US08034905B2
Disclosed are human antibodies that specifically inhibit VEGF binding to only one (VEGFR2) of the two primary VEGF receptors. The antibodies effectively inhibit angiogenesis and induce tumor regression, and yet have improved safety due to their specificity. The present invention thus provides new human antibody-based compositions, methods and combined protocols for treating cancer and other angiogenic diseases. Advantageous immunoconjugate compositions and methods using the new VEGF-specific human antibodies are also provided.
US08034880B2
The present invention provides a novel production process by which unstable terminal groups can be sufficiently stabilized under mild conditions. The present invention is related to a method for producing an —SO3H group-containing fluoropolymer wherein a fluoropolymer to be treated having a —SO2X group-containing monomer unit (X representing F or Cl) is subjected to a procedure comprising at least the steps A, B and C defined below in that order: A: Step of reacting with a halogenating agent; B: Step of reacting with a decomposition treatment agent; C: Step of reacting with a fluorinating agent.
US08034875B2
Compositions including a thermoplastic elastomer or thermoplastic vulcanizate derived from a styrenic block copolymer having a reactive or crosslinkable hard block including aromatic vinyl repeat units and also preferably a crosslinkable soft block, and a non-olefin thermoplastic polymer or copolymer and preferably a compatibilizer such as the reaction product of a non-olefin thermoplastic polymer and a functionalized polymer such as a maleic anhydride functionalized styrenic block copolymer that is compatible with the styrenic block copolymer having a reactive or crosslinkable hard block, and optionally a linking compound. The vulcanizates are prepared by crosslinking the styrenic block copolymer in the presence of the non-olefin thermoplastic polymer and a suitable crosslinking agent, and optionally the compatibilizer, preferably utilizing dynamic vulcanization. In a further embodiment, thermoplastic vulcanizate compositions are provided including the styrenic block copolymer, a polyolefin polymer or copolymer, a non-olefin thermoplastic polymer and the compatibilizer.
US08034874B2
In one aspect, the present invention provides implantable or insertable medical devices, which contain at least one polymeric region. The polymeric region contains at least one fluorocarbon-containing block copolymer, which, in turn, contains (a) at least one fluorocarbon-containing, low glass transition temperature (low Tg) copolymer chain and (b) at least one glass transition temperature (high Tg) polymer chain.
US08034866B2
A composition comprises, based on the total weight of the composition, from 10 to 80 wt. % of a polyester; from 10 to 80 wt. % of a polycarbonate; from 0 to 20 wt. % of an impact modifier; from 1 to less than 25 wt. % of a reinforcing filler; from 0.1 to less than 2.5 wt. % of a fibrillated fluoropolymer; from 0 to 5 wt. % of an additive selected from the group consisting of antioxidants, mold release agents, colorants, quenchers, stabilizers, and combinations thereof, wherein the composition has a heat deflection temperature of at least 110° C., measured in accordance with to ASTM D648 on 3.2 mm thick molded bars at 0.455 MPa.
US08034863B2
Golf balls consisting of a core and a cover are disclosed. The core is a solid, single-layer core formed from a rubber composition comprising a resorcinol. The core has a positive hardness gradient such that the difference between the core's surface hardness and the core's center hardness is 25 Shore C units or greater and/or the core has a diameter of from 1.51 inches to 1.59 inches.
US08034862B2
Golf balls comprising a core and a cover are disclosed. The core is a dual- or multi-layer core, wherein at least one layer is formed from a rubber composition comprising a base rubber and a resorcinol. The core layer formed from such rubber composition has a positive hardness gradient such that the difference between the layer's outer surface hardness and inner surface hardness is 5 Shore C units or greater.
US08034861B2
Golf balls consisting of a core and a cover are disclosed. The core is a solid, single-layer core formed from a rubber composition comprising a catechol. The core has a positive hardness gradient such that the difference between the core's surface hardness and the core's center hardness is 25 Shore C units or greater and/or the core has a diameter of from 1.51 inches to 1.59 inches.
US08034858B2
Disclosed is a polypropylene resin composition comprising predetermined amounts of a propylene-ethylene block copolymer (A-1), a first ethylene-α-olefin random copolymer rubber (B-1) which has a density of from 0.85 to 0.885 g/cm3 and a melt flow rate measured at 190° C. of 5 g/10 min or less, a second ethylene-α-olefin random copolymer rubber (B-2) which has a density of from 0.85 to 0.885 g/cm3 and a melt flow rate measured at 190° C. of 10 g/10 min or more, an inorganic filler (C), a fatty acid amide (D), and optionally a propylene homopolymer (A-2). Injection molded articles produced from the composition is also disclosed.
US08034857B2
Compositions comprise phase separated polyetherimide/polyphenylene ether sulfone blends. The dispersed phase has an average cross sectional size of 0.1 to 10 micrometers. The composition retains has good hydrolytic stability and is capable of withstanding steam autoclaving at temperatures of 130 to 138° C.
US08034855B2
Polyacetal resin compositions, including a polyacetal copolymer, 0.2 to 2 parts by mass of a hindered amine material and 0.2 to 10 parts by mass of powdery aluminum, with respect to 100 parts by mass of a polyacetal copolymer, and 0.3 to 10 parts by mass of a fatty acid having a carbon number of 10 to 30, with respect to 100 parts by mass of the powdery aluminum. Methods of making the compositions, and end products including the resin compositions are also provided.
US08034850B2
Self-setting, bioactive, absorbable composites are derived from inorganic phosphate microparticles and a cyanoacrylate matrix of a methoxypropyl cyanoacrylate at a weight to volume ratio of at least 20/80 of microparticles/matrix. The self-setting composites are capable of the controlled release of bone mineralizing ions, antimicrobials, and bone growth promoters. Such composites are useful as bone cements, fillers, and/or substitutes.
US08034847B2
This invention relates to composition containing expandable microspheres and at least one ionic compound and having a zeta potential that is greater than or equal to zero mV at a pH of about 9.0 or less at an ionic strength of from 10−6 M to 0.1M., as well as methods of making and using the composition.
US08034841B2
A composition for placental exfoliation and a method for placental exfoliation. The composition for placental exfoliation contains an arachidonic acid derivative or the like, and the method for placental exfoliation comprises the step of administering an arachidonic acid derivative or the like to a mammal after the fetal delivery.
US08034839B2
The topical use of 5,6,7-trihydroxyheptanoic acid and analogs alone or in combination with histamine antagonists and/or mast cell stabilizers is disclosed for the treatment of ocular allergy.
US08034836B2
An Amino Acid Compound is described. The Amino Acid Compound may comprise an Amino Acid and one of a Nitrate and a Nitrite. The Amino Acid may be one of Aspartic Acid, Cysteine, Glycine, Lysine, Methionine, Proline, Tyrosine, and Phenylalanine.
US08034833B2
The present invention relates to oral compositions which are useful for binding phosphorus in ingesta, and inhibiting absorption of phosphorus from the gastrointestinal tract of subjects. A method for binding phosphorus in ingesta and inhibiting its absorption from the gastrointestinal tract is also provided. The dietary supplements and pharmaceutical products and methods of the present invention are particularly useful in the treatment of hyperphosphatemia of chronic uremia and reducing serum phosphorus levels in patients requiring such therapy.
US08034828B2
The present invention thus relates to the use of 1,2,3-substituted indolizine derivatives in the preparation of medicaments of use in the treatment of diseases related to pathological choroidal angiogenesis, which derivatives correspond to the following general formula (I):
US08034826B2
Described herein are compounds that are antagonists of PGD2 receptors. Also described are pharmaceutical compositions that include the compounds described herein, and methods of using such antagonists of PGD2 receptors, alone or in combination with other compounds, for treating respiratory, cardiovascular, and other PGD2-dependent or PGD2-mediated conditions or diseases.
US08034823B2
The present invention relates generally to the method of increasing the oral bioavailability, reducing chemotherapy induced toxicity and side effects, and improving the effectiveness of pharmaceutical agents that are poorly absorbed from the gastrointestinal tract. Specifically, the invention relates to poorly absorbed pharmaceutical drugs and converting them to orotate salts. The orotate salts of the drugs can be dosed at lower doses to provide the efficacy benefits of a higher dose, while reducing the drugs' toxic effects at lower doses. Additionally, the orotate salts of pharmaceutical agents have better clearance and reduce the potential for drug-induced hepatic toxicity. Therefore, an especially useful formulation of the orotate salt of the pharmaceutical agent can provide rapid and consistent action using a lower dose while reducing drug interactions and side-effects.
US08034816B2
Disclosed are hydrates and polymorphs of 4-[[(7R)-8-cyclopentyl-7-ethyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-5-methyl-6-oxo-2-pteridinyl]amino]-3-methoxy-N-(1-methyl-4-piperidinyl)-benzamide, processes for preparing them and their use as pharmaceutical compositions.
US08034813B2
A brimonidine (5-bromo-6-(2-imidazolidinylideneamino)quinoxaline) pamoate polymorph exhibits characteristics disclosed herein. The brimonidine pamoate polymorph is included in a composition, device, or implant for use in the treatment or control of elevated intraocular pressure or in the neuroprotection of components of a neurological tissue to prevent progressive degeneration of such components. In particular, such a composition, device, or implant can be used to provide neuroprotection to cells and components of the optic nerve system.
US08034811B2
The invention relates to compounds of general formula I wherein D, E, F, G, W, Y, R1, A, R9, X, B, R8 are as defined herein, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, or solvates thereof, for use—alone or in combination with one or more other pharmaceutically active compounds—in therapy, for treating diseases associated with deregulated angiogenesis, such as cancer.
US08034802B2
This invention relates to methods for treating or preventing hepatitis C virus infections in mammals using Toll-Like Receptor (TLR)7 ligands and prodrugs thereof. More particularly, this invention relates to methods of orally administering a therapeutically effective amount of one or more prodrugs of TLR7 ligands for the treatment or prevention of hepatitis C viral infection. Oral administration of these TLR7 immunomodulating ligands and prodrugs thereof to a mammal provides therapeutically effective amounts and reduced undesirable side effects.
US08034800B2
A compound of Formulae (1), (2) or (3), A1-Ph (1) or A1-Ar-A2 (2) or A1-(A2)A′-A3 (3) wherein A1, A2 and A3 are selected from Formulae 4, 5 and 6: or a salt whereof; wherein Ar is selected from the group consisting of 1,2-phenyl, 1,3-phenyl and 1,4-phenyl optionally substituted with one or more methyl groups; m and n are independently integers from 0 to 1; Ph is phenyl, optionally substituted with one or more methyl groups; Ar1 is trisubstituted phenyl optionally substituted with one or more phenyl groups; and R1, R2 and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of H, Me and linear chain C2-C4 alkyl.
US08034797B2
The present invention relates to novel triazene compounds, to a process for their preparation, to pharmaceutical compositions comprising them, and to the use thereof in the treatment of cancer diseases in humans. The novel triazene compounds are distinguished, as compared with the known triazene compounds, by improved activity while at the same time having reduced toxicity, that is to say by fewer side-effects.
US08034795B2
The present invention relates to water-soluble taxanes covalently bounded to hyaluronic acid or hyaluronic acid derivatives, and in particular to paclitaxel and docetaxel, useful for the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions to be used in the field of oncology, in the treatment of autoimmune disorders and of restenosis. The invention also relates to the process for preparing taxanes covalently bounded to hyaluronic acid or hyaluronic acid derivates by direct synthesis between molecules of hyaluronic acid and of taxane or by indirect synthesis by the introduction of a spacer between the hyaluronic acid derivative and the taxane.
US08034792B2
Methods of treating a tumor in a subject include identifying a subject having, at risk for, or suspected of having a tumor, and administering to the subject an effective amount of an IGFBP7 agent if the tumor has increased Ras-BRAF-MEK-Erk signaling, is dependent for growth and/or survival upon the Ras-BRAF-MEK-Erk signaling pathway, and/or expresses an activated or oncogenic BRAF or RAS.
US08034786B2
The invention relates to the field of regulating metabolic processes, for example, to regulate the presence and/or activity of a receptor at the surface of a cell. The invention provides a method for controlling the presence of a receptor at the surface of a cell comprising interfering with the interaction of an F-box protein with a ubiquitin/proteasome binding site of the receptor, wherein the ubiquitin/proteasome binding site comprises particular amino acid sequences. The invention further provides a method for controlling the presence of a growth hormone receptor (GHR) at the surface of a cell comprising interfering with the interaction of an F-box protein with a ubiquitin/proteasome binding site of the GHR.
US08034784B2
Cytokines and their receptors have proven usefulness in both basic research and as therapeutics. The present invention provides a new human cytokine receptor designated as “Zcytor16” and uses thereof.
US08034779B2
A purified polypeptide includes an amino acid sequence consisting of about 10 to 80 amino acids, the amino acid sequence having a sequence identity at least 90% homologous to a portion of SEQ ID NO:1. The polypeptide inhibits binding of Bcl-2 to IP3 receptors of cells that express IP3R and Bcl-2 and induces apoptosis in a cell.
US08034776B2
The present invention provides materials and methods for the treatment of celiac disease. In addition, the present invention provides materials and methods of monitoring the treatment of a subject having celiac disease.
US08034773B2
The present invention provides novel immuno-stimulatory polypeptides, and methods for their use and identification.
US08034770B2
The invention provides nucleic acid molecules encoding FGF21 mutant polypeptides, FGF21 mutant polypeptides, pharmaceutical compositions comprising FGF21 mutant polypeptides, and methods for treating metabolic disorders using such nucleic acids, polypeptides, or pharmaceutical compositions.
US08034767B2
A method is provided for producing a purine nucleoside, such as inosine and guanosine, and a method for producing a 5′-purine nucleotide such as 5′-inosinic acid or 5′-guanylic acid, using a bacterium belonging to the either genus Escherichia or genus Bacillus, wherein purine nucleoside productivity of said bacterium is enhanced by enhancing an activity of a protein encoded by the yeaS (leuE) gene.
US08034762B2
Novel ApoE peptide derivatives and ApoE-protein transduction domain conjugates are disclosed which are useful for treating disorders including subarachnoid hemorrhage, intracerebral hemorrhage, and intraventricular hemorrhage and other brain disorders. The invention encompasses methods for treating cerebral vasospasm by administration of at least one ApoE or ApoE mimetic peptide.
US08034760B2
[PROBLEMS] To provide a softening detergent composition capable of washing a fibrous manufactured article or the like having softening ability, and at the same time allowing a clay mineral to be less likely to remain on clothes.[SOLVING MEANS] A softening detergent composition containing (a) 2 to 20% by mass of clay granules containing as a main component a smectite clay mineral represented by the following general formula (I), provided that a Na/Ca mass ratio in the granules is 1.0 or more: [Si8(MgaAlb)O20(OH)4]X−.X/n [Me]n+ (I), wherein a, b, and x satisfy the formulas 0
US08034759B2
The present invention is directed to stabilized peracid compositions. Stabilizing compositions including a metal salt and a chelating agent are added to compositions including peracids. The results stabilized peracid compositions have increased shelf life and storage stability.
US08034746B2
Disclosed herein is a method of manufacturing round wire using superconducting tape, including the steps of: slitting superconducting tape into superconducting tape strips; silver-coating the slit superconducting tape strips; laminating the silver-coated superconducting tape strips to form a superconducting tape laminate having a square cross-section; holding the superconducting tape laminate; heat-treating the fixed superconducting tape laminate to cause diffusion junction between silver; and copper-plating the heat-treated superconducting tape laminate to have a circular section. The method is advantageous in that, since it is formed by slitting, silver-coating and laminating conventional superconducting tape, its superconducting layer can be protected, and it has a circular cross-section, so that it can be easily joined and wound, with the result that it is expected that, like general copper wires, its application fields will be enlarged because it can be wound in a solenoid shape at the time of magnetic winding.
US08034741B2
Compositions are provided, derived from chemical treatment of carbonaceous fiber felt forms or other carbonaceous substrates, that exhibit both high efficiency and capacity for mercury capture from flue gases and the like. These compositions are superior to known compositions, particularly with regard to their performance under severely deactivating conditions. The compositions result from the pyrolysis of certain specific sulfur bearing compounds while in contact with activated carbon powders, activated carbon fibers, or with other carbonized forms. Precursor compounds to these novel mercury-binding compositions contain structural moieties that may be represented as: where X, Y are individual atoms or are functional groups consisting of several atoms, such that the atom bonding to sulfur is not hydrogen. X and Y can be linked in cyclic structures, either directly or through other atoms.
US08034740B2
A moisture- or protein-adsorbability imparting agent, comprising a porous silica having a hexagonal pore structure, an average pore size of from 0.8 to 20 nm, an average particle size of 50 nm to 100 μm, a specific surface area of from 400 to 2000 m2/g, and a pore volume of from 0.1 to 3.0 cm3/g; a material having an adsorbability of moisture or a protein, comprising the moisture- or protein-adsorbability imparting agent; and use of the moisture- or protein-adsorbability imparting agent for imparting absorbability of moisture or a protein to a material selected from the group consisting of food wrapping materials; filtration aid agents; sanitary articles; compositions containing a synthetic resin; moisture-controlled material; covering materials for wounds; insulation substrates; coating materials for semiconductor devices; cosmetics; inkjet recording media; and compositions containing synthetic fibers.
US08034731B2
The present invention is to provide a TiO2—SiO2 glass whose coefficient of linear thermal expansion at the time of irradiating with high EUV energy light becomes substantially zero when used as an optical member of an exposure tool for EUVL. The present invention relates to a TiO2-containing silica glass, having a fictive temperature of 1,000° C. or lower, a OH concentration of 600 ppm or higher, a temperature at which the coefficient of linear thermal expansion becomes 0 ppb/° C. of from 40 to 110° C., and an average coefficient of linear thermal expansion in the temperature range of 20 to 100° C., of 50 ppb/° C. or lower.
US08034717B2
In order to prevent the contamination of wafers made of a transition metal in a semiconductor mass production process, the mass production method of a semiconductor integrated circuit device of the invention comprises the steps of depositing an Ru film on individual wafers passing through a wafer process, removing the Ru film from outer edge portions of a device side and a back side of individual wafers, on which said Ru film has been deposited, by means of an aqueous solution containing orthoperiodic acid and nitric acid, and subjecting said individual wafers, from which said Ru film has been removed, to a lithographic step, an inspection step or a thermal treating step that is in common use relation with a plurality of wafers belonging to lower layer steps (an initial element formation step and a wiring step prior to the formation of a gate insulating film).
US08034708B2
An integrated circuit structure includes a semiconductor substrate; an interconnect structure over the semiconductor substrate, wherein the interconnect structure comprises a top inter-metal dielectric (IMD); an opening penetrating the interconnect structure into the semiconductor substrate; a conductor in the opening; and an isolation layer having a vertical portion and a horizontal portion physically connected to each other. The vertical portion is on sidewalls of the opening. The horizontal portion is directly over the interconnect structure. The integrated circuit structure is free from passivation layers vertically between the top IMD and the horizontal portion of the isolation layer.
US08034705B2
A plug comprises a first insulating interlayer, a tungsten pattern and a tungsten oxide pattern. The first insulating interlayer has a contact hole formed therethrough on a substrate. The tungsten pattern is formed in the contact hole. The tungsten pattern has a top surface lower than an upper face of the first insulating interlayer. The tungsten oxide pattern is formed in the contact hole and on the tungsten pattern. The tungsten oxide pattern has a level face.
US08034701B2
Methods of forming a gate electrode can be provided by forming a trench in a substrate, conformally forming a polysilicon layer to provide a polysilicon conformal layer in the trench defining a recess surrounded by the polysilicon conformal layer, wherein the polysilicon conformal layer is formed to extend upwardly from a surface of the substrate to have a protrusion and the protrusion has a vertical outer sidewall adjacent the surface of the substrate, forming a tungsten layer in the recess to form an upper surface that includes an interface between the polysilicon conformal layer and the tungsten layer, and forming a capping layer being in direct contact with top surfaces of the polysilicon conformal layer and the tungsten layer without any intervening layers.
US08034697B2
Methods and structures are provided for formation of devices, e.g., solar cells, on substrates including, e.g., lattice-mismatched materials, by the use of aspect ratio trapping (ART) and epitaxial layer overgrowth (ELO). In general, in a first aspect, embodiments of the invention may include a method of forming a structure. The method includes forming a first opening in a masking layer disposed over a substrate that includes a first semiconductor material. A first layer, which includes a second semi-conductor material lattice-mismatched to the first semiconductor material, is formed within the first opening. The first layer has a thickness sufficient to extend above a top surface of the masking layer. A second layer, which includes the second semiconductor material, is formed on the first layer and over at least a portion of the masking layer. A vertical growth rate of the first layer is greater than a lateral growth rate of the first layer and a lateral growth rate of the second layer is greater than a vertical growth rate of the second layer.
US08034689B2
A method for fabricating a semiconductor device and the device made thereof are disclosed. In one aspect, the method includes providing a substrate comprising a semiconductor material. The method further includes patterning at least one fin in the substrate, the fin comprising a top surface, at least one sidewall surface, and at least one corner. A supersaturation of point defects is created in the at least one fin. The at least one fin is annealed and then cooled down such that semiconductor atoms of the semiconductor material migrate via the point defects.
US08034679B1
An insulated-gate field-effect transistor (100, 100V, 140, 150, 150V, 160, 170, 170V, 180, 180V, 190, 210, 210W, 220, 220U, 220V, 220W, 380, or 480) is fabricated so as to have a hypoabrupt vertical dopant profile below one (104 or 264) of its source/drain zones for reducing the parasitic capacitance along the pn junction between that source/drain zone, normally serving as the drain, and adjoining body material (108 or 268). In particular, the concentration of semiconductor dopant which defines the conductivity type of the body material increases by at least a factor of 10 in moving from that source/drain zone down to an underlying body-material location no more than 10 times deeper below the upper semiconductor surface than that source/drain zone. The body material is preferably provided with a more heavily doped pocket portion (120 or 280) situated along the other source/drain zone (102 or 262) normally serving as the source.
US08034672B2
A method of producing a display device includes the steps of forming gate electrodes on a substrate so that an arrangement of a source and a drain, in a pixel row direction, of a thin-film transistor formed in each of pixels on the substrate is reversed every pixel row; forming a gate insulating film and an amorphous semiconductor thin film on the substrate in that order so as to cover the gate electrodes; crystallizing the semiconductor thin film by irradiating the semiconductor thin film with an energy beam so that a scanning direction of the energy beam is the same with respect to the arrangement of the source and the drain in the pixel row direction; and forming a light-emitting element connected to the thin-film transistor.
US08034671B2
A crystallizing method for forming a poly-Si film is described as follows. First, forming an activated layer on a substrate, and the molecule structure of the activated layer includes carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and silicon. And then, forming an amorphous silicon film on the activated layer. Finally, performing an annealing process to crystallize the amorphous silicon film and transform it into a poly-Si film.
US08034652B2
A plurality of sensor packages (4) are fixed to a circuit assembly board (47) and placed on a lower mold die (56) of a transfer molding apparatus (54). Attached inside a cavity (58a) of an upper mold die (58) is a protection sheet (65), which will make contact with the upper face of a cover glass (6) of each sensor package (4). When the upper mold die (58) meshes with the lower mold die (56), the upper face of the cover glass (6) is tightly covered with the protection sheet (65). A plunger (62) is activated to fill the cavities (56a, 58a) with sealing resin (7). The upper face of the cover glass (6) is not stained or damaged when the peripheries of the sensor packages (4) are sealed.
US08034650B2
A sensor for selectively determining the presence and measuring the amount of hydrogen in the vicinity of the sensor. The sensor comprises a MEMS device coated with a nanostructured thin film of indium oxide doped tin oxide with an over layer of nanostructured barium cerate with platinum catalyst nanoparticles. Initial exposure to a UV light source, at room temperature, causes burning of organic residues present on the sensor surface and provides a clean surface for sensing hydrogen at room temperature. A giant room temperature hydrogen sensitivity is observed after making the UV source off. The hydrogen sensor of the invention can be usefully employed for the detection of hydrogen in an environment susceptible to the incursion or generation of hydrogen and may be conveniently used at room temperature.
US08034649B2
A solid state imaging device having a light sensing section that performs photoelectric conversion of incident light includes: an insulating layer formed on a light receiving surface of the light sensing section; a layer having negative electric charges formed on the insulating layer; and a hole accumulation layer formed on the light receiving surface of the light sensing section.
US08034646B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor device, in particular, a light emitting element which can be easily manufactured with a wet method. One feature of the invention is a light emitting device including a transistor and a light emitting element. In the light emitting element, an organic layer, a light emitting layer, and a second electrode are sequentially formed over a first electrode, and the transistor is electrically connected to the light emitting element through a wiring. Here, the wiring contains aluminum, carbon, and titanium. The organic layer is formed by a wet method. The first electrode which is in contact with the organic layer is formed from indium tin oxide containing titanium oxide.
US08034645B2
A method of making a semiconductor chip assembly includes providing a post and a base that include a copper surface layer and an aluminum core, mounting an adhesive on the base including inserting the post into an opening in the adhesive, mounting a conductive layer on the adhesive including aligning the post with an aperture in the conductive layer, then flowing the adhesive into and upward in a gap located in the aperture between the post and the conductive layer, solidifying the adhesive, then providing a conductive trace that includes a pad, a terminal and a selected portion of the conductive layer, mounting a semiconductor device on a heat spreader that includes the post and the base, electrically connecting the semiconductor device to the conductive trace and thermally connecting the semiconductor device to the heat spreader.
US08034639B2
Disclosed is a method for manufacturing a solar cell module in which a wiring substrate having a base material and a wiring formed on the base material, and a plurality of solar cells electrically connected by being placed on the wiring of the wiring substrates are sealed with a sealant, including a first step of placing at least one of the solar cells on the wiring of the wiring substrate, and a second step of sealing the wiring substrate and the solar cells with the sealant, the method including the step of conducting an inspection of the solar cells after the first step and before the second step.
US08034638B1
The present invention provides methods of repairing damage to low-k dielectric film that is incurred by commonly used processes in IC fabrication. The methods may be integrated into an IC fabrication process flow at various stages. According to various embodiments, the methods of involve performing an IC fabrication process on a wafer on which a low-k film is deposited, and subsequently treating the film with a silylating agent to repair the damage done to the film during the process. Damage repair may be performed after one or more of the damaging process steps.
US08034629B2
Techniques are provided for high precision scanning of hydrogel microparticles. The high precision is achieved by one or more modifications to the microparticle composition, or microfluidics apparatus that align the microparticles in a detection channel, or method of preparing a sample for introduction into the apparatus, or some combination. An apparatus comprises a body structure having formed therein a central channel and multiple focusing channels in fluid communication with the central channel through multiple junctions. A width of the central channel is smaller in a portion downstream of each junction. A particle comprises a hydrogel matrix and a probe molecule. The particle has an aspect ratio greater than about three. A method includes loading into a sample fluid inlet a mixture, wherein a number of particles lies within a range from about 15 to about 20 particles/μl.
US08034622B2
Provided herein are compounds, methods of making the compounds and methods for the sensitive and selective detection of Hg2+ with the compounds, which are calix[4]arenes. In particular, compounds of Formula I, wherein the variables have the values described herein, may be added to a sample to be tested for Hg2+. The compound of Formula (I) fluoresces strongly in the absence of Hg2+ but is quenched upon binding of Hg2+ to form a complex. The decrease in fluorescence may be used to detect and quantify the amount of Hg2+ present in a sample. The disclosed compounds may also be used to selectively detect Hg2+ in samples containing other mono- or divalent metals.
US08034614B2
The object of the present invention is to provide a novel fluorescent protein in which on and off of fluorescence thereof can be controlled by irradiation with lights of two different wavelengths. The present invention provides a fluorescent protein shown in the following (a) or (b); (a) a protein which has the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 3 or 7; or (b) a protein which has an amino acid sequence comprising a deletion, substitution, and/or addition of one or several amino acids with respect to the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 3 or 7, and which has fluorescence characteristics of exhibiting a photochromic effect.
US08034605B2
Provided is microbial materials for degradation of oils and toxic chemicals. The microbial material comprises (a) a microorganism and culture filtrate capable of degrading oil and toxic chemicals being at least one selected from the group consisting of Trichosporon loubieri Y1-A of deposit No. KCTC 10876BP, Trichosporon cutaneum, and white-rot fungi living upon the surface of wood, (b) rapeseed oils for producing more sophorolipid in surface of the said microorganism, (c) lipophilic powder being at least one selected from the group consisting of natural wax, synthetic wax, beeswax and waste candle, and (d) a microbial nutrient. This invention further comprises (e) the Bacillus subtilis of Deposit No. KCCM 10639 and the Bacillus subtilis of Deposit No. KCCM 10640. The microbial material can efficiently, rapidly degrade contaminants that are unreadily degradable, by increasing a contact area with the microorganism capable of degrading the unreadily degradable contaminants.
US08034603B2
The invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid molecule encoding a polypeptide capable of producing a triterpenoid hydrocarbon. The invention also relates to the encoded polypeptide, a vector comprising the nucleic acid molecule, a recombinant non-human organism comprising the nucleic acid molecule, and to methods of producing a triterpenoid hydrocarbon or an intermediate of biofuel using the nucleic acid molecule, polypeptide or recombinant organism.
US08034592B2
The invention provides an isolated haloalkaliphilic microorganism designated as strain sapolanicus belonging to the genus Halanaerobium, which is capable of producing hydrogen from biomass. Methods of producing biohydrogen comprising the fermentation of the microorganism with alkaline pretreated biomass are also provided. Fermentation is preferably carried out without neutralization of the pretreated biomass and at a pH of greater than or equal to about 10.
US08034589B2
Provided is a method of preparing a proliferation-regulated recombinant adenoviral vector effectively, comprising preparing a proliferation-regulated vector plasmid by preparing a restriction enzyme-recognizing sequence in a vector plasmid having a proliferation-regulating unit and having an E1A region, a protein-coding region in a E1B region, a poly(A) signal sequence, and a recombinase-recognizing sequence in that order from upstream, by deleting an endogenous promoter in the E1A region or an endogenous promoter regulating expression of the protein-coding gene in one protein-coding region of the E1B region thereof and inserting the restriction enzyme-recognizing sequences in the deficient site, and introducing a promoter expressing specifically in a target organ in the restriction enzyme-recognizing sequence in the restriction enzyme-recognizing sequence; and additionally, integrating the proliferation-regulated vector plasmid into a vector plasmid having a adenoviral genome prepared by deleting the E1 region.
US08034570B2
Disclosed are methods for selective amplification of target nucleic acid sequence using a tagged oligonucleotide comprising a target hybridizing sequence that hybridizes to a 3′-end of the target nucleic acid and a tag sequence situated 5′ to the target hybridizing sequence. The tagged oligonucleotide is hybridized to the target nucleic acid and, after reducing the effective concentration of unhybridized tagged oligonucleotide having an active form, a primer extension reaction is initiated to produce a primer extension product. Further amplification also utilizes a first oligonucleotide that hybridizes to the 3′ end of the complement of the target nucleic acid and a second oligonucleotide that hybridizes to the complement of the tag sequence. Also disclosed are reaction mixtures for use in the disclosed methods comprising the tagged oligonucleotide hybridized to target nucleic and substantially free of an active form of unhybridized tagged oligonucleotide.
