US07945706B2

The invention provides a signal receiving circuit applied to multiple digital video/audio transmission interface standards. The signal receiving circuit includes at least an input interface for receiving an input signal, and at least an interface circuit. The input interface includes a set of shared input terminals, a set of first separate input terminals for receiving an input signal corresponding to a first transmission specification with the set of shared input terminals, and a set of second separate input terminals for receiving an input signal corresponding to a second transmission specification with the set of shared input terminals. The interface circuit includes a control circuit coupled to the input interface for supplying a control signal, and a processing module coupled to the input interface and the control circuit for processing the input signal according to the control signal to generate an output signal.
US07945701B2

A television includes multiple interfaces, a storage medium, an updating module, a processing module and a display module. The multiple interfaces are mounted on a housing of the television, for connecting to peripheral devices. The storage medium stores a table comprising logos of the multiple interfaces and names of the peripheral devices connected to the multiple interfaces. The updating module receives the names of the peripheral devices and updates the table with the names of the peripheral devices. The processing module reads the data of the table stored in the storage medium and converts the data of the table into image signals. The display module visually displays a menu based on the image signals. The menu shows the logos of the multiple interfaces and the names of the peripheral devices connected to the multiple interfaces.
US07945698B2

The present invention provides a system and method for data transfer. The system may include a client having software adapted to display data; a storage; and client data. Further, the system may include a server having compressor data and information regarding data file types that have been partially compressed by the compressor data. In the system, the client may be operably coupled to the server for data and file transfer purposes.
US07945692B2

The invention increases performance of HTTP over long-latency links by pre-fetching objects concurrently via aggregated and flow-controlled channels. An agent and gateway together assist a Web browser in fetching HTTP contents faster from Internet Web sites over long-latency data links. The gateway and the agent coordinate the fetching of selective embedded objects in such a way that an object is ready and available on a host platform before the resident browser requires it. The seemingly instantaneous availability of objects to a browser enables it to complete processing the object to request the next object without much wait. Without this instantaneous availability of an embedded object, a browser waits for its request and the corresponding response to traverse a long delay link.
US07945691B2

Data conveyance management may be facilitated by a process performed at a data distribution device. The data distribution device may determine whether a message has been received indicating that data conveyance rules are to be modified and, if the message has been received, identify a rule template associated with the data conveyance rules, the identified rule template including at least one parameter. The data distribution device may also send a message specifying a user interface corresponding to the rule template and the parameter, determine whether a message including a specification of the parameter has been received, and, if the message has been received, create a rule by binding the template with the specified parameter.
US07945685B2

The invention provides an apparatus and method to establish media sessions for media streams crossing a network boundary. The system includes a media relay controlled by a media configurator control module. The media relay reserves media paths (that include ports in the network boundary), opens the media paths, closes the media paths, and provides information about the media paths. A media configurator is adapted to communicate with the media configurator control module and the media relay. The control module has an event handler handling multimedia session events, a local address resolver that determines if an address identifier of the media session belongs to a private address space and a control element used to establish the media path. The control element manages resources for the media relay. A state-refresh timer is used to maintain state consistency between all media relays controlled by a proxy engine and control elements.
US07945681B2

A first computer remotely controls, using a remote control application over a network (such as a WAN), a remote session on a second computer over a first network. The disclosed method (as implemented in a first application in the first computer) involves identifying clipboard data (associated with a copy, cut or paste operation) shared between a first and second computer during the remote session, temporarily storing the shared clipboard data, modifying, (via the first application in a unidirectional manner) the clipboard data associated with said environment, wherein the modified clipboard data is extracted by an interceptor associated with the second computer. The second computer, based on a look-up of clipboard values, executes a pre-defined action affecting the remote session, wherein the pre-defined action is different than the copy, cut, or paste operation. After executing the pre-defined action, the clipboard data is restored from the computer storage.
US07945675B2

A method of a peer computing system for performing a data processing service for a remote peer computing system publishes a description of each of a plurality of data processing services which the peer computing system makes available to the remote peer system. The peer computing further publishes a description of at least one of the physical attributes of the peer computing system and the spatial behavior of the peer computing system. The spatial behavior is represented by at least one of a record of the location of the peer computing system with respect to time and a record of networks to which the peer computing system is coupled with respect to time. The peer computing system may receive a service request from the remote peer computing system, the service request may comprise one of: i) a request to perform one of the plurality of data processing services; and ii) a request to perform a new data processing service which utilized the physical and spatial attributes of the peer computing system in conjunction with instructions on how to perform the new data processing.
US07945669B2

A method and apparatus for automatically provisioning at least a portion of a computer system to meet a specification provided in a provisioning request. In one embodiment, the provisioning includes provisioning at least one resource from each of at least one host computer, at least one storage system, and at least one connectivity resource that connects the at least one host computer to the at least one storage system. In another embodiment, the provisioning includes selecting and configuring at least one logical volume of storage and configuring the computer system to provide access to the selected volume. In another aspect, a computer-readable provisioning transaction is created to provision the computer system, and a computer-readable undo transaction is created to undo it. In a further embodiment, an existing computer system is reverse engineered to create a specification that is modified to create the specification in the provisioning request.
US07945665B2

According to some embodiments, centralized load distribution is proved for an H.323 network.
US07945664B2

The present disclosure relates to a system and method for accessing network services. In one arrangement, the system and method pertain to obtaining an address of a network service from a local device via a direct connection, and facilitating designation of the network service address as a default destination such that a user browser can be redirected directly to the network service when an appropriate command is received.
US07945659B2

A system and method for determining and displaying return-on-investment (ROI) of components on a network is described. The system includes one or more processes that initiate and receive data streams directly or indirectly from components on the network or from other databases on the network. A dependency tree is created for each component relating each component to other components and to information characterizing the component. A portal is provided to export data feeds to other systems on the network and to generate reports and display usage information on each component on the network. Usage information may be grouped or summarized according to business function or by top level manager.
US07945658B1

The present invention comprises a multi-tier system. Major goals of the system are to 1) clearly visualize BGP dynamics and alert/report important deviation of BGP dynamics to avoid overwhelming the operators with too much information and 2) analyze the root cause of the problems by using a multi-tier approach, with a light-computational analysis and high-level classification for a real-time problem identification followed by a more rigorous off-line analysis for a further and more detailed trouble shooting. An example embodiment is provided that comprises four modules. The first module comprises a distributed family of collectors in charge of collecting real-time network information. The second module filters out non-relevant prefixes and extracts and profiles key features of the network information. The third module monitors BGP activity from both an Internet-AS and single-AS perspectives by displaying the data in real time and highlighting major shifts or divergence from historical baselines with comprehensive layouts. The forth module is run off-line to focus on a few relevant events that are selected through the first three modules. This is usually a time-consuming phase of the process due to the different temporal and/or spatial correlation that must be run across several sets of data. During this phase, the system can spend more time to better identify the real cause of the problem.
US07945656B1

A method and apparatus for determining reachability of a device connected to a computer network by receiving from a requesting device at least one ICMP echo request, the at least one ICMP echo request having a destination address associated with a non-echoing device; in response to the received ICMP echo request, sending a ping to the non-echoing device; receiving from the non-echoing device a reply to the sent ping; issuing from a routing device a subsequent at least one ICMP echo request to the non-echoing device and determining that no response is received to the issued at least one ICMP echo request; receiving at least one subsequent ICMP echo request from a requesting device, the at least one subsequent having a destination address associated with the non-echoing device; and in response to the received reply to the additional ping, sending a proxy ICMP echo reply to the requesting device.
US07945653B2

A method for tagging digital media is described. The method includes selecting a digital media and selecting region within the digital media. The method may further include associating a person or entity with the selected region and sending a notification of the association the person or entity or a different person or entity. The method may further include sending advertising with the notification.
US07945643B2

A system comprises storage configurable, at least in part, into a plurality of shared entities. The storage comprises rules. Each rule is configurable to specify one or more of the shared entities to associate with a specified computer identity so that at least one computer identity is associatable with a different set of shared entities from at least one other computer identity.
US07945632B2

A computationally implemented method includes, but is not limited to: acquiring subjective user state data including data indicating at least one subjective user state associated with a user; acquiring objective occurrence data including data indicating at least one objective occurrence associated with the user; correlating the subjective user state data with the objective occurrence data based, at least in part, on a determination of at least one sequential pattern associated with the at least one subjective user state and the at least one objective occurrence; and presenting one or more results of the correlating. In addition to the foregoing, other method aspects are described in the claims, drawings, and text forming a part of the present disclosure.
US07945630B2

A method and system for communicating a message in an electronic messaging environment is provided. A method employed by the system may include generating a personalized communication model related to a user, determining the validity of a token associated with an intended recipient of the message based on information in the personalized communication model, extracting entities from the message, determining whether the entities extracted match the intended recipient, and indicating to the user whether the token is valid and whether the entities match the intended recipient. The tokens correspond to email addresses, phone numbers, and addresses associated with intended recipients. The personalized communication model includes the names and tokens associated with those individuals with whom the user communicates. The personalized communication model is seeded with information including social, spatial, temporal and logical information related to the user. The personalized communication model is generated by a network processor.
US07945625B2

Within a network-based discussion environment, a moderation mechanism is implemented to encourage posts of high relevancy. The moderation mechanism is configurable so as to support distributed access control. In one case, the moderation mechanism is configured to support an allocation of a limited number of responses to a user based on the number of new threads the user has started.
US07945624B2

A method and apparatus is provided for setting up a wireless conference call, wireless non-call conference, and sharing audio and/or video content. The method includes the steps of providing an audio mixer that receives an audio input from each of at least three audio interfaces, mixes, cleans, and amplifies and/or de-amplifies the audio signal from the audio inputs and provides an equalized audio output to each of the at least three audio interfaces; providing a first local wireless interface; providing a second local wireless interface; and, providing a third wireless interface, so as to permit simultaneous two-way (incoming and outgoing) communications between each participant during wireless conferencing, and so as to permit simultaneous one-way communications between an audio and/or video content source and each local participant during wireless sharing of audio and/or video content between the local participants.
US07945622B1

Various embodiments include one or more of systems, methods, software, and data structures for user-aware time-shifted playback and recording of real-time collaborations, such as web conferences. Some embodiments include recording and presenting public and private collaboration data for time-shifted playback. Private collaboration data includes collaboration data intended for viewing by less than all collaboration participants. Further systems, methods, software, and data structures are disclosed.
US07945616B2

A media distribution system is provided whereby devices on a network are provided with native-mode, optimized content viewers adapted to receive and present digital content provided elsewhere on the network. An agent is downloaded to a device, where it gathers information regarding the device environment and uses that information to identify the appropriate application for that device. The appropriate application for a particular device is then downloaded to the device to enable the device to present the content to a user.
US07945603B2

Information related to telephone numbers is efficiently stored and retrieved by generating an index based on a portion of a telephone number for which information is to be stored or retrieved. For example, the portion of the telephone number can be a prefix of the telephone number. Information related to the telephone number is stored and retrieved in accordance with the generated index.
US07945583B2

A technique for the deployment of data mining algorithms on a web service, such as IBM's WebSphere Application Server, is disclosed. Rather than having to deploy the data mining models with the data, the data can be transported to the web server as part of a message. Models can be cached on the web server and easily changed by operations executed by the client. This allows for efficient administration of the operational environment. Because a web services environment is inherently scalable, servers can be transparently enabled based on demand. Further, with web services communication is via data objects in memory which allows for ease of implementation and operational efficiency.
US07945576B2

A location recognition technique that involves using a query image to identify a depicted location is presented. In addition to the query image, there is also a pre-constructed database of features which are associated with images of known locations. The technique matches features derived from the query image to the database features using a specialized vocabulary tree, which is referred to as an informative feature vocabulary tree. The informative feature vocabulary tree is specialized because it was generated using just those database features that have been deemed informative of known locations. The aforementioned matching features are used to identify a known location image that matches the query image. The location associated with that known location image is then deemed to be the location depicted in the query image.
US07945575B2

A method of transforming queries based upon an entity/relationship schema into multi-dimensional expression queries is provided. The method comprises matching an object referenced in an entity/relationship schema based report specification to a corresponding object in the entity/relationship schema, the corresponding object adorned with associated multidimensional metadata; adding the associated multi-dimensional metadata to the object referenced in the entity/relationship schema based report specification; translating the entity/relationship schema based report specification into a multi-dimensional expression query; and retrieving directly all data required to populate a report output of the entity/relationship schema report specification.
US07945571B2

A machine-implemented search method comprises inputting a search query from a user, and before the query is executed, inputting from the user a weighting factor that has a specified relationship to the query. The method further includes initiating a search by causing the query to be applied according to the weighting factor, and returning a result of the search to the user. The weighting factor may represent, for example, a weight to be given to one of multiple information sources that are available to be searched in response to the query, such as an online search engine or a merchant online commerce web site. Alternatively, the weighting factor may represent a weight to be given to a term in the query.
US07945569B2

The disclosed embodiments relate to an apparatus for performing query operations. The apparatus comprises a base table having spatial objects, an index table having data entries that are associated with the spatial objects. A module that is adapted to perform the query operation is configured to convert a query window into values, create a scan range for each of the values with a begin range value, an end range value, and a stop condition, scan the data entries for each of the scan range to identify one of the end range value and the stop condition, and return a result based upon the data entries that are within the scan range for each of the values.
US07945568B1

A system and method to navigate through a media item catalog and generate recommendations using behavioral metrics such as correlation metrics (FIGS. 1,2) from a knowledge base (400) of mediasets (FIG. 4, 1-7). One implementation uses a knowledge base comprising a collection of mediasets. Various metrics (Metric 1-Metric m) among media items (m1 . . . ) are considered by analyzing how the media items are grouped to form the sets in the knowledge base (400). Such metrics preferably are stored in a matrix (100) that allows the system to dynamically build appropriate navigation lists (FIG. 3) from media items that a user selects (FIG. 5).
US07945562B2

Join predicate push down transformations push down a join predicate of an outer query into a view. Among the types of views for which join predicate push down is performed are a view with a GROUP BY or DISTINCT operator, an anti-joined or semi-joined view, and a view that contains one or more nested views. During optimization, join predicate push down may be used to generate many transformed queries for comparison. The number of query transformations performed for comparison is managed.
US07945556B1

Computer implemented methods and systems are provided for web log filtering. A uniform resource locator (URL) is identified for a resource requested by an identified device. The URL is stored unless the URL has at a reference to an advertisement or an extension that matches any of a list of extensions specified for storage exclusion. The stored URL is categorized based on either the stored URL or an included domain name, depending on whether the included domain name matches any of the list of domain names that are associated with multiple categories. A count is incremented in a web log category associated with the identified device based on the categorized stored URL.
US07945547B2

According to one embodiment, a communication apparatus communicates with both a controller device and a control object device. The communication apparatus includes a first provide section that provides file configuration information conforming to a file system format acceptable to the controller device; a receive section that receives an access request to a file included in the provided file configuration information, from the controller device; a convert section that converts the access request to control command information conforming to a predetermined protocol acceptable to the control object device; and a second provide section that provides the control command information to the control object device.
US07945535B2

In one embodiment, there is provided a method for a media storage device to manage digital content. The method comprises determining if there is digital content to be categorized into one or more galleries; automatically categorizing said digital content into the one or more galleries; and for digital content categorized into a gallery with an auto-publish flag, sending at least one of said digital content and a derivative form of said digital content to a server.
US07945532B2

System, and program product for rebasing an application. The application is analyzed to identify the database components that require remapping to a new database. These components are remapped to utilize the new database and/or a new interface layer that utilizes the new database. The components can be remapped by rewriting the component and/or redirecting the component. However, the configuration that is used for the data in memory is maintained, thereby reducing the number of components in the application that require modification.
US07945531B2

User interfaces are defined by metadata for use with productivity suite applications in a wrapped window, a task pain, or some other suitable representation. Data can be bound to a data source in a one-way format such that changes from the data source propagate to property fields in the UI form. Data can also be bound to a data source in a two-way format such that changes from the property field of the UI propagate back to the data source. The data source can be a local cache such as for synchronization between a productivity suite application and a line of business (LOB) application (e.g., CRM applications). A rendering engine is arranged to process the UI and data bindings such that custom event handlers are defined in a code behind assembly format. Productivity suite items are accessible from the code behind assembly through a series of item interfaces.
US07945530B2

A real estate disclosure reporting method identifies a condition category, creates a disclosure form and lists items of disclosure on a disclosure form. The items of disclosure relate to the condition category. The reporting method also researches a particular property to determine known items of disclosure, indicates the known items of disclosure on the disclosure form and generates a report of the known items of disclosure.
US07945513B2

A data processing method determines a contract value of a deferred annuity product during the accumulation phase. The method includes receiving by a computer a request for a withdrawal during the accumulation phase, the amount of the withdrawal being no more than a lifetime benefit payment amount, determining by the computer whether the contract value, after deduction of withdrawal is below a minimum contract value, and if the contract value would be below the minimum contract value, providing an output signal by the computer that. The contract value is not reduced below the minimum contract value.
US07945511B2

The Greenlist tool provides payors desiring to pay a merchant a means to locate, validate and effect the transfer of assets to another party by routing transaction requests to a third party that functions as the transaction enabler. This task is performed without divulging confidential information about transactors while assigning liability for certain risk consequences to the lowest cost risk bearers: banks. Greenlist verifies identities before making financial transactions or before obtaining access to restricted information. The Greenlist can be completely trusted by risk-bearers. Liability for risk can be transferred to the registrars of the information contained within the registry. This liability transfer substantially reduces the payor's cost of bearing risks. Banks or third parties responsible for certifying that someone or some entity claiming to be an authorized party is not an impostor can now offer new levels of service at a substantially lower cost for a variety of transactions.
US07945505B2

Methods and systems are provided for operating a contracts exchange without conventional counterparty risk measures used by existing futures exchanges such as collateral, margin accounts, position limits, price change limits and regular settlement times. Traders on the contracts exchange hold substantially, or exclusively, cash and/or liquid exchange-traded assets or liabilities. Traders maintain transparent balance sheets which can be made available to third parties. A trader holding assets or liabilities that are illiquid or approaching illiquidity should demonstrate diligence in divesting such holdings. The trader's holdings are marked to their fair market value using acceptable accounting standards. Traders may also be required to obtain and maintain surety guarantees.
US07945500B2

Systems and methods for providing an insurance premium in association with an insurance strike price for a commodity are disclosed. By paying the insurance premium a consumer may obtain price protection for a commodity purchase. In particular, in one embodiment a consumer may obtain the right to be reimbursed for any amount paid over the insurance strike price for the commodity.
US07945492B1

First and second components of the present invention, in combination, provide a customer interface for initiating a trade transaction and provides for the secure viewing of the status of the transaction. A third component assists in the automatic generation and verification of the voluminous and detailed documents required to support a trade transaction. The third component additionally tracks and assists in the management of the seller's manufacturing and shipment of the goods that form the basis of the trade transaction. A fourth component automatically generates a Letter of Credit from a Purchase Order and performs a reconciliation function on payments made pursuant to Letters of Credit or open Accounts.
US07945491B2

Systems and methods for integrating electronic bill presentment and payment among billers, consumers, banks and other financial institutions, and electronic payment facilitators are enabled for operation with a plurality of different web portals and other spaces including bill presenters each of which are able to support an interface for presentment and/or payment of bills.
US07945487B2

A certified secondary market inventory platform maintains a certified catalog of items for sale on a secondary market. Certified items are tracked by the platform and have a verified chain of custody between the manufacturer and the current owner. The certified catalog of items is presented anonymously, such that current owners of certified items are not revealed to potential buyers. Anonymity also extends to fulfillment, with shipment of a certified item to a buyer being performed without revealing the buyer and the current owner to each other. Verification of the chain of custody may, for example, include evidence such as a goods-received note corresponding to a shipment of the certified item from the manufacturer to the current owner, or a shipping notification from the manufacturer. A physical audit may also be conducted in association with publication of the certified catalog of items, as a pre-requisite for such publication.
US07945485B2

A service is disclosed for enabling web sites and other entities to provide behavior-based content to end users. The service can be implemented as a web service that is remotely accessible over the Internet. Web sites use the web service's interface to report events descriptive of item-related actions performed by end users (e.g., item views, item purchases, searches for items, etc.). The web service analyzes the reported event data on an aggregated basis to detect various types of associations, including associations between particular search queries and items. The detected associations are recorded in site-specific datasets, and are made available to the corresponding sites via the service's interface.
US07945471B2

An electronic communication system and method that permits an environmental equipment system installer to install equipment without the need to run a data line such as a telephone line or other specialized data line thereby decreasing the cost and time required for installing the system. The electronic communication system comprises a first communication node to collect operating data and sensor data. A second communication node positioned proximate the first communication node may comprise a modern for connection to the Internet. A wireless or power line connection provides a node-to-node communication link.
US07945467B2

A method, apparatus and computer-usable medium for a policy guidance system comprising one or more Cartesian coordinate plots of a policy's adherence and compliance guidelines. One or more segmented questionnaires are created, comprising a range of weighted responses, that are electronically distributed to one or more predetermined reviewers such as, but not limited to, policy makers or enforcers. Responses to the questionnaire are aggregated, statistically analyzed and scored to derive quantitative values that are then graphically plotted as one or more coordinates in a Cartesian format. The resulting graphical depiction of the policy's guidance parameters is then presented such that it facilitates a policy viewer's comprehension of the possible implications of noncompliance.
US07945455B2

A method of distributing pharmaceutical items from a primary distributor to a secondary seller. A request for pharmaceutical items is received by the primary distributor from the secondary seller. Shelving information indicative of a sequential arrangement of pharmaceutical items along the secondary seller's shelving system is reviewed. A mobile cart having a plurality of compartments is provided, and a sequential order to the plurality of compartments is designated. Based upon the request, the shelving information, and the compartment order, a compartment assignment plan is generated that assigns the requested pharmaceutical items to respective compartments in an order corresponding with the sequential arrangement of the shelving system. The compartments are then loaded in accordance with the compartment assignment plan, and delivered to the secondary seller.
US07945451B2

The monitoring device incorporates a memory device that is programmed with a set of question hierearchies. Each question hierarchy corresponds to a symptom and is composed of a set of questions. The question hierarchies may contain a logical structure so that certain questions will not be asked, depending upon a patient's answer to a preceeding question. A question hiearchy is invoked by a symptom identifier transmitted to the monitoring device by a remote computer. The remote computer may transmit a plurality of symptom identifiers to the monitoring device to cause the monitoring device to ask questions related to a plurality of symptoms. The set of symptoms inquired about may vary based upon the chronic disease afflicting the patient.
US07945450B2

The method of creating at least one standard protocol or pattern about the operator, the patient, the examination and/or the machine being used. Monitoring, creating and recording data about at least one of them during the actual performance of the examination. Next, compare this data to a standard protocol to produce certain results or findings about either the revenues and expenses surrounding the exam, the operators performance and skill levels during the exam, the productivity of the machine and operator, etc. Networking the data from more then one machine to a central computer and performing various analyzes, computations and/or calculations on the data from the various machines. The results will provide individual as well as combined totals for all of the machines in a department that download data to the computer.
US07945435B2

A non-sensitive building is extracted according to radio environment data indicating the current condition of the radio communication environment in the search target area and digital map data including attribute information concerning the buildings in the search target area, thereby acquiring attribute information corresponding to the non-sensitive building. The known use condition data on target radio communication system or the similar system and the digital map data are used to obtain an equation for estimating the affect given to the effect of benefits by the attribute information parameter. According to the extracted non-sensitive building attribute information and the obtained equation, the effect obtained by performing the non-sensitive area countermeasure to each of the non-sensitive buildings is estimated. The priority of performing the non-sensitive area countermeasure is decided in accordance with the effect scale.
US07945431B1

Methods and systems for translating models generated in one modeling environment into models that can be used in other modeling environments. In particular, information regarding a relationship between components of models in one modeling environment is translated into corresponding elements of models in other modeling environments. In some embodiments of the present invention, for example, mate information between rigid parts in geometric models may be translated into corresponding elements in other modeling environments. The mate information between parts in geometric models may be translated into information representing the degrees of freedom (DoFs) of the parts in the geometric models. The information on the DoFs of the parts in the geometric models may be utilized to build up corresponding elements in other modeling environments that represent the relationship between the parts of the geometric models.
US07945415B2

A fault detection method for detecting short circuit faults in an injector arrangement at engine start-up. The injector arrangement comprises one or more piezoelectric fuel injectors, which are connected in a drive circuit. In one aspect of the invention, the potential at a bias point in the drive circuit is determined and compared with a predicted voltage. A short circuit fault signal is generated if the potential at the bias point is not within a predetermined tolerance voltage of the predicted voltage. In another aspect of the invention, a first charge pulse is applied to the injectors to charge the injectors. A discharge current path is provided during a delay period following the first charge pulse by closing a discharge switch. A faulty injector will discharge through the discharge current path during the delay period. A second charge pulse is applied to the injectors following the delay period. Current flow is sensed during the second charge pulse, and a short circuit warning signal is generated if the current flow during the second charge pulse exceeds a predetermined threshold current.
US07945412B2

Methods and apparatuses to perform calibration of imprecise sensors for power monitoring in a data-processing system are described. The system includes a load coupled to one or more sensors. An electronic load changes a first input signal through one or more sensors by a predetermined amount. A difference in an output signal from the one or more sensors in response to the changing is obtained. The output signal is measured and sampled. A distribution of samples of the output signal is determined. The estimated parameters of the distribution that most likely to explain actual data are determined. Next, a transfer function of the one or more sensors is determined based on the estimated parameters. The input signal through the load is accurately predicted using the transfer function of the one or more sensors to monitor the power usage by the load.
US07945409B2

A monitoring system and data archive system for a stent crimping process. The information concerning the crimped stent is used in deciding whether the stent is acceptable for insertion into the body cavity of a human or animal.
US07945408B2

A time differential is estimated between a plurality of signals by determining a filter response of a first electrical signal with a first filter array, determining a filter response of a second electrical signal with a second filter array, and determining, based at least on the filter response of the first electrical signal and the filter response of the second electrical signal, a time differential between the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal. A first optical signal is converted into the first electrical signal and a second optical signal is converted into the second electrical signal. The filter response of the first electrical signal and the filter response of the second electrical signal are sampled and the time differential between the first electrical signal and the second electrical signal is determined based at least on the sampled filter response of the first electrical signal and the sampled filter response of the second electrical signal.
US07945396B2

A molecular force field assignment method for assigning a molecular force field to a molecule having a desired molecular structure, includes a step of specifying a combination according to whether or not an interatomic distance between a first and second atoms, obtained by analyzing a molecular structure with a molecular orbital method, exceeds a prescribed threshold value.
US07945382B2

A navigation apparatus and method increase the upper limit for the number of times map data may be written into a portable storage medium. A CPU reads an initial radius and an additional radius increment from a ROM and repeatedly adds the additional radius increment to the initial radius to obtain, with each addition, a new calculated radius centered on coordinates of a central geographic point of a map data extracting-region. The map data for each secondary grid unit within the map data extracting-region is sequentially read out from a CD-ROM. Then, when the map data within the incrementally enlarged map data extracting-region exceeds the maximum storage capacity of the SD memory card, the CPU deducts the last added increment of radius from the calculated radius to obtain a map region to be stored. The CPU sequentially reads out from the CD-ROM the map data for each grid unit within the map region to be stored and sequentially writes the grid units of map data into the SD memory card.
US07945377B1

A method of operating an engine system is described in which a back-pressure valve of a low pressure EGR system can be modulated at a lower frequency during an EGR operation, and at a higher frequency when additional exhaust gas sensing is requested. Back-pressure valve modulation can therefore be used to promote exhaust gas mixing while providing EGR. Exhaust gas constituents in the mixed exhaust gas can then be sensed with higher accuracy by downstream exhaust gas sensors.
US07945365B2

A method of influencing an automated transmission of a motor vehicle having a tractional resistance detection unit, the method comprising the steps of reading data, via the tractional resistance detection unit, containing at least information about a torque of a drivetrain, a rotational speed of the drive train, and an acceleration of the vehicle, determining the external tractional resistance of the vehicle based upon the read data, and influencing the shift program by at least one of activation, adaptation and variation of the shift program, on a basis one of an actual and a statistically prepared data about the external tractional resistance of the vehicle.
US07945357B2

Primary coils of a linear motor are arranged along a travel route. A movable body has a secondary side of the linear motor. The travel route is divided into a plurality of zones, and a zone controller is provided for each zone or controlling the coils of the linear motor in the zone. A coordinate of the movable body outputted from a linear scale of the coil is converted into a coordinate based on the travel route.
US07945354B2

Methods and apparatuses for displaying and receiving tactical and strategic flight guidance information are disclosed. A method in accordance with one aspect of the invention includes displaying at least one first indicator to an operator of the aircraft, with a first indicator corresponding to a first instruction input by the operator for directing a first aircraft behavior and implemented upon receiving an activation instruction from the operator. At least one second indicator corresponding to a second instruction for directing a second aircraft behavior at least proximately the same as the first aircraft behavior is displayed, with the at least one second instruction to be automatically implemented at a future time. The at least one second indicator is at least approximately the same as the at least one first indicator. Indicators can be hierarchically organized to simplify presentation and reduce pilot training time.
US07945350B2

A system and method for controlling noise generated from a wind turbine is disclosed. The method includes selectively adjusting the angle of pitch of the blade in response to an amount of noise generated being above a predetermined amount and maintaining the amount of noise generated at or below the predetermined amount of noise.
US07945348B2

Software for controlling processes in a heterogeneous semiconductor manufacturing environment may include a wafer-centric database, a real-time scheduler using a neural network, and a graphical user interface displaying simulated operation of the system. These features may be employed alone or in combination to offer improved usability and computational efficiency for real time control and monitoring of a semiconductor manufacturing process. More generally, these techniques may be usefully employed in a variety of real time control systems, particularly systems requiring complex scheduling decisions or heterogeneous systems constructed of hardware from numerous independent vendors.
US07945346B2

A configurable self-identifying workpiece transport system is described for moving an associated workpiece relative to a plurality of associated workpiece functional units selectively performing operations on the associated workpiece. The transport system includes a plurality of transport modules and a control unit. The plurality of transport modules are disposed in selected positions relative to the associated workpiece functional units, and each of the plurality of transport modules stores identification data and functionality data specific to the transport module. The control unit includes an automatic identification system in communication with each of the plurality of transport modules for retrieving the identification data and the functionality data from each of the plurality of transport modules and generating an itinerary for moving the associated workpiece relative to the workpiece functional units. Each of the plurality of transport modules includes a local communication circuit adapted to selectively communicate with adjacent transport modules. In one embodiment, the control unit is distributed among the plurality of transport modules and in another embodiment, a global system bus is provided by a central control unit for communicating with each of the plurality of transport modules through the global bus. The local communication circuit includes photo optic devices and the global system bus uses a two wire interface.
US07945345B2

A semiconductor manufacturing apparatus includes a first program on a controller and a second program on an interface board between the controller and controlled devices. Both of the programs update their own counters and exchange their counter values with each other, serving as bi-directional software watchdog timers (WDT). If a counter value of the first program on the controller sent to the second program on the interface board is determined to be abnormal by the second program, the second program on the interface board sends commands to the controlled devices to terminate output so that the apparatus is navigated to a safe mode. The first program similarly monitors the counter values of the second program for anomalies. This bi-directional software WDT can be implemented as add-on to software programs that already exist in the controller and the interface board, therefore, this implementation does not incur extra cost of hardware of the apparatus.
US07945343B2

