US08038875B2
A practical treatment apparatus for ship ballast water, which can kill aquatic organisms contained in the ballast water, is provided by being easily incorporated in an existing ballast-water system piping in a ship. In a branch pipe 131 branched from the existing ballast-water system piping for taking in the ballast water into the ship by a first ballast pump 4 with high flow-rate/low pressure and transferring it to a ballast tank 2, an ozone mixing device for mixing ozone generated by an ozone generator, a second ballast pump 134 for discharging said ballast water with lower flow-rate/high pressure than those of said first ballast pump, a slit plate 135 provided on the secondary side of said second ballast pump 134 and having a plurality of slit-shaped openings for passing said ballast water, and a deaeration tank 136 for deaerating undissolved ozone from the ballast water are provided, and the apparatus is configured so that the ballast water after deaeration discharged from said deaeration tank 136 is returned to said ballast-water system piping.
US08038836B2
A plasma processing apparatus includes a barrier wall member disposed between a plasma generation chamber and a processing chamber to separate the plasma generation chamber from the processing chamber. The barrier wall member assumes a fin structure achieved by disposing in a radial pattern numerous plate-like fin members extending from a central area thereof toward a peripheral edge. An upper end portion of each fin member overlaps a lower end portion of an adjacent fin member. The fin members are disposed with gaps formed between them and are made to range upward with a tilt along the circumferential direction.
US08038835B2
A processing gas fed from a gas feed pipe (8) through a gas introducing port (9) flows first into an outer annular gas flow channel (20a), where it is circumferentially diffused, and then into an inner annular gas flow channel (20b) via a passageway (23), and from this inner annular gas flow channel (20b) it flows into a gas diffusion gap (7) in the back surface of a shower head (6) via a gas feed hole 25. Thereafter, the processing gas is diffused in the gas diffusion gap (7) and delivered from gas delivery holes (5) to a semiconductor wafer (W). This makes it possible to improve the uniformity of in-plane process, as compared with the prior art, and to make a uniform process.
US08038833B2
In a plasma processing apparatus, a member for propagating high frequency from a high frequency power supply and/or to which the high frequency is applied. A power feed rod is electromagnetically shielded between a matching unit and a bottom plate of a chamber by a coaxial cylindrical conductor connected to a ground potential. A surface potential system disposed in an appropriate distance from the power feed rod in radius direction is installed in the cylindrical conductor, and measures in a non-contact state the electrostatic surface potential of the power feed rod through electrostatic capacitance and provides a controller with a surface potential detection signal including surface potential measurement value information. The controller performs a required signal processing or operation processing on the basis of the surface potential detection signal from the surface potential system, thereby obtaining the measurement value of the DC potential on the power feed rod.
US08038831B2
A method for manufacturing an identity booklet cover provided with a radio frequency identification device having an antenna and a chip (12) connected to the antenna, the method including the following steps: producing an antenna (12) having contacts (13 and 14) on a support (10), creating a recess (20) between the contacts (13 and 14), placing adhesive dielectric material (25, 26) near the contacts of the antenna, positioning an integrated circuit module (19) on the support so that the groups of contacts of the module are opposite the contacts of the antenna and the encapsulation of the module is in the recess (20), placing on the face of the support featuring the antenna at least one layer of thermo-adhesive film (40, 50, 60), placing a cover layer (70) on the layer (or) layer(s) (40 or 50 and 60) of thermo-adhesive film, laminating all the layers.
US08038819B2
A method for producing a heat-resistant resin endless belt includes preparing a heat-resistant resin sheet including a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other; forming a first inclined thinned portion at an end of the first surface and a second inclined thinned portion at an end of the second surface as the inclined thinned portion is formed to be gradually thinned toward the end, the end of the first surface being opposite to the end of the second surface; applying an adhesive composition by a screen printing method on at least one of the first and second inclined thinned portions; joining the first and second inclined thinned portions of the sheet to each other; and hardening the adhesive composition, in which the adhesive composition is an additive polymerized silicon adhesive composition containing ferric (III) oxide at between 6.5 and 9.9 weight % of a solid content of the adhesive composition; a viscosity of the additive polymerized silicon adhesive composition before being hardened at 23° C. is between 50 and 100 Pa s; and an expanding rate at shearing of the adhesive composition after being hardened is 250% or more on a tensile shear test.
US08038812B2
A method for manufacture and delivery of an emulsion explosive having a discontinuous oxidizer solution phase, a continuous fuel phase, and an emulsifier, the method comprising: (a) providing an emulsion manufacturing system; (b) conveying an oxidizer solution phase to the emulsion manufacturing system at a pre-determined pressure; (c) conveying a fuel phase to the emulsion manufacturing system at a pre-determined pressure; (d) forming an emulsion from the oxidizer solution and the fuel phases using only a portion of the pre-determined pressures so as to provide a usable residual pressure after the formation of the emulsion; and (e) utilizing the residual pressure to non-mechanically deliver the emulsion to a pre-determined location.
US08038809B2
A high-strength hot-rolled steel sheet containing C: 0.05 to 0.15%, Si: no more than 1.50% (excluding 0%), Mn: 0.5 to 2.5%, P: no more than 0.035% (excluding 0%), S: no more than 0.01% (including 0%), Al: 0.02 to 0.15%, and Ti: 0.05 to 0.2%, which is characterized in that its metallographic structure is composed of 60 to 95 vol % of bainite and solid solution-hardened or precipitation-hardened ferrite (or ferrite and martensite) and its fracture appearance transition temperature (vTrs) is no higher than 0° C. as obtained by impact tests. (% in terms of % by weight).
US08038803B2
Methods are provided for descaling metallic components devices such as stents. The devices or components are cleaned under ultrasound in a cleaning solution of ammonium hydrogen fluoride at a temperature within a range of about 60° to 80° C., then rinsed at that temperature with an aqueous rinse containing a nonionic surfactant and rinsed again with purified water.
US08038800B2
The invention relates to a method and a device for cleaning the door of a coke oven, said door comprising a sealing edge and a membrane that is attached to the door panel of the coke oven. According to said method, cleaning tools comprising jet nozzles, which are supplied with a flow medium at high pressure, are situated and displaced back and forth in the region between the sealing edge and the door panel of the coke oven, in such a way that the interior surface of the membrane and the sealing edge are cleaned. The coke oven door is cleaned directly after the coke oven chamber is opened, by at least one jet nozzle element, which is supplied with compressed air and is displaced along the sealing edges. The jet nozzles are oriented in such a way that the air hits the surface to be cleaned at an acute angle.
US08038797B2
A method and apparatus for manufacturing a magnetic recording medium uses a small-diameter insulating substrate. The apparatus includes a carrier for a special size of 3.5 inches for receiving a plurality of small-diameter insulating substrates. Seed layers are deposited on the substrates, then each substrate is rotated to shift the position of the substrate so that the movable claw contacts the deposited seed layer. A bias voltage is applied via the movable claw for subsequent deposition layers.
US08038794B2
A method of manufacturing a group III-nitride crystal substrate including the steps of introducing an alkali-metal-element-containing substance, a group III-element-containing substance and a nitrogen-element-containing substance into a reactor, forming a melt containing at least the alkali metal element, the group III-element and the nitrogen element in the reactor, and growing group III-nitride crystal from the melt, and characterized by handling the alkali-metal-element-containing substance in a drying container in which moisture concentration is controlled to at most 1.0 ppm at least in the step of introducing the alkali-metal-element-containing substance into the reactor is provided. A group III-nitride crystal substrate attaining a small absorption coefficient and the method of manufacturing the same, as well as a group III-nitride semiconductor device can thus be provided.
US08038792B2
The present invention relates to methods and apparatus for promoting rapid formation of biomolecule crystals from a solution of biomolecules, preferably proteins, wherein the protein solution undergoes rapid concentration according to its isoelectric point in an electric field. Protein crystallization according to the methods of the present invention takes place within a period of hours or less.
US08038771B2
Pressure swing adsorption (PSA) assemblies with purge control systems, and hydrogen-generation assemblies and/or fuel cell systems containing the same. The PSA assemblies are operated according to a PSA cycle to produce a product hydrogen stream and a byproduct stream from a mixed gas stream. The byproduct stream may be delivered as a fuel stream to a heating assembly, which may heat the hydrogen-producing region that produces the mixed gas stream. The PSA assemblies may be adapted to regulate the flow of purge gas utilized therein, such as according to a predetermined, non-constant profile. In some embodiments, the flow of purge gas is regulated to maintain the flow rate and/or fuel value of the byproduct stream at or within a determined range of a threshold value, and/or to regulate the flow of purge gas to limit the concentration of carbon monoxide in a heated exhaust stream produced from the byproduct stream.
US08038770B2
A separator for a hydraulic system is provided, including a substrate and a membrane. The substrate includes a substrate outer surface and a gas side expulsion area. The expulsion area is for expelling gas from the separator. The membrane is in communication with the substrate, and is for permeating gas to the substrate outer surface while substantially blocking ingression of fluid to the substrate. The substrate outer surface is for receiving gas. The substrate is for transporting gas from the substrate outer surface to the expulsion area.
US08038751B2
A coated abrasive product includes a particulate material containing green, unfired abrasive aggregates having a generally spheroidal or toroidal shape, the aggregates formed from a composition comprising abrasive grit particles and a nanoparticle binder. Free abrasive products, bonded abrasive products, and the particulate material also contain aggregates.
US08038746B2
A system and process are disclosed for the controlled combustion of a wide variety of hydrocarbon feedstocks to produce thermal energy, liquid fuels, and other valuable products with little or no emissions. The hydrocarbon feeds, such as coal and biomass, are first gasified and then oxidized in a two-chamber system/process using pure oxygen rather than ambient air. A portion of the intermediate gases generated in the system/process are sent to a Fischer-Tropsch synthesis process for conversion into diesel fuel and other desired liquid hydrocarbons. The remaining intermediate gases are circulated and recycled through each of the gasification/oxidation chambers in order to maximize energy production. The energy produced through the system/process is used to generate steam and produce power through conventional steam turbine technology. In addition to the release of heat energy, the hydrocarbon fuels are oxidized to the pure product compounds of water and carbon dioxide, which are subsequently purified and marketed. The system/process minimizes environmental emissions.
US08038745B2
A carbonaceous feedstock to alcohol conversion process in which carbon dioxide and a portion of the hydrogen produced are removed from the syngas stream issuing from a feedstock reformer, to yield a reduced hydrogen, carbon monoxide and methane syngas stream. The hydrogen and the carbon dioxide are passed through a Fischer Tropsch reactor which is catalyzed to favor the production of methanol. The methanol produced in the Fischer-Tropsch reactor is passed with the reduced hydrogen syngas through a second Fischer-Tropsch reactor which is catalyzed to favor the production of ethanol. Also disclosed, without limitation, are a unique catalyst, a method for controlling the content of the syngas formed in the feedstock reformer, and a feedstock handling system.
US08038744B2
A system and process for maximizing the generation of marketable products from a variety of hydrocarbon feedstocks. The hydrocarbon feedstocks are first gasified and then oxidized in a two-chamber system and process using oxygen gas rather than ambient air. Intermediate gases generated in the system and process are recirculated and recycled to the gasification and oxidation chambers in order to maximize both energy generation and the resulting stoichiometric reaction products. The energy produced through the system and process is used to generate steam and produce power through conventional steam turbine technology. In addition to the release of heat energy, the hydrocarbon feedstocks are oxidized to the pure product compounds of water and carbon dioxide. The carbon dioxide is subsequently purified and marketed. The water recovered from the system and process is collected and electrolyzed to generate oxygen and hydrogen gases. These gases are separated using conventional gas separation technologies and also marketed. The system and process minimizes environmental emissions.
US08038735B2
In a deep dyeing process of a polyamide (PA) including Nylon 4, Nylon 6, Nylon 46, Nylon 66, Nylon 7, Nylon 8, Nylon 9, Nylon 610, Nylon 1010, Nylon 11, Nylon 12, Nylon 13, Nylon 612, Nylon 9T, Nylon 13, MC Nylon, Nylon MXD6, and all polyamide derivatives, and a polyolefin (PO) including ethylene copolymer, propylene copolymer and their derivatives, a compatibilizer precursor is used for modifying the polyamide and polyolefin of an amino, hydroxyl or epoxy group containing chemical, and then a reactive dye and/or an acid dye is used for dyeing the polyamide and polyolefin, so that the dyed polyamide and polyolefin have excellent dye fastness, light fastness, rubbing fastness, washing fastness and low-temperature dyeability to overcome the shortcomings of conventional nylon fibers including a poor dyeing effect, a non-level dyeing quality, a high dyeing temperature (100° C. to 120° C.) and a high cost.
US08038732B2
The invention relates to a dye composition comprising a thiol/disulfide fluorescent dye comprising amino groups, and to a dyeing process which has a lightening effect on keratin materials, in particular keratin fibers, especially human keratin fibers such as the hair, using said composition. It similarly relates to novel thiol/disulfide fluorescent dyes and to uses thereof in lightening keratin materials. This composition makes it possible to obtain a particularly resistant and visible lightening effect on dark keratin fibers.
US08038730B2
The present invention relates to a fiber product treating agent containing, in a predetermined mass ratio, (a1) a silicone compound and (b) a polymer compound having a weight-average molecular weight of 1,000 to 100,000, containing an alkylene terephthalate unit and/or an alkylene isophthalate unit, and a polyoxyalkylene unit, and further containing (c) at least one compound selected from (c1) a specific tertiary amine compound, or acid salt thereof or a quaternization product thereof, and (c2) a cationic water-soluble polymer compound, and a fiber product treating agent containing, in a predetermined mass ratio, (a2) an amino-modified silicone compound and/or an amide-modified silicone compound and (b) a polymer compound having a weight-average molecular weight of 1,000 to 100,000, containing an alkylene terephthalate unit and/or an alkylene isophthalate unit, and a polyoxyalkylene unit.
US08038728B2
A method is described for treating fabrics, yarns and individual fibers to improve the mechanical properties thereof, for example their wrinkle-resistance, by treating the fabric, yarn, and fibers in a solution containing polymer nanoparticles. The nanoparticles include two sizes of particles and an appropriate selection of the nanoparticles to control the degree and mode of cross-linking in the fabric with corresponding control of the mechanical properties. The nanoparticles can be provided with an electrical charge that can be opposite in sign to any charge carried by the fabric in order to enhance the formation of a polymer film on the fabric.
US08038717B2
A distraction method including inserting a spacer element into a space between bones to be distracted, removing the spacer element from the space, inserting a wider spacer element into the space, and removing the wider spacer element from the space.
US08038716B2
An artificial disc prosthesis is provided. The prosthesis of the present invention enables spinal segment alignment by having a variable height across its surface. The variable height is achieved by an asymmetric artificial nucleus or by at least one variable height end plate.
US08038706B2
A stent assembly comprises a proximal stent and a distal stent. Each stent has a tubular body defining a stent lumen and a circumference. A proximal flap extends from the distal end of the proximal stent and a distal flap extends from the proximal end of the distal stent. Each flap defines only a portion of the circumference. In an expanded state the proximal flap and the distal flap form a side branch support having a side branch support lumen. The side branch support lumen is in fluid communication with the stent lumen and has a longitudinal axis different from that of the stent lumen.
US08038704B2
This disclosure contains methods, devices, and systems for object removal from a body, including removal of a stent from a body. Methods of the present disclosure include inflating a balloon on a catheter, engaging a stent with a socket defined by a surface of the balloon, the surface inwardly sloped toward a lumen of the catheter, and retracting a portion of the stent through the socket and into the lumen. The present disclosure also includes methods for making a catheter, including forming a balloon, inverting a portion of the balloon, and attaching the balloon to a catheter such that a surface of the balloon defines a socket that is inwardly sloped toward a lumen of the catheter.
US08038700B2
There is disclosed a system and method for dynamic stabilization which provides for distraction of the inter-vertebral space while still allowing a patient a substantial range of motion. In one embodiment, an inter-vertebral dynamic brace is used to maintain proper distraction. The dynamic brace is designed to allow the vertebrae to which it is attached to move through their natural arc, maintaining the correct instantaneous center of rotation. An adjustable tensioning device is used to maintain the proper distraction and compression forces to restore and maintain proper kinematics, while allowing the dynamic brace to move through an arc centered with respect to the center of rotation of the portion of the spine between the vertebrae. In one embodiment, a method is provided for adjusting the dynamic brace both with respect to the center of rotation of the vertebrae in both the flexion/extension axis and in the superior/inferior axis.
US08038698B2
An apparatus includes an elongate member having a proximal portion configured to be deformed from a first configuration to a second configuration. The elongate member has a distal portion configured to be deformed from a first configuration to a second configuration. A non-expanding central portion is positioned between the proximal portion and the distal portion. The non-expanding central portion is configured to engage adjacent spinous processes.
US08038697B2
A collapsible filter element for a transcatheter embolic protection device, the filter element comprises a collapsible filter body of polymeric material which is movable between a collapsed stored position for movement through a vascular system and an expanded position for extension across a blood vessel such that blood passing through the blood vessel is delivered through the filer element. A proximal inlet portion of the filter body has one or more inlet openings sized to allow blood and embolic material enter the filter body. A distal outlet portion of the filter body has a plurality of generally circular outlet openings sized to allow through-passage of blood, but to retain embolic material within the filter body. The distal outlet portion of the filter body in the region of the outlet openings has means for reducing shear stress on blood passing through the outlet openings. The shear stress reducing means includes lead-in and lead-out radiussed portions of the filter body leading to the outlet holes. The porosity of the distal portion of the filter body decreases towards the distal end. A blind portion extends for at least 5% of the length of the body. Preferably there are between 200 and 300 outlet opening with an average diameter of approximately 150 microns.
US08038691B2
A cutting balloon catheter and method of making and using the same. The cutting balloon catheter may include a catheter shaft having a balloon coupled thereto. One or more cutting members or blades may be coupled to the balloon. The cutting members may configured to be more flexible.
US08038690B2
A vascular graft for anastomosis of blood vessels or ducts comprises piercing means (3) for engaging an end portion (8/8′) of a blood vessel or prosthesis and means (6, 6′) for precisely guiding one or more piercing elements (3) to pierce the wall of the vessel or prosthesis to a predetermined depth and in a predetermined direction.
US08038678B2
A two sided cylindrical chondral resurfacing implant that covers areas of the highest contact between the tibia and femur. A dual-sided rotary drill cutter is employed to create a tibial socket from outside in. A full femoral trough is made with the opposite side of the rotary drill cutter by simply moving the knee through flexion and extension. In this manner, automatic alignment of femoral and tibial components is achieved due to the “transtibial” nature of the femoral preparation.
US08038677B2
The invention relates to a surgical instrument comprising a handling part and a tool part that encompasses at least one movably mounted tool which is actuated via a force-transmitting and/or actuating mechanism. Said force-transmitting and/or actuating mechanism is operated from the handling part and is provided with a fluid-operated drive unit. In order to improve said surgical instrument such that the same can be operated with as much sensitivity as possible, the movably mounted tool can be impinged upon a first actuation force in a first driven position while being impinged upon by at least one second actuation force in a least one second driven position with the aid of the drive unit.
US08038662B2
An incontinence article comprising front and back belly sections connected at side seams forming belly and back bands, continuous in the hip direction having a hip opening closed in the hip direction, and a crotch section comprising an absorbent body, extending longitudinally between and permanently attached to the bolly and back sections, wherein the crotch, belly, and back sections define leg openings, the belly and back sections have an edge contour extending towards a transverse center axis, wherein first elastification means in the belly and back sections extend parallel to each other in the hip direction and wherein, in the belly and back sections, second elastification means extend from two side seam areas towards a longitudinal center axis of the article in a curved shape, thereby fanning out with increasing separation from each other, where the second elastification means fan out, the restoring force from extensive stretching of this area is smaller than that from extensive stretching of an area on the hip side, having only the first elastification means.
US08038658B2
A medical needle is made of a synthetic resin which is reinforced, including the point part of the needle, to reduce deformation during puncture, even when the needle is produced by injection molding. The needle is made of a synthetic resin composition which includes synthetic resin and reinforcing fiber having a length of 80 μm or below and reinforcing fiber having a length exceeding 80 μm. The number ratio of the former fiber to the whole fiber component is 40% to 90%. A synthetic resin composition for needles includes a synthetic resin and a reinforcing fiber component, wherein the composition is prepared by adding at least two kinds of fibers, namely a fiber having a mean length of 1 mm to 10 mm and a fiber having a mean length of 10 μm to 100 μm to the synthetic resin and kneading the obtained mixture.
US08038650B2
A drug delivery device is formed from an elastomeric element, including an inflatable drug reservoir and a flexible sleeve, and an insert inserted within the flexible sleeve. The insert cooperates with the flexible sleeve to form an at least partially pressure compensated flow regulating mechanism.
US08038648B2
An injection device (100) for injecting a substance into an organism (1) is described, comprising a guide device (10) with a lumen (11) in which an injection tool (21) is arranged in a displaceable manner, a displacement device (20) to which the injection tool (21) is connected, and a holder device (30) that forms a support for the guide and displacement devices (10, 20), said guide and displacement devices (10, 20) being displaceably arranged on the holder device (30). A method for injecting a substance into an organism (1) is also described.
US08038644B2
A catheter (200) for insertion into a hollow viscus of a subject, comprising: a drainage opening (204) and an instillation opening at a distal end an inlet port (209) at a proximal end for instilling a fluid; an outlet port (205) at the proximal end for draining fluid from the viscus; a drainage channel (201) connecting the drainage opening to the outlet port; an instillation channel (211) connecting the inlet port to the instillation opening; a valve (223) proximate the drainage channel at the distal end for closing it against the entry of fluid from the viscus; a valve control port (220) at the proximal end for receiving a control fluid under pressure; and a control channel (222) connecting the valve control port to the valve such that the valve is responsive to admitted control fluid under pressure to close itself.
US08038641B2
A two-part tool for reading and adjusting an implantable valve, and methods of use. The tool includes a locator-indicator component that, when placed matingly on the patient's skin over the valve, provides magnetic reading of the valve setting. The tool also includes an adjustor component that couples to the locator-indicator component and is rotatable to change a valve setting.
US08038629B2
An apparatus and method for determining proper endotreachal placement is disclosed. The apparatus includes an audio receiver having a body, a microphone mount in a center thereof the body and an audio cavity, an audio processing unit; and a signal cable connected at a first end to the microphone and at a second end, where the receiver is adapted to be positioned in a suprasternal notch of a patient and the acoustic signal detected after inflation of a balloon associated with an endotracheal tube. The method uses the apparatus to detect and analyze an audio signal. The audio signal is then used to confirm endotracheal tube placement.
US08038617B2
The invention relates to a mobile defibrillator which has a housing. In order to improve the diagnostic reliability, particularly in the case of irregular heart rhythms and myocardial infarctions, provision is additionally made for an imaging ultrasound device to be provided in or on the housing.
US08038614B2
A method for establishing baseline data for normalization in a physiological monitoring system which captures images of an individual in order to monitor the well being of the individual, including establishing the identity of an individual; assembling a set of personal data associated with the individual, including semantic data; using the semantic data to identify at least a portion of the wellness parameters to be monitored; acquiring images of the individual during separate capture events to establish baseline image-based wellness parameter data and baseline capture condition data for the individual and; using the baseline wellness parameter data and baseline capture condition data to monitor the physiological condition of the individual.
US08038612B2
A device auxiliary to surgery, for anchoring and lifting cavity walls or internal organs of a patient. The device provides a virtual port, that is an instrument that can be non-invasively, or minimally invasively and removably attached to the undersurface of a patient's cavity, or to various tissues within a cavity, and to which various retracting means are attached. The device includes means allowing it to be moved from one position to another and reattached to the undersurface of the abdominal wall, or to various tissues within a cavity, without creating any additional openings in the cavity wall. The device includes means for attaching various retractors.
US08038610B2
A medical instrument introduction device for introducing a medical instrument into a living body provided with; a rigid main body provided with a lumen, a first fixing portion disposed on the main body to fix the main body on the first septate of the living body, and a second fixing portion disposed on a distal end side of the main body with respect to the first fixing portion and to fix the main body on a second septate which is different from the first septate.
US08038603B2
An endoscope hood has a protrusion portion which protrudes in an observation visual field direction of an endoscope at an end of a cylindrical press fitting fixing portion attached by press fitting in a state that an attachment position in a circumferential direction is positioned at a distal end portion of an endoscope insertion portion in an appropriate direction. Further, there is provided attachment state confirming device which increases an area of the protrusion portion displayed in an endoscope observation image when the press fitting fixing portion is attached to a distal end portion of a second endoscope insertion portion having a size different from that of a first endoscope insertion portion to which the press fitting fixing portion can be appropriately attached, and gives a warning about an inappropriate attachment state.
US08038602B2
A cart or man-portable system and method for performing endoscopic procedures is provided. A portable display device, such as a laptop computer, is coupled to a handle comprising a miniature camera and fiber optic illumination subsystem. A sterile disposable portion is fitted over the illumination subsystem and inserted into a target area on a patient. Images of the target area are conveyed from the camera to the display device while an endoscopic procedure is performed, thus facilitating real-time diagnosis during the procedure.
US08038601B2
A pill inserted into a body of a patient acquires in-vivo information on the body of the patient. A receiver disposed on the outside of the body receives the in-vivo information on the body of the patient from the pill through an antenna. When a power supply signal is transmitted from the receiver to the pill through the antenna, a drive control signal for making the pill to execute a predetermined function is superposed on the power supply signal, which makes it possible to control various functions performed by the pill from outside.
US08038597B2
The instrument for an endoscope is an instrument for an endoscope is able to move reciprocally in the channel of the endoscope along a guide wire, and includes: a sheath portion having a guide lumen into which the guide wire is inserted and another lumen disposed along the guide lumen. The proximal end of the sheath portion is bifurcated into the first sheath portion having the guide lumen and the second sheath portion having the other lumen.
US08038591B2
The present disclosure relates to an image forming device component that includes an elastomeric material having a surface and a triboelectric charging material that may be exposed on the elastomeric material surface. The triboelectric material may be exposed by a finishing process that results in removal of a portion of the material leaving voids in the surface. The surface may have a surface roughness in the range of about 0.1 to 5.0 Ra. The component may include a developer roller in an electrophotograhic printer and may provide contact electrification to a given toner during a printing operation.
US08038590B2
A conductive member (10) includes a conductive supporting body (1), an electric resistance adjusting layer (2), which is formed onto the conductive supporting body (1) and is disposed to face a photoconductor (4), and a pair of space holding members (3, 3) disposed in both ends of the electric resistance adjusting layer (2), so as to have contact with the photoconductor (4) to maintain a predetermined gap (G) between the electric resistance adjusting layer (2) and the photoconductor, and each of the space holding members (3, 3) includes a cylinder portion (3a) attached to the outer circumference surface (2a) of the electric resistance adjusting layer and an end plate (3b) provided in one end portion of the cylinder portion and disposed to have contact with the end surface (2b) of the electric resistance adjusting layer.
US08038581B1
A climbing wall assembly for educational and recreational purposes. The climbing wall assembly has a plurality of adjacently positioned wall panels, each having an exterior paint/aggregate textured surface adapted for educational purposes. A plurality of wall apertures are provided for mounting hand hold structures so that a plurality of climbing paths may be provided. Markable paint/aggregate climbing wall surfaces are also provided. Removable magnetic and metallic educational elements may also be utilized by the climbers. A paint/aggregate layer having metallic or magnetic particles mixed therein may be utilized to provide the magnetic climbing wall surface and to provide magnetic qualities to climbing wall components.
US08038577B2
The invention relates to an interactive exercise management system. The system may be used for improving a workout environment for a specific user or group of users, tracking exercise information, and providing future workout information. The system, and method of using the system, allows for a specific user or group of users to control their workout environmental conditions. The conditions that may be controlled include, but are not limited to, sight, sound, smell and climate.
US08038572B2
A control apparatus for a drive system of a vehicle includes (a) an electrically controlled differential portion having a differential state between rotating speeds of an input and an output shaft being controlled by controlling an operating state of a first electric motor, (b) a switching portion operable to switch a power transmitting path between the output shaft and a drive wheel of the vehicle, between a power transmitting state and a power cut-off state, and (c) a second electric motor connected to the power transmitting path. The control apparatus includes an excessive speed preventing portion configured to limit a rotating speed of the output shaft or an operating speed of the second electric motor when the power transmitting path is switched by the switching portion from the power transmitting state to the power cut-off state.
US08038568B2
A transmission is provided having an input member, an output member, three planetary gear sets, four external co-planar gear sets, a plurality of coupling members and a plurality of torque transmitting devices. Each of the planetary gear sets includes first, second and third members. Each of the external gear sets includes first and second gears. The torque transmitting devices may include clutches and brakes.
US08038564B2
A transmission is provided having an input member, an output member, a dual clutch assembly, two countershaft gearing arrangements, one planetary gear set, a plurality of interconnecting members, and a plurality of torque transmitting devices. Each of the countershaft gearing arrangements includes a plurality of co-planar gear sets. The torque transmitting devices include a combination of clutches, brakes, and synchronizers.
US08038563B2
The index table includes a rotary table for setting a workpiece for a machine tool; a rotary table shaft fixedly provided on the rotary table; a driving motor mechanism, which is a driving source; and a planetary roller speed-reduction mechanism having a sun roller, which is a motor output shaft of the driving motor mechanism, a ring fixed to the speed-reduction mechanism, a plurality of planetary rollers arranged at equal angular intervals between the sun roller and the ring in a pressurized state, and a planetary roller harness that fixedly supports a plurality of planetary roller shafts pivotally supporting the planetary rollers in a rotatable manner and is fixedly provided coaxially with the rotary table shaft.
US08038562B2
A rotary shaft is provided so as to be coaxial with an inner member which comprises a hub ring and a bearing inner ring. External gears are rotatably provided around eccentric portions formed on the rotary shaft. The external gears mesh with internal teeth formed on the inner periphery of a casing. When the rotary shaft rotates, the external gears mesh with the internal teeth one after another, so that their centers rotate about the axis of the rotary shaft. When the rotary shaft rotates once, the external gears rotate about their own axes by an amount corresponding to the difference in number between the external teeth and the internal teeth. The rotation of the external gears about their axes is transmitted through a torque transmission to the inner member, thereby rotating the inner member at a reduced speed.
US08038557B2
A power unit, provided in a saddle-ride type vehicle, makes a vertical dimension of an engine body compact and achieves reduction in loss horsepower. A cylinder body is formed so that a virtual plane including a cylinder axis and being in parallel to a crank axis passes through a position displaced downward from the crank axis, At least a part of an ECVT motor (electric motor for driving) and a reciprocation gear (drive member) is arranged on a side of a virtual plane, which includes a crankcase side end of the cylinder body and is perpendicular to the cylinder axis, toward the cylinder body and above a lower surface of the cylinder body.
US08038554B2
An isolation damper pulley comprises a damper section 1 and an isolation pulley section 2 assembled thereto, wherein a first fitting portion 18 constituted from a cylindrical portion concentric with a center axis O of a through hole 13 is provided to a hub 10 of the damper unit 1. The isolation pulley section 2 has a supporting member 22 fixed to a pulley portion 21 via an annular elastic member 23, wherein a second fitting portion 27 concentric with the first fitting portion 18 is provided to the supporting member 22. A third fitting portion 32 concentric with the first fitting portion 18 is provided to a pressing member 31 applying a precompression to the annular elastic member 23 in cooperation with the supporting member 22. The second fitting portion 27 and the third fitting portion 32 are fitted to each other and these fitting portions are fitted to the first fitting portion 18, so that the isolation pulley section 2 is assembled to the damper section 1.
US08038547B2
The present invention provides a golf ball composed of a core, an outermost cover layer and one or more intermediate layer therebetween. At least one intermediate layer includes a mixture composed of a base polymer made of, in a specific ratio, (a) a metal ion neutralization product of an olefin-unsaturated carboxylic acid random copolymer and/or a metal ion neutralization product of an olefin-unsaturated carboxylic acid-unsaturated carboxylic acid ester random copolymer, (b) a thermoplastic elastomer selected from the group consisting of thermoplastic polyester elastomers, thermoplastic block copolymers and thermoplastic polyurethanes, and (c) a thermoplastic block copolymer containing end blocks modified by a functional group having reactivity with an ionomer resin, both end blocks being formed of different comonomers. The mixture also includes (e) an organic acid of 18 to 40 carbons or a derivative thereof, and (f) a metal ion source selected from the group consisting of alkali metals, alkaline earth metals and transition metals. The mixture has an optimized difference between the melt viscosities of (b) and (a) as measured under a shear rate of 6,000 sec−1 and 240° C. in accordance with JIS K-7199. The golf ball of the invention has a flight and control performance acceptable for use by professional golfers and skilled amateurs, and also has an excellent durability to cracking under repeated impact.
