US08079905B2
Gaming systems, devices, and methods are described for enabling wager gaming with a gaming operator using a game cartridge, such as a USB key, and game storage medium, such as a DVD. The cartridge and disc are inserted into a video game console and a connection with the gaming operator is made via the Internet. Once a connection is made and the identity of the game cartridge user has been verified and authenticated, the user can begin wager game play. Game play data are transmitted between the console and the gaming operator in an encrypted format. An encryption key is transmitted to the gaming operator via a digital certificate stored on the cartridge which has the corresponding private key. The game cartridge is capable of capturing a biometric sample of the user which is compared to a sample provided when the cartridge was issued to the user.
US08079899B2
A mounting component for securing a crop handling element to a separator rotor is embodied as a profile-section component, with side walls facing toward one another and extending in some portions in the circumferential direction of the separator rotor; for securing the mounting component to the surface of the separator rotor, and each of the side walls of the mounting component has a longitudinal weld seam, extending essentially parallel to the side wall, with a weld seam portion extending beyond the length of the respective side wall, which weld seam portion is embodied at an angle to the respective side wall.
US08079896B1
An apparatus for cutting a shrimp body, the shrimp body having a tail portion that includes a plurality of tail sections connected by joints. A motorized driving mechanism mounted inside a housing drives a cutting mechanism mounted outside the housing. The cutting mechanism includes a rotating cutting disk and a holding and carrying mechanism configured to securely hold the shrimp body and carry the shrimp body past the rotating cutting disk. The holding and carrying mechanism is configured to position the shrimp body in relation to the rotating cutting disk so that when the cutting disk cuts the shrimp body, the cutting disk leaves intact, a first joint at a head end of the tail portion and a last joint at a tail end of the tail portion, while cutting at least one intermediate joint between the first and last joints.
US08079892B2
A toy automobile includes wheels, axles connecting the wheels, a holding plate, a control circuit, a sensor, and struts and drive trains corresponding to the wheels. Each strut includes a pivoting strut and a support strut pivoted to each other, one ends of the pivoting strut and the support strut are slidably mounted on the axles. The other end of the support strut slidably resist at the bottom surface of the holding plate. Each drive train is connected with another end of the pivoting strut. When the holding plate is tilted relative to a horizontal reference plane, the control circuit controls the drive trains to drive the pivoting struts at a lower end of the holding plate, the pivoting struts rotate and lift the support struts correspondingly, thus to lift the lower end and make the holding plate parallel to the horizontal reference plane.
US08079891B2
Described is a track set with a taut filament for use with a toy vehicle. The track set includes a first tower and a second tower. A spool is connected with the first tower, with the filament wound around the spool. The spool includes a ratcheting mechanism to allow a user to selectively unwind the filament from the spool. Once unwound, the filament can be connected with the second tower. The spool can again be used to tighten the filament between the two towers, thereby creating a taut filament. Using a toy vehicle with a grooved-wheel, the toy vehicle can pass from the first tower to the second tower along the taut filament with the grooved-wheel riding on the filament.
US08079889B2
A method for connection of a discharge vessel of a discharge lamp to a tubular piece is provided, wherein the discharge vessel is heated at the connection point which is provided with the tubular piece, and the material of the discharge vessel which has been softened at the connection point is torn open such that it rests on the inner face of the tubular piece, and a continuous hole is produced in the discharge vessel.
US08079887B2
A fuel supply system for a boat includes a vapor separator tank connected to a fuel tank mounted on a hull of the boat to contain fuel therein, an injector to supply fuel to an engine, and a high-pressure fuel pump to supply fuel that is contained in the vapor separator tank to the injector. The high-pressure fuel pump includes a pump main portion having a fuel path and a pump driving section that are separated from the fuel path of the pump main portion. The fuel supply system minimizes deterioration in engine startability.
US08079879B2
A receptacle connector has a housing, an eSATA terminal set, a first USB terminal set and a second USB terminal set. The housing has a socket space and a tongue formed in the socket space. The eSATA terminal set has eSATA terminals mounted on the tongue. The first USB terminal set has multiple first USB terminals mounted on the tongue opposite to the eSATA terminals for USB 2.0 signal transmission. The second USB terminal set has multiple second USB terminals mounted on the tongue opposite to the eSATA terminals for USB 3.0 signal transmission. The receptacle connector capable of providing eSATA, USB 2.0 or USB 3.0 signal transmission has high applicability.
US08079872B2
An electrical connector includes an insulating body, a plurality of terminal units, a plurality of insulating lump units, and a plurality of shielding units. The insulating body has a plurality of receiving holes arranged thereon. Each of the insulating lump units has a terminal fixing slot for mounting the corresponding terminal unit there-through. Each of the shielding units is respectively disposed on the periphery of the corresponding insulating lump unit without contacting the terminal unit mounted thereon. The terminals are disposed in the receiving holes of the insulating body. The insulating lump units can prevent shorting between the terminals and the shielding units, while the shielding units can enhance the anti-EMI capability of the instant connector.
US08079867B2
A system including a flexible mount that can be coupled to a computing device. A port can be attached to the flexible mount. The flexible mount can conform to the chassis of the computing device.
US08079864B2
An electronic apparatus includes a base portion including a first cover, a second cover perpendicular to the first cover and a receiving cavity running through the first and second covers to respectively provide a locking slot in the first cover and an opening in the second cover. The first cover defines locking portions oppositely extending from opposite faces of the locking slot.
US08079853B2
A connector comprises a plurality of ground contacts, a housing, a coupling portion, and a second connection portion. The ground contacts are provided with first connection portions, respectively, which are to be connected to drain lines of first cables, respectively. The housing holds the ground contacts so that each of the ground contacts extends along a first direction. The coupling portion is formed integrally with the ground contacts. The coupling portion couples the ground contacts so that the ground contacts are arranged in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The second connection portion is formed integrally with the coupling portion. The second connection portion is configured to be connected to a large-diameter line of a second cable different from the first cables. The second connection portion extends along the first direction and is larger than the first connection portion in the second direction.
US08079852B2
A power adapter includes an adapter base defining a plug member channel immediately adjacent a first channel wall and a second channel wall that is oriented substantially perpendicular to the first channel wall. A power member connector extends into the first channel wall such that no part of the power member connector protrudes into the defined plug member channel. A ground member connector is located on the second channel wall and spaced apart from the power member channel. A plug member includes a plug base having a first plug wall and a second plug wall that is oriented substantially perpendicularly to the first plug wall. A power member is located on the first plug wall and a ground member is located on the second plug wall. The plug member is operable to be inserted into the plug member channel such that the power member enters the power member channel and electrically couples to the power member connector and the ground member engages the ground member connector.
US08079849B2
A socket connector assembly includes a housing, signal terminals, and a power module subassembly. The housing is mounted to a circuit board and includes opposing walls having internal surfaces. The signal terminals are joined to the internal surfaces of the walls and engage conductive members disposed along side edges of an electronic package that is received into the housing between the walls. The power module subassembly is coupled to the circuit board between the walls of the housing. The power module subassembly includes a power contact configured to engage a current carrying conductor disposed on a surface of the electronic package that extends between the side edges of the electronic package.
US08079848B2
An electrical connector. An electrical connector comprising a connector body having a first channel and a first conductive element extending through the first channel in a first tip section. The first tip section having a first moment arm that, when forced in contact with a first conductive surface, twists the first conductive element to produce a torsion force. The torsion force holds the first tip section in contact with the first conductive surface.
US08079835B2
An air compressor includes a chassis that supports thereon a motor, a transmission set, and a plurality of extendible barrels. The transmission set includes a clutch that is operatively coupled to the motor through a belt. Two eccentric rotation members are respectively arranged on opposite sides of and coupled to the clutch. Each eccentric rotation member is coupled to a crank arm, which has a moving end connected to the extendible barrel. The extendible barrel is provided with an air inlet port and an air outlet port. When the motor is set in operation, the transmission set drives the extendible barrels to move carry out reciprocal and axial compression to delivery compressed air. The present invention features easy maintenance and can carry out a noise-free operation.
US08079834B2
A blower housing may be used with a climate control furnace or with a water heater and provides cooling of the motor that rotates the blower fan and also provides dilution and cooling of exhaust gases drawn from the furnace or water heater. The housing has an interior dilution compartment that communicates with an elongate conduit. The dilution compartment receives dilution air through the conduit, thereby reducing blower operation noise at the blower housing.
US08079831B2
A submersible pump includes a pump valve configured to switch the pump between first and second states in which a piston is respectively extended and retracted. The pump valve includes first and second components that reciprocate between corresponding first and second positions. The pump is in the first state when both components are in their corresponding first position. The pump is in the second state when both components are in their corresponding second position. Neither the valve nor the pump is hydraulically locked at any time during normal operation.
US08079826B2
A variable displacement vane pump provides a substantially constant output pressure in its regulated operation region. A longitudinal axis of the control spring is inclined, with respect to a plane through the rotational axis of a pivot and a contact point between the control ring and the control spring. The inclination reduces the length of the moment arm between the spring and the pivot when the control ring of the pump is moved from the maximum displacement position to the minimum displacement position. The reduced length moment arm offsets the increase in the moment produced by compression of the control spring is offset to achieve a substantially constant output pressure. The control spring is compressed a reduced amount during pump operation to minimize the change in output force exerted by the control spring as the control ring moves between positions.
US08079820B2
A blade module of a modular rotor blade comprising a hollow fiber composite body which extends along a longitudinal blade axis and at least one inlay located at or near a longitudinal end of the fiber composite body is provided. The inlay includes a receptacle which is adapted to receive a threaded fastener and an anchoring portion anchored to the fiber composite body. Further, a modular wind turbine rotor blade which includes at least two blade modules and a method for assembling a modular wind turbine rotor blade are provided.
US08079818B2
A method for manufacturing of a fiber reinforced laminate is provided. A part of the laminate is build up to a determined thickness. A layer of wrinkle-preventing material is placed on top of the partially completed laminate. The layer of wrinkle-preventing material has a greater stiffness than the stiffness of a layer of similar thickness of the uncured laminate. Further on a new part of the laminate is build up to a determined thickness. In case the thickness of the laminate built up is not as large as a desired thickness of the completed laminate, the placing of the layer and the building of a new part of laminate is repeated until the thickness of the laminate built up is equal to the desired thickness of the completed laminate.
US08079809B2
An inflatable sealing assembly for sealing between an intake section of a turbine engine and an air inlet ring of a vehicle. The inflatable sealing assembly including a seal holder coupled to the intake section of the engine and having a first inflatable seal, a second inflatable seal, and a closed cell foam material disposed therein. The first inflatable seal and the second inflatable seal are configured when inflated to provide a seal between the intake section of the turbine engine and the air inlet ring of the vehicle and prevent foreign object debris and/or water from entering the turbine engine.
US08079806B2
A turbine seal member for use in a gas turbine engine includes a turbine seal substrate having a gas-path side and a ceramic layer disposed on the gas-path side that includes a plurality of mechanical indentations.
US08079794B2
A connection insert includes a central adhesive supply channel and outlets which are perpendicular to the channel. The connection insert consists of a plurality of parts, and comprises an inner part provided with the adhesive supply channel and an outer sleeve that can be at least partially inserted into a borehole of a component.
US08079793B2
A low profile hold down assembly is mounted to the exterior surface of a sidewall of a trailer. The hold down assembly includes a cover member formed from the same material from which the sidewall of the trailer is formed and therefore is aesthetically desirable.
US08079786B2
A tool insert blank including first and second major surfaces and a plurality of edge surfaces defining an outer perimeter of the blank. A first layer defines the first major surface and a first portion of the plurality of edge surfaces proximate the first major surface. A second layer harder than the first layer is disposed substantially co-extensive with the second major surface and a second portion of the plurality of edge surfaces proximate the second major surface. At least one of the edge surfaces includes a projecting portion defining a first engagement plane and a recessed portion spaced inwardly of the engagement plane whereby the grinding wheel is engageable with the projecting portion without engaging the recessed portion. The second layer can be formed out of various materials including polycrystalline diamond and cubic boron nitride materials. A method of forming a tool insert blank is also disclosed.
US08079780B2
A slotted mandrel is used in displacement pier construction. Longitudinal slots are formed in the sides of the hollow mandrel which allow for the introduction of aggregate efficiently into the mandrel from a hopper through which the mandrel passes while being driven into the ground. Water may also be employed with the aggregate. Once in the ground the mandrel is raised to release the aggregate (and water if present) into the formed hole in lifts and a mandrel head then compacts the aggregate in the hole. This apparatus and method obviates the need for complicated and expensive hoppers that are raised with the mandrel or the use of expensive aggregate delivery systems.
US08079779B2
An apparatus for hoisting a ship. A transfer truck located on the shore moves to the interior of a raising/lowering lift by means of a set of movable rails so as to be able to unload the ship floating on a water surface. Lift-side support blocks, which are spaced apart from each other, are gradually raised under water to float the ship on the water surface. Truck-side support blocks, which are spaced apart from each other in a manner similar to the lift-side support blocks, move to the interior of the raising/lowering lift. Thereby, the lift-side support blocks, which are spaced apart from each other, are lowered through gaps between the truck-side support blocks while crossing the truck-side support blocks so as to allow the ship to be safely unloaded.
US08079778B2
An improved device for simultaneously unrolling geotextile fabric and dispensing an aggregate layer for road construction comprises a hanger bar coupled to a vehicle frame. The hanger bar supports a roller bar adapted to carry a fabric roll. A dragger couples the hanger bar and arranges to present a dead-weight member on top of the fabric. An improved method using the improved device drags the chain on top of the fabric as it unrolls, thus holding the fabric in place. At the same time, a conveyered aggregate delivery system dispenses gravel on top of the fabric.
US08079766B2
An ergonomically developed key input system for use with a computing or electronic handheld device that uses chording to type at increased speeds. The key input system includes a set of finger input keys corresponding to the fingers of a user's hands that are divided into at least three subkeys, each subkey adapted to be engaged simultaneously with any other subkey. Simultaneous engagement of the finger subkeys creates an input signal that corresponds to a grouping of input values, which are translated by software to display a word or perform a function. Thumb keys may be used in conjunction with the finger input keys to perform additional functions. The key input system disclosed utilizes a chording principle to type words and perform computing functions with only slight movements of a user's hands from an initial relaxed position.
US08079765B1
A mobile, handheld and hand-propelled labeling printer is disclosed for use in printing label data on a storage object. The label data may include a description of the preservation item, the data and time that the preservation item was collected, the location from which it was collected, an identification of the person who collected the item, an identification number, and other data. The label data may be printed as text or code. The labeling printer receives image data of the label data. A user moves the labeling printer on a storage object for printing the label data while a position module provides absolute position data so that the label data is accurately printed. Complete consistency between stored label data and printed label is achieved because the image data is based on label data obtained from the stored label data.
US08079761B1
A plain bearing assembly for a wind turbine includes a bearing housing having a passageway configured to receive a shaft and a bearing surface defining the passageway and having a cylindrical configuration. The bearing surface includes lower and upper portions defined relative to a first midline plane and first and second sides defined relative to a second midline plane. A plurality of fluid cavities is in the bearing surface, wherein at least one fluid cavity is located in the lower portion and at least one fluid cavity is located in the upper portion. The at least one cavity in the lower portion includes first and second pairs of longitudinally spaced fluid cavities on the first and second sides of the bearing surface respectively. A wind turbine having such a plain bearing assembly is also disclosed.
US08079754B2
The center wheel and pinion has a center shaft provided with a center pinion that is formed from a crystalline metal, and a center tooth part composed of a metallic glass alloy that is integrally formed with the center shaft. The center shaft has a center pinion and other external peripheral regions that are formed by cutting the external periphery of a cylindrical member provided with a support hole. The external periphery of the coupling part to which the center tooth part is coupled is formed in a quadrangular shape. The center tooth part composed of a metallic glass alloy has a tooth continuously formed at the disc-shaped external periphery, and a center position that is integrally formed surrounding the entire external periphery of the quadrangular-shaped coupling part of the center shaft.
US08079750B2
A system and method are provided for administering micro-ingredient feed additives or supplements to feed rations. The amount of each particular micro-ingredient to be delivered to a feed ration may be determined by a bulk density measurement. Alternatively, bulk density measurement may be used in combination with existing weight measurement and volumetric metering methods for multiple micro-ingredients. Delivery by bulk density requires determination of a bulk density value along with use of a dispensing device that dispenses a calculated amount of the micro-ingredient ration. The dispensing calculation may be achieved by analysis of delivery time, pulse count, or some other quantitative measure such as magnitude. Use of bulk density as a measurement technique eliminates the requirement for use of scales in the micro-ingredient delivery system.
US08079749B2
A dough mixer includes a cabinet and a bowl supported within the cabinet. The bowl includes a bowl body defining an opening through which dough is inserted into the bowl for a mixing operation. An agitator is mounted in the bowl for rotation therein. A refrigeration jacket is mounted to an exterior of the bowl body. The refrigeration jacket includes a plurality of channel members. Each channel member includes a unitary plate member having an elongated center panel extending along a periphery of the bowl body. The center panel is spaced from and facing the bowl body. A first leg is connected to the center panel by a first bend. The first leg extends toward the bowl body. A second leg is connected to the center panel by a second bend. The second leg extends away from the bowl body.
