US08391526B2

The present invention is directed to an in the ear device sized and shaped such that the in the ear device universally and ergonomically fits into the human ear without slipping out and providing the user with a comfortable fit. The in the ear device is secured in the user's ear taking advantage of the natural curvature of the human to provide support and shift the center of gravity from outside the ear to further inside the pinna to prevent the device from slipping out while retaining a high level of comfort.
US08391524B2

A hearing aid that analyzes a surrounding acoustic environment and automatically switches between a plurality of hearing aid processing reduces noise by limiting directionality, when the user is in a noisy outdoor location. However, in the case where directionality is limited to the front when the user is walking or the like, the user is put in extreme danger because he/she cannot notice sound of danger approaching from behind. Behavior analysis of identifying a walking state of the user is necessary in addition to environmental analysis, but typical walking detection using a sensor as in the case of a pedometer and the like is not applicable to a device worn at an ear such as a hearing aid. On the basis of an occurrence pattern of wind noise when walking, the walking state of the user is identified in the case where pulse-like wind noise occurs repeatedly. This enables walking detection to be performed using an existing structure, with there being no need to provide a sensor or the like. Hence, it is possible to provide a hearing aid that can be safely used even outdoors.
US08391523B2

A method for providing hearing assistance to a user, comprising capturing audio signals by an internal microphone arrangement and supplying the captured audio signals a central signal processing unit; estimating whether a certain type of external audio signal supply device is connected to the audio signal processing unit in order to supply external audio signals to the central signal processing unit, and selecting an audio signal processing scheme according to the estimated type of external audio signal supply device; processing, the captured audio signals and the external audio signals according to the selected audio signal processing scheme; transmitting the processed audio signals to stimulating means worn at or in at least one of the user's ears via a wireless audio link; and stimulating the user's hearing by said stimulating means according to the processed audio signals.
US08391521B2

In a system capable of outputting an audio signal as beams from an array speaker and performing multi-channel reproduction, a plurality of beam setting patterns (reproduction modes) are stored in the memory of a controller. The beam setting patterns include a single basic pattern and a plurality of deformed patterns that use the beam control data of the basic pattern. When the user specifies a reproduction mode via an interface, the beam setting pattern corresponding to the mode is read and set to the signal processor of each channel.
US08391516B2

A method of using an audio device (2) for improving a user's (1) listening experience. The audio device has a transducer (12) for producing output sound and the method comprises the steps of driving the transducer to produce an output sound and placing the audio device against the body of the user so that the user experiences a physical response to the sound while simultaneously listening to the audio device. The audio device may be arranged to produce a resonance in a part of the user's body. Preferably the audio device is positioned on the user's chest to produce a resonance in the chest cavity of the user's body. The audio device may comprise a sum and difference speaker system.
US08391515B2

A speaker includes a case, a dome, a diaphragm, a first voice coil, a second voice coil, a first pole plate, a second pole plate, a first magnet, a second magnet and a yoke. The case is supported on the frame to form a receiving room therebetween. The yoke includes a bottom portion and a side portion perpendicularly extending upward from the center of the bottom portion. A first magnetic gap is formed between the inner wall of the side portion and the outer wall of the magnet for receiving the first voice coil, and a second magnetic gap is formed between the outer wall of the side portion and the inner wall of the second magnet for receiving the second voice coil.
US08391514B2

A method of optimizing a parametric emitter system having a pot core transformer coupled between an amplifier and an emitter, the method comprising: selecting a number of turns required in a primary winding of the pot core transformer to achieve an optimal level of load impedance experienced by the amplifier; and selecting a number of turns required in a secondary winding of the pot core transformer to achieve electrical resonance between the secondary winding and the emitter.
US08391507B2

Detection of an uncorrelated component in a multi-channel acoustic signal is disclosed. In one example, the detection is based on a relation between (A) a difference in energy between two channels of the signal and (B) a threshold value that is based on an estimate of background energy of the acoustic signal.
US08391495B2

The present invention provides a computer implemented method, apparatus, and data processing system for associating a private part of a keystore of a user with a user authentication process in an encrypting file system. A secure shell daemon server establishes the user authentication process with a secure shell client such that the user authentication process is associated with a user and the user is authenticated. The secure shell daemon server obtains an acknowledgment from the secure shell client. The secure shell daemon server accesses a user public key of the user from the keystore of the user, responsive to receiving the acknowledgment. The secure shell daemon obtains a public secure shell cookie associated with the user from the keystore of the user. The public secure shell cookie is an access key in encrypted form. The access key is based on the user's public key to form the public secure shell cookie. The secure shell daemon server obtains the access key from the secure shell client. The private part of the keystore is associated with the user authentication process, wherein the private part is accessed based on the access key.
US08391492B1

In one embodiment, an apparatus associated with securing a Resource Reservation Protocol (RSVP) with dynamic group keying is provided. The apparatus may include a group key logic that interacts with a dynamic group key management logic. The dynamic group key management logic provides a group key to members of a set of RSVP-capable devices. The apparatus also includes an RSVP authentication logic to determine whether a received RSVP message was provided by a member of the set of RSVP-capable devices. The determination is made using implicit authorization that depends on the group key and that does not depend on a challenge/response protocol. In one embodiment the apparatus is a router.
US08391487B2

In one embodiment, the present invention is a method for providing a secure remote configuration. The method includes obtaining a signed configuration file (S-CF) from a storage using a device identity of the device, wherein the device identity of the device is linked with a location of the device. A validated configuration file (V-CF) is then generated using the S-CF. At least one device parameter is then configured using the V-CF. In another embodiment, the present invention is a method for providing a signed configuration file (S-CF) to the device. The method includes processing a request for an S-CF from the device, wherein the request comprises a device identity of the device. A location of the device is then determined using a location database and the device identity of the device. A configuration file (CF) for the location of the device is then obtained from a storage. An S-CF is then generated using the CF. The S-CF is then provided to the device.
US08391484B2

A method for performing video communication is provided. The method includes: creating and saving a bio key using a user's biological information before first and second terminals perform the video communication; establishing a session, wherein the first terminal requests voice communication with the second terminal; exchanging bio keys saved in the respective terminals and saving the same; starting a Secure Real-Time Transport Protocol (SRTP) session, wherein the first and second terminals create a session sharing key using the exchanged bio keys; creating a restored bio key by obtaining the biological information from data received by first and second terminals and performing a user certification by comparing the bio key with the restored bio key.
US08391481B2

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system, method, and computer program product is provided for rebinding title keys in clusters of devices with distinct security levels in broadcast encryption systems. The method includes receiving a new management key and unbinding an encrypted title key with a previously used management key, the title key having a security class and residing in a title key block for a device having a security class, the device being in a cluster of devices including devices having a plurality of security classes. If the device security class is lower that the title key security class, the unbound title key is partially rebound with the new management key. the partially rebound title key is then saved in the title key block for the device.
US08391480B2

Apparatus and method are disclosed for digital authentication and verification. In one embodiment, authentication involves storing a cryptographic key and a look up table (LUT), generating an access code using the cryptographic key; generating multiple parallel BPSK symbols based upon the access code; converting the BPSK symbols into multiple tones encoded with the access code using the LUT; and outputting the multiple tones encoded with the access code for authentication. In another embodiment, verification involves receiving multiple tones encoded with an access code; generating multiple parallel BPSK symbols from the multiple tones; converting the BPSK symbols into an encoded interleaved bit stream of the access code; de-interleaving the encoded interleaved bit stream; and recovering the access code from the encoded de-interleaved bit stream.
US08391476B2

A plurality of S-boxes is masked by one masking inverse table. Therefore, the computation cost and the use amount of the RAM necessary for masking at the time of a masking operation for defending a differential power analysis attack in a SEED encryption algorithm can be effectively reduced.
US08391466B1

Various embodiments of the invention provide methods, systems, and computer program products for generating an outbound forecast. In particular embodiments, campaign parameters are defined for at least two outbound call campaigns that include for each campaign a time period over which the campaign is to be carried out, a target value identifying a number of an outbound communication result to occur over the time period, and sources for handling outbound communications. Further, a historical dataset is selected that includes historical data on the corresponding outbound communication result for each campaign based on past outbound communications. In various embodiments, an outbound forecast is generated based on the historical dataset and campaign parameters for the outbound call campaigns. The forecast provides a number of the outbound communication result forecasted to be achieved over the time period for each campaign in an attempt to meet the target value for the corresponding campaign.
US08391454B2

A mechanism for indicating a specific response message to be played to a caller is provided. A call that comprises an identification of a caller is received in a recipient device. If the recipient device is operating in the phone management mode, a recipient notification of the call is blocked on the recipient device. If the caller is identified as a known caller based on the identification of the caller, a caller specific response message is sent to the known caller. The caller specific response message is at least one of an interactive or a non-interactive caller specific response message. The interactive response message includes a code with which to respond. If the response message is the interactive response message and the caller enters the code associated with the interactive response message, then the recipient notification of the call is activated, on the recipient device.
US08391448B2

A voicemail system apparatus produces a voicemail notification message corresponding to a voicemail message received and saved at a voicemail system, and causes the voicemail notification message to be sent to a mobile device. Subsequently, the apparatus causes a voicemail deletion notification message to be sent to the mobile device, where the voicemail deletion notification message indicates that the voicemail message will be deleted by the voicemail system. In response to expiration of a voicemail message time expiration period associated with the voicemail message, the apparatus deletes the voicemail message at the voicemail system. On the other hand, prior to expiration of the voicemail message time expiration period, and in response to receiving a save command from the mobile device for resaving the voicemail message, the apparatus saves the voicemail message at the voicemail system and updates the voicemail message time expiration period.
US08391446B2

A method that processes and conditionally routes a call. The method includes receiving a call from a caller, determining a telephone number of the caller, and determining if the telephone number of the caller is a telephone number assigned to a specific individual. The method also includes accessing an electronic database to determine a stored language preference of the specific individual when the telephone number of the caller is determined to be assigned to a specific individual. The method further includes routing the call to a predetermined destination based on the stored language preference of the specific individual in the electronic database, and routing the call to a first default destination when the telephone number of the caller is determined to not be assigned to a specific individual.
US08391442B2

There is provided a technology that enables an operator to designate whether or not to continue imaging if divided capture has been interrupted in a radiographic apparatus. During continuation of divided capture, the state of an irradiation switch for designating irradiation of radiation is detected by an irradiation switch state detection unit. When a suspension of the designation of irradiation of radiation has been detected, information indicating continuation of imaging, performing of imaging again, or cancellation of imaging is presented to an operator, thereby preventing an unintended interruption of imaging.
US08391436B2

A receiving apparatus includes a first receiving circuit that receives an input signal based on a clock signal, and outputs a first output signal, a second receiving circuit that receives the input signal based on the clock signal, and outputs a second output signal, and a comparison circuit that compares value of the first output signal outputted by the first receiving circuit and value of the second output signal outputted by the second receiving circuit.
US08391432B2

A method of serializing a data stream includes passing a series of data words from a source in a first clock domain to a serializer in a second clock domain and passing valid signals from the source to the serializer indicating when each of the data words is available from the source. The serializer divides each of the data words into a plurality of portions for serial transmission. The method also includes synchronizing the serializer and the source based on the first of the valid signals.
US08391422B2

A time information receiver including a reception unit for receiving and demodulating a standard radio wave containing a time code in which data pulses are arranged at a predetermined period; an analyzer for analyzing the time code from a demodulated signal obtained by demodulating the standard radio wave; a time-shift adder for executing an addition processing of adding a pulse waveform of the demodulated signal and a pulse waveform of a signal obtained by shifting the demodulated signal by a predetermined time; and a judger for judging a code type of the time code contained in the received standard radio wave on the basis of a addition result of the time-shift adder.
US08391418B2

A method of detecting symbols of an OFDM signal constituted by a plurality of carriers transmitted from another communication apparatus, includes selecting first carriers, where a phase difference between the symbols adjacent on a time domain is smaller than a predetermined value, from a plurality of carriers of a received signal, selecting second carriers, each of which has a phase of a predetermined relation of the OFDM signal with respect to another carrier, from the selected first carriers, and determining whether the received signal has the symbols of the OFDM signal transmitted from the another communication apparatus on the basis of the selection results of the first and second carriers.
US08391412B1

A method and system is disclosed for shifting the phase of a PN long code for access attempts by an access terminal in a wireless communication network. An access terminal may seek to acquire access from a base station that is detected by the access terminal above a threshold power level, even if the access terminal is further away from the base station than a threshold distance beyond which access is not normally granted. According to one embodiment, the access terminal will, upon determining that it is beyond the threshold distance, embed in an access request message an apparent distance that is smaller than the threshold distance, by phase-shifting a timing signal and encoding the access request message with the phase-shifted timing signal. The access terminal will then transmit the access request message on an air interface communication link to the base station.
US08391411B2

Provided is a wireless communication apparatus wherein channel estimation accuracy is improved while keeping the position of each bit in a frame, even when a modulation system having a large modulation multiple value is used for a data symbol. In the wireless communication apparatus (100), an encoding section (101) encodes and outputs transmitting data (bit string) to a bit converting section (102), and the bit converting section (102) converts at least one bit of a plurality of bits constituting a data symbol to be used for channel estimation, among the encoded bit strings, into ‘1’ or ‘0’ and outputs it to a modulating section (103). The modulating section (103) modulates the bit string inputted from the bit converting section (102) by using a single modulation mapper and a plurality of data symbols are generated.
US08391406B2

Provided are a signal amplifying apparatus and method and a wireless transmitter using the same. The signal amplifier includes a polar coordinate converter configured to output an envelope signal and a phase signal by converting a signal to a polar coordinate, a multilevel quantizer configured to output a multilevel quantized signal by quantizing the envelope signal to multiple levels, an amplification state controller configured to control an amplification state using the multilevel quantized signal, and a power amplifier configured to amplify the phase signal according to the controlled amplification state.
US08391393B2

A method for a user equipment to precode and transmit an uplink signal efficiently in a 4-antenna system and a method for a base station to receive the transmitted signal efficiently are disclosed. Four antennas of a user equipment can be grouped by a 2-antenna unit. In consideration of this antenna group, it is able to perform precoding using antenna selection/DFT matrix of the antenna group unit. Moreover, a rank-3 codebook can be configured to include a precoding matrix of a type in consideration of power balance per antenna and a precoding matrix including one non-zero component only in one row for maintaining a good CM property.
US08391387B2

An arrangement of interleavers allocates bits from an input symbol across sub-symbols transmitted via sub-carriers of multiple orthogonal frequency division multiplex (OFDM) carriers. The input bits are allocated in a fashion to provide separation across subcarriers, and rotation of sub-symbols across the OFDM carriers provides additional robustness in the present of signal path impairments.
US08391385B2

OFDM symbols are generated using data from one or more users or from one or more data sources represented on a number of sub-carriers. To inhibit multiple-access interference on application of the CDMA principle, the data are transformed in a data-source specific manner and only subsequently allocated to the sub-carriers, independently of the transformation.
US08391384B2

An improved multi-channel receiver for satellite broadcast applications or the like. In an exemplary embodiment, a primary AGC loop controls an analog sub-receiver adapted to simultaneously receive multiple signals. Multiple digital demodulators, coupled to the sub-receiver, demodulate the multiple received signals. Multiple secondary AGC loops, one for each received signal, compensate for variations in demodulated signal strengths caused by the primary AGC loop. A feed-forward AGC compensation technique generates scalar control values for scaling the demodulated signals before the demodulated signals are processed by the secondary AGC loops. This at least partially compensates for gain variations caused by the primary AGC, reducing received signal drop-outs before the secondary AGC loops can compensate for the gain variations. Because of systemic delays in the sub-receiver and the demodulators, the scalar control values are independently timed to be coincident with the variations in the demodulated signal strengths caused by the primary AGC loop.
US08391383B2

A method of dynamic tone grouping (DTG) used by a transmitter in a wireless OFDM system is proposed. First, a sequence of coded and interleaved bits is de-multiplexed into a number of bit-streams. Each bit-stream is mapped into a sequence of QAM symbols, which are grouped into non-overlapping sets of QAM symbols. Unitary transformation is then applied on the QAM symbols to produce groups of complex signals. Finally, the complex signals are dynamically mapped to subcarrier groups based on tone mapping information to improve link performance. The tone mapping information is derived from information associated with each OFDM subcarrier, such as channel state information (CSI). The OFDM subcarriers are grouped into subcarrier groups according to the tone mapping information such that the channel quality of each subcarrier group is balanced. In addition, the tone mapping information is efficiently encoded and transmitted to/from a corresponding receiver.
US08391382B2

A method and apparatus of generating a ranging preamble code in a wireless communication system is provided. A mobile station (MS) receives ranging channel information, and generates the ranging preamble code by selecting one of a plurality of candidate ranging preamble codes based on the ranging channel information. The plurality of candidate ranging preamble codes are based on a Zadoff-Chu (ZC) sequence of which a length is NRP and a root index is rp, and The ranging channel information comprises at least one of a start root index r0 among root indices of the plurality of candidate ranging preamble codes and a control parameter y indicating the start root index.
US08391376B2

A system and method for electronically steering an antenna. An array is assembled from direct spatial antenna modulation (DSAM) antenna elements each of which makes use of the spatial characteristics of a radiating antenna structure to directly alter a signal transmitted or received by the radiating structure. A data stream maps a carrier to spatial points directly to In-Phase and Quadrature components (IQ) of the output. The DSAM antennas elements control I and Q directly. The assembled array provides beam forming phase shifts with amplitude only control as well as providing joint modulation and beam forming. This abstract is not to be considered limiting, since other embodiments may deviate from the features described in this Abstract.
US08391372B2

A method for doubling the frame rate of video signals creates an interpolated video frame using a current frame and a previous frame. First, the current frame is sequentially received. The interpolated frame is inserted between a previous frame and the current frame, in which values for each pixel in the interpolated frame are derived from a first reference pixel in the current frame biased by a positively weighted difference between the first reference pixel and a second reference pixel in the previous frame.
US08391357B2

A method of receiving a broadcasting signal in an apparatus for receiving the broadcasting signal, is disclosed. The method includes receiving a first encoding data descriptor describing first encoding data of contents having the first encoding data and second encoding data, in non-real time, receiving the first encoding data in non-real time, according to the first encoding data descriptor, and decoding the first encoding data received in non-real time and the second encoding data received in real time together, according to the first encoding data descriptor, and outputting the contents.
US08391347B2

A DFE circuit for use in a semiconductor memory device and an initializing method thereof. In the method of initializing a DFE circuit used in a semiconductor memory device having a discontinuous data transmission, the DFE circuit may be used for changing a sampling reference level in response to a level of previous data and sampling transmission data. The method includes terminating a data channel having a transmission of the transmission data at a predefined termination level, and controlling a sampling start time point of the transmission data as a time point preceding a transmission time point of the transmission data by a predefined time. Further, an initialization may be performed of the previous data on the basis of initialization data obtained through a pre-sampling of the data channel at a sampling start time point of the transmission data, thereby obtaining an initialization of the DFE circuit and compensating for a feedback delay.
US08391345B2

Wireless devices and techniques providing improved system acquisition in an environment of multiple co-existing technologies over a common frequency band are disclosed. In one aspect, at a remote terminal, a power spectral distribution (PSD) of received signals is sequentially measured in contiguous segments of a frequency band of interest. One or more characteristics of the measured PSD is compared to at least one predetermined metric to identify the presence or absence of at least one technology type of the received signals in frequency locations across the band. A system acquisition operation is performed in accordance with the identification, such as a tailored scan of channels at locations where a desired technology is identified.
US08391339B2

The present invention provides systems and methods for faster acquisition and more stable tracking of spread spectrum signals with lower computational load requirements. Instead of the present day practice of using only the Prompt correlator, the systems and methods of the invention use the sum of the powers of all the correlators of a channel to determine the acquisition or tracking of the signal. These systems and methods improve the signal acquisition speed resulting in a reduced Time-To-First-Fix (TTFF). Further, these systems and methods improve the acquisition and tracking sensitivity of the receiver.
US08391336B2

To generate a pulse for ranging, a kernel is convolved with a spreading sequence. The spreading sequence is parametrized by one or more ordered (length, sparsity) pairs, such that the first sparsity differs from the bit length of the kernel and/or a subsequent sparsity differs from the product of the immediately preceding length and the immediately preceding sparsity. Alternatively, a kernel is convolved with an ordered plurality of spreading sequences, all but the first of which may be non-binary. The pulse is launched towards a target. The reflection from the target is transformed to a received reflection, compressed by deconvolution of the spreading sequence, and post-processed to provide a range to the target and/or a direction of arrival from the target.
US08391332B2

System and method for providing frequency control to a power converter. The system includes a pseudorandom signal generator configured to generate a digital signal. The digital signal is associated with at least an N-bit datum, and N is a positive integer. Additionally, the system includes a digital-to-analog converter configured to receive the digital signal and generate a first control signal, an output signal generator configured to receive the first control signal and generate at least a first output signal associated with a frequency, and a pulse-width-modulation generator configured to receive at least the first output signal. The N-bit datum represents a pseudorandom number.
US08391331B2

In a method of charging fine-grained metals, in particular directly reduced iron (DRI), into an electric-arc furnace (1), the metal is supplied via a downpipe (12) to an opening (10) provided in the furnace roof (4), is introduced into the furnace (1) through this opening (10) as bulk material stream (11), and falls onto the melt (13) merely by gravity. Further, an electric-arc furnace (1) suited for this purpose is described. A rather loss-free introduction even of fine-grained material having a mean grain size of less than 1 mm is achieved by passing the bulk material stream (11) through a dosing orifice (8) after the downpipe (12) and before entering the furnace (1). The bulk material stream (11) then enters the furnace essentially undisturbed.
US08391315B2

A method and mobile subscriber station in a broadband wireless communication system, wherein a receiver receives configuration information including a type field representing a type of a reduced connection identifier (CID) from a base station, and selectively applies the reduced CID based on the type field. The type of the reduced CID is determined based on a range of a basic CID of the mobile subscriber station connected to the base station. The type field includes at least two bits representing one of use of the basic CID and available types of the reduced CID. The available types represent available lengths of the reduced CID, and the reduced CID includes n Least Significant Bits (LSBs) of the basic CID, where n is a positive integer indicated by the type field.
US08391313B2

The present invention is a system and method for packetizing actual noise signals, typically background noise, received by an access gateway from a speaking party and transmitting these packetized noise signals via a network to an egress gateway. The egress gateway converts the packetized noise signal into noise signals suitable for output and transmits the output noise signals to a listening party. When the access gateway detects that no voice signal is being received and only a noise signal is being received for a predetermined period of time, the access gateway instructs the egress network to continually transmit output noise signals to the listening party and ceases to transmit packetized noise signals to the egress gateway.
US08391312B2

An method for improving the ability of a recipient to review time-sensitive media upon receipt when network conditions are poor. The method includes ascertaining if media to be sent from a sending node to a receiving node is time-sensitive and ascertaining if there is sufficient bandwidth for transmitting a full bit rate representation of the media at a first bit rate and at a first packetization interval. If the bandwidth is sufficient, the full bit rate representation is transmitted. If the bandwidth is insufficient, then a reduced bit rate representation of the media is generated and transmitted. The reduced bit rate representation is generated by performing one or more of the following (i) using fewer bits per unit time of media when packetizing the media relative to the full bit rate representation; (ii) increasing the packetization interval for the packets used to transmit the reduced bit rate representation; and (iii) adjusting the rate of transmission of the packets used to packetized the reduced bit rate representation of the media.
US08391311B2

A method for transmitting a voice over Internet protocol (VoIP) packet includes allocating a radio resource for VoIP packet transmission to a user, transitioning a VoIP service from a talk period, in which the VoIP packet is transmitted using the radio resource, to a silence period in which the VoIP packet is not transmitted, releasing the radio resource during the silence period, and transitioning the VoIP service to the talk period by reallocating the radio resource. Limited radio resources can be further effectively used.
US08391305B2

An assignment constraint matrix is used in assigning work, such as data packets, from a plurality of sources, such as data queues in a network processing device, to a plurality of sinks, such as processor threads in the network processing device. The assignment constraint matrix is implemented as a plurality of qualifier matrixes adapted to operate simultaneously in parallel. Each of the plurality of qualifier matrixes is adapted to determine sources in a subset of supported sources that are qualified to provide work to a set of sinks based on assignment constraints. The determination of qualified sources may be based sink availability information that may be provided for a set of sinks on a single chip or distributed on multiple chips.
US08391297B2

In order to transmit an extended protocol message for the purpose of controlling a service of a connection-oriented Ethernet including a plurality of nodes, when an LSP (Label Switched Path) generation request message is received, a path message including an object for delivery of upstream service frame information and an object modified for the transmission of traffic information of a service frame for downstream traffic policing is generated, the path message including the LSP generation request message. When a second node, one of the plurality of nodes, receives the path message from the first node, it generates a reservation (RESV) message including an object added for the transmission of a downstream service frame information and an object modified for the transmission of traffic information of a service frame for upstream traffic policing in response to the LSP generation request message.
US08391296B2

A method of processing event subscriptions in a telecommunications or data network comprising a plurality of nodes organized in clusters, in multiple layers. Each cluster has a cluster leader. The method comprises maintaining by each node a routing table comprising a list of nodes in its cluster and a repository of event subscriptions; forwarding an ascending subscription by a node to all nodes within its cluster and to its cluster's leader; forwarding a descending subscription to all nodes of all layers that the node is a leader and adding a received event subscription to the event subscriptions repository and associating said subscription with a node, which forwarded it.
US08391284B2

An apparatus and method configure RTCP packets in a control feedback handling in multimedia sessions. The apparatus and method are configured to provide sending of any RTCP individual packet as a non-compound RTCP packet an order within a time interval. The apparatus and method are configured so that an excessive length of compound RTCP packets are handled by fragmenting each compound RTCP packet in smaller non-compound packets and sending it spaced over time. The apparatus and method guarantee RTCP non-compound packets to provide an equivalent functionality as the RTCP compound packets by providing the same information to the receiver, and the receiver does not lack any feedback information. The apparatus and method are also configured to use semi-compound RTCP packets, where at least two non-compound/individual RTCP packets (but less than all the non-compound/individual RTCP packets that would be sent as compound packet) are sent together as a semi-compound RTCP packet.
US08391282B1

An overlaid switching network is derived by overlaying perpendicularly one multistage interconnection network with a second multistage interconnection network. The new network is formed by placing a switching element corresponding to the position of switching elements in either multistage interconnection network. Each switching element in the overlaid network has the ports defined by the two multistage interconnection networks as does its interconnection networks. A special case occurs when the number of rows and columns of the first multistage interconnection network is the number of columns and rows of the second multistage interconnection network, respectively. The overlaid switching networks also inherit their upgradeability from the multistage interconnection networks from which they are derived, such as in the case of a redundant blocking compensated cyclic group multistage network.
US08391264B1

A method, system, and computer-readable media are provided for allowing a mobile device to maintain communication connectivity during a handoff between wireless access points. In one aspect, the method may include negotiating security association information and establishing a first communication tunnel by tunneling an inner IP address within a first outer IP address. The method may further include authenticating a request for establishing a second communication tunnel by identifying the negotiated security association information within the request. Additionally, the method may include establishing the second communication tunnel by tunneling the inner IP address within a second outer IP address. Moreover, the method may include pushing data associated with the communication session through the second communication tunnel.
US08391257B2

In order to solve problems arising when a communication system such as a wireless LAN is constructed as a decentralized distributed type network without a relationship of control station and controlled stations such as a master station and slave stations, in a wireless communication system composed of a plurality of communication stations without a relationship of control station and controlled stations, respective communication stations transmit beacons with information concerning a network written thereon with each other to construct the network, and it becomes possible to make sophisticated judgment such as communication states of other communication stations by those beacons.
US08391256B2

A wireless local area network is provided with simplified RF ports which are configured to provide lower level media access control functions. Higher level media access control functions are provided in a cell controller, which may service one or more RF ports that are capable operating with at least two wireless local area subnetworks. Mobile units can also be configured with the higher level media access control functions being performed in a host processor.
US08391254B2

A multi-hop wireless communication network is disclosed, which includes a fixed communication unit, at least one mobile communication unit, and a relay communication unit. The relay communication unit is operable to relay a plurality of signals bi-directionally between the fixed communication unit and the at least one mobile communication unit, by receiving a first signal on at least one of a dedicated sub-carrier and a dynamic sub-carrier in a first downlink channel segment from the fixed communication unit, and transmitting the received first signal to the at least one mobile communication unit on a dynamic sub-carrier in a second downlink channel segment. Also, the relay communication unit is operable to receive a second signal on a dynamic sub-carrier in a first uplink channel segment from the at least one mobile communication unit, and transmit the received second signal to the fixed communication unit on at least one of a dedicated sub-carrier and a dynamic sub-carrier in a second uplink channel segment. Also, the fixed communication unit can allocate bandwidth dynamically or in a fixed amount in the first downlink channel segment, the relay communication unit can allocate bandwidth dynamically in the second downlink channel segment based on at least one Quality of Service value received from the at least one mobile communication unit, the relay communication unit can allocate bandwidth dynamically for the at least one mobile communication unit in the first uplink channel segment, and the fixed communication unit can allocate bandwidth dynamically or in a fixed amount for the relay communication unit in the second uplink channel segment.
US08391249B2

An apparatus includes a first encoder for receiving a plurality of symbol streams for respective ones of a plurality of mobile stations and encoding each of the symbol streams with one of a plurality of covering sequences to form a plurality of covered sequences. The apparatus further includes a summer for summing the plurality of covered sequences to form a first Code Division Multiplexed (CDM) signal. In addition, the apparatus includes a second encoder for covering the first CDM signal with a covering sequence to form a first covered CDM signal. A system and method for multiplexing plurality of symbol streams are also provided.
US08391230B2

A method and apparatus of transmitting an uplink control signal of a mobile station (MS) in a wireless communication system is provided. A mobile station (MS) receives resource allocation information of a first uplink control channel for transmitting an uplink synchronization signal and resource allocation information of a second uplink control channel. The MS allocates a first uplink control channel resource and a second uplink control channel resource to the first uplink control channel and the second uplink control channel respectively based on the resource allocation information of the first uplink control channel and the resource allocation information on the second uplink control channel and transmits an uplink control signal through at least one of the first uplink control channel and the second uplink control channel to a base station. The first uplink control channel resource is located in a first resource unit among a plurality of resource units constituting a logical resource region, and the first uplink control channel resource and the second uplink control channel resource are allocated in that order in the logical resource region.
US08391228B2

In at least some embodiments, a communication device includes a transceiver with a physical (PHY) layer. The PHY layer is configured for body area network (BAN) operations in a limited multipath environment based on a constant symbol rate for BAN packet transmissions and based on M-ary PSK, differential M-ary PSK or rotated differential M-ary PSK modulation. The PHY layer is configured to construct a physical-layer service data unit (PSDU) based on a concatenate block, an insert shortened bits block, a Bose, Ray-Chaudhuri, Hocquenghem (BCH) encoder, a remove shortened bits block, an add pad bits block, a spreader, a bit interleaver, a scrambler, and a symbol mapper.
US08391225B2

A method and system by which a base station in a Wireless Regional Area Network (WRAN), and more generally a transceiver in a cognitive radio (CR) system, can communicate with other transceivers to fairly share transmission and reception of scheduled use (“occupancy”) of frames on a single channel within a frame-based, on demand spectrum contention system. The method and system disclose how the base station currently occupying a channel responds to requests from other base stations for an increased share of the frames available in a subsequent superframe of the CR system. The method and system assure fair and efficient access to the transmission channel by a random number based contention process.
US08391223B2

