US07934264B2
Using metadata to detect alteration of data. A first set of metadata characteristics including at least one respective semantic description are recorded for a first set of data representing original data. A second set of metadata characteristics including at least one corresponding semantic description are recorded for a second set of data representing data under test. The first and second sets of metadata characteristics are compared. If the first and second sets of metadata characteristics are not identical, these sets are processed to identify locations in the first set of data that have been altered. Using the at least one semantic description for the first set of data and the at least one corresponding semantic description for the second set of data, one or more metadata characteristics that have changed from the first set of data to the second set of data are identified.
US07934259B1
A stealth threat detection manager detects stealth threats. The stealth threat detection manager monitors system activities that are vulnerable to being used by stealth threats. Dynamic link libraries are often used by stealth threats, so in some embodiments the stealth threat detection manager monitors for the loading thereof. The stealth threat detection manager detects when a system activity being monitored occurs, and after the occurrence of the activity, determines whether a specific component associated with the activity (e.g., the dynamic link library being loaded) is accessible on the computer. If the component is accessible, the stealth threat detection manager concludes that the component is non-stealthed. On the other hand, if the component is not accessible, the stealth threat detection manager concludes that the component is a stealth threat, and takes appropriate action in response.
US07934258B2
An information processing system for remote access comprising a network access server and an authentication server is augmented with the ability to provide a simulated authentication process for authentication requests from attackers which do not correspond to authorized user names. Attackers whose requests form a password guessing attack for a user identity selected from a set of reject user names are redirected to a honeypot server.
US07934253B2
A system and method for protection of Web based applications are described. The techniques described provide an enterprise wide approach to preventing attacks of Web based applications. Individual computer networks within the enterprise monitor network traffic to identify anomalous traffic. The anomalous traffic can be identified by comparing the traffic to a profile of acceptable user traffic when interacting with the application. The anomalous traffic, or security events, identified at the individual computer networks are communicated to a central security manager. The central security manager correlates the security events at the individual computer networks to determine if there is an enterprise wide security threat. The central security manager can then communicate instructions to the individual computer networks so as to provide an enterprise wide solution to the threat.
US07934248B1
A network compliance application performs a method of coalescing violation data based on rule and policy violations by retrieving network event data indicative of compliance with a set of policies, in which each of the policies has a set of rules. The application computes, for each of the policies, violations, each violation indicative of a deviation from a particular rule, and displays a summary view indicative of a plurality of policies in the set of policies, the summary view indicative of violations attributable to each of the policies. From the displayed summary view, the application receives a detail selection corresponding to a subset of the displayed violations in the summary view; displays, for the received detail selection, a violation view having a sequence of ranked violation entries corresponding to the detail selection.
US07934247B2
Provided are techniques for determining whether to encrypt data. It is determined whether an element is to be encrypted based on an encryption policy, wherein the element comprises one of metadata and a data set. In response to determining that the element is to be encrypted, the element is encrypted and written to a data storage medium. In response to determining that the element is not to be encrypted, the element is written in the effective clear to the data storage medium.
US07934246B2
Disclosed is a broadcast receiver that can automatically enable input of a predetermined signal from external device, when there is no broadcast of program that is receivable at the broadcast receiver. The broadcast receiver 100 detects non-broadcasting time zone in which broadcast program is not broadcasted according to broadcast information (EPG data) included in broadcast signal received by antenna 10 or tuner 2. When it is determined that timing in which power was turned on to start the broadcast receiver 100 falls within the detected non-broadcasting time zone, the broadcast receiver 100 is capable to switch so as to enable broadcasting of video content that corresponds to video signal outputted by the external device connected to a group of external device connecting terminals 8 (connecting terminal 8a-8e), such as video replay device or the DVD player, at a display device 20.
US07934245B1
In order to accurately display information on the format of different signals from respective different signal source apparatuses as an image, the output signals of analog signal sources are supplied through an interface, signal lines and other interfaces to an analog signal processing circuit. Also, output signals of digital signal sources and output signals of information generating circuits are synthesized by multiplexers and supplied to a demultiplexer through interfaces, buses and an interface. The signals from the separated signal sources are processed in a digital signal processing circuit. The signals from the separated generating circuits are supplied to an information processing circuit, so that an image corresponding to the information indicating the format of the apparatus and/or the output signal is formed, and is synthesized with the signals from the signal processing circuits to be supplied to a monitor.
US07934243B2
A digital broadcasting system and a data processing method are disclosed. A time zone identifier is inserted into program table information of a broadcasting signal and the broadcasting signal is transmitted/received. The digital broadcasting system can calculate a local time of a region, in which the digital broadcasting system is located, using the time zone identifier. Accordingly, although the position of the digital broadcasting system is changed, it is possible to process the broadcasting signal related to the local time without an error.
US07934240B2
The present invention provides a method for an interactive media services system to provide media to a user through an interactive media services client device. The client device is coupled to a programmable media services server device. The method includes the step of implementing an interactive media guide. Additionally, the client device is implemented to present the interactive media guide to the user. A system operator is provided an interface to the programmable media services server. Control options are provided within the interface to allow the system operator to configure a plurality of rental options available to the user. Finally the interactive media service system is implemented such that the plurality of rental options can be executed by the user in a requested active media session.
US07934232B1
The present invention provides a method and system for accessing services in a television system. In one implementation, a DHCT presents a user a menu containing a plurality of selectable link representations corresponding to separate services or applications offered by the cable television system. The user navigates the menu with a remote device and selects a desired service by choosing the selectable link representation corresponding to the desired service or application. The DHCT receives the user input, translates the selectable link command into an executable call, and activates the service or application corresponding to the selected link representation from the menu chosen by the user.
US07934228B2
An apparatus for generating an output signal includes a receiving system 160 generating a plurality of signals having a first format, an insertion module 166 inserting a source identifier into the plurality of signals, an encoder 182 encoding the plurality of signals into a plurality of transport streams and a multiplexer 210. A local area network 130 routes the plurality of transport streams to the multiplexer 210 to form a combined signal. A processing system 200 compares the source identifier to an expected source. When the source identifier corresponds to the expected source, the processing system 200 modulates the combined signal to form a modulated signal. When the source identifier does not correspond to the expected source, the processing system 200 changes the combined signal. A modulator 214 modulates the combined signal to form a modulated signal. A system 202 forms the output signal from the modulated signal.
US07934197B2
A central software development system comprises a code processor and a code authenticator. The code processor converts modified free source code received by the system to program code such as executable code or bytecode. The code authenticator selectively signs the program code using an encryption key associated with one or more devices for which the program code is designed, e.g., a computer or mobile phone. The central system may also include a code scanner. The code scanner verifies the modified free source code, e.g., by scanning the modified free source code or intermediate code generated by the code processor for impermissible code patterns. The code authenticator signs the program code if the modified free source code is verified. The impermissible code patterns may correspond to at least one of proprietary, malicious or virulent code sequences.
US07934196B2
A software component, which enables a computer to execute processing, is delivered from a management department and includes at least one software module executable by the computer; a first software subcomponent configured to transmit a component identifying information for identifying the software component, to a software component managing server when the software module is executed; and a second software subcomponent configured to transmit a device identifying information for identifying the computer on which the software component is executed, to the software component managing server when the software module is executed.
US07934178B2
A method of a layout a semiconductor circuit has obtaining transistor characteristic information on the basis of layout information about regions formed with transistors, obtaining a polynomial expression representing a relationship between characteristic values of a circuit including of the transistors and the transistor characteristic information, calculating a plurality of characteristic values corresponding to plural sets of transistor characteristic information by use of the polynomial expression, selecting part of the plurality of characteristic values on the basis of a restriction about the characteristic values, the layout information or the transistor characteristic information; and obtaining the transistor characteristic information or the layout information corresponding to the selected characteristic values.
US07934174B2
One embodiment provides a system for using a database to quickly identify a manufacturing problem area in a layout. During operation, the system receives a first check-figure which identifies a first area in a first layout, wherein the first area is associated with a first feature. Next, the system determines a first sample using the first check-figure, wherein the first sample represents the first layout's geometry within a first ambit of the first check-figure, wherein the first sample's geometry is expected to affect the shape of the first feature. The system then performs a model-based simulation using the first sample to obtain a first simulation-result which indicates whether the first feature is expected to have manufacturing problems. Next, the system stores the first simulation-result in a database which is used to quickly determine whether a second feature is expected to have manufacturing problems.
US07934165B2
The invention relates to a drag-and-drop workflow editor associated with a multifunction peripheral (MFP). In one embodiment, a drag-and-drop workflow allows a user to define multiple source, transformation, and destination processes in a graphical, drag-and-drop workflow editor. In some embodiments, the source processes may be dynamic processes that are executed at different times.
US07934161B1
Techniques are described for displaying a representation of a list of electronic search results while a user is reviewing content linked to by electronic search results included in the list. While the user is reviewing the search results, the user may jump between content linked to by different search results using the representation of the list of electronic search results displayed. The displayed representation of the list of search results may be updated based on the user's browsing activities in reviewing the search results, user input manipulating the list of search results, and supplemental information added to the list of search results by the user.
US07934158B2
There is disclosed a method and system for generating documentation for a graphical user interface (GUI) usage scenario. There is also disclosed a method and system for assembling a GUI script from a plurality of pre-scripted parts. In an embodiment, shadow objects are created to listen to and report activities of each GUI object of interest during a GUI usage session. The shadow objects may listen to shadowed GUI object activities during playback of the GUI script, or during a live GUI usage session. GUI object activities reported by the shadow objects are identified and converted into narrative language statements, using a pre-determined conversion list, to create human-readable documentation.
US07934155B2
A method is used to reduce a size of an electronic collection of media elements (41, 43, 45). The method includes the steps of assigning a weight to each media element (41, 43, 45) in the collection and reducing size of the media elements (41, 43, 45) in dependency of a desired overall collection size reduction and the weight assigned to each media element (41, 43, 45). An electronic device includes logic circuitry operative to perform the method of the invention.
US07934151B1
Specification of tables containing objects is disclosed. In some embodiments, a table object contains one or more row objects as well as one or more objects with arbitrary (i.e. non-row) formatting. Common row and/or column formatting may be inferred and applied to objects associated with rows but not to objects associated with arbitrary formatting.
US07934147B2
An iterative low-density parity-check (LDPC) decoding system comprises a first shift register for storing bit estimates, a plurality of parity-check processing node banks configured for processing the bit estimates for generating messages, combiners configured for combining the messages with the bit estimates for generating updated bit estimates, and fixed permuters for permuting the updated bit estimates to facilitate storage and access of the bit estimates. A second shift register is provided for storing the messages, and a subtraction module subtracts messages generated a predetermined number of cycles earlier from the updated bit estimates.
US07934145B2
A digital television transmitting system includes a pre-processor, a packet generator, an RS encoder, and a trellis encoder. The pre-processor pre-processes enhanced data by coding the enhanced data for first forward error correction (FEC) and expanding the FEC-coded enhanced data. The packet generator generates first and second enhanced data packets including the pre-processed enhanced data and main data packets and multiplexes the enhanced and main data packets. The first enhanced data packet includes an adaptation field including the pre-processed enhanced data and second enhanced data packet includes a payload region including the pre-processed enhanced data. The RS encoder performs RS encoding on the multiplexed data packets for second forward error correction (FEC), and the trellis encoder performs trellis encoding on the RS-coded data packets.
US07934130B2
An invention is provided for managing non-volatile memory having a plurality of memory blocks and a plurality of error values associated with the memory blocks. The method includes recording an error value indicating a number of errors occurring in a memory block during an operation accessing the memory block. The error values can then be aggregated to calculate an overall health of the memory, or used individually, for example, by selecting a memory block for a memory operation based on the associated error value. In general, the error value is updated when the most recent number of errors occurring in the memory block during an operation accessing the memory block is greater than a current recorded value.
US07934122B2
Method, system and computer program product embodiments for, in an input/output (I/O) link handling complex instruction chains, a messaging scheme incorporating a method of error recovery between an initiator processor and a receiver processor, are provided. An operation initiation message is been sent from the initiator processor to the receiver processor for the receiver processor to begin work on an operation. If determined to be necessary, a terminate operation message is sent from the initiator processor to the receiver processor. The initiator processor withholds sending additional messages for the operation until a terminate operation response message is received. Once the terminate operation message is received, outstanding messages in process are flushed from the receiver processor. The receiver processor withholds sending additional messages to the initiator processor as the outstanding messages are completed. The terminate operation response message is sent from the receiver processor to the initiator processor.
US07934112B2
A technique for rate verification of an incoming serial alignment sequence includes receiving an incoming serial stream. A determination is then made as to whether an align sequence is recognized in the incoming serial stream. When an align sequence is recognized, a check is made to determine if an appropriate number of align primitives are received during a predetermined number of clock periods. If the number of received align primitives matches the predetermined number, then a rate-verified align detect signal is asserted.
US07934111B2
An information processing apparatus transitions from an active state, in which processing according to an application program is executed, to a paused state due to a predetermined trigger, and transitions from the paused state to the active state due to another trigger different from the predetermined trigger, and includes: a usage rate calculating section calculating a usage rate of a main memory, when transition is made from the active state to the paused state; a paused state selecting section selecting a paused state to which transition is to be made from among a plurality of kinds of the paused state, on the basis of a usage rate of the main memory calculated by the usage rate calculating section; and a paused state transition section transitioning itself to a paused state selected by the paused state selecting section.
US07934101B2
Techniques are disclosed for dynamically mitigating a noncompliant password. The techniques include obtaining a password from a user when the user attempts to access a service; determining whether the password meets quality criteria; and if the password does not meet the quality criteria, performing one or more responsive actions that relate to accessing the service.
US07934095B2
A method for exchanging messages containing reliable information between nodes in an ad hoc network, such as a vehicle ad hoc network. The method includes the steps of providing a public key for a PKI encrypted certificate authority signature to all nodes known to transmit reliable information. Each node transmits a signal containing node identification information and the PKI encrypted certificate authority signature associated with that node. Each node also receives like signals from other nodes and then decrypts the certificate authority signatures from the received signals by using the certificate authority public key to ascertain the authenticity of the received certificate authority signatures and the reliability of the received message. Thereafter, the nodes receive and accept messages with a TESLA encrypted signature only with nodes identified to have authentic certificate authority signatures until the occurrence of a subsequent predefined event, such as a new node in the network or the elapse of a predetermined time period.
US07934094B2
For establishing a MIPv6 security association between the mobile node (10) roaming in a foreign network (20) and a home agent (36) and for simplifying MIPv6-related configuration, MIPv6-related information is transferred in an end-to-end procedure over an AAA infrastructure by means of an, preferably extended, authentication protocol. A preferred embodiment uses EAP as basis for the extended authentication protocol, creating EAP extensions by incorporating the MIPv6-related information as additional data in the EAP protocol stack, for example as EAP attributes in the EAP method layer of the EAP protocol stack or transferred in a generic container attribute on the EAP layer or the EAP method layer. A major advantage of the proposed MIPv6 authentication/authorization mechanism lies in the fact that it is transparent to the visited domain (20), allowing AAA client (22) and AAAv (24) to act as mere pass-through agents during the procedure.
US07934091B2
A technique for establishing a perimeter of accountability for usage of digital assets such as data files. The accountability model not only tracks authorized users' access to files, but monitors passage of such files to uncontrollable removable storage media or through network connections and the like which may indicate possible abuse of access. In accordance with a preferred embodiment, an autonomous independent agent process running at a point of use, such as in the background of a client operating system kernel, interrupts requests for access to resources. The agent process senses low level system events, filters, aggregates them, and makes reports to a journaling server. The journaling server analyzes sequences of low level events to detect when aggregate events of interest occur, such as “FileEdit”, network file transfers and the like. Reports can be generated to provide an understanding of how digital assets have been accessed, used or communicated by individuals in an enterprise.
US07934088B2
The method of secure communication between the endpoints is used for the secret communication between endpoints locating in different gatekeeper management area, and the method includes: in the process of the caller endpoint calling the callee endpoint, the home gatekeeper of the callee endpoint generates the share secret key between the caller endpoint and the callee endpoint; the secure communication process is performed between the caller endpoint and the callee endpoint according to the share secret key. According to the secure communication method between the endpoints, the invention makes that secret communication mechanism between the endpoints locating the different gatekeeper management area has better expansibility and higher efficiency.
US07934071B2
A capacity management method of managing a capacity of a storage unit of each storage in a computer system having a plurality of storage devices each having one or more storage units each providing one or more storage areas. The method includes the steps of: detecting a storage area relation between a first storage area and a second storage area; and calculating an estimated capacity necessary for the storage unit in accordance with a detection result.
US07934064B1
A system, method and computer program product for consolidation of incremental backups, wherein each incremental backup includes data and a backup map with links that point to data of current and/or previous backups, including selecting a plurality of incremental backups to be consolidated; combining the links in the backup maps of the selected backups into a single set of links; consolidating the selected backups to a new backup that contains the latest data from the selected backups, the latest data determined based on the links in the single set; updating the links in the single set to point to the data in the new backup; and storing the updated links in the new backup as part of a backup map of the new backup. The selected backups comprise one initial full backup and at least one incremental backup. In the combining step, the addresses from the backup maps of first backup of the selected sequence of backups up to the last created backup is checked. The selected incremental backups are organized into a tree.
US07934060B1
A lightweight coherency control protocol ensures consistency of data containers, such as a file, and associated data buffers stored on one or more volumes served by a plurality of nodes, e.g., storage systems, connected as a cluster. Each data buffer is associated with a current cache sequence number comprising a load generation value and an update count value. The load generation value is incremented every time an inode of a file is loaded into a memory of the storage system. Once the inode is loaded and its load generation value is set, then the appropriate buffer of a buffer tree for the file is loaded into the memory. The update count value is incremented each time the buffer is updated with a write request/operation. Therefore, each buffer loaded into memory is tagged with the load generation value and an update count from the time that buffer is loaded.
US07934058B2
A predictive model is used to populate a cache in a videogame system. The predictive model takes as an input a sequence of file sections that have been requested for the associated videogame thus far. The predictive model then returns the names or indicators of one or more file sections that will likely be requested in the future along with a probability that those file sections will be requested. A cache driver executing in the background of the videogame system may then use the predictive model to reduced load times during the execution of a videogame by retrieving the predicted file sections from the optical disk and placing them in a cache during periods of low CPU activity.
US07934057B1
Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems and method for providing predictable timing for read operations in a multiport memory device. Accordingly, an embodiment is directed to a multiport memory system, comprising a single port memory core synchronized to a first clock, multiple access ports synchronized to at least a second clock, and a multiplexer logic coupled to the core memory and the plurality of access ports. The multiplexer logic arbitrates access to the memory core between multiple access ports. Each access ports includes an uncertainty detect logic that measures data path latency, and an uncertainty adjust logic that operates to selectively add data path delay to increase the measured path latency to a predictable value.
US07934053B2
A flash memory storage device for boosting efficiency in accessing flash memory is disclosed. The flash memory storage device provides a Multi-level cell (MLC) flash memory for storing data, a single-level cell (SLC) flash memory for storing data, and a control unit for determining whether to store a file into the MLC NAND flash memory or a SLC NAND flash memory based on the file's data characteristics.
US07934048B2
In various embodiments, apparatus and systems, as well as methods, may include an enhanced register to provide actuator signals to a memory array, the enhanced register including a first memory device including an first enable input, a first data input coupled to a register data input, and first memory device output, the first memory device output to couple to the memory array, and the enhances register to include a second memory device including a second enable input, a second data input coupled to the register data input, and a second memory device output, wherein the second memory device output provides a first output signal indicating when one or more of the actuator signals from the first memory device output are to be coupled to the register data input.
US07934046B2
Cross-bar segment routing and access table address remapping functions are combined within a cross-bar of a system-on-a-chip. In this manner, address remapping may occur prior to segment routing. One or more access table caching registers may be included for each master port. The caching registers may allow for a rapid lookup of one or more access table entries associated with each master, as well as allow for the simultaneous lookup by multiple masters without adding ports to the access table. A segment identifier may be stored in the caching registers to indicate how to route a matching request to the appropriate slave segment.
US07934043B2
A data processing apparatus contains a first bus connected to a first memory, a first central processing unit (CPU) being accessible to the first memory via the first bus, a first Direct Memory Access (DMA) controller being accessible to the first memory via the first bus, and a monitor circuit connected to the first bus and monitoring addresses transferred on the first bus. The addresses transferred on the first bus are transmitted from the first DMA controller to the first memory via the first bus. The monitor circuit compares the address transferred on the first bus with a preset monitor target address. The CPU acquires the comparison results by the monitor circuit. If the comparison results show an address match, then the CPU accesses the first memory. The CPU can in this way access the first memory at a correct timing.
US07934038B1
A media access system in an integrated circuit device having programmable resources for interfacing to a network. The media access system has at least one embedded media access controller configured to provide access to and from the network via a physical layer interface, programmable resources coupled to the embedded controller via a client interface, tie-off pin inputs coupled to the embedded controller for receiving a configuration vector for configuring the embedded controller without having to use a microprocessor for such configuration with the client interface being for communication between the embedded controller and the programmable resources for access to and from the network, and the embedded controller including a multi-mode interface coupled to the client interface for coupling to the programmable resources, the multi-mode interface including a plurality of Media Independent Interface modes, the multi-mode interface configured to be coupled to the physical layer interface.
US07934037B2
Systems and methods for communicating using various protocols through the Secured Digital (SD) physical interface are disclosed. The invention covers, among others, single-mode and multi-mode hosts, single-mode and multi-mode devices, as well as techniques for initializing these hosts and devices in order to facilitate the aforementioned communication.
US07934036B2
An electronic interrupt circuit includes an interrupt-related input line, a security-related status input line, a context-related status input line, and a conversion circuit having plural interrupt-related output lines and selectively operable in response to an interrupt-related signal on said interrupt-related input line depending on an active or inactive status of each of said security-related status input line and said context-related status input line.
US07934023B2
A method and apparatus to improve the performance of a SCSI write over a high latency network. The apparatus includes a first Switch close to the initiator in a first SAN and a second Switch close to the target in a second SAN. In various embodiments, the two Switches are border switches connecting their respective SANs to a relatively high latency network between the two SANs. In addition, the initiator can be either directly connected or indirectly connected to the first Switch in the first SAN. The target can also be either directly or indirectly connected to the second Switch in the second SAN. During operation, the method includes the first Switch sending Transfer Ready (Xfr_rdy) frame(s) based on buffer availability to the initiating Host in response to a SCSI Write command from the Host directed to the target. The first and second Switches then coordinate with one another by sending Transfer Ready commands to each other independent of the target's knowledge. The second switch buffers the data received from the Host until the target indicates it is ready to receive the data. Since the Switches send frames to the initiating Host independent of the target, the Switches manipulate the OX_ID and RX_ID fields in the Fiber Channel header of the various commands associated with the SCSI Write. The OX_ID and RX_ID fields are manipulated so as to trap the commands and so that the Switches can keep track of the various commands associated with the SCSI write.
US07934018B1
An agent in a storage area network stores a first identifier (e.g., a checksum value) for first zone configuration data previously used to configure a zone in the storage area network. The agent derives the first identifier from contents of the first zone configuration data. Further, the agent retrieves second zone configuration data presently used to configure the zone in the storage area network. The second zone configuration data is potentially different than the first zone configuration data. Based on contents of the second zone configuration data, the agent then produces a second identifier for the second zone configuration data. The agent then compares the first identifier and the second identifier to identify whether the first zone configuration data is different than the second zone configuration data. A user can control behavior of zoning importation and activation depending whether current zone configuration data has been changed.
US07934008B2
The invention relates to encoding and decoding descriptions of multimedia content in two formats using access units. The invention further relates to dynamically updating multimedia description using access units and to supporting the delivery of distributed multimedia descriptions.
US07934004B2
A control and bearer separating system for the multi-service access includes: at least one access node for receiving the message of the user, separating the control flow and the service flow of the message, transmitting the control flow to the controller, and transmitting the service flow to the corresponding edge node, based on the control of the controller; the controller for processing the control flow to control the access node to transmit the service flow to the corresponding edge node, and control the corresponding edge node to process the service flow; and at least one edge node for transmitting the received service flow to the corresponding service provider node, based on the control of the controller. Furthermore, there is a method for connecting the user to the networking using the above control and bearer separating system, and a control and bearer separating method.
US07933997B2
There is provided a communication apparatus including: a transmission unit which transmits data to an opposite communication apparatus; a physical band measurement unit which measures a physical band against the opposite communication apparatus; and a rate control unit which controls a transmission rate of the transmission unit within a range of the physical band when a previous transmission rate of the transmission unit is below a value of subtracting a predetermined value from the physical band and within a range of exceeding the physical band when the previous transmission rate is beyond the value of subtracting the predetermined value from the physical band.
US07933992B2
A device management system includes a network device and an information processing apparatus. The network device generates request information including the information used to identify the user, and requests to issue access control information including access restriction information indicating whether or not each of the functions of the network device can be used. The information processing apparatus generates access control information which associates the access restriction information with the user information. The network device further controls the use of the respective functions with respect to the operation input in accordance with the access restriction information included in the generated access control information.
US07933991B2
A computer-implemented method, apparatus, and computer-usable program code for preserving file locks while moving a software partition from an origination network file system client data processing system to a destination network file system client data processing system is provided. A request for a file is received. A determination is made as to whether the request is for a file that is within a software partition. Responsive to a determination that the request is for a file within a software partition, a determination is made as to whether the request is a lock request. Responsive to a determination that the request is a lock request, a determination is made as to whether the software partition is being restarted. Responsive to a determination that the software partition is being restarted, the lock request is blocked from being sent to a remote network file system server.
US07933990B2
A plurality of computer nodes communicate using seemingly random Internet Protocol source and destination addresses. Data packets matching criteria defined by a moving window of valid addresses are accepted for further processing, while those that do not meet the criteria are quickly rejected. Improvements to the basic design include (1) a load balancer that distributes packets across different transmission paths according to transmission path quality; (2) a DNS proxy server that transparently creates a virtual private network in response to a domain name inquiry; (3) a large-to-small link bandwidth management feature that prevents denial-of-service attacks at system chokepoints; (4) a traffic limiter that regulates incoming packets by limiting the rate at which a transmitter can be synchronized with a receiver; and (5) a signaling synchronizer that allows a large number of nodes to communicate with a central node by partitioning the communication function between two separate entities.
US07933984B1
A system detects spamming. The system identifies normal users visiting a web site and determines an occurrence of spamming on the web site based at least in part on the identified normal users.
US07933983B2
A system and method analyzes resource usage within a utility data center (UDC) and recommends options to maximize efficient usage of these resources. Information is gathered about the current resources allocated to control planes within the UDC, including resource loads and threshold limits within each plane. Criteria used to analyze efficiency includes customer size and prioritization within the UDC, as well as, historical and trending information, and peak resource usage.
US07933981B1
A process to increase the readability of topology diagrams and to simultaneously show multiple relationships for a large number of elements or nodes in a network. Redundant relationships or connections between nodes are systematically hidden but in such a way that the removed relationships or connections can be inferred from the remaining relationships in the diagram. As a result, diagram elements or nodes are positioned closer to respective related elements and overlapping relationship lines, or connections, in the diagram are greatly reduced.
US07933978B2
The present invention provides a method, device and system for implementing a VPN configuration service. According to the invention, a VPN configuration request message is received at a network side and a verification is performed on the VPN configuration request message with a directory service table; and the directory service table is updated after the verification is passed; and, thus, a VPN configuration is implemented. Thus, the efficiency of the VPN service is improved. Through configuring the VPN policy information, the VPN connection request of the user is limited within a closed user group and a corresponding control is performed on the VPN connection request of the user. Thus, a flexible management mode is achieved.
US07933974B2
Various embodiments enable a user of a mobile media device to select one or more channels to load onto the device. Each channel comprises a collection of media content files, such as video content, audio content, and so on. Each collection of media content files can be associated with a particular genre (or genres) of media content. A channel can be managed such that its collection of media content can be rearranged, augmented, and/or otherwise edited to produce a refreshed version of the channel. The refreshed version of the channel can be provided to the mobile media device for playback. Thus, a channel associated with a particular genre of media content can provide a user with a dynamic user experience without requiring the user to manipulate specific media content files.
US07933972B1
A method for organizing categories of digital content in a peer-to-peer computer network includes automatically collecting tag metadata when a user creates a tag for digital content stored in a peer computer system. Once the tag is created and the tag metadata is collected, both the tag and the tag metadata are stored in a server that is accessible to each of the peer computer systems. Here, the tag is automatically classified by its tag metadata such that the digital content can be accessed based on its tag metadata.
US07933967B2
A method and system in accordance with the present invention provides a microprocessor on each blade server for providing interfaces at the plurality of blade servers for simultaneous connection with a local or remote drive. The microprocessor can also configure the blade server to simultaneously connect with a plurality of local and/or remote drives. The microprocessor routes data packets between a management system and its respective blade server, while a management module in the management system manages the simultaneous access of the drive(s) by the plurality of blade servers or the plurality of drives by a blade server. This increases the efficiency of the system.
US07933965B2
Systems, software, and methods for reliable wireless communication are provided. In one aspect, a computer program control device, called a node, is configured to be transmitted from a first device for receipt and processing on a second, disparate device. The node comprises a collection of managed objects or managed object representations that is effective to control said disparate device. In one exemplary illustrative non-limiting implementation, the node is configured to control the processing of multiple data types.
US07933963B2
A reception notification control method is provided in which an information server that stores information addressed to reception terminals and performs reception notification, via a network apparatus, on each of the reception terminals to which the information stored in the information server is addressed. After receiving, via the network apparatus, a predetermined connection request from a reception terminal to which stored information is addressed, the information server performs the reception notification on the reception terminal.
US07933960B2
A system and method for identifying an unknown word's likely definition based upon a common social networking group is presented. A user receives a message and selects an unknown word in the message. In turn, the recipient client identifies a common social networking group between the sending client and the recipient client. The recipient client then uses the common social networking group to identify the unknown word's definitions using one or more unknown word repositories, such as the sending client unknown word repository, the recipient client unknown word repository, or a mutual client unknown word repository, which corresponds to a mutual client included in the common social networking group. Once the recipient client identifies the unknown word's definitions, the recipient client orders and displays the definitions based upon the common social networking group and social networking group frequency values.
US07933956B2
The present invention relates to a system and method to allow multiple users to collaborate on tasks and interact in a shared space session within a network in real-time; using a media application to manage media-layers. Each media-layer serves as a container for multimedia programs or plug-ins. The invention allows which media-layer to display via organization metaphors and filtering criteria. When multiple users are logged into the same shared space, each user can invoke and observe modifications to media-layers with the browser based or client based application. All events are synchronized among all users in that shared space, where the system is a communication conduit. The media-layers in the shared space maintains spatial and temporal correlation by a media application stage manager tool and described as a collection file descriptor such as an XML file. The ability to invoke events that affect media-layers can be supported in a synched or non synched mode on demand.