US08079747B2
A screw extruder having a body forming a chamber of two barrels housing two counter-rotating axis-parallel rotors, a supply port for the material to be mixed in the chamber at one end of the body, a discharge port for discharging the mixed material at the other end of the body, a conveying section with screws for feeding the material from the supply port downstream to a mixing section which comprises at least two mixing zones, each mixing zone having at least one forward-conveying wing and at least one backward-conveying wing downstream of the forward-conveying wing on each rotor characterized in that a throttle valve is provided in the chamber downstream of the mixing section, and downstream of the throttle valve a second conveying section with screws and a second mixing section are provided.
US08079745B2
An embodiment of the present invention relates to a backlight module comprising a back plate, a light guide plate provided on the back plate and a light source provided at a side of the light guide plate. A side and lower surface of the light guide plate facing the lamp tubes is a concave surface. The weight of the backlight module and the cost can be largely reduced without change of the light efficiency.
US08079742B2
An aspect of the invention provides an illumination structure that can illuminate both a neighborhood of an opening and a storage portion with a simple configuration. An illumination structure 1 includes an illumination device 4 provided in an opening 3 of a vehicle 2, and a person can get on and off the vehicle 2 through the opening 3. The illumination device 4 is fixed to a step garnish 5 provided in a lower end portion 3a of the opening 3. A translucent member 18 is provided in a bottom surface of a storage portion 9 formed in a door lining 10. When a door 6 is closed against the opening 3, the storage portion 9 is disposed on the step garnish 5, whereby the illumination structure 1 is retained while the illumination device 4, a first translucent member 18a, and a second translucent member 18b line up in the order from the bottom.
US08079739B2
A system of interlocking, rigid or semi-rigid, components which when connected provide a modular, easy-to-install, direct, decorative, lighting system.
US08079737B2
A reflection-type light-emitting module with high heat-dissipating and high light-generating efficiency includes a reflection-type lampshade unit, a heat pipe unit and a light-emitting unit. The reflection-type lampshade unit has an open casing, a receiving space formed in the open casing, and a first reflective structure is disposed in the receiving space and on an inner surface of the open casing. The heat pipe unit is received in the receiving space and is disposed on the open casing. The light-emitting unit is disposed on the heat pipe unit, and the light-emitting unit has a light-emitting face facing the inner surface of the open casing.
US08079727B2
The present invention is to provide a recessed lamp support structure, which includes a lamp holder and at least two resilient plates. Each of the resilient plates has a front section fixedly connected to a sidewall of the lamp holder in a manner symmetrical to the others and a rear section extended away from the sidewall of the lamp holder, wherein the rear section has a roughened surface at a position away from the sidewall of the lamp holder. When the lamp holder is installed in a receiving hole of a ceiling, the roughened surfaces are able to press tightly and symmetrically against an inner periphery of the receiving hole due to the stress of the resilient plates, thereby securely positioning the lamp holder in the receiving hole while an annular frame of the lamp holder covers a gap between the receiving hole and the sidewall of the lamp holder.
US08079722B2
A mirror assembly in one embodiment may include a first conductive member that is substantially transparent, a second conductive member that comprises a reflective portion, a third conductive member that is operatively connected to the first conductive member and the second conductive member, a front portion that is substantially transparent and that is formed by injecting a first thermoplastic material into a mold on a first side of the first conductive member, an inner portion that is formed by injecting a second thermoplastic material into the mold on a second side of the second conductive member, and a back portion that is substantially opaque and that is formed by injecting a third thermoplastic material into the mold on the second side of the second conductive member. The front portion and the back portion together may substantially encompass a first perimeter of the first conductive member and a second perimeter of the second conductive member.
US08079720B2
A mirror drive apparatus includes: a movable unit including a mirror used to switch an optical path in an imaging apparatus; and a drive mechanism that switches the attitude of the movable unit from a first attitude to a second attitude by relatively moving a specific member along a predetermined section defined by an edge of the movable unit from a start point to an end point of the predetermined section, wherein the movable unit includes a protrusion that protrudes from an extension line toward the specific member, the extension line obtained by extending the predetermined section beyond the end point.
US08079716B2
An image processing system includes a determination unit that determines a distortion state of a projected image, and a correction unit that performs distortion correction of the image according to the distortion state, wherein the correction unit performs distortion correction calculation using either an intersection point of diagonal lines of the image after distortion correction in a display area of an optical modulator or a center of gravity of the image as the origin.
US08079712B2
A projector includes a light source unit that emits coherent light, a spatial light modulation unit that modulates the coherent light emitted from the light source unit in accordance with an image signal, and a polarized light modulation unit having a plurality of modulating areas, each of which changing the polarization state of light. The plurality of modulating areas temporally and spatially change the polarization state of the light outputted from the spatial light modulation unit.
US08079708B2
An eye refractive power measurement apparatus measures both eye refractive powers in cases where a pupil is small and large in diameter with ease. This apparatus includes: a measuring optical system causing an imaging device to capture a ring-shaped image based on measurement light reflected from a fundus of an examinee's eye; a light deflecting member arranged at a position, which is not conjugated with a pupil of the examinee's eye, on an optical path of the measuring optical system; a rotor causing the light deflecting member to rotate about an optical axis of the measuring optical system; and an eccentricity amount changer changing an amount of eccentricity of the measurement light, which is rotated eccentrically on a surface of the pupil, with respect to a center of the pupil, in order to change a region, where the measurement light passes, on the surface of the pupil.
US08079701B2
So-called ‘rimmed’ or “half-rimmed” spectacles have two optical or sun lenses with contiguous edges between which is a bridge supporting the nose pads. The lenses are joined together by a central linking element and by a rigid full frame or a partial frame comprising a rigid upper part which is continued by a lower part in the form of two flexible and transparent cords housed in a groove running a the edge of each lens to support them. The spectacles are characterized in that the central linking means is a vertical bar inserted between the extreme adjoining flanks of the contiguous edges of the lenses, respective profiles being formed in the flanks to engage with, by housing, complementary profiles formed on the flanks of the linking bar, in such a way as to locate and secure it, and hence the lenses, without additional mechanical fixing devices.
US08079699B2
An image recording apparatus of the present invention includes a conveyance mechanism having a circumferential wall. On the circumferential wall are formed suction holes which communicate an internal space inside the circumferential wall with the outside of the circumferential wall. A recording medium is placed on the outer circumferential surface of the circumferential wall, and is conveyed on the outer circumferential surface in a direction of the rotation of the circumferential wall. A suction unit sucks the air in the internal space to create an air flow from the outside of the circumferential wall to the internal space via the suction holes. A recording medium ejection path branches off from the outer circumferential surface at a separating position which is at the most downstream position of a record head or a position further from the supply position S1 than the most downstream position from the supply position. A blocker positioned in the internal space successively faces an inner opening of at least one of the suction holes having reached the separating position with the movement of the circumferential wall, so as to block the inner opening of the at least one of the suction holes.
US08079697B2
Clogging of an ink-jetting opening is more reliably prevented, by inkjet recording apparatus 1 having recording heads 3a-3d each having an ink-jetting surface 30 in which an ink-jetting opening for jetting photo-curable ink toward a recording medium K is formed, light emitting devices 4 and 4 which emit light rays onto ink landed on the surface of recording medium K, platen 2 which supports recording medium K from its back side under a condition that recording medium K is faced to recording heads 3a-3d and light emitting devices 4 and 4, and box member 50 and 50 which prevent the light rays received from light emitting device 4 from reflecting toward ink-jetting surface 30, wherein box member 50 and 50 are placed at the side of recording medium K, and are closer to light emitting device 4 than the rear surface of recording medium K.
US08079695B2
An inkjet printer, includes an ink containing a print uniformity improving polymer obtained by chain copolymerizing at least the following ethylenically unsaturated monomers: (a) a first monomer having a lowest pKa value greater than 3 and comprising a carboxylic acid group; (b) a second monomer having a lowest pKa value less than 2; and (c) a hydrophobic third monomer; together with pigment particles that are self-dispersed or dispersed with a dispersant other than a print uniformity improving polymer, and water. Such an ink provides improve print uniformity.
US08079694B2
Methods and means for imaging on paper media are provided. A data file of an image to be printed is analyzed. A pattern for a clear fluid is determined according to the analysis. The pattern of clear fluid is applied to a paper media traveling in a particular direction, wherein the pattern is generally elongated along the direction of travel. The pattern of clear fluid is defined by a maximum width that is generally equal to the maximum width of the image to be formed. One or more colored inks are applied such that the image is formed and is supported by the paper media. The paper media exhibits reduced cockle as a result of the pattern of clear fluid.
US08079688B2
An inkjet printer has a print medium cartridge configured to store a print medium roll. The print medium roll has a former carrying a length of print medium and an ink supply core which can be received within the former. An inkjet printhead prints onto the print medium and an ink transmission channel structure connected between the ink supply core and the inkjet printhead assembly to transport ink there-between. The print medium is drawn from the roll by a print medium feed arrangement that feeds the print medium past the inkjet printhead during printing.
US08079686B2
A liquid container detachably mountable to a recording apparatus, wherein the recording apparatus includes a feeding passage for feeding a recording material, a carriage for scanningly moving a recording head in a direction crossing with a feeding direction of the recording material, and a mounting portion to which the liquid container is mountable, the liquid container includes light reflection means capable of reflecting light from a light emitting portion of the recording apparatus to a first light receiving portion provided in the carriage and to a second light receiving portion provided in a feeding passage of recording material.
US08079677B2
A liquid ejecting head includes a pressure generating chamber that is communicated with a nozzle opening and a piezoelectric element includes a first electrode formed above the pressure generating chamber, a piezoelectric layer formed above the first electrode, and a second electrode formed above the piezoelectric layer. In addition, an amorphous layer including an amorphous material is formed on a surface of the piezoelectric layer at the second electrode side.
US08079674B2
An ink jet recording head includes a recording element substrate provided on one side thereof with a plurality of ejection outlet arrays each including a plurality of ejection outlets for ejecting recording liquid and provided on the other side thereof with a plurality of supply ports for supplying the recording liquid to the ejection outlet arrays, respectively; and a supporting member for supporting the recording element substrate by connecting with the other side of the recording element substrate. The supporting member has a plurality of supply passages for supplying the recording liquid to respective supply ports. The supporting member is provided with a partition between adjacent ones of the liquid passages, and at least one side of the partition is provided with pits and projections arranged alternately along a longitudinal direction of the partition.
US08079671B2
A drop on demand printer is provided having: an ink ejection location for ejecting ink droplets, the ejection location having an associated ejection electrode for causing electrostatic ejection of the droplets from the ejection location; an intermediate electrode spaced from the ejection location, and in use disposed between the ejection location and a substrate onto which the droplets are printed in use; wherein either the ejection electrode or the intermediate electrode is coated with a film, the film being formed from a blend of a polymer insulating host and a conducting polymer dopant.
US08079667B2
A drop generator having a via structure configured for electrical and fluidic interconnection. The via structure includes an electrically conductive layer and an electrically insulating layer disposed on the electrically conductive layer.
US08079660B2
An electronic apparatus includes a plurality of semiconductor storage devices, each of which includes an access determination unit that determines whether the semiconductor storage device is accessed, an input terminal and an output terminal used for connection checking, a normally-closed switching element that electrically disconnects the input terminal from the output terminal when the access determination unit determined that the semiconductor storage device is accessed, and a bypass circuit that electrically connects the input terminal to a reference point through predetermined impedance.
US08079647B2
A continuous mining method includes operating a vibratory milling machine having a milling head, a base, and a milling tool to oscillate the milling head in a substantially linear reciprocating fashion relative to the base to move the milling tool along a milling axis; and advancing the vibratory milling machine in a work piece in a cutting direction and wherein milling axis is oriented at an attack angle relative to the cutting direction, the attack angle being between about 0 and about 40 degrees.
US08079636B2
A cab for a construction machine includes a pillar member and a beam member. The pillar member is disposed generally along a vertical direction, and includes a cutout portion and a protruding portion. The cutout portion is formed on an upper end thereof. The protruding portion is formed on the upper end on an inner side of the cutout portion with respect to a widthwise direction of the cab. The beam member is disposed generally along a direction perpendicular to the vertical direction. The beam member is joined to the pillar member with the beam member partially overlapping the cutout portion on the upper end of the pillar member in a plan view, and a lateral surface of the beam member abutting against the protruding portion.
US08079633B2
A cabin of a mobile home or other transport vehicle is provided with an internal living space adapted to minimize the space of furniture and beds during transport such that a small automobile may be received within the living space. In a set-up configuration and the automobile removed, beds can be deployed externally to the living space by a system of hinged panels attached to the side of the cabin. Furniture may also be rearranged within the interior of the cabin or mobile home on floor tracks.
US08079630B2
An assembly includes a roof part kinematic system having front and rear connecting rods. Each connecting rod is pivotally connected to a roof part and is pivotally connectable to a vehicle body such that the roof part kinematic system can move the roof part between end positions. The assembly further includes a spring-loaded kinematic system having a spring, a coupling rod, and a triangular-shaped spring lever. The spring is connected to the front connecting rod and is connected to the first spring lever corner, the coupling rod is connected to the rear connecting rod and is connected to the second spring lever corner, and the third spring lever corner is pivotally connectable to the vehicle body such that the spring produces a torque on the connecting rods to move the roof part away from either end position when the roof part is in that end position.
US08079628B2
A deployment assembly 16 which selectively and efficiently allows entry and exit into and from the bed 12 of a selectively movable assembly and which includes a plurality of independently movable stair assemblies 202, 204, 206 which may be respectively extended and retracted and then placed in a stored upright position to cooperatively form a tailgate.
US08079620B1
A slip fit quick disconnect pipe coupler having an insertion portion and a housing portion which mate to form a sealed coupling between pipes. The insertion portion and housing portion are separable to decouple the pipes.
US08079619B2
An end fitting (200) for terminating an end of a hose comprising a tubular body of flexible material arranged between inner and outer helical wires, characterized in that the end fitting comprises: an inner member (202) adapted to be disposed at least partially within the hose; and a hose engaging member (208) adapted to press against the inner member 202 to retain the hose between itself and the inner member (202). The end fitting also includes a separate means for retaining one or more layers of the hose, the retaining means comprising an outer retaining member (232) adapted to press against an inner retaining member (230) to retain the or each layer of the hose between the outer and inner retaining members (232, 230) of the retaining means.
US08079617B2
A stick handle (1) is described, in particular for walking sticks, trekking sticks, alpine ski sticks, cross-country sticks and Nordic walking sticks, with a handle body (14) and with a device (8-11, 15) for the self-latching fastening of a hand-holding device (25), in particular in the form of a hand loop or a glove. For the self-latching fastening, the device (8-11, 15) comprises at least one recess (10) for receiving a coupling element (33), in particular preferably in the form of a clip or a loop, provided on the hand-holding device (25), wherein the device (8-11, 15) has a clamping element (8), and the recess (10) of the device (8-11, 15) is exposed in an insertion position (A) of the clumping element (8) in such a manner that the coupling element (33) of a hand-holding device (25) not connected to the stick handle (1) can be inserted into said recess (10), and wherein the device (8-11, 15) can be brought by tilting or displacement of the clamping element (8) into a locking position (B) in which the recess (10) is closed and the coupling element (33) is trapped in the recess (10).
US08079616B2
A seatbelt apparatus is provided which can constrain a passenger by ensuring removal of a slack of a lap belt when two pretensioners are activated under two different time frames. A pretensioner of a seatbelt retractor is activated first, and a shoulder belt and a lap belt are pulled in a direction toward the seatbelt retractor. Subsequently, a pretensioner of a belt anchor portion is activated and pulls a seatbelt toward the belt anchor portion, and hence a one-way tongue catches and locks the seatbelt. Accordingly, the shoulder belt is prevented from moving toward the lap belt through the tongue. Therefore, removal of the slack of the lap belt is ensured, and hence a lumber of the passenger is firmly fixed.
US08079613B2
A hitch pin securing system for receiver mounted accessories. The present invention provides a device for securely clamping a shank tube to a receiver tube. This securing device minimizes the rattling and relative movement of the shank tube and the receiver tube due to the clearance between the shank tube and the receiver tube. The securing device includes a threaded nut or bushing mounted within the shank tube. A hitch pin is inserted through the receiver tube and shank tube and engages the shank tube nut. A locking handle is used to tighten the hitch pin relative to the shank tube nut. Once the hitch pin is tight, the handle is pivoted relative to the hitch pin to cause a cam surface to tighten the shank tube nut against the shank tube which forces the shank tube in tight engagement against the receiver tube.
US08079608B2
The invention relates to a wheel suspension system for a motor vehicle, having a lower link for the fastening of a wheel which is coupled to a chassis underframe and is supported on the body via a spring. The chassis underframe is mounted on the body via elastic bearings and has an annular mounting on which the spring plate of the spring is supported before the wheel suspension system is installed. In the fitted state, the spring plate is pressed out of the mounting by the body and is therefore decoupled from the chassis underframe.
