US07818131B2
The activity state classification method of the present invention employs a kernel-based modeling technique, and more specifically a set of similarity-based models, which have been created using example data, to process an input observation or set of input observations, each comprising a set of sensor readings or “features” derived there from or other data, to predict the activity state of a person from whom the sensor data was obtained. A model is created for each class of activity. The input data is processed by each model and the resulting predictions are combined to yield a final prediction of which state of activity is represented by the input data.
US07818129B2
Methods for identifying feature boundary pixels are provided. In general, the subject methods involve evaluating a pixel signal to identify any difference in amplitude between a first part of the signal and a second part of the signal. If the difference is significant, the pixel signal may be indicated as a pixel representing a feature boundary. Also provided are systems and programming for performing the subject methods, and an array scanner containing these systems and programming.
US07818127B1
A method and apparatus for at least semi-autonomously controlling a vehicle so as to avoid collisions are provided. A sensor is utilized to scan an area proximate the vehicle for a potential object of collision. The apparatus calculates navigational states of the potential object of collision relative to the vehicle to determine that the vehicle is on a course to enter within a predetermined miss distance relative to the potential object of collision. The apparatus alters the course of the vehicle based on the calculated navigational states.
US07818121B2
Traffic information, including flow information and incident information, obtained through a traffic management system for providing and facilitating the exchange of traffic information between a remote location and a vehicle may be used in route calculation by a navigation device. The navigation device may recalculate a route based on anticipated user error. Alternatively, the navigation device may recalculate a route using received traffic information triggered by the receipt of a traffic information update, or triggered by the passage of an amount of time. The broadcast rate of traffic information updates may vary temporally (providing more frequent updates during peak commute times) or geographically (providing more frequent updates to metropolitan areas with increased traffic information needs). If route calculation is triggered by an elapsed amount of time, the amount of time may vary to be shorter during peak commute times. Additional route calculation techniques allow the incorporation of historical traffic information or the use of the most recent traffic information if incomplete traffic information is available. Still further route calculation techniques may calculate a best route by avoiding zigzagging or evaluating an assigned cost of a potential route.
US07818120B2
Provided is a system and method for route planning and evaluation. The system includes a host object location device operable to provide the location of a host object over the passage of time. A sensor is also provided, operable to sense objects and data from an environment proximate to the host object. A computer is operatively coupled to the location device, the sensor device, a chart library and a display. The computer includes a route generator operable to generate a predicted route of at least one sensed object. The route generator is also operable to generate a planned route of the host object. The planned and predicted routes are displayed to an operator upon the display. In response to a predicted proximate convergence of the host object and at least one sensed object, the convergence signaled to the operator. The planned position of the host object and the predicted position of each sensed object are displayed as an animation to evaluate the planned route, for any time following the present time, the operator permitted to stop the animation and scroll the animation forward and backwards.
US07818117B2
A computerized travel system and a method for providing advices and warnings per travel destination to end-users. The system has a client service module for receiving queries from the end-users, and delivering to them merged reports of travel advices and warnings for the queried travel destinations. A download and parsing module parses travel raw documents, downloaded from a plurality of online reliable travel sources, into cleaned raw documents sharing a common formatting structure including sections, sections headers and paragraphs. An algorithmic module integrates the cleaned raw documents into the merged reports of travel advices and warnings per travel destination. The integration is performed from a base document chosen among all the relevant clean raw documents for each queried travel destination. Comparable sections are determined on the basis of contents of their section headers and semantically close paragraphs are placed next to each other in corresponding sections of merged reports.
US07818108B2
The present invention concerns a system of automatic control of manoeuvre of motor crafts that allows, in a reliable and efficient way, to simplify piloting of multi-motor crafts, particularly in manoeuvres within restricted spaces such as for instance, but not exclusively, during phases of mooring, anchoring, or refuelling. In particular, the system automatically compensates the effects of currents, wind and other possible external disturbances upon the craft motion, performing the required movement or maintaining the position and the bow orientation set by the pilot. The present invention further concerns the related method of automatic control of manoeuvre, the processes of calibrating the system, the apparatuses and instruments apt to perform the method, and the motor crafts provided with such a system.
US07818105B2
When the mobile inspection terminal determines that the inspection standard information received from a server is the “specification”, it displays the received inspection standard information and out-of-standard specification information on a liquid crystal display. When it is confirmed in this state that selected inspection standard information is input, whether or not an part to be inspected is acceptable is determined based on the inspection standard information, and the server is notified of a result of determination. Further, when it is determined that the inspection standard information is the “measured value”, a measured value input screen is displayed on the liquid crystal display. When it is confirmed in this state that a measured value is input, whether or not the part to be inspected is acceptable or not is determined based on the input information, and the server is notified of a result of determination.
US07818097B2
Briefly, in accordance with one or more embodiments, one or more vehicle system nay be transferred via a control unit and/or an order confirmation may be communicated via the control unit.
US07818096B2
An aircraft electronics housing assembly maintains the electronics unit at given ambient conditions despite changes in conditions outside the housing during the aircraft flight cycle.
US07818090B2
A method of controlling movement of a mobile robot for realizing safe and appropriate accompanying behavior to follow an accompanied target includes detecting at least a position of the accompanied target, and controlling the movement of the mobile robot, based on the detected position of the accompanied target, so that the mobile robot moves along a path that is parallel to a moving direction of the accompanied target.
US07818064B2
The invention is a method of automatically adjusting an electrode array to the neural characteristics of an individual patient. The perceptual response to electrical neural stimulation varies from patient to patient and the response to electrical neural stimulation varies from patient to patient and the relationship between current and perceived brightness is often non-linear. It is necessary to determine this relationship to fit the prosthesis settings for each patient. It is advantageous to map the perceptual responses to stimuli. The method of mapping of the present invention is to provide a plurality of stimuli that vary in current, voltage, pulse duration, frequency, or some other dimension; measuring and recording the response to those stimuli; deriving a formula or equation describing the map from the individual points; storing the formula; and using that formula to map future stimulation.
US07818062B2
In some embodiments of the present invention, apparatus is provided for treating erectile dysfunction of a subject. The apparatus includes one or more electrodes configured to be coupled to a vicinity of a blood vessel that carries blood into or out of a penis of the subject, and a control unit configured to facilitate erection of the penis by peristaltically pumping blood in the blood vessel by stimulating nitric oxide (NO) production in the vicinity, by driving the electrodes to drive a current into the vicinity. Additional embodiments are also described.
US07818044B2
A surgical navigation system for navigating a region of a patient includes a non-invasive dynamic reference frame and/or fiducial marker, sensor tipped instruments, and isolator circuits. The dynamic reference frame may be repeatably placed on the patient in a precise location for guiding the instruments. The instruments may be precisely guided by positioning sensors near moveable portions of the instruments. Electrical sources may be electrically isolated from the patient.
US07818037B2
Disclosed herein is a communications system implementing a microphone wirelessly connected to a half-duplex communications device, such as a two-way radio or a radio-simulating cellular phone. The microphone may incorporate a transmit/receive switch wherein a transmit signal is wirelessly transmitted from the microphone to the communications device to direct the communications device to enter into a transmit mode. The microphone may communicate with the half-duplex communications device through a magnetic induction link.
US07818023B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate and effectuate power allocation schemes that reuse power allocation patterns amongst different carriers for sectors in the same cell and uses different power allocation patterns between cells. The frequency reuse scheme generates power allocation patterns, selects one of the generated power allocation patterns for use among at least two carriers of at least two sectors in a cell, and employs a second disparate power allocation pattern for use between at two cells.
US07818022B2
Communication apparatuses each having a power consumption control function acquires information of a communication partner apparatus to determine on the basis of the acquired information whether to use the control function of itself or to use that of the communication partner apparatus for controlling power consumption in a wireless communication network. The control function of the determined apparatus controls the electric power of the wireless communication.
US07818000B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for selecting a preferred foreign wireless network from a plurality foreign wireless networks. One embodiment of the invention comprises a home wireless network that includes an HLR and a managed roaming system coupled between the HLR and a plurality of foreign wireless networks. The managed roaming system receives registration messages for roaming subscribers being transmitted from the foreign wireless networks to the HLR. The managed roaming system monitors the number of registration messages received from the foreign wireless networks and forwards the registration messages to the HLR. The managed roaming system selects a preferred foreign wireless network based on the number of registration messages received from the foreign wireless networks over a time period. The managed roaming system then forwards subsequent registration messages from the preferred foreign wireless network to the HLR, and blocks registration messages from non-preferred foreign wireless networks.
US07817999B2
A method for implementing roam restriction and a system thereof are disclosed in the present invention, by setting up a list of areas where the terminal is allowed to roam. The method includes: the terminal sends a wireless service request to the mobile switching center on the wireless communication network side, wherein the request carries the information of at least one cell currently activated by this terminal; the mobile switching center determines whether there is a cell among the at least one cell currently activated by this terminal, whose cell information is included in the list of areas where the terminal is allowed to roam, if yes, executes current wireless service for this terminal; otherwise, rejects to execute current wireless service for this terminal. With this method, when the number of the cells is increased or changed, there is no need to modify the relationship between the associated IMSI/MIN and the cells or modify the IMSI/MIN of the terminals one by one under the circumstance of migration. Furthermore, since the information of all cells currently activated by the terminal is obtained by the wireless communication network side, when the terminal is located in an overlapped area covered by two cells, this method for implementing roam restriction on the terminal can still be used.
US07817995B2
Systems and methods for scheduling audio and/or visual content for recording using a mobile station are provided. A mobile station can display a content guide listing audio and/or visual content. When a dispatch button is depressed, a request for recording of the audio and/or visual content which is currently selected is sent to a server. The server forwards the request to a television device, which schedules the recording of the selected audio and/or visual content. Reminder messages regarding upcoming audio and/or visual content can be sent to the mobile station. If a dispatch button of the mobile station is depressed when the reminder message is being displayed, a request to record the audio and/or visual content identified in the reminder message is sent to the television device.
US07817988B2
A system and method of provisioning services for a mobile communication device are disclosed. A provisioning request including provisioning information and specifying a provisioning operation and a first communication service is prepared on the mobile communication device and sent to a provisioning system. Processing of the provisioning request is dependent upon whether or not a second communication service has been activated for the mobile communication device. If the mobile communication device is outside a coverage area of a wireless communication network when a provisioning request is prepared, the request is stored at the mobile communication device and sent to the provisioning system when the mobile communication device enters the coverage area. The provisioning system preferably manages service provisioning for multiple services, any of which may be hosted by different service providers.
US07817984B2
A mobile communication terminal includes a communication unit, a wireless communication unit, a contents acquisition unit, a contents storage unit, a verification unit, and an output permission determination unit. The communication unit communicates with an IC card. The wireless communication unit provides wireless communication using user information stored in the IC card. The contents acquisition unit acquires contents using the user information. The contents storage unit stores the contents in a form so as to be associated with user identification information acquired from the IC card. The verification unit verifies whether or not the user identification information acquired from the IC card matches the user identification information, which is stored in the contents storage unit so as to be associated with contents to be outputted. The output permission determination unit determines whether or not output of the contents should be permitted, receiving verification results obtained by the verification unit.
US07817983B2
Apparatus and methods for monitoring usage patterns of a wireless device may include a usage monitoring and reporting module operable to monitor and log usage on a wireless device based on a received usage configuration. Further, based on the usage configuration, the wireless device may forward the log to another device operable to analyze the log and generate a usage pattern report viewable by an authorized user.
US07817978B2
The present invention concerns a method for eliminating interference in measuring signals (SM) which are corrupted by pulsed interference signals (SST) having a known or determinable interference pulse interval (TSt), whereby the detection period (ΔtE) of an individual measured value (E) is shorter than an interference pulse period (ΔtSt), and a plurality of individual measured values (E) is detected at freely selectable time intervals (TE) of the measuring signal (SM). A reliable elimination of interferences caused by radio-interference sources transmitting in a pulsed manner is achieved by detecting at least three consecutive individual measured values (E) at time intervals (TE) that differ from the interference pulse interval (TSt), and by determining an interference-filtered measured quantity (M) with the at least three individual measured values (E).
US07817973B1
Method and apparatus for high-efficiency radio frequency (RF) power amplification. A method high-efficiency RF power amplification comprises receiving control and power signals, sampling power output of a main stage amplifier, comparing sampled amplifier output power with output power requirement information, reconfiguring bias of the cascaded amplifiers based on power adjustment information, coupling the output of a main stage power amplifier to a load mismatch protection circuit. An electronic apparatus for a Doherty-type high-efficiency RF power amplifying subsystem comprising a power interface circuit coupled to a bias network control circuit, an output power sampling circuit, the comparator comparing signal representing amplifier output power with the power control signal, the bias network control circuit adapts bias condition of the amplifier block, a load mismatch protection circuit provides well-controlled load, thereby the amplifier block amplifies RF input signal transmitted to the subsystem output.
US07817972B2
In a method for power control in a telecommunication system, the transmit power is adjusted based on at least the mutual information expression or a representation thereof. According to one aspect the transmit power for a coming slot is controlled based on the previously received slots, wherein an estimated quality is compared to a determined quality target based on the mutual information expression.
US07817966B2
According to one exemplary embodiment, a switching device with phase selection terminals to select between at least two phase shifting modes to reduce intermodulation distortion in the switching device includes a first phase selection terminal to select a first phase shifting mode of the switching device by enabling a first phase shifter in a first phase shifting switching branch coupled to an input of the switching device. The switching device further includes a second phase selection terminal to select a second phase shifting mode of the switching device by enabling a second phase shifting switching branch coupled to the switching device input. The intermodulation distortion in the switching device is reduced by selecting one of the first and second phase shifting modes. The switching device may further include a number of FETs coupled in series between an output of the switching device and the first and second phase shifting switching branches.
US07817961B2
The invention relates to a method for broadcasting beacon frames in a short-range wireless ad-hoc network including a plurality of wireless terminals. In order to improve the efficiency of the ad-hoc network in terms of power consumption, the terminal that defines the beacon interval for the network starts as a beacon broadcaster and introduces an identifier list in at least some of the beacon frames broadcast in the network. The identifier list, which includes identifiers of the wireless terminals belonging to the network, is utilized if another wireless terminal is to be selected as the beacon broadcaster.
US07817960B2
A system and method are disclosed for wireless sharing of audio sounds among a plurality of users with access to a dedicated, shared signal. A user of the present invention can communicate his or her audio sounds to other users, who can receive the audio sounds wirelessly and choose to rebroadcast them. As such, an audio sound sharing network can be readily established at any time and place among participants in the network.
US07817959B2
A method for selectively storing information received from a broadcast signal is provided. The method includes the steps of: receiving and identifying a broadcast message, the message including a plurality of characters; comparing each character of the received message with a start of tag (SOT) identifier stored in a memory; if a character received in the received message is determined to match the SOT identifier stored in the memory then comparing each of the subsequent characters in the received message with an end of tag (EOT) identifier stored in the memory determining if the received message contains both SOT and EOT identifiers; and storing the message in a storage unit in dependence on the result of the determination.
US07817958B2
The present invention is a system for and a method of providing one or more remote coverage areas for wireless communications. In an embodiment, a system for providing a remote coverage area for wireless communications comprises a local system that generates a first radio communication signal and a remote system located geographically remote from the local system. The remote system comprises a first converter that converts the first radio communication signal to a stream of data packets, a network that receives the stream of data packets from the first converter; and a second converter that receives the stream of data packets from the network and generates the remote coverage area by converting the stream of data packets to a second radio communication signal. The remote coverage area may be located indoors.
US07817941B2
In a color image forming apparatus comprising a plurality of developing devices each provided with a developing roller structured with a developing sleeve and a fixed magnetic pole member, an agitating member, a recovering and feeding member, a regulating member and a developing device casing member, at least one of the plurality of developing devices has a different developer storing capacity and a different outer diameter of the recovering and feeding member for the other developing devices and has the same angle allocation values among the plurality of fixed magnetic poles in the fixed magnetic pole member.
US07817934B2
An image forming apparatus that includes: an image forming portion for forming an image in accordance with image data contained in an input command; and a controller for controlling the image forming portion, and is constructed such that the controller includes: a mode switch for switching the image forming portion from a standby mode in which image forming is instantly enabled into a power-saving mode in which power supply to the image forming portion is partially stopped when no subsequent command has been received after a predetermined period elapsed from when image forming portion was operated last; a mode restoring portion for restoring the image forming portion from power-saving mode to standby mode when a subsequent command is received; and an image quality controller for performing image quality control of the image every time a predetermined time elapsed from when the image forming portion was last operated, and the image quality controller starts execution of the image quality control before the mode restoring portion restores the image forming portion from the power-saving mode to the standby mode.
US07817933B2
A method for controlling blade interference in a single blade or multi-blade xerographic cleaner based on a look-up table for environmental conditions and blade age. Temperature and humidity sensors and a blade age counter are used to provide information to a controller, which adjusts the blade interference through a stepper motor based on the preloaded table. This allows lower blade load in most conditions over life, compared to the known method of setting the initial load high enough to cover these stress factors at worse case levels. The look-up table is empirically determined for a give blade material and xerographic system, e.g., photoreceptor, toner, etc. It takes into account the variation in blade load itself as a function of the environment and blade age.
US07817931B2
An image-forming system determines a type of paper for each single sheet in a job to determine whether it is prohibited to discharge a sheet to a finisher (step S12) to respond to diversifying demands to perform processes after printing using a plurality of paper types. However, the system allows paper to be included in a sheet bundle if the number of sheets is below a fixed limited number of sheets, even if paper types used are inappropriate for the finisher to be the discharge destination. (Steps S14, and Spaces 16) Therefore, discharge to the finisher is not rejected uniformly by the type of paper; finishing can be implemented after printing with a certain degree flexibility.
US07817922B2
Provided are an apparatus and a method for generating a CS-RZ optical signal. The apparatus includes: a classifier distributing an input signal into two NRZ (non-return-to-zero) signals with an identical transmission speed; a first signal transformer converting one of the two NRZ signals into a first RZ signal using a full-frequency clock; a second signal transformer converting the other one of the two NRZ input signals into a second RZ signal using a full-frequency clock; a phase adjuster adjusting the first and second RZ signals so that a delay time corresponding to half a period of the input signal exists between the first and second RZ signals; a bias unit adding different DC (direct current) bias voltages to the first and second RZ signals; and a dual electrode optical modulator transforming the two electrical RZ signals into an optical CS-RZ signal.
US07817917B1
The present invention provides a system and method for monitoring and providing settings to nodes in a telecommunications fiber network. The method and system reviews alarm and threshold settings of nodes and in the network. If the alarm and threshold settings a node are not within set standards, the standard alarm and threshold settings may be provided to the nodes. The method and system of the invention also calculates span loss between nodes in a telecommunications fiber network and the amplification levels of nodes in the network.
US07817909B2
An optical device directs light from a light source to a region of space, such as the field of view of a camera when the optical device is used as a camera flash unit. This device includes a first optical element which converges light from the light source towards an inner portion of the region to be illuminated and a second optical element which diverges part of the light from the first element outwardly towards an outer portion of the region to be illuminated so as to achieve adequate central illumination with improved uniformity of illumination across the region to be illuminated. The second optical element may have a concave multiple-faceted surface comprising plane facets in the shape of an open-base inverted truncated pyramid, contiguous sector-shaped facets, at least some of which are concave, or a face divided into an elongate portion disposed between first and second diverging portions.
US07817908B2
An image stabilizer includes a fixed member, a first movable member, a second movable member, and a position sensor. The fixed member includes a first actuator arranged near a first side of an imaging device in parallel with the first side. The first movable member includes a second actuator arranged near a second side perpendicular to the first side in parallel with the second side and moves, when driven by the first actuator, in the direction of the first side. The second movable member has the imaging device mounted thereon and moves, when driven by the second actuator, in the direction of the second side. The position sensor detects the relative position of the imaging device moved by the first and second actuators. The first and second actuators are located near an intersection of the longitudinal axes of them not to interfere with each other.
US07817903B2
A data recording apparatus and a data recording method to record multimedia files are provided. The data recording apparatus is configured to record media data into a file on a fragment-by-fragment basis. At least one fragment of the data is deleted in chronological order, starting with the data for the oldest fragment, if an amount of data recorded exceeds a determined amount of data. When data recording is ended, data for the fragments is rearranged in chronological order.
US07817898B2
An HDD recorder connected to a DV camcorder via an IEEE 1394 serial bus cable comprises hard disks and a microprocessor having a function that when the HDD recorder is connected to the DV camcorder while a list display screen with a list of various recorded video files is displayed on a monitor, the microprocessor implements a process to edit the list display screen in a manner that based on source device-identifying information, and from the various recorded video files stored on the hard disks, the microprocessor extracts only the recorded video files dubbed from the DV camcorder, and displays the thus extracted recorded video files on the list display screen. This makes it possible for the HDD recorder to significantly reduce time and labor required to find, from the stored various recorded video files, a recorded video file dubbed from the DV camcorder.
US07817896B2
Planar waveguides having quantum dots and methods of manufacture of the planar waveguide are described.
US07817895B2
A modular fiber optic enclosure for enclosing optical fiber connections that includes a base housing module with a plurality of sides having a front end portion and a back end portion and a base disposed at the back end portion, wherein the base and the sides define an interior region. The modular fiber optic enclosure also includes a termination module that is pivotally engaged to the front end portion of one of the sides of the base housing module and selectively moveable between an open position and a closed position. The modular fiber optic enclosure further includes a cover that is pivotally engaged with the termination module and selectively moveable between an open position and a closed position.
US07817890B2
A mechanical nanomover for optical elements alignment comprises a platform; a front supporting block and a rear supporting block; a left metal sheet and a right metal sheet installed between the two supporting blocks; a movable block installed between the two metal sheets; a weak spring and a strong spring which are interacted with the movable block. A translation stage serves to drive the weak spring to drive the movable block. The elastic coefficient of the strong spring is much greater than that of the weak spring so that the larger displacement of the weak spring will induce only a small displacement of the movable block due to the interaction of the strong spring. No electric power is needed to drive the structure of the nanomover. The mechanical nanometer can provide a sufficient precision to the operation, while it is very inexpensive.
US07817889B2
An optical waveguide structure comprises a substrate (12) having first and second groove arrays (8, 10), including grooves (8a-8g, 10a-10h), and an optical waveguide (14), having cladding and core (14b) layered on the substrate between the groove arrays to vertically align the core with cores (2a, 4a) of optical fibers (2, 4) positioned on the grooves. The waveguide has at least one first port (20) aligned with a groove (8d) of the first groove array and at least one second port (22) aligned with a groove (10e) of the second groove array. The number of second ports is equal to or greater than that of the first ports. A ratio of the number of grooves of the second groove array relative to the number of grooves of the first groove array is less than a ratio of the number of the second ports relative to the number of first ports.
US07817880B1
Embodiments of a system are described. This system includes an array of single-chip modules (CMs), which includes a first CM and a second CM which are coupled to each other. A given CM, which can be either the first CM or the second CM, includes a semiconductor die that is configured to communicate data signals with other CMs by capacitively coupled proximity communication and optical proximity communication using proximity connectors. These proximity connectors are proximate to a surface of the semiconductor die, and the semiconductor die includes an optical signal path configured to communicate on-chip optical signals.
US07817878B2
There is described an imaging apparatus having an image sensor, and a plurality of operating states. Operation of the imaging apparatus can be differentiated between the operating states. In one operating state, the imaging apparatus can capture a frame of image data having image data corresponding to a predetermined number of pixels of the image sensor. The operating states of the imaging apparatus can be user selectable.
US07817874B2
Embodiments described herein may operate to illuminate an image sensor array (ISA) used in, for example, a digital imager alternately using a first illuminator and a second illuminator laterally offset from the first illuminator with respect to a face of the ISA. A reduced illuminance level consistent with an existence of an occlusion may be sensed at an apparent occluded location on the ISA while the occlusion is illuminated with the first illuminator. If an illuminance level consistent with an existence of the occlusion is also sensed at the apparent occluded location while the occlusion is illuminated using the second illuminator, the occlusion may be identified as being located on the ISA. Otherwise, the occlusion may be identified as being located at a position anterior to the ISA, perhaps on a surface of a cover glass associated with the ISA.
US07817869B2
A multi-level transform generates descriptions containing compressed data that represents source data using a description generation operation and variable support filters for compaction at each level. The initial level filters the source data and each subsequent level operates on data filtered by a prior level. The description assignment and filtering at each level may vary to create different operating points for the multi-level transform. Each operating point may have a corresponding error recovery process. In one aspect, an error recovery process encodes additional descriptions that are combined with non-erroneous description data to provide error recovery of the data in missing or damaged descriptions. In another aspect, a multi-level transform is created by combining description generation and variable support filters at the various levels.
US07817865B2
Decoding a video signal comprises receiving a bitstream comprising the video signal encoded according to a first profile that represents a selection from a set of profiles that includes multiple profiles for single view video signals and at least one profile for a multiview video signal, and profile information that identifies the first profile. The profile information is extracted from the bitstream. The video signal is decoded according to the determined profile.
US07817861B2
A method of detecting spam images in electronic objects such as emails includes compressing images extracted from the electronic object into a common representation using a lossy compression function and determining if the compressed forms of the extracted images are identical to the compressed form of any known spam image from a corpus of known spam images, which compressed forms are the known spam images compressed into the common representation using the lossy compression function. The electronic objects are signalled as embedding a spam image on the basis of a compressed form of an extracted image extracted from an electronic object being determined to be identical to the compressed form of a known spam image.
US07817856B2
A video processing method for selectively processing character information (Ic) included in an inputted video stream (Svc). The video stream (Svc) is separated in units of frame into a brightness frame (Y) representing brightness information (VY) and a plurality of color difference frames (Cb, Cr) representing color difference information (VCb, VCr). Character information (Ic) included according to at least either of the brightness information (VY) and the color difference information (VCb, VCr) is recognized. The recognized character information (Ic) is subjected to a processing by at least one of deletion, movement, and enlargement.
US07817854B2
Methods and apparatus for determining the skew angle of a digitized form scanned at an angle to the original page are described. The method determines a rotation angle and a boundary rectangle of best fit. Sections of the digital image in the form of thin strips are examined for the boundary between the page and the region of the scanned image beyond the original page. The Hough transform is employed to determined candidate edge line segments for the page from the sets of perimeter points. These line segments are then combined to select the best rectangle enclosing the page, from which the skew angle is determined. The algorithm also determines a rotated bounding box enclosing the page. An innovation of the invention is the use of fuzzy logic, whereby several candidates for perimeter points, candidate edges, and bounding rectangles are determined in each step of the computation with associated confidence values and the final skew angle is selected by choosing the bounding rectangle with the highest confidence values.
US07817852B2
An image processing apparatus obtains image data, and extracts a subject pixel (to be subjected to color noise reduction processing) and nearby pixels which are a predetermined distance away from the subject pixel and which are not adjacent to the subject pixel. The image processing apparatus multiplies values of the extracted pixels with predetermined coefficients, and which averages the values of the extracted pixels that have been multiplied by the predetermined coefficients.
US07817850B2
An information terminal that can perform image processing in consonance with the use state and the use purpose. When a retrial module is started, removal means removes part or all of the interpolation processing performed for a Bayer-type module. Thereafter, data obtained by the removal are transmitted to color interpolation means, another color interpolation process is performed for the data, and the resultant data are transmitted to image quality correction means. The image quality correction means performs another image quality correction process for the data, and transmits the obtained data to JPEG encoding means.
US07817849B2
A system comprising a first computer and a second computer remotely located from the first computer and in communication with the first computer via a network. The second computer comprises an encoder module which encodes and transmits a pixel color datum to the first computer. The encoder module encodes the pixel color datum by generating a bit indicative of the number of different pixel color data encoded since a datum having a same color as the pixel color datum was last encoded.
US07817848B2
An apparatus discriminates a potential obstacle in the path of a vehicle from among various objects in an image shot by a monocular camera. First, an object detecting unit detects an object in the image by applying a saliency calculation to the image. Second, an object discriminating unit discriminates an object from among the objects detected by the object detecting unit as a potential obstacle by applying a neural network method to the objects.
US07817845B2
A method for detecting small cracks and other anomalies on parts having complex geometries is disclosed. The method includes eddy current inspection incorporating collection of data from multi-frequency eddy current signals. Phase analysis is used to combine the multi-frequency data to enhance the signal to noise ratio of the raw inspection image. The image is then reprocessed using a spatiotemporal filter to correlate with the frequency components of the eddy current flaw signal to separate signals associated with cracks and other flaws at edges that would ordinarily be hidden by edge effect signals.
US07817842B2
A currency evaluation device for receiving a stack of currency bills and rapidly evaluating all the bills in the stack. The device includes an input receptacle for receiving a stack of bills to be evaluated and a single output receptacle for receiving the bills after they have been evaluated. A transport mechanism transports the bills, one at a time, from the input receptacle to the output receptacle along a transport path. The device further includes a discriminating unit that evaluates the bills. The discriminating unit comprises two detectors positioned along the transport path between the input receptacle and the output receptacle. The detectors are disposed on opposite sides of the transport path so that they are disposed adjacent to opposite sides of the bills. The discriminating unit counts and determines the denomination of the bills. The evaluation device also includes means for flagging a bill when the denomination of the bill is not determined by the discriminating unit.
US07817835B2
Measurements in diagnostic medical imaging are cross-referenced. A measurement made for one type of data is reflected in an image for another type of data. For example, a length is measured from ultrasound data. A line associated with the length is displayed on the ultrasound image. In a magnetic resonance image (MRI), the same line is displayed at a corresponding location. The same measurement may also be made with the MRI data and reflected in the ultrasound image. Each image shows both measurements in this example. The difference in the same measurements from different types of data may be useful for diagnosis. In the above example, the length is measured from ultrasound and from MRI. The difference between the two measured lengths may provide diagnostically useful information.
US07817832B2
The invention relates to a method for operating an X-ray diagnostic device with an X-ray source and an X-ray image detector with a sequence of images of low resolution single pictures with systems of coordinates that are different from each other being created, a harmonization of systems of coordinates of images being carried out, and finally a high resolution image being calculated from the images.
US07817831B2
A method is disclosed for identification of a contrasted blood vessel in digital 3D image data, the method using a generic region-growing algorithm with several steps, for which among other things seed points are searched for and, in dependence on a current threshold value, are assigned to corresponding seed point sets. The number of seed points which are associated during a specific section of the method to the same seed point set with the threshold value is recorded and a leakage signal is produced if the number exceeds a maximum value. When the leakage signal occurs, those seed points which have been associated with the threshold value during that section are not stored as vessel voxels, the method is terminated at the location of the leakage and the remaining method is continued.
US07817830B2
A method and apparatus for locating an elongated object in a three dimensional data array are disclosed. A slice of data generally lengthways of the elongated object is selected. Points on the object in the selected slice are identified. Data including the points are transposed parallel to the slice and transversely to the elongated object to align the points in a direction parallel to the slice and transverse to the elongated object. A current slice is selected that is rotated around the length direction of the object relative to the previously selected slice. The identifying and transposing are repeated to align points on the object in a direction parallel to the current slice and transverse to the elongated object.
