US07854319B2
A multifunctional cover device with a detachable PDA device includes a front cover, a back cover, and at least one rotatable accessory panel connected to the front cover at one side for holding the PDA device and a lighting lamp. The accessory panel is mounted at a concave surface of the front cover when it is folded and at this time, the lamp and the PDA device are aligned with the windows of the front cover. When the accessory board is rotated through 180 degrees from the concave surface of the front cover, it forms an extending front cover panel. According to another structure, the accessory board is slidably mounted in the hollow front cover. Therefore, the user is able to use the PDA device while reading and writing with illumination and sound by playing the PDA device.
US07854317B1
An organization container having multiple internal compartments or straps to secure and organize personal care and hygiene items with a flap top to provide easy access to personal care and hygiene items. The organizing container can fit into different size purses or bags and be moved easily between bags, and that can stand securely on its own when outside the purse or bag.
US07854310B2
A parking meter assembly (10) including a base (11) that is to be fixed to or embedded in a ground surface, typically adjacent the curb that which a car is to be parked. The assembly (10) also includes a parking meter (13) having a front face (17) that includes a coin slot (25) a card slot (20) and a control panel (21). The parking meter (13) further includes a rear face (27) having a window aperture (28) that provides for the transmission of light to a solar panel (29) behind the aperture (28).
US07854299B2
In accordance with certain embodiments, the present invention provides a modular approach to a lubrication package. Certain components such as the filter and cooler are directly connected to a block that has connections to accept them and internal porting to establish the proper flow paths for circulation, cooling and filtration of the circulating lubricant. The block can accept one or more coolers and one or more filters. The isolation valving for redundant equipment can also be integrated into the block. Many connections that had been used in past designs for the piping network are integrated into the block. The block can also be close mounted to the reservoir while a submersible pump further saves space and piping connections. Indeed, having the ability to maintain mechanical equipment (e.g., remove and replace filters and coolers) without shutting down, allows for continuous process flow, which eliminates down-town scheduling, loss of product and/or redundant backup, all of which comes at a considerable cost.
US07854270B2
In the event of a failure of a fire prevention or extinguishing system, an inertization method reduces the fire risk in an enclosed protected area, where the oxygen content in the area can be maintained on a control concentration that lies below an operating concentration for a certain time period, so that the emergency operation phase is sufficiently long to prevent the ignition and/or re-ignition of combustible materials therein. The control concentration is maintained for an emergency operation period by a redundant secondary source. Alternatively, the control concentration and the operating concentration, while forming a safety margin, can be lowered so far below the design concentration that in the event of a primary source failure, the growth curve of the oxygen content reaches a limit concentration determined for the area in a predefined period, which is sufficiently long to continue to prevent the ignition and/or re-ignition of the combustible materials.
US07854269B2
A sprinkler assembly includes a body, a support, which extends from the body, and a closure device that releasably closes the discharge opening of the body. The sprinkler assembly further includes a trigger that releasably holds the closure device at the discharge opening. The support is adapted to allow the fluid flowing from the discharge opening, when the closure device is released, to pass through the support substantially unimpeded by the support and, further, is adapted to reshape the flow of fluid as it flows through the support.
US07854265B2
A pipe gripping assembly having a quill, an actuator and a drive assembly mounts to a top drive of a drilling rig. The quill is connected to a mandrel in the drive assembly. The drive assembly has a tapered mandrel and a set of slips that move along the taper into and out of engagement with the pipe. The actuator is connected to both the quill and a portion of the drive assembly. The actuator includes a motor and at least two sleeves that are threaded together. One sleeve has a spline on its outside diameter that mates to the motor and a gear. Power applied to the motor causes the actuator to move slips in the drive assembly into an engagement position that grips the pipe for lifting and rotating the pipe.
US07854256B2
A bypass valve for a heat exchanger including a plurality of parallel tubular members comprises a housing having a hollow plug portion adjacent to an actuator portion. The actuator comprises a reciprocating plunger extending into the plug portion and a solenoid having a central actuator shaft attached to the plunger, wherein the actuator shaft extends upon energization of the solenoid so that the plunger prevents bypass flow through the valve. The valve also comprises a temperature sensor for sensing a temperature of the fluid flowing through the heat exchanger, the temperature sensor being electrically coupled to the solenoid through one or more conductors, wherein the temperature sensor is located at the first end of the actuator shaft and the conductors extend through the hollow interior of the actuator shaft to the second end thereof.
US07854252B2
A castable high temperature aluminum alloy is cast by controlled solidification that combines composition design and solidification rate control to synergistically enhance the performance and versatility of the castable aluminum alloy for a wide range of elevated temperature applications. In one example, the aluminum alloy contains by weight approximately 1.0-20.0% of rare earth elements that contribute to the elevated temperature strength by forming a dispersion of insoluble particles via a eutectic microstructure. The aluminum alloy also includes approximately 0.1 to 15% by weight of minor alloy elements. Controlled solidification improves microstructural uniformity and refinement and provides the optimum structure and properties for the specific casting condition. The molten aluminum alloy is poured into an investment casing shell and lowered into a quenchant at a controlled rate. The molten aluminum alloy cools from the bottom of the investment casting shell upwardly to uniformly and quickly cool the aluminum alloy.
US07854251B2
The invention makes it possible to manufacture high-quality cast parts in a productive manner in that a casting mould with a filling opening pointing in the direction of gravity is provided during the casting of molten metal. The casting mould with the filling opening is coupled to a melt container containing the molten metal, and the molten metal is conveyed from the melt container into the casting mould counter to the direction of gravity. The casting mould is sealed directly after filling with molten metal using a locking means which is at least temporarily connected to the casting mould in a fixed manner, in that the casting mould is decoupled from the melt container directly after closure of the casting mould and in that the casting mould is rotated about a horizontal axis of rotation, wherein the casting mould remains in a sealed position with respect to the locking means.
US07854244B2
Disclosed is a pneumatic tire including a single or a plurality of noise absorbing members formed of a porous material attached to one side of surfaces of an elastic band in the longitudinal direction thereof, and also disposed on the tire inner peripheral surface by using the elastic band along the circumferential direction. Further, the tire includes a plurality of width-direction reinforcing members disposed with intervals in the tire circumferential direction on surfaces, facing the elastic band, of the corresponding noise absorbing members and also extending from the elastic band to both ends of the corresponding noise absorbing members in the width direction thereof.
US07854243B2
An inflatable pneumatic bag is disclosed. An inflatable pneumatic bag includes a pneumatic hole disposed at one end of a pneumatic channel. Air, which is applied to the pneumatic hole, moves along the pneumatic channel, then through air ingress holes covered with inner layers which are removed by the expansion of the outer layers to fill all the air tubes. When the air tube is filled with air, one or more inner layers cover and then close the air ingress hole to overcome reverse air flow. Then, a curve-shaped air passage in the air tube narrows to further prevent air escape. With the inner layer, effectively overcoming reverse air flow, and the air passage, further preventing air escape, the inflatable pneumatic bag filled with air may last for a substantial long period of time.
US07854238B2
The present invention provides a conduit trap, which can also operate as condensation recovery device when installed in a refrigeration system drainage line. The conduit trap is generally a hollow body defining a fluid path that includes an upper conduit 20, having a waste outlet 30 and optionally a condensation collection outlet 32. A lower conduit 22 extends downwardly from the upper conduit and has a narrowing that creates an inner sealing region for receiving a sealing means, such as float 50. Condensation can be directed from the refrigeration system through the conduit trap for recovery or for disposal without exposing the refrigeration drainage line and occupied space in which the refrigeration unit is located to sewer gasses even in dry weather when a gravity based, fluid-filled trap would fail.
US07854235B2
Monofilament dental tapes including a core body having first and second opposing external faces, where at least one of the external faces has a plurality of indentations protruding into the core body of the dental tape, where the plurality of indentations are provided in from about 5% to about 95% of the total area of the first or second external faces, the indentations having a depth within the core body corresponding to from about 0.1% to about 95% of the thickness of the core body, taken transversally to the external face containing the plurality of indentations.
US07854228B2
Methods and systems for lung volume reduction of a patient are described. The methods include implanting a flow control device in a bronchial passageway of the lung. The flow control device regulates fluid flow through the bronchial passageway and includes a valve protector that at least partially surrounds a valve member. The valve protector has sufficient rigidity to maintain the shape of the valve member against compression.
US07854217B2
A spark ignition internal combustion engine in which, during an idling operation, the ignition timing is changed temporarily to the advance side or retard size with respect to the reference ignition timing so that when the engine speed deviates from the target idling speed, the engine speed becomes the target idling speed. When the actual compression ratio at the time of idling is changed, the reference ignition timing at the time of idling is made to move until the ignition timing at which the same generated torque of the engine is obtained.
US07854211B2
The present invention introduces a small boat (kayak or hybrid kayak-canoe) made in a plurality of nesting sections. It is covered with a waterproof fabric cover, incorporating a stabilizing and flexible keel sewn into it. The boat also has a releasably attachable and flexible coaming.
US07854205B2
A chamber apparatus for reducing the speed of particles carried in a pneumatic conveyor conduit includes a chamber with an inlet port in the chamber, the inlet port adapted for attachment to the pneumatic conveyor conduit, and an outlet port in a lower portion of the chamber. A plurality of flexible bristles is secured at ends thereof to a wall of the chamber and extend into the chamber such that particles carried in an air stream entering the inlet port contact the bristles. The chamber is configured such that particles falling inside the chamber move out of the chamber through the outlet port.
US07854197B2
An exemplary legend printing stencil for printing a circuit substrate for manufacturing a number of printed circuit board is provided. The stencil includes at least a first printing portion, at least a second printing portion and a junction portion between the first printing portion and the second printing portion. The first printing portion and the second printing portion each define a number of legend holes therein. The first printing portion and the second portion are configured for attaching on and covering the corresponding circuit board unit of the circuit substrate to print legends on the circuit board unit. The junction portion defines a slot therein and is configured for attaching on and covering the corresponding connection portion of the circuit substrate to print a legend ink layer on the connection portion. A method for manufacturing a number of printed circuit boards using the stencil is also provided.
US07854191B2
A three-piece oil ring and a combination of the three-piece oil ring and a piston, those capable of realizing improved sealing property and reduction in lubrication oil consumption with avoiding generation of sticking even at low tension and thin width of the ring. The three-piece oil ring includes a spacer expander 10 and two side rails. The spacer expander has a radially inner end portion provided with seating tabs 13 protruding in an axial direction and having radially outer inclined surfaces for urging inner peripheral surfaces of the first and second side rails. The spacer expander has a radially outer end portion provided with side rail support portions 14 projecting in the axial direction for supporting axial end faces of the first and second side rails. A seating tab angle of the outer inclined surface relative to an axis is in a range of 10 to 20 degrees, and a ratio of 2X/Y is in a range of from 0.04 to 0.15 where 2X is a total projecting length of the side rail support portions in the axial direction, and Y is a distance between distal end faces of the seating tabs in the axial direction.
US07854181B2
An automobile manual transmission shifter is provided that includes a shifter central shaft means for dampening at least part of the vibration transmitted from the manual automobile transmission, and an adjustable swivel shifter handle means for maintaining a continuous perpendicular gripping position while allowing rotatational adjustment of the swivel shifter handle means about the shifter central shaft means. Some embodiments may not include the vibration dampening means.
US07854177B2
A precessional device having independent control of the output torque generated by the device and the oscillation rate of the device is disclosed. The device comprises a rotor supported by an axle wherein the ends of the axle are supported by a circular race. The circular race is rotatable, and may be driven by a motor or other means, thereby controlling the oscillation rate of the device independently of the output torque arising from the rotation rate of the rotor. The motor may be controlled by a control program that adjusts the rotation rate of the circular race to modify the shape of the resistance curve.
US07854176B2
To ascertain the mass-flow of a Coriolis mass-flow meter, an oscillation of a measuring tube is produced with the frequency f and the resulting oscillatory movement is registered at two different measuring points with two oscillation sensors. The analog sensor signals X17, X18 of the two oscillation sensors are converted into digital sensor signals S1 and S2 and further processed in a digital signal processor DSP. In the signal processor DSP, the sum signal Σ and the difference signal Δ are formed from the two sensor signals S1 and S2. Then the sum signal is rotated by 90°. In a further method step, the shifted sum signal is multiplied with the difference signal Δ. After ascertaining the amplitude of the sum signal Σ, the mass-flow is ascertained using the formula {dot over (m)}˜|Im(Δ)|/(|Σ|f). It is not necessary for the method, that the two sensor signals S1, S2 have equal amplitudes. Thus, a controlling of the analog signals X17, X18 to equal amplitudes can be omitted.
US07854168B2
The invention is objected to enable the provision of an vessel steel plate measuring device capable of measuring the thickness of vessel steel plate, even in the case of a vessel having a vessel mirror part formed by a spherical or conical curved surface such as a reactor (reaction vessel) and various kinds of obstructions at a vessel barrel. The structure of the device is characterized in that a supporting point member 20 is detachably provided from a supporting point set at the central axis of the vessel mirror part 1a of a reactor 1, and a traveling carrier 6 traveling on a steel plate of the vessel mirror part 1a and having plural ultrasonic probes 7 mounted thereon is connected to one end of a turning radius regulating member 19 rotatively provided around the supporting point member 20.
US07854165B2
Embodiments of the present invention generally relate to flow meters and more particularly to improved plastic water flow meters for commercial or residential use. In various embodiments, a plastic water meter is provided that may include metal threads for connecting the water meter to a water system. In particular, the plastic water meter may include at least one spud that is shaped to receive and engage a plastic spud insert, in which the plastic spud insert may include a metal ring with a threaded outer surface. The plastic spud insert may include an annular lip portion extending outwardly to discourage removal of the metal ring when the spud insert is engaged with the water meter. Furthermore, the plastic spud insert and the inner surface of the metal ring may have complementary circumferential profiles to discourage relative rotation between the metal ring and the spud insert.
US07854164B2
A flowmeter determines the flow direction of a fluid. The flowmeter has a measuring element, around which the fluid flows. The measuring element has fiber-optic cable and at least two electrical heating elements that lie adjacent to the fiber-optic cable(s) by which a respective heat stream emanating from the respective heating element and directed towards the fiber-optic cable, the directions of the heat streams being at least proportionately reversed. In addition, depending on the flow direction of the fluid, the individual heat streams are correlated to different extents with the flow direction. An electromagnetic wave that can be coupled into the fiber-optic cable(s) can also be influenced according to the temperature of the fiber-optic cable(s). Additionally, the flowmeter has a control unit, which is used to feed electric energy to the two or more heating elements, one after the other, and an evaluation unit, which is used to evaluate the temperature effect of the electromagnetic wave emanating from the individual heat streams and to determine the flow direction of the fluid.
US07854157B2
The method, in which base material ingot 1 is heated and softened in an electric furnace 3, drawn with a pair of pinch roller 6 and 6, and elongated to make base material rod 7 having a smaller diameter than the ingot, features: forming either a roller groove 11 having a curvature radius which is larger than the outer diameter of the base material rod 7 or a V-shaped roller groove 11 having the cross section consisting of straight lines on the surface of the pinch roller 6 made of metal; nipping with the facing roller grooves 11 and 11 respectively formed on the surfaces of a pair of said pinch rollers 6 and 6; and drawing said base material rod.
US07854155B2
A method for improving the running-out of a metal rolled strip (1), the rolled trailing strip end (1a) of which exits out of a respectively last roll stand (2) of a multistand rolling mill (3) at a rolling speed, wherein during rolling between two consecutive roll stands (F1, F2, F3 . . . Fn) the strip tension (a) is adjusted to stabilize the strip position, provides that shortly before the rolled trailing strip end (1a) exits the developing rolling force differences are measured separately for each roll stand (F1, F2, F3 . . . Fn), that from this the pivot value (16) and the pivot direction are derived for forming a corrective value for the adjustment of the rolls (10, 11) and that the adjustment is corrected.
US07854150B2
A device for making up a plurality of synchronously produced individual optical fibers includes a drawing installation for drawing the fibers and a take-up winder for winding up the fibers on a take-up spool. The drawing installation provides an identical and constant drawing rate for each of the fibers. The take-up winder has a compensating device to compensate for differences in speed of the fibers between the drawing installation and the take-up spool. Fluctuations of the fiber diameter during production of the fibers are avoided and the fibers are passed at a substantially constant rate to the take-up winder. A fiber bundle can be made up without influencing the drawing rate, thereby also avoiding reactions on the melting process when drawing the fibers from a heated preform. A method for making up a plurality of synchronously produced individual optical fibers is also provided.
US07854149B2
In general, in one aspect, the invention features a method that includes exposing a surface to a first gas composition under conditions sufficient to deposit a layer of a first chalcogenide glass on the surface, and exposing the layer of the first chalcogenide glass to a second gas composition under conditions sufficient to deposit a layer of a second glass on the layer of the first chalcogenide glass, wherein the second glass is different from the first chalcogenide glass.
US07854145B2
Disclosed is a plasma torch for overcladding a primary preform of an optical fiber. The plasma torch includes a confinement tube for confining an induced plasma and a torch base. The torch base has a ceramic surface internal to the confinement tube. The plasma torch has extended life even at high input powers.
US07854139B2
The invention can securely carry out an operation by a reduced number of the parts. The invention is provided with a base member having a gear lever arranged portion and a pinion member arranged portion, and provided with a communication hole communicating with the gear lever arranged portion in a closed wall portion of the pinion member arranged portion, a gear lever rotatably arranged in a bearing portion, having a gear portion and driving an output member (a control wire) based on a rotation, a pinion member rotatably arranged in the pinion member arranged portion and having a pinion portion engaging with the gear portion via the communication hole, a holder having a retention portion retaining the pinion member in one end, and having a fixing portion fixing to the base member in the other end, and an operation knob arranged so as to be outside fitted to the pinion member and integrally rotating the pinion member.
US07854137B2
A variable speed drive is provided for a compressor in a refrigerant system. When a low load situation has been determined by the refrigerant system controls, the variable speed drive moves the compressor to a lower speed mode of operation. In this case, if a speed is so low that it cannot ensure adequate oil lubrication of the compressor elements, then the motor speed is periodically increased to a level that will ensure proper lubrication. In this manner, a variable speed drive compressor can be operated at an extremely low speed to precisely match load demand on a refrigerant system. The invention can be extended beyond refrigerant system applications and to any oil-lubricated compressors whose lubrication is speed dependant.
US07854126B2
A one-piece combustion chamber having an end wall subdivided into sectors. The combustion chamber comprises a chamber end wall interconnecting the inner and outer walls, and it includes windows closed by removable walls, each carrying a plurality of injector systems.
US07854123B2
The pattern relates to a cover for a turbomachine nozzle, the cover having a plurality of patterns each with an outline of triangular shape having a base and two vertices that are spaced downstream and interconnected by a side. For each pattern, the vertices present respective curved outlines and they are interconnected by a curved portion presenting a radius of curvature greater than the radii of curvature of the outlines of said vertices, each side being connected to the trailing edge of the cover via a curved outline presenting a radius of curvature greater than the radii of curvature of the outlines of the vertices and greater than the radius of curvature of the outline of the curved portion, and the vertices and the curved portion are inclined radially towards the inside of the cover, with the curved portion being radially offset outwards relative to the vertices.
US07854119B2
The present invention provides a hydroelectric device having a closed conduit portion extending along an elevational drop, with a turbine positioned at a lower elevation and in fluid communication with the closed conduit portion. The closed conduit portion contains a volume of fluid forming a pressure head therein, the fluid impacting the turbine in such a manner as to operate the turbine and produce electricity therefrom.
US07854115B2
An array of valve sections in a hydraulic system are connected to a supply line, a tank return line, and a load sense line. One valve sections includes a control valve with a metering orifice through which fluid flows from the supply line to a valve outlet. A load sense node is coupled by a load sense orifice to the load sense line. A load sense pressure limiter prevents pressure at the load sense node from exceeding a threshold level. A pressure compensator is connected in a fluid path between the valve outlet and one of the hydraulic actuators. The pressure compensator opens and closes the fluid path in response to pressure at the valve outlet and pressure at the load sense node, thereby governing the maximum amount of pressure that the respective valve section can apply to the hydraulic actuator.
US07854112B2
A transition duct (112) is provided at the outlet of a turbine engine. The transition duct transitions the outlet of the tip turbine engine (10) from round to rectangular. The transition duct also provides a plurality of variable vanes at the outlet of the transition duct. The transition duct incorporates a perimeter slot (124) providing cooling to the duct outer wall and attached components. The variable vanes (120) are installed to vector the exhaust gases. This allows the aircraft to decelerate, hover or accelerate in the forward direction by commanding the position of the variable vanes. One potential application of the tip turbine engine is for vertical installations in aircraft.
US07854111B2
An axial flow positive displacement turbine includes inner and outer bodies having offset inner and outer axes respectively extending between a relatively high pressure inlet and a relatively low pressure outlet. At least one of the bodies is rotatable about its axis. The inner and outer bodies have intermeshed inner and outer helical blades wound about the inner and outer axes respectively. The inner and outer helical blades extend radially outwardly and inwardly respectively. Each of the bodies has at least two blades. There is one more or one less outer helical blades than inner helical blades. The inner and outer bodies may both be rotatable about inner and outer axes and geared together in a fixed gear ratio. The turbine may have first and second sections with a first twist slope greater than a second twist slope respectively of the inner and outer helical blades.
US07854109B2
A steerable multi-linked device. The device includes a first multi-linked mechanism and a second multi-linked mechanism. At least one of the first and second multi-linked mechanisms is steerable and includes a modular link assembly at an end thereof. The modular link assembly includes a base, and a tip removably connected to the base.
US07854095B2
The electrically connectable tile module includes a porous substrate having a top side, a bottom side, and at least two side edges. At least one connector is integrated into the porous substrate allowing adjoining electrically connectable tile modules to be electrically connected to the porous substrate. At least one electrical element is disposed over the top side of the porous substrate and electrically connected to the at least one connector.
US07854094B2
A surround molding module incorporates an invisible division bar assembly. The invisible division bar assembly includes a support or glass encapsulation that does not extend outwardly beyond the plane of the exterior surface of fixed and movable windows of the vehicle. It provides a butt joint between these window edges. The support also carries a guide member that guides a guide leg extending outwardly from the movable window. An effective window guide tracking system is provided that has reduced wind noise and a flush window appearance with no off-set.
US07854093B2
An automatic opening/closing apparatus for vehicle, which is provided with a tensioner mechanism for applying a predetermined tension to a cable member, is downsized. A case of a driving unit is provided with a tensioner housing, and the tensioner mechanism for applying the predetermined tension to a cable is accommodated in the tensioner housing. The tensioner mechanism includes a pulley holder movably mounted on a guide shaft, and a spring for biasing the pulley holder, wherein a movable pulley is rotatably supported by the pulley holder. The cable drawn in the tensioner housing is wound about the movable pulley so that a direction in which the cable is drawn out from the case is substantially parallel to a direction in which the cable is drawn out from a driving drum, whereby the predetermined tension is applied to the cable by a spring force of the spring.
US07854092B2
A gate system (10) includes two spaced sides (12, 14) defining a work area (16) between the sides (12, 14). A first opening (18) is defined between first ends of the sides (12, 14), and a second opening (38) opposite to the first opening (18) is defined between second ends of the sides (12, 14). Two gates (82, 92) for opening/closing the first and second openings (18, 38) are respectively coupled with two shafts (40, 50) rotatably supported by one of the sides (12, 14). The shafts (40, 50) are rotatably interconnected wherein pivoting of one of the gates (82, 92) in a direction causes pivoting of the other gate (82, 92) in an opposite direction. Each gate (82, 92) includes a groove (85, 95) that receives a vertical beam (60, 62) of the other side (14) when the gate (82, 92) is in a closed position. Biasing elements in the form of gas cylinders (110, 120) between the side (12) and the gates (82, 92) prevent the gates (82, 92) from slamming into their closed positions.
US07854086B2
The present invention provides a fishing rod with ergonomic handle. The disclosed fishing rod places the angler's wrist in a more ergonomically correct position while waiting for a fish to strike. To accomplish this the fishing rod includes a flexible rod including a plurality of ferrules extending downward; a handle including a primary handle substantially parallel to and vertically above the flexible rod and a secondary handle extending upwards from the primary handle. The primary handle also includes a reel seat for downward attachment of a fishing reel. A transition structure is joined at one end to the flexible rod and at the opposing end to the upper portion of the secondary handle.
US07854083B1
A cartridge magazine for firearms has an elongated channel to receive a plurality of cartridges. The cartridge magazine has a box forming a housing of the cartridge magazine, a spring operated follower for pressing the cartridges in the magazine to an upper position. In this position, the topmost cartridge is ready for feeding into a chamber of the firearm and in this position the topmost cartridge rests against a pair of retaining lips. The lips remain in a first position when the topmost cartridge is in the upper position and the lips are operatively displaceable to a second position wider than the first position.
US07854082B2
An opening and closing device, associated with the rolling block and receiver of a hunting or sports gun, comprises a key that is hinged by a tube to the upper part of the rolling block, and a bolt that is actuated by a shaped end of the key and is slidably mounted on the rolling block in such a way that it can be moved from a retracted, open position in which the bolt is entirely inside the rolling block, and an advanced, closed position in which the bolt protrudes from the front of the rolling block with two arms designed to lock by friction two matching mortises made in the receiver; the arms extend from the ends of a shoulder of the bolt and the shaped end of the key has a first cam designed to exert a pushing action to the central portion of the shoulder in order to disengage the arms from the mortises.
US07854077B1
A shoe having a configurable message board positioned therein. The configurable message board comprising apparatus for selecting a displayable character from a plurality of characters. The shoe having a plurality of windows with each having a manipulative element for selecting a displayable character from a plurality of characters with said characters including letters, numbers and graphic symbols. The display optionally providing illuminable elements including back lighting the user selected display.
US07854075B2
An orthotic device is designed to be reused and reapplied in open shoes include an adhesive layer which securely, but temporarily, bonds the insole to a shoe. In some embodiments, the insole both supports and cushions a foot. In other embodiments, the insole solely cushions the foot. The supporting insoles include an arch support and a heel lift. The cushioning insoles include a flat sole pad, a contoured sole pad, a ball of foot pad and a heel spur pad. In some embodiments, a textile covering is included over the insole.
US07854073B1
A quilt template is disclosed for producing a plurality of quilt pieces. The quilt template comprises a template plate for positioning over a first and second layer material. A marking groove traverses the template plate and receives a writing instrument. A first cutting groove traverses the template plate and receives the cutting instrument for cutting the first and second layer of material. A second cutting groove traverses the template plate and receives the cutting instrument for cutting the first and second layer of material. The marking groove is positioned between the first cutting groove and the second cutting groove. The marking groove and the first cutting groove define a first quilt pattern on the template plate. The marking groove and the second cutting groove define a second quilt pattern on the template plate.
US07854065B2
A manufacturing method for a liquid discharge head that includes a discharge port forming die member, where discharge ports for discharging liquid are formed, and liquid flow paths that communicate with the discharge ports, includes the steps of mounting, on a substrate, a first side wall forming member for forming portions of side walls of the liquid flow paths, forming, on the first side wall forming member, a first photosensitive material layer that serves as a second side wall forming member for formation of the other portions of the side walls, patterning the first photosensitive material layer to provide the second side wall forming member, forming, on the second side wall forming member, a second photosensitive material layer that serves as the discharge port forming member, and patterning the second photosensitive material layer to provide the discharge ports.
US07854063B2
An electrical connector for a coaxial cable with a solid outer conductor, the connector in combination with a cable and a method for manufacturing. The electrical connector having a connector body with a bore between a connector end and a cable end. The bore having an inner diameter shoulder at the cable end. A cylindrical sleeve positioned in the bore abutting the inner diameter shoulder. An annular groove open to the cable end, between the cylindrical sleeve and the cable end of the connector body. The annular groove dimensioned to receive an end of the solid outer conductor.
US07854056B2
The present invention has an object to propose a method of producing a rotor, capable of reliably fixing a magnet to a rotor core with resin and preventing breakage of the rotor core. The present invention includes a step of fixing a permanent magnet to a rotor core by injecting molten resin into a slot by injection molding on the condition that, assuming that: a dimension between an end surface of the rotor core and an end surface of the permanent magnet is a core end surface-magnet interval; and a minimum value of a dimension between an inner surface of the slot and a side surface of the permanent magnet, allowing the molten resin to fully fill a clearance between the inner surface of the slot and the side surface of the permanent magnet by injecting the resin into the slot through a cylinder, is a minimum slot-magnet interval value, and a value of the core end surface-magnet interval is equal to or larger than the minimum slot-magnet interval value.
US07854047B2
A casket memorabilia compartment assembly adapted to couple to a casket to provide display and/or storage of pictures memorializing the deceased. The memorabilia compartment assembly comprises a panel mountable to the casket for swinging displacement between an inner hanging position within the casket and an outer hanging without the casket. The panel includes a display side exposed when in the outer hanging position. The display side includes a compartment for the display and/or storage of pictures. The outer surface of the compartment is transparent so as to view the pictures within the compartment. The memorabilia compartment assembly can be incorporated, into a big body and/or throw used during viewing of the deceased.
US07854038B2
A cleaning apparatus includes a base. A bracket is attached to the base. Wheels are rotatably attached to the base for wheeling the base across a floor. A cleaning attachment is configured to be attached to the base and moved against the floor to clean the floor as the base is wheeled across the floor. The base is manually pushed by a handle to wheel the base across the floor. The handle is configured to be removably attached to the base by being hooked onto the bracket and then pivoted relative to the bracket into an installed position.
US07854032B2
A portable ramp for motor vehicles molded from co-polymer where the ramp has a longitudinal spine extending through a grid, has a sloped portion and a horizontal upper portion to support a wheel of a vehicle. The wheel is in direct contact with the grid and the grid is open from top to bottom between the spine and the side walls. The spine has an arc-shaped cross-section.
US07854026B2
A shoulder pad apparatus includes a chest plate. A shoulder cap is formed at an upper portion of the chest plate. A shoulder flap connects to the shoulder cap. An upper arm flap pivotably connects to the shoulder flap. At least one arcuate shell also may pivotably connect to the shoulder flap.
US07854023B2
A helmet that can be removed from the head of a helmet wearer who wears the helmet, with a comparatively small force, and simply and quickly including preliminary operation for removal. A recess-projection fitting mechanism to attach a blockish inside pad to a head protecting cap portion includes a male hook on a blockish inside pad side, and a female hook on a head protecting cap portion side. The interrupt portion of a pad takeout member including a pulling means can interrupt between the male hook and female hook to disengage their recess-projection fitting, and can catch on the male hook, and the male hook can be pulled out to outside the head protecting cap portion at least halfway.
US07856655B2
A system is provided for establishing a secure link among multiple users on a single machine with a remote machine. The system includes a subsystem to filter traffic so that traffic from each user is separate. The subsystem generates and associates a Security Association (SA) with at least one filter corresponding to the user and the traffic, and employs the SA to establish the secure link. An Internet Key Exchange module and a policy module may be included to generate and associate the security association, wherein the policy module is configured via Internet Protocol Security (IPSEC).
