US07952321B2

An electrical device (100) includes a housing (102), a battery receiving region (104), device electrical circuitry (112), an energy converter (110), and an energy limiter (108). The battery receiving region (104), the circuitry (112), the energy converter (110) and the energy limiter (108) are located within the housing (102). The energy converter (110) has an input dynamic range for supplied electrical energy and converts the energy to a level suitable for powering the device circuitry (112). The energy limiter (108) limits the supplied electrical energy.
US07952316B2

A multiple-winding induction machine may be used to obtain a reduced-speed-variation electric drive when using a variable-frequency power distribution system. Each winding may have a different number of poles. The winding with the smallest number of poles may operate the machine at the lowest bus frequency, while the winding with the largest number of poles may operate the machine at the highest bus frequency. In one embodiment, a third winding, with a middle number of poles, may operate the machine at the middle frequency ranges. The speed of the induction machine is a function of the electrical frequency and the number of the winding poles. Therefore, the operating speed range can be reduced by switching from one winding to another. According to the present invention, windings with different numbers of poles can be designed to achieve different reductions in speed variation.
US07952315B2

The system includes a plurality of vertically spaced medication trays with a base assembly and a motor, responsive to computer commands, mounted on the base assembly. A drive shaft case member extends vertically from the base assembly. A cam assembly includes a plurality of spaced cam members, each cam member having concave portions and lobe portions on a peripheral surface thereof. A first drive clutch selectively engages the motor with both the drive shaft case member and the cam assembly for rotation of both in one direction, while a second drive clutch selectively engages the motor with just the cam assembly for rotation thereof in an opposing direction. The drive shaft case member has a cam follower assembly associated with each cam member, wherein one portion of the cam follower assembly engages the cam element and another portion engages an associated tray when the cam follower engages a selected concave portion on the cam element associated with the tray.
US07952314B2

In normal mode, a central unit of an electronic control device receives desired and actual values for determining desired current values which are transmitted to an electronic drive unit. The central unit of the electronic drive unit receives the desired current values for determining drive signals for circuit breakers. In monitoring mode, the central unit of the electronic control device checks whether an connected electric motor is in a safe state. If not, the control device transmits disconnection signals to a disconnection device and to the drive unit. The central unit of the electronic control device generates checking information for the drive unit. In the monitoring mode, the central unit of the drive unit checks whether a disconnection signal is transmitted to the central unit and whether the checking information is correct.
US07952300B2

A power supply with a capacitor providing an output voltage. A switch is connected between a voltage source and the capacitor. A control terminal of the switch has a switching threshold. The switch conducts a charging current from the voltage source into the capacitor. A control circuit controls the switch on when the voltage source is below a predetermined level and off when the voltage source is above the level. A control voltage supply circuit provides a control supply voltage. A control terminal voltage for the switch derived from the control supply voltage with a magnitude in excess of the switching threshold drives the switch on in a saturated region of operation.
US07952299B2

A first voltage comparator makes a comparison between a first detection voltage that occurs at one terminal of a first resistor and a predetermined first threshold voltage. A second voltage comparator compares a second detection voltage that occurs at one terminal of a second resistor with a predetermined second threshold voltage. A logic unit generates a switching signal, the level of which is switched according to the output signals of the first voltage comparator and the second voltage comparator, and outputs the switching signal thus generated to the gate of a switching transistor. After a predetermined period of time elapses after the switching signal is switched to the level which turns off the switching transistor, an automatic restart circuit forcibly switches the switching signal to a level which switches the switching transistor to the ON state.
US07952292B2

Controlling a lighting system, which comprises a controller (2, 10), lighting units (6), and a sensing device. Each lighting unit comprises a lighting source (12) and a modulated light source (14). A single light source may be used to function as both the lighting source and the modulated light source. Each modulated light source emits uniquely modulated light. A radiation pattern of each modulated light source coincides substantially with a radiation pattern of a lighting source of the same lighting unit. The sensing device is suitable to sense modulated light in a viewing area. Lighting units from which the sensing device senses modulated light are identified from the modulation of that modulated light. The sensing device measures the intensity of the modulated light from the identified lighting unit. The lighting sources are controlled dependent on control data which comprises measuring values of measured light intensities.
US07952290B2

A current-regulated light emitting device for vehicle use includes a light emitting unit and a current limiting unit. The current limiting unit includes first and second switches and first and second bias units. The first switch is for making and breaking an electrical circuit between the light emitting unit and an electric power source. The first bias unit is for causing the first switch to conduct so as to activate the light emitting unit when the first bias unit receives a drive voltage from the electric power source. The second bias unit is for causing the second switch to conduct when amount of current flowing through the first switch exceeds a predetermined threshold, thereby turning off the first switch to interrupt current flow through the light emitting unit.
US07952267B2

A display by an active matrix drive in which plural pixels are controlled independently from one another, wherein each of the pixels includes at least two sub-pixels, the sub-pixels emit light of the same color as each other by application of current, and one sub-pixel of the sub-pixels has a lower light-emission efficiency per unit of current than that of the other sub-pixel. A display which has an improved gradation and is capable of multi-gradation reproduction is provided.
US07952255B2

A rotor and an electrical machine for a motor vehicle drivetrain. The rotor includes a rotor carrier with a radial supporting area, an axial supporting area, which extends axially with respect to the axis of rotation of the rotor and which is connected to the radial supporting area and has an inner or an outer first circumferential surface, and a rotor component which conducts magnetic flux and is arranged at the circumferential surface of the axial supporting area. To achieve a rotationally locking connection between the rotor carrier and the rotor component conducting magnetic flux, it is proposed to form the axial supporting area with a positive engagement profile which extends in axial direction of the rotor for receiving, in a positive engagement, the rotor component conducting magnetic flux.
US07952252B2

Disclosed herein is an inner rotor type permanent magnet excited transverse flux motor, in which a laminated structure in an axial direction or in a radial shape is applied to a stator iron core so as to employ a small amount of permanent magnets compared with a conventional outer rotor type permanent magnet excited transverse flux motor, thus providing high output power, increasing the efficiency of power generation, and reducing noise and vibration. For this, the present invention provides an inner rotor type permanent magnetic excited transverse flux motor comprising: a stator including a stator powdered iron core press-molded using a mold, a stator laminated iron core laminated on upper and lower layer portions of the circumference of the stator powdered iron core at regular intervals, and a stator winding which winds the segmented stator powdered iron core in which a current flows is wound between the intervals; and a rotor in which a rotor permanent magnet and a rotor powdered iron core are arranged alternately to face each other.
US07952251B2

A method for reducing leakage currents in an electric machine is described. The method includes positioning a plurality of leakage current shields between windings and teeth of a stator, and coupling at least one of the plurality of leakage current shields to a reference point, wherein an electric potential at the reference point is not earth ground.
US07952242B2

A rotary electric machine integrated with a control device includes stator current switching circuit sections, each of which has a switching element disposed on a heat sink; a field current switching circuit section; a control circuit section which controls the stator current switching circuit sections and the field current switching circuit section; and a case which contains the stator current switching circuit sections and has suction holes each for a cooling air inflow, the heat sinks of three phases for the stator current switching circuit sections being disposed in a circumferential direction of the rotary electric machine. In the rotary electric machine, of the suction holes of the case, an area of the suction hole for the heat sink of the phase disposed in the midst is set to be larger than an area of the suction hole of other phase.
US07952239B2

Disclosed are bimetallic strips that incorporate magnetostrictive materials to enhance and provide sensing, actuating and energy harvesting functions. The bimetallic strips include a positive magnetostrictive Fe-based alloy layer and a flexible layer. The flexible layer may be a negative magnetostrictive layer or a permanent magnet layer. One or more permanent magnet materials may also be used in the arrangement. The bimetallic strips are inexpensive and easily manufactured, and have characteristics that enhance sensing and actuator applications, and enables energy harvesting.
US07952230B2

In a cycloconverter generator equipped with an AC power generator that generates single-phase AC power to be supplied to a load by turning on positive and negative switching elements at variable timing every half-period of a desired AC power frequency based on a phase signal and a DC power generator that generates DC power by turning on the positive switching elements in accordance with a timing determined by desired DC voltage, there is installed with a selection switch that is installed to be operable by an user and produces an output indicative of a result of the user's selection between the AC power and DC power thereby enabling to the user to easily select either one of alternating current and direct current.
US07952228B2

A plurality of primary power supplies convert a primary power supply voltage into intermediate voltages. Secondary power supplies convert the intermediate voltages converted by the primary power supplies into supply voltages and output the same. A timing adjuster is inputted thereto plural sorts of power converted into the intermediate voltages from the plural primary power supplies to perform timing adjustment to absorb a difference in start timing between the plural primary power supplies, and causes the secondary power supplies to output the supply voltages. When the power is supplied from the plural power supplies to the load elements, stable power can be supplied to the load elements even if a difference in start time generates between the plural power supplies.
US07952221B2

A starting system for aircraft engines employs power from multiple power sources. Each engine is started with a starter motor that is driven by the same multiple power sources which collectively provide starting power. As engine speed increases during each starting cycle a voltage boost is progressively provided by a boost converter. The starting system allows use of voltages higher than output voltage of the power sources while allowing the power sources to remain connected to a main aircraft power distribution bus.
US07952217B2

The invention relates to a wind turbine comprising a rotor including one or more pitchable blades, registration means for registering an idling power producing situation of the wind turbine in relation to a utility grid, detection means for detecting edgewise oscillations in one or more of the blades, and control means for controlling the pitch angle of one or more of the blades. The control means is adapted for changing the pitch angle of one or more of the blades when the registration means registers that the wind turbine is operating in an idling power producing situation and the detection means detects edgewise oscillations in one or more of the blades, hereby damping or eliminating the edgewise oscillations. The invention further relates to a method for controlling a wind turbine and use hereof.
US07952208B2

A substrate on which an IC element is fixed includes: a plurality of metal posts arranged in a plurality of columns in a lengthwise direction and in a plurality of rows in a crosswise direction when viewed in a plan view, the plurality of metal posts having first faces and second faces that face an opposite side to a side that the first faces face; first marks each of the first marks being disposed on extending lines of the plurality of columns; and second marks, each of the second marks being disposed on extending lines of the plurality of rows.
US07952203B2

Methods of forming microelectronic device structures are described. Those methods may include forming a passivation layer on a substrate, wherein the substrate comprises an array of conductive structures, forming a first via in the passivation layer, forming a second via in the passivation layer that exposes at least one of the conductive structures in the array, and wherein the second via is formed within the first via space to form a step via, and forming a conductive material in the step via, wherein a round dimple is formed in the conductive material.
US07952199B2

A circuit board and a semiconductor package having the same are provided. The circuit board comprises a base substrate having interconnections, and solder ball lands disposed on one surface of the base substrate. The solder ball lands respectively have land holes having different sizes. The land hole disposed at the center portion of the base substrate and the land hole disposed at the edge portion of the base substrate may have different sizes. For example, the sizes of the land holes may increase from the center portion of the base substrate to the edge portion thereof, and alternatively, the sizes of the land holes may decrease from the center portion of the base substrate to the edge portion thereof.
US07952196B1

An interconnect assembly for use in high frequency applications includes an interconnect structure, a plurality of electronic die disposed on the interconnect structure, and an encapsulant at least partially surrounding the plurality of electronic die. The interconnect structure includes a plurality of layers. The interconnect assembly further includes a thermal management layer disposed within a portion of the encapsulant and proximate to the plurality of electronic die and a controlled impedance interconnect connected to the interconnect structure and extending to a peripheral surface of the interconnect assembly.
US07952192B2

A melting temperature adjustable metal thermal interface material (TIM) and a packaged semiconductor including thereof are provided. The metal TIM includes about 20-98 wt % of In, about 0.03-4 wt % of Ga, and at least one element of Bi, Sn, Ag and Zn. The metal TIM has an initial melting temperature between about 60-144° C.
US07952167B2

A scribe line layout design to reduce the damage caused by sawing the wafer is presented. An embodiment comprises metal plates located within the scribe lines and at least partially within the junctions of the scribe lines. Each of these metal plates has one or more slots to help relieve the pressure. Alternatively, instead of metal plates, grooves that may be filled with metal could be placed into the scribe lines. These metal plates could also be used concurrently with a seal ring for better protection during sawing.
US07952163B2

A nonvolatile memory device, a method of fabricating the nonvolatile memory device and a processing system including the nonvolatile memory device. The nonvolatile memory device may include a plurality of internal electrodes that extend in a direction substantially perpendicular to a face of a substrate, a plurality of first external electrodes that extend substantially in parallel with the face of the substrate, and a plurality of second external electrodes that also extend substantially in parallel with the face of the substrate. Each first external electrode is on a first side of a respective one of the internal electrodes, and each second external electrode is on a second side of a respective one of the internal electrodes. These devices also include a plurality of variable resistors that contact the internal electrodes, the first external electrodes and the second external electrodes.
US07952149B2

An apparatus and method for controlling the net doping in the active region of a semiconductor device in accordance with a gate length is provided. A compensating dopant is chosen to be a type of dopant which will electrically neutralize dopant of the opposite type in the substrate. By implanting the compensating dopant at relatively high angle and high energy, the compensating dopant will pass into and through the gate region for short channels and have little or no impact on the total dopant concentration within the gate region. Where the channel is of a longer length, the high implant angle and the high implant energy cause the compensating dopant to lodge within the channel thereby neutralizing a portion of the dopant of the opposite type.
US07952143B2

A semiconductor device in which both an IGBT element region and a diode element region exist in the same semiconductor substrate includes a low lifetime region, which is formed in at least a part of a drift layer within the diode element region and shortens the lifetime of holes. A mean value of the lifetime of holes in the drift layer that includes the low lifetime region is shorter within the IGBT element region than within the diode element region.
US07952141B2

A semiconductor structure comprises an active region comprising trenches extending into a semiconductor region. Each trench includes a shield electrode and a gate electrode. The semiconductor structure also comprises a shield contact region adjacent to the active region. The shield contact region comprises at least one contact trench extending into the semiconductor region. The shield electrode from at least one of the trenches in the active region extends along a length of the contact trench. The semiconductor structure also comprises an interconnect layer extending over the active region and the shield contact region. In the active region the interconnect layer is isolated from the gate electrode in each trench by a dielectric layer and contacts mesa surfaces of the semiconductor region adjacent to the trenches. In the shield contact region the interconnect layer contacts the shield electrode and the mesa surfaces of the semiconductor region adjacent to the contact trench.
US07952136B2

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a nonvolatile semiconductor storage apparatus including: a substrate; a columnar semiconductor disposed perpendicular to the substrate; a charge storage laminated film disposed around the columnar semiconductor; a first conductor layer that is in contact with the charge storage laminated film and that has a first end portion having a first end face; a second conductor layer that is in contact with the charge storage laminated film, that is separated from the first conductor layer and that has a second end portion having a second end face; a first contact plug disposed on the first end face; and a second contact plug disposed on the second end face.
US07952134B2

Provided are a semiconductor device and a method of forming the semiconductor device. The semiconductor device includes an active region of which an edge is curved. The semiconductor device includes a gate insulating layer, a floating gate, a gate interlayer dielectric layer and a control gate line on the active region. The semiconductor device includes an oxide pattern having a concave top surface between adjacent floating gates. The control gate may be sufficiently spaced apart from the active region by the oxide pattern. The method can provide a semiconductor device that includes a reoxidation process, an active region having a curved edge and an oxide pattern having a top surface of a curved concave shape.
US07952123B2

A thin-film transistor substrate in which an aluminum alloy film composing a source/drain wiring is directly connected with a transparent electrode. The thin-film transistor substrate includes a gate wiring, and source wiring and drain wiring, the gate wiring and the source and drain wiring being arranged orthogonally to each other. The single-layer aluminum alloy film composing the gate wiring and the single-layer aluminum alloy film composing the source wiring and the drain wiring are the same in composition. Furthermore, display devices can be mounted with the above thin-film transistor substrates.
US07952121B2

An image sensor includes a charge storage portion for storing and transferring signal charges, a first electrode for forming an electric field storing the signal charges in the charge storage portion, a charge increasing portion for increasing the signal charges stored in the charge storage portion and a second electrode for forming another electric field increasing the signal charges in the charge increasing portion, wherein the quantity of the signal charges storable in the charge storage portion is not less than the quantity of the signal charges storable in the charge increasing portion.
US07952120B2

Provided are embodiments of a semiconductor device having bit lines and bit bar lines. The bit lines and the bit bar lines are arranged in alternate succession across a substrate. At least two of proximate bit lines, bit line bars, power lines, and ground lines of the semiconductor device are formed on different layers, in order to reduce defects due to particles between lines, and increase yield.
US07952117B2

At least two drain ohmic contacts are arranged to intersect with an active area. A source ohmic contact is arranged between the drain ohmic contacts. A drain coupling portion on an element separating area couples ends of the drain ohmic contacts on the same side thereof. A gate power supply wiring on the element separating area couples gate fingers at the end thereof on the opposite side of the arrangement side of the drain coupling portion. A gate edge coupling portion couples two gate fingers adjacent to each other, sandwiching the source ohmic contact at the end thereof on the arrangement side of the drain coupling portion. The gate edge coupling portion does not intersect with the drain ohmic contact and the drain coupling portion.
US07952108B2

Reducing effects of thermal expansion in electronic components. An electronic device can include a support, such as a leadframe. An electronic component can be supported by the support. A first flexible layer can cover the electronic component. A second more rigid layer can cover the first layer. The first layer can be made from a material that is more flexible than the second layer thereby creating a mechanical buffer layer between the second layer and the electronic component such that the electronic component is protected from thermal expansion of the second portion caused by changes in temperature. The electronic component can be a laser. The first and second materials can be selected to disperse an optical emission from the optical transmitter.
US07952101B2

The present invention has an object of providing a light emitting device including an OLED formed on a plastic substrate, which can prevent the degradation due to penetration of moisture or oxygen. On a plastic substrate, a plurality of films for preventing oxygen or moisture from penetrating into an organic light emitting layer in the OLED (hereinafter, referred to as barrier films) and a film having a smaller stress than that of the barrier-films (hereinafter, referred to as a stress relaxing film), the film being interposed between the barrier films, are provided. Owing to a laminate structure of a plurality of barrier films, even if a crack occurs in one of the barrier films, the other barrier film(s) can effectively prevent moisture or oxygen from penetrating into the organic light emitting layer. Moreover, the stress relaxing film, which has a smaller stress than that of the barrier films, is interposed between the barrier films, thereby making it possible to reduce a stress of the entire sealing film. As a result, a crack due to stress hardly occurs.
US07952096B2

An apparatus and method for fabricating an array of backside illuminated (“BSI”) image sensors is disclosed. Front side components of the BSI image sensors are formed into a front side of the array. A dopant layer is implanted into a backside of the array. The dopant layer establishes a dopant gradient to encourage photo-generated charge carriers to migrate towards the front side of the array. At least a portion of the dopant layer is annealed. A surface treatment is formed on the backside of the dopant layer to cure surface defects.
US07952090B2

An electrochemical transistor comprising an electrolyte is disclosed. The electrolyte includes an ionic liquid. In a preferred embodiment, the transistor further comprises a source electrode, a drain electrode separated from the source electrode so as to form a gap between the source and drain electrodes, a semiconductor layer bridging the gap between the source and drain electrodes to form a transistor channel, and a gate electrode separated from the source electrode, the drain electrode and the semiconductor layer. In this embodiment, the electrolyte is disposed so as to contact at least a part of both the semiconductor layer and the gate electrode.
US07952088B2

The present invention, in one embodiment, provides a semiconductor device including a substrate having an dielectric layer; at least one graphene layer overlying the dielectric layer; a back gate structure underlying the at least one graphene layer; and a semiconductor-containing layer present on the at least one graphene layer, the semiconductor-containing layer including a source region and a drain region separated by an upper gate structure, wherein the upper gate structure is positioned overlying the back gate structure.
US07952080B2

An image capturing system includes a cassette having a radiation detector, an image memory, and a cassette controller, an image capturing apparatus, a display device, and a host computer. The cassette controller comprises a capacity value transmitter for transmitting a capacity value of the radiation image information to the host computer before transmission process, and an image transmitter for transmitting the radiation image information. The host computer comprises an indicator controller for controlling the display device to display an indicator representing the capacity value received from the cassette as the upper limit, and a bar controller for controlling the display device to display a bar moving toward the indicator and having a length corresponding to the received capacity value of the radiation image information while the radiation image information is being received.
US07952077B2

An image sensor has a plurality of pixels, each pixel including a photoelectric converter and a pixel circuit for processing signals from the photoelectric converter and outputting processed signals to an output line, the plurality of pixels having at least one position at which a first pixel, a second pixel, a third pixel, a fourth pixel, a fifth pixel, and a sixth pixel are arranged in one direction, in that order, and the first pixel, the second pixel, the third pixel, the fourth pixel, the fifth pixel, and the sixth pixel are arranged so that the photoelectric converters are arranged at the same pitch. The pixel circuit of the first pixel and the pixel circuit of the second pixel are arranged between the photoelectric converter of the first pixel and the photoelectric converter of the second pixel, the pixel circuit of the third pixel and the pixel circuit of the fourth pixel are arranged between the photoelectric converter of the third pixel and the photoelectric converter of the fourth pixel, and the pixel circuit of the fifth pixel and the pixel circuit of the sixth pixel are arranged between the photoelectric converter of the fifth pixel and the photoelectric converter of the sixth pixel. A scanning circuit is disposed between the photoelectric converters of the second and third pixels, and no scanning circuit is disposed between the photoelectric converter of the fourth pixel and the photoelectric converter of the fifth pixel.
US07952057B2

Concentrating solar collector systems that utilize a concentrating reflector to direct incident solar radiation to a solar receiver are described. In one aspect, the reflective surface is arranged to direct light to the receiver in a non-imaging manner in which the solar rays reflected from the opposing edges of the reflective surface are generally directed towards a central portion of the solar receiver. Rays reflected from selected central portions of the reflective surface are directed closer to the edges of the receiver than the solar rays reflected from the edges of the reflective surface. The described reflectors are generally intended for use in solar collector systems that track movements of the sun along at least one axis.
US07952049B2

A method of changing the temperature of a substrate during processing of the substrate includes providing the substrate on a substrate holder, the substrate holder including a temperature controlled substrate support for supporting the substrate, a temperature controlled base support for supporting the substrate support and a thermal insulator interposed between the temperature controlled substrate support and the temperature controlled base support. The method further includes setting the temperature of the base support to a first base temperature corresponding to a first processing temperature of said substrate, setting the substrate support to a first support temperature corresponding to said first processing temperature of said substrate, setting the temperature of the base support to a second base temperature corresponding to a second processing temperature of said substrate, and setting the substrate support to a second support temperature corresponding to said second processing temperature of said substrate.
US07952046B2

An actuator assembly for a welding gun is provided that has at least three positions in the example. The actuator assembly includes separate working and retract actuators. The working actuator includes a working rod movable between first and second positions. The retract actuator includes a retract rod independently movable relative to the working rod between third and fourth positions. The retract actuator is external to and non-concentrically arranged relative to the working actuator in the example shown. Actuation of the working and retract actuators is coordinated to provide at least three positions while enabling the actuators to be changed or modified independently from one another. A latching device is configured to selectively interlock the working and retract actuators to one another automatically in response to movement the working rod from the first position to the second position.
US07952039B2

A system and method according to which one or more sliders are actuated in order to, for example, operate one or more switches such as, for example, one or more circuit breaker switches.
US07952034B2

This disclosure is directed to electrical connectors that include a connector body having an inlet end opening and an outlet end portion wherein the outlet end portion is provided with an outer surface that slopes downwardly toward the outlet opening and having a complementary sloping or frustro-conical, snap fit, retaining ring with locking tangs and grounding tangs for snap locking the outlet end portion to an electric box or enclosure, and including an embodiment having a cable strap retainer hingedly connected to an associated cable support saddle to render the cable strap retainer readily detachable from the saddle in a manner that prohibits any unintentional detachment of the strap therefrom when rotated between a cable clamping and unclamping position suitable for securing thereto either a non-metallic cable or an armored or metal clad cable, wire conductor and the like.
US07952031B2

A barrier system for a line leadthrough in an electric installation has mutually adjacent wall elements forming barriers that extend in an axial longitudinal direction and are spaced apart from each other, forming channels. The wall elements lie partially on a support, at least at their lower ends. The wall elements are joined by a plug element to the leadthrough. Slots having a width which corresponds to the wall thickness of the wall elements are arranged in the plug element. The wall elements can be inserted into the slots, thus permitting a barrier system to be quickly and easily assembled and disassembled.
US07952028B2

A high-performance bonding wire that is suitable for semiconductor mounting technology, such as stacked chip bonding, thinning, and fine pitch mounting, where wire lean (leaning) at an upright position of a ball and spring failure can be suppressed and loop linearity and loop height stability are excellent. This bonding wire for a semiconductor device includes a core material made of a conductive metal, and a skin layer formed on the core material and containing a metal different from the core material as a main component; wherein a relationship between an average size (a) of crystal grains in the skin layer on a wire surface along a wire circumferential direction and an average size (b) of crystal grains in the core material on a normal cross section, the normal cross section being a cross section normal to a wire axis, satisfies an inequality of a/b≦0.7.
US07952023B2

An apparatus for mounting electrical equipment includes a frame for carrying electrical equipment, a hinge connected to the frame, and a cable ring connected to the hinge. The cable ring is positioned between the frame and an axis of rotation of the hinge.
US07952022B2

The present invention relates to a junction box for a use with a recessed luminaire fixture frame wherein the junction box may be accessed from two opposed sides, eliminating the need to move the fixture to access and inspect the junction box.
US07952018B2

A stacked photovoltaic apparatus capable of improving the output characteristics is provided. This stacked photovoltaic apparatus comprises a second power generation unit including a second semiconductor layer having a first refractive index and a third semiconductor layer of an amorphous semiconductor functioning as a photoelectric conversion layer, an intermediate layer formed between a first power generation unit and the second power generation unit with a second refractive index and a reflection promotive layer formed between the intermediate layer and the second power generation unit with such a third refractive index that the difference between the third refractive index and the first refractive index is larger than the difference between the second refractive index and the first refractive index.
US07952016B2

This invention provides a photovoltaic module for preventing insulation failure between an outer frame and connection leads. The photovoltaic module comprises: a photovoltaic submodule including a plurality of solar cells interposed between two light-transmitting substrates through the intermediary of an encapsulant and the connection leads extending from an edge between light-transmitting substrates and outputting generated electric currents; a terminal box attached near an edge of the photovoltaic submodule and housing connected parts between the connection leads and cables for outputting the electric currents to the outside; and an outer frame fitting over peripheral edges of the photovoltaic submodule. A side, of the light-receiving side light-transmitting substrate, from which the connection leads are pulled out, is made large so as to extend outward further than the other light-transmitting substrate. The connection leads are led out from the edge between the two light-transmitting substrates to be guided into the terminal box.
US07952008B2

The invention relates to a musical percussion instrument including a barrel and a membrane, being stretched over at least one of the openings and being in the form of a disc of appropriate material. The membrane has a device to collaborate with a complementary device of the barrel or a support to allow the membrane to be attached to the barrel with the application of tension. This musical instrument is characterized in that the membrane is equipped with devices defined by a series of holes, uniformly distributed at the periphery of the disc and through which a series of ties are intended to be anchored, at least part of the ties being capable of being secured to an element that forms an integral part of the barrel or of a support thereof.
US07951999B1

The present invention is in the field of soybean cultivar S07-02JR409106 breeding and development. The present invention particularly relates to the soybean cultivar S07-02JR409106 and its progeny, and methods of making S07-02JR409106.
US07951997B2

Methods for the production of reversibly male-sterile plants by introduction of a polynucleotide encoding a cytokinin oxidase are disclosed along with nucleic acid constructs and transformed cells useful in the production of such plants. Also disclosed is the use of plants containing recombinant nucleic acid sequences in preventing pollination of plants with pollen containing one or more transgenes and in the introduction of economically important traits into elite varieties of plants.
US07951996B2

The present invention provides the chromosomal location and structure of a gene involved in the determination of row type and panicle morphology of barley. The present inventors have found that the row type and panicle morphology of barley can be altered by introducing the Vrs1 gene provided by the present invention into barley and regulating its expression. Furthermore, the present inventors found the possibility of enhancing the resistance of barley to Fusarium head blight. Thus, barley having phenotypes suitable for the intended purpose can be created by efficiently altering the row type and panicle morphology of barley.
US07951994B2

We describe transgenic cells transformed with nucleic acid molecules which encode enzymes with desaturase activity and the use of these cells and enzymes in biocatalysis.
US07951981B2

A process for producing a perfluoroalkyne compound includes an addition reaction step of adding Cl2, Br2, or I2 to a compound shown by the formula (1) CH3C≡CR1 to obtain a compound shown by the formula (2) CH3CX2CX2R1, a fluorination reaction step of reacting the compound shown by the formula (2) with fluorine gas to obtain a compound shown by the formula (3) CF3CX2CX2R2, and a dehalogenation reaction step of contacting the compound shown by the formula (3) with a metal or an organometallic compound to obtain a perfluoroalkyne compound shown by the formula (4) CF3C≡CR2. According to the present invention, a perfluoroalkyne compound can be produced at high productivity and high yield using starting raw materials which are environmentally friendly and industrially available. In the above formulas, R1 represents a methyl group or an ethyl group, X represents Cl, Br, or I, and R2 represents a trifluoromethyl group or a pentafluoroethyl group.
US07951980B2

A method and apparatus are disclosed for the recovery of ethylene glycol in a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) production process, in which water accumulating in the esterification reaction is mixed with a process fluid containing 2-methyl-1,3-dioxolane (MDO). The mixing is carried out in a tank arranged upstream of a rectification column. Through the increase in the water content in the fluid, a shift in the reaction equilibrium takes place and consequently a cleavage of the 2-methyl-1,3-dioxolane present into ethylene glycol and acetaldehyde takes place. Following the cleavage reaction, the mixture is fed from the tank into a rectification column, whereby the ethylene glycol produced from the cleavage reaction is returned to the PET production process.
US07951975B2

A composition comprising a compound of formula (I) or (II): wherein r and q are independently integers of 1 to 3; Rf is linear or branched chain perfluoroalkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms; j is an integer 0 or 1, or a mixture thereof, x is 1 or 2, Z is —O— or —S—, X is hydrogen or M, and M is an ammonium ion, an alkali metal ion, or an alkanolammonium ion is disclosed.
US07951973B2

A compound of general formula (I): A process for preparing this compound.A fungicidal composition comprising a compound of general formula (I).A method for treating plants by applying a compound of general formula (I) or a composition comprising it.
US07951965B2

The present invention discloses a phenanthrene derivative having the following structure: wherein Ar1 and Ar2 independently are phenyl, nathphyl, heterocyclic group, polycyclic aromatic or polycyclic heterocyclic group with at least one conjugated substituent. The conjugated substituent can be an electron withdrawing group or electron donating group. The phenanthrene derivatives have semiconductor properties of electron transfer, electroluminescence (EL), and photoluminescence (PL). Intermolecular stacking can be avoided and electron-luminescent emission stability is enhanced when the derivatives are applied as a light-emitting material in organic EL devices due to the presence of the two stereo cyclopentane rings, such as a host compound or a dopant emitting blue light.
US07951961B2

The present invention relates to an enantioselective synthesis of (+)-trans enantiomer of pyrrolidines substituted with flavones, represented by Formula 1 or salts thereof, which are inhibitors of cyclin dependant kinases and can be used for treatment of proliferative disorders such as cancer wherein Ar has the meaning as indicated in the claims.
US07951959B2

