US08842815B2
A profile-based system is employed to manage user identities and preferences, devices, content and/or other aspects of service delivery. The user profiles may be maintained in one or more servers or other elements located in an external network access via a customer premises equipment (CPE) gateway of a local network. The profiles can be used to map users to identities, devices, services, and other features that affect the manner in which a particular user communicates with (or through) the external network.
US08842814B2
Systems and methods for managing the status of participants of a tele-networking meeting are disclosed. During a tele-networking meeting, a network device may monitor the talk time of each participant of the meeting. If a participant's talk time exceeds the target talk time, the network device may prompt the chair, and the chair may take action. Action may include managing a participant's status by muting, disconnecting, or spinning the participant off into a subconference. Additionally, during a tele-networking meeting, a chair may also create a subconference on network device. Thus, the chair may be able to spin off participants of a tele-networking meeting into a subconference controlled by a subchair.
US08842810B2
Emergency communications systems and methods are provided herein. According to some embodiments, methods for mediating transmission of an emergency communication may include establishing a communications path between an emergency response entity and a communications device of a reporting party in response to an emergency event, and delivering to the emergency response entity an alert communication from the communications device, the alert communication comprising at least a location of the communications device and visual content captured by the communications device.
US08842808B2
A system and methods for characterizing an inspected object on the basis of attenuation between identified regions of scattering and a plurality of detectors. An incident beam of substantially monochromatic penetrating radiation is generated by a source, which may be a radioactive source. The incident beam is characterized by a propagation axis and a source energy. Radiation scattered by the object is detected by means of a plurality of detector elements disposed about the beam of penetrating radiation, each detector element generating a detector signal characterizing a detected energy of scattered radiation. The detector signal provides for determining a displacement for each scattering point of the object relative to a fiducial position on the propagation axis of the incident beam, based upon the detected energy of the scattered radiation. By calculating the attenuation of penetrating radiation between pairs of scattering voxels, a tomographic image is obtained characterizing the three-dimensional distribution of attenuation in the object of one or more energies of penetrating radiation, and thus of material characteristics.
US08842803B2
Disclosed herein is a shift register which is capable of preventing leakage of charges at a set node which occurs when the duty ratio of a scan pulse is small, so as to normally output a scan pulse. The shift register includes a plurality of stages for sequentially generating outputs thereof. Each of the stages includes a carry output unit for outputting a carry pulse to drive at least one of a downstream stage and an upstream stage, and a scan output unit for outputting a scan pulse to drive a gate line. Each of the outputs generated from the stages includes the carry pulse and the scan pulse. The carry pulse and the scan pulse are paired to correspond to each other. The paired carry pulse and scan pulse have different durations.
US08842798B2
Example embodiments are directed to apparatuses and methods for producing radioisotopes in instrumentation tubes of operating commercial nuclear reactors. Irradiation targets may be inserted and removed from instrumentation tubes during operation and converted to radioisotopes otherwise unavailable from nuclear reactors. Example apparatuses may continuously insert, remove, and store irradiation targets to be converted to useable radioisotopes.
US08842796B2
A method of detecting defects in nuclear fuel within a fuel rod that first heats the fuel rod to a temperature substantially above the ambient temperature. The surface temperature of the fuel rod cladding is then monitored as the fuel rod is allowed to cool. Variations in the temperature measured over the surface is then noted as an indication of defects.
US08842795B2
A control rod grasped by a hook of a grasping equipment is moved down and is positioned at an upper end of a hollow piston of a control rod drive mechanism (CRD) in a state that the control rod is fully withdrawn from a core. Furthermore, the hook is inserted into an opening of a handle of the control rod. The hook is lifted up so as to make contact with the handle. The control rod grasped by the grasping equipment is rotated by a grasping equipment rotation apparatus. A state that gaps formed between joint convexities in a coupling socket of the control rod are positioned right above coupling spud convexities of the hollow piston occurs. At this time, the control rod falls by its own weight and the coupling spud convexities pass through the gaps. A grasping equipment movement apparatus suppresses the falling speed of the control rod. The control rod is rotated at 90° and the control rod and CRD are connected. The time required for connecting the control rod and the hollow piston of the control rod drive mechanism can be shortened even further.
US08842787B1
A receiver is set forth that includes a tuner circuit and a converter circuit. The tuner circuit provides an analog signal corresponding to a modulated signal that is received on a selected channel. The converter circuit includes a sample clock that is used to convert the analog signal to a digital signal at a conversion rate corresponding to the frequency of the sample clock. The sample clock is selectable between at least two different clock frequencies.
US08842784B2
An apparatus having a first circuit, a second circuit and a third circuit is disclosed. The first circuit may be configured to generate a plurality of load values corresponding to a trellis of a decoding process. The second circuit generally includes a plurality of calculation layers. The calculation layers may be configured to generate a plurality of maximum values in response to the load values. The third circuit may be configured to generate a plurality of L-values of the decoding process in response to the maximum values.
US08842778B2
A receiver may be dynamically configurable, during run-time, into a plurality of modes of operation. In a first mode of operation the receiver may demodulate received signals having relative low inter-symbol correlation using a near zero ISI filter and symbol slicing. In a second mode of operation the receiver may demodulate received signals having relatively high inter-symbol correlation using an input filter configured to achieve a desired total partial response and a sequence estimation algorithm.
US08842776B2
A receiver and associated method estimates a channel impulse response of the communications signal. A communications signal is received as a burst of transmitted symbols, including a known training sequence. The joint estimation of timing offset and initial channel impulse response is determined based on the cross-correlations of the known transmitted symbols and received communications signal. A constant modulus interference removal iteration is applied to improve the initial channel impulse estimation.
US08842771B2
An amplitude flatness and phase linearity calibration method for an RF source across a wide frequency bandwidth uses a simple square law diode detector and at least a pair of equal amplitude frequency tones. A baseband generator for the RF source generates the tones, which are applied in series to a correction filter and an up-converter to produce an output RF signal. The tones are stepped across a specified frequency bandwidth, and at each average frequency for the tones a magnitude and group delay is measured as well as a phase for the beat frequency between the tones. The resulting measurements are used to calibrate filter coefficients for the correction filter to assure amplitude flatness and phase linearity across the specified frequency bandwidth.
US08842765B2
A reconfigurable RF routing module may include M RF inputs and N RF outputs, wherein M is greater than N; a plurality of RF switches arranged to select between incoming RF signals; a plurality of RF combiners arranged to combine RF signals to a single RF signal; and a plurality of RF couplers, each associated with a transfer switch and a specified attenuation, wherein the specified attenuation of each one of the plurality of RF couplers is selected so that the RF inputs of each one of the plurality of the RF combiners are combined in a balanced manner, wherein the switches, the combiners, and the RF couplers are configured to route any of 1 to M of the inputs into each of the N outputs.
US08842755B2
A process for decoding a signal being representative of a Space Time or Frequency Block coding during two signaling periods (STBC) or two parallel channels (SFBC) is provided. The process receives an OFDM signal received from at least one antenna. The process also performs an OFDM demodulation in order to generate N frequency domain representations of the received signal. Then the process performs a decoding process on said OFDM demodulated signal and groups the received signal in word code, Y=(y1, y2), to represent the signal that was received during two signaling periods (STBC) or two parallel channels (SFBC). The word code is then decoded into a matrix after which a lattice reduction algorithm is applied to the matrix in order to transform the matrix into a reduced matrix having a near orthogonal vector. Then it performs a detection process on the reduced matrix to improve noise and interference immunity.
US08842750B2
According to various embodiments, a method is disclosed that includes receiving an orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) modulated signal at a modulator; filtering the received modulated signal using a plurality of sets of filter coefficients with a linear predictor algorithm; and estimating a channel frequency response based on the filtering.
US08842745B2
In the transmitter, receiver and interface system capable of selective adoption of a differential current driving scheme and a differential voltage driving scheme, a differential current driving scheme and a differential voltage driving scheme can be selectively adopted in one semiconductor chip depending upon the states of the transmission lines, so that effective data transmission is possible and common parts can be shared, whereby a design time can be shortened and a layout area can be reduced.
US08842737B2
In one embodiment, the method includes determining, by a moving picture coding system, first and second reference pictures; obtaining a type of the first reference picture; and determining motion vectors of the bi-predictive image block based on the type of the first reference picture. The type is one of a long-term type and a short-term type, and characterizes a temporal distance of the first reference picture with respect to the bi-predictive block. The motion vectors of the bi-predictive image block are determined according to a first set of expressions if the first reference picture is of the short-term type and according to a second set of expressions if the first reference picture is of the long-term type. The bi-predictive image block is decoded by using the first reference picture and the second reference picture based on the determined motion vectors.
US08842736B2
In one embodiment, the method includes determining motion vectors of the bi-predictive image block based on a type of the first reference picture. The type is one of a long-term type and a short-term type, and the type characterizes a temporal distance of the first reference picture with respect to the bi-predictive block. The motion vectors of the bi-predictive image block are determined according to a first set of expressions if the first reference picture is of the short-term type, and according to a second set of expressions if the first reference picture is of the long-term type. The second set of expressions is different than the first set of expressions. The method further includes decoding the bi-predictive image block based on the determined motion vectors.
US08842735B2
Phase correlation is an established method for computing motion which relies on the ability to find peaks in a computed phase correlation surface. Two methods to improve the ability to detect peaks in the phase correlation surface are described herein. The first method applies a theoretically-derived and spatially-varying gain to the phase correlation surface. The gain compensates for peaks whose amplitudes have been decreased due to windowing effects; such effects are unavoidable in phase correlation. The second method uses concepts from matched filters to improve detection of peaks whose amplitudes are diminished due to a spreading of the peak energy into surrounding positions in the phase correlation surface. Peak detection filters allow such low-amplitude peaks to be properly detected. It is possible to use only the first method, or only the second method or both methods combined.
US08842734B2
Disclosed is a method of encoding a video, the method including: splitting a current picture into at least one maximum coding unit; determining a coded depth to output a final encoding result according to at least one split region obtained by splitting a region of the maximum coding unit according to depths, by encoding the at least one split region, based on a depth that deepens in proportion to the number of times the region of the maximum coding unit is split; and outputting image data constituting the final encoding result according to the at least one split region, and encoding information about the coded depth and a prediction mode, according to the at least one maximum coding unit.
US08842730B2
The present invention relates to methods and systems for the exhibition of a motion picture with enhanced perceived resolution and visual quality. The enhancement of perceived resolution is achieved both spatially and temporally. Spatial resolution enhancement creates image details using both temporal-based methods and learning-based methods. Temporal resolution enhancement creates synthesized new image frames that enable a motion picture to be displayed at a higher frame rate. The digitally enhanced motion picture is to be exhibited using a projection system or a display device that supports a higher frame rate and/or a higher display resolution than what is required for the original motion picture.
US08842727B2
A system for processing an audio/video program to output at a desired display rate includes a computer including RAM, ROM and a processor. The system has an input receiving an input video program in a first interlaced format. The computer has hardware or software functioning to: storing the input program, at least temporarily, in the first format; de-interlacing the input video program to generate a video program in a first progressive format having progressive frames, each progressive frame being derived from a respective one, and only one, of the fields in the first interlaced format; removing or repeating some of the frames of the video program in the first progressive format generating a program in a second progressive format; outputting the program in the second progressive format, wherein the display rate of the program is at least 48 frames-per-second.
US08842724B1
A method of compressing In-phase/Quadrature (I/Q) data transmitted and received between a Digital Unit (DU) and a Radio Unit (RU) in a Cloud Radio Access Network (CRAN) structure is disclosed. The method includes (a) calculating a minimum value DiMSB among meaningless higher-order bit digits Di,jMSB with respect to each of j-th I/Q samples having a predetermined resolution among i-th unit blocks that are units of compression, and (b) transmitting each of the samples after each of the samples is converted into a binary number and DiMSB number of higher-order bits, excluding a sign bit, are removed.
US08842715B2
A method and apparatus for increasing, at a transmitter, a payload size of a communication channel having orthogonal groups, the method referencing a base orthogonal sequence set comprising orthogonal sequences that are mutually orthogonal, the orthogonal sequence set having subsets that are sub-block orthogonal with a length of four; and selecting a spreading sequence set from a plurality of spreading sequence sets, each of the plurality of spreading sequence sets comprising an orthogonal sequence set subset combined with an imaginary orthogonal sequence set subset, wherein the selecting increases payload size.
US08842711B2
A user equipment (UE) with circuitry configured to determine a pathloss associated with a received signal. The circuitry is configured to receive an adjustment and adjust a value in response to the received adjustment. The circuitry is configured to determine a transmit power level based on multiplying the determined pathloss by a parameter and adding the adjusted value to a result of the multiplying, wherein the parameter is value in the range of 0 to 1. The circuitry is configured to transmit a signal at the determined transmit power level.
US08842701B2
Various embodiments of primary synchronization signal detection are provided. In one aspect, a method receives one or more signals at one or more antennas of a receiver. The method processes the one or more received signals by decimation filtering the one or more received signals to provide one or more decimated signals, each of the one or more decimated signals having a predetermined symbol size, and enumerating correlation of the one or more decimated signals with a plurality of reference signals to provide correlation results. The method then detects a primary synchronization signal (PSS) based on the correlation results.
US08842695B2
An apparatus and method is provided for generating one packet with transmission data and transmitting the packet from an access network transceiver system (ANTS) to a plurality of access terminals (ATs) in a mobile communication system including the ATs and the ANTS which are capable of performing packet data communication with ATs located in coverage thereof. The method includes the steps of generating a medium access control (MAC) header including information on a receiving AT's address, a length and format for transmission data, generating a MAC payload by consecutively connecting data units to be transmitted to the receiving AT, and generating a MAC trailer. The ANTS pads ‘0’ bits to the MAC header if a predetermined MAC size is greater than a sum of lengths of the MAC header, the MAC payload and the MAC trailer.
US08842691B2
In one embodiment, the present invention is a method and apparatus for scalable virtual private network multicasting. In one embodiment a service network builds a new data multicast distribution tree for each high-bandwidth multicast data flow (e.g., multicast data flows that require an amount bandwidth meeting or exceeding a predefined threshold). However, if the multicast data flow is a low-bandwidth flow (e.g., if the required amount of bandwidth falls below the predefined threshold), the multicast data flow is routed over an existing multicast distribution tree in order to minimize an amount of state information that must be maintained by service provider core routers in the backbone network.
US08842684B2
Systems, mechanisms, apparatuses, and methods are disclosed for forwarding Inter-Switch Connection (ISC) frames in a Network-to-Network Interconnect (NNI) topology, for example, via a network switch which includes a first and second physical switch port to receive a first and second physical switch link from a second network switch; logic to implement first and second logical ISC′ connections to the second switch via the first and second physical switch links respectively; logic to implement a Primary Forwarder which is interfaced with a Secondary Forwarder in the second switch via the first logical ISC′ connection; logic to implement a Secondary Forwarder which is interfaced with a Primary Forwarder in the second switch via the second logical ISC′ connection; and switch forwarding logic to forward frames based on which connection the frames are received by, and/or based on a gateway identifier associated with each received frame. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08842683B2
An audio/video communication system is provided which includes: a web server providing a user system with a phone icon or button indicating a call receiver and transmitting a phone identifier LN for identifying the receiver allocated to the phone button when a user clicks the icon or button; and a gateway module performing a call setup in response to a data connection request for the audio/video communication from the user system, specifying the user identifier DN for identifying the user system from another user system, transmitting the phone identifier LN to the IP-based telephone exchanger, and relaying a communication between a phone connected to the IP-based telephone exchanger and the user system to progress the audio/video communication.
US08842681B2
The invention relates to a method and system for policy control in a data packet network comprising a user equipment, a gateway and a home policy control node. The method comprises the steps of establishing a session between the user equipment and an application function. Then a session identifier is generated by the user equipment, and the same session identifier is generated by the home policy control node. The user equipment requests bearer establishment from the data packet network and marks bearer establishment packets with said session identifier. The gateway derives a user equipment identifier from the bearer establishment packets and determines policy decisions based on the session identifier and the user equipment identifier. The user equipment marks data packets sent over the established bearer with the session identifier; and the gateway applies policy and charging information for the session to the marked data packets.
US08842662B2
A method and Voice Call Continuity (VCC) application server to perform trunk optimization for an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) voice call between an originating User Equipment (UE) and a terminating UE, which are homed in a CS network, is provided. The method includes receiving a request from the originating UE for an IMS voice call with the terminating UE, determining whether the VCC application server serves both the originating UE and the terminating UE, and, if it is determined that the VCC application server serves both the originating UE and the terminating UE, controlling to establish a bypass bearer for the IMS voice call between the originating UE and the terminating UE that bypasses the CS network.
US08842661B2
A proxy telephone system and method is implemented on or as part of a communication network. Proxy telephone numbers are assigned to network users or subscribers. The phone numbers for a user's various communication terminals (e.g., GSM wireless unit, PHS wireless unit, home telephone, work telephone) are associated with the user's proxy number in a database. When a caller initiates a call over the network, the system determines if the dialed phone number is a proxy number. If so, the system accesses the list of phone numbers associated with the proxy number. The system automatically sequentially routes the call to the phone numbers associated with the proxy number in a pre-determined order until a connection is established. For example, the system might first route the call to the GSM wireless unit, and then to the PHS unit, and so on, until the user answers.
US08842660B2
A method and system for communicating a variable set of contextual information relating to a conversation over a communication channel is provided. When the contextual information is exchanged, any authorized sending party of the contextual information can change the scope, content, or amount of the contextual information that is transmitted to a next receiving party in a determined communication channel path. Before transmitting the contextual information, a desirable scope of the contextual information may be determined based on the next receiving party, in conjunction with the sending party's rules. The contextual information may be updated by adding new contextual information and/or deleting part of the contextual information which is outside of the scope. No contextual information may be transmitted if the next destination desires no contextual information or does not have capabilities to receive any contextual information.
US08842653B1
A method and apparatus in which multiple Internet Protocol (IP) based wireless data transmissions are simultaneously provided between a wireless device and a server, including providing multiple antennas, multiple T/R units, multiple processors and multiple I/O ports on the wireless device. The method includes receiving multiple IP data packets on the I/O ports at substantially the same time, and sending multiple data packets from the wireless device to the server, whereby the transmission rate between the wireless device and the server is increased.
US08842648B2
An apparatus, a method and a computer program product for seamless transition between WiFi networks (including in particular WiFi Internet networks) includes within a mobile communication apparatus a mobility layer that is tunneled to a mobility server within a network infrastructure. The mobile communications apparatus includes a wireless network capability, a global positioning system capability, an internal network protocol address and a routing capability. The apparatus, the method and the computer program product also provide that the mobility layer is programmed to sequentially and automatically tunnel to the mobility server at an available geographically defined WiFi network access location predicated upon a global positioning system determined position of the mobile communication apparatus. Embodiments also provide seamless transitions between WiFi networks and cellular networks.
US08842644B2
A method of adaptive uplink/downlink timeslot assignment includes determining at least one of a potentially interfering cell which potentially interferes with a particular cell. A timeslot for uplink communication is eliminated, if a first one of the potentially interfering cells uses that timeslot for downlink communications. A timeslot for downlink communication is eliminated if a dynamic interference measurement in that timeslot as measured by most users exceeds a predetermined threshold and if a dynamic interference measurement in that timeslot does not exceed the predetermined threshold for most users but exceeds the predetermined threshold for at least one user. A timeslot is assigned to an uplink communication of the particular cell using non-uplink eliminated timeslots, and a timeslot is assigned to a downlink communication of the particular cell to each user using non-downlink eliminated timeslots with respect to that user.
US08842637B2
A base station configured to communicate over a plurality of carriers. The plurality of carriers comprise at least one backward compatible carrier and at least one non-backward compatible carrier. The base station transmits a control message to a wireless device. The control message comprises an identifier for a carrier and information identifying a carrier type. The carrier type is either a backward compatible type or a non-backward compatible type. The base station configured to transmit a plurality of packets to a wireless device on non-backward compatible carrier(s) and backward compatible carrier(s).
US08842630B2
In one embodiment, a wireless transmitting node in a frequency hopping wireless network may determine whether a packet can be transmitted within a particular timeslot of a frequency hopping sequence based on a length of the packet. If unable to transmit the packet within the particular timeslot, the transmitting node extends the particular timeslot into a subsequent timeslot to allow transmission of the packet within the extended timeslot at a frequency associated with the particular timeslot. Once the extended timeslot ends, the transmitting node and receiving node hop frequencies into the subsequent timeslot to synchronize with the rest of the network that already hopped at the conventional rate. In another embodiment, a wireless receiving node may also extend the particular timeslot into a subsequent timeslot to allow reception of a packet that would extend beyond the particular timeslot, and may hop frequencies upon expiration of the extended timeslot.
US08842623B2
The present invention relates to a wireless communication system, and more particularly, to a method and an apparatus for transmitting reference signals in uplink MIMO transmission. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the method for transmitting uplink signals through a terminal in the wireless communication system comprises the steps of: receiving control information including the information on a cyclic shift and/or an orthogonal cover code; allocating the multiplexed reference signals onto an uplink subframe; and transmitting the subframe through a multi-antenna. When the uplink MIMO transmission is multiuser MIMO transmission, the reference signals of the terminal and the reference signals of other terminals can be multiplexed by using the orthogonal cover code.
US08842615B1
A wireless mobile communication device may include a first and second transceiver, a network load detection system, and a second transceiver controller. The first transceiver may be configured to wirelessly communicate with a first wireless communication network, such as a wireless cellular communication network. The second transceiver may be different from the first transceiver and may be configured to wirelessly communicate with a second wireless communication network which may be different from the first wireless communication network, such as the Internet and at least one Wi-Fi access point. The network load detection system may be configured to detect load information indicative of an amount of load on the first wireless communication network. The second transceiver controller may be configured to autonomously power on the second transceiver when the load information indicates a heavy load on the first wireless communication network.
US08842612B2
Methods and apparatus for service acquisition in a multi-frequency network. In an aspect, a method is provided for service acquisition in a multi-frequency network. The method includes detecting a service acquisition trigger event and identifying a selected RF channel from an acquisition RF list based on signal strength, wherein the acquisition RF list identifies RF channels in one or more local operations infrastructures (LOIs) of the multi-frequency network. The method also includes acquiring a wide system on the selected RF channel, removing the selected RF channel from the acquisition RF list if the wide system can not be acquired on the selected RF channel, and repeating said operations of identifying, acquiring and removing until the wide system is acquired on the selected RF channel or a system acquisition timeout occurs.
US08842609B2
A method and apparatus for transmitting ACK/NACK information in a multicarrier-supporting wireless communication system are disclosed. A method for allowing a user equipment to transmit ACK/NACK information in a multicarrier-supporting wireless communication system includes generating individual ACK/NACK information in association with individual codewords received from a base station through N carriers (where N≧2) for use in M downlink subframes (where M≧2), performing, if the sum of numbers of bits of the individual ACK/NACK information exceeds a predetermined payload size and M is not set to 9, spatial bundling to individual ACK/NACK information of (M+C−9) carriers ranging over the M downlink subframes, and transmitting the spatially-bundled ACK/NACK information and the remaining individual ACK/NACK information to the base station through one uplink subframe. C is a total sum of maximum numbers of codewords configured in each of the N carriers for use in one downlink subframe.
US08842606B2
A transmitting and a receiving apparatus, a system and a method of performing multi-user transmission to other transmission ends include broadcasting a request for transmission to the other transmission ends. A request is provided with a Medium Access Control MAC frame which includes a list of at least two identifications of receiving ends which are requested to reply to the request.
US08842594B2
The present invention discloses a multicast broadcast single frequency network subframe. The multicast broadcast single frequency network subframe is used as a physical resource of a user transmission data channel; in the multicast broadcast single frequency network subframe, except symbols of a physical downlink control channel, other symbols adopt the same cyclic prefix as subframe 0 in a local cell. The present invention also discloses a user data channel transmission method and device, and a user physical resource determining device. By using the subframe, the transmission method and device, and the determining device, the performance of the LTE-A system can be improved.
US08842586B2
A base station of a wireless time division duplex network which communicates with a UE having a network interface unit. The base station having a processing unit which determines to use either ACK/NAK bundling or ACK/NAK multiplexing to communicate with the UE through the network interface unit based on predetermined criteria. A method of a base station of a wireless time division duplex network which communicates with a UE to choose either ACK/NAK bundling or ACK/NAK multiplexing having the steps of determining with a processing unit of the base station to use either ACK/NAK bundling or ACK/NAK multiplexing to communicate with the UE through a network interface unit of the base station based on predetermined criteria. There is the step of communicating with the UE through the network interface unit using either ACK/NAK bundling or ACK/NAK multiplexing based on the predetermined criteria.
US08842578B1
A method of generating an end-to-end (E2E) profile that characterizes an E2E application packet flow (E2E-APF) path between first and second applications respectively hosted on first and second communication devices and exchanging information over a plurality of communication networks, the method comprising: acquiring communication device data associated with at least one of the first and second communication devices; determining an E2E-APF path traversing the plurality of networks over which packets comprising the exchanged information propagate; acquiring quality of service (QoS) data for at least two of the plurality of networks that the E2E-APF path traverses; and generating an E2E-APF profile, optionally comprising a QoE, responsive to the QoS and communication device data, and the E2E-APF path.
US08842572B2
There is provided an information processing apparatus including one host controller which communicates with other devices via multiple ports, a monitoring unit which monitors an amount of traffic for each of the ports, a processing unit which gives notification of an required amount of traffic for performing predetermined processing by a device connected to a certain port of the multiple ports, and a communication control unit which controls an amount of traffic for each of the ports, based on a required amount of traffic, notification of which is given from the processing unit, and an actual amount of traffic acquired by the monitoring unit.
US08842568B2
Systems and methods of Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication are provided. A particular system includes a VoIP endpoint. The VoIP endpoint is adapted to monitor a packet loss measure between the VoIP endpoint and a second VoIP endpoint during a VoIP communication using a first CODEC. The VoIP endpoint is also adapted to negotiate with the second VoIP endpoint to select a substitute CODEC having a nominal data rate that is lower than an in-use nominal data rate of the first CODEC.
US08842561B2
A user equipment terminal for communicating with a base station apparatus using HARQ for uplink includes a transmission unit configured to transmit an uplink signal to the base station apparatus; a reception unit configured to receive a control signal indicating whether the uplink signal is to be retransmitted; and a decoding unit configured to consider the control signal as ACK when signal reliability of the control signal is low, and determine whether the control signal indicates ACK or NACK based on information in the control signal when the signal reliability of the control signal is high.
US08842550B2
A first network element that is to be coupled with a second network element over a first network in the same domain is described. The first network element includes a connectivity check detection module and a connectivity check fault state change module. The connectivity check detection module detects, according to a first protocol, a connectivity status of a local maintenance endpoint on a second network changing between not active and active. The connectivity check fault state change module creates and sends a first fault state change message, according to a second protocol, in response to the connectivity status of the local maintenance endpoint changing from not active to active instead of forwarding connectivity check messages periodically received by the first network element to a remote maintenance endpoint coupled to the second network element over a third network.
US08842540B2
An advance is made over the prior art in accordance with the principles of the present invention that is directed to a new approach for a system and method for a buffer management scheme. Certain embodiments of the invention improve the response of AQM schemes with controllable parameters to variations of the output rate of the bottleneck buffer. The impact on TCP performance can be substantial in most cases where the bottleneck rate is not guaranteed to be fixed. The new solution allows AQM schemes to achieve queue stability despite continuous variations of the bottleneck rate.
US08842539B2
A method of limiting the amount of network traffic reaching a local node in an electronic device operating an Ethernet networking protocol and using a network stack including at least one physical layer (PHY) and one link layer, preferably a media access controller (MAC). The electronic device is connected to a communication network, the network traffic is filtered, and an unwanted data reception is filtered out. Filtering the network traffic takes place during reception. Network traffic is inspected, and if an unwanted reception is detected, the unwanted data is discarded when it reaches media access controller (MAC) of the network stack of the electronic device. An electronic device, functioning as a node, embodying aspects of the invention is described, and a computer program for carrying out the invention is also described.
US08842538B2
A method of initiating a service with an access point name (APN) of a wireless communication system for a mobile device in the wireless communication system is disclosed. The mobile device has a plurality of connections with the APN. The method comprises disconnecting at least one first connection of the plurality of connections from the APN, wherein the mobile device keeps at least one second connection of the plurality of connections connected; and initiating the service with the APN, after disconnecting the at least one first connection from the APN; wherein the APN is congested or overloaded.
US08842528B2
Providing transport protocol within a communication network having a lossy link. The receiver distinguishes between packets received with non-congestion bit errors and packets having been not at all received due to congestion. When packets are received with non-congestion bit errors, the receiver sends selective acknowledgments indicating that the packets were received with bit errors while suppressing duplicate acknowledgments to prevent the invocation of a congestion mechanism.
US08842520B2
A method includes obtaining information identifying one or more critical nodes and/or one or more critical links in a multi-hop network. Each critical node or critical link represents a node or link whose failure isolates at least part of the network. The method also includes generating a list identifying one or more orphaned nodes that lose connectivity to a gateway when a specified critical node or critical link fails. The list is generated using an Eigenvector of a matrix defining a topology of the network without the specified critical node or critical link. The method further includes identifying, using the list, at least one location where an additional node can be inserted into the network in order to reduce a number of critical nodes and critical links in the network. The gateway and the orphaned node(s) can be associated with different values in the Eigenvector.
US08842516B2
In a multi-protocol label system (MPLS) carrying data, a working path carries data from a starting point or node to a destination point or node via a working path. The working path includes the switches and physical media linking starting point and the destination point. MPLS system reliability is enhanced by way of a protection path, over which data can be carried from the starting point to the destination point upon a detected failure along the working path. Upstream messages inform one or more MPLS switching systems to make a switchover from a working path to a protection path.
US08842513B2
A method of modulating data, which is represented by two data types of ‘high’ and ‘low’, and demodulating the modulated data, is disclosed. In a method of data modulation and demodulation for a communication system which has a transmitting end modulating a data and a receiving end demodulating the transmitted data from the transmitting end, the data is represented by two types including ‘high’ and ‘low’, and the receiving end receives at least one data which consists of at least one code-word spread by a unique orthogonal code. The receiving end adds up the received data in the unit of code-word, and subtracts the length of the orthogonal code from a value which is obtained by doubling the sum of the code-word, when the code-word of the orthogonal code is ‘0’. The receiving end then averages the result after the subtraction in the unit of orthogonal code length and extracts the result, and therefore, obtains the data from the transmitting end.
US08842505B2
According to one embodiment, a first magnetic head is used to record or reproduce data on or from the first disk surface and includes a first two-terminal element including a first positive terminal and a first negative terminal. A second magnetic head is used to record or reproduce data on or from the second disk surface and includes a second two-terminal element including a second positive terminal and a second negative terminal. A current control unit includes a first current terminal which is commonly connected to the first positive terminal and the second negative terminal and a second current terminal that is commonly connected to the first negative terminal and the second positive terminal and can switch a current polarity between the first current terminal and the second current terminal.
