US08503186B2
System-in packages, or multichip modules, are described which can include multi-layer chips and multi-layer dummy substrates over a carrier, multiple through vias blindly or completely through the multi-layer chips and completely through the multi-layer dummy substrates, multiple metal plugs in the through vias, and multiple metal interconnects, connected to the metal plugs, between the multi-layer chips. The multi-layer chips can be connected to each other or to an external circuit or structure, such as mother board, ball grid array (BGA) substrate, printed circuit board, metal substrate, glass substrate, or ceramic substrate, through the metal plugs and the metal interconnects.
US08503185B2
A bookmark memory stick includes a PC board, a flat, elongated insulative holder shell having a recessed accommodation portion accommodating the PC board and a retaining hole disposed near the top end thereof, a metal cover shell surrounding the insulative holder shell and a clip, which has a transverse locating base fitted into a locating notch at the top end of the insulative holder shell, a double-bevelled clamping plate obliquely downwardly extended from the front side of the transverse locating base toward the inside of the metal cover shell and stopped against a inverted T-plate of the insulative holder shell and then curved obliquely outwardly for clamping a sheet member on the inverted T-plate, a back plate extended from the back side of the transverse locating base and inserted into the inner top side of the metal cover shell, and a hook plate obliquely extended from the back plate and engaged into the retaining hole of the insulative holder shell.
US08503184B2
Provided in some embodiment is a module locking device including a first member coupled to a computer chassis during use, a second member coupled to the first member via a hinge. The hinge enables the second member to move between a first position that inhibits removal of one or more modules from the computer chassis during use and a second position that facilitates removal of one or more modules from the computer chassis during use. The module locking device also includes a locking mechanism that selectively locks the second member in the first position to inhibit removal of one or more modules from the computer chassis during use.
US08503182B2
A desk-top storage solution for portable computing devices is formed as a storage tray. The storage tray has pockets sized to cradle individual portable computing devices. Each pocket includes a wire management system to enable an electrical connector to be provided within the pocket and secured relative to the pocket to enable the portable computing device to be quickly electrically connected to the storage tray. A USB hub is provided within the storage tray which interconnects with the electrical connectors and enables the portable computing devices to be charged while stored in the storage tray and also synchronized with an external computer while contained within the storage tray. The storage tray has a lid that is connected to the base by position control friction hinges which regulate the motion of the lid relative to the base during ascent/descent while the lid is moved between open and closed positions.
US08503178B2
A heat exchange device includes a housing, an internal circulating fan, an external circulating fan and a heat exchange unit. The internal and external circulating fans and the heat exchange unit are disposed in the housing. The internal and external circulating fans are disposed at the same side relative to the heat exchange unit. A closed-type electronic apparatus including the heat exchange device is also disclosed.
US08503168B2
An image forming apparatus includes a first right frame, a first left frame facing the first right frame, a second right frame positioned below the first right frame, a second left frame facing the second right frame and positioned below the second right frame. The image forming apparatus further includes an image forming unit positioned between the first right frame and the first left frame. The image forming apparatus still further includes a frame connecting unit configured to connect the first right frame, the first left frame, the second right frame and the second left frame. The first right frame and the second right frame are relatively slidable in an up-down direction, and the first left frame and the second left frame are relatively slidable in the up-down direction.
US08503167B2
The invention aims at providing a solid electrolytic capacitor having a high capacitance and a small equivalent series resistance (ESR) and a method for manufacturing the same. A solid electrolytic capacitor includes: an anode 1 made of a valve metal or an alloy thereof; a dielectric layer 2 provided on the surface of the anode 1; a first coupling agent layer 3 made of a coupling agent having a molecular structure in which at least two phosphonic acid groups are bonded via an alkyl group, the first coupling agent layer 3 being provided on the dielectric layer; a first conductive polymer layer 4 provided on the first coupling agent layer 3; and a cathode layer 11 provided on or above the first conductive polymer layer 4.
US08503165B2
A capacitor with an anode, a dielectric on the anode and a cathode on the dielectric. A blocking layer is on the cathode. A metal filled layer is on said blocking layer and a plated layer is on the metal filled layer.
US08503162B2
An electrode material is created by forming a thin conformal coating of metal oxide on a highly porous carbon meta-structure. The highly porous carbon meta-structure performs a role in the synthesis of the oxide coating and in providing a three-dimensional, electronically conductive substrate supporting the thin coating of metal oxide. The metal oxide includes one or more metal oxides. The electrode material, a process for producing said electrode material, an electrochemical capacitor and an electrochemical secondary (rechargeable) battery using said electrode material is disclosed.
US08503160B2
In a laminate type ceramic electronic component, when an external electrode is formed directly by plating onto a surface of a component main body, the plating film that is to serve as the external electrode may have a low fixing strength with respect to the component main body. In order to prevent this problem, an external electrode includes a first plating layer composed of a Ni—B plating film and is first formed such that a plating deposition deposited with the exposed ends of respective internal electrodes as starting points is grown on at least an end surface of a component main body. Then, a second plating layer composed of a Ni plating film containing substantially no B is formed on the first plating layer. Preferably, the B content of the Ni—B plating film constituting the first plating layer is about 0.1 wt % to about 6 wt %.
US08503144B2
A control circuit with protection circuit for power supply according to the present invention comprises a peak-detection circuit and a protection circuit. The peak-detection circuit detects an AC input voltage and generates a peak-detection signal. The protection circuit generates a reset signal to reduce the output of the power supply in response to the peak-detection signal. The present invention can protect the power supply in response to the AC input voltage effectively through the peak-detection circuit.
US08503143B2
Provided is a battery state monitoring circuit which detects that a voltage of a secondary battery has decreased abruptly because of an overcurrent, thereby being capable of protecting a battery device from an abrupt decrease in voltage of the secondary battery caused by the overcurrent. The battery state monitoring circuit includes a voltage comparator circuit and a power supply voltage detection circuit for detecting an abrupt decrease in power supply voltage, in which the voltage comparator circuit detects a normal overcurrent while the power supply voltage detection circuit detects the abrupt decrease in power supply voltage caused by load short-circuit.
US08503142B2
A method is disclosed for selectively triggering circuit breakers in the event of a short circuit, wherein an upstream circuit breaker and at least one downstream circuit breaker on the output side are provided. In at least one embodiment, the upstream circuit breaker monitors as to whether the or one of the downstream circuit breakers is already in the process of opening the switch contacts thereof to interrupt the circuit on the output side, while forming a switch arc. In order to reliably determine whether a downstream circuit breaker is already in the process of opening, according to at least one embodiment of the invention the upstream circuit breaker, so as to detect a switch arc on the output side, checks whether the ohmic resistance of the short circuit loop produced by a short circuit has an exponential curve over time in that an exponent is continually computed and based on the computer exponent the switch arc is determined if the computed exponent exceeds a threshold.
US08503140B2
Bi-directional back-to-back stacked SCRs for high-voltage pin ESD protection, methods of manufacture and design structures are provided. The device includes a symmetrical bi-directional back-to-back stacked silicon controlled rectifier (SCR). An anode of a first of the back-to-back stacked SCR is connected to an input. An anode of a second of the back-to-back stacked SCR is connected to ground. Cathodes of the first and second of the back-to-back stacked SCR are connected together. Each of the symmetrical bi-directional back-to-back SCRs include a pair of diodes directing current towards the cathodes which, upon application of a voltage, become reverse biased effectively and deactivating elements from one of the symmetrical bi-directional back-to-back SCRs while the diodes of another of the symmetrical bi-directional back-to-back SCRs direct current in the same direction as the reverse biased diodes.
US08503133B2
A flexure with conductors is provided with a flexure tail portion. The flexure tail portion includes a metal base, an electrically insulating layer, and a conductive member. The metal base is formed with a plurality of apertures. A damper is attached to the flexure tail portion. The damper includes a viscoelastic member and a metallic constrained plate. The viscoelastic member has first and second surfaces. The first surface of the viscoelastic member is secured to the flexure tail portion. The constrained plate is secured to the second surface of the viscoelastic member. The constrained plate extends longitudinally relative to the metal base along the conductive member. The conductive member and the constrained plate face each other with the viscoelastic member therebetween.
US08503127B2
A control circuit to provide a control current to control an amplitude of a write current in a magnetic media drive. The control circuit has an output circuit for providing the control current with an amplitude dependent on a bias voltage. A bias current path provides the bias voltage to the output circuit, and a current diverting circuit is connected to divert current from the bias current path. A programmable ramp voltage generator operates in response to a degauss enable signal, and a voltage-to-current converter receives the programmable ramp voltage to control the current diverting circuit to divert current from the bias current path at a rate determined by the programmable ramp voltage. The bias voltage and the write current decay according to the programmable ramp voltage. The write current decay can be made linear and independent of a beginning write current amplitude.
US08503108B2
A photographing optical lens assembly includes, in order from an object side to an image side: a first lens element with positive refractive power having a convex object-side surface, a second lens element with negative refractive power, a third lens element with positive refractive power having a concave object-side surface and a convex image-side surface, and a fourth lens element with negative refractive power having a concave object-side surface.
US08503107B2
An optical lens system for taking image comprises, in order from the object side to the image side: a first lens element with positive refractive power having a convex object-side surface; a second lens element with negative refractive power having a concave image-side surface and an object-side surface cemented to an image-side surface of the first lens element; a third lens element with negative refractive power; a fourth lens element with positive refractive power having a concave image-side surface and at least one inflection point; and an aperture stop located between an object to be photographed and the third lens element. In the optical lens system for taking image, the number of the lens elements with refractive power being limited to four. A focal length of the optical lens system for taking image is f, a focal length of the first lens element is f1, they satisfy the relation: 0.8
US08503105B2
A zooming adjustment mechanism including a holder, a zoom ring, at least two rollers, a first resilient sheet, and a second resilient sheet is provided. The zoom ring is confined to the holder and coupled to a zoom bar. The rollers are respectively confined to a groove of the holder and in contact with a bottom surface of the zoom ring. The first resilient sheet is disposed on a first side of the holder, and each end of the first resilient sheet leans against a roller. The second resilient sheet is disposed on a second side of the holder, and each end of the second resilient sheet leans against a roller. A projection lens module including the zooming adjustment mechanism is also provided.
US08503095B2
A zoom lens system comprises, from an object side to an image side: a first lens unit; a second lens unit; a third lens unit; a fourth lens unit; and a fifth lens unit having positive refractive power, wherein: in zooming from a wide angle end to a telephoto end, the first, the second, the third, and the fourth lens units move so that an interval between the first and the second lens units is larger at the telephoto end than that at the wide angle end, an interval between the second and the third lens units is smaller at the telephoto end than that at the wide angle end, and a distance between the third and the fourth lens units varies; and a focal length of the first lens unit, and focal lengths of an entire system at the wide angle end and the telephoto end are appropriately set.
US08503083B2
A lens sheet for both a microlens and a lenticular lens includes a first lenticular lens layer having semicircular convex lenses which are arranged in parallel; a refraction control adhesive layer formed under the first lenticular lens layer; a second lenticular lens layer formed under the refraction control adhesive layer and having semicircular convex lenses which are arranged in parallel; a focal distance layer formed under the second lenticular lens layer; and a three-dimensional layer formed under the focal distance layer, wherein an extension direction of the semicircular convex lenses arranged in the first lenticular lens layer and an extension direction of the semicircular convex lenses arranged in the second lenticular lens layer are crossed with each other.
US08503081B2
A hard-coated antiglare film that has superior antiglare properties, allow high definition to be provided even in the case of a low haze value, can prevent white blur in an oblique direction from occurring and, and can improve the depth of black in black display, as well as a polarizing plate, and the like. The hard-coated antiglare film includes a transparent plastic film substrate and a hard-coating antiglare layer containing fine particles, which is on at least one surface of the transparent plastic film substrate. The hard-coated antiglare film has a total haze value Ht in the range of 10% to 35%. The total haze value Ht and an internal haze value Hin satisfy a relationship of 0.5≦Hin/Ht≦0.9. The surface of the hard-coating antiglare layer has an uneven shape and an arithmetic average surface roughness Ra in the range of 0.1 to 0.3 μm.
US08503067B2
A display device includes a substrate that is provided on a display face side, an opposed substrate that is provided opposing the substrate, a display layer that is provided between the substrate and the opposed substrate and is filled with a dispersion liquid in which white particles and black particles are dispersed in a dispersion medium, and a particle constrained layer that is provided in the display layer to allow the particles to move in a thickness direction of the display layer and to prevent the particles from moving in an in-plane direction of the display layer. A void ratio of the particle constrained layer of the substrate side is higher than that of the opposed substrate side.
US08503059B2
The presently disclosed subject matter can include or consist of the creation and manufacture of electrochromic thin film transistors, either self-sustaining or not, with lateral or vertical structure, deposited on any kind of functionalized substrate, referred to as electrochromic substrate, or non-functionalized substrate. The electrolyte material and the presence or not of an ultra-thin membrane can act as dielectric element. The electrochromic material can act as active semiconductor of the channel region. The gate, source and drain electrodes can be based on metal materials, such as Titanium, Gold, Aluminum, or degenerate semiconductive oxides, like Indium and Zinc oxide, Gallium-doped Zinc oxide. The device operation control process can be made by means of electronic and ionic current, and the off-state to on-state switch, or vice-versa, can be followed by a change of color of the device.
US08503050B2
An optical filter is provided on photoelectric conversion elements for monochrome reading. Each of a reflecting optical system and the optical filter has an end portion and a central portion in a predetermined direction. The optical filter suppresses light at a peak wavelength of a light source such that a difference between a sensitivity of optical path via the end portion of the reflecting optical system and the optical filter and a sensitivity of optical path via the central portion of the reflecting optical system and the optical filter fall within a range of 5% at the peak wavelength of light source.
US08503046B2
The present invention relates to a scanning device and a method for scanning. The scanning device comprises a first frame (4) supporting a first deflector (6), and a second frame (8) supporting a second deflector (10). The first frame is arranged for rotation around a first axis (12), and the second frame is arranged for rotation around a second axis (14). The first frame is rotatably connected to a base (38) for rotation around the first axis and the second frame is arranged for rotation around the first axis. The method for scanning comprises rotating the first frame around the first axis according to a first selected value, and rotating the second frame around the second axis according to a second selected value.
US08503043B2
An image processing apparatus comprises: an image reading portion which has a box-shaped first housing with a reading surface, and a scanning device displaceable along the reading surface in the first housing, and reads a first image on a document by relatively displacing the document and scanning device; and an image recording portion which includes a recording medium supply device accommodating a recording medium, a feeding mechanism feeding the recording medium fed out of the supply device, a recording device recording a second image on the recording medium, and a second housing incorporating at least the feeding mechanism and recording device. The apparatus is placed on a rest surface in a substantially upright position, and the reading portion is changeable in position between an upright position in which the reading surface is opposed to the recording portion, and a horizontal position in which the reading surface faces upward.
US08503037B2
What is disclosed is a novel method for reducing errors in IOP registration of a digital document system. In one embodiment, a number of digital pages (10, for example) are received in the image path. For each of a process and lateral direction of a first side of each digital image, a total amount of IOP registration error to be corrected is determined. A portion of the total IOP registration error is estimated that is separable error. Each of the estimated separable errors are subtracted from the total IOP registration error to obtain an amount of non-separable error in each respective direction. The non-separable error values are averaged to obtain an error value for each direction per-side. The error values are compensated for in their respective directions per-side by adjustments to the device in an amount which is equal in magnitude and in an opposite direction to the error.
US08503035B2
An image forming apparatus comprises an image data generating unit configured to convert a tone of an input value which indicates a density of a pixel by using a predetermined dither matrix and generate image data. The image forming apparatus further comprises a drive source and a gear configured to transmit a drive force from the drive source to an image carrier. The dither matrix includes a plurality of sub-matrixes arranged in a predetermined rule and a dot in each of the plurality of the sub-matrixes grows from a corresponding original point. The image forming apparatus satisfies a relation of (1) a≧0.08 mm and b/a<0.80, or (2) a<0.08 mm and b/a>1.27, where “a” is a travel distance of a printing medium per tooth of the gear in a secondary scanning direction orthogonal to the primary scanning direction, and “b” is a distance between the corresponding original points of a pair of the dots formed on the printing medium apart from each other in the secondary scanning direction on the basis of a pair of the sub-matrixes adjacent to each other in the primary scanning direction in the dither matrix.
US08503029B2
A print control terminal including a user interface to receive a setting of a print command and print options of a document, a screen selection unit to select a halftone screen to be applied to the document, a transparency multiple number selection unit to select a transparency multiple number to correspond to the selected halftone screen, a print data generation unit to generate print data of the document according to the selected transparency multiple number, and a communication interface to transmit the generated print data and the print options to the image forming apparatus. A transparency multiple number is changed according to the characteristics of a halftone screen to improve quality of an output image.
US08503027B2
A method for registering color measured values on printing materials with a color sensor includes registering the color measured values on the printing materials at different angles of observation of the color sensor. The angular dependence of the color measured values registered on the printing materials at different angles of observation is corrected in a computer.
US08503017B2
When attribute information for a user has been acquired by authentication using an authentication apparatus, a restriction on a useable function is imposed according to the attribute information. When a fee has been collected by a fee collection apparatus, a restriction is imposed on preset functions. In either of these cases, use of the image forming apparatus by another user is prohibited until use by the first user in the useable state is finished.
US08503015B2
A method and system for managing print jobs in a printing system, including assigning one or more printing resources including at least one printer to a print value stream, the print value stream capable of printing one or more parts from one or more print products, maintaining a prioritized queue of print jobs to be processed by the print value stream, dynamically updating a cadence rate that indicates the maximum number of print units to be printed by the print value stream during a specified period of time, and providing the print jobs from the prioritized queue in priority order to the print value stream at a rate so as not to exceed the cadence rate. The approach is related in principle to Takt Time or Taktzeit.
US08503013B2
There is provided an image forming apparatus which adopts a distributed control system and suppresses generation of radiation noise without increasing the cost. To accomplish this, the image forming apparatus includes a master control unit that controls the overall image forming apparatus, a plurality of sub-master control units that control a plurality of functions for performing image formation, and a plurality of salve control units that control loads for implementing a plurality of functions. The image forming apparatus performs distributed control. The image forming apparatus determines the operating frequencies of the salve control units in accordance with loads controlled by the salve control units. The image forming apparatus compares the operating frequencies of the slave control units. Based on the comparison result, the image forming apparatus changes the operating frequency of a slave control unit that is equal to the operating frequency of another slave control unit.
US08503009B2
An image forming system includes: a print controller which generates image data based on a print job; and an image forming apparatus which controls the print controller and performs a printing operation based on the image data, wherein the image forming apparatus includes: a first interface section which connects with a first line for receiving the image data from the print controller; a second interface which connects with a second line with which a client can connect, the second line for communicating with the print controller; and a control section which executes a first control which, through the first line, executes an initial setting which enables the print controller to be used through the second line, and a second control which executes of the print controller after the initial setting is executed through the second line.
US08502995B2
A printing method which dynamically loads a filter, a recordable medium with a program to execute the printing method, and a host apparatus. The printing method uses filter setting information having at least one filter corresponding to a print option of a print document, the printing method can include selecting a print option, changing the filter setting information corresponding to the print option, and applying the printing option according to the changed filter setting information and transmitting print data.
US08502994B2
A method of controlling a printing job of an image forming apparatus having an image forming unit. The method of controlling a printing job includes transforming scanned data into printable data, and determining a time to start driving the image forming unit according to the type of data scanned, starting driving the image forming unit at the determined start time, and printing the scanned data transformed into printable data. The time required to perform a printing job is thereby reduced, and scanned data can be output normally.
US08502988B2
According to one embodiment, a pattern inspection apparatus includes a light source, a beam splitter, a first optical system, a second optical system, a controller, a phase controller and a detector. The beam splitter splits an emitted light into first and second optical paths. The first optical system delivers the light to a first pattern and delivers a first reflected light from the first pattern. The second optical system delivers the light to a second pattern and delivers a second reflected light from the second pattern. The controller is provided on the optical path, and intensities of the first and second reflected lights are substantially equal. The phase controller is provided on the optical path, and phases of the first and second reflected lights are inverted. In addition, the detector detects a light that the first and second reflected lights are made to interfere with each other.
US08502986B2
A lightwave interference measurement apparatus includes a wavelength-variable laser which periodically performs wavelength scanning between first and second reference wavelengths to emit light beam, a wavelength-fixed laser which emits light beam having a third reference wavelength, a light beam splitting element which splits the light beams into reference light beam and light beam under test, a phase detector which detects a phase based on an interference signal of the reference light beam and the light beam under test, and an analyzer which sequentially determines an interference order of the third reference wavelength based on the third reference wavelength, first and second synthetic wavelengths, an integer component of a phase change amount in the wavelength scanning, and interference orders of the first and second synthetic wavelengths, and calculates an absolute distance between the surface under test and the reference surface.
US08502985B2
A microfluidic system includes a chip with a microfluidic channel opening onto a chip inlet and a chip outlet. The channel has a sensing area and fluid delivery area. A fluidic adaptor channel opening onto an adaptor inlet and an adaptor outlet can receive a pipette tip through the adaptor inlet wherein receipt of the pipette tip into the adaptor channel creates a direct fluid path between the pipette tip and the channel and wherein the microfluidic system is configured for sensing in the sensing area by interferometry.
US08502982B2
A flow cell for use in an arrayed imaging reflectometry detection system is described herein. The flow cell includes: first and second members that are secured together to define a substantially fluid-tight chamber having an inlet and an outlet, at least the second member being light transmissive; and a chip having a substrate, one or more coating layers on the substrate, and one or more probe molecules tethered to the outermost coating layer, the chip being positioned with the outermost coating layer and the one or more probe molecules thereon exposed to fluid in the chamber and facing the second member, whereby light passing through the second member is reflected by the chip.
US08502974B2
An apparatus for placement on or in a body of water for hyperspectral imaging of material in the water comprises an artificial light source and a hyperspectral imager. These are arranged so that in use light exits the apparatus beneath the surface of the water and is reflected by said material before re-entering the apparatus beneath the surface of the water and entering the hyperspectral imager. The hyperspectral imager is adapted to produce hyperspectral image data having at least two spatial dimensions.
US08502971B2
A method for detecting single molecule includes providing a carrier. The carrier includes a substrate and a metal layer. The substrate has a surface and defines a number of blind holes caved in the substrate from the surface thereof. The metal layer covers the surface of the substrate and inner surfaces of the number of blind holes. Single molecule samples are disposed on the metal layer. The single molecule samples are detected by a Raman Spectroscopy system.
US08502970B2
In order to simply produce a microstructured body in which metal particles are arranged so as to be fixed to depressions of a metal substrate having at a surface a structure of protrusions and the depressions, a process for producing the microstructured body includes the steps of: (A) preparing a metal substrate 11 with a surface having a structure of protrusions and depressions; (B) forming a metal film 21 on the surface of the metal substrate 11, where the metal film 21 contains as the main component a metal different from the constituent metal of the metal substrate 11; and (C) annealing the metal film so that the constituent metal of the metal film is coagulated into particles.
US08502968B2
A surface scanning device for inspecting a product surface includes an illumination module and an image acquisition device. The illumination module is designed to illuminate the product surface with illumination of substantially uniform illuminance. The illumination module is also designed to configure a configurable range of angles of incidence of the illumination on the product surface. The image acquisition device images the illuminated area.
US08502966B2
The present invention provides an apparatus and method which enable detecting a microscopic defect sensitively by efficiently collecting and detecting scattering light from a defect in a wider region without enlarging the apparatus. In the apparatus for inspecting a defect on a surface of a sample, including illumination means which irradiates a surface of a sample with laser, reflected light detection means which detects reflected light from the sample, and signal processing means which processes a detected signal and detecting a defect on the sample, the reflected light detection means is configured to include a scattering light detection unit which collects scattering light components of the reflected light from the sample by excluding specularly reflected light components by using an aspheric flannel lens and detecting the scattering light components.
US08502962B2
A storage medium includes a program which causes a computer to execute a method of calculating a light intensity distribution on a pupil plane of an illumination optical system. The method includes: determining an impulse response function of a projection optical system by performing Fourier transform on a pupil function of the projection optical system; setting a length to a second zero point of the impulse response function as a response length, extracting, from elements forming a target pattern, only elements inside am area within radius which is response length, and determining a function indicating the extracted pattern as an image function; and obtaining the light intensity distribution based on the pupil function, the determined impulse response function, and the determined image function.
US08502960B2
A lithographic apparatus includes a heat transfer assembly configured to temperature control at least a portion of the lithographic apparatus. The heat transfer assembly includes a printed circuit board, and a plurality of heat transfer elements. The printed circuit board and the plurality of heat transfer elements are configured to be attached to the portion of the lithographic apparatus. The plurality of heat transfer elements are separate from and are electrically coupled to the printed circuit board.
US08502956B2
An exposure apparatus comprises: a loading stage for supporting a substrate; a mask plate parallel to the loading stage and above the loading stage, the mask plate including a light transmitting region and a light absorbing region on its lower surface, a light reflecting region being provided in the light absorbing region; a lens device provided between the mask plate and the loading stage; a first illumination light source, light from which vertically striking on the upper surface of the mask plate from above, passing through the mask plate and striking on the loading stage via the lens device; a light reflecting device provided in the lens device; and a second illumination light source, light from which being reflected onto the lower surface of the mask plate by the light reflecting device located in the lens device, the light being reflected by the light reflecting region on the lower surface of the mask plate and striking on the loading stage via the lens device.
US08502947B2
In one embodiment, a liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate and a second substrate. The first substrate includes a switching element, a first electrode, a second electrode electrically connected with the switching element and facing the first electrode. In the second electrode, a plurality of slits in a V shape is formed along a first direction. The first and second substrates include first and second alignment films, respectively. The slit in the V shape includes a central portion, a first end connected with one end of the first central portion, a second end connected with the other end of the first central portion, a second central portion, a third end connected with one end of the second central portion, and a fourth end connected with the other end of the second central portion. The first end and the third end are connected each other.
US08502945B2
An array substrate of a fringe field switching (FFS) mode liquid crystal display (LCD) panel and manufacturing method thereof are provided. The gate electrodes and the common electrode of the FFS mode LCD panel are formed on the array substrate by the same photolithographic process, and the common electrode, the gate lines and the gate electrodes are disposed on the same layer.
US08502943B2
A new type of liquid crystal display (LCD) device with improved high transmittance and wide-view-angle characteristics while without gray-level inversion at an inclined viewing angle is provided. The LCD device includes a first substrate with common electrodes, a second substrate with at least one pixel unit, a liquid crystal (LC) layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, a first polarizer, and a second polarizer. The pixel unit has a pixel electrode, which is formed by at least one dense electrode area and at least one sparse electrode area. The LC molecules of the LC layer form a continuous-domain alignment after being driven by a voltage.
US08502939B2
There is provided an optical sheet for use as a display device surface, which has a functional layer on at least one side of a base material and has a diffusion factor on the outer surface and/or interior of the functional layer, wherein the relationship represented by the following formula (I) is satisfied. 0.16
US08502934B2
A light source unit includes a substrate, a plurality of light emitting elements mounted on the substrate, a first inner wiring portion formed on the substrate and connected to the plurality of light emitting elements, and a second inner wiring portion formed on the substrate insulated from the first inner wiring portion. Two such light source units may be included in a backlight unit having a plurality of light emitting elements. A receiving member accommodates the first light source unit and the second light source unit, and a length of wires arranged along inside edges of the receiving member is reduced.
US08502932B2
An LCD device is disclosed. The LCD device includes: a gate line and a gate electrode formed on a substrate; a common line formed in the same layer as the gate line; a gate insulation film entirely formed on the substrate with the gate line; a data line formed on the gate insulation film opposite to the common line and configured to cross with the gate line and to define a pixel region; a source electrode formed to protrude from the data line; a drain electrode separated by a first distance from the source electrode; a passivation film entirely formed on the substrate with the data line; and a pixel electrode formed on the passivation film and connected to the drain electrode. The common line includes first and second common lines separated by a second distance from each other, and a third common line formed within the second distance between the first and second common lines and used as a repair pattern during a repairing process.
US08502920B2
Various embodiments are described herein for a universal television receiver that is capable of processing television channel signals, that are transmitted according to a variety of broadcast standards, to provide video and audio information for a desired television channel signal. The processing includes producing a coarse channel signal that includes a desired television channel signal and then applying resampling techniques to adjust a normalized bandwidth of the desired television channel signal to generally correspond to the normalized passband of a main filter that is used for each of the broadcast standards.
US08502917B2
The present invention is arranged such that interlace image data, which has been supplied, is converted to progressive image data in an I/P conversion section, and the image data converted to progressive style in the I/P conversion section is subjected to image processing including data comparison in spatial or time series manner, in an image processing section.
US08502915B2
An imaging device according to the present invention comprises a lens unit having a frame to which a lens is attached, an image sensor which ray of light that has passed the lens should enter, and a board member fixed to the frame of the lens unit, the board member being provided with an aperture for accommodating the image sensor, and the image sensor being adhered and fixed to the board member. Here, a protrusion which extends along an edge of the aperture is formed on a lens-side surface or a rear surface of the board member in at least a part of an area surrounding the aperture, and an adhesive is filled between the protrusion and the image sensor to fix the image sensor to the board member.
US08502914B2
A circuit-substrate support structure includes a circuit substrate having electronic components mounted thereon, a first substrate-holding member provided at one side edge of the circuit substrate to hold the circuit substrate, a second substrate-holding member provided at the other side edge of the circuit substrate, opposite the one side edge, to hold the circuit substrate, and an elastic member provided together with the second substrate-holding member to hold the circuit substrate by applying elasticity in a surface direction of the circuit substrate.
US08502913B2
An imaging apparatus includes a histogram shape determination unit that acquires a histogram of luminance values from video captured by an image capturing unit and determines whether or not the captured video is a night scene from the shape of the histogram. The imaging apparatus also includes a point light source determination unit that acquires the maximum value of contrast for each horizontal line in the video as a line evaluation value and determines whether the captured video is a night scene based on whether or not the line evaluation value has a characteristic of an object as a point light source. If the histogram shape determination unit and the point light source determination unit determine that the captured video is a night scene, the imaging apparatus determines that the scene captured by the image capturing unit is a night scene.
US08502908B2
An imaging apparatus capable of assisting such shooting that a designated subject is accommodated in a predetermined reference range without user's continuing gazing at a display screen. Imaging apparatus 100 has: imaging optical system 310 that forms an optical image of a subject; solid-state image sensor 330 that converts the optical image into an electrical signal; video signal processing section 350 that carries out a predetermined processing for the electrical signal and generates image data; tracking processing section 390 that decides whether or not the designated subject is in a predetermined range within a trackable range, using the image data generated in video signal processing section 350; and reporting section 410 that reports a decision result in tracking processing section 390 by means of light.
US08502907B2
Provided is a small-sized five-element image pickup lens which ensures a sufficient lens speed of about F2 and exhibits various aberrations being excellently corrected. The image pickup lens is composed of, in order from the object side, a first lens with a positive refractive power, including a convex surface facing the object side; a second lens with a negative refractive power, including a concave surface facing the image side; a third lens with a positive or negative refractive power; a fourth lens with a positive refractive power, including a convex surface facing the image side; and a fifth lens with a negative refractive power, including a concave surface facing the image side. The image-side surface of the fifth lens has an aspheric shape, and includes an inflection point at a position excluding an intersection point with the optical axis.
US08502902B2
A semiconductor device obtains highly accurate image data regardless of the intensity of incident light. The semiconductor device includes a first photo sensor provided in a pixel, a second photo sensor provided around the pixel, and a controller for setting the drive condition of the first photo sensor in accordance with the intensity of outside light obtained by the second photo sensor. An image is taken after the sensitivity of the first photo sensor is changed in accordance with the drive condition set by the controller. Thus, in the semiconductor device, an image can be taken using the first photo sensor whose sensitivity is optimized in accordance with the intensity of incident light.
