Patent number 7615041 is for a system for reducing the number of programs necessary to render an image. It involves an image processing system that reduces the memory and computational requirements needed to process graphics operations. The system combines otherwise individual operations to apply filters to images. The resulting filter operation that emerges from the combination of individual operations spares the processor time required to apply the filter, and the resulting filter operation eliminates the need to create any intermediary image. The system can be implemented in many contexts, such as in situations where the individual operations are fragment programs of a programmable Graphics Processing Unit (GPU). The inventor is John Harper.

Patent number 7612725 involves antennas for handheld electronic devices with conductive bezels. According to the patent, a handheld electronic device may be provided that contains wireless communications circuitry. The handheld electronic device may have a housing and a display. The display may be attached to the housing a conductive bezel. The handheld electronic device may have one or more antennas for supporting wireless communications. A ground plane in the handheld electronic device may serve as ground for one or more of the antennas. The ground plane and bezel may define a opening. A rectangular slot antenna or other suitable slot antenna may be formed from or within the opening. One or more antenna resonating elements may be formed above the slot. An electrical switch that bridges the slot may be used to modify the perimeter of the slot so as to tune the communications bands of the handheld electronic device. The inventors are Robert J. Hill, Robert W. Schlub and Ruben Caballero.

Patent number 7613051 involves interleaving charge pumps for programmable memories. The invention involves systems and methods, including computer software for performing operations enable interleaving of charging operations in a charging pump. A first charge pump is charged to a predetermined level, and a first operation is performed using a charge stored in the first charge pump after it reaches the predetermined level. A second charge pump is charged during a time that overlaps with performing the first operation. A second operation is performed using a charge stored in the second charge pump as a result of charging the second charge pump. The inventor is Michael J. Cornwell.

Patent number 7613684 is for a portable browsing interface for information retrieval. The patent involves an integrated searching/browsing mechanism employs user-constructed information hierarchies that represent a cognitive framework for the organization of information. The hierarchies are independent of the information itself. This feature permits them to be shared among multiple users, and applied to any of a variety of different sources of information. The hierarchical organization that is provided by the framework gives the user the ability to browse around any available document database in a manner that is intuitive to the user. Two or more hierarchies can be combined to locate documents which match the criteria of both hierarchies, and thereby refine search results to an appropriate level. A relevance feedback mechanism further enhances the browsing experience, by concentrating the search results in areas that are most relevant to documents selected as being of particular interest. The inventors are Richard Daniel Borovoy, Michael Graves, Michael Robert Hanson and Nagabhushan Rao Machiraju.

Patent number 7613689 involves methods and systems for managing data. Per the patent, systems and methods for managing data, such as metadata. In one exemplary method, metadata from files created by several different software applications are captured, and the captured metadata is searched. The type of information in metadata for one type of file differs from the type of information in metadata for another type of file. Other methods are described and data processing systems and machine readable media are also described. The inventors are Yan Arrouye, Dominic Giampaolo, Bas Ording, Gregory Christie, Stephen Oliver Lemay, Marcel van Os Imran Chaudhri, Kevin Tiene and Pavel Cisler.

Patent number 76136804 is for methods and systems for image processing. The patent pertains to methods and apparatuses for generating a low dynamic range image for a high dynamic range scene. In one aspect, a method to generate a low dynamic range image from a high dynamic range image, includes: determining one or more regions of the high dynamic range image containing pixels having values that are outside a first range and inside a second range; computing a weight distribution from the one or more regions; and generating the low dynamic range image from the high dynamic range image using the weight distribution. In another aspect, a method of image processing, includes: detecting one or more regions in a first image of a high dynamic range scene according to a threshold to generate a mask; and blending the first image and a second image of the scene to generate a third image using the mask. The inventors are Gabriel G. Marcu and Steve Swen.

Patent number 7613743 is for methods and apparatuses for data protection. The patent involves methods and apparatuses for data protection against corrupted write operations. In one embodiment, a technique of crash protection uses an atomically updated global transaction indicator to switch a set of data structures from one set of versions to another set. In one embodiment, the storage space for multiple versions of a data structure is allocated at the time the data structure is created on the storage device so that the multiple versions of the data structure can be kept close by. Between two consistent points, some data structures are modified to create new versions without changing the corresponding previous versions; and unmodified data structures are not copied. At a consistent point, the global transaction indicator is updated to indicate a set of consistent versions of the data structures, such as metadata of a file system. The inventors are Dominic Benjamin Giampaolo and Michael Steven Mackovitch.

Patent number 7613845 is for a centralized queue in network printing systems. A centralized queue for a network printing system is provided for allowing clients of a network printer to make job requests and enter a spot in a job queue without transmitting the actual print job data to the network. More particularly, an imaging device protocol (IDP) is provided which operates independently of the network layers below and only requires that a transport protocol/port be bidirectional. A wide variety of heterogenous network protocols may be supported by IDP for placing all of the incoming print job information in a print queue regardless of the protocol. Print job information from both IDP and non-IDP protocol/ports may be placed in the print queue by emulating IDP on the non-IDP protocol/ports. As a result, job information for all of the print jobs attempting to access a busy printer may be stored in the print queue so that the print jobs can be printed by the printer with a fair arbitration once the network printer becomes available. The inventor is Paul E. Reilly.

Patent number 7613043 is for shifting reference values to account for voltage sag. The invention is for a system and method, including software implemented techniques, can be used to adjust for sag in stored data values. Charge is applied to multiple memory cells, and each memory cell is charged to a target voltage corresponding to a data value. The memory cells include a reference cell that is charged to a predetermined voltage. A voltage level in the reference cell is detected, and voltage levels from a group of memory cells are also detected. An adjustment is performed based upon the difference between the detected voltage level in the reference cell and the predetermined voltage. The inventors are Michael J. Cornwell and Christopher P. Dudte.

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