US07767284B2
The object of the present invention is to provide an optical recording medium which comprises a substrate, and a first information layer and a second information layer disposed on the substrate, and an intermediate layer disposed between the first information layer and the second information layer, wherein any one of recording and reproducing is performed in the first information layer and the second information layer by irradiating a laser beam from the first information layer side, the second information layer comprises a protective layer, a second dye layer which comprises an organic dye, an oxidized layer, and a reflective layer in this order from the laser beam irradiation side, and the oxidized layer comprises an oxide which is a material constituting the reflective layer.
US07767283B2
The present invention relates to a package of a polyolefin polymer, wherein it comprises an addition of a pro-oxidant in the form of at least one salt of a metal of the group consisting of Mn, Fe, Cu, Co, and Ni, whereby the polyolefin is provided with a filler in the form of a mineral, such as calcium carbonate, such as talc, crushed marble, chalk, including nano particles thereof, calcite, silica, and nano particle clays, a filler in the form of natural fiber such as cellulose fiber, wood fiber, powderous wood or china grass, rice spelt, and starch.
US07767281B2
The present invention relates to an inkjet recording element showing good dye keeping in time and then good image stability. Said element comprises a support and at least one ink-receiving layer, said ink-receiving layer comprising at least allophane-type amorphous spherical or ring-shaped aluminosilicate particles, said aluminosilicate particles having been submitted to an acidic treatment. Said particles can be natural allophane, purified or not, or allophane obtained by synthesis.
US07767268B2
A spray coated member having an excellent resistance to plasma erosion is produced by irradiating an electron beam to an outermost surface layer portion of a ceramic spray coated portion covering a surface of a substrate to form an electron beam irradiated layer.
US07767263B2
A method of manufacturing a mould part (8) for forming an article. The method comprises: providing a master (1) of an aluminium alloy or a zinc alloy with a surface (7) corresponding to the surface of the article to be formed by the mould part. A copper layer (3) is deposited on top of the master surface (7). Then a mould part layer (4) of nickel, a nickel alloy, cobalt or a cobalt alloy is plated on top of the copper layer. The master (1) is dissolved in a solution. The copper layer (3) is selectively etched from the mould part layer (4) in an alkaline etchant comprising free Cu(II) ions, a first complexing agent forming strong complexes with Cu(I) ions but not Ni ions or Co ions, a second complexing agent forming strong complexes with Cu(II) ions but not Ni ions or Co ions. Oxygen is supplied to the etchant for oxidizing Cu(I) ions to Cu (II) ions.
US07767262B2
A method of forming a nitrided high-k film by disposing a substrate in a process chamber and forming the nitrided high-k film on the substrate by a) depositing a nitrogen-containing film, and b) depositing an oxygen-containing film, wherein steps a) and b) are performed in any order, any number of times, so as to oxidize at least a portion of the thickness of the nitrogen-containing film. The oxygen-containing film and the nitrogen-containing film contain the same one or more metal elements selected from alkaline earth elements, rare earth elements, and Group IVB elements of the Periodic Table, and optionally aluminum, silicon, or aluminum and silicon. According to one embodiment, the method includes forming a nitrided hafnium based high-k film. The nitrided high-k film can be formed by atomic layer deposition (ALD) or plasma-enhanced ALD (PEALD).
US07767256B2
Methods for preparing porous inorganic coatings on porous supports using certain pore fillers, and porous supports coated with porous inorganic coatings. The porous inorganic coatings may serve as membranes useful in, for example, liquid-liquid, liquid-particulate, gas-gas, or gas-particulate separation applications.
US07767255B2
An information storage medium with an array of laterally magnetised dots, as well as a process for producing this medium is disclosed.Each dot (2) contains at least one magnetic domain formed by a thin layer (4) of at least a magnetic material laterally covering this flat material and deposited at oblique incidence relative to the normal (z) to the plane (6) of the array. The invention applies in particular to computer hard drives.
US07767252B2
A droplet discharge apparatus is used in a multilayer structure forming method of the invention. The multilayer structure forming method includes: discharging droplets of a first conductive material to form a first conductive material pattern on a surface of an object; baking the first conductive material pattern to form a wiring pattern; discharging droplets of a first insulating material including a first photo-curable material to form a first insulating material pattern bordering via holes on the wiring pattern; curing the first insulating material pattern to form a first insulating pattern bordering the via holes; making the surface of the object lyophilic; discharging droplets of a second insulating material including a second photo-curable material to form a second insulating material pattern that covers the wiring pattern and the surface of the object which has been made lyophilic, and surrounds the first insulating pattern; and curing the second insulating material pattern to form a second insulating pattern that surrounds the first insulating pattern. In addition, preferably, the first conductive material includes silver (Ag) nanoparticles.
US07767242B2
Disclosed is a peeled whole dried infused buoyant cranberry. Further a process for preparing the cranberry is disclosed. The process includes sizing individually quick frozen cranberries by collecting those that pass through a mesh screen with 16 millimeter openings and that are retained on a mesh screen with openings of 9 millimeters. The sized cranberries are then peeled and infused in an infusion solution having a Brix of from 40 to 80 at a temperature of from 29 to 44° C.±5° C. until the cranberries have a Brix of at least about 40. The cranberries are removed from the infusion solution and dried at a temperature of from 73 to 85° C. until they have a water activity level of from 0.25 to 0.6 and a buoyancy of at least 30%. The final dried infused cranberry preferably has a Brix of 76 to 84.
US07767225B2
A capsule formulation of pirfenidone is provided that includes pharmaceutically acceptable excipients. In one embodiment, this capsule formulation is capable of sustaining desirable pharmacokinetic responses in a patient. Further provided are methods of treating fibrotic conditions and other cytokine-mediated disorders by administering pirfenidone capsules of such formulation to a patient in need.
US07767223B2
Methods for reducing or preventing transplant rejection in the eye of an individual are described, comprising: a) performing an ocular transplant procedure; and b) implanting in the eye a bioerodible drug delivery system comprising an immunosuppressive agent and a bioerodible polymer.
US07767210B2
The invention is a vaccine, and method of vaccination, against RNA viruses, including RNA viruses in the family Flaviviridae, which includes for example West Nile Virus, Yellow fever virus, Dengue fever virus, Hepatitis C virus, Pestiviruses, Bovine viral diarrhea virus, and Classical Swine fever virus, wherein the vaccine comprises the RNA virus or immunogenic portions thereof, which have been treated with and rendered non-pathogenic by a phenothiazine dye and visible light. The invention includes novel strains of WNV for use in producing a vaccine.
US07767205B2
The invention provides anti-EphB2 antibodies, immunoconjugates, and compositions comprising and methods of using these antibodies and immunoconjugates.
US07767202B2
The invention provides methods and compositions for the modulation of systemic immune responses by transplantation of hematopoietic stem cells transduced with genes encoding antigens and antigen presenting cell regulatory molecules. The invention includes bi-cistronic lentiviral expression vectors adapted for antigen expression in antigen presenting cells for use in DNA vaccines directed against pathogens and tumor antigens as well as for the treatment of autoimmune disease and for the establishment of antigen tolerance.
US07767199B2
The expression vectors and methods using an E. coli expression system for the large scale production of IL-21 are described. The vectors utilize the IL-21 coding sequence with specific changes in nucleotides in order to optimize codons and mRNA secondary structure for translation in E. coli. Using the expression vectors, the IL-21 gene was produced in E. coli to a level of greater than 1 g/L in fed batch fermentation. Also included are OmpT deficient E. coli strains transformed with an IL-21 expression vector.
US07767192B1
A molecular sieve comprising crystals or agglomerates of average diameter 100 nanometers or less, which molecular sieve has a crystal or agglomerate size distribution such that the variance in the longest dimension is less than 15% of the average longest dimension, and which is capable of forming a collodial suspension, may be prepared by producing a boiling aqueous synthesis mixture of a silica source and an organic structure directing agent in the form a hydroxide in an amount sufficient to cause substantially complete dissolution of the silica source, and crystallizing the solution at 120° C. or less. The crystal size may be controlled by selection of an appropriate crystallization temperature.
US07767189B2
A method for preparing lithium transitional metal oxides, comprises the steps of: preparing a carbonate precursor using the following substeps: forming a first aqueous solution containing a mixture of at least two of the ions of the following metal elements (“Men+”): cobalt (Co), nickel (Ni), and manganese (Mn); forming a second aqueous solution containing ions of CO32−; and mixing and reacting the first solution and the second solution to produce the carbonate precursor, Ni1-x-yCoxMnyCO3; and preparing the lithium transition metals oxide from the carbonate precursors using the following substeps: evenly mixing Li2CO3 and the carbonate precursor; calcinating the mixed material in high temperature; and cooling and pulverizing the calcinated material to obtain the lithium transition metal oxide, Li Ni1-x-yCoxMnyO2.
US07767180B2
Precipitated silicas having an SiOHisolated absorbance ratio of greater than or equal to 1, may be used as reinforcers and thickeners for sealants.
US07767173B2
The invention provides a filtration apparatus for volume-reduced gel-state polystyrene resin which can remove foreign matter contained in volume-reduced gel-state polystyrene resin by continuously and effectively filtering the volume-reduced gel-state polystyrene resin.The filtration apparatus includes a filtration unit 11 in the form of a hollow cylinder having an outer peripheral surface formed of a filter portion 12 for filtering volume-reduced gel-state polystyrene resin; a spiral plate 31 provided on the inner surface of the filtration unit 11, projecting toward the inside of the filtration unit 11 and spiraling in the axial direction of the filtration unit 11; and a holding/driving portion 19 for holding both axial ends of the filtration unit 11 and for rotating the filtration unit 11 about the axis thereof; wherein the filtration unit 11 is disposed so that the axial direction thereof is positioned generally horizontal, and the volume-reduced gel-state polystyrene resin is fed from the first end of the filtration unit 11 to the inside thereof while the filtration unit 11 is rotated by means of the holding/driving portion 19, whereby the volume-reduced gel-state polystyrene resin is continuously separated into volume-reduced gel-state polystyrene resin having passed through the filter portion 12 and foreign matter contained in the volume-reduced gel-state polystyrene resin and transferred to the second end of the filtration unit 11 by means of the spiral plate 31.
US07767169B2
Systems in accordance with embodiments of the present invention can include an air transporter-conditioner having a housing with an inlet and an outlet. An ion generator is disposed within the housing, the ion generator being adapted to create an airflow between the inlet and the outlet. The ion generator can comprise a emitter electrode array and a collector electrode array, with a voltage generator electrically connecting the arrays. A grid having a photocatalytic coating can further be disposed within the housing such that the grid is upstream of the arrays, and within an airflow generated by the ion generator. An activator, for example a UV lamp, can still further be disposed within the housing and upstream of the arrays, and positioned such that the grid is irradiated by UV light from the UV lamp, activating the photocatalyst and causing VOCs to breakdown in the presence of the photocatalyst.
US07767158B2
A surface light-emitting device having a surface emitter for emitting visible light or ultraviolet light by electroluminescence also has multiple through-holes that define fluid channels for fluid flow in a direction orthogonal to the surface of the surface emitter. The present invention also provides an optically assisted ceramic filter composed of a ceramic filter having multiple channels, and a photocatalytic layer and surface emitter disposed on a side surface of the ceramic filter.
US07767157B2
A system and method are disclosed for increasing the concentration of hypochlorous acid in a quantity of water. Acid is injected into chlorinated water to decrease the pH of the chlorinated water. By decreasing the pH, the hypochlorite/hypochlorous acid equilibrium of the chlorinated water is shifted to increase the concentration of hypochlorous acid on the treated water.
US07767153B2
A microtitration plate has a frame (2) made of a first stiff plastic and having a plate (4) with multiplicity of holes (2′), and a multiplicity of vessels (3) made of a second plastic suited for the PCR and/or exhibiting permeability to oxygen, which are fixedly connected to the plate (4) by directly molding them to the holes (6), which have a receiving portion (9, 10, 11) protruding from an underside (8) of the plate (4), and which are accessible from an upper surface (7) of the plate through apertures (15).
US07767152B2
A sample, or slide, retaining tray includes a reagent reservoir, or recess, and a reaction chamber. A slide, or other sample container, can be positioned on the sample retaining tray as desired, with a tissue specimen face down, between a platen on the tray and the slide. A reagent from the reservoir is rendered flowable, such as by heating, and flows from the reservoir into the reaction chamber. Optionally, reagents or other fluids can be provided from above, by dripping onto a drip surface of the sample retaining tray, or below via an inlet port in the platen.
US07767150B1
Apparatus and methods for detecting the presence of an airborne chemical or biological analyte utilise:a substantially gas- and liquid-impermeable container; means for introducing a substantially analyte-free collection liquid into said container; means for rapidly sampling ambient air and transferring said analyte therefrom into said collection liquid, said sampling means comprising an air intake means and and an air venting means; and-means for removing from said container an analyte-enriched collection liquid; wherein said volume of air passes through a substantially horizontal air inlet and upwardly through a substantially vertical collector electrode tube with means for applying an electric field between said tube and a co-axial spiked wire- or rod-shaped discharge electrode.
US07767145B2
A monitoring system enables in-situ monitoring of a solution enclosed within a high-pressure, closed loop environment. The monitoring system includes a calcium fluoride disk that is substantially transparent to infrared light. A hole is configured through the disk and a solution passes through the hole. Solution passing through the hole is analyzed by directing infrared light through the disk and the solution currently moving through the hole in the disk. The light exiting the disk is collected and analyzed to determine the composition of the solution through which the light passed.
US07767144B2
The invention relates to a rapid diagnosis device with a device housing, on which there is provided a push-in opening for a test strip. The test strip is evaluated inside the rapid diagnosis device. On the device housing there is formed a housing opening, which can be closed by a cover or flap element. The cover or flap element is assigned a locking body. The locking body is formed as a spring element which comprises a clip portion, which assumes a position locking the spring element when the test strip has been pushed into the push-in opening of the rapid diagnosis device.
US07767140B2
A method for manufacturing ZnO nanowires with a small diameter and increased length and a device comprising the same. The manufacturing method includes: forming a ZnO seed layer containing a hydroxyl group on a substrate; and growing ZnO nanowires on the ZnO seed layer containing the hydroxyl group. Preferably, the ZnO seed layer is a thin ZnO seed layer containing more than 50% of the hydroxyl group.
US07767134B2
Disclosed is a method for forming an article with template shaped channels by (a) mixing a precursor with a fibrous template, (b) forming the mixture into a pre-determined shape, (c) curing the mixture to form a precursor composite, (d) carbonizing the precursor composite, and (e) decomposing the fibrous template to yield a shaped carbon article with template shaped channels.
US07767133B2
The invention provides methods and apparatus for producing flexible, stretchable, and/or elastic products comprised principally of material such as natural elastomers and other synthetic polymers. The method and apparatus for producing stretchable products by spraying product material over a workpiece former, and method and apparatus for creating perforated products by spraying product material over a perforated surface or partly breathable surface, The invention also provides methods and apparatus for making double sided fibre coating of the product and, or to at least coating the product surface on the side facing the wall without the need for removing the product from the wall. The method and apparatus also enable easy removal of the product from the former. Workpiece formers are also provided.
US07767129B2
The invention comprises methods of patterning a plurality of substrates, and imprint templates used in imprint lithography. In one implementation, a method of patterning a plurality of substrates includes providing an imprint template having a plurality of spaced features. A first substrate is imprinted with the imprint template effective to form a plurality of recesses into the first substrate from the spaced features. After imprinting the first substrate, an elevationally outermost portion of the spaced features is removed effective to reduce elevation of the spaced features. After the removing, a second substrate is imprinted with the imprint template using the elevation-reduced spaced features effective to form a plurality of recesses into the second substrate from the elevation-reduced spaced features. Other aspects and implementations are contemplated.
US07767128B2
Method of forming a curved composite structure are provided. In one embodiment, the method includes contacting at least one ply of preimpregnated material on a first surface of a curved mandrel. The first surface of the mandrel has a first radius of curvature. The mandrel further has at least one second surface that has a second radius of curvature. A tension gradient is introduced on the ply adjacent to the first radius of curvature and the ply is then pressed over the curved mandrel to form the curved composite structure.
US07767111B2
A surface conditioner contains zinc phosphate particles of D50 of 3 μm or less and has a pH of 3 to 12, and also contains at least one of (1) carboxylate group-containing copolymers obtained by copolymerizing a monomer composition containing at least one species selected from acrylic acid, maleic acid, maleic anhydride, itaconic acid and itaconic anhydride in an amount less than 50% by weight and at least one species selected from the group consisting of a sulfonic acid monomer, styrene, olefin monomers, amino group-containing monomers and certain polyoxyalkylene derivatives, (2) certain polyamino acids, and (3) certain phosphate esters.
US07767102B2
The present invention is directed to methods to harvest, integrate and exploit nanomaterials, and particularly elongated nanowire materials. The invention provides methods for harvesting nanowires that include selectively etching a sacrificial layer placed on a nanowire growth substrate to remove nanowires. The invention also provides methods for integrating nanowires into electronic devices that include placing an outer surface of a cylinder in contact with a fluid suspension of nanowires and rolling the nanowire coated cylinder to deposit nanowires onto a surface. Methods are also provided to deposit nanowires using an ink-jet printer or an aperture to align nanowires. Additional aspects of the invention provide methods for preventing gate shorts in nanowire based transistors. Additional methods for harvesting and integrating nanowires are provided.
US07767098B2
The present invention teaches a method for separating a fat component of a fluid-fat mixture extracted from a patient. More particularly, the method of invention places a sponge formed of a fluid-absorbing material, such as polyvinyl acetal, in contact with the mixture so as to absorb the fluid component, thereby separating the fat component of the mixture. The separated fat component can then be injected into a selected body portion of the patient.
US07767082B2
A molecular arrangement magnetic treatment apparatus and method includes an apparatus including a material passageway configured for having material flow therethrough and at least one pair of magnets oriented such that material in the material passageway passes through a magnetic field effect produced by the at least one pair of magnets. Further, each magnet of the at least one pair of magnets is allowed to move independent of each other such that the magnetic field effect at least partially influences relative placement of each magnet of the at least one pair of magnets.
US07767079B2
An amalgam separator for purifying a waste stream that contains a mixture of air and waste liquid. The amalgam separator contains filter media that comprises a sulfur-impregnated carrier and an ion exchange resin, wherein the ion exchange resin is present at a concentration of from about 25 to about 75 weight percent. During its operation, the amalgam separator separates the waste stream into air and waste liquid portions, purifies the waste liquid portion, and then combines the purified waste liquid portion with the air.
US07767076B2
The reforming of heavy oil with supercritical water or subcritical water is accomplished by mixing together supercritical water, heavy oil, and oxidizing agent, thereby oxidizing vanadium in heavy oil with the oxidizing agent at the time of treatment with supercritical water and separate vanadium oxide. The separated vanadium oxide is removed by the scavenger after treatment with supercritical water. In this way it is possible to solve the long-standing problem with corrosion of turbine blades by vanadium which arises when heavy oil is used as gas turbine fuel.
US07767073B2
Use of an organic compound salt of general formula A-XY (I) wherein A means an organic residue, X means a charged group and Y means a counter-ion, as a reagent in an electrochemical reaction and organic compound salt corresponding to the formula R1R2ZC-T-Q-XY wherein X is a charged group, Y is a counter-ion, Z is a group capable of being substituted, R1 and R2 mean organic residues, T means a group containing a hetero atom selected among N-R4, O and S, and Q means a connecting group linking the hetero atom and the charged group.
US07767068B2
The present invention relates to planar electrochemical sensors with membrane coatings used to perform chemical analyses. The object of this invention is to provide unit-use disposable sensors of very simple and inexpensive construction, preferably with only a single membrane coating on an electrode. The invented devices are potentiometric salt-bridge reference electrodes and dissolved gas sensors constructed with a heterogeneous membrane coating of a conductor. The heterogeneous membrane, which is an intimate admixture of a hydrophobic and a hydrophilic compartment, concurrently supports constrained transport of non-volatile species through its hydrophilic compartment and rapid gas and water vapor transport through its hydrophobic compartment.
US07767066B2
An electrochemical reactor and process for electrolyzing a substance to change at least a portion of the substance from a first state to a second state. The reactor comprises a tubular body having a first end portion defining an opening and a second end portion defining an electrolysis chamber. The electrolysis chamber includes a well adapted to hold the substance and at least two electrodes for electrolyzing the substance in the well. The volume of the well is less than about 3 milliliters. The reactor further comprises a coupling for releasably and sealingly connecting the reactor body to an auxiliary device body. The coupling is adapted to provide a vacuum tight seal between the reactor body and the auxiliary device and to allow the reactor body to rotate about an axis of rotation independent of the auxiliary device while the reactor body is sealingly connected to the auxiliary device.
US07767054B2
A plasma processing apparatus includes a vacuum processing chamber, supplying means for introducing a processing gas into the vacuum processing chamber, a mounting electrode in the vacuum processing chamber for mounting a specimen on the mounting electrode, and a pusher pin for raising the specimen placed on the mounting electrode and holding the specimen over the mounting electrode, wherein the mounting electrode includes an inner area for mounting the specimen, an outer area for mounting a focus ring, and a high-frequency power source for supplying electric power to the inner area and the outer area, and wherein high-frequency electric power is applied to the outer area to generate plasma at the outer edge of the backside of the specimen while the specimen is raised with the pusher pin.
US07767039B2
A martensitic stainless steel having a resistance to sulfide stress corrosion cracking superior to Super 13 Cr steel and having a strength and corrosion resistance comparable to dual phase stainless steels has a chemical composition consisting essentially of, in mass %, C: 0.001-0.1%, Si: 0.05-1.0%, Mn: 0.05-2.0%, P: at most 0.025%, S: at most 0.010%, Cr: 11-18%, Ni: 1.5-10%, sol. Al: 0.001-0.1%, N: at most 0.1%, O: at most 0.01%, Cu: 0-5%, solid solution Mo: 3.5-7%, the composition satisfying the following Equation (1), optionally at least one element selected from at least one of the following Groups A-C, and a remainder of Fe and impurities and undissolved Mo, if undissolved Mo is present. Ni-bal.=30(C+N)+0.5(Mn+Cu)+Ni+8.2−1.1(Cr+Mo+1.5Si)≧−4.5 Equation (1) Group A—W: 0.2-5% Group B—V: 0.001-0.50%, Nb: 0.001-0.50%, Ti: 0.001-0.50%, and Zr: 0.001-0.50% Group C—Ca: 0.0005-0.05%, Mg: 0.0005-0.05%, REM: 0.0005-0.05%, and B: 0.0001-0.01%.
US07767037B2
A stainless steel pipe for use in oil wells which has a high strength having a YS of 654 MPa or more and superior corrosion resistance even in a severe corrosive environment in which CO2 and are present and the temperature is high, such as up to 230° C. The pipe contains on a mass percent basis: 0.005% to 0.05% of C; 0.05% to 0.5% of Si; 0.2% to 1.8% of Mn; 0.03% or less of P; 0.005% or less of S; 15.5% to 18% of Cr; 1.5% to 5% of Ni; 1% to 3.5% of Mo; 0.02% to 0.2% of V; 0.01% to 0.15% of N; 0.006% or less of 0; and the balance being Fe and unavoidable impurities, in which Cr+0.65Ni+0.6Mo+0.55Cu−20C≧19.5 and Cr+Mo+0.3Si−43.5C−0.4Mn−Ni−0.3Cu−9N≧11.5 are satisfied (where Cr, Ni, Mo, Cu, C, Si, Mn, and N represent the respective contents on a mass percent basis). In addition, quenching treatment and tempering treatment are preferably performed, so that the pipe preferably has a texture containing a martensite phase as a primary phase and 10 to 60 percent by volume of a ferrite phase, or further containing 30 percent by volume or less of an austenite phase. Furthermore, at least one of Al, Cu, Nb, Ti, Zr, W, B, and Ca may also be contained.
US07767031B2
A diesel particulate filter of a motor vehicle is cleaned of diesel particulate material like ash and possibly soot, typically using equipment already available in a service shop following the method and diesel particulate filter cleaning apparatus of the invention. The diesel particulate filter cleaning apparatus has an air chamber that is coupled to a vibrator and is attached to the diesel particulate filter. The vibrator vibrates the air chamber and the diesel particulate filter to dislodge the diesel particulate material. Air is introduced into the air chamber and into the diesel particulate filter to further remove the diesel particulate material from the diesel particulate filter.
US07767030B2
The present application relates to a method and device for cleaning surfaces. In one embodiment, a cleaning device includes a cleaning tool, a motor, a reservoir, an extractor, and a recovery tank. The reservoir stores fluid and may act as a base of the cleaning device. The extractor suctions used fluid from the surface and may be removably attached to the reservoir such that the extractor may be raised and lowered relative to the surface. The recovery tank stores the used fluid from the extractor and may be located adjacent the reservoir. The reservoir may also be formed to fit at least partially around the motor. The cleaning device may also be designed such that at least a portion of the weight of the fluid in the reservoir and the used fluid in the recovery tank is over the cleaning tool.
US07767021B2
A growing method of a SiC single crystal includes the steps of thermal treatment of a high purity SiC source for decreasing a specific surface area and increasing a ratio of α-phase and making a mole fraction of C greater than that of Si in the source, providing the SiC source into a crucible, arranging a SiC seed in the crucible, and growing the SiC single crystal by heating the SiC source.
US07767012B2
A recording liquid to be attached in a droplet state to an object for the purpose of recording on the object is disclosed, which contains a coloring matter, a solvent for dissolving or dispersing the coloring matter therein, and at least one cyclic aliphatic compound represented by the following chemical formula (1): wherein Ra and Rb each represents an alkyl group of from 1 to 3 carbon atoms and are satisfied with the relation of [2≦(Ra+Rb)≦4].
US07767007B2
Solid adsorbents, following their use for mercury removal from flue gas, that do not interfere with the ability of air-entraining additives (such as surfactants) to form stable bubbles when added to fly ash containing the adsorbents. The interference is overcome by heating the materials used in the manufacture of the adsorbent so that magnesium hydroxide and/or one or more alkali compounds containing one or more silicate, aluminate, and/or phosphate moiety, added or already present in the materials, binds multivalent cations present in the materials that could otherwise interfere with the surfactant activity.
US07766979B2
This invention relates to a method for phase transformation in molecular solids and the use of high-energy mills of said method.
US07766969B2
An implant for on a resected articulation surface of a bone includes a tray having a top surface and opposition surface. An opening extends completely through the tray between the top surface and the bone apposition surface. A bearing member is mounted on the top surface of the tray, the bearing member having a top articular surface. Anchor downwardly projects away from the bone apposition surface of the tray, the anchor being adapted to engage the bone and being configured so that the anchor can selective pass completely through the opening of the tray. A fastener connects the anchor to the tray.
US07766967B2
Intervertebral disc nucleus replacement implants and methods are provided. The nucleus replacement implant, which is configured to reside within an intervertebral disc nucleus space, includes a core support structure, including a rotatable member and multiple vertebral support structures. The vertebral support structures are disposed in spaced relation with the rotatable member positioned therebetween. The implant further includes an elastic body at least partially surrounding the core support structure. When the rotatable member is in the first orientation, the implant is in a compressed height configuration to facilitate insertion of the implant into the intervertebral disc nucleus space, and when the rotatable member is in the second orientation, the implant is in an extended height configuration to facilitate use of the implant as a prosthetic intervertebral disc nucleus replacement.
US07766961B2
Bifurcated delivery assemblies provide bilateral access to first and second branch lumens extending from a main body space or lumen in a patient. One or more interventional devices are combined with the delivery assemblies for delivery s into one or both of the branch lumens. Bilateral renal stenting or embolic protection procedures are performed using the combination delivery/interventional device assemblies. Fluids may also be injected or aspirated from the assemblies. A bifurcated catheter has a first fluid port located on one bifurcation branch, a second fluid port located on a second branch of the bifurcation, and a third fluid port positioned so as to be located within a vena cava when the first and second ports are positioned bilaterally within first and second renal veins.
US07766957B2
A stent is formed as a substantially tubular body possessing an outer diameter suitable for insertion into an organism, with the body being expandable when a radially outwardly directed expansion force is applied from inside the tubular body. The stent is fabricated from an alloy containing at least two noble metals selected among gold, platinum, silver, and copper, with the alloy possessing a density of not less than 14 g/cm3, a proof stress of not less than 300 MPa, and a elongation-to-break of not less than 20%.
US07766954B2
This invention is a system for the treatment of body passageways; in particular, vessels with vascular disease. The system includes an endovascular graft with a low-profile delivery configuration and a deployed configuration in which it conforms to the morphology of the vessel or body passageway to be treated as well as various connector members and stents. The graft is made from an inflatable graft body section and may be bifurcated. One or more inflatable cuffs may be disposed at either end of the graft body section. At least one inflatable channel is disposed between and in fluid communication with the inflatable cuffs.
US07766939B2
An elastically curved suture anchor is resiliently straightened and delivered into tissue by a needle. When the needle is withdrawn, resumption of the curvature provides leverage for anchor rotation as the attached suture is pulled to fasten the anchor within the tissue. A fin at the proximal end of the anchor further increases the rotational leverage and expedites anchor fastening. When two or more anchors with connecting suture are delivered in series on a needle, the tension of the suture helps to draw the anchors together and approximates the pierced tissue.
US07766938B2
The invention discloses a method of treating a patient for pleural effusion comprising percutaneously delivering an adhesive material to a pleural space of the patient. Suitable adhesive materials for performing any of the embodiments of the methods of the invention can be selected from the group consisting of hydrogels, collagen, poly(lactic acid), poly(glycolide), cyanoacrylates, glutaraldehyde, PEG, protein, and polysaccharide and derivatives thereof. The invention also discloses a pleural effusion treatment apparatus comprising an adhesive material adapted to adhere pleural membranes defining a pleural space and a pleural space access member adapted to deliver the adhesive material to the pleural space.
US07766935B2
A vascular occlusion device for use with a hydraulic deployment catheter is provided. The vascular occlusion device includes a headpiece that has a deformable interference element which changes from an initial configuration to a deformed configuration upon an increase of hydraulic pressure within the deployment catheter. When the interference element is in the initial configuration, the headpiece is secured to the deployment catheter, and when the interference element is in the deformed configuration, the headpiece can be removed from the deployment catheter for deployment of the occlusion device.
US07766928B2
A surgical device 20 for attaching staples 40 to a portion of a body comprising an anvil 23; a smart memory material (SMM) 50, 75 capable of going from one physical state to another physical state; a supply of staples in communication with the smart memory material and placed near the anvil; and an activating apparatus 21 which is in communication with the smart memory material and which can cause the change in the physical state of the smart memory material, which change in state causes the movement of the staples against the anvil thereby securing the staples 40 to the desired body portion. The device utilizes a source of electricity which when activated causes the SMM to expand in volume thereby moving an individual staple from the supply of staples. The device may also contain a surgical knife 62 to cut a body portion wherein a SMM is in communication with the knife whereby when the SMM expands it engages the knife causing the knife to cut the desired body portion.
US07766921B2
Devices and methods for removing an obstruction from a blood vessel are described. The devices are deployed in a collapsed condition and are then expanded within the body. The devices are then manipulated to engage and remove the obstruction.