US08079602B2
A utility vehicle is disclosed. The utility vehicle may include storage areas under the dash. The utility vehicle may include suspension systems for utility vehicles having shocks with both a fluidic stiffness adjustment and a mechanical stiffness adjustment. The utility vehicle may include an electrical power steering.
US08079598B2
A check seal (53) for discharging working oil scraped off a piston rod (3) by an oil lip (52b) into an oil pool (A) of a hydraulic shock absorber to an oil reservoir (R) is disposed on the outside of the oil pool (A). The check seal (53) comprises an annular seat surface (4d) and an annular lip (53a) seated resiliently on the seat surface (4d). The annular seat surface (4d) comprises an annular main rib (11) and an annular inner rib (12), both of which project toward the annular lip (53a), such that an annular groove (21) is formed between the main rib (11) and the inner rib (12). By providing a pressure introducing passage (12a) to introduce a pressure inside the inner rib (12) to the annular groove (21), the check seal (53) exhibits a high working oil discharging performance and a high working oil sealing performance.
US08079596B1
A redemption game is disclosed having an intermediate holding area for prizes that have been acquired by skillful or fortunate playing of the game, the holding area being inaccessible to the player. The compartment can be accessible via a pivotally mounted floor that leads to a lockable compartment. The lockable compartment would be accessible only with a key or other means that would be controlled by an attendant, so that a player could not acquire a prize without the help of the attendant. In this manner, thieves would be thwarted from cheating the game because the could not acquire the prizes without the assistance of an attendant.
US08079590B2
An image forming apparatus of an embodiment of the invention includes a pair of conveyance rollers to nip and convey a sheet on which a formed image is recorded, a turning amount detection section which is disposed downstream of the pair of conveyance rollers and includes a bearing section coming in contact with the sheet, a thickness detection section to detect a thickness of the sheet based on a turning amount detected by the turning amount detection section, a pair of register rollers which is disposed downstream of the bearing section and aligns the sheet, and an image recording and fixing section to record and fix the image on the sheet passing through the pair of register rollers. A distance from a center point of a contact portion of the pair of conveyance rollers to a point where the bearing section contacts with the sheet is zero or more and about 3 mm or less.
US08079589B2
A first conveying mechanism includes an intermediate conveying roller for conveying a recording sheet, an intermediate conveying roller shaft for supporting the intermediate conveying roller, an intermediate conveying roller drive mechanism for rotationally driving the intermediate conveying roller shaft, and a roller control mechanism for controlling movements of the intermediate conveying roller relative to the intermediate conveying roller shaft. The roller control mechanism performs skew correction along with conveying the recording sheet by rotating the intermediate conveying roller integrally with the intermediate conveying roller shaft while the intermediate conveying roller drive mechanism rotationally drives the intermediate conveying roller shaft and stops the rotational drive of the intermediate conveying roller shaft performed by the intermediate conveying roller drive mechanism after the skew correction to cause the intermediate conveying roller to be movable within a predetermined range in the axial direction of the intermediate conveying roller shaft.
US08079574B2
An apparatus for the transfer of mass and heat including a membrane having a hydrophilic surface and an opposing hydrophobic surface. The construction prevents transmission or leakage of fluids from one side of the membrane to the other regardless of pressure gradients within the membrane bubble point or water intrusion pressure range, but allows the transfer of vaporized fluid from one side of the membrane to the other.
US08079572B2
A device for gassing a liquid, particularly for membrane facilities used in immersion operation, has a gas supply channel and at least one gas lance from which a gas flow exits in gassing operation. The gas lance is connected to the gas supply channel via at least one connection channel including a first mouth area on the side of the gas lance and a second mouth area on the side of the gas supply channel and generating as a throttle a flow pressure loss of the gas flow entering the gas lance. Below the first mouth area an extension section is provided, which adjoins the gas lance and has an opening below the first mouth area.
US08079571B2
A shock-absorbing fence comprises: a guard net provided in a stretched state between main posts provided to stand at a predetermined interval; a safety net attached between a skirt of the guard net and a ground; and a member joining an upper rim of the safety net to the skirt of the guard net as well as securing a lower rim of the safety net to the ground, the member including a horizontal support rope member provided along the lower rim of the safety net and a plurality of hillside support rope members connecting between a plurality of points of the horizontal support rope member and a plurality of hillside anchors, the safety net being allowed to deform in an extended manner following deflection and deformation of the guard net, while maintaining a gap below the guard net in a closed state, in case of rockfall.
US08079569B2
A cable drawworks for a drilling rig is provided having a three-phase AC electric motor controlled by a variable frequency drive control system. A primary drive transmission consisting of a chain and sprockets connects the motor to a drum shaft that passes through the hub of a cable drum such that the cable drum is rotatably mounted on the drum shaft. The drum shaft connects to a secondary drive transmission, attached to the frame via an oscillating plate assembly, that connects the drum shaft to the cable drum. Each end of the cable drum has a brake drum and a brake band wrapped around thereon. A brake actuating system is used to tighten the bands around each drum during braking conditions and includes an equalization linkage system between the brake bands resulting in equal braking forces being applied to each brake drum.
US08079568B2
A valve is described having an inlet, an outlet, a sealing element and a device to generate a magnetic field, whereby the sealing element can be moved at least partially by the device and whereby the sealing element connects the inlet to the outlet in a fluid-conducting manner in that the sealing element lifts off at least partially from a valve seat wherein the sealing element is made at least partially of a foam element that can be deformed by the magnetic field.
US08079563B2
An elevating mechanism includes a sleeve having a first end and a second end, and an elevating component installed inside the sleeve and having a third end and a fourth end. When the elevating component is located in a first position relative to the sleeve, a main spring is compressed by the elevating component at a first deformation. When the component is located in a second position relative to the sleeve, the main spring is compressed by the elevating component at a second deformation. The first deformation is greater than the second deformation. When the elevating component is located in the first position relative to the sleeve, a complementary spring is compressed at a third deformation. When the component is located in the second position relative to the sleeve, the complementary spring is compressed at a fourth deformation. The third deformation is greater than the fourth deformation.
US08079561B2
A universal metal stud clip is a support mechanism for securing one or more electrical boxes or other construction components to metal construction elements such as metal studs. The opposed spring arm design permits the clip to be oriented in any useful way and frictionally secured to metal studs of varying dimensions. Metal stud clips include one or more pair of resilient arms to frictionally engage metal studs. Using two or more pair of resilient arms provides a very stable attachment to the metal stud.
US08079559B1
A bracket for mounting a portable aspirator to a wall. The bracket allows easy securing and removing of the aspirator with one hand in emergency situations. The bracket will also secure the aspirator against a 10 G loading force. Electrical leads on both the aspirator and the bracket allow the aspirator to charge when secured.
US08079554B2
The invention provides a support apparatus capable of supporting a monitor. The support apparatus includes a mounting base, a first frame mounted on the mounting base, a lock member, and a second frame. The first frame thereon defines a first direction and a second direction perpendicular to the first direction. The first frame includes a through hole along the second direction, a slide extending along the first direction, and a slot. The lock member includes a columnar member and a release part. The release part is disposed to pass through the through hole, and an end of the columnar member is disposed limitedly and movably in the slot. The second frame is disposed movably on the slide, and includes a hook. When the hook engages to the columnar member, the release part can be driven to disengage the columnar member from the hook.
US08079548B2
A ground sensing system for an aircraft attaches to the aircraft's landing gear to provide a ground touch indication. The ground sensing system includes a bracket, an upper arm, a lower arm, a roller and a sensor. The bracket is mounted to the landing gear while the upper arm is pivotally and biasly coupled to the bracket. The lower arm is pivotally and biasly coupled to the upper arm. The roller mounts to the lower arm and extends just slightly beneath a lowermost surface of the tire when the aircraft is airborne. The sensor is triggered once a portion of the upper arm has sufficiently entered the sensor's field of view, which occurs when the roller is urged upward by the ground during landing.
US08079536B2
In a method for detaching a charge (5) which is stuck to the inner wall of a grinding pipe (1), the grinding pipe (1) is rotated in a targeted manner such that the charge (5) that is stuck is removed from the inner wall of the grinding pipe (1) as a result of multiple modification of the rotational speed of the grinding pipe (1) and, optionally, as a result of abrupt braking of the grinding pipe (1). Generally speaking, the material-dependent maximum angle of rotation F of the grinding pipe is not exceeded in order to avoid the charge that is stuck from falling in an uncontrolled manner. The invention supercedes labor-intensive and protracted methods for detaching such charges (5) since the tasks can be carried out by the same motor of the drive device (2) which is used to drive the grinding pipe (1) during the grinding process.
US08079531B2
A sprinkler comprising a housing fitted with an inlet port connectable to a water supply line and extending into an inlet chamber, a hollow stem member with an inlet end thereof being in flow communication with said inlet chamber and an outlet end thereof being in flow communication with an irrigation head, a diaphragm seal sealingly fixed at peripheral boundaries thereof to the housing and sealingly articulated to the stem member and supporting it at an essentially upright position. The diaphragm is deformable between a first position in which the irrigation head is retracted within the housing and a second position in which the irrigation head projects from the housing.
US08079516B2
Method for tracking a sales channel of a merchandise item, comprising: storing an item identifier of said merchandise item on a data carrier; storing in a data base said item identifier together with an associated sales channel identifier; selling said merchandise item together with said data carrier to a customer; reading at a customer's location said item identifier from said data carrier; transmitting said item identifier together with a location identifier to said registration data base; identifying said item identifier in said data base; and comparing said location identifier with said associated sales channel identifier.
US08079515B2
An access control gate with a mechanical guide forms one or more access lanes for patrons. A contactless access reader which is connected to a software controlled verification system identifies access right of patrons shortly before the person approaches a gate threshold formed by two motor driven flaps which when closed protrude into the access lane from left and right of the lateral lane boundaries a verification system activates the flaps when an access right has been granted. Two or more photoelectric barriers detect the passage of patrons through the gate threshold, wherein the detecting beams are spaced apart by between 1 and 10 inches and directed to the lane zone behind the gate threshold. The flaps are closed after the patron has passed through.
US08079508B2
A brazed aluminum counter-flow heat exchanger particularly suited for use in Ocean Thermal Energy Conversion is produced by assembling and welding subassemblies of corrugated fins that were previously vacuumed brazed in a stacked group. After the brazing operation, the stacked group of subassemblies are later separated and rearranged to create a subsequent stack of alternating layers of corrugated layers and layers having wide open saltwater passageways. To complete the unit, a friction stir welding process provides final exterior weld seams that penetrate to the internal saltwater passageways in the heat exchanger. The full weld penetration eliminates corrosion-conducive crevices at the welded joints, thus making the aluminum heat exchanger suitable for saltwater use.
US08079504B1
A fastener driving apparatus includes a power source, a control circuit, a motor, a first cylinder, a first piston, a linear motion converter, a second cylinder, a second piston, an anvil, a retention element retaining a component of the apparatus, and at least one sensor. During a compression stroke, the first piston compresses gas in a first cylinder to a predetermined pressure. Compressed gas is communicated to the second cylinder and the retention force of the retention element is overcome, to release the retained component of the apparatus, thereby causing the second piston to move linearly and enabling the anvil to drive the fastener into the workpiece. During a return stroke of the first piston, a vacuum created in the first cylinder is communicated to the second cylinder, causing the second piston and the anvil to retract to their initial positions.
US08079501B2
A configurable wrist or arm worn camera harness (1a) that facilitates convenient carry, access, and secure use of a camera during participation in a physical activity. Camera harness (1a) is comprised of an adjustable strap system for attaching harness (1a) to operator wrist or arm and a coupling system for attaching, one at a time, cameras of various shapes and sizes to aforementioned harness (1a) in a either a manner that allows camera to be moved pivotably while attached to harness (1a) and operator or in a manner that secures camera in a fixed, non-pivoting position. A clasping system is incorporated to harness (1a) to secure camera in a first secure flat carry position on operator wrist or arm. Clasping system can be released by operator to allow camera to be pivotably moved upright into a second secure position for the purpose of taking a photograph. Regardless of pivotal orientation of camera or closure state of clasping system or manner of camera attachment to user, harness (1a) maintains attachment of camera to operator in any event.
US08079493B2
A lid for industrial or commercial large size solid waste containers has a ribbed single layer central portion and a peripheral edge having a hollow double wall boxed configuration. The lids have substantial symmetry so that the lids may be stacked and nested with alternate lids oriented in opposite front-to-back directions.
US08079490B2
A dunnage structure comprising a partition matrix made up of folded partitions, each of the partitions having two plies fused together in select locations. The partitions may be made by folding a partition blank and securing a portion of the folded partition blank to itself in predetermined locations. Passages extend through portions of the partitions to allow multiple partitions to be secured together using connectors.
US08079487B2
The invention relates to an individual packaging case for objects with fracture risk wherein the individual packaging case comprises a base with an open, upward-pointing receiving bore, into which the shank of the object with fracture risk is inserted and self-containedly protrudes from the upward-open receiving bore in the base and wherein the part with fracture risk of the object is protected by means of a protective cap pushed onto the base from above.The invention is characterized in that the novel packaging case can be folded over an axis running perpendicular to the longitudinal axis and that due to the folding, the object to be protected becomes at least partially freely accessible.
US08079483B2
A closure having a stopping mechanism whereby a stop lug is positionable between a flexed and unflexed position relative to a spring gap. The stop lug may project from a skirt of the closure top wall. The spring gap is positioned adjacent the stop lug to provide an area for the stop lug to travel when outside forces are applied to the stop lug and subsequently return back to the unflexed position. The stop lug may have a substantially vertical support rib in combination with a plurality of annularly spaced ribs.
US08079475B2
A blister package is provided for retaining individual product units. The blister package is formed by a receptacle substrate and an outer laminate. The receptacle substrate includes a sealing flange and one or more receptacle hollows for retaining product therein. The outer laminate includes a first layer covering a sealing layer, with the sealing layer bonded to the receptacle flange and covering the product within the hollows. A repeating score line pattern is formed in the outer laminate for promoting a tear in the laminate upon forcing the product from the receptacle hollow against the outer laminate. The score pattern extends substantially across the area of the outer laminate covering the receptacle hollow and includes a plurality of spaced score lines formed in a crosswise relationship.
US08079474B1
A stackable container and blanks for forming a stackable container are disclosed. In one embodiment, a stackable container has (a) a base having two pairs of opposed base edges, (b) two first sidewall structures foldably attached to the first base edges at an angle of from about 90 degrees to about 100 degrees, and (c) two second sidewall structures. The second sidewall structures generally each include (i) a wall flap foldably attached to one of the base edges at an angle of from about 90 degrees to about 100 degrees, (ii) an index fold-down flap foldably attached to the wall flap at an angle of about 180 degrees, and (iii) a plurality of inner fold-down flaps foldably attached to the wall flap at an angle of about 180 degrees. Embodiments of the present invention can advantageously provide a reliable design approach for making a stackable container from a blank, whereby the weight-bearing ability and/or stackability of the container is improved, while also covering flutes on the load-bearing wall, thereby reducing moisture collection.
US08079473B2
A medical device holder is comprised of a flexible elongated sheet member, and includes a holding portion configured to hold a three-dimensionally configured part connected of the device. The holding portion is configured to bend back on itself to cover the three-dimensionally configured part. A slit is provided in the sheet member to allow insertion of the distal end portion of the holding portion so that the state in which the holding portion covers the three-dimensionally configured part connected can be maintained. The distal end portion of the holding portion is folded toward the opposite direction from the direction to pull out when retrieving the catheter from the sheet member.
US08079472B2
The invention relates to a container for bottles or the like. In accordance with the invention, it comprises a plurality of hollow cells each adapted to receive one bottle and presenting two converging external side faces and one bottom face with which the side faces define side edges, the cells being interconnected so that two adjacent cells are hinged together via the side edges such that the container presents a folded state in which the side faces of the cells bear one against another so as to give the container the shape of a cylinder on a polygonal base and a deployed state in which the bottom walls of the cells extend flat and the cells extend beside one another, with each of them remaining suitable for receiving one bottle.
US08079471B2
A carton for containing a plurality of articles. The carton has a plurality of panels that extend at least partially around an interior of the carton. The plurality of panels is a top panel, a bottom panel, a first side panel, and a second side panel. At least one of the panels has a protective coating for contact with the articles. The coating is arranged as a plurality of protective elements selectively applied to an interior surface of the at least one panel.
US08079466B2
The present invention is a packaging article that includes a first chamber defined by a sealed connection between a first film and a second film, a second chamber defined by a sealed connection between a third film and a fourth film, where the third film at least partially abuts the second film, and a third chamber defined by a sealed connection between the first film and the fourth film.