A method of making an article of footwear is disclosed. The method includes the steps of designing an article of footwear via a website, converting a footwear representation into a set of two-dimensional portions, printing the two dimensional portions onto a sheet material, cutting and assembling the two dimensional portions into a finalized article of footwear. The method further includes a step of shipping the article of footwear to a pre-designated shipping address.
US07945330B2

Methods and devices for automatically optimizing the stimulus parameters and/or the configuration of electrodes to provide neural stimulation to a patient. In one embodiment, a system includes an electrode array having an implantable support member configured to be implanted into a patient and a plurality of therapy electrodes carried by the support member. The system can also have a pulse system operatively coupled to the therapy electrodes to deliver a stimulus to the therapy electrodes, and a sensing device configured to be attached to a sensing location of the patient. The sensing device generates response signals in response to the stimulus. The system can also include a controller operatively, coupled to the pulse system and to the sensing device. The controller includes a computer operable medium that generates command signals that define the stimulus delivered by the pulse system, evaluates the response signals from the sensing device, and determines a desired configuration for the therapy electrodes and/or a desired stimulus to be delivered to the therapy electrodes.
US07945322B2

A TANK filter is provided for a lead wire of an active medical device (AMD). The TANK filter includes a capacitor in parallel with an inductor. The parallel capacitor and inductor are placed in series with the lead wire of the AMD, wherein values of capacitance and inductance are selected such that the TANK filter is resonant at a selected frequency. The Q of the inductor may be relatively maximized and the Q of the capacitor may be relatively minimized to reduce the overall Q of the TANK filter to attenuate current flow through the lead wire along a range of selected frequencies. In a preferred form, the TANK filter is integrated into a TIP and/or RING electrode for an active implantable medical device.
US07945321B2

A system for enhancing absorption of a substance to be provided on a region of a patient's skin, includes a probe configured to provide the substance to the region of the patient's skin, the probe including a flexible tape with a plurality of cavities, and with an electrically conductive element, such as a conductive wire, provided at one end of each of the cavities. A substance holding material, such as gauze stripes, temporarily holds the substance to be provided on the region of the patient's skin, the substance holding material being provided in each of the cavities. A pulse generator generates a sequence of bursts of electrical pulses to the electrically conductive elements provided within the cavities, so as to provide the bursts of electrical pulses to the region of the patient's skin.
US07945319B2

A method for local delivery of a drug is provided. The method comprises acts of: (a) implanting a medical device including a drug-containing coating in a patient for the delivery of the drug, wherein the coating comprises a drug and a polymer; and (b) applying an electric current for an interval of time to the topcoat to cause the polymer to transform from a crystalline structure to an amorphous structure so as to increase the rate of release of the drug during the time interval, wherein after the electric current is terminated, the crystallinity of the polymer returns back to essentially the same degree of crystallinity or a more crystalline structure than that of when the polymer was exposed to the current.
US07945313B2

An heart rhythm monitoring device for a vehicle, which determines whether a driver has an arrhythmia includes a vehicle state determining portion that determines whether the vehicle is stopped; an electrode arranged on a steering wheel in a position where the driver grips the steering wheel; an electrocardiogram waveform obtaining portion that obtains a first electrocardiogram waveform from the electrode; and a signal processing and calculating portion that determines whether the heart rhythm of the driver is erratic based on the first electrocardiogram waveform. When the vehicle is in motion, the signal processing and calculating portion determines whether the heart rhythm of the driver is erratic based on the waveform component that is strong with respect to noise in the first electrocardiogram waveform.
US07945310B2

An endoscopic surgical navigation system comprises a path correlation module that can compute the path taken by an endoscope scope or other medical instrument during an endoscopic medical procedure and various related attributes and parameters, and can compute and display a correlation between two paths.
US07945304B2

A process and system acquiring both ultrasound and MRI data from a patient in an MRI scanner and using one to automatically guide or improve the other. The ultrasound data can track the motion of an organ such as a cardiac artery or the diaphragm and the resulting motion information can automatically guide MRI data acquisition to keep the imaging volume at the organ or interest, or can be used to accept or reject MRI data in the process of forming an MRI image, based on whether the organ of interest was within an acceptable range of positions. Conversely, the MRI unit can guide the ultrasound data acquisition so it is properly timed or otherwise controlled in accordance with MRI data acquisition.
US07945289B2

A wireless communication module for wirelessly communicating with other devices a control pin for controlling at least one function of the communication module, an input device operatively coupled to the control pin, wherein actuation of the input device toggles a signal on the control pin between one of two different states, and a hardware reset circuit configured to implement a hardware reset of the communication module. The control pin is operatively coupled to the hardware reset circuit to at least partially implement the hardware reset, the hardware reset being different from the at least one function.
US07945286B1

A communication device, such as a mobile phone, which implements a voice communication mode, a digital mirror mode, and an auto responding mode, wherein the image retrieved from the camera is displayed in an inverted manner when the digital mirror mode is implemented, and a predetermined message is sent to a caller device upon receiving a phone call from the caller device when the auto responding mode is implemented.
US07945281B1

A method and system are disclosed for dynamically adjusting forward-link transmission power in a cellular wireless communication system. A base station controller (BSC) or other radio network entity determines that a given cell sector a given sector is serving at least one active mobile station while no other sector in a cluster of sectors associated with the given sector is also serving at least one active mobile station. In response, the BSC dynamically increases the pilot transmit power in the given sector to a level beyond the sector's normal (full) transmit power, in an effort to increase requested data transmission speed in the sector.
US07945262B2

A global location register (GLR) provides a proxy for visitor location registers to the home location registers to avoid updating of the external network with location update notifications upon transfer of a roaming user between visitor location registers. The standard GLR is extended by being configured with multiple addresses, has a soft shutdown procedure, has a blacklist mechanism, a searching facility for finding lost roaming users, and has a mechanism for overcoming ambiguities in local identification numbers assigned by visitor location registers.
US07945258B2

A method to adapt channel quality indicator (CQI) reports from user equipment (UE) is provided. This involves first determining the presence of a high-speed shared control channel (HS-SCCH) signal. An estimated signal to noise ratio (SNR) is also determined. Next an SNR correction based on the presence or lack thereof of the HS-SCCH signal and the CRC checks for HS-SCCH and HS-DSCH signals are determined and applied to the estimated SNR. The CQI report is then generated based on the corrected estimated SNR. This CQI report which takes into account a corrected estimated SNR may then be used to adjust the HS-SCCH signal in an HSDPA telephony system.
US07945254B2

A method of conferencing communication devices in a system having (i) a conference server, (ii) a voice interface unit (VIU), and (iii) at least one conference bridge, the method including, at a first communication device: (a) establishing a first connection between the VIU and the first communication device via the switching point, the switching point enabled to establish connections for the communication devices; (b) sending first validation data from the first communication device to the VIU for forwarding to the conference server for validating the first validation data, and, in response to the validating the first validation data: (b)(i) terminating the first connection; and (b)(ii) establishing a second connection between the at least one conference bridge and said first communication device, to establish a conferencing session.
US07945253B2

A method for transmitting enhanced originator information over a communications network includes retrieving a service profile for a recipient terminal from a service profile database in response to initiation of a communication by an originator terminal to the recipient terminal. The service profile specifies a service plan and a terminal capability of the recipient terminal to retrieve the enhanced originator information from the originator terminal. The method also includes retrieving multiple information elements associated with the originator terminal from a network database based upon the service plan and the terminal capability of the recipient terminal, and transmitting a communication including the multiple information elements to the recipient terminal prior to establishing a communications session with the recipient terminal. The service plans are stored in a dual format that accommodates both graphically-enabled caller identification devices and caller identification devices that are not graphically enabled.
US07945249B2

A system and method are described herein that leverages an IP (and in particular IMS) mobile network and a fixed network to provide a next generation social networking experience to the users of mobile terminals.
US07945247B2

A device and a method for using a history menu on a mobile terminal that has a history data base for storing a history of executions of contents, which allows easy execution of recently used menu or content are provided. The method includes extracting, upon execution of content on the mobile terminal, content information pertaining to the executed content, storing the extracted content information in the history database, displaying, if a history key is input, content information stored in the history database and executing, upon selecting one of the displayed content information, content corresponding to the selected content information. The method allows display of a list of contents using a call key while enabling a user to execute content upon selection, thus making it easier for the user to re-execute recently used contents.
US07945235B2

Methods and systems are provided that enable communication with a wireless device. In one such method, a communication event that is intended for a wireless device is detected and a user account associated with the wireless device is identified. Information associated with the user account is identified and a determination is made as to whether the information permits the communication event to occur. If the determination is that the information does not permit the communication event to occur, the communication event is terminated. If the determination is that the information permits the communication event to occur, the communication event is enabled.
US07945226B2

A method for adaptive automatic gain control and an automatic gain control circuit are provided. A predetermined waveform is injected into the automatic gain control circuit. A signal is sampled at at least one point in the automatic gain control circuit in which the sampled signal includes the injected predetermined waveform. A small-signal control characteristic is calculated using the sampled at least one signal. A determination is made as to whether the calculated small-signal control characteristic is valid. In the case of a valid determination, the calculated small-signal control characteristic is used to adjust the gain of the automatic gain control circuit.
US07945219B2

A bandpass type delta sigma modulation section 15 performs delta sigma modulation on an inputted modulation signal such that quantization noise is reduced in a frequency band which requires low noise. An LPF 16 removes a noise component in a high frequency region from the signal on which the delta sigma modulation has been performed. A frequency modulation circuit 1 reduces noise in the frequency band which requires low noise with the bandpass type delta sigma modulation section 15 and the LPF 16, and reduces noise in the vicinity of a direct current component DC with a feedback comparison section 11 and a loop filter 12.
US07945214B2

A method of transmitting data in a multi input, multi output (MIMO) system is disclosed. More specifically, the method includes selecting a primary antenna, based on satisfying at least one specified criteria, for transmitting a preamble, and transmitting the preamble via the primary antenna.
US07945212B2

A system and method in a wireless communication system having plural base stations (10a, 10b, 10c) and a MSC (45) with a network overlay geo-location system.
US07945209B2

A system may include a scanning module that is arranged and configured to scan communication channels for channel interference, a channel assessor module that is arranged and configured to determine a type of channel interference present on one or more of the communication channels, and a blocking module that is arranged and configured to selectively block one or more of the communication channels based on the type of channel interference.
US07945206B2

A communication device has a first transceiver that operates in a first communication system in the presence of a second transceiver that operates in a second communication system that is unrelated to the first communication system. A scheduler of packets for transmission by the first transceiver uses information about when the second communication system will be transmitting a signal that will interfere with reception by the first transceiver, and schedules data for which re-transmission is not essential in those time slots in which an implicit NACK is expected due to the second transceiver's operation.
US07945204B1

A method and system are provided for determining a location of a satellite radio receiver and directing advertisements to the satellite radio receiver based on its current location. The current location of the satellite radio receiver is determined through communication with a wireless mobile device and a wireless communications network where the wireless mobile device is located in close proximity to the satellite radio receiver. Once a location is determined, a database of satellite radio advertisements is searched to identify advertisements directed towards a specific location, and these advertisements are transmitted to the satellite radio receiver across a satellite radio network.
US07945203B2

A waste-toner collecting device includes a cleaning unit that collects waste toner remaining on an image carrier; a conveying belt that conveys the waste toner collected by the cleaning unit in a first direction; and a conveying screw that conveys the waste toner conveyed by the conveying belt in a second direction. An end of the conveying screw on a side of the conveying belt is rotatably supported by an inner wall of a body of the waste-toner collecting device in a state where the end of the conveying screw is in contact with the inner wall.
US07945201B2

An image forming apparatus includes a transportation member rotating to transport a medium or developer; a blade member disposed to abut against the transportation member for removing an object adhering to a surface of the transportation member; and a retaining member disposed on an upstream side of the blade member in a direction that the transportation member rotates and abutting against the transportation member for retaining the object adhering to the surface of the transportation member.
US07945195B2

A developer regulating member capable of stably regulating the thickness of a developer even when used for a long time, while preventing the increase in the production cost, a developing device having the developer regulating member, an image forming apparatus having the developing device, a process cartridge, and a method of producing the developer regulating member. The average crystal particle diameter D [μm] of a plate-like member provided in a layer-thinning blade which functions as the developer regulating member and which abuts against a developing roller functioning as a developer carrier, and the curvature radius R [μm] of a bent portion satisfy the relationship of D≦60.53×R×10−3−12.61.
US07945193B2

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member; a developing device including a developer carrying member for supplying the developer to the image bearing member, a developer feeding member, provided rotatably in a developing container, first and second driving force receiving members, provided at opposite end portions of the developer carrying member, for driving the developer carrying member and the developer feeding member, respectively; a first and second drive inputting members, for inputting drive to the first and second driving force receiving members, respectively. Directions, toward and away from the image bearing member, of forces are applied to abutment members, which determine a gap between the image bearing member and the developer carrying member, at the time when the drives are inputted to the first driving force receiving member and the second driving force receiving member, respectively.
US07945187B2

An image forming apparatus includes: an image bearing member, on which an electrostatic image is formed; a development unit which is provided with a developer bearing member for bearing and conveying a developer, so as to develop the electrostatic image; a storage place which can store therein the developer spattering from the development unit; a shielding member which is disposed in a region outside of a development region in the storage place; and a foreign material collecting member which is disposed in a region farther outside of the shielding member in the storage place.
US07945182B2

Systems and methods are provided for controlling cleaning devices in image forming apparatus electrostatic image forming apparatus. Such systems may include a charge receptor, movable in a process direction, defining a main surface. A toner application device applies toner to the charge receptor, and is configured to place a lubrication stripe including the toner on a portion of the main surface of the charge receptor at a selected time. An influence of a pre-clean corotron on the charge receptor is modified, during the designated rotations of the charge receptor, while the portion of the surface on which the lubrication stripe is formed, or will be formed, is passing the pre-clean corotron. The lubrication stripe is delivered to a secondary cleaning device including a blade engaging with the photoreceptor surface to lubricate the blade.
US07945177B2

An image forming apparatus includes an image bearing member and a toner image forming device forming a toner image on the image bearing member, using light toners, and dark toners which have a same hue as that of the light toners and are darker than the light toners. The apparatus forms images using first and second settable resolution grades.
US07945170B2

The invention relates to an optical transmission system comprising transmitter and receiver devices and comprising automatic optical signal level configuration means which provide the same fixed output signal level for a received signal level range, and the system comprising at least one automatic self-level unit in the transmitter device and at least one automatic self-level unit in the receiver device.
US07945167B2

Terminating or otherwise preventing communications in a predefined quiet zone by imposing a time delay. In one embodiment an existing call is terminated during a transition between two wireless access points by imposing a time delay on communications through one of the access points. The time delayed signal is interpreted as noise and causes a base station to drop the call if the noise causes the signal strength from the other access point to fall below a threshold. Within a quiet zone, a signal time delay prevents a client device from responding to a base station connection instruction, which causes the base station to believe that the client device is out of range of a quiet zone access point. The time delay may be imposed by an optical fiber spool between the quiet zone access point and the base station, or other delay mechanism. One embodiment is aboard a vessel.
US07945165B2

One embodiment of the invention provides an optical signal synchronizer having a plurality of optical channel synchronizers. Each optical channel synchronizer receives a respective input wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) signal and processes it to produce a corresponding output WDM signal, in which optical data packets corresponding to different carrier wavelengths are synchronized to each other regardless of the presence or absence of such synchronization in the input WDM signal. The optical signal synchronizer further has an optical multiplex synchronizer that receives the output WDM signals from the optical channel synchronizers and synchronizes them to each other and to an external reference clock without demultiplexing any of them into individual WDM components.
US07945156B2

A camera which has a compact configuration, can be easily assembled and has excellent appearance, and an assembling method thereof are provided. An outer cover body of the camera is formed in a tubular shape. The outer cover body has: a lens attachment portion for attaching the lens unit; a lens opening portion through which a lens barrel of the lens unit attached to the lens attachment portion is inserted; and a hole through which the lens unit can pass, and the lens unit is housed inside the outer cover body and is attached to the lens attachment portion.
US07945155B2

A method of controlling exposure under low brightness conditions, comprising calculating an automatic exposure time such that an exposure time is substantially in inverse proportion to the brightness of a subject; when the automatic exposure time is smaller than a first exposure time value, setting a control exposure time as the automatic exposure time; when the automatic exposure time is greater than or equal to the first exposure time and smaller than or equal to a second exposure time, setting the control exposure time as the first exposure time; when the automatic exposure time is greater than the second exposure time, setting the control exposure time to be substantially in proportion to the automatic exposure time such that the control exposure time is smaller than the automatic exposure time by predetermined steps; and increasing sensitivity according to a difference between the automatic exposure time and the control exposure time.
US07945152B2

An apparatus comprises a face position detection section for detecting at least a position at which is present a person's face inside a frame using an image signal obtained from an image sensor for photoelectrically converting an object image captured by a photographing optical system, a focus control section for controlling the photographing optical system by referencing in-focus positions of the object image obtained inside focus detection areas for detecting focus states of the object image positioned in the frame, and a control section for controlling the focus control section so as to reference at least one or the other of an in-focus position obtained in a first focus detection area in which is present a person's face and an in-focus position obtained in a second focus detection area in which is expected to be present a body of a person determining from the position of the face of the person.
US07945144B2

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.
US07945124B2

An information storage medium including graphic data and presentation information, and an apparatus and method of processing the graphic data are provided. The information storage medium includes the graphic data, page composition information which defines page composition of the graphic data, and the presentation information indicating when graphic screen data, which is composed with reference to the page composition information of the graphic data, is output to a display screen. Therefore, a graphic object is reusable in graphic data processing, and accordingly, a time taken to process the graphic data is reducible and memory area may be saved.
US07945115B2

A visual processing device that achieves gradation processing and further enhances a visual effect. The visual processing device 1 performs gradation processing for each image region of an input signal IS, and includes an image partitioning portion 2, a gradation transformation curve derivation portion 10, and a gradation processing portion 5. The image partitioning portion 2 and the gradation transformation curve derivation portion 10 use a brightness histogram Hm of a wide area image region Em to create a gradation transformation curve Cm of an image region Pm. The gradation processing portion 5 performs gradation processing of the image region Pm based on the derived gradation transformation curve Cm.
US07945113B2

A technology is provided whereby correction may be carried out appropriately for both a person's face and other portions of an image, when performing color correction for image data of a photographic image in which a person appears. A process such as the following is carried out during color correction of image data of a photographic image. First, the image data of the photographic image is analyzed, and a first region which is part of the photographic image and in which a person's face is present is determined. Then, on the basis of the portion corresponding to the first region of the image data, a first parameter relating to color is calculated. On the basis of part of the image data corresponding to a second region which is part of the photographic image but different from the first region, a second parameter relating to color is calculated. The color tone of the data is then corrected on the basis of the first and second parameters.
US07945110B2

A method for enhancing image quality includes: performing a peaking operation on an image signal to generate a peaking signal; selecting a plurality of pixels from the peaking signal and the image signal; and deciding a luminance value for a target pixel of the image signal according to luminance values of the plurality of pixels.
US07945109B2

A CPU divides an image into plural regions and for each of the regions, generates a histogram and calculates an average brightness Y ave. The CPU determines a focus location on the image by using focus location information, sets a region at the determined location as an emphasis region, and sets the average brightness Y ave of the emphasis region as a brightness criterion Y std. The CPU uses the brightness criterion Y std to determine non-usable regions. By using the regions not excluded as non-usable regions, the CPU calculates an image quality adjustment average brightness Y′ ave, i.e. the average brightness of the entire image, with a weighting W in accordance with the locations of the regions reflected thereto, and executes a bright value correction by using the calculated image quality adjustment average brightness Y′ ave.
US07945107B2

The present invention provides gradient preservation of an input image. A method of providing gradient preservation of an input image, comprises the steps of: computing gradient fields of the input image; computing gradient fields of a remapped image, wherein the remapped image is the input image remapped; comparing a gradient of the remapped image to a predefined range of acceptable values, wherein the acceptable values depend on the input gradient; changing values of the gradient of the remapped image if the values of the gradient of the remapped image are not within the predefined range of acceptable values depending on the input gradient, resulting in x and y components of a modified gradient; and reconstructing the input image using the x and y components of the modified gradient.
US07945106B2

Film grain is simulated in an output image using pre-established blocks of film grain from a pool of pre-established blocks. Successive film grain blocks are selected by matching the average intensity of a block from the pool to the average intensity of a successive one of a set of M×N pixels in an incoming image. Once all of the successive pixel blocks from the image are matched to selected film grain blocks, the selected film grain blocks are “mosaiced”, that is composited into a larger image mapped to the incoming image.
US07945098B2

A method is provided for reliably determining anatomical properties of a tree having a plurality of growth rings spaced from each other in a radial direction. The method involves preparing a sample from a tree to be analyzed, and preparing an image of the sample at a resolution sufficient to analyze at least one of the earlywood and latewood portions of one or more rings. The image is used to determine at least one anatomical property of the sample based on the image, the anatomical property being selected from the group consisting of sample density, tracheid wall thickness, and tracheid exterior dimension.
US07945073B2

Provided in this invention is a vein authentication device comprising: an interface on which a part of a living body; one or more light sources for emitting infrared light; an image pickup unit for picking up a blood vessel image of the part of the living body using infrared light emitted from the light sources; an image computing unit for processing the blood vessel image picked up by the image pickup unit; and a light shielding unit for shielding infrared light emitted from the light sources and preventing the infrared light from traveling in an image pickup direction of the image pickup unit, wherein the interface has an opening opened in the image pickup direction of the image pickup unit, and wherein the light sources irradiates the part of the living body with infrared light from an image pickup side of the part of the living body.
US07945072B2

A motion sensing process senses a mouse moving relative to a surface by taking a reference image and a sample image of the surface. The process shifts the reference image to neighboring pixel positions arranged in certain patterns and compares the sample image with the reference image at its original pixel position at the shifted pixel positions. A motion vector describing a displacement of the object with respect to the surface is generated from such comparisons. In one embodiment, the pattern includes the original pixel position and neighboring pixel position arranged five rows and five columns with the total number of the pixel positions less than twenty five. In another embodiment, the process selects one of four elongated patterns based on the orientation of a predicted motion vector. In yet another specific embodiment, the process selects one of eight directional patterns based on the direction of the predicted motion vector.
US07945067B2

Audio systems are housed by an enclosure with a substantially waterproof seal such that the audio systems may be mounted in outdoor locations such as decks, boat docks, and the like. The enclosure may include a panel that opens relative to a tub portion, such as by a hinged connection, and a substantially waterproof seal located there between. The audio systems may include one or more various features such as external speaker connections so that speakers may be located distantly from the enclosure. Other features may include internal amplification that may be stand-alone or integrated into an audio signal source such as a radio or compact disc player or combinational device such as an automobile head unit. Additional features may include a power supply that provides power for the amplification and/or audio source, an external cover with a substantially waterproof seal relative to the enclosure, filtered ventilation via an electric fan, and other related features.
US07945058B2

A noise reduction system is used in a BTSC system to reduce noise of an audio signal. The noise reduction system has an audio spectral compressing unit that has a filter and a memory in the approach of the digital processing. The filter is arranged to filter an input signal according to a transfer function, a variable d, and several parameters b0/a0, a0/b0, b1/b0 and a1/a0. The memory is arranged to store the parameters.
US07945057B2

A procedure and device for linearizing the characteristic curve of a vibration signal transducer such as a microphone that includes collecting signals, transmitting the signals, extracting information from the signals, dephasing such information by 180 degrees compared to the initial signals and taking the algebraic sum of the initial signals and dephased information.
US07945047B2

A system and method for distribution of cryptographic keys to data encryption and decryption devices used to protect digital video/multimedia data transmitted over a display link between a digital video/multimedia source and a display device are provided. The digital data, which may be in Digital Visual Interface (DVI) format, from a digital video/multimedia source, such as, for example, a Digital Versatile Disk (DVD) player, a set-top box, or a computer, is encrypted prior to transmission on the display link. Use of key management and storage that are external to the data encryption or decryption devices enables downloading of new keys from external key sources. Encrypted data encryption and decryption keys may be included in a cable signal received by the set-top box. The data encryption and decryption keys from an internal or external key source may be encoded in the DVD player, set-top box, or computer prior to being sent over a control bus to a display link receiver or a display device.
US07945040B2

Integrating services provided by intelligent peripherals in a communications network, includes interacting, by a first intelligent peripheral of a first type, with a second intelligent peripheral of a second type which interacts with the first intelligent peripheral of the first type according to a script based on information received from a remote requesting party. The remote requesting party interacts, over the communications network, with the second intelligent peripheral of the second type according to the script. The first intelligent peripheral of the first type and the second intelligent peripheral of the second type are different from each other.
US07945036B1

A phone is provisioned automatically when a user couples the phone to a network, with minimal (or preferably zero) involvement on part of an administrator to activate the phone. In several embodiments of the invention, when the user couples the phone to a network, a computer associated with the network automatically checks to see if the phone was previously provisioned. If not previously provisioned, the computer automatically records the existence of the phone in a memory of a telephone exchange that is to thereafter provide service to the phone. At this stage a phone number is not yet associated with the phone. In some embodiments, the just-described acts, namely checking and recording of existence are performed without any involvement on part of the administrator. The telephone exchange provides basic service to the new phone as soon as it detects existence of the phone (in its memory). Thereafter, in certain embodiments, the user uses that particular phone to identify himself/herself (and/or an extension number) and in response the computer stores the extension number in the telephone exchange's memory, thereby to enable the phone to receive calls at that extension number. Such automatic provisioning eliminates the need for an administrator to provision the phone.
US07945034B2

After receiving a telephone number, various characteristics of the telephone number are determined. These include, the type of phone associated with the telephone number, the phone carrier of the telephone number, and geographic characteristics of the telephone number. This can be done, for instance, by analyzing the telephone connection or querying a database containing a plurality of telephone numbers and characteristics of each of the telephone numbers. The determination may be used to prevent fraudulent or restricted access to a website or system.
US07945033B2

Methods and systems are provide for processing prepaid calling time to a subscriber by determining an identity of a subscriber of prepaid calling time upon origination of a call to which a subscriber of prepaid calling time is to be a party; determining an amount of prepaid calling time available to the subscriber; allowing a call to which the subscriber is to be a party to be connected if prepaid calling time is available to the subscriber; and deducting calling time from the available prepaid calling time of the subscriber as the connected call proceeds. The method also provides for purchasing pre-paid calling time by electronically transferring funds from an account of the subscriber to an account of a pre-paid call time provider, the amount of funds transferred equal, to the dollar amount of pre-paid calling time to be credited to the subscriber; and crediting to the subscriber an amount of pre-paid calling time corresponding to the dollar amount of the transferred funds.
US07945030B2

The present disclosure provides systems and methods for accessing messages in one communication system by another communication system. In some embodiments, a request to access data is received from a second communication system. The data is located at a first communication system. The first communication system is configured to communicate using a first standard communication protocol, while the second communication system is configured to communicate using a second standard communication protocol. The received request is converted to a command of the first standard communication protocol. Using the command, the data at the first communication system is accessed.
US07945029B1

A telecommunications network includes multiple media messaging systems, such as voicemail platforms. A translation server stores messaging system data that associates each mailbox with a routing address (e.g., an IP address) that can be used to reach the media messaging system that hosts the mailbox. The translation server receives a translation request that includes an identification of a destination mailbox and a service code. The service code indicates that a routing address for a media messaging system is being requested. In response to the translation request, the translation server obtains from the messaging system data the routing address associated with the media messaging system that hosts the destination mailbox, and the translation server returns the routing address in a translation response. The routing address may then be used to send a call or to send a media message to the media messaging system that hosts the destination mailbox.
US07945020B2

The present invention provides a medical inspection apparatus which comprises a frame, an inspection module, and a motion control unit. The frame has a couch for positioning a patient, a flexible broad bandage, an opening on the flexible broad bandage, and a chamber formed inside the frame at a position corresponding to the opening. The inspection module is disposed in the chamber and is configured with at least one detector. The motion control unit is coupled to the inspection module for actuating the inspection module to perform a vertical movement and a rotating movement and for adjusting the relative position between the at least one detector.
US07945008B2

Embodiments provide systems and methods for improved multiple-input, multiple-output (MIMO) detection comprising generating at least one list of candidate vectors by employing lattice enumeration which approximates hyperellipsoid detection search space and calculating a reliability of the candidate vectors. At least one advantage to embodiments is that improved detection occurs because detection can be performed in a search space defined by the eigenvectors (which define the general shape of an ellipsoid/hyperellipsoid, depending upon number of dimensions) and eigenvalues (which provide the appropriate scaling in each direction of the eigenvectors) of the effective channel.
US07945006B2

An apparatus for mixing audio signals in a voice-over-IP teleconferencing environment comprises a preprocessor, a mixing controller, and a mixing processor. The preprocessor is divided into a media parameter estimator and a media preprocessor. The media parameter estimator estimates signal parameters such as signal-to-noise ratios, energy levels, and voice activity (i.e., the presence or absence of voice in the signal), which are used to control how different channels are mixed. The media preprocessor employs signal processing algorithms such as silence suppression, automatic gain control, and noise reduction, so that the quality of the incoming voice streams is optimized. Based on a function of the estimated signal parameters, the mixing controller specifies a particular mixing strategy and the mixing processor mixes the preprocessed voice streams according the strategy provided by the controller.
US07944997B2

An m-code GPS receiver receives m-code GPS communication signals having a multimodal autocorrelation, using an m-code mode identifier unambiguously determining a mode value of one of the m-code modal peaks coherently aligned to a coherent unimodal detected envelope, based on sequential probability estimation in an m-code envelope tracking filter using filter residual estimation or with a coherent m-code and c/a-code tracking filter also based on filter residual estimation, for generating m-code phase errors, for unambiguous and precise m-code code phase tracking in closed feedback loops, for preferred use in navigation systems.
US07944994B2

A data converter that converts an input signal to a signal to be inputted to an amplifier. Specifically, the data converter includes: an amplitude detection section that detects an amplitude level of the input signal; a region determination section that determines whether or not an input power to the amplifier is in a non-linear region of the amplifier based on the amplitude level of the input signal detected by the amplitude detection section; and a signal processing section that converts the input signal to a signal having a lower resolution than that of the input signal if the region determination section determines that the input power to the amplifier is in the non-linear region of the amplifier.
US07944990B2

A system and method for transmitting and receiving data in a communication system are provided, in which upon generation of data of communication services to be transmitted to a receiver, a transmitter classifies the data according to the service types of the communication services, inserts a guard interval between the classified data of the service types, and transmits the data with the guard interval to the receiver.
US07944984B1

An I/Q calibration system for a quadrature amplitude modulation (QAM) mode transceiver includes a signal generator that generates reference in-phase (I) and quadrature (Q) signals. An I/Q mismatch compensation module generates compensated I and Q signals based on the reference I and Q signals and amplitude and phase correction signals. An I/Q mismatch calibration module generates the amplitude and phase correction signals. A phase stepper module varies a phase of the reference I and Q signals based on the amplitude and phase correction signals.
US07944972B2

