US07912563B2
A safety control system includes a plurality of safety control stations connected to a control bus to communicate with each other and with a distributed control system including a plurality of control stations connected to the control bus, wherein each of the plurality of safety control stations has an interface through which each of the plurality of safety control stations is connected to the control bus for transmitting own data of each of the plurality of safety control stations to all other safety control stations by broadcasting at a fixed cycle via the control bus and for receiving by each safety control station transmitted data from all other safety control stations, and wherein the interface implements a safety layer used to generate and diagnose safety information.
US07912560B2
A controller and module for an industrial automation system is provided. A logical module employs resources and logic to expose functionality of the module while providing generic interfaces to external components of the module. A controller is operable with the logical module to provide interactions with components that are at, above, or below a layer associated with the controller.
US07912559B2
In one embodiment, a system for controlling a plurality of devices having at least two operating modes comprises a first software operating layer configured to control the operation of at least one of the devices in a first operational mode and a second software operating layer configured to control the operation of at least one of the devices in a second operational mode. In another embodiment, a control system for controlling a plurality of devices connected by a communications network comprises a user interface configured to receive the selection of a cycle of operation; a first system element isolated from the network and configured to implement the selected cycle of operation to define a first control state; and a second system element exposed to the network and configured to implement the selected cycle of operation to define a second control state.
US07912556B2
An electrode array attached to neural tissue, such as the retina, necessarily has graded pressure exerted on the tissue, with higher pressure near the attachment point. Greater pressure improves contact between the electrodes and neural tissue while too much pressure may damage neural tissue. Hence it is advantageous to obtain equal pressure across the array field. In the present invention multiple and selective attachment points are provided on an electrode array allowing a surgeon to select the attachment points providing the best electrode tissue contact.
US07912554B2
A method is disclosed for treating an aneurysm or vascular defect by cooling a target tissue region of the aneurysm or vascular defect to a temperature below body temperature for a preselected time period. The method entails thickening, strengthening, or increasing the density of a blood vessel wall by cooling the blood vessel wall with a cryogenically cooled device. The method also includes irradiating the inner wall of a blood vessel around an aneurysm or vascular defect with various forms of energy to delay or halt aneurysm or vascular defect formation. An energy-emitting element is disposed on the distal end portion of a catheter device to be disposed proximate the aneurysm. Various forms of energy, including visible light energy, laser light energy, ultrasound, microwave and radiofrequency sources may be used to irradiate and treat the aneurysm. In addition, the method may include irradiating a tissue site concomitantly with other treatments, including the delivery of vaso-occlusive compounds, mechanical intravascular devices, or an endovascular graft to the target tissue region.
US07912541B2
A biofeedback stimulation device includes a user interface for providing at least one input signal. A processor generates at least one control signal responsive to the at least one input signal. Circuitry within the biofeedback stimulation device enables application of both an electric stimulation signal and a light stimulation signal to a body of an individual. The application of the electrical stimulation signal and the light stimulation signal are controlled by the at least one control signal provided by the processor.
US07912539B2
A system for applying a polymer (hydrogel) to the inner surface of a vessel by photopolymerization includes a catheter having a first inflatable member and a guidewire having a second inflatable member. The catheter has an extended tip distal to the first inflatable member that includes multiple perfusion ports. A light emission coil is disposed on the extended tip with individual coil loops interspaced with the perfusion ports. In a method, the guidewire is delivered to a treatment site within a vessel. The catheter is delivered to the treatment site over the guidewire. The inflatable members are inflated to form an enclosed treatment space within the vessel. A photoinitiator is delivered to the enclosed treatment space. Excess photoinitiator is flushed from the treatment space, and a prepolymer is delivered. The prepolymer is cured by light delivered by the light emission coil.
US07912535B2
A method for assessing repolarization abnormalities is disclosed. At least two repolarization signals are identified from a set of ECG signals. PCA analysis is performed on the at least two repolarization signals to extract at least eigenvectors ev1 and ev2. A maximum vector MV is determined based on a transformed ECG signal in a plane defined by ev1 and ev2. A repolarization duration is determined which is based on the maximum vector MV. A system for assessing repolarization abnormalities is also disclosed. The system has a processor configured to determine a repolarization duration which is based on a maximum vector MV from transformed ECG repolarization signals in a plane defined by eigenvectors ev1 and ev2 which result from PCA analysis on the ECG repolarization signals. The system also has a data input coupled to the processor and a user interface coupled to either the processor or the data input.
US07912533B2
A method is disclosed for determination of positron-emission measurement information about a body area which is affected by at least one periodic movement process of an examination object during the course of positron-emission tomography. In at least one embodiment, the method includes a positron-emission measurement being carried out in the body area to be examined of the examination object in order to determine functional positron-emission measurement information, and recording, at the same time as the positron-emission measurement, anatomical measurement information about the body area to be examined is recorded, restricted to one recording plane, for at least one measurement time period, using an anatomical imaging method with high time resolution, in particular using a computed-tomography method. Thereafter, a complete four-dimensional data record of anatomical reference measurement information is recorded for at least one period of a movement process with high time resolution using the anatomical imaging method, and the positron-emission measurement information from the measurement time period is associated with corresponding anatomical reference measurement information as a function of a comparison of the anatomical measurement information, associated with the measurement time period of the positron-emission measurement and restricted to one recording plane, from the anatomical imaging method using the four-dimensional anatomical reference measurement information.
US07912530B2
A magnetic detection coil is provided, which includes a plurality of differential coils. Each differential coil is made of one of superconductors and metallic materials. The differential coils having mutually different loop directions are arranged in parallel at a spatially predetermined distance apart and mutually electrically connected in series. Each differential coil is one of a first-order differential coil and a second-order differential coil.
US07912518B2
Provided is a power saving method for a mobile terminal, of a WiBro communication system, particularly for a standby mode. A power saving method for a mobile terminal having a modem for communicating with a base station and a host for controlling the modem, includes starting, at the mobile terminal, a timer if a resource withdrawal is determined through a negotiation with the base station; turning off power to the modem; determining whether the timer has expired; and turning on the power to the modem.
US07912513B2
An in-vehicle device includes: a communication element; a coupling element for coupling and decoupling between the in-vehicle device and a cell phone via the communication element; a hard disk drive for storing a telephone directory data; an incoming call notification element for notifying a passenger about an incoming call, accessing the telephone directory data, and notifying individual information of a caller; a high altitude decision element for deciding whether the vehicle is disposed in a high altitude area; and a switching element for setting the hard disk drive in an off-mode when the vehicle enters into the high altitude area, and for setting the hard disk drive in an on-mode when the vehicle passes through the high altitude area. The incoming call notification element stops notifying the incoming call and the individual information when the hard disk drive is in the off-mode.
US07912505B2
A base station employing a CDMA technique comprising the steps of combining a plurality of spread spectrum data signals into a combined signal having a fluctuating power level corresponding to the data signals; modulating the combined signal to produce an RF signal; measuring average power of the combined signal over a selected time period; adaptively limiting the combined signal power to a calculated level based at least in part on the measured power; and transmitting the RF signal.
US07912504B2
The relates to means for increasing subscription transparency for mobile terminal users. An association between an identifier of a user and an identifier of a current SIM card, or a currently used logical phone, in a mobile terminal the user is using is provided. The association is sent from the mobile terminal to a communication server for use in call establishment to and from the mobile terminal.
US07912500B2
The invention relates to a mobile communication device, in particular in the form of a mobile telephone, with a computer device for simulating a virtual living being in respect of the development of said living being, with a display device for outputting the development status of the virtual living being and with an input device for controlling the development of the virtual living being.
US07912498B2
A method and apparatus are provided for reducing truncation of time sensitive information such as audio in a trunked radio system having a plurality of zone controllers. The method includes the steps of receiving a call request from a calling radio or wireline console by a controlling zone controller of the plurality of zone controllers and measuring a time necessary to set up a call connection between the controlling zone controller and a plurality of called radios or wireline consoles where the call connections of the plurality of called radios or wireline consoles are each set up through a different participating zone controller of the plurality of zone controllers. The method also includes the steps of determining a largest relative measured time among the measured times and buffering audio information from the calling radio for a time period proportional to the determined largest relative time.
US07912497B2
A wireless communication device, a method, and a computer program product that enable multiple subscriber numbers to be concurrently assigned to and supported within a single communication device, such as a wireless/cellular phone. The communication device is designed with circuit components and logic that allows two or more subscriber numbers to be concurrently programmed into the device. Each subscriber number is individually supported, with the logic also providing some overlapping functionality. A user selectively utilizes one of the subscriber numbers to originate a new call out and/or accept an incoming call to that subscriber number and may toggle between subscriber numbers to communicate on.
US07912493B2
A transmission power control technique allowing stable and reliable signal transmission in soft handover is disclosed. Each of the base stations involved in soft handover measures an amount of loss of the base station selection signal. When the amount of loss of the base station selection signal exceeds a threshold, the transmission power of the downlink signal is not set to the minimum level but to the normally controlled level. Further, a transmission power update timing of each base station is determined so that the downlink signal received at the mobile station changes in transmission power at a predetermined timing synchronized with that of other base stations.
US07912487B2
A mobile communication system in which, when transmission is performed from a base station to a terminal device, a modulation scheme is designated, from among at least two modulation schemes with different modulation levels, on the basis of reception quality at the terminal to perform transmission from the base station. The system includes a base station transmitting at a first transmission power using a frequency designed for, in a channel allocation scheme of the system, not causing interference with an adjacent base station and using a first modulation scheme, and a second channel transmitting at a second transmission power lower than the first transmission power, and when the base station uses the second channel, a second modulation scheme having a lower modulation level than the first modulation scheme is designated, and communication is performed.
US07912483B2
Methods and apparatus for facilitating the determination of Global Positioning System (GPS) location information for a mobile station without disrupting communications of a voice call (e.g. a 911 emergency call). In one illustrative example, the mobile station causes GPS navigational-type data to be regularly or periodically received and stored in memory prior to the voice call. At some point in time, the mobile station receives a voice call request to initiate the voice call. In response, the mobile station derives GPS assistance data based on the GPS navigational-type data. The mobile station then causes a GPS fix to be performed using the GPS assistance data, to thereby obtain GPS measurement data. Thereafter, the mobile station causes the voice call to be established and maintained through the wireless network.
US07912482B2
A mobile communication system and a method for capturing information of other mobile communication terminals located within a distance from the user's mobile communication terminal may include a first mobile communication terminal for transmitting capture signal, location information and identification information; the second mobile communication terminals for transmitting location information and identification information of the second mobile communication terminals; and a base station for transmitting the GPS driving signal to the second mobile communication terminals and capturing information of the second mobile communication terminals.
US07912475B2
Radio resources are allocated to communication between a mobile station and a base station. The available set of radio resources may comprise radio resources primarily assigned to a neighboring cell if the 5 mobile station experience an instantaneous low level of co-channel interference from such neighboring cells. The existence of interference is preferably deduced from signal quality measurements of pilot signals. The allocation may concern uplink and/or downlink communication. Devices for performing the measurements are located in the mobile station, while devices for performing the evaluation, selection and actual allocation can be placed in different parts of the communications system—in the mobile station, in a base station or in a core network node, or as a distributed means.
US07912467B2
Disclosed is a method and device for controlling a power saving mode for applying the sleep mode for saving power consumption to the mobility of subscriber stations in a mobile communication network and a wireless Internet system. Subscriber stations entering the sleep mode are constantly grouped, listening intervals of the subscriber stations for each group are not superimposed, the existence state of traffic in the subscriber stations is independently notified for each group, and the overhead of signaling messages is minimized when the traffic is notified to the subscriber station in the sleep mode.
US07912466B2
A method for establishing a radio communication channel by means of a first air interface between a first device and a second device, the method comprising: transmitting from one of the devices to the other by means of a second air interface information that at least partially identifies the channel; and establishing the channel by means of that information.
US07912465B2
In a wireless device, active scanning for a particular wireless network name is initiated during passive scanning for a wireless network that matches a profile stored in a wireless local area network controller, the profile including the particular wireless network name. Active scanning for the particular wireless network name includes transmitting one or more probe requests, each transmitted on a different communication channel.
US07912463B2
The application relates to wireless networks and more particularly to a method of reducing factory test time of receiver sensitivity in a Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) wireless device. Under TIA/EIA/-98E, the radio frequency (RF) sensitivity of a CDMA wireless receiver is the minimum received power, measured at the mobile station antenna connector, at which the frame error rate (FER) does not exceed 0.5% with 95% confidence. In order to reduce the test time of FER test method, the relation between correlated energy (or Ec/Io) and FER is determined using simulated traffic and the correlated energy (or Ec/Io) measurement is then used as the test parameter on like models to achieve the same or superior test confidence with significantly reduced test time.
US07912461B2
A signal-power related quantity is estimated by repeating a processing step, where measured values of instantaneous signal powers are processed. At each relevant part step of the processing and for each relevant matrix (99), elements (98) that are indicated to be negligibly small are changed to instead be exactly equal to zero. The computational complexity can thereby be decreased considerably. The principles are applied on determination of signal-power related quantities in wireless communications systems.
US07912456B2
A voicemail system (100) has a wireless unit (102) for conveying wireless messages to multimode mobile devices (108) by way of a wireless communication network (106) operating independently of a telephony system (105) also capable of communicating with said devices, and a voicemail server (104) coupled to the telephony system and the wireless unit. The voicemail server is programmed to store (208) a message from a calling party when the multimode mobile device of the called party is inaccessible by way of the telephony system, construct (210) a voicemail notification corresponding to the recorded message, and transmit (218) a wireless message including the voicemail notification directed to a select multimode mobile device.
US07912453B2
A service message, including a device application identifier and a bearer service indicator, is generated and sent to a wireless communications device. As a result, data can be transmitted between a server and a wireless device over a selected bearer service.
US07912449B2
Within a local region, information may be communicated between two or more wireless multimode communication devices (WMCD) comprising 60 GHz band and lower frequency band wireless interfaces. Spatial relationships between devices may vary. The 60 GHz interface may handle location determination operations and data transfers. The lower frequency band may support WPAN, WLAN and may handle coordination of communications and data transfers. The WMCDs may be coupled with a network. Antennas may be directional. Moreover, the spatial orientation of the antennas may be dynamically modified or swept across a specified angle. Furthermore, intelligent and/or adaptive antenna systems may be utilized. The WMCDs may utilize a position and/or time reference system to aid in location determination operations.
US07912448B2
A wireless handset for use in a peer-to-peer voice communications system comprising: a display; a keyboard comprising multifunctional keys capable of entering numeric or alphabetic characters depending on a number of key presses, said keyboard being arranged to enter contact information into a user interface displayed on said display, select contacts on the user interface, and initiate a packet data voice call with a contact; a microprocessor arranged to execute embedded client software, wherein the client software is arranged to establish a packet data voice call over the network and encode speech information as individually addressed packets; and a radio communication device arranged to transmit said individually addressed packets as radio signals from said wireless handset to a network.
US07912445B2
Methods and systems are disclosed for a virtual service provider. In one embodiment, a method comprises providing a first service enabler for a first mobile, communications, multimedia, or voice service, the service enabler having a first interface using a first format for communicating with a first set of content and service providers; and providing a second service enabler for a second mobile service, the second service enabler having a second interface using the first format for communicating with a second set of content and service providers. The method further comprises providing a plurality of drivers, each of the drivers configured to adapt communications received from the first and second service enablers to a network communications format associated with a network access provider in communications with the respective driver.
US07912432B1
An output power detection circuit including a detection circuit is disclosed. The output power detection circuit further includes a summing network, wherein a first voltage input of the summing network is capable of receiving a voltage that is proportional with a current flowing through an output stage of an RF amplifier circuit, a second voltage input is coupled with the detection circuit, and an output is capable of providing a summing voltage.
US07912421B2
A mobile device for receiving supplementary information transmitted with a radio station signal, said mobile device comprising: means for scanning a spectrum of frequencies; means for detecting a plurality of radio stations broadcast within said spectrum of frequencies; means for decoding, for each of a plurality of detected radio stations, at least one piece of supplementary information broadcast in conjunction with the plurality of radio stations; means for inputting a search criterion; means for generating a set of radio stations whose supplementary information matches said search criterion; and means for selecting one of the set of radio stations whose supplementary information matches said search criterion.
US07912414B2
A heating device for heating at least one printing agent on a printing material which is moved along a transport path through said heating device includes a microwave applicator. A microwave absorber element is located in an outer perimeter of the microwave applicator. The microwave absorber element is an irradiation device that absorbs microwave radiation and emits electromagnetic radiation. The electromagnetic radiation can be applied to the printing agent or the printing material.
US07912412B2
A transfer-fixing device transfers and fixes a toner image onto a transfer-fixing surface of a recording medium, and includes a transfer-fixing member, a pressing member, a heating member, and a temperature equalization member. The transfer-fixing member carries the toner image. The pressing member pressingly contacts the transfer-fixing member to form a nip between the pressing member and the transfer-fixing member through which the recording medium passes. The heating member heats the transfer-fixing surface of the recording medium conveyed toward the nip so that the recording medium reaches the nip before a temperature of a back surface opposite the transfer-fixing surface of the recording medium increases. The temperature equalization member equalizes temperature distribution on a surface of the transfer-fixing member in a width direction of the transfer-fixing member perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the recording medium, after the surface of the transfer-fixing member passes the nip.
US07912404B2
A cartridge detachably mountable to an electrophotographic image forming apparatus main body for forming an image on a recording medium. The apparatus main body includes: a main body guide; a restraining unit movable with respect to the main body guide; and a main body abutting portion. The cartridge includes: a frame; a guided portion protruding from the frame so as to be guided by the main body guide, and abutting on the restraining unit as the cartridge is being mounted in the apparatus main body to be restrained from moving to the downstream side in a mounting direction; and a moving member movable with respect to the frame to abut on the main body abutting portion to be moved to act on the restraining unit to move the restraining unit to an allowable position in which the guided portion is allowed to move to the downstream side.
US07912402B2
An aspect of the invention provides a developing device including: a developer container that contains developer and is formed with an opening; a developing roller that is rotatably supported by the developer container at a predetermined position and includes a roller shaft and an elastic roller configured to carry the developer; leakage preventing members that prevent leakage of the developer at longitudinal end portions of the elastic roller and each of which is respectively disposed at portions, where the longitudinal end portions oppose the developer container, to extend in an extending direction along a circumferential surface of the elastic roller at a longitudinal end portion thereof; and a guide that is provided on the developer container and slidably guides the developing roller toward the predetermined position along a sliding direction that is defined along the extending direction to allow the developing roller to be attached to the developer container.
US07912382B2
An optical-electrical transmitting device for transmitting a signal includes an electrical signal transmitting circuit which divides a transmission signal into a first transmission signal and a second transmission signal, a switching device which is electrically connected to receive and converts the first signal into an identification signal for determining the transmission signal to be one of a fast signal and a slow signal, and a selector which is electrically connected to receive the second transmission signal and the identification signal and outputs the second transmission signal to an optical waveguide when the transmission signal is determined to be the fast signal and an electrical wiring when the transmission signal is determined to be the slow signal, the optical waveguide optically connecting the electrical signal transmitting circuit to an electrical signal receiving circuit, the electrical wiring electrically connecting the electrical signal transmitting circuit to the electrical signal receiving circuit.
US07912379B2
A peaking current generating section generates a spire-shaped peaking current that is in synchronism with the transitions of the digital signal, at the rising edge and the falling edge. A light emitting element driving section produces a driving current obtained by combining together a signal amplitude current according to the amplitude of the digital signal and the peaking current. Then, the light emitting element driving section drives a light emitting element by using the driving current. A signal analysis section analyzes the digital signal so as to set a control signal based on the pulse width of the digital signal. A clipping section clips the peaking current of the driving current according to the control signal set by the signal analysis section.
US07912378B2
A system operable to modulate a signal according to phase-shift keying (PSK) modulation includes one or more phase modulators that comprise one or more fractional phase modulators. A fractional phase modulator includes a splitter that splits a communication signal to yield a first communication signal with first amplitude and a second communication signal with second amplitude, where the ratio of the first and second amplitudes correspond to a phase shift. A phase shifter phase shifts the first or second communication signal. A first modulator modulates the first communication signal at a constant phase. A second modulator modulates the second communication signal at phases corresponding to the phase shift to encode data. A coupler couples the first communication signal and the second communication signal.
US07912376B2
Embodiments include apparatus, methods, and system including an apparatus comprising a photo receiver operable to detect a stream of light pulses transmitted from a photo transmitter paired with the photo receiver, wherein a frequency of the stream of light pulses has a harmonic relationship with a frequency of at least one other stream of light pulses transmitted by a photo transmitter not paired to the photo receiver, wherein the stream of light pulses from the transmitter paired with the photo receiver is detectable by the photo receiver even when the photo receiver is receiving one or more light pulses from the at least one other stream of light pulses.
US07912374B1
Techniques for designing optical devices with high reflection isolation are disclosed. According to one aspect of the devices, an optical filter and a reflecting element are used. Depending on implementation, the reflecting element may be another optical filter, a prism and a mirror. The reflecting element is provided to direct a reflected light beam from the optical filter back to the optical filter for additional filtering, wherein the reflected light is a filtered signal that is presumably carrying residuals of unwanted signals (e.g., a transmitted signal of the optical filter). With a proper placement of the reflecting element with respect to the optical filter, the reflected light beam can be redirected back to the optical filter for a predefined number of times so that the errors or residuals in the reflected light beam are much reduced, if not completely removed.
US07912359B2
A heating device of the light irradiation type having an article to be heated, a guard ring located on the periphery of that article, multiple lamps located above the article to be heated and the guard ring, and a reflecting mirror located above the lamps, in which a light diffusion part is located in the upper region corresponding to the article to be heated so that the diffused light projects onto the entire surface of the article to be heated. The light diffusion part can be formed, for example, on a reflecting mirror, an optically transparent window part located between the article to be heated and the lamps or a light diffusion area formed on the light-emitting bulbs of the lamps. The size of the region occupied by the light diffusion part is such that diffused light is not projected to the guard ring.
US07912354B2
There are provided an information storage medium capable of real-time recording/playback of digital moving picture information, and a digital information recording/playback system using this medium. In a medium that records/plays back data including video data and control information, the control information (DA21 in FIG. 4; RTR_VMG in FIG. 30) includes information (VOBU entry in FIG. 31) for accessing a specific portion (VOBU) of the video data.
US07912335B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a two-dimensional photonic crystal in which conditions for both the TE-polarized light and the TM-polarized light can be easily satisfied. A body includes a first area having a triangular lattice pattern arrangement of a circular hole and a second area having a triangular lattice pattern arrangement of an equilateral triangular holes. Therefore, the TE-PBG which is a photonic band gap (PBG) for the TE-polarized light is created in the first area, and the TM-PBG which is a PBG for the TM-polarized light is created in the second area. Parameters such as the period and size of the holes can be independently set for the first area and the second area, so that an energy region common to the TE-PBG and the TM-PBG (i.e. absolute PBG) can be made larger and easily created. Forming a waveguide and resonators and or the like corresponding to an energy within the absolute PBG allows formation of a polarized light multiplexer/demultiplexer and a frequency (wavelength) multiplexer/demultiplexer without depending on polarized light or the like.
US07912333B2
A powered fiber optic cable for use in a hydrocarbon well of extensive depth and/or deviation. The cable may couple to a downhole tool for deployment to well locations of over 30,000 feet in depth while maintaining effective surface communication and powering of the tool. The cable may be configured to optimize volume within a core thereof by employing semi-circular forward and return power conducting portions about a central fiber optic portion. As such, the cable may maintain a lightweight character and a low profile of less than about 0.5 inches in diameter in spite of powering requirements for the downhole tool or the extensive length of the cable itself.
US07912330B2
The temperature dependency of center wavelength of AWG is compensated by adjusting optical input position by cutting interface between input slab waveguide of AWG and stripe waveguide circuit connected to input slab, followed by attaching lateral sliding rod which has larger Coefficient of Thermal Expansion than chip substrate. These cut-elements are passively re-aligned on the top surface of the alignment base substrate. The cut-element of AWG main body is adhered on alignment base substrate, and the cut-element of the strip waveguide circuit connected to the input slab is attached to the lateral sliding rod. The gap between the facets of re-aligned two cut-elements is maintained by inserting thin film followed by filling gap-fill material with no flowing nature to minimize degradation of optical characteristics and maintain free lateral movement between these two cut-elements.
US07912328B2
A circuit board assembly is configured to attenuate and prevent electro-magnetic fields from interfering with operation below a desired cutoff frequency, of electro-magnetic interference (EMI) susceptible circuit board electronics disposed within a shielded enclosure, while allowing signals to be transmitted between the EMI susceptible circuit board electronics at frequencies below the desired cutoff frequency, and circuits or devices external to the shielded enclosure.
US07912321B1
In an image registration method, edges are detected in a first image and a second image. A percentage of edge pixels in a subset of the second image that are also edges in the first image shifted by a translation is calculated. A best registration point is calculated based on a maximum percentage of edges matched. In a predefined search region, all registration points other than the best registration point are identified that are not significantly worse than the best registration point according to a predetermined statistical criterion.
US07912315B2
An imager captures light reflecting off an object of interest and generates two or more images of the object. A controller identifies artifacts in one of the captured images and defines one or more non-interpretation regions in a binary image. The non-interpretation regions include pixels representative of the artifacts and do not include pixels representative of the object of interest. The controller performs pixel operations on the pixels in the binary image to reduce a number of artifacts in a final image.
US07912307B2
The present disclosure includes an image processing technique that is capable to increase spatial resolution of single frame images beyond diffraction limit. If an image is taken by diffraction limited optical system with regularly spaced pixel detectors, and if the spacing of pixels of the detectors is much small than the diffraction pattern, then the spatial resolution of the image can be increased beyond the diffraction limit by using neighboring-pixel-optical-transfer-function (NPOTF) in Fourier Domain with periodical boundary conditions.
US07912303B2
The present invention discloses an apparatus for automatically generating thumbnail images for a video browser and a video recording and reproducing device, and a method therefor. A difference between histograms of two DC images of a current frame I picture and a previous frame I picture is calculated and compared with a predetermined reference value for deciding a stabilization section. When the difference between the histograms of the current I picture DC image and the previous I picture DC image does not exceed the reference value, the corresponding I picture DC image is outputted as the thumbnail image. Here, a blank test is executed to exclude a dark original image whose contents are indistinguishable. Only the DC image of the I picture passing through the blank test is outputted as the thumbnail image.
US07912301B2
The present invention is directed to an image information decoding apparatus adapted for performing intra-image decoding based on resolution of color components and color space of an input image signal. An intra prediction unit serves to adaptively change block size in generating a prediction image based on a chroma format signal indicating whether resolution of color components is one of 4:2:0 format, 4:2:2 format, and 4:4:4 format, and a color space signal indicating whether color space is one of YCbCr, RGB, and XYZ. An inverse orthogonal transform unit and an inverse quantization unit serve to also change orthogonal transform technique and quantization technique in accordance with the chroma format signal and the color space signal. A decoding unit decodes the chroma format signal and the color space signal generate a prediction image corresponding to the chroma format signal and the color space signal.
US07912294B2
A system and method for toboggan-based object detection in cutting planes are provided. A method for detecting an object in an image includes: determining a region of interest (ROI) in the image; determining a toboggan potential for each image element in the ROI; extracting a plurality of cutting planes from the ROI; and performing a tobogganing in the cutting planes to form a toboggan cluster to determine a location of the object, wherein image elements inside the toboggan cluster are stored in a cluster-member list, image elements on an outer-border of the toboggan cluster are stored in an outer-border list and image elements on an inner-border of the toboggan cluster are stored in an inner-border list.
US07912290B2
A data analyzer/classifier comprises using a preprocessing step, and energy minimization step, and a postprocessing step to analyze/classify data.
US07912286B2
A method of labeling of image data includes reading the image data sequentially with units of two successive pixels and providing one label to a target unit of two successive pixels in the image data when a preliminary label is to be assigned to at least one of the two successive pixels of the target unit. And an image processing apparatus includes a memory configured to store image data, a processor configured to process the image data with units of two successive pixels and to provide one label to a target unit of two successive pixels when a preliminary label is to be assigned to at least one of the two successive pixels of the target unit and a memory controller arranged between the memory and the processor and configured to control reading and writing the image data.
US07912273B2
A system and method for monitoring degradation of a device having a metal layer and a composite layer, such as a vehicle-mounted boom arm. The system can include a collar mounted on an outer surface of the device, a radiography device movably coupled to the collar, and a monitor. The radiography device can include a source of radiography signals positioned to direct radiography signals through at least a portion of the device and a detector to detect radiography signals that have passed through the device. The monitor can be connected to the detector to display an image of the device generated from the detected radiography signals. Anomalies in the device image can represent degradation in the device.
US07912270B2
A method and system for processing a cardiac image dataset acquired from an imaging system is provided. A location of a first potential blockage point within a first cardiac vessel is located. A functional impact of the first potential blockage point on the cardiac tissue is predicted, and a representation of the functional impact is provided.
US07912266B2
A method for segmenting tubular structures in medical images includes providing at least a start point and an end point in a digital image volume, minimizing an action surface U0(p) which, at each image point p, corresponds to a minimal energy integrated along a path that starts at start point p0 and ends at p, sliding back on the minimal action surface from an end point to the start point to find a minimal path connecting the terminal points, initializing a level set function with points on the minimal path, and evolving the level set function to find a surface of a structure about the minimal path, wherein the level set function is constrained to be close to a signed distance function and wherein the level set function is prevented from growing wider than a predetermined diameter R, wherein the surface about the minimal path defines a tubular structure.
US07912265B2
A computer-implemented system and method of intra-oral analysis for measuring plaque removal is disclosed. The system includes hardware for real-time image acquisition and software to store the acquired images on a patient-by-patient basis. The system implements algorithms to segment teeth of interest from surrounding gum, and uses a real-time image-based morphing procedure to automatically overlay a grid onto each segmented tooth. Pattern recognition methods are used to classify plaque from surrounding gum and enamel, while ignoring glare effects due to the reflection of camera light and ambient light from enamel regions. The system integrates these components into a single software suite with an easy-to-use graphical user interface (GUI) that allows users to do an end-to-end run of a patient record, including tooth segmentation of all teeth, grid morphing of each segmented tooth, and plaque classification of each tooth image.
US07912264B2
Separate renderings are performed for data of a same medical imaging mode. The data is processed differently prior to rendering and/or rendered differently to enhance desired image information. For example, a same set of ultrasound B-mode data is rendered with opacity rendering and with maximum intensity projection or surface rendering. The surface or maximum intensity projection highlights strong transitions associated with bones. The opacity rendering maintains tissue information. Different sets of B-mode data may be separately rendered, such as one set processed to emphasize contrast agent response and another set processed to emphasize tissue. The separate renderings are aligned and combined. The combined rendering is output as an image.
US07912252B2
A method of identifying a living being includes using a time-of-flight sensor to determine a location of a face of the living being. An image of an iris of the living being is produced dependent upon the location of the face as determined by the time-of-flight sensor. The produced image is processed to determine an identity of the living being.
US07912242B2
A frame has a slide hole and a receiving hole made close to an end of the slide hole. A terminal member has a protrusion protruding from a face making contact with the speaker frame, and a claw projecting in a direction approximately perpendicular to a protruding direction of the protrusion. An approximate-projection-shaped engaging portion is formed on the claw to engage with the receiving hole made close to the end of the slide hole. For example, when the terminal member is mounted on the frame, the protrusion is inserted into the slide hole and then slid along the slide hole, thereupon the engaging portion formed on the claw engages with the receiving hole, whereby the terminal member is fixedly attached to the speaker frame.
US07912241B1
A push-pull magnetic-planar acoustic transducer provides easy field replacement of a diaphragm. Push-pull magnetic-planar acoustic transducers are known for the relative vulnerability of their diaphragms to damage. Replacement of the transducers in the field as been problematic because of the high repulsive force between the front and back panels and the need to obtain even tension across the diaphragm. The push-pull transducer assembly incorporates an edge hinge on which the panels can be pivoted to bring the panels into facing positions and a plurality of set screws to be fitted around the perimeter of the panels allowing essentially flat closure of the panels on one another to a working spacing engaging the diaphragm.