US07856651B2
A VSB communication system comprises a VSB transmission system and a VSB reception system. The VSB transmission system multiplexes a coded MPEG data and a coded supplemental data having a null sequence inserted therein, with required multiplexing information included in a field synchronization signal or in a supplemental data according to a number of the supplemental data packets being transmitted. The VSB reception system detects the required multiplexing information from the field synchronization signal or the supplemental data and decodes the multiplexed data by using the null sequence and the detected multiplexing information, as well as demultiplexes the multiplexed data into the MPEG data and the supplemental data.
US07856635B2
A multi-tasking operating system and method updates PCI address values in an extension register to ensure that various threads utilize the correct values when accessing peripheral PCI devices. When application program threads require access to a PCI device, the operating system writes the high order bits of the PCI device address to two places: (1) the extension register of the PCI host bridge to allow immediate addressing of the PCI device, and (2) separate memory locations associated with the threads. When a context switch occurs from a first thread to a second thread, the operating system retrieves the stored value from the memory location associated with the second thread and writes the value to the extension register. In this manner, when the second thread requires access to its PCI device, the proper address value is already located in the extension register.
US07856633B1
A method of partitioning a memory resource, associated with a multi-threaded processor, includes defining the memory resource to include first and second portions that are dedicated to the first and second threads respectively. A third portion of the memory resource is then designated as being shared between the first and second threads. Upon receipt of an information item, (e.g., a microinstruction associated with the first thread and to be stored in the memory resource), a history of Least Recently Used (LRU) portions is examined to identify a location in either the first or the third portion, but not the second portion, as being a least recently used portion. The second portion is excluded from this examination on account of being dedicated to the second thread. The information item is then stored within a location, within either the first or the third portion, identified as having been least recently used.
US07856630B2
System, method and program for installing a first operating system, including a first hardware abstraction layer and other operating system functions, into a client computer. An image of the other operating system functions and a second hardware abstraction layer is loaded into the client computer. The second hardware abstraction layer is functionally interrelated with the second hardware abstraction layer in the image. There is automatic detection that the second hardware abstraction layer loaded into the client computer is incompatible with the client computer. In response, the second hardware abstraction layer with the first hardware abstraction layer is automatically replaced in the client computer. Subsequently, the first operating system including the first hardware abstraction layer and the other operating systems functions is booted up in the client computer. In one example, the operating system is Windows XP, the first hardware abstraction layer is adapted for an ACPI PIC type client computer, and the second hardware abstraction layer is adapted for an ACPI APIC type client computer.
US07856628B2
A computer implemented method, system, and computer usable program code for simplifying compiler-generated software code by creating a stub routine for checking storage contiguity. A stub routine is generated for a subroutine. The stub routine is used to determine whether data is contiguous for the subroutine. A subroutine call in the code is replaced with a stub routine call for the stub routine. The subroutine call has at least one argument. The stub routine call includes each argument for the subroutine call. The code is executed. The stub routine is called by the stub routine call to determine whether data is contiguous for the subroutine.
US07856625B2
A program conversion device for converting a program source is provided. The program conversion device comprises: a section and index acquisition device for acquiring a section code for indicating a section embedded in the program and performance index information embedded in the program in association with the section code; a task code conversion device for separating the acquired section code into task codes and adding a code to indicate the beginning of the task and a code to indicate the end of the task; and a task index attachment device for attaching a performance index, to input to the scheduler, to the task.
US07856623B2
A method and system are provided for creating an enumerated variable via an enumeration assistant interactive tool. A graphical user interface is provided to a programmer. Response to a request to create the enumerated variable received through a graphical user interface, the enumeration assistant determines parameters of the enumerated variable. The enumeration assistant creates development objects for the enumerated variable as a function of the parameters. The enumeration assistant stores the development objects in a program memory.
US07856619B2
A method and a system for automated testing of a graphic-based programming tool. The present invention includes a computer-implemented method that allows a developer to easily generate scripts for automatically testing a graphic-based programming tool using generic reusable building blocks of test code and separate decoupled parameter data. The method further allows the developer to automatically test and re-test a graphic-based programming tool using the generated scripts. The system provides a memory and a processor for implementing the automated testing methods according to embodiments of the present invention. An example application is a graphic-based programming tool used to generate screens and their underlying program logic.
US07856589B2
A decoding circuit and method for improving error correction capability using a stuffing byte, in which in the decoding method, an input data packet is decoded. When it is determined that error correction is impossible based on a decoding result, a stuffing byte section is detected in the input data packet. A level value of data in the stuffing byte section is converted into a stuffing byte level value. A data packet having the converted level value is decoded and output. The decoding circuit includes a decoder decoding an input data packet and a control block detecting a stuffing byte section in the input data packet, converting the input data packet, and decoding a converted data packet when the decoder fails in error correction of the input data packet.
US07856585B2
There are provided a content data transmission method, device, and program that minimize serious disturbances in reproduced content on the reception side, caused by a transmission error of encoded data, without sending feedback information from the reception side to the transmission side. When an encoder creates encoded data to be distributed, the encoder creates plural items of encoded data at the same time or creates FEC data at the same time in advance and, when storing the data in a file, stores the data as if the data were one item of encoded data. When a distribution server distributes the data using the file, the plurality of items of encoded data are automatically distributed at the same time and the FEC data is distributed. A client receives the plurality of items of encoded data or the FEC data to reduce the probability of data shortage due to a packet loss and, as a result, the deterioration in the image quality and the audio quality is reduced.
US07856581B1
Various methods and apparatuses are described for a system that includes some on-chip components, e.g., I-Os, test processors, soft wrappers, etc., an external testing unit that provides Parametric Measurement Unit (PMU) capability, and various tests performed on the I-Os by the on-chip testing logic, the test vector patterns supplied by the external testing unit.
US07856580B2
A system and method of testing a wireless communication device during device production comprises designating as a data log buffer when the device is being produced, at least part of random access memory (RAM) of the device that is allocated for virtual machine and/or application usage when the device is operational; and testing the device and storing test log data in the buffer. After testing, the data can be obtained from the buffer and processed using a debugging and log analysis tool.
US07856578B2
A test system timing method simulates the timing of a synchronous clock on the device under test. Strobe pulses can be generated by routing an edge generator to delay elements with incrementally increasing delay values. A data signal or synchronous clock signal can be applied to the input of each of a set of latches which are clocked by the strobe pulses. An encoder can convert the series of samples which are thereby latched to a word representing edge time and polarity of the sampled signal. If the sampled signal is a data signal, the word can be stored in memory. If the sampled signal is a clock signal, the word is routed to a clock bus and used to address the memory. The difference between clock edge time and data edge time is provided and can be compared against expected values.
US07856566B2
An electronics product has a control unit responsive to a power-on remote control signal to enable DC power converters to supply power for normal operation of the product and to a microprocessor for responding to other remote control signals. The microprocessor controls the control unit to return to a standby mode of the product by disabling the DC power converters. The arrangement facilitates eliminating a conventional standby power supply and achieving a very low standby power consumption.
US07856565B2
In an electronic device with a serial ATA interface, upon detection of the issue or reception of a preset command, a confirmation device, such as a CPU, confirms the completion of execution of the command. Upon confirming the completion of execution of the command, a controller, which may also be the CPU, controls shifting of the serial ATA interface to a power saving mode.
US07856561B2
Novel system and methodology for detecting a Powered Device (PD) in a Power over Ethernet (PoE) system. A PD probing circuit generates a detection signal supplied to the PD and determines a PD response signal produced in response to the detection signal. Based on the PD response signal, the control circuit determines a detection value for identifying the PD. In particular, the control circuit concludes that the PD is a device satisfying a PoE standard if the detection value is in a first predetermined range, and concludes that the PD is a legacy PD device if the detection value is in a second predetermined range outside of the first predetermined range.
US07856557B2
A method of authentication of data to be sent in a digital transmission system, the data being organized in a series of at least three files, involving generating a first authentication value for at least one first file, storing said first authentication value in a second file, generating a second authentication value for said second file, storing said second authentication value in a third file, and transmitting said first, second, and third files to a receiver.
US07856551B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a method for dynamically discovering a topology of a system having a plurality of point-to-point (PTP) links via a routine that communicates a link exchanged parameter with at least one component coupled to a system bootstrap processor (SBSP), sets a minimal set of routing infrastructure information based on the communication, and determines presence of a neighboring component to a target component based on a communication from the SBSP to the target component using the minimal set of routing infrastructure information. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07856544B2
A method for implementing a stream processing computer architecture includes creating a stream computer processing (SCP) system by forming a super node cluster of processors representing physical computation nodes (“nodes”), communicatively coupling the processors via a local interconnection means (“interconnect”), and communicatively coupling the cluster to an optical circuit switch (OCS), via optical external links (“links”). The OCS is communicatively coupled to another cluster of processors via the links. The method also includes generating a stream computation graph including kernels and data streams, and mapping the graph to the SCP system, which includes assigning the kernels to the clusters and respective nodes, assigning data stream traffic between the kernels to the interconnection when the data stream is between nodes in the same cluster, and assigning traffic between the kernels to the links when the data stream is between nodes in different clusters. The method also includes configuring the OCSs to provide connectivity between mapped clusters.
US07856543B2
A data processing architecture comprising: an input device for receiving an incoming stream of data packets; and a plurality of processing elements which are operable to process data received thereby; wherein the input device is operable to distribute data packets in whole or in part to the processing elements in dependence upon the data processing bandwidth of the processing elements.
US07856531B2
A runtime code manipulation system is provided that supports code transformations on a program while it executes. The runtime code manipulation system uses code caching technology to provide efficient and comprehensive manipulation of an application running on an operating system and hardware. The code cache includes a system for automatically keeping the code cache at an appropriate size for the current working set of an application running.
US07856519B2
A solid-state memory storage device and method for using the device includes storing data wirelessly transmitted from a host and wirelessly transmitting the data to the host. The storage device has an RF module which demodulates an ultra-wideband write signal received wirelessly from a host and outputs a wireless protocol write signal. A wireless protocol controller has a protocol conversion layer which converts the wireless protocol write signal into a USB protocol write signal. A microcontroller has function extraction layer for extracting a write command from the USB protocol write signal and, in response to the write command, controls the writing of data extracted from the USB protocol write signal to the solid-state memory to store the data in the solid-state memory. The microcontroller also reads the data stored in the solid-state memory in response to a read command received from the host and outputs a USB protocol read signal to the wireless protocol controller. The protocol conversion layer also translates the USB protocol read signal into a wireless protocol read signal. The RF module also modulates the wireless protocol read signal and outputs an ultra-wideband signal for wireless transmission to the host.
US07856518B2
An information processing device comprising a data record medium access unit into which a data record medium, which has a first operation mode and a second operation mode as operation modes and has a first sub-operation mode and a second sub-operation mode as sub-operation modes of the second operation mode, is inserted and which gains access to the inserted data record medium, wherein it is necessary to stop power supply to the data record medium when the access to the data record medium is switched between the first operation mode and the second operation mode, but it is not necessary to stop the power supply to the data record medium when the access to the data record medium is switched between the first sub-operation mode and the second sub-operation mode and a selection unit which allows a user to select a type of access to the data record medium inserted into the data record medium access unit, wherein the information processing device is able to select an operation mode having a fastest data transmission rate among operation modes in which a newly detected data record medium is operable on the basis of a mode selection table.
US07856517B2
A method and apparatus for managing data. A data management interface that delegates data operations to one or more plugins is configured, each plugin being associated with a distinct data operation. A new plugin is identified. The data management interface is reconfigured to enable the new plugin, the reconfiguring being transparent to at least one application requesting a data operation.
US07856514B2
In a network regulated so that the unique identification information for a basic storage apparatus and that of each of a plurality of additional storage apparatuses do not overlap, the storage apparatuses can be connected to the network without being assigned unique identification information. The basic storage apparatus judges, when an additional storage apparatus is powered-on, whether or not an initial value is set in an identification information setting unit in the additional storage apparatus, the identification information setting unit being where unique identification information in the network is set. If it is judged that an initial value is set in the identification information setting unit, the basic storage apparatus enters a first mode in which it creates unique identification information, replaces the initial value with the created identification information, and recognizes the created identification information as unique identification information in the network. If it is judged that a value other than the initial value is set in the identification information setting unit, the basic storage apparatus recognizes that value as unique identification information in the network.
US07856513B2
A device, including a first storage unit configured to store a first plurality of files and a first management data corresponding to the first files; a connector configured to connect to an external storage device, the external storage being configured to store a second plurality of files and second management data corresponding to the second files; a controller configured to generate new management data by merging the first management data and the second management data, and to store the new management data in a memory; and a display unit configured to display contents of the first and second plurality of files based on the new management data without indicating to the user where the respective files are stored.
US07856508B2
Methods, apparatus, and business techniques are disclosed for use in mobile network communication systems. A mobile unit such as a smart phone is preferably equipped with a wireless local area network connection and a wireless wide area network connection. The local area network connection is used to establish a position-dependent ecommerce network connection with a wireless product or service access device supplied by a vendor. A negotiation sequence is carried out to electronically contract the services of the negotiated wireless peripheral from the vendor using a prepaid ecommerce protocol. The negotiated wireless peripheral is a general product or service vending device and the mobile unit acts as a digital authentication and payment device with digital pre-paid payment capabilities. The techniques are useful in many applications to include ticketing and admission systems to events and other types of services that involve ticketing.
US07856507B2
A first device transmits messages to a second device. The first device keeps track of messages that have already been transmitted from the first device to the second device, experiences an interruption in transmission of messages at the first device, and resumes the transmission from the first device following the interruption. Resuming the transmission includes transmitting only messages that have not already been completely transmitted from the first device to the second device.
US07856500B2
Techniques for placing at least one composite application in a federated environment are provided. The techniques include analyzing a composite application to be deployed in a federated environment, obtaining one or more application artifacts, analyzing feasibility of placing one or more application components at one or more clusters in the federated environment without knowledge of resource availability at each of the one or more clusters, and generating a mapping of the one or more application components to the one or more clusters such that an application requirement is met, wherein the one or more application artifacts are distributed across a federated environment.
US07856498B2
Methods, systems, and computer program products for dynamically monitoring, processing, and managing alerts are described herein. In an embodiment, the method operates by receiving messages that are either alerts or responses to existing alerts. The messages are parsed to determine if whether they are alerts or responses to alerts. Actions including updating alert states and storing alert data are executed, and then the method sends notifications regarding the alert messages and responses to a collaboration list of registered subscribers that dynamically expands over time based upon alert escalations. The method then determines whether additional messages have been received; and performs actions associated with these additional messages until there are no remaining alerts or alert responses to process. The method stores updated alert and response data in a repository so that the alerts and responses can be monitored and managed.
US07856496B2
A method and program product for gathering information about a system. A user logs on to the system, and in response, computer programming automatically identifies application instances executing in the system, determines whether the system is configured for high availability, determines whether each of the identified application instances is configured for high availability, determines if the system is a node of a cluster of systems, and compiles and displays a unified report of the resulting information. The foregoing type of information is automatically compiled and displayed for other systems as well, in different respective sessions.
US07856491B2
When a memory card is inserted into a card reader of an MFP, a selected network address is set as a connection destination, and a memory card insertion signal is transmitted to the connection destination. On the other hand, when no network address is selected, all network addresses stored in the memory card are set as connection destinations, and the memory card insertion signal is transmitted to the set connection destinations. The memory card insertion signal includes information indicating the insertion of the memory card into the card reader and a network address of the MFP.
US07856480B2
A node (101, FIG. 1), within a networked computer system (100), is capable of supporting communications with other nodes relating to operating multiple application instances in a master-slave configuration. Each node periodically generates and sends (520, 526, FIG. 5) a Heartbeat message (FIG. 8) that indicates the operational status for one or more application instances being managed by the node. When a node receives a Heartbeat message from a remote node, it evaluates (FIG. 10) the Heartbeat information for each application instance reported in the message, and takes any appropriate actions. The node also determines (1206, FIG. 12) whether new configuration information should be obtained for each of the application instances the node is managing, and requests (1210, FIG. 12) that new configuration information, when necessary.
US07856473B2
In a shared workspace, a session for managing connection of conference systems, a file used in a conference and created as a record of the conference, reference information to a resource relevant to the conference, and history information of file access made by conference participants are managed. The conference participant can operate a GUI, thereby connecting to the conference system without being aware of the call address of each conference system and easily accessing information in the files relevant to the conference and the like from the conference system.
US07856471B2
A method and apparatus turns a typical home telephone system into a platform for delivery of web based content and services. The preferred embodiment of the invention comprises a broadband enabled telephone system for the home and a series of web servers that collect, package, and deliver personalized content and services to all of the telephone handsets throughout the home. With this end-to-end solution, any information or services available via the web can be delivered through a broadband enabled telephone system. Through the web, each member of a family can build a profile which defines what information and services they want available through the handset. In addition, each handset can be dynamically personalized for any family member. The color screens on the handsets become windows through which an individual can view and interact with a broad range of content and services. The audio channels thus become an extension of the voice based services, such as messaging and voice chat.
US07856461B2
Techniques are provided for maintaining high propagation availability for non-persistent messages. Destination-to-instance mapping information is provided to a listener process for a cluster database. The destination-to-instance mapping indicates the current owner instance of each single-instance destination within the cluster database. To establish a connection to a single-instance destination, a sending process sends a connection request to the global listener. The connection request identifies the desired destination queue, but not the owner instance of the queue. The global listener for the cluster database uses the destination-to-instance mapping to determine which instance is the current owner of the specified queue, and establishes a connection between the sending process and the appropriate owner instance.
US07856458B2
A method and system for generating an n-dimensional matrix presentation of at least part of an m-dimensional database including data records and a least one key dimension. Each key dimension includes data value fields. Each data value field has real data therein. A sorting sequence of fact numbers is calculated. The fact numbers are integers that identify the data records. Entry points for each dimension of the n-dimensional matrix presentation are calculated. Each entry point is calculated to be linked with a corresponding fact number of the sorting sequence. A cardinality of the n-dimensional matrix presentation is calculated in dependence on the calculated sorting sequence and the calculated corresponding entry points. The n-dimensional matrix presentation is generated based on the calculated cardinality and the calculated entry points.
US07856451B2
A process that ensures the virtual destruction of data files a user wishes to erase from a storage medium, such as a hard drive, flash drive, or removable disk. This approach is appropriate for managing custom distributions from a large file sets as it is roughly linear in compute complexity to the number of files erased but is capped when many files are batch erased.
US07856445B2
A system and method is disclosed for presenting relevant advertising to user search queries. The RSS content is processed as part of a search query. The results of the query are further selectively processed to identify concepts/topics therein. The resulting web page topics/concepts can then be mapped to advertisements (or keywords) based on correlating topics/concepts which are in common. Thus the ads can be selected by reference to an underlying content presented in RSS feeds.
US07856442B2
A communications system for communicating local content over a network includes storing a plurality of primary local content entries on a local content provider computer system, storing an account total for each of a plurality of customers, storing a plurality of added local content entries relating to the customers on a local content provider computer system, transmitting at least a subset of the matched entries from the local content provider computer system over a network to a partner computer system, each matched entry that is transmitted including data from a respective one of the primary local content entries, and depending upon the account total of each customer corresponding to each entry, added content from the respective added local content entry and updating a selected account total of a selected customer for a charge based on a transaction at the partner computer system, the transaction involving extraction and transmission of a selected entry corresponding to the selected customer due to a search request being received from a remote computer system at the partner computer system.
US07856435B2
The method makes use of a given ontology to select keywords representative of a given document. The method finds all the terms in an ontology that occur in a document, and computes their frequency of occurrences in the document. The method then propagates these values from the leaves upwards to the root of the ontology during which it weights them. The method then selects a subset of terms of the ontology structure as keywords representative of the document based on these weights.
US07856427B2
A database management system managing one or more databases to suspend access to at least one selected database by one or more processes or applications (e.g., message processing programs, batch messaging programs, etc.). In some instances, the one or more databases may include one or more IMS databases. Access to the at least one selected database may be suspended to enable one or more operations to be performed on the at least one selected database by the database management system and/or an outside entity (e.g., a user, an external application, etc.). For example, the one or more operations may include an imaging operation, a loading operation, an unloading operation, a start operation, a stop operation, and/or other operations. In some instances, access to the at least one selected database may be suspended without canceling transactions being executed by the one or more processes or applications on the selected at least one database.
US07856426B2
A method and system to provide subjective evaluations for artifacts in a Universal Description Discovery and Integration (UDDI) registry (version 3 or later). An extension to a UDDI registry receives a request from a client to add a subjective evaluation to an artifact in the UDDI registry, the request including a key identifying the artifact and an evaluation value to be associated with the artifact. The extension stores an evaluation, including the artifact identifying key and the associated evaluation value. The extension receives a request from a client to find a specific type of artifact in the UDDI registry, the request including an evaluation qualifier. The extension receives from the registry a list of keys identifying artifacts responsive to the request. The extension then provides the client with a list of stored evaluation values associated with the artifact keys in the artifact list.
US07856425B2
Techniques are provided for performing a copy operation. A fast reverse restore command indicating a new source and a new target is received, wherein the new source is an original target and the new target is an original source. A synchronous scan is performed on the new target. A new target structure associated with the new target is updated using a new source structure associated with the new source. Techniques are also provided for performing a copy operation in which a fast reverse restore command is received after an instant virtual copy has been performed from a new target to a new source and wherein the fast reverse restore command is performed before a background copy has been performed by the instant virtual copy.
US07856422B2
A synchronization process, and associated apparatus, for placing database copies in match with one another by way of communications effectuated upon an air interface of a radio communication system. Hash functions are performed at a mobile node and at a network part upon mobile and network copies of database information. Comparison of the hash information formed therefrom provides a preliminary indication of whether the databases are in match with one another. If a determination is made that the databases are out of match, the data is compared, and the data is placed in match with one another responsive to such additional comparisons.
US07856420B2
Solutions for reducing latencies in enterprise operations and business processes adaptation particularly as related to enriched publish and subscribe are proposed by the present invention. These solutions are implemented in a zero latency enterprise (ZLE) framework that allows the enterprise to integrate its services, applications and data in real time. Namely, an enterprise equipped to run as a ZLE is capable of integrating, in real time, its enterprise-wide data, applications, business transactions, operations and values. An operational data store operates as an information broker between the applications such that applications publish messages to the central repository and subscribe to messages from the central, rather than exchange request-response messages directly with each other. Thus, enriched publish and subscribe improves information synchronization between applications and reduce the number of request-response messages the applications would otherwise exchange. Consequently, an enterprise conducting its business as a ZLE exhibits superior management of its resources, operations and customer care.
US07856419B2
Consistent replicas of a data object are created using a replication protocol that includes an opportunistic replication phase followed by a consistent replication phase. During the opportunistic replication phase, dirty regions are selected from the data object included in a primary computer and copied to a data object replica included in a secondary computer according to a selection heuristic. During the consistent replication phase, an immutable image of the data object is created by the primary computer and the remaining dirty regions are copied from the immutable image of the data object to the data object replica to create a consistent replica of the data object.
US07856417B2
A method and system for filing electronic mails is disclosed. The method executed on the client side of a mail application allows to propose to a user a list of relevant folders that have been previously used to store e-mails in relation with the current e-mail to be stored. The relationship between the e-mail is determined by analyzing the content of different message fields of the e-mail header.
US07856410B2
A system is disclosed that provides a goal based learning system utilizing a rule based expert training system to provide a cognitive educational experience. The system provides the user with a simulated environment that presents a business opportunity to understand and solve optimally. Mistakes are noted and remedial educational material presented dynamically to build the necessary skills that a user requires for success in the business endeavor. The system utilizes an artificial intelligence engine driving individualized and dynamic feedback with synchronized video and graphics used to simulate real-world environment and interactions. Multiple “correct” answers are integrated into the learning system to allow individualized learning experiences in which navigation through the system is at a pace controlled by the learner. A robust business model provides support for realistic activities and allows a user to experience real world consequences for their actions and decisions and entails realtime decision-making and synthesis of the educational material. A store management tutorial system is enabled for providing active coaching on aspects of inventory management, stocking, advertising, return on revenue, markdown, assortment strategy and other aspects of retail management. Techniques for process sensitive help are also integrated into the system to provide contextual examples to guide a user in performing a task.
US07856406B2
A system and method for managing accounts payable that allocates at least a portion of an invoiced dollar amount to a virtual account associated with a vendor, allows the vendor to request that a dispersal dollar amount be transferred from the virtual account to a real account associated with the vendor, and initiates an electronic transfer of the dispersal dollar amount from a real account to the real account associated with the vendor.
US07856405B2
A cyber mall system has a contents sales apparatus for selling digital contents, a contents purchasing apparatus, and a network for connecting these components. When digital contents are registered into the contents sales apparatus, digital contents personal using conditions are generated on the basis of digital contents using conditions and are provided to a customer. If the digital contents are again purchased after the delivery of the digital contents fails, as long as the digital contents personal using conditions provided at the time of purchase are valid, the digital contents are again delivered without again collecting a digital contents value.
US07856402B1
A video of a negotiable instrument may be provided from a user to a financial institution so that an image of the negotiable instrument may be obtained from the video and deposited in a user's bank account. In an implementation, a user may use a device such as a video camera, a web camera, or a video-enabled phone to convert an endorsed check into a video data file by making a video of the check and storing the video in a video data file. The user may send the video data file to the financial institution, where it may be processed and deposited in an account associated with the user. Any technique for sending a video data file to the financial institution may be used.
US07856398B2
A computer implemented system and method for supporting or facilitating security trade financing by a trading company (TC) of a deficient-asset company seeking capital (CSC) with a limited number of deficient assets.
US07856389B2
The present invention relates to systems, methods, data structures and user interfaces for generating and presenting information as to how and why the book yield of an investment portfolio changed over a time interval. Dynamic book yield analysis is particularly useful for bond portfolio analysis and management. Transactions and events that occur in a financial market during a pre-specified time period and relating to a portfolio of assets are identified by a computer server. Specifically, the book yields and book values for these transactions and events are accessed from the portfolio accounting system and the data for each transaction/event are categorized according to transaction/event type (though net cash equivalents are first separated out into their own category). The categorized information is then stored in a data structure residing on the system. Book yields and book values are identified for the portfolio of assets at the beginning and end of the pre-specified time period and book yields and book values are calculated for each category of transactions/events previously identified. The effect of each category of transactions/events on the book yield of the portfolio of assets is then quantified. The results of the analysis can then be displayed to investors and portfolio managers in dynamic book yield attribution reports generated by a reporting system. The reports can be used by these investors and portfolio managers to make and execute additional investment decisions based, at least in part, on the quantified impacts of each category of transactions/events on the portfolio book yield.
US07856387B1
A computer implemented method for facilitating a purchase transaction includes enabling a deposit account of an accountholder to be associated with another account of the accountholder that is provided by a provider of media to the accountholder. The account provided by the media provider corresponds to provision of media to the accountholder or is a financial account that is associated with a media account of the accountholder. Information indicative of the account provided by the provider of media is received during a purchase transaction. The purchase transaction is settled using funds from the deposit account.
US07856378B2
A system for trading media space includes a server node which receives requests for media space from buyers and offers of media space from sellers. The server node includes a set of rules for matching one of the requests and one of the offers to form a matched request and offer pair. A delivery system is connected to said server node for facilitating delivery of media content between the buyer and seller of the matched pair.
US07856371B2
In one embodiment, planning repairs in response to demand in a multi-level repair network includes accessing a forecasted demand for serviceable parts at a repair location and, for each inspected unserviceable part at the location that is not repairable at the location: (1) planning a move of the part to an upstream repair location such that the part can be available for repair at the upstream location at an estimated earliest time; (2) estimating a latest time at which a repair of the part can begin at the upstream location to help satisfy the forecasted demand, according to the forecasted demand and the estimated earliest time, and planning a repair at the upstream location at the estimated latest time; and (3) re-planning the move, according to the start time of the repair, by modifying a move delivery time according to a repair start time and modifying a move start time according to the modified delivery time. The re-planned move start time is an estimated latest time at which the part can be moved to the upstream location for repair to help satisfy the forecasted demand.
US07856363B2
The method, system and user-interface allows alignment of refill dates associated with a plurality of prescriptions, such that the plurality of prescriptions all require refills on the same date, thus limiting the number of occasions on which a customer must visit the pharmacy to retrieve refills of the aligned prescriptions, and increasing the likelihood that the customer will comply with the recommended medication regimen. The plurality of prescriptions are associated with a plurality of customers, for example, living in the same household, being members of the same family, or being patients in the care of a single entity or person.
US07856357B2
A speech synthesis system stores a group of speech units in a memory, selects a plurality of speech units from the group based on prosodic information of target speech, the speech units selected corresponding to each of segments which are obtained by segmenting a phoneme string of the target speech and minimizing distortion of synthetic speech generated from the speech units selected to the target speech, generates a new speech unit corresponding to the each of the segments, by fusing the speech units selected, to obtain a plurality of new speech units corresponding to the segments respectively, and generates synthetic speech by concatenating the new speech units.
US07856334B2
A method is disclosed whereby a laser-based spherical coordinate measurement system is dynamically calibrated. A mechanical oscillator, such as, but not limited to, a Foucault pendulum is used to generate periodic motions which can be fitted to Fourier series models. The residuals between the experimental measurements and the model can provide information which can be used to calibrate the instrument. The calibration information is used to augment the ASME B89.4.19-2006 standard to improve sensitivity to cyclic errors and include the servo systems.
US07856333B2
The disclosure relates to a method for commissioning pneumatically operated actuators that are controlled by a positioner. To determine the drive type, a constant flow of pneumatic fluid is applied to the actuator during commissioning while a drive-specific characteristic curve of the fed back position is recorded over time. Then the measured characteristic curve is compared with a given specimen characteristic curve. The drive type is inferred from the level of difference or agreement between the drive-specific characteristic curve and the specimen characteristic curve.
US07856325B2
Disclosed are systems and methods for identifying and quantitating the presence of one or more DNA species in a sample population through PCR amplification. DNA species quantitation includes a determination of a threshold fluorescence value used in the assessment of the PCR amplification reaction. Various embodiments of the present invention incorporate an enhancement function useful in selecting appropriate threshold fluorescence values and facilitate the determination of DNA concentrations by quantitative PCR based methodologies.
US07856317B2
The invention provides a computer implemented process for constructing a scalable output network model of a bioparticle. The process includes computer implemented steps of: (a) accessing a database of network gene components including an annotated network set of open reading frames (ORFs) of a bioparticle genome; (b) forming a data structure associating the network gene components with network reaction components, the data structure establishing a data set specifying a network model of connectivity and flow of the network reaction components, and (c) transforming the data set into a mathematical description of reactant fluxes defining the network model of connectivity and flow, wherein the mathematical description defines a scalable output network model of a bioparticle.