US07817823B1
Shadows from physical lights have a penumbra region, in which the light is only partially hidden from the shadow acceptor. The intensity of light in this region may be calculated using an approximation of the amount of light visible. For example a fragment or pixel shader program execution on a GPU may generate a shadow from a light source using the light intensities for each pixel being rendered. Per-pixel shadow density information may be projected from the shadow caster onto the shadow acceptor. A penumbra map may contain both depth information and light attenuation information for the shadow acceptor. This information may be blurred using a fragment or pixel shader on a GPU to determine an average shadow density for a pixel being rendered.
US07817816B2
At least one image captured from a printed document and at least one image captured from a display surface other than a printed document are processed. A surface-type-identification module accepts as input both types of images and identifies, for a particular image, the type of surface from which the image was captured. A display-surface-preprocessing module preprocesses the at least one embedded-interaction-code image captured from a display surface other than a printed document. A printed-document-preprocessing module preprocesses the at least one embedded-interaction-code images captured from a printed document. An embedded-interaction-code-processing module outputs location information for at least one of the at least one image captured from a printed document and the at least one image captured from a display surface other than a printed document.
US07817805B1
A system and method are provided for automatically tracking the movements of an acoustic source relative to two or more microphones possibly mounted in a portable device. The microphones are mounted so that they may be separated from an acoustic source that can be more than three inches from the portable device. By automatically tracking the location of a portable device, a directional response of unidirectional microphones in a far field setting can be steered so that the radial axis of the directional response aligns with the path in which the acoustic wave travels from the source to the microphones. By tracking the source and steering the directional response of the microphones, the system can thereby properly delay and filter electrical signals added to the outputs from corresponding microphones to maximize the signal-to-noise ratio of the ensuing signal.
US07817803B2
At least one exemplary embodiment is directed to a method of monitoring hearing health comprising: measuring a first acoustic sound pressure level due to an ambient audio signal; measuring a second acoustic sound pressure level due to an emitted audio signal from a speaker; calculating a total sound pressure level dosage, where the total sound pressure level dosage is calculated using the first acoustic sound pressure level and a first time span, and the second acoustic sound pressure level and a second time span associated, where the first time span is the time associated with the measured first acoustic sound pressure level and second time span is the time associated with the measured second acoustic sound pressure level; and sending a notification signal when total sound pressure level dosage is greater than a threshold value.
US07817802B2
A communication network (22) includes a central node (30) loaded with a trusted key (26) and key material (56) corresponding to an asymmetric key agreement protocol (48). The network (22) further includes vulnerable nodes (32) loaded with key material (69) corresponding to the protocol (48). Successive secure connections (68, 70) are established between the central node (30) and the vulnerable nodes (32) using the key material (56, 69) to generate a distinct session key (52) for each of the secure connections (68, 70). The trusted key (26) and one of the session keys (52) are utilized to produce a mission key (39). The mission key (39) is transferred from the central node (30) to each of the vulnerable nodes (32) via each of the secure connections (68, 70) using the corresponding current session key (52). The mission key (39) functions for secure communication within the communication network (22).
US07817785B1
A method for delivering audio announcements, includes: receiving an announcement package, the announcement package including a package identity, a package update time, and one or more announcement items; and presenting the announcement package to an audio player. Each announcement item includes an item identity, and a summary part, where the summary part includes audio information. The audio information includes an audio data type and audio data. Updates for the announcement package can be received, where the announcement package is modified according to the update. A content of the announcement package can be replaced, deleted, or added. The announcement item can be presented to the audio player once, repeatedly, or periodically. In this manner, audio announcements are delivered in an effective and timely manner.
US07817783B2
A method includes receiving signals comprising at least one of voice information and text teletype information. The method also includes determining whether at least some of the signals contain text teletype information. The method further includes coding any of the signals containing text teletype information using a text teletype coder. In addition, the method includes coding any of the signals containing voice information using a voice coder.
US07817779B2
Non-destructive analysis is carried out by irradiating an object with X-rays, for example, so that the X-rays from the object are incident on an analyzer crystal. The analyzer crystal can be of a transmission-type or a reflection-type. A pre-crystal device is used to make the radiation monochromated and parallelized. Atomic lattice planes of the pre-crystal device are approximately parallel with the atomic lattice planes of the analyzer crystal so as to use the angular analysis capability of the analyzer crystal. The thickness of the analyzer crystal is fixed. For example, for a transmission-type analyzer crystal, the thickness is such that irradiation with monochromatic parallel X-rays in the absence of the object results in a condition in which either one of (a) X-rays along a forward diffraction direction and (b) X-rays along a diffraction direction obtained by dynamical diffraction by the transmission type analyzer crystal have an intensity of nearly zero as compared to the intensity of the other with respect to the monochromatic parallel X-rays. At least one or both of an X-ray dark-field image and an X-ray bright-field are obtained.
US07817773B2
A method and apparatus for imaging an object including the steps of projecting radiation from a radiation source through an object and moving the radiation source through multiple imaging positions relative to the object without stopping movement of the radiation source. Movement is accomplished while projecting radiation at more than one of the imagining positions with the source having a source velocity for at least one imaging position that is different from a source velocity for a second imaging position. Radiation transmitted through the object is also detected. Radiation may be projected while moving the radiation source through the multiple imaging positions. In addition, the velocity at which the radiation source is moved through a select imaging position may be related to a resolution desired for data collection at the select imaging position. The velocity of the radiation source may be varied within a select imaging position. Furthermore, the motion of the radiation source may be stopped at one or more of the imaging positions.
US07817772B2
A computer receives a volume data set describing a vascular system with local three-dimensional resolution and a temporal sequence of groups of x-ray images. An acquisition time is assigned to each group of x-ray images comprising at least one x-ray image. Each x-ray image shows an actual presence distribution with local two-dimensional resolution for a substance in the vascular system, as defined at the respective acquisition time. The computer uses an initial presence distribution with local three-dimensional resolution for the substance, as defined for a start time, to determine further presence distributions with local three-dimensional resolution for the substance automatically for determination times by iterative resolution of fluid dynamics movement equations, which are per se location-independent. It automatically corrects the further presence distributions, if their respective determination time corresponds to one of the acquisition times, based on the temporally corresponding group of x-ray images.
US07817767B2
A processor-controlled clock-data recovery (CDR) system. Phase error signals having either a first state or a second state are generated within the CDR system according to whether a first clock signal leads or lags transitions of a data signal. A difference value is generated based on the phase error signals, the difference value indicating a difference between the number of the phase error signals having the first state and a number of the phase error signals having the second state. The difference value is transferred to a processor which is programmed to determine whether the difference value exceeds a first threshold and, if so, to adjust the phase of the first clock signal.
US07817757B2
In one embodiment of the present invention, a method for adjusting a signal includes receiving an input data signal and communicating a first portion of the input data signal on a first path and a second portion of the input data signal on a second path. The method also includes applying a first offset compensation to the first path and a second offset compensation to the second path. The method further includes combining at least the first path and the second path to generate an output signal. The method also includes, using a clock signal, sampling the output signal to generate a plurality of data values and boundary values, each value comprising either a high value or a low value based on the sampling of the output signal. The method further includes detecting a transition in value between two successive data values and determining a sampled boundary value between the two successive data values. The method also includes, based at least on the high or low value of the boundary value and on the high or low value of at least two data values arriving immediately before the boundary value, independently adjusting the first offset compensation applied to the first path and the second offset compensation applied to the second path.
US07817751B2
A DMB (digital multimedia broadcasting) receiver is provided, including: an equalizing unit compensating for distortion in CDM (code division multiplexing) channel signals in DMB based on a tap factor; and a channel estimation unit comparing version information contained in individual CDM channel control data in a pilot channel signal in DMB with version information contained in individual CDM channel control data in a previous pilot channel signal, and, if the version information match each other, using the CDM channel control data as a channel estimation sequence to perform a channel estimation process in a segment having no pilot symbol, and updating the tap factor of the equalizing unit according to a result of the channel estimation.
US07817748B2
An adaptive receiver algorithm is disclosed, for use in multiple-input-multiple-output orthogonal frequency division multiplexing systems. The adaptive receiver algorithm selectively chooses either the maximum ratio combining technique or the minimum mean square error technique, for optimum receiver performance, depending on the characteristics of the wireless environment.
US07817747B2
A novel apparatus for and method of delay alignment between amplitude and phase/frequency modulation paths in a digital polar transmitter. The invention provides a fully digital delay alignment mechanism where better than nanosecond alignment is achieved by accounting for processing delays in the digital circuit modules of the transmitter and by the use of programmable delay elements spread across several clock domains. Tapped delay lines compensate for propagation and settling delays in analog elements such as the DCO, dividers, quad switch, buffers, level shifters and digital pre-power amplifier (DPA). A signal correlative mechanism is provided whereby data from the amplitude and phase/frequency modulation paths to be matched is first interpolated and then cross-correlated to achieve accuracy better than the clock domain of comparison. Within the ADPLL portion of the transmitter, precise alignment of reference and direct point injection points in the ADPLL is provded using multiple clock domains, tapped delay lines and clock adjustment circuits.
US07817746B2
A peak factor reduction unit that never allow peak factor reproduction even when interpolation is done in a succeeding stage. The unit detects a local maximum value of amplitude components from an input complex signal and supplies a complex signal that passes a band limiting baseband filter and an interpolation filter to a correction signal generation unit for generating a correction signal used for peak factor reduction and reduces a peak factor of the input complex signal with use of the correction signal generated from an interpolated complex signal.
US07817731B2
The channel estimates for the subcarriers are used to determine the signal strength distribution in the form of a cumulative histogram. The latter is used to determine, as a signal strength threshold value E, that maximum signal strength whose magnitude is less than or equal to the signal strengths of a predetermined number L of subcarriers which are to be limited, i.e. saturated, in the signal processing path. The signal strength threshold value E and a constant K are used to form a multiplication factor M with which the data signals are weighted or by which the data signals are multiplied, the L subcarriers being limited to a fixed value after multiplication.
US07817729B2
A multicarrier communication method and a multicarrier communication apparatus used for the method for adjusting the arrangement in code block units according to the actual reception state of the multicarrier signal, when arranging code blocks generated through error correcting coding processing not only in the time axis direction but also in the frequency axis direction in order to improve an error correction rate of a multicarrier signal.
US07817723B2
An encoder for encoding a video signal comprising a sequence of pictures, comprising a motion estimator for determining a motion estimation among the sequence of pictures, the motion estimation enabling a motion-compensated prediction of a pre-determined set of pictures of the sequence of pictures to obtain predicted pictures and residual data representing a deviation between the predetermined set of pictures and the predicted pictures, a parameter setter for setting parameters of an optimization problem based on the motion estimation and the predetermined set of pictures, and a solver for solving the optimization problem with the parameters being set, by means of convex optimization in order to yield optimized picture data that represents an encoded version of the residual data, is described. An improvement of the trade-off between rate and distortion is achieved by incorporating the motion estimation into the construction or set-up of the optimisation problem to be solved.
US07817719B2
An adaptation of the sum-of-absolute-differences (SAD) calculation is implemented by modifying existing circuitry in a microprocessor. The adaptation yields a reduction of over 30% for a current SAD calculation. The adaptation includes a first and second operand register, each storing respectively a first and second set of 2's complement binary data, an arithmetic logic unit (ALU), and a destination register. An add/subtract enable input on the ALU receives a most significant bit (MSB) of the second set of binary data. The ALU adds the first and second data sets if the MSB is a “0” and subtracts the second data set from the first data set if the MSB is a “1.” The add/subtract enable input has the effect of taking the absolute value of the second data set without having to first perform an absolute value determination, thus eliminating processing steps.
US07817716B2
An apparatus comprising an input circuit, a content analyzer, a storage circuit and an output circuit. The input circuit may be configured to generate a first intermediate signal from a plurality of input video signals. The content analyzer circuit may be configured to present one or more flags in response to the intermediate signal. The storage circuit may be configured to (i) store and organize the first intermediate signal into a plurality of sequences each related to one of the input video signals and (ii) generate a second intermediate signal from the sequences. The output circuit may be configured to generate an output video signal in response to the second intermediate signal. The output circuit may be configured to embed tracking information into the output video signal in response to the one or more flags.
US07817713B1
A technique for enhanced reconditioning equalizer filter for non-constant envelope signals is described. The input to a transmitter chain is modified by an enhanced reconditioning equalizer filter, prior to being applied to the transmitter. The enhanced reconditioning equalizer filter modifies and smoothens the amplitude of the signal. The modified and smoothened signal has its peaks reduced which results in lower Crest Factor. The input to the enhanced reconditioning equalizer filter could be a baseband, an intermediate frequency (IF) or radio frequency (RF) signal. When the signal is an IF or RF signal it needs to be down converted to baseband before applied to enhanced reconditioning equalizer filter. The enhanced reconditioning equalizer filter could be implemented in digital or analog domain.
US07817710B2
There is disclosed a mobile communication terminal equipped with a multipath interference canceller for canceling multipath interference, comprising number-of-samples controlling unit for controlling a number of samples to be sampled from a received signal, channel matrix generating unit for generating a channel matrix on the basis of sample data of samples as many as the number controlled by the number-of-samples controlling means and, interference canceling emit for canceling multipath interference on the basis of the channel matrix generated by the channel matrix generating unit.
US07817707B2
Disclosed is an apparatus for generating a ranging pseudo noise (PN) code used in a base station of a portable internet system of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access scheme, wherein a ranging pseudo noise mask value is generated using a cell ID number, and then the generated ranging pseudo noise mask value is stored in a memory. A final ranging PN code is generated using the stored ranging PN mask value and a status of a pseudo random binary sequence for generating a ranging PN code. With such a structure, the maximal 256-numbered ranging PN code values can be obtained simultaneously with each 144 bit-length.
US07817700B2
A manufacturing method for manufacturing a laser light source device, includes: providing a first laser element having a first emitter, a second laser element having a second emitter, and a reflection member; adjusting a relative angle between the first laser element and the reflection member; adjusting a relative angle of the second laser element relative to the first laser element by using the reflection member; and adjusting a relative rotation angle between the first laser element and the second laser element and a relative position between the first laser element and the second laser element, so that the light emitted from the first emitter is incident into the second emitter and so that the light emitted from the second emitter is incident into the first emitter.
US07817698B2
The invention relates to a microfluidic dye laser including a pump light source configured to provide light having a pump light wavelength. The microfluidic dye laser also includes an elastomer substantially optically transparent at the pump light wavelength and at a microfluidic dye laser wavelength. A microfluidic channel configured to accept a fluidic dye is defined in the elastomer. An optical grating is formed in a single mode 3D waveguide in the microfluidic channel in order to provide a single mode microfluidic dye laser light as output in response to illumination with light from the pump light source. In another aspect, the invention features a method of tuning a wavelength of a microfluidic dye laser light by mechanically deforming the elastomeric laser chip to change the grating period in the optical cavity.
US07817694B2
A one-chip semiconductor laser device for use in a semiconductor laser apparatus has a structure in which a red semiconductor laser device and an infrared semiconductor laser device are stacked on a blue-violet semiconductor laser device. The blue-violet semiconductor laser device is manufactured by forming semiconductor layers on a GaN substrate. Each of the red semiconductor laser device and the infrared semiconductor laser device is manufactured by forming semiconductor layers on a GaAs substrate. The modulus of elasticity of GaAs is smaller than the modulus of elasticity of GaN. The length of each of the red semiconductor laser device and the infrared semiconductor laser device is longer than the length of the blue-violet semiconductor laser device.
US07817690B2
A laser generator includes a generation means for pumping by a pumping light source (7) a pumping medium (3) to generate a fundamental-wave laser beam, an output sensor (6) for measuring average output power or pulse energy of the fundamental-wave laser beam, a wavelength-conversion element (5), arranged on an optical path for the fundamental-wave laser beam, for converting the fundamental-wave laser beam into its higher-harmonic-wave laser beam, and a controller (9) for memorizing a determination value set to a value lower than a breakage threshold for average output power or pulse energy of the laser beam converted by the wavelength-conversion element (5), and for, when the measurement value becomes not lower than the determination value, controlling the output power of the fundamental-wave laser beam to be a value lower than the breakage threshold; thereby, the beam intensity through the wavelength-conversion element (5) never exceeds the breakage threshold, and thus breakage of the wavelength-conversion element (5) can be prevented.
US07817685B2
Systems and methods generate laser pulse trains for material processing. In one embodiment, stable laser pulse trains at high repetition rates are generated from a continuous wave (CW) or quasi-CW laser beams. One or more laser pulses in the laser pulse train may be shaped to control energy delivered to a target material. In another embodiment, multiple laser beams are distributed to multiple processing heads from a single laser pulse, CW laser beam, or quasi-CW laser beam. In one such embodiment, a single optical deflector distributes multiple laser beams among respective processing heads.
US07817683B2
Optical fiber source for providing polarized optical pulses, comprising a Q-switched fiber laser for providing substantially unpolarized seed pulses of optical energy, where the Q-switched fiber laser can comprise a laser cavity having a Q-switch and an optical fiber comprising a gain medium, where the optical fiber need not be a polarizing or polarization maintaining optical fiber; a passive polarizing element arranged to receive and substantially polarize the substantially unpolarized seed pulses; and a polarization maintaining fiber amplifier arranged for receiving the polarized seed pulses. The polarization maintaining fiber amplifier can comprise a selected polarizing or polarization maintaining fiber having a core comprising a gain medium for amplifying the substantially polarized seed pulses, where the core can be normally multimode at a an operating wavelength of the optical fiber source. The fiber amplifier can provide substantially polarized output pulses. In one practice of the invention, the pulse power instability, over at least 100 consecutive pulses, is no greater than 10%.
US07817682B2
A tunable pulsed laser source comprising a seed source adapted to generate a seed signal and an optical circulator. The optical circulator includes a first port coupled to the seed source, a second port, and a third port. The laser source also includes an amplitude modulator characterized by a first side and a second side. The first side is coupled to the second port of the optical circulator. The laser source further includes a first optical amplifier characterized by an input end and a reflective end including a spectral-domain reflectance filter. The input end is coupled to the second side of the amplitude modulator. Moreover, the laser source includes a second optical amplifier coupled to the third port of the optical circulator.
US07817671B2
A method performed in one single transceiver for allocating transmission capacity between the two directions of transmission in wire line data communication. The method includes the step of allocating from the single transceiver different parts of the available bandwidth to different duplex methods simultaneously.
US07817648B2
An interworking control mechanism for a communication connection between at least two parties located in different networks provides the following functions: a parameter may be added in a signalling towards one party, which interprets the parameter and shows/indicates a message to the user that a media composition change is not possible and thus prevented even if it would be instructed; otherwise, an announcement is sent from the network to the other party being incapable to execute the media composition change to inform the user about the dropping of a media stream; and a negotiation between the network and the terminal device of the party being incapable to execute the media composition change is initiated in order to modify the remaining session streams, such as to rearrange the available bandwidth and possibly to change a codec to a better one.
US07817639B2
A method of data transmission in a data communication network includes negotiating a connection between a source terminal and a destination terminal in the data communication network. During the connection negotiation process, optimal field lengths are determined for recording a source identifier and a sequence number in data packets transmitted in the connection. The source identifier identifies a connection from the source end to the destination end of the data transmission, while the sequence number identifies the relative position of a data packet in a series of data packets transmitted in the connection. The length of the source identifier and sequence number fields may either be calculated or selected from a set of predetermined field length values. Data packets formatted according to different transmission protocols (“secondary data packets”) that are received for transmission through the data communication network are packed into one or more “primary data packets” formatted according to the transmission protocol of the data communication network. In addition to a source identifier and sequence number, the primary data packets include a first packet offset to identify the location of a first new secondary data packet that is packed into the primary data packet. A first packet offset field length is determined during connection negotiation. The data transmission method of the invention includes packing one or more secondary data packets, or a portion thereof, in a primary data packet to fill the primary data packet, thus minimizing unused data bits in the primary data packet. After transmission, the primary data packets are reordered, if necessary, and the secondary data packets are unpacked therefrom.
US07817632B2
The present invention relates to methods and arrangements for access control in a multicast system when data is distributed from a source VS on a common link L3 to at least two users U1-U12 via a node BN21 that comprises a request arbiter ARB21. The arbiter is arranged to distribute the data from source to the users. The method comprises the following steps: —A weight is assigned to each user U1-U12 associated with the node BN21. The weights determine each user's allowed bandwidth i.e. bandwidth allowed to use out of available bandwidth on the common link L3. —A request to join a multicast session S81 is received to the node BN21 from a user U1. —Actual bandwidth usage by the user U1 calculated as the sum of the user's bandwidth part of each used session on the common link L3 including the new request, is compared in the node BN21 with the users U1 allowed bandwidth. —The request denied if the available bandwidth is lower than the actual bandwidth.
US07817629B2
A network device comprises a plurality of lookup tables and a processor. Each of the plurality of lookup tables comprises a plurality of table inputs that are associated with a plurality of processor instructions. The processor is operative to perform a network operation on a packet of data comprising a plurality of protocol header fields at least in part by performing one or more lookup cycles. A lookup cycle comprises the addressing of one of the plurality of lookup tables with one of the plurality of table inputs and the performing of the processor instruction associated with that table input. At least one of the plurality of processor instructions in the plurality of lookup tables comprises an instruction directing that the content of one of the plurality of protocol header fields be read and that one of the plurality of lookup tables be addressed with that content as the table input.
US07817628B2
A compressor (25) serves to compress headers of media packets and sends context information to a decompressor (60) for use by the decompressor in decompressing compressed headers (26) of the media packets. With regard to a flow (56) of the media packets from the compressor (25) to the decompressor (60), the compressor (60) controls inclusion of the context information in the flow in accordance with a media characteristic of the media packets. For example, in an illustrative, non-limiting illustration, a context transmission controller (46) of the compressor controls timing of generation of packets which include the context information in accordance with the media characteristic of the media packets. In one mode of operation, the predetermined characteristic which causes inclusion of the context information is media codec access information included in a payload of a packet. Upon detection of the media codec access information, the compressor includes static parameters for a compression context in the context information. In another mode of operation, the predetermined characteristic can be a type of media frame included in a payload of a packet whose header is to be compressed, e.g., an independently encoded media frame, wherein the detection of the independently encoded media frame prompts inclusion of dynamic parameters for the compression context.
US07817625B2
A method of transmitting a first signal from a first terminal to a second terminal via a communication network including: receiving at the first terminal a second signal from the second terminal; outputting the second signal from an output device associated with the first terminal and determining information relating to a characteristic of the second signal. A processing resource of the second terminal used to transmit the second signal is estimated, wherein the estimation is based on the information relating to the characteristic of the second signal. A characteristic of the first signal is adjusted in dependence on the estimated processing resource of the second terminal used to transmit the second signal and the first signal is transmitted to the second terminal.
US07817623B2
Process and system for optimizing one of uploading and downloading of at least one file through at least one lender in a peer-to-peer architecture. The process includes identifying available lenders within a vicinity of a borrower, selecting a number of lenders based upon at least one requester optimization criterion, dividing the at least one file to be one of uploaded or downloaded into parts corresponding to the number of selected lenders, assigning a part of the at least one file to each selected lender, and performing one of an upload or a download of the parts through the selected lenders.
US07817621B2
An Internet-capable radio has a communication port for connection to a modem, a connection function for connecting to the Internet upon user initiation while connected to the modem, sound circuitry for rendering audio data packets received over the Internet as analog audio output, and for delivering the audio output to one or more speaker ports, two or more stored hyperlinks addressing Internet broadcast servers; and a user input adapted to enable a user to select among the stored hyperlinks. Selection of one of the stored hyperlinks by the user input invokes the hyperlink and connects the radio to the server addressed by the hyperlink, initiating thereby an audio data stream as data packets from the broadcast server to the radio, and wherein the radio renders the data stream as analog audio data delivered to the one or more speaker ports. The user input in preferred embodiments has a plurality of pushbuttons associated with hyperlinks, which can be asserted by activating a pushbutton. In some embodiments a directory server is used for editing user profiles and programming connected Internet-capable radios.
US07817603B2
The invention relates to a method for transmitting a plurality of antenna signals in a wireless Base Transceiver Station (BTS) using Remote Radio Head (RRH) technology and the corresponding system. The method includes the steps of: transmitting signals over the transmit channel using Synchronous Digital Hierarchy (SDH)/Optical Transmission Network (OTN), multiplexing the plurality of antenna signals adopting the manners of time division multiplex or GFP frame-level multiplex; forming the multiplexed antenna signal stream and in-band control signaling stream into Generic Framing Procedure (GFP) frame; or forming the plurality of antenna signals and the plurality of respective control signals on the in-band control signaling channel into a plurality of respective GFP frames in parallel; and further mapping the GFP frames to STM-N/OTM-n frames, therefore multiplexing the plurality of antenna signals and the in-band control signaling stream to realize the SDH/OTN-based transmission. According to the invention, in the circumstance of using a plurality of antennas for transmitting signals, the strict time and phase relations between various antenna signals can be ensured, and also system complexity can be simplified, the transmission delays from various antenna signals to CBTS are totally the same.
US07817601B1
By modifying the communication endpoints to be presence aware and connecting them to a presence network, communication connections can be created wherein networks are added, or dropped, from the connection in order to keep the connection seamless from the perspective of the parties to the communication session. In one embodiment, an initiating user initiates a communication session on a first network (for example, a cellular network) to a target user served by a second network. During the communication session, the initiating user moves from his/her car to a landline and the communication session is transferred to a plain old telephone system (POTS) network. In one embodiment, on the target user's communication device an avatar representing the initiating user is updated to reflect that a landline network has been substituted for the cellular network.
US07817600B2
A method is provided for performing handover by a terminal in a digital broadcasting system. The method includes measuring strength of a received signal from a serving broadcast transmitter while receiving a broadcast service, and comparing the measured strength of the received signal with a predetermined reference value; periodically measuring strength of the received signal while continuously receiving the broadcast service when the measured strength of the received signal is greater than the reference value; sending a handover start request message for the broadcasting system to a base station of a mobile communication system when the measured strength of the received signal is less than or equal to the reference value; and performing handover from the serving broadcast transmitter to a target broadcast transmitter upon receipt of an accept message for the handover start request for the broadcasting system from the base station.
US07817591B2
A dedicated wireless data connection to the Internet through which digital broadcasts are streamed to mobile devices specifically designed to receive and play the content of the broadcasts. A user is supplied with a hand-held mobile terminal device specifically designed for the reception and playback of Internet radio wirelessly and the content available to the user of the device is automatically pre-specified based upon the connection node with which the device is currently communicating. The device creates and maintains a wireless connection to the Internet through any existing access technology (e.g., cellular or Wi-Fi access technology), manages the connection, including roaming, and buffers data in order to present a continuous stream of content to the end-user. Using this model, local advertisers and/or stations can pay the wireless service provider to have their content broadcast in a particular region, thereby enabling regional advertising to be delivered to listeners.
US07817587B2
Some embodiments of the present invention provide methods of operating an electronic device, such as a wireless communications terminal, a personal digital assistant and/or a media player, having a personal information manager, such as a scheduling application and/or a contact management application. Data is received at the electronic device, the received data including audio and/or visual content and associated personal information manager data. The personal information manager is controlled responsive to the personal information manager data.
US07817581B2
An apparatus and method for network channel capacity planning, measuring, and analyzing of WLAN networks are presented. In one embodiment, the method includes importing network and node configuration of an existing physical wireless local area network (WLAN) deployment from WLAN surveying system that captures and analyzes WLAN traffic in order to define a configuration of the existing physical WLAN, simulating a virtual WLAN using the imported network and node configuration as parameters of the simulated WLAN and applying various other configurations not present in the imported network and node configuration as parameters of the simulated WLAN, and analyzing the simulated WLAN to produce throughput statistics of network and nodes of the simulated WLAN.
US07817578B2
In datacenter environments, many copies of servicing components (application servers, http servers, etc) are used to handle larger loads. In these cases, incoming service requests typically go to a load balancer to be directed to the appropriate servicing component. Modern advances in technology, like the Server/Application State Protocol, have allowed load balancers to receive recommendations in the form of numerical weights to describe the best distribution for the incoming requests. The present invention provides a method for computing path oriented statistics that enable load balancing algorithms to transparently integrate downstream performance and resource usage statistics into load balancing weights.
US07817567B2
Network analyzers (NAs) monitor respectively corresponding communication lines through which Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP) data streams are transmitted. A network troubleshooting center (NTC) communicates with the NAs to provide quality of service statistics for data streams transmitted through the communication lines and associated with a respective telephone call.
US07817562B1
Disclosed methods and systems relate to characterizing a dynamic performance quality of service available from a storage element within a storage system. An exemplary method includes initiating a known I/O request to the storage element; measuring a time the storage element takes to respond to the known I/O request; and reporting a measure of the quality of service available from the storage element. One implementation of the method further includes using the time measurement and an estimation algorithm to calculate the quality of service and adjusting the load on the storage element based on the quality of service.
US07817556B2
Various improvements are provided for prior art policing methods, including token bucket methods and virtual time policing methods. Some preferred methods of the invention involve assigning a non-zero drop probability even when the packet would otherwise have been transmitted according to a prior art policing method. For example, a non-zero drop probability may be assigned even when there are sufficient tokens in a token bucket to allow transmission of the packet. A non-zero drop probability may be assigned, for example, when a token bucket level is at or below a predetermined threshold or according to a rate at which a token bucket is being emptied. Some implementations involve treating a token bucket as a virtual queue wherein the number of free elements in the virtual queue is proportional to the number of remaining tokens in the token bucket. Such implementations may involve predicting a future virtual queue size according to a previous virtual queue size and using this predicted value to calculate a drop probability.
US07817555B2
A network diagnostic component that is placed in-line between two nodes in a network to reorder or compact a data frame to allow the network diagnostic component to interpret the data frame. The network diagnostic component receives a network data frame from the first node for communication with the second node. The network data frame may include a plurality of data units interspersed with one or more non-data units that interrupt the proximity and flow of the data units. The network diagnostic component then reorders the data frame by removing or moving at least some of the non-data units that are interspersed with the plurality of data units. The reordered network data frame may then be interpreted by other components of the network diagnostic component.
US07817548B2
The invention provides an arbitration method and an arbiter circuit by which equal arbitration of output cells can be achieved with a comparatively simple configuration even where a very great number of queues are involved. The arbiter circuit includes a plurality of queues for storing output cells, and a plurality of round robins for successively providing the right of outputting output cells to the queues. The round robins are arranged in a multi-stage tree link configuration, and the queues are distributed under those of the round robins which are in the lowest order stage. Each of the round robins in the lowest order stage has a rate information holding function of holding rate information representative of a rate of cells inputted thereto. Meanwhile, each of the round robins in the higher order stage or stages has a rate information holding function of holding rate information regarding those of the round robins which are subordinate to the round robin and a subordinate selection function of selecting one of the subordinate round robins based on the rate information of the subordinate round robins. A queue is added as a subordinate to the selected round robin in the lowest order stage when a connection is to be added newly.
US07817542B2
A method and network device for fast service convergence, used for communications between Autonomous Systems, includes: presetting a route forwarding table, each forwarding table item in the forwarding table includes information of a preferred route and a secondly-preferred route; setting the status of the preferred route as unavailable in the forwarding table item after a failure is detected in the preferred route; after receiving a service packet, querying in the route forwarding table the forwarding table item corresponding to the service packet, and determining whether the status of the preferred route is available, and if yes, the service packet is forwarded through the preferred route, otherwise through the secondly-preferred route. Because the failure detection time is not longer than 30 ms, the switch time of the service packet from the preferred route to the secondly-preferred route may be within 50 ms, thereby enabling fast service convergence.