A video encoding apparatus comprises a frame memory/predictive image generator having a first predictive mode for generating a predictive image signal by selecting a combination from among a plurality combinations of a reference image number and a plurality of predictive parameters, and a second predictive mode for generating a predictive image signal according to a predictive parameter computed based on reference image numbers of reference images and an image-to-image distance, and a variable-length encoder to select one of the first and second prediction modes by the number of reference images, and encode orthogonal transformation coefficient information concerning a predictive error signal of a predictive image signal with respect to input video signal, mode information indicating an encoding mode, motion vector information and combination of selected reference image number with predictive parameter index information indicating combination of selected reference image information.
US07944970B2

An apparatus and method for displaying topography around a position of a mobile object such as a vehicle in 3-dimensional graphics. The method includes predicting a candidate region for the mobile object's position at a display time after a predetermined period of time using current position and motion information of the mobile object; loading 3-dimensional graphic data corresponding to the predicted candidate region to memory; and rendering and displaying data corresponding to a region around a position of the mobile object at the display time among the 3-dimensional graphic data loaded to the memory.
US07944964B2

A decision feedback equalizing apparatus selectively using a feedback filter and a method thereof are provided. The apparatus includes: an equalizing unit including a feed forward filter (FFF) for correcting a distorted transmission channel by receiving a match-filtered signal and a feedback filter (FBF) for reducing inter symbol interference ISI of the corrected transmission channel for driving only the FFF in a blind mode and driving the FFF and the FBF in a decision directed mode; a diverge/converge determining unit for determining whether the decision feedback equalizing apparatus is diverged or converged using a unit square error obtained through a least unit square algorithm; and a filter controlling unit for controlling the equalizing unit in a blind mode if the decision feedback equalizing apparatus is determined as divergence, and for controlling the equalizing unit in a decision directed mode if the decision feedback equalizing apparatus is determined as convergence.
US07944952B2

An asynchronous data pipe (ADP) automatically generates transactions necessary to complete asynchronous data transfer operations for an application over a bus structure. The ADP includes a register file which is programmed and initiated by the application. The register file includes the bus speed, transaction label, transaction code, destination node identifier, destination offset address, length of each data packet, packet counter, packet counter bump field, control field and a status field. During a data transfer operation, the ADP generates the transactions necessary to complete the operation over the appropriate range of addresses, using the information in the register file as a template. The ADP increments the value in the destination offset address field for each transaction according to the length of each data packet, unless the incrementing feature has been disabled and the transactions are to take place at a fixed address. The packet counter represents the number of transactions remaining to be generated. The packet counter value is decremented after each packet of data is transferred. The application can increment the packet counter value by writing to the packet counter bump field. A multiplexer is included within a system having multiple ADPs for multiplexing the information from the ADPs onto the bus structure. A demultiplexer is included within a system having multiple ADPs for routing information from the bus structure to the appropriate ADP.
US07944946B2

Methods and systems for a more efficient transmission of network traffic are provided. According to one embodiment, a method is provided for performing segmentation offloading, such as TCP segmentation offloading (TSO). An interface performs direct virtual memory addressing of a user memory space of a system memory on behalf of a network processor to fetch payload data originated by a user process running on a host processor. Then, the network processor segments the payload data across one or more packets.
US07944944B2

Whenever the Receiver of this invention receives an AMD PDU or a UMD PDU with its “Length Indicator” having an invalid or a reserved value, the Receiver discards such a PDU and treats it as never received. The Receiver may report its receiving status accordingly if a report is required. This invention avoids invoking unnecessary RLC reset procedures and reduces the chance of losing HFN synchronization during AM or UM data transmissions.
US07944931B2

A memory subsystem includes Data Store 0 and Data Store 1. Each data store is partitioned into N buffers, N>1. An increment of memory is formed by a buffer pair, with each buffer of the buffer pair being in a different data store. Two buffer pair formats are used in forming memory increments. A first format selects a first buffer from Data Store 0 and a second buffer from Data Store 1, while a second format selects a first buffer from Data Store 1 and a second buffer from Data Store 0. A controller selects a buffer pair for storing data based upon the configuration of data in a delivery mechanism, such as switch cell.
US07944898B2

A wireless communication method and apparatus are provided. The wireless communication method includes receiving a packet including information of a device connected to a wireless network, the wireless network uses a first channel and a second channel supporting different transmission capabilities, and storing the information of the device included in the packet.
US07944892B2

An improved antenna and coordination arrangement for use at a base station that will eliminate over the air collisions while doubling the effective data rate of each base station in a network is disclosed. The result will be large area networks which all share exactly the same radio spectrum without mutual interference and little effort required to expand a single base station system to a grid of cooperative base stations forming a coverage area of ubiquitous coverage and multiplied data capacity. Specifically, this disclosure describes an improved antenna arrangement and synchronization system for use when multiple radio base stations, each using a deterministic over the air MAC layer, are located within overlapping coverage areas.
US07944889B2

A method of rate shifting specially suited for the voice traffic, which differentiates poor channel conditions from a heavily loaded channel of a WLAN and adapts to the network traffic condition and channel condition promptly with low rate of false shifting. Determining when to rate shift is based on a combination of the received signal strength indication and the retry rate.
US07944888B2

A method and apparatus for handing over a mobile node from a source access point to a target access point is provided herein. During operation the source access point will create handover messages on behalf of the mobile node. When the source access point detects that handover is taking place, the source access point will transmit the appropriate handover message to the mobile node's anchor node. Because the source access point may not have the necessary security credentials to create messages on behalf of the mobile node, in an alternate embodiment of the present invention, the messages are created by the mobile node and stored at the source access point until needed.
US07944884B2

A method for using orthogonal sub-channels (OSCs) in a wireless transmit/receive unit (WTRU). A capability report is received from the WTRU, including an indication whether the WTRU supports OSCs. A determination is made whether to use OSCs for the WTRU and the result of the determination is signaled to the WTRU. If OSCs are used with the WTRU, the signaling includes an OSC assignment for the WTRU. In one embodiment, two resources are assigned to the WTRU and each resource is assigned to a different OSC.
US07944871B2

A communication relay apparatus wherein the error rate characteristic of a relay destination is improved to raise the throughput, while reducing the given interference power to prevent the reduction of the throughput of the whole communication system. In the apparatus, a signal addressed to a base station is received (ST1010), and a decoding process and other processes are performed (ST1020). A bit error determination is performed (ST1030), and if there is no bit error, a reproduction/relay process (ST1050) is performed. If there is any bit error, a threshold-based determination of reception quality is performed for each of subcarriers (ST1120-1130). If the reception quality is greater than a threshold value, the corresponding subcarrier is outputted (ST1140); otherwise, the corresponding subcarrier is not relayed (ST1150). A signal, which has been subjected to either process, is transmitted (ST1060).
US07944870B2

A temporary phone number system completes telephone calls only for non-expired telephone numbers. A user terminal makes a phone call to a subscriber terminal through a network having server. The subscriber terminal is associated with an IP address located at the server. A dynamic database of telephone numbers that ring the subscriber terminal resides at the IP address on the server. At least one number in the database expires at a selected time so that the call is completed only if the number input into the user terminal is not expired. Methods and computer-readable media containing instructions for performing the methods of the temporary phone number system are described.
US07944868B2

A method and system for improving spatial reuse in a wireless local area network (WLAN) by per-client dynamic power management. Each access point of the WLAN associates each of its clients with a minimum power level. A central controller of the WLAN generates a schedule for transmission at different power levels, and each access point varies its transmission power level based on the schedule. An access point transmits data packets, at the scheduled transmission power level, to clients associated with a minimum power level that is less than the scheduled power level.
US07944865B2

A wireless LAN system uses a single wireless telephone line. When a telephone apparatus outside the network originates a call to the LAN, the system allows establishment of wireless telephone communication between that telephone apparatus and a slave communication device. Each transmission/reception device is controlled to switch between a first state in normal times in which a transmission/reception device of a master communication device is turned on and transmission/reception device of respective slave communication devices are turned off and a second state in which the transmission/reception device of the master communication device is turned off and only the transmission/reception device of any one of the slave communication devices is turned on.
US07944854B2

A method for IP Security within Multi-Topology Routing is disclosed. Disclosed methods may also include IKE extensions. A route eligible for IPSec protection is injected into a topology routing table. Network traffic can then be protected in accordance with a security session, such as an IPSec session, between a first network node and a second network node and forwarded through a selected topology to take advantage of the service-differentiation capabilities of MTR.
US07944843B2

Network analysis in a network management system for a data network is improved by mapping the communication paths established in the network. Queries are sent by the network management system to each network element in the network. Queries are triggered by events within the network, for example, after notification by a network element that a communication path is being set up. Each query sent by the network management system requests certain connection and topology information from the network elements. Using this information, the network management system constructs the overall network topology and performs a path analysis to map completely each communication path through the network. When the communication path mapping is complete, various types of analyses are performed using the communication path information. These analyses include but are not limited to network capacity analysis, network performance analysis, and network fault analysis. Through the use of a network analysis engine module communicating with the network elements, the present network management system can interpret multiple networking protocols and different routing protocols.
US07944840B2

Network latency measurements of RTP traffic are measured using an intermediate network device positioned between endpoints that do not necessarily support RTCP. During an active RTP stream between two endpoints, the intermediate device detects whether the endpoints are already providing their own RTCP packets and responding to RTCP packets from the other endpoint. If not, the intermediate device generates RTCP packets on behalf of the non-responsive or non-providing endpoint(s), acting as a proxy for the endpoint(s), so the packets appear to one endpoint as if they were generated by the other endpoint. Thus, if at least one endpoint supports RTCP, a single intermediate device is sufficient to generate the RTCP packets that allow the latency calculation to be performed.
US07944836B2

An adaptive method and apparatus for accurate network traffic volume limit reporting including receiving a network traffic volume limit for each subscriber based on the subscriber's level of service and reporting the network traffic volume on a more frequent basis for subscribers who are approaching their network volume limit.
US07944834B2

Traffic flow is monitored in a plurality of links. Based on the monitoring, a manner in which traffic is allocated to the links is determined, and at least one policer is assigned according to the manner in which traffic is allocated to the links.
US07944833B2

An end-to-end quality-of-service (QoS) interoperation apparatus and method in a heterogeneous network environment are provided. A Next Steps In Signaling (NSIS) Application Programming Interface (NAPI) block handles an NSIS API at the request of an upper layer. An NSIS entity handles an NSIS protocol stack at the request of the NAPI block. An Internet Protocol Bearer Service (IP BS) manager manages an IP BS. A translation block translates parameters of a 3GPP_CLASS object and a UMTS QoS class predefined in an NSIS message according to a predetermined mapping configuration. A memory stores a software application including a Universal Mobile Telecommunication System Bearer Service (UMTS BS) manager for managing a UMTS BS. A processor combined with the memory, controls the software application.
US07944829B2

A system and method for policing of access to resources in a heterogeneous data redirection device is disclosed. The invention utilizes Random Early Detection to determine whether or not a given packet should be dropped or accepted into the resource. The invention uses a combination of different metrics each of which utilizes a different version of RED. Schemes can include a Per-Flow Weighted RED metric, a Global RED metric and a Fair Share Pool metric, where shared resource allocation is dependent dynamically upon the number of users at the time a packet requests access. These metrics can be combined in variety of ways to yield a final drop or accept decision for an incoming packet so that it does not access resources.
US07944813B1

A method and system for establishing or handling a connection between a first and a second network element connected to different networks such as GPRS/UMTS and IP-based networks. The connection is established by at least one third network element such as a SGSN or GGSN arranged in one of the networks. The third network element is adapted to send, when receiving information on an establishment of a connection, a request to a fourth network element which may be a Call State Control Function (CSCF), a Policy Control Function (PCF), or a Call Processing Server (CPS). The request requests permission for establishing a requested type of connection, or requests a check of a connection parameter, and specifies the first and/or second network element and/or the connection or connection type to be established. The fourth network element returns a response specifying a permission for establishing a connection or connection type, or specifying a connection parameter.
US07944805B2

A method of recording, and an apparatus to record, data on a write-once disc, and the write-once disc used with the method and apparatus. The write-once disc includes a plurality of update areas in which to record a predetermined type of updated information, at least one main access information area (AIA) in which to record main access information (AI), the main AI indicating a final update area in which finally updated information is recorded, among the plurality of update areas, and at least one sub AIA in which to record sub AI, the sub AI indicating a location of the finally updated information recorded in the final update area.
US07944801B2

An apparatus for effecting at least one of recording and reproducing information. A first light source has a light intensity and emits a light beam having an emission wavelength. A second light source has another light intensity and emits a light beam having an emission wavelength different from that of the first light source. An optical system guides a light beam emitted from the first light source to a recording medium and guides a light beam reflected from the recording medium to a first photodetector, which generates an output. Another optical system guides a light beam emitted from the second light source to the recording medium and guides another light beam reflected from the recording medium to the second photodetector. A separating optical element guides the light beam emitted from the first light source to the second photodetector, which generates an output. A control circuit receives the output generated by the second photodetector, and controls the light intensity of the first light source based on the output of the second photodetector.
US07944799B2

An optical information apparatus according to the present invention includes: an optical system that includes a solid immersion lens (SIL) 11 and that produces near-field light to be incident on an optical disc 10; a first actuator for displacing the SIL 11; a second actuator 29 for varying the distance between the optical disc 10 and the first actuator 12 by moving the first actuator 12; a gap detecting section 18 for outputting a gap signal 19 representing the magnitude of the gap 17 between the SIL 11 and the optical disc 10; and a gap control system for controlling the first actuator 12 in response to the gap signal 19 such that the gap is maintained at a predetermined setting. The gap control system works so as to control the second actuator 29 in accordance with a signal representing the magnitude of displacement of the SIL 11 caused by the first actuator 12.
US07944796B2

A recording apparatus includes a first light source irradiating first laser light, a second light source irradiating second laser light, an optical spatial modulating unit applying information to the first laser light, and an objective lens collecting the first laser light and the second laser light at different positions on the same optical axis. A hologram recording operation uses a first optical path and a second optical path. The information light is conducted to the objective lens along the first optical path. The reference light is conducted to the objective lens along the second optical path. At the same time, an address/servo control operation is carried out by employing a third optical path along which the second laser light is conducted to the objective lens. The DVD recording operation uses the second optical path. The CD recording operation uses the third optical path.
US07944786B2

A method of determining a recording power used to record information to an optical disc, includes carrying out test recording which records predetermined data to a predetermined area of the optical disc to determine the recording power, and recording predetermined data with a power equal to or more than the determined recording power to an area adjacent to the predetermined area.
US07944784B2

A detector is scanned across an optical storage medium having groove tracks and land tracks, each track having a wobble structure, to detect light reflected from the optical storage medium. A wobble signal and a tracking error signal are generated based on an output of the detector, and the wobble signal is sampled according to the tracking error signal. A determination about whether the detector is at the groove track or the land track is made based on the tracking error signal and a comparison of sampled values of the wobble signal.
US07944773B2

Methods of operating a memory device and memory devices are provided. For example, a method of operating a memory array is provided that includes a synchronous path and an asynchronous path. A Write-with-Autoprecharge signal is provided to the synchronous path, and various bank address signals are provided to the asynchronous path. In another embodiment, the initiation of the bank address signals may be provided asynchronously to the assertion of the Write-with-Autoprecharge signal.
US07944769B1

A system for detecting power-on of a circuit block within an integrated circuit (IC). The system can include a latch including a latch output and an inverted latch output. The latch can be coupled to, and powered by, a power supply providing power to the circuit block within the IC. The system further can include an exclusive OR circuit. The exclusive OR circuit can include an input stage coupled to the latch output and the inverted latch output. The exclusive OR circuit generates an output signal indicating whether the circuit block is in a power-on state.
US07944763B2

A semiconductor memory device and an operating method thereof prevent the mal-operation of the semiconductor memory device induced by misrecognizing addresses or data as commands. The semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of input pads, a data information path, a command path, a transfer block configured to transmit signals coupled through the input pads to the data information path and the command path, a command decoding block configured to decode signals transmitted through the command path to verify an inputting of a command, and a transmission control block configured to generate a control signal for controlling the signal transmission from the transfer block to the command path according to the verified result of the command decoding block.
US07944753B2

In a method of reading data in an EEPROM cell, a bit line voltage for reading is applied to the EEPROM cell including a memory transistor and a selection transistor. A first voltage is applied to a sense line of the memory transistor. A second voltage greater than the first voltage is applied to a word line of the selection transistor. A current passing through the EEPROM cell is compared with a predetermined reference current to read the data stored in the EEPROM cell. An on-cell current of the EEPROM cell may be increased in an erased state and the data in the cell may be readily discriminated.
US07944750B1

A non-volatile memory device and method for manufacture and programing which does not require a control gate for the programing or erasure of the device. The memory device is comprised of two wells with the opposite conductivity type of the semiconductor body. In one of the wells is a source and drain well of the same conductivity type as of the body. A oxide is formed on the surface of the body on which a floating gate is formed. Specific voltages are applied to the source, drain, first well and second well region to program, erase and read the memory device.
US07944737B2

Embodiments of the invention magnetic memory device, comprising: a magnetic tunnel junction (MTJ) which includes a first free layer optimized for reading; and a second free layer separate from the MTJ and optimized for writing.
US07944734B2

A nonvolatile static random access memory (SRAM) device includes a pair of cross-coupled, complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) inverters configured as a storage cell for a bit of data and a pair of magnetic spin transfer devices coupled to opposing sides of the storage cell. The magnetic spin transfer devices are configured to retain the storage cell data therein following removal of power to the SRAM device, and are further configured to initialize the storage cell with the retained data upon application of power to the SRAM device.
US07944732B2

A capacitor in an integrated circuit (“IC”) has a first node plate link formed in a first metal layer of the IC electrically connected to and forming a portion of a first node of the capacitor extending along a first axis (y) and a second node plate link formed in a second metal layer of the IC extending along the axis and connected to the first node plate with a via. A third node plate link formed in the first metal layer is electrically connected to and forming a portion of a second node of the capacitor and extends along a second axis (x) of the node plate array transverse to the first node plate link, proximate to an end of the first node plate link and overlying a portion of the second node plate link.
US07944731B2

Various embodiments of the present invention are generally directed to a method and apparatus for carrying out a partial block update operation upon a resistive sense memory (RSM) array, such as formed from STRAM or RRAM cells. The RSM array is arranged into multi-cell blocks (sectors), each block having a physical block address (PBA). A first set of user data is written to a selected block at a first PBA. A partial block update operation is performed by writing a second set of user data to a second block at a second PBA, the second set of user data updating a portion of the first set of user data in the first PBA. The first and second blocks are thereafter read to retrieve the second set of user data and a remaining portion of the first set of user data.
US07944728B2

A method of programming a memory cell comprises applying a reverse bias to the memory cell using a temporary resistor in series with the memory cell. The memory cell comprises a diode and a resistivity switching material element in series. The state of the resistivity switching material element changes from a first initial state to a second state different from the first state.
US07944712B2

A PDP (plasma display panel) is attached to an electrically conductive board with a heat dissipation sheet sandwiched therebetween. A first driving circuit board is fixed on the electrically conductive board by a plurality of electrically conductive supports. On one surface, which faces the electrically conductive board, of the first driving circuit board, one or a plurality of electronic components are mounted, while a second driving circuit board is fixed. A plurality of support terminals of the second driving circuit board are connected to the first driving circuit board, and the first driving circuit board is attached to the electrically conductive board by the electrically conductive supports. Thus, one surface of the second driving circuit board is in contact with the electrically conductive board. One or a plurality of surface mount components are mounted on the other surface of the second driving circuit board that faces the first driving circuit board.
US07944703B2

A flash memory device includes one or two panels that are attached solely by a thermal bond adhesive to either a frame or integrated circuits (e.g., flash memory devices) disposed on a PCBA. The frame is disposed around the PCBA and supports peripheral edges of the panels. The thermal bond adhesive is either heat-activated or heat-cured, and is applied to either the memory devices, the frame or the panels, and then compressed between the panels and flash memory devices/frame using a fixture. The fixture is then passed through an oven to activate/cure the adhesive. An optional insulating layer is disposed between the panels and the ICs. An optional conforming coating layer is formed over the ICs for preventing oxidation of integrated circuit leads or soldering area, covering or protecting extreme temperature exposure either cold or hot, and waterproofing for certain military or industrial applications.
US07944702B2

A press-push type computer peripheral “flash drive” device includes an elongated (e.g., metal) tubular casing containing a PCBA having a plug connector. A plastic housing assembly includes front and rear cap portions mounted over the open ends of the tubular casing, and a fixed plastic sleeve portion disposed in the tubular casing. The PCBA is secured to a plastic sliding rack structure that is disposed in the tubular casing and includes an actuating button protruding through a slot formed in a wall of the tubular casing. When the actuating button is manually pushed and slid along the slot, a portion of the sliding rack structure slides against the plastic sleeve portion in deploying and retracting the USB connector out of the device.
US07944697B2

Electronic equipment installed outdoors to house an internal unit is provided, meeting the waterproof standard and having an easily replaceable structure of the internal unit. The electronic equipment has an enclosure having a cover and a case with an opening and an air vent, and an internal unit in which an electronic component is mounted. The internal unit has a heat sink and radiation fins for releasing heat generated by the electronic component. The fins are inserted into the opening. The heat sink has a draining portion formed below the fins in a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the radiation fins, a groove for waterproofing around the fins except an upper portion thereof, and two protrusions for fitting above the fins. The case has a rib for waterproofing around the opening except an upper portion thereof, and two holes for fitting above the opening.
US07944696B2

An electronic apparatus includes a chassis and a heat sink. The heat sink forms one side wall of the chassis. The heat sink has inner and outer wall surfaces corresponding to inner and outer surfaces of the chassis. The heat sink has a guide portion guiding a drop of water initially adhered to the heat sink along the outer wall surface of the heat sink.
US07944695B2

A motor controller which is inexpensive and has high cooling performance by using an extrusion heat sink (1), reducing the number of parts, and reducing the man-hours of assembling is provided. In a motor controller including an extrusion heat sink (1), and a power semiconductor module (4) including a plurality of external electrode terminals which closely contact the extrusion heat sink (1), and a printed circuit board having the plurality of external electrode terminals connected thereto, die-casting frames (2) in which a pedestal (2a) for attaching a motor controller and bosses (2b) for attaching a printed circuit board are molded are provided at both ends of the extrusion heat sink (1).
US07944690B2

A housing, comprises: a first housing part, one side of which is an opening, including a hook member having a hook at its tip and projected from an inner surface thereof; and a second housing part, one side of which is an opening, having an engagement recess to be engaged with the hook, wherein the openings of the first housing part and the second housing part are closed by engaging the engagement recess and the hook to make a closed space inside, the hook member has a recess to which a release member is insertable from an outer surface of the first housing part, an engagement state of the hook and the engagement recess is released by bending the hook member by the release member inserted into the recess of the engagement recess.
US07944689B2

This laptop apparatus is built not only with a computer but also with a cosmetic compact. It is complete with makeup and can be matched with any skin type. The compact is mounted at the top of the laptop for easy and quick access. What's so great about this laptop is that it makes traveling a breeze and is fashion forward. Not only can you surf the net, catch up with work, but you can look great doing it.
US07944684B2

A notebook computer that has a document holding function includes an upper cover and a base. The upper cover includes a screen and an image pickup device. The base includes a keyboard and a touchpad. A touchpad chassis is disposed under the touchpad and connected with a bottom surface of the touchpad. A fixing recess is formed in an edge surface of the touchpad chassis for holding the document. A rotatable frame is disposed under the touchpad for overturning the touchpad chassis. As such, a shooting angle is defined between the image pickup device and the document held in the fixing recess.
US07944683B2

An image display apparatus includes a display panel that displays an image, a support unit that supports a rear surface of the display panel, and an exterior member that covers the support unit. The support unit includes a first plate-like member and a second plate-like member having a concave-convex shape, wherein the first plate-like member is fixed to the display panel at a plurality of first fixing portions with bonding members, convex portions of the second plate- like member are fixed to the first plate-like member at a plurality of second fixing portions, and concave portions of the second plate-like member are fixed to a support member at a plurality of third fixing portions.
US07944676B2

An apparatus records a use of force. The apparatus includes a weapon that initiates application of the force against a target, being a person or animal, to stop undesired behavior by the target. The apparatus further includes a processing circuit that provides, after an operation of the weapon, indicia of a prompt. The prompt elicits a spoken reply from an operator of the apparatus. The reply describes the use of force, and records indicia of the reply received from a provided input device. A method of operation of an electronic weapon includes applying a force wherein applying comprises passing a current through tissue of a target to produce contractions in skeletal muscles of the target to impede locomotion by the target; and recording a description of the application, the description in accordance with operator input.
US07944672B1

A control device applicable to an actuator and including a voltage detection unit and a limit switch control unit. The control device is inbuilt inside the actuator without any additional control circuit for the control of the limit switches and the detection of the input voltage range. The limit switches are used to limit the travel of an actuating member of the actuator so as to avoid collision of the mechanism. The voltage detection unit serves to detect the input voltage range to control the operation of the actuator. Accordingly, the mechanism or the motor is protected from damage due to excessively low or high input voltage. The limit switches are freely adjustable in position and protected from high current. Therefore, the contacts of the limit switches are not liable to damage and the lifetime of the limit switches is prolonged. The control device further has electronic brake effect.
US07944670B2

A surge protection circuit may include a tuned circuit board with traces designed to provide a surge protected and RF isolated DC path while propagating RF signals through the PCB dielectric with microstrip lines. The surge protection circuit utilizes high impedance RF decoupling devices such as quarterwave traces or inductors which isolate the multistage DC protection scheme which may include a gas discharge tube, serial surge impeding devices such as inductors and/or resistors, a decoupled air/spark gap device and a Zener diode junction.
US07944667B2

A system is provided for interrupting current in an electrical cable having an end plug. The system comprises a sensor coupled to the plug and having an output indicative of the temperature of the plug, and a current interrupting device coupled to the sensor for interrupting current in the cable when the temperature reaches a predetermined temperature.
US07944664B2

A safety device for a semiconductor switch controlling a secondary line provided with a fuse on the input side of the switch device that includes component to create a short circuit in the secondary line, so as to cut off the fuse, and means of activating this component following detection of an overcurrent in the secondary line.
US07944663B2

An over-current protection circuit for use with a constant voltage circuit that converts an input voltage to a predetermined output voltage and that outputs the predetermined output voltage. The over-current protection circuit includes an output current detecting circuit configured to output an output current detecting voltage proportional to an output current outputted from the constant voltage circuit; an output current control circuit configured to control the output current outputted from the constant voltage circuit according to the output current detecting voltage outputted from the output current detecting circuit; an output voltage detecting circuit configured to output at least an output voltage detecting voltage according to the output voltage of the constant voltage circuit; and a conversion rate altering circuit configured to alter a conversion rate of the output current to the output current detecting voltage of the output current detecting circuit according to the output voltage detecting voltage outputted from the output voltage detecting circuit.
US07944654B2

A multi-pole circuit breaker for a power distribution system having multiple line conductors carrying AC currents that are out of phase with each other, and a common neutral conductor, comprises first and second current sensors, a ground fault detection circuit, and an arcing fault detection circuit. The first current sensor is adapted to be coupled to both of the line conductors and to the neutral conductor and produces a first output signal indicative of the resultant of the electrical currents flowing in the line and neutral conductors. The ground fault detection circuit receives the first output signal and produces a trip signal in response to the detection of a ground fault. The second current sensor comprises a coil wound on a toroidal core and is adapted to be coupled to both of the line conductors in a manner that the electrical currents in the line conductors flow in opposite directions inside the toroidal core, thus inducing in the coil a second output signal that is a function of the difference of the electrical currents in the line conductors. The arcing fault detection circuit receives the second output signal and includes a processor programmed to analyze the second output signal and produce a trip signal in response to the detection of an arcing fault.
US07944653B2

A self fault-detection circuit for a ground fault circuit interrupter comprising: (i) a Metal Oxide Varistor (MOV) fault detection unit for detecting a fault condition of the MOV, and sending a first trigger signal if a fault condition of the MOV is detected, (ii) a trip circuit fault detection unit for detecting a fault condition of a trip circuit, and sending a second trigger signal if a fault condition of the trip circuit is detected; and (iii) a fault reaction unit for receiving at least one of the first trigger signal and the second trigger signal, and responding to the first and second trigger signals with an action, when at least one of the first and the second trigger signals is received by the fault reaction unit, the fault reaction unit indicates that at least one fault condition exists in the ground fault circuit interrupter.
US07944650B2

An MR element includes an MR stack including a first ferromagnetic layer, a second ferromagnetic layer, and a spacer layer disposed between the first and the second ferromagnetic layer. The MR stack has an outer surface, and the spacer layer has a periphery located in the outer surface of the MR stack. The magnetoresistive element further includes a layered film that touches the periphery of the spacer layer. The spacer layer includes a semiconductor layer formed using an oxide semiconductor as a material. The layered film includes a first layer, a second layer, and a third layer stacked in this order. The first layer is formed of the same material as the semiconductor layer, and touches the periphery of the spacer layer. The second layer is a metal layer that forms a Schottky barrier at the interface between the first layer and the second layer. The third layer is an insulating layer.
US07944649B2

A transducer positioning apparatus is provided that supports a read/write head on a data storage machine and biases the head against rotation. The transducer positioning apparatus may comprise a base that includes a linear drive motor and a support frame to which the read/write head is secured. The support frame is reciprocally driven by the linear drive motor relative to the base. A magnetic coupling is provided between the base and the support frame that resists movement of the frame other than the reciprocal movement of the support frame relative to the base. A method is also disclosed for magnetically biasing a movable head of a transducer against rotation.
US07944648B2

According to one embodiment, a head slider, includes: a slider body; an insulating nonmagnetic film configured to be laminated on an air outflow side end face of the slider body; a magnetoresistive effect film configured to be buried in the nonmagnetic film; first and second wiring patterns configured to be buried in the nonmagnetic film and connected to the magnetoresistive effect film; a third wiring pattern configured to be buried in the nonmagnetic film and connected to the first and second wiring pattern in parallel to the magnetoresistive effect film; and a switch element configured to be buried in the nonmagnetic film and change conductivity of the third wiring pattern between conduction and non-conduction.
US07944632B2

An exemplary lens module includes a barrel and a plurality of deformable lenses received in the barrel. The barrel includes an inner wall. The inner wall has a plurality of circular retaining portions. The plurality of deformable lenses is deformed and retained in the plurality of circular retaining portions. Diameters of the lenses are greater than an inner diameter of the barrel. The lenses each has a curved surface.
US07944629B2

Disclosed is a camera lens assembly that enables a lens assembly mounted in a digital camera, a mobile communication terminal or the like to be supported in an initial position and to be movable in the direction of an optical axis when the lens assembly is driven. The camera lens assembly includes a lens assembly, a housing for receiving the lens assembly, a driving part retained in the housing for driving the lens assembly in the direction of the optical axis, and one or more resilient supporting parts coupled with the lens assembly for supporting the lens assembly in the housing, wherein the supporting part is elastically deformed when the lens assembly moves in the direction of the optical axis, and wherein the resilient supporting part restores the lens assembly to its initial position.
US07944612B2

