The electrical-to-optical transmission unit is also capable of transmitting one or more data packets within the first optical signal to the peripheral device across the optical link. | 07-02-2009 |
20090172185 | UNIFIED CONNECTOR ARCHITECTURE - A system, device, and method are disclosed. In one embodiment the system includes a first host controller that utilizes a first protocol. The system also includes a second host controller that utilizes a second protocol. The system also includes a unified connector port. Finally, the system includes a router that is coupled to the first host controller, the second host controller, and the unified connector port. The router is functionally capable of encapsulating a physical layer packet from the first host controller into a first unified connector protocol frame and then transmits the new first frame to the unified connector port. The router is also capable of encapsulating a physical layer packet that it receives from the second host controller into a second unified connector protocol frame and then transmits the second frame to the unified connector port. The first and second protocols are not the same protocol. | 07-02-2009 |
20100049885 | Unified multi-transport medium connector architecture - A device, method, and system are disclosed. In one embodiment the device includes a router to transmit data packets between multiple host controllers and one or more peripheral devices. The router can receive a data packet from a host controller and transmit the data packet to a peripheral device across a data transmission path. The peripheral device is coupled to the first data transmission path through a first universal multi-transport medium (UMTM) connector. The connector includes an optical coupling capable of transporting the first data packet within an optical signal and an electrical coupling capable of transporting the first data packet within an electrical signal. | 02-25-2010 |
20130163474 | MULTI-PROTOCOL I/O INTERCONNECT ARCHITECTURE - Described are embodiments of methods, apparatuses, and systems for multi-protocol tunneling across a multi-protocol I/O interconnect of computer apparatus. A method for configuring a multi-protocol I/O interconnect may include identifying a plurality of switches of a switching fabric of a multi-protocol I/O interconnect, and configuring a path from a port of a first switch of the plurality of switches to a port of a second switch of the plurality of switches. Packets of a first protocol and packets of a second protocol, different from the first protocol, may be simultaneously routed over the path. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. | 06-27-2013 |
20130163605 | MULTI-PROTOCOL I/O INTERCONNECT INCLUDING A SWITCHING FABRIC - Described are embodiments of methods, apparatuses, and systems for multi-protocol tunneling across a multi-protocol I/O interconnect of computer apparatus. A multi-protocol I/O interconnect may include a switching fabric operatively coupled to a first protocol-specific controller and a second protocol-specific controller, and may be configured to simultaneously route packets of the first protocol to the first protocol-specific controller and packets of the second protocol to the second protocol-specific controller. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. | 06-27-2013 |
20130163617 | MULTI-PROTOCOL I/O INTERCONNECT TIME SYNCHRONIZATION - Described are embodiments of methods, apparatuses, and systems for time synchronization of a multi-protocol I/O interconnect of computer apparatus. A method for synchronizing time across the multi-protocol I/O interconnect may include providing a first local time of a first switch of a switching fabric of a multi-protocol interconnect to a second switch of the switching fabric, and adjusting a second local time of the second switch to the first local time. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. | 06-27-2013 |
20130166798 | MULTI-PROTOCOL TUNNELING OVER AN I/O INTERCONNECT - Described are embodiments of methods, apparatuses, and systems for multi-protocol tunneling across a multi-protocol I/O interconnect of computer apparatus. A method for multi-protocol tunneling may include establishing a first communication path between ports of a switching fabric of a multi-protocol interconnect of a computer apparatus in response to a peripheral device being connected to the computer apparatus, establishing a second communication path between the switching fabric and a protocol-specific controller, and routing, by the multi-protocol interconnect, packets of a protocol of the peripheral device from the peripheral device to the protocol-specific controller over the first and second communication paths. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. | 06-27-2013 |
20130166813 | MULTI-PROTOCOL I/O INTERCONNECT FLOW CONTROL - Described are embodiments of methods, apparatuses, and systems for multi-protocol tunneling across a multi-protocol I/O interconnect of computer apparatus. A method for managing flow across the multi-protocol I/O interconnect may include providing, by a first port of a switching fabric of a multi-protocol interconnect to a second port of the switching fabric, a first credit grant packet and a second credit grant packet as indications of unoccupied space of a buffer associated with a path between the first port and a second port, and simultaneously routing a first data packet of a first protocol and a second data packet of a second protocol, different from the first protocol, on the path from the second port to the first port based at least in part on receipt by the second port of the first and second credit grant packets. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. | 06-27-2013 |