US08034569B2
This invention relates to methods for molecular detection, particularly to methods utilizing target-specific molecular probes. In exemplary embodiments, target-specific molecular probes include single-stranded deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) or ribonucleic acid (RNA) aptamers. In general, the molecular probe may bind with relatively high specificity to a given target. In one aspect, a method for molecular detection comprises a molecular probe paired to a reporter molecule wherein the molecular probe impairs the amplification of the reporter molecule in the absence of the target molecule.
US08034568B2
Methods and compositions are provided related to the amplification of target polynucleotide sequences as well as total RNA and total DNA amplification. In some embodiments, the methods and compositions also allow for the immobilization and capture of target polynucleotides with defined 3′ and or 5′ sequences to solid surfaces. The polynucleotides attached to the solid surfaces can be amplified or eluted for downstream processing. In some cases, nucleotides attached to solid surfaces can be used for high throughput sequencing of nucleotide sequences related to target DNA or target RNA.
US08034556B2
The invention is based on the discovery that the gylcosylation enzyme GnT-4 increases glyocsylation and the stability of glucose transporter (Glut) family members, e.g., by increasing lectin binding. Modulators of GnT-4 activity can therefore be identified and used for the treatment of diabetes or pre-diabetes. In addition, inhibitors of GnT-4 activity can be used for the treatment of cancer.
US08034554B2
Methods of the invention separate a target nucleic acid from a sample by using at least one capture probe oligonucleotide that contains a target-complementary region and a member of a specific binding pair that attaches the target nucleic acid to an immobilized probe on a capture support, thus forming a capture hybrid that is separated from other sample components before the target nucleic acid is released from the capture support and hybridized to a detection probe to form a detection hybrid that produces a detectable signal that indicates the presence of the target nucleic acid in the sample. Compositions for practicing the methods of the invention include a capture probe oligonucleotide made up a target-complementary region sequence and a covalently linked capture region sequence that includes a member of a specific binding pair.
US08034552B2
The present invention relates to virulent (lytic) Listeria monocytogenes phage from the Myoviridae family, preferably P100, alone or in combination with other virulent phages. P100 and the endolysin from P100 can be administered to food products, to the components that will be added to food products, and/or to the infrastructure of the food processing plants within which such food products are processed, or the containers or wraps in which such foods are stored and/or shipped, in order to reduce Listeria monocytogenes contamination. P100 can also be used in the present invention to identify Listeria monocytogenes bacteria present on (or within) foodstuffs, as well as those Listeria monocytogenes bacteria present in the equipment or the general environment of the food processing plants in which the foodstuffs are being processed and in animals infected with Listeria monocytogenes. The phage and the endolysin of the present invention can also be used to treat animals infected with Listeria monocytogenes. P100 will kill the bacteria that are within its host range with great efficiency and will propagate to high titer thereon. P100 can be combined with other lytic phage, and/or with other antimicrobial agents to reduce or eliminate Listeria.
US08034545B2
The present invention provides a radiation curing composition comprising (a): a siloxane resin, (b): a photoacid generator or photobase generator, and (c): a solvent capable of dissolving component (a) and containing an aprotic solvent.
US08034543B2
A method for forming a semiconductor device is presented. The method includes providing a substrate having a photoresist thereon and transmitting a light source through a mask having a pattern onto the photoresist. The mask comprises a mask substrate having first, second and third regions, the third region is disposed between the first and second regions. The mask also includes a light reducing layer over the mask substrate having a first opening over the first region and a second opening over the second region. The first and second openings have layer sidewalls. The sidewalls of the light reducing layer are slanted at an angle less than 90 degrees from the plane of a top surface of the mask substrate. The method also includes developing the photoresist to transfer the pattern of the mask to the photoresist.
US08034539B2
An exposure system includes an exposure section for irradiating a formed resist film with exposing light through a mask with an immersion liquid provided on the resist film, and a drying section for drying a surface of the resist film after irradiation.
US08034536B2
A novel resist composition and method of forming a resist pattern that can be used in lithography applications. The resist composition includes a base component (A) that exhibits changed solubility in an alkali developing solution under action of acid, and an acid generator component (B) that generates acid upon exposure, wherein the base component (A) contains a polymer compound (A1) having a structural unit (a0) represented by general formula (a0-1) shown below, wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group of 1 to 5 carbon atoms or a fluorinated alkyl group of 1 to 5 carbon atoms, R2 and R3 each independently represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group that may include an oxygen atom at an arbitrary position, or R2 and R3 are bonded together to form an alkylene group, and W represents a cyclic alkylene group that may include an oxygen atom at an arbitrary position.
US08034535B2
A laser-decomposable resin composition of the invention contains a polyurethane resin having a structure wherein an aromatic group is directly connected to a urethane bond.
US08034529B2
A photosensitive resin composition comprising (a) a compound obtained by reacting a polybasic acid anhydride with the phenolic hydroxyl groups of a novolac-type phenol resin, and (b) a 1,2-quinonediazide compound. The photosensitive resin composition, which comprises component (b) composed of a 1,2-quinonediazide compound in combination with a component (a) obtained by reacting a polybasic acid anhydride with the phenolic hydroxyl groups of a novolac-type phenol resin, exhibits sufficiently high photosensitivity, image contrast, resolution and adhesiveness.
US08034527B2
The method of making nano-sized particles for use in making emulsion aggregation toner particles, the nano-sized particles having a core portion and a shell portion, wherein the core portion of the nano-sized particles includes crystalline resin and the shell portion includes amorphous resin and is substantially to completely free of the crystalline resin.
US08034526B2
A method for manufacturing a toner, including: dissolving or dispersing toner constituents including a resin, a colorant, a release agent, and a graft polymer including a polyolefin resin unit and a vinyl resin unit in a solvent, to prepare a toner constituent liquid; supplying the toner constituent liquid to a retention part configured to retain the toner constituent liquid; discharging the toner constituent liquid from the retention part to a granulation space through plural holes arranged on the retention part, while exciting the toner constituent liquid by a vibration means in contact with a part of the retention part, so that the discharged columnar toner constituent liquid is constricted to form liquid droplets; and converting the liquid droplets into solid toner particles; together with a toner manufactured by the above method.
US08034521B2
To provide a toner for developing an electrostatic charge image, the toner containing at least a colorant obtained by reacting a polymer with a basic dye, wherein the polymer contains 10 mol % or more of a monomer unit having any one of a sulfonic acid group, a sulfonic acid salt group, a sulfuric acid group and a sulfuric acid salt group as a constitutional unit, and the toner is obtained by forming a toner composition liquid containing at least the colorant into oil droplets in an aqueous medium, and solidifying the oil droplets into solid particles.
US08034518B2
An electrophotographic imaging member includes a substrate, a photo generating layer, and an optional overcoating layer, wherein the photo generating layer includes a cyclic triphenylamine derivative material.
US08034517B2
A manufacturing method of a color filter comprising the following steps is provided. At first, a transparent substrate is provided. Next, a black matrix is formed on the transparent substrate to define a plurality of pixel areas on the transparent substrate. Then, an isolation layer is formed and patterned on the black matrix and then Red/Green/Blue color filter inks are filled into each of the pixel areas separately by inkjet printing. After that, the color filter inks are dried to form color filter units and optionally the isolation layer can further be patterned to form plenty of photo spacers on the black matrix. The isolation layers prevented the color filter inks from spilling out of the pixel areas and color mixing problems during color filter inkjet fabrication. Besides, it is characterized that the color filter units can be formed with even thickness.
US08034512B2
A fuel cell module that includes: a plurality of tubular fuel cells, each of which contains a cylindrically shaped inner electrode that exhibits conductivity, a first catalyst layer, an electrolyte layer, and a second catalyst layer laminated sequentially to the outer peripheral surface of the inner electrode, and an external coil that exhibits conductivity and is wound around the outer peripheral surface of the second catalyst layer in such a manner that a first coil section with a loose winding pitch is sandwiched between second coil sections with a tight winding pitch; and a current collecting member that exhibits conductivity and is provided with a plurality of openings into which the tubular fuel cells can be inserted, wherein the first coil sections and the openings fit together.
US08034511B2
An insulating mount structure for a fuel cell, which includes insulating mounts (2) for mounting the fuel cell stack (1) on a grounded structure (7), and a water barrier (3) extending in a space between the fuel cell a stack (1) and the grounded structure (7), being electrically isolated from both of the fuel cell (1) and the grounded structure (7). The water barrier (3) is formed in a container shape having an opening (3a) on upper side thereof.
US08034504B2
A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell, a fuel gas supply unit for supplying a fuel gas to the fuel cell, an oxygen containing gas supply unit, which has a heat exchanger for heating an oxygen-containing gas, for supplying the oxygen-containing gas heated by the heat exchanger to the fuel cell, an exhaust gas discharge unit for supplying an exhaust gas used in a generating reaction and discharged from the fuel cell, as a heating medium for heating the oxygen-containing gas to the heat exchanger, and a combustion gas supply unit, which has a combustor disposed out of a passageway of the exhaust gas discharge unit for generating a combustion gas by combusting a raw fuel with an oxygen-containing gas supplied thereto, for supplying the combustion gas, together with the exhaust gas, to the heat exchanger.
US08034500B2
Systems and methods for initiating use of, or starting up, fuel cell stacks in subfreezing temperatures. The fuel cell stacks include a thermal management system that is adapted to deliver a liquid heat exchange fluid into thermal communication with a fuel cell stack, such as to heat the stack during startup of the stack when the stack is at a subfreezing temperature or operated in a subfreezing environment. In some embodiments, the thermal management system includes a heat exchange circuit that is configured to provide delivery of the liquid heat exchange fluid to the fuel cell stack even when the conduits are at a subfreezing temperature. In some embodiments, the fuel cell system is configured to deliver liquid heat exchange fluid from the fuel cell stack and heat exchange circuit when the thermal management system is not being utilized.
US08034493B2
There is provided an ion exchange membrane and preparation process thereof. The membrane has a porous film layer having pores with an average pore diameter of 0.01 to 2 μm and a surface layer existent on at least one side of the porous film.The pores of the porous film layer are filled with an ion exchange resin and the surface layer contains (a) an inorganic filler having an average primary particle longest diameter which is 0.1 time or more the average pore diameter of the pores of the porous film layer and 50 μm or less and (b) an ion exchange resin. The membrane is useful for a diaphragm of a direct methanol type fuel cell.
US08034490B2
There is provided a fluorine-containing polymer solid electrolyte which has an excellent ion-conducting property, is high in oxidation resistance, is stable electrochemically and thermally, has sufficient strength and is applicable to various electrochemical devices. The electrolyte comprises (I) a non-crystalline fluorine-containing polymer which has a polar nonionic functional group and has, in a side chain of the polymer molecule, a structural unit D having 1 to 4 units derived from a fluorine-containing ether in the form of continuous chain, (II) an electrolytic compound and as case demands, (III) a solvent. The electrolyte has an ionic conductivity of from 10—10 to 101 S/cm measured at 25° C. by an alternating current complex impedance method, and is useful for various electrochemical devices.
US08034482B2
The metal foil of the positive electrode 1a or the negative electrode 1b in the power generating element 1 is connected along the connecting plate portion 2b which is folded, twisted, and provided in a protruding condition from the main portion 2a of the current-collector connector 2; hence the shape of the current-collector connector 2 becomes easy to form, and a battery capable of enhancing current collection efficiency, reliability and workability can be provided.
US08034479B2
A battery case including: first case body having a main wall and opposing side walls; a second case body including a second main wall and opposing side walls. The first and second side walls include coupling parts to be coupled together when the first and second case bodies are pressed together to form a space to receive a bare cell. The battery case can also include clips to couple the first and second side walls.
US08034477B2
A chip battery includes an element body including a solid electrolyte layer, a positive electrode layer, and a negative electrode layer. Current collectors are provided on the positive electrode layer and the negative electrode layer, respectively, of the element body using a conductive material, such as Pt. In addition, protective films are provided on both end surfaces of the element body and on the current collectors so that the current collectors are exposed near the respective ends in the longitudinal direction of the element body. Further, protective films are provided on the side surfaces of the element body to define a base body. Further, terminal electrodes are provided on the base body so as to be brought into surface contact with the exposed surfaces of the current collectors on both end sides in a direction substantially perpendicular to the lamination direction of the element body.
US08034466B2
The present invention provides a light-emitting element that includes a pair of electrodes, and an organic compound that has a glass-transition temperature of 150° C. or more, preferably 160° C. or more and 300° C. or less, and a metal oxide that are provided between the pair of electrodes, or includes a pair of electrodes, and a compound having a spiro ring and a triphenylamine skeleton and a metal oxide that are provided between the pair of electrodes. It is a feature that the compound has a spiro ring and a triphenylamine skeleton is a benzidine derivative represented by a general formula (1) In the formula, R1 is hydrogen or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms.
US08034454B2
The present invention relates to antimicrobial compositions, methods for the production of these compositions, and use of these compositions with medical devices, such as catheters, and implants. The compositions of the present invention advantageously provide varying release kinetics for the active ions in the compositions due to the different water solubilities of the ions, allowing antimicrobial release profiles to be tailored for a given application and providing for sustained antimicrobial activity over time. More particularly, the invention relates to polymer compositions containing colloids comprised of salts of one or more oligodynamic metals, such as silver. The process of the invention includes mixing a solution of one or more oligodynamic metal salts with a polymer solution or dispersion and precipitating a colloid of the salts by addition of other salts to the solution which react with some or all of the first metal salts. The compositions can be incorporated into articles or can be employed as a coating on articles such as medical devices. Coatings may be on all or part of a surface.
US08034448B2
Fibrous composite comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes; and a silica-containing moiety having one of the structures: (SiO)3Si—(CH2)n—NR1R2) or (SiO)3Si—(CH2)n—NCO; where n is from 1 to 6, and R1 and R2 are each independently H, CH3, or C2H5.
US08034446B2
A composite solid surface article includes a surface layer with at least one first polymeric resin and a filler, and a backing layer on the surface layer with at least one second polymeric resin and wood particles.
US08034444B2
The present invention relates to a porous membrane obtainable by polymerizing at least one type of curable epoxyacrylate monomer that is soluble in a solvent wherein at least 50 wt % of said solvent is water. The invention further relates to image recording materials, in which these porous membranes are used.
US08034437B2
Provided is an optical member capable of keeping a high performance antireflection effect over a long period of time with respect to an arbitrary substrate. The optical member has plural layers on a substrate, and includes at least one metal oxide layer having a void, and at least one layer containing an organic resin as a main component formed between the substrate and the metal oxide layer. The metal oxide layer is a plate crystal layer formed of a plate crystal containing aluminum oxide as a main component and a surface of the plate crystal layer has an uneven profile. The organic resin has an aromatic ring and/or a hetero ring in at least a part thereof.
US08034414B2
A printing screen, printing process and method for improving side-bottom ratio are provided. The printing screen mainly comprises a plurality of printing units, wherein each of the printing units comprises a body and a protrusion structure. The body has an ink aperture, and the protrusion structure extends from a surface of the body into the ink aperture. The printing process of a fluorescent layer in a plasma display panel utilizing the said printing screen can enhance the uneven film thickness of the fluorescent layer on the bottom of a discharge chamber, and further improve the side-bottom ratio of the fluorescent layer in a plasma display panel.
US08034409B2
The present invention pertains to methods, apparatuses, and systems for fabricating three-dimensional integrated circuits. One embodiment of the method comprises providing a wafer or other substrate having a plurality of through holes. In addition, the method includes supporting the wafer or other substrate with a wafer or other substrate holder mounted in a process chamber. The method further includes generating a pressure differential between the front side of the wafer or other substrate and the back side of the wafer or other substrate while the wafer or other substrate is supported on the wafer or other substrate holder so that the pressure differential causes fluid flow through the through holes. Also, the method includes establishing process conditions in the process chamber for at least one process to fabricate integrated circuits. Embodiments of a system and embodiments of an apparatus according to the present invention are also presented.
US08034403B2
A method of forming a primary coat, which consists of a V- or Ti-containing film, formed on the surface of a subject on which holes or the like have been formed, according to the CVD technique, while using, for instance, a tetravalent amide-type vanadium-containing organometal compound as a raw gas and using, for instance, tertiary butyl hydrazine as a reducing gas, and a copper-containing film is then formed on the primary coat, according to the CVD technique, to thus fill the holes or the like with the copper-containing film and to thus form copper distributing wire, which is excellent in the hole-filling properties and excellent in the adhesion to a primary coat, this process can be applied to the field of copper distributing wires used in the semiconductor industries.
US08034402B2
A ceramic compact is provided having a patterned conductor is obtained by coating the patterned conductor with a slurry and then hardening the slurry. The slurry is prepared by mixing a thermosetting resin precursor, a ceramic powder, and a medium. In the ceramic compact, an isocyanate- or isothiocyanate-containing gelling agent and a hydroxyl-containing polymer are reacted and hardened to produce a thermosetting resin. The hydroxyl-containing polymer is preferably a butyral resin, an ethylcellulose-based resin, a polyethyleneglycol-based resin, or a polyether-based resin.
US08034399B2
An ink jet head has a head substrate including discharge elements for discharging ink, with an electric wiring board being electrically connected to the head substrate, in which the periphery of the head substrate is sealed with a first sealant, and an electric splice between the head substrate and the electric wiring board is sealed with a second sealant. The first and second sealants contain the same base resin and curing agent, and the second sealant shows higher hardness than the first sealant after curing. This ink jet head is free from problems such as cavities and fissures at the boundary of the two sealants caused by a difference in linear expansion coefficients.
US08034395B2
The invention relates to a method for precipitating mono or multiple layers of a mixture of organophosphoric acids of the general formula I (A) Y—B—OPO3H2 (IA) or of organophosphonic acids of the general formula I (B) Y—B—PO3H2 (IB) and the salts thereof, wherein Y and B are defined in the specification. According to the invention, precipitation occurs on substrate surfaces of pure or mixed oxides, nitrides or carbides of metals and semiconductors, in particular as surfaces of sensor platforms, implants and medical accessory devices. The invention also relates to the use thereof as part of coated sensor platforms, implants and medical accessory devices.
US08034394B2
A hydroalcoholic fat emulsion having at least 1% alcohol by volume and at least 1% fat by weight and an emulsifier is shown. The invention also relates to an emulsifier suitable for use in a hydroalcoholic fat emulsion, wherein the emulsion has at least 1% alcohol by volume and at least 1% fat by weight. The emulsifier is a glycoprotein which has at least one protein and at least one carbohydrate covalently bonded and the invention further relates to the use of the glycoprotein as an emulsifier in a hydroalcoholic fat emulsion.
US08034388B2
The present invention provides compositions and methods for inhibiting the growth and cell cycle progression in carcinoma cells comprising the step of contacting the cells with an anthocyanin rich extract (ARE) in an amount effective to inhibit the growth and cell cycle progression of the carcinoma cells without effecting the growth and cell cycle progression on normal cells. The invention further provides therapeutic compositions and methods of inhibiting the growth and cell cycle progression of carcinoma cells in a patient comprising administering to a patient a therapeutically effective amount of an anthocyanin-rich extract with the proviso that the anthocyanin rich extract does not effect the growth and cell cycle progression of normal cells in the patient. In preferred embodiments, the anthocyanin-rich extract useful in the compositions and methods of the invention are derived from chokeberry, bilberry, grape or combinations thereof. In preferred embodiments the carcinoma cells are colon carcinoma cells.
US08034384B2
A material includes a surface and a reactive agent that is located at the surface of the material, covalently attached to a backbone of the material, and/or located within the material. The reactive agent has nitrite reductase activity, nitrate reductase activity, and/or nitrosothiol reductase activity. The reactive agent also converts at least one of nitrites, nitrates and nitrosothiols to nitric oxide when in contact with blood. A reproducible nitrosothiol sensor is also disclosed.
US08034382B2
The disclosure provides a method to form sustained release drug-containing microparticles with a biodegradable polymer. The method involves forming a polymer-drug-organic solvent phase, and dispersing the polymer-drug-organic solvent phase in an aqueous suspension of an inorganic gel, which may be hydroxyapatite. The hydroxyapatite appears to coat the polymer-drug-solvent droplets to prevent them coalescing. The solvent then evaporates with stirring of the dispersion, at which time the droplets solidify to drug-containing microparticles. The inorganic gel allows suitably small microparticles to form without use of an organic emulsifier.
US08034364B2
The present invention relates to implantable medical devices, in particular stents, comprising pro-healing poly(ester-amide)s.
US08034360B2
The invention here relates to a product comprised of a cell line or lines intended for use as an allogeneic immunotherapy agent for the treatment of cancer in mammals and humans. All of the studies of cell-based cancer vaccines to date have one feature in common, namely the intention to use cells that contain at least some TSAs and/or TAAs that are shared with the antigens present in patients' tumor. In each case, tumor cells are utilized as the starting point on the premise that only tumor cells will contain TSAs or TAAs of relevance, and the tissue origins of the cells are matched to the tumor site in patients. A primary aspect of the invention is the use of immortalized normal, non-malignant cells as the basis of an allogeneic cell cancer vaccine. Normal cells do not possess TSAs or relevant concentrations of TAAs and hence it is surprising that normal cells are effective as anti-cancer vaccines. For prostate cancer, for example, a vaccine may be based on one or a combination of different immortalized normal cell lines derived from the prostate. The cell lines are lethally irradiated utilizing gamma irradiation at 50-300 Gy to ensure that they are replication incompetent prior to use in the mammal or human.
US08034355B2
The invention relates to an attenuated non-segmented negative-sense RNA virus characterized by at least one mutation in the L gene wherein the mutation reduces viral replication, the methods of manufacturing and methods of use.
US08034350B2
The present invention provides isolated methylated Tat peptides; and compositions comprising the peptides. The present invention further provides isolated antibodies specific for a Lys-51-methylated Tat polypeptide. Also provided are methods of identifying agents that inhibit Lys-51 methylation of a Tat polypeptide. The present invention further provides methods of treating an immunodeficiency virus infection in a mammalian subject.
US08034344B2
This invention provides fully human monoclonal antibodies that recognize the IL-6/IL-6R complex. The invention further provides methods of using such monoclonal antibodies as a therapeutic, diagnostic, and prophylactic.
US08034338B2
The invention refers to an immunogenic recombinant antibody designed for immunization of primates comprising at least a part of a murine IgG2a subtype amino acid sequence and a mammalian glycosylation.
US08034329B2
Methods for treating a patient having a disease or damage to at least one kidney are provided. The methods comprise administering cells obtained from human umbilical cord tissue, or administering pharmaceutical compositions comprising such cells or prepared from such cells. When administered, the cells promote and support the repair and regeneration of the diseased or damaged kidney tissue in the patient. Pharmaceutical compositions for use in the inventive methods, as well as kits for practicing the methods are also provided.
US08034313B2
In slicing a crystal bar into silicon wafers, an average about 40% of silicon would be loss due to the widths of slicing wires themselves. The fact that the silicon slurry is discarded as sludge or discarded after recovering silicon carbide particles causes a large waste of cost. If the silicon slurry (40% of silicon) could be recovered as the raw material for growing silicon crystal bars, the production cost would be lowered. The recovery method of silicon slurry according to the present invention could effectively obtain silicon raw material after removing impurities, which could recover the raw material used in solar crystals, further capable of increasing the silicon crystal production and lowering the cost.
US08034299B2
A catalyst carrier including a ceramic block having two open faces, an outer peripheral surface, and multiple cells divided by a cell wall and extending between the open faces. The ceramic block has multiple honeycomb units combined by interposing an adhesive layer, where the honeycomb units include an outer-peripheral-side honeycomb unit and a center-side honeycomb unit combined to form the outer peripheral part and the center part, respectively, of the block. The outer-peripheral-side honeycomb unit has an outer peripheral cell wall forming the outer peripheral surface of the outer-peripheral-side honeycomb unit. The outer peripheral cell wall includes an outermost peripheral cell wall forming part of the outer peripheral surface of the block. A cell of the outer-peripheral-side honeycomb unit in contact with the outermost peripheral cell wall thereof has a corner part having a curved surface, where the corner part is on the side contacting the outermost peripheral cell wall.
US08034293B2
A flexible diagnostic workstation comprises is equipped to read label information on well strips of loaded well plates and on loaded reagent kit holders, automatically perform the pre-analytical steps of an immuno-assay which consists of a sequence of operations in accordance with scheduled test requirements for each microwell, read the results according to either a standard singleplex ELISA or multiplex test format as indicated by the well strip label, and report the results.
US08034287B2
Methods and systems for selection radiation exposure in sterilization of medical devices are disclosed.
US08034285B2
One or more of the following quenching methods and apparatus: a quenching press for quenching a steel ring, a method of quenching a steel ring, a corresponding set of quenching dies for quenching steel rings, a die handling tool and related method to lift the corresponding set of quenching dies, and a die handling apparatus to load and unload dies to a quenching press.
US08034275B2
To provide an assembly which is as small as possible which contains a well-protected component and effectively dissipates heat, and to provide a device and a method for use in the rapid manufacture of such an assembly, an assembly includes a component and a housing from which the component is partially separated by narrow casting gaps filled with a casting compound containing a relatively large amount of filler. For the manufacture of such an assembly, a device is used for filling with casting compound and which includes a mounting for securing the assembly in a position which permits air to escape from the casting gaps, which have an external connection during filling. Also there are supply containers and supply lines for the casting compound which open into the casting gaps, and an apparatus for generating pressure. A method which is used to fill narrow casting gaps with casting compound by using such a device. The method involves introducing a casting compound of predetermined viscosity under pressure through the supply lines into the casting gaps, from which the air is displaced.
US08034265B2
There are provided a dry aggregate mixture wherein the binder, even when heated, does not evolve unpleasant odor or gas hazardous to human health; a method of foundry molding wherein a space for foundry molding, up to minute portion thereof, can satisfactorily be filled with an aggregate mixture composed of a binder and granular aggregate; and a method of foundry molding wherein the mold used in molding of an aggregate mixture composed of a binder and granular aggregate can retain satisfactory properties even in high humidity. In the method of foundry molding, a mold is formed by the use of a dry mixture obtained by providing an aggregate mixture composed of granular aggregate, a water soluble binder and water and evaporating the water contained in the aggregate mixture through heating, pressure reduction or aeration while mixing so as to effect separation into single granules, or with the addition of a lubricant and a crosslinking agent thereto.
US08034264B2
The invention relates to compositions based on ZrO2, and single- and multi-colored blanks made from oxide ceramics, and a process for their preparation, in which oxide ceramic powder is coated with a coloring substance, the coated powders are preferably graded and at least one colored powder is filled into a compression mould, the colored powder or powders are compressed to produce a shaped body, and the compressed shaped body is sintered to produce a blank, and to the use of these blanks for the preparation of dental restorations.
US08034260B2
Disclosed is a gel electrolyte for a photosensitive dye and method for manufacturing the same. First, bismaleimide and barbituric acid are dissolved in Brönsted base solution to form a gelling additive. Subsequently, the gelling additive is added into an ionic liquid electrolyte. The liquid electrolyte is then gelled at room temperature to form a gel electrolyte for the photosensitive dye utilized in dye sensitized solar cells. In addition, barbituric acid is further added into the gelling additive to enhance the gelling rate of the ionic liquid electrolyte.
US08034250B2
Provided is a piezoelectric material including a lead-free perovskite-type composite oxide which is excellent in piezoelectric characteristics and temperature characteristics and is represented by the general formula (1): xABO3-yA′BO3-zA″B′O3 in which A is a Bi element; A′ is a rare earth element including La; B is at least one element selected from Ti, Zn, Sn and Zr; A″ is at least one element selected from Ba, Sr and Ca; B′ is at least one element selected from divalent, trivalent, pentavalent, tetravalent, and hexavalent elements; and x is a value of 0.10 or more and 0.95 or less, y is a value of 0 or more and 0.5 or less, and z is a value of 0 or more and 0.7 or less, provided that x+y+z=1.
US08034249B2
A piezoelectric/electrostrictive ceramic sintered body has a microstructure in which a matrix phase and an additional material phase having different compositions coexist and the additional material phase is dispersed in the matrix phase. A residual strain ratio of the additional material phase alone is larger than a residual strain ratio of the matrix phase alone. The matrix phase and the additional material phase have a composition in which a Mn compound containing Mn atoms of 0 parts by mol or more and 3 parts by mol or less and a Sr compound containing Sr atoms of 0 parts by mol or more and 1 part by mol or less are contained in a composite of 100 parts by mol represented by a general formula {Liy(Na1-xKx)1-y}a(Nb1-z-wTazSbw)O3, where a, x, y, z and w satisfy 0.9≦a≦1.2, 0.2≦x≦0.8, 0.0≦y≦0.2, 0≦z≦0.5 and 0≦w≦0.1, respectively.
US08034246B2
A method for removing ionic, organic and elemental mercury from aqueous streams such as wastewater streams from hydrocarbon processing. The method comprises four primary removal steps. First, a mercury precipitant is added to the stream to convert dissolved ionic species of mercury water-insoluble form. The majority of these precipitated solids, as well as other forms of particulate mercury, are subsequently removed by means of gas flotation. Following the flotation step, additional particulate and precipitated ionic mercury removal is accomplished with media filtration and finally, activated carbon acts to remove the remaining dissolved ionic mercury species as well as elemental and organic forms of mercury.
US08034244B2
The disclosed invention is a fixed bed ion exchange water purification system. It employs a combination of electronically controlled process steps and specific systems configurations to duplicate the effects of moving resin beds from one operating position to another as is required in moving bed ion exchange water purification systems. The invention combines features of single fixed bed ion exchange systems with those of a moving bed system. The invention applies to the treatment of water having typical industrial and drinking water concentrations of various ions.
US08034238B2
A multi-chamber basin is sized to collect excess waste water exceeding the processing capacity of a sewage system. In order to disinfect the waste water exceeding the basin capacity, disinfectant is added at a point in the system after the first basin. After the rain event is over and there is excess sewage treatment capacity, the sewage treatment in the multi-chamber basin is returned to the sewage system. By not disinfecting the waste water in the first basin chamber, the overall disinfectant usage can be minimized.
US08034236B1
A floatable skimmer apparatus is movably attached in a storm water filter box with a pair of tracks attached in the housing chamber of the filter box. A floatable skimmer has a skimmer panel having floatation members attached to the inlet side of the storm water filter box for raising and lowering the skimmer panel responsive to the rise and fall of storm water in the housing chamber. Storm water is forced under the bottom of the floatable skimmer panel while blocking floatable debris from entering the housing chamber outlet. A floatable hydrocarbon absorbing boom is attached to the skimmer panel and floated independent thereof.
US08034235B2
A dialysis system includes: a water purification unit; a dialysate generation unit configured to use water purified by the water purification unit; a dialysate delivery unit configured to deliver dialysate prepared by the dialysate generation unit; a supplemental power source; a first electrical connection configured to electrically connect a branch power source with at least one of the water purification unit, the dialysate generation unit and the dialysate delivery unit; and a second electrical connection configured to electrically connect the supplemental power source with at least one of the water purification unit, the dialysate generation unit and the dialysate delivery unit.
