US07993334B2
Tissue ablation probes, systems, and methods are provided for treating tissue (e.g., a tumor). The probe comprises an inner probe shaft, and an outer probe shaft disposed around the inner probe shaft. The outer probe shaft has a distal portion fixably mounted to the inner probe shaft, and a proximal portion rotatably mounted to the inner probe shaft. The probe further comprises a coiled ablation electrode disposed between the proximal portion and the distal portion. The electrode is configured for unwinding when the proximal portion rotates about the inner probe shaft in one direction, thereby placing the electrode in a radially expanded geometry, and configured for winding when the proximal portion rotates about the inner probe shaft in another opposite direction, thereby placing the electrode in a radially collapsed geometry.
US07993330B2
A method for tightening and rejuvenating skin utilizing a cryogenic applicator, which includes the steps of holding a handle of a barrel of the cryogenic applicator in a hand, fluidly communicating the barrel with a source of a biocompatible non-toxic cryogenic fluid to supply the biocompatible non-toxic cryogenic fluid through a hollow interior of the barrel, out through a plurality of openings in a distal portion of the barrel, and onto a head of the cryogenic applicator, rolling the head quickly, smoothly, and evenly over the skin being treated for a period of time in an order of hundredths or tenths of a second, and sparging the biocompatible non-toxic cryogenic fluid onto the skin quickly, evenly, and smoothly when the head is rolled on the skin, and thereby tightening and rejuvenating the skin.
US07993326B2
A pain management kit for the administration of medication and a related method of use is disclosed. The pain management kit includes the primary medical supplies for performing a continuous nerve block procedure, preferably in a single, sterile container. Specifically, the kit may contain medical supplies to create a sterile field, perform a local anesthetic procedure and to perform a continuous nerve block procedure. Preferably, the contents of the kit are arranged in the general order of their use.
US07993322B2
An absorbent garment having a garment-like outer shell and an absorbent assembly adapted for adjustable positioning therein is disclosed. In particular embodiments, the absorbent garment includes garment shell, at least one inner attachment member, and an absorbent assembly. The inner attachment member can be disposed at a waist region of the garment shell. The absorbent assembly can include a fastening component disposed at an end region, the first fastening component adapted for refastenable engagement to the inner attachment member. The inner attachment member can be configured such that a user may adjust a position of the refastenable engagement to the inner attachment member.
US07993317B2
An absorbent article having a topsheet and an absorbent core in facing relationship with the topsheet. The topsheet has a central region, an inner intermediate region, an outer intermediate region, and an edge region, wherein the inner intermediate region is between the central region and the outer intermediate region and the outer intermediate region is between the inner intermediate region and the edge region. The central region texture, inner intermediate region texture, outer intermediate region texture, and edge region texture differ from one another. At least one of the central region, inner intermediate region, outer intermediate region, and edge region comprises tufted fibers. The central region is on the longitudinal centerline of the absorbent article.
US07993314B2
An absorbent article, such as an incontinence shield, diaper, pant-diaper, belt diaper or the like, includes a topsheet, a backsheet and an absorbent core placed therebetween. The absorbent core has two longitudinal edges, and a front and a rear transverse edge, wherein the rear transverse edge possesses a recess with at least one pair of opposing edges. The recess forms a pocket for receiving and storing faeces, wherein the pocket's extension is defined by the edges of the recess. The article provides a simple, practical and cheap solution for handling of faeces without obviously compromising the liquid absorption properties.
US07993313B1
An apparatus to receive feces from an ostomy pouch or urine from a person for disposal which comprises an adjustable strap member worn about a neck of the person to hang down therefrom. A waste receptacle is provided. A mechanism is for detachably mounting the waste receptacle to distal ends of the adjustable strap member at a groin area of the person. The person can discharge the feces from an open end of the ostomy pouch and also urinate into the waste receptacle.
US07993304B2
A compact fluid dispenser for use in controllably dispensing fluid medicaments, such as antibiotics, blood clotting agents, analgesics, and like medicinal agents from collapsible containers at a uniform rate. The dispenser includes a novel stored energy source that is provided in the form of a compressible-expandable member that functions to continuously and uniformly expel fluid from the apparatus reservoir. The apparatus further includes a novel fluid flow control assembly that precisely controls the flow of the medicament solutions from the apparatus reservoir to the patient.
US07993299B2
The devices and methods shown provide for the minimization of extravasation during arthroscopic surgery. The extravasation minimization device allows a surgeon to drain excess fluids from the soft tissue surrounding the surgical field while also providing a stable surgical portal for arthroscopic surgical instruments.
US07993297B2
Equipment for controlling blood flow in an extra-corporeal blood circuit, comprising at least a first sensor (11), designed to measure an arterial pressure (Part) upstream of a peristaltic pump (9); at least a second sensor (12), designed to measure an angular velocity (Ω) of the peristaltic pump; a memory (14) designed to store at least one set value (Qset) of the desired blood flow through the access branch, and a calibration function (F) in to at least the variables (v1), related to the angular velocity (Ω) of the pump, (v2), related to the arterial pressure (Part) in the portion of the said access branch upstream of the peristaltic pump, (v3), related to an actual flow of blood (Qactual) through the said access branch; and at least one control unit (13), capable of calculating an actual flow value (Qactual) by applying the function F to the values of angular velocity and arterial pressure (Part, Ω) measured by the sensors; comparing the actual flow (Qactual) with the desired flow (Qset); and varying the angular velocity of the said peristaltic pump if the Qactual−Qset lies outside a predetermined range.
US07993296B2
An apparatus for disposition on appendage, such as an arm or leg, is capable of encircling and applying opposing forces selectively thereto. A C-shaped component receives one side of the appendage, a second C-shaped component receives the other side of the appendage, and a tensioning system draws the two components together for selective application of pressure to the appendage. Outriggers and pressure applicators may be used to apply pressure to extended areas of the appendage that otherwise would not be engaged by the C-shaped components. Side-to-side tissue compression thereby is provided for deflection of muscle forces, functional shortening of muscle length, and the maintenance of neurovascular channels. Circumferential forces may be minimized based on semirigid characteristics of the components. Elbow and shoulder braces apply side-to-side tissue compression to arms.
US07993293B2
A neck brace (10) is disclosed which comprises two sections (12, 14) which are releasably connected to one another along a split line (18). The ring has upwardly facing surfaces (30, 76.1, 20.2) which limit tilting movement of a helmeted head in all directions. The brace further has a column (68, 70) which extends downwardly from the ring for transferring loads to the wearer's back on each side of the spine.
US07993291B2
A system that can monitor motion and establish haptic feedback to promote rehabilitation and/or strength training is provided. The innovation can be applied at any point along a rehabilitative progression continuum to provide computer-regulated (e.g., virtual, remote) training and/or coaching. For example, the innovation can be employed to actively drive a limb, provide force feedback to promote wellness, passively monitor motion of a limb or even to establish resistance to encourage strength training. The modular components of the system promote adaptability to users of all shapes and sizes.
US07993289B2
Described is a system and method for the destruction of adipose tissue using an energy applicator such as a HIFU transducer. The system has a scan head containing an energy applicator, a mechanical arm for carrying the weight of the scan head, and a therapy controller such as a computer for controlling the operation of the scan head. The therapy controller may be part of a general purpose computer, and may be used as a robotic controller to automate the procedure. Methods are included for destroying adipose tissue in a quick, non-invasive manner.
US07993286B2
Alternative designs, materials and manufacturing methods for guidewires. Some embodiments pertain to a composite guidewire having proximal and distal section, and a connector adapted and configured for permanently joining the proximal section to the distal section. In some embodiments, at least one of the sections is made of a linear-elastic nickel-titanium alloy. Several alternative guidewire tip designs including coiled safety/shaping structures are also disclosed.
US07993284B2
A system is provided for withdrawing small amounts of body fluid from an animal or human. The system includes a holder and a disposable lancing unit attached to the holder. The lancing unit also includes an open capillary channel for transporting the body fluid and piercing the skin.
US07993273B2
System parameters for contrast agent medical imaging are conveniently set. A simplified contrast agent configuration is provided where an appropriate contrast agent detection technique and/or contrast agent imaging parameters are achieved consistently and more often then exists with current methods. Examination workflow is improved for contrast agent studies by offering one contrast agent imaging mode or configuration that is dynamically determined and optimized based on the user's selected transmit level and/or a real-time measurement of the contrast agent signals. A simplified user interface provides one contrast agent imaging mode without a need to switch between multiple modes or contrast agent detection techniques and associated contrast agent imaging parameters. The contrast agent detection technique and imaging parameters are adjusting or selected based on changes in the transmit levels for contrast agent imaging. Either a single user input control or real time measurements are used to select a transmit level, resulting in automatic selection of adjustment of the detection technique and/or imaging parameters. Appropriate contrast agent detection techniques and imaging parameters are selected for each given transmit level without the user having to switch the mode or configuration of the system during an imaging session. As a result, contrast agent examinations are simplified while minimizing suboptimal selection by a user.
US07993272B2
A medical imaging system automatically acquires two-dimensional images representing a user-defined region of interest despite motion. The plane of acquisition is updated or altered adaptively as a function of detected motion. The user-designated region of interest is then continually scanned due to the alteration in scan plane position. A multi-dimensional array is used to stabilize imaging of a region of interest in a three-dimensional volume. The user defines a region of interest for two-dimensional imaging. Motion is then detected. The position of a scan plane used to generate a subsequent two-dimensional image is then oriented as a function of the detected motion within the three-dimensional volume. By repeating the motion determination and adaptive alteration of the scan plane position, real time imaging of a same region of interest is provided while minimizing the region of interest fading into or out of the sequence of images.
US07993268B2
A method for enhanced exercise training or performance utilizing intentional controlled tachypnea and somatic sensory alkalosis biofeedback training to maintain an essentially non-acidic state during exercise. A trainee is instructed to decrease measured transcutaneous CO2 levels by increased ventilation and to correlate measured transcutaneous CO2 levels with subjective somatic symptoms. Studies under exercise conditions measure the intensity of exercise correlating to an onset in blood acid accumulation in the trainee and such level of intensity is in turn correlated with a predetermined heart rate. The trainee is then instructed to use heart rate and somatic sensory changes as a guide to the need for increased ventilation to lower blood CO2. In another embodiment, the method of the instant invention utilizes intentional controlled tachypnea to increase maximum breath holding time.
US07993266B2
This invention provides an electronic proximity apparatus and a surveillance method using such an apparatus for alerting individuals that are exposed to a contagious disease. When a person becomes symptomatic and is diagnosed as positive for a given contagious agent, individuals that have recently maintained a threshold proximity with respect to an infected individual are notified and advised to seek immediate medial care. Treatment of individuals in the very early phases of infection (pre-symptomatic) significantly reduces contagiousness of the infected population first exposed to the contagious disease, thus preventing spread of the disease throughout the general population.
US07993265B2
A capsule endoscope 2 includes a partial-image acquiring unit that has a field of vision of 360° around a central axis in a longitudinal direction (moving direction), and acquires a plurality of partial image data on inner circumferential areas 28a, 28b and the like according to a movement of the capsule endoscope 2. On the other hand, the capsule endoscope 2 is configured to acquire position related data based on which positions Z(t1) and Z(t2) at which the respective partial image data is acquired can be calculated, and enables a receiving apparatus or the like to constitute overall image data based on the partial image data and the position related data, whereby an overall image of a predetermined imaging target in a body of a subject is acquired with simple constitution while suppressing an increase in data amount.
US07993261B2
A method for cystocele repair comprising the steps of: establishing four pathways in tissue around a bladder of a patient, introducing a strap into each of said pathways, and positioning beneath said bladder of said patient a support member having each said strap connected thereto such that said bladder of said patient is supported by said support member and a bulge of said bladder into a vagina of said patient is reduced.
US07993259B2
A percutaneous intra-aortic ventricular assist device is adapted for implantation in an aorta that has a luminal wall, and includes a tubular stent body, an inner tubular body, a vane member, a carrier member, a rib unit, a first pulled string, a second pulled string, an alternately pulling mechanism, and a synchronizing member.
US07993258B2
A method and device featuring at least one component providing a potential to kinetic converted elastic, magnetic repulsion, or, an elastic and magnetic repulsion, pushing, pulling, or, pulling and pushing, type of radially outward expansive force or pressure to an inner, outer, intermediate, and, combination thereof, wall region of the left ventricle, for reducing intraluminal hydrostatic pressure of the left ventricle (LV filling pressure) during the ventricular diastolic stage of the cardiac cycle, thereby, improving diastolic function of the left ventricle of the heart in subjects having a condition of diastolic heart failure (DHF), while minimally disturbing systolic function of the heart. The expansive force or pressure is in a range of about 5-40 mm Hg, whereby, left ventricular end diastolic pressure (LVEDP) is reduced down to the normal range of about 6-12 mm Hg, during ventricular diastole of the heart.
US07993257B2
A chuck for rotating around a rotation axis XA a centrifugal separation bowl secured thereto includes a vat-shaped body for receiving a lower end portion of the separation bowl secured therein with a peripheral rim of the chuck surrounding an outer flank of the separation bowl. The chuck includes a plurality of clutching systems to cooperate with the flank of the separation bowl in securing it to the chuck. The clutching systems include a channel formed in the chuck body with an arcuate path in the peripheral rim of the chuck body. A chain of translatory bodies arranged within the channel includes a proximal translatory body and a distal translatory body in the chain, whereby a force acting on the proximal body and directed outwardly of the rotation axis XA is transmitted through the chain of translatory bodies to the distal translatory body to urge it inwardly towards the rotation axis XA to clutch the outer flank of the separation bowl, whereby the separation bowl is secured to the rotary chuck.
US07993256B2
A bag formed of a sheet material adapted to be filled with contents and opened at the top for taking out the contents. The bag has fused joints along the lateral edges thereof. A plastically deformable wire-like member is attached inside the fused joints over a length from the output opening side portion to the body portion.
US07993252B2
The invention provides an exercise device (10) comprising an elongate member (20) and an engagement member (30) having an engagement region (40), the engagement member defining an aperture (35) therethrough, the elongate member extending through the aperture, such that when the engagement region is under substantially no load, the engagement member is slideable along the elongate member and when the engagement region is placed under load, the engagement member is substantially non-slideable along the elongate member. Also provided is a method of pelvic realignment involving use of said exercise device.
US07993248B1
The present invention provides an overhead support apparatus for assisting a user while performing rehabilitation physical activities and includes a track assembly supported by the ceiling and a suspension device that depends from the track assembly and is attached to the user so that the apparatus acts to prevent the user from falling down during physical activities. The suspension assembly includes a trolley adapted to traverse the track assembly, a locking snap assembly attached to the trolley and associated with a swivel, and an adjustable lanyard that is connected to the swivel at one end and to a body harness at its opposite end, which body harness has straps for encircling the torso and legs of a user.
US07993244B2
A floor system (20) includes a plurality of cushioning devices (22) attached to a lower side (40) of a wood floor (32). Each cushioning device (22) includes a spring (46) that may be attached at each of its ends to first and second caps (48, 50). The spring (46) includes longitudinally aligned regions (58, 60) interposed between the caps (48, 50). The region (58) exhibits a lower spring rate (64) than a spring rate (66) of the other region 60. In response to an imposed force, the first region (58) of spring (46) first compresses. When the imposed force is great enough, due to a user's weight, the second region (60) of spring (46) will then compress.
US07993237B2
A transmission is provided having an input member, an output member, four planetary gear sets, a plurality of coupling members and a plurality of torque transmitting devices. Each of the planetary gear sets includes first, second and third members. The torque transmitting devices may include clutches and brakes. Moreover, the torque transmitting devices are selectively engageable in combinations of at least four to establish at least ten forward speed ratios and at least one reverse speed ratio between the input member and the output member.
US07993235B2
A transmission of the present invention has an input member, an output member, four planetary gear sets, a plurality of coupling members and a plurality of torque transmitting devices. Each of the planetary gear sets includes first, second and third members. The torque transmitting devices may include clutches and brakes. The torque transmitting devices are selectively engageable in combinations of at least three to establish at least ten forward speed ratios and at least one reverse speed ratio.
US07993233B2
A friction coupling assembly includes: an actuator in the form of a ball ramp assembly, a plate package, and a ball bearing. The actuator has two coaxial discs, wherein the faces of the two discs each have ball grooves of increasing depth. Pairs of opposed ball grooves hold balls to axially support the two discs. The plate package is arranged coaxially relative to the discs and has outer plates for fixing to a coupling carrier and inner plates for fixing to a coupling hub. The ball bearing is for axially supporting the at least one rotatingly drivable disc, wherein a first bearing race of the ball bearing is integrally formed with the at least one rotatingly drivable disc.
US07993217B2
A golf putter with a having a curved body and a high toe design is disclosed and claimed. The putter head includes a face member, which has a heel and a toe, and a body member. The body member is connected to and extends rearward from the face member. At least a portion of the body member is curved toward the heel of the club head. The face member preferably is angled such that the toe has a greater height than the heel. The body member may be similarly angled. The body member extends through the face member and forms at least a portion of a striking face of the club head. The body member may define a hole therethrough, exposing a portion of the face member underneath, which may be used as a club head alignment aid. A variety of body members may interchangeably be connected to a single face member.
US07993216B2
A ball striking device has a head that includes a metal face configured for striking a ball, a rearwardly extending metal band, a top piece, and a bottom piece. The metal band has a first end extending from one side of the face, a second end extending from the opposite side of the face, and a rear portion extending between the first and second ends and defining at least a portion of the rear periphery of the head. The top piece and the bottom piece are non-metallic or substantially non-metallic. The top piece is connected to the top side of the metal band and forms at least a portion of a top side of the head, and the bottom piece is connected to the bottom side of the metal band and forms at least a portion of a bottom side of the head. The top piece and the bottom piece are separated by the metal band.
US07993211B2
A golf club having a shaft and an elongated head projecting at a lie angle relative to the shaft, the head having the shape of a regular polygon in a cross section at right angles to the central axis of the head, with each face being formed of a material that provides a different ball rebound factor, the head section being rotatable about the central axis so that any one of the faces may be presented for use with the club.
US07993201B2
Systems and methods related to game consoles, game software and games for play on a game console having a touch screen interface. A card having a pattern defined therein is overlaid on the touch screen. The defined pattern is used to activate portions of the touch screen by guiding user interaction with a touch pad or touch screen. The activated portions of the touch pad or touch screen launch responsive activity in a computer program implemented on the game console.
US07993197B2
A disclosed a loyalty program transaction network provides a plurality of loyalty program instrument generation sites that award loyalty points. The loyalty points may be stored on loyalty point instruments such as printed tickets, magnetic-striped cards, room keys, portable wireless devices and smart cards. The loyalty program instruments may be issued to a patron of a gaming establishment without receiving identification information from the patron. At a loyalty program validation site, the loyalty program instruments may be used to redeem loyalty points for goods and services or the loyalty program instruments may be used to add loyalty points to an existing loyalty program account. Loyalty points may be earned by the patron during a number of activities such as playing a gaming machine, playing a game of chance, a food purchase, an entertainment purchase, a transportation purchase, a lodging purchase, a merchandise purchase and a service purchase.
US07993194B1
A method of dynamically linking abstracted hardware devices, which are used in association with gaming machines, to gaming software is disclosed. The game machine has a central processing unit (“CPU”), a resource manager, driver pools, and a communication link that connect a plurality of intelligent Input/Output controller boards (“IOCB”) to hardware devices interfaced to the game. The resource manager's functional blocks are: a resource manager control task, a plurality of Input/Output (“I/O”) communication drivers to connect to the IOCBs, a low level and high level driver manager, a low level and high level driver pool, and a plurality of resource repositories that interface to the gaming software. The resource manager starts an I/O communication driver to scan for the primary IOCB on the I/O memory bus, Universal Serial Bus, or Firewire. Once the primary IOCB is found, the resource control task will load more I/O communication drivers for any secondary IOCBs. The resource control task starts the driver managers, and requests the IOCB(s) to send the list of attached hardware. The driver managers load the drivers required for the type and version of hardware attached to the game. The gaming software interfaces to the hardware through the high level drivers loaded in the resource repositories. The high level drivers can be software or hardware drivers. Software drivers can simulate hardware, connect to other parts of the gaming software, or combine functions by calling other software and hardware drivers. New drivers can be added easily, allowing gaming software to use new hardware with little or no changes.
US07993192B2
A control system (1) for an online casino game has a man-machine interface (FIG. 1) operable by a player to regulate the progress of the game, and includes a switch means (8) operable by the player to selectively switch the man-machine interface between two modes in which the player may regulate the progress of the particular game. The two modes are a regular mode in which the interface is of a predetermined complexity, and an expert mode in which the interface is of an increased complexity relative to that of the regular mode. The control system is activatable by the player to automatically regulate the progress of a selectable number of consecutive turns of the game without further intervention from the player. The automatic progress of the consecutive turns of the game is interruptible by the player at anytime before completion thereof. The configuration facility is also configurable to cause the selected number of consecutive turns of the game to progress automatically until all the turns are complete, or to terminate upon winning of a jackpot prize available for the casino game, alternatively upon occurrence of a successful wager, further alternatively upon occurrence of a success wager exceeding a predetermined threshold, still further alternatively upon occurrence of a wager that causes a bankroll of the player to change by more than a predetermined amount.
US07993191B2
A gaming system having a five card draw poker game is provided. The gaming system causes an initial five card hand to be dealt to the player and also causes a first draw card to be revealed to the player. The player has the option to keep or discard the first draw card. After the player has decided whether or not to keep the first draw card, the gaming system enables the player to replace cards in the initial player hand. If the player selected to discard the first draw card, this card will not be used as a replacement or draw card to form the final player hand. In certain implementations, the player first selects cards to replace in the initial player hand. In these implementations, if the player elects to keep the first draw card, the gaming system will cause the display of a second card and the player has the option of keeping or discarding the second draw card. This process continues until all of the discarded cards in the initial player hand have been replaced or until the player elects to discard one of the draw cards.
US07993189B2
A game apparatus includes a CPU. In the game apparatus, when it is determined that a player object has collided with an enemy object not in a predetermined state, the enemy object is turned into the predetermined state. Then, by a collision with the enemy object in the predetermined state, the player object is connected with the enemy object. Further, the player object is given different abilities depending on the kinds of the connected enemy objects. After that, when a plurality of enemy objects are connected to the player object, the player object is provided with different abilities according to connection patterns of the kinds of the plurality of enemy objects.
US07993187B2
A foreign object detection and removal system for an agricultural combine is provided. The system includes a controller operatively connected to a feederhouse and a chopper assembly. The feederhouse includes an acoustic element for detecting foreign objects and an actuator for opening and closing a door of the feederhouse to remove foreign objection. The chopper assembly includes an actuator to retract a knife bank to allow for the passage of foreign objects through the chopper assembly without causing damage to the chopper assembly.
US07993183B2
A method for sharpening a wood working knife having opposed cutting edges, wherein the knife body is held by clamping features on a first surface of the knife and the opposed edges are simultaneously sharpened.
US07993182B2
A cosmetic appliance and method of use for temporarily lifting, gathering human skin of the breast or smoothing the human breast and skin of the breast, and which is not readily apparent once applied, formed in predetermined shapes from thin, generally translucent flexible sheeting or tape and or of a silicone gel formed into the shape of cup, to one side of which a reusable adhesive has been applied and covered with a peel-away layer for temporarily lifting, gathering, covering or smoothing the skin of the breast, nipple and areola areas, and which is not readily apparent once applied.
US07993181B2
An artificial eye includes a supporter, a first clipping member, a second clipping member and an electroactive pupil. The second clipping member is positioned on the supporter. A peripheral portion of the second clipping member is positioned on a peripheral portion of the first clipping member. A gap is defined between the first and second clipping members. The electroactive pupil is positioned in the gap and contacts the first and second clipping members.
US07993180B2
A method for manufacturing a field emission element, the method includes providing one supporting member and wrapping a carbon nanotube (CNT) film around an outer surface of the supporting member at least once. The CNT film includes a plurality of bundles of carbon nanotubes connected in series.
US07993177B2
One embodiment of the present invention relates to a water ski load distribution system for anatomically distributing tow rope induced forces across a participant. The system includes an abdominal encircling member, a rigid rear support member, a pair of wrist encircling members, and an elongated flexible member. The abdominal encircling member extends around the user's abdomen and may be incorporated within a personal flotation device. The rigid support member extends vertically on the back region between the abdominal encircling member and the user's shoulder region. The elongated flexible member extends between the wrist encircling members and the rigid support member. The length of the elongated flexible member prevents the user from simultaneously extending both arms at the shoulder joint. The wrist encircling members may optionally include load distribution systems that distribute pulling forces directly from a grip induced object to the wrists.
US07993175B2
In a system for controlling outboard motors each mounted on a boat and each having an engine, a steering mechanism, a shift mechanism, an actuator driving at least one of the steering mechanism, the shift mechanism and a throttle valve of the engine, and a controller controlling operation of the actuator, comprising: a steering wheel operable by an operator; a shift/throttle lever operable by the operator; and a manipulated variable detector producing an output indicative of manipulated variable of at least one of the steering wheel and the shift/throttle lever; the manipulated variable detector being separately connected to each of the controllers in the outboard motors through an electric signal line to send the output to the controllers. With this, it becomes possible to control the operation of the actuators in the outboard motors separately for the individual outboard motors with simple structure without identifying the respective outboard motors.
US07993173B2
A marine drive system (1) with a partially submerged propeller located at the transom of a boat comprising, for each propeller (2), a forward-opened shroud (20), positioned above the propeller (2), such as to define, between it and the water level, a channel (23) extending longitudinally and having, at the propeller (2), a cross-section whose area decreases from the transom (30).
US07993167B2
An ECG lead set is described which is shielded against electrostatic charge hazards. An electrical shield is located at the end of each lead of the lead set and electrically shields the connection of the lead set to an ECG electrode. The electrical shield is covered by a nonconductive cover and is electrically connected to the shield of the coaxial cable of the lead set.
US07993155B2
The connection system is designed to facilitate electrical and data connections between the battery and the electric vehicle. The connectors are designed with alignment mechanisms to account for initial misalignment of the battery and vehicle while still ensuring positive contact between them. The alignment mechanisms also introduce compliance into the system to ensure that the mechanical components of the system are not placed under unwanted loads or stresses. The connection system houses data connectors carrying communication signals as well as power connectors carrying high voltage electricity. The data connectors are shielded to prevent interference caused by proximity to the high voltage elements. The connection system uses no mechanical latching or locking mechanisms.
US07993147B2
A connector assembly includes a housing and contacts. The connector includes a mounting face and a mating face disposed transverse to one another. The mounting face is used to mount the connector to a substrate. The mating face has an elongated slot that is configured to receive a mating edge of a card edge module. The contacts extend between opposite contact tips at each of the mounting face and the mating face. The contact tips at the mounting face are configured to electrically couple the connector with the substrate. The contact tips at the mating face are configured to electrically couple the connector with the card edge module. The card edge module is oriented transverse to the substrate when the card edge module mates with the connector.
US07993136B2
A method produces a physical dental arch model having at least two physical tooth models. The method includes detecting the interference between two physical tooth models. If interference is detected between the first physical tooth model and the second physical tooth model, the positions and orientations of at least one physical tooth model is modified to prevent interference between the first physical tooth model and the second physical tooth model.
US07993134B2
Systems and methods for preventing interference between two physical tooth models in a physical dental arch model includes digitally representing the surfaces of each of the two physical tooth models by a mesh of points in three dimensions, interpolating the meshes of points to produce interpolated surfaces to represent the boundaries of the two physical tooth models, wherein the interpolated surfaces representing the boundaries of the two physical tooth models intersect at least at one point to form an overlapping portion. The method also includes specifying a straight line running through the overlapping portion and intersecting the two interpolated surfaces representing the boundaries of the two physical tooth models and calculating the length of the straight line in the overlapping portion to quantify the interference between the two physical tooth models.
US07993122B2
An improved reinforcing element, and devices and methods for producing a wrapped assembly reinforcing element comprising at least one center core member formed from at least one center core strand, wherein the at least one center core member is wrapped with a reinforced thermoplastic resin comprising complete fiber strand dispersion and wet out without breaking fiber filaments after cutting the fiber to a designated length in the wrapping resin. The resulting wrapped assembly may be used in a variety of ways, including virtually any construction project requiring a lightweight reinforcing member with high tensile and compression strength.
US07993109B2
A portable pumping system provides insulin or other drugs to a user. A shape memory element is used to actuate the pump and an intelligent system controls the actuator in order to minimize stresses within the system and provide accurate and reliable dosage delivery. The control system utilizes various types of feedback to monitor and optimize the position of the pumping mechanisms. Physical design aspects also minimize stress and the combination of the physical design aspects and the intelligent operation of the system results in a lightweight and cost effective pump that may be used in a disposable fashion if desired.
US07993100B2
An article of manufacture having a nominal profile substantially in accordance with Cartesian coordinate values of X, Y and Z set forth in TABLE 1. X and Y are distances in inches which, when connected by smooth continuing arcs, define airfoil profile sections at each distance Z in inches. The profile sections at the Z distances are joined smoothly with one another to form a complete airfoil shape.
US07993098B2
A method and a system for adjusting alarm level of a component in a wind turbine is provided. The method comprises defining an alarm level corresponding to an operational parameter of the component in the wind turbine, monitoring the operational parameter of the component, determining whether the operational parameter exceeds the alarm level, thereby triggering an alarm. In the case when the alarm is triggered, the method further comprises inspecting the component to determine whether the alarm level corresponds to a predetermined remaining useful lifetime of the component, and adjusting the alarm level based on the inspection of the component.
US07993094B2
A lift truck includes a guide member secured to a mast of the lift truck and a guided member secured to a carriage vertically movable along the mast. The guided member engages with the guide member to resist twisting moments acting on the carriage and enable the carriage to move smoothly along the mast. A lift truck attachment for mounting on a lift truck includes a latching member which can restrict movement of the attachment with respect to the lift truck in a fore-and-aft direction of the lift truck.
US07993093B2
A two-axis automation system can be used to transfer and rotate wafers between horizontal and vertical orientations necessary for differing steps in a semiconductor fabrication process. The two rotational axes allow for the transfer and rotation to be done in a minimal space and with a minimum amount of swept volume. A transfer arm of the automation system can include a pair of load pads capable of loading and unloading a wafer processing chamber in a single sweep.
US07993092B2
Provided are a moving carrier for a lead frame, and a method of moving a lead frame using the moving carrier. The moving carrier includes a base which supports the lead frame including a body and a chip attach pad on which a chip is disposed. The moving carrier includes a groove portion which is integrated with a part of the base and contains the chip attach pad of the lead frame. The lead frame is inserted or withdrawn into or out from a magazine using the moving carrier and thus without deformation of the lead frame or damage to the chip.
US07993091B2
In a wheel loader 3, an angle formed by a first line segment L1 connecting a pivot position Y on a boom 10 of a bell crank 11 and a pivot position X on a connecting link 13 and a second line segment L2 connecting the pivot position Y on the boom 10 of the bell crank 11 and a pivot position W on a tilt cylinder 12 is set in a range from 0 degree to 180 degrees on the attachment 20, 30 side, the attachment can be selected from a plurality of types such as a bucket 20 and a fork 30 for use, and each of the attachment 20, 30 that is different from each other has a different pivot position on the connecting link 13 relative to the pivot position on the boom 10 as a reference point.