US07856316B2
Disclosed are a navigation system and/or a point information display method and a program. The navigation system consists mainly of: a stream receiver that receives broadcast streams; a data decoder that samples a data signal from the received streams and decodes the data signal into character string information; a matching block that performs matching to compare a predetermined keyword, which is associated with position information specified in map information data, with stored keywords and searches a keyword consistent with the keyword contained in the character string information; a position information searching block that searches position information associated with the keyword contained in the character string information and detected to be consistent with a stored keyword by the matching block; and a display unit that displays the detected position information while superimposing it on a display image.
US07856311B2
An information providing system that provides information to a traveling user, includes a visit history record unit which detects that the user visits a place which is away from a user's living area in order to generate a travel history, and records, as a visit history, the travel history together with a visit area which represents the visited place. Moreover, the information providing system includes a visit history database, a facility information database which provides the user with the information regarding the visit area recorded in the visit history database, and a facility information search unit.
US07856308B2
A knock detection apparatus for an internal combustion engine can accurately detect the occurrence of a knock without an influence of a noise component even if the noise component having the same frequency as a knock vibration superposes on an ionic current signal. The apparatus includes an ionic current detection section, a knock signal detection section for detecting a knock signal based on an ionic current, a crank angle sensor for detecting a crank angle corresponding to a rotational position of the engine, a window setting section for setting a noise detection window, a noise component detection section for detecting a noise component in the window, and a knock determination section for determining the occurrence of a knock based on a relation between the noise component and the knock signal. The window setting section sets the window after a predetermined crank angle corresponding to an end of a combustion stroke of the engine.
US07856300B2
A seat apparatus for a vehicle including a motor for operating a side support portion, includes, a sensor for detecting that the vehicle is driven on a curve, a distance between curves calculating program for calculating a distance between curves, and a control state determining program for determining a control state of the vehicle, the control state being set to one of an unexecuted state, an executed state and a standby state, wherein the motor operates the side support portion so as to be retained to a supporting position when the control state of the vehicle is set to the executed state.
US07856299B2
The solution is arrived at with a computer-based diagnostic tester which can exchange information with the control devices installed in the motor vehicle using a diagnostic program via a diagnostic interface and via data lines. The motor vehicle-mounted control devices have program routines for self-diagnostics of the control devices and are capable of storing identified faults in the form of fault codes in reserved memory areas. The diagnostic program which is implemented in the diagnostic tester reads the fault codes out from the reserved memory areas, interprets the fault codes and displays them on a display together with the interpretations. In order to check to what extent repairs which have been performed have been successfully concluded, status polling is carried out using the diagnostic program implemented in the diagnostic tester. During this status polling, the status information of all the fault codes known in the system is interrogated and evaluated. In the process, all the fault codes whose fault setting conditions have either been tested positively or whose test requirements were not present in order to be able to carry out a test are displayed. A method for improved checking of repairs is also presented with the diagnostic tester.
US07856289B2
A vending machine that dispenses items for use with a power source. Power control circuitry is electrically coupled between the power source and one or more vending components of the vending machine. A controller is adapted to manage the supply of electrical power to such components by transitioning between a normal-operation mode and at least one power-conserving mode. An audio signal detector is provided that generates at least one dispensing event signal that represents the occurrence of one or more sound-based dispensing events. The controller transitions between the power-conserving mode(s) and the normal-operation mode based upon the at least one dispensing event signal from the audio signal detector, and possibly other data signals supplied to the controller.
US07856284B1
Audio data is processed and displayed in a series of spectral displays that progressively display the data at greater and greater resolution. Processing and displaying of the audio data is performed in a series of passes. For each pass, spectral data is generated from a portion of the audio data. The spectral data is cumulated and a display is rendered from the cumulated spectral data. This process is repeated until all of the passes have been completed.
US07856280B2
An integrated optimization and control technique performs process control and optimization using stochastic optimization similar to that used in biological immune systems during on-line operation of a process, the technique collects and stores indications of process control states. During steady-state operation, the technique optimizes process operation by developing sets of process control inputs from stored process control states using an objective function that defines an optimality criterion. Moreover, after one or more disturbance inputs experiences a significant change, the technique responds by comparing the changed disturbance inputs to the disturbance inputs of at least some of the stored process control states to determine the stored process control states that are closest to the new process operating condition. The technique then develops a new set of control inputs based on the control inputs associated with the stored process control states determined to be closest to the new process operating condition.
US07856277B1
An implantable lead having at least one electrode contact at or near its distal end prevents undesirable movement of the electrode contact from its initial implant location. One embodiment relates to a spinal cord stimulation (SCS) lead. A first injectable material is injected into the dura space to mechanically position the electrode array with respect to the spinal cord. Conjunctively for use with adhesives, or alternatively for use instead of the adhesives, a balloon may be positioned on the electrode lead array. The balloon is filled with air, liquid or a compliant material. When inflated, the balloon stabilizes the lead with respect to the spinal cord and holds the lead in place. An elastic aspect of the balloon serves as a contained relief valve to limit the pressure the balloon may place on the surrounding tissues when the epidural space is constrained.
US07856265B2
An implantable medical device may have a circuit failure mode. The disclosed circuit may have an integrated failure point designed to fail prior to those portions of the circuit. The integrated failure point may include a narrowed portion of a high voltage lead and a grounded lead having a narrow gap separating the grounded lead from the narrowed portion of the high voltage lead. During a high stress fault condition the narrowed portion of the high voltage lead acts as a fuse, forming a vaporized cloud of metal, which shorts current in the high voltage lead across the narrow gap to the grounded lead, thus protecting the remaining portion of the circuit from the high stress condition.
US07856256B2
A foldable portable terminal device provided with a first housing includes a display unit, a speaker and a speaker sound hole, a second housing, and a hinge unit that couples the housings rotatably around two directions that perpendicularly intersect with each other. The device is configured such that coupling of the first housing and the hinge unit is coupled to a second rotary shaft of the hinge unit at a position closer to a surface having the speaker sound hole than a midpoint in a cross-section in a thickness direction of the first housing, and that a gap formed in a folded state in which the first housing is overlaid on the second housing with a surface having the speaker sound hole facing inside is greater than a gap formed in the folded state with the surface having the speaker sound hole facing outside.
US07856236B2
Dynamic and current information is provided regarding a wireless device's entry into or exit from a geographically defined “watched” area. An area watcher application monitors preconfigured wireless devices entry/exit into preconfigured watched areas. The watched areas may watch for any/all subscribers, or for select, preconfigured subscribers listed in an appropriate table or database. Provision of location information is triggered by a wireless subscriber's entry, exit or changing between designated ‘watched’ areas or locations. Continuous polling may be used, or the mobile device itself or network element may be triggered to push its own location upon notification of its entry into or out of watched areas from an area watcher. A third party may be notified when a wireless user enters an area surrounding their retail store, and be sent a message such as “sale inside”, or “Your rentals are overdue”, on their wireless device.
US07856235B2
The invention relates to a method for calculating a position of a mobile communications equipment. In order to obtain a more accurate position information of the mobile communications equipment, receiving physical communication channels within the mobile communications equipment, receiving first signal codes within said physical communication channels, measuring a signal phase of said first signal code within said mobile communications equipment, measuring a pseudodoppler frequency within said physical communications channels within said mobile communications equipment, reducing a noise level of said measured signal phase by using said pseudodoppler frequency, and calculating said position of said mobile communications equipment using at least said noise level reduced signal phase, is proposed.
US07856233B2
An authentication, authorization, and accounting module of a first distributed mobile architecture is disclosed and includes a home location register. The home location register provides information associated with one or more mobile subscribers that are registered with the first distributed mobile architecture. Also, the information within the home location register at the first distributed mobile architecture is also provided at a first community location register at a second distributed mobile architecture that is accessible to the first distributed mobile architecture. The module further includes a second community location register that includes information associated with one or more mobile subscribers registered with the second distributed mobile architecture.
US07856226B2
Under one aspect, a system generates dynamic call models within an IMS network, allowing different user entities (UEs) to have different service experiences. The IMS network includes application servers (ASs) and a serving call state control function (S-CSCF) that receives and then forwards UE service requests. The system includes storage media storing a service tree, which defines potential call models that map potential UE service requests onto ASs. At least two potential call models map a specified potential UE service request onto different ASs that can provide different service experiences. The system includes control logic for providing session control, which receives UE service requests from the S-CSCF, receives the service tree from the storage media, generates a call model for each UE based on potential call models defined by the service tree and on the requested service, and invokes a specified AS based on the generated call model.
US07856225B2
A method of retrieving a program state using a print medium, comprising the steps of: determining a print media identifier from the print medium using a sensor module of a mobile telecommunications device, the print media identifier having been linked to the program state; and, retrieving, using the mobile telecommunications device and the print media identifier, the program state.
US07856220B2
A magneto-electric-induction conversion system of a wireless input device includes an emitter and a receiver. A plurality of serially-connected resonant circuits, arranged side by side, makes resonance, so transmission energy is enhanced. An electromagnetic wave is transmitted via an inductive antenna, then received and converted by predetermined parallel-connected resonant circuits into an available power source, so that the energy is effectively delivered.
US07856217B1
A receiver contains a demodulator system that can extract digital data from wireless radio frequency signal. The digital data contains two sets of compressed digital audio data corresponding to two audio programs. The receiver also contains two decompressors. If a user selects a first audio program, a first compressor is used to decompress a first set of compressed digital audio data. If a user selects a second audio program, a second decompressor is used to decompress a second set of compressed digital audio data. The wireless radio frequency signal can be transmitted using a transmitter.
US07856211B2
Wireless communications transceivers include a transmitter that is configured to selectively frequency shift and transmit portions of broadband information over multiple non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the broadband information. A receiver also is configured to receive and selectively frequency shift portions of broadband information from multiple non-contiguous narrowband frequency bands/segments, each of which is too narrow to carry the second broadband information. Broadband information thereby may be transmitted and received in a regulated communications environment, even though a given provider may only be assigned discontinuous frequency bands/segments, none of which is wide enough to carry the entire broadband information.
US07856207B2
Various embodiments of apparatus and systems are provided for electrically isolating two devices while transferring power and RF signals therebetween. An electrical isolation apparatus includes an isolation transformer that operates to transfer electrical power between first and second devices. The electrical isolation apparatus also includes a decoupling device that transfers radio frequency (RF) signals between the first and second devices. The isolation transformer and the opto-isolator cooperatively operate to electrically isolate the first device from the second device.
US07856202B2
An image forming apparatus is provided that can improve the interest of the user in the ecology. The apparatus includes an image input portion that inputs image data, a printing portion that prints onto a recording sheet an image indicated by the image data inputted by the image input portion, a condition setting portion that sets printing conditions for executing printing by the printing portion, a displaying portion that displays the printing conditions that the condition setting portion has set, a used amount calculating portion that calculates the used amount of paper from the size of and the number of recording sheets used by executing printing by the printing portion based on the printing conditions set by the condition setting portion, and a display controlling portion that controls the displaying portion to display the used amount calculated by the used amount calculating portion.
US07856199B2
An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member for bearing an electrostatic latent image; a rotatable developer carrying member, provided opposed to the image bearing member, for carrying a developer including toner and a carrier to a position where the developer carrying member is opposed to the image bearing member; a regulating member for regulating the amount of the developer to be carried on the developer carrying member; a driving device for rotating the developer carrying member; a controller for controlling the driving device to execute, at the time of end of image formation, a plurality of continuous operations each including acceleration of a rotational speed of the developer carrying member and deceleration thereof following the acceleration.
US07856192B2
A process cartridge is detachably mountable to a main assembly of an electrophotographic image forming apparatus including a movable member movable from an outside of the main assembly of the apparatus to an inside thereof while carrying the cartridge. The cartridge includes a drum, charging and developing rollers, rotatably connected first and second frames supporting different rollers, drum and developing roller driving force receiving portions, first and second portions-to-be-supported, on one and the other ends of the first frame, first and second portions-to-be-positioned, on one and the other ends of the first frame positioned to first and second main assembly side positioning portions during a lowering movement of the movable member toward a transfer belt, charging and developing bias contacts exposed at the other end, and a portion-to-be-urged, on the first frame upper surface for receiving an elastic force to position the process cartridge relative to the main assembly.
US07856187B2
An image forming apparatus is provided, which includes: an image forming unit; a fixing unit having a heating part; a rotary drive unit; a driving force transmission unit including a displacement part displaceable to a transmitting position where rotation of the rotary drive unit is transmitted to the fixing unit and a non-transmitting position where the rotation of the rotary drive unit is not transmitted to the fixing unit; a cover configured to cover the heating part; a lock unit configured to selectively lock the cover; and a link unit configured to link the lock unit with the displacement part so that the lock unit locks the cover when the displacement part is displaced to the transmitting position and unlocks the cover when the displacement part is displaced to the non-transmitting position.
US07856185B2
An optoelectronic module for converting and coupling an information-containing electrical signal with an optical fiber including a housing having an electrical input for coupling with an external cable or information system device and for transmitting and receiving information-containing electrical signals over such input, and a fiber optic connector adapted for coupling with an external optical fiber for transmitting and receiving an optical signal; an electro-optic subassembly coupled to the information containing electrical signal and converting it to and/or from a modulated optical signal corresponding to the electrical signal; parametric data-collection means disposed in the housing acquiring environmental and/or operational data associated with the module; and a communication interface for wirelessly transferring the data to an external device, such as a portable terminal.
US07856184B2
In one embodiment a communications system includes an RF receiver that receives a desired signal and the interference signal, a first phase modulator that receives the desired signal and the interference signal from the RF receiver and generates a resulting optical signal, a second phase modulator that generates a modulated optical signal relative to an inverse interference signal and transmits the modulated optical signal to the first phase modulator, and a detector that receives the resulting optical signal from the first phase modulator and detects the desired signal, wherein the resulting optical signal comprises a modulated optical signal generated by the first phase modulator relative to the desired signal and the interference signal received from the RF receiver and relative to the modulated optical signal received from the second phase modulator.
US07856182B2
The present invention relates to a system for optical transmission of information over a multiplexed logical ring structure comprising a number of nodes, of which at least one is a master node, as stated in the independent claim 1. Said ring structure is a combination of a number of logical optical rings on the same physical fiber ring. Possible embodiments are disclosed in the dependent claims.
US07856168B2
The recorder/reproducer, when moving a first content data, writes a second content data, which is obtained by re-coding the first content data recorded in a first recording medium, into a second recording medium instead of the first content data, writes one or more first partial information extracted from the first content data into the second recording medium, and makes the first content data irreproducible, using one or more first invalidated partial information having one-to-one correspondence with the extracted one or more first partial information. When restoring the first content data, it makes the irreproducible first content data reproducible, using the one or more first partial information recorded in the second recording medium.
US07856156B2
Lithium niobate modulator having a doped semiconductor structure for the mitigation of DC bias drift
There is provided in one of the embodiments of the disclosure a lithium niobate modulator structure for mitigating DC bias drift comprising a highly doped semiconductor layer patterned above an optical waveguide having one or more DC sections and an RF section, wherein a metal layer or contact is in contact with a portion of the semiconductor layer and a buffer layer is deposited in the RF section. There is provided in another embodiment of the disclosure a method for making a lithium niobate electro-optical modulator for mitigation of DC bias drift.
US07856152B2
A light condition recorder system and method including a light condition recorder (104) responsive to a lighting environment (102) and generating an environment signal (112), a light simulator (106) responsive to the environment signal (112) and generating a lamp control signal (114), and a lamp system (108) responsive to the lamp control signal (114) and generating a simulated lighting environment (110).
US07856146B2
An image processing device has a division determination unit. The division determination unit determines the partition number of an image in input image data. The division determination unit calculates the image features of the image in the image data, the features existing in reference areas, and, on the basis of the image features, determines the partition number of the image in the image data.
US07856141B2
A method for adjusting saturation of an area of an image is disclosed. The method includes calculating a deviation level of a pixel in the area of the image by a processor and calculating a modified saturation value of the pixel in the area of the image according to the deviation level of the pixel in the area of the image and an original saturation value of the pixel in the area of the image by the processor. The deviation level indicates brightness differences of the brightness values among the pixel and a pixel set in a vicinity of the pixel in the area of the image. The pixel set includes pixels in the vicinity of the pixel of the area of the image.
US07856137B2
A correlation value image is generated from an input image and a template image, and separated into a positive correlation value image and a negative correlation value image. The template image is separated into a positive template image and a negative template image. A plurality of positive-negative-separated correlation images are generated by combining the positive correlation value image and the negative correlation value image and the positive template image and the negative template image. A polar-coordinates-converted input image and a polar-coordinates-converted template image are employed as the input image and the template image, respectively.
US07856135B1
An image analysis system provides for importing, normalizing and co-registering a plurality of ocular fundus images, or images obtained by their decomposition, analysis, processing, or synthesis. Differences between the image are determined and of those differences those that are meaningful (e.g., from a diagnostic point of view) are highlighted. Sequences of these differences, which reflect changes in the eye represented in the images, are synthesized so as to present a view of how the differences manifest over time. Structures of importance in the eye are overlapped so that the information may be presented in a meaningful fashion for diagnostic purposes.
US07856133B2
The present invention provides an X-ray attenuation correction method, image generating apparatus, X-ray CT apparatus, and image generating method for correcting for the attenuation of X-ray beam at the boundary where the X-ray absorption rate of a subject is changing. Boundary information comprised of the boundary position where the X-ray absorption rate is changing and the magnitude of change is extracted from the projection information of the subject, then the boundary information is used to multiply the amount of scattered X-ray by the amount corresponding to the magnitude of change at the boundary position, to correct for the attenuation of X-ray at the boundary position. The attenuation of X-ray at the boundary position may be corrected for along with the scattered X-ray correction of the projection information, allowing alleviating artifacts developed in a tomographic image.
US07856131B2
A method of and apparatus for viewing microscopic images include transmitting tiled microscopic images from a server to a client. The client assembles the tiled images into a seamless virtual slide or specimen image and provides tools for manipulating image magnification and viewpoint. The method and apparatus also provides a virtual multi-headed microscope function which allows scattered viewers to simultaneously view and interact with a coherent magnified microscopic image.
US07856125B2
A 3D face reconstruction technique using 2D images, such as photographs of a face, is described. Prior face knowledge or a generic face is used to extract sparse 3D information from the images and to identify image pairs. Bundle adjustment is carried out to determine more accurate 3D camera positions, image pairs are rectified, and dense 3D face information is extracted without using the prior face knowledge. Outliers are removed, e.g., by using tensor voting. A 3D surface is extracted from the dense 3D information and surface detail is extracted from the images.
US07856122B2
A feature amount obtained from an image group for registration is stored as dictionary data in a memory. When an input image group constituted of a plurality of images is supplied to be collated with the dictionary data, the images constituting the input image group are classified based on a specific classification standard, a feature amount obtained from each of the classified image groups is collated with the feature amount stored as the dictionary data in the memory, and a result of the collation of all the input image groups with the dictionary data is determined based on a result of integrating a plurality of collection results of the classified image groups with the dictionary data.
US07856121B2
An image qualification method. A movements-determining method utilizes the image qualification, the image qualification method of which requires only an image frame to determine if the image frame is qualified. Thus, the image qualification proceeds in real time. The image qualification counts peaks of images of the frame to determine if a number of the peaks exceed a certain number, depending on application.
US07856115B2
An optimized moving-coil loudspeaker is described herein. The loudspeaker includes an acoustic-radiating diaphragm that is non-cylindrical shape. The diaphragm is a substantially-planar substrate having uniform density. A moving-coil assembly is coupled to the acoustic-radiating diaphragm. The assembly is configured to move back and forth in a linear fashion. As the assembly is connected to the diaphragm it causes acoustic waves to be emitted from a front surface the acoustic-radiating diaphragm. The acoustic-radiating diaphragm is not supported by a conventional basket, among other differences.
US07856111B2
A hearing aid device has a custom-fit shell that fits into the helix lock area of the outer ear of a hearing-impaired person, and an RIC tube that is held in the concha of the outer ear and terminates in the ear canal. The combination of the custom-fit shell and the RIC tube in the concha retain the hearing aid in the outer ear.
US07856108B2
The present invention relates to a method for preventing an output device from being damaged, which comprises the steps of: dividing the output value of an output device into a plurality of areas, defining a ratio value to every area, receiving a desired output value, determining the current area where the desired output value device is located, and calculating the desired output value with the ratio value to obtain an actual output volume and output the actual output volume.
US07856100B2
A method and system for collecting data from devices using a homomorphic encryption of the data is provided. A collection system of a device adds contributions to homomorphically encrypted data and forwards the requests to another device. When the device receives a reply to the request, it uncombines its contribution to the homomorphic encryption of the data. The device then forwards the reply to the previous device. The initiator device ultimately removes its contribution to the encryption and identifies the data.
US07856096B2
A DTMF signal processing apparatus of the present invention comprises a data divider unit, a DTMF signal component analyzer unit, a weighting processing unit, a buffer, a DTMF signal erasure determination unit, and a DTMF signal erasure processing unit. The data divider unit divides speech data into a plurality of divided speech data, and the DTMF signal component analyzer unit analyzes whether or not the divided speech data has a DTMF signal component. The weighting processing unit applies a weighting value to divided speech data analyzed at this time and stores the resultant speech data in the buffer, and also applies a weighting value to past divided speech data previously stored in the buffer when the result of the analysis indicates that the analyzed divided speech data has the DTMF signal component. The DTMF signal erasure determination unit determines based on the weighting value whether or not to erase the divided speech data stored in the buffer. The DTMF signal erasure processing unit replaces the divided speech data with either mute data or noise data, and delivers the replaced data when the result of the determination indicates an erasure.
US07856089B2
A printer, fax machine, copier, scanner, or any other office device used by multiple users from multiple locations is provided with improved apparatus and/or software for locking out all incoming commands from reaching the device's internal controller except for commands coming from a newly-designated primary controller used by the service technician. This lockout can be used with any type of office machine that has it's own internal controller, so it applies equally to all types of office machines and systems generally used in today's office environments.
US07856072B2
An object of the present invention is to reduce jitter dependent on data patterns by an interface receiver. Another object of the present invention is to provide an LSI capable of automatically adjusting a delay time for jitter reduction so as to be able to control its setting for each device. Since the jitter dependent on the data patterns can be expected according to how the previous state is being placed, the state of data received by the receiver is held, and the timing provided to fetch input data is adjusted according to the held state and the input data. As a control mechanism lying in the receiver, for determining a delay time dependent on the form of mounting, a driver transmits and receives pulse data set at one-cycle intervals and pulse data set at two-cycle intervals as test patterns. The receiver has an automatic control mechanism for determining a delay time optimal to a system from the difference between a rising time of each of pulses different in pulse width and its falling time.
US07856070B2
A method and system for digital baseband receiver with digital RF/IF/VLIF support in GSM/GPRS/EDGE compliant handsets. The method may comprise receiving an input signal which may be a digital RF signal, IF or VLIF signals, and the input signal may comprise of I and Q components. The serial digital RF signal may be converted to a parallel digital formatted signal, the latter of which may be transferred to an input of a multiplexer. The received IF signal or VLIF signal may be filtered and transferred to the input of the DU which may convert the VLIF signal to a baseband signal by processing the VLIF signal with a CORDIC algorithm. The DU may bypass processing the IF signal. The output of the DU may be transferred to the input of the multiplexer, such that the multiplexer may select the parallel digital formatted signal or the output of the DU.
US07856058B2
A video encoding method includes selecting one combination, for each block of an input video signal, from a plurality of combinations. Each combination includes a predictive parameter and at least one reference picture number determined in advance for the reference picture. A prediction picture signal is generated in accordance with the reference picture number and predictive parameter of the selected combination. A predictive error signal is generated representing an error between the input video signal and the prediction picture signal. Encoding the predictive error signal, information of the motion vector, and index information indicating the selected combination is included.
US07856051B2
Apparatus, and an associated method, for determining whether to accept as valid a data segment, such as a radio block communicated pursuant to an EDGE communication session. A bit error rate measurer measures the bit error rate of a header part of a received radio block. The measured bit error rate is compared against a selected threshold. Results of the comparison are determinative of whether the radio block is accepted as valid or rejected as corrupted.
US07856049B2
A cable modem communication system includes a plurality of Cable Modems (CMs), a CM network segment, and a Cable Modem Termination System (CMTS). The CMTS segregates the plurality of CMs into a first group of CMs with which standard registering and ranging operations are performed and a second group of CMs with which attenuated transmission registering and ranging operations are performed. Each CM of the first group of CMs operable to perform registering and ranging operations by transmitting a ranging burst of a first format. Each CM of the second group of CMs operable to perform registering and ranging operations by transmitting a ranging burst of a second format that differs from the ranging burst of the first format. The CMTS may include a rake receiver that receives and demodulates a plurality of multi-path copies of the ranging burst of the second format.
US07856047B2
A method and system for selecting frequency channels for a concurrent dual transceiver system are provided. In one aspect, a single hop table for at least two transceivers is used. The single hop table tracks information associated with a plurality of frequency channels that the transceivers can use. An available frequency channel is randomly selected using the single hop table and a transceiver is allowed to communicate via the selected frequency channel for allowed time duration. If communication has not completed for the current communication request, another frequency channel that is available is selected randomly and used. Multiple transceivers may communicate concurrently using this frequency channel selection and hopping method.
US07856046B2
A surface emitting laser diode includes a ring-shaped first semiconductor layer including an n-type clad layer, a ring-shaped active layer provided on the first semiconductor layer, and a ring-shaped second semiconductor layer which is provided on the active layer and includes a p-type clad layer and a grating layer including grating units continuously arranged in a circumferential direction, each grating unit including a plurality of regions having different refractive indices and being adjacent to each other in the circumferential direction.
US07856039B2
In a semiconductor device, a switching current generator circuit generates and outputs a switching current such that a voltage input to a switching current setting terminal is equal to a voltage input to a switching current control terminal, and a bias current generator circuit generates and outputs a bias current such that a voltage input to a bias current setting terminal equals a voltage input to a bias current control terminal. A memory circuit inputs a voltage according to an amount of light emitted by a semiconductor laser, and generates a voltage to make the input voltage equal to a predetermined first reference voltage corresponding to a predetermined amount of light. An APC output terminal outputs the voltage output by the memory circuit to an external device. A current adding circuit combines the switching current and the bias current to generate a drive current to drive the semiconductor device.
US07856037B2
The present invention generally relates to the operation of optical network equipment such as optical amplifiers. In one aspect, a method of operating an optical amplifier is provided such that output of the optical amplifier avoids the effects of operating an optical gain medium in a non-linear (kink) region of an L-I curve. The method generally includes operating an optical gain medium in a fully off state or fully on state above the kink region with a PWM signal. In another aspect, the effects of the kink region may be compensated for by utilizing a lookup table. A sample of the optical power of an amplified optical signal may be used to select an entry in the lookup table that compensates for non-linearities in the kink region. In yet a further aspect, a lookup table may be used to control a pulse modulator to compensate for non-linearites in the kink region of the L-I curve.
US07856014B2
A network, method, and a method of providing a service for multicast forwarding using multi-protocol label switching for a virtual private network in a public network. The network includes a first router, the first router being a provider edge multi-protocol label switching capable router, the first router including a virtual router connected to one or more second routers by tunnels, each second router of the one or more second routers being provider edge multi-protocol label switching capable routers; and a network connecting the first router to the one or more second routers.
US07856013B2
An apparatus and process for relabelling and redirecting at least some of the read transaction data frames and the write transaction write data and transfer ready frames in a network so as to bypass a storage manager and pass directly between the client and a storage device via a switch. This eliminates the storage manager as a bottleneck. Some embodiments redirect every read and write transaction, and others redirect only large transactions, or only ones not stored in cache or when latency gets too high. Redirection is accomplished by transmission from the storage manager to a switch redirection commands that contain old and new address data. When a frame to be redirected comes in, its address is compared to the old address data. If there is a match, the new address data is substituted and the frame is passed to a conventional routing process to be routed so as to bypass the storage manager.
US07856012B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for facilitating communication of data. A method for prioritizing a block of data to provide content-based quality of service in a network includes receiving a block of data, selecting a selected rule from a set of available rules, processing the block of data, and prioritizing the block of data. The selected rule includes an operation and a key. The block of data is processed according to the selected rule based at least in part on the operation to determine a decision value based at least in part on the key. The block of data is prioritized based at least in part on the decision value.
US07856008B2
The embodiments of the present invention provide a mechanism to synchronize centralized networks. Each centralized network includes a central coordinator controlling and managing network activities. The embodiments provide a way of allocating beacon slots, such that one of the beacon slots is synchronized to the alternating current line cycle and thus functions as a master timing sequence. In some embodiments, methods, devices, and systems are provided for detecting transmissions of non-coordinating networks.
US07856001B2
Systems and methods are described for exchanging and determining routes in packet-switched mesh networks. Nodes in the mesh networks may be coupled via wireless and fixed-wire links. Routing protocols used to determine routes include link state protocols and hybrids of link state and path vector protocols. Type-Length-Value formats are provided to facilitate state information for nodes in the packet switched network, allowing paths to be re-routed through the mesh networks in real-time.
US07855999B2
A wireless station, in a wireless LAN, includes a network interface to a network interface device, e.g., a NIC, that includes a transceiver, an antenna, at least a first power supply or energy holder. The wireless station supports transmission of data in frames of variable length. Frame fragmentation is implemented by dividing a (long) frame into a number of frame fragments. Each fragment is sent as a non-fragmented frame. The length of a time period before or between transmission of (consecutive) frame fragments is controlled in order to decrease energy consumption during a predetermined time interval.
US07855997B2
Method and apparatus for scheduling time division multiple access (TDMA) communications among a plurality of peer nodes arranged to form a wireless ad hoc mobile network. The peer nodes communicate with each other using directional antennas and a TDMA process. The method includes a scheduling process for scheduling at least one transmit time slot during which a first one of the plurality of peer nodes transmits wireless data to a second one of the plurality of peer nodes.
US07855993B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for reducing power fluctuations during preamble training in a multiple antenna communication system using cyclic delays. A preamble having a legacy portion and a high throughput portion is transmitted (or received) on each of N antennas, wherein at least a portion of the preamble on a first of the N antennas is delayed relative to at least the portion of the preamble on a second of the N antennas, wherein the delay is non-orthogonal amount to introduce variation across the preambles transmitted on the N transmit antennas. The legacy portion may be, for example, an 802.11 a/g preamble.
US07855990B2
A radio communication system includes multiple communications nodes which may become diversity branches, a relaying apparatus for relaying a communications signal, and a radio terminal which is able to use an IP address associated with a home address to move between wireless zones which the communications nodes form. The relaying apparatus includes a transmitting unit that transmits a received communications signal destined for the IP address, based on an instruction signal generated in response to a request of the radio terminal for site diversity, to at least two communications nodes including a communications node indicated in the instruction signal. The at least two communications nodes include a transmitting unit that transmits the communications signal to the radio terminal, and the radio terminal includes a receiving unit that receives the communications signal from each communications node.