US07933954B2
Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for conducting a peer to peer conference amongst remote participants. Prior to the conference, a library of digital objects is communicated to an upstream participant communications device and is further communicated from the upstream participant communications device to a downstream participant communications device. During the conference, a synchronization command is communicated from a host communications device to the upstream participant communications device, and then, communicated from the upstream participant communications device to the downstream participant communications device. The synchronization command instructs the upstream participant communications device as well as the connected downstream participant communications device to present an object from the library of digital objects. A synchronization acknowledgment is then communicated from the downstream participant communications device to the upstream communications device, and the upstream participant communications device communicates the synchronization acknowledgement to the host communications device. The synchronization acknowledgment confirms a successful presentation of the object on the upstream participant communications device and on the downstream participant communications device.
US07933953B2
Disclosed herein is a dual processing system capable of ensuring real-time processing in a protocol conformance test. A protocol testing device performs a test on a layer under protocol test provided in a device under test. A communication device processes the protocol of a layer below the layer under protocol test between the device under test and the protocol testing device. The communication device processes a protocol test message, requiring real-time processing, instead of the protocol testing device, and transmits processing results for the protocol test message to the protocol testing device. The protocol testing device processes a protocol test message, not requiring real-time processing, and determines the conformance of the layer under protocol test provided in the device under test based on the processing results for the protocol test message.
US07933930B1
A merge application creates a particular set of documents for a particular matter. The merge application receives a selection of a particular master template corresponding to the particular set of documents, where the selected master template specifies a plurality of slave templates, and also receives a selection of a data structure from a database with data relating to the particular matter. The selected master template and the selected data structure are employed to produce the set of documents for the particular matter in an electronic form, where a corresponding document of the set is produced for each specified slave template in the selected master template. Each corresponding document is produced according to common content in the slave template and data in the selected data structure in the database referred to by placeholders in the slave template.
US07933925B2
A system and method for program access control includes, for a typestate, providing typestate properties and assigning a role to the typestate in a program in accordance with the typestate properties. Access to operations is limited for the typestate in the program based on the role assigned to the typestate and an access permission level.
US07933923B2
A method for automatic reconciliation of database change requests associates administrative database commands with the change request via a context event command. A database monitoring system identifies a context event command that indicates that a particular context, or session, is beginning. The context event command is a tag command, and includes parameters specifying a context label indicative of a change request. Prior to entering a particular change request, the DBA issues the context event command with the context label as a parameter. The context label is an identifier of the change request to be associated with the set of operations, or commands, resulting from the particular change request. The database monitoring system logs and associates subsequently received commands with the context label in a database access log which is employed for later reconciliation of the operations with the corresponding change request.
US07933918B2
The present invention relates to a content hook-up apparatus and method. In particular, the present invention relates to a content hook-up apparatus that searches and downloads various formats of content corresponding to a search list input from a user, performs format conversion on the downloaded content so as to be playable on a predetermined display apparatus, and provides the content subjected to the format conversion to the display apparatus, which can play the content in a streaming manner. The content hook-up apparatus searches and downloads the content at a predetermined interval according to the user's setting and maintains a reserve space for storing the downloaded content.
US07933915B2
A method for analyzing, querying, and mining graph databases using subgraph and similarity querying. An index structure, known as a closure tree, is defined for topological summarization of a set of graphs. In addition, a significance model is created in which the graphs are transformed into histograms of primitive components. Finally, connected substructures or clusters, comprising paths or trees, are detected in networks found in the graph databases using a random walk technique and a repeated random walk technique.
US07933914B2
A task system and method are provided. The system provides an automated approach for task creation, maintenance and/or execution. The system includes a browser that receives search results and at least one task associated with a query from a search engine. The system further includes a browser helper object that binds to the browser at runtime. The browser helper object provides information associated with a user's action with respect to the search results and/or at least one task. The information can be employed as feedback to update model(s) (e.g., query classification model(s) and/or slot-filling model(s)) of a semantic reasoning component that retrieves task based, at least in part, upon user query(ies).
US07933911B2
A medium storing a document retrieval program, a document retrieval apparatus and a document retrieval method that can retrieve a classification code of an appropriate grain size are provided. A medium computer-readably storing a document retrieval program causes a computer to execute a process comprising an acquisition step that acquires the first key information, or the key for retrieving a document, a first retrieval step that causes documents containing the first key information to be retrieved from a predetermined range in the database, a first extraction step that extracts the first classification codes from the documents retrieved by the first retrieval step as candidate classification codes, the first classification code being related to the documents, a second retrieval step that causes documents containing candidate classification codes to be retrieved from the predetermined range, a second extraction step that extracts the second key information contained in the documents retrieved by the second retrieval step, the second key information being of the type same as the first key information and an evaluation step that evaluates the candidate classification codes on the basis of comparison of the first key information and the second key information.
US07933908B1
A computer-implemented method for a computing environment employing a matrix-based mathematical programming language includes: generating a heterogeneous dataset in the computing environment, where the heterogeneous dataset embodies a plurality of variables for a plurality of subjects, where each element of a respective variable has a same data type, where the variables comprise at least two data types; accessing contents of the heterogeneous dataset with a single command in the computing environment, where the single command is a brace command, a dot command, or a parentheses command; and providing in the computing environment a portion of the heterogeneous dataset based on the single command.
US07933907B2
A method of selecting a set of questions to display comprises receiving a request from a user to access a frequently asked questions (FAQ) page. Account data for the user is retrieved. A set of questions is selected to display to the user based on the account data. This permits a set of questions to be automatically selected based on user account data.
US07933905B2
An input data enlarging unit (100) derives a first enlargement unit output and a second enlargement unit output that are uniquely specified by input data (103) to output the same. The first enlargement unit output and the second enlargement unit output are elements of output data set B which forms a group. An ε−Δ hash function calculation unit (101) receives as input the first enlargement unit output to calculate an hΔ function which is specified by hash-function-specifying data (104) and an element of the HΔ function set. The function set HΔ is such that the number of hεH Δ which satisfies h(x)−h(y)=d for an arbitrary element d of the output data set B and two different elements x and y of the output data set B is equal to or smaller than |HΔ|·ε. An adding unit (102) adds together the result of calculation of the function HΔ and the second enlargement unit output to output a result of the addition.
US07933904B2
The main purpose of the software, system and method of this invention is to help produce better searches for people utilizing their context as represented by a vector. The system allows for files (including websites) to be tagged with a vector. If a provider wants a searcher to find that provider's files, the file must be tagged with the vector that is sufficiently close to the searcher's corresponding vectors. A search user inputs not only a text search but also the vectors that have been created to show the context and preferences of that search user.
US07933902B2
A data repair method and system. The method includes enabling by a computing system for a user, access to the computing system. The computing system comprises a database. The computing system retrieves from the database, first data associated with the user. The computing system generates a first data object from the first data. The computing system analyzes the first data object. The computing system determines that the first data object comprises an invalid data value. The computing system determines a first data value comprising a valid data value. The computing system retrieves the first data value from the database. The computing system replaces the invalid data value with said first data value. The computing system generates from the first data object, a first updated data object comprising the first data value. The computing system stores the first updated data object.
US07933901B2
One or more databases may be created through an array of onomastic convolutions performed on lists of names. The creation of one or more databases may result in an array correlating individual onomastic elements and normalized probabilities that the onomastic elements belong to various categorizations. A software program preferably determines all possible onomastic elements within a selected name that may be useful in determining a selected name's categorization. The software program preferably takes the onomastic elements from the selected name and compares the onomastic elements to the one or more databases. The software program preferably executes the one or more algorithms and selects categorizations with the highest probability of matching the onomastic elements. The results of the matching process preferably are displayed to the user in one or more formats depending upon the user's preferences.
US07933898B2
A keyword advertising service method for providing search information in response to a search request, the method includes the steps of: maintaining a search information database for storing at least one search information record; receiving a search request packet including a keyword inputted in a partner site selected by a user and a site identifier for identifying the partner site, from the partner site; extracting, in response to the search request packet, at least one search information record including a keyword corresponding to the keyword included in the search request packet, from the search information database, by using the bidding participation fee; rolling the extracted search information records independently from the bidding participation fee to be displayed on a result list field and providing the result list field to the partner site in response to the search request; and charging an advertiser corresponding to the search information record, in the case the user clicks the search information record in the search result field.
US07933896B2
A computer identifies a document in response to a search request from a user, wherein the document includes content data and metadata and the search request includes one or more search keywords. The computer generates a hierarchical semantic model of the content data of the document by applying heuristics to the metadata of the document. The computer identifies a chunk within the document by scanning the hierarchical semantic model, wherein the identified chunk includes a subset of the content data that satisfies the search keywords and the corresponding metadata. The computer returns the identified chunk to the requesting user.
US07933895B2
The invention relates to coupon information (e.g., actual coupons, links to coupon, and information related to one or more coupons) that may be selectively displayed based on an association with search terms for an internet-based search. If a user, for instance, submits a search request to an internet-based search engine, the search engine may process the request and provide the search results, but, in addition, a coupon engine may perform a separate search to determine the availability of coupons relating to the search (e.g., based on one or more search terms, one or more of the search results, or other criteria). Available coupons (or coupon information) may then be displayed with, or separately from, the general internet search results.
US07933892B2
A query processing apparatus and method automatically generating a query window for an end user. The apparatus and method includes acquiring virtual schema information about tagged document data, automatically generating a query window on the basis of the virtual schema information, specifying an increase or a decrease in a number of repetitions of condition input fields for a repetitive item on the query window, copying content of the condition input fields in a certain repetition to the condition input fields in a newly-added repetition when an increase in the number of repetitions is specified, specifying a joining condition between conditions in each of the repetitions; and generating query code from information input in the query window and transmitting the query code to the query processing apparatus.
US07933888B2
A system, apparatus, method, and computer-readable media are provided for efficient database lookup operations. According to method, procedural checks for generating a response to a database query are converted into a set of database operations. The database operations are performed the first time a query of the database is received to generate a set of possible results for the query. The set of possible results for the query are then stored. A specific answer to the query is generated from the set of possible results. Future database queries are responded to by generating an answer to the query from the stored set of possible results.
US07933886B2
The user requesting the search is enabled to analyze the list of excessive hits in a manner organized through a Web content manager on the user's display screen, and reduce the excessive hits through the elimination of extraneous domains or subdomains captured by the search.An implementation for reducing an excessive number of hits in a search result received at one of the receiving display stations on the Web comprising conventional means for displaying at said receiving display station, Web documents received from sources on the Web, and means for conducting keyword searches on the Web. There are means associated with the receiving display stations for displaying the number of Web documents hit by said keyword searches, together with means, responsive to an excessive number of Web document hits, for enabling a user to display a hierarchical level of the domains of the Web documents hit by said searches with a count of the number of hits for each domain, and means enabling the user to interactively eliminate selected domains to thereby reduce the excess number of hits in said search.
US07933882B2
A method for implementing a set of database management components in a distributed database management system, the distributed database management system being implemented on a computer cluster. The method includes managing resources associated with an associated computer, the associated computer being one of a plurality of computers in the computer cluster. The method also includes managing locks on data stored on a plurality of associated data nodes coupled to the associated computer, wherein the associated data nodes are data nodes of a plurality of data nodes in the computer cluster. The method also includes specifying logical connections for the plurality of associated data nodes.
US07933875B2
A distributed file system is disclosed which may include one or more input/output (I/O) nodes and one or more compute nodes. The I/O nodes and the compute nodes may be communicably coupled through an interconnect. Each compute node may include applications to perform specific functions and perform I/O functions through libraries and file system call handlers. The file system call handlers may be capable of providing application programming interfaces (APIs) to facilitate communication between the plurality of I/O nodes and the applications. The file system call handlers may use a message port system to communicate with other compute nodes.
US07933872B2
An automated physical database backup, refresh and cloning system and method automatically generates scripts or commands for implementing one or more tasks related to physical database backup and/or database and application refresh or cloning operations between a source environment and a target environment. The scripts or commands make use of parameters describing the source and target environments, at least some of which are gathered prior to initiating backup and cloning. The tasks are performed during one or more backup, refresh and cloning phases. In some embodiments, scripts are automatically regenerated and executed after a failure associated with the source or target environment.
US07933864B1
Creation, association, and/or placement of search forums for searches strings enable users to discuss aspects of both searches and elements associated with the searches, and further enable the users to view discussions from other users. The search forum may be generated from variations of the search string. In addition or alternatively, search strings may be associated with existing item forums, category forums, and tag forums. Search forums may be placed with, for example, search results or with items, categories, and/or tags, among other possibilities, to provide user access to the search forums.
US07933860B2
The system receives an electronic communication, reviews the electronic communication to determine content of the electronic communication, applies rules to the content to determine a category associated with the electronic communication, wherein the rules relate to at least one of federal law, federal government regulations, state law, state government regulations, industry standards and administrative policies; and, stores the electronic communication based on the category.
US07933859B1
Systems and methods for analyzing documents are provided herein. A plurality of documents and user input are received via a computing device. The user input includes hard coding of a subset of the plurality of documents, based on an identified subject or category. Instructions stored in memory are executed by a processor to generate an initial control set, analyze the initial control set to determine at least one seed set parameter, automatically code a first portion of the plurality of documents based on the initial control set and the seed set parameter associated with the identified subject or category, analyze the first portion of the plurality of documents by applying an adaptive identification cycle, and retrieve a second portion of the plurality of documents based on a result of the application of the adaptive identification cycle test on the first portion of the plurality of documents.
US07933856B2
A knowledge-based system and methods to matchmaking and social network extension are disclosed. The system is configured to allow users to specify knowledge profiles, which are collections of concepts that indicate a certain topic or area of interest selected from an. The system utilizes the knowledge model as the semantic space within which to compare similarities in user interests. The knowledge model is hierarchical so that indications of interest in specific concepts automatically imply interest in more general concept. Similarity measures between profiles may then be calculated based on suitable distance formulas within this space.
US07933849B2
System and method for managing a biofuel production process. An integrated dynamic multivariate predictive model is provided that includes a continuous process model representing a continuous process of the biofuel production process, a batch process model representing a batch process of the biofuel production process, and a continuous simulation framework. The batch process model interacts with the continuous process model as a nonlinear continuous process via the framework using bridging equations. An objective is received, as is constraint information specifying constraints for the biofuel production process, where the constraints are in terms of the framework, and process information related to the batch and continuous processes. The integrated model is executed per the objective using the process information as input, generating target values for variables related to the batch and continuous processes per the objective and subject to the constraints, and used to control the batch and continuous processes substantially optimally.
US07933846B2
A mail processing system that includes dimensional rating capability that provides true length support for carrier rates to prevent improper classification of mail pieces. The mail processing system determines a first dimension, parallel to the path of travel, and a second dimension, transverse to the path of travel, of a mail piece. The first dimension and second dimension are compared to each other to determine which is greater. The greater of the two dimensions is assigned to be the length of the mail piece, regardless of the orientation of the mail piece. The format of the mail piece is then determined based on a comparison of the assigned length and assigned width dimensions to maximum dimensions specified by a format table. Based on the determined format of the mail piece, a delivery fee is then calculated, and an indicium can be generated for the mail piece.
US07933843B1
The methodology draws from three disciplines, namely public relations, social network analysis and computer-based information extraction. The analysis permits the visualization of how various people, organizations, products, subjects, key messages etc. are linked/form a network dynamic in media coverage. This type of analysis can assist corporations and other organizations to understand, plan and measure the effectiveness of communication.
US07933839B2
Methods and systems for receiving and distributing annotations of a digital work include receiving an annotation of the digital work, storing the annotation, and providing the annotation to a user. The user may be required to submit a valid authorization credential for the annotation. Annotations may be textual or graphical, and may be associated with particular content in a digital work. Indicators may be displayed to identify content in the digital work for which annotations are available. A user may exchange compensation or perform a specified action for access to an annotation. Some or all of the compensation received for an annotation may be distributed to the author of the annotation. Multiple annotations may be listed in an order based a criterion, such as ranking, price, or date of receipt. Users that purchase a digital work may automatically receive an authorization credential to receive annotations of the digital work.
US07933838B2
A method of transmitting a first digital content file from a first sender device configured with a key library to a receiver device configured with a receiver identity and a first sender-receiver key is disclosed. The method includes identifying the first sender-receiver key within the key library based on the receiver identity. The method also includes encrypting a first digital message, the first digital message including the first digital content file and a code to derive a second sender-receiver key, with the first sender-receiver key. The method further includes transmitting the first digital message to the receiver device; decrypting the first digital message with the first sender-receiver key; deriving the second sender-receiver key based on the code; and replacing the first sender-receiver key with the second sender-receiver key.
US07933837B2
A content information providing system is disclosed which can protect the copyrights of contents while permitting users who do not purchase the contents to utilize the contents. A content information providing server includes a user information storage section for storing a user key unique to each user, a content key storage section for storing content keys unique to individual contents, a recommendation section for selecting a content to be recommended to the user, a content key encryption section for encrypting the selected content key with a user key of the user of a target of the recommendation, and a content information sender section for transmitting the encrypted content key to a content reproduction apparatus used by the user. The content reproduction apparatus includes a content information receiver section for receiving the content key, and a content key decryption section for decrypting the encrypted content key.
US07933836B2
A system is disclosed that features a transport vehicle in which a responsive object is present, such as a truck in which a cellphone is present, in which the object is equipped to provide location or other state information when queried. The transport vehicle is outfitted with a proxy that represents the responsive object. The proxy is configured such that it is better able than the responsive object to estimate the responsive object's location or state. The vehicle is also outfitted with i) sensors that detect the responsive object and ii) sensors that detect state information of the vehicle. The object sensors are able to query the object in the same way as the querying device would query that object in the prior art. Using information from the sensors, the proxy then responds to the query on behalf of the responsive object, and an authentication device processes the query.
US07933831B2
A virtual trading method and system such that customers select investments, but the funds transferred in the amount of such investments are instead invested by an investment company. Customers receive the value of their selected investments and potentially incentives provided by the investment company, such as rebates.
US07933823B1
An apparatus for processing trading orders, comprising: a central server connectable to a plurality of terminals on which user orders are to be entered. The central server further comprises: communication means for transmitting user orders between said terminals and said central server via a network; first storage means for storing received user orders as an array whose elements define a particular first resource ordered by a particular user; the first storage means is also to be used for storing the resources that may be offered by users for exchange against the first resource ordered; second storage means for storing an array of coefficients each representing the proportion of a particular order that is to be satisfied; processing means for retrieving the orders from the first storage means, calculating an optimized set of values of the coefficients with respect to at least one predetermined, adjustable constraint and at least one predetermined, adjustable criterion, storing the optimized coefficient values in said second storage means; and output means for communicating the processed orders and their respective coefficients.
US07933822B2
A system, method and computer program product for approval and allocation of costs in electronic procurement is described, wherein approval and allocation of costs are made in response to an electronic invoice, which includes information used to allocate procurement costs to one or more cost centers.
US07933815B2
A system and method for obtaining technical support services over a network. A registered seeker of technical support services submits a search request to a task matching server. The search request comprises search criteria for identifying one or more registered providers of technical support services. The task matching server searches a library of provider profiles comprising qualifications of registered providers of technical support services and provides the seeker a list of registered providers meeting the search criteria. The seeker selects a registered provider from the list. The task matching server facilitates the exchange of communications between the seeker and the selected provider. The selected provider sends a quotation for technical support services to the seeker. The quotation comprises service terms under which the selected provider is willing to provide the technical support services. If the seeker accepts the service terms, the task match server establishes a link between a selected provider computer and a seeker computer that allows the selected provider computer to control the seeker computer via the link and to facilitate the provision of technical support services.
US07933814B2
A method and system for determining whether a composite service level agreement (SLA) may be met. An exemplary method comprises calculating a baseline metric value for a plurality component service level agreements (SLA) and comparing the baseline metric value to historical metric values for each of the plurality of component services.
US07933813B2
The present invention provides a software based system for end-to-end handling of communication services that includes a set of Web based interfaces. The set of Web interfaces can permit a user to view, search and select a set of communication services of different providers, each service being presented with a real-time price for the service. Contracts can be automatically generated for selected ones of the communication services. The contracts can specify the real-time price for each service. An order status of the communication services can be monitored using the set of Web based interfaces. Invoices can be generated for the communication services. When different providers provide the communication services, a single integrated bill can be provided for services of the different providers. Usages of the communication services can be viewed online by selectable user categories, which decompose into per-user usage entries.
US07933808B2
A system and method of facilitating a rental transaction of a tangible item is provided. Initially, a lessee pickup code is communicated from a borrowing party to an owning party upon exchanging the tangible item between the owning party and the borrowing party. The owning party subsequently transmits the lessee pickup code to a central controller. A rental period for the exchanged tangible item begins upon verifying, by the central controller, that the lessee pickup code sent by the owning party is the lessee pickup code originally provided to the borrowing party. When the tangible item is returned to the owning party, the owning party communicates a return code to the borrowing party. The return code is transmitted by the borrowing party to the central controller. The central controller verifies that the return code is the return code originally provided to the owning party.
US07933804B2
A self-diagnosing electronic price label. The label communicates with a central processor in order to receive price information for display and to report the status of the label to the central processor. The label periodically runs a self-test program to verify proper operation of its components. If a component fails the self-test, the failure is reported to a central processor, and the central processor reports the failure for investigation. During normal operation, the label issues a signal to the central processor indicating normal operation. In the event of a failure, the label ceases to send the signal indicating normal operation. When the signal is not received as expected, the central processor reports the failure to receive the signal for investigation. This allows the central processor to be alerted to failures which disable communication between the label and the central processor.
US07933801B2
An ad server system takes into consideration information about a user who clicks on an ad in determining whether to charge the advertiser for the click event, and/or in determining an amount to charge the advertiser. In one embodiment, unless the user is recognized, the advertiser is not charged for the ad selection event. Thus, advertisers do not have to pay the ad placement provider when the users who click on their ads are not recognized. If the user is recognized, the ad server system may determine whether and/or how much to charge the advertiser based on information about the recognized user. This information may include, for example, whether the user has set up an account, whether a valid credit card is on file for the user, and/or other types of user information that can be used to hold fraudulent users accountable for their actions.
US07933788B1
An intermediary provides pre-funded health insurance to consumers by receiving and processing consumer information and initiating agreements with consumers and with health care providers to implement pre-funded insurance policies, for example, post-retirement health insurance policies. The intermediary may receive information corresponding to the consumer's age, income, health characteristics, and risk factors, as well as the type of insurance coverage desired. A retirement date and a consumer payment schedule for the health insurance policy may be determined based on the consumer information provided. Upon retirement, the intermediary may then pay insurance premiums to a health insurance provider on behalf of the consumer.
US07933785B2
A method for managing employee benefits in real-time includes receiving, from an employer, requirements for benefits; transmitting the requirements to one or more benefits providers; receiving bids from the one or more benefits providers to satisfy the requirements for benefits; receiving, from the employer, an authorization to enroll benefits of a selected benefits provider from the one or more benefits providers; and transmitting the authorization to the selected benefits provider.
US07933776B2
A speech recognition device controller is provided, which is capable of properly determining a user's leaning level in speech so as to provide an efficient interaction. It includes a voice input unit 2 for receiving speech input from a user, a speech recognition unit 3 for recognizing the input speech, a response output unit 10 for outputting a response to the user, and a device control unit 11 for controlling a device based on a recognition result of the speech recognition unit 3. It further includes an input item count detection unit 4 for detecting the number of items identified from the recognized speech among a given number of items necessary to control the device, a reference input item count setting unit 6 for setting a reference value for the number of items identified from the speech, an input item count comparison unit 7 for comparing the number of items detected by the input item count detection unit 4 with the reference value set by the reference input item count setting unit 6, a skill level determination unit 8 for determining the user's skill level in speech based on a comparison result, and a response control unit 9 for controlling the response output according to the determined skill level, wherein the user is prompted to enter a complete one-time speech input or a one-by-one series of discrete speech inputs, based upon the determined skill level.
US07933772B1
A system and method for generating a video sequence having mouth movements synchronized with speech sounds are disclosed. The system utilizes a database of n-phones as the smallest selectable unit, wherein n is larger than 1 and preferably 3. The system calculates a target cost for each candidate n-phone for a target frame using a phonetic distance, coarticulation parameter, and speech rate. For each n-phone in a target sequence, the system searches for candidate n-phones that are visually similar according to the target cost. The system samples each candidate n-phone to get a same number of frames as in the target sequence and builds a video frame lattice of candidate video frames. The system assigns a joint cost to each pair of adjacent frames and searches the video frame lattice to construct the video sequence by finding the optimal path through the lattice according to the minimum of the sum of the target cost and the joint cost over the sequence.
US07933768B2
A vocoder system for improving the performance expression of an output sound while lightening the computational load. The system includes formant detection means and division means in which the center frequencies have been fixed. The modulation level with which the levels of each of the frequency bands that have been divided in the division means are set by a setting means based on the levels of each of the frequency bands that correspond to those that have been detected in the formant detection means and formant information with which the formants are changed. Therefore, it is possible to improve the performance expression of the output sound with a light computational load and without the need to calculate and change the filter figure of each filter for each sample in order to change the center frequency and bandwidth of each of the filters comprising the division means.
US07933765B2
Multi-lingual search and retrieval of digital content. Embodiments are generally directed to methods and systems for creating an English language database that associates non-English terms with English terms in multiple categories of metadata. Language experts use an interface to create equivalencies between non-English terms and English terms, Boolean expressions, synonyms, and other forms of search terms. Language dictionaries and other sources also create equivalencies. The database is used to evaluate non-English search terms submitted by a user, and to determine English search terms that can be used to perform a search for content. The multiple categories of metadata may comprise structured data, such as keywords of a structured vocabulary, and/or unstructured data, such as captions, titles, descriptions, etc. Weighting and/or prioritization can be applied to the search terms, to the process of searching the multiple categories, and/or to the search results, to rank the search results.
US07933757B2
The invention is a method for simulating sandstone deposition. The sandstone is simulated by estimating the grain size distribution and mineral composition of grains in the sandstone, simulating sedimentation of grains from the grain size distribution and mineral composition of the grains, simulating compaction of the grains, and simulating cementation of the grains. Properties of the sandstone such as porosity and permeability may be estimated from the simulated sandstone. The method permits multiple mineralogies to be simulated during the burial history of sedimentation, compaction and cementation.
US07933756B2
Apparatuses and methods for automating the generation of additional different models of a mechanical object from a first model by logically partitioning the different models based on parameters that are specific to the particular model being generated. All of the models are independent representations of the same mechanical object, and may represent the design of the mechanical object in different phases of the manufacturing process, for example, the conceptual design, the as-cast design, and the as-machined design. In one embodiment, upon receiving a selection of a feature for the first conceptual model from a user, the apparatus and method can automatically calculate the corresponding contributions for each of the different models. The corresponding contributions can be automatically calculated based on modeling parameters that are specific to the type of model that is to be automatically generated.
US07933755B1
An automated model componentization feature systematically converts duplicate or otherwise amenable patterns in a model into references. Multiple references are simplified to one unit that contains the otherwise duplicated functionality. Duplicated or selected functionality is identified based on a number of arguments that may be user supplied. These arguments include the level of polymorphism (i.e., which of the sample times, dimensions, and data types can be propagated in) but also the maximum size of the patterns to look for to address the general trade-off of generating few partitions with many blocks or many partitions with few blocks and which modeling constructs are used (e.g., whether Go To/From connections such as in Simulink® are present). Model conversions can result in potentially disjoint partitions.
US07933746B2
A product design method includes accessing a defined product design structure. The product design structure includes a number of customer concerns, a number of physical properties associated with components of the product, and a number of relation models. Each customer concern is associated with at least one physical property via at least one mathematical relationship defined in at least one of the relation models. The method also includes receiving a value associated with one or more of the physical properties and calculating (using one or more of the relation models) the effect of the received value associated with the one or more physical properties on one or more of the customer concerns. Furthermore, the method includes displaying the calculated effect on the one or more customer concerns and receiving one or more adjustments of the value associated with one or more of the physical properties to create a desired effect on one or more of the customer concerns.
US07933740B2
Arrangements and methods for performing structural clustering between different time series. Time series data relating to a plurality of time series is accepted, structural features relating to the time series data are ascertained, and at least one distance between different time series via employing the structural features is determined. The different time series may be partitioned into clusters based on the at least one distance, and/or the k closest matches to a given time series query based on the at least one distance may be returned.
US07933735B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit having a test circuit for collecting test data at any time based on interaction with an external source is provided. A communication circuit receives a data frame that is transferred to a data buffer. Data portions are transferred to a test unit of a test circuit. A counter starts a count operation based on a system clock when count information is transferred. If one of the data portions indicates the transferred data is test data, and another portion indicates a data collection specification command, the test unit outputs decoded address data to interact with a circuit-under-test when the counter completes the count operation based on another portion of the frame. A data buffer is supplied with the address data to facilitate storage of the data transferred from the circuit-under-test.
US07933726B2
A system, method, and apparatus for obtaining a record of logic level transitions within a signal, and for accurately determining a voltage-time pair exhibited by the signal. To achieve these ends, a front-end device may be mated to a real-time sampling system, such as an oscilloscope. The front-end device effectively permits the oscilloscope to observe signals exhibiting greater data rates than otherwise possible without the front-end device.
US07933725B2
A method of detecting and/or isolating a fault of a sensor in a system in substantially real time or in non-real time (e.g., using off-line analysis). A spectral energy of a signal of the sensor is determined over a predetermined range of frequencies within a window of samples of the signal. The determined spectral energy is evaluated for consistency with a substantially current state of the system.
US07933722B2
The present invention provides methods for the assessment of diseases that result from the combined or interactive effects of two or more genetic variants, and in particular for diagnosing risk of developing such diseases in subjects using an analysis of genetic polymorphisms. Methods for the derivation of a net score indicative of a subject's risk of developing a disease are provided.
US07933719B2
Diagnostic method, based on the amounts of biogenic amines that are contained in a body fluid or other sample. A number of measured parameters related to the desired diagnostic information are derived from the amounts. For each diagnostic information desired, an input consisting of the identification of the diagnostic information is provided. The input is compared to the measured parameters and a diagnostic response is derived from the comparison. The measured parameters may be derived from the amounts of the biogenic amines according to a program stored in a memory. The detection of the less volatile amines and their separation from the more volatile ones may advantageously be enhanced by successively adding a base and an acid, in either possible succession, to the sample and analyzing the vapors emitted by the sample under heating.
US07933718B2
A method for determining fracture geometry of a subterranean formation from radiation emitted from a fracture in the formation, including measuring gamma-radiation emitted from the fracture; subtracting background radiation from the measured gamma-radiation to obtain a peak-energy measurement; comparing the peak-energy measurement with a gamma-ray transport/spectrometer response model; and determining formation fracture geometry of the fracture in accordance with values associated with the response model.
US07933717B2
The invention concerns the gyroscopic instrument engineering and can be used in determination of main navigation parameters for marine, air and surface vehicle positioning.Technical result consists in increased accuracy of output parameters, including substantial increase of the vehicle heading generation accuracy as well as principal improvement of dynamic properties of output parameter generation. To achieve these results control signals of gyro platforms or gyro platform models are generated under the condition that in the absence of ballistic deviations, autonomously, a natural period of the gyro platforms or the gyro platform models differ from Schuler period.