US08502901B2
An image capture method is provided for a portable communication device having a display unit, which real-time displays an image at least including an object to be shot. The method includes sensing a moving acceleration of the portable communication device based on a first gravity-sensing threshold value. A touch focus signal is received so that the portable communication device focuses on one of the objects to be the focus-lock object. Then, according to the touch focus signal, the first gravity-sensing threshold value is changed to a second gravity-sensing threshold value, which is larger than the first gravity-sensing threshold value. The image at least including the focus-lock object is captured.
US08502900B2
A circuit board is arranged on an end face of a lens barrel on a lens mount side and installed with an electronic circuit device, a plurality of connection terminals which are arranged in an electrically insulating state in the lens mount and serve to connect the electronic circuit device on the circuit board with an electronic circuit device inside a camera body, and a wiring member is for connecting the plurality of connection terminals with the circuit board, where the wiring member is provided with a ground connection section which is connected to a ground pattern of the circuit board and also electrically connected to a connection terminal that is to be a ground terminal among the plurality of connection terminals, and an extended wiring pattern is for electrically grounding the ground connection section on a metal portion of the lens mount.
US08502886B2
There is provided a solid-state image sensing device including a pixel section in which cells are arrayed, each cell including a photoelectric conversion unit, a reading circuit reading out, to a detection unit, signal charges obtained by the photoelectric conversion unit, an amplifying circuit amplifying and outputting a voltage corresponding to the signal charges, and a reset circuit resetting the signal charges, an exposure time control circuit controlling an exposure time and controlling the exposure time to be equal for all cells, an A/D conversion circuit A/D-converting a signal output from the pixel section by changing a resolution of a signal level, line memories storing an A/D-converted signal, and a signal processing circuit processing output signals from the line memories to have a linear gradient with respect to an optical input signal amount by controlling an amplification factor in accordance with a resolution of a pixel output signal after A/D-conversion.
US08502869B1
Methods and apparatus for monitoring and ranking end caps in a store include video monitoring one or more parameters of end caps, including dwell times, item removal, traffic volume, sales information for each end cap, ranking end caps based on one or more of the monitored parameters to determine for example one or more of end cap efficiency, product desirability, and location desirability.
US08502860B2
An electronic control system, electronic control unit and an associated methodology for adapting three dimensional panoramic views of vehicle surroundings by predicting driver intent are provided. A plurality of cameras mounted on a vehicle generate images of a surrounding area of the vehicle. A visual sensor detects a three dimensional profile of an occupant of the vehicle. An electronic control unit generates a three dimensional panoramic view based on the images generated by the plurality of cameras, determines three dimensional locations and orientations of a plurality of body parts of the occupant of the vehicle based on the three dimensional profile detected by the visual sensor, and adapts the three dimensional panoramic view based on the determined three dimensional locations and orientations. A display unit displays the adapted three dimensional panoramic view.
US08502848B2
A multicolor direct thermal imaging method wherein a multicolor image is formed in a thermal imaging member comprising at least first and second different image-forming compositions and a thermal printer for use in practicing the method. Heat is applied to at least the second image-forming composition while the first image-forming composition is at a first baseline temperature (T1) to form an image in at least the second image-forming composition, and heat is applied to at least the first image-forming composition while it is at a second baseline temperature (T2) to form an image in at least the first image-forming composition, wherein T1 is different from T2.
US08502835B1
A computer-implemented method for virtually placing a virtual object in the real world is provided. A set of virtual objects are maintained in an actions database on a mobile computing device, which each include an action associated with an identifier and coordinates for physical locations. A set of real world object models is maintained in an objects database on the device, which each include a three-dimensional model. A physical location of the device is tracked. An identification tag within range is identified. The device's physical location and the identification tag are respectively evaluated. For each coordinates and identifiers matched, the action associated with the matched virtual object is completed. Where required, the virtual object is evaluated against the real world object models and the virtual object is rendered in light of any such real world object models located within vicinity of the device. The action is performed using the device.
US08502822B2
Profile data collected through sampling is transformed and visually and interactively manipulated and displayed. In one scenario, the profile data is collected through statistical profiling of a program for a video game. The game program profile data is visually and interactively manipulated and displayed to visually present a dynamic behavior of the video game that shows correlation of impacts that the functions of the program have on the video game's performance. This allows the developer to identify inefficient sections of the program for optimization.
US08502814B2
A pixel circuit including a light emitting element, a driving transistor, with a drain terminal thereof connected to a cathode terminal of the light emitting element, that applies a drive current to the light emitting element, a capacitor element connected to a gate terminal of the driving transistor, and a switching transistor connected between a first terminal of the capacitor element on the side of the gate terminal and a data line through which a desired program signal flows, in which the driving transistor is an inorganic oxide thin film transistor whose OFF-operation threshold voltage is a negative voltage, and a source terminal of the driving transistor and a second terminal of the capacitor element are connected to a common power source that supplies a predetermined common voltage.
US08502804B2
Aspects of the invention provide virtual hover zones. When a user lowers a hovering stylus while remaining within a hover zone, cursor control is modified to be more easily controllable by the user. If the user pauses the stylus in mid-air before lowering the stylus, and if the stylus remains within the hover zone, then upon touchdown the cursor may be moved to the projection of the location where the stylus was paused. Any action that may be taken in response to the touch down may be sent to the projection location as well. Also provided are cursor control zones. A dampening zone may be used to provide dampened cursor movement feedback in response to movement input provided by a pointing device. Also, a dead zone may be used to prohibit cursor movement in response to movement input provided by the pointing device.
US08502800B1
An electronic device and method are disclosed that relate to the selection of a control algorithm for optimizing the performance of a device that is controlled by a user initiated touching of the device that creates a capacitive coupling. The device and method entail the use of a motion sensor to gather data related to the movement of the device, a means for analyzing the data to select an optimal control algorithm, and implementing the control algorithm.
US08502793B2
A touch screen display device includes a common electrode, a base substrate disposed opposite to the common electrode, a display signal line formed on the base substrate, a plurality of pixel electrodes, a touch position sensing part formed between the base substrate and the pixel electrodes, the touch position sensing part sensing a change of electrostatic capacitance formed between the common electrode and the touch position sensing part, and a display layer disposed between the common electrode and the pixel electrodes. The display layer includes a plurality of micro capsules comprising positively charged pigment particles and negatively charged pigment particles.
US08502792B2
A touch panel assembly includes a touch-sensitive panel oriented along a plane. An actuator includes a frame having a first portion and a second portion at least partially oriented parallel to the plane. The first portion and the second portion are coupled together with a biasing element. A first magnetic device is coupled to the first portion. A second magnetic device is coupled to the second portion and positioned adjacent to the first magnetic device. The first magnetic device configured to move the first portion in a first direction parallel to the plane when energized by a current to cause a haptic effect to be felt on the touch sensitive panel. The biasing element applies a biasing force which causes the first portion to move in a second direction opposite to the first direction.
US08502787B2
A method and system for differentiating between intended user input and inadvertent or incidental contact with a touchpad is herein disclosed. When a user engages the touchpad, sensors on the touchpad are activated and generate touch sensor signals. Based on the pattern of engaged sensors, a hand pattern can be determined. From the hand pattern, a hand model may be retrieved. The hand model may indicate passive zones and active zones. Contact in the active zones may be considered intentional, while contact in the passive zones may be considered unintended or incidental. Moreover, a global shift may be calculated, and input from the active zones may be compensated for the global shift. The input from the active zones can then be used to control a graphical user interface.
US08502781B2
An input device is disclosed. The input device can provide a control signal to a host system. The input device can include a ball and one or more sensor assemblies configured to sense the position of the ball. The input device can sense movement both in the X-Y motion of the ball, and the spin of the ball. Different control signals may be sent to a host system based upon the X-Y motion and the spin of the ball.
US08502778B2
A dual-mode input device includes a relative coordinate generator disposed in a casing for detecting motion of the casing and for generating relative coordinate information based on detected motion of the casing, and a processing unit. The processing unit includes a coordinate storing module for storing absolute coordinate information, an absolute coordinate generator for generating updated absolute coordinate information based on the relative coordinate information received from the relative coordinate generator and the absolute coordinate information received from the coordinate storing module, and for storing the updated absolute coordinate information in the coordinate storing module, and an output selecting module operable in one of a relative coordinate mode, in which the output selecting module outputs the relative coordinate information, and an absolute coordinate mode, in which the output selecting module outputs the absolute coordinate information.
US08502775B2
A handheld computing device is introduced comprising a motion detection sensor(s) and a motion control agent. The motion detection sensor(s) detect motion of the computing device in one or more of six (6) fields of motion and generate an indication of such motion. The motion control agent, responsive to the indications of motion received from the motion sensors, generate control signals to modify, one or more of the operating state and/or the displayed content of the computing device based, at least in part, on the received indications.
US08502769B2
A universal input device to attach to a target of a user, including a motion detector to detect motion of the target, a contact detector to detect types of contacts with the target, a controller to generate position data corresponding to the motion and control data, including mode setting data to set a mode of the device, corresponding to the types of the contacts, a communicator which transmits the position and the control data to an external host device, and a casing, accommodating the motion detector, the contact detector, the communicator, and the controller, into which the target is inserted.
US08502765B2
A liquid crystal display includes a plurality of pixels, each of which includes a thin film transistor (TFT), a gate line supplying a driving signal to a gate of the TFT of each pixel, a liquid crystal capacitor included in each pixel and connected to one terminal of the TFT in a corresponding pixel, a sub-capacitor line aligned in parallel to the gate line, a sub-capacitor included in each pixel and connected between one terminal of the TFT in a corresponding pixel and the sub-capacitor line, and a driving circuit having at least four voltages, selecting one of the voltages and supplying the selected voltage to the sub-capacitor line to drive the liquid crystal display in a state in which the liquid crystal capacitor is capacitively coupled to the sub-capacitor.
US08502764B2
A gate driving method for a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a gate driver thereof are provided. The LCD has a plurality of scan lines. The method starts by generating a gate driving signal. A correction signal is superposed to the gate driving signal to generate a corrected gate driving signal and to reduce a high voltage level of the gate driving signal, wherein a polarity of the correction signal is opposite to a polarity of the gate driving signal. The corrected gate driving signal is then outputted to drive one of the corresponding scan lines.
US08502738B2
An electronic device includes: a circuit substrate; and an antenna element installed on the circuit substrate, wherein the antenna element is installed at a position apart from an end of the circuit substrate by a given offset so that distribution variation of irradiation characteristics of the antenna element within a horizontal surface is reduced both in cases where the electronic device in which the antenna element is installed is set in portrait orientation and in landscape orientation.
US08502735B1
An antenna system that includes one or more radiator packages on a first side of an antenna substrate and one or more support packages on a second side of the antenna substrate are provided. Embodiments of the present invention include antenna systems incorporating a plurality of radiator packages on a first side of the antenna substrate and a plurality of support packages on the second side of the antenna substrate. The radiator packages generally include a radiator element and an integrated circuit that are incorporated into a common package. The integrated circuit of the radiator package can comprise an amplifier and/or other electronic components. The support packages generally provide one or more additional electronic components. For example, a support package integrated circuit can provide a phase shifter, amplifier, and/or other electronic components. The antenna substrate generally incorporates electrical conductors for operatively interconnecting each radiator package to at least one support package.
US08502733B1
An intelligent backhaul system is disclosed for deployment in the presence of existing radio systems. A backhaul system for co-channel deployment with existing licensed and unlicensed wireless networks, including conventional cellular backhaul radios, Common Carrier Fixed Point-to-Point Microwave Service, Private Operational Fixed Point-to-Point Microwave Service and other FCC 47 C.F.R. §101 licensed microwave networks is disclosed. Processing and network elements to manage and control the deployment and management of backhaul of radios that connect remote edge access networks to core networks in a geographic zone which co-exist with such existing systems or other sources of interference within a radio environment are also disclosed.
US08502732B2
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to a system and method for acquiring signal received from space vehicles (SVs) in a satellite navigation system. In one example, although claimed subject matter is not so limited, information processed in acquiring a signal from a first SV may be used in acquiring a signal from a second SV.
US08502731B2
A system and method of detecting moving targets comprises transmitting electromagnetic waves rays from a plurality of transmitters at sequential; receiving reflected waves into a plurality of receivers after each transmission; the compilation of the reflected waves from the plurality of receivers for each transmission representing a data frame; forming a signal that monitors changes between the two sets of frames; at least one processor operating to process and compare frames; forming a difference image using a back-projection algorithm; scanning the difference image using a constant false alarm rate (CFAR) window; the CFAR window scanning the entire difference image and identifying a list of points of interest and eliminating the sidelobe artifacts present in the difference image thereby creating CFAR images; processing the CFAR images using morphological processing to create a morphological image; determining the number of clusters present in the morphological image; using K-means clustering to indicate the centroid of each cluster; and tracking using a Kalman filter. The system comprises a plurality of M transmitters, a plurality of receivers, and at least one memory, the transmitters operating in sequence to transmit electromagnetic waves rays sequentially; the receivers receiving reflected waves after each transmission; the compilation of the reflected waves from the plurality of receivers for each transmission representing a data frame; at least one processor operating to perform the method.
US08502722B2
An analog-to-digital converting (ADC) apparatus is disclosed. The ADC apparatus includes a coarse comparing module, at least one pre-switching detection module, at least one fine comparing module, and an encoder. The coarse comparing module compares an input signal and a plurality of first reference signals to generate a previous comparing result and a coarse comparing result in sequence. The pre-switching detection module generates a plurality of previous selecting signals according to the received previous comparing result. The encoder generates a previous encoding result according to the coarse comparing result. The fine comparing module selects a selected reference signal to be compared with the input signal from a plurality of second reference signals according to the previous selecting signals and the previous encoding result, so as to generate a fine comparing result.
US08502707B2
Systems and methods for providing fast and efficient data compression using a combination of content independent data compression and content dependent data compression. In one aspect, a method for compressing data comprises the steps of: analyzing a data block of an input data stream to identify a data type of the data block, the input data stream comprising a plurality of disparate data types; performing content dependent data compression on the data block, if the data type of the data block is identified; performing content independent data compression on the data block, if the data type of the data block is not identified.
US08502704B2
The embodiments of the invention disclose a method, apparatus, and system for communicating via a user gesture with a mobile device having applications. The gesture acts like a user interface to a menu of applications that can be accessed while the user is in motion including while running, walking, riding, etc. In one embodiment, the method comprises determining a first multi-dimensional information for measuring motion of a first mobile device. The method further comprises receiving, by the first mobile device, a second multi-dimensional information for measuring motion of a second mobile device, the first and the second mobile devices being in motion relative to one another. The first and the second multi-dimensional information is used for filtering gesture motion from an underlying motion of the second mobile device to isolate the gesture motion from the underlying motion. The isolated filtered gesture motion is stabilized. In one embodiment, the method further comprises directing an action of the first mobile device in response to the isolated gesture motion.
US08502697B2
A method and system for a mid-block traffic detection and traffic signal control system is provided herein that is suited to monitoring heavy commercial vehicles such as trucks is provided. The method comprises detecting a vehicle and determining at least one pre-determined parameter of the vehicle. A traffic condition is evaluated based on the at least one pre-determined parameter. In response to the evaluation of the traffic condition, a traffic signal is controlled.
US08502694B2
Disclosed are communication devices and methods of communication devices including generic indicators and a user interface to configure the generic indicators so that a user can privately determine, in real-time, from whom a communication signal has been received and the type of communication signal received. A user may select contacts having communication addresses stored in a memory, particular types of communication signals and correlate them to generic indicators. When communication signals are received by the device that correspond to a selected communication address and a particular type of communication signal an announcement can be made by configured generic indicators. Once configured, when the device is in an indicator state, a device's ringer and/or vibrator may be disabled, particularly where such disturbances are unacceptable and a user nevertheless may be able to determine, according to the configured generic indicators from which contact a particular type of communication has been received.
US08502684B2
Sensors and systems for detecting predetermined environmental conditions or changes may include a device capable of providing information. The device may include either a shield or reconfigurable antenna. For example, in a first condition, a shield is configured to prevent communications with the device and, in a second condition, the shield is configured to enable communications with the device. Alternately, in a first condition, a reconfigurable antenna is configured to enable communications with the device and in a second condition the reconfigurable antenna is configured to prevent communications with the device. The shield or reconfigurable antenna may be configured to transition from first conditions to second conditions upon exposure to a predetermined environmental condition or change.
US08502682B2
A monitoring apparatus is disclosed which includes a receiver unit for receiving data and outputting a first alert signal based on the received data; and a docking unit comprising a converter unit which converts the first alert signal when the receiver unit is connected to the docking unit.
US08502681B2
Among other things, systems to encourage compliance with hand washing procedures can include: an infrared emitter that projects a first infrared beam with a transverse cross-section having a first axis and a second axis that is shorter than the first axis, the transverse cross-section having a maximum length along the first axis, the infrared emitter modulating the first infrared beam to transmit a first identification signal; wherein the infrared emitter projecting the first infrared beam is placed such that the first axis of the transverse cross-section of the first infrared beam is substantially parallel to a boundary.
US08502680B2
A system and associated processes monitor hand hygiene compliance. The system includes hand hygiene product dispensers positioned within areas of concern (AOC) in a facility in which hand hygiene events are to be monitored. The dispensers detect dispense events initiated at the dispenser and transmit a dispense event signal indicative that a dispense event occurred along with dispenser identification information. The system also includes a plurality of compliance badges, each worn by a different person in the facility. Each compliance badge receives dispense event signals corresponding dispenser identification information associated with dispense events initiated by the wearer of the compliance badge. The badges store dispense event records associated with each dispense event initiated by the wearer and thus keep track of all dispense events initiated by the wearer of the compliance badge. One or more data gathering stations positioned at various locations through the facility receive the dispense event information from the individual badges when they come within range. The dispense event information may then be transferred to a local or remote computer for analysis and reporting on hand hygiene events taking place within the facility.
US08502678B2
Apparatus and methods for providing a substantially surface independent tagging system are disclosed. A resonant dielectric cavity is defined between upper and lower conducting layers, and closed at one end by a conducting base portion. Incident radiation couples into the cavity and is resonantly enhanced. An electronic device or tag paced at the edge of the cavity experiences a high electric field strength on account of this enhancement and is driven into operation.
US08502677B2
The present invention relates to a method for integrating an identifier circuit in a data medium formed by at least one dielectric substrate covered by a conductive layer, the conductive layer comprising a part receiving data and a part without data. The method consists in etching in the part without data of the conductive layer, at least one resonating slot forming an antenna and coupling an integrated circuit to the slot.
US08502676B2
A RFID tag programmed with a distinct binary code is embedded in an IC and is electrically integrated with the IC so as to establish a communication path between the RFID tag and the IC. An electronic ID for the IC is defined and coordinated to match with the binary code of the tag. The electronic ID is an active ID that is used to communicate the unique identification information of the IC to other wired electronic components.
US08502664B2
A drop detection part that detects drop into the water, a light emission part, and a light-emission control circuit that makes the light emission part emit light when the drop detection part detects the drop into the water. Also, the light emission part may be disposed on the side to be turned up by buoyancy when the device is dropped into the water and the drop detection part may be disposed on the side to be turned down in the case of the drop into the water, for example.
US08502663B2
A hospital bed obstacle detection device and related method for detecting an obstacle between first and second components of a hospital bed is provided.
US08502661B2
A container tracking system comprising a mobile unit configured to be coupled to a container to be tracked and to communicate with a remote control unit through of a communication system. The mobile unit comprising a positioning module, an alarm module adapted to detect alarm conditions related to said container, and a communication module generating a tracking signal containing positioning data of the mobile unit and/or alarm information associated with one or more alarm conditions related to the container. Furthermore, the mobile unit is configured to evolve to a temporary deactivation state whenever a communication unavailability condition of the tracking signal through the communication system occurs.
US08502659B2
Augmented reality and location determination methods and apparatus are disclosed according to some aspects of the description. In one aspect, a location determination method includes accessing first location information regarding a location of a user interaction device in a physical world, wherein the user interaction device is configured to generate an augmented reality representation with respect to the physical world, using the first location information, identifying a plurality of wireless communication devices which are proximately located with respect to the user interaction device, initiating wireless communications between the user interaction device and the wireless communications devices, after the initiating, accessing information regarding the wireless communications of the user interaction device and the wireless communication devices, and using the information regarding the wireless communications, determining second location information regarding the location of the user interaction device, and wherein the second location information has increased accuracy with respect to the location of the user interaction device in the physical world compared with the first location information.
US08502654B2
An information display system includes an information display that communicates relevant information relating to the operation of a vehicle. The information display conveys a score representing lifetime or long-term driving or operating efficiency of the vehicle. The score can be conveyed numerically or graphically using a number of indicators, or both. Each indicator may correspond to a different achievement level attained for efficient driving or vehicle use behavior.
US08502647B2
The invention relates to a machine tool 101 comprising a plurality of operation functions and a selection device 113a-113d for selecting one or more operation functions by a user. The machine tool 101 receives data from a mobile data carrier 311 via a reception device 112, on the basis of which it may be determined which operation functions may be performed by the user. In this process, an access control device 130 grants the user access to only those selected operation functions he or she is authorized to perform.
US08502645B2
A radio frequency identification (RFID) monitoring system (12) for monitoring a plurality of RFID tags, and in particular for monitoring a plurality of vials incorporating such tags and stored at a low temperature, (eg.−80° C.) within a storage unit (10), for example a freezer. The RFID system (12) comprises an RFID reader (28) and at least one antenna (34a-34i) for transmitting and receiving RF signals to communicate with the RFID tags. The system (12) further includes an electronic switch (38), preferably a FET switch, interposed between the RFID reader and the at least one antenna (34a-34i) to connect a particular antenna (34a-34i) to the RFID reader (28) and transmit RF signals from the antenna (34a-34i) to the RFID tags. The switch (38) is controlled to intermittently connect the antenna (34a-34i) to the RFID reader (28) to regulate the power of the RF signal transmitted from the antenna (34a-34i). The system enables an RFID tag to operate at low temperatures. Preferably the switch (38) and antenna (34a-34i) are integrated together, and in particular integrated into a shelf (22) of the storage unit (10).
US08502639B1
A resistor, fabricating method, and thermal sensor material for resistors that incorporate high Temperature Coefficient of Resistance (TCR) values and low resistivity for better sensitivity in infrared imaging applications are disclosed. Amorphous oxide thin films, preferably oxides of vanadium (VOx), were deposited on thermally grown silicon dioxide by direct current (DC) magnetron co-sputtering of noble metals (gold and platinum) in a controlled argon/oxygen atmosphere. The ideal conditions for preparing an amorphous vanadium oxide/noble metal thin film are identified. TCR and resistivity results showed that the additions of gold (Au) and platinum (Pt) into VOx reduced the resistivity. However, only gold (Au) was found to improve TCR value. Reducing the amount of oxygen in the thin film, further improved the ratio between TCR and resistivity. Infrared detection and imaging devices can be greatly improved with a “drop-in” amorphous vanadium oxide/noble metal thin film of the present invention.
US08502632B2
A transformer in this invention comprises substrates constructing a primary winding, substrates constructing the secondary winding, and a core member disposed around the substrates. The substrates defining the primary winding are provided with insertion holes for passing a middle leg portion of the core member, and patterned conductors having one turn. The transformer further comprises an interlayer connection member. The interlayer connection member is located inwardly of the patterned conductors of the substrates defining the primary winding. The interlayer connection member is located on the same side of the patterned conductors defining the primary winding. The interlayer connection member is configured to establish the electrical connection of the patterned conductors defining the primary winding.
US08502626B2
An RF front-end with on-chip transmitter/receiver isolation using a gyrator is presented herein. The RF front end is configured to support full-duplex communication and includes a gyrator and a transformer. The gyrator includes a metal plate and an inductor that are configured to isolate the input of a low-noise amplifier (LNA) from the output of a power amplifier (PA) using the Hall effect. The gyrator is further configured to isolate the output of the PA from the input of the LNA. The gyrator is at least partially or fully capable of being integrated on silicon-based substrate.
US08502621B2
A ladder filter including a series arm resonator and a parallel arm resonator disposed on the same common piezoelectric substrate achieves improved miniaturization. The ladder filter includes series arm resonators and parallel arm resonators, which include elastic wave resonators, and are disposed on the same common piezoelectric substrate, at least one parallel arm resonator of the series arm resonators and the parallel arm resonators includes a first resonator and a second resonator electrically connected in parallel to each other, and the first resonator and the second resonator are arranged in parallel or substantially in parallel in a direction perpendicular or substantially perpendicular to an elastic wave propagation direction, on one side outside one series arm resonator of remaining resonators in the elastic wave propagation direction thereof.
US08502620B2
A system and method for transmitting signals is disclosed. An embodiment comprises a balun, such as a Marchand balun, which has a first transformer with a primary coil and a first secondary coil and a second transformer with the primary coil and a second secondary coil. The first secondary coil and the second secondary coil are connected to a ground plane, and the ground plane has slot lines located beneath the separation of the coils in the first transformer and the second transformer. The slot lines may also have fingers.
US08502619B2
A circuit module and a measurement method enable accurate measurement of isolation characteristics of an isolator. The circuit module includes a processing circuit including SAW filters and a power amplifier and performs certain processing on an input signal. An isolator includes an input port, an output port and a ground port and outputs an input signal, which is input thereto via the input port and on which the processing circuit has performed the certain processing, as an output signal via the output port. A directional coupler distributes a signal transmitted between the processing circuit and the isolator. A measurement instrument inputs a test signal from the output port and measures a detection signal output from the directional coupler.
US08502616B2
In a composite electronic module, electronic components including magnetic substances are mounted on a substrate such that lines of magnetic force generated by a permanent magnet of a non-reciprocal circuit element are concentrated to the non-reciprocal circuit element side. Therefore, even when a metal yoke is omitted, for example, it is possible to reduce the number of lines of magnetic force generated by the permanent magnet and which leak to the outside of the substrate, and hence to significantly reduce and prevent the influence of a magnetic field generated by the permanent magnet upon other electronic components that are arranged near or adjacent to the composite electronic module around the substrate.
US08502613B2
An oscillating circuit including a digital sigma-delta modulator and a controlled oscillator is disclosed. The digital sigma-delta modulator receives a fractional bit signal to generate a control signal. The controlled oscillator includes a varactor dynamically coupled to receive the control signal.
US08502603B2
A circuit includes a differential amplifier having a folded cascode architecture with a pair of cascode transistors. A sensing circuit senses a common mode input voltage of a differential input signal applied to the differential amplifier. A bias generator circuit generates a bias voltage for application to the pair of cascode transistors in the folded cascode architecture. The bias generator circuit is connected to an output of the sensing circuit such that the generated bias voltage has a value which is dependent on the sensed common mode input voltage. This dependence stabilizes a common mode output voltage from the differential amplifier in response to changes in the common mode input voltage.
US08502598B2
A digitally configurable transformer that performs switched transformer combining is disclosed. The flexible transformer includes switches that are dynamically configurable to efficiently combine RF power from power amplifier cores to achieve different power levels. The disclosed transformer is efficient at a broad range of power levels, leading to high power output efficiency. The transformer may be part of any power amplifier design that uses the transformer for power combining.
US08502594B2
A switch circuit is described, where a switch to be controlled is formed of two NMOS transistors having their source terminals connected together and their gate terminals connected together. Their drain terminals are the input and output terminals of the switch. A driver circuit controls a bootstrap circuit that is formed of a latching circuit and a capacitor. When the switch is in an off state, the driver circuit connects the capacitor to a charging voltage source for charging the capacitor to a bootstrap voltage, and applies a non-zero voltage across the latching circuit. When the driver circuit is controlled to turn on the switch, the driver circuit disconnects the capacitor from the charging voltage source, and the latching circuit becomes conductive and effectively connects the capacitor across the gate and source terminals of the switch to turn it on with the bootstrap voltage. The bootstrap voltage across the capacitor maintains the latching circuit in a latched conductive state.
US08502593B2
A circuit and method for debouncing an electrical signal are disclosed. A representative embodiment of the present invention may be set to remove (i.e., filter) noise or glitches in the low and high portions of an input signal, where the width of the noise or glitches while in the high or low state may be set using a programming interface. The filtering is done in a manner that results in a clean, debounced output signal having a low portion approximately equal to the low portion of the input signal, and a high portion approximately equal to the high portion of the input signal. Noise or glitches of less than programmable high or low glitch widths are filtered from the input signal and do not appear in the output signal.
US08502582B2
In some embodiments, a digital PLL (DPLL) is disclosed with a dynamically controllable filter for changing the effective DPLL bandwidth in response to one or more real-time performance parameters such as phase error.
US08502576B2
A charge pump circuit includes a charge generation circuit, a tracking circuit, a replica circuit, and a main charge pump. The main charge pump generates a charge current and a discharge current to a subsequent loop filter according to a UP signal and a DOWN signal. The replica circuit generates a first voltage in response to the current values of the first current source and the second current source of the main charge pump. The tracking circuit adjusts the current values of the first current source and the second current source of the main charge pump according to the first voltage and a second voltage, wherein the second voltage is in response to a voltage of an output node of the main charge pump.
US08502562B2
A multipoint low-voltage differential signaling (mLVDS) receiver of a semiconductor device and a buffering circuit of a semiconductor device, includes: an even-number data buffering unit configured to: sample even-number data from input data, amplify and output the even-number data in a section in which a positive clock is activated, and latch the even-number data in a section in which the positive clock is inactivated, and an odd-number data buffering unit configured to: sample odd-number data from the input data, amplify and output the odd-number data in a section in which a negative clock is activated, and latch the odd-number data in a section in which the negative clock is inactivated.
US08502558B1
Integrated circuits are provided with circuitry such as multiplexers that can be selectively configured to route different adjustable power supply voltages to different circuit blocks on the integrated circuits. The circuit blocks may contain memory elements that are powered by the power supply voltages and that provide corresponding static output control signals at magnitudes that are determined by the power supply voltages. The control signals from the memory elements may be applied to the gates of transistors in the circuit blocks. Logic on an integrated circuit may be powered at a given power supply voltage level. The memory elements may provide their output signals at overdrive voltage levels that are elevated with respect to the given power supply voltage level. Memory elements associated with circuit blocks that contain critical paths can be overdriven at voltages that are larger than memory elements associated with circuit blocks that contain noncritical paths.
US08502551B2
A CPU 14 built in to a device 1 starts inspection processing in response to an I/F 17 having received an inspection start command from an external terminal 3, switches an inspection terminal 13, which is a redundant terminal 11, over to be an input terminal with a pull-up resistor, applies a predetermined voltage to the inspection terminal 13, detects the input voltage of the inspection terminal 13, and transmits the detected input voltage as an inspection result to the external terminal 3.
US08502550B2
There is provided an operation control structure for a continuity test device for performing lock of a connector and actuation of a continuity test part timely, low cost, easily, and surely including a connector attachment part 3, a continuity test part 4 having a probe pin 12, a first cylinder 16 for locking a connector 10 in the connector attachment part, a second cylinder 15 for moving the continuity test part to the connector attachment part, wherein plugs 30 and 54 of the first cylinder and the second cylinder respectively are supplied with the same pressured air, a speed control valve 26 being provided within a plug 30 of the second cylinder 15, a fine hole 28 thinner than a hole 56 in a plug 54 of the first cylinder being provided in the speed control valve, and wherein the continuity test part is actuated by the second cylinder through the fine hole following lock of the connector by the first cylinder. A hole 37 for air discharge is provided in the speed control valve 26 is connected to a hole 31 of the plug via a gap 38 between the outer circumference of the speed control valve and the inner circumference of the plug 30 of the second cylinder 15, and wherein a test valve 36 is provided in the gap.