US07817536B2
A system for performing an application in a network-centric environment using capabilities attributed to the application. Each capability is assigned one or more priorities for the application. At least one node is configured to identify a change in the capabilities and negotiate in the network-centric environment to resolve the change. Nodes are may negotiate until the application is provided with resources resolving the change in accordance with applicable priorities. This method provides a self-healing capability in a net-centric environment. Thus an application may be enabled to continue even under rapidly changing circumstances.
US07817532B2
Data is distributed among the channels of an asynchronous data subscriber loop (ADSL) communications system in accordance with an adaptive algorithm which from time to time measures the signal to noise ratio of the various channels and finds a margin for each channel dependent on achievement (where possible) of a given bit error rate and a desired data transmission rate. The margin distribution is achieved by augmenting the constellation signal to noise ratio to enhance computational efficiency and allow redetermination of bit allocation tables during transmission as necessary. Pairs of bit allocation tables are maintained at the transmitter and receiver and one table of each pair at the transmitter and receiver is updated while the other pair is in use for controlling communication.
US07817529B2
An optical recording medium has a user data area and a lead-out area each having grooves and lands formed thereon. Wobbles are formed on at least one lateral surface of the grooves of the user data area and the lead-out area, and configured such that wobble characteristics are made different between the user data area and the lead-out area. Different types of the wobbles are formed on the grooves of either the user data area or the lead-out area, thereby preventing an optical pickup that performs recording/reproducing, from deviating from the user data area. Also, in a multi-layer optical recording medium, a whole area of a recording layer is configured to have the same condition, thereby preventing deterioration in reproducing and/or recording due to a difference in light power transmittance of another recording layer.
US07817519B2
A write-once read-many information recording medium is provided, which is capable of easily searching for a latest DDS and a latest defect list. At least one disc management working area is sequentially allocated in a predetermined direction on the write-once read-many information recording medium of the present invention. The latest defect list and the latest DDS are provided in a recorded disc management working area neighboring a border between the recorded disc management working area and an unrecorded disc management working area, where the latest defect list precedes the latest DDS in the predetermined direction.
US07817517B2
A disc recording and reproducing device and method record video data using a new file system other existing device cannot recognize. However, when a disc thus recorded is loaded in the existing device, the user is prevented from being instructed to format the disc (initialize the file system) or inadvertently erasing data thereon. The disc recording and reproducing device comprises the following elements. A first write-enable state setting unit checks a write inhibit flag when a disc is loaded, and sets the flag on the disc to a write-enable state when the flag is in a write-protect state. A first write-protect state setting unit checks information in a record history information storage when the disc is unloaded, and sets the flag on the disc to the write-protect state when data is recorded thereon or the flag in the memory is in the write-protect state and no data is recorded.
US07817503B2
A tray control method for a disk drive including a tray for carrying a disk, a detect switch movable to different inclined positions for detecting different positions of the tray during tray ejection and retraction operation, a firmware for receiving signals transmitted by the detect switch upon reaching the different inclined positions so as to adjust a voltage applied to a DC motor and the speed for moving the tray to the different positions such that the tray moves stably when retracting into and ejecting from the disk drive.
US07817500B2
A shock-activated switch device comprises a piezoelectric buzzer having a body for receiving a mechanical shock and a terminal for outputting an electrical output signal when the body receives a mechanical shock, and an output circuit connected to the terminal for converting the output signal into a logic signal for controlling an electronic circuit to execute a specific programmable function, such as alarm snooze.
US07817489B2
A power supplying circuit (PSC) and a phase-change random access memory (PRAM) including the PSC. According to an aspect of the invention, the PSC includes: a first voltage generator configured to output a first voltage to a first terminal; and a second voltage generator configured to output a second voltage to a second terminal, the second voltage generator including: a voltage pump unit configured to output the second voltage based on a clock signal and a pump control signal; a pump output detector coupled to the voltage pump unit, the pump output detector configured to output a pump output detection signal; and a discharging unit coupled to the voltage pump unit, the discharging unit configured to discharge a level of the second voltage to a predetermined level in response to a discharge signal. Embodiments of the invention may prevent write and/or read malfunctions that can occur due to changes in the level of a voltage supplied to PRAM cell blocks.
US07817484B2
A circuit for synchronizing row and column access operations in a semiconductor memory having an array of bit line pairs, word lines, memory cells, sense amplifiers, and a sense amplifier power supply circuit for powering the sense amplifiers, the circuit comprising, a first delay circuit for delaying a word line timing pulse by a first predetermined period, a first logic circuit for logically combining the word line timing pulse and the delayed word line timing pulse to produce a sense amplifier enable signal, for enabling a sense amplifier power supply circuit, a second delay circuit for delaying the word line timing pulse by a second predetermined period, and a second logic circuit for logically combining the word line timing pulse and the second delayed word line timing pulse to produce a column select enable signal, for enabling selected ones of a plurality of column access devices wherein the second predetermined time period is selected so that ones of a plurality of column access devices are activated after the sense amplifier power supply circuit is enabled.
US07817478B2
Methods for erasing a memory device and memory systems are provided, such as those including a non-volatile memory device is erased by using an intermediate erase step prior to a normal erase step. The intermediate erase step is comprised of an erase pulse voltage, applied to the semiconductor well of the selected memory block of memory cells, while edge rows of memory cells are biased at a low positive voltage (e.g., 0.8-2V). An erase verify operation is then performed. If the selected memory block is not erased, a normal memory erase step is then performed in which the same erase pulse voltage is used but all of the rows are biased at ground potential as in a normal erase step. If the memory block is still fails the erase verify operation, the erase pulse voltage is increased and the process repeated.
US07817464B2
A phase change memory cell includes an interlayer insulating layer formed on a semiconductor substrate, and a first electrode and a second electrode disposed in the interlayer insulating layer. A phase change material layer is disposed between the first and second electrodes. The phase change material layer may be an undoped GeBiTe layer, a doped GeBiTe layer containing an impurity or a doped GeTe layer containing an impurity. The undoped GeBiTe layer has a composition ratio within a range surrounded by four points (A1(Ge21.43, Bi16.67, Te61.9), A2(Ge44.51, Bi0.35, Te55.14), A3(Ge59.33, Bi0.5, Te40.17) and A4(Ge38.71, Bi16.13, Te45.16)) represented by coordinates on a triangular composition diagram having vertices of germanium (Ge), bismuth (Bi) and tellurium (Te). The doped GeBiTe layer contains an impurity and has a composition ratio within a range surrounded by four points (D1(Ge10, Bi20, Te70), D2(Ge30, Bi0, Te70), D3(Ge70, Bi0, Te30) and D4(Ge50, Bi20, Te30)) represented by coordinates on the triangular composition diagram.
US07817463B2
A system and method to fabricate magnetic random access memory is disclosed. In a particular embodiment, a method of aligning a magnetic film during deposition is disclosed. The method includes applying a first magnetic field along a first direction in a region in which a substrate resides during a deposition of a first magnetic material onto the substrate. The method further includes applying a second magnetic field along a second direction in the region during the deposition of the first magnetic material onto the substrate.
US07817461B2
Provided are a data storage device using a magnetic domain wall movement and a method of operating the data storage device. The data storage device includes a magnetic layer including a plurality of magnetic domains, first and second ferromagnetic pinned layers formed on lower and upper surfaces of the magnetic layer, respectively, and having opposite magnetization directions, first and second insulating spacers interposed between the first and second ferromagnetic pinned layers and the magnetic layer, respectively, and an energy supplying unit applying energy to the magnetic layer for a magnetic domain wall movement.
US07817450B2
A method and an apparatus for resetting at least one Silicon Controlled Rectifier (SCR) in an H-bridge. The apparatus comprises a current interruption device for controlling current flow through the H-bridge, and a negative voltage detector for detecting a negative voltage at the H-bridge and driving the current interruption device to control the current flow through the H-bridge.
US07817449B2
A power supply to improve an EMI characteristic and an electronic device having the power supply. The power supply includes a power converter to convert an alternating current (AC) power applied from outside to a direct current (DC) power, a ground portion to supply a ground power to the power converter and a noise attenuator to reduce noise by blocking a harmonic current generated by a driving of the power converter from passing through the ground portion. Accordingly, the stable ground power can be supplied to the internal elements by avoiding the potential change of the ground power and the noise caused by the flow of the harmonic current can be reduced by shortening the harmonic current path. Therefore, the EMI characteristic can be improved.
US07817448B1
The present invention discloses a power supply system for reducing reverse current, the system comprising a primary side circuit, for receiving alternating current; a transformer circuit, for transforming voltage; a secondary side rectifier circuit, for rectifying voltage; a secondary side filter circuit, for filtering voltage and providing direct current to a device; a first voltage division circuit, for providing a first voltage division signal; a switch circuit, for deciding the conducting condition based on the first voltage division signal and a reference voltage signal; a second voltage division circuit, for providing a second voltage division signal; and a control circuit, for deciding the charging condition based on the second voltage division signal; wherein the second voltage division circuit comprising a rectifier component and a filter component, for rectifying and filtering the source of the second voltage division signal.
US07817445B2
A power supply for a computer includes a transformer, a rectifier, a pulse width modulation (PWM) controller, a relay, a power switch, and a battery. The PWM controller includes a voltage terminal and a pulse terminal. The relay includes a switch and an inductance coil. An alternating current (AC) power supply is connected to a primary inductance coil of the transformer via the rectifier. A secondary inductance coil of the transformer provides a standby voltage. A positive voltage terminal of the rectifier is connected to the pulse terminal of the PWM controller via the primary inductance coil of the transformer. The switch is connected between the positive voltage terminal of the rectifier and the voltage terminal of the PWM controller. The inductance coil and the power switch are connected in series between the battery and ground. The power switch is controlled by powering on or off the computer.
US07817443B2
A mounting plate assembly for a notification appliance. For example, a mounting plate is designed with at least one aperture for receiving a plurality of leads, e.g., from a backbox. In turn, these leads can be received by a plurality of contacts that are deployed on the mounting plate. In one embodiment, at least two of these contacts are in physical contact with each other at a juncture, thereby providing a connectivity between these two contacts. However, the physical contact at the juncture is non-resetable, i.e., if a force is applied to the juncture, then the connectivity is severed and the physical contact between the two contacts cannot be easily re-establish even if the force is removed.
US07817441B2
Provided is a circuit board including: a circuit board body with at least one surface having a plurality of electrically connecting pads; an insulating protection layer formed on the circuit board body and formed with an opening corresponding in position to one of the electrically connecting pads, being larger than the electrically connecting pad, and not being in contact with the periphery of the electrically connecting pad; and a soldering material formed on, and confined to, the electrically connecting pad; thus allowing an electrically conductive element limited in the opening formed in the insulating protection layer to be fabricated from the soldering material by a reflow process with a view to forming a fine-pitch electrically connecting structure.
US07817439B2
Systems, methods and apparatuses for low noise power distribution networks for use with semiconductor devices are disclosed. Embodiments of these systems and methods provide a power distribution network comprising a set of individual power distribution networks, each of the individual power distribution networks operable to provide power to a corresponding functional block of the semiconductor device. These individual power distribution networks may be coupled through capacitors between the power supplies or grounds of each individual power distribution network, such that the individual power distribution networks are coupled in a manner operable to pass AC current between them.
US07817436B2
The invention relates to a holding apparatus for an electronic device, the holding apparatus including a stationary base body and a support, the support including an approximately rectangular accommodation space having longitudinal sides and transverse sides and at least one interface compatible with an interface of the electronic device. The interface is arranged on a longitudinal side of the accommodation space and the accommodation space is accessible from the opposing longitudinal side. The support is pivotable about a pivot axis oriented approximately parallel to the longitudinal sides of the accommodation space from a holding position to at least an insertion and removal position for the electronic device.
US07817415B2
A height adjustment mechanism disposed in a body is provided, which includes two axle seats disposed on the body, a spindle, two support parts fixed on the spindle, and a stop component. Each of the support parts has a fitting hole, and the spindle is rotatably disposed in the body, and drives the support parts to rotate simultaneously, the spindle has a positioning part having a plurality of grooves, and each of the two support parts has a plurality of asymmetric end surfaces. Any one of the end surfaces is selectively pressed against a plane, such that different height differences exist between the body and the plane. The stop component is corresponding to the positioning part, and is movably disposed in the body, and the stop component moves between a stop position that is clamped in the grooves and a release position where the spindle is allowed to rotate freely.
US07817413B2
A mounting apparatus for mounting a data storage device, the mounting apparatus includes a bracket and a holder. The bracket includes a bottom plate, and a first side plate extending from one side of the bottom plate. A protrusion protrudes from the bottom plate. A blocking member is formed from the side plate. The holder includes a first sidewall configured for mounting the data storage device thereto, and a latching plate extending from the first sidewall. An engaging portion is formed from the sidewall and capably of engaging with the blocking member of the side plate of the bracket. A latch portion is formed from the latching plate and capably of sliding over to engage with the protrusion of the bottom plate of the bracket.
US07817412B2
The present invention features a non-peripherals-based processing control unit having an encasement module that is very small and durable compared to conventional computer encasement structures. The process control unit is capable of being incorporated into various devices and/or environments, of accepting applied and impact loads, of functioning as a load bearing structure, as well as being able to be processed coupled together with one or more processing control units to provide scaled processing power. The processing control unit of the present invention further features a unique method of cooling using natural convection, as well as utilizing known cooling means, such as liquid or thermoelectric cooling.
US07817406B2
The invention is directed to an inverter including a casing (1) with at least two chambers (2, 3), the one chamber (3) comprising the display (11) of a communication unit, said display (11) being pivotally disposed in the chamber (3).
US07817402B2
A multilayer ceramic capacitor 1 having dielectric layers 2 and internal electrode layers 3 formed using a conductor paste, wherein the conductor paste contains a conductive material, the conductive material is comprised of a first ingredient and second ingredient, the first ingredient includes metal elements having Ni as a main ingredient, and the second ingredient includes a metal element dissolving in the first ingredient and having a melting point of 1490° C. or more.
US07817398B1
A surge-protection system for vertically supporting a plurality of surge-arrestor modules is provided. Initially, the system includes the following elements: the plurality of surge-arrestor modules, which function to regulate surges between telecommunication devices; and a mounting-frame assembly inter-disposed between a wall and each of the plurality of surge-arrestor modules. The plurality of surge-arrestor modules includes a housing with sidewalls and in substantially parallel-spaced relation, and a front panel and a rear panel, wherein the panels span between the first sidewall and the second sidewall. Additionally, the surge-arrestor modules include signal port(s) integrated within the sidewalls, socket(s) integrated within the rear panel, and a circuit board internally disposed within the housing that creates a signal path between the signal port(s). The mounting-frame assembly includes grounding connector(s) that outwardly extend and are adapted to insert within the socket(s), respectively, of each surge-arrestor module thereby vertically supporting each module in frictional engagement.
US07817397B2
The application discloses energy conditioners that include A, B, and G master electrodes in which the A and B electrodes include main body electrodes with conductive paths that cross inside the energy conditioner and which has A and B tabs at one end of the main body electrodes conductively tied together and A and B tabs at another end of the main body electrodes conductively tied together, and the application also discloses novel assemblies of mounting, contacting, integrating those energy conditioners with conductive connection structures.
US07817392B2
An Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor (IGBT) fault protection system is provided. The fault protection system includes a GVPA, a gate voltage clamper, and a soft-off unit. The GVPA analyzes a gate voltage pattern of an IGBT to determine whether or not a fault has occurred. The gate voltage clamper prevents an increase in a gate voltage of the IGBT according to an output signal that the GVPA outputs when a fault has occurred. The soft-off unit softly turns off the IGBT according to an output signal that the GVPA outputs when a fault has occurred.
US07817391B2
An over-current protection device for use in a switched mode power supply prevents over-current conditions caused by short-circuits faults. The over-current protection device monitors a current in the switched mode power supply, and in particular, determines a peak current value associated with the monitored current. The monitored current is compared to a reference value to determine whether an over-current condition exists. If an over-current condition is detected, then the over-current protection device modifies the ‘off’ time of the switched mode power supply based on the determined peak current value.
US07817389B2
A semiconductor device for coupling a transient voltage at an input node to a reference node, the device having a bipolar transistor adapted to couple its collector to an input node and its emitter to the reference node and a driver device adapted to be coupled between the input node and the base terminal of the transistor such that the driver device is responsive to a transient voltage at the input node to turn on the transistor, thereby shunting the transient voltage to the reference node. Preferably, the input node is coupled to a high speed data transmission line that operates below 5 v and the reference node is coupled to ground and the transistor is an NPN transistor. The driver may preferably be a gate-drain connected MOS transistor with its gate-drain terminal coupled to the collector terminal of the transistor and its source terminal coupled to the base terminal of the transistor. Alternatively, the driver may be a light emitting diode (LED) or any other diode with a different material (band-gap) and die size than the LED, connected to the bipolar transistor to create a low voltage clamping device.
US07817382B2
A contactor may operate to interrupt current in a circuit while the circuit is operating under load. A shunt is provided to by-pass surge power current around contacts to reduce arcing. The shunt includes a solid-state switch that may be operated in a series of pulses during movement of the contacts. The pulse control unit may detect a potential for arcing and then provide for periodic pulsing operation of the shunt. Because the solid-state switch may operate discontinuously, the contactor may be constructed with a switch that is selected on a basis of its pulse rating.
US07817380B2
A digital storage apparatus includes a housing defining a housing interior and defining a ramp support surface. A disk is supported for rotation in the housing. A head gimbal assembly is supported for use in pivotally accessing the disk in performing one or more data accesses and for moving to an unloaded position from an access position. A ramp arrangement receives the head gimbal assembly in the unloaded position. The ramp arrangement includes at least three feet for sliding engagement with the ramp support surface for use in at least partially establishing an operational position of the ramp arrangement. In one aspect, the housing defines a first surface and a second surface, which are in a transverse relationship with respect to one another. The ramp arrangement engages the first surface and the second surface for establishing an operational position of the ramp arrangement in the housing interior.
US07817374B2
The present invention relates to a thin-film device including a thin-film element and a lead conductor film. The thin-film element and the lead conductor film are embedded in an insulating film. The lead conductor film has a terminal area at one end thereof, is connected to the thin-film element at the other end thereof, and between the one end and the other end, has an increased surface area portion whose volume is partially occupied by an insulating material to increase surface area. As a result, there is provided a high frequency thin-film device capable of reducing loss and heat generation due to skin effect, particularly a thin-film magnetic head.
US07817373B2
A cover assembly of a hard disk drive is provided. The cover assembly includes a cover member with an edge portion protruding a predetermined height from an upper surface thereof, a damping plate disposed on the upper surface of the cover member, and a damper to absorb shocks applied to the edge portion of the cover member, the damper having a support portion disposed between a bottom surface of a border portion of the damping plate and the upper surface of the cover member to support the damping plate, and a protrusion extending upward from the support portion through a gap between the edge portion of the cover member and the damping plate. The protrusion of the damper may have a height that is higher than the edge portion of the cover member, whereby external shocks applied to the cover member are absorbed more efficiently by the protrusion of the damper so that a shock energy transferred to the hard disk drive is minimized.
US07817370B2
A system and method to avoid disk lube pooling is presented. A track access monitor tracks the number of times that a program accesses a particular track located on a hard drive. When the track access monitor determines that the number of track accesses to a particular track exceed a track access threshold, the track access monitor invokes a sequence of events to scan adjacent tracks in order to uniformly redistribute lubrication over the hard drive. In one embodiment, the track access monitor incrementally performs the adjacent track scanning during hard drive idle periods, such as when the system waits for a password from a user or when the operating system conserves power and idles the hard drive due to lack of activity.
US07817365B2
An apparatus includes an address mark detector having an address mark output. The address mark output is indicated as erroneous if errors in a detected address mark exceed an error threshold function. The error function has a variation as a function of a difference between a detected address mark time and a reference address mark time.
US07817364B2
A method is provided. The method includes determining that a data sector included in a select data track is in error, the data sector in error includes at least one identified data wedge. The at least one defective data wedge in the data sector in error is located. The method also includes moving the at least one defective data wedge by utilizing at least one spare wedge on the select data track.
US07817360B2
A lens module includes a lens, a barrel, a holder and a driving mechanism. The barrel is configured for receiving the lens. The holder is configured for receiving the barrel therein. The driving mechanism includes a first lever and a first piezoelectric device. The first lever includes a fixed end and a moving end and a connecting portion interconnected between the fixed end and the moving end. The fixed end of the first lever is pivotedly mounted in the holder. The moving end of the first lever is configured for driving the barrel to move. The first piezoelectric device is arranged between the connecting portion and the holder. The first piezoelectric device is extendable and contractible along an optical axis of the lens so as to control movement of the barrel along the optical axis relative to the holder.
US07817359B2
A lens module includes a barrel defining a first through hole, two or more lenses received in the first through hole of the barrel including at least one movable lens, and at least one driving device moving the movable lens. The driving device includes a fixed portion, a movable portion, hydraulic fluid, and an adjustment pole. The fixed portion is secured on the inner surface of the barrel and defines a trough with an opening facing along the axis of the lens module. The movable portion has a first end and an opposite second end, the first end inserted into the trough and sealing the space between the first end and the bottom wall of the trough, and the second end secured to a movable lens. The hydraulic fluid fills the space. The adjustment pole is inserted into the trough from a second through hole running through the barrel and a wall of the trough adjacent to the barrel, and is movable in the second through hole.
US07817356B2
An imaging lens comprises a first lens (L1), a second lens (L2), a third lens (L3), and a fourth lens (L4), which are arranged in ascending sequence, starting from the lens nearest to the object. The first lens (L1) has a double-convex shape and positive refractive power. The second lens (L2) has a double-concave shape and negative refractive power. The third lens (L3) has a meniscus shape with its convex surface facing an image plane, and has positive refractive power. The fourth lens (L4) has a meniscus shape with its convex surface facing the object. A chromatic aberration occurred in the first lens (L1) is corrected by the second lens (L2). A chromatic aberration occurred in the third lens (L3) is corrected by the fourth lens (L4).
US07817353B2
Embodiments of a zoom lens barrel assembly for an imaging apparatus are provided. The zoom lens barrel has a simple structure and allows efficient space utilization in order to realize a compact size, which is currently required for a mobile imaging apparatus. The zoom lens barrel assembly can stably endure external impacts, provide more precise zoom operations, and stably operate for a long time without a malfunction of a zoom motor, which acts as a drive source. The zoom lens barrel assembly can increase the rotation gain of a driving source and improve space utilization inside a basic skeletal structure of a frame by modifying the structure of a gear train, which cooperatively connects the driving source and a rotary cam member.
US07817351B2
A zoom lens system includes, in order from the object side, a negative first lens group, a positive second lens group; and a positive third lens group. The first lens group includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a negative first lens and a positive second lens. The second lens group includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a positive third lens, a negative fourth lens, and a negative fifth lens. The zoom lens system satisfies certain conditions related to the configuration of the lens and lens groups of the zoom lens system in order to provide a compact zoom lens having excellent correction of aberrations.
US07817347B2
The invention relates to a zoom lens and an imaging apparatus incorporating the same, and more particularly to a zoom lens of small format that lends itself to imaging apparatus inclusive of video cameras and digital cameras. The zoom lens comprises, in order from its object side, a first lens group G1 of positive refracting power, a second lens group G2 of negative refracting power and a third lens group G3 of positive refracting power. Zooming is implemented by changing the space between the respective lens groups. The first lens group G1 comprises one negative lens and one positive lens in order from the object side. The zoom lens satisfies conditions (1) and (2): 5.0
US07817344B2
Systems and methods are operable to focus light. An exemplary embodiment has a MEMS substrate, a first cylindrical lens having a first cylindrical surface, and a second cylindrical lens having a second cylindrical surface that is oriented perpendicular to the first cylindrical surface. Light passing through the first and second cylindrical lenses is focused.
US07817343B2
An electrowetting lens which can move its optical axis using a multiple electrode structure includes: a substrate; a dielectric barrier wall formed on the substrate; polar and non-polar solutions fluidly contained inside the dielectric barrier wall; first and second lower electrodes inserted through lower portions of the dielectric barrier wall in contact with the polar solution, the first and second lower electrodes facing each other; and first and second multiple electrodes respectively disposed in mutually facing first and second legs defining the dielectric barrier wall, each of the first and second multiple electrodes being divided into a plurality of vertically arranged electrode cells.
US07817341B2
Disclosed is an optical component, which comprises a prism element adjacent to a lens element, where the two elements are separated by a small air gap. In disclosed embodiments, the elements have adjacent and parallel surfaces which are substantially planar and which, with the small air gap, operate through Total Internal Reflection (“TIR”) to direct light beams that strike the planar surfaces. Light beams that strike at less than the critical angle are internally reflected, while light beams which strike at greater than the critical angle pass through. The TIR surfaces thereby separate the desired optical signals from the spurious ones. The combined TIR prism lens operates as a single and integrated component which directs desired light beams to a reflective optical processing element such as a Spatial Light Modulator and which focuses the processed light beams as they leave the combined TIR prism lens.
US07817340B2
An ultra-thin polarizing glass article having two polarizing glass layers separated by a non-polarizing central region. The polarizing glass layers contain stretched or elongated metal particles and the non-polarizing central region contains elongated or stretched metal halide particle. The polarizing article has a thickness less than 200 micrometers.
US07817338B2
A projector screen that is used together with a projector for protecting a moving image being a result of scanning output of a video signal, and displays the moving image by a projection light reaching thereto after being emitted when the projector projects the moving image, the projector screen includes: a screen member that configures a partition screen area being a part of a screen area of displaying the moving image partitioned to a plurality of rows, and is capable of mode change between a first mode of delivering the projection light having reached the partition screen area to a side of a viewer, and a second mode of not delivering the projection light having reached the partition screen area to the viewer; and mode changing means for moving, for the screen member of each of the rows of the screen area, by exercising control over each of the screen members in terms of mode change between the first and second modes, any of the partition screen areas put in the second mode in the screen area.
US07817330B2
A projection apparatus includes a light source for emitting a light including at least two different wavelengths; a light source control circuit for controlling a light source to emit the light as pulse emissions with a pulse modulation control; at least two spatial light modulators each comprises plurality of pixel elements are arranged in an array; a spatial light modulator control circuit for selectively controlling a modulation state of the respective pixel elements in each of the spatial light modulators in accordance with image data corresponding to the respective pixel elements; and the light source control circuit controls the light source so that a starting time of a pulse emission period of the pulse emissions of at least one of the wavelengths emitted from the light source is different from a modulation control timing of the pixel element of the spatial light modulator.
US07817326B1
An electrochrome element driver supplies electrical power to an electrochrome element and includes an amplifying circuit, a variable resistor element, and a capacitor. The amplifying circuit has a control input for controlling a supply current flow to the electrochrome element, a feedback input, and an output. The variable resistor element has a first resistor terminal, a second resistor terminal coupled to the feedback input and a resistor control terminal for controlling a resistance of the variable resistor element. The resistor control terminal is coupled to the amplifying circuit output, the first resistor terminal is coupleable to a power source, and the second resistor terminal is coupleable to the electrochrome element such that a supply current path to the electrochrome element through the variable resistor element is formed. The capacitor is coupled to the resistor control terminal for effecting a stable behavior of the supply current flow to the electrochrome element.
US07817320B1
A two-element fθ lens with short focal distance is used for a laser scanning unit with a polygon mirror and the two-element fθ lens comprises a first lens and a second lens. The first lens is a positive power meniscus lens and the second lens is a negative power meniscus lens in the main scanning direction. The first lens has a first and a second optical surface, the second lens has a third and a fourth optical surface. Concave surfaces of the first, second and third optical surfaces are disposed on the polygon mirror side. The fourth optical surface has an inflection point in SAG counted from the optical axis to peripheral portion and its paraxial portion is convex that is disposed on the polygon mirror side. The two-element fθ lens satisfies an optical condition of 0.4557≦tan(β)≦0.7265, wherein β is a maximum effective window angle.
US07817319B2
A laser processing system is disclosed for providing a relatively small velocity of a laser beam at target location while at least one scanner scans at a relatively larger velocity. The system includes a laser source, a first scanning unit, a beam expander, a second scanning unit and focusing optics. The laser source is for providing a pulsed laser output having at least one beam with a beam dimension. The first scanning unit is for scanning the laser output in a first direction along a first axis at the target location. The beam expander is for receiving the laser output and for modifying a beam diameter of the laser output and providing a modified laser output. The second scanning unit is for scanning the modified laser output from the beam expander in a second direction along the first axis at the target location. The second direction is substantially opposite to the first direction along the first axis such that a net velocity of the modified laser output along the first axis at the target location may be made to be effectively zero during a laser pulse. The focusing optics is for focusing the modified laser output toward the target location.
US07817302B2
Methods for processing print jobs in rendering devices include modifying a raster operation function to have fewer variables than originally specified by the print job. Processing may also include executing the modified function and determining how many variables the function originally includes and whether such is one or more. Preferably, the modifying of the function includes determining whether a variable of the function has a black or white identity, such as a black or white ink or a black or white image, stencil or character. It may also include determining whether a destination variable remains unaltered in a to-be-painted area. Printers having stored computer executable instructions for performing the steps are also disclosed as are host devices that may direct or control the printer to perform the same.
US07817298B2
An image processing apparatus having a plurality of functions and allowing the functions to be available by starting programs for the corresponding functions includes a processor executing the programs; a main memory used by the processor to execute the programs; a first storage unit storing a program capable of being executed by the processor without being transferred to the main memory; a second storage unit storing at least one program for a corresponding one of the functions, wherein the at least one program stored in the second storage unit can be executed by the processor by being transferred to the main memory; a selection unit selecting any one of the functions; and a control unit controlling a selected program corresponding to the function selected by the selection unit, from among the at least one program stored in the second storage unit, to be stored in the first storage unit.
US07817282B2
Disclosed are an apparatus and methods for determining electric field characteristics of pulses. In one example, a method is provided in which an unknown pulse is propagated through a first optical fiber. A reference pulse is propagated through a second optical fiber. The unknown pulse and the reference pulse are directed out of the first and second optical fibers into a spectrometer. The unknown pulse and the reference pulse propagate along a pair of crossing trajectories through the spectrometer to form an interferogram. The electric field of the unknown pulse is determined by processing this interferogram.
US07817277B2
A fiber-optic probe includes first and second optical fibers disposed in a body, a liquid sampling region between ends of the fibers and a reflector, and apertures communicating with the sampling region. The probe may be inserted in media in a vessel. Optical signals are transmitted through the first fiber, the sampling region and second fiber. The sampling region is offset from other parts of the probe so that bubbles or particulates flow out from the sampling region without being obstructed by the probe.