US08038541B1
A motion-based system includes one or more passenger units, gimbaled about three axes, movably attached to arms or slots in a planar system extending radially from a central hub. The passenger units may be positioned along the arms any distance from the central hub thereby providing means for varying forces to be exerted thereon while maintaining a constant rotational speed. The mobile passenger units further provide means for loading and unloading subjects during operation of the system. The means includes passenger units being moved to the central hub location where they are disengaged from the rotating system and safely loaded and unloaded. Computers control the rotational speed of the system and the movements of the passenger units about at least three axes based on inputted or real-time data. The data can simulate real events, be arbitrarily developed or be based on real time events. The motion-based system has both training and amusement purposes.
US08038538B2
An electronic device for enhancing an interactive experience with a tangible medium of expression is disclosed. The device is operable with a any of a plurality of preprogrammed, removable memory modules, at least one memory module having content relating to the tangible medium. The electronic device has a processor coupled to each of a user input device, a user output device, and a memory address space comprising a preprogrammed, non-removable electronic memory. A memory interface is configured to increase the memory address space accessible to the processor when any combination of the memory modules is coupled to the interface. The processor is configured to cause the output device to produce an output signal relating to the tangible medium based on the content of the memory address space when any combination of the plurality of removable memory modules including the at least one memory module is coupled to the interface.
US08038528B2
A method of playing a wagering game, the wagering game having a basic game and a multi-level secondary game. The method includes conducting the basic game at a gaming terminal. In response to achieving a first-level secondary game entry award, a first-level secondary game is activated. A first set of player-selectable game elements is displayed during the first level secondary game and a player selects, at least one of the first set of player-selectable game elements, which include at least one second-level secondary game entry award. Upon selecting the second-level secondary game entry award, a second-level secondary game is activated and a second set of player-selectable game elements are displayed. The player selects at least one of the second set of player-selectable game elements and a progressive game payoff is awarded based on the selecting.
US08038526B2
When a predetermined amount of credits have been inserted into a slot machine, the game mode is switched from the non-insurance mode to the insurance mode according to the player's input operation via a touch panel. In the insurance mode, determination is made whether or not the amount of bet credits matches the maximum bet amount. When determination has been made that the amount of bet credits matches the maximum bet amount, the number of games is counted after switching of the game mode to the insurance mode. When the counted number of games reaches a predetermined number, a predetermined amount of credits is paid out. Furthermore, in this case, only in a case where determination has been made that the amount of credits bet on the game matches the maximum bet amount, the difference between the counted number of games and the predetermined number is displayed.
US08038521B2
A device for automatically calibrating for card size during card handling is disclosed. The device includes a card receiving area, a card stacking area and a card moving system for moving cards from the card receiving area to the card stacking area. An elevator located in the card stacking area has a movable platform for moving a stack of cards, and has a collection surface on the platform. A motor moves the platform within the elevator. At least one sensor senses at least one of a) position of the platform, b) height of the platform, c) position of a card in the elevator, d) height of a card or cards in the elevator, e) pressure applied to a card in the elevator, e) presence of the platform at a predetermined height, f) presence of the platform at a predetermined position, g) presence of card(s) on the platform, and h) absence of card(s) on the platform. A method for calibrating a card handling device during shuffling is also disclosed. The method is practiced by providing a device having a card receiving area and a card stacking area comprising an elevator with a card support platform and grippers. The method includes feeding at least two initial cards into a card stacking area, automatically identifying a target elevator height that corresponds to a height at which at least a single card on the card support platform is gripped and one card remains on the platform, and randomly feeding remaining cards into the card stacking area.
US08038520B2
In accordance with some embodiments, a plurality of outcomes are generated and used to create a video presentation of representative outcomes. The video presentation is recorded onto a tangible medium (e.g., DVD or CD-ROM) or otherwise provided to a player (e.g., player may access the video presentation online). This allows a player to purchase a video presentation of (e.g., predetermined) outcomes in a jurisdiction in which gambling is legal yet view the presentation at the player's convenience (e.g., from any jurisdiction and at any time). A player who purchases such a video presentation may subsequently redeem it for a redemption value associated therewith.
US08038519B1
An automated raffle game and method making use of prize pools, the prize pools having elements, the elements representing one of: winning prizes; or, both winning prizes and no-win (0 value) prizes. Raffle tickets are associated with a prize pool. Upon closure of the game, either by a time-out or by number of tickets sold, a number of elements are taken from the pool. The number of elements taken from the pool is directly related to the number of tickets associated with the pool and further depends on which type of pool is being used (one having only win-elements or both win and 0-value elements). The results are sent to the player terminal, where a player may simply take a winning voucher or ticket, or, may chose to view an entertainment display.
US08038517B2
In an air conditioner having a main body provided with a panel 1 including a front panel 1a and a top panel 1b, the main body incorporating an air passage connecting an air inlet 2 and an air outlet 3, an air filter 4, a heat exchanger 5, a blower fan 6, and a dedusting device 7 attached to the front face of the air filter 4 which is reciprocated along the surface of the air filter 4, the top panel 1b is opened/closed as the dedusting device 7 is reciprocated.
US08038515B2
Exhaust capture and containment are enhanced by means of automatic or manual side skirts, a sensitive breach detector based on interference effects, a combination of vertical and horizontal edge jets, and/or corner jets that are directed to the center diagonally from corners. Associated control functions are described.
US08038513B2
The invention emanates from a hand-held grinder, in particular an orbital grinder, with at least one handle (10) in or on a housing part (19) and with a drive unit (12) to drive a grinding disc (14) in or on a disc-shaped tool carrier (13) in a housing (11), wherein the grinding disc (14) is on a grinding disc plane (16) and the direction of force (17) is perpendicular to the plane (16) of the grinding disc. The invention proposes that the handle (10) is connected to the housing (11) through at least one vibration decoupling element (18, 71). The invention also relates to a vibration decoupling device of a hand-held grinder.
US08038512B2
A method for manufacturing a glass substrate for an information recording medium having a high level of cleanness and superior smoothness. The manufacturing method includes washing a disk-shaped glass plate with an acid washing liquid, removing at least part of a surface layer, which is formed on the surface of the glass plate, by performing grinding with diamond abrasion grains, and washing the surface with a neutral or alkaline washing liquid.
US08038508B2
A wafer polishing apparatus includes a polishing tape extending between two guide rollers, a first surface of the polishing tape contacting a surface of a wafer to be polished, a polishing head including a pusher pad, the pusher pad adapted to push the polishing tape against the surface of the wafer to be polished, a color image sensor adjacent to the polishing tape, the color image sensor being adapted to detect a color image of the polishing tape and to output a signal corresponding to the detected color image, and a controller connected to the color image sensor, the controller being adapted to receive the signal output from the color image sensor and to determine when a color of the color image detected by the color image sensor changes, a change in the color image indicating a polishing end point.
US08038504B1
A toy includes a vehicle body having a front portion and a rear portion. A pair of rear wheels is coupled with the rear portion and located on the vehicle so as to at least partially support the rear portion. A first electric motor is drivingly coupled with the at least one rear wheel. There is a pair of front wheels coupled with the front portion and located on the vehicle so as to at least partially support the front portion. An electrically operated steering actuator is mounted on the front portion and is drivingly coupled to the at least one front wheel to rotate the front wheels to steer the toy vehicle. When the vehicle is inverted, the sensor detects the orientation change and signals a microprocessor inside the vehicle, the microprocessor responds to the signal and changes the left/right motor control signal to the steering motor and the forward/backward motor control signal on the driving motor.
US08038496B2
A light emitting device of the invention includes a thin film transistor, an insulating layer covering the thin film transistor, an electrode which is electrically connected to the thin film transistor through a contact hole formed on the insulating layer, and a light emitting element formed by interposing a light emitting layer between a first electrode which is electrically connected to the electrode and a second electrode. The light emitting device further includes a layer formed of a different material from that of the insulating layer only between the electrode and the first electrode over the insulating layer and the insulating layer. The structure of the light emitting device and its manufacturing method reduces the amount of water remaining in the light emitting device and suppresses the deterioration of the light emitting element due to water remaining in the light emitting device.
US08038489B2
An outboard motor includes a prime mover, a marine propulsion unit having a propeller arranged to be driven by a rotational force of the prime mover to generate a thrust force, a shift position changing mechanism, a shift position changing mechanism actuator, and a control unit arranged to control the shift position changing mechanism actuator. When the shift position is changed to one of the first shift position and the second shift position from the neutral position, the control unit inhibits a change in the shift position to the other one of the first shift position and the second shift position until a predetermined time period elapses. The above arrangement improves the controllability of a boat propulsion system having an electronically controlled shift mechanism.
US08038484B2
Disclosed is an ECG electrode lead wire connector which provides improved electrical and mechanical coupling of the ECG electrode press stud to the lead wire, provides enhanced ergonomics to the clinician, and may alleviate patient discomfort associated with the attachment and removal of ECG leads. The connector may be engaged and disengaged with little or no force imparted to the patient or the ECG pad, which significantly minimizes the risk of inadvertent dislodgement of the pad. In one embodiment the disclosed connector provides a thumb cam lever which affirmatively engages the press stud to the connector, and provides tactile feedback to the clinician that the connector is properly engaged. In other embodiments, the connector provides a pushbutton to enable the clinician to easily engage and disengage the connector from the ECG stud. The disclosed connectors may also decrease clinician fatigue, and may provide more reliable ECG results.
US08038478B2
A mechanical and earthed safety contact intended for both small and large withdrawals of power and may for instance be used for connecting a vehicle to the electrical power net includes a telescopic part with a key and a docking unit, which when in mechanical contact interacts with each other for transmission of electric current. The docking unit includes multiple spring pins, of which one is pushed in when the key reaches the front of the docking unit. Transmission of current between the docking unit and the key can take place only when this pin is pushed in far enough. Contact surfaces on the key are used for exchange of information in interaction with contact surfaces of canals containing the spring pins. The key may have a seal that tightens against such a canal to protect the transmission of energy and signal.
US08038477B2
A card connector (100) for receiving two cards includes an insulative housing (1), a lower cover (5) disposed at one side of the insulative housing for defining a first card receiving space (102), an upper cover (4) disposed at an opposite side of the insulative housing for defining a receiving space, and a number of first contacts (2) and a number of second contacts (3) retained in the insulative housing. The receiving space includes a second card receiving space (101) and a third receiving space (103) sideways relative to the second card receiving space. The card connector further includes an ejector (6) which is assembled in the third receiving space. The ejector includes an ejecting portion (621) extending into the first card receiving space for ejecting one of the two cards.
US08038472B2
A coaxial cable connector for terminating a prepared coaxial cable end includes a connector body having a center passageway. A compression sleeve attached to one end of the connector body is axially movable wherein movement of the sleeve causes the center conductor of an engaged coaxial cable end to be engaged by a plurality of spring contacts that are radially disposed in relation to a conductive member into which the center conductor is advanced. The center conductor is seized when advanced a predetermined distance into the conductive member.
US08038469B2
An electrical connection assembly includes a faceplate defining a compartment extending substantially perpendicularly therefrom. The compartment being formed from the same piece of material as the faceplate and defining a biasing member biasing a component of the connection assembly. The electrical connection assembly also includes a one-piece conductive insert disposed within the compartment. The insert has a terminal enabling electrical connection of the insert to an electrical current source.
US08038466B1
A power connector assembly includes mateable power receptacle and power plug. The power receptacle includes an insulative housing and a number of receptacle power contacts received in the insulative housing. The insulative housing includes a mating surface, a mounting surface, a first slot recessed from the first mating surface, and a first through hole extending through the mounting surface to be exposed to an exterior. The first through hole is in communication with the first slot in order to form a heat dissipation path for eliminating heat generated by the receptacle power contacts.
US08038447B1
The invention is an improved anatomical doll that has a clear tummy and back that swivel open to reveal either removable or non-removable organs. The removable organs are held in place by indentations in the abdomen of the doll, whereas each of the non-removable organs has an individual recess that allows the non-removable organ to be hidden further within the abdomen. An alternative embodiment of the invention is to provide a doll with missing limbs and corresponding prosthetic limbs. The primary benefit of the improved anatomical dolls is to provide a means to educate small children about the human anatomy, especially children that need an upcoming surgical procedure explained to them.
US08038445B2
A method is provided for forming a hole in a jaw bone at a drill site. The method can comprise forming an initial hole in soft tissue of the jaw bone, advancing a first portion of the drill through the soft tissue and into a bone portion of the jaw bone to form a guidance hole in the bone portion of the jaw bone, advancing the drill until a second portion of the drill contacts the soft tissue to form an enlarged hole in the soft tissue, and further advancing the drill until the second portion of the drill contacts the bone portion of the jaw bone to form a countersink hole in the bone portion. The countersink hole can be formed to have a flat bottom that is immediately adjacent to an inclined surface thereof.
US08038443B2
To provide a fixture mount fixing tool for preventing damage of a fixture in the storage container, when a fixture mount and the fixture are engaged, the fixture mount fixing tool includes a top part (2) having a bolt insertion through-hole (1) and a droop part (3) drooped therefrom, the bolt insertion through-hole (1) includes an engagement hole (4) engaged with a regular polygonal-shaped part (Zb) formed on an end part outer face of the fixture mount (Z), and/or the droop part (3) includes engagement faces contacted with plane parts on an outer face of the fixture mount (Z), and the droop part (3) includes a locking part (3b) locked with a container holding hole of a base table for holding the storage container (Y) or a locking part (3b) locked with engagement part formed on the side face of the container (Y).
US08038435B2
A venting device for venting a cavity of an injection mold via a venting opening of the injection mold which cavity can be filled with an injection molding material is provided. The venting device comprising a housing which has a through-opening and is designed and intended for an arrangement on an injection mold in such a way that air which is present in the cavity and which escapes from a venting opening of the injection mold when injection molding material is introduced into the cavity can exhaust through the through-opening of the housing into an exterior space surrounding the injection mold. A valve pin extending longitudinally along a direction of extent and being mounted in the housing movably along its direction of extent. The valve pin is designed for being moved from a venting position, in the direction of the cavity into a first cleaning position.
US08038429B2
The device according to the invention serves to retain a blow mould segment in the region of a blow molding station which is provided with a support element for the blow mould segment. The blow mould segment can be detachably fixed in the region of the support element by at least one locking element. The locking element is designed so as to provide both positively locking retention and non-positively locking retention of the blow mould segment.
US08038425B2
A friction puller for an injection mold is disclosed. The friction puller has a bolt with a head portion and a threaded portion. The friction puller has first and second first substantially hemispherical wedges having a first and second passages running through them for the bolt and allow lateral float about the bolt. The friction puller also has a deformable jacket having a third passage running through is for the bolt and first and second substantially hemispherical cups for receiving the first and second substantially hemispherical wedges. The first hemispherical wedge can have a vent relief notch disposed in a top surface of the first hemispherical wedge. The deformable jacket can have a jacket vent notch disposed in a top surface of the deformable jacket. The bolt head and the jacket can have alignment indicator marks thereon. The bolt threads can have a variable pitch diameter.
US08038422B2
Gearwheel pump, having a housing with at least two intermeshing gears with shafts supported by slide bearings lubricated with pumping medium (M) fed from a suction side to a pressure side, a return duct which leads pumping medium which flows outward through the plain bearing back to the suction side, and a valve (5) having a stationary part and a moveable part (20, 21). The valve (5) has a setting characteristic which runs, as a first approximation, linearly at least in one region, wherein the setting characteristic is defined by a differential pressure (Δp) across the valve as a function of a setting path (x) in the valve (5) thereby significantly improving capability for setting the pressure in the transition region between the plain bearing and a dynamic seal of a driveshaft which is guided outward.
US08038419B2
A controllable coolant pump for internal combustion engines driven by torque transmission elements has a pump housing, a driven shaft mounted in the pump housing, an impeller wheel arranged fixedly in terms of rotation on a free, flow-side end of the shaft, and a pressure-activated valve slide having an outer cylinder covering the outflow region of the impeller wheel in a variable manner. The valve slide is of annular configuration and is arranged on piston rods mounted displaceably in the pump housing. An annular piston mounted in an annular groove in the pump housing and movable in a defined manner in the annular groove via excess pressure or vacuum is arranged on the piston rods in a manner lying opposite the valve slide.
US08038413B2
An idle down controller for pressure washers is responsive to the drop in pressure at the pump outlet. The controller includes a sensor disposed in the pump outlet manifold. When the fluid is being bypassed, the manifold pressure drop is communicated to an actuator. The actuator overrides the engine governor and forces the engine throttle to the idle speed. When an operator is discharging a pressurized fluid, the actuator allows the governor to operate the engine at its normal speed.
US08038407B2
A wind turbine blade includes a leading edge and a trailing edge. The blade has an upper shell member and a lower shell member, with each of the shell members having a forward edge bonded at the leading edge of the blade and a rearward edge. A rigid bond cap is pre-formed into a designed size and shape of the trailing edge of the blade. The bond cap includes oppositely oriented leg members bonded to the respective rearward edges of the shell members so as to be essentially flush with the upper and lower shell members. The rigid bond cap defines at least a portion of the trailing edge of the blade and a primary external bonding bridge between the upper and lower shell members at the rearward edges.
US08038401B2
Wind turbine blade (11) with a flashing beacon on its tip which is connected to the wind turbine rotor hub (13) where this beacon includes a lighting module (21) in the tip area of the blade (11) which is supplied by a device that includes a light emitter (23) situated in the hub (13) or in the root area of the blade (11), a light to electrical energy converter (27) connected directly to this lighting module (21) and a conductor (25) of light but not electrical energy from this light emitter (23) to this converter (27).
US08038397B2
A system for deicing a wind turbine blade includes an electrically powered active plasma actuator applied to a desired portion of a wind turbine blade. The activated plasma actuator energizes the air in the vicinity of the plasma actuator to increase the surface temperature of the wind turbine blade in the vicinity of the plasma actuator sufficiently to reduce or eliminate the collection of ice on a desired portion of the wind turbine blade.
US08038392B2
The effective efficiency of a centrifugal compressor can be improved by achieving a uniform distribution of fluid velocity across the outlet end of a fluid passage of an axial diffuser for the centrifugal compressor and a high static pressure recovery ratio Cp in the axial diffuser passage. The cross section of each axial diffuser passage is configured such that a relatively high velocity fluid flow in an upstream part of the diffuser passage is directed toward a negative pressure side of a cross section thereof. It can be accomplished by directing a minor axis of a cross section of the diffuser passage substantially perpendicularly to a direction directed from a center of the cross section of the diffuser passage to the central axial line of an impeller or directing the minor axis toward the central axial line of the impeller.
US08038385B2
A spindle device driven by driving fluid, having accurate rotation and superior quietness. The device includes a stator having at least one inlet for introducing the driving fluid, a rotor having at least one flange arranged outside of the stator and provided with nozzles for jetting the driving fluid, and a static-pressure fluid bearing for rotatably supporting the rotor with respect to the stator. The stator has a first inner path for conducting the driving fluid introduced from the inlet to the rotor and the rotor has a second inner path communicating with the first inner path of the stator for conducting the driving fluid to the nozzles. The driving fluid introduced from the inlet of the stator is jetted from the nozzles of the rotor through the first and second inner paths to rotate the rotor.
US08038382B2
Systems and methods for controlling the clearance in a gas turbine are provided. A temperature of a shaft of the gas turbine may be determined, and a desired temperature of an inner turbine shell of the turbine may be determined based upon the temperature of the shaft. The desired temperature of the inner turbine shell may be associated with a turbine clearance at which the gas turbine may be ignited. The temperature of the inner turbine shell may be altered by controlling the temperature of a gas that is circulated within the inner turbine shell, and a determination may be made that the temperature of the inner turbine shell exceeds the desired temperature. The gas turbine may be ignited subsequent to the determination that the temperature of the inner turbine shell exceeds the desired temperature.
US08038379B2
A skid steer loader comprises: a main frame assembly (1); a boom assembly (2); a pair of right and left travel assemblies (3); a cabin (4) mounted so as to be capable of being tilted; an engine (5) located so as to be oriented in a longitudinal direction and at a location closer to a rear; a hydrostatic transmission (8) and an oil pump (9) connected to a front portion of the engine (5). A utility space is defined between the oil pump (9) and a bottom (1a) of the main frame assembly (1). A fuel tank (6) and a hydraulic tank (7) are located on the bottom of the main frame assembly (1) and to one lateral side and to the other lateral side respectively of the engine (5) and forwardly of the engine (5) in a vicinity of the oil pump (9). At least one of the fuel tank (6) and the hydraulic tank (7) has a laterally extending portion that projects into the utility space.
US08038374B2
A double-ended cargo restraint anchor for use with existing cargo tie-down straps on commercial transport vehicles, such as flatbed trailers, is disclosed. The restraint anchor allows cargo tie-down straps to always be situated inboard of the anchor bars or “rub rails” located on either side of the transport vehicle. The new restraint anchor complies with all governmental safety rules and transport regulations.
US08038370B2
A milling cutter tool, including a basic body and a cutting body. The basic body includes an envelope surface and two opposite ends between which a geometrical center axis extends around which the basic body is rotated. The cutting body is fixed in a seating of the basic body and includes a pair of opposite main surfaces, a pair of opposite sides, and a pair of opposite end surfaces between which an imaginary, axial neutral plane extends situated halfway between the two main surfaces. The cutting body includes a set of chip removing teeth, which protrude from the envelope surface of the basic body, and are arranged in a row one after the other along at least one of the pair of opposite sides of the cutting body. Each one of the teeth includes a chip surface formed adjacent to a cutting edge from which the tooth extends between a pair of flanks along a length extension which is orientated at an angle (β) to the neutral plane. The angle (β) between the neutral plane of the cutting body and the length extension of each of the teeth is acute and amounts to at least 85°.
US08038360B2
Crayons are formed of a unitary material with interior distances between surfaces to prevent insertion through the maximum mandibular opening of a child five years of age or younger.
US08038354B2
A multi-channel fiber optic connector includes a first connector housing and a mating second connector housing. The first connector housing includes a plurality of abutting first termini and a first guidance feature amongst the plurality of abutting first termini to form a first grouping. A circular containment sleeve surrounds the first grouping. The second connector housing includes a plurality of abutting second termini and a second guidance feature amongst the plurality of abutting second termini to form a second grouping. When the first and second connector housings are mated, the first guidance feature cooperates with the second guidance feature, and the plurality of abutting second termini enter into the containment sleeve to assume an end-to-end alignment with the plurality of abutting first termini. The termini may be formed as ceramic ferrules and the guidance features may be formed as an extending pin amongst one of the plurality of termini for filing a void space amongst the other plurality of termini.
US08038353B2
A vehicle wheel bearing apparatus has an outer member, an inner member double row rolling elements, and a constant velocity universal joint. A wheel hub of the inner member and an outer joint member of the constant velocity universal joint are axially separably connected. The outer joint member shoulder portion abuts against a caulked portion of the wheel hub. A cap is interposed between the caulked portion and the shoulder portion. The cap is press-formed from a steel plate and has a surface roughness of 0.63 Ra or less.
US08038346B2
An electronic pacifier thermometer is provided. The electronic pacifier thermometer is composed of a pacifier device and a measurement device. The pacifier device has a built-in temperature sensing element (e.g., a temperature sensor) and a connector element. The measurement device contains a display, a circuit board mainly which is controlled by an integrated circuit, and a cable element. The circuit board contains an incomplete temperature measurement circuit that would be made complete through connection to the temperature sensing element. The temperature measurement circuit has a reference resistor (could also be installed inside the pacifier device) whose resistance difference is relative to the temperature sensing element in the pacifier device which is linearly corresponds to the temperature difference between the measured temperature and a pre-determined temperature value. When the pacifier device and the measurement device are attached together by joining the connector and the cable elements, a complete and functional pacifier thermometer is formed to take body temperatures.
US08038339B2
A mixing member designed for assembly in an axially rotating manner inside the cylindrical bowl of a blender; the mixing member having a number of longitudinal blades extending parallel to a longitudinal reference axis of the mixing member and spaced angularly about the longitudinal axis to form a “squirrel cage” structure bounded laterally by a cylindrical reference surface coaxial with the longitudinal axis; each of the longitudinal blades has an outer lateral edge lying on the cylindrical reference surface and having at least one scraping device, which includes a scraper hinged to the body of the longitudinal blade to project from and rotate about an axis of rotation locally substantially parallel to the outer lateral edge of the longitudinal blade and/or to the longitudinal axis of the mixing member, and an elastic member which pushes a wedge-shaped transverse edge of the scraper radially onto the cylindrical inner surface of the bowl.
US08038338B2
A blender arm includes a tubular body equipped at one end with a connection for a power unit. The blender arm further includes a rotary shaft having a tool at the end opposite to the connection end. A peripheral protection is provided around the tool. The rotary shaft with the tool is attached movably in axial direction to the tubular body so that the tool may be positioned in a retracted position for operation or a protracted position for cleaning, without having to touch the tool with the hands. The blender arm may further include a resilient element, functionally connected to the tubular body and the rotary shaft, for moving the rotary shaft between the protracted and retracted positions. When the rotary shaft is releases, the tool automatically returns to the retracted position.
US08038331B2
In an in-vehicle illumination device including: a room lamp section provided with a first light source section and a light guide plate, a map lamp section provided with a second light source section and a lens, a first switch for use by the room lamp section, and a second switch for use by the map lamp section, a light source configuring the first light source section and a light source configuring the second light source section are mounted on any same heat sink member. In the resulting in-vehicle illumination device, measures are taken against heat generation, and the reduction of size and weight is achieved. The design quality of the illumination device can be also improved.
US08038314B2
A troffer-style luminaire includes first and second side ends and a top end extending between the side ends. The side and top ends define an interior region. Light emitting diodes (“LEDs”) are coupled along interior surfaces of the side ends, within the interior region. At least some of the LEDs are coupled to the interior surfaces by being wedged between members protruding into the interior region from the interior or other surfaces. In addition, or in the alternative, one or more spring clips can apply a force that holds the LEDs against the interior surfaces. A reflector extends between the LEDs and the top member and reflects light from the LEDs towards a bottom end of the frame. The light emitted by the LEDs is directed to the reflector and then indirectly emitted through the bottom end, into a desired environment.
US08038309B2
A stereopsis aqua-lamp photo frame assembly includes a base inside which a light-emitting element that generates heat is mounted. The base supports thereon an aqua-lamp photo frame that has front and rear surfaces respectively forming front-side and rear-side recessed chambers. One of the recessed chambers receives and holds therein a photo or a picture. The aqua-lamp photo frame forms therein a flow channel at a portion thereof corresponding to the two recessed chambers, whereby the heat generated by the light-emitting element causes a low boiling point flowable medium contained in the aqua-lamp photo frame to flow and spangles contained in the flowable medium entrain the flowing medium to pass through the flow channel, serving as embellishment of the photo or picture, thereby enhancing a stereopsis effect of the photo frame.
US08038308B2
A luminous body is described, in particular in the form of a planar illumination device for general lighting or for backlighting of displays, wherein the luminous body comprises a plurality of light sources arranged in a housing (1) such as, for example, LED elements (3, 5). The luminous body is remarkable in that the light of the light sources is radiated at least substantially in a direction parallel to a light emission surface (6) of the housing (1), while the inner walls of the housing (1) reflect the light at least partly. Not only does this render it possible to achieve a very homogeneous light distribution on the light emission surface (6) also in the case of a small constructional height of the luminous body, but the fact that no optical waveguide plate is required in the housing (1) also provides advantages in the form of a simple manufacture and low cost.
US08038306B2
A light source device includes: a plurality of light emitting elements that emit laser light; and a wavelength selective element that includes a light selective region functioning as a resonator mirror of the light emitting element by selecting light of predetermined selective wavelength from the laser light emitted from one of the light emitting elements and reflecting the selected light toward the light emitting element while allowing the remaining laser light to pass therethrough, and a base member having a plurality of the light selective regions so that the wavelengths of the light selected by the light selective regions are different from each other.
US08038305B2
A light source unit includes: a light source part that supplies light; an optical element that changes an optical path of the light from the light source part; and a wavelength conversion element that converts a wavelength of the light from the optical element. The optical element is movable, and the optical path of the light entering the wavelength conversion element from the light source part is shifted by moving the optical element.
US08038304B2
A projector system is provided with at least one projector mobile in a specified space and adapted to project a video to a projection area included in the specified space in accordance with inputted video information, a plurality of position sensors each including a position detecting section for detecting a positional relationship of the projector with the projection area and arranged in a specified positional relationship with the specified space, and a controller for controlling a video to be projected from the projector to the projection area based on detection results by the position detecting sections of the plurality of position sensors.
US08038301B2
A projector includes a light source unit, a light source side optical system which includes a color wheel and a light guiding unit, a display device, a projection side optical system, a cooling fan, and a projector control unit. An interior of a projector casing is divided into an outlet side spatial compartment which is positioned on an outlet side of the cooling fan and in which the light source unit is disposed and an inlet side spatial compartment which is positioned on an inlet side of the cooling fan. The outlet side spatial compartment is covered thereabove by an upper division board, above which a heat conductive sheet which is formed of an aluminum sheet is disposed. The heat conductive sheet is electrically connected to the projector casing, so that electricity charged in the heat conductive sheet can be discharged.
US08038298B2
A liquid crystal projector device of the present invention includes an optical system for receiving light from a lamp unit. The optical system is provided with a polarization beam splitter for extracting only an S wave out of P and S waves of the light emitted from the lamp unit, and also provided with a latter stage slit plate in contact with a light incidence surface of the polarization beam splitter. The latter stage slit plate is provided with a plurality of slits for allowing light incidence on the polarization beam splitter. A former stage slit plate is arranged in a position spaced apart from the latter stage slit plate along the optical axis toward the lamp unit. The former stage slit plate is provided with a plurality of slits overlapping in the optical axis direction with the respective slits of the latter stage slit plate.
US08038293B2
An optical system including a vision device wearable by a user for seeing objects in a field of view (FOV), the vision device comprising a front section with a normal distortion of rays passing therethrough, and an anamorphic optical element extending from the front section that distorts rays passing therethrough with an extended distortion greater than that of the front section and which enlarges the FOV.
US08038288B2
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a supporting member that supports a target transported from the upstream side; a liquid ejecting head that ejects liquid toward the target supported by the supporting member; a supporting mechanism that supports the supporting member; and a heating device that heats the supporting member, in which the supporting mechanism supports the supporting member so as to allow the supporting member to be thermally expanded in the direction parallel to a supporting surface of the supporting member, which is a surface that supports the target.
US08038280B2
Ink-jet printing systems and methods are presented for decurling cut sheet print media for ink-jet printing, in which the cut sheets are transported along a path with a moisture source directing water droplets or mist toward all or a portion of a first side of the sheets in a moisturizing zone extending across the path to decurl the sheets prior to transportation past an ink-jet printing head with the first side of the cut sheets facing the printing head to receive ink droplets ejected by the printing head.
US08038272B2
An ink storage chamber has a middle wall and a damper wall, which are in parallel to a flow direction of ink and which face each other vertically with a distance therebetween, and a surrounding wall surrounding a circumference of a space between the middle wall and the damper wall. On the middle wall, there is formed a pair of flow regulating ribs projecting toward the damper wall and extending substantially in parallel to the flow direction in a state of having a distance from the damper wall. A space sandwiched by the pair of flow regulating ribs is a main flow region, and spaces between the flow regulating ribs and the surrounding wall is sub-flow regions. A distance between the middle wall and the damper wall in the sub-flow regions is smaller than that in the main flow region. Accordingly, a wasted ink amount during purging can be reduced.