US07993089B2
A system for extracting mail items in a mail processing system includes at least one pocket for containing at least one mail item and an extraction device. The pocket has a bottom area and two lateral walls, wherein each lateral wall has at least one opening. The pocket further includes a release mechanism at the bottom area configured to place the bottom area in an open state and a closed state. The extraction device is configured to engage the lateral walls of the pocket so that contact elements of the extraction device extend through the lateral walls and urge the at least one mail item away from inner surfaces of the lateral walls. The extraction device is further configured to cause the at least one mail item to pass through the bottom area when in the open state.
US07993088B2
A storage system for storing products is provided that includes a frame having a first side and a second side opposite the first side and a dynamic support carried by the frame. A mover assembly is carried by the frame and is configured to engage an area of a product at rest on the dynamic support. The mover assembly moves the product along the dynamic support relative to the frame from a first location near the first side to a second location near the second side.
US07993085B2
A collet body and captive stud combination is disclosed wherein the collet body has a first end and adjacent first wall portion, and a protrusion extending from an exterior surface thereof. The first wall portion also defines at least two secondary slots to create at least two fingers. The collet body also has a second end including a collet head and an opening for receiving a stud. At least a portion of an interior surface of the collet body is threaded to rotationally receive a threaded stud. The stud includes a head, a body portion being at least partially threaded, a distal end and at least one radially extending protrusion at or proximate to the distal end. The protrusion may be circumferentially continuous or discontinuous. The stud body portion is sized to fit through the collet body second end, and to prevent dislocation of the stud from the collet body once inserted in a collet body, the maximum diameter of the stud at the radially extending protrusion is greater than the minimum diameter of any essentially non-elastic portion of the collet body.
US07993083B1
A coupling apparatus for trucking straps used on flatbed trailer loads intended to hold stacked loads in a more secure manner while eliminating their tendency to shift during transit is herein disclosed. The apparatus provides a connecting link which takes the form of a flattened figure “8” with the approximate dimension of four-and-a-half (4½) inches wide and two-and-a-half (2½) inches tall. The link is used to hold one end of a conventional trucking strap, which is then looped around a load and then back through the other side of the link. The free end is then secured to a stationary object such as a rub bar on the edge of the flatbed trailer using a ratcheting buckle. Thus, the loop around the load is self tightening and automatically tightens in the event of a shifting load as is commonly the case with tubular loads such as PVC pipe, regular pipe, lumber and the like. The apparatus would be used on alternating sides of the load to provide a balanced bi-directional restraint.
US07993078B2
A method of installing an underground pipe includes a step of placing a leading end of a pipe section at an entry point for the underground pipe. An arcuate soil shoe is attached to an inside surface of the pipe section at or near the leading end of the pipe section, which soil shoe has a passageway therein with one or more outlets. A conduit is positioned to feed a lubricating liquid into the passageway, which liquid passes through the outlets to enter the inside of the pipe section. A driver such as a pneumatic impact tool is placed at a trailing end of the pipe section and used to drive the pipe section into the earth. A lubricating liquid is supplied through the conduit, which liquid passes into the passageway and through the outlets into the inside of the pipe section.
US07993071B2
Assemblies for coupling together two elements are provided and include a first coupling member and a second coupling member. The second coupling member has a body sized and adapted to be fitted into a hollow space defined by the first coupling member. The coupling members are structured to deflect the body of the second coupling member toward a first wall of the first coupling member as the body is passed into the hollow space.
US07993070B2
A coupling member for pivotally coupling an end of a device to a mounting ball includes a body connectable to an end of the device and defines a socket for receiving a mounting ball. The body further includes slots communicating with the socket. A sliding element arranged in a longitudinal groove of the body is movable from a first position to a second position. A C-shaped spring has two ends and a center section, the ends being received through the slots and projecting into the socket for holding the mounting ball in the socket. The sliding element interacts with the center section of the spring when the sliding element is moved to the second position so that the ends of the spring are drawn out from the socket to release the mounting ball from the socket, whereby the mounting ball is releasable from the socket without external tools.
US07993064B2
A high temperature optoelectronic device package includes a substrate, an optoelectronic die situated on an upper surface of the substrate, a seal surrounding the optoelectronic die and situated on the upper surface of the substrate and a housing disposed on the seal having a ferrule-seating portion. The housing is disposed on the seal such that a fiber optic center of the ferrule-seating portion is aligned with an active portion of the optoelectronic die. The optoelectronic die is in operative communication with electronic traces of the substrate.
US07993061B2
A sliding bearing (1) includes an upper casing (3) which is made of polyacetal resin as a synthetic resin, has an annular surface (2), and serves as a first bearing body; a second bearing body (5) which is made of a synthetic resin, is superposed on the upper casing (3) so as to be rotatable about an axis (O), and has an synthetic resin-made annular surface (4) opposed to the annular surface (2); and a synthetic resin-made annular sheet (6) which is interposed between the annular surfaces (2) and (4) and slidably abuts against at least one of the upper casing (3) and the bearing body (5).
US07993059B2
An anti-dust structure for a sliding block of a linear guideway comprises a sliding block, two end caps, plural rolling elements, a flexible anti-dust strip and a rail. The two end caps are assembled to both ends of the sliding block, the rolling elements are disposed on the rail. Between the end cap and the sliding block is defined a circulating path. The two end caps are each extended from an inner side thereof to form a linking portion, and the two linking portions of the two end caps are linked to each other to define an endless positioning groove including two longitudinal grooves and two transverse grooves. The flexible anti-dust strip is disposed in the positioning groove of the end caps and integrally formed with protruding lip portions for cooperating with the two longitudinal grooves.
US07993058B2
A lamella collimator, in particular for a beam therapy appliance, is provided. The lamella collimator has a plurality of lamellae, which can be moved by a motor or motors in a movement direction in order to preset a countour of a beam path on an X-ray beam. Each lamella has a position measurement apparatus with a movable measurement element, which is attached directly to the respective lamella.
US07993043B2
A vehicle lamp, which is configured to irradiate infrared light in a vehicle forward direction, includes: a projection lens disposed along an optical axis extending in a lamp backward and forward direction; and first and second light source units disposed in the rear of the projection lens. The first light source unit includes: a first light emitting element which is disposed in the rear of a rear focal point of the projection lens and emits the infrared light; and a first reflector which reflects the infrared light toward the optical axis in a lamp forward direction. An infrared light distribution pattern is formed by the infrared light which is reflected by the first reflector to pass through the projection lens. The second light source unit includes: a second light emitting element which is disposed in the rear of the rear focal point of the projection lens and emits visible light; and a second reflector which reflects the visible light toward the optical axis in a lamp forward direction. A visible light distribution pattern is formed by the visible light which is reflected by the second reflector to pass through the projection lens. The visible light distribution pattern overlaps with the infrared light distribution pattern. When the first light source unit is turned on, the second light source unit is turned on simultaneously with the first light source.
US07993042B2
An entertainment lighting system for an automobile interior. The invention is configured to be mounted to the interior of an automobile's roof in the position customarily occupied by the dome light. Power is preferably provided by the automobile's electrical circuitry intended to power the dome light. The invention includes a dome which projects an array of lighting effects. Flashing strobes are also provided. The strobes are preferably synchronized to the beat of music playing within the car. A black light and low power laser are optionally provided.
US07993033B2
A reflector built in a down light includes a plurality of floodlight openings respectively exposing a plurality of light-emitting elements to a front surface side, a plurality of radial partition walls which respectively partition and surround these floodlight openings, and an inner circumferential partition wall. Each of the partition walls has a ridge line, and the reflector includes a plurality of reflection concave surfaces each which open and widen from a respective one of the plurality of floodlight openings towards ridge lines of the plurality of partition walls which respectively surround the plurality of floodlight openings. The plurality of radial partition walls extend from the center of the reflector towards the outer circumference, and the inner circumferential partition wall is located between the center and the outer circumference.
US07993028B2
A backlight module includes a case, a lamp, and a lamp clamping mechanism. The case has a bottom plate. The lamp is installed inside the case. The lamp clamping mechanism is connected to the bottom plate. The lamp clamping mechanism includes a base, a second clamping part, and a driving part. A first clamping part is disposed on the base. The second clamping part is installed on the base in a movable manner. The second clamping part is used for clamping the lamp with the first clamping part cooperatively when the second clamping part is moved to a first position so as to fix the lamp on the bottom plate. The driving part is pivotally disposed through the base. The driving part is used for rotating relative to the base so as to push the second clamping part from a second position to the first position on the base.
US07993023B2
A hand tool with an illuminating device includes a handle having a receiving space defined therein. A holding seat is received in the receiving space. The holding seat has a battery chamber defined therein, a shank chamber defined therein, and a plurality of bit holders formed thereon. A tool set is received in the holding seat. The tool set includes a plurality of tool bits detachably held in the bit holders and a tool shank detachably received in the shank chamber. The tool shank has a coupling portion extending therefrom and a connecting portion formed thereon for detachably connecting to any one of the tool bits. An illuminating device is received in the receiving space and electrically connected to the holding seat. The illuminating device has a coupling slot defined axially therein for engaging with the coupling portion of the tool shank.
US07993016B2
Aspects of the present invention involve novel display screens comprising light diffusion and retro-reflectivity. In embodiments, a retro-reflective light diffusion screen can be used to generate a three-dimensional autostereoscopic display by generating a plurality of viewing windows wherein each viewing window depicts a unique perspective image view. In embodiments, the retro-reflective light diffusion screen comprises a transparent medium layer between the retro-reflector surface and the light diffuser layer to help reduce ghost images. In embodiments, the retro-reflective light diffusion screen comprises a lenticular layer positioned such that the light diffuser layer is between the lenticular layer and the retro-reflective surface and is also positioned so that the light diffuser layer is at a focal plane of the lenticular layer.
US07993012B2
An imaging system (200) includes a plurality of laser sources (201) configured to produce a plurality of light beams (204). One or more optical alignment devices (220) orient the light beams (204) into a collimated light beam (205). A light modulator (203) modulates the collimated light beam (205) such that images (206) can be presented on a display surface (207). Speckle is reduced with an optical feedback device (221) that causes the laser sources (201) to operate in a coherence collapsed state. Examples of optical feedback devices (221) include partially reflective mirrors and beam splitter-mirror combinations.
US07993001B2
A diaphanoscope rod that comprises a rod having a first end and a second end, that is made of a transparent or translucent material, and also a light feeding device. According to the invention, one end of the rod comprises a light deflecting device.
US07992993B2
An image forming apparatus for printing on a sheet by a recording head, includes a sheet transport mechanism to transport the sheet in a specified direction; a paper loading unit to contain the stacked sheet before printing; a second transport mechanism to transport the sheet through a second transport path from the paper loading unit to a temporal containing unit a state where a front-back direction of the sheet is kept; and a third transport mechanism to transport the sheet through a third transport path from the temporal containing unit between the recording head and the sheet guide member in a state where the front-back direction of the sheet is kept.
US07992991B2
An image forming apparatus stably conveys a recording medium, and includes a conveyance roller, a driven roller, a conveyance belt, an image forming unit and a pressing member. The conveyance belt is rotated by the conveyance roller while supported by the conveyance roller and the driven roller, and is configured to convey the recording medium while electrostatically attracting the recording medium. The pressing member presses the recording medium against the conveyance belt at a position between the conveyance roller and the image forming unit.
US07992986B2
A method of reducing intermittent weak or missing (IWM) jet failures in a phase change ink imaging device comprises fluidly connecting a positive pressure source to a print head assembly of a phase change ink imaging device. The print head assembly includes a plurality of ink jets for emitting ink drops onto an ink receiver. The method includes activating the pressure source to deliver a positive pressure pulse to the print head assembly. The pressure pulse is delivered at substantially a purge pressure. The pressure pulse has a pulse duration such that the pressure pulse bulges ink from the plurality of ink jets without emitting ink from the plurality of ink jets.
US07992977B2
A liquid ejecting apparatus which includes an ejection head capable of ejecting a liquid to an ejection object, a liquid source including a liquid container capable of containing the liquid, a flow channel capable of allowing the liquid to flow form the liquid source to the ejection head, and a pressure buffer disposed in the flow channel capable of buffering a variation in pressure of the liquid in the flow channel when the liquid container is detached from the liquid source.
US07992975B2
A method and apparatus for forming fluid droplets includes a nozzle channel, a pressurized source of a non-conductive fluid in fluid communication with the nozzle channel, and a stimulation electrode. The pressurized source is operable to form a jet of the non-conductive fluid through the nozzle channel. At least one portion of the stimulation electrode is electrically conductive and contactable with a portion of the non-conductive fluid jet. The at least one electrically conductive and contactable portion of the stimulation electrode is operable to transfer an electrical charge to a region of the portion of the non-conductive fluid jet with the electrical charge stimulating the non-conductive fluid jet to form a non-conductive fluid droplet.
US07992964B2
A liquid-jet head, including: a plurality of head bodies each furnished with a nozzle plate having a plurality of nozzles formed therein; a joining member, adhered to the nozzle plate via an adhesive agent, for binding and fixing the plurality of head bodies; an opening formed in a region of the joining member corresponding to the nozzles; and a protrusion formed in an edge portion of the opening facing the nozzle plate, and protruding toward the nozzle plate, wherein when the joining member is joined to the nozzle plate via the adhesive agent, the protrusion is allowed to bite into the nozzle plate.
US07992961B2
A passage unit formed with ink ejection ports, an actuator mounted on the passage unit, and a cover member are provided. Further provided is a side plate member that is in contact with a mounting face of the passage unit on which the actuator is mounted. The side plate member has a side plate and an opposing plate that is connected to the side plate. The side plate extends in the longitudinal direction of the passage unit and along a contour line of the passage unit. The side plate is in crosswise contact with the mounting face. The opposing plate is opposed to the mounting face. The cover member is placed at such a position that the actuator and the side plate member are sandwiched between the cover member and the passage unit. The cover member presses the opposing plate toward the passage unit.
US07992959B2
A printing system including a substrate and a dual-mode printing device, the dual-mode printing device including a permanent writing source and a transient writing source, wherein the permanent writing source is adapted to deposit an imaging material onto the substrate and the transient writing source is adapted to develop an image on the substrate by applying a stimulus to the substrate.
US07992956B2
The present invention provides inkjet print nozzle calibration systems and methods for calibrating an inkjet print nozzle. The systems may include an inkjet print nozzle adapted to dispense ink onto a substrate in response to a firing pulse voltage, a light source adapted to illuminate the dispensed ink, an imaging system adapted to measure a transmittance of light through the dispensed ink, and a controller adapted to controllably adjust the inkjet print nozzle based on the measured light transmittance. The methods may include dispensing ink onto a surface with an inkjet print nozzle set at a firing pulse voltage, measuring a light transmittance characteristic of the dispensed ink, determining a volume of ink dispensed based on the transmittance characteristic, and adjusting a fire pulse voltage of the inkjet print nozzle based on a difference between the determined volume of ink dispensed and an expected volume level of ink dispensed.
US07992954B2
An image forming apparatus operable in a duplex printing mode includes a liquid ejecting head, a conveyance member, a charger, and a controller. The liquid ejecting head ejects liquid droplets to respective first and second faces of a recording medium to form images thereon. The conveyance member conveys the recording medium while attracting the recording medium thereon by electrostatic force. The charger conduct a charging operation of the conveyance member to generate the electrostatic force. The controller is configured to control, based on a state of the first face having the image formed thereon, the charging operation during an image formation on the second face, and control a pause operation of a conveyance of the recording medium after the image formation on the second face.
US07992949B2
A mechanical safety braking device for use with a mobile storage unit forming a part of the mobile storage system. The device includes an actuating member disposed on a mobile storage unit that is operably connected to a braking mechanism engaged with a motive system for the mobile storage unit. When the actuating member is engaged, the mechanical connection between the actuating member and the braking mechanism causes the braking mechanism to slow and ultimately cease the operation of the motive system and consequent movement of the mobile storage unit.
US07992944B2
A degradation assembly comprises a rotary portion and a stationary portion. The rotary portion includes a cemented metal bolster bonded to a tip. The tip comprises a asymmetric, substantially conically shaped tip formed of diamond and a cemented metal carbide substrate. The stationary portion comprises a holder configured to be coupled to a block mounted to a driving mechanism. A compressible element is disposed between and in mechanical contact with both the rotary portion and the stationary portion.
US07992943B2
A dump body for a transport vehicle, in particular for the transportation of bulk material, is described. The dump body can be pivoted around a pivot axis between a support position and an upwardly pivoted ejection position by means of a drive device and consists of a body preferably made of sheet metal and having a base, side walls, a front wall terminating the dump body at one end and a chute arranged at the oppositely disposed end and drawn upwardly with respect to the base, wherein the body is rounded in a parabolic manner, with it having a rounded body base, a rounded chute and a rounded transition between the body base and the chute.
US07992942B2
The tub is mounted to a frame for alternative movement from a position wherein the tub is centrally located with respect to the longitudinal axis of the frame. The tub may be tilted from a position centrally located to a side dump position which is offset with respect to the longitudinal axis of the frame. The apparatus for moving the tub from its centrally located position to its side dump position is a barrel pivotally mounted to the tub and an extension rod which is pivotally mounted to the frame.
US07992939B2
Detailed are head rest mechanisms and assemblies containing a flexible collar. Portions of the collar may be moved independently from other portions and may pivot or otherwise move both forward of the seat back and vertically under passenger control. Also described are slide assemblies containing deformable projections for use with vertically-adjustable head rests.
US07992936B2
A seat comprising an underframe and a seat element wherein the seat element comprises a front seat part, a rear seat part, a lower backrest part and an upper backrest part wherein the seat element can be displaced from a basic position into a reclined position, and wherein the seat element comprises at least one supporting arm composed of at least one upper support and at least one lower support having an arcuate profile in a transitory region between the rear seat part and the lower backrest part, and wherein the upper support and the lower support are connected at an upper backrest part. At least one guide element guiding the upper support in a front region of the seat part, and at least one connecting link positioning the upper support and the lower support with respect to each other. The front seat pan: being capable of being pulled back by the upper support when the backrest parts are loaded by an individual leaning against them.
US07992935B2
The present invention concerns a back support device (60) for use in a children's chair (1) wherein the children's chair comprises at least one backrest, two side pieces (5), one seat plate (2) and one safety bow (100) with ends (101), wherein the safety bow (100) is detachably fastened to the side pieces (5) and wherein the backrest or the side pieces have at least one opening or groove each, wherein the back support device (60) comprises: a top part (61) stretching beyond the backrest in height; left and right arms (63) for at least partly inlay in the opening(s) or groove(s) in the backrest or the side pieces; wherein parts of the arms (63) are locked in said opening(s) or groove(s) by the safety bow (100). The invention also concerns the use of the back support device, and a children's set comprising the back support device and use of the children's set.
US07992932B2
The present invention relates to an actuating means with which the position of a component can be changed directly or indirectly.
US07992928B2
A vehicle roof structure which can regulate the quantity of lighting while ensuring appearance quality when viewed from the compartment. When a roll shade is arranged at a retreat position, incident light penetrates a glass roof thence penetrates a supporting member and a closing member exhibiting translucency and finally penetrates an opaque skin material exhibiting translucency. Since the opaque skin material covers a ceiling matrix on the inside of the compartment and closes the ceiling opening continuously from the inside of the compartment, if a roll shade is arranged at the light shielding position, the ceiling opening cannot be distinguished easily by a crewman when the crewman looks the vehicle roof side from the inside of the compartment and it is recognized as continuous interior.
US07992927B2
A reinforcing brace excellent in productivity and cost performance is provided which can advantageously improve a rigidity of a floor panel without deteriorating aerodynamic performance. The reinforcing brace comprising a longitudinal press-formed product including a cylindrical section 12 located at a middle area in a longitudinal direction thereof and flat portions 44, 44 located at end areas in the longitudinal direction thereof. Further, an outer surface of the cylindrical section 12 is made as regulating surfaces 26, 32, 36 which reduce air resistance by regulating a flow of air passing under the vehicle body. Furthermore, a plurality of insertion holes 46 are positioned in the flat portions 44, 44 into which fastener members are inserted.
US07992913B2
A seat assembly has a seat cushion pivotally supported by a pair of front support links for movement between a seating position for supporting a seat occupant and a stowed position. A seat back is pivotally supported by a pair of recliner mechanism for movement between an upright position and a stowed position. The seat cushion moves from the seating position to the stowed position in response to pivotal movement of the seat back from the upright position to the stowed position. A J-link extends between the seat back and the front support links. A torsion spring biases the seat cushion to the stowed position. A control cable operatively couples the seat back and the seat cushion. A pair of support legs automatically deploy as the seat cushion rotates to the stowed position.
US07992910B2
A robot structure, suited especially for minimally invasive surgery, comprises two robot elements interconnected by a hinge. Using a force transmission the movable robot element of said robot structure, notably comprising two gripping elements, can be moved. A sensor element is provided for picking up forces occurring. To reduce the influence of motional forces, said force transmission is connected with a base element of said sensor element such that motional forces transmitted by said force transmission element are supported at the base element.
US07992900B2
A base for a slalom pole or ski pole having brush bristles extending from an acircular axially extending base, preferably having a polygonal or hexagonal configuration, the bristles extending from a circular surface adjoining a circular brush section. The base can also be used as a pole anchor.
US07992896B2
A gas generator for a safety system includes an explosible charge formed at least by a primary pyrotechnic compound, in a first chamber initiated by at least one initiator provided with a reinforcing charge and a secondary compound, in a second chamber, the decomposition of which is entailed by products of combustion of the primary compound, an interaction of the products of combustion of the primary compound and those of the secondary compound through an oxidation-reduction reaction occurring in a slightly confined volume, the first chamber communicating with said second chamber through a central nozzle and said second chamber being provided, at a first zone close to said first chamber, with orifices that discharge the gases and contain, in a second zone, said secondary compound; and means forming an obstacle to the passage of the gases installed in said second chamber between said first and second zones, said obstacle-forming means allowing the gases to pass into a central part and forming an obstacle to their passage into a peripheral part with sufficient transparency for the gas interaction volume to be slightly confined.
US07992880B2
A conventional shopping cart is transformed into a mobile dispensing display device for use at retail establishments, tradeshows, sporting events, or other special events by mounting a tabletop panel horizontally on top of a conventional type shopping cart. The tabletop panel is mounted in a substantially covering relationship to the handle bar, child seat backrest and open top of the shopping cart basket. A flexible banner display is removably attached to the outer periphery of the tabletop panel. The banner display being attached to the tabletop panel in a substantially covering relationship to all four sides of the shopping cart. Whereby the unseen covered shopping cart becomes a mobile promotional and sales display device providing products for sale, information, samples or coupons. Products to be sold and/or sampled, as well as coupons or other promotional materials may be placed in the shopping cart basket area or on the tabletop panel.
US07992877B2
A chuck for releasably retaining a substrate, where the chuck has a body with a substrate receiving surface disposed in an X-Y coordinate plane and adapted to receive the substrate. The body has gas pressure delivery channels and gas vacuum drawing channels, where the gas pressure delivery channels and gas vacuum drawing channels are mutually exclusive within the body. The substrate receiving surface has gas pressure delivery portions in communication with the gas pressure delivery channels, for delivering a gas pressure against the substrate while the substrate is retained by the chuck, and thereby keeping the substrate from contacting the substrate receiving surface. The substrate receiving surface also has gas vacuum drawing portions in communication with the gas vacuum drawing channels, for drawing a gas vacuum against the substrate while the substrate is retained by the chuck, and thereby retaining the substrate proximate the substrate receiving surface. Retaining means retain the substrate in X-Y directions from sliding off of the substrate receiving surface.
US07992875B2
A door weather strip includes a base attached along the outer periphery of a door frame and a hollow seal, and a clip attached to the base. The clip includes an engaging part fit in and enagageable with an attaching hole in the door frame and a retained part retained to the base. The retained part includes a retaining piece and a coupling portion coupling the center area of the retaining piece in the longitudinal direction and the engaging part. Using an inserting means equipped with an insertion pin which is nearly cylindrical and sharp-pointed, the insertion pin is pierced into the base so that the retaining piece is fed through the inner peripheral side of the insertion pin to the inner face side of the base, thereby attaching the clip to the base.
US07992866B2
An apparatus for aligning sheets in a processing machine includes translationally movable stops or front lays which can be driven through the use of a coupler mechanism or individually actuable electric motors.
US07992864B2
A sheet processor includes a processing tray with a first surface that receives sheets and forms a pile of sheets. An endless belt circulates by way of first and second surface sides on a side opposite the first surface of the processing tray. A first roller reverses a circulation path of the endless belt from the first surface side to the second surface side. A second roller is disposed at an interval from the first roller and reverses the circulation path from the second surface side. First and second abutments are attached to the belt and abut an end edge of the pile of sheets. The abutments are attached to the belt so that the first abutment is positioned near the first roller and on the second surface side and the second abutment is near the second roller on the second surface side.
US07992850B2
A method for operating an electromagnetic lift that includes a generator-driven electromagnet comprises adjusting a position of the electromagnet, in response to a first position command. Upon receiving a lift command, an output power level of a generator is established at a predetermined level above a predefined normal power level. In response to an excess release command, the output power level is set to a first predetermined level below the normal power level. In response to a transport command, the output power level is established as approximately the normal power level. Upon receiving a release command, the output power level is established at a second predetermined level below the normal power level.
US07992843B2
A dispensing element of an anesthetic vaporizer is provided that can be manufactured in a simple manner and makes it possible to dispense anesthetic over a broad setting range. The dispensing element (11) includes two, longitudinally extending dispensing channels (14, 15), which are connected to one another in terms of flow by means of a connection channel (16). The gas flows from one of the dispensing channels (14) into the other dispensing channel (15) via the connection channel (16).
US07992842B2
A bracket system for forming gate assemblies comprising at least two brace members that are rigidly attached to hinge assemblies. The brace members are adapted to be attached to support members to form two corners of a gate box functioning as the structural portion of the gate assembly. The hinge assemblies are adapted to be rigidly attached to a fence post to allow the gate assembly to pivot relative to the fence post. Gate assemblies of arbitrary height and width can be formed using the bracket system.
US07992835B2
A kinematic optical mount comprising a frame supporting an optical element; a base member having first and second surfaces and providing magnetic attraction to seat the frame against first, second, and third point contacts. The kinematic optical mount further includes threaded yaw and pitch adjustment cavities extending through the base member from the first surface to the second surface, together with threaded yaw and pitch adjustment inserts that can be inserted into the yaw and pitch adjustment cavities from either the first or second surfaces of the base member enabling adjustment of two of the point contacts from the direction of the either the first or second surfaces.
US07992830B2
The invention concerns a display support element for a bracelet and/or a wristwatch comprising: a central element for receiving a bracelet or wristband and having a longitudinal axis substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of the wristband or bracelet, the central element being flexible along its longitudinal axis, and two lateral elements, secured to the central element so as not to hinder the flexibility thereof, the lateral elements defining, with the central element, a substantially closed volume.
US07992822B2
A plate material is formed into a height difference adjusting member having a J-shape such that its shim portion and resilient support portion are opposed to each other. The height difference adjusting member is mounted on a spar such that the shim portion and the resilient support portion are resiliently mounted to a flange of the spar. A rear end of a leading edge skin is fixed to the flange by a fastener in a state where the shim portion of the height difference adjusting member is interposed between the leading edge skin and the flange. The shim portion adjusts a difference in height between a front end of a main body skin and the rear end of the leading edge skin. Even if a large number of height difference adjusting members are mounted on the spar, the height difference adjusting members do not fall off and are not displaced.
US07992820B2
An aircraft with a long body 1 which has a forward end 2 and an aft end 3, which is able to achieve vertical take-off by means of a tilt-able rotor and blade assembly 4 at the forward part of the aircraft and a tilt-able turbojet 19 at the rear of the aircraft. The rotor and blade assembly is rotated by an engine assembly 8, with the engine assembly, the rotor and blades all positioned on top a multi-directional tilt enabling joint 9. The turbojet is fitted to a multi-directional tilt enabling joint 27 to allow control of lateral movement of the aircraft as well as providing vertical lift and forward propulsion during forward flight. The turbojet is connected to the tilt enabling joint 27 by a rivet 30 such that the turbojet can be rotated relative to the tilt enabling joint.
US07992819B2
A thread spool holding device has a plastic base plate that holds a series of preferably soft plastic spindles that can be introduced or removed from the base and can be arranged as needed by sliding along a slotted track of the base. Each spindle can hold a threaded spool and has a cross sectional configuration for gripping the center hole of the spool. The spindle ends can also hold a bobbin in tandem with a thread spool.
US07992815B2
A pulveriser mill has a grinding set (2) supported by a support table (4), the support table having on its underside supporting parts 8′, 10′, 12′. By such means the working life of the support table may be extended.
US07992814B2
A mobile rock crushing vehicle with a detachable electronic control box which can be automatically lifted, by a pair of hydraulic pivoting arms, off the vehicle, lowered and set upon any vibration damping and isolating mass, such as the earth, all by moving a hydraulic lever. The pair of pivoting arms further automatically configure a reduced-vibration transmitting connection when the electronic control box is set upon the ground.
US07992807B2
A mechanism of controlling water outflow of shower is provided in the casing of shower. The water outlet of the mechanism is aligned with the water outlet of shower. The mechanism of controlling water outflow comprises inner sealing shell, outer sealing shell, and an intermediate cavity defined between the inner sealing shell and the outer sealing shell. A water outflow cavity is formed between outer sealing shell and water outflow disc. The intermediate cavity communicates with intake channel of shower. The mechanism of controlling water outlet also comprises separating sealing pad inside the intermediate cavity, with one side sticked to the water outflow disc of outer sealing shell and the other side sticked to valve elements. The intermediate cavity comprises the inner cavity and outer cavity. The inner cavity communicates with water outflow cavity through the first small hole and with outer cavity through a through-hole. The intake channel communicates with outer cavity. The small hole matches with a mobile sealing pad that connects the button kit that controls the sealing pad to separate or contact the small hole. This invention can realize different effects of water outflow, easy operation handle and longer service life.
US07992802B2
The present invention provides a bumping-type sprinkler. The sprinkler includes a main body, where an inlet pipe coupling end is mounted at the lower end, an upper frame is mounted at the upper end, and a water outlet is arranged at lower flange nearby the upper frame. A revolving member, arranged onto the upper frame of the main body, has a torsional spring and a revolving portion. An outflow turntable is assembled corresponding to the water outlet of the main body. A pivot portion is placed centrally on the outflow turntable for screwing it laterally on the water outlet at interval. A plurality of outflow guide holes are arranged at intervals along a circular path of the eccentric circumferential portion of the outflow turntable. The outflow guide holes can be located corresponding to the water outlet in line with the change of rotation/displacement angle of the outflow turntable.
US07992776B1
An automated banking machine can receive user card data from a cell phone. The phone stores the card data of several selectable cards, including electronic account number data. The machine generates and displays a random number correlated with a time period. A machine user manually inputs the displayed random number into their phone. A software application in the phone encrypts the selected card data along with the inputted random number data. The phone displays a bar code image containing the encrypted data. The banking machine includes a bar code reader which can read the displayed image. The machine causes the read data to be decrypted. The random number is used to verify the current transaction session. Thereafter, the user may provide other inputs, including PIN input. The process replaces physical insertion of a card yet allows secure input of the card data. Possible data interception from activities requiring card insertion are also reduced.