US07817275B2
A scanning optical microscope, including: a light source to generate a beam of probe light; collimation optics to substantially collimate the probe beam; a probe-result beamsplitter; a long working-distance, infinity-corrected objective; scanning means to scan a beam spot of the focused probe beam on or within a sample; relay optics; and a detector. The collimation optics are disposed in the probe beam. The probe-result beamsplitter is arranged in the optical paths of the probe beam and the resultant light from the sample. The beamsplitter reflects the probe beam into the objective and transmits resultant light. The long working-distance, infinity-corrected objective is also arranged in the optical paths of the probe beam and the resultant light. It focuses the reflected probe beam onto the sample, and collects and substantially collimates the resultant light. The relay optics are arranged to relay the transmitted resultant light from the beamsplitter to the detector.
US07817274B2
Spectrometers, particularly compact spectrometers, are constructed with their spectral performance characteristics being optimized as well as with their instrument/device volume being reduced significantly. The light propagation path, either in transparent media or in free space, of the optical beams emitting from a small input aperture/slit of a spectrometer, is caused to be two-dimensional or unilateralized (propagating within a thin layer of air or media), enabling physical sizes of any optical elements needed thereafter to construct a spectrometer to be reduced significantly in one dimension. As a result, a significant reduction of instrument/device volume (in one dimension or even in two dimensions) is achieved, which is applicable to and beneficial to either a classical dispersion spectrometer or a compact dispersion spectrometer.
US07817272B2
For spectrally filtering at least one input beam, a first reflective element is configured to tilt to multiple tilt orientations that each corresponds to a different angle of propagation of at least one input beam. One or more optical elements are configured to change at least some of the relative angles of propagation of the input beam for different tilt orientations of the first reflective element. A spectrally dispersive element is configured to receive the input beam at a location at which the central ray of the input beam is incident at different points on the spectrally dispersive element for each of the tilt orientations, and configured to disperse spectral components of the input beam at different respective angles in a spectral plane. The first reflective element is configured to tilt to select at least one and fewer than all of the dispersed spectral components to be directed to a selected output path.
US07817271B2
The invention relates to a confocal microscope which illuminates a sample (15) by means of at least one light source. A detection light beam (17) is emitted from the sample (15). The detection light beam (17) is spectrally split up in a spatial manner by the dispersive element (20) and subsequently formed on a photosensor chip (19) by means of a detection optical system (22). At least one expanding optical system (23) is arranged in front of the dispersive element (20) in the direction of the detection light beam (17). The expanding optical system (23) is embodied in such a manner that the numerical aperture of the detection optical system (22) is independent from the numerical aperture of the detection light beam (17) on the detection apertured diaphragm (18).
US07817269B2
According to the invention, an excitation layer is focused into a sample and switched on suddenly in order to improve the microscopic resolution; the history of the resulting fluorescence transient is detected and imperatively depending on the excitation intensity, wherein different patterns for the history of different transients are determined for individual excitation intensity values and are matched with the measured transient and the amplitude of the pattern matching the excitation power in the focus is determined and used as a pixel value and the sample scanned in this manner, whereby the spatial resolution is improved to levels lying below the Abbe limit by evaluating the transient.
US07817265B2
A defect inspection method is disclosed. A first type defect inspection system is used to perform a first defect inspection by aligning to an alignment mark on a wafer as a reference point for the first defect inspection. A fabrication process is performed on the wafer thereafter, and a second defect inspection is performed by using a second type defect inspection system to align the alignment mark on the wafer as the reference point for the second defect inspection.
US07817263B2
A mounting apparatus includes a coating unit, an acquiring portion, a judging portion, and a mounting mechanism. The coating unit coats a first region of a coating target component as a coating target region with a coating agent. The acquiring portion acquires first luminance information of the first region before being coated by the coating unit and second luminance information of the first region after being coated by the coating unit. The judging portion judges a quality of a coating state of the coating agent in the first region by comparing the first luminance information and the second luminance information. The mounting mechanism mounts, on a mounting target object, the coating target component judged by the judging portion that the coating state in the first region is favorable.
US07817262B2
A device for measuring positions of structures (3) on a substrate (2) is disclosed, wherein the device is enclosed by a climatic chamber (30). An illumination and imaging means (6, 14) is also arranged in the climatic chamber (30). At least one loading station (32) for substrates is formed on an outer wall (30a) of the climatic chamber (30), wherein at least one transport means (34, 40) for transporting the substrates is provided within the climatic chamber (30). A means (36) for orienting the substrates (2) with respect to a coordinate system of the coordinate measuring machine (1) is provided, wherein the transport means (34, 40) deposits the substrates (2) on the means (36) for orienting.
US07817255B2
An apparatus with a combination of a point light source and a single lens is provided. The present apparatus includes a point light source, a photodetector and a lens. The lens is placed in the same side of the point light source and the photodetector in order that the light emitting from the point light source is focused onto a target area of an object through the lens. The reflected light from the target area is focused onto the photodetector through the lens. The present apparatus can qualitatively and quantitatively monitor a content of a specific component of a tested solution. The geometric relationship of the point light source, the photodetector and the single lens can improve a measuring resolution of the present apparatus.
US07817251B2
A supporting apparatus supports a movable element by a bearing. The apparatus has a moment reducing unit that exerts a force on a portion of the movable element, which is different from a portion supported by the bearing. The moment reducing unit reduces a moment that acts on the movable element when the portion of the movable element, which is supported by the bearing, changes as the movable element moves. This stabilizes the attitude of the movable element.
US07817248B2
There is provided an optical imaging arrangement comprising: a mask unit comprising a pattern, a substrate unit comprising a substrate, an optical projection unit comprising a group of optical element units, the optical projection unit being adapted to transfer an image of the pattern onto the substrate, a first imaging arrangement component, the first imaging arrangement component being a component of one of the optical element units, a second imaging arrangement component, the second imaging arrangement component being different from the first imaging arrangement component and being a component of one of the mask unit, the optical projection unit and the substrate unit, and a metrology arrangement. The metrology arrangement captures a spatial relationship between the first imaging arrangement component and the second imaging arrangement component. The metrology arrangement comprises a reference element, the reference element being mechanically connected directly to the first imaging arrangement component.
US07817241B2
A lithographic apparatus is disclosed that includes a utility substrate storage configured to hold a utility substrate, and a utility substrate scheduling unit configured to schedule the loading of a utility substrate in a flow of substrates in the lithographic apparatus.
US07817239B2
An LCD panel including a first substrate, a second substrate, a black matrix, a liquid crystal (LC) layer, first photo spacers and second photo spacers is provided. The first and the second substrates are substantially parallel. The LC layer is disposed between the first and the second substrates. The black matrix disposed on the first substrate surrounds display regions and defines a non-display region. The first photo spacers contact the second substrate and are disposed on the black matrix. The second photo spacers are disposed on the black matrix. Channels are formed between the second photo spacers, such that LC molecules of the LC layer flow between the display regions through the channels. The width of the channels between any two of the adjacent second photo spacers substantially ranges from 2˜10 μm. The dimension of the first photo spacers is substantially greater than that of the second photo spacers.
US07817238B2
A liquid crystal display (LCD) device and a method of manufacturing the same is disclosed, to improve the picture quality by preventing the movement of ball spacers from a non-pixel area to a pixel area, in which the method includes preparing a substrate including a pixel area and a non-pixel area; forming a well in a predetermined portion of the non-pixel area wherein forming the well includes coating an alignment layer on the substrate and excluding the alignment layer from a predetermined portion of the non-pixel area; and forming a ball spacer in the well using an ink-jet apparatus.
US07817228B2
A manufacturing method of an LCD comprises forming an insulating substrate; forming a gate line extending in a horizontal direction and a data line insulatively crossing the gate line to define a pixel area on the insulating substrate; forming a TFT disposed at an intersection of the gate line and the data line and comprising a drain electrode; forming an organic passivation layer on the TFT; forming a drain contact hole exposing the drain electrode and forming an embossing pattern in the organic passivation layer by disposing and pressurizing a mold having an intaglio pattern corresponding to the pixel area and a projection corresponding to the drain electrode on the organic passivation layer; and forming a pixel electrode connected to the drain electrode through the drain contact hole.
US07817224B2
Liquid crystal module having a plurality of reinforcing ribs on both sides of a light source support
A liquid crystal module includes a liquid crystal panel, a backlight unit, a light reflecting plate and a light source holder. The backlight unit is disposed on a rear side of the liquid crystal panel. The backlight unit has a light source that is configured to emit light. The light reflecting plate is disposed on a rear side of the back light unit and configured to reflect the light. The light source holder has a band-shaped base attached to the light reflecting plate, a plurality of light source supports disposed on the band-shaped base at spaced apart locations and having an open ring portion that is open to a front side, and a plurality of reinforcing ribs formed on both side of each of the light source supports.
US07817223B2
The present invention provides a display device of high brightness which can eliminate brightness irregularities on a display surface while preventing the degradation of display quality attributed to an undesired electric field generated at the time of performing inverter driving of the cold cathode fluorescent lamps of a backlight. In a liquid crystal display device, a plurality of cold cathode fluorescent lamps of a backlight unit is arranged along a short axis of the display device. The cold cathode fluorescent lamp has a high-voltage electrode thereof connected to an inverter circuit and a ground electrode thereof connected to a ground. Further, the plurality of cold cathode fluorescent lamps arranged along the short axis have electrodes thereof arranged alternately between the high-voltage electrode and the ground electrode.
US07817221B2
An image display apparatus includes an envelope including a first substrate provided with an image display unit, a second substrate placed in opposition to the first substrate, and an outer frame to form a space between the first and second substrates, and a low melting point metal disposed between the first and second substrates for hermetically seal bonding the first substrate and the second substrate. In addition, an adhesive is placed along an outer periphery of the envelope except for at least one side of the envelope. The adhesive contacts both a surface of the first substrate not facing the second substrate and a surface of the second substrate facing the first substrate, with the adhesive being one of an epoxy adhesive, an acrylic adhesive, and a ceramic adhesive.
US07817220B2
A liquid crystal display having a receiving member, and a backlight unit wherein the receiving member includes a mold frame having a part mounting unit that has a predetermined receiving space, and a chassis fastened to the mold frame which includes a reinforcing tab in contact with and reinforcing the part mounting unit.
US07817216B2
A flat panel display, having an anti-electrostatic configuration, comprising a plurality of gate lines and data lines formed on an insulating substrate having an emission region and a pad portion, an anti-electrostatic wire initially coupling the gate lines, and an anti-electrostatic circuit coupled to a data line. The anti-electrostatic wire between a gate line and an adjacent gate line is subsequently cut by an opening for cutting the anti-electrostatic wire to electrically isolate the respective gate lines.
US07817215B2
A pixel element includes a transistor, a pixel electrode and a storage capacitor. The transistor is a switch device of the pixel element. A data signal is applied to the pixel electrode by switching the transistor. The storage capacitor includes the first electrode and the second electrode. Several holes are formed on a surface of the first electrode. Therefore, layers disposed over the first electrode duplicate the shape of the holes, so that the layers have rough surfaces, for increasing the reflectivity.
US07817213B2
Sequentially performed are (1) an entire liquid crystal layer is initialized into a focal conic state, (2) an image is written onto the liquid crystal device by scanning with selecting exposure or non-exposure while applying a voltage that does not exceed a threshold value for a state change from the focal conic state to a homeotropic state during the non-exposure but exceeds the threshold value during the exposure and that causes the focal conic state and the homeotropic state to be bi-stable after the exposure, and (3) the application of the voltage is stopped to change a state of a portion, of which the state has changed to the homeotropic state, to the planer state. In (2), an electric field energy applied to an exposure portion of the liquid crystal layer is controlled to gradually increase from a start to an end of the series of scanning actions.
US07817208B1
A unified system of programming communication. The system encompasses the prior art (television, radio, broadcast hardcopy, computer communications, etc.) and new user specific mass media. Within the unified system, parallel processing computer systems, each having an input (e.g., 77) controlling a plurality of computers (e.g., 205), generate and output user information at receiver stations. Under broadcast control, local computers (73, 205), combine user information selectively into prior art communications to exhibit personalized mass media programming at video monitors (202), speakers (263), printers (221), etc. At intermediate transmission stations (e.g., cable television stations), signals in network broadcasts and from local inputs (74, 77, 97, 98) cause control processors (71) and computers (73) to selectively automate connection and operation of receivers (53), recorder/players (76), computers (73), generators (82), strippers (81), etc. At receiver stations, signals in received transmissions and from local inputs (225, 218, 22) cause control processors (200) and computers (205) to automate connection and operation of converters (201), tuners (215), decryptors (224), recorder/players (217), computers (205), furnaces (206), etc. Processors (71, 200) meter and monitor availability and usage of programming.
US07817191B2
An apparatus and method for use in transmitting data that is supplied with a high jitter input clock in a serial data stream over a single fiber cable. Video data from a camera is stored in memory using the high jitter clock. A stable clock is used to transmit the data from memory. To account for drift between the input clock and the stable clock idle words are added to or deleted from the transmitted data.
US07817190B2
An imaging processing device and method where, when areas having a luminance difference set by a user, for example, 45 dB or more, are preset in an image captured by a camera, an area, the luminance level of which exceeds a predetermined threshold level, may be displayed as a gray level or a black level, with the luminance thereof decreased by a certain luminance level, or may be displayed while a mask, having a gray or black level, and the area, the luminance level of which exceeds the predetermined threshold level, overlap each other. Therefore, glare caused by a high luminance subject can be decreased, or other subjects present in a backlit image can be easily recognized.
US07817189B2
An image processing device includes an initialization module, an optical black detection module, a calculation module, an image capturing module, a gain-value acquiring module, a gain adjusting module, and a pixel value adjusting module. The calculation module is configured for calculating the gain-coefficient. The image capturing module is configured for capturing an image of an object and acquiring the pixel value of each pixel of the image. The gain-value acquiring module is configured for acquiring a gain value according to the pixel values of the image. The gain adjusting module is configured for multiplying the gain value by the gain-coefficient to obtain an adjusted-gain value. The pixel value adjusting module is configured for multiplying the pixel values by the adjusted-gain value to adjust the pixel values.
US07817186B2
A camera includes an image taking system for taking plural images to be synthesized into a first image for recording use, and an image generator for generating a second image for display use by image-processing a specific image among the plural images.
US07817185B2
An image processing device is provided. The image processing device includes per-block motion vector calculating means for calculating a motion vector between two pictures of an image input in picture units sequentially, performing block matching in each of divided regions obtained by dividing one picture into a plurality of regions, and calculating a per-block motion vector for each of said divided regions. The image processing device also includes translation amount calculating means for calculating an amount of translation of the other of said two pictures with respect to one of said two pictures from a plurality of said per-block motion vectors calculated by said per-block motion vector calculating means. The image processing device also includes rotation angle calculating means for calculating a rotation angle of the other of said two pictures with respect to one of said two pictures from the plurality of said per-block motion vectors calculated by said per-block motion vector calculating means. The image processing device also includes rotation and translation adding means for superimposing a plurality of pictures on each other using the amount of translation calculated by said translation amount calculating means and the rotation angle calculated by said rotation angle calculating means.
US07817179B2
In a bi-directionally scanning electrophotographic (EP) device, methods and apparatus include storing alignment information. In one aspect, pre-characterization parameters of the EP device are stored in memory, such as NVRAM, resistant to the removal of power. In another, actual parameters of the EP device are learned during calibration and stored in the same memory. A controller has local or remote access to the memory and makes comparisons of the pre-characterized and learned parameters to implement corrections. Especially, scan alignment corrections are implemented to alter future scanning of scan lines of latent images on a photoconductor whereby the scan lines are formed in alternating directions. Certain contemplated parameters include, but are not limited to, a scan detect to print distance from a sensor to the start of imaging, temperature, pressure, a scanning mechanism drive signal parameter, such as pulse width, or sensor delay information.
US07817178B2
Methods and apparatus include improving print quality of a bi-directionally scanning electrophotographic (EP) device, such as a laser printer or copy machine, according to temperature. A moving galvanometer or oscillator reflects a laser beam to create forward and reverse scan lines of a latent image. During use, the actual ambient temperature is obtained and used make corrections to improve print quality, such as by producing the latent image with a signal altered from an image data input signal to help ensure proper alignment of the forward and reverse scan lines.
US07817176B2
A disclosed device for optically scanning a target surface includes a light source unit configured to emit a light beam; a light intensity detecting unit; a coupling unit configured to substantially collimate the emitted light beam; a beam limiting unit configured to limit the amount of the collimated light beam; a beam splitting unit configured to split the beam limited light beam and thereby to cause a first portion of the beam limited light beam to enter the light intensity detecting unit, wherein the light intensity detecting unit is configured to detect the intensity of the first portion of the beam limited light beam; and a beam deflecting unit configured to deflect a second portion of the split light beam toward the target surface. In the disclosed device, the beam limiting unit and the beam splitting unit are integrated as a single unitary structure and positioned between the coupling unit and the light deflecting unit.
US07817173B2
A data processing apparatus is described comprising: a body having a surface defining a first plane, the body comprising a first group of control elements and a second group of control elements for entering data and performing control operations; a display having a display area defining a second plane, the display coupled to the data processing apparatus at a pivot point and rotatable around the pivot point from a first position to a second position, wherein the display is viewable in both the first position and the second position and wherein both the first and second groups of control elements are exposed when the display is in the second position, and wherein only the second group of control elements are exposed when the display is in the first position, wherein the first plane and the second plane are substantially parallel when the display is in the first position, and wherein the first plane and the second plane are not parallel when the display is in the second position.
US07817172B2
A circuit for generating a gate pulse modulation signal includes a gate pulse modulation unit for generating two gate ON voltage modulation signals by using two clock signals each having a different phase, a level shift unit for generating level-shifted and modulated clock signals of odd-numbered and even-numbered lines by using the gate ON voltage modulation signal, and a GIP for receiving the clock signals of the odd-numbered and even-numbered lines and outputting the clock signals to each corresponding gate line.
US07817170B2
The invention provides a driving method of a semiconductor display device in which generation of a pseudo contour can be suppressed while the operating frequency of a driver circuit is suppressed. Furthermore, the invention provides a driving method of a semiconductor display device in which generation of a pseudo contour can be suppressed while the decrease in image quality is suppressed. In a semiconductor display device including a plurality of pixels, tables each storing data for determining a subframe period for light emission among a plurality of subframe periods are provided for a plurality of arbitrary pixels among the plurality of pixels respectively. The table is stored in a memory.
US07817167B2
An information processing method of adjusting the position/orientation of a virtual object combined with a physical object includes steps of: acquiring position information of a virtual index defined on the virtual object; informing a user of the position of the virtual index; acquiring position information of a physical index on the physical object corresponding to the virtual index based on the position information of a pointing unit operated by the user; and defining position/orientation information of the virtual object based on the position information of the virtual index and the position information of the physical index.
US07817165B1
A computer-implemented graphics system has a mode of operation in which primitive coverage information is generated for real sample locations and virtual sample locations for use in anti-aliasing. An individual pixel includes a single real sample location and at least one virtual sample location. A block of real sample locations can be selected to delineate and encompass a region containing a number of virtual sample locations. Pixel attribute values (e.g., z-depth or stencil values) associated with the block of selected real sample locations can be used to associate each virtual sample location within the region with one of the selected real sample locations. The virtual sample location assumes the pixel attribute value of the real sample location with which it is associated.
US07817164B2
Systems and methods for adding to or deleting from an attention region in a medical image using a drawn curved line depending on the positions of the end points of the line using computer processing and user interface.
US07817161B2
A dimensionality-reduced appearance space system and method that transforms an exemplar image from a traditional three-dimensional space of pixel colors to a low-dimensional Euclidean space of appearance vectors. The transformation of an exemplar is a preprocessing step, and the transformed exemplar becomes the starting point for high-quality texture synthesis. The exemplar transformation begins by computing a high-dimensional appearance vector using one or a combination of several attribute channels. These attribute channels provide additional information to further distinguish exemplar pixels from each other. These attribute channels includes spatial pixel neighborhoods, feature distance, and radiance transfer information. Dimensionality reduction is applied to the resulting high-dimensional appearance vector to generate the transformed exemplar in low-dimensional Euclidean appearance space. Because much of the information contained in the high-dimensional appearance vector is redundant or coherent, dimensionality reduction can be applied to drastically reduce the dimensionality of the appearance vector with little loss of information.
US07817158B1
A method and apparatus are provided for specifying that an operation should be performed on an attribute of each object of a group of objects. A statement, for example, in a script, specifies an operation to perform on an attribute of a set of objects. The statement may specify the set in a variety of ways that may be easier to program. According to an aspect of the present invention, the statement may specify an operation identifier and pattern matching criteria for identifiers associated with objects. Objects that are associated with identifiers that satisfy the pattern matching criteria are identified, and for each identified object, the operation is applied to the attribute of the object. According to another aspect of the present invention, the statement may specify an operation identifier and an identifier associated with a collection of objects. The operation is applied to the objects that belong to the collection of objects.
US07817145B2
A method of moving an object in a generally circular manner on the surface of a touchpad and causing a list to be scrolled as long as the object is moving, wherein a method is provided for activating a scrolling function, wherein a method is provided for determining what direction scrolling should occur based upon a direction of movement when scrolling is engaged, and wherein the direction of scrolling is only changed by an abrupt change in direction of the object.
US07817137B2
A computer mouse includes a sliding cover and a control platform. The sliding cover is disposed on the top surface of the computer mouse, and the control platform is disposed under the sliding cover. Several control keys are provided on the control platform. Two rails are provided on the sliding cover and two grooves are provided on the computer mouse so that the sliding cover may be slid downwards. When the sliding cover is slid downwards, the control keys may be automatically activated. When the sliding cover is closed, the computer mouse looks like a regular computer mouse; when the sliding cover is opened, the control keys may be automatically activated and a user may access the control keys.
US07817136B2
A mouse configured to display an icon including a top housing that is semi-opaque; and an icon indicator disposed under the top housing, the icon indicator including a light source and an icon plate. The light source is configured to light the icon plate to display an icon through the top housing. The icon indicator and icon are substantially not visible through the top housing if the light source is not lighted.
US07817132B2
A flat panel display includes a panel assembly provided with a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of data lines and switching elements connected to the gate lines and the data lines; a signal controller synthesizing digital image data and control signals from an external device and generating synthesized signals and gate control signals; a column driver applying analogue data voltages corresponding to the digital image data to the data lines responsive to the synthesized signals; and a gate driver applying the gate control signals to the gate lines.
US07817131B2
The invention provides methods and systems for processing image data made up of a series of frames for displaying on a dual modulation display system having a first modulator disposed to illuminate a second modulator, wherein a first modulation signal and a luminance map are not calculated for every frame. Instead, certain frames referred to as “key frames” are used to provide the first modulation signal and the luminance map for a plurality of other frames.
US07817119B2
A display area composed of matrix-arrayed pixels includes partition walls which separate the pixels, a first electrode which is disposed in an independent insular shape in association with each of the pixels, an organic active layer which is disposed on the first electrode, and a second electrode which is common to all the pixels and is so disposed as to cover the organic active layer of each of the pixels and to expose parts of the partition walls.
US07817113B2
A method for driving a plasma display panel having at least first electrodes and second electrodes which cause discharge in cells is provided. The method includes applying a first pulse and a second pulse to the second electrode in an address preparation period. The method also includes applying a scan pulse to the second pulse to the second electrode in an address period. The method includes the first pulse having a voltage changing with time in a positive direction and the second pulse having a voltage changing with time in a negative direction and the scan pulse having a negative voltage which is lower than the attained voltage of the second pulse.
US07817112B2
Disclosed is a method of driving a plasma display panel and apparatus thereof enabling to minimize power consumption for driving the plasma display panel. 1. The present invention includes the steps of generating a reset discharge by supplying ramp waves so as to equalize cells in the plasma display panel in a reset period, supplying selected specific ones of the cells with a scan voltage pulse swinging between a lowest voltage levels of the reset discharge and a data pulse of a voltage level lowered as much as a negative voltage level of the scan voltage pulse, generating an address discharge by the scan voltage pulse and data pulse applied to the selected cells in an address period, and maintaining the address discharge for a sustain period.
US07817105B2
An image forming method and a charged particle beam apparatus suitable for suppressing the inclination of charging when scanning a two-dimensional area with a charged particle beam. A third scanning line located between a first scanning line and a second scanning line is scanned. After the first, second and third scanning lines have been scanned, a plurality of scanning lines are scanned between the first and third scanning lines and between the second and third scanning lines.
US07817100B2
A ballistic resistant antenna for use with a ballistic resistant communications system having a first plate fabricated from a ballistic material. The first plate has at least one opening configured to allow transmission of electromagnetic energy at a predetermined range of electromagnetic wavelengths. The antenna also has at least one plug having a geometry that is capable of insertion into the at least one opening. The at least one plug is made up of a material that is substantially transparent to the predetermined range of electromagnetic wavelengths.
US07817077B2
In some examples, a differential comparator includes a differential amplifier configured to output differential output signals, a first switch portion configured to input the differential output signals from the differential amplifier and output the differential output signals from output terminals while alternatively changing over the output terminals, a latch portion configured to update and latch the differential output signals from the output terminals of the first switch portion, and a second switch portion configured to input output signals from the latch portion and output the latched output signals. The first switch portion and the second switch portion are changed over complementarily so that the differential output signals from the differential amplifier are always outputted from the same first and second output terminals of the second switch portion respectively.
US07817070B2
A signal conditioning circuit time share multiplexes anti-aliasing filters and an A/D converter. A plurality of first tier multiplexers each time share multiplex one of a plurality of antialiasing filters between a plurality of AC or baseband input signals from a plurality of sensors. A second tier multiplexer selects its inputs from the outputs of the first tier multiplexers. The output of the second tier multiplexer feeds a high speed A/D converter. Thus, the A/D converter is time share multiplexed by the second tier multiplexer. In this manner, a plurality of sensors can share a single A/D converter. After allowing a settling time for the multiplexers and antialiasing filters, a plurality of samples of the input signals are taken, such as for one period. The samples of each AC input signal are multiplied by a sine vector and a cosine vector. The product vectors are then each averaged and the root mean square of the two averages yields the magnitude of the input signal. Mechanical angle of the input signal can be determined based upon the sign of the sine and cosine product vector averages.
US07817066B2
An in-vehicle computer system includes a host computer, a mode switch and a backup microprocessor. When the host computer functions ordinarily, the mode switch is in a regular mode as a default, and the host computer uses various graphical interfaces on a display to control the operations of electronic devices implemented in a vehicle. The electronic devices can include a digital versatile disc (DVD) player, an MP3 player and a global positioning system (GPS). When a total failure of the computer occurs, the mode switch is switched to a backup mode, and the host computer is replaced by the backup microprocessor to control a backup graphical processor to extract backup graphical interfaces from a backup storage medium for graphical processing and further presentation on the display. Thus, a driver can continuously control the corresponding electronic devices through the backup graphical interfaces on the display.
US07817065B2
The invention relates to a system with a device for determining the current position of the aircraft, a display device displaying, on a viewing screen an airport map, wherewith is associated a symbol illustrating the current position of the aircraft, an interface device enabling the display of the display device to be operated by an operator, a storage device storing a plurality of airport maps, a device for determining a reference point for each airport, whereof the map is stored in the storage device, and a selecting device which selects an airport map stored in the storage device so as to transmit same to the display device so that it can be displayed, and which comprises a device enabling an airport map to be automatically selected, based on the current position of the aircraft and as airport reference point.
US07817050B2
A system determines the carbon footprint of a compressed gas leak. The system comprises an ultrasonic detector to detect a compressed gas leak, a storage device storing information on the type of gas, the compressor efficiency, and the carbon emissions necessary to generate electricity to drive the compressor. A processing unit includes software that determines an amount of electrical energy needed to recharge the lost compressed gas based on the compressor efficiency and calculates the carbon emissions created by the amount of electrical energy. A method monitoring for gas leaks comprises detecting ultrasonic emissions, generating an electrical signal representative of the compressed gas leak, and calculating an amount of electrical energy needed to recharge the lost compressed gas. The method further includes calculating the carbon footprint based on the carbon emissions necessary for the electrical power generation system that drives the compressor.
US07817049B2
A fire detector has at least two sensor units for monitoring a confined space for the occurrence of a fire. A first fire parameter is monitored according to the scattered light method, using a first sensor unit located at or in the vicinity of the ceiling. At least one second sensor unit of the fire detector, which emits at least two highly focused light beams towards the floor of the confined space, monitors a second fire parameter according to the extinction method.
US07817046B2
A system and method for containing and restricting spread of infectious diseases within hospitals, clinics and other medical facilities by cataloguing and delimiting movement of patients, medical staff, employees, visitors, contractors and other personnel attending or on-site. The system also provides for tracking and cataloguing contaminated medical apparatus, medicine trolleys, food trolleys, medical gas stations, laundry baskets and other mobile or movable medical equipment or facility equipment to prevent spread of the infectious disease or viral entities. According to another aspect, the system includes a poling or supervisory network for auditing the presence or absence of patients, medical staff and other personnel; and medical apparatus, movable equipment or other facility equipment.
US07817044B2
According to some embodiments, an antenna sub-assembly includes a multi-band antenna coupled to a radio frequency identification (RFID) integrated circuit (IC). The multi-band antenna is tuned to receive radio frequency (RF) signals of an RFID frequency band and RF signals of a non-RFID frequency band.
US07817040B2
A radio frequency identification (RFID) system having the capacity to detect conditions of alignment, wherein the system may be used with hand-held, fixed-in-place, stationary, and permanently mounted apparatus. The system includes an RF interrogator configured for use with dental x-ray, medical imaging, film, and digital radiography apparatus, and may include a multiplicity of RF transponders or interrogators. An RF interrogator, an RF transponder, and an x-ray sensitive imaging device, and its holder are configured to be critically aligned to a dental x-ray machine head apparatus, rendering repeat imaging unnecessary. The x-ray emitter may be further configured to automatically obtain a desired x-ray image or configured so that the device cannot activate and provide a radiograph until alignment with the transponder and associated x-ray sensitive imaging device has occurred.
US07817032B2
The system includes a hand-held central monitoring device including an antenna and a receiver. A display screen is electrically coupled to a signal potency evaluating circuit and an audio transducer is electrically coupled thereto. A plurality of labeled identification members are attached to the existing misplaced articles. A first tuned frequency transducer is electrically coupled to a tuned frequency signal generating module. A central monitoring device receives signals and a mechanism detects a location of the existing misplaced article. Labeled identification modules are removably attached to the misplaced articles.
US07817031B2
A low cost, robust, wireless sensor that provides an extended period of operability without maintenance is described. The wireless sensors are configured to communicate with a base unit or repeater. When the sensor unit detects an anomalous ambient condition (e.g., smoke, fire, water, etc.) the sensor communicates with the base unit and provides data regarding the anomalous condition. The sensor unit receives instructions to change operating parameters and/or control external devices.
US07817008B2
A magnetic element includes a pair of coil sets. Each of the coil sets includes a first coil having a plurality of first metallic lines, a second coil having a plurality of second metallic lines, and at least one conductive column electrically connected between the first coil and the second coil. The magnetic element further includes a package body for enclosing the pair of coil sets therein.
US07817005B2
A correlated magnetic container and method are described herein that use correlated magnets to enable a container having at least two sections to be assembled, disassembled or releasably secured to an external object. Some examples of the two sections of the container that can be assembled and disassembled utilizing the correlated magnets include a wall panel, top panel, side panel, bottom panel, door panel, a handle, a tool, a belt, a frame member or locking member.