US08502544B1
A method for testing a mask article includes the steps of electrically connecting the mask article to an electrical sensor, applying a bias voltage to a plurality of testing sites of the mask article with a conductor, measuring at least one current distribution of the testing sites with the electrical sensor, and determining the quality of the mask article by taking the at least one current distribution into consideration.
US08502543B2
The embodiments relate to a test configuration for an impulse voltage test of electric high-voltage components with a lightning generator. The lightning generator can be moved between a first horizontal position within a cuboid container, and a vertical position relative to the container. A movement between the two positions includes a pivoting movement about a rotational axis. The proofing movement is transverse to the longitudinal direction of the lightning generator. The container can be closed at the top by at least one moveable cover.
US08502540B2
A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus includes a probe unit and a control/imaging unit. The probe unit includes a converter converting a sampled magnetic-resonance signal into a digital signal, a first transmitter converting the digital signal into a first-radio signal, a first receiver receiving and performing detection on the second-radio signal to obtain a first-received signal, and a clock-regeneration unit regenerating a clock component from the first-received signal to generate a regenerated-clock signals. The control/imaging unit includes a second-receiver receiving the first-radio signal to obtain a second-received signal, a data processor performing data processing on the second-received signal in synchronism with a reference-clock signal to obtain a video signal, and a second transmitter which modulates a carrier wave using the reference-clock signal, converts the reference-clock signal into the second-radio signal, and transmits the second-radio signal through the second-wireless channel.
US08502539B2
A gradient amplifier system is presented. An embodiment of a gradient amplifier system that includes a power stage having a plurality of bridge amplifiers, where each of the plurality of bridge amplifiers operates at a first switching frequency. The gradient amplifier system further includes a gradient coil coupled to an output terminal of the power stage and configured to produce a magnetic field proportional to a coil current signal supplied by the power stage. In addition, the gradient amplifier system includes a controller stage coupled to an input terminal of the power stage and configured to generate a pulse width modulated gate signal based on the coil current signal and a reference current signal, where the pulse width modulated gate signal is generated at a second switching frequency upon occurrence of a slew rate associated with the reference current signal is below a determined threshold rate and an amplitude level associated with the reference current signal is above a determined level. Further, the controller stage is configured to apply the generated pulse width modulated gate signal to the power stage for changing an operating frequency of each of the plurality of bridge amplifiers from the first switching frequency to the second switching frequency.
US08502535B2
The invention relates to a method of selecting a set of coil elements from a multitude of physical coil elements comprised in a coil array for performing a magnetic resonance imaging scan of a region of interest.
US08502529B2
Provided is a magnetic sensor device capable of suppressing a variation in determination for detection or canceling of a magnetic field intensity, which is caused by noise generated from respective constituent elements included in the magnetic sensor device and external noise, to thereby achieve high-precision magnetic reading. The magnetic sensor device includes: a first D-type flip-flop and a second D-type flip-flop each having an input terminal connected to an output terminal of a comparator; an XOR circuit having a first input terminal and a second input terminal which are connected to an output terminal of the first D-type flip-flop and an output terminal of the second D-type flip-flop, respectively; a selector circuit; and a third D-type flip-flop having an input terminal connected to an output terminal of the selector circuit. The selector circuit includes: a first input terminal (A) and a second input terminal (B) which are connected to the output terminal of the second D-type flip-flop and an output terminal of the third D-type flip-flop, respectively; and a select terminal connected to an output terminal of the XOR circuit. The selector circuit selectively outputs input signals from the first input terminal (A) and the second input terminal (B), according to an output of the XOR circuit.
US08502523B2
Provided is a test apparatus and a test method for substantially synchronizing phases of test signals for each of a plurality of clock domains. The test apparatus tests a device under test including a plurality of clock domains. The test apparatus comprises a period generator that generates a rate signal for determining a test period corresponding to an operation period of the device under test; a pattern generator that generates a test pattern; phase comparing sections that, for each clock domain, receive an operation clock signal of the clock domain acquired from a terminal of the device under test included in the clock domain, and detect a phase difference of the operation clock signal of the clock domain with respect to the rate signal; and a plurality of waveform shaping sections that are provided respectively to the clock domains, and that each shape a test signal based on the test pattern, according to the phase difference of the corresponding clock domain, to substantially synchronize the test signal with the operation clock signal of the corresponding clock domain.
US08502514B2
A voltage regulation circuit including a differential input unit, a source follower and a driving unit is provided. The differential input unit has a first input terminal and a second input terminal for receiving a reference voltage and a system voltage respectively. Further, the differential input unit compares the reference voltage and the system voltage and accordingly generates a control voltage. The source follower is electrically connected between the differential input unit and the driving unit, and generates an adjustment voltage according to the control voltage. The differential input unit, the source follower and the driving unit form a feedback loop, so that the driving unit fixes a source voltage to the system voltage according to the adjustment voltage.
US08502512B2
A direct current (DC) converting circuit includes a DC input end, for receiving a DC input voltage; a DC output end, for providing a predetermined DC voltage; a switch, coupled between the DC input end and the DC output end, for providing a direct path; a DC-DC step-down unit, coupled between the DC input end and the DC output end, for providing a step-down voltage path; and a control unit, coupled to the switch and the DC-DC step-down unit, for detecting the DC input voltage and selecting either the direct path or the step-down voltage path to provide the predetermined DC voltage at the DC output end. The DC power converting circuit can be applied in power supply circuits of multi-media players or TV setup boxes to convert DC input voltage including 5V, 9V or 12V DC voltages to a predetermined DC voltage.
US08502509B2
A power conversion system and power control method for reducing cross regulation effect uses a voltage feedback adjustment circuit to modulate an error signal fed back from an output voltage so as to predict the energy of an output corresponding to its load states. While the energy delivered to an output terminal with its load remaining the same does not change, the energy delivered to an output terminal with its load changing is adjusted accordingly. The power conversion system thus effectively reduces the cross regulation effect and obtains excellent steady system output and transient response.
US08502497B2
A power transfer system which includes a power transfer device as well as at least one portable device, and to a method of controlling the power transfer system specifically in case of a dead battery condition of a battery of the portable device. The power transfer device for wireless charging of the battery arranged in the portable device and the power transfer device each comprise a near field communication functionality for data communication by a data communication link between the devices. The method includes a step of starting to establish the data communication link between the power transfer device and the portable device.
US08502493B2
When instructed to switch control modes between overmodulation PWM control and sinusoidal wave PWM control, control device corrects the amplitude of a voltage command signal based on a state of power conversion operation performed by an inverter, so as to suppress a change in an influence of dead time over a voltage applied to an alternating-current motor upon switching the control modes. The state of the power conversion operation performed by the inverter includes at least one of a present value of a carrier frequency in a control mode currently employed, an estimated value of the carrier frequency to be obtained when switching the control modes, the length of the dead time, a power factor of alternating-current power exchanged between the inverter and the alternating-current motor, and a driving state of the alternating-current motor.
US08502490B2
A method and apparatus for improving the run duration of an electric motor powered by a battery pack is provided. The apparatus includes an electric motor having a rated motor voltage, a battery pack having an output voltage exceeding the rated motor voltage, and a motor controller which converts the output voltage to supply electrical power to the electric motor at a second voltage lower than the output voltage.
US08502488B2
A control system is provided for an AC electric motor which comprises a rotor and a stator and a plurality of phase windings connected in a star formation, each winding having one end connected to a common neutral point and another end arranged to have a terminal voltage applied to it. The control system comprises switching means arranged to control the terminal voltages applied to the windings and control means arranged to control the switching means so as to switch it between a plurality of states in each of a sequence of PWM periods. The control means is further arranged to measure the voltage at the neutral point at sample times within the PWM periods and to generate from the measured voltages an estimation of the rotational position of the rotor.
US08502485B2
A motor drive circuit includes a positive and a negative supply rail for connection to a battery (104), a motor drive circuit including a plurality of motor drive subcircuits which each selectively permit current to flow into or out of a respective phase of a multi-phase motor (101) in response to control signals from a motor control circuit, and a switching means including at least one switch which is in series with a respective phase of the motor which is normally closed to permit the flow of current to and from the subcircuit to the respective motor phase. A fault signal detecting means (160) detects at least one fault condition and, in the event of a fault condition being detected, causes the at least one switch to open. A snubber circuit (150) is associated with the motor and is arranged so that following the opening of the switch, energy stored in the motor windings is diverted away from the switching means through the snubber circuit to the battery.
US08502479B2
A current regulating circuit is for connection in series between a light emitting diode (LED) and a power source, and includes: a first resistive unit having a first resistance that is proportional to an operation temperature of the LED when the operation temperature is above a predetermined threshold temperature; and a second resistive unit connected in series with said first resistive unit, and having a second resistance that is inversely proportional to the operation temperature of the LED when the operation temperature is above the predetermined threshold temperature. When the operation temperature of the LED is above the predetermined threshold temperature, an effective resistance of said current regulating circuit attributed to said first and second resistive units is proportional to the operation temperature of the LED, and absolute value of a rate of change of the first resistance is larger than that of the second resistance.
US08502477B2
Various embodiments of a dimmable power supply are disclosed herein. For example, some embodiments provide a dimmable power supply including an output driver, a variable pulse generator and a load current detector. The output driver has a power input, a control input and a load path. The variable pulse generator includes a control input and a pulse output, with the pulse output connected to the output driver control input. The variable pulse generator is adapted to vary a pulse width at the pulse output based on a signal at the control input. The load current detector has an input connected to the output driver load path and an output connected to the variable pulse generator control input. The load current detector has a time constant adapted to substantially filter out a change in a load current at a frequency of pulses at the variable pulse generator pulse output.
US08502472B2
A light emitting diode (LED) driving apparatus is disclosed. The LED driving apparatus includes a power converter, a voltage sample-and-hold and comparison circuit, and a pre-charge clock generator. The power converter has a power transistor switch for processing power conversion and outputs a driving voltage at an output terminal. The voltage sample-and-hold and comparison circuit enters a sample-and-hold mode or a comparing mode according to a dimming status signal. The voltage sample-and-hold and comparison circuit samples and holds a feedback voltage to obtain a pre-storage voltage during the sample-and-hold mode and compares the pre-storage voltage with the feedback voltage to obtain a comparison result during the comparing mode. The voltage sample-and-hold and comparison circuit generates a pre-charge enable signal according to the comparison result. The pre-charge clock generator generates a pre-charge clock signal to control the power transistor switch according to the pre-charge enable signal and a clock signal.
US08502468B2
A light emitting bulb, a luminary and an illumination device are provided. The light emitting bulb includes a main body and a bulb base. The main body has a plurality of the light emitting units. The bulb base has a plurality of flexible pieces. The flexible pieces are connected to the light emitting units respectively to form a plurality of electrical transmission paths. The luminary further has a lamp holder for holding the light emitting bulb. A control unit in the illumination device is connected to the light emitting bulb through the lamp holder for selectively providing a supply of a power to the light emitting units to control brightness of light emitting units, respectively. The light emitting bulb may facilitate color changing and brightness control without having a control circuit disposed within the light emitting bulb and is associated with a longer lifetime and a lower manufacturing cost.
US08502458B2
In various embodiments, a dimmable operating device for the combined operation of a gas discharge lamp and a semiconductor light source is provided. The dimmable operating device may be configured such that only the semiconductor light source is operated in the lower dimming range and only the gas discharge lamp is operated in the upper dimming range, and at the changeover points at which one sort of light source out of the semiconductor light source and the gas discharge lamp is switched off or on, at the same time a jump in power is applied to the other light source out of the semiconductor light source and the gas discharge lamp, with the result that the human eye cannot perceive, or can only perceive with difficulty, the changeover point.
US08502457B2
Light assemblies may contain a light socket assembly powered by an alternating current source, the light socket assembly containing a female socket for threadedly or otherwise receiving a light bulb or a retrofit socket, for example. An AC/DC converter electrically communicates with the light socket assembly thereby providing direct current to the light socket assembly. A first set of direct current contacts communicating with the AC/DC converter is formed within or about the light socket assembly. A solid state lighting source contains a second set of direct current contacts contained within the solid state lighting source, whereby the second set of direct contacts electrically communicates with and corresponds to the first set of direct current contacts. When assembled, the solid state lighting source such as an annular ring coupled to at least one light emitting diode, operably engages the light socket assembly and is fixed about at least a portion of the light socket assembly.
US08502449B2
A high-pressure discharge lamp having a single socket, comprising: a discharge vessel (100) having two opposite sealed ends (120, 130) and a discharge chamber (110) arranged between the sealed ends (120, 130), a first sealed end (120) extending into a lamp base (400) and the second sealed end (130) protruding out of the lamp base (400), a first electrode (20) which is fixed in the first sealed end (120) of the discharge vessel (100) and has an end on the discharge side extending into the discharge chamber (110), a second electrode (30) which is fixed in the second sealed end (130) of the discharge vessel (100) and has an end on the discharge side extending into the discharge chamber; and (110), a base flange (420) arranged on the lamp base (400) and defining a plane (421) which is usable for adjusting the high-pressure discharge lamp in an optical system wherein for the distance A from the end of the first electrode (20) on the discharge side to the plane (421) of the base flange (420) and for the distance B from the end of the second electrode (30) on the discharge side to the plane (421) of the base flange (420), the following relation applies: 15.0 mm ≤ A + B 2 ≤ 27.0 mm .
US08502448B2
A display apparatus having an improved function for encapsulating a display unit, and comprising a substrate, wherein the display unit is disposed on the substrate; an encapsulation unit facing the display unit, the encapsulation unit comprising: a metal layer; and a composite member; and a sealing unit disposed between the substrate and the encapsulation unit and separated from the display unit so as to adhere the substrate to the encapsulation unit, wherein the composite member comprises a resin matrix and carbon fibers, and wherein the metal layer is disposed between the substrate and the composite member.
US08502442B2
A light emitting device comprising a light emitting component that emits light with a first peak wavelength, and at least one sintered ceramic plate over the light emitting component is described. The at least one sintered ceramic plate is capable of absorbing at least a portion of the light emitted from said light emitting component and emitting light of a second peak wavelength, and has a total light transmittance at the second peak wavelength of greater than about 40%. A method for improving the luminance intensity of a light emitting device comprising providing a light emitting component and positioning at least one translucent sintered ceramic plate described above over the light emitting component is also disclosed.
US08502438B2
A spark plug electrode, which is produced from an electrode material containing nickel as base material, 0.5 to 3 atom % of silicon, and at least 6 atom % of aluminum.
US08502437B2
A light-emitting module with a cooling function includes a heat sink, a light-emitting element and a fitting member. The heat sink has a coupling face and at least one first assembling portion. The light-emitting element is coupled with the coupling face of the heat sink. The fitting member includes at least one positioning portion having at least one second assembling portion. The at least one second assembling portion is coupled with the at least one first assembling portion of the heat sink to position the light-emitting element between the at least one positioning portion and the heat sink.
US08502436B2
An electro-dynamic machine including a rotor shaft extending along an axis and a bearing rotatably supporting the rotor shaft for rotation about the axis. An inner housing has an outer surface and defines a bearing bore. The bearing bore receives and supports the bearing. An outer housing surrounds the inner housing. A plurality of non-radial ribs extends from the outer housing to the inner housing. The non-radial ribs are coupled to the inner housing substantially tangential to the outer surface.
US08502435B2
There are provided a piezoelectric ceramic composition that includes a bismuth layer-structured compound, which contains Na, Bi, Co and Ln (lanthanoide), as a main component and a piezoelectric ceramic composition that includes a compound, which contains Na, Bi, Ti, Co and Ln (lanthanoide) and has a Na0.5Bi4.5Ti4O15 type crystal structure, as a main component, wherein the piezoelectric ceramic composition has an atomic ratio of 0
US08502434B2
A multi-layer piezoelectric element that has high durability with capability to operable continuously under higher voltage and higher pressure over a long period of time, a method for manufacturing the same, an injection apparatus and a fuel injection system are provided. The multi-layer piezoelectric element, comprising: a multi-layer structure comprising a plurality of internal electrode layers and a plurality of piezoelectric material layers, the plurality of piezoelectric material layers being stacked with each one of the plurality of internal electrode layers intervened between each two of the plurality of piezoelectric material layers, wherein a cross-sectional area of a cross section of the multi-layer structure parallel to the plurality of internal electrode layers is smaller in both end portions in a stacked direction than in a middle portion in the stacked direction.
US08502431B2
A coil structure for a coreless motor includes a plurality of first conductive traces and a plurality of second conductive traces. The first conductive traces are disposed in succession relative to one another, and are each arranged into a planar spiral configuration having a substantially polygonal shape. At least one adjacent pair of the first conductive traces cooperate to define a space therebetween. Each of the second conductive traces is disposed in the space defined by a corresponding adjacent pair of the first conductive traces, and is arranged into a planar spiral configuration that has one of a substantially triangular shape and a substantially rhombic shape so as to substantially fill the space.
US08502430B2
A rotor comprises a rotor core, a plurality of magnetic poles arranged in a circumferential direction of the rotor core, a plurality of salient poles and a plurality of auxiliary magnets each of which is disposed between the magnetic pole and the salient pole is provided. Each magnet pole has a field magnet pole that serves as a first magnetic pole, wherein the field magnet is a main magnet. Each salient pole is integrally formed with the rotor core between the two adjacent magnetic poles. Each salient pole serves as a second magnetic pole. The pole of the second magnetic pole is opposite from that of the first magnetic pole. The auxiliary magnet generates magnetic flux in a circumferential direction of the rotor core so that the magnetic pole and an opposing pole of the auxiliary magnet have the same polarity and the salient pole and another opposing pole of the auxiliary magnet have the same polarity.
US08502424B2
An electric machine has a housing, and in the housing has at least one electrical assembly including a rotor, and having a cooling device which, in the lower region of the housing, has a sump pan that is situated or developed there for a coolant. The cooling device further has at least one coolant spray device for spraying the electrical assembly with coolant, the sump pan having a coolant discharge which, during non-operation of the electric machine, feeds the coolant into a coolant reservoir and is dimensioned so that, during operation of the electric machine at a specified coolant volume flow of the coolant spray device, a coolant level, which wets the rotor, sets in the sump pan. A corresponding method is also provided.
US08502421B2
The moving magnet type linear motor according to the present invention comprises a stator comprising a plurality of coils arranged in a single direction and having a both ends support structure supporting both ends of the stator in a direction perpendicular to said single direction, a pair of movers comprising a plurality of permanent magnets arranged opposing the sides of the stator respectively and capable of relative movement in said single direction with respect to each other, and guidance mechanisms guiding both the movers independently and movably in said single direction, and one of the movers is connected to a load.
US08502404B2
A wind power generating system includes a unit for eliminating harmonics component of specified-order from inputted current detection value of a grid-side converter and a unit for controlling the grid-side converter using the current detection value in which harmonics are eliminated.
US08502401B2
A polymeric composition comprising a first polymer chosen from a poly(arylene ether) polymer including polymer repeat units of the following structure: —(O—Ar1—O—Ar2—O—)m—(—O—Ar3—O—Ar4—O)n- where Ar1, Ar2, Ar3, and Ar4 are identical or different aryl radicals, m is 0 to 1, n is 1 m; a polysulfone, a polyimide, a poly(etherketone), a polyurea, a polyurethane, and combinations thereof and a second polymer comprising a per(phenylethynyl) arene polymer derivative. Cured films containing the polymer can exhibit at least one of the following properties: Tg from 160° C. to 180° C., a dielectric constant below 2.7 with frequency independence, and a maximum moisture absorption of less than 0.17 wt %. Accordingly, the polymer is especially useful, for example, in interlayer dielectrics and in die-attach adhesives.
US08502396B2
Systems and methods for embedded tamper mesh protection are provided. The embedded tamper mesh includes a series of protection bond wires surrounding bond wires carrying sensitive signals. The protection bond wires are positioned to be vertically higher than the signal bond wires. The protection wires may be bonded to outer contacts on the substrate while the signal bond wires are bonded to inner contacts, thereby creating a bond wire cage around the signal wires. Methods and systems for providing package level protection are also provided. An exemplary secure package includes a substrate having multiple contacts surrounding a die disposed on an upper surface of the substrate. A mesh die including a series of mesh die pads is coupled to the upper surface of the die. Bond wires are coupled from the mesh die pads to contacts on the substrate thereby creating a bond wire cage surrounding the die.
US08502379B2
A semiconductor device includes an insulating film base member and a wiring pattern that is formed on the insulating film base member. The wiring pattern has a surface, with at least a peripheral section of the surface being a peeled surface of the wiring pattern peeled from the insulating film base member. The semiconductor device further includes a plating layer that covers the surface of the wiring pattern, and an IC chip that has an active surface with a bump bonded to the wiring pattern. The peeled surface of the wiring pattern is peeled from the insulating film base member around a bonding position of the wiring pattern bonded with the bump.
US08502373B2
By filling an air gap between tiers of a stacked IC device with a thermally conductive material, heat generated at one or more locations within one of the tiers can be laterally displaced. The lateral displacement of the heat can be along the full length of the tier and the thermal material can be electrically insulating. Through silicon-vias (TSVs) can be constructed at certain locations to assist in heat dissipation away from thermally troubled locations.
US08502370B2
A stack package structure is provided, including: a substrate; an insulating layer formed on the substrate and having openings for exposing die attach pads and conductive pads of the substrate, respectively; a plurality of first and second conductive terminals formed on the insulating layer and electrically connected to the die attach pads and the conductive pads, respectively; a dielectric layer formed on the insulating layer and having a cavity for exposing the first conductive terminals and a plurality of openings exposing the second conductive terminals; copper pillars formed respectively in the openings of the dielectric layer; a semiconductor chip disposed in the cavity and electrically connected to the first conductive terminals; solder balls formed respectively on the copper pillars that are located proximate to the die attach area; and a package structure disposed on and electrically connected to the solder balls.
US08502366B2
A semiconductor package includes a body having a first surface and a second surface facing away from the first surface, and formed with a groove in the first surface. First connection parts may electrically connect a portion of the first surface to a portion of the second surface of the body. Second connection parts may electrically connect a portion of a bottom portion of the groove to a portion of the second surface of the body. A lower device may be disposed in the groove of the body, and have third connection parts that are electrically connected with the second connection parts. An upper device may be disposed on the body and the lower device, and have fourth connection parts that are electrically connected with the first connection parts and the third connection parts.
US08502363B2
A semiconductor device package including a substrate, first and second solder joints, a die pad, leads and enhancement elements surrounding the die pad, a chip electrically connected to the leads, and a package body encapsulating the chip, portions of the leads, and portions of the enhancement elements, but leaving exposed at least a side surface of each enhancement element. Side surfaces of the enhancement elements and the package body are coplanar. The substrate includes first pads corresponding to the leads and second pads corresponding to the enhancement elements. The first solder joints are disposed between the first pads and the leads. The second solder joints are disposed between the second pads and the enhancement elements. The second solder joints contact side surfaces of the enhancement elements. The surface area of the second pads is greater than the surface area of the corresponding enhancement elements.
US08502359B2
The semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a semiconductor chip, an island having an upper surface to which the semiconductor chip is bonded, a lead arranged around the island, a bonding wire extended between the surface of the semiconductor chip and the upper surface of the lead, and a resin package collectively sealing the semiconductor chip, the island, the lead and the bonding wire, while the lower surface of the island and the lower surface of the lead are exposed on the rear surface of the resin package, and the lead is provided with a recess concaved from the lower surface side and opened on a side surface thereof.
US08502355B2
An overlay vernier mask pattern of a semiconductor device includes a first overlay vernier mask pattern having a first opening for exposing a first area of a layer to be etched on a substrate and a second opening for exposing a second area spaced apart from the first area, and a second overlay vernier mask pattern aligned on the first overlay vernier mask pattern and the layer to be etched, and having an opening for exposing the second opening while exposing a portion of the layer to be etched in the first area.
US08502353B2
A through-wafer interconnect for imager, memory and other integrated circuit applications is disclosed, thereby eliminating the need for wire bonding, making devices incorporating such interconnects stackable and enabling wafer level packaging for imager devices. Further, a smaller and more reliable die package is achieved and circuit parasitics (e.g., L and R) are reduced due to the reduced signal path lengths.
US08502345B2
Reverse-conducting insulated gate bipolar transistor in which IGBT region and FWD region are integrated into a single body in a semiconductor substrate with a common active region is disclosed. MOS gate structure is on a first major surface side. Rear surface side structure is in a second major surface side of the semiconductor substrate and includes a plurality of recessed parts vertical to the second major surface, which are repeated periodically along the second major surface. A plurality of protruding parts are interposed between the recessed parts. Rear surface side structure includes p type collector region on a bottom surface of the recessed part, n type first field stop region at a position deeper than the collector region, n type cathode region on the top surface of the protruding part, and n type second field stop region in the protruding part at a position deeper than the cathode region.
US08502343B1
A nanoelectric memristor device includes a first electrode and a layer of oxygen-vacancy-rich metal oxide deposited upon a surface of the first electrode. A layer of oxygen-rich/stochiometric metal oxide is deposited upon a surface of the oxygen-vacancy-rich metal oxide layer that is opposite from said first electrode. At least one of the oxygen-vacancy-rich metal oxide and oxygen-rich/stochiometric metal oxide layers is doped with one of a magnetic and a paramagnetic material. A second electrode is adjacent to a surface of the oxygen-rich/stochiometric metal oxide layer that is opposite from the oxygen-rich/stochiometric metal oxide layer.
US08502324B2
A wafer including at least a first die and at least a second die, wherein the first die and the second die are separated from each other by an area located between the first die and the second die, is provided. The wafer further includes an alignment mark group used for aligning the wafer to a tool used for patterning the wafer. The alignment mark group is located entirely within the area between the first die and the second die and the alignment mark group includes a plurality of alignment lines, and wherein each line of the plurality of alignment lines is formed using a plurality of segments separated from each other by a plurality of gaps filled with an insulating material.
US08502323B2
A field-effect transistor includes a first gate, a second gate held at a substantially fixed potential in a cascode configuration, and a semiconductor channel. The semiconductor channel has an enhancement mode portion and a depletion mode portion. The enhancement mode portion is gated to be turned on and off by the first gate, and has been modified to operate in enhancement mode. The depletion mode portion is gated by the second gate, and has been modified to operate in depletion mode and that is operative to shield the first gate from voltage stress.
US08502320B2
A vertically stacked, planar junction Zener diode is concurrently formed with epitaxially grown FET raised S/D terminals. The structure and process of the Zener diode are compatible with Gate-Last high-k FET structures and processes. Lateral separation of diode and transistor structures is provided by modified STI masking. No additional photolithography steps are required. In some embodiments, the non-junction face of the uppermost diode terminal is silicided with nickel to additionally perform as a copper diffusion barrier.
US08502308B2
A low cost integration method for a plurality of deep isolation trenches on the same chip is provided. The trenches have an additional n-type or p-type doped region surrounding the trench—silicon interface. Providing such variations of doping the trench interface is achieved by using implantation masking layers or doped glass films structured by a simple resist mask. By simple layout variation of the top dimension of the trench various trench depths at the same time can be ensured. Using this method, wider trenches will be deeper and smaller trenches will be shallower.
US08502303B2
Provided is a semiconductor device which is capable of preventing an increase in power consumption of an SGT, i.e., a three-dimensional semiconductor transistor, due to an increase in off-leak current. The semiconductor device comprises: a first-conductive type first silicon pillar: a first dielectric surrounding a side surface of the first silicon pillar; a gate surrounding the dielectric; a second silicon pillar provided underneath the first silicon pillar; and a third silicon pillar provided on a top of the first silicon pillar. The second silicon pillar has a second-conductive type high-concentration impurity region formed in a surface thereof except at least a part of a contact surface region with the first silicon pillar, and a first-conductive type impurity region formed therein and surrounded by the second-conductive type high-concentration impurity region. The third silicon pillar has a second-conductive type high-concentration impurity region formed in a surface thereof except at least a part of a contact surface region with the first silicon pillar, and a first-conductive type impurity region formed therein and surrounded by the second-conductive type high-concentration impurity region of the third silicon pillar. The first-conductive type impurity region of each of the second silicon pillar and the third silicon pillar has a length greater than that of a depletion layer extending from a base portion of the second-conductive type high-concentration impurity region of a respective one of the second silicon pillar and the third silicon pillar.
US08502302B2
A semiconductor device includes a plurality of trenches including active gate trenches in an active area and gate runner/termination trenches and shield electrode pickup trenches in a termination area outside the active area. The gate runner/termination trenches include one or more trenches that define a mesa located outside an active area. A first conductive region is formed in the plurality of trenches. An intermediate dielectric region and termination protection region are formed in the trenches that define the mesa. A second conductive region is formed in the portion of the trenches that define the mesa. The second conductive region is electrically isolated from the first conductive region by the intermediate dielectric region. A first electrical contact is made to the second conductive regions and a second electrical contact to the first conductive region in the shield electrode pickup trenches. One or more Schottky diodes are formed within the mesa.
US08502297B2
A non-volatile memory having a tunneling dielectric layer, a floating gate, a control gate, an inter-gate dielectric layer and a first doping region and a second doping region is provided. The tunneling dielectric layer is disposed on a substrate. The floating gate is disposed on the tunneling dielectric layer, and has a protruding portion. The control gate is disposed over the floating gate to cover and surround the protruding portion. The protruding portion of the floating gate is fully covered and surrounded by the control gate in any direction, including extending directions of bit lines, word lines and an included angle formed between the word line and the bit line. The inter-gate dielectric layer is disposed between the floating gate and the control gate. The first doping region and the second doping region are respectively disposed in the substrate at two sides of the control gate.
US08502295B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a gate insulating layer formed over a semiconductor substrate; a first conductive layer pattern for select transistors and memory cells formed on the gate insulating layer; a dielectric layer formed on the first conductive layer pattern; a second conductive layer pattern formed on the dielectric layer on the first conductive layer pattern for the memory cells; and select lines made of material having lower resistance than the second conductive layer pattern and coupled to the first conductive layer pattern for the select transistors.
US08502281B2
An integrated circuit and component is disclosed. In one embodiment, the component is a compensation component, configuring the compensation regions in the drift zone in V-shaped fashion in order to achieve a convergence of the space charge zones from the upper to the lower end of the compensation regions is disclosed.
US08502279B2
Semiconductor devices are formed with a nano-electro-mechanical system (NEMS) logic or memory on a bulk substrate. Embodiments include forming source/drain regions directly on a bulk substrate, forming a fin connecting the source/drain regions, forming two gates, one on each side of the fin, the two gates being insulated from the bulk substrate, and forming a substrate gate in the bulk substrate. The fin is separated from each of the two gates and the substrate gate with an air gap.
US08502271B2
A barrier-type photo-detector is provided with a Barrier between first and second layers. One of the layers is delineated into pixels without fully removing the non-pixel portions of the delineated layer. Delineation may be accomplished through material modification techniques such as ion damage, selective doping, ion induced disordering or layer material growth. Some variations may employ partial material removal techniques.
US08502260B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor light emitting device includes a semiconductor layer, a first electrode, a second electrode, an insulating layer, a first interconnect layer, a second interconnect layer, a first metal pillar, a second metal pillar, a film covering a side face of the first metal pillar and a side face of the second metal pillar, and a resin layer. The semiconductor layer includes a light emitting layer, a first major surface, and a second major surface formed on a side opposite to the first major surface. The film has a solder wettability poorer than a solder wettability of the first metal pillar and a solder wettability of the second metal pillar. The resin layer covers at least part of the film.
US08502251B2
An LED module comprises at least one LED chip emitting monochromatic light having a first spectrum, a platform on which the LED chip is mounted, a reflecting wall that is separate from or integrated into the platform and surrounds the LED chip on all sides, and a dispensed layer applied above the LED chip. The dispensed layer extends in a dome-shaped manner beyond the reflecting wall such that the following equation is satisfied: 0.1*b≦h≦0.5*b where h is the height of the dome-shaped dispensed layer, measured from the topmost point of the reflecting wall to the apex of the dome, and b is the diameter of the depression formed by the reflecting wall, measured as the distance from the central axis of the wall.