20140122755 | MULTI-PROTOCOL I/O INTERCONNECT TIME SYNCHRONIZATION - Described are embodiments of methods, apparatuses, and systems for time synchronization of a multi-protocol I/O interconnect of computer apparatus. A method for synchronizing time across the multi-protocol I/O interconnect may include determining a first local time at a first port of a first switch of a switching fabric of a multi-protocol interconnect and a second local time at a second port of a second switch of the switching fabric, calculating an offset value based at least in part on a difference between the first local time and the second local time, and adjusting the second local time by the offset value. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. | 05-01-2014 |
20140195833 | ADAPTIVE LOW-POWER LINK-STATE ENTRY POLICY FOR ACTIVE INTERCONNECT LINK POWER MANAGEMENT - Methods and apparatus for implementing active interconnect link power management using an adaptive low-power link-state entry policy. The power state of an interconnect link or fabric is changed in response to applicable conditions determined by low-power link-state entry policy logic in view of runtime traffic on the interconnect link or fabric. The low-power link-state policy logic may be configured to include consideration of operating system input and Quality of Service (QoS) requirements for applications and devices employing the link or fabric, and device latency tolerance requirements. | 07-10-2014 |
20140223042 | UNIFIED MULTI-TRANSPORT MEDIUM CONNECTOR ARCHITECTURE - A device, method, and system are disclosed. In one embodiment the device includes a router to transmit data packets between multiple host controllers and one or more peripheral devices. The router can receive a data packet from a host controller and transmit the data packet to a peripheral device across a data transmission path. The peripheral device is coupled to the first data transmission path through a first universal multi-transport medium (UMTM) connector. The connector includes an optical coupling capable of transporting the first data packet within an optical signal and an electrical coupling capable of transporting the first data packet within an electrical signal. | 08-07-2014 |
20140372661 | MULTI-PROTOCOL TUNNELING OVER AN I/O INTERCONNECT - Described are embodiments of methods, apparatuses, and systems for multi-protocol tunneling across a multi-protocol I/O interconnect of computer apparatus. A method for multi-protocol tunneling may include establishing a first communication path between ports of a switching fabric of a multi-protocol interconnect of a computer apparatus in response to a peripheral device being connected to the computer apparatus, establishing a second communication path between the switching fabric and a protocol-specific controller, and routing, by the multi-protocol interconnect, packets of a protocol of the peripheral device from the peripheral device to the protocol-specific controller over the first and second communication paths. Other embodiments may be described and claimed. | 12-18-2014 |
20140372663 | MULTI-PROTOCOL I/O INTERCONNECT FLOW CONTROL - Described are embodiments of methods, apparatuses, and systems for multi-protocol tunneling across a multi-protocol I/O interconnect of computer apparatus. A switch includes a receive to receive a first message and a second message. The switch further includes first protocol logic to process the first message according to a first protocol and an adapter to process the second message according to a second protocol. The first protocol is different from the second protocol. | 12-18-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20130067161 | METHODS AND STRUCTURE FOR TASK MANAGEMENT IN STORAGE CONTROLLERS OF A CLUSTERED STORAGE SYSTEM - Methods and structure for task management in storage controllers of a clustered storage system. An initiator storage controller of the clustered storage system ships I/O requests for processing to a target storage controller of the system. Responsive to a need to abort a previously shipped I/O request, the initiator storage controller transmits a task management message to the target storage controller. The task management message identifies one or more previously shipped I/O requests to be aborted. The target storage controller processes the received task management message in due course of processing requests and completes processing for the aborted previously shipped request in an orderly manner. Resources associated with the aborted previously shipped requests are release within both controllers. | 03-14-2013 |
20130067162 | METHODS AND STRUCTURE FOR LOAD BALANCING OF BACKGROUND TASKS BETWEEN STORAGE CONTROLLERS IN A CLUSTERED STORAGE ENVIRONMENT - Methods and structure for load balancing of background tasks between storage controllers are provided. An exemplary active storage controller comprises a front-end interface that receives host Input/Output (I/O) requests directed to a logical volume, a back-end interface that couples with one or more of storage devices provisioning the logical volume, and a control unit. The control unit processes the host I/O requests directed to the logical volume, identifies a background processing task distinct from the host I/O requests and related to the logical volume, and assigns the background processing task to a passive storage controller for processing. | 03-14-2013 |
20130067164 | METHODS AND STRUCTURE FOR IMPLEMENTING LOGICAL DEVICE CONSISTENCY IN A CLUSTERED STORAGE SYSTEM - Methods and system are provided for exposing logical volumes to host systems and storage controllers in a consistent manner across a clustered storage system. One embodiment is a storage controller. The storage controller is operable to communicate with other storage controllers within the clustered storage system. The storage controller is further operable to generate a proposed Logical Unit Number (LUN) for a logical volume provisioned at the storage devices, and to communicate with each of the other storage controllers within the clustered storage system requesting that the other storage controllers determine if the proposed LUN is in use. If the proposed LUN is not in use, then storage controller assigns the proposed LUN to the logical volume. If the LUN is in use, then the storage controller generates a new proposed LUN and re-tries communication with the other storage controllers until a unique LUN is found. | 03-14-2013 |