US07817004B2
Correlated magnetic prosthetic device and method for using the correlated magnetic prosthetic device
A prosthetic device is described herein that incorporates correlated magnets which enable an artificial prosthesis (e.g., artificial limb) to be easily and effectively attached to and removed from an interface that is secured to a residual limb on a person. In addition, a method is described herein for enabling a person to attach and remove an artificial prosthesis to and from an interface that is secured to a residual limb on the person.
US07817001B2
In actuating devices such as, e.g., multifunctional actuators, it is necessary in many cases to block at least one specific direction of movement. A simple and reliably operating device is proposed for this purpose, which uses an electromagnet to bring a ball from a rest position into a blocking position. In the blocking position, the ball mechanically blocks the relative movement between two parts.
US07816996B2
A non-reflective ring topology MPNT switching device comprises at least two poles, at least four throws, plural main switches, and plural bridge switches. The bridge switches enable all throws to be non-reflective throughout a wide frequency range. Each main switch is connected between one of the poles and one of the throws. Each bridge switch is connected between two of the throws, and each throw is connected to at least M+1 of the bridge switches, M being the pole count. In operation, each of M of the main switches has a first (ON) state and is connected to one of M active throws. For each active throw, each bridge switch connected to the active throw has a second (OFF) state. For each non-active throw, one bridge switch connected to the non-active throw has the first (ON) state and each other connected bridge switch has the second (OFF) state.
US07816992B2
An offset voltage correction circuit for a differential amplifier comprising NMOS transistors serving as a pair of differential transistors, and PMOS transistors serving as a pair of load transistors connected between outputs of the pair of differential transistors and a power source. The offset voltage correction circuit is equipped with a voltage generator for generating, between a source of any one of the pair of load transistors and the power source, a constant voltage for correcting an offset voltage of the differential amplifier.
US07816985B2
Systems and methods implemented in a switching amplifier for providing consistent, matching switching between top and bottom switching devices in a switching amplifier. One embodiment includes a half-bridge circuit output stage, a driver stage and a transformer. The driver stage, which drives the switches of the output stage, is very fast, has a low propagation delay, and has minimal input capacitance. The transformer drives the drive paths from the transformer inputs to the switches. The transformer avoids resonances within the audio band and at the amplifier switching frequencies, has low and spread free leakage inductance, has enough magnetizing inductance to keep transformer currents low in proportion to the total driver stage current drain, has low core losses at the switching frequency, has minimal inductance change and operates well below its saturation point. The amplifier stage provides a substantially constant amplitude drive signal to the output power switching devices.
US07816980B2
An audio power amplifier provides a virtual ground to reduce power on/off noise and a method for processing a signal in the audio power amplifier. The audio power amplifier includes a switching amplifier to amplify a small output pulse width modulation (PWM) signal so as to generate a large output PWM signal, a pulse generating unit to generate a pulse signal having the same level as that of the PWM signal level, a first low pass filter to allow the large output PWM signal amplified by the switching amplifier to be low-pass filtered so as to restore the PWM signal to an audio signal, and a second low pass filter to allow the pulse signal generated by the pulse signal generating unit to be low-pass filtered so as to convert the pulse signal into a virtual ground voltage with respect to the restored audio signal.
US07816979B2
A method and system for a frequency shift key demodulation is provided. The system includes a counting block for counting a reference clock within a window defined by a modulated signal, a detector for comparing a count value output from the counting block with digital multi-level thresholds and outputting baseband data based on the comparison, and a configurations block for configuring at least one of the counting block and the detector. The method includes counting a reference clock within a window defined by the FSK modulated signal and outputting a count value as a result of the counting, and comparing the count value with multi-level thresholds to output baseband data based on the comparison.
US07816973B2
A temperature sensor having one or more mirror circuits output temperature dependent output signals is disclosed in one embodiment. The temperature sensor includes a sampling circuit coupled to receive a clock signal that samples the output signals for a duration of a predetermined number of clock cycles. The temperature sensor additionally includes a phase control circuit that receives the clock signal and generates a control signal that enables subsequent sampling operations. Each subsequent sampling operation has a duration of the predetermined number of clock cycles. The control signal from the phase control circuit further enables input and output terminals of respective circuit components in the mirror circuits to be switched for each subsequent sampling operation.
US07816969B2
A level shifter circuit is disclosed. The circuit receives a digital input signal characterized by a logical high state having a first high voltage level and generates an output node for driving a digital output signal characterized by a logical high state having a second high voltage level. The output signal logical state mirrors the input signal logical state. The circuit includes a short circuit current reduction mechanism for charging a first internal node of level shifter circuit following a first transition of the input signal logical state. The circuit further includes a performance enhancement mechanism for discharging the first internal node of the level shifter circuit following a second transition of the input signal logical state. The performance enhancement mechanism may comprise a transistor driven by the input signal and connected between the first internal node and ground. The current limiting mechanism may comprise a transistor having a source/drain terminal connected to the first internal node.
US07816965B2
The present invention discloses a cooperation circuit, comprising: a first control module, capable of generating a first control signal and a second control signal, the pulse width of the first control signal being determined by the pulse width of the second control signal; and a second control module, coupled to the first control module to receive the first control signal and the second control signal and generate a third control signal according to the first control signal and the second control signal; wherein, according to the first control signal and the second control signal, the second control module enables the third control signal and the second control signal to exhibit the same frequency and the same duty cycle with a phase delay.
US07816957B2
The invention mainly relates to a power on reset signal generating circuit and method thereof wherein said reset signal remains as a constant being independent of rising or descending power or repeated switching. The power on reset signal circuit can be implemented by a conventional RC power on reset circuit together with a coupled N-type transistor switch to charge or discharge the capacitor inside the conventional RC power on reset circuit.
US07816939B2
A liquid crystal display (LCD) panel simplifying its testing and manufacturing. The LCD panel includes (formed on a substrate) gate lines, data lines, and pixels including pixel transistors. The LCD panel further includes a plurality test transistors (e.g., data test transistors for driving the odd and even data lines) formed in a package region of a driving IC (integrated circuit) configured to drive the data lines. The plurality of test transistors may be selectively activated (turned ON) during testing before the driving integrated circuit (Driver IC package) is attached (e.g., fixed) to the driving IC package region. The LCD panel may further include a plurality of gate test transistors configured to drive the odd and even gate lines.
US07816924B2
The invention provides a gas insulated switchgear, and a method for detecting arc damage in a part used in a gas insulated switchgear, which detect directly when an electric contact or a peripheral part reaches an initially set wear limit. An insulating nozzle of a circuit breaker contains a marking substance that releases a gaseous substance inside a circuit breaker gas container as a result of wear by an arc. For ensuring heat resistance and insulation properties, the insulating nozzle is ordinarily formed of a fluororesin, but in the present invention, it is formed of the ordinarily used fluororesin having uniformly mixed therein, as the marking substance, a chlorine-containing resin which has excellent heat resistance and insulation properties such as polyvinylidene chloride.
US07816921B2
The disclosure provides apparatus and method for estimating an electrical property downhole. The apparatus, in one aspect, includes an antenna that comprises a unitary metallic member that has a longitudinal axis and a radial axis, at least one slot made in the metallic member and an electrical conductor over the at least one slot to form an antenna. In one aspect, a high magnetic permeability material may be placed between the electrical conductor and a bottom of the slots. The antenna may be configured to operate as a transmitter for transmitting electromagnetic signals into a formation or a receiver for receiving electromagnetic signals from the formation.
US07816920B2
An exemplary metal detector includes a detecting circuit, a SCM, a converting circuit, and a cymometer. The SCM cooperates with the detecting circuit to generate a current signal with a specific frequency, the converting circuit transforms the current signal received from the SCM to a voltage signal, and the cymometer displays a value of a frequency of the current signal according to the voltage signal. When the detecting circuit detects a metal nearby, the value of the frequency of the current signal displayed on the cymometer changes.
US07816917B2
A permeability measurement apparatus includes a magnetic field generation means applying an alternating magnetic field having a predetermined frequency to a magnetic substance to be measured; a probe needle placed in proximity or in contact to a microscopic area of the magnetic substance to be measured to which the alternating magnetic field is applied; a resonator including a coil wound on the probe needle, and generating a magnetic field having a resonant frequency higher than the frequency of the alternating magnetic field applied on the microscopic area having the probe needle in proximity or in contact thereto, and having an inductance of the coil varied as permeability in the microscopic area varies; and a measurement means measuring the permeability of the microscopic area of the magnetic substance to be measured based on the variation of the resonant frequency of the resonator according to the variation of the coil inductance.
US07816916B2
In a magnetic resonance imaging method and apparatus, magnetic resonance data are acquired (an examination subject) using a zoomed method, and reconstruction of the image of the examination subject is undertaken using a parallel imaging reconstruction method.
US07816915B2
A method for producing a coil assembly includes overlaying printed circuit traces on a core. The traces include terminals for coupling to conductive connections on a base on which the coil assembly is to be mounted. Two or more wires are wrapped around the core so as to define two or more coils, wrapped in different, respective directions. The ends of the wires are coupled to the printed circuit traces, so as to connect the wires through the traces to the terminals.
US07816912B2
An angle detector includes a magnetic rotor and a plurality of magnetic stator portions. The magnetic stator portions are arranged separately in an annular stator frame and each magnetic stator portion includes a pair of magnetic stator strips. The periphery of the magnetic rotor is disposed between the magnetic stator strips of each magnetic stator portion. By such a configuration, accurate angle detection can be carried out irrespective of the decentering of a rotary shaft.
US07816909B2
Methods of characterizing a mechanical stress level in a stressed layer of a transistor and a mechanical stress characterizing test structure are disclosed. In one embodiment, the test structure includes a first test transistor including a first stress level; and at least one second test transistor having a substantially different second stress level. A testing circuit can then be used to characterize the mechanical stress level by comparing performance of the first test transistor and the at least one second test transistor. The type of test structure depends on the integration scheme used. In one embodiment, at least one second test transistor is provided with a substantially neutral stress level and/or an opposite stress level from the first stress level. The substantially neutral stress level may be provided by either rotating the transistor, removing the stressed layer causing the stress level or de-stressing the stressed layer causing the stress layer.
US07816899B2
In a power conversion device having high side and low side switches connected to a coil, a direction of a coil current is determined during a dead time period where the respective switches turn off at the same time to make the increase/decrease ratio of the coil current correspond to a command value. Based on a direction detection signal and a PWM signal of a PWM signal generation unit, an operation mode of a power converter circuit is determined, and a ratio correction value and an offset value of the PWM signal is set with respect to a control period of the PWM signal. As a result, a change in the operation mode of the power converter circuit is detected to allow the increase/decrease ratio of the coil current to correspond to a command switching ratio.
US07816896B2
Circuits and methods for controlling a converter are disclosed. A first switch within the converter can be turned off, and a second switch within the converter alternately can be turned on and off in response to a switch control signal while the first switch is turned off. By turning the second switch alternately on and off, energy stored in the converter can be recovered to a power source of the converter.
US07816890B2
A semiconductor unit for protecting a secondary battery has a current detecting terminal converting a charging current to a negative voltage with respect to a negative electrode potential (ground potential) of the secondary battery when the secondary battery is charged, converting the charging current to a positive voltage with respect to the negative electrode potential (ground potential) of the secondary battery when the secondary battery is discharged, and detecting the charging/discharging current; and a test signal generating circuit generating a first test signal when the voltage of the current detecting terminal lowers to a first negative voltage which does not occur in a normal operation state of the semiconductor unit, and generating a second test signal when the voltage of the current detecting terminal lowers to a second negative voltage lower than the first negative voltage.
US07816879B2
The present invention is a system for high torque operation of a movable barrier utilizing a compact hub motor device, which may be directly coupled to a movable barrier without the use of additional gearing systems. The flat geometry provides high dynamic acceleration with short electrical and mechanical time constants, and its planetary gearing system implemented within the device allows for compact, more efficient access systems. Eliminating a gear system in accordance with the present invention lowers maintenance requirements, increases efficiency, and streamlines operation of movable barriers.
US07816872B2
In an instant start ballast, dimming control is provided over a range of operation in which lamps driven by the ballast do not require external cathode heating. An interface circuit (92) includes a winding (90) that is inductively coupled to windings (68, 70) of an inverter circuit (12). The interface circuit (92) also includes a variable impedance in parallel with the winding (90) where the variable impedance includes a transistor (96) and a Zener diode (98). By varying an input voltage across control leads (94), the apparent inductance of the winding (90) is varied. This variance affects the switching frequency of the inverter circuit (12) affecting the frequency of a drive signal provided to the lamps. Thus the instant start ballast can be dimmed without use of multiple ballasts and/or external cathode heating.
US07816863B2
An object of the present invention is to realize a light emitting device having low power consumption and high stability, in addition to improve extraction efficiency of light generated in a light emitting element. At least an interlayer insulating film (including a planarizing film), an anode, and a bank covering an edge portion of the anode contain-chemically and physically stable silicon oxide, or are made of a material containing silicon oxide as its main component in order to accomplish a light emitting device having high stability. Generation of heat in a light emitting panel can be suppressed in addition to increase in efficiency (luminance/current) of a light emitting panel according to the structure of the present invention. Consequently, synergistic effect on reliability of a light emitting device is obtained.
US07816858B2
A display device and a method of fabricating the same, the display device including a first substrate having a display region, a light emitting layer disposed within the display region, a first voltage pad disposed outside the display region, on the first substrate outside of the display region and supplying a predetermined voltage to the display region, a second substrate provided above the first substrate and corresponding to the display region, a second voltage pad disposed on a surface of the first or second substrate provided opposite to a direction of light emitted from the light emitting layer and a flexible film electrically connecting the first voltage pad and the second voltage pad.
US07816856B2
A flexible emissive display device having an adhesion layer thinner than the device substrate; a plurality of chiplets adhered to the adhesion layer wherein at least a portion of the adhesion layer extends above a portion of the chiplets; an OLED formed over the adhesion layer and wherein the OLED is thinner than the adhesion layer; a cover thicker than the adhesion layer located over the OLED and adhered to the device substrate; and wherein the chiplets and OLED are at or near the neutral stress plane of the device and the bending radius of the device is less than 2 cm.
US07816854B2
A light emission device and a display device having the light emission device are provided. A light emission device includes first and second substrates facing each other to form a vacuum envelope. An electron emission unit is provided on the first substrate. A light emission unit is provided on the second substrate to emit light using electrons emitted from the electron emission unit. A spacer uniformly maintains a gap between the first and second substrates. The spacer has a surface resistivity within a range of 1012-1014 Ωcm.
US07816851B2
A planar light source device includes a lower substrate, a cathode electrode a carbon nanotube, an upper substrate, a fluorescent layer, and an anode electrode. The cathode electrode is on the lower substrate. The carbon nanotube is electrically connected to the cathode electrode. The upper substrate faces the lower substrate. The fluorescent layer and the anode electrode are formed on the upper substrate. Therefore, the planar light source device generates light without using mercury.
US07816849B2
A germicidal lamp having amalgam for controlling mercury vapor pressure contained in a location facilitating efficient high output operation. A low pressure mercury vapor discharge lamp has an amalgam container containing an amalgam positioned behind an electrode out of the arc path or space. The amalgam position is retained during high wall loading of the lamp preventing the amalgam from moving out of position. A heating and cooling element is placed generally at the amalgam position controlling the temperature of the amalgam. Efficient operation with high current loads and resulting high wall loading and temperatures is possible. The temperature control of the amalgam may also be used to dim or modify the illumination output of the lamp. The germicidal lamp is particularly suited to being positioned vertically in a waste water treatment system.
US07816842B2
An inorganic film formed of an inorganic material on a metal film having a surface including surface-oxidized areas. The surface-oxidized areas are surface oxidized to different degrees. For example, the surface-oxidized areas are one or more lowly-surface-oxidized areas and one or more highly-surface-oxidized areas. The inorganic film includes regions which are respectively formed on the surface-oxidized areas, and the regions have different crystal structures according to the different degrees of surface oxidation. For example, a patterned inorganic film constituted by one or more protruding portions arranged on one or more lowly-surface-oxidized areas of the surface of the metal film can be produced by removing the portions of the inorganic film formed on highly-surface-oxidized areas.
US07816838B2
A system and method for measuring absolute pressure applied to a piezoelectric element by measuring a transition time of a voltage pulse applied to a piezoelectric element. The transition time (such as the rise time and/or fall time of the voltage pulse) is affected by the capacitance of the piezoelectric element, which in turn is affected by the amount of pressure currently being applied to the piezoelectric element. The system may also provide haptic feedback via the same piezoelectric element.
US07816837B2
A surface acoustic wave sensor for detecting a target substance by measuring the change in frequency due to the mass applied to a reaction membrane placed on a surface acoustic wave element having high sensitivity due to the improvement of the surface acoustic wave element structure. The surface acoustic wave sensor includes an SH-type surface acoustic wave and a rotated Y-cut LiTaO3 substrate having Euler angles (0°, 120° to 140°, 0°±5°); electrodes principally containing Au, for exciting a surface acoustic wave, the electrodes being arranged on the LiTaO3 substrate; and a reaction membrane bound to a target substance or a binding substance bound to the target substance covering the electrodes arranged on the LiTaO3 substrate. The interdigital transducers have a normalized thickness of about 3.0% to about 5.0%, the normalized thickness being determined by normalizing the thickness of the interdigital transducers by the wavelength of the surface acoustic wave.
US07816835B2
A brush holder in a tandem vehicle alternator for a vehicle is composed mainly of a primary brush holder and a secondary brush holder accommodating plural brushes, respectively. The primary and secondary brush holders are independently formed. During a step of producing a brush assembly and of mounting the brush assembly on the tandem vehicle alternator, both of the primary and secondary brush holders are integrated into a single brush holder and tightly fastened by welding using a connection metal member.
US07816815B2
A system and method are presented to detect and account for regenerated voltage in a three phase power source failures. The method involves monitoring a power source for phase voltage unbalances to determine the presence of a single phase failure. If the voltage unbalance caused by the single phase failure is restored before a sensing timer expires, a regenerated voltage condition is detected and retransfer to the power source is inhibited. Retransfer to the power source may be delayed by a period determined by a retransfer time value, in order to prevent transfer cycling between the preferred power source and an alternate power source. In addition, retransfer inhibiting may be terminated due to user interaction, power source voltage readings indicating a repair state, or by failure of an alternate source.
US07816812B2
An electronic device includes: a first input terminal to which a first DC supply voltage of a fuel cell system having a controllable supply voltage is provided; a second input terminal to which a second DC supply voltage of a rechargeable secondary battery is provided; a DC voltage conversion circuit which receives the first and second DC supply voltages from the first and second input terminals, and supplies a current of a desired voltage to a load; a charging circuit which receives the first DC supply voltage from the first input terminal, and supplies a DC supply voltage for charging to the second input terminal; and a control circuit which determines a desired value of the first DC supply voltage in accordance with a value of the second DC supply voltage of the secondary battery, and provides the determined desired value to the fuel cell system.
US07816804B2
A power storage device is in parallel to a battery, and is connected to a power supply line and a ground line. A service plug internally includes a resistance and is attached to the power storage device for connecting the resistance between contacts of a relay circuit. The service plug is a member independent of an ordinary service plug arranged at the power storage device. When residual charges in the power storage device are substantially zero, an operator appropriately attaches the service plug to the power storage device in place of the ordinary service plug. Accordingly, when the power storage device enters an overdischarged state due to a maintenance or the like of the power storage device, a vehicle system to which the service plug internally having a current limiting device is attached is started so that occurrence of a rush current can be prevented.
US07816799B2
A method and device for using magnetostriction to generate electricity from fluid motion. The device includes a first structural component, an outer housing, and a strain structure. The outer housing substantially circumscribes the first structural component and at least partially defines an annular space between the first structural component and the outer housing. The strain structure is coupled within the annular space between the first structural component and the outer housing. The strain structure experiences a change in physical strain imposed by a bearing in response to a relative movement between the bearing and the strain structure. The strain structure includes a magnetostrictive material to generate a magnetic field in response to the change in the physical strain.
US07816797B2
A method and device for generating electricity from ocean waves. The device includes at least one magnetostrictive element and one or more electrically conductive coils or circuits. When the magnetostrictive element is deployed in a body of water, the motion of the body of water, including wave motion, causes changes in the strain of the magnetostrictive element. The electrically conductive coil or circuit is within the vicinity of the magnetostrictive element. A corresponding change in magnetic field around the magnetostrictive element generates an electric voltage and/or electric current in the electrically conductive coil or circuit.
US07816791B2
A bonding pad on a substrate has a first metal structure establishing an electrical connection between a device and a bonding area, and a second metal structure arranged at the bonding area. The first metal structure extends, within the bonding area, at least over part of the bonding area between the substrate and the second metal structure, so as to contact the second metal structure, the second metal structure being harder than the first metal structure.
US07816786B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor chip and leads electrically connected to the electrodes of the semiconductor chip. A hollow radiator base houses the semiconductor device which is molded with high-thermal-conductivity resin having an electrical insulating property. The radiator base has a cooling-medium channel therein or radiating fins on the outside. Alternatively, the radiator base is housed in a second radiator base.
US07816775B2
A method for of manufacturing integrated circuit packages and a multi-chip integrated circuit package are disclosed. According to the method, a first die is attached onto a first side of a set of leads of a leadframe, and an adhesive is applied onto the set of leads at a second side opposite to the first side. A second die is attached onto the adhesive. The adhesive fills into the gaps defined by the set of leads. The adhesive is thereafter cured. In a multi-chip integrated circuit package made according to the method, the adhesive attaching the second die fills the gaps between the leads so that to avoid formation of internal cavities of the package.
US07816772B2
Methods and apparatus for providing an integrated circuit using a multi-stage molding process to protect wirebonds. In one embodiment, a method includes attaching a die to a leadframe having a lead finger, attaching a wirebond between the die and the leadfinger, applying a first mold material over at least a portion of the wirebond and the die and the leadfinger to form an assembly, waiting for the first mold material to at least partially cure, and applying a second mold material over the assembly.
US07816771B2
The present invention provides a stacked chip package structure with leadframe having inner leads with transfer pad, comprising: a leadframe composed of a plurality of inner leads arranged in rows facing each other, a plurality of outer leads, and a die pad, wherein the die pad is provided between the plurality of inner leads arranged in rows facing each other and vertically distant from the plurality of inner leads; an offset chip-stacked structure formed with a plurality of chips stacked together, the offset chip-stacked structure being set on the die pad and electrically connected to the plurality of inner leads arranged in rows facing each other; and an encapsulant covering the offset chip-stacked structure and the leadframe, the plurality of outer leads extending out of said encapsulant; the improvement of which being that the inner leads of the leadframe are coated with an insulating layer and a plurality of metal pads are selectively formed on the insulating layer.
US07816764B2
Methods of controlling stress in GaN films deposited on silicon and silicon carbide substrates and the films produced therefrom are disclosed. A typical method comprises providing a substrate and depositing a graded gallium nitride layer on the substrate having a varying composition of a substantially continuous grade from an initial composition to a final composition formed from a supply of at least one precursor in a growth chamber without any interruption in the supply. A typical semiconductor film comprises a substrate and a graded gallium nitride layer deposited on the substrate having a varying composition of a substantially continuous grade from an initial composition to a final composition formed from a supply of at least one precursor in a growth chamber without any interruption in the supply.
US07816757B2
High density mounting and power source sharing are achieved by a digital semiconductor element and an analog semiconductor element provided in a common semiconductor device. A power layer for analog operation is connected to one end of an EBG (Electromagnetic Band Gap) layer, a power layer for digital operation is connected to the other end of the EBG layer, ground terminals for the respective elements are connected to a common ground layer, and a ground layer for separating the power layer for analog operation and the EBG layer from each other is disposed between the power layer for analog operation and the EBG layer. Thereby, high density mounting is achieved along with reducing interference of the power source to an analog chip.
US07816755B2
A pixel space is narrowed without increasing PN junction capacitance. A photoelectric conversion device includes a plurality of pixels arranged therein, each including a first impurity region of a first conductivity type forming a photoelectric conversion region, a second impurity region of a second conductivity type forming a signal acquisition region arranged in the first impurity region, a third impurity region of the first conductivity type and a fourth impurity region of the first conductivity type are arranged in a periphery of each pixel for isolating the each pixel, the fourth impurity region is disposed between adjacent pixels, and an impurity concentration of the fourth impurity region is smaller than an impurity concentration of the third impurity region.
US07816749B2
A plurality of line image sensor ICs 110 are formed to be arranged in X, Y directions with gaps therebetween on a semiconductor substrate 101. The gaps between the line image sensor ICs 110 become scribe lines 102X, 102Y. A pattern of dummy interconnects 120 is formed in a region where a short side 110S of an arbitrary line image sensor IC 110 is opposed to a short side 110S of another line image sensor IC 110 adjacent to the arbitrary line image sensor IC 110 in the X direction in a region where the scribe line 102Y is formed. When a material gas is generated by plasma CVD, the material gas is uniformly deposited not only on the line image sensor ICs 110, but also on the dummy interconnects 120. Consequently, a protective film with a uniform thickness can be formed on the line image sensor ICs 110.
US07816747B2
A detector for detecting electromagnetic waves, the detector having an antenna for receiving the electromagnetic waves, a semiconductor element, wherein a termination section of the semiconductor element establishes a termination resistor of the antenna, wherein the termination section is provided for heating a temperature-sensitive part of the semiconductor element, wherein the semiconductor element comprises a temperature-dependent characteristic that is dependent from the temperature of the temperature sensitive part and a measurement unit for measuring the temperature-dependent characteristic of the semiconductor element.
US07816742B1
Systems and methods for integrated circuits comprising multiple body biasing domains. In accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention, a semiconductor structure comprises a substrate of first type material. A first closed structure comprising walls of second type material extends from a surface of the substrate to a first depth. A planar deep well of said second type material underlying and coupled to the closed structure extends from the first depth to a second depth. The closed structure and the planar deep well of said second type material form an electrically isolated region of the first type material. A second-type semiconductor device is disposed to receive a first body biasing voltage from the electrically isolated region of the first type material. A well of the second-type material within the electrically isolated region of the first type material is formed and a first-type semiconductor device is disposed to receive a second body biasing voltage from the well of second-type material.
US07816737B2
A semiconductor device, such as a transistor or capacitor, is provided. The device includes a substrate, a gate dielectric over the substrate, and a conductive gate electrode film over the gate dielectric. The gate dielectric includes a mixed rare earth oxide, nitride or oxynitride film containing at least two different rare earth metal elements.
US07816732B2
A trench MOSFET in parallel with trench Schottky barrier rectifier is formed on a single substrate. The present invention solves the constrains brought by planar contact of Schottky, for example, the large area occupied by planar structure. As the size of present device is getting smaller and smaller, the trench Schottky structure of this invention is able to be shrink and, at the same time, to achieve low specific on-resistance. By applying a double epitaxial layer in trench Schottky barrier rectifier, the device performance is enhanced for lower Vf and lower reverse leakage current Ir is achieved.
US07816730B2
A semiconductor device comprises a fin-type active region defined by a semiconductor substrate having a device isolation structure, a recess formed over the fin-type active region, and a gate electrode including a silicon germanium (Si1-xGex) layer for fill the recess (where 0
US07816727B2
A blocking dielectric engineered, charge trapping memory cell includes a charge trapping element that is separated from a gate by a blocking dielectric including a buffer layer in contact with the charge trapping element, such as silicon dioxide which can be made with high-quality, and a second capping layer in contact with said one of the gate and the channel. The capping layer has a dielectric constant that is higher than that of the first layer, and preferably includes a high-κ material. The second layer also has a conduction band offset that is relatively high. A bandgap engineered tunneling layer between the channel and the charge trapping element is provided which, in combination with the multilayer blocking dielectric described herein, provides for high-speed erase operations by hole tunneling. In an alternative, a single layer tunneling layer is used.
US07816726B2
Charge-trapping dielectric (160) in a nonvolatile memory cell is recessed from under the control gate's edge and/or from an edge of a substrate isolation region. The recessed geometry serves to reduce or eliminate charge trapping in regions from which the charge may be difficult to erase.
US07816721B2
The invention provides a semiconductor device which is non-volatile, easily manufactured, and can be additionally written. A semiconductor device of the invention includes a plurality of transistors, a conductive layer which functions as a source wiring or a drain wiring of the transistors, and a memory element which overlaps one of the plurality of transistors, and a conductive layer which functions as an antenna. The memory element includes a first conductive layer, an organic compound layer and a phase change layer, and a second conductive layer stacked in this order. The conductive layer which functions as an antenna and a conductive layer which functions as a source wiring or a drain wiring of the plurality of transistors are provided on the same layer.
US07816718B2
A conductive plug located in a planar dielectric layer, under GMR memory cells, are used to directly connect the lower ferromagnetic layer of one of the GMR memory cell and a conductive layer under the planar dielectric layer.
US07816715B2
A device is provided having a first electrode, a second electrode, a first photoactive region having a characteristic absorption wavelength λ1 and a second photoactive region having a characteristic absorption wavelength λ2. The photoactive regions are disposed between the first and second electrodes, and further positioned on the same side of a reflective layer, such that the first photoactive region is closer to the reflective layer than the second photoactive region. The materials comprising the photoactive regions may be selected such that λ1 is at least about 10% different from λ2. The device may further comprise an exciton blocking layer disposed adjacent to and in direct contact with the organic acceptor material of each photoactive region, wherein the LUMO of each exciton blocking layer other than that closest to the cathode is not more than about 0.3 eV greater than the LUMO of the acceptor material.
US07816707B2
An AlN buffer layer, an undoped GaN layer, an undoped AlGaN layer, a p-type GaN layer and a heavily doped p-type GaN layer are formed in this order. A gate electrode forms an Ohmic contact with the heavily doped p-type GaN layer. A source electrode and a drain electrode are provided on the undoped AlGaN layer. A pn junction is formed in a gate region by a two dimensional electron gas generated at an interface between the undoped AlGaN layer and the undoped GaN layer and the p-type GaN layer, so that a gate voltage can be increased.
US07816705B2
A method of fabricating semiconductor devices, such as GaN LEDs, on insulating substrates, such as sapphire. Semiconductor layers are produced on the insulating substrate using normal semiconductor processing techniques. Trenches that define the boundaries of the individual devices are then formed through the semiconductor layers and into the insulating substrate, beneficially by using inductive coupled plasma reactive ion etching. The trenches are then filled with an easily removed layer. A metal support structure is then formed on the semiconductor layers (such as by plating or by deposition) and the insulating substrate is removed. Electrical contacts, a passivation layer, and metallic pads are then added to the individual devices, and the individual devices are then diced out.
US07816680B2
Provided are oxide semiconductors and thin film transistors of the same. An oxide semiconductor includes Zn, In and Hf. The amount of Hf is in the range of about 2-16 at %, inclusive, based on the total amount of Zn, In, and Hf. A thin film transistor includes a gate and a gate insulating layer arranged on the gate. A channel corresponding to the gate is formed on the gate insulating layer. The channel includes an oxide semiconductor. The semiconductor oxide includes Zn, In and Hf. The amount of Hf is in the range of about 2-16 at %, inclusive, based on the total amount of Zn, In, and Hf. A source and a drain contact respective sides of the channel.