US08034231B2
Hydrogen sulfide evolution from asphalt may be reduced or eliminated using an additive to act as a scavenger. Metal borate complexes when used as an additive in asphalt production, are an effective component in preventing or mitigating the evolution of hydrogen sulfide from asphalt.
US08034229B2
The invention is a process for cathodic protection of electrodes wherein negative bias is applied on the electrode. The negative bias is obtained by asymmetric current pulse, which is obtained by negative phase pulsing with higher amplitude than that of the anodic phase. The asymmetric current pulse is obtained by negative phase pulsing with wider pulse width than that of the anodic phase. The asymmetric current pulse may also be obtained by negative phase pulsing with both higher amplitude and wider pulse width than that of the anodic phase. The invention further relates to a process for cathodic protection of electrodes, wherein negative bias is applied on the electrode, and the negative bias is obtained by asymmetric current pulse, where the asymmetric current pulse is obtained by negative phase pulsing with wider pulse width than that of the anodic phase. The wider pulse width is obtained by pulse trains.
US08034224B2
An electrophoresis gel has a colored or pigmented loading area at one edge having a plurality of sample wells for receiving samples, the loading area extending beyond the ends of the wells so that the wells can be visually differentiated from the surrounding colored material in the loading area. The remainder of the gel is transparent or substantially transparent.
US08034220B2
Electrochemical cells modules made up of couples of catalytic multilayer porous electrodes forming the anodes and the cathodes and delimitating external gaseous areas and internal areas containing the electrolyte wherein the pressure modulators, generating two pressure cycles independently synchronized but of opposite phase, act at the inlet and at the outlet of the electrolyte and the multilayer porous electrodes are weeping on the gas side. According to a preferred embodiment the multilayer porous electrodes are hydrophobic and conductive on the gas side, the conductive and catalytic middle layers are hydrophobic and hydrophilic, the non-conductive and non-catalytic layer on the electrolyte side is hydrophilic. Furthermore, the present invention provides the electrochemical process using the above described electrochemical cell according to which the gas is maintained at a pressure P up to 200 bar, the electrolyte pressure is varied stepwise between P+dP and P+dp by generating on the electrolyte positive pressure waves of amplitude dP and dp at the frequency f.
US08034214B2
A reciprocating film type evaporator for solvents and other chemicals which eliminates the need for a large powerful motor, and other associated equipment such as rotary gaskets, by using reciprocation, versus 360 degree rotation.
US08034210B2
Apparatus and method for visualizing air stream by little threads on aerodynamic surfaces such that strips of adhesive tape populated with threads are automatically fabricated.
US08034208B2
A method of transferring a layer of a first material onto a second substrate of a second material includes, a step of forming a first embrittlement plane in a first substrate in first material, by a first ion and/or atom implantation through a first face of said substrate, a step of forming a second embrittlement plane in said first substrate, by a first ion and/or atom implantation through a second face of said substrate, in order to reduce a curvature of this first substrate, a step of assembling the first and second substrates, and a step of separating a layer from the first substrate at the level of the first embrittlement plane, without separation at the level of the second embrittlement plane.
US08034206B2
A method of fabricating a flexible display device, the method including applying a transparent adhesive layer on a carrier substrate, laminating a flexible substrate comprising a barrier layer on the transparent adhesive layer, forming a thin film transistor array on the flexible substrate, and separating the carrier substrate from the flexible substrate by irradiating a laser beam onto the barrier layer.
US08034203B2
Repulped fiber that has been treated with an aqueous solution of a caustic selected from sodium hydroxide, potassium hydroxide and sodium carbonate, is used to make wallboard paper that is used to make a gypsum wallboard having improved nail pulling strength compared to gypsum wallboard made with fiber wallboard paper that has not been treated with caustic.
US08034200B2
A nanometer-sized porous metallic glass and a method for manufacturing the same are provided. The porous metallic glass includes Ti (titanium) at 50.0 at % to 70.0 at %, Y (yttrium) at 0.5 at % to 10.0 at %, Al (aluminum) at 10.0 at % to 30.0 at %, Co (cobalt) at 10.0 at % to 30.0 at %, and impurities. Ti +Y+Al+Co+the impurities=100.0 at %.
US08034199B2
This invention provides a case-hardening steel excellent in cold forgeability and low carburization distortion property that exhibits low deformation resistance and high limit compressibility when cold, namely, a case-hardening steel excellent in cold forgeability and low carburization distortion property comprising, in mass %, C: 0.07% to 0.3%, Si: 0.01% to 0.15%, Mn: 0.1% to 0.7%, P: 0.03% or less, S: 0.002% to 0.10%, Al: 0.01% to 0.08%, Cr: 0.7% to 1.5%, Ti: 0.01% to 0.15%, B: 0.0005% to 0.005%, N: 0.008% or less, and the balance of Fe and unavoidable impurities, and having a metallographic structure comprising 65% or greater of ferrite and 15% or less of bainite.
US08034198B2
The present invention relates to an austenitic stainless steel tube for boiler, used for superheater or reheater in thermal power plant, giving excellent resistance to high temperature steam oxidation, in particular to an austenitic stainless steel tube containing 16 to 20% Cr by weight, and being cold-worked at the inner surface of the tube. The Cr concentration in the vicinity of the inner surface of the steel tube is 14% by weight or larger, and the hardness at 100 μm depth from the inner surface of the steel tube is 1.5 times or larger the average hardness of the mother material or is HV 300 or larger.
US08034192B2
Methods and systems for collecting dust produced in paper making involve an air inlet passage including an opening to receive dust laden air. The opening to the inlet passage may have a width approximately equal to a width of a paper web in a paper making machine. The air inlet passage is devoid of water injection. The dust collector may include a central vortex chamber and may be defined by an outer wall and an internal guide vane. There may be a water injector mounted in the outer wall and injecting water into the central vortex chamber, and there may be a discharge outlet of the central vortex chamber connectable to a water and air separator.
US08034189B2
Described and claimed are apparatuses and systems for surface cleaning comprising a pump and an applicator connected to the pump through which one or more cleaning agents can be applied to the surface at an operating pressure that is about 600 PSI or less and an operating flow rate that is about 1 gal/min or less.
US08034179B2
In order to form an insulating film, which constitutes a flat interface with silicon, by CVD, a surface of silicon is oxidized to form a silicon oxide film using a plasma treatment apparatus in which microwaves are introduced into a chamber through a flat antenna having a plurality of holes. A silicon oxide film is formed as an insulating film on the silicon oxide film by CVD. Further, in the plasma treatment apparatus, a treating gas containing a noble gas and oxygen is introduced into the chamber, and, further, microwaves are introduced into the chamber through the flat antenna. Plasma is generated under a pressure in the range of not less than 6.7 Pa and not more than 533 Pa to modify the insulating film with the plasma.
US08034177B2
An inner electrode for barrier film formation is an inner electrode for barrier film formation that is inserted inside a plastic container having an opening, supplies a medium gas to the inside of the plastic container, and supplies high frequency power to an outer electrode arranged outside the plastic container, thereby generating discharge plasma on the inner surface of the plastic container to form a barrier film on the inner surface of the plastic container, and that is provided with a gas supply pipe (101) having a gas flow path (101a) to supply a medium gas (G) and an insulating member (103) screwed into an end portion of the gas supply pipe (101) to be flush therewith and having a gas outlet (102) communicated with the gas flow path (101a).
US08034169B2
An air cleaner that is capable of efficiently and effectively purifying and humidifying air. An air flow passage from air filters (4, 5) to a blower (8) is branched to first and second air flow passages (31, 32), and then these air flow passages join. A humidifying filter (14) is disposed in the first air flow passage (31), and a movable plate (35) for opening and closing the humidifying filter is disposed in the second air flow passage (32). The air cleaner comprises a control part (40) for controlling the opening and closing operation of the movable plate (35) and the rotating operation of the blower (8). A recess containing the air filters (4, 5) is formed in the front of the body (2) of the air cleaner. An air flow passage extending from under the recess to the back of the recess and bent upward is horizontally partitioned into upper and lower parts by a partition wall (27) to form the first air flow passage (31) and the second flow passage (32) in this order from the bottom. The movable plate (35) is a flat plate rotated around a pivotal axis (36) formed along one lateral side.
US08034167B2
A buffer tank for use in a liquid treatment apparatus applying a liquid treatment to a substrate surface by supplying thereto a treating liquid from a nozzle, the buffer tank is provided in a flow path of the treating liquid from a supply tank of the liquid to the nozzle, the buffer tank including an inlet port for introducing the treating liquid supplied from the supply tank into a buffer tank body, a first accumulation region in the buffer tank body for holding the treating liquid introduced into the buffer tank, a first vent port for discharging bubbles accumulated in the first accumulation region, a filter through which the treating liquid in the first accumulation region passes, the filter filtering the treating liquid, and a supplying port for supplying the treating liquid filtered with the filter to the nozzle.
US08034156B2
A method for producing a decomposer of an organic halogenated compound comprises subjecting an iron powder produced beforehand to plastic deformation that gives the iron powder particles a flat shape. Further, an iron powder and a copper salt powder are mechanically mixed in a ball mill to produce a copper salt-containing iron particle powder in which the particles of the two powders are joined. In this case, the method for producing the decomposer of an organic halogenated compound is characterized in that the iron powder is mechanically deformed to give the particles a flat shape.
US08034152B2
A novel solution route has been developed that after heat-treatment to 500-600° C. under inert atmosphere, yields highly porous composites of nano-sized metal (Ni) particle inclusions in ceramics (Al2O3). Metal loadings could be made from <1% to >95% Ni. The metal inclusion sizes in the Ni—Al2O3 system with the 10 atom % Ni sample were 4-7 nm, while for the 75 atom % Ni sample they were 5-8 nm. It was shown that the 10 atom % Ni sample could be used as a catalyst for the conversion of CO2 and CH4 in the temperature range 550-700° C., while higher temperatures led to growth of the Ni particles and carbon poisoning over time. The solution routes could also be deposited as thin dense films containing <10 nm Ni particles. Such films with high Ni-particle loadings deposited on aluminium substrates have shown very good solar heat absorber proficiency and provide good substrates for carbon tube growth.
US08034146B2
The invention provides a filter element which has a reduced initial pressure loss, can reduce an energy cost and can secure a high air flow rate, a filter element which has an elongated gas removing service life and filtering service life while keeping a high gas removing performance and a high dust removing efficiency, a manufacturing method and a method of use of the same. In a filter element (10) in which a pleated composite substrate (11) obtained by lapping or laminating an nonwoven fabric sheet including a fiber constituted by a thermoplastic resin and a gas removal sheet is pleated, and a pleated shape of the pleated composite substrate (11) is held by a shape retaining member (12a), a thickness of the nonwoven fabric sheet is increased at least 5% when heated to 60 degree C.
US08034135B2
A fuel modification apparatus is equipped with evaporators for evaporating a raw fuel as a fuel to be modified, a super heater for elevating the temperature of the above evaporated raw fuel to a temperature required for the modification, a modification vessel for modifying the above raw fuel having an elevated temperature to form a modified gas, and a preheater for preheating a heating fluid for evaporating the above raw fuel in the evaporator. The evaporators are arranged on a concentric circle, surrounding the superheater.
US08034131B2
A method of inhibiting deposit formation in a jet fuel at temperatures above 150° C., whilst not substantially adversely affecting the water separability of the jet fuel. The method includes the step of adding at least one copolymer, terpolymer or polymer of an ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid or a derivative thereof to the jet fuel; wherein the copolymer, terpolymer or polymer of an ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid or derivative thereof is copolymerized with a nitrogen-containing, amine-containing or amide-containing monomer; or the copolymer, terpolymer or polymer of an ester of acrylic acid or methacrylic acid or derivative thereof includes nitrogen-containing, amine-containing or amide-containing branches.
US08034114B2
An ankle implant for use in ankle arthroplasty in total ankle replacement is provided. The implant includes an upper prosthesis anchored to the tibia and a lower prosthesis anchored to the talus. The lower prosthesis is operable associated with the upper prosthesis. The implant also includes a stem which is rigidly removably connected to the second member. The stem includes a portion for attachment to the calcaneous. The stem is be adapted to be in a first position in the calcaneous when the stem is in a first relative position with respect to the lower prosthesis, and to provide for a second position in the calcaneous when the stem is in a second relative position with respect to the lower prosthesis.
US08034113B2
A novel and improved canine elbow prosthesis and method of implanting same including a unique bi-compartmental prosthesis having bone receiving members and transverse pegs which may be implanted with a minimally invasive surgical technique.
US08034111B2
An adjustable vertebral spacer includes a spacer body, a movable member coupled to the spacer body, an adjustment ring mounted on the spacer body and rotatable to move the movable member and to further adjust the combined height of the spacer body and the movable member, a lock ring mounted on the spacer body for locking the movable member to the adjustment ring, and a top endplate coupled to the movable member at the top and tiltable to fit the angle of the adjacent upper vertebral body during surgery operation.
US08034109B2
Medical devices having one or more rotatable linkable components or segments, delivered in a first orientation relative to a component guide into a tissue cavity, such as the interbody vertebral space. After delivery, each segment may be rotated to a second, different orientation relative to the component guide, such as into a permanent vertical standing position. The segments achieve maximum distraction of the cavity space such as adjacent vertebra end plates, while using a minimal invasive surgical (MIS) approach. When the segments are tightened in place, the device provides long-term stability. The device can be used as a distraction instrument and/or permanent implant that can be used for interbody fusion, nuclear replacement, or anywhere in the body where a stable distraction of tissue and/or the implantation of material such as a device with an MIS approach is desired.
US08034108B2
An intraocular lens is disclosed, with an adjustable optic that changes shape in response to a deforming force exerted by the zonules of the eye. A haptic supports the optic around its equator and couples the optic to the capsular bag of the eye. The haptic may include a cap on the anterior and/or posterior surfaces of the lens. The lens may include a force transfer member, such as a hinge, that couples forces from the haptic to the cap, so that a radial force on the haptic changes the curvature of the cap. The haptic and optic may be refractive index-matched. The cap may be made of the haptic material, which is stiffer than the optic material, and can influence the deformation of the lens during accommodation. A cap on the anterior surface may produce an axial movement of the lens in an anterior direction during accommodation. The cap may also protect the surfaces of the optic during handling and installation. The posterior surface of the lens may be shaped so that it does not significantly offset the contributions of the anterior surface during accommodation.
US08034105B2
A method is provided for increasing the outflow of fluid through Schlemm's canal that is useful for treatment of glaucoma. The implant is placed in Schlemm's canal by use of a flexible delivery instrument attached to the implant. The instrument and implant are positioned within the canal, the implant is released and the distal and proximal ends of the implant are connected to apply sufficient axial tensioning force on the inner wall of the canal to increase fluid permeability. In another embodiment a delivery instrument attached to the implant is positioned in the canal securing one of the distal or proximal ends of the implant within the canal. The implant provides sufficient axial tensioning force on the inner wall of the canal to increase fluid permeability of the inner wall of the canal. The other of the distal or proximal ends may be secured to maintain the tensioning force on the inner wall of the canal.
US08034078B2
A system for flexibly stabilizing a vertebral motion segment of the facet joint by connecting a first vertebra and a second vertebra is disclosed. The system includes an elongate connection element with end portions interconnected by a flexible coupling member. The system includes first and second attachment portions for connecting the connection element to the vertebrae. A first resilient member is positioned between the first end portion and the first attachment portion, and a second resilient member is positioned between the first attachment portion and the second attachment portion. The system is designed such that the second resilient member is compressed when the first and second attachment portions move towards each other, and the first resilient member is compressed when the first and second attachment portions extend away from each other and a part of the first and second attachment portions extend towards each other on opposing walls of the elongate connection element.
US08034074B2
A filter retrieval device having an actuatable dilator tip for retrieval of an intravascular filter from a body lumen is disclosed. An outer shaft coupled to a distal sheath is advanced along a filter wire to desired point within the vasculature. An intravascular filter such as a distal protection filter can be advanced along the filter wire to a point distal a lesion to collect debris dislodged during a medical procedure. Disposable in part within the distal sheath is an actuatable dilator tip adapted to retrieve the filter at least in part within the distal sheath. Actuation of the dilator tip may be accomplished by any number of means, including a resilient member such as a spring coil, or by a reduced inner diameter portion disposed on the distal sheath adapted to engage a plurality of recessed surfaces disposed on the dilator tip.
US08034073B2
A vasoocclusive embolic device deployment system for use in the placement of an embolic coil at a treatment site within a vessel. The embolic coil includes an elongated stretch resistant fiber having one distal end bonded to the distal end of the embolic coil. The stretch resistant fiber includes portions which take the form of periodic undulations separated by portions which are straight. The stretch resistant fiber extends through the lumen of the coil and the other distal end is bonded to the proximal end of the coil. The stretch resistant fiber may be attached to the embolic coil at additional points between the proximal and distal ends of the coil. Additionally, a headpiece is mounted on the proximal end of the embolic coil and serves to couple the embolic coil to a deployment catheter.
US08034072B2
Disclosed is an expandable percutaneous sheath, for introduction into the body while in a first, low cross-sectional area configuration, and subsequent expansion to a second, enlarged cross-sectional configuration. The sheath is maintained in the first, low cross sectional configuration by a removable tubular restraint. In one application, the sheath is utilized to introduce a formed in place orthopedic fixation rod such as for use in spinal fixation procedures.
US08034071B2
A cavity creating device having a cavity creating axis is introduced through a percutaneous access path into a cancellous bone volume, e.g., within a vertebral body. The cavity creating device is manipulated to form a cavity in the cancellous bone volume. The manipulation includes deflecting the cavity creating device along the cavity creating axis relative to the axis of the access path. A material, such as bone cement, can be conveyed into the cavity.
US08034070B2
A varicose vein dissector and removal apparatus includes a handle having a first end and a second end, a dissector extending from the first end of the handle and a hook extending from the second end of the handle, and a blade positioned within the dissector for movement between a use position and a storage position. The apparatus is used by creating an initial incision in skin over a varicose vein to be removed, advancing the dissector into the incision and dissecting around the varicose vein to be removed, pushing the dissector against an inner surface of the skin a predetermined distance from the initial incision, exposing the blade by moving it from its storage position to its use position and creating a second incision in the skin letting the dissector protrude out of the skin, and grasping the vein with the hook and removing the vein.
US08034069B2
A single use lancet device having a housing, with an open interior and an access opening defined therein, a lancet, with a body and a piercing tip, and disposed in the open interior of the housing so as to move between a cocked orientation and a piercing orientation, a driving assembly structured to move the lancet into the piercing orientation, and a restrictor assembly having a shoulder element and a restrictor panel operatively associated with the lancet and the housing and structured to pass over the restrictor panel upon the lancet moving from its cocked orientation to its piercing orientation, and to abut the restrictor panel upon attempted movement of the lancet back into its cocked orientation after movement into the piercing orientation, thereby preventing the lancet from moving back into the cocked orientation and preventing re-use of a contaminated piercing tip.
US08034065B2
Methods and devices are provided for regulating a hydraulic restriction system. In general, the methods and devices can allow for non-invasive pressure control using a flow control mechanism. The flow control mechanism can be disposed between an implantable restriction device and a fluid source and include an adjustable, variably-sized fluid communication member in fluid communication with the restriction device and the fluid source. The geometry of the fluid communication member can control a rate of fluid flow between the restriction device and the fluid source, thereby also regulating a rate at which a pressure of fluid within the restriction device changes. Alternatively, the fluid flow control mechanism can include a biasing mechanism that can control the rate of fluid flow between the restriction device and the fluid source.
US08034061B2
The present invention provides an improved vascular occlusion device having improved flexibility and retention of the type fabricated from braided tubular metal fabric having an expanded preset configuration and an elongated collapsed reduced diameter configuration for delivery through a catheter to a treatment site and shaped to create an occlusion of an abnormal opening in a body organ or vessel, the woven metal fabric having a memory property whereby the medical device tends to return to said expanded preset configuration when unconstrained. The device further including at least one disk portion adjacent a body cylindrical portion formed from the fabric and having a transition diameter between the disk and cylindrical portion, significantly smaller than the diameter of the disk and the diameter of the cylindrical portion.
US08034050B2
A catheter with temperature sensing has a catheter body and a tip section with an integrated thermosistive temperature sensor on its outer surface. The temperature sensor includes a microfabricated thin film assembly of which one layer is a sensor layer of thermoresistive material. In one embodiment, the tip section has a flexible tubing with a temperature sensor on its outer surface. In another embodiment, the tip section has an extended tip electrode with a temperature sensor on its outer surface.
US08034046B2
Medical devices, such as catheters, including shape memory materials, are provided, as well as related methods of making and using such medical devices.
US08034042B2
A port closure system for use with a fluid container having fluid ports includes administrative and additive port closure assemblies. The administrative assembly receives a piercing pin and includes an administrative housing which seals closed one fluid port. A sleeve extends from an interior surface past a base surface in the administrative housing. The sleeve has an upper portion and a lower portion, of differing diameters. A cap assembly mates with the administrative housing, sealing the interior surface of the administrative housing. A removable cap provides access to the interior surface. The additive assembly receives a needle and includes a reseal housing which seals closed another fluid port. Another cap assembly mates with the reseal housing, sealing an interior face of the reseal housing. Another removable cap provides access to the interior face. A reseal element is mechanically retained between the reseal housing and cap assembly.
US08034041B2
A port closure system for use with a fluid container having fluid ports includes administrative and additive port closure assemblies. The administrative assembly receives a piercing pin and includes an administrative housing which seals closed one fluid port. A sleeve extends from an interior surface past a base surface in the administrative housing. The sleeve has an upper portion and a lower portion, of differing diameters. A cap assembly mates with the administrative housing, sealing the interior surface of the administrative housing. A removable cap provides access to the interior surface. The additive assembly receives a needle and includes a reseal housing which seals closed another fluid port. Another cap assembly mates with the reseal housing, sealing an interior face of the reseal housing. Another removable cap provides access to the interior face. A reseal element is mechanically retained between the reseal housing and cap assembly.
US08034037B2
Provided, in one embodiment, is a vacuum wound dressing for covering a wound bed comprising: a wound contact layer comprising a fibrous blend or fibrous material that forms a cohesive gel when wetted by wound exudate; a source of vacuum situated to be separated from the wound bed by the wound contact layer; and a vacuum sealing layer covering the wound contact layer and adapted to retain relative vacuum in the wound contact layer, wherein (i) the dressing is essentially missing a non-gelling, foam layer in which the source of vacuum is situated or (ii) the vacuum sealing layer comprises as an outer layer a foam layer.
US08034035B2
A pressure actuated valve for controlling the flow of fluid through a medical device, the valve comprises a housing including a lumen extending therethrough and a flow control membrane extending across the lumen to control the flow of fluid through the lumen. The membrane includes a plurality of slits extending therethrough so that, when the membrane is acted upon by a pressure of at least a threshold magnitude, the slits open to permit flow through the lumen and, when not acted upon by a pressure of at least the predetermined magnitude, the slits are maintained closed by a biasing force applied thereto by the membrane to prevent flow through the lumen. Each of the slits extends between end portions thereof along a curve wherein a distance between a first end portion of a first one of the slits and a first end portion of a second one of the slits is a minimum distance between the first and second slits.
US08034034B2
A syringe and a method of using the syringe are disclosed. The syringe includes a longitudinal body having proximal and distal ends and including an aperture between the proximal and distal ends. An injectable material, such as an adhesive bone cement, may be loaded into the body of the syringe through the aperture. After the injectable material is inserted, the aperture may be closed by covering the aperture with an aperture cover. The aperture cover may be configured to slide into a position covering the aperture, or the aperture cover may be placed in a position covering the aperture, such as by pivoting about a hinge. After the aperture is closed, the injectable material may be dispensed from the distal end of the syringe body by depressing a plunger. Depressing the plunger may initiate the closing of the aperture, or the aperture may be closed independently of plunger movement.
US08034032B2
A seal assembly for use in conjunction with a trocar assembly includes a seal body adapted for movement for selectively opening and substantially completely closing the seal assembly. The seal assembly includes a longitudinal axis extending therethrough with a transverse plane substantially perpendicular thereto. The seal body includes a proximal end and a distal end, the proximal end making a first angle with respect to the transverse plane and the distal end making a second angle with respect to the transverse plane, wherein the first angle is less than the second angle.
US08034026B2
An infusion pump assembly is disclosed. The infusion pump assembly includes a locking tab and a pump barrel inside a pump barrel housing, where the pump barrel accommodates a reservoir assembly. The reservoir assembly includes a reservoir and a plunger rod. The infusion pump assembly also includes a locking disc at a terminus of the pump barrel. The locking disc includes a clearance hole for the plunger rod. The locking disc also includes at least one locking tab notch in close proximity with the locking tab. The locking tab is in moveable engagement with the locking tab notch, and the reservoir moves the locking tab from a locked position to an unlocked position when the plunger rod is inserted through clearance hole. The locking disc rotates upon torque being applied to the reservoir assembly, the locking disc rotating from a non-loaded position to a loaded position with respect to the plunger rod and a drive screw.
US08034024B2
A needle containing medical device having a retractable needle [90], the device comprising an outer body [93], an inner member [97] which can slide within the outer body, a releasable needle holder [91] in a front portion of the outer body, a needle attached to the needle holder, the inner member being provided with a series of spaced needle holder engaging means [108], and the needle holder being provided with a series of spaced inner member engaging means [108] thereby enabling the inner member to be attached to the needle holder at at least one of the series of engaging means.
US08034022B2
Multiple-balloon catheters, and methods of treatment therewith, are provided including an inflatable inner balloon at least partially enclosed by an expandable outer balloon that has holes. The annular space between the inner balloon and the outer balloon is configured to promote delivery of the fluid evenly through holes in the outer balloon to avoid problems of underloading and/or overloading. Preferably, the annular space is in communication with the holes, and the annular space is configured to receive and then to release and distribute the fluid via the holes in a substantially uniform manner such that even amounts of fluid are released in the distal and proximal holes. The inner balloon may have various configurations including being tapered relative to the outer balloon. The outer balloon may also be tapered accordingly. The device may also include raised portions disposed in the annular space and configured to define channels having various configurations.
US08034014B2
Methods for promoting angiogenesis comprising administering platelet-rich plasma to a site and stimulating the site with an electromagnetic field. Platelets include platelet-rich plasma and compositions can further include stem cells such as adipose stromal cells and cells derived from bone marrow aspirate. Methods also comprise isolating platelets from a patient's blood, forming a composition including the platelets, delivering the composition to a site in need of treatment, and electrically stimulating the site.
US08034011B2
A thoracic stabilizer for limiting anterior chest wall collapse includes a platform supporting a patient and a pair of lateral supports contacting opposite sides of the patient's chest wall and applying force to limit collapse of the chest wall. The force applied by the lateral supports is varied depending on the force applied to the platform by the patient. The stabilizer includes a retractometer measuring the collapse of the chest wall. According to one embodiment, the stabilizer includes a controller that varies the force applied to the chest wall in closed-loop fashion based on the chest wall collapse measured by the retractometer using an algorithm of the controller. According to one embodiment, the stabilizer includes motors moving the lateral supports. According to another embodiment, the stabilizer includes a hydraulic system and the lateral supports include expandable fluid-filled members.
US08033995B2
Various methods and devices are provided for accessing a body cavity. In one embodiment, a surgical access device is provided and includes an elongate member having a proximal support member configured to rest against an external tissue surface, a flexible elongate central portion extending distally from the proximal support member and configured to extend through tissue, and an inflatable distal portion coupled to a distal end of the central portion. The distal portion is movable between an initial configuration, in which the distal portion is configured to be passed through an incision in tissue, and an inflated configuration in which the distal portion is expanded such that the central portion forms a working channel through the tissue for access to a body cavity. The distal portion can include an opening such that gas delivered to the distal portion can flow through the opening to insufflate a body cavity.
US08033992B2
An electronic endoscope apparatus comprises: an intermediate member attached to a first cable of an electronic endoscope; a connector connected to a light source portion or to a processor portion; a second cable extending from the intermediate member and connecting to the connector; and a flexible outer-sheath for the second cable, the flexible outer-sheath comprising a flexible spiral tube and a resin outer skin provided on an exterior of the flexible spiral tube, wherein the flexible spiral tube is formed by spirally winding a strip body having engaging-projections respectively provided on its both side portions, so as to make the engaging-projections be engaged with each other and form a movable space which allows one of the engaging-projections to move with respect to the other one of the engaging-projections, and wherein an entirety of the flexible spiral tube is bendable with expansion and contraction of a space between the engaging-projections within the movable space.
US08033984B2
Disclosed herein is a therapeutic device and method for achieving and sustaining erection of a penile organ. The therapeutic device comprises a flexible belt worn by the user for producing an external pressure on one or more regions of the penile organ. The flexible belt comprises a waist section and a loop section. The waist section is worn around waist of the user for adjusting the external pressure by the user. The loop section is worn on the dorsal region of the penile organ for producing the external pressure. A magnetic unit placed inside the loop section produces a magnetic field. The magnetic field increases level of oxygen to augment blood flow in the penile organ. The magnetic field applied and the adjustment of the external pressure enables the user to achieve and sustain the erection of the penile organ.
US08033972B2
The roller can be suitably used for a guide section of a moving unit capable of moving a heavy matter without enormously increasing rigidity of a rail and is capable of reducing weight and production cost of the moving unit. The roller comprises: a tubular core having an outer circumferential face, in which a groove section is formed; and a resin coat section continuously coating the outer circumferential face of the tubular core, an inner face of the groove section, both ends of the tubular core and at least parts of an inner circumferential face thereof.
US08033969B2
An exercise apparatus comprised of a base, a plurality of walls, and a user area, said user area being comprised of a sitting portion and a bending portion, wherein said bending portion is above the sitting portion when a user is seated on said sitting portion, wherein said base is formed by said walls; and wherein said walls, sitting portion, and bending portion to an opening.An exercise apparatus comprised of a base and a rocking portion, said base being comprised of a plurality of walls, and a user area, said user area being comprised of a sitting portion and a bending portion, wherein said bending portion is above the sitting portion when a user is seated on said sitting portion, wherein said base is formed by said walls; and wherein said walls, sitting portion, and bending portion form an opening.
US08033967B2
A gym machine comprising a ground resting base, a structure for supporting a user which is associated with the resting base so that it can rotate about a rotation axis, at least one maneuvering body which is associated movably with the supporting structure and flexible elements which are stretched between the maneuvering body and the ground resting base, the supporting structure rotating about the rotation axis between a first configuration and a second configuration when a user supported by the structure moves the maneuvering body, applying to the maneuvering body an action which is opposite with respect to the action applied thereto by the flexible elements.
US08033963B1
The present invention may be used for human exercise. The apparatus for human exercise may have a support frame having two interior frame members spaced apart and positioned generally vertical with two side frame members spaced apart from and generally parallel to the two interior frame members. An upper cross member may be attached at an upper end and a lower cross member may be attached at a lower end of the two interior frame members and the two side frame members. A right kick arm element and a left kick arm element may be rotatably attached to the support frame and a kick board may be attached to the two interior frame members.