US08842504B2
A near-field light head of the present invention includes: a slider disposed opposite to a surface of the magnetic recording medium; a recording element that includes a main magnetic pole generating the recording magnetic field and a subsidiary magnetic pole, the recording element being fixed to an apical surface of the slider so that the main magnetic pole and the subsidiary magnetic pole line up in a longitudinal direction of the slider in the state where the subsidiary magnetic pole is located at the apical surface of the slider; a near-field light generating element, fixed adjacently to the main magnetic pole in a state where another end side thereof is directed to the magnetic recording medium, that propagates the light flux introduced from one end side thereof toward the other end side to generate the near-field light, and radiates the near-field light from the other end side to the outside; and a light flux introducing device, fixed to the slider, that introduces the light flux from the one end side into the near-field light generating element. The near-field light generating element includes an inclined surface, which is inclined with respect to an optical axis of the light flux propagated through the inside thereof and is opposite to the main magnetic pole, in the other end side. A metallic film that increases light intensity of the near-field light to be increased is formed in the inclined surface.
US08842489B2
A word line driver of a semiconductor memory includes logic circuitry for coupling a word line to a first node set at a first voltage level when the word line driver is in a first state or to a second node set at a second voltage level when the word line driver is in a second state. A capacitor is configured to be charged to a third voltage level that is greater than the first and second voltage levels. First and second transistors are configured to selectively couple the word line to the capacitor and to a third node set at a fourth voltage level when the word line driver is in a third state. The fourth voltage level is greater than the first voltage level and less than the second voltage level.
US08842484B2
A voltage generator comprises a first booster that generates a first high voltage, and a second booster that generates a second high voltage by boosting an external voltage. The first booster comprises a comparator that controls a boosting operation with reference to the fed back first high voltage and uses the second high voltage as a drive voltage.
US08842478B2
According to one embodiment, in a write control unit that performs writing on a selected memory cell connected to a selected word line by making to apply a program voltage to the selected word line while making to apply an intermediate voltage to unselected word lines, an isolation voltage is controlled to be applied to any word line of the unselected word lines at a time of applying the program voltage and the isolation voltage is controlled to increase before the intermediate voltage is removed after applying the program voltage.
US08842473B2
Techniques are present for locating an initial physical location in a looping shift register with random skips on each loop. Here the shift register is for accessing columns in a non-volatile memory, where defective columns of the array are skipped. A look-up table provides for the initial skip of each loop, providing the number of skips from preceding loop to provide a physical address is close to the actual physical address. A new structure of shift registers then enables an automatic shift mode within the loop. The new structure has an additional register and logic gates that count how many skipped entry before the current pointer and shift the current pointer accordingly.
US08842470B1
A memory control module includes a read module configured to receive a first signal read from a first storage region of a memory cell, and receive a second signal read from a second storage region of the memory cell. A data detection module is configured to, based on a noiseless signal, detect respective data in each of the first storage region and the second storage region. The noiseless signal includes an ideal signal and an interference signal associated with at least one of the first signal and the second signal.
US08842467B2
A magnetic random access memory apparatus includes a memory cell array including a plurality of magnetic memory cells; a reference cell array including a pair of reference magnetic memory cells; a write driver configured to program data in the memory cell array and the reference cell array; and a first switching unit configured to form a current path which extends from a bit line connected to the write driver via the reference cell array including the pair of reference magnetic memory cells to a source line connected to the write driver or a current path which extends from a source line connected to the write driver via the reference cell array including the pair of reference magnetic memory cells to a bit line connected to the write driver.
US08842466B2
A magnetic resistance memory apparatus capable of implementing various levels and a method of driving the same are provided. The magnetic resistance memory apparatus includes a first magnetic device that includes a fixed layer having a fixed magnetization direction, a tunnel layer disposed on the fixed layer, and a first free layer disposed on the tunnel layer having a variable magnetization direction, and a second magnetic device disposed on the first magnetic device including a plurality of free layers insulated with a spacer layer interposed.
US08842465B2
A memory element includes a layered structure. The layered structure includes a memory layer, a magnetization-fixed layer, and an intermediate layer. The memory layer has magnetization perpendicular to a film face in which a direction of the magnetization is changed depending on information, and the direction of the magnetization is changed by applying a current in a lamination direction of the layered structure to record the information in the memory layer. The magnetization-fixed layer has magnetization perpendicular to a film face that becomes a base of the information stored in the memory layer, has a laminated ferri-pinned structure including at least two ferromagnetic layers and a non-magnetic layer, and includes an anti-ferromagnetic oxide layer formed on any of the at least two ferromagnetic layers. The intermediate layer is formed of a non-magnetic material and is provided between the memory layer and the magnetization-fixed layer.
US08842457B2
A controller, includes a plurality of external terminals configured to supply a command and an address to a semiconductor memory device, communicate a data with the semiconductor memory device, and communicate a strobe signal related to the data, at least one external terminal among the plurality of external terminals being configured to be capable of supplying an information specifying a length of a preamble of the strobe signal before the semiconductor memory device communicates the data.
US08842456B2
An analog controller is disclosed. The controller has a maximum power point tracking unit and a power factor adjusting unit. The maximum power point tracking unit generates a maximum power tracking voltage which is used to control the magnitude of the output current of the inverter so as to extract the most available power from the power generating device. The power factor adjusting unit, which generates a ramp control voltage that will further determine the duty ratio and switching frequency of PWM signal, gracefully tunes the magnitude and reduces the total harmonic distortion of the current injected from inverter into utility grid.
US08842455B2
There is provided an electric-power conversion apparatus including a chopper circuit; a current sense resistor that detects the output current of the chopper circuit; a differential detection circuit that outputs, as a differential detection signal (vo), the electric potential difference across the current sense resistor; and a calculation means that corrects the differential detection signal (vo) from the differential detection circuit by use of a control signal (D1) for the chopper circuit so as to calculate the output current (i0) of the chopper circuit.
US08842452B2
According to one aspect, embodiments of the invention provide power converter circuitry including an input including a plurality of input lines each configured to be coupled to a phase of a multiphase AC power source having a sinusoidal waveform, a plurality of DC buses including a first positive DC bus having a first nominal DC voltage, a second positive DC bus having a second nominal DC voltage, a first negative DC bus having a third nominal DC voltage and a second negative DC bus having a fourth nominal DC voltage; a first power converter coupled to the input and configured to supply power from the multiphase AC power source to the plurality of DC buses during a first positive region of the sinusoidal waveform and a first negative region of the sinusoidal waveform; and a second power converter coupled to the input and configured to supply power from the multiphase AC power source to at least some of the plurality of DC buses during a second positive region of the sinusoidal waveform and a second negative region of the sinusoidal waveform.
US08842441B2
The present invention discloses a circuit board interconnection architecture, which includes at least one first plugboard and at least two second plugboards substantially perpendicular to the first plugboard, where at least one of the first plugboard and the second plugboards is provided with several slots; the first plugboard and the second plugboards are mated and electrically connected by using signal connectors on both sides of the slots. The circuit board interconnection architecture solves a fitting precision problem of the first plugboard and the second plugboards in orthogonal directions. Even though there is an assembly tolerance between the first plugboard and the second plugboards, the connectors still satisfy assembly precision requirements, which can also avoid overall deformation of a first circuit board and a second circuit board after the first plugboard and the second plugboards are interconnected and mated orthogonally.
US08842439B2
A display device includes a housing unit, a display module, an electronic module and a stop mechanism. The housing unit includes a frame that has a front surface, an inner frame edge defining a window and a notch recessed from the inner frame edge. The display module includes a panel disposed at the front surface of the frame, and a display unit including a body located in the window and a lug corresponding to the notch. The stop mechanism includes a stop member disposed at the frame, and operable to switch between a locked state, where the stop member is disposed between the notch and the lug for restricting forward movement of the lug through the notch, and In a released state, where the lug is allowed to pass through the notch.
US08842438B2
Disclosed herein is a 3D power module package, including: a power converting unit packaged to include a heat radiating substrate, a power device connected to the heat radiating substrate, and a lead frame; a controlling unit packaged to include a controlling unit substrate and IC and controlling devices mounted on an upper portion of the controlling unit substrate; and an electrical connecting unit electrically connecting the packaged power converting unit and the packaged controlling unit.
US08842434B2
A server rack heat dissipation system for a server including an electronic component comprises a first and a second heat dissipation assembly. The first heat dissipation assembly includes a first heat exchanger and a first pipeline. The first heat exchanger is inside the server rack and in thermal contact with the electronic component. The first pipeline is in thermal contact with the first heat exchanger and has a first coolant. The second heat dissipation assembly includes a second heat exchanger. The second heat exchanger is inside the server rack and in thermal contact with the first pipeline. The second heat exchanger can remove the heat of the electronic component in the first coolant in advance. Accordingly, the time of the first coolant being maintained in a vapor phase can be shortened, so that a power the fluid driving device used for driving the first coolant is reduced.
US08842433B2
A system is provided in one example embodiment that includes at least one rack for electronic equipment, each rack including: at least one sensor configured to measure an environmental condition, an air conditioning system, an ingress port configured to allow air to flow into a corresponding rack from an environment surrounding the racks, and an egress port configured to allow air to flow out of a corresponding rack and into the environment surrounding the racks. The system also includes a housing that surrounds the racks and that defines the environment surrounding the racks. The air that flows out through the egress ports of the racks conditions the air in the environment surrounding the racks.
US08842431B2
Provided is an apparatus, a system, and a method for operating the same. The apparatus, in one embodiment, includes a chassis having a front configured to accept one or more circuit boards, a back, and first and second sides. The apparatus, in this embodiment, further includes one or more slots located within the chassis, each slot configured to receive one of the circuit boards at an angle with respect to the first and second sides. The slots, in this embodiment, at least partially define a first plenum opening to the front and a second plenum opening to the back. The apparatus additionally includes a fan assembly coupled to one of the first plenum or the second plenum.
US08842425B2
The present invention relates to a variable display area type display device having a structure which can selectively extend or reduce a display area. The present invention comprises: a base plate having a foldable body; a display unit which is installed on one surface of the base plate and in which the display area is folded and changed by the folding of the base plate; and a plate supporting member for supporting the base plate before or after the folding of the base plate.
US08842423B2
A cover for a portable electronic device includes a keyboard for electrically communicating with the portable electronic device. The cover includes a back cover body for coupling to a back side of the portable electronic device, and a front cover body coupled to the back cover body and foldable relative thereto. The back cover body is movable relative to the portable electronic device such that a first portion of the back cover body slides away from a back side of the portable electronic device. The front cover body is foldable to stack a keyboard portion, on which the keyboard is disposed, and a support portion of the front cover body. The first portion of the back cover body, the support portion, and the keyboard portion are stacked when the keyboard is exposed for use.
US08842411B2
A multi-layer capacitor includes a first capacitor layer and a second capacitor layer adjacent and substantially parallel to the first capacitor layer. The second capacitor layer has a surface area that is less than the surface area of the first capacitor layer.
US08842409B2
The present invention relates to an outer wall for electronic control (300; 400; 500), particularly comprising: an outer portion (1) which includes at least one button (5; 6) and a fixed portion (2), each button (5; 6) and said fixed portion (2) having an opening (3) therebetween; an inner portion (310; 410; 510) which includes, in particular, a printed circuit (12); characterized in that the outer wall (300; 400; 500) comprises at least one metal part (320; 420; 520; 530) capable of capturing, at at least one of the openings (3), static electricity which would likely affect the printed circuit (12) in the absence of said metal part (320; 420; 520; 530).
US08842407B2
A Medium Voltage circuit breaker which comprises an insulating base frame supporting: a pole assembly having, for each phase, an interruption unit housing a fixed contact and a movable contact reciprocally couplable/uncouplable between an open and a closed position; an actuator to actuate the opening and closing operation of said circuit breaker; and, a control and diagnostic unit comprising a control box having a casing housing a plurality of accessory devices of said circuit breaker.
US08842406B2
An over-current protection device includes a resistive device, an insulation layer, an electrode layer and at least one electrically conductive connecting member. The resistive device includes a first electrode foil, a second electrode foil and a positive temperature coefficient (PTC) material layer laminated between the electrode foils. The insulation layer is formed on the surface of the first electrode foil, and the electrode layer is formed on the surface of the insulation layer. The conductive connecting member penetrates the electrode layer, the insulation layer and the first electrode foil for electrically connecting the electrode layer and the first electrode foil. The conductive connecting member is insulated from the second electrode foil. One of the first and second electrode foils is configured to electrically connect to a protective circuit module (PCM), and the other one is configured to electrically connect to an electrode terminal of a battery to be protected.
US08842405B2
An electronic device that is capable of detecting an abnormal state such that a switching element is unable to be turned off in spite of a drive signal instructing turn-off of the switching element. The device includes a switching element that is driven by controlling a voltage on its control terminal, a drive circuit that controls the voltage on the control terminal of the switching element on the basis on an inputted drive signal to drive the switching element. In cases where there exists a current flowing through the switching element in spite of the drive signal instructing turn-off of the switching element, the drive circuit determines that the switching element is in an abnormal state, and cuts off supply of voltage from a drive power supply circuit to the control terminal of the switching element to thereby turn off the switching element.
US08842400B2
A semiconductor device for electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection includes a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) including a semiconductor substrate, a first well formed in the substrate, a second well formed in the substrate, a first p-type region formed in the first well to serve as an anode, and a first n-type region partially formed in the second well to serve as a cathode, a p-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (PMOS) transistor formed in the first well including a gate, a first diffused region and a second diffused region separated apart from the first diffused region, a second n-type region formed in the first well electrically connected to the first diffused region of the PMOS transistor, and a second p-type region formed in the substrate electrically connected to the second diffused region of the PMOS transistor.
US08842398B2
An apparatus and method for detecting an arc fault using a power conductor on a printed circuit board (PCB), which supplies power from an external power source to electrical components on the PCB by sensing a value indicative of the rate of change of current passing through the power conductor. The apparatus and method may be used for detecting arc faults both internal and external to the PCB.
US08842397B2
A safety mechanism for a solar cell group, the safety mechanism constituted of: a signal receiver arranged to assert a permissive signal indicative of reception by the signal receiver of a predetermined signal; an electronically controlled switch arranged to provide in a closed state an effective short circuit across the output of the solar cell group responsive to the absence of the asserted permissive signal of the signal receiver; and a power harvester in communication with the solar cell group and arranged to provide electric power to the signal receiver when the electronically controlled switch is the closed state.
US08842394B2
According to one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a magnetoresistive element between a first magnetic shield layer and a second magnetic shield layer, and a hard bias layer between the first magnetic shield layer and the second magnetic shield layer on a side surface of the magnetoresistive element in a first direction intersecting with a second direction which links the first and second magnetic shield layers. The hard bias layer includes Fe or an alloy containing Fe and Co. An aspect ratio (h/w) of the hard bias layer is not smaller than 2, where h is a height of the hard bias layer in the first direction and w is a thickness of the hard bias layer in the second direction.
US08842387B1
In one embodiment, a high-frequency magnetic field-assisted magnetic recording (MAMR) head includes: a yoke adapted for facilitating magnetic flux through the MAMR head; a main pole magnetically coupled to the yoke and adapted for producing a writing magnetic field; a return pole spaced from the main pole; a spin torque oscillator (STO) positioned above the main pole; and a back gap layer positioned between the yoke and the return pole, where at least one of the yoke, the main pole, the return pole, and the back gap layer comprises a highly resistive magnetic material.
US08842385B1
A disk drive is disclosed comprising a head actuated over a disk comprising a plurality of tracks, and control circuitry operable to seek the head to a target track and settle the head on the target track during a settle time, adapt a settle parameter over an adapting delay of the settle time, wherein the settle parameter is used to settle the head on the target track, and decrease the adapting delay based on a speed that the settle parameter adapts.
US08842383B1
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to a HAMR device having two temperature sensors disposed between a near field transducer (NFT) and a return pole. The two temperature sensors are aligned in a cross-track direction.
US08842376B2
This invention provides an injection-molded plastic optical lens comprising from a center to an edge thereof an optical effective portion, a connecting portion and a peripheral portion that are concentrically formed. The plastic optical lens has an outer diameter D. The optical effective portion has an edge thickness ET1 and a central thickness CT, the connecting portion has a minimum thickness ET2, and the plastic optical lens satisfies the following relations of CT≦0.30 mm and ET2/ET1<1.0. At least one lens element with refractive power can be disposed at each of the object side and the image side of the plastic optical lens of the present invention to form an optical lens assembly.
US08842374B2
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.
US08842373B2
The image catching lens comprises a forwarding barrel and a guider. The forwarding barrel has an outer surface and an inner surface, and comprises a forwarding groove group, wherein the forwarding groove group comprises a first forwarding groove formed on the outer surface of the forwarding barrel and a second forwarding groove formed along the first forwarding groove and toward the inner surface. The guider comprises a guiding group, wherein the guiding group comprises a protrusion disposed corresponding to the second forwarding groove.
US08842362B2
A method of operating a fiber amplifier characterized by a spectral gain curve includes providing an input signal at a signal wavelength. The signal wavelength lies within an in-band portion of the spectral gain curve extending from a first in-band wavelength to a second in-band wavelength, the in-band portion being characterized by a first amplitude range. The method also includes providing pump radiation at a pump wavelength. The pump wavelength is less than the signal wavelength. The method further includes coupling the pump radiation to the fiber amplifier and amplifying the input signal to generate an output signal. All portions of the spectral gain curve at wavelengths less than the first in-band wavelength and greater than the pump wavelength are characterized by a second amplitude less than or equal to 10 dB greater than the first amplitude range.
US08842350B2
Provided are an image processing apparatus, an image processing method, a computer-readable medium storing a computer program and an image processing system improving precision of the calculation of boundary based on candidate pixels constituting the boundary of a side of the document region. The image processing apparatus includes a candidate pixel detector for detecting candidate pixels constituting boundary of sides of the document region, a classifier for classifying coordinates of the candidate pixels respectively detected in plural portions of the boundary into a plurality of groups, an approximate line calculator for calculating a plurality of approximate lines for the boundary based on the coordinates belonging to each of the plurality of groups, and a provisional line determination unit for determining a provisional line for the boundary of the side based on the approximate line having the largest number of candidate pixels within a prescribed distance from the approximate line.
US08842349B2
A tincture adjustment value used to adjust a monochrome signal to a tincture desired by a user is set, and a tincture conversion table and chromaticity line table are generated based on that tincture adjustment value and the profile of an image output apparatus. Using the generated tables, a lightness signal L* corresponding to an input monochrome signal is converted into a distance signal l on a chromaticity line, and the distance signal l is converted into a chromaticity signal (a*, b*). The lightness signal L* and chromaticity signal (a*, b*) are converted into a color signal of the image output apparatus.
US08842348B2
An image reading apparatus may include a main unit and a cover unit pivotally attached to the main unit. The cover unit may include an image reading device configured to read an image of a document along a conveying path. The image reading device may include a contact image sensor, a sensor holder to hold the contact image sensor, an urging member, and a shock absorber. The contact image sensor is disposed below the conveying path. The sensor holder has an open top boxed shape and holds the contact image sensor in position inside. The urging member is disposed in an inner bottom surface of the sensor holder to urge the contact image sensor toward the conveying path. The shock absorber is disposed between a bottom surface of the contact image sensor and the inner bottom surface of the sensor holder, and is made of a porous material.
US08842338B2
In a printer driver, combinations of standard print conditions and standard render data are saved as standard patterns, and combinations of standard print conditions and standard render data used for exceptional settings are saved as print application patterns. The print application patterns and the standard patterns are associated with each other. When printing document data, print condition data and render data are spooled by each page, the standard print conditions and the standard render data are compared, and a most similar standard pattern is detected. The print application pattern corresponding to the detected standard pattern is referred to, and print conditions are generated by combining standard print conditions and print conditions of the document data for each page. From the render data of the document data or from the standard render data, print data that can be processed by the printer is generated.
US08842326B2
An image processing device comprises an image data input means 2, an image data storage means 12 for storing the image data being input, an image data processing means 6 having multiple processing modes for outputting the stored image data, and a image data erasing means for erasing the image data stored in the storage means 12. The device further comprises erase count control means 8, 14 for controlling the number of times for erasing image data capable of having the number of times of erase set arbitrarily according to the security level required for each mode, and capable of having the set number of times of erase changed in mid-flow. Confidentiality is protected by performing erase operations repeatedly to the region storing the unnecessary image data according to the security level.
US08842319B2
Systems and methods for providing document services to users thereof. The methods involve: obtaining context information describing at least one aspect of a current situation of a user of a mobile communication device; receiving a request for a document service in response to a user software interaction at the mobile communication device; and adapting the document service based on the context information. The document service comprises a print service, a document conversion service, a document workflow service, a secure access service, or a web service. The obtaining, receiving and adapting steps are collectively performed by at least one of the mobile communication device and a computing device (e.g., a server) remotely located from the mobile communication device.
US08842318B2
An image forming apparatus capable of communicating with a server apparatus, includes a receiving unit configured to receive a packet from the server apparatus, a determining unit configured to determine whether a packet received by the receiving unit is a specific packet, a power supply control unit which, when the determining unit determines that a packet received by the receiving unit is the specific packet, brings the image forming apparatus into a first power condition which enables the image forming apparatus to start quickly using data stored in a volatile memory, and a start control unit configured to start the image forming apparatus quickly using data stored in the volatile memory.
US08842309B2
A facsimile control apparatus includes a main control unit configured so that power supply to the main control unit is shut off while the facsimile control apparatus is in an energy-saving mode; a first switching unit configured to switch the power supply to the main control unit on/off; and a detection circuit configured to output a switch control signal for turning the first switching unit on when detecting an input signal input from a public network.
US08842308B2
In an image forming device having a plurality of functions, a power measuring unit measures a power consumption of the image forming device, a power consumption computing unit computes a power consumption for execution of one of the plurality of functions based on the measured power consumption, a storage unit stores a target power consumption range for each of the plurality of functions, a measuring mode selecting unit selects one of a measuring mode and a non-measurement mode, and a power consumption estimation unit generates an estimated power consumption for execution of one of the plurality of functions in the non-measurement mode. The measuring mode selecting unit selects the measuring mode when the estimated power consumption in the non-measurement mode is beyond a target power consumption range for a corresponding function from the storage unit.
US08842304B2
Disclosed is an image processing apparatus including a reading unit that reads a document, an image forming and outputting unit that performs an image forming and outputting process, a read image transfer circuit that processes and transfers read image information so as to input the read image information to a controller of the image processing apparatus, an output image transfer circuit that processes and transfers output image information so as to input the output image information to the image forming and outputting unit, and a clock oscillator that generates clocks to be supplied to the read image transfer circuit and the output image transfer circuit, wherein the clock oscillator individually alters clock supply states for supplying the clocks to the read image transfer circuit and to the output image transfer circuit, depending on an operating mode of the image processing apparatus.
US08842301B2
A supply control device includes: a deciding unit that decides an order of plural containers that supply recording media to an image-forming unit that forms an image on a recording medium; a specifying unit that specifies one of the plural containers; a determining unit that determines for each of the plural containers whether recording media stored in the container are available for forming an image, in the order decided by the deciding unit, in which the container specified by the specifying unit is set as a starting point; and a supply unit that retrieves a recording medium from a container whose recording media have been determined by the determining unit to be available for forming an image, and supplies the recording medium to the image-forming unit.
US08842300B2
An image processing apparatus for performing printing by replacing objects in a master template with data stored in a database and executing a process according to a record in the database includes a unit configured to specify a predetermined field and other fields in the database, and a unit configured to perform image processing according to information indicated by the specified other fields, on image data indicated by the specified predetermined field.
US08842299B2
An image forming apparatus has a printing function, a scanner function, and a control unit. In the printing function, a printed material acquired by recording image data included in a printing job received through a network on a recording paper is discharged. In the scanner function, the image data is acquired by reading a manuscript. The control unit judges whether the scanner function is in use for a long time (step A2) at the time of receiving the printing job (step A1). A printed material is discharged to an in-body discharge tray when it is judged that the scanner function is not in use for a long time (step A3). The printed material is discharged to a side discharge tray when it is judged that the scanner function is in use for a long time (step A5).
US08842294B2
A position detection apparatus includes an illumination optical system for illuminating a first diffraction grating having periods in each of a first direction and a second direction different from the first direction, and a second diffraction grating having a period different from the period in the second direction of the first diffraction grating in the second direction, at an oblique incidence, and a detection optical system for detecting diffracted light from the first diffraction grating and the second diffraction grating, wherein a relative position of the first diffraction grating and the second diffraction grating is detected based on the detected diffracted light, and wherein the illumination optical system includes a plurality of light intensity distributions in the first direction except for on an optical axis of the detection optical system, in a pupil plane thereof.
US08842292B2
Apparatus and methods for detecting optical profile are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a laser, a beam splitter, a collimation optical unit, first and second holders respectively holding a first test flat mirror and a second test flat mirror, a phase shifter connected with the first holder, and an angular measurement unit for measuring an angular error of the first test flat mirror and the second test flat mirror on the two holders. The first test flat mirror has a first test flat and the second test flat mirror has a second test flat. The apparatus further includes a planar imaging unit for generating the interfered test light having a direction generally along an x-axis direction of the first test flat and an x-axis direction of the second test flat and a convergence optical unit for projecting the interfered test light onto a detector.
US08842289B2
A biological sensing apparatus comprises an excitation source configured to induce waves in a biological target, and an optical waveguide interferometer configured to sense the induced waves in the biological target. The optical waveguide interferometer comprises a probe segment having a probe segment end, and an adjustable coupler configured to permit setting a gap between the probe segment end and the biological target. A controller is coupled to the adjustable coupler and configured to set the gap between the probe segment end and the biological target.
US08842284B2
A magnifying imaging optical unit has at least four mirrors to image an object field in an object plane into an image field in an image plane. An absolute value of the Petzval radius of the image field is greater than 500 mm. The imaging optical unit can be used to inspect with sufficient imaging quality relatively large mask sections of lithography masks used during projection exposure to produce large scale integrated semiconductor components.
US08842283B2
A system for detecting engine fluid constituents includes an engine having a sample channel having a conduit for a working engine fluid. The system includes an electromagnetic (EM) source that emits EM radiation through a first metal tube, where the EM radiation is EM energy at a wavelength of interest. The system further includes an EM detector that receives a remainder radiation through a second metal tube, the remainder radiation including the remaining EM radiation after passing through the sample channel. The system includes a controller that determines a composition indicator signal representative of an amount of a constituent in the working engine fluid in response to a strength of the remainder radiation, and determines a concentration of a component of interest according to the composition indicator signal.
US08842278B2
Within area where of four heads installed on a wafer stage, heads included in the first head group and the second head group to which three heads each belong that include one head different from each other face the corresponding areas on a scale plate, the wafer stage is driven based on positional information which is obtained using the first head group, as well as obtain the displacement (displacement of position, rotation, and scaling) between the first and second reference coordinate systems corresponding to the first and second head groups using the positional information obtained using the first and second head groups. By using the results and correcting measurement results obtained using the second head group, the displacement between the first and second reference coordinate systems is calibrated, which allows the measurement errors that come with the displacement between areas on scale plates where each of the four heads face.
US08842277B2
In a first optical measurement device, light which is output from a light source is subject to linear polarizing in a polarizing unit, and is input to a test object A. Transmitted light which has passed through the test object A is orthogonally separated in an orthogonal separation unit, and the light which is orthogonally separated in the orthogonal separation unit is received in two light receiving units. In addition, amount of light of the transmitted light is determined by a control unit, and a difference between received light levels which are received in the light receiving unit is normalized using the amount of light which is determined in a transmitted amount of light determination unit, and then the angle of optical rotation is calculated by the angle of optical rotation calculation unit.
US08842274B2
Cuvette, comprising at least one measuring area on each one of two arms that are pivotally connected to each other such that from a swung-apart condition, they can be swung together into a measuring position in which the two measuring areas have a distance for positioning a sample between the measuring areas, and means for positioning the two arms in a measuring position in a cuvette shaft of an optical measuring device with a sample between the two measuring areas in a beam path of the optical measuring device that crosses the cuvette shaft.
US08842270B2
A method of bright spot defect detection for a polarizer is to be performed by an inspection device and includes the steps of: a) obtaining gray values for pixels of an image of a detected region, that contains a target spot, on the polarizer; b) obtaining a gray value variation score from the gray values obtained for the detected region, the gray value variation score being indicative of gray value variation among the pixels of the image of the detected region; and c) comparing the gray value variation score obtained for the detected region with a threshold value to obtain a comparison result, and determining whether the target spot is a bright spot according to the comparison result.
US08842259B2
A coordinate measurement device sends a first light beam to a target which returns a portion as a second beam. The device includes: first and second motors that direct the first beam to a first direction determined by a first angle of rotation about a first axis and a second angle of rotation about a second axis, the first and second angles of rotation produced by the first and second motors, respectively; first and second angle measuring devices that measure first and second angles of rotation, respectively; a distance meter that measures a first distance from the device to the target based in part on a first portion of the second beam; a processor that provides a 3D coordinate of the target based in part on the first distance and the first and second angles of rotation; and a retractable handle at the device top side.
US08842254B2
A liquid crystal display panel is provided and includes a first substrate and a second substrate disposed to face each other with a liquid crystal layer held therebetween. The first substrate has peripheral circuit wires formed in a peripheral area surrounding a display area, and the second substrate is disposed to face the first substrate so that the peripheral circuit wires of the first substrate are exposed. A resin layer having a predetermined width is formed on that end part of the second substrate on the side of facing the first substrate which is located on the side of the peripheral circuit wires of the first substrate.
US08842253B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal panel, a protection panel arranged a predetermined distant from the liquid crystal panel, and a flow control device to impart turbulence to an air flow in a channel, which is defined between the liquid crystal panel and the protection panel.
US08842252B2
An array substrate includes a storage electrode layer; an insulating layer and a transparent electrode layer are coated on a surface of the storage electrode layer in sequence. Only the insulating layer is arranged between the storage electrode layer and the transparent electrode layer of the present disclosure.
US08842250B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a first and a second substrate placed opposite each other, a first electrode provided on the first substrate extending in a first direction, a second electrode provided on the second substrate extending in a second direction that is orthogonal to the first direction, and a vertically-aligned liquid crystal layer provided between the two substrates. A pixel is defined where the two electrodes intersect, and alignment treatment is performed to the first or second substrate in a direction parallel to the first direction. The first electrode has a linear shape in which electrode edges on either side extend in the first direction, and the second electrode is of a polygonal line shape in which an electrode edge of one side includes a line segment which obliquely crosses the first direction, and the pixel is demarcated by pixel edges including obliquely crossing line segments.
US08842244B2
In a character type vertical alignment type liquid crystal display device including first and second substrates opposing each other, a first electrode layer including a plurality of first electrodes provided at an inner side of the first substrate, a second electrode layer including a plurality of second electrodes provided at an inner side of the second substrate, and a vertical alignment mode liquid crystal layer provided between the first and second substrates, a wall structure is provided between the first and second substrates.
US08842238B2
A backlight unit being scan-driven is discussed. The backlight unit according to an embodiment includes light sources configured to emit light, and a light guide plate disposed parallel to the light sources and configured to convert spotted lights entered from the light sources into two-dimensional light. The light guide plate includes a plurality of air barriers arranged at a fixed interval and configured to guide lights from the light sources in blocks with a width of the fixed interval.
US08842233B2
A liquid crystal module includes a rear frame, a light guide plate, and a light source unit. The light guide plate is disposed in an interior of the rear frame. The light guide plate has a plurality of protruding components on a first end face of the light guide plate. The protruding components are spaced apart from each other and having distal end faces. The light source unit is disposed along the first end face of the light guide plate. The light source unit has a wiring board and a plurality of light source elements that is disposed on the wiring board. The distal end faces of the protruding components abuts the wiring board of the light source unit, respectively, such that the first end face of the light guide plate and each of the light source elements defines a spacing therebetween.