US07912235B2
A capacitive microphone and method for making the same are provided. A backplate with a plurality of holes is formed on a substrate with at least one cavity, and a diaphragm is formed above the backplate. There is an air gap between the backplate and the diaphragm. The air gap and the cavity communicate with each other by each hole. The diaphragm and the backplate are separated by a first distance and a second distance which is smaller than the first distance, such that the difference is formed on the diaphragm. The second distance area is fastened through surface stiction produced by mist or other fluids.
US07912225B2
3D sound is generated using an improved HRTF modeling technique for synthesizing HRTFs with varying degrees of smoothness and generalization. A plurality N of spatial characteristic function sets are regularized or smoothed before combination with corresponding Eigen filter functions, and summed to provide an HRTF (or HRIR) filter having improved smoothness in a continuous auditory space. A trade-off is allowed between accuracy in localization and smoothness by controlling the smoothness level of the regularizing models with a lambda factor. Improved smoothness in the HRTF filter allows the perception by the listener of a smoothly moving sound rendering free of annoying discontinuities creating clicks in the 3D sound.
US07912218B2
The invention proposes to divide a content to be transmitted via a network into a set of slices and to generate a set of files from this set of slices. The slices (or the files) are encrypted before downloading in such a way that the client cannot use the slice (or the file) before having acquired the associated decryption key. The invention thereby allows protecting a downloaded content on a slice-by-slice basis (or on a file-by-file basis) rather than protecting a downloaded content as a whole. The transmission (in download mode) between the server and the client is ruled by the HTTP protocol that is accepted by all firewalls and NAT. Consequently, the transmitted content is accessible for any client device that has access to the Web without restriction. Advantageously, the slices can be decoded independently of each other.
US07912215B2
A data transmitting apparatus generates, by using predetermined first key information and information data, a multi-level signal in which a signal level changes so as to be approximately random numbers, and converts the multi-level signal into a modulated signal, in a predetermined modulation method and transfer the same. A data receiving apparatus demodulates the modulated signal so as to be converted into a multi-level signal, and reproduces information data from the multi-level signal, using second key information which has the same content as first key information used by the data transmitting apparatus.
US07912214B2
A method and a system for generating personal promotion codes from the computing resources of a provider of services. Internal promotion codes including a family ID field and serial ID field of alphanumeric characters are first generated. The internal promotion codes are then encoded into a corresponding series of external promotion codes of alphanumeric characters, which render the internal promotion codes unintelligible. After which the series of external promotion codes is packed into an encrypted file which is forwarded to a client application of the provider of services to have the external promotion codes distributed to its customers. The external promotion codes later submitted to the client application by the customers are further validated by the provider of services. Validation of the external promotion codes submitted by the customers does not require that all generated external promotion codes need to be stored in a database of the provider of services.
US07912201B2
A method of providing a caller with a directory assistance dialog. The dialog is configurable, at any level of the dialog, from an automated speech recognition (ASR) dialog to an operator-assisted (OP) dialog. The dialog is handed off to an operator if any level of the speech recognition dialog fails. Also, a configuration switch may be set to cause the dialog to be handed off to an operator even if a response at some level of the ASR dialog is successfully recognized.
US07912200B2
Embodiments may provide a telephone and a computing device coupled to the telephone, the computing device to establish a telephone call with the telephone using a signaling protocol other than a Session Initiation Protocol.
US07912191B2
A method for monitoring traffic revenue flows for a plurality of communications companies using Information Technology (IT) systems, including the following steps (v) designing an optimal sample of transactions that maximizes the probability of detecting billing errors done by the communications companies; (vi) executing transactions from the optimal sample of transactions through a plurality of communications networks and recording test transactions data ,using concurrently a shared infrastructure comprising a plurality of robots for generating the transactions; (vii) collecting invoice lines from the IT systems in a non intrusive way, through an automated browsing of the web sites of the communications companies; so as to extract billing data for each test transaction, and (viii) processing the recorded test transactions data so as to re-rate billing for the test transactions, and matching said re-rated transaction billing data to billing data invoice extracted from the collected invoice lines, so as detect billing errors.
US07912188B2
A packetized telecommunication network directs a call that is received at a gateway of the network to connect to a feature platform via the network, which performs a service related to the call, such as an authentication service. After the service is performed, the call is redirected to another location in the network to provide a connection between the gateway and the other location, which connection is independent of the feature platform.
US07912181B2
A medical diagnostic X-ray apparatus includes an X-ray source, a hollow carrier to which the X-ray source is connected, and a cooling device provided with a cooling device to cool the X-ray source during use of the X-ray apparatus. The cooling device is in direct thermal contact with the carrier, thus providing an efficient cooling mechanism for the X-ray source.
US07912180B2
Scattered radiation is estimated by using a reduced image generated from a projection image, and the scattered radiation image of the projection image is acquired by enlargement processing. The scattered radiation correction of the projection image is executed by subtracting the obtained scattered radiation image from the projection image. In addition, when a primary X-ray image and a scattered radiation image in each projection direction are to be obtained by sequential approximation calculation, a primary X-ray image which has already been identified in an adjacent projection direction is used as a first estimated value (initially set value) in next sequential calculation.
US07912171B2
Exemplary embodiments provide automated nuclear fission reactors and methods for their operation. Exemplary embodiments and aspects include, without limitation, re-use of nuclear fission fuel, alternate fuels and fuel geometries, modular fuel cores, fast fluid cooling, variable burn-up, programmable nuclear thermostats, fast flux irradiation, temperature-driven surface area/volume ratio neutron absorption, low coolant temperature cores, refueling, and the like.
US07912170B2
A protection system for a nuclear boiling water reactor may include a device configured to monitor reactor power; a device configured to monitor reactor pressure; a device configured to determine a power-dependent high reactor pressure setpoint, based on the monitored reactor power; and a device configured to initiate a protection system action when the monitored reactor pressure is greater than the power-dependent high reactor pressure setpoint. The power-dependent high reactor pressure setpoint that corresponds to at least one value of percent power in an operating domain of the reactor may be less than the power-dependent high reactor pressure setpoint that corresponds to 100% reactor power.
US07912169B2
An apparatus for performing a channel-to-channel delay correction and frame synchronization with low latency includes, on each of a plurality of channels, a clock-and-data recovery circuit, a frequency divider circuit, a circuit for detecting the phase difference between the phase of the frequency-divided clock signal and the phase of a clock signal, a serial-to-parallel converter circuit, a register array for holding the parallel output of the serial-to-parallel converter circuit, and a frame-head detector for detecting a frame head from the output of the register array and outputting a frame detection signal. A last-frame-head detector receives the frame detection signals from each of the channels and detects a channel on which the frame head was detected last. The frame head detected last, the phase of the internal clock signal, and the phase of a frequency-divided clock of a retiming clock of the channel are adjusted to substantially coincide.
US07912164B2
A system includes first and second wireless nodes having a clock with plural times, a wireless transceiver, and a processor cooperating with the transceiver to transmit and receive packets. The second node transceivers wirelessly communicate with the first or other second node transceivers. The second nodes include a Kalman filter with an output, plural filter gains, and an input representing the difference between: about the time of the clock when a received packet should have ideally been received, and a time when the received packet was actually received as measured by the clock. A circuit provides dynamic adjustment of the filter gains. The Kalman filter output estimates the difference between the time of the receiving node clock and a corresponding one of the times of the transmitting node clock. The second processor cooperates with the Kalman filter output to adjust the times of the receiving node clock.
US07912162B2
Methods, apparatus, systems and devices are implemented according to a number of embodiments. According to one such embodiment, a method of synchronizing a receiver to a timing and carrier frequency of a communication system is implemented. A set of predetermined possible synchronization patterns is detected in a received signal. Timing and structure information is generated specifying the occurrence of detected ones of said predetermined set of possible synchronization patterns in said received signal. Channel coefficient estimations of different receiving channels are derived from the timing and structure information. A carrier frequency offset is determined for the received signal based on a comparison of predetermined ones of said derived channel coefficient estimates.
US07912160B2
A modulation circuit according to the present invention includes: a modulator modulating a received signal and outputting a modulated signal; a detector circuit receiving the modulated signal and outputting a envelope of the modulated signal; and a first controller regulating an offset level of the modulator based on the envelope.
US07912156B1
Method and apparatus are disclosed for obtaining improved performance when using Forward Error Correction (FEC) with channels experiencing block fading or burst jamming over some number of contiguous symbols. One suitable application is when the channel is periodically obstructed due to the rotation of a propeller blade, resulting in a periodic block fading channel. During operation zero symbols are inserted into the received signal stream, prior to the FEC decoder at times that are estimated or otherwise determined to correspond to periods of jamming or severe fading. The zero symbols effectively “erase” the severely degraded symbols. The zero symbols are less detrimental to the FEC decoder than the severely degraded symbols, especially when the channel interleaving/de-interleaving operations result in the zero symbols being temporarily distributed over a large block of received symbols.
US07912155B2
The invention relates to a demodulator circuit in a communication system using a multi-carrier modulation scheme. The demodulator uses channel state information for respective carriers in the multi-carrier modulation to de-map the received data.
US07912152B2
A complex coefficient transversal filter using a SAW filter and a complex frequency converter using the complex coefficient transversal filter are provided, in which a first SAW filter receives a real signal as an input signal and generates a real component of a complex signal, and a second SAW filter receives the real signal as an input signal and generates an imaginary component of the complex signal. Accordingly, feed-through waves between the input and output stages can be cancelled, and a phase difference between real and imaginary signals can be maintained at 90° without a phase shift. In addition, when a low-IF frequency converter is implemented using the complex coefficient transversal filter, an image suppression characteristic is improved. When a zero-IF frequency converter is implemented using the complex coefficient transversal filter, an error vector magnitude (EVM) characteristic is improved.
US07912150B2
A method and apparatus for receiving data produced by mapping high-priority bits to a high-reliability bit position and low-priority bits to a low-reliability bit position in symbols, in a receiver in a mobile communication system. The apparatus includes a demodulator for demodulating the high-priority bits from the high-reliability bit position and the low-priority bits from the low-reliability bit position in the symbols; a position exchange for exchanging the position of the high-priority bits with the position of the low-priority bits in an original order if a transmitter has exchanged the bit positions; a controller for controlling the positions of the high-priority bits and the low-priority bits according to whether the transmitter has exchanged the bit positions; and a combiner for combining the high-priority bits and the low-priority bits with previously received same bits.
US07912145B2
In some exemplary embodiments of the invention, a transfer function of a filter for a fractional-N sigma-delta modulator may be calculated to be optimized according to predefined optimization criteria. For example, the optimization criteria may include spectral cleanliness at the output of the modulator, or the mean squared error of the input to the filter and the input to a voltage controlled oscillator of the fractional-N phase locked loop (PLL). In some exemplary embodiments, the filter may be adjusted to compensate for variations and/or impairments in the analog fractional-N PLL. A non-exhaustive list of examples for the transfer function includes a finite impulse response and an infinite impulse response.
US07912143B1
A novel data transmission method and apparatus is disclosed for communicating digital data using existing telephone wiring. According to the present invention, the digital data is represented by the time interval between two consecutive biphasic pulses. Biphasic pulses are used in the present invention because each biphasic pulse does not carry any dc component so DC component in the transmission line can be eliminated. In addition, additional data can be encoded in the amplitude or pulse width of each biphasic pulse so that higher data encoding ratio can be achieved.
US07912140B2
A method and a system for reducing computational complexity in a maximum-likelihood MIMO decoder, while maintaining its high performance. A factorization operation is applied on the channel Matrix H. The decomposition creates two matrixes: an upper triangular with only real-numbers on the diagonal and a unitary matrix. The decomposition simplifies the representation of the distance calculation needed for constellation points search. An exhaustive search for all the points in the constellation for two spatial streams t(1), t(2) is performed, searching all possible transmit points of (t2), wherein each point generates a SISO slicing problem in terms of transmit points of (t1); Then, decomposing x,y components of t(1), thus turning a two-dimensional problem into two one-dimensional problems. Finally searching the remaining points of t(1) and using Gray coding in the constellation points arrangement and the symmetry deriving from it to further reduce the number of constellation points that have to be searched.
US07912132B2
Stream data is decoded for respective macroblocks to store decoded information in a memory, and an error is detected from the decoded information of each macroblock. As a result, if any error is detected, a plurality of pieces of decoded information of macroblocks ahead of the macroblock from which an error is detected are read out from the memory to check if the presence/absence of decoded information including a syntax that does not match rules. The macroblock in which an error mixed or a macroblock in which an error is estimated to mix is estimated based on the checking result, and a plurality of pieces of decoded information after the macroblock in which an error mixed are discarded based on the estimation result.
US07912129B2
A method of half-pixel interpolation and quarter-pixel interpolation are adapted for reducing the impact of aliasing within motion estimation. To estimate a motion vector with quarter-pixel accuracy more efficiently, the improved method is able to skip checking certain points using the uni-modal assumption. In an embodiment, a diamond based refinement is implemented. Within the diamond based refinement are half-pel refinement and quarter-pel refinements. Furthermore, within the half-pel refinement are methods for on-the-fly interpolation and pre-computed interpolation. Within quarter-pel refinement, the method depends on whether four neighbor half-pel points are checked or just one or two half-pel points. Moreover, within each of the different embodiments is the ability to focus on quality or speed wherein different methods are implemented to maximize the desired function. In another embodiment, a square based refinement is implemented.
US07912124B2
A fine-grain scalable video data apparatus, system, method and data structure is disclosed. An encoder (110) for encoding input video data as minimum bitrate macroblock data to produce DCT data having DCT coefficients representing a minimum bitrate version of the macroblock data. The encoder (110) also encodes the input video data as intermediate bitrate macroblock data to produce DCT data having DCT coefficients representing an intermediate bitrate version of the macroblock data. An adaptive motion compensator (132) (whether incorporated within the encoder or externally) communicates with the encoder for predicting whether a decoded version of the intermediate bitrate macroblock data has an accumulated predicted error frame energy exceeding a maximum threshold (228).
US07912116B2
A frame configuration method and apparatus for sending data via an RS in a broadband wireless communication system are provided. In the reception mode, the RS monitors reception of data in an (n−1)th frame from an MS and reception of data in an nth frame from a BS. The RS classifies the data received from the MS and the data received from the BS as combinable data to be sent in combination or as non-combinable data to be sent separately, and stores the classified data distinguishably. When the RS transitions to a transmission mode, it determines whether to XOR-operate or mask the stored data. If the stored data can be masked, the RS XOR-operates the stored data and sends the masked data to the BS and the MS.
US07912114B2
A direct-sequence spread-spectrum communications method of de-spreading and decoding received data transmitted through an acoustic channel. A first code match filter is applied to receive data to output a first code impulse response comprising a channel impulse response modulated by a pseudo-random number bit. A second code match filter is applied to the received data to output a second code impulse response comprising the channel impulse response modulated by a message symbol bit. The first code impulse response is correlated with the second code impulse response to output the message symbol bit modulated by the pseudo-random number bit. The pseudo-random number bit is eliminated to identify the message symbol bit, thereby decoding the message symbol bit from the received data.
US07912111B2
A method of dynamic switching of a plurality of carrier loops in a radio receiver. The method comprises: (A) receiving a radio signal from a radio source by using a carrier tracking loop; (B) substantially continuously estimating a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the received radio signal from the radio source; (C) if the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the received radio signal from the radio source is above an initial predetermined threshold, performing carrier tracking of the received carrier signal by an initial carrier tracking loop having an initial accumulation period; and (D) if the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the received radio signal from the radio source falls below the initial predetermined threshold; switching from the initial carrier tracking loop having the initial accumulation period to a subsequent carrier tracking loop having a subsequent accumulation period.
US07912106B2
A surface-emitting photonic device including a structure disposed therein to enhance a performance thereof. The structure includes a two dimensionally periodic second order distributed feedback device (DFB) to emit diffraction limited outcoupled laser light having a predetermined wavelength along a propagation direction that is substantially normal to a plane of the DFB, and a first order distributed Bragg reflector (DBR) coplanar with, adjacent to and surrounding the DFB, a geometry of the DBR being selected such that a bandgap of the DBR is maximized and centered around the predetermined wavelength of the emitted light, a substrate, and either an optical gain layer, or a semi-conductor quantum well laser disposed within the substrate.
US07912103B2
A semiconductor laser driving circuit has a circuit protection function at low temperature and includes a voltage current converter that converts an input voltage Vin, which is determined according to a desired light brightness of the semiconductor laser to be driven, into a current. A current limiter limits an output current of the voltage current converter to a specified current value or less. An output amplifier amplifies the output current of the voltage current converter and supplies the amplified current as a drive current to the semiconductor laser. A temperature detection circuit detects a low temperature state and, in the low temperature state, decreases the specified current value of the current limiter.
US07912102B2
Fundamental laser light having a wavelength of 1,064 nm, for example, is generated by a solid-state laser medium. The fundamental laser light is reflected by a flat mirror and amplified again passing through a Q-switch, a solid-state laser medium, a Q-switch, a Q-switch, a solid-state laser medium, and a Q-switch. The fundamental laser light furthermore reflects from a flat mirror, passes through a flat mirror for second-harmonic resonance, passes through a lens, then reflects from a flat mirror for laser light separation, and enters a nonlinear optical crystal for the third harmonic and a nonlinear optical crystal for the second harmonic. A solid-state laser generator can thereby be obtained in which second-harmonic laser light obtained in an intermediate stage can be used with good efficiency and be converted, for example, to third-harmonic laser light and higher-harmonic laser light with higher efficiency and higher output.
US07912099B2
A powerful fiber laser system is configured with at least one filtering element capable of preventing a backreflected Raman component of the main signal from propagating along the upstream stretch of the system. The filtering element includes a slanted fiber grating, one or more cladding formations disposed in a cladding of fiber and having a refractive index greater than that one of the cladding, but lower than a refractive index of the core, and/or a combination of two spaced apart single mode fibers and a low mode fiber spliced to the opposing ends of the respective SM fibers.
US07912087B2
A capacity variable link apparatus including a main signal system and a control signal system is provided. The main signal system includes: an upper layer signal accommodation part; a lower layer path termination part; and a signal switching part for dividing the upper layer signal to lower layer signals in a lower layer path group having a capacity that is determined according to an amount of traffic of the upper layer signal. The control system includes: a traffic amount measuring part for measuring the amount of traffic of the upper layer and for determining whether the capacity of the lower layer path group is to be increased or decreased according to the amount; and a signal switching management part for controlling the signal switching part according to the result of the determination.
US07912080B2
The invention relates to a cyclical time-based communication system, for the transmission of useful data (DATA) between users of the system, which comprises a databus and users connected thereto. The data transmission occurs within cyclical repeating timeframes, each with at least two timeslots. Each timeslot is provided for the transmission of a message (Ni). A message (Ni) comprises at least part of the useful data (DATA) and each message (Ni) is provided with a code (ID). The bandwidth available for data transmission may be better utilized, if the code (ID) is placed within the message (Ni) as a part thereof, each message (Ni) is additionally provided with time information concerning the timeslot which may be extracted from the code and at least one of the timeslots within the timeframes may be used for transmission of various messages in various cycles. In a preferred embodiment the information relating to the current cycle comprises an ordinal number for the cycle. In the simplest case the number has two values 0 and 1. Even and odd cycles can thus be differentiated. The ordinal number may be increased to differentiate more cycles from each other. The transmission method is preferably based on the FlexRay protocol.
US07912079B2
The present invention relates generally to telecommunication services, and in particular, to communicating priority indications between telecommunication nodes in a telecommunication system having a separated call control and bearer control architecture. The present invention provides a number of solutions which map or assign the call level priority to the bearer level.
US07912070B1
A communication system that is particularly suited to switch a half duplex session to a full duplex session. The system includes a dispatch call controller that sets up a half duplex session; and a VoIP server that receives a request to switch the half duplex session to a full duplex session; forwards the request to the target subscriber unit; receives an acceptance of the request; and sets up the full duplex session between the subscriber units. In another embodiment, the dispatch call controller receives the request to switch to the full duplex session; forwards the request to the target subscriber unit; receives an acceptance of the request; and instructs the VoIP server to set up the full duplex session. In yet another embodiment, a service broker receives the request, instructs the VoIP server to set up the full duplex session, and instructs the dispatch call controller to terminate the half duplex session.
US07912068B2
Embodiments of a scheduler for a switch, where the switch is configured to couple input ports to output ports are described. During operation, the scheduler may determine a schedule based on a group of requests, associated with multiple data streams, that are received for the output ports of the switch, where the schedule matches input ports to output ports of the switch for a given data cell time. Note that the schedule may be determined using an arbitration technique during a time interval. Moreover, the scheduler may assign an additional request, which was received at a time that precedes a current time by less than the time interval, to a portion of the switch which is available in the schedule, thereby reducing a latency of the scheduler.
US07912067B2
A clearinghouse server for routing multi-media communications, including telephony calls, between a source device and a destination device via a distributed computer network, such as the global Internet. The clearinghouse server can authorize the completion of a communication from a source device to a destination device and collect usage-related information for the completed communication. In response to an authorization request issued by an enrolled source device, the clearinghouse server can identify one or more available destination devices available to accept a communication from an authorized source device. The clearinghouse server can provide a list of the identified destination devices, typically organized in a rank order, by sending an authorization response to the source device. In turn, the source device can use this list to select a destination device and contact that selected device via the computer network to complete the communication.
US07912050B2
Provided is a method for classifying packets in a cable modem termination system (CMTS) supporting a channel bonding mode. The method includes the steps of: extracting a destination Media Access Control (MAC) address of a received data packet; acquiring a MAC address of a cable modem receiving the data packet, and memory address information of a cable modem Classifier Identifier (CLID) corresponding to the MAC address of the cable modem, from a first classification table corresponding to the destination address; extracting the CLID information present in the memory address; extracting a classifier pattern corresponding to the extracted cable modem CLID information; bonding the MAC address of the cable modem and the classifier pattern to generate a result pattern; extracting a memory address including downstream service flow information from a second classification table corresponding to the result pattern; extracting the downstream service flow information corresponding to the memory address; and generating an output packet corresponding to the downstream service flow information and the data packet.
US07912039B1
A method and apparatus for blocking at least one pay-per-use feature in a communications network is described. In one embodiment, a request to initiate at least one pay-per-use feature from at least one endpoint device associated with a subscriber is received. A determination of whether a blocking function has been activated for the at least one pay-per-use feature is then made. Afterwards, the request to initiate the at least one pay-per-use feature is blocked if the blocking function is activated.
US07912027B2
A wireless device in a discoverable mode controls its visibility by determining whether to ignore or respond to an inquiry, received from an inquiring device, based at least in part on one or more properties of the inquiring device.
US07912021B2
A simulator system for simulating a wireless local area network in a combination of a wireless local area network and one or more 2G or 3G mobile communication networks includes a first set and a second set of access protocol simulation devices representative of wireless local area network apparatus implementing access protocols. The first set of access protocol simulation devices is representative of radio technology independent apparatus providing integration of the wireless local area network with the mobile communication network(s). The second set of access protocol simulation devices is representative of radio technology dependent apparatus present in the wireless local area network. The simulator is thus configured for simulating different types of wireless local area network technology in the wireless local area network by varying the access protocol simulation devices in the second set while maintaining the access protocol simulating devices in the first set.
US07912017B2
A wireless connection system having at least one host apparatus and at least one client apparatus, wherein: proximity wireless communication is executed when a host apparatus and a client apparatus execute wireless communication with each other on the basis of a predetermined wireless communication standard in which the client apparatus is brought close to the host apparatus; authentication processing is executed for authenticating connection setting information by use of the proximity wireless communication; and if authentication is successful in the authentication processing, execution of the wireless communication is enabled and, if authentication is unsuccessful, execution of the wireless communication is disabled.
US07912016B2
A packet-based, hierarchical communication system, arranged in a spanning tree configuration, is described in which wired and wireless communication networks exhibiting substantially different characteristics are employed in an overall scheme to link portable or mobile computing devices. The network accommodates real time voice transmission both through dedicated, scheduled bandwidth and through a packet-based routing within the confines and constraints of a data network. Conversion and call processing circuitry is also disclosed which enables access devices and personal computers to adapt voice information between analog voice stream and digital voice packet formats as proves necessary. Routing pathways include wireless spanning tree networks, wide area networks, telephone switching networks, internet, etc., in a manner virtually transparent to the user. A voice session and associate call setup simulates that of conventional telephone switching network, providing well-understood functionality common to any mobile, remote or stationary terminal, phone, computer, etc.
US07912014B2
Interference is reduced with a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) system having a set of basestations including a first basestation and a second basestation is reduced. Signals associated with the first basestation having its own antenna elements are received. The first basestation is associated with its own mobile stations each having their own antenna elements. Each signal associated with the first basestation is uniquely associated with a mobile station associated with the first basestation. Signals associated with the second basestation having its own antenna elements are received. The second basestation is associated with its own mobile stations each having their own antenna elements. Each signal associated with the second basestation is uniquely associated with a mobile station associated with the second basestation. Signals associated with the first basestation are jointly detected in conjunction with the signals associated with the second basestation to produce a set of detected signals.
US07912002B2
A system comprises a candidate channel assessment module for obtaining at least one AC-specific channel suitability metric for each of two different channels, and for using the AC-specific channel suitability metrics to determine a channel suitability index of each of the two different channels; a channel selection module for using the channel suitability index to select one of the two different channels as a new channel; and a channel setting module for configuring a wireless transceiver to use the new channel.
US07911998B2
A radio apparatus communicates with a plurality of terminal apparatuses by using a packet signal composed of at least one stream. A control unit divides a certain period into a plurality of partial periods and assigns respectively the plurality of partial periods to the plurality of terminal apparatuses by associating the periods with the terminal apparatuses. The control unit also generates a packet signal for use in control and packet signals for use in inquiry. In so doing, the control unit generates the inquiry packet signals for the plurality of respective terminal apparatuses, as a single packet signal. A baseband processing unit and other units transmit the control packet signal and then transmit the inquiry packet signals, and receive packet signals, containing inquiry results, from the plurality of respective terminal apparatuses.
US07911997B2
Embodiments of apparatuses, articles, methods, and systems for negotiating quality of service resources in wireless networks are generally described herein. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US07911992B2
An addressable outlet for use as part of local area network based on wiring installed in a building, such as telephone, electrical, cable television, dedicated wiring, and the like. The use of such wiring for data communications networks in addition to the wiring's primary usage creates a need for ways of determining the condition of the network and monitoring this information remotely. Network condition includes such factors as continuity of wiring, connector status, connected devices, topology, signal delays, latencies, and routing patterns. Providing basic processing and addressing capabilities within the outlet permits messaging to and from specific individual outlets, thereby allowing inquiries and reports of the condition of the immediate environment of each outlet. In addition, outlets can be configured with sensors to report on voltage, temperature, and other measurable quantities.
US07911987B2
A messaging method in a system including a wireless network, a routing server, and a plurality of mobile stations. A first mobile station has first communications applications and a first PIN and a second mobile station has second communications applications and a second PIN. The method includes sending an invitation including the first PIN from the first mobile station to the second mobile station using one of the first communications applications, and sending an acceptance including the second PIN from the second mobile station to the first mobile station using one of the second communications applications. The method further includes creating first messages including the second PIN and sending them to the second mobile station through the wireless network, and creating second messages including the first PIN and sending them to the first mobile station through the wireless network. The routing server routes the messages based on the PINs.
US07911986B2
An apparatus and method for measuring bi-directional radio channel with multiple antenna are provided. The apparatus includes a transmitter for amplifying a signal that is frequency-up converted to radio frequency and removing a signal of other frequency band, a high power multiplexing switch for sequentially transferring transmitting signals from the transmitter to a corresponding circulator, a plurality of circulators for transferring the transmitting signals from the high power multiplexing switch to a corresponding antenna among multiple antennas, and transferring a receiving signal from a corresponding antenna, a low loss multiplexing switch for receiving the receiving signal from the corresponding circulator, and sequentially transferring the receiving signal; and a receiver for receiving the receiving signal from the low loss multiplexing switch, removing undesired frequency components from the receiving signal except a desired frequency band and low-noise amplifying the desired frequency band of the receiving signal.
US07911977B2
Each of several routers connected to a LAN elects the same router as the designated router for a multicast group identified by a multicast address. Each of the several routers implements a method for electing the designated router. The method includes in one embodiment, generating several values corresponding to the several routers, respectively. The several values are generated as a function of the several routers' IP addresses, respectively, and an IP address of a first multicast group. The values, in one embodiment, are then compared to determine which is the largest. Thereafter each router elects as the designated router for the multicast group, the router corresponding to the largest value.
US07911974B1
A method of operating a service availability system to monitor the availability of a communication service having a plurality of service layers provided by a plurality of service elements comprises receiving performance data from each of the service elements indicating the performance of each of the service elements, processing the performance data to determine availability levels of each of the service layers, and displaying on a graphical user interface the availability levels of each of the service layers.
US07911972B2
An access multiplexer system for performing stateless auto-configuration processes for use in networks comprising access multiplexers for receiving discovery messages from sources, which discovery messages comprise multicast destination addresses defining numbers of destinations. In order to increase the security of the networks, the system is provided with agents for replacing the original number of multicast destination addresses in the discovery messages with a further number destination addresses defining further destinations, wherein the further number of destinations is smaller than the original number of destinations. Discovery messages are defined in RFC 2461 and 2462 and comprise solicitation messages, with the sources comprising hosts and with the destinations comprising network-units, or comprise advertisement messages, with the sources comprising network-units and with the destinations comprising hosts.
US07911965B2
The HSDPA (High Speed Downlink Packet Access)-related reconfigurations are synchronized between a UTRAN (UMTS Terrestrial Radio Access Network) and a mobile terminal (UE), by the Node B and the RNCs (Radio Network Controllers) providing the mobile terminal with a specific reconfiguration switching time. The reconfiguration switching time is either associated with the SFN (System Frame Number) or with the CFN (Connection Frame Number).
US07911959B2
A method for providing network integrated services based ReSerVation Protocol across a cryptographic network boundary includes assigning one or more DiffServ forwarding classifications to correspond to IntServ requests for QoS provisioning. A daemon in the QoS Service Provider module signals the QoS upon detecting data packets indicating a DiffServ forwarding class assigned to IntServ QoS requests. In response to the notification, the QoS Services Provider module initiates an RSVP-based request for network resources, and establishes a network path in response to acceptance of the RSVP path request. The data flow comprised of encrypted data is then transmitted over the reserved path. Multiple simultaneous aggregated flows may be provisioned. Paths may be reconfigured and resized by the QoS services provider module in response to an overlimit data flow, subject to network resource availability. An ECN bit is returnable from the destination application to signal a problem with the data transmission.
US07911955B2
A coordinated media control system includes a node manager, a device control system, and a device. The node manager is operatively connected to a first node. The device control system is operatively connected to the node manager. The device is operatively connected to the device control system. The node manager is configured to establish and coordinate media streams for transmitting media from the device to a second node or for receiving media to the device from the second node.
US07911950B2
Devices and methods are provided for enabling high-speed data communication at relatively low cost. Some methods allow devices to communicate by selecting a data transfer rate from among multiple data transfer rates. Some such methods allow devices to communicate according to the highest data transfer rate among multiple data transfer rates at which communications can be made without exceeding a predetermined error rate. Communications may be enabled between a first device operating at a relatively higher data transfer rate and a second device operating at a relatively lower data transfer rate. Pause frames or the like may be used to rate limit data received from the first device and maintain an average data transfer rate for communications with the second device at the lower data transfer rate.