20130067172 | METHODS AND STRUCTURE FOR IMPROVED BUFFER ALLOCATION IN A STORAGE CONTROLLER - Methods and structure for improved buffer management in a storage controller. A plurality of processes in the controller each transmits buffer management requests to buffer management control logic. A plurality of reserved portions and a remaining non-reserved portion are defined in a shared pool memory managed by the buffer management control logic. Each reserved portion is defined as a corresponding minimum amount of memory of the shared pool. Each reserved portion is associated with a private pool identifier. Each allocation request from a client process supplies a private pool identifier for the associated buffer to be allocated. The buffer is allocated from the reserved portion if there sufficient available space in the reserved portion identified by the supplied private pool identifier. Otherwise, the buffer is allocated if sufficient memory is available in the non-reserved portion. Otherwise the request is queued for later re-processing. | 03-14-2013 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20140095465 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING RANK OF WEB PAGES BASED UPON PAST CONTENT PORTION SELECTIONS - A method for determining the significance of a web page, or a portion thereof, is disclosed. Accordingly, a search engine or some other application analyzes user-selected content portions (as well as user-provided comments associated with the portions) of a document to determine a document relevance score (e.g. Content Selection Rank) for the document containing the user-selected content portions. The particular algorithm for determining the document relevance score will vary depending upon the particular implementation, but may generally be based upon an analysis of the number and quality of user-selected portions, associated comments, the ratings of the user making the selections and the ratings of users contributing to interactions (such as sharing) with the portions. Based on this analysis, the document is assigned a document relevance score, which is used for processing the document in accordance with instructions associated with a search query. For example, the document relevance score may be used in selecting and ordering documents returned in search results for a particular search query. | 04-03-2014 |
20140143681 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SHARING USER-SELECTED CONTENT - A method and system for enabling, via conventional web browser controls, a user to generate and send an internet document including user-generated highlights are disclosed. The user-generated highlights included in the internet document embedded in the email are highlights that were previously made via a highlighting service. Accordingly, the recipient of the internet document receives a copy of an internet document including highlights, and need not install any special software to view the highlighted portions of the internet document. | 05-22-2014 |
20140149378 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR DETERMINING RANK OF WEB PAGES BASED UPON PAST CONTENT PORTION SELECTIONS - A method for determining the significance of a web page, or a portion thereof, is disclosed. Accordingly, a search engine or some other application analyzes user-selected content portions (as well as user-provided comments associated with the portions) of a document to determine a document relevance score (e.g. Content Selection Rank) for the document containing the user-selected content portions. The particular algorithm for determining the document relevance score will vary depending upon the particular implementation, but may generally be based upon an analysis of the number and quality of user-selected portions, associated comments, the ratings of the user making the selections and the ratings of users contributing to interactions (such as sharing) with the portions. Based on this analysis, the document is assigned a document relevance score, which is used for processing the document in accordance with instructions associated with a search query. For example, the document relevance score may be used in selecting and ordering documents returned in search results for a particular search query. | 05-29-2014 |
20140189493 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SELECTING A CONTENT PORTION OF AN INTERNET DOCUMENT FOR COLLABORATION AND SUBSEQUENT RETRIEVAL - A method and system for enabling a user to select one or more portions of content on one or more objects in a currently displayed internet document in a web browser are disclosed. The content selection functionality is enabled for the user without requiring the user to download and/or install custom software. Furthermore, it is not necessary for the user to register with the content selection service providing the functionality. The user selected content portions are persistent in the sense that they remain associated with, and are displayed on, the internet document during subsequent browsing sessions by the user or other users. | 07-03-2014 |