US08033960B1
An exercise apparatus includes a base. A first and second vertical support members are coupled to the base. Additionally, a resistance assembly is coupled to the first and second vertical support members. When viewed from the base, the first and second support members converge relative to one another until mutual vertices. The first and second support members then diverge relative to one another above the vertices.
US08033942B2
A parallel eccentric electro-mechanical actuator provides motive power and includes an electric prime mover that drives the reducer's pinion gear. This pinion drives minimum three star gears with stationary shaft bearings. Each shaft contains an eccentric which are completely in parallel with each other. These eccentrics can be thought of as parallel/in-phase driven crankshafts. Each eccentric drives the parallel eccentric (PE) gear through a bearing. The PE gear exhibits a circular motion (without rotation) which in itself is unbalanced. The crankshafts have another eccentric which create an opposite inertia force to balance that of the PE gear. The PE gear contains an external toothed gear on its periphery. It meshes with the internal teeth of the output ring gear. The relative motion between the PE gear and the ring gear is that the PE gear rolls inside the ring gear. This relative motion is called hypo-cycloidal motion.
US08033937B2
An actuator device for a bicycle gearshift is provided. The actuator comprises an actuation mechanism, driven by a drive member and in turn to drives a derailleur of the gearshift. The mechanism comprising a member which—in the case of a knock to the mechanism—is subjected to a stress; the member is capable of elastically yielding when subjected to a stress above a predetermined stress threshold.
US08033932B2
A golf head club has a high moment of inertia and thus produces a pleasing hitting sound. A metallic golf club head 1 having a hollow space therein includes a face member 30 provided with a face part 31, and a body member 10 provided with a sole part 11, a crown part 12, a side part 13, and ribs 20. The hollow space is defined by the inner surfaces of the face part 31, the sole part 11, the crown part 12, and the side part 13, and the wall surfaces of the ribs. The ribs 20 extend from the inner surface of the sole part 11 to the inner surface of the crown part 12, and the body member 10 is molded integrally by casting.
US08033926B2
A device is provided for use in training a golfer to hit swing shots. The device includes an indicator securable to a shaft or handgrip of a golf club by an attachment device such that it points along a line at a predetermined acute angle relative to the longitudinal axis of the shaft. Preferably, the indicator is movable relative to the attachment device. In this case, a clamp is provided that allows movement of the indicator, such that it can be moved to point along a range of acute angles relative to the shaft and that can be tightened to clamp the indicator at a selected angle of the range. A plate with a scale marked thereon can also be provided and the indicator can include one or more needles that can be moved relative to the plate across the scale.
US08033922B1
The manually pushed swing involves a vertical pole that is anchored into the ground via a concrete base, wherein a swing top mounts atop said pole and enables a plurality of swings seats and push handles to be connected thereon. The push handles enable a non-occupant to propel the plurality of swing seats around the pole via a bearing. The manually pushed swing is ideally suited for outdoor use.
US08033920B1
A flexible, dual ball joint assembly used for increasing the wear life of a mud motor. The ball joint assembly includes an drive shaft with a drive shaft hollow ball joint. An outer circumference of the hollow ball joint includes a plurality of equally spaced apart drive shaft ball bearings. An inner circumference, inside the hollow ball joint, includes a plurality of equally spaced apart drive shaft grooves. Also, the ball joint assembly includes an annular shaped torque coupler with a torque coupler ball joint. An outer circumference of the torque coupler ball joint includes a plurality of equally spaced apart torque coupler ball bearings. The torque coupler ball bearings are received in the drive shaft grooves for providing lateral movement between the drive shaft and the torque coupler. An outer circumference of the torque coupler next to the torque coupler ball joint includes a plurality of torque coupler lobes equally spaced apart therearound. Further, the ball joint assembly includes a sliding torque sleeve used to secure the drive shaft to the torque coupler during the operation of the ball joint assembly.
US08033919B2
An elastic shaft coupling has a drive-side interface and an output-side mechanical interface. Both interfaces are intended in each case for connecting the shaft coupling to an adjacent machine element. The shaft coupling has at least two elastic rubber elements which are connected behind one another between the drive-side and the output-side interfaces and the axial material thickness of which increases in each case at a growing radial spacing from the center axis of the shaft coupling. To reduce the amount of rubber of the shaft coupling with retention of its elastic properties, the respective rubber elements are of non-uniform configuration with regard to their torsional rigidity and to be precise are so non-uniform that the torsional rigidity of one of the two rubber elements is always at least one and a half times as great as the torsional rigidity of the other rubber element.
US08033915B2
Each of game machines sends result information indicating an individual ID and play result to a server. The server has a common ID control file and an individual game control file, which store common points, a common ID and an individual ID, associated with each other. A CPU converts the result information into common points, and allows the converted common points to be reflected in the common points in the common ID control file corresponding to the individual ID.
US08033912B2
The present invention relates to gaming systems and methods where enablement for play of a bonus game is linked to play of a primary game. A player may qualify for the bonus game by preselected criteria associated with play of the primary game. The qualified players may participate in the bonus game and compete against one another in one or more rounds to achieve a final winning outcome based on the individual player's skill, strategy, or knowledge. The player who achieves the final winning outcome at the end of a plurality of rounds of the bonus game is awarded a bonus pool funded by a portion of wagers accumulated during play of the primary game.
US08033903B2
A gaming system and method providing a plurality of games, including a first type of game and a second type of game. The gaming system includes a progressive award which includes or is in the form of a progressive number or quantity of plays of the second type of game. The gaming system enables the player to play the first type of game. The gaming system increases the progressive award based on an occurrence of one or more incrementing conditions. Upon an occurrence of a triggering event, the gaming system determines the progressive award to provide to the player and provides the determined award to the player.
US08033902B2
A gaming apparatus comprising a display unit capable of generating video images is described. The display unit can be a flat panel display with aspect ratio having a magnitude greater than or equal to 16/10. A wager-based game can be provided on the display unit.
US08033901B2
An electronic game system is provided. The system may include a base station operable to communicate with an electronic system and one or more character units operable to communicate with the base station. The one or more character units store data associated with one or more characters. The data are utilized to play a game using the electronic system. The character units may have substantially similar appearances to characters in the game. The base station also may have a character appearance. The character units may be removably attachable to the base station, alone or simultaneously, at an exterior or interior portion of a body part of the character appearance such as a head, a limb and a torso.
US08033899B2
A cabin for a work vehicle comprises: a driver's seat positioned within the cabin; cabin frames including at least a transverse frame located in a rear region of the cabin; a roof supported by at least some of the cabin frames; at least one air-conditioning duct located within the roof; an air conditioning unit located rearwardly with respect to a rearward end of a seat portion of the driver's seat and adjacent the transverse frame for conditioning air and for feeding air-conditioned air into the at least one air-conditioning duct.
US08033895B2
Retaining rings with curved surfaces are described. The curved surfaces prevent damage to a fixed abrasive polishing pad when the retaining ring is used in a polishing process. The curved surfaces are on the bottom surface of the ring, such as along the outer diameter and/or along the sidewalls of channels formed in the bottom of the ring.
US08033892B2
A toy system with a body part insertable into an opening substantially defined by a separate band, retains the band to accessorize playthings by pushing them into a separate piece bearing accessories on the outer surface. Retention is by frictional or magnetic engagement. For frictional engagement, resilient material is used. A separation in the band allows it to spread apart; a coupling may limit the extent of separation. Geometric shapes of the part and opening may be substantially the same or different, as long as there are at least two points of contact for frictional engagement. A second part fits into the opening without engaging the piece and telescopes against a spring into the part engaging the piece. Removal is facilitated by a component that receives the second part, but not the part engaging the piece. Chamfers on the part inserted into the opening and/or on the opening facilitate insertion.
US08033887B2
A method for manufacturing a field emitter, includes the steps of: providing a CNT yarn segment; attaching the CNT yarn segment to a heat conductor; and burning the CNT yarn segment thereby yielding a remaining portion of the CNT yarn segment for use as a field emitter. It is proper to manufacture a plurality of field emitters with essentially even field emission properties using the present method.
US08033885B2
In a method for depositing a barrier coating, a device is provided comprising a first portion and a second portion where a surface of the second portion is in a shadow zone. The device is pretreated wherein the pretreating alters a deposition rate of the barrier coating on a surface exposed to the pretreating. The shadow zone is substantially unexposed to the pretreating. A barrier coating is deposited wherein the barrier coating substantially conforms to a profile of the device. The coating may be a graded-composition barrier coating wherein a composition of the coating varies substantially continuously across a thickness thereof. The first portion may include a flexible, substantially transparent substrate. The second portion may include an electronic device. The barrier coating and first portion may encapsulate the second portion. The method is a single, commercially advantageous, barrier deposition process, enabling increased product throughput and low process tact time.
US08033882B2
A light-emitting device or a display device comprising a resin film or a resin layer, a glass substrate, a light-emitting element laminate or a display element laminate, and a gas-barrier film in that order. The device is thin and hardly broken.
US08033877B2
One embodiment is a connector for making electrical connection to a bulbous terminal, the connector including: a metal tube with a cylindrical wall extending from a mating end, wherein: (a) two or more slots perforate the wall and extend from the mating end along the tube; (b) two or more apertures perforate the wall and are disposed in a circumferential array disposed a distance from the mating end; and (c) each of the two or more slots transects one of the two or more apertures to divide the mating end of the tube into resilient prongs.
US08033876B2
An electrical connector and method includes a connector and a conforming element proximate to or in contact with the mating end of the connector so as to prevent distortion of a matable end. The matable end of the connector may be of a female or male type and may be of a post, tube, blade, pin, or other configuration. An element made of conforming material, for example, an elastomer, epoxy or rubber type material, is configured and positioned in contact with the matable end of the connector, providing support during assembly to prevent distortion of the matable end. The conforming element may be rectangular, wedge, cylindrical, conical, annular, or of another configuration as required to provide support to the connector pin. The conforming element may be fastened with an adhesive to the matable end to further prevent distortion.
US08033871B2
A multi-purpose modular RJ connector includes a female receptacle having an opening in which a printed circuit board having contact pads on opposite surfaces thereof is positioned. A male plug has a cavity operative for receiving the printed circuit board therein when the male plug is inserted in the opening of the female receptacle. The male plug includes contact pins on opposite sides of the cavity for contacting the contact pads disposed on opposite surfaces of the printed circuit board when the male plug is inserted into the opening of the female receptacle.
US08033864B1
An electrical plug includes an internal contact holder, which comprises a holder base, a top cover covering the holder base and a sliding cover slidably coupled to two sliding grooves in an opening in the top cover and movable along the sliding grooves in and out of the top cover to close/open the opening, a first metal conducting member installed in the holder base and extending out of the front and rear sides of the holder base and a second and third metal conducting members installed in the holder base and respectively extended out of the front and rear sides of the holder base, and a fuse electrically connected between the second and third metal conducting members and suspending in the opening of the top cover.
US08033857B2
A base tile 100 comprises a substrate 102 having a first surface 104 and an electrical connection system 200 supported by the substrate 102. The electrical connection system comprises a plurality of conducting posts 204. Each post 204 extends from a bottom surface 112 of the base tile 100 toward the first surface 104 of the substrate 102. A free end 206 of each post enables electrical and mechanical connection to a photovoltaic tile 10. The electrical connection system 200 also includes a electrical conductors 200 that electrically connect the posts 202 together.
US08033854B1
An IC socket includes a driving member, a socket body mounted below the driving member and a latch member assembled to the base. The driving member is operated between an upper position and a lower position, and drives the latch member to shift between a closed position and an opened position. The base is assembled with a detachable latch hinge, to which the latch member is pivotally attached. The latch hinge can be easily replaced with another proper one according to a thickness of the IC package to the received in the IC socket.
US08033847B1
A power adapter having a replaceable and positionable plug has a body and a plug. The body has two conducting terminals and a ground terminal mounted on a top of the body. The plug has a ground hole and multiple arced holes mounted through a bottom thereof, an intermediate ground assembly and two intermediate conducting clip assemblies mounted in the plug and respectively corresponding to the ground hole and the arced holes, and a ground pin and two conducting pins mounted on a top thereof and respectively and electrically connected with the intermediate ground assembly and the intermediate conducting clip assemblies. When the plug is assembled with the body, the ground terminal and the conducting terminals are electrically connected with the ground pin and the conducting pins respectively inserted into the ground hole and selectively into the corresponding arced holes. With the structure, the plug is replaceable and positionable.
US08033846B2
There is provided an electrical charger including a charger assembly and a locking assembly. The charger assembly includes a base unit configured for being electrically coupled to an electronic device, and an adaptor unit configured for being electrically coupled to a power supply. The locking assembly includes at least one operative detent member. There is provided a locked state, wherein the base unit is disposed in an electrical coupling relationship with the adaptor unit and movement of the base unit relative to the adaptor unit, such that the base unit becomes disposed in an electrically uncoupled relationship with the adaptor unit, is resisted. There is also provided an unlocked state wherein the base unit is moveable relative to the adaptor unit. In the locked state, each one of the at least one operative detent member is biased into an interference relationship with the charger assembly so as to resist the relative movement between the base unit and the adaptor unit which would effect the electrical uncoupling of the base unit from the adaptor unit. In the unlocked state, the locking assembly co-operates with the charger assembly such that the base unit is moveable relative to the adaptor unit. Application of a respective minimum predetermined force is required to effect a change in state from one of the locked state and the unlocked state to the other one of the locked state and the unlocked state.
US08033845B2
There are provided the body supported to the side of the combination switch and having the circular wall, the rotor connected rotatably to the body and coaxial with the wall section, the free motion spacer formed circularly between the body and the rotor and capable of freely turning with rotation of the rotor, the first guide section and the roller constituting the second guide section which are provided in the free motion spacer, the first flat cable arranged along in the circumferential direction of the outer and inner peripheral sides of the free motion spacer in such a manner that both ends of the first flat cable are fixed to the body and the rotor respectively and the first flat cable is reversed by always making the convex side of the reversing section in the first flat cable contact the first guide section, and the second flat cable arranged along the circumferential direction of the outer and inner peripheral sides of the free motion spacer in such a manner that both ends of the second flat cable are fixed to the body and the rotor respectively and the second flat cable is reversed by always making the concave side of the reversing section of the second flat cable contact the roller.
US08033843B2
A pivoting lever has tongue-like movable pieces formed in a squared U-shape on both side faces of a cover member, and locking claws at intermediate parts of the movable piece. A pivoting lever is pivotally supported on a support pin of the cover member. Circular arc-shaped cam grooves are formed in a lever body part, and locking holes engaging locking claws are formed in the lever body part. When a mating housing is pressed into a housing and the lever is pivoted, the cam grooves drive a driven pin and pull the mating housing toward the housing. The lever contacts the locking claws, and pivots the locking claws while pushing them down. When the housings are joined, the locking claws returned to the original positions fitted into the locking holes, setting the lever to a locked state, thereby disabling further rotation and reverse rotation of the lever.
US08033840B2
An electrical connector (100) for being mounted onto a printed circuit board (200) includes an insulative housing (1), a plurality of contacts (2) retained in the insulative housing and a metal shell (3) covering the insulative housing. The insulative housing includes a base (11) and a tongue plate (12) protruding from the base. The contacts have contacting portions (26) retained in the tongue plate and arranged in one row along a transverse direction, and tail portions (28) arranged in two rows along a front-to-back direction for being mounted onto the printed circuit board. The contacts consist of a first type of a plurality of grounding contacts (25) and a second type of a plurality of pairs of differential contacts (21, 22, 23, 24) under condition that each two adjacent pairs of differential contacts have at least one grounding contact located therebetween. At the tail portions, each pair of differential contacts include a first tail portion (281) arranged in one of the two rows and a second tail portion (282) arranged in the other row.
US08033838B2
Spring contact elements are fabricated by depositing at least one layer of metallic material into openings defined on a sacrificial substrate. The openings may be within the surface of the substrate, or in one or more layers deposited on the surface of the sacrificial substrate. Each spring contact element has a base end portion, a contact end portion, and a central body portion. The contact end portion is offset in the z-axis (at a different height) than the central body portion. The base end portion is preferably offset in an opposite direction along the z-axis from the central body portion. In this manner, a plurality of spring contact elements are fabricated in a prescribed spatial relationship with one another on the sacrificial substrate. The spring contact elements are suitably mounted by their base end portions to corresponding terminals on an electronic component, such as a space transformer or a semiconductor device, whereupon the sacrificial substrate is removed so that the contact ends of the spring contact elements extend above the surface of the electronic component. In an exemplary use, the spring contact elements are thereby disposed on a space transformer component of a probe card assembly so that their contact ends effect pressure connections to corresponding terminals on another electronic component, for the purpose of probing the electronic component.
US08033829B2
A method of preparing teeth for the adhesion of a component includes applying to at least one tooth a solution of liquid phosphoric acid and an abrasive such as pumice, removing the solution, and applying an adhesive for placing a component on the teeth.
US08033828B2
A device for retracting gingival tissue away from a tooth or plurality of teeth prepared to receive a dental prosthesis comprising a retraction/impression material associated with a custom impression coping to be packed into a sulcus associated with the prepared tooth, and coincidentally obtaining an impression of said tooth or teeth. The device is preferably compressible, deformably rigid, extensile and non-elastic and will not stick to the gingiva or tooth structure thereby allowing for atraumatic removal. A method of use is also disclosed.
US08033826B2
The present inventions is an abutment for use with a dental implant. The abutment comprises a prosthetic portion adapted to support a prosthesis thereon and an insert. The prosthetic portion has a subgingival end and a supragingival region for protruding beyond gingiva adjacent to the dental implant. The prosthetic portion has a passageway extending therethrough. The passageway includes an enlarged retention groove and non-round section. The insert extends into the passageway and engages the subgingival end of the prosthetic portion. The insert includes flexible retention fingers that, upon insertion into the passageway, initially contract before reaching the enlarged retention groove and then expand outwardly into the enlarged retention groove to hold the insert onto the prosthetic portion. The insert also has a non-round section for mating with the non-round section of the passageway.
US08033822B2
A portable, self-contained artificial campfire apparatus is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a base container which can house an internal fuel source, a removable lid for accessing the container base, a fiber-ceramic log assembly connected to the removable lid, and a second lid for protecting and transporting the apparatus. The use of fiber-ceramic artificial logs allows for a more realistic campfire because the logs will glow as they are heated, just as a wood campfire does. The artificial campfire preferably also includes a tapered burner unit to produce an even more realistic campfire appearance.
US08033818B2
An injection mold for insert molding includes a stationary plate, a first core and a second core. The stationary plate defines an upper surface and a side surface perpendicular to the upper surface. The upper surface has a slot at a middle portion thereof. The slot extends perpendicular to the side surface and reaches the side surface. The first core is received in the slot of the stationary plate and defines a holding element on a top surface thereof for securing an insert. The second core is closed with the first core to form a mold cavity, with the insert extending into the mold cavity. The first core is capable of being taken off from the slot of the stationary plate when the first core and the second core are detached from each other.
US08033814B2
An imprint lithography template may be used to form an imprinted layer in a light curable liquid disposed on a substrate. During use, the template may be disposed within a template holder. The template holder may include a body with an opening configured to receive the template, a support plate, and an actuator system coupled to the body. The actuator system may be configured to alter a physical dimension of the template during use.
US08033812B2
A method for producing an object formed through solid freeform fabrication includes dispensing a binder on successive layers of build material with a single first dispensing member; and coloring the successive layers with at least one second dispensing member, where the second dispensing member over-dispenses the first dispensing member. Another method for producing an object through solid freeform fabrication includes dispensing a first binder on successive layers of build material with a single first dispensing member; and dispensing a second binder on the successive layers of build material with at least one second dispensing member, where the second dispensing member over-dispenses the first dispensing member.
US08033809B2
A machine for forming containers having a blowing module containing a drivable rotor, a heating module containing a drivable conveyor and feeding the blowing module, and a main drive which is associated with both the blowing and heating modules and which is adapted to be selectively operated either in a continuous mode or in a clocked mode. A power train includes a decoupling unit which is arranged between the rotor and the conveyor and which is selectively actuable, and an auxiliary drive, which can be switched on selectively, is provided for the power train component that is separated from the main drive in the actuated condition of the decoupling unit.
US08033808B2
A pressure compensating molding system with die faces of thin sheets. A thin die sheet separates a mold cavity from a heating/cooling cavity. A heating system causes a heated fluid to flow through the heating/cooling cavity, thereby preheating the thin sheet. The injection material is forced through a sprue into the mold cavity. Pressure sensors monitor the pressure of the injection material in the mold cavity and in the heating/cooling cavity. A controller varies the pressure in the heating/cooling cavity to equalize a pressure differential across the thin die sheet. A cooling system causes a cooling fluid to flow through the heating/cooling cavity to cool the molded component.
US08033802B2
The invention relates to a stator casing for eccentric worm pumps comprising an elastic lining, the cylindrical stator casing having a surface on the inner side, along the longitudinal axis whereof grooves are incorporated.
US08033786B2
A vane assembly for a gas turbine engine comprising an axial loading element disposed between a mounting element of the vane ring and a cooperating portion of the supporting structure, such as to generate a load force therebetween in an axial direction. The axial load force limits unwanted relative movement between the vane ring and the supporting structure during operation of the gas turbine engine.
US08033783B2
The present invention aims at providing a diagonal flow fan or a silencer for the diagonal flow fan, which have the same outer shape as a suction port and are compact, and can also obtain an effective sound absorbing effect of a moderate frequency range. In the diagonal flow fan comprising a diagonal flow impeller 1 disposed with a blade 1a so as to obliquely send an air to an axis of rotation 21, a fan casing 2 for covering this diagonal flow impeller 1, and a suction port 3 for sucking the fluid in the direction to the axis of rotation of this fan casing 2, the open front side of the suction port 3 is provided with a silencing portion comprising a shield 4 and a punching metal 5, so that the noise of the moderate frequency range of 500 to 1000 Hz generated in the diagonal flow fan was suppressed.
US08033782B2
A method to prevent brinelling wear of a slot and pin assembly of an adjustable inlet guide vane mechanism includes: providing a compressor having the adjustable inlet guide vane mechanism including a control ring with a plurality of tapered slots positioned around a circumference of the control ring; providing a plurality of tapered pin/lever arm assemblies each comprising a tapered pin having a tapered body with a first end and a second end; positioning the tapered pin of the tapered pin/lever arm assembly within each of the plurality of tapered slots; positioning a spring over the first end of each of the tapered pins; and securing the tapered pin of each of the tapered pin/lever arm assemblies within each of the tapered slots by coupling a fastening member to the first end of each of the tapered pins.
US08033777B2
The present invention comprises a method and apparatus of transporting and moving a load having a combination of a hoist arm and an apparatus of a support structure with one or more (preferably a pair of opposed) moveable carriages.
US08033775B2
A material transfer unit is described that includes a truck, a hopper configured for mounting proximate a rear of the truck, and a conveyor comprising a catch section, a head section and a conveyor belt extending therebetween. The catch section is configured for placement under the hopper and the head section is configured for placement proximate a front of the truck. The head section is further configured for movement with respect to the truck for placement of transferred material.
US08033773B2
A parking facility for motor vehicles having fixed parking places arranged above each other and each having a guide for a pallet that is displaceable along the guide as well as a lift, which is disposed alongside the fixed parking places and which also carries a guide for the pallet is provided. For displacement of the pallet between the respective guides of a parking place and the lift, the lift is stopped alongside a parking place such that the respective guides are aligned with one another. The guide of the lift at its end facing the parking place is supported on a supporting surface connected to the parking place. The guide of the lift after being set down onto the supporting surface is pivoted about a horizontal pivotal axis until the guide of the lift is in a horizontal position.
US08033761B2
A method for transporting a molded object, in particular an ophthalmic lens, specifically a contact lens (CL), in which a molded object is lifted up from a supporting surface (1) and transported to a destination, such that the molded object is acted upon by a fluid so that it is lifted up from the supporting surface (1) and transported to the destination through a transport line (2).
US08033760B2
A tensioning assembly 10 for a cable bolt 11 comprises a clamping device (14, 16) adapted for fastening to the bolt and an outer member 18 adapted for interacting with the clamping device. The outer member 18 is able to undergo relative movement to the clamping device in the direction of the bolt's axis, and under such movement, the clamping device is caused to fasten to the bolt. Furthermore, the outer member is adapted for interacting with the bolt 11 whereby, during such relative movement, twisting of the bolt 11 with respect to the outer member 18 is restrained.
US08033750B2
A composition for chemical improvement of soil and road base materials including an aqueous solution of a water repellant and an aqueous emulsion of a soil stabilizer and dust retardant is herein disclosed.
US08033745B2
A digital printer includes a digital printing unit for digital printing an image onto a printing substrate during relative movement between a print head and the printing substrate, and a printing table for holding the printing substrate during the digital printing. The printing table is firmly fixed to the digital printing unit during the digital printing of the image onto the printing substrate and is released from the digital printing unit prior to and after the digital printing of the image onto the printing substrate. The printing table may be moved between a printing position, in which it is firmly fixed to the digital printing unit, and a printing substrate feeding position, in which it supports feeding and removing of the printing substrate from the printing table.
US08033742B1
A camera crane includes an arm having a back section, a middle section telescopically extendible into and out of the back section, and a front section telescopically extendible into and out of the middle section. A camera platform is pivotally attached at or near the front end of the front section. A counterweight is movable along the back section. An arm support can support the back section at two or more positions. Consequently the pivot axis of the arm can be shifted to the front or rear, to change rear clearance requirements, counterweight requirements, and the reach of the arm. An electronic controller is linked to a motor and a sensor on a camera head, with the motor acting to keep the head level.
US08033740B2
In an optical connector including a base housing, a cover housing, and a clamp fixing the cover housing to the base housing, the base housing is provided with a groove for positioning and holding an optical fiber of an optical cable, a first recessed portion continuously formed from the groove, and a second recessed portion continuously formed from the first recessed portion. The first and the second recessed portions have bottom portions different in level from each other to have a stepped portion formed therebetween. The cover housing has a first coating portion for covering the groove and a second coating portion for covering the first and the second recessed portions. The bottom portion of the second recessed portion and the second coating portion presses a coating member of the optical cable to clamp the optical cable.
US08033737B2
A rolling bearing which has at least one bearing ring and a plurality of rollers. The bearing ring has a raceway for the rollers and at least one lateral rim for axially guiding the rollers. The roller has front face facing the rim and the rim has a rim hearing surface facing the roller. At least sections of at least the front face or the rim bearing surface have a toroidal camber in the direction of the rim bearing surface or the front face.
US08033735B2
An axle bearing assembly includes a flange, on which a wheel is mounted; a hub shaft constructed of a cylindrical portion provided on an inboard side of the flange; a bearing having an inner ring; an outer ring; and rolling elements disposed between the inner ring and the outer ring; a first sealing member fixed to an inboard side between the inner ring and the outer ring; and a removable second sealing member is fitted to the inboard side of the first sealing member. The inner ring of the bearing portion is fixed to the cylindrical portion of the hub shaft.
US08033733B2
The invention relates to a bearing element (1) with a metallic support body (2), a bearing metal layer (3) arranged over the top and a polymer layer (4) arranged on the top of the latter, whereby the polymer layer (4) consists of a polyimide resin, molybdenum sulphide (MoS2) and graphite. The proportion of the polyimide resin in the polymer layer (4) is selected from a range with a lower limit of 60% and an upper limit of 80%, the proportion of MoS2 is selected from a range with a lower limit of 15% and an upper limit of 25% and the proportion of graphite is selected from a range with a lower limit of 5% and an upper limit of 15%.
US08033731B2
A fluid dynamic bearing motor and method are described, wherein motor components, including complex shaped motor components, are molded of plastic. The molding ensures form control and dimensional control thereby accomplishing design requirements, and eliminating or reducing component costs and component machining. The mold can be shaped to form various motor geometries, thereby eliminating the need for multiple component assembly and related assembly costs. In an aspect, a plastic integral motor hub is formed by injection molding. Alternatively, a plastic motor hub is affixed to a metal sleeve. In another aspect, fluid containment structures are molded into the motor component, reducing the number of components as compared with machined metal components. In a further aspect, bearing structures such as grooves are molded into the motor component, thereby eliminating processes such as electrochemical machining. In yet a further aspect, a plastic hub faces a thrustplate, reducing expensive sleeve machining.
US08033726B2
A bulk bag handling assembly, includes a bulk bag having a bottom and opposed pairs of peripheral side walls. A pair of outer lifting tine receiving channels are provided along the bottom in parallel spaced relation to one of the opposed pairs of peripheral side walls. A pair of inner lifting tine receiving channels positioned between the outer lifting tine receiving channels. The bulk bag handling assembly described can be used with a wide variety of lifting equipment.
US08033724B2
Methods and systems for X-ray imaging are disclosed. An X-ray imaging system includes an X-ray tube to generate X-rays and a detector array to capture scattered X-rays. A rotational collimator directs the X-rays at an object under inspection. Rotational mechanisms rotate the X-ray tube and the detector array about a roll axis and a yaw axis to inspect various portions of the object. A track unit mechanism moves the X-ray imaging system linearly along a track unit to further inspect portions of the object.
US08033712B2
The invention concerns an immersion mixer with an electric motor, a drive shaft, a tube, a bell-shaped housing and a rotary tool. To ease the assembly or disassembly of such a mixer, a cartridge is assembled in the bell-shaped housing so as to be removable. This cartridge includes a shaft guide body, an attaching mechanism, a sealed bearing assembly for receiving the shaft and a sleeve. The cartridge is made in such a way that it is simply necessary to insert or release it through the top of the bell-shaped housing without any action by a specialist in the field being needed.
US08033710B2
A plurality of mirror surfaces (5), which extend in a direction (X-axis direction) perpendicular to a light incident surface (2a), are formed side by side in a longitudinal direction (Y-axis direction) of the light incident surface (2a) on a light distribution control surface (4a) of both surfaces (4a, 4b) of a light guide plate (1) in a thickness direction (Z-axis direction) thereof, and a plurality of prisms (7) extending in the Y-axis direction are formed side by side in the X-axis direction in areas other than the mirror surfaces (5). The mirror surfaces 5 are formed in such a way that Y-axis direction widths thereof vary in the X-axis direction. This enables the setting of the light distribution characteristics and luminance distribution of emitted light, which are viewed in two directions, namely a longitudinal direction of the light incident surface of the light guide plate and the direction perpendicular to the light incident surface, to target light distribution characteristics and luminance distribution.
US08033682B2
Disclosed is a method and apparatus for providing a light emitting diode and driving circuitry integrated into a component module that will retrofit common incandescent lightbulb applications. The disclosed embodiments will perform with high efficiency at a wide operating voltage range with a very small size allowing for the incorporation within the envelope and form of existing lightbulb bases. Therefore, a single universal LED light bulb module can be used to replace the dozens of conventional LED and incandescent lights currently being used. The electronic circuitries used to drive the LEDs are extremely compact and consequently can be incorporated in nearly any standard bulb base.
US08033679B1
The self-mounting shelf with a light includes a base, an overhead light, and a shelf. The base attaches to a wall or vertical surface via at least one of adhesives, nylon hook and loop strips, or mounting screws. The self-mounting shelf with a light is designed to be positioned adjacent to an electrical wall outlet in order to ensure ease of access to an electrical supply for the overhead light. The shelf may be substituted with alternate designs designed to accommodate a plurality of needs.