US07911948B2
The present invention relates to systems and methods of accelerating network traffic. The method includes receiving a plurality of network packets and setting a threshold for a buffer. The threshold indicates a low water mark for the buffer. The method further includes storing the plurality of network packets in the buffer at least until the buffer's capacity is full, removing packets from the buffer, and transmitting the removed packets via a downstream link to an associated destination. Furthermore, the method includes that in response to removing packets from the buffer such that the buffer's capacity falls below the threshold, receiving additional packets and storing the additional packets at least until the buffer's capacity is full.
US07911945B2
The present invention concerns methods for efficiently supporting Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) on the Forward Packet Data Channel (F-PDCH) in CDMA 2000 1xEV-DV systems. Active speech in VoIP is encoded using, for example enhanced variable rate codec (EVRC), which produces 171, 80 and 16 bits per 20 ms of speech for Rate 1, Rate ½ and Rate ⅛, respectively. However, about 60% of the time a user is inactive during a speech session, so an inordinate amount of system bandwidth is comprised of rate ⅛ VoIP packets. In one embodiment of the present invention the apparatus of the present invention identifies the Rate ⅛ voice frame packets and discards them. In another embodiment of the present invention, the apparatus of the present invention identifies the Rate ⅛ voice frame packets and selects some of them for further transmission. In both embodiments the efficiency of channel utilization is increased since the amount of channel band width used to communicate relatively little information, e.g., gaps of silence, is decreased.
US07911941B2
A router interposed between a subnet and a backbone network, where the subnet includes a plurality of layer 2 switches and a plurality of terminals. The terminals communicate with each other via the layer 2 switches and a master router, wherein the router connects to the master router, the subnet and the backbone network, and originally operates as a backup router, but can be transitioned to operate as a redundant master router. The router includes a severance detection unit for detecting severance between the layer 2 switches and a redundant function control unit which, when severance has been detected: (i) resumes interrupted communication between the backbone network and the subnet via the router, (ii) receives, from the master router, a copy of an address resolution protocol (ARP) table, and stores the copy of the ARP table in the router, and (iii) transitions the router into a redundant master router.
US07911935B2
A method and apparatus is provided for transmitting an orthogonal frequency domain multiple access (OFDMA) signal including a synchronization channel signal transmitted including a plurality of sequence elements interleaved in time and frequency (610, 640). The synchronization channel signal sequence elements enable an initial acquisition and cell search method with low computational load by providing predetermined time domain symmetry (702, 704) for common sequence elements in OFDMA symbol periods (620, 660) for OFDMA symbol timing detection and frequency error detection in an OFDMA system supporting multiple system bandwidths, both synchronized and un-synchronized systems, a large cell index and an OFDMA symbol structure with both short and long cyclic prefix length.
US07911934B2
Methods and corresponding systems for allocating resources in a communications system includes determining feasible sets of subchannels for allocation to a user subject to an allocation constraint. In one approach, a constraint matrix representing constraints for allocating subchannels to users in allocations of selected subchannels is computed, subject to the allocation constraint. Then a vector containing metrics corresponding to allocations of selected subchannels to the communication links is estimated. A binary decision vector representing an allocation of the subchannels to the users is computed using binary integer processing. In another approach a greedy heuristic allocation is used. The allocation constraint can be a restriction limiting multiple subchannels allocated to a user to be adjacent to one another. The metrics can be weighted capacities of allocations of selected subchannels to the users.
US07911925B2
An adhesive positions a beam shaping element in such a manner as to satisfy the following relational expressions (1) and (2): 0
US07911924B2
Plural grooves or lands formed in an information recording carrier include at least a wobbling region and data is recorded wobblingly in this wobbling region by phase shift modulation while recorded digitally with a single or multiple waves as a channel bit.
US07911923B2
A complex objective lens composed of a hologram and an objective lens, capable of realizing stable and high-precision compatible reproducing/recording of a BD with a base thickness of about 0.1 mm for a blue light beam (wavelength λ1) and a DVD with a base thickness of about 0.6 mm for a red light beam (wavelength λ2). In an inner circumferential portion of the hologram, a grating is formed, which has a cross-sectional shape including as one period a step of heights in the order of 0 time, twice, once, and three times a unit level difference that gives a difference in optical path of about one wavelength with respect to a blue light beam, from an outer peripheral side to an optical axis side. The hologram transmits a blue light beam as 0th-order diffracted light without diffracting it, and disperses a red light beam passing through an inner circumferential portion as +1st-order diffracted light and allows it to be condensed by an objective lens. Because of this, the focal length of the red light beam becomes longer than that of the blue light beam, whereby a working distance is enlarged.
US07911918B2
The present invention aims to provide an optical recording method etc. that provides higher efficiency of recording and reproducing and is uninfluenced by the mismatch of optical axes of plural laser lights induced from accident errors of optical recording and optical reproducing apparatuses when carrying out recording or reproducing, or focus control etc. by use of a laser light, high multiple-recording can be carried out, and layer construction of the recording medium itself is simple.For the purpose, an optical recording method etc. is provided that comprises a first step of recording an interference image, in which a recording light is irradiated at an optional focusing length X1 in thickness direction of the recording layer, an interference image is formed, and the interference image is formed on the recording layer, then multiple bits are recorded per one recording, and a second step of recording an interference image, in which the recording light is irradiated at a focusing length X2 that is different from the focusing length X1 to form a second interference image, and the second interference image is formed and recorded on the recording layer, and then multiple bits are recorded per one recording.
US07911912B2
An optical disc recording apparatus that uses a pseudo-random number sequence for recording auxiliary information, wherein a sequence of data based on auxiliary information is modulated by a signal represented by a combination of a sequence of pseudo-random numbers and a predetermined periodic signal, and recorded traces of the pits or the marks are changed depending on the modulated sequence of data, thereby recording the auxiliary information on the optical disc. By making it difficult to estimate the structure of the sequence of pseudo-random numbers, duplication of an optical disc is hindered.
US07911910B2
Recording information is disclosed in which an information recording medium is irradiated with a recording energy beam that is power-modulated into at least a record power level and a record-ready power level lower than the record power level. The information is recorded on the recording medium in the form of length and interval of a mark portion. When forming a mark portion of a predetermined length, the radiation energy of the energy beam is increased as compared with when forming a mark portion of a different length before or after the first pulse of an energy beam pulse train including at least a pulse for forming the mark portion.
US07911906B2
A data storage medium includes a data structure, called a disk control block, used for administration and control information for the data storage medium. One medium may contain multiple different disk control blocks, each addressing a different function. Each disk control block includes a control block identifier that specifies the function of the disk control block. Each control block also includes a set of standard access control parameters. If a drive encounters an unrecognized disk control block, the drive can still decode the standard control parameters, so that the drive behavior is not inconsistent with the requirements of the unrecognized disk control block.
US07911873B1
An efficient implementation of a digital delay locked loop (DLL) circuit is disclosed. The delay locked loop (DLL) circuit includes a phase detector circuit, a clock divider circuit, a delay, a delay control finite state machine (FSM) and an output low pass filter. The delay includes a coarse delay line and a fine delay line. The coarse delay line delays a signal by a fixed large amount and the fine delay line introduces a smaller precise delay. The delay control FSM adjusts the delay to keep the output signal of the DLL synchronized with the input. The adjustment is averaged over a range of cycle periods in order to avoid adjusting the edges of signal waveform constantly. The low pass filter at the output minimizes the jitter in the output signal.
US07911866B2
A semiconductor memory executes an access operation on one of a plurality of memory blocks in response to an externally supplied access request. At this time, in response to the access request, a memory control unit executes the access operation on one of the memory blocks and a refresh operation on at least one of the memory blocks on which the access operation is not executed. Consequently, it is possible to execute the refresh operation during the execution of the access operation without any conflict between the access operation and the refresh operation. As a result, the access cycle time can be shortened, which can improve the data transfer rate.
US07911854B2
A semiconductor memory device comprises a plurality of memory layers arranged in multilayer, each memory layer including a cell array, the cell array containing a plurality of first parallel lines, a plurality of second parallel lines arranged crossing the first lines, and a plurality of memory cells connected at intersections of the first lines and the second lines; a pulse generator operative to generate pulses required for data access to the memory cell; and a control means operative to control the pulse generator such that the pulse output from the pulse generator has energy in accordance with the memory layer to which the access target memory cell belongs.
US07911844B2
A non-volatile semiconductor storage device includes: a memory cell array having memory cells arranged therein, the memory cells storing data in a non-volatile manner; and a plurality of transfer transistors transferring a voltage to the memory cells, the voltage to be supplied for data read, write and erase operations with respect to the memory cells. Each of the transfer transistors includes: a gate electrode formed on a semiconductor substrate via a gate insulation film; and diffusion layers formed to sandwich the gate electrode therebetween and functioning as drain/source layers. Upper layer wirings are provided above the diffusion layers and provided with a predetermined voltage to prevent depletion of the diffusion layers at least when the transfer transistors become conductive.
US07911838B2
Shifts in the apparent charge stored on a floating gate (or other charge storing element) of a non-volatile memory cell can occur because of the coupling of an electric field based on the charge stored in adjacent floating gates (or other adjacent charge storing elements). The problem occurs most pronouncedly between sets of adjacent memory cells that have been programmed at different times. To account for this coupling, the read process for a particular memory cell will provide compensation to an adjacent memory cell in order to reduce the coupling effect that the adjacent memory cell has on the particular memory cell.
US07911837B2
A multi-state NAND memory cell is comprised of two drain/source areas in a substrate. An oxide-nitride-oxide structure is formed above the substrate between the drain/source areas. The nitride layer acting as an asymmetric charge trapping layer. A control gate is located above the oxide-nitride-oxide structure. An asymmetrical bias on the drain/source areas causes the drain/source area with the higher voltage to inject an asymmetric distribution hole by gate induced drain leakage injection into the trapping layer substantially adjacent that drain/source area.
US07911836B2
The present invention discloses systems and methods for restoring data in flash memory after an operational failure. The method includes: setting bits of a data buffer in accordance with the data; programming a plurality of memory cells in accordance with the data buffer; and upon failure of the programming step, restoring the data buffer to be set in accordance with the data, wherein the restoring is based only on a present state of the data buffer and on a present state of the plurality of memory cells. A memory device includes: at least one cell; and a controller operative to store data in at least one cell by steps including those described in the method above. The system includes: a memory device that includes at least one cell; and a processor operative to store data in at least one cell by steps including those described in the method above.
US07911834B2
A flash disk controller includes an input operable to receive analog signals from a flash memory die. The flash memory die includes multiple flash memory cells. The analog signals represent data values stored in the flash memory cells. An analog-to-digital conversion module is coupled to the input to convert received analog signals into digital data. A control module selects memory cells from which the input receives analog signals.
US07911833B2
An anti-parallel diode structure and method of fabrication is presently disclosed. In some embodiments, an anti-parallel diode structure has a semiconductor region comprising a first insulator layer disposed between a first semiconductor layer and a second semiconductor layer. The semiconductor region can be bound on a first side by a first metal material and bound on a second side by a second metal material so that current below a predetermined value is prevented from passing through the semiconductor region and current above the predetermined value passes through the semiconductor region.
US07911827B2
An array built in self test (ABIST) method and circuit for implementing enhanced static random access memory (SRAM) stability and enhanced chip yield using configurable wordline voltage levels, and a design structure on which the subject circuit resides are provided. A wordline is connected to a SRAM memory cell. A plurality of wordline voltage pulldown devices is connected to the wordline. A respective wordline voltage control input signal is applied to each of the plurality of wordline voltage pulldown devices to selectively adjust the voltage level of the wordline.
US07911824B2
Provided are a plurality of memory cell arrays 136 and 146 each having a plurality of nonvolatile memory elements having a characteristic whose resistance value changes according to electric pulses applied, and control units (102, 104, 108, 110, 114, 128, 130, 152) configured to write data to a memory cell array and to read data from another memory cell array such that writing of the data and reading of the data occur concurrently in writing of the data to the plurality of memory cell arrays.
US07911818B2
A CAM column structure includes an interface that drives search data to a plurality of CAM cells via a search line pair. The CAM cells are divided into sections, each section including: a set of CAM cells, a bit line pair coupled to the set of CAM cells, a sense amplifier coupled to the bit line pair, a tri-state read buffer configured to drive read data from the sense amplifier to the search line pair, and a pair of tri-state write buffers configured to drive write data from the search line pair to the bit line pair. In one embodiment, the pair of tri-state write buffers is replaced by a pair of switches that couple the search line pair to the sense amplifier. The search line pair may be segmented by tri-state buffers, which are controlled to drive the search, read and write data along the search line pair.
US07911813B2
A synchronous rectifying circuit of a resonant switching power converter is provided to improve the efficiency. The synchronous rectifying circuit includes a power transistor and a diode connected to a transformer and an output ground of the power converter for rectifying. A sense transistor is coupled to the power transistor for generating a mirror current correlated to a current of the power transistor. A controller generates a driving signal to control the power transistor in response to a switching-current signal. A current-sense device is coupled to the sense transistor for generating the switching-current signal in response to the mirror current. The controller enables the driving signal to turn on the power transistor once the diode is forwardly biased. The controller generates a reset signal to disable the driving signal and turn off the power transistor once the switching-current signal is lower than a threshold.
US07911812B2
In a PFC (Power Factor Correction) converter control unit, a PWM (pulse width modulated) signal is produced by comparing a PFC converter output voltage error signal, produced by a transconductance amplifier, with a ramp signal, which may be from a control unit of a resonant mode converter in cascade with the PFC converter. Level shifting is used to match the amplitude ranges of the compared signals. A current, representing an input current of the PFC converter and produced by a current mirror, is switched by the PWM signal to a parallel resistance and capacitance to produce a smoothed voltage constituting a control signal for the PFC converter.
US07911808B2
A comparing circuit and a control loop are used to maintain the peak level of current flowing through an inductor of a flyback converter. An inductor switch control signal controls an inductor switch through which the inductor current flows. The inductor current increases at a ramp-up rate during a ramp time and stops increasing at the end of the ramp time. The comparing circuit generates a timing signal that indicates a target time at which the inductor current would reach a predetermined current limit if the inductor current continued to increase at the ramp-up rate. The control loop then receives the timing signal and compares the target time to the end of the ramp time. The pulse width of the inductor switch control signal is increased when the target time occurs after the end of the ramp time. Adjusting the pulse width controls the peak of the inductor current.
US07911801B2
A laminate includes base material layers and interlayer constraining layers disposed therebetween. The base material layers are formed of a sintered body of a first powder including a glass material and a first ceramic material, and the interlayer constraining layer includes a second powder including a second ceramic material that will not be sintered at a temperature for melting the glass material, and is in such a state that the second powder adheres together by diffusion or flow of a portion of the first powder including the glass material included in the base material layer at the time of baking. The incorporated element is in such a state that an entire periphery thereof is covered with the interlayer constraining layer.
US07911796B2
An avionics chassis comprises a housing having a substantially thermally non-conductive frame comprising a composite of carbon fibers laid up in an epoxy matrix. The housing also includes at least two walls, at least one of which is a thermally conductive wall comprising a composite of carbon fibers in a carbonized matrix, and a plurality of spaced, thermally-conductive, card rails provided on the at least two walls. The at least two walls are mounted to the frame in opposing relationship such that corresponding card rails on the walls define an effective slot therebetween in which a printed circuit board may be received and the card rails and the at least one thermally conductive wall form a thermally conductive path from the interior to the exterior.
US07911792B2
A power module package including a fully enclosed package comprising sidewalls; wherein at least one of said sidewalls includes a conductive substrate; wherein circuit elements are mounted on said conductive substrate on a first side comprising an inner side of said enclosed package; and, wherein a majority area of a second side of said conductive substrate is exposed, the power package has an improved interconnection configuration and compact power I/O terminals, offering low electrical parasitics, a plurality of individual power module packages can be attached seamlessly and positioned in a liquid coolant with multiple top portion open channels, as well as attached to a laminar power connector (busbar) to form various electrical power conversion topologies, the module offers low thermal resistance and low electrical parasitics, in addition to small volume, light weight and high reliability.
US07911782B2
A portable, self-contained liquid submersion cooling system that is suitable for cooling a number of electronic devices, including cooling heat-generating components in computer systems and other systems that use electronic, heat-generating components. The electronic device includes a housing having an interior space, a dielectric cooling liquid in the interior space, a heat-generating electronic component disposed within the space and submerged in the dielectric cooling liquid, and a pump for pumping the liquid into and out of the space, to and from a heat exchanger that is fixed to the housing outside the interior space. The heat exchanger includes a cooling liquid inlet, a cooling liquid outlet, and a flow path for cooling liquid therethrough from the cooling liquid inlet to the cooling liquid outlet. An air-moving device such as a fan can be used to blow air across the heat exchanger to increase heat transfer.
US07911781B2
An electronic device includes a housing, a plurality of heat-dissipating fins, and a heat-dissipating fan. The housing defines a receiving space, and an opening communicating the receiving space with the outside environment. The housing includes a power socket disposed in the receiving space. The heat-dissipating fins are disposed in the receiving space. The heat-dissipating fan includes a power plug portion corresponding to the power socket. The heat-dissipating fan is mountable in the receiving space through the opening so as to provide air flow across the heat-dissipating fins. The power plug portion is inserted into the power socket upon insertion of the heat-dissipating fan into the receiving space. The heat-dissipating fan is removable from the housing through the opening for cleaning of the heat-dissipating fan and the heat-dissipating fins.
US07911780B2
An electronic device can be provided with a user interface component and a cooling component contained within a housing. The housing may include at least one surface having an opening formed therethrough, and the user interface may include one port formed therethrough. The user interface port may provide at least a first portion of a passageway between the housing opening and the cooling component. The passageway may allow fluids to be exchanged between the cooling component and the housing opening for cooling the electronic device.
US07911778B2
A disk drive test slot includes a housing that defines a test compartment for receiving and supporting a disk drive transporter carrying a disk drive for testing. The housing also defines an open end that provides access to the test compartment for insertion and removal of disk drive transporter carrying a disk drive for testing. The disk drive test slot also includes a mounting plate connected to the housing. One or more isolators are disposed between the housing and the mounting plate. The one or more isolators are operable to inhibit transmission of vibrational energy between the housing and the mounting plate.
US07911765B2
A metalized film capacitor capable of exhibiting stable performance in a wide temperature range is provided. The metalized film capacitor has an elliptical cross sectional shape having a major axis of 60 mm or above. In this capacitor, offset for shifting in the width direction of a pair of metalized film is set to 1.2 mm or above. Since the bonding state between metal vapor-deposited electrode and metal sprayed electrode formed on the end surface is stable, a stable contact between metal sprayed electrode and dielectric film is maintained, thereby preferably maintaining tan σand exhibiting excellent performance even if the use temperature range is increased and the thermal stress is increased.
US07911761B2
The present invention provides compliant/stretchable electroactive materials and devices made from those materials which exhibit fault-tolerant properties, i.e., self-healing/clearing properties. The present invention also provides systems, which incorporate the subject materials and/or devices, as well as methods of fabricating the subject materials and devices.
US07911758B2
A low power solenoid control circuit including a power source in series with a sensing element and a first diode, an inductor to actuate a valve, an energy storage device to store and discharge energy into the inductor, diodes to control current flow, and switches and a controller to control the circuit. The circuit may be operated by closing a first switch, thereby allowing a source current to flow through an inductor; opening the first switch, thereby forcing a charge current to flow through an energy storage device utilizing the inductance of the inductor; repeating these steps until the energy storage device is sufficiently charged; and upon command, closing a second switch, thereby forcing a discharge current to flow from the energy storage device to the inductor causing the inductor to produce an actuating magnetic field thereby actuating a mechanical valve.
US07911749B2
An ESD protection device for a pad includes an adjusting circuit, a snapback element and a control circuit. The adjusting circuit includes a silicon controlled rectifier (SCR) coupled to the pad. The SCR includes a first diode. The snapback element is coupled to a first N pole of the first diode when a second diode is not used, and is coupled to a second N pole of the second diode when the second diode is used. The control circuit is coupled to the first N pole. In a normal operation mode, the control circuit provides a first voltage to the first N pole so that the first N pole collects a plurality of charges and the SCR is turned off. In an ESD mode, the control circuit does not provide the first voltage to the first N pole so that the first N pole does not collect the charges.
US07911746B2
Methods and techniques are disclosed for an intelligent GFCI device (IGFCI) having a microcontroller programmed to perform self-testing on a periodic basis and communicate the results of this testing to a remote monitoring device such as a remote central logging computer. In some implementations, with two-way (bidirectional) communication, a plurality of self-testing IGFCI devices can be tested and reset systematically from a remotely located device to reduce disruption to users. The IGFCI device can be configured to be automatically reset or manually reset upon the application of AC power to the device.
US07911738B2
According to embodiments of the present invention, a magnetic head slider provided with a heater disposed near a read element to adjust flying height, is required to increase a thermal protrusion by heat generated by the heater without increasing a thermal protrusion attributable to heat generated by a recording current or environmental temperature. A magnetic head slider includes a thin-film head unit including a read element, a heater having a thin heating line extended above and below the read element, a write element, and an insulating layer of alumina (Al2O3) or the like insulating those components. The thin heating line of the heater is formed from a thin resistive film of NiCr or the like. The thin heating line of the heater is extended above and below the read element so as to meander in a zigzag shape in a direction perpendicular to the device forming surface. The thin heating line has a thickness between about 0.1 and 0.2 μm, a width between about 1 and 3 μm, a length of about 100 μm, and a resistance between about 50 and 500 Ω.
US07911735B1
The method and system for providing a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) head are described. The PMR head includes a base layer, a nonmagnetic metal underlayer on the base layer, and a PMR pole on the nonmagnetic metal underlayer. The PMR pole has a top that is wider than its bottom. The base layer has a first hardness with respect to a pole trim. The nonmagnetic metal underlayer has a second hardness with respect to the pole trim. The second hardness is less than the first hardness.
US07911728B2
A servowriting method for a patterned-media magnetic recording disk uses a special position error signal (PES) alignment pattern located in each servo sector. A gross feedforward correction signal to compensate for gross eccentricity of the disk relative to the center of rotation of the servowriter spindle is applied to the actuator. With the gross feedforward correction applied to the actuator the read head generally follows a data track centerline and will detect signals from PES alignment fields as each servo sector passes the read head. This results in a readback signal at each servo sector that represents the fractional track-width radial offset of the read head in that servo sector from a data track centerline. The set of radial offsets for all of the servo sectors is used to modify or fine tune the gross feedforward correction signal that is applied during the servowrite process. This enables the servowriter write head to then precisely follow a track centerline so that the discrete islands in the PES fields can be magnetized according to the desired pattern.
US07911727B2
An apparatus for writing data to a data storage medium on which data is stored in data groups (N−3 to N+1) comprising tracks extending across and spaced from a reference edge of the storage medium includes a control system operable to cause i) a track reference difference value representative of a difference in a distance between the tracks of an existing data group (N−1) on the storage medium and the reference edge and a distance between the reference edge and the tracks of a data group (N) to be written to the storage medium such that it is the next data group following the existing data group (N−1) or ii) data from which such a difference value can be derived to be included in at least one of frame (A1 to A5) to be written between the existing data group and the next data group such that the tracks of the at least one frame are spaced from the reference edge by substantially the same distance as the tracks of the existing data group.
US07911725B2
A hard disk includes: a plurality of servo areas which are elongated radially from a center of the hard disk to an outward thereof over tracks thereof; and a plurality of data areas which are respectively provided between the plurality of servo areas; wherein alternative operation is conducted per servo sector containing one of the plurality of servo areas and a data area provided subsequent to the one of the plurality of servo areas and having a defect created therein when a user sector containing at least a portion of the data area and functioning as an access unit has the defect therein.
US07911720B2
A lens module for being fixed to a substrate by UV glues includes a lens barrel and a lens holder integratedly formed at a bottom of the lens barrel. The lens barrel has a hollow receiving groove for receiving an optical lens therein. The lens holder defines a containing cavity communicating with the receiving groove and penetrating through a bottom thereof to form a plurality of inner walls surrounding the containing cavity. The lens holder further defines a plurality of outer pillars spaced from each other and arranged apart from outer peripheries of the corresponding inner walls to define gaps therebetween. The UV glues are distributed to a bottom of each outer pillar so that ultraviolet lights can pass through the intervals between the outer pillars to adequately irradiate and solidify the UV glues for making the lens module fixed to the substrate firmly.
US07911710B2
Miniature telescopes of both Galilean and astronomical design are fashioned to allow bi-level viewing, simultaneously, of both magnified scope images and non magnified normal images of both far and near objects or areas. Improvements in bi-leveling telescopes involve: objective lens aspherics, ocular lens materials of high refractive indices, anti-reflective fabric like materials for internal light control. This combination of innovations results in a bi-levelable miniature telemicroscope displaying wider magnified fields which display brighter and clearer imagery. Peripheral chromatic and spherical aberrations are considerably reduced even in shorter length telescope units. These shorter length scopes are spectacle mounted in such a way that the front surface of a spectacle carrier lens is coplanar with the telescope objective lens. Tintings and other coatings can now be applied to any of the scope's lenses or internal disks as well as to spectacle carrier lenses.
US07911704B2
A disclosed projection optical system for projecting and forming an enlarged image of an image displayed in a planar manner as an object includes: a lens system including, from an object side, at least a lens group providing telecentricity to an object space side, a lens group controlling divergence of angles of view, a diaphragm, a lens group converging the angles of view, and a lens group converging and subsequently enlarging the angles of view; and a catoptric system disposed on an image side relative to the lens system and including a mirror having negative power. Each lens group of the lens system and the mirror having negative power share an optical axis and the optical axis is shifted relative to a center of an object surface.
US07911699B2
A diffuser is provided in an illumination system, where the diffuser is capable of blocking significant amounts of ultraviolet (UV) radiation. In certain example embodiments of this invention, the diffuser includes a glass substrate which supports a UV coating(s) that blocks significant amounts of UV radiation thereby reducing the amount of UV radiation which can makes its way through the diffuser. In certain example embodiments, the coating may including particulate so that the coating may both diffuse visible light and perform UV blocking.
US07911698B2
A monolithic or hybrid integrated optical processor or optical processing system having a plurality of phase shifting array elements, each controlled by respective control signals, and arranged so that each phase shifting array element lies in a different fractional Fourier transform plane. In various embodiments, at least a portion of the resulting system is implemented in a stack of element materials. In one embodiment, a segment of graded index material lies between consecutive phase shifting array elements. Other features include obtaining images from an electronically-controllable image source, using an image sensor to change the processed image into an electrical output, and using at least one of the phase shifting array element to introduce a phase shift.
US07911692B2
A screen includes: a substrate; and a first color material layer disposed on one surface of the substrate, wherein the first color material layer includes a first color material adapted to absorb light with a part of wavelengths of an incident light, and the first color material has a peak absorption wavelength in a visible light range, and a size of causing Mie scattering on the light in the visible light range.
US07911689B2
A microscope includes an observation optical unit that has a zoom optical system having variable zoom power and an objective lens optically connected to the zoom optical system, the observation optical unit receiving observation light emitted from an observation sample, a focusing unit that has a focusing mechanism to focus the observation optical unit on the observation sample, a light source unit that emits illuminating light to illuminate the observation sample, and an illuminating unit that has a reflecting optical element disposed in the observation optical unit but out of an optical path of the zoom optical system, the illuminating unit being partially disposed in the focusing unit, the illuminating unit illuminating the observation sample with the illuminating light via the reflecting optical element and the objective lens.
US07911688B2
An infrared lens 1a includes first to third lenses L1 to L3 which are made of zinc sulfide and arranged in this order from an object side. Each of the first to third lenses L1 to L3 is configured as a positive meniscus lens of which convex surface is opposed to the object. The lenses L1 to L3 are formed by heat-press molding raw powder of zinc sulfide using a lens-shaped mold. In addition, a concave surface (the surface opposed to the image side) of the first lens L1 is formed as a diffractive surface.
US07911686B2
An optical module, which is arranged in an optical transmission path, includes an optical amplifying unit configured with a semiconductor, wherein the optical amplifying unit amplifies light input from the optical transmission path, and an optical element configured with a semiconductor, wherein the optical element propagates the light amplified by the optical amplifying unit to the optical transmission path.
US07911680B2
A mirror device comprises: a plurality of electrodes disposed on a substrate; a hinge connected to at least one of the electrodes; a mirror connected to the hinge and corresponding to at least one of the electrodes. The mirror device further comprises a barrier layer is disposed between the hinge and mirror, and/or between the hinge and electrode. Also noted is a mirror device production method for producing such-configured mirror device. Furthermore, this invention discloses a projection apparatus implemented with a mirror device manufactured and assembled according to the configuration as described.
US07911665B1
The subject matter disclosed herein relates to purifying muddied primary color values of an output color space and correcting a portion of non-primary color values of the output color space so as to smoothly transition from the purified primary color values to uncorrected non-primary color values.
US07911663B2
Provided is an image reading apparatus including: an image reading sensor which reads an image from an original; and a mounting portion which mounts the image reading sensor, wherein the image reading sensor includes a positioning portion which is brought into contact with the mounting portion and adjusts the relative position of the image reading sensor with respect to the mounting portion; and a pressing portion which presses the positioning portion so as to bring the positioning portion into contact with the mounting portion.
US07911660B2
Methods and apparatus are disclosed for locating an area of interest within a digital image of a form captured by an imaging scanner. Specific examples include methods and apparatus for optical mark reading with a digital imaging scanner. In many of the methods, an image of a response form is captured by a scanner, and “target” areas for possible responses are located within the image based upon an expected location being adjusted as necessary for certain error-inducing defects in the forms or scanning process. Also disclosed are steps to normalize the darkness values of pixels captured from an optically scanned form.
US07911649B2
The present invention provides an image outputting apparatus and a control method thereof, accommodated to a contradictory need of security improvement and TCO reduction in a rational manner. An embodiment of the present invention performs a setting of a black-and-white copy output by receiving an instruction from a user to output a black-and-white copy of a read document. Then, an LVBC extraction part and an LVBC color determining part determine whether the read document includes a color LVBC. An image-output controlling part outputs a color output of the read document when the read document has been determined to include color coded information, despite the setting of a black-and-white copy output.
US07911645B2
In order to adjust density of a colorant of an image forming apparatus, a plurality of adjustment condition data sets is provided. An image forming engine of the image forming apparatus forms a test pattern image of a test pattern using the colorant. A detector of the image forming apparatus detects a density level of the colorant from the test pattern image to output a detected density. A controller of the image forming apparatus selects one of the plurality of adjustment condition data sets as a selected adjustment condition data set, and performs density adjustment according to the selected adjustment condition data set.
US07911641B2
An image forming apparatus having: a reading section that reads out an image of an original document placed on a document table; a storage section that stores image data obtained by reading out the image by the reading section; a sheet feeding section including a sheet feeding tray and an attachment detection sensor that detects whether or not the sheet feeding tray has been attached; and a control section that executes reading out of the image in a mode in which the image is read while the reading section scans the image of the original document placed on the document table, wherein the control section, when the attachment or detachment of the tray is detected during execution in the mode, suspends the reading out of the image, deletes the image data obtained from the original document image whose reading was suspended, and moves the scanning unit to a home position.
US07911638B2
An image processing apparatus has a capability of displaying a preview image on a display under the control of a controller even in the middle of a process of reading document pages in a binding reading mode in which a large number of document sheets are read by repeatedly performing reading on a part-by-part basis until all pages of a given set of document sheets have been read. The preview capability enables a user to easily detect if an error occurred in reading one or all of the pages. If a particular page of image data is detected to have an error, re-reading of that page is performed using a scanner unit. The page of image data having the error is discarded and the image data obtained by re-reading is inserted in place of the discarded page. After completion of re-reading, reading of the remaining pages of the document set can continue in the binding reading mode. This leads to a drastic improvement in operational efficiency.
US07911636B2
In a printing method and systems, segments of a first print job are distributed to respective downstream processors and are processed to provide printable frames, which are stored in respective print queues. Each print queue supplies a respective one or more printheads. The printable frames are sequentially printed on a continuously transported receiver. A maximum printing duration of each of the print queues is computed periodically during the printing. The transport speed is regulated to trend the maximum printing durations toward a predetermined baseline. The sending of a second print job to the downstream processors is delayed, while processing of the first print job is completed. The delaying is counter to the regulating and reduces the print queues of the first print job non-uniformly relative to the baseline.