Compounds, compositions, and methods for optical, including fluorescence optical, determinations useful in labeling biomolecules such as protein and deoxyribonucleic acid for their detection and quantitation. The compounds are diastereomeric cyanines with high hydrophilicity and other desirable properties.
US07951954B2

The present invention relates to compounds according to formula (I), a process for preparing them, the intermediate compounds of the process and the use of the compounds in the manufacture of a medicament for use in treating diseases such as ARDS, pulmonary emphysema, bronchitis, bronchiectasis, COPD, asthma and rhinitis. The compounds are beta adrenoreceptor agonists.
US07951950B2

Disclosed are CRTH2 inhibitors represented by Structural Formula (I): The values for the variables of Structural Formula (I) are provided herein.
US07951944B2

An organic electroluminescent device (OELD) is provided. The OELD includes a substrate, an anode, a cathode, a hole transport layer, an electron transport layer and an emission layer. The anode and the cathode are disposed on the substrate. The hole transport layer is disposed between the anode and the cathode. The electron transport layer is disposed between the hole transport layer and the cathode. The emission layer is disposed between the hole transport layer and the electron transport layer. The emission layer includes a host and a dopant. The chemical structure of the dopant is shown as the formula [I]: “M” is a metal atom whose atomic weight is greater than 40. “S” is selected from a group consisting of alkyl, alkoxy, haloalkyl, halogen, hydrogen and any other substituents.
US07951938B2

The present invention relates to novel fluorinated dyes or colorants having high solubility and low viscosity in halogenated, especially fluorinated, solvents. The dyes or colorants of the present invention have shown to improve the performance of electrophoretic displays. The invention is particularly directed to a fluorinated porphyrin dye or colorant expressed by Formula (VII).
US07951932B2

A probe, a set of probes, and a probe carrier on which the probe or the set of probes is immobilized, are provided for classification of fungus species. The probe or the set of probes is capable of collectively detecting fungus of the same species and distinguishingly detecting those fungus from fungus of other species. The probe is an oligonucleotide probe for detecting a pathogenic fungus DNA and includes at least one of base sequences of SEQ ID NOS. 1 to 3 and mutated sequences thereof.
US07951925B2

Disclosed herein are methods and compositions for inactivating CCR-5 genes, using zinc finger nucleases (ZFNs) comprising a zinc finger protein and a cleavage domain or cleavage half-domain. Polynucleotides encoding ZFNs, vectors comprising polynucleotides encoding ZFNs, such as adenovirus (Ad) vectors, and cells comprising polynucleotides encoding ZFNs and/or cells comprising ZFNs are also provided.
US07951920B2

The current invention is related to a conjugate comprising one or more antifusogenic peptides and an anti-CCR5 antibody (mAb CCR5) characterized in that one to eight antifusogenic peptides are each conjugated to one terminus of the heavy and/or light chains of the anti-CCR5 antibody and to the pharmaceutical use of the conjugate.
US07951907B2

The genome sequences and the nucleotide sequences coding for the PWD circovirus polypeptides, such as the circovirus structural and non-structural polypeptides, vectors including the sequences, and cells and animals transformed by the vectors are provided. Methods for detecting the nucleic acids or polypeptides, and kits for diagnosing infection by a PWD circovirus, also are provided. Method for selecting compounds capable of modulating the viral infection is further provided. Pharmaceutical, including vaccines, compositions for preventing and/or treating viral infections caused by PWD circovirus and the use of vectors for preventing and/or treating diseases also are provided.
US07951903B2

A hydrazone compound represented by a General Formula (1) below, a hydrazone compound for forming a metal complex, which is represented by the General Formula (1) below and forms a metal complex by coordination to at least one metal species, a ligand for forming a metal complex including the hydrazone compound, and a monomer for manufacturing a polymer compound including the hydrazone compound: wherein, Py represents a 2-pyridyl group, a 3-pyridyl group, or a 4-pyridyl group.
US07951895B2

The invention relates to, and the general field of the invention is that of, the synthesis of silicone resins, more particularly the synthesis of silicone resins of type MQ. The process relates to the preparation of MQ silicone resins and permits better control of the operating conditions in the step of the polymerization of a sodium silicate (B) in aqueous medium in the presence of an acid (C) to form a silica hydrosol (polysilicic acid). In the course of the polycondensation step the reactants, a sodium silicate and an acid, are mixed, preferably in continuous fashion, dynamically to form a mixture (3), by means of at least one intensive mixing tool (M) producing a power ε per unit volume of more than 10 kW/m3.
US07951879B2

Embodiments relate to viscosifiers that are terminated polymers that have functional terminal groups. The polymers being pre-extended by polyepoxides and being reacted to give polymers that are terminated by other functional groups. The viscosifiers have a low content in educts or educt descendants that deteriorate the properties of compositions and considerably reduce or even exclude the formation of high-molecular addition products so that the products obtained have low viscosity and good storage stability.
US07951872B2

A heterogeneous polymer blend comprises a dispersed phase comprising a thermoplastic first polymer having a crystallinity of at least 30% and a continuous phase comprising a second polymer different from the first polymer. The second polymer has a crystallinity of less than 20% and is at least partially cross-linked.
US07951869B2

The present system is a waterborne coating composition comprising a low VOC (<50 g/l) acrylic epoxy coating which is capable of high build coating formation (>12 mils) without foaming. The coating composition may be made, stored and transported as a two-part composition, where each part is a pourable liquid. The waterborne acrylic epoxy composition cures under ambient condition to give tenacious adhesion to a variety substrates. The coating system, described herein, is designed as an ambient cure system, but may also be cured at elevated temperatures. The two component emulsion composition is useful for coating applications. One component is an emulsion comprised of a blend of a hydroxy functional acrylic polymer co-reactant, suitable additives, pigments and epoxy resin The second component is a waterborne amine hardener for curing or crosslinking the first component.
US07951866B2

It is an object of the present invention to provide a transparent resin molding having both high reflow heat resistance and excellent optical characteristics and to provide an optical lens and an optical film each including the transparent resin molding and having high heat resistance and excellent optical characteristics. A transparent resin molding according to the present invention is obtained by molding a molding material containing a thermoplastic resin and crosslinking the thermoplastic resin, in which the thermoplastic resin is selected from resins having an average transmissivity of 60% or more in the wavelength range of 600 to 1,000 nm when molded into a molding with a thickness of 2 mm, and the resin molding with a thickness of 2 mm has an average transmissivity of 60% or more in the wavelength range of 600 to 1,000 nm when the resin molding is heated at 200° C. for 10 minutes.
US07951860B2

Polymer composite materials having improved gas barrier properties are generally disclosed, along with process of making the same. The polymer composite materials can include phosphonate particles, oxide particles, and combinations thereof. For example, the particles can be metal phosphonate particles, synthetic oxide particles, or combinations thereof.
US07951859B2

Compositions including a polymer, a primary antioxidant, a secondary antioxidant, and a metal deactivator selected from at least one of 2,2′-oxamido bis[ethyl 3-(3,5-di-tert-butyl-4-hydroxyphenyl)propionate] and oxalyl bis(benzylidenehydrazide), are disclosed. The compositions can also include a light stabilizer. The compositions can be used to manufacture insulations for wire and cable. The compositions have improved long-term heat aging and also retain their color when exposed to heat. A method of making an insulation for a conductor, such as a wire or a cable, made from a composition is also provided.
US07951855B2

What is disclosed is a plurality of prepaints which are used in any combination to produce base paints and/or colored paints of varying end-use application characteristics. Additionally, a mobile paint factory for producing a plurality of lines of architectural coatings from a plurality of prepaints en route to and/or at various locations is disclosed. The mobile paint factory may include a vehicle having a paint production system and a paint mixer located thereon. Furthermore, a method of producing a plurality of lines of user-selected architectural coatings from a plurality of prepaints en route to and/or at various locations is disclosed. The method may include: providing a mobile paint factory; prompting a user to select through the paint production system an interior or exterior application environment, a paint sheen, and a paint quality; automatically dispensing predetermined amounts of appropriate prepaints; and agitating the dispensed prepaints.
US07951852B2

A matrix which is a polymer, plastic or polymer-wood composite includes a composition of a biocide and a processing additive therewith in the form of a free-flowing powder.
US07951840B2

The addition of low concentrations of combinations of water-soluble organic salts of zinc to gels, creams, lotions or ointments can increase the ability of these products to reduce or prevent exogenous irritants from causing irritation of the underlying substrate. The addition of low concentrations of combinations of water-soluble organic zinc salts to these gels, creams, lotions or ointments also can reduce the irritation of skin or mucous membranes caused by the addition of potentially-irritating substances such as spermicides, microbicides, fungicides or other therapeutic agents to the gel, cream, lotion or ointment. The advantages of this anti-irritant approach over others, which generally employ high concentrations of single zinc salts, are the reduced potential for zinc toxicity, the reduced potential for toxicity related to zinc itself, and the preservation of the desirable biological properties of potentially-irritating therapeutic substances added to the gel, cream, lotion or ointment.
US07951836B2

The present invention relates to compounds of formula I wherein R1, R2, R3, X, n, and m are as defined herein and to pharmaceutically acceptable acid addition salts thereof, to pharmaceutical compositions containing them, and to methods for treating neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders.
US07951823B2

The invention provides compounds and pharmaceutical compositions thereof, which are useful for modulating channel activating proteases, and methods for, using such compounds to treat, ameliorate or prevent a condition associated with a channel activating protease, including but not limited to prostasin, PRSS22, TMPRSS11 (e.g., TMPRSS11B, TMPRSS11E), TMPRSS2, TMPRSS3, TMPRSS4 (MTSP-2), matriptase (MTSP-1), CAP2, CAP3, trypsin, cathepsin A, or neutrophil elastase.
US07951820B2

This invention describes novel triazole compounds of formula IX: wherein Z1 is nitrogen or CR9 and Z2 is nitrogen or CH, provided that at least one of Z1 and Z2 is nitrogen; G is Ring C or Ring D; Ring C is selected from a phenyl, pyridinyl, pyrimidinyl, pyridazinyl, pyrazinyl, or 1,2,4-triazinyl ring, wherein said Ring C has one or two ortho substituents independently selected from —R1; Ring D is a 5-7 membered monocyclic ring or 8-10 membered bicyclic ring selected from aryl, heteroaryl, heterocyclyl or carbocyclyl; Rx and Ry are independently selected from T-R3, or Rx and Ry are taken together with their intervening atoms to form a fused ring; R1, R3, and T are as described in the specification. The compounds are useful as protein kinase inhibitors, especially as inhibitors of GSK-3 and Aurora, for treating diseases such as diabetes, cancer, and Alzheimer's disease.
US07951819B2

The present invention pertains to certain imidazo[4,5-b]pyridin-2-one and oxazolo[4,5 b]pyridin-2-one compounds and analogs thereof, which, inter alia, inhibit RAF (e.g., B RAF) activity, inhibit cell proliferation, treat cancer, etc. The present invention also pertains to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds, and the use of such compounds and compositions, both in vitro and in vivo, to inhibit RAF (e.g., B-RAF) activity, to inhibit receptor tyrosine kinase (RTK) activity, to inhibit cell proliferation, and in the treatment of diseases and conditions that are ameliorated by the inhibition of RAF, RTK, etc., proliferative conditions such as cancer (e.g., colorectal cancer, melanoma), etc.
US07951817B2

Compounds represented by the formula:wherein R is C1-6 alkyl; C4-6 cycloalkylalkyl; or C3-6 alkenyl; R′ is H or C1-6 alkyl; X is H or OH; Y is alkyl, cycloalkyl, aryl, heteroaryl, arylalkyl or aroyl; and Z is CH or N; provided that X is H, when Z is CH and R is C4 cycloalkylalkyl or C4 alkenyl; prodrugs thereof; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof are provided. Compounds of the above formula are useful as analgesics for treating pain; as immunomodulators, to modulate the behavioral effects of drugs of abuse and to modulate the development of tolerance and dependence to μ agonists.
US07951807B2

The present invention relates to novel oxindole derivatives of the general formula (I), wherein the substituents A, B, R1, R2 and R3 are as defined in Claim 1, and medicaments containing the same for the prophylaxis and/or treatment of vasopressin-dependent or oxytocin-dependent diseases.
US07951803B2

Compounds of the formula wherein R1 represents optionally substituted C1-C10 alkyl, aryl or heteroaryl, and R3 represents alkoxy-substituted aryl or optionally substituted heteroaryl, are disclosed as Mnk2 inhibitors which are useful for the treatment and prevention of metabolic disorders such as obesity and diabetes.
US07951801B2

This invention provides beta-carboline compounds of formula III-A-aa: wherein Q, G, R1, R2, R3, and R6b are as described in the specification. The compounds are useful for treating diseases such as inflammatory diseases and cancer.
US07951798B2

The present invention relates to new crystalline forms I, II and III of 2-methyl-4-(4-methylpiperazin-1-yl)-10H-thieno[2,3-b][1,5]-benzodiazepine hydrochloride, a process for the preparation thereof and pharmaceutical compositions containing the same. Said new polymorphic forms are useful as active ingredients for the treatment of psychotic conditions.
US07951788B2

The present invention relates to the use of the compound according to formula (I) Where S is (A) or (B); X is H or F; R1 is H, an acyl group, a C1-C20 alkyl or ether group, a phosphate, diphosphate, triphosphate or a phosphodiester group, a (C) or (D) group; Where Nu is a radical of a biologically active compound such as an anticancer, antihyperproliferative or antiviral compound such that an amino group or hydroxyl group from said biologically active agent forms a phosphate, phosphoramidate, carbonate or urethane group with the adjacent moiety; Each R8 is independently H, or a C1-C20 alkyl or ether group, preferably H or a C1-C2 alkyl group; k is 0-12, preferably, 0-2; R2 is H, an acyl group or a C1-C20 alkyl or ether group; and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, solvates or polymorphs thereof for the treatment of tumors, cancer and hyperproliferative diseases, among other conditions or disease states.
US07951783B2

A T cell receptor molecule (TCR) containing an alpha chain portion and a beta chain portion wherein the alpha chain portion contains three complementarity determining regions (CDRs): CDR1α: SSYSPS CDR2α: YTSAATL CDR3α: VVSPF-SGGGADGLT or comprising or consisting of SPFSGGGADGLT and the beta chain portion contains three complementarity determining regions (CDRs): CDR1β: DFQATT CDR2β: SNEGSKA CDR3β: comprising SARDGGEG or comprising or consisting of RDGGEGSETQY, or wherein up to three amino acid residues in one or more CDRs are replaced by another amino acid residue. The invention also includes polynucleotides encoding the TCR molecules, and host cells containing the said polynucleotides. Patient derived T cells may have the polynucleotides encoding the TCR molecules introduced therein, and the engineered T cells may be introduced into the patient in order to combat a WT1-expressing malignancy.
US07951780B2

An antitumor agent containing, in combination, at least one kind of antitumor agent selected from the group consisting of an antitumor agent that forms a cross-link with DNA and shows an antitumor effect, an antimetabolite antitumor agent and a taxane antitumor agent, and a histone deacetylase inhibitor. According to the present invention, an antitumor agent causing reduced side effects and having a superior antitumor activity can be provided.
US07951769B2

The invention relates to compositions which are suitable as fabric softeners, particularly for softening fabrics that have been washed with highly concentrated detergents. Said compositions are obtainable by esterification of a C6-C22 fatty acid with triethanolamine and subsequent quaternization, said compositions containing non-quaternized di-esteramine, non-quaternized tri-esteramine, quaternized mono-esteramine, quaternized di-esteramine and quaternized tri-esteramine, wherein the weight ratio of non-quaternized tri-esteramine to quaternized tri-esteramine is higher than 1.5.
US07951763B2

Use of an aqueous solution of a cationic copolymer in a personal care composition, characterized in that the cationic copolymer is formed from a cationic monomer and a nonionic monomer, wherein said cationic copolymer has an average molecular weight in the range 30,000 to 300,000 and the aqueous solution has a concentration of 20 to 50% by weight and a viscosity of less than 10,000 cP at 25° C. The invention also comprises cosmetic compositions obtained from the aqueous solution of the cationic copolymer.
US07951762B2

A skin or hair washing composition having excellent foamability and a good feeling upon use in the process from washing to after drying, which comprises: the following components (A), (B) and (C): (A) a compound represented by formula (1): R1O-(AO)n—R2  (1) (B) a surfactant other than the component (A); and (C) a cationic polymer, wherein the weight ratio of the component (A) and the component (C), (A)/(C), is from 0.5 to 60.
US07951759B2

The present invention relates to transportable product for the transportation of paraffinic wax and methods of transporting using this transportable product. The transportable product comprises 90 to 20 weight % of a liquid comprising >50 weight % alcohol and having a true vapor pressure of ≦14.7 psia when measured at 20° C., and 10 to 80 weight % of wax particles, wherein the wax particles comprise ≧75 weight % of wax particles larger than 0.1 mm. The transportable product and methods of transporting according to the present invention are able to accommodate a relatively high weight % of paraffinic wax particles in the transportable product while avoiding interparticle adhesion and clumping by ensuring that the wax particles are not too small and the amount of small wax particles is not excessive.
US07951757B2

The fluid compositions of the present invention include an alkoxy glycol component, where the composition includes no more than about 10 wt % of a borate ester based on the weight of the composition. The physical properties of the compositions of include a high dry equilibrium reflux boiling point (ERBP), a high wet equilibrium reflux boiling point (WERBP), and a low temperature viscosity. These compositions are particularly useful because their physical properties (e.g., WERBP, ERBP, and low temperature viscosity) meet or exceed the provisions for DOT 3 brake fluids under the Federal Motor Vehicle Standard No. 116.
US07951749B2

Methods for enhancing hydrogen spillover and storage are disclosed. One embodiment of the method includes doping a hydrogen receptor with metal particles, and exposing the hydrogen receptor to ultrasonification as doping occurs. Another embodiment of the method includes doping a hydrogen receptor with metal particles, and exposing the doped hydrogen receptor to a plasma treatment.
US07951746B2

Bulk metallic catalysts comprised of a Group VIII metal and a Group VIB metal and methods for synthesizing bulk metallic catalysts are provided. The catalysts are prepared by a method wherein precursors of both metals are mixed and interacted with at least one organic acid, such as glyoxylic acid, dried, calcined, and sulfided. The catalysts are used for hydroprocessing, particularly hydrodesulfurization and hydrodenitrogenation, of hydrocarbon feedstocks.
US07951745B2

Oil soluble catalysts are used to convert polynuclear aromatic compounds in a hydrocarbon feedstock to higher value mono-aromatic compounds. The catalyst complex includes a catalytic metal center that is bonded to a plurality of organic ligands that make the catalyst complex oil-soluble. The ligands include an aromatic ring and a ligand spacer group. The ligand spacer group provides spacing of 2-6 atoms between the metal center and the aromatic ring. The spacing between the aromatic group and the catalytic metal center advantageously allows the catalyst to selectively crack polynuclear aromatic rings while preserving one of the aromatic rings, thereby increasing the content of mono-aromatic compounds in the hydrocarbon feedstock.
US07951741B2

The present invention pertains to a catalyst composition comprising at least one non-noble Group VIII metal component, at least two Group VIB metal components, and at least about 1 wt. % of a combustible binder material selected from combustible binders and precursors thereof, the Group VIII and Group VIB metal components making up at least about 50 wt. % of the catalyst composition, calculated as oxides. The invention also pertains to a process for preparing the catalyst, to its use in hydroprocessing and to its recycling. The catalyst according to the invention has a higher strength than corresponding binder-free catalysts, and are easier to recycle than catalysts containing a non-combustible binder.
US07951730B2

Methods for forming silicon nitride hard masks are provided. The silicon nitride hard masks include carbon-doped silicon nitride layers and undoped silicon nitride layers. Carbon-doped silicon nitride layers that are deposited from a mixture comprising a carbon source compound, a silicon source compound, and a nitrogen source in the presence of RF power are provided. Also provided are methods of UV post-treating silicon nitride layers to provide silicon nitride hard masks. The carbon-doped silicon nitride layers and UV post-treated silicon nitride layers have desirable wet etch rates and dry etch rates for hard mask layers.
US07951727B2

The nitride film forming method comprises the first step of loading a semiconductor substrate 12 into a reaction furnace, and decompressing the inside of the reaction furnace 14 to remove oxygen and water from the inside of the reaction furnace 14 and the semiconductor substrate 12, the second step of heating the reaction furnace 14 to further remove the oxygen and the water from the reaction furnace 14 and the semiconductor substrate 12, and the third step of purifying nitrogen gas to have the oxygen concentration to be 1 ppb or below, and performing thermal processing with the purified nitrogen gas being fed into the reaction furnace to form a nitride film 56 over the semiconductor substrate 12. The thermal nitriding is performed using an ultrahigh-purity nitrogen gas of an oxygen concentration of 1 ppb or below, whereby nitrogen film of very good quality can be formed without setting the thermal processing temperature very high.
US07951717B2

Post-CMP treating liquids are provided, one of which includes water, an amphoteric surfactant, an anionic surfactant, a complexing agent, resin particles having carboxylic group and sulfonyl group on their surfaces, a primary particle diameter thereof ranging from 10 to 60 nm, and tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide. Another includes water, polyphenol, an anionic surfactant, ethylene diamine tetraacetic acid, resin particles having carboxylic group and sulfonyl group on their surfaces, a primary particle diameter thereof ranging from 10 to 60 nm, and tetramethyl ammonium hydroxide. Both of the treating liquids have a pH ranging from 4 to 9, and exhibit a polishing rate both of an insulating film and a conductive film at a rate of 10 nm/min or less.
US07951716B2

A wafer is produced at a step of polishing a predetermined face of a wafer to flatten the predetermined face while supplying a polishing liquid onto a bonded abrasive cloth, wherein the bonded abrasive cloth comprises a urethane bonding material consisting of a soft segment having a polyfunctional isocyanate and a hard segment having a polyfunctional polyol and having an expansion ratio of 1.1-4 times and silica having an average particle size of 0.2-10 μm and a hydroxy group, and has a given ratio of the hard segment occupied in the urethane bonding material, a given volume ratio of silica and a given Shore D hardness.
US07951706B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor is provided. A fist metal layer can be formed on a lower structural layer, and an interlayer metal dielectric (IMD) layer can be formed on the first metal layer. A sacrificial oxide layer can be formed on the IMD layer, and a planarization process can be performed on the sacrificial oxide layer and the IMD layer to substantially eliminate a height difference of the IMD layer.
US07951704B2

An integrated circuit memory device, in one embodiment, includes a substrate and first and second inter-level dielectric layers successively disposed on the substrate. One or more contacts in the peripheral extend through the first inter-level dielectric layer to respective components. One or more vias and a plurality of dummy vias extend through the second inter-level dielectric layer in the peripheral area. Each of the one or more peripheral vias extend to a respective peripheral contact. The peripheral dummy vias are located proximate the peripheral vias.
US07951700B2

The invention involves mounting a solder resin composition (6) including a solder powder (5a) and a resin (4) on the first electronic component (2); arranging such that the connecting terminals (3) of the first electronic component (2) and the electrode terminals (7) of the second electronic component (8) are facing each other; ejecting a gas (9a) from a gas generation source (1) included in the first electronic component (2) by heating the first electronic component (2) and the solder resin composition; and inducing the flow of the solder powder (5a) in the solder resin composition (6) by inducing convection of the gas (9a) in the solder resin composition (6), and electrically connecting the connecting terminals (3) and the electrode terminals (7) by self-assembly on the connecting terminals (3) and the electrode terminals (7). Through this are provided a flip chip packaging method that enables connecting, with high connection reliability, electrode terminals of a semiconductor chip wired with narrow pitch and connecting terminals of a circuit board, and a bump formation method for packaging on a circuit board.
US07951697B1

A method of forming an electronic component package includes forming a patterned dielectric layer comprising circuit pattern artifacts and at least one electronic component opening. An etch stop metal protected circuit pattern is plated with the circuit pattern artifacts. An electronic component is mounted in the electronic component opening. The etch stop metal protected circuit pattern provide an etch stop for substrate formation etch processes. In this manner, etching of a patterned conductor layer is avoided insuring that impedance is controlled to within tight tolerance.
US07951691B2

In a method for producing a thin film chip including an integrated circuit, a semi-conductor wafer having a first surface is provided. At least one cavity is produced under a defined section of the first surface by means of porous silicon. A circuit structure is produced in the defined section. The defined wafer section is subsequently released from the semiconductor wafer by severing local web-like connections, which hold the wafer section above the cavity and on the remaining semiconductor wafer.
US07951690B2

An image sensor includes circuitry, a metal interconnection, a first substrate, a metal ion-implanted insulating layer, and a photodiode. The circuitry is formed on and/or over the first substrate, and the metal ion-implanted insulating layer is formed on and/or over the metal interconnection. The photodiode is formed in a crystalline semiconductor layer over the metal ion-implanted insulating layer.
US07951684B2

A semiconductor device (1) and a method are disclosed for obtaining on a substrate (2) a multilayer structure (3) with a quantum well structure (4). The quantum well structure (4) comprises a semiconductor layer (5) sandwiched by insulating layers (6,6′), wherein the material of the insulating layers (6,6′) has preferably a high dielectric constant. In a FET the quantum wells (4,9) function as channels, allowing a higher drive current and a lower off current. Short channel effects are reduced. The multi-channel FET is suitable to operate even for sub-35 nm gate lengths.In the method the quantum wells are formed by epitaxial growth of the high dielectric constant material and the semiconductor material alternately on top of each other, preferably with MBE.
US07951682B2

A method for fabricating a capacitor in a semiconductor device includes forming an insulation layer over a substrate, forming a storage node contact plug passing through the insulation layer and coupled to the substrate, recessing the storage node contact plug to a certain depth to obtain a sloped profile, forming a barrier metal over the surface profile of the recessed storage node contact plug, forming a sacrificial layer over the substrate structure, etching the sacrificial layer to form an opening exposing the barrier metal, forming a bottom electrode over the surface profile of the opening, and removing the etched sacrificial layer.
US07951676B2

The semiconductor device has a semiconductor body with a semiconductor device structure. The semiconductor device structure has a first electrode, a second electrode and a gate electrode. The gate electrode is designed to form a conductive channel region. An insulating layer at least partially surrounds the gate electrode. A semi-insulating layer is provided between the gate electrode and at least one of the first electrode and the second electrode. The semi-insulating layer is located outside the conductive channel region and has an interface state density which is greater than the quotient of the breakdown charge and the band gap of the material of the semiconductor body.
US07951667B2

A method of fabricating a vertical transistor in a semiconductor device improves integration of the semiconductor device according to a design rule. After a semiconductor substrate is etched to form a buried bit line, a gate electrode pattern that surrounds a cylindrical channel region pattern of the vertical transistor is formed, thereby preventing damage to the gate electrode pattern due to an etching process. The gate electrode pattern surrounds the channel region pattern where a width is narrower than second source and drain regions. The second source and drain regions are then deposited over the channel region pattern and the gate electrode pattern. As a result, a neck-shaped channel region does not collapse due to the weight of the second source and drain regions.
US07951644B2

A semiconductor device and a method for fabricating the same, including: a substrate having a mounting surface formed with a plurality of bonding fingers and covered with an insulating layer, the insulating layer having an opening formed therein for exposing the bonding fingers; and a chip coupled to the substrate and including a body, a self-adhesive protective layer, and a plurality of bumps protruding from the self-adhesive protective layer. The self-adhesive protective layer is formed on the chip but leaves the bumps exposed. The self-adhesive protective layer is made of a photosensitive adhesive, thermosetting adhesive, or dielectric material. The chip is coupled to the substrate via the self-adhesive protective layer, thus allowing the bumps to be electrically connected to the bonding fingers and at least an end of the opening to be exposed. The method enables a more streamlined manufacturing process and lower fabrication costs by dispensing with adhesive dispensing.
US07951635B2

The invention relates to a method for the compensation of deviations occurring as a result of manufacture in the manufacture of micromechanical elements and their use which should be deflected at a resonant frequency. It is therefore the object of the invention to compensate deviations which occur due to manufacture and which have an influence on the resonant frequency of micromechanical elements in a simple and cost-effective manner. In accordance with the invention, a procedure is followed such that additional trenches and/or recesses are formed at the deflectable element simultaneously with the forming of the trenches by dry etching with which at least one spring element, a deflectable element and optionally also a frame element of micromechanical elements are formed. The trenches and recesses can thereby be formed under the same respective process parameters at the respective micromechanical element or at all micromechanical elements of a batch. A removal of material during etching, preferably dry etching, therefore takes place under the same etching conditions so that the respectively removed mass at trenches and/or recesses is influenced in the same manner by the etching process parameters.
US07951633B2

A light emitting diode (LED) and a method of making the same are disclosed. The present invention uses a metal layer of high conductivity and high reflectivity to prevent the substrate from absorbing the light emitted. This invention also uses the bonding technology of dielectric material thin film to replace the substrate of epitaxial growth with high thermal conductivity substrate to enhance the heat dissipation of the chip, thereby increasing the performance stability of the LED, and making the LED applicable under higher current.
US07951618B2

The present invention is related to a luminescent material generated by polymerization of a pyrromethene complex by glow discharge. The polymer material of the present invention exhibits semi-conductive properties and has a luminescence maximum in a spectrum region in the range of about 540 nm to about 585 nm with a half-width of the luminescence band in the range of about 55 nm to about 75 nm, a quantum yield of photoluminescence in the range of about 0.6 to about 0.8, and an electric conductivity at a temperature of about 20° C. in the range of about 1×10−10 S/cm to about 5×10−10 S/cm. The resultant polymer layer has a thickness in the range of about 0.01 μm to about 10 μm on a substrate placed between or on any of the electrodes. The starting pyrromethene complex may be a 1,3,5,7,8-pentamethyl-2, 6-diethylpyrromethene difluoroborate complex (pyrromethene 567). Additionally, the luminescent polymer material may be formed as a layer on a substrate having conductive coating, such as a metal, a dielectric material or semi-conductive material, for example.
US07951615B2

One embodiment is a method for fabricating ICs from a semiconductor wafer. The method includes performing a first process on the semiconductor wafer; taking a first measurement indicative of an accuracy with which the first process was performed; and using the first measurement to generate metrology calibration data, wherein the metrology calibration data includes an effective portion and a non-effective portion. The method further includes removing the non-effective portion from the metrology calibration data and modeling the effective portion with a metrology calibration model; combining the metrology calibration model with a first process model to generate a multi-resolution model, wherein the first process model models an input-output relationship of the first process; and analyzing a response of the multi-resolution model and second measurement data to control performance a second process.
US07951613B2

Methods of use of Chaperonin 10 (Cpn10) are provided for regulating Toll-like receptor signaling and/or Toll-like receptor inducible immunomodulator secretion. Cpn10 negatively regulates Toll-like receptor agonist-induced pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine secretion, examples being IL-6 and RANTES, respectively. Cpn10 positively regulates Toll-like receptor agonist-induced anti-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine secretion, an example being IL-10. These immunoregulatory activities of Cpn10 may be useful in the treatment of diseases, disorders and conditions resulting from excessive pro-inflammatory cytokine and chemokine secretion. This invention also relates to producing, designing and/or screening Cpn10 agonists and antagonists according to their ability to regulate Toll-like receptor signaling and/or Toll-like receptor inducible immunomodulator secretion.
US07951603B2

An object of the invention is to provide a method for enabling MSn (n>) analysis of a trace amount of a sample and easily and rapidly obtaining structural information by identifying a bonding position of the labeling compound in a molecule with the MSn (n>) analysis. According to the present invention, by labeling a particular moiety of the molecule in a stable manner, ions are easily generated and stabilized, thereby improving sensitivity of the MS. The amount of precursor ions generated in this manner is an amount enough to carry out the MSn (n>1) analysis and to generate structure-specific ions with high reproducibility. The structural information can be easily and rapidly obtained with high sensitivity.
US07951600B2

