US07778547B2
The invention is directed to code labeling in an optical network. The network includes a transmitting station operable to transmit an optical signal. The network also includes an encoder coupled to the transmitting station operable to label the optical signal composed of a group of codes. A receiving station operable to receive the labeled group of optical codes is also provided. The receiving station is operable to read the optical signal if the label of the received group of codes corresponds to the group of codes assigned to the receiving station.
US07778537B2
A zooming system includes a selecting unit, a detection unit, a calculating unit, a controlling unit, and a zooming unit. The selecting unit is configured for selecting a zoom mode based on the presence of faces in a pre-image. The detection unit is configured for detecting facial areas in the pre-image. The calculating unit is configured for calculating a zoom ratio on the basis of a dimensional ratio of the detected facial areas to the pre-image. The zooming unit is controlled by the controlling unit to zoom the imaging device according to the zoom ratio.
US07778536B2
An anti-vibration unit serving as a driving apparatus has an X axis transducer having a driver, a fixed frame having an X axis transducer holding part, an X frame having a sliding body against which the driver is pressed by a pressing plate with an anti-vibration sheet and a holder interposed therebetween, a Y axis transducer having a driver, and a Y frame having a sliding body against which the driver is pressed by the pressing plate with the anti-vibration sheet and the holder interposed therebetween. The anti-vibration sheet is narrower than the transducer, and grease is applied to one of the surfaces of the anti-vibration sheet and the pressing plate in contact with each other, so that the drivers are in proper contact with the sliding bodies, and the sliding bodies are efficiently driven. The driving apparatus is compact and produces high driving force with high efficiency.
US07778534B2
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus that obtain error correction data by adjusting the LOS vector of a sensor, and assign precise ground coordinates to respective image coordinates of an image using the error correction data and auxiliary data for the image.In the method of correcting geometry of an image using a LOS vector adjustment model of the present invention, an image, obtained by photographing a ground surface, and auxiliary data for the image, are acquired. Ground coordinates for a ground control point, and image coordinates of the image matching the ground coordinates are acquired. A LOS vector of a sensor of a photographing device is adjusted, thus obtaining error correction data. The auxiliary data and the error correction data are applied to LOS vector adjustment models, and ground coordinates are assigned to respective image coordinates of the image, thus performing exterior orientation.
US07778533B2
During fabrication, a rotating semiconductor substrate is radiated in accordance with a thermal recipe. Temperature measurements of the semiconductor substrate are obtained along with the position of the semiconductor substrate at the time of each temperature measurement. It is then determined for the position of the semiconductor substrate whether at least one particular temperature measurement of the temperature measurements should be filtered. If so, at least one filtered temperature measurement is obtained. The radiation of the semiconductor substrate is subsequently controlled based on the temperature measurements, the at least one filtered temperature measurement, and the thermal recipe.
US07778525B2
A method of preventing playing of audio or video data from being interrupted for a mix mode multimedia playback system comprises the following steps: a video stream buffer, a audio stream buffer, and a parser module is provided; then amount of free space in the video stream buffer is checked so as to ensure the amount of the free space is larger than a sum of a track buffer and video data being processed by the parser module. Whenever the playing of an audio scene state machine is paused or stopped, audio data processed by the parser module and audio data in the track buffer are pushed into the free space of the audio stream buffer so as to release entire space of the track buffer for video data to be loaded. On the other hand, whenever the playing of a video scene state machine is paused or stopped, the video data processed by the parser module and video data in the track buffer are pushed into the free space of the video stream buffer so as to release entire space of the track buffer for audio data to be loaded.
US07778519B2
Identification of starting and ending times of commercial breaks and commercials within those commercial breaks found in audiovisual content is disclosed. A solution to a “batch optimization” problem is used in which commercial locations within a set of audiovisual content are detected as a group by choosing a set of commercial locations which optimizes a cost function which can include considerations of, for example, 1) one or more cues, 2) relative locations of commercials within the audiovisual content, and/or 3) probability models based on statistics obtained regarding characteristics of typical commercial and commercial breaks. Optimization can be done over the total set of commercial location decisions, rather than on a per-commercial basis. Additionally, the cost function can be iteratively evaluated and many more types of cues and combinations of cues can be used in detection of commercials.
US07778511B1
An optical fiber cable suitable for drop cable applications has a dual jacket, dual reinforcement layers, a round cross section, and a tight buffered construction. The optical fiber cable is a compact unitary coupled fiber assembly that has a small profile, and is light in weight, while still sufficiently robust for many indoor/outdoor drop cable installations. The small profile and round construction make the cable easy to connectorize.
US07778499B2
Methods and devices relating to a sensor for use in detecting and monitoring molecular interactions. A silicon waveguide sensing element is provided along with a layer of silicon. A silicon oxide layer is also provided between the waveguide element and the layer of silicon. The sensing element is adjacent to an aqueous solution in which the molecular interactions are occurring. A light beam travelling in the silicon waveguide creates an evanescent optical field on the surface of the sensing element adjacent to the boundary between the sensing element and the aqueous medium. Molecular interactions occurring on this surface affect the intensity or the phase of the light beam travelling through the waveguide by changing the effective refractive index of the medium. By measuring the effect on the intensity, phase, or speed of the light beam, the molecular interactions can be detected and monitored in real time.
US07778493B2
Methods for improving spatial and/or temporal resolution of digital images and for improving image data transmission by a novel technique—back pixelation, which involves data processing and reconstruction of overlaid images from multiple acquisition or multiple sampling. The back pixelation technique may be used for image data acquisition and transmission; it may be applied prospectively or retrospectively. In particular, the methods of this invention may be used in reducing the pixel size of a two-dimensional image or the voxel size of a three dimensional image; producing a two- or three-dimensional image from a multiplicity of images acquired from an object which are capable of overlaying one another by an increment; producing and transmitting a two- or three-dimensional image by multiple acquisitions according to an acquisition matrix; or transmitting a two- or three-dimensional image by reducing or decomposing the image to a plurality of image data packets and transmitting the same. The multiple acquisitions may be arranged by a predetermined temporal schedule. These methods may be advantageously applied in medical imaging, movies and video games, teleimage, and any other areas that involve digital image acquisition, processing, and transmission.
US07778492B2
Methods, computer devices, and computer readable media containing instructions for executing such methods are provided for the modification of digital images having a plurality of visual elements.
US07778482B2
A method and system is provided for reducing mosquito noise in a digital image. The method and system receives an input luminance value for a first pixel in the digital image, and determines whether the first pixel is in relative close proximity to an object appearing in the digital image, based on a comparison of the variation between the input luminance value for the first pixel and luminance values of a first plurality of neighboring pixels. If the first pixel is in relative close proximity to an object, the method performs an average filtering of the input luminance value for the first pixel, based on the luminance values of a second plurality of neighboring pixels, to provide a filtered luminance value for the first pixel.
US07778480B2
A method includes identifying a pair of image data blocks separated by a boundary. The image data blocks include image information defining multiple pixels in at least one image. The method also includes identifying at least one filter length based on edge contents of at least some of the pixels in the at least one image. In addition, the method includes filtering at least some of the pixels in the pair of image data blocks along the boundary using the at least one identified filter length.
US07778477B2
A display image encoding and/or displaying apparatus, medium, and method. The image encoding apparatus may include a transform unit, a quantizer, a clipper, and an entropy encoder. The transform unit converts image data to generate a transform block and the quantizer quantizes the transform block from the transform unit. The clipper clips some of coefficients contained in the transform block from the quantizer, and the entropy encoder performs dual entropy coding using VLC or FLC on the transform block from the clipper.
US07778467B2
An image matching system, method, and program for matching two images even if there is a difference of parallel movement, rotation angle, and scale between two images. A Fourier-Mellin transform is a Fourier transform and a log-polar coordinate transform to a registered image and a matching image. A phase only correlation unit and scalar information-rotation information generation unit generate correction information including scalar information and rotation information based on correlation strength of the phase information based on the transform result, a correction unit corrects the matching image RIM in accordance with the correction information, a parallel movement unit performs phase only correlation based on the image resulting from the correction processing and the registered image, a correlation value generation unit generates a correlation value based on the correlation image data, and a judgment unit performs judgment concerning the matching based on the correlation value.
US07778460B2
Provided is an apparatus for compensating for a gray component of an input image signal. The apparatus detects a pattern of the input image signal and compensates for the gray component by substituting each channel value of the input image signal by a median value if it is determined that the input image signal is gray pattern. Accordingly, a problem of displaying a color component due to distortion of a gray component of an input image signal can be resolved by resolving a color recognition problem of a gray signal generated by channel differences of the input image signal due to noise induced by a display system, which receives an output of an ADC, or external influences.
US07778456B2
An apparatus for currency discrimination comprises first and second stationary scanheads, disposed on opposite sides of a bill transport path, for scanning respective first and second opposing surfaces of a bill traveling along the bill transport path and for producing respective output signals. The bill travels along the transport path in the direction of a predetermined dimension of the bill. A memory stores master characteristic patterns corresponding to associated predetermined surfaces of a plurality of denominations of genuine bills. Sampling circuitry samples the output signals associated with the respective first and second opposing surfaces of the scanned bill. A signal processor is programmed to determine which one of the first and second opposing surfaces corresponds to the associated predetermined surfaces of the plurality of denominations of genuine bills. The processor then correlates the output signal associated with the one of the first and second opposing surfaces corresponding to the associated predetermined surfaces with the master characteristic patterns to identify the denomination of the scanned bill.
US07778447B2
A method, device and computer program for mobile object information management program includes obtaining a first image by photographing identification information of a mobile object, executing character recognition process on the first image to obtain a first character recognition result, determining accuracy of the first character recognition result, registering, as the identification information corresponding to the mobile object, a plurality of first character recognition results, for each of which the accuracy is determined as low, and outputting the first character recognition results registered.
US07778445B2
A method, system and program product for the detection of removed objects in video images is disclosed. An object (or objects) is within a fixed camera's FOV (Field of View), is designated to be monitored. If an object is not designated, an algorithm can be used to segment and identify all the objects in the image that is acquired by a fixed camera. In such case, all these objects can be monitored. A reference frame around the monitored object that also includes the surrounding background can be determined. The object can be extracted out of the reference frame, thereby creating a “reference with hole” image and an object reference image. The hole in the “reference with hole” image can be filled by either an in-painting algorithm or a texture synthesis algorithm depending on the complexity of the surrounding background.
US07778443B2
An illumination unit 6 illuminates a scene object (i.e., mail) 2 moved in a predetermined direction by a transport means (transport conveyor) 1, the imaging distance up to the scene object 2 is detected before imaging, and auto-focusing is made according to distance data detected at the time of the imaging.
US07778440B2
Forensic communication apparatus and method. An apparatus is disclosed for recording image or other data in real time. The apparatus includes a capture device for capturing the image or other information. Once captured, a local verification device is operable to indelibly mark the captured image or other information with a representation of date, time, location and information identifying the creator of the data and location of the capture device. A transmitter is provided for transmitting the locally verified captured image or other information in real time to a secure storage facility. The capture device is operable, after the locally verified captured image or other information is transmitted to the secure storage facility, to receive and verify acknowledgment of the receipt of the transmitted locally verified captured image or other information to the storage facility.
US07778439B2
An image processing device, method, recording medium, and program and a learning device, where the learning device includes a computer configured to compute image data corresponding to light signals when the light signals corresponding to second image data pass through an optical low-pass filter and to output computed image data as first image data, a first tap extractor configured to extract a plurality of pixels corresponding to pixels of interest within the second image data from the first image data, and a learning unit configured to teach a predictor configured to predict pixel values of the pixels of interest from the pixel values of the plurality of pixels extracted by the first tap extractor.
US07778429B2
This invention has as its object to record audio data by a simple operation upon recording the audio data as an operation sound or startup sound of an image sensing apparatus such as a digital camera or the like. To this end, upon recording audio data, since a startup sound, operation sound, shutter sound, and self-timer sound are set as purposes of audio data to be recorded, an audio recording time is set by selecting a desired one of these purposes. After the audio recording time is set, when audio recording is started by a user's intention, audio recording is executed for the set time, and other operations such as an audio recording stop operation and the like are inhibited during this interval. Hence, audio recording is executed until the set audio recording time elapses.
US07778428B2
A sound-source signal processing module is provided, wherein a first or a second sound-source signal connection is provided by a receiving port, and the first sound-source signal in a predetermined state is processed by an audio processing module, and the second sound-source signal is enabled to be output from a speaker via an audio processing module, in response to an enable signal of a switch module.
US07778421B2
An apparatus and a method are provided for selectively accessing digital content carried on a distribution medium such as a physical medium or a broadcast medium. In one embodiment, a plurality of digital content items are encrypted under a plurality of different key management blocks, wherein each key management block is associated with a different set of device keys. The plurality of content items may be provided together on a single distribution medium to devices having assigned device keys, so that devices may selectively access content as determined by the different key management block used to encrypt the various content items and by the device keys assigned to the devices. Depending on the association between the device key and the key management blocks, the decoding device may decode all of the content items, some of the content items, or none of the content items. To provide greater security, each content item may be multiple encrypted using multiple key management blocks per content item.
US07778415B2
A method or computer program for encoding or un-encoding data receives a keyword string and removes characters in the keyword string which are not in a pre-approved character set and duplicate characters to form a validated keyword. The validated keyword is sequenced with un-used characters of the pre-approved character set and formed into a cipher grid. Clear text may be encoded using an algorithm in combination with the cipher grid, and encoded text may be un-encoded to form clear text using a reverse algorithm in combination with the cipher grid.
US07778410B2
A personal audio listening device is adapted to be worn on a user's ear, and includes a housing, a pivotal knob, and an ear hook member. The housing has a surface and a hollow portion, and defines a first axis and a second axis. The pivotal knob is pivotally mounted on the surface of the housing, and includes a pair of parallel resilient walls. The ear hook member includes a hook body and an end portion. The end portion includes a pivot element in the form of a polygonal post. The hook body is configured to be wearable on the user's ear. The ear hook member is fittingly received between the resilient walls by means of the pivot element so as to be mounted on the pivotal knob. The ear hook member is pivotable about the first axis, and is rotatable about the second axis.
US07778401B2
A communication apparatus that includes: an operation unit; a line connection unit that operates in response to the operation of the operation unit; a number input unit; a dial signal transmitting unit that transmits a dial signal corresponding to a telephone number inputted by the number input unit; an operation detection unit that detects the operation of the operation unit; a measuring unit that measures a predetermined time when the operation of the operating unit is detected; and a number memory that stores the telephone number inputted by the number input unit before the measuring of the predetermined time by the measuring unit ends. A standby unit suspends a transmission of the dial signal corresponding to the telephone number stored in the number memory to the line until the measuring of the predetermined time by the measuring unit ends.
US07778399B2
A system and method for real-time call log status includes a call log database of call records representing transpired communication events. The call log is displayed for the user and includes a status indicator for each of the events. The status indicator may be an icon, a description, a pop-up window, a pop-up menu or any other indication that informs the user of the real-time status of the name/number associated with the displayed event. In this manner, the user is able to determine, at a glance, whether the name/number is available to participate in an impending communication event.
US07778397B2
A method and apparatus are disclosed that enable an interactive voice response (IVR) system to generate video content in addition to audio content (e.g., synthesized speech, etc.). The video content is based on the state of the IVR system, the video display capacity of the calling telecommunications terminal, and information supplied by the user via a telecommunications terminal. The illustrative embodiment generates video content based on the text from which the audio content is generated. In particular, the video content comprises an abridged version of this text that is suitable for display at the telecommunications terminal. In the illustrative embodiment, the abridged version of the text is generated via syntactic and semantic processing. In addition, an abridged version of user-supplied information is generated and incorporated into the video content.
US07778396B2
A telephone line status notification system including at least one telephone line having a status, a communications network, at least one communications terminal which is connectable to the communications network and which is employable by a seeking user to communicate via the communications network a status request concerning the status of the at least one telephone line, apparatus for processing the status request the apparatus for processing is connectable to the communications network for receiving the status request from the seeking user therethrough and communicating the request, and apparatus for acquiring the status of the at least one telephone line, the apparatus for acquiring is in communication with the apparatus for processing for receiving the status request therefrom, and the apparatus for acquiring is connectable to the communications network for communicating the status via the communications network.
US07778395B2
A data transaction processing system in which transaction data is entered by the user in response to prompts in a template which is tailored to each user application. The data transaction is received via protocols at a database server which, depending upon the application, stores the entire data transaction, explodes the data transaction to produce ancillary records which are then stored, and/or forwards the data transaction or some or all of the ancillary records to other database servers for updating other databases associated with those database servers.
US07778394B2
The present invention provides for a system and method for providing a signal to a communication system comprising an interface between a communication link and the communication system, like an alarm system, wherein the interface receives a signal from the communication link and provides a signal indicative of the availability of the communication link for use by the communication system. Alarm systems operations may be facilitated so that Residential Gateway components (such as voice terminal adapters) may simulate traditional telephone network systems that run on 48 VDC powered telephone lines. The system also comprises an input port associated with the interface for receiving the signal from the communication link, a transformer or a voltage regulator and an output port associated with the interface for providing the conditioned signal to the communication system. A ring voltage received from the communication link may be passed through to the alarm system.
US07778383B2
It is described a method and a CT system for measuring dual-energy X- ray attenuation data of an object. The CT system comprises a rotatable holder, an X-ray source comprising two different X-ray focus points, and an X-ray detection device comprising a plurality of detector elements exhibiting different spectral sensitivities. The method comprises the steps of (a) adjusting the X-ray source such that it emits X-rays originating a first focus point, (b) acquiring first attenuation data separately with first detector elements and with second detector elements, (c) moving the X-ray focus discretely to a second focus point, and (d) acquiring second attenuation data separately with both types of detector elements. Thereby the two focus points are spatially separated from each such that a first beam path originating from the first focus point penetrates a certain voxel within the object and impinges on a first detector element and a second beam path originating from the second X-ray focus point penetrates the same voxel and impinges on a second detector element.
US07778365B2
The present invention discloses methods and systems of measuring transmission performance characteristics, such as from an amplifier. The method comprises the steps of receiving a signal, demodulating the signal, generating an ideal signal from the demodulated signal and estimating the performance characteristic from a difference between the ideal signal and the received signal. A system for measuring a transmission performance characteristic, comprises a demodulator for demodulating a received signal, a signal generator for producing an ideal signal from the demodulated signal and a processor for estimating the performance characteristic from a difference between the ideal signal and the received signal.
US07778363B2
A synchronization timing detecting apparatus includes a correlation calculator configured to generate a first correlation value by calculating a cross-correlation between an input signal being sampled and a reference signal or an auto-correlation of the sampled input signal, an interpolation processor configured to generate a second correlation value interpolating a plurality of the first correlation values having a different combination of sampling points of the input signal, and a detector to detect a synchronization timing based on the first and the second correlation values.
US07778357B2
A COFDM demodulator including a fast Fourier transform circuit receiving a signal on an information channel, the received signal corresponding to a sequence of symbols, each conveying several carriers, some of which are pilots, each carrier of a symbol being modulated in plase and/or in amplitude by a current complex coefficient, the fast Fourier transform circuit providing for each carrier the associated current complex coefficient; a circuit for determining an estimate of the frequency response of the information channel providing, for each pilot, a complex coefficient estimated based on the current complex coefficient associated with the pilot, and a circuit for determining the time variation of the frequency response of the information channel based on the estimated and current complex numbers associated with at least one pilot.
US07778350B2
Provided is a multi-carrier communication device capable of reducing the deterioration of a reception quality while suppressing the peak power of a multi-carrier signal. In this device, a clipping strain measurement unit (108) calculates the individual average powers (or the clipping strain powers) of peak suppression signals contained in a center area and in end areas. Moreover, the clipping strain measurement unit (108) uses the calculated clipping strain, to calculates the ratios of the signal powers to the clipping strain powers (or the ratios of the signals to the clipping strains) individually for the center area and the end areas, and outputs the calculated ratios of the signals to the clipping strains to a puncture-modulation mode selection unit (109). On the basis of the ratios of the signals to the clipping strains for the individual areas, the puncture-modulation mode selection unit (109) selects the encoding percentage, the modulation mode or the power of the transmission data to be superposed on the individual areas.
US07778349B2
A method and an apparatus for transmitting information contained in a transmission signal via at least one channel includes a number of processing steps at the transmitter end. At least one pulse sequence with at least one pulse is produced as stipulated by the transmission signal. The pulse sequence is output to the at least one channel. The channel is monitored for the presence of an interference signal. If an interference signal is detected on the channel, the pulse sequence is repeated.
US07778334B2
According to an aspect of the present invention, a symbol corresponding to a combination may be determined from a symbol set comprising at least sixteen PAM symbols. A sample such as a pulse may be generated based on the symbol value and a train of such pulses may be transmitted at a rate of at least 10 giga bits per second over a communication medium comprising, for example, a twisted copper cable. The received signal may be demodulated based on the empirically determined reliability values.
US07778329B2
A mode decision system and method for motion vector fine search. Each macroblock in a frame has a pre-determined clock number. The system includes a first subtractor, an operation level generator and a determinator. The first subtractor has a first input terminal to receive a clock number and a second input terminal to receive the pre-determined clock number in order to subtract the clock number from the pre-determined clock number and accordingly generate a clock difference. The operation level generator is connected to the first subtractor in order to generate an operation level based on the clock difference. The determinator selects one or more modes in accordance with the operation level and accordingly performs the fine search on the macroblock.
US07778321B2
A method for adjusting parameters of an adaptive equalizer makes use of a transmitted signal received by a receiving end to adjust parameters of an adaptive equalizer. First, signal strengths of a first frequency band and a second frequency band in the transmitted signal are detected. The signal strengths of the first frequency band and the second frequency band are then compared to get a compensation ratio, i.e., the total compensation quantity of the first frequency band to the second frequency band. Finally, the parameter setting of the equalizer is adjusted according to feedback of the compensation ratio. Optimum gain control of the adaptive equalizer can thus be accomplished to compensate signal attenuation to the transmitted signal caused by the channel.
US07778319B2
There is provided a jitter measuring apparatus for measuring jitter in a signal-under-measurement having a first pulse generator for detecting edges of the data-signal-under-measurement to output a first pulse signal having a pulse width set in advance corresponding to the edge, a second pulse generator for detecting boundaries of data sections where data values do not change in the data-signal-under-measurement to output a second pulse signal having a pulse width set in advance corresponding to timing of the detected boundaries of the data sections, a filter for removing carrier frequency components of said data-signal-under-measurement from first and second pulse signals and a jitter calculating section for calculating timing jitter in the data-signal-under-measurement based on the first and second pulse signals.
US07778318B1
A method for measuring amplifier gain compression in an OFDM signal includes measuring the signal as a function of time to provide an observed time magnitude, demodulating the OFDM signal to determine an estimate of the ideal signal constellation points, performing an inverse FFT on the estimate of the ideal constellation points to produce an estimated ideal time magnitude, comparing the observed time magnitude to the estimated ideal time magnitude to provide a measure of amplifier gain compression.
US07778314B2
A novel and useful mechanism for the detection and estimation of far-end cross talk (FEXT) caused by transmissions over adjacent wire pairs or cables. The detection and estimation technique of the invention can be used to identify FET impairments in Ethernet and DSL systems. The detection and estimation scheme is performed utilizing an adaptive FEXT canceller filter for detection purposes during normal operation of the system. FEXT filter tap coefficients are determined one at a time using a mechanism shared amongst all taps. Once adapted, the filter coefficients can be used to estimate FEXT strength and to determine spectral measurements of the FEXT impairment noise.
US07778313B2
A method for controlling operation of a multi-pair gigabit transceiver. The multi-pair gigabit transceiver comprises a Physical Layer Control module (PHY Control), a Physical Coding Sublayer module (PCS) and a Digital Signal Processing module (DSP). The PHY Control receives user-defined inputs from the Serial Management module and status signals from the DSP and the PCS and generates control signals, responsive to the user-defined inputs and the status signals, to the DSP and the PCS.
US07778310B2
In a mobile communication system using a code division multiple access (CDMA) method, spreading code detection and frame/slot timing synchronization (cell search) is conducted by using a long code masked symbol. The spreading factor of the long code masked symbol is set to a value lower than spreading factors of other ordinary symbols. As a result, it becomes possible to reduce the circuit scale and power dissipation of the mobile terminal and raise the speed of cell search.
US07778306B2
The invention relates to laser system with a laser source and an articulated arm. The articulated arm has an optical arrangement for guiding a laser beam from the laser source along an optical path in the articulated arm to a target location. Within the optical path at least one crossing area (focus or focal point) of the laser beam is provided. The optical arrangement has at least one optical cell with an input window and an output window for passing the laser beam therethrough, wherein the crossing area is positioned within the optical cell. The optical cell has a gas fill with an energy threshold for ionization that is increased in comparison to that of ambient air.
US07778303B2
An RF excited laser assembly includes a pair of opposed electrodes, and at least one inductor. The pair of opposed electrodes defines an inter-electrode gap that provides a discharge volume for laser propagation within a gas medium. The pair of opposed electrodes define one or more discharge-free regions within a laser-free region in the inter-electrode gap. The least one inductor is electrically connected to both electrodes and extends between the electrodes within the inter-electrode gap and inside of the one or more discharge-free regions within the laser-free region.
US07778300B2
A semiconductor device comprising an optically pumped vertical emitter having an active vertical emitter layer (3), and a pump radiation source, which is used to generate a pump radiation field which propagates in the lateral direction and optically pumps the vertical emitter layer (3) in a pump region, the wavelength of the pump radiation field being smaller than the wavelength of the radiation field (12) generated by the vertical emitter. The pump radiation source has an active pump layer (2), which is arranged downstream of the vertical emitter layer (3) in the vertical direction and which at least partly overlaps the vertical emitter layer as seen in the vertical direction, the active pump layer (2) being arranged in such a way that the pump radiation field generated during operation has a higher power than a parasitic laterally propagating radiation field generated by the vertical emitter layer (3) or that the generation of a parasitic laterally propagating radiation field by the vertical emitter layer (3) is suppressed.
US07778295B2
A distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) includes a base substrate and a gain medium formed on the base substrate. A waveguide positioned above the base substrate in optical communication with the gain medium and defines a gap extending between the base substrate and the waveguide along a substantial portion of the length thereof. The waveguide may have a grating formed therein. A heating element is in thermal contact with the waveguide and electrically coupled to a controller configured to adjust optical properties of the waveguide by controlling power supplied to the heating element.
US07778294B2
In an optical disk apparatus, by obtaining the temperature in the vicinity of a laser in the apparatus, the power source voltage of the laser driver is controlled such that power consumed by the headroom of the laser driver is reduced to the maximum extent without deteriorating the current drive characteristic of the headroom when the temperature becomes higher. The laser driving current of the laser driver is monitored to control the power source of the laser driver such that the power consumed by the headroom is possibly reduced while maintaining the current drive characteristic of the headroom for the monitored current.
US07778291B2
A wavelength converting laser device includes a laser diode producing laser light and including an optical resonator having a pair of facing reflectors, including a reflecting surface having a shape reducing loss in the optical resonator, with regard to a specific horizontal transverse mode of laser light as compared to the loss in the optical resonator for other horizontal transverse modes, and a wavelength converter for converting the laser light into harmonic light.
US07778289B2
An optically pumped, surface-emitting semiconductor laser having a mode-selective apparatus (7) which is intended for suppression of predeterminable, higher resonator modes of the semiconductor laser. The mode-selective apparatus is arranged in the beam path of a pump beam source (2) of the surface-emitting semiconductor laser.
US07778287B2
The packets generated by each of multiple packet data applications are provided to a single Point-to-Point Protocol (PPP) stack and a single High-level Data Link Control (HDLC) framing layer to convert data packets into byte streams suitable for transmission through Radio Link Protocol (RLP) connections. Each of the resultant multiple byte streams is then provided to one of multiple RLP connections having different retransmission and delay properties. The RLP connection selected for sending data from each application is based on the grade of service most appropriate for the application. At the receiver, the data from the multiple RLP connections is provided to a single PPP stack.
US07778285B2
The invention comprises a method and apparatus for adapting plesiochronous hierarchical layered data to produce synchronous hierarchical layered data. Similarly, the invention comprises a method and apparatus for adapting synchronous hierarchical layered data to produce plesiochronous hierarchical layered data.
US07778283B2
A timing bridge device is used to gain boundary and transparent clock functionality using conventional network components on those network links that require good timing distribution. This timing path is invisible to the network component. The timing bridge device has an internal time clock and timestamps a received message according to the internal time clock when the message is received by a network device and when the message leaves the network device. The time associated with the message is then adjusted based on a determined transit delay.
US07778279B2
The network unit includes a signaling unit and a video transmitting unit. The signaling unit is configured to receive a request from a decoding device requesting transmission of the video channel. The video transmitting unit is configured to transmit the video channel towards the decoding device, initially as a dedicated multimedia stream dedicatedly supplied to the decoding device and including an anchor frame as a first transmitted video frame, and further in time as a common multimedia stream commonly supplied to a plurality of decoding devices. The video transmitting unit is further configured to transmit the video channel within the dedicated multimedia stream having an earlier time frame with respect to transmission of the video channel within the common multimedia stream, and the video channel is to be initially played at an averagely slower motion speed than the nominal motion speed that the common multimedia stream is to be played.
US07778278B2
A method for communicating data is provided that includes receiving a plurality of bits associated with a communications flow and determining whether one or more samples included in the flow should be suppressed. The method also includes suppressing a selected one or more of the samples if the selected samples are similar to previously received samples. In a more particular embodiment, the method also includes positioning unique samples that are included in the flow in a super-frame to be communicated to a next destination. Additionally, the method may include receiving the unique samples and evaluating the unique samples in order to restore a plurality of bits associated with the communications flow.
US07778276B2
A mobile communication terminal receives and reproduces a television broadcast from a broadcasting device, and determines any error in the packets making up the received stream data. Based on the continuity of determined error packets, the mobile communication terminal groups the packets to determine the packets for which a retransmission request is to be made. When a user instructs complementary reproduction, the mobile communication terminal sends information indicating the designated packet group to a distribution device through a mobile communication network to request packet retransmission. The distribution device transmits the packets included in the packet group to the mobile communication terminal. When receiving stream data transmitted from the distribution device through the mobile communication network, the mobile communication terminal reproduces the received retransmitted stream data at higher bit rate than normal reproduction rate. When the reproduction catches up with the present broadcast, the present broadcast is reproduced on time.
US07778270B1
The present invention relates to the field of code-switching in multi-hop wireless networks. More specifically, the present invention pertains to a method and apparatus that uses orthogonal codes as the forwarding labels in multi-hop forwarding. The processing of the forwarding labels is done at the physical layer. Advantages include reduced processing and energy to forward a packet; reduced latency; reduced bandwidth overhead; and increased security.
US07778263B2
An internet protocol session is established over a switched network. A path message is forwarded to a destination bridging device that bridges the switched network and an internet protocol network. The destination bridging device has a switched network address and an internet protocol network address and directs the path message to an originating host device over the internet protocol network. A setup message is received from the destination bridging device. The setup message is received over the switched network by the destination bridging device from an originating bridging device that bridges the switched network and the internet protocol network, in response to the originating bridging device receiving the path message on behalf of the originating host device. The internet protocol session is established over the switched network between at least the destination bridging device and the originating bridging device based on forwarding the path message and receiving the setup message.