US07855986B2
A communication terminal, in case that transmission/reception of a frame is carried out between a management terminal and another communication terminal, reads out its frame content, and on the basis of a content of the frame which was readout, sets up power off time for turning off power of the communication terminal, and turns off power of the communication terminal, during a period of the power off time. By this means, depending on a content of a frame which is transmitted/received between another communication terminal and the management terminal, power off time of the communication terminal is calculated, and therefore, it is possible to turn off power of the communication terminal during such a period that transmission/reception is not carried out to/from the management terminal, and it is possible to suppress power consumption of the communication terminal.
US07855980B2
An exemplary method of identifying configuration topology, existing switches, and miswires in a given network is provided. Given a number of switches, which may be less than the maximum possible for the actual configuration and some ports of which may be miswired, generate a hypothesis for the supported topology of which the existing configuration is a subset. A best fit of the existing switches to the supported number switches of the maximal topology is performed, using formulae for the connections of the maximal supported topology. If supported switches are found missing in the assumed topology, the switch count is increased accordingly, and started over with a new hypothesis. When satisfied with identification, all switch ports are revisited and the connection formulae is used to identify all miswires.
US07855975B2
Message exchanges may be executed between a middleware component and at least one intermittently-available node, during connected phases of the intermittently available node with the middleware component. Transmission parameters associated with the message exchanges may be monitored, and a current request message to be sent to the intermittently-available node may be determined, the current request message being associated with a time-to-live. An expected message exchange time of the current request message and a resulting response message received from the node in response thereto may be determined, relative to the connected phases and based on at least some of the transmission parameters. Based on the expected message exchange time, it may be predicted whether the current request message and the resulting response message will be successfully exchanged with the intermittently-available node, prior to an expiration of the time-to-live of the current request message.
US07855969B2
The present invention is directed to a method and system for testing systems involving high speed SERDES cores by exposing an internal nature of signals. The signals are tapped at various external test points. The present invention may take one or more test points in receive and/or transmit paths of high speed SERDES cores, and expose the test points by routing signals to the pins/balls on a chip. Programmable directing (multiplexing) of signals may be utilized to restrict number of output debug ports. Consequently, the number of the pin count required for the chip may be controlled.
US07855965B2
Packet network telecommunication systems, especially Internet Protocol (IP) telephony removes the need of explicit installing of TSP (TAPI service provider) software or other telephony software at each workstation. Application server software or corresponding control software is arranged to take care of all call control actions on behalf of the phone client software so that the phone client software only needs to receive and transmit speech data streams, and to communicate all control messaging from and to the particular phone client software via the communication link between the control software and the phone client software. Since modern operating systems include support for the user interface devices as well as transmitting and receiving real-time data streams, the phone client software does not require any specific interfacing software to be installed on the client workstation.
US07855963B2
According to one embodiment of the invention, a method for controlling capacity of a wired or wireless network with varying bandwidth capacity is described. First, dynamic conditions associated with the data flow are measured. These dynamic conditions influence a bandwidth capacity for the data flow. Next, the capacity is estimated in order to adjust the data flow based on the estimated capacity per the measured dynamic conditions.
US07855961B2
A method for controlling the establishment of a connection within an optical network comprising the steps consisting in: transmitting a control message node-to-node along a path of said connection from an input node (A) to an output node (D) of the connection, said control message comprising a step indication field to indicate a current step (60) of the connection establishment, performing a local operation (62, 63) corresponding to said step indication field within at least one node, transmitting a step acknowledgment to the connection's input node after having completed said local operation, in response to receiving the step acknowledgment, transmitting another control message node-to-node from the input node, wherein said step indication field indicates a following step (70) within a sequence of steps.
US07855960B2
A packet relay device comprises a distribution processing unit classifying traffics into groups and users based on header information of packets received; a calculation unit calculating available frame rate of each user from peak frame rate, minimum frame rate, and weight information set for each user; a scheduling control unit updating a transmission schedule point-in-time calculated based on the available frame rate of each user, and judging which packet should be transmitted in accordance with the transmission schedule point-in-time updated; and a shaping unit updating a transmission schedule point-in-time calculated based on the peak frame rate of each user, and performing a shaping of packets at the peak frame rate on each user basis in accordance with the transmission schedule point-in-time updated; and a priority-control processing unit performing a strict priority control over transmission of packets of each group in correspondence with degree of priority of each group.
US07855955B2
A method for managing frames in a global-area communications network comprises a plurality of sub-networks linked to one another by tunnels at the ends of which there are tunnel endpoints, at least one of the sub-networks comprising at least one source device connected to one of said tunnel endpoints through said sub-network. When a given tunnel endpoint receives from a local sub-network, to which said given tunnel endpoint is connected, a frame sent out by a source device in the global-area network, the given tunnel endpoint performs the following steps: obtaining, from said frame, an address of the source device; verifying that the obtained address is included in a first list of addresses comprising addresses associated with source devices connected to remote sub-network or sub-networks distinct from the local sub-network; and in the event of positive verification, discarding said frame.
US07855948B2
By virtue of one embodiment of the present invention, dynamic signal to noise ratio measurements made on received signals are used to identify degraded segments of a channel. The degraded segments are then no longer used for transmitting payload data. In the context of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) communication system, degraded OFDM subchannels, as determined on a real-time basis, are not used to transmit payload data. In an OFDM network where access is shared in the time domain among multiple transmitters and a single allocable time slot includes an integer number of OFDM bursts, the medium access control layer adjusts packet length, and therefore the amount of data to be included in a given slot, in response to the fluctuating number of available subchannels.
US07855944B2
An optical element for use in an optical pickup device to conduct reproducing and/or recording information for a first disk including a protective substrate by the use of a first light flux emitted from a first light source and to conduct reproducing and/or recording information for a second disk including a protective substrate by the use of a second light flux emitted from a first light source, the optical element includes: an optical surface on which a first phase structure is formed to have a function to correct a spherical aberration; an optical surface on which a second phase structure is formed such that when the wavelength of the first light flux changes, the second phase structure generates a spherical aberration in a direction reverse to the direction of a spherical aberration generated by the first phase structure.
US07855932B2
A word line control device has a word line driver for deactivating and activating a word line to control access to a memory cell, and a voltage coupling device for coupling voltages to the word line driver. The word line control device maintains boosted voltages and has significantly reduced leakage currents and power consumption in the active and standby modes.
US07855921B2
An erase method and a soft programming method of a non-volatile memory device includes performing an erase operation on a memory cell block; applying a pass voltage to a memory cell adjacent to a select transistor of the memory cell block; applying a soft program voltage to the remaining memory cells of the memory cell block; and performing a soft program operation.
US07855910B2
A memory device including a plurality of electric elements corresponding to a plurality of transistors on a one-to-one basis; a word line driver for driving a plurality of word lines; and a bit line/plate line driver for driving a plurality of bit lines and a plurality of plate lines. Each of the plurality of electric elements includes a first electrode connected to one of the transistors corresponding to the electric element, a second electrode connected to one of the plate lines corresponding to the electric element, and a variable-resistance film connected between the first electrode and the second electrode, and the variable-resistance film includes Fe3O4 as a constituent element and has a crystal grain size of 5 nm to 150 nm.
US07855904B2
An apparatus having one or more modular stages for producing voltage and current pulses. Each module includes a diode charging means to charge a capacitive means that stores energy. One or more charging impedance means are connected to the diode charging means to provide a return current pathway. A solid-state switch discharge means, with current interruption capability, is connected to the capacitive means to discharge stored energy. Finally, a control means is provided to command the switching action of the solid-state switch discharge means.
US07855902B2
In a DC-DC converter of this invention, a voltage detection circuit is connected in parallel with an output switching device, and the voltage detection circuit is put into operation a predetermined time after the output switching device is turned on. In addition, a detection switching device, which constitutes the voltage detection circuit, is designed to have a higher ON resistance than an ON resistance of the output switching device.
US07855901B2
An AC command voltage obtained by compensating a reference value of a commercial AC voltage output from a multiplication unit using an FB control unit is multiplied by k (0≦k≦1) by a multiplication unit and output to a first inverter control unit, and the remaining part is output to a second inverter control unit. The first and second inverter control units generate signals, based on command voltages obtained by superposing the AC command voltage from an AC output control unit on respective phase command voltages.
US07855893B2
In general, an improved handle assembly in accordance with the present invention is configured to be removably attached to a printed circuit board (PCB), such as a vehicle detector PCB. The handle assembly includes a faceplate, a handle extending outward from the front surface of the faceplate, and an enclosure extending from the back surface of the faceplate, wherein the enclosure has an open side configured to interface with the printed circuit board, and an external surface configured to accept printed indicia (e.g., operating instructions relating to functionality of the printed circuit board). In a preferred embodiment, the handle assembly is an integral, plastic (e.g., polycarbonate) structure, and is configured to cover one or more temperature-sensitive components attached to the board.
US07855890B2
In a cooling system for an electronic device of the present invention, server rooms in which a plurality of servers are placed, an evaporator which is provided close to each of the servers, and cools exhaust air from the server by vaporizing a refrigerant with heat generating from the server, a cooling tower which is provided at a place higher than the evaporator, cools the refrigerant by outside air and water sprinkling, and condenses the vaporized refrigerant, and a circulation line in which the refrigerant naturally circulates between the evaporator and the cooling tower. According to the cooling system, an electronic device which is required to perform a precise operation with a heat generation amount from itself being large, such as a computer and a server, can be efficiently cooled at low running cost.
US07855886B1
An electronic device can conveniently change and assemble a heat dissipation apparatus which is received in the electronic device and dissipates heat for the electronic device. The electronic device with a fan heat dissipation apparatus can be replaced by a blower heat dissipation apparatus, without changing a chassis of the electronic device.
US07855885B2
A network cabinet comprising an electronic component a duct positioned therein. The electronic component has at least one exhaust vent and the duct defines first and second openings. The first opening aligns with the exhaust vent such that the duct receives exhaust therefrom and the duct extends from the first opening toward a side of the network cabinet such that the second opening faces the side of the cabinet to direct the exhaust thereto.
US07855877B2
Disclosed is a laptop computer including a body and a display articulably connected to the body. The laptop computer includes at least one drive unit capable of moving the display relative to the body.
US07855867B2
A passive optical network transceiver including a surge protection circuit so as to protect the electro-optical circuitry from lightning or other electrical surges. The surge protection circuit includes a ground line and at least one capacitor provided in a first line. In particular, the capacitance value of the capacitor is such as to limit the surge current in the first line, and the breakdown voltage of the capacitor is such as to limit the surge voltage between the first line and the ground line. In one embodiment, the surge protection circuit includes a second line connecting the first line to the ground line and at least one inductor provided in the second line. The surge protection circuit may include one capacitor with small value and high voltage rating, and multiple capacitors with larger value and lower voltage rating.
US07855864B2
In one or more embodiments, a switched mode power supply circuit is configured to monitor and control its output voltage during discontinuous conduction mode (DCM) operation, to prevent output over-voltage conditions. For example, in one embodiment, a switched mode power supply circuit is configured to operate selectively in continuous conduction mode (CCM) and discontinuous conduction mode (DCM), and it includes a control circuit that is configured to detect an output over-voltage condition during DCM operation. The control circuit reduces the output voltage of the switched mode power supply circuit responsive to detecting the output over-voltage condition, such as by activating a pull-down device and/or temporarily reverting the switched mode power supply circuit to continuous conduction mode (CCM) operation.
US07855863B2
Various apparatuses, methods and systems for protecting a driver from electrostatic discharge are disclosed herein. For example, some exemplary embodiments provide a driver, including a buffer, a leakage path blocking transistor connected to an output of the buffer, and an output driver connected to an output of the leakage path blocking transistor. Current from the output driver to the buffer is substantially blocked by the leakage path blocking transistor.
US07855858B2
A microactuator comprises a mounting block, a head suspension, a compliant joint for connecting the mounting block to the head suspension, and a piezoelectric element for deforming the compliant joint in order to rotate the head suspension with respect to the mounting block. An encapsulant covers an exposed surface of the microactuator. The encapsulant comprises a self-assembled monolayer formed of an organosilicone or organosilane, where the self-assembled monolayer has a self-limiting thickness of one layer of a molecule.
US07855857B2
Embodiments of the present invention restrain the head position accuracy from degrading due to torsional vibration of a head supporting unit. According to an embodiment of the invention, an actuator has a twisted carriage arm. A suspension is tilted in accordance with the twist of the carriage arm. When the carriage arm and the suspension torsionally vibrate, the vibration direction tilts against the normal direction of a recording surface in accordance with the twist. This technique decreases a peak value of off-track displacement that is caused by a head slider and is dependent on relationship between a skew angle and a torsional vibration direction.
US07855847B2
An optical component includes: an optical element; a sealing member in a ring shape arranged on the optical element; a stepped portion formed on a front of a circumference surface of the optical element; and a movement-restricting portion arranged at a rear of the optical element. The stepped portion restricts a movement of the sealing member toward a front of the optical element, and the movement-restricting portion restricts a movement of the sealing member toward a rear of the optical element.
US07855830B2
An optical output controller includes a wavelength conversion device operable to change the wavelength of pumped laser light; a heating/cooling unit operable to control the temperature of the wavelength conversion device; a temperature detector which detects the temperature of the wavelength conversion device; a temperature controller operable to control the heating/cooling unit such that the detected temperature corresponds to a target temperature; an optical output detector operable to detect the optical output from the wavelength conversion device; an optical-output maximization controller operable to determine a temperature at which the optical output is maximized according to the optical output detected by the optical output detector and from the detected temperature detected by the temperature detector and, further, outputs the temperature difference between the determined temperature and the detected temperature; and an adder which adds the temperature difference outputted from the optical-output maximization controller to the target temperature; wherein the temperature difference is added to the target temperature to correct the target temperature for maximizing the optical output.
US07855829B2
Particles for display including color particles and a silicone polymer attached to a surface of the color particles, the silicone polymer including, as copolymerization components, a first silicone chain component, a second silicone component including a silicone chain that is shorter than a silicone chain of the first silicone component, and a component including a charging group.
US07855826B2
Method and apparatus to reduce or eliminate stiction and image retention in interferometric display devices are disclosed. In some embodiments, a display element comprises a plurality of interferometric modulator devices configured in a matrix, each interferometric modulator device having a movable reflective layer and a plurality of supporting posts, the plurality of posts defining a post spacing distance in at least one direction that is greater for one or more interferometric modulator devices disposed adjacent to an edge of the display element than one or more interferometric modulator devices disposed nonadjacent to an edge of the display element.
US07855825B2
A micro-mechanical structure system according to the present invention includes: a movable structure 5, at least a portion of the movable structure 5 being formed of a single-crystalline material; an elastic supporting member 10 for supporting the movable structure 5; a stationary electrode section 13, 25 at least partially opposing the movable structure 5; and a base 22 which has a circuit section and to which the stationary electrode 13, 25 is affixed. The stationary electrode section 13, 25 includes a first electrode layer (upper stationary electrode layer) 13 positioned relative to the movable structure 5 and a second electrode layer (lower stationary electrode layer) 25 positioned relative to the base 22, the first electrode layer 13 and the second electrode layer 25 being bonded to each other via adhesion layers 15 and 16.
US07855815B2
A light guide optical system guides a plurality of light beams emitted from a plurality of point light sources arranged linearly to a predetermined surface. The light guide optical system has a plurality of optical surfaces arranged periodically in the arrangement direction of the plurality of point light sources. Each of the plurality of optical surfaces has power in the arrangement direction of the plurality of point light sources.
US07855814B2
A scanner is provided with a device main body, a hinge, a cover member, and a scanning device. The device main body comprises a transparent plate. The transparent plate forms a top surface of the device main body. The hinge is coupled to the device main body. The cover member is coupled to the hinge. The cover member is capable of rotating with respect to the device main body. The cover member is capable of covering the transparent plate. The cover member comprises an auto document feeder. The scanning device is located below the transparent plate. The scanning device is capable of scanning a document put on the transparent plate or a document fed by the auto document feeder. The hinge comprises a wiring support portion that supports a wiring extending between the auto document feeder and the device main body.
US07855809B2
An image processing apparatus executes an error diffusion process to multivalue image data consisting of a plurality of density components. A first processor executes the error diffusion process by changing at least one of a quantization threshold value and a quantization diffusion coefficient which are used for the error diffusion process based on a value of the multivalue image data of the density components or a value calculated from the multivalue image data value. A second processor executes the error diffusion process by setting the quantization threshold value and the quantization diffusion coefficient which are used for the error diffusion process into fixed values. An error diffusion processing controller controls to execute the error diffusion process to at least one color among the density components by the first processor and execute the error diffusion process to other density components by the second processor.
US07855808B2
A printing system includes a processing device, a printing device and a display device. The processing device processes image data in accordance with a set image quality parameter. The printing device performs a printing process of an image represented by the image data processed by the processing device. The display device displays an adjustment screen for adjusting the image quality parameter after the printing process of the image by the printing device is started.
US07855791B2
A vibration-resistant interferometric scanning system and method are provided in the present invention. In the present invention, the brightness distribution in a high-coherence interference pattern is analyzed so as to perform a compensation action to lock the brightness distribution of a high-coherence interference pattern and consequently locking the fringe distribution of a low-coherence interference pattern or to perform a scanning operation composed of plural shifting actions with specified scanning distances in sequence and plural compensation actions to lock the fringe distribution in a low-coherence interference pattern corresponding to the surface profile of a measured object. Consequently, with the system and method of the present invention, the surface profile of a measured object disturbed by external or internal vibrations can be measured accurately and precisely.
US07855785B2
This invention relates to a fluorescence detection device comprising a support means (101) for supporting a sample (111), a sample excitation means so that a fluorescence is emitted by the sample (111) and a detection means for detecting said fluorescence, said support means (101) comprising a layer having a rough surface (115) for redirecting said fluorescence in a plurality of directions and said detection means covering an observation cone to collect the redirected fluorescence in a plurality of directions.
US07855784B2
A wafer measurement/inspection instrument receives information on at least one of a processing result and an operating state of at least one of a coater/developer that performs film forming/resist processing to a wafer and an exposure apparatus that performs liquid immersion exposure to the wafer, and optimizes inspection conditions of the wafer based on the received information (steps 501 and 517). With this operation, quality inspection of the wafer can be efficiently performed, and as a consequence, it becomes possible to efficiently perform processing to the wafer.
US07855782B2
The present invention relates to an inspection system for the automatic inspection of ophthalmic lenses, preferably in an automated lens manufacturing line. The inspection system provides a phase contrast imaging unit and an inspection method using said phase contrast imaging unit designed to recognize defective lenses with an improved degree of reliability but that does not falsely sort out perfect lenses.
US07855781B2
According to an aspect of the embodiment, an optical device has a mirror device having a plurality of mirrors which are able to move, and a mirror interface for adjusting light axis of the each input light in accordance with each position of the mirrors.
US07855764B2
An electro-optical device includes a light source, a light guiding plate, a first displaying panel, and a second displaying panel, in which the light guiding plate has an inclined portion which becomes gradually thicker as it becomes nearer the light source, the second displaying panel is arranged on a first side of the light guiding plate, on which the inclined portion is disposed, and the first displaying panel is arranged on a second side of the light guiding plate, on which the inclined portion is not disposed, and an end portion of a displaying region of the second displaying panel is arranged nearer the light source than an end portion of a displaying region of the first displaying panel.
US07855760B2
In a liquid crystal apparatus in which a white light of a fluorescent tube corresponding to a linear light source repeats plural times of diffusions and reflections between a reflection sheet and a diffusion plate, and is thereafter input as a back light to a liquid crystal panel corresponding to a display screen, an object of the invention is to make it possible to secure a brightness uniformity even if the liquid crystal apparatus is thinned. It is possible to prevent a brightness unevenness caused by a short distance from the reflection sheet to the diffusion plate, by preventing a deformation (a deformation which is convex toward the fluorescent tube) of the diffusion plate due to a thermal expansion of the diffusion plate caused by a heat generation of the fluorescent tube, by arranging at least one pin mold hold so as to support a portion near an approximately center of the diffusion plate.
US07855754B2
A television display cover for covering the screen of a plasma or LCD screen when the television is not in use. The cover can be converted from existing frames, framed art, or mirrors already contained in a users' home or wall or panel for attachment of the display cover. A housing containing driving means is secured to a wall or recessed surface. The television display cover is then secured to the outside face of the housing. The cover can then be pivoted to an open or closed position to either expose the television display or cover it up.
US07855741B2
Provided are an image signal processing apparatus and method. According to the image signal processing method, by simultaneously performing in an integrated manner image denoising and interpolation using 4-directional image gradient information which defines differences in color brightness between adjacent pixels on the basis of edge direction information obtained from a bayer image output from an image sensor, it is possible to improve picture quality and processing speed.
US07855739B2
In an image signal processing apparatus, line memories conventionally provided at a latter stage of the apparatus in order to convert a VGA image signal into a CIF image signal are eliminated. Image data of the VGA held in a unit of one line in plural line memories 60 provided in a digital signal processing circuit are weighted and added in a VLPF 62. A factor setting part 76 of the VLPF 62 changes weighting factors according to a positional relation between a position of a generation object line of the CIF and a line of the VGA. The weighting factors are determined so that a characteristic of trapping ½ of a vertical sampling frequency fv is also obtained. The VLPF 62 uses the weighting factors to trap fv/2, and changes the position of the vertical sampling point to a position of each line of the CIF image.
US07855737B2
A method of making an image in a digital camera comprises capturing a digital image of a scene into which the camera user is to be inserted, and superimposing a symbol (subject locator) onto the scene image representing at least a part of a human subject. The subject locator is scaled to a desired size and moved to a desired position relative to the scene image. Next a digital image of the user is captured, and at least the part of the user image represented by the subject locator is extracted. The part of the user image represented by the subject locator is scaled (before or after extraction) to substantially the same size as the subject locator and inserted into the first image at the position of the subject locator.
US07855736B2
Method for reversing a video signal having sequences of n elements comprises the steps of writing the n elements of a first sequence into memory locations of a memory in a non-reversed order and reading out the memory locations in a reversed order, and in a subsequent step, writing the n elements of a second sequence into the memory locations in a reversed order and reading out the memory locations in a non-reversed order. The memory locations are readout from the memory in particular one element ahead of the write locations of the memory. A method of this kind can be used in particular in a television camera comprising a lens unit, which is designed for film applications.
US07855734B2
An image processing apparatus for recording and reproducing an image, comprises: a recording unit that records the image; a search unit that searches file data recorded in the recording unit when the apparatus is started; an operation unit that designates a predetermined operation to the apparatus; and a control unit that enables acceptance of an operation upon designation of the operation by said operation unit during a search of said search unit, even before the search is completed.
US07855731B2
An image vibration-compensating apparatus and a method thereof are provided. The apparatus and the method are applied in an image-capturing apparatus, such as a digital still camera (DSC) or digital video recorder (DVR), for compensating image vibration when capturing an image. The image vibration-compensating apparatus comprises an adaptive edge extractor, a sub-region movement detector, a frame motion calculator, and a correcting vector generator. The image vibration-compensating apparatus analyses the difference between the current image and the previous image, and outputs the correcting motion vector to achieve the function of image vibration-compensation. In the image vibration-compensating method, an accumulate compensation mode is used to prevent fast motion of an image frame which will cause discomfort of the user's eyes when a relatively large image vibration occurs in a short period.
US07855725B2
A method of controlling a backlight module, a backlight controller and a display device using the same are provided herein. The method includes receiving an image having a plurality of regions, wherein the image is displayed by a plurality of color backlights. Next, a feature in a first region of the image and the feature in a second region of the image are analyzed to obtain a spatial weight, wherein the first region and the second region of the image is one of the regions and the second region is neighboring to the first region. Next, the feature in the first region of the image and the feature in the corresponding first region of the preciously received image are analyzed to obtain a temporal weight. One of the color backlights provided to the first region of the image is adjusted according to the spatial weight and the temporal weight.
US07855723B2
A computer-implemented method for image registration includes accepting a three-dimensional (3-D) image of an organ. The image includes a first plurality of image points with respective image coordinates. A map defining a distribution of values of a physiological parameter over the organ is accepted. The map includes a second plurality of map points with respective map coordinates. Confidence levels are associated with one or more of the map coordinates and image coordinates. Weights are assigned to at least some of the map points and image points responsively to the confidence levels of the respective map coordinates and image coordinates. The 3-D image is fitted with the map by calculating a geometrical transformation between the map coordinates and the image coordinates based on the weights.
US07855721B2
An apparatus and method for saving power in an office machine having a display panel are provided. The method comprises setting the apparatus in an operation standby mode, detecting whether an error exists in the apparatus and turning on the display panel to display the error thereon when the error is detected. Furthermore, the apparatus keeps the display panel in an off state when the error is not detected. Thus, the exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a power saving method of an office machine which prevents unnecessary power consumption during an operation of an office machine having a display panel.
US07855711B2
Electric paper with an anisotropic conductive island writing and viewing surface includes a ground plane, a media layer that is formed adjacent to the ground plane and that includes a plurality of microencapsulated multi-chromal particles, and a conductive layer formed adjacent to the media layer, wherein the conductive layer includes a plurality of embedded conductive fibers that form an anisotropic conductive island surface for writing and viewing images.
US07855709B2
In a liquid crystal display device including a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight, the present invention provides a detection-use pixel having the same constitution as respective pixels constituting a liquid crystal display part in the liquid crystal display panel and being formed on a region other than the liquid crystal display part, a light detector detecting light from the backlight through the detection-use pixel, and a controller adjusting the intensity of the light from the backlight in response to a signal from the light detector to adjust the change of the characteristics and chromaticity in the liquid crystal display panel properly.
US07855706B2
Provided is a method of driving an electro-optical element having a first electrode, a second electrode, and an electro-optical material provided between the first electrode and the second electrode and having optical characteristics which vary in accordance with an applied voltage, including: applying a fixed voltage to the first electrode and applying a data voltage according to a gray scale level to be displayed to the second electrode in a first period; applying the data voltage to the first electrode and applying the fixed voltage to the second electrode in a second period; and alternately repeating the driving in the first period and the driving in the second period.
US07855701B2
An organic electro-luminescence device according to an embodiment includes a light-emitting device in a pixel for emitting light; a data line for providing a data voltage; and a driving transistor connected to the light emitting device, wherein when the driving transistor is turned on to drive the light-emitting device, a driving voltage applied to the light emitting device reaches a value of a difference between a supply voltage and the data voltage.
US07855695B2
In one embodiment, an integrated circuit antenna array is provided that includes: a first substrate, a plurality of antennas adjacent the first substrate; an RF network adjacent the first substrate, and a plurality of distributed amplifiers integrated with the first substrate and coupled to the RF network, each distributed amplifier including a varactor configured to load the RF network with a variable capacitance responsive to a control signal, wherein the RF network and the distributed plurality of amplifiers are configured to form a resonant network such that if a timing signal is injected into an input port of the RF network, the resonant network oscillates to provide a globally synchronized RF signal to each of the antennas, and wherein a resonant oscillation of the resonant network is tunable responsive to the control signal.
US07855693B2
A wide band biconical antenna with a helical feed system comprises a printed circuit board (PCB) that maintains a plurality of antenna elements having an entry conic and a termination conic arranged about a common axis. Each of the antenna elements receive a signal from a signal splitter via respective feed lines that each have the same physical length. In addition, the antenna system includes a matching system disposed within the ground plane formed by the entry conic of each of the antenna elements. The antenna elements are retained within retention sections that maintain helical support channels that allow the feed lines to be arranged in a helical manner about the antenna elements.
US07855690B2
The invention provides an improved array antenna, an array antenna system and an improved method for utilizing the improved array antenna and array antenna system. This is accomplished by an array antenna comprising a region of reference potential, e.g. a ground plane, and a spatially extended collection of at least two antenna elements capable of being at least partly balanced driven and at least partly unbalanced driven. The antenna elements have a first radiating element connected to a first port and a second radiating element connected to a second port. In other words, the antenna element has at least two ports. The radiating elements are arranged substantially adjacent and parallel to each other so as to extend at least a first distance approximately perpendicularly from said region of reference potential. The antenna element is further comprising a radiating arrangement connected to said first and said second radiating elements so as to extend at least a second distance above and approximately parallel to said region of ground reference.
US07855685B2
A microwave communication package is constructed on an electrically conducting base plate having a first side defining a base plate cavity, with an antenna apparatus mounted on an opposite, second side. A dielectric substrate on the first side of the base plate covers the base plate cavity; and sealing apparatus contacting the dielectric substrate and the base plate completely around the base plate cavity hermetically seals the cavity. Circuitry mounted on a surface of the substrate within the base plate cavity includes one or more microstrip lines communicating components to one or more waveguides comprising openings extending through the base plate; and the waveguides are coupled at their opposite ends to the antenna apparatus.
US07855677B2
The code generation apparatus includes: a clock generator which generates a clock signal of a first frequency; a timing controller which generates a timing signal of a second frequency lower than the first frequency; a code table storage in which a plurality of code sequences serving as a source for a pseudo-noise code is stored; an address controller which selects, according to the timing signal, a code sequence to be read, from among a plurality of code sequences; a partial code sequence extractor which extracts, as a partial code sequence, a code of a predetermined length, from the code sequence to be read; and a parallel-series convertor which outputs the partial code sequence one bit at a time, according to the clock signal.
US07855676B2
A radar level gauge system comprising a transceiver for generating, transmitting and receiving electromagnetic signals; an antenna arranged to direct transmitted electromagnetic signals towards a surface of the product contained in the tank, and to return reflected electromagnetic signals resulting from reflections at impedance transitions encountered by the transmitted electromagnetic signals back to the transceiver; and a hollow waveguide connecting the transceiver and the antenna for guiding the electromagnetic signals therebetween. The radar level gauge system further comprises a leak indication member being movably arranged inside the hollow waveguide in such a way that a force resulting from leakage of the fluid at the sealing member causes a movement of the leak indication member which causes a change in at least one microwave propagation characteristic of the hollow waveguide.
US07855671B2
The present invention is related to a pipelined analog-to-digital converter (ADC) utilizing a power distribution scheme selectively delivering both constant and variable reference currents in selected proportions to a plurality of stages and operational transconductive amplifiers (OTAs). This permits the ADC to maintain an optimized speed over power consumption ratio over a wide data rate range. Since the invention is capable of supporting a large operating range while maintaining very low power consumption relative to the data rate, the pipelined ADC in accordance with the present invention is particularly adaptable to a large number of applications.
US07855670B2
A successive approximation type A-to-D converter includes a cyclic D-to-A converter (11), a comparator (12) for comparing an analog value with an output value of the D-to-A converter (11), and memory means (13) for sequentially storing an output value of the comparator (12) and supplying the stored value to the D-to-A converter (11) in a reverse order.
US07855669B2
In an embodiment, a circuit device includes a first counter responsive to a clock signal and to a first control word having a first precision. The counter produces a first control signal related to the first control word at a first output. The circuit device further includes a second counter responsive to the clock signal and to a second control word having the first precision. The second counter produces a second control signal related to the second control word at a second output. The circuit device also includes a filtering circuit responsive to the first output and the second output to receive the first and second control words. The filtering circuit is adapted to produce an output control signal related to the first and second control words, where the output control signal has a second precision that is greater than the first precision.