US08038267B2
Provided is a droplet jetting applicator including: a droplet jetting head configured to jet liquid supplied from a liquid storage unit; a liquid supply unit configured to supply the liquid from the liquid storage unit to the droplet jetting head through a liquid supply channel; a first buffer liquid reservoir positioned closer to the droplet jetting head than the liquid supply unit in the liquid supply channel, and formed so that the inflow liquid drops thereinto; a liquid return unit configured to return the liquid from the droplet jetting head to one of the liquid storage unit and the first buffer liquid reservoir through a liquid return channel; and a second buffer liquid reservoir positioned closer to the droplet jetting head than the liquid return unit in the liquid return channel, and formed so that the inflow liquid drops thereinto.
US08038261B2
A droplet jetting head includes a nozzle plate having multiple nozzles arranged in a single line and multiple liquid passages respectively communicating with the multiple nozzles and extending in the same direction, a liquid chamber plate having multiple liquid chambers provided in the multiple liquid passages and configured to respectively communicate with the multiple liquid passages, and multiple piezoelectric elements provided so that an end of each of the piezoelectric elements can face a corresponding one of the multiple liquid chambers. Here, the distance between each of the nozzles and the corresponding liquid chamber communicating with the nozzle is changed in a cycle.
US08038253B2
The invention provides a configuration capable of judging whether an ink jet head is exchanged or whether it is replaced, and changing an amount of recovery operation when the ink jet head is exchanged or replaced. Thus a recording apparatus capable of avoiding a defective ink supply in case the ink jet head is exchanged or replaced, and not wasting the ink by unnecessarily excessive recovery operation, can be provided.
US08038245B2
A printer is provided with an ink jet head and a controller. The ink jet head prints on a print medium by discharging ink. The ink jet head comprises a plurality of units. Each unit comprises a nozzle for discharging ink, a pressure chamber communicating with the nozzle, and a piezoelectric element facing the pressure chamber. The piezoelectric elements form at least two element lines. Each element line is formed by at least two piezoelectric elements aligned in a first direction. Each element line is aligned in a sec direction which is different from the first direction. The controller controls the ink jet head to print on the print medium by changing voltage applied to each piezoelectric element of the ink jet head. The controller controls timings at which the controller changes voltage applied to each piezoelectric element by the element line. It is preferred that a timing at which the controller changes voltage applied to one of the two adjacent element lines is different from a timing at which the controller changes voltage applied to the other of the two adjacent element lines.
US08038243B2
A liquid ejecting apparatus includes: a head having a nozzle; a pressure-changing unit for changing pressure of liquid in the nozzle in such a manner that the liquid is ejected from the nozzle; a level-data setting unit for setting a selected level data from a plurality of level data, based on an ejecting data; a driving-signal generator for generating a first driving signal and a second driving signal; and a driving-pulse generator for generating a driving pulse based on the selected level data and the first driving signal and the second driving signal. The first driving signal and the second driving signal are periodical signals having a same period. The first driving signal includes a first large-drop pulse-wave and a third large-drop pulse-wave. The second driving signal includes a second large-drop pulse-wave. The first large-drop pulse-wave, the second large-drop pulse-wave and the third large-drop pulse-wave have a same waveform, and appear in that order at regular intervals.
US08038238B2
A detector circuit for detecting a malfunction of a circuit due to a low third power supply voltage that has the same amplitude and potential as an input signal is provided. Based on an output signal of the detector circuit, whether an output of a second power supply voltage generation circuit for activating a heater driving circuit is allowed or not is determined. When the third power supply voltage is low and the heater driving circuit operates improperly, no power supply voltage is supplied from the second power supply voltage generation circuit. Since no power supply voltage is supplied to the heater driving circuit, the heater driving circuit does not drive a corresponding heater.
US08038237B2
A transport apparatus for flat materials to be printed is used in a printing apparatus having a printing module. The transport apparatus is disposed in the printing apparatus in a stationary manner relative to a pressing apparatus which presses an item of mail onto the transport belt that acts on a part of a surface of the item of mail with a predefined adhesion friction in the transport region. That part of the surface of the item of mail is not printed but lies close to a region which is to be printed. Two deflection rollers and a supporting plate are provided for the transport belt, in order to form the transport region. The printing module protrudes at least partially into an intermediate space between the two deflection rollers. The printing module has at least one ink cartridge with an inkjet print head which is situated outside the transport region.
US08038235B2
A compact portable refrigerator includes caster wheels on its bottom and a removable storage tray on its top. The storage tray is well suited for containing ice and beverage containers. A lid may be provided to selectively enclose and cover the storage tray. Removable display panels may be provided on a door of the refrigerator. Back lighting may be provided to enhance the appearance of the display panels.
US08038227B2
An upper limit of a target value of a wheel cylinder pressure generated by a wheel cylinder is set. Specifically, the upper limit of the target value is predetermined and increases with elapsed time from the beginning of the control. Accordingly, the actual application pressure generated can be set to be equal to or less than the upper limit. Thus, it is possible to prevent the application pressure from being dramatically increased when the automatic brake control is switched to a manual brake control from automatic brake control. Accordingly, it is less likely that the driver will be caused to feel a sense of unease by a change from automatic to manual brake control.
US08038225B2
A bicycle hub assembly includes two end caps which are two collar-shaped member and an axle is connected between the two end caps. A casing is mounted to two respective outer peripheries of the two end caps and accommodates the axle therein. The two end caps and the casing form a smooth and curved outer shape. Two collars are connected to two distal ends of the two end caps and two ends of the casing. Two positioning bolts extend through the collars and are threadedly connected to the two ends of the axle. Multiple copper heads are connected to the two end caps and protrude outward from the casing at an angle so as to be connected to spokes.
US08038214B2
A child restraint having a juvenile vehicle seat, a harness for securing a juvenile to the juvenile vehicle seat, and a harness-positioning system for positioning the harness in an open juvenile-receiving position.
US08038208B2
A bicycle saddle height adjustment apparatus that is mounted on the frame of a bicycle, for adjusting the height of a bicycle saddle. The bicycle saddle comprises a seat post that supports a bicycle saddle and is adapted to fit telescopically within the seat tube of a bicycle frame; a height adjustment mechanism mounted on the seat tube of a bicycle, for adjusting the saddle height; and a spring connected between the seat post and the height adjustment mechanism. Actuating the height adjustment mechanism enables a cyclist to safely and quickly adjust the height of a bicycle saddle while continuously operating said bicycle.
US08038205B2
A vehicle having a body structure that defines a front portion of a passenger compartment. The vehicle includes first and second closure frame structures and a roof structure that interlocks with the first and second closure frame structures.
US08038199B2
A visor is mounted to a vehicle such that it pivots from a pocket in a vehicle headliner adjacent the windshield downwardly away from the windshield from the stored position to a use position. A mounting bracket coupled to the visor and mounting clip coupled to the vehicle cooperate to hold the visor in a stored position and allow its pivoting to a lowered use position and movement in connection with a pivot rod assembly on the opposite end of the visor to a side window position. The pivot rod assembly includes a cam mechanism for lowering the visor as it pivots from the front window position to the side window position. A push-push spring-loaded pivoted extender panel can be deployed from an edge of the visor to increase sun blocking.
US08038197B2
A power seat apparatus for a vehicle includes a lower rail, an upper rail, a screw member, a feed nut member fixed to the lower rail and meshed with the screw member, a retention member fixed to the upper rail, a fitting member rotatably held by the retention member and fixed to the screw member, a gear box mounted on the retention member and rotatably supporting an output rotation member, a drive unit transmitting a rotation drive force to the screw member, and first and second cut-and-lifted portions formed at first and second longitudinal walls of the upper rail respectively, the cut-and-lifted portions making contact with the fitting member when a load is applied to the screw member in an axial direction thereof to distribute the load to the upper rail, the cut-and lifted portions being formed by bending portions of the first and second longitudinal walls.
US08038190B2
A waste retrieval device including a frame having a head portion, a member extending rearwardly therefrom and a retaining element, and a bag for containing at least partially the head portion, the bag including interconnected top and bottom panels sized to respectively extend over and under the head portion, a rear edge of the top panel being attachable to the frame by the retaining element, the top and bottom panels defining side portions providing extra bag material extending beyond the head portion when the bag at least partially contains the head portion to allow the bag to be inverted by moving a rear edge of the bottom panel under the head portion away from the member and back toward the member over the head portion and top panel.
US08038185B2
A locking device is provided for preventing an outside door handle assembly, having a handle, a stem extending out from the handle, and a counterweight operably connected between the handle and a release rod, from activating the release rod in response to a motor vehicle impact. The locking device includes a catch fixedly secured to the counterweight and engageable with the stem in response to the motor vehicle impact in order to prevent the handle from activating the release rod.
US08038166B1
A target unit mounted on vehicle hitch ball contains a known object target and an optical unit mounted on trailer hitch socket contains an optical sensor. A real image of known object target is projected onto image plane of optical sensor. Vehicle hitching distance and offset from optical axis, normal to image plane origin, is related to real image size and offset from image plane origin respectively. Distance and offset are displayed to driver in the form of remaining distance and relative steering commands.
US08038165B2
A foldable wheeled vehicle for individuals includes a main body, front and rear wheels joined on the body, and an anti-tip wheel joined on a rear end of the main vehicle body; the rear wheels will be in an immobilized state when the vehicle isn't in-use; the anti-tilting wheel will move to be below the rear wheels automatically when the vehicle is folded; thus, the vehicle in the folded position can be dragged with the front wheels and the anti-tip wheel contacting the ground; secondly, the anti-tip wheel will be in a higher position than the rear wheels when the vehicle is in an expanded in-use position; thus, when the vehicle is moving along a slope and tilting rearwards, the anti-tip wheel will contact the ground to prevent the vehicle from tilting rearwards excessively to overturn.
US08038156B2
A tool chuck may include a chuck body defining a longitudinal axis. A sleeve may be mounted on the chuck body for movement between a first axial position and a second axial position. A clutch part provided on the sleeve. The clutch part may engage with a cooperating clutch part when the sleeve is in the second axial position. The clutch part may have a working surface that faces in a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal axis.
US08038151B2
A medium holding apparatus includes: a medium holding device which includes: flow channel forming sections having openings respectively and provided according to a prescribed arrangement pattern on a medium holding surface on which a medium is fixed and held; flow channel control sections having a smaller cross-sectional area than a cross-sectional area of the flow channel forming sections and restricting a flow rate of air flowing in the flow channel forming sections; and a pressure generating section connected to the flow channel forming sections via the flow channel control sections; and a suction pressure generating device which generates suction pressure that is applied to the medium held on the medium holding device.
US08038142B2
A media delivery apparatus includes a media insertion portion and a media delivery port. A media guide surface is configured to guide media toward the delivery port. The feed roller is configured to feed the media toward the delivery port. The first pressing member is configured to press the media against the feed roller and the second pressing member is configured to press the media against the media guide surface. A driving mechanism is configured to drive the first pressing member. The first pressing member is moved from a waiting position and toward the feed roller and the second pressing member is moved from a retreating position to a side of the media guide surface interlockingly with the first pressing member. The second pressing member reaches a position at which the second pressing member presses the media against the media guide surface after the first pressing member reaches a position at which the first pressing member presses the media against the feed roller.
US08038129B2
Circulating air is cooled by heat exchange with adiabatically cooled process air. To this end, a first heat exchanging device is fed with circulating air and the process air. The heat exchanging device contains a humidifying device used to spray water into the process air. In this way, the process air is adiabatically cooled and the corresponding cooling is carried out by heat exchange with the circulating air. Before entering the first heat exchanging device and before leaving same, the process air is guided through a second heat exchanging device in which the cooled process air first extracts heat from the uncooled process air. This increases the cooling performance of the device.
US08038125B2
A lifting and lowering apparatus may include: at least one cable, at least one pulley connected to the at least one cable, at least one drive member connected to the at least one cable for driving the at least one cable in at least one direction, a moveable payload attachment member for attaching to a payload to be at least one of lifted and lowered, an attachment member guide attached to the moveable payload attachment member, and an alignment guide for positioning at a position. The moveable payload attachment member may be at least one of lifted and lowered by the at least one cable. Both the attachment member guide and the alignment guide may be shaped to force the attachment member guide into a pre-determined mating position and orientation against the alignment guide at the position.
US08038124B2
An improved disk-valve fuel injector comprising a self-centering, floating valve seat insert disposed in a valve body. The valve seat insert includes a circular first valve seat and the body includes a circular second valve seat concentric with the first valve seat. A spring urges the valve insert into compliance with a disk-shaped valve head. The valve insert is able to adjust position in all three dimensions, allowing the disk head to mate precisely with both seats, thereby minimizing leakage when the valve is closed, improving metering precision, and extending the working lifetime of the valve head and valve seats.
US08038120B2
A magnetically coupled safety valve with satellite outer magnets. A safety valve includes a housing having multiple chambers extending longitudinally in a pressure bearing wall of the housing, and multiple magnetic devices, each of the magnetic devices being reciprocably disposed in a corresponding one of the chambers. Another safety valve includes multiple first magnetic devices, a second magnetic device magnetically coupled to the first magnetic devices, with the first magnetic devices being circumferentially spaced apart and encircling the second magnetic device. Yet another safety valve includes a housing having a pressure bearing wall, and multiple magnetic devices, each of the magnetic devices being reciprocably disposed in the housing wall, and each of the magnetic devices being completely surrounded by the housing wall.
US08038103B2
Aircraft trailing edge devices, including devices having forwardly positioned hinge lines, and associated methods are disclosed. An aircraft system in accordance with one embodiment of the invention includes a wing and a trailing edge device coupled to the wing. The trailing edge device can be movable relative to the wing between a stowed position and a deployed position, with the trailing edge device having a leading edge, a trailing edge, an upper surface, and a lower surface. The upper surface can have an intersection point with the wing when the trailing edge device is in the stowed position. The motion of the trailing edge device relative to the wing can include rotational motion about a hinge line positioned forward of the intersection point, and a gap can be positioned between the trailing edge of the wing and the leading edge of the trailing edge device when the trailing edge device is in the deployed position.
US08038100B2
A paneled partition assembly is designed to close an opening and collapses to uncover the opening by a movement of at least one panel that initiates the rotation and translation of at least one other panel. When the paneled partition assembly is in a closed or extended position, the plurality of panels covers the opening regardless of the opening's shape, size, or irregularity. When the paneled partition assembly is in an open or retracted position, the plurality of panels collapse to a smaller configuration. In moving between the extended and retracted positions, the panels rotate and translate fluidly with minimum user interaction.
US08038093B2
The invention relates to a control surface (3) for an aerodynamic lifting surface (2) of aircraft comprising a main closing rib (9) located at one end of the control surface (3) to which a main torsion bar (8) is joined, the mentioned torsion bar (8) being joined at its other end to a lever system (14) on which at least one actuator (15) acts, such that it is possible to act on the rotation of the mentioned control surface (3) during the flight of the aircraft. The invention also relates to an actuation method for actuating such a control surface (3).
US08038092B2
An aircraft engine assembly including a turbojet engine, an engine mount, and a plurality of engine attachments. The engine attachments include first and second forward attachments fixed to a fan case and located symmetrically in relation to a plane defined by a longitudinal axis of the turbojet engine and a vertical direction thereof, both forward attachments configured to transfer loads exerted in a longitudinal direction of the turbojet engine and in the vertical direction thereof. Moreover, each of the two forward attachments includes a shear pin mounted on the case and going through two walls of a clevis fixed on the engine mount.
US08038091B2
When a FADEC detects an abnormality in any of engine+compressor combinations, a FCC controls the amount of air for driving the fan to a level that is lower than that before the abnormality has been detected, until a state is assumed in which the normally operating engine+compressor combination can supply the air at a flow rate necessary for a fan to generate a propulsion force that has been attained before the abnormality has been detected. As a result, the normally operating engine+compressor combination can be prevented from the occurrence of a surge and a resultant overload state. Therefore, when some drive sources from a plurality of drive sources fail, normally operating drive sources can be prevented from being in an overload state.
US08038084B2
The invention relates to a roller mill having a mill housing, a mill path which is supported so as to be rotatable about a mill axis inside the mill housing, and at least one mill roller which can be rotated about a mill roller shaft and which is engaged with the mill path in terms of rolling action. There is further provided a pivot lever which is for rotatably retaining the mill roller and which has a pivot shaft arranged parallel with the mill roller axis and which is supported outside the mill housing. The pivot lever is further in operational contact with a hydropneumatic resilient system in order to adjust the pressing pressure of the mill roller. The pivot lever is supported outside the mill housing with spacing therefrom in such a manner that the forces which are produced by the hydropneumatic resilient system are dissipated into the mill foundation directly or via pillars.
US08038063B2
Provided is a portable security printed matter authentication device for authenticating security codes printed on security printed matter such as currency, vouchers, passports, and identification cards. The portable security printed matter authentication device includes: a housing including an observation hole at a top portion of the housing; a magnifying lens disposed to be close to the observation hole inside the housing; an optical filter disposed below the magnifying lens; and a plurality of LED (light-emitting diode) lamps which are disposed below the optical filter and illuminate light toward the security printed matter, wherein the LED lamps are a combination of two or more types of ultraviolet (UV) LED lamps, color LED lamps, and infrared (IR) lamps.
US08038056B2
An automated banking machine has sensing devices adjacent a card reader slot. The sensing devices enable detection of a fraudulent card reading device.
US08038047B2
Metallic materials having a melting point of at least 2000° C. are caused to abut against each other in a welding part. The rear face side of the welding part is covered by a backing member having a thermal conductivity of 30 W/mK or lower, and then a columnar probe of a rotary tool comprising an Ir alloy is inserted into the front face side of the welding part to weld the metallic materials together. On the front face side of the welding part, inactive gas is supplied into a shield cover. The rotary tool is moved along a longitudinal direction of the welding part while rotating the rotary tool, whereby the metallic materials are welded together. By using the rotary tool comprising an Ir alloy, the refractory metals can be welded to each other by means of friction stir welding.
US08038046B2
A surgical instrument includes an end effector having an actuation assembly to effect a surgical procedure when actuated. An electric motor has a rated operating voltage and is operationally connected to the end effector to operate the actuation assembly. A power supply is electrically connected to the motor and selectively powers the motor to actuate the actuation assembly at least 1 and less than 16 times during a clinical life of at least one of the end effector, the motor, or the power supply. The power supply has a battery cell with a critical current rate. When activated to power the motor and actuate the actuation assembly, the power supply operates the battery cell at a super-critical current rate during a non-zero super-critical pulse discharge period lasting less than approximately 16 seconds. The power supply operates the motor above the rated operating voltage during the super-critical pulse discharge period.
US08038045B2
A surgical stapling instrument is provided having systems for securing buttress material to the anvil and staple containing cartridge associated with the surgical instrument. The system includes a retainer configured to engage the anvil or the staple containing cartridge and capture the buttress material between the retainer and the anvil or staple containing cartridge. The disclose retainer engages the anvil or staple containing cartridge in snap fit or friction fit fashion. The buttress material includes a circumferential perforation line enabling the center of the buttress material to be stapled to tissue while the remainder of the buttress material remains with the anvil or staple containing cartridge.
US08038019B2
A jump rope cart assembly includes a frame having a base portion, a hanger portion and a plurality of indicium. The hanger portion, which includes a plurality of holders, is supported by the base portion. The plurality of indicium is disposed on the frame. Each of the plurality of is adapted to correspond to a length of jump rope. The jump rope cart assembly further includes a plurality of jump rope of different lengths disposed on the holders. A method for using a cart assembly includes providing a cart assembly having a plurality of jump rope. The cart assembly includes a plurality of indicium corresponding to lengths of jump rope. A height of a reference location on a user is compared to the indicium disposed on the cart assembly. A jump rope is selected which corresponds to the indicium that is closest to the height of the reference location.
US08038014B2
The present invention relates to the use of an aqueous polymer dispersion comprising methacrylic acid and N-methylolacrylamide as a binder for producing filter materials and for base paper for decorative sheets.
US08038012B2
A procedure and apparatus for the concentration of hydrophilic materials through flotation which consists of two devices operating in series. The first device performs the function of feeding the gas and the pulp, generate bubbles and produce contact with the hydrophobic particles to be concentrated. The second device performs the functions of separating and evacuating the froth carrying the hydrophobic materials and the evacuation of the aqueous pulp with the materials with water affinity. The gas-pulp mixing device contains inside it solid mixing means, preferably bead shaped and of a density lower than that of the pulp to be processed. The generation of bubbles and their contact with hydrophobic materials happen when the gas and the pulp transit through the interstices between the mixing media which have discrete freedom to move in the interior. The separation of the froth takes place in a tank without motorized agitation systems volume of which can permit the pulp's residence times within a range of 20 to 60 seconds. This tank has in its upper section overflow ridges and froth collecting troughs. The discharge of the tailings is effected through one or more outgoing pipes placed in the inferior section of the slanted bottom and flow of which is controlled by valves. The selectivity of the concentration is controlled by changing the depth at which the bubbler discharges into the froth separator tank.
US08038007B2
A package of two or more stacks of paper sheet products, such as paper napkins or paper towels is disclosed. Each of the paper sheet products is printed with at least a first motif image and a second motif image. An uppermost paper sheet product of one of the stacks displays the first motif image and an uppermost paper sheet product of another of the stacks displays the second motif image. The napkins may be folded in each stack such that the exposed image of each napkin in a given stack alternates between the first motif image and the second motif image. The first and second images may be motif images that are thematically related to one another, in that both the motif images are primarily associated with the same event, holiday, season or special occasion.
US08038003B2
A packaging container has a heavy duty integrated handle. The container is formed from a rigid unit of generally U-shaped cross-section having a main body portion with a generally flat bottom wall and upstanding, opposing sidewalls, wherein the bottom wall is reinforced with reinforcing material. Reinforced hand openings are formed in the reinforced bottom wall, configured for a user to insert a hand for use as the handle for the packaging container.
US08037995B2
A conveyor includes at least one workpiece carrier, a drive provided for the workpiece carrier and defining a plane of conveyance; an inner guide and an outer guide having a curved outer guide section and defining a conveyor track for the workpiece carrier; the inner guide includes a curved inner guide section that is assigned to the curved outer guide section. The convexly curved inner guide section is situated such that it is offset radially inwardly relative to the curved outer guide section and opposite an imagined tangential extension of a first and a second straight inner guide section.
US08037994B2
A method and an apparatus or system for sorting non-sorted containers in a predetermined sequence in an order-picking system includes a main conveying track by means of which the non-sorted containers are transported within the order-picking system, in particular to an order-picking workstation or into a container store, in a main conveying direction. The apparatus includes a conveying-track circuit, which can be connected to the main conveying track via an introduction point, for introducing containers into the conveying-track circuit, and via a discharge point, for discharging containers which are located in the conveying-track circuit. At least one transfer device is arranged within the conveying-track circuit such that containers can be exchanged between a first exchange point and a second exchange point of the conveying-track circuit.
US08037993B2
A container carrier turning device for a specimen container provided with an ID barcode and inserted into a carrier made advancing by a conveyor belt. The turning device includes a carrier stopping arrangement for rotatably engaging a lateral surface of the carrier to stop the advancing movement of the carrier while leaving it free to rotate around the container axis, and a carrier pressing arrangement for rotatably engaging an upper surface of the carrier. An elastic arrangement forces the carrier pressing arrangement to a carrier engaging position. An idle bearing, opposite to the carrier stopping arrangement, facilitates the carrier rotation. An RFID antenna is associated with the carrier turning device to identify a container carrier tag.
US08037983B2
Luggage having an angularly retractable handle includes: a main body; a mounting plate, positioned at a front wall of the main body; a pivot, positioned at the mounting wall; an angularly retractable handle, connected to the mounting plate by the pivot, wherein the angularly retractable handle rotates with respect to the front wall of the main body via the pivot; a plurality of first wheel carriers, fixed on the bottom of the main body; a plurality of second wheel carriers, positioned on the bottom of the main body in a rotatable way; and at least four wheels, respectively assembled on the first wheel carriers and second wheel carriers.
US08037981B1
Device and process for oscillation insulation in a transmission path. The device includes a first body structured and arranged to undergo an oscillation movement, at least one rigid connection element, a second body connected to the first body via the at least one rigid connection element, and an actuator device attached to the at least one connection element. A sensor unit is arranged in an interface area of the at least one connection element, and a regulator unit, connected to the sensor unit, is arranged to control the actuator device to perform an elastic deformation equivalent to an oscillation movement of the first body. The instant abstract is neither intended to define the invention disclosed in this specification nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.
US08037980B2
A disc/hub connection for connecting the brake disc with the hub is provided. The brake disc has support elements on the inner peripheral area and the hub has cams. The hub has a pot-like, hollow cylinder section that merges with a disc section that extends outward radially. The disc section has support rods that extend outward axially and that extend into the area where the brake disc contacts the pot-like section and that merge with the cams that, in turn, engage between the support elements of the brake disc. The support rods radially-placed inside the extension of the brake disc do not, or only by way of thin connection rods, connect radially with the outer periphery of the pot-like section.
US08037979B2
An arrangement for reducing a rotational speed of a rotating member includes a first and second pressure member arranged at a distance from each other and an opposite sides of the rotating member for movement relative to each other between a retracted position and a forward position engaging the rotating member. The arrangement includes an adjustment device including a friction structure forming a friction joint with one of the pressure members for maintaining a position relative to one another provided a maximum friction force is not exceeded. The arrangement further includes a spring acting on the friction structure for separating the pressure members after having been compressed. The spring has a gradually increasing spring force between a non-compressed state and a totally compressed state. An intermediate spring force value of the spring, which corresponds to compression of the spring to an extent less than the totally compressed state, equals a maximum friction force of the friction joint so that the friction structure is forced to move relative to the pressure member, with which it forms the friction joint, when the maximum friction force is exceeded.
US08037968B2
An automatic lubrication apparatus is designed and intended to be mounted on a hydraulic tool and can be driven by a hydraulic-pressure medium, in particular on a hydraulic hammer, and includes a lubricant pump (12) incorporating a pump element. The pump element of the lubricant pump is cyclically impacted by a cam, and the cam is operatively connected to a hydromotor from which torque is transferred so as to produce synchronous rotation.
US08037967B2
An acoustic treatment device for an internal primary ejection duct from a turbojet pod, including an upstream zone and a downstream zone relative to an airflow direction in the primary ejection duct, the upstream and downstream zones being located on each side of a separating wall with a first face on the side of the upstream side and a second face on the side of the downstream side. The separating wall is a micro-porous wall and the face of the separating wall located on the side of the downstream side is covered by a honeycomb structure to attenuate high frequency acoustic waves. Such a device may find application to treatment of combustion and turbine noises.
US08037965B1
A stethoscope expander assembly includes a first portion and a second portion. Each portion is provided with at least one arm, at least one leg, and at least one attachment member. The first portion of the stethoscope expander assembly includes a male member and a cover opposite the male member. The second portion of the stethoscope expander assembly includes a female member and a channel for receiving a tubing of a stethoscope. The first and second portions provide a slit for receiving a spring of the stethoscope. The first and second portions of the stethoscope expander assembly function to move the stethoscope expander assembly into an expanded position.
US08037964B2
When stopping operation of an electric power steering apparatus, a motor relay is kept in an on-state even after a power supply relay is in an off-state. A drive control portion sets a target value of a d-axis current to a value other than zero and sets a target value of a q-axis current to zero, and performs a processing same as that at the time of rotating a motor. MOS-FETs contained in a motor driving circuit are controlled such that each of driving currents of the two phases or more is not zero and the brushless motor does not rotate even supplied with these driving currents. Electric charge accumulated in a capacitor is discharged via the MOS-FETs each in an on-state, a motor relay and the windings of the brushless motor. The electric charge accumulated in the capacitor may be discharged via the excitation coil of the motor relay.
US08037957B2
A ground connection for a vehicle comprising a wheel (1), a sliding suspension for a wheel carrier relative to a support (10) connected to the vehicle, the suspension comprising a substantially vertical pillar (8) fixed to the wheel carrier, the degree of freedom of suspension of the wheel carrier relative to the support (10) being permitted by the movement of the pillar in the guide means (11) connected to the support, means for driving the wheel by a first rotary electric machine (15) mounted in the wheel, the first electric machine driving the wheel by means of reversible reduction means, the reduction means comprising a ring gear (16) fixed to the wheel and a drive pinion (17) connected to the first machine and defining a reduction ratio between the speed of rotation of the first machine and the speed of rotation of the wheel, the reduction ratio being greater than 10, said ground connection having no mechanical service brake.
US08037949B2
A pipe running tool for use in an oil drilling system and the like comprises a lower drive shaft adapted to engage a drive shaft of a top drive assembly for rotation therewith. The pipe running tool further includes a lower pipe engagement assembly which is driven to rotate by the lower drive shaft, and is designed to releasably engage a pipe segment in such a manner to substantially prevent relative rotation between the two. Thus, when the lower pipe engagement assembly is actuated to securely hold a pipe segment, the top drive assembly may be actuated to rotate the top drive output shaft, which causes the lower drive shaft and lower pipe engagement assembly to rotate, which in turn rotates the pipe segment.
US08037937B2
A method and a device for solvent injection in a subsurface well (1) where the solvent flows towards the formation wall (4) of the subsurface well (19) via a releasable duct (8).
US08037936B2
A system and method is provided for heating fluid to be pumped by an electrical submersible pumping system. Heat for heating the fluid may be inductively generated by adjusting the power delivered to the motor of the pumping system. In one example, the power adjustment includes supplying the voltage applied to the pump motor to a value less than voltage applied during normal operations. While lowering the voltage the electrical frequency may be varied as well as the electrical waveform.
US08037927B2
A cooling device for cooling an electronic component. The device has an enclosure adapted to contain a liquid coolant. The enclosure has an internal channel system comprising a cavity adjacent the electronic component, a first group of arborizing channels adapted to carry the liquid coolant away from the cavity, a second group of arborizing channels adapted to carry the liquid coolant to the cavity, and a plenum fluidically connecting the first and seconds groups of arborizing channels. Each group of arborizing channels has a parent branch and multiple successive sets of daughter branches with successively smaller cross-sectional areas, wherein the sum of the cross-sectional areas of the daughter branches of any set is approximately the same as that of its parent branch. Distal sets of the daughter branches are most distant from the cavity, fluidically connected to the plenum, and have the smallest cross-sectional areas of the daughter branches.
US08037926B2
In one embodiment, the invention is a method and apparatus for chip cooling. One embodiment of a system for cooling a heat-generating device, such as a semiconductor chip, includes a vaporization chamber for at least partially vaporizing a stream of liquid in a stream of a gas to produce a mixture of gas, vapor and liquid and a heat sink coupled to the vaporization chamber for transferring heat from the heat-generating device to the mixture.
US08037923B2
A magnetically attachable window screen system comprising,a rectangular casement window comprising a casement window frame for removably attaching a rectangular window screen, the casement window frame comprising four window frame sides,the four window frame sides comprising a lower horizontal frame side, an upper horizontal frame side and two opposing vertical frame sides, each window frame side comprising a front perimeter wall and a side perimeter wall, at least one frame magnet attached to the casement window frame at least partly behind the plane defining the front perimeter wall or the plane defining the side perimeter wall, at least one support on the casement window frame for supporting the window screen, the window screen comprising a screen frame comprising four screen bars, the four screen bars comprising a lower horizontal screen bar, an upper horizontal screen bar, and two vertical screen bars, the window screen further comprising at least one screen magnet attached to the window screen frame and positioned to magnetically co-operate with the at least one frame magnet attached to the casement window frame.
US08037921B2
A vertically operating door and its drive system can be configured to push a door panel along a track to various overhead storage configurations including vertical, horizontal, inclined and coiled. Semi-flexible drive strips extend continuously along lateral edges of the curtain. The system includes a drive gear that engages a series of projections on at least one drive strip so that the gear can push the door between its open and closed positions. To protect the door from being damaged by collisions, the track can include a breakaway feature that allows at least a portion of the panel with its drive strip to separate from the track without permanent distortion. The drive strip and panel remain together as they break away from the track. The threshold of the breakaway force can be changed by selecting a retention strip from a plurality of interchangeable strips having different degrees of flexibility.
US08037917B2
A shipping and packing tape type dispenser having a handle and a dispenser body for mounting a roll of tape for one-handed application to work surfaces. The dispenser includes a retractable press plate, tape retainer, spool anti-reverse and rotation-tensioning mechanism and exterior rails. A storage bracket has supports for mounting the dispenser through the exterior rails for a one-handed dispensing mode, a quick storage mode, and a more-secure quick storage mode. The handle has storage for pens, box-cutters, replacement cutting blades, a retractable tape measure and/or a retractable weigh scale. A cutting blade is frictionally mounted in an open-ended slot through a sidewall portion of the dispenser.