US08502241B2
The present invention is characterized in that a transistor with its L/W set to 10 or larger is employed, and that |VDS| of the transistor is set equal to or larger than 1 V and equal to or less than |VGS−Vth|. The transistor is used as a resistor so that the resistance of a light emitting element can be held by the transistor. This slows down an increase in internal resistance of the light emitting element and the resultant current value reduction. Accordingly, a change with time in light emission luminance is reduced and the reliability is improved.
US08502239B2
A light emitting diode chip having a substantially transparent substrate and having an aspect ratio, which defines an elongated geometry provides enhanced efficiency and brightness. Method for forming and operating the same are also disclosed.
US08502235B2
A monolithic electronic device includes a first nitride epitaxial structure including a plurality of nitride epitaxial layers. The plurality of nitride epitaxial layers include at least one common nitride epitaxial layer. A second nitride epitaxial structure is on the common nitride epitaxial layer of the first nitride epitaxial structure. A first plurality of electrical contacts is on the first epitaxial nitride structure and defines a first electronic device in the first nitride epitaxial structure. A second plurality of electrical contacts is on the first epitaxial nitride structure and defines a second electronic device in the second nitride epitaxial structure. A monolithic electronic device includes a bulk semi-insulating silicon carbide substrate having implanted source and drain regions and an implanted channel region between the source and drain regions, and a nitride epitaxial structure on the surface of the silicon carbide substrate. Corresponding methods are also disclosed.
US08502234B2
An integrated device including a vertical III-nitride FET and a Schottky diode includes a drain comprising a first III-nitride material, a drift region comprising a second III-nitride material coupled to the drain and disposed adjacent to the drain along a vertical direction, and a channel region comprising a third III-nitride material coupled to the drift region. The integrated device also includes a gate region at least partially surrounding the channel region, a source coupled to the channel region, and a Schottky contact coupled to the drift region. The channel region is disposed between the drain and the source along the vertical direction such that current flow during operation of the vertical III-nitride FET and the Schottky diode is along the vertical direction.
US08502232B2
A highly reliable capacitor, a semiconductor device having high operating performance and reliability, and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. A capacitor formed of a first conductive film 102, a dielectric 103 made of an insulating material, and a second conductive film 104 is characterized in that a pin hole 106 formed by chance in the dielectric 103 is filled up with an insulating material (filler) 107 made of a resin material. This can prevent short circuit between the first conductive film 102 and the second conductive film 104. The capacitor is used as a storage capacitor provided in a pixel of a semiconductor device.
US08502225B2
An object is to improve reliability of a light-emitting device. A light-emitting device has a driver circuit portion including a transistor for a driver circuit and a pixel portion including a transistor for a pixel over one substrate. The transistor for the driver circuit and the transistor for the pixel are inverted staggered transistors each including an oxide semiconductor layer in contact with part of an oxide insulating layer. In the pixel portion, a color filter layer and a light-emitting element are provided over the oxide insulating layer. In the transistor for the driver circuit, a conductive layer overlapping with a gate electrode layer and the oxide semiconductor layer is provided over the oxide insulating layer. The gate electrode layer, a source electrode layer, and a drain electrode layer are formed using metal conductive films.
US08502218B2
The present invention provides continuous, free-standing metal oxide films and methods for making said films. The methods are able to produce large-area, flexible, thin films having one or more continuous, single-crystalline metal oxide domains. The methods include the steps of forming a surfactant monolayer at the surface of an aqueous solution, wherein the headgroups of the surfactant molecules provide a metal oxide film growth template. When metal ions in the aqueous solution are exposed to the metal oxide film growth template in the presence of hydroxide ions under suitable conditions, a continuous, free-standing metal oxide film can be grown from the film growth template downward into the aqueous solution.
US08502207B2
An organic light emitting diode structure is disclosed. The hole transport layer of the organic light emitting diode structure is used as a first primary color light emitting layer. A second primary color light emitting unit and a third primary color light emitting unit are formed on the first primary color light emitting layer, and a part of the first primary color light emitting layer is exposed. A method for fabricating the organic light emitting diode structure is also disclosed.
US08502206B2
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) display device and a method of fabricating the same are disclosed. The OLED display device includes a plurality of scan lines, a plurality of data lines, and a plurality of pixels disposed in a region in which the scan lines cross the data lines, where each pixel of the plurality of pixels includes: a switching transistor including a first gate electrode, a first semiconductor layer disposed over the first gate electrode, a first gate insulating layer interposed between the first gate electrode and the first semiconductor layer, a first source electrode and a first drain electrode, a driving transistor including a second semiconductor layer, a second gate electrode disposed over the second semiconductor layer, a second gate insulating layer interposed between the second gate electrode and the second semiconductor layer, a second source electrode and a second drain electrode, and an organic light emitting diode electrically connected with the second source and second drain electrodes of the driving transistor, where the first and second semiconductor layers are formed of the same material, and from the same processing.
US08502197B2
A device including a locally modified buried first layer. A second layer is arranged on top of the first layer. The first layer includes at least one modified section and at least one unmodified section. The modified material of the locally modified buried first layer changes or induces mechanical strain in a portion of the second layer which is arranged above the at least one modified section. At least one nanostructure is placed on top of the second layer in an area, which is located above the at least one unmodified section of the first layer or adjacent thereto, said at least one nanostructure being formed by a strain-sensitive third material deposited on the locally strained second layer.
US08502195B2
Systems, methods and devices for the efficient photocurrent generation in single- or multi-walled carbon nanotubes, which includes (SWNTs)/poly [3-hexylthiophene-2,5-diyl] (P3HT) hybrid photovoltaics, and exhibit the following features: photocurrent measurement at individual SWNT/P3HT heterojunctions indicate that both semiconducting (s-) and metallic (m-) SWNTs function as excellent hole acceptors; electrical transport and gate voltage dependent photocurrent indicate that P3HT p-dopes both s-SWNT and m-SWNT, and exciton dissociation is driven by a built-in voltage at the heterojunction. Some embodiments include a mm2 scale SWNT/P3HT bilayer hybrid photovoltaics using horizontally aligned SWNT arrays, which exhibit greater than 90% effective external quantum efficiency, among other things, which advantageously provide carbon nanomaterial based low cost and high efficiency hybrid photovoltaics.
US08502186B2
A semiconductor memory device includes an isolation layer formed in a substrate and defining an active region, a trench formed in the substrate and defining a part of the active region as an active pillar; a word line formed inside the trench, a sub-source line formed under the trench and crossing the word line, a main source line formed over the substrate, coupled to the sub-source line, and crossing the word line, a variable resistor pattern formed over the active pillar, and a bit line contacting the variable resistor pattern and crossing the word line.
US08502178B2
An extreme ultraviolet light source apparatus, in which a target material is irradiated with a laser beam from a laser apparatus and the target material is turned into plasma, thereby emitting extreme ultraviolet light, may include a burst control unit configured to control irradiation of the target material is irradiated with the laser beam outputted successively in pulses from the laser apparatus when the extreme ultraviolet light is emitted successively in pulses. The target material is prevented from being turned into plasma by the laser beam while the laser beam is outputted successively in pulses from the laser apparatus when the successive pulsed emission is paused.
US08502172B1
A method and system for forming and using a fiducial on a sample to locate an area of interest on the sample, the method comprising forming a fiducial by depositing a block of material on a sample proximal to an area of interest on the sample, the block of material extending from the surface of the sample to a detectable extent above the surface of the sample; and milling, using a charged particle beam, a predetermined pattern into at least two exposed faces of the block of material; subsequent to forming the fiducial, detecting the location of the area of interest by detecting the location of the fiducial; and subsequent to detecting the location of the area of interest, imaging or milling the area of interest with a charged particle beam.
US08502167B2
The present invention provides a method for increasing the lifetime of an optical sensor. In one aspect, the method includes the step of configuring the optical sensor so that the duty cycle of sensor's radiant source is less than 100% over a continuous period amount of time when the sensor is periodically obtaining data regarding an analyte. By operating the sensor according to the above inventive method, the indicator molecules of the optical sensor are not excited during the entire continuous period of time during which the sensor is needed to provide data regarding the presence or concentration of a substance. Thus, the method increases the life of the indicator molecules.
US08502165B2
Disclosed herein is an ultraviolet sterilizer having a watertight function. The ultraviolet sterilizer includes a housing and an ultraviolet sterilization unit. The housing has an inlet through which ballast water is drawn into the housing, and an outlet through which the ballast water is discharged from the housing after the ballast water has been sterilized. The ultraviolet sterilization unit is provided in the housing and includes an ultraviolet lamp applying ultraviolet rays to the ballast water to sterilize the ballast water. The ultraviolet sterilizer further includes a cap which supports each of the opposite ends of the ultraviolet sterilization unit and is watertightly coupled to the housing. Thus, even if the ultraviolet sterilization unit is damaged, ballast water is prevented from being drawn into a reception space which contains external devices, and explosive gas which may cause the ultraviolet sterilizer to explode is also prevented from entering the cap.
US08502158B1
A detection unit for detecting ionizing radiation including a crystal that interacts with incoming radiation; a processing module that analyzes the incoming radiation detected by the crystal; a positioning module that determines position of the detection unit; and a network interface module that receives and transmits time stamped radiation data and position information from/to a plurality of other detection units. The detection unit automatically identifies other detection units that are located close to form a cluster. The detection unit also includes radiation data integration logic that integrates the incoming radiation data from all detectors in cluster, the position of the detection unit, the received radiation data from other detection units and the received position information from other detection units in real time, and process it simultaneously, that allows significantly improve performance and reliability.
US08502155B2
A radiation sensing device subdivided in N*M pixels, comprising: a conversion part to convert an impinging radiation into an electrical signal, a processing part having: for each pixel, at least two counters associated to different regions, so that a ratio of counters to pixels is at least equal to 2, an arbitration circuit which, for each pixel: receives detection information from the pixel and neighbouring pixels, taking into account detection information for the pixel and neighbouring pixels, allocates a detection value to an elected counter.
US08502150B2
A pyroelectric detector includes a substrate, a support member, a spacer member, and a pyroelectric detecting element. The spacer member supports the support member over the substrate with a cavity part being formed therebetween. The pyroelectric detecting element includes a first electrode mounted on the support member, a second electrode, and a pyroelectric body between the first and second electrodes. The first electrode includes a first region on which the pyroelectric body is layered, and a second region protruding from the first region in plan view. The support member includes an insulating layer, a first wiring layer disposed on the second surface side of the insulating layer, and a first plug passing through the insulating layer at a position where the first wiring layer and the second region of the first electrode overlap in plan view to connect the first wiring layer with the first electrode.
US08502149B2
A thermal detector includes: a substrate; a support member supported so that a cavity is formed between the substrate and the support member; a heat-detecting element supported on the support member; a thermal transfer member disposed over the heat-detecting element, and including a thermal collecting portion made of a material having light-reflecting characteristics and having a pattern with which a portion of light incident to a region defined by the support member as seen in plan view enters towards the support member, and a connecting portion connecting the thermal collecting portion to the heat-detecting element; a first light-absorbing layer contacting the thermal transfer member between the thermal transfer member and the support member; and a second light-absorbing layer contacting the thermal transfer member and disposed on the thermal transfer member.
US08502140B2
An Atmospheric Pressure Chemical Ionization (APCI) source interfaced to a mass spectrometer is configured with a corona discharge needle positioned inside the APCI inlet probe assembly. Liquid sample flowing into the APCI inlet probe is nebulized and vaporized prior to passing through the corona discharge region all contained in the APCI inlet probe assembly Ions produced in the corona discharge region are focused toward the APCI probe centerline to maximize ion transmission through the APCI probe exit. External electric fields penetrating into the APCI probe exit end opening providing additional centerline focusing of sample ions exiting the APCI probe. The APCI probe is configured to shield the electric field from the corona discharge region while allowing penetration of an external electric field to focus APCI generated ions into an orifice into vacuum for mass to charge analysis. Ions that exit the APCI probe are directed only by external electric fields and gas flow maximizing ion transmission into a mass to charge analyzer. The new APCI probe can be configured to operate as a stand alone APCI source inlet probe, as a reagent ion gun for ionizing samples introduced on solids or liquid sample probes or through gas inlets in a multiple function ion source or as the APCI portion of a combination Electrospray and APCI multiple function ion source. Sample ions and gas phase reagent ions are generated in the APCI probe from liquid or gas inlet species or mixtures of both.
US08502137B2
Described herein are methods that may be used related to mass spectrometry, such as mass spectrometry analysis, mass spectrometry calibration, identification of proteins/peptides by mass spectrometry and/or mass spectrometry data collection strategies. In one embodiment, the subject matter discloses a phase-modeling analysis method for identification of proteins or peptides by mass spectrometry.
US08502128B1
A dual-mode sensor uses the active guidance radiation as a “guide star” to generate a wavefront error estimate for the primary optical element in-situ without interfering with the generation of either the active guidance or passive imaging guidance signals. An array of optical focusing elements performs the normal function of spatially encoding an angle of incidence of the active guidance radiation at an entrance pupil onto an active imaging detector. The array also performs an additional function of spatially encoding wavefront tilt deviations emanating from sub-pupils of an exit pupil onto the active imaging detector. A processor processes the electrical signals from the imaging detector in accordance with the respective spatial encodings to generate an active guidance signal and the wavefront error estimate for the primary optical element.
US08502127B2
An optical guidance system for guiding a projectile is disclosed. The optical guidance system includes a laser, a first and second cylindrical holographic lenses and a variable zoom lens. The laser generates a laser beam, and the first and second cylindrical holographic lenses transform the laser beam into a x-direction and y-direction scan patterns, respectively. The variable zoom lens projects the x-direction and y-direction scan patterns in the form of multiple scan fields, each within a scan corridor, in order to guide a projectile along a flight path towards a target.
US08502126B2
One example embodiment relates to a navigation system for a guided projectile. The navigation system includes a detector within the guided projectile. The detector determines an actual amount of time it takes after launch for the guided projectile to accelerate through mach one. The navigation system further includes a guidance system within the object. The guidance system includes a projected flight plan for the guided projectile. The projected flight plan includes an estimated amount of time after launch it will take the object to accelerate through the speed of sound. The guidance system compares the actual amount of time and the estimated amount of time and adjusts the flight path of the guided projectile based on data received from the detector.
US08502124B2
A conveyor oven having an oven chamber with a single opening by which a food product enters and exits on a conveyor belt that is reversibly driven to convey the food product in and out of the oven chamber in a reciprocating manner. Also, the food is conveyed to a cooking position in an oscillating range within the oven chamber and then moved back and forth in the cooking range in an oscillatory manner within the oscillating range so as to prevent burning that would otherwise occur if left stationary.
US08502123B2
An apparatus to protect a half or full bridge circuit including a first switching unit and a second switching unit in an image forming apparatus performing induction heating, the apparatus including a switching control unit to control operations of the first switching unit and the second switching unit by generating and outputting a first driving signal to turn on or off the first switching unit and a second driving signal to turn on or off the second switching unit; and an arm-short detecting unit to output a disable signal to stop operation of the switching control unit in response to the first driving signal and the second driving signal simultaneously being signals to turn on the first switching unit and the second switching unit.
US08502120B2
An insulated conductor heater may include an electrical conductor that produces heat when an electrical current is provided to the electrical conductor. An electrical insulator at least partially surrounds the electrical conductor. The electrical insulator comprises a resistivity that remains substantially constant, or increases, over time when the electrical conductor produces heat. An outer electrical conductor at least partially surrounds the electrical insulator.
US08502119B2
A travel drive for a traversable or rotatable device. The drive includes at least one pin wheel engaging teeth of a gear ring. This abstract is not intended to define the invention disclosed in the specification, nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.
US08502112B2
A variable astigmatic focal beam spot is formed using lasers with an anamorphic beam delivery system. The variable astigmatic focal beam spot can be used for cutting applications, for example, to scribe semiconductor wafers such as light emitting diode (LED) wafers. The exemplary anamorphic beam delivery system comprises a series of optical components, which deliberately introduce astigmatism to produce focal points separated into two principal meridians, i.e. vertical and horizontal. The astigmatic focal points result in an asymmetric, yet sharply focused, beam spot that consists of sharpened leading and trailing edges. Adjusting the astigmatic focal points changes the aspect ratio of the compressed focal beam spot, allowing adjustment of energy density at the target without affecting laser output power. Scribing wafers with properly optimized energy and power density increases scribing speeds while minimizing excessive heating and collateral material damage.
US08502108B2
A microhollow cathode discharge assembly capable of generating a low temperature, atmospheric pressure plasma micro jet is disclosed. The microhollow assembly has two electrodes: an anode and a cathode separated by a dielectric. A microhollow gas passage is disposed through the three layers. In some embodiments, the passage is tapered such that the area at the first electrode is larger than the area at the second electrode. When a potential is placed across the electrodes and a gas is directed through the gas passage, then a low temperature micro plasma jet can be created at atmospheric pressure or above.
US08502105B2
The joining method includes a step of lapping the aluminum alloy plate and the plated steel plate via adhesive, a pre-heating step of clamping both metal plates lapped in the lapping step between a pair of electrodes for spot welding and applying pressure thereto, and applying a current between the pair of electrodes, a cooling step of pressurizing both metal plates at a pressing force higher than that at the start of the pre-heating step in a state where conduction between the electrodes is stopped, and continuing this pressurization over a predetermined cooling time, and a welding step of pressurizing both metal plates at a pressing force higher than that at the start of the pre-heating step, and welding both of the metal plates by applying a current higher than the conduction current value in the pre-heating step between the pair of electrodes.
US08502103B2
A submerged arc welding apparatus of the present invention includes: a flux receiver for receiving and holding flux in an area formed by itself and a workpiece inside thereof when abutting against the workpiece on the open side; a flux feeder for supplying flux to the flux receiver; a welding torch for supplying a welding wire toward the workpiece with the tip disposed in the area where the flux is held; and a moving mechanism for moving the flux receiver and the welding torch along the direction of a welding line of the workpiece with the flux receiver abutting against the workpiece. A submerged arc welding method of the present invention includes: performing welding by opposing the welding torch to the workpiece and by moving the welding torch along the direction of the welding line with flux held in an area formed between the workpiece and the welding torch.
US08502101B2
An exemplary high voltage circuit breaker includes an interruption chamber that is filled with an extinguishing agent. The interruption chamber having at least two separable arcing contact pieces that are coaxially arranged and an arcing zone in which an electric arc is producible during an interruption process. The interruption chamber includes at least two inlets and at least one outlet located in between the two inlets. The inlets and the at least one outlet are connected with the arcing zone such that the electric arc is extinguishable in at least three arc interruption zones by means of extinguishing flows streaming out of the at least two inlets into the arcing zone upon pressurization and introduction of a portion of the extinguishing agent in the arcing zone, and leading an amount of the extinguishing flows through the outlet out of the arcing zone.
US08502093B2
In a multidirectional operating switch, an operating body has a support having a spherically convex surface on the lower end of a central cylinder, and a holding base has a retainer having a spherically concave surface disposed opposite to the support. Through the movement of the support sliding over the retainer, the holding base retains the operating body rockably in multiple directions. The rotational center of the rocking movement of the operating body coincides with the position at which the push element is in contact with the push section disposed at the lower end of the operation button.
US08502085B2
A multi-layer substrate includes a plurality of substrate main bodies, a plurality of layers which are alternately layered with the main bodies, a signal via hole which is connected with a signal line and includes a signal column which passes through at least one substrate main body; and a sub via hole which includes a sub column which surrounds the signal column, and a pair of sub pads which extend from end parts of the sub column to be formed to the layers, the layers which are formed with the sub pads being disposed in the same layer as the layers which are formed with the signal line of the signal via hole, or being disposed outside the layers which are formed with the signal line which is connected with the signal via hole.
US08502074B2
A sealing device and method of making it for insulating and sealing a joint electrically connecting a wire or ribbon anode to an electrical cable. The cable is insulated except at an open region where the wire anode is connected to it. The sealing device comprises a body of an insulating material molded in situ about the electrical joint to completely cover it and bond to portions of the electrically insulating covering contiguous with the joint to thereby insulate the joint and prevent the ingress of water or other materials into the joint.
US08502068B2
The present invention discloses a solar cell having a multi-layered structure that is used to generate, transport, and collect electric charges. The multi-layered nanostructure comprises a cathode, a conducting metal layer, a photo-active layer, a hole-transport layer, and an anode. The photo-active layer comprises a tree-like nanostructure array and a conjugate polymer filler. The tree-like nanostructure array is used as an electron acceptor while the conjugate polymer filler is as an electron donor. The tree-like nanostructure array comprises a trunk part and a branch part. The trunk part is formed in-situ on the surface of the conducting metal layer and is used to provide a long straight transport pathway to transport electrons. The large contact area between the branch part and the conjugate polymer filler provides electron-hole separation.
US08502066B2
Certain example embodiments of this invention relate to a front transparent conductive electrode for solar cell devices (e.g., amorphous silicon or a-Si solar cell devices), and/or methods of making the same. Advantageously, certain example embodiments enable high haze to be realized in the top layer of the thin film stack. In certain example embodiments, an insertion layer comprising ITO or AZO is provided between a layer of AZO and a layer of ITO. The AZO may be deposited at room temperature. The insertion layer is provided with an oxygen content selected so that the insertion layer sufficient to alter the crystalline growth of the layer of AZO compared to a situation where no insertion layer is provided. In certain example embodiments, the layer of ITO may be ion-beam treated so as to roughen a surface thereof. The ion beam treating may be performed a voltage sufficient to alter the crystalline growth of the layer of AZO compared to a situation where no insertion layer is provided.
US08502065B2
Photovoltaic device including flexible or inflexibel substrate and method for manufacturing the same
Disclosed is a photovoltaic device. The photovoltaic device includes: a first electrode and a second electrode; a first unit cell and a second unit cell which are placed between the first electrode and the second electrode and include a first conductive semiconductor layer, an intrinsic semiconductor layer and a second conductive semiconductor layer; and an intermediate reflector which is placed between the first unit cell and the second unit cell, and includes a hydrogenated amorphous carbon layer.
US08502063B1
A lightweight, miniature torpedo has a contact and attachment assembly that is operable to hold the torpedo to a ship's hull in response to contact with the ship's hull, a chamber containing a plurality of flammable elements that are sequentially ignited and burn against the ship's hull at a combustion temperature that is higher than a melting temperature of the material of the ship's hull, and a propulsion and steering assembly that propels and directs the torpedo through water to the ship's hull. The torpedo is constructed with a size and weight that enables it to be carried by and launched from an unmanned aerial vehicle.
US08502061B1
A signal processing circuit allows a stringed instrument, like a guitar, to produce audio in an extended range. In the case of an electric guitar, the guitar can produce audio in an extended range including conventional lead and bass. An electric pickup for a stringed instrument includes an onboard rechargeable battery that modifies and boosts the signal produced by the pickup.
US08502053B2
The invention is generally a pick apparatus for playing a stringed musical instrument having an elastic and generally cylindrically shaped cot having an opening and a tip, and has a substantially uniform thickness, as well as a pick capable of plucking a string of a musical instrument attached thereto proximate to the cot's hemisphere and extending beyond the hemisphere away from the cot such that the pick is capable of plucking a string of a musical instrument when the cot is being worn on a digit of a user.
US08502051B2
A new and distinct Guzmania hybrid named ‘REMIX’ characterized by solid growth habit; funnel-form rosette plant, measuring about 35 cm to 42 cm in height (above the pot when flowering); numerous, green color foliage, measuring about 40 cm to 46 cm in length and about 2.5 cm to 3.5 cm in width; superior floral bract production; bracts have a unique, red with yellow inflorescence which distinguishes this cultivar from typical Guzmania; compound inflorescence, measuring about 9 cm in height and about 16 cm in diameter; and long-lasting habit.
US08502047B1
The invention provides seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated 980001. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety 980001, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety 980001 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety 980001.
US08502046B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH131799. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH131799, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH131799 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH131799.
US08502035B1
A soybean cultivar designated 16352100 is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of soybean cultivar 16352100, to the plants of soybean cultivar 16352100, to the plant parts of soybean cultivar 16352100, and to methods for producing progeny of soybean cultivar 16352100. The invention also relates to methods for producing a soybean plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic soybean plants and plant parts produced by those methods. The invention also relates to soybean cultivars or breeding cultivars, and plant parts derived from soybean cultivar 16352100. The invention also relates to methods for producing other soybean cultivars, lines, or plant parts derived from soybean cultivar 16352100, and to the soybean plants, varieties, and their parts derived from use of those methods. The invention further relates to hybrid soybean seeds, plants, and plant parts produced by crossing cultivar 16352100 with another soybean cultivar.
US08502021B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH157635. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH157635, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH157635 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH157635.
US08502020B1
A novel maize variety designated X03B509 and seed, plants and plant parts thereof, produced by crossing Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. proprietary inbred maize varieties. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprises crossing hybrid maize variety X03B509 with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into X03B509 through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. This invention relates to the maize variety X03B509, the seed, the plant produced from the seed, and variants, mutants, and minor modifications of maize variety X03B509. This invention further relates to methods for producing maize varieties derived from maize variety X03B509.
US08502019B2
A method for increasing production of hybrid seed of bee-pollinated crops, such as alfalfa and soybean at predetermined hybridity levels. Hybrid seed is produced using female and pollenizer plants at a selected ratio of female plants to pollenizer plants. The female plants and the pollenizer plants are intermingled in the hybrid seed production field. Prediction of percentage of hybridity at various female to pollenizer ratios allows for selection of a ratio of female plants to pollenizer plants to provide seed at a test percentage of hybridity. The percentage of hybridity may be increased post-harvest by employing techniques using seed properties such as size differential, color or density to remove a higher percentage of non-hybrid seed. The hybrid seed product is maximized at various hybridity levels. Planting according to subrows allows for separate harvesting of intermingled crops. Testing the hybrid seed product provides verification of percentage of hybridity.
US08502014B2
The present invention relates to a method for the generation of single chain immunoglobulins in a mammal. In particular, the present invention relates to a method for the generation of single chain camelid VHH antibodies in a mammal which undergo the process of class-switching and affinity maturation found within antibody producing B cells. Single chain antibodies generated using the method of the present invention and the uses thereof are also described.
US08502012B2
An absorbent layer containing water-absorbing polymeric particles that are surface-treated and that are immobilized by a matrix, formed from a thermoplastic adhesive component, including a thermoplastic polymers and a specific plasticizer, and being free of low weight average molecular weight (e.g. below 1000, or below 2000 or even below 3000 g/mole) tackifiers and plasticizers. The absorbent articles may for example be adult incontinence articles, infant (e.g. baby, toddler) diapers, including training pants, and feminine hygiene articles, such as sanitary napkins.
US08502005B1
A method for producing a linear paraffin product from natural oil and kerosene includes providing a first feed stream comprising kerosene, pre-fractionating the first feed stream to produce a heart cut paraffin stream comprising paraffins in a heart cut range, and combining the heart cut paraffin stream with a second feed stream comprising natural oil to form a combined stream. The method further includes deoxygenating the natural oil and fractionating the combined stream to remove paraffins that are heavier than the heart cut range.
US08502003B2
A lignocellulosic biomass material is converted into precursors for liquid hydrocarbon transportation fuels by contacting the biomass material with water and carbon monoxide at elevated temperature, typically from 280 to 350° C., an elevated pressure, typically a total system pressure of 12 to 30 MPa and a CO partial pressure from 5 to 10 MPa and a weight ratio of water:biomass material from 0.5:1 to 5.0:1, to dissolve the biomass material into the reaction mixture and depolymerize, deoxygenate and hydrogenate the lignocellulose biomass material, so converting the biomass material into liquid transportation fuel precursors.
US08501992B2
The present invention provides compound of Formula (I): or a stereoisomer, tautomer, salt or solvate thereof, wherein the variables are defined herein. The compounds of formula (I) are inhibitors of Bcl-2 family antiapoptotic proteins, compositions containing the compounds and methods of treating diseases using the compounds.
US08501991B2
The present invention relates to compounds which activate the p53 response, and find use in, for example, hyperproliferative diseases such as cancer treatment and potentially other diseases/conditions (involving sirtuin function).
US08501987B2
Process for producing glycolic acid by contacting carbon monoxide and formaldehyde, optionally in the presence of a solvent, with a catalyst including a solid acid. The solid acid is an acidic polyoxometalate compound insoluble in formaldehyde, glycolic acid and the optional solvent, and has a concentration of acid sites of greater than 60 μmol g−1 on the external surface and/or a Hammett Acidity value of less than −12.8.
US08501979B2
A process for the preparation of compounds containing nitrile functions and, more specifically, compounds containing two nitrile functions, such as succinonitrile and adiponitrile, is described. A process for preparing dintrile compounds obtained by reacting ammonia with an aqueous solution of a dicarboxyl compound in the presence of a silicon orthophosphate catalyst is also described.
US08501978B2
A process for manufacturing a polyfluroalkanoyl phosphorodichloridate comprising reacting a polyfluoroalkanol having the general formula Rf—CH2—OH, wherein Rf is a linear or branched C1-C8 perfluoroalkyl group optionally interrupted by O, with at least 4 moles of POCl3 per mole of Rf—CH2—OH in the presence of 0.1 to 0.2 moles of LiCl catalyst per mole of Rf—CH2—OH at a temperature between 95° C. and 110° C. to form a phosphorodichloridate of the general formula Rf—CH2—O—P(O)Cl2.
US08501970B2
The invention relates to a novel process for the preparation of C-4 coupled flavonoids, proanthocyanidins and analogues thereof. According to a specific application of the invention, there is provided a method for the preparation of proanthocyanidins and proanthocyanidin analogues.
US08501967B2
A process for the preparation of N-monosubstituted β-aminoalcohol sulfonates of formula (1a), (1b): wherein R1 is C6-20-aryl or C4-12-heteroaryl, each optionally being substituted with one or more halogen atoms and/or one or more C1-4-alkyl or C1-4-alkoxy groups, R2 is C1-4-alkyl or C6-20-aryl, each aryl optionally being substituted with one or more halogen atoms and/or one or more C1-4-alkyl or C1-4-alkoxy groups, and wherein R3 is selected from the group consisting of C1-18-alkyl, C6-20-cycloalkyl, C6-20-aryl and C7-20-aralkyl residues; including a) reacting a methyl ketone, a primary amine, formaldehyde and a sulfonic acid, at a pressure above 1.5 bar, optionally in a organic solvent, said organic solvent which can include water to provide N-monosubstituted β-aminoketone sulfonates of formula (II): wherein R1, R2 and R3 are as defined above, and b) asymmetrically hydrogenating.
US08501965B2
An inexpensive and industrially advantageous method for producing optically active syn-3-(N-substituted-aminomethyl)-4-fluoropyrrolidine which may be an intermediate for producing pharmaceuticals is provided. The present invention relates a method for producing a syn-1-protected-4-fluoro-3-(N-substituted-N-nitrobenzenesulfonyl)pyrrolidine derivative or it's enantiomer, or their salts comprising the process of fluorinating a compound represented by the general formula (6) (in the formula, PG1 represents a protecting group for an amino group, R1 represents a C1 to C6 alkyl group which may be substituted or a C3 to C8 cycloalkyl group which may be substituted, and Ns represents a 2-nitrobenzenesulfonyl group or a 4-nitrobenzenesulfonyl group) or it's enantiomer using a nucleophilic fluorinating agent and an organic base having an amidine or guanidine structure.