US07816679B2
A field-effect transistor includes a channel-forming region composed of an organic compound crystal including π-electron conjugated molecules each containing chalcogen atoms as a constituent, wherein the distance between chalcogen atoms of adjacent π-electron conjugated molecules is short, and the organic compound crystal has a periodic structure in which π-electron conjugated molecules are two-dimensionally or three-dimensionally linked together.
US07816676B2
Hermetically sealed packages having organic electronic devices are presented. A number of sealing mechanisms are provided to hermetically seal the package to protect the organic electronic device from environmental elements. A metal alloy sealant layer is employed proximate to the organic electronic device. Alternatively, a metal alloy sealant layer in combination with primer layer may also be implemented. Further, superstrates and edge wraps may be provided to completely surround the organic electronic device.
US07816675B2
Provided are an organic thin film transistor (OTFT) and a fabrication method thereof, an organic semiconductor device having the OTFT, and a flexible display device having the OTFT. The OTFT includes a substrate, a gate electrode, an insulating layer, an active layer, and a source/drain electrode. The gate electrode may be made of a nanocrystalline carbon layer.
US07816670B2
An organic memory device and a method for fabricating the memory device are provided. The organic memory device may include a first electrode, a second electrode, and an ion transfer layer between the first electrode and the second electrode. The organic memory device may have lower operating voltage and current, and may be fabricated at lower costs.
US07816662B2
An RF nanoswitch which can reduce a loss in RF signal. The RF nanoswitch includes a first electrode unit connected to one terminal of a driving power supply, a second electrode connected to the other terminal of the driving power supply, and a dielectric material selectively coming into contact with at least one of the first electrode unit and the second electrode, depending on whether or not power is applied from the driving power supply.
US07816658B2
An extreme ultra-violet lithographic apparatus for imaging a pattern onto a substrate includes a radiation system constructed and arranged to provide a beam of an extreme ultra-violet radiation, and an absorber arranged in the beam and constructed and arranged to absorb at least a portion of the radiation beam. The absorber has a volume configured to accommodate a flow of an absorbing gas. The flow is directed in a transverse direction with respect to the beam. The absorber includes a structure having an extreme ultra-violet radiation-transmissive beam entry area and an extreme ultra-violet radiation-transmissive beam exit area. The apparatus also includes a gas inlet actuator array configured to inject the gas into the volume and a gas outlet actuator array arranged to evacuate the gas from the volume.
US07816655B1
One embodiment disclosed relates to a reflective electron patterning device. The device includes a pattern on a surface. There is an electron reflective portion of the pattern and an electron non-reflective portion of the pattern. Another embodiment disclosed relates to a method of reflecting a pattern of electrons. An electron beam is generated to be incident upon a surface. The pattern is formed on the surface. The incident electrons are reflected from a reflective portion of the pattern are prevented from being reflected from a non-reflective portion of the pattern.
US07816650B2
An external optical relay assembly to allow an infrared camera with a fixed aperture to be used with a variety of fore optics, including refractive compound lenses, reflective telescopes, and reflective/refractive lenses, by providing an external, cooled aperture, that can be adjusted to provide effective f-number matching to the fore optic, allowing any f-number fore optic to be used with the infrared camera. This allows users of large families of similar telescopes, for example, to use their inventory of infrared Ritchie-Chrétien telescopes with a single infrared camera, regardless of f-numbers.
US07816649B2
A laser patterning apparatus for handling a donor film and improving compression uniformity between the donor film and an acceptor substrate is provided. The laser patterning apparatus includes: a stage that supports an acceptor substrate; a shielding mask that is placed on the acceptor substrate to form a pattern and is attached to a donor film on one surface thereof; a laser gun that is disposed at an upper part of the stage to radiate laser light to a portion of the donor film through the pattern of the shielding mask; a pressing member that corresponds to a portion of the shielding mask; and an actuator that is connected to one side of the pressing member to press the pressing member.
US07816647B2
The present invention relates to a system and method for mass spectrometry (100) that allows for bi-directional introduction of collections of charged particles into the magnetic field of a mass spectrometer. More particularly, the present invention includes a system for mass spectrometry (100) (e.g., an FTMS mass spectrometer) with a cylindrical magnet (101) configured to receive and measure the cyclotron frequencies (104) of charged particles that are introduced (102, 103) into the cylindrical magnet (101) from either of the two axial ends thereof. Methods of the invention relate to performing mass spectrometry analysis on collections of charged particles that are introduced (102, 103), serially, simultaneously or both, into a cylindrical magnet (101) from opposing axial ends thereof. The present invention exhibits significantly increased magnet throughput relative to currently available devices, by allowing flow in the opposite direction to a second detector, e.g., during ion processing time of a first detector.
US07816639B2
A machine for inspecting glass containers which are being rotated at an inspection station. A light source illuminates a selected area on a rotating glass container while the container rotates through a selected angle and a camera is triggered to capture an image while the bottle rotates through that angle. A plurality of sequential images are recorded and a critical addition is made to be inspected.
US07816638B2
The present invention provides an optical system having an array of light emitting semiconductor devices to performing an operation that have multiple characteristics associated with performing the operation. The array includes at least one detector located within the array to selectively monitor multiple characteristics of the light emitting semiconductor devices and is configured to generate a signal corresponding to the selected characteristic. A controller is configured to control the light emitting semiconductor devices in response to the signal from the at least one detector. At least one of the multiple characteristics may be concentrated at an area of the array and the at least one detector may be located within the array at the area of the array to selectively monitor characteristic that is concentrated at the area of the array.
US07816632B2
Induction heatable clothing items such as footwear (22) and apparel (160) are provided which include a clothing body having an induction heatable element (36, 108, 112, 114, 116) and preferably having heat retentive material containing phase change material, wherein the element (36, 108, 112, 114, 116) is operable to be heated when subjected to an alternating magnetic field. The clothing items (22, 160) are heated using induction heaters (26, 84). In preferred forms, wireless temperature sensing is used to control heating of the items (22, 160). To this end, the heating elements (36, 108, 112, 114, 116) may be provided with RFID tag/temperature sensor assemblies (58, 60, 110), and the induction heaters (26, 84) are equipped with correlated RFID reader/writer devices (80). Alternately, microwire temperature sensors (120) may be used with the induction heaters (26, 84) having microwire detectors. In other embodiments, temperature monitoring is achieved using impedance detection feedback control.
US07816626B2
The invention is directed to a method in which disks, particularly wafers, of brittle material are severed along planned severing lines by a laser by introducing thermal stresses. The temperature gradient required for this and the compressive stresses and tensile stresses resulting from it are generated in that the disk is first cooled proceeding from its underside at least along the planned severing lines toward the upper side of the disk, and the upper side of the disk is then acted upon by a laser beam along the planned severing lines. The description also relates to an apparatus for carrying out the method.
US07816624B2
A device (100) for stripping an outer covering (141) of a cable (140) includes a base (110) having a shaft (111) coupled thereto, a laser generator (130) configured for emitting a laser beam and a rotating arm (120). The shaft defines a central axis configured for coaxial alignment with the cable. The laser generator is arranged at rest relative to the rotating arm. The rotating arm includes at least one light directing member configured for directing the laser beam emitted from the laser generator to impinge upon a circumference of the outer covering of the cable. The rotating arm is rotatable relative to the central axis associated with the shaft in a manner such that the circumference of the outer covering of the cable can be impinged upon by the laser beam thus stripping the outer covering of the cable.
US07816621B2
A material processing machine configured to process a workpiece with a processing head movable with respect to the workpiece, including a workpiece support, a processing head carrier movable with respect to the workpiece support, the carrier including a first half of a releasable head coupling, and a processing head carried by the head carrier and positioned to operably engage a workpiece supported by the support to process the workpiece, the processing head including a second half of the releasable head coupling. The releasable head coupling defines an adjustable head release force.
US07816616B2
A system for sorting articles includes a detector system having a plurality of narrow bandwidth sources of electromagnetic energy sequentially illuminating articles passing through the detector system, the detector system further including a collector for collecting electromagnetic energy reflected from the articles; a deflector for deflecting selected articles toward an alternative destination; and a control system, operably connected to the collector and the deflector, for actuating the deflector in response to a sensed parameter of the electromagnetic energy collected in the collector.
US07816615B2
A push switch includes a movable contact, and a drive body. The movable contact includes an annular part with a circular central hole and four leg parts inclined and extruded downward from the outer circumferential end of the annular part by way of a deflection part, formed in a shape bulging upward at the circular central hole side. The drive body includes a flat plate with the lower end abutting against the position of the inner side of the deflection part of the movable contact, and an operation part of a smaller diameter than the abutting position provided on the flat plate, if the operation part is pressed and manipulated at a position remote from the center, a light and responsive click feel is obtained.
US07816606B2
A telecommunication wire having an electrical conductor is surrounded by an insulator. The insulator includes a main body made of a first polymeric insulator material. The main body defines a plurality of channels that run generally along a length of the electrical conductor. Each channel includes a first region and a second region. The first regions are filled with a second polymeric insulator material having a dielectric constant that is lower than the first polymeric insulator material. The second regions are filled with a gas such as air.
US07816596B2
A cajón includes a housing with sides forming at least one strike plate. One or several corners of a strike plate protrude beyond a recess of the housing for producing additional sound effects, such as rim-shots and rim-clicks.
US07816595B1
Improved methods for tuning ocarinas to extend their capabilities, musical ranges, and ease of use. Ocarinas having enhanced fingering patterns using subholes, split toneholes, additional tonehole(s), and/or an additional thumbhole. Enhancements to cross-fingered ocarinas with one or two chambers and linear-fingered ocarinas with two or more chambers.
US07816593B2
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to deriving a useful life value of a vibrating member in a musical instrument by analyzing a spectral response to sound produced by the vibrating member.
US07816591B1
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH339402. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH339402, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH339402 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH339402.
US07816588B2
An inbred sweet corn line, designated R373D, the plants and seeds of inbred sweet corn line R373D, methods for producing a maize plant produced by crossing the inbred sweet corn line R373D with itself or with another maize plant, and hybrid maize seeds and plants produced by crossing the inbred sweet corn line R373D with another maize line or plant.
US07816586B1
A novel maize variety designated PHPDM and seed, plants and plant parts thereof. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprise crossing maize variety PHPDM with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PHPDM through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. Hybrid maize seed, plant or plant part produced by crossing the variety PHPDM or a trait conversion of PHPDM with another maize variety. Inbred maize varieties derived from maize variety PHPDM, methods for producing other inbred maize varieties derived from maize variety PHPDM and the inbred maize varieties and their parts derived by the use of those methods.
US07816584B2
An inbred sweet corn line, designated R660K, the plants and seeds of inbred sweet corn line R660K, methods for producing a maize plant produced by crossing the inbred sweet corn line R660K with itself or with another maize plant, and hybrid maize seeds and plants produced by crossing the inbred sweet corn line R660K with another maize line or plant.
US07816560B1
Long chain N-alkyl amino and imino compounds, oxa-substituted derivatives thereof, and pharmaceutical compositions including such compounds are described. The long chain N-alkyl group is a C8-C16 alkyl group. The long chain N-alkyl compounds and oxa-substituted derivatives thereof can be used in the treatment of viral infections, in particular hepatitis B virus or hepatitis C virus, in a cell or an individual. For example, the long chain N-alkyl compounds or oxa-substituted derivatives thereof can be derived from piperidines, pyrrolidines, phenylamines, pyridines, pyrroles, or amino acids.
US07816559B2
Disclosed is a shell-and-tube heat exchanger type reactor that can be used for a process of producing unsaturated acids from olefins via fixed-bed catalytic partial oxidation, which comprises at least one reaction tube, each including at least one first-step catalyst layer, in which olefins are oxidized by a first-step catalyst to mainly produce unsaturated aldehydes, and at least two second-step catalyst layers, in which the unsaturated aldehydes are oxidized by a second-step catalyst to produce unsaturated acids, wherein a first catalyst layer of the second-step catalyst layers, disposed right adjacent to the first-step catalyst layer, has an activity corresponding to 5˜30% of the activity of the catalyst layer having a highest activity among the second-step catalyst layers. A method of producing unsaturated acids from olefins by using the reactor is also disclosed.
US07816553B2
Use of cyclohexanepolycarboxylic acid derivatives in auxiliaries or as auxiliaries selected from the group consisting of the following auxiliaries:surface-active compositions selected from flow promoters, film-forming aids, defoamers, antifoams, wetting agents, coalescers, and emulsifiers; lubricants, selected from lubricating oils, lubricating greases, and lubricating pastes; calendering auxiliaries; rheology auxiliaries, quenchers for chemical reactions; phlegmatizers; pharmaceutical products; plasticizers in adhesives; in impact modifiers, and in other modifiers, and also surface-active compositions, lubricants, calendering auxiliaries, rheology quenchers for chemical reactions, phlegmatizers, pharmaceutical products, plasticizers in adhesives; impact modifiers, and other modifiers comprising cyclohexanepolycarboxylic acid derivatives.
US07816543B2
Leptomycin derivatives having a moiety, such as a sulfide or a disulfide, that can conjugate to a cell binding reagent such as an antibody are disclosed. The therapeutic use of such leptomycin derivative conjugates is also described; such conjugates have therapeutic use because they can deliver cytotoxic leptomycin derivatives to a specific cell population in a targeted fashion.
US07816540B2
This invention relates to novel carboxyl- or hydroxyl-substituted benzimidazole derivatives of formula (I) wherein R1 to R6 are as defined in the description and in the claims, as well as physiologically acceptable salts and esters thereof. These compounds bind to FXR and can be used as medicaments.
US07816537B2
Disclosed is a process for the manufacture of a compound of formula (I) wherein Hal represents fluoro or chloro, and R1 and R2 represent, independently from one another, hydrogen or Hal; in which process a compound of formula (II) is converted to a corresponding alkyl, fluoroalkyl or aryl sulfonic acid ester, which is then reacted with an alkali metal nitrite in the presence of a suitable crown ether in a polar non-nucleophilic solvent at a temperature of −10 to 50° C. to give the compound of formula (I).
US07816533B2
A process for the catalytic hydrogenation or asymmetric hydrogenation of imines of Formula (I) to the corresponding amines of Formula (II) is provided in which R1 is aryl; R2 is aryl, cyclic, alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl; and R3 is alkyl. The catalytic system includes a ruthenium complex containing (1) a diamine and (2) a diphosphine or two monodentate phosphines ligands. Such process also relates to the asymmetric hydrogenation of prochiral imines to the chiral amines using chiral ruthenium complexes bearing chiral diphosphines or chiral monodentate phosphines and chiral diamines.
US07816532B2
This invention provides compounds of formula I: wherein a, b, c, d, m, n, p, s, t, Ar1, R1, R2, R3, R4, R6, R7, R8, and W are as defined in the specification. The compounds of formula I are muscarinic receptor antagonists. The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds, processes and intermediates for preparing such compounds and methods of using such compounds to treat pulmonary disorders.
US07816531B2
The invention relates to novel metal complexes. Said compounds can be used as functional materials in a series of different types of applications that can be attributed in the broadest sense to the electronics industry The inventive compounds are defined by formula (1).
US07816529B2
The present invention relates to compounds useful as inhibitors of voltage-gated ion channels. The invention also provides pharmaceutically acceptable compositions comprising the compounds of the invention and methods of using the compositions in the treatment of various disorders.
US07816526B2
The present invention provides a compound represented by the formula: wherein Q represents a fused heterocyclic group, X and Y are the same or different and each represent an optionally halogenated lower alkyl group, an optionally halogenated lower alkoxy group, etc., or a salt thereof, as well as a herbicide comprising the compound or a salt thereof, which exhibits a significant effect for control of sulfonylurea herbicide-resistant weeds in paddy fields and can reduce the number of active ingredients in a combined preparation and a method of controlling sulfonylurea herbicide-resistant weeds which comprises using the same.
US07816516B2
The invention relates to compounds, comprising a conjugate of hydroxyalkyl starch (HAS) and an active agent, whereby the hydroxyalkyl starch is either directly covalently bonded to the active agent, or by means of a linker. The invention further relates to methods for the production of a covalent HAS-active agent conjugate, whereby HAS and an active agent are reacted in a reaction medium, characterised in that the reaction medium is water or a mixture of water and an organic solvent, comprising at least 10 wt. % water.
US07816514B2
Glucosamine suitable for human or animal consumption is disclosed. The glucosamine is derived from fungal biomass containing chitin. Various methods of producing glucosamine by acid hydrolysis of fermented fungal biomass are also disclosed.
US07816511B2
The present invention provides methods for screening drugs inhibiting the expression of OSF-2 gene or the production or function of the protein encoded thereby and therapeutic agents for heart failure having such effects. Useful methods for diagnosing heart failure can be provided by monitoring the expression or variation of said gene or the production of the protein encoded thereby. The present invention also provides transgenic animals with forced expression of OSF-2 gene and methods for studying changes in gene expression or protein production or the functions of various genes or proteins with the progress of the pathology of heart failure using them and novel therapeutic agents for heart failure.
US07816510B2
The present invention provides non-coding regulatory element polynucleotide molecules isolated from Zea mays useful for expressing transgenes in plants. The invention further discloses compositions, polynucleotide constructs, transformed host cells, transgenic plants and seeds containing the Zea mays regulatory polynucleotide sequences, and methods for preparing and using the same.
US07816500B2
Methods and compositions for modifying glycans (e.g., glycans expressed on the surface of live cells or cell particles) are provided herein.
US07816496B2
A new gene—MN—and proteins/polypeptides encoded therefrom are disclosed. Recombinant nucleic acid molecules for expressing MN proteins/polypeptides and recombinant proteins are provided. Expression of the MN gene is disclosed as being associated with tumorigenicity, and the invention concerns methods and compositions for detecting and/or quantitating MN antigen and/or MN-specific antibodies in vertebrate samples that are diagnostic/prognostic for neoplastic and pre-neoplastic disease. Test kits embodying the immunoassays of this invention are provided. MN-specific antibodies are disclosed that can be used diagnostically/prognostically, therapeutically, for imaging, and/or for affinity purification of MN proteins/polypeptides. Also provided are nucleic acid probes for the MN gene as well as test kits comprising said probes. The invention also concerns vaccines comprising MN proteins/polypeptides which are effective to immunize a vertebrate against neoplastic diseases associated with the expression of MN proteins. The invention still further concerns antisense nucleic acid sequences that can be used to inhibit MN gene expression, and polymerase chain reaction (PCR) assays to detect genetic rearrangements.
US07816492B2
The invention disclosed in this patent document relates to transmembrane receptors, more particularly to endogenous, human orphan G protein-coupled receptors.
US07816482B1
An epoxy-crosslinked sulfonated poly(phenylene) copolymer composition used as proton exchange membranes, methods of making the same, and their use as proton exchange membranes (PEM) in hydrogen fuel cells, direct methanol fuel cell, in electrode casting solutions and electrodes, and in sulfur dioxide electrolyzers. These improved membranes are tougher, have higher temperature capability, and lower SO2 crossover rates.
US07816477B2
The present invention provides an acrylic release agent precursor, which makes it possible to prepare an acrylic release agent efficiently as much as possible in a comparatively small ultraviolet dose, regardless of the component. An acrylic release agent precursor which contains a poly(meth)acrylate ester having a group capable of being activated by ultraviolet radiation and has a storage elastic modulus of 1×102 to 3×106 Pa at 20° C. and a frequency of 1 Hz, wherein said precursor, after irradiation with ultraviolet radiation, has a contact angle of 15° or more to a mixed solution of methanol and water (volume ratio of 90/10) having wetting tension of 25.4 N/m.
US07816476B2
Cyclopropyl acrylate of general formula (1), constitutional and stereoisomers thereof and their mixtures in which A is selected from:
US07816474B2
A copolymer comprising (i) an olefin unit selected from the group consisting of an ethylene unit and an α-olefin unit having 3 to 20 carbon atoms, and (ii) a unit of a compound represented by the formula, CH2═CH—(R1)m—SO3X; and a process for producing said copolymer comprising the step of contacting (i) the above-mentioned olefin, and (ii) the above-mentioned compound with a polymerization catalyst, wherein m is a number of 0 or 1, R1 is an aliphatic hydrocarbylene group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms, and X is a mono-valent cationic species.
US07816464B2
The present disclosure relates to a cosmetic composition comprising, in a cosmetically acceptable medium, at least one dispersion of polymer particles in a liquid silicone medium, the polymer being a copolymer comprising at least one first block that is soluble and at least one second block that is insoluble in the silicone medium.Another aspect of the present disclosure relates to a dispersion of polymer particles in a liquid silicone medium, and also to a cosmetic process for making up, cleansing, protecting against the sun, shaping, dyeing or caring for keratin materials, such as the body or facial skin, the nails, the hair and/or the eyelashes, and for use with the present composition.
US07816458B2
The present invention is directed to an aqueous dispersion composition which comprises an ethylene-unsaturated carboxylic acid ionomer resin (A) neutralized with a mixture of ions including at least one divalent metal ion and at least one ammonium ion, (B) a non-water soluble vapor phase corrosion inhibitor, and (C) water. The dispersion exhibits good shelf-life and excellent rust-prevention properties. Durable corrosion resistant ionomeric coatings can be easily formed therefrom, which when applied to metal surfaces and baked, can form a rust-preventive coating layer showing excellent coating adhesion both to the metal surface and to an over coat paint. Such coatings are particularly useful when applied to a vehicle body or part thereof.
US07816456B2
The present invention relates to a semicrystalline propylene polymer composition prepared by polymerizing propylene, ethylene and/or C4-C18-1-alkenes, where at least 50 mol % of the monomer units present stem from the polymerization of propylene and at least 20% by weight of the propylene polymer composition is the result of a polymerization using metallocene catalysts, with a melting point TM of from 65 to 170° C., where the semicrystalline propylene polymer composition can be broken down into from 65 to 85% by weight of a principal component A, from 10 to 35% by weight of an ancillary component B and from 0 to 25% by weight of an ancillary component C.
US07816454B2
A polyol-crosslinkable fluororubber composition comprises 100 parts by weight of polyol-crosslinkable fluororubber; 0.5 to 10 parts by weight of a perfluoroalkane represented by the general formula F(CF2)2nF (n: 5˜30), a 1H-perfluoroalkane represented by the general formula F(CF2)mH (m: 10˜30), or a mixture thereof; 0.5 to 2 parts by weight of basic magnesium aluminum hydroxycarbonate hydrate; and 1 to 5 parts by weight of an acid acceptor compound excluding Ca compounds. The fluororubber composition can simultaneously attain improvement in preservation stability of compounds, prevention of compounds from adhesion at time of kneading, short-time vulcanization, improvement of mold releasability at the time of vulcanization molding, prevention of contamination with metal ions and reduction in adhesiveness of crosslinking products due to increase of crosslinking density without substantially impairing the normal state physical properties or compression set characteristics and further advantage-ous properties inherent in the fluororubber, and contains no calcium compounds causing contamination of HDD.
US07816450B2
A blend of a cycloolefin copolymer and a thermoplastic urethane having similar indices of refraction is transparent. The cycloolefin copolymer is derived from norbornene and other monomers such that it has a processing range compatible with the thermoplastic urethane. The urethane component preferably has a polyether intermediate. A thermoplastic urethane compatibilizing agent is utilized desirably having a hydrocarbon intermediate portion. The compositions can be made to have desirable electrical dissipative properties for static control applications.
US07816447B2
The invention relates to the production of polymers using polymerization processes and reactor systems including a plurality of multi-zone circulating reactors. In particular, the invention relates to the production of impact copolymers using reactor systems including a plurality of multi-zone circulating reactors.
US07816446B2
Modified scrap rubber particles, a method for forming the modified rubber particles and compositions including the modified rubber particles. The rubber particles are impregnated with at least one polymerizable monomer and polymerized to impregnate the rubber particles with a polymer. The impregnated polymer provides the modified rubber particles with improved properties which increase the potential uses for recycled scrap rubber. The modified rubber particles are useful in surface coatings, such as latex paint or powder coatings and can be used as a soil substitute.
US07816436B2
Reheat characteristics of polyethylene and polypropylene resins, including reheating time and resin color, are improved by adding to the resin carbon black with a primary particle size in the range of 200 to 500 nm as an infrared absorber. Thermal carbon blacks having this primary particle size are preferred over Furnace carbon blacks. Injection stretch-blow molded bottles and other thermoformed products are made from resins with carbon black infrared absorber.
US07816435B2
A halo-functional silane possesses halogen functionality and alkanedioxysilyl functionality.
US07816434B2
Process for the production on metal or plastic surfaces of thin, hydrolysis-resistant, scratch-resistant and stain-resistant coatings, wherein the coating material can be applied directly to the cleaned metal surface and subsequently cross-linked by high-energy radiation, in particular UV radiation. The substrates can be coated in the form of strip and only subsequently brought into the required external shape. Coated substrates such as these are no longer susceptible to staining by food, cleaning agents or fingerprints and can also be rendered antibacterial. Objects coated in this manner are thus suitable for use in architecture, for interior fittings of buildings, in furniture-making as well as for ornamental applications, and in particular in households, in sanitary applications, in hospitals and in the food-processing and pharmaceutical industries.
US07816433B2
A polyacetal resin composition comprising (A) 100 parts by mass of polyacetal resin generating formaldehyde in an amount of not more than 100 ppm when heated at a temperature of 200° C. for 50 minutes under the nitrogen atmosphere and (B) 0.01 to 5 parts by mass of a hydrazide compound can provide an article which is remarkably reduced in an emission amount of formaldehyde even though molded either at a higher temperature or under molding conditions wherein the resin temperature rises partially. Therefore, the polyacetal resin composition can be molded according to various molding methods and under a wide range of molding conditions. The article molded from the resin composition has succeeded in reducing the emission amount of formaldehyde, measured according to VDA275 method, to not more than 1 mg/kg, the level never achieved before, and therefore is usable for various applications where a reduced VOC is required.
US07816431B2
Disclosed are composite compositions well suited for forming shaped articles which comprise thermoplastic polymer, cellulose, a coupling agent comprising anhydride moities, and a lubricant comprising an alkyl ester of carboxylic acid. Preferably the lubricant is substantially free of zinc stearate.
US07816423B2
Compositions, particularly for forming dental products, having a hardenable self-supporting structure with sufficient malleability to be subsequently customized into a second shape and then hardened, and methods.
US07816410B2
A pesticidal composition comprising (i) one or more essential oils selected from tagetes oil or a thymol containing oil such as thyme oil, or a mixture thereof, or components thereof which have insect repellent or deterrent properties, which have insect repellent or deterrent properties, wherein the total amount of such oil present does not exceed 10 % w/w; (ii) an agriculturally acceptable carrier oil and (iii) an emulsifier. In particular, the composition further comprises a compound, which remediates symptoms of viral infection, such as wintergreen oil. Use Of Compositions of this type in agriculture controls pests whilst reducing the amount of essential oil required. Furthermore, a combined effect of controlling insects, preventing reinfestation and viral symptom remediation is obtainable.
US07816406B2
The present invention provides quinolone analogs which may inhibit cell proliferation and/or induce cell apoptosis. The present invention also provides methods of preparing quinolone analogs, and methods of using the same.
US07816405B2
The present invention relates to calcium bis[(2S)-3-[3-[(2S)-3-(4-chloro-2-cyanophenoxy) -2-fluoropropoxy]phenyl]-2-isopropoxypropionate] represented by formula (I), a hydrate thereof, a crystal of the compound of formula (I), and a crystal of the hydrate of the compound of formula (I) which are useful as pharmaceuticals, and to processes for producing the same, and intermediates therefore, and processes for production thereof.There is need for (2S)-3-[3-[(2S)-3-(4 -chloro-2-cyanophenoxy)-2-fluoropropoxy]phenyl]-2-isopropoxypropionic acid, in the form of a drug substance, purified so as to minimize a residual solvent content and having a uniformized specification and a highly favorable workability, and a process for producing the same.Crystalline calcium bis[(2S)-3-[3-[(2S)-3-(4 -chloro-2-cyanophenoxy)-2-fluoropropoxy]phenyl]-2-isopropoxypropionate], a calcium salt of (2S) -3-[3-[(2S)-3-(4-chloro-2-cyanophenoxy)-2-fluoropropoxy]phenyl]-2-isopropoxypropionic acid, solves the above problem.
US07816402B2
An ascorbic acid-based composition and related method for the treatment of aging, photo-damaged or inflamed skin is disclosed. The composition includes water and ascorbic acid, at least a portion of which has generally been pretreated by being dissolved under relatively high temperature and concentration conditions. The composition typically includes at least about 5.0% (w/v) ascorbic acid formulated to have a pH above 3.5. 10 to 50% of the ascorbic acid is pretreated ascorbic acid. The composition may also include a non-toxic zinc salt, a tyrosine compound, and/or pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The composition may include an anti-inflammatory compound, such as aminosugar and/or sulfur-containing anti-inflammatory compound. Embodiments containing an aminosugar such as glucosamine are further useful for treating rosacea and other inflammatory skin ailments. The composition may be administered in a variety of forms suitable for topical application on skin.
US07816397B2
The invention relates to compounds of general formula (1): in which R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, A, B, D and E are as defined in Claim 1, and also to the preparation process therefor and the therapeutic use thereof. These compounds can be used in the treatment of pathologies associated with hyperglycaemia.
US07816393B2
Novel isoindoline compounds are disclosed. Methods of treating, preventing and/or managing cancer, diseases and disorders associated with, or characterized by, undesired angiogenesis, and diseases and disorders mediated by PDE 4, using the compounds are also disclosed.
US07816387B2
The present invention relates to a compound of the formula (1): wherein R1 is group of the formula (2): (wherein X is nitrogen atom or C(R5), Y is nitrogen atom or C(R6), R5 and R6 are each independently hydrogen atom, etc.) etc., m is 1 to 6, L1 is single bond, etc., R2 is hydrogen atom, substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, etc., R3 is hydrogen atom, etc., L2 is single bond, etc., R4 is hydrogen atom, substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, etc., or pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, being useful for preventing or treating Alzheimer's disease.
US07816382B2
The present invention provides novel urea mimics and analogues of Formula (I): or a stereoisomer, tautomer, pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate form thereof, wherein the variables A, B, W, and R6 are as defined herein. These compounds are selective inhibitors of the human P2Y1 receptor which can be used as medicaments.
US07816377B2
The invention relates to tubulysin derivatives of general formula (II), said derivatives having a cytostatic effect.
US07816376B2
The invention relates to compounds of the formula (I) and pharmaceutically usable derivatives, salts, solvates and stereoisomers and mixtures thereof, in which X, Y, Z, R1, R3, R4, R8, p, k, E, G, Z and Q are as defined in claim 1, which are employed as excitatory amino acid antagonists for combating neurodegenerative diseases, including cerebrovascular diseases, epilepsy, schizophrenia, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's or Huntington's disease, cerebral ischaemia, infarction or psychoses.
US07816372B2
The present invention is directed to compounds, pharmaceutical compositions, and methods for modulating processes mediated by AR. Also provided are methods of making such compounds and pharmaceutical compositions.
US07816368B2
The present disclosure relates to pyridoindolone derivatives of general formula (I): in which R1 to R5 are as defined in the specification, to processes for preparing said derivatives, and to methods of use thereof.
US07816365B2
Disclosed are compounds of formula (I), which are inhibitors of tyrosine kinases, in particular TIE-2, and Raf kinases and which can be employed, inter alia, for the treatment of tumours.