The present invention relates to an apparatus and a method for indicating a channel resource. The apparatus including a transmitter arranged to transmit an indicating acquisition indication channel signature wherein said indicating signature is used to indicate an enhanced dedicated channel resource (uplink resource set) to be used by a user equipment; a memory configured to store a mapping associating a random access channel signature sequence to one or more of the indicating acquisition indication channel signatures; and a data processor configured to use the stored mapping to relate a random access channel signature sequence to one or more of the indicating acquisition indication channel signatures; configured to relate each indicating acquisition indication channel signature to an uplink resource set such there is a three-way mapping between the random access channel signature sequence, the one or more indicating acquisition indication channel signatures and the uplink resource set.
US08391222B2

Channel assignment for access points (APs) in a wireless network includes determining a bottleneck client in an interference relationship, and determining a channel assignment for the APs that maximizes a normalized throughput of the bottleneck client. The normalized throughput is assigned to the bottleneck client, and the bottleneck client is assigned to a fixed set.
US08391221B2

Novel satellite communications systems, methods, and related devices are described. In some embodiments, a satellite communications system is configured to dynamically allocate bandwidth to terminals. Such a system may be made up of a satellite in communication with terminals (e.g., user terminals or gateways). The satellite or a Network Control Center (NCC) may receive and compile bandwidth request data from the terminals. In each of a series of one or more epochs, and according to the bandwidth requests, the satellite and/or NCC may allocate carrier group resources to particular traffic classes. The assignment of allocated resources to particular terminals is also described.
US08391219B2

A base station apparatus capable of communicating with user equipment terminals using an uplink shared channel includes a user selection unit configured to select a user equipment terminal to which the base station apparatus allocates a radio resource based on whether the base station apparatus receives a signal for requesting allocation of the uplink shared channel from the user equipment terminal.
US08391215B2

A wireless communication apparatus is capable of improving communication efficiency by reducing the amount of control information transmitted. A channel quality information extraction section extracts CQI's from a received signal. An allocation control section allocates subcarriers for every communication terminal apparatus and selects a modulation scheme in such a manner that required transmission rate is satisfied for each communication terminal apparatus based on required transmission rate information, etc. and CQI's for communication terminal apparatus of each user. A required subcarrier number determining section decides the number of subcarriers allocated to every communication terminal apparatus so as to satisfy the required transmission rate for each communication terminal apparatus. A required subcarrier number information generating section generates information for the number of subcarriers allocated to every communication terminal apparatus. A subcarrier allocation section allocates packet data to selected subcarriers. Modulating sections adaptively modulate packet data allocated to each subcarrier.
US08391212B2

In an embodiment, a method of frequency domain post-processing is disclosed. The method includes applying adaptive modification gain factor to each frequency coefficient, and determining gain factors based on Local Masking Magnitude and Local Masked Magnitude.
US08391211B2

A method for handling data transmission by a mobile station with a first RF module and second RF module is provided. The mobile station is coupled to a computer acquiring an IP address IP(U). A packet with a source IP address IP(U) and a destination IP address IP(Y) corresponding to an access network is received by the mobile station. The first RF module is assigned to transmit the received packet by replacing the source IP address IP(U) with a source IP address IP(A). Another packet with the source IP address IP(U) and destination IP address IP(Y) is assigned to the second RF module, and the source IP address IP(U) is replaced by a source IP address IP(B). The replaced packets are transmitted to the access network via the first and second RF module respectively.
US08391206B2

The present invention provides a method for implementation in a first functional entity in a wireless communication system that includes a first plurality of base stations for providing wireless connectivity to at least one mobile unit. In one embodiment of the method includes receiving, at the first functional entity, channel state information associated with a plurality of wireless communication channels between the first plurality of base stations and the mobile unit. Selection of a second plurality of base stations from the first plurality of base stations is performed jointly with resource allocation to the second plurality of base stations using the channel state information. The first functional entity then communicates information indicative of the selected second plurality of base stations and the allocated resources to the selected second plurality of base stations.
US08391197B2

A method, a system, and a terminal for sending and receiving a multicast broadcast service (MBS) are provided in the communication field. Based on a preset correspondence between MBS content IDs and LCIDs, a network side sends MBS data with an LCID corresponding to the MBS content ID in an air interface link identified by an MCID. A terminal generates a corresponding LCID from the MBS content ID of the MBS based on the same correspondence as that of the network side, and receives data via a logical channel identified by the LCID in the air interface link identified by the MCID of the required MBS. A method for assigning an MBS information ID is also provided. The uniqueness of the MBS content ID can be guaranteed within an operator, an access service network (ASN), or an MBS zone.
US08391187B2

The invention relates to a method for exchanging data between a first and a second communication terminal device (EG1, EG2). The first (EG1) and the second (EG2) communication terminal devices are connected to a data network (DN). In a first step, acoustically coded address information is transmitted by the first to the second communication terminal device (EG2) during a communication connection between the first and the second communication terminal device (EG1, EG2) and, in a second step, the data are transmitted to the first communication terminal device (EG1) from the second communication terminal device (EG2) via the data network using the address information.
US08391185B2

A method, system and an apparatus to transport bidir PIM over a multiprotocol label switched network are provided. The method may comprise receiving a multicast packet at a network element, the multicast packet including an upstream label. The method may further comprise identifying, from the upstream label, a Multicast Distribution Tree (MDT) rooted at a rendezvous point. The packet may be forwarded along the MDT towards the RP based on the upstream label. The MDT may be identified from a downstream label and the packet may be forwarded along the MDT away from the RP based on the downstream label.
US08391165B2

Multimedia IMS communications are established by matching callee capabilities with caller preferences and identifying a URI parameter in response thereto. When a session initiation protocol (SIP) request identifying caller preferences for an internet communication session and an identified callee is received (602), a determination is made of whether the identified callee is a registered address of record (AOR) or not (604). If the identified callee is a registered AOR (604), a uniform resource identifier (URI) parameter and a globally routable user agent URI (GRUU) associated with callee capabilities are identified (608, 612, 614). The URI parameter is used to create a modified SIP including the URI parameter (616) for sending (618) to an IMS enabled wireless communication device (120).
US08391161B1

A system for monitoring and diagnosing communication systems comprises: an interface, a processor, and a graphical user interface. The interface receives one or more communication data streams. The processor extracts information from the one or more communication data streams. And, the graphical user interface displays the information as a plurality of time-correlated lanes.
US08391159B2

A method for detecting errors in a digital multimedia receiver system is disclosed including the steps of receiving a packetized bitstream representing a video program from at least one of a plurality of transponders in the receiver system, the packetized bitstream periodically including a marker packet having data relating to a continuity counter value, and counting each occurrence of the marker packet in a first counter. The continuity counter value is evaluated at the occurrence of each counting and a second counter is incremented if each continuity counter value is one higher than a previously evaluated continuity counter value. It is determined whether a valid bitstream is being received by comparing values of the first and second counters at predetermined time intervals.
US08391158B2

Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate providing physical cell identifier (PCI) assignment. Neighboring access point parameters can be collected and transmitted to a PCI assigning component, which can generate a PCI based on the parameters as well as other local parameters. The neighboring access point parameters can be received by evaluating signals transmitted by the neighboring access points, from a UE communicating with the neighboring access points, over a backhaul link, etc. The parameters can include signal strength, identification, and/or the like. In addition, prioritized lists of PCIs can be provided to an access point, which can utilize the neighborhood parameters to select an optimal PCI from the list.
US08391156B2

A system receives a data unit from a sending node and identifies if the data unit indicates that it is a test data unit. The system determines a delta time that includes a difference between a time at which a response data unit is going to be sent to the sending node and a time at which the data unit was received. The system inserts the delta time, if the identification indicates that the data unit is a test data unit, in the response data unit and sends the response data unit to the sending node.
US08391154B2

A technique that seeks to direct and re-direct streams of packets through a packet network without adversely affecting the quality of service of existing streams is disclosed. In accordance with the illustrative embodiment of the present invention, streams of packets that are directed and re-directed through a packet network are initially put on probation. During the probation period, a quality-of-service measure for the stream is compared with a threshold whose value is initially high and decreases with time. This has the advantageous affect of noticing problems quickly so that they can be remediated quickly.
US08391147B2

An IP converged system includes a VoIP ALG module and a policer module. The VoIP ALG module acquires dynamically changing RTP IP/port information of a packet by parsing a VoIP SIP message, and transmits the RTP IP/port information to the policer module. The policer module sets IP/port, which provides a real-time data service, by referring to the information from the VoIP ALG module, and discriminatively sets a packet processing condition for a non-real-time data service and a packet processing condition for the real-time data service. The VoIP ALG module and the policer module share RTP IP/port information, dynamically determined by the negotiation between VoIP gateways or VoIP terminals, in call setup/release, so that the policer can discriminately drop or mark VoIP packets by referring to the RTP IP/port information.
US08391142B2

A method may include receiving a packet destined to a wireless node, buffering the packet, and scheduling a time at which to transmit the packet to the wireless node. Scheduling the packet may include determining an application-layer protocol associated with the packet. The method may also include wirelessly transmitting the packet to the wireless node at the scheduled time. In one embodiment, the method may also include sending information to a node that originated the packet indicating that the packet is buffered. In another embodiment, sending information to the node that originated the packet indicating that the packet is scheduled to be wirelessly transmitted at the scheduled time.
US08391139B2

Methods and apparatus for. An example method includes determining, by a network device, respective quality metrics for each of a plurality of members of an aggregation group of the network device, the respective quality metrics representing respective data traffic loading for each member of the aggregation group. The example method further includes grouping the plurality of aggregation members into a plurality of loading/quality bands based on their respective quality metrics. The example method also includes selecting members of the aggregation group for transmitting packets from a loading/quality band corresponding with members of the aggregation group having lower data traffic loading relative to the other members of the aggregation group.
US08391134B2

Graceful restart in routers having redundant routing facilities may be accomplished by replicating network (state/topology) information.
US08391131B2

There is provided a method of operating a communication system, the communication system comprising a user equipment and a receiver, the method in the system comprising generating a random access transmission in a user equipment and transmitting the random access transmission to the receiver in the communication system, the random access transmission including a preamble; receiving the random access transmission from the user equipment at the receiver; processing the random access transmission in the frequency domain to detect the preamble. In preferred embodiments of the invention, the preamble has a cyclic prefix, or is preceded by a plurality of zero-valued symbols.
US08391120B2

An optical head, an optical disc device and an information processing device are capable of suppressing the amount of third-order astigmatism created upon recording or reproducing information on or from a multi-layer optical disc including at least three information recording surfaces. An objective lens satisfies a relationship of tc>(t0+tn)/2 assuming that t0 denotes the thickness of a light transmitting layer from the outer surface of the multi-layer optical disc to an information recording surface having the largest light transmitting layer thickness, tn denotes the thickness of a light transmitting layer from the outer surface of the multi-layer optical disc to an information recording surface having the smallest light transmitting layer thickness and tc denotes the thickness of a virtual light transmitting layer at which the absolute value of a third-order spherical aberration is minimum when blue-violet laser light is incident as parallel light on the objective lens.
US08391117B2

The invention relates to a method and a recording device for easy and quick access to record carrier management information stored on the record carrier itself. The invention further relates to a record carrier for use in such a method and recording device.
US08391114B2

An optical disk drive controls recording power with high accuracy in accordance with a measured β value and a target β value. A system controller of the optical disk drive determines a β value at which jitter or an error rate becomes minimum, in both an inner radius and an outer radius of an optical disk, and determines a difference between the determined β value and the target β value for each of the inner and outer radii. A corrected value for an arbitrary position, arbitrary speed, and an arbitrary temperature is calculated from a difference achieved at the inner radius and a difference achieved at the outer radius, by means of linear interpolation. The measured β value for the arbitrary position, the arbitrary speed, and the arbitrary temperature is compared with the target β value after having been corrected, thereby controlling recording power.
US08391111B2

An optical pickup control circuit includes an adding portion that adds a tracking driving signal which is for moving an objective lens, provided to face a discoid optical information recording medium, in a tracking direction of the corresponding optical information recording medium, to a tilt driving signal which is for moving the corresponding objective lens in a tilt direction of the corresponding optical information recording medium, and supplies the signal to a tilt actuator.
US08391109B2

A manufacturing method for a heat-assisted magnetic recording head includes the step of forming an internal mirror that includes a reflecting film support body and a reflecting film. The reflecting film support body includes first and second inclined surfaces. The reflecting film includes first and second portions that are located on the first and second inclined surfaces, respectively. The step of forming the internal mirror includes the step of forming the reflecting film support body and the step of forming the reflecting film. The step of forming the reflecting film support body forms an initial support body, and performs two taper-etching processes on the initial support body so that the initial support body is provided with the first and second inclined surfaces.
US08391099B2

An integrated circuit memory device, system and method embodiments decode interleaved row and column request packets transferred on an interconnect at a first clock frequency. Separate row decode logic and column decode logic, clocked at a relatively slower second clock frequency, output independent column and row control internal signals to a memory core in response to memory commands in the request packets. An integrated circuit memory device includes an interface having separate row and column decode logic circuits for providing independent sets of row and control signals. A row decode logic circuit includes a first row decode logic circuit that provides a first row control signal, such as a row address, and a second row decode logic circuit that provides a second row control signal. A column decode logic circuit includes a first column decode logic circuit that provides a first column control signal, such as a column address and a second column logic circuit that provides a second column control signal.
US08391083B2

To include a comparison circuit that generates comparison results by comparing plural pieces of data simultaneously read via data lines with expected values, an AND gate that activates a first determination signal in response to a fact that at least one of the comparison results indicates a mismatch, and an OR gate that activates a second determination signal in response to a fact that all the comparison results indicate a mismatch. With this arrangement, when a detection test of a defective address is performed in a wafer state, a defect of a column selection line can be detected.
US08391080B2

In erasing a memory block of memory cells, a semiconductor tub that contains a memory block to be erased can be biased with a high, positive voltage. The control gates of the memory cells that make up the memory block can be biased with a negative voltage. An erase verification can then be performed to determine if the memory block has been successfully erased. If the memory block has not been erased, the erase operation of biasing the tub with the positive voltage and the control gates with the negative voltage can be repeated until the erase verification is successful.
US08391079B2

The present disclosure relates to an electrically erasable and programmable memory comprising rows of memory cells to store words of N bits each, bit lines and word lines, wherein a row of memory cells comprises a first group of memory cells to store collectively erasable words, and at least one second group of memory cells to store one individually erasable word.
US08391077B2

Nonvolatile semiconductor memory device according to one embodiment includes: a plurality of planes; a memory cell array provided in the plurality of planes respectively; bit lines; and a control circuit. Each memory cell array is configured as an array of NAND cell units each including a memory string. The memory string includes a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells connected in series. The bit lines are connected to a first end of the NAND cell units, respectively. The control circuit controls a write operation of charging the bit lines up to a certain voltage value, and then setting data in the nonvolatile memory cells to a certain threshold voltage distribution state. The control circuit is configured to be capable of executing an operation of charging the bit lines in a write operation by varying timings of starting charging the bit lines among the plurality of planes.
US08391072B2

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of memory cells, and a plurality of latch circuits. The memory cells are associated with columns and are capable of storing data. The latch circuits are associated with the columns and are capable of storing write data and/or read data for the columns. The latch circuits are selectively activated, and activated latch circuits are capable of receiving and/or outputting data.
US08391070B2

Systems, methods, and devices that employ moving program verify levels to facilitate programming data to memory elements in a memory component are presented. A program component can employs a specified number of program verify (PV) levels where a first program pulse is applied to a selected group of memory elements to facilitate verifying the cells to pass the first PV level. The PV level can be moved to a next PV level that is a higher charge level than or equal to the first PV level, and a subset of the group of cells that are below the next PV level are selected and a next program pulse is applied to the subset of cells to facilitate verifying the cells to pass the next PV level. The moving PV level process can continue until the group of memory elements is verified to pass the target PV level.
US08391068B2

A method to adjust the programming voltage in flash memory when the programming time exceeds specification. A method to adjust the programming voltage of flash memory after a predetermined number of erase/write cycles.
US08391060B2

A nonvolatile memory capable of acting at each 1 bit and having a high integration density. A small-sized semiconductor device of multiple high functions having such nonvolatile memory. The nonvolatile memory is constructed to have a memory cell composed of two memory transistors so that it can realize a memory capacity of two times as large for a memory area as that of the full-function EEPROM of the prior art, in which the memory cell is composed of one memory transistor and one selection transistor, while retaining functions similar to those of the EEPROM. On the other hand, the small-sized semiconductor device of high functions or multiple functions is realized by forming the nonvolatile memory of the invention integrally with another semiconductor part over a substrate having an insulating surface.
US08391057B2

A memory device includes a memory cell that includes a storage node, a first electrode, and a second electrode, the storage node stores an electrical charge, and the first electrode moves to connect to the storage node when the second electrode is energized.
US08391053B2

A magnetic random access memory (MRAM) cell with a thermally assisted switching (TAS) writing procedure, comprising a magnetic tunnel junction formed from a ferromagnetic storage layer having a first magnetization adjustable at a high temperature threshold, a ferromagnetic reference layer having a fixed second magnetization direction, and an insulating layer, said insulating layer being disposed between the ferromagnetic storage and reference layers; a select transistor being electrically connected to said magnetic tunnel junction and controllable via a word line; a current line electrically connected to said magnetic tunnel junction; characterized in that the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the ferromagnetic storage layer is essentially orthogonal with the magnetocrystalline anisotropy of the ferromagnetic reference layer. The TAS-MRAM cell of the invention can be written with a smaller magnetic field than the one used in conventional TAS-MRAM cells and has low power consumption.
US08391045B2

An information recording/reproducing device includes a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, a recording layer as a variable resistance between the first and second electrode layer, and a circuit which supplies a voltage to the recording layer to change a resistance of the recording layer. Each of the first and second electrode layers is comprised of IV or III-V semiconductor doped with p-type carrier or n-type carrier.
US08391042B2

A memory device includes; a memory cell array including a memory cell connected to a bit line, a page buffer unit receiving data from the memory cell via the bit line, and a contact unit providing an electrical path through which the data is communicated from the memory cell array to the page buffer unit, wherein the contact unit comprises a sub-bit line configured to connect the bit line via a first contact with the page buffer unit via a second contact.
US08391038B2

An inverter (3) is described for feeding electrical energy into a power supply system (2) having in each case one input (6, 7) which is intended for connection to the negative and positive output (4, 5) respectively of a DC voltage generator (1) two outputs (8, 9) which are intended for connection to the power supply system (2), and a device, which has a strong inductor (L1) and switches (S1 to S6), for conversion of a DC voltage to an AC voltage. The input (7) which can be connected to the negative output (5) of the DC voltage generator (1) can be grounded, and at least one of the two outputs (8, 9) is provided with a mains inductor (L2). According the invention, the device contains a bridge circuit with two current paths (S4, L1, S6; S5, L1, S3) of which the one provides positive and the other negative output currents, a switching unit for switching, which is carried out at the power supply frequency, between the two current paths (S4, L1, S6; S5, L1, S3) and a coupling capacitor (1) which connects the bridge circuit to the switching unit.
US08391037B2

Provided is a power supply apparatus with low power in a standby mode. The apparatus includes a voltage multiplier configured to multiply an input voltage and including a first terminal through which the multiplied voltage is output and a second terminal through which a voltage lower than a voltage of the first terminal is output; a main switch-mode power supply (SMPS) configured to receive the voltage of the first terminal of the voltage multiplier; and a standby SMPS configured to receive a voltage of the second terminal of the voltage multiplier.
US08391034B2

A power supply module includes an AC/DC converter, a voltage transforming circuit, a feedback circuit, and a filtering circuit. The AC/DC converter is used for converting the AC voltage to a primary DC voltage. The voltage transforming circuit is configured for transforming the primary DC voltage to the first DC voltage. The voltage transforming circuit includes a transformer, the transformer includes a primary winding. The feedback circuit is coupled to the primary winding of the transformer and is configured for sampling a current flowing through the primary winding to generate a feedback signal; and the filtering circuit is structured and arranged for filtering any surge voltage transmitted from the feedback circuit to the voltage transforming circuit. Wherein the voltage transforming circuit maintains the first DC voltage at a predetermined value according to the feedback signal. A related power supply module assembly is also provided.
US08391032B2

We describe a modular adjustable power factor renewable energy inverter system. The system comprises a plurality of inverter modules having a switched capacitor across its ac power output, a power measurement system coupled to a communication interface, and a power factor controller to control switching of the capacitor. A system controller receives power data from each inverter module, sums the net level of ac power from each inverter, determines a number of said capacitors to switch based on the sum, and sends control data to an appropriate number of the inverter modules to switch the determined number of capacitors into/out of said parallel connection across their respective ac power outputs.
US08391029B2

A DC-DC converter having a first and a second switch, an input diode, a magnetizing inductor, a resonant capacitor, a resonant inductor, an output diode and an output filter capacitor. The first and second switches are turned on alternatively. When the first switch is turned on, an input voltage is coupled to an anode of the input diode that has a cathode coupled to a first terminal of the magnetizing inductor. The second switch is designed to short a second terminal of the magnetizing inductor to a ground. The resonant capacitor and inductor, which are coupled in series, are disposed between the second terminal of the magnetizing inductor and the ground. A connection node between the resonant capacitor and inductor is coupled to the output filter capacitor, via the output diode, to regulate a voltage of the output filter capacitor. The regulated voltage is used in powering a load.
US08391022B2

A mezzanine board alignment and mounting device includes a multi-stage pin connected to a main board near a mezzanine board connector disposed on the main board. The multistage pin includes a base adapted to connect to the main board, a point distal to the base adapted to pass through an opening on a mezzanine board, and a support disposed between the base and the point. A diameter of the point widens towards the support. A diameter of the support is wider than a diameter of the opening. When the point is fully inserted through the opening in the mezzanine board, the mezzanine board is aligned properly to connect with the mezzanine board connector on the main board.
US08391021B2

A portable electronic apparatus comprises a body having a surface with at least one open channel for receiving a connector assembly; an electrical interface on the body and configured to receive power and/or communicate data with an electrical interface of a compatible device; a connector assembly seated in the open channel and comprising at least one rail having a longitudinal member with a recess configured to engage a tooth of a locking arm of the compatible device; and a fastener removably fastening the rail to the body.
US08391017B2

Provided are semiconductor packages comprising at least one thin-film capacitor attached to a printed wiring board core through build-up layers, wherein a first electrode of the thin-film capacitor comprises a thin nickel foil, a second electrode of the thin-film capacitor comprises a copper electrode, and a copper layer is formed on the nickel foil. The interconnections between the thin-film capacitor and the semiconductor device provide a low inductance path to transfer charge to and from the semiconductor device. Also provided are methods for fabricating such semiconductor packages.
US08391012B2

An integrated handle and stacking system for an inverter generator is provided. Each of a plurality of inverter generators may have a handle disposed at a top side of the inverter generator. Additionally, a mount may be disposed at a bottom side of the inverter generator. The handles may have recesses sized and configured to receive the mounts of an upper inverter generator so that the plurality of inverter generators may be stacked upon each other. Accordingly, the handles provide a convenient means for carrying or transporting the inverter generator from point A to point B and the recesses/mounts provide a convenient means of stacking the plurality of inverter generators. The handles and/or mounts may have dampening material to isolate vibration between stacked inverter generators.
US08391008B2

A power electronics module includes a frame, a jet impingement cooler assembly, and a power electronics assembly. The frame includes a first surface, a second surface, a power electronics cavity within the first surface of the frame, a fluid inlet reservoir, and a fluid outlet reservoir. The fluid inlet and outlet reservoirs extend between the first surface of the frame and the second surface of the frame. The fluid inlet reservoir and the fluid outlet reservoir are configured to be fluidly coupled to one or more additional modular power electronics devices. The jet impingement assembly is sealed within the frame and fluidly coupled to the fluid inlet reservoir and the fluid outlet reservoir. The power electronics assembly includes at least one power electronics component, is positioned within the power electronics cavity, and is thermally coupled to the jet impingement cooler assembly. Power electronic module assemblies are also disclosed.
US08391007B2

According to an embodiment, there is provided a heat spreader including an evaporation portion, a first condenser portion, a working fluid, and a first flow path. The evaporation portion is arranged in a first position. The first condenser portion is arranged in a second position, the second position being arranged apart from and higher than the first position. The working fluid evaporates from a liquid phase to a gas phase in the evaporation portion, and condenses from the gas phase to the liquid phase in the first condenser portion. The first flow path is made of a nanomaterial, has hydrophobicity on a surface, and causes the working fluid condensed to the liquid phase in the first condenser portion to flow to the evaporation portion by a gravitational force.
US08390992B1

A circuit breaker box comprising a main circuit breaker for operatively connecting to hot service wires; first and second hot bus bars configured to receive power from the main circuit breaker; a plurality of receiver terminals configured to transfer power from a circuit breaker component to a first wire of an electrical circuit; and a safety shield for enclosing the hot bus bars and receiver terminals, wherein a plurality of slots is disposed in the safety shield, the slots are aligned with the first or second hot bus bars and receiver terminals, wherein the circuit breaker component comprises a first and a second prong contact for contacting the first or second hot bus bar and a receiver terminal, respectively.
US08390990B2

A solid electrolytic capacitor includes a capacitor element having an anode portion, a dielectric film and a cathode portion, an anode lead frame, a cathode lead frame, and a molded resin for covering at least a part of the anode and cathode lead frames and the capacitor element. In a cathode lead frame opposed portion opposed to the capacitor element with a conductive adhesive material being interposed is provided with a through hole having a narrowed portion smaller in diameter than other portions between a capacitor-element-side opening portion and a molded-resin-side opening portion, and the conductive adhesive material is formed in the through hole.
US08390988B2

The disclosure describes a monomer having the general formula (I): in which R1 and R2 stand, independently of one another, for hydrogen, for an optionally substituted C1-C20-alkyl group or C1-C20-oxyalkyl group, optionally interrupted by 1 to 5 oxygen atoms and/or sulfur atoms, or jointly for an optionally substituted C1-C20-dioxyalkylene group or C6-C20-dioxyarylene group. The monomer has a color in a range of a Hazen color number determined according to test method described herein of at least 20 to a Gardner color number determined according to test method described herein of not more than 5. The present invention also relates to a method for the manufacture of a capacitor, a capacitor obtained by this method and to the use of a monomer.
US08390983B2

Disclosed is a multilayer ceramic capacitor. The multilayer ceramic capacitor includes a capacitive part including a plurality of dielectric layers and first and second internal electrodes that are laminated in an alternating manner, wherein one set of ends of the first internal electrodes and the other set of ends of the second internal electrodes are exposed in a lamination direction in which the dielectric layers are laminated, a protective layer formed on at least one of top and bottom surfaces of the capacitive part, including a plurality of pores having an average pore size of 0.5 μm to 3 μm, and having a porosity of 2% to 10%, and first and second external electrodes electrically connected to the first and second internal electrodes exposed in the lamination direction of the dielectric layers.
US08390981B1

A flare ignition apparatus for igniting a flare having a power supply, a flare igniter, and a power-out cable for providing a spark. The flare igniter can be solar powered, and can have a water-tight enclosure, an actuating member, a coil, a condenser, and time-delay relays. The power-out cable can be disposed proximate a designated flare point on a flare stack.
US08390978B1

An electric incapacitation device varies both the energy of output pulses and the time intervals between them, where all of the time intervals are longer than about 55 msec. The timing choices keep the output pulses from repeatedly coinciding with the T-wave portion of a targeted person's cardiac waveform. This reduces the risk of inducing fibrillation.
US08390975B1

A portable motorized racking tool for installing, removing, and testing electrical equipment is disclosed herein. The portable motorized racking tool can be used to operate upon electrical equipment from a remote location outside of an arc flash zone. Also disclosed is a method of use of the portable motorized racking tool.
US08390972B2

An apparatus and method for providing a primary and a secondary protection to a load in a power switching application uses an electronic circuit breaker to selectively permit a flow of current from an input to a load. The circuit breaker comprises a plurality of first switches coupled in parallel, and a plurality of fuses coupled to the plurality of first switches. In a disclosed embodiment, each first switch is coupled to a first fuse and to a second fuse. A controller opens and closes the plurality of first switches by commanding a driver current ON and OFF. The controller is operable to detect a fault condition and to open the plurality of first switches in response to the fault condition by commanding the driver current OFF. If the controller fails to open one of the first switches, one of the fuses coupled to the switch is operable to blow. In addition, the circuit breaker also comprises a charge pump that provides an electric current to a second plurality of switches to prevent the second plurality of switches form shorting the driver current.
US08390968B2

A device (1) has a series circuit of submodules with a power semiconductor circuit and an energy accumulator connected in parallel with the power semiconductor circuit. Each submodule is associated with a short circuit device for shorting the submodule. The short circuit device is a vacuum switching tube. The device is cost-effective and at the same time enables safe bridging of a defective submodule.
US08390964B2

An isolated type power supply includes a transformer, and a power switch and a current sense resistor serially connected to a primary coil of the transformer, and a protection apparatus and method monitor a control signal which is used to switch the power switch in normal operation, and trigger a signal to stop the power from switching when the control signal becomes greater than a threshold. This protection apparatus and method can more quickly detect short circuit of the current sense resistor, and prevent the isolated type power supply from overcurrent impact.
US08390956B2

According to one embodiment, a perpendicular magnetic recording medium includes at least one soft magnetic underlayer above a substrate, a seed layer above the at least one soft magnetic underlayer, an intermediate layer above the seed layer, a magnetic recording layer above the intermediate layer, and an overcoat layer above the magnetic recording layer, wherein the seed layer includes a second seed layer above a first seed layer. In another embodiment, the seed layer is a multilayered structure of at least two cycles of a unit of layered film which includes a first seed layer and a second seed layer. The first seed layer includes a non-magnetic alloy having a Face-Centered-Cubic (FCC) structure, and the second seed layer includes a soft magnetic alloy having a FCC structure. Other structures are also disclosed, according to more embodiments.
US08390955B1

A thin-film magnetic head is constructed such that a main magnetic pole layer, a write shield layer, a gap layer, and a thin-film coil are laminated on a substrate. The thin-film magnetic head has a leading shield part opposing the main magnetic pole layer on the substrate side of the main magnetic pole layer. The thin-film magnetic head has a substrate side coil layer disposed between the main magnetic pole layer and the substrate. In the thin-film magnetic head, a space between a lower end face of the leading shield part and the substrate and a space between an upper end face in the substrate side coil layer and the substrate are formed equal to each other.
US08390954B2

According to one embodiment, magnetic reproducing element for detecting a magnetic field from a magnetic recording medium comprises a sensor film including a perpendicular magnetization film having a magnetization easy axis in a direction perpendicular to a film plane, wherein magnetization in the sensor film tilts upward or downward in an element height direction from the magnetization easy axis while no magnetic field is applied from the magnetic recording medium, and change in anomalous Hall voltage generated in the sensor film is detected, thereby allowing the magnetic field applied from the magnetic recording medium to be detected. Other magnetic reproducing elements and magnetic heads employing magnetic reproducing elements are described as well.
US08390952B1