US07992775B2
A system controlled by data bearing records includes an automated banking machine that operates to carry out transactions responsive to data read from user cards. Theautomated banking machine includes a deposit accepting device. The deposit accepting device is operative to receive a stack of sheets and to separate each sheet from the stack through operation of a picker. Each sheet is analyzed by analysis devices including at least one magnetic read head, an imager and/or a validation device. Analyzed sheets are stored in a first storage and retrieval device. Sheets determined not to have at least one property of a genuine sheet are returned to a user of the machine. Sheets determined to have at least one property of genuine sheets are stored in a second sheet storage and retrieval device of the machine.
US07992772B2
A method and system for authenticating goods and thereby detecting and deterring counterfeits are disclosed. According to one aspect of the invention, a client utilizes data received from a host to generate a plurality of security codes and to direct a printing device to print the plurality of security codes on a plurality of products, without retaining the plurality of security codes after the printing device has printed the plurality of security codes on the plurality of products. After the security codes have been printed, a person can communicate the security code to the host, which can verify its authenticity.
US07992769B2
A positioning mechanism (100) configured for positioning a keypad (20) on a portable electronic device includes a plurality of retainers (10). Each retainer includes a main portion (11) and a fixing unit (12) formed on the main portion. The main portion includes an engaging surface (112) and an opposite latching surface (114). A protrusion (1121) is formed on the engaging surface, a first positioning surface (1122) corresponding to a first portable electronic device (30) is formed on the protrusion. The retainer is mounted to the keypad via the fixing unit.
US07992762B2
A frictionally press-bonded member includes a steel pipe, and a stab. The steel pipe has opposite ends. The stab is frictionally press-bonded to at least one of the opposite ends of the steel pipe. The steel pipe is subjected to a normalizing treatment before being frictionally press-bonded to the stab.
US07992751B1
A cargo carrier mountable onto a trailer hitch of a vehicle has a two-piece tubular housing having an internal chamber for accommodating link members and rigid bars used to retain the housing in an expanded open position. A hitch bar secured to the housing is adapted to be coupled to the trailer hitch on the vehicle.
US07992747B2
A product holding, displaying and dispensing assembly includes a dispenser housing having a feed channel and a dispensing location together with a pre-packed, shipping cartridge holding a plurality of product units. The cartridge is inserted and held within the dispenser housing as the product units move within the cartridge to the dispensing location where a consumer can access and remove one or more product units. Unlike more conventional dispensers, the assembly of the present invention is configured so that the pre-packed cartridge is loaded into and remains within the housing as the product units are dispensed and advance forward within the dispenser. After insertion, the cartridge is locked in place by an arrangement of the feed track when one or more cans remain in the cartridge, but can be removed easily when the cartridge is empty. A forward facing surface also provides an additional advertising medium.
US07992746B2
A method and apparatus for controlling removal of one or more receptacles from a receptacle tray are described herein, in which a removal indicator indicates which of the one or more receptacles to remove. Thereafter, the indicated one or more receptacles may be manually removed from the receptacle tray using a gripping mechanism. The receptacles are secured in the tray with two or more tangs protruding from a front face of the receptacle closest to a connector interface. The two or more tangs fit into respective mating units in the receptacle tray, and one or more protrusions toward the rear of the receptacle, with respect to the two or more tangs, mate with respective mating units in the receptacle tray.
US07992743B2
A food container formed from plastic, can be loaded with food and then closed by a clerk, and thereafter cannot be opened without tearing apart first sides (24, 26) of the base (12) and lid (16). The container is formed by a single sheet of plastic that forms a base and lid with second sides (20, 22) that are latched together and with adjacent first sides that are joined by a joint line (30) in the plastic that is creased and that has slits (40). At the joint line, the lid has a projecting lid tab (32) and the base has a projecting base tab (36). A person grasps both tabs, and lifts only the lid tab to tear apart the first sides of the base and lid along the joint line (30). Thereafter, the lid can be easily closed and reopened on the base.
US07992742B1
A refuse receptacle includes an outer enclosure having an upper frame member with an opening through which refuse can be deposited into the outer enclosure, and a cover movably mounted on the upper frame member between a position normally closing the opening and a position which permits refuse to be deposited through the opening into the outer enclosure. A tubular refuse holder is mounted on a spring plate in the outer enclosure, the refuse holder including an upper open end for receiving refuse deposited through the opening. A plurality of coil springs are provided between the spring plate and a ledge in the enclosure to bias the refuse holder toward the upper frame member such that there is engagement of the upper open end of the refuse holder against the upper frame member to provide a seal thereat.
US07992737B2
Container for products, such as surprises or similar accessories, comprising two half-shells (2, 4), with a containing wall (2a, 2b; 4a, 4b) and with an open mouth (10, 12), able to be coupled together mouth-to-mouth so as to form a closed container (1), where the two half-shells (2, 4) are connected together by means of hinging means (20), with a hinging axis (a-a) such as to allow the movement of one of the, half-shells (2, 4) with respect to the other one between a closed position of the container (1) and an open position. The container (1), in its closed configuration, has a minimum overall dimension of between 20 mm and 55 mm and the containing wall (2a, 2b; 4a, 4b) of at least one of the half-shells (2, 4) has, in the vicinity of the hinging means (20), at least one line (44a/46a; 44b, 46b) with a weakened wall thickness, which extends over a section of said wall (2a, 2b; 4a, 4b) and which is capable of breakage following stresses applied to the body of the half-shell (2, 4) and/or to the hinging means (20) connecting the two half-shells (2, 4) and prone to cause breakage of said hinging means (20).
US07992732B2
A multi-use truck bed apparatus, comprising a first rack assembly, a second rack assembly, a base assembly coupled to the truck, wherein the first rack assembly and second rack assembly are coupled to the base assembly, and a lifting mechanism, wherein the lifting mechanism comprises a winch coupled to the second rack assembly.
US07992716B2
A container comprising a front panel, a first back panel, a second back panel, a first side panel bridging the front panel and the first back panel, a second side panel bridging the front panel and the second back panel, a top portion, and a bottom portion. The front panel, first and second back panels, first and second side panels, top portion, and bottom portion define an interior of the container. The container further comprises a divider extending from the first back panel into the interior of the container and attached to the front panel. The container further comprises a detachable portion comprising a removable section of the top portion, a removable section of the front panel, and a removable section of the divider. The detachable portion is separable from the container along a plurality of lines of weakness.
US07992701B2
A conveyor system aligner, method of aligning and continuous aligning belt includes providing a belt support assembly having a generally vertical support surface and a channel defined in the support surface. A belt drive propels the aligning belt along the support surface and items, such as cartons, are conveyed past the aligning belt. A continuous aligning belt is provided that has a contact portion and a guide member. The contact portion has a contact surface and a glide surface. The glide surface is configured to travel along the support surface. The guide member is adapted to be captured by the channel and travels in the channel to support the aligning belt.
US07992697B2
The invention relates to a friction device for a clutch, particularly of a motor vehicle. The inventive friction device comprises first and second axially-spaced coaxial friction lining members which are defined by opposing friction faces. The device also comprises means for linking the two friction lining members which are solidly connected to one another. The first friction lining member is essentially ring shaped. The aforementioned linking means comprise linking tongue elements which are each equipped with a first end for solidly connecting to an inner edge of the first friction lining member and a second end for solidly connecting to the second friction lining member. Moreover, a deviation angle is provided between said first and second connecting ends, which can vary according to the axial spacing of the two friction lining member.
US07992692B2
The present invention relates to a cylinder which has hollow portion therein; a piston rod which is inserted through an upper side of the cylinder and has a groove pattern having plurality of convex portions and concave portions which are alternately formed; a piston valve which is connected with a lower end of the piston rod so as to be reciprocated in the cylinder and has a fluid passing hole which is formed in an up and down direction; a rod guide which closes up an upper end of the cylinder tightly and guides an up-down movement of the piston rod and which has a through-hole at a side portion thereof; and a sensor module which is installed to the rod guide so as to detect a movement of the piston rod by using a variation in magnetic field generated when the piston rod is moved.
US07992685B2
A cable is installed in a duct by means of blowing (and, optionally, synergetic pushing) and lubricating the cable during field installation. Lubricating the cable is done after the cable exits from the cable blowing equipment and hence takes place in a pressurized airflow passage. Lubricant supplied from an external reservoir drains into a pressurized lubricator space through which the cable moves. Foam-plugs seal the entrance and the exit of the lubricator space. The cable is wetted by the lubricant as it moves through the lubricator space, and excess lubricant is wiped by the foam plug, leaving only a thin film of lubricant on the cable as it moves out of the lubricator. In one embodiment, the lubricator is fitted with a single wiping member in the form of an annular plug of open cell foam material, and the cable passes through laterally opposite sections of the annular plug. The lubricator housing is formed in mating sections, and the internal lubricator is also formed in mating sections. The lubricator is integrated with cable blowing equipment in one embodiment. A bundle of guide tubes is lubricated in another embodiment.
US07992681B2
A safety ladder assembly and a safety extension used in combination with a ladder suitable to permit safe and easy access to the landing areas, working platforms, scaffolds, etc. The assembly includes safety extension members having a plurality of horizontal handgrips ergonomically designed to prevent falls from the ladder when a user is ascending upward or descending downward.
US07992678B2
An inflatable, noise attenuating panel or barrier, comprised of an inflatable air chamber coated with (wrapped in or attached thereto) an acoustic barrier material, with which to construct a variety of structures that benefit from a degree of soundproofing.
US07992674B2
A fan system includes a rotor supported for rotation about a fan axis. The rotor has a central hub and a plurality of blades each extending outwardly from the hub to a tip. The rotor blades define a rotor plane perpendicular to the fan axis. A first acoustic resonator has an opening disposed on a first side of the rotor plane and a second acoustic resonator has an opening disposed on a second side of the rotor plane. The acoustic resonators are configured to provide a dipole resonator system operable to at least partially reduce a blade pass frequency tone in an upstream and a downstream direction simultaneously.
US07992668B2
A power transmission device for a four-wheel drive vehicle includes an input shaft adapted to be driven by a power source. A first output shaft is rotatable about a first axis and adapted to transmit torque to a first driveline. A second output shaft is adapted to transmit torque to a second driveline and is rotatable about a second axis. The first and second axes diverge from one another. A transfer unit includes a drive member driven by the first output shaft and a driven member driving the second output shaft. A spline coupling is positioned within a cavity formed in the driven member to drivingly interconnect the driven member and the second output shaft. The second output shaft is axially moveable relative to the driven member.
US07992666B2
Disclosed is a tractor-trailer including a tractor having a lower tractor duct that receives first air from a front of the tractor and channels the first air through a center area of the tractor and down between a set of rear wheels, a trailer having a lower trailer duct positioned below a cargo space and that channels the first air in the lower trailer duct between each set of trailer rear wheels and a lower articulation duct positioned near the set of rear wheels in the tractor that receives air from the lower tractor duct and communicates air to the lower trailer duct. An upper duct is also provided with an articulation duct that channels air through a ductwork at the top of the trailer and tractor. A louver system at the rear of the trailer enables the air in each duct to be channeled and pulled out of the respective duct in such a manner as to reduce drag and eddy currents using the vacuum at the rear of the trailer.
US07992664B2
The jalousie for the control of the air flow through the engine cooler of a vehicle has rotatable fins (2), which are supported on one side in an outer housing ring (47) provided for the connection with the engine cooler of the vehicle and on the other side in an inner supporting ring (4). The swivelling of the fins (2) occurs with an adjusting ring (45), whose engaging portions (46) work together with counter-engaging portions (10) provided at the fin ends. The adjusting ring (45) with its engaging portions (46) and the counter-engaging portions (10) of the fins (2) are enclosed together on all sides in a hollow space (49) circumferentially extending around along the adjusting ring (13, 45) for the protection against contaminants and consequently for its safe function, which is limited by two profile rings (47, 50) interlocking with each other all around.
US07992658B2
A reamer for subterranean wellbores may include a composite framework, which may include one or more high strength stems, each having one or more reamer bodies coupled thereto. The body may include a plurality of plates coupled together and may include additional components formed integrally therewith or coupled thereto. A method of forming a reaming tool may include forming a high strength stem and a reamer body and coupling the body to the stem. A method of using the reaming tool may include coupling one or more bodies in a drill string and reaming a wellbore.
US07992653B2
A method of drilling or gas-lifting is disclosed where the methods including the use of a foaming agent and a gas, where the foaming agent is a keratin and the hydrostatic pressure of the fluid in the well is for a portion of the drilling or gas-lift operation less than an hydrostatic pressure of the formation being drilled or under production.
US07992649B2
A turf leveling device including a metering blade together with first and second horizontal and parallel main blades separated by first and second open distances. The blades are supported by a frame with spaced frame arms adapted to provide three point hitch attachment points. Skid plates mounted on left and right sides of the frame prevent the metering blade from scrapping or cutting elevated areas of the turf surface. The metering blade and the first and second main blades with deflectors effectively redistribute and level the gathered material. A vertically adjustable verticutting knife roller having keyed knife discs extending through slots in a grating insert is preferably disposed in the first open distance.
US07992645B2
A tubular member for lining a wellbore, the tubular member comprising: an inner tubular member including a first end, an opposite end, an axial bore extending from the first end to the opposite end and an outer surface; an outer tubular including a base end and an outboard end, the outer tubular connected about the inner tubular adjacent its base end and a locating profile in the axial bore of the inner tubular.
US07992640B2
An aqueous fluid system that contains an aqueous dicarboxylic acid solution, a viscoelastic surfactant as a gelling agent to increase the viscosity of the fluid, and an internal breaker such as mineral oil and/or fish oil to controllably break the viscosity of the fluid provides a self-diverting acid treatment of subterranean formations. The internal breaker may be at least one mineral oil, a polyalphaolefin oil, a saturated fatty acid, and/or is an unsaturated fatty acid. The VES gelling agent does not yield viscosity until the organic acid starts to spend. Full viscosity yield of the VES gelling agent typically occurs at about 6.0 pH. The internal breaker allows the VES gelling agent to fully viscosify the spent organic acid at 6.0 pH and higher, but as the spent-acid VES gelled fluid reaching reservoir temperature, controllable break of the VES fluid viscosity over time can be achieved.
US07992638B2
A release device includes a first sub, a second sub, and a connector separably connecting the first and the second sub, wherein the connector includes a shear member disposed with the first sub and a collar connected between the second sub and the shear member.
US07992637B2
A fluid flow control apparatus includes a flow path that conveys the fluid into a wellbore tubular, a first passage formed along the flow path, an annular space receiving the fluid from the first passage, and a second passage receiving fluid from the annular space. The passages may flow the fluid in an axial direction along the flow path. The apparatus may include an enclosure that receives a sleeve in which the passages are formed. The annular space may be formed between the sleeve and the enclosure. The passages may include an inlet that reduces a pressure of the fluid flowing through the inlet. The passages may include a bore and may include parallel conduits. The first and the second passages may convey the fluid in a first axial direction, and the annular space may be configured to convey the fluid in a direction opposite to the first axial direction.
US07992636B2
A device for use in retrieving debris from a well, including an elongate body; a main bore extending part way along a length of the body; an opening towards a lower end of the body; a main fluid chamber in the body in fluid communication with the main bore; a flow restriction provided in the main bore, through which fluid flows from the main bore and into the main fluid chamber; at least one chamber outlet for directing fluid from the main fluid chamber into an annulus defined between the device and a well borehole wall; a return flow passage extending between the body opening and the main fluid chamber, for return flow of fluid from the annulus to the main fluid chamber, to facilitate retrieval of debris from the well; and at least one fluid exit, for flow of fluid out of the device.
US07992613B2
A method and an arrangement for the production of composite work pieces of layers laminated to each other, with at least one layer representing a glass plate. First, at least one composite work piece is laminated in a lamination press under the effects of pressure and heat in order to at least activate the adhesive material used for lamination. Then the composite work piece is removed from the lamination press and transported into a curing station and/or cooling station for curing and/or cooling. A testing device for detecting broken glass in the composite work piece is arranged between the lamination press and the curing station or between the lamination press and the cooling station, which detects potentially present broken glass by testing the inherent stability of the composite work piece.
US07992611B2
A pneumatic tire includes an axis of rotation, a carcass, a tread, and a belt structure. The carcass has at least one reinforced ply and a reinforcing structure providing a buffer for absorbing shear strain. The tread is disposed radially outward of the carcass. The belt structure is disposed radially between the carcass and the tread. The reinforcing structure comprises at least one layer of an open construction LENO weave fabric having warp yarns extending in the radial direction and weft yarns extending in the circumferential direction.
US07992610B2
A device for selectively connecting a tire to a pneumatic unit of an aircraft, the tire forming part of a wheel mounted to rotate on a hollow axle of the aircraft, the device comprising a stator and a rotor that is mounted to rotate relative to the stator and that includes means enabling it to be rotated by the wheel. The stator is bell-shaped and is designed to be received as a push-fit in the axle, and includes an end wall carrying a first pneumatic port for connection to the pneumatic unit via a tube running along the inside of the axle, the rotor extending substantially inside the stator.
US07992608B2
A pneumatic tire where the positions of the groove deepest portions (33btm) in the circumferential grooves (33) vary in a predetermined cycle along the circumferential direction in a width direction of the tread within the circumferential grooves (33). Moreover, depth direction positions, where a groove bottom surface of the circumferential groove (33) contacts with each of perpendicular lines (perpendicular line P1, perpendicular line P2) which are perpendicular or approximately perpendicular to a tread surface and which pass respectively through edges (edge portion 11eg, edge portion 12eg) of the land portions on a side of each of the circumferential grooves of ribs, as well as angles which are formed by the perpendicular lines and a section line of a cross-section of the groove bottom surface in the width direction of the tread surface vary in the predetermined cycle along the circumferential direction. In the pneumatic tire, uneven wear of the tire caused by lateral force applied in a width direction of a tread is suppressed and wet performance is improved.
US07992606B2
The offset amount that a sacrificial rib road contact surface is recessed to the inner side of a tire with regards to a shoulder rib road contact surface is equal to 0, and a circumferential fine groove is provided such that the opening side thereof is located on the inner side when the tire is filled to a proper internal pressure. The dimension Ws in the tire width direction of the shoulder rib road contact surface and the dimension Wa in the tire width direction of the sacrificial rib road contact surface are set such that 0.10≦Wa/Ws≦0.2. The dimension Wb in the tire width direction of the sacrificial rib road contact surface when the groove depth of the circumferential main grooves has worn 20% is set in a range such that 0.25≦Wb/Ws≦0.30.
US07992605B2
A tire assembly inserted in a conventional pneumatic tire that allows the driven vehicle to be operated in a normal operating condition as well as in both a low tire pressure and a “run flat” condition. The tire embodies a multifunctional tire support device that permits the tire even when punctured to continue to support the vehicle and never allows the tire to go entirely flat. The support device when installed reinforces the tire tread and its side walls by applying internal pressure against them should they collapse when tire is punctured. The invention embodies a means for supporting the tire with the multifunctional device and provides an additional embodiment that uses the same device with a backup redundant inner tube to provide support to the punctured or ruptured tire and permits it to be operated in a run flat condition. The inner tube is located in the assembly at a distance away from the tread so that any puncture of the tread would not also puncture the inner tube. This provides safety and security for the vehicle operating with this assembly installed in a conventional tire and a standard tire wheel rim.
US07992599B2
An apparatus for fueling a fuel-cell-powered device having a profile and a fuel inlet. The apparatus comprises at least one fuel port having an outlet and at least one adaptor associated with the fuel port. The adaptor is configured to receive the fuel-cell-powered device. Means for releasably and sealingly engaging the fuel inlet of the fuel-cell-powered device to the outlet of the fuel port are also provided. The outlet of the fuel port is operative to dispense fuel when it is in sealed engagement with the fuel inlet of the fuel-cell-powered device.
US07992593B2
An electrically conductive confined space ventilation conduit formed of a substantially rigid non-metallic conductive material, such as plastic, and a related process for ventilating an enclosure accessed by a manhole or other port. In one embodiment, the conduit has a pair of outer cylindrical sections and a central section having a cross-sectional shape of a crescent or a segment of a circle where it passes through a port to provide a minimum of obstruction for men and equipment passing through the port. Intermediate sections of varying cross-section connect the central section to the cylindrical outer sections so that the outer sections are offset from the axis of the manhole. The central section is preferably configured to obstruct no more than about 10 percent of a standard manhole opening, while causing either no air flow rate reduction, or a reduction of no more than about 10 percent as compared to the flow rate through a cylindrical conduit similar to said outer sections. The conduit is preferably formed of a conductive or electrically dissipative polyethylene polymer material to allow static electricity to be conducted from the conduit to ground. In a preferred embodiment, a connecting device for connecting the conduit to electrical ground is connected to the conduit. A grounding circuit kit and method of grounding the conduit is also disclosed.
US07992592B2
A piston accumulator (10) comprises a pressure chamber (40) which on one side is closed by a piston (50) axially displaceable in a pipe (20) in order to change its volume depending on the axial position of the piston (50). A detent mechanism is provided in order to hold back the piston (50) against a spring preload (190) in a second position differing from a first position. The piston (50) is formed in a multi-part fashion and comprises at least a first piston part (52) and a second piston part (54), wherein at least one of the two piston parts (52) is hardened and disposed to cooperate with the detent mechanism in a catching fashion.
US07992585B2
A retrofit valve assembly for a frost-resistant hydrant comprises ceramic valve disks and a hydrant adapter to enable the valve assembly to be readily retrofit to existing frost-resistant hydrants produced by different manufacturers.
US07992583B2
There is provided a modular walking support system separable into two independently functioning walking supports, typically cane-like structures. Fastening elements hold the two walking supports together in a unitary walking support until two independent supports may be required by a user. The two sections may be manually separated or, optionally, a force augmenting mechanism may also be provided to facilitate separation by users having very little hand strength. The tip of the walking support remains in firm contact with the ground during both separation and reunification operation thereby providing continuous support to a user of the device. A variety of interchangeable handles, shaft portions, and tips are provided. In addition, many accessories may be provided, either within the structure or as add-on devices. The modular walking support is provided in colors, with decorations, etc. to help overcome the stigma perceived by some users arising from usage of such a device.
US07992581B2
The present invention relates to a canopy device, in particular an umbrella or parasol, comprising: a rod; a canopy of flexible material connected to the rod close to an end thereof; operating means displaceable along the rod for closing or opening the canopy; and means for tensioning the canopy, which canopy tensioning means comprise a set of first tensioning members and a set of second tensioning members, wherein the first tensioning members are each pivotally connected with one first outer end to the rod and extend therefrom along the canopy to a position close to the periphery thereof, and wherein the second tensioning members are each pivotally connected with a first outer end to the operating means and are connected with a second outer end to a corresponding first tensioning member, wherein the connection between the first and second tensioning members is arranged closer to the periphery of the canopy than to the rod, and is preferably situated substantially close to the periphery of the canopy.
US07992576B2
A hair extension kit enables user's hair to be coupled with extended hairs, and includes a fastening ring formed in a hollow shape, each respective upper end of the extended hairs being attached to an inner peripheral surface of the fastening ring; a guiding loop having a portion thereof received in the fastening ring and a guiding and holding part formed at the lower end thereof, the guiding loop being removable from the fastening ring; and a drawing loop having a portion thereof received between an inner wall of the fastening ring and the corresponding part of the guiding loop and a drawing and holding part formed at the lower end thereof, the drawing loop being removable from the fastening ring. The hair extension kit can increase the coupling force between the user's hair and the extension-hair via the fastening ring.
US07992572B2
This relates to treating an asthmatic lung and more particularly, relates to advancing a treatment device into the lung and treating the lung with the device. This also includes additional steps of treating the airway wall, applying energy or heat to the airway wall in an asthmatic lung.
US07992569B2
The present invention discloses a corneal refractive procedure providing a customized transition zone. The customized transition zone provided according to the methods and systems of the present invention exhibits continuous curvature between an ablated optical zone and a non-ablated zone to address curvature discontinuity at the edge of the optical zone, thereby minimizing the biomechanical response and its postoperative effects on vision.
US07992566B2
An apparatus and methods for treating sleep apnea and/or snoring are provided. The apparatus includes an appliance sized and structured to be placed in the pharyngeal region of a human or animal. The appliance, when so placed is effective in treating sleep apnea and/or snoring, for example in maintaining openness of an oropharyngeal region of a human or animal during natural sleep. Preferably, the appliance is non-circumferential in form and includes rounded, spaced apart end portions.
US07992564B2
Described here are devices for altering the flow of air in a respiratory cavity such as the mouth and nostrils of the nose. These methods and devices may be useful for affecting a physiologic benefit in patients suffering from a variety of medical diseases, particularly those that may benefit from “pursed-lip” breathing and non-invasive ventilation, such as COPD, heart failure, sleep apnea, and other medical disorders. The devices are typically removable devices that may be placed over or in a respiratory cavity to increase resistance to airflow within the respiratory cavity. Resistance to expiration may be selectively increased relative to inspiration. Removable oral and removable nasal devices are described. Oral and nasal devices that filter inhaled airflow of debris and allergens are also provided. A nasal device that increases patency of the nares is also provided.
US07992562B2
A laryngeal mask airway installation kit includes a laryngeal mask airway having a gastric access tube and includes a stylet capable of being inserted into the gastric access tube from the inlet end. When bent, the stylet changes the original shape of the laryngeal mask airway, thus facilitating the installation of the laryngeal mask airway.
US07992559B2
A forehead support device for a breathing mask includes a forehead support portion adapted to contact a forehead region of a user, a conduit element adapted to couple a respiratory gas conduit to the breathing mask, and a coupling structure provided between the forehead support portion and the conduit element and structured to support the conduit element at a predetermined spacing from the forehead support portion. The forehead support portion is displaceably engaged with the coupling structure such that the forehead portion can be selectively displaced relative to the coupling structure.
US07992554B2
A liquid evaporator includes a liquid reservoir (3) with a liquid to be evaporated, a heater (9) and an evaporator tube (12). The evaporator tube (12) has a first porous element (1) having a first porosity and with an area in contact with the liquid in the liquid reservoir (3) and a second porous element (2) with a second porosity and with an area present on an evaporator side (50) used to dispense the evaporated liquid, and an area outside the liquid reservoir heated by the heater (9) which is not directly in connection with the liquid. The first porous element and the second porous element are in contact in contact areas with the first porous element forming a wick delivering liquid from the reservoir to the contact area.
US07992553B2
A collector system (12) is disclosed that comprises a row of linearly conjoined collector structures (13). The collector system is arranged to be located at a level above a field of reflectors (10) and to receive solar radiation reflected from the reflectors within the field. The collector structure (13) comprises an inverted trough (16) and, located within the trough, a plurality of longitudinally extending absorber tubes (30) that, in use, are arranged to carry a heat exchange fluid. The absorber tubes (30) are supported side-by-side within the trough and each absorber tube has a diameter that is small relative to the aperture of the trough. The ratio of the diameter of each absorber tube to the trough aperture dimension is of the order of 0.01:1.00 to 0.10:1.00 and, thus, the plurality of absorber tubes functions, in the limit, effectively to simulate a flat plate absorber.
US07992551B2
An oil capturing device for capturing oil from crankcase gases. The oil capturing device includes a housing containing a central chamber and a rotor disposed in the central chamber. The rotor includes a shaft rotatable about an axis and a flange extending from the shaft towards the inner wall of the central chamber. The flange is in contact with the inner wall, and spirals along the shaft so as to define a gas passage interconnecting the inlet to the first port. The gas passage provides a passage for crankcase gases to flow from the inlet to the first port, and narrows as it proceeds from the inlet to the port so as to compress crankcase gases travelling from the inlet to the first port. The rotor may be operable by a motor, pulley connected to the engine, or a turbine driven by the engine's exhaust.
US07992547B2
In a multiple gas fuel delivery system for interchangeably supplying a plurality of gas fuels having different supply pressures to an internal combustion engine, at least a pair of fuel passages extend from a gas fuel inlet (6a) to a fuel ejection nozzle (12) for delivering the gas fuel to a carburetor, and are provided with respective metering jets (13, 14). One of the fuel passages is provided with a pressure responsive valve (15) that communicates only the first metering jet (14) for delivering the fuel gas to the carburetor when a gas fuel of a relatively high pressure is used, and communicates both the first and second metering jets (13, 14) for delivering the fuel gas to the carburetor when a gas fuel of a relatively low pressure is used. Therefore, a flow switching valve is not required, and the passage structure can be simplified. Also, the pressure responsive valve (15) is actuated by the pressure of the fuel, and no manual selection is required when a different gas fuel is selected.
US07992539B2
An ECU executes a program including injecting fuel only by an intake passage injector when an engine is idling, starting an addition-type PFI timer, resetting the PFI timer when a count of the PFI timer reaches a set value that is set shorter as the fuel is lighter in fuel property, and injecting the fuel only by an in-cylinder injector.
US07992536B2
In a direct fuel injection diesel engine equipped with a pentroof-shaped piston, when fuel is injected into a cavity (25) recessed in a central part of a piston (13), for which the height of a top face changes in the circumferential direction, from a fuel injection point (Oinj) of a fuel injector disposed on a piston central axis along a plurality of fuel injection axes (Li1,Li2), if a cross-section of the cavity (25) passing along the fuel injection axis (Li1,Li2) is defined as a fuel injection cross-section (Sn), a cross-sectional shape (see shaded portion) of the cavity (25) defined by first to third specific points (An, Bn, Cn) on the fuel injection cross-section (Sn) is set so as to be substantially equal for each fuel injection cross-section (Sn). By so doing, the conditions in which fuel and air are mixed in each fuel injection cross-section (Sn) can be made uniform, the engine output can be improved, and harmful exhaust substances can be reduced.
US07992535B2
The disclosure relates to an internal combustion engine having a cylinder head and cylinder block serving as an upper crankcase portion for holding a crankshaft in multiple bearings. The engine has an oil pump for feeding engine oil to the cylinder head prior to supplying the multiple bearings in the cylinder block.
US07992523B1
An outer capsule terminates in a closed bottom section. An upper section is formed with an open threaded top. The top has a removable cap. An inner capsule has a lower section and an open upper section. The lower section terminates in an open bottom. An aperture is provided in the closed bottom section of the outer capsule for the passage of a lower most extent of the inner capsule and the securement there between. The capsules are fabricated of a transparent material. A bevel extends through the lower section of the outer capsule. A hose couples the bevel and the inner capsule. A wad of cotton is provided in the lower open end of the capsule.
US07992514B1
The invention pertains to a lining device that can be pulled through a pipe having an approximate diameter between 1 and 36 inches. The device sprays an electrically charged lining mixture 360° onto the inside pipe surface. The lining mixture is electro-statically charged to facilitate full encapsulation and adhesion to all pipe wall surfaces in a circumferentially uniform thickness. The lining device can be contained in a multipart housing having flexible rod-like components that hold the device in the center of the longitudinal axis of the pipe. The lining mixture is conveyed to the device through heated non expanding hose. The non expanding properties facilitate the delivery of the lining under pressure to the device. The device also incorporates a dwell cone having a knurled edge that atomizes the lining mixture as it is centrifugally thrown onto the pipe wall. The device may further incorporate nitrogen in mixing the lining material.
US07992506B1
A kiteboarding harness and method of kiteboarding with the harness. The harness has a hook extending radially outward from the harness and slidably attached to the harness for lateral repositioning of the hook on the harness about the anteroposterior axis of a human wearing the harness.