US08079462B2
An article singulating conveyor assembly and method of singulating articles includes providing a conveying surface defining a plurality of tandem zones. The conveying surface travels in a longitudinal direction. Each of the zones includes a pair of laterally spaced side frame members and a plurality of generally parallel elongated driven rollers that are supported at the side frame members. The driven rollers are adapted to provide lateral variation in the longitudinal speed of the conveying surface. Each of the zones includes at least one drive motor that is adapted to drive the driven rollers in that zone. At least one article sensor is provided that is adapted to sensing articles in the zones. The driven rollers may be divided into a plurality of segmented rollers that are separately rotatable with a separate drive motor to drive corresponding segments for a zone. The drive motors for adjacent zones may be activated in a manner that creates a longitudinal gap between longitudinally adjacent articles.
US08079459B2
A transporter may move a payload along a linear path. The transporter may include a stationary base and a first arm assembly. The first arm assembly may include a first gear coupled to the stationary base, an idler gear that meshes with the first gear, and a second gear that meshes with the idler gear. The transporter may include a driver for rotating the first arm assembly around the axis of the first gear. A second arm assembly may be rigidly coupled to the second gear such that rotation of the second gear rotates the second arm assembly around the axis of the second gear. The second arm assembly may include a third axis that is parallel to the axes of the first and second gears. A payload engager may be disposed at the third axis, for engaging and disengaging the payload.
US08079458B2
Device for spreading apart a single-file stream of upright containers, with a single-track feed conveyor, a multi-track discharge conveyor, and a transfer station, which comprises two oppositely driven belts, which form a transport channel for the containers and which can be driven at essentially the same transport velocity as the feed conveyor, where the transport channel formed by the belts is straight and releases the containers with excess velocity onto the discharge conveyor, which can be driven at a slower transport velocity than the feed conveyor.
US08079454B2
The friction engagement apparatus comprises a case forming part of a power transmission apparatus, a plurality of friction plates splined to the case, a plurality of friction plates splined to a rotation element, an annular piston having a cylindrical wall portion imparting the urging pressure to the friction plates, an urging device having a return spring intervening between the case and the piston to urge the piston in one axial direction, the cylindrical wall portion having a first pressure receiving section formed with a cut-off recession, and a second pressure receiving section formed with no cut-off recession, and the return spring being coaxially arranged with the piston and having a bending stiffness in the axial direction with respect to a circumferential unit length, the bending stiffness in the first pressure receiving section being larger than the bending stiffness in the second pressure receiving section.
US08079451B2
Apparatuses convertible between at least a storage container in a first configuration and an activity mat in a second configuration. One apparatus includes a circular lid, a circular base, and at least one zipper pull that zips the lid and base to a wall. When zippered, the apparatus has a generally cylindrical shape. A carrying handle is provided on the lid. When unzippered, the apparatus becomes an activity mat and lies flat. Another apparatus includes two sides, a base, a flap, and at least one zipper pull that zips the sides to the flap. The sides resemble the outline of a car, such that the apparatus when zipped up resembles a car and when unzipped becomes an activity mat and lies flat. Backpack straps on the back allow the apparatus to be worn as a backpack.
US08079446B2
The invention provides an operational mechanism for a movable body in which, after a movable body is in an opened state, the movable body can return to a closed position, including a movable body rotatably attached to a support and rotatable between an engaged position, a closed position, and an open position; a rotating member rotatably attached to the support, that rotates due to movement of the movable body to the engaged position; a biasing member, one end of which is attached to the movable body, and the other end of which is attached to the rotating member; and an operation member, which rotates the rotating member, changes the biasing position of the biasing member with respect to the center of rotation of the movable body, and generates in the biasing member a rotational force that moves the movable body to the closed position or the open position.
US08079431B1
A rotary drill bit is disclosed. The rotary drill bit may include a bit body, a cutting pocket defined in the bit body, and a cutting element rotatably coupled to the bit body. The cutting element may be positioned at least partially within the cutting pocket. The rotary drill bit may also include a rotation-inducing member adjacent to the cutting element for inducing rotation of the cutting element relative to the cutting pocket. The rotation-inducing member may include a resilient member or a vibrational member. The rotary drill bit may also include protrusions extending from an interior of the cutting pocket adjacent to an outer diameter of the cutting element. A method of drilling a formation is also disclosed.
US08079420B2
A sealing device is disclosed for separating sections inside an elongate hole with at least one duct extending inside and along the hole. The sealing device includes a first portion which is arranged, in use of the sealing device, to surround the duct and fit substantially tightly against the same, and a flexible cup-shaped second portion, which is arranged to surround the first portion and be resilient radially outwards to seal, in use, against the hole. Moreover, a method is disclosed for separating sections in an elongate hole with a duct extending inside and along the hole. A sealing device is slipped onto the duct at the intended level so that the sealing device after installation forms a cup shape around the duct. The duct and the sealing device are inserted into the hole, and the duct and the sealing device are installed at the intended level.
US08079419B2
An apparatus (100) for controlling the connection speed of downhole connectors (316, 146) in a subterranean well. The apparatus (100) includes a first assembly that is positionable in the well. The first assembly includes a first downhole connector (316) and a first communication medium. A second assembly includes a second downhole connector (146) and a second communication medium. The second assembly has an outer portion and an inner portion. The outer portion is selectively axially shiftable relative to an inner portion, such that upon engagement of the first assembly with the second assembly, the outer portion of the second assembly is axially shifted relative to the inner portion of the second assembly allowing the first and second downhole connectors (316, 146) to be operatively connected to each other, thereby enabling communication between the first communication medium and the second communication medium.
US08079413B2
A plug for isolating a wellbore. The plug can include a body having a first end and a second end, wherein the body is formed from one or more composite materials and adapted to receive a setting tool through the first end thereof, at least one malleable element disposed about the body, at least one slip disposed about the body, at least one conical member disposed about the body, and one or more shearable threads disposed on an inner surface of the body, adjacent the second end thereof, wherein the one or more shearable threads are adapted to receive at least a portion of a setting tool that enters the body through the first end thereof, and wherein the one or more shearable threads are adapted to engage the setting tool when disposed through the body and adapted to release the setting tool when exposed to a predetermined axial force.
US08079408B2
Pressure vessel assembly for a pressurized fluid system, comprises an enclosed outer casing, at least one internal tube extending within the casing, at least one fluid accumulator disposed within the at least one internal tube, and at least one cooling passage provided within the at least one internal tube and defined by a clearance between the at least one hydraulic fluid accumulator and the at least one internal tube. The pressure vessel assembly further includes a fluid storage compartment formed between the outer casing and the at least one internal tube. The fluid storage compartment is at least partially filled with a working fluid. The pressurized fluid system also includes a cooling fan allowing forced airflow through the cooling passage for forced cooling of the at least one hydraulic fluid accumulator and the working fluid in the storage compartment of the pressure vessel assembly.
US08079405B2
An air conditioning apparatus has a blower, a unit case, a cooling heat exchanger and a heating heat exchanger. The heat exchangers are disposed in the unit case such that ends thereof are adjacent to the blower. The unit case has a side opening on its side wall and a tubular part between the end of the heating heat exchanger and a casing of the blower. The tubular part has a communication portion for allowing communication between a hollow space provided therein and a space downstream of the second heat exchanger. The unit case has a passage opening at an end of the tubular part and adjacent to the side opening for allowing the air introduced in the hollow space to flow out from the hollow space. Further, a door is provided in the unit case to open and close the side opening and the communication portion simultaneously.
US08079401B2
A casting chamber configured to form a casting from molten material includes an outer mold, a plurality of inner core elements, and a surface portion of a thermal chill device. The thermal chill device includes first and second interchangeable elements with the surface portion of the thermal chill device including one of a first surface portion of the first interchangeable element and a second surface portion of the second interchangeable element. The first surface portion of the first interchangeable element includes an insulating material and the second surface portion of the second interchangeable element comprising a metallic material.
US08079388B2
The present invention teaches a refill bottle adapted to repeatedly receive and dispense liquid such as perfume. The refill bottle comprises a bottle having a bottom portion and an upper portion, an opening provided in the upper portion wherein the opening is adapted to be covered, and a refill mechanism provided in the bottom portion. The liquid is received through the refill mechanism from a regular bottle preferably provided with a spraying mechanism and is dispensed through the opening.
US08079380B2
An ice house including a collapsible frame assembly. The collapsible frame assembly includes at least one first pole with a connecting end having a plunger assembly. At least one second pole has a hollow end sized to telescopically engage with the plunger assembly and the first pole. The second pole has at least one detent proximate a connecting end sized to releasably engage with a plunger on the plunger assembly. An actuator assembly includes a first end secured to the connecting end of the second pole and a second end adapted to telescopically receive the plunger assembly and the first pole. The actuator assembly includes an actuator located over the detent and configured to flex between a relaxed position and a depressed position that disengages the plunger from the detent. A seat assembly is secured to the frame assembly and a cover having at least one door is attached to the frame assembly.
US08079379B2
The invention relates to a baby walking stick which facilitates and accelerates the transition from crawling to walking in a physiologically appropriate manner. In addition, the invention prevents the accompanying adult from adopting unsuitable postures and the design of the stick provides increased safety by connecting the adult and the baby. The invention comprises a folding stick having an upper curved section which curves around the baby's erect head. The upper end of the stick is provided with a T-shaped handle for the adult and the centre of the stick, at the height of the baby's arms, is provided with handlebars with which the baby can hold himself/herself upright. The lower end of the stick is provided with two wheels so that the stick slides as the baby and adult walk, which wheels are in contact with the ground and joined by an axle parallel to the above-mentioned handle and handlebars, all of said components being disposed in parallel to the direction of movement.
US08079375B2
A processing apparatus configured to process a substrate under a vacuum environment includes a holding unit configured to hold the substrate, a dust collection part having a surface opposite to the substrate held by the holding unit, a vacuum chamber configured to accommodate the holding unit and to have an internal space that can be decompressed, a temperature controlling unit configured to control a temperature of the surface of the dust collection part opposite to the substrate to a temperature lower than a temperature of the substrate, and a driving unit configured to bring one of the holding unit and the dust collection part close to the other after the temperature controlling unit controls the temperature of the surface of the dust collection part opposite to the substrate.
US08079374B2
A dental flossing device formed of a handle has proximal and distal ends, a flosser head extending from the distal end of the handle, the flosser head including a base, two spaced apart arms extending from the base and having distal ends, and a strand of dental floss extending between and secured to the distal ends of the arms, and a hinge connecting the distal end of the handle to the flosser head. The flosser head has a first position generally co-planar with the handle, the flosser head being bendable about the hinge to a second position that is angled relative to the handle. The arms in the first position of the flosser head are spaced apart a first distance. The device includes an engagement latch for securing the flosser head in the second position and urging the distal ends of the arms to be spaced apart a second distance greater than the first distance to thus stretch the strand of dental floss to be more taut.
US08079371B2
A smoking article may include a cigarette incorporated within an electrically powered aerosol generating device that acts as a holder for that cigarette. The smoking article possesses at least one form of tobacco. The smoking article also possesses a mouth-end piece that is used by the smoker to inhale components of tobacco that are generated by the action of heat upon components of the cigarette. A representative smoking article possesses an outer housing incorporating a source of electrical power (e.g., a battery), a sensing mechanism for powering the device at least during periods of draw, and a heating device (e.g., at least one electrical resistance heating element) for forming a thermally generated aerosol that incorporates components of tobacco. During use, the cigarette is positioned within the device, and after use, the used cigarette is removed from the device and replaced with another cigarette.
US08079359B2
A hood device for grill comprises a hood, a telescoping tubing, a filter assembly, a grease cup, and an external fan. The hood partially covers a grill at a first elevated vertical position and collects smokes from the grill. The telescoping tubing extends from the hood and is configured for ventilating, and telescoping between the first and second positions. The filter assembly is disposed at a lower end of the telescoping tubing, and comprises filter with concentric and cylindrical layers. The grease cup is for collecting grease from the filter. The fan is for building up an ascending air current inside the telescoping tubing. A velocity of the ascending air current is determined according to the first elevated vertical position, a ratio of a diameter of the hood to a diameter of the grill, and a surface temperature of the grill.
US08079355B1
A firing device of a side-handle baton includes first and second shaft portions, a magazine portion, a trigger housing, a gas chamber portion, and a nozzle portion. Pressure from a CO2 cartridge in the second shaft portion enters and accumulates in the gas chamber portion to push a nozzle. Once a pushbutton of the magazine portion is pressed, ball-shaped bullets in the magazine portion fall into a bore of the first shaft portion, and the magazine portion pushes a trigger in the trigger housing, thus driving a sear to release the nozzle. When a piston rod in the nozzle is freed, the pressure in the gas chamber portion is discharged to fire the bullets. A recoil spring then pushes the nozzle portion back to re-seal the gas chamber portion, allowing pressure to accumulate again in the gas chamber portion, and the sear to retain the nozzle until the next shot.
US08079351B2
A system for an internal combustion engine of a vehicle is disclosed. In one example, characteristics of an oxygen sensor are a basis for determining degradation of a temperature sensor. In this way, the system can provide redundant exhaust gas temperature sensing.
US08079348B2
The present invention provides an injector-ignition fuel injector for an internal combustion engine, comprising an input fuel metering system for dispensing a next fuel charge into a pressurizing chamber, a pressurization ram system including a pressurization ram for compressing the fuel charge within the pressurizing chamber, wherein the fuel charge is heated in the pressurization chamber in the presence of a catalyst, and an injector nozzle for injecting the heated catalyzed fuel charge into a combustion chamber of the internal combustion engine.
US08079345B2
A high pressure fuel supply control system for an internal combustion engine includes fuel injectors connected to a common rail, and a high pressure fuel pump for pressure-feeding to the common rail fuel that is supplied from a low-pressure fuel pump. The high pressure fuel pump includes a pressurized chamber, a plunger for pressurizing the fuel in the pressurized chamber, a fuel passage valve provided in the pressurized chamber, and an actuator for operating the fuel passage valve. A drive signal calculation unit calculates a drive signal for driving the actuator to control the discharge quantity of the high pressure fuel pump and the pressure in the common rail. The drive signal calculation unit maintains the discharge quantity of the high pressure fuel pump equal to or larger than a prescribed value.
US08079340B2
In a system for cranking a crankshaft of an internal combustion engine, a starter is provided with a motor working to, when energized, rotatably drive an output shaft with a pinion and an actuator working to, when energized, shift the pinion toward the ring gear to be engaged with the ring gear. A power supply is electrically connected to the motor and operative to output electrical power. A first mechanical relay is electrically connected between the power supply and the motor, and works to turn on and off a supply of a current based on the electrical power to the motor for rotating the pinion. A switching element is electrically connected across the first mechanical relay, and works to turn on and off the supply of the current to the motor for rotating the pinion.
US08079338B2
A variable valve actuation system to actuate and control the seating velocity of an internal combustion engine valve is disclosed. The system comprises: a housing having a bore formed therein; an outer piston slidably disposed in the bore, said outer piston having an internal hydraulic passage, an internal chamber defined by an outer piston side wall, and an internal orifice connecting the internal hydraulic passage and the internal chamber; a catch piston slidably disposed in the outer piston; and a cone-shaped extension extending from the inner piston, wherein the cone-shaped extension is adapted to provide a variable flow area through the outer piston orifice to provide improved engine valve seating.
US08079334B2
A continuously variable valve actuation (CVVA) system may include a driving cam rotated by a driving force transmitted from a crankshaft, and a driven cam pressed by the driving cam to be rotated around a first end thereof serving as a rotational axle of the driven cam, wherein the driven cam has a cam face at a second end thereof so as to press and open a valve when rotated, and wherein a vertical distance between the rotational axis of the first end of the driven cam and a rotational axis of the driving cam is configured to be adjusted by moving a position of the rotational axis of the first end of the driven cam.
US08079324B2
A device for spreading a two-component coating material, including at least two components, on a flat web-shaped carrier includes a slotted nozzle provided with an output slot whose length defines the width of the coating material application to the carrier, wherein the slotted nozzle is provided with two end areas and a nozzle chamber which is arranged inside the slotted nozzle and extends in a parallel to the output slot from the first to the second end area. A first mixer is arranged in the region of the first end area. A second mixer is positioned in the region of the second end area. At least one first reservoir for the first component and at least one second reservoir for the second component are provided. A transport mechanism is used for individually transporting the first component from the first reservoir to the first and second mixers and for transporting the second component from the second reservoir to the first and second mixers.
US08079320B1
The present invention provides a perimeter frame system for use in forming the top and/or bottom surface of a construction barge. In one exemplary embodiment, the perimeter frame system is used in conjunction with support panels that are manufactured from extruded or roll form materials, such as extruded aluminum or roll form steel. The use of the perimeter frame system of the present invention eliminates the need to modify the perimeter edge portions of the extrusions forming the deck of the barge.
US08079319B2
A sewing machine includes a sewing controller that controls sewing machine components, an imaging element capable of capturing facial images of a sewing machine user; a settings storage that stores settings for preset modes, the settings comprising items pertaining to sewing machine functions; a user information storage that stores facial image data of the user captured by the imaging element with mapping to the settings of the mode registered with the user; a verifier that verifies whether or not image data that matches the facial image data captured by the imaging element at sewing operation start exists in the user information storage; and an instruction controller that reads the settings from the user information storage when receiving a positive verification result from the verifier, and that instructs the sewing controller to control the sewing machine components based on the settings read.