US08842226B2
A method for enabling channel selection for an electronic apparatus such as a television signal receiver is performed via a user input device having a key capable of being rotated and pressed. According to an exemplary embodiment, the method includes enabling selection of a plurality of channel numbers to form a group, enabling a first one of the channel numbers to be selected as a initial channel number in response to the selection of the plurality of channel numbers in the group, enabling display of the initial channel number, enabling display of a second one of the channel numbers that is larger than the initial channel number if the key is rotated in a first direction, enabling display of a third one of the channel numbers that is smaller than the initial channel number if the key is rotated in a second direction, and tuning to one of the initial channel number, the second channel number and the third channel number responsive to depression of the key.
US08842225B2
A switching power supply device has a reference voltage generator for generating a reference voltage, a ripple injector for generating a ripple by use of a pulse voltage indicating the on/off state of a switching element and injecting the ripple into the reference voltage, an integrated voltage generator for generating an integrated voltage commensurate with the integrated value of the pulse voltage throughout its on/off-duty periods, a subtractor for lowering according to the integrated voltage the reference voltage before injection of the ripple or the supply voltage to a buffer that feeds the ripple injector with the pulse voltage after making its pulse height constant, a comparator for comparing a feedback voltage with the reference voltage after injection of the ripple, and a switching controller for generating an output voltage from an input voltage by non-linear control by turning on/off the switching element according to the output of the comparator.
US08842215B2
An electronic device may be provided with shape memory structures. The shape memory structures may be used to form actuators for a camera shutter, an actuator for moving an optical filter, or other actuators in an electronic device. A camera shutter may have an opaque shutter member that is movable between a first position in which the shutter is closed and blocks light from a digital image sensor and a second position in which the shutter is open and allows light to reach the digital image sensor. The camera shutter may have an associated color filter structure. Shape memory wire may be configured to form a loop that heats upon application of a signal or may be configured to form a twisting or linear actuator. The camera shutter may be provided with a controllable aperture.
US08842207B2
A recording mode control circuit controls a first recording mode in which still image data having a first image size corresponding to the number of pixels of an image sensing element is generated and recorded and a second recording mode in which moving image data having a second image size smaller than the first image size is generated and recorded. In generating the moving image data in the second recording mode, a camera signal processing circuit executes electrical zoom processing to obtain the second image size. At this time, a maximum magnification ratio setting circuit sets the maximum variable magnification ratio of electrical zoom processing in the camera signal processing circuit. With this processing, an image recording apparatus which allows a user to select a zoom mode with a small degradation in image quality in electrical zoom processing can be implemented.
US08842203B2
A solid-state imaging device includes a plurality of pairs of a first photoelectric conversion element and a second photoelectric conversion element which have different spectral sensitivity characteristics. A wavelength range where the first photoelectric conversion element of each pair mainly has a spectral sensitivity and a wavelength range where the second photoelectric conversion element of each pair mainly has a spectral sensitivity respectively fall within a wavelength ranges of specific colors of visible light. The plurality of pairs include a plurality of types of pairs having different specific colors of visible light. The half width in the spectral sensitivity characteristic of the first photoelectric conversion element of the each pair is wider than a half width in the spectral sensitivity characteristic of the second photoelectric conversion element of the each corresponding pair.
US08842198B2
An audio signal processing device includes a first microphone configured to pick up audio and output a first audio signal; a second microphone configured to pick up the audio and output a second audio signal; a first frequency converter configured to convert the first audio signal to a first audio spectrum signal; a second frequency converter configured to convert the second audio signal to a second audio spectrum signal; an operating sound estimating unit configured to estimate, based on the correlation between a sound emitting member that emits an operating sound and the first and second microphones, an operating sound spectrum signal indicating the operating sound, by calculating the first and second audio spectrum signals; and an operating sound reducing unit configured to reduce the estimated operating sound spectrum signal from the first and second audio spectrum signals.
US08842197B2
A method and system is provided for automatically generating metadata for a digital image based on ambient conditions. Aspects of the preferred embodiment include determining a plurality of ambient conditions associated with a location of a subject of a digital image captured with a mobile image capture device, the ambient conditions existing at a time related to a time of capture of the digital image; aggregating the plurality of ambient conditions into at least one ambient environment descriptor based on user-definable aggregation rules; and associating the ambient environment descriptor with the digital image as metadata.
US08842195B2
An image pickup apparatus 100 includes an image pickup element 101 that includes a plurality of pixels that function as both imaging pixels and focus detection pixels, which is configured so that an image pickup signal that is obtained by performing photoelectric conversion in a first direction, an evaluation value generating unit 107 that generates an evaluation value of the image pickup signal, a flicker detecting unit 108 that detects variation information of illumination intensity based on the evaluation value, a flicker correction value generating unit 109 that generates a flicker correction value for performing a flicker correction for the image pickup signal based on the variation information, a multiplier 105 that performs the flicker correction for the image pickup signal based on the flicker correction value, and a vertical correlation calculating unit 114 that performs a correlation calculation in the first direction after the flicker correction is performed.
US08842185B1
Systems and methods for evaluating video quality of HDMI data are provided. In one example an HDMI video quality evaluator controls a video device to render a test pattern and encode the pattern into HDMI. The video device is controlled to transmit the HDMI formatted pattern from an output port to an input port on the device, capture a frame of the pattern, and transmit the frame to the quality evaluator. The quality evaluator compares rendered pixels in the frame to test pixels in the test pattern to identify video quality errors. Errors that exceed a threshold are identified, and a test result is outputted that includes errors exceeding the threshold.
US08842177B2
Object tracking includes an audio model that receives at least two audio input signals and a video model that receives a video input. The audio model and the video model employ probabilistic generative models which are combined to facilitate object tracking. Expectation maximization can be employed to modify trainable parameters of the audio model and the video model.
US08842173B2
This object aims to disclose a biological multi-directional observation device with measures to avoid an illumination backlight problem taken. In a preferable embodiment of the multi-directional observation device, a two-dimensional detector (6) is arranged right above a transparent specimen support (2) and a main image forming lens (8) is arranged right under the two-dimensional detector (6). A fluorescence-side filter (10) which allows only a fluorescence component from a biological specimen (4) pass therethrough is arranged, if necessary, between the main image forming lens (8) and the biological specimen (4). Reflection mirrors (M1, M2) are arranged on the down side of the specimen support (2), wherein the reflection mirrors are optional systems for leading a light of an image of the rear side of the biological specimen (4) to the main image forming lens (8). A light source device is provided to irradiate light to biological specimen (4). A light source in the light source device is set at a position that is not in direct and indirect viewing fields (16, 18) of the two-dimensional detector, so that the backlight problem is avoided and a vivid biological multi-directional observation image by the two-dimensional observation image by the two-dimensional detector can be acquired.
US08842169B2
A display apparatus is provided. The display apparatus includes: a video processor which, in a multi-view mode, processes a plurality of contents and generates a plurality of content views, a display which displays the plurality of content views, a sync signal generator which generates a sync signal regarding the plurality of content views, a communicator which transmits the sync signal, and a controller which, upon communicating with a glasses apparatus, transmits information on a target content view which is controllable from among the plurality of content views to the glasses apparatus. Accordingly, a newly-connected glasses apparatus may be directly synchronized with a target content view.
US08842165B2
A stereoscopic image pickup apparatus includes a first imaging section, a second imaging section, a zoom controller, and an image selection section. The first imaging section includes a zoom lens. The second imaging section includes a zoom lens. The zoom controller controls angles of view of the zoom lenses of the first imaging section and the second imaging section. The image selection section outputs image signals, which are output by the first imaging section and the second imaging section, as image signals of two channels constituting a stereoscopic image when the angles of view controlled by the zoom controller are equal to or greater than a predetermined value. In addition, the image selection section outputs image signals, which are based on the image signal output by either the first imaging section or the second imaging section, as the image signals of two channels constituting the stereoscopic image when the angles of view controlled by the zoom controller are less than the predetermined value.
US08842160B2
Video receiving capabilities of participants and source capabilities are compared and conference capabilities for providing different resolutions, frame rates, bit rate, and number of streams are determined by maintaining a conference receiving capability list updated as number and capability of participants' changes. Preferred receiving capabilities of participants are also taken into account in determining conference characteristics based on comparison with allowed capabilities.
US08842151B2
In conjunction with the dial-up public telephone system, voice quality lines carry videophone signals for monitoring a multitude of locations from at least one central station for use in a variety of applications, such as for security, surveillance, quality control and inspection, regulation of food and/or other standards in food-related and other facilities, market research, remote monitoring of deposit and withdrawal of funds at bank vaults, grocery chains, convenience stores, and the like. At the central station, telephonic interface apparatus is actuated by a control unit to selectively accomplish a telephonic connection with a remote location. Displays include the scene at the remote location and related graphic data. During routine operation, remote locations are displayed in sequence to at least one operator. Such operation may be interrupted either from a remote location or central station in the event of an urgency. In such an event, the concerned scrutiny location is displayed for further communication involving status, camera selection, camera configuration, audio, video and so on. Incoming calls from scrutiny stations imply an urgent situation for immediate display. The called number, by dialed number identification system (DNIS) may indicate the status while the calling number identifies the location by automatic number identification (ANI) signals. Alternative signaling and code techniques afford flexible operation as with respect to various graphic and status indications available for displays.A traffic control system selectively interfaces members of plural groups, as buyer groups and vendor groups, for video communication through a dial-up telephone system, for analyzing and compiling data, scheduling appointments, implementing conferences, consummating sales and the like. The traffic-control system comprises a telephonic interface apparatus for interfacing remote telephonic terminals of the dial-up telephone system identified with the members of plural groups, a video recording unit for recording and playing video transcriptions, a storage memory for storing data on the members, including telephonic terminal numbers and area-of-interest codes and a control computer to selectively interconnect the video recording unit with the remote telephone terminals through the telephonic interface apparatus to record and receive video communication.
US08842149B2
An exposure device includes a polygon motor, an fθ lens, and a heat-insulating room. The polygon motor is driven into rotation while producing heat, which makes it likely that the temperature of a portion of the fθ lens near a housing right wall becomes lower than that of a portion of the fθ lens near a housing left wall. The exposure device further includes a recess located above the fθ lens and extended in a right-and-left direction. The heat-insulating room is formed by disposing a plate above the portion of the fθ lens near the housing right wall to cover the recess. Thus, the plate restricts upward heat release from the portion of the fθ lens near the housing right wall.
US08842135B2
Methods and systems of editing a set of images depicting a subject displayed at a plurality of rotational angles is disclosed, comprising defining degrees of angular rotation of the subject about a rotational axis; selecting a subset of images based on the degrees of angular rotation of the subject depicted in the subset; determining image transformation values for the subset; determining interpolated image transformation values by interpolating the image transformation values for at least one of the images in the image set based on the image transformation values for the subset; and transforming at least one of the images in the set based on the image transformation values, and/or the interpolated image transformation values. The methods and systems may further comprise transforming the other images in the set based on both the image transformation values and the interpolated image transformation values, so they appear more precisely centered.
US08842132B2
Disclosed is a graphic display apparatus including a display unit, a reference object length storage unit in which specified parts of reference objects and actual lengths of the specified parts are stored, an image storage unit in which images are stored, an image display control unit which displays a specified image which is specified based on a user's operation in the display unit, a specified image part setting unit which detects a specified part of a reference object in the specified image and sets the detected specified part as a specified image part, a coordinate system setting unit which superimposes a coordinate system on the specified image and sets a display range of the coordinate system based on an actual length of the specified image part, and a graphic display control unit which superimposes and displays a graphic on the specified image.
US08842126B2
In an embodiment, a method of processing memory requests in a first processing device is provided. The method includes generating a memory request associated with a memory address located in an unpinned memory space managed by an operating system running on a second processing device; and responsive to a determination that the memory address is not resident in a physical memory, transmitting a message to the second processing device. In response to the message, the operating system controls the second processing device to bring the memory address into the physical memory.
US08842122B2
Aspects of the disclosure relate to a method of controlling a graphics processing unit. In an example, the method includes receiving one or more tasks from a host processor, and scheduling, independently from the host processor, the one or more tasks to be selectively executed by a shader processor and one or more fixed function hardware units, wherein the shader processor is configured to execute a plurality of instructions in parallel, and the one or more fixed function hardware units are configured to render graphics data.
US08842120B2
At an animation authoring component, an inputted movement of an object displayed in a graphical user interface is received. Further, at a physics animation rule engine, a physics generated movement of the object that results from a set of physics animation rules is applied to the inputted movement. In addition, at the graphical user interface, the inputted movement of the object is displayed in addition to the physics generated movement of the object. At the animation authoring component, the physics generated movement of the object in addition to the inputted movement of the object is recorded.
US08842115B2
Systems and methods for approximating terrain data representing a water surface are disclosed. A computer-based geographical information system for approximating terrain data representing a water surface is provided. The system includes a mesh simplifier and a surface inversion corrector. The mesh simplifier simplifies initial water surface and water bottom meshes. The surface inversion corrector corrects simplified water surface and/or water bottom meshes to avoid having a water bottom surface incorrectly appear above a corresponding water surface in a display view. In one example, the mesh simplifier simplifies the initial water surface mesh while accounting for water/land boundaries. The mesh simplifier also simplifies the initial water bottom mesh while accounting for geographic features and/or water/land boundaries. A computer-implemented method for approximating terrain data representing a water surface is provided. In further embodiments, systems and methods for altering tile information received at a client device are provided.
US08842099B2
A touch pen includes a main body, a touch element and a conductive elastic element which is a conductor. The main body has a cladding portion at an end of the main body, and the touch element is disposed in the main body, and a contact portion is formed at an end of the touch element and exposed from the cladding portion. When use, the contact portion and a using surface form a larger touch area in contact with each other, or a side of the cladding portion and the contact portion form a smaller touch area in contact with the using surface, so that the larger touch area or the smaller touch area can be used to cope with the using habits of different users and achieve an effective touch function.
US08842088B2
A computer-implemented method is disclosed. The method includes: detecting at least two touches on a touch screen; determining a touch area corresponding to at least two of the touches; determining a location on the touch screen in proximity to, but at least partially outside of the touch areas; and displaying a point of interaction at the determined location on the touch screen.
US08842087B2
A method for processing touch signal and an electronic device using the method are provided, wherein the method includes following steps: as receiving a touch signal of a touch panel, judging whether a motion vector of the touch panel is abnormal; when the motion vector is abnormal, recording a first time-point; judging whether the motion vector returns to normal state from abnormal state; when the motion vector returns to normal state, recording a second time-point; and performing a signal compensation operation on the touch signal of the duration between the first time-point and the second time-point. In this way, the invention can avoid inputting wrong touch signals.
US08842083B2
A touch screen according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a transparent conductive material deposited on the upper surface of a flexible plastic film; and a metal layer vacuum-deposited on the transparent conductive film. The embodiment of the invention can provide a highly flexible touch screen of which manufacturing process can be simplified, and a manufacturing method thereof.
US08842082B2
A device, configured to operate in a first operational mode at some times and in a second operational mode at other times, detects a first gesture having a first gesture type; in response to detecting the first gesture: in accordance with a determination that the device is in the first operational mode, performs an operation having a first operation type; and, in accordance with a determination that the device is in the second operational mode, performs an operation having a second operation type; detects a second gesture having a second gesture type; and in response to detecting the second gesture: in accordance with a determination that the device is in the first operational mode, performs an operation having the second operation type; and in accordance with a determination that the device is in the second operational mode, performs an operation having the first operation type.
US08842052B2
An antenna apparatus that can suppress sensitivity degradation as much as possible to receive AM broadcasts and FM broadcasts even if an antenna height is decreased to 70 mm or less. An antenna board is vertically mounted on a planar antenna base, and a top portion is disposed to stride over the antenna board. An antenna element includes the top portion and an antenna pattern formed on the antenna board. A distance between the antenna base and a lower edge of the top portion is not less than 10 mm, and the lower edge of the top portion is bent downward. The top portion is configured such that an antenna capacitance of the antenna element becomes about 3 pF or more. A received signal from the antenna element is guided to an amplifier board through a connecting wire and amplified. An antenna case is fitted in the antenna base.
US08842051B1
The invention is a buoyant cable antenna that is towed on the surface of a body of water by a submerged underwater vehicle to allow communication coverage in an omnidirectional pattern in the VHF frequency range and that is also compatible with existing buoyant cable antenna deployment and retrieval systems. The antenna of the present invention comprises a floating cable having four identical antenna elements that are arranged in a cross configuration. The antenna is designed with a system of four shielded inductor units connected in series with the antenna elements to reduce the losses to seawater by the submerged elements and to tune the exposed vertical element and its feed-cable capacitance to resonance which results in greatly increased radiated power at the design frequency of approximately 10-30 MHz.
US08842046B2
A loop antenna is provided. The apparatus comprises a substrate, a first metallization layer, and a second metallization layer. The substrate has first and second feed terminals and a ground terminal. The first metallization layer is disposed over the substrate and includes a first window conductive region, a first conductive region, a second conductive region, and a third conductive region. The first conductive region is disposed over and is in electrical contact with the first feed terminal; it is also is substantially circular and located within the first window region. The second conductive region is disposed over and is in electrical contact with the second feed terminal; it is also substantially circular and is located within the first window region. The a third conductive region is disposed over and is in electrical contact with the ground terminal, and the third conductive region substantially surrounds the first window region. The second metallization layer is disposed over and is in electrical contact with the first, second, and third conductive regions of the first metallization layer, and the second metallization layer includes a second window region that is at least partially aligned with the first window region.
US08842045B2
A patch antenna system with improved multipath resistance includes a top antenna assembly and a bottom antenna assembly. Each antenna assembly includes a radiator patch and a ground plane separated by a dielectric medium. The radiator patch on the top antenna assembly is excited by an exciter and an excitation circuit. The bottom antenna assembly is electromagnetically coupled to the top antenna assembly. The resonant frequency of the bottom antenna assembly is approximately equal to the resonant frequency of the top antenna assembly. Electromagnetic fields induced in the bottom antenna assembly are in opposite phase to the electromagnetic fields excited in the top antenna assembly. Amplitudes of electromagnetic fields induced in the bottom antenna assembly are subtracted from amplitudes of electromagnetic fields excited in the top antenna assembly, and multipath signals are suppressed. Single band and dual band antenna systems suitable for global navigation satellite systems can be implemented.
US08842038B2
A radar level gauging system for determining at least one process variable related to a distance to a surface of a product in a tank comprising transceiver circuitry, processing circuitry, a wave guiding structure arranged guide measurement signals towards the surface, and a radiator connected to the transceiver circuitry and arranged to emit the measurement signal into the wave guiding structure. The system further comprises a mode generator adapted to convert electromagnetic waves emitted from the radiator from a first propagation mode to a second propagation mode, wherein the mode generator includes a lens in the form of a body transparent to electromagnetic waves in the operating frequency range.With this design, electromagnetic waves having the first propagation mode emitted by the radiator into the lens will be reflected at least twice within the lens (first in the bottom surface and then in the upper surface). At the second reflection (in the upper surface of the lens), the propagation mode will be changed, and the electromagnetic waves exiting the lens will have the second propagation mode.
US08842024B2
Provided is a low atmosphere ascent and descent observation experimental tool. Since a position of a radiosonde and a ground captive position of the radiosonde is accurately grasped using a GPS radiosonde, accurate observation results may be obtained.
US08842023B2
A vehicle detector capable of detecting motorized vehicles, bicycles only or both types of vehicle in a loop near a controlled intersection. The vehicle detector includes a processor under control of machine readable code for controlling the operation of one or more oscillators coupled to one or more loops. Manually actuatable switches enable the entry of mode settings—i.e., motorized vehicle and bicycle detect or bicycle only detect—and clearance time parameters for ensuring that one or more bicycles can safely proceed through an intersection when given a green light. Selection of the Bicycle detect mode is denoted by the entry of a non-zero value in an initial timer using one or more of the switches.
US08842017B2
The present invention relates to a device and method for displaying the lifecycle of a surge protection device, and more particularly to a device and method for displaying the lifecycle of a surge protection device, which detects an increase in leakage current according to a deterioration in performance of the surge protection device in order to provide notice of a replacement time for the surge protection device. According to the present invention, it is possible to for a user to provide notice of a replacement time by displaying the lifecycle of a surge protection device (SPD) to the outside. Additionally, as another effect of the present invention, it is possible to confirm an amount of leakage current flowing into the ground of the SPD and whether the SPD is properly installed on a ground line by using a current and ground state detecting sensor.
US08842014B2
The invention makes use of human perception to derive potential faults of at least one component of the technical installation. A sensor device may be employed for acquiring at least one human physiological reaction whereby said human physiological reaction may include at least one of neuritic currents and changes in neuritic currents and blood pressure and changes in blood pressure and pulse rate and changes in pulse rate and pulse strength and changes in pulse strength and galvanic skin reflex and changes in galvanic skin reflex and breathing patterns.
US08842007B2
A live performance is monitored by analyzing an input data stream comprising real-time updates related to the live performance. Different sets of excitement levels, excitement curves, alerts and teasers are generated based on the analysis and reported to a plurality of subscribers using any of a variety of mobile communication and/or computing devices.
US08841997B2
A portable vehicle alarm system alerts a vehicle operator of the presence of a child/pet left in the vehicle. The system includes at least one first portable wireless alarm unit in communication with a second portable wireless unit. The first and second portable wireless alarm units include a microprocessor in communication with a transmitter and receiver, having a power supply. The first portable unit is located on a key chain. The second wireless unit has attachment means for attachment to a seat belt associated with a child's car seat or a pet's collar. An activation sensor detects a disengagement action related to the vehicle, including powering-off of the vehicle ignition or unbuckling of the driver's seat belt. A distance sensor has a selected range. If the range is exceeded, an audible alarm is actuated from the first unit.
US08841994B2
Intelligent traffic safety system based on comprehensive state detection and decision method thereof
The present invention discloses an intelligent traffic safety system based on comprehensive state detection and decision method thereof. The intelligent traffic safety system includes a person condition detection unit, a vehicle condition detection unit, a road condition detection unit, an intelligent decision unit, a driver warning unit, a current vehicle mandatory processing unit, a barrier warning unit, a pursuer warning unit and an after-crash warning unit. The person condition detection unit, the vehicle condition detection unit and the road condition detection unit are separately connected to the intelligent decision unit; the intelligent decision unit implements an intelligent traffic safety decision method based on comprehensive state detection, and respectively sends corresponding crash avoidance warnings and processing instructions to the driver warning unit, the current vehicle mandatory processing unit, the barrier warning unit, the pursuer warning unit and the after-crash warning unit connected to the intelligent decision unit.
US08841989B2
An electronic messaging device includes a receiver configured to receive a message at one of a first operational frequency and second operational frequency. The messaging device can operate using a time synchronous protocol and can receive commands through over-the-internet-programming (OTIP) and over-the-air-programming (OTAP).
US08841985B2
A metallization can be used for components working with acoustic waves. The metallization includes a base having a bottom layer comprising titanium, and an upper layer comprising copper. A top layer of the metallization disposed on the base comprises aluminum.
US08841982B2
High- or medium-voltage equipment comprising an induction-activated portion, a tank surrounding the active portion and filled with a dielectric fluid, such as oil, and passive acoustic reduction means for reducing acoustic waves coming from the active portion and propagating in the dielectric fluid. According to the invention, the passive means create an interference field that divides the propagated waves into two groups of waves of opposite phase that interfere with each other in a zone that is at a distance from the walls of the tank so as to at least limit the amplitude of the waves before they make contact with said walls. The equipment provides an effective solution for significantly reducing the noise that is propagated by the dielectric fluid medium.
US08841981B2
A detachable cover system is described herein for covering an opening of an enclosure. The system comprises an enclosure, a cover, a first magnetic structure attached to the enclosure, a second magnetic system attached to the cover, and a coil in proximity to one of the first magnetic structure and the second magnetic structure. The first and second magnetic structures are configured to magnetically attach such that the cover covers the opening. The coil is controllable to produce a magnetic field that causes magnetic detachment of the first magnetic structure from the second magnetic structure such that said cover no longer covers the opening.
US08841972B2
An electronic device, a fiber-optic communication system comprising the electronic device and a method of operating the electronic device are provided. The electronic device comprises a transimpedance-type amplifier having a transimpedance stage comprising an amplifier which is coupled in series with an input node. A feedback resistor is coupled in series between an output node of the amplifier and an inverting input node of the amplifier to provide a virtual ground node which is coupled to the input node, the inverting input node of the amplifier and to the feedback resistor. A current source is coupled to the virtual ground node so as to compensate for an offset current in an input signal which is coupled to the input node of the electronic device. Further, the electronic device comprises a control stage which is configured to control the current source as a function of a current through the feedback transistor.
US08841966B2
A sound output device is provided. The sound output device includes a vacuum tube for amplifying an audio signal; a power supply that supplies power to the vacuum tube; a first switch circuit that selectively connects the power supply to the vacuum tube; and a controller that controls the first switch circuit according to whether the vacuum tube is used.
US08841965B2
An amplifier includes a PWM converter that carries out pulse width modulation on differential input signals to generate differential PWM signals by comparing the differential input signals with sawtooth or triangular reference signal, and a power amplifier that carries out power amplification of the differential PWM signals to generate differential output signals. The power amplifier has a driver that drives a load with differential driving signals, a controller that sets a dead time in the differential driving signals to prevent current flow between power supply and ground terminals of the driver circuit, and a pre-delay compensator that generates the differential driving signals based on the differential PWM signals and sends the differential driving signals to the controller. The differential driving signals generated by the pre-delay compensator includes a pulse width for compensating for the dead time that is to be set in the differential driving signals by the controller.
US08841956B2
A High Voltage switch configuration having an input terminal which receives an input signal and an output terminal which issues an output signal to a load. The High Voltage switch configuration comprises at least a first and a second diode, being placed in antiseries between said input and output terminals and having a pair of corresponding terminals in common, in correspondence of a first internal circuit node.
US08841953B2
A double-edge-triggered flip-flop circuit and a method for operating the double-edge-trigger flip-flop circuit are provided. Sub-circuits of a flip-flop circuit are coupled to a ground supply and decoupled the sub-circuits from a power supply when a clock signal is asserted. The sub-circuits generate trigger signals including a first pair of signals and a second pair of signals. The first pair of signals is evaluated, levels of the second pair of signals are maintained when the clock signal is asserted, and an output signal is transitioned to equal an input signal based on the trigger signals when the clock signal is asserted.
US08841952B1
An integrated circuit (IC) includes a flip-flop that stores data when the IC is in built-in self-test (BIST) mode. The flip-flop includes a master latch connected to a slave latch, which in turn is connected to a data retention latch. A control circuit is connected to the flip-flop. During normal operation, the master latch receives a data input signal, which is transmitted through the slave latch to another flip-flop of the IC. When the control circuit initiates BIST (scan testing), data stored in the slave latch is transferred to the data retention latch. Upon completion of BIST, the data stored in the retention latch is used to restore the flip-flop to its original state.
US08841946B2
An electronic circuit comprises a reset input for receiving an input reset signal, a clock input for receiving a clock signal, and a reset output for providing an output reset signal. And it comprises a synchronous reset signal path comprising a synchronization unit, arranged to receive the input reset signal and provide the input reset signal synchronized with the clock signal to the reset output when the clock signal is available, and an asynchronous reset signal path arranged to provide the input reset signal to the reset output when a current clock availability information in a clock monitoring signal indicates that the clock signal is not available.
US08841945B2
A semiconductor device includes a division unit configured to divide an oscillation signal and to generate a plurality of divided signals having different division ratios each other, a delay amount determination unit configured to combine an source signal, the oscillation signal, and the plurality of divided signals and to generate a delay amount information signal with information on a given delay amount, and an edge-delayed signal output unit configured to generate at least one edge-delayed signal corresponding to the given delay amount in response to the source signal and the delay amount information signal.
US08841940B2
In accordance with an embodiment, a method of operating a gate driving circuit includes monitoring a signal integrity at an output of the gate driving circuit. If the signal integrity is poor based on the monitoring, output of the gate driving circuit is placed in a high impedance state and an external signal integrity failure signal is asserted.
US08841939B2
A switching control circuit controls a switching circuit based on decoded signals obtained by decoding several input signals. The switching control circuit is includes a decoder circuit that outputs decoded signals obtained by decoding coded input data signals. The switching control circuit includes a driver circuit that generates control signals for controlling the switching circuit based on the decoded signals. The switching control circuit is provided with a synchronous control circuit that synchronizes the input signals before outputting them for decoding.
US08841937B2
Techniques pertaining to an analog sample circuit are disclosed. One embodiment of the analog sample circuit shows characteristics of low distortion and high linearity, which can be used in many circuits including integrated circuits (IC). In a switch circuit or an analog sample circuit of one embodiment, a constant voltage module is configured to stabilize the gate-source voltage of the PMOSFET switch as the sample switch, so that the gate-resource voltage of the PMOSFET switch doesn't vary with the input signal Vin; a switch circuit is configured to ensure that the switch circuit or the analog sample circuit is capable of processing the input signal lower than a minimum voltage in the circuit.
US08841936B2
A differential output circuit has a current source, a voltage source, first paired transistors which, in a first operating mode, switch that current from the current source should be flown to which of paired output terminals, depending on logic levels of differential input signals, and is always turned off in a second operating mode, second paired transistors which, in the second operating mode, switch which of the paired output terminals should be applied with a voltage correlated with a voltage of the voltage source, depending on the logic levels of the differential input signals, and configured to be always turned off in the first operating mode, third paired transistors which, in the second operating mode, pass the current inputted into one of the paired output terminals toward a predetermined reference potential, and is always turned on in the first operating mode, and paired impedances.
US08841930B1
An integrated circuit and a method for efficiently operating integrated circuit devices. The integrated circuit includes an input that is configured to receive a first current which is representative of a leakage current drawn by leakage in a portion of the integrated circuit. The integrated circuit includes a leakage calibrator that is configured to compare the first current to a current required to perform a switching operation and output a value indicative of the leakage.
US08841927B2
A touch sensing circuit detects a difference in variation of coupling capacitances between mutually adjacent driving electrodes through the use of a differential amplifier, and senses whether or not a touch is made on a touch screen panel, thereby being capable of removing display noise.
US08841926B2
The subject matter of the invention is a method for a printing machine with a printing device (5), in particular an inkjet printer, for applying liquid (22) onto a print material, with monitoring of the quantity of liquid in a liquid supply unit (1) by measuring the liquid level (23) with a sequential controller, wherein the measurement of the liquid level (23) is performed by a device (11), which detects the presence of liquid at the output of the printing device (5).Another subject matter of the invention is a liquid supply unit (1) for a printing machine with a printing device (5), in particular, an inkjet printer, for applying liquid (22) on a print material, with monitoring of the quantity of liquid in a liquid supply unit (1) by measuring the liquid level (23) with a sequential controller, wherein the measurement device (11) is suitable for measuring a fill level (23) and for controlling a liquid device (3).Furthermore, a measurement device (11), in particular, for a liquid supply unit (1), is the subject matter of the invention, in which at least one part of the measurement device (11) is made from circuit-board material.