US08033675B2
A light emitting device has a plurality of light emitting elements each having a first electrode layer, a second electrode layer, and a light emitting layer disposed between the first and the second electrode layers, a reflective layer being disposed between a substrate and the first electrode layer and reflecting light emitted by the light emitting layer to the light emitting layer, the light emitting elements including a red light emitting element that emits a red light, a green light emitting element that emits a green light, and a blue light emitting element that emits a blue light, the green and the blue light emitting elements each having a resonator structure which contains the reflective layer and a translucent half-reflective layer and which is constituted by adjustment of the optical distance between the reflective layer and the translucent half-reflective layer, the red light emitting element not having the resonator structure.
US08033674B1
The present invention provides a polarization-sensitive light homogenizer and a backlight and display using the same. The homogenizer improves the spatial luminance and color uniformity, increases the luminance in a direction normal to the homogenizer and provides increased luminance through polarized light recycling within the light homogenizer and backlight. In one embodiment, the homogenizer includes a polarization-sensitive anisotropic light-scattering (PDALS) region, a non-polarization-sensitive anisotropic light-scattering region, and a substantially non-scattering region. In a further embodiment, the non-scattering region is birefringent. The spatially non-uniform incident light flux from a backlight including one or more non-extended light emitting sources is scattered efficiently by the NPDASL region and is incident on the PDALS region which backscatters light orthogonal to the polarization state desired for efficient illumination of a liquid crystal display panel. The NPDASL and the PDALS form a multiple reflection cavity that will increase the spatial luminance while improving the light recycling of the appropriate polarization state. In a further embodiment the light homogenizer includes at least one of a light collimating region and a light re-directing region.
US08033672B2
In a glare protection device for navigation apparatus or similar apparatus, comprising a glare protection wall structure of upside down U-shape having a horizontal upper wall and two side walls extending from the opposite ends of the horizontal upper wall downwardly and a spring bracket for the selective attachment of the glare protection device to an apparatus, each of the side walls is pivotally supported on the horizontal upper wall by way of a hinge so as to be movable between a downwardly extending use position and an ineffective position in which the side walls are pivoted inwardly against the bottom side of the horizontal upper wall.
US08033666B2
A beam alignment system for generating an aligned two-dimensional array of parallel light beams, comprising a beam alignment chamber including a base extending in a length direction and a plurality of reflectors mounted on the base, each having independent yaw and pitch adjustments. The beam alignment system further includes a plurality of arrays of light sources, each generating an array of light beams and being paired with a corresponding reflector, the reflectors being disposed to direct the light beams along the length of the beam alignment chamber forming an aligned two-dimensional array of parallel light beams.
US08033664B2
An apparatus for determining spherical and cylinder components of subjective refraction of a patient's vision includes a wavefront measurement device that can produce a measure of quality of vision in a return beam from the patient's eye viewing a target through a corrective test lens in the apparatus. The corrective lenses may be varied and a plurality of measurements of quality of vision may be obtained and analyzed to determine the spherical and cylinder components. Accordingly, the eye examiner may conduct a refraction examination without a subjective response from the patient.
US08033662B2
The image forming apparatus has: a head which has a liquid ejection surface and performs liquid ejection in which liquid is ejected from the liquid ejection surface; an intermediate transfer body moving in a movement direction with respect to the head and having an image forming surface opposing the liquid ejection surface of the head and a rear surface which is reverse to the image forming surface and on which a line pattern constituted by pattern elements is formed, the image forming surface having an image forming region in which an image is formed by the liquid ejected from the liquid ejection surface of the head, the pattern elements being arranged equidistantly in the movement direction; a transfer device which transfers the image formed in the image forming region of the intermediate transfer body to a recording medium; a reading device which is provided on an upstream side of the head in terms of the movement direction of the intermediate transfer body and reads light reflected by the line pattern; and an ejection control device which determines a movement speed and a movement distance of the intermediate transfer body from result obtained by reading the light by means of the reading device, generates an ejection control signal for the head according to the determined movement speed and the determined movement distance of the intermediate transfer body, and controls the liquid ejection of the head according to the ejection control signal.
US08033659B2
A liquid ejecting head has a pressure chamber into which liquid flows from a liquid reservoir through a liquid passage, and a pressure generating unit operable to pressurize the liquid in the pressure chamber to eject the liquid through a nozzle opening. A gas trapping chamber is formed in the liquid passage and adapted to trap gas mixed in the liquid. A gas collecting chamber is formed adjacent to the gas trapping chamber. A gas permeable wall is interposed between the gas trapping chamber and the gas collecting chamber. A pressure difference generating unit is operable to generate a pressure difference between the gas trapping chamber and the gas collecting chamber so that a pressure in the gas collecting chamber is lower than a pressure in the gas trapping chamber, thereby collecting the gas trapped in the gas trapping chamber in the gas collecting chamber through the gas permeable wall.
US08033655B2
In a pressure-regulating valve which supplies a functional liquid from a functional liquid tank to a functional liquid droplet ejection head, using, as a reference regulating pressure, atmospheric pressure which a diaphragm receives, a valve-disc energizing spring, which energizes a valve disc for opening and closing a communication passage communicating a primary chamber and a secondary chamber, is configured so as to be separated from a housing main body along with a lid body.
US08033653B2
A liquid discharge head include a discharge port for discharging liquid; a liquid chamber communicating to the discharge port; a piezoelectric element including one electrode layer, another electrode layer, and a piezoelectric film sandwiched between the one electrode layer and the other electrode layer independently arranged in correspondence to the liquid chamber, and including a piezoelectric drive portion at where the piezoelectric film deforms and displaces in correspondence to the liquid chamber; and a vibration plate interposed between the piezoelectric element and the liquid chamber, wherein a bending rigidity of both ends in an arranging direction of the one electrode layer of a portion corresponding to the piezoelectric drive portion of the vibration plate is greater than the bending rigidity of a region between both ends.
US08033647B2
A liquid dispenser includes a liquid supply channel and a liquid ejector channel that includes an outlet opening. A liquid supply provides a flow of a pressurized liquid through the liquid ejector channel from the liquid supply channel. The pressurized liquid has a momentum as the liquid moves through the liquid ejector channel. A liquid return channel receives the liquid after the liquid passes through the liquid ejector channel. A diverter member forms at least a portion of a wall of the liquid ejector channel. A portion of the diverter member is selectively movable into the liquid flowing through the liquid ejector channel. The momentum of the liquid causes some of the liquid to be diverted through the outlet opening when the portion of the diverter member is moved into the liquid flowing through the liquid ejector channel.
US08033646B2
A liquid dispenser includes a liquid supply channel and a liquid ejector channel that includes an outlet opening. A liquid supply provides a flow of a pressurized liquid through the liquid ejector channel from the liquid supply channel. The pressurized liquid has a momentum as the liquid moves through the liquid ejector channel. A liquid return channel receives the liquid after the liquid passes through the liquid ejector channel. A diverter member forms at least a portion of a wall of the liquid ejector channel. A portion of the diverter member is selectively movable away from the liquid flowing through the liquid ejector channel. The momentum of the liquid causes some of the liquid to be diverted through the outlet opening when the portion of the diverter member is moved away from the liquid flowing through the liquid ejector channel.
US08033639B2
An inkjet recording apparatus, method and computer readable medium are provided. The inkjet recording apparatus includes a recording head comprising a nozzle formation surface having a plurality of ink discharging nozzles formed thereon; a wiper which has elasticity and wipes the nozzle formation surface by pressingly contacting against the nozzle formation surface of the recording head; and a moving unit which moves at least one of the recording head and the wiper to wipe the nozzle formation surface at a first relative speed and moves the at least one of the recording head and the wiper to separate from each other at a second relative speed, which is less than the first relative speed. The method includes moving at least one of the inkjet recording head and the wiper relative to each other so that the wiper wipes the nozzle formation surface at a first relative speed; and separating the wiper from the inkjet recording head at a second relative speed, which is less than the first relative speed.
US08033638B2
An inkjet recording device includes a recording head having a nozzle surface formed with a plurality of nozzle arrays and a wiping mechanism having a wiper for wiping the nozzle surface. The wiping mechanism moves the wiper relative to and in contact with the nozzle surface, in a direction inclined at a predetermined angle with respect to the plurality of nozzles arrays.
US08033634B2
Liquid discharging apparatus, method of controlling the same, and program that implements the method
A liquid discharging apparatus includes a discharging device, a liquid receiving device, a voltage applying device, and a control device. The discharging discharges liquid from a nozzle to a target on the basis of discharge data, where it is received by a liquid receiving device. The voltage applying device applies a predetermined voltage between the discharging device and the liquid receiving device. When discharging on the basis of the discharge data, the control device controls the discharging device to discharge using a generated discharge data driving signal. When performing nozzle testing, the control device controls the voltage applying device to apply the predetermined voltage between the discharging device and the liquid receiving device and controls the discharging device using a generated test driving signal to discharge liquid from the nozzle to determine on the basis of a detected electrical change whether liquid is discharged from the nozzle.
US08033625B2
An apparatus and method of filling a tank with a fluid are provided. The method includes providing the tank including a porous media positioned therein, the tank having a length dimension and a width dimension; providing a plurality of needles, each needle having a first end connectable in fluid communication with a fluid source and a second end including a fluid outlet port, the fluid outlet port having an axis; orienting each needle such that the axis of the fluid outlet port is substantially parallel with a preferred direction, the preferred direction being along one of the length dimension and the width dimension of the tank; inserting each needle into the porous media positioned within the tank; and filling the tank with fluid from the fluid source.
US08033623B2
A refrigerator includes a main body in which storage space is formed, a door pivotably mounted at a front of the main body, a hinge member connecting the main body with the door, and a receiving member which is mounted at an upper surface of the main body and accommodates a lead wire extended from at least one of the main body and door.
US08033618B2
In an optimized hydraulic brake system, a pedal travel sensor is used to improve pedal feel. In order to improve pedal feel, a low pressure is detected in the brake booster and the brake hydraulic system is used to increase wheel pressure. This prevents the operator from having to exert an increasing large force on the brake pedal during a deceleration situation.
US08033611B2
A bench includes at least two feet, a plurality of seat plates, a back plate, and an armrest. A back portion is extended from an upper edge of each foot, and a cushion portion is formed at a bottom of the back portion. The seat plates and the back plates are fixed to the cushion portions and the back portions of the feet by bolts, and the armrests are fixed to the back plate and two lateral sides of the seat plate by bolts so as to form a strong and fine bench.
US08033609B2
A head restraint assembly for use with a vehicle seat, the head restraint assembly having a head restraint armature that is adapted to be attached to a seat back, including two spaced apart support posts, a cushion surrounding the head restraint armature and a strap that is affixed to the head restraint armature, the strap extending between the two spaced apart support posts. The strap is surrounded by the cushion.
US08033607B2
A seat reclining device for a vehicle is disclosed that includes a lock mechanism and a memory mechanism. The seat reclining device is arranged between a seat cushion frame and a seat back frame, and includes a control shaft associated with operation of an unlock operation lever. The lock mechanism includes a rotating body, which is secured to the seat back frame and is supported to be freely rotatable with respect to the base body. The memory mechanism includes a plate portion having an engaging portion, a holding bracket, which is freely rotatable about a rotational axis that is the same as the control shaft, a memory pole, a restricting portion, which restores the holding bracket to a predetermined initial position, a lever member, which is rotated in accordance with operation of the memory operation lever, and an engagement holding portion, which disengages the memory pole from the plate portion as the holding bracket is restored to the initial position.
US08033593B2
In a rear end of the vehicle body, an assembly carrier which is arranged in the vehicle transverse direction is inserted between inner body-side side parts of the vehicle rear end. The assembly carrier holds pre-assemblable components and to which assembly carrier is fastened a rear-end trim panel and which assembly carrier is fixedly connected to the two inner side parts by screw devices and forms a stiffening body cross member.
US08033591B2
Elongated side rails for attachment to a sidewall of a truck cargo box as a portion of a tonneau cover assembly. Each assembly includes a flexible cover that can be operatively secured to side rails. One side rail includes a securing portion that can be operatively connected to the sidewall; an inclined portion extending from the securing portion, the inclined portion having first and second sides; a connecting member extending downwardly away from the inclined portion from a position located between the first and second sides; and a longitudinal portion extending from the connecting member opposite the inclined portion. To secure the cover to the side rails, hook fastener is preferably attached to loop fastener on the cover. One preferred side rail has a ridge to prevent premature engagement of the fasteners. Another preferred side rail has directional hook fastener to prevent premature engagement of the fasteners.
US08033586B2
A multiple use vehicle accessory is provided that is configured for attachment to a vehicle. The accessory includes a first end on a frame. The first end defines a front side wall that has a pair of ears and a first cut-out section. A tire is configured for being disposed within the first cut-out section so that a center portion of the front side wall is configured for engaging a crown of the tire. The ears are located vertically above the center portion of the front side wall when the tire engages the center portion of the front side wall. A second end is located at an end of the frame opposite from the first end and is configured differently from the first end.
US08033583B2
A lock device includes a tongue slidably engaged with a housing and extendible out of the housing, an anchoring device slidably disposed in the housing and having two anchoring members for selectively aligning with the tongue and having a compartment formed between the anchoring members, and a moving device for moving the anchoring device relative to the housing to selectively align either of the anchoring members with the tongue and for preventing the tongue from being engaged into the compartment of the anchoring device. The moving device includes an electromagnetic mechanism coupled to the anchoring device for moving the anchoring device relative to the housing.
US08033563B2
A height adjustable hitch assembly. The present invention provides a trailer hitch assembly mountable to a receiver hitch of a vehicle. The trailer hitch assembly includes a vertically extending channel member having opposing side flanges. Each of the side flanges includes equally spaced holes. A locking member having two pins spaced from one another the same distance as the holes in the flanges secures a hitch assembly to the channel member at a desired height. The height can be quickly and easily adjusted by removing the locking member, moving the hitch assembly to the desired height and reinserting the locking member. The channel member and the dual locking pin minimize rocking, swaying and pivoting of the hitch assembly relative to the vehicle.
US08033545B2
An object of the present invention is to improve the process sequence in a printing machine. Another object of the present invention is to increase the operational life of the printing machine. A method has been provided for transporting printing material (9) through a printing machine in which, in case of an occurrence of paper jam in the transport path (2), a flap (5) in the transport path (2) is actuated and a sheet of printing material (9) is transported along the flap (5) out of the transport path (2). Furthermore, a transport arrangement (1) for transporting printing material (9) along a transport path (2) in a printing machine is provided, comprising at least one transport path flap (5) actuated by a control arrangement (20) for opening and closing, and comprising an associated container (8) for receiving waste printing material when said flap (5) is open.
US08033544B2
According to aspects illustrated herein, there is provided a printmaking device, a method, and a system for calibrating sensors. The printmaking device includes a calibration system with a media path, a registration device, and at least one edge sensor. The registration device having a pair of nips connected by a lateral carriage and a calibration member disposed traversely and affixed to the lateral carriage. The lateral carriage is configured to move laterally relative to the media path. The at least one edge sensor may be configured to determine an extent of movement of a first portion of the calibration member. The registration device calibrates the at least one edge sensor by: moving the lateral carriage a predetermined distance; determining the extent of movement of the first portion of the calibration member; and comparing the predetermined distance and the extent of movement so as to determine the calibration factor.
US08033543B2
An image forming apparatus has a sheet stacking apparatus including a tray on which sheets are stacked, and an aligning member aligning the sheets stacked on the tray. The aligning member aligns sheets stacked, on a sheet previously stacked on the tray, with a displacement in an aligning direction of the aligning member with respect to the sheet previously stacked. An aligning operation of the aligning member is changed on the basis of whether or not the number of the sheets stacked on the sheets previously stacked is a predetermined number or less.
US08033540B2
An image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit to form an image on a printable medium; a casing to accommodate the image forming unit; a feeding cassette coupled to the casing and arranged so as to move between a feeding position where the feeding cassette is separated from the casing and used to store the printable medium and a waiting position where the feeding cassette is folded up against the casing; a main feeding unit arranged within the casing to store another printable medium and to supply the another printable medium to the image forming unit; a pick-up roller to feed the printable medium from the feeding cassette to the image forming unit when the feeding cassette is in the feeding position; and a pick-up roller cover coupled to a main feeding unit so that the pick-up roller cover can rotate between an open position and a closed position.
US08033537B2
The construction set comprises at least one plate (10) having through bores (11) that are arranged on a grid and counterbores (12a) that are arranged on both sides of said through bores for receiving a connecting element. The cross-section of said counterbores deviates from a circular shape in order to rotationally secure a connecting element received in the counterbore.
US08033530B2
A stair rail assembly for easy and rapid installation. The assembly includes a baluster, baluster shoe, and a rail. The baluster shoe comprises an anchor and a base having an opening extending through the anchor and base. The base fits flush against a rail and the anchor fits within a baluster to connect the baluster to the rail. The anchor contains flexible walls which expand upon insertion of a screw to frictionally engage the baluster.
US08033528B2
A lift assembly system and method can include a substantially rectangular tube, a motor operably connected to first and second traction drives and a rotatable drum and structurally connected to one end of the tube, a head block fixed to the opposite end of the tube, and a plurality of loft blocks positionable at an infinite number of locations within the tube. An elongate member attached on one end to the drum can be routed through a generally horizontal path from the drum to the first and second traction drives, the head block, and the loft blocks, and then through a generally vertical path from the loft block to an attached article. The elongate member can be wound about the drum to raise the article, and unwound from the drum to lower the article. The system can further include a load-side braking mechanism. The tube can include a compressible material adapted to absorb at least a portion of a horizontal load placed on the lift system.
US08033527B2
A lifting strut and stabilization system includes a lower outer tubular member in slidable engagement with an upper extendable inner tubular member, a mechanism for receiving and supporting a jack on the outer tubular member, a pin for optionally restraining the upper tubular member from further engagement into the lower tubular member, while allowing unrestrained extension of the upper tubular member from within the lower tubular member, and a removably attached jack having a bracket at its upper end incorporating a saddle or half-hole for engaging a strut lift pin located in a corresponding saddle, half-hole or flat bearing surface located on the upper end of the lower tubular member, the lift pin extending through the saddle holes in the upper tubular member, such that upon actuation of the jack, the upper jack bracket engages the lift pin and extends the upper tubular member from within the lower tubular member.
US08033521B2
Provision is made for a single person to easily install a bottom panel for the cover of a transport refrigeration unit. A plurality of forwardly extending tabs are spaced on a rear frame member and corresponding pockets with horizontal slots are similarly spaced near the rear edge of the bottom panel. The bottom panel is then advanced such that the tabs fit into the slots, and then the front portion of the bottom panel is attached to the framework by a plurality of fasteners passing through front pockets of the bottom cover and into L-shaped brackets mounted on a front portion of the frame. The bottom panel is preferably formed of a thermoplastic olefin material that provides flexibility for ease of assembly but is sufficiently rigid and strong and exhibits good sound absorbing characteristics.
US08033515B2
In certain embodiments, there is provided a system including a display, a mounting groove disposed along a portion of the first display, and a mount position along the mounting groove. In these embodiments, the mount position includes an alignment structure disposed in the mounting groove and a fastener disposed in the mounting groove.
US08033511B2
A pipe support assembly for supporting one or more pipes. According to an embodiment, the pipe support assembly comprises a main member having a saddle for holding a first pipe, a pipe holder attached to the main member and configured for holding a second pipe, and the main member includes an exterior surface for receiving a support strap for affixing to the structure. According to an embodiment, the first pipe comprises an insulated pipe with an outer insulation layer and the second pipe comprises an uninsulated pipe. According to another embodiment, the pipe support assembly includes a bottom mount for mounting the pipe support assembly to a structure. According to an embodiment, the mount comprises a bracket. According to another aspect, the mount comprises a base that is fastened to a structure.
US08033510B2
A system and method for generating lift provided by a multi-element aircraft wing are provided. The system includes a main wing element, a slat interconnected to the main wing element, and a flap interconnected to the main wing element. The system also includes at least one port defined in at least one of the slat, main wing element, and flap. In addition, the system includes at least one fluidic device operable to regulate fluid flow into and out of the at least one port to control boundary layer flow over at least one of the slat, main wing element, and flap.
US08033504B2
The invention reduces the impact of flowfield forces on objects launched from high speed aircraft during flight. For example, the invention provides a solution for overcoming ejection windblast injuries to pilots and increases the probability of injury-free or low-injury ejection. The gas flow is used to rapidly create a very short duration protective “bubble” in the incoming air flow ahead of the ejecting pilot. The bubble reduces the local flow velocity and aerodynamic forces on the pilot during the injury-critical time period of ejection. The invention also is suitable for reducing the intensity of flowfield forces that act on released military aircraft ordnance, such as bombs and missiles.
US08033503B2
A pressure bulkhead for an aerospace fuselage includes a bulkhead main portion having an approximately flat shape in unloaded state; and a frame supporting and connecting said bulkhead main portion to the fuselage; wherein said bulkhead main portion includes an airtight structure having a reticular component.
US08033490B1
A hammer for use in a rotatable hammermill assembly comprising a first end for securement within a hammermill assembly, wherein a rod hole is formed in the second end, wherein the rod hole is centered in the first end for engagement with and attachment to the hammermill assembly is disclosed. The hammer also has a second end for contact and delivery of momentum to material to be comminuted, wherein the second end includes at least two blades. A neck connects the first end to the second end. In some embodiments the thickness of the neck may be less than the thickness of the first end or of any of the blades. In some embodiments the rod hole is surrounded by one or more rod hole shoulders. In other embodiments a notch is positioned in the rod hole along the longitudinal axis thereof.
US08033487B2
When the rocking side wall is to be opened, the rocking side wall is rotated about a shaft body and a cutout surface comes into contact with a side surface on the upper side of a connection plate When the rocking side wall is further opened with the cutout surface in contact with the side surface on the upper side of the connection plate, the rocking side wall is rotated about the shaft body in operative association with the connection plate. In the middle of the opening motion of the rocking side wall, a rocking axis of the rocking side wall moves from the shaft body to the shaft body. When the rocking side wall is rotated about the shaft body placed closer to the outside than the shaft body, the rocking side wall is opened while being further away from rough crush blades and the crush blades, and this widen the opening between the rocking side walls.
US08033476B2
An identification document includes a lens system and a specially prepared photo of a document bearer. The lens system and the specially prepared photo cooperate to create a three dimensional photo effect. The document includes two or more document layers. There is a lens structure in one of the document layers, and it includes lens elements. A photo is printed on one or more of the document layers. The photo depicts the document bearer, and includes two or more separate images of the bearer from different perspectives. Parts of the separate images are interleaved together into sets, and the sets are positioned relative to corresponding lens elements of the lens structure. These sets include parts of the separate images such that when viewed through the lens structure, the parts are viewed simultaneously making the subject appear three-dimensional to a viewer.
US08033472B2
A bioptical workstation includes plural image capture modules for capturing images of indicia along different fields of view. Each module includes an illuminator for illuminating the indicia with illumination light, a megapixel imager with a rolling shutter for sequentially capturing the return light, and a shutter element for passing the return light to its imager in an open state, and for blocking the return light from other modules from reaching its imager in an closed state. A controller prevents interference among the modules by controlling the shutter element to assume the open state only during a respective exposure time period during which its imager produces an electrical signal indicative of the indicia, and by controlling the shutter element to assume the closed state at all times other than the respective exposure time period to prevent capture of the return light from the other modules.
US08033467B2
A device for reading optical data cards. This device includes a shuttle mounted on shuttle tracks within the device housing. The shuttle is configured to move back and forth on the shuttle tracks driven by the shuttle motor. A card loader allows optical data cards to be positioned onto the shuttle. A CD optical read head mounted on optical read head tracks and driven by a optical head motor reads modified to read a single track of optical card data reads the optical card. A controller receives data from the read head and controls the movement of the shuttle and the optical head.
US08033465B2
The apparatus has an antenna provided with a predetermined directivity for carrying out radio communication with a RFID tag provided at a search target, a transparent display device that can impart a field of view including a natural image of the search target to vision of an operator and is held by the face of the operator, and a control circuit configured to get communication region information corresponding to a communication region generated along the directivity from the antenna, to generate a display signal for visualization display of the communication region in the field of view of the display device on the basis of the gotten communication region information and to output the signal to the display device.
US08033464B2
An automatic optical sighting system generates at least one adjustment for an adjustable optical system based on at least one detected condition, an appropriate dynamic model of a projectile in flight, and a solution of the equations of motion in flight, so that the projectile will have a trajectory between an origin and a selected target that helps the projectile to hit the target.
US08033457B2
A method of creating a single transaction card is disclosed and comprises embossing the single transaction card within a pocket to form embossed characters on a first surface of the single transaction card, filling the pocket with a fill panel to provide a substantially flush surface on a second surface of the single transaction card, wherein a third surface of the fill panel is in uniform, direct contact with an interior of the pocket. Another method is disclosed for machining a face pocket within a single transaction card and disposing a microchip therein. In various embodiments, a single transaction card is comprised of a continuous metal layer, such as, for example, titanium.
US08033456B2
An automated banking machine system operates to cause financial transfers responsive to data read from data bearing records. The system is operative to read a financial card bearing account indicia with a card reader. A user is enabled to perform at least one banking operation responsive to account indicia read from the card. Such banking operations may include dispensing cash and accessing financial accounts. While a user operates the system to dispense cash or perform other banking operations, the system may further permit at least one portable wireless device to wirelessly access the system to conduct transactions.
US08033446B2
After a wiring substrate having, on its lower surface, an opening and terminals arranged therearound is provided, a sealing material is supplied to the lower surface of the wiring substrate, and a sensor chip is flip-chip mounted on the lower surface of the wiring substrate. The sensor chip has, on its front surface, a sensor surface and bump electrodes, and each bump electrode is thermocompression-bonded onto each terminal of the wiring substrate and the sensor surface is exposed from the opening. The sensor chip has, in its outer peripheral portion of the front surface, a first region where the bump electrodes are arranged and a second region where no bump electrode is arranged. The sealing material is supplied to a region planarly overlapped with the first region when the sensor chip is mounted later, and no sealing material is supplied to a region planarly overlapped with the second region.
US08033441B2
A surgical stapling instrument including a handle portion, a body portion, an articulating tool assembly and an articulation mechanism is disclosed. The body portion extends distally from the handle portion. The articulation mechanism includes an articulation link for articulating the tool assembly, an articulation knob for rotating an interface member, the articulation link having a slit at a proximal end operatively connected to the interface member, wherein rotational motion of the articulation knob is translated into axial motion of the first and second articulation links thereby articulating the articulating tool assembly.
US08033440B2
A surgical stapling device for sequentially applying a plurality of fasteners to body tissue and simultaneously incising tissue is provided. The surgical stapling device is adapted to receive disposable loading units having staples in linear rows whose length can be between about 30 mm and 60 mm. The disposable loading unit includes a proximal body portion, a mounting assembly and a tool assembly. The mounting assembly is secured to the proximal end of the tool assembly and pivotally mounted about a pivot axis to the distal end of the proximal body portion. A support member or blow-out plate assembly is positioned on opposite sides of the pivot avis and extends between the proximal body portion and the mounting assembly.
US08033437B2
A refill for staples, which can not be removed from a cartridge unless all sheet-type connected staples in a stapler body are delivered. A refill for staples is installed in a detachable manner in a stapler body, and includes a refill body which holds the sheet-type connected staples, and a pressing member which presses the sheet-type connected staples. A delivery port delivering the sheet-type connected staples and a locking plate provided with a locking section which locks a locked section in the stapler body are formed in the refill body. When the sheet-type connected staples are pressed, the pressing member is engaged with the locking plate not to allow rotation of the locking plate, and, when the sheet-type connected staples are not pressed, the pressing member is disengaged from the locking plate to allow rotation of the locking plate. Thereby, the locking section of the locking plate can be removed from the locked section in the stapler body.
US08033430B2
The embodiments of the present invention are directed to a dispensing apparatus for dispensing a flowable product at or above a preset elevated temperature through a dispensing outlet. Such an apparatus includes a pot in which to house the product. The dispensing apparatus also includes a pump coupled between the pot and the dispensing outlet to pump the flowable product from the pot to the dispensing outlet. A rope heater configured to heat the pot may also be included in the dispensing apparatus. The pot may have a movable lid, which may vacuum seal the product against the exterior environment. The lid is designed to scrape any food product residue off the vertical walls of the pot, while also maintaining the vacuum as it moves into the pot. The pot may have a check valve to prevent product spilling when the pot is lifted out of the housing.
US08033422B2
The pill dispenser is a rotary container and dispenser for medications and the like. The pill dispenser includes a base having a lower wall and a plurality of radially extending inner walls mounted on an upper surface of the lower wall. The plurality of radially extending inner walls define a plurality of pill-receiving compartments therebetween. Additionally, a plurality of peripheral walls are mounted on the upper surface of the lower wall, with each peripheral wall partially extending between an adjacent pair of the plurality of radially extending inner walls to define an access opening therebetween. A cover, mounted on the base, includes an upper wall and a circumferential sidewall secured to a lower surface of the upper wall. An opening is formed in the circumferential sidewall. A locking device is further provided for selectively locking rotation of the cover with respect to the base, controlling access to the compartments.
US08033420B2
An anti-splash device for use in a cup or other container can help prevent or minimize sloshing, splashing and other undesirable movement of fluids. In some embodiments, the device includes a main body portion having a plurality of openings. The device can also include one or more features that are configured to engage an interior wall of the cup or other container. In other embodiments, the anti-splash device can attach to the brim of a cup or to a lid. In other embodiments, an anti-splash device, a cup lid or any other components related to a beverage or food container comprises one or more finger guides that provide targeted points of contact when manipulating such a device.
US08033411B2
A container includes a plurality of wall panels. Each wall panel is connected to adjacent wall panels at hinged connections and the wall panels are arranged so as to articulate at the hinged connections between a collapsed position and an expanded position defining a bottom wall and a plurality of side walls extending upwardly from the bottom wall. The container also includes a first latch that is configured to interlockingly engage when the wall panels are in the expanded position and a second latch that is configured to interlockingly engage when the wall panels are in the collapsed position.
US08033409B2
A packaged combination includes a fluid container having walls that are dimensioned to receive a solid object, for example, an edible item. The fluid container may be a single portion with areas cut out to receive an edible item or the fluid container may have two separate portions capable of holding the same or different fluids, which two separate portions each have walls cut out that, when acting together, may at least partially enclose an edible object.
US08033386B2
A skirtboard system for a conveyor belt or line comprising at least two skirtboards mutually opposed to one another. Each one of the skirtboards is positioned near the perimeter of the conveyor. Each one of the skirtboards comprises a support plate, a plurality of elements, each one of the elements mutually coupled with the support plate, a liner formed in interstices between the plurality of elements, a beveled nose formed along an edge of the skirtboard panel, the beveled nose complementary to the angle of the conveyor.