US07816363B2
This invention comprises the novel compounds of formula (I) wherein n, t, R1, R2, R3, R4, L, Q, X, Y, Z and have defined meanings, having histone deacetylase inhibiting enzymatic activity; their preparation, compositions containing them and their use as a medicine.
US07816352B2
The present invention provides compounds that act as selective agents to protect against unintentional cell death or tissue damage and can relieve side effects of cancer treatment such as, for example, oral mucositis, hair loss, diarrhea due to damage to the gastrointestinal epithelium, and myelosuppression. In addition, these compounds can be used to prevent premature cell death when the cell death is caused by signals from damaged cells, for example, signals generated as the result of a traumatic incident or an ischemic episode.
US07816347B2
A combination therapy is disclosed for treating or inhibiting cardiovascular or metabolic diseases or conditions through a combination of at least one inhibitor of neutral endopeptidase (=NEP), at least one inhibitor of the endogenous endothelin producing system and at least one HMG CoA reductase inhibitor. Pharmaceutical compositions are also described comprising NEP inhibitors, inhibitors of the endogenous endothelin producing system and HMG CoA reductase inhibitors and the use of these pharmaceutical composition in the prophylaxis or treatment of cardiovascular and/or metabolic disorders or diseases in mammals (including humans).
US07816344B2
This invention provides, among other things, novel oxaboroles which are monosubstituted at the 3-, 6-, or 7-position, or disubstituted at the 3-/6- or 3-/7- positions, which are useful for treating bacterial infections, pharmaceutical compositions containing such oxaboroles, as well as combinations of these oxaboroles with at least one additional therapeutically effective agent.
US07816337B2
Described is a process for delivering a biologically active compound to a cell by reversibly linking the compound to a membrane active polymer. In particular, polymer-polynucleotide conjugates are described. Methods for reversibly modifying the polymers to decrease cellular toxicity and improve efficacy are provided.
US07816336B2
Antisense compounds, compositions and methods are provided for modulating the expression of hydroxysteroid 11-beta dehydrogenase 1. The compositions comprise antisense compounds, particularly antisense oligonucleotides, targeted to nucleic acids encoding hydroxysteroid 11-beta dehydrogenase 1. Methods of using these compounds for modulation of hydroxysteroid 11-beta dehydrogenase 1 expression and for treatment of diseases associated with expression of hydroxysteroid 11-beta dehydrogenase 1 are provided.
US07816327B2
It has now been found that N-L-alpha-aspartyl-L-phenylalanine 1-methyl ester (APM) and/or one of its lower alkyl derivatives can be used to treat allergic contact dermatitis associated with irritating oils such as catechol-containing plant-derived antigens such as poison ivy, poison oak, poison sumac and Asian lacquer tree and oils containing capsaicin. Topical application of APM and/or derivative can reduce or alleviate the symptoms associated with irritation of the skin and/or mucous membranes caused by contact or inhalation of these oils or fumes from burning vegetation containing these oils.
US07816319B2
The invention is based in part on the discovery that uncoupling proteins (UCPs) are expressed in the plasma membrane of rapidly dividing cells but not of growth arrested, chemotherapy resistant cells. It has also been found according to the invention that UCP is expressed in the lysosomal membrane under certain metabolic conditions. Thus the invention is methods, products, screening assays and kits relating to the manipulation of UCP expression within cellular and intracellular membranes.
US07816315B2
Provided are a method of isolating a nucleic acid from a sample and a solid material for isolating the nucleic acid which can be used for the above method. The method includes contacting the sample with a bifunctional material containing an amino group and a carboxyl group at a first pH to bind the nucleic acid to the bifunctional material, the bifunctional material being positively charged at the first pH; and releasing the nucleic acid at a second pH which is higher than the first pH.
US07816301B2
The present invention provides an aqueous-liquid-absorbing agent which comprises water-absorbent resin particles as essential components and is suitable for uses in sanitary materials. The aqueous-liquid-absorbing agent according to the present invention is an aqueous-liquid-absorbing agent comprising water-absorbent resin particles as essential components, wherein the water-absorbent resin particles are obtained by a process including the step of polymerizing a water-soluble ethylenically unsaturated monomer having a carboxyl group, and have a crosslinked structure in their inside, the aqueous-liquid-absorbing agent exhibiting a water absorption capacity (CRC) of 5 to 25 g/g and a saline flow conductivity (SFC) of not less than 1216 cm3·s·10−7/g.
US07816293B2
A ceramic mixed system is proposed that includes a two-phase mixture of pure components A and B, wherein phase A is based on the cubic to tetragonal modification of Bi3NbO7 and phase B is based on a monoclinic pyrochlore modification of Bi2(Zn2/3Nb4/3)O7. The electrical properties of ceramics produced therefrom make the material suitable for components having a multilayer structure in which capacitors and inductors are integrated and which can be used in data processing or signal processing.
US07816291B2
Lithium silicate materials are described which can be easily processed by machining to dental products without undue wear of the tools and which subsequently can be converted into lithium silicate products showing high strength.
US07816289B2
This invention relates to the production of durably liquidproof laminates and articles made therefrom, the laminates incorporating at least one barrier layer and at least one fire resistant woven textile layer, the textile layer having a weight of about 2.5 ounces per square yard or less. Garments, protective covers and other protective articles incorporating this laminate are also described.
US07816287B1
A flame retardant cellulosic-based nonwoven fabric is provided having a synergistic blend of cellulosic and acrylic fiber that imparts unexpectedly enhanced flame retardant performance. The flame retardant finished nonwoven fabric can have at least about 15 wt % and no greater than about 35 wt % acrylic fiber and at least about 65 wt % and no greater than about 85% cellulosic fiber, where the nonwoven fabric has a char strength of at least 0.9 Newtons and exhibits a basis weight loss of no more than 7 wt % when exposed to a gas flame for 240 seconds. Bedding articles including the flame retardant finished nonwoven fabric are also provided.
US07816276B2
In the present invention, a plurality of heat treatment plates are provided side by side in a linear form on a base of a heat treatment apparatus in a coating and developing treatment system. In the heat treatment apparatus, three transfer member groups are provided which transfer a substrate in zones between adjacent heat treatment plates. At the time when performing a pre-baking treatment in the heat treatment apparatus, the substrate is transferred in order to the heat treatment plates at the same temperature, whereby the heat treatment is dividedly performed on the heat treatment plates. According to the present invention, substrates are subjected to heat treatment along the same route, so that the thermal histories are made uniform among the substrates.
US07816268B2
To provide a semiconductor device having a structure in which a barrier metal film containing nitrogen is formed in a connection surface between a copper alloy wiring and a via, in which the electric resistance between the copper alloy wiring and the via can be prevented from rising, and the electric resistance can be prevented from varying. A semiconductor device according to the present invention comprises a first copper alloy wiring, a via and a first barrier metal film. The first copper alloy wiring is formed in an interlayer insulation film and contains a predetermined additive element in a main component Cu. The via is formed in an interlayer insulation film and electrically connected to the upper surface of the first copper alloy wiring. The first barrier metal film is formed so as to be in contact with the first copper alloy wiring in the connection part between the first copper alloy wiring and the via and contains nitrogen. The predetermined additive element reacts with nitrogen to form a high-resistance part. In addition, the concentration of the predetermined additive element is not more than 0.04 wt %.
US07816251B2
A connection component for mounting a chip or other microelectronic element is formed from a starting unit including posts projecting from a dielectric element by crushing or otherwise reducing the height of at least some of the posts.
US07816249B2
In producing a semiconductor device, a solder alloy is prepared to contain antimony in a range of from 3 to 5 wt %, a trace amount of germanium, and a balance of tin. An insulative substrate having conductor patterns on both surfaces thereof is prepared, and a heat sink plate is mounted on a back surface of the insulative substrate by a soldering process using the solder alloy at a temperature ranging from 310 C.° to 320 C.° in a hydrogen reducing furnace. A semiconductor chip is mounted on a front surface of the insulative substrate.
US07816238B2
A GaN substrate having a large diameter of two inches or more by which a semiconductor device such as a light emitting element with improved characteristics such as luminance efficiency, an operating life and the like can be obtained at low cost industrially, a substrate having an epitaxial layer formed on the GaN substrate, a semiconductor device, and a method of manufacturing the GaN substrate are provided. A GaN substrate has a main surface and contains a low-defect crystal region and a defect concentrated region adjacent to low-defect crystal region. Low-defect crystal region and defect concentrated region extend from the main surface to a back surface positioned on the opposite side of the main surface. A plane direction [0001] is inclined in an off-angle direction with respect to a normal vector of the main surface.
US07816233B2
The invention provides a method of manufacturing a composite wafer structure. In particular, the method, according to the invention, is based on the fracture mechanics theory to actively control fracture induced during the manufacture of the composite wafer structure and to further protect from undesired edge damage. Thereby, the method, according to the invention, can enhance the yield rate of industrial mass production regarding the composite wafer structure.
US07816227B2
An integrated circuit structure includes a substrate; a through-silicon via (TSV) in the substrate, the TSV being tapered; a hard mask region extending from a top surface of the substrate into the substrate, wherein the hard mask encircles a top portion of the TSV; dielectric layers over the substrate; and a metal post extending from a top surface of the dielectric layers to the TSV, wherein the metal post comprises same materials as the TSV.
US07816205B2
A flash memory device and method of forming a flash memory device are provided. The flash memory device includes a silicon nitride layer having a compositional gradient in which the ratio of silicon to nitrogen varies through the thickness of the layer. The silicon nitride layer having a compositional gradient of silicon and nitrogen provides an increase in charge holding capacity and charge retention time of the unit cell of a non-volatile memory device.
US07816196B2
An embodiment of a laser crystallization method includes providing a substrate on which an amorphous silicon thin film is deposited, positioning a laser mask over the substrate, the laser mask including a mask pattern that contains transmitting regions and a blocking region, irradiating a first laser beam onto a surface of the substrate through the pattern of the laser mask to first crystallize a predetermined region of the silicon thin film, moving the laser mask or a stage on which the substrate is loaded in an X-axis direction to perform second crystallization using the laser mask, repeatedly performing the crystallization to an end of the substrate in the X-axis direction, moving the laser mask or the stage in a Y-axis direction, and repeatedly performing the crystallization in the Y-axis direction to complete crystallization.
US07816194B2
A method of manufacturing thin film transistor is provided, in which the method of manufacturing includes a new etching process of island semiconductor. The new etching process of island semiconductor is controlled by a flow rate of etching gas and a regulation of etching power. When etching the island semiconductor, a part of gate insulation layer exposed out of the island semiconductor is etched at the same time. Consequently, the thickness of gate insulation layer over the storage capacitance electrode is reduced, the distance between the pixel electrode and the storage capacitance electrode is decreased, and the storage capacitance of pixel is increased. Finally, the width of storage capacitance electrode is reduced appropriately and the aperture ratio of product is increased.
US07816186B2
A method to manufacture a package that encases at least one integrated circuit device and the package so manufactured. The method includes the steps of (1) providing a leadframe having a die pad, leads, at least one ring circumscribing the die pad and disposed between the die pad and the leads, a plurality of tie bars projecting outwardly from the at least one ring, and at least one connecting bar electrically interconnecting and mechanically supporting the die pad to the ring; (2) affixing the at least one integrated circuit device to a first side of the die pad and electrically interconnecting the at least one integrated circuit device to the leads and to the at least one ring; (3) encapsulating the at least one integrated circuit device, the first side of the die pad and a first side of the ring in a molding resin while retaining an opposing second side of the ring external to said molding resin; and (4) severing the at least one connecting bar to electrically isolate the die pad from the ring.
US07816185B2
A semiconductor device manufacturing method comprising the steps of providing a matrix substrate having a main surface with plural device areas formed thereon, fixing plural semiconductor chips to the plural device areas respectively, then sealing the plural semiconductor chips all together with resin to form a block sealing member, dividing the block sealing member and the matrix substrate for each of the device areas by dicing, thereafter rubbing a surface of each of the diced sealing member portions with a brush, then storing semiconductor devices formed by the dicing once into pockets respectively of a tray, and conveying the semiconductor devices each individually from the tray. Since the substrate dividing work after block molding is performed by dicing while vacuum-chucking the surface of the block sealing member, the substrate division can be done without imposing any stress on an external terminal mounting surface of the matrix substrate.
US07816184B2
A micromachine device processing method for dividing a functional wafer, which has micromachine devices formed in a plurality of regions demarcated by streets formed in a lattice pattern on a face of the functional wafer, along the streets into the individual micromachine devices, each micromachine device having a moving portion and an electrode, comprising: a cap wafer groove forming step of forming dividing grooves, which have a depth corresponding to a finished thickness of a cap wafer for protecting the face of the functional wafer, along regions in one surface of the cap wafer which correspond to areas of the electrodes of the micromachine devices; a cap wafer joining step of joining the one surface of the cap wafer subjected to the cap wafer groove forming step to the face of the functional wafer at peripheries of the moving portions; a cap wafer grinding step of grinding the other surface of the cap wafer joined to the face of the functional wafer to expose the dividing grooves to the outside; and a cutting step of cutting the functional wafer and the cap wafer subjected to the cap wafer grinding step along the streets.
US07816180B2
The present invention realizes a semiconductor device of high reliability which allows metal terminals which have a uniform height, are flat and smooth to be formed under low load and at low costs and to be mounted with low damage. The electrodes 5 and the insulating film 6 are both formed of materials having the property that they are solid and do not exhibit the adhesiveness at room temperature and exhibit the adhesiveness at a temperature not lower than a first temperature and cure at a temperature not lower than a second temperature higher than the first temperature. The surfaces of the electrodes 5 and the insulating film 6 of a semiconductor chip 1a are planarized in continuously flat with a hard cutting tool, as of diamond or others.
US07816174B2
A control element of an organic electro-luminescent display includes a first transistor, a second transistor and a capacitor. The first gate electrode of the first transistor is electrically connected to a scan line, and the first source/drain electrode of the first transistor is electrically connected to a data line. The second gate electrode of the second transistor is electrically connected to the second source/drain electrode of the first transistor. The third source/drain electrode of the second transistor is electrically connected to a working voltage, and the fourth source/drain electrode of the second transistor is electrically connected to a light emitting diode. One end of the capacitor is electrically connected to the second gate electrode. The material of the dielectric layer of the capacitor is different from the material of the gate dielectric of one of the first transistor and the second transistor.
US07816171B2
Dielectric materials comprising release agents are described. Also described are a process for improving the processability of dielectric materials during hot embossing, substrates prepared by hot embossing, and integrated-circuit packages comprising the improved substrate.
US07816164B2
Methods for forming a MEMS display device are provided. In one embodiment, a transparent substrate comprising an array of MEMS devices (e.g., interferometric modulators) formed thereon is annealed following removal of a sacrificial silicon layer. The array is subsequently encapsulated with a backplate comprising a desiccant. MEMS devices disposed below the desiccant have an offset voltage substantially equal to zero.
US07816161B2
An organic electroluminescent device includes: a switching element and a driving element connected to each other on a substrate including a pixel region; a planarization layer on the switching element and the driving element, the planarization layer having a substantially flat top surface; a cathode on the planarization layer, the cathode connected to the driving element; an emitting layer on the cathode; and an anode on the emitting layer.
US07816156B2
The present invention provides a light emitting diode (LED) package and the fabrication method thereof. The LED package includes a lower metal layer, and a first silicon layer, a first insulation layer, a second silicon layer, a second insulation layer, and a package electrode pattern formed in their order on the lower metal layer. The LED package also includes a spacer having a cavity, formed on the electrode pattern. The LED package further includes an LED mounted in the cavity by flip-chip bonding to the electrode patterns, and an optical element attached to the upper surface of the spacer.
US07816154B2
A semiconductor device for SiP or PoP for downsizing, a method of manufacturing it, and a testing method suitable for SiP and PoP in which the simplification of a system and the enhancement of its efficiency are achieved are provided. A first semiconductor device including a first memory circuit determined as non-defective and a second semiconductor device including a second memory circuit and a signal processing circuit carrying out signal processing according to a program, determined as non-defective are sorted. The sorted devices are assembled as an integral semiconductor device. On a board for testing, a clock signal equivalent to the actual operation of the semiconductor device is supplied. A test program for conducting a performance test on the first memory circuit is written from a tester to the second memory circuit of the second semiconductor device. In the signal processing circuit, a performance test is conducted on the first memory circuit according to the written test program in correspondence with the clock signal. The result of failure/no-failure determination in this performance test is outputted to the tester.
US07816151B2
Reactors and methods for miniaturized reactions having enhanced reaction kinetics. In particular the subject matter is directed to chemical and biological reactions conducted in a nanoporous membrane environment. The subject matter contemplates methods for modifying the kinetics of reactions and devices for conducting reactions having modified kinetics. The subject matter also provides systems for rapid miniaturized reactions. Further the subject matter includes methods and kits for conducting a reaction with enhanced throughput and methods of conducting miniaturized, high throughput analyses of reaction products, and the like. Reactions performed on or within a nanoporous membrane exhibits improved kinetic characteristics.
US07816147B2
The illustrated embodiment comprises a biosensor utilizing plant cells and nutrient media for maintaining the plant cells in a live condition. A light source having desired optical characteristics is directed onto the plant cells and light spectra transmitted from the cells is detected by a photodetector. A controller analyzes signals from the photodetector to detect a state change in the plant cells in response to exposure to an agent.
US07816141B2
A modified freeze direct imaging of a viscous surfactant mesophase method. A chamber is provided having controlled temperature and solvent partial pressure. The chamber has two copper planchettes at the top and bottom thereof. A sample is placed in the chamber on a grid and is squeezed between the planchettes into a thin film. The thin film is placed in a liquid to vitrify the sample. The sample is removed from the planchettes to fracture the sample. The sample is then placed on a cold stage; and imaged.
US07816138B2
Methods and apparatus for a bioreactor system for growing cells are provided. The bioreactor system includes a reaction chamber for cultivating harvested tissue in a culture medium, and a hydrodynamic apparatus connected to the reaction chamber that generates a cyclic negative pressure differential in the bioreactor. Additionally, the apparatus includes a collection enclosure for collecting cells produced by tissue in the reaction chamber. Also encompassed are embodiments for harvesting and preparing cells and tissue sections, combining the cells and the tissue sections in a culture medium to cultivate tissue, maintaining the tissue under conditions that permit production of cell products, applying cyclic negative pressure to the culture over a period of time, and collecting cell products discharged. Further disclosed are embodiments for placing harvested tissue and cells in a diffusion chamber, creating an oscillating negative pressure differential in the bioreactor over a period of time, and collecting the cell products.
US07816135B2
The invention provides methods and compositions for identifying and counting lymphocytes in a biological sample, such as whole blood, by means of a probe comprising at least one binding compound specific for a T lymphocyte-specific marker, e.g. a CD2 or CD3, and at least one binding compound specific for CD45RA. Lymphocytes within the sample combine with such a probe to form a distinguishable subpopulation based on the amount of probe that specifically binds to their surfaces, thereby permitting such lymphocytes to be detected and enumerated on the basis of the intensity of the signal generated by the probe, and without the need of a separate physical measurement, such as light scatter. With additional probes specific for additional blood cell markers, percentages of lymphocytes, monocytes and granulocytes in a sample may be determined.
US07816123B2
Methods and apparatuses for selecting and arranging clinically relevant chromosomal loci allow an exemplary diagnostic array to simultaneously test for numerous genetic alterations that occur in many different parts of the human genome. Clinically irrelevant or ineffective loci are eliminated. One implementation increases reliability and accuracy by dividing the base-pair sequence of each chromosomal locus into segments and then assigning nucleic acid clones for comparative genomic hybridization to each different segment. The segments may overlap for increased resolution and control. Clones representing segments that are adjacent on a native chromosome are placed in non-adjacent target areas of the array to avoid interfering hybridization reactions. Arrangement motifs within an array may be redundantly repeated for high availability and increased reliability and accuracy of results. Techniques, hardware, software, logic engines, loci collections, and diagnostic arrays are described.
US07816118B2
The invention relates to a method of excysting and growing protozoal oocysts by in vitro tissue culture resulting in production of a continuous culture of merozoites. The invention also provides an economical and reliable supply of cultured Eimeria sp. for vaccine production, assays and research. Domesticated avians that have been vaccinated using the provied Eimeria sp. are also provided.
US07816114B2
Methods of using monoclinic crystals of human beta-secretase (BACE) having unit cell dimensions of a, b, and c, wherein a is about 81±20 Å to about 101 Å, b is 103±20 Å, c is 100±20 Å, and α=γ=90°, and β is 105°±10° for crystals of symmetry P21 and a=73.1, b=105.1, c=50.5 Å and β is 94.8° for crystals of C2 symmetry in drug screening assays comprising selecting a potential modifier by adding the potential modifiers to an aqueous mixture of the crystal and detecting a measure of binding, such that the potential modifier that binds is selected as a potential drug.
US07816113B2
The invention relates to a genetically engineered variant of a parent starch debranching enzyme, i.e. a pullulanase or an isoamylase, the enzyme variant having an improved thermostability at a pH in the range of 4-6 compared to the parent enzyme and/or an increased activity towards amylopectin and/or glycogen compared to the parent enzyme, to methods for producing such starch debranching enzyme variants with improved thermostability and/or altered substrate specificity, and to a method for converting starch to one or more sugars using at least one such enzyme variant.
US07816102B2
Applicants have used protein design to develop novel functional protein architectures, termed protein kinase-inducible domains, whose structures are dependent on phosphorylation by specific protein kinases or are dependent on dephosphorylation by specific protein phosphatases. Applicants have designed kinase-inducible domains based on a modular architecture, which allows kinase-inducible domains to be responsive to any specific serine-threonine kinases. Kinase-inducible domains can consist of canonical amino acids, allowing their use as expressible tags of protein kinase activity.
US07816100B2
A device for rapid concentration and detection of live cells in fluids includes a filter to capture a cell sample. The filter includes a first physical barrier with apertures of a first size and a second physical barrier with apertures of a second size smaller than the first size to isolate the cell sample on the filter. Growth detection circuitry associated with the filter electrically measures a cell growth rate associated with the cell sample in less than 2 days. The growth detection circuitry includes a mechanical filter for concentration of cells. The filter and growth detection circuitry are integrally formed within the device, which is sealed.
US07816095B2
Presented herein are novel blood plasma/serum biomarkers related to cardiovascular disease. These newly identified biomarkers create the basis for multiple (single) assays using traditional bioassay technologies and when used in combination yield exceptional clinical sensitivity and specificity in the determination of myocardial infarction (MI). A multiplexed, mass spectrometric immunoassay (MSIA) able to simultaneously assay for the new/novel biomarkers as well other MI markers is also presented. Means and methods for evaluating data generated using multiple biomarkers in order to validate findings and further the use of the multiplexed MI assay in clinical, diagnostic and therapeutic uses is also included.
US07816092B2
The present invention provides improved and rapid detection methods for an antigen such as a chemical compound, a peptide, a nucleic acid, or a protein released from cells or virus particles in situ. The detection time for an antigen can be dramatically reduced relative to conventional technologies. The technology can particularly be used, for example, to modify and reduce the detection time significantly in traditional ELISA, and also Western blot or Dot blot assays. The improved ELISA method is rapid, economical, reproducible, simple and automatable. Also provided are compositions and kits for using the improved ELISA methods for the rapid detection of antigens.
US07816085B2
The invention provides a method for generating a polynucleotide sequence or population of sequences from parent single stranded polynucleotide sequences encoding one or more protein motifs, comprising the steps of a) providing single stranded DNA constituting plus and minus strands of parent polynucleotide sequences; b) digesting the single stranded polynucleotide sequences with a nuclease other than DNase I to generate populations of single stranded fragments; c) contacting the fragments generated from the plus strands with fragments generated from the minus strands and optionally, adding primer sequences that anneal to the 3′ and 5′ ends of at least one of the parent polynucleotides under annealing conditions; and d) amplifying the fragments that anneal to each other to generate at least one polynucleotide sequence encoding one or more protein motifs having altered characteristics as compared to the one or more protein motifs encoded by the parent polynucleotides.
US07816084B2
Methods of using TLE3 as a marker for predicting the likelihood that a patient's cancer will respond to chemotherapy. Methods of using TLE3 as a marker for selecting a chemotherapy for a cancer.
US07816077B2
It is intended to provide a non-invasive and convenient method of detecting a tumor marker for diagnosing colon cancer which is superior in sensitivity and specificity to the existing fecal occult blood test. More specifically speaking, a method of detecting a tumor marker for diagnosing colon cancer which comprises collecting biological sample which is immediately frozen using liquid nitrogen in some cases, homogenizing the sample in the presence of an inhibitor of an RNA digesting enzyme to give a suspension, extracting RNA from the obtained suspension, subjecting the extracted RNA to reverse transcription to give cDNA, amplifying the obtained cDNA and then detecting the thus amplified cDNA. This method is characterized by involving no procedure of separating cell components from the biological sample.
US07816074B2
The present invention is directed to a screening mechanism for identifying members of the general population at increased risk for alcoholism and premenstrual syndrome. The screening mechanisms may be used to measure the expression of the α4β2δ GABAA receptors, in order to identify members of the general population as having an increased sensitivity to lower concentrations alcohol coupled with a decrease sensitivity to higher concentrations of alcohol, a scenario frequently found in patients suffering from alcoholism and premenstrual anxiety. Methods of screening for drugs which decrease expression of the α4β2δ subunit of GABAA are also provided.
US07816072B2
A positive resist composition for producing MEMS using an electron beam, the composition comprising a resin component (A) that displays increased alkali solubility under the action of acid, and an acid generator component (B) that generates acid upon irradiation, wherein the resin component (A) is a resin prepared by protecting a portion of all the hydroxyl groups within an alkali-soluble novolak resin with acid-dissociable, dissolution-inhibiting groups.
US07816071B2
A process for imaging a photoresist comprising the steps of, a) forming a stack of multiple layers of organic antireflective coatings on a substrate; b) forming a coating of a photoresist over the upper layer of the stack of multiple layers of organic antireflective coatings; c) imagewise exposing the photoresist with an exposure equipment; and, d) developing the coating with a developer.
US07816068B2
A composition suitable for use as a planarizing underlayer in a multilayer lithographic process is disclosed. The inventive composition comprises a polymer containing heterocyclic aromatic moieties. In another aspect, the composition further comprises an acid generator. In yet another aspect, the composition further comprises a crosslinker. The inventive compositions provide planarizing underlayers having outstanding optical, mechanical and etch selectivity properties. The present invention also encompasses lithographic structures containing the underlayers prepared from the compositions of the present invention, methods of making such lithographic structures, and methods of using such lithographic structures to pattern underlying material layers on a substrate.
US07816063B2
The present invention relates to a toner which has good property such as fixability, coloring power, developability, durability, and environmental stability and so on. More specifically, the present invention relates to a color toner containing at least a binder resin, a colorant, and a wax, in which: a wax concentration of an extract obtained by dispersing the toner into n-hexane at a concentration of 15 mg/cm3 at 23° C. and by subjecting the resultant dispersion to extraction treatment at 23° C. for 1 minute is in the range of 0.080 to 0.500 mg/cm3; an average circularity of particles each having a circle-equivalent diameter of 3 μm or more in the toner is in the range of 0.925 to 0.965; and a content of the wax is in the range of 1 to 15 parts by mass with respect to 100 parts by mass of the binder resin.
US07816059B2
A hologram recording material is used for recording information by at least irradiation with light. The hologram recording material includes photoresponsive molecules, liquid crystal molecules, and particles having an average particle diameter of one tenth or less of a wavelength of light used in the information recording.
US07816046B2
A fuel cell apparatus includes a fuel cell stack of a plurality of fuel cells electrically connected in series with each other and a controller configured to control the fuel cell stack by using a part of electric power generated by the fuel cell stack. The controller is electrically connected in parallel with at least one of the fuel cells constituting the fuel cell stack, and short-circuit current of the at least one of the fuel cells is larger than that of at least one of the fuel cells constituting the fuel cell stack and not being electrically connected in parallel with the control means. With such a structure, a large electromotive force can be obtained by connecting the fuel cells in series and, simultaneously, the power generation characteristics of each fuel cell can be sufficiently utilized. Thus, the fuel cell apparatus having high power generation density can be provided.
US07816045B2
A fuel cell system including a fuel cell stack is capable of raising the temperature of a fuel cell stack to a predetermined temperature within a short time without decreasing methanol fuel utilization efficiency. During system startup, the concentration of methanol aqueous solution which is to be supplied to the fuel cell stack is detected by a concentration sensor, and the temperature of the fuel cell stack is detected by a temperature sensor. A target concentration of methanol aqueous solution is determined by making reference to data stored in a memory, which indicates correspondence between the temperature of the fuel cell stack and the target concentration of methanol aqueous solution, and based on the temperature of the fuel cell stack detected by the temperature sensor.
US07816044B1
A system is described for storing and generating hydrogen and, in particular, a system for storing and generating hydrogen for use in an H2/O2 fuel cell. The hydrogen storage system uses beta particles from a beta particle emitting material to degrade an organic polymer material to release substantially pure hydrogen. In a preferred embodiment of the invention, beta particles from 63Ni are used to release hydrogen from linear polyethylene.
US07816041B2
A fuel cell includes a substrate having a pair of grooves, an electrolyte membrane lying on the substrate so as to define a pair of flow channels, and catalyst-bearing current collector layer sections disposed on the inner wall of the grooves or the inside surface of the electrolyte membrane defining the channels. A fuel liquid flows through the first channel to undergo anodic reaction, an oxidant liquid in the form of an aqueous hydrogen peroxide solution flows through the second channel to undergo cathodic reaction, and hydrogen ions traverse the electrolyte membrane.
US07816038B2
A method for producing a lithium ion secondary battery includes the steps of: forming a positive electrode mixture layer on a positive electrode substrate to obtain a positive electrode; forming a negative electrode mixture layer on a negative electrode substrate to obtain a negative electrode; forming an electronically insulating porous film that is bonded to a surface of at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode; interposing a separator between the positive electrode and the negative electrode to form an electrode plate assembly; and impregnating the electrode plate assembly with a non-aqueous electrolyte. The step of forming a porous film includes the steps of: preparing a porous film paste that contains a film binder comprising a thermo-cross-linkable resin and a particulate filler; and applying the porous film paste onto a surface of at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode and heating the resultant applied film.
US07816036B2
To provide a non-aqueous electrolyte secondary battery in which the amount of Li deposited is small and the battery surface temperature does not increase so much, a positive electrode active material comprising crystal particles of an oxide having a layered single-phase crystal structure and a composition represented by the formula (1): LiNi2/3Mn1/3O2, wherein the arrangement of oxygen atoms constituting the oxide is a cubic close-packed structure is used.
US07816034B2
A method of forming battery electrodes with high specific surface and thin layers of active material is disclosed. The method enables low series resistance and high battery power.
US07816033B2
Provided is a high-power, non-aqueous electrolyte lithium secondary battery having a long lifespan and superior safety at both room temperature and high temperatures, even after repeated high-current charging and discharging. The battery comprises a mixture of a manganese spinel oxide and a lithium/nickel/cobalt/manganese composite oxide, as a cathode active material.