US08841923B1
A system for measuring a property of a device under test (DUT) includes a stimulus signal generator and a receiver. The stimulus signal generator generates a repetitive stimulus signal under control of a first clock, and provides the stimulus signal to an input port of the DUT. The receiver receives an input signal output from the DUT, the input signal being based on the stimulus signal provided to the input port of the DUT. The receiver includes a second clock syntonized with the first clock, a memory that stores a calibration measurement of a calibration stimulus signal provided to the receiver during a calibration period without the DUT being connected to the stimulus signal generator, and a data processor configured to determine the property of the DUT by comparing the stored calibration measurement with a measurement of the input signal from the DUT performed under control of the second clock.
US08841922B2
An enhanced loop in a passive tuner consists of an extremely low loss coupler and a high directivity circulator. In the case of source reflection factor synthesis, a passive loop generates an additional incident traveling wave. This wave, added to the primary incident traveling wave, augments the traveling wave and thus increases the magnitude of the synthesized reflection factor at the source port of a device, such as a transistor. In the case of load reflection factor synthesis, the passive loop augments the initial reflected traveling wave by pumping an additional traveling wave. This additional traveling wave helps in synthesizing a higher load reflection factor at the load port. This architecture is capable of high reflection factor synthesis that enables load synthesis even on the border of the Smith chart. There is no problem of instability with the architecture of the present invention.
US08841904B1
A probe for detecting distortions in a material includes a probe body, a ferrite core in the probe body, an excitation coil encircling the ferrite core and adapted to generate eddy currents, further magnetic shielding surrounding the excitation coil, and at least one giant magnetoresistive (GMR) sensor disposed in magnetic field-communicating relationship with the excitation coil and off-center with respect to the excitation coil's axis.
US08841896B2
A power factor corrected switched mode power supply including a phase shifter that senses the mains frequency and phase shifts it to produce a phase shifted signal which modulates the switching signal supplied to the switches based on the phase shifted signal. The rate of change of the frequency of the switching signal may be controlled to be greatest in regions of greatest power transfer.
US08841885B2
Provided is an information processing device capable of easily determining the number of times of charge/discharge of each of a plurality of secondary battery packs, the information processing device including a charge/discharge execution unit (21, 22, 23) having the following configuration. That is, the charge/discharge execution unit (21, 22, 23) determines the number of times of charge/discharge of each of a plurality of secondary battery packs (11, 12, 13) based on: the number of times a fully-charged state of the secondary battery pack is detected when the charge to the secondary battery pack is executed; the number of times an intermediate state in which the remaining capacity of the secondary battery pack becomes equal to a predetermined value between the maximum remaining capacity value in the fully-charged state and a remaining capacity of zero is detected when the discharge from the secondary battery pack is executed; and the number of times a remaining capacity near-zero state in which the remaining capacity of the secondary battery pack becomes equal to a near-zero value closer to the remaining capacity of zero than the predetermined value is detected when the discharge from the secondary battery pack is executed.
US08841883B2
Circuit and method for heating a battery. The circuit includes the battery including parasitic damping and current storage components, switch unit, switching control component, charge storage component, and energy transfer and superposition unit. The charge storage and current storage components are parts of an energy storage circuit. The switching control component turns on the switch unit so as to allow current to flow between the battery and charge storage component and turns off the switch unit so as to stop the current. The energy transfer and superposition unit, after the switch unit is turned on and then off, transfers energy from the charge storage component to an energy storage component and then adjusts a storage voltage associated with the charge storage component so that a positive voltage terminal of the charge storage component is coupled, directly or indirectly, to a negative voltage terminal of the battery.
US08841874B2
An electrical stepper motor comprises a magnetical rotor and at least two electromagnetical driving coils for causing rotation of the rotator. A method of detecting an operating condition of the as e.g. a stall state of the electrical stepper motor comprises the steps of connecting one contact pin (P, M) of at least one of the electromagnetical driving coils via a high-impedance resistor (R1, R2) to a defined voltage source during a non-activated state of the driving coil, detecting a voltage induced at the driving coil during the non-activated state and converting the detected voltage into a digital signal, and digitally analyzing the digital signal and deriving an operating condition of the rotor by evaluation of the signal waveform including positive and negative components of the signal.
US08841861B2
A dimming device includes: a constant current generator for generating a current to a main LED unit; a state generator for generating a state counting output having a counting value that is equal to one of continuous values respectively associated with different light-mixing states of a secondary LED unit; and an RGB modulation circuit operable to generate, based on the state counting output, multiple PWM signals with the same PWM cycle for driving respectively R, G, and B LEDs of the secondary LED unit such that the secondary LED unit is sequentially operated in the light-mixing states. The secondary LED unit emits a mixed light with an individual color in each of the different light-mixing states to compensate lighting of the main LED unit.
US08841855B2
An AC-driven LED assembly with discretely packaged LEDs being connected in an AC circuit and being sized preferably substantially 2.5 mm or less in length and width, and more preferably 2.0 mm or less; and being mounted to a substrate at a distance from the other of preferably approximately 3 mm or less, and more preferably 2.0 mm or less.
US08841853B2
An electronic device for a lighting system, comprising a TRIAC dimmer configured to receive a mains supply voltage and provide a phase cut voltage to the electronic device and having a control loop configured to control a duty cycle of a switched voltage converter that receives the rectified input voltage and provides drive current to a light emitting semiconductor device. The control loop has an error amplifier that is coupled to receive a sense voltage that is indicative of a current through the light emitting semiconductor device, the error amplifier is configured to provide a feedback signal to a pulse width modulation logic configured to control the duty cycle of the switched voltage converter to provide a constant drive current to the light emitting semiconductor device in response to the sense voltage, the error amplifier being coupled to receive a reference voltage that is a function of the input voltage.
US08841845B2
The invention is an induction-based lighting system designed to provide power to model displays and other similar applications. The first part of the system is the wireless Power Mat that is placed under the model houses and used as the base for the village, and contains a primary winding that interacts with secondary windings placed inside display components to provide lighting effects, such as one finds in model Christmas villages. The electrical characteristics of the primary winding can be controlled by a microcontroller to make lights in the models blink or change as a user desires.
US08841840B2
An OLED display may include: a substrate; an organic light emitting diode on the substrate; a thin film encapsulation layer encapsulates the organic light emitting diode with the substrate; an optical film on the thin film encapsulation layer and including an adhesive layer opposite to the thin film encapsulation layer; and a contamination preventing layer between the thin film encapsulation layer and the optical film, the contamination preventing layer contacting the adhesive layer.
US08841834B2
Solid state lighting systems using organic LEDs (OLEDs) are disclosed. Embodiments of the present invention provide a solid state lighting system and a luminaire wherein substantially white light is generated by a combination of an organic LED (OLED) and another type of solid state emitter. The other type of solid state emitter may be, for example, a conventional LED made from inorganic materials. The OLED is positioned so that substantially white light is emitted from the lighting system by mixing light from the two types of sources. In some embodiments, a dichroic mirror can also be used at the opening of a mixing chamber to prevent absorption of light from the OLED back into the mixing chamber or conventional LEDs within the mixing chamber.
US08841813B2
A brushless synchronous motor includes a rotor having a number n of embedded permanent magnets and being rotatable relative to a stator having a number of stator teeth provided with a three-phase stator winding, while forming an air gap. An angle between two adjacent permanent magnets is 360°/n where n>8, an angle between two adjacent stator teeth is 360°/n+2, and an inner contour of the stator facing the rotor has a curved structure with curvature valleys provided at ends of the stator teeth.
US08841811B2
An electric machine includes a core with a plurality of slots. Electric conductors are positioned within the slots with connection ends extending from the in-slot portions. A plurality of insulation sleeves separate the plurality of electric conductors. Each insulation sleeve substantially covers one entire conductor, including the in-slot portions and the connection ends of the conductor. A tip portion on each connection end remains uncovered by the insulation sleeve and is electrically connected to another tip portion on another conductor. Air passages are formed between the plurality of insulation sleeves at the in-slot portions and at the connection ends of the plurality of electric conductors.
US08841809B2
A synchronous multipolar brushless machine includes an immobile stator armature and field windings, which are placed concentrically around a shaft and radially inwardly positioned relative to the stator armature, on a power unit carrying disc, so that the field windings and armature windings form a mechanically connected unit which generates an excitation magnetic field, and in which an alternate voltage is generated. The excitation magnetic field is transferred to a rotor via labyrinth shaped first and second air gaps. A multipolar rotating magnetic field is generated around the stator armature while the synchronous machine is operated, thereby magnetizing the rotor. In order to reduce magnetic flux resistance, a ferromagnetic tolerance ring is inserted in each first and second air gap. Alternatively, a ferrofluid is provided in each first and second air gap, which significantly increases the magnetic conductivity.
US08841802B2
An axial groove is provided in an inner peripheral wall surface of a motor case of a housing of a motor actuator, and a spring installation opening is provided to the axial groove at a location adjacent to an opening end of a motor receiving hole of the motor case, which receives a motor. A damper spring is inserted into the groove through the spring installation opening. The damper spring urges the motor against first and second ridges formed in the inner peripheral wall surface of the motor case.
US08841801B2
The invention relates to an arrangement and a method for limiting the input power of a power supply appliance (1) fitted between a power source (2) and a load (3). The arrangement according to the invention comprises a power supply appliance (1) fitted between a power source (2) and the load to be supplied (3), which power supply appliance (1) is fitted to limit its input power on the basis of the status of the aforementioned power source (2).
US08841786B2
A linear energy harvesting device that includes a housing and a piston that moves at least partially through the housing when it is compressed or extended from a rest position. When the piston moves, hydraulic fluid is pressurized and drives a hydraulic motor. The hydraulic motor drives an electric generator that produces electricity. Both the motor and generator are central to the device housing. Exemplary configurations are disclosed such as monotube, twin-tube, tri-tube and rotary based designs that each incorporates an integrated energy harvesting apparatus. By varying the electrical characteristics on an internal generator, the kinematic characteristics of to the energy harvesting apparatus can be dynamically altered. In another mode, the apparatus can be used as an actuator to create linear movement. Applications include vehicle suspension systems (to act as the primary damper component), railcar bogie dampers, or industrial applications such as machinery dampers and wave energy harvesters, and electro-hydraulic actuators.
US08841775B2
The semiconductor device has insulating films 40, 42 formed over a substrate 10; an interconnection 58 buried in at least a surface side of the insulating films 40, 42; insulating films 60, 62 formed on the insulating film 42 and including a hole-shaped via-hole 60 and a groove-shaped via-hole 66a having a pattern bent at a right angle; and buried conductors 70, 72a buried in the hole-shaped via-hole 60 and the groove-shaped via-hole 66a. A groove-shaped via-hole 66a is formed to have a width which is smaller than a width of the hole-shaped via-hole 66. Defective filling of the buried conductor and the cracking of the inter-layer insulating film can be prevented. Steps on the conductor plug can be reduced. Accordingly, defective contact with the upper interconnection layer and the problems taking place in forming films can be prevented.
US08841765B2
A microelectronic assembly can include a substrate having first and second surfaces, at least two logic chips overlying the first surface, and a memory chip having a front surface with contacts thereon, the front surface of the memory chip confronting a rear surface of each logic chip. The substrate can have conductive structure thereon and terminals exposed at the second surface for connection with a component. Signal contacts of each logic chip can be directly electrically connected to signal contacts of the other logic chips through the conductive structure of the substrate for transfer of signals between the logic chips. The logic chips can be adapted to simultaneously execute a set of instructions of a given thread of a process. The contacts of the memory chip can be directly electrically connected to the signal contacts of at least one of the logic chips through the conductive structure of the substrate.
US08841739B2
Embodiments of the invention implement DIOMEJ cells. In one embodiment, a DIOMEJ cell includes: an MEJ that includes, a ferromagnetic fixed layer, a ferromagnetic free layer, and a dielectric layer interposed between said fixed and free layers, where the fixed layer is magnetically polarized in a first direction, where the free layer has a first easy axis that is aligned with the first direction, and where the MEJ is configured such that when a potential difference is applied across it, the magnetic anisotropy of the free layer is altered such that the relative strength of the magnetic anisotropy along a second easy axis that is orthogonal to the first easy axis, as compared to the strength of the magnetic anisotropy along the first easy axis, is magnified for the duration of the application of the potential difference; and a diode, where the diode and the MEJ are arranged in series.
US08841737B2
A MEMS comprises a back-plate (7) having an inner portion (7a) and an outer portion (7b), the inner portion (7a) connected to the outer portion (7b) by a sidewall (7c). A raised section or anchor ring (60) is formed in the outer portion (7b) of the back-plate, in a region of the back-plate near the inner perimeter of the outer portion. The anchor ring may comprise angled sidewalls. The thickness of the back-plate may be greater than the thickness of the material supporting the anchor ring. Embodiments are also disclosed in which a membrane comprises a raised portion and an outer portion connected by an angled sidewall.
US08841736B2
An integrated circuit comprising a MEMS (microelectromechanical system) element in a plane of the integrated circuit, the MEMS element being suspended in a cavity over a substrate, said cavity including a first cavity region in said plane spatially separating an edge of the MEMS element from a wall section, said edge being arranged to be displaced relative to the wall section; and a second cavity region in said plane forming part of a fluid path further including the first cavity region, said fluid path defining a first volume; and a third cavity region in said plane defining a second volume in fluid connection with the second cavity region, wherein the maximum width of the second cavity region is larger than the maximum width of the third cavity region, the second and third cavity regions having maximum widths that are larger than the maximum width of the first cavity region.
US08841731B2
A method of fabricating a semiconductor device includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a first active region and a second active region, forming a first metal layer over a high-k dielectric layer, removing at least a portion of the first metal layer in the second active region, forming a second metal layer on first metal layer in the first active region and over the high-k dielectric layer in the second active region, and thereafter, forming a silicon layer over the second metal layer. The method further includes removing the silicon layer from the first gate stack thereby forming a first trench and from the second gate stack thereby forming a second trench, and forming a third metal layer over the second metal layer in the first trench and over the second metal layer in the second trench.
US08841726B2
An intermediate wafer includes a substrate having a surface and a first dummy gate plug disposed upon a structure, e.g., a FIN, supported by the substrate surface; a second dummy gate plug disposed upon the substrate surface; and a first layer in which the first dummy gate plug and the second dummy gate plug are embedded. The first layer exhibits a non-planar surface topography characterized by a depression due at least to a presence of the first dummy gate plug. The structure further includes a second layer that fills the depression to the surface of the first layer, and a third layer that overlies the first layer and the second layer. The third layer is formed of a hard mask material and has a substantially planar surface topography over the first and second dummy gate plugs and over the depression that is filled with the material of the second layer.
US08841722B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first groove. The first groove has a bottom and first and second side surfaces opposite to each other. A first gate insulator extends alongside the first side surface. A first gate electrode is formed in the first groove and on the first gate insulator. A second gate insulator extends alongside the second side surface. A second gate electrode is formed in the first groove and on the second gate insulator. The second gate electrode is separate from the first gate electrode.
US08841713B2
In a photoelectric conversion apparatus including a charge holding portion, a part of an element isolation region contacting with a semiconductor region constituting the charge holding portion extends from a reference surface including the light receiving surface of a photoelectric conversion element into a semiconductor substrate at a level equal to or deeper than the depth of the semiconductor region in comparison with the semiconductor region.
US08841711B1
One method includes forming a sidewall spacer adjacent a gate structure, forming a first liner layer on the sidewall spacer, forming a second liner layer on the first liner layer, forming a first layer of insulating material above the substrate and adjacent the second liner layer, selectively removing at least portions of the second liner layer relative to the first liner layer, forming a second layer of insulating material above the first layer of insulating material, performing at least one second etching process to remove at least portions of the first and second layers of insulating material and at least portions of the first liner layer so as to thereby expose an outer surface of the sidewall spacer, and forming a conductive contact that contacts the exposed outer surface of the sidewall spacer and a source/drain region of the transistor.
US08841710B2
In an active matrix display device, electric characteristics of thin film transistors included in a circuit are important, and performance of the display device depends on the electric characteristics. Thus, by using an oxide semiconductor film including In, Ga, and Zn for an inverted staggered thin film transistor, variation in electric characteristics of the thin film transistor can be reduced. Three layers of a gate insulating film, an oxide semiconductor layer and a channel protective layer are successively formed by a sputtering method without being exposed to air. Further, in the oxide semiconductor layer, the thickness of a region overlapping with the channel protective film is larger than that of a region in contact with a conductive film.
US08841704B2
Disclosed herein is a nitride based semiconductor device, including: a substrate; a nitride based semiconductor layer having a lower nitride based semiconductor layer and an upper nitride based semiconductor layer on the substrate; an isolation area including an interface between the lower nitride based semiconductor layer and the upper nitride based semiconductor layer; and drain electrodes, source electrode, and gate electrodes formed on the upper nitride based semiconductor layer. According to preferred embodiments of the present invention, in the nitride based semiconductor device, by using the isolation area including the interface between the lower nitride based semiconductor layer and the upper nitride based semiconductor layer, problems of parasitic capacitance and leakage current are solved, and as a result, a switching speed can be improved through a gate pad.
US08841698B2
A method is disclosed that provides a self-aligned nitrogen-implant particularly suited for a Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET) semiconductor device preferably comprised of a silicon carbide (SiC). This self-aligned nitrogen-implant allows for the realization of durable and stable electrical functionality of high temperature transistors such as JFETs. The method implements the self-aligned nitrogen-implant having predetermined dimensions, at a particular step in the fabrication process, so that the SiC junction field effect transistors are capable of being electrically operating continuously at 500° C. for over 10,000 hours in an air ambient with less than a 10% change in operational transistor parameters.
US08841682B2
A metal-insulator-semiconductor field-effect transistor (MISFET) includes a SiC layer with source and drain regions of a first conductivity type spaced apart therein. A first gate insulation layer is on the SiC layer and has a net charge along an interface with the SiC layer that is the same polarity as majority carriers of the source region. A gate contact is on the first gate insulation layer over a channel region of the SiC layer between the source and drain regions. The net charge along the interface between the first gate insulation layer and the SiC layer may deplete majority carriers from an adjacent portion of the channel region between the source and drain regions in the SiC layer, which may increase the threshold voltage of the MISFET and/or increase the electron mobility therein.
US08841680B2
Solved is a problem of attenuation of output amplitude due to a threshold value of a TFT when manufacturing a circuit with TFTs of a single polarity. In a capacitor (105), a charge equivalent to a threshold value of a TFT (104) is stored. When a signal is inputted thereto, the threshold value stored in the capacitor (105) is added to a potential of the input signal. The thus obtained potential is applied to a gate electrode of a TFT (101). Therefore, it is possible to obtain the output having a normal amplitude from an output terminal (Out) without causing the amplitude attenuation in the TFT (101).
US08841677B2
A thin film transistor array panel includes: a gate line and a storage electrode on a substrate and separated from each other; a gate insulating layer covering the gate line and the storage electrode; a data line crossing the gate line and being on the gate insulating layer; a thin film transistor formed at a crossing region of the gate line and the data line, and including a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode; a passivation layer exposing a portion of the drain electrode and formed on the thin film transistor and the data line; and a pixel electrode contacting the drain electrode and overlapping the storage electrode with the gate insulating layer interposed therebetween.
US08841672B2
A display unit with which lowering of long-term reliability of a transistor is decreased is provided. The display unit includes a display section having a plurality of organic EL devices with light emitting color different from each other and a plurality of pixel circuits that are singly provided for every said organic EL device for every pixel. The pixel circuit has a first transistor for writing a video signal, a second transistor for driving the organic EL device based on the video signal written by the first transistor, and a retentive capacity, and out of the first transistor and the second transistor, a third transistor provided correspondingly to a second organic EL device adjacent to a first organic EL device is arranged farther from the first organic EL device than a first retentive capacity provided correspondingly to the second organic EL device out of the retentive capacity.
US08841671B2
By increasing an interval between electrodes which drives liquid crystals, a gradient of an electric field applied between the electrodes can be controlled and an optimal electric field can be applied between the electrodes. The invention includes a first electrode formed over a substrate, an insulating film formed over the substrate and the first electrode, a thin film transistor including a semiconductor film in which a source, a channel region, and a drain are formed over the insulating film, a second electrode located over the semiconductor film and the first electrode and including first opening patterns, and liquid crystals provided over the second electrode.
US08841668B2
An array substrate includes; a substrate, a gate line and a data line disposed on the substrate, a thin film transistor (“TFT”) electrically connected to the gate line and the data line, a light blocking member disposed on the substrate and a first color filter and a second color filter disposed on the substrate. The light blocking member covers a portion of the first color filter and the second color filter covers a portion of the light blocking member.
US08841664B2
Provided is a highly reliable semiconductor device by giving stable electric characteristics to a transistor in which a semiconductor film whose threshold voltage is difficult to control is used as an active layer. By using a silicon oxide film having a negative fixed charge as a film in contact with the active layer of the transistor or a film in the vicinity of the active layer, a negative electric field is always applied to the active layer due to the negative fixed charge and the threshold voltage of the transistor can be shifted in the positive direction. Thus, the highly reliable semiconductor device can be manufactured by giving stable electric characteristics to the transistor.
US08841661B2
A method for forming a thin film transistor includes steps of forming a first wiring layer over a first electrode layer and forming a second wiring layer over a second electrode layer, wherein the first electrode layer extends beyond an end portion of the first wiring layer, the second electrode layer extends beyond an end portion of the second wiring layer, and a semiconductor layer is formed so as to be electrically connected to a side face and a top face of the first electrode layer and a side face and a top face of the second electrode layer.
US08841659B2
An organic light-emitting display apparatus that has reduced resonance effect includes a thin film transistor (TFT) layer including a plurality of TFTs, first protective layer covering the TFT, a color filter disposed in at least a partial area of the region in the first protective layer, a first overcoat covering the color filter, a second protective layer covering the first overcoat, a second overcoat disposed on the second protective layer, and a pixel electrode disposed on top of the second overcoat and electrically coupled to the TFTs in the TFT layer.
US08841654B2
Disclosed herein is an organic light-emitting diode lighting apparatus. The organic light-emitting diode lighting apparatus may include a transparent substrate main body with a plurality of groove lines formed therein, auxiliary electrodes formed in at least of the plurality of groove lines, a first electrode formed on the substrate main body, positive temperature coefficients configured to connect the auxiliary electrodes and the first electrode, an organic emission layer formed on the first electrode, and/or a second electrode formed on the organic emission layer.
US08841641B2
An extreme ultraviolet light source apparatus in which a target material is irradiated with a laser beam and turned into plasma and extreme ultraviolet light is emitted from the plasma may include: a chamber in which the extreme ultraviolet light is generated; an electromagnetic field generation unit for generating at least one of an electric field and a magnetic field inside the chamber; and a cleaning unit for charging and separating debris adhered to an optical element inside the chamber.
US08841636B2
The invention relates to a charged-particle multi-beamlet lithography system for transferring a pattern onto the surface of a target. The system includes a beam generator, a beamlet blanker array, a shielding structure and a projection system. The beam generator is arranged for generating a plurality of charged particle beamlets. The beamlet blanker array is arranged for patterning the beamlets. The beamlet blanker array comprises a plurality of modulators and a plurality of light sensitive elements. The light sensitive elements are arranged to receive pattern data carrying light beams and are electrically connected to one or more modulators. The shielding structure is of an electrically conductive material for substantially shielding electric fields generated in proximity of the light sensitive elements from the modulators. The shielding structure is arranged to be set at a predetermined potential. The projection system is arranged for projecting the patterned beamlets onto the target surface.
US08841620B2
The present invention provides a radiographic imaging device including: plural pixels disposed in a matrix, each pixel including a sensor section that generates charges based on irradiation of radiation, or on illumination of light that has been converted from radiation; plural scan lines through which a control signal flows for switching switch elements included in pixels that are employed as radiographic imaging pixels out of the plural pixels; plural signal lines through which electrical signal flow corresponding to the charge that has been accumulated in the radiographic imaging pixels according to the switching state of the switch elements; and one or more radiation detection line through which an electrical signal flows corresponding to the charge that has been generated in the sensor sections of the radiation detection pixels out of the plural pixels.
US08841614B1
In accordance with an embodiment, a sample structure analyzing method includes generating a beam and then applying the beam to a plurality of observation regions on a sample, and acquiring a plurality of diffraction images from the beam which has passed through the sample; and comparing the acquired diffraction images, and judging the difference between the observation regions from the comparison result, or identifying the grain boundary of crystal constituting the sample.
US08841613B2
A 4D electron tomography system includes a stage having one or more degrees of freedom, an electron source, and electron optics operable to direct electron pulses to impinge on a sample supported on the stage. A pulse of the electron pulses impinges on the sample at a first time. The system also includes a laser system and optics operable to direct optical pulses to impinge on the sample. A pulse of the optical pulses impinges on the sample at a second time. The system further includes a detector operable to receive the electron pulses passing through the sample, a controller operable to independently modify an orientation of the stage and at least one of the first time or the second time, a memory operable to store sets of images, and a processor operable to form a 4D tomographic image set from the sets of images.
US08841612B2
This charged particle beam microscope is characterized by being provided with selection means (153, 155) for a measurement processing method for detected particles (118) and by this means selecting a different measurement processing method for a scanning region with a large number of secondary electrons (115) emitted from a sample (114) and for a region with a small number of secondary electrons. Thus, in sample scanning using a charged particle beam microscope, an image in which the contrast of bottom holes and channel bottoms with few emitted secondary electrons is emphasized and images that emphasize shadow contrast can be acquired in a short period of time.
US08841609B2
A method of and system for analyzing ion mobility of a sample. The sample is received by an ionization chamber, which ionizes molecules of the sample. The ionized sample is received from the ionization chamber by a drift tube coupled to the ionization chamber and propelled along a length of the drift tube in a first direction away from the ionization chamber by an electric field gradient of the drift tube. A magnitude of the electric field gradient is in view of an atmospheric pressure measurement. A drift gas is propelled through the drift tube in a second direction opposite the first direction such that different types of ionized molecules travel through the drift tube at different rates. An arrival time of each of the different types of molecules at a detector located at a second end of the drift tube opposite the first end is detected.
US08841602B2
Disclosed are systems, devices and methodologies related to calibration of an ion based imaging apparatus such as a proton computed tomography scanner. In some implementations, energy degrader plates having known water-equivalent thickness (WET) values can be introduced to an ion beam to introduce different energy degradation settings. Energy detector responses to individual ions subject to such energy degradation settings can be obtained. Such responses can be normalized and correlated to water-equivalent path lengths (WEPL) of the ions based on the known WET values. Such calibration utilizing degrader plates can be performed relatively quickly and can yield accurate WEPL values that facilitate estimation of, for example, a CT image based on relative stopping power of an object.
US08841598B2
An optical sensor having at least one optical transmitting unit for production of a transmitted light beam, a photosensitive flat detector with semitransparent characteristics, through which the transmitted light beam passes, and which re-receives reflection light beams, i.e., from an object, and an evaluation unit for the photoelectric current of the photosensitive flat detector, at least for detection of an object. The photosensitive flat detector advantageously includes an organic polymer layer comprising a photosensitive substrate. An “Organic Photosensitive Diode” (OPD) is particularly advantageously used as the photosensitive flat detector with semitransparent characteristics.
US08841596B2
A photon detection system comprising an avalanche photodiode and a voltage source for said avalanche photodiode, wherein said avalanche photodiode comprises Silicon or its heterostructures and wherein said voltage source is configured to bias said avalanche photodiode with a voltage component which is static with respect to time and a voltage component which varies with time.
US08841594B2
Disclosed are a ramp signal generator and an image sensor. The ramp signal generator includes: a comparator comparing a first bias voltage input to a first input terminal and a second bias voltage input to a second input terminal and outputting a ramp signal from an output terminal; a ramp signal adjustment unit including a plurality of switched capacitors made up of switches and capacitors connected in series, and connected in parallel between a first input terminal of the comparator and an output terminal of the comparator; and a controller switching the switches of the plurality of switched capacitors to adjust the ramp signal output from the comparator such that the ramp signal becomes nonlinear over time.
US08841589B2
A ceramic heater in which a heater pattern is formed on a ceramic substrate is disclosed. The heater pattern has a heating element and lead portions. The heating element has heating connection ends and the lead portions have lead connection ends. The heating element and the lead portions are connected at joints which are formed by overlaying the heating connection ends and the lead connection ends. The heater pattern, as viewed in a direction perpendicular to a plane in which the heater pattern is formed, has inwardly recessed concavities formed on both widthwise sides of each of the joints. The concavities include portions in each of which a profile of the respective heating connection end crosses a profile of the respective lead connection end.
US08841588B2
A heater includes a substrate, a plurality of first electrode down-leads, a plurality of second electrode down-leads and a plurality of heating units. The plurality of first electrode down-leads are located on the substrate in parallel to each other and the plurality of second electrode down-leads are located on the substrate in parallel to each other. The first electrode down-leads cross the second electrode down-leads and define a plurality of grids. One heating unit is located in each grid. Each heating unit includes a first electrode, a second electrode and a heating element. The heating element includes a carbon nanotube structure.
US08841575B2
A laser match honing system and method are provided for processing one of a pair of mechanically matching components (1, 2) having matching portions (12, 22, 16, 26) that will be fitted with each other. A dimension of the matching portion (12, 16) of the first component (1) is measured and is then used for calculating the desired dimension of the corresponding matching portion (22, 26) of the second component (2). An actual dimension of the matching portion (22, 26) of the second component (2) is also measured. Then, the matching portion (22, 26) of the second component (2) is honed by laser beam in the condition that the actual dimension is not equal to the desired dimension.
US08841572B2
A switch device includes first and second contacting portions including first and second fixed contacting portions and first and second movable contacting portions configured to contact the first and second fixed contacting portions, respectively and provided to be adjacent from each other; and a magnet unit provided such that a first pole is positioned to face the first contacting portion and a second pole is positioned to face the second contacting portion to generate magnetic fields between the first fixed contacting portion and the first movable contacting portion and between the second fixed contacting portion and the second movable contacting portion, respectively.
US08841570B2
A nondestructive system and method for aflatoxin detection based on red-orange fluorescence is described. A sorting plane is illuminated with a wide band black light source. At least one image of unsorted produce on said sorting plane is obtained. A red component of the at least one image is evaluated. Contaminated produce is determined based on the red component.
US08841567B1
An inertial igniter including: a body having a base; a striker release element rotatably disposed on the body, the striker release element having a first surface; a first biasing element for biasing the striker release element away from the base; a striker mass rotatably disposed on the base along a second axis, the striker mass having a second surface corresponding to the first surface of the striker release element, the first surface obstructing rotation of the striker mass; and a second biasing element for biasing the striker mass such that the second surface is biased towards the first surface; wherein when the body experiences an acceleration profile of a predetermined magnitude and duration, the striker release element rotates towards the base to release an engagement between the first and second surfaces and allow the striker mass to rotate under a biasing force of the second biasing element.
US08841564B1
A weigh scaled vehicle calibration system includes a weigh scaled vehicle comprising a field scale unit and an electronic computing device comprising a processor and memory electrically coupled to one another. The memory stores a set of computer readable instructions that, when executed by the processor cause the processor to: receive data from the field scale unit corresponding to a first weighing event of a first test weight, receive an identification tag corresponding to the first test weight, and compare the data corresponding to the first weighing event to a first reference weight of the first test weight to calculate a first calibration value. The processor further stores the first calibration value in the memory, compares the first calibration value to prior calibration values stored in the memory, and generates a feedback report of the field scale unit based at least in part on the comparison of the calibration values.