US08033377B2
An unloading auger for an agricultural harvester includes an inner auger having an outer end and a first coupler at the outer end. The first coupler includes a first engagement cog. An outer auger is pivotally attached to the outer end of the inner auger. The outer auger has an inner end and a second coupler at the inner end. The second coupler includes a second engagement cog. The first coupler or second coupler includes at least one engagement assistor configured to rotate the outer auger prior to engagement between the first engagement cog and the second engagement cog.
US08033375B2
Methods and systems for exchanging various forms of value, including coins, currency, credit, debit, and/or bank account funds, for prepaid cash cards, credit cards, phone cards, and the like. In one embodiment, a value exchange machine includes a coin input region, a coin sorting/counting apparatus, a card reader, and a communications facility configured to communicate with a remote computer network. In another embodiment, a value exchange system includes one or more of the value exchange machines connected to one or more remote computers via a communications link. A user wishing to purchase, for example, a prepaid cash card can visit one of the value exchange machines, select the desired transaction, and pay for the card with coins, currency, a credit card, a debit card, and/or bank account funds. After confirming payment, the value exchange machine dispenses the card to the user.
US08033372B2
An overrunning clutch has a first race, a second race, a set of pawls between the first race and the second race and a set of springs between the first race and the second race, one spring for each pawl and each corresponding spring biasing the corresponding pawl into a position in which the first race and the second race are engaged with each other in a driving direction and are disengaged from each other in a free wheeling direction. Each spring is received in a spring receiving recess of one of the races and biases a rearward portion of the corresponding pawl radially inwardly into a pawl receiving recess of the race.
US08033363B2
A brace rail shield combination for a rail of a ladder having at least one rung having a first portion that has a shape that conforms with an interior cross sectional surface of the rail. The brace rail shield combination includes a second portion that extends from the first portion at a first location to the rung to provide structural support to the rung. The second portion having an attachment portion at a second location spaced apart from the first location that is fixed to the rung. The first portion and the second portion being one continuous piece. A method for using an extension ladder. A method for producing a knee brace rail shield combination.
US08033362B1
A caddy apparatus designed to hold paint, construction items, supplies, tools and other materials while on an extension ladder without interfering with the safety of the person standing on the ladder is herein disclosed. The apparatus uses a dimensioned dowel rod which is selectably placed through the hollow cavity of the ladder rungs and extends through to either side where it is used to support the apparatus. The apparatus comprises a “U”-shaped bracket, which is supported on the dowel rod in any one of three closely-spaced hanging tubes. The base of the bracket provides a large flat tray for use in holding materials while working on the extension ladder. The use of said caddy allows workers on extension ladders quick access to tools, supplies and materials in an efficient and safe manner.
US08033361B2
A multipart rail-like profile comprises at least two or more joinable or insertable profile elements (1), having at least one ratchet (5), a toothed rack compartment, or codings extending in the longitudinal direction. In addition, pattern elements (11) having equidistantly spaced elements (13), which are coupled to the ratchet or toothed rack partitioning, are provided in at least one wall of each profile element (1). For connecting the joinable or insertable profile elements (1), a connecting element (21) having a further wall (23) is provided for adjoining the wall of each profile element, having further, longitudinally extending pattern elements (25) which are congruent with the pattern elements (11), the elements (27) of which have matching spacing.
US08033359B2
An intake sound adjusting device includes an intake passage, a tubular branch passage branched from the intake passage, and an oscillating member disposed within the branch passage, in which the oscillating member has an oscillating portion disposed so as to close an interior of the branch passage and a controlling portion extending from the oscillating portion in a direction along an extending direction of the branch passage.
US08033353B2
A canister mounting structure including: a spare tire disposed in a rear underfloor region of a vehicle body in a forward tilted position wherein a front end of the spare tire is positioned lower; a canister disposed between the vehicle body and the spare tire and fastened to an underfloor member; a fuel tank disposed in front of the spare tire; a first space formed between the spare tire and the fuel tank; and a second space formed between the canister and the fuel tank.
US08033352B2
A battery-fixing device includes a frame member, a stopper and a lock arm. The frame member is formed in a body of the forklift and provided by a battery space where a battery case is placed. The frame member has a through hole. The stopper has a lock portion and a groove. The stopper is movable in the through hole. The lock arm is pivotally supported on the frame member so as to engage with or disengage from the lock portion. The engagement of the lock arm with the lock portion keeps the stopper projecting from the through hole toward the battery space so that the groove is engagable with the battery case. The disengagement of the lock arm from the lock portion allows the stopper to be pulled back into the through hole so that the groove is not engaged with the battery case.
US08033350B2
A starting control apparatus that automatically discriminates configuration of a vehicle on which the starting control apparatus is mounted, executes an appropriate starting control, and be widely used is provided. The starting control apparatus prestores therein computer program codes for performing a starting control for normal vehicle and a starting control for hybrid vehicle, discriminates between normal vehicle and hybrid vehicle about the vehicle on which the starting control apparatus is mounted on, and executes one of the starting controls corresponding to a result of discrimination between normal vehicle and hybrid vehicle.
US08033339B2
Fire fighting method and apparatus including pumping at least 2000 gpm water from large water reservoir toward an industrial hazard and adding, in an around-the-pump system, at least one water additive from a source to the pumped water through a fitting established on the suction side of the pump, the fitting in fluid communication between the reservoir outlet and the suction side.
US08033329B2
A system and method for facilitating the formation of electrical connections between wired drill pipes is provided. Wired drill pipes comprise connection ends that each have a plurality of independent conductors. The independent conductors are arranged to enable a plurality of conductive connections between adjacent wired drill pipes when the wired drill pipes are physically connected.
US08033317B2
A flask unit for producing a cope and a drag that are stacked, comprising at least two uprightly disposed connecting rods (4), a cope flask slidably fitted on the connecting rods and formed with a molding sand blowing-in port in one of its sides, and a drag flask slidably fitted on the connecting rods so that it is located under the cope flask to mate it, the drag flask being formed with a molding sand blowing-in port in one of the sides thereof.
US08033303B2
Two guide pins 11 and 12 formed upright in a guide plate 7 are received in guide pin fitting holes 13 and 14 formed in a guide member 8. Fixed screws 23a and 23b are screw-connected to the guide pins 11 and 12. One guide pin 12 is fitted to the corresponding guide pin fitting hole 14 with a play. Screw holes 20 and 21 are formed through the inner surface of the guide pin fitting hole 14 and the outer surface of the guide member 8. An angle of the guide member 8 with respect to the guide plate 7 is adjusted by allowing front ends of embedded screws 22a and 22b respectively screw-inserted in the screw holes 20 and 21 to respectively engage with a peripheral surface of the guide pin 12.
US08033285B2
A hand grooming station, specifically for nails, which permits a user to paint, polish or otherwise groom his or her fingernails in a comfortable and unobtrusive manner via an elevated ramp while care products are easily recognizable and organized. In addition, the base is formed with a curvature and structural support to provide stability while a lip relates to a raised edge to contain spillage.
US08033273B2
A plasma ignition system includes an ignition plug attached to an engine and having a center electrode, a ground electrode, and a discharge space, a discharge power source circuit, a plasma generation power source circuit, a resistance element between the discharge power source circuit and the center electrode, a rectifying device between the plasma generation power source circuit and the center electrode, and an element receiving portion in a periphery of the center electrode. The plug puts gas in the discharge space into a plasma state to ignite a fuel/air mixture in the engine, as a result of application of high voltage to the plug by the discharge power source circuit and supply of high current to the plug by the plasma generation power source circuit. The resistance element and the rectifying device are placed in the receiving portion.
US08033265B2
An internal combustion engine, and more particularly a rotary internal combustion engine, is provided with said engine having multiple combustion chambers delimited by piston heads and an engine housing wall that defines at least a section of a torus. Additionally, a method for operating the internal combustion engine is described.
US08033264B2
A lightweight rotary engine is provided that comprises a structurally efficient, lightweight rotor housing. Disposed in the wall of the rotor housing is a combustion zone thermal barrier insert. The thermal barrier insert is comprised of a material with low thermal conductivity. The use of the insert allows the rotor housing to be constructed from higher strength material such as steel or titanium.
US08033255B2
An engine system comprising an engine, hydrogen medium capable of repeating chemically storing and discharging hydrogen, an exhaust gas pipe from said engine; and a reactor unit bearing a catalyst; wherein the hydrogen generated using the heat of the exhaust gas in said reactor unit or the mixture of the hydrogen and said hydrogen medium being supplied to said engine; wherein said reactor unit includes at least first reactor and second reactor in said exhaust gas pipe and each of said reactors comprises a partition wall disposed between an exhaust gas passage and a hydrogen medium passage; and wherein the thermal resistance of said partition wall of said first reactor positioned on the upstream side is larger than that of said second reactor positioned on the downstream side, and said hydrogen medium is supplied from said first reactor to said second reactor.
US08033248B2
A method of managing feed flow within a feeder from a feed supply conduit to a pan of said feeder is provided. The method includes the step of providing a feeder including a pan and a drop tube assembly where the assembly is configured to receive feed from the conduit, and where the assembly defines a feed gate through an outer wall thereof such that feed received from the conduit flows through the feed gate and into the pan. The method further includes the step of regulating a position of the feed gate in the outer wall of the assembly such that feed flow into the pan can be substantially controlled, such that the feed flow can be substantially directed into selected areas and at selected levels within the pan, and/or such that the position of the feed gate is variable relative to a distal end of the assembly.
US08033243B2
Strand positional guide implements, for use in connection with hot melt adhesive strand coating applicator assemblies, comprise a plurality of V-shaped strand guide slots wherein the apex portions are oriented outwardly away from the hot melt adhesive material dispensing nozzles. Accordingly, an enlarged air space is effectively defined between the plurality of elongated strands and its respective hot melt adhesive material dispensing nozzle such that the plurality of elongated strands are not adversely affected by the heat or thermal radiation generated by or emanating from the hot melt adhesive material dispensing nozzles thereof.
US08033234B2
A diver propulsion system includes separate operatively associated battery, motor, transmission, and clutch modules and a separable bracket plate and bracket base that facilitates both storage of a propulsion unit and mounting the propulsion unit on the tank of a scuba diver.
US08033229B1
An adjustable projector stand is provided for supporting a video or still image projector. The projector stand is adjustable in pitch and tilt for positioning and leveling images projected on a screen in a manner that compensates for uneven support structures, such as tilted tables and poorly placed screens. The device may be powered manually by the user or by battery through the use of a motor. The projector stand generally consists of a platform with two legs, each of which is formed by two pivotally joined rods. Each leg is in direct rotational communication with a threaded rod disposed within the platform. Each rod is in turn coupled to a means for rotation, which may consist of a manually rotated knob or a battery powered motor. The raising and lowering of one leg may be performed independent of the other in order to allow the projector stand to be leveled on an uneven surface.
US08033227B2
A pallet includes a platform and a plurality of support assemblies located at multiple positions on the platform. One support assembly is associated with each location of the component to be supported. Each support assembly has a linkage assembly to support and enable movement of a support element. The support assemblies also each include multiple bases secured to the platform, to position the support element in a desired location for each version of a component. An alignment mechanism on each base allows for rotational alignment of the support element relative to the pallet. A locking mechanism on each support element prevents vertical movement of the support element during pallet use.
US08033216B2
A cartridge device applied to production lines for automatic screen printing is revealed. The cartridge device includes a frame, a plurality of cartridges for loading articles to be printed, two cartridge lifting members for driving the cartridge to move up/down, two cartridge convey member for driving the cartridge move horizontally, two printed substrate (articles) delivery members for delivering the articles to be printed, and two shift mechanisms for taking out or putting in the articles to be printed from the cartridge or the printed substrate delivery members. By one shift mechanism, the article to be printed on a work line is moved from the printed substrate delivery member into the cartridge for running material collection or the article to be printed is moved from the cartridge to the printed substrate delivery member for performing material feeding. Thus the two work lines of the production line can perform automatic material feeding, collection and storage simultaneously or respectively.
US08033215B1
A method to impart physical enhancements to a sheet material having a printed image such that the physical enhancements are in alignment with the graphical features of the printed image as would be complimentary to the physical enhancements and thereby forming an enhanced image. One embodiment has a computer based design environment allowing a user to develop a scaled virtual representation of an enhanced image through a graphical user interface by assembling a plurality of virtual objects representing forms and dimensions of preexisting or preconceived enhancement components, forms and dimensions of preexisting or preconceived assembly components, forms and dimensions of physical enhancements imparted to sheet material by preexisting or preconceived enhancement components, forms and dimensions of graphical enhancements as would be printed to sheet material and complimentary to physical enhancements and forms of images. Images and graphical enhancements are printed to sheet material to create a printed image and assembly and enhancement components assembled in accordance with assembly template derived from virtual design such that a custom die is formed specific to the printed image. Custom die is applied to printed image under a predetermined force such as to apply physical enhancements to printed image in accordance with virtual design.
US08033213B2
A flexible automatic broiler and method of use for variable batch cooking for particular use in quick serve and fast food service restaurants. The automatic cooking devices include a conveyorized cooking surface for alignment and discharge of food products, an altering/pulsating infrared energy radiation heat sources, and a control system. The arrangement and method facilitate a combination of batch preparation and made-to-order assembly of fast-food sandwiches.
US08033204B2
A cutting wheel using knives with slice thickness gauging surfaces defining, with the knife cutting edges, a thickness dimension of sliced food products and a throat dimension measured perpendicular to the wheel cutting plane between each knife cutting edge and the terminal edge of the adjacent gauging surface, wherein the knives each have a single primary bevel extending practically tangent to the cutting plane on the side of the knife facing towards the cutting plane and a smooth transition area on the opposite side of the knife, and the ratio of throat dimension to slice thickness dimension is 1 to 1.7.
US08033203B2
A cartridge is configured for slitting a mill roll in a slitting machine. The cartridge includes a first shaft mounted in bearings in a pair of endplates, with one end of the shaft having a driven yoke for rotation thereof. The first shaft includes a row of first circular blades spaced longitudinally by corresponding first spacers. A second shaft is pivotally mounted in the endplates, and is spaced parallel with the first shaft. A dovetail bar is fixedly joined to the second shaft parallel therewith. And, a row of blade holders are mounted along the dovetail bar, with each holder including a second circular blade aligned with a corresponding one of the first blades for cutting in shear a web unwound from the mill roll. The cartridge may be quickly replaced in the slitting machine for each production run thereof for alignment with cores on a corresponding arbor.
US08033197B2
A human-machine interface assembly is implemented with a gimbal assembly that includes a roll hub, a pitch hub, and a main hub. The gimbal assembly further includes a plurality of bearings, and is mounted via a plurality of bearing sets, that are each disposed in a free floating manner. As a result, each of the bearings is self-aligning and self-adjusting when the gimbal assembly is assembled and mounted. The gimbal assembly additionally includes a plurality of integral stops that mechanically limit movement of a user interface to predetermined pitch and roll angles.
US08033194B2
A transmission for a vehicle includes first to fourth counter shafts arranged in parallel with one input shaft, a reduction gear set including first to fourth reduction gears respectively provided at an output shaft and first to third counter shafts for connecting the output shaft and the corresponding counter shafts, an intermediate gear set including a driving gear, a driven gear and an idling gear for connecting the input shaft and the fourth counter shaft, and first to third gear mechanisms each provided between corresponding two shafts and each having two gear sets and one switching clutch provided between the corresponding two gear sets for selectively establishing a power transmitting path between the corresponding two shafts via one of the two gear sets or via the other one of the two gear sets.
US08033192B2
A transmission drive unit for adjusting a movable part in a motor vehicle has a support tube, a drive wheel, which is drivable using a drive assembly rotatably supported on the support tube and located on a spindle installed first in the support tube as a separate component and received in the bearing receptacle; a customer-specific receiving module, which subsequently and separately is attached to the support tube and includes a receptacle for a fastening device on the motor vehicle or the part to be adjusted, and the material of the receiving module has a higher strength than the material of the support tube.
US08033187B2
The invention relates to a device and a method for taking liquid or gaseous samples from containers and/or tubes that are filled with a medium, in particular from fermenters, by means of negative pressure, wherein an element which acts as a non-return valve is arranged within a sample probe as an inlet for the sample that is to be taken, and a supply line which is able to convey gas and a discharge line which is able to discharge sample are arranged on a common side of the element.
US08033182B2
A detection assembly for detecting a morphology of a person is provided. The assembly includes a sensor and a processing unit. The sensor includes (i) first and second main linear electrodes covering different zones of a plane, and (ii) a third auxiliary linear electrode having substantially at least an open loop shape and almost entirely surrounding the first and second main electrodes in said plane. The processing unit is connected to the electrodes and is for (i) powering the electrodes at controlled voltage levels, (ii) making use of signals taken from the electrodes in the form of ratios between two of the signals, and (iii) delivering binary signals representing a percentage by which a main electrode is covered by comparison of a signal taken from the main electrodes with a predetermined threshold, and analog signals representing a percentage of covering of at least one electrode.
US08033178B2
A pressure sensor comprises a sensor platform; a measuring membrane, or diaphragm, which is held by the sensor platform, and can have a pressure applied to it and is deformable as a function of pressure; and at least two resistance elements having an AlxGa1—xN layer. At least a first resistance element of the at least two resistance elements is arranged on the measuring membrane, or diaphragm and has a deformation-dependent resistance value. The pressure sensor can be operated using a measurement circuit to register a signal which depends on the resistance values of the at least two resistance elements in the plane of the AlxGa1—xN layer. Four resistance elements are preferably provided in a full bridge.
US08033170B2
The present invention provides a method of tuning properties of a gravity gradiometer for measuring components of the gravity gradient tensor. The gravity gradiometer comprises a pair of first and second transversely arranged sensor masses that are arranged for movement about an axis and relative to each other in response to a gravity gradient. The gravity gradiometer further comprises first and second capacitors for sensing and influencing the movement of the first and second sensor masses. The method comprising applying a bias voltage to at least one of the capacitors for generating an electrostatic force which acts on one of the sensor masses and thereby influences the movement of that sensor mass.
US08033168B2
A catalyst deterioration judgment device that can accurately perform a catalyst deterioration judgment by considering an oxygen density at downstream of an exhaust purification catalyst. The system reads outputs of an oxygen sensor and an ammonia sensor that are installed in downstream of an NSR catalyst when the catalyst is in an activate condition. When this read oxygen sensor output is equal to or more than a reference value and the ammonia sensor output is equal to or more than a reference value, it is estimated that ammonia oxidizing reaction does not occur under existence of oxygen in the NSR catalyst. In this case, the NSR catalyst is judged to be deteriorated.
US08033165B2
An accelerator sensor that is mounted on an engine block may be used to detect vibration of a compression ignition engine, and the detected vibration signal is analyzed to determine the combustion timing of the engine. A method for detecting combustion timing may include measuring a block vibration signal generated in a combustion process of an engine, setting up a frequency area that is to be analyzed in the block vibration to divide the frequency area into wavelet scales, executing continuous wavelet transformations of the divided wavelet scales to extract respective result values thereof and to calculate differences between former result values and latter result values, comparing the calculated difference value with a predetermined value to store crank angles of pertinent timing if the calculated difference values exceed the predetermined value, and averaging the stored crank angles to determine combustion timing in a case that all wavelet scales are processed.
US08033164B2
The present invention relates to an apparatus and method as described in the specification and drawings for parallel high throughput corrosion testing and electroplating testing of test coupons.
US08033160B2
A sensor element for determining different gas components in a test gas, in particular in an exhaust gas of an internal combustion engine, including a lambda sensor for determining an oxygen content in the test gas, at least one semiconductor gas sensor for determining at least one further gas component in the test gas, and a multiplexer which is connected to the semiconductor gas sensor.
US08033159B2
The invention relates to a sensor and a method for detecting soot, said method comprising the following steps: a first operating temperature is set on the sensor for a measuring phase, such that soot can be deposited on the surface of the substrate, but depositions interfering with the measurement of the soot are prevented; the time between the beginning of the measurement and the increase in conductivity between the electrodes is recorded; and a second operating temperature is set on the sensor for a regeneration phase, such that the deposited soot is burned with the oxygen in the test gas. The inventive product is a soot sensor for using in the automobile industry.
US08033158B2
Systems and methods for the detection of substances (particularly particulate substances) within mail pieces, specifically letters and other “flats” of mail. In particular, the systems and methods are for the detection of residues of Chemical or Biological Warfare Agents (CBWAs) which may be present within the mail pieces. The system is principally designed to be included as part of Dual Pass Rough Cull System (DPRCS) for the collection and detection of the residue when the contaminated mail piece first enters a mail facility and before it is intermingled with other mail pieces. The system also utilizes aerosol chambers using at least two arrays of pinch rollers to provide for decreased incremental changes on mail pieces and decrease the likelihood of mail piece damage.
US08033154B2
A die apparatus and method for performing a flashless forging operation to manufacture the toothed portion of a steering rack. The die apparatus includes first and second die members and at least one punch member, each having a forming surface shaped substantially as an obverse of a portion of the toothed portion. At least a portion of the forming surface of the first die member is shaped substantially as the obverse of the teeth of the rack. The first and second die members are moveable towards each other to a closed position, thereby partially forging the toothed portion from a blank placed in the die apparatus, and forming a substantially closed cavity defined by the forming surfaces. The punch member is adapted to move into the cavity once the die members are in the closed position, thereby completing the forging operation.
US08033143B2
A washing machine includes a dehydrating tub which is rotatably mounted, a pulsator which is rotatably mounted in the dehydrating tub, a motor which rotates the dehydrating tub and the pulsator, a washing shaft which transmits a rotational force of the motor to the pulsator, a dehydrating shaft which intermittently transmits the rotational force of the washing shaft to the dehydrating shaft, and a power transmission device which is moved according to rotation of the washing shaft.
US08033134B2
A refrigerator includes a refrigerator cabinet, a refrigerator compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, a freezer compartment disposed within the refrigerator cabinet, and a battery. There is at least one fan disposed within the refrigerator cabinet and electrically connected to the battery. The battery powers the at least one fan during a power outage to thereby circulate air from the freezer compartment to the refrigerator compartment. The at least one fan may be a direct current operated fan. The refrigerator may also include an inverter and the at least one fan may then be an alternating current operated fan electrically connected to the inverter. The battery may be disposed within the refrigerator cabinet or may be external to the refrigerator cabinet.
US08033132B1
A self-cooling beverage container includes a container body having a container interior, a beverage provided in the container interior, a gas compartment provided in the container body, a cooling gas provided in the gas compartment, a cooling compartment disposed in fluid communication with the gas compartment and disposed in the container interior, a gas compartment seal disposed between the gas compartment and the cooling compartment, a detachable element carried by the container body and a gas release pin carried by the detachable element and adapted to rupture the gas compartment seal upon detachment of the detachable element from the container body.
US08033129B2
A showcase where an illumination device is placed outside a receiving chamber to enable effective use of the space in the receiving chamber. The inside of an insulated box body (16) having front glass (18) fitted in a front opening (56) is defined to form a receiving chamber (52). An upper evaporator (34) is placed in an upper insulating layer (54) of the insulated box body (16) so as to be in contact with a cooling plate (62) defining the upper surface of the receiving chamber (52). An opening (64) is formed in that portion of the cooling plate (62) with which the upper evaporator (34) is not in contact, and a receiving space (66) is formed in that portion of the upper insulating layer (54) to which the opening (64) faces. A holder (78) is placed at the receiving space (66), and inside the holder (78) is received and fixed an LED illumination device (70). The opening (64) is closed by a cover (86) with packing (84) in between, and the inside of the holder (78) is maintained in a sealed state.
US08033127B2
An R-410A DX heating/cooling system with: an electrical generating expansion device; with a protective means for refrigerant transport tubing containing dissimilar metals and/or in corrosive environments; with an automatic heating mode expansion device; with a TXV by-pass design; with retractable sub-surface tubing designs; with sub-surface line set sizing at varying depths and lengths; with reciprocal compressor sizing; with a DX Hydronic system design; with an improved oil separator float design; with a mobile DX system design; and with a resting module DX system design.
US08033124B2
Disclosed herein are a refrigerator and a defrost control method thereof that are capable of sensing an amount of frost formed on an evaporator based on a change amount of absolute humidity in the refrigerator to control a defrost operation. A defrost control method of a refrigerator including a storage chamber and an evaporator to cool the storage chamber, includes sensing absolute humidity in the storage chamber, determining an estimated amount of frost formed on the evaporator using time segments in which the absolute humidity in the storage chamber decreases, and controlling a defrost operation based on the estimated amount of frost. According to the present embodiments, it is possible to perform the defrost operation at the point of time for optimum defrost, thereby maximizing energy efficiency and cooling efficiency.
US08033121B2
A low eddy current cryogen circuit for superconducting magnets including at least a first cooling coil made of an electrically conducting material and having at least one electrical isolator incorporated in the first cooling coil. The electrical isolator is located to inhibit induced eddy current loops due to inductive coupling of the first cooling coil with eddy current inducing field sources.
US08033118B2
A simplified air bleed balancing control system for a pair of aircraft gas turbine engines reduces the number of pressure transducers and differential pressure transducers. Advantages include lower weight, less expensive system, better total system MTBF (mean time before failure), acceptable differential pressure transducer drift identification and compensation by the digital controller, and fewer maintenance tasks.
US08033112B2
A swirler for premixing a flow of fuel and a flow of air provided to a burner for a gas turbine engine is provided. The burner is provided with a swirler for mixing the air and the fuel and wherein the swirler is provided with swirler wings, wherein a channel formed between two adjacent swirler wings defines a passage. The swirler includes one fuel tube for gaseous fuel positioned in parallel on each side of a mixing rod in the passage, wherein the fuel tubes are provided with a plurality of diffuser holes distributed along the tube acting as gas injectors for efficiently distributing fuel in a flow of air passing through the swirler passage.
US08033107B2
A hydrostatic drive with first and second hydraulic pumps and a dual-acting hydraulic cylinder. The dual-acting hydraulic cylinder has a first working chamber defined by a first piston surface and a second working chamber defined by a second piston surface. The first working chamber is connected to first connections of the first and second hydraulic pumps. The second working chamber is connected to a second connection of the second hydraulic pump. A second connection of the first hydraulic pump is connected to a hydraulic fluid reservoir. The ratio of the first piston surface to the second piston surface differs from the ratio of the total delivery volume of the two hydraulic pumps relative to the delivery volume of the second hydraulic pump. A tapping valve for removing hydraulic fluid is provided for the volumetric flow equalisation.
US08033105B2
An internal combustion engine includes an exhaust-gas system with n>1 exhaust-gas flow configurations, wherein n is an integer. The exhaust-gas flow configurations are at least partly separated from one another and each of the exhaust-gas flow configurations includes at least one catalytic converter. The internal combustion engine includes a secondary air supply system with at least one secondary air pump and at least one secondary air valve. The at least one secondary air pump is connected, via the at least one secondary air valve, to at most n−1 of the exhaust-gas flow configurations upstream of the at least one catalytic converter of the at most n−1 of the exhaust-gas flow configurations. The remaining ones of the exhaust-gas flow configurations are separated from the secondary air supply system.
US08033104B2
A Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) injection system for mixing reductant with exhaust gasses. The system includes a plate disposed between walls of an entrance portion and an egress section of the exhaust pipe. The plate intercepts exhaust gasses entering the entrance section of the exhaust pipe and directs such exhaust gasses through apertures in a wall of a reductant-introducing conduit. The conduit has an outlet disposed in the egress section of the exhaust pipe. The wherein dimensions of the apertures in the wall and dimensions in the outlet of the conduit being selected to increase the velocity of the exhaust leaving the outlet of the conduit into the egress section of the exhaust pipe relative to the velocity of the exhaust gases in the entrance section.
US08033096B2
A temperature-sensitive type urea sensor 74 is adopted for use in an engine exhaust gas purifying apparatus. The magnitude of convection of urea aqueous solution generated in a storage tank 41 is determined based on temperature information detected by the urea sensor 74. For detection of abnormality, a detected concentration Dn is adopted when the percentage GRDt of temperature change of urea aqueous solution is small, so that convection is small and it is determined not to affect accurate detection of an abnormality.
US08033090B2
Method for the bidirectional transmission of data between one or more textile machines (1) producing cross-wound bobbins and/or one or more same-level and/or higher level control systems with a device (2) for transmitting data to a transport medium, which is used for the transporting of data located on the transport medium, the transport medium being in operative connection with the textile machine (1) producing cross-wound bobbins to transmit data via the device (2). According to the invention, a memory, a hard disc, a magnetic tape, a writable compact disc (CD), a writable digital versatile disc (DVD), a magneto-optical disc (MO disc), a minidisc (MD) or a digital memory card provided in a mobile telephone or a palm-top computer (personal digital assistant) are used as the transporting medium and the device (2) is integrated in an exchangeable manner in the textile machine (1).
US08033088B2
A combine harvester for separating grain from trash is attached to a towable baling apparatus for converting trash into compacted bales, by a conveyor, a forward end of the conveyor being pivotally attached to the combine harvester proximate the rear such that a trash outlet of the combine is disposed above the trash inlet of the conveyor. The rear end of the conveyor is attached to the baling apparatus in a way that causes a large percentage of the trash from the combine harvester trash outlet to enter the baling apparatus inlet without ever touching the ground. The conveyor is supported from the rear of the combine harvester by a towbar which is fixed to the chassis proximate the support for the forward and rearward set of ground wheels. A nozzle is provided to spray water onto the crop before it enters the baler.
US08033086B2
A lawn mower is provided with a lawn mowing mechanism, a grass collection box receiving grass mowed by the lawn mowing mechanism, a lift mechanism for lifting the grass collection box high, and a rear lid plate structured such as to openably close an opening in the rear surface of the grass collection box wherein an improvement is achieved in the stability of a support at a time of lifting up the grass collection box high in the case of discharging the mowed grass in the grass collection box in a state of lifting up the grass collection box high, and also achieves a downsizing and a weight saving. A bottom portion of the grass collection box is opened, the opened bottom portion being operably closed by a bottom lid plate, and the mowed grass is discharged from the grass collection box by an opening actuation of the bottom lid plate and the rear lid plate.
US08033080B2
In the encasement of a height-adjustable support column comprising a plurality of encasement elements (12) which are arranged annularly around the support column and which engage each other in a telescopic manner and can be slid relatively to each other in the axial direction of the support column, the encasement elements (12) each consisting of a material band (14) bent into a ring whose abutting edges (16) each have a rebate (20) bent backwards and are connected to each other by means of a retainer clip (22) having a C-shaped profile and clasping the rebates, at least one of the rebates (20) is provided with a recess (26) into which a locking element (28) provided on the retainer clip (22) can be engaged.
US08033075B2
A locking system for mechanical joining of floorboards, each of the floorboards comprising a body comprising plywood with several layers; a locking groove which is formed in an underside of and extends in parallel with a first joint edge at a distance from the joint plane, the locking groove having an opening, a bottom, and two side walls; a portion projecting from a lower part of the second joint edge and below the first joint edge and integrated with the body of the board; said projecting portion supporting, at a distance from the joint plane, a locking element for cooperating with the locking groove; said projecting portion being located entirely outside the joint plane as seen from the side of the second joint edge; and the walls of the locking groove comprise at least two layers of the body.
US08033074B2
Floor panels which are provided with a mechanical locking system including a displaceable tongue in a displacement groove. The tongue is molded and provided with bendable protrusions.