Described are illumination systems whereby light spectra from multiple LEDs of various colors can be combined and polarized with minimal components, while substantially reducing the losses for the combining and polarizing. The described systems and methods use polarizing beam splitters (PBSs) with retarder stack filters to combine color and split polarization for mixed light beams in one step, and to ultimately align the polarizations of the several colored light beams.
US07944610B2

An apparatus for forming an image has one or more lenses in an optical path, at least one angular-sensitive light transmission filter in the optical path, in which transmission varies with change in angular orientation of the filter with reference to the direction of light in the optical path, and a mechanism for adjusting the angle of the light transmission filter.
US07944607B2

The subject matter of the invention is a method of high-resolution acousto-optic programmable filtering in the infrared region of an incident optical wave. To that end it proposes the use of a birefringent acousto-optic crystal whereof the propagation speed of acoustic waves is slow, such as compounds of mercury, which acousto-optic crystal comprises, on one of its faces, a piezoelectric transducer designed to generate a transverse acoustic wave with wave vector whereof the energy propagates according to the same axis but in the opposite direction to the energy of the incident optical wave, knowing that the optical wave resulting from the acousto-optic interaction between the incident optical wave and the acoustic wave with wave vector is diffracted perpendicularly or almost perpendicularly to the direction of the incident optical wave.
US07944604B2

A transmissive micromechanical device includes a substrate, an optical stack over the substrate and a moveable membrane over the optical stack. The moveable membrane may include a partially reflective mirror and be configured to move from a first position to a second position. When the movable membrane is in the first position the transmissive micromechanical device is configured to pass light of a predetermined color and when the movable membrane is in the second position, the micromechanical device is configured to block substantially all of light incident on the substrate.
US07944591B2

Various methods and apparatus relating to a media interaction device drive system having at least one reduced dimension are disclosed.
US07944587B2

An image data generation device is provided with: an image data acquisition unit for acquiring image data; a division unit for spatially dividing the acquired data by a plurality of matrices; a priority order setting element for setting the priority order for performing gradation conversion of picture elements that make up the image data that corresponds to each of the matrices, and sets the priority order so that the priority order becomes lower going from picture elements located in the center of the matrix toward picture elements located on the outside edges of the matrix; a gradation conversion member for performing gradation conversion of the picture elements according to the priority order; and an image data generation unit for generating image data for printing based on a dot pattern that is formed by the picture elements after the gradation conversion.
US07944586B2

A page expansion and printing procedure requires a first page description into a first memory buffer, the first page description having a bi-level black layer and a contone CMYK layer; decompressing the bi-level black layer and the contone CMYK layer in parallel; half-toning the contone CMYK layer to bi-level CMYK; compositing the bi-level black layer over the bi-level CMYK layer to form a printable image; and transmitting the printable image to a second memory buffer for printing by the pagewidth printer. The step of transmitting the printable image to a second memory buffer is performed simultaneously with receiving a subsequent page description in the first memory buffer.
US07944580B2

A handheld printer that provides an appropriate application of ink to a print medium without a bulky and complex mechanical system for positioning a print head with respect to the print medium. A handheld printer according to the present teachings includes a navigation subsystem that tracks a motion of the handheld printer with respect to a printing surface and a print head controller that causes a print head to fire ink drops onto the printing surface in response to the motion and in response to an image contained in an image buffer.
US07944571B2

Tray information for bth copy is read from a RAM. Next, print data is read from the RAM, and format data corresponding to a macro ID for the bth copy is read from the RAM. Then, image data is generated by combining the print data and the format data. Finally, based on the image data, an image is formed on a recording medium that was supplied from a tray designated by the tray information for the bth copy.
US07944567B2

A semiconductor light emitting element is equipped with a layered structure including an active layer, and electrode layers at the upper and lower surfaces thereof. At least one of the upper and lower electrode layers is divided into at least two electrodes, which are separated in the wave guiding direction of light. The active layer is structured to have different gain wavelengths along the wave guiding direction, to emit light having different spectra from each region corresponding to each of the at least two electrodes. The spectral distribution of output light is enabled to be varied by individually varying the current injected by each of the at least two divided electrodes.
US07944564B2

An information-acquiring device for acquiring information on an objective substance to be detected, which is provided with a sensing element that has a surface capable of fixing the objective substance to be detected thereon, and makes applied light change its wavelength characteristics in response to the fixed state of the objective substance to be detected onto the surface, a light source, and light-receiving means for receiving light emitted from the light source through the sensing element, has the light-receiving means and the light source arranged on the same substrate so that the light which has been emitted from the light source and has been transmitted through the sensing element can be led to the light-receiving means, and has means for varying the wavelength regions of each light incident on each of a plurality of the light-receiving means installed in an optical path from the light source to the light-receiving means.
US07944558B2

A method for physicochemical analysis of a material during its ablation with a pulsed laser. The method uses the ratio of intensity levels of two emission lines of a tracer element derived from plasma generated by the laser beam to characterize the plasma excitation temperature. The method determines concentration of an element to be measured in the plasma using standard measurements indicating correspondence between a concentration of the element to measured and a variation of intensity of an emission line and different ratios between intensity levels of two emission lines of the tracer element, the ratios representing the plasma temperature.
US07944552B2

A method for displaying a result of measurement of eccentricity in an optical system is provided where an amount of eccentricity for each lens element's surface in a lens system can be displayed and where the amount of eccentricity displayed can be a magnified amount of eccentricity. Additionally a sectional view of the lens system can be displayed using scaling factor.
US07944551B2

Techniques for the display of a signal with a wavelet transform of that signal in a wavelet transform viewer are disclosed, according to embodiments. According to embodiments, the wavelet transform viewer can display a plot of physiological signals such as a photoplethysmograph (PPG) signal. A portion of the plot of the signal can be selected. A wavelet transform the selected portion of the signal can be calculated and a wavelet plot of the tranformed signal can be displayed simultaneously with that signal. A plot of the selected portion of the signal can also be simultaneously displayed with both the plot of the signal and the wavelet plot.
US07944545B2

A structure and a method for an equi-brightness optimization. The method may include projecting a plurality of bright patterns having a plurality of bright points and a plurality of dark patterns having a plurality of dark points on a substrate, generating a plurality of joint eigenvectors of the plurality of bright points and a plurality of dark points, selecting a predetermined number of joint eigenvectors to project the plurality of bright patterns, generating a plurality of natural sampling points from the plurality of bright points, wherein the plurality of natural sampling points has a substantially equal intensity, and obtaining a representation of an aperture from the plurality of natural sampling points, wherein an image of the representation of the aperture has a substantially uniform intensity.
US07944536B2

A liquid crystal device includes a first substrate and a second substrate that face each other, a liquid crystal layer that is interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, light reflecting films that are selectively provided on the side facing the liquid crystal layer of the first substrate and reflect light entering from the second substrate, light reflecting films that are selectively provided on the side facing the liquid crystal layer of the second substrate, corresponding to the regions of the first substrate where the light reflecting films are not provided and reflect light entering from the first substrate, transmissive electrodes that are selectively provided in the regions of the side facing the liquid crystal layer of the first substrate where the light reflecting films are not provided, and transmissive electrodes that are selectively provided in the regions of the side facing the liquid crystal layer of the second substrate where the light reflecting films are not provided.
US07944533B2

The present invention achieves the multi-domain configuration by providing an insulation film region at least one location in each pixel on one substrate of a pair of substrates of an active matrix multi-domain vertically aligned liquid crystal display for differentiating electrical potential to be applied to a certain zone of the liquid crystal from that to the liquid crystal at the other area when a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal, thereby causing different electrical potential gradients in at least two directions.
US07944527B2

A LCD device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a LCD panel including liquid crystal, and a backlight unit including a light emitting diode (LED) array including a plurality of LEDs, the plurality of LEDs having a peripheral LED disposed at a peripheral end of the LED array, and a light guide plate disposed below the LCD panel, each LED having a light emission surface to emit light to a light incidence surface of the light guide plate. The emission surface of the peripheral LED completely covers a peripheral end of the light incidence surface, the peripheral end of the light incidence surface being an area adjacent to a lateral surface of the light guide plate.
US07944521B2

A display apparatus includes a liquid crystal display panel, a front side viscoelastic layer, a front side hard layer, a back side viscoelastic layer, a back side hard layer, a backlight unit, a driving circuit board, and a metal plate. The front side viscoelastic layer that is viscoelastic covers a display surface of the liquid crystal display panel. The front side hard layer has a higher modulus of elasticity than the front side viscoelastic layer. The back side viscoelastic layer that is viscoelastic covers a back surface of the liquid crystal display panel. The back side hard layer has a higher modulus of elasticity than the back side viscoelastic layer. The back side viscoelastic layer has a thickness Tb of not less than about 20 μm, and the front side viscoelastic layer has a thickness Ta and satisfies: Ta/Tb>1 (Tb≠0). Thus, the display apparatus is resistant to breakage caused by a load placed on a display surface of the liquid crystal display panel and an impact when dropped, thereby attaining mechanical durability.
US07944512B2

A receiver selecting a channel to be received based on a channel list enumerating receivable channels includes: a memory capable of storing the channel list; a first tuner configured to perform a quick scan to scan a partial frequency band out of a predetermined frequency band to obtain first service information including information of a service corresponding to the channel received by the quick scan; a channel list generation module configured to generate the channel list based on the first service information obtained by the first tuner and store the channel list in the memory; a second tuner configured to perform, in parallel with the quick scan by the first tuner, a full scan to scan the entire predetermined frequency band to obtain second service information including information of a service corresponding to the channel received by the full scan; and a channel list updating module configured to update the channel list stored in the memory based on the second service information after the full scan by the second tuner is completed.
US07944511B2

A front-end module for receiving analog and digital broadcast signals is provided. The front-end module includes frequency conversion means, digital satellite demodulation means, intermediate frequency conversion means, analog demodulation means, digital terrestrial demodulation means, filtering means, and a grounding arrangement common to a digital and an analog circuit sections.
US07944504B2

A scanning line interpolating apparatus has a scanning line interpolating unit for converting an inputted interlaced scanning picture to a progressive scanning picture by using motion compensation, a motion vector search device that searches for a motion vector for use in the motion compensation, and a control unit for controlling the precision with which the motion vector is searched for. The control unit is adapted to determine the search precision on the basis of a pixel structure of a display device for displaying the progressive scanning picture.
US07944503B1

An edge direction vector determination, which can be used for video interlaced-to-progressive conversion by motion-adaptive interpolation, has a coarse edge vector determination over a large search window followed by a fine edge vector determination over a small window plus confidence level assessment for field interpolation.
US07944485B2

A method, apparatus, and system for dynamic range estimation of imaged scenes for automatic exposure control. For a given exposure time setting, certain areas of a scene may be brighter than what a camera can capture. In cameras, including those experiencing substantial lens vignetting, a gain stage may be used to extend dynamic range and extract auto-exposure data from the extended dynamic range. Alternatively, dynamic range can be extended using pre-capture image information taken under reduced exposure conditions.
US07944480B2

A data stream of full digital images having a first predetermined number of picture elements is transferred via an interface to an image recording unit. The image recording unit stores digital images with a second number of picture elements, which is lower than a first. The full digital images generated with the first number of picture elements are divided into two part digital images, each having a number of picture elements used for storing image information. The image information stored in the two part images together contains the total information content of the original full image. A part image of a full digital image is associated with a first data stream and another part image is associated with a second data stream. The data streams are transferred via the interface to the image recording unit and are stored separately from one another.
US07944479B2

An image-capture apparatus having an intercom connecting unit, capable of voice communication with an external camera control unit (CCU) is provided. The apparatus includes a control unit, a warning-sound signal generator, a receiving unit, a voice synthesizer and a transmitting unit. The control unit outputs a warning-command signal when determining that a control-information signal value indicating a state of the apparatus varies from a predetermined standard. The warning-sound signal generator outputs a warning-sound signal corresponding to the warning-command signal. The receiving unit receives a multiplexed signal from the CCU and extracts an intercom-voice signal at the multiplexed signal. The voice synthesizer combines the intercom-voice signal extracted at the receiving unit with the warning-sound signal from the warning-sound signal generator to generate a voice-synthesized signal. The transmitting unit multiplexes the warning-command signal, the control-information signal, and the intercom-voice signal of the image-capture apparatus and transmits a multiplexed signal to the CCU.
US07944469B2

Rules “learn” what is typical or expected for a certain attribute of device data for a given location, premises, time period, etc. Using a rule for a standard deviation the variance between newly collected data and the data stored in a fact table is either ignored or an alert (or some action) is generated. Data in the fact table is sampled for a specific time, or time period. Newly collected data may be used to update the fact table or discarded.
US07944460B2

A device (1) suitable for marking a laboratory sample cassette (2) has a platen (6) with an aperture (7) and a cassette (2) is positioned so that a marking surface (3) of the cassette is aligned with the aperture (7). The device (1) also has a plurality of wires (9) with each wire (9) connected to a solenoid (11). An end (10) of each of the wires (9) is heated by a ceramic guide (12a) and selected ones of the heated wires (9) are oscillated once in a first direction (25) by their respective solenoids (11) to and from the aperture (7) to mark the marking surface (3). All the wires are then moved in a second direction transversely relative to the first direction (25) and selected wires are then oscillated once to mark the marking surface (3). This process is repeated until the required marking of the cassette marking surface (3) is completed.
US07944459B2

A light-emitting device includes a plurality of light-emitting elements, each emitting light with a light amount according to a driving signal, a storage unit that stores first gray-scale data for assigning a gray-scale value of each of the plurality of light-emitting elements, a data processing unit that generates second gray-scale data from the first gray-scale data stored in the storage unit for each light-emitting element such that, as the gray-scale value assigned by the first gray-scale data is large, a gray-scale value assigned by the second gray-scale data is made small, and a driving unit that causes the individual light-emitting elements to emit light in a first period upon supply of a driving signal according to the first gray-scale data stored in the storage unit, and causes the individual light-emitting elements to emit light in a second period different from the first period upon supply of a driving signal according to the second gray-scale data generated by the data processing unit.
US07944458B2

A digital-analog converter (DAC) including: a gray scale generator for generating gray scale voltages corresponding to digital data input through charge sharing between a plurality of data lines and a plurality of dummy data lines; a switching signal generator for providing operation control signals for a plurality of switches of the gray scale generator; and a reference voltage generator for generating reference voltages and for providing the reference voltages to the gray scale generator. According to the present invention, the digital-analog converter uses capacitance components existing in the respective data lines and the dummy data lines as a sampling capacitor and a holding capacitor to generate desired gray scale voltages through charge sharing between the data lines and the dummy data lines, thereby reducing area and power consumption over an existing R-string type of DAC.
US07944453B1

A multi-threaded graphics processor is configured to use to extrapolate low resolution mipmaps stored in physical memory to produce extrapolated texture values while high resolution mipmaps are retrieved from a high latency storage resource. The extrapolated texture values provide an improved image that appears sharper compared with using the low resolution mipmap level texture data in place of the temporarily unavailable high resolution mipmap level texture data.
US07944446B2

Fluctuations of cumulative delay value and delay dispersion in a path of a circuit are displayed graphically. Cumulative delay values of circuit elements in the path are obtained from delay analysis results of the circuit and dispersion is obtained from a probability density distribution of the delay of the circuit elements. Corresponding to the location of the circuit element in the path, the former and the latter are plotted on a coordinate plane.
US07944443B1

Points can be manipulated through multiple operations with respect to a guide surface using only a single projection operation. A point is projected from its native coordinate system, such as an object space or world space coordinate system, into the parametric space of an unposed guide surface. The projected point is manipulated in the parametric space according to one or more desired operations. The guide surface can be posed to further implement other operations. The guide surface can then be evaluated at the modified parametric space point to determine a corresponding point in the native coordinate system for further manipulation and/or rendering. The manipulation of the point in the parametric space of the guide surface can be expressed through one or more animation variables. The values of multiple animation variables can be used to determine a single operation on the point in parametric space.
US07944439B2

A display device includes first and second voltage generation circuits each including a voltage circuit for outputting an internal voltage on the basis of a plurality of clocks, a sampling circuit for sampling an output signal from the voltage circuit, a monitoring circuit for comparing an output signal from the first sampling circuit with a predetermined voltage range and outputting a result, and a power supply generation circuit for generating a power supply voltage to be input to the voltage circuit on the basis of an output signal supplied from the monitoring circuit. The voltage circuit in the first voltage generation circuit is controlled on the basis of a level of the power supply voltage, and the voltage circuit in the second voltage generation circuit is controlled on the basis of periods of the clocks.
US07944434B2

A mouse with gain weight means comprising a case, a cursor control unit, a plurality of keys, a housing, and a balancing weight component. The case has a circuit board disposed inside of the case and a plurality of balancing weight notches in the bottom of the case. The cursor control unit 2 is disposed in the circuit board and extends to the outside of the bottom of the case. Disposed on the case are the keys and the housing. The balancing weight component includes a plurality of balancing weight lumps installed in the balancing notches. The mouse of the present invention has the balancing weight lumps installed in the bottom of the case to make the mouse easier for the user to handle.
US07944432B2

This invention is directed to the provision of a data input device that is operated by a novel method of inputting the force applied on a force sensor as polar coordinate data and subjecting the data to input processing which utilizes the r value and the θ value.A portable telephone 1 detects the force applied on a force sensor 51 of an input unit 50 as rectangular coordinate data and converts the detected rectangular coordinate data into polar coordinate data. Then, with reference to an allocating table that has recorded characters and ranges of θ values to which the individual characters are allocated, the character allocated to the obtained θ value is selected. Then, when the r value larger than a prescribed threshold is input, the entry of the selected parameter is determined.
US07944427B2

A liquid crystal display for supplying a discharge voltage for preventing a delay to reduce a delay of a scanning pulse, and a driving method thereof are disclosed. In the liquid crystal display, a liquid crystal display panel has a plurality of gate lines. A timing controller supplies a gate output enable signal which controls a supply of a scanning pulse. A discharging part generates a discharge voltage in response to the gate output enable signal. And a gate driver supplies the discharge voltage together with a scanning pulse to the gate lines in response to the gate output enable signal.
US07944422B2

The present invention is to provide a liquid crystal display (LCD) meter apparatus having a small influence of a residual image of a pointer. The LCD meter apparatus for displaying a dial plate and a pointer includes a moving-speed calculating device for calculating the moving-speed of the pointer; and an image density changing device for reducing the image density of the pointer responding to the moving-speed of the pointer calculated with the moving-speed calculating device. The image density of the pointer becomes thinner as the moving speed of the pointer becomes faster so that an erasing time of the image becomes shorter or a residual image remains shorter. Both residual and latest images are displayed thinly, the plurality of the images including the residual images do not give a noticeable appearance so that the LCD meter apparatus provides a clear view.
US07944418B2

A data driving circuit for a light emitting display may include a gamma voltage generator that generates gradation voltages, a current sink that receives a predetermined current from a pixel via a data line during a first partial period of one complete period for driving the pixel, a voltage generator that generates an incrementally increasing compare voltage during the first partial period, a comparator that compares a compensation voltage generated based on the predetermined current with the compare voltage and generates a logic signal based on a result of the compare, an adjusting unit that generates compensation data based on the logic signal, and a digital-analog converter that generates a composite data using the compensation data and externally supplied data and selects, as a data signal for the pixel, one of the plurality of gradation voltages based on a bit value of the composite data.
US07944417B2

A display device includes a controller detecting a black line, in which all light emitting diodes in one line are non-luminescence, counting a number of times (S) that display data indicating the black line is sent to the display panel in serial, halting a scanning operation to the display data indicating the black line, applying the time period for halting the scanning operation to another time period for displaying display data, which are next to the display data indicating the black line and which is not the display data indicating the black line, whereby the another time period for displaying display data is set to “S+1” times longer than a stipulated time period, and sending a control signal to a column driver, which controls the column driver to set a drive current or voltage applied from a power source to a 1/(S+1) of the stipulated value for the “S+1” time period.
US07944416B2

An image display apparatus includes a plurality of pixels. Each pixel includes a light emitting device; a drive transistor that has a gate electrode, a source electrode, and a drain electrode. One of the source and drain electrodes are electrically connected to one end of the light emitting device. Each pixel also includes a first switching transistor that electrically connects the gate electrode and the one electrode according to a scan signal, and a capacitor that has first and second electrodes. The first electrode is electrically connected to the gate electrode. The apparatus also includes a data line connected to the second electrode; a data line drive circuit that supplies a brightness potential and a reference potential for the brightness potential to the data line.
US07944409B2

A plasma display apparatus and a method of driving the same are disclosed. The plasma display apparatus includes a plasma display panel in which a plurality of scan electrodes, sustain electrodes, and address electrodes are formed on substrates to form a discharge cell and electrode driving parts for driving the scan electrodes, the sustain electrodes, and the address electrodes. The plurality of scan electrodes are divided into a plurality of scan electrode groups and the driving parts are controlled such that a voltage different from a scan bias voltage is applied for a predetermined time in the address period of one or more scan electrode groups among the plurality of scan electrode groups.
US07944403B2

An integrated circuit includes an on-chip antenna interface, coupled to an off-chip antenna interface having at least one off-chip impedance matching component, that forms a programmable impedance matching network with the at least one off-chip impedance matching component. The programmable impedance matching network is programmable based on a control signal. An RF receiver, coupled to the programmable impedance matching network, that generates inbound data in response to a received signal from the programmable impedance matching network.
US07944388B1

An improved (N:K) multiple description binning encoder that employs binning yet permits recovery of the input signal when fewer than K of the descriptions are available. In creating the encoder, a first choice is made of the number of descriptions that the encoder is to create and the minimum number of descriptions below which full recovery of the input signal is not possible. A second choice is made as to the number of descriptions that are to be broken up, to form descriptions that have two portions each. Once the first choice is made, appropriate quantization and binning scheme are selected by employing conventional techniques, and in response to the second choice, the chosen number of descriptions are each quantization split into coarse and fine quantization arrangements.
US07944383B2

A device (100) for processing data, the device (100) comprising a plurality of signal paths (130, 140, 150) each receiving an identical analog input signal (104), at least one signal conditioning unit (101 to 103) in at least one of the plurality of signal paths (130, 140, 150), wherein each signal conditioning unit (101 to 103) is adapted for generating a respective analog intermediate signal (105 to 107) by manipulating a property, particularly an amplitude, of the analog input signal (104), and a plurality of analog to digital converting units (108 to 110) each of which being assigned to a corresponding one of the plurality of signal paths (130, 140, 150) and being supplied with the analog input signal (104) or a respective analog intermediate signal (105 to 107), wherein each of the plurality of analog to digital converting units (108 to 110) is adapted for generating a respective digital intermediate signal (111 to 113) based on the respective analog intermediate signal (105 to 107) or based on the analog input signal (104); a digital signal processing unit (114) supplied with the plurality of digital intermediate signals (111 to 113) and adapted for generating a digital output signal (115) by processing the digital intermediate signals (111 to 113).
US07944378B1

In one embodiment the present invention includes a circuit for calibrating analog and digital circuits. The circuit includes an analog input stage, a discrete time processing stage, a DAC, and a calibration circuit. The analog input stage includes an input resistance and the DAC includes a capacitance. The input resistance and the capacitance set a time constant for the circuit. A reference signal is applied to the input of the analog input stage, and the calibration circuit generates a control signal to adjust the time constant. As the time constant is changed, a digitized signal at the output of the discrete time processing stage also changes. When the digitized signal crosses a threshold set by a digital reference signal, the time constant is calibrated.
US07944364B1

Shielded power and power extension cords are protected from fire and other hazards caused by deterioration which may be due to age and/or excessive heat, or to physical damage which may be caused by kinking or crushing. At least one shield, which may surround multiple conductors or a single conductor is grounded through a fuse and made to function as a sensor in a fault detection circuit that opens the fuse and causes a relay to discontinue cord power transmission when a fault current passes from an ungrounded conductor to the shield. The relay circuit also refuses to fully close its contacts that transfer power to the cable in the event of receptacle wiring error and functions as a buzzer to indicate such an error.
US07944358B2

A traffic and population counting device system and method is provided. The traffic and population counting device may be executable by a computing device and may include an entry selector configured to be selected to indicate that a shopper has entered a shopping zone and to keep a running count of a number of shoppers who enter the shopping zone. An exit selector may be configured to be selected to indicate that a shopper has exited a shopping zone and to keep a running count of a number of shoppers who exit the shopping zone. Further, a display may be configured to display a running population count of shoppers within the shopping zone. The running population count may be determined by a running difference between the running count of the number of shoppers who enter the shopping zone and the running count of the number of shoppers who exit the shopping zone.
US07944356B2

A method and system to determine physical parameters as between an 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.
US07944350B2

The present invention is directed to a method of asset location. Location data is received from a cellular transmitter associated with a selected asset, which location data includes data representative of a cellular receiver with which direct communication with the cellular transmitter is made. The location data is then communicated to a tracking service system, which tracking service system includes a database representative of geographic locations associated with a plurality of cellular receivers. The database is then queried with received location data so as to generate geographic tracking data associated with a location of the cellular receiver, the geographic tracking data including display data adapted to generate a map image including a representative of a location of the selected asset. The geographic tracking data is then communicated to an associated security agency so as to allow for viewing of an image generated in accordance with the display data and at least one of tracking and interception of the selected asset.
US07944343B2

A system for providing information to a vehicle occupant includes a haptic control element which is provided in the vehicle and is configured to generate a haptic signal. An electronic control unit is operatively connected to the haptic control element and activates the haptic control element in order to indicate with a haptic signal that information is available for retrieval.
US07944342B2

A prescription compliance device which aids patients in complying with instructions given by a physician for taking prescription medication. The device reminds a patient when the next dose of medication is to be taken and indicates whether a specified dose has been taken. The device includes a microcontroller, a display, a program memory for storing pre-programmed medication-taking regimens for single and multiple medications, a real time clock, a selector for selecting one of the regimens and for programming the device as to the time and day on which a first dose of medication is to be taken, a display which alternately displays the current time and a time at which a next dose of medication is to be taken and an alarm which alerts the patient at times when a dose of medication is to be taken. The selector includes an event switch which is activated by the patient after taking a dose of medication so as to record the taking of medication and to cause the microcontroller to effect the display of the next time at which a dose of medication is to be taken. A memory may also be included to record the times at which a patient takes doses of medication. The device also includes a remote programming feature via a wireless link.
US07944341B2

There is disclosed a home network system using a DC power bus. The network system with a network server and more than one device being connected comprises a main power supply means for converting an AC power into a DC power to supply the DC power to the more than one device; and a DC power bus for providing a supply path of the DC power converted by the main power supply means. Since the DC power is supplied to each device via a power outlet located on the DC power bus, it is possible to supply the power necessary to each device of various kinds included in the network system more efficiently using the main power supply means and the DC power bus. Further, it is possible to prevent the DC power from being supplied to the area to which the power does not need to be supplied, by switching on/off a power breaker within the main power supply means automatically with regards to operation states of the devices located in each area at home, which results in preventing unnecessary power consumption.
US07944329B2

An acoustic wave filter device has a balance-unbalance conversion function and has an increased out-of-band attenuation. The acoustic wave filter device includes a 5-IDT-type longitudinally coupled resonator-type acoustic wave filter unit including IDTs that are connected between an unbalanced terminal and first and second balanced terminals, and the IDTs and are connected to the first and second balanced terminals, respectively, that is arranged between the unbalanced terminal and the first and second balanced terminals. A second ground wiring that connects the end portions of the unbalanced-side IDT on the side connected to the ground potential to a ground terminal is separated from a first ground wiring. The second ground wiring includes first and second branched wiring portions, and the first and second branched wiring portions are arranged so as to sandwich an area in which the IDTs are provided.
US07944326B2

An EMC active filter capable to maintain a low earth leakage current at all times, thus being compatible with RCD devices. The filter of the invention has an especially simple inductor's structure, where typically the power conductors pass straight through the filter, without windings, and most of the components can be implemented in a modular shunt circuit. Preferably the filter is realized by connecting the shunt module by an IDC device to the phase conductors, or directly to the line and load terminal, thus avoiding cutting and splicing high-current cables. The particular protection circuit of the filter prevents in-rush current at power on, and limits earth leakage current even in case of a fault in the line.
US07944322B2

Methods and systems for a flip chip configurable RF front end with an off-chip balun may include bonding a balun package to a single integrated circuit (IC) comprising an integrated transmitter and a receiver. The balun package may comprise one or more layers and may be electrically coupled to the IC. The balun package may comprise various devices such as, for example, inductors, capacitors, resistors, and/or switches, which may be on an exterior surface and/or inner layers of the balun package. Accordingly, the balun package and/or the IC may be configured for receiving RF signals and/or transmitting RF signals. The balun package and/or the IC may also be configured for single-ended RF input, single-ended RF output, differential RF input, and/or differential RF output. An off-chip amplifier may be used to amplify signals on the single transmit line in the single-ended RF output mode of operation.
US07944320B2

An electromagnetic bandgap structure and a printed circuit board that intercepts to transfer a signal having a predetermined frequency band are disclosed. In particularly, the electromagnetic bandgap structure includes a first metal layer and a second metal layer; a metal plate, placed between the first metal layer and a second metal layer; a multi-via, penetrating the first metal layer, passing through the same planar surface as an outer metal layer and turning toward the first metal layer to connect the metal plate and the first metal layer; and a dielectric layer, stacked in between the first metal layer and the metal plate, between the metal plate and the second metal layer and between the first metal layer and the outer metal layer. With the present invention, a bandgap frequency can be decreased without increasing the size of the metal plate.
US07944313B1

Systems and techniques to calibrate a control loop include, in at least one implementation, a system including the control loop configured to generate a clock signal and lock the clock signal to timing marks detected on a machine readable medium, a repetitive error correction module configured to receive a predicted phase and a corrected phase error for the clock signal, generate a predicted repetitive phase disturbance using the predicted phase and the corrected phase error for the clock signal, and calibrate a phase error to compensate for variations in repetitive phase errors in the clock signal using the predicted repetitive phase disturbance; and a servo track generator configured to generate servo tracks using the clock signal.
US07944312B2

This disclosure relates to a Phase-Locked Loop (PLL) device and a method for providing a stable free-running voltage signal to a voltage controlled oscillator.
US07944311B1

A system for a power transmitter may be provided. The system may include a first amplifier stage having at least a first transistor and a second transistor that are connected in a first cascode configuration; a second amplifier stage having at least a third transistor and a fourth transistor that are connected in a second cascode configuration, where the first transistor receives a system input of the power transmitter, where the second transistor is connected to the third transistor, and where the fourth transistor provides a system output of the power transmitter; and a feedback network that connects a first gate or base of the fourth transistor with a second gate or base of the second transistor.
US07944297B2

A class D amplifier including a PWM circuit, a buffer amplifying circuit, a low-pass filter, and two current sources is provided. The PWM circuit transfers an analog signal into a PWM signal. The buffer amplifying circuit amplifies the PWM signal and generates an amplified signal. The low-pass filter will filter high frequency components out from the amplified signal and then transmit the filtered signal to a loading of the class D amplifier. The two current sources provide currents flowing into and out from a feedback node in the PWM circuit, respectively. The charging and discharging provided by the two current sources can generate a triangular signal for the PWM circuit.
US07944292B1