US07911634B2
An embodiment of the invention generally relates to a method for providing printing services. A database is configured to store data related to a plurality of print engines. The data includes static and time-varying characteristics for each of the print engines of the plurality of print engines. A first print engine is selected from the plurality of print engines. A print job is initiated for the first print engine. The print job is processed at a remote printing service based on data related to the first print engine to create a first print engine print file. The first print engine file is provided to the first print engine.
US07911632B2
An image formation apparatus includes: a job input unit receiving job inputs of performing image formation from image data; a job registration unit registering the jobs of performing image formation from the image data together with priorities in an order of execution of the jobs and link information showing a link relationship between the jobs; a job management unit managing the order of execution of the registered jobs; a priority change unit performing a priority change in response to a priority change request for the registered jobs; and an image formation unit executing the jobs according to the order of execution, wherein the priority change unit changes a priority or priorities of another job or the other jobs in a link relationship with a job on which a priority change has been performed to the same priority as the job on which a priority change has been performed.
US07911630B2
In order to solve one or more problems encountered in the grouping of print jobs spanning a plurality of servers, a control apparatus within a print processing system includes: a designation unit for designating a plurality of print jobs; a generation unit for acquiring the plurality of print jobs from an applicable server, and generating a combined print job that includes the plurality of print jobs; and a setting unit which, when an error has occurred in the acquisition of the plurality of print jobs, is for setting whether to exercise control so as to execute processing of all of the plurality of print jobs after recovery from the error is achieved, or so as to execute processing of print jobs with the exception of the print job in which the error occurred.
US07911628B2
A print system includes an image reading apparatus that describes original document image data read from an original document in a page description language, and transmits the data described in the page description language as a copy job; and a printing apparatus that receives the copy job transmitted from the image reading apparatus, and prints out an image corresponding to the original document image data, wherein the image reading apparatus detects a copy preparing operation that is performed prior to the transmission of the copy job and transmits an occupancy notification for notifying occupancy of the printing apparatus to the printing apparatus according to the result of the detection, and wherein the printing apparatus accepts a copy job from the image reading apparatus in accordance with the occupancy notification.
US07911627B2
A data structure for a photo book kit includes a first data object, a second data object, and a third data object. The first data object includes first image data to define a first image, and a first image location to define the position of the first image on a page of a photo book. The second data object includes second image data to define a second image and a second image location to define the position of the second image on a cover of the photo book. The third data object includes third image data to define a third image and a third image location to define the position of the third image on a book accessory that is to be assembled with the photo book to form the personalized photo book kit.
US07911619B2
A fiber-optic sensor includes an optical fiber coil and a laser source optically coupled to the coil. Light from the source is transmitted to the coil as a first signal propagating along the coil in a first direction and a second signal propagating along the coil in a second direction opposite to the first direction. The optical paths of the first signal and the second signal are substantially reciprocal with one another and the first signal and the second signal are combined together after propagating through the coil to generate a third signal. The laser source is frequency-modulated or can have a coherence length longer than a length of the coil.
US07911610B2
The present invention relates to an optical measuring device which includes container for storing a sample, and an electrode pair for generating an electric field distribution upon impression of a voltage by an electrical power supply, thereby generating or extinguishing diffraction grating formed by a density modulation of particles within the sample. The particles within the sample are evaluated based upon a temporal change of an intensity of a diffracted light beam obtained by irradiating a light beam upon the diffraction grating formed by the density modulation of the particles. The electrodes constituting the electrode pair are configured to have a comb-like electrode teeth that are parallel with each other and are arranged such that the electrode teeth of one electrode are inserted between the electrode teeth of the other electrode. From such configuration, an optical measuring device of a high sensitivity and excellent S/N ratio can be obtained.
US07911606B2
The invention relates to a method for the spectral analysis of metal samples with the following steps: a. Recording of a spectrum of an unknown sample with a number of preset excitation parameters, b. Comparison of the spectrum with stored spectra of a number of control samples, c. Determination of the control sample with the best concordance of spectra, d. Setting of the excitation parameters, which are stored for the best and closest control sample determined in step c, e. Recording of the spectrum of the unknown sample with the excitation parameters set in step d, f. Calculation of the intensity ratios of the analysis lines stored for the control sample and the internal standards of the spectrum recorded in step e.
US07911599B2
A reticle defect inspection apparatus that can carry out a defect inspection with high detection sensitivity are provided. The apparatus includes an optical system of transmitted illumination for irradiating one surface of a sample with a first inspection light, an optical system of reflected illumination for irradiating another surface of the sample with a second inspection light, and a detecting optical system that can simultaneously detect a transmitted light obtained by the first inspection light being passed through the sample and a reflected light obtained by the second inspection light being reflected by the sample. And the optical system of transmitted illumination includes a focusing lens driving mechanism for correcting a focal point shift of the transmitted light resulting from thickness of the sample.
US07911598B2
Components (30) in the interior of an EUV lithography device for extreme ultraviolet and soft X-ray wavelength range are cleaned by igniting a plasma, adjacent to the component (30) to be cleaned, using electrodes (29), wherein the electrodes (29) are adapted to the form of the component (30) to be cleaned. The residual gas atmosphere is measured spectroscopically on the basis of the plasma. An emission spectrum is preferably recorded in order to monitor the degree of cleaning. An optical fiber cable (31) with a coupling-in optical unit (32) is advantageously used for this purpose. Moreover, in order to monitor the contamination in the gas phase within the vacuum chambers during the operation of an EUV lithography device, it is proposed to provide modules configured to initiate a gas discharge and to detect radiation emitted on account of the gas discharge. The contamination in the gas phase can be deduced from the analysis of the measured spectrum.
US07911597B2
An inspection instrument includes main unit, Brix testing unit, weight measurement unit, display unit, control unit, and label printer; both of Brix and weight of an object pending test are tested and measured at the same time by the Brix testing unit and the weight measurement unit; resultant data are directly displayed on the inspection instrument by the display unit; data are directly printed on a label; and the label is outputted to be directly attached to the fruit.
US07911592B2
Disclosed is a method for identifying a moving object, comprising: a driving-in step of moving a moving object into a passage, a velocity measuring step of measuring a moving velocity of the moving object, a light beam emitting step of emitting light beams from one side of the passage, a light beam receiving step of receiving the light beams not shielded by the moving object at other side of the passage, a profile determining step of determining a profile of at least one portion of the moving object based on the received light beams and the measured moving velocity of the moving object, and an identifying step of determining type of the moving object by comprising the profile of the at least one portion of the moving object with information of moving objects stored previously. The method and the system according to the present invention can adopt corresponding scanning controlling manners for different vehicles, so that inspection information of inspected vehicles is complete, inspection images are of high quality, and radiation dose received by drivers are minimal.
US07911576B2
The present disclosure relates to a manufacturing method of a liquid crystal display device. In one aspect, the method may include laminating two or more multipiece boards to each other by way of a sealing material, applying surface polishing to at least one of the multipiece boards using an etchant, and separating the multipiece boards into respective liquid crystal cells by cutting. In further aspects, the sealing material may include individual sealing materials which are formed on regions of the respective liquid crystal cells, an outer peripheral sealing material which surrounds the respective individual sealing materials and forms an opening at least in a portion thereof, and a weir sealing material of a pattern in which the weir sealing material is formed inside the outer peripheral sealing material and in the vicinity of the opening.
US07911571B2
The invention provides, an electro-optic device that can include a pair of substrates sandwiching an electro-optic substance therebetween. The electro-optic device can further include a coating member including an antistatic material and being disposed on a surface not opposing the electro-optic substance of at least one of the pair of substrates. Accordingly, problems of dust adhesion on the surface of the electro-optic device and dust projection can be solved so as to enable images with high quality to be displayed.
US07911570B2
The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device comprising at least: a backlight; a polarizer; a first optically anisotropic layer with a retardation of 210 to 300 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm; a second optically anisotropic layer with a retardation of 50 to 140 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm; a third optically anisotropic layer with negative optical anisotropy; a liquid crystal cell comprising upper and lower substrates facing each other and a liquid crystal layer sandwiched between the upper and lower substrates; a fourth optically anisotropic layer with a retardation of 50 to 140 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm; a first optically anisotropic layer with a retardation of 210 to 300 nm at a wavelength of 550 nm; and a polarizer, arranged in piles in this order from the backlight, the second optically anisotropic layer comprising at least a liquid crystal film with a fixed nematic hybrid liquid crystal orientation structure. The liquid crystal display device provides bright images and is high in contrast and less in viewing angle dependency.
US07911564B2
A polarizing plate is provided that has high hardness, can have a reduced thickness, and has excellent in polarization properties. The polarizing plate includes a polarizer, an adhesive layer, and a cured resin layer. The adhesive layer is stacked on at least one surface of the polarizer. The cured resin layer is stacked on the surface of the adhesive layer located on the opposite side to the polarizer. The adhesive layer has a thickness in the range of 0.1 μm to 10 μm. The cured resin layer is formed of a solventless photocurable composition containing component (A) and component (B), with component (A) being at least one of a polyfunctional acrylic monomer and a polyfunctional methacrylic monomer and component (B) being a photocurable prepolymer.
US07911553B2
The present invention provides a liquid crystal display device which aims at the reduction of thickness thereof while preventing a holder and a light emitting element of a backlight from coming into contact with each other. The liquid crystal display device includes a backlight and a liquid crystal display panel which is arranged above the backlight, wherein the backlight includes a frame-like holder and a light emitting element which is housed in the inside of the holder, the holder includes support portions which support the liquid crystal display panel, the light emitting element is housed in the inside of the holder at the support portion on a side opposite to the liquid crystal display panel, the support portion includes a recessed portion which is formed on a side opposite to a side which supports the liquid crystal display panel and at a position which faces the light emitting element in an opposed manner. A distal end portion of the light emitting element on a side which faces the support portion in an opposed manner is positioned in the inside of the recessed portion.
US07911551B2
A method for fabricating a display includes providing a first substrate divided into a pixel part and first and second pad parts, forming a gate electrode and a gate line in the pixel part of the first substrate and forming a gate pad line in the first pad part of the first substrate, forming a first insulation film and a semiconductor film over the gate electrode, the gate line and the gate pad line, forming an active pattern over the gate electrode from the semiconductor film with the first insulation film interposed therebetween and forming a contact hole exposing a portion of the gate pad line using a single mask, forming source and drain electrodes in the pixel part, forming a pixel electrode in the pixel part, forming a gate pad electrode electrically connected with the gate pad line via the contact hole, forming a second insulation film over the pixel electrode and the gate pad electrode, exposing a portion of the pixel electrode and at least one portion of the gate pad electrode, and attaching the first substrate and a second substrate.
US07911549B2
There is provided an MVA type liquid crystal display device having high brightness and excellent display quality. The liquid crystal display device includes a pair of substrates disposed to be opposite to each other, a liquid crystal sealed between the pair of substrates, plural pixel areas each including a pixel electrode 16a formed on one of the substrates and a pixel electrode 16b separated from the pixel electrode 16a, a TFT 20 disposed in each of the pixel areas and including a source electrode 22 electrically connected to the pixel electrode 16a, a linear projection 42 formed on the other substrate and to regulate alignment of the liquid crystal, and a control capacitance section to capacity couple the source electrode 22 and the pixel electrode 16b and including a control capacitance electrode 33 which is electrically connected to the source electrode 22, is opposite to at least part of the pixel electrode 16b through an insulating film, and at least part of which is disposed to overlap with the linear projection 42 when viewed perpendicularly to a substrate surface and extends along the linear projection 42.
US07911546B2
A liquid crystal device includes a substrate, an opposing substrate disposed so as to face the substrate, a liquid crystal layer interposed between the substrate and the opposing substrate, and a plurality of spacers disposed between the substrate and the opposing substrate and having different aspect ratios from each other.
US07911538B2
A method and apparatus estimates the strength of block artifacts in compressed video is described. Block artifacts are associated with the block-based image/video compression schemes. The block artifacts deteriorate the quality of compressed image and video, especially at low bit rates. A deblocking method measures the strength of the block artifacts at each block boundary and adjusts the deblocking parameters accordingly to improve the performance of the overall deblocking process. A method and device to measure the strength of block artifacts based on the global and local edge information of the current picture is provided.
US07911534B2
A video processing apparatus including a display comprises a filter for receiving a video signal containing video information and ancillary information related to the video information and having a predetermined frequency. The filter passes a component corresponding to the frequency of the video signal. An ancillary information extractor extracts the ancillary information from the video signal passed by the filter. A video processor processes the video signal so that the ancillary information extracted by the ancillary information extractor is displayed on the display. The video processing apparatus is able to enhance the reliability of ancillary information extraction by removing the influence of noise.
US07911533B2
In a television set, image quality is adjusted in accordance with parameters calculated on the basis of adjustment values used in the past, depending on a feature of an image and an environmental status. A weight calculator determines a weight depending on the manner in which a user performs a volume control operation. A cumulative weight memory outputs a cumulative weight corresponding to the feature value. Output volume values used in past are stored in a volume value generator. The volume value generator calculates output volume values corresponding to a feature value on the basis of parameters indicating final adjustment values, the feature value, the weight, and the cumulative weight. The calculated volume values are stored in the volume value generator. Under the control of a system controller, the volume values stored in the volume value generator are output to a coefficient generator.
US07911532B2
The notebook computer includes a base and an upper cover. The base has a keyboard. The upper cover includes a screen, an image pickup device and a close-up lens. The upper cover is rotatable with respect to the base such that the image pickup device is able to capture an image of a document on a working plane. After the document image is obtained by the image pickup device, a built-in image processing program performs correction on the document image so as to obtain a corrected document image.
US07911531B2
A battery takes in a charge current value or a discharge current value from a current detection device at predetermined sampling intervals. Then, based upon the current value, a power consumption quantity representing the extent to which power has been consumed during a sampling interval is calculated and a total power consumption quantity is determined by sequentially adding the power consumption quantity corresponding to each sampling interval. Based upon the total power consumption quantity calculated at each sampling interval, a determination device determines as to whether or not the battery needs to be refreshed, and the determination results are transmitted to the camera. The camera informs the user that the battery needs to be refreshed if the determination device judges that a refresh operation is necessary. The sampling interval may be set longer when the power to the camera is in an OFF state compared to when the power to the camera is in an ON state.
US07911530B2
In the digital camera that can be used in connection to a mobile phone or other mobile electronic devices and the system thereof, a battery mounted in each device is shared to allow power to be supplied between the devices, and allow both devices to be used for longer hours. The digital camera and the mobile phone are electrically connectable by a connection cable. Generally, a power supply selection switch is set to A, and a power supply selection switch is set to D. The digital camera receives power supplied from a battery, and the mobile phone receives power supplied form a battery. From this state, when the power supply selection switch is switched to C, power is supplied from the battery to the mobile phone. On the other hand, when the power supply selection switch is set to B, and the power supply selection switch is set to D, power is supplied from the battery of the mobile phone to the digital camera.
US07911524B2
A photographing apparatus and a still image photographing method thereof are provided where the photographing apparatus includes a lens for forming an optical image of a subject in an image pickup unit; an image pickup unit for photoelectrically converting the optical image formed through the lens to an electrical image signal, a signal processing unit for processing the photo-electrically converted image signal to a luminance signal and a color signal, a compression unit for compressing the processed image signal, and a storage unit for storing the compressed image signal, the image pickup unit comprising two vertical transmission registers for accumulating an image of an even filed and an image of an odd field in a memo. Accordingly, a clear still image can be obtained without an iris diaphragm.
US07911522B2
Pixels are two-dimensionally arranged into rows and columns in an image sensing region of a solid-state image sensing device, and divided into a plurality of vertical blocks. A vertical signal line is connected to each pixel column. A voltage read out from a pixel is A/D-converted and held in a holding circuit. A vertical block selection circuit outputs a vertical block selection signal in response to a horizontal sync pulse. An intra-block line selection circuit selects one pixel row in one block or simultaneously selects a plurality of pixel rows in one block, in accordance with the selection signal and a signal for setting the number of lines to be selected. A pulse selector circuit supplies a pixel driving pulse signal to a pixel row selected by the intra-block line selection circuit.
US07911518B2
A method of capturing an image of a scene using an image capture device having an array of pixels, wherein the array of pixels includes pixels of different colors, includes, for a first duration, capturing a first portion of the scene with a first plurality of the pixels of a first color, and for a second duration, capturing a second portion of the scene with a second plurality of the pixels of a second color. The first and second durations are different and the first and second durations are chosen, at least in part, to improve the signal to noise ratio of the image capture device.
US07911516B2
A camera module that can be made thinner and achieves a beautiful image over an entire image region regardless of a subject distance is provided. The camera module includes a plurality of lens portions, each including at least one lens, a plurality of imaging regions, provided in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of lens portions, each including a light-receiving surface that is substantially orthogonal to an optical axis direction of its corresponding lens portion, an imaging signal input portion to which a plurality of imaging signals outputted respectively from the plurality of imaging regions are inputted, a block division portion for dividing at least one imaging signal of the plurality of imaging signals into a plurality of blocks, a parallax computing portion for computing for each of the blocks a parallax between images formed respectively by the plurality of lens portions using the imaging signal, and a parallax correcting portion for correcting the plurality of imaging signals based on the parallax and performing an image synthesis.
US07911515B2
Calculation is made about standard deviations of portions of high-frequency components GH, RH, and BH along respective predetermined directions. The portions of the high-frequency components GH, RH, and BH represent a prescribed number of pixels including an interpolation pixel located at a position corresponding to none of photosensor pixels in G, R, and B image sensors. The smallest one is detected among the calculated standard deviations. The predetermined direction relating to the detected smallest standard deviation is labeled as a highest-correlation direction in which the highest correlation occurs. Interpolation is implemented in response to portions of the high-frequency components GH, RH, and BH which correspond to the highest-correlation direction to generate a high-frequency interpolation-result signal RGBHI for the interpolation pixel and other pixels. Low-frequency components GL, RL, and BL are combined with the high-frequency interpolation-result signal RGBHI to generate high-definition green, red, and blue signals G(HD), R(HD), and B(HD).
US07911514B2
First pixel data of a pixel of interest is output from a first shift register, while second and third pixel data of neighboring pixels indicative of the same color are output from second and third shift registers, respectively. Differential data between estimated pixel data calculated from the second and third pixel data and the first pixel data is input to a comparator. A threshold value stored in a register is modulated by the estimated pixel data, and is input to the comparator as modulated threshold data. When the comparator judges that the differential data is greater than the modulated threshold data, a selector outputs the estimated pixel data as corrected pixel data.
US07911513B2
An arrangement for simulating a short depth of field in a captured videophone image is provided in which the background portion of the image is digitally segregated and blurred to render it indistinct. Thus, the displayed video of a user in the foreground is kept in focus while the background appears to be out of focus. Image tracking or fixed templates are used to segregate an area of interest that is kept in focus from the remaining captured video image. Image processing techniques are applied to groups of pixels in the remaining portion to blur that portion of the captured video image. Such techniques include the application of a filter that are alternatively selected from convolution filters in the spatial domain (e.g., mean, median, or Gaussian filters), or frequency filters in the frequency domain (e.g., low-pass or Gaussian filters). User-selectable control is optionally implemented for controlling the type of foreground/background segregation technique utilized (i.e., dynamic face-tracking or fixed template shape), degree of blurring applied to the background, and on/off control of the background blurring.
US07911506B2
An image sensing apparatus comprises: an image sensor which converts an optical image of an object into an electrical signal; a first amplifier which amplifies the electrical signal by a first gain; a second amplifier which further amplifies the amplified electrical signal by a second gain that is changeable in finer steps than the first gain; and a control unit which obtains a third gain based on an quantity of incident light to said image sensor and adjusting the first and second gains so that a sum of the first and second gains equals the third gain. The control unit adjusts a gain component of the third gain, which cannot be adjusted by the first gain, using the second gain, and ensures the third gain by adjusting only the second gain when a brightness change more than the preset brightness difference does not continue for not less than a preset time.
US07911499B2
A sample analyzing apparatus includes: an irradiation system which irradiates a charged particle onto a sample having a concave portion partially on a surface thereof; a light condensing reflecting mirror which condenses luminescence obtained from the surface based on the irradiation of the charged particle; a light detector which detects the luminescence guided to the light condensing reflecting mirror; a charged particle detector which detects the charged particle reflected from the surface of the sample as a reflection charged particle; and a signal processor which controls the irradiation system to irradiate the charged particle intermittently, which obtains a shape of the sample on the basis of a detection signal outputted from the charged particle detector, and which identifies a material of the sample on the basis of an attenuation characteristic of a detection signal outputted from the light detector in a period from a time point in which the intermittent irradiation of the charged particle by the irradiation system is ended to a time point in which the intermittent irradiation of the charged particle by the irradiation system is started.
US07911494B2
A video overlay device of a mobile telecommunication terminal comprises a multiplexer for outputting at least one of a first video data and a second video data; and a video overlay unit for overlaying at least one of the first and second video data with graphic data in accordance with a predetermined ratio. The multiplexer selectively outputs at least one of the first and second video data based on input video selection signals provided by a central processing unit (CPU).
US07911492B2
At least one light emission array includes a plurality of light emitting elements arrayed in a first direction. Each of the light emitting elements is an organic electroluminescence element. A monitor quantitatively monitors a light emitting state of at least one of the light emitting elements to obtain a monitored amount. A comparator compares the monitored amount and a reference amount. A controller performs a constant current control with respect to at least one of the light emitting elements in accordance with a result of the comparison performed by the comparator.
US07911487B2
Sub-pixel rendering with gamma adjustment allows the luminance of the sub-pixel arrangement to match the non-linear gamma response of the human eye's luminance channel. For each of a subset of input sampled data indicating a region of an input image, a gamma-adjusted data value is generated for each input image data value in the subset using a local average of at least two input image data values. A sub-pixel rendering operation uses the subset of gamma-adjusted data values and the subset of input image data values to produce an output data value for each sub-pixel element on the display panel. A plurality of output data values collectively indicates an output image. The gamma adjustment allows the sub-pixel rendering to operate independently of the actual gamma of a display device. The sub-pixel rendering techniques with gamma adjustment may improve image contrast in high spatial frequency portions of an image.
US07911485B2
The present disclosure provides methods and apparatuses for calibration of a visual display. In one exemplary implementation of the invention, a visual display module is placed in a test station and a digital camera captures image data from the module. The digital camera can include a CCD digital camera and a lens for imaging. The captured image data is sent to an interface that compiles the data. The interface then calculates correction factors for the image data that may be used to achieve target color and brightness values for the image data. The interface then uploads the correction factors back to the visual display module.
US07911471B1
A method and apparatus for executing loop and branch program instructions in a programmable graphics shader. The programmable graphics shader converts a sequence of instructions comprising a portion of a shader program and selects a first set of fragments to be processed. Subsequent sequences of instructions are converted until all of the instructions comprising the shader program have been executed on the first set of fragments. Each remaining set of fragments is processed by the shader program until all of the fragments are processed in the same manner. Furthermore, the instructions can contain one or more loop or branch program instructions that are conditionally executed. Additionally, when instructions within a loop as defined by a loop instruction are being executed a current loop count is pipelined through the programmable graphics shader and used as an index to access graphics memory.
US07911468B2
As a virtual plane used when converting a designation point, which is a touched position on a touch panel, into a control point, in a virtual three dimensional space, used for controlling a movement of an object, a first virtual plane is used when a ball is an object to be controlled; a second virtual plane is used when an object to be operated is a dog and an action mode thereof is an attention mode; a third virtual plane is used when the object to be operated is the dog and the action mode thereof is a lick mode; a fourth virtual plane is used when the object to be operated is the dog and the action mode thereof is a rope shake mode; and a fifth virtual plane is used when the object to be operated is the dog and the action mode thereof is a circle mode.
US07911466B2
A timing diagram is displayed on GUI of a timing diagram editing apparatus. Numerical information indicating the repetition number for which a waveform image within the arbitrary number of clocks is repeated is received, and the repetition number is determined based on the numerical information. A sequence image is displayed on GUI by replaying the waveform image with a continuous waveform image that is formed by repeating the waveform image for the determined repetition number of times.
US07911465B2
Techniques for displaying information related to collection hierarchies. In one embodiment, an integrated direct-manipulation image-based interface is provided for displaying information related to collections. The interface also enables operations to be performed on collections and their elements. Multiple levels of the collection hierarchy are made visible and editable at the same time by the user interface.
US07911464B2
The pixels of an active matrix display device have a current-driven light emitting display element, a drive transistor for driving a current through the display element, a storage capacitor for storing a pixel drive voltage to be used for addressing the drive transistor, a light-dependent device for detecting the brightness of the display element, and driver circuitry for providing data signals to the pixel external to the pixel array. This provides a pixel with optical feedback to compensate for display element ageing. The driver circuitry has a processing means for processing the feedback brightness signals and derives from them a threshold voltage for the drive transistor of the pixel as well as information relating to the performance of the display element, for ageing compensation.
US07911451B2
The present invention relates to a method for searching a menu in a mobile communication terminal, wherein a plurality of main menus and sub menus of each main menu are simultaneously searched on a single menu screen using various navigational keys.
US07911435B2
A pixel circuit has a light emitting diode, a first driving transistor, a second driving transistor, a capacitor, and a switch unit. When a scan signal is asserted, the switch unit couples sources/drains of the second driving transistor respectively to a first and a second source/drain of the first driving transistor, and couples a gate and second source/drain of the first driving transistor together. When the scan signal is de-asserted, the switch unit decouples one of the sources/drains of the second driving transistor from the first/second source/drain of the first driving transistor, and decouples the gate from the second source/drain of the first driving transistor.
US07911430B2
A liquid crystal display has an LCD controller, a microcomputer, and a storage section. The LCD controller is capable of setting up an image display period for performing display based on input image data and a black display period for performing display based on black display data, within one field period. The microcomputer switches the mode of the LCD controller between an impulse-drive mode having the image display period and the black display period within the one field period, and a hold drive mode having only the image display period. The storage section stores sets of reference gradation voltage data that are previously specified. A reference gradation voltage, which is generated at a reference gradation voltage generation section and used for driving the liquid crystal display panel, is variable according to the mode. Thus, it is possible to realize the liquid crystal display that can suppress changes in gamma characteristics so as to prevent deterioration of display quality even when the mode is switched.
US07911426B2
A light emitting display for providing a uniform current flow to a set of pixels to enable uniform brightness for the pixels. The pixels are situated in a pixel portion of a panel where the pixels are located at regions defined by a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of data lines. The uniform power is supplied by a set of power lines on each side of the pixel portion. The uniform voltage is maintained between the power lines by a set of power connection lines. The power connection lines connect the end points of two opposing power lines with interior points of the other two power lines at a set of electric junctions.
US07911425B2
In a current driving display device, a first operation in which pixel circuits in odd rows are sequentially scanned to set a current supplied to display elements and a second operation in which pixel circuits in even rows are sequentially scanned to set a current supplied to display elements are alternately repeated. The current set in the pixel circuits is supplied to the display elements in parallel with the first and second operations, and the number of times in the period is twice or more than the number of times in which the pixel circuit sets a current supplied to the display element.
US07911424B2
A device for regulating the bias voltage of circuits for controlling columns of a matrix display capable of selecting columns to turn on the light-emitting diodes of the selected columns and of a selected line, the device including a first measurement circuit providing a first measurement signal representative of the highest voltage among the voltages of the selected columns; a second measurement circuit providing a second measurement signal representative of the lowest voltage among the voltages of the selected columns; and an adjustment circuit receiving the first and second measurement signals and capable of decreasing the bias voltage if the first measurement signal is smaller than a first comparison signal and of increasing the bias voltage if the second measurement signal is greater than a second comparison signal.
US07911423B2
An organic electro luminescence device includes first, second, and third switching elements connected in series with each other, the first switching element controlled by a first signal, and the second and third switching elements controlled by a second signal, the second signal being different from the first signal, a first driving element connected to a power source, a storage capacitor, and the first, second and third switching elements, and a second driving element connected to the power source, the storage capacitor, an organic light emitting diode, and the third switching element.
US07911419B2
In a conventional method of driving a plasma display panel, for example, an auxiliary discharge is executed between an A electrode and a Y electrode to improve light-emission efficiency of a display discharge. However, since a phosphor layer is present between the A electrode and the Y electrode, the phosphor layer is exposed to a discharge, whereby there is a problem that its characteristic deteriorates. A method of driving a plasma display panel having a structure, in which at least three display electrodes X, Y, and Z used for a display discharge are provided to a display cell and no phosphor layer is formed between said display electrodes and a discharge space, the method comprising the steps of: varying a potential of at least one display electrode Z of said display electrodes during said display discharge; and making a potential of said at least one display electrode Z at a time of starting said display discharge different from that at a time of ending said display discharge.
US07911417B2
A method and apparatus for expressing a gray level with a decimal value in a plasma display panel that is capable of enhancing a picture quality. In the method and apparatus, a sustaining pulse is applied only to any one electrode of a sustaining electrode pair to thereby express a gray level with a decimal value.
US07911408B2
A management system of a monitor including at least one first monitor, a first computer to supply a video signal to the at least one first monitor having a first controller to transmit monitor information about the at least one first monitor through a network, a second monitor, and a second computer having a database to store the monitor information received through the network, and a second controller to display a graphic user interface to display the monitor information stored in the database on the second monitor. With this configuration, the monitor management system checks and/or manages a plurality of monitors connected to a plurality of computers connected to each other through a network from another computer.
US07911406B2
The invention relates to Radio Frequency (RF) antennas suitable for receiving and/or transmitting digital signals in the Ultra High Frequency (UHF) and/or Very High Frequency (VHF) ranges. The invention comprises a modular driven DUV antenna comprising a driven DUV element, an RF signal line RF communicatively connected to the driven DUV element, and an antenna mount supporting the DUV element; and a modular RF signal enhancer, supported by the antenna mount and selected from: an RF amplifier and a passive RF enhancer positioned to enhance the RF performance of the DUV antenna and comprising one of: an RF director, an RF reflector, and an RF booster.
US07911394B2
An antenna system includes one or more conductive elements acting as radiating elements, and a multilevel or space-filling ground-plane, wherein said ground-plane has a particular geometry which affects the operating characteristics of the antenna. The return loss, bandwidth, gain, radiation efficiency, and frequency performance can be controlled through multilevel and space-filling ground-plane design. Also, said ground-plane can be reduced compared to those of antennas with solid ground-planes.
US07911388B2
Aspects of a method and system for a configurable antenna in an integrated circuit package are provided. In a hybrid circuit comprising an integrated circuit bonded to a multi-layer package, one or more antenna parameters may be adjusted by configuring a plurality of antenna elements via one or more switching elements. In this regard, the antenna elements and/or the switching elements may be within and/or on the multi-layer package and/or within the integrated circuit. The switching elements may be MEMS switches on and/or within the IC and/or the multi-layer package. The IC may be bonded or mounted to the underside of the package and signals may be communicated between the IC and the package via one or more solder balls. The IC may comprise suitable logic, circuitry, and/or code for configuring the antenna elements. The antenna elements may be configured based on desired polarization, antenna gain, and/or frequency.
US07911386B1
Dual-band and multi-band radiating elements are described based on composite right/left-handed (CRLH) meta-material transmission line (TL). These elements can operate as resonators and/or antennas depending on feed-line configuration. The radiating elements are based on the fundamental backward wave supported by a composite right/left-handed (CRLH) meta-material transmission line (TL). Unit-cells of the transmission line comprise conductive patches coupled through vias to a ground plane. The physical size and operational frequencies of the radiating element is determined by the unit cell of the CRLH meta-material. This radiating element is configured for monopolar radiation at a first resonant frequency and patch-like radiation at a second resonant frequency. The first and second resonant frequencies are not constrained to a harmonic relationship.