US07778254B2
A method for managing congestion in a stack of network switches includes the steps of receiving an incoming packet on a first port of a network switch for transmission to a destination port and determining if the destination port of the packet is a monitored port. Thereafter, the method determines a queue status of the destination port, if the destination port is determined to be a monitored port, and preschedules transmission of the incoming packet to the destination port if the destination port is determined to be a monitored port.
US07778253B2
A preferred embodiment comprising a data switch includes a first processor for routing data packets including a MAC address, using a MAC address table stored in a writable memory. The switch further includes a second processor for routing data packets including an IP address using an IP address look-up table stored in the writable memory. The writable memory consists of a single memory fabric that is allocated between the MAC address table and the look-up table by a memory control unit according to a setting stored in a non-erasable memory unit.
US07778251B2
A bandwidth control apparatus which can reflect current operation states or effective rates of the access lines on bandwidth distribution is realized for effective utilization of bandwidths in a subscriber data transmission system. In a plurality of bandwidth control apparatuses accommodating a plurality of access lines in a bandwidth control system, multiplexed signal lines of respective bandwidth control apparatuses are connected to one another in cascade. Each bandwidth control apparatus acquires a bandwidth state of the access lines in the own apparatus and notifies the other apparatuses of the bandwidth state of the own apparatus having been acquired. Therefore, the bandwidth control apparatus can allocate a transmission bandwidth to be controlled in the own apparatus using a ratio of the bandwidth state occupied by the own apparatus to a total bandwidth states occupied in the bandwidth control system, and can control transmission bandwidths of the respective access lines accommodated in the own apparatus.
US07778244B1
A system for management of storage devices includes compatibility with either or both of COM/RS232 port and USB port connectivity using, for example, Fibre Channel (FC) signal transmission. A USB to serial RS232 bridge device allows a storage processor (SP) to communicate with an COM/RS232 port of a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) coupled to downstream disk array enclosures (DAEs) to provide DAE management information without the need to modify the connection of the switch to the DAEs, which may include FC interconnects. The output from an COM/RS232 port on an SP interface and the RS232 output on the USB to Serial bridge device may be muxed at the UART, and the output signal therefrom diplexed with a high frequency differential signal and transmitted to one or more of the downstream DAEs as an FC diplexed signal.
US07778241B2
An apparatus and method is disclosed to calculate the actual received desired channel power from the downstream transmit power of a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS) when operating at the nominal line voltage and/or at the normal room temperature as per the DOCSIS specification. A Set-top Device produces a Downstream Power Management (DPM) gain measurement signal having a known power level. The Set-top Device embeds the DPM gain measurement signal onto a received downstream multi-channel communication signal. After embedding the DPM gain measurement signal onto the downstream multi-channel communication signal, the Set-top Device downconverts the combined DPM gain measurement signal and downstream multi-channel communication signal to recover one or more communication channels containing information of a broadcast. The Set-top Device measures a power level of a representation of the DPM gain measurement signal embedded within the one or more communication channels containing the information of the broadcast to determine a Set-top Device gain. The Set-top Device measures a power level of the one or more communication channels containing the information of the broadcast. The Set-top Device calculates the actual received desired channel power from the downstream transmit power of the CMTS based on the Set-top Device gain and the power level of the one or more communication channels containing the information of the broadcast.
US07778231B2
A system and method of communication in an IMS network is disclosed. An apparatus that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a call processing server having a controller element that receives from a terminal device a calling ID for establishing communications with a called party, submits to a telephone number mapping (ENUM) server a query corresponding to the calling ID, receives from the ENUM server a plurality of communication identifiers retrieved from a Naming Authority Pointer record according to a grade of service (GoS) of the called party, and selects according to the GoS of the called party a communication identifier from the plurality of communication identifiers to establish communications with the called party. Additional embodiments are disclosed.
US07778226B2
Some embodiments of the invention provide devices, systems and methods of coordination among multiple transceivers. For example, an apparatus in accordance with an embodiment of the invention includes: a first wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a first, non-scheduled, wireless communication protocol; a second wireless transceiver able to operate in accordance with a second, scheduled, wireless communication protocol; and a communication coordinator to allocate one or more first time slots for communication by said first transceiver, and to allocate one or more second time slots, which do not overlap said first time slots, for communication by said second transceiver.
US07778224B2
A mobile station apparatus in a CDMA/TDD mobile communication system employs a communication frame including a plurality of time slots. The time slots include a plurality of forward link time slots, disposed at regular intervals in the communication frame and assigned a common control channel. The time slots further include time slots other than the plurality of forward link time slots, divided into reverse link time slots and forward link time slots according to an amount of information on a forward link and on a reverse link. The mobile station apparatus includes a receiver that receives the communication frame including the plurality of time slots. A measurer measures individual reception qualities of the plurality of forward link time slots in the received communication frame including the forward link time slots assigned the common control channel. A weighter assigns a weight to each measured reception quality of the plurality of forward time slots. A transmission power controller performs transmission power control for reverse link time slots according to individual reception qualities of weighted forward link time slots.
US07778222B2
A wireless IP telephone system including a dynamic address lease server for leasing an IP address to each of terminals and a controller. The controller has information about the IP address, a SIP URI of the terminal, a type thereof, and a function thereof. The information of the controller is dynamically set by a system administrator who manually sets the information or by the dynamic address lease server and the controller which are cooperated. The controller decides an effective period of the address to be leased to each terminal, informs the dynamic address lease server of the fact, and requires the address lease server to release the address which became unnecessary.
US07778215B2
A digital trunked communication network which supports roaming, includes a plurality of trunked communication systems, each of which comprises a base station subsystem and a dispatching subsystem; wherein base station subsystem is used to access various services of a terminal, and to forward trunked service to dispatching subsystem; dispatching subsystem is used to control and manage the trunked service of terminal which locates in its service area, and dispatching subsystems are connected together by IP network. The present invention divides the single control center of existing system into several independent subsystems by employing modularized network organization, thereby making the design and realization of various services clearer and more independent and effectively reducing the complexity of the system and coupling among various services. In addition, the present invention also provides a trunked roaming method which takes the home trunked system as control point in calling layer, thereby ensuring that the system consistently process roaming, non-roaming calls.
US07778204B2
In one embodiment, an automatically maintained, distributed source tree (DST) network has a plurality of fully connected internal nodes. One or more internal nodes may be connected to one or more external nodes. A first internal node synchronizes its link-state database with another internal node by sending and receiving respective Reduced Sequence Number Packet-Data-Units (PDUs) (RSNPs). An RSNP includes summary information for link-state packets (LSPs) (1) originated by the first internal node, (2) received by the first internal node from the other internal node, and (3) received from and/or originated by external nodes. If an internal link fails, then the corresponding end-nodes may recover and maintain automatic DST operation by entering either relay-mode or switch-mode operation. In relay-mode operation, an end-node tunnels packets to the other end-node via an intermediary node. In switch-mode operation, an intermediary node is selected to forward packets from one end-node to the other end-node.
US07778184B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a technique capable of promptly and efficiently starting a communication processing when a demand is generated, in a communication system including a terminal for a non-continuous connection. A communication terminal and a device can be connected through a relay device, and when the communication terminal transmits a UDP packet to the device, the relay device receives the UDP packet and transmits a control signal to the device. The device makes a dial-up connection to establish a PPP session, and establishes a TCP connection with the relay device. By using this TCP connection, the communication terminal transmits an inspection instruction file to the device. The device conducts an inspection in accordance with the inspection instruction file, prepares an inspection result file, and returns it to the communication terminal. Then, the device disconnects the TCP connection, the PPP session, and the dial-up line network.
US07778179B2
If a condition in a data transfer path is modeled appropriately, then a filter-based approach can be used to provide an estimate of the condition. This permits accurate, real-time estimates of the condition with modest requirements for data processing and memory resources.
US07778178B2
A system and computer readable medium for oversubscribing bandwidth in a communication network, is disclosed. The system and computer readable medium includes policing a first data flow and outputting a first output data flow from the first meter, in relation to a first Committed Information Rate (CIR) and a first Peak Information Rate (PIR); policing a second data flow and outputting a second output data flow from the second meter in relation to a second CIR and a second PIR; and policing an aggregated output data flow of the first output data flow and the second output data through a third meter of the oversubscription module, where the aggregated output data flow is policed in relation to a third CIR and a third PIR.
US07778168B1
A method, computer program product, and queuing system for queuing prioritized items (such as network packets), which limits the degree to which higher-priority queue items are blocked by lower priority queue items, is disclosed. A preferred embodiment of the present invention uses a simple first-in-first-out (FIFO) queue as an input queue, along with an output queue corresponding to each packet priority. A strategy is applied at the output queues to guarantee that blocking of high-priority queue items in the input queue will be limited in duration. One disclosed strategy is to enforce a constraint that whenever an output queue of any priority becomes full, the output port will stop accepting packets of any priority until all queues have space for at least one packet of each priority. Another strategy is for the output port to stop accepting packets having priorities greater than or equal to the priority of the full queue.
US07778167B2
A method and system for simulating packet delay variation (PDV) is disclosed. The delay-step method for simulating PDV determines a delay for each packet is a stream of packets generated at a regular interval. Delay target values are randomly selected based on a statistical distribution, such as a Gamma distribution, which models a desired PDV. Delay-steps are determined for each packet based on the delay target values. The delay-steps can be fixed or variable sized steps which are used to adjust the delay of sequential packets. Each of the packets is then transmitted with the delay determined for that packet.
US07778163B2
A method of re-establishing a connection for a communication link is provided. The link has first and second portions, having the first portion in a first communication network, the second in a second communication network and an interface connecting first portion to the portion. The first communication network has a first communication protocol and a first OAM protocol to monitor integrity of the first portion. Similarly, the second communication network has a second communication protocol and a second OAM protocol. The method utilizes the second OAM protocol to detect a failure in the second portion. Upon detection of the failure, an alternate route for the second portion in the second communication network is identified, where the alternate route is able to complete the second portion of the communication link from the interface. For the communication link, at the interface the second portion is replaced with the alternate route.
US07778162B2
A data transmission apparatus used in a multiple service ring includes at least two nodes coupled to at least one aggregate pipe and at least one tributary. The data transmission apparatus includes a tributary RX framer coupled to a tributary for deframing data frames received from the tributary and extracting a destination node address and a TX framer for encapsulating the destination node address and the data received from the tributary into frames of the multiple service ring and transmitting the same along an aggregate pipe to a downstream neighbor node in the ring. The data transmission apparatus also includes a RX framer for receiving and deframing data frames of the multiple service ring from a upstream neighbor node to obtain at least a destination node address and actual data, a filter for determining data frames for local node according to the destination node address, and a tributary TX framer for encapsulating the data frames for local node into tributary data frames and sending the tributary data frames to a corresponding tributary.
US07778159B2
In one embodiment, a node comprises an interface to communicatively couple the node to a plurality of independent communication links. The node changes the mode in which the node operates when the node receives an indicator on a plurality of the independent communication links.
US07778148B2
A method for allocating a physical hybrid ARQ indicator channel (PHICH) includes allocating a CDM group according to a cyclic prefix type in consideration of a ratio of the numbers of necessary CDM groups according to spreading factors, and allocating a PHICH to the allocated CDM group. The PHICH includes an ACK/NACK signal multiplexed by code division multiplexing (CDM). Therefore, resources for PHICH transmission are efficiently allocated and a transmission structure can be maintained irrespective of a spreading factor.
US07778147B2
A multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) wireless communication system. A transmitter that includes a plurality of transmit antennas selects one of a spatial multiplexing scheme and a spatial diversity scheme, processes a signal in the selected transmission scheme, and transmits the signal through the plurality of transmit antennas. A receiver that includes a plurality of receive antennas processes a signal in a reception scheme mapped to a transmission scheme of the transmitter. The transmission schemes include a transmission scheme for maximizing diversity gain and a transmission scheme for maximizing spectral efficiency. The MIMO communication system using an adaptive transmission mode switching technique performs switching between MIMO transmission modes using spatial selectivity of a channel, thereby obtaining maximum gain in a signal to noise ratio (SNR) and spectral efficiency according to channel state.
US07778128B2
A focusing controller and the method thereof for an optical disk drive. The focusing controller includes a filter, a coupler and a focus compensator. The filter filters out a high-frequency component of the track error signal and derives an adjusted signal, while the coupler eliminates the adjustment signal from the focusing error signal so as to generate a coupled signal. The focus compensator generates a focus control signal used for controlling a position of the pick up head of the optical disk drive according to the coupled signal during a focusing operation.
US07778122B2
A method for tuning a plurality of write strategy parameters of an optical storage device includes detecting a plurality of lengths, each length corresponding to a pit or a land on an optical storage medium accessed by the optical storage device, performing calculations corresponding to a plurality of data set types and generating a plurality of data-to-clock edge deviations respectively corresponding to the data set types, and utilizing the data-to-clock edge deviations for tuning the write strategy parameters corresponding to the data set types respectively.
US07778115B2
The depth measuring device for a diving watch with a chronograph mechanism, includes a plunger moved by external pressure through a rolling membrane against the action of a return element. The plunger acts on cams belonging to a circular slide mounted in a casing ring. The movement of the slide is transmitted by a gear train to a depth needle and to a dead needle. A pressure sensing device has a sliding plunger mounted inside the winding button. This plunger acts on a control device for automatically starting and stopping the chronograph mechanism. A locking device is used to lock and release the control device and displays a diving flag in the released position. The gear chain displays a safety flag at a predetermined depth. A resetting device allows the various mechanisms and devices to be reset to zero.
US07778110B2
A method of processing seismic data comprises processing data representative of the acceleration wavefield so as to obtain information about the earth's subsurface direct from the seismic data representative of the acceleration wavefield. In conventional techniques for processing seismic data representative of the acceleration wavefield the data are transformed to the velocity domain at an early stage in the processing. The invention enables the transform step to be eliminated, thereby simplifying the processing and eliminating the risk that the transform might degrade the data. Furthermore, the increased sensitivity at high frequencies of a typical acceleration sensor compensates for the low-pass filter effect of the earth.
US07778098B2
A memory cell array includes reference cells each associated with a plurality of data cells of the array.
US07778090B2
The invention provides a buffer circuit for a memory module including at least one configuration register bank for storing configuration data of the memory module, an error check logic for performing an error check of input signals applied to the memory module via input pins of the memory module to generate a signature output by the memory module via at least one output pin of the memory module, and a controller which depending on an output request setting stored in a configuration register of the configuration register bank reads out information data the buffer circuit via the output pin of the memory module.
US07778083B2
Methods of programming or erasing a nonvolatile memory device having a charge storage layer including performing at least one unit programming or erasing loop, each unit programming or erasing loop including applying at least one programming pulse, at least one erasing pulse, at least one time delay, at least one soft erase pulse, at least one soft programming pulse and/or at least one verifying pulse as a positive or negative voltage to a portion (for example, a word line or a substrate) of the nonvolatile memory device.
US07778081B2
A method for performing operations on a memory cell is described. The memory cell includes a substrate, a first doping region and a second doping region. The first doping region and the second doping region are formed on the substrate with a channel region therebetween. A dielectric layer is formed above the channel region and a conductive gate is formed over the dielectric layer. The method includes applying a first constant voltage for a first period to the conductive gate followed by applying a second constant voltage for a second period to the conductive gate repeatedly. The value of the first constant voltage is different from the value of the second constant voltage. A third constant voltage and a fourth voltage are applied to the first doping region and the second doping region respectively.
US07778064B2
A memory employs a low-level current source to access a phase change memory cell. The current source charges an access capacitor in order to store sufficient charge for an ensuing access. When a memory cell is accessed, charge stored on the capacitor is discharged through the phase change memory, supplying a current to the phase change memory cell that is sufficient for the intended access operation and greater than that provided directly by the current source.
US07778063B2
An integrated circuit memory cell including: a semiconductor having a first active area, a second active area, and a channel between the active areas; and a layer of a variable resistance material (VRM) directly above the channel. In one embodiment, there is a first conductive layer between the VRM and the channel and a second conductive layer directly above the VRM layer. The VRM preferably is a correlated electron material (CEM). The memory cell comprises a FET, such as a JFET or a MESFET. In another embodiment, there is a layer of an insulating material between the VRM and the channel. In this case, the memory cell may include a MOSFET structure.
US07778056B2
A welding power supply includes an input rectifier that receives sinusoidal or alternating line voltage and provides a rectified voltage. A pre-regulator provides a dc bus and a convertor, such as a boost convertor, provides a welding output. The pre-regulator is an SVT (slow voltage transition) and an SCT (slow current transition) switched convertor. It may include a snubber circuit having a diode that is SVT switched. Also, the boost convertor may be SVT and SCT switched. The pre-regulator preferably includes a power factor correction circuit. The power source includes, in one embodiment, an inverter having a snubber circuit having a first switch in anti-parallel with a first diode, and a second switch in anti-parallel with a second diode. The first switch and first diode are connected in series with the second switch and the second diode, and the first and second switches are connected in opposing directions, to form a switched snubber.
US07778052B2
A method is disclosed for the operation of a converter circuit, wherein the converter circuit has a converter unit having a multiplicity of actuatable power semiconductor switches and an LCL filter which is connected to each phase connection of the converter unit, in which the actuatable power semiconductor switches are actuated by means of an actuation signal (S) formed from a hysteresis active power value (dP), from a hysteresis reactive power value (dQ) and from a selected flux sector (θn). The hysteresis active power value (dP) is formed from a differential active power value (Pdiff). In addition, the hysteresis reactive power value (dQ) is formed from a differential reactive power value (Qdiff). An apparatus for carrying out the method is also disclosed.
US07778043B2
A flush mounted assembly for housing an electronic or electro-mechanical module which detects abnormal conditions and responds to the detection of such abnormal conditions. The assembly includes a base mounted in an opening in a structural member such as a wall, partition or ceiling. The base includes a peripheral wall defining a shallow cavity with an outer open face and an inner wall. A laterally outwardly projecting flange extends from the peripheral side wall of the base for flush engagement with the structural member. The shallow cavity of the base is dimensioned to receive the electronic or electro-mechanical module. A closure plate is provided for the open outer face of the base. The closure face has a periphery dimensioned to close the open outer face of the shallow cavity in the base leaving only a narrow gap between the closure plate periphery and the base periphery wall to allow ambient air to enter the shallow cavity of the base and interact with the module. The module is clamped in a frame which fits into the shallow cavity of the base. Releasably engageable connections are provided to attach the closure plate to the container. An electrical junction box receives the base and is held thereto by fasteners.
US07778042B2
A memory system has first and second primary memories and first and second secondary memories coupled to the first and second primary memories, respectively, the coupling comprising at least one point-to-point connection. A memory module includes at least two of the first and second primary and first and second secondary memories. A first connection element, such as a connector or solder, connects the memory module to a mother board. A second connection element, such as a connector or solder, connects at least one other of the first and second primary and first and second secondary memories to the mother board. At least one of the memories on the first memory module is coupled to at least one of the other memories. The memory system also includes a memory controller which is connected to the primary memories by a point-to-two-point link.
US07778041B2
A power interconnection system is provided including a printed circuit board (10), a voltage regulator package (30), and an electrical connection socket (20) adapted for receiving a chip package (40) therein. The electrical socket and the voltage regulator package are mounted and electrically coupled to opposite surfaces of the printed circuit board. Thus, the voltage regulator package and the chip package are held in a substantially opposed relationship relative to the printed circuit board after the chip package is mounted onto the socket. Therefore, with such configuration, a lower impedance connection is achieved between the chip package and the voltage regulator package in comparison with the conventional configuration.
US07778032B2
A heat dissipation device (1) includes an electric fan (20) and a heat sink (10). The fan includes a fan impeller (40) which includes a hub (41) and a plurality of blades (42) extending radially and outwardly from the hub (41). The hub (41) includes an upper portion (417) and a bottom portion (413). An air inlet (411) is formed near the upper portion (417) and an air outlet (412) is formed near the bottom portion (413). The blades (42) have portions on the bottom portion of the hub which are extended toward a center of the air outlet for driving more air to the center of the air outlet (412), whereby more air can flow to a center of the heat sink.
US07778027B2
According to one embodiment, an electronic device includes a main body unit, a display unit rotatable between a first position where the display unit covers the main body unit and a second position where the display unit stands up with respect to the main body unit, and a securing portion provided at a position astride the display unit and the main body unit, to which an anti-theft wire is secured.
US07778021B2
A mounting assembly includes first and second brackets. The first bracket is capable of receiving storage devices therein, and includes a first board. The first board includes a first end, and a blocking piece. The second bracket is capable of receiving storage devices therein, and includes a second board. The second board includes a first protrusion, and a second protrusion. The second board has first and second positions. At the first position, the second bracket is received in the first bracket, the first end engages with the first protrusion to prevent the second bracket form moving toward a first direction, and the blocking piece engages with the second protrusion to prevent the second bracket form moving toward a second direction opposite to the first direction. At the second position, the second bracket is departed from the first bracket.
US07778015B2
A visual display having microperforations, backlighting and contrasting surface finishes is disclosed. The visual display includes an opaque base object having a front surface and a plurality of microperforations therethrough from the front surface to a back surface. Each microperforation has a diameter of about 100 microns or less, and numerous microperforations are arranged into an overall pattern, such as a logo, text or advertisement. A light source placed proximate to the back surface passes light through the microperforations to be visible at the front surface, such that the overall pattern can be visibly perceived when the light source is turned on. A contrasting surface finish formed on the front surface includes at least two visibly distinguishable shades, with one shade covering at least a portion of the front surface defined by the overall pattern, such that the overall pattern can be seen when the light source is turned off.
US07778003B2
An overvoltage protection module can be fitted to a telecommunications module having telecommunications contacts, to which telecommunications lines are connectable, and has at least two overvoltage protectors, at least one ground contact, and at least two pairs of protection module contacts for contacting the telecommunications contacts at contact points, so that at least two telecommunications lines are protectable, wherein the contact points are located on at least two different levels, and both contacts of each pair of protection module contacts are connected to the same overvoltage protector.
US07777996B2
A system and method for protecting a circuit. The system includes a protection circuit that includes an inverter and a capacitor coupled to the inverter. The inverter and the capacitor are implemented using logic circuits of a circuit core, and the inverter shunts electrostatic discharge ESD current through the capacitor. According to the system and method disclosed herein, because the protection circuit shunt circuit shunts ESD current using logic circuits of the circuit core, ESD protection is achieved while not requiring large FETs. Also, the protection circuit protects circuits against ESD events that conventional FET cannot protect.
US07777991B2
A head gimbal assembly (HGA) has an improved interconnection between a head slider and a suspension of the HGA. The interconnection is achieved by using a reverse surface of an air bearing surface of the head slider as bonding surface to provide more space for arranging more slider electrical bonding pads thereon. The head slider is mechanically and electrically connected to the suspension at the bonding surface to have good performance on shocking conditions. The suspension further has an attitude control layer located between the head slider and the suspension. The attitude control layer serves as a datum plate for the head slider lying thereon and supporting the head slider so as to ensure the head slider a good attitude and reduce variation of slider flying height. The present invention also discloses a magnetic disk drive with the improved HGA and a fabricating method for the HGA.
US07777982B2
A disturbance compensation determination apparatus, a related method, a computer readable medium storing a computer program related to the method, and a disk drive comprising the apparatus are provided. The disturbance compensation determination apparatus includes a disturbance observer (DOB) receiving a control input signal and a servo output signal of a plant, wherein the DOB calculates and outputs a current estimated disturbance value. The apparatus also includes a disturbance evaluation unit selectively changing a current disturbance compensation (DC) mode, wherein selectively changing the current DC mode comprises evaluating an accumulated estimated disturbance value in accordance with a condition corresponding to the current DC mode. In addition, the apparatus includes a switching unit selectively providing the current estimated disturbance value to a control loop of the plant in accordance with the current DC mode as selectively changed by the disturbance evaluation unit.
US07777979B2
A magnetic disk device testing method includes obtaining index values indicating the signal quality of an adjacent track at different positions scattered in the width direction in the adjacent track located in the vicinity of a target track on a magnetic disk after repeatedly writing data onto the target track, and determining a representative value of the index values indicating the signal quality of the adjacent track based on the obtained results, while incrementing the number of data write times; and estimating an index value indicating the signal quality of the adjacent track to be obtained where data is written onto the target track a larger number of times than the total number of data write times the data has been actually written in obtaining the index values, the index value being estimated with the use of the representative values decided in the representative value deciding.
US07777978B2
A lens barrel with improved precision is obtained by reducing fitting play of a lens barrel. A coil and a magnetic member are fixed on a lens holding member, and a magnet and a yoke are fixed on an outer barrel. When energizing the coil, the lens holding member moves in the optical axis direction along guide bars by magnetic fluxes from the magnet. The magnetic member receives a magnetic attraction force toward the magnet by leakage fluxes. In the lens holding member, a bearing sleeve is biased by the attraction force perpendicularly to the axis of the guide bar, and the resultant force of the attraction force and a gravitational force exerted on the lens holding member removes play. A resultant force of a force toward the guide bar exerted on the bearing and the gravitational force thereon removes fitting play between the bearing and the guide bar.
US07777973B2
A subminiature imaging optical system including: first, second, third and fourth lenses sequentially positioned from an object side to an image side, the first lens having positive refractivity, the second lens having a concave image-side surface and having negative refractivity, the third lens having negative refractivity, and the fourth lens having positive refractivity, wherein the second lens satisfies following condition 1, and the third lens satisfies following condition 2, 20
US07777971B2
An aperture stop device is provided for use in a microscope with at least one adjustable observation parameter. The aperture stop device includes at least one aperture stop (50a, 50b) with an adjustable aperture, that is to say with an adjustable stop opening. The aperture stop (50a, 50b) is adapted to receive an aperture signal representative of an aperture to be adjusted. In addition the aperture stop device includes a control unit (52) for output of the aperture signal to the aperture stop (50a, 50b) in dependence at least on the respectively set value of the observation parameter of the microscope.
US07777968B2
A photographing lens driving control apparatus includes a plurality of lens groups constituting a zooming optical system including a lens group (1A) on an object side and a lens group (1B) on an imaging side, a plurality of tens driving device (4A, 4B, 4C) configured to drive the plurality of tens groups, respectively, and a control device (5B) configured to control the plurality of lens driving devices; the control device (5B) adjusts a driving speed of the lens group on the object side according to a position of the lens group on the imaging side relative to a position of the lens group on the object side, when driving the lens group on the object side.
US07777966B2
Provided is a zoom lens. The zoom lens includes a first lens group with a positive refractive power, a second lens group with a negative refractive power, a third lens group with a positive refractive power, a fourth lens group with a negative refractive power, and a fifth lens group with a positive refractive power. The first through fifth lens groups are sequentially arranged toward an image side from an object side, and the second, fourth, and fifth lens groups move long the optical axis during zooming.
US07777956B2
A method of fabricating a sub-millimeter scale curved surface on a substrate (10) includes cutting a plurality of trenches (12) of varying depth into the substrate (10). The depth of the trenches (12) corresponds to a desired surface profile. The substrate (10) is etched to remove material left (16) between the trenches to form the curved surface.
US07777947B2
A projection screen comprises a film having a projection side and provided with a number of passages adapted for permitting emitted sound waves to pass through said film. The projection screen is characterized in that these passages are arranged in such a manner that, if alignments can be detected, at least the principal ones have an angle that is not zero with regard to the vertical and horizontal edges of the screen.
US07777945B2
A display has a screen which incorporates a light modulator. The screen may be a front projection screen or a rear-projection screen. The screen is illuminated with light from a light source comprising an array of controllable light-emitters. The controllable-emitters and elements of the light modulator may be controlled to adjust the intensity of light emanating from corresponding areas on the screen. The display may provide a high dynamic range.
US07777944B2
This invention discloses a projection screen including a diffusion layer, a cap layer, an interference layer and an absorption layer. The projection screen of this invention is based on the concept of inverse reflection. The interference filter includes a plurality of high and low refractive index layers, both of which alternately stacked. The projection screen conveys a small spectral shift and a narrow bandwidth at different incident angles so that the better contract ratio of the image signal can be displayed.
US07777937B2
An apparatus is provided that includes a light source, an array of light-reflecting devices, and a processor for positioning the light-reflecting devices so as to display an image on the display screen. Each of the light-reflecting devices selectively reflects the light from the light source onto a corresponding pixel of a display screen. The processor positions a first of the light-reflecting devices such that light from the light source is reflected by the first light-reflecting device onto a first pixel of the display screen, which is different than the pixel of the display screen that corresponds to the first light-reflecting device. A similar apparatus is also provided in which the processor instead positions the first light-reflecting device such that light from the light source is reflected by the first light-reflecting device onto a first area of the display screen, which is located between the pixels of the display screen that correspond to the first light-reflecting device and an adjacent second light-reflecting device.
US07777932B2
An imaging system and method are presented. The system comprises an imaging lens unit, an imaging detector, and a birefringent element located between the imaging lens unit and the imaging detector. The system is thus configure and operable to provide in-focus imaging of objects located at both near-field and far-field ranges. Also provided is an optical device configured to be mounted on an imaging lens, being one of the following: a lens of an individual's glasses, on a contact lens, and an eye internal lens. The optical device is configured to be located between the imaging lens and the retina and comprises a birefringent element, to thereby provide in-focus imaging onto the retina of the objects located at both near-field and far-field ranges therefrom.
US07777930B2
The invention relates to an electro-optical light control element and to electro-optical displays and display systems, e.g. television screens and computer monitors, which contain elements of this type. The inventive light control elements contain a mesogenic control medium (2) that exists in an optically isotropic phase when the light control elements are in operation. In addition to having a good contrast, a low dependency on viewing angle and very short switching times, the light control elements are particularly characterized by having relatively low drive voltages. The inventive electro-optical light control elements contain a solid dielectric layer (5) between the electrode structure (3, 4) and the mesogenic control layer. The invention also relates to the mesogenic control media, which are used in the electro-optical light control elements and which can exist in a blue phase.
US07777923B2
In an optical beam scanning apparatus and an image forming apparatus equipped with the optical beam scanning apparatus of the present invention, plural optical members that irradiate scanning lines by laser beams (beams) emitted from plural light sources individually onto corresponding photoconductive drums are disposed within an optical unit housing and a housing cover, a fixing mechanism configured to fix part of a parallel plate provided within the optical unit housing and the housing cover is provided, and a twist angle adjusting mechanism configured to adjust an angle of twist of the parallel plate by rotating, in a specific direction, the parallel plate having the part thereof being fixed with the fixing mechanism is provided. According to the optical beam scanning apparatus and the image forming apparatus equipped with the optical beam scanning apparatus of the present invention, it is possible to adjust the curve and the inclination of the scanning line with ease and at high accuracy.
US07777918B2
An image forming apparatus applies a shading correction to an image read from a white reference board 18, and determines presence or absence of stripe-like noise in the image read therefrom after applying the shading correction. The apparatus exposes an area at which there is no noise in the white reference board 18 to create a white reference value for a shading correction for reading a document after that time.