A feedback circuit disposed across input and output terminals of an amplifier is adapted so as not inject DC current back into the input terminal of the amplifier. The feedback circuit includes, in part, first and second current sources, a transistor, and a resistive load. The first current source supplies current to one of the terminals of the transistor in communication with an input terminal of the amplifier. The second current source receives this current and diverts it to a voltage supply. The transistor is maintained in the active region of operation. The resistive load has a first terminal in communication with an output terminal of the amplifier and a second terminal in communication with the transistor. The DC voltages at the two terminals of the resistive load are substantially equal so as to inhibit DC current flow therethrough.
US07944290B2

Systems and apparatus for converting an input current signal into two or more output voltage signals on an integrated circuit. In one aspect, an integrated circuit includes a first trans-impedance amplifier that includes a first cascode amplifier; and a second trans-impedance amplifier that includes a second cascode amplifier, the second cascode amplifier and the first cascode amplifier sharing an input transistive element; where the first cascode amplifier is coupled to one or more first switches that disable the first trans-impedance amplifier, the second cascode amplifier is coupled to one or more second switches that disable the second trans-impedance amplifier, and control logic coupled to the one or more first switches and the one or more second switches disables at least one of the first trans-impedance amplifier or the second trans-impedance amplifier.
US07944287B2

A programmable offset amplifier includes first (M1) and second (M2) input transistors having differentially connected sources and gates coupled to first (Vin+) and second (Vin−) input voltages. A tail current (Itail1) is shared between the first and second input transistors. First (M3) and second (M4) load devices are coupled between a reference voltage and drains of the first and second input transistors, respectively. An output stage (13) has a first input (+) coupled to the drain of the second input transistor and a second input (−) coupled to the drain of the first input transistor. Programmable voltage changes are produced on input elements of programmable input offset circuitry to cause changes in offset voltages associated with electrodes of the input transistors which are reflected back to the amplifier input to provide a large programmable input-referred offset voltage.
US07944279B1

A charge pump stage of an RFID transponder includes an RF node, a capacitor bank, a plurality of current-biased rectifier stages, a DC bus, a programmable current source and a control circuit. The RF node provides an RF signal. The capacitor bank has a selectable capacitance and is electrically coupled to the RF node. The plurality of current-biased rectifier stages receives the RF signal from the RF node. The plurality of current-biased rectifier stages provides a DC output. The DC bus receives the DC output from the plurality of rectifier stages and provides a supply voltage. The programmable current source provides a plurality of current bias signals for each of the plurality of current-biased rectifier stages. The control circuit is in electrical communication with the capacitor bank and the programmable current source. The control circuit selects the selectable capacitance of the capacitor bank and programs the current source.
US07944278B2

A circuit for generating negative voltage of a semiconductor memory apparatus includes a first detecting unit configured to generate a first detecting signal by detecting a first negative voltage level, a first negative voltage generating unit configured to generate the first negative voltage in response to the first detecting signal, a second detecting unit configured to generate a second detecting signal by detecting the second negative voltage level, a timing controlling unit configured to output the second detecting signal as an enable signal when a power up signal is enabled and the first detecting signal is disabled, and a second negative voltage generating unit configured to generate the second negative voltage in response to the enable signal.
US07944274B2

A challenge in outputting a voltage near the midpoint potential in a semiconductor switch which operates based on a low voltage power supply is to avoid a decrease in operation speed and a deterioration in accuracy of the output voltage which would be caused due to an increase in ON-resistance or occurrence of current leakage. Thus, a structure including a gray level generation circuit, an analog switch circuit and a backgate voltage control circuit is provided wherein the backgate voltage of each of an N-channel MOS transistor and a P-channel MOS transistor of the analog switch circuit to which the voltage of the gray level generation circuit is input is supplied from the backgate voltage control circuit which has an equal structure as that of the gray level generation circuit.
US07944271B2

An improved current source may provide an improvement over a typical ΔVgs-type current source. The improved current source may comprise two branches. A first branch may be configured to generate a PTC (proportional to absolute temperature) current based on a ΔVgs developed across a resistor. A second branch may be configured to generate an NTC (inversely proportional to absolute temperature) current. The PTC current and NTC current may be combined to obtain a third current having a magnitude that is the sum of the respective magnitudes of the PTC current and the NTC current, and a temperature coefficient that is a combination of the respective temperature coefficients of the PTC current and NTC current. The current source may be configured to generate the NTC current and PTC current to be substantially insensitive to variations in the supply voltage.
US07944268B2

A first terminal T1 is connected to the drain (or the source) of a MOS-FET (Q11), whose back gate is separated, through a capacitor C11. The MOS-FET (Q11) is connected at the source (or the drain) thereof to a second terminal T2. The back gate is connected to the source (or the drain). A control voltage VG is supplied to the gate of the MOS-FET (Q11), and a voltage having a polarity reversed from that of this control voltage VG is supplied to the drain through a resistance element R12.
US07944265B2

A clock generator includes a delta sigma modulator, a counter and a first phase lock loop. The delta sigma modulator sequentially generates a plurality of variable parameters according to a predetermined value and a first input clock signal. The counter, which is connected to the delta sigma modulator, is used to generate an output clock signal in accordance with a counting value and a second input clock signal. The counting value is relevant to the variable parameters. The first phase lock loop, which is connected to the output of the counter, is used to generate an objective clock signal in accordance with the output clock signal.
US07944255B2

A CMOS bias circuit includes a starter circuits and a started circuit part which supplies a current to the outside. The starter circuits has a connection node (first terminal) between it and the started circuit part. The starter circuits includes a first MOS transistor connected at its drain to the first terminal, a first current supply circuit which supplies a starter current to the started circuit via the first MOS transistor, and a circuit which supplies a second current in a direction that interrupts a current flowing through the first MOS transistor to a node between the first MOS transistor and the first current supply circuit in accordance with a potential at the first terminal. The starter circuits has a function of preventing a current flowing between the drain and source of the first MOS transistor in the opposite direction by increasing or decreasing a gate bias of the first MOS transistor in accordance with a value of the second current.
US07944254B2

A switching circuit includes a first switching module, a second switching module, a first relay module, a second relay module, and a processing module. The first switching module includes a switch and a first transistor. The base of the first transistor functions as a first reset terminal. The second switching module includes a second transistor. An output terminal of the second relay module functions as a second reset terminal. Two input terminals of the processing module are connected to the first and second reset terminals respectively. The processing module resets a system with a first type or a second type according to voltages of the first and second reset terminals.
US07944249B2

A buffer circuit includes a first transistor (T1) having a base connected to a first power supply, the emitter (E1) and collector (C1) connected as input and output nodes, a second transistor (T2) having a base connected to the first power supply, a first constant current circuit using a difference between outgoing current from E1 and an input current at the current signal input node as a constant current, and determining outgoing current from the emitter of T2 equal to the constant current; and a first mirror circuit equalizing first and second collector currents with a third transistor (T3) with C1 and a fourth transistor (T4) with a collector connected to a collector of T2, a first operating point voltage is provided to the current signal output node between T3 and T1, and a second operating point voltage based on the first operating point voltage between T4 and T2.
US07944245B2

A filtering module filters out high frequency signals, primarily noise, from an input data stream. The filtering module includes an input module, a phase detecting module, and a threshold module. The input module performs either a charging or a discharging across a capacitor on a basis of an RC time constant. The phase detecting module is coupled to the input module to keep identical phase at a first node and an output node. The threshold module is coupled to the phase detecting module for providing an output signal based on a threshold voltage and the charging or the discharging across the capacitor.
US07944244B2

Provided is a logic gate device capable of performing multiple logic operations by using a single logic gate circuit. The multi-functional logic gate device includes a pull-up switching unit having input switches of a first group being respectively connected to multiple input terminals and selection switches of the first group connected to either a selection terminal or a logically inverted selection terminal, the pull-up switching unit electrically connecting the input switches of the first group in series or in parallel between a power source and an output terminal according to logic levels of the selection terminal and the inverted selection terminal. The multi-function logic gate includes a pull-down switching unit having input switches of a second group being respectively connected to multiple input terminals and selection switches of the second group connected to either the selection terminal or the inverted selection terminal, the pull-down switching unit electrically connecting the input switches of the second group in parallel or in series between the output terminal and a ground terminal according to the logic levels of the selection terminal and the inverted selection terminal. The connection of the input switches of the second group is complementarily opposite to the connection of the input switches of the first group.
US07944236B2

A bus structure providing pipelined busing of data between logic circuits and special-purpose circuits of an integrated circuit, the bus structure including a network of pipelined conductors, and connectors selectively joining the pipelined conductors between the special-purpose circuits, other pipelined connectors, and the logic circuits.
US07944235B1

High-speed serial interface (“HSSI”) transceiver circuitry (e.g., on a programmable logic device (“PLD”) integrated circuit) includes input buffer circuitry with adaptive equalization capability. The transceiver circuitry also includes an output driver, which may include pre-emphasis capability (preferably controllably settable). Selectively usable loop-back circuitry is provided for allowing the output signal of the input buffer to be applied substantially directly to the output driver. The loop-back circuitry may include a loop-back driver, which may be turned on substantially only when needed for loop-back operations.
US07944232B2

An output circuit having a variable swing level of a terminated output data signal is disclosed. The output circuit includes a control circuit configured to generate a first control signal and a second control signal in response to a voltage swing level selection signal and an output enable signal. The output circuit further includes an output driving circuit configured to, in response to the first and second control signals, perform on-die termination in an input mode and configured to control swing level of a signal output from the output circuit in an output mode.
US07944221B2

A system and method for automatically discovering total transistor resistance in a hybrid power over Ethernet (PoE) architecture. A critical factor for a PoE system is the total resistance of the power FET. Typical PoE systems consist of a single power FET that may be integrated with the controller or external to the controller. In a hybrid architecture the PoE system consists of both an internal power FET and an external power FET. The external power FET can be used to customize a design to meet a particular application or need. The total resistance in the hybrid architecture can be automatically determined using voltage and current measurements of the internal and external power FETs.
US07944219B2

Apparatus (2) for driving an amperometric electrochemical sensor, which apparatus (2) comprises a microelectrode (30), drive means (36) for the microelectrode, and signal processing means (3), the apparatus (2) being such that the drive means (36) supplies successive pulsed chronoamperometric different conditions to the microelectrode (30), the microelectrode (30) produces a sequence of different voltages consequent upon receiving the chronoamperometric different conditions and correlates the received chronoamperometric different conditions with their respective measurement circuits, and the signal processing means (3) interrogates only the current corresponding to a particular voltage in the sequence of different voltages and thereby produces a single sensor output corresponding to each separate voltage in the sequence of different voltages whereby interrogation of the amperometric electrochemical sensor is facilitated.
US07944216B2

A capacitance sensor, having at least one electrode is disclosed. A frequency spread signal generation circuit is coupled to the at least one electrode to apply a frequency spread signal based on a spread sequence. A periodic signal with a frequency is coupled to the at least one electrode. A frequency controller is coupled to the frequency spread signal generation circuit to vary the frequency of the periodic signal. A receiver circuit is coupled to the at least one or a further electrode to receive a version of the frequency spread signal which depends on a capacitance applied to the at least one electrode. An evaluation circuit is coupled to the receiver circuit to determine a capacitance value based on the received, dependent version of the frequency spread signal.
US07944210B2

A radio-frequency transmission device for a magnetic resonance system to generate magnetic resonance exposures of an examination region of an examination subject, has: a first radio-frequency transmission antenna that emits radio-frequency signals in the examination region, a radio-frequency amplifier that supplies the first radio-frequency transmission antenna, with radio-frequency signals with a predetermined radio-frequency transmission power, and a second radio-frequency transmission antenna fashioned to label a medium flowing in the examination region and/or examination regions via emission of labeling radio-frequency signals, such that the medium can be identified in the generated magnetic resonance exposures of the examination region. The second radio-frequency transmission antenna is coupled with the radio-frequency amplifier to supply the first radio-frequency transmission antenna, such that it likewise supplies the second radio-frequency transmission antenna with radio-frequency signals with a predetermined radio-frequency transmission power for the emission of radio-frequency labeling signals.
US07944207B2

A magnetic resonance imaging apparatus is configured to divide an object to be examined into a plurality of regions in a predetermined direction, set images of slice positions for each of the regions so that the slice positions are continuous in each region, obtain an image of each of the regions while moving the object stepwise, and acquire a plurality of image data having three types of categories for the region, the slice position and the imaging sequence. The magnetic resonance imaging apparatus selectively sets one of the three types of categories and rearranges and displays a plurality of images having the set category in the lengthwise direction or the lateral direction according to the two other categories that have not been selectively set.
US07944204B2

Identification of points of interest in a region of the surface of a part, by bringing a surface reference into intimate contact with the region is disclosed. The surface reference includes a thin film sufficiently flexible to conform to the region and tracks made of electrically conductive material. The passage of an eddy current probe over a track delivers a significant signal representative of the track. This representative signal corresponds to a point of interest thus identified in the region. Thus, it possible to optimize the path and the angular position of an eddy current probe scanning a region of a part to be tested.
US07944203B2

A corrosion evaluation device for performing a quantitative evaluation of corrosion by measuring a quantity of decrease in the thickness of a magnetic material which is covered by a non magnetic material or a magnetic material which is not covered by a non magnetic material which includes: a magnetic field generating device for generating such a magnetic field that includes the magnetic material in a magnetic path, a Giant Magnet-Resistive effect (GMR) sensor provided with a GMR sensor for detecting a magnetic flux leakage with regard to the magnetic material and converts a change in the magnetic flux into an electrical signal, a thickness reduction calculation portion for calculating a quantity of decrease in the thickness of the magnetic material based on the electrical signal. The corrosion evaluation device precisely performs a quantitative evaluation of corrosion even when the magnetic material, which is to be evaluated, is covered by a non magnetic material.
US07944198B1

A multimeter includes a switching circuit. The switching circuit includes a micro control unit (MCU), a first normally-open switch, a second normally-open switch, and an electronic switch. The first and second normally-open switches connect to the MCU. The MCU connects to the electronic switch. The electronic switch connects to a power control terminal of the multimeter. The MCU are operable to detect whether the first and second normally-open switches are both closed and accordingly control the electronic switch to turn on or off. The electronic switch outputs a control signal to the power control terminal of the multimeter to control the multimeter to power on or off.
US07944196B2

An RF detector configured to provide two outputs, one being a function of the true RMS power level of an RF input signal, and the other being a function of the instantaneous/peak power of the RF input signal, normalized to the average power level. The RF detector includes a variable gain detection subsystem including a single detector or detector array that provides a representation of the power level of the RF input signal. The detector or detector array is common to both the RMS power detection channel and the instantaneous/peak power detection channel of the RF detector. A method of RF detection includes providing representations of the RF input signal at different gain levels, selecting one or more of the representations, and averaging the selected signals. The gain levels of the selected representations is adjusted to provide information about the average power level of the RF input signal.
US07944191B2

Methods and apparatus are disclosed for efficient switching regulators that adapt automatically to, and operate with, input voltages that are above, below, or equal to the output voltage. The disclosed switching regulators demonstrate advantages of both buck and boost converters at high efficiency.
US07944181B2

A system and method for battery protection. In some aspects, a battery pack includes a housing, a cell supported by the housing, a circuit supported by a flexible circuit board. The circuit is operable to control a function of the battery pack.
US07944179B2

The charging method comprises limiting, according to the temperature, of the power supplied to the storage element to a charging setpoint power. The energy required to charge the storage element is determined and the period during which the power resource will be available is estimated. A theoretical mean power is calculated by means of these two items of information. The progressions of the temperature and of a maximum acceptable power are estimated. A maximum energy able to be delivered by the generator is calculated from the maximum acceptable power. The value of the charging setpoint power is defined by comparison of the required energy with the maximum energy and by comparison of the mean power with the maximum acceptable power.
US07944173B2

A method for conducting an operation including a power tool battery pack. The battery pack can include a housing, a first cell supported by the housing and having a voltage, and a second cell supported by the housing and having a voltage. The battery pack also can be connectable to a power tool and be operable to supply power to operate the power tool. The method can include discharging one of the first cell and the second cell until the voltage of the one of the first cell and the second cell is substantially equal to the voltage of the other of the first cell and the second cell.
US07944172B2

An object is to provide a power storage device provided with a battery that is a power storage means, for safe and accurate supply of electric power in a short period of time for drive power supply voltage without checking remaining capacity of the battery or changing batteries with deterioration over time of the battery for drive power supply voltage. The power storage device is provided with a battery that is a power storage means as a power supply for supplying electric power and a counter circuit for counting charging time of the power storage means. An electromagnetic wave with electric field intensity, magnetic field intensity, and power flux density per unit time which are transmitted from a power feeder are controlled, and the power storage means is efficiently charged using the electromagnetic wave in a short period of time.
US07944169B2

The positive and negative pole of the DC-battery 2-1 is allowed to connect the solar panel 2-11 and the solar panel 2-14 when the key position of the ignition switch 2-15 is in positions of “on” and “acc”. The positive and negative pole of the DC-battery 2-1 is not connected to the solar panel 2-11 and the solar panel 2-14 when the key position of the ignition switch 2-15 is in the position of “lock” and “start”. To attain such a configuration, lead wire connects the ignition switch 2-15 utilizing relay 2-4-a and fuse box 2-4-b. When the position of the ignition key is in “on” and “acc”, positive pole of the solar panels 2-11 and the solar panel 2-14 are connected to the positive pole of the DC battery 2-1 via the relay 2-4-b. Relays 3-4, 3-15, 3-16, 4-4, 4-15, and 4-16 are similar to the relay 2-4-b.
US07944157B2

The present invention provides a motor drive system that is substantially more robust than those of the prior art. Generally, the motor drive system provides a redundant communication topology with the drives, thereby greatly reducing the chance of failure by a fault in the drive-to-drive communication link. Specifically, the motor drive system includes a plurality of motor drives joined by a communication media. Each motor drive has a motor control circuit configured to control the speed of an electric motor and a media access control unit having two communication modules. Each communications module includes a transmitter and a receiver joined to the communications media. A set of routing switches in the media access control unit joins the communication modules to connect the motor drives in an independent primary and a secondary ring communicating data for controlling the motor drives.
US07944152B2

A two-stage balancer for a multi-lamp backlight is electrically connected to a driving unit through a driving transformer. The two-stage balancer includes a plurality of first balancing transformers, second balancing transformers, and lighting units. Each of the first balancing transformers is electrically connected to the corresponding second balancing transformers to form a two-stage structure. In addition, a primary winding and a secondary winding of the second balancing transformer is electrically connected in series to one lighting unit, respectively, to form a circuit loop. Further, each of the circuit loops is electrically connected in parallel. Whereby the two-stage balancer provides much better current balance between the parallel circuit loops, and outputs a sinusoid-like driving current to increase lighting efficacy and further maintain uniform brightness of the multi-lamp backlight.
US07944149B2

A ballast including an H-bridge type inverter for driving a lamp and a filter circuit that includes a buck inductor is disclosed. The buck inductor is a primary winding of a transformer, and a secondary winding of the transformer provides power to a controller of the ballast. The controller operates the inverter in various pre-ignition modes of operation such that prior to ignition, the open circuit voltage (OCV) (i.e., voltage across the lamp) and buck inductor current are controlled to transfer sufficient power from the primary of the transformer to the secondary winding of the transformer to power the controller. No switches of the inverter are turned on while there is a non-zero current through the filter circuit.
US07944146B2

The photocathode lighting device of planar light emission including: a light source unit emitting a first light; a cathode plate contacted face-to-face with the light source unit; a metal mask layer adhered to the cathode plate and including a repetitive plurality of apertures; a photocathode formed on a surface of the metal mask layer, receiving the first light, and emitting an electron; an anode plate facing the cathode plate and spaced apart from the cathode plate; and a phosphor formed in a lower part of the anode plate and emitting a second light when the emitted electron collides with the phosphor.
US07944145B2

A character display module comprises a character organic light emitting diode panel, a printed circuit which is electrically connected to the character organic light emitting diode panel, a drive controller which is disposed on the printed circuit board to drive and control the character organic light emitting diode panel, and a frame which is used to position the character organic light emitting diode panel on the printed circuit board. Therefore, such an arrangement provides a lighter, thinner, high quality, cost-saving and energy-saving character display module.
US07944144B2

An organic electroluminescence device, includes: an element substrate; a light emitting unit formed on the element substrate; a sealing substrate; and a sealing portion surrounding at least the light emitting unit and disposed between the element substrate and the sealing substrate, the sealing portion having sealing glass portions and sealing resin portions.
US07944143B2

Disclosed is an organic light-emitting display device in which a substrate and an encapsulation substrate are joined by a frit and a reinforcing structure. The first substrate has a pixel region in which an organic light-emitting diode is formed, and a non-pixel region formed outside the pixel region. The second substrate is attached the first substrate by the frit. A bracket is joined with substrates by the reinforcing structure. A curable material is applied to inside the frame, moves between the first and second substrates, and then cured to form the reinforcing structure.
US07944140B2

An organic light emitting display and a method of manufacturing the same. The light emitting display includes a substrate having a pixel region and a non-pixel region; an organic light emitting diode (OLED) in the pixel region and including a first electrode, an organic thin layer, and a second electrode; a driving circuit unit in the non-pixel region and for driving the OLED; a shielding layer in the non-pixel region and on the driving circuit unit, the shielding layer being electrically coupled to a ground power source; and an insulating layer interposed between the driving circuit unit and the shielding layer. The shielding layer effectively protects the driving circuit unit in the non-pixel region form electrostatic discharge (ESD). Also, the light emitting display may include a guard ring at an edge portion of the non-pixel region and electrically coupled to the shielding layer to further protect the driving circuit from ESD.
US07944127B2

A piezoelectric ceramic composition contains main components represented by a general formula of [(Pb1-x-yCaxSry){Ti1-z(Zn1/2W1/2)z}O3], and x, y, and z satisfy 0≦x≦0.2 (preferably 0≦x≦0.15), 0≦y≦0.2 (preferably 0≦y≦0.1), 0.1≦x+y≦0.2, and 0.04≦z≦0.1. It is also preferable that the piezoelectric ceramic composition contains 0.05 weight part to 1.0 weight part of a Mn component calculated in terms of MnCO3 with respect to 100 weight parts of the main component. A piezoelectric part includes a piezoelectric ceramic element that is formed by the piezoelectric ceramic composition. It is thereby possible to realize a piezoelectric ceramic composition that can be fired at low temperature, that has a high Curie point Tc resistant to a reflow heating treatment on a lead-free solder, and that exhibits satisfactory piezoelectricity, and a piezoelectric part using this piezoelectric ceramic composition.
US07944125B2

A surface acoustic wave device causing less wear of a dicing blade and causing less drop in a dicing speed is manufactured from a mother laminate with high yield and high precision. The surface acoustic wave device is manufactured by dicing a piezoelectric wafer. The surface acoustic wave device includes a piezoelectric substrate resulting from dicing the piezoelectric wafer, IDT electrodes and pad electrodes located on a top surface of the piezoelectric substrate. A support layer having an opening opened to the IDT electrodes is provided. An outline edge of the support layer is inside an outline edge of the top surface of the piezoelectric substrate. A cover made of an insulating material is disposed on the support layer to close the opening of the support layer. In plan view, the outline edge of the cover is aligned with the outline edge of the piezoelectric substrate.
US07944123B2

A method for harvesting energy for wireless fluid stream sensors is provided that includes locating a wireless fluid stream sensor in a fluid stream. The wireless fluid stream sensor includes a flexible membrane and a rod. Energy is harvested based on strain induced in the flexible membrane due to movement of the rod. The wireless fluid stream sensor may be powered with the harvested energy. The energy may be harvested with piezoelectric elements that are coupled to the flexible membrane or with piezoelectric elements or other type of energy-harvesting components that are located remotely from the wireless fluid stream sensor.
US07944119B2

Damage of a piezoelectric element due to deformation of a piezoelectric element beyond an elastic limit is prevented.An ultrasonic actuator (2) includes an actuator body (4), a case (5), and a support unit (6). The support unit (6) includes two support rubbers (61) and a connection rubber (63), provided between the case (5) and the actuator body (4), for applying compression force to the actuator body (4) in advance at non-node portions of the vibrations of the actuator body (4) from both sides in the vibration direction of longitudinal vibration. The connection rubber (63) includes center portions (64a), end portions (64b), and reduced-material portions (67) having a lower stiffness than those of the center portions (64a) and the end portions (64b). When the support unit (6) is placed between the case (5) and the actuator body (4), at least the connection rubber (63) is compression-deformed at the reduced-material portions (67).
US07944118B2

A system for generating electrical power supply signals includes at least one heat engine that undergoes heating/cooling cycles and corresponding temperature variations. A thermoacoustic element is thermally coupled to the chamber. The temperature variations of the heat engine induce thermoacoustic oscillations of the thermoacoustic element which form a pressure wave. At least one piezoelectric transducer is deformed by the pressure wave. A power converter can be used to transform the electric signals generated in response to deformation of the at least one piezoelectric transducer to a desired electrical power supply signal. The heat engine preferably uses a geothermal source of cold and an ambient source of hot (typically used in the summer months), or vice-versa (typically used in the winter months).
US07944113B2

A MEMS hysteretic thermal actuator may have a plurality of beams disposed over a heating element formed on the surface of the substrate. The plurality of beams may be coupled to a passive beam which is not disposed over the heating element. One of the plurality of beams may be formed in a first plane parallel to the substrate, whereas another of the plurality of beams may be formed in a second plane closer to the surface of the substrate. When the heating element is activated, it heats the plurality of beams such that they move the passive beam in a trajectory that is neither parallel to nor perpendicular to the surface of the substrate. When the beams are cooled, they may move in a different trajectory, approaching the substrate before moving laterally across it to their initial positions. By providing one electrical contact on the distal end of the passive beam and another stationary electrical contact on the substrate surface, the MEMS hysteretic actuator may form a reliable electrical switch that is relatively simple to manufacture and operate.
US07944107B2

A synchronous permanent magnet machine for at least two rotation speeds has a single stator and at least two rotors. For each rotation speed there is provided a separate rotor with a different numbers of poles. The armature windings on the stator extend across all of the rotors and the windings are subjected to a rotating field with the same frequency.
US07944106B2

The present invention provides a hybrid transmission with two motor/generators, one being “on-axis” and sharing an axis of rotation with an input and output shaft of the transmission, and another being “off-axis” with a distinct axis of rotation from that of the first motor/generator. The transmission is adapted for cooling and lubricating the off-axis motor/generator, and includes a case at least partially defining a manifold. A transmission cover is mounted to the case such that the off-axis motor/generator is retained therebetween. The transmission cover at least partially defines an oil passage. The manifold is adapted to transfer oil onto a bearing device so that the bearing device is lubricated. Oil is also transferred through the oil passage and onto a torque transfer device such that the torque transfer device is lubricated.
US07944088B2

A battery backup device is provided. The battery backup device includes a first connector; a second connector; a data line which transmits data provided from an external source via the first connector to the second connector; a storage unit which is connected to the data line and selectively stores the data; and a charging unit which receives and becomes charged with a first power supply voltage provided from the external source via the first connector, selectively adjusts a voltage level of the first power supply voltage, and outputs a second power supply voltage to the second connector.
US07944084B2

There is described a peripheral module which in addition to the connection terminals for the process data supply has connection terminals for the supply of voltage. Furthermore, the peripheral module has a changeover switching device to disconnect the peripheral module from an upstream load group. The peripheral module can assume the function of a supply group or a power module when a supply voltage is applied to the terminals. In a peripheral system made of several peripheral modules the voltage within a load group is supplied via an internal self-constructing voltage bus.
US07944073B2

A power generator includes at least one underwater turbine unit providing a housing having a flow channel therethrough and at least one turbine means mounted in the flow channel for rotation in response to water flow through the flow channel. The turbine unit provides a turbine unit part releasably mountable in the turbine unit. The turbine unit part includes at least one of the at least one turbine means and a pump means. The turbine unit part is releasably mountable through an aperture in a side wall of the housing.
US07944069B2

A wind power generation system 10 comprising a frame, an impeller 12 rotatably supported by the frame, plural permanent magnets 31 aligned at equal intervals from the rotation center, and coils 32 aligned annularly on the frame. The relative motion of the permanent magnets 31 and the coils 32 in close vicinity generates electric powers by the inverse action of a linear motor. The coils 32 are mounted on the ring provided on the frame, and the permanent magnets 31 are provided on the lower end of the longitudinal blades 26 of the impeller.
US07944060B2

A device package structure includes: a base body having a conductive connection portion and a level difference portion; a device arranged on the base body, having a connection terminal electrically connected to the conductive connection portion via the level difference portion on the base body; and a connector electrically connecting the connection terminal and the conductive connection portion, having substantially the same height as a height of the level difference portion.
US07944055B2

The present invention provides a method of fabricating an interconnect structure in which a patternable low-k material replaces the need for utilizing a separate photoresist and a dielectric material. Specifically, this invention relates to a simplified method of fabricating single-damascene and dual-damascene low-k interconnect structures with at least one patternable low-k dielectric and at least one inorganic antireflective coating. In general terms, a method is provided that includes providing at least one patternable low-k material on a surface of an inorganic antireflective coating that is located atop a substrate. The inorganic ARC is liquid deposited and comprises a polymer that has at least one monomer unit comprising the formula M-R1 wherein M is at least one of Si, Ge, B, Sn, Fe, Ta, Ti, Ni, Hf and La and R1 is a chromophore. At least one interconnect pattern is formed within the at least one patternable low-k material and thereafter the at least one patternable low-k material is cured. The inventive method can be used to form dual-damascene interconnect structures as well as single-damascene interconnect structures.
US07944053B2

A first insulating film is formed on a semiconductor substrate. A first interconnection is formed in a trench formed in the first insulating film. A first barrier film is formed between the first interconnection and first insulating film. A second insulating film is formed on the upper surface of the first interconnection, and in a first hollow portion between the side surface of the first barrier film and the first insulating film. The second insulating film is formed from the upper surface of the first interconnection to a depth higher than the bottom surface of the first interconnection. The first hollow portion is formed below the bottom surface of the second insulating film.
US07944049B2

A semiconductor device comprises a package substrate, a semiconductor chip, a plurality of bump electrodes and one or more dummy chips. The semiconductor chip is mounted on one surface of the package substrate. The bump electrodes are the other surface of the package substrate and electrically connected to the semiconductor chip through a wiring structure. Each of the dummy chips is mounted on a predetermined region close to a corner portion of the semiconductor chip on the one surface of the package substrate.In the semiconductor chip, the dummy chips are formed of material having the same or similar coefficient of thermal expansion as that of the semiconductor chip. Therefore the stress caused by a difference between coefficients of thermal expansion is suppressed so as to improve connection reliability.
US07944048B2

A chip scale package is disclosed that includes a semiconductor die further comprising an array of power buses electrically coupled to a high power integrated circuit, and a plurality of Under Bump Metallization (UBM) multi-layer power buses disposed parallel to one another and spanning substantially across the entire length of the semiconductor die. The plurality of multi-layer UBM power buses, electrically coupled to the array of power buses, further includes a thick metal layer configured in a geometric shape that have interconnection balls completely posited thereupon.
US07944038B2

The present invention relates to a semiconductor package having an antenna. The semiconductor package includes a substrate, a chip, a molding compound and an antenna. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface. The chip is disposed on the first surface of the substrate, and electrically connected to the substrate. The molding compound encapsulates the whole or a part of the chip. The antenna is disposed on the molding compound, and electrically connected to the chip. The antenna is disposed on the molding compound that has a relatively large area, so that the antenna will not occupy the space for the substrate.
US07944035B2

