Bizarre Patents
Pet Toilet-Like Water Disk and Food Storage
One pet-friendly inventor patented "a device for watering pets, e.g., a dog or cat." The device, he helpfully noted, "has the general shape of a toilet."
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| Number | Title | Issue Date |
| 7941796 | Distributing and synchronizing objects A method and apparatus for distributing and synchronizing objects. One or more embodiments of the invention provide for distributing copies of the objects locally. By copying objects (including the data and behavior for the object) into local address space, the obje... | 05/10/2011 |
| 7937724 | Advertising content tracking for an entertainment device Systems and methods of processing data from a plurality of entertainment devices are provided. The method may include: receiving user interaction information, said user interaction information comprising information regarding user interaction with an advertisement d... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7937666 | Form-field mask for sensitive data Techniques for collecting data via a display page are disclosed. A data entry field that does not display a current value associated with the data entry field is provided in the display page. A display field configured to display at least a portion of the current va... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7937372 | Snapshot indexing Managing backup data comprises mounting a snapshot of a file system. Each of the plurality of snapshots is taken at a particular time and each comprises a replica of the data set at that particular time. The mounted snapshot is accessed. For each of the one or more ... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7937369 | Data mover discovery of object extent Performing data backup for a client includes receiving, at a host other than the client, volume information including data indicating a physical data storage location of at least a part of a volume comprising one or more stored objects associated with the client; an... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7936745 | Multiple extension and line appearance for IP telephony Displaying an IP call status is disclosed. An IP call status notification is received from an IP telephony device. A display update is caused by transmitting a display notification to an IP telephone. ... | 05/03/2011 |
| 7934151 | Specification of tables including objects with arbitrary formatting Specification of tables containing objects is disclosed. In some embodiments, a table object contains one or more row objects as well as one or more objects with arbitrary (i.e. non-row) formatting. Common row and/or column formatting may be inferred and applied to ... | 04/26/2011 |
| 7933870 | Managing file information Managing file information is disclosed. In some embodiments, a first set of information associated with a file that includes an identifier is accessed. The identifier from the first set is read. If it is determined that at least one value in a second set of informat... | 04/26/2011 |
| 7925858 | Linear space allocation mechanisms in data space An indication to allocate storage is received, where the storage is to be used to store previous version data associated with a protected data set. One or more storage groups are allocated of at least a prescribed allocation group size and comprising a set of physic... | 04/12/2011 |
| 7925077 | Generation of a disparity result with low latency A powerful, scaleable, and reconfigurable image processing system and method of processing data therein is described. This general purpose, reconfigurable engine with toroidal topology, distributed memory, and wide bandwidth I/O are capable of solving real applicati... | 04/12/2011 |
| 7923774 | Power MOS device with conductive contact layer A semiconductor device includes a drain, a body disposed over the drain, a source embedded in the body, a gate trench extending through the source and the body into the drain, a gate disposed in the gate trench, a source body contact trench extending through the sou... | 04/12/2011 |
| 7921053 | Method and system for conducting electronic auctions with multi-parameter price equalization bidding An auction is conducted by obtaining, from a buyer, information associated with a product to be purchased using an auction, where the buyer purchases the product from a winning bidder. The obtained information associated with the product is made available to at leas... | 04/05/2011 |
| 7918341 | Wafer container with staggered wall structure A wafer container comprising a base and a cover that nest together. The base includes a staggered wall structure composed of inner and outer walls. The staggered wall structure is arranged so that forces from side impacts are absorbed principally by outer wall segme... | 04/05/2011 |
| 7917881 | Timing of a circuit design Improving the timing and/or yield of a circuit design is disclosed. Timing and yield improvements are often competing objectives in circuit design since timing improvements typically result from reducing capacitive couplings and yield improvements typically increase... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7917859 | Dynamic user interface elements A set of rules and a current context for a user is obtained. The set of rules and the current context are used to determine a rule weight for each of a set of user interface elements. One or more of the user interface elements is caused to be displayed. Which user i... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7917851 | Viewing point for a composition with multiple layers A position of a viewing point within a plurality of layers of a composition is received. Of the plurality of layers, at least a layer that is immediately adjacent to the viewing point is displayed. Those layers, if any, that are on the opposite side of the viewing p... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7917563 | Read channel processor Adapting a read channel processor is disclosed. Adapting includes determining a target output for input data from a variable target function, determining a filter output corresponding to the input data from a programmable filter having programmable filter coefficien... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7917482 | Indexing of database queries Making data available from a database is disclosed. Making data available includes specifying a query function having a query function name, wherein the query function includes a structure and a member, determining the structure and the member included in the query ... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7917337 | Adaptive self-linearization with separation filter Signal processing includes receiving an unknown signal having a distorted component and an undistorted component, the distorted component and the undistorted component having a nonlinear relationship; and separating from the unknown signal a reference component and ... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7916894 | Summary of a video using faces A plurality of sets of face images associated with a video is obtained. Each set of face images corresponds to a particular person depicted in the video. Of the people associated with the plurality of sets of face images, one or more of those people are selected to ... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7915867 | Synchronous control for generator output Synchronous control for an output of a generator is disclosed. A desired output level at the output of the generator is received. An off time to achieve the desired output level is determined. A timing for the off time is determined. One or more coil outputs are cau... | 03/29/2011 |