20140223288 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR CREATING, CONFIGURING AND DISPLAYING USER-SELECTED CONTENT PORTIONS - A method and system for enabling the display of portions of internet documents that have been selected by users of a content selection service are disclosed. Accordingly, a content selection service includes a web portal with a web page providing users with a snippet of code, which, when inserted into an internet document, causes the internet document to display selected portions from the content selection service. The snippet of code can be configured to query the content selection service for content portions that were generated by certain users, or, content selection made on documents from certain domains, and so forth. The code associated with the user interface object displaying the content selections can be configured to periodically query the content selection service to retrieve up-to-date portions, thereby dynamically changing the content selections appearing on a web page or internet document. | 08-07-2014 |
20140281887 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ENABLING CONTENT PORTION SELECTION SERVICES FOR VISITORS TO WEB PAGES - A method and user interface object for invoking a content selection service to operate with a web page are disclosed. Consistent with one embodiment of the invention, a content selection web portal associated with a content selection service provides a web page for selecting one or more user interface objects to be added to a content provider's web page. Each user interface object is displayed with its associated snippet of code, making it simple for a web author to copy and paste the code into his or her own web page. Once embedded in a web page, the code snippet displays a user interface object (e.g., button) on the web page, and when pressed or selected, invokes a content selection service. Alternatively, the content selection service may be automatically invoked without requiring the selection of a button. | 09-18-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100082432 | SYSTEMS AND METHODS FOR PROVIDING CONSTRAINT-BASED ADVERTISING - The present invention is directed towards systems and methods for providing up-to-date constraint based advertising content. The method according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises receiving a request for advertisement content and selecting a first plurality of advertisements meeting the user profile data. The method then filters the first plurality of advertisements based on advertiser and publisher constraints and selecting a second plurality of advertisements and provides the second plurality of advertisements to a user. | 04-01-2010 |
20100082542 | COMPARISON OF ONLINE ADVERTISING DATA CONSISTENCY - The subject matter disclosed herein relates to initiating a comparison of a source snapshot including current source advertising data with a destination snapshot including current destination advertising data taken at the same logical time as such a source snapshot. | 04-01-2010 |
20100121721 | PREMIUM BIDDING OF ONLINE ADVERTISEMENTS - The subject matter disclosed herein relates to utilizing one or more premium rules to associate a premium markup to a base bid for online advertising. | 05-13-2010 |
20110209007 | COMPOSITION MODEL FOR CLOUD-HOSTED SERVING APPLICATIONS - Methods and apparatus for executing an application are disclosed. In accordance with one embodiment, a request is received. One or more of a plurality of module types are instantiated such that a plurality of module objects are generated. A query plan linking the plurality of module objects is executed such that a response to the request is generated. The response is then returned. | 08-25-2011 |
20130246560 | PUBLISH-SUBSCRIBE PLATFORM FOR CLOUD FILE DISTRIBUTION - Methods and apparatus for managing file distribution between publishing and subscribing devices are provided. At a transporter system, a publish request for publishing a version of the dataset is received from a publisher device, wherein the publish request has a predefined format that includes an identity of the dataset, an identity of the version of the dataset, and an identity of a location for the version of the dataset. The transporter system updates a registry to associate the dataset with the identity of the dataset, version, and location, and the transporter system automatically publishes the dataset to any subscribers devices that have previously sent subscribe requests for such dataset to the transporter system. | 09-19-2013 |
20140006073 | FRAMEWORK FOR MARKETPLACE ANALYSIS | 01-02-2014 |
20140324604 | SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PRODUCING PROPOSED ONLINE ADVERTISEMENTS FROM PRE-EXISTING ADVERTISING CREATIVES - A system and method automatically transforms preexisting advertising creatives adapted for a first content service environment into advertising creatives for a second content service environment. The transformed advertising creative are then suitable for initiating a new advertising campaign. In one example, the system transforms advertising creatives from search advertisements and display advertisements into creatives for a stream advertising campaign. Stream advertisements may then be placed into a stream of content displayed on a user device. The transformed advertising creatives may be included in a proposal to a prospective advertiser. The advertiser then can choose to accept the proposal. The process of creating new advertising creatives for the proposal to the advertiser is simplified, automated and made more efficient. | 10-30-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20100077035 | Optimized Polling in Low Resource Devices - Methods and systems for optimizing server polling by a mobile client are described, thereby allowing mobile terminals to conserve battery life by more efficiently using resources such as the processor and transceiver in the mobile terminal. A broker system may be used to minimize wireless communication traffic used for polling. A broker stub intercepts server polling messages at the client, multiplexes the sever requests together, and forwards the multiplexed message to a broker skeleton that de-multiplexes and forwards the messages as appropriate. Polling may also be dynamically adapted based on user behavior, or a server guard may be used to monitor changes to data, and notify a client to poll its respective server when the server guard detects new or updated data on that server for that client. | 03-25-2010 |