US07855666B1
A calibration module includes an absolute value module that generates first and second magnitude signals based on a first signal and a second signal, respectively. A first module generates an amplitude correction signal for a quadrature-amplitude modulated (QAM) signal based on the first and second magnitude signals. A second module generates a phase correction signal for the QAM signal based on the first signal and the second signal.
US07855665B1
Systems and methods are provided for encoding and decoding constrained codewords using an enumerative coding graph. The constrained codewords may contain run-length and DC level limits. The enumerative coding graph contains a series of states and each state has multiple branches that lead to other states. Each state in the enumerative coding graph is associated with at least two bits of an enumerative codeword. Configuring the structure of the graph and cardinalities associated with each state allows the encoder to generate a code that conforms to defined constraints.
US07855663B2
A system for utilizing RFID tags to manage automotive parts. A system is provided that includes a radio frequency identification (RFID) reader configured to read data from RFID tags affixed to parts located throughout a vehicle, wherein each RFID tag uniquely identifies a part; a data processing system configured to process the data obtained by the RFID reader; and a service application that provides service related information to an end user based on an installation or removal of a part from the vehicle.
US07855660B2
This invention provides a pedestrian signal system not only for normal pedestrians but also for the blind, the disabled person of weak sight, and the illiterate by displaying the remaining time of each signal change in image figures at the signal head and by generating a voice signal in real time. It reduces the cost of the system fabrication, installation and maintenance of the system by combining the five functions of the pedestrian signals such as a walk signal, a stop signal, a remaining time of each signal of red/green and/or the voice generator for blinds in one signal head. Also, this invention provides the useful double safety traffic signal system especially for a school zone by installing LED studs on the stop line at crossroad for warning drivers by blinking the LED studs automatically when the walk signal is in on-mode.
US07855649B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for a tamper resistant RFID (radio frequency identification) tags that overcome the problems existing with previous RFID tags. The tamper resistant RFID tags described herein are particularly useful for tracking of liquid propane gas (LPG) containers and/or other types of containers or objects. Removal of the RFID tag, after it is attached, will destroy and/or render inoperable the RFID transponder within the tag so that removal and re-use is not practical or possible. One key feature of this tamper resistant RFID tag is the use of adhesive materials with differing adhesion characteristics with respect to the container material (e.g., metal) and the housing for the RFID tag (e.g., plastic) so that the RFID tag will tend to be destroyed when removal is attempted.
US07855648B2
A radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is disclosed. The RFID tag can include a blank onto which indicia is printed. The blank may further have an RFID chip and antenna disposed thereon. The blank may further be mounted on a carrier web and may also be laminated. The laminated RFID tag may then be disposed into a container and may be used for storing and transmitting information regarding the container or its contents.
US07855647B2
A flame resistant RFID tag comprises: a first flame resistant polymer film having a major surface; an RFID device secured to the major surface of the first flame resistant polymer film, the RFID device having proximal and distal surfaces and comprising an antenna electrically connected to an integrated circuit; and a first flame resistant pressure sensitive adhesive layer covering the distal surface of the RFID device. Methods of making the flame resistant RFID tags are also disclosed.
US07855642B2
A Disturbance-Sensing System comprises a fixed unit comprising a small and self-powered unit for associating with an object being protected, and for sensing an alarm event such as movement of the object being protected, and for remotely notifying the an owner or person responsible for the object being protected that the alarm event is occurring; and a mobile unit which may be carried by an owner of or person responsible for the object being protected, for receiving the notification of the alarm event. The fixed unit may be attached to or otherwise disposed in, on or in proximity to the object being protected. The mobile unit may comprise a user's cell phone. Various means for attaching the fixed unit to an object being protected are disclosed.
US07855639B2
A method of providing situational awareness at an incident scene. Sensor data can be received from at least one sensor (104, 106, 108) located at the incident scene and position data can be received for at least one resource (306, 308, 310, 312). Based on the received data, at least one optimal exit route (318) at the incident scene can be calculated. The present invention also relates to a system (118) that provides situational awareness at an incident scene. The system can include a communications adapter (204) that receives sensor data from at least one sensor located at the incident scene and position data for at least one resource located at the incident scene, and a processor (202) that calculates at least one optimal exit route for the resource to exit a location at the incident scene based on the received sensor data and position data.
US07855630B2
Fuse state indicators for use with disconnect devices having a fuse are provided. Fuse state indicators include a housing having circuitry, a detecting means for detecting an open circuit condition, conductors adapted for electrical connection to a disconnect device so as to complete a circuit connecting the detecting means with a fuse of the disconnect device, and a signal transmitting means. The detecting means is configured to transmit a signal to the signal transmitting means for determining an operational state of the fuse. The signal transmitting means, in turn, is configured to transmit a signal to a remote device the state of the fuse.
US07855629B2
Methods and apparatus for electromagnetic components comprise a core and a winding. The core and winding are configured to provide smaller and more effective electromagnetic components.
US07855623B2
A transmission structure having high propagation velocity and a low effective dielectric loss. The structure comprises a dielectric, a first reference conductor disposed below the dielectric, a signal conductor disposed above the dielectric, and a second reference conductor disposed over the signal conductor. The second reference conductor has a recess portion facing the signal conductor, the recess portion defining a gap between the second reference conductor and the signal conductor. The gap may be filled with air which has a relative dielectric constant approximately equal to one (1). Because of the physical and dielectric constant characteristics of the gap, the structure concentrates an electric field in the gap resulting in an effective dielectric constant approximately (approaching) one (1) and an effective dielectric loss approximately equal to zero (0). Thus, the structure exhibits a propagation velocity approximately equal to the speed of light.
US07855620B2
A filter circuit device includes a resonator unit configured with six or more resonators, the resonators being divided into a first resonator group including resonators connected in parallel and having odd-numbered resonance frequencies and a second resonator group connected to the first resonator group in parallel and including resonators connected in parallel and having even-numbered resonance frequencies, a delay unit connected between the first and second resonator groups to make a phase difference in a range of (180±30)+360×j degrees (j is a natural number) between the first and second resonator groups, a power dividing unit configured to divide a power to the resonators, and a power combining unit configured to combine outputs of the resonators of the first and second resonator groups between which the phase difference is made.
US07855614B2
Integrated circuit transmission lines are designed to match elements at opposing ends of the transmission line over a frequency range of interest. By modifying characteristics of the transmission line over the length of the transmission line, from a first end coupled to a first external element to a second end coupled to a second external element, return loss is improved. In various embodiments one or more of the width of the conductors and the distance between adjacent edges of the conductors are modified across the length of the transmission line. In an alternative embodiment, the conductors of the transmission line are segmented with each segment having a length and a width across the segment.
US07855613B2
A balun that includes a first conductor, a second conductor, and a third conductor. The first conductor has a first length. The first conductor also has a first end connected to a first balanced power amplifier output port. The second conductor has substantially the same first length. The second conductor also includes a first end connected to a second balanced power amplifier output port and a second end connected to a second end of the first conductor. The third conductor has substantially the same first length. The third conductor has a first end connected to an antenna port and a second end connected to a ground potential.
US07855611B2
A tunable delay line is calibrated to maintain the delay of the delay line at a desired value or within a desired range of values. In some aspects a signal is passed through a delay line multiple times so that the cumulative delay of the signal through the delay line (e.g., as indicated by a count) may be calculated over a period of time. The count is compared with an expected count and, based on this comparison, the delay of the delay line is adjusted as necessary. In some aspects the signal may comprise a digital signal. In some aspects a delay through a delay line may be calculated based on analysis of amplitude changes in a signal caused by a phase shift imparted on the signal by the delay line. In some aspects a delay line is incorporated into a transmitted reference system to generate and/or process transmitted reference signals.
US07855610B2
Techniques are disclosed for trimming a capacitance associated with a capacitor bank for use in a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO). In an embodiment, each capacitance is sub-divided into a plurality of constituent capacitances. The constituent capacitances may be selectively enabled or disabled to trim the step sizes of the capacitor bank. Further techniques are disclosed for calibrating the trimmable capacitance to minimize step size error for the capacitor bank.
US07855603B1
A Darlington pair amplifier includes a temperature compensation device. In one case, the device is a resistor connected in series between: (a) an intermediate node of two bias resistors for the Darlington pair, and (b) the control terminal of the Darlington pair. In another case, the device is a second, smaller, Darlington pair connected in series with the two bias resistors for the first Darlington pair. In still another case, the device is a combination of: (1) a resistor connected in series between: (a) an intermediate node of the two bias resistors for the Darlington pair, and (b) the control terminal of the Darlington pair; and (2) a second, smaller, Darlington pair connected in series with the two bias resistors for the first Darlington pair.
US07855596B2
A modulation ratio enhancement circuit increases the modulation ratio of a current signal which is ASK-modulated with signal data. A branch unit, an average value detection unit, a comparator and a buffer constitute a demodulation unit so that the signal data is demodulated from a current signal of which the modulation ratio is increased by the modulation ratio enhancement circuit.
US07855594B2
Methods and apparatus to fine gain and/or phase adjustment of analog quadrature filters are described. In one embodiment, gain and/or phase of an analog quadrature filter may be digitally controlled by switching one or more resistors coupled to the quadrature filter. Other embodiments are also described.
US07855586B2
A frequency jitter generator and a frequency jitter PWM controller are provided for overcoming the shortcoming that a conventional PWM controller reduces the electromagnetic interference issue by means of varying the operating frequency of the PWM controller based on an input voltage, while resulting in the uncertainty of the range of frequency jitter and the difficulty circuit design due to the effect of the input voltage and the load. The frequency jitter generator and PWM controller adjust the range of frequency jitter by using a signal within a fixed voltage range. The invention not only gets rid of the effect of the input voltage and the loading, but also simplifies the circuit design by fixing the range of frequency jitter no greater than a predetermined percentage regardless of the operating frequency of the PWM controller.
US07855583B2
A memory system includes a sense amplifier for detecting content of data memory cells by comparison with a voltage stored in a reference cell. The sense amplifier may comprise a comparator, first and second load circuits, and a low impedance circuit. A first input of the comparator is coupled to the low impedance circuit and a reference voltage node. A second input of the comparator is coupled to a data voltage node. The first load circuit loads a reference cell coupled to the reference voltage node. The second load circuit loads a data cell coupled to the data voltage node.
US07855570B2
A semiconductor device includes: a plurality of pins for receiving a plurality of external mount test signals; and a signal generating unit for generating a plurality of internal test mode signals in response the external mount test signals, wherein the semiconductor device enters into a mount test mode in response to the internal test mode signals for evaluating an operation of the semiconductor device mounted on an actual application device.
US07855566B2
A sensor system has a support that extends along an observation zone, a row of detection subassemblies arranged one after another on the support and having subcircuits for capturing detection events within respective observation subzones defined by the respective detection subassemblies, and a base circuit on the support. The detection subassemblies are controlled with an alternating voltage having a frequency that forms a carrier frequency based on which a signal dialog occurs between the subcircuits and the base circuit.
US07855561B2
A test circuit according to the present invention includes: a synthesis circuit that synthesizes a first test result signal output from a first test target circuit in response to a test instruction, and a second test result signal output from a second test target circuit in response to the test instruction; an inter-block delay generation circuit that delays the second test result signal with respect to the first test result signal; and a test result holding circuit that holds a synthesized test result signal every predetermined timing, the synthesized test result signal being output from the synthesis circuit.
US07855557B2
An NMR apparatus is provided, which is capable of being used for mass spectrometry and structure determination of a gas sample. The NMR apparatus includes: a sample vaporization unit 1 having a sample vaporization chamber 1a; an ionization unit 2 having a ionization chamber 2a and connected to one end of the sample vaporization unit 1 so that the ionization chamber 2a communicates with the sample vaporization chamber 1a; a long-length pipe 3 connected to one end of the ionization unit 2 so that the inside of the pipe 3 communicates with the ionization chamber 2a; a cooling unit 4 having a cooling chamber 4a and connected to one end of the long-length pipe 3 so that the cooling chamber 4a communicates with the inside of the long-length pipe 3; a superconducting magnet 5 having a tubular portion 5a into which the long-length pipe 3 is inserted, the superconducting magnet 5 being capable of applying a magnetic field and a gradient magnetic field in the axial direction of the long-length pipe 3; an ion guide 6 which decelerates gas ions; a mass analysis unit 7 which is used for mass screening of gas ions; and a nuclear magnetic force amplification unit 8 which amplifies the nuclear magnetic force of gas ions.
US07855556B2
A magnetic sensor including a magnetoresistive effect element has the following structure. Element units each having an element width W1 and an element length L1 perpendicular to the element width W1 and producing a magnetoresistive effect in which electrical resistance changes in response to an external magnetic field are arranged in an element-length direction with a space therebetween. An intermediate permanent magnet layer is disposed in the space, and the element units are connected to each other with the intermediate permanent magnet layer therebetween to form a connected-element body. A plurality of the connected-element bodies are arranged so as to be adjacent to one another in an element-width direction with a space therebetween, the ends of the connected-element bodies are connected to each other with an outer permanent magnet layer therebetween to form a magnetoresistive effect element having a meandering shape.
US07855555B2
The device for measuring magnetic field by using a magnetoresistive sensor comprises at least one magnetoresistive sensor (5), a module (50) for measuring the resistance of the magnetoresistive sensor (5), a generator module (40, 6) for generating an additional magnetic field in the space containing the magnetoresistive sensor (5), and a control unit (60) firstly for selectively controlling the generator module (40, 6) to apply an additional magnetic field pulse possessing a first value with first polarity that is positive or negative and magnitude that is sufficient to saturate the magnetoresistive sensor (5), and secondly for selectively controlling measurement of the resistance of the magnetoresistive sensor (5) by the module (50) for measuring resistance.
US07855552B2
A rotation angle sensor is provided for determining mechanical angular positions and transposing them into signals transferable through electricity. The sensor includes a housing (2), a rotation indicator (4) located outside of the sensor housing (2a) so that it can rotate and coupled with the sensor element (3) so it operates in a non-contracting manner through the wall of the housing (2). A sensor element (3) is located in the interior of the housing (2). An intermediary element (5) is rotationally supported in the interior of the housing (2) between the sensor element (3) and the rotation indicator (4) and coupled to the rotation indicator (4) in a rotationally fixed, but non-contacting manner.
US07855551B2
The present invention refers to position sensors in stick design, for installation in hydraulic cylinders, which may be maintained and replaced without having to open the hydraulic system of the cylinder and thus causing leakage. According to the invention the sensor includes a sensor head housing having an attachable and detachable sensor head cover which can be opened without removing the remaining housing out of the piston cylinder unit. Opening of the sensor-head-cover allows easy access to the functional components of the sensor.
US07855545B2
A sinusoidal modulated signal and noise are applied to a system consisting of two oscillators of the so-called General Type, which can be, but are not limited to, the Van der Pol type, Rotator type, Tracking Force type, Linear type, or any other type of oscillator. The two oscillators in the system can also be of different types. The General Type oscillators are tuned for specific frequencies of the incoming sinusoidal modulated signal. The process of adjusting of oscillators to an incoming signal is known as Dynamic Synchronization. During the transitional period, because the noise is random, the noise pushes the frequencies of the General Type oscillators in opposite directions over time and thus self-eliminates its impact on such oscillators. The resulting signal is much less noisy, i.e., clarified, so that the sinusoidal modulated signal can be further evaluated by, for example, extracting and further analyzing its spectral peaks.
US07855541B2
A power supply control circuit is disclosed. In one aspect, a power supply control circuit includes a controller to be coupled to a switch to regulate an output of a power supply in response to a feedback signal and a parameter change signal. A parameter response circuit is coupled to generate the parameter change signal in response to a difference between a first value of a parameter measured before an event and a second value of the parameter measured after the event. The difference between the first value of the parameter and the second value of the parameter is representative of the relative efficiency of the power supply.
US07855538B2
A method for sensing the supply current of a switched DC-to-DC converter is discussed. The method sensing a first voltage that is proportional to the supply current, wherein the first voltage has first noise; outputting a second voltage that is based on the first voltage, and wherein the second voltage has second noise that is smaller than the first noise; and comparing the second voltage to a reference voltage to provide an indication of the supply current. According to the systems and methods disclosed herein, accurate current sensing is provided.
US07855529B2
There is disclosed a sleeve for holding a portable electronic device such as an MP3 player, mobile telephone, PDA and the like. The sleeve is provided with an integrally formed secondary winding that enables the sleeve to pick up magnetic flux from an inductive charging platform and associated circuitry for generating a DC charging voltage that can be used to charge a battery in the device while the device is received within the sleeve. The sleeve is formed with a connector designed to fit a power/data connection socket in the device, and may also be provided with a connection port enabling the device to be connected to a computer while it is received within the sleeve.
US07855526B2
In the present invention, when configuring a control system of an inverter performing power conversion between AC and DC, a frequency computation is performed based on biaxial voltage amounts obtained through two current regulators in such a way that each of biaxial component currents obtained by detecting an AC circuit current and performing a rotational coordinate transformation matches each respective command value and phase information in synchronization with an electromotive force power supply of the AC circuit is obtained by integrating the frequency to perform the rotational coordinate transformation of the AC current and also the inverter is caused to operate by generating a PWM switching signal from the biaxial voltage amounts to perform necessary power conversion control.
US07855525B2
An actuator includes a motor operated by a controller through a pulse width modulation drive signal applied to a drive circuit that drives the motor. The actuator has an output shaft connected to a coupling structure for manipulating a device such as a variable geometry turbine (VGT) or an exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) valve. The device has a range of motion limited by first and second mechanical stops located at opposing low and high ends of the range. The controller learns the location of the mechanical stops during calibration. An external control unit transmits a desired position to the actuator. A protocol allows the external control unit to implicitly request a positioning mode by virtue of what value range the desired position falls into. The controller is configured to limit the drive signal to a non-harmful level when one of the positioning modes calls for pushing the device against one of the stops.
US07855510B2
A photomultiplier tube includes: a cathode, a plurality of dynodes, and an electron lens forming electrode. The cathode emits electrons in response to incident light. The plurality of dynodes multiplies electrons emitted from the cathode. The electron lens forming the electrode is disposed in a prescribed position in relation to an edge of a first dynode positioned in a first stage from the cathode and an edge of a second dynode positioned in a second stage from the cathode, and smoothes an equipotential surface in a space between the first dynode and the second dynode along a longitudinal direction of the first dynode. This structure improves time resolution in response to incident light.
US07855508B2
A white light-emitting microcavity light-emitting diode device including a reflective electrode and a semi-transparent electrode formed over a substrate and an unpatterned white-light-emitting layer formed between the reflective electrode and the semi-transparent electrode. The reflective electrode, semi-transparent electrode, and unpatterned white-light-emitting layer form an optical cavity, and either the reflective or semi-transparent electrode is patterned to form independently-controllable light-emitting sub-pixel elements. Color filters are formed over a side of the semi-transparent electrodes opposite the unpatterned white light-emitting-layer in correspondence with the independently-controllable light-emitting elements to form colored sub-pixels. One of the independently-controllable light-emitting element has at least two commonly-controlled portions that together emit substantially white light to form a white sub-pixel. The optical cavity of one or more of the commonly-controlled portions of the white sub-pixel comprises optical microcavities tuned to emit light at a different complementary wavelength at an emission angle.
US07855505B2
A display device includes an insulating substrate having a display area, a line part including a data line and a gate line insulated from and crossing each other, a common voltage supplying part formed outside an outer circumference of the display area, an insulating layer formed on the common voltage supplying part and including a contact hole formed on an area in which some lines of the line part extend substantially in parallel with each other, and a common electrode electrically connected with the common voltage supplying part exposed through the contact hole.
US07855495B2
A gap is provided between a cooling block 22 and a magnetic yoke 20. A cushioning material 25 is interposed in the gap to fix the cooling block 22 relatively to the magnetic yoke 20 by screws. Thus, even when metals having a large difference in tendency of ionization are used in the cooling block 22 and the magnetic yoke 20, the corrosion of the metals hardly arises. Further, the cushioning material 25 is provided in the gap between the cooling block 22 and the magnetic yoke 20, so that an impact or vibration to an anode tubular member 10 can be mitigated and the disconnection and deficiency of the filament of a cathode structural member can be reduced. Further, since a dimensional unevenness of the cooling block 22 or the magnetic yoke 20 can be absorbed by the cushioning material 25, the dimensional accuracy of parts does not need to be improved to make an assembly easy.
US07855493B2
A microchannel plate includes a substrate defining a plurality of pores extending from a top surface of the substrate to a bottom surface of the substrate. The plurality of pores includes a resistive material on an outer surface that forms a first emissive layer. A second emissive layer is formed over the first emissive layer. The second emissive layer is chosen to achieve at least one of an increase in secondary electron emission efficiency and a decrease in gain degradation as a function of time. A top electrode is positioned on the top surface of the substrate and a bottom electrode is positioned on the bottom surface of the substrate.
US07855491B2
A prestress-adjustable piezoelectric gripping device is provided, in which a prestressing device adjusts a prestressing force applied to a piezoelectric element of a piezoelectric unit on the basis of a feedback signal from a force-sensing unit, so as to adjust the friction between the piezoelectric unit and a gripping unit. By utilizing the deformation of the piezoelectric element to drive the gripping unit many times, the gripping velocity and gripping force of the gripping unit can be controlled, and the prestress-adjustable piezoelectric gripping device of the invention can achieve a long driving displacement while maintaining high precision.
US07855486B2
A claw pole generator is basically provided with a circularly arranged permanent magnet and an internal stationary unit with a yoke and a coil. The yoke includes a first laminated yoke and a second laminated yoke. The first and second laminated yokes include a disc-shaped connecting portion arranged on one side of the coil and a plurality of outer circumferential yoke portions that are arranged between the coil and the permanent magnet with circumferential spaces in-between. Each of the outer circumferential yoke portions has a plurality of outer circumferential yoke layers laminated overlying each other along a radial direction with respect to the axial centerline of the coil. An outermost one of the outer circumferential yoke layers that is closest to the permanent magnet with a longer axial length than an innermost one of the outer circumferential yoke layers.
US07855485B2
Stator for use in an electrical machine. A non-magnetic support frame section and a non-magnetic coil support are used to provide an air gap stator configuration. The present stators provide an air gap winding configuration that facilitates the fixing of stator coils in the air gap, spaced apart from the magnetic back iron.
US07855483B2
A turbomachine such as an aircraft turbojet including an electrical generator/starter that can be mounted and dismounted by axial translation in an upstream enclosure of the turbomachine between the low-pressure compressor and the high-pressure compressor, and couple to electrical cables which extend inside the structural arms of the intermediate casing of the turbomachine.
US07855482B2
In a rectifier, a high-side heatsink in which high-side rectifying elements are mounted provides a common positive terminal attached to the high-side heatsink. A low-side heatsink in which the low-side rectifying elements are mounted provides a common negative terminal. A terminal block assembly includes a plurality of terminal blocks integrated with each other. The plurality of terminal blocks hold the conductive members. A fixing mechanism directly fixes one of the plurality of terminal blocks to the high-side heatsink. The one of the plurality of terminal blocks holds at least one of the conductive members. The at least one of the conductive members is connected to one of the high-side rectifying elements. The one of the high-side rectifying elements is located closest to the output terminal in all of the high-side rectifying elements.
US07855478B2
A machine for generating reciprocal motion includes a first magnet rotatable about a first magnet axis, a second magnet spaced apart from the first magnet and rotatable about a second magnet axis, and a third magnet arranged between the first and second magnets and reciprocatable therebetween. A switching mechanism is associated with the first and second magnets to rotate the first and second magnets between a first position, in which the first and second magnets respectively attract and repel the third magnet, and a second position, in which the first and second magnets respectively repel and attract the third magnet. The third magnet can be reciprocatable along a reciprocation axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first and second magnet axes. The switching mechanism can include a first suspended weight that is selectively releasable to impel rotation of at least one of the first and second magnets.
US07855476B2
A mechanism to tap an electrical source which uses an aircraft (preferably a lighter than air balloon) tethered by a conductive line. The conductive line is extended/withdrawn by a winch motor to adjust the altitude of the aircraft. The conductive line is isolated from the ground and an electrical conductor is connected to the conductive line and to an electrical load. In this manner, static electricity generated in the atmosphere is gathered for use.
US07855471B2
A voltage converting unit converts a first voltage of an auxiliary power supply unit into a second voltage. A voltage determining unit determines whether the second voltage exceeds a predetermined threshold. A first switch, which is arranged between the voltage converting unit and a load, switches on and off a supply of an electric power of the second voltage to the load. When it is determined that the second voltage exceeds the predetermined threshold, a voltage-conversion control unit controls the voltage converting unit to stop converting the voltage, and then a switching control unit controls the first switch to supply the electric power of the second voltage to the load.
US07855469B2
A method for operating a wind turbine generator includes generating at least one of a plurality of rotor shaft angular displacement values, a plurality of rotor shaft angular velocity signals, and a plurality of rotor shaft angular acceleration signals. The method also includes determining a torsional moment within a rotor shaft, and modulating at least one of a wind turbine generator yaw orientation and a blade pitch orientation as a function of the determined torsional moment.
US07855466B2
An electric power system includes a variable speed generator driven by an engine and an electrical energy storage device. The generator and the storage device are coupled to a variable voltage DC bus. An inverter converts DC electricity from the DC bus to AC electricity for one or more electrical loads. A detector is included to monitor electric current provided to the DC bus by the storage device and provide a corresponding signal. Control circuitry is responsive to this signal to regulate power output from the storage device to the DC bus.
US07855461B2
A chip structure comprising a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of dielectric layers, a plurality of circuit layers, a passivation layer, a metal layer and at least a bump. The semiconductor substrate has a plurality of electronic devices positioned on a surface layer of the semiconductor substrate. The dielectric layers are sequentially stacked on the semiconductor substrate and have a plurality of via holes. The circuit layers are disposed on one of the dielectric layers, wherein the circuit layers are electrically connected with each other through the via holes and are electrically connected to the electronic devices. The passivation layer is disposed over the circuit layers and the dielectric layers, wherein the passivation layer comprises an opening that exposes one of the metal layers. The metal layer is disposed over the passivation layer, wherein the metal layer comprises at least a bump pad and at least a testing pad, the bump pad electrically connecting with the testing pad. The bump is disposed on the bump pad.
US07855456B2
A metal line includes a lower metal line formed on a semiconductor substrate. An insulation layer is formed on the semiconductor substrate having the lower metal line, and a metal line forming region exposing at least a portion of the lower metal line is defined in the insulation layer. A diffusion barrier is formed on a surface of the metal line forming region of the insulation layer and includes a WNx layer, a W—N—B ternary layer, and a Ti—N—B ternary layer. A wetting layer is formed on the diffusion barrier and is made of one of a Ti layer or a TiN layer. An upper metal line is formed on the wetting layer to fill the metal line forming region of the insulation layer.
US07855450B2
In a circuit module for a high frequency, a resistance film is formed on a side of a semiconductor circuit chip, mounted above a dielectric substrate through ground metal layers, opposite to the dielectric substrate. A distance from the ground metal layer to the resistance film is a ¼ wavelength at a predetermined frequency, and the resistance film has a sheet resistance equal to a characteristic impedance of air. A second dielectric substrate with the metal layer formed on a side opposite to the resistance film can be mounted. When being adhered to the second dielectric substrate, the resistance film has a characteristic impedance determined by a permittivity of a material of the semiconductor circuit chip. When being formed in space from the semiconductor circuit chip, the resistance film has a sheet resistance equal to a characteristic impedance of air. The thickness of the second dielectric substrate is a ¼ wavelength in a desired frequency.
US07855446B2
A semiconductor memory card includes a wiring board which has a first pad region along a first long side and a second pad region along a second long side. First memory chips which configure a first chip group are stacked in a step-like shape on the wiring board. Second memory chips which configure a second chip group are stacked in a step-like shape on the first chip group with the direction reversed. The electrode pads of the first memory chips are electrically connected to the connection pads arranged on the first pad region, and the electrode pads of the second memory chips are electrically connected to the connection pads arranged on the second pad region.
US07855435B2
According to one embodiment of the present invention, an integrated circuit including a plurality of memory cells is provided. Each memory cell includes a resistivity changing memory element which includes a top electrode, a bottom electrode, and resistivity changing material being disposed between the top electrode and the bottom electrode. Each resistivity changing memory element is at least partially surrounded by a thermal insulating structure. The thermal insulating structures are arranged such that the dissipation of heat generated within the resistivity changing memory elements into the environment of the resistivity changing memory elements is lowered.
US07855424B2
A method for packaging a semiconductor device includes following steps. First, a first substrate including at least one first pattern is provided. At least one semiconductor device is disposed on the surface of the first substrate. Next, a spacer with at least one aperture and at least one through hole is provided. Then, the first pattern is aimed at the through hole to connect the first substrate and the spacer, so that the semiconductor device is positioned correspondingly to the aperture. Afterwards, a second substrate including at least one second pattern is provided. Thereon, the second pattern is aimed at the through hole, so that the second substrate is connected to the spacer correspondingly.
US07855415B2
A semiconductor power device includes a drift region of a first conductivity type, a well region extending above the drift region and having a second conductivity type opposite the first conductivity type, an active trench extending through the well region and into the drift region, source regions having the first conductivity type formed in the well region adjacent the active trench, and a first termination trench extending below the well region and disposed at an outer edge of an active region of the device. The sidewalls and bottom of the active trench are lined with dielectric material, and substantially filled with a first conductive layer forming an upper electrode and a second conductive layer forming a lower electrode, the upper electrode being disposed above the lower electrode and separated therefrom by inter-electrode dielectric material. The first termination trench can be lined with a layer of dielectric material that is thicker than the dielectric material lining the sidewalls of the active trench, and is substantially filled with conductive material.
US07855411B2
The invention provides a memory cell. The memory cell is disposed on a substrate and comprises a plurality of isolation structures defining at least a fin structure in the substrate. Further, the surface of the fin structure is higher than the surface of the isolation structure. The memory cell comprises a doped region, a gate, a charge trapping structure and a source/drain region. The doped region is located in a top of the fin structure and near a surface of the top of the fin structure and the doped region has a first conductive type. The gate is disposed on the substrate and straddled the fin structure. The charge trapping structure is disposed between the gate and the fin structure. The source/drain region with a second conductive type is disposed in the fin structures exposed by the gate and the first conductive type is different from the second conductive type.
US07855408B2
A semiconductor device has a structure of contacts whose size and pitch are finer that those that can be produced under the resolution provided by conventional photolithography. The contact structure includes a semiconductor substrate, an interlayer insulating layer disposed on the substrate, annular spacers situated in the interlayer insulating layer, first contacts surrounded by the spacers, and a second contact buried in the interlayer insulating layer between each adjacent pair of the first spacers. The contact structure is formed by forming first contact holes in the interlayer insulating layer, forming the spacers over the sides of the first contact holes to leave second contact holes within the first contact holes, etching the interlayer insulating layer from between the spacers using the first spacers as an etch mask to form third contact holes, and filling the first and second contact holes with conductive material. In this way, the pitch of the contacts can be half that of the first contact holes.