US08037906B1
An apparatus designed to fill multiple water balloons and other water-based toys at the same time is herein disclosed. The apparatus takes the form of a large stand approximately thirty-four (34) inches high and twenty-four (24) inches wide made using polyvinylchloride (PVC) piping and fittings. The apparatus is supported across the bottom using two (2) “T”-shaped legs, also made of PVC pipe. A water connection to a standard garden hose is provided on one (1) leg near the bottom. Four (4) angled valves are provided across a top portion, such that up to four (4) users can use the apparatus simultaneously to refill water-based toys such as squirt guns or water balloons. When finished at each station, each user can easily turn off an individual valve, thus avoiding the wasting of water.
US08037905B2
A method is provided for filling an enclosure with an ignitable mixture of gases. The enclosure has an outer wall comprising an exterior surface, an interior surface, and a fill aperture extending therethrough. The method comprises delivering a predetermined amount of pressurized combustible gas into the enclosure through the fill aperture, delivering a first predetermined amount of pressurized inert gas into the enclosure through the fill aperture at a first pressurization rate, delivering a second predetermined amount of pressurized inert gas into the enclosure through the fill aperture at a second pressurization rate, welding a sealing member to the outer wall of the enclosure by a welding process to form a weld operable to seal the fill aperture and to permit the enclosure to store pressurized gas therein. The first pressurization rate allows the first predetermined amount of pressurized inert gas to mix with the predetermined amount of pressurized combustible gas to form an ignitable mixture. The second pressurization rate is lower than the first pressurization rate. The second pressurization rate allows stratification to form within the enclosure between a layer of the ignitable mixture and a layer of the second predetermined amount of pressurized inert gas. The layer of the second predetermined amount of pressurized inert gas is disposed between the layer of the ignitable mixture and the fill aperture.
US08037904B2
An anchor mount formed of a stopper having a thrust flange joined to a first end of a stem portion with an axial bore extending there through and a centering portion inclined between an overhanging portion of the flange and the stem portion; a part-spherical coupler presented on the stopper thrust flange opposite from the stem portion; a substantially resiliently deformable plug having an axial bore extended there through; an elongated shaft extendable through the respective axial bores of the stopper and the plug and having a threaded portion thereof extendable from a second end of the plug; an end cap having with an axial bore there through and being structured with an anti-rotation mechanism operable for resisting rotation of the end cap relative to the plug; and a mechanism for reversibly moving the end cap along the elongated shaft relative to the stem portion of the stopper.
US08037899B2
A first check valve has a narrow flow path portion (68) formed between an arcuate portion (46) of the outer periphery (45) of a support member and a second enlarged-diameter portion (11) of a casing. The narrow flow path portion (first portion of an intermediate flow path) is in fluidic communication with a back-pressure chamber (50) defined in the support member at the rear of the top of a valving element through a communicating passage (67) including a gap (66) between the outer periphery of the valving element and the inner periphery of a large-diameter portion (38) and grooves (27) on the rear surface of the top of the valving element. Thus, a low static pressure of fluid flowing through the narrow flow path portion is introduced into the back-pressure chamber to move the valving element by a large differential pressure during the supply of fluid, thereby allowing the valve opening to become larger than in the conventional apparatus and enabling a reduction of pressure losses. An intermediate chamber has a pressure chamber (130) defined therein by using a rigid partition. A high-pressure chamber (131) of the pressure chamber is in communication with the upstream side of the first check valve, and a low-pressure chamber (132) thereof is in communication with the narrow flow path portion. Thus, a valving element (136) is acted upon by a force larger than the differential pressure between the upstream side and an internal flow path (106) of the intermediate chamber, thereby allowing a relief valve (135) to be surely kept closed.
US08037885B2
A pharyngeal airway having a pharyngeal wall of a patient at least partially surrounding and defining the airway is treated by selecting an implant dimensioned so as to be implanted at or beneath a mucosal layer of the pharyngeal wall and extending transverse to said wall. The implant has mechanical characteristics for the implant, at least in combination with a fibrotic tissue response induced by the implant, to stiffen said pharyngeal wall to resist radial collapse. The implant is implanted into the pharyngeal wall transverse to a longitudinal axis of the airway.
US08037884B2
A device 50 for supporting and positioning a part of a patient's body includes at least two joints 62, 64, 66 each having a locked state and an unlocked state and a release system for allowing an operator to select between the locked state and the unlocked state. The release system has an operator interface remote from the joints and at a location that enables the operator to support the weight of the body part while at least one of the joints is in the unlocked state.
US08037871B2
The seal assembly comprises providing a fuel conduit having a fluid flow passage therethrough for conveyance of a pressurized fuel-containing gas in a general fluid-flow direction with a first sealing surface disposed on the fuel conduit. A second sealing surface engages with the first sealing surface, such as to provide a fluid-tight connection preventing pressurized gas from leaving the fluid flow passage. The said first and second sealing surfaces are substantially perpendicular to the general fluid-flow direction. An o-ring is disposed between the first sealing surface and second sealing surface, the o-ring being compressed by the first and second sealing surfaces to form said fluid-tight connection. Preferably the o-ring is subjected to a squeeze of at least 40%, more preferably 50%, when the first and second sealing surfaces are coupled together. The sealing arrangement is most advantageously applied to throttle assemblies and the like, in particular for use with low-speed, gaseous fueled engines.
US08037860B2
A cylinder liner has an upper portion and a lower portion with respect to an axial direction of the cylinder liner. A high thermal conductive film is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the upper portion. A low thermal conductive film is provided on an outer circumferential surface of the lower portion. The cylinder liner reduces temperature difference of a cylinder along its axial direction.
US08037855B2
When a valve timing is held, even if a Duty value of an operational signal of a variable valve timing controller is slightly changed, a holding unresponsive range will be arisen. In the unresponsive range, a variation speed of the valve timing is very small. As temperature is decreased, the unresponsive range is extended and an individual difference becomes notable. While the valve timing is held, a computer learns a deviation amount of a response characteristic of the valve timing based on a variation speed of the valve timing when the Duty value is slightly changed from the holding unresponsive range to outside thereof.
US08037847B2
A closure system for a cage containing laboratory animals, where in an upper edge of the base of the cage an U-shaped housing towards the outside of the edge hosts a gasket having a lip projecting out of the upper edge, and s bending in contact with a side rim of the top, the side rim overlapping the upper edge, and comprising at least two latches, connected on one side to the base, and having a bending line with a smaller thickness, and a projecting hook at the opposite side, to be restrained in a slot in the top, so that in operation the latch bends in the bending line and the projecting hook can be engaged to or disengaged from the slot.
US08037834B2
A sewing machine includes a sewing machine motor that vertically drives a sewing needle via a main shaft; a sewing speed commander that produces a command sewing speed determined by rotational speed of the sewing machine motor; a stitch-pitch specifier that specifies a stitch pitch to be applied to manually fed sewing operation; a consumed thread amount detector that detects a consumed needle-thread amount in each ongoing sewing cycle; a sewing speed controller that controls sewing speed at the command sewing speed when the command sewing speed is equal to or less than a predetermined reference sewing speed, and that controls sewing speed at a target sewing speed calculated based on the consumed needle-thread amount and the stitch pitch when the command sewing speed is greater than the reference sewing speed.
US08037830B2
A cartridge is described having a cartridge casing (1) and having a propellant cup (4), which is inserted in the cartridge casing (1), receives a sub-caliber projectile (5) in a formfitting manner, and is manufactured from plastic, and which separates the projectile (5) from the propellant charge in the cartridge casing (1) and has axial separation points (15) along its jacket (10). To ensure an advantageous length for the projectile, it is suggested that the propellant cup (5) have at least one pocket (9), extending in a cavity between the projectile (5) and the cartridge casing (1) and/or in a cavity of the projectile (5) and open toward the base (2) of the cartridge casing (1), for receiving a part of the propellant charge.
US08037817B2
A rotary screen printing press, which includes a rotary screen cylinder for coating ink on a sheet transported by transport means, and a plate or form replacing work space whose upper side is closed, with respect to which a transport direction of the sheet is restrained by other device and a liquid coating unit including the rotary screen cylinder, which is open in at least one of directions orthogonal to the transport direction of the sheet, and where an operator performs work of replacing a screen printing form, comprises a plate or form rest provided below the rotary screen cylinder and supported to be movable to a first position within the liquid coating unit and a second position within the form replacing work space.
US08037813B2
A method for forming thin edible pieces uses two continuous belts that cooperate to form a fill cavity. An edible mass, such as chocolate, is flowed into the fill cavity where it forms an edible blank which is transported on a belt path with the two belts moving in tandem. After the edible blank is released from the first or second continuous belt, a three-dimensional shape may be imparted to the edible blank at a forming station using one or more stamping dies or a forming drum. Using the techniques and apparatus described herein, novel edible products, and particularly novel chocolate products, can be made having shape characteristics that cannot be obtained using known molding or forming techniques.
US08037812B1
A fryer basket having at least one bottom wall or panel that is normally retained in a closed relationship relative to side walls of the basket but which is released to pivot to an open position upon operation of a latching mechanism that is operable adjacent to a handgrip of a handle connected to the basket.
US08037810B2
A piston for a hydraulic brake configured as a bowl, open on one side, with a longitudinal axis, a wall and a bottom, and is delimited on an open end face by a rim with an axial abutment surface which is movable into abutment on a brake pad. The bottom has an essentially plane outside surface, a wall thickness of the bottom is thicker than a minimum wall thickness of the wall, and at a transition area between bottom and wall, a wall thickness of the wall is continuously increasing towards the bottom, thus, the wall passing over into the bottom in a slope. Furthermore, a method including forming a disc-shaped round blank into a bowl-type hollow cylinder, and upsetting the hollow cylinder in its longitudinal axis so that the bottom material is thickened due to the upsetting operation.
US08037808B2
An axial piston machine utilizing a swashplate design has a cylinder drum (3) that is mounted so that it can rotate around an axis of rotation (2). The cylinder drum (3) is provided with cylinder bores (4), in each of which a piston (5) is mounted so that it can be displaced longitudinally. The pistons (5) are each supported by a sliding shoe (7) on a swashplate (8). The sliding shoes (7) are in a functional connection by means of a retaining device (16), in particular a retaining plate (15), that rotates synchronously with the cylinder drum (3). The sliding shoes (7) are in a functional connection with a moment generating device (25), by means of which an opposing moment can be generated on the sliding shoes (7) that counteracts the tipping moment.
US08037807B2
A machine configured to prevent unintentional motion in a linkage pivotally connected to a frame may include a first hydraulic actuator connected to the linkage and a second hydraulic actuator connected to the linkage. The machine may include a sensor and an electronic control module in communication with the sensor. The electronic control module may be configured to close a valve of the first hydraulic cylinder and/or cancel an actuation command to one of the first hydraulic actuator and the second hydraulic actuator in response to the electronic control module determining unintentional motion of the linkage has occurred based on the sensor.
US08037802B2
An improved transparent armor piercing protection system that acts as a vision window in an armor system. The transparent armor piercing protection system comprises ballistic plastic prisms with mirrored external surfaces disposed between armor plates so that the reflection of the image occurs entirely within the prism. The armor sheets are also redesigned with perforations to reduce weight while defeating incoming threats.
US08037800B2
A detachable magazine for storing and delivering ammunition to a firearm having a magazine well. The magazine has a body with a column adapted for insertion into the magazine well. The column has a passage for transmitting ammunition to the firearm. The body includes a drum housing defining a substantially cylindrical chamber communicating with the column passage. A first sprocket element is rotatably received in the chamber and has a serrated periphery, with each serration adapted to receive an ammunition cartridge. A second sprocket element is rotatably received in the chamber, and is concentric with the first sprocket element, having a serrated periphery with each serration adapted to receive an ammunition cartridge. A spring element is connected to at least one of the sprocket elements, and operates to rotatably bias the sprocket elements to transmit cartridges from the drum chamber to the column passage. The magazine may have a pair of drums, and the sprockets may be tapered, to facilitate feeding of tapered cartridges. The magazine may include a counter to indicate the quantity of ammunition consumed or remaining. The magazine may include the ability to power and de-power spring motor.
US08037796B2
A pellet for a sporting rifle or a sporting gun includes a body and a tip that are joined together. A lower portion of the body includes a first internal cavity, and a head of the body includes a second internal cavity. The tip includes an upper part ending in at least one vertex and a lower part, the upper and lower parts being joined at their bases. The lower part of the tip is received in the second internal cavity. A portion of the head may be crimped around the tip to hold the tip inside the second internal cavity of the body. An outer hoop may be formed on the tip, and the portion of the head that is crimped may be crimped above the hoop to securely hold the tip in the body.
US08037781B2
A steering system for a water vehicle includes a housing having a substantially cylindrical member, at least one case member extending through the substantially cylindrical member, a column shaft extending through the pair of case members, including at least one elongated hole disposed on opposed side of the column shaft, and being arranged to move relative to the pair of case members and the housing in an axial direction of the column shaft, and a telescoping mechanism partially disposed in the column shaft. One of the pair of case members includes a plurality of detents provided on an inner surface thereof. The telescoping mechanism includes at least one elongated hole disposed at one end portion of the telescoping mechanism, a locking pin extending through the at least one elongated hole in the telescoping mechanism and the at least one elongated hole in the column shaft, and a lever disposed at an opposite end portion from the one end portion of the telescoping mechanism. The lever is movable to move the locking pin into and out of engagement with respective ones of the plurality of detents to enable the column shaft to be selectively moved relative to the pair of case members and the housing and fixed at a desired location relative to the pair of case members and the housing.
US08037778B2
A control lever unit includes a lever, a sensor, an urging body and an elastically undeformable restricting member. The lever is pivoted tiltably from a neutral position in any direction within 360 degrees including two main operation directions and intermediate directions therebetween. The sensor detects tilt angle of the lever in the two respective main operation directions. The urging body puts the lever back to the neutral position. The restricting member has an interior wall for surrounding the lever to restrict tilting range of the lever. Contour of the interior wall of the restricting member includes main operation stop portions for specifying tilt limit of the lever in the main operation directions and intermediate stop portions for specifying tilt limit of the lever in the intermediate directions. The main operation stop portions are positioned outside a quadrangle with the intermediate stop portions at apexes thereof.
US08037773B2
A method of considering the dynamic behavior of a movable member of a machine for performing a wheel fatigue test, the wheel including a disc and a rim, the method including mounting the wheel by fixing the wheel rim relative to a fixed structure of the machine, and securing the disc relative to the movable member which is movable to transmit a cyclical bending moment to the wheel, exerting a cyclical force on the movable member to generate the bending moment, at a distant position from the wheel, and while exerting the cyclical force, determining an indication of bending moment in the movable member at a first position between the wheel and the distant position, determining an indication of bending moment in the movable member at a second position between the first position and the distant position, and using the indications of bending moment at both of the first and second positions to determine an actual bending moment applied to the wheel.
US08037771B2
An electronic pressure-sensing device 100 comprising a transistor 105 located on a substrate 110. The device also comprises a linker arm 115 that has a tip 120 which is configured to touch a contact region 125 of the substrate that is near the transistor. The device also comprises a pressure converter 130 that is mechanically coupled to the linker arm. The pressure converter is configured to cause, in response to a pressure change, the tip to impart a force capable of changing an electrical conductivity of the transistor.
US08037762B2
Scanning probe microscopes include a probe tip coupled to a tuning fork or other acoustic resonator so as to apply a shear force when contacted to a specimen surface based on an applied acoustic signal. A secondary ultrasonic transducer is in acoustic communication with the specimen and a resonant structure. Probe tip-specimen displacement can be detected based on whispering gallery mode ultrasonic waves in the resonant structure using the secondary transducer, and such displacements maintained using feedback control based on whispering gallery mode acoustic wave magnitude.
US08037758B2
An angular velocity detection apparatus includes: a sensor unit having first and second detection axes serving as angular velocity detection axes, the first and second detection axes intersecting each other; a sensor output correction circuit for making at least one of an offset adjustment and a sensitivity adjustment to a detection output of an angular velocity around the first detection axis and a detection output of an angular velocity around the second detection axis; a sign determination circuit for obtaining a sign of a rotational direction of an angular velocity on any one of the first and second detection axes; and an amplitude calculation circuit for multiplying a square sum average of detection outputs of angular velocities around the first and second detection axes outputted by the sensor output correction circuit and a sign outputted by the sign determination circuit.
US08037755B2
A physical quantity sensor 1 comprises a driving circuit 4 that drives a sensor element based on a reference signal; the sensor element 3 that is driven by the driving circuit 4 to convert an externally applied physical quantity to an electrical signal; and an amplifier circuit 5 that amplifies an output signal of the sensor element 3. The driving circuit 4 controls a driving signal, which drives the sensor element, based on the reference signal so that the driving signal is at a fixed level, and the amplifier circuit 5 has a gain characteristic that amplifies the output signal in a direction reverse to a direction in which the reference signal varies or the driving signal of the driving circuit varies. This configuration allows the physical quantity sensor to reduce output level variations in the sensor output against signal level variations in the reference signal and to make the sensitivity constant.
US08037748B2
In one aspect, a method for aligning a component into a wind direction is provided. The component comprises a sensor which is located such that at least part of the sensor is exposed to the wind. A signal is measured based on the force acting on the sensor due to the wind, and the component is rotated depending on the measured signal. Additionally a sensor for determining misalignment of a component relative to a wind direction is provided. The sensor comprises at least one flat element and at least one tool or device for measuring the force acting on the flat element.
US08037747B2
Techniques for evaluating physical aspects of a formation fluid from within a wellbore include changing at least one of a pressure on and a temperature of a sample of the formation fluid and transmitting at least one acoustic pulse through the fluid sample and analyzing acoustic information collected. Apparatus and methods for the evaluating involve using at least one acoustic transducer. Analyzing typically involves use of formulae that relate equation (s) of state and other properties for the fluid to a change in the sound speed in the fluid.
US08037745B2
Provided is a tire pressure monitoring system including: a tire pressure measurement sensor including a pressure detection means for detecting an air pressure in a tire, a connection pipe for connecting an air injection valve of the tire to the pressure detection means, a fixing means for fixing the connection pipe to the air injection valve of the tire, and an air injection means connected to the pressure detection means to inject air into the tire through the pressure detection means; and a display for showing the air pressure of each tire of a vehicle to a driver, wherein the tire pressure measurement sensor is mounted in the air injection valve of the tire and transmits a pressure value of the tire to the display through wireless communication.
US08037741B2
Provided are a method and an apparatus that make is possible to measure the amount of greenhouse gas reduced for the stop time of an engine stopped while a vehicle idles. A first amount of fuel consumed in an engine is measured before the engine of a vehicle idling stops. A second amount of fuel consumed for restarting the engine, which is stopped, by idling of the vehicle is measured. Exhaust reduction of greenhouse gas is calculated from idle stop of the vehicle to engine restart, on the basis of the first and second amount of fuel consumed and an engine stop-continued time from an ECU.
US08037722B2
A brake disk lock having a lock body which has a first housing section and a second housing section which bound a receiving gap for the reception of a brake disk in a typically U-shaped arrangement. A locking bolt is provided at the first housing section and is movable along a closing direction from a release position into a closed position. In the closed position, the locking bolt engages into an engagement opening of the second housing section and closes the receiving gap. The closing direction of the locking bolt is aligned obliquely to the receiving gap of the lock body at an angle different from 90°.
US08037721B2
In a foreign materials filtering apparatus and a washing machine having the same, a filter unit is not exposed to inside of a washing tub thus not to directly come in contact with laundry, thereby preventing the filter unit and laundry from being damaged and enhancing the entire appearance. Also, the foreign materials filtering apparatus is modularized to facilitate a detachable mounting, thereby enhancing the user's convenience. Additionally, the amount of washing water passing through the foreign materials filtering apparatus is increased by controlling a flowing direction of washing water. Furthermore, foreign materials of washing water are prevented from being introduced into a gap between a washing water circulating duct and a filter unit, thereby enhancing a washing effect.
US08037714B2
A ground support equipment air conditioning system detachably connects to a port on an airplane. An air conduit connects an air intake and filter to a coupling that is adapted to be connected to one end of an air duct or hose the other end of which is adapted to be connected to an airplane's port. A variable speed blower in the air conduit has its speed varied by a controller to regulate the pressure supplied to an airplane. This controller receives as inputs the pressure sensed by a pressure sensor connected to the air conduit adjacent the coupling to sense the pressure of air passing into the airplane and also a setpoint pressure which can be varied to match the requirements of different types or classes of airplane. First and second air conditioners each include a circular refrigerant conduit channeling refrigerant through a compressor, a condenser, an expansion valve, and an evaporator. The evaporators are positioned in the air conduit with the first air conditioner's evaporator preceding the blower and the second air conditioner's evaporator following the blower in the air conduit. A condenser cooling fan drives air through the two condensers and is controlled by a controller responsive to one or more pressures or temperatures measured in one of the air or refrigerant conduits or in the surrounding air.
US08037712B2
A hermetic compressor is provided, including a casing, having a suction pipe and discharge pipe connected thereto, a driving motor installed within the casing, a compressing device installed within the casing and operated by the driving motor to form compression chambers, an oil separator that separates oil from a refrigerant discharged from by compressing device, and an oil collecting pipe through which the oil separator communicates with the compression chambers. With this structure, oil can be appropriately supplied to one or more compressors based on capacity, thus improving reliability of oil distribution and enhancing compressor performance.
US08037696B2
The temperature of a biological material is changed from a first temperature to a second temperature within a time period, one of the said first or second temperature being above freezing temperature and the other being below freezing temperature, by placing the biological material in tight contact with at least one, preferably between two heat exchangers, and controlling the temperature in at least one of said heat exchangers such that a freezing temperature front propagates in said material away from at least one of the two heat exchangers.
US08037694B2
A floating system for liquefying natural gas comprising a vessel provided with a plant for liquefying natural gas having an inlet for natural gas and an outlet for liquefied natural gas, a feed supply system for supplying natural gas to the inlet of the plant, one or more storage tanks for storing liquefied natural gas, and an off-loading system for transporting liquefied natural gas between the storage tank(s) and a tanker, which floating system further comprises a vaporization system having an inlet for liquefied gas and an outlet for vapor.
US08037689B2
A fuel nozzle for a turbine is disclosed. The fuel nozzle includes a housing, a plurality of fuel passages disposed within the housing, and a plurality of air passages disposed within the housing. A total flow area of the plurality of fuel passages is substantially equal to a total flow area of the plurality of air passages.
US08037684B2
There is provided a variable flow turbocharger comprising a turbine chamber (22) within which a turbine (14) is mounted for rotation, an inlet passageway (20) arranged around the turbine chamber (22) for introducing exhaust gas into the turbine chamber (22), and an outlet passageway (24) extending from the turbine chamber (22) for discharging the exhaust gas. There is provided a movable wall member (16a) whose position relative to the turbine (14) is adjustable to vary the geometry of the turbine chamber (22) at an outlet side of the turbine (14) close to the outlet passageway (24).
US08037683B2
A charging device (supercharger) for internal combustion engines, having at least one turbine part. A mass stream of exhaust gas flows into this via an inflow region, from which a bypass duct branches off for bypassing the at least one turbine part. The bypass duct opens out into a turbine outlet duct at an outlet location in back of the turbine part. The bypass duct is opened or closed either by a first control element situated in the inflow region at the inlet of the bypass duct or by a second control element at the outlet of the bypass duct leading into the turbine outlet duct.
US08037669B2
A mower 10 is provided for cutting grass where the mower 10 includes a body 12 with a mower deck 16, a motor 14, a baffle 30, and a battery 52. The mower deck 16 has a downwardly-open interior within which grass is cut. The motor 14 is supported upon the mower deck 16 and supplies a motive force for a mowing operation where the motor 14 includes at least a portion operable by electrical energy. The baffle 30 is located within the interior of the mower deck 16 where the baffle 30 bounds an area within the mower deck 16. The battery 52 is located within the interior of the mower deck 16 and is located within the area bounded by the baffle 30. In another example, the mower deck 16 and the baffle 30 are configured for substantially restraining the movement of the battery 52. In an example method, the battery 52 is installed within a baffle 30 that is secured within an interior of the mower deck 16.
US08037668B2
A crop accessory apparatus comprises a header latch member adapted for attachment to a guard bolt on a cutting header such that a rear wall of the header latch member slopes rearward from a distal end thereof and toward the header. A crop accessory has an accessory latch member at a rear end thereof comprising a spring element defining an aperture and biased toward the header, wherein during engagement the distal end of the header latch member moves into the aperture and a rear edge of the aperture is urged down the sloping rear wall and rearward, urging the accessory rearward into closer engagement with the header. A lateral retention groove in the sloping rear wall is operative to prevent the rear edge of the aperture in the spring element from sliding up and off the header latch member.
US08037666B2
A mower comprising a chassis carrying at least one harvesting mechanism and a lightening device of the at least one harvesting mechanism. The lightening device includes at least one torsion bar which is connected to a transverse beam of the chassis and which carries a lever on one of the ends of which a rod is articulated which is directed towards the harvesting mechanism and which is itself articulated on the harvesting mechanism or its suspension device.
US08037664B2
A wrapping method and unit for producing a package containing a group of cigarettes and having a cigarette extraction opening; a sheet of wrapping material, complete with the cigarette extraction opening, is fed into a pocket of a wrapping wheel so that the sheet of wrapping material folds into a U inside the pocket; then the group of cigarettes is fed into the pocket containing the U-folded sheet of wrapping material.
US08037650B2
A muntin clip supports a muntin grid inside an insulating glazing unit. The clip includes a positioning arm that allows the clip to be positioned with respect to the spacer. In one embodiment, the clip has a flat base adapted to be positioned on the inwardly facing surface of the spacer. The positioning arm extends from one side of the plate with the muntin-engaging body extending from the other side of the plate. The arm has an outer end that projects beyond the outer edge of the plate. A method for using the clip includes the step of using one of the glass sheets to engage and position the positioning arm of the muntin clip. Stops may be provided to limit the insertion of the clip into the spacer.
US08037643B1
An apparatus and method for roof ridge construction are provided. Ridge risers are used to securely retain an attachment block above sheathing portions at an elevation sufficient to permit air venting through the ridge. The ridge risers have legs with one or more weakened regions (such as scores) that permit easy folding so that the legs can be attached to the sheathing and/or rafter portions. A set of attachment holes may be positioned below each of the weakened regions. The legs are joined to a cradle in which the attachment block rests. The attachment block is retained within the cradle via a mechanism such as fasteners, retention cleats, and retention assemblies with tabs designed to be driven into the attachment block. Roof covering elements, such as shingles, shakes, tiles, slate units, metal units, and synthetic ridge covering elements, are attached to the roofing block.
US08037642B2
A multi-configurable furniture assembly including height adjustable legs, a height adjustable pedestal support structure, a variable height foot support for cabinets and shelves and a panel wall assembly where each of the separate assemblies have finished and high quality appearances after a configuration is constructed.
US08037638B1
A modular planter assembly for growing plants includes a container with a bottom wall and an outer wall attached to and extending upwardly from the bottom wall. An elongated primary stake is mounted to the outer wall and is engageable with a ground surface. The primary stake is hollow and vertically oriented. An elongated secondary stake is mounted to the outer wall and is engageable with the ground surface. The secondary stake is vertically oriented, and has a size configured to be received by the primary stake.
US08037635B1
A main body portion has top and bottom surfaces, a front, a rear and opposed sides. The main body portion has a central axis extending between the front and rear. A pair of similarly configured leg portions is integrally fabricated with the main body portion. Each leg portion has an interior section and a spiral exterior section. Each interior section is positioned to extend outwardly at an angle from the rear. Each exterior section has a top and a bottom surface. The spiral exterior section of each leg first extends downwardly and away from the central axis, then downwardly and toward the central axis, then upwardly and toward the central axis. The spiral exterior section of each leg terminates facing away from the central axis.
US08037634B2
A gun sight system featuring point-to-point visual alignment is provided. A front sight coupled to a forward end of a gun includes a top sighting point and optionally lateral sighting points. A rear sight coupled to a rearward end of the gun includes a pair of spaced apart rear lateral sighting points each visually alignable with and visually touching one of the front lateral sighting points or the top sighting point for visually touching the top sighting point with a target while simultaneously visually aligning at least one of the rear lateral sighting points with a point on the front sight.
US08037622B2
A cushion improved structure of shoe ventilating insole comprises a top insole having air inlet and outlet ports, a bottom insole and a middle smaller area foam pad, wherein said top insole adhered with a cloth or leather and made of plastic material is integrally formed with a raised face on top of the heel area at the top surface thereof, and a plurality of air inlet ports are made at lower peripheral edge of said raised face, further, several grooves in any arbitrary shapes having a plurality of air outlet ports at the inside bottoms thereof is integrally made on the front sole area, and a larger density foam pad is distributingly punched with several small holes while unpressed arch area of foot is densely punched with several big holes, whereby the enhanced smooth air flow and best air change effect due to increased air volume are obtained.
US08037618B2
Device for dewatering and drying solids, especially plastics granulated under water, in form of a centrifuge dryer comprising a housing (1) having an inlet opening (2) for the solid material with adhering water and an outlet opening (3) for the dehydrated solid material, a screen cylinder (4) fixedly disposed inside the housing (1), a rotor (5) arranged inside the screen cylinder (4) and wings (6) attached to the rotor at a distance from one another, a water drain (7), and arrangements (8, 8′) for the introduction and removal of an air stream passing vertically through the device. It is distinguished on the one hand in that the inlet opening (2) is arranged tangential to the screen cylinder (4, 10). On the other hand it is distinguished in that the fixed screen cylinder (4) is comprised of at least three screen cylinders (10, 11, 12) arranged vertically one over another, each of the screen cylinders (10, 11, 12) is being comprised of at least two segment shells (10, 10′, 11, 11′, 12, 12′) where the lowermost screen cylinder (10) is comprised of a screen-like shell (10′) and a solid segment shell (10″).
US08037609B2
Shaving razors and cartridges intended for mounting on such shaving razors wherein the cartridges include one or mounted solid shaving aid portions that are wing shaped and that exhibit an improved conformation to a shaving consumer's skin surface.
US08037603B2
An ink jet head producing method includes forming a first flow path forming member in a portion constituting a flow path side wall, which constitutes at least a partitioning portion between flow paths on a substrate; forming a pattern as a mold for the flow path, the pattern being formed over the substrate and a portion of the first flow path forming member; forming a second flow path forming member on the first flow path forming member and the pattern, the second flow path forming member being formed of a material corresponding to the first flow path forming member; forming the discharge port in the second flow path forming member; and forming the flow path by removing the pattern.
US08037597B2
Positioning marks are formed on both sides of each printing block on a tape carrier for TAB. A long-sized circuit board is transported by a roll-to-roll system in screen printing. When an optical sensor detects a positioning mark, transportation of the long-sized circuit board is stopped. Thereafter, the screen printing of a solder resist is performed to the printing block of the long-sized circuit board by a screen printing device.
US08037596B2
A wiring board includes: an uppermost wiring layer formed on a prescribed number of underlying wiring layers, a portion of the uppermost wiring layer being exposed and used as a pad for connection with a component to be mounted; and an insulation resin layer covering the uppermost wiring layer, wherein the thickness of the portion of the uppermost wiring layer is larger than that of other portions thereof.
US08037595B2
An improved hairpin expander machine equipped with a closed-loop-controlled hydraulically positioned bolster plate and a heat exchanger-holding fixture characterized by a full-length, continuous front plate, back plate, and side rails. The hairpin expander includes a novel heat exchanger bottom end plate clamping mechanism as part of the fixture. These features enable the hairpin expander to provide larger expansion ratios and exert greater forces with tighter control, which is required for producing heat exchangers with reduced diameter hairpin tubes according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.
US08037594B2
Disclosed are thermally conductive plates. Each plate is configured such that a uniform adhesive-filled gap may be achieved between the plate and a heat generating structure when the plate is bonded to the heat generating structure and subjected to a temperature within a predetermined temperature range that causes the heat generating structure to warp. Additionally, this disclosure presents the associated methods of forming the plates and of bonding the plates to a heat generating structure. In one embodiment the plate is curved and modeled to match the curved surface of a heat generating structure within the predetermined temperature range. In another embodiment the plate is a multi-layer conductive structure that is configured to undergo the same warpage under a thermal load as the heat generating structure. Thus, when the plate is bonded with the heat generating structure it is able to achieve and maintain a uniform adhesive-filled gap at any temperature.