US07933715B2
A navigation device and the like capable of harmonizing a navigation route for guiding a mobile body set on the basis of a support route search result by a navigation server and a navigation route for also guiding the mobile body set independently of the navigation route, from a view point of guiding the mobile body smoothly. In the case where the second navigation route r2 is set in the condition where the first navigation route r1 is set, the second navigation route r2 is set and output so as to include a part dr1 of the first navigation route r1 which takes a position departing from the current position pt of the automobile 2 by a first distance d1. Therefore, even in the case where the second navigation route r2 is set and output at the navigation device 200 during the time when the automobile 2 is traveling according to the first navigation route r1 output at the navigation device 200, it is possible to guide the automobile 2 according to the original first navigation route r1 until the position departing from the current position pt of the automobile 2 by the first distance d1. Therefore, it becomes possible to guide the automobile 2 smoothly to the destination position p2, without forcing the automobile 2 to perform abrupt behavior change.
US07933714B2
A device includes a current position unit for determining a current position of a aircraft, a mapping database, a navigation system, a current heading unit for determining the current heading of the aircraft, and a display system for displaying on a viewing screen, at least a partial map of the airport and, thereon, an aircraft symbol which is positioned at the current position and which is oriented in accordance with the current heading.
US07933712B2
A pressure sensor is located in a fuel passage, which extends from a pressure-accumulation vessel to a nozzle hole of a fuel injection valve. The pressure sensor is located closer to a nozzle hole than the pressure-accumulation vessel for detecting pressure fluctuated by injection of fuel through the nozzle hole. An instruction signal output unit outputs an injection instruction signal so as to instruct an injection mode of fuel to the fuel injection valve. A defective injection determination unit determines whether a detected pressure of the fuel pressure sensor is fluctuated in a fluctuation mode in a range assumed from the injection instruction signal. The defective injection determination unit determines that a defective injection occurs when determining that the detected pressure is out of the fluctuation mode in the assumed range.
US07933708B2
In some embodiments, systems and methods are provided for assisting in acceleration of a vehicle during re-acceleration. In one embodiment, a system comprises one or more sensors that monitor vehicular conditions, which are transmitted to and processed by an electronic controller. When the processed signals indicate re-acceleration of the vehicle, the electronic controller activates an aggressive schedule or aggressive throttle map that defines instructions for downshifting a transmission gear position or for increasing a throttle so as to assist in acceleration of the vehicle during re-acceleration. The electronic controller activates the instructions when one or more vehicular conditions of accelerator pedal depression exceed a predefined value during re-acceleration. The electronic controller selects the instructions most appropriate for assisting in acceleration according to the processed signals. The signals are transmitted to a transmission system that downshifts the transmission gear position or to an engine that increases the throttle.
US07933705B2
A method of controlling a reduction of an amount of fuel supplied to an engine provided to a motor vehicle with an automatic transmission separated from the engine by a torque converter is provided. The method includes the step of sensing commencement of a deceleration state during which an amount of the fuel supplied to the engine is to be reduced to an amount that is less than an amount of fuel being delivered to the engine immediately prior to the deceleration state. Whether synchronization of an engine output shaft and a transmission input shaft is appropriate under the deceleration stat is also to be determined. Frictional engagement is to be established between mating surfaces in cooperation with the engine output shaft and the transmission input shaft, and a first compressive lockup force is to be established between the mating surfaces during a first time period to urge synchronization of the engine output shaft and the transmission input shaft, wherein the first time period ends before said synchronization is accomplished. A second compressive lockup force is also to be established between the mating surfaces during a second time period after the first time period and before synchronization is achieved, wherein the second compressive lockup force is less than the first lockup force but sufficient to urge synchronization of the engine output shaft and the transmission input shaft.
US07933698B2
A system for maintaining the temperature of a vehicle audio and/or audio-video deck provided in a vehicle cabin is provided, comprising: an air duct positioned on both sides of the deck for supplying cooled or heated air to the vehicle cabin, a side part of the air duct defining therein a plurality of through holes through which cooled or heated air can be supplied to the deck; a sensor disposed inside the deck for detecting the temperature inside the deck; a side panel provided in the deck, which defines therein a penetration part for introducing cooled or heated air supplied through the through holes into the deck; a guide rail formed to the side panel; a sliding panel guided by the guide rail so as to open or close the penetration part; a driving motor coupled to the deck for moving the sliding panel along the guild rail; and a controller coupled to the deck for driving the driving motor in response to the temperature detected by the sensor so as to open or close the sliding panel, thereby maintaining the temperature of the deck at a target temperature or range.
US07933697B2
An apparatus for recording the rotation angle of a vehicle comprises an angular velocity sensor adapted to measure an angular velocity ω of the vehicle, an integrator adapted to integrate the measured angular velocity ω across a predetermined unit of time Δt to calculate a differential rotation angle Δα in unit of time Δt, a ring buffer adapted to store the differential rotation angles Δαan acceleration sensor adapted to detect that an accident occurred with the vehicle, and a nonvolatile recording device adapted to record, when an accident is detected by the acceleration sensor, the differential rotation angles ΔαM . . . ΔαM+N−1 stored in the ring buffer, across a predetermined recording time T before and after the accident.
US07933696B2
A vehicle diagnostic system is provided. The system includes: a first control module that includes a first processor and that controls a first vehicle subsystem; and second control module that controls a second vehicle subsystem and that validates the functionality of the first processor of the first control module wherein if the second control module determines that the first processor of the first control module is faulty, the second control module shuts down the first control module.
US07933692B2
In an outboard motor conversion unit, it is configured to have a boat-side conversion unit that detects displacement generated at a movable member due to manual manipulation of a mechanical operation mechanism and converts the detected displacement into an electric signal, actuators connected to a steering mechanism, a shift mechanism and a throttle valve of an internal combustion engine of the outboard motor, and an actuator controller that controls operation of the actuators based on the converted electric signal. With this, the outboard motor installed at a boat with the mechanical operation mechanism can be easily converted to an electronically-operated outboard motor without newly installing a remote control unit or the like.
US07933690B2
A vehicle recognition allowing device is provided which allows the recognition of a traveling state of a vehicle, including a two-wheeled vehicle to be recognized and does not require a sophisticated image processing function. When a change in the speed, traveling state or both of the vehicle is detected by a traveling state detecting part, flickering frequencies of respective infrared ray markers are increased or decreased to a frequency corresponding to the change in speed, traveling state or both. Alternatively, flickering duty ratios of the respective infrared ray markers can be changed to a duty ratio corresponding to the new speed, traveling state or both.
US07933689B2
A method for controlling at least one load connected to a primary and a backup power supply having sensor for sensing a voltage on the primary power supply with a first voltage sensor; sensor for sensing a voltage on the backup power supply with a second voltage sensor and implementing a control algorithm in a controller to augment power from said primary power supply with power from the backup power supply in response to an input from the first and second voltage sensors and an input from at least one external sensor wherein the algorithm controls a switch between the at least one load and the primary and backup power supplies.
US07933685B1
A system and method is disclosed for calibrating a semiconductor wafer handling robot and a semiconductor wafer cassette. A robot blade boot is attached to a robot blade of the semiconductor handling robot. The robot blade boot decreases a value of tolerance for the robot blade to move between two semiconductor wafers in the semiconductor wafer cassette. In one embodiment the vertical tolerance is decreased to approximately twenty thousandths of an inch (0.020″) on a top and a bottom of the robot blade boot. The use of the robot blade boot makes the calibration steps more critical and precise. The robot blade boot is removed from the robot blade after the calibration process has been completed.
US07933678B2
The invention relates to a system and a method for analyzing a production process. In order to make it possible to analyze the production process in an improved manner for the purpose of production planning, the invention proposes a method for analyzing a production process in which at least one production device that is controlled by a control program is involved, wherein the method has the following method steps: at least one part of the control program is simulated using a simulation program and instructions which are executed in this case are logged, and an associated data record, in which the real-time requirement of an action caused by the logged instruction on the production device is respectively assigned to the logged instructions, is generated.
US07933677B2
The present disclosure relates to a motion control system for a machine tool system wherein a value of a surface finish quality parameter of the motion control system is adjusted to control the surface finish of a part machined with the machine tool system. The machine tool system may include a conversational mode of operation and a NC mode of operation.
US07933676B2
An industrial control system includes a machine, a machine controller, and a safety controller. The machine controller is operable to identify a need for a human interaction, place the machine into a ready state for the human interaction, and generate a ready message responsive to placing the machine into the ready state. The safety controller is operable to receive the ready message, place the machine into a safe state responsive to receiving the ready message, and provide a human interaction indication responsive to placing the machine into the safe state.
US07933669B2
A controller for an adjustable bed also provides control functions for a multi media device. The multimedia device may be an MP3 player, an audio/visual player, and the like. The controller controls a function of the bed, such as a bed position selection, and functions of the multimedia device such as on/off, volume, channel, song, content, and the like.
US07933657B1
Alternative stimuli, i.e., stimuli other than the constant amplitude stimuli used in prior fitting schemes, are used to set the parameters of a cochlear implant system. The use of such alternative stimuli allows the entire fitting process to be completed in a very short time period, and generally eliminates the need for secondary adjustments. In one preferred embodiment, the alternative stimuli comprise white noise that is internally generated within the speech processor.
US07933644B2
A system and method that can simultaneously acquire electrocardiogram or pulse rate data (42, 44, 46), dynamically perform time-frequency (70) and chaotic analysis (60) in real-time, visually display the results in a convenient graphical format (50) and store the results in a computer file format (50).
US07933633B2
A wireless control apparatus for web phones includes a control base and a Bluetooth controller. The control base carries software for a web phone system. The Bluetooth controller is detachably plugged into the control base. A web device reads the software to perform the web phone system while the control base is plugged into the web device. Moreover, the web device charges the Bluetooth controller via the control base while the Bluetooth controller is plugged into the control base. The Bluetooth controller controls the functions of the web phone system via the control base by wireless transmission while the Bluetooth controller is detached from the control base.
US07933625B2
The present invention has a cash register 1 and a Bluetooth portable terminal 2 which conduct short-range wireless communication to each other. The cash register 1 decreases transmission power during periods when a search request processing and a connection request processing for the Bluetooth portable terminal 2 are conducted, thereby being connected with only a prescribed Bluetooth portable terminal 2. At the time of providing services, electric power for transmission is increased. Therefore, it is possible to surely connect with the prescribed Bluetooth portable terminal 2. After connected with the prescribed Bluetooth portable terminal, even if the Bluetooth portable terminal 2 moves at comparatively broad range, it is possible to provide the Bluetooth portable terminal 2 with services.
US07933621B1
Methods and systems for merging active dispatch talk groups, which are supported on different call handlers, are provided. The merged talk group can be supported by a single dispatch call handler, or the different dispatch call handlers can support the merged talk group in a master/slave relationship. An identification of the merged talk group is stored for a predetermined amount of time, thereby allowing the merged talk group to be reactivated.
US07933620B2
A method, system, and device are provided for transmit channel request messaging in wireless half-duplex voice communication systems. A new transmit channel request message (TCRM) is provided and sent over a logical control channel from a receiving device capable of walkie-talkie-like functionality, during an active half-duplex session, to a transmitting device capable of walkie-talkie-like functionality, indicating that the transmit channel is requested. In some embodiments, the invention provides for the display of information on the transmitting device user interface (UI) indicating, during an active session, that another user wishes to talk. The TCRM includes an indication that another device has requested the transmit channel and preferably includes an identification of the device which sent the transmit channel request message. In some embodiments, a qualifier flag in the TCRM is used to specify what, if any, extended functionality in respect of the TCRM is to be performed.
US07933614B2
A short message website-address device includes a short message website-address analysis module for receiving information from a Short Message Service centre (SMS centre), determining a short message website-address and an application server address according to the information, or further determining service option information, and sending the information and the short message website-address, or the information, the short message website-address and the service option information, to a website-address access management module; the website-address access management module for receiving information from the short message website-address analysis module and sending the information to the application server according to the application server address contained in the information. The present invention also discloses a system and a method for implementing a short message Value-added Service (VAS). Thus, a user may participate in multiple short message VASs without remembering multiple fussy service numbers, which enhances the easy-to-use quality and attraction of the short message VASs.
US07933604B1
A wireless network is used for a communication session between a mobile station and an endpoint. The wireless network receives endpoint bits representing communications from the endpoint for the mobile station and uses a first sector to transmit a forward link signal that encodes the endpoint hits. The mobile station generates mobile station hits representing communications from the mobile station for the endpoint and transmits a reverse link signal encoding the mobile station bits. A controller detects an imbalance between an error level in the forward link signal received by the mobile station and an error level in the reverse link signal received by the first sector. In response, the wireless network uses a second sector to receive the reverse link signal without using the second sector to transmit the endpoint bits. The reverse link signals received by the first and second sectors may be combined for diversity gain.
US07933600B2
The present invention relates to a cellular radio communications system and especially a method, a mobile station and a base station for a smooth hard handover. The smooth hard handover includes preparing radio links in selected base stations for potential communication with a mobile station. This is similar to selecting base stations for the active set in the prior art soft handover. A difference is though that just one radio link is actively used for transmission. The handover from the active to a prepared radio link is quick and safe, as compared to conventional hard handover, because of the preparation, while requiring a less complex system architecture then the conventional soft handover. The smooth hard handover can replace the soft handover.
US07933596B2
A method provides detecting a roaming operator by a mobile communications device, where the mobile communications device is associated with a home operator; receiving a data service, by the mobile communications device, provided by the roaming operator independent of the home operator; sending information, from the mobile communications device, to the roaming operator for the roaming operator to authenticate the mobile communications device with the home operator; and receiving a voice service, by the mobile communications device, provided by the roaming operator based on the authentication by the roaming operator of the mobile communications device with the home operator.
US07933579B2
A personal emergency communication system includes a user-carried portable communication unit having a single button, which when depressed by the user, wirelessly sends a call request signal to a base unit. The base unit initiates a telephone call through a dial-up network to an emergency response center and places an operator at the emergency center in wireless voice communication with the portable unit when the call is connected. The telephone number to be called can be stored in at least one of the portable unit and the base unit. A speech synthesizer operating in combination with automated voice messages stored in at least one of the base unit and portable unit are used to advise the user of the status of the call, and to provide the user with verbal confirmation that functional systems of the base unit are operating properly.
US07933575B2
The present invention discloses a circuit for settling DC offset and controlling RC time-constant in a direct conversion receiver. The circuit includes a variable resistive unit for providing a continuously or non-continuously variable resistance in the direct conversion receiver. The variable resistive unit can provide the variable resistance by utilizing a controllable transistor or a plurality of resistors. Accordingly, the variable resistive unit can be coupled to a capacitor for constituting a high pass filter, which is capable of rapidly settling DC offset in a direct conversion receiver.
US07933572B1
A typical cable television (CATV) network can be used as a communication link between a remote antenna system and a cellular base station (BTS). To do so, capacity of the typical CATV network is expanded to add use of an additional frequency spectrum, the added frequency is then divided into frequency channels (bands) of which each channel is digitized (e.g., using QAM) to produce a certain amount data bandwidth per channel, and a certain number of those channels are concatenated together to provide an aggregate data channel for carrying traffic between the cellular BTS and the remote antenna system (e.g., a distributed antenna system (DAS)).
US07933564B2
An embodiment of invention relates to a method for the transmission of a signal formed by vectors, each vector comprising N source symbols to be transmitted, using M transmission antennas, wherein M is greater than or equal to 2. The method comprises the following steps: linearly precoding the signal using a matrix product of a source matrix formed by vectors that are organized in successive lines by a linear precoding matrix, delivering a precoded matrix; and successively transmitting precoded vectors corresponding to columns of said precoded matrix, the M symbols of each precoded vector being distributed to the M antennas.
US07933560B2
An apparatus and method for transmitting/receiving data in a mobile communication system using multiple antennas are provided. A receiver estimates a fading channel of received data, selects a weight set relative to a maximum data transmission rate from at least one weight set with elements of a plurality of orthogonal weight vectors, and transmits feedback information including the selected weight set and channel-by-channel state information to a transmitter. The transmitter demultiplexes data to be transmitted on a basis of the feedback information into at least one sub-data stream, multiplies each sub-data stream by an associated weight, and transmits the data.
US07933549B2
The present invention relates to wireless networks using cooperative relaying which in a communication session involve more than one relay station. In the method according to the present invention, a transmitter 210′, a receiver 220′ and at least one relay station 215 are engaged in a communication session. The relay station 215 forwards signals from a first link between the transmitter 210′ and the relay station 215 to a second link between the relay stations 215 and the receiver 220′. The relay station 215 forwards the signal with the use of a relative transmission parameter and optionally a common transmission parameter. The relative transmission parameter is determined locally in each relay station 215 and based on a characterization of a first link, or the second link or a combination of the first and second link.
US07933539B2
A toner hopper contains toner supplied from a toner container and supplies the toner to a developing device. The toner hopper includes: a container tank for containing the toner; a carrying screw which is disposed in the container tank and is rotated so as to carry the toner in the container tank; and an elastic member having a first section which is fixed to the container tank and a second section which comes into contact with the carrying screw, the first section being farther from the carrying screw than the second section in a direction perpendicular to an axis line of the carrying screw. According to the arrangement, it is possible to stabilize an amount of toner supplied from the toner hopper to the developing device.
US07933533B2
A charging device for charging an image supporting member includes a charging roller for charging the image supporting member; and a cleaning member for cleaning the surface of the charging roller. The charging roller has a surface, and the surface has irregularity oriented in a direction opposite to a direction that the cleaning member slides against the charging roller. Further, the surface has a maximum peak height Rp within a range of 2 μm≦Rp≦10 μm, and an average profile length RSm within a range of 40 μm≦RSm≦200 μm.
US07933522B2
Influence of polarization mode dispersion, occurring in an optical fiber is mitigated by means of polarization scrambling, differential group delay which a received optical signal has is optically suppressed; the optical signal in which differential group delay is thus suppressed is converted into an electric signal; and error correcting processing is carried out on the electric signal obtained, a jitter amplitude in the received optical signal is suppressed, influence of which to a jitter tolerance increases due to increase in speed of the polarization scrambling.
US07933514B2
A camera system includes: a digital camera; and a key device configured as a unit separate from the digital camera. The digital camera includes a control device that sets a lock mode for encrypting image data and recording the encrypted image data into a recording medium and clears the lock mode in response to a lock release signal input via the key device.
US07933502B2
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.
US07933498B2
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.
US07933487B2
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.
US07933474B2
An image file for storing a still digital image and metadata related to the still digital image, the image file including digital image data representing the still digital image, and metadata that categorizes the still digital image as an important digital image, wherein the categorization uses a range of levels and the range of levels includes at least three different integer values.
US07933473B2
In accordance with one or more aspects, multiple folders are generated each corresponding to one of multiple levels of an image pyramid, and each of the multiple levels including one or more tiles. In each of the multiple folders, one or more files are stored, each file including image data for a tile of the level corresponding to the folder. In accordance with other aspects, a first version of an image is generated, the first version of the image having a lower resolution than the image. The image is compressed using a first compression process, and the first version of the image is compressed using a second compression process, the second compression process being a higher quality process than the first compression process. Both the compressed image and the compressed first version of the image are stored as an image pyramid for the image.
US07933471B2
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that reduces computational complexity in simulating an image resulting from an original mask and an optical transmission system. During operation, the system obtains a set transmission cross coefficient (TCC) kernel functions based on the optical transmission system, and obtains a set of transmission functions for a representative pattern which contains features representative of the original mask. The system constructs a new set of kernel functions based on the TCC kernel functions and the transmission functions for the representative pattern, wherein responses to the new kernel functions in a resulting image corresponding to the representative pattern are substantially uncorrelated with one another. The system further produces an intensity distribution of a resulting image corresponding to the original mask based on the new kernel functions, thereby facilitating prediction of a layout that can be produced from the original mask.
US07933467B2
The present invention provides an apparatus and a method for de-interlacing. The apparatus includes an edge detection module, a statistics module, and an interpolation circuit. The edge detection module performs an edge detection operation on a plurality of pixels of an image so as to generate edge information corresponding to the image. The statistics module performs a detection window based statistics operation on the edge information so as to generate statistics information corresponding to the image. The interpolation circuit interpolates the image according to the statistics information so as to generate an intra-field interpolation signal corresponding to the image.
US07933464B2
A scene-based non-uniformity correction method super-resolution for eliminating fixed pattern noise in a video having a plurality of input images is disclosed, comprising the steps of warping each of the plurality of images with respect to a reference image to obtain a warped set of images; performing one of averaging and deblurring on the warped set of images to obtain an initial estimate of a reference true scene frame; warping the initial estimate of the reference true scene frame with respect to each of the plurality of images to obtain a set of estimated true signal images; performing a least square fit algorithm to estimate a gain image and an offset image given the set of estimated true signal images; applying the estimated gain image and estimated offset image to the plurality of images to obtain a clean set of images; and applying a super-resolution algorithm to the clean set of images to obtain a higher resolution version of the reference true scene frame.
US07933460B2
In a decoding method of decoding encoded image data which has been hierarchically encoded in advance, a size of an image to be outputted is determined, and then the encoded image data is decoded up to a layer of hierarchy which is at least one layer more than a minimum number of layer/layers of hierarchy necessary to acquire an image of the determined size.
US07933456B2
Multi-layer video coding and decoding methods, multi-layer video encoder and multi-layer video decoder are provided. The multi-layer video coding method includes encoding a video frame having a predetermined resolution using a first video coding scheme, using a frame encoded by the first video coding scheme as a reference to encode the video frame with the same resolution as the predetermined resolution using a second video coding scheme, and generating a bitstream containing the frames encoded by the first and second video coding schemes.
US07933439B2
The present disclosure provides an ultrasound imaging method and apparatus for adaptively suppressing tissue flickering. The method includes transmitting ultrasound pulses to an object to be detected and receiving ultrasound echo signals from the object to be detected; processing the ultrasound echo signals to obtain anatomical image data; demodulating the ultrasound echo signals to obtain demodulated signals; processing the demodulated signals to obtain blood flow image data; and displaying either anatomical image data or blood flow image data based on fusing rules, wherein a first fusing rule is used for a portion of the object to be detected in which tissue flickering exists, and a second fusing rule, which is different from the first fusing rule, is used for a portion of the object to be detected in which no tissue flickering exists.
US07933438B2
In order to visualize a narrow blood vessel overlapping a thick blood vessel, at the time of performing a maximum intensity projection on three-dimensional image data, three-dimensional image data is weighted with a plurality of weighting functions of different attenuation characteristics along a projection line. Maximum intensity projections are performed on the plurality of pieces of the weighted three-dimensional image data, and results of all of the maximum intensity projections are summed. The weight of the weighting function is zero until the projection line reaches the surface of an image and, after the reach, gradually decreases from an initial value. Alternatively, the weight of the weighting function is zero to some midpoint of the projection line and, after the midpoint, gradually decreases from the initial value. The midpoint is adjustable. The attenuation characteristic is given by an exponential function. Parameters of the exponential function are adjustable.
US07933434B2
A vehicle capable of preventing detection of stud-type lane marks from being impossible and a vehicle having a lane mark recognizer are provided. The vehicle includes installation interval recognizing means (21) which recognizes an interval (L) between Botts Dots, vehicle speed recognizing means (22) which recognizes a traveling speed (v) of the vehicle, image synthesizing means (13) which generates synthesized image data (M3) by combining image data (M1) stored in an image memory (11) through an image input circuit (10) and image data (M2) stored in an image memory (12) through the same, imaging timing determining means (20) which determines the timing of imaging by a camera (2) on the basis of the interval (L) and the traveling speed (v) when acquiring the image data (M1, M2) in such a way that the positions of the Botts Dots in the image data (M1, M2) are different therebetween, and Botts Dots detecting means (14) which detects the Botts Dots from the synthesized image data (M3).
US07933432B2
Provided is an information retrieval system for car navigation systems that allows a vehicle occupant to designate a destination both easily and quickly. Each address is given as a combination of a plurality of strings of characters, each string corresponding to one of a plurality of search hierarchy levels, and the character strings are stored in a storage unit. If a current hierarchy level does not include any candidate of data that corresponds to a character entered by a user on an interface unit, a character type data search unit retrieves candidates from a next lower hierarchy level. Thereby, even if the use does not know a part of an address, the vehicle operator is able to successfully reconstruct the full address and enter a destination in an unambiguous manner. Such a candidate or candidates may be displayed on the monitor in combination with the corresponding data of the next higher hierarchy level. Alternatively, after the candidate or one of the candidates is selected by the user, corresponding candidates of data in the next higher hierarchy level may be displayed on the monitor.
US07933430B2
The spectral method for determining the concentrations of a substance in a mixture of any number of substances is defined by a chemical image having a plurality of pixels (520). The method includes steps of providing a spectrum for each of the n number of substances in the mixture (530), and obtaining the spectrum for one of the plurality of pixels, and calculating a plurality of estimated concentrations of each substance in the mixture as a function of the spectrum for each substance and the spectrum for the pixel, and calculating a deviation value for each of the plurality of estimated concentrations as a function of the spectrum of each of the number of substances in the mixture, and selecting the estimated concentration with the lowest deviation factor as a most likely concentration of each substance in the mixture (550).
US07933419B2
The hearing device is operable in a fitting mode and in a listening mode and comprises a transducer for receiving, in the fitting mode, audio test signals, and for converting the audio test signals into signals to be perceived by the user in the fitting mode. It comprises a parameter memory means for storing parameter settings, which parameter settings are obtained from user input received through a user interface in response to the signals perceived by the user in the fitting mode. And it comprises a signal processor using the parameter settings for correcting audio signals at least in the listening mode. The user interface is comprised in the hearing device and the hearing device comprises an audio signal source, in which audio signal source the audio test signals are stored or generated.
US07933408B2
The claimed subject matter provides a system and/or method that asynchronously disseminates multimedia content to disparate clients. The disclosed system can include a component that receives multimedia content supplied by a multimedia publisher, encrypts or applies a time sensitive lock to the received multimedia content, disseminates the encrypted or locked multimedia content to the disparate clients, and a time subsequent, generates and distributes to the disparate clients a counterpart to the time sensitive lock necessary to unlock and play the disseminated and encrypted or locked multimedia content on the clients.
US07933401B2
A key assembly applicable in an electronic device for performing preset functions is provided. The key assembly includes a control member and at least one sensor, wherein the control member selectively enables any sensor to sense the external operation, and when an external operation is sensed, the sensor outputs a triggering signal for performing the corresponding function.
US07933393B1
A system relays a call from a calling party to a called party and, upon termination of the call by the calling party, a post-call announcement is played to the called party. Attributes of either the calling party, the called party, or both are passed to a database. The database performs a look-up query based on the call attribute information. An announcement indication is transmitted from the database to an announcement frame indicating which post-call announcement, if any, is to be played to the called party. The announcement frame plays the particular post-call announcement, if any, to the called party when the calling party has disconnected from the call.
US07933391B1
A method and apparatus for emergency message delivery from an emergency center by receiving an incoming call from the emergency center for a first telecommunication terminal that is engaged in a telecommunication call with a second telecommunication terminal; identifying the emergency center; receiving an emergency message from the emergency center; recording an audio portion of the emergency message; alerting a user of the first telecommunication terminal of the recorded audio portion of the emergency message during the telecommunication call; detecting a signal from the first telecommunication terminal indicating that the user wants to hear the recorded audio portion of the emergency message; and transmitting the recorded audio portion of the emergency message to the first telecommunication terminal during the telecommunication call upon detection of the signal.
US07933390B2
Methods and systems are disclosed that allow for the exchange of voice mail messages between different VMSs of different service providers and/or in different networks by the transmission of such messages through a data network using a standard protocol of the data network. Methods and systems also are disclosed that validate message transactions among subscribers receiving regional messaging services over the PSTN. The subscribers are located in different geographic areas and may be provided their voice, facsimile or data messaging services by different companies. The present invention validates passing messages (data) among customers of potentially different companies located in different areas by assessing the validity of the transaction in light of a number of conditions, including applicable regulatory or business conditions.
US07933378B2
A computed tomography system (100) includes a first (1081) and a second source (108N) disposed at different z-axis locations at about a same angular position around an examination region (112) that alternately emit radiation beams (114) that traverse the examination region (112). The first source (1081) emits a first radiation beam (1141) having a first outer projection (204) and the second source (108N) emits a second radiation beam (114N) having a first outer projection (216). Both of the first outer projections (204, 216) traverse plane perpendicular to the axis of rotation, and the first outer projections (204, 216) define a width of a volume (400) within which the emitted radiation beams (114) are confined. A common detector (124) detects radiation from the x-ray beams (114) that traverses the volume (400) and generates data indicative thereof, and a reconstructor (132) reconstructs the data to generate an image of the volume (400).
US07933376B2
A condition on the attribute of an image for generating multi-frame image data containing a plurality of frames of images per file from image data is stored beforehand. When image data is received, multi-frame image data is generated from the received image data based on incidental information contained in the image data and the condition stored beforehand. Then, the generated multi-frame image data is archived. When a request for an image is made by a certain terminal, an application functioning on the terminal is identified, and multi-frame image data appropriate for the application is sent from among the generated multi-frame image data.
US07933374B2
A system and method for storing high level waste. In one aspect, the invention is a system comprising: an outer shell having an open top end and a hermetically closed bottom end; an inner shell forming a cavity, the inner shell positioned inside the outer shell so as to form a space between the inner shell and the outer shell; at least one passageway connecting the space and a bottom portion of the cavity; at least one passageway connecting an ambient atmosphere and a top portion of the space; a lid positioned atop the inner shell, the lid having at least one passageway connecting the cavity and the ambient atmosphere; and a seal between the lid and the inner shell so at form a hermetic lid-to-inner shell interface.
US07933372B2
A method for processing a plurality of symbol streams is provided. The method includes receiving a first symbol stream, wherein the first symbol stream has a corresponding first number of retransmissions. The method further includes receiving a second symbol stream, wherein the second symbol stream has a corresponding second number of retransmissions. The method further includes selecting the first symbol stream for decoding, if the first number of retransmissions is greater than the second number of retransmissions.
US07933367B2
A method for detecting a digital radio signal includes the steps of receiving the digital radio signal, developing a correlation waveform having a peak that corresponds to a symbol boundary, normalizing the correlation waveform, calculating a peak value of the normalized correlation waveform, and dwelling on the received digital radio signal when the peak value exceeds a predetermined threshold. A receiver that performs the method is also provided.
US07933366B2
A channel estimation method and system using linear correlation based interference cancellation combined with decision-feedback-equalization (LCIC-DFE) are provided. The channel estimation method includes generating a first correlation sequence by calculating a linear correlation between a baseband sampled complex signal and a locally stored pseudo-noise signal and obtaining a second correlation sequence by iteratively removing inter-path interference from the first correlation sequence and generating a first channel impulse response (CIR) sequence based on the second correlation sequence. And, obtaining a third correlation sequence by removing random-data interference from the second correlation sequence based on the first CIR sequence and a feedback signal and generating a second CIR sequence based on the third correlation sequence.
US07933357B2
An apparatus and method for transmission and reception in a multi-user Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) communication system are provided. In a transmitter, a filter portion receives quantized Channel State Information (CSI) and Channel Quality Information (CQI) from a receiver, calculates a transmit filter value using on the quantized CSI and the CQI, determines an appropriate AMC level for the receiver, and sends a pilot signal including the transmit filter value and information about the determined AMC level on subcarriers in one of a preamble and data symbols. An antenna is used to send the output of the filter portion and receives data from the receiver.