Electrodeposition baths, systems and methods are provided. In some embodiments, the baths, systems and methods are used to deposit metal alloy coatings.
US07951597B2

The present invention is a pressurized fluid sample injector system consisting of a sample needle, multiport valve, sample loop, metering syringe and a pressure assist pump. The speed of sample transport into the sample loop is increased by pressurizing the fluid in the system and metering the sample into the sample loop. The elevated system pressure allows the fluids to be moved faster than the vapor pressure would normally allow in a system at ambient pressure.
US07951587B2

The invention relates to a recombinant Mononegavirales virus (MV) vector comprising a foreign gene that is flanked by non-coding regions of a MV virus gene.
US07951584B2

Disclosed is a method for producing a biological organic material in a liquid droplet comprising a culture medium composed of specified ingredient. The method comprises the steps of: providing a substantially spherical liquid droplet on a substrate in an unadhered state, the substrate preferably having such a water-repellent surface that the water contact angle becomes 150° or greater; and culturing a biological organic material in the liquid droplet.
US07951583B2

A scanning sensor system 100, methods and kits for use thereof including a switchable light source 102, a detector 106, a substrate 104 and a plurality of optical sensing sites 112 are provided. Substrate 104 is coupled to and in optical communication with switchable light source 102 and detector 106. Additionally, substrate 104 includes a plurality of substantially parallel excitation waveguides 108, and a plurality of substantially parallel collection waveguides 110, the excitation waveguides 108 and collection waveguides 110 crossing to form a two-dimensional array and optical communication with intersection regions 114 at each crossing. The plurality of optical sensing sites 112 are each in optical communication with an intersection region 114.
US07951577B2

Liquid crystal compositions that exhibit little or no toxicity with respect to cells include liquid crystals with chemical functional groups such as fluorine atoms, fluorophenyl groups, or difluorophenyl groups. Liquid crystals with little or no toxicity to cell lines may be added to cell culture media or added to components used in cell culture media. Cells may be grown in cell culture media that includes liquid crystals that exhibit little or no toxicity to cells.
US07951574B2

The present invention relates to novel JP170 like subtilases from wild-type bacteria, hybrids thereof and to methods of construction and production of these proteases. Further, the present invention relates to use of the claimed subtilases in detergents, such as a laundry or an automatic dishwashing detergent.
US07951565B2

The present invention relates to a process for the production of methionine in an organism such as a microorganism, a non-human animal or plant. The invention furthermore relates to nucleic acid molecules, polypeptides, nucleic acid constructs, vectors, antisense molecules, antibodies, host cells, plant tissue, propagation material, harvested material, plants, microorganisms as well as agricultural compositions and to their use.
US07951552B2

This invention relates to novel α-galactosidases for the enzymatic removal of the immunodominant monosaccharides on blood products and tissues. Specifically this invention provides a novel family of α3 glycosidases, used for the enzymatic removal of type B antigens from blood group B and AB reactive blood products, and the GaIiIi antigen from non-human animal tissues, thereby converting these to non-immunogenic cells and tissues suitable for transplantation.
US07951550B2

A method to detect the presence or amount of at least one molecule in a sample which employs a derivative of luciferin or a derivative of a fluorophore is provided.
US07951536B2

The present invention provides a method for determining the base sequence of a DNA. According to the method for determining the base sequence of a DNA of the present invention, a probe is used, which is a probe having a protruding end and identification-labeled according to the species of the base at the protruding end, containing a recognition sequence of a class IIS restriction enzyme, to carry out simultaneously in a chain reaction, for a plurality of DNAs to be analyzed, ligation of the end base of a DNA to be analyzed and a probe and cleavage of the end base of the DNA to be analyzed, allowing the base sequence to be determined sequentially by a single molecule spectrofluorimetry method, such that an effective determination of the base sequence of a DNA becomes possible.
US07951530B2

An object of the present invention is to provide an option of non-reducing saccharide by providing a novel non-reducing saccharide composed of glucose as constituents and to provide a novel enzyme forming the non-reducing saccharide, a method and process for producing the same, a DNA encoding the enzyme, a recombinant DNA and transformant comprising the DNA, a composition comprising the non-reducing saccharide, and uses thereof. The present invention solves the above object by providing a novel cyclic saccharide having a structure of cyclo{>6)-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1>4)-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1>6)-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1>4)-α-D-glucopyranosyl-(1>}, cyclic maltosylmaltose, novel cyclic maltosylmaltose-forming enzyme, a method and process for producing the same, a DNA encoding the enzyme, a recombinant DNA and transformant comprising the DNA, a composition comprising the cyclic maltosylmaltose or a saccharide composition comprising the same, and uses thereof.
US07951528B2

The invention is directed to a method for detecting colorectal adenoma and/or colorectal carcinoma comprising the steps: a) providing an isolated sample material which has been taken from an individual, b) determining the level of transthyretin in said isolated sample material, and c) comparing the determined level of transthyretin with a reference value. The invention is further directed to a method for discriminating between colorectal adenoma and colorectal carcinoma as well as to a method for monitoring the course of colorectal adenoma and/or colorectal carcinoma and/or the treatment of colorectal adenoma and/or colorectal carcinoma. Moreover, the invention is directed to a test system and an array for use in these methods. Furthermore, the invention is directed to the use of transthyretin as a biomarker for a detection of colorectal adenoma and/or colorectal carcinoma in an individual.
US07951516B2

The electrophotographic photoreceptor of the present invention includes a cylindrical support; a charge-generating layer and a charge-transporting layer that are layered onto the cylindrical support in this sequence from the cylindrical support side. The charge-transporting layer includes a charge transport material, and resins including a curable resin and a thermoplastic resin. The proportion of the content of the curable resin with respect to the total amount of the resins in the charge-transporting layer increases in the layer thickness direction with distance from the charge-generating layer side.
US07951505B2

A fuel cell system including a fuel cell, constructed as an integrated stack comprising a laminate, produced by stacking a plurality of cells between two end plates, and a fuel supply device for supplying fuel to the fuel cell. In this fuel cell system, a plurality of individual fuel supply ports, for supplying fuel independently from the fuel supply device to each of the plurality of cells, are formed on the end plates, thus forming individual fuel supply channels that deliver fuel from the plurality of individual fuel supply ports to the fuel electrodes of the corresponding cells, respectively. This fuel cell system is compact, and enables equal supply of a predetermined quantity of fuel to each of the plurality of cells.
US07951499B2

A fuel cell system comprises: a fuel container for storing fuel liquefied with pressure; a reformer for generating hydrogen from the fuel through a catalyst reaction based on heat energy; an electric generator for generating electricity by transforming energy of an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen into electric energy; a condenser for condensing water produced in the electric generator; and a heat exchanger passing through the condenser for cooling the condenser by latent heat of the fuel. With this configuration, cooling water cooled by latent heat of a fuel container is employed to cool the condenser without using a separate cooler. Furthermore, air is mixed with butane fuel without using a separate power unit, so that it is possible to achieve a more compact and highly efficient fuel cell.
US07951490B2

A secondary battery both having a cathode and an anode with a separator in between. The cathode comprises a stable complex oxide LixNi1-y-zMnyMIzO2 and a highly conductive complex oxide LisMIIl-t-uMntMIIIuO2. Each of MI and MIII includes at least one kind selected from the group consisting of elements in Group 2 through Group 14, and MII includes at least one kind selected from the group consisting of Ni and Co, and the values of x, y, z, s, t and u are within a range of 0.9≦x≦1.1, 0.25≦y≦0.45, 0.01≦z≦0.30, 0.9≦s≦1.1, 0.05≦t≦0.20, and 0.01≦u≦0.10, respectively.
US07951476B2

An electrode assembly for a rechargeable battery resists external impacts applied to the rechargeable battery, and includes a sealing tape attached to an outer circumference of the rechargeable battery, which extends toward an upper part and a lower part to prevent the electrode assembly from unfastening, and a top insulating plate and a bottom insulating plate may be attached to the extended portion of the sealing tape. A shock resistant electrode assembly for a rechargeable battery has an insulating plate attached thereto by an extended portion of a sealing tape, thereby preventing the electrode assembly from moving in a battery housing when an external impact is applied.
US07951473B2

The invention discloses optical coatings with improved durability, the coating comprising a durability enhancing layer, a nucleation layer and an infrared reflecting layer. The invention also discloses methods of making thin film layers having enhanced durability.
US07951471B2

It is an object of the present invention to provide a substance capable of emitting phosphorescence. In addition, it is an object of the present invention to provide a light-emitting element that is excellent in chromaticity. One aspect of the present invention is an organometallic complex having a structure represented by a general formula (1). In the general formula (1), R1 to R4 are each any one of hydrogen, a halogen element, an acyl group, an alkyl group, an alkoxyl group, an aryl group, a cyano group, and a heterocyclic group. In addition, R5 to R13 are each any one of hydrogen, an acyl group, an alkyl group, an alkoxyl group, an aryl group, a heterocyclic group, and an electron-withdrawing group. An organometallic complex having such a structure can emit phosphorescence with higher emission intensity.
US07951468B2

Molten metal is injected uniformly into a horizontal mold from a feed chamber in a horizontal or vertical direction at a controlled rate, directly on top of the metal already within the mold. A cooling medium is applied to the bottom surface of the mold, with the type and flow rate of the cooling medium being varied to produce a controlled cooling rate throughout the casting process. The rate of introduction of molten metal and the flow rate of the cooling medium are both controlled to produce a relatively uniform solidification rate within the mold, thereby producing a uniform microstructure throughout the casting, and low stresses throughout the casting. A multiple layer ingot product is also provided comprising a base alloy layer and at least a first additional alloy layer, the two layers having different alloy compositions, where the first additional alloy layer is bonded directly to the base alloy layer by applying the first additional alloy in the molten state to the surface of the base alloy while the surface temperature of the base alloy is lower than the liquidus temperature and greater than eutectic temperature of the base alloy −50 degrees Celsuis.
US07951457B2

An aqueous composition comprising a polyurethane dispersion with a sediment content ≦5%, wherein the polyurethane has an acid value in the range of from 25 to 65 mgKOH/g and comprises (i) 36 to 60 wt % of at least one aromatic polyisocyanate and where the polyurethane is prepared in the presence of (a) ≦5 wt % of 1-methyl-2-pyrrolidinone by weight of the polyurethane and (b) at least one reactive diluent.
US07951455B2

A method for manufacturing an ultrahard compact includes assembling a mass of ultrahard material with a mass of substrate material such that the mass of ultrahard material extends radially outward a greater extent than the substrate material to compensate for a difference in the radial shrinkage of the ultrahard material compared to the substrate material during a sintering process. The method may further includes subjecting the assembled compact to a high pressure high temperature process mat results in the forming of an ultrahard compact including an ultrahard layer integrally bonded with a substrate.
US07951453B2

The invention provides a water soluble complex comprising an inner core of a metal or semi-conductor nanoparticle. The nanoparticle is coated with a hydrophobic ligand, which is encapsulated in a micelle. In an aqueous medium, the micelle comprises a hydrophilic shell and a hydrophobic core, the hydrophilic shell comprising a plurality of hydrophilic moieties, the hydrophobic core comprising a plurality of hydrophobic moieties, each hydrophobic moiety comprising at least one chain, each chain comprising a minimum of 8 atoms; wherein the total number of atoms in all chains for each moiety comprises at least 24 atoms. The micelle has a minimum average diameter of approximately 5 nm and a maximum average diameter of approximately 45 nm.
US07951446B2

There is provided a hard-to-sinter constraining green sheet and a method of manufacturing a multilayer ceramic substrate using the same. The hard-to-sinter constraining green sheet disposed at least one of top and bottom surfaces of a non-sintered multi-layer ceramic substrate, the hard-to-sinter constraining green sheet including: a first constraining layer having a surface to be positioned on the multi-layer ceramic substrate, the first constraining layer including a first organic binder and a first inorganic powder having a spherical shape or a quasi-spherical shape; and a second constraining layer bonded to a top surface of the first constraining layer and including a second organic binder and a second inorganic powder having a flake shape, the second constraining layer having a powder packing density lower than that of the first constraining layer.
US07951445B2

A photochromic optical article comprising an optical substrate having a photochromic layer which is formed on at least one surface thereof and contains a photochromic compound is dispersed in a resin, and a thin metal oxide layer formed on the photochromic layer, wherein an indenonaphthopyran compound is used as the photochromic compound, the photochromic layer having a thickness of 30 to 50 μm, and the thin metal oxide layer has a thickness of 0.01 to 10 μm. The photochromic optical article has excellent photochromic properties, effectively suppresses a decrease in the photochromic properties caused by deterioration due to oxidation and features very excellent photochromic light resistance.
US07951419B2

Heterogeneous oxygen-scavenging particles are formed by dry coating activating component particles onto oxidizable component particles, largely through a succession of mechanical motions. The component particles are repeatedly mixed, compressed, and sheared. Smaller activating component particles coat the surface of larger oxidizing component particles by force-induced contact, while irregularities are removed by abrasion among the particles. The oxygen-scavenging particles can be blended together with a base polymer into a masterbatch having a higher concentration than required for use as an active barrier to oxygen permeation. The masterbatch can be diluted with the same or a compatible polymer to form the active barrier.
US07951417B1

An adhesive product and method of making the product replaces asphalt in the manufacture of roofing shingles. The method comprises steps of forming a mixture of oil comprising fatty acids and a powdered catalyst operable to catalyze the polymerization of the oil; maintaining the oil to powdered catalyst weight ratio in the mixture between 1 to 0.01 and 1 to 4.9; heating the mixture to a reaction temperature greater than 100 degrees Centigrade; maintaining the reaction temperature for at least five minutes; and, injecting air into the mixture while maintaining the reaction temperature. In making a roofing shingle, the method includes additional steps of: applying the heated mixture to a fiberglass mat sheet from an upstream roll to form a tacky coated strip; and, adding a layer of granules to the tacky coated strip. The adhesive material of this method comprises polymerized oil and the powdered catalyst.
US07951415B2

A pole layer has an end located in a medium facing surface, the end having: a first side close to a substrate; a second side located opposite to the first side; a third side connecting an end of the first side to an end of the second side; and a fourth side connecting the other end of the first side to the other end of the second side. The second side defines a track width. The end of the pole layer located in the medium facing surface has a width that decreases toward the first side. The pole layer is disposed in a groove of a pole-layer-encasing layer made of a nonmagnetic insulating material, with a nonmagnetic conductive film provided between the encasing layer and the pole layer. The pole layer incorporates: a first layer located closer to the surface of the groove; and a second layer located farther from the surface of the groove.
US07951414B2

Some embodiments include methods of forming conductive material within high aspect ratio openings and low aspect ratio openings. Initially, the high aspect ratio openings may be filled with a first conductive material while the low aspect ratio openings are only partially filled with the first conductive material. Additional material may then be selectively plated over the first conductive material within the low aspect ratio openings relative to the first conductive material within the high aspect ratio openings. In some embodiments, the additional material may be activation material that only partially fills the low aspect ratio opening, and another conductive material may be subsequently plated onto the activation material to fill the low aspect ratio openings.
US07951413B2

A balloon for a catheter and a method of making the balloon, having a layer of a porous polymeric material with a modified outer surface and a lubricious coating bonded to the modified outer surface. In one embodiment, the modified outer surface is formed by a polymer impregnated in the porous polymeric material, and the subsequently applied lubricious coating bonds to the impregnating polymer. In another embodiment, the modified outer surface is formed by a functionality deposited on the porous polymeric material which bonds to the subsequently applied lubricious coating. The modified outer surface provides an improved strong bond between the lubricious coating and the balloon, for improved catheter performance.
US07951412B2

A method is provided for depositing a hard wear resistant surface onto a porous or non-porous base material of a medical implant. The wear resistant surface of the medical implant device may be formed by a Laser Based Metal Deposition (LBMD) method such as Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS). The wear resistant surface may include a blend of multiple different biocompatible materials. Further, functionally graded layers of biocompatible materials may be used to form the wear resistant surface. Usage of a porous material for the base may promote bone ingrowth to allow the implant to fuse strongly with the bone of a host patient. The hard wear resistant surface provides device longevity, particularly when applied to bearing surfaces such as artificial joint bearing surfaces or a dental implant bearing surfaces. An antimicrobial material such as silver may be deposited in combination with a metal to form an antimicrobial surface deposit.
US07951405B2

The present invention provides a method for treating tumors or tumor metastases in a patient, comprising administering to the patient simultaneously or sequentially a therapeutically effective amount of an EGFR kinase inhibitor and cisplatin combination, with or without additional agents or treatments, such as other anti-cancer drugs or radiation therapy. The invention also encompasses a pharmaceutical composition that is comprised of an EGFR kinase inhibitor and cisplatin combination in combination with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. A preferred example of an EGFR kinase inhibitor that can be used in practicing this invention is the compound erlotinib HCl (also known as Tarceva™).
US07951401B2

New solid drug dispersions are described in which a drug is present in amorphous form and dispersed within the particles of an organic carrier selected from cross-linked polymers and/or complexing agents. These dispersions are obtainable by mixing the drug and the carrier and applying an oscillating electromagnetic field in the microwave region according to a specific heating cycle wherein the drug-carrier mixture is heated at a temperature higher than the melting point of the drug for at least 5 minutes.
US07951397B2

Dosage forms for oral administration of a PDE 4 inhibitor whose solubility is slight are described. They contain PVP as binder.
US07951395B2

The invention relates to a dermal for aminolaevulinic acid, wherein a self-adhesive matrix system is used containing crystalline aminolaevulinic acids.
US07951387B2

An eyelid scrub composition comprising polyhexamethylene biguanide (PHMB), 1,2-hexanediol, 1,2-octanediol, and a pH stabilizing surfactant solution present in an amount effective to control the pH level of the composition between 5.5 and 7.5. The composition can further comprise moisturizers and foam stabilizers. The composition can be combined with a fabric pad for use as an eyelid scrub, where the fabric pad is pre-moistened with the composition and packaged for use. The composition may be applied to the eyelid scrub and rubbed to induce foaming. The composition is produced by preparing a modified Ringer's solution and adding 1,2-hexanediol, 1,2-octanediol, and an effective amount of one or more pH stabilizing surfactants. The mixture is then heated and allowed to cool before polyhexamethylene biguanide is added.
US07951371B2

This invention relates to compositions and methods comprising “lymphotoxin-β-receptor blocking agents”, which block lymphotoxin-β receptor signalling. Lymphotoxin-β receptor blocking agents are useful for treating lymphocyte-mediated immunological diseases, and more particularly, for inhibiting Th1 cell-mediated immune responses. This invention relates to soluble forms of the lymphotoxin-β.receptor extracellular domain that act as lymphotoxin-β receptor blocking agents. This invention also relates to the use of antibodies directed against either the lymphotoxin-β. receptor or its ligand, surface lymphotoxin, that act as lymphotoxin-β receptor blocking agents. A novel screening method for selecting soluble receptors, antibodies and other agents that block LT-β receptor signalling is provided.
US07951367B2

The present invention provides a method of increasing cathepsin B-induced cleavage of amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide in a cell or tissue, the method generally involving contacting the cell or tissue with an agent that increases the level of cathepsin B in the cell or tissue. The present invention further provides variant cathepsin B polypeptides that are resistant to inhibition by a cysteine protease inhibitor; as well as nucleic acids encoding the variants, and host cells comprising the nucleic acids.
US07951365B2

Methods for treating a patient suffering from a neoplastic disease are disclosed and described. A number of diseases can be treated under the present methods, including without limitation gall bladder cancer, hepato cellular cancer, ovarian cancer, small intestine cancer, lung cancer, mesothelioma, breast cancer, kidney cancer, pancreas cancer, prostate cancer, carcinoid cancer, leiomyosarcoma, or metastasis thereof. A general method for providing such treatment may include: 1) identifying in a patient one or more sentinel and/or metinel lymph nodes draining the neoplasm; 2) resecting the one or more nodes and, optionally all or part of the tumour or metastasis; 3) isolating tumour-reactive T-lymphocytes from said lymph nodes; 4) in vitro expanding said tumour-reactive T-lymphocytes; and 5) administering the thus obtained tumour-reactive T-lymphocytes to the patient.
US07951362B2

The present invention concerns compositions comprising and methods of identification and use of targeting peptides for placenta or adipose tissue. In certain embodiments, the targeting peptides comprise part or all of SEQ ID NO:5-11, SEQ ID NO:13-22 or SEQ ID NO:144. The peptides may be attached to various therapeutic agents for targeted delivery. Adipose-targeting peptides may be used in methods for weight control, inducing weight loss and treating lipodystrophy syndrome. Adipose-targeting may also be accomplished using other binding moieties selectively targeted to adipose receptors, such as a prohibitin receptor protein complex. Placenta-targeting peptides may be used to interfere with pregnancy, induce labor and/or for targeted delivery of therapeutic agents to placenta and/or fetus. In other embodiments, receptors identified by binding to placenta-targeting peptides may be used to screen compounds for potential teratogenicity. An exemplary placental receptor is FcRn/β2M, and compounds that bind to FcRn/β2M are potential teratogens.
US07951350B1

A process and system for producing an effluent gas containing carbon monoxide and hydrogen is presented. The process includes introducing a fuel gas including a hydrocarbon and a reformer gas into a reactor system. The reformer gas may include steam, CO2, or a mixture thereof. Under steam reforming temperatures and pressures, the gases are reacted in the presence of reactant solids. The reaction process produces a carbon monoxide and hydrogen containing effluent, which may be withdrawn from the reactor system.
US07951347B2

A sour gas sweetening solution comprises an aqueous solution of a silicon-containing compound and an amine-containing compound. The silicon-containing compound is preferably maintained at a concentration less than or equal to 500 parts per million (“ppm”) more preferably less than or equal to 400 ppm, and most preferably between about 100 ppm and 300 ppm as SiO2. The silicon-containing compound can be MxSiyOz, wherein “M” is a metal and “x”, “y” and “z” are numbers greater than zero. The amine-containing compound can be selected from the group consisting of primary amines, secondary amines and tertiary amines.
US07951344B2

An apparatus main body is loaded with a cartridge that contains a sensor and is capable of processing liquid contained in it without moving it from the inside to the outside of the cartridge. The cartridge is loaded into the apparatus main body in such a way that the direction of feeding liquid in the span of the flow channel where the sensor is arranged is vertical and the cartridge can be accessed from the apparatus main body from above.
US07951339B1

A closed cycle Brayton direct contact reactor/storage tank uses an afterburner to assist in removing metal vapors from the working fluid. The direct contact reactor/storage tank operates by bubbling an inert gas through liquid metal fuel. The inert gas picks up metal vapors from the fuel. The afterburner comprises a predetermined amount of oxygen, O2, being fed to a filter cavity within the reactor/storage tank and having the metal vapors react directly with the O2 forming a solid oxide that remains and does not circulate as part of the working fluid throughout the external parts of the Brayton cycle outside of the reactor/storage tank causing damage to system components.
US07951332B2

Provided are a centrifugal force based microfluidic device which can automatically perform a dilution operation and a microfluidic system including the same. The centrifugal force based microfluidic device for dilution includes a rotatable disk type platform, a mixing chamber disposed on the platform; a buffer solution storage disposed on a portion of the platform which is closer to a center of the platform than the mixing chamber, connected to the mixing chamber through a channel to supply a predetermined amount of buffer solution to the mixing chamber at least one time, and a plurality of diluted solution chambers which are disposed on a portion of the platform which is farther from the center of the platform than the mixing chamber, are each connected to the mixing chamber through flow paths extended from a middle exit corresponding to a predetermined water level, and sequentially receiving a solution which is serially diluted in the mixing chamber at least one time.
US07951318B2

Tooling aids for applying pressure in laminating, and methods for their use, are described herein. In one embodiment, a caul for applying pressure in laminating includes a base portion positioned between first and second corner portions. The base portion can have a curved shape when it is in a relaxed state, but it moves to a flatter shape when subjected to pressure during lamination. Movement of the base portion to the flatter shape causes the first and second corner portions to move outwardly and away from the base portion. In this manner, the caul can be used to compact laminating materials into corner regions of a corresponding female mold surface.
US07951312B2

The borosilicate glass for pharmaceutical packaging has a transmission τ in the visible range of more than 80% at a wavelength of 400 nm, a transmission τ in the UV range of at most 0.1% at wavelengths under 260 nm (each at a sample thickness of 1 mm), a transformation temperature Tg of 550° C. to 590° C. and a processing temperature VA of 1100° C. to 1200° C. The glass has a composition, in wt. % on an oxide basis, of SiO2, 60-80; B2O3, 5-15; Al2O3, 2-10; TiO2, 0.5-7; Σ Li2O+K2O+Na2O, 3-10; Σ alkaline earth oxides, 0.5-10; ZrO2, 0-3; and Fe2O3, 0-0.2. The glass is suitable for packaging UV-sensitive substances but nevertheless permits optical quality control.
US07951310B2

The present invention discloses a nanophase carbon black grafted with organic compounds, comprising (a) a first component: 100 parts by weight of original carbon black particles, and (b) a second component: 5-300 parts by weight of grafting organic compounds having or producing free radicals which is grafted onto the surface of the carbon black, wherein the molecular weight of the grafting organic compounds is 100-10000, and the nanophase carbon black has a particle size of 1-100 nm. The invention also discloses the synthesis thereof and articles therefrom.
US07951308B2

An oxynitride phosphor consisting of a crystal containing at least one or more of Group II elements selected from the group consisting of Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba and Zn, at least one or more of Group IV elements selected from the group consisting of C, Si, Ge, Sn, Ti, Zr and Hf, and a rare earth element being an activator R, thereby providing a phosphor which is excited by an excitation light source at an ultraviolet to visible light region and which has a blue green to yellow luminescence color that is wavelength converted.
US07951303B2

By working a grabbing portion by a charged particle beam of FIB or the like, the grabbing portion in parallel with the beam can be formed, and also dust adhered to the grabbing portion is removed. When a small sample represented by a TEM sample is fabricated by being cut out by etching by a charged particle beam and is carried at inside of an apparatus of irradiating a charged particle beam, the sample is etched in a direction of irradiating the charged particle beam, and therefore, a mechanism pinched by a grabbing face of a grabbing portion can be worked in a direction the same as that in working the sample, and therefore, a change in an attitude can be reduced when the sample and the grabbing face are fabricated by parallel faces.
US07951300B2

Methods for wafer-scale fabrication of needle arrays can include mechanically modifying a wafer to produce a plurality of vertically-extending columns. The columns are etched to round and reshape the columns into substantially uniformly shaped needles. Needle arrays having needle width non-uniformity of less than about 3% and length non-uniformity of less than about 2% can be produced.
US07951293B2

A pool/spa water treatment system may include a pump and a pool filter. The pump may include a pump inlet and a pump outlet. The pump inlet and outlet may be aligned on a first axis or within a first vertical plane. The pool filter may be offset a select transverse distance from the pump. The pool filter may include a pool filter inlet in fluid communication with the pump outlet. The pool filter inlet and the pump outlet may be aligned on a second axis or within a second vertical plane that is transverse to the first axis or plane. The pool/spa water treatment system may further include a heater. The heater may include a heater inlet in fluid communication with the pool filter outlet. The heater inlet may be aligned with the pool filter outlet within the second plane.
US07951286B2

A method is disclosed for using an impressed current cathodic protection (ICCP) system that supplies an electrical current such that a metallic structure (10) has a negative voltage of between 0.5 and 1.5 Volt relative to earth to power one or more electrical appliances (5), the method comprising: —providing one or more electrical appliances (5) which each have a pair of electrical contacts (1,2); —connecting one electrical contact (1) of each electrical appliance to the structure; and —connecting the other electrical contact (2) of each electrical appliance to earth, thereby providing electrical power to each of the electrical appliances. It is preferred that the electrical appliances (5) are equipped with one or more DC-DC power converters (6) which are configured to enhance an electrical input voltage of between 0.5 and 1.5 Volt to an electrical output voltage of between 3 and 5 Volt.
US07951283B2

Syngas components hydrogen and carbon monoxide may be formed by the decomposition of carbon dioxide and water or steam by a solid-oxide electrolysis cell to form carbon monoxide and hydrogen, a portion of which may be reacted with carbon dioxide to form carbon monoxide. One or more of the components for the process, such as steam, energy, or electricity, may be provided using a nuclear power source.
US07951282B2

A process for the hydrometallurgical processing of manganese containing materials, the process characterized by the combination of a manganese dioxide containing feedstock and an acidic solution to form an acidic solution to be leached, and passing a volume of sulphur dioxide gas through that leach solution as the leaching agent, whereby no sintering or roasting pre-treatment step of the feedstock is undertaken and the levels of dithionate ion generated in the leach solution are less than about 5 g/l. Also described is a process for the production of electrolytic manganese dioxide.
US07951273B2

An electrochemical gas generator is provided including an electrolysis cell (1) with a gas-impermeable housing, which is closed by a gas-permeable membrane (2) for the discharge of the test gas or calibrating gas CO. A chemically inert cathode (5) formed of a noble metal, a mixture of noble metals or a material containing carbon, is in direct contact with an electrolyte (7). An anode (4) formed of a noble metal, a mixture of noble metals or a material containing carbon, is in direct contact with a mesoxalic acid salt, the mesoxalic acid salt being in direct contact with the electrolyte (7). A control unit (6) is provided that also acts as a power source and is connected to the electrodes (4, 5).
US07951269B2

System for drying a tissue or hygiene web. The system includes a permeable structured fabric carrying the web over a drying apparatus. A permeable dewatering fabric contacts the web and is guided over the drying apparatus. A mechanism is used to apply pressure to the permeable structured fabric, the web, and the permeable dewatering fabric at the drying apparatus. This Abstract is not intended to define the invention disclosed in the specification, nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.
US07951263B2

A method of dividing a suspension, especially a fiber suspension into an accept fraction and a fraction containing impurity particles in a centrifugal cleaning plant having at least two stages. The suspension is fed to a preceding stage, wherefrom a heavier fraction of the suspension is taken as accept fraction and a lighter fraction is taken as fraction containing impurity particles. The lighter fraction containing impurity particles is fed into a latter stage of the centrifugal cleaning plant. Before being fed to the latter stage, the feed consistency of the lighter fraction is increased.
US07951259B2

A catheter having an elongated shaft with a proximal end, a distal end, and at least one lumen, and a distal portion of the shaft being at least in part within an outer sheath having a wedge-shaped distal end. In one embodiment, the outer sheath around the distal end of the shaft is the distal skirt section of the balloon. In an alternative embodiment, the outer sheath is a sleeve member having at least a portion located distal to the distal end of the balloon.
US07951255B2

In order to impart, concurrently with the transfer of a decorative layer, a surface protection function able to mechanically and chemically protect the decorative layer to be hydraulic-transferred of an article, a solventless type ultraviolet-curing resin composition is applied onto the dried printed pattern of a transfer film, an article is pushed into water along with the transfer film, with the printed pattern activated by a non-solvent activating component in the ultraviolet (uv)-curing resin composition and its adhesion force reproduced, and a ultraviolet ray is applied to the article to which the printed pattern, now impregnated and completely integrated with the uv-curing resin composition, has been transferred to thereby cure the uv-curing resin composition.
US07951246B2