A semiconductor die has devices such as MOSgated devices, diodes and the like formed into the top and bottom surfaces of the die. One terminal of each of the devices terminal in the interior center of the die and a common contact is made to the interior center of the die at one edge of the die. Various packages for the die having a reduced foot print on a support substrate are disclosed.
US07944017B2

An n type impurity region is continuously formed on the bottom portion of a channel region below a source region, a gate region and a drain region. The n type impurity region has an impurity concentration higher than the channel region and a back gate region, and is less influenced by the diffusion of p type impurities from the gate region and the back gate region. Moreover, by continuously forming the impurity region from a portion below the source region to a portion below the drain region, the resistance value of a current path in the impurity region is substantially uniformed. Therefore, the IDSS is stabilized, the forward transfer admittance gm and the voltage gain Gv are improved, and the noise voltage Vno is decreased. Furthermore, the IDSS variation within a single wafer is suppressed.
US07944010B2

The present invention is to provide an electromagnetic wave detecting element that can suppress a decrease in utilization efficiency of electromagnetic waves at sensor portions. An upper electrode of each of plural sensor portions, that are provided in correspondence with intersection portions of plural scan lines and plural signal lines disposed to intersect one another, is electrically connected to any other adjacent upper electrode. At each group of sensor portions whose upper electrodes are electrically connected, a common electrode line and the upper electrode of any sensor portion belonging to that group of sensor portions are connected by a contact pad via a contact hole formed in an insulating film and at a connection place of a number that is less than a number of sensor portions belonging to that group of sensor portions.
US07944009B2

A multilayered magnetoresistive device includes a specular layer positioned on at least one sidewall and a copper layer positioned between the specular layer and the sidewall.
US07944000B2

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor resistor includes forming a well region in a semiconductor substrate, with the well region serving as a resistive region, forming a pair of contact regions spaced apart from each other in the well region, and forming a diffusion region in an intermediate portion between the pair of contact regions on a surface of the well region. The diffusion region is configured to adjust resistance and temperature dependence of the semiconductor resistor.
US07943998B2

A memory device includes a first active region on a substrate and first and second source/drain regions on the substrate abutting respective first and second sidewalls of the first active region. A first gate structure is disposed on the first active region between the first and second source/drain regions. A second active region is disposed on the first gate structure between and abutting the first and second source/drain regions. A second gate structure is disposed on the second active region overlying the first gate structure.
US07943990B2

A power semiconductor device which includes a plurality of gate trenches and a perimeter trench intersecting the gate trenches.
US07943987B2

A semiconductor component has a drift zone and a drift control zone, a drift control zone dielectric, which is arranged in sections between the drift zone and the drift control zone, and has a first and a second connection zone, which are doped complementarily with respect to one another and which form a pn junction between the drift control zone and a section of the drift zone.
US07943970B2

Provided is a method of detecting the presence of a target bio-molecule or a concentration of the bio-molecule using a field effect transistor. The method includes: contacting a first sample having a first target bio-molecule with a reference electrode of a field effect transistor; measuring a first electric signal change of the field effect transistor; contacting a second sample with a sensing surface of the same field effect transistor; measuring a second electric signal change of the field effect transistor; and comparing the first electric signal with the second electric signal.
US07943969B2

A transistor and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The transistor includes a SiGe epitaxial layer formed in a recess region of a substrate at both side of a gate electrode and a SiGe capping layer formed on the SiGe epitaxial layer. The transistor further includes a SiGe seed layer formed under the SiGe epitaxial layer and a silicon capping layer formed on the SiGe capping layer.
US07943968B1

A charge coupled device is manufactured by using a crystalline silicon film that is formed by growing a crystal in parallel with a substrate by utilizing the nickel element with an amorphous silicon film used as a starting film. The crystal growth direction is made coincident with the charge transfer direction. As a result, the charge coupled device is given high charge transfer efficiency.
US07943967B2

A semiconductor device includes a substrate portion having a plurality of diffusion regions defined therein. The plurality of diffusion regions are separated from each other by one or more non-active regions of the substrate portion. The plurality of diffusion regions are defined in a non-symmetrical manner relative to a virtual line defined to bisect the substrate portion. The semiconductor device includes a gate electrode level region formed above the substrate portion to include a number of conductive features defined to extend in only a first parallel direction. Each of the number of conductive features within the gate electrode level region is fabricated from a respective originating rectangular-shaped layout feature. The number of conductive features within the gate electrode level region includes conductive features defined along at least four different virtual lines of extent in the first parallel direction across the gate electrode level region.
US07943961B2

A semiconductor structure includes an active region; a gate strip overlying the active region; and a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) device. A portion of the gate strip forms a gate of the MOS device. A portion of the active region forms a source/drain region of the MOS device. The semiconductor structure further includes a stressor region over the MOS device; and a stressor-free region inside the stressor region and outside the region over the active region.
US07943956B2

A housing for a semiconductor device is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the housing comprises a semiconductor substrate that is arranged between two contact elements, one contact element forming an anode contact element and another contact element forming a cathode contact element, the semiconductor substrate having, on at least one surface, a gate electrode that is contacted by a gate contact element, the first contact element forming a surface arranged across from the gate electrode and at a distance from the gate electrode. Also included is at least one driver unit for generating a gate current, the driver unit comprising a first terminal that is contacted with the gate contact element, and a second terminal that is contacted with a first of the two contact elements. A housing according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention additionally comprises a spring element arranged so that a spring force brings the gate contact element into pressure contact with the gate electrode and, at substantially the same time, the spring force brings the second terminal of the driver unit into pressure contact with the surface of the first contact element that is located across from the gate electrode.
US07943953B2

To provide a light emitting device and a light emitting module which can suppress deterioration caused by light emitted from a light emitting chip, even in the case of using a light emitting chip emitted light of which has a short wavelength and in which deterioration of emission brightness and the like does not easily occur even if used for a long period of time.The device is characterized by including a container (20) which is formed of a transparent inorganic material and has a recessed opening, a light emitting chip (1) which is disposed in the recessed opening of the container (20) with a glass bonding member (4) interposed therebetween and in which a first conduction type layer (11), a light emitting layer (12), and a second conduction layer (13) are formed on a substrate (10), and a lid (21) which is formed of a transparent inorganic material and blocks the recessed opening of the container. The container (20) and the lid (21) are formed of quartz glass, optical glass containing boric acid and silicic acid, crystal, sapphire, fluorite or the like.
US07943949B2

The present invention utilizes high-indium-content InxGa1-xN islands (0
US07943948B2

A light-emitting device and manufacturing method thereof are disclosed. The light-emitting device includes a substrate, a semiconductor light-emitting structure, a filter layer, and a fluorescent conversion layer. The method comprises forming a semiconductor light-emitting structure over a substrate, forming a filter layer over the semiconductor light-emitting structure, and forming a fluorescent conversion layer over the filter layer.
US07943935B2

A semiconductor device includes a thin-film transistor including a polycrystalline silicon layer, disposed above a substrates serving as an active layer. The thin-film transistor includes a first thin-film transistor section including a first channel region disposed in a drain-side portion of the polycrystalline silicon layer and also includes a second thin-film transistor section including a second channel region that is adjacent to the first channel region with an impurity-implanted region disposed therebetween. The first and second thin-film transistor sections are of the same conductivity type. The gate electrode of the first thin-film transistor section is electrically connected to the gate electrode of the second thin-film transistor section. The first thin-film transistor section has a channel length of less than 2 μm.
US07943932B2

A flexible display substrate includes: a thin film transistor on the flexible substrate, the thin film transistor including a gate electrode, a gate insulating layer insulating the gate electrode, a channel layer on the gate insulating layer, a source electrode connected with the channel layer, and a drain electrode connected with the channel layer; a first stress absorbing layer below the thin film transistor; a first protection layer on the first stress absorbing layer; a second stress absorbing layer on the thin film transistor; a second protection layer on the second stress absorbing layer; and a pixel electrode on the second protection layer, the pixel electrode being connected with the drain electrode.
US07943927B2

A ZnO based semiconductor light emitting device includes: a first semiconductor layer containing ZnO1-x1Sx1; a second semiconductor layer formed above the first semiconductor layer and containing ZnO1-x2Sx2; and a third semiconductor layer formed above the second semiconductor layer and containing ZnO1-x3Sx3, wherein an S composition x1 of the first semiconductor layer, an S composition x2 of the second semiconductor layer and an S composition x3 of the third semiconductor layer are so selected that an energy of the second semiconductor layer at the lower end of a conduction band becomes lower than both energies of the first and third semiconductor layers at the lower end of the conduction bands, and that an energy of the second semiconductor layer at the upper end of a valence band becomes higher than both energies of the first and third semiconductor layers at the upper end of the valence bands.
US07943926B2

A nonvolatile memory device having self-presence diode characteristics, and/or a nonvolatile memory array including the nonvolatile memory device may be provided. The nonvolatile memory device may include a lower electrode, a first semiconductor oxide layer on the lower electrode, a second semiconductor oxide layer on the first semiconductor oxide layer, and/or an upper electrode on the second semiconductor oxide layer.
US07943921B2

A phase change memory element and method of forming the same. The memory element includes first and second electrodes. A first layer of phase change material is between the first and second electrodes. A second layer including a metal-chalcogenide material is also between the first and second electrodes and is one of a phase change material and a conductive material. An insulating layer is between the first and second layers. There is at least one opening in the insulating layer providing contact between the first and second layers.
US07943920B2

A memory device comprises first and second electrodes with a memory element and a buffer layer located between and electrically coupled to them. The memory element comprises one or more metal oxygen compounds. The buffer layer comprises at least one of an oxide and a nitride. Another memory device comprises first and second electrodes with a memory element and a buffer layer, having a thickness of less than 50 Å, located between and electrically coupled to them. The memory comprises one or more metal oxygen compounds. An example of a method of fabricating a memory device includes forming first and second electrodes. A memory, located between and electrically coupled to the first and the second electrodes, is formed; the memory comprises one or more metal oxygen compounds and the buffer layer comprises at least one of an oxide and a nitride.
US07943911B2

A method of determining the doses of neutrons, gamma and X-ray photons, beta, alpha and other ionizing radiations using a method of image processing in spatial and frequency domain that produces parameters that are related to the radiation dose absorbed in a luminescent material. Portions of the luminescent material may be covered by different converters to allow for doses of different radiations to be discriminated.
US07943900B2

A method for the analysis of mixtures of components includes separating or partially separating different components of a mixture of a sample by means that causes the components to elute sequentially over a period of time, forming precursor ions from the components in the eluent, repeatedly switching, altering or varying an Electron Transfer Dissociation fragmentation device back and forth between a hi-fragmentation mode and a low-fragmentation mode to alternately produce product ions from the precursor ions in the hi-fragmentation mode and to produce substantially fewer product ions in the low-fragmentation mode, and obtaining mass spectra during the period of time from the precursor and product ions received from the Electron Transfer Dissociation fragmentation device.
US07943897B2

This optical encoder includes a light emitting section and a plurality of light receiving elements placed so as to be aligned in one direction in an area where a light beam from the light emitting section may reach. A moving object includes a light-ON section, a light-OFF section and an index pattern section. The light receiving element outputs a first light receiving signal when the light-ON section and the light-OFF section of the moving object pass through a predetermined position corresponding to the light receiving element. The light receiving element outputs a second light receiving signal when the index pattern section of the moving object passes through a predetermined position corresponding to the light receiving element. The output section outputs an incremental channel signal indicating movement information of the moving object based on the first light receiving signal while outputting an index channel signal indicating reference position of the moving object based on the second light receiving signal. The incremental channel signal and the index channel signal are out of phase with each other.
US07943893B2

An illumination optical system has: a light source, a diffusion member, and a rod integrator, and illuminates an image display surface of a display element. The light source emits an illumination beam having a flat cross section. The diffusion member isotropically diffuses the illumination beam. The rod integrator uniformizes spatial energy distribution of the illumination beam put into a diffused state by the diffusion member.
US07943890B2

An output of a load voltage detector is read by an A/D converter, and a reference value Is and a switching frequency are decided by a microcomputer. In order that the decided switching frequency can be achieved, a SET signal is inputted from a switching frequency counting unit to a drive controller, and a switching element is turned on. When a current flowing through the switching element, which is detected by a resistor, exceeds the reference value Is of a reference arithmetic unit, a RESET signal is inputted from a current detector to the drive controller, and the switching element is turned off. Thereafter, the reference value Is and the switching frequency are set so that the switching element can be turned on at the next time at timing when a regenerative current of a diode turns to substantial zero. As described above, the switching frequency is controlled in response to a state of a discharge lamp while controlling the switching element to turn on at the timing when the regenerative current turns to substantial zero without bringing up a cost increase of a discharge lamp lighting device.
US07943867B2

The present invention provides an electronic device having a ejector for an external device. The ejector includes a body, a first elastic member, a plate, a block, a rotating unit, and a second elastic member. The ejector of the present invention is able to eject the external device engaged therewith. Thus, the apparatus can be applied to an electronic device required for detaching the external device.
US07943860B2

A material board for producing a hybrid circuit board includes a plurality of hybrid circuit board sections 1 on each of which an electronic component 2 is mounted and a metallic terminal plate 3 for external connection is bonded so as to project from the hybrid circuit board section. A frame portion 6 is defined between the hybrid circuit board sections, and the hybrid circuit board sections are integrally connected to the frame portion via a thin strip 8 provided at an intermediate portion of grooves 7 each surrounding a respective one of the hybrid circuit board sections entirely. In bonding the terminal plate 3 to the hybrid circuit board by soldering, the terminal plate is temporarily bonded to the frame portion 6 with an adhesive 9. The adhesive is prevented from spreading toward the end of the terminal plate. A hole or a recess 10 is formed in the frame portion 6 at a region with which the terminal plate 3 is to overlap and which is closer to an end of the terminal plate than a portion to which the adhesive 9 for temporarily bonding the terminal plate to the frame portion is to be applied is.
US07943858B2

There is provided a thin film capacitor and a capacitor-embedded printed board improved in leakage current characteristics. A dielectric layer is formed of a BiZnNb-based amorphous metal oxide with a predetermined dielectric constant without being heat treated at a high temperature, and metallic phase bismuth of the BiZnNb-based amorphous metal oxide is adjusted in content to attain a desired dielectric constant. Also, another dielectric layer having a different content of metallic phase bismuth may be formed. The thin film capacitor including: a first electrode; a dielectric layer including a first dielectric film formed on the first electrode, the dielectric layer comprising a BiZnNb-based amorphous metal oxide; and a second electrode formed on the dielectric layer, wherein the BiZnNb-based amorphous metal oxide contains metallic phase bismuth.
US07943856B2

A composition for producing a printed circuit board is provided. The composition includes a polyamic acid having one or two crosslinkable functional groups introduced at one or both ends thereof, a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) or a liquid crystalline thermoset (LCT) oligomer, and an organic solvent. Therefore, the composition can be used as a material for next-generation boards that are becoming gradually lighter in weight and smaller in thickness and size. Further provided is a printed circuit board produced using the composition.
US07943848B2

A photoelectric conversion element comprising an electrically conductive support having thereon an oxide semiconductor electrode comprising an oxide semiconductor which is adsorbed with a dye, and a counter electrode facing the oxide semiconductor electrode through a charge transfer layer, wherein the dye is represented by Formula (1):
US07943846B2

Photoactive materials made from Group IV semiconductor nanoparticles dispersed in an inorganic oxide matrix and methods for making the photoactive materials are provided. In some instances, the nanoparticles are functionalized with organosilanes to provide nanoparticle-organosilane compounds. The photoactive materials may be formed by subjecting the nanoparticles or nanoparticle compounds to a sol-gel process. The photoactive materials are well-suited for use in devices which convert electromagnetic radiation into electrical energy, including photovoltaic devices, photoconductors, and photodetectors.
US07943831B2

The present invention relates to a plant of the Capsicum genus, which plant exhibits resistance to Pepper mild mottle virus (PMMoV) pathotype 1.2.3 due to the presence of the L4 resistance allele in the genome of said plant, wherein the genetic information responsible for the SNFD phenotype is absent from or is repressed in the genome of said plant at least to such an extent that the SNFD phenotype is not expressed. The present invention further relates to a method of producing a plant of the Capsicum genus that exhibits resistance to PMMoV pathotype 1.2.3, comprising the steps of a) providing a recipient plant of the Capsicum genus that is susceptible to PMMoV pathotype 1.2.3 or a part thereof, and b) introducing into the genome of said recipient plant or a part thereof or a progeny plant thereof a genomic region comprising a truncated L4 resistance allele, wherein said allele comprises genetic information capable of being expressed in said plant or plant part or progeny plant thereby conferring resistance to PMMoV pathotype 1.2.3 to said plant or plant part or progeny plant, and wherein genetic information that confers the SNFD phenotype is absent from said allele at least to such an extent that the SNFD phenotype is not expressed.
US07943830B2

The invention relates to the novel cotton variety designated 07W901DF. Provided by the invention are the seeds, plants, plant parts and derivatives of the cotton variety 07W901DF. Also provided by the invention are tissue cultures of the cotton variety 07W901DF and the plants regenerated therefrom. Still further provided by the invention are methods for producing cotton plants by crossing the cotton variety 07W901DF with itself or another cotton variety and plants produced by such methods.
US07943828B2

The invention relates to the novel cotton variety designated 07X440DF. Provided by the invention are the seeds, plants, plant parts and derivatives of the cotton variety 07X440DF. Also provided by the invention are tissue cultures of the cotton variety 07X440DF and the plants regenerated therefrom. Still further provided by the invention are methods for producing cotton plants by crossing the cotton variety 07X440DF with itself or another cotton variety and plants produced by such methods.
US07943827B1

The present invention is in the field of soybean cultivar 05JR004683 breeding and development. The present invention particularly relates to the soybean cultivar 05JR004683 and its progeny, and methods of making 05JR004683.
US07943823B2

Isolated nucleic acid fragments and recombinant constructs comprising such fragments encoding a delta-8 desaturase along with a method of making long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) using this delta-8 desaturase in plants and oleaginous yeast are disclosed.
US07943813B2

An absorbent article, such as a feminine care product, includes a liquid permeable liner layer, a generally liquid impermeable outer cover layer, and an absorbent layer disposed between the liner layer and outer cover layer. Spaced apart solidified deposits of a phase-change liquid are defined on either the liner layer top surface, bottom surface or both surfaces, and/or other layers along the other layers' upper or lower surfaces. The deposits are defined such that areas of the liner layer top surface are exposed thereby being permeable to bodily exudates insulting the article between the deposits while acting as a barrier against liquid that may flow back to the liner layer or other treated layers from the absorbent layer or other layers contained in the absorbent article.
US07943812B2

A layered adhesive construct is provided having a backing layer, a first layer of a hydrocolloid adhesive, and a second layer of a hydrocolloid adhesive, where the first and second layers of hydrocolloid adhesives have different composition, and the second layer of hydrocolloid adhesive is interposed between the first layer of hydrocolloid adhesive and the backing layer. The first adhesive layer is a layer of moldable adhesive paste including hydrocolloids having a Strain Recovery below 45% and the second adhesive layer is a layer of hydrocolloid adhesive having a Strain Recovery above 55%.
US07943811B2

An adhesive bandage having a support layer with a first surface facing the skin of the user and which defines a first surface area, at least one first composite layer having an adhesive element applied to the first surface and substantially covering the whole of the first surface area, and at least one multi-layer system associated to at least a section of the first composite layer. The multi-layer system includes at least one permeable polymeric film layer and at least one second composite layer having at least one adhesive element and at least one hydrocolloidal element. The multi-layer system is associated to the first composite layer via the second composite layer or the permeable polymeric film layer.
US07943804B2

The use of ozonation has been discovered to increase the lutein extraction from aflatoxin-free corn and for some batches of alfalfa. In addition, the ozonation will substantially decrease any aflatoxin in the plant source. The structure of lutein as indicated by HPLC elution profile and the function of lutein using an antimutagenic activity was shown not to be affected by the ozonation.
US07943800B2

The present invention provides compounds having formula (I), and additionally provides methods for the synthesis thereof, compositions thereof, and methods for the use thereof in the treatment of various disorders including cancer, metastasis and disorders involving increased angiogenesis, wherein R1—R6, Ra—Rc, Q, Y1, Y2 and n are as defined herein.
US07943797B2

The present invention consists on the synthesis of new products for the treatment of the iron chlorosis. These products may have improved properties regarding the currently known treatments. The new products are non-symmetrical ethylene diamino hydroxyphenyl acetic acid derivatives possessing only five coordination sites able to chelate metals.
US07943793B2

The present invention is an optically active organic acidate-bridged dinuclear platinum(II) complex represented by the general formula (I): or the general formula (I′): (wherein R1 and R2 are the same or different and each represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, or form an alkylene group by binding to each other at the ends thereof; R3 and R4 are the same or different and each represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group, or form an alkylene group by binding to each other at the ends thereof; A represents a single bond or a methylene group; and X− represents an anion). The complex of the present invention has an excellent anticancer activity, and is useful as medicine, especially an anticancer agent.
US07943789B2

The invention relates to an aqueous sizing composition comprising (a) an emulsion comprising an alkenylsuccinic anhydride component containing alkenylsuccinic anhydride particles suspended in a first starch component containing emulsifying starch selected from the group consisting of non-ionic starches, ionic starches, and mixtures thereof, and (b) a second starch component selected from the group consisting of non-ionic starches, ionic starches and mixtures thereof, such that the alkenylsuccinic anhydride and the starch in the emulsion and the second starch component are present at a starch: alkenylsuccinic anhydride weight ratio that is sufficiently high to enable the sizing composition to impart useful sizing properties to a fibrous substrate when the sizing composition contacts the fibrous substrate. The invention also relates to fibrous substrates treated with the sizing composition, processes for making the composition and processes for using such a composition, and other compositions. In one embodiment, alkylene ketene dimer is used instead of alkenylsuccinic anhydride.
US07943787B2

The subject invention pertains to pentafluorosulfonyl (SF5) substituted pyrroles, thiophenes, 3-pyrrolines and 2,5-dihydrothiophenes, as well as methods for their synthesis.
US07943783B2

Multifunctional compounds having acylsulfonamide amine-reactive groups are described that can be used for the capture of amine containing materials.
US07943770B2

The present invention aims at provision of a quinoline derivative having a neurokinin 2 (NK2) receptor antagonistic action and relates to a compound represented by the formula (I) wherein R1 is a hydrogen atom and the like; R2 is a hydrogen atom, a hydrocarbon group optionally having substituent(s) and the like; R3 is unsubstituted (i.e., absence), a hydrogen atom and the like; R4 and R5 are the same or different and each is a hydrogen atom, a hydrocarbon group optionally having substituent(s), and the like; R6 is (cyclic group optionally having substituent(s))-carbonyl, and the like; R7, R8, R9 and R10 are the same or different and each is a hydrogen atom, halogen and the like; or R7 and R8, R8 and R9, and R9 and R10 may form a ring together with the adjacent carbon atoms; n is an integer of 1 to 5;  represents unsubstituted (i.e., absence) or a single bond; and  represents a single bond or a double bond, or a salt thereof, and the like.
US07943769B2

The invention relates to a fluorinated derivate of quinolin-2(1H)-one (I), to a method for preparing the same, and to the use thereof as an intermediate in the synthesis of 7-fluoro-2-oxo-4-[2-[4-[thieno[3,2-c]pyridine-4-yl)piperazin-1-yl]ethyl]-1,2-dihydro-quinolin-1-acetamide. The invention also relates to the pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof.
US07943759B2

The invention is directed to 3-β-D-ribofuranosylthiazolo[4,5-d]pyrimidine nucleosides and pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds that have immunomodulatory activity. The invention is also directed to the therapeutic or prophylactic use of such compounds and compositions, and to methods of treating diseases and disorders described herein, by administering effective amounts of such compounds.
US07943758B2

Methods of synthesizing nucleic acid oligomers on a solid-phase support having a 3′-end nucleoside unit introduced thereon-as represented by formula II: wherein of formula II represents a 2′-deoxyribonucleoside or its N-protected derivative, the substituent —O—(R1)Si(R2)—(C6H3R6)—(CH2)n—O—P(OR3)XO)—(CH2)n is attached at the 3′ position of the sugar moiety of the nucleoside substituent; each of R1 and R2 is an alkyl or optionally substituted aryl group, wherein the optionally substituted aryl group has a substituent selected from the group consisting of C1-4 alkyl, nitro, cyano, halo and methoxyl; R3 is a protecting group; X is S or O; R7 is H or 4,4′-dimethoxytrityl; each n is an integer of from 1 to 5; and the solid-phase support has hydroxyl groups on its surface.
US07943741B2

The present invention relates to antibodies and related molecules that specifically bind to CK-B4. Such antibodies have uses, for example, in the prevention and treatment of cancer as well as immune system diseases and disorders including cancers, as well as immune system diseases and disorders including autoimmune disease, inflammatory disorders, immunodeficiencies, infections, HIV, arthritis, allergy, psoriasis, dermatitis, and inflammatory bowel disease. The invention also relates to nucleic acid molecules encoding anti-CK-B4 antibodies, vectors and host cells containing these nucleic acids, and methods for producing the same. The present invention relates to methods and compositions for preventing, detecting, diagnosing, treating or ameliorating a disease or disorder, especially cancers, as well as immune system diseases and disorders including autoimmune disease, inflammatory disorders, immunodeficiencies, infections, HIV, arthritis, allergy, psoriasis, dermatitis, and inflammatory bowel disease, comprising administering to an animal, preferably a human, an effective amount of one or more antibodies or fragments or variants thereof, or related molecules, that specifically bind to CK-B4.
US07943738B2

The present invention provides for IL-17 receptor like polypeptides and nucleic acid molecules encoding the same. The invention also provides vectors, host cells, agonists and antagonists (including selective binding agents), and methods for producing IL-17 receptor like polypeptides. Also provided for are methods for treatment, diagnosis, amelioration, or prevention of diseases with IL-17 receptor like polypeptides.
US07943729B2

Disclosed are methods for obtaining at least one epitope suitable for detecting the presence of an antibody against a tumor associated antigen of a cancer in a sample. Kits, assays, and substrates employing the epitopes of the present invention are disclosed. Also disclosed are epitopes of NY-ESO-1 and XAGE-1b and methods of using thereof.
US07943728B2

Disintegrin variants and pharmaceutical uses thereof are disclosed. The disintegrin variant includes an isolated polypeptide that has integrin αvβ3 receptor-antagonist activity and substantially reduced integrin αllbβ3 and/or α5β1 receptor-blocking activity as compared to a wild-type disintegrin. The variant is encoded by a modified disintegrin nucleotide sequence that encodes a modified amino acid sequence, resulting in a polypeptide having substantially reduced affinity to integrin αllbβ3 and/or α5β1 as compared to a wild-type disintegrin. The variant is useful for treatment and/or prevention of αvβ3 integrin-associated diseases in a mammal, which include osteoporosis, bone tumor or cancer growth, angiogenesis-related tumor growth and metastasis, tumor metastasis in bone, malignancy-induced hypercalcemia, angiogenesis-related eye diseases, Paget's disease, rheumatic arthritis, and osteoarthritis. The angiogenesis-related eye diseases include age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, corneal neovascularizing diseases, ischaemia-induced neovascularizing retinopathy, high myopia, and retinopathy of prematurity.
US07943726B2

A process and an apparatus are described for preparation of oxymethylene polymers. This process encompasses polymerization, in a homogeneous phase, of a monomer which forms oxymethylene groups, as far as 90% of maximum conversion in the presence of an acetal of formaldehyde and of an initiator for cationic polymerization, followed by deactivation of the reaction mixture. The resultant oxymethylene polymers have alkyl ether end groups and are extremely stable.
US07943720B2

A method of manufacturing a purified product of a liquid medium-chain alkyl-modified polydimethylsiloxane that is free of a specific (unpleasant) odor and is practically odorless, the method comprising the steps of: [A] synthesizing a liquid medium-chain alkyl-modified polydimethylsiloxane by carrying out a hydrosilylation reaction between a hydrosilyl-containing polydimethylsiloxane and an α-olefin with 4 to 18 carbon atoms; and [B] subjecting a crude product of the liquid medium-chain alkyl-modified polydimethylsiloxane obtained in preceding step [A] to an odor-removing treatment by conducting a hydrogenation reaction which is carried out in the presence of a hydrogenation catalyst.
US07943712B2

The present invention is directed to a catalyst system for synthesizing rubbery polymers, such as polybutadiene rubber, styrene-butadiene rubber, isoprene-butadiene rubber, or styrene-isoprene-butadiene rubber, that are amine functionalized and have a high trans microstructure. The catalyst system, in one embodiment, includes (a) an organolithium amine compound, (b) a group IIa metal salt of an amino glycol or a glycol ether, (c) an organoaluminum compound, and optionally (d) an amine compound. The amine functionalized rubbery polymers can be utilized in tire tread rubbers where the rubbery polymers may provide desirable wear properties without substantially sacrificing other performance characteristic(s), e.g., traction properties.
US07943699B2

Disclosed are films, tapes, and melt-spun fibers prepared from a composition comprising (a) at least one polyester polymer and (b) from about 1 to 30 weight % of at least one ethylene copolymer such as ethylene/vinyl acetate dipolymers, ethylene/vinyl acetate terpolymers, ethylene/alkyl (meth)acrylate dipolymers, ethylene/alkyl (meth)acrylate terpolymers, functionalized ethylene copolymers, ethylene/acid copolymers, and salts thereof. The films, tapes and fibers exhibit improved tensile properties such as tensile strength and elongation at break compared to non-modified polyester compositions. Also disclosed are textiles and articles prepared from the fibers described.
US07943697B2

The disclosure is directed to a sterilized medical device including a non-polymerized blend including a silicone matrix material and a radiation resistant component.
US07943691B2

A high HDT CPVC compound that is optically clear is disclosed. The choice of CPVC resin, the use of external lubricants, and other optional ingredients achieves a threshold of optical clarity for the compound to be used to make optically clear articles via extrusion or molding. An optically clear CPVC industrial pipe is particularly useful for monitoring of fluid flow.
US07943689B2

An object of the present invention is to improve abrasion-resistance and spin performance of a golf ball having a polyurethane cover.The golf ball of the present invention is a golf ball having a core and a cover covering the core. The cover contains a layered silicate and a polyurethane resin having a secondary or a tertiary amine structure in a molecular chain thereof. In the present invention, the polyurethane resin used as a resin component constituting the cover has a secondary or tertiary amine structure in a molecular chain. Thus, it has a strong interaction with the layered silicate, and a reinforcing effect of the filler becomes even higher. As a result, abrasion-resistance and spin performance of the resultant cover are improved.
US07943683B2

Continuous processing methods for making absorbable polymeric films with one or more of the following properties: high toughness, low modulus, high tensile strength, and thickness less than 10 mm, more preferably less than 1 mm, and more preferably less than 100 μm, have been developed. In the preferred embodiment, the polymer is a polyhydroxyalkanoate, and in the most preferred embodiment, the polymer comprises 4-hydroxybutyrate. A particularly preferred embodiment is a film of poly-4-hydroxybutyrate or copolymer thereof, wherein the film has a tensile strength greater than 5.5 kgf/mm2, tensile modulus less than 181 kgf/mm2, and elongation at break from 10-500%, wherein the film is derived by a continuous process such as melt extrusion or solvent casting, followed by orientation to more than 25% of the film's original length in one or more directions. These can be used for a variety of purposes including fabrication of medical devices.
US07943682B2