US07911380B2
The invention relates to a method of determining the position of an aircraft by combining inertial data with range data between the aircraft and satellites, in which: a) the range is stored in a FIFO memory so as make delayed range data available at the output from the memory; b) the delayed range data is combined with inertial data to obtain an estimate of position data for the aircraft; and c) a watch is maintained for the appearance of a fault in the range data, and when such a fault is detected, at least some of the data stored in the FIFO memory is modifying so as to be neutralized.
US07911372B2
An active imaging system uses communication satellites to identify the location and physical attributes of a target. A transmitter emits a time-synchronized signal directed to a target. The transmitter radiates L-band RF signals. The transmitter can be positioned on an airborne or ground platform. A constellation of communication satellites receives and time stamps the time-synchronized signal reflected from the target to form an active image of the target. The constellation of communication satellites have multiple roles other than active imaging, such as providing voice and data communications. The time-synchronized signal reflected from the target can be received by multiple satellites within the constellation of communication satellites or by multiple antenna disposed on one satellite within the constellation of communication satellites.
US07911366B2
One embodiment of the present invention is a Gray code current-mode analog to digital (ADC) converter using a Gray code current-mode ADC building block. The Gray code current-mode ADC building block can produce a Gray code bit and a current output that is sent to a next Gray code ADC building block. In one embodiment, the Gray code current-mode ADC building block does not use a voltage comparator in a signal path of the current output. In one embodiment, an 8 bit analog-to-digital converter can have a 65 ns conversion time and consume only 10 mW of power with a single +5.0V supply.
US07911350B2
A drunk driving detection system to be incorporated in a vehicle includes a steering wheel, a film, a pair of contact detection electrodes, an alcohol sensor, and a control circuit. The steering wheel is provided with an opening in a portion to be grasped by a driver. The film is liquid-impermeable and air-permeable, and covers the first opening. The contact detection electrodes are provided on the film. The alcohol sensor is provided in a space in communication with the opening. The control circuit is connected to the contact detection electrodes and the alcohol sensor, and measures the resistance between the contact detection electrodes. When the resistance is within a predetermined range, the control circuit determines that the driver is in contact with the film and detects an alcohol drinking condition of the driver based on the output from the alcohol sensor.
US07911339B2
A shoe wear out sensor (100,210,310) includes at least one detector (104,312) for sensing a physical metric that changes as a sole of a shoe wears out, a processor (102) configured to process the physical metric over time to determine if the shoe is worn out, and an alarm (106) for informing a user of the shoe when the sole is worn out. A body bar sensing system (500) includes a housing (502) with at least one detector (506) for sensing a physical metric that indicates a repetition movement of the housing when attached to the body bar, a processor (504) for processing the physical metric over time to determine repetitions thereof, and a display (508,512) for informing a user of the repetitions. A system assesses activity and displays a unitless activity value. A detector senses activity of a user. A processor reads sensed activity data from the detector. A display displays the unitless activity value. An enclosure houses the detector and the processor. The processor periodically reads the sensed activity data from the detector and processes the data to generate an activity number, the number being used to generate the unitless activity value based upon a maximum number and a display range.
US07911334B2
A personal alert system for sending alerts or notifications in certain conditions. An alert is created by a user, primary contact, first responder or other third party, and an alert message is sent to designated contacts. An alert message can provide an update on a pending alert. Alerts can be configured to be triggered by preselected trigger conditions or can be sent in real time. Triggered alert can include a specific date and time or specific rules or alert conditions. Additional criteria can be applied, such as the constraint to check-in periodically during an alert period. If the user fails to meet an alert condition (e.g., check-in by a certain time), then the alert is triggered and an alert message is sent primary and secondary designated contacts. In another implementation, an emergency first responder can trigger the alert based on information on an emergency card stored in the user's wallet.
US07911332B2
A wheel having a controlled pressure includes a rim associated with a tank adapted to be filled with a fluid to a first pressure; a tire mounted on the rim and having an inner volume inflated to an operating pressure at a reference temperature, the operating pressure being lower than the first pressure; and at least one valve assembly adapted to establish a communication between the tank, the inner volume of the tire and the external environment. The valve assembly includes a command valve, an exhaust valve and a compensation valve operatively associated with each other. The command valve controls communication between the tank and the inner volume of the tire. The exhaust valve is connected to the external environment, to the inner volume, to the command valve and to the compensation valve. The compensation valve is connected to the exhaust valve and the command valve. The command valve includes an inner chamber connected with the exhaust valve and the compensation valve in such a manner that the command valve is operated by the exhaust valve and the compensation valve through a pressure variation of the inner chamber in response to a variation of the inner pressure of the tire.
US07911324B2
Method and arrangement for obtaining information about a radio-frequency identification (RFID) device or an object on which the RFID device is mounted when the RFID device is in a space defined by a frame includes arranging a plurality of antennas on the frame to enable transmission of signals into the space and reception of signals from the space, controlling transmission of signals by the antennas by means of an interrogator, and directing radio frequency signals from at least one of the antennas into the space to cause a RFID device in the space to return a signal if it receives any signal from any of the antennas. The return signals from the RFID device are received, e.g., by the interrogator or an associated receiver, and information about the RFID device or object to which the RFID device is attached is derived based on the return signals.
US07911322B2
An information processing method includes the steps of: detecting a magnetic field variation that occurs in the vicinity of a receiving section that receives a magnetic field signal; determining whether or not a detection result satisfies a predetermined condition that is set in advance; connecting a storage section, which stores information included in the magnetic field signal received by the receiving section, to the receiving section if it is determined that the detection result does not satisfy the condition; and connecting the storage section to a reading section that reads information stored on the storage section, if it is determined that the detection result satisfies the condition.
US07911304B2
An electromagnetic relay has a movable iron core, an insulation holder integrated with an upper end portion of the movable iron core, a movable contact piece supported by the insulation holder, and a solenoid formed from a wound coil. The movable iron core is housed in an axial hole in the solenoid movably in the upward and downward directions. The movable iron core is adapted to be moved upwardly and downwardly based on magnetization and demagnetization of the solenoid for contacting and separating a movable contact point provided on the movable contact piece with and from a fixed contact point for opening and closing a contact point. A permanent magnet is embedded in a base portion of the insulation holder.
US07911299B2
A microactuator has a fixed portion and a movable portion that is provided in such a way as to be movable relative to the fixed portion between a first position at which it is in contact with a predetermined portion of the fixed portion and a second position away from the first position. The fixed portion has a first electrode portion, the movable portion has a second electrode portion that can produce an electrostatic force between it and the first electrode portion by a voltage between it and the first electrode portion, and the first and second electrode portions are arranged in such a way that a first force that biases the movable portion in a direction toward the first position according to the electrostatic force created when the voltage is constant reaches a peak when the movable portion is at a third position between the first position and the second position.
US07911294B2
A series resonance circuit defined by a series circuit including an inductor and a capacitor and a series resonance circuit defined by a series circuit including an inductor and a capacitor are connected in shunt to a signal line. A diode is disposed between the grounding end of the series resonance circuit and the ground, and a diode is disposed between the grounding end of the series resonance circuit and the ground. The connection point between the grounding end of the series resonance circuit and the diode is connected to the ground via a frequency shifting inductor in a conductive state at high frequency, and the connection point between the grounding end of the series resonance circuit and the diode is connected to the ground via a frequency shifting inductor in a conductive state at high frequency. A matching circuit defined by a multistage T-shape LCL circuit is disposed between the series resonance circuits.
US07911284B2
A voltage controlled oscillator circuit comprises a variable current generator to supply an operation current to a voltage controlled oscillator, the voltage controlled oscillator to include a resonance circuit having a variable capacitor and inductor, and to output an output signal having an amplitude based on a current generated by the variable current generator, and a first optimization circuit to which the output signal is inputted, the first optimization circuit generating and outputting a current setting signal based on an amplitude change of the output signal corresponding to a change of a current outputted by the variable current generator to the variable current generator.
US07911276B1
A low noise, highly linear transconductor circuit, which may be applied, e.g., in communication systems, includes a first input node for receiving a first input signal of the transconductor circuit and a second input node for receiving a second input signal of the transconductor circuit, and at least a first amplifier, a second amplifier, and a first, second and third resistor. Each of the first and second amplifiers includes an input stage with a combination of at least a transistor of the MOS type and a transistor of the bipolar type, and an output stage for providing a respective output signal of the transconductor circuit and having at least a transistor of the bipolar type. The circuit achieves reduced noise due to output current reuse in the input stage of the amplifiers and cross coupling of bias resistors to result in a highly linear transconductor circuit having very low noise.
US07911269B2
An amplifier for operating at low, middle or high linearity modes, the amplifier comprising a first low noise amplifier (LNA) coupled to a second low noise amplifier for providing amplification; a first degeneration inductor coupled to the first LNA for providing impedance matching; a −g3 generation block coupled to an output of the second LNA for canceling third-order transconductance distortion; and a first enabling/disabling component coupled to the output of the second LNA and aligned in parallel with the −g3 generation block for operating at least one of the first and second LNAs at one of the low, middle or high linearity modes.
US07911268B2
Apparatus and method for improving the feedback linearity of a 1.5-bit sigma-delta class-D amplifier
A conversion circuit is provided for a 1.5-bit Σ-Δ class-D amplifier to improve the feedback linearity of the class-D amplifier, by periodically inverting and mixing a first positive feedback signal and a first negative feedback signal from the power stage of the class-D amplifier to generate a second positive feedback signal and a second negative feedback signal with better linearity for feedback control in the class-D amplifier.
US07911262B2
An integrated circuit includes: a pre-driver stage, coupled to an external supply voltage, for controlling the final driver stage; a final driver stage, coupled to the pre-driver stage and the external supply voltage, for providing an output voltage; a compensation circuit, coupled to the pre-driver stage, for providing a bias voltage to the pre-driver stage that compensates for variation in the external supply voltage, to control current through the pre-driver stage; and a bias circuit, coupled to the external supply voltage and the compensation circuit, for providing a bias voltage as an input to the compensation circuit.
US07911248B2
There is provided an apparatus for the linearization of a digitally controlled oscillator. The apparatus includes a first filter outputting only a low frequency band signal of an input signal to the digitally controlled oscillator; a negative feedback loop causing the signal of an input port of the digitally controlled oscillator to pass through a frequency table and a frequency-to-digital code mapper in sequence and correcting an input of the digitally controlled oscillator by performing negative feedback to an input port of the first filter; and a frequency table generator storing a frequency value of an output signal of the digitally controlled oscillator in the frequency table.
US07911246B2
A DLL circuit includes a clock selection control unit configured to generate a clock selection signal on the basis of a phase difference between a reference clock and a feedback clock and, after the clock selection signal is generated, to generate an initialization signal. A delay control unit, when the initialization signal is enabled, transfers an initial voltage to be generated by dividing an external power supply voltage to a delay unit as a control voltage, and controls a delay operation of a delay reference clock to be selected on the basis of the clock selection signal.
US07911234B1
A logic cell that is immune to misaligned carbon nanotubes. Carbon nanotubes are positioned on a substrate. Contacts are formed on a layer of carbon nanotubes, including a first input contact, a second input contact, an output contact, a first gate region, and a second gate region. The output contact is positioned between the first input contact and the second input contact, and a cell region is provided bounded by a width of the output contact and residing between the first input contact and the second input contact. A nonconductive region is positioned in the layer of carbon nanotubes between any two or more of the plurality of contacts that, if shorted, would inhibit a logic function.
US07911226B2
A power-up and power-down circuit for an integrated circuit includes a voltage regulator set for a first voltage. A first I/O pad is coupled internally to an input to the voltage regulator and to first internal circuits. The second voltage is externally coupled to the first I/O pad. A second I/O pad is coupled internally to an output of the voltage regulator configured to drive the base of an external transistor. A third I/O pad of the integrated circuit is coupled internally to a reference-voltage input of the voltage regulator. A fourth I/O pad is coupled to a feedback input of the voltage regulator. A fifth I/O pad of the integrated circuit is coupled internally to logic circuitry that controls power-up and power down of the integrated circuit from internal signals including internal signals from a real-time clock circuit disposed on the integrated circuit.
US07911223B2
A calibration circuit of an on-die termination device includes a code generating unit configured to receive a voltage of a calibration node connected to an external resistor and a reference voltage to generate pull-up calibration codes. The calibration circuit also includes a pull-up calibration resistor unit configured to pull up the calibration node in response to the pull-up calibration codes. The pull-up calibration resistor unit is calibrated such that its resistance becomes higher as a power supply voltage increases.
US07911222B2
A method for a mix mode driver to accommodate traces of different lengths includes storing in the mix mode driver a set of one or more control signals and coefficient signals for a trace length. The one or more control signals select a number of the stages to generate a variable amplitude data output signal. Each stage is operable to increase or decrease a data signal, and each of the coefficient signals determines the magnitude of increase or decrease of the data input signal by a stage. A method for operating the mix mode driver includes generating the variable amplitude data output signal with one or more of the stages, and providing the variable amplitude data output signal to a trace.
US07911220B2
An objective is to provide a semiconductor integrated circuit apparatus capable of analyzing factors that exert an influence upon an actual operation of a semiconductor integrated circuit that is actually working, and further of reducing its factors.A semiconductor integrated circuit that is an object of measurement, and a measurement circuit for measuring a physical amount, which exerts an influence upon the actual operation of the semiconductor integrated circuit, such as jitter or noise jitter, and noise of this semiconductor integrated circuit are configured on an identical chip.Also, a measurement result of the measurement circuit of the present invention is analyzed, and is fed back to a circuit for adjusting the semiconductor integrated circuit that is an object of measurement.
US07911210B2
The present invention relates a diagnosis device for detecting an end of lamp life of a lamp, a diagnosis method, and a lamp ballast circuit using the same. The diagnosis device generates a reference lamp voltage by adding a predetermined reference voltage to a distributed voltage corresponding to a lamp voltage applied to a lamp and generates an integrated lamp voltage by integrating the reference lamp voltage. The diagnosis device compares the integrated lamp voltage with a normal range that an integrated lamp voltage has when the lamp is in a normal state.
US07911209B2
A head coil for use with a parallel-imaging compatible MR system is disclosed, as is a method of making, and a neurovascular array (NVA) equipped with, same. The head coil includes conductive rings and rods configured to produce a plurality of electrically-adjacent primary resonant substructures about a birdcage-like structure, with each such primary resonant substructure including two rods neighboring each other and the short segment of each of the first and second rings interconnecting them. The primary resonant substructures are isolated from each other via a preamplifier decoupling scheme and an offset tuning scheme thereby enabling each primary resonant substructure (i) to receive an MR signal from tissue within its field of view and (ii) to be operatively couplable to one processing channel of the MR system for conveyance of the MR signal received thereby (iii) while being simultaneously decoupled from the other primary resonant substructures.
US07911187B2
An energy storage system includes a battery charger and energy storage devices. The battery charger is connected to a DC/AC current source. The energy storage devices are coupled between the battery charger and subsystems respectively. Each of the energy storage devices includes a magnetic capacitor (MCAP) and an over current protection device (OCPD). MCAPs are charged by the battery charger and supply the electric power to subsystems connected the energy storage devices. OCPDs detect current from MCAPs to subsystems and protect subsystems from excessive currents of voltages.
US07911182B2
One aspect of the invention involves: maintaining a record of how long a circuit operates in each of a plurality of different operating modes thereof, starting from a point in time at which a battery that powers the circuit is replaced; calculating for each of the operating modes as a function of the record a cumulative current drain from the point in time to a current time; and determining as a function of the cumulative current drains whether the battery is subject to a low voltage condition. Another aspect involves: monitoring a voltage of a battery; periodically determining whether the voltage of the battery is subject to a low voltage condition; and maintaining a count of the number of times that the determining results in a determination that the battery is subject to a low voltage condition.
US07911181B2
This disclosure relates to auto-averaging RC time constant calibration are described. An auto-averaging calibration circuit includes two capacitor branches, where capacitors in the capacitor branches, charge and discharge alternately to accommodate multiple charging cycles in one measurement cycle for measuring a RC time constant. A value of RC time constant is obtained in each charging cycle. A final value of the RC time constant can be determined by averaging various values of the time constants obtained during each charging cycle.
US07911176B2
A method for determining rotor position comprising sending a signal to a stator, receiving a first signal indicative of a first estimated stator inductance, and receiving a second signal indicative of a second estimated stator inductance. The method further includes, calculating a first rotor position angle using a function including the first estimated stator inductance and the second estimated stator inductance.
US07911173B2
A method of power control for an electrical motor using open-loop principles is disclosed. The method employs a desired control line function that determines hold-off time based on a detected phase lag of a motor drive signal. The motor to be controlled is driven with a motor drive signal at a given load for a first number of cycles to detect the phase lag of the motor drive signal. Controlling for phase lag for a second number of cycles is then accomplished by firing a thyristor according to the phase lag of the motor drive signal. Advantages include reduced power consumption of a motor controlled by an embodiment of the method or controller, and faster response time between the detection of load changes on the motor and the issuance of power control signals.
US07911170B2
The present invention relates to a device (20) and a method for sensorless measuring a mechanical rotor frequency of a rotor (6) of an asynchronous machine (40), wherein the rotor (6) has a predetermined defect and the asynchronous machine (40) has a fixed number of pairs of poles. The asynchronous machine (40) comprises a current determination unit (2) for determining a stator current of the stator (7), wherein the stator current has a stator frequency. A processing unit (3) forms a stator current spectrum of the stator current. An analyzing unit (4) analyzes the stator current spectrum and determines an inverse peak (26) and a corresponding inverse frequency in the stator current spectrum, wherein the inverse peak (26) is the peak having the second highest amplitude in the stator current spectrum in the frequency range of the stator frequency. A calculation unit (5) calculates a mechanical rotor frequency of the rotor (6) from the sum of the stator frequency divided by the number of pairs of poles and the inverse frequency, if the slip of the asynchronous machine (40) is lower than 50%, or from the difference of the stator frequency divided by the number of pairs of poles and the inverse frequency, if the slip is higher than 50%.
US07911162B2
A motor drive device (100) includes a boost converter (12) boosting a power supply voltage and outputting a boosted voltage; an inverter (14) receiving the boosted voltage from the boost converter (12) and driving a motor (M1); and a controller (30) giving a target value of the boosted voltage to the boost converter (12) and setting one of a rectangular-wave control and a non-rectangular-wave control as a control method of the inverter (14). The controller (30) is capable of selecting from a first operation mode for giving a first boosted target value and designating the non-rectangular-wave control as the control method and a second operation mode for giving a second boosted target value lower than the first boosted target value and designating the rectangular-wave control as the control method, in response to a same predetermined input signal indicating a torque request.
US07911152B2
A ballast for operating a high intensity discharge (HID) lamp includes a mechanism which provides electrical power to the HID lamp and a frequency-selecting mechanism which selects a frequency of the electrical power based on an atomic component present in the HID lamp. Preferably, the frequency is selected within a range between two hundred kilohertz and nine hundred kilohertz. Preferably, the frequency is near two hundred kilohertz and the operation enhances radiant efficiency at blue-green wavelengths due to excitation states of: scandium, indium, thallium and rare earth elements. Preferably, when the operation frequency is near seven hundred kilohertz, the operation enhances radiant efficiency at red wavelengths due to excitation states of atomic components selected from alkali metals. Preferably, the ballast includes a dimming mechanism for dimming the HID lamp thereby reducing said electrical power, and upon the dimming, the frequency-selecting mechanism selects the frequency for optimizing color parameters and luminous flux of the radiant emission.
US07911150B2
The described DC to AC inverter efficiently controls the amount of electrical power used to drive a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL). The output is a fairly pure sine wave which is proportional to an input control voltage. The output waveform purity is ensured by driving a symmetrical rectangular waveform into a second-order, low pass filter at the resonant frequency of the filter for all conditions of line voltage and delivered power. Operating stress on the step-up transformer is minimized by placing the load (lamp) directly across the secondary side of the transformer. When configured to regulate delivered power, the secondary side may be fully floated which practically eliminates a thermometer effect on the operation of the lamp. All of the active elements, including the power switches, may be integrated into a monolithic silicon circuit.
US07911146B2
Gas flows of modest velocities are generated when an organized ion flux in an electric field initiates an ion-driven wind of neutral molecules. When a needle in ambient air is electrically charged to a potential sufficient to produce a corona discharge near its tip, such a gas flow can be utilized downstream of a ring-shaped or other permeable earthed electrode. In view of the potential practical applications of such devices, as they represent blowers with no moving parts, a methodology for increasing their flow velocities includes exploitation of the divergence of electric field lines, avoidance of regions of high curvature on the second electrode, control of atmospheric humidity, and the use of linear arrays of stages, terminating in a converging nozzle. The design becomes particularly advantageous when implemented in mesoscale domains.
US07911141B2
A plasma display panel that achieves improved discharge efficiency and reduced discharge voltage is provided. The plasma display panel includes a substrate, a sustain electrode located on the substrate, a first dielectric layer located on the substrate formed with the sustain electrode, and a second dielectric layer located on the first dielectric layer and having a larger dielectric constant than a dielectric constant of the first dielectric layer.
US07911139B2
A plasma display device has a panel main body in which a pair of transparent substrates is arranged in opposition so as to form a discharge space between the substrates on at least a front side. Barrier ribs are arranged on at least one of the substrates to divide the discharge space into a plurality of spaces. A group of electrodes is arranged on the substrates so as to generate discharge in the discharge space divided with the barrier ribs. Phosphor layers that emit by discharge are also provided. The phosphor layers are equipped with a green phosphor layer including at least Zn2SiO4:Mn, a surface of Zn2SiO4:Mn is coated with aluminum oxide, and a ratio of an Al element to a Si element on the surface measured with an XPS apparatus is 0.6 to 4.0.
US07911138B2
The present invention relates to an encapsulation cap for a display device having a structure which has a reinforced strength and is not modified although a thickness is decreased, and an encapsulation cap according to one embodiment of the present invention may comprises a first plane part; and a second plane part having at least one bead thereon, and disposed in a plane different from a plane of the first plane part, wherein the second plane part is connected with the first plane part.
US07911132B2
An organic light emitting diode comprising a pair of electrodes and a stack including a hole transport layer, a light emitting layer, and an electron transport layer, the stack being intermediate between the electrodes, the light emitting layer being of a material having hole mobility and electron mobility equal to or lower than hole mobility of the hole transport layer and electron mobility of the electron transport layer, respectively.
US07911128B2
An organic electroluminescence display device and a fabrication method thereof is described. The organic electroluminescence display device includes first and second substrates. A cathode including a transparent conductive material and a thin metal film, an organic electroluminescence (EL) layer formed on the cathode, and an anode formed on the organic EL layer are formed on the first substrate. A driving transistor that contains a drain electrode is formed on the second substrate. The first and second substrates are bonded to each other such that the drain electrode contacts the anode.
US07911123B2
An electron emission device includes a substrate, cathode electrodes formed on the substrate, electron emission regions electrically coupled to the cathode electrodes, an insulation layer formed on the substrate while covering the cathode electrodes, and gate electrodes formed on the insulation layer and crossing the cathode electrodes. One or more gate holes are formed at each of crossing regions of the gate electrodes and the cathode electrodes through the insulation layer and the gate electrodes. At least one of the cathode electrodes includes at least two openings divided by a bridge. The at least two openings divided by the bridge are formed on each exposed region of the cathode electrodes through the gate holes. A corresponding one of the electron emission regions contacts the bridge and extends toward the walls of at least one of the openings but is spaced away from the cathode electrodes.
US07911121B2
The invention relates to an incandescent lamp (1) which is provided with an illuminant (7) which is inserted in a bulb (2) together with a filling in a vacuum-tight manner, the illuminant (7) comprising a metal carbide that has a melting point above that of tungsten. The bulb also comprises a source and a sink for a material of which the illuminant is depleted during use.
US07911117B2
The piezoelectric/electrostrictive body is represented by a composition formula ABO3 (A includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of Li, Na and K, and B includes at least one element selected from the group consisting of Nb, Ta, Sb and Mn), and the body is formed so that a main phase is a tetragonal system, and the orientation degree of a (001) face after a polarization treatment is smaller than that of a (100) face, in a plane vertical to the applying direction of an electric field applied so as to perform the polarization treatment. The present inventive piezoelectric/electrostrictive body has a ratio between a diffraction peak intensity I001 of the (001) face and a diffraction peak intensity I100 of the (100) face of I001/I100≦1, in an X-ray diffraction pattern in the same plane after the polarization treatment.
US07911115B2
The present invention relates to polymers, transducers and devices that convert between electrical and mechanical energy. When a voltage is applied to electrodes contacting an electroactive polymer, the polymer deflects. This deflection may be used to do mechanical work. Similarly, when the electroactive polymer deflects, an electric field is produced in the polymer. This electric field may be used to produce electrical energy. An active area is a portion of a polymer having sufficient electrostatic force to enable deflection of the portion and/or sufficient deflection to enable a change in electrostatic force. The present invention relates to transducers and devices including multiple active areas. The invention also relates to methods for actuating one or more active areas.
US07911106B2
A rotary electric machine according to present invention comprises a rotor and a stator disposed around the rotor in which the stator includes a stator core having, along its inner periphery region, a plurality of axially extending stator slots and an armature winding wound through the stator slots. In this rotary electric machine, each stator slot contains four radially layered armature bars; each armature winding is formed by electrically connecting at least one of the armature bars in a first slot and at least one of the armature bars in a second slot to each other; and the armature bars of a pair specified in accordance with a required output voltage of the rotary electric machine are connected to each other with a connecting piece.
US07911104B2
A retention system in which rotor pole pieces are retained within complementarily shaped channels in a rotor hub, permanent magnets are secured between the pole pieces and within clamp members, and wedge-shaped pieces are used to apply positive locking forces along the axial length of each clamp member and of adjacent pole pieces. A curable resin preferably in disposed within gaps between the permanent magnets and the clamp members.
US07911100B2
The present invention relates to a magnetic centering structure, and more particularly a structure of a centering magnetic bearing intended notably for space applications. The solution proposed in the present patent is suited to the centerers used on gyroscopic wheels and actuators. The main originality of the invention is the proposal of a dual-stage magnetic bearing structure. According to the implementation chosen, this invention presents the significant advantage of an improvement in terms of radial bulk.
US07911099B2
An outer rotor motor has a bearing housing with reduced machining and material costs, can be assembled with high accuracy, and has favorable durability. A bearing is attached to an inner circumferential surface of a housing main body that has been formed in a cylindrical shape by plastic deformation caused by press molding a metal matrix. At least one protruding surface is formed by plastic deformation so as to protrude further outward than the housing main body, and the stator core is attached to the outer circumference-side of the at least one protruding surface.
US07911096B2
An oscillator typically includes several pivotable oscillating arms each having a drive magnet and a follower magnet thereon so that the drive magnet on one arm drives movement of the follower magnet on another arm to oscillatingly pivot the other arm. Typically, a first repelling magnet is mounted on each oscillating arm and two repelling magnets are positioned on opposite sides of the first repelling magnet to facilitate the pivotal oscillation of the oscillating arm. A rotatable flywheel with a drive magnet thereon may drive movement of the follower magnet on one of the arms to drive pivotal movement of that arm. An electric motor may be used to drive rotation of the flywheel. A generating magnet may be mounted on each oscillating arm and movable adjacent an electrically conductive coil for producing an electric current therein. The coil may be in electrical communication with the motor.
US07911095B2
A servo motor with large rotor inertia includes a casing, a stator, a rotor and an inertial disk. The casing includes a hollow chamber and axial stages at front side and rear side thereof. The stator is arranged in the chamber and includes a ring and a plurality of coils around the ring. A through hole is defined at the center of the ring. A rotation shaft of the rotor is fixed to the stage and a magnet body is capped to the rotation shaft, where the magnet body is arranged in the through hole. The inertial disk is fixed to the rotation shaft of the rotor. The rotational inertia of the rotor is increased by rotating the inertial disk when the rotor is rotated by magnetize the stator. Therefore, the inertial disks of various sizes can be fixed to the rotor for matching different load inertia.
US07911092B2
Embodiments of a spindle motor are provided. A spindle motor can include a base in contact with a bearing housing, a bearing installed in the bearing housing, a rotational shaft rotatably supported by the bearing, a stator disposed around the bearing housing and having a coil, a rotor including a rotor yoke fixed on the rotational shaft and a magnet fixed on the rotor yoke, a turntable provided above the rotor yoke and rotating together with the rotational shaft, and a plurality of balls provided in a space defined by the rotor yoke and the turntable.
US07911091B2
A cooling structure of a rotating electrical machine including a stator and a rotor, the cooling structure including magnet accommodating holes provided in a rotor core of the rotor, the magnet accommodating holes extend between axial core end faces of the rotor core, wherein permanent magnets are accommodated in the magnet accommodating holes; a plurality of voids, which prevent leakage flux, in contact with the permanent magnets and extending between the axial core end faces; and a rotor cooling-liquid supply passage that supplies cooling liquid to one core end face, wherein the cooling liquid supplied from the rotor cooling-liquid supply passage is introduced into the voids to prevent leakage flux, and the permanent magnets are cooled by the cooling liquid flowing through the voids.
US07911090B2
A stator of an electrical machine has a cross section, a longitudinal extension, a jacket surface, a plurality of winding holders configured for receiving field windings, the winding holders being distributed inhomogenously around an inner circumference of the cross section, such that a density of the field windings in at least one first region formed around a stator circumference is smaller than in an adjacent second region.
US07911089B2
The present invention relates to a fan motor is for forced circulation of cool air in the refrigerator and comprises a molding unit, a shaft bearing unit, a rotor and an end cap. The molding unit comprises a stator having a shaft bearing unit mounting hole in the center thereof and core teeth which protrude radially outward so that a coil is wound thereon; and a circuit board having a circuit and a device which are electrically connected to the coil of the stator. The shaft bearing unit is inserted and fixed in the shaft bearing unit mounting hole. The rotor has a magnetic ring formed on the inner surface of a cup-shaped rotor housing, and a rotating shaft is fixed at the bottom center of the rotor housing. The end cap whose edge is connected to a side wall of the molding unit covering the rotor.
US07911079B2
An electrical system architecture is disclosed. The architecture has a power source configured to generate a first power, and a first bus configured to receive the first power from the power source. The architecture also has a converter configured to receive the first power from the first bus and convert the first power to a second power, wherein a voltage of the second power is greater than a voltage of the first power, and a second bus configured to receive the second power from the converter. The architecture further has a power storage device configured to receive the second power from the second bus and deliver the second power to the second bus, a propulsion motor configured to receive the second power from the second bus, and an accessory motor configured to receive the second power from the second bus.
US07911078B2
The dual type vehicle power-supply apparatus includes a bidirectional power transmission unit capable of performing bidirectional electric power transmission between a high voltage source of a high power-supply voltage supply system and a low voltage source of a low power-supply voltage supply system, and a power transmission controller controlling the bidirectional power transmission unit to perform the bidirectional electric power transmission. The power transmission controller has a function of detecting a surplus amount of electric power in the low power-supply voltage supply system, a function of detecting a shortage amount of electric power in the high power-supply voltage supply system, and a function of commanding the bidirectional power transmission unit to transmit electric power from the low voltage source to the high voltage source by an mount equal to the detected shortage amount when the detected surplus amount is larger than the detected shortage amount.
US07911066B2
A stacked IC structure has an integrated circuit (IC) having a front IC side, a back IC side, and a first conductive feature formed on the front IC side. A through-chip via connects to the first conductive feature on the front IC side. A substrate has an external circuit formed on a front surface. The IC attaches to the front surface of the substrate and the through-chip via forms a connection between the first conductive feature and the external circuit.
US07911051B2
An electronic circuit arrangement includes a heat sink and a first circuit carrier which is thermally coupled to the heat sink, lies flat on the latter and is intended to wire electronic components of the circuit arrangement. Provided for at least one electronic component is a special arrangement which is associated with a considerably increased heat dissipation capability for the relevant component and, in addition, also affords further advantages in connection with changes in the population and/or line routing which might occur in practice. The important factor for this is that the component is arranged under a second circuit carrier which is held in a recess in the first circuit carrier. The recess passes through to the top side of the heat sink.