US08501960B2
The invention provides Saxagliptin Schiff bases, polymorphs of Saxagliptin and (1S,3S,5S)-2-[(2S)-2-propan-2-ylideneamino-2-(3-hydroxy-1-adamantyl)acetyl]-2-azabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane-3-carbonitrile, processes for preparing Saxagliptin hydrates, and pharmaceutical compositions thereof.
US08501957B2
Benzimidazole compounds of formula (I): wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, X, Y, Z1, and Z2 are defined herein. Also disclosed is a method for treating cancer with benzimidazole compounds.
US08501953B2
Compounds that modulate pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) are described herein. Also described herein are pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds, and methods of using the compounds in the treatment of cancer.
US08501952B2
The present invention is directed to a fluorosilane represented by (L)3-Si—(CH2)n—N(-Q3-Rf)-Q1-Rf where each n is independently an integer from 1 to 12; L is independently chosen from a hydrolysable or non-hydrolysable monovalent group Rf is chosen from a C2-C12 perfluoroalkyl provided that: i) one fluorine atom of the perfluoroalkyl can be optionally replaced by hydrogen, and/or ii) the perfluoroalkyl can be optionally interrupted by at least one oxygen, methylene, or ethylene; Q1 is chosen from the group consisting of a C2-C12 hydrocarbylene optionally interrupted by at least one divalent organic group; X1 is chosen from O or S; and b) Q1 and Q3 are independently chosen from the group consisting of a C2-C12 hydrocarbylene interrupted by at least one of —C(O)—O— or —O—C(O)—, and optionally further interrupted by at least one divalent organic group.
US08501934B2
Methods of preparing ZC-423 (I) which result in varying enantiomeric ratios.
US08501932B2
Procedure for the preparation of cationic guar having DS comprised between 0.01 and 3, free from boron and suitable for the use in the cosmetic field and in household cleaning products, comprising the following steps: a) 100 parts by weight of guar flour are reacted with 3-chloro-2-hydroxypropyl trimethylammonium chloride and sodium hydroxide in from 5 to 500 parts by weight of a water and alcohol mixture containing from 20 to 50% by weight of water; b) the amount of water and alcohol is regulated in order to obtain a dispersion containing from 65 to 95% by weight of a of water and alcohol mixture containing from 30 to 50% by weight of water and the dispersion is maintained under stirring at temperature comprised between 15 and 40° C. for at least 10 minutes; c) the mixture is filtered under vacuum and dried to obtain the purified cationic guar.
US08501908B2
The present invention relates to immunogenic peptides and their various applications. In particular the invention relates to immunogenic peptides derived from the PASD1 protein and their use in therapeutic, diagnostic and prognostic methods.
US08501907B2
The invention relates to antibody compositions and use of the composition to detect disease processes associated with elaboration of proteases. The reagents are directed to assessing an IgG breakdown product that is the result of such proteolytic cleavage. The invention further relates to the use of a therapeutic immunospecific for IgG protease cleavage products to restore effector function to antibody compositions that are subject to protease cleavage.
US08501897B2
The present invention provides a method for producing a liquid-crystalline polyester, which comprises melt-polymerizing monomers in a reactor having a draw outlet to obtain a polymer melt and drawing the polymer melt through the draw outlet, characterized in that the monomers comprise a compound selected from an aromatic hydroxycarboxylic acid and derivatives thereof, a compound selected from an aromatic dicarboxylic acid and derivatives thereof and a compound selected from an aromatic diol, an aromatic hydroxyamine, an aromatic diamine and derivatives thereof; the amount of units derived from a compound containing a 1,2-phenylene and/or a 1,3-phenylene skeleton(s) in the polyester is from 0 to 10 mol %; the melt polymerization is performed in the presence of a heterocyclic compound containing two or more nitrogen atoms; and the polymer melt has a flow initiation temperature of from 220 to 250° C.
US08501892B2
Ethylene propylene copolymers, substantially free of diene, are described. The copolymers will have a uniform distribution of both tacticity and comonomer between copolymer chains. Further, the copolymers will exhibit a statistically insignificant intramolecular difference of tacticity. The copolymers are made in the presence of a metallocene catalyst.
US08501891B2
An ethylene-α-olefin copolymer wherein the copolymer has a monomer unit based on ethylene and a monomer unit based on an α-olefin having 3 to 20 carbon atoms, the density (d) is 860 to 950 kg/m3, the melt flow rate (MFR) is 1 to 100 g/10 min, the flow activation energy (Ea) is 60 kJ/mol or more, the ratio (Mw/Mn) of the weight average molecular weight (Mw) to the number average molecular weight (Mn) is 5.5 to 30, the ratio (Mz/Mw) of the Z average molecular weight (Mz) to the weight average molecular weight (Mw) is 2 to 5, and the swell ratio (SR) is 1.55 or more and less than 1.8.
US08501886B2
The invention is a two part polymerizable composition comprising in one part an organoboron compound capable of forming free radical generating species amine complex and in the second part one or more compounds capable of free radical polymerization and a cure accelerator comprising a) at least one compound containing a quinone structure or b) at least one compound containing at least one aromatic ring and one or more, preferably two substituents on the aromatic ring selected from hydroxyl, ether and both, where there are two substituents they are located either ortho or para with respect to one another and a peroxide containing compound. The second part may further contain an agent capable of causing the organoboron compound to form free radical generating species upon contacting the two parts. The first part may further comprises one or more compounds capable of free radical polymerization. This facilitates formulating compositions that have commercially desirable volumetric ratios of the two parts. Adhesive compositions of the present formulation provide excellent adhesion to low surface energy substrates, such as plastics.
US08501882B2
Methods of controlling polymerization reactions using a synergistic amount of hydrogen and an organozinc compound are disclosed. The resulting polymers have lower molecular weights and higher melt flow indices.
US08501873B2
A homogeneously surface cross-linked water absorbent resin and a method for the production thereof are provided.The water absorbent material is formed of a surface cross-linked water absorbent resin resulting from granular irregularly pulverized shaped surface cross-linking the product of partial neutralization or whole neutralization of a water absorbent resin having acrylic acid or a metal salt thereof as a main component, which water absorbent material shows a metal atom concentration on the surface of the water absorbent material in the range of 0-10% within 0 second of polishing and 2-35% at 10 seconds value of polishing as determined by subjecting the water absorbent material to Ar ion discharge polishing under a voltage of 500 Å. The surface cross-linked water absorbent resin to be used herein can be produced by surface cross-linking a water absorbent resin having a specific particle diameter with a surface cross-linking agent having a water concentration in a specific range.
US08501871B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a golf ball having an excellent properties like flight distance and low temperature durability. The present invention provides a golf ball comprising: a core consisting of a center and one or more intermediate layers covering the center; and a cover covering the core, wherein at least one piece or one layer of said intermediate layers is formed from a highly elastic intermediate layer composition that contains (A) a highly elastic polyamide resin having a flexural modulus in a range from 700 MPa to 5,000 MPa; (B) a metal-neutralized product of ethylene-(meth)acrylic acid copolymer and (C) a resin having a polar functional group in a specific way.
US08501864B2
The present invention relates to an insulating composition for an electric power cable which comprises a polyolefin, an antioxidant, and a polar copolymer. Further, the present invention relates to an electric power cable comprising an insulating layer including a composition according to the present invention, and to the use of a polar copolymer for improving the storage stability, i.e. reducing the exudation of an antioxidant, in an insulating polymer composition. Thereby, said composition comprises polar monomer units in a comparatively small amount, e.g. in an amount of polar monomer units in the total polymer part of the composition from 1 to 100 micromol (1·10″6 to 100·106 mol) per gram of polymer in addition to an antioxidant.
US08501858B2
Graphite nanoplatelets of expanded graphite and polymer composites produced therefrom are described. The graphite is expanded from an intercalated graphite by microwaves or radiofrequency waves in the presence of a gaseous atmosphere. The composites have barrier and/or conductive properties due to the expanded graphite.
US08501857B2
A silicone coating composition is provided comprising (A) a hydrolytic condensate obtained by (co)hydrolytic condensation of an alkoxysilane, (B) colloidal silica, (C) a urethane-modified vinyl polymer, (D) a curing catalyst, and (E) a solvent, the solid content of component (C) being 1 to 30% by weight based on the total solid content of components (A) and (B). The silicone coating composition can be coated and cured to an organic resin substrate without a need for primer, and the cured coating is abrasion resistant and transparent to visible light.
US08501854B2
Composite particles of a metal oxide particle within a crosslinked, cored dendrimer are described. Additionally, methods of making the composite particles and compositions that contain the composite particles are described.
US08501850B2
The invention provides compositions and methods for inducing and enhancing order and nanostructures in block copolymers and surfactants by certain nonpolymeric additives, such as nanoparticles having an inorganic core and organic functional groups capable of hydrogen bonding. Various compositions having lattice order and nanostructures have been made from a variety of copolymers or surfactants that are mixed with nonpolymeric additives. Particularly, a variety of nanoparticles with an inorganic core and organic functional groups have been discovered to be effective in introducing or enhancing the degree of orders and nanostructures in diverse block copolymers and surfactants.
US08501848B2
A polycarbonate resin composition for a flame retardant film includes 100 parts by weight of a polycarbonate resin, about 0.01 to about 10 parts by weight of a silicon compound, about 0.01 to about 1.5 parts by weight of an organic sulfonic acid metal salt having an average particle diameter of about 100 to about 400 μm, and about 0.01 to about 1 part by weight of a polyfluoroethylene resin.
US08501847B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a thermoplastic elastomer resin composition and a connector, which can be processed by mold forming and are excellent in the recycling property. The present invention provides a thermoplastic elastomer resin composition including 100 parts by weight of a base resin containing from 60 to 80 wt % of an acid-modified styrene-based elastomer and from 40 to 20 wt % of a syndiotactic polystyrene, and from 0 to 20 parts by weight of a hydrogenated dicyclopentadiene; and a connector using the composition.
US08501846B2
Stabilizer compositions comprise phosphate of the formula I or II, a phosphite of the formula III, and a phenol of the formula IV as these formulas are defined herein. The stabilizer compositions are useful for stabilizing polymers. Methods for making stabilized polymer compositions involve intermixing the stabilizer compositions and the polymers, e.g., by extruding, pelletizing, and/or molding.
US08501840B2
Water based slurry compositions for making an environmental barrier coating including from about 1 wt % to about 99.9 wt % water; from about 0.1 wt % to about 72 wt % primary material; and from about 0.1 wt % to about 25 wt % slurry sintering aid.
US08501833B2
The present invention provides a method and a formulation for consistently producing a silicone hydrogel material having relatively high oxygen permeability, relatively high ion permeability, and low modulus, and contact lenses prepared from a formulation of the invention or made of a silicone hydrogel material of the invention.
US08501825B2
Formulations useful for preparing hydrous hafnium oxide gels contain a metal salt including hafnium, an acid, an organic base, and a complexing agent. Methods for preparing gels containing hydrous hafnium oxide include heating a formulation to a temperature sufficient to induce gel formation, where the formulation contains a metal salt including hafnium, an acid, an organic base, and a complexing agent.
US08501820B2
A pharmaceutical composition including a salt of rhodizonic acid, an OH anion-generating base, a non-toxic acid, a quinone, a salt-containing sulfite, catechol and, optionally, an acetogenin. The formulation demonstrates positive effects against cancer, autoimmune disease, viruses and provides antioxidant protection against peroxyl, hydroxyl and super oxide radicals.
US08501807B2
Disclosed is a pentaerythritol derivative represented by the following Formula 1, which improves moisture retaining ability of the stratum corneum when applied to the skin, and shows especially high moisturizing ability even in dry conditions. wherein R is independently saturated or unsaturated C6-C18 alkyl group; m and n are the same or different integers of which m is 0 to 10 and n is 1 to 10.
US08501802B2
The present invention relates to co-crystals of duloxetine and co-crystal formers selected from COX-INHIBITORs, processes for preparation of the same and their uses as medicaments or in pharmaceutical formulations, more particularly for the treatment of pain.
US08501792B2
Treatment of cancer includes administering a compound of formula I, for example des-ritonavir, to a subject. In particular, treatment of breast cancer is described.
US08501775B2
The present invention relates to compositions comprising certain active compounds which are suitable as repellents, and to their use for preventing an infection of humans or of animals by the infectious states of parasitic flatworms (platyhelminths).
US08501774B2
The present invention relates to compounds of the Formula (I) that are useful antimicrobial agents and effective against a variety of multi-drug resistant bacteria:
US08501770B2
The present invention relates to substituted imidazopyridinyl-aminopyridine compounds and methods of synthesizing these compounds. The present invention also relates to pharmaceutical compositions containing substituted imidazopyridinyl-aminopyridine compounds and methods of treating cell proliferative disorders, such as cancer, by administering these compounds and pharmaceutical compositions to subjects in need thereof.
US08501769B2
The present invention discloses fused thienopyridyl compounds of general formula (I) wherein X1-X6, R5-R7, Z1 and L are as defined in the description. The resent invention also discloses a method for inhibiting the VR1 receptor in mammals using these compounds, a method for controlling pain, urinary incontinence, bladder overactivity, and inflammatory thermal hyperalgesia in mammals, and pharmaceutical compositions including those compounds.
US08501757B2
Disclosed are negative allosteric modulators of the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5); synthetic methods for making the compounds; pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds; and methods of treating neurological and psychiatric disorders associated with glutamate dysfunction using the compounds and compositions. This abstract is intended as a scanning tool for purposes of searching in the particular art and is not intended to be limiting of the present invention.
US08501754B2
Novel quinazolinamide derivatives of the formula (I), in which R1-R3 have the meanings indicated in Claim 1, are HSP90 inhibitors and can be used for the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of diseases in which the inhibition, regulation and/or modulation of HSP90 plays a role.
US08501750B2
Heterocyclic compounds, pharmaceutical agent and methods thereof, having superior pharmacological action and/or physicochemical properties, which are useful for the prophylaxis or treatment of circulatory diseases such as hypertension, cardiac diseases, arteriosclerosis, renal diseases and cerebral apoplexy and/or metabolic diseases such as hyperlipidemia, obesity and diabetes and/or central nervous disorders such as cerebral infarction, and/or mental diseases such as dementia depression and depression.
US08501749B2
Disclosed are small molecule inhibitors of the formula (I), which are useful in treating various diseases and conditions involving chymase.
US08501742B2
The present invention relates to a method of treating a patient suffering from a disorder of the central nervous system associated with 5-HT1A receptor subtype, comprising as an active ingredient a carbostyril derivative or a salt thereof represented by the formula (1): wherein the carbon-carbon bond between 3- and 4-positions in the carbostyril skeleton is a single or a double bond.
US08501740B2
Methods of preventing the development and reversing or partially reversing opioid tolerance in a subject are provided herein. Such methods include the step of administering to a subject in need thereof a therapeutically effective amount of a PDGFR modulator or EGFR modulator alone or together with an opiate analgesic. The methods can also be used for the treatment of refractory neuropathic pain, physical dependence or addiction.
US08501739B2
Novel compounds which interact with the histamine H3 receptor are defined. These compounds are particularly useful in the treatment of a variety of diseases or conditions in which histamine H3 interactions are beneficial. Thus, the compounds may find use, e.g., in the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system, the peripheral nervous system, the cardiovascular system, the pulmonary system, the gastrointestinal system and the endocrinological system. The novel compounds have a core consisting of a 6 membered aromatic ring containing at least one nitrogen atom and two carbon atoms in the ring and, at the remaining positions in the ring, there is either a carbon or a nitrogen atom.
US08501734B2
The present invention relates to the medical and pharmaceutical use of substituted 1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-amines, in particular Imiquimod® and Gardiquimod®, alone or preferably in combination with Akt inhibitors, in particular with Akti1/2 and AktX, and most preferably with Akti1/2, in the treatment, prevention and/or amelioration of haematological cancers, in particular multiple myeloma disorders or B-cell disorders, and most particular in the therapy of multiple myeloma.
US08501733B2
A compound represented by the general formula (I): or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, has an Aβ production inhibitory effect or a BACE1 inhibitory effect and is useful as a prophylactic or therapeutic agent for a neurodegenerative disease caused by Aβ and typified by Alzheimer-type dementia.
US08501731B2
The present invention relates to a class of pyridazinones of formula I, which comprises 6-[3-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl]pyridazin-3(2H)-one as a mother nucleus, the preparation method thereof and the use thereof in manufacturing medicaments against tumors, especially liver cancer.
US08501708B2
Provided herein are a class of purine nucleoside compounds, particularly substituted adenosine compounds, such as benzyloxy cyclopentyladenosine (BCPA) compounds, as well as methods of using these compounds as selective A1 adenosine receptor agonists, particularly for reducing and/or controlling elevated or abnormally fluctuating intraocular pressure (IOP) in the treatment of glaucoma or ocular hypertension (OHT).
US08501703B2
Disclosed herein are compounds, compositions and methods for modulating splicing of a selected target mRNA. Further provided are uses of the disclosed compounds and compositions in the manufacture of a medicament for treatment of diseases and disorders. Methods of enhancing cellular uptake, modulating tissue distribution and enhancing pharmacological activity of RNase H-independent antisense oligonucleotides are also provided.
US08501693B2
The present invention relates to altering the concentration of fibrinogen, specifically, for example, by decreasing fibrinogen concentration. The present invention also relates to methods for improving the cardiovascular risk profile of a subject by decreasing fibrinogen concentration.
US08501685B2
A process for producing a peptide product having cholecystokinin secretion promoting effect, said process comprising hydrolyzing soybean residues with one or more proteases so that the peptide product having cholecystokinin secretion promoting effect is obtained. Also disclosed is the composition containing the peptide product and the use thereof.
US08501667B2
Not so many reports on the practical use of herbicidal sulfonylurea compounds have been made since they easily decompose in water or a process for production of their suspensions is complicated. Therefore, it is desired to prepare a water-based herbicidal suspension in which a herbicidal sulfonylurea compound will not decompose in water and excellent suspensibility of which is maintained, without complicated process. A water-based herbicidal suspension comprising (1) a herbicidal sulfonylurea compound (excluding 1-[3-[(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-ylcarbamoyl)sulfamoyl]-2-pyridyl]-2-fluoropropyl methoxyacetate and N-[(4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl)aminocarbonyl]-2-(2-fluoro-1-hydroxypropyl)-3-pyridinesulfonamide) or its salt, (2) an inorganic salt, (3) at least one sulfonate selected from the group consisting of an aryl sulfonate, an alkylaryl sulfonate and their formaldehyde condensates and (4) water.
US08501666B2
A thermal, non-silver halide-containing image receiver element includes a support and an aqueous-coated image receiving layer. This receiving layer comprises a water-dispersible polymer having a polyurea or polyurethane backbone and up to 25 weight % of the water-dispersible polymer comprising polysiloxane side chains that are covalently attached to the backbone, each of the side chains having a molecular weight of at least 500. Aqueous dispersions of polyester ionomers and crosslinking agents can also be present.
US08501660B2
A nickel slurry comprising a nickel catalyst, water and at least one rheology modifier, the activity of the nickel catalyst being equal to or greater than the activity of the equivalent nickel catalyst contained in a slurry which does not comprise rheology modifiers, wherein the at least one rheology modifier provides high viscosity at low shear stress and low viscosity at high shear stress.
US08501658B2
This invention provides a convenient method for converting imines and other electrophiles into heterocyclic ring systems. The process does not require the use of metallic reagents, and is catalyzed by an organic heterocyclic carbene catalyst. Accordingly, it produces the desired compounds without the concomitant production of a large volume of metallic waste. Chiral heterocyclic carbene catalysts of the invention and methods of using these catalysts produce chiral heterocycles in high enantiomeric and diastereomeric excess.
US08501653B2
Catalyst systems, processes of forming the same and polymers formed therefrom are described herein. The processes of forming the catalyst systems generally include contacting a blend of an alkyl magnesium compound and an organoaluminum compound with an alcohol to form a magnesium dialkoxide compound; contacting the magnesium dialkoxide compound with a first agent to form a solution of reaction product “A”, the first agent including a halogenating/titanating agent; contacting the solution of reaction product “A” with a second agent to form a solid reaction product “B”, the second agent including a blend of a first metal halide and a metal alkoxide; contacting the solid reaction product “B” with a third agent to form a solid reaction product “C”, the third agent including a second metal halide; contacting the solid reaction product “C” with a fourth agent to form a solid reaction product “D”, the fourth agent including a third metal halide; contacting the solid reaction product “D” with a fifth agent to form a catalyst component, the fifth agent including a reducing agent; and heating an intermediate selected from reaction product “A”, reaction product “B”, reaction product “C”, reaction product “D” and combinations thereof to form a heat-treated catalyst that results in a shear response and a molecular weight distribution for a polymer produced by the heat-treated catalyst that are greater than a shear response and a molecular weight distribution for a polymer produced by an identical non-heat-treated catalyst.
US08501651B2
A catalyst system comprising a half-sandwich chromium complex, an activator support and an optional cocatalyst. A compound of formula Cp′Cr(Cl)2(Ln), where Cp′ is η5—C5H4CH2CH2CH═CH2 and Ln is pyridine, THF or diethylether. A compound of formula Cp″Cr(Cl)2(Ln), where Cp″ is η5—C5H4C(Me)2CH2CH2CH═CH2 and Ln is pyridine, THF or diethylether.
US08501627B2
A method for etching a dielectric layer is provided. The dielectric layer is disposed over a substrate and below a patterned mask having a line-space pattern. The method includes (a) providing an etchant gas comprising CF4, COS, and an oxygen containing gas, (b) forming a plasma from the etchant gas, and (c) etching the dielectric layer into the line-space pattern through the mask with the plasma from the etchant gas. The gas flow rate of CF4 may have a ratio greater than 50% of a total gas flow rate of all reactive gas components. The gas flow rate of COS may be between 1% and 50%. The method reduces bowing in etching of the dielectric layer by adding COS to the etchant gas.
US08501624B2
An ion source that utilizes exited and/or atomic gas injection is disclosed. In an ion beam application, the source gas can be used directly, as it is traditionally supplied. Alternatively or additionally, the source gas can be altered by passing it through a remote plasma source prior to being introduced to the ion source chamber. This can be used to create excited neutrals, heavy ions, metastable molecules or multiply charged ions. In another embodiment, multiple gasses are used, where one or more of the gasses are passed through a remote plasma generator. In certain embodiments, the gasses are combined in a single plasma generator before being supplied to the ion source chamber. In plasma immersion applications, plasma is injected into the process chamber through one or more additional gas injection locations. These injection locations allow the influx of additional plasma, produced by remote plasma sources external to the process chamber.
US08501616B2
A semiconductor device including a semiconductor substrate and a conductive post overlying and electrically connected to the substrate. The semiconductor device further includes a manganese-containing protection layer on a surface of the conductive post. A method of forming a semiconductor device. The method includes forming a bond pad region on a semiconductor substrate. The method further includes forming a conductive post overlying and electrically connected to the bond pad region. The method further includes forming a protection layer on a surface of the conductive post, wherein the protection layer comprises manganese (Mn).
US08501614B1
A method for manufacturing fine-pitch bumps comprises the steps of providing a silicon substrate; forming a titanium-containing metal layer on the silicon substrate, wherein the titanium-containing metal layer comprises a plurality of first zones and a plurality of second zones; forming a photoresist layer on the titanium-containing metal layer; patterning the photoresist layer to form a plurality of opening slots; forming a plurality of copper bumps at the opening slots, wherein each of the copper bumps comprises a first top surface and a ring surface; heating the photoresist layer to form a plurality of body portions and a plurality of removable portions; etching the photoresist layer; and removing the second zones to enable each of the first zones to form an under bump metallurgy layer having a bearing portion and an extending portion.
US08501613B2
A method includes forming an under-bump metallurgy (UBM) layer overlying a substrate, and forming a mask overlying the UBM layer. The mask covers a first portion of the UBM layer, and a second portion of the UBM layer is exposed through an opening in the mask. A metal bump is formed in the opening and on the second portion of the UBM layer. The mask is then removed. A laser removal is performed to remove a part of the first portion of the UBM layer and to form an UBM.
US08501605B2
Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of doping a substrate may include forming a dopant region on a substrate by implanting one or more dopant elements into the dopant region of the substrate using a plasma doping process; forming a cap layer atop the dopant region; annealing the dopant region after forming the cap layer; and removing the cap layer after annealing the dopant region.
US08501595B2
Disclosed herein is a thin film prepared using a mixture of nanocrystal particles and a molecular precursor. The nanocrystal is used in the thin film as a nucleus for crystal growth to minimize grain boundaries of the thin film and the molecular precursor is used to form the same crystal structure as the nanocrystal particles, thereby improving the crystallinity of the thin film. The thin film can be used effectively in a variety of electronic devices, including thin film transistors, electroluminescence devices, memory devices, and solar cells. Further disclosed is a method for preparing the thin film.
US08501592B2
Freestanding III-nitride single-crystal substrates whose average dislocation density is not greater than 5×105 cm−2 and that are fracture resistant, and a method of manufacturing semiconductor devices utilizing such freestanding III-nitride single-crystal substrates are made available. The freestanding III-nitride single-crystal substrate includes one or more high-dislocation-density regions (20h), and a plurality of low-dislocation-density regions (20k) in which the dislocation density is lower than that of the high-dislocation-density regions (20h), wherein the average dislocation density is not greater than 5×105 cm−2. Herein, the ratio of the dislocation density of the high-dislocation-density region(s) (20h) to the average dislocation density is sufficiently large to check the propagation of cracks in the substrate. And the semiconductor device manufacturing method utilizes the freestanding III-nitride single crystal substrate (20p).
US08501591B2
A method for manufacturing an electrically programmable non-volatile memory cell comprises forming a first electrode on a substrate, forming an inter-electrode layer of material on the first electrode having a property which is characterized by progressive change in response to stress, and forming a second electrode over the inter-electrode layer of material. The inter-electrode layer comprises a dielectric layer, such as ultra-thin oxide, between the first and second electrodes. A programmable resistance, or other property, is established by stressing the dielectric layer, representing stored data. Embodiments of the memory cell are adapted to store multiple bits of data per cell and/or adapted for programming more than one time without an erase process.
US08501590B2
Methods and apparatus for performing dicing of die on wafer interposers. Methods are disclosed that include receiving an interposer assembly including one or more integrated circuit dies mounted on a die side of an interposer substrate and having scribe areas defined in spaces between the integrated circuit dies, the interposer having an opposite side for receiving external connectors; mounting the die side of the interposer assembly to a tape assembly, the tape assembly comprising an adhesive tape and preformed spacers disposed between and filling gaps between the integrated circuit dies; and sawing the interposer assembly by cutting the opposite side of the interposer in the scribe areas to make cuts through the interposer, the cuts separating the interposer into one or more die on wafer assemblies. Apparatuses are disclosed for use with the methods.
US08501588B2
A method for making a semiconducting structure, including: a) forming, on a surface of a final semiconductor substrate, a semiconducting layer, doped with elements from columns III and V of the Periodic Table so as to form a ground plane, b) forming a dielectric layer, c) then assembling, by direct adhesion of the source substrate, on the final substrate, the layer forming the ground plane between the final substrate and the source substrate, the dielectric layer being between the source substrate and the ground plane, d) then thinning the source substrate, leaving, on the surface of the semiconductor structure, a film made from a semiconducting material.
US08501586B2
In order to produce a power semiconductor for operation at high blocking voltages, there is produced on a lightly doped layer having a doping of a first charge carrier type a medium-doped layer of the same charge carrier type. A highly doped layer is produced at that side of the medium-doped layer which is remote from the lightly doped layer, of which highly doped layer a part with high doping that remains in the finished semiconductor forms a second stop layer, wherein the doping of the highly doped layer is higher than the doping of the medium-doped layer. An electrode is subsequently indiffused into the highly doped layer. The part with low doping that remains in the finished semiconductor forms the drift layer and the remaining medium-doped part forms the first stop layer.
US08501576B2
A semiconductor device and a method of making a semiconductor device are disclosed. The method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprises forming a material layer on a substrate, patterning a first semi-global region with a first main pattern and patterning a second semi-global region with a second main pattern, wherein the first main pattern is different than the second main pattern. The method further comprises introducing a first dummy pattern in the first semi-global region so that a first sidewall area surface density of the first main pattern and the first dummy pattern in the first semi-global region and a second sidewall area surface density of the second main pattern in the second semi-global region are substantially a same density.
US08501575B2
Methods of forming embedded, multilayer capacitors in printed circuit boards wherein copper or other electrically conductive channels are formed on a dielectric substrate. The channels may be preformed using etching or deposition techniques. A photoimageable dielectric is an upper surface of the laminate. Exposing and etching the photoimageable dielectric exposes the space between the copper traces. These spaces are then filled with a capacitor material. Finally, copper is either laminated or deposited atop the structure. This upper copper layer is then etched to provide electrical interconnections to the capacitor elements. Traces may be formed to a height to meet a plane defining the upper surface of the dielectric substrate or thin traces may be formed on the remaining dielectric surface and a secondary copper plating process is utilized to raise the height of the traces.
US08501574B2
A method of manufacturing resistive memory includes the steps: forming a first implanted stacked structure having a first impurity diffusion layer, a second impurity diffusion layer, and a third impurity diffusion layer in a substrate; etching at least the first implanted stacked structure to form a plurality of second implanted stacked structures, wherein the first impurity diffusion layers are first signal lines; forming a plurality of first insulating layers between the second implanted stacked structures; etching the second implanted stacked structures to form a plurality of third implanted stacked structures, wherein the first signal lines are not etched; forming a plurality of second insulating layers between the third implanted stacked structures; forming a plurality of memory material layers electrically coupled to the third impurity diffusion layers; and forming a plurality of second signal lines perpendicular to the first signal lines and electrically coupled to the memory material layers.
US08501570B2
An integrated circuit device and method for manufacturing the integrated circuit device provide improved control over a shape of a trench for forming the source and drain features of integrated circuit device, by forming a second doped region in a first doped region and removing the first and the second doped regions by a first and a second wet etching processes.
US08501566B1
A method for fabricating a recessed channel access transistor device is provided. A semiconductor substrate having thereon a recess is provided. A gate dielectric layer is formed in the recess. A gate material layer is then deposited into the recess. A dielectric cap layer is formed on the gate material layer. The dielectric cap layer and the gate material layer are etched to form a gate pattern. A liner layer is then formed on the gate pattern. A spacer is formed on the liner layer on each sidewall of the gate pattern. The liner layer not masked by the spacer is etched to form an undercut recess that exposes a portion of the gate material layer. The spacer is then removed. The exposed portion of the gate material layer in the undercut recess is oxidized to form an insulation block therein.
US08501565B2
The invention provides a method for fabricating a deep trench isolation including: providing a substrate; forming a first trench in the substrate; conformally forming a first liner layer on the sidewall and bottom of the first trench; forming a first filler layer on the first liner layer and filling the first trench; forming an epitaxial layer on the substrate and the first trench; forming a second trench through the epitaxial layer and over the first trench; conformally forming a second liner layer on the sidewall and bottom of the second trench; and forming a second filler layer on the second liner layer and filling the second trench.
US08501561B2
Disclosed is a semiconductor component arrangement and a method for producing a semiconductor component arrangement. The method comprises producing a trench transistor structure with at least one trench disposed in the semiconductor body and with at least an gate electrode disposed in the at least one trench. An electrode structure is disposed in at least one further trench and comprises at least one electrode. The at least one trench of the transistor structure and the at least one further trench are produced by common process steps. Furthermore, the at least one electrode of the electrode structure and the gate electrode are produced by common process steps.
US08501559B2
Semiconductor arrays including a plurality of access devices disposed on a buried conductive line and methods for forming the same are provided. The access devices each include a transistor having a source region and drain region spaced apart by a channel region of opposite dopant type and an access line associated with the transistor. The access line may be electrically coupled with one or more of the transistors and may be operably coupled to a voltage source. The access devices may be formed in an array on one or more conductive lines. A system may be formed by integrating the semiconductor devices with one or more memory semiconductor arrays or conventional logic devices, such as a complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) device.