US07855401B2
An improved field effect transistor formed in the Group III nitride material system includes a two part structure in which a chemical vapor deposited passivation layer of silicon nitride encapsulates a previously sputtered-deposited layer of silicon nitride. The sputtered layer provides some of the benefits of passivation and the chemical vapor deposited layer provides an excellent environmental barrier.
US07855396B2
A light emitting diode (LED) package structure including a first substrate, one or more LED chips, a second substrate, and a thermoelectric cooling device is provided. The first substrate has a first surface and a corresponding second surface. The LED chip suitable for emitting a light is arranged on the first surface of the first substrate, and is electrically connected to the first substrate. The second substrate is below the first substrate, and has a third surface and a corresponding fourth surface. The third surface faces the second surface. The thermoelectric cooling device is arranged between the second surface of the first substrate and the third surface of the second substrate for conducting heat generated by the LED chip during operation.
US07855381B2
A resin material having a small relative dielectric constant is used as a layer insulation film 114. The resin material has a flat surface. A black matrix or masking film for thin film transistors is formed thereon using a metal material. Such a configuration prevents the problem of a capacity generated between the masking film and a thin film transistor.
US07855361B2
An ion detector comprises an ion guide with electrodes arranged about a first axis; a positive ion detection device with an ion inlet at a first side of the ion output section offset from and at an angle to the first axis; and a negative ion detection device with an ion inlet at a second side opposite the first side, offset from and at an angle to the first axis. A negative voltage bias applied to the positive ion device accelerates positive ions toward the inlet along a path including a component along a second axis orthogonal to the first axis. A positive voltage bias applied to the negative ion detection device accelerates negative ions toward the inlet along a path that includes a component along the second axis orthogonal to the first axis in a direction generally opposite to the path of the positive ions.
US07855349B2
A sorting installation uses predetermined separating elements which may be differentiated from the articles. The sorting installation ejects the articles as well as the separating elements into the dispensing containers such that after ejection the articles and separating elements are arranged in each dispensing container in one respective sequence. In this connection, the sorting installation ejects each article depending on the respectively measured feature value into one of the dispensing containers. The sorting installation establishes which possible feature values the measuring device has actually measured at least once. For each such actually measured feature value, the sorting installation inscribes a separating element with an identification mark for this value. The sorting installation ejects the separating elements and articles such that in front of a separating element with an identification mark for a feature value, all articles with this feature value are located first in the sequence in each dispensing container.
US07855348B2
In one embodiment, an apparatus comprises a camera and a group of light emitting diodes configured and arranged to illuminate an object imaged by the camera. The group of LEDs comprises at least one first LED of a first type that emits light with a first spectrum profile and at least one second LED of a second type that emits light with a second spectrum profile that is substantially different than the first spectrum profile. The apparatus may further comprise an adjustment mechanism for adjusting of the relative amounts of illumination energy generated by the at least one first LED and the at least one second LED during each of a plurality of scan cycles of the camera.
US07855340B2
Esters of cyclohexane polycarboxylic acids are used as plasticisers for polyvinyl chloride to enable products with comparable mechanical properties to be obtained using less polyvinyl chloride. Use of these esters also produces formulations with increased stability to ultra-violet light, improved low temperature properties, lower viscosity and improved processability as well as reduced smoke on burning. The esters of cyclohexane polycarboxylic acids may be used alone or in admixture with other plasticisers when the esters of cyclohexane polycarboxylic acids may act as viscosity depressants. Fast fusing plasticisers may also be included. The formulations are particularly useful in the production of a range of goods from semi-rigid to highly flexible materials and are particularly useful in the production of medical materials such as blood bags and tubing.
US07855319B2
The present invention relates to increasing at least one antioxidant level in a plant or plant product by expressing a polynucleotide that encodes a transcription factor, which is active in a flavonoid pathway. Overexpression of, for instance, a novel and newly-identified gene, the mCai gene, in a plant, results in increased accumulation of chlorogenic acid and other related phenolics, which, in turn, increases the levels of beneficial antioxidant in the plant.
US07855314B2
An Absorber and an absorbent article including a fiber aggregate wherein a tow composed of fibers is used as the fiber aggregate, and the compression resilience RC is 45 to 60%. Also, the fiber aggregate has a density of 0.0075 g/cm3 or less, weight of 0.0075 g/cm2 or less and a mass of 1 to 15 grams.
US07855294B2
Provided are cycloalkanopyridine derivatives of formula [I]: [wherein the symbols are the same as those stated in the description]. The compounds act as a nociceptin receptor antagonist, and are useful as medicines for diseases associated with a nociceptin receptor, for example, as a reliever against tolerance to a narcotic analgesic; a reliever against dependence on or addiction to a narcotic analgesic; an analgesic enhancer; an antiobesitic or appetite suppressor; a treating or prophylactic agent for cognitive impairment and dementia/amnesia; an agent for treating developmental cognitive abnormality; a remedy for schizophrenia; an agent for treating neurodegenerative diseases; an anti-depressant or treating agent for affective disorder; a treating or prophylactic agent for diabetes insipidus; a treating or prophylactic agent for polyuria; or a remedy for hypotension.
US07855292B2
Certain sulfonamide compounds are dual CCK1/CCK2 inhibitors useful in the treatment of CCK1/CCK2 mediated diseases.
US07855279B2
The present invention provides unstructured recombinant polymers (URPs) and proteins containing one or more of the URPs. The present invention also provides microproteins, toxins and other related proteinaceous entities, as well as genetic packages displaying these entities. The present invention also provides recombinant polypeptides including vectors encoding the subject proteinaceous entities, as well as host cells comprising the vectors. The subject compositions have a variety of utilities including a range of pharmaceutical applications.
US07855274B2
The present invention relates to recombinant factor VIII having a specific activity that is higher than that of the corresponding wild-type factor VIII. The present invention also relates to methods of making and using the recombinant factor VIII. The present invention also relates to an isolated nucleic acid molecule that encodes the recombinant factor VIII, as well as DNA expression systems and host cells containing the isolated nucleic acid molecule.
US07855273B2
A method of manufacturing gelatin with reduced endotoxin content. The method comprises processing a starting material gelatin-containing solution containing gelatin and an endotoxin with an ultrafiltration film having a molecular weight cut-off falling within a range of from 20,000 to 300,000 and having a molecular weight cut-off capable of passing at least a portion of the gelatin contained in the starting material gelatin-containing solution to obtain a permeate that is a gelatin-containing solution with a reduced endotoxin content. A gelatin having an average molecular weight falling within a range of 1,000 to 300,000 and an endotoxin content of less than 1 EU/mL per 1.0 percent of protein.
US07855272B2
An isolated extracellular matrix-binding protein, designated as SdrE and its corresponding amino acid and nucleic acid sequences and motifs are described. The proteins, peptides, fragments thereof or antigenic portions thereof are useful for the prevention, inhibition, treatment and diagnosis of S. aureus infection and as scientific research tools. Further, antibodies or antibody fragments to the proteins, peptides, fragments thereof or antigenic portions thereof are also useful for the prevention, inhibition, treatment and diagnosis of S. aureus infection. In particular, the proteins or antibodies thereof may be administered to wounds or used to coat biomaterials to act as blocking agents to prevent or inhibit the binding of S. aureus to wounds or biomaterials.
US07855271B2
Compositions and methods for the therapy and diagnosis of cancer, particularly breast cancer, are disclosed. Illustrative compositions comprise one or more breast tumor polypeptides, immunogenic portions thereof, polynucleotides that encode such polypeptides, antigen presenting cell that expresses such polypeptides, and T cells that are specific for cells expressing such polypeptides. The disclosed compositions are useful, for example, in the diagnosis, prevention and/or treatment of diseases, particularly breast cancer.
US07855259B2
To provide a method for producing a melt-processable fluororesin, which is capable of increasing the molecular weight of the fluororesin and preventing coloration of the fluororesin, by using a specific fluorinated emulsifier other than ammonium perfluorooctanoate. A method for producing a melt-processable fluororesin which is characterized in that a fluorinated monomer is emulsion-polymerized in an aqueous medium containing a fluorinated emulsifier of a formula (I)XCF2CF2(O)mCF2CF2OCF2COOA wherein X is a hydrogen atom or a fluorine atom, A is a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal or NH4, and m is an integer of 0 or 1.
US07855257B2
A novel copolymer, graft copolymer, copolymer particles, flame retardant, and resin composition are provided. A copolymer including a polymer (A) segment having a glass transition temperature not more than −10° C., and a polymer (C) segment having at least a unit derived from a monomer (B) which has two or more of aromatic rings and one or more radical reactive groups in one molecule; a graft copolymer having the component (B) grafted onto the component (A); and copolymer particles thereof are obtained. A flame retardant resin composition is obtained by using the copolymer as a flame retardant and blending the flame retardant with the resin.
US07855254B2
The invention pertains to a multi-phase thermoplastic fluoropolymer composition, comprising a thermoplastic fluoropolymer and discrete domains of melt-processable perfluoropolymer, to the articles therefrom and to a process for manufacturing thermoplastic fluoropolymer compositions. The multi-phase thermoplastic fluoropolymer composition comprises: —at least one thermoplastic fluoropolymer (A); and —from 0.1 to 10% by weight of (A) of at least one melt-processible perfluoropolymer (B), and is characterized in that the polymer (B) is present in the composition in phase-separated domains in a continuous phase mainly comprising (A), at least 75% by volume of said domains having maximal dimension not exceeding 1 μm. The process of the invention comprises mixing: (i) a thermoplastic fluoropolymer (A); (ii) a melt-processible perfluoropolymer (B) under the form of particles having an average primary particle size not exceeding 300 nm; (iii) and optionally other additives or filling materials.
US07855253B2
Articles such as, for example, pipes or bottles, prepared from multimodal polyethylenes possessing a density from 0.940 to 0.965 g/cm3, and an I21 from 4 to 20 dg/min, and comprising a low molecular weight ethylene copolymer having a weight average molecular weight from 5,000 amu to 50,000 amu; and a high molecular weight ethylene copolymer having a weight average molecular weight from 60,000 amu to 800,000 amu, both components having a desirable balance of short chain branching making the multimodal polyethylene suitable for films, pipes, rotomolding applications and blow molding applications.
US07855246B2
A plastic pipe is made of a cross-linked polyolefin to be utilized in, but not limited to, potable water applications. Certain antioxidants and stabilizers are added to a process for producing the plastic pipe. The added antioxidants and stabilizers remain as key components in the final plastic pipes, providing superior long term stability and resistance to oxidative degradation, the latter being caused by but not limited to, chlorinated water environments. At least a primary stabilizer is used in the material.
US07855234B2
A method of accommodating a reduction in production capacity of one or more reactors in a multi-reactor assembly adapted for the production of hydrocarbon products from syngas, the syngas being provided by a syngas manufacturing facility and provided to an entry stream system providing syngas to each of the reactors, and having an exit stream system taking at least hydrocarbon products from the reactors, wherein the method comprises the steps of: redistributing the syngas from the one or more said reactors to one or more other reactors, and increasing the temperature in the said one or more other reactors to at least partially take over the reduction in production capacity of the one or more reactors.
US07855230B2
The invention concerns novel derivatives of 3,3-diphenylpropylamines, methods for their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions containing the novel compounds, and the use of the compounds for preparing drugs. More particularly, the invention relates to novel prodrugs of antimuscarinic agents with superior pharmacokinetic properties compared to existing drugs such as oxybutynin and tolterodine, methods for their preparation, pharmaceutical compositions containing them, a method of using said compounds and compositions for the treatment of urinary incontinence, gastrointestinal hyperactivity (irritable bowel syndrome) and other smooth muscle contractile conditions.
US07855220B2
Bicyclic derivatives useful as ion channel antagonists are disclosed herein. The compositions thereof are useful for treating or relieving pain-related conditions.
US07855218B2
Compounds of formula (I) wherein the variables are defined herein, pharmaceutical compositions thereof and methods for treatment using the same.
US07855216B2
The invention relates to azaindolyl compounds of Formula I with anti-cancer and/or anti-inflammatory activity and more specifically to azaindolyl compounds which inhibit MEK kinase activity. The invention provides compositions and methods useful for inhibiting abnormal cell growth or treating a hyperproliferative disorder, or treating an inflammatory disease in a mammal. The invention also relates to methods of using the compounds for in vitro, in situ, and in vivo diagnosis or treatment of mammalian cells, or associated pathological conditions.
US07855212B2
The present invention is related to pyridinyl acetonitriles as well as to pharmaceutical formulations containing such pyridinyl acetonitriles. Said pyridinyl acetonitriles are modulators of the protein kinase signalling pathways, particularly the one involving Glycogen Kinase Synthase 3 or JNK. The present invention is furthermore related to methods of preparing pyridinyl acetonitriles. X is a substituted or unsubstituted pyridinyl. G is an unsubstituted or substituted pyrimidinyl or triazinyl.
US07855203B2
The present invention is directed to novel indazolyl-substituted pyrroline compounds of Formula (I): useful as kinase or dual-kinase inhibitors, methods for producing such compounds and methods for treating or ameliorating a kinase or dual-kinase mediated disorder.
US07855182B2
Glypican 5 is shown for the first time to have a role in proliferation of cancer cells, including tumors which do not show chromosomal amplification at 13q31. The use of glypican 5 (GPC5) antagonists and binding agents for the treatment of cancer, particularly rhabdomyosarcoma and breast cancer, is disclosed.
US07855181B2
The subject invention provides dipeptides useful in promoting healthy muscle tissues as well as effective immune responses. The dipeptides of the subject invention are particularly advantageous because they are stable, bioavailable, and can be formulated in an aqueous solution.
US07855178B2
The present invention provides materials and methods for antagonizing the function of vascular endothelial growth factor receptors, platelet derived growth factor receptors and other receptors. Soluble binding constructs able to bind vascular endothelial growth factors, platelet derived growth factors, and other ligands are provided.
US07855167B2
The present invention describes rapid methods to screen for biomolecular interactions in vivo based on protein fragment complementation assays (PCA). We have demonstrated an in vivo library-versus-library screening strategy that has numerous applications in the identification of novel protein-protein interactions and in directed evolution. Also we demonstrate the detection of protein-protein interactions starting with defined (full-length) cDNAs, and the concomitant generation of functional assays that provide initial validation of the cDNA products as being biologically relevant. Also, we screened a large cDNA collection using automated PCA, combined with quantitative detection of protein-protein complexes. The invention enables bait-vs.-library, library-vs.-library and defined gene screening in any type of cell or cellular context, and using a wide range of reporters and detection methods. The invention allows for identifying and validating genes involved in any cellular process and also provide assays to study effects of potential drugs, or gene knockouts on specific pathways.
US07855164B1
The invention provides methods and compositions for identifying compounds that can enhance plant resistance to stress.
US07855161B2
The purpose of the present invention is to provide a photocatalytic fiber which excels in durability, and decomposition ability against harmful components and can be mass-produced at low cost, a fabric using the fiber, and a fabric product using the fabric. The photocatalytic fiber of the present invention contains a photocatalyst being attached to the fiber. The fiber is preferably having an aspect of forming a thread to which the photocatalyst being attached by spinning after dipping the fiber in a solution at least containing the photocatalyst, an aspect of forming the thread to which the photocatalyst being attached by dipping the fiber in the solution containing at least the photocatalyst after spinning, and an aspect wherein the photocatalyst is a photocatalytic apatite. The fabric of the present invention is characterized by using the photocatalytic fiber. The fabric product of the present invention is characterized by using the fabric.
US07855159B1
A SiAlON ceramic armor made from a starting powder mixture. The ceramic armor contains between about 60 weight percent and about 98 weight percent alpha SiAlON phase that contains an alpha SiAlON-bound rare earth element and between about 2 weight percent and about 40 weight percent of a beta SiAlON phase of the formula Si6−zAlzOzN8−z wherein the value of “z” ranges between about 0.2 and about 1.0. The ceramic armor further comprising sintering aid residue present as a result of the starting powder mixture containing between about 4 weight percent and about 14 weight percent of an oxide of an alpha SiAlON-bound rare earth element. The ceramic armor has a fracture toughness (KIC) greater than about 6.00 M·Pa m1/2 and a Vickers hardness (HVN) equal to greater than about 17.5 GPa.
US07855153B2
A method for manufacturing an insulating film, which is used as an insulating film used for a semiconductor integrated circuit, whose reliability can be ensured even though it has small thickness, is provided. In particular, a method for manufacturing a high-quality insulating film over a substrate having an insulating surface, which can be enlarged, at low substrate temperature, is provided. A monosilane gas (SiH4), nitrous oxide (N2O), and a rare gas are introduced into a chamber to generate high-density plasma at a pressure higher than or equal to 10 Pa and lower than or equal to 30 Pa so that an insulating film is formed over a substrate having an insulating surface. After that, the supply of a monosilane gas is stopped, and nitrous oxide (N2O) and a rare gas are introduced without exposure to the air to perform plasma treatment on a surface of the insulating film.
US07855150B2
A method and a plasma system are provided for anisotropically etching structures into a substrate positioned in an etching chamber, e.g., structures defined using an etching mask in a silicon substrate, using a plasma. For this purpose, the etching chamber is supplied at least intermittently with an etching gas and at least intermittently with a passivation gas, the passivation gas being supplied to the etching chamber in cycles having a time period between 0.05 second and 1 second. In the plasma system, in addition to a plasma source, via which the plasma acting on the substrate may be produced, an arrangement is provided for at least temporary supply of the etching gas and at least temporary supply of the passivation gas to the etching chamber, which arrangement is designed in such a way that the passivation gas may be supplied to the etching chamber in cycles having a time period between 0.05 second and 1 second.
US07855144B2
Provided is a method of forming conductors (e.g., metal lines and/or bumps) for semiconductor devices and conductors formed from the same. First and second seed metal layers may be formed. At least one mask may be formed on a portion on which a conductor is to be formed. An exposed portion may be oxidized. The oxidized portion may be removed. A conductive structure may be formed on an upper surface of a portion which is not oxidized. The conductors may be metal lines and/or bumps. The conductive structures may be solder balls.
US07855139B2
Systems and methods for controlling the effective dielectric constant of materials used in a semiconductor device are shown and described. In one embodiment, a method comprises providing a semiconductor substrate with a plurality of pillars formed thereon, depositing a first layer of dielectric material over a plurality of pillars, removing a portion of the first layer deposited over the plurality of pillars, and depositing a second layer of dielectric material over the plurality of pillars, where the second layer leaves a plurality of voids between the plurality of pillars.
US07855138B2
A trench is formed by a process which removes a damage layer formed on a sidewall of a low dielectric constant layer, a process which forms a second protection insulating layer by a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) technique and forms a second concave portion by covering a sidewall of the low dielectric constant layer with the second protection insulating layer, and a process which shapes the second protection insulating layer by etch back so that a trench has a sidewall that the second protection insulating layer is selectively formed on a surface of the low dielectric constant layer.
US07855128B2
A method for fabricating a back-illuminated semiconductor imaging device on an ultra-thin semiconductor-on-insulator substrate (UTSOI) is disclosed. The UTSOI substrate is formed by providing a handle wafer comprising a mechanical substrate and an insulator layer substantially overlying the mechanical substrate. A donor wafer is provided. Hydrogen is implanted in the donor wafer to form a bubble layer. The donor wafer is doped with at least one dopant to form a doped layer proximal to the bubble layer. The handle wafer and the donor wafer are bonded between the insulator layer of the handle wafer and a surface of the donor wafer proximal to the doped layer to form a combined wafer having a portion substantially underlying the bubble layer. The portion of the combined wafer substantially underlying the bubble layer is removed so as to expose a seed layer. An epitaxial layer is grown substantially overlying the seed layer, wherein at least one dopant diffuse into the epitaxial layer. At the completion of the growing of the epitaxial layer, there exists a net dopant concentration in the seed layer and the epitaxial layer which has maximum value at or near an interface between the seed layer and the insulator layer.
US07855127B2
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor substrate including: epitaxially growing a silicon germanium (SiGe) film on a silicon (Si) substrate by a chemical vapor deposition method; subjecting a heat treatment to the SiGe film at a temperature of not less than 700° C. and not more than 1200° C.; implanting hydrogen ions into a surface of the SiGe film; subjecting a surface activation treatment to a main surface of at least one of the SiGe film and a support substrate; bonding main surfaces of the SiGe film and the support substrate at a temperature of not less than 100° C. and not more than 400° C.; and applying an external impact to a bonding interface between the SiGe film and the support substrate to delaminate the SiGe crystal along a hydrogen ion implanted interface of the SiGe film, thereby forming a SiGe thin film on the main surface of the support substrate.
US07855119B2
A method is described for forming a semiconductor device comprising a bipolar transistor having a base region, an emitter region and a collector region, wherein the base region comprises polycrystalline semiconductor material formed by crystallizing silicon, germanium or silicon germanium in contact with a silicide, germanide or silicide germanide. The emitter region and collector region also may be formed from polycrystalline semiconductor material formed by crystallizing silicon, germanium or silicon germanium in contact with a silicide, germanide or silicide germanide forming metal. The polycrystalline semiconductor material is preferably silicided polysilicon, which is formed in contact with C49phase titanium silicide.
US07855117B2
In a method of forming a thin layer (e.g., a charge trapping nitride layer) of a semiconductor device (e.g. a charge trapping type non-volatile memory device), the nitride layer may be formed on a first area of a substrate. A blocking layer may be formed on the nitride layer. An oxide layer may be formed on a second area of the substrate while preventing or reducing an oxidation of the nitride layer by a radical oxidation process in which oxygen radicals react with the second area of the substrate and the blocking layer in the first area of the substrate. The nitride layer may ensure sufficient charge trapping sites and may have a uniform thickness without oxidation thereof in the radical oxidation process.
US07855114B2
A memory device may include a source region and a drain region formed in a substrate and a channel region formed in the substrate between the source and drain regions. The memory device may further include a first oxide layer formed over the channel region, the first oxide layer having a first dielectric constant, and a charge storage layer formed upon the first oxide layer. The memory device may further include a second oxide layer formed upon the charge storage layer, a layer of dielectric material formed upon the second oxide layer, the dielectric material having a second dielectric constant that is greater than the first dielectric constant, and a gate electrode formed upon the layer of dielectric material.
US07855108B2
A Si(1-x)MxC material for heterostructures on SiC can be grown by CVD, PVD and MOCVD. SIC doped with a metal such as Al modifies the bandgap and hence the heterostructure. Growth of SiC Si(1-x)MxC heterojunctions using SiC and metal sources permits the fabrication of improved HFMTs (high frequency mobility transistors), HBTs (heterojunction bipolar transistors), and HEMTs (high electron mobility transistors).
US07855106B2
An improved type thin film semiconductor device and a method for forming the same are described. That is, in a thin film semiconductor device such as TFT formed on an insulating substrate, it is possible to prevent the intrusion of a mobile ion from a substrate or other parts, by forming the first blocking film comprising a silicon nitride, an aluminum oxide, an aluminum nitride, a tantalum oxide, and the like, under the semiconductor device through an insulating film used in a buffering, and then, by forming the second blocking film on TFT, and further, by covering TFT with said first and second blocking films.
US07855104B2
A method and structure for an integrated circuit comprising a substrate of a first polarity, a merged triple well region of a second polarity and a doped region of the second polarity abutting the well region. The doped region is adapted to suppress latch-up in the integrated circuit. The doped region is placed under semiconductor devices of the first polarity and under the well region contact region. Additionally, the structure may further include a deep trench (DT) structure and trench isolation (TI) structure to further improve latchup robustness.
US07855101B2
A structure for a semiconductor components is provided having a device layer sandwiched on both sides by other active, passive, and interconnecting components. A wafer-level layer transfer process is used to create this planar (2D) IC structure with added functional enhancements.
US07855094B2
A photo-detector, in which metal wiring for connecting electrodes is arranged on a planarized surface and thus the metal wiring arrangement is simplified, and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The photo-detector includes a multi-layer compound semiconductor layer formed on a compound semiconductor substrate. A number of p-n junction diodes are arranged in a regular order in a selected region of the compound semiconductor layer, and an isolation region for individually isolating the p-n junction diodes is formed by implanting impurity ions in the multi-layer compound semiconductor layer. The isolation region and the surface of the compound semiconductor layer are positioned on the same level. The isolation region may be a Fe-impurity region.
US07855093B2
A method of manufacturing semiconductor laser device capable of reducing κL, with manufacturing restrictions satisfied, is provided. In a distributed-feedback or distributed-reflective semiconductor laser device, immediately before burying regrowth of a diffraction grating, halogen-based gas is introduced to a reactor, and etching is performed on the diffraction grating so that each side wall has at least two or more crystal faces and a ratio of length of an upper side in a waveguide direction to a bottom side parallel to a (100) surface is 0 to 0.3. And, a reactive product formed on side surfaces of the diffraction grating and in trench portions between stripes of the diffraction grating at an increase of temperature for regrowth is removed. Therefore, the diffraction grating with reduced height and a sine wave shape is obtained, thereby κL of the device is reduced. Thus, an oscillation threshold and optical output efficiency can be improved.
US07855091B1
A composition and method for fabricating and tuning a dopant based core-shell semiconductor having a quantum dot core with an excitation band-gap are provided. A quantum dot core composed of an alloy of cadmium sulfide (CdS) and zinc sulfide (ZnS) as semi-conductor materials include a dopant of manganese (Mn) added to the core and an outer shell of zinc sulfide (ZnS). The dopant based core/shell quantum dot semiconductor of the present invention allows the fine tuning of an excitation band-gap, covering a wide range (from 2.4 eV to ˜4 eV). When doped with Mn, these alloy Qdots emit bright yellow/orange light. Tuning of the excitation band is accomplished by changing the alloy composition of the core. Based on photophysical studies a new core/shell/shell model is provided, in place of the traditional core/shell model. Due to the interfacial diffusion of the cations from the core and shell an intermediate alloy layer is formed providing an inner shell; this inner shell layer is the real host of the dopant ions.
US07855090B2
A test circuit for, and method of, determining electrical properties of an underlying interconnect layer and an overlying interconnect layer of an integrated circuit (IC) and an IC incorporating the test circuit or the method. In one embodiment, the test circuit includes a gate chain having a ring path and a stage. In one embodiment, the stage includes: (1) a underlying test segment in the underlying interconnect layer, (2) a overlying test segment in the overlying interconnect layer and (3) logic circuitry activatible after formation of the underlying interconnect layer and before formation of the overlying interconnect layer to place the underlying test segment in the ring path and further activatible after the formation of the overlying interconnect layer to substitute the overlying test segment for the underlying test segment in the ring path.
US07855089B2
A method for manufacture of application specific solar cells includes providing and processing custom design information to determine at least a cell size and a cell shape. The method includes providing a transparent substrate having a back surface region, a front surface region, and one or more grid-line regions overlying the front side surface region. The one or more grid regions provide one or more unit cells having the cell size and the cell shape. The method further includes forming a layered structure including photovoltaic materials overlying the front surface region. Additionally, the method includes aligning a laser beam from the back surface region to illuminate a first region within the one or more grid-line regions, subjecting a first portion of the layered structure overlying the first region to the laser beam to separate the first portion of the layered structure from the first region, and scanning the laser beam along the one or more grid-line regions to cause formation of one or more unit cells having the cell size and cell shape. The method further includes transferring the one or more unit cells.
US07855082B1
The present invention relates to a novel method to determine the ratio of 5-methoxy and 6-methoxy isomers of omeprazole present in a mixture thereof. The method uses different Raman scattering efficiency values for the 5-methoxy and 6-methoxy isomers. This is of importance since the two isomers have different stability in the solid state in bulk form and in admixture with pharmaceutical excipients.
US07855076B2
The disclosure provides methods of modulating the activity of DDR1. Methods for screening for agents that activate DDR1 are disclosed. Methods for inducing the maturation of immature macrophages and immature dendritic cells are also disclosed. In addition, methods for increasing neutrophil activation using a DDR1 activating agent, and methods for increasing leukocyte migration using a DDR1 activating agent, are provided.
US07855073B2
The present invention provides isolated cells comprising nanopatch sensors integrated into the cell membrane thereof, wherein said sensors are provided in the form of perturbation-sensitive constructs, and wherein said perturbation-sensitive constructs respond to perturbations of the cell membrane by means of a detectable change in one or more physical or chemical properties associated with said construct.
US07855071B2
The present invention relates generally to synthetic genes for modifying endogenous gene expression in a cell, tissue or organ of a transgenic organism, in particular a transgenic animal or plant. More particularly, the present invention provides novel synthetic genes and genetic constructs which are capable of repressing delaying or otherwise reducing the expression of an endogenous gene or a target gene in an organism when introduced thereto.
US07855069B2
A method and apparatus for a rapid disruption of cells or viruses using micro magnetic beads and a laser are provided. According to the method and apparatus for a rapid disruption of cells or viruses using micro magnetic beads and a laser, cell lysis within 40 seconds is possible, the apparatus can be miniaturized using a laser diode, a DNA purification step can be directly performed after a disruption of cells or viruses, and a solution containing DNA can be transferred to a subsequent step after cell debris and beads to which inhibitors of a subsequent reaction are attached are removed with an electromagnet. In addition, by means of the cell lysis chip, an evaporation problem is solved, vibrations can be efficiently transferred to cells through magnetic beads, a microfluidics problem on a rough surface is solved by hydrophobically treating the inner surface of the chip, and the cell lysis chip can be applied to LOC.
US07855066B1
Methods of making Apo-2 ligand and formulations of Apo-2 ligand using divalent metal ions are provided. Such divalent metal ions include zinc and cobalt which improve Apo-2 ligand trimer formation and stability. The crystal structure of Apo-2 ligand is also provided, along with Apo-2 ligand variant polypeptides identified using oligonucleotide-directed mutagenesis.
US07855058B2
A human gene encoding a novel cyclin-dependent kinase termed hPNQALRE and its expression products can be used to provide reagents and methods for detecting neoplasia. Compositions and methods for treating proliferative disorders and neoplasia are also provided.
US07855057B2
The invention relates to methods, reagents and apparatus for detecting protein isoforms (e.g., those due to alternative splicing, or different disease protein isoforms or degradation products) in a sample, including using combinations of capture agents, each combination being unique to the splicing variant to be detected/measured.
US07855054B2
The present disclosure describes methods, devices, reagents, and kits for the detection of one or more target molecules that may be present in a test sample. The described methods, devices, kits, and reagents facilitate the detection and quantification of a non-nucleic acid target (e.g., a protein target) in a test sample by detecting and quantifying a nucleic acid (i.e., an aptamer). The methods described create a nucleic acid surrogate for a non nucleic acid target, thus allowing the wide variety of nucleic acid technologies, including amplification, to be applied to a broader range of desired targets, especially protein targets. The disclosure further describes aptamer constructs that facilitate the use of aptamers in a variety of analytical detection applications.