US07992490B2
A by-pass control system for a meat injection system has a variable speed pump that transports fluid to a meat injection machine. Excess fluid is transported to a by-pass control valve. The valve has a moveable piston disposed therein that separates the valve into a fluid chamber and an air chamber. The piston moves back and forth based on the relationship between fluid pressure and air pressure. Sensors are disposed within or through the lid or the valve to sense the position of the piston. A controller is connected to the sensors and the variable speed pump and adjusts the speed of the pump based on the position of the piston.
US07992489B2
A contact electric grill for the cooking of food products is provided having a base shoulder (2) and a lid shoulder (3) joined to each other by a hinging structure including a rotation pin (4), a slot (5) into which the rotation pin (4) is slid, and a support and passage element (6) from the lid shoulder to the base shoulder of electric connection cables (7) among electric components present in the base and in the lid, operationally connected to the base shoulder and the lid shoulder.
US07992485B2
An apparatus for compensating and/or transmitting forces/torques and rotational movements between two components, particularly for compensating for vehicle movements, in which at least one joint module is situated between the two components, which joint module converts a translational and/or rotational movement of a piston, to which a pressure medium is applied, into a rotational movement of at least one first rotatable shaft or of a first and a second rotatable shaft.
US07992470B2
A self-energizing and de-energizing adjustable gripping tool for engaging a work piece to impart work thereto includes a first element and second element connected for relative movement. The second element includes an actuation portion having a plurality of slots. The first element includes gripping elements which are each associated with a force transfer element which engages one of the slots such that movement of the second element relative to the first element actuates the gripping elements to engage the work piece.
US07992469B2
A screw feeding device includes a feeder box, a stopper member, an operating member, and a resilient member. An adjustment slot is formed in the stopper member, and has two closed ends and alternate large-diameter and small-diameter slot portions. An operating protrusion of the operating member has a large-diameter protrusion portion and a small-diameter protrusion portion. The operating protrusion is biased by the resilient member away from the feeder box. The operating member is movable relative to the feeder box between a first position whereat the large-diameter protrusion portion is disposed within a selected one of the large-diameter slot portions, and a second position whereat the small-diameter protrusion portion is disposed in the adjustment slot.
US07992468B2
A spinner tool has a shaft that is receivable in a rotation-imparting device, such as a hand-held drill. The shaft carries mounts in which the shaft rotates. Gripper elements are mounted between the mounts for radial movement relative to the shaft. The shaft is configured to move the gripper elements away from the shaft away from the shaft upon rotation of the shaft. This movement of the gripper elements causes the gripper elements to engage the interior surface of a hollow-cylindrical element in which the tool is inserted, so that the hollow-cylindrical element rotates together with the shaft.
US07992466B2
A cable stripping pliers has facingly disposed arcuate cutting edges formed at the ends of transversely oppositely disposed arcuate surfaces. The pliers are adjustable to two positions for the jaws to engage differently sized cables. The resilient insulation is disposed away from the arcuate surfaces when the cutting edges cut the resilient insulation for readily removing the insulation from the core material.
US07992459B2
In a shifting claw transmission for a motor vehicle including a main shaft and a countershaft and an electric motor for rotating the countershaft or being rotated thereby with freely rotatable gear wheels supported on the counter shaft and engageable with the countershaft by claw engagement structures, the speed of the countershaft is adjustable by the electric motor to be close to, but somewhat different from, the speed of the freely rotatable gear wheels to be engaged in order to facilitate shifting but avoid a tooth-on-tooth problem which would inhibit shifting.
US07992457B2
An actuator device (1) comprising an actuator housing (2), a driving motor (4) attached to the actuator housing (2), which driving motor (4) is provided with a motor spindle (28), the motor spindle (28) being displaceably engaged with an actuator spindle (6) via a nut (38), and where an auxiliary frame (8) which can be displaced relative to the actuator spindle (6) and biased by use of the driving motor (4), and which can be releasably coupled to the actuator housing (2), is arranged to displace the actuator spindle (6) independently of the motor (4), and where the nut (38) is releasable coupled to the actuator spindle (6), thereby being arranged to bias the auxiliary frame (8) while disengaged from the actuator spindle (6).
US07992442B2
A method for reducing microcrack formation and crack growth in the glass carrier of a component having a micromechanical sensor element that is bonded to the glass carrier. The upper side of the glass carrier acts as a bonding surface for the sensor element. The rear side of the glass carrier, situated opposite the upper side, acts as a mounting surface for the component, and the glass carrier has side surfaces that connect the upper side and the rear side. In particular, the glass carrier is formed by a segment of a glass wafer into which at least the contours of the glass carrier have been stamped, so that at least the areas produced in this way of the side surfaces of the glass carrier and the rear side of the glass carrier form a surface that is largely closed and free of microcracks.
US07992438B2
The present invention relates to a multiaxial gyroscope, which comprises a vibration-sensing device, a plurality of elastic connecting parts, a first substrate, and a plurality of electrodes. The first ends of the elastic connecting parts are adapted on the periphery of the vibration-sensing device. The sidewall of the first substrate connects with the second ends of the elastic connecting parts. The plurality of electrodes is located on the periphery of the vibration-sensing device and is opposite to the plurality of elastic connecting parts. The vibration-sensing device comprises a ring and a plurality of vibration blocks. By means of the vibration blocks, the sensing area as well as the driving amplitude of the gyroscope can be increased effectively. Thereby, the intensity of the sensed signals of the gyroscope can be enhanced.
US07992431B2
The invention is direct to a piezoelectric microcantilever for static contact and dynamic noncontact atomic force microscopy which may be carried out in solution. The piezoelectric microcantilever, which includes a piezoelectric layer and a non-piezoelectric layer is capable of self actuation and detection. The piezoelectric layer may be constructed from a lead magnesium niobate-lead titanate (Pb(Mg1/3Nb2/3)O3)0.65—(PbTiO3)0.35(PMN0.65-PT0.35)(PMN-PT), zirconate titanate (PZT)/SiO2 or from any lead-free piezoelectric materials such as doped sodium-potassium niobate-lithium niobate. The piezoelectric layers of the microcantilevers may have dielectric constants of from 1600-3000 and thicknesses below 10 μm. Also disclosed are methods for fabricating microcantilever sensors and methods for atomic force microscopy employing the microcantilevers.
US07992430B2
Methods and devices for measuring chemical or biological properties of a liquid from a subsurface position are disclosed, wherein a closed casing is submerged in the liquid to be sampled. The flow of the liquid for the sampling is driven by a hydrostatic pressure and is thus independent of pumps or the like when placed at the correct subsurface position. The flow rate is in a first aspect of the present invention controlled by providing a constant hydrostatic pressure during the sampling period. Alternatively, the inlet is provided with a cartridge comprising a tracer material, which is partly soluble by the liquid and is released proportional to the flow rate.
US07992422B2
A method of diagnosing the health of an individual by collecting a breath sample from the individual and measuring the amount of each of a plurality of analytes in the sample. The amount of each analytes is measured by fitting a time response curve of a sample-evaluation fuel cell in which the fuel cell sample electrode is contacted with the sample with the analysis based on a function of standard time response curves for an equivalent fuel cell configuration obtained separately for each of the analytes on a fuel cell with equivalent construction as sample-evaluation fuel cell. Each of the plurality of analytes is generally indicative of an aspect of the individual's health. Suitable analytes include, for example, inorganic compounds as well as compositions that exhibit negative reduction reactions at least for a portion of the time response curve. In particular, acetone exhibits a negative potential/current peak when it is an analyte in a fuel cell in an sample electrode with a counter electrode exposed to oxygen, which may or may not be introduced in the form of air. Various forms of analysis to estimate acetone concentrations in the breath can be used.
US07992415B2
A jacquard thread-guide bar (2) for warp knitting textile machines, comprising a supporting body (7) provided with a plurality of housing seats (5) configured and arranged so as to engage each removably a mounting body (6) of a single piezoelectric actuator (3) and to carry out an individual removable mounting of the single piezoelectric actuator (3) onto said supporting body (7), the housing seats (5) extending perpendicularly to the main longitudinal extension of the bar (2) and being configured and arranged so as to guide the sliding of the mounting body (6) between a mounting position and a disengaged position.
US07992409B1
A continuous cryogenic process for the separation and removal of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere using, in part, the existing cryocooling apparatus that is a component of the inventor's patented high temperature superconducting wind turbine electric generating and energy storage system. The proposed system is contained within a long, large, non-corrosive, open-ended, double-walled tubular-shaped vacuum or conventionally insulated dewar, which is cantilevered in two or more units from the wind turbine's steel tower. The major internal components consist of a large screen grid, a small screen filter, a low-speed electric turbo-style fan and, most importantly, a series of coated frost-free heat exchangers of differentiated design that freeze the carbon dioxide in the moving air into a form of flake-like dry ice which is then captured for potential reuse or underground sequestering.
US07992402B2
A data center cooling solution providing techniques for using baffles, doors and roof sections to prevent warm air from being entrained into a cold aisle in a data center, wherein the data center generally contains an air cooling system and a raised floor structure. The raised floor structure is configured to deliver cool air into the data center through a plurality of grates and perforated tiles in the floor. Electronic equipment racks are disposed around the grates and perforated tiles, such that the front faces of the equipment racks face the grates and perforated tiles. A collection of baffles, doors or roof sections inhibit the mixing of the cool air delivered by the air cooling system and the warm air exhausted by the electronic equipment.
US07992392B2
Apparatus for regulating the flow rate of fuel to a turboshaft engine in acceleration or in deceleration, the engine having a free turbine and a core engine, the apparatus comprising sensors transmitting information to regulator means, said information relating: to a first speed of rotation NTL of said free turbine; to a second speed of rotation Ng of said engine's gas generator; to an internal temperature T4 of the gas at the inlet to the free turbine; to the external pressure; and to the external temperature. The apparatus further comprises control means activated by said regulator means to actuate a fuel metering system of the engine. In addition, the regulator means evaluates the flow rate of fuel to be supplied to the engine in acceleration or in deceleration on the basis of at least one optimum regulation relationship, said regulation relationship determining a main modulated flow rate as a function of a modulated speed of rotation.
US07992382B2
A particulate trap system for an internal combustion engine includes a plurality of contiguous porous walls, and a remotely actuated relief valve downstream of said trap for periodically creating a reverse pressure throughout the exhaust system upstream of the relief valve and including said trap. A reversing apparatus periodically creates a reverse pressure drop across a portion of the contiguous porous walls of said trap to dislodge accumulated particulate and cause a portion of the filtered exhaust gas to flow back through said portion of the contiguous porous walls to remove particulate therefrom. A control system actuates the relief valve and the reversing apparatus. In one embodiment the system is utilized on a vehicle and the reversing apparatus includes a relief valve that is also operative as an exhaust brake. Regeneration includes the steps of: creating a backpressure in the entire exhaust system from a location downstream of the trap; creating a reverse pressure drop across only a portion of the porous walls to dislodge accumulated particulate therefrom; and causing a portion of filtered exhaust gas to flow back through said portion of the porous walls to carry the dislodged particulate out of the trap.
US07992381B2
A method for regeneration of a CDPF disposed in the exhaust stream of a diesel engine. The method includes a second phase operation following a first phase substantially as disclosed in the prior art. As the first phase ends, as indicated by a temperature sensor at the exit end of the CDPF, the temperature and oxygen content of the exhaust gas are increased at the entrance to the CDPF in an ensuing second stage. These increases cause oxidation of the soot remaining near the entrance and the sides of the CDPF, resulting in a cleaner and higher-capacity CDPF than is produced by a single-phase regeneration in the prior art. The sequential stages are implemented via an algorithm programmed into an Engine Control Module (ECM). A CDPF regenerated in accordance with the invention can have approximately 95% of its filtration capacity restored.
US07992375B2
The present invention relates to new crystalline, essentially all silicon oxide molecular sieve SSZ-73 prepared using a 3-ethyl-1,3,8,8-tetramethyl-3-azoniabicyclo[3.2.1]octane cation as a structure-directing agent, and its use in treating engine exhaust.
US07992370B2
A work machine includes a primary power unit having a rated primary output. The primary power unit is couplable with at least one primary load, including a propulsion load. An auxiliary power unit is mechanically independent from the primary power unit, and has a rated auxiliary output which is smaller than the primary output. The auxiliary power unit is couplable with at least one external load, including an operator initiated load. At least one electrical processing circuit is configured for selectively coupling the primary power unit with one or more primary loads, and for selectively coupling the auxiliary power unit with one or more external loads.
US07992367B2
A treeless western saddle comprising a flexible base coupled to an underside of a flexible substrate. A seat section is integrally formed in the flexible substrate. A pommel section is integrally formed in the flexible substrate. The flexible base has an upper stirrup aperture and a lower stirrup aperture formed in a lateral side of the flexible base. The underside of the flexible substrate has a cavity formed in a lateral side of the underside of the flexible substrate, the cavity to extend from the upper stirrup aperture to at least the lower stirrup aperture.
US07992359B2
An alignment brace for multi-level insulated concrete form walls that utilizes a cured base level wall for anchoring the brace that will be used to brace and align a succeeding wall level comprising, a bracing beam having first and second sections that are pivotally interconnected at a pivot point, an elongated adjustment beam disposed in spaced relation from the bracing beam and co-planar therewith where the adjustment beam is pivotally interconnected to the bracing beam at the pivot point and where the adjustment beam carries at its distal ends a jack screw assembly for expanding or contracting the spacing between the distal ends of the adjustment beam and the bracing beam.
US07992353B2
A hub joint includes a metal rod and pin for joining tubular members in three-dimensional space for assembling a frame structure. The hub joint enables rapid assembly, rapid reconfiguration, and rapid disassembly without using any specialized tools. Multiple hub joints may be used to form geodesic domes, freestanding trusses, space frame slabs, tetrahedrons, and pentahedrons. The hub joints allow different frame configurations that are lightweight, strong, durable, scalable, expandable, and portable.
US07992351B1
An apparatus for protecting susceptible objects comprises a bracket having a pin receiving portion and hinge portion. The apparatus also includes a cover pivotally connected to the hinge portion of the bracket wherein the bracket is securable to a wall and the cover is pivotable over a susceptible asset to protect the object from harmful forces.
US07992349B2
A multi-media workstation having a master rail system for permitting horizontal adjustment of the various components of the workstation. The workstation generally includes a console having a work surface and a master rail system for supporting various audiovisual equipment. The master rail system includes a rail extrusion connecting at least two frames and having a longitudinal slot formed in at least one of its surfaces. The various components of the workstation each include a finger engaged in the longitudinal slot of the rail extrusion, wherein the component is able to be horizontally translated along a length of the rail extrusion.
US07992339B2
A gun stores a bipod when not in use inside its fore-end. A gun rest such as a bipod, an aiming stick or tripod has a stored position where its legs are pushed into channels formed in the fore-end of the stock, approximately parallel to the major axis of the gun barrel, but which can be pulled out and pivoted into an in-use position when the user wishes to steady the barrel of the gun for greater accuracy in shooting. A bracket is mounted to the fore end of the stock to allow the legs of the bipod to be pulled clear of the channels and then rotated down. The legs may be telescoping to a preferred elevation once in the in-use position.
US07992335B2
A trigger assembly comprising a housing adapted to mount a trigger, hammer and sear therein. The housing has an adjustment feature adapted to fixedly mount the housing within the trigger chamber portion of the firearm. The trigger assembly is particularly conducive for an AR-15 type rifle and the various sear engagement surfaces are adapted to be adjustable irrespective of the various dimensions and tolerances of the underlying firearm. A safety system is employed that adjustably allows proper engagement of the trigger tail to properly engage and disengage the safety mechanism.
US07992333B1
A vehicle identification device includes one or more clips configured to attach the device to a vehicle door or window. The identification device optionally includes reflective material so that the vehicle is more easily seen. The identification device optionally includes identification indicia such as letters or numbers. The identification device is optionally deployed from within the vehicle, thus improving safety.
US07992331B2
An optical illusion device such as a drinking glass/cup for providing a multi-dimensional visual display. The device includes a body with tubular sidewalls extending from an opening at a first end to an opening at a second end. A base assembly is provided at the second end. The base assembly includes a top wall, a bottom wall, and a sidewall that together form or define an inner chamber. A visual display assembly is provided with a mirror element with a convex reflective surface or mirror positioned within the chamber with the reflective surface facing the top wall of the base assembly. A primary image element is provided proximate to the reflective surface such that the primary image and mirror element can be observed via the opening in the body. A framing element is included proximate to the top wall of the base assembly including background images facing the reflective surface.
US07992328B2
An apparatus coupled to an excavation bucket for creating a trench sidewall having indentations formed therein.
US07992327B2
A snow plow rebounding system is provided. A cushion block and shock-absorbing springs serve to cushion a snow plow rotating about a horizontal axis.
US07992320B2
A clogging detecting method for a dryer, which can accurately determine a clogging degree of an air passage, even when there is an operation deviation of a temperature control member, is disclosed. The clogging detecting method includes determining operating characteristics of a temperature control member turning on/off in accordance with a temperature of an air passage, determining a clogging degree of the air passage in accordance with a clogging reference corresponding to the determined operating characteristics, and displaying the determined clogging degree of the air passage.
US07992318B2
A disclosed heating apparatus for heating a substrate on which a film is coated includes a process chamber having a gas supply opening for supplying a first gas to the process chamber and a gas evacuation opening for evacuating the first gas from the process chamber; a heating plate that is arranged in the process chamber and includes a heating element for heating the substrate; plural protrusions arranged on the heating plate so as to support the substrate; plural suction holes formed in the heating plate so as to attract by suction the substrate toward the heating plate; and a gas inlet adapted to supply a second gas to a gap between the heating plate and the substrate supported by the plural protrusions.
US07992310B2
A reference beam generator has first, second, and third projection turrets for projecting first, second, and third fan beams of laser light, respectively. The first, second, and third fan beams of laser light are oriented normal to each other. The turrets may be rotated such that each of said fan beams can each be rotated about an axis that is normal to the plane in which the fan beam is projected. The generator may be used to project a number of reference points and lines on multiple surfaces.
US07992307B2
The invention concerns a hair clipper comprising a device for adjusting the position of a powered cutting guide slaved to an electronic device, automatically adapting the position of said cutting guide based on the option selected by the user.
US07992304B2
A razor having a simplified structure is provided. This oscillating razor is provided with a razor head. The razor head is provided with a blade member composed of a base having a blade-body supporting portion and a plurality of blade bodies, a blade base member located on the back side of the razor head, and a top member located on the front side of the razor head. The blade member is fitted between the blade base member and the top member. The base is supported on the blade base member and the cutting edge of the blade body is exposed outward at the top member. Each of the blade bodies is placed on the blade-body supporting portion, and welded portions fixed to each other by welding from the side corresponding to the blade-body supporting portion are formed on the blade body and the blade-body supporting portion.
US07992299B2
The invention relates to a method for the manufacture of tubes bent in a U-shape (hairpin tubes) from a nonferrous metal, immediately following a tube production line. For that purpose, according to the invention, the method for the manufacture of tubes bent in a U-shape from a nonferrous metal, immediately following a tube production line, has the consecutive steps of: a) uncoiling the drawn tube material from a basket winder, b) straightening the drawn tube material, c) annealing and subsequently cooling the drawn tube material before or after cutting, for separation into tube portions, to the starting length for a tube bent in a U-shape, and d) bending the tube portions into a U-shape.
US07992294B2
An interconnect device is used to mate a heat generating device to a power source. Plated components are provided on the interconnect device to provide a heat sink function for the heat generating device when the heat generating device is connected to the interconnect device, and to provide an electrical path between the heat generating device and the power source. A method of manufacturing same is also disclosed.
US07992285B2
A method for fabricating a negative temperature coefficient thermistor is provided, including the steps of: (A) combining ceramic powders having a negative temperature coefficient of resistance, a polymer binder and a solvent to form a mixture; (B) removing the solvent and granulating the mixture to form granulous powders; (C) compressing the granulous powders to obtain a thermistor material with a specific shape; (D) curing the thermistor material at 80° C. to 350° C.; and (E) mounting an electrode to the thermistor material to form the negative temperature coefficient thermistor. The method can be performed in a low temperature without the problem of interface diffusion. Further, the desired resistance value and thermistor constant (B) can be easily adjusted and obtained by mixing ceramic powders with different characteristics of temperature coefficient of resistance and/or the addition of conductive metal powder.
US07992284B2
A method for manufacture of a conductor assembly. The assembly is of the type which, when conducting current, generates a magnetic field or in which, in the presence of a changing magnetic field, a voltage is induced. In an example embodiment one or more first coil rows are formed. The assembly has multiple coil rows about an axis with outer coil rows formed about inner coil rows. A determination is made of deviations from specifications associated with the formed one or more first coil rows. One or more deviations correspond to a magnitude of a multipole field component which departs from a field specification. Based on the deviations, one or more wiring patterns are generated for one or more second coil rows to be formed about the one or more first coil rows. The one or more second coil rows are formed in the assembly. The magnitude of each multipole field component that departs from the field specification is offset.
US07992283B2
A differential microphone having a perimeter slit formed around the microphone diaphragm that replaces the backside hole previously required in conventional silicon, micromachined microphones. The differential microphone is formed using silicon fabrication techniques applied only to a single, front face of a silicon wafer. The backside holes of prior art microphones typically require that a secondary machining operation be performed on the rear surface of the silicon wafer during fabrication. This secondary operation adds complexity and cost to the micromachined microphones so fabricated. Comb fingers forming a portion of a capacitive arrangement may be fabricated as part of the differential microphone diaphragm.
US07992266B2
A fastener stringer capable of following up stretching/contracting action of a stretchable fabric smoothly by improving a stretching property of an element attaching portion, and capable of preventing breaking of chain if the element attaching portion is stretched, wherein the fastener stringer includes: a woven fastener tape having a tape main portion and an element attaching portion; a continuous fastener element row sewed to the element attaching portion with a non-elastic sewing thread; and an elastic core thread inserted through an interior of the fastener element row, an elastic yarn and a non-elastic yarn are woven into the tape main portion and the element attaching portion as warp yarns while a non-elastic yarn is woven as a weft yarn, and a weaving ratio of the elastic yarn to the non-elastic yarn is larger in the element attaching portion than in the tape main portion.
US07992260B1
An improved binder clip is provided. The binder clip includes a clamping means, opposed gripping means attached to the clamping means, and a label holder that is attached to, or that is integral with, the clamping means. An identifying label is inserted into the label holder for easy identification of the material that is bound by the binder clip.
US07992257B2
The present invention relates to a mounting structure of a door-handle for a refrigerator. By means of the mounting structure of the door-handle for the refrigerator according to preferred embodiments of the present invention, the door-handle is fixedly connected to a door and the fluctuation of the door-handle is decreased while opening the door.
US07992246B2
In a 360-degree toothbrush in which a brush head is formed by superposing disk-shaped radial vanes 1 in an axial direction, the arranging pitch of the radial vanes 1 is increased so as to make the bristle density appropriate. Spacers are not used between the radial vanes 1 so as to increase the productivity, and to improve the hygiene condition. In order to realize these aspects, an annular protrusion or protrusions 3 are formed on one or both of the surfaces of an annular weld portion 2 of the radial vane 1. The annular protrusion 3 is formed at the same time when forming the weld portion 2 in a welding step in which the bristle bundle is opened radially and the center part is welded so that the radial vane 1 is manufactured.
US07992237B2
An apparatus comprises an architectural system and a patient adjustment device. The patient adjustment device is coupled to the architectural system and adapted to pull on a patient receiver to move a patient received by the patient receiver and located on a bed relative to the bed to adjust the position of the patient.
US07992235B2
A utility sink system is disclosed comprising a sink and a bucket. The sink has a basin extending from an upper edge to a drain. The bucket has walls extending to a lip and has at least one opening formed therein. The lip is configured to contact the upper edge of the basin such that the bucket is suspended in the basin. The at least one opening of the bucket, in addition to facilitating handling, may provide a form of overflow when the bucket is suspended in the basin of the sink, such that the at least one opening places an interior volume of the bucket and the basin of the sink in communication with one another. Further, the at least one opening of the bucket may provide a pouring spout.
US07992231B1
A splash-eliminating urinal contains an outer body and a receptor cavity within the outer body. The receptor cavity contains a rear surface having projecting concave rear walls that converge to form sides of an outwardly-projecting vertical ridge, and two side walls that transition to the rear walls. When a stream of urine is directed onto the rear walls, it adheres by surface tension without causing a splash.
US07992228B2
Protective eyewear includes a frame having a first and second opposing sides and an eye protector joined with the frame. A flexible strap is joined with the first and second sides of the frame. The strap extends around at least a portion of a player's head to position the eye protector over the player's eyes. A connector is rotatably joined with the first side of the frame so that the connector rotates in a plane generally parallel to a temple of the player. The connector is joined with the strap so that the strap can rotate relative to the frame and includes a limiter that limits the rotation of the connector. A strap diverter is adjustably positioned along the strap and divides the strap into first and second strap portions that extend at an angle relative to one another and define a space therebetween.
US07992226B2
A pad element may include a base member, a pair of cover layers, and a plurality of beads. The base member defines a plurality of apertures. The cover layers are secured to opposite surfaces of the base member and extend across the apertures. The beads are located within the apertures and between the cover layers. As examples, the base member and the beads may be formed from polymer foam materials, and the cover layers may be formed from textile materials. The pad element may be utilized to attenuate impact forces and provide one or more of breathability, flexibility, a relatively low overall mass, and launderability.
US07992222B1
A garment includes a first side, possibly corresponding to a user's front. The first side includes left and right portions that each have a free mating edge. Fastener elements are attached to or formed in each of the right and left portions of the garment. One of the two portions includes a two layer placket. Some of the fastener elements include a portion on the outer layer of the two layer placket. At least one interstitial fastener element is positioned only on the inner layer and is between two other fastener elements that include a portion on the outer layer. The at least one interstitial fastener element may be positioned at a wearer's chest or waist region to minimize or eliminate gapping of the shirt in areas of larger girth.
US07996909B2
An information processing apparatus for determining whether or not to transmit a predetermined content to a reception apparatus connected to a network, in accordance with a response time taken to respond to a predetermined command, including: reception means receiving a response to a command; measuring means measuring the response time to the command; authentication means authenticating the reception apparatus; generation means generating authentication data to be inserted into the command; transmission means transmitting the command including predetermined one of the authentication data; storage means storing the authentication data contained in the command and the response data contained in the response; request means requesting the reception apparatus for transmission of the authentication data and the response data; and determination means determining whether the authentication data and the response data transmitted from the reception apparatus, and determining transmission permission/inhibition of a content to the reception apparatus.
US07996901B2
Hypervisors are a new technology in the industry that enable multiple Operating Systems to co-exist on a single client. The use of a hypervisor provides a novel approach to email virus protection. The hypervisor is able to fire up an Operating System on demand, for a specific purpose, or have it running from the powering of the computer. A second Operating System can be provided as a donor Operating System that acts as a scratch area or scratch pad. Emails sent to the recipient are opened under the donor Operating System, or the “Scratch OS”. Once the email activities are complete, the “Scratch OS” can be discarded. Thus, any damage that may be caused by an email virus would be nil, and further the User Operating System would be undamaged. This method would be effective in precluding any damage that a virus may have done.
US07996899B1
A communication system comprises a content provider system configured to receive a content request indicating content and a device identifier, determine a first key based on the device identifier, process the content using the first key to modify the content from an unprotected state to a protected state, and transfer the content in the protected state. The communication system further comprises an end user system configured to receive the content in the protected state and process the content with a second key to modify the content from the protected state to an unprotected state wherein the second key is internally hard coded to the end user system.
US07996896B2
Methods and apparatus for dynamically revising host-intrusion-protection configurations according to varying host state and changing intrusion patterns are disclosed. A set of local servers, each functioning as a deep-security manager supporting a respective subset of the hosts, maintains and updates protection software containing filters and rules for deploying each filter. A local server cyclically monitors each host of its subset of hosts at time instants separated by adjustable monitoring periods to acquire host-characterizing data and determine an optimal set of filters. The local server maintains a profile for each host and determines a current monitoring period for a host according to the host's current profile. The processing effort is reduced by judicial adjustment of successive monitoring periods and selectively tailoring the host-characterizing data to the conditions of each host.
US07996889B2
When an unregistered PC card 111 not having an access level registration is mounted in a PC card reader part 110, a user interface requesting an access level setting to the user is executed through an operation unit 103 or a display part 104 (or a local host 112). Also when a PC card 111, having registration as to whether or not to transmit the mounting and on a destination of notice of the mounting, is mounted in the PC card reader part 110, a PC card mounting notice message is transmitted to a destination according to such registered information.With this configuration, there is provided an access control comprehensively usable to the PC cards of various types, capable of activating an access control user interface at the PC card mounting and transmitting a PC card mounting to host/user.
US07996884B2
An arrangement for providing data in the context of security management for a franking system has a remote data center at which a list of data sets is stored the data sets containing security information as well as information regarding associated security policies, appertaining at least to security measures and the location of their storage in the franking system. A method for server-controlled security management of performable services in an electronic system includes the steps of receiving a request for a desired service, determining a security feature to be selected and generating a data set corresponding thereto, selecting a logical channel and transferring to data set via that channel establishing the service end, and waiting for receipt of a further service request or for the ending of the communication connection.
US07996883B2
Delegating resource management to customers in a technology outsourcing environment includes providing the customer with a secured user interface (e.g., HTML pages) for selecting one or more parameters (e.g., User Ids, application name and version, etc.) associated with a resource management task (e.g., password management). The parameters are used to automatically perform the task using a centralized identity management system and repository for storing and updating data, such as data associated with customers, User Ids, environments, applications and application versions. Such a system and method enables the delegation of resource management tasks across multiple environments hosting disparate hardware and software platforms, including multiple versions of applications.
US07996878B1
The invention provides a system and method that transforms a set of still/motion media (i.e., a series of related or unrelated still frames, web-pages rendered as images, or video clips) or other multimedia, into a video stream that is suitable for delivery over a display medium, such as TV, cable TV, computer displays, wireless display devices, etc. The video data stream may be presented and displayed in real time or stored and later presented through a set-top box, for example. Because these media are transformed into coded video streams (e.g. MPEG-2, MPEG-4, etc.), a user can watch them on a display screen without the need to connect to the Internet through a service provider. The user may request and interact with the desired media through a simple telephone interface, for example. Moreover, several wireless and cable-based services can be developed on the top of this system. In one possible embodiment, the system for generating a coded video sequence may include an input unit that receives the multimedia input and extracts image data, and derives the virtual camera scripts and coding hints from the image data, a video sequence generator that generates a video sequence based on the extracted image data and the derived virtual camera scripts and coding hints, and a video encoder that encodes the generated video sequence using the coding hints and outputs the coded video sequence to an output device. The system may also provide customized video sequence generation services to subscribers.
US07996877B2
A system and method are disclosed for facilitating fast-forwarding by viewers through a first-run program beyond the current broadcast point. In one embodiment, the first-run program is distributed before its scheduled publication time, and may be viewed at any time after the publication time. In a second embodiment, content is distributed on or after the publication time, but at a rate greater than the normal viewing rate. In a third embodiment, content is distributed on demand after the publication time by a media distribution server. In a fourth embodiment, a viewer participating in a multicast session of the content requests content beyond the current broadcast point. The viewer is switched to a unicast session, and the requested content is transmitted to the viewer. In alternative embodiments, a release code may be provided to control the time after which the viewer will be permitted to view program segments beyond the current broadcast point.