US08501554B2
The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a highly reliable semiconductor device with a small amount of leakage current. In a method for manufacturing a thin film transistor, etching is conducted using a resist mask to form a back channel portion in the thin film transistor, the resist mask is removed, a part of the back channel is etched to remove etching residue and the like left over the back channel portion, whereby leakage current caused by the residue and the like can be reduced. The etching step of the back channel portion can be conducted by dry etching using non-bias.
US08501551B2
A thin film transistor array substrate having a high charge mobility and that can raise a threshold voltage, and a method of fabricating the thin film transistor array substrate are provided. The thin film transistor array substrate includes: an insulating substrate; a gate electrode formed on the insulating substrate; an oxide semiconductor layer comprising a lower oxide layer formed on the gate electrode and an upper oxide layer formed on the lower oxide layer, such that the oxygen concentration of the upper oxide layer is higher than the oxygen concentration of the lower oxide layer; and a source electrode and a drain electrode formed on the oxide semiconductor layer and separated from each other.
US08501540B2
A method for manufacture of an integrated circuit package system includes: providing a leadframe with an integrated circuit mounted thereover; encapsulating the integrated circuit with an encapsulation; mounting an etch barrier below the leadframe; and etching the leadframe.
US08501539B2
A method for forming a semiconductor device package includes providing a lead frame array having a plurality of leads. Each of the plurality of leads includes an opening extending through the lead from a first surface of the lead to a second surface of the lead, opposite the first surface, and each of the openings is at least partially filled with a solder wettable material. A plurality of semiconductor devices are attached to the lead frame array. The plurality of semiconductor devices are encapsulated, and, after encapsulating, the plurality of semiconductor devices are separated along separation lines which intersect the openings.
US08501538B2
A method for connecting substrates is provided. The method includes the steps of: preparing a first wiring substrate having a first substrate including a first region and a second region which are provided with a first metal wire, wherein an area ratio between the first region and the first metal wires in the first region is different from an area ratio between the second region and the first metal wire in the second region; heating the first wiring substrate to bend the first wiring substrate; and electrically connecting a third wiring on a third substrate to the first metal wire provided on the first wiring substrate, thereby mounting the first wiring substrate on the third substrate in a manner that the first surface of the first substrate is nonparallel to the first surface of the third substrate.
US08501536B2
A method of producing a slider wafer populated with electromagnetic components optically aligned with photonic elements for HAMR applications. Laser chips are transferred from a laser substrate wafer to the slider wafer by a massively parallel printing transfer process. After wafer bonding the laser chips to the slider wafer, the shape and optical alignment of the photonic elements are precisely aligned en masse by lithographic processing.
US08501535B2
A method for manufacturing an integrated circuit package system includes: connecting an integrated circuit die with a bottom connection structure; placing an adhesive encapsulation over the integrated circuit die and the bottom connection structure with the bottom connection structure exposed; and placing a top connection structure over the adhesive encapsulation at an opposing side to the bottom connection structure.
US08501534B2
A method for housing an electronic component in a device package includes providing a first substrate, wherein the electronic component is arranged in a component area on a first main surface of the first substrate, and wherein first contact pads are arranged outside of the component area, forming an open top frame structure around the component area on the first main surface of the first substrate, providing a second substrate having second contact pads, arranged symmetrically to the first contact pads and electrically and mechanically connecting the first main surface of the first substrate with the first main surface of the second substrate, so that the frame structure and the second substrate from a cavity or recess around the electronic component on the first substrate.
US08501527B2
An in-situ method of cleaning a vacuum deposition chamber can include flowing at least one reactive gas into the chamber.
US08501524B2
Disclosed is a method of manufacturing a thin-film light-absorbing layer using spraying, including mixing precursor solutions comprising CuCl2, InCl3 and SeC(NH2)2 under a nitrogen atmosphere at room temperature thus preparing a mixture solution; spraying the mixture solution on a substrate and drying it, thus forming a thin film; and selenizing the thin film under a selenium atmosphere. A method of manufacturing a thin-film solar cell is also provided, which includes forming a back contact layer on a glass substrate using sputtering; forming a light-absorbing layer on the back contact layer using spraying; forming a buffer layer on the light-absorbing layer using chemical vapor deposition; forming a window layer on the buffer layer using sputtering; and forming an upper electrode layer on the window layer.
US08501523B2
Organometallic precursors may be utilized to form titanium silicon nitride films that act as heaters for phase change memories. By using a combination of TDMAT and TrDMASi, for example in a metal organic chemical vapor deposition chamber, a relatively high percentage of silicon may be achieved in reasonable deposition times, in some embodiments. In one embodiment, two separate bubblers may be utilized to feed the two organometallic compounds in gaseous form to the deposition chamber so that the relative proportions of the precursors can be readily controlled.
US08501517B1
A method of assembling a pressure sensor device includes providing a substrate having a plurality of substrate connection pads. A pressure sensor die is attached to a first major surface of the substrate and bond pads of the pressure sensor die are electrically connected to the respective substrate connection pads. A retractable cavity pin is placed on the first major surface of the substrate such that the cavity pin covers the pressure sensor die and the electrical connections to the die. A molding compound is then dispensed onto the first major surface of the substrate such that the molding compound surrounds the pressure sensor die and the cavity pin. The cavity pin is retracted such that a cavity is formed around the pressure sensor die and a gel material is dispensed within the cavity such that the gel material fills the cavity and covers the pressure sensor die.
US08501504B2
According to one exemplary embodiment, a non-destructive method for determining a breakdown voltage of a dielectric layer on a semiconductor substrate includes injecting a test current in increasing ramp steps into the dielectric layer. The method further includes measuring a test voltage across the dielectric layer at each increasing ramp step of the test current. The method further includes detecting a dropped test voltage in response to the increasing ramp steps of the test current. The ramp steps of the test current can be substantially logarithmically increased. The breakdown voltage of the dielectric layer can be designated to be substantially equal to the dropped test voltage.
US08501496B2
The present invention is directed immunoassay cuvettes that comprise diffusely bound and non-diffusely bound reagents for carrying out an immunoassay. The reaction and detection are carried out in the immunoassay cuvette. The immunoassay cuvette comprises a transparent front wall, a back wall, side walls, a bottom, and a top opening. The back wall of the cuvette has a substantially planar surface made of a non-porous material and comprises a capture zone having reagents non-diffusedly bound and a signal reagent zone having reagents diffusedly bound.
US08501473B2
The present invention discloses the protein pleiotrophin secreted by the developing pancreas, and polynucleotides, which identify and encode this protein. The invention also relates to the use of these sequences in the diagnosis, study, prevention, and treatment of pancreatic diseases (e.g. diabetes), obesity, and/or metabolic syndrome.
US08501468B2
A versatile compartmentalized cell culture device, with a selectively permeable membrane separating the compartments, provides many attributes relative to traditional devices. It can be configured for high-density cell culture, co-culture, and sample dialysis while rolling or standing still. It can also be configured for continuous movement of liquid between compartments. The wide combination of attributes not found in other membrane based cell culture and bioprocessing devices includes more cell capacity, more cell secreted product capacity, higher cell and product density, increased medium capacity, minimized use of exogenous growth factors, compatibility with standard cell culture equipment and protocols, increased scale up efficiency, capacity to function when rolling or standing still, capacity for perfusion without the need for pumps, and more efficient sample dialysis.
US08501465B2
Disclosed are genes that, when overexpressed in cells expressing alpha-synuclein, either suppress or enhance alpha-synuclein mediated cellular toxicity. Compounds that modulate expression of these genes or activity of the encoded proteins can be used to inhibit alpha-synuclein mediated toxicity and used to treat or prevent synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's disease. Also disclosed are methods of identifying inhibitors of alpha-synuclein mediated toxicity.
US08501460B2
The present invention is in the field of cell bioreactors, and specifically in the field of disposable bioreactors.
US08501443B2
The present invention provides an efficient way for high throughput haplotype analysis. Several polymorphic nucleic acid markers, such as SNPs, can be simultaneously and reliably determined through multiplex PCR of single nucleic acid molecules in several parallel single molecule dilutions and the consequent statistical analysis of the results from these parallel single molecule multiplex PCR reactions results in reliable determination of haplotypes present in the subject. The nucleic acid markers can be of any distance to each other on the chromosome. In addition, an approach wherein overlapping DNA markers are analyzed can be used to link smaller haplotypes into larger haplotypes. Consequently, the invention provides a powerful new tool for diagnostic haplotyping and identifying novel haplotypes.
US08501431B2
Natural and synthetic compounds of Formulae Ia-Ie having a lactone structure, in particular Securolide, have been determined to be effective anti-tumor compounds which target the hrad9 gene and/or protein encoded thereby or complex containing the protein and/or the p53 gene and/or protein. Securolide is cytoselective for mutants of hRad9 based on studies conducted in Rad9 mutant yeast strains. Securolide appears to interact with mutant hRad9 in cancer cells to produce DNA lesions which result in apoptosis. Studies have demonstrated that Securolide is useful for treating proliferation disorders such as melanoma, leukemia, breast cancer, lung cancer, ovarian cancer, colon cancer, esophagus cancer, liver cancer, and lymphatic cancer, and to alleviate pain associated with the cancer. Other compounds effective for the treatment of cancer and optionally pain associated therewith may also be identified using the same assays, for example, by screening for efficacy in assays using Rad9 and/or p53 defective mutant yeasts.
US08501429B2
A method for quantitatively analyzing an anticoagulant in a sample may include: (a) providing and incubating a reaction mixture comprising (i) the sample, (ii) a defined amount of an activated coagulation factor whose activity is directly or indirectly influenceable by the anticoagulant to be determined, wherein the activated coagulation factor is present in a separate reagent which is added to the reaction mixture, (iii) a cleavable substrate which has at least one cleavage site for the activated coagulation factor, and (iv) a solid phase to which the cleavable substrate is bound or becomes bound during the incubation; (b) separating the solid phase; and (c) determining the amount of solid-phase-bound, uncleaved substrate, wherein the determined amount of the solid-phase-bound uncleaved substrate is proportional to an amount or activity of the anticoagulant in the sample.
US08501413B2
Development of acquired resistance to the therapeutic effects of an epidermal growth factor (EGFR) tyrosine kinase inhibitor in a patient that is suffering from a cancer is predicted by: (a) obtaining a sample from the patient, wherein the cancer harbors a somatic gain-of-function mutation in the tyrosine kinase domain of EGFR that enhances the sensitivity of the cancer to the tyrosine kinase inhibitor, and (b) testing the sample to determine whether the gene encoding EGFR is present in a mutant form that encodes a T790M mutant of EGFR in addition to the somatic gain of function mutation. A finding that the mutant form is present indicates that the cancer has become or will become resistant to the EGFR tyrosine kinase inhibitor.
US08501410B2
Oligonucleotides targeted to HPV Type 16 and/or Type 18 nucleic acid sequences which are particularly useful to aid in detecting HPV type 16 and or 18 are described. The oligonucleotides can aid in detecting HPV Type 16 and/or Type 18 in different ways such as by acting as hybridization assay probes, helper probes, and/or amplification primers.
US08501402B2
A scalable process and device for producing a biomolecule, in particular pharmaceutical grade plasmid DNA. The process includes the steps of alkaline lysis and a neutralization. For separating the lysate and the precipitate, the mixture is allowed to gently flow downward through a clarification reactor that is partially filled, in its lower part, with retention material like glass beads, whereby the precipitate is retained on top of and within the retention. In a preferred embodiment of the lysis step, cell suspension and alkaline lysis solution flow through a lysis reactor that is filled with particulate material like glass beads. The process can be run continuously and fully automated.
US08501397B2
Subjecting a heterogeneous cell population (one with both stem cells and non-stem cells) to extreme stress selectively eliminated the non-stem cells and resulted in the enrichment of stem cells in the population. The stress can take many forms, including without limitation, cell toxins, high temperature, high salt, and low oxygen (hypoxic) conditions. The number of stem cells remaining after stress were increased, and showed increased expression of traditional stem cell markers. The stem cells were shown to be capable of proliferation and differentiation into multiple types of cells. This method allows purification of stem cells from adult heterogeneous cell populations on a large scale basis without requirement of expensive equipment, and without requiring the presence of cell surface markers. Stem cells produced by the above method can be used for clinical applications, including tissue engineering.
US08501390B2
A flexographic printing sleeve or plate is made by a method that includes providing a millable polyurethane, crosslinking the millable polyurethane, and forming a relief by at least laser engraving the crosslinked millable polyurethane. For example, crosslinking may be accomplished by a peroxide-based process or by a vulcanization process using sulfur. A relief in one example is formed by extruding the millable polyurethane, thermally crosslinking the polyurethane after the extrusion step and laser engraving the crosslinked millable polyurethane. A printing article is formed into the shape of a flat printing plate or a continuous in-the-round printing sleeve.
US08501389B2
An upper-layer film-forming composition includes (A) a resin that is soluble in an alkaline aqueous solution, and includes a fluorine atom, and (B) a solvent component that includes (B1) a solvent having a boiling point at 101.3 kPa of 150° C. or more and a static surface tension of 23.0 mN/m or less, the upper-layer film-forming composition being used to form an upper-layer film on a photoresist film.
US08501383B2
Cyanurate compositions are provided that are particularly useful as a reagent to form a resin component of a coating composition underlying an overcoated photoresist. Preferred isocyanurates compound comprise substitution of multiple cyanurate nitrogen ring atoms by at least two distinct carboxy and/or carboxy ester groups.
US08501376B2
A method for performing a photolithography process includes providing a reticle on a projection apparatus, the reticle having a test pattern defined thereon, the test pattern including a plurality of one-dimensional structures and a plurality of two-dimensional structures. The test pattern defined on the reticle is transferred to at least one area on a wafer. The projection apparatus is focused on the test pattern transferred on the wafer during a photolithography process to perform a process monitoring.
US08501375B2
Disclosed is a positive photosensitive resin composition that includes (A) a polybenzoxazole precursor including a repeating unit represented by the following Chemical Formula 1; (B) a photosensitive diazoquinone compound; (C) a silane compound; (D) a phenol compound; and (E) a solvent. In the above Chemical Formula 1, each substituent is the same as defined in the specification.
US08501372B2
A mask blank for use in the manufacture of a binary mask adapted to be applied with ArF excimer laser exposure light has, on a transparent substrate, a light-shielding film for forming a transfer pattern. The light-shielding film has a laminated structure of a lower layer and an upper layer and has an optical density of 2.8 or more for exposure light and a thickness of 45 nm or less. The lower layer is made of a material in which the total content of a transition metal and silicon is 90 at % or more, and has a thickness of 30 nm or more. The upper layer has a thickness of 3 nm or more and 6 nm or less. The phase difference between exposure light transmitted through the light-shielding film and exposure light transmitted in air for a distance equal to the thickness of the light-shielding film is 30 degrees or less.
US08501367B2
Silver-copper-zinc compositions are employed as catalysts, e.g., for fuel cell and/or electrolyzer applications. These compositions have been experimentally tested in solid oxide fuel cell and proton exchange membrane fuel cell configurations. Such catalysts can be effective for both the anode and cathode half-reactions. A preferred composition range is AgxCuyZnz, where 0≦x≦0.1, 0.2≦y≦0.5, and 0.5≦z≦0.8.
US08501358B2
The present invention is a solid oxide fuel cell device (1), having a fuel cell module (2) furnished with a plurality of fuel cell units (16); fuel supply means (38) for supplying fuel; generating oxidant gas supply means (45) for supplying oxidant gas for generation; combustion section placed at one end portion of the solid oxide fuel cell units for combusting fuel; and control means for controlling the fuel supply means and generating oxidant gas supply means, and executing the startup mode operation for raising the solid oxide fuel cell units to a predetermined temperature, as well as the generating mode operation for outputting electrical power; whereby during the startup mode operation, the control means generates a weak power smaller than the generation startup power, raising the temperature of the solid oxide fuel cell units by the heat of generation.
US08501355B2
Provided are an electrolyte which may prevent the degradation of the battery performance by including a functional group which can react with a side reaction site which is responsible for decomposition of negative electrode material components and a functional group which can react with moisture which is responsible for decomposition of positive electrode material components in an electrolyte of the battery to ensure the stability of the battery at high temperatures, and a secondary battery manufactured by adding the same. The present invention may employ a compound including a functional group which can react with a side reaction site of a negative electrode material and a functional group which can react with moisture to maximize the improvement of the storage performance of a secondary battery at high temperatures.
US08501351B2
Active material for a negative electrode of a rechargeable zinc alkaline electrochemical cell is made with zinc metal particles coated with tin and/or lead. The zinc particles may be coated by adding lead and tin salts to a slurry containing zinc particles, a thickening agent and water. The remaining zinc electrode constituents such as zinc oxide (ZnO), bismuth oxide (Bi2O3), a dispersing agent, and a binding agent such as Teflon are then added. The resulting slurry/paste has a stable viscosity and is easy to work with during manufacture of the zinc electrode. Further, the zinc electrode is much less prone to gassing when cobalt is present in the electrolyte. Cells manufactured from electrodes produced in accordance with this invention exhibit much less hydrogen gassing, by as much as 60-80%, than conventional cells. The cycle life and shelf life of the cells is also enhanced, as the zinc conductive matrix remains intact and shelf discharge is reduced.
US08501348B2
The present invention provides a lithium ion battery anode material comprising a submicron-scaled graphitic fibril having a diameter or thickness less than 1 μm but greater than 100 nm, wherein the fibril is obtained by splitting a micron-scaled carbon fiber or graphite fiber along the fiber axis direction. This type of graphitic fibril exhibits exceptionally high electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, elastic modulus, and strength. The anode material exhibits a high reversible capacity and good charge/discharge cycling stability for both low and high charge rate conditions. Another preferred embodiment of the present invention is an anode active material containing a graphitic fibril with a diameter greater than 1 μm but less than 6 μm obtained by splitting a carbon fiber or graphite fiber of at least 6 μm in diameter.
US08501346B2
A rechargeable battery having improved supporting force of a lead tab and fastening force between the lead tab and an electrode terminal. A rechargeable battery according to an exemplary embodiment includes an electrode assembly formed by winding positive and negative electrodes formed at both sides of a separator together with the separator, a case housing the electrode assembly therein, a cap plate sealing an opening at one side of the case, an electrode terminal formed in a terminal hole of the cap plate, and a lead tab connecting the electrode terminal and the electrode assembly in the case. The electrode terminal includes an inner terminal plate formed at an inner side of the cap plate and a main coupling protrusion and a first auxiliary coupling protrusion protruding from the inner terminal plate and respectively coupled to a first fastening hole and a second fastening hole of the lead tab.
US08501339B2
Active metal and active metal intercalation electrode structures and battery cells having ionically conductive protective architecture including an active metal (e.g., lithium) conductive impervious layer separated from the electrode (anode) by a porous separator impregnated with a non-aqueous electrolyte (anolyte). This protective architecture prevents the active metal from deleterious reaction with the environment on the other (cathode) side of the impervious layer, which may include aqueous or non-aqueous liquid electrolytes (catholytes) and/or a variety electrochemically active materials, including liquid, solid and gaseous oxidizers. Safety additives and designs that facilitate manufacture are also provided.
US08501338B1
A system and method for improving electrochemical power sources through the dispensing encapsulation and dispersion into galvanic chambers of an electrochemical cell. Features of the method include the optimization of the concentration levels of chemicals involved in desired energy producing reactions.
US08501337B2
A portable electronic device includes a housing defining a first chamber and a second chamber and forming a separating wall between the first chamber and the second chamber, and a cover attaching to the housing. Two batteries are respectively received in the first chamber and the second chamber.
US08501336B2
A battery box includes at least one battery and a switch apparatus. The switch apparatus includes a first conductor, a second conductor, and an operation element. The first conductor includes a first conductive portion and a first contact portion protruding from the first conductive portion. The second conductor includes a second conductive portion and a second contact portion protruding from the second conductive portion. The operation element is movable with respect to the housing and able to resist the second conductive portion along with the movement of the operation element. When the operation element is moved to resist the second conductive portion, the second contact portion contacts with the first contact portion, and when the operation element is moved to separate from the second conductive portion, the second contact portion does not contact with the first contact portion. An electronic device using the battery box is also provided.
US08501333B2
A cap assembly for a secondary battery is coupled to an open end of a battery can receiving an electrode assembly in which a separator is interposed between cathode and anode plates, and includes a top cap disposed on an uppermost portion in a protrusive form to form a cathode terminal; a safety element disposed below the top cap to contact the top cap; a safety vent disposed to contact the safety element; a current intercepting member having an upper portion welded to a lower end of the safety vent and a lower portion capable of being connected to the electrode assembly; a first gasket surrounding an outer circumference of the current intercepting member; and a second gasket surrounding the rims of the top cap, the safety element, and the safety vent, and a lower end portion extending to surround the lower portion of the current intercepting member.
US08501327B2
An aluminum alloy clad sheet for heat exchangers includes a core layer, a sacrificial layer disposed on one side of the core layer, and a brazing layer of an Al—Si alloy disposed on the other side of the core layer, wherein the core layer contains Si: 0.15% to 1.6% by mass, Mn: 0.3% to 2.0% by mass, Cu: 0.1% to 1.0% by mass, Ti: 0.02% to 0.30% by mass, and the remainder of Al and incidental impurities, and the sacrificial layer contains Zn: 4.0% to 10.0% by mass, Cr: 0.01% to 0.5% by mass, and the remainder of Al and incidental impurities.
US08501326B2
Adhesive compositions have properties that make them particularly well suited for recyclable corrugated boards for use in transporting and storing perishable foods such as fresh and frozen produce, seafood and meats together with ice, or under refrigeration.
US08501315B2
The present invention provides a high-gloss pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet according to which, even if a surface thereof becomes uneven due to grit or the like, the evenness can be recovered. In a pressure-sensitive adhesive sheet 1A comprising a substrate film 2A having a specular gloss Gs (60°) of not less than 80% and a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer 3, the substrate film 2A is made to have a storage modulus at some temperature between 70° C. and 90° C. in a range of from 1.0×101 to 2.8×102 MPa, and is preferably made to have a storage modulus at from 5 to 35° C. in a range of from 1.0×102 to 5.0×103 MPa.
US08501306B2
Provided is a viscoelastic article which exerts different properties between one surface and the other surface thereof, which has a transparent appearance, and which less causes staining of objects to which the viscoelastic article is adopted. The viscoelastic article is an article having a multilayer structure including a polymer layer, and a monomer-absorptive layer capable of absorbing at least one of monomer component(s) constituting the polymer, in which the polymer layer is a polymer layer containing an elastomer unevenly distributed and enriched at an interface, or in the vicinity thereof, opposite to the monomer-absorptive layer. The vicinity of the interface opposite to the monomer-absorptive layer is preferably a region ranging from the interface opposite to the other interface with the monomer-absorptive layer and occupying, in a thickness direction, 50% or less of the total thickness.
US08501304B2
Methods of directing the self assembly of block copolymers on chemically patterned surfaces to pattern discrete or isolated features needed for applications including patterning integrated circuit layouts are described. According to various embodiments, these features include lines, t-junctions, bends, spots and jogs. In certain embodiments a uniform field surrounds the discrete feature or features. In certain embodiments, a layer contains two or more distinct regions, the regions differing in one or more of type of feature, size, and/or pitch. An example is an isolated spot at one area of the substrate, and a t-junction at another area of the substrate. These features or regions of features may be separated by unpatterned or uniform fields, or may be adjacent to one another. Applications include masks for nanoscale pattern transfer as well as the fabrication of integrated circuit device structures.
US08501298B2
A resin-molded article 10 is formed by injecting molten resin into a molding die from a gate (11). Ribs (61, 62, 63 and 64) having widths larger than that of a thin molded portion (27) in the form of a thin wall are connected one after another from the position of the gate (11) to the thin molded portion (27). Spaces in the molding die for forming the ribs (61, 62, 63 and 64) define a path for the flow of the molten resin and the molten resin injected from the gate (11) flows into a space for forming the thin molded portion (27) through this path at the time of molding the resin-molded article (10). Therefore, the resin can be filled sufficiently for the thin molded portion (27) in the form of a thin wall located distant from the gate (11).
US08501296B2
Disclosed are high-porosity cordierite honeycomb substrates having a narrow pore size distribution, little or no microcracking, and high thermal shock resistance. The porous ceramic honeycomb substrates generally comprise a primary cordierite ceramic phase as defined herein. Also disclosed are methods for making and using the cordierite substrates.
US08501293B2
Stannous oxide particles having a methane sulfonic acid dissolution rate of 3.56 g stannous oxide in 8.1 g of 70% methane sulfonic acid of 30 seconds at a temperature of 20 to 25° C. are disclosed, including methods of making them. Also disclosed are packaged stannous oxide particles that reduce the formation of stannic oxide on the surface of the particles over time.
US08501289B2
The present invention relates to a cooking item comprising a vitreous coating with improved impact-resistance properties. The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such an item.
US08501272B2
Optically anisotropic spheres that can be used as pixel elements in rotating element displays are fabricated by partially (e.g., hemispherically) coating a plurality of spheres by transfer coating methods. Typically, a monolayer of spaced apart monochromal (e.g., white) spheres is formed on a support surface by, for example, making use of a removable template matrix. Next, a uniform layer of viscous coating material (e.g., black coating) is applied to the monolayer of spheres to transfer at least some of the coating material onto the surface of spheres in a monolayer. The obtained partially coated spheres are optionally cured by a UV or thermal exposure and are then removed from the support substrate. In some embodiments, coating material also provides electrical anisotropy to the spheres. Transfer coating methods result in improved precision of hemispherical coating and allow use of environmentally robust pixel elements.
US08501269B2
A gas detection device comprising a measuring circuit, said measuring surface comprising a substrate, a resistance heater bonded to said substrate and a coating, said coating comprising SnO2 nanoparticles doped with In2O3 nanoparticles and Pd oxide, said Pd oxide being formed from a solution of a Pd salt, such as PdCl2. The SnO2 nanocrystals have a specific surface of at least about 50 m2/g, a mean particle size of between about 5 nm and about 20 nm, and the contact points between individual nanoparticles of SnO2 and In2O3 and the associated Pd oxide are less than about 100 Å. The Pd salt solution is a solution of a palladium chloride in a dilute acid solution, such as HCl. The palladium salt to an oxide of palladium at an elevated temperature, as for example, by calcining said oxide of palladium. The palladium Marked Copy oxide is in the form of a coating on nanoparticles of SnO2 and In2O3.
US08501267B2
Methods for preparing nanocomposites with electrical properties modified by powder size below 100 nanometers. Both low-loaded and highly-loaded nanocomposites are included. Nanoscale coated, un-coated, whisker type fillers are taught. Electrical nanocomposite layers may be prepared on substrates.
US08501256B2
The invention relates to a method for processing cocoa beans wherein freshly harvested, unfermented, and preferably non-depulped, beans are pre-treated and are then immersed a first time within an aqueous acidic medium until the pH of said cocoa beans reaches a value of between 3.6 and 5.5 and incubated at a temperature of between 25 and 70° C. for less than 24 hours. Optionally the beans can then be immersed for a second time within an aqueous acidic medium or the first aqueous acidic medium can be alkalified until the pH of said cocoa beans reaches a value of between 4.5 and 6.5 and incubated at a temperature of between 25 and 70° C. for less than 24 hours. The obtained cocoa beans are then further dried. The invention also relates to cocoa beans that are obtained or obtainable by methods of the present invention, to the use thereof for preparing food products, preferably chocolate products, or cocoa products, including cocoa extracts, and to food products and cocoa products, including cocoa extracts thereby obtained.
US08501243B2
Methods for treating neoplasm, tumors and cancers, using one or more tumor treating drug carriers, haptens and anticancer drugs, alone or in combination with other antineoplastic agents or treatments, are provided. Also provided are compositions, and kits containing the composition for affecting the therapy.
US08501241B1
Methods are provided for isolating and using a whole-saliva leech extract. The methods can include feeding a phagostimulatory agent to a leech; inducing a regurgitation in the leech, the inducing including placing the leech in an environment having a temperature of less than about 0° C.; and, collecting an unrefined, whole saliva in the regurgitation of the cooled leech. The methods can include revitalizing the leech by warming it at a temperature ranging from about 5° C. to about 40° C. Stable, lyophilized, whole-saliva extracts of a leech are also provided, the extract having a stable activity when stored for use at a temperature below about −20° C., the extract maintaining at least 70% of the activity for at least 6 months. The extracts can be used to treat solid tumors, treat liquid tumors, treat diabetes, treat a viral disease, treat a parasitic disease, treat an antibacterial disease, or serve as an anti-oxidant.
US08501235B2
Dicalcium phosphate anhydride powder of which at least 50% by weight is of a grain size of between 45 and 150 μm, a maximum of 50% by weight is of a grain size of <45 μm and a maximum of 5% by weight is of a grain size >150 μm and which has a bulk density of between 1000 and 1500 g/l and a specific surface area of <5 m2/g is used for direct tabletting or capsule filling of pharmaceutical preparations.
US08501234B2
The reverse vesicle composition of the present invention includes (A) a sphingosine represented by formula (I), (B) a C16 to C30 fatty acid, (C) a hydrocarbon oil, (D) an ester oil which is in liquid form at 25° C., and (F) water, wherein the ratio by mass of ingredient (C) to ingredient (D) satisfies the following relationship: 1≦(C)/(D)<1000, and the composition contains a surfactant having a molecular weight of 1,000 or less in an amount of 1 mass % or less.
US08501228B2
Stable pharmaceutical compositions of famotidine and ibuprofen in a single unit dosage form are disclosed herein. The compositions comprise a famotidine core having a reduced or minimal surface area surrounded by a layer of ibuprofen. In some embodiments, the ibuprofen is in direct physical contact with the famotidine.
US08501222B2
A device for providing oral care. The device is formed to have surface features for delivery of medication or other compositions to the mouth, the throat, the gums and the cheeks. Blisters or cavities are formed on a surface of the device to contain and deliver a material, such as mouthwash or medicine, into the various areas of the mouth of the user, and may be formed to provide a time-controlled release of the deliverable material.
US08501221B2
Methods are provided for preparing and delivering an adjuvant for vaccines including lecithin and a polymer. The polymer is preferably polyacrylic acid-based and the delivery method involves administering a vaccine, including an antigen and the adjuvant, to a mucosal surface.
US08501219B2
A flavoring system for a liquid pharmaceutical composition and pharmaceutical compositions containing such flavoring systems are disclosed. Flavoring systems of the invention include at least one sweetening agent, at least two flavored ingredients, and at least one flavor modifier selected from the group consisting of citric acid, sodium citrate, sodium chloride, and mixtures thereof. At least two of the flavored ingredients are selected from the group consisting of a vanilla flavored ingredient, a peppermint flavored ingredient, a menthol flavored ingredient, a cotton candy flavored ingredient, and mixtures thereof. The one or more sweetening agents comprise glycerin, monoammonium glycyrrhizinate, saccharin sodium, acesulfame potassium, high fructose corn syrup, and/or mixtures thereof. Pharmaceutical compositions of the invention include a flavoring system of the invention, a solvent system, and at least one pharmaceutically active agent, such as lopinavir or derivatives thereof, ritonavir or derivatives thereof, or mixtures thereof. Methods for making such liquid pharmaceutical compositions are also disclosed.
US08501217B2
An implantable graft, which may be inserted into a fistula tract to occlude the primary opening of the fistula, is provided. To prevent unintentional displacement of the graft or extrusion of the graft from the fistula of a patient, the graft may be provided with a cap that extends laterally from at least one end of the body of the graft, where the cap may be integral with the body of the graft, attachable to at least one end of the body of the graft, and/or moveable along the body of the graft. The graft may also have a tail that extends from one end of the body of the graft to assist in placement of the graft in a fistula tract. The graft may be an integral unit made of a single material, such as a heterograft material, or may include distinct components made of the same or different materials. Methods for closing a fistula tract are also provided.