US07766917B2
An extractor is provided to extract an insert used with a bone connection element such as a bone plate having at least one opening for a bone screw used with the insert. The extractor has an outer hollow sleeve having proximal abutment surface for engaging a surface portion of the bone plate, and an inner bar having a diameter enabling the insertion of the bar into the hollow sleeve. The bar has a threaded leading end to engage the thread of the insert to be extracted. The hollow sleeve has an inner thread and the inner bar has an outer threaded element for engaging the inner thread of the hollow sleeve. The outer threaded element is positioned with respect to the bar in a longitudinal position to enable the threaded locking end to extend beyond the proximal abutment surface of the sleeve to be threaded into the insert.
US07766906B2
Methods, apparatus, and systems for occluding a tissue opening are provided. One embodiment includes a catheter having an elongate body and a first lumen to direct hypertonic saline through an opening in the lumen to tissue of a fossa ovalis. The embodiment includes a radiofrequency (RF) electrode coupled to the elongate body proximal a distal end of the elongate body. The RF electrode can emit RF energy to the tissues of the passage and the hypertonic saline can facilitate a distribution of the RF energy along the tissue to fuse the tissue of the passage.
US07766905B2
An electrosurgical generator is provided which includes a continuity test circuit assembly for testing electrical continuity through an electrode of an electrosurgical instrument. The continuity test circuit assembly includes a test power source providing electrical test energy to a first conductor which is in electrical communication with the electrode and the electrosurgical generator and to at least one second conductor which is coupled to the first conductor for providing a path for current to flow between the first conductor and the at least one second conductor for establishing a test path through which the test energy flows between the first conductor and at least one conductor of the at least one second conductor. The continuity test circuit assembly further includes energy detection circuitry positioned along the test path for detecting the flow of the test energy through the test path for determining electrical continuity through the electrode.
US07766899B2
An indwelling catheter is positioned in a urinary tract to drain urine from the bladder to a position distally adjacent to a sphincter muscle. A balloon of the catheter is inflated through an inflation tube extending through the urinary tract. A coiled section of the inflation tube contacts the constriction caused by the sphincter muscle. The balloon and the coiled section resist movement of the indwelling catheter while still permitting natural urination. The indwelling catheter is inserted by an insertion tool which is separably connected to the catheter. Once the indwelling catheter is positioned, the tool is disconnected and withdrawn from the urinary tract. Risks of blood clots obstructing the flow of urine through the indwelling catheter immediately following a surgical procedure on the prostate gland are avoided by flushing fluid through the insertion tool and the catheter to clear an internal urine flow passageway in the catheter.
US07766898B2
The present invention is directed towards a side port for an introducer sheath which precludes the inadvertent excursion a guide wire (or other article or material) through a side port while advancing through the main lumen of an introducer sheath. To prevent inadvertent excursions of a guide wire, the introducer sheath has one or more non-circular side ports. The non-circular component of the side port has a minimum transverse dimension that is smaller than the diameter of the guide wire to be introduced through the lumen of the introducer sheath. Therefore, the small diameter of the non-circular component of the side port prevents a guide wire from inadvertently entering the side port.
US07766893B2
A catheter for carotid artery dilatation that includes a multi-chamber balloon assembly mounted at the distal end of the elongated tube that has at least two tandem chambers. Each chamber communicates with a separate lumen and each separate lumen terminates at the proximal end at a lumen valve head. The chambers have an inflated configuration with a diameter that progressively tapers in a direction from proximal to distal, said taper extends substantially continuously from the proximal end of the balloon assembly to the distal end thereof.
US07766891B2
This invention relates generally to a design of lung devices for safely performing a transthoracic procedure. In particular, the invention provides devices and methods of using these devices to access the thoracic cavity with minimal risk of causing pneumothorax or hemothorax. More specifically, the invention enables diagnostic and therapeutic access to a thoracic cavity using large bore instruments. This invention also provides a method for diagnostic and therapeutic procedures using a device capable of sealing the wound upon withdrawal of the device. The invention includes a device comprising an elongated body adapted to make contact with a tissue of a subject through an access hole, and a sealant delivery element. The invention also includes a method of performing tissue treatment or diagnosis in a subject.
US07766886B2
Active and passive wound drainage systems and method are provided. A drainage device includes an input passage for receiving the fluid from a site on or within the patient's body, a container for holding the fluid, and a reversible valve disposed between the input passage and the container. The reversible valve in an original configuration provides unidirectional fluid flow from the input passage toward the container, and in a reversed configuration provides fluid flow from the container toward the input passage.
US07766883B2
A system and method for mixing and delivering fluids such as contrast media and saline is disclosed including at least two fluid sources, a pump, a joining fluid path connecting the at least two fluid sources to an inlet to the pump, and a valve device in the fluid path upstream of the pump. The valve device includes an actuator adapted to restrict flow in at least one of respective fluid lines connecting the at least two fluid sources to the pump inlet. A patient interface device may be associated with an outlet of the pump. The valve device actuator is generally adapted to restrict the flow in at least one of the respective fluid lines such that an incremental positional change in valve device actuator position provides a substantially linear change in fluid mixture ratio of the fluids from the at least two fluid sources to the pump inlet.
US07766881B2
An implant with a surface structure on at least a portion of a surface of the implant, wherein the surface structure is selected to facilitate, improve and enhance ingrowth characteristics of the implant. A method of providing an implant with a selected surface structure is encompassed.
US07766880B1
Fastener for securing a tube to a patient having a sleeve of variable length capable when lengthened of gripping the tube.
US07766870B2
A safety adaptor having attachment components and reservoir components for use with balloon anchored catheters such that if the catheter is forcibly removed the reservoir components will act as a safety valve and allow the anchoring balloon to deflate. The safety adaptor acts to minimize damage caused to a patient due to the removal of an inflated anchor balloon of a catheter. The safety adaptor attaches to any existing catheter having a fluid balloon and does not require re-engineering or re-tooling of the catheter or adaptor.
US07766862B2
A method includes obtaining a baseline value for an indicator of infection in proximity to an implantable medical device and monitoring the indicator of infection in proximity to the device. The method further includes determining whether the monitored indicator is indicative of infection in proximity to the device. The determination as to whether the monitored indicator is indicative of infection includes comparing a value associated with the monitored indicator to the baseline value.
US07766851B2
A below-knee orthosis comprises a footplate, which is carried by a connecting element projecting therefrom, the upper end part of which has a releasable coupling that can be coupled to an upper part of a patient's lower leg, a longitudinal section of the connecting element being formed of a spring element, which extends in a curved path at a radial distance from a fulcrum of the spring element, and said fulcrum being placed to be essentially aligned with the patient's ankle-joint axis.
US07766837B2
A new method is introduced able to track the motion of a thin object, e.g. a wall, from a series of digital field data (e.g. images) in order to analyze field information corresponding to the moving position of the object. The method is based on the extraction of M-mode images where the wall can be identified and the wall properties can be extracted and analyzed. The digital implementation of the method into electronic equipments improves the quality of the information that can be extracted from field data and the potential diagnostic capability when applied to echographic medical imaging.
US07766832B2
A means to which at least two ROIs are input, a calculating means that calculates strain values of tissue with respect to the at least two ROIs by applying a pressure onto an object, and a display means that displays the strain values of the at least two ROIs so as to be compared with each other are comprised.
US07766831B2
A method for diabetes care, the method (which also may be referred to as, involve or incorporate at least one of a tool, device or program) allowing for the characterization of the relevance of errors of parameters affecting glucose concentration on a postprandial glucose concentration outcome for a person with diabetes mellitusm, wherein the method involves at least one of sensing, determining, calculating, predicting, describing and communicating the effects of potential errors of parameters affecting glucose concentration on postprandial glucose concentration values within a clinically relevant glucose range.
US07766829B2
Method and system for providing basal profile modification in insulin therapy for use with infusion devices includes periodically monitoring the analyte levels of a patient for a predetermined period of time in order to determine, based on the monitored analyte levels, an appropriate modification factor to be incorporated into the underlying basal profile which was running at the time the periodic monitoring of the analyte levels were performed.
US07766828B2
A condition analysis unit (1302) estimates a surrounding environment and psychological state of the user on the basis of image data, voice data, and living body information. When the estimated psychological state is a predetermined state, a cause estimation unit (1303) estimates based on the living body information whether or not the physical condition of the user is bad. When the estimated psychological state is the predetermined state, the cause estimation unit estimates a cause of the psychological state on the basis of the surrounding environment.
US07766826B2
A system and method for storing and processing physiological data in a medical recording device that allows continuous data collection and storage of such data in multiple time-resolved levels are provided. The method includes: sampling one or more physiological signals at a selected sampling rate; deriving physiological parameter values from the sampled signal; storing the parameter values as they are determined in a temporary memory buffer for a predetermined storage interval; determining a statistical aspect of the stored parameter values upon expiration of the storage interval; and writing the statistical aspect to a long-term memory buffer. A number of long-term memory buffers may be designated for storing a statistical aspect of a physiological parameter at uniquely different time resolutions. The resolution of each long-term memory buffer is determined by the storage interval defined for an associated temporary memory buffer, which stores parameter values from which statistical aspects are computed.
US07766825B2
The present invention relates to a surgical retractor. The surgical retractor may include a handle having a longitudinal axis and proximal and distal ends, a first coupling mechanism adjacent the proximal end of the handle, and a blade member having a proximal end and a distal end. The blade member may have a coupling element, and the coupling element may be configured and dimensioned to connect with the first coupling mechanism. The present invention also relates to methods for treating bone.
US07766822B2
A seal assembly for permitting hand assisted laparoscopic procedures includes a seal cap having a seal positioned within a housing. The housing includes a lower seal ring having a track which supports an upper seal ring for relative rotational motion, wherein the seal is supported between the upper seal ring and the lower seal ring for rotation between an open orientation and a closed orientation. The track includes an inner upstanding annular wall and an outer upstanding annular wall connected by a base member. A ratchet mechanism controls motion of the upper seal ring relative to the lower seal ring. The ratchet mechanism includes a ratchet arm oriented to engage a ratchet surface. The ratchet surface extends outwardly from a center of the seal assembly.
US07766815B2
Methods and devices are provided for remotely adjusting a size of a gastric band disposed around a patient's stomach. In one exemplary embodiment, a gastric band is provided having a first end and a second end that mate to one another to encircle a stomach. A latch mechanism can be formed on the band, and at least one actuator can be coupled to the latch mechanism and it can be adapted to expand and contract the latch mechanism when energy is applied thereto to adjust a diameter of the band. In one exemplary embodiment, the actuator(s) is an electroactive polymer actuator.
US07766813B2
Counterpulsation methods and systems for assisting the heart of a patient involve, for example, coordinating the operation of a pulsatile pump to suction blood from an artery through a first conduit while the heart is in systole and expel the blood into the first conduit and the artery while the heart is in diastole.
US07766797B2
An elliptical exercise machine comprising a base support structure having a front portion, a rear portion, and a pivot joint comprising a pivot mechanism configured to pivotally connect the front and rear portions, the pivot mechanism being configured to facilitate a breakaway of the base support and an upward rotation of the rear portion with respect to the front portion, thereby enabling the elliptical exercise machine to fold into a compact configuration; an upright support structure extending upward with respect to the base support structure; a drive assembly operably supported about the rear portion of the base support structure and comprising a drive component configured to rotate about a pivot axis; and a reciprocating foot support operable with the drive assembly and configured to travel about a closed path upon rotation of the drive component and operation of the elliptical exercise machine. In a preferred embodiment, the reciprocating foot support is configured to releasably engage the drive component, thereby allowing the rear portion to fold upward and the reciprocating foot support also to be folded upward and out of the way.
US07766795B2
A fence surrounds a trampoline and extends above the rebounding surface, reducing the risk of injury. Shock absorption is aided by a support system of independent poles. Variable placement net fasteners also are detailed.
US07766793B2
A passive-type exercising device and its control device are provided in which accuracy of deriving exercise intensity is improved. The passive-type exercising device includes an exercise assistance mechanism for assisting exercise of a user; a load setting value acquisition unit 131 for obtaining a load setting value which is a setting value of a degree that the exercise assistance mechanism assists the user's exercise; an assistance load value derivation unit 132 for deriving an assistance load value that the exercise assistance mechanism assists the user's exercise; a sensor value acquisition unit 134 for obtaining a sensor value outputted by a sensor unit 32 provided at the exercise assistance mechanism; a combined load value derivation unit 135 for deriving a combined load value which is a combined value of the assistance load value and an effective load value of the user's active exercise based on the obtained sensor value; and an exercise intensity derivation unit 150 for deriving an exercise intensity indicating the user's exercise intensity based on the effective load value computed as a difference between the assistance load value and the combined load value.
US07766792B2
Disclosed are a power train structure that can operate hybrid vehicles in an electric mode at its startup and/or lower speed stages and a method of operation of the same.
US07766781B2
A differential for a vehicle having a first output shaft and a second output shaft for wheels is provided. The differential includes an input member for inputting a driving force from an outside of the differential, a first face gear and a second face gear, both of which can be rotated by the input member, the first face gear and the second face gear being rotatable together with the first output shaft and the second output shaft and a pinion member that meshes with both the first face gear and the second face gear so as to allow a differential motion between the first face gear and the second face gear.
US07766779B2
The invention relates to, in essence, a switching device (10, 11) for a motor vehicle. This switching device comprises two idler gears (17, 18) and a claw (14). This claw (14) assures, by displacement, a selective connection of a drive shaft (9) to one of the two idler gears (17, 18). According to the invention, the claw (14) comprises axial protrusions (65, 66) for simultaneously connecting it to the two idler gears (17, 18). To this end, the gears (17, 18) each have axial projections (67, 68). The protrusions (65, 66) are designed for entering the spaces made between the projections (67, 68). The inventive switching device (10, 11) is preferably used with a hybrid transmission device (1).
US07766773B1
A shock for a lacrosse head comprising an energy absorbing element for use with a lacrosse head.
US07766762B2
The putter according to the invention comprises a putter head having a forward-facing striking surface, a heel, a toe, a top surface and a rear alignment section. The rear alignment section comprises one or more elongated indicator bars of uniform width that project backwards and that are arranged perpendicularly to the striking surface at a first upper level. Arranged at a second, lower level is a corresponding number of elongated warning strips of a contrasting color, each warning strip having approximately the same width as, and being arranged in vertical alignment with, its corresponding elongated indicator bar.
US07766761B2
A golf swing training apparatus and method of using same that instructs a trainee in the two optimum golf swings, namely an inward swing and an outward swing. The apparatus of the invention is of a unique configuration that, through the use of a novel practice ball assembly, allows a trainee to positively observe the differences between the inward golf swing and the outward golf swing.
US07766748B2
A method of interfacing used on a network having a central computer system and a plurality of remote computer systems is provided. Each remote computer system includes a video display. Applied to video games, the method creates a first visual representation of a first player on a first remote computer system, identifies an interest and a skill level of the first player for at least one video game, indicates predetermined personal characteristics of the first player, saves the visual representation, interest, skill levels and personal characteristics of the first player, accesses the central computer system from the first remote computer system, selects a second player who has accessed the central computer system from a second remote computer system, and invites the second player to play a selected video game. The second player may access the visual representation, interest, skill levels and personal characteristics of the first player.
US07766730B2
A system and method for storing, selecting and sorting animal carcasses for fabrication. A storage area has at least one storage rail upon which carcasses may be stored. A feed rail leads to the storage area. Carcasses are selected from the storage area based on a first set of criteria and are transferred to an exit rail. The selected carcasses can be sorted based on a second set of criteria using a sorting rail connected to the exit rail. Carcasses are selected and sorted based on carcass information stored in a database based on identification codes associated with each target. A processor compares the carcass information with the desired criteria and identifies carcasses meeting the criteria using one or more readers positioned near the storage rail or exit rail.
US07766723B2
A device includes a measurement element for automatically measuring optical locating or identification characteristics of an ophthalmic lens, a cutting-out element for cutting out an ophthalmic lens and including an element for lens clamping, and a receiver/transfer element that receives an ophthalmic lens and transfers it in at least three transfers between at least four distinct positions, a first between a loading or unloading position for the lens and a measurement position in which the ophthalmic lens is presented aligned with the measurement element, a second transfer between the measurement position and an intermediate position, and a third transfer between the intermediate position and a cutting-out position, presenting the lens for being clamped by the clamping element of the cutting-out element. The transfer element includes a second transfer element arranged to receive a plurality of ophthalmic lenses simultaneously and to perform the second transfers of the ophthalmic lenses in turn.
US07766707B2
In accordance with various embodiments of the present disclosure, a pin for an electrical connector is provided. The pin includes a head that is fixedly mated with a shaft to form the pin.
US07766705B2
A connector arrangement comprises a rigid inner conductor (107), a dielectric sleeve (111) arranged around the inner conductor and a rigid outer conductor (109) arranged around the sleeve. A surface of at least one of the inner conductor, the sleeve and the outer conductor is provided with a taper, such that the sleeve fixes the relative transverse positions of the inner and outer conductors at a first end of the arrangement and not at a second end of the arrangement. The inner conductor is longitudinally slidable relative to the outer conductor. Such an arrangement is suitable for use in hostile environments, such as in high temperature pipelines, in which there are large temperature variations and in which the positional variation of mating connectors is high.
US07766704B2
A lay-in lug has two spaced apart and substantially parallel lug walls. A nut plate is supported between the first lug wall and the second lug wall. A plate retainer exerts force on a lug wall and restricts the plate from moving in a direction substantially parallel to the first and second lug walls. The plate retainer has a flexible retaining base and a pair of retaining legs extending from the retaining base. Snap protrusions extend from each of the retaining legs and are formed to interlock with a portion of the wall of the lay-in lug and restrict movement the nut plate. The plate retainer either snaps around the edge of the lug wall or along the wall's length. It may also clip around the nut plate and prevents its movement in a direction along the inner surfaces of the lug walls.
US07766703B2
An electrical connector to mechanically and electrically connecting first and second electrical conduit assemblies. The first electrical conduit assembly has a first conductive contact and an aperture in the first conductive contact. A first fastener is rotatably received in the aperture. The first fastener has a head member and a body portion. A threaded passageway extends from the head member to a distal end of the body portion. The distal end of the body portion is swaged to prevent the first fastener from being accidentally removed from the aperture. A second electrical conduit assembly has a second conductive contact. A second fastener extends outwardly from the second conductive contact and is adapted to be threadably received by the passageway of the first fastener.
US07766701B2
A cable management system is provided including a rack for holding telecommunications equipment, and a ribcage cable support member along a vertical side of the rack. The ribcage cable support member includes a plurality of forwardly and rearwardly extending ribs. The ribs each include cable retention tabs. A plurality of spools are provided for cable storage on the ribcage cable support member. Holes through the ribcage cable support member allow access between the front and rear portions. An additional rack may be positioned on an opposite side of the ribcage cable support member to the first rack, and two columns of ribs are provided.
US07766698B1
A power adapter for a peripheral device such as portable electronics device is disclosed. The power adapter includes a housing that contains electrical components associated with the power adapter. The power adapter also includes a data port provided at a surface of the housing. The data port is configured to provide external power to the peripheral device.
US07766682B1
A saw tooth shaped flexible rib in between a connector interface provides asymmetric sliding resistance and a one sided sealing effect. The asymmetric sliding resistance provides for low frictional engaging resistance and for a high disengaging resistance of the connector interface. The one sided sealing effect provides in conjunction with an interface cavity for back flow resistance into the cavity during disengagement movement in the interface and for a vacuum effect that assists in opposing the disengagement movement. The flexible rib may be monolithically fabricated together with the entire housing of the respective connector.
US07766677B2
A dustproof receptacle connector includes a dielectric housing, a plurality of terminals, a shield and a dustproof cover. The dielectric housing defines a plurality of terminal grooves therein for receiving the terminals. The shield surrounding the dielectric housing has a top board. A sliding groove is defined in the top board and extends longitudinally to pass through a rear end of the top board. An engaging portion extends from the rear end of the top board. A receiving groove is surrounded by the engaging portion and the rear end of the top board and communicates with the sliding groove. The engaging portion is bent downward to be attached to a rear portion of the dielectric housing. The dustproof cover is slidably received in the shield and located between the dielectric housing and a front end of the shield. The dustproof cover has a positioning portion slidable along the sliding groove.
US07766674B1
An electrical connector includes an insulating housing (1a) including a pair of retaining spacers (1b) embedded therein and a number of terminals (2). The insulating housing has a base portion (11) with a concaving room (110) and an engaging portion (12). The terminal (2) defines a retaining portion (21) retained in the base portion, a contacting portion (22) projecting in the engaging portion and a leg portion (23). The retaining spacers are received in the concaving room and press against the retaining portions of the terminals.
US07766668B1
A thin profile electrical connector assembly for interconnecting conductive components, such as circuit boards, in a stacked configuration, includes a frame-shaped insulating body member having opposite ends and opposite leg members. A plurality of adjacently disposed and spaced apart connector elements are configured on at least one of the leg members. Each connector element includes a lower arm held in the leg member and that terminates at a contact tail that extends outward from an outer side of the leg member, and a resilient arm that extends from the lower arm at an obtuse angle towards the opposite leg member. The resilient arm terminates in a resilient contact nose that extends above an upper surface of the leg members. The insulating body defines an open space between the opposite leg members whereby the resilient arms of the connector elements are pressed into the open space upon use of the connector assembly such that the connector assembly has a profile height in use that corresponds essentially to the thickness of the leg members.
US07766667B2
An electrical connector using an isotropic conductive elastomer as the interconnect medium.
US07766658B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for detecting or diagnosing diseases by sampling and testing intra-oral fluids.
US07766652B2
Pottery wares are fired in a saggar in an electric kiln, whereby effects such as reduction firing and soda firing may be obtained.
US07766644B2
An injection mold including a connecting structure for separating confronting faces of a slide member and a mold base, respectively, during a movement of the slide member. In accordance with several embodiments of the invention, the connecting structure may include a compressible member such that the slide member is biased away from the mold base, and wherein a positive contact between the confronting surfaces is configurable in response to an applied clamping force between the slide member and the mold base. In accordance with an alternative embodiment of the invention a cam arrangement links the slide member and the mold base enabling a positive contact between the confronting surfaces when the slide member is arranged in the in-mold position, and providing a gap between the confronting surfaces during at least a portion of an interval when the slide member is moving.
US07766639B2
A forming die for forming a head on a rope includes a first die block provided with a first die cavity which is provided with at least one first clamping rib, and a second die block provided with a second die cavity which is provided with at least one second clamping rib. Thus, the second clamping rib of the second die block is movable to abut the respective first clamping rib of the first die block to form an annular clamping rib which presses the head of the rope to form an annular clamping groove in a peripheral wall of the head so that the head is fixed on the rope closely by compression of the annular clamping groove to prevent the head from being detached from the rope due to a larger pulling force.
US07766638B2
A tablet production apparatus comprising a gas generator G, a lubricant powder discharge means 51 for discharging a lubricant powder into a gas generated from the gas generator G, depending on the supply of the gas from the gas generator G, and mixing the lubricant powder with the gas in dispersed state, a lubricant application means 91 for spraying the lubricant powder discharged from the lubricant powder discharge means 51 and mixed with the gas generated from the gas generation means G in dispersed state, onto each material contacting surface of a die, an upper punch and a lower punch, and an oxygen concentration measuring means 131a for measuring the oxygen concentration of the gas existing near the lubricant application means 91. The apparatus is designed such that the amount of the gas supplied into the lubricant application means is adjusted based on the oxygen concentration measured by the oxygen concentration measuring means 131a.
US07766630B2
A medical pump includes a chassis having a fixed seat, and a main carriage having a carriage footing for receiving a fluid delivery device and restricting its movement. An actuator automatically moves the main carriage between open and closed positions to engage the fluid delivery device to the seat. The seat establishes the position of both the main carriage and fluid delivery device in the closed position. The actuator is connected to the main carriage by a rear carriage assembly having a manual release element for disengaging the actuator from rear carriage assembly and thereby from the main carriage. A processing unit detects jam conditions by processing carriage position data and electrical load data from the actuator.
US07766623B2
A system for manufacturing an integrally bladed rotor is provided. This system includes a ring component, wherein the ring component further includes at least one metal matrix composite and a plurality of radially outwardly facing blade conical surfaces; an airfoil component, wherein the airfoil component further includes: a plurality of individual airfoil blades, wherein each of the plurality of airfoil blades further includes a radially inwardly facing blade conical surface; and inertia welding means for frictionally engaging under an axially applied weld load the ring component and the airfoil component to effect an inertia weld therebetween along the conical surfaces.
US07766622B1
Easy to attach and detach blades for overhead ceiling fans. A first version has a ceiling fan blade with keyhole slots that fit over flat topped fasteners on a mounting arm. Pulling the blade away from the arm locks the slots to the fasteners. A second version is similar to the first and has a decorative bottom cover having snappable tapered protrusions which attach through the keyholes and into mateable through-holes in the mounting arm connection. The third version has a protruding end portion of the blade that fits into a slot in the mounting arm where spring loaded pistons press into grooves in the protrusion end portion of the blade. Latching handles allow users to manually move the pistons. A fourth version has a slot in the blade which fits about a mateable housing in the mounting arm where opposing spring loaded pistons press into interior wall grooves in the slot of the blade. A fifth version has the blade with slots fit over the end of the mounting arm so that pulling the blade from the mounting arm causes spring loaded piston to interlock into a interior wall groove in the slot of the blade.
US07766621B1
A shroudless turbine rotor blade of the type having a platform damper interface, is provided with at least one slot which extends from the aerofoil side of a platform flow boundary to a point in the root. The slot extends between opposing flanks of the blade so as to divide the platform and partially divide the root. The segregated root is made more flexible by the slot which provides for greater platform vibratory amplitudes for a given length of root. The increased platform motion provides for improved dampability when the blade vibrates. The slot also provides a pair of confronting platform surfaces which are urged into mutual contact by centrifugal load acting on the blade to create an additional damping interface.
US07766620B2
A rotor blade for use in a wind energy system is disclosed. The rotor blade includes a rotor blade body comprising a tip; a down conductor extending along the rotor blade body; a conductive part including a conductive part body attached to the rotor blade body and connected to the down conductor, and an extension extending outward from the conductive part body and protruding out of the tip; a lightning receptor having a cavity for slidably receiving the extension; and a fastener removably fastening the lightning receptor to the extension.
US07766618B1
A turbine stator vane for use in a gas turbine engine, the stator vane having an endwall that forms a hot gas flow path through the vane, where the endwall includes a row of diffusion slots extending around both the pressure side and the suction side of the airfoil to provide film cooling. Each diffusion duct is connected to a plurality of film diffusion channels that are slanted with respect to the endwall surface. Each of the film diffusion channels is connected to a metering and impingement hole to supply cooling air to the slots. Cooling air is metered through the metering holes, then impinged against the diffusion channel and then diffused into the ducts and discharged as film cooling air over the endwall surface. The row of diffusion ducts extends along both sides of the airfoil and around the leading edge region to provide film cooling along the entire endwall.
US07766616B2
There is described a turbine blade of a gas turbine comprising a suction-side blade wall and a pressure-side blade wall that, in the trailing edge area, runs toward the suction-side blade wall. This suction-side blade wall has a trailing edge projection projecting over the end edge of the pressure-side blade wall at least in a partial section of the trailing edge area. A turbine blade of the aforementioned type is designed for a particularly long serviceable life while requiring little cooling air. To this end, the pressure-side surface of the trailing edge projection has a number of trough-shaped recesses that increase the transfer of heat from the trailing edge projection by a local swirling of the cooling air.
US07766592B2
The present application describes to a screw nut for limiting the torque or the clamping force that is produced by screwing a screw onto a component to be screwed into place, as well as to the use of such a screw nut in a retainer module. The screw nut comprises a clamping body which during screwing comes to rest against the component to be screwed into place. Furthermore, the screw nut comprises a screw body, by means of which the screw nut can be screwed onto the screw. The clamping body and the screw body are movably arranged between an unlocked position and a locked position so that when a defined clamping force is exceeded the unlocked position is taken up, with a restoring force continuously acting against this state transition.
US07766587B2
An end mill including a shank having one end gripped by a chuck which is rotatable about a predetermined rotation axis, and a blade body attached to the other end of the shank and rotatable together with the shank. The blade body has a shape in which the area of a cross section in a plane perpendicular to the rotation axis decreases as the distance from the shank increases, and includes a linear cutting edge parallel to, and at a certain distance from, the rotation axis. An end cutting edge adjoining the cutting edge in the longitudinal direction thereof may be provided. The blade body includes, for example, a rake-face-side surface including a rake face and adjoining the flank-side surface in two portions, and a linear cutting edge formed at one of the positions at which the flank-side surface and the rake-face-side surface come in contact with each other.
US07766585B2
A tool (1) has a distal operative portion and a proximal shank (2) with a mounting portion (3), for mounting the tool in a holder (10). A substantial portion of the mounting portion has a cross-sectional shape with at least one and fewer than six 60-degree segments thereof having segment ends joined by a flat surface (5). The holder has a distal axial aperture or mounting hole (12) for receiving the tool (1), the aperture having a cross-sectional shape which has 60-degree segments thereof having segment ends joined by a flat surface (13), but no more such flat surface segments than those corresponding to flat surface segments of the tool. The holder further has a ball-detent (21) mechanism or other locking mechanism for engaging the mounting portion (3) of the tool (1).
US07766580B2
A keel joint protector, which, in certain aspects, includes a body made of flexible material, a central open bore through the body, and the body having a plurality of spaced-apart energy management zones therein for diffusing a force applied to a particular part of the body. This abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract which will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure and is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims, 37 CFR 1.72(b).
US07766578B2
This invention relates to the field of the recovery of methane gas from a coal mine and conventional Natural Gas. More particularly, it involves an apparatus and method for economically recovering methane gas from a coal mine and transporting the methane gas to an end user or other location. The invention further provides an apparatus and method for economically recovering Natural Gas that is stranded due to high impurities that requires processing and/or Natural Gas that is not located near a pipeline. According to a first preferred embodiment of the invention, such methods for recovering and transporting gas comprise (a) transferring gas from a producing well to a first subterranean capacitor and storing the gas in said capacitor and (b) transferring gas from the first subterranean capacitor to a second subterranean capacitor, a pipeline, an end user, a gas processor, or a power plant.
US07766576B2
A tube over tube joint for an implement frame includes a self-fixturing weldable connector positioned between upper and lower tubes. Standard fillet welds connect the tubes to the connector. A unitary casting can be used made from material selected to optimize load transfer between the top and bottom tubes to improve the fatigue life of the joint. The casting is self-fixturing so the top tubes can be located by simply placing in the casting on the lower tubes. A tube end connector provides fixturing and weld surfaces for butt joints in planar frames. Outwardly extended weld edges on the connector increase resistance to parallelogramming.
US07766575B2
An internally splined component for transmitting torque wherein the splines are cold formed to predetermined tolerances.
US07766573B1
A quick release fastener mechanism for easy installation and removal of conventional hurricane storm shutters over and from a window or door of a structure. The device comprises a removable stud for engaging and securing the hurricane shutters and a spring-actuated panel fastener that includes a leaf spring and hinged locking element to engage and hold the removable stud in position. The quick release fastener is installed and removed from outside the building by actuating or depressing a lever end of the hinged locking element to lock or to unlock and release the removable stud from within the spring-actuated panel fastener.