A novel information storage device is disclosed and claimed. The information storage device includes a disk drive having a disk drive top surface, a disk drive bottom surface, a disk drive periphery, and a disk drive printed circuit board. The disk drive defines a Z direction that is normal to the disk drive top surface. The disk drive defines a disk drive height measured in the Z direction from the disk drive bottom surface to the disk drive top surface. The information storage device includes a first conductive shield over the disk drive. The first conductive shield includes a peripheral capacitive flange that at least partially overlaps the disk drive periphery. The peripheral capacitive flange is separated from the disk drive periphery in a direction normal to the Z direction by a clearance. The overlap in the Z-direction is at least 5 times the clearance.
US08390947B2

A method and apparatus for reducing noise in a communication signal is provided. The method includes converting raw channel data from the communication signal to a sequence of transition code symbols, each symbol having a plurality of bits, each bit having a position within the symbol. The method also includes sending the bits of each symbol to a plurality of bins, each bin corresponding to the position of each bit within the symbol. For each bin having a number of transitions greater than a number of non-transitions, the method also includes flipping every bit in the bin and setting a corresponding bit in a flip control word to a first value. The method still further includes binary adding the flip control word to each transition code symbol.
US08390940B2

An photographing optical lens assembly includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element, a fifth lens element with positive refractive power and a sixth lens element with negative refractive power and a image plane. The third lens element, the fourth lens element, the fifth lens element and the sixth lens element each has an aspheric object-side surface and an aspheric image-side surface. The object-side surface of the first lens element is convex. The sixth lens element further comprises at least one inflection point and is made of plastic. By adjusting the refractive power of the first lens element and the photographing optical lens assembly, and adjusting the total length of the photographing optical lens assembly, the total volume of the lens assembly is reduced, and the image quality is improved.
US08390937B2

A zoom lens comprising, in order from an object side: a first lens group G1 having positive refractive power; a second lens group G2 having negative refractive power; and a third lens group G3 having positive refractive power; each distance between said lens groups adjacent to each other changing upon zooming from a wide-angle end state to a telephoto end state, said first lens group G1 having a cemented lens including a negative lens L11, and said third lens group G3 having a cemented lens L32 and L33, and a given conditional expression being satisfied, thereby providing a downsized zoom lens having high optical performance.
US08390933B2

Disclosed herein is an image display device including a light source and a scanner. The scanner includes (a) a first mirror on which a light beam emitted from the light source is incident, (b) a first light deflector on which the light beam output from the first mirror is incident and that outputs collimated light forming a first output angle depending on a first incident angle of the light beam in association with the pivoting of the first mirror, (c) a second mirror on which the collimated light output from the first light deflector is incident, and (d) a second light deflector on which the collimated light output from the second mirror is incident and that outputs collimated light forming a second output angle depending on a second incident angle of the collimated light in association with the pivoting of the second mirror.
US08390929B2

A display panel easily implements reflection color of a display. The display panel includes a panel which has a plate shape to implement an image, and an optical filter which is attached to the panel. The optical filter includes a color compensating layer which implements transmittance color by controlling transmittance light passing from an interior to an exterior of the panel, and a reflection layer which implements reflection color by controlling reflection light which is incident from the exterior to the panel, and which is reflected.
US08390918B2

An electrophoretic medium has walls defining a microcavity containing an internal phase. This internal phase comprises electrophoretic particles suspended in a suspending fluid and capable of moving therethrough upon application of an electric field to the electrophoretic medium. The average height of the microcavity differs by not more than about 5 μm from the saturated particle thickness of the electrophoretic particle divided by the volume fraction of the electrophoretic particles in the internal phase.
US08390912B2

An actuator, includes: a movable plate; a supporter to support the movable plate; a pair of linking portions to link the movable plate and the supporter so as to allow the movable plate to rotate relative to the supporter; and a piezoelectric element to rotate the movable plate. The piezoelectric element elongated and contracted by an energization twists the pair of linking portions to rotate the movable plate, and each of the pair of the linking portions includes an axial member extending from the movable plate and a returned portion that links the axial member and the supporter and is formed so as to return to a side adjacent to the movable plate.
US08390901B2

An image reading apparatus includes: a document table; a light reception unit; light sources disposed such that positions at which the optical axes of the plurality of light sources cross a reception optical axis of the light reception unit are different from one another; and a read control unit. The image reading apparatus further includes: a light reception amount storage unit configured to store the light reception amount for each of distances; a distance calculation unit configured to calculate a distance between the placement surface and the document based on the light reception amount obtained by the read control operation for each light source by referencing the light reception amount stored in the light reception amount storage unit; and a correction amount determination unit configured to determine a correction amount based on the distance calculated by the distance calculation unit.
US08390881B2

A print control method allowing a printing apparatus to perform printing based on a plurality of contents used for outputting a plurality of components to be finally integrated is provided. The CPU determines whether component basis post-processing is set in each of the plurality of contents. The printing sequence is determined such that a first content determined as a content in which the component basis post-processing is set is printed in advance of a second content determined as a content in which the component basis post-processing is not set.
US08390877B2

A method and system are disclosed for exporting metadata from an image capture device, for example a scanner, preferably using a standard application programming interface. The metadata may be associated with a pixel, a page, or a region/object of the image, and could be used by an application, for example, to improve the quality of the image when printed or to facilitate the conversion from a single layer of image information to multi-mask mixed raster content (MRC).
US08390876B2

The image reading apparatus, which is capable of communicating with the electrical paper displaying an image based on image data, is configured to select whether the image displayed on the electrical paper is read based on a size of the electrical paper or a size of the image data, when the image is read, and to instruct the electrical paper to change a display content of the image to be displayed on the electrical paper, in accordance with a result of the selection.
US08390874B2

An optimal resolution imaging system comprises a resolution engine adapted to apply at least one resolution rule to at least one zone of an object to determine an optimal reduced resolution setting for the at least one zone while maintaining a predetermined quality level for the at least one zone.
US08390872B2

An image forming apparatus includes an image output unit that outputs an image to a continuous paper; a generator that generates an image based on a print instruction by executing drawing processing; a determining unit that determines an image layout to output a plurality of images on the continuous paper in parallel based on at least two print instructions; and a combining unit that combines the plurality of images generated by the generator on the basis of the image layout determined by the determining unit; a controller that controls the image output unit so that the plurality of images combined by the combining unit is output to the continuous paper.
US08390871B2

An image forming apparatus includes a formation unit and an overlap order number assignment unit. The formation unit divides a predetermined image and forms divided images of the predetermined image on plurality sheets of recording paper in a divided manner. The formation unit forms the divided images such that, among the plurality sheets of recording paper, on which the divided images are formed by the formation unit, at least one of the plurality sheets of recording paper includes an overlap portion used for overlapping the at least one of the plurality sheets of recording paper with a remainder of the plurality sheets of recording paper. The overlap order number assignment unit assigns the at least one of the plurality sheets of recording paper with an overlap order number, indicating an overlap order for overlapping the plurality sheets of recording paper, in the overlap portion.
US08390869B2

A method for pre-configuring a portable storage device for use in transporting print jobs in a print shop, and a method for using the pre-configured portable storage device to export and import print jobs between different devices in the print shop. The portable storage device is pre-configured to contain multiple root directories uniquely corresponding to multiple print job management programs. A configuration file containing exporting and importing instructions and administrative information is stored in each root directory. When exporting print jobs, the exporting program automatically locates its own unique root directory and exports jobs into that root directory. When importing print jobs, once the operator indicates an exporting program, the importing program searches the root directory for the exporting program for all stored jobs and displays them to the operator for selection. The exporting and importing programs also automatically checks the configuration file in the appropriate root directory for instructions.
US08390868B1

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method comprising providing a compressed image in a memory of a printing device, decompressing at least a portion of the compressed image to provide lines of color data to be printed, organizing the lines of color data within at least one buffer of the printing device, printing a line of color based upon a first line of color data within the lines of color data with a print mechanism of the printing device, and removing the first line of color data from the lines of color data within the at least one buffer after the line of color has been printed.
US08390867B2

Embodiments of the invention relate to a form management system that generates a form ID of the form to be created, on the basis of a form data ID, which is generated based on a template ID generated from a form template and form data to be overlaid thereon. In addition, the form management system may be capable of identifying and managing the form template and the form data for the generated form.
US08390866B2

A computer-connectable portable memory device is specifically adapted for storing digital data files for the purpose of transferring the files to other equipment and/or displaying the files. The device has program code permanently residing therein and causing the device to identify itself as a printer when connected to a multi-purpose computer.
US08390861B2

Setting items in a print setting screen are updated and displayed in response to a changing operation. It is determined whether or not print settings are changed from the initial state. If it is determined that print settings are changed from the initial state, a test print button is displayed. If it is determined that print settings are not changed from the initial state, a full print button is displayed.
US08390852B2

A printing apparatus includes a first acquiring unit configured to acquire a print target document; a second acquiring unit configured to acquire update history information about update history of the document acquired by the first acquiring unit; a third acquiring unit configured to acquire print history information about print history of the document, a generating unit configured to generate print image data based on the document, a receiving unit configured to receive a command to print the document, an identifying unit configured to, when the receiving unit receives a command to print the document, identify, as print target image data, the print image data that includes an image of an updated page in the document, based on the update history information acquired by the second acquiring unit and layout information included in the print history information acquired by the third acquiring unit, out of the print image data generated by the generating unit; and a printing unit configured to execute printing based on the print image data identified by the identifying unit.
US08390851B2

A network system includes a print server to which a printer is connected, a file server, and one or more client terminals, wherein the print server, the file server, and the one or more client terminals are connected together on a network. The client terminal includes a printer driver that controls the printer, a first setting file in which setting information of the printer driver arranged in a first folder, in which the printer driver is arranged, is stored, and a second setting file in which the setting information arranged in a second folder other than the first folder is stored. When the setting information is newly created or changed, a third file in which the setting information is written is arranged in the file server. In addition, address information of the third file that is arranged in the file server is stored in a memory area of the print server.
US08390849B2

A plurality of MFPs are connected to a data transfer system, and one of the MFPs functions as a representing MFP. The representing MFP monitors a connection status of the MFPs and a PC to the data transfer system. Upon detection of a change in the connection status, the representing MFP assigns the PC connected to the data transfer system after the change to each of the plurality of MFPs in an order up to a maximum number of PCs that can be connected, and has information necessary for carrying out data transfer to the PC be stored in the MFPs connected to the data transfer system in a distributed manner.
US08390848B2

An information processing apparatus includes an application that encrypts document data using a public key of a spooler and stores the document data encrypted as a spool file. A printer driver decrypts the encrypted document data using a secret key of the spooler and performs rendering to generate print data. Subsequently, the application decrypts the print data using the public key of the printing apparatus. The printing apparatus decrypts the encrypted print data using the secret key of its own.
US08390844B2

The present invention provides an image processing apparatus and an image processing system which facilitate management against unauthorized use by creating a job log according to a usage status of a user. A creation section creates a different job log for each individual user. The job log has storage conditions of image data included in the job log set according to a storage level. The storage conditions are a color of an image, a resolution of the image data and whether or not necessary to create OCR data of the image data. To increase efficiency of a follow-up research by using such a job log, the storage level of the image data relating to the user having performed unauthorized use is raised.
US08390842B2

A port monitor program to transmit data about a print job generated by a printer driver to an image forming apparatus includes reading the data about the print job that is generated by the printer driver and spooled by a spooler; determining whether an authentication process associated with restriction of printing is to be performed for the readout data about the print job; submitting an authentication request to an external server over a network to acquire functional restriction information used for the restriction of printing from the server if it is determined that the authentication process is to be performed; and determining how the print job is restricted on the basis of the functional restriction information acquired from the server.
US08390840B2

A system including an authentication unit and an authentication-based print-job generation unit including: a job acquisition module that acquires a print-job in a first format processable by a first printing device and a print-job in a second format processable by a second printing device; a module that acquires printing person identification information; and a module that generates an authentication-based print-job by adding the acquired printing person identification information to the acquired print-job, and outputs it to the authentication unit. The authentication unit includes: a module that acquires the authentication-based print-job; a module that extracts the printing person identification information and the print-job, and stores them in a storage module; a module that executes authentication for a user who requests printing execution; a module that selects from the storage module a print-job associated with the printing person identification information for the authenticated user; and a module that outputs the selected print-job.
US08390838B2

An image forming device which is arranged to execute an authentication print job. The image forming device includes: a communication interface unit which receives print data; a job data holding unit which holds job data for the an authentication print job based on the print data; a job execution unit which executes a job based on the job data; an authentication unit; a user authentication unit which outputs a user authentication result; a control unit which instructs a start of execution of the authentication print job to the job execution unit based on the user authentication result; and an instruction generation unit which outputs to the control unit an instruction to change a setting with respect to the authentication print job based on an input of a user authentication result, wherein: the instruction generation unit outputs the instruction to change the setting with respect to an authentication print job in an execution state or an execution queuing state based on the input of the user authentication result that is received in an after user authentication period; and the control unit executes a process of changing the setting based on the instruction.
US08390835B2

An imaging device receives from a host image data and commands including a normal command and a real-time command to be processed prior to the normal command. A receiver receives a real-time processing disable command, and a processor processes the image data without processing the real-time command, even if a data sequence identical to the byte stream of the real-time command is included in the image data, after processing the real-time processing disable command. In a method for so controlling an imaging device, a real-time processing disable command is received from the host, after which the real-time processing disable command is processed, after which the image data is processed without processing the real-time command, even if a data sequence identical to the byte stream of the real-time command is included in the image data.
US08390834B2

A control section attaches a reprinting data mark to FAX image data received in a “Replace Toner” state and then stores the data. Then, a user is prompted to check whether an image of the FAX image data with the reprinting data mark printed most recently has been outputted appropriately. In case of appropriate output, all the FAX image data pieces with the reprinting data marks stored in a storage section are deleted. In contrast, in case of inappropriate output, the FAX image data is stored intact as reprinting data.
US08390830B2

When a selection for canceling a security image is input at a client computer, then a password authentication unit causes a display unit to display a password reception screen, whereby an input password is compared with an authentication password stored in a password storage unit. When the passwords are matching, the print data generation unit of the client computer generates print data without adding a security image to the original data, and outputs the print data to a print server. A control unit of the print server transfers the print data to a printer, a print log acquisition unit acquires print log information from the printer, and the print log information and print data are stored in a print information storage unit.
US08390826B2

A method and apparatus that linearly scans at least one plane of radiation having a width wider than the diameter of the part onto an exterior side surface of the supported part so that the part occludes the at least one plane of radiation at a plurality of spaced apart locations. The invention includes forming a virtual representation of an outer profile of the part in a reference frame based on the input data and providing a virtual representation of an inner bore of a physical gauge in the reference frame. Then determining an interference position between the part and the gauge using the virtual representations wherein the interference position is a position along the axis where the bore diameter is substantially equal to the part diameter. Finally calculating a distance along the axis based on the interference position and storing the distance.
US08390821B2

Apparatus (20) for 3D mapping of an object (28) includes an illumination assembly (30), including a coherent light source (32) and a diffuser (33), which are arranged to project a primary speckle pattern on the object. A single image capture assembly (38) is arranged to capture images of the primary speckle pattern on the object from a single, fixed location and angle relative to the illumination assembly. A processor (24) is coupled to process the images of the primary speckle pattern captured at the single, fixed angle so as to derive a 3D map of the object.
US08390812B2

To make it possible to alter a cell length with reduction of a manufacturing cost so that a spacer can be securely positioned at a desired position, a cell includes: a pair of optical windows sandwiching a flow channel; a cell body provided with an accommodating recess and a solution introduction part and a solution deriving part; a pair of light transmitting members in the accommodating recess and forming the pair of optical windows; a spacer defining a distance between the opposing surfaces of the pair of light transmitting members; and a pressing mechanism for pressing the light transmitting members and the spacer toward the bottom surface of the accommodating recess so as to form the flow channel, wherein a positioning recess having a shape corresponding to the spacer is provided on at least one of the opposing surfaces and the spacer is fitted therein.
US08390809B2

An exposure method comprises: a first detection step of detecting a position of a first mark by a first scope; a second detection step of detecting a position of a second mark by a second scope having a magnification higher than the first scope; a first calculation step of calculating a first correction value based on the detection results obtained in the first and second detection steps; a third detection step of detecting a position of a third mark by the second scope after the substrate is aligned based on the first correction value calculated in the first calculation step; a second calculation step of calculating a second correction value based on the detection results obtained in the second and third detection steps; and an exposure step of exposing the substrate after the substrate is aligned based on the second correction value calculated in the second calculation step.
US08390801B2

A SAL seeker focuses laser energy reflected off a target into a spot on the surface of a multi-segment non-imaging detector. A matched filter is responsive to the normalized detector response to estimate an angle measurement to the target. The matched filter is particularly well-suited for use in wide FOV systems as it unambiguously selects the angle measurement over the extended FOV whereas the conventional centroid calculation introduces ambiguity. The centroid calculation and angle selection may be used to improve the search and selection of the matched filter. Alternately, the matched filter may be used to disambiguate the angle selection based on the centroid calculation.
US08390798B2

A wavelength dispersion measurement method includes generating a plurality of test lights in the first terminal, the wavelengths of which are different from a wavelength of a signal light, multiplexing each test light with the signal light and outputting the multiplexed light to the first transmission path, reconverting each electrical signal after converting each beam into electrical signals, multiplexing each test light with the signal light and outputting the multiplexed light to the second transmission path, reconverting each electrical signal after converting each test light into electrical signals, multiplexing each test light with the signal light and outputting the multiplexed light to the first transmission path, measuring times for each test light to be propagated up to a specified number of go-around, and measuring a change of a wavelength dispersion amount in the paths based on a difference between the measured propagation times of each wavelength.
US08390794B2

An optical instrument and a method for obtaining distance and image information of an object is disclosed to improve the speed and accuracy of data acquisition. The instrument comprises a camera, positioning unit, distance measuring unit, lens arrangement and control unit. The camera acquires images of an object and the control unit defines an area to be scanned and measurement pixels of an object in the image, wherein the measurement pixels are converted into an approximation of coordinates of positions to be measured assuming a default distance to the positions, and the optical axis of the lens arrangement is adjusted sequentially onto the positions to be measured. After measuring the distances to the positions, the coordinates are recalculated increasing the accuracy of the coordinates.
US08390793B2

An optical ranging sensor includes a light emitting unit for projecting a light beam on an object to be measured, a light receiving unit on which a light spot of reflected light of the light beam from the object is formed, and a processing circuit unit for processing output signals from the light receiving unit and detecting a distance to the object. The light receiving unit includes an effective light receiving part having light receiving cells arranged in matrix form in a first direction in which a position of the light spot moves as the object moves along a direction of an optical axis of the light emitting unit, and in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. A size of the effective light receiving part in the second direction is not smaller than a radius of the light spot but not larger than a diameter thereof.
US08390782B2

A fluid proximity sensor having one or more measurement nozzles and a reference nozzle coupled to a common chamber. Diaphragms coupled to the measurement nozzles can be sensed by optical, capacitive or inductive means so as to detect changes in pressure. In addition, the number of pressure detectors can be minimized through the use of control valves to selectively couple the nozzles to the detectors, while maintaining the required high level of topographic sensitivity. Further, the measurement nozzle dimensions can be adjusted to optimize proximity measurements in response to accuracy, speed and similar requirements.
US08390777B2

The primary cause of degradation of a liquid crystal is the presence of trapped water within the liquid crystal, and the properties of a degraded liquid crystal can be recovered by removing the water from the degraded liquid crystal. A method for recovering the properties of a liquid crystal is disclosed to include a step of removing the trapped water.
US08390774B2

A projection display apparatus is provided with a liquid crystal panel, and first to third polarizing layers are arranged on an optical path of light. The transmission axis of the first polarizing layer and the transmission axis of the second polarizing layer orthogonally intersect with each other. The transmission axis of the second polarizing layer and the transmission axis of the third polarizing layer are parallel to each other. The first compensation layer compensates a phase difference generated due to pre-tilt angle on the entering side of the liquid crystal panel. The second compensation layer compensates a phase difference generated due to a pre-tilt angle on the outgoing side of the liquid crystal panel. The third compensation layer compensates a phase difference generated due to deviation between the polarization axis of the light entering the third polarizing layer and the transmission axis of the third polarizing layer.
US08390773B2

A liquid crystal display panel includes; an array substrate including a pixel electrode disposed in a pixel area, the pixel electrode including a reflective electrode disposed in a reflective area of the pixel area and a transparent electrode disposed in a transmissive area of the pixel area, at least one of the reflective electrode and the transparent electrode including a plurality of first slit electrodes, an opposite substrate including a first common electrode disposed in alignment with the reflective area, the first common electrode including a plurality of second slit electrodes each having a width wider than that of an individual first slit electrode of the plurality of first slit electrodes, and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the array substrate and the opposite substrate.
US08390770B2

An embodiment of the invention provides a color filter substrate comprising first black matrixes; color resin units; and a protection layer. Each of the color resin units is formed between two adjacent first black matrixes, the protection layer is formed on the first black matrixes and the color resin units, second black matrixes are formed, each corresponding to one first black matrix, on the protection layer for blocking reflected light from the first black matrixes from entering TFT channel regions on an array substrate to be provided to oppose the color filter substrate.
US08390768B2

A vertically aligned liquid crystal display device is provided in which the phase difference value is increased be-yond a usual range, whereby the ON transmittance in high duty driving is increased to improve the contrast and the viewing angle. In the vertically aligned liquid crystal display device, the phase difference value in the thickness direction of the liquid crystal layer 8 is set in a range of from 500 nm to 1,600 nm, and a first phase difference plate 13 is inserted between the first and second polarizing plates 9, 10 in which the absorption axes 9a and 10a per-pendicularly intersect with each other. The first phase difference plate 13 is a uniaxial phase difference plate which has a negative refractive index anisotropy, in which the phase difference value in the thickness direction is set in a range of from 220 nm to 1,320 nm, and which has the optical axis perpendicular to first and second glass substrates 4,5 between which a liquid crystal layer 8 is interposed.
US08390765B2

A wavelength selection substrate 23 is configured with a wavelength selection section 23R which transmits only red laser light and reflects other light components, a wavelength selection section 23G which transmits only a green laser light and reflects other light components, and a wavelength selection section 23B which transmits only a blue laser light and reflects other light components. Of laser light 12 outputted from a light guide plate 14, a laser light component that corresponds to a color passing through one of the wavelength selection sections passes through the wavelength selection substrate 23 and enters a liquid crystal panel 22, whereas a laser light component that does not correspond to the color is reflected from the wavelength selection substrate 23 and returns the light guide plate 14. The laser light having returned the light guide plate 14 is reflected from the reflection plate 21 and again enters the wavelength selection substrate 23. This reciprocation of the laser light is repeated until the laser light pass through the wavelength selection section. With this repetition of passing and reflection, the laser light 12 is separated into respective colors of red, green, and blue, and outputted from the wavelength selection substrate 23.
US08390762B2

A game machine including: a liquid crystal display including a liquid crystal panel and a back light unit; and at least one reel which is disposed behind the back light unit. The back light unit for a liquid crystal display includes: a pair of light guide plates which are disposed to face each other, transparent electrodes being formed on corresponding predetermined areas of surfaces facing each other of the light guide plates; a polymer dispersed liquid crystal layer which is formed in a space between the light guide plates and is formed by polymer dispersed liquid crystal; and a plurality of light sources respectively disposed at edges of the light guide plates.
US08390760B2

A planar light-emitting device enabling reduction in the deflection of a sheet-shaped light-diffusing element includes a reflector having an upper surface serving as a light-reflecting surface, a partition provided on the reflector to extend upward to form a plurality of enclosed spaces over the upper surface of the reflector, light sources disposed in the enclosed spaces, respectively, and at least one sheet-shaped light-diffusing element supported on the upper edges of the partition to transmit and diffuse light from the light sources upward. The side surfaces of the partition that define the enclosed spaces are light-reflecting surfaces.
US08390758B2

A backlight unit and an LCD having the same. The backlight unit can include a light guide plate, a printed circuit board, a bottom cover and a fixing member. The printed circuit board can have at least one light emitting diode to emit light toward an incident surface formed at one side of the light guide plate. The bottom cover can receive the light guide plate and the printed circuit board therein. The fixing member can be formed with a recess section, into which the printed circuit board can be press-fitted, such that the printed circuit board is fixed to the fixing member. The assembling efficiency and reliability of the backlight unit can be improved.
US08390742B2

In a semiconductor integrated circuit arranged to perform sag compensation for a video signal, an operational amplifier includes a non-inverted input terminal, an inverted input terminal, and an output terminal, in which a video signal is input to the non-inverted input terminal. A first resistor includes a first end connected to the inverted input terminal and a second end being grounded. The output terminal is connected to a first external terminal and the inverted input terminal is connected to a second external terminal. A second resistor includes a first end connected to the output terminal and a second end connected to the inverted input terminal. A first capacitor is disposed between the first external terminal and the second external terminal and connected in parallel to the second resistor, and the second resistor has a resistance value determined based on a capacitance value of the first capacitor.
US08390740B2

Provided herein are methods and systems that provide automatic compensation for frequency attenuation of a video signal transmitted over a cable. In accordance with an embodiment, a system includes an equalizer and a compensation controller. The equalizer receives a video signal that was transmitted over a cable, provides compensation for frequency attenuation that occurred during the transmission over the cable, and outputs a compensated video signal. The compensation controller automatically adjusts the compensation provided by the equalizer based on comparisons of one or more portions of the compensated video signal to one or more reference voltage levels.
US08390733B2

A camera system includes an interchangeable lens and a camera body to which the interchangeable lens can be mounted, either directly or via an adapter. A lens microcomputer of the interchangeable lens is configured to hold lens information including information related to a focal point detection method. A body microcomputer of the camera body is configured to select a focal point detection method on the basis of lens information. The body microcomputer is configured to select a contrast detection method as the focal point detection method if the interchangeable lens is compatible with a contrast detection method. The body microcomputer is configured to select a phase difference detection method as the focal point detection method if the interchangeable lens is not compatible with a contrast detection method, and the adapter is compatible with a phase difference detection method.
US08390730B2

An image capturing apparatus includes an image sensor obtaining a captured image of a subject, a face detection section detecting a face of the subject from the captured image, a focusing control section performing a tracking focusing operation for maintaining a state in which the face of the subject is focused on the basis of a signal obtained from a distance measuring area provided in an image capturing area, a first determination section determining whether the face of the subject is present in the distance measuring area when the face of the subject is detected by the face detection section, and a second determination section determining whether a body area in which a body corresponding to the face of the subject is expected to be present is present in the distance measuring area when the face of the subject is determined not to be present in the distance measuring area.
US08390721B2

The present invention provides a camera module for a portable electronic device. A beam splitter has a first light input end for receiving a first light beam, a second light input end for receiving a second light beam and a light output end for outputting the first or second light beams that enter from the first and second light input ends respectively. A reflector is positioned at the upstream of the first light input end of the beam splitter to redirect the first light beam to the first light input end of the beam splitter. An image sensor is positioned at the downstream of the light output end of the beam splitter to convert the first or second light beams outputted from the light output end into a corresponding signal.
US08390706B2

A solid-state imaging device includes a plurality of photoelectric conversion portions configured to be formed on the imaging surface of a semiconductor substrate, an element isolation portion in which an impurity diffusion region is formed so as to isolate the plurality of photoelectric conversion portions on the imaging surface, a light shielding portion configured to stop incident light from entering the element isolation portion on the imaging surface, and a plurality of pixel transistors configured to be formed on the imaging surface and to read out and output signal charge, generated in the plurality of photoelectric conversion portions, as data signals, wherein the light shielding portion includes an extending portion extending among the plurality of photoelectric conversion portions and is formed so that the extending portion of the light shielding portion and each of the gate electrodes of the pixel transistor are connected to each other.
US08390704B2

A method for determining a deblurred image, the method implemented at least in part by a data processing system and comprising: receiving a sharp image of a scene captured with a short exposure time; receiving a blurred image of the scene captured with a longer exposure time than the sharp image, wherein the blurred image has a higher level of motion blur and a lower level of image noise than the sharp image; determining a blur kernel responsive to the sharp image and the blurred image; determining one or more reference differential images responsive to the sharp image; determining a deblurred image responsive to the blurred image, the blur kernel and the one or more reference differential images; and storing the deblurred image in a processor-accessible memory system.
US08390700B2

An imaging apparatus includes: a display unit for displaying color image data acquired by the imaging unit; a colorimetric position acquisition unit for acquiring colorimetric position data corresponding to a colorimetric part selected by a user in the image data displayed on the display unit; a colorimetric position data record unit for recording the colorimetric position data; a light source; a colorimetric unit, provided near the light source, for performing a colorimetric process at a colorimetric instruction from the user, and acquiring colorimetric data as a result of the colorimetric process; a colorimetric data record unit for recording the colorimetric data; and a storage unit for associating the image data displayed on the display unit, the colorimetric position data recorded on the colorimetric position data record unit, and the colorimetric data recorded on the colorimetric data record unit, and storing the data.
US08390685B2

The present invention is directed to a virtual fence provided using a plurality of video cameras. A method for providing a virtual fence in accordance with an embodiment includes: positioning a plurality of video cameras about a perimeter to be monitored, the perimeter comprising a plurality of designated areas; for each of the designated areas: capturing video data of the designated area using at least one video camera; analyzing the captured video data to detect an event; and sending at least one of image or video data to a central facility only in response to the detection of the event.
US08390677B1

In a method of calibrating a projector in an autostereoscopic display a projector is used to project an image, comprising a plurality of objects, via a spatial-resolution-to-angular-resolution-converter. The image is received using a camera disposed at the viewer side of the spatial-resolution-to-angular-resolution-converter. It is then determined that a first object of the plurality of objects is not correctly aligned with a second object of the plurality of objects and the first object is re-aligned relative to the second object by generating a command causing the projector to shift the projection of the image relative to the spatial-resolution-to-angular-resolution-converter.
US08390674B2

Provided is a method of reducing fatigue resulting from viewing a three-dimensional (3D) image display. The method includes: obtaining low visual fatigue parameter information on a frame section including at least one frame of a received 3D image; obtaining disparity vector information on each frame of the 3D image; and determining a disparity minimum limit value and a disparity maximum limit value with respect to the 3D image.
US08390672B2

A method of controlling a mobile terminal, and which includes displaying a panorama guide including a lattice having at least two rows on a preview screen when a panorama photographing operation using a camera on the terminal is performed, sensing a motion of the terminal, and displaying a position guide indicating a photographing position of the terminal when performing the panorama photographing operation.
US08390669B2

The present disclosure discloses a method for identifying individuals in a multimedia stream originating from a video conferencing terminal or a Multipoint Control Unit, including executing a face detection process on the multimedia stream; defining subsets including facial images of one or more individuals, where the subsets are ranked according to a probability that their respective one or more individuals will appear in a video stream; comparing a detected face to the subsets in consecutive order starting with a most probable subset, until a match is found; and storing an identity of the detected face as searchable metadata in a content database in response to the detected face matching a facial image in one of the subsets.
US08390667B2

A system and method for alerting participants in a videoconference that one or more participants are improperly framed by the videoconference camera is provided. An embodiment comprises a temporary self-view picture-in-picture image appearing when the number of faces detected by the videoconference camera changes. A face detection algorithm is used to determine when the number of faces being detected by the videoconference camera has changed. The self-view picture-in-picture image displays, for a duration of time, a representation of the image being captured by the videoconference camera, allowing participants who are not properly framed by the videoconference camera to adjust their position to that their faces are captured by the videoconference camera.
US08390657B2