US07933355B2
A training sequence helps optimize SNR degradation in a wireless communication. Various sets of training sequences may be stored in a repository, and transmitters and receivers encoded with such sequences transmit at least one of the sequences between them as part of the wireless transmission of data.
US07933348B2
A DC offset estimation system is disclosed. A DC offset estimation system includes a carrier frequency offset estimator receiving an input signal and estimating a carrier frequency offset value, a symbol timing recovery unit providing a symbol boundary of the input signal, and a DC offset estimator estimating a DC offset value to compensate the input signal based on the input signal, the carrier frequency offset value, and the symbol boundary.
US07933344B2
A multiuser scheme allowing for a number of users, sets of user, or carriers to share one or more channels is provided. In the invention, the available channel bandwidth is subdivided into a number of equal-bandwidth subchannels according to standard OFDM practice. The transmitter is informed by an application that it needs to transmit data a particular rate. The transmitter determines the minimum number of subchannels and maximum energy (or noise) threshold for each subchannel necessary to achieve that data rate and selects a set of subchannels matching those requirements. The subchannels need not be contiguous in the spectrum or belong to the same channel. Once the transmitter has selected the required number of subchannels, it begins transmitting simultaneously on those subchannels across the entire bandwidth used by those subchannels.
US07933342B2
Interference rejection (85) can be applied to a wireless communication signal with reduced computational complexity by producing from a sample vector (y) a plurality of vectors (w) that are smaller than the sample vector. The interference rejection operation can then be applied to each of the smaller vectors individually to decide communication symbols represented by the sample vector.
US07933336B2
Methods and devices are provided for down-sampling an image from H.264 to MPEG-4 at a high speed. The method for converting a first macro block having a first format into a second macro block having a second format includes: (a) determining a block mode of the second macro block and converting the first macro block into the second macro block with the determined block mode, when the number of intra macro blocks included in the first macro block satisfies a first condition; (b) determining a block mode of the second macro block and converting the first macro block into the second macro block with the determined block mode, when the number for inter macro blocks included in the first macro block satisfies a second condition; and (c) re-adjusting a motion vector of the second macro block, after the conversion of the first macro block into the second macro block is finished.
US07933333B2
A method of detecting motion in a video image comprising the steps of connecting an MPEG compliant encoder to a video source that provides video images, compressing the video data in the video images and generating a compressed video image bit stream having a motion compensation component, receiving the generated compressed video image bit stream, comparing the motion compensation component to a threshold value, and indicating that motion has occurred if the motion compensation component is greater than the threshold value.
US07933328B2
A video compression algorithm for converting a digital video stream having video content into a compressed video bitstream, includes rate control to control the size of the compressed video bitstream. The rate control takes into account two or more of (1) detected scene changes, (2) detected repeated fields resulting from inverse telecine processing, (3) characterized video content complexity, and (4) a determined level of a model of a bit buffer associated with a decoder adapted to decode the compressed video bitstream. In preferred embodiments, the rate control takes into account two or more of these four factors in an integrated manner to change the allocation of bits for encoding different portions of the video stream.
US07933326B2
An encoded data modification device and the like are obtained which are capable of modifying a signal with a small delay. There is provided the encoded data modification device, including: an operational buffer that stores inputted encoded data formed of a plurality of encoded units; a decoder circuit that decodes the encoded data stored in the operational buffer; a modification circuit that modifies a first encoded unit of the decoded data and modifies following decoded encoded units according to the modification; an encoder circuit that re-encodes the modified data; an operational circuit that judges whether the modification is contained in the data in the buffer; and a write control circuit that rewrites the encoded data stored in the operational buffer to the data modified by the modification circuit and re-encoded by the encoder circuit when the operational circuit judges that the modification is contained in the data in the buffer.
US07933317B2
A telecommunications transmitting device, including: an encoder configured to generate an initial signal formed by at least one reference sequence including an initial integer number of pulses dispatched over a same integer number of time windows; a transmitter configured to transmit the initial signal to a receiver; a demodulation device configured to determine that no acknowledgement from the receiver in response to the initial signal is received; and a processing unit configured to tune a second integer number of pulses constituting a second reference sequence, the second integer number being larger than the initial integer number, wherein the transmitter is configured to transmit a second signal formed by the second reference sequence including the second integer number of pulses dispatched over a same integer number of time windows.
US07933309B2
Provided is a radio communication device which can make Acknowledgement (ACK) reception quality and Negative Acknowledgement (NACK) reception quality to be equal to each other. The device includes: a scrambling unit (214) which multiplies a response signal after modulated, by a scrambling code “1” or “e−j(π/2)” so as to rotate a constellation for each of response signals on a cyclic shift axis; a spread unit (215) which performs a primary spread of the response signal by using a Zero Auto Correlation (ZAC) sequence set by a control unit (209); and a spread unit (218) which performs a secondary spread of the response signal after subjected to the primary spread, by using a block-wise spread code sequence set by the control unit (209).
US07933303B2
Provided is a group-III nitride semiconductor laser device with a laser cavity allowing for a low threshold current, on a semipolar surface of a support base in which the c-axis of a hexagonal group-III nitride is tilted toward the m-axis. First and second fractured faces 27, 29 to form the laser cavity intersect with an m-n plane. The group-III nitride semiconductor laser device 11 has a laser waveguide extending in a direction of an intersecting line between the m-n plane and the semipolar surface 17a. For this reason, it is feasible to make use of emission by a band transition enabling the low threshold current. In a laser structure 13, a first surface 13a is opposite to a second surface 13b. The first and second fractured faces 27, 29 extend from an edge 13c of the first surface 13a to an edge 13d of the second surface 13b. The fractured faces are not formed by dry etching and are different from conventionally-employed cleaved facets such as c-planes, m-planes, or a-planes.
US07933294B2
Systems and methods for communication of scaleable-coded audiovisual signals over multiple TCP/IP connections are provided. The sender schedules and prioritizes transmission of individual scalable-coded data packets over the plurality of TCP connections according to their relative importance in the scalable coding structure for signal reconstruction quality and according to receiver feedback. Low-latency packet delivery over the multiple TCP/IP connections is maintained by avoiding transmission or retransmission of packets that are less important for reconstructed media quality.
US07933290B2
A service translation proxy provides a variety of translation services during the service discovery and subsequent service consumption phase. The service translation proxy receives a service request in accordance with one particular Service Description Protocol (SDP) and optionally translates the service request into the correct SDP as required using the appropriate service discovery interface. In addition, session description, session media, and session transport translations are implemented by the service translation proxy as required to support the service.
US07933287B2
Provided is a wireless communication mobile station device by which a throughput can be improved in multicarrier communication. In the device, a group control section (107) controls a subcarrier group, of which CQI is to be reported, among a plurality of subcarrier groups to periodically change, by following pattern information. For instance, the group control section (107) changes the subcarrier group whose CQI is to be reported, by frame or TTI (Transmission Time Interval). Furthermore, the group control section (107) specifies the subcarrier group whose CQI is to be reported, to an SINR detecting section (108) and a CQI generating section (109).
US07933285B2
Example distributed DSLAMs to increase bandwidth in access networks are disclosed. An example DSLAM comprises a first distribution cable segment to couple an SAI to a first pedestal and to transport user data, a second distribution cable segment to couple the first pedestal to a second pedestal and to transport a first portion of the user data from the first pedestal to the second pedestal, the second cable segment comprising a pair of DSL-based signals bonded together, a drop cable to couple the first pedestal to a customer premises and to transport a second portion of the user data to the customer premises, and a switch at the first pedestal to route the first portion of the user data between the first and second cable segments and to route the second portion of the user data between the first cable segment and the drop cable.
US07933277B1
Method and apparatus for processing scalable content having a base layer and at least one enhancement layer is described. In one example, static logic having decoder logic and system monitor logic is provided. Programmable logic having a plurality of reconfigurable slots is also provided. The decoder logic includes a base layer processor for processing the base layer of the scalable content. The system monitor logic is configured to dynamically reconfigure at least one of the plurality of reconfigurable slots with at least one enhancement block for processing the at least one enhancement layer of the scalable content.
US07933276B2
A dynamic bandwidth allocation (DBA) processor comprises a DBA co-processor having DBA co-processor components and operative to perform and accelerate DBA functions, and a processing core logically coupled to the DBA co-processor through a processing bus and operative to configure and dynamically control all the DBA co-processor components and to run sections of algorithms that cannot be accelerated on the DBA co-processor. The DBA processor significantly accelerated the bandwidth allocation in a communications network such as an optical communications network or a fast wireless network. The DBA co-processor and the processing core may be integrated on a chip.
US07933275B2
A computer data signal including a generic element identifier, a plurality of task-specific data, a variable length identifier and a multi-use data type identifier. The generic element identifier is configurable to identify an information element containing the generic element identifier as a generic information element. The variable length identifier is configurable to indicate a number of the plurality of task-specific data. The multi-use data type identifier is configurable to indicate a type of the plurality of task-specific data.
US07933264B2
A serial multiplexer module for server management includes a first, a second and a third switching devices in circuit connection with a baseboard management controller, a serial transceiver and an input/output controller respectively. Each of the switching devices includes respectively four simplex sub-switches. The simplex sub-switches are controlled to be switched on/off directly/indirectly by a first control signal and/or a second control signal transmitted from the baseboard management controller, thereby enabling and monitoring the communication between the baseboard management controller, the input/output controller and the serial transceiver.
US07933263B1
A method for determining the existence of calls in a VoIP system is disclosed. The present method enables calls that escape detection under known methods to be captured and analyzed, thereby improving the operation of a monitoring component that incorporates the principles disclosed herein. In one embodiment, an undetermined user datagram protocol (“UDP”) data packet is captured. Analysis of the UDP packet is conducted to determine whether the packet conforms to real-time transfer protocol (“RTP”) or real-time transfer control protocol (“RTCP”) protocols that are associated with VoIP calls. If the packet corresponds to RTP or RTCP protocols, further analysis is conducted to determine whether the packet corresponds to an already-identified call. If not, a new call record is created to track the packet and all other packets relating to the call. Analysis of various metrics and other properties of the packet can then be conducted as needed.
US07933251B1
A wireless network includes transmission power and data rate adaptation based upon quality experienced by the user.
US07933248B2
A method for deciding a handover of a mobile terminal based on context information in a network environment includes receiving context information from the terminal and networks; evaluating selection priorities of network interfaces for each transmission path for each application program based on the context information; and obtaining a handover decision value for selecting a best network interface from among the networks by applying a cost function to the evaluated selection priority. Further, an apparatus for deciding a handover of a mobile terminal based on context information in a network environment, includes a monitor that collects context information from the terminal and networks; an analyzer that evaluates selection priorities of the networks for each transmission path for each application program based on the context information; and a planner that obtains a handover decision value for each transmission path of each application program based on the selection priorities.
US07933246B2
A method of treating signals in a bridge-based radio access station backbone network including a plurality of base station bridges (BSBs), with each BSB having a 2-tiered switch connected with a plurality of radio access stations. A plurality of SCBs (Site Core Bridges), each of having a 2-tiered switch for constituting the core network, includes the steps of buffering by the SCB a predetermined number of previously-transmitted frames when operating as a crossover bridge, and causing the SCB to retransmit selected ones of the buffered previously-transmitted frames to a terminal in response to a handover completion signal.
US07933241B2
A communication method for using bandwidth efficiently in Internet protocol version 6 (IPv6) is provided to minimize use of header information that is added when the terminal is moved. According to the present invention, while maintaining compatibility between general terminals that conform to the mobile IPv6, bandwidth can be more efficiently used for terminals supporting functions defined in the present invention.
US07933240B2
A wireless network includes leaf nodes (such as wireless sensors or other wireless devices) and infrastructure nodes (such as access points). The leaf nodes communicate data messages to the infrastructure nodes. The infrastructure nodes communicate the data messages to gateway infrastructure nodes, which transmit the data messages over a wired network. The leaf nodes may communicate data messages to multiple infrastructure nodes in various ways. For example, the leaf nodes may transmit multiple messages, one at a time, to multiple infrastructure nodes. The leaf nodes may also broadcast a single message to multiple infrastructure nodes. In addition, the leaf nodes may communicate a single message containing a group identifier (such as a multi-cast group address) associated with multiple infrastructure nodes. In this way, communications from the leaf nodes may be more reliable. This may be particularly useful, for example, in networks such as 802.11-based networks.
US07933230B2
A Dynamic Threshold Rule is provided for sharing of bandwidth of a shared medium between multiple devices. In one embodiment, a device determines a measure of available bandwidth of said medium; reserves bandwidth up to the available bandwidth; receives a request from a device for bandwidth of a specified amount; and honors the request when relinquishing the specified amount results in preserving an equal or greater percentage of bandwidth available at a time of reserving bandwidth. Different classes of devices may be distinguished, where the percentage for devices of a particular class is greater than for devices not of that particular class, or for which at least one class of device is exempt from the requirement to relinquish bandwidth.
US07933229B2
A radio access network has a reverse link frequency band for receiving signals from mobile stations and has first and second forward link frequency bands for transmitting signals to mobile stations. The second forward link frequency band has a greater frequency bandwidth than the first forward link frequency band and occupies a different part of the radio frequency spectrum. For certain types of communication sessions, such as voice and low-speed data, the reverse link frequency band and the first forward link frequency band are used. For other types of communication sessions, such as high-speed data and streaming video, the reverse link frequency band and the second forward link frequency band are used.
US07933228B2
Communications network based passive delivery of time sensitive scheduling data to an entity is described. Specific time sensitive scheduling data streams are created from aggregating time sensitive scheduling data from multiple originating organizations, affiliated groups of individuals, and individuals. Specific time sensitive scheduling data from originating organizations, affiliated groups of individuals, and individuals are sent via the passive delivery communications network. Specific time sensitive scheduling data streams aggregated from the multiple originating organizations, affiliated groups of individuals, and individuals are transmitted via the passive delivery communications network to the entity based on desirability and relevancy of time sensitive scheduling data. Specific time sensitive scheduling data from originating organizations, affiliated groups of individuals, and individuals are received via the passive delivery communications network. The passive delivery of time sensitive scheduling data to the entity is accommodated based upon derived interests of the entity via a time sensitive scheduling data receiving device.
US07933205B1
A system for interconnecting network operators with each other based on class of service is provided, taking real-time performance requirement(s) for each service into consideration. As a result, services can be sent or received in real time, with greater guarantee of network resources. In one non-limiting embodiment, the delivery path for service traffic is based on the real-time performance requirement categories assigned to each service during a pre-processing step. Thus, services having the highest real-time performance demands can be delivered faster using greater network resources, whereas the services without any real-time performance requirements are processed/delivered using fewer network resources.
US07933196B2
An apparatus for channel interference cancellation includes a first interference-cancellation module and a first cancellation-signal generating circuit. The first interference-cancellation module comprises a first processing circuit including a grouping circuit and a first transforming circuit. The grouping circuit divides received data into a plurality of groups of first sub-data. The first transforming circuit sequentially transforms the groups of first sub-data from a first domain to a second domain to generate a plurality of groups of first transformed sub-data. The first cancellation-signal generating circuit comprises a delay unit, a first processing unit and a second processing unit. The delay unit sequentially delays the groups of first transformed sub-data to generate a plurality of groups of delayed sub-data. The first and the second processing unit output a first and a second processed signal according to the groups of first transformed sub-data and the groups of delayed sub-data respectively.
US07933193B2
An optical disc includes a read-only area having a first wobble, which is a data wobble formed in the read-only area for only reading, a readable/writable area having a second wobble, which is different from the data wobble, and a connection area between the read-only area and the readable/writable area having a third wobble having the same frequency as one of the first and second wobbles.
US07933191B2
An optical disc device includes a first optomechanical mechanism, a second optomechanical mechanism, and a positioning mechanism. The first optomechanical mechanism is located under an optical disc insertable into the optical disc drive to optically access a bottom surface of the optical disc. The second optomechanical mechanism is located over the optical disc insertable into the optical disc drive to optically access a top surface of the optical disc. The positioning mechanism is to precisely locate the second optomechanical mechanism over the optical disc for optically accessing the top surface of the optical disc and to prevent the second optomechanical mechanism from interfering with movement of the optical disc during insertion and removal of the optical disc into and from the optical disc drive.
US07933189B2
In a focus optical system for optical discs or optical disc master exposure apparatuses, a relative positional relation between a cylindrical lens and a 4-division detector in an astigmatic optical system is adjust so that an interference fringe appearing in reflected light derived from an optical disc master is made to be incident on a dead zone of the 4-division detector. Thus, an astigmatic focus servo free from effects of variations in a focus error signal due to the interference fringe is realized. As a result of this, effects of the interference fringe appearing in the reflected light derived from an optical disc or optical disc master can be suppressed.
US07933185B2
An optical read/write apparatus causes a read/write light beam from illuminating means to strike only one side of an optical storage medium including stacked data storage layers each of which is readable/writeable separately from the other layers. In this case, the optical read/write apparatus operates so that data is read/written from/into a second data storage layer after fully recording a recordable area of a first data storage layer. Thus, light can be shone with uniform intensity across the substantially entire recordable area of the second data storage layer without using a complex read/write system even under such conditions that the transmittance to light of the first data storage layer in the recordable area may vary depending on whether any data is recorded in the recordable area.
US07933183B2
An optical disk writing apparatus enhances writing accuracy by writing first data (e.g., test data) that encodes a first writing strategy within first patterns on an optical disk, in response to a first writing signal. A reproducing signal is generated in response to reading the first data from the optical disk. Variations between leading and trailing edges of the first writing signal and leading and trailing edges of the reproducing signal are detected. A correction value is determined using a jitter evaluation function to evaluate the detected variations. From these operations, a second writing strategy is determined using the correction value to modify the first writing strategy. Thereafter, second data (e.g., actual data) is written, which encodes the second writing strategy within second patterns on the optical disk.
US07933172B2
Various disc enhancement systems and methods are disclosed. In some embodiments, methods comprise retrieving information from a master optical disc; retrieving a data structure from a slave optical disc; using the information from the master optical disc to modify the data structure; and playing content from the slave optical disc in accordance with the modified data structure.
US07933170B2
An optical disk medium includes a track groove thereon. On the optical disk medium, information is recorded along the track groove on a block unit basis. The block unit has a predetermined length. The block unit having the predetermined length includes a number of sub-blocks that are arranged along the groove. A sub-block mark is provided within each of the sub-blocks and used to identify the sub-block.
US07933167B2
A synthetic antenna sonar system, includes: a sonar provided with emission elements and reception elements, the reception elements including a composite physical antenna having N transducers, the sonar being located on a mobile carrier; an inertial unit arranged on the carrier and suitable for measuring instantaneous position and orientation informations of the carrier; a common clock supplying a temporal signal enabling the synchronization of both the inertial unit and the sonar; elements for determining the instantaneous speed of the carrier, the determined speed feeding the inertial unit to correct the drift thereof; and micronavigation elements enabling an image of the seafloor to be obtained through formation of the synthetic antenna channels from K sonar operation recurrences, considering that the physical antenna movement during the carrier displacement is fully known from the informations measured by the inertial unit.
US07933162B2
Embodiments are provided that include a row decoder, including a row activation path, having a row address converter with an output coupled to an input of a section replacement detector. Further embodiments provide a method including mapping an external row address to an internal row address, wherein the internal row address comprises a section address, determining whether a section corresponding to the section address includes an error, and if the section includes an error, converting the internal row address to a redundant row address, wherein mapping the external row address to the internal row address is initiated prior to determining whether the section replacement should be performed. Further embodiments include a method for receiving a row address for a row in a memory section including a non-2^n number of normal rows and mapping the row address to a redundant row address by substracting a value from the row address.
US07933161B2
A memory capable of preventing a memory cell from disappearance of data resulting from accumulated disturbances is obtained. This memory comprises a nonvolatile memory cell and a refresh portion for rewriting data in the memory cell. The refresh portion reads data from and rewrites data in the memory cell in a power-down state.
US07933153B2
The invention relates to a method for determining a set of programming conditions for a given type of charge-trapping non-volatile memory device, comprising the steps of: (a) selecting different sets of programming parameters to be applied to the corresponding number of non-volatile memory devices of said type, (b) programming said number of non-volatile memory devices by means of the sets of programming parameters, (c) determining an actual spatial charge distribution of the charge trapping layer of each of the programmed devices, (d) determining the influence of at least one of the programming parameters on the spatial charge distribution, (e) determining an optimised value for at least one of the programming parameters, (f) entering each optimized value in said sets of programming parameters and repeating steps b) to e) at least once.
US07933146B2
Electronic devices that include (i) a magnetization controlling structure; (ii) a tunnel barrier structure; and (iii) a magnetization controllable structure including: a first polarizing layer; and a first stabilizing layer, wherein the tunnel barrier structure is between the magnetization controlling structure and the magnetization controlling structure and the first polarizing layer is between the first stabilizing layer and the tunnel barrier structure, wherein the electronic device has two stable overall magnetic configurations, and wherein a first unipolar current applied to the electronic device will cause the orientation of the magnetization controlling structure to reverse its orientation and a second unipolar current applied to the electronic device will cause the magnetization controllable structure to switch its magnetization in order to obtain one of the two stable overall magnetic configurations, wherein the second unipolar current has an amplitude that is less than the first unipolar current.
US07933144B2
A component with a logic circuit arrangement with configurable functionality, includes several data lines (7), whereby at least a part of the data lines (7) is provided with at least one element (1) which may be switched between two states with different discrete resistances. The data line (7) is opened or closed by the element (1), depending on the switched state.
US07933141B2
In a semiconductor memory device, a memory cell is connected with a local sense amplifier and a global sense amplifier via a local bit line and a global bit line. The local sense amplifier is a single-ended sense amplifier including a single MOS transistor, which detects a potential of the local bit line which varies when reading and writing data with the memory cell. The threshold voltage of the MOS transistor is monitored so as to produce a high-level write voltage and a low-level write voltage, which are corrected and shifted based on the monitoring result so as to properly perform a reload operation on the memory cell by the global local sense amplifier. Thus, it is possible to cancel out temperature-dependent variations of the threshold voltage and shifting of the threshold voltage due to dispersions of manufacturing processes.
US07933137B2
Non-volatile magnetic random access memory (MRAM) devices that include magnetic flip-flop structures that include a magnetization controlling structure; a first tunnel barrier structure; and a magnetization controllable structure that includes a first polarizing layer; and a first stabilizing layer, wherein the first tunnel barrier structure is between the magnetization controllable structure and the magnetization controlling structure and the first polarizing layer is between the first stabilizing layer and the first tunnel barrier structure, wherein the magnetic flip-flop device has two stable overall magnetic configurations, and wherein a first unipolar current applied to the device will cause the orientation of the magnetization controlling structure to reverse its orientation and a second unipolar current applied to the electronic device will cause the magnetization controllable structure to switch its magnetization so that the device reaches one of the two stable overall magnetic configurations, wherein the second unipolar current has an amplitude that is less than the first unipolar current; a second tunnel barrier structure and a reference layer, wherein the second tunnel barrier structure is between the magnetic flip-flop device and the reference layer. MRAM cells that include such devices and arrays including such cells are also disclosed.
US07933129B2
An adjustable expansion card retainer comprises a first supporting frame and a second supporting frame with a front end thereof pivotally coupled to a rear end of the first supporting frame; a compressing end of the first supporting frame can be rotated to a proper angle relatively to a lower side of the second supporting frame. The compressing end of the first supporting frame is allowed to adjust downward amount movement substantially by sliding a first slide unit of the first supporting frame forward a proper distance relatively to a first fixing unit. Whereby, various expansion cards with different height can be respectively compressed to enable an auxiliary expansion card retainer to be suitable for fixing various expansion cards with different height.
US07933126B2
A solid state relay having an internal heat sink for dissipating heat produced by a solid state switching device. The relay being enclosed within a nonmetallic housing and mountable on a DIN type rail system.
US07933125B2
A board unit comprises a board, a heat generating component mounted on a front surface of the board, a first heat transfer plate whose inner surface faces the front surface of the board and is received by the heat generating component, a heat insulating material that is superimposed on an outer surface of the first heat transfer plate and that insulates heat dissipation, a second heat transfer plate that continues to the first heat transfer plate and that defines a heat conducting surface and a heat receiver that is received by the heat conducting surface of the second heat transfer plate and that defines a flow path of a coolant.
US07933122B2
Disclosed is a three-layer protective enclosure that provides resistance to water, dust, dirt, and bump protection for sensitive computers. In one embodiment, an inner membrane layer is provided, which is a thin, flexible layer that protects portions of a computer and allows the user to interact with keyboards, push buttons and other interactive features of the computer. A protective hard shell fits tightly over the membrane and provides additional sealing and rigidity to the protective enclosure. A stretchable cushion layer is placed over the hard shell which conforms to the hard shell and seals moisture, dust and dirt from entering the hard shell. The stretchable cushion layer provides cushioning and also allows access to certain controls on the computer. In another embodiment, a touch screen cover may be used with, or without, a membrane over other portions of the computer.
US07933118B2
An expansion unit detachably assembled to an electronic device is provided. The electronic device has a device connector on one side thereof. The expansion unit for the electronic device includes a base, a pivoting mechanism, and an expansion unit connector. The pivoting mechanism is located on one side of the base, and includes a shaft and a bearing fitting therewith. The expansion unit connector is disposed in the shaft and rotated along with the shaft in the bearing, and is detachably and electrically connected to the device connector. When the expansion unit connector is connected to the device connector, the position of the electronic device relative to the base may be adjusted by the pivoting mechanism.
US07933113B2
A method for manufacturing a laminated ceramic capacitor includes a step of preparing a laminate which has a first principal surface, a second principal surface, a first end surface, a second end surface, a first side surface, and a second side surface and which includes insulating layers and internal electrodes having end portions exposed at the first or second end surface; a step of forming external electrodes on the first and second end surfaces such that plating deposits are formed on the exposed end portions of the internal electrodes so as to be connected to each other; and a step of forming thick end electrodes electrically connected to the external electrodes such that a conductive paste is applied onto edge portions of the first and second principal surfaces and first and second side surfaces of the laminate and then baked.
US07933112B2
Disclosed are one-port and two-port voltage-tunable micro-electromechanical capacitors, switches, and filter devices. High aspect-ratio metal micromachining is used to implement very high quality factor (Q) tunable and fixed capacitors, fixed inductors, and low insertion loss tunable and fixed bandpass LC filters. The tunable capacitors can move in the plane of the substrate by the application of DC voltages and achieve greater than 100% of tuning. A combination of low-loss substrate and highest conductivity metal is used to achieve record high Q and low insertion loss at radio frequencies. The disclosed tunable capacitor structure can also be used as a micromechanical switch.
US07933111B2
A metallized plastic film is formed by winding two sheets of film vapor-deposited with an electrode metal as one group and a film capacitor, comprising; three individual splittings of electrode metal by predetermined width and length and then adjoining of splitting parts. Accordingly, self-heating of the film capacitor can be restrained and a capacitance reduction rate caused by the operation of the fuse parts can be reduced.
US07933104B2
A safety switching apparatus for failsafe disconnection of an electrical load has a first and a second connecting terminal for connecting a first signaling switch and a third and a fourth connecting terminal for connecting a second signaling switch. It also has a first and a second output switching element, which are designed to produce a redundant output switching signal. The first connecting terminal is connected to a first potential and the third connecting terminal is connected to a second potential. The potentials differ from one another. In addition, the second connecting terminal is coupled to the first switching element in such a way that the first switching element receives the first potential via the first signaling switch. Likewise, the fourth connecting terminal is coupled to the second switching element in such a way that the second switching element receives the second potential via the second signaling switch. According to one aspect of the invention, a circuit arrangement is provided for determining at least one further potential at the second and/or fourth connecting terminal, and said circuit arrangement is designed to control the redundant output switching signal as a function of the further potential.
US07933099B2
A magnetic head having precisely controlled MR height has a slider substrate and a magnetic head part provided on the slider substrate. The magnetic head part includes, seeing from a medium-opposing surface side, a magnetism detecting element; an upper magnetic shield layer arranged on the magnetism detecting element; an electrode layer separated in a track width direction from the upper magnetic shield layer; and a conductor layer, arranged closer to the slider substrate than are the upper magnetic shield layer and electrode layer, extending in the track width direction so as to be in contact with the upper magnetic shield layer and electrode layer and forming a part of the medium-opposing surface.
US07933098B2
A thin film magnetic head is disclosed that is capable of improving the thermal efficiency of a heater. A thin film magnetic head includes: a lower shield layer; an upper shield layer; a reproducing element that is provided between the lower shield layer and the upper shield layer; a recording element that is formed on the upper shield layer; a heater that generates heat to expand at least one of the reproducing element and the recording element such that the reproducing element and/or the recording element protrude toward a recording medium; and a shunt line that applies a reference potential that is equal to the potentials of the lower shield layer and the upper shield layer to a magnetic layer of the recording element. In the thin film magnetic head, the shunt line is connected to the magnetic layer of the recording element at a position that deviates from the center of a heat generating region of the heater in a track width direction.
US07933097B1
A disk drive head suspension includes a load beam, a flexure for carrying a magnetic head slider, a base mounting structure for coupling the head suspension to a disk drive actuation system, a hinge, and a damping material. The load beam includes a proximal end portion and a distal end portion. The flexure is attached to and supported by the load beam. The hinge is attached to the base mounting structure and to the load beam and includes a constraint layer portion extending toward the distal end portion of the load beam. The damping material is located between and in contact with the constraint layer portion of the hinge and the load beam for damping resonance vibrations in the head suspension.
US07933093B2
The spindle motor comprises a shaft, a rotor, and a medium-carrying surface. The rotor is disposed on the outer peripheral side of the shaft, and rotates about the shaft. The medium-carrying surface is disposed on the rotor, and carries a circular-disk-form recording medium. The recording medium is pressed and fastened to the medium-carrying surface by a clamping member. The clamping member is a member that presses the recording medium against a medium-carrying surface. The average value of the widths of the profile peaks in the mean line for the primary profile of the medium-carrying surface in the radial direction is smaller than the average value of the widths of the profile valleys.
US07933083B2
A diaphragm device with which individual wavelengths or ranges of wavelengths in the path of a beam of spectrally dispersed light can be suppressed. Such a diaphragm device comprises at least one array of diaphragms, wherein the individual diaphragms of the array are arranged in a definite relation to each other and may be coupled in the path of the beam and each diaphragm of the array in the coupled state is arranged in a given relation to an individual wavelength or a range of wavelengths.
US07933082B2
A monitoring lens device includes a focus ring that is provided in an outer circumferential portion of a fixed cylinder and a zoom ring that is provided in an outer circumferential portion of the focus ring. A screw hole that is engaged with a shaft portion of a lock knob is formed in the focus ring, and an opening portion (long groove) through which the lock knob passes is formed in the zoom ring. A spacer is attached to the lock knob and a convex portion of the spacer is fitted into the opening portion.