US07996870B2
An information processing apparatus carries out a process using delivery information delivered through a network. Only divisional delivery information used in the process of an n-time speed and acquired through a network by dividing the delivery information when the process is carried out at the n-time speed (where n>1) is acquired. Confirmation information used in confirming whether or not the divisional delivery information thus acquired is normally acquired through the network then is acquired, and the confirmation process of whether or not the divisional delivery information is normally acquired is carried out using the confirmation information. A processor carries out the process of the n-time speed using the divisional delivery information when the divisional delivery information is determined to have been normally acquired.
US07996864B2
A television viewer uses a PIP format for display of program related information such as television program listings from a program schedule data base in the background and moving, real time or stored video clip images of a program selected from the displayed listings in the PIP window. All the text of the background information lies outside the PIP window. In one embodiment, as the viewer selects a particular program from the display of current television program listings by means of a cursor or a code number, the corresponding program automatically appears in the PIP window.
US07996860B2
Apparatus for reducing sensitivity of an article to mechanical shock comprises a frame; first and second planar masses mounted in the frame for bi-directional movement relative to the frame along a first axis of displacement; a first lever pivotable about a first fulcrum secured to the frame; the lever having one end connected to the first mass and the other end connected to the second mass, and the fulcrum being disposed between the ends of the lever; whereby the torque exerted about the fulcrum by the first mass is countered by the torque exerted about the fulcrum by the second mass in response to a mechanical shock applied to the frame along the axis of displacement such that an article carried by the first mass in use has reduced sensitivity to the shock.
US07996849B2
Provided are a method, apparatus and a computer program for managing message queues. Message streaming is enabled in a transactional messaging system that supports priority ordering of messages, without the need for complex locking mechanisms. Any messages which are transferred from a message queue to a message consumer after the message consumer initiates commit processing are replaced on the message queue at an appropriate position ahead of other messages. As part of commit processing, the consumer sends back to the manager of the message queue an identification of messages delivered to it before the commit, and this list of messages is extracted and compared with a message log to identify undelivered messages. Successfully delivered and committed messages can be committed by the queue manager, and undelivered messages can be replaced on the queue. A special high priority is assigned to the replaced messages to place them ahead of other messages.
US07996847B2
The invention is directed to a method for correlating processor usage to customer billing in an on-demand server with real-time allocation/deallocation of processing resources. A method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes: providing a plurality of processors, each processor having thermal control circuit (TCC) logic; determining a processing requirement for the plurality of processors; and dynamically controlling a processing capability of the plurality of processors to provide the determined processing requirement by selectively enabling or disabling the TCC logic of each processor.
US07996846B2
A method is disclosed for allocating computer system resources, such as memory, among applications. Input parameters are received for applications. The parameters include a minimum entitlement value, a maximum entitlement value, and a weight. The minimum entitlement is the minimum amount of resources that the application should receive. The maximum entitlement is the maximum amount of resources that the application should receive. The weight specifies the priority of the application relative to other applications, for purposes of distributing system resources. Computer system resources are then allocated among applications based on the parameters.
US07996844B2
Processing time for job execution is shortened by using computation capability to the maximum extent possible.When a user makes a job request, the job request is sent from an LDS program of a first computer to a second computer; the second computer executes data preparation processing and empty area reservation processing with regard to a storage unit (disk A) and stores the results to an the FIFO of the first computer; when the output from the FIFO is transferred via a job release program to the LDS program, the transferred content is then transferred to a third computer; and the third computer selects a computer that should execute the job, from among a group of computers and commands the selected computer to execute the job.
US07996840B2
A method of scheduling a request for a plurality of Web services can include providing service activation rules. Each service activation rule can specify a trigger condition and a state condition for causing a watcher to invoke a particular Web service. The method also can include receiving an event indicating a change in a common memory, wherein each event specifies trigger information, comparing the trigger conditions of the service activation rules with the trigger information of the event, adding the service activation rules that match the event to a trigger list, and comparing the state conditions of service activation rules in the trigger list with a state of the common memory. The service activation rules of the trigger list that match the state of the common memory can be selected thereby causing the invocation of at least one watcher and corresponding Web service.
US07996838B2
Workloads, as defined by customers, are tracked on an individual basis. This tracking enables a customer to identify the amount of resources consumed by a particular workload. The customer defines the workload to be tracked, and that workload is tracked using a Unit of Work value. The Unit of Work value ensures that there is an accounting for the resources attributable to that workload.
US07996834B2
The embodiments contemplate a system and method for a restriction of virtual machines for a group of one or more users. A predefined policy may include a restriction related to the group, as well as a measure of enforcement to initiate in the event of a violation of the restriction. The measure of enforcement may include a warning message or denial of resources. The restriction may be resource-based, time-based, machine-based, or a combination. The restriction may be a group-level restriction, in which the entire group actions are monitored, or a user-level restriction, in which the user's actions are monitored. In the event a user is assigned to more than one group, the policies of each group are assigned a priority level. The priority level dictates the restriction as well as the measure of enforcement.
US07996828B2
This disclosure involves back-end field control of layered software. For example, a method for providing back-end field control of an interface can comprise receiving a request to update one or more attributes of a business object, where the request is associated with a first software layer. The method then identifies one or more additional software layers associated with the business object and determines whether the request can update to the one or more attributes violate settings of the one or more attributes associated with the one or more additional software layers.
US07996824B2
A synthetic benchmark for a computer program and a method and computer program product for creating a synthetic benchmark for a computer program. The synthetic benchmark is created using statistical information that is collected about an executing program, and some hints about the machine on which the benchmark will be run. When executed, the synthetic benchmark exhibits behavior similar to the computer program to permit computer performance to be accurately measured.
US07996823B2
A mechanism to provide debugging and optimization in policy and knowledge controlled distributed computing system through the use of tagged policies is provided. An aspect of the mechanism tags one or more policies, for instance, at their creation time, execution time and/or at any other time an event that affects the policies occur. Decisions made according to policy execution or evaluation may be traced using the tags.
US07996822B2
A tracer object for tracing a user or process in a data processing system is provided. An application receives a tracer key containing a request for information to be traced. The received tracer key is checked against all tracer keys that the application has stored. If a match between two tracer keys is found, the stored tracer key maps the tracer key containing the request to the stored tracer key's associated tracer object and applies the conditions and modifiers contained in the tracer key containing the request to the tracer object. The tracer object then gathers the required information as requested.
US07996815B2
A test tool infrastructure comprising: a test tool interface for generating a test tool module, the test tool interface including: a variable declaration input to create a variable declaration block of the test tool module, the variable declaration block user can declare fixed string variables, random integer variables and random string variables; a preparation input to create a preparation block of the test tool module, the preparation block including processes executed once for the entire program; an initial input to create an initial block of the test tool module, the initial block including processes executed once for each client specified in the initial block; a loop input to create loop block of the test tool module, the loop block including processes executed a number of times specified in an iteration command; a cleanup input to create a cleanup block of the test tool module, the cleanup block including clean-up processes executed once for each client; and a terminate input to create a terminate preparation block of the test tool module, the terminate preparation block including clean-up processes executed once for the entire program.
US07996810B2
A computer system for designing a low leakage monotonic CMOS logic circuit. The system performing the computer implements steps of: (a) specifying a reference PFET having its threshold voltage and its gate dielectric thickness and a reference NFET having its threshold voltage and its gate dielectric thickness; (b) synthesizing a schematic circuit design with standard design elements, the standard design elements including one or more reference PFETS and one or more reference NFETs; (c) analyzing one or more circuits for logic stages having predominantly high input logic states or predominantly low input logic states; (d) selecting one or more logic stages determined to have predominantly high input logic states or predominantly low input logic states; and (e) replacing the standard design elements of the selected logic stages with reduced current leakage elements.
US07996808B2
A computer readable medium, system and associated method is provided for designing an integrated circuit with inserted loops. The method comprises the steps of inserting a loop with tagged wire segments and/or vias in a fully routed and DCR clean integrated circuit; performing a DRC; and fixing DRC violations by removing tagged wire segments and/or vias which contribute to a violation.
US07996807B2
Disclosed are embodiments of a clock generation circuit, a design structure for the circuit and an associated method that provide deskewing functions and that further provide precise timing for both testing and functional operations. Specifically, the embodiments incorporate a deskewer circuit that is capable of receiving waveform signals from both an external waveform generator and an internal waveform generator. The external waveform generator can generate and supply to the deskewer circuit a pair of waveform signals for functional operations. The internal waveform generator can be uniquely configured with control logic and counter logic for generating and supplying a pair of waveform signals to the deskewer circuit for any one of built-in self-test (BIST) operations, macro-test operations, other test operations or functional operations. The deskewer circuit can selectively gate an input clock signal with the waveform signals from either the external or internal waveform generator in order to generate the required output clock signal.
US07996801B2
Methods and systems for on-the-fly chip verification method for tracking non-contiguous events. A method includes comparing a first search marker associated with a first check vector to a search key associated with an output vector of a design under test (DUT). The method also includes performing either: verifying a validity of the output vector when the first search marker equals the search key, or comparing a second search marker associated with a second check vector to the search key when the first search marker does not equal the search key.
US07996797B1
A method for designing a system on a target device includes entering the system. The system is synthesized. The system is mapped. The system is placed on the target device. The system is routed. Physical synthesis is performed on the system immediately after more than one of the entering, synthesizing, mapping, placing and routing procedures.
US07996795B2
A method, a computer medium storing computer instructions performing a method, and a computer with processor and memory perform stress modeling as follows. The stress model transforms a representation of a material conversion of a first material in the integrated circuit to a second material in the integrated circuit. Prior to the material conversion the first material occupies a first space having a first boundary. After the material conversion the first material and the second material together occupy a second space having a second boundary. The first space and the second space are different. The stress model performed by the computer system transforms the representation of the material conversion of the first material to the second material into: i) the first material occupying the first space having the first boundary, and ii) a strain displacement condition of the first material. The strain displacement condition is determined by a spatial change from the first boundary to the second boundary.
US07996792B2
A computer-implemented method for management of voicemail messages, performed at a portable electronic device with a touch screen display, includes: displaying a list of voicemail messages; detecting selection by a user of a respective voicemail message in the list; responding to the user selection of the respective voicemail message by initiating playback of the user-selected voicemail message; displaying a progress bar for the user-selected voicemail message, wherein the progress bar indicates the portion of the user-selected voicemail message that has been played; detecting movement of a finger of the user from a first position on the progress bar to a second position on the progress bar; and responding to the detection of the finger movement by restarting playback of the user-selected voicemail message at a position within the user-selected voicemail message corresponding substantially to the second position on the progress bar.
US07996769B2
A handheld electronic device includes a reduced QWERTY keyboard and is enabled with a disambiguation routine that is operable to disambiguate text input. In addition to identifying and outputting representations of language objects that are stored in the memory and that correspond with a text input, the device is able to perform a spell check routine during input of a text entry and to learn and automatically correct mistakes typically made by the particular user.
US07996746B2
A method for constructing a low-density parity-check (LDPC) code using a structured base parity check matrix with permutation matrix, pseudo-permutation matrix, or zero matrix as constituent sub-matrices; and expanding the structured base parity check matrix into an expanded parity check matrix. A method for constructing a LDPC code using a structured base parity check matrix H=[Hd|Hp], Hd is the data portion, and Hp is the parity portion of the parity check matrix; the parity portion of the structured base parity check matrix is such so that when expanded, an inverse of the parity portion of the expanded parity check matrix is sparse; and expanding the structured base parity check matrix into an expanded parity check matrix. A method for encoding variable sized data by using the expanded LDPC code; and applying shortening, puncturing.
US07996745B2
An error correction device is provided. Such error correction device may make use of an error correction code defined by a parity matrix specialized for the application to multilevel memories. For example, the parity matrix is characterized by having a Maximum Row Weight equal to 21.
US07996744B2
An approach is provided for efficient retransmissions by allocating a transmission resource for transmitting data and allocating a retransmission resource for retransmitting the data according to a transmission scheme that specifies relationship between the transmitted data and the retransmitted data for providing communication over a radio network.
US07996733B2
A data processing system employing identify indicators associated with various components of the system. The indicator may be activated whenever a corresponding component requires maintenance, field testing, installation, replacement, and the like. The user may specify global and local conditions under which an activated identify indicator is reset. After the indicator is activated, the system monitors for the satisfaction of one of the conditions. When one of the conditions is satisfied, the system deactivates the indicator automatically. The global conditions apply across logical partitions in a logically partitioned system thereby reducing the occurrence of stale identify indicators on all partitions.
US07996732B2
A program product is embedded in a media accessible by a computer operative to request a plurality of program tasks for wakeup so as to execute the plurality of program tasks in a predetermined schedule. The program product causes at least one of the computer and another computer to execute the instructions of measuring a delay period between a request of at least one of a plurality of program tasks and a wakeup thereof. The instructions include comparing the measured delay period with a predetermined first timeout value, thus determining whether at least one of the plurality of tasks is abnormally executed by the computer based on the comparison result.
US07996730B2
The present invention provides methods and systems for a customizable collector application, which automates multiple diagnostic techniques to obtain sets of diagnostic information. The collector application is easily customizable for use by different products, and may reduce the diagnostic information gathering to a single session. This includes gathering all of the required sets of information about a product problem, the hardware environment, the maintenance levels of the operating system environment, and the involved middleware, both local and distributed. In addition, the collector application has a reusable framework designed to have minor external customization for each product that requires its' service. The output of the collector application may be provided in a format, such as XML, that is viewable by another application, such as browser.
US07996729B2
A method and system for automatically generating a helpdesk ticket when a remote rendering device possesses a series of customer resolvable events within a time period. The helpdesk ticket can be moved into an active state when an alert associated with the customer resolvable events is triggered and the ticket can be moved into a passive state when the alert is no longer triggered for the predefined time period. The helpdesk ticket can be retained in the active state if the fault condition detected for a defined number of times without being out of that state for the predefined time period. A device management module sends a notification indicative on each change of the state associated with the rendering device to a helpdesk unit. The device management module can also reset the time period between alerts if the problem occurs infrequently and the ticket can be automatically closed.
US07996727B2
Methods and devices operate to apply and provide differing levels of error correction within a multi-level, non-volatile memory. In an example, the differing level of error correction is provided within one page of a row of multi-level cells relative to other pages stored within the same row of multi-level cells.
US07996722B2
Embodiments of the invention are associated with an application process that comprises multiple threads, wherein threads of the process are disposes to run on a data processing system, and each thread can have a user mode or a kernel mode machine state, or both, selectively, when it is running. An embodiment directed to a method comprises the steps of allocating a specified memory location for each of the threads, and responsive to a given thread entering a sleep state, selectively saving the kernel mode machine state of the given thread in the specified memory location for the given thread. The saved machine state comprises the state of the given thread immediately prior to the given thread entering the sleep state. In response to detecting a hang condition in the operation of the process, a debugger is attached to the process to access at least one of the saved user mode machine states. The method further includes analyzing information provided by the at least one accessed machine state to determine the cause of the hang condition, and restoring the original state upon detachment, so the debugger attachment is completely transparent to the target process.
US07996721B2
A method and system for a process monitor using a hardware communication format is described. The system includes a process monitor and a hardware device to send and/or receive messages in a hardware communication format to a management server. Hardware communication formatted messages are sent to a management server when an unexpected event occurs with the processes running on the system. The management server may respond with a command to perform an action on the system.
US07996718B1
Techniques for continuous data protection are disclosed. In one particular exemplary embodiment, the techniques may be realized as a method for reducing data protection system outages comprising polling a data protection client device, receiving a response from the data protection client device, parsing the response to determine whether restarting a data protection process is required, and restarting a data protection process on the data protection client device, if restarting the data protection process is required.
US07996713B2
A method performed by a primary server includes receiving integrity criteria and sending a health check request to a secondary server based on the received integrity criteria. The method also includes receiving integrity information from the secondary server and checking the integrity information against the integrity criteria. The method further includes initiating a non-compliance action if the integrity information does not comply with the integrity criteria.
US07996695B2
A circuit for reducing sleep state current leakage is described. The circuit includes a hardware unit selected from at least one of a latch, a flip-flop, a comparator, a multiplexer, or an adder. The hardware unit includes a first node. The hardware unit further includes a sleep enabled combinational logic coupled to the first node, wherein a value of the first node is preserved during a sleep state.
US07996692B2
The information processing apparatus equipped with a microprocessor is provided. The information processing apparatus equipped with a microprocessor includes: an operation clock signal generator that generates a frequency-variable operation clock signal supplied to the microprocessor; and a power supply voltage generator that determines a value of a power supply voltage to be supplied to the microprocessor according to a logarithm of a frequency of the operation clock signal and generates the power supply voltage.
US07996689B2
A system and method for power control for ASIC device is disclosed. According to an embodiment, the present invention provides a system for adjusting power consumption of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) device. The system includes a first buffer that is configured to receive and store data. For example, the first buffer can be characterized by a first buffer level. The method also includes a controller configured to generate a control signal. According to an embodiment, the controller is coupled to the first buffer. The system additionally includes a power supply component, which is configured to receive the control signal and to provide at least at a first voltage and a second voltage. For example, the first voltage and the second voltage are different. The system further includes a processing unit coupled to the first buffer, the processing unit further being configured to receive the data from the first buffer and to process the data, the processing unit being electrically coupled to the power supply component.
US07996688B2
Disclosed are systems and methods which power-down (reduce power to or deactivate) circuits in an ultrasound system during periods in which an acoustic signal is not being acquired, although image processing and other system functions are continued normally. Such circuits may be powered-down between each of a series of acoustic signal acquire operations, such as between acoustic signal scan lines and/or between acoustic signal scan frames. The circuitry which is powered-down between scan lines and scan frames may not the same, although some circuitry may be common to both. Embodiments may further operate to adjust the acoustic signal dead time circuitry power-down cycle, such as by adjusting acoustic signal frame rates. Power-down techniques may be utilized in addressing power issues and/or in controlling thermal aspects of the operation of an ultrasound diagnostic system.
US07996684B2
A digital logic circuit comprises a programmable logic device and a programmable security circuit. The programmable security circuit stores a set of authorized configuration security keys. The programmable security circuit compares the authorized configuration security keys with an incoming configuration request, and selectively enables a new configuration for the programmable logic device in response to the configuration request. In another exemplary embodiment, a programmable security circuit also stores a set of authorized operation security keys. The programmable security circuit compares the authorized operation security keys with an incoming operation request from the programmable logic device, and selectively enables an operation within the programmable logic device in response to the operation request.
US07996673B2
A system for encrypting and decrypting messages using a browser in either a web or wireless device or secure message client software for transmission to or from a web server on the Internet connected to an email server or message server for the situation where the sender does not possess the credentials and public key of the recipients. The encryption and decryption is conducted using a standard web browser on a personal computer or a mini browser on a wireless device, or message client software on either a personal computer or wireless devices such that messages transmitted to the web or wireless browser or message client software can be completed and encrypted and signed by the user such that encrypted and signed data does not require credentials and public key of the recipients. A method for delivering and using private keys to ensure that such keys are destroyed after use is also provided. A method of transmitting encrypted messages to a web or wireless browser or message client and decrypting and verifying such messages by recipients who do not possess or who are not enrolled in a PKI and do not have private keys. A method for authenticating the sender/user of the browser, and a method for accessing or generating public and private keys for encrypting and decrypting messages for recipients who are not enrolled in a public key infrastructure.
US07996669B2
A computer platform (100) uses a tamper-proof component (120), or “trusted module”, of a computer platform in conjunction with software, preferably running within the tamper-proof component, that controls the uploading and usage of data on the platform as a generic dongle for that platform. Licensing checks can occur within a trusted environment (in other words, an environment which can be trusted to behave as the user expects); this can be enforced by integrity checking of the uploading and license-checking software. Metering records can be stored in the tamper-proof device and reported back to administrators as required. There can be an associated clearinghouse mechanism to enable registration and payment for data.
US07996666B2
There is provided a method for altering a sequence in which programs and content are loaded upon startup of an electronic device. A user may change the loading sequence by selecting a program or content before the loading sequence has finished. In addition, the altered loading sequence may be saved and utilized when the electronic device is powered on again. There is also provided a tangible, machine-readable medium for performing the described method. Finally, there is provided an electronic device having a memory device for storing a loading program that defines a loading sequence, a processor for loading programs and content based on the loading sequence, and a user interface for delivering user input to the loading program to alter the loading sequence.
US07996656B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a pipeline to execute instructions out-of-order, where the pipeline has front-end stages, execution units, and back-end stages, and the execution units are coupled between dispatch ports of the front-end stages and writeback ports of the back-end stages. Further, a reconfigurable logic is coupled between one of the dispatch ports and one of the writeback ports to perform specialized operations or handle instructions that are not part of an instruction set architecture (ISA) used by the pipeline. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07996653B2
In one embodiment, a node comprises a plurality of processor cores and a node controller configured to receive a first read operation addressing a first register. The node controller is configured to return a first value in response to the first read operation, dependent on which processor core transmitted the first read operation. In another embodiment, the node comprises the processor cores and the node controller. The node controller comprises a queue shared by the processor cores. The processor cores are configured to transmit communications at a maximum rate of one every N clock cycles, where N is an integer equal to a number of the processor cores. In still another embodiment, a node comprises the processor cores and a plurality of fuses shared by the processor cores. In some embodiments, the node components are integrated onto a single integrated circuit chip (e.g. a chip multiprocessor).
US07996651B2
An n-bit microprocessor device has an n-bit central processing unit (CPU); a plurality of special function registers and general purpose registers which are memory-mapped to a plurality of banks, with at least two 16-bit indirect memory address registers which are accessible by the CPU across all banks; a bank access unit for coupling the CPU with one of the plurality of banks; a data memory coupled with the CPU; and a program memory coupled with the CPU, wherein the indirect address registers are operable to access the data memory or program memory and wherein a bit in each of the indirect memory address registers indicates an access to the data memory or to the program memory.
US07996645B2
Data is written to a hard disk drive using shingled writing principles, i.e., each data track is partially overwritten when an immediately contiguous data track is written. One or more contiguous data tracks establish a band, and a band establishes a respective segment in a log-structured file system.
US07996634B2
Memory system with controller for managing management data and reverse flag for reversing write data
A semiconductor storage device includes a first nonvolatile memory to store user data of a file, a second nonvolatile memory to store management data of the file, the second nonvolatile memory being different in type from the first nonvolatile memory, and a controller to control read/write of data with respect to the first and second nonvolatile memories.
US07996624B2
In one embodiment, a processor comprises a prefetch unit coupled to a data cache. The prefetch unit is configured to concurrently maintain a plurality of separate, active prefetch streams. Each prefetch stream is either software initiated via execution by the processor of a dedicated prefetch instruction or hardware initiated via detection of a data cache miss by one or more load/store memory operations. The prefetch unit is further configured to generate prefetch requests responsive to the plurality of prefetch streams to prefetch data in to the data cache.
US07996622B1
In the event of a cache miss, data is written from main memory to the cache. To select a cache line to write the data to, cache lines in the cache that are not referenced during a certain interval are identified. One of the identified cache lines is selected and the data can be written to that cache line.
US07996616B2
Techniques and methods are used to control allocations to a higher level cache of cache lines displaced from a lower level cache. The allocations of the displaced cache lines are prevented for displaced cache lines that are determined to be redundant in the next level cache, whereby castouts are controlled. To such ends, a line is selected to be displaced in a lower level cache. Information associated with the selected line is identified which indicates that the selected line is present in a higher level cache. An allocation of the selected line in the higher level cache is prevented based on the identified information.
US07996603B2
A refresh controller transmits two refresh request signals of a first request signal which indicates a time at which a refresh operation of a DRAM may be performed and a second request signal which indicates a time at which a refresh operation of the DRAM must be performed, to an arbitrator. On the other hand, also transfer request signals each of which requests a data transfer are transmitted from plural data transfer parts, respectively, to the arbitrator. If no transfer request signal is input when a first request signal is input to the arbitrator, a refresh operation of the DRAM is performed. As a result, a refresh operation is performed when the crowding level of a bus is relatively low. This improves an efficiency in a data transfer.
US07996597B1
A device may include a group of requestors issuing requests, a memory that includes a set of memory banks, and a control block. The control block may receive a request from one of the requestors, where the request includes a first address. The control block may perform a logic operation on a high order bit and a low order bit of the first address to form a second address, identify one of the memory banks based on the second address, and send the request to the identified memory bank.
US07996591B2
A computing device that allows for a flexible allocation of bandwidth among peripheral devices using a peripheral bus is disclosed. The computing device includes a peripheral bus and at least two slots. The computing device may be used with a single peripheral card or multiple peripheral cards. In a multi-card configuration the invention allows the bandwidth on the peripheral bus to be shared by all the cards. In a single-card configuration, the computing device allows available bandwidth on the peripheral bus to be used by a single card. The device is particularly useful with PCI express compliant expansion cards, such as graphics adapters.
US07996590B2
A semiconductor memory module includes a memory module board having at least one semiconductor memory device. The semiconductor memory device includes a data input buffer that receives data and a first reference voltage via first and second input terminals, a command/address buffer that receives a command/address signal and a second reference voltage via first and second input terminals, and a first termination resistor unit connected to the first input terminal of the data input buffer. The semiconductor memory module further includes a second termination resistor unit located on the memory module board and connected to an internal command/address bus. The first termination resistor unit includes a first resistor connected between a first voltage source and the first input terminal of the data input buffer, and the second termination resistor unit includes a second resistor connected between a second voltage source and the first input terminal of the command/address input buffer.
US07996589B2
An interface is provided between a handwriting receiving panel and an auto complete process. A user writes onto the handwriting receiving panel which recognizes the handwritten text. The handwritten text is forwarded to the auto complete process which provides suggested content to the user based on the handwritten text. The user can select the suggested content for use with another application. Alternatively, the user may add additional information to the handwriting receiving panel to enable the auto complete process to provide more or different suggested content.
US07996587B2
A module with isolated analog inputs for a programmable controller, the module including plural input pathways that are each isolated with aid of at least one optical isolation static relay controlled selectively with the aid of a controller. The module further includes a multiplexer including plural channels each controlled to open or to close, a channel of the multiplexer being placed in series with an isolated input pathway of the module.
US07996586B2
A USB port transmitter includes a plurality of arbiters, each employing a distinct priority rule to select one USB transmission from among multiple scheduled USB transmissions based on their types. A selector selects one of the arbiters to select the one USB transmission from among the multiple scheduled USB transmissions. A programmable storage element controls the selector to select the one arbiter. In one embodiment, at least a first arbiter prioritizes header/data packets higher than link commands, and at least a second arbiter prioritizes link commands higher than header/data packets. In one embodiment, at least one arbiter prioritizes flow control and power management link commands higher than header/data packets. In one embodiment, at least a first of the arbiters prioritizes USB LGO_Ux link commands higher than USB LAU/LXU link commands, and at least a second arbiter prioritizes USB LAU/LXU link commands higher than USB LGO_Ux link commands.
US07996584B2
An HDMI cable carries high speed encoded data which are transmitted differentially over data channels, along with a clock. High-frequency loss and differential skew within a differential signal may be compensated by analog circuits embedded in the cable. These embedded circuits are tuned at production for best performance by observing the quality of the recovered analog signal. The embedded circuits are powered by a combination of power sources, both carried within the cable, and harvested from the high-speed signals themselves.
US07996580B2
A host device includes an electrical activity monitoring (EAM) module that is configured to monitor the electrical activity of a slave storage device interfaced with the host device. Responsive to the value of, or change in, the electric current fed to the slave storage device being at or near a certain level, or within a predetermined range, the EAM module notifies the host device that the slave storage device has pending service request(s) or information for the host device.
US07996572B2
Systems and methods of managing transactions provide for receiving a first flush command at a first I/O hub, wherein the first flush command is dedicated to non-posted transactions. One embodiment further provides for halting an inbound ordering queue of the first I/O hub with regard to non-posted transactions in response to the first flush command and flushing a non-posted transaction from an outgoing buffer of the first I/O hub to a second I/O hub while the inbound ordering queue is halted with regard to non-posted transactions.
US07996571B2
A system for implementing wireless control between apparatuses. In at least one scenario, an apparatus may, after an event (e.g., receiving wireless communication), create a wireless message based on the event, and may then send the wireless message to a peripheral apparatus. The peripheral apparatus may utilize some or all of the message data to formulate and display a user interface. Inputs (e.g., soft-coded or hardware based buttons) in the peripheral device may be actuated in accordance with the user interface, which may result in a response message being sent to the apparatus. The response message may, in turn, trigger functionality in the apparatus.
US07996569B2
Methods and systems for zero copy in a virtualized network environment are disclosed. Aspects of one method may include a plurality of GOSs that share a single NIC. The NIC may switch communication to a GOS to allow that GOS access to a network via the NIC. The NIC may offload, for example, OSI layer 3, 4, and/or 5 protocol operations from a host system and/or the GOSs. The data received from, or to be transmitted to, the network by the NIC may be copied directly between the NIC's buffer and a corresponding application buffer for one of the GOSs without copying the data to a TGOS. The NIC may access the GOS buffer via a virtual address, a buffer offset, or a physical address. The virtual address and the buffer offset may be translated to a physical address.
US07996560B2
A method is provided with which a name of a virtual port is not changed when virtualized storage is moved among switches. Information about a creator and a borrower of name information is added to a table including name information and address information of a virtual port of a name server managing the name information and the address information. The name information is provided to plural switches and managed. In addition, name information, which can be used commonly among name servers managing the name information and the address information is pooled in advance, and the name information of the virtual port is borrowed from there.
US07996553B2
The invention provides a solution for performing multicast for streaming transmission in a telecommunication system. An intermediate node is proposed which is able to connect the functionality of a broadcast/multicast server and of a streaming node. Further the intermediate node is responsible for the establishment of a bearer for multicast transmission. The establishment of a session is done by means of a translation the on-demand single-use signalling into multi-user push signalling. Furthermore an adaptation of the streaming flow for a whole multicast group or for individual subgroups of a multicast group is performed.
US07996549B2
A method for recording and real-time playback of presentation layer protocol data includes the step of intercepting, by a recorder, a presentation layer protocol data stream comprising a plurality of packets, during transmission of the presentation layer protocol data stream from a first device to a second device, the presentation layer protocol data stream representing display data. A distributor transmits a copy of at least one packet of the presentation layer protocol data stream. A protocol engine uses information associated with the at least one copied packet to regenerate the display data represented by the at least one copied packet. The steps of intercepting the presentation layer protocol data stream and of transmitting the copy of the at least one packet repeat until the first device completes transmission of the protocol data stream to the second device.
US07996544B2
The invention detects a denial of service attack at a node by monitoring the number of discarded packets in relationship to the number of inbound packets. When an attack is detected, relevant inbound packet information is collected during the attack to help characterize the attack and at least to pinpoint the source of the last hop to the attacked node.
US07996531B2
A routing method operative in a content delivery network (CDN) where the CDN includes a request routing mechanism for routing clients to subsets of edge servers within the CDN. According to the routing method, TCP connection data statistics are collected are edge servers located within a CDN region. The TCP connection data statistics are collected as connections are established between requesting clients and the CDN region and requests are serviced by those edge servers. Periodically, e.g., daily, the connection data statistics are provided from the edge servers in a region back to the request routing mechanism. The TCP connection data statistics are then used by the request routing mechanism in subsequent routing decisions and, in particular, in the map generation processes. Thus, for example, the TCP connection data may be used to determine whether a given quality of service is being obtained by routing requesting clients to the CDN region. If not, the request routing mechanism generates a map that directs requesting clients away from the CDN region for a given time period or until the quality of service improves.