The invention relates to open-pored metallic foam bodies as well as a method for manufacturing thereof. These metallic foam bodies are allowed to be advantageously used with ambient environmental conditions causing a high corrosion to many conventional materials, and accordingly reducing the lifetime thereof frequently. According to the set object, the metallic foam bodies should have a low mass simultaneously with a high specific surface, and increased corrosion resistance under chemically aggressive ambient environmental conditions. An open-pored metallic foam body according to the invention is then developed such that it is formed from a nickel-copper alloy having at least 40 percent by weight of nickel and yet a porosity of at least 90%.
US07951243B2

A device for clearing obstructions from a medical tube, such as a chest tube, is disclosed in various embodiments. The device features a shuttle member that is magnetically coupled to a guide wire within a guide tube, through the guide-tube wall, so that translation of the shuttle member induces a corresponding translation of the guide wire within the guide tube, without penetrating or compromising the guide-tube wall. In this manner, when the guide tube is coupled to a medical tube where obstructions have formed, the guide wire and clearance member may be inserted into and withdrawn from the medical tube, via actuation of the shuttle member, to engage and help clear such obstructions from the medical tube without compromising the sterile field. Methods of clearing a medical tube of obstructions are also disclosed.
US07951236B2

A composition of liquid graphite is presented. The liquid graphite can be erased and applied to a surface using a writing instrument such as a ball point pen with a consistency, accuracy and darkness equivalent to that of a standard graphite, No. 2 pencil. The liquid graphite comprises a formulation of carbon powder, solvent and adhesive in a concentration that provides a dark, consistent marking.
US07951228B2

The invention concerns a self-propelled vehicle, in particular an aircraft, comprising an onboard equipment such as an inerting system, means for vapour pollutant filtering (1) arranged between an air intake (8) connected to a compressed air source and an air outlet (9) connected to the equipment. The invention is characterized in that the vapour pollutant filtering means (1) comprise adsorption filtering means such as molecular sieve and/or activated carbon.
US07951227B2

This disclosure teaches a composition and process which makes it possible to remove floating particulates or prevent the dissemination or particulates, by the misting of a solution that readily captures any particulate material in the air. More specifically, the present disclosure teaches the composition and use of aromatic compounds that are semi-volatile organic compounds (SVOCs) or slow evaporators in water-based carriers with surfactants as the misting/fogging agent for dust suppression. The particulate material is lowered to surfaces and removed by vacuuming, damp-wiping or using a dry cloth with a cationic charge (static cloth). This method can be achieved with neutral air pressure differentials in the work areas.
US07951223B2

A method of separating rhodium from platinum and/or palladium includes; chloridizing a raw material including rhodium and at least platinum and/or palladium in chlorine atmosphere and obtaining a soluble salt of platinum and/or palladium; water-leaching chloridized material and dissolving platinum and/or palladium into a solution; filtering the solution; and leaving rhodium in a filtered residue of the solution.
US07951216B2

The present exemplary embodiments relate to a dust separating apparatus for a vacuum cleaner. The dust separating apparatus for a vacuum cleaner according to present exemplary embodiments includes a cyclone in which a plurality of cyclone airflows is formed; a dust outlet for discharging dust separated by the plurality of cyclone airflows; and a dust container for storing dust discharged from the dust outlet, wherein the cyclone includes a body in which air flows along an inner surface thereof, and a pair of sides, each of the sides forming one of both side surfaces of the body and defining an outlet for discharging air.
US07951210B2

The invention relates to catalytic systems which are used to generate colors on a support. The inventive means are characterized in that they comprise one or more deactivated oxidation catalysts. The invention can be used to color organic or inorganic supports.
US07951209B2

The present invention relates to a composition for the oxidation dyeing of keratin fibres, in particular of human keratin fibres such as the hair, comprising at least one oxidation base chosen from 4,5- or 3,4-diaminopyrazoles and triaminopyrazoles, in combination with at least one selected carbonyl compound, and also to the dyeing process using this composition with an oxidizing agent.
US07951198B2

System, including methods, apparatus, and kits, for connecting bones and/or bone portions using a bone connector with a pivotable ball and socket joint.
US07951195B2

A device for repairing a heart valve comprises an implantation instrument. The implantation instrument comprises a first support ring, and a second support ring connected to said first support ring to form a coiled configuration. The first support ring is configured to abut one side of the valve and the second support ring is configured to abut an opposite side of the valve to thereby trap a portion of the valve tissue therebetween. The device further comprises an annuloplasty implant adapted to be attached to the heart valve annulus in order to reshape the annulus and allow the leaflets to open and close properly. The annuloplasty implant is connected to the implantation instrument for insertion to the annulus.
US07951193B2

A stent for delivering therapeutic agents to a body lumen includes a plurality of circumferential serpentine bands with each band comprising a plurality of struts. At least one strut has at least one first well region and at least one second well region. The at least one first well region has a first thickness, the at least one second well region has a second thickness, the first thickness being greater than the second thickness. Each well region defines a well having a depth. At least some of the wells contain a therapeutic agent.
US07951192B2

The present invention is directed to a stent for use in a bifurcated body lumen having a main branch and a side branch. The stent comprises a radially expandable generally tubular stent body having proximal and distal opposing ends with a body wall having a surface extending therebetween. The surface has a geometrical configuration defining a first pattern, and the first pattern has first pattern struts and connectors arranged in a predetermined configuration. The stent also comprises a branch portion comprised of a second pattern, wherein the branch portion is at least partially detachable from the stent body.
US07951183B2

The use of an intravascular cooling element to induce hypothermia in connection with a medical procedure. According to a first aspect of the present, invention, a coronary bypass procedure is conducted in which a patient's blood is oxygenated with the patient's lungs and in which blood is circulated using the patient's heart or using an intracorporeal pump. The procedure preferably comprises: (a) positioning a heat transfer element in a blood vessel of a patient; (b) cooling the body of the patient to less than 35° C., more preferably 32±2° C., using the heat transfer element; and (c) forming a fluid communicating graft between an arterial blood supply and the coronary artery. The body of the patient is preferably heated to about 37° C. using the heat transfer element subsequent to the step of forming the fluid communicating graft. According to a further aspect of the invention, a hypothermic medical procedure is provided while a patient is in a conscious or semiconscious state, comprising (a) administering a beta-blocking drug to the patient; (b) delivering a heat transfer element to a blood vessel of the patient; and (c) cooling a region of the patient or the body of the patient to less than 35° C. using the heat transfer element.
US07951182B2

An externally-applied heat exchange pad has three layers laminated together, an inner and outer non-conductive layer and a middle conductive layer. A leak in the inner layer causes coolant to contact the middle layer and change impedance, which can be sensed and used as an indication of an impending total leak of the pad.
US07951172B2

A bone screw assembly includes an anchor portion and a head portion, such as a rod-receiving portion, movably mounted to the anchor portion to allow for controlled angulation between the anchor portion and the head portion. The anchor portion is pivotable in one or more selected directions about an axis relative to the head portion. A restriction member, which may be a rod seat, prevents the anchor portion from pivoting in one or more different directions about another axis relative to the head portion and/or a spinal fixation element received in the head portion. The restriction member may be inserted in the head portion to control direction that the anchor portion pivots relative to the head portion. The restriction member may also serve as a compression member and/or rod seat for seating a spinal rod coupled to the bone screw assembly.
US07951167B2

A combined device for plugging and fluidtight puncturing of a wall of a hollow organ, comprising a head bearing a surgical staple for the wall of the hollow organ, a fluidtight puncturing system comprising a puncturing device and a hollow channel, a keeping means for bringing the said staple from its open position to its closed position, a support connected to a traction member extending towards the distal part of the device. The device comprises an introducer capable of introducing the head of the device inside an organism. A staple particularly designed to fit this device is also describe.
US07951164B2

A medical balloon may be configured by at least partially inflating the medical balloon and forming at least one primary lobe in the balloon. The primary lobe extends from a central portion of the balloon. The primary lobe may be manipulated to form at least two secondary lobes therefrom. The balloon may then be deflated and the secondary lobes wrapped around the balloon.
US07951157B2

A combination tissue apposition and suture capturing device (100) for performing endoscopic procedures typically in the gastro-esophageal tract. The device (100) is particularly adapted for forming multiple plications used in a gastroplasty procedure devised to cure or ameliorate gastro-esophageal reflux disease. The device include a tissue sewing capsule (102) attached to the distal end of an endoscope having a needle (120) that is deposited in a capsule (102) distal tip cavity following the suturing of a tissue fold and retrieved to enable the suturing of a subsequent tissue fold without the need for multiple intubations. A suture clip delivery device (200) is also disclosed that is adapted to fit within the capsule to enable suture capture without the need for multiple intubations. The combination device eliminates the need for an overtube and maximizes the speed efficiency of the gastroplasty procedure. A method for using the combination device is also disclosed.
US07951155B2

A method is provided for treatment of cataract in combination with a glaucoma procedure while maintaining the intraocular pressure by permitting aqueous to flow out of an anterior chamber of the eye through a surgically stented pathway. A trabecular stent is adapted for implantation within the trabecular meshwork of an eye such that intraocular liquid flows controllably from the anterior chamber of the eye to Schlemm's canal, bypassing the trabecular meshwork. Depending upon the specific treatment contemplated, pharmaceuticals may be utilized in conjunction with the trabecular stent enabling post-cataract healing processes.
US07951149B2

An electrosurgical instrument for treating tissue includes a housing having at least one tissue treating member attached thereto. The tissue treating member includes an electrically conductive tissue contacting surface connected to a source of electrosurgical energy such that the tissue contacting surface is capable of conducting electrosurgical energy to tissue. An energy conductive, ablative material is disposed on the electrically conductive tissue contacting surface and is configured to at least partially deplete during electrosurgical activation to reduce tissue adhesion.
US07951148B2

An electrosurgical device for use in surgical procedures is disclosed. The electrosurgical device comprises a main body having a proximal end and a distal end. A heat delivery modality is situated and arranged at the distal end of the main body. A sensor arrangement is also situated and arranged at the distal end of the main body. The heat delivery modality provides thermal energy to a tissue being treated while the sensor arrangement is configured to engage and detect a change in dimension of the tissue being treated. Accordingly, the electrosurgical device of the present disclosure allows a surgeon to precisely achieve the desired amount of dimensional change of the tissue being treated.
US07951141B2

The present invention provides systems and methods for selectively applying electrical energy to a target location within a patient's body, particularly including tissue in the spine. The present invention applies high frequency (RF) electrical energy to one or more electrode terminals in the presence of electrically conductive fluid or saline-rich tissue to contract collagen fibers within the tissue structures. In one aspect of the invention, a system and method is provided for contracting a portion of the nucleus pulposus of a vertebral disc by applying a high frequency voltage between an active electrode and a return electrode within the portion of the nucleus pulposus, where contraction of the portion of nucleus pulposus inhibits migration of the portion nucleus pulposus through the fissure.
US07951139B2

A laser surgical apparatus for performing treatment by irradiating a part to be treated by a laser beam is disclosed. This apparatus includes a laser source which emits the treatment laser beam; a multi-articulated arm for delivering the treatment laser beam emitted from the laser source, the arm including a plurality of light delivery pipes, a joint part for jointing the light delivery pipes, the joint part being rotatable with respect to at least one of the pipes jointed by the joint part, a reflection mirror disposed in the joint part; and a surgical instrument is connected to an end of the arm and used for irradiating the treatment laser beam delivered therein through the arm to the treatment part.
US07951131B2

The invention provides biodegradable implants for treating sinusitis. The biodegradable implants have a size, shape, density, viscosity, and/or mucoadhesiveness that prevents them from being substantially cleared by the mucociliary lining of the sinuses during the intended treatment period. The biodegradable implants include a sustained release therapeutic, e.g., an antibiotic, a steroidal anti-inflammatory agent, or both. The biodegradable implants may take various forms, such as rods, pellets, beads, strips, or microparticles, and may be delivered into a sinus in various pharmaceutically acceptable carriers.
US07951127B2

An absorbent article for fecal matter handling, especially with respect to mushy and/or pasty fecal matter, along with methods of making the same. A composite bodyside liner can reduce the amount of fecal matter that remains on the skin of a wearer after removal of the absorbent article from the wearer. The bodyside liner can include only a fluid pervious liner layer. Alternatively, the bodyside liner can include a fluid pervious liner layer and a surge layer. A fecal adhering treatment composition is applied to at least a portion of the bodyside liner to reduce the amount of fecal matter that remains on the skin of the wearer after the absorbent article is removed.
US07951124B2

A wound contact device comprising a permeable material and a wound contact layer having voids extending through the contact layer to a depth in the permeable material. The wound contact layer can comprise a thin sheet or film forming a generally flat and smooth wound contact surface having essentially no discontinuities or gaps. The wound contact layer can comprise a thin sheet of highly calendered fabric forming a wound contact surface having a mean surface roughness in the range of about 0 microns to about 200 microns. In progressive wound healing, an embodiment of the wound contact device having the fabric contact surface is used in earlier healing stages and an embodiment of the wound contact device with film contact surface is used in later healing stages. The wound contact device is particularly useful in wound dressings for use in suction-assisted wound therapy.
US07951119B2

A system and/or apparatus for delivering a medical device into a body includes an elongate tubular member and a valve fitted within a proximal end thereof. The valve preferably includes a tubular body and a flap, wherein the tubular body is engaged within the proximal end of the tubular member and has an open end approximately aligned with a proximal termination of the proximal end of the tubular member. The flap of the valve preferably extends over a hole formed in an end wall of the tubular body opposite a side of the end wall that faces a passage of the tubular body, which passage extends between the open end and the end wall. The hole communicates with the passage and with the lumen of the tubular member, and the flap is movable away from the hole when the device is introduced through the passage and the hole.
US07951113B2

A device for administering a fluid product including a housing, a conveying device for the product, a coupling element provided for the drive of the conveying device and which can be rotated about a rotational axis, a first blocking element connected in a rotationally secure manner to the coupling element, a second blocking element detachably engageable with the first blocking element thereby preventing a rotational movement thereof in the drive direction and enabling said rotational movement to take place in the counter dosing direction, a torsion spring connected to the coupling element such that it is stressed by the rotational movement when the blocking elements are engaged in a blocked position and drives the coupling element in a rotary manner after the blocking position is released, and a release element coupled to at least one of the blocking elements such that a release movement of the release element displaces at least one of the blocking elements from the blocked position, the release element also forming a dosing element used to control a product dose.
US07951110B2

Disclosed is an expandable percutaneous sheath, for introduction into the body while in a first, low cross-sectional area configuration, and subsequent expansion to a second, enlarged cross-sectional configuration. The sheath is maintained in the first, low cross-sectional configuration by a removable tubular restraint or by structural elements built into the wall of the expandable portion of the sheath. In one application, the sheath is utilized to introduce a formed in place orthopedic fixation rod such as for use in spinal fixation procedures, preparation of a spinal segment, or placement of a vertebral body spacer. The sheath can further comprise structural elements to permit re-collapse of the sheath under fluid pressure following completion of the procedure and prior to removal from the patient.
US07951104B2

Systems and methods are disclosed for providing supplemental support to the arm and/or elbow region of an individual. In one exemplary implementation, a brace for a user's arm is provided comprising a rigid element including arm-engaging portions and a strap of flexible material configured to encircle the arm. Moreover, the exemplary rigid element and strap may be further characterized in that the strap comprises an elastic nature or portion that provides a force (such as a compressive or constraining force) to the user's arm, the arm-engaging portions include muscle/tendon-engaging regions that each engage the user's arm along a leading face/edge, with various leading faces/edges corresponding to the muscle/tendon-engaging regions being positioned in relationship with each other to apply a desired pressure or force to the user's arm.
US07951098B2

An amplitude change-over device for a body vibration machine includes two eccentric units respectively fixed on the opposite ends of a rotating shaft driven by a motor. Each eccentric unit contains an eccentric driving plate secured with the rotating shaft for rotating together and an eccentric driven plate movably fitted on the rotating shaft at one side of the driving plate. Either one of the driving plate or the driven plate has a surface bored with a slide groove with the rotating shaft acting as a pivot, and another one has a surface provided with a projecting stud inserted in the slide groove. The motor is a right-handed and left-handed one. When the motor is chosen to rotate clockwise or counterclockwise, the included angle of the driving plate and the driven plate is changeable and hence amplitude power is adjustable by using a single motor.
US07951096B2

A rehabilitation apparatus is disclosed. The rehabilitation apparatus includes a supporting housing, a rotary housing, an actuator, a control unit, and a torque detector. The rotary housing is slidably mounted to the supporting housing to hold a body segment. The actuator has a driving shaft to rotate the rotary housing. The control unit is electrically connected to the actuator to control the actuation of the actuator. The torque detector is electrically connected to the control unit, thereby detecting a torque exerted on the driving shaft, and transmitting a torque signal to the control unit.
US07951086B2

A measurement device for generating an arterial volume-indicative signal includes an exciter and a detector. The exciter is adapted to receive an oscillating signal and generate a pressure wave based at least in part on the oscillating signal on the artery at a measurement site on a patient. The pressure wave includes a frequency. The detector is placed sufficiently near the measurement site to detect a volumetric signal indicative of arterial volume of the patient.
US07951085B2

Methods and systems for automatic optimization in spectral Doppler ultrasound imaging are provided. The value for one or more spectral Doppler parameter is optimized using numerical optimization rather than predefined sampling. Various spectral Doppler parameters are set, such as a position of the gate, gate size, transmit frequency, filter settings, Doppler gain, beamline orientation or angle of intersection between the gate position and the scan line, aperture size, or other spectral Doppler transmit or receive parameters effecting the spectral Doppler imaging. A processor automatically calculates a setting or value for one or more of the spectral Doppler parameters, resulting in more objective optimization than provided by a user setting.
US07951078B2

Personal and family health history information can be used to assess familial risk of disease. For example, information can be collected about the disease history of a person and the person's first- and second-degree relatives and then analyzed to determine the familial risk of common diseases such as coronary heart disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and colorectal, breast, and ovarian cancer. Assessed familial risk of disease can then be used by researchers to better estimate the contribution of personal history and family history to the etiology and natural history of a disease of interest, and by consumers and health professionals to determine recommendations for disease management, prevention and screening that are personalized and targeted to the familial risk. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US07951075B2

An endoscopic inspection method includes staining step and super magnified observation step. In the staining step, a distal end surface of a distal end portion of an endoscope which includes a distal end opening of a channel and a first lens that forms a super high-power observation optical system is held in contact with the tissue surface of the observation subject region such that the staining fluid supplied via the channel penetrates to the gap between the distal end surface and the tissue surface to eliminate the mucus on the tissue surface. The tissue surface having the mucus eliminated is stained with the staining fluid. In the super magnified observation step, the first lens which forms the super high-power observation optical system provided at the distal end portion is brought into contact with the tissue surface that has been stained with the staining fluid such that the observation at the cellular level is performed.
US07951072B2

A controllable sheath for optimizing the control of surgical instruments at the operation site includes a flexible sheath surrounding an endoscope and including a lumen extending along the walls of the sheath and adjacent to the endoscope. The lumen permits the passage of surgical instruments from the proximal end of the endoscopic device to the operation site. The lumen extends beyond the distal end of the endoscope and deflects at the distal end as desired by the operator's manipulation of a controller device. This distal end deflection may occur through various different techniques where the ability to deflect the lumen gives the operator increased control and maneuverability over the surgical implements located in the lumen. Depending upon the particular requirements of the surgical procedure, the controllable sheath may include any number of lumens capable of distal end deflection.
US07951063B2

The invention comprises a totally implantable hearing prosthesis for hearing impaired persons. An inertial vibrational element is hermetically sealed and implanted in bone between the lateral and superior semicircular canals without breaching the integrity of the canals. The vibrational element is adapted to vibrate the walls of the canals and the fluids contained therein, thereby vibrating contiguous fluids within the cochlea thus stimulating hair cells and creating a hearing percept. The invention can also be adapted to be a tinnitus masking system, and/or used in combination with a cochlear implant hearing system.
US07951062B2

A blood pump system includes a blood pump having a motor with a rotor and a stator. The stator has a plurality of stator windings situated therein. A motor controller is coupled to the motor, and a processor has inputs coupled to the motor controller for receiving a time continuous signal from the pump. The processor is programmed to transform the time continuous signal to the frequency domain, and control the pump and detect excess suction in response to the time continuous signal in the frequency domain.
US07951054B2

A therapeutic and/or exercise apparatus is provided for use in connection with structured, multiaxial, multi-pattern movement that aids in rehabilitation or enhances conditioning. The apparatus generally includes a base and a posture bar that is attached to and extends upwardly from the base. The posture bar is affixed to a top surface of the base and can be removable or collapsible for ease of storage. The top surface of the base also includes a recess therein for receiving one of a variety of controlled motion devices such as a rotary disk that moves freely or is restrained by resistance means or other proprioceptive tools. This feature provides a much more balanced exercise process while also naturally working the entire set of muscle groups related to the exercise rather than simply isolating a single motion or muscle.
US07951051B1

An flexible elongated device for use in human exercise routines or as an implement having an elongated pultruded plastic rod or rods fitting loosely within a plastic tube. At least one of the rods is rectangular in cross section and the tube may be covered by a soft foam plastic sleeve. The rod may be produced by the pultrusion process.
US07951050B2

An apparatus for aerobic leg exercise of a seated user includes a first unit having means for supporting a first linear track on a floor, means for joining a first unit to the first linear track for non-resistive movement and means for enabling the seated user with a multi-positional contact for moving the first unit along the first linear track without substantial vertical movement of the seated user's knee. A second unit has means for supporting a second linear track on the floor, means for joining a second unit to the second linear track for non-resistive movement and means for enabling the seated user with a multi-positional contact for moving the second unit along the second linear track without substantial vertical movement of the seated user's knee. A means secures the first unit and the second unit at a desired splay angle and a means stabilizes the apparatus.
US07951048B1

A combination exercise device including a combination elliptical trainer and abdominal swivelling exercise machine, a combination skating simulation exercise machine and abdominal swivelling exercise machine, an exercise bicycle combined with an abdominal swivelling exercise machine and a recumbent exercise bicycle combined with an abdominal swivelling exercise machine.
US07951047B2

The invention relates to a rope game device with an outer frame and with ropes rigged within the outer frame forming a spatial net and which are attached in a tensionable manner to specific node points of the outer frame.The invention has the object, to provide a new rope game device, which displays a distinct “fullness” of the spatial net and which manufacture has distinct technological and cost advantages compared to known devices.The object is solved by a rope game device, having an outer frame (1) and ropes, within the outer frame (1) and forming a spatial net (12) and which are attached in a tensionable manner to specific node points (2) of the outer frame (1), characterized in that the outer frame (1) has an icosahedron shape and the edges and the corners of the icosahedron shape are formed as frame elements (4) having the form of an equilaterial triangle comprising rods (3) and the node points (2), and that one or more hollow ball modules (11, 12), arranged within one another and having the spatial form of a truncated icosahedron, are arranged within the outer frame (1) and retained on the same in a tensionable manner.
US07951043B2

A method and a device for controlling the oil supply of an automatic transmission (gearbox) and to a starting element. The method can guarantee a sufficient supply of oil to a hydraulic control unit of the automatic transmission and/or the starting element, in particular an oil-cooled friction clutch, both during the operation of the internal combustion engine (4) and when the latter is at a standstill with the aid of an oil pump (2) that can be mechanically driven by the internal combustion engine (4) and a second oil pump (3) that can be electrically driven. In addition, the cooling oil supply of the starting element is guaranteed by the provision of a low-pressure oil by way of the electrically driven oil pump (3), at least during the starting operation, the stream cooling the starting element (11).
US07951036B2

Disclosed is a differential transmission unit featuring active controlling of the moment distribution. Said differential transmission unit comprises a differential transmission (4) with two output shafts (6, 7), the cage (5) of said differential transmission (4) forming the input member, and one respective controlled frictional clutch (22, 26) that is associated with an output shaft. The primary part (22) of the clutch is drivingly connected to the input member (5) while the secondary part (26) of the clutch is drivingly connected to the associated output shaft (6, 7), at least one of the driving connections being provided with an increased or reduced transmission ratio. In order to create a lightweight and small unit, the clutch (22, 26) surrounds the associated output shaft (6, 7), the central axis (13) thereof is offset relative to the central axis (12) of the associated output shaft (6, 7), and the secondary part (26) of the clutch, which surrounds the associated output shaft (6, 7), is provided with an internally toothed gear rim (30) which meshes with an externally toothed wheel (31) on the associated output shaft.
US07951031B2

A straddle type all terrain vehicle is provided with a chain guide for covering an outer peripheral edge of at least an engaged portion of a driven sprocket with a drive chain from outside in a radial direction inside a chain cover. A rear axle housing is formed with upper and lower flange portions extending upward and downward at opposite end portions in the vehicle width direction of the rear axle housing. The rear axle housing is coupled to a rear end portion of the rear swing arm for swinging forward and rearward about mounted portions of the upper flange portion. The chain cover is mounted on the swing arm side and the chain guide is mounted on the rear axle housing side, respectively.
US07951028B2

A front derailleur including a chain guide for engagement and disengagement of a bicycle chain with multiple chain rings of a crankset is disclosed. The chain guide may be positioned by linear guide rods. The chain guide may have an inner lifting surface and an outer pulling surface for engaging diametrically opposed corners of a chain when viewed in cross-section.
US07951026B2

In one embodiment, an oil pressure control apparatus includes a belt-driven continuously variable transmission, a lockup clutch provided in a torque converter, a primary regulator valve that regulates a line oil pressure that becomes a source pressure of oil pressure of various parts, and a lockup control valve that performs switching when controlling engagement/release of the lockup clutch. Control of the primary regulator valve and control of the lockup control valve are performed with a single linear solenoid valve. In this case, control of the primary regulator valve and control of the lockup control valve are performed in different ranges.
US07951020B2

A device for throwing and swinging sports comprises a semi-transparent bottle into which varying amounts of a media may be added. One embodiment of that bottle is generally concave in cross-section for better gripping and includes markings on at least one side for showing different filling levels. A gripping element extends from a middle of the bottle sidewall. One such element is a baseball, real or simulated. Other embodiments include a softball, a football-sized element and/or a racket handle. In order to assist the user with timed workouts, an optional cap may include a built-in clock for signaling when to switch from one exercise to another. Methods for exercising with this device are also disclosed.
US07951001B2

A wagering gaming device having a three-dimensional display device which includes a plurality display screens. The display screens display three dimensional images having an height, actual width and depth.
US07950999B2

An embedded additional user interface 10 includes a web page display screen 20 and an embedded processor 30, and is incorporated into a gaming machine 40 that in turn includes a gaming screen 50 and a gaming processor 60. The embedded processor 30 employs an internal operating system and communicates with the gaming processor 60. The embedded processor reads incoming data, translates the data into a web authoring language, and maps the data to the web page display screen. The display screen 20 presents web page information to a user via the display screen, thereby increasing user excitement by providing a richer gaming experience. This provides a dramatic improvement over traditional system components 70 (input/output peripherals) that have been used in the past to access service and system information, such as a 2-line, 20-character VF display and a 12-digit keypad.
US07950998B2

A collective system for billing management of each game machine installed in shops or the like via communication network. A limit is set to the usable number, while the game machine is ensured continuous use as long as it is properly used and the billing is carried out regularly during the continuous use on a pay-per-use basis. The play count is counted up every time one game is played, and when the play count has reached or exceeded a count limit, the use of the game machine is restricted. The game machine is connected to a billing server via a communication network. The billing server includes a count limit renewing unit which renews the count limit of the game machine that has transmitted billing information, and transmits the new count limit back to the game machine every time the billing server receives the billing information from the game machine.
US07950996B2

Methods and devices are provided for managing gaming accounts. Some aspects of the invention provide for the cancellation, revocation or consolidation of cashless gaming instruments. For example, if a player has lost a cashless gaming instrument, the player could request that the cashless gaming instrument be cancelled. The request could be made in response to information (such as an activity log, an account statement, etc.) presented by a central network device. The information could be presented on a screen, printed on paper, etc. In order for such a request to be acted upon, it is preferable that the player, the gaming establishment that issued the cashless gaming instrument and the cashless gaming instrument itself be positively identified. Some implementations of the present invention provide for more flexible redemption in a cashless gaming system. Some such implementations allow a player to “cash out,” preferably in a single transaction, after one or more gaming sessions. The gaming sessions may have been conducted at different gaming machines and/or at different casinos. Some implementations allow a player to cash out without a cashless gaming instrument.
US07950988B2

A diffuser for positioning in an opening of a passageway having conditioned air, the diffuser including a grate assembly, a pan assembly, and a retention assembly. The grate assembly includes an upper portion and a lower portion. The upper portion contains an aperture, a plurality of slotted sections, and a flange. The lower portion includes downwardly depending sidewalls and a stop. The pan assembly includes a tray with an aperture and a plurality of upwardly depending legs. The retention assembly couples the grate assembly with the pan assembly and contains a first member that is movable from a first position to a second position for selectively engaging the stop.
US07950984B2

A particle blast apparatus includes a hopper assembly, which is mechanically isolated from the rest of the particle blast system. Energy is imparted to the hopper by an impulse assembly, which preferably is mounted directly to the hopper. The hopper is mounted to the apparatus on a slide assembly, which allows the hopper to be moved to a second position at which particles may be discharged from the hopper exit away from the particle feeder.
US07950979B2

A toy vehicle is transformed from a first configuration to a second configuration through relative movement of two portions of the vehicle. The vehicle includes a roof panel which closes a roof area during the transition from the first configuration to the second configuration. The closing of the roof area hides the displacement of a first seat in the vehicle by a second seat. When the first seat is mounted with a first toy figure and the second seat is mounted with a different toy figure, an illusion is created that the initial toy figure has changed appearance. The roof panel may close and reopen at a rate rapid enough to render the change of toy figures to be an instantaneous transformation. Additional deployable components such as projectile launchers, tail fins, and front bumpers may be incorporated into the toy vehicle.
US07950977B2

This invention sets forth a vehicle launcher assembly comprising an inner vehicle carried within an outer vehicle. The outer vehicle has movable panel components which allow an inner vehicle to be released from the outer vehicle when the panel components are opened. Operation of the toy assembly involves one actuation step to open the panels of the outer vehicle, and second actuation step to launch the inner vehicle. In one embodiment, the outer vehicle is in the form of a car and the inner vehicle is in the form of a motorcycle. The vehicle launcher assembly may also include projectile launchers.
US07950971B2

Size-specific electrical connector apparatus optimized for e.g., biomedical applications, and which prevents mating to the wrong sized terminals. In one embodiment, the connector apparatus comprises a device having a two piece assembly adapted to pivotally engage and lock a sensor such as those used in impedance cardiography (ICG). The conductor is shaped so as to provide a high degree of specificity in sensor connection as well as signal stability and reliability. In one variant, the pivot comprises a spring-loaded pivot having no external stops and the shape of a sensor engaging aperture is defined by a metal insert associated with one element of the assembly and the pivot is permanently formed within the connector. Thus, a user is obstructed from changing the properties of the connector to accept smaller or larger sensors. Methods of manufacturing and operating the connector are also disclosed. In one embodiment, an opening in the metal insert (212) is sized to exclude oversized sensors. In another embodiment, a V-shaped stop (308) on one of the elements (304) acts to limit closure and to prevent a tight grip upon an undersized sensor.
US07950962B2

A male connector (10) is provided with a housing main body (20) formed with a plurality of cavities (21) penetrating in forward and backward directions, into which terminal fittings are insertable, a surrounding wall portion (36) arranged at a rear part of the housing main body (20) and open backward, and a plurality of seal tower portions (35) arranged inside the surrounding wall portion (36) at the rear part of the housing main body (20) and surrounding the cavities (21). Outer ribs (41) extend between the inner surfaces of the surrounding wall portion (36) and the outer surfaces of the seal tower portions (35). The outer ribs 41 are thick at connected parts with the surrounding wall portion (36) while being thin at connected parts with the seal tower portions (35).
US07950961B2