US08841562B2
In order to improve a cable feedthrough comprising a housing connection piece, a cable fixing device provided on the housing connection piece, a fastening section which is provided in the housing connection piece and with which the housing connection piece can be secured to a wall section of an appliance, and a shield contact element which makes contact with a cable shield of a cable guided through the cable feedthrough, in such a manner that it is possible for the shield contact element to make reliable contact with the wall section, it is suggested that the shield contact element be fixable to the fastening section with a holding element and that the shield contact element make contact with the cable shield or with the wall section of the appliance with at least one housing contact element which is designed to dig into the wall section.
US08841552B2
A method of making a hermetically-sealed feed-through device includes inserting an elongate conductor or conductors within a hollow portion or portions of a plastic insulator body and inserting the plastic insulator body within a hollow outer jacket to form an assembly. At least one of the conductor or conductors, insulator body, or jacket of the assembly has a plurality of circumferential grooves. Thereafter, the assembly is crimped and/or is swage-crimped at ambient temperature to cause the materials of the conductor or conductors, insulator body, and outer jacket to be displaced or extrude into the grooves thereby creating mechanical interlocks between the conductor or conductors, insulator body, and outer jacket. Additional methods and feed-through devices made by the methods are also disclosed.
US08841546B2
A solar cell is discussed. The solar cell includes a base substrate containing first impurities of a first conductive type and having a textured surface, an emitter layer that is positioned at the textured surface of the base substrate and contains second impurities of a second conductive type different from the first conductive type, and a front electrode electrically connected to the emitter layer. The front electrode collects carriers generated in the base substrate or the emitter layer. At least a portion of the front electrode transmits incident light from the outside.
US08841538B2
An electronic drum has an induction board and a securing frame. The induction board has a drumhead, a connection device and a detecting assembly. The connection device is adapted to be electrically connected with an outer acoustic device. The detecting assembly is mounted under the drumhead and is electrically connected with the connection device to detect beats on the drumhead and to send acoustic signal to the connection device. The annular securing frame is mounted around the induction board and has an annular bracket, an outer securing rib and a bottom securing rib. The annular bracket has an outer periphery and a bottom. The outer securing rib protrudes outward from the outer periphery of the annular bracket. The bottom securing rib protrudes from the bottom of the annular bracket.
US08841536B2
This document describes a device for receiving and displaying graphical representations of digital music tracks and their components (in the form of digital interactive phrases, or “DIPs”). The device allows a user to play the music tracks using a new format, blend, mix or mash different music tracks together, via a digital interactive phrase process, and produce and listen to the blended, mixed or mashed digital music.
US08841534B2
An artificial intelligence video analysis recommendation system and method is provided that allows video viewers to discover new videos and video producers to evaluate the potential success of a new project as well as to understand the perceptual factors beneath audience ratings. The system and method accomplish these tasks by analyzing a database of video in order to identify key similarities between different pieces of video, and then recommends pieces of video to a user depending upon their video preferences. An embodiment enables a user to evaluate a new video's similarity to videos already established as commercially valuable.
US08841533B2
Provided is a tool for simultaneously correcting a radius of curvature of frets, a fretboard or a fingerboard of a stringed instrument and leveling the frets while strings are on the stringed instrument. In order to introduce the strings of the stringed instrument inside the tool, the tool includes grooves, provided at the bottom of the tool, and spaces leading from the grooves, provided inside the tool. The tool is moved back and forth, in a condition where the bottom of the tool contacts the polishing object, while the strings are on the stringed instrument.
US08841525B2
The herbicide-tolerant rice cultivar designated ‘CL111’ and its hybrids and derivatives are disclosed.
US08841513B2
A process for the production of transgenic plants that have a high starch content and yield and a high amylose/amylopectin ratio. The alpha-1,4-glucan phosphorylases (GPs) catalyze the reversible cutting of bonds α-1,4 of the non-reducing ends of homopolysaccharides with at least 5 glucose molecules such as starch, maltodextrin and glycogen, leading to production of glucose-1-phosphate. The GPs in bacteria and animal cells are responsible for the breakdown of glycogen. Although the increase in GP activity leads to a reduction in intracellular levels of glycogen in bacteria and animal cells, this invention discloses the production of plants that have high starch levels and yields and high amylose/amylopectin ratio, as result of the expression of genes coding for GPs.
US08841512B2
The present invention is directed to promoters of flax conlinin and ω-3 desaturase genes. The promoters guide high levels of the expression exclusively in flax developing seeds. This specific expression pattern concomitant with the biosynthesis of storage lipids and proteins make these promoters particularly useful for seed-specific modification of fatty acid and protein compositions in plant seeds.
US08841507B2
An absorbent article having improved softness signals is disclosed. The article may include a topsheet or a backsheet including a nonwoven web. The web may have a basis weight of 30 gsm or less, may be formed of spunlaid fibers including polyolefin and up to 5 percent by weight TiO2, and may be impressed with a pattern of bond impressions to a bond area percentage of at least 10 percent forming a pattern of bonded regions and raised regions. The web may have opacity of 42 or greater; have an average height difference between bonded regions and raised regions of at least 280 μm; be hydroengorged; and/or have a cross-direction tensile strength of 350 gf/cm. A nonwoven web manufactured to have a suitable combination of such features exhibits an enhanced appearance of softness, soft tactile feel and satisfactory mechanical attributes, while being relatively cost effective.
US08841504B2
Provided is a method for disposal of radioactive waste which can reduce the radiation level until the waste can be reused as landfill or the like and which prevents the leakage of radiation nuclides in the ground. The method includes the following: a primary treatment step of turning the radioactive waste into a radioactive waste (primary treated waste) which has a radiation level equal to or less than a reference value via a radiation shielding agent composed of or predominantly composed of a Ca-based inorganic compound; and a secondary treatment step of heating to melt the primary treated waste and thereafter cooling the same to glass granules, and then sealing radioactive nuclides in the glass body.
US08841498B2
The present invention relates to a catalyst for the hydrogenation of unsaturated hydrocarbons, in particular aromatics with a broad molecular weight range, a process for the production thereof and a process for hydrogenating unsaturated hydrocarbons.
US08841493B2
The subject matter of the invention is a process for preparing fluoroolefin compounds. The invention relates more particularly to a process for producing a (hydro)fluoroolefin compound, which comprises (i) bringing at least one compound comprising from three to six carbon atoms, at least two fluorine atoms and at least one hydrogen atom, on the condition that at least one hydrogen atom and one fluorine atom are located on adjacent carbon atoms, into contact with a solid reactant comprising calcium hydroxide.
US08841490B2
A method for preparing 3,3-dimethylbutyraldehyde. The method includes: providing t-butyl chloride and vinyl acetate as raw materials, conducting a catalytic reaction between the t-butyl chloride and vinyl acetate to yield 1-chloro-3,3-dimethyl butyl acetate in the presence of a catalyst, the weight ratio of t-butyl chloride to vinyl acetate being 1:0.84-0.93; and controlling a temperature at between 100 and 110° C. for conducting hydrolytic disproportionation of 1-chloro-3,3-dimethyl butyl acetate in the presence of the catalyst to yield a mixture comprising 3,3-dimethylbutyraldehyde; and purifying the mixture by distillation to yield 3,3-dimethylbutyraldehyde, in which, the catalyst is aluminum trichloride, p-toluene sulphonic acid, or iron trichloride.
US08841486B2
Provided herein are compositions including diastereomers in substantially diastereomerically pure form and enantiomers in substantially enantiomerically pure form, and processes for preparing them and converting them to metyrosine.
US08841477B2
The present invention includes methods for preparing resveratrol, resveratrol esters and substituted and unsubstituted stilbenes of the formula given below; where each Y is —O or halogen, each Z is —O or halogen, each n and each m is independently the value of 0, 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5, each A and each B is independently selected from Pn, R or absent, each V and each W is independently selected from Pn, straight or branched alkyl of from 2 to 6 carbon atoms and cycloalkyl of from 3 to 8 carbon atoms, alkoxy, phenyl, benzyl or halogen, R is independently selected from the group comprising alkyl with at least one carbon atom, aryl and aralkyl, Pn is an alcohol protecting group and diastereoisomers of the foregoing. The compounds are made from a multi-step process including a N-heterocyclic carbene-type ligand coupling in the presence of a base with benzyol halide and styrene coupling partners. These compounds show increased stability for use in the food, cosmetic and pharmaceutical industries.
US08841469B2
A method is provided for the use of a chemical additive to improve the separation of oil from the process stream (whole stillage, thin stillage or syrup) generated as a byproduct in corn to ethanol production.
US08841467B2
The present invention relates to a novel process for the preparation of (3R,3aS,6aR)-hexahydrofuro[2,3-b]furan-3-ol of formula I by reacting a compound of formula VII with the compound of formula R2-OH in the presence of haloginating agent to obtain a compound of formula VI and treating a compound of formula VI with dehaloginating agent to obtain a compound of formula V by reducing a compound of formula V, followed by cylization to obtain compound of formula IV and separating the enantiomer and diastereomers from compound of formula IV to yield a compound of formula I. Compound of formula I is useful as an intermediate in the preparation of protease inhibitors, in particular broad spectrum HIV protease inhibitors, the present invention also relates to process for the preparation of Darunavir from (3R,3aS,6aR)-hexahydrofuro[2,3-b]furan-3-ol.
US08841464B2
Novel 3,6-disubstituted pyrans, optionally with a further substituent at the 4-position, are monoamine reuptake inhibitors with activity profiles of anti-depressants.
US08841446B2
The invention relates to a method for producing medicaments that contain vardenafil hydrochloride, essentially as trihydrate in solid form, and to medicaments that can be obtained according to this method.
US08841445B2
A process is described for preparing purified caprolactam, comprising the steps a) extraction of crude caprolactam, obtained from the Beckmann rearrangement of cyclohexanone oxime, with an organic extractant, b) removal of the organic phase from step a), c) distillative separation of the organic extractant from the organic phase from step b) giving rise to water-containing lactam extract, being preceded by addition of the distillative separation, aqueous alkali metal hydroxide solution in an amount of from 0 to 10 mmol/kg of caprolactam, d) addition of 0 to 30 mmol of alkali metal hydroxide/kg of caprolactam to the water-containing lactam extract from step c), e) distillative removal of water from the water-containing lactam extract treated with alkali metal hydroxide from step d), f) freeing the caprolactam from step e) from by-products lower- and higher-boiling than caprolactam by distillation, with addition in steps c) and d) together of at least 1.5 mmol of alkali metal hydroxide/kg of caprolactam.
US08841437B2
Modulation of mRNA activity is achieved with precursor miRNAs (ta-RNAs). ta-RNAs, primarily pre-miRNAs and pri-miRNAs, including truncated and mutated ta-RNAs, are employed for modulation of mRNA expression where it is found that pri- and pre-miRNA have activity independently of the presence of functional mature miRNAs. Modification of at least one of the stem and loop of the ta-RNAs to enhance binding of the ta-RNA to the target mRNA is employed. The modification may be enhanced complementarity between the ta-RNA and the target mRNA and/or improved thermodynamic efficiency in binding of the ta-RNA to the target.
US08841433B2
Provided is an isolated mammalian negative strand RNA virus, metapneumovirus (MPV), within the sub-family Pneumoviridae, of the family Paramyxoviridae. Also provided are isolated mammalian negative strand RNA viruses identifiable as phylogenetically corresponding or relating to the genus Metapneumovirus and components thereof. In particular, provided is a mammalian MPV, subgroups and variants thereof. Also provided are genomic nucleotide sequences of different isolates of mammalian MPV, in particular, human MPV. Disclosed is the use of the sequence information of different isolates of mammalian MPV for diagnostic and therapeutic methods. Provided are nucleotide sequences encoding the genome of a MPV or a portion thereof, including both mammalian and avian MPV. Further described are chimeric or recombinant viruses encoded by the nucleotide sequences, and chimeric and recombinant mammalian MPV that comprise one or more non-native or heterologous sequences. Also provided are vaccine formulations comprising mammalian or avian MPV, including recombinant and chimeric forms thereof. The vaccine preparations encompass multivalent vaccines, including bivalent and trivalent vaccine preparations.
US08841429B2
The invention generally relates to nucleic acid ligands that specifically bind to infectious prions, and methods of diagnosing a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy disease in a subject. In certain embodiments, the invention provides an isolated nucleic acid ligand that binds to an infectious prion. In other embodiments, the invention provides a method for diagnosing a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy disease in a subject including obtaining a tissue or body fluid sample from a subject, contacting the tissue or body fluid with a nucleic acid ligand that binds to an infectious prion, thereby detecting the infectious prion in the sample, and diagnosing the transmissible spongiform encephalopathy disease based on results of the contacting step.
US08841426B2
Provided are mutants of human granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) designed for specific chemical conjugation, and chemical conjugates thereof for use as an adjuvant in the treatment of cancer. The present invention provides a mutant of a G-CSF in which a threonine (Thr) residue at position 133 of G-CSF comprising the amino acid sequence identified in SEQ ID NO: 1 is substituted with a cysteine (Cys) residue. In addition, the invention provides a mutant of a G-CSF in which a cysteine (Cys) residue is inserted between a glycine (GIy) residue at position 135 and an alanine (Ala) residue at position 136 of G-CSF. Further, the invention provides a chemically conjugated mutant G-CSF to which biocompatible polymer such as polyethylene glycol (PEG) was attached at the cysteine residue, which was introduced by the substitution or insertion mutation, increasing its in vivo retention time without reducing in vivo biological activity due to the conjugation with the biocompatible polymer, thereby ultimately extending the in vivo biological activity.
US08841416B2
Hybrid nuclease molecules and methods for treating an immune-related disease or disorder in a mammal, and a pharmaceutical composition for treating an immune-related disease in a mammal.
US08841414B1
A compound including a cell penetrating peptide (CPP), an elastin-like polypeptide (ELP), and a therapeutic peptide (TP) can be preferentially directed to a target site by applying hyperthermia. The compound can be useful for the treatment of tumors.
US08841410B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide a nitrogen-containing condensed ring compound, which can be used as an organic n-type semiconductor having an excellent electron transport property and which is also excellent in terms of solubility in an organic solvent. The nitrogen-containing condensed ring compound of the present invention has a structural unit represented by the following formula (1-1) or formula (1-2): wherein Ar1 represents an aromatic ring; one of Y1 and Y2 represents a single bond, and the other represents —C(R11)(R12)— or —C(═X1)—; one of Y3 and Y4 represents a single bond, and) the other represents —C(R21)(R22)— or —C(═X2)—, and one of Y1 to Y4 represents —C(R11)(R12)— or —C(R21)(R22)—; at least one of W1 and W2 represents —N═; and Z1 and Z2 each represent any one of the groups represented by the formula (i) to the formula (ix).
US08841409B2
The present invention relates to certain polymeric compounds and their use as organic semiconductors in organic and hybrid optical, optoelectronic, and/or electronic devices such as photovoltaic cells, light emitting diodes, light emitting transistors, and field effect transistors. The present compounds can provide improved device performance, for example, as measured by power conversion efficiency, fill factor, open circuit voltage, field-effect mobility, on/off current ratios, and/or air stability when used in photovoltaic cells or transistors. The present compounds can have good solubility in common solvents enabling device fabrication via solution processes.
US08841408B2
Biocompatible macromonomers, hydrogels, methods of synthesis and methods of use thereof are provided. The biocompatible hydrogels of the present invention are prepared using native chemical ligation (NCL), in which a thioester readily reacts with a N-terminal thiol (cysteine) through transesterification and rearrangement to form an amide bond through a five-member ring intermediate.
US08841406B2
Crosslinked polyimide-poly(alkylene oxide) copolymers capable of holding large volumes of liquid while maintaining good dimensional stability. Copolymers are derived at ambient temperatures from amine endcapped amic-acid oligomers subsequently imidized in solution at increased temperatures, followed by reaction with trifunctional compounds in the presence of various additives. Films of these copolymers hold over four times their weight at room temperature of liquids such as ionic liquids (RTIL) and/or carbonate solvents. These rod-coil polyimide copolymers are used to prepare polymeric electrolytes by adding to the copolymers various amounts of compounds such as ionic liquids (RTIL), lithium trifluoromethane-sulfonimide (LiTFSi) or other lithium salts, and alumina.
US08841405B1
A process, thermoset resin, and thermoplastic structures from renewable chemical feedstocks derived from the essential oils from herbs and other plants. The processes for making diphenol products including extracting isomers of 4-methoxyphenylpropene from plant sources, transforming isomers by olefin cross or self-cross olefin metathesis and at least one catalyst to produce dimeric structures having two equivalents of protected phenolic groups, and deprotecting methyl ethers to yield diphenolic products.
US08841391B2
Process for introducing a polymerization catalyst in solid form into a gas-phase fluidized bed using an injection device having an inner tube of internal cross-sectional area of 10-100 mm2 and an outer tube forming an annulus around the inner tube with a cross-sectional area of 1-10 times the internal cross-sectional area of the inner tube. The polymerization catalyst and a carrier gas are passed through the inner tube into the gas-phase fluidized bed at a carrier gas linear velocity of 4-14 m/s and a carrier gas mass flow rate of 10-35 kg/h. A shielding gas is passed through the outer tube and into the gas-phase fluidized bed at a shielding gas linear velocity of 1-10 times the linear velocity of the carrier gas through the inner tube and at a shielding gas mass flow rate of 100-500 kg/h. No cooled recycle process gas is provided to the injection device.
US08841382B2
The present invention provides an amphiphile of the formula (I) as described hereinafter. The invention further relates to a process for preparing the amphiphile and to a composition comprising the amphiphile and a sparingly water-soluble active ingredient. It further relates to a process for producing the composition by contacting the amphiphile and the active ingredient, and to the use of the amphiphile for solubilizing a sparingly water-soluble active ingredient in aqueous solutions. The invention also relates to the use of the amphiphile in an agrochemical formulation comprising the amphiphile and a pesticide for controlling phytopathogenic fungi and/or unwanted vegetation and/or unwanted insect or mite infestation and/or for regulating the growth of plants, and finally to plant propagation material comprising the amphiphile.
US08841378B2
Polymeric particles having a size of about 0.1 to about 100 microns comprising at least two different phase separated polymers, at least one pigment, and at least one additive, where the pigment and additive are distributed within the phase separated polymers. Also disclosed are methods for preparing polymeric particles comprising phase separated polymers that comprise additives and pigments, wherein the methods involve molding.
US08841377B2
To provide a glass fiber which can improve the refractive index of the glass fiber to the same level as a polycarbonate and maintain the transmittance of a molded product after the fiber is reinforced, and a glass fiber-reinforced polycarbonate resin molded product using the glass fiber.A glass fiber to be used as a glass fiber for reinforcing a polycarbonate resin comprising, as inorganic components in whole glass fiber, from 50 to 60 mass % of SiO2, from 10 to 15 mass % of Al2O3, from 15 to 25 mass % of CaO, from 2 to 10 mass % of TiO2, from 2 to 8 mass % of B2O3, from 0 to 5 mass % of MgO, from 0 to 5 mass % of ZnO, from 0 to 5 mass % of BaO, from 0 to 5 mass % of ZrO2, from 0 to 2 mass % of Li2O, from 0 to 2 mass % of Na2O and from 0 to 2 mass % of K2O, wherein the total content of the above Li2O, Na2O and K2O is from 0 to 2 mass % based on the above whole glass fiber, and the refractive index of the above glass fiber is from 1.580 to 1.590.
US08841371B2
Provided is a vinyl chloride resin composition having superior heat resistance, colorability and processability without using a heavy metal stabilizer such as lead.The present invention relates to a vinyl chloride resin composition which comprises, in addition to a vinyl chloride resin, (a) an organic acid calcium salt, (b) an organic acid zinc salt, (c) an organic acid potassium salt and (d) a polymer of alkyl ester of C4 to C10 acrylic acid or methacrylic acid, the polymer having a number average molecular weight of 1,000 to 4,000. Further, the present invention relates to a vinyl chloride resin composition which comprises, with respect to 100 parts by mass of the vinyl chloride resin, 0.01 to 5 parts by mass of the aforementioned component (a), 0.01 to 5 parts by mass of the aforementioned component (b), 0.001 to 1 parts by mass of the aforementioned component (c) and 0.05 to 10 parts by mass of the aforementioned component (d).
US08841359B2
An elastomer composition, having an excellent flexibility and low temperature durability, a method for producing the same and a pneumatic tire using the same are provided. An elastomer composition (C) comprising a matrix of a thermoplastic resin (A), in which a dispersed phase of an elastomer component (B) is finely dispersed to form an island-in-sea structure, wherein volume ratios of the thermoplastic resin (A) and the elastomer component (B) satisfy the following formula (I): φd/φm>ηd/ηm (I) wherein φd and ηd, respectively, indicate a volume ratio and a melt viscosity of the elastomer component (B), and φm and ηm, respectively, indicate a volume ratio and a melt viscosity of the thermoplastic resin (A)), a method for producing the same and a pneumatic tire using the same.
US08841358B2
The invention relates to a ceramic particulate and polymer composite having enhanced viscoelastic and rheological properties.
US08841353B2
A carbon-containing modified polystyrene type resin particle of the present invention includes: a carbon-containing polypropylene type resin, and a polystyrene type resin in an amount of not less than 100 parts by weight but less than 400 parts by weight per 100 parts by weight of the carbon-containing polypropylene type resin, wherein the polystyrene type resin ratio at the central part of the particle is at least 1.2 times the polystyrene type resin ratio of the overall particle, the polystyrene type resin ratio being calculated by using the ratio (D698/D1376) of absorbances at 698 cm−1 and 1376 cm−1 which are obtained by infrared absorption spectra measured by ATR infrared spectroscopic analysis.
US08841351B2
The present invention relates to topical antibacterial compositions. The compositions comprise an antibacterial agent such as mupirocin, water, a polymer and a volatile solvent present in an amount of less than about 40%. The invention also relates to methods of treatment by administering the compositions to a patient in need thereof, and to the use of such compositions in the treatment of bacterial conditions.
US08841349B2
A stabilizer composition having (a) one or more 1- or 2-(C1- to C24-alkyl) glycerol ethers (glycerol monoalkyl ethers) and (b) a mixture of at least two different aromatic alcohols (b1, b2) chosen from the groups of i) aryloxyalkanols, ii) arylalkanols and iii) oligoalkanol aryl ethers, where the two different aromatic alcohols belong to different groups i), ii) and iii).
US08841342B2
There is provided a method for improving the efficacy and/or transdermal transport of topically administered pharmaceuticals and pharmacologically active compounds, said method comprising the step of incorporating the pharmaceutical or pharmacologically active compound in a carrier comprising an effective amount of one or more complexes of a phosphate derivative of a lipophilic pharmaceutically acceptable compound.
US08841340B2
Crystalline solid forms and the amorphous form of the anti-HCV compound 5-(3,3-dimethylbutyn-1-yl)-3-[(cis-4-hydroxy-4-{[(3S)-tetrahydrofuran-3-yloxy]methyl}cyclohexyl){[(1R)-4-methylcyclohex-3-en-1-yl]carbonyl}amino]thiophene-2-carboxylic acid (Compound I) were prepared and characterized in the solid state: Also provided are processes of manufacture and methods of using the crystalline forms.
US08841338B2
The present invention relates to antifouling compositions and particularly to compositions which are able to provide an improved protecting effect against fouling organisms. More particularly, the present invention relates to synergistic antifouling compositions comprising an amount of at least 3.5 wt %, based on the total weight of the dry mass of the composition, of 4-bromo-2-(4-chlorophenyl)-5-(trifluoromethyl)-1H-pyrrole-3-carbonitrile, or a salt thereof, together with another biocide selected from bethoxazin, tolylfluanide, dichlofluanide, or DCOIT; for protecting materials against fouling organisms. This invention thus relates to the field of protection of materials, such as underwater objects, protection of wood, wood products, biodegradable materials and coatings.
US08841335B2
Provided is a pharmaceutical composition for inhibiting apoptosis of neurons or neurodegeneration. The pharmaceutical composition effectively prevents or treats diseases related to apoptosis of neurons or neurodegeneration.
US08841334B2
The present invention relates to compounds of formula (I), or pharmaceutical salts, prodrugs, salts of prodrugs, or combinations thereof, wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, and L1 are defined in the specification, compositions comprising such compounds, and methods of treating conditions and disorders using such compounds and compositions. The present invention also relates to compounds of formula (II), or pharmaceutical salts, prodrugs, salts of prodrugs, or combinations thereof, wherein R1a, R2a, Rx, and n are as defined in the specification, compositions comprising such compounds, and methods of treating conditions and disorders using such compounds and compositions.
US08841333B2
The present invention relates to methods of treating subjects suffering from nephrolithiasis by administering to a subject in need of treatment thereof a therapeutically effective amount of at least one xanthine oxidoreductase inhibiting compound or salt thereof.
US08841330B2
This invention relates to the use of a group of aryl ureas in treating raf mediated diseases, and pharmaceutical compositions for use in such therapy.
US08841321B2
Use of a compound for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of a bacterial infection provided that the bacterial infection is other than a Mycobacterial infection, said compound being a compound of formula (Ia) or (Ib) a pharmaceutically acceptable acid or base addition salt thereof, a stereochemically isomeric form thereof, a tautomeric form thereof or a N-oxide form thereof, wherein R1 is hydrogen, halo, haloalkyl, cyano, hydroxy, Ar, Het, alkyl, alkyloxy, alkylthio, alkyloxyalkyl, alkylthioalkyl, Ar-alkyl or di(Ar)alkyl; p is 1, 2, 3 or 4; R2 is hydrogen, hydroxy, mercapto, alkyloxy, alkyloxyalkyloxy, alkylthio, mono or di(alkyl)amino or a radical of formula; R3 is alkyl, Ar, Ar-alkyl, Het or Het-alkyl; q is 1, 2 or 3; R4 and R5 are hydrogen, alkyl or benzyl; or R4 and R5 together and including the N to which they are attached may form a ring; R6 is hydrogen, halo, haloalkyl, hydroxy, Ar, alkyl, alkyloxy, alkylthio, alkyloxyalkyl, alkythioalkyl, Ar-alkyl or di(Ar)alkyl; or two vicinal R6 radicals may be taken together to form a bivalent radical of formula —CH═CH—CH═CH—; r is 1, 2, 3, 4 or 5; R7 is hydrogen, alkyl, Ar or Het; R8 is hydrogen or alkyl; R9 is oxo; or R8 and R9 together form the radical —CH═CH—N═.
US08841317B2
The invention relates to the innate immune pathway and anti-inflammatory molecules with therapeutic properties. In some embodiments, the invention relates to compounds and pharmaceutical compositions and methods of using the compounds and compositions to treat inflammatory diseases including inflammation associated with auto-immune diseases.
US08841313B2
The present invention relates to novel antagonists for CCR2 (CC chemokine receptor 2) and their use for providing medicaments for treating conditions and diseases, especially pulmonary diseases like asthma and COPD.
US08841300B2
A new treatment methodology and pharmacological composition for the treatment and remission of Parkinson's Disease and other neurological diseases are provided. The medication and treatment are based on the use of a combination of a phosphodiesterase inhibitor medication, commonly used to treat male erectile dysfunction, and a high-dose of serotonergic synaptic reuptake inhibitor medication, commonly used to treat depression, anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder and various panic phobias. The treatment regime is based upon the discovery that the primary cause of PD and various other related neurological conditions is dysfunction in the serotonergic pathways involving the brainstem, nucleus of Raphe, and various projecting serotonergic fibers. It has been determined that this dysfunction can be overcome by increasing the levels of the ligands and neurotransmitters cyclic-GMP and serotonin and the consequential increased binding of these ligands and neurotransmitters to efferent neuron receptors in the synapse. Testing indicates that the inventive treatment changes Parkinson's Disease from a debilitating, progressive, frightening, and previously untreatable pre-morbid condition to one that is rapidly reversible.
US08841296B2
This invention provides novel substituted 1,4-dioxa-8-azaspiro[4,5]decane compounds of the general formula (1), wherein R1 is selected from phenethyl, 4,6-dimethoxypyrimidin-2-yl and (2-chloro-5-thiazolyl)methyl and R2 is selected from the group consisting of hydroxy, 4-bromo-2-chlorophenoxy, morpholin-4-yl, (2-chloro-5-thiazolyl)methyloxy, benzyloxy, phenylsulfanyl, benzotriazol and 5-chloro-2-fluoroanilino. The present invention also relates to a process for the preparation of novel substituted 1,4-dioxa-8-azaspiro[4,5]decanes of general formula (1). The novel substituted 1,4-dioxa-8-azaspiro[4,5]decane of general formula (1) has fungicidal activity.
US08841294B2
The invention relates to insecticidal and acaricidal mixtures comprising certain cyclic ketoenols and agonists or antagonists of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors for protecting plants against attack by pests.
US08841289B2
The present invention relates to a heterocyclic derivative of formula (I) wherein the variables are as defined in the specification or to a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof. The present invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising said heterocyclic derivatives and to their use in therapy, for instance in the treatment or prevention of disorders mediated by nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, such as schizophrenia and Alzheimer's disease.
US08841285B2
Provided herein include compositions, all related stereoisomers as well as pharmaceutically acceptable salts provided as simplified analogs of pateamine A, in which the analogs generally are devoid of the C3-amino and C5-methyl groups, also referred to as desmethyl, desamino-pateamine A. Suitable analogs provide anticancer and antiproliferative effects in vivo and in vitro by a novel drugs mechanism of action described herein for pateamine A, including inhibition of eIF4A-dependent translation initiation. As with pateamine A, as described herein, suitable analogs cause cell cycle arrest or induce apoptosis in transformed cells. However, toxicity of such compounds to slow growing normal cells is low. In addition, such analogs, like pateamine A, target translation initiation factors and are useful as anticancer and antiproliferative agents in subjects in need thereof. Moreover, the analogs, like pateamine A, are valuable molecular probes for evaluation of eukaryotic translation initiation and as lead compounds for development of improved anticancer agents.
US08841270B2
The present invention concerns Zdhhc2, a new target involved in adipogenesis modulation. Using a siRNA approach, the inventors demonstrated that decrease in Zdhhc2 activity in adipose tissue induces a decrease in adipogenesis. Thus, the present invention relates to modulators of Zdhhc2 activity as well as screening test for identification of modulators of the activity of this target, and their use, especially in pharmaceutical composition, to modulate adipogenesis and thus treat obesity and related disorders.
US08841262B2
The present invention is directed to an agent for inhibiting peritoneal membrane thickening which enables inhibition/prevention or treatment of the peritoneal membrane thickening and which mitigates adverse effect, and a dialysis fluid comprising the aforementioned thickening inhibitory agent.The above-described problem is solved by administration of an agent for inhibiting peritoneal membrane thickening, comprising as an effective ingredient a chromanol glycoside represented by the following chemical formula (i), wherein the structural variables are described herein:
US08841257B2
Compounds which inhibit the activity of signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) are provided together with methods of making and using the same. The compounds are designed to bind to the SH2 domain of STAT3, preventing STAT3 from binding to receptors for interleukin-6 family cytokines, growth factors such as the platelet-derived growth factor, the epidermal growth factor, vascular endothelial growth factor, and other signaling molecules such as leptin. Blocking these interactions prevents STAT3 from being phosphorylated on Tyr705, which is required for the dimerization of STAT3, translocation to the nucleus, binding to STAT3 response elements on promotors, and transcription of genes. In addition to these activities, binding to the SH2 domain of STAT3 breaks up pre-formed dimmers, thereby preventing the transcriptional activity of the inhibitor.