US07996527B2
A system, method and apparatus for facilitating communication among a number of distributed clients in a distributed network is disclosed. A user, such as through a personal digital assistant device, may select one or more instant messages for transmission to one or more other users in the network. The instant messages may be sound instant message and/or text instant messages. During messaging, message status indicators provide users with the status of their respective messages. In one embodiment, the messages may be deemed to be either pending or received as distinguished by a pending status indicator and a received status indicator.
US07996526B2
Information from multiple sources can be communicated to a policy server. Based on that information, the policy server can determine allocation of bandwidth, transmission priority and/or other network resources based on preferences and/or service selections provided by a subscriber and communicate information about those determinations to other network elements for policy implementation. The information provided to a policy server for determining network resource allocation can include information about one or more applications executing at a customer equipment device, information about access network bandwidth usage, information about services for which one or more devices is authorized, and/or information about network conditions.
US07996525B2
In one embodiment the present invention includes a computer-implemented method comprising specifying configuration information for creating one or more software servers as images on a cloud computing system, specifying a processing load threshold, and continuously monitoring a processing load on one or more software servers. If the monitored load exceeds the processing load threshold, a request to the cloud computing system may be generated to instantiate an instance of one of said images. The method further includes creating a server instance on the cloud in response to the request, distributing the processing load across the one or more servers and the server instance, and monitoring the processing load on the one or more servers and the server instance.
US07996509B2
Mechanisms for performing zoning of devices, such as Serial Attached SCSI (SAS) devices, for example, in a storage area network (SAN) in which all host systems of the SAN are automatically mapped to all of the storage systems are provided. Mechanisms for automatically mapping backend storage enclosures to appropriate storage system controllers on the SAN are provided. The zoning is automatically performed based on whether ports/phys are coupled to host systems, storage systems, and whether there are storage system controllers associated with the storage systems. Based on the automatic zoning, mapping of the storage devices of the storage systems to the host systems may be automatically performed via zone permission tables. By automating the zoning, users that do not necessarily have a detailed knowledge of the storage device communication protocol or SANs may configure the SAN even if it utilizes a complex and large architecture.
US07996499B2
A Web service request is received that is constructed according to a first Web service technology and that targets an activation file constructed according to the first Web service technology. When the Web service request is received, it is modified to target an activation file constructed according to a second Web service technology. Binding properties associated with the Web service request and binding properties supported by a targeted Web service may also be identified. Binding properties for use in forwarding the Web service request to the Web service are then selected based upon the binding properties associated with the Web service request and the binding properties supported by the Web service. The Web service request is then forwarded to the Web service using a binding having the selected binding properties.
US07996485B2
A switch includes a reserved pool of buffers in a shared memory. The reserved pool of buffers is reserved for exclusive use by an egress port. The switch includes pool select logic which selects a free buffer from the reserved pool for storing data received from an ingress port to be forwarded to the egress port. The shared memory also includes a shared pool of buffers. The shared pool of buffers is shared by a plurality of egress ports. The pool select logic selects a free buffer in the shared pool upon detecting no free buffer in the reserved pool. The shared memory may also include a multicast pool of buffers. The multicast pool of buffers is shared by a plurality of egress ports. The pool select logic selects a free buffer in the multicast pool upon detecting an IP Multicast data packet received from an ingress port.
US07996482B1
A client playback architecture for a media content distribution system is provided. In the preferred embodiment, the client playback architecture is a Remote Direct Memory Access (RDMA) based architecture. The RDMA based architecture enables the client playback device to obtain media content from a central server in real-time or in substantially real-time as the media content is needed for playback at the client playback device. More specifically, the playback device includes RDMA enabled playback circuitry operating to perform RDMA transfers for select media content, buffer the media content received as a result of the RDMA transfers, and provide the media content for presentation to one or more associated viewers via one or more audio/video interfaces.
US07996479B2
A method of controlling a system of monitoring messages in a network is described. A message sent by a user of the network to one or more recipients is received and a weight is applied to any text from any previous message that appears in the message. A measure of language content used in the message is formed and stored in one or more data stores. Information identifying the sender of the message is also stored. The stored measure of the language content and the stored information identifying the sender is reported to an administrator of the system.
US07996477B2
The subject application is directed to a system and method for document processing device operation monitoring. Operational data is first communicated between document processing devices on one of a plurality of networks, each network having an assigned audit server from among a plurality of audit servers. Operational data is received into each audit server from each document processing device in its associated network. The audit servers output operational data from each document processing device in a thin client language via attachment to an e-mail. A data server receives the e-mail from each audit server and parses the operational data from each received e-mail. The parsed data is then stored in a database associated with the data server. The data server then generates a device report in accordance with a query to the database.
US07996474B2
A method and system for placing, displaying and printing email strings in different chronological orders.
US07996473B2
A method, system and computer usable medium are disclosed for delivering an electronic message. A first computer is used to receive voice data from a user and to generate a message data file therefrom. A test is then conducted to determine whether a predetermined second computer is operably coupled to the communication network. If the result of the test indicates that the second computer is not coupled to the communication network, the message data file is forwarded to a predetermined storage location in an electronic messaging system. The message data file is subsequently retrieved from the predetermined storage location by the predetermined second computer and processed to comprise text data or voice mail data prior to forwarding to the predetermined storage location in the electronic messaging system.
US07996470B2
Systems and methods for handling email messages are described. Some embodiments are directed to determining whether an email message meets a predefined condition, and executing an action in an instant messaging (IM) system in response to determining that the email message meets the predefined condition. Other embodiments are directed to providing a programming interface, and storing inputs provided by a user at the programming interface. For those embodiments, the programming interface is adapted to receive user input in the form of a markup language. The inputs include a condition and an action. Yet other embodiments are directed to determining whether a digital message meets a predefined condition, and executing a filtering algorithm on the digital message in response to determining that the digital message does not meet the predefined condition. The digital message may be, for example, an email message or an IM message.
US07996457B2
A system and method of proxy domain name registration permits a would-be domain name registrant anonymity. A registrar affords customers the opportunity to use the proxy registration. If the customer seeking registration of a domain name requests, the registrar obtains contact information needed for registration from a proxy entity established for this purpose. The registrar completes the registration of the domain name with the appropriate registry (i.e. “.com, .net” etc.). The contact information published in WHOIS is that of proxy entity. Contractually the customer is afforded control over the domain name. Emails intended for the customer are received by the proxy entity who may filter them if the customer requests. Emails sent by the customer are sent to the proxy entity who in turn sends them to the indicated addressee.
US07996440B2
One or more classification algorithms are applied to at least one natural language document in order to extract both attributes and values of a given product. Supervised classification algorithms, semi-supervised classification algorithms, unsupervised classification algorithms or combinations of such classification algorithms may be employed for this purpose. The at least one natural language document may be obtained via a public communication network. Two or more attributes (or two or more values) thus identified may be merged to form one or more attribute phrases or value phrases. Once attributes and values have been extracted in this manner, association or linking operations may be performed to establish attribute-value pairs that are descriptive of the product. In a presently preferred embodiment, an (unsupervised) algorithm is used to generate seed attributes and values which can then support a supervised or semi-supervised classification algorithm.
US07996431B2
Systems, methods and computer program products for generating metadata and visualizing media content
The exemplary embodiments of the present invention provide a method for generating metadata for media content that includes a digital media file and includes retrieving a media content subset from a media content source, saving the received media content subset at a computing system, and generating metadata by processing the media content using the computing system. The method further includes associating generated metadata with media content to facilitate the visualization and navigation of the media content, and adding the metadata to at least one metadata repository designed for efficient retrieval of metadata elements.
US07996429B2
Mechanisms to persist object relations are provided. A project is defined as a series of interrelated objects having dependencies and relationships with one another. The dependencies and relationships are maintained via a storage organization for files that define the objects within a project storage environment for the project. Thus, the dependencies and relationships are not maintained via hardcoded instructions or references that are included within the files.
US07996422B2
Disclosed herein are systems, methods, and computer readable-media for adaptive media playback based on destination. The method for adaptive media playback comprises determining one or more destinations, collecting media content that is relevant to or describes the one or more destinations, assembling the media content into a program, and outputting the program. In various embodiments, media content may be advertising, consumer-generated, based on real-time events, based on a schedule, or assembled to fit within an estimated available time. Media content may be assembled using an adaptation engine that selects a plurality of media segments that fit in the estimated available time, orders the plurality of media segments, alters at least one of the plurality of media segments to fit the estimated available time, if necessary, and creates a playlist of selected media content containing the plurality of media segments.
US07996416B2
Techniques for object relational mapping in database technologies are described herein. According to one embodiment, in response to a query statement for accessing a relational database, a syntax tree is generated to represent semantic information of the query statement, where the query statement includes a wildcard parameter and is implemented as an object of a SQL. A data type of the wildcard parameter is predicted based on the semantic information obtained from the syntax tree in view of a structure representing the syntax tree. The predicted data type of the wildcard parameter is used to access the corresponding entry of the relational database. Other methods and apparatuses are also described.
US07996397B2
A method and apparatus for using network traffic logs for search enhancement is disclosed. According to one embodiment, network usage is tracked by generating log files. These log files among other things indicate the frequency web pages are referenced and modified. These log files or information from these log files can then be used to improve document ranking, improve web crawling, determine tiers in a multi-tiered index, determine where to insert a document in a multi-tiered index, determine link weights, and update a search engine index.
US07996385B2
A method and apparatus for defining the scope of a search is described. In one embodiment, user input is received, and the scope is defined, based on the user input, for a search of free-form text for information from any random rows within a tabular structure of source data. In one embodiment, the search is intended for finding, in the free-form text, a sub-set of data fragments that matches information from any single row within the tabular structure of the source data.
US07996381B2
A system for collecting, managing and disseminating information relating to medical procedures includes a central computer and a plurality of medical devices each in communication with an injector, a scanner, a hospital system and/or at least one other device. Each medical device receives (I) before a procedure is performed, patient identification information from a user interface, the scanner and/or the hospital system and (II) during and/or after the procedure, injection information from the injector and imaging study information from the scanner. Each medical device has an associated database for storing as a record therein the patient identification information, the injection information and the imaging study information for each procedure performed on each patient. The central computer remotely links to each medical device for accessing, collecting and storing in a related database the records transmitted therefrom and for analyzing the records and creating therefrom at least one related entry based thereon.
US07996378B2
In accordance with the teachings described herein, systems and methods are provided for graphically distinguishing levels from a multidimensional database. Levels from a multidimensional database are distinguished, such as by associating two or more of database's levels with a plurality of different visual indicators.
US07996375B2
A computer-implemented method for delivering content is provided, including specifying a rule having a trigger and defining a content presentation action, and receiving a search query from a user. The method further includes generating a result set in response to the search query, identifying at least one characteristic of the result set, and comparing the at least one characteristic to the trigger. If the at least one characteristic satisfies the trigger, the content is presented as specified by the content presentation action that is defined by the rule. Other embodiments are also described.
US07996370B2
A method, apparatus, and program product restore database data having dependencies or ordering sensitivities, or that incorporates a database index. Unresolved dependencies are identified in response to an attempt to restore data in a computer. The data restoration is deferred and the data is cached when it has an unresolved dependency. After the dependency is resolved, the data restoration is completed. The unresolved dependency may be based-on data that must be restored or created prior to completing restoration. Deferred data is cached in memory and tracked in a deferred operation table. Data that is deferred may be accessed so long as operations that access the underlying based-on data are denied.
US07996368B1
A device list is created including one or more device objects, wherein each device object represents a physical device coupled to a computer system, wherein each device object includes one or more device attributes of the physical device. The device list is indexed into using a device attribute.
US07996367B2
The exchange of documents for execution can be performed efficiently using an automated system that routes and stores documents based on routing information. Routing may be accomplished with reminders for individuals of deadline for responding. After execution is confirmed, an executed copy may be forwarded to all parties and desired non-parties. If execution or approval is desired from a plurality of individuals, documents received from each of the plurality of individuals can be merged into a single, fully executed document if the approval/signatures are obtained simultaneously. Search capability for identifying data regarding the document, text within the document, or both may also be provided.
US07996363B2
A method and apparatus for applying changes to a standby database in real-time. According to one aspect, a change is applied to data contained in a standby database. The standby database functions as a replica of a primary database. The primary database has a current online redo log file to which a particular redo block was written. According to one aspect, prior to the archiving of the current online redo log file, the particular redo block is received at a process associated with the standby database. A change indicated by the particular redo block is applied to the data contained in the standby database.
US07996348B2
Memory architecture provides capabilities for high performance content search. The architecture creates an innovative memory that can be programmed with content search rules which are used by the memory to evaluate presented content for matching with the programmed rules. When the content being searched matches any of the rules programmed in the Programmable Intelligent Search Memory (PRISM) action(s) associated with the matched rule(s) are taken. Content search rules comprise of regular expressions which are converted to finite state automata (FSA) and then programmed in PRISM for evaluating content with the search rules. PRISM architecture comprises of a plurality of programmable PRISM Memory clusters (PMC) which comprise of a plurality of programmable PRISM Search Engines (PSE). Groups of PMCs can be programmed with the same rules and used in parallel to apply these rules to multiple data streams simultaneously to achieve increased performance. PMC groups provide 10 Gbps performance with 10 PMC groups enabling 100 Gbps content search and security performance.
US07996343B2
Described is using semi-Riemannian geometry in supervised learning to learn a discriminant subspace for classification, e.g., labeled samples are used to learn the geometry of a semi-Riemannian submanifold. For a given sample, the K nearest classes of that sample are determined, along with the nearest samples that are in other classes, and the nearest samples in that sample's same class. The distances between these samples are computed, and used in computing a metric matrix. The metric matrix is used to compute a projection matrix that corresponds to the discriminant subspace. In online classification, as a new sample is received, it is projected into a feature space by use of the projection matrix and classified accordingly.
US07996342B2
Systems, methods and computer program products for supervised dimensionality reduction. Exemplary embodiments include a method including receiving an input in the form of a data matrix X of size N×D, wherein N is a number of samples, D is a dimensionality, a vector Y of size N×1, hidden variables U of a number K, a data type of the matrix X and the vector Y, and a trade-off constant alpha; selecting loss functions in the form of Lx(X,UV) and Ly(Y,UW) appropriate for the type of data in the matrix X and the vector Y, where U, V and W are matrices, selecting corresponding sets of update rules RU, RV and RW for updating the matrices U,V and W, learning U, V and W that provide a minimum total loss L(U,V,W)=Lx(X,UV)+alpha*Ly(Y,UW), and returning matrices U, V and W.
US07996329B1
Profit optimization methods and systems for a supply chain are described. An implementation of the technique includes determining the initial cost of components required to manufacture a product, dynamically determining the cost for substitution of at least one product component, dynamically determining the location of at least one substitute component, and manufacturing the product for the lowest cost based on the results of the cost of substitution and substitute component location determinations. At least one of the cost of substitute components and the component locations may be determined at or near the time of manufacture.
US07996315B1
When the deposit of a negotiable instrument, such as a check, is done electronically by using a digital image of the negotiable instrument rather than the negotiable instrument itself, during the process, at least two negotiable instruments may exist: the physical negotiable instrument and the digital image of the negotiable instrument. To change the physical negotiable instrument to a non-negotiable instrument, a bank or other financial institution may send a transmission to modify the appearance of the negotiable instrument, thus effectively “voiding” the physical negotiable instrument. The negotiable instrument may have various inks or mechanisms that facilitate the modification of the appearance through the application of a stimulus, such as heat or light. The financial institution may cause the application of the stimulus to modify the appearance of the negotiable instrument.
US07996314B1
When the deposit of a negotiable instrument, such as a check, is done electronically by using a digital image of the negotiable instrument rather than the negotiable instrument itself, during the process, at least two negotiable instruments may exist: the physical negotiable instrument and the digital image of the negotiable instrument. To change the physical negotiable instrument to a non-negotiable instrument, a bank or other financial institution may send a transmission to modify the appearance of the negotiable instrument, thus effectively “voiding” the physical negotiable instrument. The negotiable instrument may have various inks or mechanisms that facilitate the modification of the appearance through the application of a stimulus, such as heat or light. The financial institution may cause the application of the stimulus to modify the appearance of the negotiable instrument.
US07996310B1
A computing system facilitating electronic bill presentment and payment features for authorized users via a user interface is introduced including an analysis engine. The analysis engine, in response to user interaction with the user interface, selectively performs user-defined analysis on at least a subset of retrieved billing information associated with one or more billers. The analysis engine further generates one or more user-defined report(s) based, at least in part, on the user-defined analysis.
US07996304B1
Embodiments consistent with the present invention provide a credit enhancement structure for risk allocation between parties that minimizes the regulatory capital reserve requirement impact to an institution subject to capital reserve requirement. A subject pool of assets held by the institution, such as a pool of loans, is rated to determine its risk levels. Based on the rated risk levels, a guarantor party agrees to be responsible for a portion of the risk associated with the pool of assets, which may define the maximum risk exposure of the institution holding the asset pool. The risk-rated capital reserve requirements are applied to the asset pool based on the risk level rating and the guarantor's agreed upon risk responsibility such that the institution holds a reduced amount of reserve capital compared to what it would otherwise be required to hold.
US07996302B2
A system and method for factoring in a trader's trading activity into the margin requirements is disclosed. In the securities arena, day traders are assessed different margins than non-day-traders, however, the specific profile of the trader is analyzed (that is, the same rule applies to all day traders).
US07996295B1
Data structures for transferring catalog and system order information between a manufacturer and a customer are shown. The data structures are configured to allow custom systems to be automatically ordered. These data structures advantageously allow a manufacturer and customer to electronically order systems, and specifically, non-commodity systems, quickly and easily.
US07996294B1
Disclosed are systems and methods for financial planning. The systems and methods communicate with a customer and provide a financial planning service for use with at least one financial planning product by collecting data from a customer using a structured data collection form which is dynamically modified based on the financial product selected, the data provided by the customer, and data relating to the customer that is retrieved from a database.
US07996275B2
Disclosure includes selecting a merchant from a plurality of merchants, enabling a trial mode for the merchant, during the trial mode, receiving an indication of a first order for the merchant, forwarding the indication of the first order to the merchant, allocating a first payment for the first order to the merchant, requesting an acceptance of a membership status from the merchant, and receiving an indication of the payment for the first order.
US07996261B1
In one aspect, the invention comprises a system for enabling a crossing system operator to calculate a rebate payment to a second participant for executing the block order of a first participant based on at least one of: (a) a difference between a benchmark price and an execution price of the block order; (b) total volume of block execution; and (c) an amount that decays exponentially with the time between the first participant's order and the order's execution by a liquidity provider.
US07996258B2
A computer system and a method as a part of the registration and/or inspection system of a state or other jurisdiction results in the assignment of a vehicle identification code to each vehicle and notification to the registrant to take the vehicle to an inspection/installation facility wherein a GPS receiver and transmitter are either installed, updated or checked for operability on a regular basis, such as yearly. Each registered vehicle in a state or other jurisdiction, as a result of the regular registration process or as the result of a temporary registration process when the vehicle enters the state temporarily, has a GPS receiver and transmitter transmit in real time location data of the vehicle via a wireless communication system such a WiFi, cellular, satellite or other system to an electronic storage subsystem which stores for each vehicle identification code the location data and time in real time and maintains it for a predetermined period of time, such as twelve months. This data may be accessed by authorized users for various purposes including law enforcement, emergency responses and/or roadway planning studies and the like. The data may also be used in settlement of negligence or criminal complaints. An alarm detection system detects either the loss of signal or a tampering signal transmitted to the state computer system.
US07996257B2
Mechanisms for collecting, calculating, and reporting quantifiable peer feedback on relative contributions of team members are provided. Team members may quantifiably evaluate other team members or work group members relative to each other by allocating points from a point pool to each member according to the team member's subjective evaluation. Various types of processing on the quantitative valuations of the team members' relative contributions to a project may be performed to weight the quantitative valuations due to particular criteria, provide relative evaluation calculations between team members' quantitative valuations, report generation, providing action plan suggestions for aiding a team member in increasing his/her relative valuation on future projects, and the like.
US07996256B1
Mathematical models for predicting shopper traffic at a shopper region useful for developing inter alia a metric for measuring impressions to in-store advertising.
US07996247B1
A method and apparatus for determining the amount of premium, policies, or quotations needed to improve market share in various geographic locations based on user selected criteria. The method comprises calculating a total estimated expenditure on insurance by zip code, an estimated market share for an insurance provider by zip code, a year-to-date sale-to-quote ratio by zip code, and finally the amount of premiums, policies, or quotations needed to achieve a market share in a zip code. The method and apparatus will also display or output demographic data, market data, insurance provider information, and calculated amounts of premiums, policies, or quotations needed to achieve a market share in a given zip code.
US07996243B1
A system and method facilitate alignment of refill dates associated with a plurality of prescriptions, such that each of the plurality of prescriptions requires a refill on the same date, thus limiting the number of occasions on which a customer must visit the pharmacy to retrieve refills of the aligned prescriptions, and increasing the likelihood that the customer will comply with the prescribed medication regimen. The system and method facilitate the alignment of the refill dates while complying with one or more rules governing the adjudication of the prescriptions.
US07996240B2
In a method and a system for determination of at least one additional examination process in the framework of a medical examination of a patient using a knowledge base, the knowledge base contains a number of rules, and each rule contains a condition from which a result can be derived. An item of patient-related information is automatically registered and used to output the examination-specific result.
US07996237B2
An aspect of the present invention provides collaboration services to business applications and such a service is provided by a mediator and a collaboration application. The collaboration service offers a user of the business application the ability to collaborate with other users of the business application or one or more responders such that any collaboration that occurs between the user and the responder is correlated to the business application and to the corresponding actions performed by the user with respect to the business application, thus maintaining the context of the collaboration. Another aspect of the present invention provides a collaboration service wherein the user of the business application is provided with at least part of a history of collaboration that occurred between the user and one or more responders.
US07996235B2
A method for acquiring marketing information from a marketing call center. The method involves a setting of a marketing information trigger based on a pre-determined event corresponding to at least one of a vehicle and an in-vehicle telematics unit, and an initiation of a call to the marketing call center to acquire the marketing information in response to an occurrence of the pre-determined event.
US07996232B2
Systems and methods for voice activated commands in a digital home communication terminal are disclosed. One example method includes storing a program audio signal corresponding to a program tuned by the digital home communication terminal. The method also includes storing an incoming audio signal carrying speech and removing from the incoming audio signal a portion of the incoming audio signal that corresponds to the program audio signal, this producing an improved version of the incoming audio signal. The method also includes selecting one of a plurality of voice-activated commands that corresponds to the improved version of the incoming audio signal, and performing a function corresponding to the selected voice-activated command.
US07996231B2
A barrier operator system, such as a garage door operator system, includes one or more remote control units, such as an inside remote control unit, an external wall mounted remote control unit and portable vehicle disposed remote control units which include speech recognition modules for recognizing spoken command signals to open or close a garage door or energize or de-energize lighting associated with the garage. The speech recognition modules are operably connected to interface or microcontroller circuits for operating a radio frequency transmitter for sending signals to operate lighting, and/or the barrier operator to move a barrier between open and closed positions, and possibly perform other functions.
US07996229B2
The present invention discloses a system and method for creating, editing, and posting a BLOG or a WIKI using a telephone. In the invention, a voice-based, real-time telephone communication can be established between a user and a voice response system. User speech can be received over the communication. The user speech can be speech-to-text converted to produce text. The text can be added to a BLOG or a WIKI, which can be posted to a server. The telephone communication can be terminated. The newly posted BLOG or WIKI can be served by the server to clients.
US07996227B2
There is disclosed a system and method for interpreting and describing graphic images. In an embodiment, the method of inserting a description of an image into an audio recording includes: interpreting an image and producing a word description of the image including at least one image keyword; parsing an audio recording into a plurality of audio clips, and producing a transcription of each audio clip, each audio clip transcription including at least one audio keyword; calculating a similarity distance between the at least one image keyword and the at least one audio keyword of each audio clip; and selecting the audio clip transcription having a shortest similarity distance to the at least one image keyword as a location to insert the word description of the image. The word description of the image can then be appended to the selected audio clip to produce an augmented audio recording including the interpreted word description of the image.
US07996224B2
Systems and methods relate to generating a language model for use in, for example, a spoken dialog system or some other application. The method comprises building a class-based language model, generating at least one sequence network and replacing class labels in the class-based language model with the at least one sequence network. In this manner, placeholders or tokens associated with classes can be inserted into the models at training time and word/phone networks can be built based on meta-data information at test time. Finally, the placeholder token can be replaced with the word/phone networks at run time to improve recognition of difficult words such as proper names.
US07996223B2
A system and method may be disclosed for facilitating the conversion of dictation into usable and formatted documents by providing a method of post processing speech recognition output. In particular, the post processing system may be configured to implement rewrite rules and process raw speech recognition output or other raw data according to those rewrite rules. The application of the rewrite rules may format and/or normalize the raw speech recognition output into formatted or finalized documents and reports. The system may thereby reduce or eliminate the need for post processing by transcriptionists or dictation authors.
US07996222B2
A contour for a syllable (or other speech segment) in a voice undergoing conversion is transformed. The transform of that contour is then used to identify one or more source syllable transforms in a codebook. Information regarding the context and/or linguistic features of the contour being converted can also be compared to similar information in the codebook when identifying an appropriate source transform. Once a codebook source transform is selected, an inverse transformation is performed on a corresponding codebook target transform to yield an output contour. The corresponding codebook target transform represents a target voice version of the same syllable represented by the selected codebook source transform. The output contour may be further processed to improve conversion quality.
US07996217B2
An apparatus for processing adaptive codebook pitch lag from one CELP based standard to another CELP based standard. The apparatus has various modules that perform at least the functionality described herein. The apparatus includes a time-base subframe checker inspection module, which is adapted to associate one or more incoming subframes with an outgoing subframes of a destination codec. The apparatus also has a decision module coupled to the time-base subframe inspection module. The decision module is adapted to determine a desired pitch lag parameter from a plurality of pitch lag parameters among respective two or more incoming subframes. The apparatus has a pitch lag selection module coupled to the decision module. The pitch lag selection module is adapted to select the desired pitch lag parameter.
US07996213B2
A similarity degree estimation method is performed by two processes. In a first process, an inter-band correlation matrix is created from spectral data of an input voice such that the spectral data are divided into a plurality of discrete bands which are separated from each other with spaces therebetween along a frequency axis, a plurality of envelope components of the spectral data are obtained from the plurality of the discrete bands, and elements of the inter-band correlation matrix are correlation values between the respective envelope components of the input voice. In a second process, a degree of similarity is calculated between a pair of input voices to be compared with each other by using respective inter-band correlation matrices obtained for the pair of the input voices through the inter-band correlation matrix creation process.
US07996210B2
A method for determining a sentiment associated with an entity includes inputting a plurality of texts associated with the entity, labeling seed words in the plurality of texts as positive or negative, determining a score estimate for the plurality of words based on the labeling, re-enumerating paths of the plurality of words and determining a number of sentiment alternations, determining a final score for the plurality of words using only paths whose number of alternations is within a threshold, converting the final scores to corresponding z-scores for each of the plurality of words, and outputting the sentiment associated with the entity.
US07996209B2
A method of generating and detecting confusing phones/syllables is disclosed. The method includes a generating stage and a detecting stage. The generating stage includes: (a) input a Mandarin utterance; (b) partition the Mandarin utterance into segmented phones/syllables and generate the most likely route in a recognition net via Forced Alignment of Viterbi decoding; (c) compare the segmented phones/syllables with a Mandarin acoustic model; (d) determine whether a confusing phone/syllable exists; (e) add the confusing phone/syllable into the recognition net and repeat step (b), (c), and (d) when the confusing phone/syllable exists; (f) stop and output all generated confusing phones/syllables to a confusing phone/syllable file when a confusing phone/syllable does not exist. The detecting stage includes: (g) input a spoken sentence; (h) align the spoken sentence with the recognition net; (i) determine the most likely route of the spoken sentence; and (j) compare the most likely route of the spoken sentence with the target route of the spoken sentence to detect pronunciation error and give high-level pronunciation suggestions.
US07996207B2
A multilingual bidirectional domain name is produced by receiving a domain name having characters from at least two character sets with different display orders with just one direction of reading; breaking domain name into labels delimited by a full stop punctuation marks, the labels having an original label display order as encountered from left to right; within a label, resolving display directions of indeterminate display order characters by assigning a strong reading direction left-to-right display order to each indeterminate display order character; subsequently, reordering the characters within each of the labels into a display order using the fully resolved characters while preserving the original label display order and wherein bidirectionality of characters within each label is produced, so that produced the multilingual bidirectional domain name contains at least two different directions of reading across the entire converted address; and, displaying the multilingual bidirectional domain name on a computer display.
US07996200B2
A method for transaction-based abstraction allows a comprehensive test plan to be automatically generated for a hardware design, where the test plan comprises a set of coverage points derived based on a signal classification created using transaction-based analysis to identify the architecturally-visible state of the design, using heuristic techniques to identify finite-state machines (FSMs) in a design that processes transactions, from which transaction boundaries can be identified, and wherein signals are classified based on the abstracted design as either transient, temporary, or persistent for use in developing the test plan.
US07996199B2
A method for performing an oilfield operation at a wellsite having a drilling rig configured to advance a drilling tool into a subsurface formation. The method includes generating a borehole temperature model for an area of interest using water depth information and a vertical stress model, generating a formation temperature model using the borehole temperature model, generating a mud-weight pressure model using the formation temperature model and pressure coefficients, generating a formation pore pressure model using the mud-weight pressure model, and adjusting the oilfield operation based on the formation pore pressure model.
US07996184B2
Errors of a measuring system are corrected by acquiring the phases of transmission tracking errors. A network analyzer includes a measuring system error factor recording unit which records measuring system error factors generated independently of frequency conversion carried out by a DUT, and an error factor acquiring unit which measures first coefficients and second coefficients of a correction mixer where a signal output from a terminal is a sum of a product of a signal input to the terminal and the first coefficient, and a product of a signal input to the other terminal and the second coefficient, and the ratio of magnitudes of the second coefficients is constant, and acquires the transmission tracking errors caused by the frequency conversion based on the measuring system error factors recorded in the measuring system error factor recording unit, the first coefficients, and the second coefficients.
US07996182B2
A water heater is provided with monitor/diagnostic display apparatus that selectively provides a user with visual or other type of indicia of the overall efficiency of the water heater. The apparatus includes a monitoring unit that may be mounted on the water heater, and a display unit that may be mounted either on the water heater or remotely therefrom.
US07996179B2
A method of measuring pose of mobile robot, and method and apparatus for measuring for measuring position of mobile robot using the same are provided. The apparatus for measuring the pose of a mobile robot includes an accelerometer measuring acceleration of the mobile robot in a forward direction, a uniform-motion-determining unit determining whether the mobile robot belongs to a uniform motion section, an acceleration section, or a deceleration section, and a pose-calculating unit calculating a pitch and a roll of the mobile robot in the uniform motion section, using the relationship between the measured acceleration in the forward direction and the acceleration due to gravity.
US07996174B2
A disk drive testing system includes at least one robotic arm defining a first axis substantially normal to a floor surface. The robotic arm is operable to rotate through a predetermined arc about and extend radially from the first axis. Multiple racks are arranged around the robotic arm for servicing by the robotic arm. Each rack houses multiple test slots that are each configured to receive a disk drive transporter configured to carry a disk drive for testing.