US08037581B2
An anti-rattle tongue plate is provided that includes two different materials for being operably connected to the body of the tongue plate. One of the materials is softer than the other to minimize noise when the tongue plate engages against interior components of the vehicle such as during rough ride conditions. One of the materials is made into a distinct component for being operably connected to the tongue plate body. In this manner, the tongue plate herein eliminates at least one of the insert molds needed for prior over molded latch plates, thus providing manufacturing and cost efficiencies thereover.
US08037573B2
An elastomeric bushing assembly has an inner component, an outer component and an elastomeric bushing disposed between the inner and outer components. A bearing engages the inner component and is disposed between the elastomeric bushing and the inner component. The bearing allows pivoting of the inner component with respect to the bearing. A low friction coating is disposed between the inner component and the bearing to provide a low friction interface.
US08037569B2
A wiper arm assembly and method of assembly thereof includes a mounting head and a wiper arm configured for relative rotation during assembly from a disassembled position to a shipping position, wherein the wiper arm and mounting head are locked against rotation toward the disassembled position once in the shipping position. The mounting head and wiper arm have locking surfaces configured for locked engagement with one another while in the shipping position. The locking surfaces are brought into engagement with one another by a force imparted by a spring while rotating the mounting head relative to the wiper arm from the disassembled position toward the shipping position. When in the shipping position, the locking surfaces confront each other and prevent the mounting head and the wiper arm from rotating back toward the disassembled position from the shipping position.
US08037562B2
A mattress including a core foam layer having a first indentation force deflection at twenty five percent compression, a first density and a first thickness. The top outer foam layer has a second indentation force deflection at twenty five percent compression, a second density and a second thickness. The first intermediate foam layer is intermediate and coextensive with the core layer and the top outer layer, and has a third indentation force deflection at twenty five percent compression, a third density and a third intermediate thickness. The first indentation force deflection is greater than the third indentation force deflection and the third indentation force deflection is greater than the second indentation force deflection.
US08037554B2
A toilet flush regulator mechanism driving the discharge of water from the flush tank together with the change of geometrical positioning of the curve that forms the toilet siphon; the driving is performed through a system of stems and plates connected among each other by rods, springs and pins joined to the toilet's movable siphon which goal is saving and rationalize the waste of water during the flush. The system works by acting on a driving lever (3) which simultaneously opens the flush storage tank to empty it and moves the curve (10), acting as siphon, to evacuate the toilet bowl into the building's sewer inlet (12) line. While emptying the flush tank the stem with float (1) frees the movement of the other parts joined to it closing the flush tank so it can be filled again, bringing all the mechanism's parts and the curve (10) to the resting initial position.
US08037551B2
Methods for communicating with an automatic flush valve device. The automatic flush device having a variety of operational modes which can be selected from to control the operation of the device. The communication from the automatic flush device providing a user with information regarding the status of the flush valve device.
US08037550B2
A stretchable chemical protective material is described comprising a selectively permeable chemical protective film and an elastic textile. Further described are methods for making a stretchable chemical protective material and methods of using the same. Materials made from these methods may have improved flex durability. Garments made from these materials may have improved heat loss.
US08042193B1
A universal anonymous data collection and exchange service is provided where individuals and entities initially register with the service utilizing “legally authentic” identity documentation to obtain a “universal ID” (UXID). The UXID consists of a sting of alphanumeric digits selected from a hash function that is performed on a string of personally identifying information. Once registered, the individual and entity UXIDs are used as a means by the service to engage in a pre-defined confidential data collection and exchange protocol between participating, registered UXID holders. The service is designed for use across many applications, individuals and entities, and may support one-time or recurring collection of data.
US08042191B2
An image capture apparatus captures an image, and performs an authentication process with an external device. The image capture apparatus encrypts a captured image to generate an encrypted image if the authentication unit succeeds in performing the authentication process, and stores the encrypted image in a recording medium. The image capture apparatus displays whether the authentication unit succeeded in performing the authentication process, and whether the external device includes key information used in encrypting the captured image.
US08042189B2
Embodiments relate to systems and methods for implementation on a mobile device to force the mobile device into a secure state upon detection or determination of a triggering event. Once it is determined that a triggering event has occurred, each application operating on the mobile device is caused to immediately unreference sensitive objects and a secure garbage collection operation is performed upon the unreferenced sensitive objects to render data associated therewith unreadable. The mobile device is then caused to enter a secure state, in which the mobile device cannot be accessed without authorization. A microprocessor within the mobile device is configured to determine the existence of the triggering event according to a configuration data structure and to perform the secure garbage collection.
US08042185B1
An anti-virus blade provides anti-virus services to a storage system and eliminates the need to develop an interface to initiate a scan operation at the blade. An anti-virus engine executed at the blade receives a request to scan data maintained by the storage system. The anti-virus engine creates a stub file (e.g., a file that has the same name as the Currently Amended file indicated in the request, but does not contain data) and issues an I/O command to the file. A file framework module executed at the blade intercepts the I/O to the dummy file and passes the I/O to an anti-virus application, which is registered with the file framework to receive I/Os from the anti-virus engine. The anti-virus application, in turn, initiates a scan operation by issuing a read request to the stub file, without receiving the request for scanning directly from the storage system.
US08042183B2
Disclosed is a method and apparatus for detecting prefix hijacking attacks. A source node is separated from a destination network at a first time via an original path. The destination network is associated with a prefix. At a second time, a packet is transmitted from the source node to the destination network to determine a current path between the source node and the destination network. A packet is also transmitted from the source node to a reference node to determine a reference node path. The reference node is located along the original path and is associated with a prefix different than the prefix associated with the destination network. The current path and the reference node path are then compared, and a prefix hijacking attack is detected when the reference node path is not a sub-path of the current path.
US08042160B1
A computer implemented method of identity management for application access. The method includes identifying access enabling information for users. The access enabling information related to users of a first enterprise network to enable the users to access applications on a second enterprise network. The method includes obtaining the identified access enabling information from the first enterprise network, and storing the access enabling information in an identity data store. The method also includes provisioning the access enabling information from the identity data store to one or more applications on the second enterprise network to enable the users of the first enterprise network to access the one or more applications on the second enterprise network.
US08042159B2
User friendly log in system for validation of user for entry into a website includes: (a) a plurality of user computers; (b) an internet; (c) a host server connected to the internet for connection to user computers; and (d) a website program hosted on the host server for a website that requires individual user security, for connecting each of the plurality of computers to the website available to the user computers, that includes an open log in field. The program has software for secured activity for receiving and recognizing a unique user identification from a user of a user computer to create a personal combination lock rule for a unique easy-to-remember user initialization input that includes a preset selection and operation of the intersection of a first randomly arranged challenge presentation and a second randomly arranged challenge presentation to obtain a selection solution.
US08042154B2
The disclosed embodiments support proxy Mobile IP registration for nodes that do not implement CHAP. This is accomplished, in part, through the generation of a CHAP challenge and response by either a AAA server or a network device such as a PDSN or Foreign Agent. If the CHAP challenge and response is generated by the AAA server, the AAA server provides the CHAP challenge and response to the network device. In this manner, the network device may generate a Mobile IP registration request based upon the CHAP challenge and response.
US08042147B2
A network security appliance that provides security to devices in industrial environments by transparently bridging traffic to the endpoint device. The security appliance securely communicates with a management server for receiving configuration data for operation of security modules in the appliance by encrypted communications. The security appliance utilizes the network address of the industrial device when communicating with a management server and is addressed by the management server using the address of one of the protected devices associated with the appliance. Learned device characteristics are provided by the appliance to the management server which tailors software and security rules to specific network vulnerabilities of the device and control protocol. The security appliance sends periodic heartbeat messages to the management server using the network address of the device. The heartbeat message can also report anomalous events which may required additional software being provided from the management server to the node.
US08042142B1
In one embodiment, a method includes accessing data identifying a video for processing and mapping an instruction graph to the video based on one or more predetermined criteria and the data identifying the video. The instruction graph describes a workflow for processing the video, and the workflow includes a series of services that each provide particular processing of the video. The method includes calling the services in series to process the video based on the instruction graph. The video streams to each service in series as the video processes. A downstream service may begin processing one or more portions of the video after an upstream service has finished processing the one or more portions of the video and before the upstream service has finished processing the video in its entirety.
US08042137B2
A continuous selection graph can be displayed as a graphical user interface, where the continuous selection graph includes a similarity continuum to indicate media content that is progressively similar, and includes an axis of identifying criteria for the media content. The axis of identifying criteria for the media content associates the media content along the similarity continuum, where the axis of identifying criteria is displayed perpendicular to the similarity continuum.
US08042129B2
A disk recording and/or reproducing device includes a disk tray having a concave disk housing portion for putting in and taking out a disk-like recording medium; a tray housing case supporting the disk tray so as to be movable in a direction in which the disk tray is inserted and ejected; and a disk cover mounted to the tray housing case and covering over the disk housing portion of the disk tray when the disk tray is housed in the tray housing case. The disk cover includes an annular contact portion at an outer periphery thereof, extending outwardly and continuous in a circumferential direction thereof, a dimension of a width of the annular contact portion is larger than that of a thickness of the disk cover, and the annular contact portion is brought into contact with an entire periphery of the disk housing portion of the disk tray.
US08042124B2
An optical disk drive includes a body, a tray, a first fastening structure, and a second fastening structure. The body has an opening. The tray is coupled to the body and movable at the opening. The first fastening structure is disposed at the body, and the second fastening structure is disposed at the tray. When the tray is situated in the body, the first fastening structure and second fastening structure are correspondingly fastened to each other to restrict the displacement of the tray along the vertical direction in the body.
US08042120B2
A method for moving an executing process from a source isolation scope to a target isolation scope includes the step of determining that the process is in a state suitable for moving. The association of the process changes from a source isolation scope to a target isolation scope. A rule loads in association with the target isolation scope.
US08042104B2
A control unit has a first storing unit storing data of a rewrite control program received by the control unit in a rewritable storage medium at a destination address thereof received thereby. The control unit has a second storing unit storing the destination address in the rewritable storage medium at a destination storing address thereof received by the control unit. The control unit has an execution unit referring to the destination address stored at the destination storing address in the rewritable storage medium and executing the rewrite control program stored in the rewritable storage medium based on the referred destination address.
US08042093B1
A method and system of automatically generating source code for configuring a programmable microcontroller. The method involves displaying virtual blocks in a computerized design system where the virtual blocks correspond to programmable circuit blocks in a microcontroller chip. The user selects a user module that defines a particular function to be performed on the microcontroller. The user assigns the virtual blocks to the user module. The design system then automatically generates source code for configuring the programmable blocks to perform the desired function. The source code can then be assembled, linked and loaded into the microcontroller's memory system. When executed on the microcontroller, the executable code will then set registers within the blocks to implement the function. Source code is automatically generated for: (1) realizing the user module in a hardware resource; and also (2) to configure the user module to behave in a prescribed manner.
US08042091B2
Techniques for composition of model transformations from a predetermined set of model transformations. A state machine is provided in memory. The states are defined in the state machine in terms of predetermined model attributes. In response to specification of a target state for an input model to be transformed, an execution sequence in the state machine, between a start state corresponding to the input model and an end state corresponding to the specified target state, is selected. Each transformation in the selected sequence is then successively executed on the input model. After executing each transformation in the selected sequence, the transformed input model state is compared to the model state defined in the state machine to determine if the selected sequence is inoperable for the input model. If so, an alternative execution sequence in the state machine, between the input model state and the specified target state, is selected.
US08042088B2
The invention is directed to a method, computer program product and apparatus for a body of code to specify how database elements are combined to create a complex element, a database grouping is created that receives the content of the evaluation without introducing a level of hierarchy, and provides graphical user interface (GUI) to interactively manipulate the element.
US08042086B2
A constrained random test bench methodology employing an instruction abstraction layer. The instruction abstraction layer includes an instruction streamer for generating random test instruction sequences that preserve instruction order dependencies and randomly selecting data values from a valid range of data values. Multiple instruction streamers may be employed to simulate interrupt handlers and other functional design units sharing a control command bus. A priority scheduler sequences the instruction sequences generated by multiple instruction streamers based on a specified priority scheme.
US08042085B2
A technique and apparatus for reducing the complexity of optimizing the performance of a designed semiconductor circuit is disclosed. This technique of path compaction is used to reduce the time taken for optimization. The path compaction tool is used in design optimization to reduce the optimizer execution time. Compaction helps readability, usability and reduces synthesis and static timing analyzer (STA) runtime. The aim of path compaction is to reduce the number of constraints the optimizer has to go through during the optimization process. Path compaction has three dimensions. The first is to reduce number of “-through” elements in the constraint, thereby reducing the complexity of constraints developed The second is to combine the paths to reduce the number of constraints. The third is to combine the constraints to reduce the number of constraints to be checked and optimized. Path compaction is used when generating timing exception using timing exception tools.
US08042083B2
There are disclosed a method and system for FPGA rewiring of a circuit. The method comprises: mapping the circuit into a first circuit, the first circuit being logically represented with a plurality of Look-Up Tables; rewiring the first circuit to obtain a second circuit, a mapping area of the second circuit being less than that of the first circuit; mapping the second circuit into a third circuit, the third circuit being logically represented with less Look-Up Tables than the first circuit; and routing the third circuit to generate a FPGA architecture file related to the circuit.
US08042082B2
The invention relates to multi-planar memory components in a three-dimensional integrated circuit system configuration. A multi-planar memory system consisting of a plurality of memory circuit planes in a three-dimensional system on a chip (3D SoC) comprised of a plurality of memory layers, at least one logic circuit layer and an interface configured to provide access to memory and logic circuit layers.
US08042076B2
A method for modeling a circuit includes generating a circuit model based on a netlist that defines a plurality of connections between a plurality of circuit elements. The circuit model includes a model of one or more of the circuit elements. The method further includes determining a wire width associated with at least a selected connection based, at least in part, on design rules associated with the netlist. Additionally, the method includes determining a wire thickness associated with the selected connection based, at least in part, on a signal delay associated with the wire thickness. Furthermore, the method also includes routing the selected connection in the circuit model using a wire having a width substantially equal to the wire width calculated for the connection and a thickness equal to the wire thickness calculated for the connection and storing the circuit model in an electronic storage media.
US08042066B2
A peripheral apparatus is provided. The peripheral apparatus includes a display, the peripheral apparatus being configured to process input images based on one of a plurality of operation conditions displayed on the display, each of the operation conditions comprising a plurality of set items, each of the set items comprising a plurality of possible set values; a setting unit that sets a set value for each of the plurality of set items; an operation condition storing unit that stores the plurality of operation conditions and associated set items and set values; and a display controlling unit that controls the display to array and display the plurality of operation conditions, including setting items and set values corresponding to the respective operating conditions, on the display.
US08042053B2
A method for making one or more digital documents browseable. In one implementation, the digital documents may be automatically, topically segmented into one or more topical segments. A topical segment may be selected from the topical segments. One or more topical segments that are substantially similar to the selected topical segment may be identified. One or more links between the selected topical segment and the identified topical segment may be established. The established links may be displayed.
US08042049B2
A control server, or similar central processor, manages the distribution of data (including audio and video), voice, and control signals among a plurality of system components connected via a wired and/or wireless communications network. The system components include audio/visual components (such as, televisions, monitors, PDAs, notepads, notebooks, MP3, portable stereo, etc.) as well as household appliances (such as, lighting, ovens, alarm clocks, etc.). A portable controller allows a user to access and control the system components from any location within a controlled residential and/or non-residential environment, including its surrounding areas. The portable controller includes a user and management interface that contains customized control screens for the system components. The control screens are stored in a hierarchical architecture that is searchable by region or component type.
US08042041B1
A method and apparatus for pipelined processing of data are described. In one embodiment, the method includes receiving a user request to process data, obtaining the data from a data storage based on the user request, grouping the set of data to create a hierarchical data, and paginating the hierarchical data to create a paginated result set. The pagination begins before the grouping is completed. The method further includes transferring one or more pages of the paginated result set to a client. The transferring begins before the pagination is completed.
US08042035B2
A method and system to rapidly access frequently used objects and/or items is provided. More particularly, the method and system is designed to rapidly access frequently used or search objects and/or items using a placeholders (e.g., Memory Indicators) in a graphical user interface. a method of retrieving items is provided. The method includes detecting one or more selected items from a list of items; creating placeholders representing each of the selected one or more items in a graphical user interface; and continuously updating the placeholders in the graphical user interface upon detecting of newly selected items in the list of items. The placeholders are configured to eliminate subsequent searches for the one or more items in the list.
US08042031B2
A maximum likelihood detection (MLD) method is disclosed. Received data is processed to obtain preliminary parameters. An initial radius r is determined. r2 is multiplied by a corresponding scaling factor according to a partial Euclidean distance (PED) constraint function to determine the upper limit values of PED for each layer. It is examined whether a sub-lattice exceeds a search scope according to the upper limit values of PED for each layer to search a better solution by utilizing the preliminary parameters.
US08042027B1
Systems and methods for processing and decoding TCM/BCM-coded signal vectors. A multi-dimensional signal vector is received by, for example, a TCM or BCM decoder. The TCM/BCM decoder identifies the closest signal points in the signal constellation set, or “nearest neighbors,” for each dimension of the received signal vector. The TCM/BCM decoder then forms a test set that includes a plurality of multi-dimensional test vectors, where each dimension of each test vector is based on an identified nearest neighbor. In particular, each test point in the test set is based on a different combination of the nearest neighbors. The TCM/BCM decoder can compute branch metrics based on only the test points in the test set, and can make detection decisions using the computed branch metrics.
US08042021B2
A memory card has a plurality of non-volatile memories and a main controller for controlling the operation of the non-volatile memories. The main controller performs an access control to the non-volatile memories in response to an external access instruction, and an alternate control for alternating an access error-related storage area of the non-volatile memory with other storage area. In the access control, the speeding up of the data transfer between flash memories is achieved by causing the plurality of non-volatile memories to parallel access operate. In the alternation control, the storage areas is made alternative for each non-volatile memory in which an access error occurs.
US08042018B2
A method and apparatus for transmitting/receiving an ACKnowledgement/Negative ACKnowledgement (ACK/NACK) signal to support packet data retransmission in an Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) wireless communication system are provided, in which a User Element (UE) generates an ACK/NACK signal for received packet data, determines whether the UE is set to support ACK/NACK repetition, transmits the ACK/NACK signal on a basic response channel mapped to one of a DCH on which the packet data was received and a Shared Control Channel (SCCH) carrying scheduling information about the packet data, if the UE is not set to support ACK/NACK repetition, and selects one of supplementary response channels for each ACK/NACK repetition, the supplementary response channels being allocated for ACK/NACK repetition and repeatedly transmits the ACK/NACK signal on the selected supplementary response channel according to a predetermined repetition factor, if the UE is set to support ACK/NACK repetition.
US08042011B2
One embodiment provides a runtime programmable system which comprises methods and apparatuses for testing a multi-port memory device to detect a multi-port memory fault, in addition to typical single-port memory faults that can be activated when accessing a single port of a memory device. More specifically, the system comprises a number of mechanisms which can be configured to activate and detect any realistic fault which affects the memory device when two simultaneous memory access operations are performed. During operation, the system can receive an instruction sequence, which implements a new test procedure for testing the memory device, while the memory device is being tested. Furthermore, the system can implement a built-in self-test (BIST) solution for testing any multi-port memory device, and can generate tests targeted to a specific memory design based in part on information from the instruction sequence.
US08042004B2
Diagnosing communications between computer systems includes sending a message from a sending node to a receiving node. The receiving node detects an error in the receiving node receiving the message and captures the data regarding the error on the receiving. A diagnostic log request is sent from the receiving node to the sending node, the diagnostic log request including a request for the sending node to log information. The sending node diagnoses the communications error in response to the diagnostic log response.
US08041996B2
A method and apparatus for fault analysis and fault isolation in a system of networked processors by using a central event correlation function and logical fault signature to provide for fault isolation of failed processing elements is presented. This central event correlation method uses asynchronous events from multiple input sources of same and different technologies and time-based fault correlation and ageing to match unique fault signatures and determine levels of fault recovery escalation over time. This mechanism uses an event driven recovery table to recognize a unique fault signature, count and age faults, provide fault threshold based recovery and generate events as needed to drive recovery escalation.
US08041987B2
Embodiments that dynamically manage physical and virtual multipath I/O are contemplated. Various embodiments comprise one or more computing devices, such as one or more servers, having at least two HBAs. At least one of the HBAs may be associated with a virtual I/O server that employs the HBA to transfer data between a plurality of virtual clients and one or more storage devices of a storage area network. The embodiments may monitor the availability of the HBAs, such as monitoring the HBAs for a failure of the HBA or a device coupled to the HBA. Upon detecting the unavailability of one of the HBAs, the embodiments may switch, dynamically, from the I/O path associated with the unavailable HBA to the alternate HBA.
US08041985B2
Fault tolerant operation is disclosed for a primary match server of a financial exchange using an active copy-cat instance, a.k.a. backup match server, that mirrors operations in the primary match server, but only after those operations have successfully completed in the primary match server. Fault tolerant logic monitors inputs and outputs of the primary match server and gates those inputs to the backup match server once a given input has been processed. The outputs of the backup match server are then compared with the outputs of the primary match server to ensure correct operation. The disclosed embodiments further relate to fault tolerant failover mechanism allowing the backup match server to take over for the primary match server in a fault situation wherein the primary and backup match servers are loosely coupled, i.e. they need not be aware that they are operating in a fault tolerant environment. As such, the primary match server need not be specifically designed or programmed to interact with the fault tolerant mechanisms. Instead, the primary match server need only be designed to adhere to specific basic operating guidelines and shut itself down when it cannot do so. By externally controlling the ability of the primary match server to successfully adhere to its operating guidelines, the fault tolerant mechanisms of the disclosed embodiments can recognize error conditions and easily failover from the primary match server to the backup match server.
US08041981B2
Embodiments of a synchronization circuit, a method for synchronizing clock signals, and electronic devices that include the synchronization circuit or a computer-program product (e.g., software) with instructions for operations in the method are described. This synchronization circuit synchronizes clock signals in different timing domains using state variables. In particular, the synchronization circuit generates a synchronization acquisition curve based on a temporal history of state-variable differences between the clock signals. Next, the synchronization circuit synchronizes the clock signals (without a discontinuous temporal transient in one or more state variables of a dependent one of the clock signals) based on the sum of the synchronization acquisition curve and the state-variable differences between the clock signals. This state variable may include: a phase of the dependent clock signal, a frequency of the dependent clock signal, and/or a rate of change of the frequency of the dependent clock signal.
US08041976B2
Power management for clusters of computers, a cluster including a configuration of computers operating in a power management domain, one or more of the computers of the cluster having a power requirement that differs from power requirements of other computers in the cluster, data processing operations on the cluster effecting a processing load on the computers in the cluster, including selecting, from a plurality of configurations of computers capable of supporting a plurality of processing loads at a plurality of power levels, a configuration of computers capable of supporting the processing load at a lowest power level, the lowest power level defined by comparison among configurations capable of supporting the processing load; and reconfiguring the cluster according to the selected configuration.
US08041971B2
An equipment controller is disclosed that includes a CPU instructed to switch to a low power mode when being in a non-execution state. The equipment controller determines whether there is any execution task when the state of equipment switches to an energy-saving mode in which consumption power is reduced, and sets the interrupt cycle of a system timer of a real time OS that generates an interrupt for causing the CPU to awaken to be long if there is no execution task so that the CPU is caused to switch to the low power mode.
US08041970B2
Provided are a cluster system, which can reduce power consumption by controlling power at a cluster level according to loads, and a power management method of the cluster system. The cluster system includes a plurality of management target nodes for performing an actual task which the cluster system is supposed to perform, a load balancer/switch for distributing a user's request received through an external network into the management target nodes, and a power management master for monitoring a load of an entire system and performing a power management by controlling the load balancer/switch. The power management master classifies the management target nodes into a power on group and a power off group.
US08041966B2
The electric power supply system includes a first terminal that electric power is supplied thereto from a first power supply to operate, a second terminal that is connected to the first terminal and that electric power is supplied thereto from a second power supply to operate, and a controller that controls electric power supply so as to supply electric power from the first terminal to the second terminal based on the operation state of the first terminal.
US08041963B2
Embodiments of a system for regulating an efficiency of a power supply in a computer system are described. During operation, the system measures an output load of the power supply using one or more telemetry monitors in the computer system. Then, the system determines if an efficiency of the power supply corresponding to the measured output load is within a predetermined range that includes an optimal efficiency of the power supply. If the efficiency is outside of the predetermined range, the system performs remedial action so that the power supply operates at an adjusted efficiency that falls within the predetermined range.
US08041958B2
A method for preventing malicious software from execution within a computer system is disclosed. A permutation is performed on a subset of instructions within an application program to yield a permuted sequence of instructions before any actual execution of the application program on the computer system. A permutation sequence number of the permuted sequence of instructions is stored in a permuted instruction pointer table. The permuted sequence of instructions is executed in an execution module that is capable of translating the permuted sequence of instructions to an actual machine code of a processor within the computer system according to the permutation sequence number of the permuted sequence of instructions stored in the permuted instruction pointer table.
US08041957B2
Techniques for associating software with hardware using cryptography are described. The software is identified by a software identifier (ID), and the hardware is identified by a hardware ID. The software is hashed to obtain a code digest. A code signature is generated for the code digest, software ID, and hardware ID. A code image is formed with the software, software ID, code signature, and a certificate. The certificate contains cryptographic information used to authenticate the certificate and validate the code signature. The code image is loaded onto a device. The device validates the software to hardware association prior to executing the software. For the validation, the device authenticates the certificate with a certificate authority public key embedded within the device. The device also validates the code signature using the cryptographic information contained in the certificate, information in the code image, and the hardware ID embedded within the device.
US08041950B2
A random signal generator uses a folded MOS transistor, whose drain-source current includes a random component, as an electronic noise source. The random signal generator generates a random binary signal from the random component. The invention may be applied, in particular, to smart cards.
US08041948B2
A system and method for request verification in an Application Level Gateway (ALG) located between a client and a server in a data transmission network. The ALG receives from a server a message that requires some responsive actions from a client. The ALG adds to this message Verification Data (VD) that includes information about expected actions required from the client. The ALG then sends the message with the above-mentioned additions to the client. The client receives this message and sends a response, with the actual actions and with the VD, to the server. The ALG obtains this response with the VD, and compares the description of the expected actions with actual actions of the client. If the actions of the client are legitimate, the ALG sends the client response to the server.
US08041947B2
System for providing a secure file service includes an MLS file service module (300) comprised of a cryptographic processor (302). The MLS file service module also includes an MLS file system (301) hosted by the cryptographic processor. A secure user processor (402) includes programming and communications hardware for requesting at least one classified file from the MLS file service module. The cryptographic processor includes cryptographic hardware and software to decrypt the classified file. The cryptographic processor is also performs an integrity check on the classified file. Once the file is decrypted and its integrity checked by the cryptographic processor, the MLS file service module serves the classified file to the secure user processor in decrypted form. If the classified file is an executable file, the method also includes selectively enabling a write function for program memory of the secure user processor. This write function is disabled immediately after the classified executable file has been loaded into the program memory to guard against self modifying programs.
US08041941B2
The capability to encrypt or compress the traffic over network links, thus improving the security of the link on the performance of the links, and the capability to encrypt/decrypt data stored on the storage devices without requiring specialized hosts or storage devices. In a first embodiment, traffic to be routed over a selected link needing encryption and/or compression is routed to hardware which performs the encryption and/or compression and returned for transmission over the link. A complementary unit at the second end of the link routes the received frames to complementary hardware to perform the decryption and/or decompression. The recovered frames are then routed to the target device in a normal fashion. In a variation of this first embodiment the hardware is developed using an FPGA. This allows simple selection of the desired feature or features present in the switch. The switch can be easily configured to perform encryption, compression or both, allowing great flexibility to a system administrator. In a second embodiment frames can be encrypted by a switch and then provided to the storage device in this encrypted manner. The frames from the storage device are decrypted before provision to the requesting host. By performing the encryption and decryption in the switch, conventional hosts and storage devices can be utilized.
US08041937B2
A hypervisor boots all guest operating systems needed to setup/update server components as detected by an update utility. The update utility, after detecting server components, is booted into each guest O.S. so that the components are updated in parallel without having to sequentially boot the utility into a guest O.S., update its component, then shut down and re-boot into another guest O.S.
US08041935B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a hardware resource used in image formation; and a storage unit storing a program for processing the image formation; and a controller that is operable to: accepting rebooting commands for rebooting the hardware resource and the program; monitoring a state of the hardware resource and a state of the program and detecting whether or not at least one of the hardware resource and the program is in automatic adjustment processing; and rebooting the hardware resource and the program according to the rebooting commands after completion of the automatic adjustment processing, when the rebooting commands are accepted in a state that the hardware resource or the program is in the automatic adjustment processing.
US08041931B2
An apparatus and a system, as well as a method and article, may operate to predict a branch within a first operating context, such as a user context, using a first strategy; and to predict a branch within a second operating context, such as an operating system context, using a second strategy. In some embodiments, apparatus and systems may comprise one or more first storage locations to store branch history information associated with a first operating context, and one ore more second storage locations to store branch history information associated with a second operating context.
US08041926B2
Executing a block of code is disclosed. Executing includes receiving an indication that the block of code is to be executed using a synchronization mechanism and speculatively executing the block of code on a virtual machine. The block of code may include application code. The block of code does not necessarily indicate that the block of code should be speculatively executed.
US08041922B2
What is provided is a load real address function defined for a machine architecture of a computer system. In one embodiment, a machine instruction containing an opcode is obtained indicating that a load real address is to be performed. The instruction further identifies a first general register. Based on the contents of the machine instruction, a virtual address to be translated is obtained. Dynamic address translation is performed on the virtual address to obtain a segment-frame absolute address of a large block of data in memory. If an extended DAT facility and a format control field in the segment table entry are enabled, the address of the block of data is saved in the first general register. A page index portion and a byte index portion of the virtual address may also be saved in the first general register.
US08041912B2
A memory device comprises a memory array, a status register coupled with the memory array, and a security register coupled with the memory array and the status register. The memory array contains a number of memory blocks configured to have independent access control. The status register includes at least one protection bit indicative of a write-protection status of at least one corresponding block of the memory blocks that corresponds to the protection bit. The security register includes at least one register-protection bit. The register-protection bit is programmable to a memory-protection state for preventing a state change of at least the protection bit of the status register. The register-protection bit is configured to remain in the memory-protection state until the resetting of the memory device.
US08041906B2
Embodiments for notification processing are disclosed. One embodiment includes dividing the number of data entries of an array, having a number of data entries that each utilize a variable having a changeable state, into a number of blocks. The number of blocks include a flag indicating whether at least one of the number of entries in the block has been modified. The method includes identifying at least one of the number blocks that has at least one modified entry by checking the flag and processing the at least one identified block to determine a current state of at least one the variables having a changeable state whose corresponding data entry has been modified.
US08041897B2
A data processing apparatus, and method of managing at least one cache within such an apparatus, are provided. The data processing apparatus has at least one processing unit for executing a sequence of instructions, with each such processing unit having a cache associated therewith, each cache having a plurality of cache lines for storing data values for access by the associated processing unit when executing the sequence of instructions. Identification logic is provided which, for each cache, monitors data traffic within the data processing apparatus and based thereon generates a preferred for eviction identification identifying one or more of the data values as preferred for eviction. Cache maintenance logic is then arranged, for each cache, to implement a cache maintenance operation during which selection of one or more data values for eviction from that cache is performed having regard to any preferred for eviction identification generated by the identification logic for data values stored in that cache. It has been found that such an approach provides a very flexible technique for seeking to improve cache storage utilisation.
US08041894B2
Method and system for a multi-level virtual/real cache system with synonym resolution. An exemplary embodiment includes a multi-level cache hierarchy, including a set of L1 caches associated with one or more processor cores and a set of L2 caches, wherein the set of L1 caches are a subset of the set of L2 caches, wherein the set of L1 caches underneath a given L2 cache are associated with one or more of the processor cores.