A driver circuit in an optical print head uses driving transistors to drive a row of light-emitting elements. The gate electrodes of the driving transistors are at least partly oriented so that driving current flows in the channels below the gate electrodes in a direction different from the direction of the row the light-emitting elements. This orientation reduces the temperature dependency of the driving current, so that the optical print head can produce the same high image quality at low ambient temperatures as at room temperature.
US08390655B2

An active matrix liquid crystal display device and driving method thereof is provided, in which two different gamma voltage signals can be generated for two pixels of a sub-pixel without extra source lines or gate lines. In a sub-pixel having a first pixel and a second pixel, the switching on/off of the first pixel is controlled by one gate line and that of the second pixel is controlled by one gate line and one source line. The first pixel has a first thin film transistor (TFT) and an electrostatic capacitor. The second pixel has second and third TFTs serially connected. Gate electrodes of the two serially-connected TFTs are connected to the gate line and the source line, respectively.
US08390650B2

The present invention discloses a method for displaying video data. The method includes: generating an intermediate image between a first and a second image of the video data, wherein the first image is adjacent to the second image in the video data; adjusting a plurality of intermediate pixels of the intermediate image to generate a luminance-adjusted image; and displaying the first image, the luminance-adjusted image, and the second image in turn.
US08390647B2

An image processing system and method for comparing and correcting two monochromic images A2 and B2 that extracts a skeleton of objects in the monochromic image A2 to generate a skeleton image A3 and extracts a skeleton of objects in the monochromic image B2 to generate a skeleton image B3. The system and method then covers the skeleton image A3 with the monochromic image B2 to generate a covered image A4, and covers the skeleton image B3 with the monochromic image A2 to generate a covered image B4. The system and method further corrects allowable variances in the covered images A4 and B4, and outputs the covered images whose variances have been corrected.
US08390638B2

One embodiment of the invention includes an image compensation module, an OLED display panel, and an OLED display apparatus. A target current value corresponding to a target gray level is stored in a compensation memory portion. A reference gray level and a reference current value corresponding to the reference gray level are stored in a reference memory portion. A compensation gray level can be obtained by an arithmetic compensation unit according to the target current value, reference gray level, reference current value, and gamma parameter. This may reduce the memory space needed for the compensation and reference memory portions, and compensate the images of the display apparatus and panel so that precise colors can be displayed with a high image quality.
US08390634B2

A graphics processor or a graphics block for use in a processor includes a type buffer used for determining if a currently processed pixel requires further processing. Each pixel has a number of sub-pixels and each sub-pixel line includes at least one counter that is stored in an edge buffer. A limited edge buffer that can store edge buffer values in a limited range can be employed. Each buffer can include information regarding the whole screen or a portion of thereof. The edge buffer also can be an external or internal buffer, and when implemented internally, the graphics processor or graphics block need not employ a bi-directional bus.
US08390629B2

A method for specifying a design for an animatronics unit includes receiving motion data comprising artistically determined motions, determining a design for construction of at least a portion of the animatronics unit in response to the motion data, and outputting the design for construction of the animatronics unit.
US08390619B1

An occlusion prediction graphics processing system and method are presented in accordance with embodiments of the present invention. An occlusion prediction graphics processing method is utilized to predict which pixel values are eventually occluded before intermediate processing stages are performed on the pixel values. For example, occlusion results are predicted before the occlusion stage of a graphics pipeline. The occlusion prediction results are based upon an occlusion value received from later in a graphics processing pipeline (e.g., a raster operation stage). A convex polygonal prediction area can be established and a nearest vertex of the convex polygonal prediction area is selected for prediction analysis. Pixel values are removed or discarded from the pipeline based upon the occlusion prediction results and do not unnecessarily occupy processing resources. Removal of the pixel values from the pipeline includes pixels values associated with pixels in the convex polygonal prediction area. Pixel shading is performed on the remaining pixels.
US08390618B2

A technique to improve ray tracing performance. In one embodiment, polygons not intersecting a specially created frustum are excluded from further ray-triangle tests, thereby enabling more efficient traversal of an acceleration structure corresponding to the given scene.
US08390615B2

A television 1 of the present invention is a television 1 for processing display data and displaying an image based on the processed display data, the display data containing the image and a control script that defines at least a function of displaying the image, wherein the television 1 includes a basic function executing section 42 for executing a basic function program called from the control script, the basic function program being stored in a basic function program storage section 29; and a control script executing section 41 for controlling basic function executing section 42 according to the control script so as to perform a first function for displaying the image, the first function being defined by the control script, the control script further defines a second function which the television 1 performs while the image is being displayed by the first function, and the control script executing section 41 controls the basic function executing section 42 according to the control script so as to execute the second function.
US08390611B2

An image display system includes a gate driving circuit. The gate driving circuit includes several stages of gate drivers each for generating a gate driving signal to drive a row of pixels. Each stage of the gate driver receives a clock signal and a first reset signal. A first stage of the gate driver receives a vertical start pulse as an input signal of the first stage. The remaining stages of the gate drivers respectively receive the gate driving signal generated by a previous stage of the gate driver as the input signal of the remaining stages. Each stage of the gate drivers further receives the gate driving signal generated by a next stage of the gate driver as a second reset signal, and generates the corresponding gate driving signal according to the clock signal, the first reset signal, and the corresponding input signal and second reset signal.
US08390604B2

A differential signaling system and a flat panel display using the same. The differential signaling system includes a first wiring and a second wiring connected to a sending end and a receiving end as a differential signal line; a termination resistor connected between the first wiring and the second wiring in the receiving end side; and a programmable compensation circuit connected to the termination resistor in parallel. The programmable compensation circuits includes n switches to receive each bit of an input digital control signal; first resistors connected between a source electrode of each of the switches and the first wiring; and second resistors connected between a drain electrode of each of the switches and the second wiring.
US08390599B2

A touch panel having a first panel and a second panel, wherein the first panel has a voltage providing area connected to a power source and the second panel has a patterned resistive element facing the voltage providing area so that when a touch event on the touch panel occurs, the first panel is caused to make contact with and provide a voltage to the second panel at one or more contact points on the resistive element. By measuring the voltage on one or both ends of the resistive element, it is possible to determine the two-dimensional coordinates of each contact point. The touch panel can have one or more resistive elements located at different touch areas for sensing one or more touch points in a touch event.
US08390598B2

A detection column wiring includes a set of a first metal wiring having a zigzag pattern and a second metal wiring having a structure axisymmetric with the first metal wiring about a column direction. The first metal wiring includes first sloped portions obliquely sloped by an inclination angle of 45° with respect to the column direction, and first parallel portions parallel with the column direction and continuous with the first sloped portions; the first sloped portions and the first parallel portions being repeatedly placed in a zigzag shape along the column direction. Each detection row wiring has the same structure. A sloped portion of the first sloped portions of the first metal wiring is always orthogonally and spatially intersected, at its middle point, with a sloped portion of the second sloped portions of the third metal wiring at its middle point. Other portions have the same orthogonal relationship.
US08390588B2

A device that can autonomously scan a sensor panel is disclosed. Autonomous scanning can be performed by implementing channel scan logic. In one embodiment, channel scan logic carries out many of the functions that a processor would normally undertake, including generating timing sequences and obtaining result data; comparing scan result data against a threshold value (e.g., in an auto-scan mode); generating row count; selecting one or more scanning frequency bands; power management control; and performing an auto-scan routine in a low power mode.
US08390584B1

A method for performing a task in a touchscreen device, comprising receiving tactile information from a digit, wherein the tactile information comprises an identifying portion and a touchscreen location of the digit, identifying the digit based on the tactile information, obtaining contextual information from the touchscreen device, wherein the contextual information comprises data describing an execution environment of the touchscreen device, translating, using a controller, a mapping of the tactile information and the contextual information to obtain a task, and performing the task in the touchscreen device, wherein the task performs an action in the execution environment of the touchscreen device.
US08390583B2

Virtual keypads are provided which determine an intended user key entry based upon location of keystrokes as well as other keystroke characteristics such as keystroke shape and/or pressure. Virtual keypad layouts which include overlapping or multi-character keys may be used to reduce typing errors on small pressure sensing touch screens. Keystrokes on overlapping or multi-character keys may be disambiguated using measured pressures applied to the pressure sensing touch screen as well as other keystroke characteristics such as keystroke shape. Additional user interfaces are provided which exploit pressure sensing touch screen capable of discriminating magnitudes of pressure exerted upon the touch screen surface.
US08390580B2

A liquid crystal display screen includes an upper board, a lower board opposite to the upper board, and a liquid crystal layer located between the upper board and the lower board. The upper board includes a touch panel. The touch panel includes an amount of transparent electrodes. At least one of the transparent electrodes includes a transparent carbon nanotube structure. The lower board includes a thin film transistor panel. The thin film transistor panel includes an amount of thin film transistors. Each of the thin film transistors includes a semiconducting layer. The semiconducting layer includes a semiconducting carbon nanotube structure.
US08390574B2

A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with disambiguation software that is operable to disambiguate text input. In response to an ambiguous editing input at a location preceding at least a portion of an output word, the software performs one disambiguation operation with respect to the editing input and another disambiguation operation with respect to the editing input in combination with the at least portion of the output word. The results are output in order of decreasing frequency value, with the results of the one disambiguation operation having the portion of the output word appended thereto.
US08390565B2

An electrophoretic display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate that face each other, an electrophoretic element disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, the electrophoretic element including electrophoretic particles, a display unit that has a plurality of pixels including the electrophoretic element, a common electrode that is formed on an electrophoretic element side of the second substrate, and a first control line and a second control line that are formed in either the first substrate or the second substrate. Each of the plurality of pixels includes a pixel switching element, a memory circuit that is connected to the pixel switching element, a switching circuit that is connected to the memory circuit, and a first pixel electrode and a second pixel electrode that are connected to the switching circuit and are disposed to face the common electrode. The switching circuit includes a first switch that controls a conductive state between the first control line and the first pixel electrode in accordance with an output signal of the memory circuit and a second switch that controls a conductive state between the second control line and the second pixel electrode in accordance with the output signal of the memory circuit.
US08390560B2

A level shift circuit includes: a first and a second output transistor outputting voltages derived from a first and a second power source voltage, respectively; a first and a second input transistor outputting, based on a first input pulse signal, a first voltage for turning ON the first output transistor and a second voltage for turning OFF the second output transistor, respectively; a third and a fourth input transistor outputting, based on a second input pulse signal, a third voltage for turning OFF the first output transistor and a fourth voltage for turning ON the second output transistor, respectively; a first bootstrap circuit enlarging an amplitude of the first voltage and supplying the same to the first output transistor; and a first voltage compensation circuit, based on a third input pulse signal, making, at an end timing of the first input pulse signal, a voltage change in a direction opposite to that of a voltage fluctuation caused in the first voltage due to a parasitic capacitance in the first input transistor.
US08390554B2

A liquid crystal display device and a method of driving the same are disclosed. The liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel including data lines, gate lines crossing the data lines, and liquid crystal cells arranged in a matrix format at each of crossings of the data lines and the gate lines; a data drive circuit that converts digital video data into a positive/negative data voltage using gamma reference voltages to supply the positive/negative data voltage to the data lines; and a gamma voltage adjusting unit that increases a potential of each of the gamma reference voltages during a blanking period when a polarity of the positive/negative data voltage is inverted.
US08390546B2

A display device comprising a light guide (12), a front plate (14), and an intermediate electromechanically operable foil (16). Two electrode layers (22, 23) are arranged on either side of the foil (16) to induce electrostatic forces on the foil (16) and to bring selected portions of the foil into contact with the light guide (12), thereby extracting light from the light guide (12). The second electrode layer (22) is arranged on the opposite side of the light guide (12) with reference to the foil (16), and separated from the light guide (12) by means of a refractive layer (28). As no electrode layer is required on the light guide itself, the light path of rays extracted from the light guide is cleaner, and the absorption of light is reduced. The light guide can have a thickness such that the light extracted from the light guide per unit length is sufficient to allow for line-at-a-time addressing.
US08390533B2

A beam-scan display apparatus (10) displays an image by scanning a beam on a retina of a user, the beam-scan display apparatus (10) includes a case (11) housing (i) a light source (101) emitting a beam for drawing each of pixels constituting the image, and (ii) a scan unit (103) two-dimensionally scanning the beam emitted from the light source (101). Further, the beam-scan apparatus includes a contact lens (12) having a deflection unit (104) deflecting, toward the retina of an eye of the user wearing the case (11), the beam scanned by the scan unit (103), wherein the contact lens (12) is separate from the case (11).
US08390532B2

There is provided a video display apparatus the display screen of which is configured by combining a plurality of video display units in each of which light emitting display elements are arranged in a matrix manner; in the video display apparatus, there is provided a luminance correction means that corrects the luminance of video data situated in a correction subject area including respective end regions, of a first video display unit and a second video display unit, that face each other, in accordance with the spacing between the first video display unit and the second video display unit; and a linear noise that is caused at a seam portion between the video display units is suppressed, whereby the image quality of a video to be displayed can be raised.
US08390529B1

The present invention is directed to an integrated antenna and feed network assembly. The integrated antenna and feed network assembly includes a spiral antenna which is suitable for implementation with ELINT DF systems. The integrated antenna and feed network assembly further includes a feed network, which may include a stripline Balun feed. The feed network is electrically connected to the antenna. Further, the integrated antenna and the feed network assembly provides for integration of the antenna and the feed network into a single PCB assembly.
US08390521B2

An antenna array for radar transceivers, in particular for ascertaining distance and/or speed in the surroundings of vehicles, a first antenna part being situated on a carrier and a second antenna part being situated on another carrier situated at a distance from the first. The first antenna part has two generally rectangular primary exciter patches which adjoin each other on one edge, where they are short-circuited toward ground, two primary exciter patches have two separate supply lines, and the second antenna part comprises two mutually separated rectangular secondary exciter patches, which partially cover the primary exciter patches and which have, in the region of the ground short-circuit of the primary exciter patches, in the beam direction, a distance from each other that at least exposes the ground short-circuit.
US08390518B2

It is described an antenna arrangement for transmitting and/or for receiving electromagnetic radiation. The antenna arrangement includes two antenna elements, which are adapted for transmitting and/or for receiving electromagnetic radiation of a first polarization. The antenna arrangement further includes one antenna element, which is adapted for transmitting and/or for receiving electromagnetic radiation of a second polarization being different from the first polarization. Furthermore, there is provided one coupling unit, which is adapted to couple, based on an appropriate control signal, the antenna elements selectively with one terminal of the antenna arrangement in such a manner, that the polarization direction of the antenna arrangement can be adjusted to the first polarization or to a combination of the first and the second polarization.
US08390504B2

Electrical properties of concealed dielectric objects, such as the dielectric permittivity, can be deduced from incident, reflected, and transmitted electromagnetic waves in an imaging system. In a confocal arrangement a horn illuminates a reflect array and the reflect array is configured to focus the radiation at an element in the scan volume. The reflections are in turn refocused by a reflect array at the horn aperture. The reflect array is electronically configured to scan the focal point throughout the scan volume in a systematic way. Knowledge of the horn pattern and the scan strategy allows the system to compute the geometry associated with each volume element. Amplitude and phase variations between the object and the surrounding volume and the computed geometry are used to estimate the relative permittivity and thus facilitate categorization of the object using a database of material relative permittivities.
US08390499B2

An analog-to-digital converter includes an input terminal, a first comparator, a first output terminal, a second comparator, and a second output terminal. The first comparator generates a first logical signal and a control signal by comparing an input signal received by the input terminal with a first reference signal. A first transistor generates a first current based on the input signal. First and second switches are switched so as to be short-circuited/open-circuited in an opposite manner to each other based on the control signal. A second transistor supplies a second current based on a second reference signal to a terminal when the first switch is ON. A third transistor supplies a third current based on a third reference signal to the terminal when the second switch is ON. An output unit generates a second logical signal by comparing the first current with one of the second and the third currents.
US08390494B2

A method and apparatus for a modified noise-coupled modulator using zero optimization technique is disclosed. By realizing the resonator coefficient as a part of branches other than those of the main transfer function, the problem of improving SQNR without degrading other specifications is solved. Second order noise coupling is used to implement zeros without using feedback branches going into the first integrator. Embodiments use a first-order modulator, second-order noise coupling and a resonator. It allows lower power consumption and smaller size by removing small capacitor values and gain factors and reducing the number of amplifiers.
US08390485B2

Digital communications interleavers re-order the bits of a data coding block in a way that can be described by a table of indices that map the original order to the interleaved order. Conventional interleavers include index table interleavers, which store an index table ahead of operation and algorithmic Interleavers, which generate the indices during operation.Described herein are a new class of interleavers: Subset Transform Interleavers. A subset of generator outputs is selected and processed to create the interleaver indices. The selection is determined apriori and the selection results are stored in a Subset Usage Table. During operation, the generator is operated again and the Subset Usage Table entries determine which generator outputs are used. The generator may be a pseudo-random number generator. Implementations can use an Indexes Remaining Table, which can additionally be manipulated during operation such that it returns to an initialized state after each block interleaving process.
US08390478B2

The present invention providing a system and installation method of wireless vehicle detection based on earth magnetic induction a signal collection module, a signal conditioning module, a MCU control module, a wireless communication module, a battery module and a signal receiver module includes. When the system is installed, firstly, a cylindrical cavity is cut in the road lane along the driveway; secondly, the adhesive is smeared on the interior of the cylindrical cavity; thirdly, a vehicle detection shell is provided, which includes a signal collection module, a signal conditioning module, a MCU control module, a wireless communication module, and a battery module inside; the whole lower part of the vehicle detection shell is inserted into the cylindrical cavity, then the adhesive is filled between the vehicle detection shell and the interior of the cylindrical cavity, which makes the lower portion of the vehicle detection shell firmly cemented in the cylindrical cavity; finally, a signal receiver module and an external processing module is provided, the external processing module is connected to the signal collection module for analyzing and processing the signals received from the signal collection module. The present invention owns many advantages including: the small volume, sensitive detection performance, the fast installation and the easy maintenance.
US08390473B2

The present application is directed to a system and method of providing flexible real-time two-way energy control and monitoring between utility providers and consumers. Consumer friendly nodes permit communication of targeted information and control, while permitting the utility provider to remotely communicate and control in a real-time environment. Data collection of and accessibility by a community of utility consumers provides social feedback through comparative usage statistics.
US08390472B2

The automatic meter reading (AMR) systems and methods of the present invention facilitate meter reading utilizing one-way and two-way communication with utility meter endpoint devices while at the same time providing an operating regime that conserves energy for long battery life and utilizes the available airwaves for AMR communications efficiently. Embodiments of the invention are applicable in AMR systems employing handheld and/or vehicle-based mobile readers, fixed readers, and combinations thereof. Moreover, embodiments of the invention facilitate smooth transition from mobile AMR systems to fixed systems, and provide for automatic AMR system performance monitoring and automatic adaptability to maintain or improve performance.
US08390465B2

A residual-current circuit breaker includes at least one summation current transformer through which at least one first lead and one second lead of a network to be protected are guided. At least one secondary winding is arranged on the summation current transformer and operatively connected at least indirectly with at least one energy storage element. At least one discharging resistor is switched in parallel with the energy storage element. The residual-current circuit breaker has a trip element which is operatively connected with break contacts in the at least one first lead and the at least one second lead. In order to reduce unexpected cut-offs of a network to be protected, the at least one discharging resistor includes a first partial resistor, and a second partial resistor switched in series with respect to the first partial resistor, with a least one electric signaling device operatively connected, at least indirectly, with the first partial resistor.
US08390458B2

A wireless IC tag reader includes a receiving antenna, a transmitting antenna and a beam direction control unit. The receiving antenna has a maximum beam direction and a half-value angle. The transmitting antenna has a maximum beam direction and a half-value angle narrower than the half-value angle of the receiving antenna. The beam direction control unit changes the maximum beam direction of the transmitting antenna.
US08390457B2

An apparatus for containing and transporting precious items comprises at least one holding structure (2) adapted to contain at least one precious item (200), at least one antenna (3) adapted to detect the presence of an electronic identification device (201) associated with the precious item (200), in order to determine the contents of the holding structure (2) and send a signal (S1) representative of same at least on occurrence of a predetermined event, storing means (4) physically associated with the holding structure (2) and operatively associated with the antenna (3) for receiving the signal sent therefrom on occurrence of a first event and store the contents of the holding structure (2) on occurrence of the first event. A processing unit (5) can be connected to the storing means (4) and the antenna (3) to compare the contents of the storing means (4) with a signal (S2) sent by the antenna (3) on occurrence of a second event subsequent in time to the first one.
US08390454B2

A USB hosted sensor module, comprising: a substrate; a sensor mounted on the substrate; and a USB connector extending from the substrate, the USB connector capable of electrically coupling to a USB port of a host device, the USB connector capable of drawing power from the USB port of the host device to provide electrical power to the USB hosted sensor module; and a processing device mounted on the substrate, the processor capable of supporting a first communication channel and a second communication channel, wherein the first communication channel is between the USB hosted sensor module and an external communication device, wherein the second communication channel is between the USB hosted sensor module and the host device.
US08390451B2

Systems, methods and computer program products for the centralized control of radio frequency identification (RFID) readers are described herein. An input event control embodiment operates by receiving a signal from a non-RFID input device and commanding an RFID reader associated with the non-RFID input device to begin reading. According to an alternative time coordination embodiment, non-overlapping time slots are assigned to a plurality of RFID readers, and the RFID readers read only during their respective non-overlapping time slots. According to an alternative combined input event control/time coordination embodiment, non-overlapping time slots are assigned to a plurality of RFID readers. A signal from a non-RFID input device is received, and an RFID reader associated with the non-RFID input device is commanded to begin reading. However, such RFID reader only begins to read at the beginning of its next assigned time slot.
US08390450B2

A security tag affixed to a mobile phone for monitoring, tracking, and securing the mobile phone within a protected region. The security tag includes: a tag antenna operable at a low radio frequency not exceeding one megahertz; a tag transceiver operatively connected to the device antenna, the transceiver operable to receive radio signals at the low radio frequency and generate data signals at the said low radio frequency, in response thereto; and a microcontroller operatively coupled with the transceiver, the microcontroller being configured to cause the transceiver to emit a signal when the mobile phone is exiting the protected region.
US08390449B2

A intrusion detection system includes a first sensor device having a first transmission circuit unit that transmits a modulation wave of a first transmission spectrum diffusion signal to a first transmission leakage transfer passage and a second sensor device having a second transmission circuit unit that transmits a modulation wave of a second transmission spectrum diffusion signal to a second transmission leakage transfer passage. The signal interval of the first transmission spectrum diffusion signal is the same as the signal interval of the second transmission spectrum diffusion signal. The first transmission spectrum diffusion signal and the second transmission spectrum diffusion signal are shifted in frequency so that the first transmission spectrum diffusion signal does not overlap with the second transmission spectrum diffusion signal.
US08390442B2

A method and apparatus involve a plurality of first devices, and a second device movable relative thereto. According to one aspect, the first and second devices respectively transmit first information and second information containing unique identification codes, the first information also containing position information. The devices collectively include circuitry that estimates distances therebetween, one of the first and second information including the estimate. According to a different aspect, one of the second device and each first device transmits its identification code, and the devices collectively include circuitry that determines two successive sets of estimates representing respective distances between the second device and each first device. One of the second device and each first device transmits information that includes both estimates for that first device, and identification codes for the second device and that first device.
US08390440B2

A method for displaying a visual warning signal to warn a driver of a vehicle about a traffic situation that is determined to be critical. The visual warning signal displayed to the driver is based on sensor data furnished by at least one sensor unit that determines a line of sight of the driver. A display unit for displaying the visual warning signal is selected from a group of at least two separately controllable display units depending on the line of sight of the driver.
US08390436B2

In an embodiment, an apparatus, method, and/or system support a service request made by a computer user in an Internet café or similar electronic service environment. A user may operate a café-provided user terminal in a multi-terminal network controlled by a café service console. The user may operate a switch on the terminal to transmit a service request to the service console. A visible and/or audible indication may be provided to the user, via a suitable indicator on the terminal, regarding the status of the user's service request. The user's service request may cause service-related information to be displayed on a second display of the user terminal for selection by the user. The user may speak with a service administrator using a voice over Internet protocol module built into the terminal. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08390435B2

Power line communication (PLC) systems are presented for connecting dimming switches with electronic ballasts for driving compact fluorescent lamps and other applications using a power distribution network, including a transmitter and a receiver connected in a series circuit for transmission of multi-bit data, where the receiver has a load control circuit for selectively adjusting the receiver loading and to sense current interruptions to provide a data output.
US08390427B2

A reader device in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure includes an antenna connected electrically to a processing unit through an antenna connection element. The processing unit controls are configured to read data from a transponder module via an electromagnetic field. The reader device includes a user interface unit which is connected to the processing unit through the connection element and includes a data output part and/or a data input part. The data output part receives via the connection element reader data from the processing unit and outputs this data. The data input part receives via a data entry element user data and transmits this data via the connection element to the processing unit. Thus, user authentication data can be entered by the user and transmitted to the processing unit without the need for additional wiring between the user interface and the processing unit.
US08390424B2

Provided are a method and apparatus for providing state information of a digital device in a home network. The apparatus includes a first network interface module receiving changed state information data from the digital device in the home network, and a control module updating state information of the digital device on the basis of the received state information data.
US08390423B2

A nanoflat resistor includes a first aluminum electrode (360), a second aluminum electrode (370); andnanoporous alumina (365) separating the first and second aluminum electrodes (360, 370). A substantially planar resistor layer (330) overlies the first and second aluminum electrodes (360, 370) and nanoporous alumina (365). Electrical current passes from the first aluminum electrode (360), through a portion of the planar resistor layer (350) overlying the nanoporous alumina (365) and into the second aluminum electrode (370). A method for constructing a nanoflat resistor (390) is also provided.
US08390417B2

The invention presents a laminated electronic component configured to include: first coil pattern formed on a plurality of insulating layers, and second coil pattern disposed to face first coil pattern through at least one insulating layer. Both ends of first coil pattern are coupled with external electrodes; both ends of second coil pattern are not coupled with the external electrodes.
US08390413B2

A magnetic attachment mechanism and method is described. The magnetic attachment mechanism can be used to releasably attach at least two objects together in a preferred configuration without fasteners and without external intervention. The magnetic attachment mechanism can be used to releasably attach an accessory device to an electronic device. The accessory device can be used to augment the functionality of usefulness of the electronic device.
US08390405B2

A circuit breaker comprises a latching plate rotatably coupled to a moveable plate, and tensile type latching springs, each latching spring having two ends fixed to the latching plate and the moveable plate, respectively. Time taken for a moveable contact to be lifted up from a contact time point between the moveable contact and a fixed contact may be shortened, and thus a time duration for which an accident current flows may be reduced. Accordingly, the amount of energy applied to the circuit breaker may be reduced, and a breaking function of the circuit breaker may be enhanced. Furthermore, since a contact pressure between the moveable contact and the fixed contact has a constant change, a reliability on a conductive state of the moveable contact and the fixed contact may be enhanced.
US08390403B1

A RF pick-up probe, RF choke, and DC output line that simultaneously receives RF radiation from a waveguide and provides a detected DC voltage provided by a diode RF detector disposed in said waveguide to one or more output video lines. The RF pick-up probe, RF choke, and DC output line are preferably disposed with an antenna transition element for coupling a horn antenna to a matched diode detector which provides the aforementioned DC voltage. The transition preferably includes a ridged waveguide operatively coupled to the horn antenna; a substrate for supporting a diode chip, carrying said matched diode detector, adjacent the waveguide, the substrate also supporting a pair of RF pick-up probes, each RF probe having a portion which is coupled with the diode chip, the substrate also supporting conductors coupled to the diode chip and to the pair of RF pick-up probes; and a waveguide short circuit at least partially enclosing the diode chip and disposed adjacent the substrate.
US08390399B2

A resonator includes a resonating body and at least one periodic structure having one end connected to the resonating body. The periodic structure includes at least two basic structure units with duplicated configuration. The periodic structure blocks wave propagation caused by the vibration of the resonating body. The resonating body has a resonance frequency f0. The periodic structure has a band gap characteristic or a deaf band characteristic within a particular frequency range, and the resonance frequency f0 falls within the particular frequency range of the periodic structure.
US08390396B2

A duplexer module that prevents degradation of isolation between signal lines includes transmission filters, reception filters, phase adjusting circuits, and a multilayer substrate. The transmission filters and the reception filters are constituted as separate discrete components. The multilayer substrate includes filter mount terminals to which the transmission filters are mounted, and filter mount terminals to which the reception filters are mounted. The filter mount terminals are arranged along an upper side of the multilayer substrate, and the filter mount terminals are arranged along a lower side of the multilayer substrate.
US08390392B2

In a variable capacitance module capable of achieving necessary variable capacitance ranges, a variable capacitance circuit includes a variable capacitance element and fixed capacitance elements. A first variable capacitance element and a first fixed capacitance element are connected in series, and the series circuit thereof and a second fixed capacitance element are connected in parallel. Accordingly, with reference to the capacitance of the second fixed capacitance element, the range of the combined capacitance of the variable capacitance circuit is provided by a step size of capacitance based on the combined capacitance of the variable capacitance element and the first fixed capacitance element. The first and second fixed capacitance elements are defined by inner-layer flat-plate electrodes in a laminated substrate, and the variable capacitance element is defined by an MEMS element mounted on a top surface of the laminated substrate.
US08390389B2

A vibrator element includes: a base section formed on a plane including a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction; and a vibrating arm extending from the base section in the first direction, wherein the vibrating arm flexurally vibrates in a normal direction of the plane, and has a first surface one of compressed and extended due to the flexural vibration and a second surface one of extended when the first surface is compressed and compressed when the first surface is extended, the first surface is provided with a first mass section, and the second surface is provided with a second mass section, and at least one of the first mass section and the second mass section has a portion, which fails to be opposed to the other of the first mass section and the second mass section in a plan view in the normal direction.
US08390378B2

A CMOS differential power amplifier having broadband input matching with Noise and Non-linearity Cancellation. The broadband input match is realized by using two “Diode-Connected” NFETs (i.e., N-type Field Effect Transistors). Resulting noise degradation is reduced by using a noise cancellation structure. By using the same structure the disclosed method and apparatus also achieves non-linearity cancellation.
US08390376B2

A distortion model for a predistortion system uses tap output normalization to normalize the variance of data signals generated from different basis functions in a set of basis functions to a predetermined value. The distortion model is used by a distortion modeling circuit to calculate the weighting coefficients for a digital predistorter.
US08390373B2

An apparatus for providing a power output proportional to a source signal, including a phase modulator driving an upper and an lower power driver with carrier waveforms having a relative phase difference and having a signal modulated thereon, and coupled to a resonator circuit to operate as a substantially zero-voltage zero-current switching element, with the output fed into respective upper and lower transformers. Identical symmetrical secondary circuits on the transformers have a rectifier stage electrically connected to an inductor in series with an upper capacitor to form an upper low pass filter, and a high speed semiconductor switch coupled to a node between the inductor and rectifier stage provides a return path to ground. The lower secondary circuit inductor is highly coupled (>=0.99) to the upper inductor, and an output formed across the upper and lower output elements is isolated from rail voltage and balanced with bi-directional current.
US08390367B1