US07766570B2
A label producing device for producing an RFID label using a tag label tape with print includes a tape feed roller for feeding the tag label tape with print, a print head for performing printing on a print area provided in a cover film, a half-cut unit for cutting, on both end sides in the tape length direction of the tag label tape with print with respect to the print area, layers other than a separation sheet in the width direction to thereby form half-cut lines, and a cutting mechanism for cutting the tag label tape with print in the width direction on sides further toward the both ends in the tape length direction with respect to these two half-cut lines.
US07766559B2
A compact optical transceiver is provided in which a substrate provides for an alignment surface for optical fibers and a lens assembly provides the necessary optical paths for coupling to photodiode and photodetector structures. Appropriate electrical connections on the substrate enable the substrate to be directly connected to a printed circuit board, grid array socket, and the like.
US07766555B2
A roller bearing utilizing a roller retainer, which has an excellent assemblability in the sense that the assembly line can be automated and which eliminates various problems inherent in the full complement roller bearing The roller bearing includes an outer race having a raceway, a plurality of rollers held in rolling contact with the raceway, and a ring-shaped roller retainer having a plurality of pockets, each rollingly receiving the respective roller, spacedly defined therein in a direction circumferentially thereof to form a ladder-like structure. The roller retainer has a plurality of slits that are spacedly defined in a direction circumferential thereof so as to extend from one axial end or the other axial end of the roller retainer to a position adjacent the other axial end or one axial end.
US07766553B2
An inventive ball bearing retainer (4) is entirely composed of a resin composition, and has pocket surfaces (6) for retaining balls (5) and projections (8) provided on the pocket surfaces (6) and containing a solid lubricant (CB). A ball bearing (1) incorporates the ball bearing retainer (4). By the effect of the solid lubricant (CB), the projections (8) are less liable to be worn out in a short period particularly when the ball bearing (1) is used in a higher temperature environment. The projections (8) define clearances between the balls (5) and the pocket surfaces (6), making it possible to maintain the effect of preventing noise, increase in the torque of the ball bearing (1), reduction of the service life of a lubricant and the like for a longer period of time.
US07766537B2
An apparatus for on-site manufacturing of lightweight concrete used for insulation in roof decks and roof systems of building structures. The apparatus is supported on a transportable trailer frame and includes a mixer, a concrete pump, and one or more tanks for holding a mixture of water and chemical products, such as foaming agents. The chemical agents/water solution is mixed with pressurized air according to a desired foam density and volume and is pumped through a foam cylinder ejector. The air/solution mixture exiting the ejector is directed into a carburetor which generates a foam product by mechanical impact of the air/solution mixture with beads contained in the carburetor. Concrete and the foam product are combined in the mixer, in accordance with a predetermined mixture ratio, and released into the concrete pump for forced discharge from the apparatus and application to a roof structure. A programmable logic controller controls the discharge rate and the amount of cement and foam product needed per batch according to the desired mixture ratio.
US07766536B2
An LED light fixture system includes an LED module having a plurality of LEDs attached thereto and directed inwardly toward a secondary optic. The LED module is releasably attached to an interior surface of a peripheral frame. The frame includes an openable portion positioned to allow the LED module to be inserted or removed through an opening created when the openable portion is in an open position. The openable portion is movable from the open position to a closed position and provides an electrical connection between the LEDs attached to the LED module and a source of electrical current when the openable portion is in the closed position.
US07766535B2
Provided are a panel guide member and a display device having the same. The display device includes a receiving container, a light source, a display panel, a pane guide member, and a top case. The receiving container includes a bottom plate and sidewalls protruding from edges of the bottom plate. The light source is disposed in the receiving container to generate light. The display panel faces the bottom plate and displays an image using the light. The panel guide member includes a plurality of panel guide bodies dividing and supporting an NEDR around an EDR of the display panel on which an image is displayed, and warp preventing members connecting the panel guide bodies with each other and suppressing warping of the panel guide bodies caused by contraction/expansion of the panel guide bodies. The top case includes a first cover, and a second cover to couple to the sidewalls.
US07766529B2
Light emitting diodes, display systems, and manufacturing methods are provided. In an embodiment, by way of example only, a light emitting diode (“LED”) include a die and a lens. The die is configured to emit wavelengths of light within a first predetermined spectral range. The lens is disposed on at least a portion of the die and is configured to filter the light emitted from the die such that a second predetermined spectral range is emitted from the LED.
US07766526B2
Disclosed is an illumination device. The device includes a light engine in an acoustic tile that introduces light into a plurality of optical fibers using an LED. In between the LED and the fiber ends, an LCD is used to modify the light introduced. To do this, the LCD is programmed to display petal-shaped sections which individually change in contrast to become more occluded and then more transparent. This creates an aesthetically pleasing effect resembling stars.
US07766513B2
An LED lamp includes a heat sink, a triangular-shaped ridge positioned on the heat sink and an LED module mounted on the ridge. The heat sink includes a base and a plurality of first and second fins respectively extending from a first and a second surface of the base, with a plurality of channels defined between the first and second fins. The ridge is positioned on the second surface of the base. The ridge has a lateral surface which has a height decreasing from a middle to a lateral side of the ridge and decreasing from a rear end to a front end of the ridge. The LED module is mounted on the lateral surface of the ridge.
US07766509B1
A mounting surface for mounting a plurality of LEDs has a plurality of orientable lenses each individually affixed about a single LED. Each orientable lens has a primary reflector and a refracting lens that direct light emitted from a single LED to a reflective surface of the orientable lens that reflects the light off a primary LED light output axis.
US07766503B2
A ceiling light fixture for medical patient rooms and a method for the same. The fixture comprises a body which defines a middle region and two side regions along opposite sides of the middle region. A cover is movably attached to the body and includes a lens over at least the middle region. A graphics image is associated with the middle region and is substantially parallel to the lens. At least one graphics-light source is within the middle region and configured for illuminated display of the graphics image. At least one exam-light source is located within each of the two side regions.
US07766498B2
An illuminator for a display is provided that includes a light guide plate to substantially cover a viewable portion of the display, and a thin film light-emitting source. Light from the thin film light-emitting source is directed into an edge of the light guide plate to provide light for the viewable portion of the display.
US07766497B2
A lamp that can be used in a refrigerated or cold environment where an overall light output measured on a target plane is not significantly reduced due to condensation or fog includes a housing including a translucent cover, an LED disposed in the housing, and an anti-fog film. The LED is disposed in the housing with relation to the translucent cover such that light from the LED passes through the cover. The anti-fog film is disposed on at least one of the surfaces of the translucent cover.
US07766494B1
A light-weight mirror blank assembly, having at least one sheet of corrugated material; and at least one face sheet in intimate contact with a surface of the sheet of corrugated material forming the light-weight mirror blank assembly. The light-weight mirror blank assembly has an areal density less than an equivalent blank assembly having a solid support structure for supporting a mirrored surface.
US07766492B2
A projector comprises a light machine, a housing accommodating the light machine, a circuit board disposed above the light machine, a semi-sealed shell covering the circuit board, a copper post supporting the semi-sealed shell and connecting the housing and the semi-sealed shell, and at least one contact element contacting the copper post to prevent electromagnetic interference.
US07766487B2
A projection-type image display apparatus for projecting an image, enlargedly, onto a projection surface, comprises: an image display element; a lens group, being disposed behind the image display element, comprising therein, a front lens group made up with a plural number of lenses, including, at least, a refractive lens, having a positive power and being rotationally symmetric in a surface configuration thereof, and a rear lens group made up with a plural number of lenses, including, at least, a lens having a free curved surface configuration and being rotationally asymmetric, thereby emitting the image displayed on the image display element; a reflection mirror for reflecting the light from the lens group, thereby projection onto the projection surface, obliquely; and a movement member for moving the plural number of lenses of the rear lens group.
US07766486B2
An apparatus includes a projection system having a spatial light modulator and projection lens and configured to project a light image, an image capture system having an image capture lens and CCD and configured to capture a screen-direction image, a distance measuring sensor and distance measuring processing section configured to detect a distance and angle to the screen, a control section configured to, while extracting a screen frame position from the image obtained by the image capture system and, from respective detection results of the distance measuring and an angle-of-view detections, obtain a corrected value while referring to a correction table of a memory section storing corrected values of a parallax of the projection system and image capture system in a table form and match an image projected by the obtained corrected value to a screen frame position extracted.
US07766482B2
A method and apparatus are disclosed for controlling optical aberrations to alter relative curvature of field by providing ocular apparatuses, systems and methods comprising a predetermined corrective factor to produce at least one substantially corrective stimulus for repositioning peripheral, off-axis, focal points relative to the central, on-axis or axial focal point while maintaining the positioning of the central, on-axis or axial focal point on the retina. The invention will be used to provide continuous, useful clear visual images while simultaneously retarding or abating the progression of myopia or hypermetropia.
US07766474B2
A method of printing an image on an object includes the steps of: providing an object having an exterior surface having a planar portion and a channel recessed from the planar portion; applying a first ground coat on the exterior surface; drying the first ground coat; and spraying droplets of ink on the dried ground coat to form an image, wherein the droplets are sprayed from an ink jet printhead that is maintained at a constant distance from the plane of the planar portion of the object.
US07766462B2
A method of forming a fluid ejection device includes forming a pair of first glass layers and forming a second glass layer. Each first glass layer includes a first side and a second side with the second side defining a first fluid flow structure. The second glass layer includes a first side and a second side opposite the first side, with each respective first side and second side defining a second fluid flow structure. The second glass layer is bonded in a sandwiched position between the respective first glass layers with each respective second fluid flow structure of the second glass layer in fluid communication with the respective first fluid flow structure of the respective first glass layers to define a fluid flow pathway for ejecting a fluid.
US07766453B2
The printhead for a digital ink jet printer where arrays of nozzles (3) are arranged in an overlapping configuration to preserve continuity between the printing from adjacent arrays (3). Each array (3) receives print data from TAB films (6). The TAB films (6) extend from the same side of each array (3) to allow for a relatively compact printhead design. The arrays (3) are configured so that predominantly all of the arrays (3) have, at most, one end obscured by the end of an adjacent array (3). This reduces the amount that the TAB films (6) need to narrow or ‘neck’ in order to avoid the obscuring adjacent end.
US07766451B2
A printhead maintenance facility for an inkjet printer having a pagewidth printhead and a media path for feeding sheets of media substrate in a media feed direction wherein the pagewidth printhead has a nozzle face defining an elongate array of nozzles extending the printing width of the media substrate. The printhead maintenance facility has a wiper member extending the length of the nozzle array, a chassis for supporting the wiper member and a maintenance drive for moving the wiper member towards, and away from, the nozzle face, the maintenance drive being configured to apply a moving force to the chassis at a first bearing point proximate one end of the wiper member, and configured to apply an equal moving force to the chassis at a second bearing point proximate the other end of the wiper member. The first bearing point and the second bearing point are equidistant from a longitudinal mid-point of the wiper member.
US07766446B2
A light emitter is operable to emit light. A light receiver is adapted to receive the light emitted from the light emitter, and operable to output a signal in accordance with an amount of the received light, thereby detecting a position of an object. At least one transparent member is disposed between the light emitter and the light receiver. A first line pattern is provided with the transparent member so as to oppose the light emitter, and includes first light transmitting sections and first light shielding sections which are alternately arranged in a first direction with a first pitch. A second line pattern is provided with the transparent member so as to oppose the light receiver, and includes second light transmitting sections and second light shielding sections which are alternately arranged in the first direction with a second pitch. Each of the first light transmitting sections is adapted to allow the light emitted from the light emitter to pass through. Each of the first light shielding sections is adapted to shield the light emitted from the light emitter. Each of the second light transmitting sections is adapted to allow light having passed through the transparent member. Each of the second light shielding sections is adapted to shield the light having passed through the transparent member.
US07766440B2
The image forming apparatus comprises: an ink ejection head which deposits radiation-curable ink onto a recording medium; a radiation curing device which irradiates the deposited radiation-curable ink on the recording medium with radiation to cure the deposited radiation-curable ink; and a correction device which performs correction processing of a volume of the radiation-curable ink to be deposited on the recording medium according to a variation in optical density change of a coloring material in the radiation-curable ink produced by difference in irradiation conditions of the radiation.
US07766429B2
A reclining device of a vehicle seat including a ratchet, a guide, three pawls and a rotating cam. Three spacing distances are defined due to such positioning of the three pawls, and one of the spacing distances is determined so as to be greater than the remaining two spacing distances. A non-toothed raised flat portion is formed in a portion of an inner circumferential surface of an inner toothed portion of the ratchet at a single site in a circumferential direction thereof. The raised flat portion is protruded radially inwardly beyond tips of inner teeth. The smaller remaining two spacing distances are determined so as to be smaller than a circumferential length of the raised flat portion.
US07766428B2
A vehicle seat has a seat back and a seat cushion and a pair of recliners hingedly mounting the seat back to the seat cushion providing pivotal movement of a seat back relative to a seat cushion. Each of the recliners has a guide plate configured to be mounted to the seat cushion and a toothed plate rotatably assembled to the guide plate. The toothed disc has a flange having a series of internal teeth thereon. A plurality of pawls is mounted between the toothed plate and the guide plate. The pawls each has a toothed surface and is moveable between a locked position with the toothed surfaces engaging the series of teeth to lock the toothed plate relative to the guide plate, and an unlocked position with the toothed surfaces spaced from the teeth of the guide plate to allow movement of the toothed plate relative to the guide plate. A plurality of guides extends from the guide plate, guiding the pawls between the locked and unlocked positions. A cam is rotatably mounted between the guide plate and the toothed plate. The cam has a cam surface defined by a plurality of lobes for selective engagement with the pawls, selectively moving the pawls between the locked and unlocked positions. A spring continuously biases the cam, urging the pawls toward the locked position. A bushing is secured to the cam. The cam and the bushing have a lost motion connection therebetween. A rod extending through the bushing on each of the recliners to gang the recliners together for simultaneous operation. The guide plate and the toothed plate have abutments that limit relative rotational travel therebetween.
US07766427B2
A seat device for a vehicle adapted to adjust a positional height of a seat cushion includes rails, frames supporting the seat cushion, link members, a torque rod connecting link members, a sector gear formed so as to operate together with one of the link members and rotatably supported by one of the frames, an elongated hole formed on the sector gear, a pinion gear meshing with the sector gear, a pressing bracket supported by the pinion gear, a stopper pin inserted into the elongated hole of the sector gear and connected to the one of the frames at a first end of the stopper pin and to the pressing bracket at a second end of the stopper pin.
US07766424B2
A recliner mechanism for a vehicle seat includes a support plate (7) mounted on the squab (2) of the seat, and a support plate (11) mounted on the back rest (3) of the seat. There is a pivotal interconnection (10) between the plates to enable the back rest to be reclined. The pivotal interconnection is initially retained by a spring (20), in a retaining part (15) of an elongate slot (14). When the back rest (3) is subjected to a rearward force, such as by a seat occupant in a rear impact situation, the spring is deformed and the pivot shaft moves along the slot (14), enabling the back rest (3) to move rearwardly. An energy absorbing element (17) is provided which deforms, whilst absorbing energy, during this second movement of the back rest.
US07766422B2
A device and method is provided for retaining cargo within a vehicle passenger compartment including a retaining portion and a vehicle seat having a lower seat portion, an upper back portion, and a frame. The retaining portion comprises a strap or mat which is operatively attached at one end to a front portion of the vehicle seat, while the other end is accessible within a bite line formed between the mating seat and back portions. The retaining portion is connectable to a front portion of the vehicle seat by means of either an open-ended hook or a snap-hook and an anchor, or by a snap fastener, the retaining portion being configured to secure cargo with respect to one of the seat portions. The device also includes a retractor mechanism such as a spring and spool operable to retract the retaining portion into the bite line for stowage.
US07766419B2
A sliding panel arrangement for a vehicle wherein a panel is adapted to be coupled to a vehicle body, at least two linear bearings or at least one longitudinal member being disposed on the panel, the other of the at least two linear bearings or at least one longitudinal member being adapted to be coupled to the vehicle body. The longitudinal member is sized and disposed to slide within the linear bearings, the panel sliding between closed and open positions over a vehicle compartment.
US07766397B2
The present invention is directed to improvements in latch design. The illustrated embodiment of the present invention is a rotary pawl latch with the capability to provide a compressive force between the first member and the second member.
US07766379B2
An inflatable side airbag restraint for use in passenger vehicles. The airbag includes a relief portion providing clearance for the arm and elbow of an occupant or test device which reduces or eliminates lateral compression of the arm on the chest and abdomen regions of an occupant or test device.
US07766378B2
The airbag of the head-protecting airbag apparatus includes a rear inflatable portion deployed at the interior side of the rear pillar. The rear inflatable portion includes an upper side portion extending rearward from a gas feed passage disposed at the upper periphery of the airbag, a main body disposed below the upper side portion and partitioned from the upper side portion by a partitioning portion, and a branched portion extending downward from the gas feed passage. The main body inflates with inflation gas fed from an inlet opening disposed at the lower end of the branched portion. At least a front lower area of the upper side portion is located below a parting line between a rear pillar garnish and an airbag cover at full inflation of the airbag. The upper side portion and the gas feed passage are folded and housed at exterior side of the folded-up main body and branched portion such that the main body is pushed out toward an interior of the vehicle getting over the upper end of the rear pillar garnish by the upper side portion and the gas feed passage.
US07766374B2
A vehicle occupant restraint device has a gas bag module with a housing and a gas bag having a free exit end, the gas bag moving into its fully deployed position with the free exit end first. At least one control element is provided which engages the gas bag and forces the gas bag to extend generally in an arc shape from the housing up to the free exit end in the deployed state.
US07766369B2
An air-bag is disclosed which is formed from fabric (12, 13) and has an inflatable region (1), and at least one protruding mounting tab (9). The or each mounting tab (9) is formed from fabric woven to have a random or quasi-random, distribution of floats. In a preferred embodiment, the floats each pass over between two and eight underlying yarns.
US07766362B1
A secondary trailer hitch is provided by the present invention for allowing the lineal, straight, reverse movement of one or more vehicles in tow behind a prime mover. The secondary trailer hitch includes a housing configured for being connected with a first vehicle being towed. The secondary trailer hitch further includes an arm configured for being connected with the housing. The arm is further configured for being secured against a second vehicle when the housing is connected with the first vehicle. The secondary trailer hitch further includes a securing mechanism connected to the arm. The securing mechanism is configured for allowing a user to secure the arm against the second vehicle and is further configured for allowing a user to disconnect the apparatus from between the first vehicle and the second vehicle when the apparatus is under engagement tension from both the first vehicle and the second vehicle.
US07766358B1
There is disclosed a device for connecting a lead bicycle and a trailing bicycle into a tandem configuration consisting of first and second connectors attachable to, for example, the seat post of the lead bicycle and to the head post or frame of the trailing bicycle, respectively; a telescoping linking bar releaseably attachable to the two connectors, the linking bar having a section that allows a limited amount of flexing longitudinal travel; wherein the linking bar connections permit horizontal, vertical and torsional rotation and which release and de-couple the bicycles when rotation exceeds predetermined limits, which may occur when one bicycle falls or the trailing bicycle begins to pass the lead bicycle.
US07766352B2
A highly roll stable suspension system for a truck, trailer, or semi-trailer. In at least one embodiment, the suspension includes at least three beam structures, one beam being located beneath each respective longitudinal side frame member of the vehicle, and a third beam being located midpoint between the side frame members and which occupies substantially less space than the space between these opposing longitudinal side frame members of the vehicle.
US07766351B2
A flexible skateboard may include a pair of direction casters mounted for steering rotation on a twistable one piece skateboard. A center section may be made sufficiently narrower than outboard foot support areas so that the board may be twisted by a rider to add energy for rolling motion to wheels in the casters. The center section may also be made sufficiently resistant to bowing and twist so that the skateboard may be ridden as a conventional, non-flexible skateboard. Wells may be provided to resist twisting and provide gripping surfaces on the board for the rider's feet.
US07766342B2
Attachments for a manual wheelchair are provided for navigating a wheelchair over obstacles and uneven terrain, such as a typical curb on a street. The attachments provide for regulating the movement of the wheelchair as the wheelchair descends the curb and to prevent the wheelchair from flipping over during such movement. The attachments include a front caster wheel slider assembly on each side of the wheelchair, a follower wheel assembly and a track belt damping bar. The front caster wheel slider assembly includes a piston that will quickly push the front caster wheels down after they roll over the top edge of the curb. The follower wheel assembly acts as a sensor that will release the piston in the assembly after the front caster wheels roll over the top edge of the curb. As the back wheels of the wheelchair roll over and down the curb, the track belt damping bar slows the descent of the wheelchair.
US07766341B2
A seal structure in which a sealing member 510 fitted in the seal holding part 120 is elastically deformed to hermetically seal a flow passage joining portion. The seal holding part 120 opening on a flow passage side and including a first retaining surface 121, a second retaining surface 122, and a circumferential surface 123. The sealing member 510 includes a first surface 511 in contact with the first retaining surface 121, a second surface 512 in contact with the retaining surface 122, and an inner surface 513 located inside the seal holding part 510 and tapered to have a diameter becoming smaller from the first surface 511 side to the second surface 512 side. An engagement portion 515 engaged in the seal holding part 120 is formed protruding from an outer surface 514 located on the circumferential surface 123 side and on the first surface 511 side. When the sealing member 510 is fitted in the seal holding part 120 while the engagement portion 515 is pressed, the sealing member 510 is placed such that the inner surface 513 on the first surface 511 side protrudes inward and the outer surface 514 is in contact with the circumferential surface 123.
US07766336B2
A portable game set comprising a game board constructed out of corrugated paper board having indicia thereon representing a game board and having slits on each position for receiving a game piece. The game pieces are rectangular and made of a transparent material so that the indicia indicating the game pieces is visible on both sides of the board. The corrugated paper board applies a large amount of pressure on the portion of the game pieces and has a highly frictional surface to securely retain the game pieces within the slits. The corrugated paper board rigidly holds the game pieces in the slits allowing the game to be played during a windy day or in turbulence. When the game pieces are inserted into the slits the game pieces vertically extend approximately 90 degrees with respect to the board thereby providing an improved appearance.
US07766335B1
A board game incorporating multiple paths of travel which traverse a plurality of elevations with moveable obstacles that change the paths of travel. The moveable obstacles take the form of moveable structures; such as stairs; bridges and moveable-walls which cut-off some available paths while opening others. Through strategic use of the obstacles; players can facilitate their own movement through the game while impeding that of their opponents.
US07766333B1
A card shuffling system and method operates with four card hoppers arranged into first and second pairs. In the operation of the system, a first pair of card hoppers holds approximately two halves of a deck, which are then selectively interlaced together and supplied to the other pair of hoppers with the cards interlaced first into one of the second pair of hoppers and then into the other. The cards then are selectively interlaced from the hoppers of the second pair of hoppers back to the hoppers of the first pair of hoppers, with the operation being repeated, if desired.
US07766331B2
Aspects of the invention relate to fully automated systems and methods for shuffling and scrambling playing instruments, such as cards, before being dealt to one or more players. In one embodiment, a rotating device is utilized to scramble playing instruments. In yet a further embodiment, the rotating device is coupled with air, vacuum, or combinations thereof to further scramble the cards. The scrambling device may be coupled to an aligning device for realigning the playing instruments upon being adequately shuffled. According to another aspect of the invention, physical cards are utilized in a gaming environment that may be scrambled, shuffled, and/or played remotely over a network. In one embodiment, the physical cards are traditional poker-style gaming cards. The cards include at least one identifier that may be read upon the card being dealt. The identifier may contain information that is remotely communicated to a player.
US07766325B2
Apparatus for rotating a sheet moving in a first direction, the rotator comprising:at least one first roller that rotates against a sheet first side, the at least one first roller having a first drive;at least one second roller that rotates against the sheet first side, the at least one second roller having a second drive that is capable of rotating the second roller independently of the first roller, the second roller being spaced a distance from the at least one first roller in a direction perpendicular to the first direction; anda controller that controls the first and second drives to rotate the sheet around an axis substantially perpendicular to the plane of the sheet.
US07766320B2
A media handling system includes a platform, a bin supporting the platform below and for undergoing movement toward and away from a sheet feeding position, a first motion transmitting assembly coupled between the platform and bin and tailored to counterbalance the weight of the platform and any stack such that as the weight decreases the platform is lifted toward the sheet feeding position to maintain the stack top below a lower limit position thereof, a control mechanism to sense the position of the stack top relative to a given range between the lower limit position to an upper home position, and a second motion transmitting assembly drivingly coupled to the platform via the first motion transmitting assembly and responsive to the control mechanism sensing to cause the first motion transmitting assembly to further lift the platform to and maintain the stack top position within the given range.
US07766316B2
A device for arranging sheets in a stack that includes a surface for supporting the stack, one of the surface and the stack define a stack face. The device includes an adjustment unit, a rotatable shaft, a first roller, a second roller, a strip-off wheel, and a center roller. The strip-off wheel is fixedly mounted to the rotatable shaft such that the strip-off wheel rotates with the shaft. The strip-off wheel includes a plurality of teeth that are operable to contact the stack face such that rotation of the strip-off wheel pulls a first sheet from the stack. The center roller is between the first roller and the second roller. The center roller is operable to transport the first sheet pulled from the stack to a transfer device and to receive a second sheet from the transfer device and transfer the second sheet to an end of the stack face.
US07766305B2
A rectangular gate valve having an improved driving action is disclosed. The rectangular gate valve of the present invention includes a sealing member, which opens or closes a wafer moving passage, a main shaft, which is coupled to the sealing member and has a guide member, and a housing bracket, which has a first guide slot, into which the guide member is inserted. The gate valve further includes a valve drive unit, which is provided in the housing bracket and has an air cylinder, a piston, a piston shaft, a moving unit and a connection link. The gate valve further includes a guide bracket, which has a vertical bracket, a second guide slot and a horizontal bracket. The gate valve further includes a guide link, which is moved along the second guide slot to guide movement of the main shaft.
US07766302B2
Actuators and corresponding methods and systems for controlling such actuators offer efficient, fast, flexible control with large forces. In an exemplary embodiment, an fluid actuator includes a housing having first and second fluid ports, an actuation cylinder in the housing defining a longitudinal axis and having first and second ends in first and second directions, an actuation piston in the cylinder with first and second surfaces moveable along the longitudinal axis, a spring subsystem biasing the actuation piston to a neutral position, a first fluid space defined by the first end of the actuation cylinder and the first surface of the actuation piston, and a second fluid space defined by the second end of the actuation cylinder and the second surface of the actuation piston. A first flow mechanism controls fluid communication between the first fluid space and the first port, whereas a second flow mechanism controls fluid communication between the second fluid space and the second port. The first and second flow mechanisms are substantially restricted through two integrated snubbing mechanisms when the actuation piston approaches the first and second direction ends of its travel, respectively. In addition to a differential fluid force on the actuation piston, there is a centering or returning spring force available to help open the engine valve against the high cross-over passage pressure, without the need for the fluid actuation system to be bulky and consume too much energy.
US07766295B2
A support hanger system adapted to hang away from a top chord of a truss assembly using the upwardly facing planar surface of the top chord as the support surface for the downwardly extending support hanger. The support hanger assembly utilizes an elongated threaded member extending away from an operatively connected cross member. The cross member is oriented in transverse relation to the axis running along the length of the elongated threaded member. The cross member is adapted to fit through an acceptance slot extending through an upper base plate structure of the top chord such that the operatively connected threaded member extends downwardly from the upper base plate structure between downwardly projecting leg elements on either side of the acceptance slot. A channel support member adapted to reside between the leg elements may be disposed at a position below the cross member.
US07766292B2
A system for removably and adjustably mounting a device on an object is provided. The system for removably and adjustably mounting a device on an object, according to the present invention, includes an apparatus and method useful for removably and adjustably mounting one or more photovoltaic modules on an object such as a pole or roof, and includes one or more triple track rails. Also included are one or more connector brackets that are demountably attachable to the one or more triple track rails and to the object.
US07766279B2
A vortex ring generator adapted to be associated with a body subjected to fluid flow, the vortex ring generator being adapted to produce a fluid flow in the form of a vortex ring with the fluid flow moving over the body from the vortex ring generator.
US07766276B2
Aircraft fuselage with an upper deck, constructed as a passenger area, and a lower deck, including a freight area, and with a ventilation installation for the upper deck and lower deck, wherein a bilge area is constructed as a vacuum chamber against the freight area and is connected to the lower deck solely via flow orifices in the abutment area between a lower floor and the fuselage wall.
US07766275B2
Aircraft including an airframe having a fuselage extending between a forward end and an aft end opposite the forward end. The aircraft further includes a powerplant pivotally connected to the fuselage adjacent the aft end. The powerplant produces exhaust during operation of the aircraft. The powerplant is selectively pivotable to direct exhaust at multiple angles with respect to the fuselage.
US07766264B2
A grinding head for a grinding machine is disclosed in which the axial bore of the head is provided with flutes of variable width. The dimension of the flutes from an upstream location to a downstream location of the head is variable to provide different effects in operation of the grinding machine. Flutes may be wider in areas of the head where greater shear is expected or may be narrower in width to decrease backpressure. Flutes may be primarily located adjacent to or along an increased diameter area of the head and may be constructed by casting.
US07766257B2
A variable discharge mechanism for a hopper spreader apparatus includes first and second flow control members that allow varying the discharge rate by providing relative rotation between flow gate members to adjust the size of a delivery opening and thus the discharge volume flow rate. The distribution pattern can be changed by changing the location of the delivery opening with respect to an axis extending in the direction of travel of the vehicle.
US07766250B2
An antistatic reusable cup holder and fluid supply assembly. One or more of the reusable cup holder, disposable cup, disposable lid, or reusable outer lid is made of an antistatic material. In use, the chargeable particles in a coating mixture do not stick to the disposable cup so that uniformity of the coating mixture is maintained while it is dispensed. A method of maintaining the uniformity of a coating mixture during dispensing is also described.
US07766230B2
An Internet-based shipping, tracking and delivery network is deployed, wherein at the point of shipment pickup, digital images of shipping documents are captured and processed, shipping information graphically represented the digital images is extracted and encoded into digital image files, and these digital image files are transmitted to an application server and for storage in an information DBMS and subsequent recognition and processing, while the shipment is in transit, from the point of shipment pickup to the first scanning point. At the first scanning point, and subsequent sorting and routing hubs in the network, the original shipment number assigned to the package shipment and graphically represented in said shipping document images, is used to access the DBMS and retrieve recognized shipping information for use in sorting and routing each package in the shipment to its point of destination. By virtue of the present invention, network-assigned shipment tracking numbers need not be assigned, nor special labels generated, for package and delivery operations.
US07766226B2
A system including at least two parts or stations wherein a transaction or connection between any two or more of the parts or stations is conducted or established by means of an access code, the access code being available to an accessed part or station and requiring an identical access code to be provided to an accessing part or station at the time of conducting the transaction or establishing the connection. The system is characterised in that the access code is one of a plurality of codes provided to the accessed part or station and available to the accessing part or station. The system is further characterised in that the access code is selected from the plurality of codes at the time of conducting the transaction or establishing the connection, such that no two transactions are conducted or no two connections are established with the same access codes.
US07766221B2
An image display apparatus increases user's buying intention by creating a highly original image character and providing users with product information they do not obtain yet. Identification information determination means determines identification information attached to a product and displays an image corresponding to the product on a display apparatus. Combinable component search means retrieves image data of one or more components that constitute another product identified with another identification information and that can be combined with the plurality of components that constitute the product corresponding to the determined identification information. The product image and an image selected from among the retrieved images are combined to make a new image. Application execution means executes an application with the created image as an image character if a plurality of components that constitute the image displayed on a screen can be all identified with the identification information determined in advance.