20110081922 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING LOCATION BASED SERVICES USING CONNECTIVITY GRAPHS BASED ON CELL BROADCAST INFORMATION - An approach is provided for providing location based services using connectivity graphs based on cell broadcast information. A plurality of cell broadcast message identifiers are caused to be received. Cell broadcast message identifiers are respectively associated with a plurality of cells. A connectivity graph specifying relationships among the cells is generated for providing a location based service. | 04-07-2011 |
20110151898 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GROUPING POINTS-OF-INTEREST ACCORDING TO AREA NAMES - An approach is provided for crowd sourcing and grouping points-of-interest based on cell broadcast message information. Reception of a message from a mobile terminal is caused, at least in part. The message specifies point-of-interest information and an associated area name corresponding to one of a plurality of cells of a communication network. The message is parsed to determine the point-of-interest information and the associated area name. A connectivity graph specifying relationships among the cells is selectively updated with the point-of-interest information. | 06-23-2011 |
20110208810 | Optimized Polling in Low Resource Devices - Methods and systems for optimizing server polling by a mobile client are described, thereby allowing mobile terminals to conserve battery life by more efficiently using resources such as the processor and transceiver in the mobile terminal A broker system may be used to minimize wireless communication traffic used for polling. A broker stub intercepts server polling messages at the client, multiplexes the sever requests together, and forwards the multiplexed message to a broker skeleton that de-multiplexes and forwards the messages as appropriate. Polling may also be dynamically adapted based on user behavior, or a server guard may be used to monitor changes to data, and notify a client to poll its respective server when the server guard detects new or updated data on that server for that client. | 08-25-2011 |
20120329482 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR PROVIDING LOCATION BASED SERVICES USING CONNECTIVITY GRAPHS BASED ON CELL BROADCAST INFORMATION - An approach is provided for providing location based services using connectivity graphs based on cell broadcast information. A plurality of cell broadcast message identifiers are caused to be received. Cell broadcast message identifiers are respectively associated with a plurality of cells. A connectivity graph specifying relationships among the cells is generated for providing a location based service. | 12-27-2012 |
20130303197 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR GROUPING POINTS-OF-INTEREST ACCORDING TO AREA NAMES - An approach is provided for crowd sourcing and grouping points-of-interest based on cell broadcast message information. Reception of a message from a mobile terminal is caused, at least in part. The message specifies point-of-interest information and an associated area name corresponding to one of a plurality of cells of a communication network. The message is parsed to determine the point-of-interest information and the associated area name. A connectivity graph specifying relationships among the cells is selectively updated with the point-of-interest information. | 11-14-2013 |
20140351354 | METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR SHARING POINT OF INTEREST INFORMATION AS A WEBLINK - An approach is provided for facilitating the sharing of information related to an item of interest as a web link via data messaging. The messaging client determines a request to share information related to an item of interest. The messaging client then causes an encoding of the information, geo-coded information, sharing destinations, and user credentials for the sharing destinations into a communication. The messaging client further causes a transmission of the communication to a web server. Next, the message platform determines a request to create a web link for sharing information related to an item of interest, wherein the request includes a communication encoding the information, sharing destinations, and user credentials. The message platform then processes and/or facilitates a processing of the request to cause a creation of a web link based on the communication. The message platform further determines to make the web link available to the sharing destinations. | 11-27-2014 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20080269548 | DYNAMIC AND ADJUSTABLE SUPPORT DEVICES - The present invention relates generally to dynamic and/or adjustable support devices, methods of providing dynamic and/or adjustable support to target tissues, and kits comprising these devices. These devices may have particular utility in providing support to the urethra. The dynamic support devices generally comprise at least one attachment member for attachment to bodily tissue, and at least one expandable member capable of assuming an unexpanded configuration and an expanded configuration. The adjustable support devices generally comprise at least one attachment member for attachment to bodily tissue, and at least one shape-changing portion that is capable of assuming first and second configurations, each with different shapes. Additionally, the dynamic support devices may comprise features of the adjustable support devices, and vice versa. | 10-30-2008 |