A coaxial cable connector which includes a back nut housing having a rearward cable receiving end and a forward end opposite the rearward end, a front nut assembly coupled to the forward end of the back nut housing, a tubular insert shaft supported within the back nut housing, a tubular gripping ferrule radially surrounding the insert shaft and a tubular holder sleeve radially surrounding at least a portion of the gripping ferrule. The axial movement of the holder sleeve causes the gripping ferrule to radially compress around the insert shaft. The insert shaft has a rearward end and an axial slot extending from the rearward end in a forward direction, wherein the slot permits the rearward end of the insert shaft to radially compress upon the radial compression of the gripping ferrule to make removal of a cable from the connector easier.
US07950957B1

A connector for a coaxial cable is provided. The connector comprises a sleeve and a sealing device. The sleeve is adapted to be inserted over the coaxial cable. The sealing device is adapted to be interposed between the sleeve and a sheath of the coaxial cable to seal the coaxial cable for preventing rain, moisture and dust from entering into the coaxial cable, thereby further ensuring the transfer efficiency and reducing the loss rate of the signal.
US07950951B2

An electrical connector includes a connector housing and a printed circuit board with two sets of contact elements. The first set of contact elements is located on the front face of the printed circuit board and protrudes into an opening in the plug connector housing. The second set of contact elements is located on the rear face of the printed circuit board. The contact elements of the second set are configured to form insulation-displacement contacts. The plug connector also includes a cable manager which has a continuous opening and is configured on the front face with guides for cores or wires which are intended to make contact with the insulation-displacement contacts. The guides in the region of the insulation-displacement contacts are configured with recessed receiving elements or holders for the insulation-displacement contacts, and the cable manager can be latched to the plug connector housing.
US07950949B2

A connector includes a contact; a housing holding the contact; a cable inserted into the housing; a lock mechanism held in the housing and lockable with an opponent connector; and an operating portion having a tube shape covering the cable, operably connected to the housing, and releasing the lock in response to an operation.
US07950947B2

A releasably engaging high definition multimedia plug comprises a plug body and an actuator operable with the plug body to move a locking tab of the plug and facilitate releasable engagement of the plug with a standard high definition multimedia receptacle.
US07950946B2

An electrical connector (1) for receiving a CPU (5) includes a rectangular planar receiving portion (10) having a top surface (14) for mating with the CPU. At least two posts (20) extend perpendicularly from corners of the planar receiving portion. At least two posts and the planar receiving portion together define a receiving space for receiving the CPU. The post includes a resilient portion (22) and a fixing portion (24). A gap (241) is defined between a resilient portion and a fixing portion, and the resilient portion forms a protrusion block (26) protruding into the receiving space.
US07950939B2

Medium voltage separable insulated connector system for power distribution systems and configured to make and break energized connections at rated voltage but in the absence of load current.
US07950932B2

An electrical connector includes a base plate, a plurality of contacts, and a plurality of solder portions. The base plate has a plurality of through holes extending from a top surface and a bottom surface therebetween. The contacts is assembled in through holes, and each contact comprises a spring portion disposed upon the top surface, a soldering portion passing through the through hole and with a tail extending beyond the bottom surface, and a stopping portion connecting the spring portion and the soldering portion and abutting against the top surface. The solder portions are attached to the tails of the soldering portions for fixing the contacts to the base plate.
US07950928B2

An electrical connector assembly includes an electrical connector, an IC seated on connector and a PCB. The electrical connector includes an insulative housing and a number of electrical contacts each having a retaining portion secured to the housing, a main portion connecting with the retaining portion and a contact portion. The contact portion has a pair of first contacting sections electrical connected with the PCB and a pair of second contacting sections contacting with the IC, and the first and second contacting sections of the electrical contact are disposed in passageways on the PCB.
US07950919B2

The invention includes method and apparatus for controlling the stability of a burner, preferably a low NOx burner, of a natural draft heater. The method includes measuring the draft over a time period and generating a measured output from which a draft function is determined that defines the relationship between the draft and time during the time period. A value for the burner stability is defined that is representative of a stable burner operation. The draft function is compared to the stable burner value to determine a differential value, and the operation of the fired heater is adjusted in response to the differential value. The apparatus includes means for measuring the draft over a time period and means for generating a measured output from which a draft function is determined that is proportional to the cyclic variation of the draft during the time period. Further included is means for comparing the draft function to a defined burner stability value representative of a stable burner operation to determine a differential value and means for adjusting the operation of the fired heater in response to the differential value.
US07950912B2

A scroll compressor performing three-dimensional compressions, which can optimize a tip clearance in operation while considering a thermal expansion and a pressure deformation and which can reduce a compression leakage to improve a compression efficiency thereby to realize a high performance. The leading end faces (13c and 13d) and the bottom face of a spiral wrap (13b) have a step portion (13e), and the wrap height on the outer circumference side of the spiral wrap (13b) is made larger than that on the inner circumference side wrap height. The spiral wrap (13b) on the inner circumference side with respect to the step portion (13e) is stepwise or continuously made gradually lower toward the center side of the spiral wrap (13b), and the tip clearance (Δi) of the spiral wrap on the inner circumference side with respect to the step portion (13) is made gradually larger toward the center side of the spiral wrap (13b).
US07950899B2

A modular fan inlet case includes a center ring, an outer ring, and a plurality of struts each coupled at a first end to the center ring, and at a second end to the outer ring. A plurality of shell members are each configured to be removably coupled to a corresponding strut. Preferably, the plurality of shell members each define a longitudinal groove for being received onto the corresponding strut.
US07950898B2

A fuel pump includes a housing including an internally-large cylindrical portion coaxial with an internally-small cylindrical portion. A press-inserted portion is press-inserted to the internally-small cylindrical portion. An accommodating cylindrical portion is located in the internally-large cylindrical portion. An accommodating disc portion is opposed to the impeller. A cover is in contact with the accommodating cylindrical portion on the opposite side of the accommodating disc portion. The accommodating disc portion has an impeller-side surface abutted to the accommodating cylindrical portion via an accommodating corner. The outer circumferential periphery of the press-inserted portion has an axial end defining a press-inserted corner on the side of the accommodating cylindrical portion. The accommodating corner is distant from the press-inserted corner for a first distance. The outer circumferential periphery of the press-inserted portion has an axially center portion being distant from the impeller-side surface for a second distance.
US07950896B2

A handling apparatus can be used to transfer objects from a first location to a second location along a defined path, without the need for a conveyor along the path. Instead, the handling apparatus can be moved along the path by a controllable transport device, such as a robot arm. The handling apparatus can comprise a plurality of unpowered rollers which are selectively rotated by way of a transfer assist mechanism during loading and/or unloading of the objects to be transferred. The transfer assist mechanism can comprise a separate component that can power the rollers directly or indirectly. The transfer assist mechanism can comprise a belt which imparts rotational force to the support rollers via contact in some embodiments, with the amount of force controlled by varying the relative inclination of the support rollers and the transfer assist mechanism.
US07950890B2

A vacuum robot includes an arm portion on which a work is to be disposed under a reduced pressure environment and a motor portion for rotatably driving the arm portion, the vacuum robot being configured to transfer the work by causing a rotational movement of the arm portion by the motor portion. The motor portion comprises a rotor portion connected to the arm portion, a stator portion disposed at an external periphery of the rotor portion, a housing disposed under an atmospheric pressure environment, and a thin cylindrical can disposed in an electromagnetic gap formed between the rotor portion and the stator portion and secured to the housing so that the stator portion is air-tightly encapsulated in a space formed by the housing and the can. The space is maintained in a depressurized state by a seal.
US07950887B2

A fastener element (16) has a head section (18), a threaded shank section (17) with threads (20) at a pitch and a distal end section (22). A retention device (24) is secured to the distal end section and is engageable with a fastener receiving member (14).
US07950883B2

An engraving machine includes a base with two side panels extending upward from two sides of the base, and a top board is driven horizontally by a motor in the base. A horizontal frame is movably mounted on two rods connected between the two side panels by a motor. A vertical frame is located on a front side of the horizontal frame and is movable along two rods in vertical direction by another motor. The horizontal frame, the vertical frame and the top board are movable along X, Y and Z directions by three independent motors. A chuck is connected to the vertical frame and secures an engraving tool which is driven by a main motor connected between the two side panels. The object to be engraved is secured on the top board and engraved by the engraving tool in X, Y and Z directions.
US07950880B2

A cutting tool that includes an elongate body that has a forward end and a rearward end. The elongate body has a fluted portion that beginning near and extends in a rearward direction from the forward end. The fluted portion has a flute that defines a cutting edge. The flute presents a concave cutting face wherein the concave cutting face is defined by a first radius. The flute further presents a concave core surface adjacent to the concave cutting face wherein the concave core surface is defined by a second radius. The flute presents a convex heel surface adjacent to the concave core surface wherein the convex heel surface is defined by a fourth radius.
US07950862B2

Various multicolor writing tools and methods for applying multiple volatile marking substances one at a time. The tool includes a case member, a cartridge member, a cap member, and an optional actuator member. The case member forms an interior in which is disposed the cartridge member with multiple cartridges each containing one of the marking substances and a tip through which the marking substance is applied. The cap member changes and restores its configuration, while the actuator member changes the configuration and exposes one of the tips selected by an user out of the interior when the tool is in use, and then restores the configuration and encloses all of the tips inside the interior when not in use. Thus, the tool opens the cap member in response to input force without requiring the user to engage in a separate maneuver to remove the cap member.
US07950857B2

A rolling bearing which has at least one heated rolling bearing ring. An electrical heating element is applied with good thermally-conductive contact to a surface section of the heated rolling bearing ring. The heat quantity which can be generated by the heating element is dimensioned such that the heated rolling bearing ring undergoes thermal expansion when heated, which permits the rolling bearing to be mounted on a frame element with the formation of a shrink fit during subsequent cooling.
US07950850B2

An elongated packaging material (A1) for manufacturing a pouch comprises a first elongated flexible sheet (10), and a second elongated flexible sheet (10) layered on the first sheet. The side ends of the first and the second sheets are provided with a plurality of side sealing portions (2) extending lengthwise of the sheets. A plurality of cross sealing portions (3) are spaced from each other lengthwise of the sheets. Each of the side sealing portions is provided with a plurality of projecting portions (20), each projecting toward a center of the width of the sheets, between an adjacent pair of cross sealing portions.
US07950849B2

A technique is provided for geometrical analysis and calibration of a volumetric imaging system. The technique includes computing a projection error between estimated locations of a set of markers of a phantom based on a estimated imaging geometry and observed locations of the respective markers for at least one projection image, decomposing the computed projection error into one or more error components corresponding to respective geometric parameters of the imaging geometry, and updating at least one parameter of the estimated imaging geometry based on the one or more error components.
US07950839B2

An exemplary light emitting diode (23) includes a package body (231) and two electrodes (233) attached to the package body. Each of the electrodes includes a main body and a plurality of branches extending from the main body. The branches of each electrode together with a corresponding portion of the main body cooperatively define an accommodation space therebetween.
US07950836B2

An integral HID reflector lamp may be formed with an HID held in a reflector. An inner element is mechanically coupled to the reflector. The inner element is formed with a first mechanical coupling to mate with the reflector, a second mechanical coupling to mate with a circuit board, and an electrical coupling to at least electrically couple one of the leads to the circuit board. A circuit board has an edge mechanically coupled to the inner element and electrically connected to the leads by an electrical coupling on the inner element. A heat sink spans at least one side of the circuit board and forming an EMI shielding. An outer cover encloses the heat sink, circuit board, and inner element and coupled to the assembly of the reflector, HID lamp, inner element, and heat sink with each elements of the assembly clipped together.
US07950827B2

A system for reducing sun glare through an opening into a space, the system comprising an electrically controllable window treatment operable to alter the amount of daylight entering the space through the opening; a first sensor mounted within the space and characterized by a sensor gain, the first sensor operable to sense a level of illumination in the space; and a control system operable: to compare the sensed illumination level in the space to a dead-band having upper and lower thresholds; to adjust during a time period when glare from the sun can occur through the opening at least one of: (a) the upper threshold of the dead-band, (b) the lower threshold of the dead-band, and (c) the sensor gain of the first sensor; and to adjust the window treatment in response to the sensed level of illumination to reduce the sun glare.
US07950825B2

An optical lens includes an array of lens units. Each lens unit includes a main body, a light diverging portion and a light converging portion. The main body includes a light incident surface and a light emitting surface opposite to the light incident surface. The light diverging portion is configured for expanding a light field along a first direction, and the light converging portion is configured for compressing a light field along a second direction. The light diverging portion and the light converging portion are both formed on one of the light incident surface and the light emitting surface.
US07950821B1

Vehicle-mounted auxiliary lighting systems adapted to provide primary or auxiliary vehicle lighting using light emitting diodes (LEDs) are disclosed.
US07950814B2

A backlight module includes an optical film set and a plurality of light source sets having a first light source and a second light source. The first light source generates a first chromaticity light while the second light source generates a second chromaticity light. The first chromaticity light mixes with the second chromaticity light in the space between the light source sets and the optical film set and then enters the optical film set. The first chromaticity light and the second chromaticity light have their own spectrum and both spectra fall into a first color region of the CIE 1931 color space. Within the first color region, the spectrum of the first chromaticity light is close to a second color region while the spectrum of the second chromaticity light is close to a third color region.
US07950811B2

A projection display device includes: a housing; a fan disposed within the housing, the fan having a vane portion and a fan case accommodating the vane portion so as to be rotatable; and multiple vibration-proofing members having at least one of elasticity and viscosity, the vibration-proofing members being disposed at multiple positions in the circumferential direction of the perimeter face portion of the fan case surrounding the vane portion around the rotational axis of the vane portion, such that the vibration-proofing members are introduced between the housing and the fan case.
US07950806B2

A rear projector for performing image projection includes: a screen and a projection optical system. The screen has a rotationally symmetric Fresnel lens. The projection optical system has at least one reflection surface formed of a rotationally asymmetric free curved surface. The projection optical system is nonaxisymmetric and makes a central principle ray incident obliquely on the screen in the image projection. The Fresnel lens has aberration that cancels out pupil aberration of the projection optical system so that principal rays of beams exiting from the Fresnel lens become substantially parallel to each other.
US07950804B2

A system employed in a projector for protecting eyes when the projector is in use, includes an initialization module, a light emitting-receiving device, a time-measuring module, a comparison module, and an image-outputting device. The initialization module is configured for initializing a standard time value. The light emitting-receiving device is configured for emitting a light and receiving a reflection of the light. The time-measuring module is configured for measuring time elapsed between emitting the light and receiving the reflection to generate a time-cost value. The comparison module is configured for comparing the standard time value with the time-cost value to generate a signal. The image-outputting device is configured for outputting an eye-protective image or a general image corresponding to the signal.
US07950802B2

The invention relates to a method and to a circuit arrangement for recognising and for tracking, in a contact-free manner, eye positions of several users in real time. The input data comprises a sequence of digital video frames. Said method comprises the following steps: combining a face-finder-instance which is used to examine faces, an eye-finder-instance which is used to examine eye areas, and an eye-tracker-instance which is used to recognise and track eye reference points. The aim of the invention is to convert the eye positions within a hierarchical outlet of the instance to the target, which successively restricts the dataset, which is to be processed, emerging from the dataset of the entire video frame (VF) in order to form a face target area (GZ) and subsequently an eye target area (AZ). Also, an instance or a group of instances, which run in a parallel manner, are carried out, respectively, on a calculating unit thereof.
US07950796B2

A light emitting device includes a substrate, a light emitting body, a thermally conductive member, and a heat radiation member. The substrate has a first face and a second face which is a face opposite to the first face. The light emitting body is held on a side of the first face of the substrate and emits light. The thermally conductive member is provided so as to be in contact with the second face of the substrate and contains a high thermal conductive material. The heat radiation member is provided so as to be in contact with the thermally conductive member and radiates heat conducted from the substrate through the thermally conductive member.
US07950790B2

An ink container usable for recording heads different in flow rate without being affected by a pigment particle concentration of ink held in an ink supply portion is provided. In correspondence with a size of a filter of a recording head used, ink non-conducting areas are provided to a press-contact member, whereby movement of settled ink remaining in the press-contact member is blocked. As a result, common use of the ink container with respect to the recording heads different in flow rate is realized.
US07950786B2

An ink-jet device (20) is provided. The ink-jet device includes an ink reservoir (22), a print head (24), and a carry-in pipe (26) connected between the ink reservoir and the print head. The ink-jet device further includes an air outlet pipe (28) and a balance pipe (30). The air outlet pipe is connected with the print head and intercommunicates with the atmosphere. The balance pipe is connected between the carry-in pipe and the air outlet pipe. A method for eliminating air bubbles in print head is also provided.
US07950774B2

An inkjet printhead includes a supporting wafer substrate; an array of drop ejection apparatuses formed in a first side of the supporting wafer substrate, the array of drop ejection apparatuses configured as pairs of rows of drop ejection apparatuses, each drop ejection apparatus including a chamber with a nozzle, and an actuator extending into the nozzle; and a common ink channel extending between each pair of rows of drop ejection apparatuses. Each chamber has a sidewall adjacent to the common ink channel, the side wall provided with a grill portion for facilitating an in-flow of ink from the common ink channel into the chamber, the grill portion adapted to further filter the ink flowing therethrough.
US07950771B2

A pagewidth inkjet printhead assembly has a plurality of nozzle arrangements. Each nozzle arrangement comprises walls defining an ink chamber having an ink supply channel and an ink ejection port having an ink spreading prevention rim; a thermal actuator mechanism for ejecting ink from the chamber via the ejection port, the thermal actuator mechanism including an actuator arm having two layers which are formed from a conductive, resiliently flexible material, said layers surrounding a central material layer so that said two layers are in thermal balance with the arm in a quiescent state; and drive circuitry for supplying the thermal actuator mechanism with a drive current, the drive circuitry being operable in a first and second operative mode. Tn the first operative mode, the drive circuitry supplies current to the thermal actuator mechanism sufficient to cause the thermal actuator mechanism to bend to a degree whereby ink is expelled from the ink ejection port. In the second operative mode, the drive circuitry supplies current to the thermal actuator mechanism insufficient to cause ink the thermal actuator mechanism to bend to such degree whereby ink is expelled from the ink ejection port.
US07950747B2

A tension-spoke wheel including a rim, spokes, and a central hub, the exterior of the rim having a tire-receiving channel that defines a median plane, and an interior of the rim having spoke fastening zones that define a median plane for fastening the spokes, the hub having a median plane and two flanges for fastening the spokes, one of the flanges being closer to the median plane of the hub than the other, and at least the spokes fastened to the flange that is closer to the median plane of the hub lacking individual tensioning mechanisms. The spokes fastened to the flange that is closer to the hub median plane are fastened to the rim on the side of the median plane of the tire-receiving channel that is opposite the closer flange.
US07950746B2

An attack tool for degrading materials is disclosed which comprises a base segment comprising an attachment to a driving mechanism, a first wear-resistant segment bonded to the base segment, a second wear-resistant segment bonded to the first wear-resistant segment at a brazed joint opposite the base segment, and at least a portion of exterior surfaces of both the wear-resistant segments proximate the joint, the portion of exterior surfaces comprising a finish ground surface.
US07950744B2

A collapsible footrest for universal use with similarly collapsible outdoor chairs comprising a fabric footrest panel supported vertically by a first pair of crossed support members and supported horizontally in relation to a chair by a second pair of crossed support members affixed to the chair at its base. The ends of the second crossed support members are joined by bi-directional couplings and hinged couplings that allow the footrest to fold into and collapse with the associated chair for storage while also limiting the motion of the footrest during use such that the foot rest panel is optimally positioned in an upright position to comfortably support a seated user's legs.
US07950742B2

A connecting apparatus for rotatably connecting two object members of a vehicle seat relative to each other. The connecting apparatus may include first and second connecting members, a lock member and an operating member. The first and second connecting members are integrated to be able to rotate relative to each other. The lock member is able to lock the relative rotation between the connecting members by meshing outer peripheral teeth with inner peripheral teeth formed at the second connecting member. The operating member moves the lock member between a mesh state and a release state.
US07950731B2

A roof header structure which has a simple structure to allow effective reinforcement can be obtained.In an upper header panel 24, a bead 28 is formed which continues in the vehicle width direction, being the deepest in the central portion in the vehicle width direction, the depth being gradually reduced toward both ends in the vehicle width direction. The protruding end (the lower end) of the bead 28 is joined to the lower header panel 26 in the central portion in the vehicle width direction. The bead 28 reinforces the upper header panel 24, and further reinforces the entire front header part 22, thus with a simple structure, the front header part 22 can be reliably reinforced.
US07950730B2

A lower grille assembly for connection with a front bumper structure of a vehicle includes a frame and a covering portion supported by the frame. A lower grille cavity filler extends downwardly beyond the frame. The lower grille cavity filler is sized and arranged to be received within a cavity formed by the front bumper structure and located below the lower grille assembly.
US07950719B2

A vehicle rear door articulating and sliding mechanism including an articulating hinge assembly having a hinge arm pivotally mounted to a vehicle C-pillar at one end thereof, and a vehicle rear door pivotally and slidably mounted to the hinge arm at an opposite end of the hinge arm. A guide track may be mounted to the rear door, and a slide block may be pivotally mounted to the hinge arm and slidably attached to the guide track. The hinge arm may be disposed at first and second angular positions relative to the guide track when the rear door is respectively disposed in closed and opened positions, and the slide block may be disposed at first and second positions along a length of the guide track when the rear door is respectively disposed in the closed and opened positions, to thus provide articulating and sliding movement of the rear door.
US07950711B2

A body mount included at least one clip, at least one plate and a sleeve. The clip may include a generally cylindrical body having a central aperture therethrough. The clip may further include at least one set of inwardly extending prongs. The clip may further include at least one set of outwardly extending prongs. The sleeve may have opposed openings capable of engaging a first clip and a second clip between their respective plates.
US07950709B1

Apparatus for gripping and handling a length of pipe includes first and second pipe gripping members supported on a frame. The first pipe gripping member is movable along a straight line path from an open position to a closed position closer to the second pipe gripping member. The first pipe gripping member is supported on a movable transfer plate having an engagement member connected thereto and to a piston rod of a hydraulic cylinder.
US07950706B2

A magnetic bumper guard, the guard being constructed such that it may be magnetically mounted onto a structural member to be protected, such as the corner, post, rail or leg of a structure composed of a suitable metal, the guard having a rear wall bounded by a pair of side flanges, a magnet-receiving recess positioned within the rear wall, a hollow interior, a rounded or curved forward wall, and a magnet, whereby frontal force is absorbed by the guard and lateral or angular forces cause the guard to disengage from the structural member, thereby dissipating the force.
US07950705B2

An underrun protector mounting structure includes: a chassis frame; a front underrun protector which is disposed at the front or rear of the chassis frame and extended in a lateral direction of the vehicle; a bracket 6 for fixing the front underrun protector to the chassis frame; and a support part interposed between the front underrun protector and the bracket. The support part has a first plate part disposed on the front underrun protector side and a second plate part disposed on the first plate part on the bracket 6 side. The first plate part is formed to be wider in the lateral direction of the vehicle than the second plate part 32. The first and second plate parts are stacked to form a leaf spring shape in a longitudinal direction of the vehicle.
US07950703B2

The door latch mechanism independently operated by first and second handles of the door handle assembly comprising a cam member having a cam surface which facilitates translation of movement of the handles to displacement of the cam member. The cam member can be coupled to a latch member and move the latch member between an extended and retracted position. A door lock mechanism can prevent displacement of the second door handle while simultaneously allowing displacement of the first door handle.
US07950698B2

A method or corresponding apparatus for remote transmission of a negotiable instrument. In an example embodiment, the process provides a carrier that secures a negotiable instrument. Next, the process creates a unique identifier, associated with the carrier, and generates an electronic image of the negotiable instrument. After generating the electronic image, the process transmits the electronic image of the negotiable instrument and the unique identifier to a remote location. The negotiable instrument may be transmitted via a fax, a scanner, a device designed to transmit electronic data, other image device compatible with ITU-T recommendations T.30 or T.4, or combination thereof. The process may also verify the negotiable instrument has a valid endorsement, verify image quality of the electronic image to ensure compliance with financial industry standards, or validate any received security information.
US07950697B2

Book, in particular an album, characterised by two front and back covers which are separate from each other and are joined with a spacing from each other by at least one flat strip-like spine part, the portion of the spine part between the opposing inner edges of the two covers being foldable in the manner of a concertina into a predetermined number of peak folds of the same height, and four respective pages being formed by a centrally folded sheet which has, at the centre along the fold, at least one narrow slotted opening of predetermined length and width for feeding through a peak fold which projects above the slotted opening in at least one sheet at such a height that a narrow, web-like connecting element is configured so as to be insertable through the protruding opening in the peak fold for detachable connection to the book.
US07950690B2

A steering wheel (13) for a motor vehicle includes a steering wheel module (1) supporting electrical/electronic subassemblies (18). The steering wheel module is inserted from a front side of the steering wheel into a center of the steering wheel in order to be attached to the steering wheel. A lower end of the steering wheel module forms a torsion module (8) of a torque detection device for a steering power-assist system. The torsion module is operable to receive and be attached to a steering spindle (14) of a steering column on the back side of the steering wheel in order to attach the steering wheel to the steering spindle when the steering wheel module is attached to the steering wheel.
US07950680B2

Wheel suspension (10) for a wheeled vehicle, comprising at least one lower, wheel-carrying radius arm (12) with an inner end, which is designed for fastening so that it can pivot about a substantially horizontal axis in a vehicle frame (14), and an outer end, which is pivotally fastened to a lower part of a wheel hub (24), and at least one upper support arm (28), one end of which is fastened to an upper part of the wheel hub (24), and the other end of which is pivotally connected to the vehicle frame (14). The inner end of the lower radius arm (12) is designed for pivotal connection to the vehicle frame (14) by way of a lower arm part (16) of a double rocker arm (18), swiveling about a substantially horizontal axis (20), whilst the upper support arm (28) is pivotally connected to an upper arm part (34) of the double rocker arm (18) via a connecting link (36), which is pivotally connected to the upper support arm (28) and to the upper arm part (34) of the double rocker arm (18).
US07950677B2

A sled attachment configured to a load carrying cart for maneuvering thereto on pathways covered with snow, ice and/or slush. The load carrying cart comprises a frame supported over a pair of front wheels and a pair of rear wheels. The sled attachment comprises a panel member and at least one fastening member. The panel member includes a first arcuate section and a second arcuate section. The second arcuate section extends inwardly toward the first arcuate section from a common edge portion of the first arcuate section and the second arcuate section. The at least one fastening member is capable of removably engaging the panel member to a portion of the frame. The panel member is capable of being removably engaged, such that the first arcuate section poses outward from the frame and the second arcuate section poses toward a lower portion of the pair of front wheels.
US07950640B2

A rotary printing press is usable for producing a newspaper product in tabloid format. The printing press has at least one printing unit which is configured so that it prints a web with printed pages in a horizontal tabloid format. A part web, which is formed by slitting a web, is provided with a fold by a plough folder and that is arranged in the path of travel of the web. The web is folded with a first edge region, which is printed with a narrow printed image section, as a folded portion, along a first folding line by the plough folder. A fold former is arranged after the plough folder. The part web is printed with only one horizontal page in tabloid format and is also printed with a narrow printed section on an adjacent edge region. The part web and the fold former are arranged in the partial web travel direction so that the part web, which is folded along one side by the plough folder, runs into the folding former offset. The center of the partial web is not aligned with the former tip but instead is offset with respect to that former tip.
US07950621B2

A pneumatic pressure regulating valve, the opening of which can be automatically changed in a pressure-related manner, including a control diaphragm that is subjected to a reference pressure, to the gas pressure as well as to a governor spring, wherein a change in the differential pressure causes an adjustment of the control diaphragm and the latter itself or a closing element actuated by it changes the opening through an outflow cross-section, and wherein a structure that is arranged adjacent to the outflow cross-section on the diaphragm side forms a stop for the control diaphragm or for the closing element in the closed position of said control diaphragm. At least one preliminary stop is arranged in the pressure regulating valve such that, when the control diaphragm is moving in its closing direction, the control diaphragm or the closing element first comes into contact with the preliminary stop and that, when the control diaphragm is moving further in its closing direction, the control diaphragm or the closing element will then, while being subjected to elastic and flexible deformation or being further subjected to elastic and flexible deformation respectively, further reduces the opening and, in a final position, also comes into contact with the stop.
US07950620B2

An air conditioner condenser platform is described for supporting an air conditioner condenser installed on a roof. The platform provides a fixed base and an adjustable platform whereby the fixed base is installed on the roof and the adjustable platform is configured to provide a level platform on which to install the condenser. It provides a durable metal weather resistant platform on which to install the condenser, and a standard platform that may be quickly installed in a variety of roof slopes and configurations.
US07950616B2

The invention relates to a holding device (5) of a seat slide drive for a motor vehicle, wherein the holding device (60) is designed as a metallic block, wherein the holding device (60) is provided with a through-bore (61), in which one end of the spindle (5) is placed and is held there by material (60z) of the holding device (60) pressed into the spindle thread (5a) as spindle (5).
US07950615B2

A press-fit extendable support rod includes an outer pipe and an inner pipe sheatheable along the outer pipe. An end of a rope is fixed to the inner pipe, and another end of the rope is extendable outward. A press-fit buckle device is sheathed to a joint of the inner and outer pipes. A rotary arm is pivotally coupled to the press-fit buckle device, and an end of the rotary arm has a first operating portion, a second operating portion and a third operating portion. The rotary arm can be pivotally coupled to the press-fit buckle device by one of the operating portions, and another end of the rope is wound onto each operating portion. When the rotary arm is turned, the rope is pulled, turned around, and pressed at each operating portion, and the length of the inner pipe extended out of the outer pipe is adjusted and fixed.
US07950613B2

A low profile moveable mounting system for mounting a device to a surface. According to various embodiments, a surface bracket is operatively connected to a surface member attachable to a surface, one or more hinged translation assemblies are rotatably connected to the surface bracket and rotatably connected to a device bracket adapted for operative connection to a device, and a link member rotatably connected to the surface bracket and the device bracket. The moveable mounting system is selectively tiltable and moveable between an extended orientation, where the device bracket is displaced substantially perpendicular from the surface and a retracted orientation, where the device bracket is positionable proximate the surface. The moveable mounting system may be particularly adapted for mounting a flat panel display device.
US07950611B2

A computing device comprising a support system extendable and retractable relative to a housing, the support system extending across a lateral dimension of the housing between a pair of housing sidewalls to support at least a portion of the housing in an elevated position relative to a support surface.
US07950606B2

Methods and systems for providing secondary power to aircraft systems. In one embodiment, an aircraft system architecture for providing power to an environmental control system includes an electric generator operably coupled to a jet engine. The jet engine can be configured to provide propulsive thrust to the aircraft, and the electric generator can be configured to receive shaft power from the jet engine. The environmental control system can be configured to provide outside air to a passenger cabin of the aircraft in the absence of bleed air from the jet engine.
US07950592B2

A wholly wrapped railroad crosstie comprises an inner core and an outer casing that is made of deformable composite materials. The outer casing is molten and integrally united with and attached to the inner core as a whole when it is formed. The outer casing completely covers the inner core. There's no seam on the crosstie at all. So it successfully avoids the separation and friction of the crosstie. It greatly increases the reliability and service life of the crosstie, and reduces the cost of maintenance.
US07950591B2