A computing device is disclosed comprising digital circuitry, and a gate speed regulator operable to generate a supply voltage applied to the digital circuitry. A frequency synthesizer generates a first reference frequency, and a propagation delay oscillator generates a first oscillation frequency in response to the supply voltage, wherein the first oscillation frequency is compared to the first reference frequency to generate a first error signal. A reference oscillator generates a second reference frequency in response to a reference voltage, and a startup oscillator generates a second oscillation frequency in response to the supply voltage, wherein the second oscillation frequency is compared to the second reference frequency to generate a second error signal. An adjustable circuit, responsive to the first and second error signals, adjusts the supply voltage applied to the digital circuitry.
US08390351B2

Various embodiments of a delay locked loop circuit of a semiconductor memory apparatus are disclosed. In one exemplary embodiment, the delay locked loop circuit may include an input correction unit configured to correct a duty ratio of an input clock based on a duty control signal and generate a reference clock; a delay line configured to delay the reference clock by a delay time and generate a delay locked clock; an output correction unit configured to correct a duty ratio of the delay locked clock based on the duty control signal and generate a corrected clock; and a control signal generation unit configured to generate the duty control signal when a correction activation signal is enabled.
US08390348B2

A time base generator and method for providing a first clock signal and a second clock signal comprising generating the first clock signal at a first clock frequency, dividing the first clock frequency by a first integer to produce a first auxiliary signal, dividing the second clock signal by a second integer to produce a second auxiliary signal, generating an error signal by individually weighting and comparing cycle durations or phasing of the first and second auxiliary signals, and generating the second clock signal by a voltage-controlled oscillator controlled by the error signal such that two clock signals of slightly different frequencies with defined time or phase delay are provided.
US08390341B2

A low-side off-detection signal compares the gate signal of a low-side transistor with a predetermined first level to generate a low-side off-detection signal indicating that the low-side transistor is off. The low-side detection transistor is of the same type as the low-side transistor, with the source connected to the ground terminal, and the gate receiving the low-side transistor gate signal. A first resistor is arranged between the drain of the low-side detection transistor and the power supply terminal. A first bypass circuit is arranged in parallel with the first resistor, and is configured to switch to the conduction state when a control signal is a level which instructs the low-side transistor to switch off, and to switch to the cut-off state when the control signal level instructs the low-side transistor to switch on. The drain signal of the low-side detection transistor is output as the low-side off-detection signal.
US08390339B2

A semiconductor switch includes: a switch section, provided on a substrate, switching connection states among a plurality of terminals; a positive voltage generator generating a positive potential higher than a supply potential supplied from a power-supply line; a driver, connected to an output line of the positive voltage generator, supplying a control signal to the switch section in response to a terminal switching signal; and a voltage controller, provided on the same substrate, controlling to connect the output line of the positive voltage generator to the power-supply line for a first period corresponding to a change in the connection states, and controlling to disconnect the output line from the power-supply line after the first period.
US08390337B2

An electronic device for driving a power switch coupled to receive a first supply voltage level at one side of its channel is provided. The electronic device includes a control switch coupled with a first side of a channel to receive a varying control voltage having a maximum level that is greater than a maximum voltage level of the first voltage supply and with another side of the channel to a control gate of the power switch for selectively applying the control voltage to the control gate of the power switch. The first side of the channel is coupled with the control gate of the control switch and a capacitor is provided and coupled with a first side to the control gate of the control switch and with a second side to a constant voltage supply.
US08390336B2

A semiconductor apparatus operates based on a first voltage, a second voltage lower than the first voltage, and a third voltage in between the first and second voltages, and includes an output circuit including at least one transistor where a signal having an amplitude ranging from the second to first voltages is input to a gate, and a control circuit that generates a first control signal controlling a gate voltage of a transistor included in the output circuit, a second control signal controlling a voltage in a back-gate region of the transistor, and a third control signal controlling a voltage in a deep well region. The control circuit sets a voltage difference between the first and second control signals to be equal to or smaller than the larger one of a voltage difference between the first and third voltages and a voltage difference between the second and third voltages.
US08390335B2

A signal buffer amplifier with high linearity is provided. A circuit includes a first transistor having a first gate terminal, a first source terminal, and a first drain terminal. The circuit also includes a second transistor having a second gate terminal, a second source terminal, and a second drain terminal, the second drain terminal coupled to the first source terminal. The circuit further includes a first signal path coupled in between a signal input and the first gate terminal, a second signal path coupled in between the signal input and the second gate terminal, and a signal output coupled to the second source terminal. The first signal path includes a filter.
US08390334B2

A synthesizer includes: a synthesizer unit that outputs an oscillation signal based on a reference oscillation signal; a temperature detecting unit that detects a temperature; a time variation detecting unit that detects a time variation in frequency of the reference oscillation signal based on a result of temperature detection by the temperature detecting unit; and a control unit that adjusts a frequency of the oscillation signal outputted from the synthesizer unit based on a result of detection by the time variation detecting unit. With such a configuration, frequency compensation control is performed on a transducer having a large temperature coefficient.
US08390333B2

The invention relates to an electronic device which comprises a comparator coupled to monitor a first supply voltage level at a first supply voltage node. The comparator comprises a differential input transistor stage having one input coupled to the first supply voltage node and the other input coupled to receive a reference voltage level, a first current source configured to supply a current of a first magnitude, a second current source configured to supply a current of a second magnitude, and a capacitor. The first magnitude is greater than the second magnitude and the first current source is coupled with one side to the differential input stage for supplying the differential input stage and with the other side to a first node. The second current source is coupled with one side to the first node and with the other side to a second supply voltage node having a second supply voltage level and the capacitor is coupled with one side to the first node and with the other side to the first supply voltage node.
US08390321B2

Provided is a reconfigurable logic circuit that can effectively use a preposition logic that composes a logic block. The reconfigurable logic block according to the present invention includes a plurality of logic blocks (199) having a full adder (30), two preposition logics (20) that perform a plurality of logic operations according to configuration data, an extended logic block (60) that can perform the logic operation of one or more kinds. Outputs (21A and 21B) of the preposition logic are respectively connected to two argument inputs (A and B) of the full adder (30). A carry output (CO) of the full adder (30) is connected to the extended logic block (60). One selected from a plurality of signals including a fixed logic value is input to a carry input (CI) of the full adder according to the configuration data, and the extended logic block of other logic block generates an output signal according to an output of the extended logic block.
US08390318B2

Disclosed herein is a device that includes a replica buffer circuit that drives a calibration terminal, a reference-potential generating circuit that generates a reference potential, a comparison circuit that compares a potential appearing at the calibration terminal with the reference potential, and a control circuit that changes an output impedance of the replica buffer circuit based on a result of a comparison by the comparison circuit. The reference-potential generating circuit includes a first potential generating unit activated in response to an enable signal and a second potential generating unit activated regardless of the enable signal, and an output node of the first potential generating unit and an output node of the second potential generating unit are commonly connected to the comparison circuit.
US08390312B2

A digital electronic circuit includes: a plurality of sequential elements; at least one data-conducting path connecting an input sequential element to a destination sequential element; a clock outputting a clock signal on a clock tree for setting the speed of the sequential elements; a monitoring device receiving, as an input, at least one data signal traveling on a conducting path and arriving at a destination sequential element, the monitoring device including: a module for defining at least one detection window according to the clock tree; and a detector for detecting a transition of each data signal received during a detection window; and wherein each detection window is defined so as to enable the detection or anticipation of a fault corresponding to a violation of the rise time or the maintenance time of a data signal relative to a clock signal edge received by the destination sequential element receiving the data signal.
US08390301B2

A sub-assembly useful in an electro-optic display includes a conductive layer and a layer of electro-optic medium. The conductive layer has a main section covered by the electro-optic medium, an exposed section free from the electro-optic medium, and a weak section connecting the main section and the exposed section, so that the exposed section can be manipulated to rupture the weak section, thus separating the exposed section from the main section without substantial damage.
US08390298B2

A method for determining an adjustment value for an electrical protection device wherein, upon occurrence of a ground short circuit, first current indicator measured values and first voltage indicator measured values are captured by a first measurement device at a first end of a segment of an electrical power supply line, and second current indicator measured values and second voltage indicator measured values are captured by a second measurement device at a second end of the segment of an electrical power supply line. In order to design a method of this type such that an adjustment value for a ground impedance can be determined in a relatively simple fashion. A fault location value is determined using the first current and voltage indicator measured values and the second current and voltage indicator measured values, indicating a fault location at which the ground short circuit has occurred in the segment of the electrical power supply line, and an adjustment value indicating a ground impedance is calculated using the fault location value. There is also provided a correspondingly equipped measurement device.
US08390297B2

A method and circuit for determining a circuit element parameter in a ground fault circuit interrupter circuit. An electrical signal provided to a first node is used to generate another electrical signal at a second node. The electrical signal at the second node is multiplexed with a modulation signal to generate a modulated signal that is then filtered and converted into a digital representation of a portion of the circuit element parameter. The electrical signal at the second node is multiplexed with the modulation signal after it has been phase shifted to produce a modulated signal that is filter and converted into a digital representation of another portion of the circuit element parameter. In another aspect, a slope based solenoid self-test method is used for self-testing in a GFCI circuit. Alternatively, a method for determining a wiring fault is provided using a digital filter.
US08390282B2

Provided is a magnetic sensor circuit capable of a low-voltage operation, which comprises a Hall element and a magnetic offset cancellation circuit for the Hall element. In the magnetic sensor circuit using the Hall element, at the time of turning on transmission gates for switching connections between input terminals of an amplifier circuit in the magnetic offset cancellation circuit and electrodes of the Hall element in order to cancel a magnetic offset of the Hall element, gates of N-channel transistors in the transmission gates are set at voltages higher than a power supply voltage by a drive circuit.
US08390275B2

A left-side ring magnet and a right-side ring magnet are fastened to a roller-shaped operation part, circumferentially displaced from each other by a certain angle. Magnetic variation generated by rotation of the magnets is detected by a magnetism detection element. Additionally, a left-side stationary magnet and a right-side stationary magnet, with the same magnetic pole, are annexed correspondingly to the left-side ring magnet and the right-side ring magnet, respectively, so that the stationary magnets are arranged with the same proximal arrangement relative to the ring magnets, respectively. With such a structure, two attractive and repulsive forces between the left-side ring magnet and the left-side stationary magnet; and between the right-side ring magnet and the right-side stationary magnet are totally exerted on the operation part, thereby providing a sharp, clear click touch during rotation.
US08390265B2

A reference voltage generating circuit in a semiconductor memory apparatus comprises a driving control signal generating unit configured to generate a driving control signal according to a temperature variation, wherein the driving control signal generating unit is enabled in response to a power-up signal, a driving unit configured to control a voltage level, which is applied to a voltage transfer node, in response to the power-up signal and the driving control signal, and a reference voltage generating unit configured to generate a reference voltage when a voltage level on the voltage transfer node is higher than a predetermined voltage level.
US08390258B2

Upon detecting an external signal which instructs to stop discharge, an input voltage equal to or less than a set value for the prevention of overdischarge, or an output voltage equal to or more than a set value for the prevention of output of an overvoltage, a control unit (12) stops discharge to a load (40) by opening a switching element (4b) of a step-down unit (11b). Upon detecting that an external signal is reset or an input voltage equal to or more than a set value larger than the set value for the prevention of overdischarge, the control unit (12) resumes discharge to the load (40) by setting the switching element (4b) in a switching operation state or short-circuiting it.
US08390257B2

A battery capacity controller includes a battery capacity estimating part that estimates the battery capacity of a battery in which an internal resistance is increased in accordance with the decrease of the battery capacity in the vicinity of a prescribed lower limit battery capacity and a battery capacity correcting part that changes, during the discharge of the battery, an estimated battery capacity estimated by the battery capacity estimating part to a proper value in a lower limit side when an internal resistance difference as a difference between the internal resistance value of the battery and the internal resistance value of the battery at the time of the lower limit battery capacity is a prescribed value or lower.
US08390256B2

Provided are a charge/discharge control circuit and a charging type power supply device which include an intermediate terminal disconnection detection circuit having low current consumption. In the charge/discharge control circuit, a constant current circuit serving as an intermediate terminal disconnection detection circuit is provided to a terminal to which secondary batteries are connected, and includes a depletion type metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) transistor and a resistor connected between a gate terminal and a source terminal of the depletion type MOS transistor.
US08390254B2

A charging apparatus for laptop computer with multiple-batteries is used in a first battery unit and a second battery unit. The charging apparatus comprises a micro controller unit; a first charging switch unit electrically connected to the micro controller unit; a second charging switch unit electrically connected to the micro controller unit; and a charging unit electrically connected to the first charging switch unit and the second charging switch unit. The micro controller unit controls the charging unit charging the first battery unit and the second battery unit via controlling the first charging switch unit and the second charging switch unit. The charging apparatus charges multi-batteries simultaneously.
US08390249B2

A battery includes one or more rechargeable cells, a wireless power coil, a battery charger circuit, and may further include an RFID module. The wireless power coil is operable to generate an AC voltage from a wireless power electromagnetic field. The battery charger circuit is operable to generate a battery charge voltage from the AC voltage in accordance with a battery charge control signal and, when enabled, to charge the one or more rechargeable cells via the battery charge voltage. If the battery further includes the RFID module, it is operable to generate the battery charge control signal and communicate with a wireless power transmitter device.
US08390240B2

Systems and methods are provided for an automotive drive system using an absolute position sensor for field-oriented control of an induction motor. An automotive drive system comprises an induction motor having a rotor, and a position sensor coupled to the induction motor. The position sensor is configured to sense an absolute angular position of the rotor. A processor may be coupled to the position sensor and configured to determine a relative angular position of the rotor based on a difference between the absolute angular position and an initial angular position obtained when the induction motor is started. A controller may be coupled to the induction motor and the processor and configured to provide field-oriented control of the induction motor based on the relative angular position of the rotor.
US08390234B2

A method for automated startup and/or for automated operation of controllers of an electrical drive system with vibrational mechanics with the following steps: (a) determining a preliminary value of at least one parameter; (b) determining a model of the electrical drive system by determination of initially a non-parameterized model through the recording of frequency data during operation of the drive system subject to the utilization of the preliminary value of at least one parameter and the subsequent determination of parameters of the electrical drive system based on the frequency data and subject to optimization of at least one preliminary value of at least one parameter by a numerical optimization method on the basis of the Levenberg-Marquardt algorithm and (c) parameterizing at least one controller of the electrical drive system by at least one of the determined parameters.
US08390229B2

A method of braking a washing machine from an operational speed to a reduced non-zero speed is provided (as well as a washing machine incorporating the method) for a washing machine driven by one of a synchronous or asynchronous motor. Upon receipt of a speed reduction signal, the motor rotating magnetic fields are collapsed for a defined time period. After the defined time period, DC braking voltage is applied to the motor stator windings at a controlled ramp-up rate to an amplitude to generate a controlled ramped braking torque on the motor until the motor has slowed to a defined reduced speed. Thereafter, the amplitude of the DC braking voltage is set to 0V and the motor is soft started to an amplitude and reduced frequency needed to maintain the defined reduced speed.
US08390228B2

A method for controlling an induction machine having a rotor includes the steps of obtaining a torque command, calculating an estimated squared value of resistance of the rotor using the torque command, determining an offset for the resistance of the rotor, and generating an updated measure of rotor resistance using the estimated squared value and the offset.
US08390221B2

A system for protecting a three-phase electric motor of a compressor, the motor receiving first, second, and third phases from a three-phase power supply, the system including a single-phase line break protector, a first current sensor, and a control module. The single-phase line break protector disconnects the motor from the first phase in response to a temperature being greater than a predetermined temperature threshold. The first current sensor measures a current through the single-phase line break protector. The control module determines a current value based on the measured current, and disconnects the motor from the second and third phases in response to the current value being less than or equal to a predetermined threshold.
US08390216B2

Disclosed herein is a circuit assembly comprising a light-emitting diode (LED) load in combination with a filament bulb simulation circuit, the filament bulb simulation circuit being configured to simulate a load that would be presented to a monitoring system by a filament bulb. In this manner, a filament bulb can be effectively replaced with one or more LEDs and thereby achieve power consumption savings. Also disclosed is a method for monitoring an LED circuit assembly with a monitoring system to determine whether the LED circuit assembly is deemed operational.
US08390214B2

A power supply for powering one or more loads includes a boost circuit with power factor correction (PFC) that provides an operating voltage from an electrical power source, and a dimmer detection circuit that determines a dimming level applied to the electrical power source, and generates a pulse width modulated (PWM) signal based upon the dimming level. The power supply also includes one or more current control circuits, each current control circuit being associated with each of the one or more loads, and coupled in series with the operating voltage, its associated load, and a ground of the power supply, so as to control a current through its associated load in response to the PWM signal.
US08390207B2

Lighting apparatus and methods employing LED light sources are described. The LED light sources are integrated with other components in the form of a luminaire or other general purpose lighting structure. Some of the lighting structures are formed as Parabolic Aluminum Reflector (PAR) luminaires, allowing them to be inserted into conventional sockets. The lighting structures display beneficial operating characteristics, such as efficient operation, high thermal dissipation, high output, and good color mixing.
US08390203B2

A method for producing a ceramic spiral pulse generator is provided. The method may include providing a film composite comprising at least one ceramic green film and at least one metal layer; winding the film composite to form a spirally wound winding; laminating the winding; and sintering the laminated winding so as to create a spiral pulse generator.
US08390200B2

A coaxial cavity gyrotron with two electron beams includes an electron gun (magnetron injection gun, “MIG,” with two beams), a coaxial beam-wave interaction cavity and an outer magnetic field tube. The coaxial beam-wave interaction cavity consists of two parts: an outer conductor and an inner conductor. The two hollow electron beams produced by the MIG are located between the outer conductor and the inner conductor. The MIG includes inner and outer anodes, with a single cathode located between the anodes. The cathode further includes two emitter rings which produce the two hollow electron beams. The entire gyrotron is immersed in the magnetic field tube such that the magnetic field profile is the same or similar to that for a coaxial gyrotron with one electron beam.
US08390191B2

The present invention relates to a method of preparing a Li film, wherein said Li film is fabricated by directly decomposing a compound of Li under a vacuum evaporation condition, and said compound is Li3N. Said Li film is fabricated by decomposing Li3N at an evaporation rate of 0.01-0.25 nm/s and an evaporation temperature of 300-450° C., and said Li film has a thickness of 0.3-5.0 nm. The present invention also relates to an organic light emitting device comprising said Li film as an electron injection layer and a method for the preparation thereof, and an organic light emitting device including an electron injection layer comprising an electron transport material doped with Li obtained by decomposing Li3N under a vacuum evaporation condition, and a method for the preparation thereof.
US08390188B2

A light emitting unit of an electroluminescence device and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The light emitting unit of the electroluminescence device includes a power line, a first electrode layer, a light emitting layer and a second electrode layer. The power line is on a substrate. The first electrode layer is disposed on the substrate and is electrically connected to the power line. In particular, a top portion of the first electrode layer has an oxygen concentration higher than that of a bottom portion of the first electrode layer. The light emitting layer is disposed on the first electrode layer and the second electrode layer is disposed on the light emitting layer.
US08390186B2

The present invention relates to a field emission planar lighting lamp, which comprises: a base substrate; cathodes disposed on the base substrate; anodes disposed on the base substrate, wherein the cathodes are disposed beside the anodes, each anode has an impacted surface corresponding to the cathodes, and the impacted surface is an inclined plane or a curved plane; a phosphor layer disposed on the impacted surface of the anode; and a front substrate corresponding to the base substrate, wherein the anodes and the cathodes are disposed between the base substrate and the front substrate.
US08390176B2

An object of the invention is to provide a method of manufacturing a stacked crystal resonator whereby a large number of stacked crystal resonators formed on a wafer can be easily broken away from the wafer, and the risk of damage to the outside surfaces and the like of the stacked crystal resonators is reduced. There is formed a framed crystal plate connected to a first wafer by a first support section, a cover connected to a second wafer by a second support section, and a base connected to a third wafer by a third support section, and a thickness of at least one of the first support section through third support section is thinner than a thickness the connected wafer.
US08390172B2

According to one embodiment, an ultrasonic motor includes a transducer, a driven member, a pressing mechanism unit. The transducer includes stacked piezoelectric sheets on which internal electrodes are formed. The internal electrodes form driving activated areas and vibration detection activated areas in the transducer. The driving activated areas are located in portions which correspond to a node of the longitudinal vibration and an anti node of twisting vibration, so as to be symmetrical about a central plane in the stacking direction and a plane which is perpendicular to the stacking direction and includes the center axis, and are polarized in the stacking direction. The vibration detection activated areas are located in portions which correspond to a node of the longitudinal vibration and an anti node of the twisting vibration and are closer to the central plane than the driving activated areas, and are polarized in the stacking direction.
US08390170B2

A piezoelectric actuator has a piezoelectric element adapted to simultaneously generate first and second vibration modes in response to a voltage applied thereto. The piezoelectric element has one outer surface including a first region and a second region projecting from the first region, while the second region comes into contact with a body to be driven, so as to cause a frictional force with the body to be driven. Without restricting the size of the piezoelectric element, the piezoelectric actuator inhibits its driving state from fluctuating.
US08390167B2

Disclosed are a motor for a compressor and a hermetic compressor having the same. An aluminum coil cheaper than a copper coil is used in the motor for the compressor, to thusly reduce a fabricating cost. Also, a ratio of a height of end coil of a coil to an inner diameter of a stator is appropriately designed or a ratio of an entire area of slot portions to the inner diameter of the stator is appropriately designed, and simultaneously a ratio of the inner diameter of the stator to a width of the tooth portion is appropriately designed, so as to previously prevent a deterioration of damping effect, increase in noise, lowering of efficiency, reduction of driven torque, all caused due to the use of the aluminum coil.
US08390157B2

A stator has a mechanism for effectively dissipating internally generated heat, and is for use in a high power axial gap type rotating machine. The stator comprises a coil holding member and a coil secured to the coil holding member, in which the coil holding member comprises a material having a thermal conductivity of not less than 5 W/mK that is measured compliant with the ASTM E1530 and having an electrical conductivity of not more than 1×105 S/m that is measured compliant with the ASTM E345. This stator preferably comprises a radiation fin, having a thermal conductivity of not less than 150 W/mK, and having a bumpy surface so as to increase the surface area thereof threefold or more, at the circumference of the coil holding member.
US08390150B2

A field device interface module includes a connector, a plurality of terminals, a protocol interface module, a controller and a power supply module. The connector is configured to operably couple to a computer. The terminals are operably coupleable to a field device. The protocol interface module is coupled to the plurality of terminals and configured to generate signals in accordance with a process communication protocol. A power supply module is coupled to the plurality of terminals. The controller is coupled to the protocol interface module and to the power supply module and is configured to measure a voltage across the plurality of terminals and selectively cause the power supply module to provide power to the field device.
US08390140B2

A wind energy installation connected to a network. The installation includes a tower and a pod having a wind rotor and a generator driven by the wind rotor. The installation further includes a converter configured to output electrical power, a control device provided with a temperature sensor and a heating device, and a preheating module. The preheating module includes a thermal switch configured to monitor a temperature of at least one component of the wind energy installation and a monitoring unit having an output device. The monitoring unit operates the heating device until the thermal switch reaches a threshold, whereupon the output device transmits an enable signal to start the wind energy installation. Operational reliability of the wind energy installation in low ambient temperatures can be thus improved.
US08390131B2

A semiconductor device that includes an electrode of one material and a conductive material of lower resistivity formed over the electrode and a process for fabricating the semiconductor device.
US08390124B2

Provided is a semiconductor device including a substrate, and a first wiring layer, a second wiring layer, and a switch via formed on the substrate. The first wiring layer has first wiring formed therein and the second wiring layer has second wiring formed therein. The switch via connects the first wiring and the second wiring. The switch via includes at least at its bottom a switch element including a resistance change layer. A resistance value of the resistance change layer changes according to a history of an electric field applied thereto.
US08390121B2

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, an element formed on the substrate, a nitride film formed on the substrate, a anti-peel film formed on the nitride film, and a molded resin covering the anti-peel film and the element. The anti-peel film has residual compressive stress.
US08390117B2

A semiconductor device capable of realizing highly reliable three-dimensional mounting, and a method of manufacturing the same, are provided. A projected electrode 9 is formed in a region outside of an element mounting region of a substrate 5. The projected electrode 9 includes a protruding portion that protrudes from the front face of a molding resin portion 10. The distal end of the protruding portion is a flat face 13. In addition, a portion of the projected electrode 9 whose cross section is larger than the protruding portion is positioned inside the molding resin portion 10.
US08390115B2

Provided is a wiring board wherein a circuit is not short-circuited when a IC chip is mounted on the wiring board. A wiring board (2) is provided with a substrate (4); wiring layers (5-8), which are formed on a surface of the substrate (4) and have prescribed wiring patterns; connecting terminals (9-12), which are formed on a part of the wiring layers (5-8) and electrically connected with bumps (18-21) of an integrated circuit chip (IC chip) (3); a mounting region (14), which is arranged on the surface of the substrate (4) and has the integrated circuit chip (3) mounted therein; and an insulating layer (13), which is formed on the surface of the substrate (4) so as to surround the circumference of the mounting region (14) for protecting wiring layers (5-8). A part of the insulating layer (3) is arranged inside the mounting region (14), and the thickness of the insulating layer (13) is more than that of the bumps (18-21) of the integrated circuit chip (3).
US08390110B2

A method of manufacture of an integrated circuit packaging system includes: mounting a substrate-less integrated circuit package, having a terminal having characteristics of an intermetallic compound, over a substrate; connecting the substrate and the substrate-less integrated circuit package; and forming a base encapsulation over the substrate-less integrated circuit package with the terminal exposed.
US08390107B2

This application relates to a semiconductor device comprising a semiconductor chip, a molded body covering the semiconductor chip, wherein the molded body comprises an array of molded structure elements, and first solder elements engaged with the molded structure elements.
US08390104B2

A TAB tape (100) packaging structure in which (i) the TAB tape (100) including a plurality of semiconductor chips (103) which are fixed, on a film (101) on which wiring patterns are repeatedly provided and (ii) an embossed tape (200) which is electroconductive and has embossed parts (202) which are sequentially provided on a first surface of and in a longitudinal direction of a film (201) are wound on a reel which is electroconductive is arranged such that the TAB tape (100) and the embossed tape (200) are wound on the reel, while (i) a first surface of the film (101) on which surface the plurality of semiconductor chips (103) are fixed and (ii) the first surface of the film (201) on which surface the embossed parts (202) protrude are overlapping and facing each other, and the embossed tape (200) has a total thickness of not less than (t+0.4) mm and not more than 1.1 mm in a case where each of the plurality of semiconductor chips (103) has a thickness of t (0.2≦t≦0.625) mm and the film (201) has a substantial thickness of 0.125 mm. This realizes packaging of a TAB tape in a desired winding length while sufficiently securing protection of the TAB tape during shipping and transportation.
US08390103B2

Apparatuses are disclosed, such as those involving integrated circuit packaging. In one embodiment, a chip package includes: an encapsulation having a top surface and a bottom surface facing away from the top surface. The package further includes a leadframe including a plurality of leads. Each of the leads includes an exposed portion exposed through one of edges of the bottom surface of the encapsulation. The exposed portion has a length. At least one of exposed portions positioned along one of the edges of the bottom surface of the encapsulation has a length different from other exposed portions along the edge. The package can also include a dummy pad exposed through a corner of the bottom surface. The configuration can enhance solder joint reliability of the package when the package is attached to a printed circuit board.
US08390100B2

Conductive oxide electrodes are described, including a bi-layer barrier structure electrically coupled with an adhesion layer, and an electrode layer, wherein the bi-layer barrier structure includes a first barrier layer electrically coupled with the adhesion layer, and a second barrier layer electrically coupled with the first barrier layer and to the electrode layer. The conductive oxide electrodes and their associated layers can be fabricated BEOL above a substrate that includes active circuitry fabricated FEOL and electrically coupled with the conductive oxide electrodes through an interconnect structure that can also be fabricated FEOL. The conductive oxide electrodes can be used to electrically couple a plurality of non-volatile re-writeable memory cells with conductive array lines in a two-terminal cross-point memory array fabricated BEOL over the substrate and its active circuitry, the active circuitry configured to perform data operations on the memory array.
US08390087B2

The present invention discloses an image sensor package structure with a large air cavity. The image sensor package structure includes a substrate, a chip, a cover and a package material. The chip is combined with the substrate. A plastic sheet of the cover is adhered to the chip and a transparent lid of the cover is combined with the plastic sheet to provide a covering over a sensitization area of the chip so as to form an air cavity. The package material is arranged on the substrate and encapsulated around the chip and the cover. The plastic sheet having a predetermined thickness can increase the distance between the transparent lid and the chip to enlarge the air cavity. Thus, the image-sensing effect of the image sensor package structure can be improved and the ghost image problem resulting from multi-refraction and multi-reflection of light can be minimized.
US08390083B2

Backside recesses in a base member host components, such as sensors or circuits, to allow closer proximity and efficient use of the surface space and internal volume of the base member. Recesses may include covers, caps, filters and lenses, and may be in communication with circuits on the frontside of the base member, or with circuits on an active backside cap. An array of recessed components may a form complete, compact sensor system.
US08390078B2

A quadrangle transistor unit includes four transistor units. Each of the four transistor units includes a gate electrode. The gate electrodes of the four transistor units are aligned to four sides of a square. At least two of the four transistor units are connected in parallel.
US08390075B2

Semiconductor memory devices and methods of fabricating the semiconductor memory devices are provided, the semiconductor memory devices may include a one-time-programmable (OTP) cell and an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM). The OTP cell includes a memory transistor and a program transistor. The program transistor may include a fuse electrode and may be spaced apart from the memory transistor. The EEPROM cell includes a memory transistor including a first gate and a selection transistor including a second gate. The OTP cell includes a first high-density impurity region which overlaps with the fuse electrode.
US08390073B2

A transistor structure is provided in the present invention. The transistor structure includes: a substrate comprising a P-type well, a gate disposed on the P-type well, a first spacer disposed on the gate, an N-type source/drain region disposed in the substrate at two sides of the gate, a silicon cap layer covering the N-type source/drain region, a second spacer around the first spacer and the second spacer directly on and covering a portion of the silicon cap layer and a silicide layer disposed on the silicon cap layer.
US08390072B2

A method for fabricating a semiconductor device is provided which includes providing a semiconductor substrate, forming a plurality of transistors, each transistor having a dummy gate structure, forming a contact etch stop layer (CESL) over the substrate including the dummy gate structures, forming a first dielectric layer to fill in a portion of each region between adjacent dummy gate structures, forming a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) stop layer over the CESL and first dielectric layer, forming a second dielectric layer over the CMP stop layer, performing a CMP on the second dielectric layer that substantially stops at the CMP stop layer, and performing an overpolishing to expose the dummy gate structure.
US08390067B2

A substrate with which a semiconductor device with excellent electric characteristics and high reliability can be manufactured is provided. An aspect of the invention is a method for manufacturing a substrate for manufacturing a semiconductor device: a first silicon oxide film, a silicon nitride film, and a second silicon oxide film are stacked in this order over a surface of a semiconductor substrate by a thermal CVD method, and then a weakened layer is formed at a given depth of the semiconductor substrate; the semiconductor substrate and a substrate having an insulating surface are arranged to face each other, and the second silicon oxide film provided for the semiconductor substrate and a supporting substrate are bonded to each other; and the semiconductor substrate is separated at the weakened layer by heat treatment, whereby a semiconductor film separated from the semiconductor substrate is left over the substrate having the insulating surface.
US08390062B2