US07911049B2
An electrically optimized and structurally protected micro via structure for high speed signals in multilayer interconnection substrates is provided. The via structure eliminates the overlap of a contact with the reference planes to thereby reduce the via capacitance and thus, the via impedance mismatch in the via structure. As a result, the via structure is electrically optimized. The via structure further comprises one or more floating support members placed in close proximity to the via within a via clearance area between the via and the reference planes. The floating support members are “floating” in the sense that they are not in electrical contact with either the via or the reference planes. Thus, they are not provided for purposes of signal propagation but only for structural support. The floating support members may be connected to one another by way of one or more microvia structures.
US07911046B2
An integrated circuit packaging system is provided including forming an interposer having a coupling slot, securing an upper die on the interposer, mounting the interposer over an integrated circuit, and coupling the integrated circuit to the upper die through the coupling slot.
US07911037B1
A method and structure for creating embedded metal features includes embedded trace substrates wherein bias and signal traces are embedded in a first surface of the embedded trace substrate and extend into the body of the embedded trace substrate. The bias trace and signal trace trenches are formed into the substrate body using LASER ablation, or other ablation, techniques. Using ablation techniques to form the bias and signal trace trenches allows for extremely accurate control of the depth, width, shape, and horizontal displacement of the bias and signal trace trenches. As a result, the distance between the bias traces and the signal traces eventually formed in the trenches, and therefore the electrical properties, such as impedance and noise shielding, provided by the bias traces, can be very accurately controlled.
US07911028B2
A semiconductor device including a metallic compound Hfx1Moy1Nz1 as an electrode. The work function of the electrode can be modulated by doping the metallic compound with dopants including nitrogen, silicon or germanium. The metallic compound of the present invention is applicable to PMOS, NMOS, CMOS transistors and capacitors.
US07911027B2
It is an object of the invention to effectively absorb a power noise and to implement the stable operation of a circuit.The invention provides a semiconductor device comprising a bypass capacitor including an MOS structure having a gate electrode formed to be extended from a power wiring region to a portion provided under an empty region which is adjacent to the power wiring region and has no other functional layer, and formed through a capacitive insulating film on a diffusion region having one conductivity type, and a substrate contact formed under a ground wiring region and fixing a substrate potential, wherein the bypass capacitor has a contact to come in contact with the power wiring which is formed on a surface of the gate electrode and has the diffusion region having the one conductivity type and a diffusion region of the substrate contact connected to each other.
US07911026B2
Carrier including: a substrate having a first interface with first contact holes, and a second interface, which lies opposite the first interface, with second contact holes. The substrate includes a substrate body and electrically conductive contact channels formed therein, wherein each of the contact channels electrically conductively connects a first contact hole to a second contact hole. The carrier also includes a front-side wiring layer arranged on the first interface and; has a first front-side metallization layer formed therein such that it includes a first capacitor electrode for electrically connecting microelectronic devices and/or circuits to a first pole of a signal or supply voltage. The first capacitor electrode, at least partly via a capacitor dielectric formed in the carrier, couples capacitively to electrically conductive regions of a second front-side metallization layer and/or the substrate which at least partly form a second capacitor electrode for electrically connecting the microelectronic devices and/or circuits to a second pole of the signal or supply voltage.
US07911022B2
A semiconductor device. The semiconductor device comprises an isolation structure and two heavily doped regions of a second conductivity type spaced apart from each other by the isolation structure. The isolation structure comprises an isolation region in a semiconductor substrate and a heavily doped region of the first conductivity type. The isolation region has an opening and the heavily doped region of the first conductivity type is substantially surrounded by the opening of the isolation region.
US07911011B2
Electromechanical non-volatile memory devices are provided including a semiconductor substrate having an upper surface including insulation characteristics. A first electrode pattern is provided on the semiconductor substrate. The first electrode pattern exposes portions of a surface of the semiconductor substrate therethrough. A conformal bit line is provided on the first electrode pattern and the exposed surface of semiconductor substrate. The bit line is spaced apart from a sidewall of the first electrode pattern and includes a conductive material having an elasticity generated by a voltage difference. An insulating layer pattern is provided on an upper surface of the bit line located on the semiconductor substrate. A second electrode pattern is spaced apart from the bit line and provided on the insulating layer pattern. The second electrode pattern faces the first electrode pattern. Related methods are also provided.
US07911006B2
A process and an architecture related to a vertical MOSFET device and a capacitor for use in integrated circuits. Generally, the integrated circuit structure includes a semiconductor layer with a major surface formed along a plane thereof and further including a first doped region formed in the surface. A second doped region of a different conductivity type than the first doped region is positioned over the first region. A third doped region of a different conductivity type than the second region is positioned over the second region. In one embodiment of the invention, a semiconductor device includes a first layer of semiconductor material and a first field-effect transistor having a first source/drain region formed in the first layer. A channel region of the transistor is formed over the first layer and an associated second source/drain region is formed over the channel region. The integrated circuit further includes a capacitor having a bottom plate, dielectric layer and a top capacitor plate. In an associated method of manufacture, a first device region, selected from the group consisting of the source region and a drain region of a field-effect transistor is formed on a semiconductor layer. A first field-effect transistor gate region is formed over the first device region. A capacitor comprising top and bottom layers with a dielectric layer disposed therebetween, is also formed on the semiconductor layer. In another embodiment, the capacitor layers are formed within a trench or window formed in the semiconductor layer.
US07911005B2
A semiconductor device having a DRAM region and a logic region embedded together therein, including a first transistor formed in a DRAM region, and having a first source/drain region containing arsenic and phosphorus as impurities; and a second transistor formed in a logic region, and having a second source/drain region containing at least arsenic as an impurity, wherein each of the first source/drain region and the second source/drain region has a silicide layer respectively formed in the surficial portion thereof, and the first source/drain region has a junction depth which is determined by phosphorus and is deeper than the junction depth of the second source/drain region.
US07911001B2
CMOS (complementary metal oxide semiconductor) fabrication techniques are provided to form DSL (dual stress liner) semiconductor devices having non-overlapping, self-aligned, dual stress liner structures.
US07910994B2
System and method for reducing contact resistance and prevent variations due to misalignment of contacts is disclosed. A preferred embodiment comprises a non-planar transistor with source/drain regions located within a fin. An inter-layer dielectric overlies the non-planar transistor, and contacts are formed to the source/drain region through the inter-layer dielectric. The contacts preferably come into contact with multiple surfaces of the fin so as to increase the contact area between the contacts and the fin.
US07910989B2
The semiconductor device includes an active region, a recess channel region including vertical channel structures, a gate insulating film, and a gate structure. The active region is defined by a device isolation structure formed in a semiconductor substrate. The recess channel region is formed in the active region. The vertical silicon-on-insulator (SOI) channel structures are disposed at sidewalls of both device isolation structures in a longitudinal direction of a gate region. The gate insulating film is disposed over the active region including the recess channel region. The gate structure is disposed over the recess channel region of the gate region.
US07910986B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a silicon pillar, a gate electrode covering a side surface of the silicon pillar via a gate insulation film, diffusion layers (11, 12) provided in a lower part and an upper part, respectively of the silicon pillar, a bit line connected to the diffusion layer (11), and a memory element connected to the diffusion layer (12). The bit line includes a silicon material region in contact with the diffusion layer (11), and a low-resistance region including a material having lower electric resistance than that of the silicon material region. As a result, the resistance of the bit line embedded in the substrate can be decreased.
US07910981B2
A semiconductor device having a non-volatile memory and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. The semiconductor device includes a base material and a stack structure. The stack structure disposed on the base material at least includes a tunneling layer, a trapping layer and a dielectric layer. The trapping layer is disposed on the tunneling layer. The dielectric layer has a dielectric constant and is disposed on the trapping layer. The dielectric layer is transformed from a first solid state to a second solid state when the dielectric layer undergoes a process.
US07910980B2
The present invention provides a semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing thereof. The semiconductor device includes bit lines disposed in a semiconductor substrate, a first ONO disposed between the bit lines on the semiconductor substrate, and a second ONO film disposed on each of the bit lines. The film thickness of a first silicon nitride film in the first ONO film is larger than the film thickness of a second silicon nitride film in the second ONO film.
US07910971B2
A method of forming a vertical field effect transistor includes etching an opening into semiconductor material. Sidewalls and radially outermost portions of the opening base are lined with masking material. A semiconductive material pillar is epitaxially grown to within the opening adjacent the masking material from the semiconductor material at the opening base. At least some of the masking material is removed from the opening. A gate dielectric is formed radially about the pillar. Conductive gate material is formed radially about the gate dielectric. An upper portion of the pillar is formed to comprise one source/drain region of the vertical transistor. Semiconductive material of the pillar received below the upper portion is formed to comprise a channel region of the vertical transistor. Semiconductor material adjacent the opening is formed to comprise another source/drain region of the vertical transistor. Other aspects and implementations are contemplated.
US07910959B2
A cell layout of a semiconductor device includes a diffusion level layout including a plurality of diffusion region layout shapes. The cell layout also includes a gate electrode level layout defined to include linear-shaped layout features placed to extend in only a first parallel direction. Adjacent linear-shaped layout features that share a common line of extent in the first parallel direction are separated from each other by an end-to-end spacing that is substantially equal across the gate electrode level layout and that is minimized to an extent allowed by a semiconductor device manufacturing capability. The gate electrode level layout includes linear-shaped layout features defined along at least four different lines of extent in the first parallel direction. The cell layout also includes a number of interconnect level layouts each defined to pattern conductive features within corresponding interconnect levels above the gate electrode level of the cell.
US07910943B2
A housing for a plurality of light emitting diodes includes a housing providing a heat sink, where the heat sink includes a plurality of protrusions. A control board can be removably coupled to the heat sink and the control board can provide an aperture to receive a lens housing and an aperture to receive a coupling member to secure the control board to the heat sink. Further, a plurality of light emitting diode light engines can be mounted to the control board where the individual heat sink protrusions of the plurality of heat sink protrusions align with individual light engines of the plurality of light engines.
US07910931B2
A thin film transistor substrate including a thin film transistor having a drain electrode with an electrode portion, which overlaps with a semiconductor layer, and an extended portion, which extends from the electrode portion and has a portion overlapping with a storage electrode or storage electrode line. A passivation layer is arranged on the drain electrode, and it has a contact hole that partially exposes the extended portion of the drain electrode without exposing a step in the extended portion caused by the storage electrode or storage electrode line. A pixel electrode is arranged on the passivation layer and is electrically connected with the extended portion of the drain electrode through the contact hole.
US07910925B2
The present invention provides an array substrate and a method for manufacturing the same. The array substrate comprises a substrate and a plurality of gate lines parallel to each other and a plurality of data lines parallel to each other formed on the substrate, the gate lines intersecting the data lines to define a plurality of pixel region arranged in a matrix, each pixel region comprising a thin film transistor, a pixel electrode and a thin film diode. With respect to each pixel region in a row, the pixel electrode is connected with the gate line in the present row through the thin film transistor and is connected with the gate line in a previous row through the thin film diode.
US07910923B2
A semiconductor device with superior long-term reliability is disclosed that alleviates current concentration into a switch structure arranged at an outermost portion. The semiconductor device comprises hetero semiconductor regions formed of polycrystalline silicon having a band gap width different from that of a drift region and hetero-adjoined with the drift region, a gate insulation film, a gate electrode adjoined to the gate insulation film, a source electrode connected to a source contact portion of the hetero semiconductor regions and an outermost switch structure and a repeating portion switch structure with a drain electrode connected to a substrate region. In a conduction state, the outermost switch structure comprises a mechanism in which the current flowing at the outermost switch structure becomes smaller than the current flowing at the repeating portion switch structure.
US07910922B2
In a semiconductor integrated circuit device, testing pads (209b) using a conductive layer, such as relocation wiring layers (205) are provided just above or in the neighborhood of terminals like bonding pads (202b) used only for probe inspection at which bump electrodes (208) are not provided. Similar testing pads may be provided even with respect to terminals like bonding pads provided with bump electrodes. A probe test is executed by using these testing pads or under the combined use of under bump metallurgies antecedent to the formation of the bump electrodes together with the testing pads. According to the above, bump electrodes for pads dedicated for probe testing may not be added owing to the use of the testing pads. Further, the use of testing pads provided in the neighborhood of the terminals like the bonding pads and smaller in size than the under bump metallurgies enables a probe test to be executed after a relocation wiring process.
US07910920B2
A thin film transistor (TFT) may include a channel layer, a source electrode, a drain electrode, a protective layer, a gate electrode, and/or a gate insulating layer. The channel layer may include an oxide semiconductor material. The source electrode and the drain electrode may face each other on the channel layer. The protective layer may be under the source electrode and the drain electrode and/or may cover the channel layer. The gate electrode may be configured to apply an electric field to the channel layer. The gate insulating layer may be interposed between the gate electrode and the channel layer.
US07910905B2
Phase change memory elements, devices and systems using the same and methods of forming the same are disclosed. A memory element includes first and second electrodes, and a phase change material layer between the first and second electrodes. The phase change material layer has a first portion with a width less than a width of a second portion of the phase change material layer. The first electrode, second electrode and phase change material layer may be oriented at least partially along a same horizontal plane.
US07910903B2
An optical sensor comprises: a light source located on one side of a transport path; a variable current drive, an optical receiver in communication with the variable current drive, and located on an opposite side of the transport path to the light source and aligned therewith to detect light output therefrom; and a memory coupled to the variable current drive. The variable current drive is suitable for energising the light source so that the light intensity from the light source increases with increasing current. The variable current drive includes (i) a drive circuit for applying a pulse of current to the light source, during which pulse the light source is energised; and (ii) a counter for increasing the amount of current applied by the drive circuit during a pulse of current. The memory may be arranged to store a value from the counter indicative of a number of media items present in the transport path.
US07910893B2
A neutron detector array that includes a hollow member circumscribing an axis and bounding a volume. A divider extends parallel to the axis within the hollow member to divide the volume into a plurality of volume portions. A plurality of anodes extend parallel to the axis; at least one anode within each volume portion. A plurality of cathodes wherein the hollow member has an interior surface and the divider has surfaces that are coated with neutron sensitive material. Also, a neutron detector that includes a hollow cathode bounding a volume portion with at least a partial wedge cross-section, and an anode extending thought the volume portion. An electric field exists during operation of the neutron detector within the volume portion, the electric field varying across the cross-section, and the anode being located at an area of maximum field strength within the field. The detector may be used in the array.
US07910887B2
An electron-beam device having a beam generator for generating an electron beam, an objective lens for focusing the electron beam on an object, and at least one detector for detecting electrons scattered on the object or emitted by the object. Furthermore, a detector system for detecting electrons is described. With an electron-beam device having a detector system according to the present invention, it is possible to make a selection in a simple manner, in particular according to backscattered and secondary electrons. At the same time, as many electrons as possible may be detected using the detector system. For this purpose, the electron-beam device exhibits at least one adjustable diaphragm which is allocated to the detector. The detector system exhibits a detector on which a reflector for reflecting electrons onto the detector is accommodated.
US07910873B2
A system with applications in pattern recognition, or classification, of DNA assay samples. Because DNA reference and sample material in wells of an assay may be caused to fluoresce depending upon dye added to the material, the resulting light may be imaged onto an embodiment comprising an array of photodetectors and an adaptive neural network, with applications to DNA analysis. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07910867B1
A scalable and distributable software architecture for use in conjunction with various different weapons control system and launch systems is disclosed. The architecture discards the proprietary and non-open protocols and services that characterize in favor of open source adaptive and middleware components. In the illustrative embodiment of the invention, the inventive architecture is implemented as a Launch Control Module that separates different layers of responsibility within a launch controller (e.g., LCU) and exposes its variation points.
US07910861B2
A cooking device including a cooking cavity, a fan located in the cooking device, the fan being configured to force air into the cooking cavity, and at least one optical heater to supply optical wave energy to heat the forced air provided by the fan.
US07910855B2
Welding using a laser, which leaves keyhole portions at each pass, that allow gases to vent. That keyhole portion is an area within the interior portion, e.g., an inside of a spiral or a circular arc. The keyhole is not processed by the laser and gases can escape. The laser later circles back to process the area.
US07910851B2
Disclosed is a printed circuit board configured for a dome-utilizing keypad configuration including at least one padstack having a plurality of dome switch targets and a plurality of target rings capable of accommodating different key dome locations of a dome keypad. Also disclosed is a padstack capable of accommodating different key dome locations. The disclosed padstack has a single dome switch targets input/output line for the plurality of dome switch targets of the padstack. The padstack also includes a single target rings input/output line for the plurality of target rings of the pad stack. In this way the disclosed printed circuit board includes a single circuit arrangement available for a plurality of different key pad designs.
US07910848B2
Keypad devices have become commonplace in everyday life. They are part of our everyday life, in the form of pocket calculators, telephones, remote control devices, and cellular phones. Cleaning these keypad devices is problematic, since they have a large number of actuatable keys, due to the functions to be performed. As a mechanical interface in the keypad device, each key is a critical weak point in terms of maintaining a tight seal. An easy-to-clean keypad device, in particular an emergency call device, has a main body, an electronic assembly—which includes circuit elements and is installed in main body—a closing shell and keys, which are installed in closing shell and are designed to mechanically actuate the circuit elements. Closing shell with installed keys is a first preinstalled assembly, and main body with installed electronic assembly is a second preinstalled assembly. The first and second preinstalled assemblies are interconnected such that they may be separated.
US07910842B2
A touch switch is composed of an EL light emitting layer configured by stacking a fluorescent layer and an insulation layer between first electrodes and a second electrode, a judgment unit for making a judgment on touch manipulation with the first electrode by an operator and an EL driving unit for driving the EL light emitting layer for light emitting, with each of a plurality of first electrodes, each of plurality of fluorescent layers and each of plurality of insulation layers being provided as a set and the second electrode being provided as a single electrode with respect to the plurality of first electrodes, wherein the judgment unit makes a judgment on which of the plurality of first electrodes has been touched by an operator on the basis of a high-frequency component inputted from the second electrode through the first electrode each time the touch switch is touched by an operator.
US07910837B2
A circuit board includes a substrate, a circuit pattern and a through electrode. The circuit pattern is disposed on one side of the substrate in a thickness direction thereof. The through electrode is filled in a through-hole formed in the substrate with one end connected to the circuit pattern. The circuit pattern and the through electrode each have an area containing a noble metal component (e.g., Au component) and are connected to each other therethrough.
US07910821B2
A dye-sensitized solar cell containing glass powder and a method of manufacturing the same. The dye-sensitized solar cell is composed of a counter electrode obtained by forming a conductive light-transmitting layer on a light-transmitting material and then depositing a platinum catalyst layer on the conductive light-transmitting layer, a photoelectrode obtained by forming a conductive light-transmitting layer on a light-transmitting material, applying a mixture of transition metal oxide and glass powder on the conductive light-transmitting layer and then adsorbing a dye in the mixture, and an electrolyte solution between the counter electrode and the photoelectrode, the mixture layer of the photoelectrode containing 0.01˜20 wt % of glass powder based on the total weight of the mixture. The glass powder mixed in the preparation of the photoelectrode can improve dispersion properties of light and can enhance use efficiency of light, thereby increasing the energy conversion efficiency of the dye-sensitized solar cell.
US07910813B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH918158. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH918158, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH918158 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH918158.
US07910797B2
An absorbent article includes a backsheet having a longitudinal axis, a topsheet attached to the backsheet and having a body-facing surface, and an absorbent core disposed between the backsheet and the topsheet. The article may also include barrier leg cuffs. The article further includes a sensation aspect, which sensation aspect may be provided between the core and the topsheet. The sensation aspect may be, for example, a temperature sensation aspect. A visible indicator may be associated with the sensation aspect.
US07910787B2
An apparatus and method of producing methanol includes reacting a heated hydrocarbon-containing gas and an oxygen-containing gas in a reactor; to provide a product stream comprising methanol; and transferring heat from the product stream to the hydrocarbon-containing gas to heat the hydrocarbon containing gas. After removing methanol and CO2 from the product stream, unprocessed hydrocarbons are mixed with the hydrocarbon containing gas for reprocessing through the reactor. Reactor byproducts are injected into the ground to increase the output of a hydrocarbon producing well.
US07910772B2
A catalyst for the oxidation of an alkane, alkene or mixtures thereof. The catalyst includes a mixed-metal oxide having the formula MoaVbNbcTedSbeOf wherein, when a=1, b=0.01 to 1.0, c=0.01 to 1.0, d=0.01 to 1.0, e=0.01 to 1.0, and f is dependent upon the oxidation state of the other elements, the catalyst further characterized by having at least two crystal phases, the first crystal phase being an orthorhombic M1 phase and the second crystal phase being a pseudo-hexagonal M2 phase, the orthorhombic M1 phase present in an amount between greater than 60 weight percent to less than 90 weight percent. The catalysts disclosed herein exhibit a chemisorption of NH3 of less than about 0.2 mmole per gram of metal oxide.
US07910767B2
Prostaglandin nitroderivatives having improved pharmacological activity and enhanced tolerability are described. They can be employed for the treatment of glaucoma and ocular hypertension.
US07910765B2
Silicon precursors for forming silicon-containing films in the manufacture of semiconductor devices, such as low dielectric constant (k) thin films, high k gate silicates, low temperature silicon epitaxial films, and films containing silicon nitride (Si3N4), siliconoxynitride (SiOxNy) and/or silicon dioxide (SiO2). The precursors of the invention are amenable to use in low temperature (e.g., <500° C.) chemical vapor deposition processes, for fabrication of ULSI devices and device structures.
US07910764B2
A polymethylaluminoxane preparation exhibiting excellent storage stability with a high yield is provided. A polymethylaluminoxane preparation is formed by thermal decomposition of an alkylaluminum compound having an aluminum-oxygen-carbon bond, the alkylaluminum compound being formed by a reaction between trimethylaluminum and an oxygen-containing organic compound. In this preparation, (i) the oxygen-containing organic compound reacting with trimethylaluminum is an aliphatic or aromatic carboxylic acid represented by the general formula (I), R1—(COOH)n (I), wherein R1 represents a hydrocarbon group of C1-C20 straight or branched alkyl groups, alkenyl groups or aryl groups, and n represents an integer of 1 to 5; (ii) a mole fraction of methyl groups originating from trimethylaluminum, relative to the total moles of methyl groups existing in the generated polymethylaluminoxane preparation is not more than 26 mol %; and (iii) the generated polymethylaluminoxane preparation has a viscosity of not more than 2.1×10−3 Pa·sec at 40° C.
US07910763B2
Catalyst compositions comprising a first metallocene compound, a second metallocene compound, an activator-support, and an organoaluminum compound are provided. An improved method for preparing cyclopentadienyl complexes used to produce polyolefins is also provided.
US07910753B2
The quenching compounds of the invention are weakly luminescent cyanines that are substituted by one or more heteroaromatic quenching moieties. The quenching compounds of the invention exhibit little or no observable luminescence and efficiently quench a broad spectrum of luminescent compounds. The chemically reactive quenching compounds possess utility for labeling a wide variety of substances, including biomolecules. These labeled substances are highly useful for a variety of energy-transfer assays and applications.
US07910745B2
It is intended to provide a labeling precursor compound used for selectively producing radioactive halogen-substituted syn-1-amino-3-cyclobutane-carboxylic acids, and to provide a process for producing a radioactive halogen-substituted syn-1-amino-3-cyclobutane-carboxylic acid using the labeling precursor compound. A labeling precursor is used in which a phthalimide group is used as a protective group for protecting the amino group. The syn-form of the radioactive halogen-substituted 1-amino-3-cyclobutane-carboxylic acid can be selectively produced by labeling the labeling precursor with a radioactive halogen followed by deprotecting.
US07910743B2
Certain substituted urea derivatives selectively modulate the cardiac sarcomere, for example by potentiating cardiac myosin, and are useful in the treatment of systolic heart failure including congestive heart failure.
US07910742B2
Compounds that inhibit survivin, compositions containing the compounds and methods of treating diseases in which survivin is unregulated or overexpressed are disclosed.
US07910733B2
The image-forming material includes a perimidine-based squarylium dye represented by the following formula (I):
US07910727B2
A process for preparing sucrose-6-ester is provided, which comprises electrolyzing an electrolyte solution containing sucrose, an acylating reagent and a halide catalyst. Also disclosed is a process for preparing sucralose, which involves the preparation and chlorination of sucrose-6-ester followed by deacylation of the molecule. The process of the invention can be more readily performed with a higher yield than those in the art.
US07910721B2
The present invention provides a method for controlling cleavage of a target RNA by deoxyribozyme.The present inventors designed a nucleic acid-enzyme complex using GGA 12-mer (Reference 3), which was found in the laboratory of the inventors to have greatly changeable structure in the presence or absence of monovalent metal ion as well as previously known nucleic acid-enzyme. The present invention is a deoxyribozyme complex comprising deoxyribozyme having a nucleotide sequence of target RNA, a substrate binding domain and a catalytic domain of RNA cleavage reaction, and a sequence (5′GGAGGAGGAGGA3′(SEQ ID NO: 21)), wherein the sequence is inserted to the catalytic domain of RNA cleavage reaction.
US07910720B2
The present invention is directed to a novel chemical compound comprising the structure [Xx-(CH2)m-phosphate-Yy]n, characterized in that 3≦m≦6, 30≦n≦60, each x and y is independently from each other 0 or 1, each X and Y is independently from each other any photometrically measurable entity; provided that the terminal X can also be an —OH group or a phosphate group, and further provided that the terminal Y can also be an —OH group. Such a compound can be used as a suitable hot start additive for PCR based amplification of nucleic acids.
US07910716B2
Embodiments of the invention provide processes for the selection of HIV-1 subtype (clade) C isolates, selected HIV-1 subtype C isolates, their genes and modifications and derivatives thereof for use in prophylactic and therapeutic vaccines to produce proteins and polypeptides for the purpose of eliciting protection against HIV infection or disease. A process for the selection of HIV subtype isolates comprises the steps of isolating viruses from recently infected subjects; generating a consensus sequence for at least part of at least one HIV gene by identifying the most common codon or amino acid among the isolated viruses; and selecting the isolated virus or viruses with a high sequence identity to the consensus sequence. HIV-1 subtype C isolates, designated Du422, Du 151 and Du 179 (assigned Accession Numbers 01032114, 00072724 and 00072725, respectively, by the European Collection of Cell Cultures) are also provided.
US07910706B2
Novel human monoclonal antibodies derived from a transgenic mouse are disclosed as well as a process for the preparation of the novel monoclonals and a therapeutic method of treating an individual for hemolytic uremic syndrome or of protecting an individual against hemolytic uremic syndrome by administration of the monoclonals to the individual in need of treatment or protection.
US07910705B2
A line of cultured mammalian cells includes HERG1b subunits and optionally HERG1a subunits.
US07910703B2
The present invention relates to blocking, inhibiting, reducing, antagonizing or neutralizing the activity of IL-17A, IL-17F, and IL-23. Antagonists include antibodies and antibody fragments that bind IL-23 and that bind IL-17A or IL-17F, such as antibodies that are cross-reactive for IL-17A and Il-17F. Antagonists that include an antibody or antibody fragment that binds IL-23 and an antibody or antibody fragment that binds IL-17A or IL-17F on one molecule are also disclosed. Antibodies and antibody fragments that bind IL-23 and IL-17F but that do not bind IL-17A are also disclosed. IL-17 and IL-23 are cytokines that are involved in inflammatory processes and human disease.
US07910702B2
The invention is directed to recombinant antibodies which bind to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum antigens and comprise a single chain variable fragment (scFv). The antigen may be selected from SSPG1d or a portion thereof, aspartyl protease or a portion thereof, or whole Sclerotinia sclerotiorum mycelium. The invention also provides an antibody linked to an anti-fungal polypeptide. The invention extends to nucleic acid sequences encoding the antibodies, and expression vectors comprising the nucleic acid sequences. The invention is also directed to transgenic plants, seeds, tissues or cells transformed with the expression vectors. Methods for producing a transgenic plant that is resistant to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, and for detecting Sclerotinia sclerotiorum in a biological sample utilizing an antibody which binds to Sclerotinia sclerotiorum antigen, and immunoassay kit for same are also provided.
US07910687B2
The present invention relates to conjugated polymers which contain specific fused arylamine structural units. The inventive materials have improved efficiency at a high illumination density and are therefore suitable in particular for use in what are known as passive matrix displays.
US07910683B2
A polysiloxane(amide-ureide) which inhibits the ability of ice to adhere to a surface of a physical object when applied to a surface of a substrate. The polysiloxane(amide-ureide) has a backbone including: (i) at least one diamine-terminated polysiloxane of the general formula: wherein, for each unit of the polysiloxane R1 and R2 are independently selected from the group consisting of C1 to C10 alkyls, aryls, and polyaryls; for each unit of the polysiloxane R3 and R4 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C1 to C6 alkyls, aryls, C3 to C6 cycloaliphatics, and C3 to C6 heterocycles; for each unit of the polysiloxane A1 and A2 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, C1 to C6 alkyls, aryls, polyaryls, C3 to C6 cycloaliphatics, and C3 to C6 heterocycles; for each unit of the polysiloxane, x is a number from 1 to 1000; (ii) at least one aromatic diamine; (iii) at least one diisocyanate; and (iv) at least one halide substituted dicarboxylic acid.
US07910681B2
There is provided a curable composition having good adhesion by using a non-organotin catalyst.The curable composition comprises (A) an organic polymer having a silicon-containing group being capable of crosslinking by forming siloxane bonds and (B) one or more kinds selected from a titanium catalyst, an aluminum catalyst and a zirconium catalyst, and is characterized in that a stress at 50% tension is within a range from 0.01 MPa to 0.20 MPa, when determined by adding and mixing 1.5 parts of tin octylate, 0.25 part by weight of laurylamine and 0.6 part by weight of pure water to 100 parts by weight of the component (A), subjecting the mixture to centrifugal defoaming, pouring the mixture carefully into a polyethylene frame not to mix air bubbles thereto, aging the mixture at 23° C. for one hour, and further at 70° C. for 20 hours, punching the obtained 3 mm thick cured sheet according to JIS K6251 to obtain No. 3 dumbbell, and carrying out a tension test (tensile speed: 200 mm/min) at 23° C. at 50% RH.
US07910668B2
Provided is a method for monitoring a polymerization reaction in a fluid bed reactor to determine in on-line fashion a current value, and preferably also a limiting value, of a stickiness control temperature, and optionally controlling the reaction in response thereto in an effort to prevent occurrence of a discontinuity event. The stickiness control temperature is a temperature indicative of a characteristic of melting behavior of polymer resin in the reactor, and may be indicative of occurrence of resin sheeting or another discontinuity event. Optionally , a predetermined relation between values of acoustic energy in the reactor and values of a stickiness control temperature in used to provide error checking for determination of the stickiness control temperature, or a current value of the stickiness control temperature is determined from acoustic data and a predetermined relation between values of an acoustic condition in the reactor and values of the stickiness control temperature.
US07910660B2
Zwitterionic block copolymers having oppositely charged or chargeable terminal groups, and methods of making and using the same, are disclosed. The zwitterionic block copolymers can undergo microphase separation. In some embodiments a zwitterionic block copolymer includes a first terminal block having a positively charged or chargeable group at a terminal end, and a second terminal block having a negatively charged or chargeable group at another terminal end. The zwitterionic block copolymer is configured to undergo microphase separation to assemble into alternating lamellar domains; with one of the alternating domains being composed of the first terminal block, and with another of the alternating domains being composed of the second terminal block.
US07910658B2
This invention relates to polyolefin compositions. In particular, the invention pertains to elastic polymer compositions that can be more easily processed on cast film lines, extrusion lamination or coating lines. The compositions of the present invention preferably comprise an elastomeric polyolefin resin and a high pressure low density type resin.