| 7913044 | Efficient incremental backups using a change database Efficient incremental backups using a change database is disclosed. Based at least in part on a file attribute it is determined that a file has changed since a previous backup. Change data is stored in a data structure additional to a file system with which a file i... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7912799 | Smart containers Smart containers are disclosed. A definition is received of a logical structure configured to manage associated content. A policy or operation specified by the definition is applied to an item of content associated with an instance of the logical structure. ... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7912095 | Dynamic preamble detection A data packet, comprising a preamble and the preamble comprising a plurality of synchronization bits, is received where the preamble may be of either a first preamble type or a second preamble type. Channel estimation is performed using at least a first portion of t... | 03/22/2011 |
| 7903462 | E/P durability by using a sub-range of a full programming range A NAND flash memory system is controlled by determining whether to change a value of a voltage threshold. The voltage threshold is associated with an erase operation to a portion of a NAND flash memory chip. In the event it is determined to change the value of the v... | 03/08/2011 |
| 7899826 | Semantic reconstruction Determining a semantic relationship is disclosed. Source content is received. Cluster analysis is performed at least in part by using at least a portion of the source content. At least a portion of a result of the cluster analysis is used to determine the semantic r... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7898322 | Demodulator for a low power radio receiver Frequency demodulation of a signal is disclosed. A first edge event and a second edge event are detected in a signal. The second edge event is an edge event subsequent in time to the first edge event. A data bit based at least in part on a timing interval between th... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7897438 | Method of making semiconductor package with plated connection A semiconductor package and method for making a semiconductor package are disclosed. The semiconductor package has a top surface and a mounting surface and includes a die, a conducting connecting material, a plating material and an insulating material. The die has a... | 03/01/2011 |
| 7890378 | System and method for generating a search query using a category menu One embodiment of the present invention provides systems and methods, which allow a more efficient shopping experience. A cascading commerce menu provides access to a plurality of product, service, and/or content categories. In one embodiment, the cascading commerce... | 02/15/2011 |
| 7889676 | Systems and methods for storing and retrieving data Systems and methods for storing and retrieving data are disclosed. An example method includes the steps of receiving a range of addresses, storing the range of addresses in a bulk object in a database for storing information associated with addresses. In some embodi... | 02/15/2011 |
| 7885831 | Insurance product model-based apparatus and method An insurance product model comprising insurance policy metadata is provided (101) in a computer memory. The insurance policy metadata may comprise, at least in part, data that describes information that comprises a given corresponding insurance policy. A comp... | 02/08/2011 |
| 7882159 | Associative references in a garbage collected programming environment Associative references in a garbage collected programming environment is disclosed. An indication that an object is not reachable from any root object. The object is kept alive if it is determined by a garbage collection process, based at least in part on data other... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7882064 | File system replication File system replication includes determining whether one of a plurality of files included in an original file system has been updated since a previous replication, the file having a plurality of data segments, and in the event that the file has been updated, locatin... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7882061 | Multi-thread replication across a network Data is replicated from a source to a target. For each of a plurality of replication processing threads (one thread at a time) a corresponding batch of one or more non-synchronization tasks is formed. Each batch of one or more non-synchronization tasks includes a ne... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7881239 | Low-powered autonomous radio node with temperature sensor and crystal oscillator A device for a node in a digraph network comprising is disclosed. The device comprises an internal time reference, a radio receiver, a radio transmitter. The device further comprises a temperature sensor for stabilizing the internal time reference against drifting w... | 02/01/2011 |
| 7849018 | Tracking download of an application component Recording information used in determining a licensing fee related payment is disclosed. An application is provided without a component associated with the application, where the component is associated with a licensing fee. Information associated with obtaining the ... | 12/07/2010 |
| 7848042 | Decoupling magneto-resistive asymmetry and offset loops Removing magneto-resistive asymmetry (MRA) from a signal is disclosed. Removing MRA includes determining an estimated offset error associated with error due to offset in the signal, determining an estimated signal error associated with error due to offset and MRA in... | 12/07/2010 |
| 7847426 | Wind power generation A wind power generating system is disclosed. The wind power generating system comprises a plurality of blades to capture wind energy; a shaft coupled to the plurality of blades, and a power extractor for extracting power from the rotation of the plurality of blades.... | 12/07/2010 |
| 7875541 | Shallow source MOSFET Fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming a hard mask on a substrate having a top substrate surface, forming a trench in the substrate through the hard mask, depositing gate material in the trench, where the amount of gate material deposited in the trench ... | 01/25/2011 |
| 7874012 | Privileged access to encrypted data Content processing is disclosed. An indication that a sender desires to send encrypted content to a destination is received. An agreement is obtained from the sender to provide an access key to a node other than the destination and to encrypt content sent to the des... | 01/18/2011 |