US08079311B2
A universal TV support and mounting kit that accommodates the principal varieties of TVs that have to be mounted or supported, namely CRT type and two panel types (plasma and LCD), in a single kit. The kit that allows the consumer to employ any of the three modes of support, namely stand mount, console mount and wall mount. The console mount incorporates a vertical spine and a gooseneck mount. A frame is provided that can be attached to the gooseneck mount or to a wall. Pivoting and tilting is accommodated by the gooseneck mount.
US08079293B2
A perforating machine for perforating a plurality of perforation lines in a vent baffle sheet comprises a support table having two spaced apart openings, perforating wheels, two backstop wheels, and an endless feed belt having a plurality of protrusions. The perforating wheels and the two backstop wheels are positioned on opposite side of the support table. The perforating wheels engage with the two backstop wheels through the two spaced apart openings. The endless feed belt has an upper portion and a lower portion. The lower portion of the endless feed belt is positioned above the support table. The protrusions on the lower portion of the endless feed belt engage with side stiffeners of the vent baffle sheet to move the sheet through the perforating wheels.
US08079286B2
A two-piece motion-transmitting cable assembly includes first and second cables, each having a core wire surrounded by a conduit; a male housing connected to the first cable and having a ridged length adjustment section; a spring retainer slideably interconnected with the exterior of the male housing and having a female retaining clip at a first end; a female housing connected to the second cable and having a male retaining clip engaging with the female retaining clip when the male and female housings are mated; an adjustment clip engaging with the ridged length adjustment section to lock the male housing in a position relative to the female housing; and a spring contained between the exterior of the male housing and the interior of the spring retainer and interacting with the spring retainer, in conjunction with the retainer clip, to bias the first cable in a direction toward the second cable.
US08079280B2
A rack-and-pinion type steering apparatus 1 includes a gear case 3 made of aluminum or an aluminum alloy and having a hollow portion 2; a steering shaft 6 rotatably supported by the gear case 3 through rolling bearings 4 and 5; a pinion 7 which is rotatably supported in the gear case 3 through the steering shaft 6; a rack bar 9 on which rack teeth 8 meshing with the pinion 7 are formed; and a rack guide 10 which is disposed in the hollow portion 2 inside the gear case 3 and supports the rack bar 9 slidably with respect to its moving direction A.
US08079279B2
A modular support (7) with holes (10) for attachment screws is equipped with a through seat (7A) with axial stop (7B) for a nut (9) capable of being received and engaged in said through seat; the modular support (7) can be utilized simply by preparing—on the load bearing structure—the threaded holes for the screws and a trace for a transverse spline, partly received in another trace (16) in the support (7).
US08079277B2
Apparatus and method for refining subject activity classification for the recognition of daily activities of a subject, and a system for recognizing daily activities using the same. The refining apparatus improves the correctness of subject activity classification using daily activities of a subject, activation time information of sensors mounted on objects associated with the daily activities of the subject, and the suitability of a continuous activity pattern in relation to the daily activities. This improves the correctness of subject activity classification that becomes basic information in daily activity analysis.
US08079275B2
A shaft arrangement, with a rotatable shaft supported in a rolling bearing, which has rolling elements and an outer race, a torsion sensor having a permanently magnetic ring and at least one magnetic field sensor fastened to a fixed sensor bracket attached to the outer race being provided. A torsion sensor can hereby be integrated in a rotating bearing in a simple design.
US08079274B2
A system and method for measuring torque on a rotating component, comprising of signal-producing components which are applied to the rotating component, and a means for obtaining the signals produced by said signal producing components, in which at least two signal producing components are applied to the rotating component with some linear separation between the two signal producing components and their corresponding devices for obtaining signals produced, such that torque applied to the rotating component will cause a change in phase between the signals received from each of the signal-producing components and thus permit the measurement of torque based on this change in phase; one embodiment of this invention comprising two magnetic rings, one at either end of a driveshaft, with sensor coils placed near to each magnetic ring such that an alternating electrical current is produced, the comparative phase between these currents permitting measurement of torque on the driveshaft.
US08079267B2
A mounting pedestal is designed to hold a DUT in position for both electrical testing and vibration testing. The design is such that the pedestal can remain thermally sealed from an environment created within a confined area so as to impart vibration to a DUT positioned within the environmentally protected area, the vibration coming from a vibrator outside the environmentally sealed area. The pedestal, in one embodiment, extends through the base of a DUT holding tray while still preserving the environment within the sealed area. In one embodiment, the pedestal can position the DUT in any of several selected orientations.
US08079265B2
A portable, self-contained scanner device for metallurgical, nondestructive testing is provided. The portable, self-contained scanner device includes a chassis having wheels extending beneath a lower surface thereof, a nondestructive testing probe detachably fixed to the chassis, and a computer processor device coupled to the chassis. The computer processor device includes applications executable by the computer processor device for performing the metallurgical, nondestructive testing on a test subject. The scanner device also includes a display device that displays images in response to the metallurgical, nondestructive testing. The chassis, computer processor device, and display device move along the test subject as a single unit.
US08079242B2
A crimping tool including a punch carrier, a plurality of punches movable in translation in radial housings of the punch carrier, a thrust member having an inside face co-operating with the outer ends of the punches, the thrust member being pivotally mounted relative to the punch carrier, such that pivoting of the thrust member causes a contact to be crimped, a tool body having two pivotal handles for causing the thrust member and the punch carrier to pivot mutually, and a member for adjusting the stroke of the punches, a sensor sensitive to the position of the member for adjusting the stroke of the punches, a sensor sensitive to an identity signal from a contact positioning tool, and a memory associated with the position sensor and with the identity sensor and arranged to record the data delivered by the sensors and/or to deliver the data to a data processor unit.
US08079226B2
A refrigerant recovery unit for accurately filling a refrigerant system with a refrigerant is provided which includes a storage vessel for holding refrigerant, sensors to assist in determining the pressure of the refrigerant in the storage vessel, a controller to control the flow of refrigerant from the storage vessel to the refrigerant system to be serviced, and a heating device to heat the refrigerant, which is activated only if heating is required, as determined by data received by the controller.
US08079225B2
A refrigerating appliance provided with a display including at least one organic light-emitting diode (OLED). The display can include a plurality of individual displays which are respectively provided with at least one OLED, and are superimposed in a sandwich-type arrangement and can be of different colors.
US08079217B2
A turbocharger having a variable turbine nozzle that includes an array of vanes whose setting angle is adjustable by rotation of a crank shaft coupled with a unison ring that pivots the vanes. The crank shaft is rotated by an actuation system made up of a piston contained in a bore formed in the center housing, and a hydraulic system for supplying pressurized hydraulic fluid to the bore selectively on one side or an opposite side of the piston for causing the piston to move in one direction or the other. The piston is connected to the crank shaft by a mechanical linkage that converts reciprocating movement of the piston to rotational movement of the crank shaft. A spring is arranged between the piston and a surface of the bore and continuously exerts a spring force on the piston toward the fully open position of the piston.
US08079196B2
Floor panels are provided with a mechanical locking system including a flexible locking element in a locking groove which during a horizontal motion is displaced vertically.
US08079192B2
A suspended ceiling system uses a grid system having series of intermediate nodes interior to a peripheral edge of the ceiling system and a series of edge nodes at an edge of the grid system. Each intermediate node is defined by a connection plate having a series of guide tracks for receiving and cooperating with an upper edge of the ceiling grid members to align the grid members in a predetermined geometric configuration. Mechanical fasteners secure the connection plate and the ceiling grid members in any of the guide tracks. Each connection plate between adjacent guide tracks includes generally opposed connection slots for receiving support springs suspending ceiling panels beneath the grid system. The connection plate simplifies installation and avoids incorrect placement of the grid members. Preferably the grid system includes at least five grid members equally spaced about a center point of the connection plate. In a further preferred structure at least six grid members are secured to a connection plate and the ceiling panels are of a triangular shape.
US08079190B2
A fire resistive joint cover system operable to span a gap between two surfaces. The system generally may include first and second base members, a covering member, and an intumescent sheet. Each base member is operable to couple with one of the surfaces and the covering member is operable to couple with the base members to at least partially span the gap. In some embodiments, the covering member may be configured as a floating covering member and/or as a flexible elastomer seal.
US08079187B2
The present invention relates to a method for lining an in particular flat surface with a flexible covering material, particularly textile material, in which the surface is lined with one or more flexible covering material pieces and in which the material piece or pieces are stretched. The method is inventively characterized in that for stretching a material piece at least one stretching rail with a holding side and an assembly side is used, that the stretching rail is brought into pivotable engagement on the holding side with a holding rail provided on the flat side, that a first side of the material piece is brought into tensile loadable engagement with the assembly side of the stretching rail, that second side of the material piece is directly or indirectly connected to the flat surface and that the stretching rail is pivoted for stretching the flexible covering material and fixed in a stretching position. The invention also relates to a lining for an in particular flat surface.
US08079179B2
A sliding door structure comprises at least one door or plate (12), and a substantially horizontally arranged track device (13). The track device (13) includes a stationary track part (14) and at least one door carrier (16) for carrying the door. The door carrier is supported by the stationary track part (14) at one or more supporting points and displaceable horizontally in relation to said track part between first and second opposite positions. The door (12) is connected to the track device (13) such that the center of gravity of the door or plate (12) is spaced horizontally from the adjacent supporting point by a distance being a substantial fraction of the width of the door or plate (12). Thus, the door (12) is supported by the carrier (16) in a cantilever-like manner and the length of the track (13) may be reduced to a value substantially corresponding to the width of the door opening (11).
US08079177B1
A flower holder keeps a flower looking fresh during a long period of time, under adverse weather conditions with temperatures under 40° Fahrenheit. The flower holder includes a rod with one of its ends inserted into the ground, at least one ring holder connected to the vertical rod, an elongated tube including a cap on each end, the elongated tube slides through the ring holder.
US08079176B1
A collapsible enclosure includes a mount having a central shaft and a shell carried by the central shaft. The shell includes a first plurality of support arms carrying a cover and a second plurality of support arms pivotally connected with the first plurality of support arms for articulating the first plurality of support arms from a first generally linear position to a second generally bowed position for presenting the cover into a generally hemispherical configuration. Additionally, the first and second plurality of support arms is carried by the central shaft in a manner enabling the shell to traverse the central shaft when the cover is in the generally hemispherical configuration.
US08079175B2
The present invention is directed towards an improved flying insect trap, in the form of a housing and internal disposable portion. In one embodiment, the exterior portion comprises roof and body panels which are manufactured from a poster board paper stock that is printed on opposing sides with contrasting colors. The interior portion comprises a self-adhesive assembly constructed from a heavy weight chipboard material that is preferably white that surrounds an internal attractive element.
US08079168B2
A shotgun includes an action that locks the firing pin in a retracted position when the action is not closed. In one embodiment, the firing pin is held in a retracted position without the use of a spring, which may fail over time. In another embodiment, the action includes a bolt slide that is configured to hold the firing pin in the retracted position when the action is open.
US08079166B2
A support assembly for a digital photo frame is provided. The support assembly comprises a base member, a pivot member, a support arm, a positioning structure, and a an elastic member. The base member comprises two side walls spaced from each other. The support arm comprises a connection end disposed between the two side walls and is rotatably attached to the base member via the pivot member. The connection end comprises a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other. The pivot member is attached across the two side walls. The positioning structure is disposed on the first surface and the side wall opposite the first surface and comprises a projection portion and at least two concave portions. The projection portion is capable of being received in the at least two concave portions, the two concave portions intersect to form an edge.
US08079161B2
There is described a sports shoe, especially a golf shoe, having a sole on which downwardly projecting ground-engaging elements are mounted or can be mounted. It is provided according to the invention that the ground-engaging elements (9), or the means (10) provided for mounting them, are guided and held to move forward and backward along an arc, especially an arc of a circle.
US08079148B2
A folding hand saw includes a first housing, a transmission unit disposed in the first housing, a second housing having a third pivotal end pivotally connected with a second pivotal end of the first housing and connected with the transmission unit, and a saw blade having a forth pivotal end pivotally connected with a first pivotal end of the first housing and connected with the transmission unit such that the saw blade is pivotable between a folded position where the saw blade is inserted into a first insertion groove of the first housing and a second insertion groove of the second housing, and an unfolded position where the saw blade leaves the first insertion groove and the second insertion groove. As a result, the folding hand saw of the present invention can prevent the saw blade from hurting a user or other people.
US08079147B2
A shaving system having replaceable blade cartridges is provided with a simple connector for pivotably mounting the cartridge, and for attaching to a handle with a simple latch mechanism. Embodiments include a handle having a handle body, and a connector mounting portion at the front of the handle body with a substantially horizontal bottom wall and an inwardly-extending, elastically deformable cantilever latch. The connector has a cartridge mounting structure, and a handle attachment portion extending rearward from a central body. The handle attachment portion has an extension for slidingly mating with the bottom wall of the handle's connector mounting portion, and a substantially vertical connector wall for engaging and deflecting the cantilever latch upward as the extension is slidingly engaged with the bottom wall, until an engagement portion of the cantilever latch snaps over the connector wall to removably retain the connector on the handle between bottom wall of the handle connector mounting portion and the cantilever latch.
US08079142B2
A method for manufacturing a printed circuit board, including providing a core substrate and an electronic component contained in the core substrate, the electronic component having a die pad, forming a positioning mark on the core substrate, forming an interlayer insulating layer over the core substrate and the electronic component, forming a via hole opening connecting to the die pad of the electronic component through the interlayer insulating layer in accordance with the positioning mark on the core substrate, and forming a via hole structure in the via hole opening in the interlayer insulating layer such that the via hole structure is electrically connected to the die pad.
US08079141B2
The method for providing the solder connection of the present invention is a method for providing a solder connection, which electrically connects a first electronic component having a solder bump to a second electronic component having a protruded electrode to provide electrical connection between the first solder bump and the protruded electrode, wherein a relation of: A+B>C is satisfied, where a height of the first solder bump from one surface of the first electronic component is presented as A [μm], a height of the protruded electrode before the compressive deformation from one surface of the second electronic component is presented as B [μm], and a thickness of the adhesive agent layer is presented as C [μm], and further comprising: disposing the adhesive agent layer in the first electronic component; and deforming the first solder bump and the protruded electrode and providing a contact of the above-described protruded electrode with the above-described first solder bump, so that the sum of the height A [μm] of the first the solder bump and the height B [μm] of the above-described protruded electrode is substantially equivalent to the thickness C [μm] of the above-described adhesive agent layer.
US08079138B2
In a mounting apparatus for electronic components, a command from a host computer is transmitted to a linear motor M via a motion controller and a servo amplifier to thereby drive a mounting head H1 or a mounting head H2. To prevent collision between the two mounting heads H1, H2, position information from a linear encoder E is fed back to not only the servo amplifier, but also the motion controller. Once determining that the two mounting heads H1, H2 collide, the motion controller applies brake to the mounting heads H1, H2 to avoid collision therebetween, regardless of the command from the host computer.
US08079135B1
A method for providing a perpendicular magnetic recording (PMR) transducer is described. The PMR transducer provided includes a PMR pole and yoke structure coupled with the PMR pole. The method includes providing a hard mask and an intermediate layer. A first portion of the hard mask resides on the PMR pole. A second portion of the hard mask resides on another structure. The intermediate layer surrounds at least the PMR pole. The method also includes performing a planarization on at least the intermediate layer, removing the first portion of the hard mask on the PMR pole without completely removing the second portion of the hard mask on the other structure. The method further includes removing a remaining portion of the hard mask on the other structure, providing a write gap on the PMR pole, and providing a shield on the write gap.
US08079134B2
A method is provided that utilizes silicon through via technology, to build a Toroid into the chip with the addition of a layer of magnetic material such as Nickel above and below the T-coil stacked multi-ring structure. This allows the connection between the inner via and an array of outer vias. This material is added on a BEOL metal layer or as an external coating on the finished silicon. Depending on the configuration and material used for the via, the inductance will increase approximately two orders of magnitude (e.g., by utilizing a nickel via core). Moreover, a ferrite material with proper thermal conduction properties is used in one embodiment.
US08079132B2
A method for shielding discarded or unwanted items provided with a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag, comprises the following steps. First, a facility containing an inventory including a plurality of products each including a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag is provided. Then, the facility is provided with an RFID waste collection container defining a magnetic shielding enclosure for shielding and electromagnetically isolating the RFID tags when the products are disposed therein. Next, it is determined if one of the plurality of products is not wanted. Subsequently, the unwanted product is discarded by placing the unwanted product into the RFID waste collection container so that the RFID tag of the unwanted product does not interfere with ongoing activities in the facility by emitting errant signals.