US07910646B1
This invention relates to a composition and method of modifying the surface of a polymeric to produce a film or article with a reduced coefficient of friction (COF) and improved release properties. The reduced coefficient of friction improves both the slip and anti-blocking properties of the material as well aiding in processing of the polymeric material. Additionally, the invention improves demolding and release of the polymeric material from other polymeric surfaces or adhesives as well as metal molding surfaces.
US07910644B2
The present disclosure is directed to a coating composition that is capable of producing coatings being sag-free at high coating thicknesses, having excellent adhesion to substrates, and good appearance. This disclosure is further directed to a coating composition comprising components derived from renewable resources.
US07910639B2
The present invention relates generally to resin compositions having a generally halogen-free epoxy resin that can encompass a novolak epoxy resin, a curing agent and a non-halogen flame-retardant material. For some embodiments, the curing agent can be dicyandiamide and the flame retardant can be 10-benzyl-9,10-dihydro-9-oxa-10-phosphaphenanthrene-10-oxide. Embodiments of the current invention also relate generally to prepregs prepared from such resin compositions; and laminates prepared from such prepregs.
US07910628B2
The disclosure relates to acid-based polymeric dispersants containing 2-[2-(2-methoxyethoxy)ethoxy]acetic acid for dispersing metal oxide nanoparticles in organic solvents such as methyl ethyl ketone (MEK) and butyl acetate.
US07910626B2
The invention relates to the use of a sphingosine-1-phosphate receptor agonist in the treatment of heart diseases.
US07910624B1
The invention relates to compositions containing chemical compounds and compositions containing steel factor which stimulate the expression of hemoglobin or globin protein such as embryonic or fetal globin, or the proliferation of hemoglobin expressing and other cells. These compositions can be used to treat or prevent the symptoms associated with anemia, sickle cell diseases, thalassemia and other blood disorders. The invention also relates to methods for administering these compositions to patients and to medical aids for the treatment and prevention of blood and other disorders.
US07910618B2
The present invention provides an albumin-binding compound essentially of the following elements: a spacer group, a water-soluble bridging group, a fatty acid chain and an acidic group characterised in that the acidic group is attached to the distal end of the fatty acid chain. The invention also provides an albumin-binding compound to which one or more biologically active moieties are attached.
US07910617B2
A method for suppressing the number of peripheral blood lymphocytes involving administering to a human in need thereof a pharmaceutically effective amount of a compound which is (2R) -2-amino-2-methyl-4-{1-methyl-5-[4-(4-methylphenyl)butanoyl]pyrrol-2-yl}butan-1-ol or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof, such as the hydrochloride salt.
US07910608B2
This invention provides compounds of formula I: wherein a, b, c, d, m, n, p, s, t, W, Ar1, R1, R2, R3, R4, R6, R7, and R8 are as defined in the specification. The compounds of formula I are muscarinic receptor antagonists. The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds, processes and intermediates for preparing such compounds and methods of using such compounds to treat pulmonary disorders.
US07910604B2
The present invention provides a combination of antioxidants that effectively stabilize different types of fats utilized in a ruminant diet. When included in a ruminant feed ration or water source, the antioxidant combination typically increases nutrient digestion, such as fiber and protein, improves rumen fermentation, improves microbial growth, improves microbial efficiency, increases milk production and/or milk fat, improves antioxidant status of the ruminant, and attenuates the negative effects of some fats in the ruminant animal.
US07910597B2
This invention relates to the discovery of 3- and 5-substituted analogues of the selective platelet lowering agent anagrelide with reduced potential for cardiovascular side-effects which should lead to improved patient compliance and safety in the treatment of myeloproliferative diseases. More specifically, the present invention relates to certain imidazoquinazoline derivatives which have utility as platelet lowering agents in humans. The compounds of the present invention function by inhibiting megakaryocytopoeisis and hence the formation of blood platelets.
US07910586B2
The present invention provides methods and compositions for modulating levels of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ) exhibited by cells or tissues. The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions and methods of screening for compounds that modulate Aβ levels. The invention also provides modulation of Aβ levels via selective modulation (e.g., inhibition) of ATP-dependent γ-secretase activity. The invention also provides methods of preventing, treating or ameliorating the symptoms of a disorder, including but not limited to an Aβ-related disorder, by administering a modulator of γ-secretase, including, but not limited to, a selective inhibitor of ATP-dependent γ-secretase activity or an agent that decreases the formation of active (or optimally active) γ-secretase. The invention also provides the use of inhibitors of ATP-dependent γ-secretase activity to prevent, treat or ameliorate the symptoms of Alzheimer's disease.
US07910583B2
Novel compounds are provided which are GPR119 G protein-coupled receptor modulators. GPR119 G protein-coupled receptor modulators are useful in treating, preventing, or slowing the progression of diseases requiring GPR119 G protein-coupled receptor modulator therapy. These novel compounds have the structure: or stereoisomers or prodrugs or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein n1, n2, n3, n4, A, B, D, E, G, Y, Z, R1 and R2 are defined herein.
US07910570B2
The invention relates to a method of treating endometriosis using a combination of an aromatase inhibitor, a progestin and an oestrogen. The invention also relates to pharmaceutical formulations comprising said combination.
US07910566B2
The invention relates to a double-stranded compound, preferably an oligoribonucleotide, which down-regulates the expression of a human p53 gene. The invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising the compound, or a vector capable of expressing the oligoribonucleotide compound, and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The present invention also contemplates a method of treating a patient suffering from acute renal failure or other kidney diseases comprising administering to the patient the pharmaceutical composition in a therapeutically effective dose so as to thereby treat the patient.
US07910558B2
The present invention provides a method for preparing bridged macrocyclic compounds comprising the step of reacting a macrocyclic compound characterized by having at least two nucleophilic moieties with a bifunctional bridging reagent optionally in the presence of a catalyst, thereby producing a bridged macrocyclic product.
US07910548B2
Methods for treating obesity are disclosed which comprise administration of a therapeutically effective amount of an amylin or an amylin agonist alone or in conjunction with another obesity relief agent.
US07910543B2
A novel group of gastrokines called Gastric Antrum Mucosal Protein is characterized. A member of the group is designated AMP-18. AMP-18 genomic DNA, cDNA and the AMP-18 protein are sequenced for human, mouse and pig. The AMP-18 protein and active peptides derived from it are cellular growth factors. Surprisingly, peptides capable of inhibiting the effects of the complete protein, are also derived from the AMP-18 protein. Cytoprotection and control of mammalian gastro-intestinal tissue growth and repair (restitution) is facilitated by the use of the proteins, making the proteins candidates for therapies in inflammatory bowel disease, mucositis, and gastric ulcers.
US07910541B2
Administering an effective dose of glutenase to a Celiac or dermatitis herpetiformis patient reduces levels of toxic gluten oligopeptides, thereby attenuating or eliminating the damaging effects of gluten.
US07910533B2
The present invention relates to a solid laundry detergent composition in particulate form, comprising: (a) anionic detersive surfactant; (b) a calcium-augmented technology; (c) from 0% to less than 5%, by weight of the composition, of zeolite builder; (d) from 0% to less than 5%, by weight of the composition, of phosphate builder and (e) optionally, from 0% to less than 5%, by weight of the composition, of silicate salt.
US07910527B2
A wear resistant lubricious composite includes a synthetic resin binder, a plurality of transfer film forming particles, and a plurality of hard nanoparticles. The hard nanoparticles are selected from the group consisting of metal oxides, metal carbides and metal nitride nanoparticles. A method of forming wear resistant lubricious composite articles includes the steps of providing a liquid phase synthetic resin precursor, adding a plurality of transfer film forming particles and a plurality of hard nanoparticles selected from the group consisting of metal oxide, metal carbide and metal nitride nanoparticles to the resin precursor to form a mixture, adding a hardener to the mixture, and curing the mixture.
US07910518B2
A geometrically shaped solid carrier is provided that improves the performance and effectiveness of an olefin epoxidation catalyst for epoxidizing an olefin to an olefin oxide. In particular, improved performance and effectiveness of an olefin epoxidation catalyst is achieved by utilizing a geometrically shaped refractory solid carrier in which at least one wall thickness of said carrier is less than 2.5 mm.
US07910515B2
Silicon titanium mixed oxide powder having the following features: BET surface area of 5 to 300 m2/g, silica content, based on the total amount of the mixed oxide powder, of ≧0.1 to <0.5% by weight, titanium dioxide content, based on the total amount of the mixed oxide powder, of ≧99.0% by weight, sum of the proportions of silica and titanium dioxide, based on the total amount of the mixed oxide powder, ≧99.5% by weight, titanium dioxide content of the primary particles comprising intergrown rutile and anatase phases, silica content of the primary particles amorphous, is prepared by allowing the vapours of one or more, in each case oxidizable and/or hydrolyzable titanium and silicon compounds to react in a high temperature zone with oxygen and/or steam, cooling the reaction mixture after the reaction and separating off the pulverulent solid from gaseous substances.
US07910513B2
The present invention provides the photocatalyst sheet and the methods of welding and manufacturing the same, by which the substrate and resin of the photocatalyst-containing layer are not decomposed by photocatalyst particles, mutual welding of sheets is easy, and the photo-redox effect of a photocatalyst can be obtained. A photocatalyst sheet (1b) comprises a substrate (2) such as fiber and coated layers (3) on both sides of the substrate (2), and the coated layer (3) constitutes the photocatalyst-containing layer in which apatite-coated photocatalyst particles (4) are dispersed and fixed with resin. Here, the coated photocatalyst particles (4) on the surface of the photocatalyst-containing layer are so fixed as to have the parts exposed from the surface of the photocatalyst-containing layer. In case that photocatalyst sheets (1b) are mutually welded, the photocatalyst-containing layer of each photocatalyst sheet (1b) is not removed, and its surface is mutually held, and welded together by thermal welding or others.
US07910511B2
The invention relates to a method of preparing metallic nanoparticles and to the materials thus obtained. More specifically, the invention relates to a method of preparing metallic nanoparticles consisting in: selecting a precursor from the salts, hydroxides and oxides of metallic elements that can be reduced at temperatures below the clay silicate network destruction temperature; and depositing said precursor on a support selected from pseudolaminar phyllosilicate clays. According to the invention the method comprises: (i) a deposition step in which the precursor is deposited on the support: (ii) when the precursor is selected from among salts and hydroxides, a thermal decomposition step in a controlled atmosphere, in which the precursor is subjected to a decomposition process and is transformed into an oxide of the metallic element: and (iii) a reduction step in which the oxide of the metallic element is subjected to a reduction process in a controlled atmosphere. The aforementioned method is performed at temperatures below the clay silicate network destruction temperature.
US07910508B2
The inventive sintered product is produced from an initial feedstock having a zirconium content ranging from 75 to 99% and the following average chemical weight composition, in percentage by weight, based on oxides: 60%=ZrO2+HfO2=75%, 27%=SiO2=34%, 0.2=TiO2=1.5 %, 0.3
US07910504B2
A thermal camouflage material for use on a tank or other military vehicle in a desert environment includes an outer layer of knitted fiberglass alone or with polyester having an outer coating of PVC and carbon black, and an inner film of aluminum; and an inner layer defined by a three-dimensional decoupling fabric between the aluminum film on the outer layer. The decoupling fabric is formed of outer and inner polyester mesh films with polyaramid sandwiched therebetween.
US07910503B2
A ballistic-resistant laminate assembly having a pair of films and a pair of first and second interlinear arrays of unidirectionally-oriented bundles of high strength filaments therebetween with filament bundles of the first array each being arranged substantially interlinear with adjacent filament bundles of the second array and further being in at least intermittent contact therewith. Respective surfaces the filament bundles of the second array are coupled to the first film with substantially continuous thin linear deposits of a coupling agent, and respective surfaces of the filament bundles of the first array are coupled to the second film with substantially continuous thin linear deposits of a coupling agent.
US07910494B2
A gas delivery system for supplying a process gas from a gas supply to a thermal processing furnace, a thermal processing furnace equipped with the gas delivery system, and methods for delivering process gas to a thermal processing furnace. The gas delivery system comprises a plurality of regulators, such as mass flow controllers, in a process gas manifold coupling a gas supply with a thermal processing furnace. The regulators establish a corresponding plurality of flows of a process gas at a plurality of flow rates communicated by the process gas manifold to the thermal processing furnace. The gas delivery system may be a component of the thermal processing furnace that further includes a liner that surrounds a processing space inside the thermal processing furnace.
US07910491B2
A method of filling a trench is described and includes depositing a dielectric liner with a high ratio of silicon oxide to dielectric liner etch rate in fluorine-containing etch chemistries. Silicon oxide is deposited within the trench and etched to reopen or widen a gap near the top of the trench. The dielectric liner protects the underlying substrate during the etch process so the gap can be made wider. Silicon oxide is deposited within the trench again to substantially fill the trench.
US07910488B2
Methods for etching, such as for fabricating a CMOS logic gate are provided herein. In some embodiments, a method of etching includes (a) providing a substrate having a first stack and a second stack disposed thereupon, the first stack comprising a high-k dielectric layer, a metal layer formed over the high-k dielectric layer, and a first polysilicon layer formed over the metal layer, the second stack comprising a second polysilicon layer, wherein the first and second stacks are substantially equal in thickness; (b) simultaneously etching a first feature in the first polysilicon layer and a second feature in the second polysilicon layer until the metal layer in the first stack is exposed; (c) simultaneously etching the metal layer and second polysilicon layer to extend the respective first and second features into the first and second stacks; and (d) etching the high-k dielectric layer.
US07910487B2
A method of improving high aspect ratio etching by reverse masking to provide a more uniform mask height between the array and periphery is presented. A layer of amorphous carbon is deposited over a substrate. An inorganic hard mask is deposited on the amorphous carbon followed by a layer of photodefinable material which is deposited over the array portion of the substrate. The photodefinable material is removed along with the inorganic hard mask overlaying the periphery. A portion of the amorphous carbon layer is etched in the exposed periphery. The inorganic hard mask is removed and normal high aspect ratio etching continues. The amount of amorphous carbon layer remaining in the periphery results in a more uniform mask height between the array and periphery at the end of high aspect ratio etching. The more uniform mask height mitigates twisting at the edge of the array.
US07910486B2
A method for forming a semiconductor device includes forming a nanotube region using a thin epitaxial layer formed on the sidewall of a trench in the semiconductor body. The thin epitaxial layer has uniform doping concentration. In another embodiment, a first thin epitaxial layer of the same conductivity type as the semiconductor body is formed on the sidewall of a trench in the semiconductor body and a second thin epitaxial layer of the opposite conductivity type is formed on the first epitaxial layer. The first and second epitaxial layers have uniform doping concentration. The thickness and doping concentrations of the first and second epitaxial layers and the semiconductor body are selected to achieve charge balance. In one embodiment, the semiconductor body is a lightly doped P-type substrate. A vertical trench MOSFET, an IGBT, a Schottky diode and a P-N junction diode can be formed using the same N-Epi/P-Epi nanotube structure.
US07910481B2
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes forming an interlayer dielectric layer having a plurality of contact holes over a substrate, forming a conductive layer by filling the contact holes to cover the interlayer dielectric layer, performing a first main etch process to partially etch the conductive layer to form a first conductive layer, performing a second main etch process to etch the first conductive layer using an etch gas having a slower etch rate with respect to the first conductive layer than an etch gas used in the first main etch process until an upper surface of the interlayer dielectric layer is exposed to form a second conductive layer, and performing an over-etch process to etch a certain portion of the second conductive layer, and at the same time, to etch a certain portion of the interlayer dielectric layer to form a landing plug.
US07910479B2
A method for manufacturing a photodiode array includes providing a semiconductor substrate having first and second main surfaces opposite to each other. The semiconductor substrate has a first layer of a first conductivity proximate the first main surface and a second layer of a second conductivity proximate the second main surface. A via is formed in the substrate which extends to a first depth position relative to the first main surface. The via has a first aspect ratio. Generally simultaneously with forming the via, an isolation trench is formed in the substrate spaced apart from the via which extends to a second depth position relative to the first main surface. The isolation trench has a second aspect ratio different from the first aspect ratio.
US07910473B2
A semiconductor substrate having a through-silicon via with an air gap interposed between the through-silicon via and the semiconductor substrate is provided. An opening is formed partially through the semiconductor substrate. The opening is first lined with a liner and then the opening is filled with a conductive material. A backside of the semiconductor substrate is thinned to expose the liner, which is subsequently removed to form an air gap around the conductive material of the through-silicon via. A dielectric layer is formed of the backside of the semiconductor substrate to seal the air gap.
US07910472B2
A semiconductor device with improved bondability between a wire and a bump and cutting property of the wire to improve the bonding quality. In the semiconductor device, a wire is stacked on a pad as a second bonding point to form a bump having a sloped wedge and a first bent wire convex portion, and a wire is looped from a lead as a first bonding point to the bump and is pressed to the sloped wedge of the bump with a face portion of a tip end of a capillary to bond the wire to the bump. At the same time, the wire is pressed to the first bent wire convex portion using an inner chamfer of a bonding wire hole in the capillary to form a wire bent portion having a bow-shaped cross section. The wire is pulled up and cut at the wire bent portion.
US07910471B2
A semiconductor chip having a planar active surface including an integrated circuit; the circuit has metallization patterns including a plurality of contact pads. Each of these contact pads has an added conductive layer on the circuit metallization. This added layer has a conformal surface adjacent the chip and a planar outer surface, and this outer surface is suitable to form metallurgical bonds without melting. The chip contact pads may have a distribution such that an area portion of the active chip surface is available for attaching a thermally conductive plate; this plate has a thickness compatible with the thickness of the conductive pad layer.
US07910468B1
The present disclosure describes methods for preparing semiconductor structures, comprising forming a Ge layer on a semiconductor substrate using an admixture of (a) (GeH3)2CH2 and Ge2H6; (b) GeH3CH3 and Ge2H6; or (c) (GeH3)2CH2, GeH3CH3 and Ge2H6, wherein in all cases, Ge2H6 is in excess. The disclosure further provides semiconductor structures formed according to the methods of the invention as well as compositions comprising an admixture of (GeH3)2CH2 and/or GeH3CH3 and Ge2H6 in a ratio of between about 1:5 and 1:30. The methods herein provide, and the semiconductor structures provide, Ge layers formed on semiconductor substrates having threading dislocation density below 105/cm2 which can be useful in semiconductor devices.
US07910448B2
Fabrication of a mono-crystalline emitter using a combination of selective and differential growth modes. The steps include providing a trench (14) formed on a silicon substrate (16) having opposed silicon oxide side walls (12); selectively growing a highly doped mono-crystalline layer (18) on the silicon substrate in the trench; and non-selectively growing a silicon layer (20) over the trench in order to form an amorphous polysilicon layer over the silicon oxide sidewalls.
US07910440B2
A semiconductor device includes: a first trench that is formed in a semiconductor substrate; a gate oxide film that is formed on a surface of the first trench; and a trench gate electrode that is formed so as to bury the first trench via the gate oxide film. The semiconductor device also includes: a second trench that is formed in the semiconductor substrate with a width wider than the width of the first trench; and a terminal-embedded insulation layer that is formed so as to bury the second trench. The semiconductor device further includes: a third trench that is formed in the semiconductor substrate with a width wider than the width of the second trench; and a trench contact electrode that is formed so as to bury the third trench.
US07910438B2
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device includes etching a substrate to form a first trench pattern, forming spacers over sidewalls of the first trench pattern, etching a bottom portion of the first trench pattern using the spacers as a barrier to form a second trench pattern, performing an isotropic etching on the second trench pattern to round sidewalls of the second trench pattern and form a bulb pattern, and forming a gate over a recess pattern including the first trench pattern, the rounded second trench pattern and the bulb pattern.
US07910433B2
A nonvolatile memory device includes a semiconductor substrate having a first well region of a first conductivity type, and at least one semiconductor layer formed on the semiconductor substrate. A first cell array is formed on the semiconductor substrate, and a second cell array formed on the semiconductor layer. The semiconductor layer includes a second well region of the first conductivity type having a doping concentration greater than a doping concentration of the first well region of the first conductivity type. As the doping concentration of the second well region is increased, a resistance difference may be reduced between the first and second well regions.
US07910411B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate, a cell region, an outer peripheral region, a field plate, an outermost peripheral ring, outer peripheral region layer, an insulator film, and a Zener diode. The semiconductor substrate has a superjunction structure. The outer peripheral region is disposed at an outer periphery of the cell region. The Zener diode is disposed on the insulator film for electrically connecting the field plate with the outermost peripheral ring. The Zener diode has a first conductivity type region and a second conductivity type region that are alternately arranged in a direction from the cell region to the outer peripheral region.
US07910405B2
A semiconductor device includes at least one semiconductor constructing body provided on one side of a base member, and having a semiconductor substrate and a plurality of external connecting electrodes provided on the semiconductor substrate. An insulating layer is provided on the one side of the base member around the semiconductor constructing body. An adhesion increasing film is formed between the insulating layer, and at least one of the semiconductor constructing body and the base member around the semiconductor constructing body, for preventing peeling between the insulating layer and the at least one of the semiconductor constructing body and base member.
US07910396B2
A method for producing a film of compound semiconductor includes providing a substrate and a compound bulk material having a first chemical composition that includes at least one first chemical element and a second chemical element. A film is deposited on the substrate using the compound bulk material as a single source of material. The deposited film has a composition substantially the same as the first chemical composition. A residual chemical reaction is induced in the deposited film using a source containing the second chemical element to thereby increase the content of the second chemical element in the deposited film so that the deposited film has a second chemical composition. The film may be employed in a photovoltaic device.
US07910395B2
An LED structure includes a first substrate; an adhering layer formed on the first substrate; first ohmic contact layers formed on the adhering layer; epi-layers formed on the first ohmic contact layers; a first isolation layer covering the first ohmic contact layers and the epi-layers at exposed surfaces thereof; and first electrically conducting plates and second electrically conducting plates, both formed in the first isolation layer and electrically connected to the first ohmic contact layers and the epi-layers, respectively. The trenches allow the LED structure to facilitate complex serial/parallel connection so as to achieve easy and various applications of the LED structure in the form of single structures under a high-voltage environment.
US07910391B2
The present disclosure relates to methods of treating a silicon substrate with an ultra-fast laser to create a getter material for example in a substantially enclosed MEMS package. In an embodiment, the laser treating comprises irradiating the silicon surface with a plurality of laser pulses adding gettering microstructure to the treated surface. Semiconductor based packaged devices, e.g. MEMS, are given as examples hereof.
US07910390B2
A resonant MEMS device that detects photons, particles and small forces including atomic forces is disclosed. The device comprises a planar substrate 1, two electrodes 2 and 3 on top of the substrate, a resonant micro-electromechanical (MEMS) structure 6, such as a cantilever, anchored to first electrode 2 and arranged above the second electrode 3 separated from this electrode with an ultrathin transition layer 5. The resonant MEMS structure is working at its natural resonant frequency. The resonant oscillation of the cantilever can be initiated by applying AC voltage with frequency equaling the resonant frequency of the MEMS structure. A constant voltage is applied between the cantilever and the second electrode. The cantilever oscillates at very small amplitude ranging from few Ångstrom (Å) to several nm. During operation, a constant component of the electrical current is measured between the cantilever and the second electrode 3. The electrical current is a tunnelling current described by quantum mechanical probability with which the electrons can tunnel through the transition layer. The thickness of the transition layer is selected so that at no resonance the constant component of the electrical current is about zero and at resonance the DC electrical current has non-zero value and reaches its maximum. When the cantilever interacts with photons, particles or atoms on surfaces then the MEMS device measures their energies using change in the DC tunnelling current and shift of resonant frequency.
US07910389B2
Provided is a vertical semiconductor light-emitting device and a method of manufacturing the same. The method may include sequentially forming a lower clad layer, an active layer, and an upper clad layer on a substrate to form a semiconductor layer and forming first electrode layers on the upper clad layer. A metal support layer may be formed on each of the first electrode layers and a trench may be formed between the first electrode layers. The substrate may be removed and a second electrode layer may be formed on the lower clad layer.
US07910382B2
The present invention provides liquid crystal-based devices and methods for bioagent detection. In certain aspects, the present invention is directed to devices and methods utilizing liquid crystals and membranes containing polymerized targets that can report the presence of bioagents including, but not limited to, enzymes, antibodies, and toxins.
US07910377B2
The invention provides methods and apparatuses that utilize mass spectrometry for preparation of a surface to have catalytic activity through molecular soft-landing of mass selected ions. Mass spectrometry is used to generate combinations of atoms in a particular geometrical arrangement, and ion soft-landing selects this molecular entity or combination of entities and gently deposits the entity or combination intact onto a surface.
US07910373B2
An ultra-fast response, high sensitivity structure for optical detection of low concentrations of hydrogen gas, comprising: a substrate; a water-doped WO3 layer coated on the substrate; and a palladium layer coated on the water-doped WO3 layer.
US07910368B2
The present invention is a method for inducing cytotoxic T cell having an antigen-specific cytotoxic activity, a method for maintaining the cell, a method for continuously culturing the cell or a method for expanding the cell, comprising the step of culturing a cytotoxic T cell in the presence of at least one substance selected from the group consisting of (A) a substance having a binding activity to CD44; (B) a substance capable of regulating a signal emitted by binding a CD44 ligand to CD44; (C) a substance capable of inhibiting binding of a growth factor to a growth factor receptor; (D) a substance capable of regulating a signal emitted by binding of a growth factor to a growth factor receptor; and (E) fibronectin, a fragment thereof or a mixture thereof.
US07910366B2
The invention relates to a cell strain induced from MDCK cells as dog kidney-derived cells, and being able to be cultured without ingredients derived from animals. The cell strain is produced by adapting a MDCK cell to a medium without a serum but with a cell growth factor; and culturing the cell in a medium with an RPMI 1640 medium and a soybean-derived peptone but without ingredients derived from animals.
US07910364B2
A recombinant expression system for the expression of a poly amino acid, peptide or protein is provided. The poly amino acid of interest is expressed as a fusion protein that includes an amino acid sequence recognized and cleaved by a Ulp1 protease. The amino acid sequence joined to the poly amino acid of interest is preferably from a SUMO (small ubiquitin-like molecule) protein. This sequence imparts favorable solubility and refolding properties to the fusion protein. A purification tag may also be incorporated into the fusion protein for ease of isolation. This recombinant expression system is particularly advantageous for expression and rapid and highly specific cleavage and purification of poly amino acids that have low solubilities or are difficult to express in other systems.
US07910361B2
A device and method for providing portable biological testing capabilities free from biological contamination from an environment outside the device are provided. The device includes a portable housing. The device further includes a volume surrounded by the housing and sealed against passage of biological materials between the volume and the environment outside the device. The device further includes a culture medium within the volume. The device further includes one or more ports configured to provide access to the volume while avoiding biological contamination of the volume. The device further includes a valve in fluidic communication with the volume and the environment. The valve has an open state in which the valve allows gas to flow from within the volume to the environment outside the device and a closed state in which the valve inhibits gas from flowing between the volume and the environment. The valve switches from the closed state to the open state in response to a pressure within the volume larger than a pressure of the environment outside the device.
US07910356B2
A planar array having plurality of biological recognition molecules including at least two types of biological recognition molecules distributed about a substrate is disclosed. A first type of biological recognition molecules is distributed according to a first frequency and a second type of biological recognition molecules is distributed according to a second frequency. Another planar array having a plurality of biological recognition molecules including at least two kinds of biological recognition molecules is disclosed. The recognition molecules are distributed about a substrate with first kind of biological recognition molecules distributed at a first height or depth relative to a surface of the substrate and a second kind of biological recognition molecules distributed at a second height or depth relative to the surface. An apparatus including a surface normal interferometry platform including a scanning pathway and a plurality of analyzer molecules adapted to detect the presence or absence of a plurality of target analytes is also disclosed. The plurality of analyzer molecules are distributed about the scanning pathway according to a multiplexing scheme. A method including multiplexing a plurality of kinds of capture molecules about a detection pathway is further disclosed. The method also includes contacting a biological sample to the array, detecting the presence or absence of binding of the plurality of kinds of capture molecules and a plurality of target analytes using interferometry.
US07910355B2
A culture observation apparatus, which is used for observing a cultured cell while culturing the cell, includes a culture device that cultures the cultured cell, and a microscope used for observing the cultured cell. The culture device includes a first space that is controlled to an environment suitable for culture of the cell, and a second space that is controlled to a lower humidity condition in comparison with the first space. The microscope includes an objective optical unit including an objective lens; the objective optical unit having at least one portion located in the second space, and another portion extending into the first space through an opening formed in a partition wall that separates the first space and the second space, with a gap between the objective optical unit and the partition wall being sealed by a sealing member, and the objective lens includes a plurality of lens groups, with mutual spaces among the lens groups vented to the second space.
US07910353B2
Methods and apparatuses for selecting and arranging clinically relevant chromosomal loci allow an exemplary diagnostic array to simultaneously test for numerous genetic alterations that occur in many different parts of the human genome. Clinically irrelevant or ineffective loci are eliminated. One implementation increases reliability and accuracy by dividing the base-pair sequence of each chromosomal locus into segments and then assigning nucleic acid clones for comparative genomic hybridization to each different segment. The segments may overlap for increased resolution and control. Clones representing segments that are adjacent on a native chromosome are placed in non-adjacent target areas of the array to avoid interfering hybridization reactions. Arrangement motifs within an array may be redundantly repeated for high availability and increased reliability and accuracy of results. Techniques, hardware, software, logic engines, loci collections, and diagnostic arrays are described.
US07910348B2
Disclosed are isolated polypeptides of Alicyclobacillus sp. having glutamic peptidase activity.
US07910339B2
The invention provides a process for producing polysaccharide gum comprising extracting a plant material with an aqueous solvent to produce a polysaccharide gum-containing extract; contacting the extract with at least one proteolytic enzyme to at least partially digest proteins in the extract; adding an organic solvent to the extract to precipitate the polysaccharide gum; and collecting the precipitated polysaccharide gum.
US07910330B2
A method of efficiently expressing Plasmodium AMA-1 ectodomain or a functional part, derivative, and/or analogue thereof, in a eukaryotic expression system. Preferably, the Plasmodium AMA-1 ectodomain is Pf AMA-1 ectodomain. This protein may be expressed in yeast, such as Pichia pastoris. Efficient expression is possible using a method for producing mRNA encoding the Plasmodium AMA-1 ectodomain in a yeast cell, comprising providing the yeast cell with a nucleic acid encoding Plasmodium AMA-1 ectodomain, the nucleic acid being modified to utilize the yeast cell's codon usage. Preferably, at least one putative yeast polyadenylation consensus sequence in the nucleic acid has been modified. More preferably, also at least one site in the protein that is generally glycosylated by eukaryotic expression systems, has been removed.
US07910325B2
The present invention discloses methods for detecting exposure of a living subject to genotoxic agents, testing sensitivity to a genotoxic agent, and determining DNA damage caused by exposure to an agent, comprising detecting the presence of FANCD2-containing foci from a sample collected from said subject. The presence of concentrated foci is indicative of DNA damage, and the degree of foci formation is correlated with degree of exposure. Diagnostic reagents contain a ligand that binds to human FANCD2 associated with a detectable label. Kits for detecting DNA damage in a biological sample contain such diagnostic reagents and signal detection components. The invention further discloses methods for identifying agents which modulate the ability of FANCD2-containing foci to form. Among other things, such agents are potentially useful chemosensitizing agents or may confer protection against damage caused by genotoxic agents.
US07910324B2
The present invention provides a method of screening for compounds which affect the processing of EphA4 by γ-secretase, which includes the following steps: (i) contacting a first biological composition containing γ-secretase or a biologically active fragment thereof with a second biological composition containing EphA4 in the presence and absence of a candidate compound; (ii) measuring the cleavage of the EphA4 in the presence and absence of the candidate compound; (iii) selecting those candidate compounds which affect the cleavage of the EphA4 by γ-secretase; and (iv) identifying the candidate compounds selected in step (iii) as compounds which affect the processing of EphA4 by γ-secretase.