US07766218B2
To provide a pasty silver particle composition, which, upon heating, allows silver particles to be easily sintered to form solid silver possessing excellent strength, electric conductivity and thermal conductivity, and a production process of solid silver and the like. A pasty silver particle composition comprising nonspherical silver particles having an average particle diameter of 0.1 to 18 μm and a carbon content of not more than 1.0% by weight and a volatile dispersion medium, wherein, upon heating, the volatile dispersion medium is volatilized and the nonspherical silver particles are sintered to one another to form solid silver. There are also provided a process for producing solid silver comprising heating the pasty silver particle composition, solid silver having excellent strength, electric conductivity and thermal conductivity, a method for joining a metallic member using the pasty silver particle composition, and a production process of a printed wiring board comprising silver wiring.
US07766215B2
The invention relates to a process for the friction stir welding of two panels (20, 21), using a welding device (25) having a retractable pin (29), comprising the following steps: positioning the two panels (20, 21) so as to be in contact over an overlap region (24) and keeping them in the desired relative position after welding; bringing the welding device into contact with the upper panel at the start of the welded joint; longitudinally welding the two panels, by moving the welding device as far as the end of the welded joint; continuing to move the welding device (25) along a path extending beyond the end of the welded joint; and retracting the retractable pin (29) so as to prevent the appearance of a weld hole in a portion of the path of the welding device (25) extending beyond the end of the welded joint.
US07766214B2
The invention provides a friction stir welding method of forming a weld portion having an excellent fatigue property in the case of welding a weld material by using a friction stir welding method. The invention provides a friction stir welding method structured such as to insert a tool provided in such a manner that a pin-shaped probe protrudes to an end surface of a columnar member to a weld material in a state of being rotated, and move the tool in a state of being rotated, thereby welding two or more weld materials in accordance with a friction stirring, in which a cavity portion is provided in a part of a weld portion of the weld material, a member is formed in the cavity portion, and the weld material is welded by the friction stirring. In accordance with the invention, since an unwelded portion is not formed near the cavity portion, a notch effect is reduced, and it is possible to form the weld member which is excellent in the fatigue property.
US07766212B2
A spool includes a body and a chromium layer. The body integrally includes a first portion having an annular shape and a second portion having a tubular shape. The body is formed using plastic. The first portion is provided on both sides of the second portion. The chromium layer is plated on the body. The chromium layer has a uniform thickness of about 0.1 μm to about 100 μm. A gold alloy wire is wound on the chromium layer. The chromium layer has a glossy surface. The spool is combined with a bonding device such that the spool electrically connects the bonding device to the gold alloy wire wound on the chromium layer. The shape of the spool is not easily changed by an external impact. When the gold alloy wire is wound on the spool, a scratch is not formed on the spool. Furthermore, the cost required for forming the spool is relatively small so that the spool may be used as an expendable supply. As a result, a recycling process is not required.
US07766209B2
A surgical stapling instrument including an actuator knob which can be moved from one side of the stapling instrument to another side in order to reposition the actuator knob without having to reposition the stapling instrument within a surgical site. A stapling instrument can include a pusher bar, a housing having a first side and a second side, and an actuator knob rotatably mounted to the pusher bar wherein the actuator knob can be configured to be rotated between a first position in which the actuator knob can be moved along the first side of the housing and a second position where the actuator knob can be moved along a second side of the housing. Alternatively, a surgical stapling instrument can comprise one or more actuator knobs which can be operably engaged and disengaged with a pusher bar in order to selectively utilize the actuator knobs.
US07766205B2
The tool includes a cylinder inside of which is slidably mounted a piston for driving a fastening element, as a result of the explosion inside of a combustion chamber of a mixture of gas and air that has been injected therein from a gas cartridge, after which the tool has come to bear weight against a support, the head switch has retracted and the combustion chamber has closed, followed by actuation of the trigger switch for controlling the spark plug. The tool also includes an element for determining the rate of fire which includes a real-time clock designed to cooperate with a microcontroller of an operating and control module. The arrangement applies well to fastening tools.
US07766199B1
A baby carrier which is adjustable as to width at the hips of the baby. The baby carrier may comprise a body covering panel from which may project a right strap and a left strap for engaging the torso of an adult wearer. An arrangement of fasteners which may be located near the bottom edge of the body covering panel provides a selection of connections one of which will cause the body covering panel to form a first closed loop for encircling the baby at the hips, and another of which will cause the body covering panel to form a second closed loop for encircling the baby at the hips. The respective circumferential dimensions of the first closed loop and second closed loop are different, so as to accommodate different hip dimensions, for example for babies of different ages and body sizes.
US07766198B2
The crown sizer is mounted over the hook of a hanger and is positioned coaxially about a post that extends from the body of the hanger. The crown sizer is provided internally with one or more elastic protrusions which, in an operational stage, engage in the post of the hook, engage under reinforcing struts extending from the post to the body or engage in the hanger body in order to form a clip attachment of the crown sizer.
US07766195B2
Methods and apparatus for accurately and repeatably depositing edible particulates on edible products. A dual-drum rotary feed system accurately meters an amount of edible particle for each edible product with a first rotary drum while a second rotary drum deposits the edible particulates onto or within the edible product. The dual-drum rotary feeder can comprise replaceable drums wherein drums can be quickly removed and replaced for cleaning, sanitization and to adjust processing conditions such as, for example, changes in production rates and/or product size.
US07766191B2
A dispensing system for simultaneously dispensing a plurality of reactive materials. The system includes a multiple-barreled syringe having at least two barrels joined by a flange and containing respective different reactive materials. Parallel plungers joined by a flange force sealing members through the barrels to discharge the materials. A static mixer element having an applicator attaches to the syringe, and a means for re-sealing the syringe for subsequent use is provided. A sliding clip engaging a complementary shape removably fixes a loose static mixer element to the syringe, reducing the risk of misplacement and loss.
US07766185B2
A spill guard device for preventing unwanted spillage of material from a container. The device comprises a body shaped to fit on the rim of the container, the body having a U-shape in cross-section, and having a flange extending inwardly and adjacent the spout of the container, the flange preventing the material from spilling from the container as it is poured out via the spout. A notch in the underside of the body cooperates with a ridge formed on the exterior of the container, parallel and adjacent to the rim, to secure the device on the rim in proper location.
US07766184B2
A collapsible pan includes a base portion, a plurality of side portions, and a flexible connector for connecting each of the side portions to the base portion along edges thereof. Each of the plurality of side portions is configured to be pivotable relative to the base portion, thereby permitting adjustment between a use configuration, whereby each of the plurality of side portions is arranged generally upright relative to the base portion, and a collapsed configuration, whereby each of the plurality of side portions is arranged to lay generally flat relative to the base portion.
US07766175B2
A shelf accessory for a dishwasher rack is provided, comprising a spine extending in parallel with a structural member of the rack. A plurality of loops extends perpendicularly from the spine, and the loops are spaced apart in relation to each other along the spine, and cooperate therewith to define a shelf member. A clip member is operably engaged between the shelf member and the structural member, and is configured to be capable of rotating about the structural member such that the shelf member correspondingly orbits about the structural member. The clip member further comprises at least one retention member operably engaged therewith. The at least one retention member is configured to cooperate with the rack so as to retain and support the shelf member in at least one of a plurality of angular positions with respect to and about the structural member. Associated apparatuses are also provided.
US07766174B2
A rack for supporting footwear and handling footwear drainage, the rack comprising a base member having a tray opening, a tray slidably removable from the base member through the tray opening, a shelf supported on the base member and wherein the shelf has drain spouts openings that are in fluid communication with the tray. Hollow support legs are provided having first and second ends, and the first ends of the support legs are interlocked to the drain spouts. Another shelf is stacked on the second ends of the support legs. Additional shelves may be stacked thereon to increase the height of the rack.
US07766173B2
An amine aqueous solution for forming an active layer of a polyamide reverse osmosis composite membrane is prepared, which consists of 0.1 through 20 weight % of polyfunctional aromatic amine monomer, 0.1 through 20 weight % of multi-functional tertiary alcohol amine, 0.1 through 20 weight % of strong acid, and 40 through 99.7 weight % of water.
US07766167B2
When an inner cover portion is accommodated in a blister pack, a retention space area a for accommodating a capsule endoscope is formed between the bottom face of the inner cover portion and the inside bottom face of the blister pack. The capsule endoscope, retained by a retaining portion formed in the blister pack and by a hole portion formed in the inner cover portion, is set into a storage case. The entire capsule endoscope accommodated in the storage case is uniformly and satisfactorily sterilized by blocking the opening of the blister pack with a sterilizing sheet.
US07766166B2
Multiple packaging of wrappers containing products for medical use include an envelope to which at least two bunches of the wrappers are fastened, the bunches being arranged so that the envelopes of each bunch turn out to be mutually joined along one side and free along the opposite side so as to appear spread apart. The bunches are fastened inside the envelope so to allow maximizing the multiple packaging capacity, without having to considerably increase the size.
US07766159B2
A modular belt having a first belt module and a second belt module intercalated and locked into position by a pivot rod having a head at one end and a retaining ring disposed in spaced apart relation relative to the head along the longitudinal axis.
US07766152B2
A freeze dryer comprises a chamber having a rectangular slot through which vials are inserted into the chamber. An assembly for loading the chamber comprises a bar extending across the slot to engage vials to be inserted into the chamber. The bar is attached to a mechanism for moving the bar laterally into and out from the chamber. In a retracted position of the bar, at least part of the mechanism is wound around a sprocket. Rotation of the sprocket unwinds the mechanism to move the bar into the chamber.
US07766149B2
The aim of the invention is to create an inspection system (1) for rolled products (2) of a milling station, which is to reliably prevent the texture of the substrate from being impressed and/or pressing through during processing of the rolled product (2), especially during grinding. Said aim is achieved by disposing a number of vertically adjustable rolled product clamps (6, 8) on a conveyor belt (4) for rolled products (2) in the inspection system (1).
US07766147B2
The counterfeit money discrimination support device is configured to eject only the banknotes of the same denomination as a predetermined denomination of money, as specific banknotes, among banknotes taken into the device from the exterior. The denomination and quantity of the specific banknotes ejected to the exterior are stored in a memory 23. Thereafter, the specific banknotes discriminated as being not counterfeit banknotes, by hand, are then taken again into the device. When the denomination and quantity of the specific banknotes taken again into the device respectively correspond to the denomination and quantity stored in the memory 23, the discriminating operation for the counterfeit banknotes is judged to have been properly completed.
US07766139B2
A DCT hydraulic power control system has a pump, a high pressure section for providing oil to actuators of the DCT, a low pressure section for providing oil to a lubrication and cooling system of the DCT, and a regulator for directing excess oil from the high pressure section to the lubrication and cooling section. A hydraulic control includes a first directional valve disposed in a main line of the low pressure section between the pump and the lubrication and cooling system, wherein the directional valve is controlled by an ON/OFF valve disposed between a check valve and the directional valve, wherein the check valve is disposed in a branch line of the low pressure section leading to the high pressure section, and wherein a second directional valve connects the second pressure outlet associated to the low pressure section with a suction side of the pump.
US07766137B2
Shock absorber provided with a piston and a cylinder, both secured to a part of a vehicle. A nonreturn valve is present in either the piston or the base of the cylinder. The nonreturn valve includes a valve plate and a valve seat plate, both annular. Near the center, the valve plate is arranged at a distance from the valve seat plate. At low flow velocity, elasticity of the valve plate keeps it at a distance from the valve seat plate, allowing unimpeded flow. As flow increases, the valve plate deforms elastically, gradually closing off a diametral opening in the valve seat plate. An opening remains between the valve plate and the valve seat plate at the spacer. As the pressure difference across the nonreturn valve increases, the valve plate closes off with respect to the valve seat plate over the entire circumference. This movement takes place as a wave.
US07766131B2
A pad spring located at the entrance side in the rotational direction of a disk is provided with guide plate portions, radially urging portions that urge a pair of friction pads radially outward of the disk, and circumferentially urging portions that urge the friction pads in the rotational direction of the disk. Each radially urging portion has a projection bent radially inward of the disk. Each guide plate portion has a space portion that allows the projection to abut against the radially inner wall surface of the associated pad guide when the radially urging portion is displaced radially inward of the disk so as to approach the guide plate portion. The circumferentially urging portions are wide plate-shaped members bent from the guide plate portions.
US07766126B2
An integral stand tube for regulating fluid level within a transmission is provided. The stand tube includes an upper opening, at least one lower opening, and an internal volume defined by at least one internal passage for directing fluid from a valve body-side of a transmission to a main sump located on a gear-side of the transmission. The lower opening is operatively connected to a thermal valve assembly and a fluid passage formed in the transmission case between the auxiliary sump of the valve body-side and the main sump of the gear-side. Fluid passing from auxiliary sump to main sump bypasses dynamic transmission components to thereby minimize fluid aeration due to contact therebetween.
US07766114B2
A driving mechanism for motorized bicycle is provided. The driving mechanism comprises a motor driving transmission device, a front driving sprocket and a pedal driving transmission device. The motor driving transmission device inwardly includes a motor shell, a magnet stator, an electromagnetic wire-coiled rotor and a cylindrical hollow rotatable shaft. The front driving sprocket has a transmission rotatable sleeve disposed therein for insertion of the hollow rotatable shaft there between. The pedal driving transmission device includes a pair of pedal cranks and a pedal driving shaft passing through the transmission rotatable sleeve and hollow rotatable shaft. First and Second single direction irreversible transmission devices are arranged such that either the motor driving transmission device or pedal driving transmission device may drive the transmission rotatable sleeve and front driving sprocket in proper rotational direction.
US07766113B2
A mount structure for an electric unit is a mount structure for a PCU mounted in an engine room of a hybrid vehicle. The mount structure includes a vehicle body, the PCU mounted in the engine room, an engine mounted on the vehicle body and spaced from PCU, a cable connected to the PCU and having a portion positioned between the PCU and the engine, and a wire-protecting portion positioned between the PCU and the engine and keeping the distance between the PCU and the cable and the distance between the engine and the cable at respective distances that are at least distances necessary for wiring protection.
US07766112B2
An automotive vehicle is provided which includes a structural member, a bumper movable with respect to the structural member upon an impact of said vehicle with an object, and a radiator for cooling fluid of a component of the vehicle, the radiator being mounted with the structural member. Movement of the bumper within predetermined limits causes the radiator to be dismounted with respect to said structural member minimizing material damage to the radiator.
US07766108B2
The invention essentially concerns a method for fast starting of a hybrid vehicle. Said method uses a power transmission device (1.1) comprising a traction chain consisting of a heat engine (2), a clutch (3), an electrical machine (4), and wheels (6). The invention is characterized in that said method, in order to rapidly accelerate the vehicle when it is stopped, consists in starting the heat engine (2) concurrently with the actuation of the electrical machine, using a starting system (7) mechanically independent of the electrical machine (4).
US07766103B2
A drill bit and a single pass drilling apparatus are disclosed. The one-piece drill bit is rotatable about a drilling axis and has a connection portion, adapted to be rigidly connected to a drill steel, a pilot part and a reamer part. The reamer part has a leading and at least one trailing first rock machining means disposed on one side of the pilot part within a sector defined by sector angle θ. At least one of the trailing first rock machining means is axially spaced from the leading first rock machining means in the direction toward the trailing end of the drill bit.
US07766102B2
This invention relates to a downhole assembly and to a cutter assembly, and in particular to a downhole assembly including an apparatus for breaking up large-scale material which is present behind a drill bit, and to a cutter assembly for use in such a downhole assembly. The downhole assembly is suitably for use in a drillstring, the downhole assembly comprising a drill bit, a sensitive component, and at least one rotatable set of cutter blades located between the drill bit and the sensitive component.
US07766084B2
A downhole tool (10) comprises a body (12) defining a bore. The body includes a valve arrangement (18) including flow ports (24) in the wall of the body. The ports may be opened or closed. In addition, a variable flow restriction (30) is provided in the bore (14), the degree of restriction tending to decrease as flow across the restriction increases. The variable flow restriction may be utilized to actuate the valve arrangement.
US07766080B2
A snubbing jack includes a first telescopic member and a second telescopic member. A stationary plate and a movable plate are affixed to the telescopic members. The movable plate moves away from the stationary plate upon expansion of the telescopic member and moves toward the stationary plate upon contraction of the telescopic members. An intermediate plate is removably secured between the stationary plate and the movable plate.
US07766079B2
A pumping installation for a gas producing well. A gas compressor is positioned on surface which receives gas. The compressor is powered by hydraulic fluid. An engine is positioned a sufficient distance from the gas producing well as not to pose a danger of gas explosion. A hydraulic reservoir is provided. Hydraulic fluid is circulated by the engine to supply hydraulic fluid from the hydraulic reservoir needed to power the compressor.
US07766078B2
An automotive vehicle air conditioning system has air introduced into an air conditioning case. The introduced air is always discharged to both sides of a passenger compartment regardless of the air conditioner mode while the air conditioning system maintains the amount of air discharged through defrost openings in a defrost mode. Air leakage between both sides of a mode door and the air conditioning case is effectively prevented by a cover carried by the mode door without additional sealing to improve air conditioning performance.
US07766076B2
A cooler for heat generating electronic components comprising a heat exchange plate configured for heat exchange communication with one or more heat generating electronic components includes a fin stack having a plurality of heat exchange fins and one or more heat pipes and/or thermosyphon tubes in heat exchange communication with the heat exchange plate and said plurality of fins, and a fan for directing air to and/or from the fins, each of said fins having a centered interior circular opening or hole, the fins stacked with the holes coaxially aligned and substantially centered in the fin stack and defining an elongated cavity having a first open end adjacent to the heat exchange plate and a second open end adjacent to the fan, and an elongated insert centrally positioned lengthwise along the cylindrical cavity and having a exterior surface of revolution smaller than the diameter of the cavity and defining an airflow channel between the insert and the fin openings and wherein the exterior surface of revolution of the insert is shaped, tapered or slanted and/or the interior openings of the fins are of the same or different diameters to provide an airflow channel width increasing from the fist end to the second end.
US07766073B2
A die-casting die having a plurality of laterally movable slides is provided with a plurality of hydraulic cylinders located and carried internally within the die and connected with the plurality of slides to move the slides between cavity-open and cavity-closed positions.
US07766071B2
A rheo-casting container for containing a charge of semi-solid metal alloy includes an elongate body defining a side wall of the container, a mouth at a first end of the body, an opening at a second end of the body, and a closure member to close the opening. The closure member is configured to be displaceable along an interior volume of the body from the second end towards the first end to display a charge of semi-solid metal alloy contained in the container. The closure member is of a metal alloy the same as or similar to the semi-solid metal alloy for which the container is to be used and has a melting point which is not less than the temperature at which the metal alloy is to be introduced into the container.
US07766067B2
Horn assembly adapted to be rotatably arranged in a housing (3) of a rotary ultrasonic sealer, and comprising a hollow shaft (1) having a longitudinal axis (2) and a horn (8) arranged coaxially in the hollow shaft (1) and connected to a converter (6) and preferably also a booster (7). The horn (8) is provided with a peripheral sealing area (13) outside an axial end (13) of the hollow shaft (1). The horn (8) is connected to the hollow shaft (1) by means of at least one annular, metallic support (11) extending radially outward from an outer face (14) of the horn (8) and axially acting retaining means so as to fixedly retain the horn (8) in the hollow shaft (1). The at least one annular support (11) is corrugated in cross section such that at least two grooves and one ridge arranged there between are provided between the inner face (10) of the hollow shaft (1) and the outer face (14) of the horn (8). The at least one support (11) comprises at its outer circumference a conical surface (26) adapted to cooperate with a corresponding conical surface (27) for centering the support (11) with respect to the hollow shaft (1).
US07766062B2
A pneumatic radial tire that can improve maneuver stability while maintaining riding comfort is provided. The pneumatic radial tire has a tire tread including at least two layers of a base tread and a cap tread arranged externally in a radial direction of the base tread. The base tread is formed by a base tread rubber composition including at least 2-20 parts by weight of a kraft paper ground product relative to 100 parts by weight of a rubber component. The base tread has its ratio E*a/E*b of a complex elastic modulus in a circumferential direction E*a to a complex elastic modulus in a tire radial direction E*b set to be at least 1.5, each of the complex elastic moduli E*a and E*b being measured at a temperature of 70° C., a frequency of 10 Hz, and a dynamic strain of ±1% at a tire maximum width position in a state where the tire is attached to a rim and filled to a prescribed internal pressure.
US07766061B2
A tread band having a primary groove opening onto a front face of the tread band, a secondary feature molded into the tread band, and a wear indicator molded into a section of an undertread portion of the tread band. The wear indicator is useful for providing an end-of-useable tread indication when the front face of the tread band wears even with a top portion of the wear indicator. Furthermore, the secondary feature may be characterized as opening onto a back face of the tread band, a side face of the tread band or combinations thereof. The section of the undertread portion may extend less than about 4 mm or less than about 3 mm from the back face of the tread band. In other embodiments, the section of the undertread portion may extend less than about 1.5 mm from the back face of the tread band.
US07766056B2
A combined device to feed and compact preset doses of ground coffee or other similar substances includes the combination of two operating devices, the first operating device including a measuring screw in an upright position, the second operating device including a compacting piston in an oblique position that is arranged perpendicular to concavities which are geometrically congruent with the morphology of the doses to be compacted inside dies located on a polygonal conveyer.
US07766051B2
The invention relates to a flexible pipe for transporting hydrocarbons, comprising the following, from the inside towards the outside: a cylindrical structural set adapted in such a way that it can withstand radial stress and at least one first armure lap, said first armure lap comprising a plurality of armure threads wherein the armure threads consist of formed and flattened metal threads, the width of said armure I being greater than the thickness e when they are wound in parallel in the form of a spiral with a longitudinal pitch around the structure set, said threads forming an angle of less than 60° angle with the generators (G) of said structural set, and the width/thickness ratio of the armure threads is greater than 4.
US07766049B2
This is a balloon catheter having at least two lumens. One of the lumens is a large working lumen. The balloon catheter is especially useful as a guide catheter or micro catheter and may be used in a variety of therapeutic and diagnostic procedures. In particular, it has value in treating neurovascular embolic strokes in combination with other devices which are delivered to the stroke site through that working lumen. The remainder of the lumens typically are used to inflate and to deflate the balloon.
US07766043B2
A faucet including a molded waterway assembly having a plurality of tubes overmolded within a base.
US07766038B2
A manifold device for a multi-jet pool fixture includes a central chamber having a jet interface surface. An inlet in fluid communication with the central chamber allows fluid to flow into the central chamber and out a plurality of openings disposed in the jet interface surface. An outlet in fluid communication with the central chamber allows water to flow out of the central chamber.
US07766035B2
A fluid jet for providing fluid under pressure to a desired location is disclosed wherein the valve body includes and integral valve element retaining region. Preferably, the valve body and integral valve element retaining region are die cast as a one-piece component. More specifically, the fluid jet includes a die cast one-piece valve body having a valve element retaining region extending longitudinally within at least a portion of the valve body, at least one fluid passage extending longitudinally within at least a portion of the valve body and in fluid communication with at least a portion of the valve element retaining region, and at least one fluid-exiting aperture through the valve body in fluid communication with the at least one fluid passage.
US07766034B2
A pressure control valve has a non-uniformly tapered valve bore that has an increasing diameter as it extends downstream. An interface angle, defined in part between a valve ball and the valve bore in the area of the smallest gap between them, increases as the valve ball is increasingly displaced away from a valve seat of the valve bore.
US07766024B2
A tent frame comprising support frames having side support and roof support members. Spans of the support frames are adjustable perpendicular to a ridge line of the tent frame without substituting structural members of different length. The tent frame is laterally adjusted by adding or removing support frames or by altering the distance between individual support frames. The tent frame is adaptable on uneven terrain and is capable of following irregular ground contour without delay in erection or changes in length and details in the structural members. A canopy can be provided overtop of the tent frame, or on the inside of the tent frame so that adjustments to the span do not require adjustment to the canopy size. The canopy is removably attached to the frame to cover the whole area or only partially cover the area under the tent, or can be removed fully.
US07766022B2
An easy to use, universal, simple, lightweight, compact, portable, dynamically configurable and modular system of concealment and shelter. An operator configures a number of concealment blinds or shelters using brackets, supports, segmented shafts, covers, curtains, and skirts, and more complex modules. The segmented shafts have both the ability to make an attachment to retain a particular configuration while being able to break down the shafts for transportation or storage. The brackets and supports are used to secure a configuration to a tree, the ground, or a hand held device. Advanced modules include user adjustable domes and cylindrical arches. The system can be configured for placement on a hillside or over rough terrain and obstacles. Multiple modules can be carried by separate members of a group and combined together to form a more complex structure to meet the needs of the group. The system provides a novel star window with independently opening sections. The window openings are configured in a number of configurations to meet the needs of the user. The configuration of the structure is changed by the user to quickly provide cover, increase cover, and to adapt to terrain or changing weather. The system includes a low cost method of tightening the skin on a cover to reduce wind movement and noise.
US07766016B2
An anti-snoring device including first and second arcuate members. The first member defines a receptacle for receiving teeth located on either of the user's upper or lower jaw, and a first plurality of fasteners on an opposite side and extending outwardly therefrom. The second member defines a receptacle for receiving teeth located on the other of the user's upper or lower jaws, and a second plurality of fasteners on an opposite side and extending outwardly therefrom. The first and second plurality of fasteners are each formed by elongate, parallel extending projections that define voids therebetween. Selective engagement of the projections and voids allows the first and second members to be secured together in a plurality of different relative positions.
US07766001B2
A device for positioning and blocking thin silicon wafers after wire-sawing a silicon wafer block. The device comprises a cassette that accommodates the wafer block and is provided with two contact strips whose sides facing the wafer block encompass elements which engage into narrow cutting gap between the wafers so as to maintain a distance and provide support. This allows the wafers to be fixed in the position thereof even after removing a supporting glass plate such that particularly the gap in the area of the former connecting point to the removed supporting glass plate is maintained and the subsequent singulation process is simplified.
US07765998B2
An anti-chop system for a pneumatic paintball marker that is automatically cleaned. The anti-chop eye system includes a transmitter and receiver arranged so as to sense the presence of a paintball within a breech using a beam of light. A moving member of the paintball marker automatically wipes at least one surface of the transmitter and/or receiver to remove contaminants such as paint, grease, dirt and the like. By automatically cleaning the anti-chop eye system, the reliability of the system is improved.
US07765988B2
The description relates to an internal combustion engine, and a method for an internal combustion engine with at least one cylinder, at each of which at least one spark providing device for ignition being provided. The engine is operated, in connection to a start procedure of the engine, in a controlled self-ignition mode comprising at least one controlled combustion without spark ignition. The controlled combustion without spark ignition can comprise homogeneous charge compression ignition (HCCI).
US07765974B2
This body (8) has on its outer surface both a screw thread (16) adapted for fixing the body (8) into a corresponding tapping in an engine (4), as well as a gripping zone (28), generally of cylindrical form with a hexagonal section, enabling gripping of the body (8) for screwing the glow plug (2) into the corresponding tapping. The outer diameter of the portion of the body between the thread (16) and the gripping zone (28) is throughout its entire height of a diameter at least equal to the outer diameter of the threaded portion (16). Application to internal combustion engines, in particular Diesel type engines.
US07765973B2
The present invention provides a motorcycle having a valve-operating mechanism for actuating a valve which opens and closes a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine. The valve-operating mechanism includes a biasing means for biasing the valve toward a valve closing direction and a drive means for driving the valve toward the valve opening direction against the biasing means, the biasing means is a gas spring formed by filling a gas spring chamber with compressible gas, and a compressed-gas container for supplying the compressible gas is connected to the gas spring chamber, and the compressed-gas container is disposed in an outermost line of body components of the motorcycle except for the compressed-gas container when the motorcycle is viewed from above.
US07765969B2
A vertical internal combustion engine E has a crankshaft 18 enclosed in a crank chamber 20, a belt-drive transmission mechanism 50 held in a belt chamber 63 and including a rubber belt 53 for transmitting power of the crankshaft 18 to a camshaft 24 in a valve train 23, and a transmission case 60 defining the belt chamber 63. The belt chamber 63 communicates with the crank chamber 20 by way of vent holes 70 and 71, the transmission case 60 is provided with an internal wall Wi disposed between the vent holes 70 and 71 and the belt 53 in the belt chamber 63 to deflect the flow of an oil-containing gas flowing from the crank chamber 20 into the belt chamber 63 such that the oil-containing gas flows in directions deviating from a direction toward the belt 53. The belt 53 is lubricated with oil in the oil-containing gas. The belt 53 is prevented from being excessively exposed to the oil-containing gas from the crank chamber 20 to extend its life.
US07765966B2
A system for adjusting valve timing of an engine is disclosed. In one embodiment, valve timing is adjusted during an engine start before the engine is started. The system may reduce engine emissions during engine starting.
US07765962B2
A reciprocating/rotary piston engine includes a housing containing a pivotable rotor as well as a series of openings in which pistons move up and down. The rotor is made up of a rotary piston presenting a series of active surfaces between its vertices (two, four, six . . . n active surfaces) corresponding to the number of rotary pistons and with corresponding active surfaces of the reciprocating pistons with alternately linkable chambers with a fuel supply, a carburation and an exhaust gas outlet.
US07765960B2
A device for use when cleaning the heating surface of a tube changer, such as the fire tubes in a boiler, having a scraper member that is fixed to a movement member for moving the scraper member through one fire tube at a time and a guide for positioning the scraper member directly in front of the open end of a fire tube, such that said scraper member can be moved from the guide into the fire tube and conversely from the fire tube into the guide. The guide can be moved on a frame transversely with respect to the longitudinal direction of the fire tubes for automatic cleaning of the fire tubes both when in service and out of service.
US07765948B2
A device and method for identifying the tubes in a tubesheet, including locating a support element along a portion of the tubesheet with at least one means for identifying the location or condition of the adjacent tubes.
US07765944B2
The present invention is an improved grain drill and a method retrofitting a previously manufactured grain drill to provide accurate weight determination of seed in a seed hopper of the grain drill. A grain drill in accordance with the invention includes a frame having a plurality of wheels for supporting the grain drill during rolling over a surface of ground to be planted with seed grain; a hopper for containing the seed grain to be planted in the ground; a support which is joined to opposed sides of the frame and to spaced apart locations of the hopper to transfer weight of the hopper to the frame, the support including at least one weight sensing device which senses a weight of seed grain in the hopper transferred through the support to the frame and provides an output of the sensed weight of the seed grain in the hopper; and a display, coupled to the output, for displaying the weight of the seed grain contained in the hopper.
US07765934B2
A small-bore projectile comprises a ductile outer jacket, a hard core, and a hollow jacket core. Kinetic energy of the projectile is substantially transmitted to the hard core when a target is hit such that said hard core penetrates the target. The outer jacket is supported by the jacket core that is located on the inside and mushrooms up into a deformed state upon impact without fragmenting. The projectile has good flying behavior and great final ballistic performance and can be produced in an entirely lead-free manner.