US08079128B2
Golf club heads are releasably engaged with shafts so that the club heads and shafts can be readily interchanged and/or so that the shaft position with respect to the club head can be readily changed. Assemblies for connecting the club head and shaft may include: a shaft adapter, a collet, a ferrule, and a club head having an interior chamber. The club head and shaft may be changed by releasing the securing system and exchanging the original parts with different parts. Furthermore, the shaft may be bent or otherwise extend at an angle from the shaft adapter so as to allow adjustment of the shaft position with respect to the club head.
US08079126B2
A method of fabricating a rolling bladder propellant tank assembly includes providing a pair of half-domes comprising a nanophase metallic material and a bladder formed of a ductile metallic material. A bladder support ring extends from at least one of the pair of half-domes. The pair of half-domes are positioned together to form a cavity therein with a portion of the bladder trapped between the pair of half-domes adjacent to the bladder support ring, wherein the bladder is positioned within the cavity. A seal is formed between the pair of half-domes and the bladder by friction stir welding. A friction stir welding pin used to form the seal is aligned with the bladder support ring during the friction stir welding operation.
US08079116B2
A tie-down strap system designed to be integrated with the plurality of tie-down straps that are currently on the market. A system for the protection of the tightening mechanism, the storage of excess strapping during use, a storage device when not used as a tie-down strap, a hanging system when not in used as a tie-down strap, and a termination feature that prevents the free end of the strap from sliding through the tightening mechanism.
US08079112B2
A disposable liquid absorbing cleaning pad for a hand held cleaning implement having an elongated handle includes a layer of sponge material, a layer of flexible open cell foam material made from melamine resin fixedly attached to the layer of sponge material and attachment structure fixedly secured to the layer of sponge material for removably attaching the cleaning pad to the cleaning implement. In one embodiment of the invention the attachment structure includes a backing plate which is fixedly mounted onto the layer of sponge material and a pair of wing screw assemblies which are removably and slidably mounted on the backing plate for removably attaching the cleaning pad to the cleaning implement. In using the hand held cleaning implement the layer of flexible open cell foam material made from melamine resin is the layer that contacts the surface to be cleaned.
US08079110B2
An oral care implement with a handle includes a head with a tissue cleanser. The tissue cleanser may be a pad composed of an elastomeric material. The pad is disposed on the head on a surface opposite the tooth cleaning elements. The tissue cleanser may include a plurality of nubs extending for cleaning between the papillae of the tongue. The tissue cleanser may include a plurality of conically shaped nubs. A tissue cleanser can be used to reduce oral malodor problems and remove oral epithelial cells.
US08079105B2
A cleaning mechanism for cleaning one or both side surfaces of a plastic card substrate prior to a processing operation occurring on the cleaned side surface. The cleaning mechanism is designed so that two cleaning rollers, one cleaning roller on a first cleaning station and one cleaning roller on a second cleaning station, are simultaneously cleaned by a single cleaning tape assembly.
US08079097B2
A child's toilet training chair includes a seat supporting structure and an adjustable seat that can be positioned at an acute angle relative to the horizontal. The front section of the seat is pivotally attached to a front portion of the supporting structure and the rear portion of the seat is provided with at least one engagement member that releasably mates with one of a plurality of vertically-spaced receiving elements in the chair back.
US08079096B2
A portable, self-contained, toilet and sanitation system is disclosed. The system utilizes gravity and non-mechanical means to actually “flush” human bodily waste into a septic storage tank for later removal and disposal and contains sufficient water supply and storage capacity to allow the system to be used continuously for over eight hours. The system is a closed design and operates substantially as a permanent toilet wherein waste odors are trapped and then vented to the atmosphere.
US08079095B2
A flush valve assembly of the present invention includes a body subassembly in operable communication with a movable poppet seal subassembly via a guide rod of a predetermined length. The body subassembly inlet is substantially located above the tank floor, thereby reducing available tank discharge volume. The poppet subassembly includes a float having upper and lower float covers with an annular seal disposed therebetween. The poppet subassembly remains coaxially and slidably mounted with respect to the body subassembly so as to create a valve opening therebetween when the poppet subassembly is removed from its initial closed position to a second open position. Guide structure in the body subassembly accommodates reciprocatable movement of the guide rod and inhibits deviation of the guide rod from a predetermined axial guide path when the poppet subassembly is in use during a flush cycle. An optional valve bracket may be provided.
US08082587B2
A method for detecting undesirable content in a computer directory having a digital file includes performing a size check on the digital file, the size check returning a first passing condition or a first failing condition, if the size check returns the first passing condition, the method further includes performing one or more behavioral indicator checks on the digital file, and determining whether the digital file contains undesirable content based on the one or more behavioral indicator checks.
US08082584B1
A system, method, and computer program product are provided for conditionally performing a scan of data based on an associated data structure. In use, at least one aspect is identified for each of a first plurality of scanners utilized to perform a scan on data at a first network device. Additionally, at least one data structure is associated with the data, where the at least one data structure reflects the at least one aspect of each of the first plurality of scanners. Furthermore, a subsequent scan on the data is conditionally performed utilizing each of a second plurality of scanners at a second network device, based on the at least one data structure.
US08082578B2
An intelligent firewall that prevents unauthorized access to a system has been developed. The fire wall does not use a communication address. It receives a data packet and analyzes it to determine its final disposition. Finally, the firewall handles the data packet according to its final disposition.
US08082577B1
A shell device with minimal software and/or hardware resources can download from a server configuration information and/or user data in order to allow the shell device to communicate with other computing devices (whether cell phones, personal digital assistants, laptops, and the like). Various security features can also be used herein, including a shell device password and a server network access password. In another aspect, any time code and/or data is downloaded from the server to the shell device, such code and/or data resides on the shell device during the time of a communication between the server and the shell device; thereafter, it can be deleted, thereby returning the shell device to its minimalistic resource state. When the shell device contacts the server again and attempts to establish another communication, such code and/or data can be downloaded anew, and after the communication it can be deleted again.
US08082571B2
One aspect of the disclosed technology determines at least one content extent within an experiential data stream respective to at least one commentary clip, extracts at least one portion of said experiential data stream responsive to the at least one content extent, and stores the at least one portion of said experiential data stream.
US08082569B2
An in-flight entertainment system with hand-out terminals is described. An embodiment of the invention comprises a server having digital content, which is communicatively linked to a communications network, a connector located proximate to each passenger seat of an aircraft, each connector being communicatively linked to the network, and hand-out terminals. Each hand-out terminal is configured to be coupled to one of the connectors to permit a passenger at the seat to which the connector is proximate to access the digital content.
US08082568B2
An interactive television program guide system with digital storage is provided. The program guide gives users the ability to store information associated with recorded programs in a directory in the digital storage device thereby providing easy access to program information. The program guide may also provide a global media library for indicating the programs stored on removable storage media used with the program guide. The guide may also allow the user to manage and maintain a user media library to do the same. Non-time-sensitive data associated with recorded programs may be stored in a way that allows the user to interact with the data on playback as if the program were being originally aired. The program guide also allows the user to define “super-programs” for playback of a sequence of stored programs or program segments.
US08082566B2
An exemplary system includes a processing subsystem. The system further includes at least one sensing facility and a control facility within an input device configured to communicate with the processing subsystem. The sensing facility is configured to detect a first type of user input and a second type of user input. The control facility is communicatively coupled to the sensing facility and is further configured to provide a first control signal in response to detection of the first type of user input, and a second control signal in response to detection of the second type of user input. The processing subsystem is configured to execute a function associated with the sensing facility in response to the second control signal, and to provide a preview event for the function in response to the first control signal. In certain embodiments, the preview event includes information descriptive of the function.
US08082537B1
Examples of the invention relate to a method, apparatus, and computer readable medium for designing a mother integrated circuit (IC) configured for stacking with at least one daughter IC. A layout of the mother IC includes at least one interface tile having an electrical configuration for communicating with interface logic of the daughter IC. The method includes: obtaining design rules for through die vias (TDVs) to be formed in the mother IC for implementing connections between the at least one interface tile and a physical interface of the daughter IC; defining a layout of the TDVs in the mother IC according to the design rules; and defining at least one mask for programming interconnect on the mother IC to physically connect the TDVs between the at least one interface tile and the physical interface of the daughter IC without changing the electrical configuration of the at least one interface tile.
US08082536B2
A method for evaluating a process of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit including a deposition step and a polishing step after the deposition step, the method includes: dividing the semiconductor integrated circuit into a plurality of areas; determining a deposition height after the deposition step for each of the areas; and determining a risk value for each of the areas on the basis of a difference in the deposition height between each of the areas and its adjacent areas.
US08082535B1
A method of testing an IC generates a test design list of test patterns and produces an arc usage string for each test pattern. The arc usage strings are ranked according to the number of untested arcs in each successive test pattern by comparing each of the remaining arc usage strings against an already-tested arc file to identify the arc usage string (test pattern) having the greatest number of untested arcs. A test sequence list of test patterns ranked in order of the most number of untested arcs to the least number of untested arcs is provided to a tester and the IC is tested in order of the test patterns on the test sequence list.
US08082533B1
Overloaded regions in the routing space of a physical network are resolved via a routing procedure composed of a topological routing phase and a geometric routing phase. The overloads are resolved in the topological routing phase where the constraints of routing are less prohibitive. Multiple topological transformations directed toward resolving the overloads are executed in the topological routing phase prior to a geometric arrangement being realized. The topological transformations may be applied concurrently by way of a multi-threaded embodiment of the invention.
US08082517B2
An improved application sharing system and method are described wherein an application sharing viewing display is modified to increase the likelihood that a viewing user is able to see without scrolling the entirety of a window of interest displayed by a sharing user on a sharing machine. The scale of the viewer representation of the window of interest may be substantially continuously varied so as to best account for the particular size of the available display area at the viewing machine. In a further embodiment of the invention, the viewer's attention may be focused by filtering of the shared display material to visually enhance the current window of interest.
US08082515B2
System and method for developing a motion application. A motion manager component implementing a supervisory control function and at least one trajectory generation algorithm is stored on a motion controller. A first application programming interface (API) for interfacing the motion manager component to a user developed motion control application is displayed. A second API for interfacing the motion manager component to a user developed communication interface component is displayed. A user application executable for sequencing motion operations in the motion system is created using the first API is created in response to user input. A first communication interface component is created using the second API in response to user input, where the communication interface component is operable to interface with the motion manager component using the second API, and where the user developed communication interface component is executable to communicate with a motion element, e.g., a drive or simulation.
US08082514B2
A system and method is provided for providing a user-interface comprising a visual display of the physical location of a plurality of I/O ports on the housing of a portable information handling system. In various embodiments, the physical location and status of the various I/O ports are shown using icons on the periphery of the display with the location of the icons on the display being correlated with the physical location of the physical ports on the housing of the portable information handling system. In some embodiments of the invention, the map is launched when the user depresses a predetermined “hot key.” In other embodiments, the map is launched using other user gestures, such as executing a mouse click when the mouse pointer is positioned at a location proximate to an icon on the display or by touching a predetermined icon on a touch-sensitive screen.
US08082511B2
A method for personalizing content for a particular user in a computing system comprising a user interface configured to display content. The method comprises identifying a long term profile having one or more features in a feature set and a long term level of importance associated with each term in the feature set, identifying a short term profile having one or more features in the feature set and a short term level of importance associated with each term in the feature set, identifying input related to the display of the one or more content items on the user interface, and using the input to modify the short term level of importance and the long term level of importance associated with each term in the feature set to form a modified user interest set.
US08082498B2
Systems and methods for automatically spell-checking dynamically generated web pages include: generating, by a server responsive to a request from a client, a dynamically generated web page containing at least some text; transmitting, by the server to the client, the dynamic web page; intercepting, by a process, the dynamic web page; identifying, by the process, the at least some text; executing, by the process, a spelling check on the at least some text; and outputting, by the process, at least one word identified by the spelling check as potentially misspelled.
US08082496B1
Producing a set of operations from an output description is disclosed. Producing includes receiving a description of a desired result, where the description is associated with a metalanguage, determining a set of operations such that executing the set of operations would produce the desired result, and providing the set of operations as input to one or more applications.
US08082484B2
A DTV transmitter includes a pre-processor pre-processing enhanced data, a data formatter generating enhanced data packets including the pre-processed data and inserting known data place holders to the data packets, and a multiplexer multiplexing the enhanced data packets with main data packets. It further includes an RS encoder which RS-codes the multiplexed data packets, and a data interleaver which interleaves the RS-coded data packets. The RS encoder adds systematic RS parity data to each main data packet and adds non-systematic RS parity place holders to each enhanced data packet. The RS encoder adds the RS parity place holders such that the RS parity place holders are placed after the enhanced data within each interleaved enhanced data packet.
US08082478B2
A method for retransmission of erroneous data in a communications system includes receiving data blocks at a receiver that have been generated in a transmitter by the use of an error correcting code. The received data blocks are decoded by a linear programming algorithm. One or more symbols in the decoded data block are identified by subjecting the symbols in the decoded data block to an integrality criterion. A retransmission of a part of the data block based on the one or more identified symbols is then initiated.
US08082476B2
A method for executing a program verify operation in a non-volatile memory. A data register having master and slave latching circuits is used for concurrently storing two different words of data. In a program operation, the master latch stores program data which is used for programming selected memory cells. In a program verify operation, the data programmed to the memory cells are read out and stored in the slave latches. In each data register stage, the logic states of both latches are compared to each other, and a status signal corresponding to a program pass condition is generated if opposite logic states are stored in both latches. The master latch in each stage is inverted if programming was successful, in order to prevent re-programming of that bit of data.
US08082473B2
As a result of detecting an error, command routing logic for device driver logic is reconfigured so that command processing logic of the device driver is not invoked and to return from commands in a manner indicative of successful completion of command processing.
US08082468B1
A system and method thereof for performing loss-less migration of an application group. In an exemplary embodiment, the system may include a high-availability services module structured for execution in conjunction with an operating system, and one or more computer nodes of a distributed system upon which at least one independent application can be executed upon. The high-availability services module may be structured to be executable on the one or more computer nodes for loss-less migration of the one or more independent applications, and is operable to perform checkpointing of all state in a transport connection.
US08082466B2
A storage device in which the MR-IOV is applied to an internal network of a storage controller. Data path failover can be executed in the storage device. The internal network of the storage controller is configured to enable the access of a virtual function (VF) “VF 0:0, 1” of each endpoint device (ED0-ED2) from a root port RP0. Likewise, “VF 1:0, 1” of each endpoint device can be accessed from a root port RP1. In a first data path from the RP0 to ED0 in a normal state, “VF 0:0, 1” and “MVF 0, 0” are connected by VF mapping. When a failure occurs on the first data path, the MR-PCIM executes the VF migration, whereby in the second data path from the RP1 to ED0, “VF 1:0, 1” and “MVF 0, 0” are connected by VF mapping. As a result, failover to the second data path is realized.
US08082465B1
A system, method and computer program product for detecting a failed storage device within an “n” device array. The “n” device array is configured to store “n” device array formatted data. The “n” device array is reconfigured into an “n−1” device array. The “n” device array formatted data is written to the “n−1” device array in an “n−1” device array format.
US08082462B1
An embodiment of the invention relates to a clock signal generator and a related method to produce a clock signal that is a rational but non-integer submultiple of a reference clock signal by employing a dithered pulse signal and a fractional phase signal. The rational submultiple includes an integer part and a fractional part, the fractional part including a numerator and a denominator. A dithered pulse generator is configured to produce the dithered pulse signal from a count of the reference clock signal that is reset dependent on the integer part, and a fractional phase signal from a count that is incremented by the numerator and that is reset dependent on the denominator. A phase controller is configured to delay the dithered pulse with a delay proportional to the fractional phase to produce the output clock signal. The delay may be calibrated by internal logic.
US08082457B2
A method for managing the delivery of power for a plurality of devices includes allocating a power limit for each of the plurality of devices and providing power to at least one of the plurality of devices. The method also includes, in response to the providing of power, measuring the amount of power utilized by each of at least one of the at least one of the plurality of devices and determining that the amount of power exceeds the power limit for the device.
US08082450B2
According to the inventive method, the chip card, a counting function (FC), a counter (Cpt) and a private key (Cf) stored in the write-only part of the memory region are stored in a persistent memory, the counter and the private key (Cf) being accessible only by the counting function (FC). When the chip card receives a counter request emitted by an requesting entity (ER), the counting function (FC) performs a modification of the counter (Cpt) and a calculation of a signature, and sends a response to the applicant entity (ER). When the on-board system receives the response to the counter request, the signature contained in the response is checked.
US08082449B2
An information processing apparatus including a recording medium setting part in which a recording medium is set is provided. The information processing apparatus includes a validity determination part for determining validity of a program by determining validity of validity determination data, wherein the program and the validity determination data are stored in the recording medium, wherein the validity determination part determines the validity of the validity determination data on the basis of a first comparison between a hash code generated from the program and a hash code obtained by decoding the validity determination data and a second comparison between machine specific data that is specific to the information processing apparatus and machine specific data obtained by decoding the validity determination data.