A vertical channel transistor array has an active region formed by a plurality of semiconductor pillars. A plurality of embedded bit lines are arranged in parallel in a semiconductor substrate and extended along a column direction. A plurality of bit line contacts are respectively disposed on a side of one of the embedded bit lines. A plurality of embedded word lines are arranged in parallel above the embedded bit lines and extended along a row direction. Besides, the embedded word lines connect the semiconductor pillars in the same row with a gate dielectric layer sandwiched between the embedded word lines and the semiconductor pillars. The current leakage isolation structure is disposed at terminals of the embedded bit lines to prevent current leakage between the adjacent bit line contacts.
US08390054B2

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory element includes a semiconductor layer, a tunnel insulator provided on the semiconductor layer, a charge accumulation film provided on the tunnel insulator having a film thickness of 0.9 nm or more and 2.8 nm or less and the charge accumulation film containing cubic HfO2 particles, a block insulator provided on the charge accumulation film, and a control electrode provided on the block insulator.
US08390043B2

A solid-state imaging device is provided. The solid-state imaging device includes a pixel section, a peripheral circuit section, a silicide blocking layer formed in the pixel section except for part or whole of an area above an isolation portion in the pixel section, and a metal-silicided transistor formed in the peripheral circuit section.
US08390039B2

A field effect transistor having a drain, a gate and a source, where the drain and source are formed by semiconductor regions of a first type, and in which a further doped region is provided intermediate the gate and the drain. Field gradients around the drain are thereby reduced.
US08390037B2

A gas sensor having at least one gas-sensitive electrically conductive layer having a surface region which can be brought into contact with a target gas and in which the work function depends on the concentration of the target gas in contact therewith. At least one electrical potential sensor is capacitively coupled to the surface region via an air gap. The surface region is structured by at least one recess in which a flat material element which is connected to the gas-sensitive layer in an electrically conductive manner is arranged, the material of the material element differing from that of the gas-sensitive layer and comprising a metal and/or a metal-containing chemical compound.
US08390036B2

An image pickup device includes a plurality of first electrodes, a second electrode, a third electrode, a photoelectric conversion layer, a plurality of signal reading portions, at least one of electric potential adjusting portions. The plurality of first electrodes is arranged on an upper side of a substrate in two dimensions with a predetermined gap interposed between one of the first electrodes and another first electrode adjacent to the one of the first electrode. The second electrode is arranged next to the first electrodes arranged on an outermost side of the first electrodes with the predetermined gap interposed between the first electrodes arranged on the outermost side and the second electrode. The third electrode faces both of the plurality of first electrodes and the second electrode. The photoelectric conversion layer is disposed between the plurality of first electrodes and the second electrode and the third electrode.
US08390035B2

An embodiment of this invention uses a massive parallel interconnect fabric (MPIF) at the flipped interface of a core die substrate (having the core logic blocks) and a context die (used for in circuit programming/context/customization of the core die substrate), to produce ASIC-like density and FPGA-like flexibility/programmability, while reducing the time and cost for development and going from prototyping to production, reducing cost per die, reducing or eliminating NRE, and increasing performance. Other embodiments of this invention enable debugging complex SoC through large contact points provided through the MPIF, provide for multi-platform functionality, and enable incorporating FGPA core in ASIC platform through the MPIF.
US08390031B2

Provided is a pad layout structure of a semiconductor chip capable of preventing lead-broken problems when packaging the semiconductor chip with a high aspect ratio in a tape carrier package (TCP). In the pad layout structure of the semiconductor chip, a plurality pads are arranged along upper, lower, left and right sides of the semiconductor chip with a high aspect ratio, and a longitudinal width of pads arranged at the left and right sides and a transverse width of pads arranged at both edges of the upper and lower sides are greater than a transverse width of pads arranged at centers of the upper and lower sides.
US08390029B2

A semiconductor device includes an undoped GaN layer (103) formed on a substrate (101), an undoped AlGaN layer (104) formed on the undoped GaN layer (103) and having a band gap energy larger than that of the undoped GaN layer (103), a p-type AlGaN layer (105) and a high-concentration p-type GaN layer (106) formed on the undoped AlGaN layer (104), and an n-type AlGaN layer (107) formed on the high-concentration p-type GaN layer (106). A gate electrode (112) which makes ohmic contact with the high-concentration p-type GaN layer (106) is formed on the high-concentration p-type GaN layer (106) in a region thereof exposed through an opening (107a) formed in the n-type AlGaN layer (107).
US08390027B2

A gallium nitride semiconductor device is disclosed that can be made by an easy manufacturing method. The device includes a silicon substrate, buffer layers formed on the top surface of the silicon substrate, and gallium nitride grown layers formed thereon. The silicon substrate has trenches 12 formed from the bottom surface, each trench having a depth reaching the gallium nitride grown layer through the silicon substrate and the buffer layers. The inside surface of each of the trenches and the bottom surface of the silicon substrate is covered with a drain electrode as a metal film. The vertical gallium nitride semiconductor device with this structure allows an electric current to flow in the direction of the thickness of the silicon substrate regardless of the resistance values of the gallium nitride grown layers and the buffer layers.
US08390020B2

A face-up optical semiconductor device can be prepared by forming an n-type GaN layer, an active layer, and a p-type GaN layer on a C-plane sapphire substrate. Parts of the p-type GaN layer and the active layer can be removed, and a transparent electrode can be formed over all or most of the remaining p-type GaN layer. A p-side electrode including a pad portion and auxiliary electrode portions can be formed on the transparent electrode layer. An n-side electrode can be formed on the exposed n-type GaN layer. On regions of the transparent electrode layer where weak light emission regions may be formed, outside independent electrodes can be provided. They can be disposed on concentric circles with the n-side electrode as a center or tangent lines thereof so as to be along the circles or the tangent lines. The outside independent electrodes can diffuse current from the p-side electrode to the n-side electrode flowing through the transparent electrode layer into the short side end portions of the transparent electrode layer, thereby decreasing the weak light emission regions.
US08390015B2

An organic EL element includes a substrate and a light refractive layer, a first transparent electrode layer, an insulation layer, a hole transport layer, and a photosensitive resin layer stacked above the substrate. A luminous function layer is above the hole transport layer in a recess defined by the photosensitive resin layer. A second transparent electrode layer is above the luminous function layer. The light reflective layer, the first transparent electrode layer, the insulation layer, and the hole transport layer are formed above the substrate in a region isolated by the photosensitive resin layer. The photosensitive resin layer comprises a material that absorbs incident light of a predetermined wavelength. The first transparent electrode layer, the insulation layer, the hole transport layer, and the photosensitive resin layer each have a reflectance value that is between a local minimum value and a neighborhood value of the local minimum value.
US08390012B2

A semiconductor light emitting device has a support substrate, a light emitting element, and underfill material. The light emitting element includes a nitride-based group III-V compound semiconductor layer contacted via a bump on the support substrate. The underfill material is disposed between the support substrate and the light emitting element, the underfill material comprising a rib portion disposed outside of an end face of the light emitting element to surround the end surface of the light emitting element.
US08390006B2

Provided are a light emitting device, a method of manufacturing the light emitting device, a light emitting device package, and a lighting system. The light emitting device includes a reflective layer including a first GaN-based semiconductor layer having a first refractive index, a second GaN-based semiconductor layer having a second refractive index less than the first refractive index, and a third GaN-based semiconductor layer having a third refractive index less than the second refractive index and a light emitting structure layer including a first conductive type semiconductor layer, a second conductive type semiconductor layer, and an active layer disposed between the first conductive type semiconductor layer and the second conductive type semiconductor layer on the reflective layer.
US08389994B2

Provided is a polysilicon thin film transistor having a trench type bottom gate structure using copper and a method of making the same. The polysilicon thin film transistor includes: a transparent insulation substrate; a seed pattern that is formed in a pattern corresponding to that of a gate electrode on the transparent insulation substrate, and that is used to form the gate electrode; a trench type guide portion having a trench type contact window in which an upper portion of the seed pattern is exposed; the gate electrode that is formed by electrodepositing copper on a trench of the exposed seed pattern; a gate insulation film formed on the upper portions of the gate electrode and the trench type guide portion, respectively; and a polysilicon layer in which a channel region, a source region and a drain region are formed on the upper portion of the gate insulation film.
US08389993B2

A display device including a thin film transistor with high electric characteristics and high reliability, and a method for manufacturing the display device with high mass-productivity. In a display device including an inverted-staggered channel-stop-type thin film transistor, the inverted-staggered channel-stop-type thin film transistor includes a microcrystalline semiconductor film including a channel formation region, and an impurity region containing an impurity element of one conductivity type is selectively provided in a region which is not overlapped with source and drain electrodes, in the channel formation region of the microcrystalline semiconductor film.
US08389987B2

A switching element comprises a source electrode, a drain electrode arranged apart from the source electrode, an active layer in contact with the electrodes, and a gate electrode arranged apart from the source and drain electrodes and being in contact with the active layer with a gate insulating layer interposed therebetween. The active layer is formed of a dispersion film containing predetermined carbon nanotubes and a predetermined polyether compound.
US08389986B2

A condensed-cyclic compound and an OLED including the same, the condensed-cyclic compound represented by Formula 1 below:
US08389983B2

An organic light emitting apparatus and a method of manufacturing the organic light emitting apparatus. According to the organic light emitting apparatus and the method of manufacturing the organic light emitting apparatus, the characteristics of a barrier layer are maintained and a stress of a substrate is reduced, even at a high temperature, thereby increasing the manufacturing stability of the organic light emitting apparatus.
US08389981B2

An organic light emitting diode lighting equipment includes a transparent substrate main body, a first electrode formed on the substrate main body, a subsidiary electrode formed on the first electrode to partition the first electrode at a predetermined distance, an organic emissive layer formed on the first electrode, and a second electrode formed on the organic emissive layer. The subsidiary electrode has an inclined lateral side facing toward the organic emissive layer.
US08389980B2

Provided is a light emitting apparatus in which light extraction efficiency can be improved without adversely affecting a functional layer of a light emitting device. The light emitting apparatus includes multiple light emitting devices formed on a substrate, each of the multiple light emitting devices at least including: a reflective layer; a first electrode; the functional layer including an emission layer with an emission region; and a second electrode. In which an optical waveguide including a periodic structure is formed between the emission regions and the optical waveguide includes a surface which is opposite to the substrate and is more repellent to a light emitting material liquid for forming the emission layer than the emission region.
US08389978B2

Consistent with the present disclosure, a package is provided that includes a housing having a recessed portion to accommodate an integrated circuit or chip. The housing has an inner periphery that defines or delineates the recessed portion. The inner periphery may be stepped and includes first and second surfaces that are spaced vertically from one another and extend in respective parallel planes, for example, to thereby constitute first and second shelves. First bonding pads or contacts (“housing pads”) may be provided on the first surface, which may electrically connect or interconnect with first pads on the integrated circuit (“IC pads”), and second housing pads may be provided on the second surface, which can electrically connect or interconnect with second IC pads. Thus, the IC pads connect to corresponding housing pads on the inner periphery of the housing that are above and below one another. Since the housing pads are not provided on the same surface, the number of housing pads on each step or shelf of the periphery can be reduced, and the housing pads can be spaced from one another by a spacing or pitch that is greater than that of the IC pads. Accordingly, the dimensions and spacing of the housing pads may comply with relevant design rules, while providing connection to an increased number of IC pads.
US08389977B2

Group III-nitride devices are described that include a stack of III-nitride layers, passivation layers, and conductive contacts. The stack includes a channel layer with a 2DEG channel, a barrier layer and a spacer layer. One passivation layer directly contacts a surface of the spacer layer on a side opposite to the channel layer and is an electrical insulator. The stack of III-nitride layers and the first passivation layer form a structure with a reverse side proximate to the first passivation layer and an obverse side proximate to the barrier layer. Another passivation layer is on the obverse side of the structure. Defected nucleation and stress management layers that form a buffer layer during the formation process can be partially or entirely removed.
US08389976B2

Methods and associated structures of forming a microelectronic device are described. Those methods may comprise forming a channel region on a substrate, wherein the channel region comprises at least one CNT, forming at least one source/drain region adjacent the channel region, and then forming a gate electrode on the channel region, wherein a width of the gate electrode comprises about 50 percent to about 90 percent of a width of the contact region.
US08389970B2

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor memory device includes a substrate, an upper-layer wire provided on the substrate, a lower-layer wire provided on the substrate, a memory cell located at an intersection of the upper-layer wire and the lower-layer wire and includes a diode and a storage layer, a conductive layer located between the upper-layer wire and the memory cell in a direction perpendicular to the substrate surface, and an interlayer insulating film provided between memory cells. The position of an interface between the upper-layer wire and the interlayer insulating film is lower than a top surface of the conductive layer.
US08389968B2

According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile memory device comprises a plurality of first lines, a plurality of second lines, and memory cells. Each of the memory cells comprise a variable resistor, and a diode. The variable resistor includes a first metal oxide film and is configured to reversibly change resistance value by energy application. The diode includes a second metal oxide film and is connected in series to the variable resistor. The first metal oxide film has at least one of dielectric constant lower than that of the second metal oxide film and physical film thickness greater than that of the second metal oxide film.
US08389965B2

For quarantine treatment of a farming and forestry product for pest control, a method and a device may irradiate logs as a phytosanitary treatment with electron beams. The method may include: spreading the logs; aligning the spread logs to be flush at one end; conveying the spread and flush logs laterally; conveying the logs longitudinally through an irradiation field formed by accelerators to provide treatment of irradiation with the electron beams; throwing the irradiated logs out; and laterally conveying the logs away. The device may include a conveying device for conveying the logs, a shielding structure surrounding the conveying device, and accelerators provided in the conveying path of the conveying device. Two or more accelerators may be provided in centrosymmetry about the conveying path.
US08389962B2

A system and method for noise compensation of a charged particle beam location includes one or more sensors that are spaced apart from each other for sensing magnetic noises within at least one predefined frequency band thereby to provide magnetic noise measurements with synchronous detection of the location of a charged particle beam. Based on the magnetic noise measurements and on relationships between values of the magnetic noises and particle beam location errors, magnetic noise compensations signals are generated. An object is then scanned by a particle beam in response to a desired particle beam scan pattern and the magnetic noise compensation signals.
US08389961B2

It is a feature that in the present invention, provided is a method of cleaning a radiation image conversion panel possessing a substrate and provided thereon, a phosphor layer, and further possessing a protective layer provided on the phosphor layer, wherein a surface of the protective layer is cleaned by moving a cleaning member, while applying a pressure of 1 mN/cm2-1 N/cm2 to the surface of the protective layer with the cleaning member. Also provided can be a method of cleaning a radiation image conversion panel to provide an image information reading method by which image information exhibiting reduced image defect and image unevenness without damaging the radiation image conversion panel can be read out.
US08389960B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide improved microfluidic devices and related apparatus, systems, and methods. Methods are provided for reducing mixing times during use of microfluidic devices. Microfluidic devices and related methods of manufacturing are provided with increased manufacturing yield rates. Improved apparatus and related systems are provided for supplying controlled pressure to microfluidic devices. Methods and related microfluidic devices are provided for reducing dehydration of microfluidic devices during use. Microfluidic devices and related methods are provided with improved sample to reagent mixture ratio control. Microfluidic devices and systems are provided with improved resistance to compression fixture pressure induced failures. Methods and systems for conducting temperature controlled reactions using microfluidic devices are provided that reduce condensation levels within the microfluidic device. Methods and systems are provided for improved fluorescent imaging of microfluidic devices.
US08389947B2

A method for detecting neutron radiation in accordance with particular embodiments includes exposing a neutron detector array comprising at least one two-dimensional array of neutron detectors to a first scene of interest. The neutron detector array is based on at least one two-dimensional array of microbolometer detectors. The method also includes receiving a plurality of response values from a corresponding plurality of neutron detectors of the neutron detector array. The method further includes generating a comparison value based on the plurality of response values and a baseline response value. The method additionally, includes determining whether more than a first threshold amount of neutron radiation is being generated by the first scene based on the comparison value.
US08389945B1

An apparatus for capturing images of a target object having a barcode. The apparatus includes a reflector, an LED emitting mostly invisible light, and a photodetector. The LED is configured to emit a first portion of the invisible light toward the target object directly and to emit a second portion of the invisible light toward the reflector. The reflector is configured to redirect at least some of the second portion of the invisible light toward the target object. The photodetector is configured to detect returned invisible light from the target object to generate an electrical signal.
US08389921B2

An image sensor in accordance with embodiments disclosed herein includes an array of imaging pixels, an insulator layer, and a plurality of metal reflectors. The array of imaging pixels are disposed within a semiconductor layer, where each imaging pixel in the array of imaging pixels includes a photosensitive element configured to receive light from a backside of the image sensor. The insulator layer is disposed on a frontside of the semiconductor layer and the plurality of metal reflectors are disposed within the insulator layer to reflect the light to a respective photosensitive element. A width of each of the plurality of metal reflectors is equal to a width of a metal reflector at the center of the array multiplied by a scaling factor, where the scaling factor is dependent on a distance of the metal reflector from the center of the array.
US08389914B2

A cooking device having a drawer type automatic door in which delicate control is carried out when the door is opened and closed, whereby influence exerted on an object to be cooked by a shock produced at the time of door opening and closing can be reduced or eliminated. When a before-stop position (full opening detection switch Pso at the time of full opening, intermediate switch Psi at the time of full closing) provided before the stop position of the door is detected, the travel speed of a drawer body is controlled. A speed control is configured to reduce the speed of the drawer body in response to the arrival of the drawer body at a before-stop position and increase the closing speed of the drawer body in response to the arrival of the drawer body at a latch riding position.
US08389911B2

Permanent magnets are arranged at the interior of a rotating body at uniform intervals. The device comprises: a rotating body which is rotated by a motor; a heat generation part, which is disposed in the vicinity of the rotating body, which includes an electroconductive material, and which is disposed within the magnetic fields of the permanent magnets; and a hot air capture plate, which is disposed in the vicinity of the heat generation part, and in which a plurality of hot air flow passage holes are provided, the rotating body being rotated by a rotating shaft, which is coupled to the motor. Furthermore, a thermocouple may be connected to the heat generation part, and the heat energy that would be dissipated to the outside air is converted to electrical energy by the thermocouple. Furthermore, the electromagnetic induction device is constituted such that a hot air capture plate, in which a plurality of hot air flow passage holes are provided, is disposed in the vicinity of the heat generation part.
US08389899B2

A connector for connecting a welding torch, where the connector body and the house are made of insulating material and designed as a unit in one piece connected by a rear wall. The connector includes an insert made of electrically conductive material carrying a threaded surface made of electrically conductive material and a contact surface. The insert can be fitted in a nest formed by a side surface of the connector body part and a surface of the house part opposite to the side surface. An opening on the sidewall of the house part provides access to the side surface of the insert for connecting the side surface to a current, and the insert is secured rotationally in the nest.
US08389895B2

The invention is a method and apparatus for laser marking a stainless steel specimen with commercially desirable marks. The method includes providing a laser processing system having a laser, and laser optics and a controller with pre-determined laser pulse parameters, selecting the pre-determined laser pulse parameters associated with the desired mark, and directing the laser marking system to produce laser pulses having laser pulse parameters associated with the desired marks including temporal pulse widths greater than about 1 and less than about 1000 picoseconds.
US08389888B2

The invention relates to a plasma torch, comprising: a plasma generator comprising a cathode extending along an axis X and an anode (24), the cathode and the anode being arranged so as to be capable of generating, in a chamber (26), an electric arc between the anode and the cathode due to an electrical voltage, the plasma generator also comprising a plasmagen gas injection device (30) comprising an injection pipe (72) leading, along an injection axis (Ii), to an injection opening (74) in the chamber; a means for injecting a material to be discharged into a plasma flow generated by said plasma generator, the plasma torch being characterized in that: the relationship R″ between: the radial distance (yi) of said injection opening, defined as the minimum distance between the axis X and the center of said injection orifice; the largest transverse size (DC) of the cathode in the region of the chamber downstream from the position PAC, wherein PAC denotes the axial position of maximum radial mutual encroachment of the anode and the cathode, is less than 2.5; and the projection of the injection axis (Ii) into a transverse plane passing through the center of the injection orifice of said injection conduit forms an angle β less than 45° with a radius extending into said transverse plane and passing through the axis X and through the center of said injection orifice.
US08389886B2

An electrical breaker device, in particular a high-voltage circuit breaker, and a method for improved quenching gas cooling are disclosed. Cold gas is stored intermediately in the exhaust region, and a first partial gas flow is guided to bypass the intermediately stored cold gas and to flow off into the breaker chamber, the intermediately stored cold gas being forcibly displaced out of the exhaust region with the aid of a second partial gas flow and being mixed with the first partial gas flow before flowing off into the breaker chamber housing. Exemplary embodiments relate, inter alia, to the design of the intermediate storage volume for the cold gas and to auxiliary means for precooling the hot quenching gas. Advantages are, inter alia, improved quenching gas cooling, an increased circuit breaker rating and/or a more compact breaker design.
US08389883B2

A key-press structure comprises a transparent substrate, a plurality of characters formed inside the transparent substrate thereby forming a plurality of keys, and a touch control member disposed on the surface of the transparent substrate such that each of the keys is operable to sense a touch event.
US08389875B2

To provide an installation structure and an installation method of a communication equipment to reduce a number of components of the equipment and make the installation work easy. A communication equipment and an installation structure of the communication equipment to be installed, e.g., outdoors is provided. A handle for carrying the communication equipment also serves as a fixation component of the communication equipment. A method for installation of a communication equipment comprises providing an inclined portion formed at a part of bottom surface of a communication equipment and keeping the communication equipment in a forward-inclined position temporarily with the assistance of the inclined shape portion when the communication equipment is set on a fixation mount to fix the communication equipment preparatory to installation.
US08389872B2

An electrode structure adapted for high applied voltage is provided, which comprises a conductive plate substrate and a covering layer disposed thereon such that a covering percentage of the covering layer over the conductive plate substrate is more than 50%. Since area of the conductive plate substrate covered by the covering layer is larger than the area exposed, the possibility of arcing is reduced and the breakdown voltage applied to the electrode structure may be increased.
US08389861B2

A power line insulating assembly and safety arm pin includes: an insulating section, where said insulating section includes an end portion where a fight hand threaded section is provided at the end portion for securing the insulator section to the power linen hardware, wherein the insulating section abuts an arm nut and shoulder assembly; and a safety arm pin connected to the insulating section via the nut and shoulder assembly, where arm pin includes a left handed threaded section to receive hardware for mounting the assembly on a power line transmission assembly, where said hardware is removable without loosening of the insulating section. The hardware for mounting may include a square washer, a left-handed nut and left-handed lock.
US08389852B2

An electrode structure is provided for use in an electronic device. In certain example embodiments, an electrode structure includes a supporting glass substrate (e.g., soda-lime silica based float glass), a buffer layer (e.g., SixNy), and a conductive electrode (e.g., Mo) provided in this order. The buffer layer is advantageous in that it prevents or reduces sodium (Na) migration from the glass substrate into semiconductor layer(s) of the electronic device.
US08389851B2

A system may include an optical element including a surface defining a recess, conductive material disposed within the recess, and a solder mask disposed over a portion of the conductive material. The solder mask may define an aperture through which light from the optical element may pass. Some aspects provide creation of an optical element including a surface defining a recess, deposition of conductive material on the surface such that a portion of the deposited conductive material is disposed within the recess, and substantial planarization of the surface to expose the portion of the conductive material disposed within the recess.
US08389848B1

An apparatus and method to assist a drummer playing a bass drum. The apparatus enables a drummer to combine force applied to a foot plate, frequency applied to a foot plate, and a selected algorithm to output a mechanical force to a bass drum beater. The apparatus provides drummers the ability to produce a variety of desired rhythmic patterns, to change the intensity of the stroke, to vary the tempi so that patterns will be consistent with the music being performed, and to produce a metronomic beat (tempo) when desired. Hence, drummer fatigue is reduced, the drummer can produce more complicated and varying patterns on the fly, and the drummer has the ability to change the stroke to accent beats.
US08389847B2

A piano with an electronic tone generator capable of outputting musical sound signals of a reverberation and/or a resonance, in accordance with whether an external output is performed or not.
US08389846B2

An electronic keyboard musical instrument has a load applier, which gives rise to inner force sense equivalent to another musical instrument such as a piano in the player through black keys and white keys, and the load applier has a mechanical load applier applying a part of load to the keys and an electromechanical load applier applying a remaining part of load to the keys so that the manufacturer can reduce the actuator in size.
US08389838B2

A guitar pick holder with a recessed rim and a rear support plate for receiving and securing guitar picks. A fastener or a hoop for accepting a material provides means for the guitar pick to be ornamentation. An opening in the holder allows visibility to the guitar pick when the guitar pick is placed in the holder ornament.
US08389837B1

A composite fretboard has a tapered form and a cantilevered end. A guitar constructed with the fretboard is able to maintain certain elements of classical guitar form with a soundboard able to vibrate freely producing an improved sound quality.
US08389832B2

The hanging musical attachment device is an attachment to an inflatable balloon that adds ornamental features allowing the balloon to hang as an ornament creating additional appeal to generic balloon and adding the accompaniment of a musical playing device. This attachment can be used with balloons without the need for helium, because the attachment is the means of support for the balloon. The interchangeable balloons allow for the musical device to be replaced without the need to replace the entire device.
US08389811B2

The present invention relates to a new and distinctive canola cultivar, designated DN051607. Also included are seeds of canola cultivar DN051607, to the plants, or plant parts, of canola DN051607 and to methods for producing a canola plant produced by crossing the canola DN051607 with itself or another canola cultivar, and the creation of variants by mutagenesis or transformation of canola DN051607.
US08389808B2

Oilseed plants which have been transformed to produce arachidonic acid, recombinant constructs used in such transformations, methods for producing arachidonic acid in a plant are described and uses of oils and seeds obtained from such transformed plants in a variety of food and feed applications are described.
US08389805B2

The present invention is directed to promoter sequences and promoter control elements, polynucleotide constructs comprising the promoters and control elements, and methods of identifying the promoters, control elements, or fragments thereof. The invention further relates to the use of the present promoters or promoter control elements to modulate transcript levels.
US08389803B2

The present invention relates to Pi5-1 and Pi5-2 proteins which enhance resistance to Mag-naporthe oryzae, genes which encode the proteins, a recombinant vector comprising the genes, a plant transformed with the recombinant vector and seeds thereof, a method of increasing resistance to a plant pathogen by expressing the genes in a plant, antibodies against the proteins, and a composition comprising the genes which are useful for enhancing resistance to a plant pathogen.
US08389795B2

Disclosed herein are methods for mutagenizing a mammalian gene, the methods involving introducing into a mammalian cell a retroviral vector which includes a splice acceptor sequence, a transcription termination sequence, and retroviral packaging and integration sequences, the introducing step being carried out under conditions which allow the vector to integrate into the genome of the cell. Also disclosed are retroviral vectors for use in these methods as well as methods for the use of mutagenized cells.
US08389794B2

The present invention relates to a modified pig as a model for studying Alzheimer's disease. The modified pig model displays one or more phenotypes associated with Alzheimer's disease. Disclosed is also a modified pig comprising a modified human and/or porcine APP gene, and/or PS1 gene, and/or a transcriptional and/or translational product or part thereof. The invention further relates to methods for producing the modified pig; and methods for evaluating the effect of a therapeutical treatment of Alzheimer's disease; methods for screening the efficacy of a pharmaceutical composition; and a method for treatment of a human being suffering from Alzheimer's disease are disclosed.
US08389784B2

Ethanol obtained from ordinary biomass resources contains many impurities other than water and these impurities themselves or their decomposition products contaminate ethylene when the ethylene is produced by a dehydration reaction, whereby the activity of metathesis catalyst is adversely affected. A method for producing propylene of the present invention is characterized in that the ethanol obtained from biomass is converted to ethylene by a dehydration reaction, the ethylene is separated from the generated water, the separated ethylene is purified by adsorption in an adsorption tower filled with an adsorbent, and then a metathesis reaction is carried out along with a raw material containing n-butene. With the present invention, propylene having biomass-derived carbon and reduced-environmental burden can be efficiently produced without lowering the catalysis activity.
US08389780B2

The invention is directed to polyalphaolefins (PAOs) and processes for forming PAOs. In one embodiment, the invention is to a process for forming a PAO comprising polymerizing C8-C12 α-olefin monomers in the presence of hydrogen, a C8-C12 saturated hydrocarbon, e.g., a C8-C12 saturated straight-chain hydrocarbon, and a catalyst system in a reaction vessel, wherein the C8-C12 saturated straight-chain hydrocarbon has about the same number of carbon atoms as the C8-C12 α-olefin monomers. The C8-C12 saturated straight-chain hydrocarbon optionally is derived from a crude PAO product formed by the process of the invention. The invention is also directed to reaction systems for performing the processes of the invention, to processes for controlling PAO viscosity based on residence time, and to the removal of spent catalyst using a solid adsorbent particles.
US08389776B2

A process for the removal of by-products from a phenolic mixture, which process may include the following steps: subjecting a phenolic mixture to extractive distillation to produce an initial phenolic mixture, contacting the initial phenolic mixture containing phenol and one or more by products with a catalyst to produce a first purified phenol product mixture, and distilling the first purified phenol product mixture to produce a second purified phenol product mixture; wherein the extractive distillation is carried out in two columns, a higher pressure column and a lower pressure column.
US08389773B2

The present invention relates to a method for preparing cyclohexanone from phenol in a first process, the first process being a cyclohexanone production process comprising hydrogenating phenol to form a product stream comprising cyclohexanone, phenol and side-products (RSP), including cyclohexanol and undesirable side-product; separating at least part of the product stream having a lower boiling point than cyclohexanone have been removed, into a first fraction comprising cyclohexanone and a second fraction comprising phenol, cyclohexanol and RSP, using distillation; and separating the second fraction into a third fraction, rich in cyclohexanol and comprising RSP, and a fourth fraction, rich in phenol and comprising RSP, using distillation. The invention further relates to an installation for carrying out a method of the invention.
US08389771B2

Provided are alkynyl phenyl derivative compounds, pharmaceutical compositions thereof, and methods of treating ophthalmic diseases and disorders, such as age-related macular degeneration and Stargardt's Disease, using said compounds and compositions.
US08389768B2

Provided herein are novel cationic lipids, compositions comprising the cationic lipids, and methods of using the cationic lipids. In some claims, the cationic lipids have cytotoxic activity and can be used alone or in combination with a cytotoxic bioactive compound to kill a cell. In some of these claims, the cationic lipid enhances the cytotoxic activity of the cytotoxic bioactive compound. Methods for treating a subject afflicted with a disease or unwanted condition are provided, wherein the method comprises administering a delivery system comprising a novel cationic lipid to the subject. The invention further provides methods for making delivery systems comprising the novel cationic lipids of the invention.
US08389767B2

The invention relates to methods of using certain compounds of formula (I), (II) and (III) in the synthesis of an insecticide intermediate of formula (IV), wherein the substituents are as defined in claim 1, to processes for preparing these compounds, to processes which use these compounds to prepare insecticide intermediates, and to certain novel compounds of formula (II′) and (III′).
US08389764B2

The invention relates to compounds of the formula I as defined herein, which are inhibitors of activated thrombin-activatable fibrinolysis inhibitor. The compounds of the formula I are suitable for manufacturing medicaments for the prophylaxis, secondary prevention and therapy of one or more disorders which are associated with thromboses, embolisms, hypercoagulability or fibrotic changes.
US08389756B2