20090082617 | METHODS AND DEVICES FOR SUPPORTING, ELEVATING, OR COMPRESSING INTERNAL STRUCTURES - The present invention relates generally to dynamic support devices, methods of providing dynamic support to target tissues, and kits comprising these devices. These devices may have particular utility in providing support to the urethra. The dynamic support devices generally comprise at least one attachment member for attachment to bodily tissue, and at least one support member, where the device capable of assuming a first configuration and a second configuration. The dynamic support devices may be configured to support a target tissue when the device is in its second configuration. The support member may comprise one or more rotating components, one or more deformable components, one or more sliding components, or a combination thereof. | 03-26-2009 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20110004813 | Low overhead circuit and method for predicting timing errors - Data processing circuitry for processing data is disclosed. The data processing circuitry comprises: a data input, a data output and a processing path arranged between the data input and the data output. The processing path comprises: a plurality of synchronisation circuits for capturing and transmitting the data in response to a clock signal; and a plurality of combinational circuits arranged between the synchronisation circuits for processing the data. The data processing circuitry further comprises: a plurality of retention circuits for storing data in a low power mode, the plurality of retention circuits being arranged in parallel with the processing path; and at least one potential error detecting circuit for determining during processing of the data if the data signal pending at an input to one of the plurality of synchronisation circuits is stable during a predetermined time prior to capture of the data and for signalling a potential error if the data input is determined to be unstable during the predetermined time. The at least one potential error detecting circuit comprising: a potential error detecting path for transmitting the data signal pending at the input of the one of the plurality of synchronisation circuits to one of the retention circuits the potential error detecting path comprising delay circuitry for delaying the data signal such that the data signal arrives at the retention circuit the predetermined time after it arrives at the synchronisation circuit; and comparison circuitry for comparing a value of the data signal captured by one of the synchronisation circuits with a value of the data signal captured by a corresponding one of the retention circuits, the comparison circuitry being configured to signal a potential error in response to detecting a difference in the captured data values. | 01-06-2011 |
20110063932 | Boosting voltage levels applied to an access control line when accessing storage cells in a memory - A semiconductor memory storage device is disclosed, the memory comprises: a plurality of storage cells for storing data; at least two access control lines each for controlling access to a respective at least one of the plurality of storage cells; at least two access control circuits each for controlling a voltage level supplied to a corresponding one of the at least two access control lines in response to an access request, the at least two access control circuits each comprising a capacitor and switching circuitry; routing circuitry for routing the access request and a boost signal to a selected one of the at least two access control circuits in dependence upon an address associated with the access request; wherein the at least two access control circuits are each responsive to: receipt of the access request from the routing circuitry to connect the selected access control line to a supply voltage; and receipt of the boost signal from the routing circuitry to disconnect the supply voltage from the access control line and to couple the boost signal to the access control line through the capacitor of the access control circuit to provide a boost to a voltage level on the access control line. | 03-17-2011 |
20110085391 | Memory with improved read stability - A static random access memory is disclosed. The SRAM comprises: at least one data line for transferring data to and from the memory and at least one reset line; a plurality of storage cells each being arranged for connection to the at least one data line and the at least one reset line, each storage cell comprising: an asymmetric feedback loop, the feedback loop comprising a first access node for holding a data value when the feedback loop stores the data value and a second access node for holding a complementary version of the data value when the feedback loop stores the data value; an access device for selectively providing a connection between the at least one data line and the first access node; a reset device for selectively providing a connection between the at least one reset line and the second access node; the memory further comprising: data access control circuitry for generating control signals in response to data access requests for independently controlling the access device and the reset device to provide the connections; wherein: the data control circuitry is configured to: generate a data access control signal to trigger the access device to provide the connection between the first access node and the at least one data line in response to a write request to write a predetermined value to the storage cell, and in response to a read request to read a stored value from the storage cell; and generate a reset control signal to trigger the reset device to provide the connection between the at least one reset line and the second access node in response to a write request to write the complementary predetermined value to the storage cell. | 04-14-2011 |