US07777915B2
A color image control system and method are provided for improving the image control of printing systems, including digital front-end processors, color printers and post-finishing system. This automatic image control system, including measurement and calibration, by registering the captured reproduced document with the extracted virtual device document and automatically locating a plurality of regions in which to measure captured color values, using colorimetric measurements of an aim reproduction of the document at these same region positions, and finally relating the captured color values, the colorimetric color values, and the virtual device color values to create the an accurate color mapping. One embodiment of this method combines a global regression polynomial with local mapping refinement.
US07777909B2
In a case where only one image forming apparatus ID stored in a PC coincides with an own ID of an image input/output system itself stored in this system, it is controlled to set up the option function of the image input/output system according to information concerning validation and invalidation of an option function of the image input/output system instructed on the PC side, while in a case where only one image forming apparatus ID does not coincide with the own ID of the image input/output system itself, it is controlled not to set up the option function of the image input/output system according to the information instructed on the PC side, thereby preventing that a user unfairly duplicates a setup program with an evil intention, and thus can set up the option function to the plural image forming apparatuses by purposely duplicating the setup program.
US07777905B2
A method for processing print data is disclosed. A particular data type for a print data stream is determined, based on data contained in the print data stream, from among a plurality of defined data types. It is determined whether there exists, within a plurality of printer drivers, a particular printer driver that is associated with the particular data type that was selected for the print data stream. If the plurality of printer drivers comprises a particular printer driver that is associated with the particular data type, then the print data stream is passed to the particular printer driver. The particular printer driver passes the print data stream toward a printing device without rendering the print data stream. The printing device is capable of understanding and processing the print data stream without such rendering being performed by any printer driver.
US07777876B2
An inspection method and an inspection device, or apparatus each capable of conducting composition analysis of a defect detected by elastic or stokes scattered light, an inspection surface or defect on the surface of the inspection surface, or a defect on the surface of the inspection object and its internal composition. A surface inspection method for optically detecting elastic or stokes scattering or inelastic or anti-stokes scattered light from inside the surface of the inspection object, for detecting existence of defects of the inspection object and features of the defects, for detecting positions of the detected defects on the surface of the inspection object, classifying and analyzing the detected defects in accordance with their features on the basis of the positions of the defects and the features of the defects or the classification result of the defects.
US07777874B2
A noncontact form measuring apparatus emits a laser beam L. In the apparatus, a prism bends the laser beam into an X-axis direction, so that a Z-axis displacement of an objective optical system is converted by the prism into an X-axis displacement on a measurement coordinate system. A movement of an X-axis stage is converted into a Z-axis displacement on the measurement coordinate system. The apparatus moves an internal gear as a measurement object and the prism, reads X, Y, and Z coordinates at each focal point, and measures a three-dimensional form of inner teeth of the internal gear. The apparatus may translate the internal gear in a Y-axis direction, to measure a partial form of the inner teeth. The apparatus may turn the internal gear in an angular θ-direction, to measure a whole circumferential form of the inner teeth.
US07777873B2
An exemplary refractive-index sensor includes a photonic crystal microcavity structure, a light source, and a detector. The photonic crystal microcavity structure includes a photonic crystal layer having first holes and a second hole. The first holes are arranged in a pattern of staggered parallel rows. The second hole is located at an approximate center point of the middle row of the pattern rather than a first hole. A diameter of the second hole is less than that of each of the first holes. Some of the first holes disposed at each of opposite ends of a diagonal row having the second hole are omitted to define an input waveguide and an output waveguide. The light source is adjacent to the input waveguide. The detector is adjacent to the output waveguide.
US07777872B2
A method for measuring the optical properties of multifocal ophthalmic lenses. Collimated light is passed through an ophthalmic lens and onto an array of lenslets. Light exiting the array of lenslets is detected by a sensor. Blurred spots and/or double spots may represent diffractive zones of the wavefront. A centroid of the spot or a brighter of two spots may be used to determine the lateral position of the spot. Theoretical calculations, laboratory measurements, clinical measurements and experimental image spots may be generated, compared and cross-checked to determine a monofocal equivalent lens. A Modulation Transfer Function (MTF) may be used to evaluate and compare a diffractive lens and a monofocal equivalent lens.
US07777871B2
A method and apparatus for an automated testing system that tests for physical properties of golf balls or golf ball cores. The apparatus includes an on-load magazine wherein golf balls or cores are loaded for pick and place feeding to holding nests defined in a rotary indexing table. The nests are removable and/or of multiple size accommodations to accept balls and cores from 1.00 to 1.72 inches. The system includes a diameter measuring station, a compression measuring station, and a weight measuring station. Through the rotary indexing table, the golf ball or core may be selectively dialed to one or more of the stations for testing. A computer analyzes the properties of each ball or core tested and correlates the data so that each ball is subsequently either passed to an off-load magazine or rejected.
US07777868B2
A system for monitoring non-volatile residue concentrations in ultra pure water includes a nebulizer for generating an aerosol composed of multiple water droplets, a heating element changing the aerosol to a suspension of residue particles, and a condensation particle counter to supersaturate the dried aerosol to cause droplet growth through condensation of a liquid onto the particles. The nebulizer incorporates a flow dividing structure that divides exiting waste water into a series of droplets. The droplets are counted to directly indicate a waste water flow rate and indirectly indicate an input flow rate of water supplied to the nebulizer. The condensation particle counter employs water as the condensing medium, avoiding the need for undesirable chemical formulations and enabling use of the ultra pure water itself as the condensing medium.
US07777867B2
Turbulent mixing condensation devices, methods, and systems adapted to condense a working fluid on particles from a sample gas to enlarge the particles for subsequent detection are provided. The device includes a vapor generator adapted to produce a working-fluid saturated carrier gas and a condensation chamber. The working-fluid saturated carrier gas is mixed with a sample gas containing particles to be detected and is then introduced to the condensation chamber. The operating conditions are controlled to enhance the condensation of the working fluid on the particles. The particles are typically forwarded to a particle detection device to detect at least one characteristic, for example, the size, of the particles. The flow of carrier gas to the vapor generator may be regulated to vary the degree of saturation of the carrier gas with working fluid.
US07777865B2
A time difference measuring device can accurately measure a time difference between two pulse signals generated with a predetermined time difference by measuring the two pulse signals by one measurement. The time difference measuring device measures a time difference between a start signal (M1) and a stop signal (M2). The device has a reference signal generation unit (41) for generating two reference signals (S1, S2) having a π/2 phase difference. According to corresponding amplitude values (A11, A12) and (A21, A22) of the reference signals (S1, S2) at each generation timing of the start signal (M1) and the stop signal (M2), a phase difference detection unit (42) calculates a phase difference Δθ (=θstop−θstart) between the generation timings of the pulse signals (M1, M2). According to the detected phase difference Δθ and the cycle (Ts) of the reference signals (S1; S2), a time difference calculation unit (44) calculates the generation time difference Δt between the pulse signals (m1, M2).
US07777857B2
A substrate of a display device for packaging a driving integrated circuit (IC) including an input lead and an output lead includes an input pad group corresponding to the input lead on the substrate along a first direction, an output pad group corresponding to the output lead on the substrate along a second direction transverse to the first direction, an extra input pad group adjacent to the input pad group along the first direction, and an extra output pad group adjacent to the output pad group along the second direction.
US07777856B2
An electrical display includes a flexible LCD screen capable of folding without creasing about a central spine region and having column and row electrodes. Circuit boards are coupled to the row and column electrodes. Tape automated bonding (TAB) strips are connected to the circuit boards. Electrical conductors are interposed between the TAB strips and the electrodes so that the TAB strips and electrical conductors serve to couple the circuit boards and the electrodes. The electrical conductors are dimensioned to accommodate folding of the screen.
US07777845B2
A liquid crystal display is provided and includes: a liquid crystal cell; a pair of polarizing plates disposed in cross-Nicol arrangement and sandwiching the liquid crystal cell. One of the pair of the polarizing plates has a protective film A for polarizer, disposed on the liquid crystal cell side, and the other of the pair has a protective film B for polarizer, disposed on a liquid crystal cell side. ReA(λ) and RthA(λ) of the protective film A, RthB(λ) of the protective film B and Δnd(λ) of the liquid crystal cell satisfy expressions (I) and (II) at a wavelength of 400 nm to 700 nm: 0.74×(Δnd(λ)−RthB(λ))≦RthA(λ)≦0.97×(Δnd(λ)−RthB(λ)) (I) 0.018×λ2/(Δnd(λ)−RthB(λ))+0.032×λ≦ReA(λ)≦0.036×λ2/(Δnd(λ)−RthB(λ))+0.032×λ (II).
US07777844B2
A transflective liquid crystal display device is arranged to make the overall structure thinner and enhance a reflecting contrast ratio. The transflective liquid crystal display includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer laid between the substrates, a first polarization plate located on the opposite side of the first substrate to the side where the liquid crystal layer is located, a second polarization plate located on the opposite side of the second substrate to the side where the liquid crystal layer is located, and a plurality of pixels formed between the substrates, each of the pixels having a reflective area and a transmissive area. An in-cell retarder is located between the second substrate and the liquid crystal layer. An optical compensation film is located between the first substrate and the first polarization plate, between the second substrate and the second polarization plate, or both.
US07777839B2
A method of manufacturing a reflecting substrate in a liquid crystal display device is disclosed, comprising the steps of: (a) providing a substrate having a first metal layer, wherein the first metal layer is formed with at least one soft metal or the alloys thereof; and (b) forming an aluminum nitride layer on the first metal layer. The method of the present invention is capable of forming a rugged, shining, reflective layer on a transflective, or a reflection type TFT LCD with simple steps and low cost.
US07777820B2
An array substrate includes a first thin-film transistor (TFT), a second TFT, a first pixel electrode, a second pixel electrode and a storage line. The first TFT is electrically connected to a gate line and a data line. The second TFT is electrically connected to the gate and data lines. The first pixel electrode is electrically connected to the first TFT. The second pixel electrode is electrically connected to the second TFT. The storage line is positioned in an overlapping relationship with the first and second pixel electrodes. The overlap defines a first area of the storage line associated with the first pixel electrode, and a second area of the storage line associated with the second pixel electrode. Therefore, different voltages are applied to the first and second pixel electrodes, so that a viewing angle may be enhanced.
US07777812B2
Embodiments of the present invention comprise systems and methods for picture up-sampling and picture down-sampling. Some embodiments of the present invention provide an up-sampling and/or down-sampling procedure designed for the Scalable Video Coding extension of H.264/MPEG-4 AVC.
US07777809B2
A method and apparatus for maintaining a maximum sustained flash current over the whole length of a flash using a programmable current drive in a handheld portable device powered by a battery. The method involves measuring the battery voltage before and after a flash is initiated and calculating the equivalent series resistance (ESR) of the battery. The calculated ESR is then used to adjust the flash current. The process may be repeated to correct for errors in the flash current.
US07777808B2
An image capturing apparatus illuminates an object and captures an image of the object using the reflected light from the object. The image capturing apparatus includes an image sensor for capturing an image of the object by receiving reflected light, distance-measuring light-emitting devices for irradiating the object with spot light, and a control circuit for driving the distance-measuring light-emitting devices, detecting the spot light positions of the distance-measuring light-emitting devices from an image captured by the image sensor, and obtaining the distance to the object. The image sensor provided for capturing an image of the object can be used as a photodetector device for distance measurement. With this, it becomes unnecessary to separately provide a photodetector device for distance measurement, which enables miniaturization of the image capturing apparatus, as well as cost reduction.
US07777791B2
First pixel data of a pixel of interest is output from a first shift register, while second and third pixel data of neighboring pixels indicative of the same color are output from second and third shift registers, respectively. Differential data between estimated pixel data calculated from the second and third pixel data and the first pixel data is input to a comparator. A threshold value stored in a register is modulated by the estimated pixel data, and is input to the comparator as modulated threshold data. When the comparator judges that the differential data is greater than the modulated threshold data, a selector outputs the estimated pixel data as corrected pixel data.
US07777787B2
The specification and drawings present a new method, apparatus and software product for reducing flicker effects in electronic devices (e.g., a video camera, a camera-phone mobile device, a portable electronic device, etc.) by reducing an optical intensity of a video image received by the electronic device. It is determined by the electronic device whether a flicker light source is present and if predetermined conditions are met. As long as that is the case, an optical attenuation of a video image taken by the electronic device is provided using a predetermined criterion and a video signal of the video image is generated by the electronic device using an exposure time substantially equal to or a multiple of an inverse of a flicker frequency.
US07777782B2
An electronic device is disclosed, which includes an image sensor, an optics for forming an image on the image sensor, a detector for detecting a movement effect caused by an external source aimed to the device in connection with an imaging procedure and an optical image stabilizer unit arranged to actuate at least part of the said optics in order to compensate the detected movement effect caused by the external source. The actuation of the said optics is based on deformations arranged to take place in the optical image stabilizer unit. In addition the invention also relates to corresponding method, optical image stabilizer unit and program product for actuating the said unit.
US07777776B2
A frequency modulation device for use in an image forming apparatus. The image formation apparatus includes an image carrier and a laser device for scanning the image carrier along a plurality of scan lines. Each scan line is divided into segments having segment boundaries in which the same segment boundary in adjacent scan lines are offset. The frequency modulation device generates frequency data for use in modulating the input image data, which is utilized by the laser device to scan the image carrier, which permits output of an electrophotograph of high image quality by suppressing segment boundaries caused by moiré fringes or color shifting to below a level at which such boundaries are not visually detectable.
US07777774B2
An optical scanning characteristic control method is applied to an optical scanning system in which a beam is deflected, and the deflected beam is converged and directed toward a scanning surface, so that optical scanning of the scanning surface is performed by an optical spot formed thereon by the deflected beam. The method comprising the steps of a) disposing a beam deflection control device on the light path of the beam before it is incident on the scanning surface; and b) controlling a beam deflection amount of the beam deflecting device provide to an incident beam so as to control a scanning characteristic of the optical scanning.
US07777772B2
In the laser processing apparatus 1, a laser head 13 is held and cooled by a cooling jacket 11, and thus can be operated stably. Also, even if the emitting direction of laser light L fluctuates when replacing the laser head 13 because of its damage or the like, a regulator 15 can adjusts the position and inclination of the cooling jacket 11 with respect to an optical system main part 4, so that the emitting direction of the laser light L can coincide with the optical axis of the optical system main part 4. Thus, the laser processing apparatus 1 can easily correct the fluctuation in the laser light emitting direction among the laser heads 13.
US07777771B2
An information recording and erasing apparatus configured to record information on and erase other information from a thermo-sensitive recording medium which medium is capable of heat-reversible coloring and discoloring, the information recording and erasing apparatus includes an erasing unit configured to move the thermo-sensitive recording medium from one side to another side, heat the thermo-sensitive recording medium, and erase the other information recorded in the thermo-sensitive recording medium; and a recording unit provided in a direction perpendicular to a moving direction of the thermo-sensitive recording medium with the erasing unit, the recording unit being configured to record the information in the thermo-sensitive recording medium where the other information is erased by the erasing unit.
US07777770B2
A dual-sided two-ply direct thermal image element is provided. In one embodiment, the dual-sided two-ply direct thermal image element comprises a first substrate having a first side and a second side, and a second substrate having a first side and a second side, wherein both the first substrate and the second substrate include a thermally sensitive coating on at least a first side thereof, and wherein the second side of the first substrate is releasably attached to the second side of the second substrate.
US07777768B2
An image forming apparatus is capable of printing half-toned images of high quality. The image forming apparatus includes a photoconductive body and a light emitting element array. A plurality of light emitting elements is aligned in the light emitting element array. Each light emitting element array emits light to form an electrostatic latent image of a pixel on the photoconductive drum. A controller controllably drives the plurality of light emitting elements to form the electrostatic latent image, each pixel being formed by a combination of a total of N (N>1) light emitting elements. Each element of the N light emitting elements is driven with a different amount of energy from remainders of the N light emitting elements.
US07777762B2
There is provided an integrated information management system which mutually associates the information processing applications for processing the data derived from CAD data with others. In the integrated information management system, the virtual design data generated in a CAD system, the data used in a CAE system, the data used in a DMR system, and the data used in a mockup system are stored in correspondence with the respective conditions used in case of respectively displaying these data. Then, the image acquired by compositing the respective data is generated based on the respective conditions, and the generated image is displayed on an integrated display unit, whereby it is possible for a user to manage these data as the single data by dynamically changing over the data of the respective information processing applications.
US07777742B2
A method and system of volume deformation, including accessing a tree structure for a set of deformation maps. The tree structure is traversed for each voxel in an original volume and each voxel is transformed according to each deformation map corresponding to a node of the tree structure until the entire original volume is deformed into reference volume space. Also, a method and system of generating an ordered map tree structure, including identifying a root node of a bounding box, the bounding box being a union of the root node's descendants. Child nodes are identified for each node, the child nodes being ordered so that a left child is applied before a corresponding right child, wherein each child node contains a deformation map and a corresponding bounding box. Each path originating from the root node corresponds to a complete deformation map sequence, and when a portion of two deformation maps overlap, the deformation map having a lower priority is a child of the deformation map having a higher priority.
US07777737B2
Power consumption in an active matrix type liquid crystal display device having partial display function is reduced. In one frame period, a display area corresponding to first 80 horizontal periods, that is the first line through the 80th line, is set as a partial display area and a display area corresponding to the remaining 239 lines is set as a background display area. And a partial display area control signal ENBSC is set at a low level and an SC inversion drive is performed in the partial display area. The partial display area control signal ENBSC is fixed at a high level in the background display area and all of SC inversion control units corresponding to the background display area halt their operation.
US07777736B2
A liquid crystal device includes a liquid crystal panel having a pair of substrates with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween, a plurality of light receivers that receives an ambient light and obtains an intensity information of the ambient light, and a controller that controls a display state of an image to be displayed on the liquid crystal panel. In the liquid crystal device, in at least one of the plurality of light receivers, sensitivity for the ambient light differs from the sensitivity of the other light receiver.
US07777730B2
A method of navigating, organizing, browsing, searching, and selecting information objects and/or content in a ring based structure is provided wherein the relation between rings are clear and easily grasped. The method is particularly well suited for navigating in media content. The method comprises locating a number of information objects, displaying one or more of the information objects on a display in a ring based structure comprising one or more rings, and changing the size of a specific ring by selecting the specific ring. By this enlargement, the visibility of information objects comprised in the specific ring is increased, and the individual information objects visually present in the ring, may readily be selected from the enlarged ring.
US07777712B2
The level shift circuit and the display using same are disclosed. The level shift circuit includes a shift logic circuit and a logic controller. The shift logic circuit is capable of shifting a level of an input signal. The logic controller is capable of resetting the shift logic circuit before the shift logic circuit shifting the level of the input signal, and then enabling the shift logic circuit to shift the level of the input signal.
US07777698B2
In order to charge and discharge parasitic capacitance of a source signal line sufficiently and program a predetermined current value into a pixel transistor, it is necessary to output a relatively large current from the source driver circuit. However, if such a large current is passed through the source signal line, the value of this current is programmed into the pixel, causing a larger than desired current to flow through an EL element. For example, if a 10 times larger current is used for programming, a 10 times larger current flows through the EL element, and thus the EL element illuminates 10 times more brightly. To obtain predetermined emission brightness, the time during which the current flows through the EL element can be reduced to 1/10 of one frame (1 F). This way, the parasitic capacitance of the source signal line can be charged and discharged sufficiently and the predetermined emission brightness can be obtained.
US07777696B2
A display associated with a treatment device for dental material, with which at least one operating state of the device can be displayed. The display is a function of the operating state of the device. The display shows different operating states of the treatment device exclusively with the aid of color signals, whereby each color is associated with an operating state of the device.
US07777695B2
A plasma display device which selectively generates address discharge in each display cell in accordance with pixel data based on a video signal in an address period, applies a sustain pulse between row electrodes forming each row electrode pair in a sustain period, and applies, in the sustain period, a discharge timing control pulse to one row electrode of each row electrode pair, so that the discharge timing control pulse partly overlaps with a first sustain pulse in terms of time, which is applied to the other row electrode of each row electrode pair.
US07777694B2
A plasma display apparatus and a driving method thereof are provided. A plasma display apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises a plasma display panel comprising an address electrode, a data drive integrated circuit (IC), connected to the address electrode, for supplying a voltage of a data signal supplied from a data voltage source and a bias voltage supplied from a bias voltage source to the address electrode, a bias voltage supply control switch for controlling the bias voltage supplied by the data drive IC, and a data voltage supply control switch for controlling the voltage of the data signal supplied by the data drive IC.
US07777691B1
Techniques and systems for driving multiple tiled displays from a single digital video source can include a plurality of displays arranged in tiled fashion to form a tiled display, a plurality of display drivers corresponding to the plurality of displays, and a video receiver board coupled to the plurality of display drivers via a communication bus. The video receiver board communicates streams of pixel information to the plurality of display drivers.
US07777690B2
An RF lens according to the present invention embodiments collimates an RF beam by refracting the beam into a beam profile that is diffraction-limited. The lens is constructed of a lightweight mechanical arrangement of two or more materials, where the materials are arranged to form a photonic crystal structure (e.g., a series of holes defined within a parent material). The lens includes impedance matching layers, while an absorptive or apodizing mask is applied to the lens to create a specific energy profile across the lens. The impedance matching layers and apodizing mask similarly include a photonic crystal structure. The energy profile function across the lens aperture is continuous, while the derivatives of the energy distribution function are similarly continuous. This lens arrangement produces a substantial reduction in the amount of energy that is transmitted in the side-lobes of an RF system.
US07777688B2
A polarization switching antenna device capable of switching a polarization without increase of an antenna installing space and also handling a variety of frequency bands is provided. A connection state of one end of a loop antenna element arranged on a side surface of a case is switched. Thus, the polarization characteristic is switched by switching selectively whether the antenna element should constitute a loop antenna or a linear antenna. Matching circuits suitable for respective characteristics are provided. The loop antenna can be fed in terms of a balanced feeding. A balanced feeding and an unbalanced feeding can be switched.
US07777686B2
A multi-layer isolated magnetic dipole (IMD) with improved bandwidth and efficiency characteristics to be used in wireless communications and other applicable systems. The multi-layer IMD antenna comprises an IMD element positioned above a ground plane, a conductive element positioned above a ground plane and coupled to the first portion having one or more slot regions being defined between the IMD element and the conductive element and one or more capacitive elements positioned across the one or more slot regions. The range of frequencies covered to be determined by the shape, size, and number of elements in the physical configuration of the components.
US07777683B2
A lens (300, 500) is disclosed for steering the exit direction (Ω) of an incident electromagnetic wave. The lens comprises a main body (210, 510) of a ferroelectric material with a first main surface (207, 507) and a first transformer (220, 222). The electromagnetic wave enters and exits the lens through the transformer, and the lens comprises means (370, 380) for creating a DC-field in a first direction in the main body. The main body (210, 510) of ferroelectric material comprises a plurality (21011-210NN, 51011-510NN) of slabs of the ferroelectric material, each slab also comprising a first (403, 603) and a second electrode of a conducting material. The means for creating a DC-field can create a gradient DC-field in the first direction using the first and second electrodes, so that the dielectric constant in the main body will also be a gradient in the first direction, thus enabling steering of the existing electromagnetic wave.
US07777675B2
In a first, preferred embodiment of the present invention, integrated tracking is provided using passive broadband. The invention takes the system for deployable passive broadband detection and extends it by incorporating the capability to decode position for ADS-B, SSR multilateration, and broadband multilateration. In a second embodiment, validation of a self-reported position is provided. The invention takes the system for deployable passive broadband detection and extends it by incorporating the capability to decode self-reported position for ADS-B, and compare it to line of calculated position, or line of precision, derived from multilateration techniques applied to various signals received from the aircraft. In a third embodiment, validation of a self-reported ADS-B position using independent surveillance is provided by the system.
US07777671B2
The invention relates to a radar system which comprises: (a) at least two transmitting units for simultaneously, and in synchronization transmitting electromagnetic radiation in distinct frequencies f1, f2, f3 . . . towards a space of interest; and (b) at least one receiving unit tuned to a frequency of nf1+mf2+qf3 . . . , wherein n, m, q . . . being integers not equal to zero, for receiving a non-linear response of said radiation from objects located within the said space of interest.
US07777670B2
An improved millimeter wave illumination system includes at least one primary source of millimeter wave radiation, a reflecting surface and a baffle comprising a plurality of exit apertures arranged such that at least some of the radiation from the source is reflected from the reflective surface before proceeding to the baffle, characterized in that means are incorporated for generating a plurality of radiation field states within a pre-determined time interval. The baffle, source and reflector are preferably packaged into a container with the exit apertures providing an illumination output. The generation of the plurality of radiation field states provides an illumination at the illuminator output that is less spatially variable when integrated over the pre-determined time interval. Embodiments of the invention show means for generating the plurality of radiation field states including relative movement of the reflective surface, variable positioning of the source with respect to the reflective surface, and including multiple sources within a single system.
US07777667B1
A radar target identification apparatus utilizing a pseudo-random digital code to modulate a target's return signal to include a two-dimensional range and cross range Doppler-coded return with a target's skin return and thereby identify friendly targets to the interrogating radar unit.
US07777666B2
Systems and methods for mapping a surface of a celestial body containing objects and terrain are provided. One system includes a Synthetic Aperture RADAR (SAR) module configured to capture a high-resolution image of the terrain of at least a portion of the surface and a map module configured to store map data representing the portion of the surface. The system also includes a fusion module configured to combine the high-resolution image and the map data to generate a high-resolution map of the portion of the surface. A method includes orbiting the celestial body, capturing, via the SAR module, a high-resolution image during each orbit, and fusing the captured high-resolution image with a low-resolution map of the surface to generate a high-resolution map of the surface. A computer-readable medium for storing instructions that cause a processor to perform the above method is also provided.
US07777658B2
A system for converting digital signals into analog signals using sigma-delta modulation and includes a signed thermometer encoder for converting a plurality of signed binary data received at the encoder into a plurality of signed thermometer data and a rotational dynamic element matching (DEM) arrangement for receiving the plurality of signed binary data and the plurality of signed thermometer data. The rotational DEM arrangement further includes a first barrel shifter for receiving a positive thermometer data at a cycle, the first barrel shifter having a first pointer indicating a starting position of next positive thermometer data, and a second barrel shifter for receiving a negative thermometer data at a cycle, the second shifter having a second pointer indicating a starting position of next negative thermometer data, wherein the first pointer is circularly shifted as a function of positive binary data and the second pointer is circularly shifted as a function of negative binary data.
US07777657B2
A method is provided for detecting limit cycles in a sigma delta modulator having an output signal that varies over a series of time intervals. In this method a first value that is indicative of the level of the modulator output signal after a predetermined time interval is stored in a first memory, and a second value that is indicative of the level of the modulator output signal after a further time interval subsequent to the predetermined time interval is stored in a second memory. The first value stored in the first memory is compared with the second value stored in the second memory, and an output indicative of a tendency for limit cycles to be produced in the modulator output signal is provided in response to such comparison. Such a method is particularly advantageous for detecting limit cycles in a sigma delta modulator as it can be implemented in a straightforward manner and offers a very accurate limit cycle detection mechanism. As a result it only becomes necessary to activate a limit cycle removal mechanism when limit cycle behavior has been observed, and major changes to design are not normally required to implement the detection mechanism.
US07777655B2
Traditionally, constant current source circuits (and, in particular, constant current source circuits that include cascoded current sources) had numerous drawbacks due to parasitic capacitances, especially at higher switching frequencies. Here, however, a constant current source circuit is provided which uses main and replica constant current source circuitry (with buffering therebetween) to counteract the problems created by parasitic capacitances. Thus, with these new circuits, a generally constant current can be generated, regardless of switching frequency.
US07777639B2
An indicator display module includes a display face for informing an operator of a monitored condition and a housing having first and second ends. The display face is attached to the first end. The housing provides support to electrical components located within the housing. A cover is fixedly attached to the housing and engages the second end of the housing. A seal is positioned within the housing, forming a sealed cavity around the electrical components stored within the housing.
US07777636B2
A system and method for continual cable thermal monitoring using cable characteristic considerations in Power over Ethernet (PoE) applications. Cable heating in PoE applications is detected through changes in electrical characteristics of the cable itself. By periodically monitoring the electrical characteristics such as insertion loss or cross talk of the cable, it can be determined whether the cable has exceeded certain thermal operating thresholds.
US07777632B2
An acoustic occupancy sensor includes and acoustic transmitter, acoustic receiver, variable bandpass filter and a controller. The acoustic transmitter transmits acoustic signals into a defined region and the acoustic receiver receives acoustic signals from the defined region. The received acoustic signal is converted to an electrical signal. A pre-amplifier amplifies the electrical signal and the electrical signal is digitized. The digitized electrical signal is demodulated by a demodulator to remove the carrier signal. The digitized electrical signal is filtered by a bandpass filter that sweeps up along a range of frequencies and down along a range of frequencies. The amplitudes of the filtered signals are averaged and analyzed to determine the presence or absence of an occupant within the defined region.
US07777622B2
A system for securely synchronizing medical devices and providing message integrity with timeliness and uniqueness (10) includes a plurality of medical wireless devices (121, 122, . . . , 12n). The medical devices (121, 122, . . . , 12n) communicate wirelessly with one another. Each message (M) includes a data portion and a timestamp. Each medical device (121, 122, . . . , 12n) includes a sensor (14) which is attached to a patient to monitor a common vital sign. The medical devices (121, 122, . . . , 12n) are synchronized when the sensor (16) of each medical device detects a peak of the vital sign function. At this moment, internal clocks of each medical device (121, 122, . . . , 12n) are zeroed and each internal timer starts counting time. Thus, the medical devices are loosely synchronized at approximately the same time. Each generated message (M) is timestamped with a send time (TSEND) generated by a time count. The generated timestamp (TSEND) of the message (M) is validated against a receive time (TRECEIVE) of the receiving medical device internal clock count. If the message (M) arrives out of the prespecified acceptance window, the message (M) is rejected by the receiving medical device.
US07777612B2
An apparatus and method for preventing theft in automotive vehicle service centers. The apparatus includes at least one portable tool and a controller. The portable tool includes circuitry configured to communicate with the controller. The portable tool further includes anti-theft circuitry, which is configured to disable the portable tool if no communication occurs between the portable tool and the controller for a predetermined time period.
US07777602B2
Tape-shaped superconducting wires, and a superconducting coil formed from said wires, wherein a plurality of electrically separated superconducting film parts, each having a rectangular cross section and arranged in parallel, form parallel conductors, providing superconducting wires capable of containing losses incurred in the presence of alternating current (A/C). A superconducting coil is made by winding the superconducting wires, wherein the coil structure contains at least a part wherein perpendicular interlinkage magnetic fluxes acting among conductor elements of the parallel conductors by the distribution of magnetic fields generated by the superconducting coils cancel mutually in order to contain circulating current within the wires and to make shunt current uniform, thereby providing a low-loss A/C superconducting coil.