US08041892B2
In an example of an embodiment of the invention, a system for recording data generated by a client server and transmitted to a storage system is provided. The system comprises a storage system and a processor located remotely from the storage system and linked to the storage system via a network. The processor determines that a selected data processing operation is to be performed with respect to data stored in the storage system, and determines that a record of at least some of the data stored in the storage system is required prior to performing the selected data processing operation. The processor also generates a command comprising a request to generate a record of the at least some of the stored data, and transmits the command to the storage system to generate the record, via the network in accordance with Internet Protocol (IP). Examples of other systems and methods are also disclosed.
US08041890B2
The present invention discloses a method for accessing a target disk and a system for expanding disk capacity. A processing unit of a master disk array sends a command or data to a PCIe switching unit of the master disk array upon receipt of the command or data; the PCIe of the master disk array sends the received command or data to a control unit in a corresponding disk array according to an address of a target disk indicated in the command or data; the control unit in the corresponding disk array sends the received command or data to the target disk that is directly connected to the control unit. The present invention also discloses a master disk array and a slave disk array.
US08041888B2
A logical unit number (LUN) cloning technique separates data blocks referenced by a writable virtual disk (vdisk) from data blocks referenced only by a backing store to conserve storage resources of a storage system. The LUN cloning technique separates the writable vdisk data blocks from the backing store during periods of reduced processing activity and in a manner that does not interfere with storage service provided by the system.
US08041887B2
A control method of a memory device including a storage area formed of a nonvolatile semiconductor memory, includes updating a file stored in the storage area by using a file system which supports an incremental write method, recording, in the storage area, an allocation table representing a correlation between a logical address indicating a recording position of the file and a virtual address representing a virtual recording position of the file and management information of the allocation table, and recording position information representing a recording position of the management information in a position information area of the storage area.
US08041885B2
A memory system is provided which includes a host, a flash memory device, and a dual port memory which exchanges data with the host and the flash memory device. The flash memory device utilizes a portion of the dual port memory as a working memory.
US08041880B2
A flash memory includes a data area in which first and second k-bit data (k is a natural number) are stored; and an additional data area in which a first additional m-bit data (m is a natural number) and a second additional m-bit data used to respectively identify the first and second data are stored. The first additional data and the second additional data have different values.
US08041874B2
A USB-to-Ethernet controller with a USB hub may be integrated into a single integrated circuit (IC) USB-Ethernet Combination (UEC) device. The UEC may provide the end user with an Ethernet port, multiple downstream USB ports, and an upstream USB port for connecting to a USB host controller. One or more of the USB hub ports may be brought off the IC, enabling an end user to connect them to any arbitrary USB device(s). The third hub port may be an internal downstream port without a physical layer, and may be configured to connect to an Ethernet controller, which may comprise a USB device controller. The Ethernet controller may connect to the internal downstream port via a digital interface such as UTMI. The UEC device may appear to the host computer as two separate devices, an Ethernet controller and a USB hub. The Ethernet controller may appear as a permanently attached device on the internal downstream port.
US08041863B2
The present invention permits registry settings and other pertinent shared artifacts to be distributed across many different computing devices. More specifically, the invention permits applications installed on an external drive to be activated, when the external drive is connected to a main computing device. When connected, a drive agent can detect registry settings stored on the external drive and can synchronize these settings with a main registry of the main computing device. Further, interface elements, such as icons for the new applications can be added to a GUI of the main computing device. Once the registry settings are included in the main registry, applications on the external drive can used from the main computing device. When the external drive is detached from the main computing device, the device agent can automatically remove all registry settings, shared artifacts, and interface elements.
US08041860B2
A method for producing a mapping tool, a PC game having the mapping tool and operation method therefore is disclosed. The mapping tool is created by means of linking a remote motion signal generated from a remote device which is operated by user with a keyboard signal from the inside of the conventional keyboard mapping table. User may operate the PC game through the mapping tool. The present invention employs the said mapping tool to replace the conventional keyboard motion mapping table, thereby achieving the objectives of providing natural ergonomic and consistently using the existing PC game having the keyboard motion mapping table.
US08041858B2
A method of operating an automation system with a plurality of automation devices connected for communication with a central unit is provided. Each automation device handles communication in accordance with a send clock. The central unit stores for each automation device accessible for communication information about the send clock for this device in a database. Further, the central unit handles communication with the automation devices according to their individual send clock.
US08041856B2
A system and method of a skip based control logic for a first in first out (FIFO) buffer is disclosed. In one embodiment, a FIFO buffer system includes a storage for storing data, a write pointer for pointing to a write address of the storage for a write operation, and a read pointer for pointing to a read address of the storage for a read operation. Further, the FIFO buffer system includes a control logic for incrementing the read pointer based on a skip parameter of a skip register. The skip parameter is used to characterize a validity of the data for the read operation.
US08041846B2
Disclosed is an information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus includes a first hard disk drive, a conversion circuit and a signal control circuit. The conversion circuit is connected with the first hard disk drive to determine whether a second hard disk drive corresponding to a slave exists when the first hard disk drive serves as a master, and the determine whether a first control signal has a first logic level in a first predetermined time.
US08041834B2
A system and method for implementing a wireless sensor network. The system comprises a plurality of motes, each mote having a sensor and a wireless communication system for communicating with neighboring motes; a distributed routing table distributed amongst each of the plurality of motes; and an update system for periodically updating the distributed routing table.
US08041830B2
A method and system of offering a video file to a video receiver includes offering a progressive download, but not a non-progressive full download, of the video file to the video receiver via a network connection when a connection speed satisfies a first threshold value. The method includes offering the non-progressive full download, but not the progressive download, of the video file to the video receiver via the network connection when the connection speed is less than a second threshold value. The second threshold value is based on a bit rate at which the video file is encoded.
US08041824B1
A system, device, method and software for providing a visitor access to a public network are disclosed. In one form, a virtual visitor enabled local area network includes a visitor access point operable to provide a visitor access to a public network while connected to a local area network (LAN). The visitor access point is operable to protect the LAN using a virtual visitor network established between the visitor access point and a virtual visitor network gateway.
US08041821B2
The present invention is a method, system and apparatus for highly efficient connection pool management. In a preferred aspect of the invention, a highly efficient connection pool management system can include a connection pool configured to store one or more idle connections. The system further can include a connection manager programmed for coupling to the connection pool. The connection manager further can be programmed to validate individual ones of the idle connections by issuing a non-blocking input/output (I/O) operation to each of the individual ones of the idle connections.
US08041816B2
A more secure TCP/IP protocol stack is provided having an enhanced transport layer. Encryption and decryption logic is arranged on the transmission side and on the reception side for processing a payload of a transport layer protocol, such as TCP or UDP. By employing this enhanced transport layer, a cryptograph process communication can be realized by dissolving various kinds of restrictions which a conventional IPsec or SSL possesses without affecting upper layer processing, and, at the same time, maintaining compatibility with the IP layer.
US08041814B2
An improved load balancing method, system, and computer program product handles popular object requests using a front-end cache, and hashing is applied only to the requests in the stream that were not handled by the front-end cache. A cache (e.g., a web proxy cache) is placed in front of a Level 7 switch, such that the cache services the popular requests from the cache based on the content of the request (e.g., based on the portion of an HTTP request following the domain name). The remaining requests are hashed and then routed to the back-end server. This allows the requests that make it past the cache to still be routed to the back-end server and take advantage of the efficiencies provided therefrom.
US08041812B2
The method of the present invention comprises initiating a connection to a port on an access device by a supplicant and associating supplicant identification information with the port. The access device may comprise any network connectivity device, including a wireless access point. Data packets transmitted over the port by the supplicant are statistically sampled as they are transmitted, with each of the sample data packets also associated with the supplicant identification information. The sample data packets are stored according to their associated supplicant identification information in order to perform accounting. The sample data packets, with the supplicant identification information, are sent to a network management system where the data is archived and presented in a human readable form, e.g., charts, etc.
US08041811B2
Various exemplary embodiments relate to a network management system (NMS) and a method performed on the NMS including one or more of the following: receiving a notification of a new endpoint discovered in the network, the new endpoint representing an endpoint in a multi-chassis pair; determining that an address of the new endpoint conflicts with an address of a first existing endpoint of an existing multi-chassis pair, wherein the first existing endpoint is currently paired with a second existing endpoint; determining whether the new endpoint or the first existing endpoint is a proper endpoint of the existing multi-chassis pair; and when the new endpoint is the proper endpoint of the existing multi-chassis pair, updating the data representing the topology in the storage module to replace the first existing endpoint with the new endpoint as paired with the second existing endpoint.
US08041810B2
A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a server having a controller to monitor first and second access devices of a communications network for an alarm where the first and second access devices are connected to each other by a fiber optic cable and where the first and second access devices are capable of transmitting media content to a communications device of a user, identify hierarchical cable relationships associated with the fiber optic cable, monitor network elements of the communications network that are associated with the hierarchical cable relationships for other alarms, and determine a fiber cut of the fiber optic cable based at least in part on the alarm of the monitored first and second access devices and the other alarms of the monitored network elements. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US08041802B2
The subject matter herein relates to database management systems and, more particularly, to decoupled logical and physical data storage within a database management system. Various embodiments provide systems, methods, and software that separate physical storage of data from logical storage of data. These embodiments include a mapping of logical storage to physical storage to allow data to be moved within the physical storage to increase database responsiveness.
US08041791B2
The management of computers connected with I/O switch devices is simplified. A computer system S includes one or several computers (server devices), one or several I/O devices, one or several I/O switch devices, and a management server 101. Management server 101 is provided with a storage part storing I/O configuration information and I/O switch management information; and a processing part comparing pieces of I/O configuration information and pieces of I/O switch management information, judging whether there might be a mismatch in the connection configuration between a computer and an I/O device and, in case it is judged that there is a mismatch, terminating the activation for a computer having the mismatched connection configuration, allocating a substitutable I/O device, and updating said I/O switch management information.
US08041789B1
A system comprises a first enclosure comprising a plurality of device bays and a first enclosure virtual connect device that is configured to virtualize one or more of the device bays in the first enclosure. The system also comprises a second enclosure comprising a plurality of device bays and a management server communicatively coupled to the first enclosure virtual connect device. At least one bay in the first enclosure has a device included therein. That device uses an associated profile that defines, at least in part, how that device is virtualized. The management server is configured to migrate the profile for use by a device in a bay of the second enclosure.
US08041787B2
A thin client terminal that can perform information processing in an off-line state is provided. A thin client terminal 101a sends a request for registration of data to be used off-line and designation of application software to be used off-line to a management server 107 through a remote computer 104. The management server 107 registers the data and application software according to the request. The thin client terminal 101 requests the management server 107 to acquire the requested data and application software, receives the data and application software, and stores the received data and application software into a storage medium 110.
US08041767B2
A conference terminal apparatus is used by a speaker of an electronic conference for transmitting image information displayed on a screen and causing a remote conference terminal apparatus used by an audience to display the image information on a remote screen. In the conference terminal apparatus, a screen control part displays a plurality of image information items on the screen. A priority allocation part allocates to each of the displayed image information items priority for being displayed on the remote screen. An information transmission processing part transmits to the remote conference terminal apparatus the displayed image information items and the priority allocated to each of the image information items.
US08041763B2
A system that automatically obtains Web page-specific scripts to save and restore the state of a Web page. When a user bookmarks or copies a Web page URL to the clipboard, a function is called to create a page state file that is stored together with the current URL to create a bookmark. When the bookmark is loaded or pasted into the location bar of the Web browser, the system reads the URL and page state file, and loads but does not yet display the Web page indicated by the URL of the bookmark. The system then locates the Restore Page State function in the loaded Web page's script, and executes the Restore Page State function on the page state file, resulting in modification to the DOM (Document Object Model) representation of the Web page and display of the Web page to the user based on the modified DOM.
US08041761B1
A system and method enables gradual transitioning of a server, such as a filer, to a new security domain and/or IP address scheme. A single physical platform may comprise multiple logical servers, such as virtual filers (vfilers), that simultaneously participate in different security domains and IP address schemes. Each logical server is allocated its own set of storage resources, such as volumes and qtrees, and network resources, such as network addresses. Additionally, a common set of storage resources may store a data set that is accessible to logical servers that participate in the different security domains and/or IP address schemes. Therefore, the server can transition from an old security domain to a new, e.g., upgraded, security domain, by gradually phasing out file access requests sent to a logical server in the old domain and redirecting those requests to a logical server in the new security domain. Similarly, the server can transition from an old IP address scheme to a new IP address scheme by gradually redirecting file access requests from one logical server to another. Since the invention enables multiple logical servers to access the server's data set, clients do not experience any downtime in service during the server's transition to a new security domain and/or IP address scheme.
US08041754B1
In a multi-threaded processor, one or more variables are set up in memory (e.g., a register) to indicate which of a plurality of executable threads has a higher priority. Once the variable is set, several embodiments are presented for granting higher priority processing to the designated thread. For example, more instructions from the higher priority thread may be executed as compared to the lower priority thread. Also, a higher priority thread may be given comparatively more access to a given resource, such as memory or a bus.
US08041752B2
Described is a technology by which a real-time data relocating mechanism is provided for multiprocessing environments, including supporting lock-free programs that run in parallel. The relocating mechanism moves an object by using a status field related to the data field, possibly in an interim (wide) object space, which is then copied to a to-space object. The status information for each data field of the original object contains information indicating where a current version of the data for each field is present, that is, in the original, wide or to-space object. In one example, a handshake mechanism of a garbage collector establishes preparation and copy phases between the mechanism and other threads that determine where memory accesses occur. Also described is support for program thread compare-and-swap (CAS) operations and/or multi-word atomic operations.
US08041742B1
Methods, systems, and computer-readable media are provided for providing generic database services within an EFI environment. A database engine is executed within an EFI environment that provides generic database functions on records having arbitrary data types. Database functions such as adding, deleting, and searching records may be performed by the database engine. The database engine utilizes a database structure for organizing the database that includes an initial count field for storing the initial number of records to be stored in the database, a record count field for storing the current number of records in the database, a key count field for storing the number of key fields in a stored data record, a key field for storing a pointer to a function for retrieving the value of a key field, and an index array field for storing a pointer to an index array. The index array is a sorted array of pointers to each of the data records in the database.
US08041739B2
A system and method for patent application drafting, issued patent assessment and technology assessment includes a computer having input devices for at least one user to enter information relating to components of an invention in a hierarchical and relational categorization using software that automatically generates a relational, diagrammatic representation of the patent or technology being assessed that is output in a format that is viewable and modifiable by the user(s). The user(s) may enter additional, more detailed information that provides a basis for textual representation of the patent or technology that is being drafted or assessed; this additional information is associated with and/or connected to the diagrammatic representation, e.g., via an automatic link or a hyperlink, that permits the user(s) to switch between views of the diagram and the text-based detailed description of components of the patent.
US08041737B2
A method and apparatus are provided for presenting leasing arrangements for a plurality of rental spaces. The method includes the steps of providing a graphical user interface that depicts the plurality of rental spaces within a two-dimensional layout on a display of the graphical user interface where a relative size and relative location of each rental space on the display is proportional to a relative physical size and relative location of the actual rental spaces and associating a menu with at least some of the rental spaces on the display where the menu provides additional information regarding the rental space, building, rental space user prospects and associated documents. The method and apparatus also allow user IDs to simultaneously have access to information in multiple database partitions within a management system.
US08041735B1
A distributed file system and method distributes file system objects across multiple self-contained volumes, where each volume is owned by a unique file system node. Logical links are used to reference a file system object between volumes. Each file system node includes a relocation directory in which is maintained hard links to locally-stored file system objects that are referenced from another file system node using logical links. Various file system operations that involve multiple volumes are performed without having to place a write lock on more than one volume at a time. Various caching schemes allow the various file system nodes to cache file system object data and metadata.
US08041722B2
A method for factorizing a property metadata filter in a service registry includes receiving a user's request for factorizing a property metadata with a specific name and value in a registry; generating a new filter for the property metadata with the specific name and value; applying the new filter to a search that has other filters; determining whether the search has an existing filter for name only, where the name is equal to the name in the new filter; and determining whether the search has an existing filter for value only, where the value is equal to the value in the new filter.
US08041715B2
A computer-implemented system and methods of re-ranking sponsored search results by a search engine in response to a search query include: retrieving one or more organic search results and a plurality of sponsored search results (“search results”), along with their respective rankings, associated with a search query; determining a degree of association between each sponsored search result and the other search results through analyzing web links between the search results and other web documents to or from which the search results are at least indirectly linked; calculating a clustering score for each sponsored search result based on their respective degrees of linking association; generating a new ranking score for each sponsored search result based on their respective clustering scores and rankings; and re-ranking, and storing in memory, the plurality of sponsored search results based on the new ranking scores of each respective sponsored search result.
US08041714B2
In an embodiment, a filter chain object comprising an association of a starting set of data items and two or more filter links is created and stored in computer memory. Each of the filter links comprises a component object that associates a set operation and a membership criterion. Each of the filter links is associated with a particular filter view among a plurality of filter views. Each particular filter view comprises a graphical representation of a state of applying the membership criterion of the associated filter link to a subset of data resulting from filtering the starting set of data items according to zero or more preceding filter links.
US08041709B2
Systems, methods, computer-readable media, and graphical user interfaces for presenting search results having collapsed domains are provided. A search result obtaining module obtains search results based upon a received query. Upon obtaining the search results, search results having the same domain are associated with one another. Thereafter, search result clusters of associated search results are formed. In some embodiments, the search result clusters may be formatted to include desired search result cluster attributes. The search result clusters are presented such that two or more associated search results form a single cluster of search results rather than being presented individually. In some embodiments, an option to view more search results with the same domain may be provided.
US08041705B2
A system and method of crawling at least one website comprising at least one URL includes maintaining a lookup structure comprising all of the URLs known to be on a website; calculating a hub score for each webpage of the website to be recrawled, wherein the hub score measures how likely the to be recrawled webpage includes links to fresh content published on the website; sorting all the to be recrawled pages by their hub scores; and crawling the to be recrawled pages in order from highest hub scores to lowest hub scores. The calculating comprises computing a first value equaling a percentage of a number of new relative URLs on the to be recrawled page; computing a second value equaling a percentage of a previous hub score of the to be recrawled page; and computing the hub score as a sum of the first and the second values.
US08041703B2
A system, apparatus, and method are disclosed for providing a single source for searchable content by mobile devices. Mobile user agents crawl host sites to determine whether there is content that may be viewed by any of the mobile user agents. If files are identified as viewable for a given mobile user agent, the site is tagged as crawlable. A best mobile user agent may also be identified for that site, based on number of files viewable, response time, file mobileness, or the like. The sites may be discovered by instrumentation of URLs with mobile device keywords, performing a backlink analysis to discover interlinking of mobile device related sites, exploring URLs of a known host name for potential starting points for mobile device sites, or employing a list of known popular conventional sites with a mobile user agent for possible redirections to a potential mobile device web site.
US08041690B2
A method, apparatus and program product dynamically enlist a plurality of resources to be committed by a transaction during execution of the transaction and store information about each enlisted resource in the plurality of resources with the transaction in a transaction log, including information about a state of each resource, to facilitate recovery of the transaction. Enlisting and storing may be performed during the execution of the transaction, and the resources to be committed by the transaction may be unknown prior to execution of the transaction. By doing so, a more complete record of all the resources that were enlisted during runtime may be maintained.
US08041688B2
A data search device to extract relevant data matching a specified requirement from multiple pieces of data to be searched stored in a database. The data search device includes a specified requirement data acquisition unit to acquire specified requirement data including the specified requirement, a data extraction unit to extract the relevant data based on the specified requirement data, an extracted data counter to count a number of pieces of the relevant data for each piece of classification data provided for the data to be searched, a display data generation unit to generate data to display the number of pieces of the relevant data counted for each piece of classification data on a coordinate space based on the classification data, and a positional data storage unit to store positional data including coordinates for specifying a position in the coordinate space and the classification data associated with the coordinates.
US08041686B2
A method in a data processing system for detecting and reducing database contention and deadlock caused from within an application server. A determination is made as to whether a set of parameters in a statistical model indicates contention. If the set of parameters in the statistical model indicates contention, an application server administrator is notified of the contention and the number of threads in an application server pool is reduced. If the set of parameters in the statistical model indicates contention is reduced, the number of threads in the application server pool is increased.
US08041685B2
A shared-nothing database management system employs a method of adding and removing a database server without significantly affecting the processing performance for accessing a table from a user or an application. A scheduler module creates a schedule which separately handles the addition of a CPU resource and the addition of a storage I/O resource, and a server is added in accordance with the created schedule. A common disk is used to remove a disk at an arbitrary timing. Further, a data region is previously subdivided on the common disk to eliminate a movement of data associated with the addition of a server.
US08041679B1
Creating a synthetic database backup using binary logs. A full backup of a database may be stored, followed by one or more incremental backups. The one or more incremental backups may include first binary log files. A first synthetic differential backup may be created using the first binary log files. Creating the first synthetic differential backup may include translating the first binary log files into a first plurality of SQL statements. The first plurality of SQL statements may be executable to recreate the changes in the database since the full backup. Translating each of the first binary log files into the first plurality of SQL statements may be performed before performing a recovery process to decrease recovery time.
US08041674B2
To guarantee the contents of an update by a transaction in a parallel database management system, the database management system includes a replica database management unit that manages the replica database, records synchronous information at a timing at which one of the transaction generated is valid in every database management unit and other transactions are invalid in every database management unit, extracts update information and the synchronous information for creating the replica database from the update logs, and causes the replica database management unit to import the update information of each transaction that has become valid before the synchronous information was recorded.
US08041671B2
A method and system for providing a homogeneous view of a distributed common information model (CIM) within a heterogeneous virtual system environment is disclosed. The virtual system environment includes local and remote host systems, each of which includes a CIM Object Model (CIMOM) and a CIM repository of provider applications. The method includes selecting one of the CIMOMs to serve as a single access point to the CIMOMs for all client requests and configuring provider applications of the selected CIMOM to communicate with non-selected CIMOMs. The configuration includes using a discovery or registration process to identify all of the local and remote host systems in the virtual system environment and provide access points between the provider applications of the selected CIMOM and the hosts. In response to a client request, the selected CIMOM uses the access points to retrieve, aggregate, and forward the information to a client application as a homogeneous view.
US08041661B2
Disclosed are methods, systems, and computer-readable media for determining stability of a neural system. The method includes tracking a function world line of an N element neural system within at least one behavioral space, determining whether the tracking function world line is approaching a psychological stability surface, and implementing a quantitative solution that corrects instability if the tracked function world line is approaching the psychological stability surface.
US08041654B2
A system and methods are presented for the generation of hybridized efficient genetic algorithms (EGAS) applied to bi-objective optimization problems. Applications are made to engineering systems involving collective behaviors, including network computing, robotics and evolvable hardware.
US08041645B2
The present invention includes apparatus and methods for printing and verifying postage stamps on demand via a personal postage stamp printer. The indicium by which the stamp is printed includes a color stripe and a data field including authentication data that corresponds to the color stripe. To authenticate the stamp, the authentication data in the data field is read and compared with authentication data extracted from the color stripe.
US08041640B2
A system and method for verifying the existence of a deposit account, such as a checking account, are provided. The system and method may also be used to determine whether the deposit account is configured to receive automatic transactions for withdrawal. For example, a lender may extend an offer of credit to a borrower where payments of principal and interest are to be made by automatic withdrawals. Prior to transferring the principal, the lender verifies the existence and configuration of the borrower's deposit account by charging a fee to establish the line of credit and retrieving the fee by automatic withdrawal. Once the transaction clears and the lender receives the fee, the lender is assured that the account does exist and is configured to receive automatic transactions. Two exemplary methods of retrieving the fee are electronic funds transfer and remote creation of a paper negotiable instrument.
US08041637B1
Apparatus and methods to process loss payments are described herein. In one example, an apparatus includes one or more data stores, a rules engine, an audit engine and a payment engine. In another example, the method may include receiving a notice of loss, deriving a payee, processing one or more rules using the information, determining whether an automatic payment can be made and transferring funds if the automatic payment can be made. In a further example, the method may include receiving a notice of loss, the loss having one or more exposures, processing one or more rules for each of the exposures in parallel, determining if an automatic payment can be made for each of the exposures and removing the automatic payment for an exposure if it can not be made while continuing processing payments for the remaining exposures.
US08041635B1
Apparatus and methods to process loss payments are described herein. In one example, an apparatus includes one or more data stores, a rules engine, an audit engine and a payment engine. In another example, the method may include receiving a notice of loss, deriving a payee, processing one or more rules using the information, determining whether an automatic payment can be made and transferring funds if the automatic payment can be made. In a further example, the method may include receiving a notice of loss, the loss having one or more exposures, processing one or more rules for each of the exposures in parallel, determining if an automatic payment can be made for each of the exposures and removing the automatic payment for an exposure if it can not be made while continuing processing payments for the remaining exposures.
US08041614B2
The present invention relates to inventory item expiration and renewal in a virtual universe. A method for in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention provides at least one item in the inventory of an avatar with metadata specifying whether the item must be renewed and how often. Instructions are obtained regarding a renewal of the item and the item is renewed based on the instructions.
US08041608B2
Systems and methods consistent with the invention may offer a new financial account having a balance transfer sub-account for implementation onto a customer's wireless purchasing device. The purchasing device may have a wireless transmitter that may communicate account information stored on the purchasing device to a service terminal. Based on the account information received by the service terminal, the system may obtain the terms of the customer's current account associated with the purchasing device. The system may then determine the terms of the new account for offering to the customer. If the customer accepts the offered account, the terminal may then wirelessly reprogram the purchasing device with the information of the new account and transfer the balance of the customer's original account to the balance transfer sub-account of the new account.
US08041601B2
A system and method for automatically targeting Web-based advertisements is described. Advertisements are identified relative to a query, wherein identified advertisements describe characteristics relative to at least one of a product and a service. The advertisements are scored according to match between the query and the characteristics of the identified advertisements. At least some of the advertisements are provided as Web-based content.
US08041600B2
This application describes an application of resource unit brokering algorithms, chip management methods for automated brokering, chip management methods for live brokering, and chip allocation methods to the brokering of performance characteristics of service level management within an enterprise. Typically, the performance characteristics are derived from known capacity values that are provided by configuration managers. Calculations are made on the capacity values and maximum quantities of the availability resource units are provided to resource brokers for spot or periodic sale and auction to one or more buyer's agents.
US08041594B2
An exemplary embodiment of the invention relates to a method, system, and storage medium for performing calendaring and reminder activities for a computer user. The method includes analyzing text displayed on a computer screen, identifying calendar parameters resulting from the analysis, creating a calendar entry record that includes a source of the calendar parameters, pasting the calendar parameters into the calendar entry record, and automatically storing the calendar entry record in a calendar application without opening the calendar application. Calendar parameters include at least one of a date, a time, a meeting type, and a subject.
US08041593B1
A method for providing a personalized souvenir is disclosed. The method may include the steps of contacting a souvenir retailer, preparing artwork, selecting names for personalization of the souvenirs, providing a rack to the souvenir retailer for displaying the souvenirs, and servicing the racks to ensure that the rack is maintained with the proper inventory. Additionally, determining an age range of a sales demographic such that the most popular names are selected to include on the souvenir within that age range.
US08041590B2
In-store media rating systems and methods are provided. A disclosed method includes receiving data from a plurality of individual stores, each having an individual store floor plan including shopper accessible areas and shopper non-accessible areas, and providing a standard floor plan including a plurality of predefined sectors. The method further includes standardizing each respective individual store floor plan to produce a corresponding standardized individual store floor plan based on the standard floor plan, wherein relative location and shopper accessible area of each of the sectors in the each standardized individual store floor plan correspond to the location and shopper accessible area of a corresponding predefined sector of the standard floor plan. The method further includes producing an output including the standardized individual store floor plan.
US08041585B1
The development and use of a model to estimate disability insurance exposure for a group of individuals to be underwritten for a coverage period is disclosed. The development of the model includes the use of medical claim data having a plurality of medical claims made by a first model population having at least a respective plurality of first model population members and a disability insurance claim data having a plurality of disability insurance claims made by a second model population having at least a respective plurality of second model population members, which optionally may partially or wholly overlap with the first model population. A clinical medical condition classification system assigns corresponding medical condition causes to the disability insurance claims and the medical claims based on medical condition information.Development then categorizes the disability insurance claims and medical claims classified by medical condition, where each morbidity category comprises one or more medical conditions, to form a plurality of morbidity categories of disability insurance claims. Then, the proportions of the two types of claims are calculated for each morbidity category. Then, for each of the morbidity categories, a probability of having a disability claim during the coverage period is calculated using at least one conditional probability, the conditional probability being based on at least the proportion of disability insurance claims and the proportion of medical claims for each of the morbidity categories. From that, for each of the morbidity categories, an estimated the disability claim duration or cost is calculated.
US08041584B2
A method for patient risk level evaluation is provided, implemented with a remote medical care center. The remote medical care center connects with a plurality of health care locations at various locations over a network. Patient data of a plurality of patients is received from the plurality of health care locations via the network. An occurred event for each patient is determined, and each of the occurred events is classified into deteriorating or ameliorating category. The patients corresponding to the same events are sorted into a group, and the patients within the group are ranked according to severity of illness of each patient. A risk score for each patient is determined according to the corresponding event. Patient ranking orders corresponding to the events of the deteriorating and the ameliorating category are generated and displayed.
US08041581B2
According to the present invention, there is provided a system and method for the collection, capture, processing, storage, and tracking of data for both electronic clinical trial and electronic source health records for purposes, based upon a single data collection instance. Upon the collection of data at a clinical trial site, the data are transmitted to a central server where it is captured as an electronic source document(s) in human readable format. The system then transmits the captured electronic source document to a trusted third-party's electronic document repository. Then, the system uses the same captured data to populate the clinical trial's electronic data capture database. The system incorporates security and encryption features to ensure that privacy information requirements are not violated. In the preferred embodiment, the electronic data capture provider for a clinical trial has no control over the server of the trusted third-party vendor, complying with regulatory requirements. Additionally, the collected data can be pushed into a clinical site's electronic health record system or any equivalent system which houses electronic data. Throughout the operation of the system, an audit trail is maintained which records information relating to all data recording, modifying, and accessing events.
US08041580B1
A computer system implemented method and process for forecasting the consequences of healthcare utilization choices whereby health data associated with a user is obtained and analyzed to determine disease risk factors. Any determined disease risk factors present in the healthcare data are then used to generate a healthcare utilization consequences report based on various user actions/inactions. The healthcare utilization consequences report can include healthcare recommendations, economic information, actuarial information and comparisons between implementing/not implementing the healthcare recommendations.
US08041574B2
A dialog apparatus includes a dialog unit configured to perform a dialog with a user and to collect a plurality of items to be referred to in accordance with the dialog as the dialog continues, a dividing unit configured to divide the items into normal items related to any usable application and unusable items related to any usable application deleted, a managing unit configured to manage the items which the dialog unit refers to during the dialog with the user, in the normal items and the unusable items, an applying unit configured to apply a plurality of changes in the items to managing of the normal items and the unusable items, and a referring unit configured to refer to the managing unit in accordance with the items collected by the dialog unit and to determine to output a use-disapproval notice when the collected items include at least one unusable item.
US08041570B2
Representation-neutral dialogue systems and methods (“RNDS”) are described that include multi-application, multi-device spoken-language dialogue systems based on the information-state update approach. The RNDS includes representation-neutral core components of a dialogue system that provide scripted domain-specific extensions to routines such as dialogue move modeling and reference resolution, easy substitution of specific semantic representations and associated routines, and clean interfaces to external components for language-understanding (i.e., speech-recognition and parsing) and language-generation, and to domain-specific knowledge sources. The RNDS also allows seamless interaction with a community of devices.
US08041569B2
A language processing unit identifies a word by performing language analysis on a text supplied from a text holding unit. A synthesis selection unit selects speech synthesis processing performed by a rule-based synthesis unit or speech synthesis processing performed by a pre-recorded-speech-based synthesis unit for a word of interest extracted from the language analysis result. The selected rule-based synthesis unit or pre-recorded-speech-based synthesis unit executes speech synthesis processing for the word of interest.