20110261633 | Memory with improved data reliability - An integrated circuit is provided comprising at least one array of memory cells having a plurality of rows of memory cells and a plurality of columns of bit cells. Each column of the memory cells is coupled to one of a plurality of bit lines. Each row of the memory cells is coupled to one of a plurality of word lines, to control coupling of that row of memory cells to the plurality of bit lines in dependence on a respective word line signal. Word line driver circuitry is configured to group together the word lines of at least three rows of memory cells, such that the word lines of the at least three rows of memory cells share a common word line signal. Thus in a write operation a written data value written into the array of memory cells is written to at least three memory cells having a shared bit line. Read circuitry is coupled to the plurality of bit lines, configured such that in a read operation, in which the at least three memory cells are all coupled to the shared bit line by means of the common word line signal, a read data value is determined in dependence on a voltage of the shared bit line, dependent on data values stored in the at least three memory cells. If, at a time of the read operation, one of the at least three memory cells holds a complement value of the written data value, the voltage of the shared bit line nonetheless has a value such that the read data value is determined with the same value as the written data value. | 10-27-2011 |
20120229187 | Storage circuitry and method with increased resilience to single event upsets - Storage circuitry is provided with increased resilience to single event upsets, along with a method of operation of such circuitry. The storage circuitry has a first storage block configured in at least one mode of operation to perform a first storage function, and a second storage block configured in at least one mode of operation to perform a second storage function distinct from said first storage function. Configuration circuitry is responsive to a predetermined mode of operation where the second storage function is unused, to configure the second storage block to operate in parallel with the first storage block. By arranging the two storage blocks in parallel when one of the storage blocks is otherwise performing no useful function, this in effect increases the size of the storage block that is still performing the useful storage function, and as a result increases its resilience to single event upsets. Such an approach has minimal area and power consumption overhead, and provides a small storage circuit that can be readily used in a wide variety of sequential cell designs. | 09-13-2012 |
20120230122 | Memory device and method of controlling a write operation within a memory device - A memory device and method are provided incorporating a technique for controlling a write operation within the memory device. The memory device has an array of memory cells, each memory cell supporting writing and simultaneous reading of that memory cell. Write circuitry is arranged, during a write operation, to provide write data to a number of addressed memory cells within the array, whilst word line select circuitry is responsive to the start of the write operation to assert a write word line signal that enables those addressed memory cells to store the write data. Comparing circuitry is arranged, during the write operation, to compare the write data with data currently stored in the addressed memory cells. On detecting that the write data matches the data currently stored in the addressed memory cells, the comparing circuitry asserts a control signal to the word line select circuitry to cause the word line select circuitry to de-assert the write word line signal. As a result, the pulse width of the asserted write word line signal is dependent on time taken by the addressed memory cells to store the write data, thereby leading to a significant reduction in the size of the pulse width when compared with known prior art techniques. | 09-13-2012 |
20120230129 | Method of altering distribution of a chosen characteristic of a plurality of memory cells forming a memory device - A method is provided for altering distribution of a chosen characteristic of a plurality of memory cells forming a memory device. The method comprises identifying a subset of the memory cells whose value of the chosen characteristic is within a predetermined end region of the distribution, and then performing a burn-in process during which one or more operating parameters of the memory device are set to induce aging of the memory cells. During the burn-in process, for each memory cell in the subset, the value stored in that memory cell is fixed to a selected value which exposes that memory cell to a stress condition. In contrast, for each memory cell not in the subset, the value stored in that memory cell is alternated during the burn-in process in order to alleviate exposure of that memory cell to the stress condition. Such an approach allows a tightening of the distribution of the chosen characteristic, thus improving the worst case memory cells. | 09-13-2012 |
20120233233 | APPARATUS AND METHOD FOR GENERATING A RANDOM NUMBER - An apparatus and method for generating a random number are provided, the apparatus having at least one generator circuit, each generator circuit being configured to provide a first operating mode and a second operating mode, in the first operating mode each generator circuit operating as an oscillator, and in the second operating mode each generator circuit operating as a state retention element. A control signal generator then generates a control signal for input to each generator circuit. Each generator circuit is responsive to the input control signal being at a set level to operate in the first operating mode, and is responsive to the input control signal being at a clear level to operate in the second operating mode. On a transition of the input control signal from the set level to the clear level, each generator circuit is configured to capture within the state retention element a current value of the oscillator, and to output that current value to form at least part of the random number. Such an approach provides a particularly simple, efficient and low area apparatus for generating a random number. | 09-13-2012 |