US07933067B1
Various embodiments provide a flat field Schmidt-type telescope including a spherical primary mirror, an aspheric correcting plate spaced apart from the primary mirror, a detector disposed between the primary mirror and the corrector plate, and a field lens disposed between the primary mirror and the detector. The field lens is configured to reshape a curved field plane formed by the primary mirror into a flat field plane. A material of the field lens is selected to transmit in the infrared wavelength range (e.g., SWIR and/or MWIR) and is selected to have a desired refractive index so as to achieve a field of view (FOV) of the telescope greater than approximately 10 degrees.
US07933063B2
A monitoring apparatus, based on an optical power monitored in photodetectors arranged at input and output ends of a transmission line, in a condition where pump light is supplied to the transmission line at a time of initial startup of an optical communication system, obtains a relationship for the noise light generated due to Raman amplification, between forward direction noise light power and backward direction noise light power, and while in service, converts the backward direction noise light power monitored by the photodetectors at the input ends of the transmission line into the forward direction noise light power in an arithmetic processing section, in accordance with the relationship obtained at the time of the initial startup. As a result the power of noise light generated due to Raman amplification, can be monitored in real time at high speed.
US07933057B2
An oscillation system includes first and second oscillation movable elements supported by respective elastic supporting elements. The oscillation system has a first natural oscillation mode of a resonance frequency f1 and a second natural oscillation mode of a resonance frequency of f2 which is approximately N-fold of f1 where N is a natural number. A control device determines set driving frequencies Df1 and Df2 in accordance with a predetermined equation while satisfying a relation Df2=N×Df1 and drives the oscillation system at the set driving frequencies through a driving member.
US07933056B2
This invention relates in general to methods and systems of rapid focusing and zooming for the applications in the projection of volumetric 3D images and in the imaging of 3D objects. Rapid variable focusing or zooming is achieved by rapid and repeated change of the object distance or the spacing between lens groups of the projection lens or a combination of both. One preferred approach inserts thin wedge prisms into the optical path and changes their positions relative to the optical path. This changes the thickness traveled through by the optical path and results in effective optical path length change. Another approach folds an optical path by mirrors and moves the mirrors to change the optical path length. For focusing purpose, small and precise displacement is achieved by moving a wedge-shaped optical device obliquely with respect to the optical path. The wedge-shaped optical device can be a thin wedge prism or a mirror on a wedge-shaped base. Optical layout analysis shows that the changes of the object distance, of the spacing between two lens groups and of the image distance are almost in proportion and can be correlated by linear relations. Therefore, the same type of motion function can be used to change these three optical path lengths to achieve focusing and constant magnification.
US07933052B2
Document feeder and image capturing device preventing empty stamping associated with improper positioning of printing unit. Document feeder A, conveying document originals from a document placement location, along a predetermined conveyance path (12), and to a document information-capturing location (5, 6), is furnished with: a printing unit (8), which is shiftable along the document widthwise direction approximately orthogonal to the document conveyance direction, and is for carrying out predetermined printing onto conveyed documents; and a detection unit (S4), provided in the conveyance path further upstream in the conveyance direction than the printer unit (8), that detects whether a conveyed document will pass inside the limits of the range in which the printer unit (8) prints.
US07933040B2
A method and apparatus for controlling registration sensors are provided, in which a transfer unit transfers an electrostatic latent image onto a printing medium, at least one registration sensor senses image alignment errors by irradiating light to the transfer unit to sense reflected light, a sensor data storage unit stores characteristics data of the respective registration sensors, and a sensor control unit controls the registration sensors based on the characteristics data of the respective registration sensors, wherein the registration sensors are placed into the transfer unit. Accordingly, time for performing an algorithm of color registration can be reduced, and registration can be achieved correctly in a short time, irrespective of a set frame of the image forming apparatus.
US07933038B2
A system is provided for delivering a greeting using an interactive form. The system has means for generating print data to include an interactive element associated with the delivery of the greeting card and an identity indicative of the interactive element, and means for transferring the generated print data to a printer. The printer is responsive to the received print data to print the form with the interactive element and coded data encoding the identity coincident with the interactive element such the interaction with the printed interactive element using a sensing device enales sensing of the coded data.
US07933034B2
To provide an image data processing circuit with high productivity and a color image forming apparatus using the same by enabling sharing of the image data processing circuit between a four-rotation machine and a quadruple tandem machine, and reduction of registers for four colors arranged for the four-rotation machine to a single register for one color. There is provided an image forming apparatus in which a first image processing unit out of first and second image processing units provided in an image data processing circuit executes a first image processing for an image read by a scanner unit, stores an image signal in a page memory, the second image processing unit reads the image signal from the page memory according to a synchronous signal generated in an engine unit to execute a second image processing, and the engine unit forms the image on the basis of the results therefrom.
US07933026B2
An optical metrology method is disclosed for evaluating the uniformity of characteristics within a semiconductor region having repeating features such a memory die. The method includes obtaining measurements with a probe laser beam having a spot size on the order of micron. These measurements are compared to calibration information obtained from calibration measurements. The calibration information is derived by measuring calibration samples with the probe laser beam and at least one other technology having added information content. In the preferred embodiment, the other technology includes at least one of spectroscopic reflectometry or spectroscopic ellipsometry.
US07933017B2
A method for characterizing a color reproduction device. A first output color measure responding to a first reference input color value is measured under normal measurement conditions. The measurement conditions are modified and a second output color measure responding to the first reference input color value is measured under the modified measurement conditions. A transformation rule, enabling transformation between the second output color measure and the first output color measure, is calculated from the first color value and the second color value. A first set of output color measures responding to a set of input color values is measured under modified measurement conditions, and the first set of output color measures is converted, using the transformation rule, to a second set of output color measures. A system and a control device are also provided.
US07933015B2
A mark for alignment and overlay, a mask having the same, and a method of using the same are provided. The mark includes a first mark pattern and a second mark pattern. The first mark pattern includes a first pattern and a second pattern, and the second mark pattern includes a third pattern and a fourth pattern. The first pattern includes a plurality of rectangular regions arranged in a first direction, and for each rectangular region, a sideline in a second direction is longer than a sideline in the first direction, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction. The second pattern is disposed on both sides of the first pattern in the second direction and includes a plurality of rectangular regions arranged in the second direction, and for each rectangular region, the sideline in the first direction is longer than a sideline in the second direction. The third pattern includes two rectangular regions disposed on both sides of the first pattern in the first direction, and the fourth pattern includes two rectangular regions disposed on both sides of the second pattern in the second direction.
US07933004B2
A method for acquiring information includes the steps of preparing a laser having a micro-cavity, and detecting a light emitted from the laser. An oscillation state of the laser is changed according to a change of an environmental condition around the micro-cavity, and the light emitted from the laser is changed.
US07932998B2
An exposure apparatus includes an exposure light source generating light to be emitted to photomask, a projection lens for projecting the light having passed through the photomask to wafer, and a transmittance adjustment filter in projection lens the transmittance adjustment filter varies the transmittance of the light projected into the projection lens as a function of position in the projection lens.
US07932989B2
A liquid jet and recovery system for an immersion lithography apparatus has arrays of nozzles arranged to have their openings located proximal to an exposure region through which an image pattern is projected onto a workpiece such as a wafer. These nozzles are each adapted to serve selectively either as a source nozzle for supplying a fluid into the exposure region or as a recovery nozzle for recovering the fluid from the exposure region. A fluid controlling device functions to cause nozzles on selected one or more sides of the exposure region to serve as source nozzles and to cause nozzles on selected one or more of the remaining sides to serve as recovery nozzles such that a desired flow pattern can be established for the convenience of immersion lithography.
US07932988B2
A layout of LCD panels and a size of the mother substrate are disclosed, to improve the efficiency in arrangement of the LCD panels, and to maximize the substrate efficiency, the layout comprising a mother substrate; a dummy region of 15 mm or less in a periphery of the mother substrate; and six LCD panels of the 26-inch model in a matrix of 2×3 on the mother substrate excluding the dummy region with a margin corresponding to 2 ˜4% of a length of the LCD panel.
US07932986B2
A liquid crystal display includes a first substrate, a first signal line formed on the first substrate, the first signal line including a first portion and a second portion, wherein the second portion is thinner than the first portion, a second signal line insulated from the first signal line, the second signal line crossing the first signal line, a thin film transistor connected to the second signal line, a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor, an insulating layer formed on the first signal line, the second signal line, and the thin film transistor, the insulating layer including a first portion and a second portion, a first spacer formed on the first portion of the insulating layer, and a second spacer formed on the second portion of the insulating layer, wherein the second portion of the insulating layer overlaps the second portion of the first signal line, and the first portion and the second portion of the insulating layer have different surface heights.
US07932983B2
A method for adjusting an amount of liquid crystal in a liquid crystal display (LCD) device includes injecting a liquid crystal into a liquid crystal receiving space. The liquid crystal receiving space is disposed between a first substrate, a second substrate that faces the first substrate, and a sealing member interposed between the first and second substrates. The method for adjusting an amount of liquid crystal in a liquid crystal display (LCD) device further includes reducing a thickness of the sealing member at a predetermined portion of the sealing member to form a repair region, and pressurizing the liquid crystal to break the sealing member at the repair region to discharge some of the liquid crystal from the liquid crystal receiving space, so as to adjust the amount of the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal receiving space. The method for adjusting an amount of liquid crystal in a liquid crystal display (LCD) device also includes resealing the broken repair region of the sealing member.
US07932980B2
Apparatus, methods, systems and devices for high aperture ratio, high transmittance, and wide viewing angle liquid crystal display having first and second substrates each with an alignment layer and polarizer on the interior and exterior surface thereof and a liquid crystal material therebetween forming plural pixels each having a common electrode group and a pixel electrode group each having at least one common and pixel electrode. A fringe field drives the molecules in the regions above and below the electrodes and a horizontal field drives the molecules between the electrode groups to achieve high transmittance. In an embodiment an insulating layer separates the substrate and alignment layer and the pixel electrodes are on the substrate and the common electrodes are on the insulating layer. In another embodiment a compensation film is layered between one of the substrates and corresponding polarizer.
US07932975B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a reflective liquid crystal panel (20) having a liquid crystal panel polarization plate (22), a polarization plate (32) provided on a front surface side of the polarization plate (22) with its absorption axis in parallel with an absorption axis of the polarization plate (22), and a negative C plate (31) provided between the liquid crystal panel polarization plate (22) and the polarization plate (32). The negative C plate (31) sets a direction in which viewing limitation is carried out. Thus, it is possible to provide the liquid crystal display device in which a viewing angle can be narrowed by freely setting, in the reflective liquid crystal panel, the direction in which the viewing limitation should be carried out.
US07932972B2
A method of fabricating a substrate for a liquid crystal display device includes: disposing a transparent substrate on a stage of a laser apparatus; irradiating a laser beam having a predetermined power onto the transparent substrate to form a light shielding region in the transparent substrate surrounding first to third light transmitting regions; and forming a color filter layer including red, green and blue sub-color filters respectively in the first to third light transmitting regions, wherein boundaries of the red, green and blue sub-color filters correspond to the light shielding region.
US07932969B2
A liquid crystal display device using a light emitting diode includes a liquid crystal panel, a light guide plate including a light inlet part, the light guide plate being arranged at rear side of the liquid crystal panel, a flexible printed circuit film electrically connected to the liquid crystal panel, and a printed circuit board electrically connected to the flexible printed circuit film including a light emitting diode package mounted on a portion close to an end of the printed circuit board contacts the light inlet part of the light guide plate.
US07932968B2
A light diffusion module and a back light module using the same. The light diffusion module is disposed corresponding to the light source module of the back light module. The light diffusion module includes a first diffusion layer and the second diffusion layer. The first diffusion layer is disposed on top of the light source module and the top light exit surface has a plurality of first micro structures juxtapositioned to each other. The second diffusion layer is disposed on top of the first diffusion layer, and the top surface has a plurality of second micro structures juxtapositioned to each other. The ratio of the width of each first micro structure to the width of each second micro structure is between 1.1 and 1.8. The ratio of the height of each first micro structure to the height of each second micro structure is between 0.8 and 1.5.
US07932967B2
The present invention provides a brightness enhancement film-laminated light diffuser plate which can sufficiently prevent scratching, and also can ensure sufficient brightness. The brightness enhancement film-laminated light diffuser plate of the present invention includes a brightness enhancement film 41, and a light diffuser plate 31 comprising a transparent material and a light diffusing agent dispersed in the transparent material, and having a rough surface having a ten-point average roughness (Rz) of more than 40˜m and 100˜m or less on at least one surface, wherein the brightness enhancement film 41 is laminated and integrated on the rough surface 31a of the light diffuser plate via an adhesive layer 40.
US07932959B2
A docking adapter that interacts with an entertainment system and a parallel television device. The docking adapter may comprise a housing shaped for removable insertion of the parallel television device. The docking adapter may deliver power to the parallel television device. The docking adapter may comprise a communication pathway that carries media flow disposed on the housing. At least one module may receive a user input identifying a video selection. The communication pathway may carry the user input to the parallel television device. The parallel television device may generate a control signal that causes display of video information corresponding to the video selection on the entertainment system. The docking adapter may alternately or in addition receive the video information for display on a built-in screen of the docking adapter. The docking adapter may also deliver the video for display on a screen of the parallel television device.
US07932958B2
An analog video receiver implemented in an integrated circuit device. The analog video receiver includes an amplifier to amplify an analog video signal having a desired carrier frequency, and a mixing circuit to mix the amplified analog video signal with a complex sinusoid having a frequency substantially equal to the carrier frequency.
US07932953B2
Extracting and processing video content encoded in a rendered color space to be emulated by an ambient light source, comprising extracting color information from a video signal and transforming the color information through unrendered color space using tristprimary matrices to form a second rendered color space to drive the ambient light source. Video signal decoding into frames can allow extracting average or other color information from an selected screen regions to reduce bitstream load, and negative gamma correction helps prevent garish or inappropriate chromaticities and luminance.
US07932943B2
In a solid-state imaging device, a primary-color Bayer color filter is provided on an imaging pixel area defined by pixels having different structures. Color-component filters for the same color in the color filter are disposed correspondingly to pixels having the same structure. More specifically, pixels are arranged in consideration of the arrangement of color-component filters of the color filter, or the color-component filters are arranged in consideration of the arrangement of the pixels.
US07932939B2
In an image processing apparatus that performs image processing on an image supplied from an imaging apparatus that captured an original image and that performed gamma processing on the original image to generate the image to be supplied to the image processing apparatus, inverse gamma processing means performs inverse gamma processing on the image supplied from the imaging apparatus so that the image has characteristics the same as characteristics of the original image, which corresponds to the image before the image was subjected to the gamma processing in the imaging apparatus, and correction processing means performs correction processing on the image subjected to the inverse gamma processing using the inverse gamma processing means so that blur in the image is corrected.
US07932937B2
A common high frequency component common to signals adjusted based on a local similarity of signal amplitudes thereof before sampling so that folding components therein are cancelled is generated, and the generated common high frequency component is adjusted to a ratio corresponding to the balance of the original signal. The adjusted high frequency component is added to a low frequency component of each signal.
US07932928B2
When an acquired image file GF includes image processing control information GI, a CPU executes image quality adjustment of image data GD in an image processing mode GM specified by the image processing control information GI. When the acquired image file GF does not include the image processing control information GI, on the other hand, the CPU retrieves Exif information and in the case of successful retrieval of the Exif information, selects the image processing mode GM based on the Exif information and executes image quality adjustment of the image data GD in the selected image processing mode GM. In the case where a selected shooting mode is described in the Exif information, the selected shooting mode is used for the selection of the image processing mode GM. In the case where no selected shooting mode is described in the Exif information, on the other hand, another shooting condition is used for the selection of the image processing mode GM.
US07932926B2
The invention includes a vibration reduction mechanism, a vibration detecting part, a reference signal generating part, a target drive position calculating part, and a driving part. The vibration reduction mechanism reduces a vibration of a subject image. The vibration detecting part outputs a vibration detection signal. The reference signal generating part estimates a reference signal of the vibration detection part. The target drive position calculating part obtains a vibration component from a difference between the vibration detection signal and the estimated reference signal to obtain a target position to which the vibration reduction mechanism is driven. The driving part controls the vibration reduction mechanism to follow the target position. Particularly, the reference signal generating part corrects the reference signal according to a motion signal obtained from a captured image. An accurate reference signal can be obtained by the correction, thereby improving the performance of the vibration reduction.
US07932919B2
A system and method for a virtual omni-directional camera array, comprising a video control system (VCS) coupled to two or more co-located portable or stationary information processing systems, each enabled with a video camera and microphone, to provide a composite video view to remote videoconference participants. Audio streams are captured and selectively mixed to produce a virtual array microphone as a clue to selectively switch or combine the video streams from individual cameras. The VCS selects and controls predetermined subsets of video and audio streams from the co-located video camera and microphone-enabled computers to create a composite video view, which is then conveyed to one or more similarly-enabled remote computers over a broadband network (e.g., the Internet). Manual overrides allow participants or a videoconference operator to select predetermined video streams as the primary video view of the videoconference.
US07932917B2
A method of controlling a picture quality of a flat panel display for automatically analyzing a shape, a size, and brightness of a display stain of indeterminate shape having an irregular pattern, and compensating brightness of the display stain of indeterminate shape on the basis of the analyzed result is disclosed. The method of controlling a picture quality of the flat panel display comprises measuring brightness of a display stain, which is generated on a flat display panel, at a vertical direction and a horizontal direction, respectively; imaginarily dividing the display stain in a predetermined distance along a direction that a brightness change is large among the vertical direction and the horizontal direction in accordance with the measured result; detecting edge points where divided border lines of the divided display stains and an edge of the display stain are joined; determining compensation values, which are applied to a plurality of compensation applying surfaces that are defined by the edge points and the divided border lines within the display stain; and adjusting digital video data to be displayed at the compensation applying surfaces using the compensation values.
US07932916B2
An organic light emitting diode (OLED) device and a method of driving the OLED device are provided. The OLED device according to an embodiment includes a timing controller and a data drive unit. The timing controller performs a gamma correction of inputted image data for the OLED device, and then changes a bit number of the gamma-corrected image data to thereby output converted image data. The data drive unit outputs a data drive signal on the basis of the converted image data.
US07932906B2
A graphical production system produces pixel bar charts, in various embodiments. In an embodiment, a pixel bar chart is constructed that may include multiple bars with substantially equal widths and potentially variable heights to enable visual data analysis. A bar may include a number of pixel units corresponding to a volume of data records represented within the bar. Selected visual indicators are displayed within the pixel units of the bar, where a selected visual indicator represents a value of an attribute of a data record represented by the pixel unit. In an embodiment, the pixel units may be ordered within a bar in a particular sequence (e.g., ascending, descending or some other order). Further, in an embodiment, the bar width is determined to minimize the amount of padding. In an embodiment, a visual indicator scale is displayed to indicate values associated with each visual indicator.
US07932904B2
A method for generating constrained Voronoi grids in a plane with internal features and boundaries is disclosed. The disclosed method generally includes approximation of internal features and boundaries with polylines based on plane geometry. Protected polygons or points are generated around the polylines, and Delaunay triangulation of protected points or protected polygon vertices is constructed. Delaunay triangulation that honors protected polygons or points is generated in the rest of the gridding domain. The constrained Voronoi grid is then generated from the Delaunay triangulation, which resolves all of the approximated features and boundaries with the edges of Voronoi cells. Constrained Voronoi grids may be generated with adaptive cell sizes based on specified density criterion.
US07932900B2
Surface acoustic waves are propagated in a lower-left oblique direction and a lower-right oblique direction from an excitation element located on the upper side of a non-piezoelectric substrate and then received by receiving elements located on the left side and the right side, while surface acoustic waves are propagated in an upper-left oblique direction and an upper-right oblique direction from an excitation element located on the lower side of the non-piezoelectric substrate and then received by the receiving elements located on the left side and the right side. Based on the received results at the two receiving elements, a position of an object in contact with the non-piezoelectric substrate is detected. The sensitivity in a region near the diagonal, which is influenced largely by propagation loss of the surface acoustic waves, is improved by increasing the widths of the electrode fingers of the excitation elements and/or the receiving elements, the number of pairs of the electrode fingers, or the aperture width of comb-like electrodes, according to an increase in the propagation distances of the surface acoustic waves, i.e., toward the region near the diagonal.
US07932897B2
Disclosed herein is a capacitive touch sensitive device. One aspect of the touch sensitive device described herein is a reduction in the number of sensor circuits needed for circular or linear capacitive touch sensitive devices while maintaining the same resolution and absolute position determination for a single object. A related aspect of the touch sensitive device described herein a coding pattern that allows each sensor circuit of a capacitive touch sensitive device to share multiple electrodes at specially chosen locations in a sensor array such that the ability to determine the absolute position of a single object over the array is not compromised.
US07932892B2
A method and system for transmitting data to and from a hand-held host device are disclosed. An accessory device for interfacing with a host device includes a communication channel designed to establish a bidirectional data link between the accessory device and the host device. The accessory device also includes a storage unit communicatively coupled to the communication channel. The storage unit is designed to store various data. In addition, at least a first data is selectively transmitted from the stored data of the accessory device to the host device through the established bidirectional data link.
US07932890B2
An electronic device includes a casing having a display part (2) provided with an image display panel (1), a operation part (4) provided with operation keys (3), and a joint part (5) that connects together the display part and the operation part, and a lightguide plate (6) disposed in the casing. The lightguide plate is an edge-light type lightguide plate having a display illuminating part (6a) illuminating the image display panel, a key illuminating part (6b) illuminating the operation keys, and a connecting part (6c) that connects together the display illuminating part and the key illuminating part and that guides light therebetween. The lightguide plate is deformable in accordance with the deformation of the casing.
US07932879B2
An electronic device includes a light source, which generates light in response to a signal, and a controller. Because the luminosity of the light source decays over time, the controller generates a utilization value based on a cumulative time that the light source is emitting light, and regulates the signal that is provided to the light source in response to the utilization value to at least partially compensate for decay in the luminosity of the light source.
US07932878B2
An active matrix-type display apparatus comprises: pixel circuits arranged in a row and a column directions; a column current control circuit that generates a current signal; an information line that transmits the current signal from the column current control circuit to the pixel circuits arranged in the column direction; and a light emitting element that is supplied with current corresponding to the current signal, from one of the pixel circuits, wherein the column current control circuit has an information storage circuit and compares an information stored in the information storage circuit with an information newly input into the column current control circuit, converts the newly input information to a converted information according to the comparison result and generates the current signal on the basis of the converted information.
US07932856B2
A satellite signal reception device has a reception unit that receives a satellite signal transmitted from a positioning information satellite, and a reception control component that controls the reception unit to execute a reception process. The reception control component includes a satellite signal search component that searches for the satellite signal by means of the reception unit, a reception mode selection component that selects either a time mode or a positioning mode according to the number of satellites from which a satellite signal was captured by the satellite signal search component, a positioning process component that executes a positioning process of receiving the satellite signals and acquiring positioning information by means of the reception unit when the reception mode selection component selects the positioning mode, and a timekeeping process component that executes a timekeeping process of receiving the satellite signals and acquiring time information by means of the reception unit when the reception mode selection component selects the time mode.
US07932855B2
There are provided a distance measuring device and a distance measuring method characterized by “simple configuration”, “capability of measuring a near distance”, and “a small measurement error” like a distance measuring device using a standing wave. The distance measuring device includes a signal source (1) for outputting a signal having a plurality of different frequency components within a particular bandwidth, a transmission unit (2) for transmitting a signal as an undulation, s mixed wave detection unit (3) for detecting a mixed wave VC obtained by mixing a progressive wave VT transmitted and a reflected wave VRk of the progressive wave VT reflected by a measurement object (6), a frequency component analysis unit (4) for analyzing the frequency component of the mixed wave VC detected, and a distance calculation unit (5) for obtaining a distance spectrum by subjecting the analyzed data further to spectrum analysis, thereby calculating the distance to the measurement object (6).
US07932850B1
A buoyant target comprises an inflatable structure with a drogue chute attached to the periphery of the bottom of the inflatable structure. The drogue chute is an open flexible structure with a bottom end weighted with ballast to deploy it, and with ports through its side to permit water to flow into and out of it. A radar reflector device is attached inside the inflatable structure. The radar reflector device comprises a plurality of mutually orthogonal radar reflective surfaces having central reflection vectors pointed at predetermined directions.
US07932847B1
A hybrid coarse-fine time-to-digital converter is disclosed. The hybrid coarse-fine time-to-digital converter is configured to receive a first input signal and a second input signal and to generate a digital output that corresponds to the time difference of between a rising edge of the first input signal and a rising edge of the second input signal. The hybrid coarse-fine time-to-digital converter comprises a coarse time-to-digital converter, a fine time-to-digital converter, and a correlated output generator.
US07932822B2
An apparatus for locating a mobile device includes a receiving unit receiving a trigger profile including predetermined zone information and a triggering rule about the generation of an alarm signal at the moment of entering and exiting of the predetermined zone, a location identifying unit locating a present location, a zone in/out detection unit generating the alarm signal according to the triggering rule based on the trigger profile and the present location located by the location identifying unit when entering the predetermined zone or exiting the predetermined zone, and a transmission unit transmitting the present location information identified by the location identifying unit when the alarm signal is generated.
US07932814B2
A method and system to determine physical parameters as between a RFID tag and a reader. At least some of the illustrative embodiments are methods comprising generating an antenna feed signal, and transmitting a first electromagnetic wave to a radio frequency device (by coupling the antenna feed signal to a reading antenna), receiving a backscattered electromagnetic wave from the radio frequency device to create a received signal, calculating a combined signal based on the antenna feed signal and received signal, and determining relative velocity between the radio frequency device and the reading antenna based on the combined signal.
US07932808B2
A high-performance resistor includes resistor elements electrically connected in series and each having a first and second side and a first and second end. At the first end is a first connection and provided at the second end is a second connection for connecting the resistor elements. The first and second connections each have an inner portion and an outer portion. The inner portion of the first connection is bent at a predetermined angle with respect to the first side of the resistor element. The outer portion of the first connection is in a plane which is substantially parallel to the plane of the resistor element. The inner portion of the second connection is bent at a predetermined angle with respect to the second side of the resistor element. The outer portion of the second connection is in a plane which is substantially parallel to the plane of the resistor element.
US07932801B2
A winding arrangement for a planar transformer, e.g., for high frequency AC transformation, or for an inductor includes at least two conduction layers. Each conduction layer has an inner hole and conductor paths which are electrically insulated from each other and which lead from an outer circumference to an inner circumference of the conduction layer adjacent to the inner hole in a spiral form.
US07932799B2
The invention relates to a transformer (12) with a planar primary winding and a planar secondary winding. In order to support the heat dissipation during operation, each winding is integrated on a substrate in at least one dedicated PCB (30, 40). The PCBs (30, 40) are separated from each other by a non-ferromagnetic and electrically insulating material (50). The material: (50) transfers heat better than the substrates. The invention relates equally to an apparatus comprising such a transformer (12).
US07932797B2
An electromagnetic drive includes a drive plate disposed in a magnetic field. The drive plate includes a non-conductive medium with a first plurality of linear conductive elements arranged parallel to a first axis. The first plurality of linear conductive elements connects first and second electrical terminals supported by the non-conductive medium. The drive plate may be driven in the magnetic field along a second axis that is substantially perpendicular to the first axis when an electrical current of sufficient magnitude is passed through the first plurality of linear conductive elements.
US07932789B2
A frequency adjustable surface acoustic wave oscillator uses circuitry in which the phase relationship between the corresponding input and output signals and the voltage applied to or received by transducer fingers is controlled in such a manner that the frequency of the surface acoustic wave oscillator is arbitrarily controlled over a wide range by digital means. This provides an oscillator that exhibits a wide tunable frequency range while providing low phase noise.
US07932784B1
The present invention is a frequency and phase locked loop (FPLL) synthesizer having a frequency-locked loop (FLL) operating mode and a phase-locked loop (PLL) operating mode. The FLL operating mode is used for rapid coarse tuning of the FPLL synthesizer and is followed by the PLL operating mode for fine tuning and stabilization of the frequency of an output signal from the FPLL synthesizer. The FPLL synthesizer includes a variable frequency oscillator, which is controlled by FLL circuitry during the FLL operating mode or by PLL circuitry during the PLL operating mode. The FLL circuitry includes frequency division circuitry for reducing the frequency of the output signal, frequency detection circuitry for measuring the frequency error of the frequency reduced output signal, and a loop filter to control the bandwidth of an FLL control loop formed by the FLL circuitry and the variable frequency oscillator.
US07932779B2
A D-class amplifier that can suppress noise generated when a D-class amplification operation is started/stopped. When a D-class amplification operation is started/stopped, the pulse widths and pulse interval of output signals Pout1, Pout2 are gradually changed, so it is possible to prevent a large variation in the signal fed as a differential signal of output signals Pout1, Pout2 to the load, and it is possible to reduce noise. That is, by gradually changing the pulse interval while keeping the pulse widths of output signals Pout1, Pout2 constant, it is possible to suppress variation in the relatively high frequency component corresponding to the component of the pulse signal. Also, by gradually changing the widths of output signals Pout1, Pout2 while keeping the pulse interval constant, it is possible to suppress variation in the relatively low frequency component corresponding to the average value of the pulse signal.
US07932778B1
An amplifier generates a tri-level output signal in response to an input signal that is pulse-width modulated. The amplifier is filterless and DC free. A control block supplies a multitude of pulse-width modulated (PWM) signals in response to the received digital input signal. A pair of the PWM signals are applied to the signal generator which in response supplies a third signal to the integrator. The integrator integrates the third signal in accordance with a feedback signal.
US07932776B2
Methods and systems for vector combining power amplification are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a plurality of signals are individually amplified, then summed to form a desired time-varying complex envelope signal. Phase and/or frequency characteristics of one or more of the signals are controlled to provide the desired phase, frequency, and/or amplitude characteristics of the desired time-varying complex envelope signal. In another embodiment, a time-varying complex envelope signal is decomposed into a plurality of constant envelope constituent signals. The constituent signals are amplified equally or substantially equally, and then summed to construct an amplified version of the original time-varying envelope signal. Embodiments also perform frequency up-conversion.
US07932771B2
A semiconductor device includes a semiconductor element including a current mirror circuit, a parasitic resistance formed at the current mirror circuit, and a connection terminal electrically connected to a part of the current mirror circuit via an electric conductor including a bonding wire, the connection terminal being configured to perform input and output relative to an outside of the semiconductor device; wherein a resistance value of the bonding wire is controlled so that a shift of an output electric current of the current mirror circuit based on the parasitic resistance is corrected.
US07932769B2
A power insulated gate field effect transistor has main cells (2) controlled by a main cell insulated gate and sense cells (4) controlled by a sense cell insulated gate. A sample and hold circuit (10, 50) is arranged to operate in a plurality of states including at least one sample state and a hold state to sense the current flowing through the sense cells (4) when in the at least one sample state but not in the hold state. The sample states may be used in a feedback loop to control a drive amplifier (20) driving the gates of the main and sense cells (2,4) and/or to mirror the current in the sense cells (4) on a measurement output terminal (58).