US08082440B2
Some aspects include reception of a command from one of a chassis management module and a BIOS specifying a data region to be updated and a locking policy, determination of whether the data region is locked, implementation of the locking policy and returning of a session lock handle if it is determined that the data region is not locked, reception, from the one of the chassis management module and the BIOS, of data for updating the data region, the session lock handle, and an offset, determination that the session lock handle is associated with the data region, writing of the data to the data region at the offset, reception of a request for data of the updated data region from the other one of the chassis management module and the BIOS, determination of whether the updated data region is locked, and if it is determined that the updated data region is not locked, providing of the data of the updated data region to the other one of the chassis management module and the BIOS.
US08082434B2
A system and method for providing a secure computing environment to untrusted computer systems is described. A carrier media and an interface are provided, the interface being connectable to a computer to enable communication between the computer and the carrier media. The carrier media encodes a secure computing environment and a boot system, upon connection of the system via the interface to a computer system and booting of the computer system, the boot system is operative to take over the boot process of the computer system and to authenticate the user, wherein upon successful authentication, the boot system is arranged to load the secure computing environment on the computer system, the secure computing environment being configured to prevent predetermined interaction from outside the secure computing environment when it is running.
US08082432B2
A system facilitates the configuring of a set of devices. The system stores templates, where each template includes configuration data that applies to one or more of the devices. The system configures the devices based on the configuration data in the templates.
US08082421B2
A program instruction rearrangement method calculates the dependency depth of each instruction of a program based on dependency between instructions, based on register access order, and rearranging instructions based on the dependency depth. Additionally, the dependency between instructions can be utilized to locate and remove redundant instructions.
US08082412B2
A method and apparatus for of storing data comprising monitoring a plurality of storage units within a mass storage area and detecting when a storage unit within the mass storage area is overloaded. The method further comprising randomly distributing the data on the overloaded storage unit to the other storage units within the mass storage area.
US08082392B2
Storage array operations, such as code downloads and other operations of the type that cause loss of access to portions of the storage array, are managed in a manner that preserves access to other portions of the storage array so that other storage array operations, such as data synchronization, can continue.
US08082391B2
An I/O module includes a switch module, a redundant array of independent disks (RAID) controller and a baseboard management controller (BMC). A first address for a first component of the plurality of components is received. The first address is provided by a user. The switch module is queried for additional addresses for additional components of the plurality of components. The switch module obtains the additional addresses for the additional components from a first persistent storage location associated with the switch module. The first and additional addresses for the first and additional components are stored in a second persistent storage location accessible by the BMC, the switch module, and the RAID controller. Synchronization of the first and additional addresses for the first and additional components in the second persistent location is controlled by the BMC.
US08082388B2
A method, system, apparatus and computer program product for determining an optimal file operational time in a data storage system for use with a tape media storing data in a serpentine pattern on tape media is provided. The operational time is optimized based on a “sequence on tape” algorithm, a “minimum reversal of direction on tape” algorithm, or a “minimum delay to next data” algorithm. A model is used to determine the predicted performance of each of the algorithms, and the algorithm that provides the minimum overall operational time is chosen and applied for carrying out an operational process on the tape media.
US08082384B2
A BIOS may provide bad block and wear-leveling services to a flash memory during a boot cycle until a full-functioned memory controller, such as a software memory controller, is available. After the full-functioned memory controller is available, the controller may use data passed by the BIOS to determine what, if any, steps to take to account for write activity during the boot process. Alternatively, the BIOS may use a reserved portion of flash memory so that wear leveling for boot-related data, such as a shut-down flag, is not needed.
US08082375B2
This invention offers a data communication system that can perform data communication and detection of a data read-in request signal while reducing the number of communication lines to three, and is tolerant of noise. The data communication between a microcomputer and a key scan IC and the detection of the data read-in request signal are performed through a control line, a clock line and a data line. The data communication system is provided with a data line control circuit that controls the data line so that outputting of the data read-in signal RDRQ to the data line is disabled when first command data is inputted to the key scan IC through the data line, and that the outputting of the data read-in request signal RDRQ to the data line is enabled when second command data is inputted from the microcomputer to the key scan IC through the data line.
US08082370B2
An apparatus, a method, and a system for controlling communications between a host device and a USB device. The apparatus includes a controller to perform an operation for communication between a first device and a second device, and a first processor to selectively stop the operation of the controller according to information indicating a status of the communication between the first device and the second device. Thus, the USB device can perform a unique function even when the USB device is connected to the host via USB.
US08082367B2
In a utility monitoring system, a network of intelligent electronic devices (IEDs), including a master IED that receives master clock information from a global positioning system, includes a differential time synchronization (DTS) algorithm for automatically adjusting the corresponding clocks of each of the IEDs to be synchronized with the master clock information. A controller coupled to the network communicates instructions to the IEDs to collect frequency variation data. A known data alignment algorithm determines a point of alignment between two sets of frequency variation data, and the controller determines based on the data alignment algorithm output a time differential representing a time offset between the IED's clock and the master clock information. The time differential is communicated to the target IED, which advances or retards its clock based on the time differential.
US08082361B2
A system and method for providing quality of service (QoS) service over a mobile IP network with dynamic domains, multiple or distributed QoS managers per domain and/or with network congestion feedback being used to establish an estimated total domain bandwidth which is used for regulating access to a domain.
US08082351B1
Software load balancing is provided. In some embodiments, software load balancing includes receiving a session request from a client for a session between the client and a service associated with a set of servers, in which the set of servers includes a plurality of servers including a first server and a second server; designating the first server for the session request; sending an indication of the first server to the client in response to the session request, in which the client can communicate directly with the first server; receiving a resume session request from the client to resume the session between the client and the service associated with the set of servers; designating the second server for the resume session request; and sending a set of state information associated with the session to the second server, in which the client can communicate directly with the second server.
US08082349B1
Online fraud is reduced by identifying suspicious activities in real time and providing alerting so that interdiction may be performed. Historical customer behavior is used to identify and flag deviations in activity patterns. An HTTP data stream is parsed, intelligently filtered, and key data is extracted in real time. The key data is periodically extracted from network traffic and used to update corresponding summaries stored in a fraud data mart. The data mart is constantly incrementally updated so that the most current historical information is available to a rules engine for real time comparison with new customer data and patterns occurring on the network. Fraud-related business signatures are applied to this data stream and/or a data mart to identify suspicious online transactions. By understanding the customer session, the customer's intended use of the online application is derived and possible fraudulent activities identified.
US08082341B2
A system and method is disclosed that allows ActiveX functionality to be conditionally invoked by a non-ActiveX-enabled browser, such as those based on Mozilla technology, through the implementation of user-defined controls to mitigate system security vulnerability. ActiveX controls can be identified from within a Mozilla-based browser and the user can be presented with a choice of actions instead of ActiveX controls being automatically downloaded and activated by a browser extension such as E View. By referencing one or more user-definable lists containing domains, URLs, and ActiveX controls along with their respective attributes the method of the invention allows a user to specify the preferred behavior of a non-IE browser when attempting to render Web pages containing ActiveX controls.
US08082340B2
A technique distinguishes between link and node failure using bidirectional forwarding detection (BFD) in a computer network. According to the novel technique, a BFD session is established over a first link between a monitoring node and a first interface of a monitored node. In addition, one or more novel unidirectional BFD (uBFD) sessions from one or more corresponding other interfaces of the monitored node to the monitoring node (e.g., as configured by the monitored node to detect its failure), the one or more uBFD sessions traversing links other than the first link (e.g., “not-via” the monitored node) are established, the one or more uBFD sessions traversing links other than the first link (e.g., “not-via” the monitored node). For instance, the one or more uBFD sessions correspond to one or more line cards of the monitored node. In response to detecting a lack of connectivity resulting from, e.g., failure of the BFD session, the monitoring node determines that the first link has failed if at least one uBFD session is operational. Moreover, in response to detecting failure of the BFD session and all of the one or more uBFD sessions, the monitoring node determines that the monitored node has failed.
US08082331B2
A communications network with a structured overlay in which client nodes are interlinked to define a ring uses an interest-aware membership service to identify which client nodes are subscribed to a topic. One of the client nodes in a segment of the ring is designated to be a content-provider node, and a message concerning the topic is communicated to the node. The segment is divided into subsegments. At least one subsegment is redefined by using the interest-aware membership service to assign an outermost subscribing client node to serve as the respective terminal node of the subsegment. The message is broadcast from the content-provider node to the terminal node of the redefined subsegment. The steps of designating, communicating, dividing, redefining and broadcasting are recursively performed, using the subsegment as the segment.
US08082319B2
Techniques are provided for publishing digital image feeds, where the feeds are automatically created and uploaded to a server along with the images described in the feed, along with techniques for subscribing to digital image feeds, where the feed is downloaded and the images described therein are automatically downloaded and organized. The feeds may be subscribed to and automatically updated.
US08082318B2
A method and system for controlling service requests from a client to a server involves intercepting and controlling the transmission of service requests from the client to the server. The service requests are queued at the client and the transmission of the queued service requests are delayed to smooth the frequency of service requests transmitted to the server.
US08082305B2
Included is a method for saving instant messages. Embodiments of the method include receiving a message from a sender, wherein the message is configured for delivery to a recipient. Embodiments of the method also include determining whether the recipient has viewed the message, and in response to determining that the recipient has not viewed the message, storing the message for subsequent delivery.
US08082301B2
A system includes a processor which has access to a representation of model of activity, which includes workspaces. Each workspace includes domain hierarchies for representing an organizational structure of the collaborating users using the system, and initiatives hierarchies representing process structures for accomplishing goals. An interface permits users to view and modify the workspaces for which the user has access. Each user can have different access permissions in different workspaces. The domain and initiative hierarchies provide two views of the workspace objects without duplicating resources. A resource is a collection of shared elements defined by the users that give users associated with the workspace access to information sources. Users can define knowledge boards for creating reports based on information fields of the resources. The knowledge board is associated with a resource template from which the resource is created.
US08082290B2
A device may receive, from a first peer in a network, a request for a list of one or more candidate peers from which the first peer can obtain a resource. In addition, the device may obtain the list in response to the request, determining a set of costs based on the list, and refine the list to obtain a subset list of the candidate peers based on the set of costs. Furthermore, the device may send to, the first peer, the subset list of the candidate peers from which the first peer can obtain the resource.
US08082285B2
In accordance with described exemplary embodiments, correction is inserted into the feedback loop of a second order resonator used at the time of frequency transition. The correction is based upon parameters generated from a desired output signal frequency and a desired sampling frequency. The correction is generated to maintain i) constant amplitude, ii) continuous phase, and iii) the same sampling frequency during the frequency transition.
US08082279B2
A system and methods are provided for automatically classifying data according to perceptual properties of the data to form a classification chain that is suited to the searching and sorting of large databases of media entities. During classification, experts assign each media entity in the training data set to one or more classes, with each class corresponding to a given subset of perceptual properties of the data. In conjunction with digital signal processing properties of the data corresponding to the perceptual properties, the classified data is then used to construct an initial classification chain. During operation, when presented with an unclassified entry, the classification chain returns an estimate of the class of the entry, as well as a confidence measure that is proportional to the level of confidence of the class assignment. Over time, as the classification chain evolves, the classification chain becomes more and more effective for quickly characterizing media entities.
US08082270B2
Disclosed herein is a computer implemented method and system that progressively relaxes search terms provided by a user. Data of predefined types is stored in a database. The data is obtained by uniquely modifying data previously stored in the database, based on the predefined types. Search terms of predefined types are accepted from the user. The search terms are compared with the stored data to find exact matches, if length of the search terms exceeds a predefined value. On not finding exact matches, the accepted search terms are modified uniquely based on the predefined types to structure first alternative queries. The first alternative queries are compared with the stored data to find exact matches. On not finding exact matches, the first alternative queries are modified based on the predefined types to structure second alternative queries. The second alternative queries are compared with the stored data to find approximate matches.
US08082268B2
An object-oriented system provides a comprehensive and integrated tool to manage, operate, analyze and inspect structures by providing 3-D visualization of the structures, a database interface, connectivity with one or more databases, a data display and analysis capabilities. The structural model is stored as an object-oriented, serialized file as a series of objects, including primitives, coordinates, object names, group names and other object identifiers. The system integrates various types of data, including tabulated textual data, annotated engineering drawings, photographic records, graphical plots, audio and videotaped records, from different tables and databases. Data are displayed to the user based on queries that the user submits to the system, which queries are evaluated at run-time. As a result, the user achieves unparalleled flexibility in data analysis and evaluation.
US08082256B2
A content searching and presentation method in a terminal of an original user having a playlist includes the steps of accessing a playlist of a different user from the terminal and obtaining the playlist of the different user; computing a similarity between the obtained playlist of the different user and the playlist of the original user, which is a playlist owned by the terminal, in accordance with a predetermined computation equation; and presenting, as a searched result, content that is contained in the playlist of the different user and that is not contained in the playlist owned by the terminal when the computed similarity exceeds a predetermined threshold value.
US08082243B2
In one aspect, semantics and relationships and mappings are identified between a first and a second data source. Data between the first and second data source is compared. A binding condition is discovered between portions of data in the first and the second data source based upon the comparison, wherein the binding condition identifies data within the first and second data sources that map to each other. The binding condition is used to discover correlations between portions of data in the first and the second data source, wherein the correlations identify data in the first data source that correspond to values in the second data source. The binding condition and the correlations are used to discover a transformation function between portions of data in the first and the second data source, wherein the transformation function generates data in the second data source data in the first data source.
US08082236B2
A method for data integrity protection includes arranging in an integrity hierarchy a plurality of data blocks, which contain data. The integrity hierarchy includes multiple levels of signature blocks containing signatures computed respectively over lower levels in the hierarchy, wherein the levels culminate in a top-level block containing a top-level signature computed over the hierarchy. A modification to be made in the data stored in a given data block is received. One or more of the signatures is recomputed in response to the modification, including the top-level signature. Copies of the given data block, and of the signature blocks, including a copy of the top-level block, are stored in respective locations in a storage medium. An indication that the copy is a valid version of the top-level block is recorded in the copy of the top-level block.
US08082232B2
First information representing a plurality of snapshot acquisition time points of the data storage device, journal management data which are second information including the time point at which data are written to the data storage device and the size of the journal for writing the data, and third information representing a plurality of recovery points are acquired. The total transfer data size of one or more data to be transferred in order to recover the data group of the data storage device at the recovery point is calculated for each recovery point on the basis of the first information, journal management data, and third information. A display screen that visualizes the correspondence relationship between the respective recovery points and respective recovery load information representing a recovery load that is expressed on the basis of the total transfer data size calculated for the respective recovery points is displayed.
US08082230B1
Various embodiments of a system and method for enabling multiple computers to mount a file system are described herein. The file system may be mounted on one computer, and a snapshot copy of the file system may be created and mounted on a second computer. Data for a particular file in the file system may be stored at particular storage locations on a storage device. In response to a read request to access data for the particular file through the file system, the data stored at the particular storage locations may be read and returned. Similarly, in response to a read request to access data for the particular file through the snapshot copy of the file system, the data stored at the particular storage locations may be read and returned.
US08082228B2
Remote office deduplication comprises calculating one or more fingerprints of one or more data blocks, sending the one or more fingerprints to one or more backup servers via a network interface, receiving from the one or more backup servers an indication of which one or more data blocks corresponding to the one or more fingerprints should be sent to the one or more backup servers, and if the indication indicates one or more data blocks to be sent to the one or more backup servers, sending the one or more data blocks to the one or more backup servers via the network interface.
US08082221B2
A conditional purchase offer (CPO) management system is disclosed for receiving CPOs from one or more customers, such as airline passengers, and for evaluating the received CPOs against a number of CPO rules defined by a plurality of sellers, such as airlines, to determine whether any seller is willing to accept a given CPO. A CPO is a binding offer containing one or more conditions submitted by a customer for purchase of an item, such as airline travel, at a customer-defined price. A CPO rule is a set of restrictions defined by a given seller, such as an airline, to define a combination of restrictions for which the seller is willing to accept a predefined price. The CPO rules may be securely stored by one or more servers. The CPO management system permits a seller to correct for forecasting errors, if necessary, or other competitive forces which have produced excess capacity, by providing inventory for sale to CPO customers.
US08082220B2
A device, system, and method for solving a plurality of sub-problems representing a main problem pertaining to an environment. An abstract graph corresponding to each of the sub-problems may be constructed in a computing system for each of the sub-problems. At least a first abstract graph of the abstract graphs may be resolved, for example, by decomposing one or more nodes of the first abstract graph. At least one of the one or more nodes of the first abstract graph may be associated with one or more nodes of others of the abstract graphs. At least one of the abstract graphs may be resolved using information obtained by the association. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08082213B2
Various embodiments of the present invention provide strong authentication of users on behalf of commercial entities and other parties to electronic transactions. In these embodiments of the present invention, a user interacts with an authentication service provider to establish policies for subsequent authentication of the user. Thus, in these embodiments of the present invention, a user controls the level and complexity of authentication processes carried out by the authentication service provider on behalf of both the user and commercial entities and other entities seeking to authenticate the user in the course of conducting electronic transactions, electronic dialogues, and other interactions for which user authentication is needed. The policies specified by a user may include specification of variable-factor authentication, in which the user, during the course of an authentication, provides both secret information as well as evidence of control of a tangible object.