US07777600B2
The present invention is directed to an inductively driven electromagnetic linear actuator arrangement employing eddy currents induced by a fixed drive coil to drive its armature. Eddy current focusing fields are employed to direct the eddy currents using Lorentz forces to maximize armature speed. The armature includes a shorted driven coil in a DC magnetic field. This can be supplied by a permanent magnet. When current is applied, a force is felt by the coil in a direction perpendicular to the magnetic field. Such an actuator is well suited for electrical switching applications including transfer switching applications, circuit breaker applications, and ground fault interrupter applications.
US07777597B2
Band reject filters are disclosed. A band reject filter includes a first acoustic resonator and a second acoustic resonator, each of which has either shunt resonators adapted to resonate substantially at respective resonance frequencies defining a rejection frequency band or series resonators adapted to anti-resonate substantially at respective anti-resonance frequencies defining the rejection frequency band. These resonators are connected through a phase shifter which imparts an impedance phase shift of approximately 45° to 135°. Exemplary applications of the band reject filters disclosed herein include implementation as an inter-stage band reject filter for a base station power amplifier for a wireless communication system, as a radio frequency band reject filter in a duplexer for a wireless communication terminal, and in a low noise amplifier input stage.
US07777594B2
For the cost effective implementation of negative-index refraction, an anisotropic hyperbolic planar metamaterial is provided. The material has a first set of substantially parallel, unloaded and coplanar transmission lines that are spaced with a periodicity dy. It has a second set of substantially parallel, unloaded and coplanar transmission lines that are spaced with a periodicity dx and are coplanar and substantially orthogonal with the first set of transmission lines. The periodicities of the first set and second set of transmission lines are governed by the relationship βx(fr)dx+βy(fr)dy=2π, where: βx and βy are the intrinsic propagation constants of electromagnetic waves of frequency fr propagating along the first and second set of transmission lines, respectively.
US07777592B2
An antenna sharing device has a common signal terminal pair, a first terminal pair, a second terminal pair, a first filter, a second filter, a first inductor element, second inductor elements, third inductor elements. The second and third inductor elements have a plurality of inductor elements, respectively. An inductor element closest to the first terminal pair among the inductor elements included in the second inductor elements and an inductor element closest to the second terminal pair among the third inductor elements are arranged further away from the first inductor element than the other inductor elements included in the second and third inductor elements, or formed on a substrate different from a substrate on which the first inductor element is formed, or formed opposite to the first inductor element by sandwiching a shielding pattern.
US07777589B2
A balun transformer includes a first conductive pattern having one end provided as an input/output port of an unbalanced signal, a second conductive pattern electromagnetically coupled to the first conductive pattern and having both ends provided as input/output ports of a balanced signal, and a first variable capacitor connected between a ground part and a middle part of an electrical length of the second conductive pattern.
US07777584B2
The present invention provides a clock signal generator capable of reducing current consumption and stably outputting a clock signal early. When it is discriminated that the amplitude of an amplification oscillation signal obtained by amplifying an oscillation signal produced from a crystal oscillator according to a constant current value has exceeded threshold amplitude, the clock signal generator generates a clock signal, based on the amplification oscillation signal. When it is discriminated that the total number of clock pulses of the clock signal has exceeded a predetermined pulse number, the clock signal generator reduces the constant current value.
US07777582B2
A clock generator has a ring oscillator which has odd-numbered inverters connected in series, wherein an output of the inverter at a final stage is inputted into the inverter at a first stage to generate and output a clock signal, a frequency divider which receives the clock signal outputted from the ring oscillator, and divides frequency thereof for output, and a heater which is on-off controlled based on the output of the frequency divider and heats the ring oscillator when turned on.
US07777580B2
A coupled ring oscillator includes n ring oscillators (20) each including m inverter circuits (10), and a phase-coupling loop (40) in which m×n phase-coupling circuits (30), each of which couples signal phases at two points in a certain phase mode, are connected with each other to form a loop. Connection points at which the inverter circuits (10) are connected with each other and the connection points at which the phase-coupling circuits (30) are connected with each other are connected bijectively; and each of the inverter circuits (10) is connected between two points that divide the phase-coupling circuits (30) into two parts at a certain ratio.
US07777572B2
Methods to implement low cost, high efficiency, low loss power combiner with novel matching circuits are disclosed. A narrow band power combiner enables a high power and high efficiency radio frequency power amplifier to be realized using multiple low voltage CMOS transistors or micro power amplifiers. The power combiner may be printed on a package substrate and realized either using single layer substrate through edge coupling or multiple layers substrate through broadside coupling. The micro power amplifiers may be fabricated using low voltage CMOS technology and electrical connections between the outputs from the micro power amplifiers and the power combiner may be provided through stud bumps in a flip chip technology. With the tunable matching circuits, the present invention allows the narrow band power combiner to be tuned to different frequencies.
US07777570B2
A transformer power combiner having a plurality of input ports and an output port is provided. The transformer power combiner includes a plurality of primary winding conductors and a plurality of secondary winding conductors. The primary winding conductors are electrically connected to the input ports, respectively; in addition, each of the primary winding conductors is electrically connected between a positive terminal and a negative terminal of a corresponding input port. The secondary winding conductors are magnetically coupled to the primary winding conductors, respectively. The secondary winding conductors are configured in a topology including series connection and parallel connection between a positive terminal and a negative terminal of the output port.
US07777565B2
A differential amplification circuit and a method corrects an offset voltage derived from a variance in resistances. With first and second input terminals brought to the same potential and set to a potential different from a reference potential, the resistance value of resistors is adjusted so that an output potential and the reference potential will be substantially equal to each other.
US07777559B2
To mitigate kickback noise effect, the present invention provides a reference voltage generator for an analog-to-digital converter circuit. The reference voltage generator includes a bias generator, a bias converter and an output unit. The bias generator is used for generating a first bias voltage in accordance with a reference voltage. The bias converter is coupled to the bias generator and is used for converting the first bias voltage to a second bias voltage. The output unit is coupled to the bias converter and used for generating a first voltage to a load circuit in accordance with the second bias voltage.
US07777555B2
A temperature compensating circuit including a reference circuit, a transistor and a first circuit is provided. The reference circuit has a reference current and a resistance circuit, wherein the resistance circuit includes a first terminal receiving the reference current, a second terminal and a negative-temperature-coefficient resistor. The transistor has a drain, a source and a path disposed between the drain and the source, wherein the path of the transistor is connected in series with the resistance circuit, a gate of the transistor is electrically connected to the drain of the transistor and the second terminal of the resistance circuit, and the drain of the transistor produces a bias-voltage signal. The first circuit produces an output signal having a variable frequency in response to the bias-voltage signal, wherein the temperature compensating circuit utilizes the negative-temperature-coefficient resistor to compensate the variable frequency for a temperature change in the temperature compensating circuit.
US07777554B2
A temperature detector includes a plurality of temperature sensors each configured to generate a voltage signal in accordance with sensed temperature and output the voltage signal, a plurality of storage circuits corresponding to the respective temperature sensors and each configured to store a signal level input to the storage circuit and output the stored signal level in response to a control signal, and a control circuit configured to exclusively select one of the voltage signals output from the respective temperature sensors, compare the selected voltage signal with a predetermined reference voltage, and store the selected voltage signal into the corresponding storage circuit sequentially in response to the control signal.
US07777537B2
Aspects of the present invention include a method, apparatus and device for generating a power on reset (POR) signal in relation to the crossing point of two currents wherein at least one current is a quadratic function and the other is a logarithmic function, where each has a mathematical correlation to a function of the power supply voltage.
US07777519B2
In one embodiment, an integrated circuit has a L-level permutable switching network (L-PSN) comprising L levels of intermediate conductors. The integrated circuit can be used in electronic devices, such as switching networks, routers, and programmable logic circuits, etc.
US07777514B2
The present invention implements a mechanism using an inter-connection layer to couple a plurality of integrated circuit devices to a printed circuit board, thereby eliminating the need for sockets to hold the integrated circuit devices on the printed circuit board. The mechanism of the present invention is operative for integrated circuit devices packaged in a ball grid array, a quad flat pack or a leadless quad flat pack. The present invention also provides a mechanism to efficiently transfer a plurality of integrated circuit devices from an integrated circuit device delivery tray to a burn-in board in a single process without requiring an autoloader, resulting in increased transfer reliability and both cost and space savings.
US07777509B2
A test apparatus and device under test has a probe that can be located very close to contact pads and that requires very few solder connections. In addition, the probe can be configured to meet any appropriate and desired electrical specification while still using a same circuit board. There is no need to attach discrete components to a circuit board. Thus, by using a configurable probe, a single circuit board may be used with multiple probes or a reconfigurable probe to test for compliance with a variety of different electrical specifications having different requirements.
US07777504B2
An apparatus for determining the electric properties of a sample. The apparatus includes a probe having an input, an output, and an effective resistance, inductance and/or capacitance dependent upon the properties of the sample; a pulse generator for producing pulses connected to the input of the probe, each pulse having a period of a sufficient duration to allow the probe to reach steady state; and a measuring device connected to the output of the probe and configured to output a representation of the sample properties based on the effective resistance, inductance and/or capacitance of the probe.
US07777503B2
Methods, systems and devices are described for determining a measurable capacitance for proximity detection in a sensor having a plurality of sensing electrodes and at least one guarding electrode. A charge transfer process is executed for at least two executions. The charge transfer process includes applying a pre-determined voltage to at least one of the plurality of sensing electrodes using a first switch, applying a first guard voltage to the at least one guarding electrode using a second switch, sharing charge between the at least one of the plurality of sensing electrodes and a filter capacitance, and applying a second guard voltage different from the first guard voltage to the at least one guarding electrode. A voltage is measured on the filter capacitance for a number of measurements equal to at least one to produce at least one result to determine the measurable capacitance for proximity detection.
US07777501B2
Methods, systems and devices are described for detecting a measurable capacitance using sigma-delta charge transfer techniques that can be implemented with many standard microcontrollers, and can share components to reduce device complexity and improve performance. In the various implementations of this embodiment, the passive network used to accumulate charge can be shared between multiple measurable capacitances. A switch or IO controlling the charge sharing and/or charge changing can also be shared Likewise, in various implementations a voltage conditioning circuit configured to provide a variable reference voltage can be shared between multiple measurable capacitances. Finally, in various implementations a guarding electrode configured to guard the measurable capacitances can be shared between multiple measurable capacitances. In each of these cases, sharing components can reduce device complexity and improve performance.
US07777497B2
Embodiments describe methods of correcting S-parameter measurements for a DUT. The method includes coupling at least one tracking module associated with a set of electrical standards to a S-parameter measurement device to form a test system. An initial calibration for the test system is then determined. This may include measuring the S-parameters of the electrical standards, generating a calibration along a calibration plane, generating a calibration along a correction plane and determining at least one error adapter from the calibrations. The DUT is coupled to the test system and the S-parameters of the DUT are measured. Changes in the initial calibration are tracked using the tracking modules. Tracking may include measuring the S-parameters of the electrical standards, generating a correction plane calibration and generating a corrected calibration plane calibration from the correction plane calibration and the error adapter(s). The measured S-parameters are corrected using the tracked changes.
US07777491B2
A magnetic resonance coil system 18 allows for the use of modular components and which in one embodiment is particularly well-suited for use with small animals and includes an animal receiving apparatus 202, a transmit coil module 204, and a receive coil module 206. The receive coil module 206 includes a cryogenic receive coil. The coil system 18 is selectively insertable in the bore of the gradient coil of a magnetic resonance examination system.
US07777485B2
The present technique provides a novel method and apparatus for magnetic resonance device tracking. In one aspect of the present technique, a plurality of magnetic resonance tracking signals are acquired in response to a corresponding plurality of pulse sequences, wherein the plurality of magnetic resonance tracking signals are acquired from a tracking coil mounted in a device. A location value is also determined for each pulse sequence to produce a plurality of location values. Further, a candidate location value of the plurality of location values for replacement, an off-resonance error value for the plurality of magnetic resonance tracking signals, and a replacement location value based on the off-resonance error value are determined. The location of the device is also determined based on the plurality of location values, wherein the candidate location value was replaced in the plurality of location values with the replacement location value.
US07777479B2
A current detector with variable output voltage level. The current detector includes an operational amplifier, an adjusting circuit, a load circuit for detecting current running therethrough, and a clamping circuit. The operational amplifier includes a non-inverting input, an inverting input, and an output. The operational amplifier is connected to an antenna power supply and ground. The adjusting circuit is coupled to the inverting input. The load circuit has one end is coupled to the antenna power supply, and the other end coupled to the non-inverting input. The other end of the load circuit is also a detecting node. The non-inverting input is a detecting node. The clamping circuit, coupled to the output of the operational amplifier, clamps the output voltage level of the operational amplifier to a predetermined range. When the detecting node floats, the output voltage level of the clamping circuit is at logic high.
US07777477B2
A frequency characteristic measuring circuit is disclosed, which includes a first diode element having differential input nodes and differential output nodes, thermally coupled to a resistance element of a differential amplifying circuit having the resistance element connected between the differential output nodes, and driven by a first constant current source, a second diode element for reference driven by a second constant current source, and a detection circuit which detects a potential difference between forward voltages of the first and second diode elements to output a signal in accordance with the detected potential difference.
US07777473B2
A DC-DC converter prevents through current from flowing in an output transistor. A first transistor receives an input voltage. A second transistor is connected to the first transistor. A comparator is connected to the second transistor. The comparator detects current flowing through a choke coil based on the potential difference between two terminals of the second transistor to generate a switching control signal for turning the second transistor on and off. The second transistor and the comparator form an ideal diode. A control circuit of the DC-DC converter generates an activation signal for turning the first transistor on and off based on a pulse signal to keep an output voltage constant. A through current prevention pulse generation circuit generates a pulse signal for turning off the second transistor from before the first transistor is turned on to after the first transistor is turned on.
US07777466B2
A voltage regulator integrated in a chip of semiconductor material is provided. The regulator has a first input terminal for receiving a first voltage and an output terminal for providing a regulated voltage being obtained from the first voltage, the regulator including: a differential amplifier for receiving a comparison voltage and a feedback signal being a function of the regulated voltage, and for proving a regulation signal according to a comparison between the comparison voltage and the feedback signal, the differential amplifier having a first supply terminal being coupled with a reference terminal for receiving a reference voltage and a second supply terminal, a regulation transistor having a control terminal for receiving the regulation signal, and a conduction first terminal and a conduction second terminal being coupled through loading means between the reference terminal and the first input terminal of the regulator, the second terminal of the regulation transistor being coupled with the output terminal of the regulator, wherein the second supply terminal of the differential amplifier is coupled with a second input terminal of the regulator for receiving a second voltage being lower than the first voltage in absolute value, and wherein the regulator further includes a set of auxiliary transistors being connected in series between the second terminal of the regulation transistor and the output terminal of the regulator, and control means for controlling the auxiliary transistors according to the regulated voltage.
US07777460B2
A multi-phase converter has a plurality of switching circuits each controlled by a phase controller and each providing a switched output voltage to an output node of the converter. Each switching circuit sequentially provides a switched output voltage to the output node at which an output voltage of the converter is developed. A clock circuit provides a plurality of out of phase clock signals to determine when each switching circuit provides the switched voltage to the output node. Each switching circuit is connected across a DC bus voltage. A first error amplifier compares a first signal proportional to the output voltage of the converter at the output node with a second signal comprising a first reference voltage and produces a first error signal. A PWM generator compares the first error signal with a third signal comprising a ramp signal from a ramp signal generator circuit and produces a pulse width modulated signal to control the on-times of a switch of the connected switching circuit. A current share adjusting circuit has a current sense amplifier for each switching circuit sensing the output current provided by each switching circuit, and provides a signal proportional to the sensed output current.
US07777458B2
A Single Ended Primary Inductance Converter (SEPIC) fed BUCK converter includes: a first switch configured to open or close according to a first signal; a SEPIC portion coupled to the first switch and coupled to an energy source, the SEPIC portion comprising a first set of one or more passive components; a BUCK converter portion coupled to the first switch, the BUCK converter portion comprising a second set of one or more passive components. While the first switch is closed, the SEPIC portion is configured to store energy from an energy source in at least some of the first set of passive components and deliver energy to the BUCK portion, and the BUCK converter portion is configured to deliver energy to a load and to store energy in at least some of the second set of passive components. While the first switch is open, the SEPIC portion is configured to deliver at least some of its stored energy to the load, and the BUCK converter portion is configured to deliver at least some of its stored energy to the load.
US07777451B2
A rechargeable battery, battery set or battery pack having a circuit or a plurality of circuits for providing self-discharging thereof electrically connected in parallel are used to form rechargeable battery assemblies and electric power supply systems for use in electric and hybrid vehicles and the like.
US07777447B2
A system and method, in certain embodiments, adjusts a charging output based on capabilities of various power sources. The system and method may be used to charge a variety of equipment such as welders, cutters, induction heaters, tools and so forth. For example, a charging circuit configured to change an output charge level based upon capabilities of multiple power sources configured to be coupled to the charging circuit. In some embodiments, the system and method may test the capabilities of the various power sources by evaluating an actual output versus a commanded output, and reduce the commanded output if the actual output falls below a desired level.
US07777445B2
An electronic apparatus comprises an electronic apparatus main body and a remote control device for operating the electronic apparatus main body via wireless communications. The remote control device includes a device battery providing drive power supply to the remote control device. The electronic apparatus main body includes a main body battery. Excess energy, such as heat, generated when the electronic apparatus main body is driven is converted into electric power. A charge control circuit causes the main body battery to be charged with the electric power produced from the excess energy. When the remote control device is housed in the container unit, the charge control circuit causes the device battery to be charged by the main body battery. The remote control device can be reliably and easily charged, and the remote control device and the electronic apparatus main body can be easily managed.
US07777444B2
In a travel-driving mechanism for a self-propelled working machine such as a self-propelled lawn mower travels by using power of an electric motor 30, the torque of a driving shaft 50, which is driven by the power of the electric motor 30 through a power transmission unit 40, is transmitted to travel-driving wheels 7 through two-way or bi-directional clutches 55 provided at both ends of the driving shaft 50. Power transmission units 61, 62 are provided between the bi-directional clutch 55 and the driving wheels 7. A travel control unit 70 is provided to input an instruction signal produced by the operation of a travel operation member 66, which is operated by the operator, and to control the electric motor 30. When a travel stop signal produced by the operation of the travel operation member 86 is input to the travel control unit 70, short-circuit stop (short-circuit braking) occurs while electric power is being supplied to the electric motor 30, and the driving shaft 50 connected to the electric motor 30 stops. Since the travel driving wheels 7 rotate due to inertia, the bi-directional clutches 55 are brought into disengaged state. The operator can thus easily pull and push the working machine after the travel by the driving source or after the stop thereof, by using a simple structure in which the bi-directional clutch is used for transmitting travel power.
US07777443B2
An energy saving service includes: a service contract conclusion step in which a service contract is concluded with a customer who has purchased or will purchase a product with a permanent magnet motor; a driving device provision step in which a driving device which can drive a permanent magnet motor with any specifications is provided on the basis of the service contract; and a product upgrade step in which the driving device drives the permanent magnet motor so as to improve the performance of the product with the permanent magnet motor, thereby upgrading the product with the permanent magnet motor.
US07777442B2
A method of controlling the speed of an electric motor, said method being a digital method designed to control the speed of an induction motor that is powered by a triac device to a preset speed, in which the speed of the motor is measured and a digital numerical value representative of the mathematical first derivative of motor speed is calculated. A determination is made of the digital numerical value of the motor speed first derivative relative to a range, or band, of values. An error signal also is computed that is proportional to the error between the measured current motor speed and the preset speed and a determination is made of the digital numerical value of this error signal relative to a range, or band, of values that includes a value corresponding to that of the motor operating at the preset speed. If the value of each of the two signals is within its respective band, then the two numerical values are added to produce a total error signal whose value is then converted to a signal to a signal to correct the triac triggering angle to that needed to obtain the preset motor speed.
US07777439B2
In a method for determining a gradient-limited setpoint torque from a requested setpoint drive torque and a controller setpoint torque of a closed-loop speed control, the gradient of an unlimited cumulative setpoint torque, which is a function of the requested setpoint drive torque and the controller setpoint torque of the closed-loop speed control, is limited in a region of the zero crossing of the gradient-limited setpoint torque by a rate-of-change limitation to a maximally permitted or a minimally permitted value. The maximally permitted or the minimally permitted value of the rate-of-change limitation is a function of the controller setpoint torque of the closed-loop speed control.
US07777433B2
The power converter for solving the above-described problem has a module section and a drive section for operating the module section. The drive section has a drive circuit. The drive circuit is provided so as to correspond to the first semiconductor element which is one of the semiconductor elements comprising the parallel circuit; wherein drive signals for operating the first semiconductor element are output. The drive signals that are output from the drive circuit are electrically branched and output to a second semiconductor element which is a separate semiconductor element from the first semiconductor element of the semiconductor elements comprising the parallel circuit. As a result, the second semiconductor element receives the branched drive signals and operates in the same manner as the first semiconductor element.Thereby, a motor converter favorable for control large current at a low cost is provided.
US07777431B2
A driving apparatus and a driving method are disclosed that are capable of uniformly lighting each entire fluorescent tube irrespective of the length or number of fluorescent tubes when simultaneously driving a plurality of fluorescent tubes in a fluorescent tube lighting apparatus. When two inverter circuits having respective transformers are provided at both ends of a fluorescent tube to light the fluorescent tube by push-pull driving, feedback windings of transformers not used in self-excited oscillation of each inverter circuit are connected together, with the transformer connection that connects together the feedback windings being either in-phase or in opposite phase, and the method of connection for fluorescent tubes connecting to secondary windings of each transformer can be changed in accordance with that connection method.
US07777422B2
A DC/DC converter device according to the present invention includes a plurality of resonant DC/DC converters connected in parallel, and a timing control circuit driving the plurality of resonant DC/DC converters at substantially the same frequency with a phase shift.
US07777419B2
A plasma display panel is provided with a front substrate and a rear substrate disposed facing each other, and an electromagnetic wave shielding layer disposed between the front substrate and the rear substrate.
US07777412B2
A light source having a first die with an LED thereon, a substrate, a base layer and a first phosphor layer is disclosed. The first die is characterized by a top surface, a bottom surface and a light generation region at a height above the bottom surface. The substrate includes a depression in which the first die is mounted. The base layer fills the depression in the substrate to a height greater than half the distance from the bottom surface of the first die to the top surface of the first die and less than the light generation height of the first die. The first phosphor layer includes a first light converting material that converts light emitted by the first die to light of a different wavelength. The first phosphor layer is in direct contact with the base layer and covers the first die.
US07777391B2
An armature including magnetic cores arranged on a surface of a plate, coils provided around the magnetic cores, and a magnetic material plate having a plurality of first magnetic members is characterized in that the magnetic material plate is attached to a surface on the opposite side to a surface where the magnetic cores and the plate come in contact, a gap is provided between each of the first magnetic members adjacent to each other, and the area of a surface where the first magnetic members come in contact with the magnetic cores is larger than the area of a surface where the magnetic cores come in contact with the first magnetic members.
US07777377B2
The present invention relates to a magnetic propulsion motor comprising a magnetic drive assembly comprising a drive magnet, a rotating hub, and a motion magnet attached to the rotating hub to rotate the motion magnet proximate to the magnetic drive assembly. A driving force is applied to the magnetic drive assembly, which causes the drive magnet to rotate to a position proximal to the motion magnet when the motion magnet is in a position proximate to the magnetic drive assembly. This arrangement exerts a repelling force on the motion magnet from the drive magnet as the motion magnet rotates away from the magnetic drive assembly. The rotation of the drive magnet also rotates the drive magnet to a position distal to the motion magnet as the motion magnet approaches the position proximate to the magnet drive assembly thereby minimizes the repelling force exerted on the motion magnet from the drive magnet as the motion magnet rotates towards the magnetic drive assembly.
US07777376B2
A driving circuit board assembly for a motor includes a plurality of driving circuit boards having a plurality of faces for mounting a plurality of electronic elements thereon. The driving circuit boards are stacked in an axial direction of a motor. Two of the driving circuit boards adjacent to each other are spaced by a conductive connecting member that is in electrical connection with the two driving circuits.
US07777369B2
An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising at least one anti-parallel pair VVC network comprised of two parallel VVCs with one biased in the opposite polarity of the other and at least one anti-series VVC network comprised of two VVCs configured in series, one biased in the opposite polarity of the other such that the resulting AC capacitive variations produce a desired capacitance variation.
US07777359B1
An electrical generating system includes a shaft connected to a pair of electrical generators through unidirectional gear boxes so as to alternatingly generate electricity in the respective generators during oscillating rotation of the shaft. The shaft is rotated by the rise and fall of a pair of tanks connected by a chain trained over a sprocket on the shaft. A reversible pump transfers water or other liquid between the tanks which fall as liquid is supplied to the tanks. Springs beneath the tanks provide a restoring force to provide enhanced efficiency in the up and down movement of the tanks. Thus, each falling tank generates electricity via the rotating sprocket in the respective generators.
US07777358B2
A power turbine speed control system for a turbo-shaft type gas turbine engine that has a gas generator compressor spool and a power turbine spool and drives an electrical generator that powers at least one electrical load by way of at least one electrical bus, comprises a power turbine controller that senses the rotary speed of the power turbine spool and generates at least one signal that changes the torque of the electrical generator in response to the sensed change in the rotary speed of the power turbine spool.
US07777356B2
A modified polyaluminosiloxane obtained by treating a polyaluminosiloxane with a silane coupling agent represented by the formula (I): wherein each of R1, R2 and R3 is independently an alkyl group or an alkoxy group; X is a methacryloxy group, a glycidoxy group, an amino group, a vinyl group or a mercapto group, with proviso that at least two of R1, R2 and R3 are alkoxy groups. The photosemiconductor element encapsulating material of the present invention is suitably used for, for example, photosemiconductor devices mounted with blue or white LED elements (backlights for liquid crystal displays, traffic lights, outdoor big displays, advertisement sign boards, and the like).
US07777345B2
A semiconductor device having a through electrode and a method of fabricating the same are disclosed. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device includes a first insulating layer formed on a semiconductor substrate. A wiring layer having a first aperture to expose a portion of the first insulating layer is formed on the first insulating layer. A second insulating layer is formed on an upper portion of the wiring layer and in the first aperture. A conductive pad having a second aperture to expose a portion of the second insulating layer is formed on the second insulating layer. A through hole with a width narrower than widths of the first and second apertures is formed through the first and second insulating layers and an upper portion of the semiconductor substrate. A through electrode is formed in the through hole.
US07777335B2
A wiring structure having a wiring-terminal-connection adhesive that includes a curing agent capable of generating a free radical upon heating, a radically polymerizable substance and silicone particles.
US07777319B2
A three-dimensional semiconductor device, comprising: a first module layer having a plurality of circuit blocks; and a second module layer positioned substantially above the first module layer, including a plurality of configuration circuits; and a third module layer positioned substantially above the second module layer, including a plurality of circuit blocks; wherein, the configuration circuits in the second module control a portion of the circuit blocks in the first and third module layers.
US07777305B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide a nitride semiconductor device with low parasitic resistance by lowering barrier height to reduce contact resistance at an interface of semiconductor and metal. The nitride semiconductor device includes a GaN layer, a device isolation layer, an ohmic electrode, an n-type Al0.25Ga0.75N layer, a sapphire substrate, and a buffer layer. A main surface of the n-type Al0.25Ga0.75N layer is on (0 0 0 1) plane as a main surface, and concaves are arranged in a checkerboard pattern on the surface. The ohmic electrode contacts the sides of the concaves of the n-type Al0.25Ga0.75N layer, and the sides of the concaves are on non-polar surfaces such as (1 1 −2 0) plane or (1 −1 0 0) plane.
US07777299B2
Integrated circuit devices include a semiconductor substrate and a flux line generating passive electronic element on the semiconductor substrate. A dummy gate structure is arranged on the semiconductor substrate in a region below the passive electronic element. The dummy gate includes a plurality of segments, each segment including a first longitudinally extending part and a second longitudinally extending part. The second longitudinally extending part extends at an angle from an end of the first longitudinally extending part. Ones of the segments extend at a substantially same angle and are arranged displaced from each other in an adjacent nested relationship.
US07777288B2
In a temperature sensor section of a semiconductor integrated circuit device, wires of the topmost wiring layer of a multi-layer wiring structure are formed. A sheet-like temperature monitor element of vanadium oxide is provided between two of the wires in such a way as to cover the two wires. Accordingly, the temperature monitor element is connected between the two wires of an underlying wiring layer of the multi-layer wiring structure through two vias and the two wires of the topmost wiring layer.
US07777277B2
The present invention provides a dual triggered silicon controlled rectifier (DTSCR) including: a semiconductor substrate, an N-well, a P-well, a first N+ diffusion region and a first P+ diffusion region, a second N+ diffusion region and a second P+ diffusion region; a third P+ diffusion region, positioned in one side of the DTSCR and across the N-well and the P-well; a third N+ diffusion region, positioned in another side of the DTSCR and across the N-well and the P-well; a first gate, positioned above the N-well between the second and the third P+ diffusion regions, utilized as a P-type trigger node to receive a first trigger current or a first trigger voltage; and a second gate, positioned above the P-well between the first and the third N+ diffusion regions, utilized as an N-type trigger node to receive a second trigger current or a second trigger voltage.
US07777270B2
It is made possible to provide a memory device that can be made very small in size and have a high capacity while being able to effectively suppress short-channel effects. A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes: a first insulating film formed on a semiconductor substrate; a semiconductor layer formed above the semiconductor substrate so that the first insulating film is interposed between the semiconductor layer and the semiconductor substrate; a NAND cell having a plurality of memory cell transistors connected in series, each of the memory cell transistors having a gate insulating film formed on the semiconductor layer, a floating gate formed on the gate insulating film, a second insulating film formed on the floating gate, and a control gate formed on the second insulating film; a source region having an impurity diffusion layer formed in one side of the NAND cell; and a drain region having a metal electrode formed in the other side of the NAND cell.
US07777265B2
A semiconductor device having a contact barrier for insulating contacts with a large aspect ratio and having a fine pitch between adjacent conductive lines and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The semiconductor device includes a buried contact formed in a region between two adjacent first conductive lines and two adjacent second conductive lines. Insulating lines define a width of the buried contact. To form the contact barrier, an interlayer dielectric layer formed on the second conductive lines is patterned to form a space and an insulating line having an etching ratio different from the interlayer dielectric layer is formed in the space. The interlayer dielectric layer is selectively wet etched relative to an insulating layer covering the second conductive line and the first insulating line to form buried contact hole. The buried contact hole is filled with conductive material to form a buried contact.
US07777263B2
To provide a semiconductor integrated circuit device capable of increasing a capacitor capacitance. A semiconductor integrated circuit device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes: a circuit element formed on a semiconductor substrate; and capacitors formed on the semiconductor substrate and including: a lower capacitance electrode formed of a lower wiring line connected to the circuit element; a capacitance insulating film covering an upper surface and a side surface of the lower wiring line; and an upper capacitance electrode formed on the capacitance insulating film, the lower capacitance electrode including at least one of a power supply line and a ground line formed of the lower wiring line.