US07932761B1
Techniques and an apparatus for producing pulse width modulation (PWM) edges are described. A PWM controller circuit with a polyphase counter is described. The polyphase counter may comprise a plurality of counters. Each of the counters may be set to a specific initial count value. A polyphase decoder block with a plurality of sets of high/low decoders are coupled to outputs from the polyphase counter. A set/reset block with a plurality of set/reset logic elements is coupled to outputs from the polyphase decoder block. A serializer is coupled to outputs from the plurality of set/reset blocks to generate PWM edges. Multiple parallel phases of a PWM pulse may be created with the circuit. Using a polyphase counter and comparator to create multiple parallel phases may speed up the controller circuit and provide a finer tuning resolution.
US07932758B2
A delay locked loop circuit includes a delay replica model unit for reflecting a delay time of an actual output path to a source clock and outputting the reflected source clock as a delay replica clock, a detector for detecting a remaining time after subtracting a time corresponding to a multiple of a clock cycle of the source clock from a time corresponding to a phase difference between the delay replica clock and the source clock, and a delay locking unit for delaying the source clock for a delay time to synchronize a clock generated by delaying the source clock for the detected remaining time of the detector with a phase of the source clock.
US07932753B2
Embodiments of a potential converter circuit include a converter for converting a bipolar input signal to a unipolar output signal that only consumes current at a change of potential of the input signal.
US07932746B1
Circuits comprising asynchronous linear pipelines and one-phase pipelines, and methods of forming asynchronous linear pipeline circuits and converting them to one-phase pipeline circuits are provided. Additional circuits, systems and methods are disclosed.
US07932743B1
A programmable integrated circuit performs an initial partial configuration of the programmable integrated circuit in response to receiving an activation signal. In this way, the programmable integrated circuit enables an initial functionality of the programmable integrated circuit. The programmable integrated circuit then performs a subsequent partial configuration of the programmable integrated circuit for enabling additional functionality of the programmable integrated circuit. In some embodiments, the programmable integrated circuit receives an input signal indicating a stimulus in an environment of the programmable integrated circuit and determines based on the input signal whether to perform the subsequent partial configuration of the programmable integrated circuit or generate a power down signal for powering down the programmable integrated circuit without performing the subsequent partial configuration. In some embodiments, the programmable integrated circuit performs a sequence of partial subsequent configurations for enabling a sequence of additional functionalities of the programmable integrated circuit.
US07932741B2
The invention relates to an interfacing device for pseudo-differential transmission through interconnections used for sending a plurality of electrical signals. The interfacing device of the invention includes signal terminals and a common terminal distinct from the reference terminal (ground). A transmitting circuit receiving the input signals of the transmitting circuit coming from a source delivers, when the transmitting circuit is in the activated state, currents to the signal terminals. A receiving circuit delivers, when the receiving circuit is in the activated state, output signals of the receiving circuit determined each by the voltage between one of the signal terminals and the common terminal, to the destination. A termination circuit is such that, when it is in the activated state, it is approximately equivalent, for the signal terminals and the common terminal, to a network consisting of 4 branches, each branch being connected to the common terminal and to one of the signal terminals.
US07932739B2
An apparatus for supporting BGA packages for one or more testing processes is disclosed. The apparatus includes a substrate member. The substrate member has a plurality of contact pads, with each of the contact pads being spatially disposed around a peripheral region of the substrate. The apparatus further includes a plurality of contact regions spatially configured on a portion of the substrate member. Each of the plurality of contact regions is numbered from 1 through N being electrically connected to respective contact pads numbered from 1 through N. The plurality of contact regions is configured to provide electrical contact to respective plurality of balls provided on a BGA package. The apparatus additionally includes a holder device coupled to the substrate member. The holder device is adapted to mechanically hold the BGA package in place to provide mechanical contact between the plurality of balls and respective plurality of contact regions.
US07932737B2
A prober for testing devices in a repeat structure on a substrate is provided with a probe holder plate, probe holders mounted on the plate, and a test probe associated with each holder. Each test probe is displaceable via a manipulator connected to a probe holder, and a substrate carrier fixedly supports the substrate. Testing of devices, which are situated in a repeat structure on a substrate, in sequence without a substrate movement and avoiding individual manipulation of the test probes in relation to the contact islands on the devices, is achieved in that the probe holders are fastened on a shared probe holder plate and the probe holder plate is moved in relation to the test substrate.
US07932732B2
The present invention determines the resonant frequency of a sensor by adjusting the phase and frequency of an energizing signal until the frequency of the energizing signal matches the resonant frequency of the sensor. The system energizes the sensor with a low duty cycle, gated burst of RF energy having a predetermined frequency or set of frequencies and a predetermined amplitude. The energizing signal is coupled to the sensor via magnetic coupling and induces a current in the sensor which oscillates at the resonant frequency of the sensor. The system receives the ring down response of the sensor via magnetic coupling and determines the resonant frequency of the sensor, which is used to calculate the measured physical parameter. The system uses a pair of phase locked loops to adjust the phase and the frequency of the energizing signal.
US07932723B2
Calibration of the arrays of a multicomponent induction logging tool is achieved by positioning the tool horizontally above ground. The upper and lower housings of the tool are connected by a borehole conductivity simulator which as a resistance comparable to that of a borehole. Axial and radial positioning of the transmitter coils is done by monitoring outputs at receiver coils to achieve a minimum.
US07932707B2
Provided is a voltage regulator having satisfactory transient response characteristics. Because a PMOS (25) and an NMOS (24) pass drain currents (charge and discharge currents with respect to gate of PMOS (26)) based on the square of voltage (ΔIR) according to change (ΔI) in drain currents of NMOSs (16 and 17), a maximum value (Imax) of the charge and discharge currents becomes larger, transition time (t) of gate voltage of the PMOS (26) becomes shorter, and the transient response characteristics of the voltage regulator become better.
US07932704B1
A modulator for providing control pulses on a pulse control signal for controlling operation of a DC-DC converter is disclosed which includes a comparator, pulse control logic, a memory circuit and a switch circuit. The comparator compares a timing waveform with a compensation signal and provides a comparison signal with preliminary pulses. The pulse logic circuit receives the comparison signal and provides normal pulses on a normal pulse signal. The pulse logic circuit selects only those preliminary pulses which are provided during a permissible time window of each period of the periodic timing waveform. The memory circuit provides a pulse indication whenever a normal pulse does not occur on the pulse signal during any switching period. The switch circuit selects between the normal pulse signal and the comparison signal based on the pulse indication for providing the control pulses.
US07932696B2
Electrical energy is transmitted to charge the implanted medical device, and an electrical parameter (e.g., a steady-state voltage) indicating a rate at which the implanted medical device is charged by the electrical energy is detected. A threshold (e.g., by modifying a stored threshold value) at which the charge strength indicator generates a user-discernible signal is adjusted based on the detected electrical parameter.
US07932693B2
A motor drive for conditioning power to be delivered to a non-motor load includes a voltage feedback circuit that monitors a DC bus voltage and, based on changes in the DC bus voltage, adjusts a power conditioning scheme such that near steady-state load conditions are maintained in response to a transient load condition. The voltage feedback circuit has a voltage sensor that provides voltage feedback to a controller that determines what changes in power conditioning are needed in response to a transient load condition that manifests itself in a change in DC bus voltage.
US07932689B2
A motor drive system is provided with a plurality of axis control parts for outputting PWM commands using a position command, a plurality of current supply parts which supply current to the respective windings based on the PWM commands of the respective axis control parts, and which are connected to the respective windings, a motor position detector for outputting a signal of a rotor position of the motor, a first signal supply part for supplying the output signal to one current supply part of the plurality of current supply parts, and a second signal supply part for supplying the signal supplied through the first signal supply part to an axis control part corresponding to one current supply part, and the corresponding axis control part outputs a PWM command based on the signal supplied from the one current supply part through the second signal supply part to the corresponding axis control part and the position command, and the remaining axis control part outputs the PWM command based on the signal supplied from the corresponding axis control part to the remaining axis control parts and the position command. Thereby, a motor drive system capable of driving a plurality of inverters can be made simple.
US07932687B2
An actuator system, preferably for patient lifters, includes at least one actuator driven by an electric motor, a control unit having a power limiting circuit, and at least one handset having a plurality of keys. The actuator system is arranged such that the threshold value of the maximum permissible power in the power limiting circuit may be changed, and that this change may be performed via a key on the handset. Thus, it is possible to subsequently adjust the cutout limit safely and easily via a key on a handset, so that the cutout limit may be adapted to the actual application into which the actuator system is to be incorporated. For reasons of safety, it is preferred to use a separate handset for changing the threshold value.
US07932680B2
A discharge lamp control device includes: a discharge lamp driver section which drives a lamp; and a discharge lamp drive control section which performs constant current control so that a discharge lamp current that flows between electrodes of the lamp becomes constant when a discharge lamp voltage applied between the electrodes of the lamp is lower than a first voltage after the lamp has been lighted. The discharge lamp drive control section performs constant power control so that an amount of power supplied to the lamp becomes constant when the lamp voltage is equal to or higher than the first voltage and is equal to or lower than a predetermined voltage which is higher than the first voltage after the discharge lamp has been lighted; and the discharge lamp drive control section reduces the amount of power supplied to the lamp according to an increase in the discharge lamp voltage when the discharge lamp voltage is higher than the predetermined voltage after the lamp has been lighted.
US07932668B2
An organic electroluminescence device includes a pair of electrodes; a hole injection layer and a luminescent layer disposed between the pair of electrodes; and a mixing-preventing layer disposed between the hole injection layer and the luminescent layer and preventing mixing of the material constituting the hole injection layer and the material constituting the luminescent layer.
US07932660B2
An ultrasonic motor has a cylindrical rotor for performing a mechanical output, a plurality of ultrasonic vibrators each having two points in internal contact with the rotor, and a preload mechanism for pressing the ultrasonic vibrators from an inside toward an outside of the rotor, and the ultrasonic vibrators are provided to be rotatable relative to the preload mechanism. With this configuration, an internal contact type ultrasonic motor capable of performing efficient drive by using a plurality of ultrasonic vibrators each in contact with a cylindrical rotor at two points and allowing contact at all contact points without requiring a high machining accuracy can be provided.
US07932653B2
An electric motor assembly includes a stator assembly and a rotor assembly having a shaft disposed within a motor case. The motor case includes an endshield with a centrally disposed bearing-receiving core that is configured to receive any one of a plurality of bearing assemblies, including at least a ball bearing and a self-aligning bearing, for rotatably supporting the shaft. The core includes a bearing assembly engagement surface with a generally cylindrical first portion and a generally frustoconical second portion, such that any of the selected bearings received therein directly contacts and engages the first surface portion or the second surface portion.
US07932650B2
A motor stator is disclosed. Each of a first phase, second phase and third phase of three-phase winding has multiple toroidal coils and crossover wires connecting the coils. The crossover wire of the first phase runs inside the second phase coil and the third phase coil. The crossover wire of the second phase runs over the first phase coil with a guide by guide posts and runs inside the third phase coil. The crossover wire of the third phase runs over the first phase coil and the second phase coil with a guide by the guide posts.
US07932649B2
A dissipator for electronic components, the electronic components being intended for the functioning of a rotary electrical machine, the machine comprising a rear bearing, the dissipator comprising a top face and a bottom face including fins. The present invention applies to any type of polyphase rotary electrical machine, synchronous or asynchronous, such as alternators or alternator starters, and also whether it is a case of electrical machines for motor vehicles and driven for example by belt, with cooling by air, liquid or any other solution that can be envisaged.
US07932647B2
An electromagnetic reciprocating fluid apparatus includes a magnetic circuit device in which magnetic pole members project inward from an annular magnetic circuit member so as to oppose each other. The magnetic pole members and the annular magnetic circuit member have a uniform thickness. First and second additional annular magnetic circuit members are set on both sides of the annular magnetic circuit member to constitute a part of the magnetic circuit device, thereby minimizing the increase in magnetic reluctance due to magnetic flux concentration at the joints between the magnetic pole members and the annular magnetic circuit member.
US07932646B2
A device includes a stage, a force applying unit configured to apply a magnetically repulsive force to the stage, the force applying unit including a first magnet provided at the stage, and a second magnet provided at an end of a movement stroke of the stage so as to face the first magnet, a driving unit configured to drive the stage within the movement stroke, a magnetic-flux reinforcement unit configured to reinforce magnetic flux of the second magnet, and a magnetic shield configured to shield the magnetic flux of the second magnet.
US07932639B2
Methods and mechanisms to simultaneously regulate two or more supply voltages provided to an integrated circuit by a voltage regulator. In an embodiment of the invention, a voltage regulation message exchanged between the integrated circuit and the voltage regulator includes an identifier indicating two or more supply voltages selected from a plurality of supply voltages provided to the integrated circuit by the voltage regulator, where the voltage regulation message relates to the indicated two or more supply voltages. In another embodiment, the voltage regulation message indicates a desired supply voltage level to which the indicated two or more supply voltages are to transition.
US07932637B2
A method includes operating a microsource in a grid mode in which the microsource is connected to a utility grid. The microsource is located in a microgrid and is configured to deliver a power P1 at a frequency ω1. During operation in the grid mode ω1 is a first frequency and P1 is a first power. The first frequency is an operating frequency of the utility grid. The microsource is transferred from the grid mode to an island mode, causing a frequency change such that ω1 changes to a second frequency and a power change such that P1 changes to a second power. The frequency change occurs at a first rate with respect to the power change while ω1 is less than a slope switch frequency. The frequency change occurs at a second rate with respect to the power change while ω1 is greater than the slope switch frequency.
US07932636B2
An automatic start-up circuit for use in an uninterruptible power supply apparatus is provided. The uninterruptible power supply apparatus includes an energy storage unit and a switching circuit. The automatic start-up circuit includes an operating status detecting circuit and a secondary switch driving circuit. The operating status detecting circuit is connected to an energy storage unit connecting node for detecting an operating status of the energy storage unit through the energy storage unit connecting node, and generating an start-up control signal according to the operating status of the energy storage unit. The secondary switch driving circuit is connected to the operating status detecting circuit, a control terminal of the switching circuit and a common terminal for determining whether the switching circuit is automatically driven to be conducted to start up the uninterruptible power supply apparatus according to the start-up control signal.
US07932624B2
A bus bar constitutes a power line and another bus bar constitutes an earth line. The bus bars are layered in the normal direction of an insulating substrate via an insulating member. Here, the bus bar positioned at the upper side is formed by a metal member and the bus bar positioned at the lower side is formed by a wiring layer formed on the insulating substrate. Since one of the bus bars is the wiring layer fixed to the insulating substrate, it is possible to assure heat radiation of the bus bar. Thus, it is possible to make the bus bar a wiring layer having a comparatively small cross sectional area and reduce the semiconductor module size in the normal direction. By mounting the semiconductor module on the drive device for a hybrid vehicle, it is possible to reduce the vertical-direction size when mounted on the vehicle and lower the position of the center of gravity of the vehicle to improve the running stability.
US07932620B2
A windmill apparatus includes tower, a tower-mounted hydraulic pump driven by windmill blades, and hydraulic lines connected to a ground storage tank and to a number of separate generator units. Each generator unit includes a hydraulic pump and an electrical generator. In operation, upon startup, as the wind propels the propeller-driven pump the hydraulic fluid circulates freely until a pre-set pressure is achieved, upon which a diverter valve diverts all the fluid pressure to the first generator unit. When the first generator unit is powered sufficiently to achieve a stable output voltage, a subsequent one of the remaining generator units is powered up until its output voltage is stabilized, with this process continuing as long as there is a surplus of hydraulic power available to power up additional units to take full advantage of all of the available wind power.
US07932618B2
A miniature hydro-power generation system may include a hydro-power generator and energy storage devices. A flow of liquid may be used to rotate the hydro-generator to generate electric power at a generator output. The generator output may be electrically coupled to each of the energy storage devices so that the energy storage devices can be independently charged with the electric power produced by the hydro-power generator. The hydro-power generator and/or the energy storage devices can also supply electric power to a load. The energy storage devices may also be electrically coupled via a series/parallel switch so that at least two of the energy storage device may be switched between a series configuration and a parallel configuration.
US07932607B2
A composite conductive film and a semiconductor package using such film are provided. The composite conductive film is formed of a polymer-matrix and a plurality of nano-sized conductive lines is provided. The composite conductive film has low resistance, to connect between a fine-pitch chip and a chip in a low temperature and low pressure condition. The conductive lines are parally arranged and spaced apart from each other, to provide anisotropic conductivity. The present conductive film can be served as an electrical connection between a fine-pitch chip and a chip or a fine-pitch chip and a substrate
US07932605B2
There is disclosed a semiconductor device comprising at least one semiconductor element, one chip mounting base being provided at least one first interconnection on one major surface thereof and at least one second interconnection on the other major surface thereof, and the semiconductor element being electrically connected to at least the one first interconnection and mounted on the one major surface, a sealing member being provided on the one major surface of the chip mounting base and covering the semiconductor element and the first interconnection, at least one third interconnection being provided on a surface of the sealing member, and at least one fourth interconnection being provided in the sealing member and the chip mounting base, and electrically connected to the first interconnection, the second interconnection, and the third interconnection.
US07932600B2
An electrical connecting structure including a conductive pad, a polymer bump and a patterned conductive layer is provided. The conductive pad is on a substrate and the polymer bump is disposed over the substrate. The patterned conductive layer is disposed on the polymer bump and electrically connects to the conductive pad, wherein the patterned conductive layer covers a portion of the polymer bump and exposes another portion of the polymer bump.
US07932592B2
A novel organic compound and a high-performance organic light-emitting element containing the same. The organic light-emitting element contains a novel compound represented by general formula (1):
US07932591B2
The present invention relates to a stacked semiconductor package having flexible circuit board therein. The semiconductor package comprises a substrate and a chip assembly. The chip assembly comprises at least a first chip, a second chip and a flexible circuit board. The second chip is disposed above the first chip, and is electrically connected to the first chip by the flexible circuit board. The chip assembly is electrically connected to the substrate. As a result, the interposer of prior art is omitted, the overall thickness of the stacked semiconductor package of the present invention is reduced, and the manufacturing procedure is simplified.
US07932582B2
In a dual direction BJT clamp, multiple emitter and base fingers are alternatingly connected to ground and pad and share a common sub-collector.
US07932579B2
A semiconductor device including a capacitor formed over a semiconductor substrate and including a lower electrode, a dielectric film formed over the lower electrode and an upper electrode formed over the dielectric film, an insulation film formed over the semiconductor substrate and the capacitor, and an electrode pad formed over the insulation film and including an alloy film of aluminum and magnesium.
US07932578B2
A semiconductor device includes, a metal wiring, which functions as an inductor or transformer, formed on a first portion of a semiconductor substrate, a plurality of first dummy layers formed in a first density on the first portion of the semiconductor substrate, a plurality of second dummy layers formed in a second density on a second portion of the semiconductor substrate, the second portion surrounding the first portion, and a plurality of third dummy layers formed in a third density higher than the first and second densities on a third portion of the semiconductor substrate, the third portion surrounding the second portion.
US07932575B2
A method for fabricating a back-illuminated semiconductor imaging device on a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate, and resulting imaging device is disclosed. The method for manufacturing the imaging device includes the steps of providing a substrate comprising an insulator layer, and an epitaxial layer substantially overlying the insulator layer; fabricating at least one imaging component at least partially overlying and extending into the epitaxial layer; forming a plurality of bond pads substantially overlying the epitaxial layer; fabricating a dielectric layer substantially overlying the epitaxial layer and the at least one imaging component; providing a handle wafer; forming a plurality of conductive trenches in the handle wafer; forming a plurality of conductive bumps on a first surface of the handle wafer substantially underlying the conductive trenches; and bonding the plurality of conductive bumps to the plurality of bond pads.
US07932567B2
Disclosed herein is a semiconductor device including: first and second transistors, each of the first and second transistors being formed with a plurality of fin transistors, and the first and second transistors being connected in parallel to electrically share a source, wherein the plurality of fin transistors each include a fin activation layer, the fin activation layer protruding from a semiconductor substrate, a source layer serving as the source being formed on one end, and a drain layer on the other end of the fin activation layer so as to form a channel region, the fin activation layers are arranged adjacent to each other in parallel, and the drain layers are disposed so that the currents flow through the plurality of fin transistors in opposite directions between the first and second transistors.
US07932557B2
The invention provides an advanced metallization technique for fabricating a memory cell array on a substrate. The array is fabricated by forming discrete and self-aligned vias in a first layer disposed over the array to form contacts to each of the source and drain junction in the array. Further, self-aligned local area slotted vias are formed in a second layer that is disposed over the first layer to form local area interconnects that electrically shunt all of the source contacts/junctions. Further, discrete self-aligned drain extensions are formed over each of the formed drain contacts to electrically connect the junctions, and source contacts to the extensions. The formed vias, extensions, and slotted local area vias are simultaneously plugged and filled with a conductive material to form the memory cell array.
US07932547B2
A nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device using a silicon substrate includes an insulating layer formed in an etching region of the silicon substrate, a bottom word line formed in the insulating layer so as to be enclosed by the insulating layer, a floating channel layer formed over the bottom word line, an impurity layer formed at both ends of the floating channel layer and including a source region formed over the insulating layer and a drain region formed over the silicon substrate, a ferroelectric layer formed over the floating channel layer, and a word line formed over the ferroelectric layer.
US07932541B2
Disclosed are embodiments of a hetero-junction bipolar transistor (HBT) structure and method of forming the structure that provides substantially lower collector-to-base parasitic capacitance and collector resistance, while also lowering or maintaining base-to-emitter capacitance, emitter resistance and base resistance in order to achieve frequency capabilities in the THz range. The HBT is a collector-up HBT in which a dielectric layer and optional sidewall spacers separate the raised extrinsic base and the collector so as to reduce collector-to-base capacitance. A lower portion of the collector is single crystalline semiconductor so as to reduce collector resistance. The raised extrinsic base and the intrinsic base are stacked single crystalline epitaxial layers, where link-up is automatic and self-aligned, so as to reduce base resistance. The emitter is a heavily doped region below the top surface of a single crystalline semiconductor substrate so as to reduce emitter resistance.
US07932538B2
According to embodiments, an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) may include a first conductive type collector ion implantation area, formed within a substrate, second conductive type first buffer layers, formed over the collector ion implantation area and each including a first segment buffer layer and a second segment buffer layer, a first conductive type poly layer formed from a surface of the substrate to the collector ion implantation area, the first conductive type poly layer having a contact structure, a second buffer layer of the second conductive type, formed in the substrate area next to the first conductive type poly layer. According to embodiments, a segment buffer layer may have different concentrations according areas. Accordingly, amounts of hole currents injected through the buffer layers may differ according to areas.
US07932532B2
A solid state lighting device includes a device-scale stamped heatsink with a base portion and multiple segments or sidewalls projecting outward from the base portion, and dissipates all steady state thermal load of a solid state emitter to an ambient air environment. The heatsink is in thermal communication with one or more solid state emitters, and may define a cup-like cavity containing a reflector. At least a portion of each one sidewall portion or segment extends in a direction non-parallel to the base portion. A dielectric layer and at least one electrical trace may be deposited over a metallic sheet to form a composite sheet, and the composite sheet may be processed by stamping and/or progressive die shaping to form a heatsink with integral circuitry. At least some segments of a heatsink may be arranged to structurally support a lens and/or reflector associated with a solid state lighting device.
US07932528B2
An optical light guide (30) comprises a base (32); a body (34) extending from the base along a longitudinal axis (36); and N light-emitting segments (38) extending laterally from the body (34), at least some of the N segments (38) being spaced a different distance from the base (32). The light guide (30) is constructed of a light-transmitting material, such as glass or acrylic, and can be clear or colored. In a preferred embodiment of the invention each of the segments (38) would extend a different distance from the base; however, the exact degree of separation would be dependent upon the curvature of surface with which the optic is to be utilized.
US07932524B2
Described herein is a transparent device for display of information superimposed on a background, said device comprising a plurality of LED sources, addressable individually or in groups through a series of conductive paths deposited on a transparent underlayer and connected to a control electronics, in which: i) said LED sources are integrated in the form of dice, i.e., of elements obtained by dividing up a semiconductor wafer and without package; and ii) at least one of said conductive paths is with interrupted stretches and replaced by stretches of metal wire, bonded to said paths through a wire-bonding operation.
US07932522B2
A thin film transistor panel includes a substrate, a gate line extending in a first direction on the substrate, a data line disposed on the substrate, the data line crossing the gate line with an insulation layer therebetween and extending in a second direction, a thin film transistor including a control terminal connected to the gate line, an input terminal connected to the data line, and an output terminal, a color filter disposed on the thin film transistor, the color filter having an opening corresponding to the output terminal of the thin film transistor, a light blocking member disposed in the opening of the color filter, the light blocking member exposing a first region of a first end portion of the output terminal of the thin film transistor and having an output terminal light blocking portion enclosing the circumference of the first region, and a pixel electrode disposed on the light blocking member and the color filter, the pixel electrode contacting the first region of the output terminal.
US07932518B2
Display devices such as EL elements or LED elements, are formed from thin film elements having banks of prescribed height and a thin film layer formed by an ink jet method in areas to be coated that are partitioned by those banks. The banks may be formed of an organic material on a bank formation surface configured of an inorganic material, plasma treatment is performed under conditions that the induction gas is fluorine-based and that fluorine is present excessively, and the areas enclosed by the banks subjected to surface treatment are filled with the liquid thin film material to form the thin film layer or layers.
US07932513B2
A magnetic random access memory includes a bit line running in a first direction, a first word line running in a second direction different from the first direction, and a memory element having a magnetoresistive effect element including a fixed layer having a fixed magnetization direction, a recording layer having a reversible magnetization direction, and a nonmagnetic layer formed between the fixed layer and the recording layer, the magnetization directions in the fixed layer and the recording layer being perpendicular to a film surface, and a heater layer in contact with the magnetoresistive effect element, the memory element being connected to the bit line, and formed to oppose a side surface of the first word line such that the memory element is insulated from the first word line.
US07932506B2
Memory devices are described along with methods for manufacturing. A memory device as described herein includes a plurality of memory cells. Each memory cell in the plurality of memory cells comprises a diode comprising doped semiconductor material and a dielectric spacer on the diode and defining an opening, the dielectric spacer having sides self-aligned with sides of the diode. Each memory cell further comprises a memory element on the dielectric spacer and including a portion within the opening contacting a top surface of the diode.
US07932498B2
A method for optimizing the scanning trajectory of a radiation detector device, e.g., a SPECT scanning device, about an object generally includes: obtaining object image data using a different imaging modality, e.g., a CT scanning device, determining a maximum object boundary based on the image data, calculating an optimal scan trajectory of the SPECT scanning device relative to the object based on the maximum object boundary, scanning the object with the SPECT scanning device along the optimal scan trajectory to detect gamma photons emanating from the object, from which an image can be reconstructed from the detected gamma photons. Preferably, the SPECT device includes at least two detectors arranged at a pre-selected angle relative to one another and the optimal scan trajectory minimizes the distance between the detectors and the object while maximizing the geometric efficiency of the detectors relative to the object.
US07932496B2
An infrared detector comprises: a reflection portion transmitting far- and middle-infrared rays and reflecting near-infrared and visible rays; a photo-current generating portion having a quantum well structure in which electrons are excited by the far- and middle-infrared rays having passed through the reflection portion so as to generate photo-current; a light emitting portion having a quantum well structure into which electrons of the photo-current generated by the photo-current generating portion are injected and the electrons thus injected thereinto are recombined with holes, thus emitting near-infrared and visible rays; and a photo-detecting portion detecting the near-infrared and visible rays emitted from the light emitting portion, and detecting the near-infrared and visible rays emitted from the light emitting portion and reflected by the reflection portion. The reflection portion, the photo-current generating portion, and the light emitting portion are made of group III-V compound semiconductors layered on a semiconductor substrate.
US07932495B2
A charged particle beam device is provided including a particle source emitting a primary particle beam, a secondary particle beam generated by the impingement of the primary particle beam on the sample, a detection unit for detecting the secondary particle beam, the detector having at least two detector channels, and a distribution deflecting device for deflecting the secondary particle beam in a chronological sequence. Further, a detection assembly for a fast wafer inspection system is provided including a distribution deflecting device for distributing a secondary particle beam in a chronological sequence and a detector for detecting the secondary particle beam, the detector having multiple detector channels. Further, a method of operating a particle beam device with chronological resolution is provided.
US07932490B2
An apparatus and method for estimating size segregated aerosol mass concentration in real time and using a single detector. A beam of electromagnetic radiation is passed through a particle stream made of a test or field aerosol. The single detector outputs an electrical signal proportional to the electromagnetic radiation scattered thereupon. The electrical signal may be conditioned to produce an integrated signal for measuring radiation scattered from all the particles in the interrogation volume, a pulse height from an individual particle within the volume, and/or a time-of-flight measurement from the individual particle. The integrated signal can be correlated to particle mass concentration. The pulse height signal and the time-of-flight signal may be converted to infer the size of the individual particle. Attendant size distributions for the particle sizes may also be obtained. Using known or assumed particle properties, the mass concentration may be estimated from the size distribution.
US07932488B2
An ion guide includes multiple stages. An electric field within each stage guides ions along a guide axis. Within each stage, amplitude and frequency, and resolving potential of the electric field may be independently varied. The geometry of the rods maintains a similarly shaped field from stage to stage, allowing efficient guidance of the ions along the axis. In particular, each rod segment of the ith of stage has a cross sectional radius ri, and a central axis located a distance Ri+ri from the guide axis. The ratio ri/Ri and is substantially constant along the guide axis, thereby preserving the shape of the field.
US07932480B2
A multiple heater control system includes cables, connectors, and junction boxes for user-friendly daisy chain connections of heater controllers and heaters in various configurations or combinations of individually controlled heater series and/or master and slave heater series. The heater controllers include process control of AC power to the heaters and upper-limit safety shutoff that is substantially independent from the process control. The heater controllers also have variable levels of control, adjustment, display, and communications functionality in a base module that is expandable to various levels with expansion modules that are attachable to and detachable from the base module. Connector, cable, and junction configurations, adapters, and latch features enhance user friendliness.
US07932479B2
A method for making a device includes providing a tubular member which will be formed into the device, masking at least a portion of the inner surface of the tubular member with a removable sacrificial material, selectively removing a portion of the tubular member and sacrificial material using a laser device, and mechanically removing the sacrificial material from the inner surface of the tubular member. The method may also include applying a chemical solution to the tubular member and sacrificial material which primarily attacks the either the tubular member or sacrificial material.
US07932474B2
An illuminated switch comprising a four-way knob and a push knob, wherein the push knob has two legs which slide along a guide surface on an internal pusher member. Tilt activation of the four-way knob results in the push knob also being tilted. When the user has pushed the push knob while the push knob and the four-way knob are in a tilted position, the push knob in conjunction with the four-way knob linearly move backward in the pushed direction, whereby an internal switch and an external switch are operated. The push knob is illuminated by an internal LED by way of a through hole in the internal pusher member.