US07765933B2
In at least one embodiment, a shotshell comprises a casing defining an internal chamber, a plurality of first shot pellets within the internal chamber and a plurality of second shot pellets within the internal chamber. The first shot pellets comprise a first shape and the second shot pellets comprise a second shape that is different from the first shape.
US07765930B2
A method is used to set a contact pressure between a displaceable roller and another roller or for moving the displaceable roller with respect to the other roller. At least one actuator is subjectible to the action of a pressure medium and presses the displaceable roller toward the other roller with an adjustable force. The pressure of the pressure medium can be adjusted by a valve. A switchover device is provided for use in connecting the valve to different actuators, as desired.
US07765921B2
A press cage bar for a device for expressing liquids, which is bounded by at least one pressing edge in the area of a wear surface of a hard layer and which, in the area of at least one lateral face of the body of the cage bar, has at least one spacer that is raised above the lateral face. The spacer is formed as a deposit weld on the lateral face of the cage bar and is provided with a certain bottom clearance from the underside of the cage bar, which is on the opposite side of the cage bar from the wear surface. The spacer extends along the lateral face no farther than to the hard layer. The extent of the spacer transversely to a longitudinal axis of the lateral face is greater than its extent in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the lateral face. The spacer has increasing thickness perpendicular to the lateral face in a direction extending from the hard layer towards the underside of the cage bar.
US07765917B2
An air compressor that employs splash lubrication to lubricate and cool a piston kit that includes a cylinder and a piston reciprocating in the cylinder. In one form, cooling channels can be coupled to or formed on the cylinder to direct the lubricant that is splashed onto the cylinder to drain in a desired manner, such as helically around the exterior of the cylinder, to more effectively cool the piston kit. In another form, the cylinder can include an annular flange that can be bigger in diameter than a remainder of the cylinder. The annular flange can be received into a counterbore in a cylinder block. A cylinder head, which can be fastened to the cylinder block, can apply a clamping force to the annular flange to clamp or fix the cylinder to cylinder.
US07765914B2
A displacer unit with a valve plate body is disclosed. The displacer unit having at least one displacer space which is arranged in a cylindrical drum rotating about an axis of rotation and which can be connected to an inlet connection and an outlet connection by a control surface. The control surface is formed on a valve plate body which is provided with a first control opening, which is connected to the inlet connection, and with a second control opening, which is connected to the outlet connection. The first control opening and the second control opening are spaced apart radially, where the displacer space can be connected to the first control opening by a first connecting passage and to the second control opening by a second connecting passage. The connecting passages are provided with a respective mechanical face seal for sealing relative to the control openings.
US07765906B2
The method of forming a through-hole is capable of preventing formation of burrs, improving machining efficiency and reducing machining cost. The method of forming a through-hole in a circular wall of a cylindrical part of a work piece comprises the steps of: setting the work piece in a die; inserting a punch, which is provided to a rod-shaped metal core and whose length projected from the metal core is shorter than thickness of the circular wall, into the cylindrical part; relatively pressing and moving the punch toward the die so as to drive the punch into an inner face of the circular wall and bore the through-hole; sucking a scrap, which is formed by boring the through-hole, via a discharge hole of the die.
US07765905B2
A micropositioner is provided, which contains an outer magnetic pole-piece and an inner magnetic pole-piece located within the outer magnetic pole piece. At least one permanent magnet is located between the inner magnetic pole piece and the outer magnetic pole-piece. At least one coil is located between the inner magnetic pole-piece and the outer magnetic pole-piece, wherein the at least one coil is capable of directing magnetic flux between the inner magnetic pole-piece and the outer magnetic pole-piece. An outer movable shell is also movably connected to the outer magnetic pole-piece.
US07765895B2
A fluid-operated torque wrench for tightening or loosening a fastener has a housing having two housing portions including a cylinder portion and a driving portion, cylinder-piston means arranged in the cylinder portion and movable along a first axis, a lever-type ratchet mechanism arranged in the driving portion and connected to the cylinder-piston means to be driven by the later, the lever-type ratchet mechanism having a ratchet turnable about a second axis which is perpendicular to the first axis, at least three connecting elements including first and second connecting elements receiving a given turning force acting in one direction during operation of the wrench, and a third connecting element receiving a turning force in an opposite direction during operation of the wrench and being equal to the given turning force acting in the one direction, so that one of the turning forces turns a fastener to be tightened or loosened while another of the turning forces is transferred to a stationary object.
US07765890B2
An industrial robot has an arm, a wrist element rotatably interconnected to the arm, a work tool mounted on a distal end of the wrist element, and a motor mounted on the wrist element. An umbilical-member connected to the work tool and a flat cable connected to the motor are disposed to run along the wrist element from the arm side to the work tool or to the motor. A pipe member extending in a direction of a rotation axis of the wrist element is provided inside the arm and the umbilical-member connected to the work tool is passed inside the pipe member. The flat cable connected to the motor is wound around outside of the pipe member, with the flat cable arranged to become slack in a rotating direction of the wrist element.
US07765884B2
A power take-off assembly for transmitting rotary power from the powertrain of a motor vehicle includes a torque converter for an automatic transmission and including an impeller shaft connected driveably to a power source, a housing having a opening through a wall of the housing, and a power takeoff gear secured to the impeller shaft, located in the housing, aligned with the opening, and supported for rotation about an axis.
US07765878B2
The measuring device includes a flow measuring transducer, through which a medium to be measured flows during operation. For monitoring an installed position of the flow transducer, the method of the invention provides, on the basis of application of a suitable tilt sensor, for ascertaining an instantaneous inclination of the measuring transducer corresponding to a tilt of at least one principal axis of inertia of the measuring transducer relative to at least one reference axis.
US07765877B2
A system for preloading piezoelectric actuators includes a fixture, a preloading mechanism configured to apply a mechanical force to a piezoelectric element supported by the fixture, and a sensor configured to sense an electrical property induced by the mechanical force in an electrical circuit having the piezoelectric element therein. A control device is coupled with the sensor and configured to generate a signal based on the sensed electrical property. A method of setting or testing preload includes applying a mechanical force to a piezoelectric element, and correlating an electrical property induced by the mechanical force with a magnitude of the mechanical force. Closed loop control allows preload to be set highly accurately.
US07765866B2
A pressure sensor is provided. The pressure sensor includes a sensing element, a case, a line element, an insect entering restriction element. The case has a space for receiving the sensing element. The case includes a pressure introduction passage, which is in communication with the space to introduce a pressure medium into the sensing element. The line element has a first portion electrically connected with the sensing element and a second portion to be electrically connected to an external element. The insect entering restriction element extends across a path on the exterior surface of the case, the path interconnecting between the second portion of the line element and the open end of pressure introduction passage.
US07765861B2
The strength of adhesion between two layers is evaluated by applying a series of laser shocks directly to the surface of one of the layers. Adhesion strength is determined based on the wavelength and energy of the laser pulse creating the shock which causes rupture of the interface between the two layers.
US07765845B2
The stem slide device of the present invention in an extruder has a stem vertical movement support (71) and slide guide members (72-1, 2) fastened to the support and forming guide grooves. A stem (6) pushing against a billet loaded in a container is held at the slide table (73) horizontally. The slide table slides in the vertical direction along the vertical face of the support. When the slide table is positioned at the bottom end of the guide groove, the hydraulic cylinders (77-1, 2) are driven so that the rods (78-1, 2) push the back surface of the slide table against the vertical face of the support. Therefore, the axis of the stem is held matched with the axis of the container.
US07765844B2
The present invention provides a Cluster mill which utilizes a Cluster mill gauge control system, has a high mill stiffness, a large work roll gap for threading, a rapid work roll gap opening, accurate roll force computation, side to side tilting, and utilizes work rolls over a much wider diameter range.
US07765843B2
The present invention relates to a rod capable of securely connecting pedicle screws in a pedicle screw system for correcting a damaged or transformed spine and a method and an apparatus for fabricating the same and, more particularly, to a flexible pedicle rod with superelasticity in order to provide a flexibility to a fixation between spine segments and a method and an apparatus capable of fabrication the same in mass production. The apparatus according to the present invention comprises a body; an X- and Y-axis moving element mounted on a top surface of the body, the X- and Y-axis moving element simultaneously moving in X-axis and Y-axis directions to wind a material at an angle of 90 degrees; a magazine mounted on the X- and Y-axis moving element to load a material; a material withdrawing element for withdrawing materials one by one from the magazine; and a material molding element mounted on the X- and Y-axis moving element, the material molding element gripping both ends of the material withdrawn from the material withdrawing element and rotating to mold a portion of the material in a spring shape.
US07765839B2
A drum type washer and a door thereof are provided to eliminate moisture inside a door glass using natural convection. The door of the drum type washer includes a door glass, an inner door having a holder integral to the inner door to support an outer surface of the door glass, an outer door having a support rib integral to the outer door to support an inner surface of the door glass, the support rib including a hole set formed in the support rib such that an inside of the door glass communicates with an exterior of the drum type washer. With this configuration, the moisture created inside the door glass can be rapidly eliminated.
US07765838B2
A tub of a washing machine that prevents vibration and noise and a method of manufacturing the tub are provided. The tub includes a rear tub portion, a front tub portion located in front of the rear tub portion, and one or more linear reinforcing portions formed on at least one of the rear and front tub portions and extending in a direction parallel to a central axis of the front and rear tub portions.
US07765836B2
A circular knitting machine for hosiery or the like, comprising a needle cylinder with vertical axis and multiple axial surface slots, each of which accommodates a needle and an actuation element for the needle. The actuation element comprises at least one connecting element. The connecting element is provided with a radially extractable movable heel, that engages connecting element actuation cams facing the lateral surface of the needle cylinder. The cams comprise at least one extraction cam or one retraction cam, which has a portion whose profile is inclined with respect to an ideal plane perpendicular to the axis of the needle cylinder. The machine comprises extraction means causing extraction of the movable heel and keeping thereof in extracted position over the entire extension of the portion having an inclined profile of the extraction cam or of the retraction cam.
US07765835B2
An elastic composite yarn comprises a composite core and a composite covering. The composite core comprises an elastic core member and an inelastic functional core member. The composite covering comprises at least an elastic covering member and at least one inelastic covering member surrounding the elastic covering member, such that substantially all of an elongating stress imposed on the composite yarn is carried by the elastic core member and the elastic covering member.
US07765824B2
A vehicle interior cooling system (200) for a vehicle having a cabin (208) and an engine (207) for providing propulsion power generally includes a first cabin cooling system (202) driven by the engine of the vehicle having a first condenser (214). The vehicle interior cooling system also generally includes a second cabin cooling system (203) driven by electrical power having a cold storage device (210) and a second condenser (232), with the first condenser and the second condenser being in an airflow line (260). The second cabin cooling system selectively thermally charges the cold storage device when the engine is in an on position. The second cabin cooling system is also selectable to thermally cool the cabin when the engine is in an off position and selectable to thermally cool the cabin when the engine is in the on position.
US07765820B2
A system and method for controlling the temperature of a process tool uses the vaporizable characteristic of a refrigerant that is provided in direct heat exchange relation with the process tool. Pressurized refrigerant is provided as both condensed liquid and in gaseous state. The condensed liquid is expanded to a vaporous mix, and the gaseous refrigerant is added to reach a target temperature determined by its pressure. Temperature corrections can thus be made very rapidly by gas pressure adjustments. The process tool and the operating parameters will usually require that the returning refrigerant be conditioned and processed for compatibility with the compressor and other units, so that cycling can be continuous regardless of thermal demands and changes.
US07765817B2
In a refrigeration system, a first non-inverter compressor (2B) backs up one of an inverter compressor (2A) and a second non-inverter compressor (2C) by switching of a third four-way selector valve (3C). The refrigeration system includes: a suction pressure detection section (81) for detecting the suction pressure of the first non-inverter compressor (2B) after the issue of a switching command to the third four-way selector valve (3C); a command holding section (82) for, when the detected pressure of the suction pressure detection section (81) becomes lower than a predetermined value, determining that the third four-way selector valve (3C) has malfunctioned and holding the switching command; and a compressor standby section (83) for, upon the command holding section (82) holding the switching command, stopping the first non-inverter compressor (2B) and putting it into standby for a predetermined time.
US07765814B2
A sensor assembly for detecting ice crystal formation on a heat exchange surface in an ice-making machine comprises at least one microphone monitoring the sound made by a rotating blade assembly within the ice-making machine during ice slurry formation. A filter filters the output of the microphone to remove background noise. A comparator receives the output of the filter and compares the filtered microphone output with a threshold to determine if the filtered microphone output signifies ice crystal formation on the heat exchange surface. The operation of the ice-making machine can then be adjusted in a manner to allow the formed ice crystals to be removed from the heat exchange surface.
US07765807B2
The invention relates to a method for heating a steam turbine comprising a high-pressure turbine section and a medium-pressure turbine section and/or a low-pressure turbine section. Said method is characterized by the essential aspect that the high-pressure turbine section is impinged upon by steam having relatively great conductivity while the medium-pressure turbine section or the low-pressure turbine section remains closed during said impingement following a cold start. As soon as the conductivity drops below a certain value, the medium-pressure turbine section or the low-pressure turbine section is also impinged upon by steam.
US07765794B2
A method and system of providing compressed low NOx exhaust gas for industrial purposes including for use in augmenting crude oil production including the steps of extracting exhaust gas from an engine consuming a controllable mixture of hydrocarbon fuel and air, compressing and cooling the exhaust gas to condense water therefrom, measuring the pH of the condensed water, employing the measured pH to adjust the ratio of the hydrocarbon fuel and air supplied to the engine to achieve a substantially neutral pH measurement and thereby obtain compressed exhaust gas having a low NOx content.
US07765793B2
To provide an exhaust emission control device of an internal combustion engine able to well atomize a reducing agent and ensure supply of combustion air. Since a controller of the exhaust emission control device also controls a nozzle opening degree of a variable geometry turbocharger for purpose of spraying a urea water, even in the state where the engine works in a low load range of T1 to T2 where supercharging pressure normally can not be increased, supercharging pressure P suitable to atomization of the urea water can be obtained by controlling the nozzle opening degree of the variable geometry turbocharger to be closer to a closing side compared to the conventional art (shown by the chain double-dashed line), while the urea water can be securely atomized by a part of the supercharged air. Further, by increasing the supercharging pressure up to the value P, combustion air supplied to the engine is increased, therefore favorable combustion can be realized, and generation of particulates and exhaust of unburned fuel can be reduced.
US07765792B2
A system having a particulate matter sensor in an exhaust stream of an engine upstream from a particulate filter and another such sensor downstream from the filter. There may also be an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) control on the engine. The amount of particulate matter in or loading of the filter may be determined by the upstream filter. The working condition of the filter may be determined by the downstream sensor. The filter may have a heater and control for providing operational and particulate matter burn-off temperatures to the filter. A processor may be connected to the sensors, the EGR control and the filter heater control.
US07765784B2
Thermally compliant auxiliary power unit (APU) ducts arrangements, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A system in accordance with one embodiment includes an auxiliary power unit exhaust, that in turn includes an exhaust flow conduit, a housing disposed outwardly from the conduit, a support providing a load path between the conduit and the housing, and a baffle positioned along the flow conduit. At least one of the support and the baffle can have a resilient, radially compressible portion between the flow conduit and the housing.
US07765779B2
A latch mechanism is disclosed that retains a grass catcher on a reel mower cutting unit. The latch mechanism includes a latch plate releasably holding a rod end of the grass catcher in a slot on the reel mower cutting unit. The latch plate pivots on a horizontal axis. A clip is fastened to the horizontal axis to lock the latch plate in either a locked position retaining the grass catcher or an unlocked position allowing removal of the grass catcher.
US07765777B2
Devices comprising a plug positioned within a housing to regulate air within a container, for example, plastic storage containers or bags. One embodiment utilizes a plug that occludes an opening in a housing. The plug is displaced from the opening to inject or evacuate air from a container. An alternative embodiment utilizes a plug having air channels therein which can be sealed once air has been injected into or evacuated from a container. The devices are utilized with hose adaptors connected to vacuum or air hoses having specialized hose tips for coupling with the housing.
US07765769B2
An insulating unit includes a first and a second sheet, each of the sheets having a first major surface and an opposite second major surface; an arrangement to position the first and second sheets in spaced relation to one another to provide a compartment between the sheets, the second major surface of the first sheet and the first major surface of the second sheet facing the compartment; a lattice made of muntin bars in the compartment, the lattice having end portions adjacent to and spaced from the arrangement; and a retainer clip having a first end portion connected to an end portion of the lattice and the opposite second end portion having a compressible base, the compressible base in surface contact with the second major surface of the first sheet and the first major surface of the second sheet to retain the lattice in position between the sheets.
US07765764B2
A device for connecting beams and pillars or similar structural elements, particularly for prefabricated concrete structural elements, comprising a bracket, which forms, when installed, by means of its upper face, a support for the beam, and a first connection for connecting to the pillar the end of the bracket that is designed to be directed toward the pillar, the device further comprising a second connection for connecting a region of the bracket, spaced from the end directed toward the pillar, to a region of the pillar located above the bracket and arranged on the side of the pillar that lies opposite with respect to the side that bears the bracket.
US07765757B2
In a roof system, a top coat of lightweight insulating concrete is anchored to an underlying base slurry coat of lightweight concrete and a metal, gypsum, tectum or concrete roof deck by installing anchoring devices at spaced intervals. The anchoring devices may be made of plastic, steel or aluminum and include a threaded shank extending upwardly from a base plate. The anchoring devices are installed by fastening the base plates to the underlying roof deck structure or by setting the base plates in the lightweight base concrete slurry coat so that the threaded shanks of the anchoring devices extend upwardly through holes in EPS board insulation and into the subsequently applied top coat of lightweight insulating concrete. The base plate and threaded shank effectively anchor the attachment of the lightweight insulating concrete top coat to the underlying base slurry coat and roof deck to enhance resistance to wind uplift forces.
US07765754B2
Spacers and a spacing strip for use in an outer wall of a building between the outer vertical surface of its underlying structure and the inner surface of siding through which the siding is nailed to the underlying structure to provide a ventilation space between the rear surface of the siding and the outer surface of the underlying structure. Ventilation channels can be provided at both the lower and upper ends of the ventilation space to facilitate movement of air to the atmosphere from such a ventilation space.
US07765749B2
A method and apparatus for transporting and assembling a drilling rig is disclosed. The drilling rig of a preferred embodiment of the present invention utilizes specialized positioning pads integral to the side boxes of the drilling rig to facilitate the connection of the center drill floor of the drilling rig to the side boxes of the rig. A preferred embodiment of the present invention may also utilize a specialized positioning dolly and an adjustable fifth-wheel truck connection for transporting the mast to the drill site, assembling the mast sections together, and positioning the mast for connection to the drill floor of the rig. The result is a unique drilling rig design and sequence for assembly that significantly reduces the time required to transport the rig from location to location and to assemble the rig at the drill site.
US07765747B1
A method and apparatus for producing a downward, wind-induced lift force on a structure including attaching one or more omni-directional mushroom-shaped airfoil assemblies to the top of the structure which create a downward lift force as they are subjected to wind flow.
US07765746B2
A tornado resistant dome house. The shape of the dome house is a spheroid section, and is given by a formula. The dome house shell is made up of a plurality of tiles formed to conform to the shape of the dome house. The tiles are mutually connected by means of horizontally and vertically disposed elongate members extending through lumens in adjacent tiles. The tiles are also attached to a dome house foundation. The curved, low-profile shape of the house, combined with the mutual attachment of the tiles, and their attachment to the dome house foundation, improves the resistance of the dome house to high winds associated with tornadoes and hurricanes. Adjacent tiles are cushioned by springs, and are maintained in position relative to each other by means of a tongue-in-groove attachment between adjacent tiles.
US07765742B2
A variety of gutter covers and screens are disclosed for preventing debris from falling into a gutter. Also, a variety of clips are disclosed for attaching the covers/screens to the gutter.
US07765741B2
A window or door assembly having a secondary sash hinged to a prime sash and movable between a closed position and an open position toward an interior region. The prime sash is coupled to a frame. A compressible member biases the secondary sash toward the open position. A latch assembly is provided including a plurality of retractable latching elements each biased to an extended position to retain the secondary sash in the closed position. The latch assembly includes a sliding operator accessible from the interior region and slidable along an edge of the secondary sash to sequentially displace the retractable latching elements to a retracted position sufficient for the compressible member to move the secondary sash toward the open position.
US07765740B2
A sliding door for a vehicle comprises a guide rail, a sliding carriage which is longitudinally displaceably on the guide rail and a hinge bow which is rotatably supported at the sliding carriage and at a body flange. To improve such a sliding door, an intermediate layer is provided which is rotatably supported at the sliding carriage, a control lever which is rotatably supported at the intermediate lever and at a body flange and a drive rod for the drive of the control lever.
US07765729B2
A greeting card display includes a sleeve having transparent front and rear walls, first and second ends, a top, and a bottom. The front and rear walls are unitary at the first and second ends and at the top but are separable at the bottom to define a weatherproof receiving area accessible only adjacent the bottom. The receiving area is configured to receive a greeting card. A mounting rod includes a first portion coupled to the sleeve and a second portion configured to attach to one of a flower urn and a ground surface. The front and rear walls have first and second lateral portions that converge at a spine, the first lateral portion being angularly biased relative to the second lateral portion. The front and rear walls collectively define an access opening the first lateral portion and an access opening the second lateral portion.
US07765727B2
This invention discloses a three-dimensional inflatable card including a card body having a containing space defined therein, an opening formed on each of two corresponding sides of the containing space, and a movable portion disposed on the card body at a position corresponding to a side of the containing space; an airbag adhered on the card body within the containing space, and containing a reacting powder and an acid solution pack; and a protective ring disposed around the periphery of the airbag, and having a thickness sufficient to contain the acid solution pack; wherein an acid solution in the acid solution pack is able to chemically react with the reacting powder to produce gas for enabling the airbag to expand to a predetermined volume, break the movable portion, and extend to the outside of the containing space, so as to form a three-dimensional inflatable object on the card body.
US07765725B2
Method and device for subsea removal of cuttings from a borehole by means of ejector (5), pump (3) and suction hose (6), the ejector (5) being powered by a pump (3) that is rigidly attached to ROV (2), said ejector (5) being one with external nozzle, while said ROV (2) with pump (3) is connected to the ejector only when removal of cuttings is to take place.
US07765719B2
Footbeds (e.g., in footwear, socks, etc.) for engaging a plantar surface of a wearer's foot include one of the lateral or medial sides having a smooth or substantially smooth feel or surface while the opposite side has a textured feel or surface, e.g., by providing plural raised areas that define the textured feel or surface. Depending on the location of the texturing (lateral side or medial side) and/or the type of ambulatory activity (e.g., running or walking), lower extremity movement during the activity may be affected, e.g., to reduce pronation, reduce maximum eversion, reduce rearfoot range of motion, reduce eversion velocity, reduce plantarflexion when pushing off during a step, reduce inversion at heel strike, reduce eversion range of motion, reduce maximum internal tibial rotation, to increase stability during cutting motions, etc.
US07765717B2
Footwear for moisturizing a user's feet comprising a multilayered sole and an upper portion coupled to the sole. The sole includes a top layer, an intermediate layer, a bottom layer and two refillable pouches containing a moisturizing lotion situated between the intermediate and bottom layers at the heel and ball of the foot location. The top and intermediate layers and top surfaces of the pouches include a plurality of apertures, which are in alignment and allow the moisturizing lotion to pass through for contacting the feet of user. The individual soles of the present invention comprise a top layer, a bottom layer, an adhesive layer for sticking the soles to regular footwear and two refillable pouches situated between the top and bottom layers. The top layer and the top surfaces of the pouches include a plurality of apertures for the moisturizing lotion to pass through.
US07765714B2
A method and apparatus are provided for reducing the VOC and CO content of dryer offgas that is discharged into the atmosphere from a moist organic product drying process using thermal oxidizing apparatus that includes a furnace, mixing chamber, thermal oxidizer, tempering chamber, and an indirect gas-to-gas heat exchanger. The dryer offgas is separated into two portions, with a larger portion being preheated by indirect heat exchange with the hot gaseous output from the thermal oxidizer. The non-preheated portion is directed to a rotary waste heat evaporator in which moisture is removed therefrom. The preheated portion is recycled to the hot gas inlet of the dryer and serves the function of dryer heat transfer media. By removing moisture from the non-preheated portion of the offgas that is directed to the thermal oxidizing apparatus, simultaneous achievement of thermal oxidizer temperatures of 1600° F. or greater, and an adequate oxygen concentration of 5% by volume is achieved for optimized thermal oxidation of carbon monoxide and volatile organic compounds.
US07765708B2
A ‘go, no-go’ method is described for determining whether the dimensions of an object, such as a workpiece, conform to tolerance. The method uses a measurement probe, such as a touch trigger, analogue, or non-contact probe, mounted on a measuring apparatus such as a coordinate measuring machine, machine tool, or a lathe. The method comprises the step of driving the measurement probe around a path relative to the object, said path being based on a tolerance of the object. The path relative to the object may include at least a first path based on the maximum tolerance of the object and a second path based on the minimum tolerance of the object. The method additionally comprises the steps of monitoring any probe measurement data acquired by the measurement probe as the probe is driven around the path, and indicating if the dimensions of the object do not conform to tolerance only if there is a change in state of the probe measurement data that is acquired as the measurement probe is driven around the path.
US07765699B2
A method of forming a space frame for a cab, including forming each of a pair of hydroformed, longitudinally extending inner side rails, a hydroformed connecting member, a hydroformed first upper cross member, each of a pair of hydroformed upper longitudinal members, and each of a pair of hydroformed A-pillar members. The method including, providing a tubular metallic blank having a tubular metallic wall. The method also including placing the tubular metallic blank into a die cavity of a die assembly, the die cavity having die surfaces, and providing a high pressure fluid into an interior of the blank to expand the metallic wall of the central portion of the blank outwardly into conformity with the surfaces of the die cavity to define the respective hydroformed member. The method further including mounting the connecting member to each of the inner side rails, and mounting the first upper cross member to said connecting member; mounting each of the upper longitudinal members to the first upper cross member; and mounting each of the A-pillar members to one of the upper longitudinal members.
US07765696B2
Disclosed is a piston (1) for a combustion engine, comprising hub bores (3) that are provided with plain bearing surfaces (5) and are used for accommodating a piston pin. In order to very effectively and inexpensively prevent the piston pin and the hub bores from jamming and wearing off, a self-lubricating coating (6) made of a thermally cured resin which contains embedded solid lubricant particles is applied directly to at least one subarea (Tb) of the plain bearing surfaces by means of rotary atomization.
US07765687B2
Electronics mounted on a printed circuit board are housed within a high conductivity case with connecting pins extending therethrough. The case is filled with thermally conductive potting material to provide thermal conduction from the printed circuit board to the case. The case may be a conduit having open ends through which the printed circuit board is inserted or it may comprise a cover mounted to a base plate.
US07765679B2
A mass flow sensor is manufactured by a process of carrying out a micro-machining process on an N or lightly doped P-type silicon substrate with orientation <100>. This mass flow sensor comprises a central thin-film heater and a pair of thin-film heat sensing elements, and a thermally isolated membrane for supporting the heater and the sensors out of contact with the substrate base. The mass flow sensor is arranged for integration on a same silicon substrate to form a one-dimensional or two-dimensional array in order to expand the dynamic measurement range. For each sensor, the thermally isolated membrane is formed by a process that includes a step of first depositing dielectric thin-film layers over the substrate and then performing a backside etching process on a bulk silicon with TMAH or KOH or carrying out a dry plasma etch until the bottom dielectric thin-film layer is exposed. Before backside etching the bulk silicon, rectangular openings are formed on the dielectric thin-film layers by applying a plasma etching to separate the area of heater and sensing elements from the rest of the membrane.
US07765676B2
A method for constructing a magnetoresistive sensor using an etch mask that is resistant to the material removal process used to define the sensor width and stripe height. The method may include the use of a Ta etch mask formed under a photoresist mask, and the use of an ion milling process to define the sensor. The etch mask remains substantially intact after performing the ion milling and therefore is readily removed by a later CMP process. The etch mask layer is also very resistant to high temperatures such as those used in a desired atomic layer deposition of alumina, which is used to deposit conformal layers of alumina around the sensor.
US07765673B2
A method and system for improving power distribution and/or current measurement on a printed circuit board is disclosed. According to the invention, a first power plane adapted for current measurement includes a first segment to which a current source is connected and a second segment to which other devices may be connected, forming the current load. A third segment is used to measure the current between the first segment and the second segment through two vias that link two points of the third segment to, preferably, two pads of the external layer. In a preferred embodiment, vias are connected to the first segment so that current flow in the third segment is linear, to improve and simplify current determination. The resistivity between the pair of vias may be computed or estimated using calibrated currents.
US07765672B2
A joining element to be anchored in an object (10) with the aid of a thermoplastic material and mechanical vibration comprises a sealing portion (3.1) and a wall anchoring portion (3.2). The sealing portion (3.1) is substantially cylindrical and has a smooth circumferential surface. The wall anchoring portion (3.2) has a circumferential surface which comprises the thermoplastic material and energy directors. A cross section of the sealing portion (3.1) envelops the cross section (including energy directors) of the wall anchoring portion and is arranged adjoining to the latter on its proximal side. The joining element is anchored in an opening (5) provided in the object (10) wherein a cross section of the opening corresponds to the cross section of the sealing portion (3.1) of the joining element such that the latter can be forced into a mouth (5.1) of the opening (5) resulting in a press fit. For anchoring the joining element in the opening (5), mechanical vibrations e.g. ultrasonic vibrations are coupled into the joining element and the latter is forced into the opening (5) until at least a distal part of the sealing portion (3.1) is positioned within the opening. Thereby, the thermoplastic material of the circumferential surface of the wall anchoring portion (3.2) is liquefied and pressed into the opening wall, wherein the sealing portion (3.1) prevents the liquefied material to penetrate through the mouth and therefore the mouth (5.1) remains clear cut, i.e. does not get blurred by the liquefied material.
US07765668B2
An automatic pallet inspection cell (10) comprises one or two multi axis robot arms (14, 15) which terminate in either internal or exterior pallet grippers. The robots are used to transport a gripped pallet (12) through an automated inspection station (16) which compiles a three dimensional data map of a pallet surface. A processor interprets the map and producing a recipe for the robot or robots. One or more stations (17, 18, 19) conduct pallet repair operations that are specified by the recipe. A method for levelling a pallet prior to board removal by a band saw (17) is also disclosed, characterised by rolling the pallet relative to a blade of the band saw to a first and a second roll angle, and positioning the pallet at a position which is an average of the first and second roll angles.
US07765667B1
A reversible flange plate for refinishing differently configured brakes on a brake lathe adapter is provided. The reversible flange plate includes a body formed with a hollow bore extending substantially through the center of the body. Opposing rings adjacent the bore are provided for holding a brake during operation of the brake lathe. Opposing lips are provided that extend inwardly from the bore from the peripheral edge of the reversible flange plate, and include a ledge that is engageable with a plane of the brake during operation. In addition, an annular disc is provided with a ledge, between the opposing rings and the opposing lips, for further engagement with a plane of the brake during operation.This abstract is provided to comply with rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure, but this abstract is not to be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of any claim.