The invention relates to a method for producing phosphoric acid triesters of formula (I). According to said method, phosphoric acid or a phosphoric acid derivative selected from orthophosphoric acid, tetraphosphoric decaoxide and polyphosphoric acid is reacted with alkoxylated alcohols of formulae (II) R1—(OA1)x-OH, (III) R2—(OA2)y-OH, and (IV) R3—(OA3)Z-OH, in the molar ratio phosphoric acid or phosphoric acid derivative to alkoxylated alcohol of 1:2.5 to 1:3.3, at between 200 and 240° C.
US08389739B1

Methods for modulating (inhibiting or stimulating) retinoid-related orphan receptor γ (RORγ) activity. This modulation has numerous effects, including inhibition of TH-17 cell function and/or TH-17 cell activity, and inhibition of re-stimulation of TH-17 cells, which are beneficial to treatment of inflammation and autoimmune disorders. Stimulation of RORγ results in stimulation of TH-17 cell function and/or activity which is beneficial for immune-enhancing compositions (e.g., vaccines).
US08389737B2

A first aspect of the invention relates to a compound of formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrate, complex or pro-drug thereof, wherein: one of R3 and R4 is H, and the other is selected from C1-6-alkyl, C1-6-haloalkyl, C1-6-alkoxy, and C6-12-aralkyl; or R3 and R4 are each independently selected from C1-6-alkyl and halo; R9 is a substituted 5 or 6-membered aryl or heteroaryl group or a 6,5- or 6,6-fused biaryl or heterobiaryl group. Compounds of formula (I) exhibit surprisingly high efficacies for human cathepsin S, excellent selectivity verses other mammalian cathepsins and are useful for treatment of diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis, transplant rejection, diabetes, Sjogrens syndrome, Grave's disease, systemic lupus erythematosis, osteoarthritis, psoriasis, idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura, allergic rhinitis, asthma, atherosclerosis, obesity, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and chronic pain.
US08389733B2

A process for (R,S)-nicotine is described. Condensation of 1-(but-1-enyl) pyrrolidin-2-one with nicotinic acid ester gave 1-(but-1-enyl)-3-nicotinoylpynolidin-2-one which on treatment with an acid and a base gave myosmine. Myosmine was converted to (R,S)-nicotine by reduction followed by N-methylation.
US08389732B2

The present invention provides active compounds for modulating nicotinic acetylcholine receptors and methods of making the same. The methods of preparing the active compounds utilize different intermediate compounds.
US08389728B2

This disclosure relates, inter alia, to stimulants of pollen tube germination and growth of pollen tubes, and methods of their use to stimulate in vitro and in vivo pollen germination and pollen tube growth.
US08389725B2

A platinum (II) complex of general formula (II) in which Ar1, Ar2, and Ar3 are each independently aryl, heteroaryl, or heterocyclic. Ar1, Ar2, and Ar3 together form a tridentate ligand coordinated to the platinum through atoms X, Y, and Z, respectively, and X, Y, and Z are independently carbon or nitrogen. V is a bridging group, and W is an anion. The complexes emit in the UV to near IR range and are useful as emitters for organic light emitting devices.
US08389716B2

The present invention relates to a process for the synthesis of quetiapine. In particular, a process is provided for the synthesis of quetiapine of formula (A) comprising reacting dibenzo[b,f][1,4]thiazepin-11(10H)-one, intermediate (I) with phosphorous oxychloride to give 11-chlorodibenzo[b,f][1,4]thiazepine, intermediate (II) wherein the said reaction of intermediate (I) to intermediate (II) is performed in an organic solvent in the presence of a mixture of an organic base together with an inorganic base.
US08389714B2

A compound of formula (I) or a pharmaceutically-acceptable salt thereof, may be made by a process including a triflating step by which a ketone of formula (II) is converted into a triflate of formula (III) in the presence of a base comprising a tertiary or heterocyclic amine such that the pKa of the conjugate acid at 25° C. is within the range 5.21 to 12.
US08389709B2

The present disclosure provides pharmaceutical compositions and methods useful for modulating angiogenesis and for inhibiting metastasis, tumors, pulmonary alveolar proteinosis, and fibrosis in a mammalian tissue. Pharmaceutical compositions and methods include inhibitors of LOXL2 expression and activity, such as shRNA targeting LOXL2.
US08389707B2

Oligonucleotide structures are provided that are capable of forming more stable bonds to a lipid membrane and thereby generate an improved control of the process whereby oligonucleotide linkers are introduced to lipid membranes. Methods of forming lipid membrane oligonucleotide attachments are provided including lipid vesicles. The oligonucleotides typically comprise at least two hydrophobic anchoring moieties capable of being attached to a lipid membrane. Said moieties may be attached at the terminal ends of an oligonucleotide or, in the case of a first and second strand forming a duplex, at the same terminal end one of the strands other end not being part of the duplex leaving it free to hybridize to additional strands. The lipid vesicles attached with the oligonucleotide can be used in biosensors and may contain membrane proteins.
US08389705B2

This invention relates to isolated nucleic acid fragments encoding high affinity nitrate transport components. The invention also relates to the construction of recombinant DNA constructs encoding all or a portion of nitrate transport components, in sense or antisense orientation, wherein expression of the recombinant DNA construct may alter levels of the nitrate transport components in a transformed host cell.
US08389703B1

This invention relates to nucleoside, nucleotide, and oligonucleotide analogs that incorporate non-standard nucleobase analogs, defined to be those that present a pattern of hydrogen bonds to a paired nucleobase analog in a complementary strand that is different from the pattern presented by adenine, guanine, cytosine, and thymine. The invention is specifically concerned with nucleotide analogs that present the donor-donor-acceptor, hydrogen bonding patterns on pyrimidine analogs, and especially those that are analogs of ribonucleotides, including protected ribonucleotides suitable for phosphoramidite-based synthesis of RNA. The heterocycles on these nucleoside analogs are aminopyridones that have electron withdrawing groups attached to the position analogous to the 5-position of the ring in standard pyrimidines, including nitro, cyano, and carboxylic acid derivatives.
US08389702B2

The present invention provides multisignal labeling reagents and these are useful in a number of biochemical applications, including the manufacture of biomolecular probes and their use in detecting or amplifying analyte-specific moieties.
US08389693B2

The present invention relates to particularly stable and soluble scFv antibodies and Fab fragments specific for TNFα, which comprise specific light chain and heavy chain sequences that are optimized for stability, solubility, in vitro and in vivo binding of TNFα, and low immunogenicity. Said antibodies are designed for the diagnosis and/or treatment of TNFα-related disorders. The nucleic acids, vectors and host cells for expression of the recombinant antibodies of the invention, methods for isolating them and the use of said antibodies in medicine are also disclosed.
US08389670B2

Dithienobenzo-thieno[3,2-b]thiophene-copolymers of the formula (I) wherein: pi is a monocyclic or polycyclic moiety optionally substituted with 1-4 Ra groups, wherein Ra, at each occurrence, is independently hydrogen or a) a halogen, b) —(CN, c) —NO2, d) oxo, e) —OH, f) ═C(Rb)2; g) a C1-20 alkyl group, h) a C2-20 alkenyl group, i) a C2-20 alkynyl group, j) a C1-20 alkoxy group, k) a C1-20 alkylthio group, l) a C1-20 haloalkyl group, m) a —Y—C3-10 cycloalkyl group, n) a —Y—C6-14 aryl group, o) a —Y-3-12 membered cycloheteroalkyl group, or p) a —Y-5-14 membered heteroaryl group, wherein each of the C1-20 alkyl group, the C2-20 alkenyl group, the C2-20 alkynyl group, the C3-10 cycloalkyl group, the C6-14 aryl or haloaryl group, the 3-12 membered cycloheteroalkyl group, and the 5-14 membered heteroaryl group is optionally substituted with 1-4 Rb groups; Y, at each occurrence, is independently a divalent C1-6 alkyl group, a divalent C1-6 haloalkyl group, or a covalent bond; and R1, R2, R3, at each occurrence, are independently H, a halogen, CN, a C1-30 alkyl group, a C2-30 alkenyl group, a C1-30 haloalkyl group, a C2-30 alkynyl group, a C1-30 alkoxy group, a C(O)—C1-20 alkyl group, a C(O)—OC1-20 alkyl group, a Y—C3-10 cycloalkyl group, a —Y-3-12 membered cycloheteroalkyl group, each optionally substituted with 1-5 substituents selected from a halogen, —CN, a C1-6 alkyl group, a C1-6 alkoxy group, and a C1-6 haloalkyl group, -L-Ar1, -L-Ar1—Ar1, -L-Ar1—R4, or -L-Ar1—Ar1—R4 and Y, at each occurrence, is independently a divalent C1-6 alkyl group, a divalent C1-6 haloalkyl group, or a covalent bond; n=0, 1, 2; and o=1-1000.
US08389668B2

The use of a catalytic ring-opening lactide and glycolide (co)oligomerization system consisting of a strongly acidic ion-exchange resin-type polymeric catalyst and a (co)oligomerization additive, and a lactide and glycolide (co)oligomerization method using said catalytic system, are disclosed.
US08389664B2

Disclosed are random copoly(phosphonate carbonate)s with the high molecular weight and narrow molecular weight distribution exhibiting a superior combination of properties compared to prior art.
US08389657B2

A composition comprising a copolymer having repeating units in any sequence of Formula I wherein Rf is a straight or branched perfluoroalkyl group which is optionally interrupted by at least one oxygen atom, X3 is oxygen or X1, each X1 is independently an organic divalent linking group, G is F or CF3, A is an amide, X2 is an organic linking group, Y is O, N or S, Z is H, a straight or branched alkyl group or halide, B is H or wherein Rf, X1, X3, G, and A are as defined above, and each W is independently various copolymer units.
US08389652B2

An epoxy resin hardener composition including a reaction product of (i) a compound having at least one vicinal epoxy group, and (ii) an amino alcohol; an epoxy resin composition including the epoxy resin hardener composition and a compound having at least one vicinal epoxy group; and a powder coating composition including particles of the epoxy resin hardener composition and particles of a compound having at least one vicinal epoxy group.
US08389650B2

A curable polyorganosiloxane composition for use in an LED or optical lens, including: (A) an alkenyl group-containing polyorganosiloxane which contains a (A1) branched polyorganosiloxane including an SiO4/2 unit and an R3SiO1/2 unit, and optionally an R2SiO unit and/or an RSiO3/2 unit, wherein at least three R per molecule are vinyl groups, and optionally (A2) a linear polyorganosiloxane having R bonded to a silicon atom, wherein at least two R per molecule are vinyl groups, wherein 100 mol % or more of the R present in components (A1) and (A2), excluding alkenyl groups, are methyl groups; (B) a polyalkylhydrogensiloxane including an SiO4/2 unit and an R3(CH3)2SiO1/2 unit, the polyalkylhydrogensiloxane having the formula [R3(CH3)2SiO1/2]8[SiO4/2]4 or [R3(CH3)2SiO1/2]10[SiO4/2]5, wherein each R3 represents a hydrogen atom, and (C) a platinum-vinylsiloxane complex. The composition having desirable light transmission properties, and is unlikely to suffer yellowing due to exposure to heat.
US08389647B2

The present invention relates to a laminating adhesive composition, which contains a reaction product which contains isocyanate groups and which is obtained from the reaction of at least two specific polyester polyols, solid at room temperature, and a polyisocyanate. Particularly in the case of three-dimensionally deformed support material surfaces, the laminating adhesive compositions permit removal from the laminating mold at an elevated temperature.
US08389644B2

A functionalized polymer includes a directly bonded moiety, which can be located at a terminus of the polymer, defined by the formula —NH—NR1R2 where R1 and R2 independently are substituted or unsubstituted alkyl, alkenyl, cycloalkyl, cycloalkenyl, aryl, allyl, aralkyl, alkaryl, or alkynyl groups, or together form a substituted or unsubstituted alkylene, alkenylene, cycloalkylene, cycloalkenylene, or arylene group. The functionalized polymer can be provided by reacting a living polymer with a hydrazone. Such polymers can be used in the production of compositions that include particulate fillers.
US08389632B2

A process of extruding a blend of an irradiated extrudate of a first propylene polymer and a non-irradiated second propylene polymer, where the first propylene polymer comprises a non-phenolic stabilizer. The irradiation of the first propylene polymer extrudate is conducted in a reduced oxygen environment, and the irradiated extrudate of the first propylene polymer and the non-irradiated second propylene polymer are blended at a temperature below their respective melting points. The blend has an ARPSW of ≦3.0 micron.
US08389628B2

The present invention provides a thermoplastic resin composition that can have excellent impact resistance, chemical resistance, fluidity and high gloss, which comprises about 1 to about 80 parts by weight of a styrene-acrylonitrile resin (A) including one or more functional groups capable of reacting with polyester; about 1 to about 98 parts by weight of an acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin (B) including about 5 to about 40% by weight of a graft polymerized acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene resin (B1) and about 60 to about 95% by weight of a styrene-acrylonitrile resin (B2) and including about 20% by weight or less of acrylonitrile; and about 1 to about 98 parts by weight of a polyester resin (C), wherein the resin composition comprises acrylonitrile in a total amount of about 1 to about 13% by weight.
US08389620B2

A dip-forming composition, comprising: a carboxyl group-containing diene-based rubber latex; and one or more compounds selected from the following (a) to (e): (a) an organometallic crosslinking agent containing two or more hydroxyl groups each bonded to a metal atom; (b) a cationic property-deactivated modified polyamine-based resin, a cationic property-deactivated polyamide-epichlorohydrin resin, a cationic property-deactivated polyamine-epichlorohydrin resin, a cationic property-deactivated amine group- or quaternary ammonium base-containing polyvinyl alcohol, a cationic property-deactivated amine group- or quaternary ammonium base-containing polyacrylamide, a cationic property-deactivated amine group- or quaternary ammonium base-containing carbohydrate, or a polyacrylamide, polyvinyl alcohol, or carbohydrate into which a crosslinkable functional group is introduced; (c) an anionic or nonionic polyvinyl alcohol, anionic or nonionic polyacrylamide, or anionic or nonionic carbohydrate to which a water resistant additive or water-resistant polymer is added; (d) a water resistant polyvinyl alcohol; and (e) a cationizing agent.
US08389611B2

An object of the present invention is to provide a pressure sensitive adhesive composition for an optical member, which is excellent in coating property because of low viscosity, can reduce an amount of an organic solvent used, and can form a pressure sensitive adhesive layer excellent in durability and having high surface uniformity. The present invention relates to a pressure sensitive adhesive composition for an optical member, which comprises a (meth)acrylic polymer, a C6 to C9 hydrocarbon-based solvent (A), and a high-boiling highly solubilizing solvent (B) having a boiling point higher than that of the above hydrocarbon-based solvent and having a higher ability to solubilize the (meth)acrylic polymer than that of the above hydrocarbon-based solvent, wherein a content of the hydrocarbon-based solvent (A) is 20 to 60 wt % based on the total amount of the solvents, and a ratio of the content (wt %) of the hydrocarbon-based solvent (A) to the content (wt %) of the high-boiling highly solubilizing solvent (B) (high-boiling highly solubilizing solvent (B)/hydrocarbon-based solvent (A)) is 0.05 to 4.
US08389610B2

A rubber composition is provided for coating a steel wire material having initial adhesion strength and water resistant adhesion strength with respect to a steel wire material at or above conventional levels, the rubber composition being compounded with a compound derived from a natural product. Specifically a rubber composition for coating a steel wire material is compounded with from 0.05 to 10 parts by weight of a salt compound per 100 parts by weight of a diene rubber, the salt compound including a dicarboxylic acid derived from a natural product and an amine of a decarboxylated amino acid derived from a natural product.
US08389609B2

A composition includes a polymer matrix, a multiple-acid-derived metal soap, wherein the metal has an oxidation state of +3 or +4. An associated method for making a rubber composition includes the steps of: combining a solvent and a multiple carboxylic, phosphonic, phosphoric, sulfuric, or sulfonic acid, or mixtures thereof, and mixing to form solution A; adding a source of metal ions to solution A and mixing to form a product A, the metal being selected from the metals having an oxidation state of +3 or +4, whereby product A includes a multiple-acid-derived metal soap; and combining the multiple-acid-derived metal soap with a diene rubber. A method of making a tire component includes the steps of: combining a solvent and a multiple carboxylic, phosphonic, phosphoric, sulfuric, or sulfonic acid, or mixtures thereof, and mixing to form solution A; adding a source of metal ions to solution A and mixing to form a product A, the metal being selected from the metals having an oxidation state of +3 or +4, whereby product A includes a multiple-acid-derived metal soap; combining the multiple-acid-derived metal soap with a diene rubber; and molding and vulcanizing the rubber composition into a tire component.
US08389606B2

The present invention relates to an asphalt mixture including aggregates, a polyamide resin and asphalt, wherein the polyamide resin has a softening point of from 60 to 150° C., and is compounded in an amount of from 3 to 90% by mass on the basis of a total amount of the polyamide resin and the asphalt; and a paving method using the asphalt mixture. The asphalt mixture of the present invention provides a pavement which is free from rutting and torsional breakage and exhibits a high oil resistance. The pavement obtained from the asphalt mixture is free from fracture and can be prevented from suffering from occurrence of rutting and torsional breakage even when leakage of oils over a surface of the pavement occurs.
US08389605B2

A self-repairing concrete includes carbamide resin polymer micro-capsules, in which the carbamide resin polymer micro-capsules are mixed for a fixed function of micro-cracks. The quality mixture ratio is: concrete/micro capsules/water=100:1-15:15-50. The manufacturing method is weighing a full amount of water in a container, adding carbamide resin polymer micro-capsules, stirring, until fully dispersed microcapsules; pouring the water into the mixing container, adding the corresponding quality of cement; stirring; adding sand and gravel filling materials, conducting worksite watering, ⅓ volume for each time, vibrating, and air exhausting; until the slurry filling mold.
US08389599B2

Dental compositions and biphenyl di(meth)acrylate monomers are described. The dental compositions comprise at least one biphenyl di(meth)acrylate monomer comprising two aromatic rings connected with a C—C bond wherein the rings each comprise a substituent comprising a urethane moiety and a (meth)acrylate end group.
US08389583B2

In one aspect, compositions provide antimicrobial therapy as topical disinfectants. Particularly, one aspect relates to an alcohol containing antimicrobial composition that includes at least one paraben, a redox compound and an organic acid at a concentration of from about 1.5 percent to about 10 percent by weight, based on the total weight of the composition. In other aspects, antimicrobial compositions are used to topically sanitize wounds, skin areas and/or to disinfect surgical instruments or other surfaces. Still, in further aspects, methods, devices and kits relating to an antimicrobial composition are provided.
US08389569B2

Novel polyspirane compounds used in the treatment of diseases involving parasites that belong to the phylum of apicomplexae, and a method for preparing the same.
US08389557B2

Methods of using triazole derivatives in treating diseases or conditions associated with Axl catalytic activity are disclosed.
US08389551B2

The present invention discloses optically pure (R) and (S) Phenyramidol enantiomers and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts, a process for synthesizing such enantiomers by means of a styrene oxide based synthesis, and also a clinical evaluation of (R) and (S) enantiomers of Phenyramidol, their salts and compositions thereof for enhanced/newer therapeutic benefits.
US08389545B2

The present invention is directed to quinolone compounds of general formula (I) which are M1 receptor positive allosteric modulators and that are useful in the treatment of diseases in which the M1 receptor is involved, such as Alzheimer's disease, pain or sleep disorders, and to novel M1 receptor positive allosteric modulator compounds of formulae (II) to (VIII). The invention is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds, and to the use of the compounds and compositions in the treatment of diseases in which the M1 receptor is involved.
US08389540B2

This invention relates to the discovery of novel polymorphic forms of naltrexone, including solvates, hydrates, anhydrous and other crystalline forms and combinations thereof. These novel forms of naltrexone impart advantages in pharmaceutical formulations incorporating them, including sustained release, or long acting, formulations.
US08389539B2

Compounds of formula (I) as well as pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof can be used in the form of pharmaceutical compositions, wherein R1, R2, R3 and n have the significance given in claim 1.
US08389534B2

Disclosed are compounds of the formula I: wherein R1, R2, V, W, X, Y and Z can be as defined herein. The compounds can be used in the treatment of disorders mediated by the cannabinoid receptors.
US08389532B2

The compound having the structural formula I or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, is disclosed, as well as its use in the treatment of central nervous system diseases, in particular Parkinson's disease, Extra Pyramidal Syndrome, restless legs syndrome and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, pharmaceutical compositions comprising it, and combinations with other agents.
US08389526B2

The invention relates to compounds of formula (I) and salts thereof wherein the substituents are as defined in the specification, the application of a compound of formula (I) in a process for the treatment of the human or animal body, in particular with regard to C-Met tyrosine kinase mediated disease; the use of a compound of formula (I) for manufacturing a medicament for the treatment of such diseases; pharmaceutical compositions comprising a compound of the formula (I), optionally in the presence of a combination partner; processes for the preparation of a compound of formula (I).
US08389525B2

The invention provides compounds that inhibit protein kinases, prodrugs of the compounds, intermediates and methods of synthesizing the compounds and/or prodrugs, pharmaceutical compositions including the compounds and/or prodrugs and methods of using the compounds and/or prodrugs in a variety of contexts, including, for example, in the treatment and/or prevention of various diseases that are responsive to protein kinase inhibition and/or that are mediated, at least in part, by inappropriate kinase activity.
US08389523B2

The present invention is to provide an oxopyrazine derivative having an excellent herbicidal activity and besides exhibiting high safety for useful crops and the like, or a salt thereof, and a herbicide containing the same.The present invention relates to an oxopyrazine derivative represented by formula [I]: wherein X1 represents an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom; X2 represents CH or N(O)m; m represents an integer of 0 or 1; R1 represents a hydrogen atom, a C1-C12 alkyl group and the like; R2 represents a halogen atom, a cyano group and the like; R3 is a hydroxyl group, a halogen atom and the like; A1 represents C(R4R5); A2 represents C(R6R7) or C═O; A3 represents C(R8R9); R4 to R9 represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, or a salt thereof, and a herbicide containing these compounds.
US08389518B2

The present invention is related to pyrazolo pyridine derivatives of Formula (I), pharmaceutical composition thereof and to their use for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of disorders or conditions related to Nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (NADPH Oxidase).
US08389517B2

A method of treating a glomerular disease selected from the group consisting of mesangial proliferative glomerulonephritis, collapsing glomerulopathy, proliferative lupus nephritis, crescentic glomerulonephritis and membranous nephropathy in a subject comprises administering to the subject an effective amount of a glucosylceramide synthase inhibitor.
US08389515B2

The present disclosure provides biologically active 2,4-pyrimidinediamine compounds of formulae (I)-(III): and salts thereof, compositions comprising these compounds, and methods of using these compounds in a variety of applications.
US08389512B2

The invention is directed to novel crystalline forms of meloxicam. These novel crystalline forms of meloxicam have improved bioavailability, an enhanced rate of dissolution and shorter time to Cmax in blood, as compared to pure meloxicam.
US08389511B2

The present invention relates to a compound of the following formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, being useful as a renin inhibitor. [wherein R1a is halogen, etc.; R1m is H, etc.; G1 is —N(R1b)—, etc.; G2 is —CO—, etc.; G3 is —C(R1c)(R1d)—, etc.; G4 is oxygen, etc.; R1b is optionally substituted C1-6 alkyl, etc.; R1c and R1d are independently the same or different, H, etc.; R3 is H, optionally substituted C1-6 alkyl, etc.; R3a, R3b, R3c and R3d are independently the same or different, and a group: -A-B (said A is single bond, etc., and said B is H, etc.), etc.; and n is 1, etc.]
US08389502B2

Stabilized, 17-substituted hydrocortisone containing compositions and methods of manufacture are disclosed. Isomerization of the hydrocortisone component of topical steroid compositions is markedly reduced by including an omega-6 acid component in the form of a free acid or as a compound such as an ester. Specifically disclosed are methods for preventing the isomerization of hydrocortisone 17-butyrate into hydrocortisone 21-butyrate through the use of safflower oil.
US08389497B2

The invention relates to the use of alkylphosphocholines in combination with antitumor medicaments for the treatment of benign and malignant oncoses in humans and animals. It is possible in this connection for the alkylphosphocholines to be employed in a combination according to the invention with one or a combination of various approved cytostatics. Preferred alkylphosphocholines are described by the Formula II.
US08389493B2

AS-oligonucleotides are delivered in microsphere form in order to induce dendritic cell tolerance, particularly in the non-obese-diabetic (NOD) mouse model. The microspheres incorporate antisense (AS) oligonucleotides. A process includes using an antisense approach to reverse an autoimmune diabetes condition in NOD mice in vivo. The oligonucleotides are targeted to bind to primary transcripts CD40, CD80, CD86 and their combinations.
US08389486B2

Described herein are compositions and methods for the prevention and treatment of hematopoietic malignancies. The compositions are miRNAs and associated nucleic acids.
US08389481B2

Disclosed herein are novel glutamate-enhanced cell-penetrating peptides (CPPs) for use as delivery vehicles to mediate intracellular uptake of therapeutic payloads and methods of using the same.
US08389474B1

Ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury involving harvested organs and allograft transplantation may be increased by stimulation of a newly described innate pro-inflammatory immune system (i.e.NALP-3-inflammasome) which can cause secretion of IL-1β and subsequent neutrophilic inflammation. Ischemia and hypoxia can cause metabolic acidosis and development of danger signals known to stimulate IL-1β secretion from the NALP-3 inflammasome. Based on this newly discovered mechanism causing pathobiology in IRI, IL-1β targeted therapy would be capable of improving allograft tolerance, viability of harvested organs and in conditions with compromised arterial blood supply and subsequent reperfusion, such as replants, compartment syndrome, and serious vascular accidents.
US08389472B2

The present invention relates generally to the novel use of incretin compounds (ICs) and amylinomimetic compounds to treat, prevent, or ameliorate a variety of metabolic conditions or diseases.
US08389470B2

Methods are provided for purifying peptides and proteins by incorporating the peptide or protein into a diketopiperazine or competitive complexing agent to facilitate removal one or more impurities, from the peptide or protein. Formulations and methods also are provided for the improved transport of active agents across biological membranes, resulting for example in a rapid increase in blood agent concentration. The formulations include microparticles formed of (i) the active agent, which may be charged or neutral, and (ii) a transport enhancer that masks the charge of the agent and/or that forms hydrogen bonds with the target biological membrane in order to facilitate transport. In one embodiment, insulin is administered via the pulmonary delivery of microparticles comprising fumaryl diketopiperazine and insulin in its biologically active form. This method of delivering insulin results in a rapid increase in blood insulin concentration that is comparable to the increase resulting from intravenous delivery.
US08389451B2

The air release rate of lubricating compositions is significantly enhanced when the composition is formulated with one or more vinyl aromatic-olefin block copolymers that forms a micelle-like structure in the oil. Compositions having the specified copolymers retain less than about 2.5% air after 1 min. at 50° C. when tested by ASTM D 3427.
US08389444B2

A method of producing a thin layer, high-temperature superconductor strip is disclosed. In the method, a metal salt solution is formed and coated onto a substrate including a high-temperature superconductor layer. Heat is then applied directly or indirectly to the solution. The metal salt solution may contain a metal-organic salt solution or a metal inorganic metal salt solution. When an inorganic metal salt solution is utilized, a reducing solution may also be applied to the HTSC layer prior to heating. In addition, nano-sized metal particles may be added to the metal salt solution and/or the reducing solution.
US08389438B2

A method for the production of a converter-carrier body having a metallic honeycomb body made of a plurality of metal layers, especially smooth layers and corrugated layers, the layers having layer ends, such that an outer shape of the honeycomb body is formed by the layer ends. At least one stack is produced having several alternately disposed metal layers that are structured such that channels are formed for a fluid to flow through. The at least one stack is transformed into a honeycomb body having a cylindrical form. The honeycomb body is deformed from the cylindrical form so that an outer shape that deviates from the cylindrical form is produced. Additionally, the invention relates to a corresponding converter-carrier body and a tool for the production thereof.
US08389433B2

A hydroprocessing bulk catalyst is provided. A process to prepare hydroprocessing bulk catalysts is also provided. The hydroprocessing catalyst has the formula (Rp)i(Mt)a(Lu)b(Sv)d(Cw)e(Hx)f(Oy)g(Nz)h, wherein M is at least at least a “d” block element metal; L is also at least a “d” block element metal, but different from M; t, u, v, w, x, y, z representing the total charge for each of the components (M, L, S, C, H, O and N, respectively); R is optional and in one embodiment, R is a lanthanoid element metal; 0<=i<=1; pi+ta+ub+vd+we+xf+yg+zh=0; 0
US08389423B2

One embodiment of the present invention provides a semiconductor device manufacturing method, including: performing a laser spike annealing, by irradiating light, whose wavelength is 10 μm to 11 μm, onto a semiconductor substrate including: an active area; a circuit pattern; and a dummy pattern formed at a position, whose distance from an end of the active area is equal to or more than 10 μm and equal to or less than 11 μm, at a pitch equal to or more than 10 nm and equal to or less than 510 nm, while setting an angle formed between an arrangement direction of the dummy pattern and a projection direction of the light to be equal to or more than 0° and equal to or less than 30°.
US08389419B2

Combinatorial plasma enhanced deposition techniques are described, including designating multiple regions of a substrate, providing a precursor to at least a first region of the multiple regions, and providing a plasma to the first region to deposit a first material on the first region formed using the first precursor, wherein the first material is different from a second material formed on a second region of the substrate.
US08389417B2

An object is to provide a semiconductor device with a novel structure. A semiconductor device includes a first transistor, which includes a channel formation region provided in a substrate including a semiconductor material, impurity regions, a first gate insulating layer, a first gate electrode, and a first source electrode and a first drain electrode, and a second transistor, which includes an oxide semiconductor layer over the substrate including the semiconductor material, a second source electrode and a second drain electrode, a second gate insulating layer, and a second gate electrode. The second source electrode and the second drain electrode include an oxide region formed by oxidizing a side surface thereof, and at least one of the first gate electrode, the first source electrode, and the first drain electrode is electrically connected to at least one of the second gate electrode, the second source electrode, and the second drain electrode.
US08389411B2

The electrostatic chuck is made up of: a chuck main body having electrodes; a chuck plate of a dielectric material and having a rib portion with which a peripheral edge portion of the substrate is capable of coming into surface contact, and a plurality of supporting portions which are vertically disposed at a predetermined distance from one another in an inner space enclosed by the rib portion; and a gas introduction means for introducing a predetermined gas into the inner space. When the substrate is held by the electrostatic chuck which is arranged to attract the substrate by the chuck plate and to form a gas atmosphere by supplying a predetermined gas into the inner space, a current value is monitored by causing an AC current to flow in a capacitance of the chuck plate through an AC power supply, a gas flow amount is monitored by causing the gas to flow through the gas introduction means, and a substrate state is managed based on a variation in at least one of the current value and the gas flow amount to prevent damages to the substrate.
US08389401B2

When forming contact levels of sophisticated semiconductor devices, a superior bottom to top fill behavior may be accomplished by applying an activation material selectively in the lower part of the contact openings and using a selective deposition technique. Consequently, deposition-related irregularities, such as voids, may be efficiently suppressed even for high aspect ratio contact openings.
US08389398B2