US07932471B2
A capacitor comprising: a capacitor body including a plurality of laminated dielectric layers, a plurality of inner electrode layers which are respectively disposed between mutually adjacent ones of the dielectric layers, a first main surface located in a laminated direction of the dielectric layers, and a second main surface opposite to the first main surface; a first outer electrode formed on the first main surface of the capacitor body and electrically connected to the inner electrode layers; a second outer electrode formed on the second main surface of the capacitor body and electrically connected to the inner electrode layers; a first dummy electrode formed on the first main surface of the capacitor body; and a second dummy electrode formed on the second main surface of the capacitor body.
US07932469B1
A detectable tracer element for use in underground detection applications includes a metallic wire, a non-fibrous insulating jacket integral with the wire, and a flexible, cut-resistant, non-electrically shielding woven protective tube surrounding the wire and jacket combination. The woven protective tube includes a plurality of non-metallic fibers woven around the wire and jacket combination such that the combination is disposed within the interior of the protective tube. In one configuration of the invention, the woven protective tube defines a substantially oval or circular tube weave. The substantially oval or circular tube weave is woven, such that, the tube weave is pulled or stitched into a flattened configuration for use in underground applications.
US07932468B2
An insulated electric wire is composed of a conductor, and a lubricating layer containing a lubricant. The lubricating layer is formed around the perimeter of the conductor. The lubricating layer is not less than 0.06 and not more than 0.12 in an absorbance ratio A1/A2 expressed by an absorbance A1 of carbon-hydrogen stretching vibration and an absorbance A2 of benzene ring framework vibration, obtained by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy analysis of a surface of the lubricating layer.
US07932462B2
The present invention relates to an arrangement having at least one solar cell, which is formed by a first sequence of differently doped layers (1, 2, 11, 12) on a substrate (6, 16), and at least one bypass diode, which is connected to the solar cell, particularly in a monolithic, series-connected solar module. The arrangement is characterized in that the bypass diode is formed by a second sequence of layers (4, 5, 13, 14), which is arranged between the substrate (6, 16) and the first layer sequence (1, 2, 11, 12).With the proposed arrangement monolithic, series-connected solar modules can be formed at a very low loss of active receiving surface, the solar cells of which are protected by bypass diodes.
US07932445B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH445545. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH445545, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH445545 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 CH445545.
US07932444B2
The invention provides seed and plants of tomato hybrid PS02326502 and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of tomato hybrid PS02326502 and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a tomato plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another tomato plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.
US07932443B2
The invention provides seed and plants of tomato hybrid PS01059664 and the parent lines thereof. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of tomato hybrid PS01059664 and the parent lines thereof, and to methods for producing a tomato plant produced by crossing such plants with themselves or with another tomato plant, such as a plant of another genotype. The invention further relates to seeds and plants produced by such crossing. The invention further relates to parts of such plants, including the fruit and gametes of such plants.
US07932439B2
The invention provides specific transgenic cotton plants, plant material and seeds, characterized in that these products harbor a specific transformation event at a specific location in the cotton genome. Tools are also provided which allow rapid and unequivocal identification of the event in biological samples.
US07932433B2
Cyclopropane fatty acid synthase genes and polypeptides are described. Plants are transformed with such genes to produce such polypeptides.
US07932429B2
Device designed for regenerating the human dermis presented in the form of a multilayer complex combining an absorbable polymeric internal matrix able to induce the regeneration of the dermis by contact with muscle or subcutaneous tissue, an open-work textile mesh and a transparent external support wherein the open-work textile mesh is contained in the body of the transparent support.
US07932419B2
This invention relates to the field of heterogeneous catalysis, and more particularly to catalysts including carbon supports having formed thereon compositions which comprise a transition metal in combination with nitrogen and/or carbon. The invention further relates to the fields of catalytic oxidation and dehydrogenation reactions, including the preparation of secondary amines by the catalytic oxidation of tertiary amines and the preparation of carboxylic acids by the catalytic dehydrogenation of alcohols.
US07932417B2
A composition comprising a glyceryl salicylate compound and/or a glycol salicylate compound. The compositions can be used to reduce the amount of moisture evaporated from skin, protect the skin from UV light, and treat aged or damaged skin.
US07932413B2
Classes of liquid aminosilanes have been found which allow for the production of silicon-containing films. These aminosilanes, in contrast, to some of the precursors employed heretofore, are liquid at room temperature and pressure allowing for convenient handling. In addition, the invention relates to a process for producing such films.The classes of compounds are generally represented by the formulas: and mixtures thereof, wherein R and R1 in the formulas represent aliphatic groups typically having from 2 to about 10 carbon atoms, e.g., alkyl, cycloalkyl with R and R1 in formula A also being combinable into a cyclic group, and R2 representing a single bond, (CH2)n, a ring, or SiH2.
US07932410B2
Compounds of the formula (I) wherein R2 is a branched or unbranched, saturated or ethylenically mono or di unsaturated aliphatic radical, Z is —CH2OH, —CH2OAc or —CHO, m is a whole positive integer of one or more, and Ac is an acetyl group are synthesized by a process wherein a 1-alken-3-yl alkylate, is reacted with a halo alkanol Grignard reagent.
US07932406B2
The invention relates to a method for synthesizing 4.beta.-amino-4′-demethyl-4-desoxypodophyllotoxin of formula (1), characterized by comprising the following successive steps: a) reacting, in a pure weak acid or in a mixture consisting of acid, water and of organic solvent, without another solvent, at a temperature higher than the ambient temperature, thiourea with 4.beta.-halogenoacetamido-4′-demethyl-4-desoxypodophyllotoxin, and; b) recovering the 4.beta.-amino-4′-demethyl-4-desoxypodophyllotoxin.
US07932403B2
The present invention relates to a process for preparing pyrrole derivatives of a class that is effective at inhibiting the biosynthesis of cholesterol in humans, and more particularly to improved synthetic methods for preparing 3,5-dihydroxy-7-pyrrol-1-yl heptanoic acids from 1,4-diketo starting materials. The invention further relates to intermediates in this process formula (I).
US07932400B2
An object of the present invention is to provide an industrially suitable process for preparing an imidazolidin-2,4-dione compound which is safe, simple and easy to prepare the imidazolidin-2,4-dione compound with high yield, which is a useful compound, for example, as a material for decomposing a harmful halogenated aromatic hydrocarbon compound such as dioxin, etc., an electroless silver plating solution for electronic parts, or a diazo copying material, etc. This object can be solved by a process for preparing an imidazolidin-2,4-dione compound which comprises subjecting a 4,5-dihydroxy-2-imidazolidinone compound, (1) to dehydration reaction in the presence of an acid catalyst(s); or (2) to reaction at 100 to 300° C. Or, it can be solved by a process for preparing an imidazolidin-2,4-dione compound which comprises reacting a mixed solution of a urea compound, glyoxal, and a base at 20 to 300° C.Also, an object of the present invention is to provide a method for acquiring a 4,5-dihydroxy-2-imidazolidinone from an aqueous solution containing a 4,5-dihydroxy-2-imidazolidinone by a simple and easy method. This object can be solved by a process for acquiring a solid state 4,5-dihydroxy-2-imidazolidinone compound which comprises mixing an organic solvent with an aqueous solution containing a 4,5-dihydroxy-2-imidazolidinone compound, and subjecting the mixture to azeotropic distillation.
US07932397B2
The present invention provides methods for the synthesis of catalysts and precursors thereof. Methods of the invention may comprise combining a catalyst precursor and at least one ligand to generate a catalytically active species, often under mild conditions and in high yields. In some cases, a wide variety of catalysts may be synthesized from a single catalyst precursor. Methods of the invention may also include the preparation of catalysts which, under reaction conditions known in the art, may have been difficult or impossible to prepare and/or isolate due to, for example, steric crowding at the metal center. The present invention also provides catalyst compositions, and precursors thereof, which may be useful in various chemical reactions including olefin metathesis. In some cases, methods of the invention may reduce the number of synthetic and purification steps required to produce catalysts and/or other reaction products, as well as reducing time, cost, and waste production.
US07932394B2
A glucokinase activator is provided; and a treatment and/or a preventive for diabetes, or a treatment and/or a preventive for diabetes such as retinopathy, nephropathy, neurosis, ischemic cardiopathy, arteriosclerosis, and further a treatment and/or a preventive for obesity are provided.The invention relates to a compound of a formula (I): [wherein R1 and R2 represent a hydrogen, etc.; R3 represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, etc.; R4 each independently represents a hydrogen atom, a lower alkyl group, etc.; Q represents a carbon atom, a nitrogen atom or a sulfur atom (the sulfur atom may be mono- or di-substituted with an oxo group); R5 and R6 each represent a hydrogen atom, a lower alkyl group, etc.; X1, X2, X3 and X4 each independently represent a carbon atom or a nitrogen atom; Z represents an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom or a nitrogen atom; Ar represents an aryl or heteroaryl group optionally mono to tri-substituted with a group selected from the substituent group β; ring A represents a 5- or 6-membered nitrogen-containing heteroaromatic group; m indicates an integer of from 1 to 6; n indicates an integer of from 0 to 3; p indicates an integer of from 0 to 2 (provided that at least two of X1 to X4 are carbon atoms); q indicates 0 or 1] or its pharmaceutically-acceptable salt, which has an effect of glucokinase activation and is useful as a treatment for diabetes.
US07932392B2
Compounds of Formula (IA) wherein R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 are as defined herein for Formula (IA), or a tautomer, prodrug, solvate, or salt thereof; pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds, and methods of modulating the glucocorticoid receptor function and methods of treating disease-states or conditions mediated by the glucocorticoid receptor function or characterized by inflammatory, allergic, or proliferative processes in a patient using these compounds.
US07932389B2
The present invention is related to octahydropyrrolo[2,3,c]pyridine derivatives of Formula (I) and use thereof in particular for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of autoimmune disorders, inflammatory diseases, cardiovascular diseases, neurodegenerative diseases, cancer, respiratory diseases and fibrosis, including multiple sclerosis, arthritis, emphysema, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, liver and pulmonary fibrosis.
US07932387B2
Bis[(E)-7-[4-(4-fluorophenyl)-6-isopropyl-2-[methyl(methylsulfonyl)amino]pyrimidin-5-yl]-(3R,5S)-3,5-dihydroxyhept-6-enoic acid] (also known as rosuvastatin) calcium salt and hydrates can exist in new crystal forms B and C. These crystal forms provide a higher diversity on crystalline materials to optimize manufacture, formulation and biological efficiency.
US07932381B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a carbapenem synthetic intermediate which is advantageous in an industrial process. There are provided a process for producing Compound (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, or a solvate, or a crystal thereof, comprising reacting Compound (III) and Compound (IV) in the presence of the secondary amine, and a benzyl alcoholated crystal of Compound (I). There are further provided a method of deprotecting Compound (I) with a Pd catalyst, and a crystal of Compound (IV).
US07932380B2
A process for the preparation of a sucralose which comprises the steps of: reacting a sucrose with a chlorinating reagent in a non-proton type polar solvent to form chlorinated sucrose (4,6,1′,6′-tertchloro-4,6,1′,6′-tertdeoxylgalactosucrose); reacting the chlorinated sucrose and a carboxylate salt to form sucralose-6-acetate in a dissolvent; and finally de-acylating the sucralose-6-acetate in sodium methoxide/methanol system and then the desired product sucralose is thereby produced. The present invention is generally related to the industrial production of sucralose with the advantages of mild reaction conditions, high yield rate, and brief operation.
US07932377B2
A molecular complex of a high molecular weight carrier substance and of a medicinal substance. The carrier substance has functional groups whereby the carrier substance and the medicinal substance are bound non-covalently. The medicinal substance is insoluble or slightly soluble in water and the carrier substance is readily soluble in water. The carrier substance can be starch or a starch derivative and can have only one functional group for non-covalent binding of the medicinal substance in each molecule.
US07932367B2
The invention relates to the therapeutic use of oligonucleotides or oligonucleotide analogs as immunostimulatory agents in immunotherapy applications. The invention provides methods for enhancing the immune response caused by immunostimulatory oligonucleotide compounds.
US07932364B2
The present invention relates to mutants of human growth hormone, which contain newly introduced N-linked or O-linked glycosylation site(s), such that these recombinantly produced polypeptides have glycosylation patterns distinctly different from that of the naturally occurring human growth hormone. The polynucleotide coding sequences for the mutants, expression cassettes comprising the coding sequences, cells expressing the mutants, and methods for producing the mutants are also disclosed. Further disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions comprising the mutants and method for using the mutants.
US07932358B2
Novel cell surface molecules recognized by monoclonal antibodies against a cell surface molecule of lymphocytic cells that play an important role in autoimmune diseases and allergic diseases have been isolated, identified, and analyzed for their functions. The cell surface molecules are expressed specifically in thymocytes, lymphocytes activated by ConA-stimulation, and peripheral blood lymphocytes, and induce cell adhesion. Antibodies against the cell surface molecules significantly ameliorate pathological conditions of autoimmune diseases and allergic diseases.
US07932356B1
A highly purified and heat stable cross-linked nonpolymeric tetrameric hemoglobin suitable for use in mammals without causing renal injury and vasoconstriction is provided. A high temperature and short time (HTST) heat processing step is performed to remove undesired dimeric form of hemoglobin, uncross-linked tetrameric hemoglobin, and plasma protein impurities effectively. Addition of N-acetyl cysteine after heat treatment and optionally before heat treatment maintains a low level of met-hemoglobin. The heat stable cross-linked tetrameric hemoglobin can improve and prolong oxygenation in normal and hypoxic tissue. In another aspect, the product is used in the treatment of various types of cancer such as leukemia, colorectal cancer, lung cancer, breast cancer, liver cancer, nasopharyngeal carcinoma and esophageal cancer. Another application is heart preservation in situations where there is a lack of oxygen supply in vivo, such as in heart transplant or oxygen-deprived heart.
US07932349B2
This invention relates to a process for preparing polyamine-epihalohydrin resins having reduced levels of residuals. The process comprises (a) charging a membrane separation apparatus with an aqueous composition comprising at least one polyamine-epihalohydrin resin, and (b) separating the aqueous composition into a permeate and a retentate by passing the aqueous composition through the membrane of the membrane separation apparatus. The retentate comprises at least one polyamine-epihalohydrin resin having lower levels of residuals on an equal active component basis than the aqueous composition of (a). The permeate comprises residuals removed from the aqueous composition of (a) and less than 5% by weight of the active component of said at least one polyamine-epihalohydrin resin. The polyamine-epihalohydrin resins having reduced levels of residuals can be used to make wet strength agents, dry strength agents, creping adhesives for paper products, curing agents for wood product adhesives, and other products.
US07932336B2
Copolymers are disclosed comprising structural units derived from α-methylene-γ-butyrolactone, styrene, methyl methacrylate and acrylonitrile. The copolymers may be used as protective layers in multilayer articles that include UV sensitive substrate materials. The multilayer articles may also include a silicone hardcoat.
US07932335B2
A fluorine-containing elastomer having a copolymer composition, which comprises (a) 50-85 mol. % of vinylidene fluoride, (b) 0-25 mol. % of tetrafluoroethylene, (c) 7-20 mol. % of perfluoro(methyl vinyl ether), (d) 2.5-15 mol. % of CF2═CFO[CF2CF(CF3)O]nCF3 (n: 2-6), (e) 0.1-2 mol. % of CF2═CFO[CF2CF(CF3)O]mCF2CF3 (m: 2-6), and (f) 0.1-2 mol. % of RfX (Rf: an unsaturated fluorohydrocarbon group having 2-8 carbon atoms, which can contain at least one ether bond, X: bromine or iodine), can provide a fluorine-containing elastomer composition, which comprises 100 parts by weight of the fluorine-containing elastomer, 0.1-10 parts by weight of an organic peroxide, 0.1-10 parts by weight of a polyfunctional unsaturated compound, and at least 2 parts by weight of an acid acceptor. The composition can give vulcanizates having a distinguished elongation at break at high temperatures such as 100° C., and distinguished compression set characteristics at low temperatures such as 0° C.
US07932328B2
A product comprising a cold water soluble film wherein: a) the film comprises a copolymer of vinyl alcohol (VOH) with a minor amount of 2-acrylamido-2-methyl propane sulfonic acid in free acid form or as a salt of the free acid (AMPS); and b) the film has a harsh chemical dissolution time of less than about 80 seconds measured by the harsh chemical dissolution test method after 8 weeks.
US07932323B1
Disclosed is an adhesive composition. The adhesive composition comprises a polyolefin, a maleated polyolefin, a Bronsted acid, and an antioxidant. The adhesive composition has improved oxidative stability compared with those which do not contain Bronsted acids.
US07932319B2
A thermosetting resin compositing having an essential component (A) organopolysiloxane containing a compound represented by following general formula (1) or (2) and optical semiconductor peripheral material using the composition. [Herein, in the formulas, R1 independently represents a substituted or non-substituted monovalent hydrocarbon radical with the carbon number of 1 to 10, R2 represents an epoxy group-containing organic group, R3 represents R1 or R2, a independently represents an integer of 2 or more, b independently represents an integer of 0 or more, X represents general formula (3), Y represents -o- or a bivalent hydrocarbon radical with the carbon number of 1 to 6, Z represents following formula (4), R1 in the formula independently represents a substituted or non-substituted monovalent hydrocarbon radical with the carbon number of 1 to 10, and c represents an integer of 0 or more.]
US07932315B2
A hard disk drive inner part formed of a resin which exhibits well-balanced low outgassing properties, ultrasonic cleaning resistance, low ionic contamination properties, low particulate contamination properties, repeated removability, heat resistance, specific gravity, and water-absorbing properties. The hard disk drive inner part includes a resin composition which includes a polyphenylene ether resin (A).
US07932314B2
This invention relates to a thermoplastic polymer composition that exhibits an excellent combination of properties for use in manufacturing shipping combs for use in conjunction with moving actuators for hard disk drives. The thermoplastic polymer composition of this invention is comprised of (1) from 10 weight percent to 90 weight percent polycarbonate, (2) from 1 weight percent to 6 weight percent carbon nanotubes, (3) from 5 weight percent to 85 weight percent of a sulfone polymer, (4) from 0.5 weight percent to 10 weight percent of a functionalized rubbery polymer, and (5) from 0.5 weight percent to 5 weight percent of a lubricant selected from the group consisting of high density polyethylene and polyester wax, wherein all weight percentages are based upon the total weight of the thermoplastic polymer composition.
US07932307B2
A natural rubber wet masterbatch rubber composition comprising a mixture of a natural rubber latex with a slurry solution containing a carbon black dispersed therein, which satisfies the followings: (1) a CATB specific surface area (m2/g) in the range of 60
US07932300B2
An energy beam curable type ink jet printing ink comprising (A) a colorant, (B) a compound having at least one ethylenically unsaturated bond which can be polymerized by the application of an energy beam and (C) a photopolymerization initiator, wherein the component (B) is a compound having at least one methacryloyl group as a sole polymerizable unsaturated group and the component (C) is a 2-alkyl-2-amino-2-benzyl-1-(4-morpholinophenyl)ethan-1-one. This ink has low viscosity, high sensitivity and sufficiently high film strength after curing.
US07932296B2
Systems and methods for producing syngas are provided. A first hydrocarbon can be partially oxidized in the presence of an oxidant and one or more first catalysts at conditions sufficient to partially combust a portion of the first hydrocarbon to provide carbon dioxide, non-combusted first hydrocarbon, and heat. The non-combusted first hydrocarbon can be reformed in the presence of the heat generated in the partial oxidation step and the one or more first catalysts to provide a first syngas. Heat can be indirectly exchanged from the first syngas to a second hydrocarbon to reform at least a portion of the second hydrocarbon in the presence of steam and one or more second catalysts to provide a second syngas. A syngas, which can include the at least a portion of the first syngas, at least a portion of the second syngas, or a mixture thereof can be converted to provide one or more Fischer-Tropsch products, methanol, derivatives thereof, or combinations thereof.
US07932291B2
The use of L-carnitine and its alkanoyl derivatives, optionally in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable salt, as osmotic agents in the preparation of solutions for medical use, particularly for peritoneal dialysis, is described.
US07932278B2
The present application relates to novel 2-aminoethoxyacetic acid derivatives, to processes for their preparation, to their use for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of diseases and also to their use for preparing medicaments for the treatment and/or prophylaxis of diseases, in particular thromboembolic disorders.
US07932271B2
Provided is a compound capable of inhibiting production or secretion of β amyloid protein.A compound represented by the following formula (1): (wherein, R1 represents a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent, R2 represents a cyclic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent or a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent, R3 represents a cyclic hydrocarbon group which may have a substituent or a heterocyclic group which may have a substituent, R4 represents a hydrogen atom or a C1-6 alkyl group, and X represents —S—, —SO— or —SO2—); an N-oxide or S-oxide thereof; a salt thereof; or a solvate thereof; and a medicament containing any of them.
US07932268B2
The present invention provides methods and compositions for treating hyperlipidemia and/or hypercholesterolemia comprising administering to the subject an effective amount of an MTP inhibitor to inhibit hyperlipidemia and/or hypercholesterolemia in said subject, wherein said administration comprises an escalating series of doses of the MTP inhibitor. In some embodiments the method comprises administering at least three step-wise, increasing dosages of the MTP inhibitor to the subject. In some embodiments, the method further comprises the administration of one or more other lipid modifying compounds.
US07932261B2
The present invention is directed to macrocycle derivatives, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and their use in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and related disorders. The compounds of the invention are inhibitors of β-secretase, also known as β-site cleaving enzyme and BACE, BACE1, Asp2 and memapsin2.
US07932251B2
The present invention relates to 6-phenyl-1H-imidazo[4,5-c]pyridine-4-carbonitrile derivatives having the general Formula I to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same as well as to the use of these derivatives for the preparation of a medicament for the treatment of cathepsin S related diseases such as atherosclerosis, obesity, inflammation and immune disorders, such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriasis, cancer, and chronic pain, such as neuropathic pain.
US07932248B2
The present invention relates generally to the field of ligands for nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChR), activation of nAChRs, and the treatment of disease conditions associated with defective or malfunctioning nicotinic acetylcholine receptors, especially of the brain. Further, this invention relates to novel compounds (indazoles and benzothiazoles), which act as ligands for the α7 nAChR subtype, methods of preparing such compounds, compositions containing such compounds, and methods of use thereof.
US07932244B2
The present invention relates to compounds of formula (I): wherein R is hydrogen or alpha-hydroxy, the hydroxyl group in position 7 is in the alpha or beta position; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates or amino acid conjugates thereof.
US07932241B2
A pharmaceutical product comprises a container containing a bisphosphonate solution, in which at least the internal surface of the container comprises a plastic material and in which the container is heat sterilisable, and which is in the form of a ready to use infusion solution, for administration of the bisphosphonate to a patient in need of bisphosphonate treatment.
US07932236B2
Novel synthetic gangliosides and pharmaceutical compositions containing such synthetic gangliosides are described. Methods of making the novel synthetic ganglioside compounds and compositions as well as their use in the field of neuroprotection is also described.
US07932231B2
The present invention relates to a method of treating a transient impairment of the motility of the gastrointestinal system resulting from postoperative ileus in a patient wherein said method includes the step of administering a therapeutically effective amount of a peptidyl analog of ghrelin to said patient.
US07932226B2
It is intended to surely and effectively inhibit the transcriptional activity of NFκB and to obtain a more effective anti-inflammatory effect. Further, it is intended to obtain an equivalent effect even if the amount used of a steroid agent is reduced.An agent is characterized by containing MTI-II, especially a nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1, or a peptide of SEQ ID NO: 2. This MTI-II peptide is preferably a peptide containing at least an acidic amino acid domain (SEQ ID NO: 3). Further, a steroid agent such as triamcinolone acetonide is used concomitantly with MTI-II, especially the nucleic acid sequence of SEQ ID NO: 1 or the peptide of SEQ ID NO: 2.
US07932214B2
An aqueous, foamable composition useful for formation fracturing is disclosed, which includes an ionically coupled gel system. These compositions are well suited in fracturing formation where there are insufficient or non-existent hydration units. Methods for making the compositions and methods using the foamable compositions to fracture formation with insufficient hydration units.
US07932211B2
What is described are 4-(4-trifluoromethyl-3-thiobenzoyl)pyrazoles of the general formula (I) and their use as herbicides. In this formula (I), R1, R2, R3 and R4 are radicals such as hydrogen and organic radicals, such as alkyl. Y is hydrogen or a protective group, such as tosyl.
US07932207B2
The present invention provides a novel transition metal complex where a monocyclopentadienyl ligand to which an amido group is introduced is coordinated, a method for synthesizing the complex, and olefin polymerization using the same. The method for preparing a transition metal complex according to the present invention comprises a step of blocking a by-reaction of a nitrogen atom using a compound containing a protecting group, and thus it is possible to prepare a transition metal complex in a simpler manner in a high yield. Further, the transition metal complex according to the present invention has a pentagon ring structure having an amido group connected by a phenylene bridge in which a stable bond is formed in the vicinity of a metal site, and thus, sterically monomers can easily approach the transition metal complex.
US07932204B2
Systems and methods of improving synthesis gas quality in a fluid catalytic cracking unit are disclosed. In one example, a method comprises reacting a first stage regeneration gas comprising oxygen with spent catalyst from a reactor in a first stage of a regenerator to consume the oxygen in the first stage regeneration gas. This reaction produces a synthesis gas output and partially regenerated catalyst. The method further comprises reacting a second stage regeneration gas comprising oxygen with the partially regenerated catalyst in a second stage of the regenerator to regenerate the partially regenerated catalyst. This reaction produces the first stage regeneration gas for reaction with the spent catalyst in the first stage of the regenerator. Through the first and second stage reactions, the spent catalyst is regenerated and the synthesis gas quality is improved.
US07932202B2
A corrosion resistant member made of the Y2O3 sintered material that contains 99.9% by weight or more Y in terms of Y2O3, and has a difference in mean crystal grain size between the surface and the inside region of the Y2O3 sintered material not larger than 30 μm.
US07932201B2
Disclosed are ceramic articles comprising a sintered phase ceramic composition containing, as expressed on a weight percent oxide basis: a(Al2TiO5)+b(ZrTiO4)+c(Y2O3)+d(YPO4) wherein “a, b, c, and d” represent weight fractions of each component such that (a+b+c+d)=1.00 and wherein 0.5
US07932199B2
A sintered cubic boron nitride (cBN) compact for use in a tool is obtained by sintering a mixture of (i) cubic boron nitride, (ii) aluminum oxide, (iii) one or more refractory metal compounds, and (iv) aluminum and/or one or more non-oxide aluminum compounds. The sintered bodies may have sufficient strength and toughness to be used as a tool material in solid, i.e. not carbide supported, form, and may be useful in heavy machining of cast irons.
US07932197B2
Provided is an optical glass having high-refractivity low-dispersion properties, having a low glass transition temperature and having the property of being softened at a low temperature so that a preform therefrom is precision press-moldable, and the optical glass comprises, as essential components, B2O3, La2O3, Gd2O3 and ZnO and has a refractive index (nd) of over 1.86, an Abbe's number (νd) of less than 35 and a glass transition temperature (Tg) of 630° C. or lower.
US07932196B2
Breathable laminates of a film and nonwoven with increased toughness and the ability to undergo strain without splitting for applications as components of personal care products and other uses. The film is formed using a carrier/letdown resin approach where the filled carrier resin is an ethylene polymer or copolymer having a density at least 0.003 g/cc higher than the letdown resin which is also an ethylene copolymer but has a density in the range of less than about 0.915 g/cc and a melt index less than about 6. The resin phases may be dry blended, formed into a film, stretched and bonded to a nonwoven support layer.
US07932177B2
A field-effect transistor is provided, which includes an organic thin film and which can realize a low threshold voltage while a stable, high field-effect mobility is ensured at the same time. In a field-effect transistor provided with a gate electrode, a source electrode, a drain electrode, a semiconductor film, a gate insulating film, and a substrate, the gate insulating film is formed from a plurality of insulating layers. Here, a first insulating layer in contact with the semiconductor film is formed from poly-p-xylylene formed into a film by a CVD method. A second insulating layer is formed from, for example, cyanoethylpullulan, and the dielectric constant is specified to be higher than that of the first insulating layer.
US07932173B2
The invention includes methods of fabricating integrated circuitry. In one implementation, at least two different elevation conductive metal lines are formed relative to a substrate. Then, interconnecting vias are formed in a common masking step between, a) respective of the at least two different elevation conductive metal lines, and b) respective conductive nodes. Interconnecting conductive metal is provided within the interconnecting vias. Other aspects and implementations are contemplated.
US07932171B2
A method for forming a stud bumped semiconductor die is disclosed. The method includes forming a ball at the tip of a coated wire passing through a hole in a capillary, where the coated wire has a core and an oxidation-resistant coating. The formed ball is pressed to the conductive region on the semiconductor die. The coated wire is cut, thereby leaving a conductive stud bump on the conductive region, where the conductive stud bump includes an inner conductive portion and an outer oxidation-resistant layer.
US07932166B2
By forming a highly non-conformal stressed overlayer, such as a contact etch stop layer, the efficiency of the stress transfer into the respective channel region of a field effect transistor may be significantly increased. For instance, non-conformal PECVD techniques may be used for forming highly stressed silicon nitride in a non-conformal manner, thereby achieving higher transistor performance for otherwise identical stress conditions.
US07932160B2
The invention relates to a method of producing a semiconductor device, comprising the following steps consisting in: forming first, second and third semiconductor layers (1, 2, 3), whereby the first and second layers (1, 3) contain a smaller concentration of oxidizable species than the second layer (2); forming a mask (4) on the third layer (3); and oxidizing the second layer (2) with the diffusion of oxidizing species through the third layer (3).
US07932157B2
Test structures are formed during semiconductor processing. The test structures allow performance characteristics to be monitored as the process proceeds. The test structures are formed with a single mask that is used in a manner that also allows alignment marks to be formed which do not interfere with one another as subsequent levels are patterned. The manner of using the mask also allows different types of test structures having different features to be formed. The different types of test structures can provide insight into performance characteristics of different types of devices.
US07932155B2
A method of forming a semiconductor device having two different strains therein is provided. The method includes forming a strain in a first region with a first straining film, and forming a second strain in a second region with a second straining film. Either of the first or second strains may be either tensile or compressive. Additionally the strains may be formed at right angles to one another and may be additionally formed in the same region. In particular a vertical tensile strain may be formed in a base and collector region of an NPN bipolar transistor and a horizontal compressive strain may be formed in the extrinsic base region of the NPN bipolar transistor. A PNP bipolar transistor may be formed with a compression strain in the base and collector region in the vertical direction and a tensile strain in the extrinsic base region in the horizontal direction.
US07932150B2
Disclosed are methods of making and using a high-K dielectric liner to facilitate the lateral oxidation of a high-K gate dielectric, integrated circuit structures containing the high-K dielectric liner and/or oxidized high-K gate dielectric, and other associated methods.
US07932148B2
This invention discloses an improved trenched metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistor (MOSFET) device that includes a trenched gate surrounded by a source region encompassed in a body region above a drain region disposed on a bottom surface of a substrate. The MOSFET cell further includes a shielded gate trench (SGT) structure below and insulated from the trenched gate. The SGT structure is formed substantially as a round hole having a lateral expansion extended beyond the trench gate and covered by a dielectric liner layer filled with a trenched gate material. The round hole is formed by an isotropic etch at the bottom of the trenched gate and is insulated from the trenched gate by an oxide insulation layer. The round hole has a lateral expansion beyond the trench walls and the lateral expansion serves as a vertical alignment landmark for controlling the depth of the trenched gate. The MOSFET device has a reduced gate to drain capacitance Cgd depending on the controllable depth of the trenched gate disposed above the SGT structure formed as a round hole below the trenched gate.