US08033066B2
A wall panel system including a mounting bracket, a wall panel, and a clip attached to the wall panel, the clip having an engaging element that secures it to the mounting bracket. The wall panel system also includes a slot in the clip facing outwardly from the wall panel, a spline slidably positioned in the slot of the clip, and a sealing insert positioned between the mounting bracket and the spline. The sealing insert may be in the shape of an X, and may be made from polypropylene foam. The sealing insert may also have a gasket tape on one side to provide an improved seal.
US08033064B2
A polymer building product for securement to the exterior of a building, the building product comprising a base portion securable to a substrate; a top portion slidingly telescopingly receivable over the base portion; and engaging elements, such as teeth, interengaging projections, etc. disposed on one or both of the base and top portions for securing the base and top portions together. The building product is characterized by a first, unsecured condition in which the top portion is slidingly received over the base portion in a first rotational orientation relative to the base portion and the top and base portions are freely slidingly separable, and a second, secured condition in which the top portion is slidingly received over the base portion in a second rotational orientation relative to the base portion and the top and base portions are secured together.
US08033062B2
The residential building whose majority of components are prefabricated in a factory, includes a foundation supporting a bed, walls erected on the bed, a ceiling supported on the walls and a roof supported on the walls. The foundation is formed of foundation blocks that are cast on-site, in appropriate excavations, and joints by forms of stringers also cast on-site in appropriate excavations. Each foundation block is provided with a vertical pillar prefabricated in a factory, each vertical pillar having a horizontal upper planar face. The upper planer faces of the pillars are arranged along the same horizontal plane, receiving and supporting, at a distance from the ground, the bed of the building. The invention also relates to a method and device used for realizing the wall elements manually or automatically in a continuous manner.
US08033058B2
An apparatus for diverting rainwater includes a body having a top portion, a bottom portion, and a central portion. A diverter is disposed within the central portion, and has a lower portion and an upper portion. The lower portion of the diverter, together with one or more walls of the body, defines a containment configured to capture rainwater that enters through the top portion. An opening in at least one of the walls of the body is configured to divert rainwater from the containment. The body also includes a bypass flow area extending through the central portion adjacent to, and separate from, the containment, where the bypass flow area has a cross-sectional area that is substantially equal to or greater than a cross sectional area of the top and bottom portions.
US08033051B2
A wrapper for wrapping a flower pot and/or floral grouping is disclosed. The wrapper is constructed of a sheet of material having an extension attached to a portion of the sheet of material. When the wrapper is formed about a flower pot to form a decorative cover, upper edges of the sheet of material and extension cooperate to form a skirt portion preferably having at least two separate edges providing a “two-sheet” effect in the decorative cover. The wrapper may have extensions on opposing ends of the sheet of material and may have one or more additional overlapping extensions.
US08033046B2
The fishing rod holder comprises a support post having a threaded end that can be mounted to a base, such as the side of a boat or the rail of a pier. Alternatively, the end of the support post can be fashioned to terminate in a sharp point for insertion into the ground. The support post is attached to the bottom surface of horizontally adjustable, semicylindrical plates. A socket member is pivotally attached to the plates. The socket member is adapted to receive the grip of a fishing rod therein. The semicylindrical plates can be pivoted on the support post to adjust the angle of the rod while fishing, and the socket can be pivoted up from the plates for quickly removing the rod from the holder when a fish is hooked. The plates can be adjusted to different lengths to support different rod and reel combinations.
US08033041B2
This invention relates to a display panel tensioner whereby a flexible display panel, generally of the type carrying advertising or promotional material, may be supported under tension to thereby provide a smooth and neat appearance that enhances the aesthetics of the display panel. The tensioner comprising a body having attachment formations whereby it may be secured to a support structure, a track formed in the body and receiving an elongate tensioning member that is longitudinally movable along the track between terminal positions with the tensioning member being movable in a plane generally parallel to a plane in which a display panel is to be supported thereby, resilient biasing means urging the tensioning member towards one terminal position thereof relative to the track, and attachment means for releasably attaching a display panel assembly to the tensioning member.
US08033040B2
A customizable gift box includes a box blank and a label assembly. The label assembly preferably includes a face sheet having a printable surface including a label sized to cover the box blank and a back sheet having a removable portion at least partially overlaying the label, the removable portion removable to expose an adhesive surface of the label within the face sheet. In addition, at least one index line is positioned on the label assembly for aligning the box blank relative to the label.
US08033030B2
A neck measurement device and a method of selecting a pillow which takes into account the physique of the user are disclosed. A neck compression index (NCi) is calculated being the weight of the sleeper in kilograms divided by the shoulder width (ear to outer arm dimension) of the sleeper in centimeters. Preferably a compensated NCi is calculated which takes into account the softness or hardness of the mattress. A pillow resiliency is then selected based on the (compensated) NCi. Color coded pillow slips can be used to assist sleepers to self-select a pillow appropriate for their physique.
US08033028B2
A method and apparatus for determining the alignment of a vehicle wheel using an optical target attached to the vehicle wheel, the optical target having a dimensionally stable shape and a plurality of visible features defining target elements arranged in a known geometric and spatial configuration relative to each other across at least two surfaces. A two-dimensional image of the optical target is acquired by an imaging system to detect a plurality of target element images corresponding to the plurality of target elements. A spatial orientation of the optical target and an alignment of the vehicle wheel is then determined from the plurality of target element images and the known geometric and spatial configuration of the plurality of target elements on the target surfaces.
US08033027B2
An integrated shaver and hair trimmer device with an adjustable handle includes a shaver and trimmer assembly with a shaver/trimmer head including one or more cutting blade assemblies and an elongated handle assembly connected to the shaver and trimmer assembly. The shaver and trimmer assembly and the handle assembly are constructed and arranged such that at a point of connection of the assemblies either the shaver and trimmer assembly or the handle assembly move or pivot about the point of connection to adjust a position or angle of the handle assembly relative to the shaver and trimmer assembly. The device is further constructed and arranged to securely and removably fix the handle assembly at a required or desired position or angle relative to the shaver and trimmer assembly including any one of a multiple of positions or any position within a certain range of movement of the handle assembly.
US08033023B2
Connecting structures are provided, for connecting a cartridge to a handle in a shaving razor, e.g., a razor for wet shaving. A cartridge connecting a structure includes a molded body, and a blade unit receiving portion having a shell bearing structure that pivotally receives a blade unit, the shell bearing structure comprising a pair of shell bearings. The cartridge connecting structure further includes a spring return for biasing the blade unit relative to the cartridge connecting structure, the spring return being positioned between the shell bearings and extending integrally from the molded body of the cartridge connecting structure.
US08033021B2
A vehicle includes at least one polyoxymethylene structural support member. The polyoxymethylene structural support member includes a polyoxymethylene component that is a propellant that provides thrust to the vehicle upon pyrolysis or combustion of the polyoxymethylene component of the product of pyrolysis of the polyoxymethylene component. The vehicle can be a satellite or other type of spacecraft.
US08033019B2
A lower manifold for a V-style internal combustion engine comprising at least three shells: a top shell for mating with an upper manifold; a left shell for mating with a left engine head; and a right shell for mating with a right engine head. The three shells are formed independently by injection molding and are joined as by vibration welding when aligned in a welding jig. The molds for the left and right shells are formed such that the seal ring groove has a rectangular cross-section having sidewalls perpendicular to the lower shell surface because each left and right shell has its own draft angle preferably perpendicular to its lower shell surface. The method and apparatus of the invention permits runner cross-sections to be significantly rounded, which improves air flow characteristics of the runners.
US08033015B2
Disclosed is a printed wiring board having signal layers each interposed between a power supply layer and a ground layer, wherein the signal layer includes at least one of a wiring region for a ground potential and a wiring region for a power supply potential.
US08033011B2
A method for mounting a thinned semiconductor wafer on a carrier substrate for further processing is disclosed. The method consists of a series of steps, which is based on providing a frame with a double-side tape to mount the thinned wafer on the carrier substrate. The frame is used to support the double-side tape and can be designed to fit the conventional production line for holding, picking and transferring wafers. The carrier substrate can be a sapphire substrate, a quartz substrate or other substrates that can sustain further processing, such as thermal treatments and/or chemical etchings. The method of the present invention not only prevents possible damages to the highly brittle chip after wafer thinning, but also fits the conventional production line for processing semiconductor wafers.
US08033009B2
There is provided a method for producing a force sensor including: a force sensor chip; and an attenuator, in which the force sensor chip and the attenuator are joined at joint portions with a glass layer sandwiched therebetween. The method includes: a film forming step in which a glass film as the glass layer is formed on regions of the attenuator containing the joint portions or on regions of the force sensor chip containing the joint portions; and an anodic bonding step in which the force sensor chip and the attenuator are stacked as a stacked body in close contact with each other at the joint portions, and the glass film and the force sensor chip, or the glass film and the attenuator, are joined.
US08033001B2
A method and apparatus for aligning a CVD showerhead, comprising engaging a showerhead stem clamp with a showerhead stem outside of a process chamber of the CVD system. An alignment fixture is provided, and a plurality of spacer discs are positioned between the showerhead suspended from a top plate of the CVD system and heated platen. Nuts supporting the showerhead to the top plate are loosened, therein permitting the showerhead to move vertically within the process chamber. The process chamber is closed and the top plate is lowered, wherein the showerhead contacts the plurality of spacer discs. The alignment fixture is engaged with the showerhead stem clamp, therein fixing a vertical position of the showerhead with respect to the top plate, and the top plate is raised. The position of the of the showerhead is then fixed with respect to the top plate via a plurality of standoffs, an adjustment bracket, a threaded rod, and a plurality of nuts.
US08032991B2
A heavy duty hand tool handle has specifically configured thermoplastic and overmolded elastomeric material, with a thermoplastic grip and thumb receiving recesses for equal right and left hand ergonomic use. Metal indicia are forcibly embedded in the thermoplastic case to provide e.g. safety information which remains legible in long term heavy duty abrasive use.
US08032988B2
A rotating mechanism and an electronic device using the same are provided. The rotating mechanism is disposed at the electronic device. The electronic device includes a first casing and a second casing. The rotating mechanism includes a first gear and a second gear. The first gear is coupled to the first casing. The second gear is coupled to the second casing. The second gear is engaged with the first gear, and then the first casing is capable of rotating relatively to the second casing.
US08032980B2
A power tool (10) includes a power tool housing (18) at least partially-encompassing an internal combustion engine (14) and a harness (12) on which the power tool housing is mounted. The harness has a pair of shoulder straps (16), a waist strap (24), and a panel (44) connecting the shoulder' straps and waist strap. The power tool housing is mounted on a frame (30) having at least one arcuate tool-supporting member with an upper end proximate the shoulder straps and a lower end proximate the waist strap. The tool-supporting member is shaped along its vertical length such that a middle portion of the member arcs away from the panel such that there is an air-circulation space (S) between the power tool housing and the panel. In one embodiment, the power tool is a blower and the housing has an air intake port (46) facing the air-circulation space.
US08032974B2
A handle assembly includes a handle having a front end and a back end and a receptacle mounted to the front end, wherein the receptacle defines a recess. A projection extends into the recess and a removable fastener also extends into the recess. The projection and the removable fastener are adapted to be inserted into an abrasive member to retain the abrasive member in the recess.
US08032971B2
An oral care implement or toothbrush includes a head and a tooth cleaning element for enhanced cleaning and whitening of the teeth. The tooth cleaning element has a base corrected to the head. The base has structure in the form of a concave surface facing a distal region of the head such that dentifrice applied to the head is adapted to be directed towards the distal region of the head. A protrusion extends from the concave surface towards the distal region of the head. The head may include a plurality of concave surfaces that are substantially aligned along a longitudinal axis of the head, and protrusion extends from the curved surface.
US08032969B1
An attachable brush for footwear, particularly suited for an umpire to clean dirt from home plate during a baseball game is herein disclosed. The footwear comprises a bristle portion along one (1) side and sized approximately one (1) inch wide and four (4) inches long, with the bristle portions being approximately one (1) inch. The brush body is attached to the footwear by means of a flap made of leather or similar resilient material. The flap is attached to the top of the brush body and is removably attached to the footwear by use of eyelets that would be interlocked with the shoelaces on the footwear. This enables the umpire to slightly lift his foot, allowing the brush to hang down, and sweep it back and forth over the home plate area. Its positioning would not allow it to interfere with walking or other activities when not being used.
US08032950B2
A head covering is described that is positioned on a head of a wearer to retain the wearer's hair in a desired position. The head covering comprises a hooded cap and an extension. The hooded cap includes a pair of ties and a set of straps. The hooded cap is secured to the head of the wearer using ties. The extension connects to the hooded cap on one end and includes an opposing distal end portion with a free terminal end. The extension includes a pouch and a flap. The pouch defines a first aperture in proximity to the hooded cap and a second aperture in proximity to the flap. A passageway is defined between the first aperture, the extension and the second aperture. The flap and pouch include connectors for the optional connection of the flap and pouch to secure the second aperture in a closed position. At least one strap is connected to the extension. The straps are constructed to secure the extension and hair together. The head covering has a first position wherein the head covering is passed along the hair of the wearer from a distal end of the wearer's hair to the wearer's head. The second position of the head covering includes the hooded cap positioned on the wearer's head and the hair of the wearer at least partially positioned in the passageway defined in the extension.
US08032946B2
The invention provides a shield structure which is compatible for a plurality of helmets in spite that an auxiliary shield mounting mechanism has a comparatively simple structure, is less expensive, and provides a good appearance as a whole. According to one aspect of the invention, each of left and right auxiliary shield mounting mechanisms which are disposed on a main shield includes an inner auxiliary shield mounting portion and outer auxiliary shield mounting portion in common.
US08037535B2
A system and method for detecting malicious executable software code. Benign and malicious executables are gathered; and each are encoded as a training example using n-grams of byte codes as features. After selecting the most relevant n-grams for prediction, a plurality of inductive methods, including naive Bayes, decision trees, support vector machines, and boosting, are evaluated.
US08037533B2
A detecting method for network intrusion includes: selecting a plurality of features contained within plural statistical data by a data-transforming module; normalizing a plurality of feature values of the selected features into the same scale to obtain a plurality of normalized feature data; creating at least one feature model by a data clustering technique incorporated with density-based and grid-based algorithms through a model-creating module; evaluating the at least one feature model through a model-identifying module to select a detecting model; and detecting whether a new packet datum belongs to an intrusion instance or not by a detecting module.
US08037529B1
A computer-implemented method includes identifying a buffer overflow vulnerability in a vulnerable program including identifying a victim buffer creation site that created a victim buffer and identifying a vulnerability site that overflowed the victim buffer. A patch is created for the vulnerable program to prevent the vulnerability site from overflowing a potential victim buffer created by the victim buffer creation site. In this manner, the information obtained in identifying the buffer overflow vulnerability is used to automatically derive a patch that accurately seals the vulnerability, greatly reduces the false positive and negative rate, while at the same time shortens the response time to new threats.
US08037522B2
Security level establishment for an application in a terminal equipment under a generic bootstrapping architecture offering a plurality of different bootstrapping mechanisms, the terminal equipment comprising a credential establishment entity and an application entity, comprising a request for a credential for the application from the application entity to the credential establishment entity and a response from the credential establishment entity to the application entity, wherein the response comprises the requested credential and credential quality information.
US08037510B2
Techniques to overlay ciphersuite negotiation on top of the mesh link establishment protocol without sacrificing security. Two cryptographic primitives may be utilized: (1) a message integrity code, which is denoted as mK, where K is an authentication key (mK may be utilized to detect forged messages); and (2) a cryptographic random number generator, which will be denoted as rng. The techniques may use rng to produce values that cannot be predicted by any polynomial time algorithm.
US08037508B2
A video server and a file management method which can erase an unnecessary program data file promptly are provided. Video server S divides processing of management of files performed by one frame into 11 sections, assigns five sections to playing process, assigns five sections to recording process and assigns one section to erasing process and performs processing of the file management. Server S supervises the file processing under executing. When a number of sections which perform the playing process or a number of sections which perform recording process is smaller than 5 and there is a demand of the erasing process for more than 2 files, server S assigns the section which is not used to the erasing process and unnecessary files are erased.
US08037506B2
Digital content files containing entertainment media such as movies, TV shows, and the like are distributed from at least one content source primarily responsible for the original creation of the media to subscribers over a network system. The content source is connected over at least one content source network to a plurality of distribution partners, and each distribution partner is connected with a selected group of subscribers over an access network. A requested digital content file is distributed from the content source to a subscriber in a network distribution path comprising at least the content source network, the distribution partner associated with the subscriber, and the second network. A profile information package containing subscriber preferences is transmitted from the subscriber to the content source by way of a proxy over the network distribution path, and the profile information package is stored at the content source.
US08037493B2
Techniques are described to customize the functional capabilities of a remote control device with one or more modular hardware components. In an implementation, a modular hardware component coupled to a remote control device is identified. A user interface is configured according to the identified modular hardware component and/or the functional capabilities of the identified modular hardware component. The configured user interface corresponds to the modular hardware component and is operable via inputs or data provided through user manipulation of the modular hardware component.
US08037489B2
A disk device includes: a traverse chassis, one end of which is configured to be movable between a first position and a second position in a first direction; a cam member, formed with a cam groove configured to move in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction and having a first end and a second end; a cam follower fitted with the cam groove so as to be movable between the first end and the second end in accordance with the movement of the cam member; a guide member, having a guide face configured to guide the cam follower in the first direction in cooperation with the cam member; and an urging member, configured to urge the cam follower against an inner wall of the cam groove and the guide face when the cam follower is placed in the first end.
US08037486B2
A slider is mounted on a chassis forming a frame so as to be movable in a first direction, and is configured to start a movement in conjunction with an operation in which an optical pickup is switched from an operation mode into a non-operation mode and returns to an initial position. A disk tray is mounted on the chassis so as to be movable in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, is configured to move in conjunction with the movement of the slider, and is provided with a first groove extending in the first direction. A protrusion is provided in the slider and is engaged with the first groove when the disk tray moves, thereby preventing the disk tray from moving in the second direction. A second groove is provided in the disk tray, communicates with the first groove, and introduces the protrusion into the first groove when the disk tray is moved. A first drive mechanism is configured to move the disk tray and includes a first pinion provided in the chassis and a first rack provided in the disk tray. The second groove is provided with an opening by cutting a portion of a groove wall of the guide groove.
US08037482B1
Reaching a determination associated with a class of an object is disclosed. An identifier associated with the class of the object is extracted from a pointer to the object. The extracted identifier is compared to a comparison value. At least in part using a result of the comparison a determination is reached.
US08037480B1
A first process executing in a computer system creates thread-level message hooks within a second process executing in the computer system. A copy of a global notification hook of the first process is created in the second process. The copy detects a triggering message passed to or from a thread of the second process and determines when and whether to activate a thread-level message hook within the second process; the thread-level message hook is configured to monitor subsequent messages passed to or from the thread of the second process and may take various actions in response to any such messages.
US08037477B2
A method for detecting increasing memory consumption of an application program is provided. The method includes monitoring memory consumption at an allocation site and updating an allocation site threshold value each time the memory consumption increases. The method further includes increasing a growth period counter each time the allocation site threshold value increases in a current time period. The method yet also includes comparing the growth period counter to a growth threshold. The method yet further includes, if the growth period counter is greater or equal to the growth threshold, computing an elapse time, which is the time between the current time period and a previous growth period. The method moreover includes comparing the elapse time to a time threshold. The method in addition includes, if the elapse time is less than the time threshold, reporting the allocation site as a potential source of the increasing memory consumption.
US08037472B2
Building a package for installing a software application on a data processing system with a distributed architecture is provided. The installation package is built using an authoring tool based on a declarative model. A descriptor is used to define a desired configuration of the system. The installation package is built declaring a discoverer element, a producer element and a consumer element into the wizard tree. During the installation process, the discoverer element detects a current configuration of the system. The producer creates a working queue dynamically, inserting the installation operations that are needed for reaching the desired configuration from the current configuration of the system. The producer then executes the installation operations defined in the working queue. In this way, the installation operations are determined at runtime.
US08037471B2
Techniques for automatically creating at least one relationship specification are provided. For example, one computer-implemented technique includes observing at least one interaction between two or more components of at least one distributed computing system, consolidating the at least one interaction into at least one interaction pattern, and using the at least one interaction pattern to create at least one relationship specification, wherein the at least one relationship specification is useable for managing the at least one distributed computing system.
US08037470B2
Version management for manufacturing system software involves a two-part data structure, having two identifiers that are separately and automatically modified, depending upon the changes or modifications that are made, respectively, to top-level and lower-level subsets of manufacturing system programs. According to various other aspects of the present invention, methods for managing revisions involve automatically assigning a version designator under preselected conditions, automatically notifying personnel having a need to know of the change, and managing revisions by way of a revision compare function.
US08037468B2
The present invention discloses methods for delivering code to a host system including the steps of: accepting a CPU request, from a host-system processor of the host system, for a code segment; initiating a retrieval process to retrieve the code segment; upon expiration of a predetermined time, checking whether the code segment is ready for delivery; upon the predetermined time expiring before the code segment is ready for delivery, providing an SWI that is different than the code segment; and upon the predetermined time expiring after the code segment is ready for delivery, providing the code segment. Preferably, the SWI causes the host-system processor to jump to a reset-vector address. Most preferably, the reset-vector code, located at the reset-vector address, includes a command to request the code segment again.
US08037467B2
A method is provided for developing a software module including support for multiple versions of an operating environment. The method includes determining a first set of references associated with a first version of an application operating environment. A second set of references associate with a second version of the computing environment is determined. A first class loader is associated with the first version of the computing environment. A second class loader is associated with the second version of the computing environment. The method also includes encapsulating the first set of references, the second set of references, the first class loader, and the second class loader in a software module, wherein the second set of references are obscured from the first class loader.
US08037460B2
Software expressed in an intermediate level language is stored into a database and interpreted in a virtual machine in a database management system. A dynamic compilation process in the database management system asynchronously converts the software into native code when predetermined conditions are met. Thereafter, the compilation process persists the native code into the database. At the time of persisting the native code, the compilation process also stores in the database, an indication of any properties that are used in compilation of the native code. At run time, when the native code needs to be executed, the virtual machine checks if the indication stored in the database matches a new indication of the constants, and if they do the persisted code is executed or else the persisted code is invalidated. The persisted code is also invalidated when a new version of ILL software is stored into the database.
US08037450B2
Embodiments of the present invention include systems and methods for improved tracing code generation in template engines. Certain embodiments of the present invention may have a number of advantages as compared to many existing tracing engines. The creation of an execution log while generation code coupled with the tracing capabilities increases the convenience and turnaround time in generating code.
US08037449B2
An automated software production system is provided, in which system requirements are captured, converted into a formal specification, and validated for correctness and completeness. In addition, a translator is provided to automatically generate a complete, robust software application based on the validated formal specification, including user-interface code and error handling code.
US08037445B2
An apparatus comprising an integrated circuit on a VLSI die, and an embedded micro-controller constructed on the VLSI die, the micro-controller adapted to monitor and control the VLSI environment to optimize the integrated circuit operation. Another embodiment of the invention is directed to a method for monitoring and controlling an integrated circuit comprising providing an embedded micro-controller on a same VLSI die as the integrated circuit, monitoring and controlling a VLSI environment of the integrated circuit with the embedded micro-controller.
US08037443B1
A system, method and computer program product are provided for optimizing an altered hardware design utilizing power reports. In use, a first hardware design is synthesized. Additionally, a first power report is generated for the synthesized first hardware design. Further, the first hardware design is altered. Further still, the altered hardware design is synthesized. Also, a second power report is generated for the synthesized altered hardware design. Furthermore, the altered hardware design is optimized utilizing the first power report and the second power report.
US08037438B2
The present disclosure is directed to a method for determining a plurality of buffer insertion locations in a net for an integrated circuit design. The method may comprise calculating a plurality of resistive-capacitive (RC) influences in parallel, each RC influence corresponding to one of a plurality of buffering options available for a first sub-tree for the addition of a wire segment to the first sub-tree; updating the plurality of RC influences for the addition of a buffer for the first sub-tree, the buffer comprising one of a plurality of buffer types; and merging the first sub-tree with a second sub-tree in parallel by grouping the plurality of buffering options available for the first sub-tree and a plurality of buffering options available for the second sub-tree into a plurality of merging groups, and merging at least two groups of the plurality of merging groups in parallel.
US08037435B1
The time and computational resources needed to evaluate the potential input parameter settings in a design space is decreased by determining probabilities of improvement for input parameter settings in the design space and eliminating input parameter values that have low probabilities of improvement from the design space prior to compilation. The probability of improvement for input parameter settings is an estimate of the likelihood that the compilation of the user design using the set of input parameter settings will improve the performance of the user design with respect to one or more design goals, such as timing, power, or resource usage. The probability of improvement for input parameter settings can be determined from an analysis of the compilation results of sample designs, from attributes and/or constraints of the user design, and/or from a correlation between the results of optimization algorithms applied to the user design.
US08037434B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for implementing parameterizable processor cores and peripherals on a programmable chip. An input interface such as a wizard allows selection and parameterization of processor cores, peripherals, as well as other modules. The logic description for implementing the modules on a programmable chip can be dynamically generated, allowing extensive parameterization of various modules. Dynamic generation also allows the delivery of device driver logic onto a programmable chip. The logic description can include information for configuring a dynamically generated bus module to allow connectivity between the modules as well as connectivity with other on-chip and off-chip components. The logic description, possibly comprising HDL files, can then be automatically synthesized and provided to tools for downloading the logic description onto a programmable chip.
US08037431B2
A design structure embodied in a machine readable medium used in a design process includes an interleaved voltage-controlled oscillator, including a ring circuit of main logic inverter gates; a plurality of delay elements connected in parallel with a selected sequence of the main logic inverter gates; wherein each delay element comprises a feedforward section, comprising controls for regulating signal transmission through feedforward elements responsive to one or more control voltages; and a proportional section for regulating signal transmission through at least one logic inverter gate; at least one temperature compensation circuit responsive to a compensating voltage input that is proportional to temperature; an electronic circuit in communication with the temperature compensation circuit and configured to provide a voltage signal responsive to temperature; an amplifier in connection with the electronic circuit to amplify the voltage signal; and a DC offset generator configured to adjust the voltage of the amplified voltage signal.
US08037430B2
One inventive aspect relates to a method of determining an estimate of system-level yield loss for an electronic system comprising individual components subject to manufacturing process variability leading to manufacturing defects. The method comprises obtaining a description of the composition of the electronic system in terms of which individual components are used. The method further comprises obtaining statistical properties of the performance of individual components of the electronic system with respect to first and second performance variables, e.g. energy consumption and delay, the statistical properties including correlation information of the first and second performance variables. The method further comprises obtaining information about execution of an application on the system, e.g. a number of accesses of a component by an application. The method further comprises propagating the statistical properties of the first and second performance variables of the individual components to the electronic system so that the correlations between the first and second performance variables are preserved, the propagating taking into account the application information.
US08037429B2
A system for producing mask layout data retrieves target layout data defining a pattern of features, or portion thereof and an optimized mask layout pattern that includes a number of printing and non-printing features. Mask layout data for one or more subresolution assist features (SRAFs) is then defined to approximate one or more non-printing features of the optimized mask layout pattern.
US08037426B2
Method of generating a guidance route to a target menu and image processing apparatus using the same
A method of guiding a menu, including storing route information generated based on hierarchical relationships of menus according to a tree structure, and displaying menu items using an on screen display and displaying a location and a function of a menu a user would like to find through a simulated menu using route information.
US08037423B2
A method, system and computer-readable medium are provided for enabling the organization, presentation and selection of icons related to information technology processes. In a first version, icons related to individual information technology processes are associated with an enclosing icon displayed by a computer. The user may direct the computer to display or cease displaying the icons by selecting the enclosing icon. In a second version the enclosing icon may be associated with another enclosing icon, wherein icons are organized into a presentation hierarchy. In a third version, the icons may be personalized by associating textual, graphical and/or photographic data as provided by the user.
US08037420B2
A method, apparatus, and computer instructions for managing the display of a new document. In response to receiving a user input indicating that the new document is to be displayed, a list of browser windows including an indication of a presently displayed document in each respective browser window in the list of browser windows is displayed; and a document displayed in the browser window is replaced with the new document responsive to a user selection of a browser window from the list of browser windows.
US08037415B1
A hosts file manager is provided that displays a user interface with a list of selectable server groups. The list may comprise, for example, identifications server groups. Each server group corresponds to an IP address, and the hosts file manager has access to such IP address data. A user selection of a first server group may be made and received via said user interface. A computer's hosts file may then be modified to correlate a hostname with an IP address of the selected server group.
US08037410B2
A method of fitting text comprising characters belonging to a character set into a text area wherein the text is rendered in a font and at a font size estimates a total width of the text based on at least a representative width associated with the character set, font and font size, identifies a horizontal truncation boundary based on at least the estimated width and the width of the text area, identifies a vertical truncation boundary based on at least the estimated width, text area, horizontal truncation boundary, and a representative height associated with the character set, font and font size, wraps the text at the horizontal truncation boundary, and truncates the text at the vertical truncation boundary.
US08037409B2
A method and respective system for adapting the user-visible structure of a portal to the needs of a user, wherein the portal structure is stored in a content model, wherein a user interface component is provided for controlling the layout of the plurality of pages rendered at said portal, and wherein a model management component comprises the functionality for performing persistent content model modifications.
US08037395B2
A Partially-Overlapped Block (POB) code used in an encoding and decoding method in which a plurality of different block codes are combined so that the block codes partially overlap one another. A method for recovering a plurality of packets by using a loss correction capability of this encoding method in which a larger number of packets than the number of added redundant packets per frame are recovered, by reusing redundant information of neighboring frames effectively, without increasing the asymptotic complexity of its decoding algorithm.
US08037394B2
Techniques are provided that generate bit reliabilities for a detected sequence. A detector generates the detected sequence. According to one embodiment, a post-processor finds a first set of combinations of one or more error events in the detected sequence satisfying a complete set or a subset of error correction constraints corresponding to the first bit value, finds a second set of combinations of one or more error events in the detected sequence satisfying a complete set or a subset of error correction constraints corresponding to the second bit value, selects a first most likely combination of one or more events of the first set and a second most likely combination of one or more events of the second set, and generates a bit reliability based on the first and the second most likely values.
US08037393B2
A detector generates a detected sequence, and a post processor generates probability values that indicate the likelihood of a plurality of error events in the detected sequence. The post processor partitions the values into first and second subsets. The post processor selects a first most likely value from the first subset of the values and a second most likely value from the second subset of the values. The post processor generates a bit reliability based on the first and the second most likely values.
US08037390B2
A memory system including a memory controller and a memory and a related method are disclosed. The method includes communicating a command and error detection/correction (EDC) data associated with the command from the memory controller to the memory, decoding the command and executing an EDC operation related to the EDC data in parallel, and if the command is a write command, delaying execution of a write operation indicated by the write command until completion of the EDC operation, else immediately executing an operation indicated by the command without regard to completion of the EDC operation.