US07855051B2
A method of detecting the presence of mycoplasma in a sample and a mycoplasm detection kit. A sample is contacted with a first and a second oligonucleotide probe, wherein the first and second oligonucleotide probes are substantially complementary to portions of a 16S ribosomal subunit of at least one mycoplasma species. The first probe may be labeled with a capture ligand. The second probe may be labeled with a first component of a detection system.
US07855050B2
Methods of diagnosis of abnormal blood conditions associated with an increased risk of bleeding are described. Subjects homozygous or heterozygous for the GPVIb allele are at considered to be at increased risk of bleeding. Kits for carrying out the methods of diagnosis, and use of the methods and kits for determining the GPVI allelotype of subjects in need of surgery, with a low platelet count, with an acquired bleeding disorder, on blood thinning drugs, or of blood donors is also described.
US07855040B2
A method for preparing a photoreceptor including forming a photosensitive layer overlying an electroconductive substrate; coating a liquid including a radically polymerizable compound to form a protective layer; irradiating the protective layer with light to crosslink the protective layer; and then contacting the protective layer with a fluid, which is selected from the group consisting of supercritical fluids and subcritical fluids and which includes a charge transport material. A photoreceptor prepared by the method. An image forming method, an image forming apparatus and a process cartridge using the photoreceptor.
US07855032B2
The present invention provides a fuel cell having an anode to oxidize liquid fuel, a cathode to reduce oxygen, and a solid polymer electrolyte membrane formed between said anode and said cathode, wherein: a porous body, which faces the porous anode, having continuous micro pores which form a liquid fuel feed channel by capillary force and continuous micro pores which do not have liquid retentivity is used; and the liquid fuel is supplied by the capillary negative pressure generated at the anode.
US07855031B2
Bipolar plates in a fuel cell stack tend to experience lower operating temperatures near and at the ends of the stack, and these plates require lower coolant flow. But common stamping tooling can be used to make all of the plates for the stack when suitable coolant flow restrictors are stamped into each plate for lowest coolant flow. The flow restrictors are then trimmed (or their formation avoided) from those plates designated for higher coolant flow.
US07855029B2
A fuel cell module includes an anode flow board, a cathode board, an intermediate adhesive layer, a membrane electrode assembly (MEA) including a membrane edge, and a leak-proof adhesive layer mounted on the membrane edge, thereby preventing contact between the intermediate adhesive layer and the membrane edge. The adhesive ability of the leak-proof adhesive layer to the membrane edge is higher than that of the intermediate adhesive layer to the membrane edge. Therefore, the methanol leakage from the membrane can be avoided.
US07855010B2
A system and method provides a status indicator to a battery pack of a medical device. The battery pack includes a power supply capable of being connected to the medical device. The battery pack also includes an indicator to automatically indicate a status of at least a portion of at least one of the battery pack and the medical device. For example, the indicator can indicate a status of the power supply.
US07855009B2
A new design for a cathode having a configuration of: SVO/first current collector/CFx/second current collector/SVO is described. The two cathode current collectors are vertically aligned one on top of the other in a middle region or zone of the cathode. This coincides to where a winding mandrel will be positioned to form a wound electrode assembly with an anode. The overlapping region of the two current collectors helps balance the expansion forces of the exemplary SVO and CFx active material layers. This, in turn, helps maintain a planar cathode that is more amenable to downstream processing. The use of two current collectors on opposite sides of an intermediate cathode active material also provides for enhanced reliability when cathodes are wound from the center as they lend structural integrity to outer portions of the wind.
US07855007B2
A battery assembly may include a battery and a battery housing. The battery may include an electrolyte vent to provide a pressurized electrolyte discharge during an electrolyte discharge event. The battery housing may contain the battery and may include an electrolyte control member to dissipate energy from and inhibit dispersion of the pressurized electrolyte discharge from the electrolyte vent during the electrolyte discharge event.
US07854990B2
A sheet-shaped adhesive comprising ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer and organic peroxide contained therein, wherein the organic peroxide is peroxy carbonate having a formula I or II: and a laminate prepared by using the adhesive. The sheet-shaped adhesive is useful as a transparent adhesive layer used in the preparation of a film-reinforced glass and a laminated glass which are free from environmental pollution and have excellent penetration resistance.
US07854983B2
A sheet material includes a polycarbonate substrate and a protective coating containing the reaction products of an aminoplast resin, a polyol compound, and a UV-absorbing amount of a triazine compound. The sheet material exhibits an improved balance of abrasion resistance, solvent resistance, weatherability, and formability. Methods of preparing the sheet material are described.
US07854982B2
With the recent yearly increase in cell density, use of the same slurry as a conventional one for forcibly depositing a solid, e.g., alumina for supporting, on the surface of cell walls has come to arouse a trouble that the resultant coat layer is thick and cell clogging is more apt to occur. When a slurry whose viscosity has been reduced by reducing the binder amount is used, the slurry which has flowed into cells is discharged without leaving a solid adherent to the surface of the cell walls. Namely, it is difficult to secure a desired solid deposition amount. A honeycomb structure for slurry coating is provided which is made of a porous object, wherein the surface of cell walls formed in the structure has fine pores dispersedly formed therein and having a pore diameter of 2 μm or smaller. Preferably, the total volume of the fine pores is 0-0.17 ml, excluding 0 ml, per g of the structure.
US07854977B2
The present invention aims at providing a foaming tool capable of highly efficiently producing creamy foam containing ultra fine bubbles in high proportion. The foaming tool includes a double-layered cloth body composed of vertically overlapped cloth bodies obtained by plain weaving synthetic-resin-fiber warp and wept yarns so as to cause them to alternately position up and down with weave textures of ≦300 μm length and width. The double-layered cloth body has an air layer interposed between the vertically overlapped cloth bodies. The double-layered cloth body is folded once at an appropriate center in the longitudinal direction thereof and thus joined edge portions are assembled and are stitched together to thereby provide a tab portion of gather. In such a constitution, below the tab portion, a foaming auxiliary portion produced by assembling of a cloth body having the same quality as that of the cloth described above is provided.
US07854976B2
The invention relates to a double-viscosed fibrous cellulose sausage casing having a pigmented outer cellulose hydrate layer and an impregnated internal cellulose hydrate layer. The impregnation of the internal cellulose hydrate layer includes a collagen hydrolysate and the outer cellulose hydrate layer includes at least one white pigment, preferably having titanium dioxide pigments. The invention further relates to a method for producing the fibrous cellulose sausage casing and also to its use as artificial sausage casing.
US07854975B2
A joined body includes a first ceramic member, a second ceramic member, and a joining layer which contains soft metal, and joins the first ceramic member and the second ceramic member to each other by being thermally compressed at a joining temperature lower than a solidus of the soft metal.
US07854973B2
A packaging system or container for packaging one or more oxygen-sensitive products. The container includes a wall that defines an interior for receiving one or more oxygen-sensitive products. The space between the product or products and the wall defines a headspace. The headspace is filled with an inert gas and a scavenger gas. The wall has at least an inner layer and one or more outer layers. At least one of the outer layers includes an oxidation catalyst such that as oxygen diffuses from outside the container to the interior and scavenger gas diffuses from the interior to outside the container, the diffusing scavenger gas and oxygen react together with the oxidation catalyst in one or more of the outer layers substantially consuming the oxygen.
US07854967B2
A method for preparing and treating the surfaces of structural components, such as structural aircraft wing and fuselage skin panels, spar, spar assemblies, ribs, stiffeners, hinges, doors, etc., and the mechanical components attached to these aforementioned structural components, with a semi-permeable, corrosion-inhibiting organic coating. The method being particularly applicable for the improved sealing process of the faying surfaces of these aircraft components.
US07854958B2
Thermal spray processing and cold spray processing are utilized to manufacture porous starting materials (such as tube stock, wire and substrate sheets) from biocompatible metals, metal alloys, ceramics and polymers that may be further processed into porous medical devices, such as stents. The spray processes are also used to form porous coatings on consolidated biocompatible medical devices. The porous substrates and coatings may be used as a reservoir to hold a drug or therapeutic agent for elution in the body. The spray-formed porous substrates and coatings may be functionally graded to allow direct control of drug elution without an additional polymer topcoat. The spray processes are also used to apply the drug or agent to the porous substrate or coating when drug or agent is robust enough to withstand the temperatures and velocities of the spray process with minimal degradation.
US07854956B2
Low sodium salt compositions containing a blend of sodium chloride and one or more magnesium, sodium and potassium salts are provided. Also provided are methods for making and using the compositions. Further provided are food products containing the compositions.
US07854927B2
The present invention describes the use of lactic acid bacteria, particularly lactic acid producing members of the genus Bacillus, in treating digestive-related immune disorders by downregulating of cytokines and by inhibiting pathogenic or deleterious microorganisms in the gastrointestinal tract. Specific formulations of Bacillus coagulans for various immune disorders are elaborated.
US07854916B2
The present invention relates to a hydrothermal synthesis for preparing barium titanate powder as the essential material for a multi-layer ceramic capacitor. The object of the invention is to prepare barium titanate powder having high purity, particle size of submicron order, uniform particle distribution and excellent crystallinity, by reacting hydrous titanic acid compound prepared via sulfuric acid process with crystalline titanium oxide and barium hydroxide, as the starting material, at a temperature between 60° C. and 300° C. under a pressure between 5 Kgf/cm2 and 50 Kgf/cm2. The process for preparing barium titanate according to the present invention provides barium titanate powder having Ba/Ti molar ratio of 1.000±0.002 and high purity by applying calcination under reductive condition to the solid product obtained from hydrous titanic acid compound prepared via sulfuric acid process with crystalline titanium oxide and barium hydroxide, as the starting substances, to convert barium sulfate, which was produced from residual sulfide in the raw material, to barium titanate.
US07854907B2
A spent fuel reprocessing method contacts an aqueous solution containing Technetium(V) and uranyl with an acidic solution comprising hydroxylamine hydrochloride or acetohydroxamic acid to reduce Tc(V) to Tc(II, and then extracts the uranyl with an organic phase, leaving technetium(II) in aqueous solution.
US07854901B2
The present invention relates to an oil-smoke extractor including a housing defining a number of air holes, a bottom plate detachably secured to the housing and a sterilization and deodorization device seated in a receiving space jointly defined by the housing and the bottom plate. The sterilization and deodorization device includes two lamp supports fixed to the front plate, a pair of lamp holders respectively secured to the lamp supports, at least one nano photocatalyst lamp disposed between the lamp holders, a sterilization lampshade fixed to the lamp supports and an axial flow fan corresponding to one of the air holes in the front plate. When the oil-smoke extractor stops running, the sterilization and deodorization device is powered and begins to work. The kitchen air flows into and out of the oil-smoke extractor via the air slots and the air holes.
US07854900B2
An ion generating device generates O2−(H2O)n (where n is a natural number) as negative ions and H+(H2O)m (where m is a natural number) as positive ions, and discharges those ions into the air so that airborne germs are killed through an oxidation reaction by hydrogen peroxide H2O2 or radical hydroxyl OH generated through as an active species a chemical reaction between the negative and positive ions. Satisfactory sterilization is achieved when the negative and positive ions are generated in such a way that the concentrations of the negative and positive ions are both 10,000 ion/cc at a distance of 10 cm from the point at which they are generated.
US07854899B2
A method for preparing a microarray that includes placing at least one template over a first surface of the recipient block, wherein the template defines an array of openings and the recipient block has a plurality of receptacle holes, such that the array of openings are aligned with the plurality of receptacle holes. A needle or punch that contains a sample is inserted through the openings of the template. The sample then is inserted into the receptacle hole in the recipient block. A device is also disclosed that includes a platform defining (i) a first surface, and (ii) a first region configured to retain at least one recipient block; and a raised template defining an array of openings, secured to the first surface of the platform and positioned above the first region configured to retain the recipient block.
US07854897B2
The present invention describes a disposable chemical reaction cartridge comprising a container formed of a rigid substrate and an elastic body, wherein two or more chambers are linked or configured to be linked through flow paths, and wherein the flow paths, the chambers or both, can be partially closed by applying an external force to the elastic body from outside of the container, to move or block fluids in the flow paths or chambers. The cartridge has a structure protected against viruses or dangerous drugs and facilitates foolproof implementation of prescribed protocols for the samples to be tested.
US07854893B2
An analysis device comprises a separation chamber for separating a sample solution into a solution component and a solid component, a holding channel, a mixing chamber connected to the holding channel, an overflow channel connected between the holding channel and the separation chamber, a sample overflow chamber into which the sample solution remaining in the separation chamber is discharged, and a joint channel connecting the separation chamber and the sample overflow chamber. After the separated solution component fills the overflow channel with priority, the separated solid component is transferred to the holding channel via the overflow channel, and a predetermined amount of the solid component is measured. The solid component in the holding channel is transferred to the mixing chamber by a centrifugal force, and simultaneously, the sample solution remaining in the separation chamber is discharged to the sample overflow chamber by the siphon effect of the joint channel.
US07854890B2
The present invention relates to an analytical tool pack (1) including an analytical tool (13) accommodated in one or between a plurality of sealing sheets (12a, 12b). The analytical tool pack (1) includes a stopper portion (146) for holding the analytical tool (13) with the analytical tool (13) caused to project from the sealing sheets (12a, 12b). Preferably, the analytical tool pack (1) further comprises a base film (14) bonded to the sealing sheets (12a, 12b). For example, the stopper portion (146) comprises the bonded portion of the sealing sheets (12a, 12b) and the base film (14). The present invention further relates to an analyzer which uses the analytical tool pack (1). The analyzer comprises an opening mechanism for making a cut (15) in the analytical tool pack (1), and a pushing mechanism for moving the analytical tool (13) relative to the sealing sheets (12a, 12b) to cause the analytical tool (13) to project through the cut (15).
US07854881B2
A porous ceramic substrate is disclosed that is fabricated from biosoluble ceramic fibers. Porosity and permeability of the substrate is provided by intertangled biosoluble fibers, that can be formed into a honeycomb form substrate through an extrusion process. The fibrous structure is formed from mixing biosoluble fibers with additives that include a bonding agent, and a fluid to provide an extrudable mixture. The structure is sintered at a temperature that exceeds the glass formation temperature of the bonding agent, but less than the maximum operational limits of the biosoluble fiber, to form a structure that has sufficient strength and porosity to provide for filtration and/or as a catalytic host.
US07854875B2
In at least certain embodiments, the present invention relates to a trim panel and an apparatus and method of making the same. In at least one embodiment, the trim panel comprises a first portion and a second portion with a transition portion extending therebetween with the first portion and the second portion having curved portions having radii of less than 5 mm.
US07854874B2
An apparatus and methods for forming a composite part are provided. A method for forming a composite part may include placing initial composite material on a base tool, placing a tooling mandrel on the composite material, placing additional composite material over the tooling mandrel, covering at least a portion of the composite material that overlays the tooling mandrel with a composite forming tool, heating the composite material to at least partially cure the composite material, and permitting a first portion of the composite forming tool to change size during the heating of the composite material to a greater degree than a second portion of the composite forming tool. In this regard, the second portion of the composite forming tool is closer to the base tool than the first portion of the composite forming tool. A composite forming tool is also provided that permits differential expansion of different portions of the tool.
US07854863B2
The present invention provides both polymer systems and electrooptic (EO) chromophores that form the components of optical devices such as optical switches and other devices useful in an optical waveguide.
US07854860B2
A microencapsulated latent hardener for epoxy resins which comprises cores (C) and shells (S) with which the cores are covered, characterized in that the cores (C) are ones formed from, as a starking material, particles of an epoxy resin hardener (H) comprising an amine adduct (A) and a low-molecular amine compound (B) as major ingredients and that the shells (S) have on the surface thereof connecting groups (x), (y), and (z) which absorb infrared. Also provided is an epoxy resin composition containing the hardener.
US07854858B2
A liquid-crystal display includes a first substrate and a second substrate disposed opposite the first substrate, and a plurality of pixel areas formed on the first substrate, where each pixel area has red, green, blue, and white sub-pixel areas. Red, green and blue color filter layers are disposed on the red, green and blue sub-pixel areas, respectively, and an overcoat layer is disposed over the red, green and blue color filter layers, where a portion of the overcoat layer forms a white color filter layer in the white sub-pixel area. The overcoat layer is formed from a UV-curable liquid pre-polymer material, which includes monomers each having a mono-functional group, and at least a di-functional group or a tri-functional group.
US07854851B2
This invention discloses the treatment of effluents in which a flow of the said effluents is subjected to a pulsed electric field that modifies physicochemical and biologic characteristics of the medium, this modification being used during a solid/liquid separation operation, of the settlement or membrane filtration type. The solid/liquid separation operation (13, 14, 15) and the application of a pulsed electric field (12) are operations carried out at different locations along the effluent flow. The pulsed electric field has voltage value, current value, pulse repetition frequency and voltage front shape characteristics chosen such that the required effluent treatment can be achieved as a function of the locations at which these membrane filtration operations are carried out and a pulsed electric field is applied.
US07854844B2
The application describes apparatus and methods using ultrasound transmitted through a chromatography column bed to determine the status of materials in the bed space, particularly during chromatography runs. Detected conditions include the profile of a band of eluting material—to see whether it is satisfactory—the arrival of a band of material at the column output, the fitness for use of the ed packing, the passage of different mobile phases, e.g. salt fronts, and other conditions. Aspects claimed include control processors and corresponding programmed products.
US07854842B2
Waste-treatment processes are enhanced through generation and introduction of specific biological populations customized to perform or favor specific tasks either during the main process, for the formation or precipitation of certain biological nutrients, or to accomplish solids formation reduction in a post-treatment process. These bacteria may be grown from specialized mixes of activated sludge and waste influent by exposing these materials to controlled environments (e.g., in an off-line treatment area). They may then be returned to the main process to perform certain tasks such as converting particulate cBOD into soluble cBOD for utilization, to reduce high solids yield organisms by supplementing the population characteristics with low yield organism characteristics, to provide biological nutrients or oxygenation assistance, to improve nitrification/denitrification efficiency, or to disfavor filamentous biology such as Norcardia sp.
US07854837B2
A filter cartridge includes a substantially cylindrical filter media and a pressure relieving structure. The filter media is adapted to allow fluid to pass from an exterior of the filter media to an interior space of the filter media. The pressure relieving structure is disposed at an upper end of the filter media, and the pressure relieving structure opens when a predetermined pressure level is established across the filter media to maintain the predetermined pressure across the filter media.
US07854830B2
A system and a method for electroplating a plurality of turbine blades, comprising providing a rotatable gear for each blade, operatively connecting a mount assembly for each gear, slidably placing an electric charge on the blades.
US07854824B2
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes measuring the reflectance at the surface of a semiconductor substrate provided with concave portions and deciding a deposition parameter that represents a deposition condition corresponding to the measured reflectance. Then, a metal film is formed on the semiconductor substrate under a condition corresponding to the deposition parameter.
US07854823B2
A process for converting carbonaceous material into diamond utilizing the compressive force derived from an abruptly collapsing magnetic field.
US07854818B2
A jewelry tag has a label with a printable side and an adhesive side. An elongated shank extends from the label and is adapted to attach the label to a jewelry article. A substantially clear flap also extends from the label and is configured to laminate at least a portion of the label.
US07854815B2
A method of manufacturing a multi-layer outer panel for a game ball includes three-dimensionally forming a top layer of an outer panel, as well as one or more backing materials disposed underneath the top layer, into a shape substantially corresponding to the surface of the ball. Multi-layer outer panels are then attached to or interconnected to surround an inflatable bladder, thereby producing a game ball while minimizing overstretching of the outer material or the backing material and improving resistance of the outer panels to delamination.
US07854811B1
A solvent-free process is used to make mouldable plastic explosives or mouldable plastic explosive simulant products.
US07854799B2
A non-aqueous inkjet ink includes a diketopyrrolo-pyrrole pigment and at least one polyalkyleneglycol dialkylether having a molecular weight of at least 250. Also, a method for manufacturing decorative laminates using the non-aqueous inkjet ink is provided.
US07854798B2
An object of the present invention is to provide an ink set which can produce images with color developability undoubtedly higher than images produced by a conventional pigment ink and closer to images produced by silver halide photography or output from a laser printer, in particular, color developability in a red color region, while keeping ink reliability. The ink set comprises at least a first ink and a second ink wherein the first ink has a maximum absorption wavelength in a region of 450 nm or more and less than 500 nm and the second ink has a maximum absorption wavelength in a region of 500 nm or more and 570 nm or less, and the ink set has a B/A ratio of a minimum absorbance B to a maximum absorbance A of 0.7 or more and 1.0 or less among absorbances of the first ink and the second ink in total in a region of 450 nm or more and 570 nm or less.
US07854795B2
The present invention relates to a non-adhesive coating composition, including: 100 parts by weight of colloidal silica sol; 5˜60 parts by weight of hexagonal boron nitride (hBN) serving as a filler; 60˜120 parts by weight of alkoxysilane; 40˜130 parts by weight of alcohol; and 0.5˜3.0 parts by weight of a catalyst.
US07854794B2
In a disclosed embodiment, a chemical process has a pair of beds, with each of said beds having at least one connection to receive a source of gas, and for delivering gas downstream. Each of the beds includes chemical treatment elements. The system includes a connection to a source of a gas to be treated, and a connection for receiving treated gas to be delivered to a downstream use, a connection to a source of a cleaning gas, and a connection to deliver the cleaning gas downstream. A rotary valve includes a rotary actuator for rotating a valve to selectively switch each of the beds between the several connections.
US07854793B2
Pressure swing adsorption system comprising two or more vessels, each having a feed end, a product end, and adsorbent material adapted to adsorb one or more components from a multi-component feed gas mixture; piping adapted to (1) introduce the feed gas mixture into the feed ends, withdraw a product gas from the product ends, and withdraw a waste gas from the feed ends of the vessels, and (2) place the product ends of any pair of vessels in flow communication; a feed pipe adapted to supply the feed gas mixture to the system; a product pipe adapted to withdraw the product gas from the system; and a waste gas pipe adapted to withdraw the waste gas from the system. An indexed rotatable multi-port valve is adapted to place the product end of each vessel in sequential flow communication with the product end of each of the other vessels.
US07854789B1
A system and method for controlling pollutant emissions in a cement manufacturing facility. The system comprises first and second particulate control devices in series and a sorbent supply provided downstream of the first particulate control device. Exhaust process gas from the pyroprocessing unit of the cement manufacturing facility is conveyed through the first particulate control device in order to remove at least a portion of the kiln dust within the exhaust process gas to form a de-dusted exhaust process gas. The kiln dust removed from the exhaust process gas may then be recycled back to the pyroprocessing unit for use in the kiln feed. The sorbent supply injects a sorbent for capturing pollutants into the de-dusted exhaust process gas upstream of the second particulate control device to form a treated gas. The spent sorbent containing the captured pollutants is removed from the treated gas within the second particulate control device to form a cleansed exhaust process gas.
US07854783B2
Apparatus, systems and methods for carbothermically producing aluminum are disclosed. The systems may include a reactor and an electrical supply. The reactor may include a plurality of side-entering electrodes and a top-entering electrode. The electrical supply may be operable to supply multiphase current to the side-entering electrodes and/or the top-entering electrodes. The electrodes may be in communication with a molten bath of the reactor, and the multiphase current supplied thereto may be passed through the bath to heat the reactor. The amount of current supplied to various electrode sets may be adjusted to facilitate tailored heating of the molten bath.
US07854775B2
An optimized gasification/vitrification processing system having a gasification unit which converts organic materials to a hydrogen rich gas and ash in communication with a joule heated vitrification unit which converts the ash formed in the gasification unit into glass, and a plasma which converts elemental carbon and products of incomplete combustion formed in the gasification unit into a hydrogen rich gas.
US07854769B2
A method of implanting a modular hip stem implant having a stem portion and a body portion into a medullary canal of a patient's femur utilizing a two-incision technique. The stem portion is inserted through an anterior incision and the body portion is inserted through a posterior incision where they are interconnected in vivo. The modular hip stem implant is then driven into the medullary canal with force applied through either of the two incisions.
US07854765B2
An electronically assisted artificial vertebral disc having an upper disc plate and a lower disc plate is disclosed. An actuator imparts movement to at least one of the upper and lower disc plates. A control device controls the actuator and the amount of movement between the disc plates. The actuator includes a plurality of either linear actuators or rotary actuators that are driven by electric motors in response to the control device. The control device includes at least a first sensor for detecting the position of the actuator and at least a second sensor for detecting the spatial orientation of at least one of the upper and lower disc plates. The control device also preferably includes a microprocessor that calculates the desired positions of the upper and lower disc plates and provides a control signal to the actuator to drive the upper and lower disc plates to their desired positions.
US07854749B2
A surgical gripper includes a gripping section opened/closed to grip an object to be gripped and an operation section which opens/closes the gripping section, wherein the gripping section is configured to be opened/closed by the operation section to take a gripping mode of gripping the object to be gripped so that treatment is performed by the object to be gripped, an adjusting mode of gripping the object to be gripped by a gripping force lower than that of the gripping mode so that an arrangement of the object to be gripped is adjusted while the object to be gripped is held, and a releasing mode of releasing the object to be gripped.
US07854744B2
A method of treating a patient's ethmoid sinus. A balloon of a balloon catheter is inflated in a space associated with the ethmoid sinus to enlarge the space. The space remains enlarged after the balloon catheter is removed.
US07854741B2
An iris scraping surgical method treats pigmentary glaucoma in which the pigment attaches to the underside of the iris. An incision is made in the sclera. The iris is lifted and pigment and/or cellular debris is scraped with a scalpel from the bottom layer (pigment epithelium) of the iris. The iris lifted up from the lens to remove the build up of escaping pigment on that layer to let the fluid flow out at a normal rate to drain out of the trabecular meshwork and then the iris is lowered and the incision in the sclera is closed.
US07854736B2
A surgical instrument comprises a hollow tube (18) having a cutting window (16) at the distal end portion. An inner tube (15) is disposed within the tube (18) and is mounted for rotation about its longitudinal axis. A cutting tool (17) is located at the distal end of the tube (15), and is positioned adjacent to the cutting window (16). An outer tube (14) is provided over the tube (18). A motor (5) is provided for rotating the inner tube (15), and saline is fed to the cutting window (16) via a passageway (25) between the tubes (15) and (18). The inner tube (15) has a central lumen (24) through which tissue cut by the cutting tool (17) is removed under the action of a source of suction (12). The outer surface of the tube 18 is covered with an electrically insulating layer (22) and coagulating RF signals are supplied between the tube (18) and the outer tube (14) so as to coagulate tissue at the cutting window (16). Additional apertures (40, 42; 43, 45) in the outer tube (14) and the insulating layer (22) are aligned such that a portion of the hollow tube (18) is exposed other than in the area of the cutting window (16).
US07854735B2
A method for medical treatment includes beginning coagulating patient tissue using an energy-based clamp coagulator, determining the clamping force, and measuring the acoustic impedance of the patient tissue. The method also includes compensating the measured acoustic impedance for clamp pressure and monitoring the coagulation using at least the compensated measured acoustic impedance. A first medical treatment system includes an energy-based clamp coagulator, an acoustic-impedance measurer, and a force measurer. A second system includes an energy-based clamp coagulator having a clamping member which includes, or is adapted to function as, an electrical-impedance-measuring electrode for measuring an electrical impedance of the clamped patient tissue. A third system includes an energy-based clamp coagulator having a clamping member which includes, or is adapted to function as, a temperature sensor for measuring a temperature of the clamped patient tissue.
US07854731B2
A valved catheter that allows placement and withdrawal of an accessing device or attachable unit without the risk of air embolism or blood loss. In one variation, the valved catheter includes a catheter tube having a necked portion in its proximal end that forms an integral valve, the necked portion being surrounded by a compression sleeve that biases the valve in a closed position. In another variation, the valved catheter is a dual lumen catheter with a corresponding bifurcating extension for engaging the valves in the catheter in order to establish fluid communication through the catheter.
US07854728B2
In accordance with embodiments of the present invention, a debris removal system is provided for a body-space drainage system having one or more body tubes with a body tube lumen disposed therein. The debris-removal system comprises a cleaning member, a collapsible sheath, and a coupler. The cleaning member is an elongated member wherein the distal end is adapted to enter the body tube lumen at or near the body-tube proximal end and adapted to be advanced distally at least a portion of a length of the body tube lumen. The collapsible sheath is adapted to contain at least a portion of the cleaning member that is not contained within the body tube lumen. The collapsible sheath is flexible so as to allow external digital manipulation of the cleaning member proximal end within of the collapsible sheath, while retaining the sterile environment of the body-space drainage system.
US07854716B2
A compression bandaging system comprising a) an inner skin facing, elongated, elastic bandage comprising: (i) an elongated, elastic substrate and (ii) an elongated layer of foam, said foam layer being affixed to a face of said substrate and extending 33% or more across said face of substrate in transverse direction and 67% or more across said face of substrate in longitudinal direction; and b) an outer, elongated, self-adhering elastic bandage; said bandage having a compressive force when extended; wherein, in use, said foam layer of the inner bandage faces the skin and the outer bandage overlies the inner bandage.
US07854697B2
A tinnitus method and device for providing relief to a person suffering from the disturbing effects of tinnitus is described. The method can be implemented entirely in software to spectrally modify an audio signal in accordance with a predetermined masking algorithm which modifies the intensity of the audio signal at selected frequencies. A predetermined masking algorithm is described which provides intermittent masking of the tinnitus wherein, at a comfortable listening level, during peaks of the audio signal the tinnitus is completely obscured, whereas during troughs the perception of the tinnitus occasionally emerges. In practice it has been found that such intermittent masking provides an immediate sense of relief, control and relaxation for the person, whilst enabling sufficient perception of the tinnitus for habituation and long term treatment to occur. Advantageously the predetermined masking algorithm is specifically tailored to the audiometric configuration of the person. For example, the masking algorithm may be partly tailored to the hearing loss characteristic of the person. A tinnitus rehabilitation device used in conjunction with a personal sound reproducing system is also described.
US07854687B2
A trampoline comprising a flexible mat (3) and a plurality of springs (4) holding the mat in tension within a peripheral frame (1) of the trampoline which surrounds the mat has an enclosure system surrounding the mat. The enclosure has a lower peripheral part coupled to the mat and a plurality of resiliently flexible upright enclosure members (5) to support the barrier above the mat. The enclosure support members are free to resiliently deform away from the mat when impacted by a user against the barrier. They are also connected together at the upper ends of the enclosure support members away from their natural rest state and towards the center of the mat. When impacted by a user against the barrier on the side of the enclosure causing the barrier to resiliently deform away from the mat, the enclosure support members are resiliently deformed towards the center of the mat.