A composite load bearing member is provided comprising an elongated inner structural member and a thick polymeric composite outer member. An apparatus for producing the composite load bearing member is provided including devices for suspending the inner structural member within a mold cavity prior to and during injection of the polymeric composite outer member. A method of using the apparatus to produce the composite load bearing member is provided.
US07950590B2

An actuator is disclosed which operates on the principle of the variable magnetic properties of materials with respect to temperature. As temperature is raised past Curie temperature, magnetic permeability of certain materials drops significantly to a value close to free space permeability. However, depending on the material selection, magnetic permeability may be significantly higher below Curie temperature. This principle is used to cause magnetic attractive force to move an actuator at one temperature, while permitting a return spring force to move the actuator at another temperature by changing the pathway traversed by most magnetic lines of flux from a magnetic source. The actuator may be employed to provide a temperature activated electrical switch or fluid valve. The temperature activated valves are suited to use in high temperature environments, such as SAGD wells.
US07950584B2

A package security feature is provided, the package security feature having a static element and a dynamic element. The dynamic element selectively interacts with the static element to enable identification and anti-tampering for a package.
US07950583B2

An automatic digital video imaging based code symbol reading system for use in point of sale (POS) environments, employing automatic object motion detection and illumination control, and digital video imaging based code symbol reading techniques, which ensures the reliable reading of code symbols graphically represented in digital images, in high-throughput point-of-sale and other environments, while providing the versatility required to accommodate the different ways in which operators present objects for code symbol reading at POS environments.
US07950582B2

A method of producing a coated optical element which uses in-mold decoration (IMG) techniques. The method includes injection molding an element adjacent a coating of a preform sheet, whereby the coating transfers to the element to create the optical element.
US07950580B2

A code carrier, on which multiple barcodes corresponding to independent entities are printed or stored, is disclosed. The barcodes are arranged on the code carrier and angled such that a barcode reader may individually read a desired barcode and the barcodes are surrounded in distinctive colors. A code carrier provider maintains a data base of users and their corresponding barcode identifiers.
US07950576B2

A server computer including a processor and a computer readable medium coupled to the processor. The computer readable medium includes code executable by the processor. The code includes code for determining a load value loaded on a portable consumer device in a first currency and code for converting at least a portion of the load value to a second currency using an exchange rate associated with the first currency and the second currency, where the exchange rate is associated with a set date. The set date may be a current or future date.
US07950570B2

A system and method for managing a permit-based parking environment governed by a parking program. The permit-based parking environment includes a number of parking permits each including a unique RFID tag and tag number. One or more RFID readers are used to scan the vehicles parked in the parking environment to determine if a RFID tag is associated with the parked vehicle. The results of the scan along with information related to the parked vehicle are provided to a permit management system to determine if the vehicle is parked within the scope of privileges pre-defined for that vehicle, pursuant to the parking program governing the parking environment. The permit management system stores, manages, and monitors data related to the permits controlled under the parking program.
US07950569B2

A container for receiving a food product is formed from a shaped blank of paper, paperboard, cardboard or a similar material. A hinge arrangement comprising at least two and preferably three parts is provided between one of the side walls and one of the end walls to allow the partially formed container to be moved easily between a flat configuration suitable for transportation or storage and an erect configuration for receiving a food product. In the erect configuration one part of the hinge arrangement is sandwiched between another part of hinge arrangement and the end wail. In the flat configuration these two parts of the hinge arrangement lie in substantially the same plane. An integral lid may be provided.
US07950568B2

An assembly is disclosed for exothermic welding comprising a mold which is formed of a material which withstands exothermic welding temperatures and includes a weld cavity therein for positioning at least two members which are to be exothermically welded together, and an ignition cavity communicating with the weld cavity. The mold is capable of accommodating any one of several exothermic welding procedures which may involve either a flint igniter or the use of an electrical igniter which is readily accommodated by the mold in the performance of several of the procedures. The electrical igniter is formed of a pair of flat, longitudinally extending conductor strips with a sheet of insulation laminated therebetween, a filament adjacent one end of the strips, and one or more positioning tabs adjacent one end of the strips. A cartridge is also provided which contains the weld metal and the electrical igniter and which may be positioned in the ignition cavity of the mold. The cartridge is formed of a material which is consumed during the welding procedure and may contain a plate of a different material adjacent its bottom which melts at a higher temperature than the materials of the cartridge.
US07950565B2

A high speed ball shear machine is adapted for removing a metal bump fixed on a substrate. The high speed ball shear machine includes a fixing base, a shear tool, and a metal bump catcher. The substrate is fixed on the top surface of the fixing base. The shear tool is disposed above the top surface. The fixing base is adapted for being translated along a translation path relative to the shear tool, wherein the translation path is a straight path. When the fixing base translates along the path, the metal bump is driven to strike the shear tool so as to separate itself from the substrate. The metal bump catcher, which is adapted for catching the drop bump after the striking, is disposed on the side wall of the fixing base. The bump catcher has a fillister with a configuration depicted in the figures of this invention.
US07950564B2

A soldering iron control module applied to a soldering iron and a soldering iron stand is provided. The soldering iron stand accommodates the soldering iron which has a soldering iron bit. The soldering iron control module includes a sensing unit and a soldering iron control system. The sensing unit provides a sensing signal indicating whether the soldering iron is accommodated in the soldering iron stand. The soldering iron control system includes a tin supply unit and a control unit. The control unit determines whether the soldering iron has been accommodated in the soldering iron stand for a first time period according to the sensing signal. When the control unit determines that the soldering iron has been accommodated in the soldering iron stand for the first time period, the tin supply unit provides the tin to the soldering iron bit and the power of the soldering iron is turned off.
US07950557B2

An air duster duct is formed to branch off at an intermediate portion along the length of an air duct which connects a compressed air supply source with a pneumatic tool. A valve mechanism having a selector valve and an operating device is provided at the branch portion. The sector valve can shift to a first position where the selector valve opens an upstream side duct which communicates with the air supply source to a downstream side duct which communicates with a nailing machine and shuts the upstream side duct relative to the air duster branch duct and a second position where the selector valve shuts the upstream side duct relative to the down stream side duct and opens the upstream side duct to the branch duct. The selector valve is operated from the outside by the operating device.
US07950556B2

A fastening tool includes a housing assembly having a nosepiece and a magazine assembly that is coupled to the housing assembly. The magazine assembly includes a canister configured to hold a plurality of collated fasteners. The fastening tool further includes a feeder pawl assembly coupled to the magazine assembly. The feeder pawl assembly includes a feed pawl and a spreader pawl. The feed pawl is movable in the feed direction to advance a first fastener into the nosepiece during a feed motion. The spreader pawl is adapted to locate between adjacent fasteners and resist movement of one of the adjacent fasteners in the feed direction during the feed motion.
US07950554B2

A harness 10 for supporting at least two firearm accessories from a wearer's belt includes a primary support 20, a belt latch 22 for removably connecting the primary support to the belt, and a curvilinear rail 16 secured to the primary support opposite the belt latch for positioning about the thigh of the user. The rail 16 may support a handgun holster 12 and one or more other firearm accessories 14 each spaced along the rail. A strap 30 is provided for removably connecting the rail to the thigh of the wearer. A harness may also support a rail directly from the wearer's belt.
US07950551B2

A sling clip is disclosed that has a clamping mechanism capable of releasably securing the strap when the strap is slidably received through an opening in the sling clip. The sling clip also has an attachment mechanism configured to secure the sling clip proximate to a weapon bearer's body. The clamping mechanism is operatively configured to secure the strap within the sling clip when the weapon is in a firing position such that the strap minimizes movement of a muzzle end of the weapon caused by recoil of the weapon upon firing. A sling including the sling clip also is disclosed. The sling also includes a flexible strap having a first end and a second end is disclosed. The first end of the strap is configured to be secured to a weapon near a near a butt end of the weapon. The weapon may be a rifle, shotgun, or handgun as well as hand-held equipment such as a binocular or a camera.
US07950550B2

A metering and dispensing closure for a container wherein two rotatable disks rotate in conjunction with a stationary cap member to afford accurate measuring of a powder material and dispensing of it. The disks and the container cap afford a consistent measuring of the powder material, as well as provide a variety of drive members which can be utilized with the dispensing closure.
US07950546B2

A substantially moisture tight container and lid assembly for storing and packaging moisture-sensitive items comprising an assembly with a container and a lid, the lid is attached by a hinge to an upper housing portion of the container, the container has a container base, and a sidewall depending upwardly from the base, a top container surface extends inward from the sidewalls, the top container surface is provided with an opening that permits access to the interior of the container, the lid portion has a lid base with an outer periphery that extends over at least a portion of the container portion, the lid base is provided with a skirt that depends downwardly from the base portion, the skirt is configured at a location on the base portion that allows the skirt to enter into a sealing relationship with the container portion, the lid includes a member that depends downwardly from the lid, the member is configured to abut at least a portion of the interior side of the container when the lid is in the closed position resulting in a substantially moisture tight seal between the lid and the lid, and the container assembly further comprising a base portion and an upper housing portion, the upper housing portion is capable of being snap-fit into the base portion by employing a mechanical interference to form a substantially moisture-tight seal.
US07950540B2

An apparatus for securing containers for receiving and preserving biological specimens comprising a plug that comprises at least one connecting means such that, after interlocking with the apparatus, access to contents of the apparatus necessarily brings about a physical transformation that is irreversible and can be ascertained by the naked eye of the container, and not of the plug, which physical transformation consists, e.g., but not necessarily, of a rupture or a tear of this means.
US07950531B2

A mounting arrangement for mounting a telecommunications panel to a frame. The mounting arrangement including a fastener piece having a retaining clip and a corresponding threaded hole. The retaining clip expanding outward when a fastener is threaded into the corresponding threaded hole. The expanded retaining clip engaging openings formed in the frame to retain the telecommunications panel in a position relative to the frame.
US07950526B2

An apparatus and a method for executing a money deposit transaction. During a money deposit transaction the state of the bank notes to be deposited is ascertained, bank notes being in a good state are made available to the depositor after the completion of the money deposit transaction, while bank notes being in an unsatisfactory state are withheld.
US07950513B2

A coin drop mechanism comprises a support member movably connected to a channel member. A contoured channel configured to receive at least one coin is formed on at least one of the members and defines a coin slot when the members are in contact with each other. The channel is configured to guide the at least one coin to a desired location aligned with an actuator opening on the members. The mechanism further comprises an actuator. The actuator comprises a actuation member configured to travel through the actuator opening, engage the at least one coin against a surface of the channel member, and displace the channel member relative to the support member causing a selected product to be dispensed from a product receptacle.
US07950507B2

The invention relates to a damping mechanism for folding seats in chairs, having an application in seats (1) incorporated in an articulated assembly by means of shafts (2), with springs (4) which act in the sense that they tilt the seat towards a vertical folded position, incorporating in each shaft (2) an eccentric cam (5) on which there is supported a damping piston which exerts retention action for smoothing the upward rotation of the seat by the action of the springs (4).
US07950505B2

A mechanically ventilated disc brake rotor has internally housed centrifugal fan impeller rotates freely at one direction and engages with brake rotor in other direction with use of single direction ball bearing. While a vehicle travelling forward, centrifugal fan impeller rotates along with brake rotor at same speed and forces airflow out through the fixed vanes passages by centrifugal action and at the same time it gains angular momentum energy. Whenever brake's applied to slow down a forward moving vehicle, the rotation of brake rotor slows down. At this instant, single direction bearing gets disengaged from the brake rotor and continue rotating freely at same initial rotational speed with help of angular momentum effect. Continues rotation of centrifugal fan impeller, continue in forcing out air flow thru fixed vanes channels by centrifugal action providing enhanced and continues heat dissipation even though brake rotor rotation speed has slowed down or stopped.
US07950500B2

A disc brake, in particular, for a commercial vehicle, has a brake caliper which engages over a brake disc, brake linings which make contact with the brake disc in a functional position, and a brake application device with which one of the brake linings can be pressed, via at least one adjusting spindle, against the brake disc. An adjustment device is rotationally fixed to the adjusting spindle, by which wear-induced change in the running clearance between the brake lining and the brake disc can essentially be compensated. A closure lid covers the adjustment device and is attached to the brake caliper. A lining wear sensor communicates with a step-down gear mechanism connected to the adjusting spindle. The lining wear sensor is embodied as a contactless sensor which rotates on a concentric path has its change in angular position detected by the lining wear sensor and transmitted to an evaluation device.
US07950495B2

A method for generating a return torque signal in an electric servo steering system of a vehicle, including the steps of: determining a current steering wheel position; determining a current vehicle speed; generating a return torque signal as a function of the steering wheel position and the vehicle speed; determining a current speed of steering wheel rotation; determining a scaling factor dependent on the speed of steering wheel rotation; and multiplying the return torque signal by the scaling factor in order to obtain a modified return torque signal. Also, a servo steering system which is designed to carry out such a method.
US07950490B2

To enhance the balance in weight of the right and the left of the body of a four-wheel vehicle. In a four-wheel vehicle, an engine is supported by a body frame. A swing arm is swingably attached to the body frame. Rear wheels are supported by the swing arm. A rear cushion unit is attached between the rear of the body frame and the side of the rear end of the swing arm. Power from the engine is transmitted to the rear wheels via a rear propeller shaft. The center of the engine (that is, an axis of a crankshaft) and the rear cushion unit are set on one side and the rear propeller shaft is set on the other side respectively with respect to a center line of the body extending in a longitudinal direction of the body.
US07950488B2

An active material hood impact mitigation mechanism is activated in response to a signal generated from an impact sensor or pre-impact sensor or manually. The mitigation mechanism is capable of changing either reversibly or irreversibly the stiffness, shape, location, orientation, or displacement force of the hood either globally or locally, before an impact against the hood. The active material mitigation mechanism is held in a device designed to be installed in operative communication with the hood surface. The active material is characterized by a first shape or stiffness and is operative to change to a second shape or stiffness in response to the activation signal. Such active materials include shape memory alloys, electroactive polymers, shape memory polymers, magnetic shape memory alloys, magnetorheological fluids, magnetorheological elastomers, electrorheological fluids, and piezoelectric materials.
US07950475B2

A percussion drilling assembly for boring into the earth is disclosed. The percussion drilling assembly includes a top sub, a casing coupled to the top sub, and a feed tube assembly disposed within the top sub and the casing. The feed tube assembly includes a non-rigid coupling having a throughbore and a tubular body disposed therein. The tubular body is translatable in the radial position and/or rotatable relative to a longitudinal centerline extending through the non-rigid coupling.
US07950468B2

A method of retrieving at least a first plug and a second plug of the same type from a wellbore, wherein when the plugs are set in the wellbore each plug has a valve in a closed position blocking flow of fluid through the plug and a sealing mechanism expanded into engagement with a wellbore casing providing a seal between the plug and the casing, includes the steps of connecting a conveyance to the first plug; releasing the first plug; moving the first plug into connection with the second plug; and retrieving the first and the second plug from the wellbore simultaneously.
US07950463B2

A method for removing soils, particles or fluids from the seabed or from great sea depths, includes positioning a platform or a vessel above an offshore location, lowering a riser from the vessel or platform to the seabed or great depth, the riser being vented to the atmosphere, sucking soils, particles or fluids with inflow of fluid into the riser and removing them from the riser via an outlet in the riser, the outlet being at a level well below the water surface, by use of a pumping system with a flow return conduit running to a selected location, while keeping the level of the fluid in the riser at a level between the outlet and the surface corresponding with a pressure in the lower end of the riser substantially lower than the sea water pressure at the end of the riser.
US07950451B2

Methods and apparatus are described that combine a measurement of the physical velocity of material within the annulus of a well between the drill pipe and the wall of the well with a measurement of the area of the flow as determined from a measurement of distance between the drill pipe and the wall of the hole to determine the actual material volumetric flow rate. Changes in volumetric flow rate at one or more points along the well can be used to determine the occurrence and location of well dysfunctions. This knowledge can then be used to make decisions about treating well dysfunctions which will lead to more efficient use of drilling rig time.
US07950448B2

A combined system for treating an oil or gas well is provided which includes a truck, having a truck bed attached thereto and a fracturing support unit and an iron skid mounted on the truck bed. The fracturing support unit includes well head control equipment, and the iron skid includes a manifold having an arrangement of valves for controlling the flow of fluid to the well. The iron skid may be advantageously articulated off the truck bed and onto the ground for unloading the iron components used to treat the well.
US07950446B2

A clip is capable of engaging with a heat sink for securing a fan to the heat sink. The clip includes a mounting plate, a supporting plate, a spring fastener and a spring positioning plate. The supporting plate extends from the mounting plate. The spring fastener extends from the supporting plate and spaced from the mounting plate for pressing the fan toward the heat sink. The spring positioning plate extends from the mounting plate. The mounting plate is horizontally inserted into the heat sink and the spring positioning plate is V-shaped and resiliently engaged in a V-shaped receiving space of the heat sink, thereby securing the clip to the heat sink.
US07950439B2

By providing a door wherein the components forming a multi-panel unit assembly, a support & alignment mechanism, an automatic actuating panel action locking and release mechanism, sliding mechanism and hinges, a dual action door assembly is achieved which assures component engagement that allows the door assembly to operate within controlled confines combining first a sliding action and then a swing action to open the door for full unobstructed access of a range of doorway widths from narrow to ultra-wide while overcoming the support problems, full open access problems and wide swing radii problems consistent with conventional doors.
US07950437B2

A window covering is disclosed that includes a first rail, window covering material adjacent the first rail, at least one lift cord extending through the window covering material to the headrail, a plurality of pulleys positioned adjacent the first rail, at least one spring motor adjacent the first rail, at least one spring motor cord extending from the one or more spring motors and a rigid connector attached to one or more spring motor cords and one or more lift cords. The connector and one or more spring motor cords are configured to pass along at least one of the pulleys during movement along a cord path defined by one or more of the pulleys. The connector should have a length that is not greater than ⅙ of the circumference of at least one of the pulleys the connector passes over during extension of the window covering material.
US07950431B2

In a heavy duty pneumatic bias tire having a ply rating of not less than 58 and an aspect ratio of not more than 80%, a rubber volume as the product of the sum of each distance between ply cords in an inner mutually adjoining carcass ply per 50 mm, the sum of each distance between ply cords in an outer mutually adjoining carcass ply per 50 mm, and a distance between ply cords of mutually adjoining inner and outer carcass plies with respect to three or more inside carcass plies of an innermost ply group in at least a portion corresponding to a position of a maximum tire width is 500-1350 mm3, more preferably 700-1000 mm3.
US07950420B2

A flexible hose for conveying fluids or gases comprises two elastomeric layers surrounding either side of a reinforcement layer.
US07950418B2

A method for repairing a pipeline by means of at least one shell that is adapted to the outer contour of the pipeline, wherein the at least one shell is attached to the outer wall of the pipeline using an intermediate layer between the interior of the shell and the outer wall of the pipeline. The intermediate layer is made of an adhesive that can be activated, which is used to substantially completely coat the interior of the at least one shell. The attachment of the shell is carried out by applying a force acting at least in the radial direction, and the activation of the adhesive. A shell that is coated in this manner is also disclosed.
US07950408B2

A pressure relief device is disclosed that is designed to open in response to a pre-determined pressure differential. The pressure relief device includes a panel member, and at least one release mechanism. The release mechanism has a first end, a failure portion configured to fail upon experiencing a predetermined load, and a second end. The at least one release mechanism is configured to hold the panel member against a frame prior to experiencing the predetermined pressure differential.
US07950398B2

A method and device for modifying optical system properties by means of a continuously multifocal profile, wherein said profile comprises a component for increasing the optical system focal depth and is calculated according to a fourth-order Zernike polynom. The aim of said invention is to avoid the eye base refraction and, for this purpose, said focal depth increasing component is also calculated according to the second-order Zernike polynom.
US07950396B2

The present invention presents devices, kits, systems and methods that can be used to otitis externa. For example, a method of present invention includes applying a photosensitizing composition to treatment site within ear cavity where microbes causing otitis externa are located; inserting at least a portion of a light delivery device into the cavity; and applying light to the treatment site at a wavelength absorbed by the photosensitizing composition so as to inhibit or eliminate the microbes and/or to reduce inflammation at the treatment site but without causing physiological damage to host tissue within the ear cavity; wherein the light is delivered by the light delivery device to the treatment site and the light delivery device is in light communication with a light source via a waveguide.
US07950381B2

A magazine has a magazine body provided with a rotary clip, and the magazine body comprises an ejector member capable of movement, an ejector elastic member provided on the ejector member and being capable of expansion and contraction, and an engagement indent section capable of being engaged with a magazine catch at the time of loading the magazine into the air gun body, and the air gun body has a magazine ejector structure with the magazine catch that is urged by a catch elastic member to the magazine holding section and capable of engaging with the engagement indent section of the magazine, and a stopper that is capable of pressing part of the ejector member.
US07950375B2

A control system comprising a detection module that detects at least one of a vehicle speed and an engine speed and a canister vent valve control module that selectively modulates the canister vent valve based on at least one of the vehicle speed and the engine speed. A method comprising detecting at least one of a vehicle speed and an engine speed and selectively modulating a canister vent valve based on at least one of the vehicle speed and the engine speed.
US07950374B2

A device for supplying fuel from an onboard energy producing installation on a ship transporting liquefied gas from at least one tank (2) of liquefied gas of said ship, comprising a pump (20) arranged in the bottom of the tank and a reservoir (23) arranged in the tank around the pump and designed to maintain a suction of the pump in a submerged state, characterized in that it comprises a liquid ejector (12) arranged in the tank so as to be able to suction the liquefied gas at the bottom of the tank, and a liquid circuit (21, 22, 24, 250) connecting an outlet of the pump to an inlet of the ejector, on one hand, and an outlet of the ejector to the reservoir, on the other hand.
US07950353B2

The present invention relates to a base including fabric elements extending from the base. The fabric elements may be positioned in a channel within the base. A locking relationship may be formed between the base and the fabric. Furthermore, the base may be provided so that the fabric elements may be removable from the base.
US07950349B1

Following exposure to an external light source, determining: 1) the fertility of an avian egg by measuring the photon intensity (photons per second) of the egg's biophoton and luminescence; and 2) the gender of an avian egg by measuring the photon spectrum of the egg's biophoton emission and luminescence. The external light source is either an incandescent, fluorescent, LED, (pulsed or continuous wave) monochromatic or dichromatic laser light source. The detector of the photon intensity is either a low light sensing photomultiplier tube (PMT), silicon based photon counting sensor, or Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode detector. The detector of the photon spectrum is a spectrometer. Following exposure to the referenced light sources, fertile avian eggs will exhibit a higher intensity of photons than that of unfertilized avian eggs, and avian eggs of the female gender will emit a different spectrum of photons than will avian eggs of the male gender.
US07950341B2

The ship body of the present invention comprises at least two levels. One is an upper level that comprises a floatable body. The other is a lower level. The lower level is intended to be submerged under water in normal use. The lower level comprises at least two parallel, essentially vertical walls, a floor, and a ceiling connecting the at least two parallel essentially vertical walls. The front end and a rear end of the lower level are open to allow water to enter through the front end and exit through the rear end of the lower level.
US07950337B2

A foldable frame structure of the foldable table or bed comprises main frames, secondary frames, L-shaped folding hinges and connecting members. An adjacent side of each main frame and the secondary frame is formed a foldable joint which is connected by the connecting members and the L-shaped folding hinges. The size of the secondary frames is smaller than the main frames, wherein each of the secondary frames is able to be folded in the main frames.
US07950328B2

A borehole liner comprising a continuous length of polymer tubing of alternating diameters forming undulations sized for creating undulations in the liner to optimize the annular air gap alternating with full bore hole diameter loads of explosive to effectively reduce overall explosives consumption by 1-20%. Explosive charge weights can be modified to meet the users needs without introducing inert materials or other more labor intensive alternative.
US07950319B2

A cutting device includes a substrate, a supporting arm mounted on the substrate, a driving component supported by the supporting arm, and a cutting member. The cutting member includes a connection member and a cutting wire. The connection member includes an attachment portion connected to the driving component and a securing portion. The cutting wire is positioned on the securing portion.
US07950318B2

The invention relates to a driver (1) for a twin cutting device (2), which comprises a first blade (4), which is non-rotatably arranged on a drive shaft (11) to be rotated about an axis of rotation (r) in a first direction, and a second blade (3), which is non-rotatably arranged on a drive socket (15), which encloses the drive shaft (11), to be rotated about the same axis of rotation (r) in a second direction opposite to said first direction. The drive shaft (11) constitutes a driving central shaft in a gear (10), which comprises a sun wheel (24), which is non-rotatably arranged on the drive shaft (11) to be rotated by the same, at least a first planet wheel (25), which meshes with the sun wheel (24) and is rotatable about an axis (p) parallel to the axis of rotation (r), at least a second planet wheel (29), which is arranged to rotate simultaneously with the first planet wheel (25), and a gear rim (30), which with internal teeth meshes with the second planet wheel (29) and is non-rotatably mounted on the drive socket (15) to rotate the same.
US07950317B2

A saw assembly has a fixed fence and a moveable fence. The fixed fence has a groove for receiving a tongue of the moveable fence. The tongue of the moveable fence has a first groove and a second groove for controlling a range of movement of the moveable fence relative to the fixed fence.
US07950314B2

At the time of cutting stacked sheet members, a knife or a punch pierces the sheet members at positions such as along a cutting line, in a region outside the cutting line, or in a seam allowance inside the cutting line. By moving the knife or the punch vertically, heat is applied to the sheet members such that the seam members are welded (i.e., fused) together vertically. Even if at the time of cutting stacked sheet members having low air permeability, it is possible to prevent warpage or slippage of the sheet members, and cutting is performed accurately.
US07950312B2

A fastening element feeding device for a power drive-in tool includes a transportation device (30) having a transportation wheel (32) for a magazine strip (50), at least one actuation member (35) displaceable in a control track (16) in a first component (11) for effecting a relative displacement between the first component (11) and the second component (21), which results in a transportation displacement of the transportation wheel (32); a displacing member (31) having one end region (39) which is adjacent to the head (22), supporting the rotary axle (D) together with the transportation wheel (32), and having another of its end regions (38) supporting the at least one actuation member (35); and a guide arrangement that provides for displacement of the displacing member (31) over the second component (21).
US07950311B2

A screwdriver kit includes a main body which has a first end adapted for connecting to a tool and a second end. A column projects from the second end and has an opening formed therein longitudinally. A linkage has a first end and a second end, with the second end of the linkage slideably received in the opening. A cap member, which has the second end of the linkage installed therein, is movable between a first position and a second position. The cap member is coupled to the main body when the cap member is in the first position. The cap member is detached from the main body along the linkage when the cap member is moved toward the second position.
US07950309B2

A torque intensifying tool for tightening and loosening threaded connectors has at least one torque intensifier unit with a torque intensifier housing portion, an input and a first output and a second output, a drive connected with the input unit for transmitting a torque from the drive through the intensifying unit to a threaded connector, so that in one mode of operation the housing portion together with the first and the second outputs turn in the same direction, and in another mode of operation the housing portion together with one of the first and second outputs receives a turning force in one direction while the other one of the first and second outputs receives an equal turning force in the opposite direction, and so that one of the first and second output means turns in the one mode and in the another mode while the other of the first and second output means turns in the one mode and reacts in the another mode.
US07950306B2

A manipulator, such as for use in medical procedures, is provided. The manipulator includes a body and a first actuator system connected to the body at a first attachment point and capable of moving the first attachment point with at least three degrees of freedom. A second actuator system is connected to the body at a second attachment point and capable of moving the second attachment point with at least three degrees of freedom. A third actuator system is integrated with the body and is capable of moving at least a portion of the body with at least one degree of freedom.
US07950302B2

A step variable transmission for a motor vehicle has a plurality of forward gear stages and at least one reverse gear stage. The transmission comprising: a drive input shaft arrangement, a drive output shaft arrangement, and a plurality of wheel sets which have loose wheels and shift wheels, wherein the shift wheels are rotatably mounted on a shaft arrangement and can be rotationally fixedly connected to the associated shaft arrangement by means of respective shift clutches.
US07950300B2

A thrust transfer device includes: a motor serving as a driving source; a sun gear rotatable to an output shaft of the motor, a plurality of nut members each provided with an outer peripheral external tooth meshed with the sun gear and provided with an inner peripheral nut side spiral screw groove; and a plurality of screw shafts, each provided, at an outer periphery thereof, with a screw side spiral screw groove corresponding to the nut side spiral screw groove, and reciprocally moved in accordance with nut rotation by fitting the screw side screw groove into the nut side screw groove; and an internal tooth gear meshed with the external tooth formed to each of the nut members. When the sun gear is rotated, the nut members perform planetary motion inside the internal tooth gear, by which the screw shafts are reciprocally moved in axial directions thereof.
US07950298B2

A motorized bracelet assembly for ultrasonic crack detection in a pipe. The bracelet has a motorized frame adapted for installation around the pipe and a sliding arrangement slideably mounted onto the frame. The sliding arrangement guides a displacement of sensor modules in periphery of the pipe. A first driving device controllably drives the sliding arrangement and thereby displacing the sensor modules in periphery of the pipe at desired operating positions. The bracelet comprises biasing devices for biasing the sensor modules against the pipe and a second driving device for controllably driving the frame along the axial direction of the pipe at a desired operating position.
US07950287B2

A pressure-sensor system having a sensor element and a hermetic housing for the sensor element has a particularly uncomplicated installation, in particular even under aggressive ambient conditions. The housing of this pressure-sensor system includes a first housing part having a housing bottom, and at least one additional housing part. The sensor element is installed on the housing bottom, and the pressure is supplied via an opening in the housing bottom. The at least one additional housing part is disposed above the sensor element and is connected to the first housing part. Apart from this, connecting pins for the electrical contacting of the sensor element are provided. The connecting pins are guided through the additional housing part.
US07950285B2

The invention relates to a pressure sensor for measurements in hot, dynamic processes. The pressure sensor comprises a cylindrical housing in which a measuring element is located, and a round or annular membrane having at least one outer support. The outer support is arranged on the housing, offset behind a housing extension. The measuring element is adapted to acquire measurement data as a result of an axial displacement of the membrane. The housing extension is provided with a heat shield which is arranged, except on its edges, interspaced behind a gap.
US07950281B2

A sensor has a suspended mechanical resonator being responsive to one of a linear acceleration and an angular velocity of the sensor such that a first area and a second area are subjected to opposite elongation movements and responsive to the other such that the first area and the second area are subjected to a common elongation movement, a first mechanical-electrical interface interacting with the first area, a second mechanical-electrical interface interacting with the second area, a common mode signal generator coupled to the mechanical-electrical interfaces with a common mode signal output, a differential mode signal generator coupled to the mechanical-electrical interfaces with a differential mode signal output, a first processing circuit coupled to the differential mode output, with an output for a first processed signal, and a second processing circuit coupled to the common mode output with an output for a second processed signal.
US07950272B2

An apparatus for detecting the sealability of a lithium ion cell comprises a container which is filled with a detecting liquid, a clamp and a high-pressure-gas joint member. The clamp can carry a lithium ion cell to be detected and put it into said container. One end of the high-pressure-gas joint member is connected to an injecting hole of the lithium ion cell to be detected and the other end is connected to a high-pressure gas supply. The detecting apparatus also comprises an elevator which can move the lithium ion cell into and out the detecting liquid within the container.
US07950269B2