US08037380B2
To ensure integrity of non-volatile flash, the controller programs the non-volatile memories with background test patterns and verifies the non-volatile memories during power on self test (POST) operation. In conjunction with verifying the non-volatile memories, the controller may routinely run diagnostics and report status to the storage controller. As part of the storage controller power up routines, the storage controller issues a POST command to the controller via an I2C register that is monitored by the storage controller. The storage controller may determine that the non-volatile flash is functional without any defects, and the controller may remove power from the non-volatile flash to extend its reliability. Periodically, in the background, the controller may run diagnostic routines to detect any failures associated with the volatile memory and the controller itself.
US08037374B2
A communication terminal device and a reception environment reporting method produce a more excellent throughput, by making a report of a reception environment with higher accuracy. An SIR measuring section measures an SIR from a reception signal that has been received from a base transceiver station. A CQI converter converts the SIR that has been measured by the SIR measuring section into a CQI value. A BLER calculating section calculates a block error rate of the reception signal. A CQI correcting section corrects the CQI value that has been calculated by the CQI converter, in accordance with the block error rate. A CQI transmitter transmits the CQI value that has been corrected by the CQI correcting section, to the base transceiver station.
US08037373B2
A method for improving the performance for a streaming service by link-adaptation and power-control in a wireless packet network such as an Enhanced General Packet Radio Services (EGPRS) cellular network is described. In particular, the effects of a combined link adaptation and power control scheme (referred to as an error-based scheme) for achieving a target error rate, which is non-zero but low enough so that limited retransmission and error concealment techniques are effective, is presented.
US08037360B2
Systems and methods are provided for testing software for use with a selected system configuration. The selected system configuration may include, for example, a selected operating system, a selected hardware configuration, a selected software configuration, and/or other information accessed by the software under test. The software calls a command line utility, a library and/or a file. During a test, the data returned by the command line utility, library and/or file is simulated based on the selected system configuration. In one embodiment, file system calls are isolated within a selected directory so as to protect a host system performing the test.
US08037356B2
A system for validating communications between a plurality of processors is disclosed. The system includes a plurality of loop back paths, and each of the loop back paths is coupled to a corresponding one of the plurality of processors. In addition, each loop back path is configured to attenuate one of a plurality of signals transmitted from each of the corresponding ones of the plurality of processors so as to generate a plurality of loop back signals. A plurality of signal transmission paths are configured to carry a corresponding one of the plurality of signals from one of the plurality of processors to another of the plurality of processors, and a plurality of comparators compare the plurality of loop back signals to the plurality of transmission signals so as to enable the validity of each of the plurality of signals to be assessed.
US08037345B1
A file server architecture decouples logical storage from physical storage and provides proactive detection and containment of faults, errors, and corruptions in a file system, in order to enable in place (online) and non-intrusive recovery. The file system is built upon a thinly provisioned logical volume, and there are stored three copies of the metadata defining the logical volume in order to provide quick, deterministic, and reliable recovery from a faulted system. A first copy of the metadata is distributed among all of the slices of physical storage allocated to the logical volume. A second copy of the metadata is stored in a root slice of the logical volume. A third copy of the metadata is stored separate from the slices of physical storage allocated to the logical volume.
US08037337B2
A design structure including a digital system. The digital system includes (a) a first logic circuit and a second logic circuit, (b) a first register, (c) a second register, (d) a third register, (e) a clock generator circuit, and (f) a controller circuit. The first logic circuit is capable of obtaining first data and sending second data. The second logic circuit is capable of obtaining the second data and sending third data. The clock generator circuit is capable of asserting (i) a first register clock signal at a first time point, (ii) a second register clock signal at a second time point, and (iii) a third register clock signal at a third time point. The controller circuit is capable of (i) determining a fourth time point, (ii) determining a fifth time point, (iii) controlling the clock generator circuit to assert the second register clock signal.
US08037336B2
The present disclosure provides a spread spectrum clock generation system having a digitally controlled phase locked loop (PLL) and a digital frequency profile generator to create a near optimal frequency modulation profile for the purpose of achieving spectral flatness in the output frequency modulated clock. The circuit is combined with a multilevel error feedback noise shaping structure that provides the required noise transfer function for the quantization noise but maintains a unity gain all pass signal transfer function. This arrangement offers minimal degradation of the in-band signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the cost of higher out-of-band noise.
US08037330B2
A power supply system for a server includes a first power supply, a second power supply, a first variable slope circuit, and a second variable slope circuit. The first power supply unit is adapted to activate if a load is below a predetermined level, and adapted to deactivate if the load is above the predetermined level. The second power supply unit is adapted to activate if the load is above the predetermined level, and adapted to deactivate if the load is below the predetermined level. The first and second variable slope circuits are adapted to receive information about the load applied to the power supply units. The first variable slope circuit is adapted to deactivate the first power supply unit if the load is above the predetermined level. The second variable slope circuit is to deactivate the second power supply unit if the load is below the predetermined level.
US08037326B2
Methods and apparatuses provide voltage regulation for a processor. Control or configuration parameters for a voltage regulator (VR) are provided digitally over a configuration bus to a VR controller. The parameters may be provided directly from a storage element, or via a processing element or processor core. Based in whole or in part on the parameters, the VR controller provides an output control signal to affect a power output from a power converter to the processing element. In one embodiment, the VR controller is integrated onto the same IC as the processing element.
US08037319B1
The payload of a set of storage devices is encrypted using a payload key that is stored within the set of storage devices itself. However, the payload key is obtainable only if a user has access to n of the storage devices. A first set of keys can be distributed among a set of n storage devices, such that each key is usable to encrypt and/or decrypt a key stored on a different one of the n storage devices. The first set of keys is usable to encrypt portions of the information needed to regenerate another key (e.g., the payload key or a key used to encrypt the payload key). A different portion of the information needed to regenerate the other key is stored on each of the n storage devices. Accordingly, the other key cannot be obtained unless the user has access to all n storage devices.
US08037315B2
An IC card includes a capacitance type fingerprint sensor, a display device, and a control unit. The display device displays an encrypted image that is readable by an external device. The control unit controls the capacitance type fingerprint sensor and the display device. The control unit erases the encrypted image that is displayed by the display device.
US08037314B2
A manufacturing entity provides a blinded signature to a secure device and associates a time with the blinded signature. If a signing key is compromised, the manufacturing entity provides a time of the compromise and the time associated with the blinded signature to the replacement authority.
US08037311B2
A digital watermark is added to audio or visual content. An illustrative embodiment segments the content, permutes the segments, and transforms such data into another domain. The transformed data is altered slightly to encode a watermark. The altered data can then be inverse-transformed, and inverse-permuted, to return same to substantially its original form. Related watermark decoding methods are also detailed, as are ancillary features and techniques.
US08037308B2
An electronic certificate issuance system comprising at least one communication device, and an electronic certificate issuing device for issuing a set of an electronic certificate and a private key corresponding to the electronic certificate as a certification set for each of the at least one communication device, is provided. The electronic certificate issuing device includes a first connecting interface, an obtaining system, which is adapted to obtain a node ID assigned to each of the at least one communication device, a generating system, and a writing system. The at least one communication device includes a second connecting interface, a judging system, and an installing system.
US08037298B2
A system and method is disclosed for providing end-to-end security for communications between registered clients of a top level domain without the need for further encryption/decryption protocols than those provided by said at least one of said plurality of secure communication links and said at least one secure message server. Clients registered with the top level domain are assigned at least one email and IM account and to ensure message security, are required to communicate with other registered others strictly via the assigned email and IM accounts. In this manner, non-registered users are denied secure access to the top level domain. In one embodiment, registered clients of the top-level domain may communicate with non-registered users via a gateway server in a secure or non-secure manner, as is the option of the registered client (sender).
US08037285B1
An instruction processing circuit includes a decoder circuit operable to receive a sequence of instructions and to decode the received sequence of instructions into a first type of sequence of operations, and a trace builder circuit operable to receive at least a portion of the sequence of operations of the first type and to generate, based thereon, a second type of sequence of operations, where the at least a portion of the sequence of operations of the first type represents a first portion of the sequence of instructions, where the first portion of the sequence of instructions includes at most one conditional control transfer instruction that, when present, ends the first portion of the sequence of instructions, and where the sequence of operations of the second type also represents the first portion of the sequence of instructions.
US08037284B2
A stream processing computer architecture includes creating a stream computer processing (SCP) system by forming a super node cluster of processors representing physical computation nodes (“nodes”), communicatively coupling the processors via a local interconnection means (“interconnect”), and communicatively coupling the cluster to an optical circuit switch (OCS), via optical external links (“links”). The OCS is communicatively coupled to another cluster of processors via the links. The method also includes generating a stream computation graph including kernels and data streams, and mapping the graph to the SCP system, which includes assigning the kernels to the clusters and respective nodes, assigning data stream traffic between the kernels to the interconnection when the data stream is between nodes in the same cluster, and assigning traffic between the kernels to the links when the data stream is between nodes in different clusters.
US08037273B2
A method for allocating optimum pages to a logical volume according to the usage of the logical volume and an access characteristic is provided. A storage system is connected to a host computer, includes plural disk drives and a controller to control the plural disk drives, includes a first disk drive group including at least one disk drive, holds information indicating that a first attribute is assigned to a logical volume, assigns the first attribute when a first logical volume including plural first logical storage areas is provided to the host computer, reserves plural physical storage areas of the first disk drive group as the plural first logical storage areas, reserves the plural first logical storage areas included in the first logical volume as storage areas for storing data requested by the host computer, and stores the data requested by the host computer into the allocated physical storage areas.
US08037268B2
Aiming to suitably balance, when backing up data to a magnetic tape, search time and writing/reading performance depending on the purpose of the backup, provided is a disk array apparatus including a disk device having hard disks, a magnetic tape device including a magnetic tape to which data to be backed up is written, and a control unit performing writing and reading processings of data between the disk device and the magnetic tape device. The control unit includes an FM (file mark) interval managing unit which receives a purpose of use when backing up the data on the magnetic tape, and from FM intervals which is held in association with the purpose of use thus received and which indicates an interval of recording FMs on the magnetic tape, acquires an FM interval corresponding to the purpose of use thus received, and transmits the acquired FM interval to the control unit.
US08037266B2
An improved memory card includes an interface for receiving content from an appliance, a primary memory, a secondary memory, and primary controller. The primary controller is configured to selectively write the content only on the primary memory card, or only on the secondary memory card, or on both memories. The improved memory card also includes an enclosure for enclosing the primary memory, the secondary memory, the primary host interface and the primary controller. The improved memory card also includes a user interface that includes a user-operable mode switch that is switchable between a “full capacity” mode and a “full redundancy” mode. In the “full capacity” mode the secondary memory is used for recording genuine content, whereas in the “full redundancy” mode the secondary memory is used for backing up content that has been recorded on the primary memory. A digital shoebox is also provided, which can use improved memory cards and conventional memory cards alike for archiving content.
US08037264B2
Systems and methods for providing an efficient partitioned resource server are disclosed. The partitioned resource server includes a plurality of individual servers, and the individual servers support a storage service. The systems and methods provide archiving processes for partitioned resources. To this end, the systems and process include a snapshot process operating on a server and capable of coordinating with other snapshot processes operating on the other servers for generating state information representative of the state of the partitioned resources.
US08037254B2
A memory controller (SMC) is provided for coupling a memory (MEM) to a network (N; IM). The memory controller (SMC) comprises a first interface (PI) for connecting the memory controller (SMC) to the network (N; IM). The first interface (PI) is arranged for receiving and transmitting data streams (ST1-ST4). A streaming memory unit (SMU) is coupled to the first interface (PI) for controlling data streams (ST1-ST4) between the network (N; IM) and the memory (MEM). Said streaming memory unit (SMU) comprises a buffer (B) for temporarily storing at least part of the data streams (ST1-ST4). A buffer managing unit (BMU) is provided for managing a temporarily storing of data streams (ST1-ST4) in the buffer (B) in a first and second operation mode (1OM; 2OM). In the first operation mode (1OM), data from the data streams (ST1-ST4) to be stored in the memory (MEM) are temporarily stored in the buffer (B) until a portion of the buffer (B) is occupied. In the second operation mode (2OM), after the portion of the buffer (B) is occupied, the buffer managing unit (BMU) divides the buffer (B) into a pre-fetch buffer (PFB) for buffering pre-fetched data from the memory (MEM) and a write-back buffer (WBB) for buffering data to be written back to the memory (MEM).
US08037246B2
A storage system whereby all managers of the storage system can easily collect the history data of the manager of each partition. The storage system is designed such that the memory resources within the system are managed by a system manager while partitions of the memory resources are managed by partition managers assigned for every partition unit. The storage system is provided with management modules that change the configuration of the memory resources corresponding to the content set by the system manager or partition manager, a history data management module that creates history data correlating the identifier of the partition unit that has undergone modification of the configuration of the memory resources, the setting content, and the identification data of the manager, and a history data storage unit that stores the history data.
US08037244B2
A storage apparatus comprises a disk device and a disk controller for controlling the disk device. The disk controller provides a data volume including an actual volume and virtual volume with a volume capacity virtualization function. The virtual volume is associated with a pool volume for storing the actual data and the actual data is stored in the pool volume. In response to a write command from a host computer, the disk controller compresses write data under RAID 5 control and stores the compressed data in a storage area in the actual volume. If the entire compressed data cannot be stored in that storage area, the disk controller stores the remaining portion of the compressed data in the virtual volume.
US08037227B2
Dispatching of interrupts to a processor is conditionally suppressed, that is, only if an old priority value and a new priority value are either both less than or both greater than a maximum pending priority value. This conditional avoidance of dispatching is preferably implemented by a virtual priority module within a binary translator in a virtualized computer system and relates to interrupts directed to a virtualized processor by a virtualized local APIC.
US08037215B2
Apparatus for evaluating the performance of DMA-based algorithmic tasks on a target multi-core processing system includes a memory and at least one processor coupled to the memory. The processor is operative: to input a template for a specified task, the template including DMA-related parameters specifying DMA operations and computational operations to be performed; to evaluate performance for the specified task by running a benchmark on the target multi-core processing system, the benchmark being operative to generate data access patterns using DMA operations and invoking prescribed computation routines as specified by the input template; and to provide results of the benchmark indicative of a measure of performance of the specified task corresponding to the target multi-core processing system.
US08037210B2
A computer and method for directly accessing computer hardware by a virtual system are provided. The computer comprises a hardware platform having a first-type device, a second-type device and a third-type device provided thereon; a virtual machine managing module; a first operating module; a second operating module; wherein the virtual machine managing module comprises a first-type device configuration module for directly configuring the first type device to be used by the main operating system; a second-type device configuration module for directly configuring the second-type device to be used by the guest operating system; and a third-type device configuration module for virtualizing the third-type device on the hardware platform to generate a virtualized third-type device and configuring the virtualized third-type device to be used by the main operating system and the guest operating system, respectively. The present invention considers the distribution and use of the devices as a whole in combination with the use of BIOS in the main board. Therefore, the incompatibility problem between hardware and software of the virtual system can be solved.
US08037203B2
Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for user defined preferred DNS routing that include mapping for a user in a data communications application a domain name of a network host to a network address for a preferred DNS server, wherein the preferred DNS server has a network address for the domain name; receiving from the user a request for access to a resource accessible through the network host; and routing to the preferred DNS server a DNS request for the network address of the network host, the DNS request including the domain name of the network host. In typical embodiments, mapping a domain name to a network address for a preferred DNS server is carried out by storing, through the data communication application, the domain name in association with the network address for a preferred DNS server in a data structure in computer memory.
US08037201B2
Transmission fragment content information transmitted by a content holding device is made redundant. A content holding device comprises a content information storage section (22) for storing hold content information including at least fragment content information obtained by fragmenting a set of content information, an instruction information receiving section (21) for receiving instruction information to instruct the transmission of the fragment content information, a content information constructing section (25) for constructing the transmission fragment content information including the instruction fragment content information which is the fragment content information included in the hold content information and the fragment content information whose transmission is instructed by the instruction information and additional fragment content information which is the fragment content information included in the same hold content information as the instruction fragment content information and fragment content information different from the instruction fragment content information, and a content information transmitting section (26) for transmitting the transmission content information.
US08037199B2
A system and method are provided for localizing applications that are used with hand-held electronic devices.
US08037198B2
A process and system for upgrading firmware in a thin client in a network environment. The process may proceed on an automated basis during boot-up by using one or more FTP addresses stored in the thin client. Multiple FTP servers may be accessed. The same firmware upgrades may be stored on more than one FTP server. Different firmware upgrades may instead or in addition be stored on different FTP servers.
US08037193B2
A virtual token represents an item, and includes embedded data defining rules and/or capabilities which apply to the use of the item. A virtual token may include graphical image data which is used to generate a display on a computer, whereby selection of the display allows the item represented by the virtual token to be used. A virtual token may contain instructions for sending access requests to a location on a communications network. A system for handling virtual tokens includes a clearing and routing house for routing token access requests, authenticating and generating tokens, and maintaining container structures for tokens. The system also includes connectors installed in a communications network for creating, controlling and managing items represented by tokens, and device clients for executing token components that issue access requests to the clearing and routing house.
US08037192B2
Methods and apparatus for managing data objects in a communications network are disclosed. An exemplary method includes storing a plurality of data objects intended for rendering at a first communication device (e.g., a subscriber's communication device) in response to a triggering communication event, and transferring the plurality of data objects to the first communication device. Apparatus for implementing the preceding techniques are also disclosed.
US08037190B2
A session is established between a user system and an existing version of a network application. Once the session is established, session information corresponding to the session is determined and then communicated to the user system. The session information typically includes a version identifier that identifies the existing version of the network application. Requests received during the same session are accompanied with the session information. The session information is used to route the requests to the existing version of the network application.
US08037189B2
Devices, softwares and methods enable SIP devices to operate in H.323 networks, and devices, softwares and methods enable H.323 devices to operate in SIP networks. Messages that initiate communication from a first protocol are translated into the appropriate messages of the second, responded to, and the replies are translated back into the first. Routing by the legacy network is thus seamlessly exploited.
US08037186B2
A computer-implemented method routes service requests to services in a service framework provided by a plurality of hosts. The method comprises receiving a service request for a service in the service framework and discovering a plurality of candidate hosts that host the service. The plurality of candidate hosts are a subset of the plurality of hosts. The method further comprises selecting a candidate host from the plurality of candidate hosts based on measured latencies for the plurality of candidate hosts and routing the service request to the selected candidate host.
US08037181B2
A new method and framework for re-partitioning directory servers supporting user services in a site that receives access requests from users. According to the present invention, a management server transfers groups of directory objects from original directory servers to newly added directory servers without service interruption to users of the site. The directory objects are stored in categorical groups such that the directory objects in each group share an attribute. According to the present invention, certain groups in the original directory servers are identified for migration to the newly added servers based on a load-balancing scheme. In one embodiment, the identified groups are marked for migration to limit access to the directory objects therein. After successfully being migration, the groups are unmarked and access is resumed. In another embodiment, the management server includes a table storing location information that is updated to indicate successful transfer of the identified group of directory objects from the original server to the newly added server.
US08037178B1
A system and method for secure access to a remote desktop across firewalls in an interactive grid environment is disclosed. Embodiments of the present invention include an interactive grid computing system comprising an interactive grid computing service provider comprising: a resource for use over the interactive grid, a first firewall for protecting the resource and a remote display server for providing a secure connection and for providing interactive graphical data associated with the resource. The system further comprises a client comprising: a second firewall protecting the client and a remote display resource for providing a secure connection and for viewing the interactive graphical data provided by the remote display server.
US08037171B2
Provided are a system, program, and data structure for selecting one of multiple data paths to a device. A selection is made of one of multiple paths indicated as enabled to transmit data. A path is indicated as enabled or disabled. Transfer time data is gathered for each enabled path capable of being selected. Paths having transfer time data satisfying a threshold are indicated as disabled. Paths indicated as disabled are not capable of being selected to use to transmit data.
US08037166B2
A system and method is provided of generating a map. In one aspect, the map is selected based on a location provided by a user and listings are selected based on their proximity to the location, whether they match a query provided by the user, and the number of matching listings within regions of the map.
US08037165B2
An information processing apparatus is provided that executes a process sequence stored in a sequence table, based on a sequence code created for each process in the process sequence. The sequence code includes a process type that specifies a sequence table, a control target that specifies a control target, and a process number that specifies one particular process in the specified process sequence.
US08037161B2
The present invention improves user-friendliness and protect content with increased reliability when judging whether network devices belong to the same home network. While the connection to a network is established, each network device uses a peripheral device information collection unit to collect peripheral device information indicating which ones of devices are connected to the network, and store the collected information in a peripheral device information storage unit as home network information. When the belonging of a remote device is to be judged, the home network information stored in the remote device is received. A peripheral device information collation unit collates the received home network information with the home network information stored in the peripheral device information storage unit to judge whether the remote device belongs to the same network as the local device.
US08037160B2
The invention relates to a method and data transfer arrangement for executing consecutive instructions in a client device (21) in a mobile user application—device management server—client device environment (23, 22, 21). The invention also relates to an instruction execution module utilized in the implementation of the method. In the procedure according to the invention, the user application (23) forms the instructions to be executed in the client device (21) into an instruction sequence (200), which is transmitted to the device management server (22) controlling the client device (21). The instruction execution module in the device management server breaks up the instruction sequence into command sequences and control structures. The command sequences are executed in the client device (21). The conditional commands belonging to the instruction sequence, specified by the control structures, are executed by the instruction execution module individually, without the help of the user application. The device management server sends a message describing the success of the execution of the instruction sequence to the user application.
US08037151B1
Wireless emergency alert messages are provide to mobile devices as predetermined (canned) messages. The predetermined messages are size limited to conserve network resources and accommodate various mobile devices. In an example configuration, the predetermined emergency alert messages are created based upon the attributes of the common alerting protocol (CAP). To provide greater flexibility to authorized originators of emergency alert messages, the predetermined emergency alert message can include free-form text or characters as provided by the authorized originator.
US08037147B1
An automated agent, such as an instant message robot, is be used to facilitate introduction of a chat participant to a small group of other chat participants in a chat room. To do so, for example, a BOT may present a chat participant who desires to be introduced to a small group of chat participants in a chat room with a series of multiple-choice questions, identify a subset of chat participants based on responses to the multiple-choice questions, and provide introductions among the chat participants in the subset to facilitate conversation therebetween. For example, the introductions provided by the BOT may indicate areas of mutual interest among chat participants in the subset, similar responses to one or more multiple-choice questions, and/or diverse responses to one or more multiple-choice questions.
US08037141B2
Systems and methods for integrating instant messaging (IM) services and email services are described. In one embodiment an email window is configured to display an email message, the email message including a plurality of intended recipients, wherein the email window is also configured to display information about the plurality of intended recipients. At least one embodiment also includes an instant messaging (IM) option configured to begin an instant messaging session with at least two intended recipients having information displayed in the email window.
US08037138B2
In a communication apparatus corresponding to an analog communication path of a voice band and a network communication path, high-speed and high-reliability data communication are performed by selecting an appropriate communication path without troublesome user operation. A communication apparatus which performs IP communication and analog communication via an ADSL gateway obtains the IP address of a destination station from an SIP proxy server and transmits/receives communication data to/from the destination station on an IP network by a file transmit/receive protocol such as FTP, HTTP or the like, when the telephone number of the destination station corresponds to a VoIP network. The apparatus performs analog facsimile communication on a line switching network when the telephone number of the destination station does not correspond to the VoIP network. The apparatus performs the analog facsimile communication on the VoIP network or the line switching network when the destination station corresponds to the VoIP network but does not have any digital communication means.
US08037135B2
Automatic distributed downloading (ADD) may involve, for example, enabling the downloading of a resource via a peer-to-peer (P2P)-based protocol from a uniform resource identifier (URI). In an example embodiment, an ADD module includes a directory client that sends to a directory service a mapping request including a URI corresponding to a targeted resource and receives a mapping response including P2P session connection information. The targeted resource can be retrieved over a P2P network via a P2P-based protocol using the P2P session connection information. In another example embodiment, a mapping data structure is accessed with reference to a URI. An entry corresponding to the referenced URI is ascertained and P2P session connection information from the entry is extracted. The URI corresponds to a source making the resource available via a client-server-based protocol, and the P2P session connection information makes the resource available via a P2P-based protocol.
US08037127B2
In-line network device for storing application-layer data, processing instructions, and/or rule sets
A network device located in the data path between a user computer and a server stores application data, processing instructions, and/or rule sets. By storing user computer-specific application data, processing instructions, and/or rule sets in the data path between the user computer and the server, the invention reduces the complexity of the web server, improves the handling of server failure, and increases the overall scalability and performance of the system.
US08037126B2
The present solution provides a variety of techniques for accelerating and optimizing network traffic, such as HTTP based network traffic. The solution described herein provides techniques in the areas of proxy caching, protocol acceleration, domain name resolution acceleration as well as compression improvements. In some cases, the present solution provides various prefetching and/or prefreshening techniques to improve intermediary or proxy caching, such as HTTP proxy caching. In other cases, the present solution provides techniques for accelerating a protocol by improving the efficiency of obtaining and servicing data from an originating server to server to clients. In another cases, the present solution accelerates domain name resolution more quickly. As every HTTP access starts with a URL that includes a hostname that must be resolved via domain name resolution into an IP address, the present solution helps accelerate HTTP access. In some cases, the present solution improves compression techniques by prefetching non-cacheable and cacheable content to use for compressing network traffic, such as HTTP. The acceleration and optimization techniques described herein may be deployed on the client as a client agent or as part of a browser, as well as on any type and form of intermediary device, such as an appliance, proxying device or any type of interception caching and/or proxying device.
US08037124B2
A system and method for describing and locating web services. The system may include a server and a proxy located at a front-end of the server. The server may have an associated Web Services Description Language (WSDL) that identifies web services on the server. The proxy may be structured to automatically construct a synthetic WSDL based on configuration metadata and the WSDL; and implement the synthetic WSDL to automatically mediate requests at the proxy to be appropriate for the WSDL at the server.
US08037121B2
A data processing apparatus is described having a first operational mode and a second operational mode comprising: a first group of control elements to perform a first predefined set of functions in a first orientation associated with the first operational mode and to perform a second predefined set of functions in a second orientation associated with the second operational mode; and a display to render images having a first image orientation associated with the first operational mode and to render images having a second image orientation associated with the second operational mode.
US08037119B1
A multipurpose arithmetic functional unit selectably performs planar attribute interpolation, unary function approximation, and double-precision arithmetic. In one embodiment, planar interpolation operations for coordinates (x, y) are executed by computing A*x+B*y+C, and unary function approximation operations for operand x are executed by computing F2(xb)*xh2+F1(xb)*xh+F0(xb), where xh=x−xb. Shared multiplier and adder circuits are advantageously used to implement the product and sum operations for unary function approximation and planar interpolation; the same multipliers and adders are also leveraged to implement double-precision multiplication and addition.
US08037114B2
In the transition into the logarithmic range, not the entire bit width of the result linearly dependent upon the square of the value must be considered. Rather, it is possible to scale the result of a value with x bits such that a representation with less than x bits of the result is sufficient to receive the logarithmic representation based thereon. The effect of the scaling factor on the resulting logarithmic representation may be compensated for by adding or subtracting a correction value received by the logarithm function applied to the scaling factor to or from the scaled logarithmic representation without any loss of dynamics. This way, a method and an apparatus for creating a representation of a result linearly dependent upon a square of a value are provided so that the calculation is simple and/or possible with little hardware expenditure.
US08037107B2
A user inputs a document to be registered in a document management server to a document transfer assisting apparatus. The document transfer assisting apparatus automatically acquires attribute information of a document designated by the user, based on an instruction input by the user. The document transfer assisting apparatus further makes an addition or a change to the acquired attribute information according to the user's instruction. The document transfer assisting apparatus then outputs a copy of the designated document and attribute information thereof to a predetermined folder and a predetermined file, which can be referred to by the monitor apparatus. The monitor apparatus monitors the folder and file, and registers the copied file in the folder based on information output to the file.
US08037082B2
Method for ordering nodes within hierarchical data. The concept of isolated ordered regions to maintain coordinates of nodes is used by associating each node with coordinates relative to a containing region. Modifications to nodes within a region only affect the nodes in that region, and not nodes in other regions. Traversals that retrieve information from the nodes can rebase the coordinates from their containing region and return with a total order.
US08037076B2
A method and system stores and retrieves data items associated with a primary key, using search indices at multiple storage locations. A server receives a primary key, identifies one or more segments of the primary key, and hashes each segment with one or more hash functions to obtain a sequence of hash values. The hash values are used as keys to index a chain of search indices that are stored in multiple storage locations. One or more of the hash values in the sequence are used to form a host name, and the host name is mapped to an address of a server that stores a first search index in the chain. The last search index in the chain contains the data items associated with the primary key, or provides a reference to one or more locations at which the data items can be found.
US08037066B2
A system and method for searching a collaborative website and displaying one or more words in a tag cloud. The system includes a search engine structured to search a collaborative website and a tag cloud generator configured to produce a tag cloud, which includes one or more words associated with one or more documents and configured to be weighted or scored according to importance within an online community, and based on a search term entered into the search engine. The method includes scoring one or more words within the collaborative website and displaying the one or more words via a tag cloud according to the score.
US08037061B2
System and computer readable medium for generating refinement categories for a set of search results
A system and computer readable medium for providing a set of refinement categories for a set of search results generated in response to a search query. The system comprises: a category identifier system that analyzes each search result and identifies at least one category from a hierarchy of categories for each search result, thereby providing a list of identified categories; a ranking system that ranks each category in the list of identified categories; and a selection system that selects a predetermined number of the highest ranking categories from the list of identified categories to generate the set of refinement categories, wherein the selection system eliminates categories from the set of refinement categories if the category has a parent in the set of refinement categories.
US08037046B2
Functionality is described for collecting and presenting action information. The action information describes actions that take place on items at specified times. Among other applications, the functionality assists a user in identifying and accessing relevant items. In one illustrative case, the functionality can display action information in a timeline presentation.
US08037043B2
An information retrieval system is described for retrieving a list of documents such as web pages or other items from a document index in response to a user query. In an embodiment a prediction engine is used to predict both explicit relevance information such as judgment labels and implicit relevance information such as click data. In an embodiment the predicted relevance information is applied to a stored utility function that describes user satisfaction with a search session. This produces utility scores for proposed lists of documents. Using the utility scores one of the lists of documents is selected. In this way different sources of relevance information are combined into a single information retrieval system in a principled and effective manner which gives improved performance.
US08037037B2
A web server for tracking media content transaction includes a controller adapted to manage an archive of media content for a subscriber and to record a transaction description and a corresponding tracking identifier for a transaction that manipulates the archive.
US08037024B1
Methods, systems and apparatus, including computer program products, for propagating data across shards of a database system are described. According to one method, a first request that includes instructions to place a second request in a queue of a second shard is placed in a queue of a first database shard, and the change is committed to the records of the first shard. A queue processor polling the queue fetches and dispatches the first request, placing the second request in a queue of a second database shard. The second request includes instructions for making the change to the second shard. A queue processor of the second database shard polls the queue of the second database, fetches the second request, and dispatches it to make the change on the second database shard.