US07996171B2
A method and apparatus provides high-accuracy measurements of an electrical parameter across a broad range of parameter input values. In one embodiment, an intelligent electronic device (IED), e.g., a digital electrical power and energy meter, with a plurality of independently-adjustable gain factors measures a parameter, and calculates and stores calibration factors associated with known values of the measured parameter. The IED or meter applies the stored calibration factors when measuring unknown values of the measured parameter, to improve the accuracy of the measurement.
US07996169B2
The invention related to a method and circuit that is used to compensate for S-parameters of a passive circuit which do not satisfy passivity. The method includes the following steps: (1) getting S-parameters which do not satisfy passivity, these S-parameters being composed of an S-parameter matrix S; (2) computing matrix [S×S′], wherein matrix S′ is a complex conjugate transposed matrix of the S-parameter matrix S; (3) computing the eigenvalues of the matrix [S×S′], and choosing an eigenvalue Ψ whose real part real(Ψ) is the biggest; (4) computing a compensating value ξ, the compensating value ξ being equal to real(Ψ)1/2×(1+ε), wherein the ε is a very small positive number; and (5) dividing each of the S-parameters by the compensating value ξ to get the compensated S-parameters.
US07996167B2
An apparatus for estimating resistance characteristics of a battery includes a data storing manager for obtaining and storing battery voltage, current and temperature data of a battery, whenever estimating a battery resistance characteristic; an open circuit voltage calculator for calculating battery open circuit voltage from a battery voltage variation pattern measured at the present and in the past; a weighted mean resistance calculator for calculating a battery resistance parameter from a battery current and a difference between the battery open circuit voltage and a battery voltage, and calculating a weighted mean resistance from battery resistance parameters calculated at the present and in the past; a weighted mean resistance convergence calculator for calculating a weighed mean resistance convergence value by repeatedly calculating a weighted mean sequence using the weighted mean resistance as an initial condition; and a resistance characteristic estimator for estimating a battery resistance from the weighted mean resistance convergence value.
US07996165B2
A portable measurement device and method for measuring a parameter value of a battery. The measurement device connects a large resistive load to a battery being tested. The load is connected to the battery through a first set of kelvin connected clamps and a switch. A microprocessor measures open and closed circuit voltages via a second set of kelvin connected jaws. The microprocessor determines voltage drop curve data based on the measure open and closed circuit voltages. The microprocessor compares the voltage drop curve data to voltage drop profile data for a particular parameter to determine the parameter value for the battery.
US07996156B2
Structure-activity methods based on molecular descriptors that are a combination of structural information about the through-space and through-bond relationships between components of a molecule's structure and spectral data attributable to those components are disclosed. In some embodiments, a molecule is described by multiple sets of such descriptors to account for flexibility in the structure of the molecule. In a particularly disclosed embodiment, predicted 13C—13C COSY data and 13C—13C distance data are used as descriptors. Models of molecular properties may be established using the disclosed spectral data-activity methods and used to predict the properties of molecules.
US07996151B2
Provided is a navigation device which appropriately notifies a user of information. When traffic information and feature information are acquired, the traffic information and the feature information are associated with an ID number in accordance with time information and a type contained in the traffic information and the feature information to generate guidance having a single data structure. Calculated based on the time information of the guidance is an elapsed time up to a current time counted by a timer. Regarding the guidance having exceeded a predetermined time period, an icon A of such guidance is displayed in a display pattern different from the guidance not having exceeded the predetermined time period, where the icon A is displayed with higher transparency like an icon A1 or A2. Accordingly, the user can easily recognize the reliability of the traffic information and the feature information. The information is thus appropriately notified to the user.
US07996144B2
The invention relates to a method for the open-loop control of an internal combustion engine, which is operated with a fuel blend of an initial and at least one second fuel, the internal combustion engine having a fuel metering system, a tank fill-level gauge for determining the tank content and a change in the tank content, a sensor for the detection of the cylinder charge for determining an air mass supplied to the internal combustion engine and at least one exhaust gas probe for determining and controlling the oxygen content in the exhaust gas in a closed-loop. According to the invention, two methods, which are independent from each other, are used for determining the composition of the fuel blend.
US07996143B2
An evaporated fuel gas concentration learning section A8 renews an evaporated fuel gas concentration learning value based on a feedback correction amount FAF. An estimated purge rate calculating section A9 estimates, a flow of an evaporated fuel gas introduced into a combustion chamber based on a flow KP of an evaporated fuel gas passing through a purge control valve in consideration of a transportation delay time duration and a behavior of the evaporated fuel gas. An instructed injection amount determining section A10 calculates a purge correction amount based on the evaporated fuel gas concentration learning value and the estimated purge flow. An evaporated fuel gas purge stop timing adjusting section A11, at a purge control valve closing instruction timing, corrects the feedback correction amount to a base value and corrects the evaporated fuel gas concentration learning value so as to add, to the purge correction amount, an amount corresponding to an correction amount to correct the base injection amount provided by the feedback correction amount at a timing immediately before the feedback correction amount is corrected to the base value.
US07996139B2
During a starting operation or a low-speed drive of a vehicle on a slope, the drive control of the invention sets a gradient-corresponding rotation speed Nθ as a rotation speed of an engine to output a required driving force against a longitudinal vehicle gradient θfr (step S110), and sequentially sets a low-μ-road correction rotation speed Nlow upon identification of a low-μ-road drive condition, a vehicle speed difference-compensating rotation speed Nv based on a vehicle speed V, and a brake-based correction rotation speed Nb based on a brake pressure Pb (steps S120 through S250). The drive control sets a target engine rotation speed Ne* based on these settings (step S260) and subsequently sets a target throttle opening THtag (step S270). The operation of the engine is controlled with the greater between the target throttle opening THtag and a required throttle opening THreq corresponding to an accelerator opening Acc (step S290). This arrangement effectively prevents an unexpected slide-down of the vehicle along the slope.
US07996135B2
The present invention provides a starter capable of keeping a state where a pinion and a ring gear maintain meshing with each other when an engine stops without providing a plunger stopper using a solenoid or the like. The state where the pinion and the ring gear maintain meshing with each other in the engine stop mode continues by movement resistance which occurs when a torque transmission member moves. Concretely, an inclination angle of a helical spline in a helical spline engagement part is set so that the above state continues. The helical spline engagement part is a part where a helical spline on the outer periphery of an output shaft of a starter motor and a helical spline on the inner periphery of the torque transmission member mesh with each. Consequently, the above state continues without a plunger stopper using a solenoid or the like.
US07996133B2
An algorithm that is part of a collision preparation system that provides selective and limited vehicle braking to avoid undesirable intrusive high-G braking while still giving the system adequate time to activate collision mitigation devices on the vehicle before impact with an object. If a predicted time to collision between the vehicle and the object is less than a required time to collision, which is determined by how much time is necessary for a certain collision mitigation device to be activated, the algorithm calculates a time dilation deceleration. The system causes the vehicle to automatically brake to decelerate the vehicle at the time dilation deceleration until the time dilation deceleration reaches a predetermined decelerating threshold so that more time is available for the collision preparation system to determine whether to activate the collision mitigation device.
US07996123B2
A control unit and a method for influencing the speed of an engine and the slip of a downstream clutch of a transmission of a ship's propulsion system via an electronic control unit in response to a manual control-signal generator to select the sense of rotation and the driving speed, wherein, as the clutch is engaged to initiate forward or reverse driving, a slip determination unit of the electronic control unit influences the slip of the clutch in response to a ramp function characteristic to reduce the clutch's slip during an engagement period.
US07996116B2
A method of monitoring voltage stability within an electrical power system comprises the steps of establishing a dynamic power system stability margin based on an operating characteristic of the power system; indicating that the power system has become unstable when the dynamic power system stability margin falls below a predetermined value; and initiating dynamic load shedding and/or restoration depending on stability margin.
US07996114B2
A workpiece picking device and method for reducing the cycle time of a picking operation of workpieces, by omitting or reducing the movement of a robot manipulator when an image of the workpieces is captured. An image processor of the picking device includes a camera controlling part for reading image data from a camera, a memory for storing the image data, a workpiece detecting part for extracting one or more images from the memory and detecting one or more workpieces in the image, and a workpiece selecting part for selecting a workpiece to be picked among the workpieces detected by the workpiece detecting part. The image processor further includes a stacked condition judging part for determining whether the condition of the stacked workpieces in a container is changed.
US07996104B2
A method and control system are provided for controlling a modular conveyor system, which may be networked together with other such systems in order to implement a control strategy for a modular conveyor system. The control system comprises a communications port for interconnection of the control system with a network for sending outgoing addressed data to other devices on the address-based network and for receiving incoming addressed data from other devices. The control system further comprises a logic system, which may receive a signal from an object sensor and provide a control signal or output adapted to control activation of a motorized roller assembly, based on an input signal from the object sensor or the communications port. The logic system may provide for single step operation whereby system troubleshooting may be facilitated, and in addition may provide situation aware and output value source selection functionality.
US07996102B2
A method for monitoring a manufacturing process features acquiring metrology data for semiconductor wafers at the conclusion of a final process step for the manufacturing process (“Step a”). Data is acquired for a plurality of process variables for a first process step for manufacturing semiconductor wafers (“Step b”). A first mathematical model of the first process step is created based on the metrology data and the acquired data for the plurality of process variables for the first process step (“Step c”). Steps b and c are repeated for at least a second process step for manufacturing the semiconductor wafers (“Step d”). An nth mathematical model is created based on the metrology data and the data for the plurality of process variables for each of the n process steps ('Step e“). A top level mathematical model is created based on the metrology data and the models created by steps c, d and e (”Step f'). The top level mathematical model of Step f is based on those process variables that have a substantial effect on the metrology data.
US07996089B2
Apparatus for producing a dorsiflexion of the foot of a patient comprises a combined sensing and stimulation electrode device having neurosense and stimulation electrode means capable of sensing a nerve signal from a peripheral nerve and stimulating peripheral motor nerve fibers. The neurosense and stimulation electrode means are implantable above the knee of a patient. Means for receiving and processing the sensed nerve signals are provided to identify a signal indicative of the timing of hell strike and heel lift of the patient and for producing a control signal in response thereto. Means for operating said neurosense and stimulation electrode means in response to the control signal to produce stimulation of the peripheral motor nerve fibers are also provided.
US07996087B2
Systems including an implantable receiver-stimulator and an implantable controller-transmitter are used for leadless electrical stimulation of body tissues. Cardiac pacing and arrhythmia control is accomplished with one or more implantable receiver-stimulators and an external or implantable controller-transmitter. Systems are implanted by testing external or implantable devices at different tissue sites, observing physiologic and device responses, and selecting sites with preferred performance for implanting the systems. In these systems, a controller-transmitter is activated at a remote tissue location to transmit/deliver acoustic energy through the body to a receiver-stimulator at a target tissue location. The receiver-stimulator converts the acoustic energy to electrical energy for electrical stimulation of the body tissue. The tissue locations(s) can be optimized by moving either or both of the controller-transmitter and the receiver-stimulator to determine the best patient and device responses.
US07996086B2
A method for operating a cardiac pacemaker in which the mode of operation of the pacemaker is altered in response to detecting an episode of atrial tachycardia. In accordance with the invention, the pacemaker's pacing mode is altered in a manner that attempts to maintain hemodynamic stability during the atrial tachycardia. Such a mode switch is particularly applicable to pacemaker patients suffering from some degree of congestive heart failure.
US07996085B2
In a system for sensing electrical signals within a living body, and specifically for tracking location of an object in the body using impedance measurements, an isolation circuit maintains isolation between the pacing and position sensing circuits, even while the heart is being paced.
US07996083B2
An implantable pacemaker is provided with a far-field sensing channel which requires a reduced refractory period during the time when pacing pulses are delivered as compared with sensing channels using intra-cardiac electrodes. The far-field sensing channel may use the conductive housing of the implantable device or can and an indifferent electrode mounted on the device header as the electrodes for its differential inputs. Such a far-field sensing channel is able to sense activity occurring in either the atria or the ventricles for the purposes of arrhythmia detection and/or capture verification.
US07996071B2
Cardiac methods and devices that separate signals using at least two composite signals acquired at least at two input impedances. A target source impedance may be selected, and a cardiac signal may be separated from composite signals using the selected target source impedance. Medical systems include a cardiac device having a housing that provides amplification circuitry configured to have a first amplifier input impedance and a second amplifier input impedance, such as using two separate circuits or switching between two input impedances. One or more electrode assemblies are coupled to the amplification circuitry. A signal processor is provided in the housing configured to separate a source signal using a first composite signal detected at the first input impedance and a second composite signal detected at the second input impedance. The phase response of the first input amplifier circuit is about equal to that of the second input amplifier circuit.
US07996069B2
A spectroscope includes first and second beam redirectors in optical communication with first and second fibers respectively. The first and second beam redirectors are oriented to illuminate respective first and second areas. The second area is separated from the first area by a separation distance that exceeds the separation distance between the first and second beam redirectors.
US07996068B2
Devices and methods for use in detecting an optical signal, such as from a fluorescent agent, and converting it to a visible signal are provided. Aspects of the devices include a first light source that emits light onto a region of interest such as a body tissue, body fluid, or agent such as a fluorescent agent introduced into the body; a detector for detecting light emitted or reflected from the region of interest; and a visible light source that emits visible light onto the region of interest, where the color or intensity of the visible light is selected based on the amount of light at one or more wavelengths detected by the detector. Devices and methods of the invention find use in a variety of applications, such as in applications in which it is desired to identify an anatomical structure during surgery, without the need to eliminate ambient light.
US07996063B2
A system and method for a medical intervention procedure within a cardiac chamber having an imaging system to obtain image data of the cardiac chamber and to create a 3D model from that image data, an interventional system to register the 3D model with a real-time image of the cardiac chamber and to display the 3D model, and an interventional tool positioned in the cardiac chamber to be displayed upon the interventional system and to be navigated in real-time over the registered 3D model. Preferably, the method and system also includes a storage medium to store the 3D model and wherein the interventional system receives the stored 3D model to register with the real-time image of the cardiac chamber.
US07996052B2
A flexible circuit board for an electronic apparatus includes a first connecting part and a second connecting part. The first connecting part has a first connecting terminal electrically connected to the first electronic module of the electronic apparatus. The second connecting part has a second connecting terminal electrically connected to the second electronic module of the electronic apparatus. The first connecting part and the second connecting part are not parallel.
US07996049B2
Methods and apparatus implementing spatial processing in a remote unit. In general, in one aspect, a remote unit in accordance with the invention includes a spatial processing unit to process signals received by a plurality of antennas.
US07996046B2
A notification charm for a wireless communication device and a method of operating the wireless device to provide an alert on the charm are presented. The charm may be a bracelet, watch, keychain, ring, or other ornamental device which can generate event and preference based alerts about events occurring on a wireless device.
US07996043B2
A method includes receiving a text message and identifying address card information within the message. A reduced version of the message is displayed by replacing the address card information of the message with an address card indicia. The receiving, identifying and displaying steps are performed by an electronic communication device.
US07996042B2
A mobile communication terminal and for providing call-forwarding information are disclosed. The method includes transmitting a registration message or an origination message including user identity information to a network and receiving call-forwarding information of a corresponding subscriber included in an ACK message, thereby providing call-forwarding information interworked with the network and the mobile communication terminal. Accordingly, a user of the mobile communication terminal can precisely recognize accurate call-forwarding information in real time.
US07996024B2
Methods, systems, and computer program products for delivery of SMS messages are disclosed. According to one method, first routing data for delivery of an SMS message to a mobile terminal is received at a network element. Second routing data is transmitted from the network element in response to receiving the first routing data. An SMS message having the second routing data is received at the network element. The second routing data is converted at the network element to the first routing data for delivery of the SMS message to a mobile terminal. The network element uses the first and second routing data to correlate a request for the first routing data with receipt of the SMS message. The network element compares an SMSC address in the request for the first routing data with an SMSC address in the SMS message to detect the presence of address spoofing.
US07996012B2
A method and telecommunications node for implementing Tandem-Free Operation (TFO) between a pair of TFO partners in a telecommunications network. At call setup, a TFO negotiation is performed between the partners. Thereafter, if TFO is interrupted in at least one direction, state information and synchronization of the sending and/or receiving partner is maintained in the interrupted direction. An interruption may occur, for example, if a tone or announcement is to be sent. At the end of the interruption, sending and receiving of TFO frames is resumed with the same phase that was present before the interruption.
US07996011B2
Data is transmitted through a plurality of types of communication networks to a mobile communication terminal while a handover of the mobile communication terminal is handled. A communication control apparatus 10 is adapted to control data communication to a cell phone 50 connectable to a plurality of types of communication networks, and is composed of a detecting unit 12 for detecting a connection status of the cell phone 50 in each mobile communication network; an assigning unit 13 for assigning data addressed to the cell phone 50, to each mobile communication network to which the cell phone 50 is connected, based on a volume of the data addressed to the cell phone 50 and the detected connection status; a transmitting unit 15 for transmitting the data assigned to each mobile communication network, to the each mobile communication network; and a handover processing unit 14 for performing a handover process in the plurality of types of mobile communication networks, based on the detected connection status.
US07996008B2
A mobile communications terminal divides a plurality of multipath signals associated with radio signals transmitted from a plurality of base stations using an S-CCPCH into groups by base station, i.e., by transmit source, maximum-ratio-combines a plurality of multipath signals associated with each same base station which is a transmit source into a composite signal, decodes the composite signal, and selects a composite signal having a good decoded result from among decoded composite signals.
US07996000B1
A network device, system, and method are directed towards enabling a determination for page size tailoring of content based, in part, on estimating of effects of processes applicable to preparing the content for use on a specified mobile device. Before performing the processes on the content, an estimation of the effects of the configuring processes may be determined. If the estimated content size is determined to be too large for the specified mobile device's memory footprint, page tailoring techniques may be applied to the content. Such page tailoring techniques may include stretching the content across a plurality of files, discarding a portion of the content, reducing portions of the content, or the like. Various processes may then be applied to the content to configure it for use on the specified mobile device.
US07995999B2
Methods and systems are provided for delivering travel related information with an intelligent network. One method embodiment includes establishing a communication with the intelligent network through an access device, determining a location of the access device, and obtaining the travel-related information with the access device through the intelligent network, wherein the travel-related information includes data related to a location of the access device. Additional system and computer-readable media embodiments of the present methods and systems are also provided.
US07995997B2
A computer-readable medium, device and system for responding to a request for a geographically-based service are provided. A request for a geographically-based service is received. The received request indicates that a geographical position of a target node and a radius associated with a maximum distance from the geographical position is requested. A requesting service message is formatted that is associated with a higher-layer protocol and includes an indicator indicating that the geographical position of the target node and the radius is requested. The requesting service message is merged in a first header of a requesting datagram which is sent to the target node. A reply datagram is received from the target node and a reply position message component is extracted from the received reply datagram. A reply position message component is extracted from a second header of the received reply datagram. The first geographical position of the target node and the radius from the extracted reply position message component is determined. A response to the received request is provided based on the determined radius and the determined geographical position.
US07995996B2
A method and system for providing targeted advertisement information to consumers over a wireless communications network. In one embodiment, local advertisers register to advertise on certain wireless communications devices that are in close proximity to the advertiser. As a consumer enters a cell site that is near the location of the advertiser, the wireless network delivers a message to the wireless device that is specified by the local advertiser. An acknowledgement signal is then received by the network, and the local advertiser's account is charged for transmission of the advertisement. In a further embodiment, each of the messages stored in the database is also associated with one or more demographic codes, and users of wireless communications device select from one more demographic codes to describer their advertisement preferences. Messages to be transmitted to particular wireless communications devices are selected based upon both the location information and the demographics codes that are associated with the messages.
US07995995B2
An individual's identity is verifiable using voice biometrics. A voice biometric system includes a receiver configured to receive, from a remote communications device, a voice biometric sample of a party attempting to obtain a service from a remote system. The service is provided contingent on authentication of the party as the individual. The voice biometric system also includes a processor configured to compare the voice biometric sample received by the receiver to voice biometric information obtained from a storage to authenticate the identity of the party as the individual. The receiver and processor are provided within a communications network.
US07995994B2
A method of preventing theft of service in a communication system that includes a first wireless communication system and a second wireless communication system that includes a Femtocell access point (FAP) and a network controller that can communicatively couple the FAP to the first wireless communication system. The method creates an authorized session that includes a session identify for a first user equipment (UE). The UE is recognized by the first communication as an authorized UE to use the FAP. The method rejects a request by the FAP to register a second UE when the identity of the second UE does not match any identity in the set of first UE identities. The rejected request includes the session identity of the authorized session and the identity of the second UE. The second UE is not recognized by the first communication system as an authorized UE to use the FAP.
US07995993B1
The present invention comprises a system and method for providing a distributed wireless network. In a preferred embodiment, at least one information processor is coupled to and accessible over a communication network, such as the internet. Network bandwidth is provided to a first user of at least two end users for a first fee and to a second user of the at least two end users for a second fee. The bandwidth is provided by at least one network service provider. Further, at least two wireless gateway devices are each respectively operated by the end users, and the wireless gateway devices are configured to provide wireless access to the communication network within a transmission range and to communicate with the at one least information processor. Also, at least two wireless receiving devices are provided that are operable to receive the respective bandwidth from the at least two wireless gateway devices when in transmission range. Preferably, the first user is authorized to use the second bandwidth and the second user is authorized to use the first bandwidth via the wireless devices. Thus a system and method of sharing bandwidth is provided.
US07995991B2
An apparatus for allowing a telecommunication service provider to manage the risk that a subscriber will not pay their bill for use of the provider's telecommunication system comprising interface means, operating within a digital computer, for communicating information relating to a particular subscriber, said interface means includes a first portion for communicating information relating to said particular subscriber with a payment records database and a second portion for receiving a call information record for each call involving said particular subscriber, said call information record derived from information compiled by a switching center that is capable of establishing connections between a plurality of pairs of telecommunication devices and simultaneously maintaining such connections; credit means, operating within said digital computer, for using said first portion of said interface to obtain a billing and payment history for said particular subscriber, for using said billing and payment history to establish a credit limit for said particular subscriber; analysis means, operating within said digital computer, for receiving each of said call information record for said particular subscriber from said second portion of said interface means and using said call information record to compare call usage of said particular subscriber call to said credit limit for said particular subscriber; and output means, operating within said digital computer, for outputting an indication to the telecommunication service provider that said particular subscriber has exceeded said credit limit for said particular subscriber.
US07995989B2
Disclosed are methods and apparatus to control the actions of a user terminal (UT) located at a remote location, possibly far from a gateway (GW), which has an interface to the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) and/or to the Internet. The methods and apparatus provide for operation of a mobile satellite communication system having at least one gateway (GW), at least one user terminal (UT), and a constellation of satellites. The methods and apparatus allow access to the communication satellites by specifying an exclusion zone having a confidence limit (CL) associated therewith. The methods and apparatus selectively provide service to a UT depending on a determined location of the UT relative to the exclusion zone and on an estimated error (E) of the determined UT location, wherein location of the UT is determined by the UT, and transmitted to the GW, or location of the UT is determined by the GW.
US07995982B2
The present invention aims to efficiently calibrate the characteristics of a pair of reception or transmission low-pass filters by a receiving or transmitting circuit. A semiconductor integrated circuit includes an RF receiver that processes an RF reception signal, an RF transmitter that generates an RF transmission signal and a frequency synthesizer. A reception low-pass filter of the RF receiver suppresses undesired components contained in I and Q baseband reception signals. A transmission low-pass filter of the RF transmitter suppresses noise due to D/A conversion, which is contained in I and Q transmission analog baseband signals. A calibration test signal is supplied to the inputs of the pair of reception or transmission low-pass filters. A difference in phase between the pair of filters is detected by a phase detection unit. A calibration controller calibrates a relative mismatch between the cut-off frequencies of the pair of filters.
US07995981B2
In one embodiment, a method is provided. An in-band calibration tone is generated at a frequency of an undesired interfering signal. A receiver is calibrated using the calibration tone to reject image interference caused by the undesired interfering signal.
US07995975B2
A method and apparatus taught herein reduce the peak-to-average ratio (PAR) of a complex-valued signal based on detecting peaks in the signal that are above a peak threshold, characterizing the detected peaks in Cartesian coordinates, generating cancellation pulses in Cartesian coordinates based on the detected peak characterizations. PAR reduction processing continues with canceling the detected peaks by combining the cancellation pulses with a correspondingly delayed version of the signal. Advantageously, peak detection may be performed in polar form using a computationally efficient peak detection algorithm that avoids calculation of the I and Q peak waveforms unless a signal peak beyond a defined threshold is present. In one or more embodiments, the generation and use of asymmetric and/or shaped cancellation pulses offers further performance advantages.
US07995974B2
An embodiment of the present invention discloses a method for revoking a talk burst, which includes: entering a pending release state by a talk burst after a client having the talk burst releases the talk burst initiatively; monitoring a duration of the talk burst in the pending release state; and revoking the talk burst when the duration of the talk burst in the pending release state exceeds a preset duration. An embodiment also discloses an apparatus for revoking a talk burst. By applying certain embodiments of the present invention, after a client initiatively releases a talk burst so that the talk burst enters a pending release state, the talk burst can be revoked in time and the waiting time of the client is saved.
US07995971B2
Methods and systems for clocking FM transmit, FM receive and near field communication functions using DDFS are disclosed. Aspects of one method may include generating a Bluetooth signal that may comprise, for example, I and Q components, or Bluetooth local oscillator (LO) signals, for use in Bluetooth communication. One of the two Bluetooth LO signals may then be used by a DDFS to generate I and Q LO signals for FM reception and/or transmission. One of the I and Q LO signals for FM communication may be used by another DDFS to generate at least one LO signal for near field communication (NFC) transmission and/or reception. While the Bluetooth LO signal may vary in frequency as Bluetooth frequency hopping occurs, the FM LO signals may remain constant for a specific channel frequency. Similarly, while the FM LO signals may be changed to tune to different FM channels, the NFC LO signals may remain at a constant frequency.
US07995970B2
A wireless transceiver includes an antenna, a filter, a radio frequency (RF) signal processing circuit, a shared amplifying circuit, a first switch circuit, a second switch circuit, a sending power amplifier, and a single-pole double-throw (SPDT) switch. The filter is connected between the antenna and the SPDT switch. The RF signal processing circuit outputs a first control signal when the antenna is utilized to send RF signals, and outputs a second control signal when the antenna is utilized to receive RF signals. The first switch circuit is connected between the shared amplifying circuit and the sending power amplifier, and switches on according to the first control signal. The second switch circuit is connected between the shared amplifying circuit and the SPDT switch, and switches on according to the second control signal. The SPDT switch selectively connects the filter to the sending power amplifier or the second switch circuit.
US07995968B2
The absolute total isotropic sensitivity is determined for a communication device receiver circuit that is within a scattered field chamber (SFC) and is receiving communications from a base station simulator. Movement of a mode stirrer device within the SFC is controlled to sequentially move the mode stirrer device to a plurality of different static positions. The different static positions of the mode stirrer device are configured to differently mix polarizations of incident RF fields in the SFC. At each of a plurality of the different static positions of the mode stirrer device, the transmission power level from the base station simulator is varied through a plurality of different transmission power levels. At each of a plurality of the transmission power levels, a bit error rate and a received signal strength at which the communication device receives the communications from the base station simulator are measured. The absolute total isotropic sensitivity of the communication device receiver circuit is determined in response to the measured bit error rate, the measured received signal strength, and the associated transmission power levels.
US07995962B2
A sheet post-processing apparatus (1) includes a first stapler (4) and a second stapler (5) for stapling the stack of sheets on a stack tray (61), a first moving frame member (10) on which the first stapler (4) is mounted rotatably, a second moving frame member (11) on which the second stapler (5) is mounted, a rotating member (20) rotatably mounted on the first moving frame member (10), the rotating member (20) so held in engagement with the first moving frame member (10) as to move linearly the first moving frame member (10) by rotation of the rotating member (20), and also rotating the first stapler (4) by rotation of the rotating member (20), and a single drive power source (16) for driving the rotating member (20).
US07995958B2
An image forming apparatus includes a fixing unit fixing a toner image onto a sheet. The fixing unit includes a heating member having a sheet conveyed region that is set in accordance with the size of the sheet. The fixing unit further includes a coil generating magnetic field, a fixed core forming a magnetic path, movable cores forming a magnetic path together with the fixed core and arranged along the sheet conveyed region, a shielding member arranged on at least one movable core and shielding magnetism, and a magnetism adjustment unit rotating at least one movable core to switch the position of the shielding member between a shielding position where the shielding member is positioned inside the sheet conveyed region to shield the magnetism and a retracted position where the shielding member is positioned outside the sheet conveyed region to permit pass of the magnetism.
US07995956B2
A developer system and method for an electrographic printer is provided that provides a variable rate of developer flow to the photoconductor drum of the printer. The system includes a magnetic brush having a magnetic core surrounded by a toning shell that rotatably conveys a layer of developer to the photoconductor element; a sump containing a reservoir of developer, and a variable speed conveyor roller.
US07995955B2
In order to provide an image forming apparatus capable of maintaining the image quality by making smooth flowability of a surplus developer, which is discharged according to supply of a new developer (toner and carrier), toward a collection box, there are provided a stirring screw that electrify toner by stirring the toner together with a carrier; a casing that supports the stirring screw and stores a developer in which the toner and the carrier are mixed; a inlet used to supply the developer to the casing; a guide that guides the surplus developer discharged from the casing downward; and a reciprocating member that moves on a flow surface of the guide along which the surplus developer flows.
US07995949B2
A powder conveyance device is disclosed that enables plural powder conveyance paths to be easily and reliably attached and detached. The powder conveyance device includes a first housing including a first powder conveyance path, and a second housing including a second powder conveyance path, the first housing and the second housing being detachably attached to each other. A projection portion is provided in the first housing, the projection portion having a hole in communication with the first powder conveyance path, and a hole portion is provided in the second housing, the hole portion being in communication with the second powder conveyance path. When attaching the first housing to or detaching the first housing from the second housing, the projection portion is inserted into or drawn out of the hole portion.
US07995947B2
The invention provides a charging device used in an image forming apparatus such as a copier, a fax machine, a printer or the like, the charging device including: a gold-plated discharge wire for charging an image carrier such as a photoconductive member or the like; and a cleaning member, having an abrasive, for cleaning the discharge wire, with the gold plating being maintained over time satisfactorily, and provides a process cartridge having this charging device. The cleaning member has an abrasive containing alumina and/or silicon, the grain size of which ranges from #6000 to #8000. The discharge wire is a tungsten wire on which a plating film is formed by gold plating, such that the thickness of the plating film is not smaller than 1.5 μm, and the diameter of the tungsten wire is not smaller than 30 μm.
US07995945B2
There is displayed, in a display section, a photocopy processing setting screen having a setting information display area to display information indicating various setting particulars of photocopy processing, a button display area to display various icons indicating the setting particulars of the photocopy processing, and a graphic to associate each setting particular displayed in the setting information display area with each icon to set the setting particular displayed in the setting information display area among the icons displayed in the button display area.
US07995940B2
A printing apparatus has a substantially shiny photoreceptor imaging surface, and a photosensor array disposed to receive specularly-reflected light from the imaging surface. A quantity of toner is placed on the imaging surface, and data is derived based on light reflected from the imaging surface. The reflected light is filtered to a color effectively complementary to the toner color. The system avoids noise caused by diffusely-reflected light from powdered toner.