US07777262B2
An interlayer insulating film made of insulating material is formed on a semiconductor substrate. A hydrogen diffusion barrier film is formed on the interlayer insulating film, the hydrogen diffusion barrier film being made of material having a higher hydrogen diffusion barrier function than a hydrogen diffusion barrier function of material of the interlayer insulating film. The semiconductor substrate formed with the interlayer insulating film and hydrogen diffusion barrier film is thermally treated. In the process of forming the interlayer insulating film, the interlayer insulating film is formed under the condition that a moisture content becomes 5×10−3 g/cm3 or lower. Even if annealing is performed after the hydrogen diffusion barrier film is formed, a crack is hard to be formed in the underlying interlayer insulating film.
US07777258B2
Recessed gate transistor structures and methods for making the same prevent a short between a gate conductive layer formed on a non-active region and an active region by forming an insulation layer therebetween, even though a misalignment is generated in forming a gate. The method and structure reduce the capacitance between gates. The method includes forming a device isolation film for defining an active region and a non-active region, on a predetermined region of a semiconductor substrate. First and second insulation layers are formed on an entire face of the substrate. A recess is formed in a portion of the active region. A gate insulation layer is formed within the recess, and then a first gate conductive layer is formed within the recess. A second gate conductive layer is formed on the second insulation layer and the first gate conductive layer. Subsequently, source/drain regions are formed.
US07777257B2
A low leakage bipolar Schottky diode (20, 40, 87) is formed by parallel lightly doped N (32, 52, 103) and P (22, 42, 100) regions adapted to form superjunction regions. First ends of the P regions (22, 42, 100) are terminated by P+ layers (21, 41, 121) and second, opposed ends of the N regions (32, 52, 103) are terminated by N+ layers (31, 51, 131). Silicide layers (24, 34, 44, 54, 134, 124) are provided in contact with both ends of the parallel N and P regions (22, 32, 42, 52, 100, 103), thereby forming at the first end ohmic contacts (28, 48) with the P+ regions (21, 41, 121) and Schottky contacts (37, 57) with the N regions 32, 52, 103) and at the second, opposite end, ohmic contacts (38, 58) with the N+ regions (31, 51, 131) and Schottky contacts (27, 47) with the P regions (22, 42, 100). When forward biased current flows in both N (32, 52) and P (22, 42) regions thereby reducing the forward drop. When reverse biased, a substantial portion of the voltage is dropped across the lightly doped N (32, 52) and P (22, 42) superjunction regions, thereby significantly reducing the reverse leakage.
US07777256B2
A mask read-only memory (ROM) device, which can stably output data, includes an on-cell and an off-cell. The on-cell includes an on-cell gate structure on a substrate and an on-cell junction structure within the substrate. The off-cell includes an off-cell gate structure on the substrate and an off -cell junction structure within the substrate. The on-cell gate structure includes an on-cell gate insulating film, an on-cell gate electrode and an on-cell gate spacer. The on-cell junction structure includes first and second on-cell ion implantation regions of a first polarity and third and fourth on-cell ion implantation regions of a second polarity. The off-cell gate structure includes an off-cell gate insulating film, an off-cell gate electrode and an off-cell gate spacer. The off-cell junction structure includes first and second off-cell ion implantation regions of the first polarity and a third off-cell ion implantation region of the second polarity.
US07777243B2
A light emitting device includes: a die-mounting base having a mounting surface; a light emitting diode mounted on the mounting surface of the die-mounting base and having a top surface facing in a normal direction normal to the mounting surface of the die-mounting base; a first wavelength-converting layer of a first wavelength-converting material formed on the mounting surface of the die-mounting base, enclosing the light emitting diode, and having a top surface; and a second wavelength-converting layer of a second wavelength-converting material formed on the top surface of the first wavelength-converting layer and having a top surface that is aligned with the top surface of the light emitting diode in the normal direction, and that has an area smaller than the top surface of the first wavelength-converting layer and not smaller than the top surface of the light emitting diode.
US07777242B2
A light emitting device which includes: a substrate; an n-type semiconductor layer which is composed of a nitride semiconductor, formed on the substrate and has an n-side electrode; a p-type semiconductor layer which is composed of a nitride semiconductor, and stacked above the n-type semiconductor layer; a light emitting layer which is disposed between the n-type semiconductor layer and the p-type semiconductor layer; a p-side electrode which is disposed on a transparent electrode formed on the p-side electrode in a light emitting area; a plurality of protrusions and depressions in an area other than the light emitting area; and an insulation film on an area except areas of the n-side electrode and the p-side electrode, wherein the n-side electrode and the p-side electrode are arranged on a same side of the substrate, wherein a thickness of the insulation film on a top of the protrusions and depressions is thicker than a thickness of the insulation film in the light emitting area.
US07777237B2
The invention provides a semiconductor light-emitting device package structure. The semiconductor light-emitting device package structure includes a substrate, N sub-mounts, and N semiconductor light-emitting die modules, wherein N is a positive integer lager than or equal to 1. Each of the sub-mounts is embedded on the substrate and exposed partially. Each of the semiconductor light-emitting die modules is mounted on the exposed surface of one of the sub-mounts.
US07777233B2
An optoelectronic device including two spaced apart electrodes; and at least one layer containing ternary core/shell nanocrystals disposed between the spaced electrodes and having ternary semiconductor cores containing a gradient in alloy composition and wherein the ternary core/shell nanocrystals exhibit single molecule non-blinking behavior characterized by on times greater than one minute or radiative lifetimes less than 10 ns.
US07777232B2
A display device having a first light-emitting element, a second light-emitting element, a constant current source, and an amplifier is provided. Each of the first light-emitting element and the second light-emitting element has a first layer including an organic compound and an inorganic compound and a second layer including a light-emitting substance, which are stacked between a pair of electrodes. The first layer is provided over the second layer. Alternatively, the second layer is provided over the first layer.
US07777231B2
A method for forming a thin film transistor on a substrate is disclosed. A gate electrode and a gate insulation layer are disposed on a surface of the substrate. A deposition process is performed by utilizing hydrogen diluted silane to form a silicon-contained thin film on the gate insulation layer first. A hydrogen plasma etching process is thereafter performed. The deposition process and the etching process are repeated for at least one time to form an interface layer. Finally, an amorphous silicon layer, n+ doped Si layers, a source electrode, and a drain electrode are formed on the interface layer.
US07777230B2
The present invention provides a display device having thin film transistors which can reduce an OFF current in spite of the extremely simple constitution. In the display device having thin film transistors on a substrate, each thin film transistor includes a gate electrode which is connected with a gate signal line, a semiconductor layer which is formed astride the gate electrode by way of an insulation film, a drain electrode which is connected with a drain signal line and is formed on the semiconductor layer, and a source electrode which is formed on the semiconductor layer in a state that the source electrode faces the drain electrode in an opposed manner, and a side of the drain electrode which faces the source electrode does not overlap the gate electrode as viewed in a plan view, and a side of the source electrode which faces the drain electrode does not overlap the gate electrode as viewed in a plan view.
US07777222B2
Nanotube device structures and methods of fabrication. A method of making a nanotube switching element includes forming a first structure having at a first output electrode; forming second structure having a second output electrode; forming a conductive article having at least one nanotube, the article having first and second ends; positioning the conductive article between said first and second structures such that the first structure clamps the first and second ends of the article to the second structure, and such that the first and second output electrodes are opposite each other with the article positioned therebetween; providing at least one signal electrode in electrical communication with the conductive article; and providing at least one control electrode in spaced relation to the conductive article such that the control electrode may control the conductive article to form a conductive pathway between the signal electrode and the first output electrode.
US07777212B2
Phase change memory devices include a heating electrode on a substrate and a phase change material pattern on the heating electrode. An adhesive pattern is disposed between the heating electrode and the phase change material pattern. The adhesive pattern contains carbon. Methods of fabricating phase change memory devices are also provided.
US07777210B2
The present invention is to provide a laser irradiation method for performing homogeneous laser irradiation to the irradiation object even when the thickness of the irradiation object is not even. In the case of irradiating the irradiation object having uneven thickness, the laser irradiation is performed while keeping the distance between the irradiation object and the lens for condensing the laser beam on the surface of the irradiation object constant by using an autofocusing mechanism. In particular, when the irradiation object is irradiated with the laser beam by moving the irradiation object relative to the laser beam in the first direction and the second direction of the beam spot formed on the irradiation surface, the distance between the irradiation object and the lens is controlled by the autofocusing mechanism before the irradiation object is moved in the first and second directions.
US07777208B2
A chemiluminescent system and device is disclosed wherein a first polymeric sheet having a shaped cavity therein is sealed around its periphery to a second polymeric sheet and the cavity contains a cured PVC plastisol having admixed an oxalate solution and finely divided semiconductor laser crystals and a sealed receptacle containing a liquid component of a chemiluminescent activator. Placed over the plastisol or container is a light filter having a dye or dyes, pigment or pigments compounded into the filter, the dyes or pigments are chosen from those that absorb certain parts of the spectrum such that all light emissions up to 1050 nm are absorbed and anything beyond 1050 nm is transmitted. The devices generate a chemiluminescent light at wavelengths chosen to stimulate the semiconductor laser crystals. The semiconductor laser crystals absorb the chemiluminescent light and re-emit energy at wavelengths in the IR. By choosing the proper light absorbing dyes or pigments in the filter element, the emitted wavelength(s) that the activated device emits can be between 1 micron and 2.5 microns but no visible light.
US07777193B2
The signal strength of communications of a cassette transmitter/receiver is set to be lower during transmission of confirmation image signals, that is, during readout of image signals from a radiation detector, than the signal strength of communications of the cassette transmitter/receiver at times other than during readout of image signals. This suppresses adverse influence imparted onto the image signals by wireless communication, and reduces the amount of noise generated in the image signals.
US07777189B2
A method for use in dirty isotope positron imaging uses information about a measured characteristic of an object (118) to generate a spurious coincidence correction. The spurious imaging correction is applied to data from a positron imaging examination of the object. The corrected data is used to generate a human readable image indicative of the object.
US07777181B2
The present invention is a device to restrict the sampling of analyte ions and neutral molecules from surfaces with mass spectrometry and thereby sample from a defined area or volume. In various embodiments of the present invention, a tube is used to sample ions formed with a defined spatial resolution from desorption ionization at or near atmospheric pressures. In an embodiment of the present invention, electrostatic fields are used to direct ions to either individual tubes or a plurality of tubes positioned in close proximity to the surface of the sample being analyzed. In an embodiment of the present invention, wide diameter sampling tubes can be used in combination with a vacuum inlet to draw ions and neutrals into the spectrometer for analysis. In an embodiment of the present invention, wide diameter sampling tubes in combination with electrostatic fields improve the efficiency of ion collection.
US07777169B2
A pixel cell in which a capacitance is coupled between a storage node and a row select transistor and another capacitance is coupled between a storage node and a voltage supply or ground source potential to boost a reset voltage.
US07777165B2
Methods and apparatus for systems having deployable elements according to various aspects of the present invention comprise a system including a deployable surface and an adaptive actuator including a polymer foam. In one embodiment, the system comprises a vehicle including a deployable wing comprising an exterior surface. The exterior surface may be adjusted by adjusting the shape, size, position, and/or orientation of the adaptive actuator.
US07777158B2
A steaming oven having a collector plate disposed in an oven chamber. A collector plate is disposed above a boiling water reservoir in the oven chamber. The collector plate has a drain tube inserted into an overfill tube. Waste material from the steam and food droppings is conveyed from the oven chamber via the drain tube and the overfill tube. A barrier shields one or more water level probes or sensors from water turbulence, thereby providing reliable water level sensing by the water level probes or sensors.
US07777157B2
A blanket warmer is disclosed. The blanket warmer is lightweight, portable, and consumes minimal power.
US07777148B2
A device for presorting separated thin postal items to sorting final position areas of a postal item sorting machine according to the read distributing information and to the assigned sorting final position area includes at least two inputs for streams of postal items and at least two outputs each leading to a sorting final position area. All connecting paths with intersections are provided in a multiple manner between each respective input and each respective output. The postal items are distributed via corresponding switches to the multiple connecting paths from an input to an output in such a manner that, at the intersections, gaps develop that are required for postal items in the intersecting path and in the junctions.
US07777139B2
A switching device is disclosed which includes a neutral conductor and arranged for opening and closing an electric circuit. The switching device includes a frame, through which the electric circuit's neutral conductor having a first end and a second end passes. The neutral conductor includes a movable middle portion that is arranged for breaking the neutral conductor inside the frame, the movable middle portion being movable with respect to the first and the second end of the neutral conductor and located between them.
US07777126B2
A thermoelectric device at least includes a ring-shaped insulated substrate and plural sets of thermoelectric thin film material pair (TEP) disposed thereon. The ring-shaped insulated substrate has an inner rim, an outer rim and a first surface. The sets of TEP electrically connected to each other are disposed on the first surface of the ring-shaped insulated substrate. Each set of TEP includes a P-type and an N-type thermoelectric thin film elements (TEE) electrically connected to each other. Also, the N-type TEE of each set is electrically connected to the P-type TEE of the adjacent set of TEP. When a current flows through the sets of TEP along a direction parallel to the surfaces of P-type and N-type thermoelectric thin film elements, a temperature difference is generated between the inner rim and the outer rim of the ring-shaped insulated substrate.
US07777125B2
A “Music Mapper” automatically constructs a set coordinate vectors for use in inferring similarity between various pieces of music. In particular, given a music similarity graph expressed as links between various artists, albums, songs, etc., the Music Mapper applies a recursive embedding process to embed each of the graphs music entries into a multi-dimensional space. This recursive embedding process also embeds new music items added to the music similarity graph without reembedding existing entries so long a convergent embedding solution is achieved. Given this embedding, coordinate vectors are then computed for each of the embedded musical items. The similarity between any two musical items is then determined as either a function of the distance between the two corresponding vectors. In various embodiments, this similarity is then used in constructing music playlists given one or more random or user selected seed songs or in a statistical music clustering process.
US07777124B2
A CPU of a game machine compares the predicted number of samples in a streaming reproduction and the actual number of samples during execution of the reproduction of sequence data of the BGM in a step S41 in response to a beat signal detected in a step S35. When the compared error is positive, it is considered that the reproduction of sequence data of the BGM lags behind to increase a tempo of the sequence data reproduction in a step S47. When the error is negative, it is considered that the MIDI reproduction leads to decrease the tempo of the sequence data reproduction in a step S49.
US07777123B2
A method for humanizing a music sequence (S), the music sequence (S) comprising a multitude of sounds (s1, . . . , sn) occurring on times (t1, . . . , tn) comprises the steps generating, for each time (ti) a random offset (oi), adding the random offset (oi) to the time (ti) in order to obtain a modified time (ti+oi); and outputting a humanized music sequence (S′) wherein each sound (si) occurs on the modified time (ti+oi). According to the invention, the power spectral density of the random offsets has the form 1 f α . wherein 0<α<2.
US07777122B2
An electronic device that receives a signal indicative of the sound made my a musical instrument in order to determine the instantaneous rate of play of melodic notes on that instrument in terms of notes played per second and display the rate in real time via a display. The regularity of the musician's rate of play is further indicated by the stability of the display reading. Individual sustained melodic notes are identified utilizing differential capacitance and circuit delay time constants to generate a voltage differential in response to a step signal. The device is also selectively operable as a conventional metronome to provide an exemplary sound cue to the musician corresponding to a given number of notes per second and convertible by a switch or foot pedal to monitor the musicians rate of play as he tries to match the demonstrated rate.
US07777113B1
A support for a practicing drum or electronic drum includes a pipe element with several stands. The pipe element is penetrated with a vertical bar. The support has a bar element whose both ends have first and second adjusting structures, respectively. The vertical bar goes through the first adjusting structure. The second adjusting structure has a side bar whose end is disposed with an instrument, such as drum or cymbal. The first and second adjusting structures enable the bar element and the side bar to change their orientations and positions. An instrument pedal is disposed underneath the pipe element. The instrument pedal and the pipe element are connected by a connecting structure to achieve firm positioning.
US07777112B2
A drumhead with an outer ring member anchored to the outer periphery of a drum and having a threaded interior surface. An inner ring member having a threaded exterior surface matingly threaded to the interior surface of the outer ring. Rotating the inner ring in a first direction relative to the outer ring, increases the tension exerted on the drum skin. Similarly, rotating the inner ring in a second direction relative to the outer ring decreases the tension exerted on the drum skin. Vertical pressure is exerted on the drum skin and drum ring when the inner ring is rotated in a first direction relative to the outer ring. Conversely, the pressure is released on the drum skin and the drum ring when the inner ring is rotated in a second direction relative to the outer ring.
US07777101B2
Provided is a method for screening a population of plants for the presence therein of individuals that show a reduced susceptibility to ethylene and physiological disorders, in particular Russet Spotting and Yellowing, as compared to a control plant, wherein a population of seeds is germinated in darkness and in the presence of ethylene to obtain seedlings that, when having a longer hypocotyl as compared to the original ethylene-sensitive control under ethylene, are selected as plants showing a reduced susceptibility to ethylene and physiological disorders, in particular Russet Spotting or Yellowing. Also provided are plants thus selected.
US07777099B2
The present invention describes a method of increasing plan yield. Also described are DNA constructs comprising DNA sequences coding for proteins involved in sucrose transport, metabolism and uptake operably linked to controllable promoter regions and plants transformed with said constructs. More particularly a method for the controlled production of said proteins resulting in an alteration in plant growth characteristics, flowering time and in yield is described.
US07777097B2
The invention relates to methods of producing plants with increased resistance to pathogen infection by expressing disease resistance genes in the plants and transgenic plants having enhanced pathogen resistance.
US07777095B2
An absorbent composition having a biodegradable absorbent polymer and a hydrophilic soft polymer surface modifying agent. The absorbent composition exhibits improved absorbency under load and gel bed permeability when subjected to an Absorbency Under Load Test and a Gel Bed Permeability Test, respectively. The absorbent composition can be made by combining a biodegradable absorbent polymer with an aqueous solution of a hydrophilic soft polymer and then drying the biodegradable absorbent polymer.
US07777091B2
The present invention relates to a polyurethane foam dressing material with improved moisturizing rate. More precisely, the present invention relates to a hydrophilic dressing material in which a wound contact layer (10) having a sponge structure composed of multiple open cells (12) and pores (15) passing through the cells (12) is laminated with a protective film (20). The lamination is characteristically performed at 150˜250° C. under a pressure of preferably 0.25˜1 kgf/cm2, the moisturizing rate of the wound contact layer (10) is 300˜1200% and the pore area (membrane opening) takes 10˜35% of the total cell area.The polyurethane foam dressing material of the present invention prevents the invasion of foreign materials, releases absorbed exudation after changing it into water vapor or arresting the absorbed exudation inside the foam to maintain constant moisturizing, has excellent exudation absorption capacity, has a wound healing effect resulting from not adhering to a wound, is easy to change, and enhances the wound healing effect by maintaining optimum moisturizing conditions resulting from the improved moisturizing rate.
US07777084B2
A process for the cyclopropanation of a substituted alkene, comprising the reaction of the alkene with a carbenoide, generated from dibromomethane and a tri-(C2-C8)-alkyl aluminium compound, in the presence of a catalytic amount of a metal compound selected from the group consisting of Lewis acids, metallocenes and metal carbonyl complexes. The process advantageously uses transition metal compounds as catalysts and the dibromomethane can be recovered.The process is especially useful for the preparation of ingredients for the flavour and fragrance industry.
US07777083B2
A process for the reduction of compounds comprising one or more carbon-oxygen (C═0) double bonds, to provide the corresponding alcohol, comprising contacting the compound with hydrogen gas at a pressure greater than 3 atm and a catalyst comprising an iridium aminodiphosphine complex.
US07777078B2
The present invention provides a copper electrolytic solution used to obtain a low-profile electrolytic copper foil with a low surface roughness on the rough side (the opposite side from the glossy side) in the production of an electrolytic copper foil using a cathode drum and, more particularly, to provide a copper electrolytic solution used to obtain an electrolytic copper foil that has excellent transmission loss characteristics at a high frequency, can be finely patterned, and has excellent elongation and tensile strength, both at ordinary and high temperatures. The copper electrolytic solution of the present invention contains (A) at least one quaternary amine salt selected from the group consisting of (a) quaternary amine salts obtained by a reaction between epichlorohydrin and an amine compound mixture composed of a secondary amine compound and a tertiary amine compound, and (b) polyepichlorohydrin quaternary amine salts, and (B) an organic sulfur compound.
US07777070B2
Acyloxyalkyl carbamate prodrugs of trans-4-(aminomethyl)-cyclohexanecarboxylic acid, pharmaceutical compositions thereof, methods of making prodrugs of trans-4-(aminomethyl)-cyclohexane-carboxylic acid, and methods of using prodrugs of trans-4-(aminomethyl)-cyclohexanecarboxylic acid and pharmaceutical compositions thereof to treat or prevent various diseases or disorders are disclosed. Acyloxyalkyl carbamate prodrugs of trans-4-(aminomethyl)-cyclohexanecarboxylic acid and pharmaceutical compositions thereof suitable for oral and topical administration and for administration using sustained release dosage forms are also disclosed.
US07777069B2
The present invention relates to novel compounds, methods of preparing these compounds, and pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds. These compounds are carbamate prodrugs that convert to active inhibitors of the IMPDH enzyme in vivo. The compounds and pharmaceutical compositions of this invention are particularly well suited for activation and subsequent inhibition of the IMPDH enzyme activity. Consequently, these prodrugs may be advantageously used as therapeutic agents for IMPDH mediated processes. This invention also relates to methods for inhibiting the activity of IMPDH using the compounds and compositions of this invention.
US07777054B2
A uretonimine-modified isocyanate composition has reduced color. The uretonimine-modified isocyanate composition comprises a polyisocyanate composition having two or more isocyanate groups and comprising 4,4′-diphenylmethane diisocyanate (MDI) and a catalyst for catalyzing a reaction of the isocyanate groups to form carbodiimides available for forming uretonimines and uretonimine oligomers. A first quenching agent partially quenches the reaction of the isocyanate groups to inhibit formation of the carbodiimides thereby inhibiting additional formation of uretonimines and uretonimine oligomers and a second quenching agent different than the first quenching agent quenches the reaction of the isocyanate groups to further inhibit formation of the carbodiimides thereby further inhibiting additional formation of uretonimines and uretonimine oligomers. A method of forming the uretonimine-modified isocyanate composition is also disclosed.
US07777053B2
A novel cost effective process for the synthesis of phosphate salts of 1-(9H-carbazol-4yloxy)-3-[[2-(2-methoxyphenoxy)ethyl]amino]-propan-2-ol, (carvedilol phosphate) of formula (II) with high yields and purity is disclosed. More particularly, the invention discloses a process for preparation of crystalline phosphate salts of carvedilol using various phosphate forming reagents such as phosphorous pentoxide, polyphosphoric acid, dipotassium hydrogen phosphate, ammonium dihydrogen ortho phosphate, and sodium dihydrogen ortho phosphate in solvents selected from Acetonitrile, acetone and tetrahydrofuran. The solvents used to prepare solvates of carvedilol dihydrogen phosphate are methanol, ethanol and isopropyl alcohol.
US07777050B2
Disclosed are compounds of the Formula I and pharmaceutically acceptable salts and prodrugs thereof, wherein W, R1, R2, R7, R8, R9 and R10 are as defined in the specification. Such compounds are MEK inhibitors and useful in the treatment of hyperproliferative diseases, such as cancer and inflammation, in mammals. Also disclosed is a method of using such compounds in the treatment of hyperproliferative diseases in mammals, and pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds.
US07777043B2
An object of the invention is to provide a charge transporting material having an excellent heat resistance, excellent filming properties, an excellent charge transporting ability, and excellent light-emitting characteristics and, also, to provide an organic electroluminescent element providing a high luminance and a highly luminous efficiency and having a long life.The invention relates to a charge transporting material comprising a compound having within the molecule two or more pyridine rings substituted at 2-, 4- and 6-positions thereof, which rings do not substantially conjugate each other (provided that the 3- and 5-positions of the pyridine rings may be substituted) and an organic electroluminescent element using the charge transporting material.
US07777042B2
A composition for binding FKBP proteins is disclosed, along with a method of treating conditions associated with neuronal degeneration, wherein said composition comprises a compound of formula I, wherein, R, R1, R2, R3 and X are as defined herein.
US07777038B2
The present invention provides a carbostyril compound represented by General Formula (1) or a salt thereof, wherein A is a direct bond, a lower alkylene group, or a lower alkylidene group; X is an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom; R4 and R5 each represent a hydrogen atom; the bond between the 3 and 4 positions of the carbostyril skeleton is a single bond or a double bond; R1 is a hydrogen atom, etc; R2 is a hydrogen atom, etc; and R3 is a hydrogen atom, etc. The carbostyril compound or salt thereof of the present invention induces the production of TFF, and thus is usable for the treatment and/or prevention of disorders such as alimentary tract diseases, oral diseases, upper respiratory tract diseases, respiratory tract diseases, eye diseases, cancers, and wounds.
US07777037B2
A process for preparing ziprasidone having low levels of keto ziprasidone and hydroxy ziprasidone impurities.
US07777033B2
The present invention relates to a monomer with anti-microbial characteristics, a polymeric compound with anti-microbial characteristics using the same, and manufacturing methods thereof, and more particularly, to an antimicrobial monomer comprising a saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon having a polymerizable functional group within its structure according to formula (1) in which the respective moieties have the meanings defined in the following specification. Also, the present invention provides a polymeric compound using the above antimicrobial monomer, a manufacturing method thereof, and a polymeric resin composition. The compounds according to the present invention have durable antimicrobial activity and high heat resistance, they do not give rise to toxicity when added to conventional resins by not eluting the antimicrobial compounds, and they do not have an effect on the properties of molded products.
US07777029B2
The present invention relates to a method for preparing a bifunctional chelator for lanthanide. The method comprises the steps of providing a starting material which has an amino and carboxyl group; protecting the amino with an amino protecting group and the carboxyl with a carboxyl protecting group to produce a protected compound; reacting the protected compound with cyclen to generate a monoalkylated cyclen; reacting the monoalkylated cyclone with an activated compound to generated tetra-alkylated cyclone; removing the amino protecting group with a first protecting group removal reagent; and removing the carboxyl protecting groups with a second protecting group removal reagent to yield a bifunctional chelator having three more carboxyl groups and one or more amino groups.
US07777020B2
This invention encompasses an env nucleic acid product produced by a process comprising providing a sample containing HIV-1 nucleic acid and amplifying the nucleic acid using primer pairs.
US07777015B2
The present invention is directed to a cytochrome P-450 gene cluster involved in the cleavage of ether fuel additives. More especially, the present invention pertains to the nucleic add sequence of genes responsible for the biodegradation of ethyl tert-butyl ether (ETBE) in Rhodococcus ruber, and to several applications ensuing from the knowledge of this sequence, such as probes and biosensors for detecting a pollution by an ether fuel, and for assessing the potential of a contaminated soil to cleave said ether fuel. The invention also pertains to methods for rendering a cell able to cleave ether fuel additives, and to recombinant bacteria useful for ether fuel depollution of a contaminated effluent.
US07776993B2
A reworkable thermoset epoxy-containing material that allows for a reworkable assembly such as a reworkable waferlevel underfilled microelectronic package. A method for using the reworkable thermoset material in the formation of a microelectronic package using this material.
US07776992B2
A polychloroprene latex composition which has a low viscosity and which can be made to have a high solid content, obtained by emulsion polymerization of chloroprene alone or chloroprene and a monomer copolymerizable with chloroprene in the presence of a polyvinyl alcohol and a nonionic emulsifier, such as polyoxyethylene alkyl ether.
US07776982B2
There is provided a surface treatment agent which comprises a fluoropolymer having repeating units derived from a fluorine-containing monomer of the formula: wherein (a) the fluoropolymer contains a silicon atom, and/or (b) the surface treatment agent contains a fluorine-free polymer which is different from the fluoropolymer and which is a silicon-containing polymer. The surface treatment agent imparts excellent water- and oil-repellency and soil resistance to textiles while retaining the feeling of the textiles, even if the surface treatment agent contains a fluorine-containing acrylate polymer substituted at its α-position by a fluorine atom, a chlorine atom or the like.
US07776978B2
A process for producing a 1-butene polymer comprising the step of polymerizing 1-butene in the presence of a catalyst system obtainable by contacting: b) at least a metallocene compound of formula (Ia) in the meso or meso-like form: wherein M is an atom of a transition metal p is an integer from 0 to 3, X, same or different, is a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, or a hydrocarbon group. L is a divalent C1-C40 hydrocarbon radical R1 and R2, equal to or different from each other, are C1-C40 hydrocarbon radicals; T, equal to or different from each other, is a moiety of formula (IIa), (IIb) or (IIc): wherein R3 and R5 are a C1-C40 hydrocarbon radical; R4 and R6, equal to or different from each other, are hydrogen atoms or C1-C40 hydrocarbon radicals and R7 and R8, equal to or different from each other, are hydrogen atoms or C1-C40 hydrocarbon radicals b) at least a metallocene compound of formula (Ib) in the racemic (rac) or racemic-like form c) an alumoxane or a compound capable of forming an alkyl metallocene cation.
US07776973B2
The invention relates to a process for the catalytic polymerization of olefins, wherein olefins are contacted with a particulate catalyst in a fluidized bed and in a moving bed such that the residence time in the fluidized bed and the residence time in the moving bed are independently controlled, to a reactor system comprising a fluidized bed reactor provided with a reactant inlet, a product outlet and means for maintaining a fluidized bed in the fluidized bed reactor and with a moving bed reactor provided with an inlet directly connected to the fluidized bed reactor and an outlet connected to the fluidized bed reactor such that the residence time in the fluidized bed reactor and the residence in the moving bed reactor are independently controlled, and to its use for the catalytic polymerization of olefins.
US07776972B2
A phosphine-based polymer having Formula (I) is provided. The invention also provides a poly(lactic acid) material including poly(lactic acid) and the disclosed phosphine-based polymer, wherein the phosphine-based polymer has a weight ratio of 0.05-10 parts by weight, based on 100 parts by weight of the poly(lactic acid).
US07776971B2
The inventive subject matter relates to novel synthetic processes which use a multifunctional compound (the “TERMINI compound”) having a masked or protected functional group, wherein the TERMINI compound is capable of quantitatively and irreversibly interrupting a living polymerization or a chain organic reaction. After deprotection or demasking of the functional group of the TERMINI compound, the same living polymerization or organic reaction resumes with 100% efficiency, or a different living polymerization or organic reaction resumes with 100% chemoselectivity, respectively. Once incorporated into a growing molecule, the TERMINI compound generates a branching point upon resumption of the polymerization or reaction.
US07776965B2
The present invention relates to monovinylarene-conjugated diene copolymer compositions adapted for blendability with acrylate polymers. In some embodiments, such compositions are provided that are particularly resistant to blocking when stored in pellet form.