US08501215B2
Injectable depot compositions are provided that include a polymer matrix having a plurality of bioerodible, biocompatible polymers wherein each polymer of the plurality of polymers has a specified average molecular weight, and the polymer matrix has a broad molecular weight distribution of the plurality of polymers; a solvent having a miscibility in water of less than or equal to 7 wt % at 25° C., in an amount effective to plasticize the polymer and form a gel therewith; and a beneficial agent. The compositions have substantially improved shear thinning behavior and reduced injection force, rendering the compositions readily implanted beneath a patient's body surface by injection.
US08501212B2
There is described inter alia a medical device having a surface which comprises a coating layer, the coating layer being a biocompatible composition comprising an anti-coagulant entity capable of interacting with mammalian blood to prevent coagulation or thrombus formation, which anti-coagulant entity is covalently attached to the surface through a linker comprising a thioether.
US08501210B2
The present invention has an object to provide a gel composition which has an excellent skin whitening effect and shows high storage stability even when ascorbic acid, a salt of ascorbic acid, an ascorbic acid derivative, and a salt of an ascorbic acid derivative is blended, and to provide a pack cosmetic using the gel composition. The gel composition, which comprises the following components (A)-(D): (A) a tamarind seed polysaccharide; (B) a polyhydric alcohol; (C) at least one or more of ascorbic acid, a salt of ascorbic acid, an ascorbic acid derivative, and a salt of an ascorbic acid derivative; and (D) water.
US08501206B2
A liquid concentrate for preserving cosmetic products which includes a combination of carboxylic component being sodium benzoate and an alcohol component being a mixture of phenoxy ethanol and benzyl alcohol, in a water, where the combination is greater than 45% by weight of the liquid concentrate.
US08501201B1
Disclosed is a topical powder composition useful for improving rough or hard feet on the human skin comprising magnesium sulfate, vitamins, melaleuca alternifolia, biodegradable surfactants, sodium carbonate, water, fragrance, propylparaben, propylene glycol, may also contain one or more FD&C colors.
US08501198B2
The invention provides in part methods of treating cancers of a specific organ or tissue by administering a composition that is antigenically specific for one or more microbes that are pathogenic in the specific organ or tissue in which the cancer is situated. The formulations of the invention thereby facilitate activation of an immune response to a cancer in a particular tissue or organ. The compositions may for example include killed or attenuated microbial pathogens, such as whole killed bacterial cells, and may be administered at sites distant from the cancer, for example the skin. In some embodiments, microbial species of endogenous flora that are known to cause infection in the relevant organ or tissue may be used in the formulation of the antigenic compositions. In alternative embodiments, exogenous microbial pathogens that are known to cause infection in the relevant organ or tissue may be used in the formulation of the antigenic compositions. The administration of the immunogenic compositions may be repeated relatively frequently over a relatively long period of time. In embodiments for intradermal or subcutaneous injection, dosages may be adjusted so that injections reproduce a consistent, visible, delayed inflammatory immune reaction at the successive site or sites of administration.
US08501194B2
The invention is in general directed to methods and compositions for preventing or treating infections by viruses involved in persistent and/or latent infections. The methods and compositions are directed toward the prevention and treatment of infections caused by viruses such as, for example, herpesviruses, retroviruses, hepatitis viruses, and papillomaviruses, including, for example, cytomegalovirus.
US08501191B2
The invention provides FGFR fusion proteins, methods of making them, and methods of using them to treat proliferative disorders, including cancers and disorders of angiogenesis. The FGFR fusion molecules can be made in CHO cells and may comprise deletion mutations in the extracellular domains of the FGFRs which improve their stability. These fusion proteins inhibit the growth and viability of cancer cells in vitro and in vivo. The combination of the relatively high affinity of these receptors for their ligand FGFs and the demonstrated ability of these decoy receptors to inhibit tumor growth is an indication of the clinical value of the compositions and methods provided herein.
US08501186B2
The present invention provides a Withania somnifera fraction rich in withanolides and a vaccine comprising a “Withania somnifera fraction” as an adjuvant.
US08501180B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a monoclonal antibody which is useful for treating or diagnosing a disease relating to system ASC amino acid transporter 2 (ASCT2) or a method using the antibody. The present invention provides a monoclonal antibody which specifically recognizes a native three-dimensional structure of an extracellular region of system ASC amino acid transporter 2 (ASCT2) and binds to the extracellular region, or an antibody fragment thereof; a hybridoma which produces the antibody; a DNA which encodes the antibody; a vector which contains the DNA; a transformant obtainable by introducing the vector; a process for producing an antibody or an antibody fragment thereof using the hybridoma or the transformant; and a therapeutic agent using the antibody or the antibody fragment thereof, and a diagnostic agent using the antibody or the antibody fragment thereof.
US08501169B2
The invention relates to microorganisms for the treatment of food allergies, specifically coeliac disease, as well as to methods for the selection thereof. The action mechanisms of said microorganisms include: (i) the regulation of the innate and adaptive immunological responses; (ii) the reduction of the concentration of toxic gluten peptide epitopes in the intestinal lumen; (iii) the strengthening of the barrier defence function against harmful antigens and bacteria; and (iv) the provision of enzymatic activities that promote digestion.
US08501163B2
A carotenoid substance called zeaxanthin, when ingested orally at suitable dosages, can provide effective protection against sunburns and darken the skin to emulate a healthy suntan. Zeaxanthin may induce: (i) a mild but noticeable tinting, shading, or darkening of skin color, comparable to a mild suntan; (ii) a substantial increase in the person's ability to withstand elevated levels of sun or UV exposure; and, (iii) an increased ability of reddened and sunburned skin to convert into intact skin that looks browned and healthily tanned. Topical formulations containing zeaxanthin can be administered to the skin during the time period of ingesting the oral formulation to further protect the skin and provide an additional darkening of the skin.
US08501161B2
The invention includes methods of cleaning an oral surface, maintaining oral health and/or increasing oral health. Such methods encompass contacting an oral surface with a primary oral care composition at least once daily, and contacting the oral surface with a periodic oral care composition at least once within a period of about 42 days. The periodic oral care compositions suitable for use in the method comprise a first abrasive having an Einlehner hardness of greater than about 5 mg loss per 100,000 revolutions and a second abrasive having an Einlehner hardness of less than about 5 mg loss per 100,000 revolutions. In the periodic oral care compositions, the ratio of the first abrasive to the second abrasive is about 1:1.6 to about 1.6:1. The periodic oral care compositions are characterized by a pellicle cleaning ratio of greater than about 100 and a radioactive dentin abrasion of less than about 200. Additionally or alternatively, the methods may include those where the second abrasive comprises silica and has an oil of absorption of greater than about 90 cm3/100 g and/or an Einlehner hardness of less than about 5 mg loss per 100,000 revolutions. The ratio of the first abrasive to the second abrasive may be about 1:1.6 to about 1.6:1. The total amount of the first and second abrasives present in the oral composition may be greater than about 25% by weight of the composition and/or the oral composition has a pellicle cleaning ratio of greater than about 100 and a radioactive dentin abrasion of less than about 200.
US08501160B2
Water-insoluble matrix tablets based on oxycodone or one of its pharmaceutically acceptable salts and capable of prolonged release of oxycodone to the body, exhibiting a crush resistance of at least 4 MPa.
US08501156B2
Described herein is a method for non-invasive detection and treatment of intra-cranial aneurysms. Antibodies are provided to specifically react/bind with antigens of the cerebral aneurism wall. The antibodies may be bound to a label and/or to a therapeutic agent for diagnosis and/or for treatment purposes thereof. Intra-cranial aneurysms are thus non-invasively detected before rupture occurs and are specifically treated.
US08501155B2
The present invention relates to a method of differentiating between a singular and a multiple lung embolism in a subject suspected to suffer from acute lung embolism comprising determining the amount of NT-proBNP in a sample of a subject suspected to suffer from acute lung embolism and comparing the amount to a reference amount. Further, the present invention also relates to a method of differentiating between acute and chronic lung embolism in a subject comprising determining the amount of NT-proANP at a first and a second time point and comparing the determined amounts with each other. The present invention also encompasses devices and kits for carrying out the aforementioned methods.
US08501143B2
A single crystal diamond prepared by CVD and having one or more electronic characteristics; making the diamond suitable for electronic applications. Also provided is a method of making the single crystal CVD diamond.
US08501140B2
A method improves yield of an upgraded metallurgical-grade (UMG) silicon purification process. In the UMG silicon purification process, in a reaction chamber, purification is performed on a silicon melt therein by one, all or a plurality of the following techniques in the same apparatus at the same time. The techniques includes a crucible ratio approach, the addition of water-soluble substances, the control of power, the control of vacuum pressure, the upward venting of exhaust, isolation by high-pressure gas jet, and carbon removal by sandblasting, thereby reducing oxygen, carbon and other impurities in the silicon melt, meeting a high-purity silicon standard of solar cells, increasing yield while maintaining low cost, and avoiding EMF reduction over time. An exhaust venting device for the purification process allows exhaust to be vented from the top of the reactor chamber, thereby avoiding backflow of exhaust into the silicon melt and erosion of the reactor.
US08501138B2
A production method of high purity silver tetrafluoroborate, capable of producing silver tetrafluoroborate (AgBF4) at purity higher than the conventional, without using an organic solvent. The production method of the present invention is characterized in that the method comprises the step of: reacting silver fluoride with boron trifluoride in the presence of anhydrous hydrofluoric acid. Boron trifluoride is delivered into a solution obtained by dissolving or suspending silver fluoride in an anhydrous hydrofluoric acid solution.
US08501135B1
A method of reducing sulfur compounds from an incoming gas stream, comprising flowing the gas stream over a hydrolysis catalyst to convert COS and CS2 to H2S and reduce SO2 to elemental sulfur to form an effluent stream; providing an acidic gas removal unit comprising an absorbent; flowing said effluent stream over said absorbent to produce a stream free of acidic gases; applying an acidic-gas desorption mode to said acidic-gas rich absorbent to produce an acidic gas stream; introducing oxygen to said acidic gas-rich stream; providing a direct oxidation vessel containing catalyst suitable for catalyzing the oxidation of the H2S to sulfur wherein the temperature of the vessel is at or above the sulfur dew point at the reaction pressure; and flowing said acidic gas-rich stream over said catalyst to produce a processed stream having a reduced level of sulfur compounds.
US08501134B2
The invention relates to a process and catalyst for the oxidative desulfurization of hydrocarbonaceous oil. In one aspect, solid carbon materials are provided having stable sulfur trioxide and nitrogen dioxide oxidative species on the surface thereof. Such materials are useful in the production of low sulfur hydrocarbon feedstocks and in the removal of refractory sulfur compounds.
US08501133B2
A catalyst for treating exhaust gases containing nitrogen monoxide, carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds includes a plurality of layers, an upper layer of which has an active component contained uniformly therein and a lower layer of which has no active component contained therein. The catalyst is obtained through the steps of: forming the lower layer by coating the surface of substrate with a slurry of a porous inorganic compound, followed by drying; and forming the upper layer, which is to be the top surface of the catalyst, by coating the surface of the lower layer with a slurry of a porous inorganic compound that has the active component composed of one or more precious metals supported thereon, followed by drying. The oxidation power of the resulting catalyst is enhanced without increasing the amount of precious metal supported thereon.
US08501132B2
A nanocomposite particle, its use as a catalyst, and a method of making it are disclosed. The nanocomposite particle comprises titanium dioxide nanoparticles, metal oxide nanoparticles, and a surface stabilizer. The metal oxide nanoparticles are formed hydrothermally in the presence of the titanium dioxide nanoparticles. The nanocomposite particle is an effective catalyst support, particularly for DeNOx catalyst applications.
US08501130B1
A method for recovering CO2 from gas to be processed containing CO2, includes bringing the gas to be processed containing CO2 and CO2 absorbent into contact with each other to absorb and remove CO2 from the gas to be processed; cleaning the treated gas from which CO2 has been removed with washing fluid at least once; heating the absorbent which has absorbed CO2, separating and removing CO2 gas from the absorbent and regenerating the absorbent; cooling the separated CO2 gas to condense moisture contained in the gas to obtain condensed water; and monitoring changes in concentration of the CO2 absorbent contained in the condensed water and depending on the value of the measured concentration, controlling supply of the condensed water so that the condensed water is reused as a part of the washing fluid or a part of the CO2 absorbent.
US08501129B2
The subject of the invention is a method for reduction of the CO2 content of flue and atmospheric gases and equipment for application of the method. The characteristic of the solution according to the invention is, that “hydroxide” ionized water containing (OH−) ions of alkaline characteristics is used as reaction medium for binding carbon dioxide (CO2) gas, and carbon dioxide (CO2) gas gets into reaction with alkaline ionized water, and during the reaction from the carbon dioxide (CO2) gas and water, carbonate ion (CO32−) and hydrogencarbonate/bicarbonate (2HCO3−) are formed, and they leave for the outside atmosphere and/or outside water with the bound CO2 content in stable gas or liquid form.
US08501124B2
A method is described for recovering rare earth elements from a solid mixture including a halophosphate and at least one compound of one or more rare earth elements. The method includes: (a) acid etching the mixture; (b) adding a base to bring the pH back up to a value of at least 1.5; (c) etching the solid from step (b) with a solution of soda or potash; (d) acid etching the solid from step (c) until a pH of less than 7 is obtained, resulting in a solid phase and a liquid phase including at least one rare earth salt, and separating the solid phase from the liquid phase.
US08501123B2
An improved process for removing polymeric by-product (ASO) from the HF alkylation acid in an HF alkylation unit used for the production of gasoline boiling range alkylate product by olefin/iso-paraffin alkylation, comprises fractionating a portion of the circulating HF alkylation acid inventory of the unit with a portion of hot alkylate product in a fractionation zone to from an overhead product comprising HF alkylation acid and water and a bottoms fraction comprising the polymeric by-product and alkylate. The bottoms fraction is sent to the isoparaffin stripper of the unit to remove trace HF alkylation acid as overhead and form a product stream of hot alkylate as a bottoms fraction.
US08501122B2
The invention provides sensor plates, particularly plates having a plurality of sensors, and related methods for assembling such plates. The sensors can be arrays of probes, such as microarrays, including high density oligonucleotide microarrays. The methods include the steps of selecting a substrate having a plurality of sensors, aligning the substrate to a support plate, and attaching the substrate to the support plate. Moduled sensor plates, and methods of assembling such plates, are also provided. The moduled sensor plates can include a plurality of sensor plates, such as sensor or microarray strip plates, with each strip plate having an attachment feature that is used to attach the strip plate to a frame. The sensor plates and moduled sensor plates can be inserted into processing plates, including hybridization plates, washing plates, staining plates, and detection plates. The assembled plates of the invention find use in high throughput analysis of samples, particularly biological samples having nucleic acid analytes.
US08501120B2
A method and apparatus for providing more reliable wireless communication and power to sensors in electrically challenging bioprocess environments is disclosed. An unconnected antenna is located within the bioprocess environment, preferably in the same plane as the primary powered antenna. This unconnected antenna, also referred to as reflective antenna, enhances and confines the electromagnetic field created by the powered antenna. This reflective antenna is incorporated in or proximate to the devices containing a sensor or communication device. In one embodiment, the reflective antenna is incorporated into the filter housing. In another embodiment, it is incorporated into the filtering element itself. In another embodiment, it is incorporated into or affixed on the disposable bioprocess components, such as bags and tubes.
US08501117B1
Apparatuses, systems, and methods utilizing capillary action and to control the movement or placement of liquids or other materials in micro-devices and nano-devices. In some embodiments, the present invention may be used to control polymer addition to micro-cantilevers and nano-cantilevers for biological sensing, chemical sensing, and other sensing. In other embodiments, the present invention may be used to deliver adhesives, dielectrics, chemo resistor materials, and other materials to micro-devices and nano-devices.
US08501116B2
The invention provides extraction columns for the purification of an analyte (e.g., a biological macromolecule, such as a peptide, protein or nucleic acid) from a sample solution, as well as methods for making and using such columns. The invention is characterized by the use of low dead volume columns, which is achieved in part by the use of low pore volume frits (e.g., membrane screens) to contain a bed of extraction media in the column. Low dead volume facilitates the elution of the captured analyte into a very small volume of desorption solution, allowing for the preparation of low volume samples containing relatively high concentrations of analyte.
US08501110B2
A sterilizing tunnel for pharmaceutical containers has an entry zone, a heating zone, and two cooling zones. The individual zones contain ventilating fan units that generate air currents, which serve to heat and cool the containers that a transport apparatus conveys through the sterilizing tunnel. The heating and cooling units, which operate using the principle of heated and cooled air flow, is supplemented with radiant heat-generating unit. The sterilizing tunnel makes it possible to achieve a uniform heating and cooling of the containers, preventing stress cracks in the containers and permitting intentional heating that makes it possible, for example, for the containers to be coated with a substance.
US08501103B2
A multilayer material is described herein that includes a flexible inner layer and a flexible outer layer configured to enclose at least one signaling layer, the at least one signaling layer including at least one chemical compound. The multilayer material including the chemical compound within the at least one signaling layer is configured to release a gas-phase chemical compound to signal to a detector indicating a breach of the multilayer material. A multilayer material, a system, an article of clothing, or a method is described herein.
US08501102B2
A hydrogen generator is described, which comprises: a material supply device (4); a water supply device (5); an evaporator (10); a reforming catalyst layer (1) for generating reformed gas; a CO removing catalyst layer (2) configured to reduce the amount of carbon monoxide contained in the reformed gas generated by the reforming catalyst layer (1); a combustor (3) for heating the reforming catalyst layer (1) and the CO removing catalyst layer (2); a reforming temperature detector (9) for detecting the temperature of the reforming catalyst layer (1); a heater (7) for heating the CO removing catalyst layer (2); a CO removing temperature detector (8) for detecting the temperature of the CO removing catalyst layer (2); and a controller (16) configured to perform control such that the heater (7) heats the CO removing catalyst layer at the time of start-up and such that if the temperature detected by the CO removing temperature detector (8) becomes greater than or equal to a first specified value, the combustor (3) heats the reforming catalyst layer (1) and the CO removing catalyst layer (2), and if the temperature detected by the reforming temperature detector (9) becomes greater than or equal to a second specified value, the water supply device (5) starts supplying of water.
US08501098B1
A detection device and a method of detection are disclosed. The device may have a sensor array, a detector array, and a sensor controller. The sensor array may have a plurality of sensors, each sensor being responsive to a different analyte of interest. Each sensor may also be able to emit electromagnetic energy. For example, one or more of the sensors may include an LED. One or more of the sensors may include a sensing compound within a xerogel, which is responsive to an analyte of interest. In the method, one of the sensors is turned on, and one or more of the detectors are activated to receive electromagnetic energy emitted from the sensor.
US08501081B2
Polycrystalline alumina and methods for manufacturing polycrystalline alumina exhibiting improved transmission in the infrared region. In one embodiment, polycrystalline alumina articles are formed by providing a powder of substantially alpha phase alumina having a grain size of up to about 1 μm, dispersing the powder in a liquid to form a slurry comprising powdered solids and liquid, removing excess of the liquid from the slurry to form a body, heating the body to provide a densified body, hot isostatically pressing the densified body under conditions to provide an article having a density of at least about 99.9% of theoretical density, and optionally annealing the article, wherein one or more of the annealing or heating are performed in an inert, dry gas.
US08501063B2
A method of providing a coated and grained surface to a thermoplastic sheet for a vehicle interior panel. One step includes imparting a first grain to a show surface of a thermoplastic sheet. Another step includes applying a coating to a portion or more of the show surface. And another step includes imparting a second grain to the coated portion by bringing the coated portion into direct contact with a graining surface of a tool of a thermoforming machine.
US08501034B2
Processes and apparatus for purifying brine are provided including (1) providing an aqueous brine solution comprising one or more inorganic salts and one or more organic compounds and (2) conducting at least one unit operation for removing organic compounds from the brine solution to obtain a purified brine solution.
US08501030B2
Disclosed herein are methods for removing discoloring impurities, such as carbon impurities, particularly graphite, from kaolin clay to enhance the brightness of the kaolin clays. The methods include reverse flotation processes. Also disclosed herein are high brightness kaolin products, and the uses thereof.
US08501022B2
A method for making a master disk for nanoimprinting patterned-media magnetic recording disks has patterns for both the data islands and the nondata regions. The method uses guided self-assembly of a block copolymer (BCP) to form patterns of generally radial lines and/or generally concentric rings as well as patterns of gap regions of one of the BCP components. The pattern of lines and/or rings have the BCP components aligned as lamellae perpendicular to the substrate, while the pattern of gap regions has the BCP components aligned as lamellae parallel to the substrate. One of the BCP components is removed, leaving the other BCP component as an etch mask to fabricate either the final master disk or two separate molds that are then used to fabricate the master disk.
US08501017B2
A coolant filtration system and method for use with one or more metal working machines. The system includes a housing, pump, conveyer assembly, drum assembly, and centrifugal separator. The housing includes a tank that receives and holds coolant coming out of the one or more metal working machines. The pump is used to drive the coolant through the coolant filtration system. A part of the conveyer assembly is disposed within the housing in order to carry-away workpiece chips from the coolant. The drum assembly is located near the conveyer assembly in order to filter the coolant. The centrifugal separator receives coolant processed by the conveyor and drum assemblies. The system can further include one or more fine filters for additional filtering of the coolant outputted by the centrifugal separator.
US08501004B2
Disclosed herein is a ballast water treatment device. The device includes a filtering unit filtering ballast water introduced into a ship using a filter, a vortex generating unit generating an artificial vortex in the ballast water filtered by the filtering unit, and an ultraviolet treatment unit having an ultraviolet lamp which sterilizes the ballast water discharged from the vortex generating unit using ultraviolet rays, thus preventing secondary contamination resulting from by-products, preventing a ballast tank from becoming contaminated, affording effective maintenance, and making it convenient to control. Further, an artificial vortex is formed in the ballast water when it is mixed, thus allowing a large quantity of ultraviolet rays to be radiated onto the ballast water passing through the ultraviolet treatment unit, therefore improving a sterilization effect.
US08501001B2
A fluid filter includes a filter element having a filtering media disposed between two endplates. One endplate includes an open flow passage that allows a working fluid to flow into or out of the media during operation. The other endplate includes a connection structure. A cover houses the filter element, and has an opening that is an inlet or outlet in fluid communication with the opening of the one endplate. The cover includes another fill opening proximate the other endplate. A cap is connected to the connection structure of the other endplate to close the opening of the cover. The cover is retained between the cap and other endplate. Generally, the attachment configuration between the cap and the other endplate of the filter element helps ensure that the filter element with the correct micron rating is installed in a filtration system.
US08501000B2
The present invention includes a container and a method of separating one or more components of interest bound to magnetic particles using centrifugal forces.
US08500992B2
A process for treating a hydrocarbon-containing feed is provided in which a hydrocarbon-containing feed comprising at least 20 wt. % of heavy hydrocarbons is mixed with hydrogen and a catalyst to produce a hydrocarbon-containing product. The catalyst is comprised of a material comprised of a first metal and a second metal, where the first metal is selected from the group consisting of Cu, Fe, Bi, Ag, Mn, Zn, Sn, Ru, La, Pr, Sm, Eu, Yb, Lu, Dy, Pb, and Sb and the second metal is Mo, W, V, Sn, and Sb.
US08500991B2
A process is described of producing an MTT framework type molecular sieve by crystallizing a mixture capable of forming said molecular sieve, wherein the mixture comprises sources of alkali or alkaline earth metal (M), an oxide of trivalent element (X), an oxide of tetravalent element (Y), water and a directing agent (R) of the formula (CH3)3N+CH2CH2CH2N+(CH3)2CH2CH2CH2N+(CH3)3, and has a composition, in terms of mole ratios, within the following ranges. YO2/X2O3less than 45 H2O/YO25 to 100 OH−/YO20.05 to 0.5 M/YO20.05 to 0.5 and R/YO2>0 to <0.5.
US08500988B2
An ELID honing device includes a honing tool 10 positioned above a workpiece 1 having a hollow cylindrical inner surface, and vertically movable and rotationally drivable about a vertical rotation axis while being rockably suspended from an upper end, and a honing guide 20 positioned in proximity to an upper portion of the workpiece to guide the honing tool to the hollow cylindrical inner surface. The honing tool 10 has a fixed guide 12 having a predetermined radius R from the rotation axis to its outer peripheral surface, and honing stones 14a and 14b having outer peripheral surfaces movable in parallel from a diameter-increased position outside the radius R to a diameter-reduced position inside the radius R and capable of being electrolytically dressed. Further, the honing guide 20 has a hollow cylindrical ELID electrode 22 having an inner surface 22a for guiding an outer peripheral surface of the fixed guide of the honing tool and capable of being subjected to a negative voltage.
US08500985B2
Selectively accelerated or selectively inhibited metal deposition is performed to form metal structures of an electronic device. A desired pattern of an accelerator or of an inhibitor is applied to the substrate; for example, by stamping the substrate with a patterned stamp or spraying a solution using an inkjet printer. In other embodiments, a global layer of accelerator or inhibitor is applied to a substrate and selectively modified in a desired pattern. Thereafter, selective metal deposition is performed.
US08500972B2
A rotatable cylindrical magnetron sputtering device that includes a cathode body defining a magnet receiving chamber and a cylindrical target assembly surrounding the cathode body, wherein the cylindrical target assembly is rotatable around the cathode body. The cylindrical target assembly includes a hollow mandrel and a target portion mounted around and spaced away from the hollow mandrel portion so as to create a space gap between the hollow mandrel and the target portion, wherein the space gap may be greater than 0.002 inch and less than 0.020 inch.
US08500965B2
The present invention is a method of coating a substrate in a single zone of a MSVD coater wherein the zone includes at least two bays, comprising running a first bay of a zone including a first target in metal mode and running the second bay including a second target in transition or oxide mode, wherein the ΔG of formation of the target oxide being run in transition mode or oxide mode is equal to or less than −160 kcal/mole O2 or the difference in ΔG between the target being run in transition mode or oxide mode and the target being run in metal mode is at least 60 kcal/mole O2.
US08500963B2
A plasma sputtering method for metal chalcogenides, such as germanium antimony telluride (GST), useful in forming phase-change memories. The substrate is held at a selected temperature at which the material deposits in either an amorphous or crystalline form. GST has a low-temperature amorphous range and a high-temperature crystalline range separated by a transition band of 105-120° C. Bipolar pulsed sputtering with less than 50% positive pulses of less than 10:s pulse width cleans the target while maintain the sputtering plasma. The temperature of chamber shields is maintained at a temperature favoring crystalline deposition or they may be coated with arc-spray aluminum or with crystallographically aligned copper or aluminum.
US08500960B2
Disclosed herein are embodiments relating to particular systems comprising a selective transfer membrane that can be utilized in material separation. In certain embodiments, the membrane assembly comprises part of a desalination, distillation, liquid purification, and/or heating and cooling system. Other particular embodiments allow for a high rate of thermal capture by way of the system utilizing a selective transfer membrane. Certain preferred embodiments include a selective transfer membrane comprising an ionomeric polymer that is permeable to high dipole materials.
US08500958B2
The invention relates to a transport or processing belt for a machine for the production or treatment of a fiber web, particularly a paper, cardboard or tissue machine, having a paper side and a conveying side and comprising a polymer coating and a textile load-bearing fabric, wherein the textile fabric has a first side facing the paper side and a second side facing the conveying side. The textile fabric is permeable with a permeability of at least 300 cfm, preferably of at least 500 cfm, and the polymer coating extends in one piece from the first side of the textile fabric though the openings of the textile fabric to the second side of the textile fabric.
US08500940B2
Lightweight, hook-engageable materials capable of functioning as hook-engageable fasteners are treated and configured for use for economical and attractive displays and decorations. Laminates of the material with various substrates with associated printing are used to form visually attractive point of purchase, merchandise or trade show displays. Self-supporting or stable materials having lettering or designs on their surface are used to form banners or floor coverings. Non-woven materials with varied areal density of fibers perform those functions with particular economy. Low density knit fabrics are also useful according to broad features of the invention. Methods are shown to produce reinforced corrugated board and desirably laminated and printed materials having hook-engageable surfaces.
US08500938B2
The invention relates to a method for producing a flexi-rigid printed circuit board, at least one rigid zone (1, 17, 18) of a printed circuit board being connected via a layer of non-conducting material or a dielectric layer (13, 15) to at least one flexible zone (7) of the printed circuit board, the at least one rigid zone being connected to the flexible zone (7) of the printed circuit board, the rigid zone (1) of the printed circuit board then being cut through and a connection between the separate, rigid partial zones (17, 18) of the printed circuit board being established via the flexible zone (7) that is connected thereto. According to the invention, the connection between the at least one rigid zone (1, 17, 18) of the printed circuit board and the at least one flexible zone (7) of the printed circuit board is established by bonding prior to cutting the rigid zone. The invention also relates to a flexi-rigid printed circuit board of the above type which allows increased registration accuracy and is easy to produce and has a reduced layer thickness of the connection (15) between the at least one rigid zone (1, 17, 18) and the flexible zone (7) of the printed circuit board.
US08500934B2
Methods and apparatus for forming a semi-spherical polishing pad for polishing semiconductor surfaces, provide for: placing a polishing pad pre-form on a dome-shaped forming surface, the polishing pad pre-form including a circular body having a center and an outer peripheral edge, and a plurality of slots extending from the outer peripheral edge towards the center; disposing a bladder opposite to the dome-shaped forming surface and the polishing pad pre-form; inflating the bladder with a fluid such that the dome-shaped forming surface of the bonnet form presses against the polishing pad pre-form from one side and the bladder presses against the polishing pad pre-form from an opposite side; and maintaining the pressing step for a predetermined period of time to achieve the semi-spherical polishing pad.
US08500929B2
A method is provided for improving the machinability of a titanium alloy includes heating the alloy at a temperature and time period that imparts to the alloy a microstructure having between about 10 and 15 vol. % alpha phase in a beta phase matrix. According to one embodiment, the alloy is thereafter annealed at a temperature lower than the temperature for the initial heating step, and for a duration that is longer than the time period for the initial heating step.
US08500921B2
There are provided a permanent magnet and a manufacturing method thereof capable of densely sintering the entirety of the magnet without making a gap between a main phase and a grain boundary phase in the sintered magnet. To fine powder of milled neodymium magnet is added an organometallic compound solution containing an organometallic compound expressed with a structural formula of M-(OR)x (M represents V, Mo, Zr, Ta, Ti, W or Nb, R represents a substituent group consisting of a straight-chain or branched-chain hydrocarbon, x represents an arbitrary integer) so as to uniformly adhere the organometallic compound to particle surfaces of the neodymium magnet powder. Thereafter, desiccated magnet powder is held for several hours in hydrogen atmosphere at 200 through 900 degrees Celsius. Thereafter, the powdery calcined body calcined through the calcination process in hydrogen is held for several hours in vacuum atmosphere at 200 through 600 degrees Celsius for a dehydrogenation process.
US08500917B2
A warewasher for washing wares including a housing defining an internal space with at least one spray zone for washing wares. The housing includes an opening defined in part by a lower shelf. A liquid delivery system provides a spray of liquid within the spray zone. An access door has a vertically hinged connection to the housing to provide an open configuration that allows user access to the spray zone and a closed configuration that inhibits user access to the spray zone. The access door includes a threshold seal member at the bottom of the access door. The threshold seal member includes a lower sealing portion that mates with an upper surface of the shelf to provide a lower seal extending laterally along a width of the access door, and an inner sealing portion that cooperates with an inner edge the shelf to provide an inner seal extending laterally along the width of the access door. The inner seal located nearer the spray zone than the lower seal.