US08041566B2
The present invention relates to a method, a computer system and a computer program product for speech recognition and/or text formatting by making use of topic specific statistical models. A text document which may be obtained from a first speech recognition pass is subject to segmentation and to an assignment of topic specific models for each obtained section. Each model of the set of models provides statistic information about language model probabilities, about text processing or formatting rules, as e.g. the interpretation of commands for punctuation, formatting, text highlighting or of ambiguous text portions requiring specific formatting, as well as a specific vocabulary being characteristic for each section of the recognized text. Furthermore, other properties of a speech recognition and/or formatting system (such as e.g. settings for the speaking rate) may be encoded in the statistical models. The models themselves are generated on the basis of annotated training data and/or by manual coding. Based on the assignment of models to sections of text an improved speech recognition and/or text formatting procedure is performed.
US08041561B2
Methods and apparatus, in the context of speech recognition, for compensating in the cepstral domain for the effect of an interfering signal by using a reference signal.
US08041559B2
The present invention proposes a solution to the problem of word lexical disambiguation in Arabic texts. This solution is based on text domain-specific knowledge, which facilitates the automatic vowel restoration of modern standard Arabic scripts. Texts similar in their contents, restricted to a specific field or sharing a common knowledge can be grouped in a specific category or in a specific domain (examples of specific domains; sport, art, economic, science . . . ). The present invention discloses a method, system and computer program for lexically disambiguating non diacritized Arabic words in a text based on a learning approach that exploits; Arabic lexical look-up, and Arabic morphological analysis, to train the system on a corpus of diacritized Arabic text pertaining to a specific domain. Thereby, the contextual relationships of the words related to a specific domain are identified, based on the valid assumption that there is less lexical variability in the use of the words and their morphological variants within a domain compared to an unrestricted text.
US08041556B2
A Chinese to English Translation Tool (CETT) locates pre-existing translations of phrases and increases probabilities for a match by searching independently of proper nouns and Western characters. The CETT comprises an enhancement program, a search program and a display program. The CETT is adapted to access a translation database, a proper noun table, and an unmatched translation table. The translation database is a central repository of an accumulated body of translated literature. The proper noun database is a table showing the associations between English and Chinese for proper nouns.
US08041551B1
An algorithm and architecture are disclosed for performing multi-argument associative operations. The algorithm and architecture can be used to schedule operations on multiple facilities for computations or can be used in the development of a model in a modeling environment. The algorithm and architecture resulting from the algorithm use the latency of the components that are used to process the associative operations. The algorithm minimizes the number of components necessary to produce an output of multi-argument associative operations and also can minimize the number of inputs each component receives.
US08041548B2
A method of and a system for evaluating constraint functions for improving nuclear reactor performance involve generating an operational solution for a nuclear reactor using a constraint to account for a problem with the operation of the nuclear reactor. The problem is based at least in part on channel deformation criteria.
US08041542B2
The present invention provides for monitoring the health of a system. In one embodiment, a method includes storing benchmark data in a memory, storing a second plurality of system data indicative of system conditions during system operations, determining from the second plurality of system data that the system was operating at a steady state capacity level during at least one sample window of the system operations, associating the steady state capacity level of the at least one sample window with the benchmark data, retrieving first health data for parameters associated with a first health condition from the first plurality of system data, retrieving second health data for parameters associated with the first health condition from the second plurality of system data that were obtained during the at least one sample window, comparing the health data and determining if the second health data is indicative of a health condition.
US08041537B2
Embodiments of the disclosure provide systems and methods for clock duty cycle measurement. A clock signal and a complement of the clock signal are provided to a charge pump during first and second predetermined timing windows. A charge pump is operable to generate first and second output voltages in response to the clock signal and the complement of the clock signal during the first and second timing windows, respectively. In addition a predetermined positive voltage and a ground voltage are applied to the charge pump during predetermined third and fourth timing windows, respectively. The charge pump is operable to generate third and fourth output voltage signals corresponding to the predetermined positive and ground voltages during the third and fourth timing windows, respectively. The first, second, third and fourth voltages are then used to calculate the duty cycle of the clock.
US08041534B2
A sensor device which detects a positional relationship between an first member and second member, includes a signal source generating an electrical signal, a first electrode receiving the electrical signal and storing an electrical charge at a first part on the first member, a second electrode inducing an electrical charge at the second part on the second member, a third electrode inducing an electrical charge at the third part on the second member, a fourth electrode inducing an electrical charge at the fourth part on the first member, a reference electrode disposed at a fifth part on the second member to be connected to a reference voltage point, a fifth electrode inducing an electrical charge at the sixth part on the first member, and a differential amplifier amplifying a voltage difference between the fourth electrode and the fifth electrode and outputting a difference signal.
US08041522B2
A system and method for determining an estimated battery cell total capacity indicative of a total capacity of a battery cell is provided. The method includes receiving a first battery cell state-of-charge estimate at a first time and receiving a second battery cell state-of-charge estimate at a second time subsequent to the first time, measuring an integrated battery cell current value indicative of the integrated battery cell current between the first time and the second time, updating at least one recursive parameter based on the first battery cell state-of-charge estimate, the second battery cell state-of-charge estimate, and the integrated battery cell current value, determining the estimated battery cell total capacity based on at least one recursive parameter, and storing a value corresponding to the estimated battery cell total capacity in a memory.
US08041520B2
A method of processing revolution to revolution blade track height and timing data so that mechanical and dynamic stability, maladjustments, and defects are discovered in a rotor with a plurality of blades on a vertical lift aircraft. Tracking devices collect blade track height and timing data. That data are processed into track and lead-lag data sets. Data set values are sorted maximum to minimum, or in reverse order, to remove the chaotic character of the collected data, thereby adding coherence and linearity to it. Defects and maladjustments are found by analyzing processed aircraft flight condition data combined in various ways. Only ground and hover flight condition analysis is required. Data collection and analysis is very rapid and the analysis output is presented graphically. The analyzed data are available moments after collection. Significant operational, safety, and cost saving are achieved.
US08041516B2
A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer program product for generating olfactory cohorts. Olfactory data is received from a set of chemical sensors. The olfactory data describes a set of olfactory patterns for an air sample. The olfactory data is processed to identify attributes of particles in the air sample and generate digital olfactory data. The digital olfactory data comprises metadata describing the attributes of the particles in the air sample to form digital olfactory data. A set of olfactory cohorts is generated using the attributes in the digital olfactory data.
US08041510B2
A system and method monitor a hydrocarbon reservoir for drainage in volumetric three dimensions. Monitoring between wells is imperative for optimum reservoir management and is achieved by mapping the hydrocarbon fluid pathways in a producing reservoir. Unlike conventional 4D or time-lapse reflection seismic imaging systems that use a controlled active seismic source and records reflected seismic energy at receivers, the system and method exploit the minute vibrations, or micro-earthquakes generated in the reservoir layers that are induced by fluid movement. These microseisms are detected as the fluids move in the reservoir.
US08041508B2
A navigation apparatus including a central processing unit, an imaging module, a GPS module, a tire pressure monitoring module, and a storage module is provided. The imaging module captures an image signal. The central processing unit controls the imaging module to capture the image signal for generating image data, and further stores the image data in the storage module. The central processing unit executes the electronic map software stored in the storage module and receives the positional data generated by the GPS module for generating route guidance. The central unit receives the digital tire pressure signal received by the tire pressure monitoring module to generate tire pressure data and further identifies whether or not the tire pressure data is in compliance with a safety value.
US08041505B2
A service depends on the location of a device. The device location is determined using DTV signals. More specifically, the device location is determined based on pseudo-ranges between the device and a plurality of digital television (DTV) transmitters and the pseudo-ranges are determined based on broadcast DTV signals received by the device from the DTV transmitters. Examples of DTV signals include the American Television Standards Committee (ATSC) signals, the European Telecommunications Standards Institute Digital Video Broadcasting-Terrestrial (DVB-T) signals and the Japanese Integrated Service Digital Broadcasting-Terrestrial (ISDB-T) signals.
US08041503B2
The present invention relates to a traffic information providing system and method using a traffic information collecting digital map. A traffic information collecting terminal receives GPS data from at least one GPS satellite, and generates traffic information target location information with reference to traffic information established based on the GPS data. The traffic information target location information includes a coordinate and a time and can further include a type or an order on the traffic information target location information. The traffic information providing system matches traffic information target location information provided by the terminals on nodes and links for collecting traffic information of a traffic information collecting digital map, generates section communication information for a section, processes the section communication information, and provides it as traffic information. Therefore, accurate communication information is generated and more accurate traffic information is provided. For example, it is possible to generate accurate traffic information excluding a traveling time (or a traveling speed) error caused by a probe vehicle's entrance to a rest area from the link having an expressway rest area.
US08041501B2
A method and system for monitoring an exhaust gas adsorber includes a comparison module comparing the first exhaust gas constituent signal corresponding to an amount of exhaust gas constituent in an exhaust conduit and a second exhaust gas constituent signal corresponding to an amount of exhaust gas constituent in the exhaust gas adsorber. The system includes a fault module generating a fault in response to comparing in the comparison module.
US08041499B2
In order to compensate for pressure drop across a fuel injector, pressure in a combustion chamber of an internal combustion engine into which fuel is injected is estimated based on manifold pressure at a timing for intake valve closure and volumes of the combustion chamber at a timing for intake valve closure and at least one other timing.
US08041493B2
A cruise control device and method for controlling a vehicle such that the driver can set the speed setting at will, and the speed of the vehicle is controlled to match the speed setting. The speed limit for the road on which the vehicle is traveling is detected, and when the detected speed limit changes from a first speed limit to a second speed limit, the speed setting is selectively changed to the second speed limit. When the driver has performed an operation to change the speed setting before the detected speed limit changes from the first speed limit to the second speed limit, changing of the speed setting to the second speed limit is selectively suppressed.
US08041487B2
An engine control system comprises first and second integral modules, a summer module, and a torque adjustment module. The first integral module determines an engine speed (RPM) integral value based on a difference between a desired RPM and a measured RPM. The second integral module determines a torque integral value based on a difference between a desired torque output for an engine and an estimated torque of the engine. The summer module determines an RPM-torque integral value based on a difference between the RPM and torque integral values. The torque adjustment module determines a torque adjustment value based on the RPM-torque integral value and adjusts the desired torque output and the estimated torque based on the torque adjustment value.
US08041483B2
Externally deployed airbag system for a vehicle including one or more inflatable airbags deployable outside of the vehicle, an anticipatory sensor system for assessing the probable severity of an impact involving the vehicle based on data obtained prior to the impact and initiating inflation of the airbag(s) in the event an impact above a threshold severity is assessed, and an inflator coupled to the anticipatory sensor system and the airbag for inflating the airbag when initiated by the anticipatory sensor system. The airbag may be housed in a module mounted along a side of the vehicle, in a side door of the vehicle (both for side impact protection), at a front of the vehicle (for frontal impact protection) or at a rear of the vehicle (for rear impact protection). Also, the externally deployed airbag can be deployed to cushion a pedestrian's impact against the vehicle.
US08041469B2
A method for determining relative spatial information between a first vehicle and a second vehicle, the method including monitoring a communication channel at the first vehicle and receiving a current communication signal sent by the second vehicle on the communication channel. The current communication signal is received at a received power level. A relative position between the first vehicle and the second vehicle is calculated. Input to the calculating includes an actual or estimated transmitted power level, and the received power level.
US08041465B2
A voltage control arrangement for a system of multiple windfarms with transmission lines. Voltage is regulated at a point of regulation on the system, such as a high voltage substation or other system bus. Regulation is achieved at the point of regulation by sensing the voltage, comparing to a reference voltage, and adjusting the reactive power output of the wind turbines and other equipment in the system. The regulation point may be shifted to another point if needed to respect voltage limits at that points of the system after attempting to shift reactive load to restore voltage within limits at the other points in the system. The reference voltage may be adjusted to minimize losses for the system of multiple windfarms and transmission lines. A loss optimizing algorithm is applied to the combined multiple windfarm and transmission line to shift reactive load among local windfarms to minimize losses and to shift reactive load among individual wind turbines within an individual windfarm.
US08041463B2
A droplet actuator drive including a detection apparatus for sensing a property of a droplet on a droplet actuator; circuitry for controlling the detection apparatus electronically coupled to the detection apparatus; a droplet actuator cartridge connector arranged so that when a droplet actuator cartridge electronically is coupled thereto: the droplet actuator cartridge is aligned with the detection apparatus; and the detection apparatus can sense the property of the droplet on a droplet actuator; circuitry for controlling a droplet actuator coupled to the droplet actuator connector; and the droplet actuator circuitry may be coupled to a processor.
US08041459B2
A method of operating a surgical system. The method includes obtaining a magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan in which magnetic resonance (MR) visible targets are located; registering a robotic arm to the MRI scan using a digitizing tool, the robotic arm including: multiple joints and multiple degrees of freedom; an MR-compatible structural material; multiple MR-compatible joint motors; multiple MR-compatible joint encoders; and an end effector holding an MR-compatible surgical tool having a tool tip; and displaying a location of the tool tip relative to an image from the MRI scan.
US08041457B2
A robot configured to check whether an object is properly grasped by a hand determines whether the position and posture of a handle (object), determined based on an image obtained by a camera (external information), and the position and posture of the handle in the case where the handle is assumed to be properly grasped, determined from the posture of a robot based on an output or the like of a rotary encoder (internal information), agree with each other. In response to the determination of whether the external information and the internal information agree with each other, it is determined whether the handle is properly grasped based on a force detected by a six-axis force sensor provided on each hand.
US08041453B2
In accordance with one embodiment, a vending machine comprises a plurality of receptacles for holding units of products, each receptacle operable to hold a respective plurality of units in a series. The vending machine further comprises a dispensing mechanism operable to dispense, from each receptacle, a first unit in the respective plurality of units, the dispensing mechanism thereby being operable to dispense only a first unit from the respective series at a time. The vending machine further comprises a means for determining, for a unit, information allowing a relationship among the unit and a location of the unit in the receptacle to be determined.
US08041450B2
A substrate processing apparatus comprises a substrate handling chamber, a pair of position sensors, and a substrate transfer robot. Each of the sensors comprises an emitter configured to emit a beam of light, and a receiver configured to receive the light beam. The substrate transfer robot comprises an end effector and a robot actuator. The end effector is configured to hold a substrate such that the substrate has a same expected position with respect to the end effector every time the substrate is held. The robot actuator is configured to move the end effector within the handling chamber to transfer substrates among a plurality of substrate stations. An edge of a substrate held in the expected position by the end effector can partially block a light beam of one of the position sensors, while another end of the end effector partially blocks a light beam of the other position sensor.
US08041448B2
A machine tool is controlled using a pointing device coupled to two rotatable hand wheels. The pointing device tracks movement of the two hand wheels and communicates the movement to a control system which controls a moveable element.
US08041447B2
A numerical controller controlling a 5-axis machine tool compensates setting error that arises when a workpiece is set on the table. Error in the three linear axes and the two rotation axes are compensated using preset error amounts to keep the calculated tool position and tool direction in a command coordinate system. If a trigonometric function used for error compensation has a plurality of solution sets, the solution set closest to the tool direction in the command coordinate system is selected from the plurality of solution sets and used as the positions of the two rotation axes compensated in the above error compensation.
US08041443B2
A surface defect data display and management system comprises a risk score calculation unit for calculating the magnitude of an influence a surface defect on a wafer detected by a wafer inspection system or review system has upon a reduction in the yield of a final product as a risk score of the surface defect based on a defect size of the surface defect on the wafer and a pattern concentration obtained from design data of a pattern figure nearby a location corresponding to the position of the surface defect, and a correlation graph and defect image display unit for preparing a correlation graph showing the correlation between the defect size and the risk score of each defect, displaying the prepared correlation graph on the display apparatus and displaying additionally a defect image list of one or more defects selected by using the correlation graph.
US08041441B2
A production management system has processing devices A, B, C, D, E, and P. A kind of product α is processed in the order of the processing devices A, P, B, P, and C, and a kind of product β is processed in the order of the processing devices D, P, E, and P. To determine whether the processing device P is to be used to produce the product α or the product β, an input ratio of each kind of product is multiplied by the number of times of passing the processing device P for each kind of product, thereby calculating a core of each kind of product. Based on the calculated score, whether the processing device P is to be used to produce the product α or the product β is determined. Accordingly, the work-in-process balance of key processes between different kinds of products can be equalized.
US08041433B2
A wire form includes a conductor having a distal end and a proximal end. The conductor is coiled and has a predetermined spacing between adjacent coils. The predetermined spacing provides a parasitic capacitance and an inductance. The parasitic capacitance and inductance have a resonance frequency tuned to about an excitation signal's frequency of a magnetic-resonance imaging scanner.
US08041430B2
A TENS currents application device has a composite laminated construction consisting of an electrical current conductive layer made of a carbon material sandwiched between a flexible outer layer and a body contact layer. The outer layer may be made of plastic or metal and has a plurality of magnet elements imbedded therein. A heating means may be additionally provided in the device. The device may be in the form of a disc or round ball which can be held in the palm of a patient or in the form of a sole insert which can be placed in the sole of a foot ware. Protruding points are additionally formed on the outer surface of the round ball and on the outer surface of the sole insert. A vibrating device is located in the handheld device for providing additional massaging function to enhance the TENS treatment.
US08041428B2
The present invention includes methods and devices for treating hypotension, such as in cases of shock, including septic shock, anaphylactic shock and hypovolemia. The method includes the step of applying at least one electrical impulse to at least one selected region of a parasympathetic nervous system of the patient. The electrical impulse is sufficient to modulate one or more nerves of the parasympathetic nervous system to increase the ratio of blood pressure to heart rate and relieve the condition and/or extend the patient's life.
US08041425B2
Methods and systems are directed to detecting atrial tachyarrhythmia. A plurality of A-A intervals is detected. The detected A-A intervals are selected and used to detect atrial tachyarrhythmia. Selecting A-A intervals may be based on determining that A-A intervals are qualified. Qualified A-A intervals may be determined if a duration of the particular A-A interval falls outside a predetermined duration range, for example. Qualified A-A intervals may also be determined based on events occurring between consecutively sensed atrial events of the particular A-A interval, and whether the duration of the particular A-A interval falls within the predetermined duration range, for example.
US08041420B2
Apparatus for measuring the electrical impedance of a tissue sample comprises a probe and a sheath comprising an elongated tubular body having one closed end and one open end providing an internal cavity. The sheath is composed of a material which when contacted with a tissue sample is capable of providing a conductive path through the sheath between the electrodes and the tissue sample. The resistivity of the material forming the sheath when contacted with the tissue sample is greater than the resistivity of the tissue sample. The probe is received within the internal cavity of the sheath. The sheath is impervious to bacteria and viruses.
US08041413B2
An automated medical system comprises a first instrument assembly including a first ultrasound transducer having a first transducer field of view that transmits and receives ultrasound signals in imaging planes disposed circumferentially about a guide instrument, and a second instrument assembly including a second ultrasound transducer having a second transducer field of view coupled to one of a second flexible guide instrument and a working instrument. A computing system is operatively coupled to the respective first and second transducers and configured to determine a relative spatial orientation of the respective first and second transducers based at least in part on detecting a signal transmitted by one of the first and second transducers and received by the other of the first and second transducers, the received signal having an amplitude indicating the receiving one of the transducers is in the field of view of the transmitting one of the transducers.
US08041410B2
A medical device includes a sensor for sensing for an MRI gradient magnetic field and a microprocessor for responding to the detected gradient magnetic field by switching from a first electrical signal processing mode to a second electrical signal processing mode, such that electrical signals induced by the gradient magnetic field and an associated RF burst are not counted as cardiac events.
US08041407B2
A sliding mechanism used for an apparatus such as a portable device suppresses shaking between housing units in an opened state, closed state or on the way to opening/closing. A slide module is provided for opposed surfaces against a first housing unit (upper housing unit) and second housing unit (lower housing unit) to be slid. The slide module slidably supports the first and second housing units. Since the slide module has a slider and a fixing part that slidably supports the slider, it is structured that in case the first and second housing units are in an opened state, the slider is not exposed through the first and second housing units. Structure is included that compared with the first and second housing units in a closed state, in case in the opened state, a guide of the slider for the fixing part of the slide module is made wider.
US08041406B2
Portable information terminal equipment having a function to perform the informing process at the time of reception in cooperation with a connecting section driving mechanism as well as a function to enable the open/close movement of the upper and lower units through one-touch operation making use of the connecting section driving mechanism. Depending on informing modes, a motor drive circuit drives a motor under the control of a controller on receipt of a call or a message to apply a driving force to the open/close mechanism of a hinge unit. Thereby, the portable information terminal equipment is folded/unfolded, that is, the posture of the portable information terminal equipment is changed, and a user is informed of the receipt of the call or the message. Besides, the portable information terminal equipment performs conventional informing processes, such as ringing, light emitting, message or image display and the like, in combination with the open/close or rotative operation.
US08041403B2
A cellular communications system may include a cellular base station and at least one mobile cellular device communicating with the cellular base station. The at least one mobile cellular device may include a receiver and a processor cooperating with the receiver for implementing a hybrid dynamic and static received signal measurement scheduling control. The processor may include a dynamic scheduler for scheduling recurring received signal measurement times, a static schedule memory for storing common data for received signal measurements, and a micro-scheduler for scheduling received signal measurements based upon the recurring received signal measurement times and the common data for received signal measurements.
US08041384B2
A method and apparatus for assigning a mobile dialing number (MDN) to a wireless mobile communication device (MCD), for providing local call access to the MCD from a base address for the MCD, by first selecting a wireless rate center encompassing the base address and having an MDN providing local call access to the MCD from the base address for the MCD, and then assigning the MDN to the MCD, for providing local calling access to the MCD from the base address for the MCD. A database defines geographic boundaries of a plurality of wireless rate centers, including the wireless rate center encompassing the base address and having the MDN providing local call access to the MCD from the base address.
US08041381B2
A radio network controller includes a block error detection unit configured to receive a data block from the base station and to detect a block error, and a target SIR calculation unit configured to calculate a target SIR based on the detected block error rate. The target calculation unit sets a first time section, which indicates a time section from a detection of the block error to the notification of the target SIR is to the base station when the block error is detected, shorter than a second time section, which indicates a time section from the detection of the block error to the notification of the target SIR to the base station when the block error is not detected.
US08041380B2
For cognitive radio systems, the transmit power of a cognitive radio device is controlled so that the cognitive, unlicensed radio device does not interfere with the use of a shared spectrum by a primary, licensed device. Controlling the transmit power includes determining a distance, or a function of the distance, between a primary transmitter of the primary device and the cognitive radio device based on sensing information from a spectrum sensing process. The maximum transmit power of the cognitive radio device is then dynamically controlled based on the distance, or the function of the distance, while considering a worst case scenario of an underlying cognitive radio model, to guarantee a quality of service requirement of the primary device.
US08041379B2
Embodiments described herein provide for reducing cellular co-interference. A primary cellular device is selected. A secondary cellular device that causes co-interference with the primary cellular device is also selected. Whether the primary cellular device is a transmitting device or a receiving device is determined. Upon determining that the primary cellular device is a transmitting device, a first hush command is transmitted to the primary cellular device. Upon determining that the primary cellular device is a receiving device, a second hush command is transmitted to the secondary cellular device. The first hush command instructs the primary cellular device to increase a first transmit power from the primary cellular device to a cellular tower. The second hush command instructs the secondary cellular device to decrease a second transmit power from the secondary cellular device to the cellular tower.
US08041374B2
A game device is provided with an SSID setting unit and a channel setting unit. The SSID setting unit sets up an SSID (a network identifier) in accordance with a communication mode. Communication modes include a download standby mode, a download mode, a lobby mode and a game mode. By setting up an SSID for each communication mode, wireless networks for respective modes are formed. The channel setting unit sets up a communication channel in accordance with the SSID.
US08041371B1
The communication device which includes a voice communicating means, an automobile controlling means, a caller ID means, a call blocking means, an auto time adjusting means, a calculating means, a word processing means, a startup software means, a stereo audio data output means, a digital camera means, a multiple language displaying means, a caller's information displaying means, a communication device remote controlling means, a shortcut icon displaying means, a voice recognition means, and a voice tag means.
US08041366B2
Provided are an apparatus and a method for transmitting and deleting a regional information message that is available and effective only in a specific zone in a mobile communication system. A Base Station (BS) communicates with an Mobile Station (MS) using a radio resource and transmits information about whether the MS is located in a service zone of the BS to an Home Location Register (HLR). The HLR transmits location information of the MS to a message control server. The location information indicates whether the MS is located in a zone for transmitting the regional information message. The message control server transmits the regional information message or a deletion request message for deleting the regional information message to the MS depending on the location information of the MS.
US08041364B2
A method for transmitting control information may include providing formatting rules that define a format for transmission of the control information to a base station via a control signaling channel. The control information may include a channel quality indicator (CQI), an acknowledgement/non-acknowledgement (ACK/NACK), a pre-coding matrix indicator (PMI), and rank information. The method may also include providing combination rules as part of the formatting rules. The combination rules may define how the CQI, the ACK/NACK, the PMI, and the rank information are combined for transmission on the control signaling channel. The method may also include transmitting the control information to the base station via the control signaling channel in accordance with the defined formatting rules.
US08041362B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide for downlink resource allocation among a plurality of users. Other embodiments may be described and claimed.
US08041360B2
A scheme that enables seamless roaming between the WLAN and the cellular carrier network by enabling a user that originates a call in the WLAN and happens to go outside the range of the WLAN to automatically switch over to the cellular carrier network without losing connection with the other party. This solution assumes that the mobile device has the capability to operate in at least two modes that include the WLAN mode and one of the cellular carrier modes, such as the GSM, IS-95 CDMA, IS-136 TDMA, and iDEN.
US08041351B2
In a wireless communication system, the time required to establish network connectivity for subscriber stations can be reduced by prioritizing and/or reducing contention between the subscriber stations. The subscriber stations can be divided into acquisition groups and assigned specific uplink channels on which to range. The subscriber stations can randomly or pseudo-randomly range on uplink channels.
US08041350B2
It administers a plurality of wireless base stations grouped into a plurality of groups, and performs the processing about the management, control and maintenance of the wireless base stations selectively for each of the groups. This enables the efficient management, control and maintenance processing of the wireless base stations.
US08041345B2
Disclosed is a method and apparatus for determining a reconnection time point for a packet service according to a handover environment during the packet service. To this end, a multi-mode terminal checks the service quality of a network, and performs reconnection for a packet service by determining a current time point as a handover time point only when the service quality of the network meets a handover condition at the current time point. Therefore, the multi-mode terminal is provided with a packet service from a network which provides relatively superior quality of service.
US08041343B2
Apparatus and methods for providing an incentive-based system for the superdistribution of content, which include one or more communications devices transmitting one or more referral messages relating to the content. Further, the apparatus and methods include the communications devices ordering content from across the network based on the referral messages, where a reward is generated for one or more referring devices based on the one or more referral messages. Additionally, the application of privacy and authentication mechanisms protects the privacy and verifies the identities of the parties involved in the transaction.
US08041339B2
A method for authenticating a mobile device is provided. The method includes receiving a communication request from the mobile device. The mobile device is operable to exchange data over a primary channel. Authentication data is received from the mobile device over a second channel. The secondary channel is a short-range channel operable for exchanging data when the mobile device is within physical proximity. The authentication data is processed to determine whether the mobile device is a trusted device.
US08041334B2
A communication device, computer program product and method of providing location information therein are disclosed. The communication device includes a wireless communication unit, a display, a memory and a controller operatively connected to the memory, the display, and the wireless communication device, the controller configured to transmit virtual movement information of the communication device to a different communication device, the different communication device registered with a location information providing service.
US08041324B2
An antenna apparatus, including: a power supply pin; a circuit substrate having a first through hole through which the power supply pin passes; and an antenna element having a second through hole which faces with the first through hole and through which the power supply pin passes, the antenna element being disposed at a distance from the circuit substrate; wherein the second through hole is formed smaller than a shaft diameter of the power supply pin and is widen by the power supply pin; and a periphery of the second through hole of the antenna element is curved to be convex toward the circuit substrate, and the power supply pin is fixedly nipped by a tip end of the periphery.
US08041319B2
According to one embodiment, a method involves determining whether a wireless connection between a first access point and a wireless station has failed. If so, a partial scanning process is conducted only on a subset of communication channels over which data is transmitted by access points neighboring the first access point. The subset of communication channels, inclusive of zero, is determined by analysis of a scanning history database.
US08041315B2
A method and a device for tuning power amplifier (PA, 203) properties such as back-off. A peak-to-average value (PAR) of the amplifier input signal is first obtained by control means (206) and then used for adjusting the power amplifier (203) with tuning means (204, 208, 210) functionally connected to the amplifier (203). The suggested solution is advantageously exploited in a wireless communications device like a mobile terminal to optimize the performance thereof by, for example, reducing the power dissipation in the transmitter.
US08041314B2
There is provided a modular amplifier structure that includes a plurality of parallel amplifier sub-units. Each amplifier sub-unit is configured to amplify a received payload signal under control of at least one received control signal. Outputs of the amplifier sub-units are applied to a combining circuit. The combining circuit is configured to combine the outputs of the plurality of amplifier sub-units to provide an amplified payload signal.
US08041312B2
An information guidance service system according to the present invention provides a user terminal with information on a facility in use. The information guidance service system includes the user terminal having a push-to-talk over cellular (PoC) function of performing a transceiver-mode communications; a PoC server which controls the transceiver-mode communications with the PoC function to relay between the user terminal and an information guidance providing device; and the information guidance providing device for providing the information on the facility in use to the user terminal. The information guidance providing device includes a control circuit that controls to communicate with the user terminal via the PoC server and notify the user terminal of the information on the facility in use as a voice signal.
US08041308B2
A method of exchanging channel quality information between a base station and a user equipment in a mobile communication system is disclosed. A method of transmitting channel quality information in a mobile communication system which transmits channel quality information from a user equipment to a base station comprises transmitting channel quality information, which is measured based on a signal received from the base station, to the base station, receiving feedback information of the channel quality information from the base station, and transmitting difference information to the base station, the difference information for matching the channel quality information transmitted from the user equipment with channel quality information received by the base station based on the feedback information.
US08041304B2
An area estimation apparatus 100 includes: a reception level receiving unit 110 configured to receive, from a plurality of the radio signal capturing terminals 40a and 40b via the network, a radio signal reception level transmitted from the radio signal transmitting terminal 10, a radio signal transmitting terminal ID for uniquely identifying the radio signal transmitting terminal 10, and a radio signal capturing terminal ID for uniquely identifying each of the plurality of radio signal capturing terminals 40a and 40b; with a presence area of the radio signal capturing terminals being known; a reception level storage unit 123 configured to store the radio signal reception level, the radio signal transmitting terminal ID and the radio signal capturing terminal ID, which are received from each of the radio signal capturing terminals 40a and 40b, in association with one another; and a presence area estimating unit 140 configured to refer to the reception level storage unit and to estimate the presence area of the radio signal transmitting terminal 10, by using at least one presence area of at least one radio signal capturing terminal 40a identified by at least one radio signal capturing terminal ID associated with a predetermined range of at least one radio signal reception level.
US08041300B2
Circuits, methods, and apparatus that provide compatibility among incompatible accessories and portable media players. One example provides an adapter having a connector receptacle to mate with an accessory's connector insert and a connector insert to mate with a portable media player's connector receptacle. Another example provides an adapter having a direct connection between pins on the connector insert and pins on the connector receptacle that are used for compatible signals. Another example provides an adapter including a DC-to-DC converter that receives a first power supply from an accessory and provides a second power supply to a portable media player. Another translates signals using different signaling technologies. Authentication and identification circuitry may also be included. Other examples may employ wireless technologies instead of either or both the connector insert and connector receptacle.
US08041299B2
In order to enable several wearable devices to communicate with several communication devices over a range of types of networks simultaneously, the illustrative embodiments provide a communication base system and method of using that communication base system. The communication base system includes several network-side transceivers in which each transceiver is configured to communicate with a communication device, a set of user-side transceivers in which each transceiver is configured to communicate with a headset, and a communication path to provide communications between a network-side adapter and a user-side adapter. A processing unit coupled to the communication path is configured to process instructions, where the instructions enable communication between the headset and the communication device without the headset being associated with the communication device.