US07910323B2
Provided herein are methods for determining the metabolism of one or more sugars and/or fatty acids, and applications thereof. Such applications include determining the rate of glycogen synthesis and glycolysis, which are believed to be early markers for predicting elevated risk of diabetes and cardiovascular disease. Other applications include methods for screening drugs that effect sugar and/or fatty acid metabolism. The methods are useful for at least partially characterizing drugs for desirable or undesirable (toxic) characteristics. Drugs that are at least partially characterized using the methods of the invention can then be further developed in pre-clinical testing and clinical trials. Such drugs may be found to be useful in treating obesity, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and other disorders of metabolism.
US07910308B1
Genetic markers associated with fatty acid content in meat products from animals, particularly Angus cattle, are described. The genetic markers are located in the thioesterase-encoding region of the fatty acid synthase gene. The markers allow animals to be characterized for breeding or for identification purposes to indicate animals likely to have a distribution of fatty acids that are healthier, thus generating improved meat products.
US07910302B2
The present invention is related generally to analysis of polynucleotides, particularly polynucleotides derived from genomic DNA. The invention provides methods, compositions and systems for such analysis. Encompassed by the invention are arrays of polynucleotides in which the polynucleotides have undergone multiple rounds of amplification in order to increase the strength of signals associated with single polynucleotide molecules.
US07910301B2
The small molecule profiles of cells are compared to identify small molecules which are modulated in altered states. Cellular small molecule libraries, methods of identifying tissue sources, methods for treating genetic and non-genetic diseases, and methods for predicting the efficacy of drugs are also discussed.
US07910295B2
The invention provides a quantitative realtime RT-PCR assay for detection of metastatic breast, gastric, pancreas or colon cancer cells or metastatic melanoma. The assay allows to predict disease recurrence and survival in patients with AJCC stage I and II, and III disease using multimarker panels. The method for detecting metastatic melanoma cells utilizes panels of markers selected from a group consisting of MAGE-A3, GalNAcT, MART-1, PAX3, Mitf, TRP-2, and Tyrosinase. The method for detecting metastatic breast, gastric, pancreas or colon cancer cells in paraffin-embedded samples utilizes panels of markers selected from a group consisting of C-Met, MAGE-A3, Stanniocalcin-1, mammoglobin, HSP27, GalNAcT, CK20, and β-HCG.
US07910291B2
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device using an immersion lithography process is disclosed. The immersion lithography process includes forming a photoresist film over an underlying layer of a semiconductor substrate; exposing the photoresist film to light without using an exposure mask; and performing an exposure process using an exposure mask. After exposure using the immersion lithography, a water mark generated from the exposure layer consumes a part of the acid of the exposure layer but the residual acid remains in the exposure layer to prevent generation of pattern defects such as T-top or pattern bridges.
US07910288B2
The dimensions of mask patterns, such as pitch-multiplied spacers, are controlled by controlled growth of features in the patterns after they are formed. To form a pattern of pitch-multiplied spacers, a pattern of mandrels is first formed overlying a semiconductor substrate. Spacers are then formed on sidewalls of the mandrels by depositing a blanket layer of material over the mandrels and preferentially removing spacer material from horizontal surfaces. The mandrels are then selectively removed, leaving behind a pattern of freestanding spacers. The spacers comprise a material, such as polysilicon and amorphous silicon, known to increase in size upon being oxidized. The spacers are oxidized to grow them to a desired width. After reaching the desired width, the spacers can be used as a mask to pattern underlying layers and the substrate. Advantageously, because the spacers are grown by oxidation, thinner blanket layers can be deposited over the mandrels, thereby allowing the deposition of more conformal blanket layers and widening the process window for spacer formation.
US07910284B2
To overcome the problem that a device performance is degraded by the edge roughness of a photoresist pattern, a mixture of polynuclear phenol compounds having, in one molecule, 0 to 6 functional groups which are chemically converted due to actions of an acid with the solubility in an alkaline developer reduced is used as a material for photoresist. In the mixture, two or more triphenyl methane structures are bonded to portions other than the functional group in the nonconjugated state. Furthermore, the mixture comprises polynuclear compounds with the average number of functional groups of 2.5 or below and includes the polynuclear compounds not having any functional group per molecule by 15% or less in the term of weight ratio, and the polynuclear phenol compounds having 3 or more functional groups per molecule by 40% or less.
US07910280B2
The present invention provides a method of producing a polymerized toner which removes a by-product microparticle generated as a by-product upon polymerization in a by-product microparticle removing step, efficiently obtains a wet colored resin particle which has low moisture content (wet cake) by decreasing clogs caused at filter element in a dewatering step, enhances a drying efficiency (shorten the drying time) in a drying step, has an excellent productivity and a printing ability.
US07910279B2
A method of manufacturing aggregate particles capable of obtaining aggregate particles having high mechanical strength, small particle size, with narrow particle size distribution width by preventing interfusion of bubbles in the aggregate particles during stirring is provided. Aggregate particles are manufactured by stirring a resin particle slurry including resin particles dispersed in an aqueous medium and contained in a stirring vessel by a stirring section having a impeller and two or more screen members disposed so as to surround the impeller in the stirring vessel and each formed with a plurality of slits and aggregating the resin particles.
US07910273B2
An electrophotographic image forming method is disclosed. In the method electrostatic latent image is developed by a non-magnetic single-component developing system, in which a non-magnetic single-component developer is conveyed by a developer carrying member, the developer carrying member is contacted with a developer layer regulation member for regulating an amount of the developer at the surface of the developer carrying member, and a binder resin of the developer comprises a vinyl polymer having an acid value of from about 5 to about 30 mgKOH/g and a ratio of hydroxyl group value/acid values from about 0.3 to about 0.8.
US07910272B2
The present invention provides a dye-containing photosensitive composition that includes at least phthalocyanine, a photosensitive compound, and a transition metal complex of which the molar absorption coefficient ε in a visible light region is less than 5000.
US07910266B2
Hole patterns are repeatedly arranged on a mask at a constant pitch in each of predetermined directions. In the predetermined directions, a first direction with the smallest pitch and a second direction with the second smaller pitch are specified. A Levenson phase shifter is formed corresponding to the hole patterns to cause the phases of transmitted light through the hole patterns adjacent to each other in the first direction to be opposite to each other. An exposure process is performed by two-point illumination which is adapted to improve the resolution property in the second direction.
US07910263B2
An electrode for a fuel cell includes an electrode substrate and a catalyst layer on the electrode substrate. The catalyst layer includes an active catalyst and a heteropoly acid additive including a heteropoly acid supported by an inorganic carrier.
US07910257B2
A fuel cell system according to the present invention includes a fuel cell; a fuel supply system for supplying a fuel gas to the fuel cell; an injector which drives a valve body with an electromagnetic driving force in a predetermined driving period to detach the valve body from a valve seat, whereby a gas state on the upstream side of the fuel supply system is adjusted to jet the gas to a downstream side; and a control device which controls the operation of the injector. The control device allows the injector to jet the gas with a jet flow rate of a predetermined jet flow rate or less in a case where the demanded amount of a power to be generated with respect to the fuel cell is the predetermined amount of the power to be generated or less, and the control device sets the driving frequency of the injector in accordance with the jet flow rate and the demanded amount of the power to be generated.
US07910254B2
A start-up method for a fuel cell system that includes a fuel cell that carries out power generation by the electrochemical reaction between a fuel gas and the oxygen gas in the air; a fuel gas discharge path and a fuel gas supply path that are connected to the fuel cell; a fuel gas circulation path in which the fuel gas discharge path merges with the fuel gas supply path; and a purge valve provided on the fuel gas circulation path in order to discharge the circulating fuel gas from the fuel gas circulation path. The method includes the steps of opening the purge valve at the same time that the fuel gas is supplied to the fuel cell and replacing the nitrogen gas that originates in the air and is present in the fuel gas circulation path by fuel gas; and closing the purge valve after the nitrogen gas in the fuel gas circulation path has been replaced by the fuel gas.
US07910251B2
A fuel cell system comprises: a fuel cell stack (100) where an anode (110) and a cathode (120) are arranged under a state that an electrolyte membrane is positioned therebetween; a fuel tank (300) for storing a fuel; a fuel circulation supply means (400) for circulation-supplying a fuel stored in the fuel tank (300) to the anode of the fuel cell stack; an air supply unit (200) connected to the cathode of the fuel cell stack (100) by an air supply line, for supplying oxygen, etc. to the cathode (120); a sensing unit (500) for measuring a concentration of at least one of fuels supplied to the anode (110) and a control unit for receiving a signal of the sensing unit (500) and informing replacement time of a fuel. According to this, a fuel usage is maximized by informing replacement time of a used fuel and a filter (450) for filtering impurity by detecting a fuel consumption degree and an impurity generation amount.
US07910249B2
Disclosed is an electrolyte for a battery, which comprises: (a) an electrolyte salt; (b) a solvent for electrolyte; and (c) a compound represented by the following formula 1: wherein R is a halogen atom, or a halogen-substituted or non-substituted C1˜C10 alkyl group or alkenyl group. An electrode comprising a passivation layer partially or totally formed on a surface thereof, wherein the passivation layer comprises a compound represented by the following Formula 1 or a chemical reaction product thereof, and a secondary battery using the electrolyte and/or the electrode are also disclosed. The compound can improve the initial charge/discharge efficiency and cycle life characteristics of a secondary battery, and can inhibit a battery from swelling under high-temperature storage conditions.
US07910248B2
An aromatic-polyether-type ion conductive polymer membrane having improved mechanical strength is provided.An aromatic-polyether-type ion-conductive ultrahigh molecular weight polymer having an ion exchange capacity of 0.1 meq/g or higher and a structure comprising an aromatic-polyether-type ultrahigh molecular weight polymer in which an acid group introduced, said aromatic-polyether-type ultrahigh molecular weight polymer having at least one structural unit selected from those represented by the following formulas (1) and (2) and the sum of the number a of the structural unit of the formula (1) and the number b of the structural unit of the formula (2) being 2 or larger: Ar1—Om—Ar1 (1) Ar2—On—Ar2 (2).
US07910247B2
A nonaqueous electrolyte battery includes a case, a nonaqueous electrolyte provided in the case, a positive electrode provided in the case, and a negative electrode provided in the case, including a negative electrode active material and an electronic conductor containing a carbonaceous material, wherein a negative electrode working potential is nobler at least 1 V than a lithium electrode potential, and the carbonaceous material has a spacing (d002) of (002) plane of 0.344 nm or more and 0.352 nm or less, and a crystallite size (Lc) in the C-axis direction of 10 nm or less.
US07910242B2
In a nonaqueous electrolyte secondary battery in which an electrode plate group including a positive electrode plate and a negative electrode plate which have a positive electrode mixture layer formed on a positive electrode current collector to contain a positive electrode active material and a negative electrode mixture layer formed on a negative electrode current collector to contain a negative electrode active material, respectively, and are spirally wound or stacked with a separator interposed therebetween is encapsulated in a battery exterior packaging body with an electrolyte, the battery exterior packaging body includes a gas releasing valve for releasing gas in the battery exterior packaging body to the outside when a gas pressure in the battery exterior packaging body reaches a working pressure and is formed to be deformable where the gas pressure in the battery exterior packaging body is lower than the working pressure of the gas releasing valve.
US07910233B2
A magnetic recording medium for use in a thermally assisted recording system is disclosed. The magnetic recording medium comprises at least a magnetic layer, a protective layer and a lubricant layer formed on a nonmagnetic substrate, wherein a lubricant of the lubricant layer exhibits such a heat resistance that an amount of volatilization when the magnetic layer is heated to a temperature not lower than a temperature Tw is less than 1% with respect to an initial amount of the lubricant in an unheated condition. The present invention addresses a problem of the heat resistance performance of the lubricant for use in magnetic recording media and provides a magnetic recording medium exhibiting high heat resistance.
US07910230B2
The preparation of gypsum parts (dihydrate calcium sulfate) with high mechanical strength is obtained with the aid of water layers with nanometric thickness. Calcium sulfate is used, dihydrate as well as hemihydrate, to obtain parts from these two materials, pure or mixed, especially to use in construction work, where the parts are prepared by compressing their slightly humidified powders.
US07910227B2
A light emitting device having an anode and a cathode provided on a substrate, and an organic light emitting layer between the anode and the cathode, where the organic light emitting layer includes a light emitting material and first and second dopants for improving the dispersability thereof. As the first dopant, there is employed a phosphorescent dopant. The amount of the second dopant is greater than the amount of the first dopant.
US07910222B2
A polymerizable composition for forming an optical device, which comprises a polymerizable monomer of the following formula (1) and a polymerizable monomer of the following formula (2). Using the composition makes it possible to produce an optical device which has a high light transmittability and keeps a reduced transmission loss even in wet. wherein R1 and R2 each are H or D; R3 is H, D, CH3, CD3 or a halogen atom; R4is an alkyl group having from 2 to 8 carbon atoms and at least partly substituted with a fluorine atom, wherein R1 and R2 each are H or D; R3 is H, D, CH3, CD3 or a halogen atom; X1 to X5 each are H, D, a halogen atom or CF3, and at least one of X1 to X5 is a halogen atom or CF3.
US07910221B2
Methods and compositions are disclosed for coating a biocompatible medical implant with a surface layer having antioxidant activity. In various embodiments, a surface layer described herein destroys the oxidative activity of a reactive oxygen species (ROS) upon contact. An ROS can be, for example, an ROS generated by neutrophils in vivo. In various embodiments, a surface layer comprises a titanium oxide layer that can comprise a rutile, an anatase or a perovskite crystal structure, and can include defects comprising Ti(III). In some embodiments, the oxide layer can further comprise a dopant such as niobium. In some embodiments, methods for forming a surface layer on a biocompatible medical implant having antioxidant activity are disclosed.
US07910220B2
Apparatus suited for removing carbon dioxide from gases are disclosed. The apparatus may employ bodies having a photocatalytic film. Associated methods and compositions are also disclosed.
US07910217B2
Embodiments of a coated substrate (for example, a coated race land region of a roller bearing element) comprise a metallic substrate, a ceramic underlayer comprising a nitride, a carbide, a carbonitride, a boride, or combinations thereof disposed over the metallic substrate, and a mixed layer comprising titanium nitride and silver disposed over the ceramic underlayer; and an overlayer disposed over the mixed layer.
US07910214B2
The present invention relates to a molded ferrite sheet having opposing surfaces and a thickness in a range of 30 μm to 430 μm, at least one surface of said opposing surfaces having the following surface roughness characteristics (a) to (c): (a) a center line average roughness is in a range of 170 nm to 800 nm, (b) a maximum height is in a range of 3 μm to 10 μm, and (c) an area occupancy rate of cross-sectional area taken along a horizontal plane at a depth of 50% of the maximum height in a square of side 100 μm is in a range of 10 to 80%.
US07910212B1
An initial surface is provided. An overlay of colored grout is provided. The colored grout is on the initial surface. In this manner an intermediate surface is created. An acid stain is provided. The acid stain is on the intermediate surface. A two part clear epoxy resin is provided. The epoxy resin is provided on the intermediate surface. In this manner an exterior surface is created.
US07910210B2
In a method of producing a layer arrangement, a substantially carbon-comprising, electrically conductive carbon layer is formed. A protective layer is formed on the carbon layer. An electrically insulating layer is formed on the protective layer, the protective layer protecting the carbon layer from damage during the formation of the electrically insulating layer. Furthermore, a layer arrangement is provided, having a substantially carbon-comprising, electrically conductive carbon layer, a protective layer formed on the carbon layer, and an electrically insulating layer formed on the protective layer, the protective layer being used to avoid damage to the carbon layer by the electrically insulating layer.
US07910199B1
A porous carbon scaffold with a surface and pores, the porous carbon scaffold containing a primary metal and a secondary metal, where the primary metal is a metal that does not wet the surface of the pores of the carbon scaffold but wets the surface of the secondary metal, and the secondary metal is interspersed between the surface of the pores of the carbon scaffold and the primary metal.
US07910195B2
A sanitary napkin comprising a topsheet having a body-facing side and comprising a plurality of discrete tufts of fibrous material. The topsheet has a lotion composition applied to at least a portion of the body-facing side thereof. An absorbent core is in fluid communication with the topsheet, the absorbent core having an average thickness of less than about 10 mm, and a free absorbent capacity of from about 4 to about 125 grams per gram.
US07910191B1
A method for manufacturing an optical recording medium includes forming a light-transmitting cover layer over an information layer by depositing a predetermined volume of a liquid resin on the information layer. The method may further include forming a disc rib over an outer periphery of the information bearing side of the substrate, to stop flow of the deposited resin beyond the outer disc periphery. An optical recording medium formed through such a method includes a disc rib delimiting an outer diameter of the light-transmitting cover layer.
US07910190B2
A thin film for a reflection film or a semi-transparent reflection film, which has a compound phase comprising at least one selected from the group consisting of a nitride, an oxide, a complex oxide, a nitroxide, a carbide, a sulfide, a chloride, a silicide, a fluoride, a boride, a hydride, a phosphide, a selenide and a telluride of gallium, palladium or copper, dispersed in a matrix formed of silver or a silver alloy. The compound phase in the thin film may include at least one compound selected from the group consisting of nitride, oxide, complex oxide, nitroxide, carbide, sulfide, chloride, silicide, fluoride, boride, hydride, phosphide, selenide and telluride of silver. The thin film of the present invention minimizes the deterioration of the reflectance even after a long period of use, and can prolong the life of various devices which use the thin film as a reflection film, such as an optical recording medium and a display. The thin film can be also applied to a semi-reflective/semi-transparent film used in the optical recording medium.
US07910189B2
A sheet assembly that includes a first facing sheet, a second facing sheet, and an adhesive material disposed between the first and second facing sheets. A plurality of shapes is cut within a remaining portion of the first facing sheet, and each of the plurality of shapes defines a removable portion disposed over a portion of the second facing sheet. Upon removal of the removable portion the adhesive material is exposed and a photograph or other item can be adhered to the sheet assembly. The remaining portion of the sheet assembly includes a printable area for writing notes or comments about the adhered photo.
US07910182B2
The use of a boric acid, borate or derivate and/or salt thereof in a subbing layer coated onto a non resin-coated support beneath an upper layer comprising a binder and an inorganic particulate material such as fumed silica and an under layer between the upper layer and the subbing layer, which under layer comprises a binder and an inorganic particulate material such as calcium carbonate, increases the gloss of an ink jet receiver formed thereby whilst maintaining good ink absorption, good image density and minimizing puddling and associated coalescence, and where the receiver otherwise suffers from surface-cracking, decreases the propensity to cracking.
US07910174B2
An apparatus for fabricating a flat panel display device includes a substrate on which a picture display section is formed and a stage on which the substrate is loaded. A dispenser applies a sealant along an outer line of the picture display section in the substrate. A light detector emits light toward the sealant and detects the amount of reflected light in real-time. A controller detects broken lines in the sealant in accordance with a signal supplied from the light detector and controls the dispenser so as to re-apply the sealant to spaces in the broken line in which the sealant is not present.
US07910168B2
A method for forming a film on a substrate includes steps of: blending precursor, dissolvent, de-ionized water and catalyst in proportion to make sol solution; standing the sol solution for a period of to form gel solution; mixing the gel solution with diluent in proportion to form the coating solution; and coating the coating solution onto the substrate and then drying the coating solution to form a film on the substrate. The ratio of the gel solution and the diluent in the coating solution can be controlled to change the thickness of the film formed on the substrate. The ratio of the gel solution and the diluent is adjusted, the thickness of the film is adjusted according to the ratio to realize controlling the thickness of the film, therefore, the method for forming the film on the substrate is simply, and the thickness of the film can be controlled exactly, so the method can be used in industry field.
US07910162B2
A dry, non-shrink composition which is admixed with water to cure into a hard but flexible and non-shrinking grout for laying paver stones, the dry composition comprising ingredients by percent weight of: 94-96% silica sand; 2-4% polymer powder mixture of vinyl acetate, and a vinyl ester in equal proportions, jointly polymerized using ethane; 0.5-1.5% cement; and 0.5-1.5% colorant. The dry composition is swept into joints between paver stones and water is then added to hydrate the dry mixture which forms a grouting material with interlocking physical joints to a porous material such as travertine.
US07910160B2
A thin-film magnetic head structure has a configuration adapted to manufacture a thin-film magnetic head configured such that a main magnetic pole layer including a magnetic pole end part on a side of a medium-opposing surface opposing a recording medium, a write shield layer opposing the magnetic pole end part so as to form a recording gap layer on the medium-opposing surface side, and a thin-film coil wound about the write shield layer or main magnetic pole layer are laminated. The main magnetic pole layer includes a base magnetic pole part comprising the magnetic pole end part and a base depression distanced farther from the medium-opposing surface than the magnetic pole end part, and an embedded magnetic pole part buried in the base depression and joined to the base magnetic pole part. The thin-film magnetic head structure includes a yoke magnetic pole part joined to the base magnetic pole part and embedded magnetic pole part at a position distanced farther from the medium-opposing surface than the recording gap layer, and an intervening insulative film disposed between the embedded magnetic pole part and yoke magnetic pole part at a position distanced farther from the medium-opposing surface than the recording gap layer.
US07910158B2
The present invention provides high-throughput systems and methods for the fabrication and evaluation of electrode and electrolyte materials for solid oxide fuel cells. The present invention includes systems and methods for synthesizing and optimizing the performance of electrodes and electrode-electrolyte combinations and utilizes small-scale techniques to perform such optimization based on chemical composition and variable processing. Advantageously, rapid device performance systems and methods coupled with structural and surface systems and methods allow for an increased discovery rate of new materials for solid oxide fuel cells.
US07910157B2
In the present invention, an insulating material is applied onto a substrate in a coating treatment unit to form a coating insulating film. The substrate is heated in the heating processing unit, whereby the coating insulating film is hardened partway. A brush is then pressed against the front surface of the coating insulating film in a planarization unit and moved along the front surface of the coating insulating film, thereby planarizing the coating insulating film. The substrate is then heated to completely harden the coating insulating film. According to the present invention, the coating film can be planarized without using the CMP technology.
US07910156B2
A method of making a circuitized substrate in which conductors are formed in such a manner that selected ones of the conductors include solder while others do not and are thus adapted for receiving a different form of connection (e.g., wire-bond) than the solder covered conductors. In one embodiment, the solder may be applied in molten form by immersing the substrate within a bath of the solder while in another the solder may be deposited using a screening procedure.
US07910147B2
An object is to provide a preparation process of a green tea extract having a high non-polymer catechin concentration and tasting good with less bitterness and less astringency. The present invention relates to a preparation process of a green tea extract, which comprises subjecting an enzyme-inactivated raw tea leaves to CTC processing, drying the tea leaves until the water content thereof becomes 20 wt. % or less, and extracting the tea leaves while setting the weight ratio of an extraction solvent to the tea leaves to be extracted to 30 or less.
US07910146B2
Tool (1) to facilitate the consumption of ingestible substances, provided with a container (2) adapted to store an additional ingestible product (3), such as a food flavoring or a pharmaceutical product, and provided with an end (4) suitable to facilitate the handling of the ingestible substance (3) together with the additional product once this has been added to the ingestible substance (3), the container (2) comprising at least one end portion (5) constituted by a flexible, tearable material whereby the container (2) is joined to the tool body (6), designed to be torn when the container (2) is separated from the tool body (6), being able to pour its additional product content into the ingestible substance (3).
US07910138B2
A method for treating cancerous or pre-cancerous lesions of the skin by administering a pharmaceutically effective amount of a polyphenol to a patient as well as to the production of a medicament thereto is described herein.
US07910135B2
The present invention relates to a method of forming shape-retentive and shape-conforming aggregate wound dressings and biomaterials composed of gel nanoparticles and wound or bodily fluid in which the aggregates are held together by non-covalent bond physical forces such as, without limitation, hydrophobic-hydrophilic interactions and hydrogen bonds. The method comprises introducing a dry powder of gel nanoparticles to a wound site in which the nanoparticles absorb some of the blood or wound exudate and coalesce in situ into the claimed shape-retentive aggregate dressing. The method also comprises introducing the dry nanoparticle powder in or on a wet bodily tissue in vivo to form the claimed shape-retentive biomaterial. In addition, the method also comprises incorporating biomedical agents to produce medicated aggregate dressings or biomaterials for a variety of medical applications. This invention also relates to uses of the method of formation of the shape-retentive aggregates of gel nanoparticles.
US07910131B2
Controlled-release preparations of oxcarbazepine and derivatives thereof for once-a-day administration are disclosed. The inventive compositions comprise solubility- and/or release enhancing agents to provide tailored drug release profiles, preferably sigmoidal release profiles. Methods of treatment comprising the inventive compositions are also disclosed.
US07910124B2
Implantable biomaterials, particularly hydrogel substrates with porous surfaces, and methods for enhancing the compatibility of biomaterials with living tissue, and for causing physical attachment between biomaterials and living tissues are provided. Also provided are implants suitable for load-bearing surfaces in hard tissue repair, replacement, or augmentation, and to methods of their use. One embodiment of the invention relates to an implantable spinal disc prosthesis.
US07910123B2
Methods and apparatus of providing a subject with post-operative, sustained-release of a biological agent within a synovial joint is disclosed. These methods involve securing a depot containing the biological agent to a ligament, tendon, muscle within the joint to provide sustained-release of the agent while allowing for normal joint articulation. This methodology may be utilized to provide for sustained-release of a biological agent useful in treating various traumas and disorders of the joint. Such biological agents include antagonists of inflammation-related proteins, such as TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, NF-κB, High Mobility Group Box 1 (HMG-B1), IL-2, IL-15 and steroidal and non-steroidal anti-inflammatories. Other biological agents include anti-inflammatory cytokines such as IL-10, IL-4, IL-13, and TGF-β. The biological agents also include osteogenic and cartilage producing growth factors such as, but not limited to, BMP-2, BMP-4, BMP-6, BMP-7, BMP-8, and MIA CD-RAP. Finally, the biological agents include siRNA and/or therapeutic antibodies.
US07910118B2
A solution for the treatment of human feet. The solution includes an amount of each of the following components: 1) magnesium sulfate, 2) water, 3) methylparaben, 4) isopropyl alcohol, 5) methyl salicylate, and 6) malic acid. In combination, these components form an aqueous solution, which can be used as part of a footbath for soaking, or which can be applied directly to the foot using an applicator, such as a wipe.
US07910117B2
The invention relates to a vaccine for the treatment of disease caused by Neisseria, the vaccine including one or more immunogenic components for Neisseria serogroups, as well as antibodies to the immunogenic components and methods of preventing and treating Neisseria infections. The immunogens are based on elements of the inner core lipopolysaccharide.
US07910110B2
The present invention relates to vaccines comprising a bacteriophage which has been engineered to express an immunogenic protein/peptide and wherein the surface of the bacteriophage has not been modified to contain proteins/peptides designed to target the phage to receptors on the surface of specific cell types.
US07910108B2
The present invention is directed to pharmaceutical methods for the treatment of CD30 positive diseases, such as Hodgkin's disease, by administration of a combination of at least one sheddase inhibitor and at least one anti-CD30 immunotherapeutic.
US07910106B2
The invention describes the use of an antibody specific for serum amyloid P component, for the treatment or prophylaxis of amyloidosis, and the use of a compound which depletes serum amyloid P component from the circulation in combination with an antibody specific for serum amyloid P component.
US07910101B2
Melanocortin receptor binding mimetibody polypeptides are disclosed. Polynucleotides encoding these polypeptides, cells comprising these polynucleotides or expressing the mimetibodies, and methods of making and using the forgoing are also disclosed.
US07910097B2
A novel protein Common Lymphatic Endothelial and Vascular Endothelial Receptor-1 (CLEVER-1) is described. CLEVER-1 mediates leukocyte and malignant cell binding to vascular and lymphoid endothelial cells. CLEVER-1 is the first protein that has been reported to mediate both influx into and efflux from the lymph nodes. Also provided are methods of treating inflammation and preventing metastasis of malignant cells by providing an inhibitor of CLEVER-1 binding.
US07910086B1
The invention discloses a pharmaceutical composition of bioactive nanoparticles composed of chitosan, poly-glutamic acid, and a bioactive agent for oral delivery. The chitosan-based nanoparticles are characterized with a positive surface charge and enhanced permeability for oral drug delivery.
US07910083B2
A diamond layer of single crystal CVD diamond which is coloured, preferably which has a fancy colour, and which has a thickness of greater than 1 mm.
US07910079B2
A method and an apparatus for removing carbon dioxide (CO2) from sulphur dioxide containing (SO2) flue gases, wherein the flue gases are washed with washing solution in a scrubber, which comprises at least two washing stages. In the first washing stage the flue gases are washed for removing the sulphur dioxide in the flue gases and after that in the second washing stage for removing carbon dioxide (CO2). Sodium carbonate solution (Na2CO3) is used as washing solution in both the first and the second washing stages.
US07910077B2
Sulfur oxides are removed from an oxygen-containing acid gas in configurations and methods in which oxygen is removed from the acid gas using reducing gases at relatively high temperature. The so treated acid gas is then fed to a direct reduction reactor in which the sulfur species are converted to elemental sulfur. Contemplated configurations are particularly effective and economically attractive as they are generally not limited by reaction equilibrium as present in a Claus reaction and do not require solvent and solvent-associated equipment.
US07910063B2
A device for detection of magnetic permeability μ or, alternatively, relative magnetic permeability μr or, alternatively, relative magnetic susceptibility (μr−1) of a sample, wherein said device contains a sample chamber and at least two coils, one coil surrounding said sample chamber and one coil placed so as to be in thermal contact by being physically connected to the material which constitutes the sample chamber, but without surrounding the cavity of the sample chamber, said sample chamber having at least one opening for introduction of a sample or a sample container holding a sample, said device also provided with an electronic circuit which measures the difference in inductance between the two coils.
US07910058B2
Applicants have produced a chromophore and a polymer that are highly sensitive to the presence of various agents, including organophosphates, pesticides, neurotoxins, metal ions, some explosives, and biological toxins. The detection is accomplished by detecting a change in the fluorescence characteristics of the chromophore or polymer when in the presence of the agent to be detected. The chromophore and polymer may be incorporated into sensors of various types, and they are adaptable for potential field use in areas where detection of these types of agents is desired.
US07910042B2
The present invention provides a method for patterning a substrate with a template having a mold that features positioning conformable material between the substrate and the mold and filling a volume defined between the mold and the substrate with the conformable material through capillary action between the conformable material and one of the mold and the substrate. Thereafter, the conformable material is solidified. Specifically, the distance between the mold and the substrate is controlled to a sufficient degree to attenuate, if not avoid, compressive forces between the mold and the substrate. As a result, upon initial contact of the mold with the conformable material, spontaneous capillary filling of the volume between the mold and the substrate occurs.
US07910037B2
A fuel cell manufacturing method is provided by which an unbroken strip of sheet material is sent through a molding process, an MEA assembly process and a modularization process, and is separated into individual modules in a batch process. In the molding process, separators are sequentially molded on the strip of sheet material, and a separator strip is produced in which the separators are connected together by runners. In the MEA assembly process and the modularization process, MEAs are sequentially assembled on the separator strip in which a series of the separators are connected together by the runners, and a module strip is produced in which a series of the modules are connected together by the runners. In the batch process, the series of modules is separated into the individual modules by cutting and removing the runners from the module strip.
US07910033B2
A method for manufacturing an image display device includes the step of forming a cured resin layer 15 by interposing a photo-curable resin composition between a base 2 including an image display unit such as a liquid crystal display panel 8 and a light-transmitting protection member 3 including a light-shielding member 5 and then photo-curing the photo-curable resin composition. In this method, a resin composition having a curing shrinkage ratio of 5% or less, yielding a cured product having a storage elastic modulus at 25° C. of 1.0×107 Pa or less, and forming the cured resin layer having a light transmittance of 90% or more in the visible range is used as the photo-curable resin composition.