US07776954B2
De-polluting, self-cleaning coating compositions are disclosed which comprise an extender that comprises a mixture of calcium carbonate and one or more alternate extenders. The coatings of the invention exhibit improved durability and opacity without affecting the photocatalytic removal of NOx compounds.
US07776951B2
There is provided a rubber composition in which strength and weather resistance are improved and the use of petroleum resource is suppressed as much as possible, and a tire comprising thereof. A rubber composition comprising 3 to 12 parts by weight of a pigment derived from resources other than petroleum, 10 parts by weight or less of carbon black and 30 parts by weight or more of silica based on 100 parts by weight of rubber components comprising an epoxidized natural rubber and/or a natural rubber.
US07776946B2
The present invention provides an aqueous emulsion polymerization of fluorinated monomers including gaseous fluorinated monomers using a perfluoro ether surfactant as an emulsifier. The perfluoro ether surfactants correspond to formula (I) Rf—O—CF2CF2—X (I) wherein Rf represents a linear or branched perfluoroalkyl group having 1, 2, 3 or 4 carbon atoms and X represents a carboxylic acid group or salt thereof. In a further aspect, the invention also provides an aqueous fluoropolymer dispersion comprising the perfluoro ether surfactant and the use of such dispersion in the coating or impregnation of substrates.
US07776936B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a one-pack type dental adhesive composition which can exhibit excellent adhesion to any material, for example, dental ceramics, organic composites containing inorganic compounds, dental noble metals and dental non-noble metals, and also has excellent storage stability.Disclosed is a one-pack type dental adhesive composition comprising a silane coupling agent as a component (a), an acidic group-containing polymerizable monomer as a component (b), a sulfur atom-containing polymerizable monomer as a component (d), and other components.
US07776929B2
Defoamer compositions which exhibit both high defoaming activity as well as good storage stability are prepared by mixing at least an organopolysiloxane having a defined but limited fraction of silicon-bonded hydroxyl and/or alkoxy groups and hydrophilic silica, followed by heating until the viscosity of the mixture has fallen to less than 50% of its value prior to heating.
US07776926B1
A random or a block copolymer which includes at least one biologically compatible structural moiety and at least one biologically active moiety is disclosed. The random or block copolymer can be used for fabricating a coating for an implantable medical device such as a stent.
US07776923B2
The invention concerns the use of 2E,4E-decadienoic acid-N-isobutylamide (trans-pellitorin) as flavorant, in particular as salivation inducing flavor substance, preferably in a foodstuff or nutrient, an oral hygienic preparation or a gourmet or snack preparation. Further, the invention concerns preparations, semi-finished preparations as well as fragrance, aroma and taste compositions, containing trans-pelletorin as well as a processes for the production of trans-pelletorin.
US07776921B2
This invention provides a method of treating, preventing, suppressing, inhibiting or reducing the incidence of benign prostate hyperplasia in a male subject, by administering to the subject a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) and/or its analog, derivative, isomer, metabolite, pharmaceutically acceptable salt, pharmaceutical product, hydrate, N-oxide, or any combination thereof as described herein. This invention also provides a method of treating a subject suffering from hair loss, comprising the step of administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of a 5-α reductase enzyme type 1 and/or type 2 inhibitor, wherein said inhibitor is a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) and/or its analog, derivative, isomer, metabolite, pharmaceutically acceptable salt, pharmaceutical product, hydrate, N-oxide, or any combination thereof as described herein. This invention also provides a method of inhibiting a 5-α reductase type 1 and/or type 2 enzyme, comprising contacting the enzyme with an effective 5-α reductase inhibitory amount of a selective androgen receptor modulator (SARM) and/or its analog, derivative, isomer, metabolite, pharmaceutically acceptable salt, pharmaceutical product, hydrate, N-oxide, or any combination thereof, as described herein.
US07776912B2
Disclosed are acetals of nepetalic acid. They may be prepared by reaction of an alcohol with nepetalic acid, and are useful as repellents for insects and arthropods, in addition to other uses.
US07776906B2
There are described new active compound combinations of a compound of the formula (I) with known fungicidal active compounds, and their use for the control of phytopathogenic fungi.
US07776905B2
Compounds of the present invention and pharmaceutically acceptable compositions thereof, are useful as modulators of ATP-Binding Cassette (“ABC”) transporters or fragments thereof, including Cystic Fibrosis Transmembrane Conductance Regulator (“CFTR”). The present invention also relates to methods of treating ABC transporter mediated diseases using compounds of the present invention.
US07776903B2
Pharmaceutical preparations containing substituted 2,5-diaminomethyl-1H-pyrrole compounds corresponding to formula I, and the use of these compounds for the production of pharmaceutical preparations and in related treatment methods.
US07776898B2
The invention provides compounds of formula I: wherein R1 to R4 and n have any of the meanings defined in the specification and their pharmaceutically acceptable salts. The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising a compound of formula I, processes for preparing compounds of formula I, intermediates useful for preparing compounds of formula I, and therapeutic methods for treating pain and treating other conditions which involve, for example, binding opioid receptors using compounds of formula I.
US07776895B2
The invention provides inhalation devices comprising a compound which is 4-{(1R)-2-[(6-{2-[(2,6-dichlorobenzyl)oxy]ethoxy}hexyl)amino]-1-hydroxyethyl}-2-(hydroxymethyl)phenol; or a salt or solvate thereof, inhalation devices comprising formulations and combinations of the compound or a salt or solvate thereof, and methods for the treatment or prophylaxis of a clinical condition in a mammal by employing the inhalation devices.
US07776894B2
There are provided methods of inhibiting growth and metastasis of melanoma, methods of sensitizing melanoma cells to apoptosis, and methods of treating a subject having melanoma using acetyl isogambogic acid, celastrol, or a derivative thereof. There are further provided derivatives of celastrol and compositions comprising acetyl isogambogic acid, celastrol, or a derivative thereof.
US07776886B2
The present invention is directed to cyclopropyl piperidine compounds that inhibit the glycine transporter GlyT1 and which are useful in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders associated with glycinergic or glutamatergic neuro-transmission dysfunction and diseases in which the glycine transporter GlyT1 is involved.
US07776884B2
The present application describes modulators of MCP-1 of formula (I): or pharmaceutically acceptable salt forms thereof, useful for the prevention of rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, atherosclerosis, asthma, restinosis, organ transplantation, and cancer.
US07776879B2
A carbamate of formula (I), wherein R1 represents wherein R2 represents a benzyl, phenethyl, furan-2-ylmethyl, furan-3-ylmethyl, thiophen-2-ylmethyl or thiophen-3-ylmethyl group or a straight or branched alkyl group having 3 or 8 carbon atoms, an alkenyl group having 3 to 8 carbon atoms, or a cycloalkyl group of 3 to 6 carbon atoms; p is 1 or 2 and the substitution in the azoniabicylic ring may be in the 2, 3 or 4 position including all possible configurations of the asymmetric carbons; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The pharmaceutically acceptable salt may be of formula (II).
US07776877B2
Compounds are provided that act as potent antagonists of the CCR9 receptor. Animal testing demonstrates that these compounds are useful for treating inflammation, a hallmark disease for CCR9. The compounds are generally aryl sulfonamide derivatives and are useful in pharmaceutical compositions, methods for the treatment of CCR9-mediated diseases, and as controls in assays for the identification of CCR9 antagonists.
US07776873B2
Provided is a method for treating damage to the gastric mucosa with a cytoprotective agent, comprising administering to a human in need thereof a pharmaceutical composition comprising an effective amount for treating damage to gastric mucosa of a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of revaprazan as the cytoprotective agent, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. Revaprazan or its salt has an excellent treatment effect for gastrointestinal mucosal damage by potentiating a defensive factor in the gastrointestinal mucosa, simultaneously with acting as an acid pump antagonist.
US07776872B2
Compounds of the formula I: or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein A, D, E, G, J, X, Y, Z R6, R7 and R8 are as defined herein. Also provided are methods of using the compounds for treating diseases mediated by a P2X3 and/or a P2X2/3 receptor antagonist and methods of making the compounds.
US07776870B2
The present invention relates to compounds and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof and formulations comprising the compounds or a pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof that are useful in modulating lyn kinase activity. In particular, the compounds or a pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof are useful for treating or preventing a disease or disorder including cardiovascular disease, dyslipidemia, dyslipoproteinemia, a disorder of glucose metabolism, metabolic syndrome (i.e., Syndrome X), a peroxisome proliferator activated receptor-associated disorder, septicemia, a thrombotic disorder, type II diabetes, obesity, pancreatitis, hypertension, renal disease, inflammation, or impotence.
US07776864B2
Compounds of formula (I) a tautomer or stereoisomer thereof, or a salt thereof, wherein ring B and the pyrimidine to which it is fused, R4, R5, R6 and R7 have the meanings as given in the description and the claims, are effective inhibitors of the Pi3K/Akt pathway.
US07776861B2
A compound of formula: where Ar1, Ar2, X, R3, and m are as disclosed herein or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof (a “Cycloheteroalkenyl Compound”); compositions comprising an effective amount of a Cycloheteroalkenyl Compound; and methods for treating or preventing pain, UI, an ulcer, IBD, IBS, an addictive disorder, Parkinson's disease, parkinsonism, anxiety, epilepsy, stroke, a seizure, a pruritic condition, psychosis, a cognitive disorder, a memory deficit, restricted brain function, Huntington's chorea, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, dementia, retinopathy, a muscle spasm, a migraine, vomiting, dyskinesia, or depression in an animal comprising administering to an animal in need thereof an effective amount of a Cycloheteroalkenyl Compound are disclosed herein.
US07776857B2
The present invention relates to chemical compounds having a general formula I wherein A1-8, D′, L1, L2, R1, R6-8 and n are defined herein, and synthetic intermediates, which are capable of modulating various protein kinase receptor enzymes and, thereby, influencing various disease states and conditions related to the activities of such kinases. For example, the compounds are capable of modulating Aurora kinase thereby influencing the process of cell cycle and cell proliferation to treat cancer and cancer-related diseases. The invention also includes pharmaceutical compositions, including the compounds, and methods of treating disease states related to the activity of Aurora kinase.
US07776855B2
This invention includes oxazolidinone prodrug compounds of Formula (I) and Formula (II) as defined herein. The prodrugs are convertible by natural biological processes into an active ingredient possessed of antimicrobial properties useful in treating bacterial infections in mammals.
US07776850B2
The present invention provides methods for the treatment of respiratory tract mucositis in individuals in need of such treatment, the method comprising the systemic administration to the individual of therapeutically effective amounts of at least one anti-fungal agent and at least one anti-bacterial agent, wherein the treatment does not involve the cessation of use of emollients by the individual. The present invention also provides compositions suitable for use in the treatment of respiratory tract mucositis.
US07776843B2
The present invention is directed to methods of using glucan compositions, comprising water insoluble microparticulate glucans, in the treatment of bone injuries. The water insoluble microparticulate glucans used in the compositions comprise branched β-(1.3)(1.6) glucan. The glucan compositions used in the present invention are essentially free of unbranched β-(1.3)(1.6) glucan and non-glucan components.
US07776838B1
The subject invention discloses compounds, compositions and methods for treatment and prevention of toxicity due to chemotherapeutic agents and antiviral agents. Disclosed are acylated derivatives of non-methylated pyrimidine nucleosides. These compounds are capable of attenuating damage to the hematopoietic system in animals receiving antiviral or antineoplastic chemotherapy.
US07776837B2
RNA aptamers and methods for identifying the same are disclosed. The RNA aptamers selectively bind coagulation factors, E2F family members, Ang1 or Ang2, and therapeutic and other uses for the RNA aptamers are also disclosed.
US07776836B2
RNA aptamers and methods for identifying the same are disclosed. The RNA aptamers selectively bind coagulation factors, E2F family members, Ang1 or Ang2, and therapeutic and other uses for the RNA aptamers are also disclosed.
US07776834B2
The invention relates to the therapeutic use of oligonucleotides as immunostimulatory agents in immunotherapy applications. More particularly, the invention provides an immunostimulatory oligonucleotides for use in methods for generating an immune response or for treating a patient in need of immunostimulation. The immunostimulatory oligonucleotides of the invention preferably comprise novel purines. The immunostimulatory oligonucleotides according to the invention further comprise at least two oligonucleotides linked at their 3′ ends, internucleoside linkages or functionalized nucleobase or sugar to a non-nucleotidic linker, at least one of the oligonucleotides being an immunostimulatory oligonucleotide and having an accessible 5′ end.
US07776832B2
A 13-deoxy anthracycline and a taxane can be administered to a patient simultaneously, separately, sequentially, or consecutively to produce a therapeutic anticancer effect with reduced toxicity and side effect profile, compared to the administration of equieffective amounts of either compound alone. A composition or preparation of a 13-deoxy anthracyclines and a taxane for producing a potent anticancer therapeutic effect is also provided.
US07776828B2
The present invention provides methods and kits for mitigating radiation induced tissue damage, improving the effectiveness of radiation therapy, to support bone marrow transplantation, and promoting megakaryocyte production and mobilization and platelet production, each method comprising the administration of an effective amount of angiotensinogen, angiotensin I (AI), AI analogues, AI fragments and analogues thereof, angiotensin II (AII), AII analogues, AII fragments or analogues thereof or AII AT2 type 2 receptor agonists.
US07776827B2
Myelodysplastic syndromes can be treated or ameliorated by the administration of substance P analogs as disclosed herein.
US07776819B2
Drug delivery is targeted to new opioid receptors using receptor-mediated internalization. Dermorphin was successfully conjugated to DSPE-PEG3400 without affecting the affinity to its receptor. The synthesized conjugate was inserted into preformed sterically stabilized liposomes to obtain dermorphin-grafted SSL. DSPE-PEG34Qo-dermorphin and dermorphin-SSL retained their affinity and selectivity for MOR. Moreover, dermorphin-SSL and encapsulated probes were taken up by CHO-hMOR cells, but not by naive CHO cells or very closely related CHO-hDOR cells. Dermorphin-SSL can be used to deliver drugs to the intracellular component of intended cells with high fidelity. Therefore, dermorphin-SSL is useful to carry pharmaceutical agents to achieve region-specific delivery of analgesics and/or to attenuate side effects associated with opioids.
US07776814B2
The invention relates to novel tubulysin conjugates (e.g. of tubulysin A) and the use thereof in the treatment of cancer diseases.
US07776813B2
A composition comprises polyol-based fabric care materials, particularly esterified saccharides. The composition further comprises deposition agents, dispersing medium, and optional adjunct ingredients. The compositions of the present invention are used to treat fabrics to provide one or more of the following benefits: fabric softness, wrinkle reduction after drying, ease of ironing, in-wear shape retention, fabric elasticity, fabric tensile strength, fabric tear strength, and color protection. Various products containing the composition and methods for using the composition are also disclosed.
US07776803B2
An process for working a material in which a reverse thermal fluid is used as a cutting fluid and, as a result of heat generated during the working process, the fluid increases in temperature above its transition temperature and viscosifies and thickens. In another embodiment, the invention is an article of manufacture of a material which has been worked to increase its temperature and a reverse thermal fluid in intimate thermal contact with the material above the transition temperature of the reverse thermal fluid.
US07776773B2
A boron carbide sintered body having a plurality of pores, comprises a boron carbide as a main component and a plurality of graphite particles dispersed in the sinter. The graphite particles is exposed to the pores or is in the vicinity of the pores.
US07776772B2
A dispersible fibrous structure having an in-use wet tensile strength of at least about 40 g/cm; a disposable wet tensile decay of at least about 35% and a method of making the structure. The structure has at least one property selected from a group consisting of: a wet CD maximum slope of less than about 12 kg/7.62 cm, a wet CD Elongation of greater than about 50%, a low elongation CD modulus of less than about 5.0 kg/7.62 cm, and a wet CD Bending of less than about 0.05 gf cm/cm.
US07776771B2
Polymeric blends and polymeric mixtures that incorporate a blend of a first polyethylene and a second polyethylene are described. The first and second polyethylenes have a predetermined relationship for the density and the melt index of the individual polyethylenes. Also described are fibers (including bicomponent fibers) and nonwoven materials made from the fibers where the fibers are extruded using the polymeric blends, and/or the polymeric mixtures.
US07776768B2
The present invention relates to novel low-monomer-content, low-viscosity preparations composed of isocyanurates which contain isocyanate groups and of phthalate-free plasticizers, to their use as adhesion promoters for coating compositions based on plasticized polyvinyl chloride, and also to coatings and to coated substrates.
US07776766B2
A trench embedding method comprising the steps of applying a composition for filling trenches which comprises a complex of an amine compound and aluminum hydride and an organic solvent to a substrate having trenches; and heating and/or exposing the composition to light to convert the complex into aluminum in the trenches so as to embed aluminum into the trenches. According to this method, even when aluminum is embedded into trenches having a fine and complex pattern, embedding performance is high and trenches in a large substrate can filled. This method can be carried out at a low cost.
US07776765B2
Electronic apparatus and methods of forming the electronic apparatus include a tantalum silicon oxynitride film on a substrate for use in a variety of electronic systems. The tantalum silicon oxynitride film may be structured as one or more monolayers. The tantalum silicon oxynitride film may be formed using atomic layer deposition. Metal electrodes may be disposed on a dielectric containing a tantalum silicon oxynitride film.
US07776764B2
The present invention relates to a technology for printing a thin film transistor (TFT) using single walled carbon nanotubes coated with dielectric substance having a thickness of several nm and thus capable of improving significantly a low on/off ratio of an existing single walled carbon nanotube TFT.
US07776761B2
A method of fabricating a semiconductor device is provided. The method includes preparing a semiconductor substrate having first and second regions, forming a mask layer pattern on the second region, growing an oxidation retarding layer on the first region and removing the mask layer pattern. The method further includes growing a silicon oxide layer on the semiconductor substrate to form gate insulating layers having different thicknesses from one another on the first and second regions.
US07776756B1
An etching apparatus includes a chamber containing an etching solution including first and second components and water, a concentration of the water in the etching solution is at a specified level or lower; a circulation path circulating the etching solution; a concentration controller sampling the etching liquid from the circulation path and controls concentrations of the etching solution respectively; and a refilling chemical liquid feeder feeding a refilling chemical liquid including the first component having a concentration higher than the first component in the etching solution.
US07776755B2
The present disclosure provides a method for making metal gate stacks of a semiconductor device. The method includes applying a first etching process to the substrate to remove a polysilicon layer and a metal gate layer on the substrate; applying a diluted hydrofluoric acid (HF) to the substrate to remove polymeric residue; thereafter applying to the substrate with a cleaning solution including hydrochloride (HCl), hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) and water (H2O); applying a wet etching process diluted hydrochloride (HCl) to the substrate to remove a capping layer; and applying to the substrate with a second etching process to remove a high k dielectric material layer.
US07776751B2
A process for producing a silicon compound can minimize the number of steps and can form a desired compound in a low-temperature environment. The process comprises: allowing a radical of a halogen gas to act on a member 11 to be etched, which is disposed within a chamber 1 and is formed of a material containing an element capable of forming a compound with Si, while keeping the member 11 at a relatively high temperature, to form a gas of a precursor 24, which is a compound of the material and the halogen; holding a substrate 3 accommodated within the chamber 1 at a relatively low temperature, with the Si interface of the substrate 3 being exposed, to adsorb the precursor 24 onto the Si interface of the substrate 3; and then allowing the radical of the halogen gas to act on the precursor 24 adsorbed onto the Si interface to reduce the precursor 24, thereby producing a compound of the material and Si.
US07776748B2
Calibration wafers and methods for calibrating a plasma process performed in a plasma processing apparatus, such as an ionized physical vapor deposition apparatus. The calibration wafer includes one or more selective-redeposition structures for calibrating a plasma process. The selective-redeposition structures receive a controllable and/or measurable amount of redeposited material during the plasma process.
US07776744B2
Spacers in a pitch multiplication process are formed without performing a spacer etch. Rather, the mandrels are formed over a substrate and then the sides of the mandrels are reacted, e.g., in an oxidization, nitridation, or silicidation step, to form a material that can be selectively removed relative to the unreacted portions of the mandrel. The unreacted portions are selectively removed to leave a pattern of free-standing spacers. The free-standing spacers can serve as a mask for subsequent processing steps, such as etching the substrate.
US07776735B2
The present invention relates to a semiconductor device in which electrodes formed on a semiconductor chip and electrodes formed on a wiring board are electrically connected via projecting elastic electrodes, and further relates to a mounting method of reducing a pressure applied to electrodes formed on a substrate or underlying wirings when a semiconductor chip and a wiring board are bonded.
US07776726B2
Semiconductor devices and methods of manufacture thereof are disclosed. A preferred embodiment includes providing a workpiece having a first orientation and at least one second orientation. The semiconductor device is implanted with a dopant species using a first implantation process in the first orientation of the workpiece. The semiconductor device is implanted with the dopant species using a second implantation process in the at least one second orientation of the workpiece, wherein the second implantation process is different than the first implantation process.
US07776722B2
In manufacturing an SOI substrate, in a case where a step is present in a surface to be bonded, a substrate may warp and the contact area becomes small due to the step, an SOI layer having a desired shape cannot be obtained in some cases. However, the present invention provides an SOI substrate having a desired shape even when a step is produced on a surface to be bonded. Between steps on the surface to be bonded, dummy patterns 302 are formed at predetermined intervals, and thus the warp of the substrate to be bonded can be suppressed, the adhesion between the bonded substrates can be ensured, and an SOI layer having a desired shape can be obtained.
US07776720B2
A substrate is diced using a program-controlled pulsed laser beam apparatus having an associated memory for storing a laser cutting strategy file. The file contains selected combinations of pulse rate Deltat, pulse energy density E and pulse spatial overlap to machine a single layer or different types of material in different layers of the substrate while restricting damage to the layers and maximising machining rate to produce die having predetermined die strength and yield. The file also contains data relating to the number of scans necessary using a selected combination to cut through a corresponding layer. The substrate is diced using the selected combinations. Gas handling equipment for inert or active gas may be provided for preventing or inducing chemical reactions at the substrate prior to, during or after dicing.
US07776713B2
An etching solution, a method of surface modification of a semiconductor substrate and a method of forming shallow trench isolation are provided. The etching solution is used for surface modifying the semiconductor substrate. The etching solution includes an oxidant and an oxide remover. The semiconductor substrate is oxidized to a semiconductor oxide by the oxidant, and the oxide remover subtracts the semiconductor oxide.
US07776712B2
There is provided a crystalline TFT in which reliability comparable to or superior to a MOS transistor can be obtained and excellent characteristics can be obtained in both an on state and an off state. A gate electrode of the crystalline TFT is formed of a laminate structure of a first gate electrode made of a semiconductor material and a second gate electrode made of a metal material. An n-channel TFT includes an LDD region, and a region overlapping with the gate electrode and a region not overlapping with the gate electrode are provided, so that a high electric field in the vicinity of a drain is relieved, and at the same time, an increase of an off current is prevented.
US07776703B2
Reduction of damage to a semiconductor device due to a marking process while inhibiting deterioration of a mark can not be achieved in conventional processes for manufacturing semiconductor devices. A process for manufacturing the semiconductor device 100 involves irradiating the marking film 21 with an energy beam through the transparent protective film 31 after the protective film 31 is formed, and such irradiation causes a chemical modification of the material of the marking film 21 to create the marks. According to the above-described process for manufacturing the semiconductor device 100, the region for the marking or the upper surface of the marking film 21 is sheathed by the protective film 31, so that a damage to the semiconductor chip 11 due to the generations of dust, exothermic heat, gas, stress or the like during the marking operation can be reduced. This allows achieving the process for manufacturing the semiconductor device 100 that provides a manufacture of better quality of the marks.
US07776700B2
An N-channel device (40, 60) is described having a very lightly doped substrate (42) in which spaced-apart P (46) and N (44) wells are provided, whose lateral edges (461, 45) extending to the surface (47). The gate (56) overlies the surface (47) between the P (46) and N (44) wells. The P-well edge (461) adjacent the source (50) is substantially aligned with the left gate edge (561). The N-well edge (45) lies at or within the right gate edge (562), which is spaced a first distance (471) from the drain (48). The N-well (44) desirably includes a heavier doped region (62) in ohmic contact with the drain (48) and with its left edge (621) located about half way between the right gate edge (562) and the drain (48). A HALO implant pocket (52) is provided underlying the left gate edge (561) using the gate (56) as a mask. The resulting device (40, 60) operates at higher voltage with lower Rdson, less HCI and very low off-state leakage. P and N dopants are interchanged to provide P-channel devices.
US07776698B2
Methods for formation of epitaxial layers containing n-doped silicon are disclosed, including methods for the formation and treatment of epitaxial layers in semiconductor devices, for example, Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET) devices. Formation of the n-doped epitaxial layer involves exposing a substrate in a process chamber to deposition gases including a silicon source, a carbon source and an n-dopant source at a first temperature and pressure and then exposing the substrate to an etchant at a second higher temperature and a higher pressure than during deposition.
US07776695B2
A method for making a semiconductor device structure, includes: providing a substrate; forming on the substrate a first gate with first spacers, a second gate with second spacers, respective source and drain regions of a same conductive type adjacent to the first gate and the second gate, an isolation region disposed intermediate of the first gate and the second gate, silicides on the first gate, the second gate and respective source and drain regions; forming additional spacers on the first spacers to produce an intermediate structure, and then disposing a stress layer over the entire intermediate structure.
US07776687B2
A semiconductor device has a gate contact structure, including a semiconductor substrate, a polycrystalline silicon layer used as a gate electrode of a transistor, a middle conductive layer, a top metal layer having an opening exposing the polycrystalline silicon layer, and a contact plug directly contacting the polycrystalline silicon layer through the opening.
US07776683B2
A method for defining patterns in an integrated circuit comprises defining a plurality of features in a first photoresist layer using photolithography over a first region of a substrate. The method further comprises using pitch multiplication to produce at least two features in a lower masking layer for each feature in the photoresist layer. The features in the lower masking layer include looped ends. The method further comprises covering with a second photoresist layer a second region of the substrate including the looped ends in the lower masking layer. The method further comprises etching a pattern of trenches in the substrate through the features in the lower masking layer without etching in the second region. The trenches have a trench width.
US07776678B2
A method for forming BiCMOS integrated circuits and structures formed according to the method. After forming doped wells and gate stacks for the CMOS devices and collector and base regions for the bipolar junction transistor, an emitter layer is formed within an emitter window. A dielectric material layer is formed over the emitter layer and remains in place during etching of the emitter layer and removal of the etch mask. The dielectric material layer further remains in place during source/drain implant doping and activation of the implanted source/drain dopants. The dielectric material layer functions as a thermal barrier, to limit out-diffusion of the emitter dopants during the activation step.
US07776673B2
According to the present invention, it is provided a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising a PMOS transistor and an NMOS transistor, wherein the method facilitates obtaining a full silicide phase of a suitable composition for the NMOS transistor and the PMOS transistor respectively, with fewer mask layers and through a fewer number of manufacturing steps.
US07776660B2
Provided is a technology of carrying out activation annealing of n type impurity ions implanted for the formation of a field stop layer (n+ type semiconductor region) and activation annealing of p type impurity ions implanted for the formation of a collector region (p+ type semiconductor region) in separate steps to adjust an activation ratio of the n type impurity ions in the field stop layer to 60% or greater and an activation ratio of the p type impurity ions in the collector region to from 1 to 15%. This makes it possible to form an IGBT having a high breakdown voltage and high-speed switching characteristics. Moreover, use of a film stack made of nickel silicide, titanium, nickel and gold films for a collector electrode makes it possible to provide an ohmic contact with the collector region.
US07776656B2
A semiconductor device which is excellent in chemical and physical strength and circumstance resistance is provided. A first stacked film including a first base material and a first adhesive layer is adhered so as to cover one surface of a stacked body including an integrated circuit, the stacked body is sealed by adhering a second stacked film including a second base material and a second adhesive layer so as to cover the other surface of the stacked body, and the first stacked film and the second stacked film are cut. Then, a side surface of the first stacked film and the second stacked film, which is exposed by the cutting, is irradiated with laser light.
US07776638B2
An image sensor includes a substrate of a first conductivity type having an image area with a plurality of photosensitive sites, wherein a portion of the charge generated in response to light is collected in the pixel; and a subcollector of a second conductivity spanning the image area that collects another portion of the generated charge that would have otherwise diffused to adjacent photosensitive sites.
US07776633B2
A method of manufacturing a thin film transistor array panel, including: forming gate lines on a substrate; forming a gate insulating layer on the gate lines; forming semiconductor layers on the gate insulating layer; forming data lines and drain electrodes on the semiconductor layers; depositing a passivation layer on the data lines and the drain electrodes; forming a first photoresist layer including a first portion and a second portion that is thinner than the first portion on the passivation layer; forming a first preliminary contact hole exposing the data lines by etching the passivation layer by using the first photoresist layer as a mask; removing the second portion of the first photoresist; forming a first contact hole by expanding the first preliminary contact hole and opening portions by etching the passivation layer by using the first portion of the first photoresist layer as a mask; depositing a conductor layer; and forming pixel electrodes in the opening portions and a first contact assistant member in the first contact hole by removing the first photoresist layer and the conductor layer located thereon.
US07776632B2
A method for forming a CMOS image sensor (CIS) in accordance with embodiments includes sequentially forming a first photoresist and a blocking layer over a semiconductor substrate where a logic section including a photodiode may be formed. A micro lens array pattern may be formed by coating a second photoresist over top of the formed blocking layer, patterning the second photoresist, and then etching the blocking layer by using the patterned second photoresist as a mask. The first photoresist may be patterned by performing isotropic etching using the micro lens array pattern as a mask. A micro lens array may be formed by filling a material having a refractivity higher than that of the first PR in the patterned portion of the first photoresist. The sensitivity of the CIS can be optimized by maximizing the fill factor while maintaining the spherical surface of the lens by fabricating a micro lens array using anisotropic etching.
US07776631B2
Light in the visible spectrum is modulated using an array of modulation elements, and control circuitry connected to the array for controlling each of the modulation elements independently, each of the modulation elements having a surface which is caused to exhibit a predetermined impedance characteristic to particular frequencies of light. The amplitude of light delivered by each of the modulation elements is controlled independently by pulse code modulation. Each modulation element has a deformable portion held under tensile stress, and the control circuitry controls the deformation of the deformable portion. Each deformable element has a deformation mechanism and an optical portion, the deformation mechanism and the optical portion independently imparting to the element respectively a controlled deformation characteristic and a controlled modulation characteristic. The deformable modulation element may be a non-metal. The elements are made by forming a sandwich of two layers and a sacrificial layer between them, the sacrificial layer having a thickness related to the final cavity dimension, and using water or an oxygen based plasma to remove the sacrificial layer.