US08841255B2
The present invention provides therapeutic agents and compositions comprising elastic peptides and therapeutic proteins. Such peptides exhibit a flexible, extended conformation. In some embodiments, the therapeutic protein is a GLP-1 receptor agonist (e.g., GLP-1, exendin), insulin, or Factor VII/VIIa, including functional analogs. The present invention further provides encoding polynucleotides, as well as methods of making and using the therapeutic agents. The therapeutic agents have improvements in relation to their use as therapeutics, including, inter alia, one or more of half-life, clearance and/or persistence in the body, solubility, and bioavailability.
US08841250B2
The present invention relates to muscle repair promoters for local application that contain a colony-stimulating factor (CSF) as an active ingredient. The muscle repair promoters of the present invention exhibit their effect at low doses, particularly when they are administered intramuscularly.
US08841247B2
This disclosure relates to detergent compositions containing pyridinol-N-oxide compounds and being substantially free of bleach. Methods for treating a stained fabric using such detergent compositions are also disclosed.
US08841244B2
A use of a lubricant comprising at least one reaction product of mono-di- and/or poly-isocyanate with unbranced and/or branced, unsaturated and/or saturated, alicyclic poly-amine with carbon numbers from 5 to 24, at least between at lease two elements, which are movable against each other.
US08841237B2
A transcription chip comprising a substrate and, immobilized thereon, at least one polynucleotide including an element sequence to which a transcription factor can be bound.
US08841236B2
A method for imparting a stress tolerance to a plant that can provide the plant with such a stress tolerance that enhances growth in an environment where a variety of stresses on the plant occur is provided. The method for imparting a stress tolerance to a plant includes the step of applying, to a plant placed under a stressful cultivation condition that yields a plant stress level of 111 to 200%, a plant stress tolerance imparting composition containing at least one cellulose derivative selected from the group consisting of methyl cellulose (MC), hydroxymethyl cellulose (HMC), ethyl cellulose (EC), hydroxyethyl cellulose (HEC), propyl cellulose (PC), hydroxypropyl cellulose (HPC), hydroxypropyl methyl cellulose (HPMC), hydroxyethyl methyl cellulose (HEMC), hydroxyethyl propyl cellulose (HEPC), methyl ethyl cellulose (MEC), methyl propyl cellulose (MPC) and ethyl propyl cellulose (EPC); catechins; and water, the cellulose derivative being contained in an amount of 45.0 to 99.5 wt % of the total components of the plant stress tolerance imparting composition except water. The present invention also provides the plant stress tolerance imparting composition and use of the plant stress tolerance imparting composition.
US08841233B2
Provided herein are synergistic herbicidal compositions containing and methods of controlling undesirable vegetation utilizing (a) a compound of formula (I): or an agriculturally acceptable salt or ester thereof and (b) HPPD inhibitors e.g., benzobicyclon, benzofenap, isoxaflutole, mesotrione, pyrazolynate, sulcotrione, and tefuryltrione, or a salt or ester thereof. The compositions and methods provided herein provide control of undesirable vegetation, e.g., in direct-seeded rice, water-seeded rice, transplanted rice, cereals, wheat, barley, oats, rye, sorghum, corn or maize, sugarcane, sunflower, oilseed rape, canola, sugar beet, soybean, cotton, pineapple, vegetables, pastures, grasslands, rangelands, fallowland, turf, tree and vine orchards, plantation crops, aquatics or industrial vegetation management (IVM) or rights-of-way (ROW).
US08841230B2
The present invention relates to catalysts, to processes for making catalysts with halide containing precursors and to chemical processes employing such catalysts. The catalysts are preferably used for converting acetic acid to ethanol. The catalyst comprises a precious metal and one or more active metals on a support, optionally a modified support.
US08841229B2
A process for preparing a catalyst precursor includes, in a first preparation step, impregnating a particulate catalyst support with an organic metal compound in a carrier liquid. The metal of the organic metal compound is an active catalyst component. An impregnated intermediate is formed, and is calcined to obtain a calcined intermediate. Thereafter, in a second preparation step, the calcined intermediate from the first preparation step is impregnated with an inorganic metal salt in a carrier liquid. The metal of the inorganic metal salt is an active catalyst component. An impregnated support is obtained, and is calcined, to obtain the catalyst precursor. The metal is in particular cobalt. The precursor is reduced, in particular with hydrogen, to obtain the active catalyst. Also claimed is a process for the hydrogenation of CO, as well as a process for the hydrogenation of an organic compound using the so-prepared catalyst.
US08841217B1
In one implementation, a chemical sensor is described. The chemical sensor includes a chemically-sensitive field effect transistor including a floating gate conductor having an upper surface. A dielectric material defines an opening extending to the upper surface of the floating gate conductor. A conductive element on a sidewall of the opening and extending over an upper surface of the dielectric material.
US08841210B1
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device manufacturing method includes: forming a film to be a first metal layer on a substrate where an element portion is formed; forming a first insulating layer provided with an opening on the film to be the first metal layer; forming a second metal layer in the opening of the first insulating layer; eliminating the first insulating layer; eliminating the film to be the first metal layer with the second metal layer used as a mask so as to form the first metal layer; and forming an electrode portion by covering exposed surfaces of the first metal layer and the second metal layer with a third metal layer including a metal of a smaller ionization tendency than the metal of the second metal layer.
US08841204B2
High yield substrate assembly. In accordance with a first method embodiment, a plurality of piggyback substrates are attached to a carrier substrate. The edges of the plurality of the piggyback substrates are bonded to one another. The plurality of piggyback substrates are removed from the carrier substrate to form a substrate assembly. The substrate assembly is processed to produce a plurality of integrated circuit devices on the substrate assembly. The processing may use manufacturing equipment designed to process wafers larger than individual instances of the plurality of piggyback substrates.
US08841199B2
A method of forming a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes preparing a substrate having a transistor region and an alignment region, forming a first trench and a second trench in the substrate of the transistor region and in the substrate of the alignment region, respectively, forming a drift region in the substrate of the transistor region, forming two third trenches respectively adjacent to two ends of the drift region, and forming an isolation pattern in the first trench, a buried dielectric pattern in the second trench, and dielectric patterns in the two third trenches, respectively. A depth of the first trench is less than a depth of the third trenches, and the depth of the first trench is equal or substantially equal to a depth of the second trench.
US08841196B1
A method of forming a non-volatile memory device includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a surface region, thereafter forming a first dielectric layer overlying, thereafter forming a first wiring material, thereafter forming amorphous silicon layer, and patterning and etching these layers to form first structures extending in a first direction and having a switching element. Thereafter, a method may include depositing a second dielectric layer overlying the first structures and having a dielectric surface region, forming an opening region in the second dielectric material to exposing part of the switching element, and depositing a silver material in the opening region, but not on the dielectric surface region.
US08841194B2
In one aspect, a method of forming a polysilicon (poly-Si) layer and a method of manufacturing a thin film transistor (TFT) using the poly-Si layer is provided. In one aspect, the method of forming a polysilicon (poly-Si) layer includes forming an amorphous silicon (a-Si) layer on a substrate in a chamber; cleaning the chamber; removing fluorine (F) generated while cleaning the chamber; forming a metal catalyst layer for crystallization, on the a-Si layer; and crystallizing the a-Si layer into a poly-Si layer by performing a thermal processing operation.
US08841193B2
A semiconductor structure including a substrate and a gate structure disposed on the substrate is disclosed. The gate structure includes a gate dielectric layer disposed on the substrate, a gate material layer disposed on the gate dielectric layer and an outer spacer with a rectangular cross section. The top surface of the outer spacer is lower than the top surface of the gate material layer.
US08841192B2
A semiconductor device with improved roll-off resistivity and reliability are provided. The semiconductor device includes a gate dielectric overlying a semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode overlying the gate dielectric, a gate silicide region on the gate electrode, a source/drain region adjacent the gate dielectric, and a source/drain silicide region on the source/drain region, wherein the source/drain silicide region and the gate silicide region have different metal compositions.
US08841191B2
In one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a substrate, a gate insulator on the substrate, and a gate electrode on the gate insulator. The device further includes a source diffusion layer of a first conductivity type and a drain diffusion layer of a second conductivity type disposed on a surface of the substrate so as to sandwich the gate electrode. The device further includes a junction forming region disposed between the source diffusion layer and the drain diffusion layer so as to contact the source diffusion layer. The junction forming region includes a source extension layer of the first conductivity type, a pocket layer of the second conductivity type above the source extension layer, and a diffusion suppressing layer disposed between the source extension layer and the pocket layer and containing carbon so as to suppress diffusion of impurities between the source extension layer and the pocket layer.
US08841184B2
A semiconductor device comprises a silicate interface layer and a high-k dielectric layer overlying the silicate interface layer. The high-k dielectric layer comprises metal alloy oxides.
US08841179B2
A semiconductor device including a first GaN layer, an AlGaN layer, a second GaN layer, a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode sequentially stacked on a substrate, capable of improving a leakage current and a breakdown voltage characteristics generated in the gate electrode by locally forming a p type GaN layer on the AlGaN layer, and a manufacturing method thereof, and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. The semiconductor device includes: a substrate, a first GaN layer formed on the substrate, an AlGaN layer formed on the first GaN layer, a second GaN layer formed on the AlGaN layer and including a p type GaN layer, and a gate electrode formed on the second GaN layer, wherein the p type GaN layer may be in contact with a portion of the gate electrode.
US08841177B2
First and second template epitaxial semiconductor material portions including different semiconductor materials are formed within a dielectric template material layer on a single crystalline substrate. Heteroepitaxy is performed to form first and second epitaxial semiconductor portions on the first and second template epitaxial semiconductor material portions, respectively. At least one dielectric bonding material layer is deposited, and a handle substrate is bonded to the at least one dielectric bonding material layer. The single crystalline substrate, the dielectric template material layer, and the first and second template epitaxial semiconductor material portions are subsequently removed. Elemental semiconductor devices and compound semiconductor devices can be formed on the first and second semiconductor portions, which are embedded within the at least one dielectric bonding material layer on the handle substrate.
US08841174B1
Device structures and design structures that include a silicon controlled rectifier, as well as fabrication methods for such device structures. A well is formed in the device layer of a silicon-on-insulator substrate. A silicon controlled rectifier is formed that includes an anode in the well. A deep trench capacitor is formed that includes a plate coupled with the well. The plate of the deep trench capacitor extends from the device layer through a buried insulator layer of the silicon-on-insulator substrate and into a handle wafer of the silicon-on-insulator substrate.
US08841169B2
Methods and devices for multi-chip stacks are shown. A method is shown that assembles multiple chips into stacks by stacking wafers prior to dicing into individual chips. Methods shown provide removal of defective chips and their replacement during the assembly process to improve manufacturing yield.
US08841168B2
A semiconductor device includes a substrate having a first side and a second side, the second side having a mounting location for at least one semiconductor element, and the first side having a plurality of locations electrically connected to locations on the second side. A plurality of electrically conductive interconnects are provided at the locations, each having a first end attached at the location and a second end spaced from the substrate, and an encapsulant partially encapsulates the plurality of interconnects and has a surface lying in a first plane. The second ends are located on the side of the first plane opposite from the substrate first side, an annular space in the encapsulant surrounds each of the plurality of electrically conductive interconnects, and the annular space has a bottom located between the first plane and the substrate first side. Also a method for making such a semiconductor device.
US08841166B2
Provided is a resin sealed semiconductor device with improved reliability. After positioning a cap (lid) so as to cover semiconductor chips and wires, resin is supplied into a space formed by the cap, so that a sealing body is formed to cover the semiconductor chips and the wires. In the step of forming the sealing body, the resin is supplied from an opening formed at a corner of the cap in the planar view. The sealing body is exposed at the corner of the cap, so that the exposed part of the sealing body can be kept away from the wires.
US08841163B2
A semiconductor device for high power application in which a novel semiconductor material having high mass productivity is provided. An oxide semiconductor film is formed, and then, first heat treatment is performed on the exposed oxide semiconductor film in order to reduce impurities such as moisture or hydrogen in the oxide semiconductor film. Next, in order to further reduce impurities such as moisture or hydrogen in the oxide semiconductor film, oxygen is added to the oxide semiconductor film by an ion implantation method, an ion doping method, or the like, and after that, second heat treatment is performed on the exposed oxide semiconductor film.
US08841161B2
The invention provides for a semiconductor wafer with a metal support element suitable for the formation of a flexible or sag tolerant photovoltaic cell. A method for forming a photovoltaic cell may comprise providing a semiconductor wafer have a thickness greater than 150 μm, the wafer having a first surface and a second surface opposite the first and etching the semiconductor wafer a first time so that the first etching reduces the thickness of the semiconductor wafer to less than 150 μm. After the wafer has been etched a first time, a metal support element may be constructed on or over the first surface; and a photovoltaic cell may be fabricated, wherein the semiconductor wafer comprises the base of the photovoltaic cell.
US08841155B2
A method for manufacturing a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) device is provided. The method comprises: providing a semiconductor substrate, the semiconductor substrate having a metal interconnection structure (100) formed therein; forming a first sacrificial layer (201) on the surface of the semiconductor substrate, the material of the first sacrificial layer is amorphous carbon; etching the first sacrificial layer to form a first recess (301); covering and forming a first dielectric layer (401) on the surface of the first sacrificial layer; thinning the first dielectric layer by a chemical mechanical polishing (CMP) process, until exposing the first sacrificial layer; forming a micromechanical structure layer (500) on the surface of the first sacrificial layer and exposing the first sacrificial layer, wherein a part of the micromechanical structure layer is connected to the first dielectric layer. The method avoids polishing the amorphous carbon, shortens the period of production, and improves the production efficiency.
US08841153B2
A process is provided for producing a doped organic semiconductive layer, comprising the process steps of A) providing a matrix material, B) providing a dopant complex, and C) simultaneously applying the matrix material and the dopant complex to a substrate by vapor deposition, wherein, in process step C), the dopant complex is decomposed and the pure dopant is intercalated into the matrix material.
US08841151B2
A method of manufacturing a device based on LEDs includes the growth of semiconducting nanowires on a first electrode produced on an insulating face, and encapsulation thereof in planarizing material; the formation, on the planarizing material, of a second electrode with contact take-up areas. LEDs are formed by releasing a band of the first electrode around each take-up area, including forming a mask defining the bands on the second electrode, chemically etching the planarizing material, stopped so as to preserve planarizing material, chemically etching the portion of nanowires thus released, and then chemically etching the remaining planarizing material. A trench is formed along each of the bands as far as the insulating face and the LEDs are placed in series by connecting the take-up areas and bands of the first electrode.
US08841133B2
A biosensor system determines analyte concentration from an output signal generated by an oxidation/reduction reaction of the analyte. The biosensor system adjusts a correlation for determining analyte concentrations from output signals at one temperature to determining analyte concentrations from output signals at other temperatures. The temperature-adjusted correlation between analyte concentrations and output signals at a reference temperature may be used to determine analyte concentrations from output signals at a sample temperature.
US08841127B2
A device for collecting, treating and dispensing a biological sample is described. Use of the device permits integration of sample collection, sample treatment, and sample dispensing.
US08841125B2
Disclosed is a novel cell mass derived from a cancer tissue, which can reflect the in vivo behavior of a cancer cell correctly. Also disclosed is a process for preparing the cell mass. Specifically disclosed is a cell mass derived from a cancer tissue, which is an separated product that is isolated from a cancer tissue obtained from an individual as a mass containing at least three cancer cells or a cultured product of the separated product and which can retain a proliferation ability in vitro. The cell mass derived from a cancer tissue is produced by, for example, a preparation process comprising the steps of: treating a pulverized product of a cancer tissue removed from a living body with an enzyme; and selecting and collecting a mass containing at least three cancer cells among from an enzymatic treatment product.
US08841124B2
The present invention relates to a method for producing hair microfollicles comprising the steps of: a) providing de novopapillae, b) providing other cell populations selected from the group of fibroblasts, keratinocytes and melanocytes, and co-culturing the de novopapillae with at least one other cell population in non-adherent culture vessels. The present invention relates also to methods of producing de novo papillae usable in said method for producing hair microfollicles.
US08841121B2
The disclosure relates to a method of identification of antiviral molecules that help in efficient viral control and thereby aid in disease management. In particular, the disclosure relates to identification of anti-Tat molecules and hence is directed towards antiviral drug development. The disclosure also relates to Tat-inducible GFP-anti RFP shRNA vector, vector combinations, recombinant cell having instant vectors, methods and kits thereof.
US08841119B2
A method of fabricating biochip sensor comprising providing a precursor; depositing the precursor on a substrate to form a coating; and rapid melting/quenching treatment of the coating with an energy source to form micro/nanotextured surface with enhanced reflectance for fast chemiluminescence response of E-Coli bacteria.
US08841111B2
The specification discloses Clostridial toxins or Clostridial toxin chimeras comprising an inactivation cleavage site, polynucleotide molecules encoding such toxins or chimeras, compositions comprising such toxins or chimeras, and method of producing such toxins or chimeras.
US08841106B2
This invention relates to industrial production of proteins. More specifically, the invention relates to the res-DHFR surrogate marker, which corresponds to a fusion between DHFR and a protein conferring resistance to a toxic compound or conferring a metabolic advantage. The invention further relates to the use of res-DHFR for screening cells for high expression of a protein of interest. The invention is illustrated by the Puro-DHFR surrogate marker, which corresponds to a fusion between the puromycin N-acetyltransferase and dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR).
US08841101B2
Biomass (e.g., plant biomass, animal biomass, microbial, and municipal waste biomass) is processed to produce useful products, such as food products and amino acids.
US08841100B2
Disclosed herein are methods of use of methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) to modulate microbial activity, such as to enhance or inhibit the activity of microorganisms. In one example, MSM (such as about 0.5% to 5% MSM) is used to enhance fermentation efficiency, such as to enhance fermentation efficiency associated with the production of beer, cider, wine, a biofuel, dairy product or any combination thereof. Also disclosed are in vitro methods for enhancing the growth of one or more probiotic microorganisms and methods of enhancing growth of a microorganism in a diagnostic test sample. Methods of inhibiting microbial activity are also disclosed. In one particular example, a method of inhibiting microbial activity includes selecting a medium that is susceptible to H1N1 influenza contamination; and contacting the medium with MSM at a concentration of about 10% to about 16% of weight by volume, thereby inhibiting H1N1 influenza microbial activity.
US08841093B2
The invention provides an apparatus that can be used in methods of preparing, amplifying, detecting, and/or optionally selecting for further analysis the genomic material from an organism for the rapid detection and/or classification of an organism in a sample (e.g., screening for, identifying, quantifying, and/or optionally further analyzing, e.g., sequencing, the genomic material of the organism). The invention further provides methods of using the apparatus, e.g., in combination with novel SGP primers for improved use in waveform-profiling methods of DNA amplification. It is an object of the invention to provide an apparatus for fully automated analysis of genomic material, and multiple methods of using the apparatus that are beneficial to society, e.g., the apparatus may be used in methods of screening for, identifying, quantifying, and/or selecting genomic material for further analysis (e.g., sequencing) in relation to monitoring a source for the presence of contaminating organisms.
US08841089B2
The present invention relates to polynucleotides comprising a first nucleic acid sequence for a chromatin element, which is capable of enhancing expression, and at least one second nucleic acid sequence comprising a curved origin motif. Furthermore, the invention relates to a host cell, a non-human transgenic organism, a vector and a kit comprising the aforementioned polynucleotide. Moreover, the invention relates to methods for expressing a polynucleotide of interest.
US08841073B2
The present invention relates to a method for identifying a binding site on an RNA transcript, wherein the binding site binds to one or more binding moieties. The method includes, among other things, introducing a photoreactive nucleoside into living cells wherein the living cells incorporate the photoreactive nucleoside into RNA transcripts during transcription thereby producing modified RNA transcripts; reverse transcribing the RNA of isolated cross-linked segments thereby generating cDNA transcripts with one mutation wherein the photoreactive nucleoside is transcribed to a mismatched deoxynucleoside; amplifying the cDNA transcripts thereby generating amplicons; and analyzing the sequences of the amplicons aligned against the reference sequence so as to identify the binding site, wherein the sequences of each amplicon having a mutation resulting from the introduction of the photoreactive nucleoside is considered to be a valid amplicon comprising at least a portion of a binding site on the RNA transcript.
US08841071B2
The invention generally relates to methods for sample multiplexing. In certain embodiments, methods of the invention obtaining a plurality of different reactant molecules, attaching a unique identifier to the reactant molecules, and forming a droplet including the reactant molecules.
US08841068B2
The present invention provides compositions and methods related to determining the severity of viral infections and identifying antiviral agents. In certain embodiments, the invention comprises determining the expression level of APOBEC-1 related proteins, where the expression level of APOBEC-1 related proteins is an indicator for disease severity and/or effectiveness of a potential antiviral agent. In one embodiment, the present invention provides for a method of screening for an antiviral agent.
US08841067B2
The present invention features a method for determining the prognosis for survival of a cancer patient. Methods for measuring the level of NOL3 expression in a cancer cell-containing sample from a patient, and comparing the level of NOL3 expression in the sample to a reference level of NOL3 expression are also included. A higher level of NOL3 relative to the reference level correlates with decreased survival of the patient, and an equivalent or lower level of NOL3 relative to the reference level correlates with increased survival of the patient.
US08841066B2
Photoresist stripping solutions are disclosed. An exemplary solution includes an organic solvent and an organic base, wherein the organic base is represented by the formula: wherein R1—Z1, R2—Z2, R3—Z3, and R4—Z4 are steric hindered functional groups, and further wherein R1, R2, R3, and R4 are each an alkyl group and Z1, Z2, Z3, and Z4 are each a pendant group selected from the group consisting of —Cl, —Br, —I, —NO2, —SO3—, —H—, —CN, —NCO, —OCN, —CO2—, —OC(O)CR*, —SR*, —SO2N(R*)2, —SO2R*, —OC(O)R*, —C(O)R*, —Si(R*)3, and an epoxyl group.
US08841065B2
A manufacturing method of an exposure apparatus includes adjusting a positioning device that determines a positional relation at the time of docking between a body and a stage module such that a positional relation between an absolute reference surface of a metrology frame of the body and a stage position reference surface of the stage module becomes a desired relation. Accordingly, after that, only by docking the body and the stage module with each other via the positioning device, the positional relation between the absolute reference surface of the body and the stage position reference surface of the stage module becomes a desired relation.
US08841060B2
An actinic-ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition which is capable of improving line edge roughness (LER) and inhibiting pattern collapse, a resist film and a pattern forming method each using the same, a method for preparing an electronic device, and an electronic device are provided.The actinic-ray-sensitive or radiation-sensitive resin composition contains: (A) a resin having repeating units having a structure represented by any one of the following general formulae (I-1) to (I-3), and repeating units containing at least one selected from the group consisting of a lactone structure, a sultone structure, and a cyano group; and (B) a compound that generates an acid by irradiation with actinic rays or radiations.
US08841059B2
A negative resist composition, which shows excellent sensitivity and resolution in pattern formation by exposure to electron beams or EUV, a novel crosslinking agent suitable for the resist composition, and a pattern forming method using the resist composition are presented. The negative resist composition comprises: (A) a polyphenol compound comprising two or more phenolic hydroxyl groups in a molecule thereof and having a molecular weight of 300 to 3,000, (B) an acid generator which directly or indirectly produces acid by exposure to active energy rays having a wavelength of 248 nm or less, and (C) a crosslinking agent represented by the chemical formula (1).
US08841058B2
A photolithography material is provided. The photolithography material is a surface modifying material. The photolithography material includes a polymer (e.g., fluorine polymer) that includes less than approximately 80% hydroxyl groups. In an embodiment, the photolithography material includes less than approximately 80% fluoro-alcohol functional units. Methods of using the photolithography material include as an additive to a photoresist or topcoat layer. The photolithography material may be used in an immersion lithography process.
US08841047B2
A process of an extreme ultraviolet lithography (EUVL) is disclosed. The process includes receiving an extreme ultraviolet (EUV) mask with multiple states. Different states of the EUV mask are assigned to adjacent polygons and a field. The EUV mask is exposed by a nearly on-axis illumination (ONI) with partial coherence σ less than 0.3 to produce diffracted lights and non-diffracted lights. Most of the non-diffracted lights are removed. The diffracted lights and the not removed non-diffracted lights are collected and directed to expose a target by a projection optics box.
US08841046B2
A system for generating periodic or quasi-periodic patterns on a sample by means of an interference lithography technique includes a photon source, a mask and a sample holder. The mask has a grating for generating a predetermined pattern, wherein the mask is positioned at a first distance from the photon source. The sample holder is disposed at a second distance from the mask on a side facing away from the photon source. The second distance is selected to be where an intensity distribution is substantially stationary and distance-invariant, or the second distance is varied to obtain a desired average intensity distribution on the sample surface.
US08841044B2
Disclosed herein is a solid oxide fuel cell, including: a unit cell; a current collector formed in a flat shape having a first surface and a second surface, the first surface including a groove formed in a thickness direction so as to receive the unit cell therein; and a circular support member formed between the first surface and the second surface of the current collector, wherein the support member is provided in plural, and the support members for respective regions have different diameters.
US08841029B2
Disclosed are a negative electrode for lithium secondary batteries, containing an active material (A) capable of absorbing/desorbing lithium ions and a binder (B), wherein the active material (A) is a carbon-based material obtained from at least one starting material selected from a group consisting of petroleum cokes and coal cokes and having a mean particle size of from 1 to 30 and a true density of from 1.90 to 2.00 g/cm3 and its use; and a method for producing a carbon-based negative electrode active material having a mean particle size of from 1 to 30 μm and a true density of from 1.90 to 2.00 g/cm3, the method comprising (a) a step of grinding at least one selected from a group consisting of petroleum cokes and coal cokes, (b) a step of controlling the particle size, and (c) a step of heat-treating in an inert gas atmosphere at 900 to 1900° C.
US08841023B2
There is disclosed a multi-component system lithium phosphate compound particles having an olivine structure and represented by a general formula of LiYM11-ZM2ZPO4 in which M1 is one metal element selected from the group consisting of Fe, Mn and Co, Y is a number satisfying a formula of 0.9≦Y≦1.2, M2 is at least one metal element selected from the group consisting of Mn, Co, Mg, Ti and Al, and Z is an number satisfying a formula of 0
US08841021B2
A secondary battery including a can for accommodating an electrode assembly, the can having an opening at one side thereof; a cap assembly for sealing the opening of the can; an insulation case between the electrode assembly and the cap assembly, the insulation case being disposed in an upper portion of the can; and an insertion guide protruding from an outer surface of the insulation case, and having a lower portion facing the can, the lower portion being inclined at a predetermined angle relative to the outer surface the insulation case.
US08841015B2
A battery pack includes at least one battery module comprising a plurality of unit cells stacked together; and at least one thermoelectric module on the at least one battery module, wherein the thermoelectric module may include a Peltier device having an input terminal configured to receive a polarity-convertible current.
US08841009B2
An aspect of the present invention relates to a magnetic tape comprising a magnetic layer containing a hexagonal ferrite magnetic powder and a binder on a nonmagnetic support, wherein a standard deviation σHk of a magnetic anisotropy constant Hk of the magnetic layer is equal to or less than 30%, and a magnetic interaction ΔM as calculated by equation (1) below falls within a range of −0.20≦ΔM≦−0.03: ΔM=(Id(H)+2Ir(H)−Ir(∞))/Ir(∞) . . . (1) wherein Id(H) denotes a residual magnetization measured with DC demagnetization, Ir(H) denotes a residual magnetization measured with AC demagnetization, and Ir(∞) denotes a residual magnetization measured at an applied magnetic field of 796 kA/m.
US08841006B2
The present invention relates to a magnetic tunnel junction device and a manufacturing method thereof. The magnetic tunnel junction device includes: i) a first magnetic layer including a compound having a chemical formula of (A100-xBx)100-yCy; ii) an insulating layer deposited on the first magnetic layer; and iii) a second magnetic layer deposited on the insulating layer and including a compound having a chemical formula of (A100-xBx)100-yCy. The first and second magnetic layers have perpendicular magnetic anisotropy, A and B are respectively metal elements, and C is at least one amorphizing element selected from a group consisting of boron (B), carbon (C), tantalum (Ta), and hafnium (Hf).
US08841002B2
A method of bonding includes using a bonding layer having a fluorinated oxide. Fluorine may be introduced into the bonding layer by exposure to a fluorine-containing solution, vapor or gas or by implantation. The bonding layer may also be formed using a method where fluorine is introduced into the layer during its formation. The surface of the bonding layer is terminated with a desired species, preferably an NH2 species. This may be accomplished by exposing the bonding layer to an NH4OH solution. High bonding strength is obtained at room temperature. The method may also include bonding two bonding layers together and creating a fluorine distribution having a peak in the vicinity of the interface between the bonding layers. One of the bonding layers may include two oxide layers formed on each other. The fluorine concentration may also have a second peak at the interface between the two oxide layers.
US08840998B2
An electrophotographic imaging device includes a charging device, a cleaning device, and a fuser member that each include hydrophobic carbon nanotubes. The use of hydrophobic carbon nanotubes can increases the charging device's, the cleaning device's, and the fuser member's durability, conductivity, and contaminants deposition.
US08840997B2
A cover glass having a compressive-stress layer on the principal surfaces thereof, and having a glass composition containing 50% to 70% by mole of SiO2, 3% to 20% by mole of Al2O3, 5% to 25% by mole of Na2O, more than 0% by mole and less than or equal to 2.5% by mole of Li2O, 0% to 5.5% by mole of K2O, and 0% to less than 3% by mole of B2O3. Also disclosed is a method for producing a cover glass which includes: (i) preparing molten glass by melting a glass raw material; (ii) forming the prepared molten glass into a plate-like shape by a down-draw process and thereby obtaining a glass substrate; and (iii) forming a compressive-stress layer on the surface of the glass substrate.
US08840988B2
A fiber preform for producing fiber composite structures, a wall thereof including a first zone made from reinforcing fiber bundles having a first resin composition and a second zone made from at least one fiber tape comprising at least one unidirectionally directed reinforcing yarn strand having a second resin composition. The reinforcing fiber bundles in the first zone are oriented in different spatial directions to each other when viewed in a direction parallel to the extension of the thickness. Each reinforcing fiber has a length of from 3 to 50 mm, and contains the first resin composition in a concentration of from 1 to 10 wt % of the fiber weight. The wall of the fiber preform has a proportion of reinforcing fibers of more than 35 vol %, and the second zone forms a discrete region when viewed in a direction perpendicular to the thickness extension of the wall.
US08840977B2
A casing member for forming a connection between two tubular sections, said casing member having a first, cross-linked, heat shrinkable plastic layer, and a second, inner, non-crosslinked (or less cross-linked) layer. The casing member also has an electrically heatable member spaced inwardly from the first layer, for fusion bonding the second layer to the tubular sections.
US08840972B2
An object is to provide a deposition method of forming a film in a minute pattern on a deposition target substrate as well as reducing waste of material and increasing material use efficiency. Another object is to manufacture a high-definition light-emitting device at low cost by such a deposition method. Particles containing an organic compound material are dispersed over a deposition substrate having a light-absorbing layer formed over the deposition substrate and are fixed by heat treatment to form a material layer. The light-absorbing layer is irradiated with light which is transmitted through the deposition substrate, so that a material contained in the material layer is selectively deposited onto a deposition target substrate placed facing the deposition substrate. By selective formation of the light-absorbing layer, a film can be selectively deposited in a minute pattern reflecting a pattern of the light-absorbing layer onto the deposition target substrate.