US07995939B2
The present disclosure relates to a method, system and apparatus for calibrating an image forming device using a toner patch sensor which emits and detects light in at a given wavelength. A plurality of toner patches may be deposited onto a control surface, wherein the toner patches include a first toner patch including a first toner, a second toner patch including the first toner deposited over a second toner, and a third toner patch including the second toner. Signals indicative of the reflectivity of the plurality of toner patches and the control surface may be measured by emitting light of a given wavelength in the infrared spectrum and detecting the amount of incident light reflected from said plurality of toner patches and said control surface. The signals indicative of reflectivity may then be used to adjust operating parameters of the image forming device which may then control toner mass density.
US07995932B2
A printing apparatus, printing method and storage medium therefor for executing a plurality of trial printings. The apparatus includes a printing unit, a setting unit to set a printing condition, an inputting unit to input image data, first and second controlling units, and first and second accepting units. The first controlling unit controls the printing unit to execute first trial printing according to the inputted image data and the set printing condition. The first accepting unit accepts a changing instruction for changing the printing condition. The second accepting unit accepts an execution instruction for executing a second trial printing, and the second controlling unit controls the printing unit to execute the second trial printing according to the inputted image data and the changed printing condition. In a case where the first accepting unit does not accept the changing instruction, the second accepting unit cannot accept the executing instruction.
US07995929B2
An optical data receiver comprises an optical input for receiving optical data signals, an optical sputter for splitting the optical signals into first and second receiver arms, an optical filter in the first receiver arm, means for increasing an intensity ratio of optical signal strength in the first receiver arm to optical signal strength in the second receiver arm, means for adjusting a phase difference between the first and second receiver arms, and an optical coupler for coupling outputs of the first and second receiver arms to a photodetector. The receiver of the present invention selectively filters a carrier component of received optical data signals, adjusts the relative strength of the carrier component and the received signal and then recombines them. In this way efficient optical transmission can be achieved with direct detection at the receiver, without the need for a complex receiver design including a local oscillator.
US07995926B2
A scan acquisition technique for acquiring terminals (62, 64) that does not rely on precise alignment between a sensor (66, 70) and a transmitter (68, 72) associated with the terminals (62, 64). The terminals (62, 64) separate uncertainty regions (76, 78) into a plurality of sections (88, 90). Scan beams (82, 84) include encoded information of what section (88, 90) the scan beam (82, 84) is currently scanning. Each terminal (62, 64) will eventually receive the scan beam (82, 84) of the other terminal (62, 64). When it does, it will encode its scan beam (82, 84) with both the outgoing code and the return code for that section (88, 90), so that when it's scan beam (82, 84) is received by the other terminal (62, 64), that terminal (62, 64) will know what scan section (88, 90) the other terminal (62, 64) is located.
US07995922B2
A WDM system is used to transfer bytes of data between keyboard, display and camera portions of a hand held device. The data signals are converted into light wavelengths via lasers or LEDs of differing wavelengths and transported over an optical fiber cable. Mems devices help direct the wavelengths to the optical cable and mems devices may be used at the receiving end. The receiver illustratively has a photodiode array to receive the different wavelengths and produce electronic signals. Optical filters and micro-ring resonators may be employed.
US07995920B2
Optical network terminal (ONT) power failure management. A system for permitting a customer of a telecommunication company, for whom fiber to the premises (FTTP) has been installed, to control operating features associated with operation of a battery backup unit (BBU) which is used, during power failure, for powering the ONT associated with the FTTP installation and the customer's telephone(s). The controlling of these features includes utilization of signal-controlled switches, which are manually over-rideable by the customer, thereby providing the desired operating feature control.
US07995919B2
An optical intensity control system for use with an optical switch providing individual signal paths between input and output ports. The system has a optical splitters connectable to output multiplexers of the switch and also has variable optical intensity controllers (VOICs) for insertion into the individual signal paths. The VOICs individually control the intensity of optical signals present in the signal paths in accordance with intensity control signals. An equalizer is connected to the splitters and to the VOICs, for producing an estimate of the optical power of each individual switched optical signal and generating the intensity control signals. The equalizer is adapted to controllably isolate individual switched optical signals. In this way, individual and independent control of the power on each optical channel is provided, wavelength-dependent losses introduced by all the devices in the switch including the WDM devices at the output of the switch are accounted for and one optical coupler is required for each output optical fiber. Coarse equalization may be provided for each multiplexed optical signal either at the switch input or output, permitting a reduction in the dynamic range over which the VOICs inside the switch are required to operate.
US07995908B2
An exemplary image stabilizing camera system includes a fixed body having a first receiving cavity therein, a movable unit received in the first receiving cavity, a pivot member located between the fixed body and the movable unit, a motion sensor, and a driving module. The pivot member is engagingly received in and between the fixed body and the movable unit. The motion sensor is disposed on the fixed body and configured for detecting a movement of the image stabilizing camera system. The driving module is configured for driving the movable unit to rotate around the pivot member to compensate a movement of the image stabilizing camera system based on the motion detection result of the motion sensor.
US07995905B2
The invention relates to a method and system for producing steam in a heating unit, and a method of designing a heating unit for producing steam. The method relates to receiving a liquid including impurities at a predetermine flow rate within an entry port of a monotube in the heating unit, where the monotube has a lumen of a predetermined size. The received liquid is converted into a two phase flow including turbulent and laminar flow. At least the turbulent flow is passed through the lumen at a velocity sufficient to carry the impurities through an exit port of the monotube and produce steam. The velocity of the turbulent is responsive to at least the predetermined flow rate and predetermined size of the lumen.
US07995904B2
A method is described for trick mode playback, the method including selecting a key-frame in a recording substantially in the vicinity of a trick mode playback starting position, preparing a decryption key associated with a key period including the selected key-frame, sending the prepared decryption key to a descrambler, thereby enabling decryption of video beginning at the selected key-frame, sending a first number P seconds of decrypted video frames, starting at the selected key-frame, at a predetermined speed for a predetermined number of seconds, to a video decoder, in parallel to the sending P seconds of video frames, choosing at least a second video section to stream to the video decoder, sending a decryption key associated with the chosen second video section to the descrambler, and repeating the steps of selecting, preparing, sending the prepared decryption key, and sending a first number P seconds of decrypted video frames. Related apparatus and methods are also described.
US07995900B2
A method of presenting auxiliary data for an interactive recording medium is disclosed. In an interactive recording medium reproducing apparatus that reproduces A/V data and contents data recorded on an interactive recording medium and contents data provided by a contents providing server, the contents data provided by the contents providing server is presented appropriately according to the attributes of the contents data by using attribute information for the contents data.
US07995899B2
Control of audio/video equipment is provided by an apparatus constructed like a computer, with audio and video subsystems. The audio subsystem includes a programmable analog mixer and several analog and digital multiplexers to route and mix multiple inputs to multiple outputs. Databases are stored in computer mass storage to record preferences for playback of digital versatile discs, compact discs and audio files stored in the mass storage device, such as MP3 files. The playback preferences may include video output format, language, surround sound mode, etc. for DVDs and surround sound effects for CDs and audio files.
US07995891B2
An arrangement includes a photonic band-gap assembly comprising at least one input wave guide and at least one output wave guides, and at least one routing element responsive to signals to selectively route a signal from the input wave guide to one or more of the output wave guides.
US07995889B2
An optical transmission fiber comprises a central core having an index difference Δn1 with an outer optical cladding; a first inner cladding having an index difference Δn2 with the outer cladding; and a second buried inner cladding having an index difference Δn3 with the outer cladding of less than −3·10−3. The second buried inner cladding moreover contains Germanium in a weight concentration of between 0.5% and 7%. The fiber shows reduced bending and microbending losses whilst exhibiting the optical performances of a standard single-mode fiber (SSMF).
US07995881B2
An opto-electric hybrid module capable of reducing the propagation loss of light beams, and a manufacturing method thereof. An opto-electric hybrid module in which a light-emitting element and a light-receiving element are mounted on the front surface side of an electric circuit board E, and an optical waveguide W1 is bonded to the back surface side thereof. The optical waveguide W1 includes a core having opposite end portions formed as light reflection portions. Portions of the core near the opposite end portions are formed as extensions extending from the light reflection portions toward the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element. The extensions and are positioned in through holes for light propagation formed in the electric circuit board E, and have distal end surfaces and in face-to-face relationship with a light-emitting portion of the light-emitting element and a light-receiving portion of the light-receiving element, respectively.
US07995880B2
Optical path converting member, multilayer print circuit board, and device for optical communication
A device for optical communication including a conductor circuit and an insulating layer formed and laminated, an optical circuit and an optical path for transmitting an optical signal, and an optical element or a package substrate on which an optical element is mounted. An optical path converting member is disposed at the optical path for transmitting an optical signal so as to transmit an optical signal between the optical element and the optical circuit. The optical path converting member comprises a lens and an optical path conversion mirror having an entrance surface, an exit surface and a reflection surface. The lens is provided at either the entrance surface or the exit surface on the side facing the optical circuit.
US07995874B2
The present invention relates to an optical fiber distribution type detecting method and the like equipped with a structure for enabling efficient measurement of a temperature distribution or strain distribution. This method regulates a modulation frequency and modulation index for probe light and pumping light opposingly incident on an object from a light source and a phase difference between the probe light and pumping light, thereby successively setting the length and location of search domains in a region to be measured. In particular, a detection process is executed while resetting the search domain length shorter at a predetermined interval of time or when an abnormality is detected. Thus partly changing the distance resolution for a specific region in the course of the detection process enables efficient measurement operations in a short time.
US07995870B2
A method of extracting information parts, and a recorded medium recording the method, for retrieving image sequence data are disclosed. According to an embodiment of the present invention, image frames included in an image sequence are converted to frames, in a quantity of n, including only the object that is separated from a background, and the corresponding shape descriptors, in a quantity of n, are extracted. The shape descriptors, in a quantity of n, are aligned according to a temporal order, to generate a shape sequence, which is frequency-converted along the time axis to obtain conversion coefficients having frequency information. Using coefficients in a low frequency area among the obtained conversion coefficients, a shape sequence descriptor is extracted. With this invention, video data expressing the motion of an object can be captured as an image sequence, and the similarity between video data can be distinguished by extracting information parts from each image sequence.
US07995864B2
A method for performing image registration is provided. The method comprises obtaining a reference image dataset and a target image dataset and defining an image mask for a region of interest in the reference image dataset. The method further comprises registering a corresponding region of interest in the target image dataset with the image mask, using a similarity metric, wherein the similarity metric is computed based on one or more voxels in the region of interest defined by the image mask.
US07995856B2
Methods and corresponding apparatus are presented that perform dynamic range compensation (DRC) and noise reduction (NR) together, adjusting the noise reduction parameters in response to the dynamic range compensation decisions. By such a modification of image noise reduction parameters based on the dynamic range compensation gain or, more generally, other such factors, these techniques make it possible to perform DRC on noisy images, achieving an image with low and uniform noise levels.
US07995852B2
An imaging device, comprising: an image pickup device which images a subject; and a motion estimating device which estimates a motion of the subject and a motion of the imaging device based on a dynamic image or a plurality of still images which are imaged to include the subject prior to actual imaging of a still image of the subject by the image pickup device.
US07995833B2
An inspection system includes a SEM visual inspection apparatus for detecting a defect in a semiconductor sample in steps of manufacturing a semiconductor device and a review apparatus for observing, at a high resolution, the defect in the semiconductor sample detected by the SEM visual inspection apparatus. The system has a function of transmitting an alignment dictionary image as one of alignment parameters to be set by the SEM visual inspection apparatus using an inspection recipe to the review apparatus.
US07995830B2
A process for using a hand-held infrared inspection system incorporating on-board training, on-board validation, on-board operator certification, on-board reporting information, or on-board survey instructions. Improved methods for automating area surveys are provided through exception-driven surveillance practices. Imbedded information enables less experienced operators to use more sophisticated devices more effectively. Validation or certification assures operator knowledge or ability. Multilevel classification of anomalies aids in automated analysis and report generation.
US07995823B2
A method and system are provided to report the findings of an expert's analysis of image data. The method and system are based on a reporting system that forms the basis of an image management system that can efficiently and systematically generate image reports, facilitate data entry into searchable databases for data mining, and expedite billing and collections for the expert's services. The expert identifies a significant finding on an image and attaches a location:description code to the location of that finding in order to create a significant finding and an entry into a database. Further descriptions of that finding, such as dimensional measurements, may be automatically appended to the finding as secondary attributes. After the evaluation, the system sorts the findings in the database and presents the findings by prioritized categories. The expert edits and approves a multimedia report which may be delivered by electronic means to an end-user.
US07995813B2
A method and apparatus are disclosed that reduces variation in radiation therapy treatment planning among plurality of users within the same or different geographic locations. The system includes a method and an apparatus that provide users with the knowledge information and utilizing the knowledge information to contour target volumes for radiation treatment planning. The mode of operation includes utilizing a stand-alone workstation or a server computer connected to the plurality of thin client workstations.
US07995812B2
System is provided for having more instinct image of an orthopedics disease and an oral surgery disease by applying a series of image processing on a X-ray image and diagnosing more exactly an orthopedics disease and an oral surgery disease. This system comprising means for capturing simple X-ray image in a computer, applying a contrast process on X-ray image taken in a computer, applying an embossing (raising) process on X-ray image which a contrast process was made or not made on, applying a light irradiation process in the embossed (raising) X-ray image, storing and controlling its data and X-rays image provided by a series of image processing, printing X-rays image provided by a series of processes on the monitor or on the paper.
US07995811B2
A method is disclosed for an imaging device, for anatomically assigning an image generated by the imaging device to object components of an object. Further, a computer program product and computer readable medium are disclosed, which are set up to carry out such a method. In the method, the object components are identified in a substantially autonomous fashion in an overview image that covers a larger area than an examination area. The image of the examination area is automatically assigned to at least one object component identified in the overview image given a known positional relationship between the image and the overview image, such that there is no need for an operator to carry out an individual assignment of the imaged object components.
US07995810B2
A system and methods for the efficient segmentation of globally optimal surfaces representing object boundaries in volumetric datasets is provided. An optical surface detection system and methods are provided that are capable of simultaneously detecting multiple interacting surfaces in which the optimality is controlled by the cost functions designed for individual surfaces and by several geometric constraints defining the surface smoothness and interrelations.
US07995797B2
An image pickup device that acquires images is controlled by an image pickup device controller that accepts image acquisition requests from multiple application programs, and an application scheduler selects application programs to be executed. Information indicative of the image data volumes and image data acquisition rates required for each of the multiple application programs is stored and used to select multiple concurrently executable application programs on the basis of the image data volumes and image data acquisition rates. An image acquisition scheduler determines the timing and intervals at which the multiple executable application programs repeat receiving image data from the image pickup device, without overlapping in terms of time. In addition, an operations section, which explicitly presents concurrently executable application programs to a user and commands the startup of these programs, is displayed on a navigation screen menu.
US07995785B2
A speaker assembly may include a speaker basket, a mounting plate, and a shell pot. The speaker basket may be a plastic speaker basket. The mounting plate may be insert molded into the speaker basket. The shell pot may be seated into an opening in the mounting plate and coupled to the mounting plate. Further, the shell pot may be configured to house additional speaker components, such as a motor assembly.
US07995774B2
In a sound field control apparatus including multiple speakers, multiple microphones gathering sound radiated from the multiple speakers, a mode decomposition filter that performs mode decomposition on a sound pressure distribution, and a control filter that controls the input signals to be input to the multiple speakers such that the mode amplitudes of the modes decomposed by the mode decomposition filter can have a predetermined value, a sound pressure distribution in the acoustic space is measured, and the sound pressure distribution in the acoustic space is expressed by using a sinusoidal function and cosine function of a space frequency of the mode to be controlled in amplitude. The mode space frequency is corrected such that the expressed sound pressure distribution can be equal to the measured sound pressure distribution, and the filter coefficient for the mode decomposition filter is determined based on the mode space frequency obtained by the correction (corrected mode space frequency).
US07995768B2
A sound reinforcement system which enables handsfree and high-quality sound reinforcement without requiring a person who is speaking to move to a microphone or move a microphone. At least one microphone and a plurality of speakers are arranged in a room. A speaker output adjusting section outputs sound picked up by the microphone to the plurality of speakers at predetermined levels.
US07995765B2
A method and system distributes N shares of a secret among cooperating entities using hyperplanes over GF(q), such that the secret can be reconstructed from K of the N shares (where K≦N). In one embodiment, the method constructs a K-tuple that contains the secret and elements of GF(q), where q is a power m of an odd prime p. The method further multiplies the K-tuple by a matrix of size (N×K) to produce an N-tuple using arithmetic defined on GF(q). Thus, N shares of the secret are generated, with each of the N shares including a component of the N-tuple.
US07995763B2
A user apparatus cannot acquire as many distribution keys Ki, . . . as a threshold value, to restore a content encryption key KM, unless it decrypts as many encrypted sub-content items as the threshold value after it has played back a sub-content item SC1. The user apparatus monitors the state in which the sub-content is being played back. It outputs a warning when the sub-content is in fast-forwarding state or skipping state. If the playback state is not returned to one before the fast forwarding or skipping, in spite of the warning, the user apparatus will erase the distribution keys acquired in the fast-forwarding state or skipping state.
US07995762B2
There is provided in accordance with the present invention a key issuing method for being performed by a user apparatus in a group signature system including the user apparatus and an issuer apparatus connected to the user apparatus through a network.
US07995760B2
The invention relates to a method for ensuring data transmission security between a first and a second communication device in short-range wireless communication. To set up a secure data transmission connection, the communication devices conduct a key exchange stage to generate at least one shared key between the communication devices. After said key exchange stage at least a first and a second check string is formed, said strings being based at least on a unique short random string and on the keys generated in each communication device at said key exchange stage. Thus, the security of the connection that is set up is ensured by comparing the correspondence of said check strings. The invention also relates to a communication system and a communication device, in which the method will be applied.
US07995755B2
A method for management of access means to conditional access data may include: initiating, from a security module of a multimedia unit, a verification of the next renewal date of the access means, which are associated to time information and are controlled by a management centre; determining, in the security module, the next renewal date of the access means; if the next renewal date of the access means is closer than a preset duration, then sending a request from the security module to the multimedia unit that requests the renewal of the access means; sending the request for renewal of the access means from the multimedia unit to the management centre; verifying by the management centre, if the multimedia unit is authorized to renew the access means; and in the case of a positive response, sending of an access means renewal message to the multimedia unit.
US07995742B2
A dialer for managing outgoing contacts is provided that includes a contact filtration agent 144 operable to retrieve presence information associated with a party to be contacted and determine, based on the presence information, whether or not to contact the party and, if so, when and where to contact the party.
US07995736B2
An embodiment of a method includes generating one or more route plans, each route plan being associated with a service plan, and provisioning the one or more route plans on a core routing engine accessible by a softswitch for routing calls according to the one or more route plans. The one or more route plans may include an on-net route plan and an off-net route plan. An embodiment of a system includes a local route manager (LRM) configured to generate one or more route plans associated with one or more respective service levels that customers can subscribe to. The system may further include an inventory of trunk groups containing a plurality of trunk group identifiers (IDs), wherein trunk group IDs are marked as either on-net or off-net.
US07995735B2
Embodiments of the technology disclosed herein provides an overall, or holistic view, of an enterprise's interaction with its customers. These embodiments can also provide a holistic view of other types of interactions. In one particular embodiment, a system collects and aggregates information related to user inquiries and/or response generated by different types of response systems. Such an embodiment could collect data about phone response system activities and aggregate that information with data about automated response system activities. Other embodiments collect and aggregate information related to customer information, contact resolutions and other information. Other embodiments of the disclosed technology generate reports based on aggregated information and/or generate recommendations to address problems with the individual response systems or the overall strategy for responding to customer inquiries.
US07995732B2
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media provide for the management of an audio environment with multiple audio sources. According to various embodiments described herein, real-time audio from multiple sources is received. A speaker is identified for each of the audio sources. Upon detecting a change from a first audio source to a second audio source, an identification of the speaker associated with the second audio source is provided. According to various embodiments, a recording of the real-time audio may be made and descriptors inserted to identify each speaker as the audio source changes. Real-time feedback from the speakers regarding characteristics of the audio may be received and corresponding adjustments to the audio made.
US07995731B2
A conferencing room has conferencing equipment which identifies a person speaking, among a group of people in the conferencing room, to remote participants in a conference call. The conferencing equipment includes a plurality of unique tags, each fixed proximate to a seating position for a person in the conferencing room. Each person reads the tag at their seated position using a personal interrogator, which may be incorporated into a cellular telephone. The person's identification and seated location are received and stored by a controller. The controller receives inputs from a microphone array, which monitors the voices in the room. By using the microphone array, the controller can approximate the source of the voice to one of the unique tag locations and hence can identify the person speaking.
US07995729B2
An embodiment of a method includes determining a customer service plan identifier from information associated with a received call, determining a route plan associated with the identified customer service plan, and routing the call on a trunk group identified in the determined route plan. The method may further include determining a jurisdiction of the call based on a dialed number identified in the call, determining a local routing number (LRN) associated with the call, and using a portion of the LRN to determine the trunk group. An embodiment of a system includes a switch operable to select a route for routing a call received on an ingress trunk associated with a customer that subscribes to a service plan, wherein the switch is further operable to select the route based on the service plan subscribed to by the customer associated with the ingress trunk.
US07995726B2
A system for notifying an Internet-accessible device of a communication placed from a first telecommunications device to a second telecommunications device by a calling party is disclosed. The system includes a switch and a node in communication with the switch. The switch is for detecting the communication. The node is configured for communication with the Internet-accessible device and includes a first module and a second module. The first module is for determining information about the calling party. The second module is for determining information about the Internet-accessible device.
US07995724B2
A telecommunications system and method provides a time slicing capability whereby alternate services, such as advertising, can be provided to a party while being kept on hold. Thus, charges associated with portions of the call during which alternate services are provided can be billed to other parties, such as advertisers, and the cost for the call to the caller or the called party can be reduced. The connection between the caller and the called party is maintained during the time that alternate services are being provided so that when either the caller or the called party is available to accept or resume a call, the alternate services are terminated and the caller and called party are reconnected.
US07995723B2
The present invention provides a method and apparatus for specifying and obtaining services through audio commands, resulting in a live conversation between a user and a selected service provider using an audio-transmission medium (the telephone). A service seeker locates a service provider by entering a keypad code corresponding to a field of service or by speaking the name of a profession, which is recognized by the system. The seeker can then specify, via voice or keypad entry, a price range, quality rating, language, and keyword descriptors of the service provider, such as a service provider code number. In response, the system offers currently available service providers. Once an available service provider is selected, the system connects the service seeker with the service provider for a live conversation. The system bills the seeker for the time spent conversing with the service provider and compensates the service provider accordingly.
US07995719B2
The present invention is directed to the coordination of a voicemail response (e.g., away message) with calendar scheduling. A method in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention includes: receiving a phone call; forwarding the phone call to a voicemail system; determining a phone number associated with the phone call; determining a calendar entry for a current time; and generating a voicemail response based on the phone number and the calendar entry.
US07995716B2
Some embodiments provide reception of a call from a calling party to a called party, acquisition of a voice message form the calling party to the called party, reception from the calling party a selection of an email message sent to the called party, and association of the voice message with the email message.
US07995709B2
A method and apparatus for providing a single shadow number to be associated with one or more out of area phone numbers that have registered service addresses in the same local area. For instance, if multiple subscribers with service addresses within the same local calling area choose to use out of area phone numbers, these multiple out of area phone numbers will all be associated with a single shadow phone number that is local within the local calling area. In one embodiment, when a subscriber using an out of area phone number places an E911 call, the out of area phone number as well as the associated shadow number will be sent to the E911 PSAP.
US07995705B2
The inspection methods and systems of the present invention are mobile, rapidly deployable, and capable of scanning a wide variety of receptacles cost-effectively and accurately on uneven surfaces. The present invention is directed toward a portable inspection system for generating an image representation of target objects using a radiation source, comprising a mobile vehicle, a detector array physically attached to a movable boom having a proximal end and a distal end. The proximal end is physically attached to the vehicle. The invention also comprises at least one source of radiation. The radiation source is fixedly attached to the distal end of the boom, wherein the image is generated by introducing the target objects in between the radiation source and the detector array, exposing the objects to radiation, and detecting radiation.
US07995699B2
A delay-locked loop (DLL) circuit. In the evaluation period, the DLL circuit adjusts needed delay period of time for a reference clock signal by adjusting the amount of the used delay units which each of has fixed delay period of time digitally and controlling the delay period of time of the voltage control delay circuit analogically. In the locking period, the DLL circuit utilizes the delay time of the delay units, which is decided in the evaluation period, along with the voltage control delay circuit, to lock phase of the reference clock signal. In this way, the stability of the delay period of time of the voltage control delay circuit increases.
US07995696B1
A communication system includes a transmitter that transmits multiple data streams to a receiver in the communication system. Each of the data streams includes data and a skip ordered set. The receiver includes a data buffer for each data stream that stores a minimal skip ordered set based on the skip ordered set in the data stream received by the data buffer. Each of the minimal skip ordered sets has a same number of symbols. Additionally, each buffer stores data of the data stream received by the data buffer. The receiver aligns the data among the data buffers based on the minimal skip ordered sets in the data buffers and outputs the aligned data. In this way, the receiver deskews the data in the data streams.
US07995688B2
An iterative channel estimation and inter-carrier interference (ICI) cancellation process is provided for OFDM receivers, and more particularly for mobile OFDM receivers. The iterative process uses decision feedback to estimate both the channel gain and the ICI gains, the latter being the multiplicative gain applied to the adjacent sub-carriers. Thus the receiver performs equalization and ICI cancellation in an iterative fashion and is advantageous for estimating fast fading channels.
US07995686B2
The present invention relates to a system for canceling co-channel interference (CC) in a cellular orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system. The system canceling co-channel interference (CCI) in a cellular orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) system comprises a mobile station (MS) receiver including a feedback generation unit for generating a feedback to a base station (BS) so as to control a transmission power of the transmitting frame of the BS, and a maximum likelihood estimation (MLE) CCI cancellation unit for canceling CCI signals arriving from neighbor cells; and a BS transmitter including a closed-loop power control unit for controlling the transmission power of the transmitting frame according to the feedback received from the MS such that received power of desired signal at the MS receiver is different from that of an interferer signal.
US07995684B2
A receiver operates to AGC a multi-carrier signal through a corresponding number of inner loops and an outer loop AGC processes. A first number of bits for representing the multi-carrier signal with a limited amount of interference is determined through a calibration mode process. The first number of bits provides for quantization of the multi-carrier signal at an outer loop AGC to a maximum quantization level. After the received signal power estimate is reached a predetermined “ON” threshold, the outer loop AGC is operated at a second number of bits higher than the first number of bits to allow a quantization of possible interference in accordance with a difference of the first and second number of bits. The outer loop AGC switches back to use the first number of bits when the received signal power estimate falls below a predetermined “OFF” threshold.
US07995679B2
Provided are a method and system for digitizing a sensor model output signal. The system includes a filter, a demodulator coupled to the filter, a DC offset cancellation mechanism coupled to the demodulator, and an analog to digital converter (ADC). The ADC is directly coupled to the demodulator and the DC offset cancellation mechanism.
US07995678B2
A receiver includes a signal input for receiving a differentially-encoded quadrature phase-shift keyed (DEQPSK) communication signal. A demodulator performs bit decisions on a received coherent symbol and bit decisions on a received differential symbol. A processor is operative with the demodulator and scales a soft decision by a factor from 0 to 1 when the results of the bit decisions on the received coherent branch and differential branch are different.
US07995676B2
The present invention relates to methods and systems for enhanced signal acquisition through cross-ambiguity function (CAF) interpolation. In one aspect, the present invention provides methods and systems for CAF interpolation. In an embodiment, a first CAF generated using a low input sampling rate (e.g., 1 sample/chip) is interpolated to generate a second CAF having a higher sample per chip rate. By lowering the initial input sampling rate, cost and complexity of initial synchronization processing can be significantly reduced at the receiver. In another aspect, coherent and non-coherent interpolation methods and systems are provided for time and frequency CAF interpolation. Low cost and low complexity implementations of these methods and systems are also provided with associated CAF peak detection methods and systems.
US07995669B2
A DTV receiver includes a tuner tuning to a channel to receive a broadcast signal, and a demodulator demodulating the broadcast signal. The receiver further includes a first decoder which decodes main and enhanced data included in the demodulated signal by calculating soft decision values for the enhanced data and hard decision values for the main data. The receiver further includes a second decoder for decoding the main and enhanced data for first forward error correction, and a third decoder for decoding the FEC-decoded enhanced data for second forward error correction.
US07995662B2
Various embodiments of the invention may use bitmaps to communicate channel quality index (CQI) information for multiple sub-channels in an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) wireless communications network. A base station may use bitmaps to report on whether the CQI information for each sub-channel has been under-reported or over-reported. A mobile station may use bitmaps to consolidate CQI information for multiple sub-channels into a single CQI set of parameters.
US07995642B2
A method for performing data transmission between a transmitter and a receiver. The method includes the steps of generating a feedback message at the receiver in response to data received from the transmitter, assigning an identifier for the feedback message, storing the feedback message in association with the identifier in the receiver, transmitting the feedback message and the identifier to the transmitter, determining, at the transmitter, transmission format for data to be transmitted to the receiver based on the feedback message received from the receiver; and transmitting data and a control message, by the transmitter, using the determined transmission format, with the control message comprising the identifier of the feedback message based on which the transmission format is determined.
US07995635B2
A wavelength tunable laser according to the present invention includes a first facet and a second facet opposite the first facet, a reflective region provided adjacent to the second facet, and a gain region provided between the first facet and the reflective region. The reflective region has a plurality of reflection peak wavelengths that periodically vary at a predetermined wavelength interval. The first facet and the reflective region constitute a laser cavity. Furthermore, the gain region includes an active layer where light is generated, a diffraction grating layer having a diffraction grating whose grating pitch varies in a light propagation direction, a refractive-index control layer provided between the active layer and the diffraction grating layer, a first electrode for injecting current into the active layer, and a plurality of second electrodes arranged in the light propagation direction to inject current into the refractive-index control layer.
US07995634B2
A nitride semiconductor laser element exhibits high-speed responsiveness by largely reducing the capacitance of the nitride semiconductor laser element. The nitride semiconductor laser element includes an n-type semiconductor layer, an active layer and a p-type semiconductor layer each laminated on the main surface of the substrate. The nitride semiconductor laser element further includes a striped ridge portion formed in the p-type semiconductor layer, and pn-junctions of the semiconductor layer in the peripheral region remote from the ridge portion are broken by ion implantation to form an insulative region for reducing the capacitance of the element.
US07995631B2
A material having a surface and a dopant in the material distributed whereby the material has a spatially variant optical flux density profile. In accordance with the invention, tailored non-uniform gain profiles within a Yb:YAG laser component (rod, slab, disc, etc.) are achieved by a spatial material modification in the spatially masked pre-forms. High temperature-assisted reduction leads to the coordinate-dependent gain profiles, which are controlled by the topology of the deposited solid masks. The gain profiles are obtained by reducing the charge state of the laser-active trivalent Yb3+ ions into inactive divalent Yb2+ ions. This valence conversion process is driven by mass transport of ions and oxygen vacancies. These processes, in turn, affect the dopant distribution throughout the surface and bulk laser crystal.