The control apparatus for the internal combustion engine includes: a unit for detecting the change in the alcohol concentration of a fuel supplied to the internal combustion engine including a plurality of cylinders; a unit for detecting an air-fuel ratio variation between the plurality of cylinders; a unit for making the failure diagnosis when the air-fuel ratio variation between the plurality of cylinders exceeds a predetermined threshold value; and a unit for inhibiting the failure diagnosis executed based on the air-fuel ratio variation between the plurality of cylinders when the change in the alcohol concentration is detected.
US07950265B2

A system for preventing overflow of a toilet includes a sensor, a processor and an actuator. The sensor senses a parameter caused by fluid dynamics within the toilet during a flush cycle. The parameter may involve vibration, sound, pressure, fluid flow rate or other detectible characteristics of the toilet. The processor uses information regarding the parameter that is gathered by the sensor to evaluate the condition of the flush cycle to determine if an impeded flush condition exists. In the event of an impeded flush condition, the processor directs the actuator to close a valve, which may be the toilet flapper valve in some embodiments. Also disclosed are methods for preventing toilet overflow, detecting an impeded flush condition and calibrating the system.
US07950261B2

A press forming apparatus comprises an upper die provided with an upper drawing die, a punch, an upper movable blank holder, and a trimming member and a lower die provided with a lower drawing die, a die, an outer periphery drawing die, and a lower movable blank holder. The upper die is lowered with respect to the lower dye, and the outer periphery portion of a blank is held by the trimming member and the upper blank holder. The central portion of the blank is drawn by the upper and lower drawing dies. The outer periphery portion of the blank is trimmed by the trimming member and the outer periphery drawing die, and drawing of the outer periphery portion of the blank is started by the upper drawing die and the outer periphery drawing die.
US07950260B2

A movable die 18 including a first groove 52 and a second groove 54 that extend in a direction in which hemming is performed is moved by a robot 22, and is positioned and set with respect to a wheel arch portion 16 in a vehicle 12 on a production line 14. The movable die 18 is mounted, positioned and fixed with respect to the vehicle 12 by a clamping mechanism 58. A guide roller 32 is rolled while the guide roller is engaged with the first groove 52, and a flange 17 is inclined by a conical surface of a tapered roller 38 of a hemming roller 30 that moves in an interlocking manner with the guide roller 32. Next, the guide roller 32 is rolled while the guide roller is engaged with the second groove 54, and the flange 17 is bent by a cylindrical surface of a cylindrical roller 40 of the hemming roller 30. The movable die 18 is separated from the vehicle 12 after the hemming.
US07950256B2

A washing appliance, particularly a laundry washer or a dishwasher, comprises a tank (2) for loading washing liquor and items to be washed and control means adapted to carry out a predetermined washing program. It further comprises an inclined drain surface (2a) for collecting a portion of the washing liquor and means (6, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12) for assessing properties of such liquid on the basis of the drainage behavior thereof.
US07950255B2

A method and apparatus for determining the degree of tangling of fabric items during a wash process based on at least one of the motor speed or motor current.
US07950250B2

According to one embodiment of the invention, a jet ejector method includes providing a primary jet ejector having a primary inlet stream, coupling one or more secondary jet ejectors to the primary jet ejector such that all of the jet ejectors are in a cascaded arrangement, bleeding off a portion of the primary inlet stream and directing the portion of the primary inlet stream to the secondary jet ejector that is closest to the primary jet ejector in the cascaded arrangement, and directing a motive fluid into the secondary jet ejector that is farthest from the primary jet ejector in the cascaded arrangement. The method further includes, at each secondary jet ejector, receiving at least some of the portion of the primary inlet stream and at least some of the motive fluid to create respective mixtures within the secondary jet ejectors, and at each secondary jet ejector, directing at least a portion of the respective mixture to adjacent jet ejectors in the cascaded arrangement.
US07950249B1

A portable insulated cooler has a bottom space adapted to hold ice cubes. A removable perforated panel suspended over the bottom space separates the bottom space from a central cooled storage area. A removable frame suspended above the central cooled areas holds ice cube containing flasks. Each flask has a large closable opening in its upper broad flat face to easily receive ice cubes. The lower broad face of the flask forms a cooling upper margin of the central cooled area so that the contents of the area are cooled from both top and bottom. The flasks have a flange around the upper face to rest upon the frame, while most of the flask is below the frame. This enables the insulated cooler top to close. By cooling from both top and bottom, the central area is more uniformly cooled. Opening the cooler top to access the central area creates less heat gain than with prior art devices.
US07950247B2

A refrigerator, in which a guide member is arranged at an inlet of a cold air generating compartment that houses an evaporator. The guide member uniformly distributes cold air introduced into the cold air generating compartment to upper and lower portions of the evaporator.
US07950246B1

The invention is an assembly of abutting vacuum insulated panels configured and arranged to form a retention chamber with a slip surface providing a low kinetic coefficient of friction interposed between the panels within the abutment areas.
US07950243B2

An integrated energy production system and carbon dioxide reaction system for enhancing the energy efficiency and minimizing greenhouse gas emissions of thermally activated power production methods. The system utilizes heat of reaction from the carbon dioxide reaction system to directly reduce the fuel requirements of the thermally activated power production method. The system, when utilizing a reverse fuel cell, achieves concurrent carbon dioxide sequestration resulting from the fuel combustion.
US07950239B2

A method for operating a gas turbine plant utilizing sequential combustion is provided. The gas turbine plant includes a compressor for compressing inducted combustion air, a first combustion chamber for combustion of a first fuel by utilizing the compressed combustion air, with a first turbine which is connected downstream of the first combustion chamber, and a second combustion chamber for combustion of a second fuel by utilizing the gases which emerge from the first turbine, with a second turbine which is connected downstream of the second combustion chamber. The method provides quick running up with simultaneously low emissions and homogeneous distribution of the turbine inlet temperature is achieved by the second combustion chamber being completely shut down for achieving a low partial load mode of the gas turbine plant.
US07950233B2

A combustor is provided having one or more apertures adapted to asymmetrically introduce air adjacent the fuel nozzles to reduce smoke resulting from unburned hydrocarbons in a gas turbine engine combustion system by impeding escape of unburned hydrocarbons.
US07950229B2

An exhaust system has first and second exhaust gas turbochargers for a V-8 internal combustion engine having an ignition sequence of a 90° crank angle from one cylinder to the next in each of two cylinder banks. The exhaust system includes a first-through-fourth exhaust lines from the cylinders to the two exhaust gas turbochargers, with two cylinders respectively being assigned to an exhaust line. One exhaust turbocharger is respectively assigned to two exhaust lines. The two cylinders assigned to an exhaust line having an ignition interval of a 360° crank angle. The first and the second exhaust lines assigned to an exhaust gas turbocharger having an ignition sequence displaced with respect to one another by a 180° crank angle. As a result, the opening phase of the charge cycle intake valves can be prolonged, which leads to a significantly higher power of the internal combustion engine.
US07950205B2

Pouches are provided to the user of an automated pouch handling apparatus in a pouch container. The pouches are oriented the same way in the box. The box may be sealed to prevent pouch contamination. A door on the box is opened or removed to define a door opening. A portion of the pouch stack is accessible through the opening. These pouch containers may be stacked near a pouch handling apparatus where the operator may open the door and load the pouch containers directly into the pouch handling apparatus. The pouch handling apparatus removes the pouches directly from the pouch container through the door opening. The apparatus may include a pouch separator that bends the edge of the pouch out through the door and slides the first pouch away from the second pouch.
US07950204B2

The invention relates to a method and an apparatus for separating foil layers in a foil processing line, the foil layers being caused to move relative to each other, and to a method and an apparatus for further processing the separated foils for manufacturing a product in which an insert is interposed between two foils.
US07950203B2

A method of retaining a longitudinally compressed flexible duct, the method includes disposing a strap about a closed flexible container enclosing a longitudinally compressed duct to circumferentially restrict a circumferential dimension of the flexible container and a corresponding circumferential dimension of the longitudinally compressed duct intermediate a first end of the longitudinally compressed duct and a second end of the longitudinally compressed duct. The method further includes opening an end of the flexible container to allow expansion of the longitudinally compressed duct intermediate the opened end of the flexible container and the strap.
US07950198B2

The present invention is directed toward fire-rated wall construction components for use in building construction. The invention provides wall components and systems which have fire-retardant characteristics, as well as wall components which allow for needed ventilation in a building throughout times when no fire is present. Embodiments include tracks for holding studs which incorporate various geometries capable of receiving intumescent material. When the intumescent material becomes hot, it expands rapidly and fills its surrounding area, blocking fire, heat, and smoke from traveling to other areas of a building.
US07950194B2

A corner key for joining ends of spacer sections to form a corner of a spacer frame of a multi-sheet unit includes an elongated body having a first end and an opposite second end and a cut out between the ends of the body. The body is bendable to decrease spacing of the cut out to form a corner of the spacer frame.
US07950187B2

A top portion (12) of the gutter section (10) is formed with a pair of longitudinally extending, relatively spaced apart ridges (20) and with a plurality of openings (22) disposed on, in front of, in between and behind the ridges (20) for draining rainwater into the gutter (10). A front wall (13) extends downwardly from the top portion (12) and a ledge (14) extends generally horizontally form a lower portion 13B of the front wall (13). The distance D between an upper edge (17) of the front wall (13) and the horizontal ledge (14) is relatively short to improve the versatility and appearance of the cover section 10. The aluminum alloy from which the cover section (10) is formed is relatively thin and the openings (22) in the on the cover section top portion (12) are large enough to facilitate drainage, yet small enough to keep debris from accumulating on the cover section (10).
US07950182B2

A harvesting apparatus comprising a first conveyor (30) for conveying seedling trays (10), a cutting station (40) adjacent the first conveyor (30) to cut the leaves of the seedlings and a second conveyor (41) for taking cut leaves away from the cutting station (40). A stationary plate or grill (82) is placed in the gap (82A) between the first conveyor (30) and the cutting station (40) for supporting the trays (10). The cutting mechanism at the cutting station (40) may be adjustable in height above the plate or grill (82). A method of harvesting leafy vegetables and legumes using this apparatus is also described.
US07950177B2

A bolt action firearm includes a bolt assembly with a bolt body having an outer surface defining a longitudinal guide channel extending along a length of the bolt body from a rearward end to a forward end. A receiver defines a central longitudinally extending bore for accommodating the bolt body. A bolt guide is configured to be coupled to the receiver. The bolt guide includes a projection configured for traveling in the guide channel when moving the bolt body in the receiver so as to ensure that the bolt body is at a predetermined correct angular orientation within the receiver.
US07950151B2

A method of constructing an integral coupling system containing a sun gear is disclosed. An integral sun gear is provided that has a sun gear component and a connection shaft. A first straight flat inner edge is machined on a first diaphragm to use as a datum point, and then the straight flat edge is fixtured. A tapered outer edge is machined on the first diaphragm, and the first diaphragm is welded to the integral sun gear. The flat inner edge is generally perpendicular to a central axis of the connection shaft.
US07950150B2

Disclosed is a method of manufacturing an inkjet head discharging ink. The method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention can include: heating the inkjet head to a temperature over a melting point of a filler; filling the inkjet head with the filler such that a gap inside the inkjet head is filled with the filler; and discharging the filler out of the inkjet head such that the filler in the gap of the inkjet head remains.
US07950127B2

The subject invention relates to a precision injection molding of multi-piece parts and the subsequent handling and assembly of those parts produced from the mold. In an exemplary embodiment, a surgical suture package with a top part and a bottom part is molded and assembled. In such a method and system, the top parts and bottom parts are first molded utilizing a family mold and then are transferred to a stacker. The stacker is able to stack the top part and bottom part on top of one another on a pallet. The parts are then transported to a welder in order to weld the top part and bottom part together. The completed surgical suture packages are then transferred to a magazine for storage and shippage.
US07950124B2

The invention relates to a method for joining cathode metal sheets to form crude strips that can be coiled and rolled and for the production of metal strips of a constant thickness from crude strips that have been produced from cathode metal sheets of varying thicknesses. The aim of the invention is to produce metal strips of a high purity that are devoid of non-metallic inclusions. The method can be used whenever highly pure and/or inclusion-free metal in strip or foil form is required in large quantities. The application of said method is only limited by the fact that the metal is deposited electrolytically on cathodes, and if permanent cathodes are used, must be separated from said cathodes without fragmentation. This is possible with the following metals: lead, zinc, tin, copper, nickel, cobalt, cadmium, iron and gold.
US07950119B2

The method of producing a grid for a battery electrode plate is characteristic in that in producing a grid formed from a sheet by means of a rotary expander equipped with the disk cutter cluster with disk edge disk cutters, there is a notch that penetrates the outer periphery of the said edge disk cutter in the thickness direction of the said edge disk cutter.
US07950111B2

The present invention relates to an apparatus for attaching boutonnieres. In one embodiment, the present invention is an apparatus for attaching a boutonniere including a first device, the first device including a first support structure, a first securing mechanism attached to the first support structure, and a base connected to the first support structure for securing the boutonniere. The present invention also includes a second device, the second device including a second support structure, and a second securing mechanism attached to the second support structure. The second securing mechanism cooperates with the first securing mechanism to secure the first support structure and the second support structure to a piece of material.
US07950104B2

A vacuum cleaner is disclosed that includes a dust-separating apparatus, a shutter unit, and a dust receptacle. The dust-separating apparatus can be fixed to a cleaner body and includes a dust outlet. The shutter unit is formed on the dust-separating apparatus to selectively open and close the dust outlet. The dust receptacle is detachably attached to a lower portion of the dust-separating apparatus. The dust receptacle opens the shutter unit when attached to the dust-separating apparatus and closes the shutter unit when detached from the dust-separating apparatus.
US07950093B2

A tension member is provided for structures, in particular a cable stay for a cable-stayed bridge, in which one or more tension elements, such as steel rods, steel wires, or stranded steel wires, run inside a tubular sheath. The tension elements fill only a portion of the cross-section of the tubular sheath, so that a remaining unoccupied area is left. In order to prevent the tension elements from moving in the transverse direction with respect to the tension member, there is arranged in the remaining unoccupied area of the tubular sheath a filler body that extends over a limited longitudinal section of the tension member and includes a deformable sheath, which tightly encloses a hollow space that is delimited on all sides and can be filled with a filler medium. The invention further concerns a method for producing such a tension member, in which, after an axially delimited longitudinal section has been established, an empty filler body is introduced into the remaining unoccupied area between the tubular sheath and the tension elements, and, finally, the filler body is filled with a filler medium until the remaining unoccupied area is filled in the region of the selected longitudinal section.
US07950091B2

A cleated article of footwear includes a chassis assembly having a sole plate having a plurality of bosses extending from a lower surface thereof. A heel counter extends upwardly from a heel portion of the sole plate. An outer assembly is secured to the chassis assembly and includes a sole portion and an upper secured to the sole portion. A plurality of cleats extends downwardly from a lower surface of the sole portion. Each of a plurality of apertures extends downwardly into a corresponding cleat and receives a boss.
US07950081B2

This invention relates to a folding mechanism for a playard, which comprises first and second joints substantially cylindrical in shape. The joints have arcuate plates and stops that cooperative with each other to effect the rotation between the joints, so that the changing table can be moved between an operation position and a storage position. This invention may avoid accidental collapse of the changing table, and enable the users to conveniently fold/unfold the changing table single handed.
US07950079B2

A spa chair pedicure basin sanitation liner that allows a user to enjoy the water agitation benefits of a water based pedicure foot massage while preventing infection from reused basin water. The liner includes a bottom portion and a plurality of sidewalls attached to the bottom portion. The bottom portion and the plurality of sidewalls define an inner volume, which is capable of containing a liquid, such as water, filled up to a particular liquid level. Disposed within the inner volume, is gas piping that defines a gas-carrying conduit. The gas piping includes a plurality of openings through which gas can pass into the inner volume.
US07950076B2

A spa cover lifter for use with a spa cover. According to various embodiments, the spa cover comprises a first section and a second section pivotably connected to the first section at a hinge interface. The spa cover lifter comprises a drive system, a first cable connected to the drive system, and a post assembly. The post assembly is extendable from a retracted position to an extended position. Also, the first cable is routed by the post assembly. In various embodiments, the spa cover lifter is configured to connect to the spa cover.
US07950075B2

A protective cover for drains and other holes is provided which prevents spills and unwanted liquids from flowing therein. The protective cover includes a durable backing layer and a pliable, tacky sealing layer adjacent a portion of the durable backing layer which conforms and adheres to a surface surrounding the drain to reduce or eliminate the flow of liquids into the drain. The pliable, tacky sealing layer can have a periphery inside the periphery of the durable backing layer.
US07950071B2

This invention relates to functional socks which provide appropriate and variable compression on the various parts of foot.The functional compressive socks of this invention comprise the parts including shin, calf, instep, toe, heel, and sole. The said socks are characterized by the fact that all those said parts are subject to appropriate compression by part, and in addition, the said parts of shin, calf, instep, and sole are knitted with high elasticity yarn as the elastic threads and the core yarn single covered with polyurethane based long staple or long staple copolymer fiber as the inner threads, while the said parts of toe and heel are knitted with the core yarn single covered with polyurethane based long staple or long staple copolymer fiber as the inner threads, in appropriate ratio set respectively by the characteristics of the part.According to this invention which utilizes high elasticity yarn and implements a multi-stage compressive knitting technology that can adjust the lateral tensile force of the elastic threads, the blood in foot is pressed bilaterally promoting the circulation, therefore, the socks which can prevent or even treat the varix or edema can be produced.
US07954164B2

The invention relates to a method of copy detection of a record carrier. In one particular embodiment the table of content entries are mastered on the record carrier in a detectable non-standard way, e.g. the sequence of table of content entries is mixed or the number of repetitions is varied. According to another embodiment additional synchronization symbols are used in one or more subcode frames which can be detected by a read-out device in order to distinguish between an original or a copy of a record carrier.
US07954163B2

A method and apparatus for providing network security using role-based access control is disclosed. A network device implementing such a method can include, for example, an access control list. Such an access control list includes an access control list entry, which, in turn, includes a user group field. Alternatively, a network device implementing such a method can include, for example, a forwarding table that includes a plurality of forwarding table entries. In such a case, at least one of the forwarding table entries includes a user group field.
US07954162B2

To enable usage of content at a receiver which does not have a copying function even if copyright protection is provided. Model names of receivers not having a function enabling copying of content are held in an authentication processing circuit (151) of a transmitter (10). When a model name obtained from a connected receiver (40) is held, regardless of whether the content is copyright protected, a signal selection circuit (122) selects a terminal a side, a switch (123) is turned on, and an unencrypted signal is transmitted. When a change of the receiver (40) is detected by a hot plug detection function or a plug and play function at a processing circuit (152) during the transfer of a signal of copyright protected content without providing copyright protection, the selection circuit (122) is made to select a terminal b side or the switch (123) is turned off to suspend the transfer of the non-copyright protected signal. The information indicating the receiver is held in a tamper-proof updateable manner.
US07954156B2

A system and method to reduce external access to hypervisor interfaces in a computer system, thereby reducing the possibility of attacks. In a preferred embodiment, addresses for calls are used to fill a table, where the addresses are specifically selected for a requesting computer. For example, in one embodiment, a routine searches for the adapter type of a requesting computer and populates the table with calls specific to that type of adapter. Other types of calls are not put in the table. Instead, those calls are replaced by routines that will return an error. In other embodiments, the operating system type is used to determine what addresses are used to populate the table. These and other embodiments are explained more fully below.
US07954154B2

A communication system and communication apparatus that can improve the stability and security of communication. In this communication system, a communication apparatus (101) generates, at a predetermined interval, a keep-alive message based on key information stored in a key information database part (113) and transmits the keep-alive message to a communication apparatus (102). The communication apparatus (102) receives the keep-alive message from the communication apparatus (101), and a key information updating part (157) updates (for example, corrects), based on this keep-alive message, the data stored in a key information database part (154). In this way, the information stored in the communication apparatus (101) and the information stored in the communication apparatus (102) can be made common, and problems, such as a communication interruption, caused by disagreement between the information stored in the communication apparatus (101) and the information stored in the communication apparatus (102) can be solved, resulting in improvement of the stability and security of communication between the two communication apparatuses.
US07954152B2

Session management by analysis of requests and responses is described herein. A gateway receives requests from a client system, forwards the same to a protected resource, and receives responses from the protected resource. The gateway includes a session management module that manages an authenticated session between the client system and the protected resource. In one aspect, the session management module receives responses that are labeled to indicate whether the requests corresponding to the responses are user-initiated or automatically-initiated. In other aspects, the session management module analyzes the requests to identify any periodic patterns appearing therein. The session management module identifies any requests that are part of a periodic pattern as automatically-initiated requests. In either case, the session management module maintains a timer for each session, and resets the timer when a user-initiated request is identified. Any session whose timer expires is terminated.
US07954150B2

A system for granting access to resources includes a client machine, a collection agent, a policy engine, and a broker server. The client machine requests access to a resource. The collection agent gathers information about the client machine. The policy engine receives the gathered information and assigns one of a plurality of levels of access responsive to application of a policy to the received information. The broker server establishes, responsive to the assigned level of access, a connection between the client machine and a computing environment providing the requested resource, the computing environment provided by a virtual machine.
US07954149B2

When an enabler key 10 is inserted in the main body 1, an overwrite mode for overwriting new data on existing data in a hard disk drive 25 is set. When the enabler key 10 is removed from the main body 1, the overwrite mode is released. During startup of the main body 1 and at every fixed time t1 after the startup of the main body 1, presence or absence of insertion of the enabler key 10 is detected. When a result of this detection changes from “present” to “absent”, the main body 1 is stopped.
US07954148B2

Methods, apparatus, and systems are disclosed for, among other things, passphrase input using secure delay, passphrase input with characteristic shape display, user authentication with non-repeated selection of elements with a displayed set of elements, document authentication with embedding of a digital signature stamp within a graphical representation of the electronic document wherein the stamp comprises digits of a digital signature, and sub-hash computation using secure delay.
US07954147B2

A method is provided for securely enabling dynamic instrumentation. The method includes categorizing probes, upon creation, into one or more classes, providing lists of permissions for activating the probes and associating users with the permissions for activating the probes, such that certain users have permissions for activating certain probes. Users are associated with permissions by mapping classes of probes to permissions and mapping users to permissions, mapping classes of users to probes, or mapping users to at least one of classes of probes and classes of capabilities.
US07954146B2

Communication applications may include lists of users with which a user of the application communicates. If two users of a communications application each include the other user on their user lists, an implicit trust may be established between the users. For example, if user A includes user B in her list and user B includes user A in his list, then it may be determined that each user knows and/or trusts the other user. As a result, a connection or communications pathway may be automatically created between the client devices of the users to facilitate communications between the users based on the implicit trust.
US07954144B1

Methods, signals, devices, and systems are provided for using proxy servers to transparently forward messages between clients and origin servers if, and only if doing so does not violate network policies. In some systems, a transparent proxy uses a combination of standard-format HTTP commands, embedding auxiliary information in URLs and other tools and techniques to redirect an initial client request to one or more policy modules, such as a login server or an identity broker or an access control server. The policy module authenticates the request, and uses HTTP redirection to have the client transmit authorization data to the proxy. The proxy extracts the authorization data, directs the client to use a corresponding cookie, and subsequently provides the implicitly requested proxy services to the client in response to the client's subsequently providing the authorization data in a cookie. This is accomplished without requiring installation of any invention-specific software or hardware on either the client or the origin server, and also works with proxy servers that are known to the client. Unless the client request violates network policy, a person using the client will generally perceive no reduction of services, and will instead benefit from the proxy's caching and/or other performance enhancements.
US07954141B2

A system and method for authenticating a subscriber of a first network to access application services through a second network, wherein the second network is a packet data network. The system includes a mobile station connected to a cellular network and apt to generate access-request messages enclosed in data packets, the access-request messages being expressed with a syntax that complies with an application-level protocol; an allocation server apt to allocate an address in the second network to the subscriber and to provide a mapping between the subscriber's address and a first subscriber's identifier; a gateway which interfaces the first network to the second network and assigns the subscriber's address to the mobile station; a service token injector linked with the gateway and apt to intercept the data packets generated from the endpoint station and directed to the second network through the gateway and to capture in the data packet at least the subscriber's address, and an identity authority logical entity linked with the service token injector.
US07954139B1

A server processes a service request message (SRM) including a credential string and information (I) specifying a requested service. The server determines (305) whether or not the received credential string is valid, by comparing the received credential string and a key in an authorization database (FIG. 1 Auth DB; Table 1) that is associated with the server. Records of the authorization database include the key, and zero or more parameters constituting respective restrictions on performing the requested service for the service requester associated with the credential string that matches the key. The server tests (305, and FIG. 4A) any parameter values against the restrictions to judge whether or not the restrictions are met, and causes (322) performance of the requested service if the credential string is determined to be valid and the restrictions are judged to be met. An alternative method involves receiving (352) a credential string, and determining (354) whether or not the received credential string is valid, by comparing the received credential string and an authorization database string from an authorization database (FIG. 1 Auth DB; Table 1) that is associated with the server and that includes a set of records including respective authorization database strings. If the received credential string is determined to be valid, the method further involves receiving (372) the SRM that includes information (I) specifying a requested service, and causing (374) performance of the requested service.
US07954137B2

A method for linking of a first characteristic of a first device and a second characteristic of a second device by a server is disclosed. The method comprises the steps of selecting a first linking information and a second linking information, the first linking information matching to the second linking information, sending from the server the first linking information to the first device and the second linking information to the second device, presenting by the first device the first linking information and by the second device the second linking information, entering into the first device an indication of the matching of the first linking information and the second linking information, and based on the entered indication of the matching, sending to the server a matching confirmation for confirming the matching to the server, and associating the first characteristic and the second characteristic based on the received matching confirmation.
US07954135B2

Techniques for project lifecycle staged-based access control are provided. Access control rights are defined for a stage of a project's lifecycle. As requestors transition to the stage, the access control rights are enforced on top of any existing security restrictions. In an embodiment, selective resources are not visible to requesters within the stage in response to the access control rights.
US07954128B2

Methods and apparatus for performing dynamic compensation for delays over extant infrastructure within a content-based network. In one embodiment, the network comprises a cable network, and the infrastructure comprises that nominally used for on-demand (OD) services such as VOD. The method includes periodically or situationally assessing variable delays within the system associated with functional commands (such as “trick mode” commands), and dynamically compensating for these variable delays in order to improve the accuracy and timeliness of the user's trick mode command. This approach increases user satisfaction, and obviates the issuance of additional compensatory trick mode commands that only further degrade the performance of the network.
US07954125B2

A sequence of cards is stored that graphically represents available options within an information system. In response to a single user action, the sequence of cards is successively displayed within a focus area of the user interface. In response to a subsequent user action, the successive display is discontinued to display a particular card representing a selected option.
US07954121B2

Methods and system for controlling access to viewable content on an individual title basis. In one embodiment, the method enables a user, such as a parent, to assign passwords to individual titles, thereby preventing unauthorized users, such as children, from viewing content corresponding to a selected title while enabling authorized users to view the content via correct entry of the password. In another embodiment, the method enables an administrative user (e.g., parent) to define allowed access levels and assign the same to various users of the system. The administrative user is also enabled to assign access levels to individual titles. In response to a user selection to view a title, the system identifies the user and determines whether the user is authorized to view the content based on the access level assigned to the title and any allowed access levels assigned to the user. The system includes set-top boxes and the like that may be used to implement the methods.
US07954117B2

A disk selecting device for storing a plurality of disks that can be separated to provide a space for receiving a disk drive unit to play a selected disk within the disk selecting device. A plurality of trays are mounted within the disk selecting device including a drum cam that can be rotated by a drum gear driven by a drive mechanism so that a disk selecting cam groove does not contact those trays that do not contain the disk to be selected for playing whereby a sufficient space is provided to drive the selected disk.
US07954110B1

An application programming interface is provided in an object-oriented programming platform for developing applications. A method comprises registering a first object with a second object to observe one or more properties associated with the second object, the second object having a set of methods associated therewith and replacing a first implementation of a method in the set of methods associated with the second object with a second implementation of the method that automatically sends a notification to the first object. The observable objects need not explicitly invoke the observer notifications, avoiding writing of a large amount of code. These observer notifications need only be sent for objects that are actually being observed but are related objects, substantially reducing the performance overhead of needless invocations of the observer notifications without limiting binding between objects.
US07954106B2

A method for allocating resources of a group of resources to tasks of a group of tasks, the method comprising: forming a resource set comprising a resource record for each of the resources of the group of resources, each resource record having one or more fields representative of attributes of the respective resource; forming a task set comprising a task record for each of the tasks of the group of resources, each task record having one or more fields, each field holding data representative of an attribute of the respective task; condensing the task set by one or more iterations of the steps of: i. selecting two or more tasks of the task set; ii. adding to the task set an aggregate task record having one or more fields, each such field corresponding to a field of each of the task records of the selected tasks and holding data representative of the collective attributes of the task records of the selected tasks in those fields; and iii. removing the task records of the selected tasks from the task set; forming at least two mappings of some or all of the members of the resource set on to one or more members of the task set; calculating, for each of the mappings, a rating value dependent on the allocation of resources to the or each aggregate task in that mapping; comparing the rating values of the mappings; and selecting one of the mappings for further processing in dependence on the result of the said comparing step.
US07954103B2

A method for preventing process collision of a micro controller is disclosed. The method includes the following steps. At least a first process and a second process are provided, wherein the first process is executed by the micro controller in every first period, the second process is executed by the micro controller in every second period, and the first period is shorter than the second period. When collision of the first process and the second process may happen in the second period, the executing time of the second process is shifted a predetermined time.
US07954099B2

A method, system, program product and computer data structure for providing for two levels of server virtualization. A first hypervisor enables multiple logical partitions to share a set of resources and provides a first level of virtualization. A second hypervisor enables multiple, independent virtual machines to share the resources that are assigned to a single logical partition and provides a second level of virtualization. All events for all of the virtual machines within said single logical partition are grouped into a single partition-owned event queue for receiving event notifications from the shared resources for that single logical partition. A request for an interrupt is signaled for the grouped events from the partition-owned event queue for the demultiplexing of grouped events, by the machine, from the partition-owned event queue into individual, virtualized event queues that are allocated on a per virtual machine basis.
US07954066B2

An interface engine provides animated views in a user interface. The interface engine directs the operation of a rendering environment to create an interface in a rendering area. The interface engine includes views, layouts, animators, and constraints. Views identify child views and resources for display in the rendering area. In response to events, such as user inputs, a view modifies itself by calling layouts, animators, and constraints. A layout manages the attributes of a view's child views, including child view position and size. An animator modifies the view's appearance over a specified period of time. A constraint imposes limits on view properties. In one implementation, an Internet site delivers an interface engine to a browser to supply content and a user interface. A presentation server compiles an interface engine description and specified resources into an interface engine. The presentation server delivers the interface engine to the browser, which executes the interface engine using a plug-in—eliminating excessive interface updates found in traditional HTML pages.
US07954064B2

Systems, methods, computer-readable mediums, user interfaces and other implementations are disclosed for organizing, managing and presenting widgets in display areas associated with multiple dashboard environments. In some implementations, a first display area associated with a first dashboard environment is configured for displaying at least one widget from a first set of widgets. A second display area associated with a second dashboard environment is configured for displaying at least one widget from a second set of widgets.
US07954060B2

A graphical user interface in which entities of the interface are manipulated using manipulation operations. The graphical user interface comprises a selectable interface entity upon which manipulation operations are commence-able, a first interface entity distinct from the selectable interface entity, and a second interface entity distinct from the first interface entity and the selectable interface entity. Upon commencement of a manipulation operation on the selectable interface entity, at least one of the first interface entity and the second interface entity is visually accentuated.
US07954056B2