Patent application number | Description | Published |
20090245013 | Sequential storage circuitry for an integrated circuit - Sequential storage circuitry is provided for an integrated circuit, comprising input circuitry, a storage structure, and output circuitry. The input circuitry receives an input data value to the sequential storage circuitry, and generates an internal data value. The input circuitry receives a first control signal which when asserted causes it to generate as the internal data value an inverted version of the input data value, and which when not asserted causes the input circuitry to generate as the internal data value the input data value. The storage structure then stores an indication of the internal data value. The output circuitry generates, from the indication of the internal data value stored in the storage structure, an output data value for outputting from the sequential storage circuitry. More particularly, the output circuitry receives a second control signal derived from the first control signal, which causes the output circuitry to generate as said output data value an inverted version of the internal data value in the event that the input circuitry generated as the internal data value an inverted version of the input data value, and otherwise generates as the output data value the internal data value. Such a mechanism provides a simple and effective technique for annealing stress build-up within the storage structure, as for example may arise as a result of the NBTI phenomenon. The technique of the present invention can be also be used for other purposes, for example to improve security of the data held within such a sequential storage circuitry. | 10-01-2009 |
20090249175 | Single Event Upset error detection within sequential storage circuitry of an integrated circuit - Sequential storage circuitry for a integrated circuit is provided, comprising a first storage element, a second storage element and an additional storage element. The first storage element stores, during a first phase of a clock signal, a first indication of an input data value received by the sequential storage circuitry. The second storage element is coupled to an output of the first storage element, and stores a second indication of the input data value during a second phase of the clock signal. The additional storage element is driven by a pulse signal derived from the clock signal, and is arranged on occurrence of that pulse signal to store a third indication of the input data value. Error detection circuitry is then provided for detecting a single event upset error in either the first storage element or the second storage element. In particular, during the first phase of the clock signal, the error detection circuitry detects the single event upset error in the first storage element if there is a difference in the input data value as indicated by the first indication and the third indication. Further, during the second phase of the clock signal, the error detection circuitry detects a single event upset error in the second storage element if there is a difference in the input data value as indicated by the second indication and the third indication. Such an arrangement provides a simple mechanism for detecting soft errors in both the first storage element and the second storage element using only one additional storage element. | 10-01-2009 |
20100088565 | Correction of single event upset error within sequential storage circuitry of an integrated circuit - Sequential storage circuitry for an integrated circuit is disclosed that comprises storage circuitry comprising: a first storage element for storing, during a first phase of a clock signal, a first indication of an input data value received by said sequential storage circuitry; a second storage element coupled to an output of said first storage element, for storing a second indication of said input data value during a second phase of said clock signal; and error detection circuitry for detecting a single event upset error in any of said first and second storage elements comprising: two additional storage elements for storing third and fourth indications of said input data value respectively in response to a pulse signal derived from said clock signal; comparison circuitry for comparing said third and fourth indications of said input data value; and further comparison circuitry for comparing during a first phase of said clock signal said first indication and at least one of said third and fourth indications, and for comparing during a second phase of said clock signal said second indication and at least one of said third and fourth indications; and output circuitry for correcting any detected errors in said storage circuitry and for outputting an output value; said output circuitry being responsive to no match by said comparison circuitry to output said first indication during a first phase of said clock signal and said second indication during said second phase of said clock signal, and said output circuitry being responsive to a match by said comparison circuitry to output a value in dependence upon comparisons performed by said further comparison circuitry; said output circuitry being responsive to a match by said further comparison circuitry during a first phase of said clock signal to output said first indication during said first clock cycle and to a no match to output an inverted value of said first indication; and said output circuitry being responsive to a match by said further comparison circuitry during a second phase of said clock signal to output said second indication during said second phase of said clock signal and to a no match to output an inverted value of said second indication. | 04-08-2010 |
20140143291 | STORAGE CIRCUIT WITH RANDOM NUMBER GENERATION MODE - A storage circuit | 05-22-2014 |