The invention relates to radiation-curable, water-emulsifiable compounds containing isocyanate groups or capped isocyanate groups, and to their use.
US07943662B2

The invention relates to complexes of certain flavonoid derivatives, of the formula (I), where R1 and R2 are selected from H and OR11, where OR11 stands, independently of one another, for OH, straight-chain or branched C1- to C20-alkoxy groups, straight-chain or branched C3- to C20-alkenyloxy groups, straight-chain or branched C1- to C20-hydroxyalkoxy groups, where the hydroxyl group(s) may be bonded to a primary or secondary carbon atom in the chain and furthermore the alkyl chain may also be interrupted by oxygen, and/or C3- to C10-cycloalkoxy groups and/or C3- to C12-cycloalkenyloxy groups, where the rings may in each case also be bridged by —(CH2)n— groups, where n=1 to 3, and/or mono- and/or oligoglycosyl radicals, with the proviso that at least one radical from R1 and R2 stands for OR11, and R3 to R10 may be identical or different and stand, independently of one another, for radicals which are substantially inert with respect to the UV properties, to compositions which comprise such complexes, to corresponding processes for the preparation of the complexes or the compositions comprising the latter, and to the use thereof, in particular for the care, preservation or improvement of the general condition of the skin or hair and for light protection.
US07943659B2

Compounds, pharmaceutical compositions, kits and methods are provided for use with MEK that comprise a compound selected from the group consisting of: wherein the variables are as defined herein.
US07943657B2

Imidoalkancarboxylic acids of formula: are described, wherein A, X and M are as defined in the application, said acids being in a crystalline form which in contact with water gives rise to crystals having sizes lower than 30 micron.
US07943652B2

The present teachings relate to compounds of Formula I: and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, esters, and prodrugs thereof, wherein R1, R2, R3, Y, Z, and are as defined herein. The present teachings also provide methods of preparing compounds of Formula I and methods of using compounds of Formula I in treating, inhibiting, or preventing pathologic conditions or disorders mediated wholly or in part by deacetylases.
US07943644B2

Specific azole compounds are outstandingly suitable for stabilizing iodine-containing biocides in industrial materials, more particularly in paints based on alkyd resin.
US07943642B2

Certain novel N,N-di(heteroarylalkyl)amine derivatives have provided unexpected insecticidal and acaricidal activity. These compounds are represented by formula (I): wherein Ar Ar1, a, b, c, R, Rd, Re, Rf, Rg, Rh, R′, R3 and Rk are fully described herein. In addition, compositions comprising an insecticidally effective amount of at least one compound of formula I, and optionally, an effective amount of at least one of a second compound, with at least one insecticidally compatible carrier are also disclosed; along with methods of controlling insects comprising applying said compositions to a locus where insects are present or are expected to be present.
US07943636B2

Pyrazolo[3,4-c] ring compounds of Formula (I), e.g., pyrazolo[3,4-c]pyridines, pyrazolo[3,4-c]quinolines, 6,7,8,9-tetrahydro pyrazolo[3,4-c]quinolines, and pyrazolo[3,4-c]naphthyridines, substituted at the 1-position, pharmaceutical compositions containing the compounds, intermediates, methods of making and methods of use of these compounds as immunomodulators, for inducing cytokine biosynthesis in animals and in the treatment of diseases including viral and neoplastic diseases are disclosed.
US07943629B2

The invention relates to sulphimides as protein kinase inhibitors of the general formula I
US07943627B2

There are provided compounds of formula I wherein X, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8 and R9 are as indicated in claim 1, useful in disorders where ZAP-70 and/or Syk inhibition plays a role or caused by a malfunction of signal cascades connected with FAK.
US07943621B2

The present invention relates to novel monohydrochloride, dihydrochloride, monohydrobromide, maleate and methanesulphonate salts of trans 4-{2-[4-(2,3-dichlorophenyl)-piperazine-1-yl]-ethyl}-N,N-dimethylcarbamoyl-cyclohexylamine and/or their hydrates and/or solvates. Moreover, the invention relates to the process for preparing the salts and their hydrates and/or solvates, to their use in the treatment and/or prevention of conditions which require modulation of dopamine receptor and to pharmaceutical compositions containing them.
US07943618B2

This application discloses pyridine and pyrimidine compounds according to formula I wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, X1 and A are as described herein which inhibit Btk. The compounds disclosed herein are useful to modulate the activity of Btk and treat diseases associated with excessive Btk activity. The compounds are further useful to treat inflammatory and auto immune diseases associated with aberrant B-cell proliferation such as rheumatoid arthritis. Also disclosed are compositions containing compounds of formula I and at least one carrier, diluent or excipient.
US07943617B2

A compound of Formula (I) and enantiomers, diastereomers and pharmaceutically-acceptable salts thereof. Also disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions containing compounds of Formula I, and methods of treating conditions associated with the activity of p38 kinase.
US07943615B2

The present invention is directed to novel substituted fused aminopiperidines of structural formula (I) which are inhibitors of the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 enzyme and which are useful in the treatment or prevention of diseases in which the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 enzyme is involved, such as diabetes and particularly Type 2 diabetes. The invention is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising these compounds and the use of these compounds and compositions in the prevention or treatment of such diseases in which the dipeptidyl peptidase-4 enzyme is involved.
US07943604B2

The invention relates to cosmetic methods of treating human skin. The method includes applying to the skin a composition containing an estrogenic component and a cosmetically acceptable vehicle. Other aspects of the invention relate to therapeutic methods of treating or preventing vaginal dryness or acne and a therapeutic method of promoting wound healing. Another aspect relates to a skin care composition comprising the aforementioned estrogenic component and a cosmetically acceptable vehicle.
US07943603B2

Novel methods for the medical treatment and/or inhibition of the development of osteoporosis, breast cancer, hypercholesterolemia, hyperlipidemia or atherosclerosis in susceptible warm-blooded animals including humans involving administration of selective estrogen receptor modulator particularly compounds having the general structure: and an amount of a sex steroid precursor selected from the group consisting of dehydroepiandrosterone, dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate, androst-5-ene-3β,17β-diol and compounds converted in vivo to one of the foregoing precursor. Further administration of bisphosphonates in combination with selective estrogen receptor modulators and/or sex steroid precursor is disclosed for the medical treatment and/or inhibition of the development of osteoporosis. Pharmaceutical compositions for delivery of active ingredient(s) and kit(s) useful to the invention are also disclosed.
US07943594B2

One aspect of the present invention relates to solution-phase approaches to GPI synthesis. Another aspect of the present invention relates to key building blocks, and syntheses thereof, useful for GPI assembly. Yet another aspect of the invention relates to an automated method for the synthesis of GPIs and fragments thereof.
US07943584B2

A pharmaceutical composition effective for the prophylaxis and treatment of diabetes is provided. This pharmaceutical composition comprises the combination of an α-amylase inhibitor selected from a compound represented by the following general formula (I): [wherein A represents, for example, a cyclic group, etc. R1 and R2 represent an alkyl group, hydroxymethyl group, etc., and n represents 1 or 2], or a pharmacologically acceptable salt or ester thereof, and at least one type of drug selected from an insulin sensitizer, an insulin secretagogue, a biguanide drug, an insulin preparation and a DPP-IV inhibitor.
US07943582B2

A novel crystal form of 1-(β-D-glucopyranosyl)-4-methyl-3-[5-(4-fluorophenyl)-2-thienylmethyl]benzene hemihydrate, and having favorable characteristics, is characterized by its x-ray powder diffraction pattern and/or by its infra-red spectrum.
US07943579B2

Implant articles with improved osseointegrating properties, osteogenic implant materials, and process of inducing differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells, proliferation of osteoblast and attachment of cells to implant surface, comprising the step of impregnating the surface with a solution containing osteoactive bone sialoprotein, recombinant human bone sialoprotein, recombinant His-Myc-Ek-BSP or substantive fragments thereof that have not been in contact with serum containing complement factor H or any other BSP processing material.
US07943577B2

Therapeutic compounds which are cell proliferation modulators, preferably inhibitors. These modulators contain amino acid structures that are arranged as a hydrophilic analog of an alpha-fetoprotein. The modulator may be a peptide itself, e.g., an octapeptide like that of SEQ ID NO: 5; a peptidomimetic; or may be in the form of a pharmaceutically acceptable scaffold, such as a polycyclic hydrocarbon to which is attached the necessary amino acid structures for biological and/or chemical activity. The modulators of the invention are distinguished in one aspect over previous compounds in that they are orally active, and therefore do not have to be injected into the patient. The compositions and methods are useful for reducing estrogen-dependent and estrogen-independent growth of cells, and treating or preventing cancer, such as breast cancer, brain cancer, head-and-neck cancer, thyroid cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, ovarian cancer, prostate cancer, cervical cancer, and skin cancer. The treatment or prevention methods can include the use of tamoxifen therapy in combination with the peptide therapy.
US07943576B2

It has been discovered that enterostatin inhibits angiogenesis in an in vitro adipose tissue angiogenesis model. In concentrations from about 10−6 to about 10−9 M, enterostatin effectively blocked the angiogenic response. Enterostatin will be effective in treating noncancerous and cancerous diseases that involve an increase in angiogenesis, e.g., rheumatoid arthritis, retinopathy of prematurity, neovascular glaucoma, diabetic retinopathy, and psoriasis. This, antiangiogenic activity was confirmed in two additional tissue cells lines (liver and neuronal cells) using a microarray analysis.
US07943575B2

The invention features a method of administering one or more therapeutic agents to a patient and delivering said agent or agents continuously over an extended period of time, said method comprising: obtaining a pharmaceutical composition including a peptide carrier, one or more therapeutic agents, and up to 30 percent, by weight, of a pharmaceutically acceptable, soluble, monomeric carrier; and parenterally administering said pharmaceutical composition to a subject by injection, wherein said composition automatically forms a gel after interaction with the patient's bodily fluids and releases said peptide carrier and said agent or agents continuously within the patient over an extended period.
US07943570B2

Glycosylated albumin as a drug carrier for a DDS targeting the liver (particularly kupffer's cell) can be provided by mutating a DNA encoding albumin to encode a mutant albumin containing a partial amino acid sequence permitting glycosylation modification by eukaryotic cell, preferably a consensus sequence of N-linked sugar chain, introducing an expression vector containing the mutant DNA into a host eukaryotic cell, preferably a host cell permitting addition of a high-mannose type sugar chain, culturing the obtained transformant, and recovering a glycosylated albumin protein from the obtained culture.
US07943568B2

Compounds and methods useful for the treatment of cancer in subjects in need of such treatment. The compounds are metabolites of the compound FK228 which have been identified as possessing HDAC inhibitory activity and anticancer properties. Further provided are compounds and methods for inducing apoptosis in cancer cells. Further provided are compounds and methods for inhibiting HDAC in cancer cells.
US07943566B2

A dryer sheet is provided that includes a nonwoven substrate comprising a mixture of natural fiber and polylactide fiber, and a fabric conditioning agent. The dryer sheet, if desired, can be provided so that it satisfies the test for biodegradability according to ASTM D 6868-03. A method for manufacturing and a method for using a dryer sheet are provided.
US07943560B2

The present invention is directed to novel cyclopropanated macrocyclic ketone and lactone compounds of the general formula: wherein X is an atom or a functional group selected from the group consisting of O, N, S, R—CH, and CH2; wherein R is a C1-C3 alkyl group; wherein Y and W independently represent is a linear or branched alkyl or alkenyl group, optionally substituted, consisting of less than 10 and preferably less than 7 carbon atoms; and wherein O is an oxygen atom, and the use of these novel compounds in creating fragrances and scents in items such as perfumes, colognes, and personal care products.
US07943559B2

The present invention is directed to novel cyclopropanated macrocyclic ketone and lactone compounds of the general formula: wherein X is an atom or a functional group selected from the group consisting of O, N, S, R—CH, and CH2; wherein R is a C1-C3 alkyl group; wherein Y and W independently represent is a linear or branched alkyl or alkenyl group, optionally substituted, consisting of less than 10 and preferably less than 7 carbon atoms; and wherein O is an oxygen atom, and the use of these novel compounds in creating fragrances and scents in items such as perfumes, colognes, and personal care products.
US07943552B2

A novel encoding system, compositions for use therein and methods for determining the source, location and/or identity of a particular item or component of interest is provided. In particular, the present invention utilizes a collection of one or more sizes of populations of semiconductor nanocrystals having characteristic spectral emissions, to “track” the source or location of an item of interest or to identify a particular item of interest. The semiconductor nanocrystals used in the inventive compositions can be selected to emit a desired wavelength to produce a characteristic spectral emission in narrow spectral widths, and with a symmetric, nearly Gaussian line shape, by changing the composition and size of the semiconductor nanocrystal. Additionally, the intensity of the emission at a particular characteristic wavelength can also be varied, thus enabling the use of binary or higher order encoding schemes.
US07943548B2

Catalysts, systems and methods are described to reduce NOx emissions of an internal combustion engine. In one embodiment, an emissions treatment system for an exhaust stream is provided having a catalyst comprising silver and a platinum group metal on a particulate alumina support, the atomic fraction of the platinum group metal being less than or equal to about 0.25. Methods of manufacturing catalysts are described in which silver is impregnated on alumina particles.
US07943544B2

The present invention provides a method of recycling a spent flue gas denitration catalyst and a method of determining a washing time of the spent flue gas denitration catalyst. The method of recycling the spent flue gas denitration catalyst includes physically removing solids deposited in the spent flue gas denitration catalyst, removing poisoning substances deposited in the spent flue gas denitration catalyst by washing the spent flue gas denitration catalyst with a washing liquid for a washing time determined by measuring the hydrogen ion concentration of the washing liquid and drying the resulting spent flue gas denitration catalyst.
US07943535B2

A woven preform used to reinforce a composite structure which includes a central portion having a plurality of interwoven layers. The preform also includes first and second end portions having a plurality of independent woven layers that are integrally woven with the plurality of interwoven layers in the central portion and which extend along the entire length the preform. Interspersed between the plurality of independent woven layers in the first and second end portions are bias plies. The first and second end portions can have through thickness reinforcements comprising reinforcement fibers that traverse through the independent woven layers and the bias plies, locking them together.
US07943530B2

Prototype semiconductor structures each including a semiconductor link portion and two adjoined pad portions are formed by lithographic patterning of a semiconductor layer on a dielectric material layer. The sidewalls of the semiconductor link portions are oriented to maximize hole mobility for a first-type semiconductor structures, and to maximize electron mobility for a second-type semiconductor structures. Thinning by oxidation of the semiconductor structures reduces the width of the semiconductor link portions at different rates for different crystallographic orientations. The widths of the semiconductor link portions are predetermined so that the different amount of thinning on the sidewalls of the semiconductor link portions result in target sublithographic dimensions for the resulting semiconductor nanowires after thinning. By compensating for different thinning rates for different crystallographic surfaces, semiconductor nanowires having optimal sublithographic widths may be formed for different crystallographic orientations without excessive thinning or insufficient thinning.
US07943528B2

Substrate processing of a substrate is performed in a processing chamber and the evenness in in-plane film thickness is enhanced. An exhaust unit exhausts the atmosphere in the processing chamber and a processing gas is supplied that is excited by an exciting unit. A rotational drive unit horizontally rotates a support unit that supports a mounting substrate on which the substrate is mounted; and a coolant supply/discharge unit is connected to the lower end of the support unit through a connecting unit. The substrate mounting unit has a coolant circulation path therein. The support unit includes a first coolant flow path for passing coolant through the coolant circulation path. The coolant supply/discharge unit includes a second coolant flow path. The connecting unit connects the first coolant flow path and the second coolant flow path together and is provided outside the processing chamber.
US07943517B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, including forming an opening in an interlevel insulating film disposed on a semiconductor substrate, forming an auxiliary film containing a predetermined metal element, to cover an inner surface of the opening, forming a main film to fill the opening after forming the auxiliary film, the main film containing, as a main component, Cu used as a material of an interconnection main layer, and performing a heat treatment before or after forming the main film, thereby diffusing the predetermined metal element of the auxiliary film onto a surface of the interlevel insulating film facing the auxiliary film, so as to form a barrier film on the interlevel insulating film within the opening, the barrier film containing, as a main component, a compound of the predetermined metal element with a component element of the interlevel insulating film.
US07943514B2

An IC includes a substrate having a semiconductor top surface and a bottom surface, wherein the semiconductor top surface includes one or more active circuit components and a plurality of through silicon vias (TSVs) extending through the substrate. The plurality of TSVs include an outer dielectric liner. The dielectric liner includes at least one halogen or a Group 15 element metal gettering agent in an average concentration from 1 to 10 atomic %. A metal diffusion barrier layer is on the dielectric liner and a metal filler is on the metal barrier layer. The metal gettering agent getters metal filler that escapes the metal barrier layer.
US07943511B2

A semiconductor process is provided. First, a substrate having a dielectric layer formed thereon is provided. Thereafter, an interconnection structure including copper is formed in the dielectric layer. Afterwards, a metal layer is formed on the dielectric layer. The metal layer is then patterned to form a pad. An annealing process is performed, wherein the gas source for the annealing process includes hydrogen in a concentration of 50% to 90%.
US07943504B2

According to various exemplary embodiments, a spring device that includes a substrate, a self-releasing layer provided over the substrate and a stressed-metal layer provided over the self-releasing layer is disclosed, wherein an amount of stress inside the stressed-metal layer results in a peeling force that is higher than an adhesion force between the self-releasing layer and the stressed-metal layer. Moreover, a method of manufacturing a spring device, according to various exemplary embodiments, includes providing a substrate, providing a self-releasing layer over the substrate and providing a stressed-metal layer over the self-releasing layer wherein an amount of stress inside the stressed-metal layer results in a peeling force that is higher than an adhesion force between the self-releasing layer and the stressed-metal layer is also disclosed in this invention.
US07943498B2

A method of forming a micro pattern in a semiconductor device includes: forming an target layer, a hard mask layer and first sacrificial patterns over a semiconductor substrate on which a cell gate region, a selective transistor region and a periphery circuit region are defined; forming an insulating layer and a second sacrificial layer on the hard mask layer and the first sacrificial patterns; removing the insulating layer and the second sacrificial layer formed in the selective transistor region and the periphery circuit region; performing the first etch process so as to allow the second sacrificial layer formed in the cell gate region to remain on the insulating layer between the first sacrificial patterns for forming second sacrificial patterns; removing the insulating layer placed on the first sacrificial patterns and between the first and second sacrificial patterns in the cell gate region; etching the hard mask layer using the second etch process utilizing the first and second sacrificial patterns as the etch mask to form a mask pattern; and etching the target layer using the third etch process utilizing the hard mask pattern as the etch mask.
US07943492B2

A method of forming a nitride film by hydride vapor phase epitaxy, the method including: sequentially disposing at least one group III metal source including impurities and a substrate in an external reaction chamber and an internal reaction chamber sequentially located in the direction of gas supply and heating each of the external reaction chamber and the internal reaction chamber at a growth temperature; forming a metal chloride by supplying hydrogen chloride gas and carrier gas into the external reaction chamber to react with the group III metal source and transferring the metal chloride to the substrate; and forming the nitride film doped with the impurities on the substrate by reacting the transferred metal chloride with nitrogen source gas supplied to the internal reaction chamber.
US07943479B2

A method for semiconductor processing provides a DSB semiconductor body having a first crystal orientation layer, and a second crystal orientation layer, and a border region disposed between the first and second crystal orientations. A high-k metal gate stack is deposited over the first crystal orientation layer that comprises an insulation layer, a high-k dielectric layer, a first metal layer, and a second metal layer thereon.
US07943476B2

A stack capacitor in a semiconductor device includes a first capacitor formed on and/or over a semiconductor substrate and a second capacitor formed on and/or over the first capacitor. The first and second capacitors each have a multi-layer laminated structure which includes a lower electrode, a capacitor dielectric layer and an upper electrode. At least two of the lower electrodes and the upper electrodes are arranged vertically with respect to each other to have the same width and/or surface area.
US07943475B2

There is provided a semiconductor device comprising a dielectric film made of a high dielectric constant material, in which a leak current is reduced in the film and which exhibits improved device reliability. Specifically, a dielectric film 142 is a metal-compound film having a composition represented by the formula MOxCyNz wherein x, y and z meet the conditions: 0
US07943470B2

The semiconductor device according to the present invention includes a through electrode that penetrates through a silicon substrate, an isolation trench provided to penetrate through the silicon substrate to surround the through electrode, a silicon film in contact with an inner surface of the isolation trench, a silicon film in contact with an outer surface of the isolation trench, and an insulation film provided between the silicon films. According to the present invention, the silicon film within the isolation trench can be substantially regarded as a part of the silicon substrate. Therefore, even when the width of the isolation trench is increased to increase the etching rate, the width of the insulation film becoming a dead space can be made sufficiently small. Consequently, the chip area can be decreased.
US07943466B2

In one embodiment, a semiconductor device is formed having sub-surface charge compensation regions in proximity to channel regions of the device. The charge compensation trenches comprise at least two opposite conductivity type semiconductor layers. A channel connecting region electrically couples the channel region to one of the at least two opposite conductivity type semiconductor layers.
US07943453B2

A semiconductor structure and a method of forming the same. The semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate, a gate dielectric layer on top of the semiconductor substrate. The structure also includes a first metal containing region on top of the gate dielectric layer. The structure also includes a second metal containing region on top of the gate dielectric layer wherein the first and second metal containing regions are in direct physical contact with each other. The structure further includes a gate electrode layer on top of both the first and second metal containing regions and the gate electrode layer is in direct physical contact with both the first and second metal containing regions. The structure further includes a patterned photoresist layer on top of the gate electrode layer.
US07943452B2

A gate conductor structure is provided having a barrier region between a N-type device and a P-type device, wherein the barrier region minimizes or eliminates cross-diffusion of dopant species across the barrier region. The barrier region comprises at least one sublithographic gap in the gate conductor structure. The sublithographic gap is formed by using self-assembling copolymers to form a sublithographic patterned mask over the gate conductor structure. According to one embodiment, at least one sublithographic gap is a slit or line that traverses the width of the gate conductor structure. The sublithographic gap is sufficiently deep to minimize or prevent cross-diffusion of the implanted dopant from the upper portion of the gate conductor. According to another embodiment, the sublithographic gaps are of sufficient density that cross-diffusion of dopants is reduced or eliminated during an activation anneal such that changes in Vt are minimized.
US07943451B2

Optimizing carrier mobilities in MOS transistors in CMOS ICs requires forming (100)-oriented silicon regions for NMOS and (110) regions for PMOS. Boundary regions between (100) and (110) regions must be sufficiently narrow to support high gate densities and SRAM cells appropriate for the technology node. This invention provides a method of forming an integrated circuit (IC) substrate containing regions with two different silicon crystal lattice orientations. Starting with a (110) direct silicon bonded (DSB) layer on a (100) substrate, regions in the DSB layer are amorphized and recrystallized on a (100) orientation by solid phase epitaxy (SPE). Lateral templating by the DSB layer is reduced by amorphization of the upper portion of the (110) regions through a partially absorbing amorphization hard mask. Boundary morphology is less than 40 nanometers wide. An integrated circuit formed with the inventive method is also disclosed.
US07943450B2

A gated resonant tunneling diode (GRTD) that operates without cryogenic cooling is provided. This GRTD employs conventional CMOS process technology, preferably at the 65 nm node and smaller, which is different from other conventional quantum transistors that require other, completely different process technologies and operating conditions. To accomplish this, the GRTD uses a body of a first conduction type with a first electrode region and a second electrode region (each of a second conduction type) formed in the body. A channel is located between the first and second electrode regions in the body. A barrier region of the first conduction type is formed in the channel (with the doping level of the barrier region being greater than the doping level of the body), and a quantum well region of the second conduction type formed in the channel. Additionally, the barrier region is located between each of the first and second electrode regions and the quantum well region. An insulating layer is formed on the body with the insulating layer extending over the quantum well region and at least a portion of the barrier region, and a control electrode region is formed on the insulating layer.
US07943443B2

The present invention provides a vapor deposition method and a vapor deposition system of film formation systems by which EL materials can be used more efficiently and EL materials having superior uniformity with high throughput rate are formed. According to the present invention, inside a film formation chamber, an evaporation source holder in a rectangular shape in which a plurality of containers sealing evaporation material is moved at a certain pitch to a substrate and the evaporation material is vapor deposited on the substrate. Further, a longitudinal direction of an evaporation source holder in a rectangular shape may be oblique to one side of a substrate, while the evaporation source holder is being moved. Furthermore, it is preferable that a movement direction of an evaporation source holder during vapor deposition be different from a scanning direction of a laser beam while a TFT is formed.
US07943431B2

A package to encase a semiconductor package is manufactured by the following steps. First, an electrically conductive frame is provided. This frame has a plurality of leadframes arranged in a matrix with each leadframe having a plurality of spaced leads extending outwardly from a central aperture. The electrically conductive frame further includes a plurality of connecting bars joining outer end portions of adjacent ones of the leadframes. Second, a groove is formed in the connecting bars to form a reduced thickness portion between the outer end portions of adjacent ones of the leadframes. Third, a semiconductor device is electrically coupled to inner portions of said leads. Fourth, the frame and the semiconductor devices are encapsulated in a molding compound. Finally, the molding compound and the frame are cut along the grooves to form singulated semiconductor packages having outer lead portions with a height greater than the height of the reduced thickness portion.
US07943425B2

Semiconductor wafer sawing systems and methods are described in which a wafer may be secured in a sawing position having a surface exposed to incur sawing with at least a portion of the exposed wafer surface positioned below the center of gravity of the wafer such that prevailing force of gravity may be used to assist in the removal of contaminants from the wafer.
US07943418B2

Fabricating single-walled carbon nanotube transistor devices includes removing undesirable types of nanotubes. These undesirable types of nanotubes may include nonsemiconducting nanotubes, multiwalled nanotubes, and others. The undesirable nanotubes may be removed electrically using voltage or current, or a combination of these. This approach to removing undesirable nanotubes is sometimes referred to as “burn-off.” The undesirable nanotubes may be removed chemically or using radiation. The undesirable nanotubes of an integrated circuit may be removed in sections or one transistor (or a group of transistors) at a time in order to reduce the electrical current used or prevent damage to the integrated circuit during burn-off.
US07943404B2

A semiconductor chip integrating a transceiver, an antenna, and a receiver is provided. The transceiver is formed on a front side of a semiconductor substrate. At least one through substrate via provides electrical connection between the transceiver and the backside of the semiconductor substrate. The antenna, which is connected to the transceiver, is formed in a dielectric layer on the front side. The reflector plate is connected to the through substrate via, and is formed on the backside. The separation between the reflector plate and the antenna is about the quarter wavelength of millimeter waves, which enhances radiation efficiency of the antenna. An array of through substrate trenches may be formed and filled with a dielectric material to reduce the effective dielectric constant of the material between the antenna and the reflector plate, thereby reducing the wavelength of the millimeter wave and enhance the radiation efficiency.
US07943402B2

A method of characterizing an ion implantation process, the method including a first step of producing a PN junction degraded by the ion implantation of species, the species implantation being obtained by the ion implantation process to be characterized; a second step of measuring a parameter representative of an electrical conduction of the degraded PN junction and a dispersion of the parameter on a surface on which the degraded PN junction is produced, the parameter and the dispersion forming a reference parameter and a reference dispersion, the first and second steps being repeated in time so as to follow the evolution of the parameter representative of electrical conduction with relation to the reference parameter and the dispersion of the representative parameter with relation to the reference dispersion.
US07943398B2

Embodiments of the invention relate generally to ferromagnetic microdisks, methods of detecting target bioanalyte using ferromagnetic microdisks, and kits (such as for using in the laboratory setting) containing the reagents necessary to make, and/or use ferromagnetic microdisks for bioanalyte detection, depending on the user's planned application. The methods and products allow the fabrication of ferromagnetic microdisks, and their use in the detection of biological molecules with high sensitivity, little or no signal decay, improved safety, convenience, and lowered cost for use and disposal.
US07943394B2

The present invention provides a method for capacitive detection of the presence of target sample on a substrate, which comprises the steps of: binding a target sample to selective binding sites on the substrate, the target sample being directly or indirectly labeled with conductive labels, and sensing the presence of the bound conductive labels to a binding site to thereby determine the presence of the target sample. The sensing step is carried out by a capacitive detection of the presence of the conductive labels. The present invention also provides a capacitive sensor device for determining the presence of a target sample. Conductive labels are directly or indirectly couplable to the target sample. The capacitive sensor device comprises a substrate having attached thereto a binding site able to selectively bind a target sample, a capacitive sensor element, and sensing circuitry for determining the presence of a target sample bound to the binding site by application of electrical signals to a capacitive sensor element. The capacitive sensor element comprises a set of at least two electrodes with non-conductive surfaces in a region associated with the binding site.
US07943386B2

An apparatus for determining the volume fractions of the phases in a suspension includes a body, a channel structure, which is formed in the body, and an inlet area and a blind channel, which is fluidically connected to and capable of being filled via the same. Furthermore, a drive for imparting the body with rotation, so that phase separation of the suspension in the blind channel takes place, is provided. The blind channel includes such a channel cross-section and/or such wetting properties that, when filling same via the inlet area, higher capillary forces act in a first cross-sectional area than in a second cross-sectional area, so that at first the first cross-sectional area fills in the direction from the inlet area toward the blind end of the blind channel and then the second cross-sectional area fills in the direction from the blind end toward the inlet area.
US07943385B2

The invention provides enzymatic methods for direct determination of percentage of glycated hemoglobin in blood samples without the need of a separated measurement of total hemoglobin content in blood samples. The methods utilizes one or two different types of oxidizing agents which selectively oxidize low-molecular weight reducing substances and high-molecular weight (mainly hemoglobin) reducing substances in blood samples, coupled with enzymatic reactions catalyzed by proteases, fructosyl amino acid oxidase. The amount of hydrogen peroxide generated in the reaction is measured for determination of percentage of glycated hemoglobin in blood samples. The invention provides kits for performing the methods of the invention.
US07943383B2

A blood analyzer configured to prevent an abnormal number of white blood cells caused by lipid particles or red blood cells of poor hemolysis from being output. The blood analyzer includes a system for obtaining a first white blood cell number and a system for obtaining a second white blood cell number. The analyzer also includes an output device for outputting the second white blood cell number, and a system for determining whether the second white blood cell number is abnormal. The output device is configured to output the first white blood cell number when the second white blood cell number has been determined to be abnormal.
US07943376B2

The present invention is related to the discovery of a novel class of neural progenitor cells, which proliferate in response to platelet derived growth factor (PDGF) and differentiate into neurons and oligodendrocytes but not astrocytes. Progeny of the progenitor cells can be obtained by culturing brain tissue in PDGF without serum, epidermal growth factor (EGF), fibroblast growth factor 2, or transforming growth factor alpha. Upon subculturing into EGF-containing media, these progeny cells can proliferate and form neurospheres, whereas PDGF has no such effect.
US07943367B2

A chamber that includes electrical contacts and a protective lid with a manually operated release is designed to receive a multi-well electroporation plate and to allow high-throughput electroporation on the well contents with minimal risk of electrical shock to the user and minimal opportunity for sample loss and contamination.
US07943361B2