Techniques for retrieving and displaying multimedia information are provided. A television (TV) interface is provided that displays multimedia information that may be stored in a multimedia document. The interface enables a user to navigate through multimedia information stored on the multimedia document.
US07954046B2

XML data is associated with an XML schema file defining XML data types and data type definitions for applying XML data to the document. An XML data map is prepared that relates that any XML data applied to the document back to corresponding XML elements or attributes defined in the associated schema file. When the document is imported into a spreadsheet application grid, the data map is parsed to find XPATHs in the imported spreadsheet document of XML data and the user entered data. After an imported document has been edited, or after a document is created to include the application of XML data in association with a selected XML schema file, the document may be exported such that the XML data applied to the document is maintained for subsequent import and use of the document.
US07954045B2

A recommendatory information provision system has a management apparatus and a user terminal device. The management apparatus includes a browsed information acquisition unit for acquiring information of a browsed document, a recommended document retrieval unit for retrieving a recommended document relevant to the browsed document, a recommendation history management unit for storing and managing history information which concerns recommendations of the recommended document, a recommendation history retrieval unit for retrieving from the recommendation history management unit, the history information of the recommended document which has been retrieved by the recommended document retrieval unit, and a recommendatory information provision unit for providing, to the user terminal device, the information concerning the recommended document and the history information of the recommended document as have been retrieved. The user terminal device has a display process unit for displaying the information on a screen.
US07954042B2

For checking an address decoder of a data memory, from a record of addresses of the data memory, designated as base addresses, one after another each base address is selected, and the following steps are executed for the respectively selected base address: a) determining the content of the base address; and b) selecting an address having the Hamming distance 1 from the base address, designated as the Hamming address; and then: c) changing the content of the Hamming address selected in step b); and then: d) reading the base address and detecting an error of the address decoder if the content read differs from that determined in step a); and e) recovering the content of the Hamming address.
US07954040B2

The invention relates to an encoding method for encoding a codeword to obtain a parity code. The code is embedded in the codeword and divides the codeword to have intermediate symbol locations between a first and a second set of data symbols. Each data symbol forms a coefficient. The first and the second set of data symbols and the parity code respectively form a first polynomial (M1(x)), a second polynomial (M2(x)), and a parity code polynomial (R(x)). The method comprises: first, designing a first code generator polynomial (G1(x)); next, dividing M1(x)x4 by G1(x) to obtain a first remainder polynomial (R1(x)); next, generating a second code generator polynomial (G2(x)) from G1(x); next, generating a third polynomial (M3(x)); next, dividing M3(x)x4 by G2(x) to obtain a second remainder polynomial (R2(x)); next, performing an adding procedure to R1(x) and R2(x) to obtain R(x); finally, obtaining the parity code from each coefficient of R(x).
US07954037B2

Methods, devices and computer readable code for reading data from one or more flash memory cells, and for recovering from read errors are disclosed. In some embodiments, in the event of an error correction failure by an error detection and correction module, the flash memory cells are re-read at least once using one or more modified reference voltages, for example, until a successful error correction may be carried out. In some embodiments, after successful error correction a subsequent read request is handled without re-writing data (for example, reliable values of the read data) to the flash memory cells in the interim. In some embodiments, reference voltages associated with a reading where errors are corrected may be stored in memory, and retrieved when responding to a subsequent read request. In some embodiments, the modified reference voltages are predetermined reference voltages. Alternatively or additionally, these modified reference voltages may be determined as needed, for example, using randomly generated values or in accordance with information provided by the error detection and correction module. Methods, devices and computer readable code for reading data for situations where there is no error correction failure are also provided.
US07954035B2

The present invention provides an LDPC encoder, a channel encoder of a portable internet system including the LDPC encoder, and an encoding method thereof. The LDPC encoder according to the present invention generates a Costas array, shifts it, generates an analogous circulation parity check matrix having a repeated pattern from the shifted Costas array, and performs encoding by using the parity check matrix. With this LDPC encoder, complexity of encoding system may be reduced.
US07954031B2

Expect data signals are generated for a series of applied data signals having a known sequence to determine if groups of the data signals were properly captured. A first group of the applied data signals is captured, and a group of expect data signals are generated from the captured first group. A second group of applied data signals is then captured and determined to have been properly captured when the second group corresponds to the group of expect data signals. In this way, when a captured series of data signals is shifted in time from an expected capture point, subsequent captured data signals are compared to their correct expected data signals in order to determine whether that group, although shifted in time, was nonetheless correctly captured. A pattern generator generates expect data signals in this manner, and may be utilized in a variety of integrated circuits, such as an SLDRAM.
US07954025B2

A output storage latch within a combinational logic circuit may be adapted to form a scan flip-flop latch that supports both functional operation and scan chain testing of a combinational logic matrix included in the combinational logic circuit. A described master/slave clock approach allows the scan flip-flop latch to support receiving into a scan chain a sequence of test input data, execution of combinational logic matrix testing based on the test input data, and sequentially outputting test results to a test result register for comparison with expected results. The described scan flip-flop latch may be used along side unaltered output storage latches thereby allowing flexibility with respect to the number and placement scan chain test points within an integrated circuit. Use of the described dual-use scan flip-flop latch results in a less complex circuit design, reduced circuit area requirements and improved reliability.
US07954014B2

A health check framework for enterprise systems is described herein. In one embodiment, a health check framework includes one or more first layer methods as public interfaces to allow an application client to initiate one or more stages of a health checking session, where the first layer methods are independent of a particular component of the enterprise system. The health check framework further includes one or more second layer methods to provide an abstract interface to the one or more system and/or application components with respect to the one or more first layer methods. The second layer methods include one or more methods that are specific to a corresponding one of the system and/or application components of the enterprise system. During a health check session, the first layer methods invoke the second layer methods to perform health check operations. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.
US07954006B1

A method and system for preventing loss of data in a computer interface board during power failure includes providing a secondary data path to a non-volatile storage element from a cache memory of the computer interface board. Components in the secondary data path, such as the cache memory and non-volatile storage element, are powered by a secondary power supply. The cache memory of the computer interface board is a volatile memory. The secondary data path with the non-volatile storage element enables reliable memory operation during both normal and power fail modes. A power failure at the computer interface board is detected. The power failure may result in incomplete transactional data within the cache memory. Upon detection of power failure, the incomplete transactional data at the cache memory is transmitted to the non-volatile storage element through the secondary data path using the power from the secondary power supply. The non-volatile storage element preserves the transactional data of the cache memory during power failure.
US07954001B2

De-skew is performed on a nibble-by-nibble basis where a nibble is not limited to four bits.
US07953988B2

An active membrane creates a secure area around one or more devices. The active membrane forms a physical barrier between the encased secure area and an external environment. Linked to the membrane and acting as the sole interface between the secure area and the outside environment is a boundary interface. The boundary interface tunnels data to the secure area in a secure fashion. According to one embodiment of the present invention, the boundary interface utilizes symmetric and/or asymmetric cryptographic techniques to secure the data path. The boundary interface is also coupled to the active membrane, and upon the membrane sensing a breach of the membrane (thus signifying an intrusion of the secure area), the boundary interface can be configured to sever the data paths linking the secure area with the unsecured area as well as take other active steps to ensure that data within the secure area is not compromised.
US07953978B2

Provided are techniques for key generation and retrieval. Unique identifiers of two or more key servers are stored, wherein each key server is capable of generating keys for encryption of data and of returning keys for decryption of data. A key request is received. A technique for selecting one of the key servers to which the key request is to be forwarded is identified. One of the key servers is selected using the identified technique. The key request is sent to the identified key server.
US07953972B2

A computer-based method for managing files includes: configuring an access control list which illustrates all the accessible rights to corresponding users, the accessible rights comprise the right for comparing selected files, the right for merging selected files and the right for dividing a selected file; saving created files in a file transfer protocol (FTP) server, and saving file information of the files in a database, the file information including a file path of each of the files; reading from the FTP server selected files that need to be compared according to respective file paths if a files comparing request is received, comparing the selected files, and outputting differences between the selected files; reading from the FTP server selected files that need to be merged according to respective file paths if a files merging request is received, merging the selected files to create a merged file, and saving information of the merged file in the database; reading from the FTP server a selected file that needs to be divided according to a corresponding file path and a file position of the file, if a file dividing request is received, dividing the selected file into two files at the file position, and saving information of two divided files in the database. A related system is also disclosed.
US07953962B2

A multiprocessor system according to an embodiment comprises a plurality of processors, an execution control unit to control processing by the plurality of processors and data transfer between the plurality of processors; and an internal data storage unit to store data dependence information indicating status of the data transfer. If control flow of processing by a processor is fixed after a preceding data transfer is registered for execution and another data transfer to a similar destination as the preceding data transfer is necessary, the execution control unit cancels the preceding data transfer based on the data dependence information.
US07953961B1

An instruction processing circuit for a processor includes a decoder circuit, a cache circuit, a sequencer circuit operable to select a next sequence of operations, and an operations fetch circuit operable to convey the next sequence of operations to an execution circuit, receive an indication that a sequencing action of the sequencer circuit is sequencing ahead of the execution circuit, and switch, based on the indication, a source of the operations fetch circuit between the cache circuit and the decoder circuit.
US07953948B1

A method of and system for protecting a disk drive or other data storage includes mounting a virtual storage that combines a READ-only portion of a volume of the main storage and a full access temporary storage located on the same data storage, wherein the READ-only portion represents a protected area of the volume of the main storage; generating a bitmap for blocks of the virtual storage; redirecting virtual storage write requests to the temporary storage; marking, in the bitmap, blocks of the virtual storage corresponding to blocks of the temporary storage that are being written to; redirecting, to the READ-only portion, read requests for unmarked blocks; redirecting, to the temporary storage, read requests for marked blocks; upon an acceptance of a state of the virtual storage, merging the temporary storage with unmarked blocks of the READ-only portion of the volume of the main storage, to form an integral storage; and upon a rejection of a state of the virtual storage, terminating the redirecting. Optionally, data in the temporary storage can be archived.
US07953942B2

The present invention is able to improve the processing performance of a storage system by respectively virtualizing the external volumes and enabling the shared use of such external volumes by a plurality of available virtualization storage devices. By virtualizing and incorporating the external volume of an external storage device, a first virtualization storage device is able to provide the volume to a host as though it is an internal volume. When the load of the first virtualization storage device increases, a second virtualization storage device 2 is newly introduced, and connected to the storage system. When a transfer direction is issued from a management terminal, the external volume relating to the selected logical volume is transferred from the first virtualization storage device to the second virtualization storage device.
US07953938B2

When free bank information representing that a bank is not used by a PE and outputted from a PE controller coincides with used bank information representing that a bank is used for data transfer and outputted from a bus controller, a memory controller controls LM-banks 0 to 3 and a switching network so as to enable all communications. Therefore, data reading and data writing by the PE is performed in parallel with the data transfer with the outside, so that processing time of the PE can be reduced.
US07953932B2

A system and method for avoiding deadlocks when performing storage updates in a multi-processor environment. The system includes a processor having a local cache, a store queue having a temporary buffer with capability to reject exclusive cross-interrogates (XI) while an interrogated cache line is owned exclusive and is to be stored, and a mechanism for performing a method. The method includes setting the processor into a slow mode. A current instruction that includes a data store having one or more target lines is received. The current instruction is executed, with the executing including storing results associated with the data store into the temporary buffer. The store queue is prevented from rejecting an exclusive XI corresponding to the target lines of the current instruction. Each target line is acquired with a status of exclusive ownership, and the contents from the temporary buffer are written to each target line after instruction completion.
US07953931B2

High endurance non-volatile memory devices (NVMD) are described. A high endurance NVMD includes an I/O interface, a NVM controller, a CPU along with a volatile memory subsystem and at least one non-volatile memory (NVM) module. The volatile memory cache subsystem is configured as a data cache subsystem. The at least one NVM module is configured as a data storage when the NVMD is adapted to a host computer system. The I/O interface is configured to receive incoming data from the host to the data cache subsystem and to send request data from the data cache subsystem to the host. The at least one NVM module may comprise at least first and second types of NVM. The first type comprises SLC flash memory while the second type MLC flash. The first type of NVM is configured as a buffer between the data cache subsystem and the second type of NVM.
US07953895B1

A method may include receiving a communication from a client device and identifying a port number, a protocol and a destination associated with the communication. The method may also include identifying a first application being executed by the first client device based on the port number, the protocol and the destination associated with the first communication.
US07953890B1

Various embodiments of methods and systems for dynamically switching to a new coordinator resource are disclosed. In one embodiment, a method involves receiving information identifying a new coordinator resource for use by a cluster; detecting whether each of the nodes within the cluster is committing to use the new coordinator resource; and switching from an existing coordinator resource to the new coordinator resource, in response to detecting that each of the nodes within the cluster is committing to use the new coordinator resource. This method can be performed concurrently with normal cluster operations, and thus the cluster need not be disabled to perform the switchover.
US07953872B2

A method and system includes a first web service client generating a first message with first security portion and communicating the first message and first security portion to a second web service client. The second web service client generates a response to the first message at the second web service client when the first security portion is valid and communicates the response to the first web service. The second web service generates a user device request at the second web service when the first security portion is valid and communicates the user device request to a conditional access management center. The conditional access system generates a control word and communicates the control word to the user device. The conditional access system generates a status signal and communicates the status signal to the second web services client when a control word is sent to the user device. The second web service device generates a formatted response message from the first web services client to the second web services client in response to the status signal.
US07953864B2

A method and system for notifying updating of terminal capability information for a combination service for simultaneously performing two or more services between first and second users are disclosed. Each terminal recognizes whether or not its terminal capability information has been updated to inform the other terminal accordingly when the first service for the combination service is connected. When a terminal, which has received update indication information informing that the terminal capability information has been updated, request and obtains the updated terminal capability information from the other terminal.
US07953863B2

An embodiment of the present invention provides an apparatus, comprising a mobile station (MS) operable to communicate with an application service provider (ASP) in a wireless network, the wireless network including a Universal Services Interface (USI); and wherein the MS includes a USI client adapted to store some or all USI context as required by said ASP and wherein when a user accesses the ASP using something other than a web-browser, the USI client inserts relevant USI context as part of an ASP request message.
US07953859B1

The present invention is directed to a contact center that includes a switching fabric 110, 130 operable to configure a communication session between a first customer and a first resource 138 for servicing of a first contact by the first resource and a contact tracking agent 232 operable, during the servicing of the first contact by the first resource, to (a) monitor the first contact center endpoint for at least one of (i) a change in contact state, (ii) the connection of the first resource and the first customer through a second (new) communication channel, and (iii) the addition of a party to and/or removal of a party from the communication session and (b), when the at least one of (i)-(iii) occurs, terminate a first contact part and create a second contact part. The first and second contact parts are associated with the communication session.
US07953858B2

In a method of mapping peers in a peer-to-peer network to an overlay network, network coordinates are determined for a selected peer. The logical coordinates in the overlay network are determined based on the network coordinates. A zone is determined based on the logical coordinates. The network coordinates, a network address of the selected peer and the zone is stored as an object at a peer owning the zone, where associated information is stored in the peer that has the network coordinate and using the network coordinate as a key.
US07953843B2

According to at least one embodiment, a method comprises receiving, into a capacity planning system, workload information representing an expected workload of client accesses of streaming media files from a site. The method further comprises receiving, into the capacity planning system, at least one service parameter that defines a desired service characteristic to be provided by a heterogeneous cluster of servers under the expected workload. The capacity planning system evaluates whether the heterogeneous cluster, having a plurality of different server configurations included therein, is capable of supporting the expecting workload in compliance with the at least one service parameter.
US07953841B2

The communication apparatus includes a VoIP phone, a VoIP gateway, a communication network, and a network analyzer. The VoIP phone is a transmitting/receiving device to transmit and receive a VoIP phone call. A plurality of VoIP phone calls are transmitted and received over the communication network via the VoIP gateway. The network analyzer analyzes and monitors the plurality of VoIP phone calls transmitted and received over the communication network. Accordingly, a respective VoIP phone call is identified from the plurality of phone calls and associated with a respective data stream to be monitored and analyzed by the network analyzer.
US07953840B2

An apparatus is provided for remotely rebooting Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communication devices. In general, the apparatus remotely selects VoIP communication devices connected to a network, reboots the selected devices, and evaluates the status of each device. A processor allows a user to select VoIP communication devices connected to the network and receives inputs pertaining to the reboot operation, including a time input and search criteria. The processor communicates with the designated VoIP communication devices over a packet-switching network to instruct the devices to reboot and monitors each device. In this way, multiple VoIP communication devices may be rebooted from a remote location, and problems or issues that arise during the reboot process may be identified and addressed. An associated method and computer program product are also provided for remotely rebooting VoIP communication devices.
US07953836B2

A method for executing a management operation by a terminal in a communications system. The method comprises the followings: The terminal receives the management operation commands that indicate the operation to target operation nodes in the device capability management object and operates them. The said operation initiates the process for executing the corresponding device capability management operation, then the said management operation transfers the device capability status. Also, the corresponding terminal and system are disclosed. The present invention can centrally manage and control the terminal capability.
US07953835B2

Blade enclosures are connected to storage devices through FC switches, and management blades and FC switches are connected to a SAN management device. Automatic setting modular program displays an input screen on a display. A manager inputs IP addresses of FC switches so as to be associated with IP address of management blade into input screen. The automatic-setting modular program acquires the server blade information from the management blades, turns on the powers of the server blades, and acquires the FC switch information from the FC switches. The program associates the slot numbers contained in the server blade information acquired from the management blades to the port numbers contained in the FC switch information acquired from the FC switches in one-to-one relationships. The program generates records that are combinations of the server blade information and the FC switch information, and stores the generated records in connection definition table.
US07953834B1

A local area network includes a plurality of devices and a firewall for interfacing the LAN to a wide area network. In the LAN, each device generates a message packets for transmission over the network in which a time to live field contains an initial value that is preferably selected to be a function of the maximum path length for transfer of message packets within the local area network. Similarly, the firewall, when it receives message packets from the WAN for transmission to a device on the LAN provides in the time to live field an initial value that is preferably selected to be a function of the maximum path length for transfer of message packets within the local area network. When the firewall received a message packet from the LAN for transmission over the WAN, it provides a default initial value that is selected for use for message packets transmitted over the WAN in the time to live field, which typically will be significantly higher than the initial value that is used in the local area network. Since the initial time to live value used in the local area network is preferably selected to be a function of the maximum path length for transfer of message packets within the local area network, it can be much lower than the value that is typically used. This can reduce the bandwidth taken up by message packets that are in a loop in the local area network, which, in turn, can allow for increased bandwidth available for message packets that are being transferred through a portion of the loop but which are not themselves looping through the entire loop.
US07953830B2

Generally speaking, systems, methods and media for detection and network reconfiguration upon changes in dynamic host configuration protocol (DHCP) IP addresses are disclosed. Embodiments of a method may include setting a renew time and a rebind time of a DHCP configuration and establishing an IP address with a first DHCP server. Embodiments may also include, after passage of the renew time, transmitting a renew request to the first DHCP server at its IP address and, in response to failure to receive an acknowledgement message from the first DHCP server, determining if the first DHCP server IP address is still valid. Embodiments may also include, in response to determining that the first DHCP server IP address is not still valid, retrieving a second, different DHCP server IP address from a network change event signal and configuring a network adapter based on the second DHCP server IP address.
US07953829B2

A system and method for redirecting or duplicating a media flow to one or more alternative media presentation devices and providing updated quality of service parameters to the application server providing the media flow. The user of a mobile communication device can manually initiate the media flow change or the user can configure the media flow change to automatically transfer based on the proximity of the mobile communication device to the alternative media presentation device. If desired, the media flow can be reverted to the mobile communication device. A media flow can also be divided, such as by audio and video to different alternative media presentation devices.
US07953827B2

Network addresses are dynamically allocated to blade information handling systems supported by a blade chassis having plural blade slots. A network address seed stored in memory associated with the blade chassis is retrieved by a management controller of a blade information handling system and applied by a network address generator to local network address information to generate a network address. The generated network address is applied by the management controller to a network component of the blade information handling system to establish communications over a network. For example, a WWN generated from a blade chassis seed address provides a blade information handling system host bus adapter access to a storage area network for boot from SAN support for the blade information handling system.
US07953825B2

A method, system and program product for streaming of dynamic information content over an interactive media such as the Internet. The dynamic content, such as dynamic weather data, is collected from a plurality of collection sources such as geographically distributed local weather reporting stations. The data information can be relatively static or dynamic, constantly changing data. The dynamic content is stored in databases maintained on a direct access storage device at the dynamic content server. The selection of dynamic content to be transmitted to the end user client is based on a demographic profile that is completed at the time of end user client registration and which precedes delivery of any selected content in response to end user client requests. An application resident on the dynamic content server streams selected content simultaneously to a plurality of end user client devices for each end user client request. An application resident on each end user client device generates a plurality of processing threads for a series of independent commands, each of which is transmitted to the dynamic content server at specified preset intervals and generates a server-selected response. In a weather content collection and delivery embodiment, local, real-time weather data can be received continuously from thousands of weather reporting stations, and transmitted simultaneously by the weather content server to millions of end user desktop clients, with each user receiving current weather data that is generated from a nearby weather collection station.
US07953820B2

An approach is provided for supporting retrieval of web content over a meshed communication network (111). A first server (105) receives a request from a browser application (103) for the content resident in the web server (109). The first server (105) includes a downstream proxy (401) configured to modify the request to include information specifying support of a parse and pre-fetch service within an optional header field of the request as to permit handling of the modified request by the web server (109) in absence of an upstream proxy (403) that is communicating with the web server (109). A second server (107) is configured as the upstream proxy (403) to intercept the modified request and pre-fetch the content from the web server (109). The second server (107) forwards the pre-fetched content over the communication network (111) to the first server (105). This approach has particular applicability in relatively high latency networks, such as a satellite communications system.
US07953816B2

Embodiments herein present a virtual memory technique for efficiently solving connected problems in a distributed environment. An exemplary method begins by selectively loading computing task segments into a first node, wherein the number of computing task segments is the maximum number of computing task segments that will fit within the first node. The computing task segments are enclosed within wrappers, wherein the wrappers are streamed into the first node at a maximum rate that a disk can read and write data. Further, the wrappers comprise priority wrappers that must be computed in order to process the computing task segments; and thus, the priority wrappers are loaded into the first node first. In addition, the computing task segments comprise computing task segment block collections, wherein the method creates a list of computing task segment block collection jobs that must be completed in order to process one of the computing task segments.
US07953815B2

A method for providing location dependent information to a user for selective colleague assistance. The method on a Client Wireless Component includes the steps of receiving location data from a plurality of Global Positioning System GPS satellites and transmitting the location data to an Active Calendar Component. The method further includes on an Active Calendar Component the steps of receiving Client Wireless Component location data and determining if within a threshold distance a Colleague item list exists for user completion.
US07953808B2

Receiving a notification message by a mobile subscriber can include establishing a session with a notification service; maintaining a persistent communication connection with the notification service after the session is established; subscribing to a node hosted by the notification service, wherein the node is pre-provisioned for use by a mobile subscriber; and receiving from the notification service a notification message corresponding to the subscribed node. Further, a message can be transmitted over the communication connection to the notification service at a predetermined interval and it can be determined whether the communication connection is viable. Additionally, it can be determined that the communication connection is no longer viable if no response is received from the notification service, the period of the predetermined interval can be decreased, and another session with the notification service can be established.
US07953807B2

A situation such that E-mail such as spam mail with contents which the user of a printing apparatus does not desire is sent to the printing apparatus and a user's undesirable print is executed is prevented. For this purpose, whether an E-mail address of a transmitting source of the E-mail has been registered in an address book or not is discriminated. If it is not registered in the address book, this E-mail data is abandoned.
US07953806B2

Embodiments of the present invention address deficiencies of the art in respect to task management in an instant messenger and provide a novel and non-obvious method, system and computer program product for task assignment and progress monitoring in an instant messaging session. In one embodiment of the invention, a method of task assignment and progress monitoring in an instant messaging session can be provided. The method can include maintaining an instant messaging session between first and second collaborators, assigning a task to the second collaborator on request of the first collaborator from within the instant messaging session, the task specifying a third collaborator external to the instant messaging session, and providing subsequent notice to the first collaborator of collaborative interactions between the second and third collaborators in respect to the assigned task.
US07953803B2

Mechanisms are provided for allowing users to log into an IM provider from multiple clients concurrently. The messages are recorded and messages from the same users originating form multiple clients are differentiated. The user may then follow the IM session from any client device from which the user has logged into the IM provider. Also, when logging into a new client device in a session, the user is provided a history of the IM session.
US07953801B2

A method and an apparatus to screen electronic communications have been disclosed. In one embodiment, the method includes extracting URLs from electronic communication and analyzing the URLs extracted to determine whether the electronic communication is of a first predetermined category. Other embodiments have been claimed and described.
US07953795B2

A method and apparatus for participating in a conference session over a data communication network, the method comprising the steps of initiating a data communication conference session by a presenter with the an at least one viewer; establishing communication between the presenter and a thin server, wherein the thin server comprises an application for acting behind the scenes and enabling to transfer data.
US07953792B2

A content delivery system includes an upload module, a content delivery module, and a quality assurance module. The upload module is configured to receive content from a content provider, and generate an upload signature for the content as received from the content provider. The content delivery module is configured to receive a request for the content from a client system, and provide the content to the client system. The quality assurance module is configured to generate a download signature for the content as delivered to the client, and compare the upload signature and the download signature. When the upload signature and the download signature do not match, the quality assurance module is further configured to generate an alert.
US07953791B2

A method and system for analysing and measuring multiple sources of data over a communications network (18) so as to ascertain information or usage of one or more resources, such as resource servers (2). A data collection and processing means (20) collects and processes the data sources which are forwarded to a reporting server (34) as a combined data source made available to interested parties.
US07953788B2

A method for queuing data for an application server is described. The method includes creating a queue entry record corresponding to the data, storing a queue entry including the data and the corresponding queue entry record in a queue, and receiving a command regarding the data from the application server.
US07953783B2

A filter for high speed digital signal processing. In one embodiment the filter includes a linear, phase-B, interpolating cubic spline filter having a pre-filter section and an interpolating post-filter section. The pre-filter section may be formed to implement any one of a 1-4-1 cubic spline function, a 2-5-2 cubic spline function or a 1-2-1 cubic spline function. The post-filter may be formed using a plurality of running average filters arranged in a cascade (i.e., serial) fashion. The filter can be constructed using significantly fewer independent component parts for a given level of pass band and stop band performance criteria, as compared with a conventional finite impulse response (FIR) filter. The filter is thus ideally suited for implementation with very large scale integration (VLSI) technology, and in a wide variety of electronic devices where high speed digital filtering is required.
US07953780B2

A decimal floating point finite number in a decimal floating point format is composed from the number in a different format. A decimal floating point format includes fields to hold information relating to the sign, exponent and significand of the decimal floating point finite number. Other decimal floating point data, including infinities and NaNs (not a number), are also composed. Decimal floating point data are also decomposed from the decimal floating point format to a different format. For composition and decomposition, one or more instructions may be employed, including a shift significand instruction.
US07953778B2

A method, system and computer program product for supporting concurrent updates to a shared data element group while preserving group integrity on behalf of one or more readers that are concurrently referencing group data elements without using locks or atomic instructions. Two or more updaters may be invoked to generate new group data elements. Each new data element created by the same updater is assigned a new generation number that is different than a global generation number associated with the data element group and which allows a reader of the data element group to determine whether the new data element is a correct version for the reader. The new generation numbers are different for each updater and assigned according to an order in which the updaters respectively begin update operations. The global generation number is updated so that when all of the updaters have completed data element update processing, the global generation number will correspond to the new generation number that is associated with the last of the updaters to begin update operations.
US07953768B2

This invention includes a method of navigating a collection of nodes by selecting a first node, generating a context list and displaying first node and context list. Each context of the context collection includes a second node essentially referencing the first node. Another aspect of the invention includes a method of generating an address from a collection of contexts containing steps of receiving a selected attribute collection and generating the address. Each context includes a resolution address and an attribute collection. Each of the attribute collections contains at least one attribute. Whenever the attribute collection of a first context of the context collection is essentially the same as the selected attribute collection, the resolution address of the first context is selected as the generated address. Another aspect of the invention includes a method of navigating a hypergraph. The hypergraph includes at least one context list. Each context list contains at least one context. Each context includes a node. The method includes steps of selecting a first context list of the context lists, selecting a first context of the first context list, and displaying the node of the first context of the first context list. Aspects of this invention include computer programs implemented on computer readable media, situated both local to a user and in client-server configurations.
US07953760B2

The invention is a computing system comprising a World Wide Web application with a user interactive record field. The record field receives a record field entry. The application receives a context change request. Responsive to the context change request, the application dynamically transmits the record field entry to a server for storage in a database.
US07953748B2

Apparatus and a method are provided, which efficiently and properly execute information update processing and content reproduction processing based on transmission processing of content information from a server to a client. The server owning content attribute information extracts metadata based on an information acquisition request from the client, to generate the content information based on property information which is a component of the metadata, and for each property, sets data editing information allowed by each piece of the property information to transmit to the client. Furthermore, the server generates the content information including data mode information by which processing capability in a device on the client side can be judged, such as record quality level information and codec information, as the data mode information of the contents.
US07953729B2

Techniques are provided for use in accordance with relates to computing utilities. For example, in one aspect of the invention, a method for use in a computing utility, wherein the computing utility comprises a plurality of application service provider systems and a utility controller, and each application service provider system comprising an application controller, comprises the following steps. An application request to one of the plurality of application service provider systems is obtained. Then, in response to the application request, at least one of: (i) the application controller of the application service provider system to which the application request is directed computes a value of a business metric associated with a resource action; and (ii) the utility controller computes a value of a business metric associated with a resource action.
US07953726B2

Processing a multiple table query includes: determining if any tables in the query require materialization; for each table in the query that requires materialization, deriving at least one join predicate on a join column; determining if any tables earlier in a join sequence for the query has same join predicates; and applying the at least one derived join predicate to an earlier table in the join sequence, if there is at least one table earlier in the join sequence that has the same join predicate. This significantly reduces the number of rows that are joined before arriving at the final result.
US07953725B2

Web information processing services are provided by scanning at least one data feed for content relevant to a first subject category and associating relevant content found as a result of the scanning with the first subject category. The first subject category is selected by a first web user. A first domain including results of the associating is created, and the first domain is associated with the first web user. The first domain is published as a syndicatable data feed over a network.
US07953724B2

The present invention provides a Distinct Author Identification System (“DAIS”) for disambiguating data to discern author entities and link or associate authorships with such author entities. The invention provides powerful disambiguation processes applied across one or more databases to yield a disambiguated authority database of authors. An entire database of publications may be processed by the DAIS to group/link authorships and to identify author entities. The author entities may then be matched or associated with actual authors to establish an authority database of authors. After initial evaluation, the DAIS may be used to reevaluate some or all of the database(s) and/or the authority database established by the DAIS may be used to add or update information. DAIS may use “hierarchical clustering” to link authorships and identify authors based on authorship similarity. DAIS evaluates the likelihood that authorships are from the same author.
US07953722B2

Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for a query response service for business objects. In general, data characterizing a request to perform a query on multiple instances of a business object may be received, where the query includes selection criteria for multiple attributes across multiple nodes for each of the instances of the business object. The query may be initiated on the instances of the business object. Results including values from the attributes across the nodes of the business objects may be returned. The query may be assigned to a node of the business object, which may be a query response transformation node. The node may include a combination of attributes associated with the attributes across the nodes of the business object. Results may be sorted on a server, sent as pages to a client, or both.
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