US07765663B2
A method for manufacturing a chair seat, wherein borders of the chair seat is injection molded by two steps, comprises following steps: a. preparing net cloth, inner border injecting mold, outer border injecting mold, plastic and gun screw; b. injecting inner border: warming up inner border injecting mold, simultaneously heating up the plastic, and injecting the plastic into the inner border injecting mold when its temperature reaches the injecting temperature; c. installing the net cloth: cutting out the net cloth according to the size of the inner border, impacting the edge of the net cloth into the inner border by the gun screw by hand, and then cutting redundant net cloth; d. injecting outer border: inserting the inner border with impacted net cloth into the outer border injecting mold, and injecting the plastic into the outer border injecting mold when its temperature reaches the injecting temperature.
US07765661B2
A method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component having excellent solderability is provided. In this method, the elution of barium from the ceramic electronic component and the adhesion of ceramic electronic components in tin plating are reduced. The method for manufacturing a ceramic electronic component includes the steps of providing an electronic component of barium-containing ceramic and forming an electrode on the outer surface of the electronic component, the electrode being electroplated with tin. In this method, a plating bath used in the tin plating has a tin ion concentration A in the range of 0.03 to 0.51 mol/L, a sulfate ion concentration B in the range of 0.005 to 0.31 mol/L, a molar ratio B/A of less than one, and a pH in the range of 6.1 to 10.5.
US07765655B2
An apparatus and method for generating post-burial audio communications from surviving friends and loved ones in a casket by providing a burial casket, and providing an electronic audio communication system for placement in said casket to automatically electronically generate post-burial communications in said casket. The burial casket is thus adapted with an audio message system containing electronically stored audio and music files that are automatically played in accordance with a programmed schedule thereby allowing surviving members means for communicating to the deceased for a period of time after burial. An electronic device having a data storage system for storing recorded audio, such as messages from family and friends, music, or any other suitable audio file is provided. A timing mechanism maintains track of the date, day, and time, to allow for the selective broadcast of audio content automatically in accordance with user programmed and selected scheduling. A battery power source provides electrical power for the system. The present invention thus provides surviving family and friends with a means of automatically communicating messages and sounds to the deceased after burial.
US07765653B1
A method of producing a decorative carpet tile may include providing a carpet tile in accordance with the prior art techniques and then treating the carpet tile in one of various manners to provide a separation internal to side edges of the carpet tile. The treatment can include tip shearing side portions relative to an internal portion to provide at least one discontinuity, dripping colors to provide a frame, carving, burning, or otherwise providing a separation internal to the side edges of the carpet tile in various disclosed embodiments.
US07765650B2
A hose clamp kit having a coil of perforated band material marked at regular intervals to enable detaching of a desired length of band, and a housing assembly with a worm drive near one end of a housing plate which has near the opposite end one or more protrusions and a detent. One end of the length of band is held in place by the detent, while the perforations engage or snap onto the protrusions. The other end encircles a hose, engaging the worm-gear housing for tightening. A protrusion may be rounded, may be formed by pushing up the plate material residing between two slots in the plate, and/or may be sized for an interference fit into a perforation. The detent may be a raised tab, bent horizontal to the plate and in the direction of the protrusions. A hose clamp and a method of clamping are also described.
US07765642B2
An operation mechanism attaches a movable member to a main body to be rotatable between a first position and a second position. The movable member is held in the first position by a locking device. The operation mechanism includes a base attached to the main body, a contact portion attached to the movable member, and a coil spring having one end fixed to the base, and the other end attached to the contact portion for urging the movable member in the first position toward the second position. A transfer track for the contact portion is formed at the base. By the transfer track, after the movable member in the first position is moved to a predetermined position by a force accumulated on the spring, when the movable member is pushed to the second position, the spring stores a force from the predetermined position to the second position.
US07765638B2
It is disclosed a vacuum cleaner nozzle comprising a housing, a rotatable brush which is adapted to brush a surface, and a turbine, wherein a suction air flow impacting on said turbine generates a first rotational torque for rotating said rotatable brush, wherein it further comprises an electric power generator for generating electric power by a rotation of said turbine; an accumulator unit for storing said electric power; and an electric motor which is adapted to generate a second rotational torque for rotating said rotatable brush, wherein said electric motor is electrically connected to said accumulator unit. The electric power generator and the electric motor could be either integrated into a single component or they could be separate components.
US07765630B2
A low-profile sweeper that employs rotary brushes. The low-profile sweeper is especially suited for low overhead clearance applications, as typically found in nut harvesting. The low-profile sweeper has an armature for locating one or more brushes in an array, or attached to a conventional agricultural sweeper. The armature attaches to a chassis or frame of a steerable drive. When used in a parallel oriented array, the brushes rotate in the same, common direction and in substantially the same, common plane of rotation, slightly skewed to avoid contact between the brushes. The bristles of the radial brushes are emanate fro a central hub and are approximately parallel to the plane of rotation. A fan can be utilized to aid the pick-up action of the brushes. The fan is preferably mounted to direct an airstream to the area to be swept. Also, a spray-bar can be attached to the armature or alternatively to the chassis, to aid in dust abatement.
US07765628B2
A method for operating a washing machine having a tub with a drum rotatably mounted in the tub and configured to hold a fabric load comprises a pre-wash step; a heating step comprising introducing steam into at least one of the tub and the drum; and a washing step. The pre-wash step comprises recirculating liquid between the tub and the drum; rotating the drum at a first spin speed to distribute the clothing within the drum; and rotating the drum at a second spin speed greater than the first spin speed to draw the liquid through the fabric load.
US07770228B2
Representing a number of assets on an originating computer begins with selecting the assets to be represented. Cryptographic hash asset identifiers are generated; each of the asset identifiers is computed using the contents of a particular asset. The asset identifier is a content-based or content-addressable asset name for the asset and is location independent. An asset list is generated that includes the asset identifiers computed from the assets. A cryptographic hash asset list identifier is generated that is computed from the asset list. The asset list identifier is stored for later retrieval. The amen selected are also stored for safekeeping either locally or on a computer network. In the event of loss of the files from the originating computer, the asset list identifier is retrieved. Using the asset list identifier, the original asset list is found and retrieved from its safe location.
US07770227B2
A right information management method for managing a right information of contents retained in a storage medium comprising an authenticated memory region accessible after a mutual authentication is obtained relative to a contents processing device and an ordinary memory region accessible without obtaining the mutual authentication, comprising a step of reading an encrypted right information retained in the authenticated memory region, a step of decoding the read encrypted right information and retrieving a plaintext right information, and a step of retaining the plaintext right information in the ordinary memory region. According to the right information management method, a user can be notified of the contents and the right information of the contents managed in the storage medium in a speedy manner via the contents processing device.
US07770214B2
An apparatus, system, and method for establishing a reusable and reconfigurable trusted connection within a trusted context. The invention enhances interoperability with any existing authentication methods including the Kerberos, the DCE, and a combination of a user name and a password. The present invention includes common interfaces in a database driver for a middleware server to obtain a trusted connection. The invention enhances trusted context interoperability by allowing different types of trusted connections such as a normal connection, a pooled connection, or even a distribution transaction connection. The database driver generates unique identifiable information once a trusted connection is authenticated that can be utilized to reuse and reconfigure the trusted connection without re-authentication. The present invention allows various types of trusted connections to be established through any authentication mechanisms and allows those trusted connections to be reused and reconfigured, even by a different client, in a fast and persistent way.
US07770212B2
This invention provides a privilege delegation mechanism, which allows a privilege and associated control attributes to be delegated from a security token to another security token or an intelligent device such as a computer system. The privilege may be in the form of an attribute certificate, a key component of a cryptographic key, a complete cryptographic key, digital certificate, digital right, license or loyalty credits. The purpose of the delegation is to allow another security token or computer system to act as a surrogate for the security token or to access a resource which requires components from both units before access is permitted. Attributes associated with the delegated privilege control the scope and use of the privilege. The delegation may allow the surrogate to perform authentications, access data or resources included on another security token or computer system. Authentications are performed prior to transferring of the delegable privileges.
US07770208B2
A computer-implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product are disclosed for securing node port access in a switched-fabric storage area network. Permitted combinations of fabric port identifiers and node port identifiers are specified. A node port receives a request to access the node port. A node port identifier, which identifies the device that is attempting to access the node port, is determined from the request. A fabric port identifier is determined that identifies a fabric port through which the device transmitted the request. Access to the node port is granted if the fabric port identifier and node port identifier form a permitted combination.
US07770205B2
A device, such as a component or a peripheral, and corresponding computer are adapted to be bound such that the device will only operate with that computer after the binding process. Cryptographic messages are sent between the device and computer to confirm the relationship. When the device cannot confirm it is operating with the previously bound computer, the device reduces its own operating capability to render itself substantially useless until either unbound from that computer or a successful confirmation takes place. Methods for operation, binding and unbinding are also disclosed.
US07770200B2
Method and apparatus for optimizing network bandwidth utilization by delivering to users only the minimum number of programs required by service provider policies. In one embodiment, the method comprises switching some users from lower quality versions of programs to higher quality versions of the same programs, and removing those lower quality versions of programs from a given service group. In another embodiment, some users are switched from higher quality versions of programs to lower quality versions of those same programs, and the higher quality versions of programs removed from a given service group.
US07770190B2
A disk unit wherein a disk is inserted by a plurality of arms, the arms being able to convey two types of disks different in diameter while supporting an outer periphery edge of each of the disks. A disk is loaded to the interior of the disk unit by automatic loading, and a disk accommodated in the interior of the disk unit is unloaded to the exterior of the disk unit. The disk unit comprises a limit switch, the limit switch being actuated by an arm that is pressed by an outer periphery edge of a large diameter disk or a small diameter disk upon insertion of the disk from a slot of a bezel. The insertion of the large diameter disk or the small diameter disk is determined on the basis of the state of operation of the limit switch.
US07770187B2
An information processing system or a digital decoder (5) makes it possible to process data originating from at least one application (3), for example, by way of a bouquet of television programs, and comprises an operating system (1), a virtual machine (10) and an application manager (4) executing one or more variable management instruction sets (11) so as to influence the operating system (1) and the virtual machine (10) during the execution of the application.
US07770186B2
Various mechanisms are presented that allow for the coordination of transactions in a managed runtime environment. In one aspect, a runtime environment that is hosted in a database system, includes an application programming interface (API). The API can surface the database transactions as ambient transactions, and present them to some user code. When the user code connects to some remote resource, the ambient transaction can be implicitly propagated to the remoter resource, resulting in coordination of the database transaction with any given transaction running in the remote resource.
US07770184B2
A system and method that provides a JPeX client that opens up a socket on which it listens for connections from the local host. External applications on the desktop are able to connect to the server socket in the client and use XML to execute commands on the client.
US07770171B2
A plan executing apparatus includes: an executing unit that executes a plan which is a sequence of processes; a processing state retaining unit that retains a processing state of a target object of the plan; an execution information retaining unit that retains execution information which is information relating to execution of a plan in execution; an interrupt instruction accepting unit that accepts an interrupt instruction during execution of the plan; an interrupt information identifying unit that identifies interrupt information relating to execution of an interrupting plan, on accepting the interrupt instruction for the interrupting plan; and an interrupt possibility determining unit that determines whether the interrupting plan is to be executed or not based on the processing state, the execution information of the plan in execution, and the interrupt information.
US07770166B2
The present invention relates to forcibly downloading a program in a mobile communications terminal. Preferably, a memory of the terminal is divided into a boot binary region and a main binary region. A boot program and a main program of a binary program are then downloaded to the boot binary region and the main binary region, respectively. Whether the downloading of the binary program is successful or not is then recorded in a particular address of the memory. After, it is determined whether to enter a forcible download mode by checking a value of the particular address.
US07770165B2
A system for providing a firmware upgrade to a portable media device by comparing a version number of the firmware on the portable media device to the version number of an available firmware upgrade. The available firmware upgrade is provided by the manufacturer of the portable media device or some other trusted source and compiled in a firmware database. The firmware database is accessed when the portable media device is connected to the personal computing device. Additionally, a digital signature may be associated with a certified version of the media device firmware and used by a multimedia management application to verify the functionality of the portable media device.
US07770160B2
Described is a system and method for declaring a resource element in markup that is intended to be instantiated lazily only upon use at run-time rather than always at markup load time. In one embodiment, the invention provides a parent resources tag that encloses resource elements that may be any type of markup element. On compile, a specially prepared compiler/parser identifies the Resource tag and creates definitional information sufficient to describe the resource elements in such a manner that the resource elements are defined but not created at run-time when the markup is first loaded, and are created only upon use at run-time. A resource may be defined to be shared or non-shared. If shared, the resource is instantiated only once and that same instance is handed out each time the resource is accessed. If non-shared, a new instance of the resource is always created and handed out on each access of the resource.
US07770149B2
A framework registers the entry names of entry interfaces respectively included in modules. The framework acquires operation names (static entries) of operation interfaces included in the module by calling the entry interface based on the entry name. The framework calls the operation interfaces based on the operation names. And the module executes generation of the module itself to be connected to the framework, a process inherent in the module, and deletion of the module itself connected to the framework.
US07770147B1
A method for generating hardware description language source files is provided. The method includes extracting an input/output (I/O) list and building a port list declaration file from the I/O list. The method also includes building a default instantiation file according to renaming rules and interpreting coding constructs to determine both variable types and sizes. The method further includes generating a sensitivity list.
US07770141B2
A method for checking a design rule of layout and a computer readable recording medium for storing program thereof are provided. A layout comprising a plurality of layers is united so as to generate a flag layer to check the layout, through which any information about characters in the layout can be identified. Characters in the layout can be used in general command file to inspect the checking of the design rule for the purpose of saving time and manual effort.
US07770140B2
A test system or simulator includes an IC test application sampling software program that executes test application software on a semiconductor die IC design model. The test application sampling software includes trace, simulation point, CPI error, clustering and other programs. IC designers utilize the test application sampling software to evaluate the performance characteristics of IC designs with test software applications. The test application sampling software generates basic block vectors (BBVs) and fly-by vectors (FBVs) from instruction trace analysis of test application software. The test application sampling software analyzes microarchitecture dependent information that it uses to generate the FBVs. Test application sampling software generates a reduced representative test application software program from the BBV and FBV data utilizing an instruction budgeting method. Designers use the test system with test application sampling software to evaluate IC design models by using the representative test application software program.
US07770125B1
In an application that uses a graphical user interface, a technique for automatically grouping graphical constructs receives a selection of a graphical construct for placement within a group of graphical constructs within a graphical work area of a graphical user interface. The system detects an existing group of graphical constructs already defined in a group and graphically displays an automatic grouping indicator that identifies, to a user of the graphical user interface, that the selected graphical construct can be automatically grouped within the existing group. The system receives, from the user, a selection of the existing group of graphical constructs that has an automatic grouping indicator displayed, and in response, automatically groups the selected graphical construct into the selected existing group of graphical constructs that has an automatic grouping indicator displayed on the graphical user interface.
US07770116B2
A system that captures both whiteboard content and audio signals of a meeting using a digital camera and a microphone. The system can be retrofit to any existing whiteboard. It computes the time stamps of pen strokes on the whiteboard by analyzing the sequence of captured snapshots. It also automatically produces a set of key frames representing all the written content on the whiteboard before each erasure. The whiteboard content serves as a visual index to efficiently browse the audio meeting. The system not only captures the whiteboard content, but also helps the users to view and manage the captured meeting content efficiently and securely.
US07770111B2
A method and computer-readable medium are provided for optimized paragraph layout. According to the method, a line-by-line paragraph layout is generated determine a maximum penalty for a paragraph. One or more layout nodes may be generated that include data representing a possible layout of the paragraph to a point within a backing store and identifying any changes to a geometry of the page caused by the layout of the paragraph defined by the layout node. A penalty is also calculated for each of the layout nodes. Each layout node that has a penalty less than the maximum penalty calculated during the line-by-line formatting processing is added to the node pool. This process repeats until only a single layout node remains in the node pool that represents the entire paragraph of text.
US07770100B2
Generally described, embodiments of the present invention provide the ability to utilize dynamic thresholds and dynamic threshold values when generating variable formatting rules to be applied to a range of cells. Dynamic thresholds include, but are not limited to, “Highest Value,” “Middle Value,” “Lowest Value,” “Number,” “Percent,” “Percentile,” and “Formula.” When using a dynamic threshold, dynamic threshold values are determined based on values contained in a selected range of cells.
US07770093B2
Serial concatenated trellis coded modulation (SCTCM) includes an outer coder, an interleaver, a recursive inner coder and a mapping element. The outer coder receives data to be coded and produces outer coded data. The interleaver permutes the outer coded data to produce interleaved data. The recursive inner coder codes the interleaved data to produce inner coded data. The mapping element maps the inner coded data to a symbol. The recursive inner coder has a structure which facilitates iterative decoding of the symbols at a decoder system. The recursive inner coder and the mapping element are selected to maximize the effective free Euclidean distance of a trellis coded modulator formed from the recursive inner coder and the mapping element. The decoder system includes a demodulation unit, an inner SISO (soft-input soft-output) decoder, a deinterleaver, an outer SISO decoder, and an interleaver.
US07770091B2
Techniques for data compression are provided. A data compression technique may include selecting a symbol string, being one or more characters, that occurs within a data set, generating a symbol string code corresponding to respective positions of the symbol string within the data set, successively repeating the above procedure for any additional symbol strings that occur within the data set to produce any additional respective symbol string codes, and generating a compressed data code through combining the respective symbol string codes.
US07770084B2
An addressable interface selectively enables JTAG TAP domain operations or Trace domain operations within an IC. After being enabled, the TAP receives TMS and TDI input from a single data pin. After being enabled, the Trace domain acquires data from a functioning circuit within the IC in response to a first clock and outputs the acquired data from the IC in response to a second clock. An addressable two pin interface loads and updates instructions and data to a TAP domain within the IC. The instruction or data update operations in multiple ICs occur simultaneously. A process transmits data from an addressed target device to a controller using data frames, each data frame comprising a header bit and data bits. The logic level of the header bit is used to start, continue, and stop the data transmission to the controller. A data and clock signal interface between a controller and multiple target devices provides for each target device to be individually addressed and commanded to perform a JTAG or Trace operation. Trace circuitry within an IC can operate autonomously to store and output functional data occurring in the IC. The store and output operations of the trace circuitry are transparent to the functional operation of the IC. An auto-addressing RAM memory stores input data at an input address generated in response to an input clock, and outputs stored data from an output address generated in response to an output clock.
US07770083B2
A device test architecture and a reduced device test interface are provided to enable efficient testing of embedded cores and other circuits within devices. The reduced device test interface is achieved using a double data rate (DDR) signaling technique between the tester and the device. The DDR test interface allows the tester to interface to test circuits within the device, such as IEEE 1500 and/or IEEE 1149.1 test circuits, to provide high test data bandwidth to the test circuits using a minimum of test interface signals. The test architecture includes compare circuits that allow for comparison of test response data to be performed within the device. The test architecture further includes a memory for storing the results of the test response comparisons. The test architecture includes a programmable test controller to allow for various test control operations by simply inputting an instruction to the programmable test controller from the external tester. Additional features and embodiments of the device test architecture and reduced test interface are also disclosed.
US07770067B2
A method of correcting defects in a storage array of a microprocessor, such as a cache memory, by operating the microprocessor to carry out a functional test procedure which utilizes cache memory, collecting fault data in a trace array during the functional test procedure, identifying a location of the defect in the cache memory using the fault data, and repairing the defect by setting a fuse to reroute access requests for the location to a redundant array. The fault data may include an error syndrome and a failing address. The functional test procedure creates random cache access sequences that cause varying loads of traffic in the cache memory using a test pattern based on a random seed. The functional test procedure may be carried out after completion of a nonfunctional, built-in self test of the microprocessor which sets some of the fuses.
US07770063B2
Failure recovery within clustered systems is simulated. For each of a number of failure conditions for an initial state of a number of computing elements of a computerized system, a failure state of the computing elements is generated that corresponds to the failure condition and that is based on the initial state of the computing elements. A failure condition may include one or more hardware and/or software failures. For each failure state of the computing elements, a recovery state is then generated, or simulated, for the computing elements, based on the failure state and the initial state of the computing elements and on a number of recovery rules for the computing elements. Each recovery state is then output for subsequent analysis, where such analysis may be either with human interaction, or automatically and without human interaction.
US07770055B2
A method and system for quickly informing a backup unit that a primary unit has failed. Normally an exception handler is activated when a software failure occurs and network controller chips or the ASIC interface to a signal bus can operate even though there is a software failure. A software failure notification packet is programmed and stored in a location that is not affected by a software system failure. When a software failure occurs, control is shifted to the exception handler. The exception handler sends a pre-established and pre-addressed packet to the network controller card which transmits this packet to the backup unit. Upon receipt of the packet, the backup unit goes into operation. In some alternate embodiments that include multiple line cards in a single unit, the exception handler sends a signal to a backup unit via a signal bus or a data bus.
US07770050B2
Methods and systems for resolving clock management issues in emulation of a target system on a host system are disclosed. A first set of code instructions of a target program is interpreted to generate interpreted code instructions that emulate a first component on the host system. A second set of code instructions is translated to generate translated code instructions that emulate a second component of the target system on the host system. The interpreted instructions, are executed based on a first clock (which may be a fixed clock) and the translated instructions are executed based on a second clock (which may be a variable clock). The host system adjusts the first or second clock, execution of the translated or interpreted instructions or a memory access to maintain a desired synchronization between the translated instructions and the interpreted instructions.
US07770045B2
A method for operating cooperating, differing devices, particularly of a plant, with different controls controlling the control sequences and in particular with different control cycles, is characterized in that the clocks (IPOi) of the different controls (3.1, 3.2, 3.3) are interpolated on a common system clock (tTick) and that the control sequences are synchronized. An apparatus suitable for performing the inventive method correspondingly has at least one common interpolating device (5.3) for the controls (3.1, 3.2, 3.3) for interpolating the cycles (IPOi) of the different controls (3.1, 3.2, 3.3) on a common system clock (tTick) and at least one synchronizing device (5) for synchronizing the control sequences.
US07770041B2
In an electronic device with a serial ATA interface, upon detection of the issue or reception of a preset command, a confirmation device, such as a CPU, confirms the completion of execution of the command. Upon confirming the completion of execution of the command, a controller, which may also be the CPU, controls shifting of the serial ATA interface to a power saving mode.
US07770033B2
A variable function assembly having a power source, a computer coupled to the power source and including a power switch for allowing operative power to be provided to the computer when in an “on” position and for terminating operative power to the computer when in an “off” position, and a variable function device (e.g. a device having a microprocessor) having a generally fixed circuitry and receiving operative power from the computer when the power switch is in the “off” position. The variable function assembly also has at least one module coupled to the generally fixed circuitry so that the variable function device may provide at least one function. A method of providing a function in a variable-function device. The method comprises providing a variable-function device, transmitting operative power from a function-producing device (e.g. a computer) to the variable-function device when the function-producing device is in an “off” mode, removing a function (e.g. a computer function) from the function-producing device, and providing the removed function in the variable-function device.
US07770027B2
A semiconductor memory includes a memory control section and a memory core section. A command judgment circuit in the memory control section changes the operating mode of the semiconductor memory in response to a command sent from a controller of an information processing apparatus. In a first mode, a decryption process is performed in a command decryption circuit, and data outputted from the memory core section is not scrambled. In a second mode, the decryption process is not performed in the command decryption circuit, and the command outputted from the memory core section is scrambled.
US07770026B2
An information processing device, which generates a document and performs encryption thereof, the information processing device includes an encryption processing section that generates an encrypted document through a document encryption processing using an encryption key, an encoding processing section that generates code data including a decryption key for decrypting the encrypted document and an ID, which serves as index data of the encrypted document, a document creating section that generates a code-recorded document, in which the code data is recorded, and a communication section that transmits the encrypted document and the ID to a server.
US07770019B2
Essentially coincident with the capture of an image by the imaging device, biometric information indicating the identity of the operator of the device is obtained from at least one biometric sensor. The biometric information and captured image are then stored in a manner reliably associating each with the other. At a later time, biometric information is obtained from a supposed operator of the imaging device. By comparing this candidate biometric information with the stored biometric information, the supposed operator may be authenticated as the operator of the imaging device at the time of capture of the stored image.
US07770016B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for embedding information in software and/or other electronic content such that the information is difficult for an unauthorized party to detect, remove, insert, forge, and/or corrupt. The embedded information can be used to protect electronic content by identifying the content's source, thus enabling unauthorized copies or derivatives to be reliably traced, and thus facilitating effective legal recourse by the content owner. Systems and methods are also disclosed for protecting, detecting, removing, and decoding information embedded in electronic content, and for using the embedded information to protect software or other media from unauthorized analysis, attack, and/or modification.
US07770015B1
Digitally signing data for multiple encodings is disclosed. A first signature of the data is generated. A second signature of a second encoding of the data is generated. The first signature and the second signature are associated with the signed data.
US07770014B2
Techniques are disclosed to provide randomized signal transforms and/or their applications. More particularly, a signal (e.g., an audio signal, an image, or a video signal) is transformed by applying randomly-selected basis functions to the signal. The applications of the randomized signal transforms include, but are not limited to, compression, denoising, hashing, identification, authentication, and data embedding (e.g., watermarking).
US07770000B2
Method and device for verifying the security of a computing platform. In the method for verifying the security of a computing platform a verification machine is first transmitting a verification request via an integrity verification component to the platform. Then the platform is generating by means of a trusted platform module a verification result depending on binaries loaded on the platform, and is transmitting it to the integrity verification component. Afterwards, the integrity verification component is determining with the received verification result the security properties of the platform and transmits them to the verification machine. Finally, the verification machine is determining whether the determined security properties comply with desired security properties.
US07769992B2
A system and method for enabling access to user-level data is described. One embodiment includes accessing user-level data associated with a kernel-level function using a portable executable (PE) file. The user-level data is accessed during a boot-time of a computer. In this embodiment, the PE file is also accessed using the computer.
US07769991B2
There is provided a method and apparatus for executing an anti_virus application on a mobile communications device. A memory card for coupled to a mobile communications device, and a boot sequence is initiated on the mobile communications device. Prior to completion of the boot sequence, a Symbian recognizer is loaded to the communications device from the memory card. The loaded Symbian recognizer is executed on the mobile communications device to automatically execute an anti-virus application, the anti-virus application also being stored on the memory card.
US07769988B1
A method of integrating a personal computing system and apparatus thereof include processing that begins by integrating a central processing unit with a North bridge on a single substrate such that the central processing unit is directly coupled to the North bridge via an internal bus. The processing then continues by providing memory access requests from the central processing unit to the North bridge at a rate of the central processing unit. The processing continues by having the North bridge buffer the memory access request and subsequently process the memory access requests at a rate of the memory. The method may be expanded by integrating a South bridge onto the same substrate as well as integrating system memory onto the same substrate.
US07769985B2
The present invention provides for a method for a load address dependency mechanism in a high frequency, low power processor. A load instruction corresponding to a memory address is received. At least one unexecuted preceding instruction corresponding to the memory address is identified. The load instruction is stored in a miss queue. And the load instruction is tagged as a local miss.
US07769984B2
A dual-issue instruction is decoded to determine a plurality of LSU dependencies needed by an LSU part of the dual-issue instruction and a plurality of non-LSU dependencies needed by a non-LSU part of the dual-issue instruction. During dispatch of the dual-issue instruction by the microprocessor, the dual dependency matrices are employed as follows: a Load-Store Unit (LSU) dependency matrix is written with the plurality of LSU dependencies and a non-LSU dependency matrix is written with the plurality of non-LSU dependencies; an LSU issue valid (LSU IV) indicator is set as valid to issue; an LSU portion of the dual-issue instruction is issued once the plurality of LSU dependencies of the dual issue instruction are satisfied; a non-LSU issue valid (non-LSU IV) indicator is set as valid to issue; and a non-LSU portion of the dual-issue instruction is issued once the plurality of non-LSU dependencies of the dual issue instruction are satisfied. The LSU dependency matrix and the non-LSU dependency matrix can then be notified that one or more instructions dependent upon the dual-issue instruction may now issue.
US07769976B2
A method of runtime analysis of a computer program can include detecting allocations of virtual memory regions during runtime of the computer program. An entry can be created in a list of existing virtual memory regions for each allocation of a virtual memory region during runtime. The list can be updated, during runtime, according to usage of the virtual memory regions. Virtual memory regions allocated to, but not used by, the computer program can be indicated according to the list.
US07769973B2
A method for deinterleaving a sequence of interleaved data stored in a set of memory locations from a first order to a second order in-place of a memory with linear time. Two data items are withdrawn from the center of the sequence, creating a hole therein. Destination positions for said withdrawn data items are determined. It is determined whether the destination positions contain any data items. If so, the data items of said destination positions are replaced with the withdrawn data items, and second destination positions are determined for the data items withdrawn from the first destination positions. Otherwise, the first data items are inserted at the destination positions directly. If a data item is inserted at the hole of the sequence before the sequence is properly deinterleaved, an incorrect positioned data item is determined and repositioned. The repositioning sequence is repeated until all data items are correctly positioned.
US07769970B1
A unified memory controller (UMC) is disclosed. The UMC may be used in a digital television (DTV) receiver. The UMC allows the DTV receiver to use a unified memory. The UMC accepts memory requests from various clients, and determines which requests should receive priority access to the unified memory.
US07769966B2
A method of judging a validity of data included using a check code included in the data, generates a final computation result of the check code of 1 data block using data in a last frame of this data block. The final computation result is compared with the check code of the data block, and information instructing the processing of data having a specific group identifier to be skipped is set if an error in the data having the specific group identifier is detected before the comparing of the check code. If this information is set, the computation of the check code of the data having the specific group identifier is skipped.
US07769964B2
A technique to filter regions of memory. More particularly, at least one embodiment of the invention relates to a technique to detect and filter accesses or information pertaining to a memory access in a computer system.
US07769953B2
A customizable cache discard policy is provided which reduces adverse consequences of conventional discard policies. In a data processing system, a cache controller invokes a cache data discard policy as the cache approaches its capacity. Using one possible policy, data having the shortest retrieval (fetch) time is discarded before data having longer retrieval times. In an alternative policy, data may be discarded based upon its source. Weightings may be applied based upon the distance from each source to the cache, may be based upon priorities assigned to each source, or may be based upon the type of each source.
US07769934B1
Methods and apparatus are provided for providing a first master component with access to a first slave component while a second master component is accessing a second slave component in a system. The system may include a processor core and peripherals implemented on an integrated circuit. A slave side arbitrator corresponding to a single slave component and coupled to multiple master components can be used to provide a master component access to a slave component.
US07769929B1
Methods and apparatus are provided for allowing interconnection between ports associated with primary and secondary components in an embedded system. Ports may only support a particular bus type or set of attributes and a variety of ports may be incompatible. Bus types include Peripheral Components Interface (PCI) and Advanced Microcontroller Bus Architecture (AMBA) while attributes include bursting, non-bursting, word-wide, byte-wide, etc. Port adapters components are automatically selected from a library of port adapter components to allow connection of incompatible ports. Port adapters can be shared, chained, and intelligently selected for increased efficiency.
US07769924B2
A method and apparatus for low latency transport of signals. In some embodiments a method may include providing a buffer controller between two consecutive signal transmission processes between a host and a client to synchronize a write from a first of the two consecutive signal transmission processes and a read to a second of the of the two consecutive signal transmission processes, wherein the buffer controller includes a first buffer, a second buffer, and a first status list and a second status list that each provide an association status of the first buffer and the second buffer.