The present invention provides mutant Mycobacterium strains harboring a modified tyrosine phosphatase gene (mptpA or mptpB) wherein the mutant Mycobacterium strain is incapable of expressing the active tyrosine phosphatase. The invention provides a method for developing the said mutant strain from either Mycobacterium tuberculosis or Mycobacterium bovis. The mptpA or mptpB gene may be modified by replacing the internal sequences with an antibiotic resistance marker gene, which disrupts the expression of the active gene. The invention further provides a recombinant vector comprising the modified mptpA or mptpB which may be used to develop the mutant strains of mycobacteria. The invention provides a method to assess the role of tyrosine phosphatases MptpA and MptpB in the virulence and pathogenesis of Mycobacterium which can be used as potential targets for developing anti-tubercular drug.
US07943358B2

The invention provides novel extracts, proteins, and complexes that improve the polymerization activity of nucleic acid polymerases. Included within the aspects of the invention are methods for identifying compositions with a polymerase enhancing activity, methods for purifying and using these compositions, and specific extracts, proteins, and complexes that function to enhance polymerase activity. As an example, specifically described is nucleotide and amino acid sequence information for a Pyrococcus furiousus PEF (P45), which was used to produce a recombinant PEF.
US07943344B2

The present invention provides a family of binding proteins that bind and neutralize the activity of hepatocyte growth factor (HGF), in particular human HGF. The binding proteins can be used as diagnostic and/or therapeutic agents. With regard to their therapeutic activity, the binding proteins can be used to treat certain HGF responsive disorders, for example, certain HGF responsive tumors.
US07943341B2

A DNA construct that allows the inexpensive production of a target protein in E. coli, consisting of a nucleic acid sequence encoding a signal peptide which is operably linked with a gene coding for a carrier protein which is linked with a gene coding for the target protein via a gene coding for a cleavable sequence S, wherein the gene coding for a carrier protein is the spy gene from E. coli.
US07943340B2

Disclosed herein are fungal nucleic acid sequences that encode novel dipetidyl peptidase IV (DPPIV) polypeptides. Also disclosed are polypeptides encoded by these nucleic acid sequences, as well as derivatives, variants, mutants, or fragments of the aforementioned polypeptide, polynucleotide, or antibody. The aminopeptidase polypeptides, referred to herein as DPPIV proteins of the invention are useful in a variety of medical, research, and commercial applications.
US07943334B2

The present invention provides an immunological detection method that can detect milk allergens, allergens of albumen, flour, buckwheat and peanut with high sensitivity in foods containing these allergens regardless they are denatured/native, and a detection kit to be used therefor. It is a method for detecting allergens by using 2 or more monoclonal antibodies recognizing native and denatured milk allergens, native and denatured albumen allergens, native and denatured flour allergens, native and denatured buckwheat allergens, and native and denatured peanut allergens, using asl casein which is the main protein of milk casein, β-lactoglobulin which is the main protein of whey, ovalubumin and ovomucoid which are main proteins of albumen, gliadin which is the main protein of flour, protein with a molecular weight of 24 kDa and 76 kDa which are main proteins of buckwheat, and Ara h1 which is the main protein of peanut as an index.
US07943330B2

The present disclosure relates to tailored glycoproteomic methods, and more particularly to methods for the sequencing, mapping and identification of cellular glycoproteins using saccharide-selective bioorthogonal probes. A method is disclosed for saccharide-selective glycoprotein identification (ID) and glycan mapping (GIDmap) that generates glycoproteins tailored with bioorthogonally tagged alkynyl saccharides that can be selectively isolated, allowing for glycoprotein ID and glycan mapping via mass spectromic proteomics, including liquid chromatography-tandmen mass spectroscopy (LC-MS2). LC-MS2 may be used to identify cellular glycans, and more specifically cancer-related glycoproteins.
US07943327B2

Whole cell, simultaneous target and drug-target assay using differentially labeled antibodies and flow cytometry. First antibody binds to total target and second antibody binds to the drug binding site of the target, thus drug binding will competitively inhibit the second antibody allowing for a competitive inhibition assay of drug-target binding. The assay allows for whole cell analysis and even analysis of mixed populations of cells, yet provides detailed kinetic assessment of drug activity.
US07943324B2

The present invention relates to methods for determining a risk or identifying a condition associated with the presence of endometriosis in a subject as well as testing a candidate compound for a therapeutic activity for the treatment of endometriosis and sorting patients based on the risk of having endometriosis. Specifically, the methods utilize novel markers for assessing the risk of the patient having endometriosis.
US07943316B2

Oligonucleotides containing the non-palindromic sequence motif: X1X2X3X4X5X6X7X8, wherein X1 is C, T, G or A (preferably T or C); wherein X2 is C, T, G or A; wherein X7 is C, T, G or A (preferably G); at least three, and preferably all, of X3, X4, X5, X6 and X8 are T; and with the proviso that, in the motif, a C does not precede a G (in other terms, the nucleic acid motif does not consist of a CpG oligonucleotide), that modulate the immune response of animals of the order Primate, including humans, are disclosed. This immune modulation is characterized by stimulation of proliferation, differentiation, cytokine production and antibody production on B-cells and cell differentiation on plasmacytoid dendritic cells.
US07943314B2

A method of detecting a molecule associated with viability of one or more cells or organisms in a sample comprises the initial step of contacting the sample with an enzyme, which enzyme is capable of adding or removing a chemical moiety to or from a nucleic acid molecule in the presence of the molecule associated with viability of the of the one or more cells or organisms. This thereby generates a novel detectable nucleic acid molecule. The next step involves detecting the presence of the molecule associated with viability of the one or more cells or organisms by detecting the novel nucleic acid molecule generated only in the presence of the molecule associated with viability of the one or more cells or organisms. A most preferred molecule associated with viability is ATP, although NAD may also be detected. A preferred enzyme for use in the methods is ligase. The method has numerous applications, in particular in monitoring viability of cells, toxicology testing and determining whether there is contamination in a sample or on a surface. Kits are also provided for carrying out the methods.
US07943306B2

Methods are provided for classification of cancers by the expression of a set of genes referred to as the core serum response (CSR), or a subset thereof. The expression pattern of the CSR in normal tissues correlates with that seen in quiescent fibroblasts cultured in the absence of serum, while cancer tissues can be classified as having a quiescent or induced CSR signature. Patients with the induced CSR signature have a higher probability of metastasis. Classification according to CSR signature allows optimization of treatment, and determination of whether on whether to proceed with a specific therapy, and how to optimize dose, choice of treatment, and the like.
US07943299B2

The present invention relates to an improved method for determining nucleotide sequences or nucleotide sequences on biochips/micro-assays, for example, using p53 mediated hybridization. The present invention relates particularly to the use of p53 polypeptides in determining changes in nucleotide sequences.
US07943294B2

Methods and products for the detection of oncofetal fibronectin indicating molecules in samples are provided. Methods for imaging of oncofetal fibronectin are provided. In some methods provided herein, the sample is treated with a reagent and/or contacted with a non-specific binder. Provided are methods for testing subjects to ascertain health and disease status and to assess the risk of developing a disease or condition. Methods for detecting the presence of oncofetal fibronectin indicating molecules by a variety of methods such as immunoassays and mass spectrometry also are provided. Methods and products for detection of oncofetal fibronection for selection of concepti are provided.
US07943293B2

A medium solution which will increase the growth, survival and ultimately the live birth rate of oocytes and embryos which have been or will be subjected to cryopreservation. The solution contains varied amounts of glucose, pyruvates, amino acids, vitamins K5 and C, antioxidants, fatty acids to supply the specimens with the chemical ingredients and uptake requirements required to recover and prosper during and after the cryopreservation process. The solution supplies nutrients to the specimens that will replenish depletion and damage to the specimens and their mitochondria, spindles and structural features, such as cell walls. One formulation addresses the additional requirements of frozen specimens as opposed to the current media solutions and methods which treat the un-frozen specimens the same as the frozen specimens when recovering them from cryopreservation.
US07943281B2

In a black toner having at least a binder resin and an iron-titanium composite oxide as a colorant; the iron-titanium composite oxide is contained in a specific amount; the black toner has a specific weight average particle diameter and a specific saturation magnetization; the black toner has, in X-ray diffraction thereof, a maximum peak at 2θ=from 32.5 to 33.1 degrees, having a half width of 0.25 degree or less. The black toner has, in a proportion of less than 30% by number, an iron-titanium composite oxide having, in a sectional photograph of the toner, a maximum frequency of linearity within the range where the linearity is smaller than 2.4 and having a linearity of 3.0 or more, in regard to the number frequency distribution of the linearity of the iron-titanium composite oxide.
US07943280B2

A toner containing a colorant, a binder resin and a laminar inorganic mineral in which part or all of the ions present between layers are modified by organic ions. The toner can be prepared by a method including dispersing or emulsifying a toner constituent mixture liquid containing the colorant, the binder resin and/or a precursor thereof, and the laminar inorganic mineral, in an aqueous medium. The density of the laminar inorganic mineral measured by XPS for the toner surface before (A) and after (B) mixing and kneading satisfies the following relationship: A>B.
US07943279B2

A copper complex compound represented by Formula (1) is disclosed. in the formula, groups represented by R is a substituent, n is an integer of from 1 to 5 and the total carbon number contained in (R) n is 14 or more. A toner for electrophotography containing the compound is also disclosed.
US07943277B2

The present invention is directed to an electrophotographic element that comprises: an electrically conducting layer, a charge generating layer overlying the electrically conducting layer, and a charge transport layer overlying the electrically conducting layer. The charge transport layer, which can be an overcoat overlying the charge generating layer, includes the reaction product in an aqueous medium of a mixture comprising a silsesquioxane polymer and a amine-free surface treated zinc antimonate and an acid scavenger.
US07943271B2

The present invention relates to an electrochemical device. The device features an anode constructed of materials such that the device can be chemically recharged. In addition, the device is capable of switching between operating as a fuel cell or as a battery. The switch can occur without cessation of electrical output. In certain aspects of the invention, the device is capable of operating at a temperature of less than 1000° C. Other aspects feature a liquid anode which allows higher output, dispersion of fuel and minimal stresses in an interface comprising the anode. Preferably the anode is a liquid at a temperature of less than 1000° C. The invention also relates to methods for energy conversion in which a continual electrical output can be produced in both the presence of fuel without anode consumption or the absence of fuel.
US07943262B2

There is disclosed a fuel cell system which can control an output current of a fuel cell even if an error occurs in split flow control of an oxidizing gas. The fuel cell system includes a fuel cell and a feed device for supplying the oxidizing gas under pressure to the fuel cell. A feed channel is connected to a discharge channel by a bypass channel so that the oxidizing gas flows while bypassing the fuel cell. The system includes a regulator valve and a bypass valve which adjust the split flow of the oxidizing gas to the bypass channel and the fuel cell. When the regulator valve or the bypass valve has an error, a controller stops the control of the output current of the fuel cell by control of the regulator valve and switches the control to a control of the output current of the fuel cell by control of the feed device.
US07943259B1

A system and method for improving electrochemical power sources through the dispensing encapsulation and dispersion into galvanic chambers of an electrochemical cell. Features of the method include the optimization of the concentration levels of chemicals involved in desired energy producing reactions.
US07943244B2

A display device comprises an anode, a cathode, and a luminescent region disposed between the anode and the cathode, wherein the anode comprises a metal-organic mixed layer operatively combined with an electron-accepting material. An anode may comprise a mixture of a metal-organic mixed layer and an electron-accepting material within a single layer of the anode. Alternatively, the anode may have a multilayer configuration comprising a metal-organic mixed layer and a buffer layer adjacent the metal-organic mixed layer, wherein the buffer layer comprises an electron-accepting material and optionally a hole transport material.
US07943240B2

In order to obtain actuator elements capable of being displaced such as expansion and contract or bending for practical use even when used as actuator elements with larger size, stacked layers or bundles in which conductive polymer-containing layers or fiber-like tubes are provided with conductive polymer composite structures which include conductive substrates and conductive polymers, said conductive substrates have deformation property, and conductivity of said conductive substrates is not less than 1.0×103 S/cm are used.
US07943235B2

An adhesive sheet for processing semiconductor substrates comprises a UV rays- and/or radiation-transmittable base film and an adhesive layer that undergoes a polymerization curing reaction by means of UV rays and/or radiation, wherein the adhesive layer is formed using a multifunctional acrylate oligomer and/or monomer having a double bond, and is blended so as to result in 1 double bond per total average molecular weight of 225 to 8000 as determined on the basis of the weight average molecular weight of the multifunctional acrylate oligomer and/or monomer.
US07943233B2

A web-like or sheet-like semi-finished product capable of forming a polymeric foam composite material by heat treatment, which semi-finished product is formed by a web-like or sheet-like fibrous material and a mixture having curable resin and unexpanded thermoplastic particles of at least two different qualities with mutually different expansion temperature introduced into the fibrous material are provided, in which thermoplastic particles of at least one of these qualities remain unexpanded in the semi-finished product. A polymeric foam composite material is also formed by such a semi-finished product. Furthermore, methods for producing such a semi-finished product and such a polymeric foam composite material are provided.
US07943231B2

Provided is a tissue mimicking phantom technology capable of controlling an ultrasonic echo intensity and hardness and offering excellent stability. A tissue mimicking phantom includes a first portion and a second portion which is incorporated in the first portion and whose hardness and/or ultrasonic echo intensity is different from that of the first portion. The first portion and second portion are gel structures that are formed with a covalent bond of macromolecular strands or a chemical bond that is as strong as the covalent bond. The gel structure has a solid scatterer (for example, metal-oxide microparticles) dispersed therein. The first portion and second portion exhibit mutually different hardness levels and ultrasonic echo intensities.
US07943230B2

An easy-to-tear biaxially-stretched polyester film having easy cut property and adhesiveness, as well as superior properties of polyester film, such as heat resistance, moisture-proof property, transparency, aroma retention and the like is provided. The polyester laminate film may include at least two layers, a layer substantially free of a molecular orientation and a layer having a molecular orientation, which shows a difference (Nx−Ny) between the refractive index Nx in the longitudinal direction and the refractive index Ny in the width direction of −0.010 to 0.010 and the refractive index Nz in the thickness direction of not less than 1.480. The layer having a molecular orientation has a thickness of 1-8 μm.
US07943229B2

An optical apparatus comprises: a substrate; an optical device, an optical waveguide, or an optical element on the first substrate surface; a reflection-suppressing layer on a second substrate surface opposite the first substrate surface; and an absorbing layer on the reflection-suppressing layer, so that over at least a portion of the second substrate surface the reflection-suppressing layer is between the second substrate surface and the absorbing layer. The absorbing layer absorbs light over at least a portion of an operative wavelength range of the optical apparatus, while the reflection-suppressing layer suppresses reflection from the second substrate surface of light over at least a portion of the operative wavelength range of the optical apparatus to a reflectivity value below that of the second substrate surface with only the absorbing layer present.
US07943222B2

A plastic trim strip useful for trimming the installation of doors, windows, and the like. The trim strip has a first side suitable for viewing in a finished installation, and a second side with at least one band of contact adhesive. In storage, the contact adhesive is covered by a peelable backing. The trim strip is formed of material which is capable of some deformation while retaining the elastic memory to retain its original flat shape. The trim strip can be cut, bent, roll formed, etc. to produce the shape desired for the installation. The user then removes the peelable backing and uses the contact adhesive to affix the strip in the desired location. The trim strip is preferably stored in a roll within a dispenser box. The dispenser box allows the compact storage and transportation of many feet of the material.
US07943219B2

A composition which exhibits a reversible non-linear reduction in opacity as the composition is stretched from a first length to a second length is disclosed. One embodiment is a film comprising an elastomeric polymer medium and regions having crystalline properties disposed in the polymer medium, where the film exhibits the reversible non-linear reduction in opacity upon being stretched.
US07943217B2

A protective device (10) for use in the protection of at least a portion of an elongated article (50) which includes a main body (12), first and second parts (22), (27) which are connectible together such that, in an assembled position the main body has a chamber therein (14). The first and second parts each have two longitudinal extending side edge portions (23), (28), respective side edge portions of the first part being adapted to cooperate with the respective side edge portions of the second part to connect the two parts together in the assembled position.
US07943214B1

An ink-jet transfer system is disclosed, as well as a transfer printed product which is highly wash-resistant, color-fast and environment-friendly, and a process for producing the same and its use in a printing process by means of the disclosed ink-jet transfer system. The disclosed ink-jet transfer system has a substrate, a hot-melt layer applied on the substrate and at least one ink-absorbing layer which comprises a mixture of a highly porous pigment and a binder. The molecules of the pigment and if required of the binder and hot-melt layer can form chemical bonds with the dyeing molecules of the ink.
US07943210B2

A phase difference plate which comprises one sheet of polymer film containing a compound having a rod-shaped molecular structure and exhibiting a maximum absorption wavelength (λmax) of less than 250 nm in an ultraviolet spectrum of its solution and which exhibits a retardation value as measured at a wavelength of 450 nm (Re450) of 60 to 135 nm and a retardation value as measured at a wavelength of 590 nm (Re590) of 100 to 170 nm, where the relationship: Re590−Re450≧2 nm is satisfied. The phase difference plate functions as a λ/4 plate.
US07943209B2

A liquid crystal molecule includes a structure represented by Formula (1): wherein X1 in Formula (1) is represented by Formula (2); X2 in Formula (1) is a group selected from Formula (3); X3 in Formula (1) is represented by Formula (4).
US07943207B2

A liquid crystal composition having a nematic phase that includes two components, wherein the first component is a specific four-membered ring compound having a large maximum temperature, and the second component is a specific four-membered ring compound having a large dielectric anisotropy and a large optical anisotropy, and a liquid crystal display device containing the composition.
US07943201B2

A robotic spray system is provided for accurately spraying mold release onto any size or shaped green tire. The system analyzes individual green tires using an integrated vision system. The system controls the robotic spray position, the fan, fluid, atomizing air, and tire rotation speed for optimal spray coverage on both the inside and outside of green tires. The system includes a conveyor, an overhead mounted camera located over an infeed station, and a second camera located perpendicular to the green tire's tread and several feet away from the center of the tire. Pictures of the green tire in the station are used to estimate the center and radius of the tire and locate the angle of the bar code with respect to the center of the tire. Reference points are provided from the camera images and robot positions are calculated to control the spraying.
US07943185B1

The present invention provides a method, composition and product by process of pomegranate seed oil. The present invention provides a novel method for the preparation of pomegranate seeds and the subsequent extraction, stabilization and deodorization of pomegranate seed oil. The process maintains key beneficial components of pomegranate seed oil. Effective processing parameters for separating, drying, cleaning, flaking, obtaining the oil from seeds, stabilizing through refining and bleaching and deodorizing the oil are described.
US07943178B2

Methods are provided for purifying peptides and proteins by incorporating the peptide or protein into a diketopiperazine or competitive complexing agent to facilitate removal one or more impurities, from the peptide or protein. Formulations and methods also are provided for the improved transport of active agents across biological membranes, resulting for example in a rapid increase in blood agent concentration. The formulations include microparticles formed of (i) the active agent, which may be charged or neutral, and (ii) a transport enhancer that masks the charge of the agent and/or that forms hydrogen bonds with the target biological membrane in order to facilitate transport. In one embodiment, insulin is administered via the pulmonary delivery of microparticles comprising fumaryl diketopiperazine and insulin in its biologically active form. This method of delivering insulin results in a rapid increase in blood insulin concentration that is comparable to the increase resulting from intravenous delivery.
US07943172B2

Film-coated tablet, consisting of a tablet core with a film coating, or granules containing as active ingredient a pyridylpyrimidine compound or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of this compound, preferably imatinib or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt of imatinib, preferably imatinib monomethanesulfonate, wherein (i) the tablet cores and the granules have been produced by pressing of the starting materials and, prior to pressing of the starting materials, at least one of them has been dry-granulated, preferably compacted; (ii) the tablet cores and granule cores contain the active ingredient in a proportion of 25% by weight to 80% by weight, based on the total weight of the tablet cores or granule cores, together with (iii) at least one filler-binder, and optionally contain other additives; and (iv) the mean particle size distribution of at least 80% of the active ingredient is in the range from 0.01 mm to 1.0 mm.
US07943169B2

The invention provides a solid, self-bioadhesive composition for topical application that adheres to the oral mucosal tissue comprising a therapeutically effective amount of at least one herbal or homeopathic active agent; and a pharmaceutically acceptable solid bioadhesive carrier in an amount from about 40 to 99 percent based on the weight of the whole composition.
US07943162B2

Drug delivery devices, and methods of delivering pharmaceutically active agents to a target tissue within a body using such devices, are disclosed. One drug delivery device includes a body having an internal surface for disposing on a target tissue and a well having an opening to the internal surface. An inner core comprising a drug containing portion and an expandable material is disposed in the well.
US07943159B1

A composition for attracting male Synanthedon scitula, containing a male Synanthedon scitula attracting effective amount of Z,Z-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate, optionally E,Z-2,13-octadecadienyl acetate, optionally Z,E-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate, and optionally a carrier material or carrier; the composition containing less than about 0.3% E,Z-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate based on the molar amount of the Z,Z-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate in the composition. A method for attracting male Synanthedon scitula to an object or area, involving treating an object or area with a male Synanthedon scitula attracting composition containing a male Synanthedon scitula attractant effective amount of Z,Z-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate, optionally E,Z-2,13-octadecadienyl acetate, optionally Z,E-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate, and optionally a carrier material or carrier; the composition containing less than about 0.3% E,Z-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate based on the molar amount of the Z,Z-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate in the composition. A method for inhibiting (antagonizing) male Synanthedon scitula attraction to female Synanthedon scitula, involving exposing a Synanthedon scitula population to a composition containing E,Z-3,13-octadecadienyl acetate in a quantity sufficient to inhibit (antagonize) male Synanthedon scitula attraction to female Synanthedon scitula, and optionally a carrier material or carrier.
US07943155B2

A self-reversible reverse microlatex composition comprising an oil phase, an aqueous phase, a water-in-oil surfactant(s), a oil-in-water surfactant(s) and 15% to 40% by weight by weight of a branched or crosslinked polyelectrolyte. The polyelectrolyte is based on a monomer containing a strong or weak acid function, which is partially or totally salified, a copolymer of at least one monomer containing a strong acid function and at least one monomer containing a weak acid function or at least one neutral monomer, a copolymer of at least one monomer containing a weak acid function and at least one neutral monomer, or a copolymer of at least one monomer containing a strong acid function, a monomer containing at least one weak acid function and at least one neutral monomer. The surfactants have a total HLB number of 8.5 to 11. Uses in cosmetics and as an industrial emulsifier and/or thickener.
US07943152B2

Chalazia and hordeola are the most common lesions occurring in the human eyelid, and often recurrences are managed by surgical intervention to remove fatty inclusions within the lid with associated inflammatory reaction. The present invention provides non-surgical methods of treating chalazia, hordeola and cutaneous infections comprising the administration of compositions comprising botulinum toxin. The present invention provides methods that effectively block meibum secretion from the meibomian glands, reduce sebaceous bacterial culture media on skin, and sebaceous secretion from the glands of Zeis. Decreased production of meibum and associated fatty substances resulting from the methods of the present invention, decrease gland blockage and tissue inspissations, resulting in reduced recurrence of chalazia, hordeola and related inflammatory reactions and lesions.
US07943149B2

Aspects of the present invention relate to the discovery of a novel hepatitis C virus (HCV) isolate. Embodiments include HCV peptides, nucleic acids encoding said HCV peptides, antibodies directed to said peptides, compositions containing said nucleic acids and peptides, as well as methods of making and using the aforementioned compositions including, but not limited to, diagnostics and medicaments for the treatment and prevention of HCV infection.
US07943143B2

Chimeric somatostatin-based polypeptides, polynucleotides used to encode the polypeptides, the methods for isolating and producing the polypeptides and the uses thereof are provided. In addition, low cost adjuvants for enhanced immunogenic response are provided. Vaccinations that include both chimeric somatostatin-based polypeptides and novel adjuvants are included, useful in facilitating farm animal productivity.
US07943140B2

A self-adjuvanting immunogenic composition comprising multiple immunogens, each immunogen comprising a lipopeptide cap, a universal T helper sequence and an immunodominant HIV-1 Tat B cell epitope. The immunogen also comprises one or more linker sequences and/or polar charged amino acid sequences. The HIV-1 Tat B cell epitope of each immunogen has an amino acid sequence of V-D-P-Xaa7-L-Xaa9-P-W-Xaa12-Xaa13-Xaa14-Xaa15-Xaa16-amide SEQ ID NO: 1, in which the amino acid positions at Xaa7, Xaa9 and Xaa12 are selected from specific amino acid residues choices and in which the amino acid positions at Xaa13-Xaa16 may be absent or specific amino acid residue choices. The lipopeptide is a dipalmitoyl-S-glyceryl-cysteine or a tripalmitoyl-S-glyceryl cysteine or N-acetyl (dipalmitoyl-S-glyceryl cysteine), each with an optional neutral amino acid linker. Optional polar sequences of at least four charged polar amino acids enhance solubility of the immunogen and are located at the carboxy terminal end of the lipopeptide cap, optionally flanked by neutral linker amino acids, or elsewhere in the immunogen. In the composition, each immunogen differs from another immunogen by an amino acid variation at amino acid position Xaa7, Xaa9 or Xaa12 of the immunodominant HIV-1 Tat epitope. Such compositions can induce anti-HIV-1 Tat antibodies with geometric mean titers of greater than 1,000,000 on multiple HIV-1 Tat variants, when employed to immunize a subject, without any extrinsic adjuvant.
US07943138B2

Provided are compositions and methods for treating survivin expressing cancers. The compositions contain peptide survivin peptide mimics with improved MHC-I binding characteristics. The method involves administering a survivin peptide mimic with improved MHC-I binding characteristics to an individual to effect inhibition of the growth of survivin expressing cancer cells in the individual.
US07943133B2

The invention relates to fusion proteins comprising a stress protein fused with an engineered antibody or fragment that binds to mesothelin, or a stress protein fused with a biotin-binding protein in combination with a biotinylated engineered antibody or fragment that binds to mesothelin. The invention also relates to fusion proteins comprising a stress protein fused with an antibody binding protein in combination with an engineered antibody or fragment that binds to mesothelin. The invention also relates to fusion proteins comprising an engineered antibody or fragment that binds specifically to mesothelin fused in frame with a biotin binding protein. The invention also provides fusion proteins comprising an engineered antibody or fragment, that binds to mesothelin, fused with an antibody binding protein. The invention also relates to methods of using fusion proteins of the invention to induce an immune response to mesothelin and to treat disease.
US07943132B2

Use of antagonists to IL-31Ra and OSMRb are used to treat inflammation and pain by inhibiting, preventing, reducing, minimizing, limiting or minimizing stimulation in neuronal tissues. Such antagonists include soluble receptors, antibodies and fragments, derivative, or variants thereof. Symptoms such as pain, tingle, sensitization, tickle associated with neuropathies are ameliorated.
US07943127B2

Contemplated compositions and methods are directed to the use of a proteinase to reduce capsaicin-induced pain sensation in a mammal. Preferably, the proteinase comprises a bromelain preparation in a liquid formulation for topical or enteral administration. In additional aspects of the inventive subject matter, a proteinase inhibitor is present in pepper spray to avoid inactivation of capsaicin by a proteinase.
US07943103B2

A process is provided for handling waste solids produced from the chlorination of titanium-bearing ores in the presence of coke as a reducing agent. The process includes the steps of combining waste metal chloride solids and unreacted ore and coke solids with a liquid whereby waste metal chloride solids are dissolved in the liquid and unreacted ore and coke solids are slurried in the liquid, and separating out the unreacted ore and coke solids from the liquid. The liquid including the dissolved waste metal chlorides is then divided into a recycle substream and a bleed substream. The recycle substream is recycled such that it comprises at least a part of the liquid which is combined with the waste metal chloride solids and unreacted ore and coke solids in the product stream. The bleed substream is neutralized to produce a filterable or directly landfillable mass of waste metal hydroxide solids.
US07943099B2

A reactor for reacting at least two gases in the presence of a liquid phase, provided with an external liquid phase circulation device and including at least one injector for injecting the gases and the externally circulated liquid phase. In the injector the mixing of the gases together and with the externally circulated liquid phase only begins at the outlet of the injector.
US07943076B1

A curved composite element is laid up over a tool having first and second curved tool surfaces possessing differing radii of curvatures. A plurality of composite fiber ply segments are arranged in substantially side-by-side relationship into a group. The ply segments are formed as a group onto the first curved tool surface, and the group is then formed from the first curved tool surface onto the second curved tool surface.
US07943074B2

A method for producing a component (3) comprising a backing layer, a decorative layer and an additional molded part (1) attached to the component. The method includes the following steps: A plasticized mat comprising fiber fractions, which is a starting material for the backing layer (12), is introduced together with a blank, which is a starting material for the decorative layer (14), into a compression molding tool (20) composed of a first tool half (21) including a low pressure injection unit (10) for producing the additional molded part and a second tool half (22). The tool halves (21, 22) are pressed together to join the starting materials; a predetermined quantity of plastic in a fluid state is simultaneously or subsequently introduced into the cavity (23) of the compression molding tool through a supply conduit (25), and a slider (24) is thereafter extended to an end position inside the cavity (23). After cooling of the plastic, the slider is retracted to its starting position, and the tool halves are separated. The invention also includes an apparatus for carrying out the method.
US07943069B2

When test molding is performed by sequentially clamping a mold with a mold clamping force (100%, 80%, 70%, . . .) obtained by sequentially lowering a mold clamping force by a predetermined amount from the maximum mold clamping force (100%), a mold clamping pressure Pc in an injection process is detected and a plurality of different monitored elements (Pc, Pcd and Per) corresponding to the variation of the mold clamping pressure Pc are monitored, and thus it is detected that at least one of the monitored elements is varied to exceed a predetermined threshold, a mold clamping force obtained by increasing a mold clamping force at the time of the production of the variation by a predetermined amount is set as a proper mold clamping force Fs.
US07943056B2

The present invention discloses a composition for temperature control and heat storage consisting of sodium sulfate decahydrate, a compound of copolymers, a kind of fibers, a fusion temperature-depressing salt, a nucleating agent, and water, and a method of making it. The composition has high heat storage capacity and temperature control ability of about 35-65 Kwh/m3 within human comfort temperature level of 16 to 28° C., stable and suitable for temperature control and heat storage in buildings and houses.
US07943055B2

To provide a secondary circulation cooling system using a composition which is less influential over the environment as a secondary coolant, is non-inflammable, has a small pressure drop particularly at a low temperature and has a large heat transfer coefficient.A secondary circulation cooling system comprising a primary cooling means 1 using a primary coolant, a secondary circulation cooling means 13 using a secondary coolant and a heat exchange means 6 to carry out heat exchange between the primary coolant and the secondary coolant, characterized in that a composition comprising a fluorinated ether such as CF2HCF2OCH2CF3, and an alcohol such as ethanol, is used as the secondary coolant.
US07943050B2

A method for controlling the microbial contamination of water. Impure water is passed through a container packed with a specially-treated antimicrobial zeolite material. Zinc ions incorporated into the framework of the zeolite provide the antimicrobial effect. The method is designed to control bacterial levels while preserving the taste and potability of the water.
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