US07932145B2
A semiconductor component is formed using the following processes: (a) forming a first dielectric layer over the semiconductor substrate; (b) forming a base electrode for the bipolar transistor over the dielectric layer; (c) forming an oxide nitride structure over the base electrode; (d) forming a first spacer adjacent to the oxide nitride structure and the base electrode; (e) removing a top layer of the oxide nitride structure; (f) removing a first portion of the dielectric layer; (g) forming an epitaxial layer over the semiconductor substrate; (h) forming a second spacer over the epitaxial layer; and (i) forming an emitter electrode over the epitaxial layer and adjacent to the second spacer.
US07932139B2
A method of laser annealing a workpiece for reduction of warpage, slip defects and breakage, the method comprising (a) moving a workpiece through a laser beam in a x-axis first direction, (b) moving the workpiece in a y-axis second direction, (c) moving the workpiece through a laser beam in a minus x-axis first direction and repeating (a)-(c) until the workpiece is fully annealed in two successive laser annealing iterations.
US07932138B2
A method for manufacturing a thin film transistor with improved current characteristics and high electron mobility. According to the method, when an amorphous silicon thin film is crystallized into a polycrystalline silicon thin film by metal-induced crystallization, annealing conditions of the amorphous silicon thin film and the amount of a metal catalyst doped into the amorphous silicon thin film are optimized to reduce the regions of a metal silicide distributed at grain boundaries of the polycrystalline silicon thin film. In addition, oxygen (O2) gas or water (H2O) vapor is supplied to form a passivation film on the surface of the polycrystalline silicon thin film.
US07932126B2
The area occupied by a photo-sensor element may be reduced and multiple elements may be integrated in a limited area so that the sensor element can have higher output and smaller size. Higher output and miniaturization are achieved by uniting a sensor element using an amorphous semiconductor film (typically an amorphous silicon film) and an output amplifier circuit including a TFT with a semiconductor film having a crystal structure (typically a poly-crystalline silicon film) used as an active layer over a plastic film substrate that can resist the temperature in the process for mounting such as a solder reflow process. A sensor element that can resist bending stress can be obtained.
US07932125B2
Devices and methods for forming self-aligned charge storage regions are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device comprises forming a layer of a nitride film stacked between two oxide films on a semiconductor substrate, and forming a gate electrode on the layer of the nitride film stacked between the two oxide films. In addition, the method comprises removing side portions of the nitride film such that a central portion of the nitride film below a center portion of the gate electrode remains, oxidizing the central portion of the nitride film, and forming charge storage layers in the side portions of the nitride film, where the charge storage layers are separated by the central portion of the nitride film.
US07932115B2
A photodiode includes a photosensitive element formed in a silicon semiconductor layer on an insulation layer. The photosensitive element includes a low concentration diffusion layer, a P-type high concentration diffusion layer, and an N-type high concentration diffusion layer. A method of producing the photodiode includes the steps of: forming an insulation material layer on the silicon semiconductor layer after the P-type impurity and the N-type impurity are implanted into the low concentration diffusion layer, the P-type high concentration diffusion layer, and the N-type high concentration diffusion layer; forming an opening portion in the insulation material layer in an area for forming the low concentration diffusion layer; and etching the silicon semiconductor layer in the area for forming the low concentration diffusion layer so that a thickness of the silicon semiconductor layer is reduced to a specific level.
US07932111B2
A method for fabricating light emitting diode (LEDs) comprises providing a plurality of LEDs on a substrate wafer, each of which has an n-type and p-type layer of Group-III nitride material formed on a SiC substrate with the n-type layer sandwiched between the substrate and p-type layer. A conductive carrier is provided having a lateral surface to hold the LEDs. The LEDs are flip-chip mounted on the lateral surface of the conductive carrier. The SiC substrate is removed from the LEDs such that the n-type layer is the top-most layer. A respective contact is deposited on the n-type layer of each of the LEDs and the carrier is separated into portions such that each of the LEDs is separated from the others, with each of the LEDs mounted to a respective portion of said carrier.
US07932110B2
Disclosed are layers and patterns of nanowire or nanotube using a chemical self assembly for forming a semiconductor layer and a conductive layer of a thin film transistor by using a nanowire and/or nanotube solution and an diamine-based self-assembled monolayer (SAM) material. The Layers and patterns including layers and patterns of nanowire or nanotube using a chemical self assembly include: a substrate having a surface terminated with amine group (—NH2) by using a chemical self-assembled monolayer (SAM) material having at least one end terminated with amine group (—NH2); and a first nanowire or nanotube layer ionically coupled to the amine group (—NH2) of the surface of the substrate.
US07932103B2
An integrated circuit system includes measuring capacitance for a base structure between a base gate and a base connector thereof, measuring capacitance for a test structure between a test gate and a test connector thereof, the test structure having the test gate, a test dielectric, and the test connector with the test dielectric extending thereunder, and determining a difference between the capacitances of the base structure and the test structure to determine parasitic capacitance for the base structure between the base gate and the base connector thereof.
US07932102B2
A method of fabricating a phase change memory includes forming a lower electrode on a semiconductor substrate, forming a phase change pattern, an upper electrode, and a hard mask pattern sequentially on the lower electrode, a width of a bottom surface of the hard mask pattern being greater than a width of a top surface of the hard mask pattern, the bottom surface of the hard mask pattern facing the upper electrode and being opposite the top surface of the hard mask pattern, and forming a capping layer to cover the top surface of the hard mask pattern and sidewalls of the hard mask pattern, phase change pattern, and upper electrode.
US07932096B2
A method of making a nanoclusters functionalized with a single DNA strand comprising the steps of providing nanoclusters, combining said nanoclusters with thiolated DNA, incubating said nanoclusters and thiolated DNA mixture, combining said mixture with a solution comprising ethanol and dichloromethane; separating said mixture into an aqueous phase and an organic phase, mixing said aqueous phase with a solution comprising dicholormethane and NaCl, and separating the mixture into an aqueous phase and an organic phase; wherein said organic phase comprises said nanoclusters functionalized with a single DNA strand. Further, provided is a nanocluster functionalized with a single DNA strand comprising a nanocluster, said nanocluster being functionalized with a single DNA strand, said DNA strand having a length of about 10 to about 50 bases.
US07932091B2
Water-based colorant traced formulations (products) containing one or more water treatment agents, such as phosphonates, polyacrylic acids and/or polymers, co-polymers, terpolymers thereof, azoles, molybdate, polysilicates, phosphates, zinc, polyphosphates, etc., are provided wherein the water-soluble colorant is detectable in the visible light range of about 580-640 nm and is chemically inert relative to the water treatment agent(s). Measurement of an optical property of the colorant in the treated coolant water permits the concentration of the product therein to be ascertained, and the level of the product containing can be adjusted for controlling scale, corrosion, deposition, and/or microbial activity in commercial and/or industrial cooling water systems. These products may be reliably monitored and dosed to maintain a product level in treated water of 5 to 500 mg/L.
US07932090B2
Apparatus and methods for positioning the process chambers of microfluidic sample processing devices in the proper focal plane of a microplate reader are disclosed. The apparatus and methods may be adaptable to position the sample processing devices at different heights as may be necessary for processing in different microplate readers. A positioning device is used in connection with the sample processing device to locate the process chambers within the focal plane of the microplate reader.
US07932089B2
A simulant material for simulating hazardous materials is provided. The simulant material includes a quantity of at least one explosive material and at least one inert material. The simulant material is a non-explosive material and is in the form of a homogenous, flexible and non-particulated material. Also provided is a method for manufacturing such a simulant material.
US07932082B2
A device is disclosed for extracting a smear sample. The device includes a cavity, into which a sample carrier carrying a smear sample can be introduced. Liquid can be introduced into the cavity through at least one liquid feed connected to the cavity, and the liquid can be removed from the cavity through at least one liquid discharge connected to the cavity.
US07932081B2
An automated analyzer for performing multiple diagnostic assays simultaneously includes multiple stations in which discrete aspects of the assay are performed on fluid samples contained in sample vessels. The analyzer includes stations for automatically preparing a sample, incubating the sample, preforming an analyte isolation procedure, ascertaining the presence of a target analyte, and analyzing the amount of a target analyte. An automated receptacle transporting system moves the sample vessels from one station to the next. A method for performing an automated diagnostic assay includes an automated process for isolating and amplifying a target analyte, and, in one embodiment, a method for real-time monitoring of the amplification process.
US07932079B2
A system (1) for producing a dough starter culture is provided which comprises a plurality of reservoirs (15) pre-loaded with a small amount (“mother level”) of a previously obtained starter culture. Into the reservoirs (15) are inoculated the other ingredients required for the preparation of starter culture and the contents are left to ferment for a specified period of time to produce the required starter culture, which is then discharged as required from each reservoir (15). A “mother level” portion is retained in the reservoirs and is used to produce a next batch of starter culture. The system (1) operates automatically and is programmable so that a first pre-set interval of time which is less then the fermentation time is allowed to elapse from the start of fermentation in a first reservoir (15) before the ingredients are delivered into a succeeding reservoir (15), and a second pre-set interval of time is allowed to elapse after the starter culture is discharged from the first reservoir (15) before a next batch of the ingredients is delivered into the first reservoir (15).
US07932077B2
Engineered strains of the oleaginous yeast Yarrowia lipolytica capable of producing greater than 25% eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA, an ω-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid) in the total oil fraction are described. These strains comprise various chimeric genes expressing heterologous desaturases, elongases and acyltransferases and optionally comprise various native desaturase and acyltransferase knockouts to enable synthesis and high accumulation of EPA. Production host cells are claimed, as are methods for producing EPA within said host cells.
US07932074B1
The present invention provides vaccine compositions for protection against human rotaviral disease without significant reactogenicity. Human×bovine reassortant rotavirus comprising each of the four clinically most important VP7 serotypes of human rotavirus are combined in a multivalent formulation which provides a high degree of infectivity and immunogenicity without producing a transient febrile condition. Methods for producing an immunogenic response without producing a transient febrile condition are also provided.
US07932073B2
The present invention relates to variants of a parent glycoside hydrolase, comprising a substitution at one or more positions corresponding to positions 21, 94, 157, 205, 206, 247, 337, 350, 373, 383, 438, 455, 467, and 486 of amino acids 1 to 513 of SEQ ID NO: 2, and optionally further comprising a substitution at one or more positions corresponding to positions 8, 22, 41, 49, 57, 113, 193, 196, 226, 227, 246, 251, 255, 259, 301, 356, 371, 411, and 462 of amino acids 1 to 513 of SEQ ID NO: 2 a substitution at one or more positions corresponding to positions 8, 22, 41, 49, 57, 113, 193, 196, 226, 227, 246, 251, 255, 259, 301, 356, 371, 411, and 462 of amino acids 1 to 513 of SEQ ID NO: 2, wherein the variants have glycoside hydrolase activity. The present invention also relates to nucleotide sequences encoding the variant glycoside hydrolases and to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the nucleotide sequences.
US07932071B2
A polypeptide having an RNaseH activity from Archaeoglobus profundus and being highly useful in gene engineering; a gene encoding this polypeptide; and a genetic engineering process for producing the polypeptide.
US07932070B2
The subject invention relates to compositions comprising an enzyme mixture which comprises a first enzyme and a second enzyme, where the first enzyme comprises a DNA polymerization activity and the second enzyme comprises an 3′-5′ exonuclease activity and a reduced DNA polymerization activity. The invention also relates to the above compositions in kit format and methods for high fidelity DNA synthesis using the subject compositions of the invention.
US07932061B2
This invention relates to the use of tumor-derived or associated extracellular ribonucleic acid (RNA) found circulating in the plasma or serum fraction of blood for the detection, monitoring, or evaluation of cancer or premalignant conditions. Specifically, this invention enables the extraction of circulating RNA from plasma or serum and utilizes nucleic acid amplification assays for the identification, detection, inference, monitoring, or evaluation of any neoplasm, benign, premalignant, or malignant, in humans or other animals, which might be associated with that RNA. Further, this invention allows the qualitative or quantitative detection of tumor-derived or associated extracellular RNA circulating in the plasma or serum of humans or animals with or without any prior knowledge of the presence of cancer or premalignant tissue.
US07932057B2
The present invention provides a method for preparing 20-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol (Ginsenoside M1) by using Sanqis leaves and stems. The method of the invention includes the steps of: (a) provides powder of Sanqi leaves and stems; (b) provides a fungus for fermenting the Sanqi leaves and stems, wherein the fermentation temperature is ranged from 20-50° C., the fermentation humidity is ranged from 70-100%, the pH value is ranged from 4.0-6.0, and the fermentation period is ranged from 5-15 days; (c) extracts and collects the fermentation products; and (d) isolates 20-O-β-D-glucopyranosyl-20(S)-protopanaxadiol from the fermentation products.
US07932056B2
A crustacean or rotifer is infected with a recombinant infectious virus that expresses a protein exogenous to the virus. The genome of the crustacean or rotifer itself remains unaltered. Crustacean, rotifer, insect, or viral promoters drive the transcription of a gene inserted into the recombinant virus genome, and the virus replicates in the crustacean or rotifer cell cytoplasm. The infected crustacean or rotifer can be provided directly to humans or non-human animals, or, following production and harvest of the crustaceans or rotifers, purified recombinant protein or polypeptide can be provided. Large quantities of biopharmaceuticals can be produced rapidly and inexpensively using this production system.
US07932050B2
Enzymatic phenoxazinone substrates of formula (I): in reaction media containing the same are used for detecting, identifying and/or quantifying microorganisms expressing at least one peptidase activity.
US07932046B2
Provided are a method for detecting biomaterials, a method for fabricating a chip for biomaterial detection and a chip for biomaterial detection. The method for detecting biomaterials is characterized by comprising the steps of: (S1) immobilizing polydiacetylene liposomes onto a substrate; (S2) linking the polydiacetylene liposomes together and layering them on the substrate; (S3) immobilizing a material which forms a complementary binding with a subject biomaterial to be detected onto the polydiacetylene liposomes; (S4) exposing the resulted polydiacetylene liposome to UV light so as to form a chip for biomaterial detection; (S5) applying the subject biomaterial to be detected to the chip for biomaterial detection for reaction; and (S6) measuring a fluorescent signal from the chip for biomaterial detection.
US07932045B2
Provided are methods of isolating and proliferating antigen-specific CD8+ T cells using anti-4-1BB antibodies. The methods of isolating and proliferating CD8+ T cells may yield cells at a higher recovery rate than a conventional isolation method, and the isolation method using humanized anti-4-1BB antibodies may also yield cells at a high recovery rate. Further, in cell culture, cells may be grown at a high proliferation rate. The antigen-specific CD8+ T cells yielded according to the isolation and proliferation methods may be used to treat cancer without any side-effects.
US07932013B2
There are provided a coating material which improves an etching resistance of a pattern in an etching process using a pattern formed on a substrate as a mask.The material is a pattern coating material for an etching process using a pattern formed on a substrate as a mask, including a metal compound (W) which can produce a hydroxyl group on hydrolysis.
US07931999B2
In a manufacturing method for an electrode-membrane-frame assembly in a fuel cell, a first frame member and an electrolyte membrane member are arranged in a first mold for injection molding such that the edge of the electrolyte membrane member is arranged on the first frame member, a second mold is arranged to form a resin flow passage for forming a second frame member which is in contact with the first frame member by interposing the electrolyte membrane member, and a part of the edge of the electrolyte membrane member is pressed and fixed to the first frame member by a presser member mounted on the second mold and a molding resin material is injected into the resin flow passage to form a second frame member.
US07931994B2
A fuel cell system which includes: a fuel cell (1); a supply system (Sc) for supplying fuel gas to the fuel cell (1); a recirculation system (Rc) for recirculating unused fuel gas from the fuel cell (1), in which the fuel gas therein may contain nitrogen; a purge valve (8) for purging nitrogen contained in the fuel gas in the recirculation system (Rc); and a controller (100) for adjusting a valve opening of the purge valve (8) so that a nitrogen concentration of the fuel gas in the recirculation system (Rc) is kept constant.
US07931988B2
An improved Ni—Zn cell with a negative electrode substrate plated with tin or tin and zinc during manufacturing has a reduced gassing rate. The copper or brass substrate is electrolytic cleaned, activated, electroplated with a matte surface to a defined thickness range, pasted with zinc oxide electrochemically active material, and baked. The defined plating thickness range of 40-80 μIn maximizes formation of an intermetallic compound Cu3Sn that helps to suppress the copper diffusion from under plating layer to the surface and eliminates formation of an intermetallic compound Cu6Sn5 during baking to provide adequate corrosion resistance during battery operation.
US07931986B2
An alkaline battery includes a positive electrode including a positive electrode active material, a negative electrode including a negative electrode active material, and an alkaline electrolyte including potassium hydroxide. The positive electrode active material includes a manganese dioxide powder, and the negative electrode active material includes a zinc powder. In a powder X-ray diffraction pattern of the manganese dioxide powder using CuKα radiation, the diffraction peak attributed to the (110) plane is in the range of 20.5° to 21.7°, and the ratio of the peak intensity of the (130) plane to the peak intensity of the (021) plane: I(130)/I(021) is 0.1 or less.
US07931980B2
An electrode assembly is adapted to prevent the separator from contracting due to heat that is generated near the electrode tab during overcharging, over-discharging, or in the case of an internal short circuit. The electrode assembly also prevents an additional short circuit between the electrode plates. A rechargeable battery that comprises the electrode assembly is also provided. The present invention prevents the electrode tab from being short-circuited due to increased heat generation during overcharging or in the case of a short circuit, thus improving the safety of the rechargeable battery.
US07931977B2
The present invention relates to information storage media, and more particularly, to ultra-high density magnetic information storage media which comprises a plurality of discrete islands of magnetic material.
US07931975B2
An OLED device includes a cathode, an anode, and having there between a light-emitting layer, further including, between the cathode and the light emitting layer, a first layer having a thickness of 20 nm or less and containing a fluoranthene compound including one and only one fluoranthene nucleus and having no aromatic rings annulated to the fluoranthene nucleus, the fluoranthene nucleus having independently selected aromatic groups in the 7,10-positions and a phenanthroline group in the 8-or 9-position. The OLED device desirably includes a second layer containing an alkali metal or an alkali metal compound, located between the cathode and the first layer. The OLED device can also include a polycyclic aromatic compound in the first layer or in a third layer located between the first layer and the light-emitting layer. Devices of the invention provide improvement in features such as efficiency, drive voltage, and operational stability.
US07931971B2
A plasma display panel (PDP) includes an EMI filter at a front portion thereof for blocking/shielding substantial amounts of electromagnetic waves. The filters has high visible transmission, and is capable of blocking/shielding electromagnetic waves. In certain example embodiments, a silver based coating of the EMI filter reduces damage from EMI radiation through highly conductive Ag layers, blocks significant amounts of NIR and IR radiation from outdoor sunlight to reduce PDP panel temperature, and enhances contrast ratio through reduced reflection, while maintaining high visible transmission. In certain example embodiments, at least one layer of or including silicon nitride may be Si-rich, and/or at least one layer including an oxide of Ni and/or Cr may be a suboxide, in order to improve heat treatability of the coated article.
US07931968B2
This invention is to an improved method for cleaning contaminated polymer when that polymer is to be blended with clean material. The method involves combining the contaminated material and the clean material in a compartmentalized pellet wherein the contaminated material is placed in the outermost compartment, the clean material is placed in an inner compartment and then subjecting the pellet to an extraction process.
US07931963B2
An improved energy absorbing member comprising, an thermoplastic cellular polymer in contact with a structural element such as a metal guard rail or automotive door, wherein the cellular polymer has an average cell size of at least about 0.75 mm and at least one of CE/CT, CV/CT and CH/CT is about 0.25 to about 0.4 said one of CE/CT, CV/CT and CH/CT having a compressive efficiency of at least 70% at a 60% strain, CE, CV and CH being the compressive strength of the cellular polymer in each of three orthogonal directions E, V and H where one of these directions is the direction of maximum compressive strength in the foam and CT equals the sum of CE, CV and CH.
US07931962B1
A pyrolyzing flexible ablator comprising a flexible substrate and a pyrolyzing material that will pyrolize upon exposure to a heat flux greater than 5 W/cm2, the pyrolyzing material being bonded to the flexible substrate.
US07931959B2
Polyamide compositions filled with fibers have good mechanical and rheological properties, the polyamide having a high fluidity in molten phase and the fibers, in particular glass fibers, being well aligned at both the surface and the core of shaped articles injection molded from such compositions.
US07931955B2
A composite material having a substrate material and at least one barrier coating on one side of the substrate material. The barrier coating is plasma impulse chemical vapor deposited (PICVD) to the substrate material. The barrier coating includes at least one of material selected from the group consisting of SiOx, TiOx, SnOx, Si3Ny, Nb2Oy, and Al2Oy.
US07931954B2
There is provided a decorative material comprising at least a substrate, a low-luster pattern ink layer partially formed on the substrate, and a surface protective layer which is present on and contacted with the low-luster pattern ink layer so as to cover a whole surface including both a region where the low-luster pattern ink layer is formed and a region where no low-luster pattern ink layer is formed, wherein the surface protective layer is formed by crosslinking and curing an ionizing radiation-curable resin composition, and provided therein with a low-gloss region which is located in a portion just above the low-luster pattern ink layer and in the vicinity of the portion and visually recognized as a concave portion. The decorative material is provided on a surface thereof with a pattern, and exhibits a difference in gloss according to the pattern which is visually recognized as a concave portion, thereby imparting a good convexo-concave feeling to a surface thereof.
US07931953B2
The present invention provides an anti-dazzling laminate which has anti-dazzling properties and can realize excellent glare preventive properties and black color reproducibility, such as gradation rendering of black color at low brightness. The optical laminate comprises a light transparent base material and an anti-dazzling layer provided on the light transparent base material. The outermost surface of the anti-dazzling layer has a concavoconvex surface, and the average spacing S determined by calculation based on data obtained by measuring a roughness curve of a concavoconvex shape of the anti-dazzling layer is not less than 0.04 mm and not more than 0.30 mm.
US07931944B2
The present invention provides a method of treating a substrate to improve the alcohol repellency of the substrate while minimizing the effect on the hydrostatic head value of the substrate that includes contacting a substrate with a treatment solution that includes an ionic fluoropolymer, a monovalent salt, and essentially no antistatic agent or less than 0.05 weight percent by weight of an antistatic agent.
US07931937B2
A method and apparatus for depositing a film on a substrate includes introducing a material and a carrier gas into a heated chamber. The material may be a semiconductor material, such as a cadmium chalcogenide. A resulting mixture of vapor and carrier gas containing no unvaporized material is provided. The mixture of vapor and carrier gas are remixed to achieve a uniform vapor/carrier gas composition, which is directed toward a surface of a substrate, such as a glass substrate, where the vapor is deposited as a uniform film.
US07931933B2
Solder paste application, inspection and correction. Following or during application of solder paste on a substrate, the result thereof is inspected and any detected errors are registered. Following an evaluation as to whether correction of these errors is required and if it would be worthwhile, the errors are corrected. The correction involves removing solder paste from locations where so required, and jetting of additional solder paste to locations where so required.
US07931931B2
A porous prosthesis for delivering a medication to the site of implantation, and a method of making the same, is disclosed.
US07931923B2
A method for manufacturing a loaf of bread of this invention is comprised of a forming step to form a sheet from a block of bread dough that is kneaded from the raw materials for bread, a further forming step to form a bar-like dough by rolling or folding the sheet, a cutting step to cut the bar-like dough, and a placing step to place the bar-like pieces of dough that were cut at the cutting step into a baking mold so that at least one cutting plane faces upward. If there are air bubbles between layers of the bar-like pieces of dough, the air bubbles can escape from a cutting surface of the bar-like pieces of dough when they rise and expand at the fermenting and baking steps.
US07931910B2
The present invention provides an environmentally compatible, pesticidal composition and method for the control of insect pests. The composition includes two components. The first component is a chelating agent, a metal complex of a chelating agent, and mixtures thereof, and the second component is preferably a carrier material.
US07931908B2
The invention provides an immunogenic composition comprising MSPk-8 linked to an antigen. Methods of using the composition to induce an immune response in an animal are also provided.
US07931907B2
The present invention relates generally to viral variants exhibiting reduced sensitivity to agents and in particular nucleoside analogues. More particularly, the present invention is directed to hepatitis B virus variants exhibiting complete or partial resistance to nucleoside analogues. The variants may also comprise corresponding mutations affecting immunological interactivity to viral surface components. The present invention further contemplates assays for detecting such viral variants which assays are useful in monitoring anti-viral therapeutic regimes and in developing new or modified vaccines directed against viral agents and in particular hepatitis B virus variants. The present invention also contemplates the use of the viral variants to screen for agents capable of inhibiting infection, replication and/or release of the virus.
US07931903B2
The present invention provides humanized, chimeric and human anti-CD74 antibodies, CD74 antibody fusion proteins, immunoconjugates, vaccines and bispecific that bind to CD74, the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) class-II invariant chain, Ii, which is useful for the treatment and diagnosis of B-cell disorders, such as B-cell malignancies, other malignancies in which the cells are reactive with CD74, and autoimmune diseases, and methods of treatment and diagnosis.
US07931902B2
The present invention relates to transgenic animals, as well as compositions and methods relating to the characterization of gene function. Specifically, the present invention provides transgenic mice comprising disruptions in PRO226, PRO257, PRO268, PRO290, PRO36006, PRO363, PRO365, PRO382, PRO444, PRO705, PRO1071, PRO1125, PRO1134, PRO1155, PRO1281, PRO1343, PRO1379, PRO1380, PRO1387, PRO1419, PRO1433, PRO1474, PRO1550, PRO1571, PRO1572, PRO1759, PRO1904, PRO35193, PRO4341, PRO4348, PRO4369, PRO4381, PRO4407, PRO4425, PRO4985, PRO4989, PRO5737, PRO5800, PRO5993, PRO6017, PRO7174, PRO9744, PRO9821, PRO9852, PRO9873, PRO10196, PRO34778, PRO20233, PRO21956, PRO57290, PRO38465, PRO38683 or PRO85161 genes. Such in vivo studies and characterizations may provide valuable identification and discovery of therapeutics and/or treatments useful in the prevention, amelioration or correction of diseases or dysfunctions associated with gene disruptions such as neurological disorders; cardiovascular, endothelial or angiogenic disorders; eye abnormalities; immunological disorders; oncological disorders; bone metabolic abnormalities or disorders; lipid metabolic disorders; or developmental abnormalities.
US07931899B2
Humanized anti-Aβ antibodies derived from a murine antibody directed to a N-terminal epitope of Aβ are described. The humanized antibodies have reduced or no human T cell epitopes and bind Aβ with an affinity similar to that of the murine antibody.
US07931898B2
The invention provides methods and compositions for inhibiting binding of IgE to a high affinity receptor. The methods and compositions are useful in the treatment of allergic diseases and allergy symptoms in mammals.
US07931896B2
Compositions containing soluble B7-H4 (sH4) antagonists in an amount effective to reduce, inhibit, or mitigate an inflammatory response in an individual and methods for the treatment or prophylaxis of inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases or disorders are provided. Soluble H4 has been discovered to interfere with B7-H4 activity including B7-H4's activity as an inhibitor of T cell immunity. Thus, interference of sH4 biological activity is an effective method to restore B7-H4 activity and thereby provide an effective method for treating inflammatory diseases or disorders including autoimmune diseases or disorders. B7-H4Ig could also work as an agonist to suppress both humoral and cellular autoimmunity.
US07931894B2
It is intended to provide a method of three-dimensionally culturing normal joint chondrocytes; the production and supply of chondrocytes; and a transplantation material to be used in an injured site in a joint tissue.
US07931887B2
An apparatus and a method for controllably converting aluminum into alane. In the system of the invention, a reaction between aluminum and hydrogen to form alane is performed at temperatures below 100° C. using a supercritical fluid such as CO2 as a reaction medium, with the optional inclusion of a co-solvent, such as an ether, in the reaction vessel. Inert gas is used to exclude unwanted gases such as oxygen. The reaction of aluminum and hydrogen has been observed to proceed at approximately 60° C. using Me2O as an added solvent in CO2 at supercritical pressures.
US07931885B2
A method of fabricating carbon nanotube complex is disclosed, which comprises, (A) dispersing carbon nanotubes in a solvent; (B) adding a filler to the above solution to give a precursor solution; (C) performing light illumination on the precursor solution; (D) washing the solution after light exposure; and (E) drying to evaporate the solvent contained in the solution. Therefore, the carbon nanotube complex of the present invention is obtained.
US07931881B2
An air pollution control system includes an emission treatment system configured to receive flue gas, to reduce at least one pollutant therefrom, and to output emission treated flue gas. A first air heater in fluid communication with the emission treatment system includes a heat exchanger for heating forced air introduced thereto above a base temperature and thereby cooling emission treated flue gas from the emission treatment system to a stack discharge temperature. A second air heater in fluid communication with the first air heater to receive heated forced air therefrom includes a heat exchanger for heating forced air introduced thereto to a preheat temperature for combustion in a boiler and thereby cooling flue gas introduced from a boiler to the second air heater to an emission treatment temperature. The second air heater is in fluid communication with the emission treatment system to introduce cooled flue gas thereto.
US07931873B2
In an isoolefin-diolefin rubber production process (e.g. a butyl rubber production process), the cold rubber slurry produced in the reaction vessel is transported from the reaction vessel to the flash tank during which time the cold slurry may be expressed to separate at least part of the cold liquid reaction medium from the isoolefin-diolefin rubber. The separated cold liquid reaction medium is transported off stream, for example by a mechanical filter, where it can be recycled back into the reaction vessel and/or where it can be used to cool a feed stream or streams of the reaction components. The isoolefin-diolefin rubber and the residual liquid reaction medium are transported to a flash tank for further processing. The ability to separate and recycle cold liquid reaction medium makes the process more economical. In one aspect, the slurry may be transported from the reaction vessel to the flash tank by a self-cleaning fully intermeshing co-rotating twin screw extruder, which helps overcome the problem of plugging due to rubber sticking to the surfaces of the slurry transfer apparatus.
US07931865B2
An apparatus which comprises: an organic-substance oxidation part in which organic substances contained in a sample water supplied are oxidized into carbon dioxide; a carbon dioxide separation part in which the carbon dioxide contained in the sample water is caused to permeate and come into a measurement water; and a conductivity measurement part in which the conductivity of the measurement water is measured. The carbon dioxide separation part comprises: a sample water channel in which sample water flows; an intermediate water part in which intermediate water having a higher pH value in a neutral region than the sample water is present; and a measurement water channel through which the measurement water comprising deionized water flows. The sample water channel is in contact with the intermediate water part through a gas-permeable membrane, and the intermediate water part is in contact with the measurement water channel through a gas-permeable membrane.