US07776630B1
A composition and method for fabricating and tuning a dopant based core-shell semiconductor having a quantum dot core with an excitation band-gap are provided. A quantum dot core composed of an alloy of cadmium sulfide (CdS) and zinc sulfide (ZnS) as semi-conductor materials include a dopant of manganese (Mn) added to the core and an outer shell of zinc sulfide (ZnS). The dopant based core/shell quantum dot semiconductor of the present invention allows the fine tuning of an excitation band-gap, covering a wide range (from 2.4 eV to ˜4 eV). When doped with Mn, these alloy Qdots emit bright yellow/orange light. Tuning of the excitation band is accomplished by changing the alloy composition of the core. Based on photophysical studies a new core/shell/shell model is provided, in place of the traditional core/shell model. Due to the interfacial diffusion of the cations from the core and shell an intermediate alloy layer is formed providing an inner shell; this inner shell layer is the real host of the dopant ions.
US07776628B2
A method (and apparatus) of imprint lithography, includes imprinting, via a patterned mask, a pattern into a resist layer on a substrate, and overlaying a cladding layer over the imprinted resist layer. A portion of the cladding layer is used as a hard mask for a subsequent processing.
US07776626B2
A probe is contacted to a test pad, without destroying the circuit formed in the chip at the time of a probe test. Therefore, a load jig, a pressing tool, an elastomer, an adhesion ring, and a plunger are made into one by fixation with a nut and a bolt. The elastic force of the spring installed between the spring retaining jig and the load jig acts so that the member used as these one may be depressed toward pad PD. The thrust transmitted from the spring in a plunger to a thin films sheet is used only for the extension of a thin films sheet.
US07776617B2
Dipstick tests for detecting analyte are described. In a preferred embodiment, a multiple biotinylated antibody capable of binding analyte is bound to an anti-biotin antibody labelled with colloidal gold and wicked up the dipstick with test solution thought to contain analyte. Complex formed between analyte, biotinylated anti-analyte antibody, and colloidal gold labelled anti-biotin antibody is captured at a capture zone of the dipstick. Presence of colloidal gold label at the capture zone indicates the presence of analyte in the test solution. The sensitivity of analyte detection using such methods is an order of magnitude higher than for comparable methods in which biotinylated anti-analyte antibody bound to analyte is wicked up the dipstick in a first step, and a colloidal gold labelled anti-biotin antibody is wicked up the dipstick in a separate step. Kits for performing the tests of the invention are also described.
US07776616B2
The present invention is an apparatus and method for purifying and isolating nucleic acid. The system uses one or more automated stations to perform steps of the method, including loading a sample onto a solid support in a processing container, purifying the sample, and isolating nucleic acid from the sample. A pump or vacuum may be used in the apparatus of the present invention for supplying fluids to the sample. A pump, vacuum or centrifuge may be used to separate impurities from the sample or to separate nucleic acid from the solid support. Exemplary solid supports and sample processing containers are disclosed.
US07776613B2
The present invention generally relates to sub-diffraction image resolution and other imaging techniques. In one aspect, the invention is directed to determining and/or imaging light from two or more entities separated by a distance less than the diffraction limit of the incident light. For example, the entities may be separated by a distance of less than about 1000 nm, or less than about 300 nm for visible light. In one set of embodiments, the entities may be selectively activatable, i.e., one entity can be activated to produce light, without activating other entities. A first entity may be activated and determined (e.g., by determining light emitted by the entity), then a second entity may be activated and determined. The emitted light may be used to determine the positions of the first and second entities, for example, using Gaussian fitting or other mathematical techniques, and in some cases, with sub-diffraction resolution. The methods may thus be used, for example, to determine the locations of two or more entities immobilized relative to a common entity, for example, a surface, or a biological entity such as DNA or a protein. The entities may also be determined with respect to time, for example, to determine a time-varying reaction. Other aspects of the invention relate to systems for sub-diffraction image resolution, computer programs and techniques for sub-diffraction image resolution, methods for promoting sub-diffraction image resolution, methods for producing photoswitchable entities, and the like.
US07776606B2
Methods and apparatuses are provided for creation of discrete corrosion defects with a wide range of diameter to depth aspect ratios for painted test standards. Also provided are methods for use of those test standards to characterize the corrosion under paint detection threshold, statistical reliability, and accuracy of NDI and/or NDT techniques including but not limited to flash thermography, ultrasonic testing, eddy current testing, microwave testing, shearography, and infrared testing.
US07776602B2
The present invention relates to a method of providing product consistency of a particulate material or the product containing the same, by measuring and/or analyzing at least one interfacial potential property value of the particulate material. The method may be used as a QA/QC method to insure product consistency.
US07776595B2
Described are compositions and methods relating to gene therapy, particularly as applied to hematopoietic progenitor (HP) cells, to transduced cells and methods of obtaining them, and to methods of using them to provide prolonged engraftment of modified hematopoietic cells in human subjects. The invention particularly relates to ex vivo gene therapy of HP cells for treatment or prevention of HIV infection.
US07776589B1
The present invention provides, in part, AKT3 polypeptides and methods of use thereof along with nucleic acids encoding the polypeptides. For example, methods for screening for AKT3 inhibitors are provided herein.
US07776585B2
The present invention provides chimeric and humanized antibodies that specifically recognize α5β1 integrin, and methods for using the antibodies for reducing or inhibiting angiogenesis in a tissue. Also provided are methods of determining therapeutically acceptable doses of the antibodies and pharmaceutical compositions including the same.
US07776582B2
The invention relates to the use of optically enhanced chiral ionic liquids, particularly for gas chromatography and as a reaction solvent. Specific optically enhanced chiral cationic liquids are described as is a class of optically enhanced chiral anionic liquids.
US07776579B2
Disclosed is an agent for digesting a protein highly resistant to denaturation and degradation, comprising as an active ingredient an enzyme exhibiting an activity of digesting a protein highly resistant to denaturation and degradation and having the following properties: (a) activity and substrate specificity: hydrolyzing a peptide bond of a protein highly resistant to denaturation and degradation; (b) molecular weight: 31,000 (determined by SDS-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis using a homogeneous gel having a gel concentration of 12%); (c) isoelectric point: pI 9.3 (determined by polyacrylamide gel isoelectric focusing electrophoresis); (d) optimum pH: pH 9.0 to 10.0; and (e) optimum temperature for activity: 60 to 70° C.
US07776574B2
The invention relates to a thrombolytic enzyme referred to as Thrombinase having a molecular weight of 31,000 to 32,000. Such a thrombolytic enzyme can be used for dissolving blood clots. The process comprises culturing a filtrate of Bacillus sphaericus sero type H5a 5b, removing the cell, subjecting the cell supernatant to filtration, salting out the retentate, subjecting the precipitate to dialysis, reprecipitating the precipitate and then reconstituting in buffer and finally decolourizing, purifying and dialyzing.
US07776572B2
Hydrophobic polymer surfaces whose level of protein binding is less than about 50-80 ng/cm2 are achieved by: (1) applying a coating solution composed of a solvent and a non-ionic surfactant having a HLB number of less than 5 to the surface; and (2) drying the surface to remove the solvent and thereby bring the surfactant into direct contact with the hydrophobic polymer. The combination of a low HLB number and the drying step have been found to produce low binding surfaces which can withstand multiple washes with water and/or protein-containing solutions Alternatively, the low binding surfaces can be produced by applying the non-ionic surfactant to the mold surfaces which contact molten polymer and form the polymer into a desired shape, e.g., into a multi-well plate, a pipette tip, or the like. Further, the low binding surfaces may be produced by incorporating non-soluble, non-ionic surfactants having an HLB number of less than or equal to 10 into a polymer blend prior to molding the article.
US07776570B2
A recombinant microorganism is produced by introducing a DNA encoding an enzyme which hydrolyzes an amido bond of L-amino acid amide, especially L-2-alkylcysteine amide, and L-amino acid is produced by using cells or cell processed product of the obtained microorganism.
US07776561B2
Assays for identifying compounds that modulate, preferably inhibit bitter taste associated with the activation of hT2R4, hT2R44 and/or hT2R61 are provided. The compounds identified according to these assays should modulate, e.g., inhibit bitter taste associated with bitter tasting compounds including quinine, 6-nitrosaccharin, saccharin and/or denatonium. These compounds are useful additives for foods, beverages or medicinal preparationshaving a bitter taste.
US07776560B2
The present invention relates to a novel member of the tumor necrosis factor family of receptors. In particular, isolated nucleic acid molecules are provided encoding the human TR9 receptor. TR9 polypeptides are also provided as are vectors, host cells and recombinant methods for producing the same. The invention further relates to screening methods for identifying agonists and antagonists of TR9 receptor activity.
US07776555B1
The present invention provides a method for diagnosing and detecting diseases associated with colon. The present invention provides one or more proteins or fragments thereof, peptides or nucleic acid molecules differentially expressed in colon diseases (CCAT) and antibodies binds to CCAT. The present invention provides that CCAT is used as targets for screening agents that modulates the CCAT activities. Further the present invention provides methods for treating diseases associated with colon.
US07776554B2
There is provided a polydiacetylene supramolecule comprising diacetylene molecules, capable of immobilizing a receptor molecule having a thiol group. Since the polydiacetylene supramolecule has a receptor immobilized thereon having a thiol group, for example, an antibody, and thus shows color transition when reacting with a sample, an antigen can be detected through specific color transition of the polydiacetylene when employing in a receptor-ligand reaction, for example, an antibody-antigen reaction.
US07776553B2
Screening assays and methods of performing such assays are provided. In certain examples, the assays and methods may be designed to determine whether or not two or more species can associate with each other. In some examples, the assays and methods may be used to determine if a known antigen binds to an unknown monoclonal antibody.
US07776551B2
The present invention provides methods, kits, isolated nucleic acid sequences, antibodies and addressable oligonucleotides microarrays which can be for analyzing sequence alterations and detecting the expression level of CC2D1A or nup62 in cells of an individual and thus diagnose nonsyndromic mental retardation (NSMR) and/or infantile bilateral striatal necrosis (IBSN) in the individual. In addition, the present invention provides methods and pharmaceutical compositions which can be used to treat pathologies associated with mental retardation such as NSMR or IBS.
US07776548B2
A chimeric transmembrane protein comprising a membrane-spanning polypeptide and an internalization motif of the sequence MXXXL, where X is any amino acid. The chimeric protein can be expressed on the surface of a cell and internalized. Polynucleotides and expression vectors encoding chimeric transmembrane proteins are also provided. Expression of chimeric proteins in the plasma membrane of target cells, followed by binding of antibodies to the chimeric proteins, where the antibodies are conjugated to a cytotoxic agent, provides a means to deliver the cytotoxic agent to the inside of the target cells.
US07776544B2
The invention discloses monoclonal antibodies for vitamins A (retinol palmitate) and D3 (cholecalciferol); a method for using monoclonal antibodies, and the monoclonal antibodies disclosed herein, in particular, to quantitate these vitamins in fluids such as dairy products, and blood, and also raw or processed agri-food and beverage products. The method involves contacting the sample with a mixture of polar and non-polar organic solvents in combination with inorganic salts to remove fat molecules into an organic fraction, and assaying the organic fraction by immunoassay involving the monoclonal antibodies. The presence of a mixture of non-polar and polar organic solvents increases the separation of vitamins from fat molecules and enables the test samples to be quantified by immunoassay without any further treatment.
US07776542B1
A method for treating a virus-containing sample, characterized by treatment of a virus-containing sample with a treatment solution containing (1) an anionic surfactant and (2) an amphoteric surfactant, nonionic surfactant or protein denaturant; a virus assay method using said treating method; a method for treating a virus-containing sample, characterized by treatment of a virus-containing sample with a treatment solution containing (1) a chaotropic ion and (2) an acidifying agent; a virus assay method using said treating method; a virus assay method, characterized in that a virus antigen and a virus antibody are measured based on their binding to their probe in the presence of a surfactant with an alkyl group of 10 or more carbon atoms and a secondary, tertiary or quaternary amine, or a nonionic surfactant, or of both of them; and a monoclonal antibody and a hybridoma producing the same for carrying out said method.
US07776539B2
The present invention provides methods of detecting cancer cells by detecting the quantity of SENP1 and/or telomerase in a sample.
US07776537B2
This invention provides kits, devices, and methods for the detection of antibodies that recognize one or more proteins and/or antigens from porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV). The antibodies may be in a biological fluid of a PRRSV infected or at risk subject. The invention may be advantageously applied to both the diagnosis and prevention of PRRSV infection.
US07776530B2
The present invention relates to an integrated method of nucleic acid analysis, and more particularly to a simplified sample pre-treatment, which renders the method more easily automated, where the sample is provided on or applied onto a solid matrix and the subsequent amplification and detection steps are performed in one single, sealed reaction vial without removing the matrix.
US07776528B2
Compositions and methods for increasing the fluorescence intensity of molecules are provided. In particular, compositions and methods directed to increasing the intrinsic fluorescence of biomolecules and low quantum yield fluorophores are described. The intrinsic fluorescence of biomolecules is increased by positioning a metal particle and a biomolecule at a distance apart sufficient to increase the radiative decay rate of the biomolecule. Methods for the identification of nucleic acids are also provided. The compositions and methods can also be used to increase the emission of any fluorophore, such as the extrinsic probes used to label biomolecules.
US07776516B2
A method of forming a device using a graded anti-reflective coating is provided. One or more amorphous carbon layers are formed on a substrate. An anti-reflective coating (ARC) is formed on the one or more amorphous carbon layers wherein the ARC layer has an absorption coefficient that varies across the thickness of the ARC layer. An energy sensitive resist material is formed on the ARC layer. An image of a pattern is introduced into the layer of energy sensitive resist material by exposing the energy sensitive resist material to patterned radiation. The image of the pattern introduced into the layer of energy sensitive resist material is developed.
US07776514B2
In a method for forming a plurality of gate patterns in parallel with each other on a photoresist layer within one circuit block, at least one dummy gate pattern is formed in parallel with the gate patterns when a pitch between said gate patterns is larger than a predetermined maximum pitch, so that pitches between the gate patterns including the dummy gate pattern are smaller than the predetermined maximum pitch. Then, a photolithography process is performed upon the photoresist layer by using a phase shift photomask having first and second openings whose difference in phase is π. The first and second openings alternate between the gate patterns including the dummy gate pattern to form phase edges therein.
US07776513B2
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device including coating a photo-resist layer on a semiconductor substrate having a lower layer; performing a soft-bake process on the photo-resist layer; performing an exposure process on the photo-resist layer having passed through the soft-bake process; performing a post exposure-bake (PEB) process on photo-resist pattern holes formed by the exposure process; performing a developing process on the photo-resist pattern holes having passed through the PEB process; and performing a hard-bake process on the photo-resist pattern holes having passed through the developing process. The method improves the circularity of PR pattern holes to improve the profile of contacts in an etching process after a photography process, resulting in an enhancement in the operation reliability of the device.
US07776508B2
Antihalation compositions and methods for reducing the reflection of exposure radiation of a photoresist overcoated said compositions. The antihalation compositions of the invention comprise a resin binder and material capable of causing a thermally induced crosslinking reaction of the resin binder.
US07776506B2
In one aspect, the present invention relates to coating compositions that comprise a resin component, wherein the predominant portion of the resin component comprising one or more resins that are at least substantially free of fluorine. Coating compositions of the invention are useful as photoresist overcoat layers, including in immersion lithography processing.
US07776502B2
A toner for developing an electrostatic charge image, includes: a binder resin formed by reacting a polymerizable aromatic monomer having an ethylenically unsaturated double bond conjugated to an aromatic ring thereof, a nitrogen-containing polymerizable aliphatic monomer having an ethylenically unsaturated double bond and a sulfur-containing aliphatic compound to each other; and a colorant, wherein a ratio (MN/MS) of an amount of nitrogen (MN) to an amount of sulfur (MS) is in a range of from 1.0 to 15.
US07776500B2
The present invention is a photoconductive element that includes an electrically conductive support, an electrical barrier layer disposed over said electrically conductive support, and disposed over said barrier layer, a charge generation layer capable of generating positive charge carriers when exposed to actinic radiation. The barrier layer includes a monomeric glass mixture incorporating tetracarbonylbisimide groups.
US07776495B2
A semiconductor device and a manufacturing method thereof in which the peripheral length of an aperture and the mechanical strength of cylinders in a cell can be increased without changing the occupation rate of patterns in the cell. By forming a slit in the middle of each mask pattern so as not to expose parts of wafer, the aperture of the wafer becomes nearly cocoon-shaped with a constriction in the middle. Thereby, the peripheral length of the aperture can be increased without changing the occupation rate of the mask patterns in a cell. Further, the shape of the bottom of the aperture also becomes nearly cocoon-shaped with a constriction in the middle, and therefore it is possible to increase the mechanical strength of cylinders.
US07776493B2
A mask for LITI and a LITI method using the same wherein the mask includes patterns arranged in a direction perpendicular to a beam scanning direction and are arranged so that increasingly longer patterns are located towards the edge of the mask than in or near the center.
US07776491B2
A separator unit inserted into a fuel cell having an electrolyte layer interposed between a fuel electrode and an oxygen electrode is provided with a plate like separator that separates fuel gas supplied to the fuel electrode from oxidizing gas supplied to the oxygen electrode, and a mesh like collector having an opening that forms one of a passage through which the fuel gas flows and a passage through which the oxidizing gas flows. The collector is provided to at least one side of the separator base in abutment against one of the fuel electrode and the oxygen electrode. The separator base has a coolant passage formed therein, through which a coolant is allowed to flow, and an electrode abutment portion of the collector, which abuts against one of the fuel electrode and the oxygen electrode, has an aperture ratio higher than those of other portions of the collector.
US07776488B2
The inventive end plate comprises pressure shield (21) and a supporting plate (30), whereby the forces, which serve to compress the stack (1) of fuel cells (2) and which are introduced via the force introduction locations (24), are introduced into the stack in the form of a compressive load in a defined and uniform manner.
US07776482B2
A direct oxidation fuel cell (DOFC) system comprises at least one fuel cell assembly including a cathode and an anode with an electrolyte positioned therebetween; a source of liquid fuel in fluid communication with an anode inlet; an oxidant supply in fluid communication with a cathode inlet; a liquid/gas (L/G) separator in fluid communication with anode and cathode outlets for: (1) receiving unreacted fuel and liquid and gaseous products of electrochemical reactions at the cathode and anode, and (2) supplying the unreacted fuel and liquid product to the inlet of said anode; and a control and/or regulation system for determining a fuel efficiency value of the DOFC system during operation and determining and regulating and/or controlling oxidant stoichiometry of the DOFC system at an appropriate value in response to the determined fuel efficiency value.
US07776479B2
A phosphoric acid fuel cell system comprising a porous electrolyte support, a phosphoric acid electrolyte in the porous electrolyte support, a cathode electrode contacting the phosphoric acid electrolyte, and an anode electrode contacting the phosphoric acid electrolyte.
US07776461B2
A gypsum slurry includes water, a hydraulic component including stucco and a polycarboxylate dispersant. The dispersant has two repeating units wherein the first repeating unit is an olefinic unsaturated mono-carboxylic acid repeating unit or an ester or salt, and the second repeating unit is a vinyl or allyl group bound to a polyether by an ether linkage. The slurry can be made into a gypsum panel.
US07776460B2
A transparent coated substrate with high reflectance, especially for use as in exterior glazing panels for buildings, is provided by a substrate carrying a coating stack comprising a pyrolytically-formed main layer containing oxides of tin and antimony, in which the main layer has a geometric thickness of at least 250 nm and the stack includes an outer reflective layer having a geometric thickness in the range 30 to 150 nm and a refractive index in the range 2.0 to 2.8, whereby the so-coated substrate has a reflectance (RL) of more than 10%.
US07776455B2
The present invention relates to the improvement of organic electronic devices, in particular fluorescent electroluminescent devices, by using electron-transport materials of the formula (1) to (4) as shown in scheme 1
US07776454B2
A method for producing titanium alloy brazing strips and the resulting brazing strips and/or foils. The method uses a cold-rolling process without heat treating to generate a titanium based multi-layer alloy strip or foil made up of discrete layers of titanium and an additional layer or layers of one or more metals, such as zirconium, nickel and/or copper, for example, or alloys thereof, with the layer of titanium roll bonded without heat treating to the layers of the additional metal(s). The resulting strip or foil can include, for example, Cu/Ti/Cu, Ni/Ti/Ni, Ni/Ti/Cu, Cu/Ni/Ti/Ni/Cu, Ni/Cu/Ti/Cu/Ni, Ni/Cu/Ni/Ti/Ni/Cu/Ni, Ni/Zr/Cu/Ti/Cu/Zr/Ni and Ni/Ti/Cu/Zr/Cu/Ti/Ni among other combinations. The resulting strip or foil can be used for brazing, creating an alloy of the weight percentage of the original materials.
US07776453B2
A hub ring and/or an outer ring constituting a bearing device for a wheel, which is formed of a steel which contains 0.45 to 0.70 mass % of C and at least one of V, Nb and Ti in a total amount of 0.3 mass % or less, wherein a micro structure of a part being not surface-hardening-treated contains a ferrite in 15 to 30 area % and contains a particulate ferrite.
US07776441B2
A thermoplastic composition comprises poly(arylene ether) having an initial intrinsic viscosity greater than 0.25 dl/g as measured in chloroform at 25° C.; a polyolefin having a melt temperature greater than or equal to 120° C. and a melt flow rate of 0.3 to 15; a first block copolymer having a aryl alkylene content greater than or equal to 50 weight percent based on the total weight of the first block copolymer; a second block copolymer having an aryl alkylene content less than 50 weight percent based on the total weight of the second block copolymer; and a flame retardant, wherein the poly(arylene ether) is present in an amount greater than the amount of polyolefin. The composition is useful in the production of covered wire.
US07776432B2
Sandwich plate-like construction and method for making such a construction, wherein the construction comprises a steel plate, a contact layer and an inorganic layer, said inorganic layer at least comprises ultra fine particles and a binder. This type of construction is especially suitable as bridge decks, on oil platforms, ship decks, windmill foundations or towers, outdoor furniture, balconies and other tough and exposed applications.
US07776431B2
A plastic planar structure, comprising: a bearing layer which contains plastic foam; and an upper layer, also containing plastic foam, which adheres on the bearing layer in a material lock, and a method for manufacturing a plastic planar structure, wherein: a foamed or foamable first plastic material of a web-shaped or mat-shaped bearing layer is provided, onto which a foamable second plastic material is applied, and foamed.
US07776430B2
An article for tooling composite materials, including a carbon foam, a sealant attached to the carbon foam so as to form a monolithic fine-grain graphite-like surface; and a skin of facesheet materials. The facesheet materials include: a spray-deposited coating of metal; more preferably, a thermal or plasma spray-deposited metal; and most preferably, a plasma sprayed Invar metal. The facesheet materials may optionally include a flash coating. The facesheet materials alternately include plastics, resinous materials and carbon-carbon composite materials.
US07776429B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a support for image recording material, which can record high quality images without causing blister, unevenness of recording and unevenness of fixation; various image recording materials using the support for image recording material; and an image recording method. Therefore, the present invention provides a support for image recording material, comprising a base paper and at least one polyolefin resin layer formed on both surfaces of the base paper, wherein a front surface polyolefin resin layer at the side of the polyolefin resin layer, on which an image recording layer is formed, is composed of two or more layers, and an average density of an outermost front surface polyolefin resin layer, which is located farthest from the base paper, is less than that of at least any front surface polyolefin resin layers other than the outermost front surface polyolefin resin layer.
US07776421B2
A composite velour fabric garment includes a laminate consisting of an outer woven shell layer, an inner thermal layer of knit construction, and an intermediate layer disposed between and laminated to each of the shell layer and the thermal layer. The outer woven shell layer contains spandex in at least a weft direction for stretch and recovery in a width direction. The knit construction of the inner thermal layer provides stretch in at least a width direction, in harmony with the shell layer, and the inner thermal layer has a raised surface facing inwardly, away from the shell layer. The intermediate layer has controlled air permeability, including zero air permeability.
US07776420B2
The present invention relates to an Ag alloy film. Particularly, it is preferably used as a reflective film or semi-transmissive reflective film for an optical information recording medium having high thermal conductivity/high reflectance/high durability in the field of optical information recording media, an electromagnetic-shielding film excellent in Ag aggregation resistance, and an optical reflective film on the back of a reflection type liquid crystal display device, or the like. The Ag alloy film of the present invention comprises an Ag base alloy containing Bi and/or Sb in a total amount of 0.005 to 10% (in terms of at %). Further, the present invention relates to a sputtering target used for the deposition of such an Ag alloy film.
US07776414B2
The present invention has an object to provide an infusion container with multiple chambers, where the peel strength of the boundary portion between one and another of multiple medicament chambers is stabilized irrespective of the construction material and structure of the film. The present invention provides an infusion container 10 with multiple chambers, which is formed from a thermoplastic resin film and has a plurality of medicament chambers 11 and 12 for housing medicaments, wherein the medicaments chambers 11 and 12 are liquid-tightly sealed by a peelable weak seal part 15, the weak seal part 15 is formed to have a plurality of melt-bonding parts different in the melt-bonding strength, the strong melt-bonding part having a largest melt-bonding strength among these melt-bonding parts is dispersed and distributed in the weak seal part 15, and the total occupied area of the strong melt-bonding part is less than 25% of the area of the weak seal part 15.
US07776412B1
A decorative architectural glass panel comprises a two or more glass sheets separated by a resin in which one or more decorative objects are suspended. A method of making the glass panel comprises positioning one or more spacers and one or more decorative objects on a first glass sheet, placing a second glass sheet about the first glass sheet, sealing the edges of the first glass sheet and second glass sheet, and filling the space between the first and second glass sheets with a curable liquid resin. The resin can be poured using a substantially horizontal pour in order to keep the decorative objects from substantially shifting when pouring the liquid resin. The resin can also be poured in combination with a vacuum force. In some implementations, the glass panel may also be substituted with a resin panel using polymeric resin sheets.
US07776407B2
The present invention related to a method for surface treatment and a method for forming fine wiring and more particularly, to a method for surface treatment of a substrate, including: preparing a substrate on which a fine wiring is to be formed; and treating the surface of the substrate with a fluorine containing liquid having a low boiling point, and a method for forming fine wiring using the same method. According to the present invention, not only the spreading of ink droplets but also the deterioration of the interface adhesion is avoided.
US07776403B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a method for producing an organic thin film, which enables rapid film formation, and enables a dense organic thin film with minimal impurities to be formed stably, and in a plurality of consecutive repetitions.The present invention provides a method for producing an organic thin film in which an organic thin film is formed on the surface of a substrate, including a step (A) of bringing the substrate into contact with an organic solvent solution containing a metal-based surfactant having at least one hydrolyzable group, and a catalyst capable of interacting with the metal-based surfactant, wherein the water content within the organic solvent solution is either set or maintained within a predetermined range.
US07776399B1
A method for forming a polyurethane coated cellular polyvinylchloride board, comprising: de-ionizing a cellular polyvinylchloride board; vacuuming the cellular polyvinylchloride board; coating the cellular polyvinylchloride board with a coating comprising a polyurethane-based paint and a catalyst to form a coated cellular polyvinylchloride board; and curing the coated cellular polyvinylchloride board. The method allows for the high speed application of a diverse number of colored coatings onto the cellular polyvinylchloride board.
US07776397B2
The process for forming a chemical adsorption film of the present invention includes a hydrophilic treatment step ST1 of making the surface of the material hydrophilic, a treatment step ST2 of adhering an acid or a base onto the surface of the base material which is made hydrophilic, and a film forming step ST3 of contacting the surface of the base material on which an acid or a base is adhered with a chemical adsorbent to form a chemical adsorption film on the surface.
US07776383B2
Methods for discover of ceramic nanomaterial suitable for an application by preparing an array of first layer of electrodes and printing ceramic nanomaterial films on the electrodes. A second layer of electrodes is printed on the nanomaterial films of ceramics to form an electroded film array. The electroded film array is sintered. Properties of the sintered electroded film array are measured and one of the array elements with properties suited for the particular application is identified.
US07776382B2
A method for coating a rollable device including a device rotator having a pair of rollers and spray nozzle is described. The spray nozzle produces a spray of coating material that is directed towards a gap that is between the rollers of the pair. The majority of any spray not deposited on the rollable device during a coating process passes through the gap between the rollers.
US07776375B2
A stable oil containing LC-PUFAs in the form of triacylglycerols, in particular arachidonic acid (ARA), dihomogammalinolenic acid (DHGLA), docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) or eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA), may be prepared by direct pressing of one or more biomasses obtained from the culture of a microorganism, especially of a fungus or of a microalga containing the acids ARA, DHGLA, DHA or EPA leading to a first press oil and by bringing a carrier oil entering into the composition of a foodstuff, a cosmetic or pharmaceutical product, into contact with the biomass cake, followed by pressing leading to a second press oil, and then by combining the pressed oils and refining the mixture under controlled conditions.
US07776373B2
A method of enhancing food properties by electroporating a food using electrical pulses. The pulses are high-voltage pulses, and the food contains cells that become permeable from the electroporation. The food is exposed to food agents, which diffuse into the food's cells to enhance properties of the food.
US07776370B2
Heat-stable flavor components, which can be used in cheese flavoring systems to prepare food products, including cheeses, having desired flavor profiles. The flavoring components are obtained by addition of flavor-generating whey source as part of a fermentation process in which the whey source provides a source of flavor, and a lipid source is added which traps and stabilizes, and thus preserves, flavor compounds in the fermented mixture during a subsequent heat treatment used for culture inactivation. Methods of making and using these flavoring components and flavoring systems in food products, such as cheese products, also are provided.
US07776366B2
A method is provided improving fertility in a mammal using glucosamine based composition. The composition is effective to improve fertility in mammals, including humans and stallions.
US07776355B2
The present invention is a delivery system comprising a pad and a liquid composition, comprising an insoluble dermatologically active ingredient with a viscosity that permits substantially uniform absorption of the composition onto the pad, and the pad is in then packaged in a sealed container.
US07776352B2
In preferred embodiments, the present invention provides methods of controllably making a vinyl polymer hydrogel having desired physical properties without chemical cross links or radiation. The gelation process is modulated by controlling, for example, the temperature of a resultant vinyl polymer mixture having a gellant or using active ingredients provided in an inactive gellant complex. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, the method of manufacturing a vinyl polymer hydrogel includes the steps of providing a vinyl polymer solution comprising a vinyl polymer dissolved in a first solvent; heating the vinyl polymer solution to a temperature elevated above the melting point of the physical associations of the vinyl polymer, mixing the vinyl polymer solution with a gellant, wherein the resulting mixture has a higher Flory interaction parameter than the vinyl polymer solution; inducing gelation of the mixture of vinyl polymer solution and gellant; and controlling the gelation rate to form a viscoelastic solution, wherein workability is maintained for a predetermined period, thereby making a vinyl polymer hydrogel having the desired physical property. In further preferred embodiments, the present invention provides physically crosslinked hydrogels produced by controlled gelation of viscoelastic solution wherein workability is maintained for a predetermined period. In another aspect, the present invention provides kits for use in repairing intervertebral disks or articulated joints including components that form the vinyl polymer hydrogel and a dispenser.