US07769912B2
A software-defined radio (SDR) system comprising: 1) a reconfigurable baseband subsystem for supporting a plurality of wireless communication standards comprising a first plurality of reconfigurable context-based operation instruction set processors; and 2) a reconfigurable application subsystem for supporting a plurality of end-user applications comprising a second plurality of reconfigurable context-based operation instruction set processors.Each of the first and second pluralities of reconfigurable context-based operation instruction set processors comprises: i) a reconfigurable data path comprising a plurality of reconfigurable functional blocks; and ii) a programmable finite state machine that controls the reconfigurable data path, wherein the programmable finite state machine is capable of executing a plurality of instructions associated with a particular function.
US07769911B2
A data reading method includes the steps of: a reading request issuing step of issuing a reading request for reading predetermined stored data; and a reading request re-issuing step of re-issuing a reading request when read data responsive to the reading request has not arrived within a predetermined time period, wherein: in the reading request re-issuing step, a flag is attached to the re-reading request, and thus, the re-reading request is differed from the first issued reading request.
US07769910B2
The present invention provides apparatus, systems and methods for activity-based control of multiple consumer electronic devices independent of a state of the consumer electronic devices. In an embodiment a remote control apparatus for controlling consumer electronic devices includes a user interface, a consumer electronic device interface, a transition-based controller and control logic. The transition-based controller generates transition commands to control multiple consumer electronic devices independent of keeping track of state information. A transition command includes a pre-defined sequence of consumer electronic device commands that can be transmitted to transition the consumer electronic devices from one user experience to another. A method for activity-based control of multiple consumer electronic devices independent of a state of the consumer electronic devices is also provided.
US07769907B2
A system for powerline networking. The system has an external data source, which is derived from a world wide networks of computers. A router is coupled to the external data source and coupled to a first datasource connection. A powerline network switch apparatus is coupled to the first datasource connection. The apparatus has a second datasource connection, which is coupled to the first data source connection. The apparatus has a powerline device coupled to the second datasource connection. The powerline device is adapted to receive and transmit information in a first format from the second data source connection and adapted to receive and transmit information in a second format. The apparatus has a virtual local area network device including a first input/output port and a plurality of second input/output ports. Each of the second input/output ports is numbered from 1 through N, where N is an integer greater than 1.
US07769887B1
Systems and methods are discussed for providing multiple network interfaces to devices to communicate with each other using various policies, for using a proxy to maintain a connection with a legacy system such that a data connection to the legacy system may be continued when an end device connects with the proxy, and for maintaining application states when devices become disconnected such that their activities may be resumed when reconnected.
US07769885B1
The liveness of routing protocols can be determined using a mechanism to aggregate liveness information for the protocols. The ability of an interface to send and receive packets and the forwarding capability of an interface can also be determined using this mechanism. Since liveness information for multiple protocols, the liveness of interfaces, the forwarding capability of interfaces, or both, may be aggregated in a message, the message can be sent more often than could individual messages for each of the multiple protocols. This allows fast detection of failures, and sending connectivity messages for the individual protocols, such as neighbor “hellos,” to be sent less often.
US07769879B2
This invention relates to a method for producing and/or processing a data stream description. According to said method, the data stream description is used to write and/or reference and/or classify sections of a data stream and the data stream description can be transformed by means of a processor using a transformation, the transformed data stream description allowing an adaptation of the data stream. The inventive method is characterized in that one or more sections of a data stream description are marked as processing units, a processing unit containing all information from the data stream description that is required for the transformation of the processing unit by means of the processor into a transformed processing unit. An access to sections of the data stream description outside the processing unit is not required for transformation.
US07769877B2
The WS-Mobile Gateway is the interworking gateway between users of a mobile network and a WS extranet. The mobile gateway comprises a mobile end-user interface on the side of the mobile network, for user authentication and for separating the web services (WS) traffic from the non-WS traffic. A logic unit performs protocol conversion, address resolution, policy enforcement/definition and publishing operations on the WS traffic. An extranet interface processor routes the WS packets carrying control messages between the gateway and a WS controller which maintains the services registry, while the WS packets carrying data are routed between the mobile gateway and the WS provider.
US07769873B1
Techniques are described for dynamically inserting filters into a forwarding path of a router in response to a received filter description. For example, a first router may receive a generic filter description, and process the generic filter description to generate machine instructions executable by forwarding hardware. The forwarding hardware, which may be a forwarding engine or an interface card, executes the machine instructions to implement the dynamic filter. The router, for instance, may filter packet flows of a device sourcing a network disturbance, such as a denial of service (DoS) attack by applying the dynamic filter to the packet flows. The router may further forward the filter description to neighboring routers to filter the packet flows closer to the source.
US07769872B2
A gateway apparatus including a gateway function conforming to the ITU-T recommendation T.38 is provided. The gateway apparatus can be connected to both of an analog public network and an IP network, and the gateway apparatus includes a signal blocking part that does not pass a received T.30 facsimile non-standard signal through the gateway apparatus.
US07769868B2
A method and system are disclosed. The method includes receiving a first request from a user at a dispatcher that corresponds to a first transaction. The method further includes creating at the dispatcher a unique identifier that is associated with the user. The unique identifier is based on data that is received from the user. A server is then assigned to the first request by adding an entry to a mapping table that is maintained by the dispatcher. The unique identifier is then associated with the assigned server.
US07769866B2
A middle layer network protocol enhancement, virtual connectivity (VC) makes the network attachment point changes of local and remote peers transparent to applications that use network services. A virtual connectivity module local to each peer translates communication connection parameters from apparent to real and vice versa, as well as sending and receiving secure connection updates directly to and from peers. Unlike Mobile IP, no routing infrastructure modifications are required. A subscribe-notify service provides connection update notifications when direct peer-to-peer connection updates are not possible, for example, when two communicating peers move simultaneously or when the moving peer is communicating with a peer behind network address translation (NAT). Methods for detecting these conditions are disclosed, as is a virtual connectivity protocol and virtual connectivity module architecture.
US07769861B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for provisioning storage resources according to a modeling policy. The modeling apparatus includes a monitoring module, a policy module, and a provisioning module. The monitoring module monitors the storage resources on the storage system. The policy module stores and maintains storage management, storage provisioning, and storage resource modeling policies. A user may access and specify these policies via a specification module. The provisioning module automatically provisions new storage resources, such as logical unit numbers (LUNs) according to the storage provisioning policies and modeling policies. The modeling policy defines a modeling strategy by which new storage resources are provisioned to include some or all of the attributes of a model storage resource.
US07769859B1
Controlling access to managed objects associated with a networked device. A method comprises receiving a request from a principal for access to a managed object associated with the networked device. The managed objects are accessible based on membership in access groups that are compliant with a Simple Network Management Protocol (SNMP). A first and a second of the access groups associated with the principal are determined. Access privileges for the principal are determined, based on the first and the second access groups. Access to the managed object is granted if permitted based on the access privileges for the principal.
US07769857B2
A smart client-server power control apparatus is disclosed, which comprises: a micro process unit, for signal and operation control; a communication unit, capable of receiving commands from a user for enabling the user to direct electric products connected to a server jack or/and client jacks of the smart client-server power control apparatus to enter/exit a stand-by mode; a detection unit, capable of detecting the power consumption of a first electric product connected to the server jack while informing the micro process unit to perform a stand-by process as soon as the detected power consumption is lower than a specific rated value; and a control unit, for executing the activating/deactivating of the server jack and client jacks according to signals received from the micro process unit.
US07769849B2
The present invention is directed to a method and system for detecting component level changes in a storage area network during power off state is provided. Storage profile changes may be utilized for monitoring components during a power cycle period of a storage array system coupled to a SAN. During the power on state of the storage array system, a storage profile (an on-power-storage profile) is collected and time stamped after predefined set of trigger points. Another storage profile (an off-power-storage profile) of the same storage array system may be collected immediately after a power cycle. The two versions of the storage profiles are compared immediately after the off-power-storage profile is created to determine whether the predetermined condition happened. A delta file may be generated after the comparison of the two versions of storage profiles. Each detected conditions may be logged in a log file of the storage array system.
US07769848B2
Under the present invention, a wireless sensor network comprising a plurality of peer to peer nodes is provided. Each node in the network includes, among other things, a sensor for detecting environmental factors. When a potential failure is detected within a node, the node will query its neighboring nodes to determine whether they have the capability to store any data component(s) currently stored within the potentially failing node. Based on the querying, the data component(s) in the potentially failing node are copied to one or more of the neighboring nodes. Thereafter, details of the copying can be broadcast to other nodes in the network, and any routing tables that identify the locations of data components stored throughout the wireless sensor network can be updated.
US07769842B2
Some of the embodiments disclosed are systems and methods of configuring an access masking structure which include, but are not limited to, selecting at least one computer to participate in an access restriction set, selecting at least one storage unit to participate in the access restriction set, disabling all non-selected computers, disabling all non-selected storage units and placing the access masking structure into learn mode. This method also comprises booting the computer, detecting activity between the selected computers and the selected storage units, and automatically building the access restriction set based upon the detected computers and storage units while the access masking structure is in the learn mode.
US07769836B2
A method and apparatus for updating the system configuration settings of a computer system. Embodiments include a remote system configuration system that enables a user to update the system configuration of a target machine from a server machine over a network or similar communications system. Another embodiment includes a system configuration method using a bus master device to write system configuration data into a target computer system.
US07769831B2
The present invention is directed to a system and method for SAS PHY dynamic configuration which allows for attaching SAS devices having various width ports. Each PHY is configured to be a narrow port internally to the controller while PHYs for the attached device is configured to be a wide port externally to the controller. As such, new SAS devices may be attached without any external controller intervention to reconfigure PHYs to match the new SAS devices. The present invention may allow for the flexibility of designing a single initiator solution that can adapt to any number of SAS devices with any number of port widths. Additionally, the present invention allows for a single product to be released that can automatically adjust to a broad range of SAS solutions and SAS topologies.
US07769823B2
A method and system for caching content, such as content requested from a server on the World Wide Web. Requests for dynamic content are forwarded directly to a content server to avoid caching data that might only be used once. Requests for static content are forwarded to a hot or a regular cache depending on the frequency at which the content is requested. When a hot cache does not contain the content, it forwards the request to the forwarder which then forwards the request to a regular cache. When the regular cache does not contain the content, it requests the content from the forwarder which then forwards the request to a content server. There may be more than two layers of cache.
US07769815B2
The disclosure describes systems and methods for determining spam. A spam detecting system identifies potential spam messages by checking the relationship between a sender of a message and a recipient of the message. The spam detecting system identifies the relationship between the sender and recipient as ‘unknown’ or ‘trusted’. If the message is ‘trusted’, the message is transmitted accordingly to the recipient. If the message is classified as ‘unknown’, then the message is analyzed in view of other identified potential spam messages where a count is tallied against a threshold value to keep track of the probability a message is spam.
US07769813B2
An email transmission apparatus operates to reduce mis-transmission of an email even if a mistake occurs in the check of a destination address. The email transmission apparatus for transmitting a mail to an address designated as a destination includes a counter for counting return mails which were returned with the designated address as a source in response to transmitted mails. The email transmission apparatus further includes a judging function to obtain, from the counter, a receipt frequency of the return mail with a designated address of a mail to be newly transmitted as a source, and to then judges whether the designated address is an address which may cause mis-transmission on the basis of the receipt frequency. Also provided is a notification function that is responsive to the designated address being judged to be an address which may cause mis-transmission. The counter includes a receipt frequency information database for recording a receipt frequency of the past return mails. The judging function determines that the designated address is an address which may cause mis-transmission when the receipt frequency of the return mails is lower than a predetermined threshold value.
US07769801B2
In order to cause a management server to execute a process desired by a user and to be shared by a plurality of users, an image processing apparatus capable of communicating with the management server includes a scanner inputting image data, an authentication information input unit inputting information necessary for authenticating a user, an authentication information send unit for transmitting the input authentication information to the management server, an additional function list receiver receiving from the management server, in response to the transmission of the authentication information, an additional function list for specifying an additional function registered in association with the user among the additional functions executed by the management server, an additional function selector accepting designation of the additional function, and an additional function select information transmitter transmitting the specified additional function and the input image data to the management server.
US07769798B2
Analog iterative decoders are provided that are based on the so-called min-sum algorithm (also referred to as max-sum or max-product, Max-Log-MAP or BP-based decoding) and can be used to decode powerful coding schemes such as low-density parity-check (LDPC) codes and turbo codes. The circuits can be implemented by standard CMOS technology, which means lower fabrication cost and/or simpler design compared to previously reported analog iterative decoders that are based on BiCMOS or sub-threshold CMOS technology. Soft information is passed among variable nodes and parity-check nodes. A low-voltage high-swing Max WTA circuit is also provided. The circuit can be implemented by short channel MOSFET transistors and yet provide a reasonably high degree of accuracy. Applications include soft computing, and analog signal processing, in general. A Min WTA circuit can also be built based on this circuit by subtracting the input currents from a large reference current.
US07769790B2
The following are saved as a first dataset in a first order: basic information and a plurality of elements containing information during the decoding process. Details about the position of the elements in the first dataset are saved as a second dataset. Information about the conversion of the order of the elements from the first order into a second order is also available.
US07769788B2
In a method of constructing an Aho-Corasick tree, tree is constructed in a general depth first manner, one string at a time. Preferably during the construction of the string, after each node is added, failure links or extended failure links from that node to other nodes are added and failure links to nodes in the newly inserted branch are re-updated.
US07769779B2
A silo-specific view of the file system is provided to processes running in the silo. Processes can access a file only by uttering the silo-relative name. To determine if access to a file identified by a file ID should be permitted, a list of physical names of the file identified by the file ID is constructed. If a silo-relative name that translates to a name in the list can be uttered, the file is opened and the file ID for the opened file is retrieved. If the file IDs match, the silo-relative name is used to open the file. If a process running within a silo requests a list of names for a file that has been opened using a file ID, results returned are filtered so that only names visible in the silo are returned, thus restricting the process' access to files to those files within its hierarchical namespace.
US07769778B2
Systems, methods, and software determine whether a field of an input digital representation of information, such as the street name field in an address, is correct by quickly comparing the field to a list of valid choices for that field. The list of valid choices is generated based on information from the input digital representation, such as a character string. If an exact match is not found, a fuzzy match comparison determines the most closely matching valid choice. If a suitable fuzzy match is not found, then the input information is invalid. Otherwise, another field of the input information, such as the building number field of an address, is tested for validity. If the second field passes the validity check, then the fuzzy match (or exact match) for the field is valid. A fuzzy matching field may replace the input field, thereby correcting the input information.
US07769777B2
An apparatus and method of identifying an unknown word based on a known meaning, or word identification system. The word identification system allows a user that knows the meaning of a word but cannot recall the word that corresponds to the known meaning to identify the word through a series of simple questions. Each of the questions elicits information known about the unknown word through the knowledge of the meaning of the word and its use in language. With each response, the number of words matching the definitional characteristics is reduced until a set of one or more probable words and definitions for the unknown word is finally presented to the user.
US07769772B2
A Mixed Media Reality (MMR) system associated techniques are disclosed. The MMR system provides mechanisms for forming a mixed media document that includes media of at least two types (e.g., printed paper as a first medium and digital content as a second medium. The MMR system of the present invention provides mechanisms for forming a mixed media document that includes media of at least two types, such as printed paper as a first medium and a digital photograph, digital movie, digital audio file, or web link as a second medium. The present invention also includes a number of novel methods including: a method for layout independent MMR recognition, a strip fragment candidate generation process, and a page candidate accumulation process.
US07769770B2
Pursuant to receipt of a data modification command or statement, such as an Update command, it is determined which fields in a data structure, such as a UDT, computed column, indexed view, or index, for example, will be changed as a result of the command. Only those fields that are affected by the command will be changed. Thus, changes are propagated to only to those dependent data structures whose content is being modified. Tree representations are used to facilitate the determination as to whether a subfield in a hierarchy is changed.
US07769761B2
An information processing apparatus includes an extraction unit configured to extract sequentially in time, keywords from multiple character strings, and a similarity calculation unit configured to calculate similarity values of the extracted keywords included in adjacent first regions of the multiple character strings, each first region including a predefined part of the multiple character strings.
US07769754B2
Systems and methods for storing and accessing data. A relation store may be used to store algebraic relations between data sets. Alternative collections of algebraic relations may be generated and evaluated to determine an optimized collection of algebraic relations to use in calculating and providing a requested data set. Optimization criteria may be based on an estimate of the amount of data required to be transferred and/or the amount of time required to transfer data sets from storage in order to calculate the collection of algebraic relations. The optimization criteria may distinguish among equivalent data sets containing the same logical data in different physical formats or in different locations. The optimization may be performed using the algebraic relations rather than retrieving underlying data sets from storage. As a result, optimization may be performed at processor speeds to minimize the amount of time required for data to be retrieved.
US07769753B2
A data retrieval system includes a retrieval request block for generating a retrieval key including a current state number and a current character string including N characters latched from an input character string, and a state transition memory operating for retrieval based on a state transition table. The state transition table includes a plurality of input entries each including a combination of a current state number and a character pattern string having N characters, and a plurality of output entries each including combination of a next state number and a pattern number of a character pattern retrieved from the input character string. The state transition memory operates for a plurality of retrievals in parallel retrieval processing.
US07769750B2
A system supplies links between objects. A link service receives a hypermedia link request from a client. The hypermedia request identifies a source object. A link provider analyzes association metadata and creates hypermedia links between the source object and associated objects identified from the metadata.
US07769746B2
Computer-implemented methods and systems for processing user entered query data to improve results of a search of pages using a local search database are provided, when searching the internet. The method includes receiving the user entered query data and parsing each word of the query data and examining each word to determine if the word is associated with one of a business name, a city name or a state name. The examining uses probabilistic dictionaries to determine a likelihood that the word is for a particular term or intent. The method further includes normalizing each of the tagged business terms. The normalizing includes boosting information if found in the local search database and determining proximity between selected ones of the tagged terms. Then, generating an optimized internal search query that incorporates constraints and ranking based on at least the boosting information and the determined proximity between the selected tagged terms. The optimized internal search query is applied to the internet to enable search results to be produced and displayed to the user in response to the entered query data.
US07769741B2
An integrated searching/browsing mechanism employs user-constructed information hierarchies that represent a cognitive framework for the organization of information. The hierarchies are independent of the information itself. This feature permits them to be shared among multiple users, and applied to any of a variety of different sources of information. The hierarchical organization that is provided by the framework gives the user the ability to browse around any available document database in a manner that is intuitive to the user. Two or more hierarchies can be combined to locate documents which match the criteria of both hierarchies, and thereby refine search results to an appropriate level. A relevance feedback mechanism further enhances the browsing experience, by concentrating the search results in areas that are most relevant to documents selected as being of particular interest.
US07769737B2
A method and system to protect users against potentially fraudulent activities associated with spoof web sites are described. According to one aspect of the present invention, the URL of a document downloaded via a web browser client is compared to the URLs in a list of URLs for known spoof sites. If the URL for the downloaded document is found in the list of URLs for known spoof sites, a security indicator is displayed to the user to indicate to the user that the downloaded document is associated with a known spoof site. According to another aspect of the invention, a security server maintains a master black list and periodically communicates updates of the master black list to the local list of a client security application.
US07769723B2
A system and method provides continuous data protection using checkpoints in a write anywhere file system. During a consistency point of a write anywhere file system, freed blocks are identified and are appended to a delete log for retention. A consistency point log is updated with a new entry associated with the consistency point. If the file system needs to retrieve its state at a particular point in time, the stored blocks of the delete log may be recovered.
US07769722B1
A data storage server is programmed for management, version control, and scheduling of replication of multiple types of data storage objects including iSCSI LUNs and file systems. The version control determines if two data storage objects are the same or have a common base so that only a difference needs to be transmitted for replication or restoration. A replication job may specify a “one-to-many” replication or a cascaded replication, and any snapshot retention policy is propagated during a cascaded replication. Concurrent replication sessions to the same destination are paced in accordance with respective allocation shares of the reception bandwidth. File handle information is replicated so that a file handle issued by a primary data storage server can be used for accessing a replicated file in a secondary data storage server.
US07769721B2
To ensure the consistency of data included in blocks which have already been received and has already been remote-copied, on a file basis, in a destination NAS system, when remote copy has failed due to a failure which has occurred in a source NAS system, there is provided a method in which: a source NAS system transmits a correspondence between an updated block and a file, to a destination NAS system when remote copy is started; the destination NAS system records a remote copy state for each block; a management server refers to the information recorded by the destination NAS system and selects files from which all the update blocks have been received, when remote copy has failed due to a failure which has occurred in the source NAS system; and the destination NAS system stores data included in the update blocks of the files selected by the management server.
US07769712B2
The present invention relates generally to the field of self-validating documents in supply chain management, documentation services and method for creating the same.
US07769706B2
It is an object of the present invention to find out parts to be a highly possible cause of failure without searching all of part data of all of products. Dispersed parts data on a parts tree are sequentially accessed from a set of known failed products, and part attribute values each having a higher support in the faulty product are extracted. In this process, a subset of parts used in the faulty product is also obtained simultaneously. The part attribute values having higher supports and the subset of parts used in the faulty product are represented as a tree in which a parts type serves as a node. Next, an information gain of a rule that having the two part attribute values is a cause of failure is calculated on two part attribute values having higher supports on the tree of the parts type. This calculation is locally performed on a common parent part of two parts and parts having a certain information gain is outputted as a cause of failure. How to select these two part attributes is performed in such a way that part attributes located closer to each other on the tree are first evaluated, and first found part attributes are made a candidate of a cause of failure.
US07769704B2
The present disclosure includes a system and method for learning (or discovering and extracting) business knowledge from a collection of source code. The collection of source code is abstracted to generate an abstracted data stream, which is then transformed to an Extensible Markup Language (XML) format. The transformed data in XML format can be further converted to target formats or processed to satisfy different needs such as software system documentation, migration, impact analysis and security analysis. The disclosure also includes an implementation and operation for a pattern abstraction engine configured to receive an input data stream and format it for abstraction into a standard format using a pattern matching mechanism. The disclosure also includes an implementation and operation for a contextual pattern decoder engine configured to extract knowledge attributes and contextual taxonomy from classified blocks of an input data stream.
US07769699B2
An apparatus for managing inter-personal activities to facilitate matchmaking between single individuals, by instructing each individual what to do and with whom during a series of game sessions. Singles join a forum in which a plurality of activities contained in a database are individually assigned to participants, who confidentially express their preferences for specific activities and for other participants with whom to conduct activities. Expressed preferences are not disclosed to other individuals, but are input to a secure computer system that assigns the activities. Participants' wish-lists influence assignments made by the computer, and random factors provide variety and protect privacy by obscuring the effect of the wish-lists. After each assignment, participants can update their wish-list to affect further assignments.
US07769696B2
An information storing apparatus for judging who requests personal information and for setting an access level for the personal information for the requester. The information storing apparatus includes: a personal information storing section storing thereon the personal information which is to be disclosed to predetermined accessible persons; an accessible person information storing section storing thereon accessible person characteristic information indicating a physical characteristic of each of the plurality of accessible persons; a requester authentication section for receiving requester characteristic information indicating a physical characteristic of a requester who requests the personal information, and for performing authentication processing of the requester using the requester characteristic information and the accessible person characteristic information stored on the accessible person information storing section; an access level setting section for setting an access level, which is a level of the personal information to be disclosed to the requester, when the requester authentication section authenticates the requester as the accessible person; and a personal information output section for outputting a part of the personal information stored on the personal information storing section to the requester in accordance with the access level set-up by the access level setting section.
US07769695B2
A system and method of providing users with an accessible system and convenient method for conducting purchase benefit transactions. When enrolling in a biometric authorization system, a user may authorize the system to apply for purchase benefits on the user's behalf at subsequent transactions.
US07769692B2
This invention relates to a transmission apparatus for transmitting digital content data via a communication medium, comprising attachment means for attaching cost information per unit data volume to the digital content data; and transmission means for transmitting the digital content data attached with the cost information after converting a data format of the digital content data attached with the cost information into a data format suitable to the communication medium.
US07769690B2
A method and system for supply of data relating to a described entity (302) to a relying entity (304), which includes the generation of a first digital certificate referred to as an empowerment certificate signed by a first signing entity. The empowerment certificate includes attributes of the described entity (302) information and identifying the first signing entity. It also includes an indication of data relating to the described entity (302) which is to be supplied and an indication of one or more sources (306) for said data. The empowerment certificate also includes identification of relying entities (304) to which the data can be supplied. The relying entity (304) forwards the empowerment certificate to source (306) supplying the data indicated in the empowerment certificate. Some or all of the data relating to the described entity (302) may be supplied by means of a second digital certificate referred to as a custom certificate, signed by a second signing entity. Custom certificates may appear in custom certificate revocation lists. A system and method for transfer of ownership of electronic property (801) from a first entity to a second entity are also provided. A method and system for electronic voting are also provided.
US07769686B2
A method and system are provided for transferring value from a value provider. A request initiated by a value owner to transfer value from the value provider to a recipient is received. An exchange provider receives the value in accordance with the request. The exchange provider includes a processor that converts the received value into a converted form. The converted value is then transmitted to the recipient by the exchange provider.
US07769684B2
A semi-quantitative analysis on the risk management process increases the possibility of performing an accurate risks comparison, making easier the identification of which risks shall be prioritized and shall receive the greatest mitigation efforts. Specifically, the semi-quantitative risk analysis enables an improved risks comparison for evaluating the consequences of each risk considering its impacts on the project's Net Present Value (NPV), reflecting the project's cash flow at different times. The use of such method makes the prioritization process more efficient, helping the managers and other personnel involved on the process to focus their efforts to the most critical risks for the project's success. In this sense, the risk management process becomes more efficient and better able to provide better support to the project decision makers.
US07769679B2
A process for managing financial transactions involves defining the process as a series of steps that involve the transfer of information needed by each party to settle the transaction. A system for measuring the performance of participants in the management process tracks the information transferred between the parties and records the date and time that the information is transferred. Periodically, information including the date and time information is processed and used to determine measures of performance over the period. These measures of performance can include the amount of time between the completion of any of the steps in the management process, for example, from the time when transaction was initiated (e.g. a trade is executed) to the time the information to be transmitted to or received by any of the participants to the management process or the management system in any of the steps of the management process. The performance information can be compiled into predefined reports which allow a party to compare and rank the performance of counterparties with which the party had completed transactions.
US07769678B2
A Straight-Through-Processing (STP) trading platform provides a fully electronic and seamless solution to all substantially aspects of the trading cycle for fixed income instruments and other financial instruments. In an exemplary embodiment, all participants to a trade transaction have access to computer software that facilitates trade order management, trade order generation, trade execution (including electronic axes), trade allocation, allocation acknowledgement, trade confirmation, and finally acquisition of settlement instructions. In said exemplary embodiment, the STP trading platform includes computer software modules including at least an account management module and an electronic trading module to handle the various stages of executing a trade, confirming the trade, and facilitating settlement of the trade.
US07769671B2
A trading screen displays market information, such as working orders, buy and sell orders, and other items of interest, in association with values on a value axis. Each item of interest is therefore displayed in relation to the value axis to provide a trader with an intuitive display of the market. In one embodiment, a user can select a location associated with a particular value on the trading screen and upon an selection, for example, by a click of the mouse button, the value axis is repositioned so that the selected value is moved to a predefined location. During which, market information is moved to new locations that are associated with their respective values on the value axis.
US07769670B2
A method for managing an investment vehicle. An option is purchased for protection of cash flows to be paid by the investment vehicle to designated investors. An option is sold offsetting the purchased option at least in part. The cash flows and security priorities of the investment vehicle are structured so that the purchased option protects the protected investors, and the proceeds of the sale of the sold option offsets the cost of the purchased option for benefit of non-protected investors.
US07769666B2
A plurality of option value prices are determined for employee stock options. An average stock price corresponding to a particular one of the plurality of option value prices is determined. The employee stock option is exchanged for the value. The terms of the employee stock option are amended and the option is transferred to a third party in exchange for a value. The third party hedges the amended options.
US07769659B2
A system, method, and computer program product for dynamic, cost effective reallocation of assets among a plurality of investment products comprising a processor, a memory and a computer program stored in the memory. The computer program implementing the present invention controls the reallocation of assets to reduce the transactions costs associated with rebalancing the investor's composite assets according to a composite asset allocation model. Information relating to the composite asset allocation model, the investor's assets, and the investor are stored in memory. Periodically, or upon occurrence of an event, the composite assets are evaluated to determine if rebalancing is necessary. If rebalancing is necessary, the transaction costs associated with the available transactions for performing the rebalancing are compared to select the most economically favorable transaction. Thus, the reallocation is achieved by selecting the least costly transaction that will serve to realize the composite asset allocation model, which is independent of the structure of the investor's portfolio among particular accounts or products. In addition, the computer program compares the available options for recovery of the transaction fees to select the most economically favorable means of recovering the fees associated with the transaction to further reduce the transaction cost of the reallocations.
US07769657B2
The present invention relates to a credit index, a system and method for structuring a credit index, a system and method for operating a credit index, and a system and method for determining the liquidity of a credit.
US07769652B1
A system and method for fee-based order priority level modification in an electronic trading environment are described. When an order reaches an exchange, a priority level of the order may be changed to a higher priority level, and the priority level of the order initially at the higher priority level may be changed to a lower priority level of the received order. In one embodiment, a trader who is gaining a higher priority level will be preferably charged a fee for having his order moved to the higher priority level, and at least a portion of that fee may be paid to a trader who is giving up his high priority level.
US07769638B1
Authorization verification systems and methods are described that determine whether an authorization check is to be performed in conjunction with an online purchase or other electronic commerce transaction, and, if the authorization check is to be performed, that check the authorization of an individual wishing to participate in the online transaction and that store a retrievable record of the authorization check. The system receives authorization information for the individual that is indicative of the individual's authorization to purchase a product or service online, or to otherwise participate in an electronic commerce encounter whose access is limited to authorized individuals. In one embodiment, authorization for making a purchase is limited to individuals above an age threshold, and the authorization verification system receives information relating to the individual's age via an electronic scanning of a driver's license or other identification card, or by other methods, and uses the birth date information to calculate the customer's current age. A record of the authorization can be stored and can subsequently be retrieved to verify that an authorization determination for the online encounter was carried out.
US07769631B2
A method for guaranteeing a consumer a best price on an item purchased from a vendor in a consummated final first transaction, the method including, in certain aspects, including determining a refund due to insure that a consumer receives the benefit of a later better price, and displaying the refund amount, individually or publicly, and, in one particular aspect, displaying a total amount for a plurality of such refunds.
US07769617B2
A worker management system, which includes a plant 100 divided into a plurality of work areas each in correspondence to specific task contents, a database 220 having stored therein task identification information correlating each work area 112 with contents of tasks performed therein and worker detection sensors 130 installed in each work area, identifies the specific work area where a worker is currently located based upon outputs from the worker detection means and then identifies the task currently performed by the worker based upon the task identification information. Based upon the current task thus identified, a decision is made as to whether the worker should continue the current task or be assigned a new task and an instruction for task execution is issued to the worker. Therefore the identification of current tasks, the assignment of a new task and the task reassignment are facilitated to improve the work efficiency.