US07854685B2
A training system and method include providing a frame, a user support portion coupled to the frame and arranged to support a user, and a user engagement portion coupled to the frame and arranged to be engaged by the body part. A force sensor is provided for sensing a user-applied force at the user engagement portion, and a position sensor is operably connected to at least one of the user support portion and the user engagement portion for sensing a relative position therebetween. A motor is coupled to at least one of the user support portion and the user engagement portion for driving a position thereof with respect to the frame over a range of motion at a preprogrammed velocity, and a controller is provided in communication with the motor, the force sensor, and the position sensor. A knee position mechanism is movably coupled to the frame between the user support portion and the user engagement portion, the knee position mechanism including a sensor in communication with the controller for tracking a horizontal position of a knee of the user over the range of motion.
US07854678B2
A gear train of an automatic transmission for a vehicle includes two simple planetary gear sets and one compound planetary gear set, four clutches, and three brakes and realizes ten forward speeds and one reverse speed so that power delivery performance may be improved and fuel consumption may be reduced.
US07854662B2
Water slide with a chute which opens into a discharge area and has an initial section and a discharge section opening into the discharge area, characterized in that at least one loop section is provided between the initial section and the discharge section, the loop section having an angle at circumference of at least 270° and, at least between a starting point and an apex point of the loop section, being inclined by 5° to 80° in relation to a vertical.
US07854657B2
A game device measures a delay time between the game device and each of other game devices, all of which communicate with each other, and stores start time data in a memory. Furthermore, the game device calculates a time at which each of the other game devices starts executing a predetermined event based on the delay time, so as to be transmitted to each of the other game devices. When data indicating a time at which the game device starts executing the predetermined event (correction data) is transmitted from each of the game devices, the game device corrects a time indicated by the start time data based on the transmitted data. Thereafter, the game device executes the predetermined event (a racing game) at the time indicated by the start time data.
US07854655B2
Methods of obtaining input for controlling execution of a game program are disclosed. Controller input information can identify a current position of a user-movable control stick in relation to a rest position of the control stick. Supplementary input information from an environment can indicate a three-dimensional motion of a user-movable object. A combined input for controlling the execution of the game program can be obtained by processing the controller input information and the supplementary input information. The combined input can be obtained by assigning the value of the controller input information representative of a position of the control stick as coarse control information and assigning the value of the supplementary input information representative of the orientation of the user-movable object as fine control information.
US07854652B2
A movable data center comprising a portable enclosure in which a data processing module is operatively disposed. The data processing module is assembled onto a rack located in the enclosure that is movable between and operative position and a service position. A heat exchange module is arranged in the enclosure in air flow communication with the data processing module on the rack. The rack may be moved from the operative position in which the rack is in air flow communication with the heat exchange module to the service position in which the rack is not in air flow communication with the heat exchange module.
US07854651B2
When used as a biocide on newly butchered chickens, chlorine dioxide at concentrations of 12 to 50 ppm is effective at temperatures of 35° C. to 90° C. with 15 ppm being very effective at temperatures of 45° C. to 60° C. Chlorine dioxide in about 50° C. water did not off gas chlorine dioxide at a concentration of 50 ppm.
US07854648B2
A cleaning medium flies with an air current in a cleaning tank to collide with an object to be cleaned so as to remove an extraneous substance attached to the object. The cleaning medium includes an outer surface that comes into contact with the object and an inner surface that remains out of contact with the object. The cleaning medium is flexible and formed in a shape that allows the air current to flow from the outside onto the inner surface of the cleaning medium.
US07854643B2
A first doll is supported upon a support base in a substantially vertical standing position. A stunt apparatus includes a torso clasp which releasably attaches to the first doll torso and which includes an elongated rod pivotally secured to the torso clasp on the first doll. A second doll is secured to one end of the rod by a torso clasp and pivotal attachment. The remaining end of the rod is formed into a handle suitable for allowing the user to manipulate the second doll with respect to the first doll.
US07854638B2
Disclosed herein are apparatus and methods for enhancing swimming and facilitating walking on land. In some embodiments, the apparatus includes a foot thong having a body and a toe tether. The apparatus can include a swim fin device having a sole portion, toe portion, and fin portion, wherein the sole portion and toe portion cooperate to define an opening for receiving the toe tether to secure the swim fin device to the foot thong.
US07854636B2
A high-power, single-pole electrical connector is disclosed. A nonconductive mounting base is used to attach the connector to an electrical distribution panel. The connector extending from the panel has a bolted together connection, rather than a pin-and-collet configuration, as is found in some existing connectors. In the present invention, a panel-mounted connection is secured to a working side connection by bolting the two parts together.
US07854632B2
A connector and method of crosstalk compensation within a connector is disclosed. The method includes determining an uncompensated crosstalk, including an uncompensated capacitive crosstalk and an uncompensated inductive crosstalk, of a wired pair in a connector. The uncompensated crosstalk includes common mode and differential mode crosstalk. The method includes applying at least one inductive element to the wired pair, where the at least one inductive element is configured and arranged to provide balanced compensation for the inductive crosstalk caused by the one or more pairs. The method further includes applying at least one capacitive element to the wired pair, where the at least one capacitive element is configured and arranged to provide balanced compensation for the capacitive crosstalk caused by the one or more wired pairs.
US07854628B2
This connector includes an insulative housing having a plurality of terminal accommodating chambers, a grommet formed with a plurality of cable passages, a grid having a plurality of passages in correspondence with the passages and a closing member mounted at the rear side of the grid for selectively closing the passage to a first predetermined group of chambers, said closing member including a plate, which is formed with through-holes in correspondence with a second predetermined group of chambers. The closing member further includes at least one plug projecting from the plate in correspondence with the first group of chambers, said plugs being provided to be inserted in the respective passages of the seal, and thus sealingly close said passages.
US07854624B1
A panel assembly includes a panel having an opening therethrough that selectively receives either a first cassette or a second cassette, where the first and second cassettes have front and rear mating interfaces that mate with cable connectors. The first cassette has at least one of the front and rear mating interfaces being different than the front and rear mating interfaces of the second cassette, respectively. A connectivity sensor is mounted to either the first cassette or the second cassette depending on which of the first cassette and the second cassette is received in the opening of the panel. The connectivity sensor senses a connectivity status of the front mating interface of the corresponding first cassette or second cassette and generates a connectivity status signals relating to the connectivity status. An input/output connector is held by the panel. The input/output connector is electrically connected to the connectivity sensor and is configured to be electrically connected to an input/output cable of a connectivity management system that monitors the connectivity status signals of the connectivity sensor.
US07854620B2
A separable connector shield housing includes a layer of conductive material disposed at least partially around a layer of non-conductive material. The layers are molded together. For example, the conductive material can be overmolded around the non-conductive material, or the non-conductive material can be insert molded within the conductive material. The molding results in an easy to manufacture, single-component shield housing with reduced potential for air gaps and electrical discharge. The shield housing defines a channel within which at least a portion of a contact tube may be received. A contact element is disposed within the contact tube. The conductive material substantially surrounds the contact element. The non-conductive material can extend along an entire length of the contact tube and other components, or it may only extend partially along the contact tube. The non-conductive material can include an integral nose piece disposed along a nose end of the contact tube.
US07854619B2
A lever-fitting connector includes: a first connector; a second connector having a retaining portion; and a rotatable lever which engages the first connector with the second connector. The rotatable lever includes a retaining arm for provisionally retaining the lever with the second connector to abut on the retaining portion. The retaining arm extends to form a slit between the retaining arm and an edge of the rotatable lever. A width of the slit is smaller than an elastic range of the retaining arm at which the retaining arm bends toward the edge.
US07854618B2
A male wire connector system with lock mechanism, comprising: a housing assembly; a plug assembly moveably connected to the housing assembly; a jack assembly within the plug assembly comprising a plurality of terminals attached to a stopper mounted at the end thereof; a metal body assembly within the housing assembly and connected with the slide assembly and the cable wire; a cable extended from the housing assembly; and a slide assembly disposed on the top of the jack assembly slidable between the plug assembly and the cable within a predetermined distance by manipulation. The slide assembly is mechanically engaged with the plug assembly, the jack assembly, the metal body assembly, the housing assembly and the wire, triggering the forward and backward movement of the plug assembly. The male wire connector system can be securely locked or easily released from the female receptor when user manipulates the housing assembly.
US07854611B2
A method of generating a digital supplementary device for dental implantation by: preparing a mouth model based on the internal shape of the oral cavity of the patient; performing a 3D scan to obtain digital model of the mouth model, the digital model of the patient's oral cavity and the digital model of the tooth model; defining the digital models as the “positioning object,” “the reference object” and the “attached positioning object”; obtaining characteristic points after joining the positioning object and the attached positioning object and positioning the positioning object and the reference object based on the characteristic points; and then outputting the attached positioning object with the positioning data obtained after positioning of the attached positioning object. The output thus obtained is the desired digital supplementary device for dental implant planning.
US07854610B2
A method and apparatus for delivering an orthodontic retainer system wherein pairs of magnets are applied to adjacent teeth in a patient's mouth. The retainer system may include a pair of dental modules, in the form of mutually attracted members, that are temporary retained on a delivery member and positioned on a patient's teeth. In one exemplary embodiment, the dental modules have rounded and/or chamfered edges and a sloped lingual surface. In one exemplary embodiment, the delivery member is substantially L-shaped. Advantageously, the substantially L-shape of the delivery member allows an orthodontist to enter only a small portion of the patient's oral cavity to position the dental modules on a patient's teeth. Further, the substantially L-shape of the delivery member eases the orthodontist's delivery of the dental modules into a patient's mouth by substantially eliminating the need for the orthodontist to manipulate or otherwise move the patient's lips, tongue, and/or cheeks.
US07854609B2
The present disclosure includes method, system, apparatus, and indicator embodiments. For example, one system for monitoring orthodontic treatment includes an appliance for placement over one or more teeth and multiple wear indicators including at least a first wear indicator having a first wear rate and a second wear indicator that has a second wear rate that is different from the first.
US07854607B2
A control for controlling the operation of a fuel-fired heating appliance is provided that include a sensor capable of sensing the presence of carbon monoxide gas and providing an output indicative of the level of carbon monoxide gas. The control further includes a microprocessor that periodically reads the CO sensor output and stores at least one sensor output value in a memory, wherein the microprocessor responsively discontinues the operation of the appliance when the microprocessor detects a sensor output that has increased by more than a predetermined amount over at least one previously stored sensor output value. In one embodiment, the control is preferably configured to periodically read the sensor output value, and responsive discontinue operation of an appliance upon sensing a predetermined increase of at least a 50 percent increase over the previously monitored sensor output value over a period of about 15 to 90 minutes.
US07854604B2
According to the present invention, there is provided a semiconductor device fabrication method comprising, bringing a mold having a predetermined pattern into contact with at least a portion of an imprinting material formed on a substrate to be processed, and forming the pattern on the substrate to be processed by sequentially transferring the pattern for each shot, wherein one of a dicing region and a monitor pattern formation region of the substrate to be processed is coated with the imprinting material.
US07854593B2
An airfoil family for a helicopter rotor blade, designated SC362XX. SC362XX essentially removes the large lower surface suction peak associated with ‘drag creep’ at moderate lift coefficients while reducing the peak Mach number and shock strength at high lift/Mach number conditions. Another optional airfoil family for use at inboard regions of the helicopter rotor, which is designated SC3252XX airfoil family, is a relatively thicker airfoil section that includes a significant increase in thickness forward of the 30% x/c location to provide a relatively thick and rigid inboard section. The lift coefficient at which the drag divergence Mach number was optimized is the same in both families thereby readily providing application to a single rotor blade.
US07854578B2
An apparatus for holding an aerospace structure, having an edge and a surface, includes a base. Coupled to the base is an edge support adapted to releasably engage the edge of the structure. Also coupled to the base is a stanchion. Moveably coupled to the stanchion is a surface support adapted to support the surface of the structure when the edge of the structure is retained by the edge support.
US07854573B2
The present invention relates to environment resistant landscaping products, such as retaining wall and earth retention products, edgers, paving stones and the like, that provide a natural earthen appearance, such as rock, stone, sand, soil, clay, wood, trees and foliage, water, or any other natural earthen appearance. The present invention also includes a mass confinement cell that may be used in retaining walls and earth retention systems that has a natural earthen appearance and is resistant to damage and wear caused by the environment. The mass confinement cells are generally light-weight and include a continuous chamber that at least partially aligns with confinement cells positioned above and below, thereby allowing the intermingling of fill material between adjacent cells. The mass confinement cells are capable of accepting and retaining any type of filling material. The filling material provides weight, stability and security to a retaining wall constructed of such mass confinement cells.
US07854572B2
A piling machine with high-pressure jet spiral bit, including an underpan, a pile frame, a drill pipe, a drill bit having an upper leaf helix, a lower leaf helix and a middle leaf helix, a power system, a high-pressure concrete casting system and a high-pressure jet grouting system. The drill bit is disposed at the head of the drill pipe and has multiple nozzles disposed thereon, a diameter of the middle leaf helix is constant from the top to the bottom thereof, a diameter of each of the upper leaf helix and the lower leaf helix decreases from the top to the bottom thereof so that the drill bit with upper and lower tines is formed, the drill bit is spiral, the high-pressure jet grouting system is disposed in the drill bit, and the nozzles are disposed on the drill bit. A piling method is also taught herein.
US07854564B1
A flagpole having a plurality of linear tubular members with ends of adjacent tubular members connected with coupling members including arcuate segments retained in tight surface engagement with inside surfaces of the tubular members with fasteners.
US07854563B2
A joint system enables pivotable coupling between a first frame member and a second frame member. The joint system includes a mounting ball assembly affixable to the first frame member, and a connector engageable with the mounting ball assembly at one end and affixable to the second frame at an opposite end. The connector is constructed such that it is movable on the mounting ball assembly in a folding plane and through a clearance amount in a clearance plane substantially perpendicular to the folding plane. A continuous passage is defined through the mounting ball assembly and the connector.
US07854560B1
An adhesive container for use with a liquid adhesive, wherein the container comprises a body, a bottom, a side wall and a top. The container can include a stem extending from the lid and a dauber applicator connected to the stem, wherein the dauber applicator and the stem are stored within the container. The dauber applicator retrieves a portion of the liquid adhesive through at least one opening and the wiper removes portions of the liquid adhesive allowing the liquid adhesive to fall back into the body of the container and keep the removed portions of the liquid adhesive from dripping externally to the container.
US07854557B2
A vane driving device includes: two boards each having an opening and defining a blade chamber therebetween; a blade changing an area of the opening and housed in the blade chamber; a drive source for driving the blade, the drive source including: a coil winded around a stator and exciting a stator; a rotor rotatably supported by a rotary shaft, rotatable in conjunction with the rotary shaft, and magnetized to have different polarities in a circumferential direction; and a rotor pinion meshing a driven member, and integrally formed in the rotary shaft; and a printed substrate electrically connected to the coil. The two boards define a drive source chamber housing the drive source therebetween. At least one of the two boards has an opening for escaping the coil outwardly from the drive source chamber. The printed substrate is arranged on a outer wall surface opposite to the drive source chamber.
US07854555B2
A camera crane has a telescopically extendible arm with a camera platform supported at the front end of the arm. A mechanical leveling system is linked to the camera platform to keep the camera platform in a substantially horizontal or level position, regardless of the elevation angle of the arm. A counter weight moves along the arm as the arm extends and retracts, to help keep the arm balanced. A stabilizing system provides instantaneous corrective movements to the camera platform, to keep the camera platform level. The stabilizing system includes a sensor for sensing the angular position of the camera platform. An electronic controller provides a positive preload to a first motor, and a negative preload to the second motor, driving the camera platform, to avoid backlash. Upon sensing an out of level position, the controller provides a corrective signal to the motors, causing both motors to drive the camera platform back towards level.
US07854545B2
The present invention provides a wristwatch the case back of which is designed as a seat for a stone of the same shape and size and the stone is fitted to the case by a ring, which allows the stone to project a few millimeters so that the stone is in contact with the skin of the wrist.
US07854544B2
A clock device is provided for generating a real-time clock. The clock device includes a frequency generator, a measuring module, a setting module and a timing module. The frequency generator generates a frequency signal. The measuring module is coupled to the frequency generator for measuring the frequency signal and generating a measuring frequency value. The setting module is coupled to the measuring module for generating an error setting value corresponding to the measuring frequency value. The timing module is coupled to the frequency generator and the setting module for compensating the frequency signal according to the error setting value and generating the real-time clock.
US07854540B2
An exemplary optical plate includes a first surface and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first surface defines a plurality of substantially parallel elongated arc-shaped grooves therein. A plurality of substantially parallel elongated arc-shaped protrusions is formed on the second surface. An extending direction of the elongated arc-shaped grooves are substantially parallel to an extending direction of the elongated arc-shaped protrusions.
US07854524B2
Systems and methods of providing support to a mirror assembly including a high-stiffness, low mass structure. An L-shaped support, in conjunction with a shelf member and a plurality of fingers, provides support to a chuck upon which an operation (such as a wafer inspection) can be carried out. Materials such as ALBEMET and INVAR can be used to reduce mass and increase stiffness to avoid resonance in the system. Sensors and actuators can be employed to sense input energy and adjust the structure, respectively, if resonance is deemed likely.
US07854522B2
The invention provides an antiglare film. A resin layer is disposed on a substrate. Micro-aggregates are distributed in an interior and over a surface of the resin layer. Each of the micro aggregates has a size of 0.1-3 μm and is formed by aggregating aggregated nano-particles. The micro-aggregates distributing over the surface result in a surface roughness of the resin layer. The weight ratio of the resin layer to the micro-aggregates is 1:0.1-0.7.
US07854519B2
An illuminating device includes a first light source unit emitting illumination beams with a first optical axis; a second light source unit; and two reflecting elements arranged on both sides of an optical path of the first light source unit. The reflecting element arranged on the side of the second light source unit reflects the illumination beams emitted from a substantially half region on one side in an aperture plane of the parabolic reflector of the second light source unit, towards the direction along the first optical axis. The reflecting element arranged opposite to the second light source unit reflects the illumination beams emitted from a substantially half region on the other side in the aperture plane of the parabolic reflector of the second light source unit, towards the direction along the first optical axis.
US07854515B2
An projection type image display apparatus includes a projection optical system having a plurality of concave mirrors and digital micromirror device (DMD). An optical path from the DMD to the concave mirror closest to the DMD is a sealed space which is surrounded by an image forming device holding plate holding the DMD, an optical component holding member holding the concave mirror and the image forming device holding plate, and a cover glass (transparent dust-proof cover) arranged on the optical path from the DMD to the concave mirror closest to the DMD.
US07854510B2
A slit lamp mounted eye imaging device for viewing wide field and/or magnified views of the retina or the anterior segment through an undilated or dilated pupil. The apparatus images posterior and anterior segments of the eye, and sections/focal planes in between and contains an illumination system that uses one or more LEDs, shifting optical elements, and/or aperture stops where the light can be delivered into the optical system on optical axis or off axis from center of optical system and return imaging path from the retina, thereby creating artifacts in different locations on retina. Image processing is employed to detect and eliminate artifacts from images. The device is well suited for retinal imaging through an undilated pupil, non-pharmacologically dilated, or a pupil as small as 2 mm. Two or more images with reflection artifacts can be created and subsequently recombined through image processing into a composite artifact-free image.
US07854500B2
This invention relates to a tamper proof print cartridge for a printing device. The cartridge includes a casing defining a media storage portion, an ink storage portion and a media exit. The cartridge also includes a media transport mechanism arranged in said casing and configured to transport a single sheet of media from the media storage portion through the media exit when activated, as well as an ink supply manifold configured to operatively arrange the ink storage portion in fluid communication with the printer.
US07854497B2
A fluid ejection device includes a fluid chamber having a first sidewall and a second sidewall, a flexible membrane extended over the fluid chamber and supported at an end of the first sidewall and an end of the second sidewall, an actuator provided on the flexible membrane, a first gap provided between the flexible membrane and the end of the first sidewall, and a second gap provided between the flexible membrane and the end of the second sidewall, and compliant material provided within the first gap and within the second gap. As such, the actuator is adapted to deflect the flexible membrane relative to the fluid chamber.
US07854490B2
A method enables an ink jet imaging device to normalize the driving signals for the ink jets within a print head of the device. The method includes generating an ink jet driving signal at an initial voltage and a particular resolution, coupling the ink jet driving signal to an ink jet for selective emission of ink from the ink jet onto an ink receiver in accordance with the driving signal, scanning the ink receiver and generating a line discontinuity signal indicative of a number of discontinuities detected in a line formed on the ink receiver by the ink ejected from the ink jet, and adjusting one of a voltage and a resolution for the ink jet driving signal in response to the line discontinuity signal received from the scanner.
US07854489B2
A disclosed image forming apparatus includes a carriage having a head for jetting droplets; a pattern forming unit configured to form, on a belt, a pattern used for detecting displacement of landing positions of the droplets; a reading unit configured to scan the belt before the pattern formation to output a first result, and scan the pattern to output a second result; a correcting unit configured to correct the displacement based on the second result; a frequency analyzing unit configured to calculate frequencies of the belt and amplitudes of respective frequency components based on the first result; and a peak frequency calculating unit configured to calculate peak frequencies of the belt based on the frequencies of the belt and the amplitudes of the frequency components, the peak frequencies being frequency components whose amplitude exceeds a predetermined level. The pattern is formed at a frequency different from the peak frequencies.
US07854488B2
A dot measurement method includes: a line pattern forming step of forming line patterns on the ejection receiving medium; a pattern reading step of capturing an image of the line patterns; a profile graph acquiring step of acquiring profile graphs for each of the line patterns; a characteristic position calculating step of calculating extreme value positions, first edge positions and second edge positions for each of the line patterns; an approximation line calculating step of calculating a line-center approximation line, a first edge approximation line and a second edge approximation line; a line width calculating step of calculating a line width; a correlation information acquiring step of beforehand acquiring at least one of a first relationship between the line width and the dot diameter, and a second relationship between the line width and the ejection volume; and a measurement value calculating step of calculating at least one of the dot diameter and the ejection volume in accordance with the line width and the at least one of the first and second relationships.
US07854487B2
The image forming method for forming an image on a recording medium, wherein the image is divided into a plurality of regions, the method comprising: a droplet deposition rate calculation step; a dot arrangement specification step of specifying a dot arrangement pattern from the droplet deposition rate; and a droplet deposition control step of controlling droplet deposition operation in such a manner that the dot arrangement pattern specified in the dot arrangement specification step is achieved, wherein, in at least one of the plurality of the regions where the droplet deposition rate is lower than a maximum droplet deposition rate and is higher than a prescribed reference value, a dot line in a main scanning direction substantially perpendicular to the relative conveyance direction is formed in which the dots are continuously aligned so as to mutually overlap by a prescribed overlap ratio, in accordance with the droplet deposition rate.
US07854483B2
A metal track for crawler vehicles, the track having a metal chain hinged with substantially rectangular metal shoes, each of which has a work surface with arrow-shaped teeth defined by a front portion of one arrow-shaped tooth and a rear portion of another arrow-shaped tooth spaced apart on the work surface and complementary in shape; each portion of arrow-shaped tooth cooperating with a complementary portion on a respective adjacent shoe to define a complete arrow-shaped tooth.
US07854480B2
The present invention relates to a suspension system for a vehicle seat. The system comprises a top portion (9) and a first part (1) having a base portion (2), means (3b, 20) to receive the top portion and means (3, 4) to allow movement of the base portion (2) and top portion (9) towards and away from each other. The system further comprises a second part consisting of a spring element (10, 14) adapted in use to control movement of the base portion (2) and top portion (9) towards and away from each other. The top portion (9) and the second part (10, 14) are, in addition, releasably connected (13, 11a, 20) to the first part (1). This suspension system allows for flexibility in the manufacturing process and the replacement of parts.
US07854477B2
A seat back support mechanism supports the back of a seat in a motor vehicle. One component of the mechanism (15) is effectively connected to the seat of the motor vehicle and another component (32) is connected to the back (44) of the motor vehicle optionally by means of a recliner mechanism. The support mechanism comprises a connection between the components. The connection comprises two pivot links (27,33). One pivot link (33) is of arcuate form with a central “V” notch so that when the back of the seat is subjected to a predetermined force, the back of the seat is permitted about a pivot axis (30) while the arcuate pivot link (33) is deformed, thus absorbing energy.
US07854473B2
A vehicle front structure includes: a lower dashboard; an upper dashboard frontward extending from an upper end portion of the lower dashboard, both the lower and upper dashboards partially defining an engine compartment; damper housings disposed on a right side and a left side of the engine compartment, with right and left ends of the upper dashboard being joined to the respective damper housings; and a stiffener extending in a vehicle width direction which is fixed to an upper portion of the upper dashboard, wherein the stiffener is integrally formed of: a first transversal element connecting an upper portion of the right damper housing and an upper portion of the left damper housing; a second transversal element extending in the vehicle width direction and positioned rearward relative to the first transversal element; a plurality of longitudinal elements each connecting the first transversal element and the second transversal element.
US07854472B2
A vehicle body structure in which a panel is reinforced by a pair of reinforcing members, and a connecting member is included. The pair of reinforcing members intersects with each other and the reinforcing members are provided along one surface of the panel. The connecting member is connected to both of the pair of reinforcing members in a portion where the pair of reinforcing members intersects with each other.
US07854457B2
A gearshift finisher assembly comprises a finisher for bridging a gap between a gear selector plate and an adjacent or surrounding vehicle trim panel and a retainer including means for attachment to the trim panel. The finisher is engaged with the retainer for floating movement of the finisher with respect to the retainer, for example by engaging formations associated with the finisher and the retainer. The finisher may be engaged with the retainer via an intermediate fastener such as a plastics frame spring clip shaped to engage the finisher and the retainer.
US07854455B2
An animal waste collection system (10) designed for sanitary use consists of a hollow shaft (14), handle (12), light (70), a pair of resilient, curved arms (22, 24) and a plurality if self sealing bags (40). The operator of the device (10) initially loads a plastic bag (40) onto arms (22, 24) before walking the dog. When the animal shows signs of excreting, the bag (40) is placed under the rear of the animal to intercept the feces. Once the animal is finished excreting, the operator partially retracts the arms (22, 24), closing the bag (40), and walks to a disposal receptacle where the arms (22, 24) are then fully retracted and the sealed bag (40) is released.
US07854453B2
A system for detecting objects colliding with an automotive vehicle includes a bumper-reinforcing member disposed behind a front bumper, a supporting member disposed behind the bumper-reinforcing member, forming a small gap therebetween, and a load sensor disposed between the bumper-reinforcing member and the supporting member in an overlapped manner. A load caused by a collision and detected by the load sensor is fed to an electronic controller that determines whether the object colliding with the vehicle is a pedestrian or other objects. Since the load sensor is mounted in a manner overlapping with the bumper-reinforcing member and the supporting member, an increase in a longitudinal length of a bumper structure by installing the load sensor is minimized. The load sensor may include plural detecting plates, each having a strain gage mounted thereon.
US07854449B2
The present invention is a composite laminated sheet material suitable for structures such as containment sumps. The laminated material comprises a fabric-backed thermoplastic layer upon which thermoset plastic is applied to the fabric side. The thermoplastic layer is formed by contacting a layer of fabric onto a layer of molten thermoplastic such that the liquid thermoplastic permeates a portion of the fabric layer to form a mechanical bond with the fabric layer when the thermoplastic layer cools and hardens. Thermoset plastic, such as fibreglass resin, is sprayed onto the fabric side of the thermoplastic layer to allow the liquid resin to permeate the fabric layer. Once the resin cures and hardens, the fabric layer is mechanically bonded to the cured thermoset plastic layer to effectively bond the thermoplastic layer to the thermoset plastic layer.
US07854446B2
There is provided an airbag device being excellent in performance of protection of an occupant wherein a folded airbag (10) undergoes sequential and orderly expansion starting from a region where the expansion ought to be started. It is characterized in that a gas rectification member (12′) for rectifying and guiding a gas generated from an inflator (30) up to the vicinity of a part of the airbag (10), inflating in the initial expansion thereof, is provided substantially at the central part of the airbag (10).
US07854442B2
A bicycle wire holding arrangement is provided with a hollow frame member, a wire extending axially inside the hollow frame member and a suspending member disposed inside the hollow frame member. The suspending member is coupled to the wire and contacts an interior surface of the hollow frame member to hold the wire.
US07854440B2
A bicycle adaptable to different forms of cycling. The bicycle includes a frame modification of the location of the crankshaft unit in the frame. The bicycle frame includes a crankset box forming a main housing. The crankset box is positioned at the junction of first and second rods. A detachable body member is mounted in the main housing, and includes a special housing that may be centered or off center relative to the base of the detachable body member.
US07854439B2
A suspension system of a coupled torsion beam axle type may include a torsion beam that is disposed in the width direction of a vehicle body, left/right trailing arms that are mounted on respective ends of the torsion beam to be extended in the rearward direction of the vehicle body, and a spindle block that is mounted on one end of each of the respective trailing arms and in which a spindle is integrally formed in the front end surface thereof for a wheel to be mounted.
US07854436B2
Axle lifting device for a vehicle, in particular for vehicle axles with pneumatic suspension, comprising a supporting element, a lifting element, and a lever element, the supporting element and the lever element being connectable to one another via the lifting element such that when the lifting element is actuated, the supporting element is supported on a frame element of the vehicle and the lever element exerts a preferably vertical force on an axle control arm of the vehicle in order to lift the axle control arm, and the lever element is mounted essentially in a stationary manner so as to be rotatable or pivotable with respect to a distal end of the axle control arm and/or the frame element, and the supporting element is rotatably or pivotably supported on the lever element.
US07854433B2
A dynamic shaft seal assembly is provided including a dynamic seal for engaging a rotary shaft. The dynamic seal includes a base portion that is mounted within a casing and has an axially extending barrel portion extending from a radially inner end of the base portion. The axially extending barrel portion terminates in a radially extending leg portion which extends inwardly from an end of the axially extending portion. A generally conically shaped seal portion extends from an end of the radially extending portion and the seal portion includes a radially inner face engaging the shaft and a radially outer face having a stiffening bead integrally formed thereon. The stiffening bead reduces the seal's propensity for “bell mouthing” while the axially extending barrel portion provides improved shaft followability for the dynamic seal.
US07854428B2
A rotary die cut stacking system for use with a rotary die cutter having a rotary die configured to output die-cut sheets of material, the system including a stacker and a layboy for carrying die-cut sheets of material in a first direction from the die cutter to the stacker, wherein, the layboy has upper arms and lower arms defining a nip region therebetween for receiving the die-cut sheets, at least some of the upper arms and at least some of the lower arms being moveable transversely to the first direction, the layboy including at least one optical beam generator configured to direct an optical beam against a portion of the rotary die cutter so that a position of the arms relative to the rotary die can be determined based on the location of the optical beam on the portion of the rotary die cutter.
US07854423B2
A lift assembly having a drum rotatably mounted to a frame and linearly translatable with respect to one or more portions of the frame. A plurality of head blocks can be connected to the frame along a helical mounting path, wherein linear translation of the drum during takeoff or take-up can maintain a predetermined fleet angle between a take off point from the drum and the head block.