US08500910B2
A process is disclosed for preparing biomass particles for thermolytic or enzymatic conversion whereby the biomass particles baying a moisture content of at least 20% are subjected to flash heating. The flash heating may be preceded by one or more adsorption/desorption cycles with water or steam. A swelling aid may be added during the adsorption part of an adsorption/desorption cycle.
US08500902B2
A method of making cementitious particles using combustion synthesis is described. The method uses less energy and produces lower CO2 emissions than conventional processes. By controlling the process conditions, the morphology and the properties of the particles can be easily tuned for a variety of applications. A batch reactor and a continuous conveyor type reactor that can be used for the combustion synthesis with high viscosity raw materials are also described.
US08500892B2
CO2 is absorbed from a gas mixture by bringing the gas mixture into contact with an absorbent that comprises water and at least one amine of the formula (I), wherein R1 and R2, independently of each other, are hydrogen or an alkyl group. According to the invention, absorption media comprise sulfolane or an ionic liquid in addition to water and an amine of the formula (I). A device according to the invention for removing CO2 from a gas mixture comprises an absorption unit, a desorption unit, and an absorption medium according to the invention that is conducted in the circuit.
US08500889B2
A gas adsorption material comprising: a porous metal-organic framework and a plurality of functionalized fullerenes or fullerides provided in the pores of the metal-organic framework. The metal-organic framework includes a plurality of metal clusters, each metal cluster including one or more metal ions, and a plurality of charged multidentate linking ligands connecting adjacent metal clusters.
US08500884B2
One exemplary embodiment can be a vessel. The vessel can include a body, an inlet, and an impermeable impingement plate. The body may include a substantially cylindrical structure orientated substantially horizontally, and first and second heads coupled at opposing ends of the substantially cylindrical structure. Generally, the body forms an interior space, and a lower portion of the body forms a trough having a length and a width. The inlet can communicate with the interior space of the vessel. Typically, the impermeable impingement plate has an impingement surface. The impermeable impingement plate may have a first side and a second side extending substantially the length of the trough. The first and second sides may be substantially parallel and spaced apart across at least a portion of the width of the trough.
US08500878B2
The invention pertains to an inerting system for an aircraft featuring at least one air separation module with at least one air inlet, a first air outlet and a second air outlet. The air separation module is designed for splitting an input air flow into a first air flow and a second air flow, wherein the first air flow is enriched with oxygen in comparison with the input air flow and discharged at the first air outlet and the second air flow is enriched with nitrogen in comparison with the input air flow and discharged at the second air outlet. In comparison with known inerting systems, the inerting system according to the invention is characterized in that the air inlet can be connected to an air extraction point in an air processing system and the inerting system is designed for routing the first air flow into a cabin to be air-conditioned.
US08500869B1
A deaerator includes a case defining a vortex chamber, a fluid inlet for allowing a mixture of lubricating liquid and air to pass through the case into the vortex chamber, an air outlet for allowing air flow out of the deaerator, and a liquid outlet for allowing lubricating liquid flow out of the deaerator. A porous diffuser is positioned proximate the liquid outlet. A plate is positioned adjacent the porous diffuser and has a first surface in contact with the porous diffuser.
US08500868B2
Systems and methods for the separation and capture of carbon dioxide from water are generally described. In some embodiments, a vapor stream containing carbon dioxide and water is separated using a cascade of at least two flash drums. Additional flash steps may be incorporated to remove atmospheric gases, such as nitrogen and argon, from the feed. Carbon dioxide may be condensed and pressurized at purities suitable for pipeline transport and eventual storage in geological formations. In addition, water may be recovered at high purity.In some embodiments, fuel cells may be used in combination with fuel reforming or gasification to produce syngas. Certain aspects of the invention involve innovations related to the combined reforming and fuel cell process, that, in certain embodiments, do not depend upon water and carbon dioxide separation. It should be understood, however, that the invention is not limited to the applications described above, and may be used with any suitable system in which the separation of carbon dioxide and water is desired.
US08500865B2
The gaseous effluent to be treated is contacted in C1 with an absorbent solution selected for its property of forming two separable phases when it has absorbed an amount of acid compounds and when it is heated.According to the invention, the absorbent solution is regenerated in at least two stages in regeneration zones Z1 and Z2. At the end of the first regeneration stage in Z1, at least part of the partly regenerated absorbent solution is separated into two fractions in B1: a fraction rich in acid compounds and a fraction depleted in acid compounds. Fraction 10 rich in acid compounds is sent to the second regeneration stage in Z2. The fraction depleted in acid compounds and regenerated absorbent solution 6 from the second regeneration stage are recycled to absorption column C1. The method can be applied to combustion fumes decarbonation and to natural gas or synthesis gas deacidizing.
US08500863B2
A room temperature trap for the purification and concentration of gaseous methane. The trap utilizes the adsorption and desorption properties of microporous spherical carbon molecular sieves to purify and concentrate radiolabelled methane for application in an automated synthesis module without the need for cryogenic cooling.
US08500858B2
New and useful system and method concepts are provided, for removing carbon dioxide from a flow of carbon dioxide laden air. More specifically, a sorbent structure is used in new and useful structures and techniques to bind carbon dioxide in a carbon dioxide laden air stream, and process heat is used to separate carbon dioxide from the sorbent structure and regenerate the sorbent structure.
US08500845B2
A unique pyrometallurgical lead refining process includes adding a Lewis acid component and an Arrhenius base compound to a molten lead bullion. The Lewis acid component and Arrhenius base compound are added in stoichiometric amounts that preferentially remove lighter amphoteric elements from the molten lead bullion, and promote reactions with amphoteric p-block elements in the lead bullion to form over the lead a slag of Lewis bases, thereby forming a slag layer incorporating the metal salts of the amphoteric p-block elements.
US08500841B2
A method of preparing a fertilizer by feather processing inserts a weighed feather into a reaction container, and then adds caustic potash. Water is then added, and feather disintegration occurs. Phosphoric acid is poured into the mixture, and then the pH is measured—and if necessary improved with phosphoric acid or caustic potash. Epsom salt, vitriol of iron, boric acid, manganic sulphate, zinc sulphate, cuprous sulphate, ammonium molybdate and calcium nitrate are mixed in, and the mixture is partitioned into transportation containers depending on the weight of caustic potash included in the mixture using a drain pump through appropriate filter under constant stirring. The mixture is diluted with water, and the whole mass is perfectly mixed. Humic acids are then mixed into the diluted mixture to form a final keratin fertilizer with humic acid additive in colloid form.
US08500840B2
A cordierite-based ceramic honeycomb filter comprising a honeycomb structure having a large number of flow paths partitioned by porous cell walls, and plugs alternately formed in said flow paths on the exhaust-gas-inlet side or the exhaust-gas-outlet side for permitting an exhaust gas to pass through said porous cell walls to remove particulate matter from the exhaust gas, said porous cell walls having porosity of 45-58%, an average pore size of 15-30 μm, the volume of pores having pore sizes exceeding 50 μm being more than 10% and 25% or less of the total pore volume, the volume of pores having pore sizes of 100 μm or more being 1-8% of the total pore volume, the volume of pores having pore sizes of less than 10 μm being 3-10% of the total pore volume, and said pores having a pore size distribution deviation σ [=log(D20)−log(D80)] of 0.6 or less, wherein D20 represents a pore size (μm) at a pore volume corresponding to 20% of the total pore volume, and D80 represents a pore size (μm) at a pore volume corresponding to 80% of the total pore volume, both in a curve representing the relation between the pore size and the cumulative pore volume, and D80
US08500836B2
A centrifugal separator for separating liquid droplets from a gas flow can be used for scrubbing gases to be emitted into the atmosphere, as well as for separating water, oil and gas condensate droplets from a gas flow in any industry. The separator comprises a cylindrical body with axial gas flow inlet and outlet pipes and separated liquid removal sections located on the end surfaces of the body. A swirler and a central perforated pipe are installed in series and in axial alignment in the body from the gas inlet side. A conical displacer is installed in the perforated central pipe. Separation stage vanes are located between the central pipe and the conical displacer along the entire length of the displacer, and hydraulic seal vanes are placed at the same level between the central pipe and the body. The separator design provides a more efficient separation of liquid droplets from a high-velocity gas flow and can operate in any position.
US08500833B2
An abrasive article including a material including an abrasive material and a filler material having an average negative coefficient of thermal expansion (CTE) within a range of temperatures between about 70 K to about 1500 K.
US08500832B2
Provided is a fuel reforming device, which can produce and supply a reformed gas in quick response to a demand for the reformed gas and which is so inexpensive as can be suitably mounted on a vehicle. The fuel reforming device feeds a material to a reforming catalyst and produces the reformed gas under a pressure higher than the atmospheric pressure. The fuel reforming device comprises a material supply means for supplying the material to the reforming catalyst, a reforming means having the reforming catalyst, for reforming the material supplied from the material supply means, to produce the reformed gas, and a run control means for controlling the run of the fuel reforming device. The run control means includes a stop mode, in which the drive of the material supply means is stopped to stop the production of the reformed gas, a reform mode, in which the material supply means is driven to produce the reformed gas, and a standby mode, in which the material supply means is driven and in which the temperature of the reforming catalyst is held within a predetermined range while producing the reformed gas as little as possible, so that the standby mode can shift instantly to the reform mode.
US08500831B2
A device for continuously conditioning fed-out natural gas prior to feeding the same to supply lines leading to consumers has a mixing station for producing a burnable gas from natural gas and oxygen, a reactor container for a catalytic combustion of an introduced mixture of burnable gas and natural gas, at least one drying station that is connected downstream of an outlet of the reactor container, at least one separator, particularly for water, and at least one expansion fitting for reducing the pressure. The reactor container and separator chamber of the separator are disposed in an enclosed housing. The mixing chamber, into which a first feed line for fed-out cold natural gas opens, is disposed in the housing between the reactor container and the separator chamber.
US08500829B2
A pyrolysis oil derived from a lignocellulosic biomass material is converted into precursors for liquid hydrocarbon transportation fuels by contacting the oil with water and carbon monoxide at elevated temperature, typically from 280 to 350° C., an elevated pressure, typically a total system pressure of 12 to 30 MPa and a CO partial pressure from 5 to 10 MPa and a weight ratio of water:biomass oil from 0.5:1 to 5.0:1, to dissolve the oil into the reaction mixture and depolymerize, deoxygenate and hydrogenate the oil, so converting it into liquid transportation fuel precursors.
US08500817B2
A knee joint prosthesis which comprises a tibial component (4, 6) and a femoral component (2). The femoral component has condyles (14, 16) which act against the tibial component, directly or indirectly, during flexing of the knee. A cam (20) on the femoral component acts against a post (26) on the tibial component at high flex angles. The surface of the post which is contacted by the cam at high flex angles is convex when the post viewed generally perpendicular to the tibial bone contact and bearing surfaces, and the femoral bearing surface which is provided by the cam, where it contacts the convex surface of the post at high flex angles, is locally concave (32) when viewed along the surface of the post which contacts the cam so that the area of contact between the post and the cam is greater at high flex angles than at lower flex angles.
US08500814B2
A bone prosthesis device is comprised of an upper and lower abutment surfaces and an intervening malleable member. The device is sufficiently small so that implantation into an inter-vertebral disc space can be performed from a substantially posterior approach without significant impingement upon the neural elements.
US08500809B2
Described herein are methods and devices for use in repair of a patient's anterior cruciate ligament (ACL). These methods (and devices for performing them) allow the repair, rather than merely replacement, of the ACL. For example, described herein are anchoring devices that may be inserted into a bone and may anchor a scaffolding/support (e.g., graft) material within the bone so that the torn or damaged end of the ACL may be secured to the scaffolding/support material within the femoral notch. These anchoring devices and method of using them are particularly well suited for use with the continuous suture passers described herein, since these suture passers may allow access to previously inaccessible regions of the knee (or other body regions).
US08500806B1
An intraocular lens has a polymeric optic defined by a harder posterior layer and a softer anterior layer. Haptics having a fulcrum attached to the posterior layer and a resistance arm attached to the anterior layer are provided. A bias is provided to the haptic to rotate the haptics about the fulcrum and cause the resistance arm to deform the softer anterior layer about the harder posterior layer to increase the optical power of the lens. As the haptic rotates, it axially displaces the optic anteriorly to additionally increase the optical power. The optical power is adjustable in response to stresses induced by the eye. The haptics are subject to a pre-bias that urges the haptics to rotate or bend about the fulcrum. Temporary restraints are provided to the haptics to retain a stressed shape of the lens against the bias during a post-implantation healing period.
US08500803B2
An ocular implant including a hydrophobic pseudo-endothelial implant and a binding agent applied thereto, the binding agent capable of bonding the implant to a posterior portion of a cornea such that the implant serves as a water barrier enabling dehydration of the cornea.
US08500792B2
A delivery system for delivering and deploying stents with proximal and distal apices includes a “guidewire lumen, a distal apex release lumen, a proximal apex release lumen, a distal apex capture device and a proximal apex capture device. The distal and proximal apex capture devices include a first distal capture portion and a second distal capture portion fixedly connected to the guidewire lumen and distal apex release lumen, respectively, and a first and second proximal capture portions, respectively. The first proximal capture portion is fixedly connected to the distal end of the apex release lumen and has fingers extending toward the first distal capture portion in a distal direction. The second proximal capture portion is fixedly connected to the distal end of the proximal apex release lumen and has fingers extending toward the second distal capture portion in a distal direction.
US08500776B2
A surgical patch system for closing a wound includes a first surgical patch, a second surgical patch, a cord operably associated with the first and second surgical patches, and a port operably associated with the second surgical patch. The first surgical patch is positionable adjacent internal tissue of an underlying tissue site of an open wound. The second surgical patch is positionable adjacent external tissue relative to the underlying tissue site of the open wound. The external tissue is adjacent the internal tissue. The cord is configured and dimensioned to interconnect the first and second surgical patches. The port is positioned to enable the application of negative pressure to the open wound.
US08500758B2
An auxiliary device for a puncture needle allowing an easier manipulation of puncture needles as well as being capable of improving the suture stability. The auxiliary device for a puncture needle comprises a plate-shaped auxiliary device main body on the surface of which parallel guide grooves were formed, and a plate-shaped rotating-sliding contact part rotatably attached to one of the edge parts of the auxiliary device main body. Moreover, a stabilization plate was provided at the lower end part of the auxiliary device main body. And, a window part for confirming an insertion-puncture needle-outer needle and a pullout-puncture needle were provided at the lower part side portion of the auxiliary device main body. Moreover, a projecting edge part was formed at the upper end part of the auxiliary device main body, and an opening side width of a portion located at the projecting edge part of the guide grooves was made wider than the width of the other portion of the guide grooves.
US08500757B2
A system for forming a purse string suture, including a suture applicator having a proximal handle, a length of suture wound on a spool, and a hollow suture needle extending from a distal end of the handle. The suture needle projects distally from the handle in a helical shape and terminates in a sharp distal tip with an opening in one side close to the distal tip. A free end of the length of suture may extend out of the distal tip and back into the hollow suture needle through the opening. The suture needle may have a deflection segment adjacent the distal tip that is more flexible than the rest of the helical distal portion of the suture needle. A linear hollow pivot shaft extends from a distal end of the handle substantially along an axis of the helical distal portion of the suture needle.
US08500755B2
A fastener delivery tool includes a loading chamber for receiving a fastener having a pair of tines overlapping one another to define a loop in a parent or relaxed state. A retaining member retains the fastener in the loading chamber. The fastener delivery tool also includes a tongue, pusher member, and an ejection track communicating with the loading chamber. An actuator causes the tongue to move to engage the tines of the fastener to transform the fastener from the relaxed state to a constrained state defining a U-shape. The actuator also causes the pusher member to release the retaining member and advance the fastener down the ejection track in the constrained state. The tool also includes a trigger for ejecting the fastener completely from the ejection track. The fastener may be used to secure a prosthetic heart valve or components thereof into surrounding tissue, e.g., within a tissue annulus.
US08500742B2
A method of positioning an S-shaped elongated tool in an intervertebral disc or a vertebral body. The S-shaped elongated tool has shape memory properties and retains its predetermined arcuate shape when no pressure or force is applied to it.
US08500728B2
A surgical system comprises a device adapted to deliver a plurality of surgical instruments to a site within a patient's body, a first surgical instrument comprising an active electrode probe, a second surgical instrument for performing a non-electrosurgical procedure, a conductive shield surrounding the active electrode probe of the first surgical instrument and connected to a reference potential, and a cold instrument monitor connected to the second surgical instrument and to the reference potential.
US08500718B2
A system and method for performing tissue therapy may include applying a reduced pressure to a tissue site of a patient. A fluid parameter associated with applying a reduced pressure to the tissue site may be sensed. An audible fluid leak location sound may be generated in response to sensing the fluid parameter. The audible fluid leak location sound may be altered in response to sensing that the fluid parameter changes. By altering the audible fluid leak location sound in response to sensing a change of the fluid parameter, a clinician may detect location of a fluid leak at the drape by applying force to the drape. The force applied to the drape may be a clinician pressing a finger onto an edge of the drape.
US08500710B2
An absorbent article includes a belt member defining front and rear waist regions and a liquid-absorbent structure defining a crotch region wherein the belt member includes a peripheral edge of a waist-opening and this peripheral edge includes two segments associated with the front and rear waist regions spaced from and opposed to each other in an anteroposterior direction Y. Front and rear belt sections of the belt member include, in the front and rear waist regions, see-through regions for the article wearer's skin having a total light transmittance of about 55% or higher and occupying 40% or more of the front and rear waist regions. The front and rear belt sections are provided along the peripheral edge of the waist-opening with a reinforcing elastic member extending in a transverse direction X.
US08500709B2
An absorbent article that is worn by a user, including: a main body section of the absorbent article; an absorbent body that includes an absorbent member absorbing liquid, that has a longitudinal direction, a width direction, and a thickness direction, that is superposed on a user side of the main body section, whose one end section of the longitudinal direction is joined to the main body section at a first joined section, and whose another end section of the longitudinal direction is joined to the main body section at a second joined section; and a restricting member that is disposed between the first joined section and the second joined section in the longitudinal direction, and that restricts relative shifting between the main body section and the absorbent body when the main body section and the absorbent body that are superposed are folded.
US08500708B2
A compact portable container apparatus holds urine or other fluids safely and hygienically. Specifically, a container is provided that traps urine or other fluids when deposited therein. The container has one or more seals that allows the container to be sealed after use so that leakage of the container after use is minimized or eliminated. Moreover, the container has a generally horizontally disposed downwardly sloping passageway for the passage of urine or other fluids and an angled or arcuately-shaped wall for directing a flow or spray of urine or other fluids into a reservoir for holding the same. Moreover, the container has a window for viewing the contents of the container to determine the quantity of fluids contained therein. Alternatively, the container includes an absorbent material for absorbing the urine or other fluids. The container may be made from a soft, resilient thermoplastic material. A kit is provided including the container and other articles, such as wet napkins, cleaning wipes, sickness bags and/or other like articles. Methods of using the same are further provided.
US08500703B2
There are disclosed devices and methods for protecting a user from a sharp tip of a medical needle. In an embodiment, a device includes a central body portion, a medical needle having a sharp tip, a pair of wings in attachment to the central body portion, and a mechanical fastener disposed on at least one of the wings, the mechanical fastener configured to selectively attach the wings together with the medical needle positioned between the wings so as to protect a user from the sharp tip of the medical needle. In another embodiment, a method includes withdrawing a sharp tip of a medical needle from a patient, closing a pair of wings with the medical needle positioned between the wings, and fastening the wings together with the medical needle positioned between the wings so as to protect a user from the sharp tip of the medical needle.
US08500699B2
An apparatus comprising a syringe, a needle, and a guard is described. In some versions, the apparatus may comprise an adapter and a biasing element. The biasing element may be used to urge the guard in a distal direction. In some versions, the apparatus may comprise a spring in communication with the guard. In some versions, the apparatus may comprise a passive release mechanism. In some versions, the apparatus may comprise an adapter that has a hinge. The hinge may be used to engage the guard.
US08500698B2
A catheter anchoring or securement device and system in combination with or for securing a catheter system to a patient's skin in a fixed position, the invention having a flexible anchor sheet member having an adhesive backing that adheres the flexible anchor sheet member to the patient's skin, a compressible catheter receiving pad mounted to the flexible anchor sheet member, and releasable securing strap covering the compressible catheter receiving pad, wherein the compressible catheter receiving pad is provided with a cavity or recess, the peripheral configuration of which corresponds to the footprint configuration of the catheter body member. The cavity has an axially-oriented channel extending the full width of the flexible anchor sheet member and opposing sets of retention walls defining lateral recesses, the combination of which precludes relative movement of the catheter fitting in all lateral directions.
US08500694B2
It may desirable to monitor or control a pump remotely. For example, the pump may be positioned near the patient, with remote control or monitoring of the pump occurring in a control room. In one exemplary embodiment, the pump is used in an MRI environment. In another exemplary embodiment, the pump is used in a hyperbaric chamber. The pump may monitor one or more physiological parameters and transmit them to the remote. The pump may also transmit information relating to the pump's operation. The pump may send the device and/or physiological data using one or more packets. The packets may consist of low priority sequential packets and high-priority asynchronous packets. The high-priority packets may enable the real-time monitoring of a patient's heart beat or other physiological parameter.
US08500693B2
The present invention relates to a device for automatic injection of a product, comprising: a body (3) housing a container, the container being movable relative to said body between an initial position, to an insertion position; a safety shield (26) movable with respect to said container and said body between an insertion position to a protection position, when the user removes the device from an injection site; an external socket (48) receiving the body and provided with selection means (53) which can be placed by a user: either in a first position, in which the body (3) and the external socket (48) are bound to each other, the safety shield extending beyond the distal end of both said body and said external socket in the protection position; or in a second position, in which the external socket (48) is able to move axially in the distal direction with respect to the body (3), both the safety shield and the external socket extending beyond the distal end of said body, in the protection position.
US08500670B2
The invention relates to a variable tension chest support for use by patients having undergone thoracic surgery. The chest support may be worn directly on the skin of a patient and comprises a band of stretchable material and one or more grips which are wholly or partially concealed within pockets with which the patient may alter the tension of the chest encircling band. The device allows a patient to modify the level of tension applied to the chest, thus managing the recovery process, while providing a basic level of support at all times the support is in use.
US08500669B2
A protective cup comprises: a molded cup-shaped main body having a peripheral edge, upper and lower segments, and an intermediate transition segment interconnecting the upper and lower segments, the peripheral edge having top and bottom sides, the upper segment extending curvedly from the top side of the peripheral edge to the intermediate transition segment, the lower segment extending curvedly from the intermediate transition segment to the bottom side of the peripheral edge, the lower segment having a wall thickness less than that of the upper segment; and an elastic pad body having a loop-shaped lip connected to the peripheral edge of the cup-shaped main body.
US08500664B2
A massage chair with a foot massaging device, which includes a seat unit, a backrest unit, and the foot massaging device located at a front portion of the seat unit, can make the structure simpler, the weight lighter, and the cost lower all at once. The massage chair is provided under the seat unit 2 with a back-and-forth motion mechanism 15 joined to the foot massaging device 5, and when the back-and-forth motion mechanism 15 protrudes forward, the foot massaging device 5 advances to a using position U which is located in front of the seat unit 2 and at which a lower leg of a user can be massaged, while when the back-and-forth motion mechanism 15 retracts backward, the foot massaging device 5 is housed in a housing position P formed under the seat unit 2.
US08500658B2
A guide wire for use in a medical procedure having a shapeable tip integral with and made from the distal end of a superelastic nitinol distal section of the guide wire, wherein the shapeable tip can be finger kinked. Such a guide wire includes an elongated core made from a superelastic nitinol alloy at the distal end, the distal end of the elongated core having a tapered section leading to a shapeable distal tip. The shapeable tip is an extension of the distal end of the nitinol distal section, and includes permanent strain hardening from at least two different radial directions imparting crystallographic texture in the radial directions that eliminate superelasticity so that permanent deformation can be achieved with finger pressure.
US08500656B2
A guide wire (1) for use with a catheter comprises a core wire (3) terminating in a distal portion (18) of flat ribbon-like construction having respective opposite major surfaces (29,30). A spring (24) is brazed to a distal end (27) of the distal portion (18) and to the core wire (3) at a tapering portion (14). A reinforcing member (38) extends axially along the distal portion (18) from a proximal end (26) of the distal portion (18) to a location (40) for reinforcing the distal portion (18) for in turn increasing its torsional rigidity in order to minimize axial twisting of the distal portion (18). A guide portion (42) of the distal portion (18) between the location (40) and the distal end (27) is provided to be bent at a desired set curved configuration for offsetting a distal tip (9) of the guide wire (1) from a central axis (8) thereof, so that by rotating the guide wire (1) at its proximal end (5) the distal portion (18) is also rotated for aligning the distal tip (9) with a branched vessel into which it is desired to direct and urge the guide wire (1).
US08500646B2
Embodiments for processing a color Doppler mode image in an ultrasound system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the ultrasound system includes: a Doppler signal acquisition unit configured to transmit and receive ultrasound signals to and from a target object to acquire first Doppler signals; and a processing unit configured to form color Doppler mode images including power images and velocity images and a mask for detecting a region of interest by using the color Doppler mode images, the processing unit being further configured to mask the power images and the velocity image by using the mask.
US08500639B2
An ultrasound imaging system provides dynamic control of a shear wave front used to image viscoelasticity in a biological tissue. The system receives an indication of a region of interest and selects a shear wave front shape. The system also selects, based on the selected shear wave front shape, focus locations for a plurality of push pulses and a sequence for moving a shear wave source among the focus locations. The system transmits a series of push pulses according to the selected sequence, and determines a speed of the shear wave front as it passes through the region of interest. Changes in the speed of the shear wave front are related to changes in stiffness within the tissue.
US08500638B2
A non-contact ultrasonic tonometer for measuring an intraocular pressure of an examinee's eye in non-contact manner by use of an ultrasonic wave, comprises: an ultrasonic transducer including a transmitter which emits an ultrasonic transmission pulse wave to the eye and a receiver which detects an ultrasonic reflection pulse wave from the eye, the transducer being arranged to be placed in a position apart from the eye and to transmit and receive the pulse wave with respect to the eye through the medium of air; and a calculation part being arranged to obtain a peak amplitude level of the reflection pulse wave based on an output signal from the ultrasonic transducer and measure the intraocular pressure based on the obtained peak amplitude level.
US08500629B2
An endoscopic instrument for performing surgical procedures. The instrument includes an elongate member having a distal end for insertion into a patient's body and a proximal end opposite the distal end. The member has a distal portion adjacent the distal end and a central portion adjacent the distal portion. The distal portion has a first mechanical stiffness of a stiffness type selected from a tensile stiffness, a compressive stiffness and/or a bending stiffness. The central portion has a second mechanical stiffness of the stiffness type of the first mechanical stiffness. The first mechanical stiffness is different from the second mechanical stiffness.
US08500628B2
An apparatus for accessing a bodily passageway includes: an endoscope including an insertion portion configured to inserted into the bodily passageway; a drive tube including a lumen configured to receive the endoscope; a helically-wound thread disposed on an outer wall of the drive tube and configured such that rotation of the drive tube causes the drive tube with the endoscope to move along the passageway; a flexible drive shaft configured to transfer rotary motion generated by a power supply; and a rotatable drive collar disposed on the endoscope and configured to rotate the drive tube relative to the endoscope, the rotatable drive collar including a stator, a rotor rotatable over the stator and detachably coupled to the drive tube, a rotary gear configured to transfer the rotary motion from the flexible drive shaft to the rotor to rotate the drive tube, and a watertight seal disposed between the stator and the rotor.
US08500623B2
In a method for the intermittent occlusion of a vein draining the organ system, in which the vein is occluded by an occlusion device, the fluid pressure in the occluded vein is continuously measured and stored, the behavior of the fluid pressure is determined as a function of time, and the occlusion of the vein is triggered and/or released as a function of at least one characteristic value derived from the pressure measurements, pressure is applied during the occlusion in a pulsating manner. The device for the intermittent occlusion of a vein, including an occlusion device, a pressure measuring device for continuously measuring the fluid pressure in the occluded vein, and a memory for storing the fluid pressure behavior as a function of time, means are provided for applying a pulsating pressure in the occluded vein.
US08500609B1
An attachable weight assembly having separable sections for attachment to a pole used in exercising. The weight assembly includes a elongated main body having a first end and a second end and a bore running through the first end, second end and elongated main body. The bore is sized to fit over a shaft. The first and second ends each have a storage area for secure storage of a molded weight. The elongated main body is separable into at least two main body sections. The main body sections are attached together using an attachment mechanism. A user attaches the weight assembly to the shaft for use during exercise.
US08500608B1
Exercise apparatus having a slidable weight bar assembly with hand brake assemblies is provided for enaging and disengaging the weight bar assembly with a support frame. The exercise apparatus can be configured as a squat machine or a bench press. The exercise apparatus can include an adjustable back support that facilitates proper positioning and support of the operator's upper and lower back while performing squat exercises. The exercise apparatus can further include spring assemblies that increase the kinetic load during downward movements of the slidable weight bar assembly.
US08500606B2
A partially-inlaid elliptical gymnastics equipment system includes a plurality of pedals connected to moving arms that move in synchronism with said pedals, at least one fixed member configured within a reach of a user, a panel for controlling and monitoring the equipment system, a mechanical and electric assembly that connects at least one pair of pedals and moving arms to define an elliptical system and promotes an alternating displacement of the at least one pair of pedals and arms, a vertical partition that includes a first pair of vertical windows through which distal end parts of bars pass, each bar connecting one the pedals to the elliptical system and a pair of vertical windows through which the moving arms pass, the moving arms being synchronized with the movements of the pedals, and an aisle providing access to the mechanical and electric assembly.
US08500600B2
A hydraulic control system for a transmission includes a source of pressurized hydraulic fluid, a manual valve, and a default valve. A first set of solenoids are configured to selectively engage at least one of a plurality of shift actuators. The first set of solenoids is open when de-energized. A second set of solenoids is configured to selectively engage at least one of the plurality of actuators. The second set of solenoids is closed when de-energized. A low speed default gear is engaged when the first and second sets of solenoids are de-energized and the transmission is operating in a low speed gear ratio. A high speed default gear ratio is engaged when the first and second sets of solenoids are de-energized and the transmission is operating in a high speed gear ratio.
US08500593B2
A transmission arrangement is disclosed which comprises first and second variators (166, 169) each of which comprises an input race (150, 154) and an output race (152, 156). A plurality of rollers (276, 278) is arranged to run upon the input and output races to transfer drive from one to the other. The races are mounted for rotation about a common axis and the inclination of the first variator's rollers is variable independently of the inclination of the second variator's rollers, so that the two rollers are able to provide independently and continuously variable drive ratios. To provide traction between the rollers and races, a biasing device (216, 217) applies an axial force to one of the races, urging the rollers and races into engagement with each other. Each variator is provided with a shunt gear for providing forward, reverse and g eared neutral ratios, and to couple the variator input to the shunt gear a coupling member (160) passes through the outer variator races.
US08500590B2
An automotive accessory drive system for a motor vehicle connects to an internal combustion engine crankshaft during at least one mode of operation. The system includes an accessory drive pulley, a starter motor/generator, and an endless loop power transmission member connecting at least the starter motor/generator and the accessory drive pulley. A planetary gear set includes a sun gear, a ring gear integrally associated with the accessory drive pulley, and a planetary carrier connected to the engine crankshaft. First and second one way clutches connect the engine crankshaft to the ring gear, and the sun gear to a grounding member, respectively, to define a normal drive mode and an engine start mode, respectively. An electromagnetic disconnect includes a normally closed friction clutch connecting the grounding member to ground to define a third mode of operation corresponding to a free wheel function with the grounding member disengaged from connection to ground.