US07776348B2
A foundation in the form of a water-in-oil emulsion comprising a fatty phase, an aqueous phase, at least one surfactant chosen from C8-C22 alkyl dimethicone copolyols, at least one other surfactant chosen from dimethicone copolyols, and hydrophobic coated pigments, where the fatty phase comprises at least 30% by weight, relative to the total weight of the emulsion, of a volatile fatty phase comprising: at least 6% by weight, relative to the total weight of the emulsion, of at least one volatile hydrocarbon oil, and at least one volatile oil chosen from silicone volatile oils and fluorinated volatile oils; wherein the foundation is stable after storing at room temperature (25° C.) for at least 2 months and makes it possible to obtain a homogeneous make-up on the skin.
US07776347B2
The present invention comprises a structured premix or “delivery vehicle” composition designed as a carrier to enhance the benefit (e.g., via enhanced deposition or other mechanism) of a separate hydrophobic benefit agent(s) (for example, perfumes, skin lightening agents, etc.), from personal product compositions (e.g., liquid and bar cleansers, creams, emulsions, hair composition, deodorant etc.). When the structured benefit agent composition is separately prepared and combined with the personal product composition (preferably while structured, premix composition is still in molten or liquid state), the personal product composition with structured benefit agent carrier provides enhanced deposition of the structured benefit agent and enhanced effect of the separate hydrophobic benefit agent(s) in or on the carrier or in the presence of structured benefit agent carrier.
US07776330B2
Embodiments of the present invention utilize a more efficient CDR grafting technique to generate humanized versions of the T84.66 antibody. The technique used to generate these antibodies utilizes crystallographic structural data to select an immunoglobulin framework having maximum structural overlap with a non-human donor molecule. This technique was used to develop humanized T84.66 antibodies exhibiting in vitro binding affinity and specificity for carcinoembryonic antigen (CEA) nearly identical to that of T84.66 and the ability to specifically target tumors expressing CEA in vivo.
US07776329B2
An antibody capable of binding to a specific region of glypican 3, as well as a humanized antibody created based on that antibody are disclosed. The anti-GPC3 antibody of the invention has a higher ADCC activity and CDC activity compared with those of a conventional antibody. The antibody of the present invention is useful as a cell growth inhibitor, an anticancer agent and an agent for diagnosis of cancers.
US07776323B2
The invention relates to Streptococcus suis infection in pigs, vaccines directed against those infections and tests for diagnosing Streptococcus suis infections. The invention provides an isolated or recombinant nucleic acid encoding a capsular gene cluster of Streptococcus suis or a gene or gene fragment derived thereof. The invention further provides a nucleic acid probe or primer allowing species or serotype-specific detection of Streptococcus suis. The invention also provides a Streptococcus suis antigen and vaccine derived thereof.
US07776319B2
The present invention provides methods and compositions for the treatment of ion imbalances. In particular, the invention provides compositions comprising sodium-binding polymers and pharmaceutical compositions thereof. Methods of use of the polymeric and pharmaceutical compositions for therapeutic and/or prophylactic benefits are disclosed herein. Examples of these methods include the treatment of hypertension, chronic heart failure, end stage renal disease, liver cirrhosis, chronic renal insufficiency, fluid overload, or sodium overload.
US07776316B2
Liquid cosmetic composition in the form of an emulsion comprising at least two distinct phases and containing at least one photochromic coloring agent and at least one non-photochromic coloring matter, characterized in that the photochromic coloring agent(s) and the non-photochromic coloring matter(s) are located in separate phases of the emulsion.Application to the make-up and/or the care of the skin and/or its appendages.
US07776311B1
The present invention provides compounds of the formula X—R1-D-[Dpr, Orn or Lys](A)-R2(Z)-D-[Dpr, Orn or Lys](B)—R3(Y)—NR4R5; or R1(X)-D-[Dpr, Orn or Lys](A)-R2(Z)-D-[Dpr, Orn or Lys](B)—R3(Y)—NR4R5, in which X is a hard acid cation chelator, a soft acid cation chelator or Ac-, R1, R2 and R3 are independently selected from a covalent bond or one or more D-amino acids that can be the same or different, Y is a hard acid cation chelator, a soft acid cation chelator or absent, Z is a hard acid cation chelator, a soft acid cation chelator or absent, and A and B are haptens or hard acid cation chelators and can be the same or different, and R4 and R5 are independently selected from the group consisting of hard acid cation chelators, soft acid cation chelators, enzymes, therapeutic agents, diagnostic agents and H. The present invention also provides methods of using these compounds and kits containing the compounds.
US07776308B2
In an apparatus for continuously recovering sulfur from a gas stream containing 0.1 to 3.0 vol-% H2S, further gaseous sulfur compounds and sulfur, the gas stream first is passed over a reduction stage consisting of hydrogenation catalyst and then over a selective oxidation stage consisting of oxidation catalyst. To reduce the amount of apparatus involved, it is provided to arrange the reduction stage and the selective oxidation stage in a reaction tank and to leave a space for introducing a gaseous cooling medium into the gas stream between the two stages.
US07776306B2
A method of forming basic copper carbonates includes providing an aqueous solution comprising copper (II), ammonia, and carbonic acid; and adding sufficient carbon dioxide to precipitate a basic copper carbonate from the aqueous solution.
US07776290B2
The invention relates to a container (10) for a multi-component reaction, having at least two chemical chambers (20) and at least one mixing space, the container (10) being formed from a base film (40) provided with recesses (30) and an upper film (50), which is optionally structured, the upper film (50) being joined, especially sealed, to the base film (40), at least over sections. The invention relates also to a method of filling such a container.
US07776278B2
Apparatus for the polymerization of olefins, in particular ethylene, comprising a gas-phase fluidized-bed reactor (1), a product offtake line (15) for taking polymer particles either continuously or discontinuously from the reactor (1), which line (15) is connected to a depressurization vessel (2) for separating polymer particles and gas, a recycle gas filter (3) for freeing the gas of entrained fine particles connected to the depressurization vessel (2), a compressor which compresses the gas which has been freed of fine particles and recirculates it into the reactor (1), with the recycle gas filter (3) having an inlet chamber (4) provided with a gas inlet (6), an outlet chamber (5) provided with a gas outlet (7), an essentially vertical sheet-like filter medium (9) for retaining the fine particles which separates the inlet chamber (4) from the outlet chamber (5) and a particle outlet (8). The inlet chamber (4) has a dividing wall (10) which is arranged essentially parallel to the filter medium (9) and separates the inlet chamber (4) into an inflow region (4a), which is connected to the gas inlet (6), and a filter region (4b) in which the filter medium is located and has an upper opening and a lower opening which are dimensioned so that from 60 to 90% of the volume flow flows through the upper opening so that flow along the filter medium (9) from the top downward results.
US07776274B2
The disclosure relates to a cassette, frame and mold for holding a tissue sample during an embedding and mircotoming process, and related methods. The cassette is sectionable in a microtome and includes a body with a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls. First and second side walls are generally V-shaped to present an apex of the “V” to the microtome blade. A lid of the cassette is stiffer than the bottom wall of the cassette to assist with positioning the tissue sample. The side walls of the cassette are perforated so as to significantly reduce the amount of cassette material that must be cut by the microtome blade. In one embodiment, to additionally reduce blade wear the ribs on one side wall are offset lengthwise relative to the ribs on an opposite side wall. An upper flange of the cassette includes depressions configured to register with detents in the frame.
US07776266B2
A food testing device for testing for the presence of harmful contaminants in a food sample, includes a vessel adapted for holding a liquefied food sample, a liquefier operatively associated with the vessel for converting an unliquefied food sample into a liquefied food sample, at least one test assay dispensable from the device, wherein the test assay includes at least one assay reagent having an affinity for at least one harmful contaminant, and capable of both detecting the presence of the harmful contaminant in the liquefied food sample, and producing a visual cue upon recognition of the harmful contaminant; and a radiation detector disposed proximately to the vessel for indicating the presence of ionizing radiation in the food sample at amounts exceeding normal background levels to detect the presence of a radioactive agent as the harmful contaminant.
US07776261B2
Aqueous solution suitable for the chemical sterilization of packaging materials, process for its preparation and its use Aqueous solution suitable for the chemical sterilization of packaging materials, comprising hydrogen peroxide and at least one foodstuff-compatible stabilizer. This solution but without the stabilizer has a maximum phosphorous content expressed as PO43 —of 10 mg/kg, and present a dry residue at 105° C. of at most 10 mg/kg. The same solution can be used as dip bath liquid in dip bath aseptic packaging processes and as well as spraying liquid in spray aseptic packaging processes.
US07776257B2
A titanium alloy containing carbon with and without addition of silicon exhibiting improved corrosion resistance and mechanical strength as compared to commercially pure ASTM grade 2 titanium or PGM-alloyed ASTM grade 7 titanium.
US07776250B2
There is disclosed an imprinted polymer support for solid phase organic synthesis (SPOS). The polymer support being obtainable from a method that comprises providing a substrate and a mold, the mold having a defined surface pattern. A composition is placed between the defined surface pattern of the mold and the substrate. The composition comprises a polymerisation medium with at least one functional monomer and a free radical initiator. The composition is polymerised to form an array of polymer imprints adhered to the substrate.
US07776249B2
A method of making an electrically conductive element, particularly a bipolar plate for a fuel cell, comprises molding an element from a composite material comprising a polymer and an electrically conductive material to produce an element having a polymer-rich skin and removing at least a portion of the polymer-rich skin with a plasma.
US07776247B2
In a method of manufacturing an electronic device, an electronic element is disposed on a wiring plate that is electrically coupled with a connector terminal, a first surface of the wiring plate is covered with a first casing element and a second surface of the wiring plate is covered with a second casing element to form an electronic circuit part, the electronic circuit part is disposed in a case cavity of a molding tool, and a resin is filled into the case cavity to form the resin-molded case while keeping a state where a first pressure that pushes the first casing element toward the wiring plate and that changes with time is substantially equal to a second pressure that pushes the second casing element toward the wiring plate and that changes with time.
US07776237B2
Process for improving the brilliance of color and the stability of a colored polymer system, which is composed of a matrix and of discrete polymer particles distributed in accordance with a defined spatial lattice structure in the matrix, and which is obtained by filming of an emulsion polymer with core/shell structure, which comprises using an emulsion polymer obtainable by polymerizing monomers in at least one first stage (core monomers), then polymerizing monomers in at least one further, second stage (transition stage), and finally polymerizing monomers in a third stage (shell monomers), where, based on the percentage constitution of the monomer mixtures of the three stages, at most 30% by weight of the monomers of the first stage are identical with those of the third stage, and 5% of the monomers of the second stage are identical with, respectively, those of the first and those of the third stage, and not more than 60% by weight of the monomers of the 2nd stage here are monomers absent in the 1st stage and also absent in the 3rd stage.
US07776234B2
The present invention relates to a process for preparing composite materials comprising an electrode active compound of formula AaDdMmZzOoNnFf, such as an alkali metal ion, such as a lithium ion, insertion compound, and an electronically conducting compound, such as carbon, in which a homogeneous mixed precursor containing all the elements A, D, M, Z, O, N and F forming the electrode active compound and also one or more organic and/or organometallic compounds are thermally decomposed, in a short period of time, so as to obtain the composite material. These composite materials in particular find their application in devices containing said compounds and/or active materials, such as electrochemical devices and batteries, in particular lithium batteries.
US07776233B2
The invention relates to an oleaginous corrosion-inhibiting composition, and the use of said composition to protect metal from corrosion. The composition comprises, in parts by weight, from about 20 to 60 parts of lubricating oil, 10 to 40 parts of organic solvent, 20 to 60 parts of corrosion-inhibitor consisting of a sulfonic acid-carboxylic acid metal complex or a mixture of said metal complex with a small but effective amount of an oil soluble alkyl phosphate, from 0.1 to 2.0 parts of an oil soluble antioxidant, from 0.1 to 5.0 parts of a water-displacing compound and from 0.0 to 1.0 part of a metal deactivator.
US07776224B2
The present invention relates to an apparatus for treating ballast water, the apparatus being capable of treating ballast water so as to meet the ballast water standard established by the IMO exactly at low costs. The treatment apparatus of the present invention comprises a filter (4) that filters sea water to trap aquatic organisms, a bactericide supply apparatus (5) that supplies bactericide to the filtrate sea water, and a venturi tube 7 that introduces the sea water to which the bactericide is added, to produce cavitation in the sea water, thereby diffusing the bactericide and also damaging and destroying aquatic organisms in the sea water.
US07776223B2
This present invention is related to a method of collecting high-level radioactive contaminated uranium powder underwater. It utilizes a long rod fixed to the pipe of the sewage pump at bottom, and takes another end of the sewage pump to connect to the sediment bag to collect uranium powder which is dispersed and contaminates the pond. Inhaling the pond water contains uranium powder into the sediment bag by sewage pump that is joined to a collecting can under it and waiting for precipitation of the powder. When the uranium powder in the sediment bag is completely precipitated into the collecting can, operator can utilize submersible pump to drain the pond water from the sediment bag. Operator may hold the cable wire of the uranium powder collecting can manually to move it to the collecting shelf and repeat the process several times until the high-level radioactive uranium powder in the contaminated pond are all collected on the uranium powder collecting shelf.
US07776220B2
A column for flash chromatography having spherical, or semi-spherical, and porous silica gel having a granule size between 3 and 45 μm and pores between 30 and 300 Å.
US07776217B2
A bioretention system and method are provided for removing phosphorus, nitrogen and other materials from effluent such as wastewater and stormwater. The system and method can include a filtration media comprising water treatment residuals and other fill such as soil. Plants can be growing in the soil. The system can also include a drainage system to regulate outflow, to function during both low and high throughputs of water.
US07776216B1
A floating plant culture system has improved strength and durability and includes a substantially planar platform having a length along opposed sides thereof and a width along front and back thereof generally perpendicular to the sides. The platform is adapted for growing a culture of attached plants including micro- and macrophytes thereon. Beneath the platform are affixed a plurality of cells extending in bridging relation to the sides and open at each end adjacent the sides. The cells are placeable in fluid communication with a body of water desired to be remediated. Affixed along at least a portion of the sides extend a pair of opposed hollow beams, for providing flotation to the platform. The beams are also placeable in fluid communication with the body of water, and an upper surface of the platform is floodable by the body of water from beneath for submerging plants attached thereto.
US07776210B2
A dialysate fluid circulation apparatus includes a dialyzer, a first housing and a second housing. The first housing contains material capable of releasing sodium into dialysate fluid flowing through the first housing. The second housing contains material capable of binding sodium ions from dialysate fluid flowing through the second housing. Hydraulic conduit sections are configured to extend between the dialyzer, the first housing, and the second housing to connect the dialyzer with the housings in a primary flow path for dialysate fluid to flow from the dialyzer to the first housing, from the first housing to the second housing, and from the second housing back to the dialyzer.
US07776204B2
The invention provides an ion exchange membrane electrolytic process unlikely to undergo any current density drop even when brine having a concentration lower than usual. Electrolysis occurs while the concentration of an aqueous solution of an alkaline metal chloride in an anode chamber partitioned by a cation exchange membrane is set at 2.7 mol/l to 3.3 mol/l, and a gap is provided between the cation exchange membrane and the anode.
US07776187B2
An industrial belt having a non-linear seam adapted to be on-machine joinable. In a particular embodiment, the seam is made up of a opposite end regions of the belt having complementary projections, such as in the form of castellations, which engage at the seam, providing a completely integrated belt throughout the zone of the seam. In the field of papermaking, the belt of the invention can take the form of a transfer belt, whereby the invention provides a fully interlocking, strong seam which minimizes any potential mechanical or hydraulic sheet marking. The invention also includes a method of creating the end regions of the belt, seaming the belt, and casting the belt.
US07776179B2
The present invention imparts fire-retardancy upon cellulosic products utilizing a cost-effective, non-toxic, and reliable process. Unlike previous methods which impart superficial fire-retardant coatings upon finished products, the present process treats the individual cellulosic particles (i.e. fibers, chips etc.) that make up cellulose-based particle products. Treating the individual particles provides fire-retardancy throughout the entire length and width of the product. This full-depth retardancy provides superior protection, especially in catastrophic fires where the surface coat of other products can be compromised.
US07776174B2
An interior trim component, such as a headliner, includes a decorative covering, a substrate and a piece of a material, such as foam material, placed between the decorative covering and the substrate. After the molding process, the piece of material expands due to its resiliency to form a raised relief in the decorative covering, thereby providing a headliner with an embellished appearance. The method of manufacturing the embossed headliner requires no special tooling and is very cost effective.
US07776163B2
The present invention provides a lead-free free-cutting aluminum brass alloy and its manufacturing method. The alloy comprises: 57.0˜63.0 wt % Cu, 0.3˜0.7 wt % Al, 0.1˜0.5 wt % Bi, 0.2˜0.4 wt % Sn, 0.1˜0.5 wt % Si, 0.01˜0.15 wt % P, at least two elements selected from the group of 0.01-0.15 wt % Mg, 0.0016-0.0020 wt % B, and 0.001-0.05 wt % rare earth elements and the balance being Zn and unavoidable impurities. The inventive alloy has excellent castability, weldability, cuttability and corrosion resistance. It is suitable for low pressure die casting, gravity casting, horizontal continuous casting, forging and extrusion. Its metal material cost is lower than bismuth brass. It is particularly applicable for components used in drinking water supply systems and other structural components. It is a new environmentally-friendly free-cutting aluminum brass alloy.
US07776162B2
A steel having few alumina clusters prepared by casting liquid steel deoxidized with Al, with the addition of one or more rare-earth metals (REM) selected from the group of Ce, La, Pr and Nd in which: (a) The REM-oxide-content in oxide-based inclusions consisting mainly of alumina and REM-oxides is 0.5 to 15 mass % of said oxide-based inclusions, or (b) The mass ratio of total REM to total oxygen (T.O.), REM/T.O., in liquid steel is not less than 0.05 and not more than 0.5, in addition to (a), or (c) The total REM-content is not less than 0.1 ppm and less than 10 ppm and the dissolved-REM-content is less than 1 ppm.
US07776157B2
A cleaning device comprising an enclosure, a cover allowing it to be opened in order to place an object to be cleaned within the enclosure, a supply of cleaning fluid, the enclosure comprising a piston that can move thanks to a motor, a geometry allowing a contact with an external fluid reservoir when the piston occupies a certain position within the enclosure in order to generate a sudden release of pressure, the device comprising an outlet valve remaining closed when the piston increases the volume of the enclosure so as to cause the pressure reduction within the enclosures.
US07776153B2
A method and apparatus for producing bulk single crystals of AlN having low dislocation densities of about 10,000 cm−2 or less includes a crystal growth enclosure with Al and N2 source material therein, capable of forming bulk crystals. The apparatus maintains the N2 partial pressure at greater than stoichiometric pressure relative to the Al within the crystal growth enclosure, while maintaining the total vapor pressure in the crystal growth enclosure at super-atmospheric pressure. At least one nucleation site is provided in the crystal growth enclosure, and provision is made for cooling the nucleation site relative to other locations in the crystal growth enclosure. The Al and N2 vapor is then deposited to grow single crystalline low dislocation density AlN at the nucleation site. High efficiency ultraviolet light emitting diodes and ultraviolet laser diodes are fabricated on low defect density AlN substrates, which are cut from the low dislocation density AlN crystals. Bulk crystals of ZnO may also be produced using the method.
US07776150B2
Method and apparatus for converting wet synthetic gypsum from a flue desulphurization process (FGD) to easily handled and metered briquettes by mixing a hydraulic additive such as by-pass dust from a cement kiln with synthetic gypsum and allowing the heat from the resulting hydraulic reaction to reduce the water content of the mixture to a formable consistency without adding external heat to the mixture as it is formed into briquettes.
US07776149B2
Barium sulfate particles having an average particle diameter d50 of from 0.1 to 10 μm which are produced by precipitation can be dispersed better if they are covered with at least one organic additive.
US07776133B2
In the operation, a flux mainly composed of silica ore and a non-ferrous metal-ore raw-material are charged into a smelting furnace via a conveying system. In order to increase the production amount of the metal, the flux is conveyed and treated through a first system, in which the flux is crushed in a ball mill and dried in the bail mill, and the crushed and dried flux is conveyed directly before the smelting furnace. The non-ferrous metal ore is treated and conveyed through a second system, in which it is dried with a drier and then conveyed directly before the smelting furnace. In the drier of copper concentrate, the flux is not dried at all.
US07776131B2
A manufacturing method for an oxide-dispersed alloy wherein dispersed particles consisting of oxides of one or two or more additive metals are dispersed in a matrix metal, comprising the steps of (a) manufacturing alloy powder or an alloy wire rod consisting of the matrix metal and the additive metal; (b) oxidizing the additive metal in the alloy powder by water to form dispersed particles by introducing the alloy powder or alloy wire rod into a high-energy ball mill with water and by making agitation; and (c) moldedly solidifying the alloy powder or alloy wire rod after oxidation. The present invention is especially useful in manufacturing oxide-dispersed alloys in which the free energy of oxide formation of the matrix metal is higher than water standard free energy of formation, and the free energy of oxide formation of the additive metal is lower than water standard free energy of formation.
US07776129B2
An improved method of reducing a mixed metal oxide composition comprising oxides of nickel, cobalt, copper and iron in a hydrogen atmosphere to produce a mixture of the respective metals, the improvement wherein the atmosphere further comprises water vapour at a concentration, temperature and time to effect selective reduction of the oxides of nickel cobalt and copper relative to the iron oxide to produce the metallic mixture having a reduced ratio of metallic iron relative to metallic nickel, cobalt and copper.
US07776117B2
An air filtration unit, includes a filter cartridge (4) of the filtration bag (6) type, the bags (6) being arranged vertically and held extended by appropriate fixing elements (16, 17), between two support structures (12, 13). The upper ends (15) of the bags (6) are fixed to an upper support structure (13), in the form of a perforated sheet and the lower ends thereof (14) are fixed to a lower support structure (12), in the form of a grille. According to the invention, the fixing elements (16, 17), for the filtration bags (6), are embodied to permit the tensioning of the bags (6) at the upper end (15) thereof. The invention further relates to a particular method for assembly of a filtration bag within a unit as above, a tool for tensioning bags, embodied to be suitable for the unit.
US07776106B2
The present invention refers to dyestuffs of the general Formula (I) wherein R, X, Y and Z are defined as given in claim 1, dyestuff mixtures and hair dye compositions comprising them, as well as a process for coloring hair.
US07776085B2
An improved knee prosthesis includes a ceramic tibial component for articulation with natural or prosthetic (re-surfaced) femoral surfaces. The ceramic tibial component is provided in the form of a ceramic monoblock adapted for fixation relative to the patient's tibial bone, or alternately in the form of a ceramic bearing insert component carried by a tibial baseplate member which is adapted in turn for fixation relative to tibial bone. In either form, the ceramic tibial component includes at least one upwardly concave articulation surface for movable bearing engagement by a generally convex or condylar shaped femoral articulation surface. The ceramic tibial component provides improved wear characteristics with extended service life.
US07776074B2
The magnitude of the force that can be created when each of a plurality of bone elements, such as the vertebrae of the human spine, is brought into alignment and stabilized by a corrective appliance comprising bone fasteners, such as pedicle screws attached to the bone elements, and one or more aligning devices, such as fixation rods, is measured and constrained. The force required to bring the bone element into alignment with the aligning device is maintained below a selected magnitude. In some instances, in order to maintain the magnitude of the force below the selected magnitude, it may be necessary to make an adjustment so that the bone fastener can be secured to a respective aligning device without increasing the force to or beyond the selected magnitude.
US07776072B2
A system and method for ameliorating spinal column anomalies, such as scoliosis, includes bone screws which are to be implanted in the pedicle region(s) of individual to-be-derotated vertebrae and in vertebrae to which balancing forces must be applied as the spinal column is manipulated en mass to achieve an over-all correction of the condition. A pedicle screw cluster derotation tool simultaneously engages multiple pedicle screws and transmits manipulative forces to multiple vertebrae to effect a whole-spine correction. Pre-contoured spinal rods are engaged post-derotation to secure the correction.
US07776071B2
A flexible intervertebral linking device (1) is provided. The device (1) utilizes two sets of structures. A first structure (11) is a rigid structure (110, 112, 114, 116) preferably made of biocompatible metallic materials providing the device with good mechanical resistance by integral load transmission without deformation. A second structure (12) is a flexible or damping structure (121 and 122) made of biocompatible viscoelastic materials, permitting repeated elastic deformations. The combination of the two structures providing the device with both resistance and mechanical dampening of forces to which it is subjected, with the purpose of compensating for any deficiency in the flexibility of certain anatomical links of the human body.
US07776068B2
Spinal motion preservation assemblies adapted for use in a spinal motion segment are disclosed including the process for delivering and assembling the spinal motion preservation assemblies in the spinal motion segment via an axial channel created with a trans-sacral approach. Many of the spinal motion preservation assemblies make use of a dual pivot. A number of different embodiments of spinal motion preservation assemblies are disclosed which include at least one component adapted for elastic deformation under compressive loads. The disclosed mobility preservation assemblies provide for dynamic stabilization of the spinal motion segment. Other variations and implementations of the teachings are disclosed, including the sheathed delivery of membranes in order to protect the membranes before and during deployment.
US07776063B2
Methods and apparatus of forming hydrogel systems in situ are provided using a delivery system configured to deliver two or more fluent prepolymer solutions without premature crosslinking. The delivery system comprises separate first and second lumens coupling first and second inlet ports and first and second outlet ports, respectively, and may include a balloon, flexible distal region, mixing chamber or steerable distal end. Multi-component hydrogel systems suitable for use with the inventive methods and apparatus are also described.
US07776051B2
Systems and methods for displacing bony structures relative to each other using a single device is disclosed. Displacement includes distraction and compression. Bony structures are engaged with displacement arms. The user selects one of a plurality of manners in which to manipulate a user interface, where a first manner results in compression and a second manner results in distraction. The user interface is manipulated in the selected manner until a desired amount of displacement has been reached. This displacement is performed in a manner that is minimally invasive to the patient.
US07776049B1
An improved implant inserter and implant where the inserter includes a set of prongs for gripping the implant and the implant includes a plurality of recesses for mating with the set of prongs.
US07776048B2
An adjustable treatment aid for guiding, holding, attaching and/or positioning a tool for treating a bone includes a first frame having a bone position fixing device to attach the first frame to the bone, and a second frame for guiding, holding, attaching and/or positioning the tool. At least one adjusting device allows the first frame to be spatially adjusted relative to the second frame along at least one degree of freedom.
US07776045B2
An instrument for distracting vertebrae includes a shaft assembly and a distraction assembly at a distal end of the shaft assembly. The distraction assembly includes first and second distraction members movable from an unexpanded configuration for insertion toward an expanded configuration to separate the vertebrae. The shaft assembly is movable relative to the distraction assembly to facilitate placement of the distraction assembly in the disc space.
US07776042B2
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for the provision of spinal therapy to two or more adjacent motion segments accessed through a trans-sacral approach. The spinal therapies include fusion and dynamic stabilization with and without a distraction of the most cephalad motion segment of the two or more adjacent motion segments provided therapy. The disclosure includes methods and apparatus to impart a distraction on a second more caudal motion segment after providing therapy to the more cephalad motion segment. Related concepts for the extraction of previously inserted devices and the delivery and removal of plugs for plugging the interior cavities of implantable devices are disclosed.
US07776032B2
This invention provides a novel surgical device well suited to use in laparoscopic or other (e.g. open surgical) procedures. In certain embodiments, the device comprises a surgical probe, including a handle comprising at least one channel passing through the handle; and at least one conduit passing through the handle, where wherein at least one effector element is inserted into or through the channel, which effector element effects one or more surgical functions; and where the conduit comprises a distal conduit port that directs gas out of the conduit to substantially remove debris and/or fluid from a surface disposed proximal to the effector and/or from the effector element.
US07776022B2
A freeze-dried material is stored in a first chamber of a container along with a reconstituting liquid for the freeze-dried material, which is stored in a second chamber of the container. A sealing wall within the container forms a barrier between the first chamber and the second chamber preventing contact between the freeze-dried material and the reconstituting liquid. At least one valve assembly in the sealing wall selectively opens a region of the sealing wall to establish fluid flow communication between the first and second chambers, allowing the freeze dried material to be reconstituted. The reconstituted freeze-dried material can be administered from the same container to a recipient.
US07776015B2
A jet injection device with a fluid chamber in a housing member for holding about 0.02 ml to about 3 ml of a medicament. An injection-assisting needle has an injection end that extends from the housing for inserting into a patient to a depth of up to about 5 mm. A force-generating source is configured to apply a pressure reaching about 100-1000 psi to the medicament in the chamber to expel the medicament through the injecting end of the needle.
US07776012B2
A device (1) for medical use, of the prefilled ready-to-use syringe type, comprising a tubular body (2) comprising, at its distal end (4), a tip (5) to take a needle and, at its proximal end (12), a piston (3) able to slide inside the said tubular body (2), the said piston (3) being arranged in an initial position, with respect to the tubular body (2), defining an internal working volume (8) at least partially filled with a medicinal liquid (9), the piston (3) being connected to a rod (11) for actuating the said piston, characterized in that the tubular body (2) is provided, on its internal face (13), with a means (14) of detecting the movement of the piston (3), the said means (14) being situated between the initial position of the piston and the proximal end (12) of the tubular body (2).The present invention also relates to a method for manufacturing such a device.
US07776005B2
A catheter is provided that includes an elongated tubular body extending to a distal end. The tubular body has a first and a second lumen with a septum disposed therebetween. The tubular body includes a first wall that defines the first lumen and a second wall that defines the second lumen. A portion of the septum extends distally beyond the first lumen and the second lumen. The first wall includes a first wall extension that extends distally beyond the first lumen and is spaced apart from the portion of the septum. The first wall extension defines a concave surface facing the portion of the septum. In an alternate embodiment, the catheter includes a tip with spiraled configuration. The catheter may include a third lumen.
US07776004B2
A surgical aspirator tip and sleeve combination includes a hollow aspirator tip adapted to be placed into communication with a suction source, a grip portion, a coupling portion extending distally from the grip portion, and a neck portion extending distally from the coupling portion. The surgical aspirator sleeve is receivable on the tip to define an internal channel between the sleeve and the neck portion. The internal channel is in fluid communication with the interior of the tip. A plurality of spaced orifices on the sleeve provide communication between the external environment and the internal channel. At least one longitudinal groove is formed at least partially within the grip portion and the coupling portion. The longitudinal groove defines a venting channel in communication with the internal channel and the external environment. The longitudinal groove is adapted to be at least partially covered to adjust the suction within the internal channel.
US07775999B2
A support apparatus comprising a waist band, a thigh band, a lateral vertical strap attached to said waist band and two extensions attached to said thigh band, and a medial vertical strap attached to said waist band then wrapping medially down around the thigh and attaching to the thigh band.
US07775974B2
A retraction device including at least one pair of opposed retraction members, with each retraction member being capable of operably engaging the tissue to be retracted. A drive mechanism is operably engaged with at least one of each pair of retraction members for separating one of each pair of retraction members from the other to retract the tissue. A measuring device is operably engaged with at least one of the drive mechanism and one of each pair of retraction members, for determining and/or controlling a magnitude and/or rate of a force and/or strain imparted to the tissue by the drive mechanism via the retraction members as the tissue is being retracted. Associated devices and methods are also provided.