US08041290B2
A method, system, and program for tracking locally broadcast electronic works are provided. According to one aspect of the invention, a sending player locally broadcasts an electronic work. In particular, the local broadcast may be a wireless broadcast creating an ad-hoc radio system. At least one recipient player receives the localized broadcast of the electronic work and accepts a distribution cookie for tracking distribution of the electronic work. The at least one recipient player updates the distribution cookie with tracking information about the broadcast of the electronic work, including ratings by users at the second player and purchase of the broadcast electronic work. Each of the at least one recipient players may in turn become a sending player that broadcasts the electronic work to other recipient players and requires the other recipient players to accept a copy of the distribution cookie updated by the second player. Then, responsive to detecting a network connection to a statistics server, the at least one recipient player provides the distribution cookie to the statistics server, such that localized broadcast distribution of the electronic work is tracked.
US08041286B2
An image forming apparatus includes a structure to lift or lower a paper loading tray without a separate drive source while preventing damage to constituent elements even under an abnormal situation in that excessive force is transmitted to the paper loading tray. The image forming apparatus includes a paper feeding cassette including a paper loading tray and a lifting member to lift or lower the paper loading tray, the paper feeding cassette being detachably coupled to the body, a power intermittence device to intermit power to be transmitted from a drive source provided in a body of the image forming apparatus to the lifting member, and a power transmission device to transmit the power transmitted through the power intermittence device to the lifting member by use of at least one worm gear. The image forming apparatus further includes a safety lever having one end to cooperate with a pickup roller assembly. The other end of the safety lever is pivotally rotatable between a first position where the other end of the safety lever restrains the power intermittence device so as not to transmit power to the lifting member and a second position where the other end of the safety lever is spaced apart from the power intermittence device so as to transmit the power to the lifting member.
US08041280B2
A lubricant applying unit has a residual-toner collection rate X of 50% when the lubricant applying unit has not been used. The collection rate X is obtained by X=(Ta−Tb)/Ta×100, where Ta is weight per unit area of the residual toner on an area of the image carrier that has not come into contact with the lubricant applying unit, and Tb is weight per unit area of the residual toner on an area of the image carrier that has come into contact with the lubricant applying unit.
US08041270B2
An image developer using a one-component developer, Including a developing roller visualizing an electrostatic latent image formed on an image bearer with a pulverized toner; and a feed roller feeding the pulverized toner to the developing roller while contacting thereto, wherein the pulverized toner includes a parent toner; a wax; and an external additive comprising an additive having a number-average particle diameter of from 20 to 60 nm and adhering to the surface of the parent toner at an adherence strength of from 50 to 70%, and wherein the following relationships (1) to (3) are satisfied: 4.70
US08041267B2
A developing device includes a toner carrying member and an electric-field forming unit. The electric-field forming unit forms electric fields having different characteristics at a first area of the surface of the toner carrying member located within a developing area and a second area of the surface of the toner carrying member located out of the developing area such that a hopping height of toner at the first area is higher than that at the second area.
US08041264B2
Electrographic printing of one or more multi-channeled layers having a particular pattern by electrographic techniques. Such electrographic printing includes the steps of forming a desired print image, electrographically, on a receiver member utilizing predetermined sized marking particles; and, where desired, forming one or more final multi-channeled layers utilizing marking particles of a predetermined size or size distribution.
US08041259B2
A conductive member includes a conductive supporting member provided facing an image bearing member and including a continuous or discontinuous fixing groove provided in the vicinity of each of both ends of the conductive supporting member in a peripheral direction thereof, an electrical resistance adjusting layer formed on the conductive supporting member and including a step portion which includes at least one step disposed in the vicinity of each of the both ends of the electrical resistance adjusting member, and gap retainers each provided to the step portion and including a cylinder portion which contacts at least one surface of the step portion, and an end plate so that a predetermined gap is formed between the image bearing member and the electrical resistance adjusting layer. The end plate contacts at least one surface of the step portion and fits into the fixing groove.
US08041257B2
An image-forming device includes a main body and a tandem photosensitive-member unit. The tandem photosensitive-member unit includes a unit frame, a plurality of photosensitive members, a front-side grip part, and a rear-side grip. The unit frame is configured to be slidably installed to and removed from the main body in a predetermined direction. The unit frame has a leading side and a trailing side with respect to the predetermined direction. The plurality of photosensitive members is provided corresponding to a plurality of colors and is supported by the unit frame. The front-side grip part is provided at the leading side of the unit frame. The rear-side grip part is provided at the trailing side of the unit frame.
US08041253B2
The present application is directed to systems and methods to control access to an interior of an image forming device. The image forming device may include a body with a door that is movable between open and closed positions. In the open position, access is gained to an interior of the body. A controller controls a latch through a motor arrangement to lock and unlock the door. A user interface may be positioned on an exterior of the body to allow a user to enter commands to lock and unlock the door. Additional elements may also be included within the interior of the image forming device and operated with the motor arrangement.
US08041247B2
A disclosed image forming apparatus includes an image forming paper accommodating unit accommodating papers on which an image is formed, a specific paper accommodating unit accommodating specific papers, an image forming processing unit forming an image based on single-side or double-side image page data for papers, a sheet discharge unit to which the papers are discharged, and a control unit configured to control all the units, in which, when determining that the image forming job assigned to the specific papers accommodated in the specific paper accommodating unit is the double-side image forming job, the specific papers are fed from the specific paper accommodating unit based on the image page data assigned to a front side of the double-side image forming job and the image page data assigned to a rear side of the double-side image forming job are deleted.
US08041243B2
A first degradation degree detector detects a first degradation degree of one of a plurality of image forming devices for forming toner images, respectively, which is provided at an extreme downstream position in a direction of rotation of an intermediate transfer member. A first degradation degree judgment device judges whether or not the first degradation degree of the extreme downstream image forming device detected by the first degradation degree detector reaches a first level of deterioration. A bias controller decreases a bias to be applied by a transfer device to transfer the toner images, which are formed by the plurality of image forming devices and transferred on the intermediate transfer member, onto a transfer sheet, when the first degradation degree judgment device judges that the first degradation degree of the extreme downstream image forming device detected by the first degradation degree detector reaches the first level.
US08041237B2
In one embodiment, a fixing apparatus is configured of a pressing portion for causing the pressure roller to enter a pressure applied state by applying bias, a switching portion for causing the pressing portion in the pressure applied state to enter a pressure released state by causing a cam to rotate forward, a pressure state detection portion for detecting the pressure released state, and a control portion for, when shifting from the pressure applied state to the pressure released state, turning forward the cam of the switching portion in the pressure applied state and stopping the cam after the pressure state detection portion detects the pressure released state. If the cam is turned forward with respect to the switching portion for a certain time period, but the pressure state detection portion does not detect the pressure released state, the control portion performs forward rotational direction retry control.
US08041235B2
Disclosed is an image forming apparatus in which a replacement component is set including the replacement component in which a storage medium storing adjustment necessity information indicating whether an adjustment procedure is needed or not after the replacement component is replaced and adjustment item information indicating an adjustment item is attached, an information reading unit to read the adjustment necessity information and the adjustment item information from the storage medium when the replacement component is set and a control unit to execute the adjustment procedure based on the adjustment necessity information and the adjustment item information read by the information reading unit when a power is turned on after the replacement component is replaced.
US08041215B2
A method, a computer readable medium, and a system for discovering an Optical Network Terminal (ONT) in a Dense Wave Division Multiplex (DWDM) hybrid Passive Optical Network (PON) Line Terminal (LT), comprises implementing, by an Optical Line Termination (OLT), a ranging procedure on at least one downstream link, wherein the OLT is communicably coupled to the ONT, discovering at least one new ONT, by the OLT, on the at least one downstream link based on the ranging procedure, discovering an unranged ONT, by the OLT, during the ranging procedure, and determining, by the OLT, that the unranged ONT resides on the at least one downstream link.
US08041214B2
A photonic network packet routing method includes the steps of optically encoding destination address information attached to an IP packet using light attributes, discriminating the encoded address information of the IP packet by optical correlation processing, switching to an output path for the IP packet based on a result of the discrimination, and outputting the IP packet labeled with prescribed address information on the output path selected by the switching step. A packet router for a photonic network includes a device for encoding by use of light attributes destination address information attached to an IP packet, a branching device for sending the IP packet having the encoded destination address information onto two paths, an address processing device for subjecting one IP packet received from the branching device to optical correlation processing and outputting a switch control signal based on a result of the discrimination, and a switch device for selectively outputting the packet by switching an output path of the other packet received from the branching device based on the address control signal from the address control device.
US08041206B2
An imaging apparatus includes: flash driving means for driving a flash during a set preliminary emission period and a set main emission period; and an image sensor constituted by a plurality of photoelectric converting elements which are arranged in a matrix and capable of being accessed randomly. The charge accumulation initiation timing and the charge accumulation cessation timing of the photoelectric converting elements are controlled line by line or pixel by pixel. The imaging apparatus forms images employing pixel signals output from the photoelectric converting elements, and extracts pixel signals output from photoelectric converting elements in which charge accumulation is initiated prior to the preliminary emission period and ceased after the preliminary emission period. An emission amount to be employed during the main emission period is determined by executing predetermined calculations based on the extracted pixel signals. Main emission of flash is performed with the determined emission amount.
US08041205B2
An electronic camera includes an imaging device. The imaging device includes an imaging surface capturing an object scene through a focus lens, and produces an object scene image in a designated cycle. When a shutter button is half-depressed, an adjuster adjusts a position of the focus lens based on the object scene image produced by the imaging device. Also, a determiner determines whether or not both an illuminance and a contrast of the object scene captured by the imaging surface fall below a reference in association with a position adjusting process of the focus lens, and a controller sets a length of the designated cycle when a determination result is affirmative to be longer than that of the designated cycle when the determination result is negative.
US08041188B2
A contents recording system and a contents recording method reducing a time taken for recording and editing of video content and other video contents. An optical disk device for recording video content and a computer are connected via a network. The computer is supplied with low resolution proxy AV data from the optical disk device, streaming reproduces it as live video and, at the same time, introduces essence marks as meta-data to any positions of the proxy AV data, and describes them in a meta-data file. Then, after finishing shooting one clip, the computer merges a meta-data file generated on the optical disk device side in accordance with camera adjustment and a meta-data file generated on the computer side in accordance with the user operation.
US08041185B2
A system and method of determining the copy protection features of a program, and notifying a potential user of the program of these features, is provided. The copy protection features of the program first are analyzed. On the basis of this analysis, a message such as “this program cannot be recorded with IEEE1394, optical digital audio” is displayed to the user. By displaying such a message, the user can easily recognize that copy protection is applied to the program and that, for example, the program can be recorded (picture-recorded) in an analog style but cannot be digitally recorded. Accordingly, the user is easily made aware of the copy protection features of the program before using or purchasing the program.
US08041184B2
A transport stream recording device, method thereof, transport stream reproduction device, method thereof, and recording medium for efficiently recording and reproducing transport streams. A source packet having a four byte TP_extra_Header attached to a 188 byte transport packet is generated, 32 source packets of 192 bytes each are collected, and aligned units generated equivalent to a three sector portion of data (6144 bytes) are recorded or reproduced on the recording medium.
US08041168B2
Disclosed is an improved optical fiber that employs a novel coating system. When combined with a bend-insensitive glass fiber, the novel coating system according to the present invention yields an optical fiber having exceptionally low losses. The coating system features (i) a softer primary coating with excellent low-temperature characteristics to protect against microbending in any environment and in the toughest physical situations and, optionally, (ii) a colored secondary coating possessing enhanced color strength and vividness. The secondary coating provides improved ribbon characteristics for structures that are robust, yet easily entered (i.e., separated and stripped). The optional dual coating is specifically balanced for superior heat stripping in fiber ribbons, with virtually no residue left behind on the glass. This facilitates fast splicing and terminations. The improved coating system provides optical fibers that offer significant advantages for deployment in most, if not all, fiber-to-the-premises (FTTx) systems.
US08041165B2
A system, method and apparatus for incorporating a fiber optic cable into a power cable for an electrical submersible pump is disclosed. The fiber optic components are protected from damage during handling of the cable with pump cable components, such as lead sheaths and jacketing materials. The optical fibers are protected from damage due to corrosive oil well chemicals and gasses, as well as protected from decompression damage.
US08041160B2
A parallel optical communications device is provided that has a mounting core that functions as a mounting system for mounting core components of the parallel optical communications device. In addition, the mounting core functions as a heat dissipation system for the core components of the parallel optical communications device, and also protects the core components and other elements of the communications device from dust and damage that can be caused by handling and other factors. In addition to performing the aforementioned functions, the mounting core is configured to enable the parallel optical communications device to be made extremely small in size while also protecting signal integrity.
US08041159B2
An optical/electrical hybrid substrate is provided. The optical/electrical substrate includes: a wiring substrate; an optical waveguide disposed on the wiring substrate and configured to transmit an optical signal; a mirror support bonded onto the wiring substrate with an adhesive and being made of glass or silicon; and a mirror which reflects the optical signal and which is formed on an inclined surface of the mirror support.
US08041154B2
An information processing apparatus includes clustering means for performing clustering on multiple images so as to more strongly connect the images at a closer distance based on the distances determined by metadata of the images, and grouping means for grouping the images such that the number of images of each group can be equal to or lower than a predetermined number of images in accordance with the strength of connection among the images.
US08041147B2
A method for realistic stitching and showing image blocks of an electronically recorded multipart image wherein relative positional offset values of the image blocks recorded with overlap are determined in a co-ordinate system in directions x and y and stored in matrix format, and the image blocks to be presented are stitched together on the basis of the stored values the method comprising: subdividing the overlaps of the individual image blocks into smaller regions with fixed relative positions; picking up at least one region most useful for the determination of the stitching; determining the offset goodness value based on the similarity of pattern of the image blocks; stitching the blocks of the image so that first the two image blocks characterized by the best offset goodness values are stitched together and the two image blocks characterized by the worst offset goodness values are stitched together last, whereas only the co-ordinates of the images figuring in a table are modified in the course of the stitching process; and distributing the errors produced by the stitching process over several image blocks.
US08041145B2
Certain aspects can relate to responsive to the at least some input compensating information, imaging the at least the portion of the individual in a manner to limit at least some distorting effects of the at least the portion of the at least one distorting feature associated with the at least the portion of the individual at least partially by modifying a non-optical electromagnetic output from an imaging modality as applied to the at least the portion of the at least one distorting feature associated with the at least the portion of the individual. Certain aspects can relate to creating at least one conformal absence of a non-optical electromagnetic output to limit distortion to an imaging of an at least a portion of an individual resulting at least partially from at least one distorting feature associated with the at least the portion of the individual.
US08041141B2
Embodiments of the invention utilize a variational framework for computing curve skeletons (CS) of objects whose cross section is not necessary tubular. Embodiments utilize an energy function, which is proportional to some medialness function, such that the minimum cost path between any two medial voxels in the shape is a curve skeleton. Different medialness functions include the Euclidean distance field and a modified version of the magnitude of the gradient vector flow (GVF), which results in two different energy functions. The first energy function controls the identification of the topological nodes of the shape from which curve skeletons start, while the second one controls the extraction of the curve skeletons. Preferred embodiments are completely automated since all parameters are analytically estimated. Embodiments are highly less sensitive to boundary noise, are able to extract the entire curve skeletons, as well as only part of it given the starting and the end voxels, and do not require voxels to be isotropic. In addition, computed curve skeletons are highly centered and form a connected graph. Preferred embodiments have been validated the framework both quantitatively and qualitatively against several 3D shapes of different complexity.
US08041133B2
A method and system for transmitting an image progressively is provided. The transmission system identifies a first region and a second region of the image. The transmission system also identifies a first resolution and a second resolution. The transmission system then transmits the image by transmitting, in the following order, the first region in the first resolution, the second region in the first resolution, the first region in the second resolution, and the second region in the second resolution. The transmission system may identify the regions based on the likelihood of being the focus of user attention.
US08041131B2
A coding method, apparatus, and medium with software encoded thereon to implement a coding method. The coding method includes encoding cluster of consecutive non-zero-valued coefficients, the encoding of a cluster including jointly encoding joint events that each are defined by at least two parameters: the number of zero-valued coefficients preceding the cluster, and the number of non-zero-valued coefficients in the cluster. The encoding of the cluster also includes encoding a parameter indicative of the number of amplitude-1 trailing non-zero-valued coefficients in the cluster, in one version with the parameter indicative of the number of trailing amplitude-1 coefficients part of the joint events such that the coding is according to a 3-dimensional joint variable length coding table. The method further includes encoding the amplitudes of the non-zero-valued coefficients that are not encoded by the joint encoding, e.g., encoding the amplitudes of the other than the trailing amplitude-1 coefficients.
US08041127B2
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that obscures critical information communicated over a network. During operation, the system receives a set of data and produces a file which represents a character in the data with at least one image, thereby avoiding representing the data in plain text and reducing the risk of scraping. The system then communicates the file to a client, thereby allowing the client to present the data using the embedded images.
US08041126B1
A method, apparatus, and system, for scanning a first portion of a data to generate a second portion of data is provided. A control parameter relating to a level of detail associated with filtering a first portion of data is received. The filtering of the first portion of data is performed based upon the control parameter. The filtering of the first portion of data includes a rule-based filtering, a context-based filtering, a statistical-based filtering, or a semantic-based filtering. Performing the filtering provides for a reduction of a portion of the first portion of data. A second portion of data that is smaller than the first portion of data is provided based upon the filtering of the first portion of data.
US08041123B2
A template matching processing device includes: first calculation means for calculating a plurality of correlation values indicating the correlation between an inputted detection image and a predetermined template image for each pixel unit while shifting the template image with respect to the detection image in pixel unit; and second calculation means for calculation coordinate position of the detection image according to the coordinate position of the center of gravity of the correlation values.
US08041112B2
The image processing apparatus according to the present invention includes: a segmentation process section for performing a segmentation process with respect to image data corresponding to an image to be processed; first and second input tone correction sections each of which performs a density correction process with respect to the image data by referring to a conversion curve which indicates a relation between density before correction and density after correction; and a processing mode control section for switching between (i) a first processing mode in which the segmentation process is performed with respect to the image data having been subjected to the density correction process and (ii) a second processing mode in which the segmentation process is performed with respect to image data having not been subjected to the density correction process. Therefore, the image processing apparatus can perform the segmentation process with high accuracy.
US08041111B1
Systems, methods, and program products for subjective and locatable color theme extraction for images. Determining a color density for each of a plurality of colors in an image where each of the plurality of colors belongs to a color space, extracting one or more distinct theme colors from the plurality of colors based on qualitative parameters and the determined color densities, and mapping each extracted theme color to a color occurring in the image where the mapping is based on a color distance between the theme color and colors occurring in the image.
US08041109B2
The present invention provides a Creating unit that creates a color conversion table to be used to convert a CIE color to a device color, a Converting unit that converts a CIE color to a device color using the CIE color conversion table created by the Creating unit, a managing unit that holds data of the CIE color conversion table in a nonvolatile storage medium, and a Controlling unit that, for color conversion from a CIE color to a device color, uses appropriate CIE color conversion tables held in the nonvolatile storage device or creates, when no appropriate CIE color conversion table is available, an appropriate CIE color conversion table and uses the created CIE color conversion table, and causes the color conversion to be performed.
US08041108B2
This invention is a technique to presume colors of an image. A color extraction method according to this invention include a luminance calculation step of calculating a luminance in a color extraction region, which is included in an image and from which a color is to be extracted, and storing the calculated luminance into a storage device; a color name extraction of referring to a luminance database storing a color name and a luminance corresponding to the color name to extract a color name in the color extraction region by using, as a main judgment element, the luminance in the color extraction region, which is stored in the storage device. As a result, it is possible to presume a color even in a case of the monochromatic image or color image photographed in the night.
US08041106B2
Methods and systems for detecting defects on a reticle are provided. One method includes printing a single die reticle in first areas of a wafer using different values of a parameter of a lithography process and at least one second area using a nominal value of the parameter. The method also includes acquiring first images of the first areas and second image(s) of the at least one second area. In addition, the method includes separately comparing the first images acquired for different first areas to at least one of the second image(s). The method further includes detecting defects on the reticle based on first portions of the first images in which variations in the first images compared to the at least one second image are greater than second portions of the first images and the first portions that are common to two or more of the first images.
US08041098B2
A system for tracking currency bills comprises a currency scanning device. The scanning device includes a sensor that retrieves currency identification characteristic information of each bill processed. The currency identification characteristic information permits the unique identification of each bill processed. The system further comprises a customer identification means and means for associating each processed bill with the customer depositing the bill. Means for identifying the customer (or customer account) associated with a particular processed bill after the deposit transaction has been completed is also included in the system.
US08041088B2
A technique for automatically labeling a CT image of the brain with anatomical information. The anatomical information is obtained from an atlas of the brain prepared from an MR image of the brain. The atlas contains image data that is referenced to the Talairach coordinate system. The atlas is aligned to the CT image and the coordinate system of the CT image data is transformed to the Talairach coordinate system. The alignment of the CT image and the atlas is performed using anatomical landmarks that are visible on both the CT image and the atlas. The CT image is then labeled automatically with the anatomical information in the atlas.
US08041087B2
The present invention is an anatomy display method for radiographically obtained data. The anatomy display method comprises obtaining an anatomy dataset comprised of pixels, each of the pixels having a luminance, and the pixels being arranged in slices. A portion of the anatomy dataset is selected. A representative slice of the portion of the anatomy dataset is used to establish a threshold pixel luminance within the entire selected portion of the anatomical dataset. All pixels in the selected portion of the anatomy dataset below the threshold are set to zero luminance. A selected organ in the selected portion is isolated by volumetric analysis. A volumetric matrix of the pixels corresponding to the selected organ is saved. The matrix may be further manipulated for examination by rotating it, tracking it, rendering it transparent and enlarging subvolumes.
US08041055B2
A method and apparatus for automatically adjusting volume of an audio signal on a mobile device, comprising playing the audio signal at an initial volume, sampling the audio signal, estimating a transfer function based on an echo path characteristic between the played audio signal and sampled audio signal, selecting a volume policy based on the estimated transfer function, and adjusting the volume of the audio signal in accordance with the selected volume policy.
US08041054B2
Methods and systems for selectively switching between microphones in a plurality of microphones are disclosed, including providing a first state that corresponds to one or more microphones selected from the plurality of microphones. A subset of microphones may be selected from the plurality of microphones in response to determining an average power of an input signal for each of the plurality of microphones. A second state may be identified that includes at least one of the subset of microphones in response to evaluating the average powers of the input signals for the subset of microphones against a predetermined condition. A transition from the first state to the second state may be delayed in response to determining a transition delay time corresponding to the first state.
US08041044B2
It should be possible to balance microphones and hearing apparatus more reliably. To this end, provision is made for a method for checking a measuring situation, wherein at least two measurement points of a frequency response of the hearing apparatus are recorded. A check then establishes whether the at least two measurement points lie in a predetermined tolerance range above a threshold. If this is the case, an OK signal is output. Otherwise, if at least one of the measurement points lies outside the tolerance range, the position of the measurement point outside the tolerance range is ascertained and a fault signal is output depending on the ascertained position. It is therefore possible to establish, for example, whether a measuring chamber lacks proofness, a microphone is blocked or the microphone is completely malfunctioning.
US08041036B1
A method and apparatus for preventing the use of data involves creating a first association between a set of labels and a first set of codes, where the set of labels contains information to be displayed on a computer, while each code in the first set of codes is associated with a particular label. An encryption key is linked with the first association. The set of labels, the first set of codes, and the first encryption key are sent to the computer. Later, when codes from the first set of codes and the first encryption key are received back from the computer, the codes returned from the computer are then matched to labels from the set of labels using the first encryption key. Subsequent, different associations between the set of labels and other sets of codes are created, and additional encryption keys are also created to identify the subsequent associations.
US08041028B2
Within audio telecommunications for audio-visual conferencing a means of reliable double-talk detection is required for several reasons, including control of residual echo, and control of adaptive algorithms used to estimate the echo. Existing techniques tend to either fail when echo return loss is very low or require highly complex algorithms to increase the range of detecting whether double-talk is occurring. The invention is based upon a new method of estimating the power envelope of the double-talk signal. This estimation is then employed in conjunction with a slightly modified version of an echo return loss enhancement (ERLE) based statistic, to form a double-talk decision based on a combination of the two statistics. The resulting decision rule works for both low-ERLE and high-ERLE situations, which is useful when there can be large variations in the magnitude of the echo path seen by the algorithms, or where near-end noise prevents the achievement of high ERLE.
US08041027B2
An electricity echo cancellation device applied at a terminal includes: an input buffer memory module, a network echo delay computation module and an adaptive filtering module. The adaptive filtering module includes an adaptive filter, a subtracter and a dual-ended voice detection module. An electricity echo cancellation method includes: calculating a network echo delay according to relevant information of an RTCP packet transmitted from the network; and dynamically adjusting a terminal input signal to be adaptively filtered according to the network echo delay. The present invention ensures the electricity echo cancellation effect at the final user end on the whole, and improves the effectiveness of electricity echo cancellation. Meanwhile method of the present invention can be realized with software, thus avoiding influences of hardware memory restricts on the echo cancellation effect. In addition, the present invention only needs a single-point deployment, and thus the cost is saved.
US08041024B2
A system for broadcasting a notification. In response to receiving a new telephone number for a communication device from a service provider, a telephone number change notification is automatically broadcast to a plurality of contact telephone numbers within a contact list. Each of the plurality of contact telephone numbers within the contact list is tracked to determine whether each of the plurality of contact telephone numbers received the telephone number change notification. In response to a contact telephone number within the plurality of contact telephone numbers not receiving the telephone number change notification, a configurable indicator is displayed in a display when a user inputs the contact telephone number into the communication device.
US08041021B2
The subject matter disclosed herein includes methods, systems, and computer program products for selecting among different global title translation modes based on a message originator and performing global title translation based on the selected mode. According to one method, a global title translation mode is selected based on a message originator. A global title translation lookup is performed in accordance with the selected mode. If the global title translation according to the selected mode fails, a lookup may be performed according to at least one additional mode in a global title translation mode hierarchy.
US08041014B1
A system and method for selectively answering incoming telephone calls based on a caller ID is disclosed. Selected calls may be handled with a number of call handling functions including an auto-answer function, a custom message function, and a custom call forwarding.
US08041007B2
Disclosed herein are methods and systems of scanning a target for potential threats using the energy spectra of photons scattered from the target to determine the spatial distributions of average atomic number and/or mass in the target. An exemplary method comprises: illuminating each of a plurality of voxels of the target with a photon beam; determining an incident flux upon each voxel; measuring the energy spectrum of photons scattered from the voxel; determining, using the energy spectrum, the average atomic number in the voxel; and determining the mass in the voxel using the incident flux, the average atomic number of the material in the voxel, the energy spectrum, and a scattering kernel corresponding to the voxel. An exemplary system may use threat detection heuristics to determine whether to trigger further action based upon the average atomic number and/or mass of the voxels.
US08041006B2
One aspect relates to visualizing, imaging, or providing information at least partially through at least some matter of an at least a portion of an individual, based at least in part on Compton scattering to at least partially form scattered X-rays, the Compton scattering occurring primarily in the at least some matter of the at least the portion of the individual, wherein the visualizing, imaging, or providing information is at least partially performed by converting the scattered X-rays into an at least one scintillated viewable and/or visible light that is detectable by a user. Another aspect relates to Compton scattered X-ray based visualizing, imaging, or providing information of an at least some matter of an at least a portion of an at least one individual to allow the at least one individual and/or an untrained assistant to at least partially visualize, image, or provide information into the at least some matter of the at least the portion of the individual based at least partially on Compton scattered X-rays.
US08041000B2
A shift register which is capable of simultaneously driving gate lines is disclosed. The shift register includes a plurality of stages for simultaneously supplying all-drive signals to gate lines for an all-drive period and sequentially supplying scan pulses to the gate lines for a scan period.
US08040997B2
A pH adjusting system includes a water pit for refueling 35 that is disposed in a reactor container 10, which stores a reactor, and is capable of storing cooling water and a pH adjusting apparatus 37 that is disposed above the water pit for refueling 35 and houses a pH adjuster. The pH adjusting apparatus 37 causes a pH-adjusted solution generated by dissolving or mixing the pH adjuster to flow out to the water pit for refueling 35 below the pH adjusting apparatus 37. Consequently, even when it is difficult to dispose the pH adjusting apparatus on a floor of the water pit for refueling, it is possible to suitably perform pH adjustment in the reactor container 10.
US08040996B2
Aspects of a method and system for RF signal generation utilizing a synchronous multi-modulus divider are provided. In this regard, a feedback signal of a PLL may be generated by clocking a counter with an RF signal output by the PLL and toggling the feedback signal each time a determined value of the counter is reached. Moreover, updates of each register in the counter and transitions of the feedback signal may be synchronous with the RF signal output by the PLL. The PLL may be part of a cellular transmitter and/or receiver which may communicate over an EDGE network. A counting sequence of the counter may be determined, at least in part, by an output of a ΔΣ modulator. In this regard, a first counting sequence may be utilized when an output of the ΔΣ modulator may be asserted and a second counting sequence may be utilized when the output of ΔΣ modulator may be de-asserted.
US08040992B2
The invention relates to a method of transmitting time information relating to the clock of the source of a sending part consisting in using a fixed latency indicator signal to authorize the source to insert time information used to slave the clock of the decoder of the associated receiving part to its clock.
US08040987B2
A Channel estimating apparatus and method for use in a broadband wireless communication system are provided. The receiving method includes determining a control unit for a channel estimation using burst allocation information of selected sectors; extracting pilot symbols from received data based on the control unit; and acquiring a channel estimate value for each transmission unit by performing a Joint Channel Estimation (JCE) with the extracted pilot symbols that are based on the control unit.
US08040986B2
A system comprises a wireless device that communicates across a spectrum having a plurality of sub-channels. The wireless device comprises a plurality of antennas through which the wireless device communicates with another wireless device, wherein each antenna communicates with the other wireless device via an associated communication pathway. The wireless device further comprises sub-channel power analysis logic coupled to the antennas and adapted to determine which communication pathway has the highest communication quality on a sub-channel by sub-channel basis. The wireless device still further comprises diversity selection logic coupled to the sub-channel power analysis logic and adapted to determine a weighting vector for an associated antenna based on the communication quality, wherein the weighting vector specifies a relative transmission power for each sub-channel for the associated antenna.
US08040964B2
There is provided an apparatus for receiving a T-DMB signal. The apparatus for receiving a T-DMB signal comprises an input buffer receiving and buffering a T-DMB signal comprising a null symbol and a phase reference symbol (PRS); an initial synchronizing unit estimating and compensating for time and frequency offsets of the T-DMB signal using the null symbol and the PRS; a frame tracking unit performing estimation of the time offset and measurement of a strength of an output signal from the input buffer; an OFDM signal demodulating unit performing I/Q demodulation, frequency compensation, OFDM demodulation and de-interleaving with respect to an output signal of the frame tracking unit; a channel decoding unit performing channel decoding with respect to an output signal of the OFDM signal demodulating unit and checking quality of the channel-decoded signal; and a controller controlling operations of the initial synchronizing unit, the OFDM signal demodulating unit and the channel decoding unit 308 based on the strength of the signal measured by the frame tracking unit and the quality of the signal checked by the channel decoding unit. Accordingly, unnecessary calculating processes arc reduced by measuring the strength and quality of an input signal, thereby maximizing power efficiency of the apparatus.
US08040954B2
A frame coding unit generates individual picture signal information from a moving picture signal, and outputs a frame code value which is a numeric value to be obtained as a result of coding picture signal information of each frame. A variable length coding unit decomposes the frame code value into unit frame code values which are basic units of coding, converts the unit frame code values into frame code words using only a single code table, and constructs a frame stream by combining the converted frame code words. A multiplexing unit multiplexes a header stream which is constructed through a method equivalent to a conventional method and the frame stream, and constructs a picture coded signal.
US08040949B2
A dual, and possibly multiple, frame approach is used by the invention. Embodiments of the invention include making a decision to use a long term reference frame, which is a frame other than an immediate past reference frame, to conduct INTER coding, or to conduct INTRA frame coding. Other embodiments include use of long and short term reference blocks, and make a decision between two types of INTER coding blocks and INTRA coding. In accordance with embodiments of the invention, a long term frame is a high quality frame. The high quality frame may be used as a reference frame under particular conditions.