US07769615B2
Disclosed herein are methods and related tools for assisting users in analyzing and identifying various constraints that limit the impact of business growth strategies, and for helping those users identify, research, and/or implement strategies in light of identified constraints. More particularly, disclosed are information management methods and electronic computing tools for enabling managers to utilize accumulated information to identify and address constraints that otherwise limit innovation and growth of their business ventures.
US07769600B2
One aspect of the invention is directed to a system and method for allowing a patient to access an automated process for managing a specified health problem called a disease. The system performs disease management in a fully automated manner, using periodic interactive dialogs with the patient to obtain health state measurements from the patient, to evaluate and assess the progress of the patient's disease, to review and adjust therapy to optimal levels, and to give the patient medical advice for administering treatment and handling symptom flare-ups and acute episodes of the disease. The medical records are updated, the progression of the disease is stored and tracked, and the patient's preferences for treatment are stored and then used to offer medical advice based on the current state of the disease. Subjective and objective health measurements are used to determine a metric, which can be used to adjust patient therapy.
US07769595B2
Methods and systems for a rapid and automated creation of a price schedule and a “green” schedule comprising steps and an implementation for providing a set of construction plans created with an architectural software design tool, and a palette of architectural parametric symbols corresponding to respective construction plan elements, such as windows. At least one parametric symbol corresponding to a construction plan element is inserted into the construction plans. A cost value and a statement indicating whether or not a parametric symbol is “green” for each of the inserted parametric symbols is determined corresponding to respective plan elements. A price schedule, a “green” schedule or both are then created, which can include the total cost for all of the inserted parametric symbols, and a statement for each of the inserted symbols indicating whether or not they are certified as being energy efficient or rated “green.”
US07769593B2
In one embodiment, the present invention is a method and apparatus for active noise cancellation. In one embodiment, a method for recognizing user speech in an audio signal received by a media system (where the audio signal includes user speech and ambient audio output produced by the media system and/or other devices) includes canceling portions of the audio signal associated with the ambient audio output and applying speech recognition processing to an uncancelled remainder of the audio signal.
US07769592B2
A method of disambiguating database search results can include retrieving multiple database entries responsive to a database search. The retrieved database entries can include a plurality of common data fields. The retrieved database entries can be processed according to predetermined speech interface criteria. At least one data field can be selected from the plurality of common data fields for uniquely identifying each retrieved database entry. The data items corresponding to the selected data field for each retrieved database entry can be presented through a speech interface.
US07769587B2
An improved method and apparatus is disclosed which uses probabilistic techniques to map an input search string with a prestored audio file, and recognize certain portions of a search string phonetically. An improved interface is disclosed which permits users to input search strings, linguistics, phonetics, or a combination of both, and also allows logic functions to be specified by indicating how far separated specific phonemes are in time.
US07769577B2
A hardware accelerator includes hardware support for a combinational only cycle and a latch only cycle in a simulation model with a single partition of latches and combinational logic. Preferred embodiments use a special 4-input 1-output function unit in the hardware accelerator in place of the normal latch function that write back the old latch value for combinational only cycles. Other embodiments include hardware support for separate array write disables for arrays and transparent latches depending on whether the cycle is a combinational only cycle and a latch only cycle. A conditional array write disable dependent on the occurrence of a hardware breakpoint is also included that supports switching from a latch plus combinational cycle to a latch only cycle, to give control to the user before evaluating the combinational logic if a breakpoint occurs on a latch.
US07769575B2
The crystal structures of catalytic domain of HPTPbeta, both ligand-bound and ligand-free are described. These structures are useful in computer aided drug design for identifying compounds that bind or activate HPTPbeta and thereby modulate angiogenesis mediated disorders or diseases.
US07769573B2
Computerized systems and methods are used to create a model of interaction energies between a group of bodies, such as molecules or atoms in solution. A computer simulation of the molecular interactions of bodies in solution is performed by first creating a coordinate system that defines a position of each body in a two dimensional or a three-dimensional space. The system then divides the coordinate system into subsections called bins. Bins may be of different sizes. The number and size of bins varies depending on the number of bodies and each body's calculated position in the coordinate system. The number of bins is optimized, selected so that a maximum number of bins contain only one body. This means there is also a corresponding minimum number of bins that contain either multiple bodies or no bodies. The systems and methods select a radius at which, at a certain distance from a selected molecule, the effect of other molecules on the selected molecule approximates zero. The binning system thus computes all of the significant interactions between N bodies in a solution without missing interacting pairs of bodies and without testing every possible interaction.
US07769569B2
A method and system for designing a structural level description of an electronic circuit with functional behavior described by a plurality of rules, the circuit being specified by data path and control path elements wherein at least one control path element is provided in a form of unresolved variable. The design comprises extracting a plurality of unresolved variables among the control path elements and automatic processing of data path and control path elements for accomplishing a state machine formulation, wherein the states of the state machine include states representing at least combinations of unresolved variables and corresponding transitions satisfying said plurality of rules and predefined design criteria.
US07769551B2
A system and method for monitoring a gap between a vibrational body and a reference is achieved by monitoring the resonant frequency of the vibrational body. A portion of the vibrational body is fixed a given distance from the reference by a rigid mounting system. A resonant frequency of the vibrational body is received. Then, a quantity standing in known relation to an approximate change in the length of the gap is determined, based upon the resonant frequency.
US07769541B2
There is provided a vehicle navigation system for searching predetermined information after map data is updated and navigating a user more effectively even when the user only knows information before the update. The vehicle navigation system includes a control section; a map data read section for reading first map data from a map database; a map data acquisition section for acquiring second map data for update; a map data update section for generating updated map data by using the first map data and the second map data; and a history information management section for managing a search result, a travel route or the like, which the user obtained by specifying search conditions, as history information, wherein the map data update section generates the updated map data so as to associate the first map data, which is associated with the history information, together with the second map data.
US07769536B2
An engine control system includes a digital signal processing (DSP) module that generates a fast Fourier transform (FFT) of an engine knock signal generated by an engine knock sensor. An intensity determination module determines an engine knock intensity based on one of a maximum of and an average of the FFT. A status determination module determines a status of the engine knock sensor based on the engine knock intensity, a plurality of predetermined knock intensity thresholds, and a rotational speed of an engine crankshaft.
US07769531B2
A control device of an internal combustion engine calculates ignition delays in lean combustion and rich combustion, standardizes the ignition delays based on ignition timing, and further standardizes the ignition delays based on injection quantity and injection timing of pilot injection respectively. The control device calculates a present ignition delay by linear interpolation of the standardized ignition delays in the lean combustion and the rich combustion. Moreover, the control device corrects the present ignition delay with the ignition timing and further corrects the present ignition delay with the injection quantity and the injection timing of the pilot injection. The control device calculates a command value of the injection timing by subtracting the corrected present ignition delay from target ignition timing.
US07769526B2
An engine control module includes a target intake carbon dioxide (CO2) module that determines a target intake CO2 concentration. An intake CO2 estimation module estimates an actual intake CO2 concentration. The engine control module adjusts fuel injection based on the target intake CO2 concentration and the actual intake CO2 concentration.
US07769513B2
Arrangement and method for obtaining information about objects in an environment in or around a vehicle includes one or more optical imagers for obtaining images of the environment and a processor coupled to the imager(s) for obtaining information about an object in one or more images obtained by the imager(s). The processor is arranged to process the obtained images to determine edges of objects in the images and input data about the edges into a trained pattern recognition algorithm which has been trained to provide information about the object as output. The pattern recognition algorithm may include a neural network or variation thereof. The information about the object may be used to control a vehicular component such as an airbag or light filter.
US07769510B2
A method and system for identifying sensors is disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a list of sensors that are differentiated by function and/or location, and detecting a plurality of sensors in a vehicle environment, where at least some of the sensors are identical. The method also includes receiving information from each of the plurality of sensors, and identifying each of a plurality of identical sensors as corresponding to a respective sensor in the list of sensors. The identification may be based on one or more of: a proximity of each sensor relative to at least one wireless receiver; at least one characteristic of information received from the sensors, that is caused by an actively induced change in the vehicle environment; and at least one characteristic of information received from the sensors, that is caused by a passive change in the vehicle environment. According to the method and system disclosed herein, sensors in the vehicle are detected and identified in a simple and cost effective manner.
US07769506B2
There are provided a navigation apparatus, a forward recognition apparatus using a camera or the like, which can capture a situation around the vehicle and calculate a distance to a particular object and a relative velocity, and sensors mounted on the vehicle to acquire the driving status of the vehicle. Whether to continue or suspend driver assistance control based on output information from the forward recognition apparatus using a camera or the like is determined according to driving environment information obtained from the navigation apparatus or the forward recognition apparatus using a camera or the like. If the visibility is determined to be poor from information from the sensors, the driver assistance control based on the output information from the forward recognition apparatus is suspended.
US07769502B2
A system for suggesting a course of action for a vehicle engaged in a situation includes a portion for identifying condition data that corresponds to conditions sensed from the situation. The system also includes a portion for selecting parameters associated with the condition data. The system further includes a portion for determining a suggested course of action based on the selected parameters.
US07769498B2
When there is a preceding vehicle in a traveling direction of a subject vehicle, an ECU computes a driver condition coefficient that represents degree of change in the size of an image of the preceding vehicle as viewed from the driver is computed. The driving condition of the driver is detected from this driver condition coefficient and used to provide an alarm indicative of the driving condition and to control vehicle travel condition.
US07769495B1
A power management system for a hydrogen generating network comprising: a decentralized hydrogen generation network comprising at least one hydrogen generating device operable by a dispatchable power source, a non-dispatchable power source, or combinations thereof, an administrator interface for transmitting messages from an administrator to the hydrogen generating network, a dynamic information database comprising hydrogen generating device identification, discretionary power consumption information, or combinations thereof, and dispatchable power source information, non-dispatchable power source information, or combinations thereof, and computer instructions for providing messages to the hydrogen generating network. The administrator initiations distribution of at least one message to the hydrogen generation network for providing non-dispatchable power information, dispatchable power information, or combinations thereof to the hydrogen generation network through at least one industry standard protocol, wherein the at least one hydrogen generating device provides at least one response to the administrator interface.
US07769494B1
A method automatically adjusts the amount of water supplied by a water timer having a user interface and a controller programmed to provide control signals for controlling water flow control devices. The time of day on a base day is chosen, and a base ambient temperature and a base ambient humidity are sensed. Base ambient temperature and humidity signals are provided to the controller. The current ambient temperature and humidity are subsequently sensed and corresponding signals are provided to the controller on at least one day following the base day at a time corresponding to the chosen time of day. Control signals are modified, thereby modifying watering amounts, according to the base and current ambient temperature and humidity signals.
US07769489B2
A robot control device that controls operation of a robot having an actuator includes a casing, an actuator driver, a drive-control board, a main control board, a main power supply board, a vent passage, a cooling fan, and a holding member. The actuator driver is accommodated in the casing and drives the actuator. The drive-control board is accommodated in the casing and controls operation of the actuator driver. The main control board is accommodated in the casing and controls operation of the drive-control board. The main power supply board is accommodated in the casing and supplies a power to the drive-control board and the main control board. The vent passage is defined by at least the drive-control board, the main control board, and the main power supply board and has an end open to the exterior of the casing. The cooling fan is arranged at an end of the vent passage and causes the air to flow through the vent passage. The holding member is provided in the vent passage and holds the actuator driver.
US07769478B2
An electronic sound chip stores digitized sounds. A PIC processor controls sound card operation, utilizing a free comparator present in the PIC processor that detects variable DC offsets, and thereby activates at least one “voice” or channel of sound. The system self-calibrates on the initial power on, and the calibration values are measured and stored internally in non-volatile storage for later comparison against the DC offset to frequency thresholds. The system detects loss of power, which mutes the audio during power interruptions for seamless model train direction control.
US07769473B2
A medical electrode includes a moderately conductive flexible member having a top side and a bottom side with a connector and contact with a flexible member top side for establishing electrical contact with an external apparatus. A non-conductive flexible sheet covers the conductive flexible member top and the connector and a highly conductive ink pattern is disposed on a conductive flexible member bottom side. A moderately high conductive hydrogel adhesive disposed on the conductive flexible member bottom side and cover the conductive ink pattern is provided for adhering electrode to a patients' skin.
US07769470B1
A device for modulating a volume of neural tissue comprising: a cannula having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen extending to at least the distal end, an actuator mechanism at least partially disposed in the lumen of the cannula; a plurality of leads having at least one electrode disposed thereon, the plurality of leads being coupled to the actuator mechanism to reciprocate between a retracted position wherein the plurality of leads are radially constrained within the lumen and an extended position; and a guide provided at the distal end of the cannula to deflect the plurality of leads radially outwardly into the neural tissue when the actuator mechanism is moved to the extended position.
US07769468B2
An applicator and method for application of electromagnetic energy to an area of tissue is described. The applicator includes a visually-transparent, high-dielectric interfacing assembly which has a conformable tissue-engaging surface and an opposed antenna-engaging surface. At least one balanced, circularly-polarized antenna is disposed in a plane substantially parallel and adjacent to the antenna-engaging surface. The interfacing assembly and at least one antenna are substantially transparent to enable visual viewing of the area of tissue. This enables monitoring of the tissue for adverse treatment effects while electromagnetic energy is being applied to the at least one antenna and radiated into the tissue.
US07769466B2
A medical apparatus includes an extracorporeal power source that transmits electrical power via a radio frequency signal to a medical device implanted inside an animal. The extracorporeal power source has a Class-E amplifier with a choke and a semiconductor switch connected in series between a source of a supply voltage and circuit ground. An output node of the amplifier is formed between choke and the switch and connected to a transmitter antenna. A shunt capacitor couples the amplifier's output node to the circuit ground. Controlled operation of the switch produces bursts of the radio frequency signal that are pulse width modulated to control the amount of energy being sent to the implanted medical device.
US07769462B2
A spinal cord stimulation (SCS) system includes multiple electrodes, multiple, independently programmable, stimulation channels within an implantable pulse generator (IPG) which channels can provide concurrent, but unique stimulation fields, permitting virtual electrodes to be realized. The SCS system includes a replenishable power source (e.g., rechargeable battery), that may be recharged using transcutaneous power transmissions between antenna coil pairs. An external charger unit, having its own rechargeable battery can be used to charge the IPG replenishable power source. A real-time clock can provide an auto-run schedule for daily stimulation. An included bi-directional telemetry link in the system informs the patient or clinician the status of the system, including the state of charge of the IPG battery. Other processing circuitry in the IPG allows electrode impedance measurements to be made. Further circuitry in the external battery charger can provide alignment detection for the coil pairs.
US07769460B2
The disclosure describes a sensing device that is implantable to sense bladder conditions, as well as a neurostimulation system and method that make use of such a sensor for alleviation of urinary incontinence. The sensing device is implantable outside the bladder, but includes a lead that penetrates the bladder wall to deployed a sensor within the bladder. Using the sensor on the lead, the sensing device outside the bladder is able to detect a condition within the interior of the bladder. In this sense, the sensing device provides transmembrane sensing of internal bladder conditions. The condition may be indicative of bladder filling or bladder contraction, and may be used to control electrical stimulation applied to the patient to alleviate urinary incontinence.
US07769440B2
The present invention is a device for electromanipulation of chemical species in vivo relative to a target tissue including a nonconductive, conformable array base adapted to be placed coincident to the target tissue, a plurality of electrode elements projecting from the array base towards the target tissue, the electrode elements addressable individually, an electrical source coupled to the plurality of electrodes, a control means interposed between the electrical source and the plurality of electrode elements and in circuit communication therein, the control means adapted to establish an electrical potential between at least two electrodes, and a delivery means adapted to introduce chemical species to the target tissue.
US07769429B2
Determining impingement between first and second bodies by determining a spatial relationship between surface points of the first body and markers of a first reference element; determining a spatial relationship between surface points of the second body and markers of a second reference element; displacing the first and second bodies relative to the other body; determining 3D coordinates of the respective pluralities of markers; and using at least (1) the 3D coordinates of the respective pluralities of markers of the reference elements, (2) the determined relationship between surface points of the first body and markers of the first reference elements, and (3) the determined relationship between surface points of the second body and markers of the second reference elements, to determine whether a surface point of one of the first and second bodies coincides with a surface point of the other body.
US07769419B2
A method and apparatus for measuring an apparent depth (1) of a section of an eye (30) are disclosed. Light is focused to a measurement location (15) proximate or within the eye. The measurement location is scanned through the section and upon passing through first and second refractive index interfaces defining the section, a respective reflected light signal is detected, from which apparent positions of the first and second interfaces may be derived. Preferably, a confocal scanning arrangement is employed. Preferably, the section is the aqueous humor (34) of the eye (30). From changes in its refractive index (n) corresponding changes in glucose concentration in the aqueous humor and, in turn, in the bloodstream of a patient may be derived, offering a non-invasive monitoring means for diabetic patients. The apparatus may be a hand-held device, employing microelectromechanical systems. The radius of curvature (R) of a curved section, such as a cornea (32) or ocular lens (36), may also be measured to determine refractive errors of the eye.
US07769404B1
Systems and methods for supporting dispatch communications with guaranteed talk permit and forced audio are provided. The systems and methods can include servers and communication units that operate according to the Push-to-Talk over Cellular (PoC) standard. A user of a communication unit can select a guaranteed talk permit with forced audio answer mode, and provide an indication of the answer mode to a PoC server. When the PoC server does not support a guaranteed talk permit with forced audio answer mode, this indication can be for a manual answer mode. Alternatively, the indication can be for a guaranteed talk permit with forced audio answer mode. In this case, a terminating communication unit is contacted during the dispatch communication setup even when the communication setup request is set to manual answer override.
US07769398B2
A broadband wireless distribution network for a passenger cabin area of a mobile platform. The broadband wireless distribution network includes a plurality of wireless access points (WAPs) connected to a server and switching system and a plurality of wireless network interface circuits (NICs) strategically located about the passenger cabin. Additionally the broadband wireless distribution network includes a plurality of antennas connected to the WAPs such that at least one antenna is connected to each WAP. The antennas are capable of providing RF coverage patterns to specific overlapping areas within the passenger cabin, thereby allowing communication between each WAP and at least one NIC.
US07769390B2
A method for transmitting and receiving data in a multiuser Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) system including a base station connected to a plurality of user equipments. In the method, each of the user equipments separately calculates channel capacity information using a linear reception scheme and a nonlinear reception scheme, and feeds back the calculated channel capacity information to the base station. The base station separately calculates system capacities using at least two different antenna scheduling schemes based on the channel capacity information fed back from the user equipments, and allocates antennas to the user equipments using a selected antenna scheduling scheme having higher system capacity out of the two antenna scheduling schemes.
US07769389B1
An access point for a wireless network, such as a base transceiver station, might use a variety of different methods to allocate its resources among mobile stations. For example, the access point might vary the way it allocates available bandwidth among the mobile stations, thereby also altering the data rates between the access point and the mobile stations. Various criteria, such as the number of the number of mobile stations actively communicating with the access point, might be used to trigger the access point to change how it allocates bandwidth among the active mobile stations.
US07769387B2
A system and method are provided for using differentiated telephone numbers to determine whether to perform a vocoder bypass. In an exemplary embodiment, a mobile station may call a terminating node. An intermediate entity may search an identifier of the terminating node for a predetermined aspect. If the predetermined aspect is found, the terminating node may be a mobile station, and the intermediate entity may perform a vocoder bypass. If the predetermined aspect is not found, the terminating node may be a non-mobile station, and the intermediate entity may perform vocoding.
US07769385B2
An unlicensed wireless service is adapted to generate the interface protocols of a licensed wireless service to provide transparent transition of communication sessions between a licensed wireless service and an unlicensed wireless service. In one embodiment, a mobile station includes level 1, level 2, and level 3 protocols for licensed wireless service and an unlicensed wireless service. An indoor base station and indoor network controller provide protocol conversion for the unlicensed wireless service into a standard base station controller interface of the licensed wireless service.
US07769373B2
A method and apparatus for taking measurements in a mobile telecommunications system are disclosed, the system comprising a network of a plurality of cells and at least one user equipment device. The method comprises, at the user equipment device, receiving a measurement control set-up command and, in response the user equipment device, setting up the measurements. Then it monitors for a change in state of the UE and, in response to a change in state, issuing a measurement control pause command and, in response, the user equipment device stopping taking measurements, and maintains the measurement settings initialised previously. The device then monitors for a change in state of the UE and, in response to a change in state, issuing a measurement control resume command and, in response, the user equipment device resumes taking measurements with the maintained measurement settings.
US07769368B2
A system of exchanging and managing information includes a mobile device configured to automatically insert, exchange and update a caller's contact information into a user's phonebook. The phonebook can reside on either the UICC card, SIM, USIM, Mega SIM, any other smart card or an integrated chip, on the mobile device or on a remote server. The automatic insert and/or automatic exchange mechanism is triggered when a call is made between two people on mobile phones or other devices.
US07769367B2
A system of exchanging and managing information includes a mobile device configured to automatically insert, exchange and update a caller's contact information into a user's phonebook. The phonebook can reside on either the UICC card, SIM, USIM, Mega SIM, any other smart card or an integrated chip, on the mobile device or on a remote server. The automatic insert and/or automatic exchange mechanism is triggered when a call is made between two people on mobile phones or other devices.
US07769360B2
An adapter for RF front end processor chip wherein the RF front end processor chip includes a low noise amplifier which is used to receive a RF filter signal so as to generate a first signal. An adapter is used to receive a first signal so as to induce and generate a second signal and a third signal which is electrically reverse. Then a frequency mixer of the RF front end processor chip is used to receive the second signal and the third signal and a resonant signal, the second signal and the third signal are used to generate a medium frequency signal. Wherein, adapter includes a primary measured coil.
US07769352B2
A receiver has a first voltage control oscillator configured to generate a first oscillation signal, a second voltage control oscillator configured to generate a second oscillation signal having a first phase, a first phase comparator configured to detect a phase difference between the first and second oscillation signals, a demodulator configured to perform demodulation processing of the received signal and to generate timing information of a second phase included in the first oscillation signal, a second phase comparator configured to detect the phase difference between the first and second oscillation signals, and a first control voltage generator configured to generate a first control voltage for controlling a phase and a frequency of the second voltage control oscillator based on the phase difference detected by the second phase comparator.
US07769347B2
A communication system providing wireless communication among wireless users through a number of cellular base stations. The system includes a connecting station with a millimeter wave wireless transceiver in communication with a fiber optic or high-speed cable communication network. The transceiver is adapted to communicate at millimeter wave frequencies higher than 60 GHz with another millimeter wave transceiver at one of the cellular base stations. Each of the base stations serves a separate communication cell. Each base station is equipped with a low frequency wireless transceiver for communicating with the wireless users within the cell at a radio frequency lower than 6 GHz. In preferred embodiments the system a part of a telephone system, an Internet system or a computer network.
US07769341B2
Provided is a broadcasting system and method for providing a broadcasting service in a weak electric field area. The broadcasting system includes a Digital Multimedia Broadcasting (DMB) terminal for if a broadcasting replay request is input during a DMB service, transmitting a replay request message to a streaming server, and upon receipt of broadcasting data responding to the replay request message is received, displaying the received broadcasting data; and the streaming server for if the replay request message is received, providing broadcasting data responding to the replay request message to the DMB terminal.
US07769338B2
The present invention is an electrostatographic reproduction apparatus which includes a primary imaging member for producing an electrostatic latent image on a receiver, a development station for applying toner particles to said latent image which forms a developed toner image on the receiver. A fuser assembly is included for fixing the developed toner image, to form a fused toner image on the receiver. A transport member is provided for transporting the receiver to or from the fuser assembly, the transport member having a substrate bearing an oil-absorbing layer that includes transparent alumina inorganic particles of gamma-alumina, dispersed in an organic binder.
US07769332B2
A pressurizing unit includes a contact-pressure member for pressurizing an endless belt, a holding member that holds the contact-pressure member, and a biasing member that presses both ends of the holding member. The biasing member presses the holding member, so that a direction in which the biasing member presses the holding member is substantially the same as a direction in which the holding member presses the pressure-contact member.
US07769307B2
An information processing apparatus configured to monitor a status of consumables of an image forming apparatus includes a storage unit configured to store the status of the consumables of the image forming apparatus, an acquisition unit configured to acquire a consumption rate of the consumables of the image forming apparatus, a determination unit configured to determine a subsequent status of the consumables based on the status of the consumables stored in the storage unit and the consumption rate acquired by the acquisition unit. The status of the consumables includes a first status, a second status, and a third status. The second status has a remaining amount of the consumables less than the first status. When the consumables is in the third status, the determination unit does not determine that the subsequent status of the consumables is the second status if a consumption rate equals to or exceeds the first threshold.
US07769303B2
Provided are an apparatus and a method for generating a return-to-zero (RZ) signal, including: a first modulator receiving a first signal having a predetermined frequency to modulate, compensate for and output a first laser beam; a second modulator receiving a second signal complementary to the first signal to modulate, compensate for, and output a second laser beam; a mixer mixing signals output from the first and second modulators to output a third signal; and a third modulator modulating the third signal into an RZ signal and outputting the RZ signal.
US07769294B2
In an optical transmission network of the present invention, an optical signal output from a CWDM unit is combined on an optical transmission path of a DWDM network via a multiplexing filter arranged on a light output terminal of a DWDM unit adjacent to the CWDM unit. Furthermore, an optical signal propagated on an optical transmission path is branched from the DWDM light by a de-multiplexing filter provided on a light input terminal of an adjacent DWDM unit, and applied to a CWDM unit adjacent to the DWDM unit. As a result, it is possible to mutually connect a plurality of CWDM networks, using an optical transmission path of a DWDM network, and it is possible to realize a longer distance for CWDM networks.
US07769282B2
An image capturing apparatus includes an image capturing element which photoelectrically converts an object image formed by an image capturing optical system, a camera shake correction lens which moves the object image relative to the image capturing element, a camera shake detection sensor which detects a camera shake, a driving unit which drives the camera shake correction lens on the basis of the output from the camera shake detection sensor and a predetermined offset amount that changes in every image capturing, and a control unit which acquires a plurality of object images.
US07769281B1
A positioning system for a miniature electronic device. The positioning system has a first portion including a damper and a second portion connected to the first portion. The second portion positions a payload of the miniature electronic device. The miniature electronic device may be a miniature camera, or other device.
US07769276B2
Access point pictures designated as randomly accessible positions are I pictures or P pictures. Information indicating the decoding sequence (I1, P1, B1, B2, B3, B4, P2, . . . ) of pictures functioning as access points and attribute information (picture_type) indicating whether a picture functions as an access point or is necessary for decoding of the access point following a given access point are recorded on the video information recording medium. Random access is possible even if the GOP interval is lengthened.
US07769260B2
A rod having an embedded optical fiber has a stiff composite outer layer (10) to make the rod self straightening to enable it to be pushed into a pipe or borehole from a spool. This can help enable a reduction of friction between rod and conduit and can enable longer reach. A barrier layer is provided to separate the fiber from the composite layer. The rod can be retrieved after use. The rod can be narrow enough to enable normal flow along the pipe or borehole, and can be injected and retrieved even when the pipe or borehole is pressurized. The fiber can be used for remote sensing of conditions along the conduit. Other tools can be inserted by the rod during the intervention.
US07769256B2
A system for performance monitoring for a DWDM network. The system includes a photonic integrated device configured to receive an optical signal and output a first plurality of electrical signals for a plurality of channels respectively. The system also includes a clock and data recovery device configured to receive the first plurality of electric signals. Additionally, the system includes a switch device coupled to the first clock and data recovery device without an error correction device in between. The switch includes a first interface to output a second plurality of electrical signals and a second interface to add or drop one or more channel devices. The switch also includes an output port configured to provide information associated with the plurality of channels. An error detection device is coupled to the output port and is configured to monitor and report performance of the channels.
US07769239B2
A system and method for bit-exact lossless compression coding of still and moving images. An original image is encoded to produce a lossy compressed image, and is also used to construct a sorted list of bin values to which the lossy image is compared to generate output from which the original image can be losslessly reconstructed. The similarity of corresponding pixel values between the lossy image and the original image permits efficient generation of a lossless residual that allows for bit-exact reproduction of the original image. Pixel values nearly equidistant from two sorted list values are on a “cusp” and either directly coded or flagged as cusp values from which corresponding lossless values can be re-determined. Non-cusp pixel values are coded as the difference between the index of the sorted bin having a value nearest to the floating point value being processed, and the index of the sorted bin containing the exact pixel value of the original image.
US07769237B2
The present invention leverages a lossless pixel palettization scheme to locally compress portions of at least a two-dimensional image. This provides a lossless compression means with a compression ratio comparable with lossy compression means, allowing for efficient data transfers without loss of image information. By utilizing locally-adaptive palettization, two-dimensional pixel information can be exploited to increase compression performance. In one instance of the present invention, a locally-adaptive, lossless palettization scheme is utilized in conjunction with a one-dimensional compression scheme to yield a further increase in compression ratio. This allows for the exploitation of two-dimensional data information along with the further compression of information reduced to one dimension.
US07769230B2
A method of processing an array of pixels captured by an image capture device, includes providing a first two-dimensional array having first and second groups of pixels wherein pixels from the first group of pixels have narrower spectral photoresponses than pixels from the second group of pixels and wherein the first group of pixels has individual pixels that have spectral photoresponses that correspond to a set of at least two colors and the placement of the first and second groups of pixels define a pattern that has a minimal repeating unit arranged to permit the reproduction of a captured color image under different lighting conditions; responding to ambient lighting conditions, whether panchromatic pixels are to be combined with color pixels; combining pixels to produce a second two-dimensional array of pixels which has fewer pixels than the first two-dimensional array of pixels; and correcting the color pixels.
US07769227B2
An object detector includes a brightness change calculating section (103) that calculates the change in brightness in an image, a three-dimensional object detecting section (105) that uses three-dimensional information measured from a plurality of images to detect a three-dimensional object, an object candidate extracting section (106) that refers to the three-dimensional object detection results and the brightness change calculation result to extract a moving object candidate area and a still object candidate area, and an object judging section (107) that judges whether or not the candidate area is an object. In this way, the object detector refers to the change in brightness in the area detected as a three-dimensional object to judge whether the detected three-dimensional object is a moving object or a still object. Therefore, a still object in the image can be accurately detected without using background difference processing.
US07769216B2
Facilitating viewer comparison of a plurality of medical images of at least one body part on a softcopy review workstation is described. First and second medical images are displayed such that the second medical image appears as a spatially registered underlay to the first medical image exposed through an aperture therein. The aperture comprises at least one edge that is viewer-manipulable in a back-and-forth manner so that the first and second medical images can be visually compared with minimal eye movement. For a temporal comparison embodiment, the first and second medical images comprise identical views of the same body part acquired at different times. For a cross-modality comparison embodiment, the first and second medical images are acquired substantially concurrently, or at different times, using different medical imaging modalities. For a bilateral comparison embodiment, the first and second images are corresponding views of two laterally corresponding body parts.
US07769215B2
A method for computer-assisted interpretation of medical images that factor in characteristics of an individual performing the interpretation. The method automatically determines and/or incorporates prevalence-based computer analysis based on an estimated likelihood of a pathological state, e.g., a malignancy. A system implementing the method includes the calculation of features or other characteristics of images in a known database, calculation of features of an unknown case, calculation of the probability (or likelihood) of disease state, calculation of the modified computer output that includes the internal prevalence (or internal decision-making process) of the user (or group of users), and output of the result.