US08840967B2
The present invention relates to a method for manufacturing a printed circuit board including a flame retardant insulation layer. The printed circuit board of the present invention exhibits excellent thermal stability and excellent mechanical strength, is suitable for imprinting lithography process, provides improved reliability by reducing coefficient of thermal expansion, and has excellent adhesion between circuit patterns and an insulation layer.
US08840962B2
The present invention is directed to a coating composition comprising: (i) an aqueous dispersion of polymeric particles; (ii) a polyether carbamate compound; (iii) a filler material; and (iv) an microparticle; and wherein after application to a substrate and after curing, the cured coating composition demonstrates a composite damping Loss Factor of 0.05 or greater at a frequency ranging from 100 to 6,300 Hz and comprises a surface that is substantially free of defects.
US08840959B2
A camouflage system includes a layer of an adhesion promoter so paint will adhere to the surface of an article and a first layer of paint applied to the surface on top of the adhesion promoter. A second layer of paint of a different color is applied to a portion of the first layer of paint. The second layer of paint may be in the form of a design, symbol, brand, logo, mark, and/or name. A multi-color layer is then applied to the surface of the article over the layers of paint. The multi-color layer may be a camouflage ink pattern. A clear coat may be applied over the multi-color layer. The multi-color layer affects the visual appearance of the second layer of paint. The second layer of paint may be visible at one viewing angle and may be less visible or non-visible at a different viewing angle.
US08840951B2
The present invention relates to a method for the preparation of a controlled release system and especially to a method for entrapment of compounds in polymer carriers for controlled release of active ingredients, preferably bioactive ingredients, such as drugs. This method results in a system for controlled release of active ingredients and especially for controlled drug delivery. In accordance with the present invention, the tem controlled release” encompasses all kinds of controlled release, including slow release, sustained and delayed release. Particularly, the present invention results in active ingredients, entrapped in or otherwise incorporated in or coupled to polymer carriers or polymeric devices, such as micelles, nanoparticles, microspheres and other types of polymer devices for controlled release; the active ingredients are covalently bonded to the polymer carriers or polymeric devices.
US08840949B2
The present invention provides an agent for improving taste of tea drinks, comprising at least one glyceroglycolipid, preferably monogalactosyl diacylglycerol or digalactosyl diacylglycerol, as an active ingredient. The agent of the present invention is for use to enhance kokumi, to mask astringent taste, and to prevent precipitates. The agent of the present invention is effective especially in improving tea drinks containing ground tea leaves. The present invention also provides a method for producing tea drinks containing ground tea leaves and at least 1.0 μg/ml of glyceroglycolipids and having an absorbency of 0.25 or below at 680 nm, and tea drinks containing glyceroglycolipid, which method comprises grinding tea leaves into an average particle size of 1-100 μm (preferably 1-50 μm, more preferably 1-20 μm), and mixing the resulting ground tea leaves with neutral (pH 5-7, preferably 5.5-7, especially preferably 6-7) water to elute the glyceroglycolipids into the water.
US08840947B2
A process for the demineralization and fractionation of cheese whey or raw milk comprising the steps of: a) subjecting the whey or raw milk to ultrafiltration to provide a retentate fraction and a permeate fraction; b) concentrating the permeate fraction by means of nanofiltration; c) subjecting the nanofiltration retentate to ion permeation chromatography at elevated temperatures of between 50° C. and 80° C. using an appropriate resin; and d) eluting the nanofiltration retentate with water in various fractions to obtain fractions which may be low in mineral content and/or high in 3′-sialyl lactose content and/or high in other desirable components.
US08840946B2
The present invention relates to a baked foodstuff with an improved flavor and an improved texture. Also to compositions for generating these improved flavors and textures in baked foodstuffs which compositions comprise non pre-reacted flavor precursors which react on heating to generate the flavors.
US08840937B2
A method and composition for reducing the recovery time for a human suffering from mild traumatic brain injury are provided. The composition is a mixture of component supplements that synergistically address the symptoms of the condition and the damage done by the injury.
US08840931B2
The present invention provides a pharmaceutical composition for dehydrating, atrophying and eliminating pathological tissues comprising inorganic polymeric ferric salt and/or inorganic polymeric ferric salt composite as its active ingredients, in which the inorganic polymeric ferric salt is polyferric sulfate, and the inorganic polymeric ferric salt composite is selected from a group consisting of poly-silicate ferric salts, polyphosphate ferric salts and their analogue. A surprising medical effect can be reached by treating pathological tissues with the pharmaceutical composition of the present invention which will make the treated pathological tissues dehydrated, atrophied, and absorbed or sloughed off. The pharmaceutical composition of the present invention is cost-effective, convenient to use and has significant effects in treatment of hemorrhoids, hemangiomas, varix, hygromas, abscess, tumors, scalding and burning wounds, bleeding traumatic wounds, and/or local injuries caused by chemical agents or microorganism.
US08840928B2
Tamper-resistant pharmaceutical compositions have been developed to reduce the likelihood of improper administration of drugs, especially drugs such as opioids. The tamper-resistant compositions retard the release of drug, even if the physical integrity of the formulation is compromised (for example, by chopping with a blade or crushing) and the resulting material is placed in water, snorted, or swallowed. However, when administered as directed, the drug is slowly released from the composition as the composition is passes through the GI tract.
US08840923B2
Slow-release excipients which comprise an association of at least one glycogen and at least one alginate with an alkaline-earth metal salt are useful for the preparation of slow-release pharmaceutical formulations.
US08840921B2
The invention relates to a transdermal patch with a release liner film, an active substance layer with the active substance rotigotine, and/or one of its pharmacologically acceptable salts, and a carrier layer, wherein the active substance layer is placed between the release liner film and the carrier layer. The invention further relates to a process for manufacturing of a transdermal patch, as well as a tool for producing a patch of this type.
US08840917B2
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.
US08840916B2
A polymer and a method for its preparation are provided. The polymer comprises poly(lactide), poly(lactide/glycolide) or poly(lactic acid/glycolic acid) segments bonded by ester linkages to both ends of an alkanediol core unit. The polymer is for use in a controlled release formulation for a medicament, preferably leuprolide acetate. The controlled release formulation is administered to a patient as a subcutaneous depot of a flowable composition comprising the polymer, a biocompatible solvent, and the medicament. Controlled release formulations comprising the polymer release leuprolide for treatment of prostate cancer patients over periods of 3-6 months.
US08840913B2
Described are implantable, malleable medical materials comprising mineral particles, insoluble collagen fibers, and a gel-forming polysaccharide component and/or another added gel-former. The malleable medical materials can be used treat bone or other tissue defects in patients, including in conjunction with biologically active factors such as osteogenic proteins. Also described are methods and materials that can be used to prepare the malleable medical materials.
US08840904B2
This invention relates to therapeutic polynucleotide compositions and methods for systemic immune activation which are effective for eliciting both a systemic, non-antigen specific immune response and a strong antigen-specific immune response in mammals. The polynucleotide compositions are particularly effective for protecting mammals from herpes simplex virus (HSV), such as HSV VP11/12 polypeptides.
US08840898B2
Immunoconjugates comprising a targeting agent selectively targeting cell-surface expressed syndecan-1 and at least one effector molecule as well as in vitro and in vivo methods of using those immunocomjugates are disclosed. The effector molecule may have, in its native form, high non-selective cytotoxicity, but substantially no non-selective cytotoxicity when part of said immunoconjugate. Targeting agents include the antibody B-B4 as well as other agents that bind cell-surface expressed syndecan-1.
US08840885B2
The preparation and characterization of antibodies that bind to antigens on CLL or other cancer cells, especially to antigens upregulated in the cancer cells, and the identification and characterization of antigens present on or upregulated by cancer cells are useful in studying and treating cancer.
US08840883B2
Metallo-proteins including but not limited to lactoferrin (LF), transferrin (TF) and ovotransferrin (OTF) (all members of transferrin family), ceruloplasmin (CP) and metallo-thionein (MT) were found to stabilize and enhance the bio-functional activity of tocotrienol (T3), T3 mixtures or derivates. The synergism between MP and T3 also promote the intestinal transfer and the ultimate bio-availability of T3 and T3-derivatives for physiological functions. Such functional synergism includes hypocholesterolemic, anti-thrombotic, antioxidant, anti-athermogenic, anti-inflammatory and immuno-regulatory activities of T3 agents. Addition of a non-protein-type metal chelator provided further improvement in the action of the bio-functional activity of T3. These T3 compositions are useful as pharmaceuticals, in cosmetics, in foods and as nutritional supplements.
US08840876B2
An antimicrobial composition comprising: a complex of an anionic polyester with an antimicrobial cationic surfactant, wherein the anionic polyester has at least one carboxylic group. A medical device having an antimicrobial composition comprising: a complex of an anionic polyester with an antimicrobial cationic surfactant wherein the anionic polyester has at least one carboxylic group.
US08840874B2
The site-specific expression of selectins on endothelial cells of blood vessels during angiogenesis provides an opportunity to target anti-cancer drugs to the vascular endothelium to extend the range of the therapeutic effect. This invention describes an innovative drug targeting strategy for the selective delivery of the anticancer drugs to endothelial cells by means of polymer-drug conjugates modified with a carbohydrate ligand for the vascular selectins. A model chemotherapeutic drug, doxorubicin, and the E-selectin ligand, sLex, are attached to a biocompatible polymer (HPMA). The selective binding, cellular uptake, intracellular fate, and cell cytotoxicity of the polymer-bound drug are investigated in human endothelial cells.
US08840858B2
An apparatus for mixing a vaporized precursor with a gas for producing silica particles is provided. The apparatus includes a mixer housing, a precursor delivery chamber having an output in communication with the mixer housing for delivering a vaporized precursor in the mixer housing, and an oxidizing gas delivery chamber having an output in communication with the mixer housing for delivering an oxidizing gas to be mixed with the vaporized precursor. The apparatus further includes a flashback member disposed within the mixer housing and between the output of the precursor delivery chamber and the output of the oxidizing gas delivery chamber. The flashback member is located at a minimum distance from the output of the oxidizing gas delivery chamber defined by Lminimum (cm)=0.453 U (Re)−0.5567, wherein U is the flow rate in cm/sec of precursor and Re is the flow Reynolds number. The flashback member may include a tapered surface on at least one side to reduce recirculation of vaporized gas.
US08840845B2
Provided herein are systems and methods for the treatment and purification of fluids (e.g., water) using a light-emitting diode (LED) light source. In one embodiment, for example, there is provided a fluid flow conduit having an LED light source and a photo-catalytic material disposed therein. The LED light source emits ultraviolet light with a peak wavelength between about 265 nm and about 400 nm. In operation, the photo-catalytic material absorbs the ultraviolet light from the LED light source, and releases free radicals into the fluid. The free radicals then degrade organic substances (e.g., bacteria) in the fluid.
US08840844B2
The plasma generating apparatus includes: an antenna chamber which is disposed adjacently to a plasma chamber that produces a plasma, and which is exhausted to vacuum; an antenna which is disposed in the antenna chamber, and which radiates a high-frequency wave; a partition plate which is made of an insulator, which separates the plasma chamber from the antenna chamber to block a gas from entering the antenna chamber, and which allows the high-frequency wave radiated from the antenna to pass through the partition plate; and a magnet device which is disposed outside the plasma chamber, and which generates a magnetic field for causing electron cyclotron resonance in the plasma chamber.
US08840839B2
A transducer device for detecting an environmental state within a biological material including a channel comprising a fluid, a hydrogel material, which is adapted to change its volume when getting into contact with an environmental material and/or when detecting an environmental change, and which is mechanically coupled to the channel such that the volume of the channel changes when the volume of the hydrogel material changes. The transducer device further includes a sensor, which is adapted to generate a signal upon detection of the change of a physical property of the fluid that is induced by the volume change of the channel. By applying the transducer device, an accurate monitoring of physiological parameters, for which the hydrogel material is sensitive is possible. It is also possible to apply the transducer device outside of the bodily lumen, for example to monitor the blood of a patient outside the bodily lumen.
US08840836B2
An apparatus and method for achieving low temperature vapor sterilization of objects which may involve objects having a lumen. Following evacuation of the sterilization chamber and the introduction of a vaporous or gaseous sterilant, the volume of the chamber is changed by actuation of a movable boundary in the chamber to increase and decrease the pressure in the chamber thus driving the sterilant into and out of such lumens.
US08840833B1
A component, such as a SOFC interconnect, and methods of making the component are provided using various chromium powders, including powder particles with a chromium core covered with an iron shell, a pre-alloyed Cr—Fe powder or a chromium powder produced by hydrogen reduction with hydrogen.
US08840832B2
Material processing systems are disclosed. Some systems include methods of eliminating or reducing defects in elongate workpieces that can undergo large deformations during processing. Some systems include apparatus configured to facilitate such large deformations while maintaining internal stresses (e.g., tensile stresses) below a threshold stress. Some disclosed systems pertain to powder extrusion techniques. Continuous and batch processing systems are disclosed.
US08840824B2
Single, continuous PTFE layers having lateral zones of varied characteristics are described. Some of the lateral zone embodiments may include PTFE material having little or no nodal and fibril microstructure. Methods of manufacturing PTFE layers allow for controllable permeability and porosity of the layers, in addition to other characteristics. The characteristics may vary from one lateral zone of a PTFE layer to a second lateral zone of a PTFE layer. In some embodiments, the PTFE layers may act as a barrier layer in an endovascular graft or other medical device.
US08840823B2
A method for producing a polyglycolic acid fiber, including: obtaining undrawn yarns by melt spinning a polyglycolic acid resin; keeping the undrawn yarns under a temperature condition of 1 to 20° C.; obtaining drawn yarns by drawing the kept undrawn yarns; and, if necessary obtaining a staple fiber by cutting the drawn yarns.
US08840811B2
The present invention provides a bonding material and a method of bonding for metal bonding at a bonding interface capable of a higher bonding strength at a lower temperature without application of pressure, compared to a bonding material of metal particles having an average particle size of not greater than 100 nm. An electrically conductive bonding material including (A) silver particles, (B) silver oxide, and (C) a dispersant including organic material containing not more than 30 carbon atoms as essential components, wherein a total amount of (A) the silver powder, (B) the silver oxide powder, and (C) the dispersant including an organic material containing not more than 30 carbon atoms is in a range of 99.0% to 100% by weight, is provided. In other words, no resin binder is contained.
US08840808B2
A problem to be solved of the present invention is to provide a liquid composition for an organic semiconductor device having good coating property, wherein the lifetime of the function of an organic semiconductor device is prolonged when an organic layer is formed from the liquid composition for an organic semiconductor device, and a process for producing the liquid composition. A mean for solving the problem is a process for producing a liquid composition for an organic semiconductor device comprising a step of dissolving an organic compound which is solid at 1 atm and 25° C. in an organic solvent which is liquid at 1 atm and 25° C. and has a halogen compound concentration of not more than 100 ppm by weight.
US08840803B2
A nanocomposite fluid includes a fluid medium; and a nanoparticle composition comprising nanoparticles which are electrically insulating and thermally conductive. A method of making the nanocomposite fluid includes forming boron nitride nanoparticles; dispersing the boron nitride nanoparticles in a solvent; combining the boron nitride nanoparticles and a fluid medium; and removing the solvent.
US08840796B2
The present disclosure provides one embodiment of an integrated circuit (IC) design method. The method includes receiving an IC design layout having a plurality of IC features. The method includes identifying, from the IC design layout, simple features as a first layout wherein the first layout does not violate design rules; and complex features as a second layout wherein the second layout violates the design rules. The method further includes generating a third layout and a fourth layout from the second layout wherein the third layout includes the complex features and connecting features to meet the design rules and the fourth layout includes trimming features.
US08840793B2
The invention provides waste water treatment processes utilizing an ion exchange resin to remove sulphate anions, while adjusting the pH of the ion exchange loading solution with carbon dioxide gas. The effect of the resin loading reactions is that dissolved sulphate is replaced with sequestered carbon dioxide gas, in the form of dissolved bicarbonate, in the treated water and the cations are not removed from the solution.
US08840788B2
The present invention provides a hollow fiber membrane where the membrane strength and pressure resistance to pressurization from the dialysate side is ensured, the retaining rate of water permeability after the repeated pressure load from outside is high, the resistance to the pressure from outside is excellent and the assembling property into module (low leakage rate at the adhered part) is satisfactory at the same time. The present invention also provides a method for manufacturing the same, and a blood purification module.
US08840785B2
A water heater, which allows efficient deposition of a scale component dissolved in water so as to reduce adhesion of the scale to a heat-transfer channel. The water heater includes: scale deposition device including a tank, an anode and a cathode provided in the tank so as to be opposed to each other, and a first power supply for applying a voltage between the anode and the cathode, the scale deposition device depositing a scale component dissolved in water retained in the tank; a heat-transfer channel provided at downstream of the scale deposition device, for guiding the water; and a heat source for heating the water by heat exchange in the heat-transfer channel, in which the scale deposition device includes oxygen-gas supplying/dissolving means for supplying an oxygen gas to a water feed pipe for feeding the water to the tank and dissolving the oxygen gas in the water.
US08840783B2
A method of cleaning a membrane surface immersed in a liquid medium with a fluid flow, including the steps of providing a randomly generated intermittent or pulsed fluid flow along the membrane surface to dislodge fouling materials therefrom. A membrane module is also disclosed comprising a plurality of porous membranes (6) or a set of membrane modules (5) and a device (11) for providing a generally randomly generated, pulsed fluid flow such that, in use, said fluid flow moves past the surfaces of said membranes (6) to dislodge fouling materials therefrom.
US08840778B2
A method for thermally cracking a carboxylic acid containing hydrocarbonaceous feed wherein the feed is first processed in a vaporization step that contains at least one catalyst effective to convert carboxylic acid species to carbon dioxide and hydrocarbon and/or lower molecular weight acids and hydrocarbon.
US08840774B2
Described herein is an apparatus comprising an electrochemical cell that employs a capacitive counter electrode and a faradaic working electrode. The capacitive counter electrode reduces the amount of redox products generated at the counter electrode while enabling the working electrode to generate redox products. The electrochemical cell is useful for controlling the redox products generated and/or the timing of the redox product generation. The electrochemical cell is useful in assay methods, including those using electrochemiluminescence. The electrochemical cell can be combined with additional hardware to form instrumentation for assay methods.
US08840773B2
Techniques and systems for reclaiming metals from articles having one or more components containing or coated with copper are provided. An example technique may include providing an article having one or more components containing or coated with copper, providing a barrel disposed in a container, the container containing an electrolytic solution and a copper starting pole component, positioning a plurality of electrically conductive particles and the article within the barrel, and separating one or more copper ions from at least a portion of the article by electrolysis.
US08840762B2
An aromatics complex producing one or more xylene isomers offers a large number of opportunities to conserve energy by heat exchange within the complex. One previously unrecognized opportunity is through providing two parallel distillation columns operating at different pressures to separate C8 aromatics from C9+ aromatics. The parallel columns offer additional opportunities to conserve energy within the complex.
US08840761B2
The present invention relates to a process for controlling deposits in a paper making process, more particularly to a process comprising the use of talc for controlling deposits in a paper making process with talc. One aspect of the invention is contacting talc with a white water stream at one or more locations within the paper making process after separating pulp from a pulp-containing stream and before introducing the re-circulating the white water stream to one or more of a pulper, a thick-stock, a thin-stock, a dilution process, a shower, a storage vessel, a blending process, and a digestor.
US08840759B2
Disclosed herein are compositions and methods to increase paper machine performance and enhance sizing. The compositions include a sizing agent, an emulsifier, and an aqueous component. The emulsifier may be an aldehyde-functionalized polymer.
US08840758B2
A process for producing a microfiber product stream, the process comprising: (A) contacting short cut multicomponent fibers having a length of less than 25 millimeters with a heated aqueous stream in a mix zone to produce a short cut multicomponent fiber slurry; (B) routing the short cut multicomponent fiber slurry and optionally, a heated aqueous stream, to a fiber opening zone to remove a portion of the water dispersible sulfopolyester to produce an opened microfiber slurry; and (C) routing the opened microfiber slurry to a primary solid liquid separation zone to produce the microfiber product stream and a first mother liquor stream.
US08840757B2
A process for producing a microfiber product stream is provided comprising: (A) contacting short cut multicomponent fibers having a length of less than 25 millimeters with a treated aqueous stream in a fiber slurry zone to produce a short cut multicomponent fiber slurry; (B) contacting the short cut multicomponent fiber slurry and a heated aqueous stream in a fiber opening zone to remove a portion of the water dispersible sulfopolyester to produce an opened microfiber slurry; and (C) routing the opened microfiber slurry to a primary solid liquid separation zone to produce the microfiber product stream and a first mother liquor stream.
US08840755B2
A method for continuously producing crepe paper, comprising the steps of producing a paper web from a material suspension, mechanically dewatering the paper web in a press section, generating a crepe structure in the sheet structure of the paper web, and thermally drying the paper web. The paper web is applied to a glazing cylinder by means of a bulk-preserving pressing system in order to dry and generate a smooth surface on the paper web. The crepe paper is smooth on one side and can be used for a variety of further application areas.
US08840751B2
Methods for bonding polymeric substrates to hydroxylated surfaces such as glass are disclosed. The polymeric substrates may be elastomeric substrates such as a natural or synthetic rubber. The method may comprise applying a compound comprising at least one alkoxy silane moiety and at least one moiety selected from a nitrosoaromatic or a nitrosoaromatic precursor to one of the substrates. The nitrosoaromatic moiety may be a nitrosobenzene. The nitrosoaromatic precursor may be a nitrosobenzene precursor, such as at least one of a quinone dioxime or a quinone oxime. Novel primers and compounds suitable for use in the bonding process are also disclosed.
US08840750B2
A method of forming a fan blade includes the step of applying an adhesive layer around a leading edge of a fan blade body. The adhesive layer includes an adhesive film supported by a scrim cloth, and the adhesive layer contacts a portion of an inner surface of the fan blade body and a portion of an outer surface of the fan blade body. A leading edge sheath is positioned relative to the fan blade body such that a first flank and a second flank of the leading edge sheath is positioned over the portion of the inner surface and the portion of an outer surface, respectively, of the fan blade body. Pressure is applied to the first flank and the second flank of the leading edge sheath to secure the leading edge sheath to the blade body and curing the adhesive film.
US08840749B2
A sealed hemmed closure assembly includes an inner panel having a first face and a second face, and an outer panel having a panel portion and a hemming portion. The second face of the inner panel substantially opposes the first face, and the hemming portion of the outer panel is disposed proximate an edge of the outer panel. The panel portion of the outer face is configured to abut the first face of the inner panel, and the hemming portion is configured to abut the second face of the inner panel. An adhesive material is disposed between the panel portion of the outer panel and the first face of the inner panel, and a sealant material is disposed between the hemming portion of the outer panel and the second face of the inner panel.
US08840747B2
A method for manufacturing a twist ball type electronic paper capable of preferably displaying an image and enabling easily taking out of a wiring, and a manufacturing method for a twist ball type electronic paper for manufacturing a reusable twist ball type electronic paper.
US08840745B2
A method of printing foil images upon textiles is provided. Advantageously, a digital inkjet printer can be utilized to apply an adhesive for affixing a foil embellishment. The method of printing foil images upon textiles includes applying a pretreatment solution upon a textile. After the pretreatment solution has dried, a white underbase in the form of a fanciful design is printed upon the textile using a digital inkjet printer. A heavy color layer of color ink is then digitally inkjet printed upon the white underbase. Thereafter, the textile is removed from the inkjet printer and positioned upon a heat press table. Foil transfer paper is positioned upon the textile so as to cover the white underbase and heavy color layer. The heat press is activated so as to adhere the foil, but only to those regions where the white underbase and color ink has been printed. Once cool to the touch, the foil is slowly peeled from the textile so as to leave a fanciful foil design.
US08840742B2
A system for detecting a missing tow in a tow band may include a fiber placement head for applying a tow band to a substrate forming a composite layup. The system may further include a heating device for preheating the substrate prior to application of the tow band. The system may additionally include an infrared camera mounted to the fiber placement head and configured to generate a real-time thermal image of the composite layup during the application of the tow band to the substrate.
US08840738B2
A cold-rolled steel sheet of the present invention which has a composition containing, in terms of % by mass, C: 0.05-0.30%, Si: 3.0% or less (including 0%), Mn: 0.1-5.0%, P: 0.1% or less (including 0%), S: 0.010% or less (including 0%), and Al: 0.001-0.10%, and remainder being mainly iron, and which has a structure comprising, in terms of area ratio, 10-80% ferrite, less than 5% (including 0%) of the sum of retained austenite and martensite, and a hard phase as the remainder. The steel sheet gives a KAM value frequency distribution curve in which the relationship between the proportion of frequency having a KAM value ≦0.4, XKAM≦0.4°, and the area ratio of ferrite, Vα satisfies XKAM≦0.4°/Vα≧0.8 and the proportion of frequency having a KAM value in the range of 0.6-0.8, XKAM=0.6-0.8° is 10-20%. In the hard phase adjoining the ferrite, cementite, grains having an equivalent circle diameter of 0.1 μm or larger exist so that three or less such cementite grains are dispersed per μm2 of the hard phase. The steel sheet has improved balance between elongation and stretch flangeability and has better formability.
US08840736B2
An endoprosthesis, in particular an intraluminal endoprosthesis such as a stent, includes a carrier structure, which includes at least one component containing a magnesium alloy of the following composition: Magnesium: between about 60.0 and about 88.0% by weight Rare earth metals: between about 2.0 and about 30.0% by weight Yttrium: between about 2.0% and about 20.0% by weight Zirconium: between about 0.5% and about 5.0% by weight Balance: between 0 and about 10.0% by weight wherein the alloy components add up to 100% by weight.
US08840726B2
An apparatus 101 for depositing a thin-film onto a surface of a substrate 113 using precursor gases G1, G2 is disclosed. The apparatus 101 comprises i) a supporting device 111 for holding the substrate 113; and ii) a spinner 105 positioned adjacent to the supporting device 111. Specifically, the spinner 105 includes a hub 106 for connecting to a motor, and one or more blades 201 connected to the hub 106. In particular, the one or more blades 201 are operative to rotate around the hub 106 on a plane to drive a fluid flow of the precursor gases G1, G2, so as to distribute the precursor gases G1, G2 across the surface of the substrate 113.
US08840724B2
The invention relates to a chemical vapor deposition process for the continuous growth of a carbon single-wall nanotube where a carbon-containing gas composition is contacted with a porous membrane and decomposed in the presence of a catalyst to grow single-wall carbon nanotube material. A pressure differential exists across the porous membrane such that the pressure on one side of the membrane is less than that on the other side of the membrane. The single-wall carbon nanotube growth may occur predominately on the low-pressure side of the membrane or, in a different embodiment of the invention, may occur predominately in between the catalyst and the membrane. The invention also relates to an apparatus used with the carbon vapor deposition process.
US08840722B2
Implementations and techniques for producing graphene are generally disclosed.
US08840710B2
A fluid treatment system by force of thermophoresis, including first and second modules between which the fluid to be treated is intended to circulate, the first module configured to be brought to a temperature greater than that of the second module so as to engender a temperature gradient causing a force of thermophoresis capable of projecting the particles to be purified in the direction of the second module. The first module includes a succession of parallel first tubes configured to be traversed by hot fluid, the second module includes a succession of parallel second tubes configured to be traversed by cold fluid, and the first tubes are arranged staggered with the second tubes.
US08840707B2
A gas condensate production plant comprises a plurality of separation units in which C2 and/or C3 lighter components are stripped from the separator feeds using compressed heated stripping vapor produced from the feed in respective downstream separation units. Contemplated plants substantially reduce heating and cooling duties by using the waste heat from the compressor discharges in the separation process. Furthermore, the multi-stage fractionation according to the inventive subject matter provides improved gas condensate recovery at reduced energy costs.
US08840704B2
A carbon dioxide separation method and a carbon dioxide separation apparatus capable of maintaining a carbon dioxide adsorption capacity for a long term by collecting an amine compound that evaporates during an operation of the apparatus and reloading the amine compound onto a carbon dioxide adsorbent. An amine collector and an amine aqueous solution preparation device are connected to an adsorbent-packed tank packed with a carbon dioxide adsorbent. An amine compound that evaporates from the carbon dioxide adsorbent during an operation of the apparatus is collected by the amine collector into the amine aqueous solution preparation device. The collected amine compound is reloaded onto the carbon dioxide adsorbent via a supply line.
US08840702B2
The invention concerns a recycling process for recovery of metals from Li-ion batteries. More particularly, an autogeneous process is disclosed for the recovery of Co from Li-ion batteries also containing Al and C, comprising the steps of: —providing a bath furnace equipped with means for 02 injection; —providing a metallurgical charge comprising CaO as a slag former, and Li-ion batteries; —feeding said metallurgical charge to the furnace while injecting O2, whereby at least part of the Co is reduced and collected in a metallic phase; —separating the slag from the metallic phase by tapping; characterized in that the fraction of Li-ion batteries, expressed as weight % of the metallurgical charge, is at least equal to 153%−3.5 (Al %+0.6 C %), Al % and C % being the weight % of Al and C in the batteries, thereby enabling to operate the smelt reduction process in autogeneous conditions. This process possesses advantages over the state of the art process using a shaft furnace, having a large tolerance towards the morphology of the charge, high energy efficiency, and simplified off-gas cleaning requirements.
US08840701B2
Disclosed are methods of making multi-element, finely divided, metal powders containing one or more reactive metals and one or more non-reactive metals. Reactive metals include metals or mixtures thereof from titanium (Ti), zirconium (Zr), hafnium (Hf), tantalum (Ta), niobium (Nb), vanadium (V), nickel (Ni), cobalt (Co), molybdenum (Mo), manganese (Mn), and iron (Fe). Non-reactive metals include metals or mixtures such as silver (Ag), tin (Sn), bismuth (Bi), lead (Pb), antimony (Sb), zinc (Zn), germanium (Ge), phosphorus (P), gold (Au), cadmium (Cd), berrylium (Be), tellurium (Te).
US08840696B2
A method of forming an abrasive article includes depositing a mixture into an opening of a substrate, contacting an exposed surface of the mixture in the opening to a texturing form to form a textured preform, and removing the mixture from the opening and forming an abrasive particle having a textured surface.
US08840689B2
A high octane non-leaded gasoline meeting ASTM D910 LL standard is provided that includes a base gasoline fuel having a minimum MON of 96.5 and meeting the ASTM D910 standard. An octane-boosting component is mixed with the base gasoline fuel that raises the MON above 99.6 and the blended fuel complies with ASTM D910. The octane-boosting component is selected from a group including an additive, TEL only and a TEL containing gasoline.
US08840681B2
A prosthetic interface includes an orientation assembly, a mounting plate and a load bearing assembly. The orientation assembly includes an anterior frame portion and a posterior frame portion. The anterior frame portion extends over an anterior portion of a torso of a wearer of the prosthetic interface. The posterior frame portion extends over a posterior portion of the torso. The mounting plate is disposed at an intersection of the posterior frame portion and the anterior frame portion. The mounting plate forms a structure to which a prosthetic limb is attachable. The load bearing assembly includes breathable fabric forming a load distribution matrix to distribute a load on the mounting plate over portions of the torso with which the fabric is in contact.