US07816030B2
Electrodes and electrolytes for nickel-zinc secondary battery cells possess compositions that limit dendrite formation and other forms of material redistribution in the zinc electrode. In addition, the electrolytes may possess one or more of the following characteristics: good performance at low temperatures, long cycle life, low impedance and suitability for high rate applications.
US07816029B2
A battery module is provided with a battery cell stack and a module case. The battery cell stack includes a plurality of stacked flat secondary battery cells. The module case includes an inwardly protruding section, a low rigidity section and a high rigidity section. The inwardly protruding section is disposed on at least one of two oppositely facing sides of the module case that faces in a battery cell stacking direction and protruding toward the interior area of the module case to apply pressure to an end surface of the battery cell stack. The low rigidity section elastically supports a periphery of the inwardly protruding section due the low rigidity section having a lower rigidity than the inwardly protruding section. The high rigidity section supports a periphery of the low rigidity section with the high rigidity section having a higher rigidity than low rigidity section.
US07816024B2
A power generation device includes a gas producing section for the extraction and utilization of living plant nutrients to produce a hydrogen containing gas and a hydrogen utilizing section coupled to the gas producing section, wherein the hydrogen content of the gas is used to generate electrical energy. The gas producing section includes a housing adapted to be connected to a living plant and placed in communication with a nutrient containing region of the plant, a chamber within the housing containing a bacterium capable of converting the plant nutrients into the hydrogen containing gas, and a pathway adapted to bring the plant nutrients into contact with the bacterium.
US07816020B2
Provided is an organic electroluminescent device which is suitable for use in full-color and multicolor panels and shows higher luminous efficiency and better driving stability than organic electroluminescent devices utilizing luminescence from the singlet state. The organic electroluminescent device comprises a substrate 1 and an anode 2, organic layers, and a cathode 8 piled one upon another on the substrate, at least one of the organic layers comprises a light-emitting layer 5 containing a host material and a dopant material, and a compound having 2 to 4 pyrazole structures represented by the following formula I (wherein Ar4 to Ar6 are independently hydrogen or substituted or unsubstituted aromatic hydrocarbon groups or aromatic heterocyclic groups) is used as said host material.
US07816017B2
A aromatic amine derivative having an specific structure having a diphenyl amino group, and two or more of substituent bonding to benzene ring thereof, and in an organic electroluminescence device which comprises at least one organic thin film layer comprising a light emitting layer sandwiched between a pair of electrode consisting of an anode and a cathode, at least one of the organic thin film layer comprises the aromatic amine derivative singly or a component for a mixture thereof. The organic electroluminescence device exhibiting a long lifetime and high current efficiency as well as emitting blue light with high color purity, and also the aromatic amine derivative for realizing the organic EL device are provided.
US07816004B1
This invention relates to novel three-dimensional (3D) carbon fibers which are original (or primary) carbon fibers (OCF) with secondary carbon filaments (SCF) grown thereon, and, if desired, tertiary carbon filaments (TCF) are grown from the surface of SCF forming a filamentous carbon network with high surface area. The methods and apparatus are provided for growing SCF on the OCF by thermal decomposition of carbonaceous gases (CG) over the hot surface of the OCF without use of metal-based catalysts. The thickness and length of SCF can be controlled by varying operational conditions of the process, e.g., the nature of CG, temperature, residence time, etc. The optional activation step enables one to produce 3D activated carbon fibers with high surface area. The method and apparatus are provided for growing TCF on the SCF by thermal decomposition of carbonaceous gases over the hot surface of the SCF using metal catalyst particles.
US07816001B2
The invention relates to an insulation material board composed of a wood material/binder fiber mixture and to a method for producing an insulation material board, in which an additive with a thermally resistant core and with a thermally activatable coating is added to the mixture, and the thermally activatable coating is activated by the supply of heat. An insulation material board may be composed of a wood material/binder mixture, including an additive having thermosetting and thermoplastic portions, wherein the thermosetting portion is a thermosetting plastic that forms a core and the thermoplastic portion forms a thermally activatable coating that at least partially encloses the core.
US07815985B2
The invention provides a recording medium that prevents ink overflowing even when printing is conducted in an ink quantity exceeding 100%, permits forming an image high in density and bright in color tone and can settle the cause of the occurrence of curling or cockling, a production process of the recording medium, a substrate for the recording medium and a production process of the substrate. The recording medium comprising a substrate and an ink-receiving layer formed on the substrate, wherein the substrate is composed mainly of a fibrous material and has, at a position adjacent to the ink-receiving layer in the substrate, a surface coated part region in a state that the surface of the fibrous material has been coated with an alumina hydrate, and the ink-receiving layer comprises a porous inorganic pigment as a principal component, and a production process of the recording medium.
US07815984B2
The invention provides a recording medium comprising a porous cellulose layer containing at least one cellulose selected from the group consisting of lightly-beaten cellulose pulp, mercerized cellulose and fluffed cellulose and a porous filler internally loaded therein, and a recording medium further comprising an ink-receiving layer.
US07815981B2
A gas barrier film comprising a gas barrier laminate on a substrate film, wherein the gas barrier laminate comprises at least one three-layer unit consisting of a silicon nitride layer, a silicon oxynitride layer adjacent to the silicon nitride layer, and a silicon nitride layer adjacent to the silicon oxynitride layer. The gas barrier film has excellent transparency and gas barrier property.
US07815972B2
A polarizing film is provided that prevents display unevenness and can form a liquid crystal display and an electroluminescence display that exhibit excellent display characteristics. The polarizing film is produced in the following manner. That is, a hydrophilic polymer film is conveyed by means of a guide roll so as to be impregnated in an aqueous solvent in a swelling bath and is allowed to swell. In this swelling step, at least a first guide roll is arranged in the swelling bath, and when the polymer film is impregnated in and allowed to travel in the aqueous solvent, the polymer film is brought into contact with the first guide roll within a time up to when swelling reaches a saturation state. Further, the polymer film is dyed using a dichroic substance and stretched.
US07815969B2
This invention provides a method for fabricating geometrical diamond/matrix composites where all or a part of surfaces of the matrix are covered with a diamond film, and to fabricate hollow diamond shells using the composites where a part is uncoated with a diamond film. Hollow diamond shells were prepared by etching out of the matrix soluble with chemicals through an opening, a zone on the matrix, uncoated with diamond film. By changing the shape and the size of the geometrical matrixes, various kinds of diamond/matrix composites and diamond shells in shape and in size can be fabricated. The sizes available are between 200 nm and 2 mm.
US07815968B2
The present disclosure relates generally to semiconductor, integrated circuits, and particularly, but not by way of limitation, to centrifugal methods of filling high-aspect ratio vias and trenches with powders, pastes, suspensions of materials to act as any of a conducting, structural support, or protective member of an electronic component.
US07815967B2
A continuous method of making duct liner is provided, comprising the steps of: (i) forming at least one lane of duct liner insulation having a top and bottom surfaces and a pair of side edges, the duct liner insulation having a facing layer on at least a bottom surface thereof, wherein the bottom surface faces downward after the forming step; (ii) flipping the duct liner insulation and facing layer while the duct liner insulation is conveyed, whereby the top surface faces downward and the facing layer faces upward; and (iii) applying a water-resistant coating to the upwardly facing layer, wherein the duct liner insulation is conveyed as part of a continuous manufacturing process from the forming step to the applying step.
US07815963B2
The present invention provides a dense-coverage, adherent phosphorous-based coating on the native oxide surface of a material. Disclosed phosphorous-based coatings include phosphate and organo-phosphonate coatings. The present invention also provides further derivatization of the phosphorous-based coatings to yield dense surface coverage of chemically reactive coatings and osteoblast adhesion-promoting and proliferation-promoting coatings on the native oxide surface of a titanium material.
US07815957B2
Cheese compositions and methods of making cheese compositions, including methods of formulating cheese compositions are provided. Cheese compositions of the invention include casein protein, non-casein protein, non-pregelatinized, modified starch, and a fat component having a low amount of trans-fat (e.g., about 5% or less of trans-fat by weight of the fat component) while at the same time substantially maintaining and/or improving properties (e.g., processing properties, organoleptic properties, combinations of these, and the like) of the cheese composition.
US07815952B2
A process is provided for producing bakery products using rice flour as a major ingredient, which products have improved qualities, such as appearance, crumb, taste, and shelf life as well as satisfactory handleability, as well as excellent qualities. Premixed flours containing rice flour, gluten and a saccharide such as an oligosaccharide or a sugar alcohol, are provided for making these bakery products. Fermented doughs for making the bakery products from the premix are also provided.
US07815949B2
Extracts of various species of the Moraceae family have estrogenic properties. For example, aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Morus alba L. species possess estrogenic properties in both ERα+ and ERβ+ cells. These estrogenic effect include estrogen response element (ERE) stimulation as well as tumor necrosis factor (TNF) repression. Methods are provided for treating climacteric symptoms, breast and/or uterine cancer, and osteoporosis.
US07815947B2
A nutritional composition for controlling blood sugar level comprising a protein, a lipid and a carbohydrate, wherein energy percentages supplied by the protein, lipid and carbohydrate are 10 to 25%, 20 to 35% and 40 to 60%, respectively; and oleic acid in the lipid energy percentage is 60 to 90% and palatinose and/or trehalulose in the carbohydrate energy percentage is 60 to 100%, which is useful as an oral or tube feeding nutrient for nutritional management or blood sugar level control of patients suffering from diabetes and glucose intolerance, or for obesity prevention, a therapeutic diet, a diet for diabetic patients at home, an obesity preventive diet or a food with health claims.
US07815946B1
The invention relates to a composition having blood glucose-lowering and cholesterol-lowering activity that can be obtained from seeds of the Papilinaceae Leguminosae family, for example, fenugreek seed. Methods of obtaining the composition from seed and seed parts are provided. Therapeutic methods of using the composition, such as for treating diabetes and hypercholesterolemia, are also a part of the invention.
US07815945B2
The invention relates to the use of an extract from plants of the genus Cistus for the preparation of a medicament for the prevention and treatment of influenza, in particular of the avian flu and viral strains derived from the avian flu in the course of an impending pandemic.
US07815935B2
An orally disintegrating formulation and its preparation are provided. The orally disintegrating formulation comprises an effective amount of a pharmaceutically active ingredient and a matrix, wherein the matrix contains an amino acid and pullulan. The orally disintegrating formulation can disintegrate rapidly in oral cavity and be taken without aid of water; Moreover, the formulation has a low hygroscopicity, so that the requirements for storing or producing the formulation is decreased, and the storage life is elongated to facilitate the administration by a patient and the preparation of the protein and vaccine drugs.
US07815927B2
Disclosed herein are implantable medical devices comprising controlled release terpolymers and at least one drug releasable from said terpolymers coating. The terpolymers of the present invention are comprised of acrylate and/or vinyl monomers.
US07815916B1
The determination of the nucleotide sequence of HTLV-III DNA; identification, isolation and expression of HTLV-III sequences which encode immunoreactive polypeptides by recombinant DNA methods and production of viral RNA are disclosed. Such polypeptides can be employed in immunoassays to detect HTLV-III.
US07815912B2
One aspect of the present invention is concerned with a method of controlled ovarian hyperstimulation in a mammalian female, said method comprising the co-administration to said female of —a substance having follicle stimulating hormone activity (FSH substance) in an amount effective to stimulate multiple follicular development; —gonadotropin releasing hormone (GnRH) antagonist in an amount equivalent to a daily subcutaneous dose of at least 0.5 mg ganirelix to prevent a premature LH-surge; and —a LH substance in an amount effective to prevent or suppress symptoms of luteinising hormone (LH) deficiency resulting from the administration of the GnRH antagonist; followed by administering a meiosis and luteinisation inducing substance (ML substance) in an amount effective to stimulate resumption of meiosis and luteinisation, and wherein the LH substance is not obtained from the urine of human females. Another aspect of the to invention relates to a pharmaceutical kit for use in a method of controlled hyperstimulation, which kit comprises: —at least one parenteral or oral dosage unit containing one or more FSH substances in an amount equivalent to a subcutaneous dose of 50-1500 I.U. FSH; —at least one parenteral dosage unit containing one or more GnRH antagonists in an amount equivalent to a subcutaneous dose of 0.5-25 mg ganirelix; —at least one parenteral dosage unit containing one or more LH substances in an amount equivalent to a subcutaneous dose of 50-3000 I.U. recombinant LH; wherein the LH substance is not obtained from the urine of human females.
US07815909B2
The present invention relates to inhibiting TNF in patients having rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis or ankylosing spondilitis, by administering anti-TNF antibodies comprising the heavy chain variable region of SEQ ID NO: 7 and the light chain variable region of SEQ ID NO:8, specific for at least one human tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF) protein or fragment thereof.
US07815905B2
In some aspects, the invention relates to methods for increasing insulin-sensitivity and/or decreasing insulin secretion in an individual by reducing or inhibiting corticotropin releasing factor 2 (CRFR2) signaling. CRFR2 antagonists may block agonism by one or more CRFR2 agonist, for example Ucn 2 or Ucn 3. Methods according to the invention may be use to treat a variety of metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes, metabolic syndrome, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, polycystic ovarian syndrome and obesity.
US07815904B2
A method of treating a pathological syndrome is disclosed, including administration of an activated form of ultra-low doses of antibodies to an antigen, which activated form is obtained by repeated consecutive dilution combined with external impact, and the antigen is a substance or a pharmaceutical agent exerting influence upon the mechanisms of formation of pathological syndrome. Pharmaceutical agents for treatment of pathological syndrome are also disclosed.
US07815903B2
The invention relates to a process for producing biopesticides based on Trichoderma harzianum, Pochonia chlamydosporia and Pseudomonas fluorescens comprising preparing mass or stock culture of biocontrol fungi and bacteria on sawdust, soil and molasses mixture, and then immobilizing the bioagents in a flyable based carrier.
US07815894B2
Compounds, compositions and methods for the diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease. Synthesized Glycerophosphocholine (GPC) may be used as a diagnostic aid to measure progression of Alzheimer's disease. GPC is a membrane phospholipid metabolite that is capable of binding specifically to the β-turn of beta amyloid (Aβ) peptide. Compounds including non-radioactive, paramagnetic, and radioactive derivatives of GPC are presented. These compounds possess similar binding properties to original GPC molecules and are useful in medical magnetic resonance imaging and/or positron emission tomography applications. By employing these radiological techniques in conjunction with the compositions of the present invention, the diagnosis and assessment of the progression of Alzheimer's disease may be achieved.
US07815892B2
The invention provides a method for generating power with a gas turbine which utilizes pressure swing reforming under conditions that facilitate CO2 capture. First a synthesis gas stream at a first pressure is produced in a pressure swing reformer. Next the synthesis gas stream is subjected to a high temperature water gas shift process to produce a CO2 containing hydrogen enriched stream from which hydrogen and CO2 each are separated. The separated hydrogen in turn is combusted with air to produce a gas turbine and the separated CO2 is easily sequestered.
US07815889B2
A method for calcining gypsum in a pressurized reactor by injecting combustion gases and air into the pressurized reactor to create a fluidized bed of gypsum, and heating the fluidized bed of gypsum in the pressurized reactor sufficiently to form a calcined hemihydrate.
US07815884B2
To provide a method for producing polycrystalline silicon at relatively low cost, wherein the amount of waste generated is reduced by decreasing the amount of waste generated in producing polycrystalline silicon from silicon chloride by a method of reduction and increasing the amount of reused auxiliary raw materials. In the production of polycrystalline silicon using a gas phase reaction of a silicon chloride gas and a reducing agent gas, a chlorine gas is blown into an exhaust gas discharged from a reaction device to initiate a reaction, an unreacted reducing agent and silicon particles contained in the exhaust gas are chlorinated, and then a reducing agent chloride contained in the exhaust gas is separated from the other impurities and recovered.
US07815879B2
Methods and apparatuses are described for contacting an oxidizing solution such as an aqueous hydrogen peroxide composition of hydrogen peroxide and at least one additive that catalyzes the decomposition of the hydrogen peroxide into hydroxyl radicals with an atmospheric effluent containing odorous and/or noxious components. These components are absorbed by the aqueous hydrogen peroxide composition to produce an atmospheric effluent having reduced amounts of the odorous and/or noxious components. Various methods are described for adding the hydrogen peroxide and the decomposition additive.
US07815877B2
The invention relates to a sterilizing device (10) for sterilizing closures (16), such as lids and caps for containers, such as bottles and jars, which device comprises a housing (12), provided with a closure entry (14) for supplying closures, a closure exit (18) for discharging sterilized closures from the device, a sterilizing-agent feed (21) for feeding sterilizing agent into the device and a discharge (28; 30) for discharging used sterilizing agent, as well as pass-through means (20) for passing closures (16) through the housing (12), the pass-through means (20) comprising a non-rectilinear pass-through path (58) in the plane parallel to the main plane of the closures. A sterilizing method is also described.
US07815868B1
An SBS-formatted microfluidic device where the geometry of the plate defines an array of interrogation areas, and where each interrogation area encompasses at least one reaction site.
US07815859B2
The present invention is relates to an apparatus and method for the determination of the oxygen gas permeability of a polymer. In one embodiment, the present invention relates to an apparatus and method for determining the oxygen gas permeability of a polymer membrane (e.g., a polydimethylsiloxane and/or polysiloxane polymer or copolymer). In still another embodiment, the present invention relates to oxygen gas permeable polymer compositions.
US07815858B2
A sample carrier including a lower support wall, a base joined to or in fixed proximity to a bottom end of the lower support wall, and sample tube receiving areas in fixed proximity to the lower support wall for receiving and holding a plurality of sample tubes in substantially vertical orientations. The sample carrier further includes a blocking wall joined to a top end of the support wall which extends laterally over portions of sample tubes held by the sample carrier, thereby limiting vertical movement of the sample tubes during automated sampling procedures. The contents of sample tubes held by the sample carrier can be accessed by a robotic pipetting device. Additionally, a drip shield having a cover plate, a pair of through-holes for accessing sample tubes held by a the sample carrier, and a depending runner for maintaining the sample carrier on a sample carousel.
US07815855B2
The invention concerns test elements, in particular diagnostic test elements, for determining the presence or concentration of biological, medical or biologically or medically effective substances including nucleic acids, proteins, viruses, microorganisms and cells, characterized in that these test elements contain nanofibers.
US07815852B2
A method, apparatus and software program for measuring a parameter relating to the heart-lung system of a mammal are described. The method, software and apparatus can be implemented in a dialysis or other blood treatment apparatus comprising an extracorporeal blood circuit connected to a mammal; the circuit comprises a dialyzer, or other treatment unit, having a blood inlet, a blood outlet, a treatment fluid inlet and a treatment fluid outlet. The method comprises the steps of providing a pulse of a detectable substance in the blood circuit, measuring an integrated concentration of the detectable substance on the dialysis fluid outlet, determining the parameter based on the measurements on the dialysis fluid outlet.
US07815846B2
An agitator for applying an alternating field to a melting furnace main body in order to melt a row material to form a melt includes a plurality of magnets, which are arranged so that magnetic lines of force emitted from one of the magnets pass through the melt in the melting furnace main body and return to another magnet, the magnets being fixed to an inclined surface which is inclined by an angle with respect to a horizontal surface, and being rotatable around an axis substantially perpendicular to the inclined surface.
US07815839B2
A mandrel comprising a rigid inner core and an elastomeric outer layer that at least partially surrounds the rigid inner core, wherein the elastomeric outer layer is adapted to expand during a molding process to seal a cavity to prevent incursion of material injected during the molding process.
US07815835B2
The invention relates to a method for producing three-dimensional objects, comprising producing a three-dimensional structure by sequential selective curing of layers of a composition curable with visible and/or ultraviolet light into a solid polymeric material by sequential exposure of the individual layers to UV and/or visible light, whereafter a three-dimensional object is produced by use of the three-dimensional structure thus formed, followed by removing the three-dimensional structure from or of the three-dimensional object, characterized in that removing the three-dimensional structure is accomplished by chemically cleaving the polymeric material as well as simultaneously or subsequently dissolving the material in a solvent or mixed solvent and/or melting the material.
US07815833B2
In a method for producing injection-molded parts, PET material is processed and/or plasticized by means of a twin-screw extruder having a plurality of processing zones. At least two processing zones are implemented as degassing zones. The processed and/or plasticized material is transferred to a transfer reservoir and then further processed by a piston unit.
US07815826B2
Methods of manufacturing an article use three-dimensional printing for a portion of the manufacturing. Three-dimensionally printing is conducted onto a powder bed which contains both organic-solvent-soluble, water-insoluble particles and water soluble, organic-solvent-insoluble particles. The water-soluble particles which may be selected for properties such as size and may include more than one substance. The organic-solvent-insoluble particles may further include at least one substantially insoluble substance such as a member of the calcium phosphate family. Printing may be done using an aqueous binder liquid. After removal of unbound powder, the preform may be exposed to the vapor of an organic solvent which causes the particles of organic-soluble-polymer to fuse to each other. This may further be followed by dissolving out the water-soluble particles, if such particles were present in the powder. Solvent vapor fusing together with the use of porogen particles may also be used in manufacturing methods other than 3DP. Rather than using organic solvent, heat responsive particles can be used, and can be filmed by elevated temperatures. Articles that may be produced by the described methods exhibit features such as a high porosity and an ability to undergo large deformations without breaking, and by at least partial springback from such deformation. The springback may be substantially instantaneous or may be time-dependent involving a time period of at least several seconds.
US07815824B2
Defects and/or particles during an imprint lithography process may provide exclusion zones and/or transition zones in the patterned layer. Exclusion zones and/or transition zones in the patterned layer may be identified to provide a region of interest on a template.
US07815820B2
An electromagnetic interference shielding composite is provided. The electromagnetic interference shielding composite comprises: a high permittivity polymer having a permittivity of at least about 5; a plurality of magnetic particles dispersed within the high permittivity polymer; and a plurality of dielectric particles dispersed within the high permittivity polymer. In another embodiment, an article comprising a device susceptible to electromagnetic radiation and a shielding material disposed to shield the device from electromagnetic radiation is provided. The shielding material comprises, a high permittivity polymer; a plurality of magnetic particles dispersed within the high permittivity polymer; and plurality of dielectric particles dispersed within the high permittivity polymer.
US07815816B2
A composition comprising one or more compounds of formula (I) or (II): wherein: Rf is a linear or branched perfluoroalkyl having 1 to 7 carbon atoms, optionally interrupted by one to three oxygen atoms, r and q are each independently an integer of 1 to 3, j is 0 or 1, or a mixture thereof, x is from about 1 to about 2, Z is —O—, —S—, or —NR—, R is hydrogen or an alkyl group containing 1 to 4 carbon atoms X is hydrogen or M, and M is an ammonium ion, an alkali metal ion, or an alkanolammonium ion, and its use in providing surface properties to substrates is disclosed.
US07815815B2
A surface processing method includes supporting a wafer in a vacuum chamber and generating a plasma in a confined portion of the chamber over only a selected portion of the wafer to thereby perform a surface processing treatment (e.g., an ashing process) on the selected portion of the wafer. While the plasma is being generated, the wafer and the confined portion of the chamber are displaced with respect to one another to thereby perform the surface processing treatment on a second selected portion of the wafer.
US07815814B2
A method and system of etching a metal nitride, such as titanium nitride, is described. The etching process comprises introducing a process composition having a halogen containing gas, such as Cl2, HBr, or BCl3, and a fluorocarbon gas having the chemical formula CxHyFz, where x and z are equal to unity or greater and y is equal to 0 or greater.
US07815812B2
A method for controlling a process for fabricating integrated devices on a substrate. The method includes ex-situ and in-situ measurements of pre-etch and post-etch dimensions for structures formed on the substrate and uses the results of the measurements to adjust process recipes and to control the operational status of etch and external substrate processing equipment. In one exemplary application, the method is used during a multi-pass process for fabricating a capacitive structure of a trench capacitor.
US07815805B2
A connector apparatus is provided which is configured to replace a separation module in a system for dispensing a fluid. When it is desired to purge the system of a dispensed fluid, the connector apparatus, having the same configuration of an inlet and an outlet as the separation module, replaces the separation module and a purging fluid is passed through the system.
US07815796B2
A pool filter for use in pool piping or other fluid conveyance system. The pool filter may include a housing defining a fluid chamber for receiving one or more filters. Multiple openings may be defined in the housing for receiving and removing fluid from the fluid chamber. The openings may be approximately the same size and may be located on the housing at similar elevations and/or radial sectors. One or more footings may be joined to the housing. Each footing may include a base portion for receiving anchor members to anchor the housing to a support surface. The footings may be designed to transfer to the support surface predetermined lateral or other forces imposed upon the pool filter by events such as earthquakes and hurricanes. The footings may be separate components joined to the housing by tabs and/or mechanical fasteners.
US07815793B2
The present invention relates to a process for reducing the Bromine Index of a hydrocarbon feedstock having at least 50 wt. % of C8 aromatics, comprising the step of contacting the hydrocarbon feedstock with a catalyst at conversion conditions, wherein the catalyst includes a molecular sieve having a zeolite structure type of MWW.
US07815788B2
In a method for calibrating a biosensor for the amperometric determination of creatinine in biological liquids, consisting of one electrode system each for measuring the concentrations of creatinine and creatine, with at least two calibration solutions being used, the electrode system for measuring the creatinine concentration is calibrated with a creatinine solution which, prior to the calibration measurement, was mixed in the form of an acidic solution with an alkaline buffer solution, and the electrode system for measuring the creatine concentration is calibrated with a solution in which creatinine and creatine are at a thermodynamic equilibrium.
US07815779B2
The invention relates to a water treatment device comprising a metallic sleeve inside which at least one metallic sacrificial anode is disposed, said sacrificial anode being connected to the sleeve in an electrically conducting manner. At least one metallic swirling member which generates eddies within the water flow is arranged upstream of a sacrificial anode in the sleeve, particularly in order to cause the sacrificial anode to be cleaned by means of the turbulent water flow.
US07815770B2
The invention involves papers having either an internal starch or a size press applied starch and a boron-containing compound which is added in proportion to the starch and which is believed to interact with the starch to provide improved physical and mechanical properties in the paper. Method of forming the papers are also disclosed.
US07815769B2
It is intended to provide sanitary paper which is excellent in texture such as moistness and softness and scarcely causes skin irritation or blushing even if it is brought into contact with the skin frequently. Namely, sanitary paper having an oil absorbance specified in JIS P8141 of 7 mm or less and a moisture content of from 9.50 to 15.00% (measured in accordance with JIS P8127 after conditioning in accordance with JIS P8111); carrying a solution, which contains a moistening agent, a softener, an antioxidant and so on, coated in a dose of 46.0 to 160.0 mg/cm3 of the paper base; and having a bending hardness B measured with the use of a pure bending machine of from 0.0040 to 0.0060 g·cm2/cm.
US07815766B2
An apparatus for applying adhesive sheets includes a sheet applying base which is placed on a placement base so as to be withdrawable from the placement base and which has a sheet applying region to which adhesive sheets positioned closely before and after a junction portion are to be applied. In the sheet applying base, an upstream-side end portion of the sheet applying region in the adhesive sheet feed direction is placed so as to confront an end portion of the sheet applying head, and moreover a sheet escaping space opened downward is set in place.
US07815765B2
A method for forming a laminated synthetic leather includes engaging a textile carrier onto a carrying roll, extruding one or more materials with an extruder machine into a film, and feeding the film downwardly onto a lamination roll to have the film carried on a portion of an outer peripheral portion of the lamination roll and to have the film to be suitably cooled by the lamination roll. The film and the textile carrier are then compressed together with the rolls, to form the laminated synthetic leather, and to prevent the film from penetrating into the textile carrier to a greater extent, and to form a soft or flexible laminated synthetic leather.
US07815763B2
The present invention involves porous polymer membranes, suitable for use in medical implants, having controlled pore sizes, pore densities and mechanical properties. Methods of manufacturing such porous membranes are described in which a continuous fiber of polymer is extruded through a reciprocating extrusion head and deposited onto a substrate in a predetermined pattern. When cured, the polymeric material forms a stable, porous membrane suitable for a variety of applications, including reducing emboli release during and after stent delivery, and providing a source for release of bioactive substances to a vessel or organ and surrounding tissue.
US07815761B2
A method and apparatus enables linered label applicators to use labels on thin liners. Linered labels comprise a composite of an elongate sheet of thin or light-weight temporary liner having a precut label adhered to a low adhesion surface. The cut-out labels on the liner are fed into the linered label applicator. The use of support mechanisms other then vacuum application on rollers enables the use of thinner liner sheets on labels. A die head for cutting or perforating labels comprising adhesive on label stock comprising a die head having at least 80% of its outer surface comprising flat areas between cutting edges, multiple cutting edges on the outer surface, and an internal volume in the die head, the internal volume for carrying coolant liquid into and out of the volume so as to cool the outer surface of the die head when the coolant temperature is at least 10° C. cooler than the outer surface of the die head.
US07815750B2
The present invention provides a method of production of a steel soft nitrided machine part comprising: preparing a steel material containing, by mass %, C: 0.15-0.30%, Si: 0.03-1.00%, Mn: 0.20-1.5%, S: 0.04-0.06%, Cr: 0.01-0.5%, Mo: 0.40-1.5%, Nb: 0.005-0.05%, Ti: 0.005-0.03%, V: 0.2-0.4%, Ni: 0.05-1.5%, N: 0.002-0.0048%, a balance of Fe and unavoidable impurities, limiting P to 0.02% or less, limiting Ceq. (equation (1)) to 0.65-0.85, controlling DI (equation (2)) to 80-155, log Kp (equation (3)) to 2.5-8, and Si and Mn contents according to equation (4), heating the steel material to 1150-1280° C., hot forging the steel material to the shape of the part, cooling the steel material at a 0.5-1.5° C/sec cooling rate to obtain a hot forged part having a micrometallic structure with more than 50% of bainite, machining the hot forged part, and soft nitriding the machined hot forged part at 550-650° C. for 30 minutes or more.
US07815744B2
The invention provides a method of moving a pig through pipeline, the method comprising the steps of: a) introducing the pig into the pipeline; b) causing a chemical reaction between two or more reagents to produce at least one reaction product that would be in a gaseous state at STP, wherein the reagents would be in a non-gaseous state at STP; and c) introducing the gaseous reaction product into the pipeline. The invention also provides a method of moving a pig through a pipeline, the method comprising the steps of: a) introducing the pig into the pipeline; b) introducing into the pipeline two or more reagents capable of chemically reacting to produce at least one reaction product that would be in a gaseous state at STP, wherein the reagents would be in a non-gaseous state at STP.
US07815735B2
The invention refers to a method and apparatus for CVD coating and to a coated body. To improve the mechanical properties of the structure and surface of the body and to make the method and apparatus as simple and cost-effective as possible, it is suggested in the method, in which a layer is deposited on a substrate in a carbon-containing gas atmosphere: that the process parameters be varied during the coating period in such a way that during the coating period a first operating mode and a second operating mode are repeatedly alternated, wherein in the first operating mode a higher carbon over-saturation of the gas atmosphere occurs near the substrate, and in the second operating mode a lower carbon over-saturation of the gas atmosphere occurs near the substrate. In this way, a body can be produced with a substrate and at least one layer deposited on the surface of the substrate, wherein the layer consists of nano-crystalline diamond.