A method of making a semiconductor device comprises providing a carrier, forming a first conductive layer extending above a surface of the carrier, providing a substrate, disposing the first conductive layer into a first surface of the substrate, removing the carrier, forming a second conductive layer extending above the first surface of the substrate to create a vertical offset between the first conductive layer and second conductive layer, and forming a plurality of first bumps over the first conductive layer and second conductive layer. The method further includes the steps of disposing a third conductive layer into a second surface of the substrate opposite the first surface of the substrate, forming a fourth conductive layer extending above the second surface of the substrate to create a vertical offset between the third conductive layer and fourth conductive layer, and forming a plurality of second bumps.
US08389394B2

The present invention relates to a semiconductor package and a method for making the same. The semiconductor package includes a substrate, a first passivation layer, a first metal layer, a second passivation layer, a second metal layer and a third metal layer. The substrate has a surface having at least one first pad and at least one second pad. The first passivation layer covers the surface of the substrate and exposes the first pad and the second pad. The first metal layer is formed on the first passivation layer and is electrically connected to the second pad. The second passivation layer is formed on the first metal layer and exposes the first pad and part of the first metal layer. The second metal layer is formed on the second passivation layer and is electrically connected to the first pad. The third metal layer is formed on the second passivation layer and is electrically connected to the first metal layer.
US08389390B2

A method of introducing an impurity into a wafer surface is provided. The method comprises the steps of: low energy implantation of impurity into a surface of the wafer to generate an implanted dopant layer; and simultaneously removing an implanted surface of the implanted dopant layer to generate a doping profile with controlled areal impurity dosage.
US08389382B2

A method for manufacturing a bonded wafer including the steps of: implanting at least one gas ion of a hydrogen ion and a rare gas ion into a bond wafer from a surface thereof to form an ion-implanted layer; bonding the ion-implanted surface of the bond wafer to a surface of a base wafer directly or through an oxide film; thereafter delaminating the bond wafer at the ion-implanted layer to prepare the bonded wafer having a silicon thin film formed on the base wafer; and performing a flattening heat treatment on the bonded wafer under an atmosphere containing hydrogen or hydrogen chloride, wherein a dopant gas is added into the atmosphere of the flattening heat treatment to perform the heat treatment, the dopant gas having the same conductivity type as a dopant contained in the silicon thin film.
US08389376B2

Methods are provided for forming a structure that includes an air gap. In one embodiment, a method is provided for forming a damascene structure including depositing a porous low dielectric constant layer by a method including reacting an organosilicon compound and a porogen-providing precursor, depositing a porogen-containing material, and removing at least a portion of the porogen-containing material, depositing an organic layer on the porous low dielectric constant layer by reacting the porogen-providing precursor, forming a feature definition in the organic layer and the porous low dielectric constant layer, filing the feature definition with a conductive material therein, depositing a mask layer on the organic layer and the conductive material disposed in the feature definition, forming apertures in the mask layer to expose the organic layer, removing a portion or all of the organic layer through the apertures, and forming an air gap adjacent the conductive material.
US08389373B2

Techniques for manufacturing an electronic device. In certain embodiments, a substrate includes a lower patterned layer that has a target conductor. A hybrid-vertical contact may be disposed directly on the target conductor. The hybrid vertical contact may include a lower-vertical contact directly on the target conductor and an upper-vertical contact directly on the lower-vertical contact. The upper-vertical contact may have an upper width that is greater than a lower width of the lower-vertical contact.
US08389371B2

A method for fabricating an integrated device is disclosed. A sacrificial gate stack is provided with a line width narrower than the target width of the final gate structure. After performing a tilt-angle implantation process, L-shape spacers are formed over the sidewalls of the sacrificial gate stack, and offset spacers are formed over the sidewalls of the L-shape spacers. An insulating layer is formed over the offset spacers and the substrate. Then, the sacrificial gate stack and the L-shape spacers are removed to form a trench in the insulating layer. A metal gate is then filled in the trench to form the final gate structure.
US08389368B2

A method for producing a memory device with nanoparticles, including steps of: a) forming, in a substrate based on at least one semi-conductor, source and drain regions, and at least one first dielectric on at least one zone of the substrate arranged between the source and drain regions and intended to form a channel of the memory device, b) depositing of at least one ionic liquid that is an organic salt or mixture of organic salts in a liquid state, wherein nanoparticles of at least one electrically conductive material are suspended in the ionic liquid, said ionic liquid covering at least said first dielectric, c) forming a deposition of said nanoparticles at least on said first dielectric, d) removing the ionic liquid remaining on the first dielectric, and e) forming at least one second dielectric and at least one control gate on at least one part of the nanoparticles deposited on the first dielectric.
US08389367B2

The present application discloses a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, comprising: forming a local buried isolation dielectric layer in a semiconductor substrate; forming a fin in the semiconductor substrate and on top of the local buried isolation dielectric layer; forming a gate stack structure on a top surface and side surfaces of the fin; forming source/drain structures in portions of the fin which are on opposite sides of the gate stack structure; and performing metallization. A conventional quasi-planar top-down process is utilized in the present invention to achieve a good compatibility with the CMOS planar processes, easy integration, and suppression of short channel effects, which promotes the development of MOSFETs having reduced sizes.
US08389364B2

A method of fabricating a saddle-fin transistor may include: forming a buffer oxide film and a hard mask oxide film over a semiconductor substrate; etching the buffer oxide film, the hard mask oxide film and the semiconductor substrate corresponding to a mask pattern to form a trench corresponding to a gate electrode and a fin region; oxidizing the exposed semiconductor substrate in the trench to form a gate oxide film; depositing a gate lower electrode in the trench; and depositing a gate upper electrode over the gate lower electrode to fill the trench.
US08389355B2

In a semiconductor integrated circuit device and a method of formation thereof, a semiconductor device comprises: a semiconductor substrate; an insulator at a top portion of the substrate, defining an insulator region; a conductive layer pattern on the substrate, the conductive layer pattern being patterned from a common conductive layer, the conductive layer pattern including a first pattern portion on the insulator in the insulator region and a second pattern portion on the substrate in an active region of the substrate, wherein the second pattern portion comprises a gate of a transistor in the active region; and a capacitor on the insulator in the insulator region, the capacitor including: a lower electrode on the first pattern portion of the conductive layer pattern, a dielectric layer pattern on the lower electrode, and an upper electrode on the dielectric layer pattern.
US08389353B2

A method of forming a series of spaced trenches into a substrate includes forming a plurality of spaced lines over a substrate. Anisotropically etched sidewall spacers are formed on opposing sides of the spaced lines. Individual of the lines have greater maximum width than minimum width of space between immediately adjacent of the spacers between immediately adjacent of the lines. The spaced lines are removed to form a series of alternating first and second mask openings between the spacers. The first mask openings are located where the spaced lines were located and are wider than the second mask openings. Alternating first and second trenches are simultaneously etched into the substrate through the alternating first and second mask openings, respectively, to form the first trenches to be wider and deeper within the substrate than are the second trenches. Other implementations and embodiments are disclosed.
US08389349B2

A method of manufacturing a capacitive transducer by applying a first etching mask on a layer. Applying a second etching mask to define the movable set of fingers, the fixed set of fingers, a body, and springs, and the body is connected to the movable set of fingers and the springs while the movable set of fingers are interdigitated with the fixed set of fingers. Etching the layer and the first etching mask using the second etching mask and removing the second etching mask. Etching the layer such that one of the movable set of fingers and the fixed set of fingers is shorter than the other of the movable set of fingers and the fixed set of fingers. Releasing the body, the springs, and the movable set of fingers using etching, such that, upon applying a force to the body, the body moves parallel to the substrate.
US08389347B2

A method for manufacturing a field effect transistor, includes: forming a mask of an insulating film on a semiconductor layer containing Si formed on a semiconductor substrate; forming the semiconductor layer into a mesa structure by performing etching with the use of the mask, the mesa structure extending in a direction parallel to an upper face of the semiconductor substrate; narrowing a distance between two sidewalls of the mesa structure and flattening the sidewalls by performing a heat treatment in a hydrogen atmosphere, the two sidewalls extending in the direction and facing each other; forming a gate insulating film covering the mesa structure having the sidewalls flattened; forming a gate electrode covering the gate insulating film; and forming source and drain regions at portions of the mesa structure, the portions being located on two sides of the gate electrode.
US08389341B2

A semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate of a first conductivity type; a pre-high-voltage well (pre-HVW) in the semiconductor substrate, wherein the pre-HVW is of a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type; a high-voltage well (HVW) over the pre-HVW, wherein the HVW is of the second conductivity type; a field ring in the HVW and occupying a top portion of the HVW, wherein the field ring is of the first conductivity type; an insulation region over and in contact with the field ring and a portion of the HVW; a gate electrode partially over the insulation region; a drain region in the HVW, wherein the drain region is of the second conductivity type; and wherein the HVW horizontally extends further toward the drain region than the pre-HVW; and a source region adjacent to, and on an opposite side of the gate electrode than the drain region.
US08389340B2

Various semiconductor chips and methods of making the same are disclosed. In one aspect, a method of manufacturing is provided that includes forming a first opening in an insulating layer applied to a side of a semiconductor chip. The first opening does not extend through to the side. A second opening is formed in the insulating layer that exposes a portion of the side.
US08389336B2

A semiconductor die package includes: an assembly including a semiconductor die, a clip structure attached to an upper surface of the semiconductor die, and a heat sink attached to an upper surface of the clip structure; and a molding material partially encapsulating the assembly, wherein an upper surface of the heat sink is exposed through the molding material.
US08389335B2

A chip scale package (CSP) device includes a CSP having a semiconductor die electrically coupled to a plurality of solder balls. A can having an inside top surface and one or more side walls defines a chamber. The CSP is housed in the chamber and is attached to the inside top surface of the can. A printed circuit board is attached to the solder balls and to the one or more side walls to provide support to the CSP and to the can. The CSP may be a Wafer-Level CSP. The can may be built from a metallic substance or from a non-metallic substance. The can provides stress relief to the CSP during a drop test and during a thermal cycle test.
US08389329B2

A method of manufacture of an integrated circuit packaging system includes: providing a base package carrier; mounting an interposer over the base package carrier; forming a base package encapsulation over the base package carrier and the interposer with the base package encapsulation having a cavity for exposing the interposer; and forming a support recess in the base package encapsulation between a non-horizontal edge of the base package encapsulation and the cavity.
US08389328B2

Provided is a method of manufacturing an electronic device having a first electronic component having a first terminal and a second electronic component having a second terminal, wherein the first electric component is electrically connected to the second electronic component by connecting the first terminal to the second terminal with solder, the method including: providing a resin layer having a flux action between the first terminal and the second terminal to obtain a laminate including the first electronic component, the second electronic component, and the resin layer, wherein a solder is provided on the first terminal or the second terminal; soldering the first terminal and the second terminal; and curing the resin layer while pressing the laminate with a pressurized fluid.
US08389327B2

A method for manufacturing chips (1, 2), in which at least one diaphragm (11, 12) is produced in the surface layer of a semiconductor substrate (10) spanning a cavity (13). The functionality of the chip (1, 2) is then integrated into the diaphragm (11, 12). In order to separate the chip (1, 2), the diaphragm (11, 12) is detached from the substrate composite. The method according to the present invention is characterized by metal plating of the back of the chip (1, 2) in an electroplating process before the chip is separated.
US08389326B2

An object is to manufacture a highly reliable semiconductor device including a thin film transistor with stable electric characteristics. In a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including a thin film transistor in which an oxide semiconductor film is used for a semiconductor layer including a channel formation region, heat treatment (for dehydration or dehydrogenation) is performed to improve the purity of the oxide semiconductor film and reduce impurities including moisture or the like. After that, slow cooling is performed under an oxygen atmosphere. Besides impurities including moisture or the like exiting in the oxide semiconductor film, heat treatment causes reduction of impurities including moisture or the like exiting in a gate insulating layer and those in interfaces between the oxide semiconductor film and films which are provided over and below the oxide semiconductor and in contact therewith.
US08389324B2

A method of manufacturing a solar cell electrode comprising steps of: applying onto a semiconductor substrate a conductive paste comprising (i) a conductive powder, (ii) a glass frit, (iii) an organic polymer and (iv) an organic solvent comprising 30 to 85 weight percent (wt %) of 1-phenoxy-2-propanol based on the weight of the organic solvent; and firing the conductive paste.
US08389322B2

A theme is to prevent the generation of noise due to damage in a photodetecting portion in a mounting process in a photodiode array, a method of manufacturing the same, and a radiation detector. In a photodiode array, wherein a plurality of photodiodes (4) are formed in array form on a surface at a side of an n-type silicon substrate (3) onto which light to be detected is made incident and penetrating wirings (8), which pass through from the incidence surface side to the back surface side, are formed for the photodiodes (4), the photodiode array (1) is arranged with a transparent resin film (6), which covers the formed regions of the photodiodes (4) and transmits the light to be detected, provided at the incidence surface side.
US08389316B2

A semiconductor structure includes an active region; a gate strip overlying the active region; and a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) device. A portion of the gate strip forms a gate of the MOS device. A portion of the active region forms a source/drain region of the MOS device. The semiconductor structure further includes a stressor region over the MOS device; and a stressor-free region inside the stressor region and outside the region over the active region.
US08389301B2

A non-uniform switching based non-volatile magnetic memory element includes a fixed layer, a barrier layer formed on top of the fixed layer, a first free layer formed on top of the barrier layer, a non-uniform switching layer (NSL) formed on top of the first free layer, and a second free layer formed on top of the non-uniform switching layer. Switching current is applied, in a direction that is substantially perpendicular to the fixed layer, barrier layer, first free layer, non-uniform switching layer and the second free layer causing switching between states of the first free layer, second free layer and non-uniform switching layer with substantially reduced switching current.
US08389283B2

The present invention relates to methods of obtaining genetic competence in non-competent Bacillus cells for their transformation with exogenous DNA.
US08389280B2

An organ perfusion apparatus and method monitor, sustain and/or restore viability of organs and preserve organs for storage and/or transport. Other apparatus include an organ transporter, an organ cassette and an organ diagnostic device. The method includes perfusing the organ at hypothermic and/or normothermic temperatures. The methods further include perfusing the organ at hypothermic and/or normothermic temperatures with a second perfusate containing a substance for reacting with the organ. Condition of the organ may be automatically monitored, and the perfusion process can be automatically controlled using a control program.
US08389265B2

The present invention provides a method for reducing or deleting the function of a protein encoded by the glyT gene in an acetic acid-producing bacterium. This method significantly suppresses foam formation during the culture and enhances the acetic acid fermentation ability of the bacterium.
US08389262B2

The present invention relates to subtilase subtilases with an altered immunogenicity, particularly subtilases with a reduced allergenicity. Furthermore, the invention relates to expression of said subtilase variants and subtilases and to their use, such as in detergents and oral care products.
US08389261B2

The present invention provides methods of isolation and purification of Streptomyces griseus trypsin (SGT) from PRONASE protease mixture in a single affinity chromatography step and uses of the purified SGT.
US08389248B2

Providing 1- or 6-deoxy products corresponding to all of aldohexoses, ketohexoses and sugar alcohols, as based on Deoxy-Izumoring, as well as a method for systematically producing those products. A method for producing deoxyketohexose and a derivative thereof using a deoxyketohexose isomerase derived from Pseudomonas cichorii ST-24 (FERM BP-2736), comprising epimerizing 1-deoxy D-ketohexose or 6-deoxy D-ketohexose or 1-deoxy L-ketohexose or 6-deoxy L-ketohexose at position 3 to produce the individually corresponding 1-deoxy D-ketohexose or 6-deoxy D-ketohexose or 1-deoxy L-ketohexose or 6-deoxy L-ketohexose as an intended product.
US08389244B2

Amplification-based methods and kits for rapidly producing siRNA expression cassettes are provided. Also provided are methods for expressing amplified siRNA expression cassettes in cells.
US08389238B2

Efficient and prolonged hCFTR expression is one of the major obstacles for cystic fibrosis lung therapy. hCFTR mRNA expression levels depend on eukaryotic expression cassette components, prokaryotic backbone elements, and the gene transfer method may also influence transcriptional silencing mechanisms. A codon-optimized and CpG-reduced human CFTR gene (CO-CFTR) was made. Various vector modifications were tested to facilitate extended duration of CO-CFTR expression. Insertion of an extended 3′BGH transcribed sequence (712 bp) in an inverted orientation produced prolonged expression of CO-CFTR expression at biologically relevant levels. Further studies revealed that prolonged CO-CFTR expression is dependant on the orientation of the extended BGH 3′ BGH transcribed sequence and its transcription, is not specific to the UbC promoter, and is less dependent on other vector backbone elements.
US08389223B2

Embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to compositions comprising a class of molecular probes for detecting the presence of anionic cell surfaces. Embodiments include compositions that are enriched for these compositions and preparations, particularly preparations suitable for use as laboratory/clinical reagents and diagnostic indicators, either alone or as part of a kit. An embodiment of the invention provides for a highly selective agent useful in the discernment and identification of dead or dying cells, such as apoptotic cells, in a relatively calcium-free environment. An embodiment of the invention provides a selective agent for the identification of bacteria in a mixed population of bacterial cells and nonbacterial cells.
US08389222B2

A method for determining the concentration and modifications of apolipoprotein in biological samples including plasma, serum, and lipoprotein fractions, by obtaining a sample from a patient, adding a specific volume of an internal standard to the sample, applying the sample to a surface-enhanced, Protein G-coated, antibody-bound chip and removing unbound sample components, analyzing the sample by mass spectrometry, determining the concentration of the apolipoprotein using values of internal standards, and evaluating the concentration of the apolipoprotein, its isoforms, amino acid substitutions and modifications for use as a tool for diagnosing cancer, diabetes, stroke, stress, Alzheimer's disease, inflammation, neurological disease and cardiovascular diseases.
US08389220B2

Methods relating to isolating and amplifying chimeric nucleic acid molecules are provided. The methods of the invention are useful for detecting chromosome translocation events associated with diseases or conditions, such as cancer.
US08389216B2

A method for replicating and amplifying a target nucleic acid sequence is described. A method of the invention involves the formation of a recombination intermediate without the prior denaturing of a nucleic acid duplex through the use of a recombination factor. The recombination intermediate is treated with a high fidelity polymerase to permit the replication and amplification of the target nucleic acid sequence. In preferred embodiments, the polymerase comprises a polymerase holoenzyme. In further preferred embodiments, the recombination factor is bacteriophage T4 UvsX protein or homologs from other species, and the polymerase holoenzyme comprises a polymerase enzyme, a clamp protein and a clamp loader protein, derived from viral, bacteriophage, prokaryotic, archaebacterial, or eukaryotic systems.
US08389205B2

The invention concerns a method for patterning a surface of a material. A substrate having a polymer film thereon is provided. The polymer is a selectively reactive polymer (e.g. thermodynamically unstable): it is able to unzip upon suitable stimulation. A probe is used to create patterns on the film. During the patterning, the film is locally stimulated for unzipping polymer chains. Hence, a basic idea is to provide a stimulus to the polymeric material, which in turn spontaneously decomposes e.g. into volatile constituents. For example, the film is thermally stimulated in order to break a single bond in a polymer chain, which is sufficient to trigger the decomposition of the entire polymer chain.
US08389203B2

Particular embodiments include method embodiments and apparatus embodiments. One method embodiment comprises: placing a printing plate on an imaging device; imaging the plate according to imaging data; and applying UV radiation using a plurality of UV emitting LEDs during the process of imaging of the printing plate. In one embodiment, the plate initially has ablatable material, and wherein the imaging includes ablating ablatable material on the plate according to the imaging data to form an ablated plate, and wherein the applying the UV radiation includes exposing the ablated plate to UV radiation to cure the plate. In one embodiment, the imaging device is an external drum imager that includes a drum that rotates during imaging.
US08389201B2

The present invention relates to a positive resist composition and to a pattern forming process using the same. The present invention provides: a positive resist composition having an enhanced etching resistance and an excellent resolution and being capable of providing an excellent pattern profile even at a substrate-side boundary face of resist, in photolithography for fine processing, and particularly in lithography adopting, as an exposure source, KrF laser, extreme ultraviolet rays, electron beam, X-rays, or the like; and a pattern forming process utilizing the positive resist composition.
US08389200B2

A pattern forming method which uses a positive resist composition comprises: (A) a fluorine-free resin capable of increasing its solubility in an alkaline developer under action of an acid; (B) a compound capable of generating an acid upon irradiation with an actinic ray or radiation; (C) a fluorine-containing resin having at least one group selected from the group consisting of (X) an alkali-soluble group, (XI) a group capable of decomposing under action of an alkali developer and increasing solubility of the resin (C) in an alkaline developer and (XII) a group capable of decomposing under action of an acid and increasing solubility of the resin (C) in an alkaline developer; and (D) a solvent, the method comprising: (i) a step of applying the positive resist composition to a substrate to form a resist coating; (ii) a step of exposing the resist coating to light via an immersion liquid; (iii) a step of removing the immersion liquid remaining on the resist coating; (iv) a step of heating the resist coating; and (v) a step of developing the resist coating.
US08389195B2

A capsule toner achieving both low temperature fixability and hot offset resistance, and a method of manufacturing the capsule toner are provided. A capsule toner includes a toner base particle containing a binder resin and a colorant, and a resin coating layer formed on a surface of the toner base particle. The resin coating layer includes a film of plural fine resin particles having different complex viscosities. The plural fine resin particles include first fine resin particles having complex viscosity at a softening temperature of the toner base particles of 5.0×102 Pa·s or more and 1.0×103 Pa·s or less, and second fine resin particles having complex viscosity at a softening temperature of the toner base particles of 1.0×104 Pa·s or more and 1.0×105 Pa·s or less.
US08389193B2

There are provided a toner manufacturing method of manufacturing a toner which has excellent characteristics such as fluidity and preservation stability and in which a resin layer having uniform thickness is formed on a surface of tone core particle, a toner obtained by a method thereof, a one-component developer, a two-component developer, a developing device, and an image forming apparatus. By using a toner manufacturing apparatus, a stirring step S3 is performed, and during rotation of a rotary shaft section, after a completion of inputting the fine resin particles into a powder passage, and within a period satisfying 1.7≦(load F−load F0)/(load Fcore−load F0)≦5.7, a spraying step S4 is started.
US08389176B2

A polymer membrane composition for a fuel cell, a polymer membrane prepared therefrom, a membrane electrode assembly, a fuel cell including the same, and associated methods, the polymer membrane composition including a polymer, the polymer including a cation exchange group and a carbon double-bond-containing cross-linkable group, a (meth)acryl-based compound, the (meth)acryl-based compound including a cation exchange group, and a polymerization initiator.
US08389175B2

A fuel cell (70) having an anode (72), a cathode (78) and an electrolyte (76) between the anode (72) and the cathode (78) includes a cathode catalyst (80) formed of a plurality of nanoparticles. Each nanoparticle (20) has a plurality of terraces (26) formed of platinum surface atoms (14), and a plurality of edge (28) and corner regions (29) formed of atoms from a second metal (30)—The cathode catalyst may be formed by combining a platinum nanoparticle with a metal salt in a solution. Ions from the second metal react with platinum and replace platinum atoms on the nanoparticle. The second metal atoms at the corner and edge regions of the nanoparticle, as well as at any surface defects, result in a more stable catalyst structure. In some embodiments, the fuel cell (70) is a proton exchange membrane fuel cell and the nanoparticles are tetrahedron-shaped. In some embodiments, the fuel cell (70) is a phosphoric acid fuel cell and the nanoparticles are cubic-shaped.
US08389170B2

A method for determining whether a fuel cell stack cooling fluid is flowing at cold fuel cell system start-up. The method monitors the temperature of the cooling fluid outside of the fuel cell stack, and determines whether the temperature of the cooling fluid is increasing properly as the temperature of the stack increases.
US08389168B2

A fuel cell system that employs an injector/ejector for providing fresh hydrogen and anode recirculation gas to the anode side of a fuel cell stack. The injector/ejector is operated with a variable frequency so that the injector open time at low stack current densities is long enough to allow a pressure drop to be provided in the anode flow channels to push out water that may have accumulated therein. In one embodiment, the injector/ejector control provides a minimum pulse width per cycle and a maximum frequency so that as the stack current density decreases below a certain value the frequency decreases from the maximum frequency to maintain the pulse width constant at the minimum pulse width.
US08389161B2

A nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery includes a positive electrode 4 including a positive electrode current collector and a positive electrode mixture layer including a positive electrode active material and a binder, the positive electrode mixture layer being provided on the positive electrode current collector, a negative electrode 5, a porous insulating layer 6 interposed between the positive electrode 4 and the negative electrode 5, and a nonaqueous electrolyte. The tensile extension of the positive electrode 4 is equal to or higher than 3.0%. The charge end voltage in normal operation of the nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery is equal to or higher than 4.3 V.
US08389151B2

A battery unit includes a casing, bipolar batteries as a plurality of stacked type batteries housed in the casing, and a plug. The bipolar battery is formed by stacking a plurality of battery elements each having sheet electrodes on opposite sides of an electrolyte, and has collectors. The plug is detachably inserted between the bipolar batteries, and electrically connects bipolar batteries.
US08389150B2

Composite current collectors containing coatings of metals, alloys or compounds, selected from the group of Zn, Cd, Hg, Ga, In, Tl, Sn, Pb, As, Sb, Bi and Se on non-metallic, non-conductive or poorly-conductive substrates are disclosed. The composite current collectors can be used in electrochemical cells particularly sealed cells requiring a long storage life. Selected metals, metal alloys or metal compounds are applied to polymer or ceramic substrates by vacuum deposition techniques, extrusion, conductive paints (dispersed as particles in a suitable paint), electroless deposition, cementation; or after suitable metallization by galvanic means (electrodeposition or electrophoresis). Metal compound coatings are reduced to their respective metals by chemical or galvanic means. The current collectors described are particular suitable for use in sealed primary or rechargeable galvanic cells containing mercury-fee and lead-free alkaline zinc electrodes.
US08389147B2

Li/air battery cells are configurable to achieve very high energy density. The cells include a protected a lithium metal or alloy anode and an aqueous catholyte in a cathode compartment. In addition to the aqueous catholyte, components of the cathode compartment include an air cathode (e.g., oxygen electrode) and a variety of other possible elements.
US08389144B2

The present invention discloses a reserve battery having an all solid state thin film battery (5). The reserve battery includes: a housing (1) made of a conductive material; an insulation coating (2) formed on the inner surface of the housing (1); an all solid state thin film battery formed in the housing; a switching System (3) disposed between the housing (1) and the all solid state thin film battery; and an external (6) terminal electrically connected to the all solid state thin film battery, for externally providing electrical connection through the opened surface of the housing. The reserve battery overcomes disadvantages of a general reserve battery using an electrolyte solution.
US08389142B2

A method and apparatus for simplifying battery pack assembly that allows inspection of the cell-to-housing bonding region is provided. In particular, a battery pack housing member is provided that includes an interior surface that partially defines the interior region of the battery pack and that includes a plurality of cell mounting wells and an exterior surface that includes a plurality of bonding wells. Adhesive introduced into the bonding wells forms a mechanical bond between an exterior surface of a cell introduced into an adjacent cell mounting well and the housing member.
US08389134B2

The invention relates to a body which is coated with hard material and has a plurality of layers applied by means of CVD, in which an Al2O3 layer is arranged as outer layer on a Ti1-xAlxN layer and/or Ti1-xAlxC layer and/or Ti1-xAlxCN layer.
US08389128B2

A high tensile-strength galvanized steel sheet includes C: at least 0.05% but less than 0.12%, Si: at least 0.01% but less than 0.35%, Mn: 2.0% to 3.5%, P: 0.001% to 0.020%, S: 0.0001% to 0.0030%, Al: 0.005% to 0.1%, N: 0.0001% to 0.0060%, Cr: more than 0.5% but not more than 2.0%, Mo: 0.01% to 0.50%, Ti: 0.010% to 0.080%, Nb: 0.010% to 0.080%, and B: 0.0001% to 0.0030%, the remainder being Fe and unavoidable impurities, wherein the high tensile-strength galvanized steel sheet has a microstructure that contains 20% to 70% by volume ferrite having an average grain size of 5 μm or less. The high tensile-strength galvanized steel sheet has a tensile strength of at least 980 MPa, and excellent formability and weldability.
US08389119B2

A thermal interface material includes a mechanically compliant vertically aligned nanofiber film and a binder material for joining the nanofibers of the film to the surfaces of two substrates. Preferably, the binder material comprises a non-hydrocarbon-based material such as a metallic eutectic with a melting temperature below a nanofiber thermal damage threshold temperature of the film. The film is grown on a substrate which is then bonded to another substrate by the binder material in an adhesion process that may include pressure and heat. Alternatively, the film may be released from the substrate to produce a stand-alone thermal tape which may later be placed between two substrates and bonded.
US08389116B2

Problem to be SolvedTo provide a photosensitive resin composition which has good processability even in a relatively low temperature condition near room temperature and exhibits good efficiency in removing debris generated while shaping a printing plate by laser engraving.SolutionA photosensitive resin composition, characterized by comprising: (a) 100 parts by mass of a resin having a number average molecular weight of 1,000 or more; and (b) 0.1 to 10 parts by mass of ultrafine particles having a number average particle diameter of primary particles of 5 nm or more and 100 nm or less; wherein the photosensitive resin composition has a viscosity at 20° C. of 50 Pa·s or more and 10,000 Pa·s or less; and a precursor composition, which is obtained by excluding the component (b) from the photosensitive resin composition, has a viscosity at 20° C. of 5 Pa·s or more and 500 Pa·s or less.
US08389114B2

Disclosed is a process for modification of a substrate so as to form an ultrahydrophobic surface on the substrate. Also disclosed are surface-modified substrates that can be formed according to the disclosed processes. The process includes attachment of a multitude of nano- and/or submicron-sized structures to a surface to provide increased surface roughness. In addition, the process includes grafting a hydrophobic material to the surface in order to decrease the surface energy and decrease wettability of the surface. The combination of increase surface roughness and decreased surface energy can provide an ultrahydrophobic surface on the treated substrate.
US08389112B2

A method for producing a panel made of a composite material of substantially three layers including a first cover layer and a second cover layer, at least one of which cover layers is made of glass, and an intermediate layer of a synthetic resin, into which a decorative material which differs from the synthetic resin has been embedded. The method comprises the steps of providing a mesh having an upper side covered with discrete particles, adhering the underside of the mesh to a surface of the first cover layer, applying a liquid synthetic resin to the discrete particles and the mesh, applying the second cover layer on the liquid synthetic resin while the edges are sealed, and curing the liquid synthetic resin.
US08389110B2

Provided is a composition for preparing plant fiber composite has, by weight based on the whole composition: a plant fiber raw material in an amount ranging from 60% to 80%; a starch auxiliary in an amount ranging from 10% to 30%; and a biological polymer additive in amount ranging from 10% to 20%, wherein the biological polymer additive includes a plant hormone, an enzyme, a vinegar and an ester of lactic acid. Plant fiber composite prepared from the composition is also provided. The plant fiber composite is derived from recycled material for extrusion and modeling, as a non-toxic and harmless raw material with high utilizing rate of recycled material and substitutes for plastic materials. The plant fiber composite is applied to food container, packing materials for electronic device and agricultural products, seedling trays, or substitutes for timber in the field of building, decoration and furniture.
US08389105B2

A molded fibrous structure comprising a continuous molded element. The continuous molded element may be one-dimensional. A method for making a molded fibrous structure comprising a continuous molded element. A substrate for use as a wipe made from a molded fibrous structure.
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