US08840679B2
The pyloric obesity valve includes a tubular valve body having proximal and distal ends. The valve body has an intermediate section which is between the proximal and distal ends. The proximal end is enlarged transversely relative to the intermediate section. The valve body has an inner surface and a lumen. The inner surface which is within the intermediate section has a cross-sectional area which is smaller than a cross-sectional area of the inner surface which coincides with the proximal end to resist a flow through the lumen of the valve body from the proximal end to the intermediate section.
US08840676B2
A prosthesis trial system includes at least one head member having an outer surface and a cavity configured to mate with an exterior surface of a stem member. The prosthesis trial system further includes at least one shell member having an inner surface configured to mate with the outer surface of the at least one head member.
US08840669B2
Variable height intervertebral devices and method of employing the devices are disclosed. The devices and methods can maintain or re-establishing anatomic spacing along a spine and can ensure avoidance of long-term structural, neurological, vascular, and/or other systemic impairments. The intervertebral device includes a cylindrical body having a first end and a second end opposite the first end; a first disk threaded to the first end of the cylindrical body and a second disk mounted to the second end of the cylindrical body; means for rotating the cylindrical body whereby the first disk translates along the cylindrical body to vary the height of the device; and a plurality of pins mounted to one disk, the plurality of pins slidably engageable with a plurality of sleeves mounted to the other disk, the pins and sleeves inhibiting the first disk from rotating when the cylindrical body is rotated.
US08840664B2
Apparatus and methods for securing heart valve repair or replacement prostheses in or near the heart. The apparatus and methods are particularly well suited for traditional surgery or minimally invasive surgery. The invention secures a heart valve repair or replacement prosthesis in place while lowering surgical exposure. The invention improves the ease of implantation because it reduces the number of surgical knots a clinician would normally tie in the limited space in and around the heart.
US08840663B2
A method for percutaneously replacing a heart valve of a patient. In some embodiments the method includes the steps of percutaneously delivering a replacement valve and an expandable anchor to a vicinity of the heart valve in an unexpanded configuration; expanding the anchor to a deployed configuration in which the anchor contacts tissue at a first anchor site; repositioning the anchor to a second anchor site; and deploying the anchor at the second anchor site.
US08840661B2
An atraumatic heart valve prosthesis includes a prosthetic valve coupled to an expandable anchoring structure including a outflow portion configured to taper inwardly in a distal direction towards a central axis of the prosthesis. By this configuration, the distal end of the anchoring structure imparts less force upon the vessel wall (e.g., the aortic tunica intima) during continued expansion and contraction of the heart. The expandable anchoring structure can be balloon expandable or self-expanding.
US08840658B2
The present invention provides an electrical block implant sized and shaped for securement at the perimeter of the pulmonary ostium of the left atrium. By utilizing various expandable ring designs and optional anchoring mechanisms, the present invention causes even, circular scarring around the perimeter of the pulmonary ostium, achieving reliable blocking of aberrant electrical signals responsible for atrial fibrillation.
US08840650B2
The cervical plate locking mechanism of the present invention is elegant in its design and effective in its performance, and utilizes a plate with holes that each incorporate a locking lip structure and locking screws that each incorporate a head portion having petal structures that are outwardly biased prior to insertion via an internally-disposed c-ring or the like. Advantageously, the lead-in torque of each of the locking screws is less than the lead-out torque of each of the locking screws. Thus, reverse threading or backing out is prevented.
US08840644B2
In one embodiment, the present invention may include a system for securing soft tissue relative to a bone including a tissue anchor having a substantially planar body having a channel and at least one bore hole; an inserter rod having a longitudinal length and adapted to be positioned within the channel of the tissue anchor; and an engagement structure on at least one of the channel or the inserter rod adapted to removeably affix the tissue anchor to the inserter rod.
US08840636B2
Devices and methods for filtering blood. The devices generally comprise a mesh for filtering blood flowing within a blood vessel, particularly within an artery such as the aorta, a structure adapted to open and close the mesh within the blood vessel, and a device or method to actuate the structure. The methods generally include the steps of introducing a mesh into a blood vessel to entrap emboli material, and removing the mesh and the entrapped foreign matter from the blood vessel.
US08840634B2
A medical cutting device is disclosed in which a pivoted element (50) is actuated by a trigger (34) and a cutting blade (30) is attached to the pivoted element (50) by a flexible connector and cam elements (46, 49) cause the blade (30) to move in an essentially parabolic path when making an incision on a patient.
US08840628B2
The invention is directed to mainpulator assembly (2) for holding and manipulating a surgical instrument (14) in a telerobotic system. The assembly comprises a base (6) fixable by passive or power driven positioning devices to a surface, such as an operating table, and an instrument holder (4) movably mounted on the base. The instrument holder comprises a chassis (6) and an instrument support (70) movably mounted on the body and having an interface engageable with the surgical instrument to releasably mount the instrument to the instrument holder. A drive assembly (7) is operatively coupled to the instrument holder for providing the instrument with at least two degrees of freedom. The instrument holder is separable from the base and the drive assembly so that the holder can be sterilized. The assembly further includes a force sensing element (52) mounted distal to the holder and the drive assembly for detecting forces exerted on the surgical instrument and providing feedback to the surgeon. The assembly is attached to a remote center positioner (300) for constraining the instrument to rotate a point coincident with the entry incision and an inclinometer (350) for preventing gravitational forces acting on the system's mechanisms from being felt by the surgeon.
US08840626B2
Systems, methods, apparatus and devices for performing improved gynecologic and urologic procedures are disclosed. The system is configured to permit simultaneous tissue cutting and removal from a target site. The various embodiments enable procedures to be performed outside the hospital setting, such as in a doctor's office or clinic.
US08840621B2
A system for accessing a spine from a curved postero-lateral approach may include a curved cannula positioned along a curved path from an opening in the skin to a location proximate the spine. The location may be at the L4-L5 vertebral level, and the curved path may lie in a plane oblique to the transverse, coronal and sagittal planes of the spine, and avoid the iliac crest. A targeting post may be inserted adjacent the spine to determine the location, and a guide member may be inserted to establish the curved path. A micrometer assembly may adjust a cephalad-caudal displacement between the post and the guide member. One or more intermediate cannulas may be inserted over the guide member to dilate tissues prior to insertion of the main cannula. An interbody device may be implanted into an intervertebral space through the cannula.
US08840617B2
An interspinous process spacer diagnostic parallel balloon catheter and method. The balloon catheter has a plurality of main expandable members disposed one inside another, a distal expandable member and a proximal expandable member that all can be expanded from a collapsed configuration to an expanded configuration and then collapsed again to a collapsed configuration. The device can be used to determine whether a particular patient is a candidate for implantation of an interspinous process spacer to treat the symptoms of lumbar spinal stenosis and the size of such a spacer if indicated.
US08840610B2
An electrosurgical system is provided for the treatment of tissue, the system including an electrosurgical generator (1) for generating a radio frequency (RF) voltage, and an electrosurgical instrument (3) for the vaporization of tissue. The instrument (3) comprises an instrument shaft (10) having a longitudinal axis, and an electrode assembly at one end of the shaft. The electrode assembly comprises a tissue treatment electrode (11) and a return electrode (14, 25) electrically insulated one from another by means of an insulation member (12). The tissue treatment electrode (11) has an exposed surface (19) for treating tissue, the exposed surface of the tissue treatment electrode being laterally disposed on the instrument shaft (10), and being such that it presents a substantially planar face lying in a plane angled at between 120° and 177.5° to the longitudinal axis, with 0° and 180° being the proximal and distal directions of the longitudinal axis. The generator (1) is such that the magnitude of the RF voltage delivered to the tissue treatment electrode (11) is sufficient to cause tissue vaporization when the system is used for tissue treatment.
US08840599B2
A disposable diaper in the present invention is configured in such a manner that a section corresponding to a first portion at the longitudinal intermediate of the inner elastic members is designated as an unfixed section where a back sheet and an outer sheet are not fixed; a section corresponding to a second portion on the both longitudinal sides of the unfixed section is designated as a fixed section, where the back sheet and the outer sheet are fixed; the unfixed section with the inner elastic members is not fixed to the back sheet or the outer sheet, or is fixed only to the outer sheet; and the fixed section with the inner elastic members is fixed to the back sheet and the outer sheet.
US08840598B2
Wrappers having one or more tabs are provided. The wrapper can have a first end, a second end, and a center portion disposed between the first end and the second end. The wrapper can include a first joined portion at the second end and a tab extending from the joined portion outwardly from the feminine device. In certain embodiments, at least a portion of the withdrawal member can extend through the joined portion into the tab.
US08840594B2
A collector for fecal discharge is provided comprising a self-expanding resilient collection component, a housing sheath and a transit component. The collection component has an open proximal and distal end and a lumen connecting them. The component comprises interconnected resilient arms circumscribing its contour, wherein adjacent arms are resiliently biased away from each other for exerting outwardly radial pressure for expanding and anchoring the component to rectal walls upon deployment. The housing sheath comprises a flexible and resilient material overlaying at least one of inner or outer contour of collection component without interfering with or blocking its ends or lumen. The transit component provides a conduit for fecal discharge to migrate from collection component to a receptacle and comprises a flexible, tubular sheath having a first open end connected to a second end by a lumen, wherein the first end engages with the proximal end of the collection component.
US08840591B2
A drive mechanism for a medication delivery device containing a resilient member and having a rotation member configured to be rotated in a first direction during setting of a dose of a medication and to be rotated in a second direction during delivery of the dose, where rotation member is coupled to a drive member that is coupled to a piston rod such that on dose delivery the piston rod is displaced in a distal direction to dispense a medicament and where the resilient member prevents movement of the drive member and the piston rod during dose setting.
US08840586B2
A system includes a durable portion with a durable housing and a separable disposable portion with a disposable housing that selectively engage with and disengage from each other. The disposable housing secures to a patient and may be disposed of after it has been in use for a prescribed period. Components that normally come into contact with a patient or with an infusion medium may be part of the disposable portion to allow for disposal after a prescribed use. A reservoir for holding the infusion medium may be part of the disposable portion, and may be supported by the disposable housing. The durable portion may include other components such as electronics for controlling delivery of the infusion medium from the reservoir, and a drive device including a motor and drive linkage.
US08840578B2
An IOP control device for implantation in an eye of a patient is disclosed. The device includes a housing and a multilayer membrane. The housing is sized for implantation into the eye and includes an entrance port and an exit port. The membrane is anchored within the housing to form a flow control chamber on a first side and a fluid flow passageway on a second opposing side of the membrane. The chamber is arranged to contain a gas creating a chamber pressure, and the membrane is configured to affect flow through the passageway from the entrance port to the exit port by deflecting in response to changes in the chamber pressure. The membrane comprises a first layer having a higher permeability and a higher flexibility than the second layer, which is disposed adjacent the first layer and restricts the diffusion of gas in the chamber through the membrane.
US08840566B2
A catheter having an imaging device on its distal end serves as a guidewire for cannula tools, enabling the tools to be advanced to a desired site in a patient's body. One exemplary embodiment of such a catheter is a scanning fiber endoscope. The images facilitate navigation through linked body lumens and also enable an operator to view a site where a biopsy sample is to be taken with a cannula tool. Exemplary cannula tools include bristles or sharp points that scrub cells from adjacent tissue, a biopsy needle that can be thrust into tissue, a loop that cuts away tissue, a cutting edge that slices tissue from a site, and forceps. The sample can be carried by a bodily or introduced fluid to a proximal end of the catheter through an annular gap between the catheter and the cannula tool, or the cannula tool can retain the sample.
US08840564B2
Apparatus and methods are described, including a method for monitoring an onset of a respiratory episode in a subject. A plurality of respirations of the subject are sensed without contacting the subject, and a plurality of respiration signals corresponding to the plurality of respirations are generated. The plurality of respiration signals are combined to provide a characteristic respiration parameter of the subject. The onset of the respiratory episode is predicted from the characteristic respiration parameter. Other applications are also described.
US08840549B2
A modular patient monitor has a docking station configured to accept a handheld monitor. The docking station has standalone patient monitoring functionality with respect to a first set of parameters. At least some of the first parameter set are displayed simultaneously on a full-sized screen integrated with the docking station. The handheld monitor also has standalone patient monitoring functionality with respect to a second set of parameters. At least some of the second set of parameters are displayed simultaneously on a handheld-sized screen integrated with the handheld monitor. The docking station has a port configured to accept the handheld monitor. While the handheld monitor is docket in the port, the docking station functionally combines the first set of parameters and the second set of parameters, and at least some of the combined first and second sets of parameters are displayed simultaneously on the full-sized screen.
US08840543B2
A coupler for connecting an endoscope to a camera including a cylinder having a zoom lens and a focus lens therein. A zoom adjustment member engages the cylinder with a first coefficient of friction and is movable relative thereto to cause axial movement of the zoom lens. The zoom adjustment member is operatively connected to a focus adjustment member such that movement of the zoom adjustment member causes the focus adjustment member to move thereby moving both the zoom lens and the focus lens axially. The focus adjustment member engages the zoom adjustment member with a second coefficient of friction and is movable relative thereto to cause axial movement of the focus lens within the cylinder. The first coefficient of friction is greater than the second coefficient of friction such that movement of the focus adjustment member does not cause movement of the zoom adjustment member.
US08840537B2
Devices, systems and methods for treating bronchial constriction related to asthma, anaphylaxis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease include non-invasive nerve stimulators. The treatment comprises transmitting impulses of energy non-invasively to selected nerve fibers that are responsible for smooth muscle dilation. The transmitted energy impulses, comprising magnetic and/or electrical, mechanical and/or acoustic, and optical and/or thermal energy, stimulate the selected nerve fibers.
US08840515B2
A motor vehicle transmission with a main chamber in which rotation of an input shaft is converted and transmitted to a main shaft connected to a housing of a differential gearbox. The housing can drive two output gears such that different rotational speeds of the output gears can be produced by compensating elements of the differential gearbox. A clutch, with one side connected to the housing and another side connected to the output gear concerned, is provided between one of the two output gears and the housing. The two sides couple due to a pressure build up. The actuating chamber is completely separated from the main chamber and, in the area of the differential gearbox, an impermeable membrane is provided as a separator, which changes its shape as pressure builds up in the actuating chamber and actuates the clutch via an actuating device.
US08840509B2
A fluid supply system is provided for cooling and lubricating a transmission of an automobile, which includes, but is not limited to a cooling channel for cooling the transmission and a lubrication channel for lubricating the transmission. The lubrication channel communicates with the cooling channel via a shift valve. The shift valve is adapted to provide at least a first valve status, by which the cooling channel is connected to the lubrication channel via only one first valve path, and a second valve status, by which the cooling channel is connected to the lubrication channel via at least the first valve path and by which the cooling channel is connected in addition via a second valve path to a bypass channel bypassing the lubrication channel. Since at least two different valve statuses optimized for low and high power are provided, it is possible to reduce unnecessary spin losses over the whole range of applied powers. Further, there is no need for unfavorable compromises, so that a reduced flow generation loss over the whole range of applied powers is provided, while sufficient cooling and lubricating is safeguarded at the same time.
US08840508B2
A planetary gear set with a planet stage revolving in a gear set housing has a planet carrier which is connected in particular to a rotor and has planet web cheeks which are connected to one another by means of webs, and a plurality of planet gears which are mounted in planet gear bearings, which are connected to the planet carrier, and are in engagement on one side with a sun gear and on the other side with a ring gear. The gear set housing is provided with an oil supply channel which is connected to at least one oil-guiding channel in the planet carrier. The lubrication of the meshing engagements is facilitated in the planetary gear set by providing dry sump lubrication. This is achieved in that at least one channel connected to the oil-guiding channel is embedded in each web, said channel being aligned with the meshing engagements between sun gear and planet gear and/or planet gear and ring gear.
US08840501B2
A hybrid assembly having a single input and a single output is provided. The hybrid assembly may be operated in electronically variable, fixed gear, direct gear, and locked modes.
US08840491B2
Multi-layer golf balls having a soft, low compression center; a soft, flexible outer cover layer; and a relatively hard, high compression intermediate layer disposed between the center and the outer cover layer are provided. The outer surface hardness of the intermediate layer is greater than that of both the center and the outer cover layer.
US08840489B2
The putter face insert of the present invention reduces or eliminates backspin, and in some circumstances even imparts topspin, of a golf ball after impact with the putter face by including a contact surface with uniform thickness and at least one backing having non-uniform thickness. Generally, reducing initial backspin improves distance control and directional consistency of a golf ball when putting.
US08840483B1
This disclosure relates to an evaluation device and methods for evaluating the swing of a piece of athletic equipment. The evaluation device may include a microphone, an accelerometer, and a microcontroller configured to detect a stroke and ball strike and track the position of the athletic equipment in three-dimensional space. The evaluation device may also include a radio for wireless transmissions, a battery, and a sound tube connected to the microphone. The evaluation device can be used in conjunction with a host computer to store, and display data gathered by the evaluation device. In some methods, a stroke that is detected from a swing and a ball strike can be determined by comparing signals received from the accelerometer and the microphone to predetermined criteria.
US08840475B2
A computer-implemented method includes receiving a request by a hosting service center from a remote user to loin a multiplayer interactive twitch game or application already in progress, the multiplayer interactive twitch game or application running on a first server of the hosting service center and being played remotely by other players via first compressed streaming interactive video. Following a determination that the user may join the multiplayer interactive twitch game or application based on a set of criteria, an inbound routing network transfers control signals received from the remote user to the first server. Compression of the first compressed streaming interactive video is then synchronized as between the remote user and the other players such that the remote user has the perception that the multiplayer interactive twitch game or application is responding instantly to the request.
US08840470B2
A computer-implemented method is provided to automatically apply predefined privileges for identified and tracked users in a space having one or more media sources. The method includes an operation to define and save to memory, a user profile. The user profile may include data that identifies and tracks a user with a depth-sensing camera. In another operation privileges that define levels of access to particular media for the user profile are defined and saved. The method also includes an operation to capture image and depth data from the depth-sensing camera of a scene within the space. In yet another operation, the user is tracked and identified within the scene from the image and depth data. In still another operation the defined privileges are automatically applied to one or more media sources, so that the user is granted access to selected content from the one or more media sources.
US08840464B1
In some embodiments, a wagering game machine includes an interface configured to receive media information from an emotive lighting controller remote from the wagering game machine, wherein the media information indicates settings for media devices remote from the wagering game machine. The wagering game machine can also include an operating system configured to detect receipt of the media information over the interface, and to deliver the media information to a wagering game unit. The wagering game machine can also include the wagering game unit configured to receive the media information from the operating system, and select, based on the media information, one or more colors for graphical game elements of a wagering game. The wagering game unit can also present the wagering game including the graphical game elements, wherein the graphical game elements are colored according to the one or more colors.
US08840456B2
A gaming system including an offer and acceptance game including a series of offer component accumulations. One or more accumulated offer components are associated with one or more award values which form different offers for acceptance or rejection. One or more of such offer component accumulations are also associated with an elimination of one or more of any previously accumulated offer components. Such a configuration provides that when deciding whether to accept an offer (including the currently accumulated, non-eliminated offer components) or reject the offer and accumulate additional offer components, a player weighs the risks of eliminating one or more previously accumulated offer components.
US08840445B2
In order to be able to easily and sufficiently remove paint from the surface of a bumper, grooves or projections are provided on the surface of one roller, from among a pair of rollers on a roller apparatus (1), that comes into contact with the surface of the paint, and the paint is divided by making cuts in the paint by means of the grooves, or the like. In addition, by making the rotation speed of one roller faster than the other roller, the abovementioned cuts are widened further and the paint is divided into a plurality of narrow, strip-shaped pieces. When a sandblasting apparatus (2) sandblasts towards the strips of paint, and the like, from a diagonal direction, the sandblast strikes not only the surface of the paint but the edges of the cuts as well, whereby the paint can be efficiently removed.
US08840442B2
An apparatus to be used as a woman's undergarment is provided. The apparatus is a bra having a strap that fastens to the cups of the bra that protect and hold the breast of the user. The apparatus has a cup having at least a first layer which contacts the individual's skin. The apparatus further has a second layer which is directly opposed to the first layer and may contact the outer clothing of the individual. Moreover, the device has a third layer and/or insert which is positioned between the first layer and the second layer, and further wherein the third layer may provide an extra zone of thickness for the breast nipple and thereby may enable concealment of an erect breast nipple. The third layer may be of varying thickness and in an embodiment that may be thicker than the first and second layer and may be removable from the undergarment if desired.
US08840441B2
Disclosed is a bra for female breast support and formation that is particularly suited to provide the wearer a choice of support and shaping parameters. The bra comprises a pair of interconnected breast receiving cups, a conventional back strap and optional shoulder straps. A pair of skin gripping pads are sized and positioned to fit within the respective cups in a position to embrace the under and lateral side of the respective breast and include a selectively adjustable link interconnecting the support pads across and under the medial port ion of the bra. By shortening the link the support pads move laterally, drawing the breasts together. In a second embodiment the support pads may also be adjusted up and down by shortening or lengthening secondary shoulder straps that are attached to the upper portion of the respective pads and are positioned underneath the conventional bra shoulder straps.
US08840438B2
An independent hydraulic system for operating at least one first system used in the operation of a watercraft and adapted to be fluidly connected to one other independent hydraulic system for operating at least one second system used in the operation of the watercraft, so that actuating a driving actuator part of the independent hydraulic system, causes a flow of fluid to flow from the independent hydraulic system to the other independent hydraulic system.
US08840436B2
An electrically conducting terminal having capabilities to facilitate electrically connecting to one or more connectors is disclosed. The electrically conducting terminal may include a recessed end to receive a connector. The recessed end may include a resilient element, such as but not limited to a female contact, to facilitate electrical conductivity between the connector and the terminal. The electrically conducting terminal may include an end cap, end piece, or other feature to facilitate retaining the resilient element within the recessed end.
US08840422B2
An electronic device includes a housing, a circuit board, a display having a plug, a jack defined in the circuit board, a locking plate releasably fixed to the housing. The jack is electrically connected to the plug so the display is electrically connected to the circuit board. After a plug is inserted into the jack, the locking plate is fixed to the housing to impact the plug, thereby preventing the plug from disconnecting from the jack.
US08840421B2
An electrical connector assembly includes a receptacle connector and a plug connector. The receptacle connector includes a housing unit defining a mating cavity communicating with an exterior via an insertion opening at a front end thereof. A plurality of contact grooves are defined within the housing unit and extend along a front-to-rear direction. A plurality of contacts are arranged in the contact grooves in a side-by-side manner. A pair of elastic locking devices are disposed at opposite sides of the mating cavity and each has a pair of locking arms projecting into the mating cavity. The locking arms are formed within a common plane which is perpendicular to the front-to-rear direction. The plug connector is inserted into the mating cavity and clipped by the locking arms so as to realize a better retaining effect.
US08840415B2
A power cable connector includes a housing having a mating end and a cable end. The housing has a chamber extending between the mating end and the cable end. The housing has an engagement feature configured to engage a socket connector extending from a substrate. A flat cable is received in the chamber. The flat cable extends from the cable end. The flat cable has a mating portion extending from the mating end. The mating portion is configured to be received in the socket connector such that the flat cable directly engages a power terminal of the socket connector.
US08840405B2
A GPU connection apparatus for an aircraft towing vehicle comprising a vehicle-mounted ground power unit (GPU). The GPU includes a GPU cable having a first end which is connected to the GPU and a second end which includes a GPU connector that is configured to be plugged into a GPU receptacle on an aircraft to be towed. The GPU connection apparatus includes an intermediate cable having a first end which comprises a cable plug and a second end which comprises a cable receptacle. The cable plug is configured to be plugged into the GPU receptacle. In addition, the cable receptacle is configured to receive the GPU connector. In use of the GPU connection apparatus, the cable plug is plugged into the GPU receptacle and the GPU connector is plugged into the cable receptacle to thereby electrically connect the aircraft to the GPU.
US08840404B2
A rib cage assembly for a crash test dummy includes a rib cage member made of a plastic material.
US08840403B2
A wearable device for simulating wounds and injuries received during a trauma event includes a raiment and vest for covering the torso of a person. The raiment has an outer surface with a color and a texture comparable to human skin. Mounted on the outer surface is at least one wound simulator formed with an orifice that is in fluid communication with a fluid reservoir. Thus, the person can selectively expel a blood-like fluid from the reservoir, and through the wound simulator orifice, to simulate a trauma event. The vest includes an artificial rib cage and prosthetic internal organs juxtaposed with at least one wound simulator to simulate internal effects of a trauma event.
US08840375B2
A lock assembly includes a lock body with an undercut slot which receives a retaining wire of a polygon shape.
US08840374B2
An adaptor assembly for coupling a blade root of a turbine blade to a root slot of a rotor disk is described. The adaptor assembly includes a turbine blade having a blade root and an adaptor body having an adaptor root. The adaptor body defines a slot having an open end configured to receive the blade root of the turbine blade such that the adaptor root of the adaptor body and the blade root of the turbine blade are adjacent to one another when the blade root of the turbine blade is positioned within the slot. Both the adaptor root of the adaptor body and the blade root of the turbine blade are configured to be received within the root slot of the rotor disk.
US08840372B2
A set (10) of cyclic swashplates (11, 12) for controlling the pitch of blades (4) of a main rotor (1) of a rotorcraft. The set includes a non-rotary swashplate (12) retained against rotation about an axis of rotation (AX) and a rotary swashplate (11) suitable for rotating about the axis of rotation (AX). The set (10) also includes drive means (100) with a drive arm (101) and an annular linear connection means (200) secured to the rotary swashplate (11). A first end (110) of the drive arm (101) is connected to the rotary swashplate (11) by the annular linear connection means (200). A second end (120) of the drive arm (101) is connected to a rotor mast (2) by slideway connection means (300) of the drive means (100).
US08840369B2
A platform cooling arrangement in a turbine rotor blade having a platform, wherein the rotor blade includes an interior cooling passage, and wherein, in operation, the interior cooling passage comprises a high-pressure coolant region and a low-pressure coolant region, and wherein the platform includes a platform underside. The platform cooling arrangement may include: a first plate that resides inboard and in spaced relation to the platform underside and forming a first plenum; a second plate that resides inboard and in spaced relation to the first plate, the second plate forming a second plenum. The second plenum includes an inlet channel that connects to the high-pressure coolant region of the interior cooling passage, and the first plenum includes an outlet channel that connects to the low-pressure coolant region of the interior cooling passage.
US08840367B2
A particle trap for collecting loose particles includes a container having an enclosure and at least one opening, and a feed hopper, wherein the feed hopper is connected to the at least one opening of the container, and wherein the particle trap is adapted for collecting particles moving in a direction of an opening of the feed hopper. Further, a method for collecting particles inside a wind turbine rotor blade is disclosed.
US08840356B2
A workpiece transporting apparatus includes a hand, a rotating portion for rotatably holding the hand, an arm provided in the hand and having one end provided at the rotating portion, and a holding portion provided in the hand and provided to another end of the arm for holding a workpiece, in which a center portion of the holding portion is disposed with a predetermined interval from an axial line extended from a rotational center of the rotating portion toward another end of the arm.
US08840348B2
The invention relates to a self-locking screwing attachment device (1a, 1b) including a nut (2a, 2b) screwed onto a threaded tip (3a, 3b) extending in a screwing axis (X), characterized in that the nut (2a, 2b) includes: a first element (6a, 6b) rotating relative to the tip (3a, 3b) when screwing; a second element (13a, 13b) rotatably engaged with the tip (3b) or an adjacent part (5) to be assembled, the tip (3a) passing therethrough; a stop member (23a, 23b) rotatably secured to the first element (6a, 6b); a releasable coupling means (26a, 26b, 27a, 27b, 28a, 28b) between the stop member (23a, 23b) and the second element (13a, 13b), the nut also being provided with an area for direct clamping between a first clamping surface (20a, 20b) of the first element (6a, 6b) and a second clamping surface (21a, 21b) of the second element (13a, 13b), when the second element (13a, 13b) axially engages with the tip (3a, 3b) or said adjacent part (5) to be assembled.
US08840347B2
A drill of the loose top type, which is composed of a basic body and a replaceable loose top. In the front end of the basic body, a jaw is formed, which is delimited by two elastically bendable branches and an intermediate axial support surface, and in which the loose top can be securely pinched by inner support surfaces of the branches being resiliently pressed against side contact surfaces of the loose top. The two side contact surfaces of the loose top extend rearward from clearance surfaces that are included in the front end of the loose top. By forming the diametrical dimension between opposite side contact surfaces greater nearer the front end of the loose top, the branches of the jaw securely pinch the loose top in the area of the front ends thereof, where the branches have their maximal bending capacity.
US08840344B2
An adjustable hole cutter for cutting a hole with a predetermined diameter in sheet or panel material includes a blade holder that moves along a track or slot to alter a diameter of the cut hole; a blade arc adjuster coupled to the blade holder; and one or more replaceable blade segments coupled to the blade holder.
US08840342B2
A cutting insert for use in a chipforming material removal operation that includes a cutting insert body, which has a seating surface, a flank face, and a corner cutting region at the intersection of a peripheral edge and the flank adjacent corresponding corners thereof. The cutting insert body contains a central aperture. The seating surface contains a coolant delivery trough, which has a radial orientation toward a corresponding corner cutting region. The coolant delivery trough has a radial outward end terminating at the peripheral edge and a radial inward end opening into the central aperture. There are a pair of lateral topographic regions wherein the one lateral topographic region is along one side of the coolant delivery trough and the other lateral topographic region is along other side of the coolant delivery trough.
US08840340B2
There is described an apparatus and method for deploying a sensor array comprising a plurality of sensors (5) joined together by connection cables (6) in one or more “chains”, and connected to an input/output device (8). An input/output connection unit (7, 15) is provided on a carrier (10), and the sensors are held on or in deployment devices (14a-14e) mounted to the carrier with their connection cables (6) connected to the input/output connection unit (7, 15). The input/output device (8) may also be mounted to the carrier, and connected to the connection unit (7, 15). The carrier (10), sensors, and input/output device (8) may be delivered as a single package to the area where the sensor array is to be deployed. The sensors are then moved from the carrier to their final positions. The deployment devices (14a-14e) may be detached from the carrier and moved sequentially to the sensor positions, and a sensor may be removed from the deployment device at each sensor position.
US08840337B2
A screed die box includes a screed die bucket, a screed die box gate, a screed die box lever, a screed plate, and a positioning member. The screed die box gas is slidably connected at the bottom of the screed die bucket. The screed die box lever is rotatably connected to the screed die bucket and the screed die box gate for sliding the screed die box gate between an open position and a closed position. The screed plate is slidably connected along an aft side of the screed die bucket and includes a positioning aperture. The positioning member is located in the screed die bucket and engages the screed plate, the positioning member sliding the screed plate as the positioning member is rotated.
US08840332B2
Mascara sample dispenser applicators have a mascara applicator including a rod and a tip for applying the mascara to the eyelashes of the user. A receptacle contains a small amount of mascara and includes both a first opening through which the rod passes and a second opening through which the applicator tip is pushed out by translation of the rod relative to the receptacle, allowing the user to apply mascara. The second opening may be hermetically sealed by a film that cannot be returned to its original position or condition after use.