US08082208B2
Information about a company is compiled from a plurality of public sources. The information is then analyzed to identify a plurality of relevant factors from the information. The factors are used to rate risks associated with the company. A profile is generated based on the factors to summarize the risks associated with the company.
US08082201B2
A system for scoring and evaluating financial investments including a server, at least one database in communication with the server including a plurality of financial indicators for a plurality of investments, each of the financial indicators assignable to one of at least two categories, software executing on the server for generating a display of scores for each of at least two of the financial indicators for a target investment, the display including a radar chart including a ray extending radially from a center point of the radar chart for each of the at least two of the financial indicators, wherein each of the scores is plotted along one of the rays, and wherein the radar chart is divided into two or more sections wherein each of the sections corresponds to one of the categories.
US08082197B2
A communications system including at least one user device, configured to access a plurality of services in a session. An information store stores information defining an amount of money for the user device. A controller requests at least a portion of the amount of money to be reserved and controls the allocation of the reserved portion of money between the plurality of services.
US08082192B2
An apparatus and method for interrogating and automatically identifying a radio-frequency tagged surgical instrument tray and its contents of RFID-tagged surgical instruments are disclosed. The surgical instrument tray and its contents come into contact with an RF signal transmitted by the RFID reader, and as a result, the RFID tags affixed on the instrument tray and the surgical instruments respond by transmitting back to the RFID reader data pertaining to the history of the surgical instruments. A data terminal, which is connected to the RFID reader, may contain data pertaining to the radio frequency tagged surgical instruments during packaging, and during the return of the surgical instrument trays to the packager, identifies the surgical instruments.
US08082190B2
A method of assembling a utility meter having a plurality of components on a subassembly is disclosed herein. The method comprises associating an identification code, such as a barcode, with the subassembly and then entering the barcode associated with the subassembly into a first memory. Next, a lot identification code for each of a plurality of components of the subassembly is associated with the barcode of the subassembly in the first memory. The subassembly is then placed in the utility meter having an associated utility meter identification code. The utility meter identification code is then entered in a second memory and the utility meter identification code is associated with the barcode of the subassembly in the second memory. The first and second memory may be searched to determine lot identification codes for each of the plurality of components in the utility meter.
US08082184B2
An online marketplace is established where sellers compete by offering to sell a mass quantity of a specific product, referenced by a unique product ID. A successful sale is determined at a time that maximizes a group of buyers' offers for the specific product. At the determined time, both the sellers' offers and the buyers' offers for the specific product are separately sorted from the lowest price offer to highest price offer. Competing sellers are awarded sales contingent on one or more buyer offers remaining after each seller having a lower sell price is satisfied for its entire quantity. Sells for each successful seller are satisfied starting from a buyer's offer having a lowest buy price and increasing to successively higher buy prices of the remaining buyers' offers, until the seller's entire quantity of the listed product is satisfied.
US08082183B2
A method is disclosed for optimizing a business transaction between a selling vendor and a shipping vendor. The method includes receiving a query from a selling vendor. The query includes customer order data. The method also includes identifying at least one possible shipping vendor based on the customer order data and determining shipping information for each of the at least one possible shipping vendors. The method further includes selecting a preferred shipping vendor from among the at least one possible shipping vendors and completing the transaction between the selling vendor and the shipping vendor.
US08082181B2
A host tool having an integral system for ordering inventory from an inventory order interface has a processing unit, a location provider and a remote connector. The location provider is configured to selectively provide the location of the host tool to the processing unit, while the remote connector is configured to establish a remote connection between the processing unit and an inventory order interface of the supplier of the inventory. A customer identification card having order information is selectively connected to the host tool. When the card is connected, the information is read by and transmitted from the host tool to the inventory order interface through the remote connector. The processing unit is configured to interface location information from the location provider, payment information and order information from the customer identification card, through the remote connector, to place an order for inventory at the inventory order interface.
US08082176B2
A message string output system which allows increased input motivation of a user with respect to a specific string is provided. A point information storage (48) stores point information in correspondence with user identification information. A specific string storage (44) stores a specific string. A user identification information acquiring unit (34) acquires user identification information corresponding to a message string which is input by an input unit (30). A judging unit (36) judges whether or not the message string which is input by the input unit (30) contains the specific string stored in the specific string storage (44). A point information updating unit (40) updates, based on a judgment result by the judging unit (36), point information stored in the point information storage (48) in correspondence with the user identification information acquired by the user identification information acquiring unit (34).
US08082174B1
Any content provider, such as a Website that generates pageviews, with available ad spots can sell such ad spots with fine granularity such as on a per pageview basis, or even on a per ad spot basis. One or more ad spots can be sold for the highest compensation for that pageview. These sales, such as via arbitrated offers, may be dynamic, because many pageviews are not determined until a user request is received, and because the winning ad provider(s) for a pageview might not selected until the page request is known. This may be done by (a) accepting ad spot availability information from a first party, (b) multicasting ad spot requests for offers using the accepted ad spot availability information to at least two second parties, (c) receiving offers, (d) determining at least one winning ad using the offers, and (e) providing information concerning at least one of the at least one winning ad to the first party. The compensation can be made fairer for the Website owner, even in cases where there is an information disparity. This may be done by using a dominant bidding strategy. Alternatively, or in addition, this may be done by having the party with the information advantage, which will normally be the ad network, make a priori guarantees with respect to compensation.
US08082172B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a comprehensive, automated system and method for evaluating the performance of individuals or entities employed by an organization, particularly useful in peer-profiling physician performance in multi-facility environments. Embodiments of the invention can dynamically compose a virtual peer or group of peers and perform peer-profiling on each individual or group of individuals to be evaluated. For example, a composite physician may be generated from system-wide and/or state-wide healthcare data as a benchmark against which a particular physician is profiled according to industry-standard measurements. The composite physician would have equivalent or similar job function(s) as well as patient population. The composite physician enables a comprehensive “apple to apple” comparison with the particular physician, giving meaning to and facilitating the usefulness of performance evaluation results.
US08082168B1
A method and system for measuring transferability of workers between and among occupations by means of the mathematical relationships between those occupations' key attributes, as defined by publicly available data on the competencies required as specified by a complete catalog of U.S. occupations known as O*NET. This method provides a concise, informative measurement for comparing the relative requirements of abilities, skills, knowledge, and other relevant attributes of occupations, enabling users to gauge the feasibility of transferring workers from one occupation to another.
US08082167B2
The scheduling of extraction of a resource within a mine is disclosed which comprises obtaining drill hole grade data relating to the resource and creating a plurality of different block models, with each block in each model having a resource grade and each of the block models honoring the drill hole grade data. An extraction schedule is determined based on a cut-off grade policy to increase expected net present value of the mine. The cut-off grade policy can be a variable cut-off grade and the scheduling using the variable cut-off grade is converted from a non-linear representation to a linear representation and a mixed integer programming formulation is used for simultaneous optimization of the extraction schedule and the cut-off grade.
US08082141B2
A method for simulating behavior of first and second interrelated components within a system. The method comprises modelling behavior of said first and second components using first and second functional specifications; simulating behavior of said first and second components in predetermined circumstances by instantiating at least one first entity within a hierarchy of interrelated entities; and instantiating at least one further entity in response to the or each instantiated first entity. The or each further entity is selected by a simulation system on the basis of its hierarchical relationship with the at least one first entity.
US08082139B1
Methods and systems for simulating an electronic system in a high level modeling system (HLMS). A design block and certain signals of the electronic system are selected. The selected signals include internal signals of the design block that are not ports of the design block. The electronic system is simulated in the HLMS, which includes a hardware-based co-simulation platform and a software-based co-simulation platform. A hardware realization of the design block is automatically generated and the design block is emulated in the hardware based co-simulation platform using the hardware realization of the design block. A sequence of values is displayed for the selected signals of the electronic system. During the simulation of the electronic system in the HLMS, the sequence of values for the internal signals of the design block and another sequence of values for the ports of the design block are transferred between the co-simulation platforms.
US08082136B2
Method of conducting chromatography comprising controlling a retention time of one or more chemical species in a mixture by determining at least one conceptual segment of: a) the one or more chemical species, b) a mobile phase component, and c) a stationary phase component. The method further includes defining an identity and an equivalent number of each of the at least one conceptual segment.
US08082134B2
A hybrid drill bit is modeled, simulated, designed, optimized, and displayed. The hybrid drill is modeled based on input bit design parameters. The modeled hybrid drill bit is then simulated as drilling an earth formation, where at least a portion of the simulation may be graphically displayed so as to allow a user to adjust one or more parameters of the hybrid drill bit, drill string, and/or earth formation. Formation interactions between a fixed cutting element of the hybrid drill bit and the earth formation and between a roller cone cutting element of the hybrid drill bit and the earth formation are determined based on models developed using, for example, laboratory-based formation interaction tests. Simulation of the modeled hybrid drill bit may be selectively repeated so as to allow a user to adjust one or more design parameters of the hybrid drill bit to affect a simulated drilling characteristic. Such designing of the hybrid drill bit may be performed until one or more bit design parameters are accepted as being optimized.
US08082131B2
By receiving input of a crystal structure and atom numbers, and specifying an atom group that can generate fluctuations from an electronic state calculation of a normal Kohn-Sham theory, an electronic state calculation device calculates a reference system. Next, based on an extended Kohn-Sham theory, the electronic state calculation device performs self-consistent calculation for an effective many-body system, then determines whether or not density fluctuations obtained for the reference system and density fluctuations obtained by the self-consistent calculation coincide with each other, and in a case of coincidence, acquires parameters of an exchange correlation energy and a local interaction. By the acquired parameters, an effective Hamiltonian is decided, and optimization of an electronic state is performed for a known crystal structure.
US08082117B2
A method utilizes an optical image processing system. The method includes providing a measured magnitude of the Fourier transform of a complex transmission function of an object or optical image. The method further includes providing an estimated phase term of the Fourier transform of the complex transmission function. The method further includes multiplying the measured magnitude and the estimated phase term to generate an estimated Fourier transform of the complex transmission function. The method further includes calculating an inverse Fourier transform of the estimated Fourier transform, wherein the inverse Fourier transform is a spatial function. The method further includes calculating an estimated complex transmission function by applying at least one constraint to the inverse Fourier transform.
US08082114B2
The invention concerns a method for characterizing the endurance limit of a part from the state of its surface including the following steps: reading geometrical data describing the surface profile of the zone the endurance limit of which is to be determined, applying said data to a computing model so as to work out an estimate of the field of mechanical stresses in said zone of said part, deducing from said estimate of the field of stresses at least one quantity characteristic of the endurance behavior of the part.
US08082109B2
The invention relates to computational methods, systems and apparatus useful in the analysis of sets of biomolecules in an accessible body fluid or tissue sample from a patient, which biomolecules collectively or individually are candidates to serve as biomarkers, i.e., biomolecules which together or individually upon detection or change are indicative that the patient is in some biological state, such as a diseased state. The methods permit one to examine such potential biological markers to determine whether each one is indeed present as a consequence of the biological state, or as an artifact of the biomarker search protocol.
US08082105B2
Disclosed is a method and apparatus for measuring in-situ stress in rock using a thermal crack. The method involves forming a borehole, cooling a wall of the borehole, applying tensile thermal stress, forming a crack in the borehole wall, and measuring temperature and cracking point. Afterwards, the borehole wall is heated to close the formed crack, the borehole wall is cooled again to re-open the crack, and temperature is measured when the crack is re-opened. The in-situ stress of the rock is calculated using a first cracking temperature at which the crack is formed and a second cracking temperature at which the crack is re-opened. Further, the apparatus cools, heats and re-cools the borehole wall, thereby measuring the first cracking temperature, the second cracking temperature, and the cracking point.
US08082098B2
An apparatus mounted in a vehicle which can communicate with an information supplying server includes: a detection portion for detecting that a predetermined process is carried out in the vehicle; an institution information acquiring portion for acquiring institution information indicating an institution in a location where the process is carried out; a recording portion for recording the institution information acquired by the institution information acquiring portion in a memory medium; an information acquiring portion for acquiring information to be outputted from an information supplying server which stores information to be outputted, including map additional information to be added to maps or advertisement information; and an extraction portion for extracting information to be outputted relating to an institution indicated by the institution information recorded in the memory medium from the information to be outputted acquired by the information acquiring portion.
US08082094B2
This invention discloses a navigation apparatus correcting position data according to a map matching position and a method thereof. The navigation apparatus includes a satellite positioning module, an electronic map database, a map matching module and a correction module. The satellite positioning module provides a plurality of position data. The electronic map database stores at least one map data. The map matching module matches a position data with a map data to generate a map matching position corresponding to the position data. The correction module provides at least one turning point, and each turning point is situated at the map matching position to form an turning angular. If the turning angular exceeds a threshold value, the correction module calculates a position data and a map matching position statically collected within a predetermined time according to an algorithm to generate an offset to correct the position data behind the turning point.
US08082090B2
A method and device for operation of glow plugs of a Diesel engine in which the type of glow plugs used is determined, by a parameter typical of the glow plugs, for example, the electrical glow plug resistance, being detected and evaluated. The detected values of the parameter typical of the glow plugs are compared with corresponding data for various types of glow plugs stored in the glow controller to determine the type(s) of glow plug(s) in the engine. After identification of the type(s) of glow plug(s), stored sets of parameters, which correspond to the type(s) of glow plug(s) determined, are likewise called upon to control the glow plugs.
US08082087B2
A motion control device for a vehicle includes a controlling means for maintaining a traveling stability of the vehicle by controlling a braking force of a wheel of the vehicle, a friction coefficient obtaining means for obtaining a friction coefficient of a road surface on which the vehicle travels, a lateral force reference value calculating means for calculating a lateral force reference value acting on the wheel on the basis of the friction coefficient of the road surface and a lateral force actual value obtaining means for obtaining a lateral force actual value acting on the wheel, wherein the controlling means controls the braking force on the basis of a comparison result between the lateral force reference value and the lateral force actual value.
US08082085B2
A method for shifting a gear into a gear position in an automated shift transmission with several gears and an automated shift transmission adapted to perform said method are suggested. Via a shifting fork, a shifting sleeve can be shifted from a neutral position into respective gear positions and reaches on its way a pull-in position where the shifting sleeve is automatically forced in direction of the gear position. It is achieved that the pull-in position is safely reached by checking whether the shifting fork has reached a first threshold value, a second threshold value, and whether it has come to a standstill therebetween. Accordingly, an increased shifting force can be applied. Albeit allowing production tolerances in the transmission, the respective gear position is safely reached.
US08082084B2
A loader and a control system for a loader provide for monitoring the position of a part of the implement carried by the loader. The loader has a body with left and right upright tower portions, and a loader drive system including ground engaging drive elements. Left and right interconnected lift arm assemblies each have an implement lift arm pivotally connected with a corresponding tower portion of the body at a lift arm pivot point. A lift actuator is connected between the body and the lift arm. The implement is pivotally connected with the lift arm assemblies about an implement pivot axis. The lift arm pivot point and the implement pivot axis in side elevation define a straight reference line. At least one implement tilt actuator is connected between at least one of the lift arm assemblies and the implement. A position sensor is mounted on the body at the level of, or above, the lift arm pivot points. An inclinometer is movable with the left and right interconnected lift arm assemblies to provide an indication of the inclination of the lift arm assemblies along the straight reference line. An angle sensor provides an indication of the orientation of said implement with respect to said left and right interconnected lift arm assemblies. The control is responsive to the position sensor, the inclinometer, and the angle sensor. The control determines the position of the position sensor and the position of a part of the implement with respect to the position sensor.
US08082075B2
A tire sensor system includes a first sensor and a second sensor spaced apart from the first sensor. The first and second sensors are mounted to a tire. A processor receives input signals from the first and second sensors, and is programmed to determine the length of a contact patch of the tire in response to the input signals.
US08082066B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods of controlling fluid dispense to ensure clean break off of fluid at the end of a dispense process and to reduce crystallization of fluid in the dispense nozzle. One embodiment of the present invention can include a controller that can, generate a flow control signal to cause a control valve to close according to a first close rate parameter for a first segment of the close range and to generate the flow control signal to cause the control valve to close according to a second close rate parameter for a second segment of the close range.
US08082060B2
A mail processing system has an infeed line coupled to receive a first article from a feeder. A loading device is coupled to receive the first article from the infeed line at a first speed, and a transfer unit is coupled to receive the first article from the loading device, wherein the transfer unit is configured to transport the first article at a second speed, which is lower than the first speed.
US08082052B2
Methods and apparatuses for ensuring the dimensional constancy of multisegment physical structures, in particular aircraft structures, during assembly are disclosed. The method includes setting up a spatially-fixed three-dimensional coordinate system which encloses the subsequent assembled physical structure and introducing a plurality of segments of the physical structure to be assembled into the spatially-fixed three-dimensional coordinate system. The method includes recording the positions of the individual segments and the positions of already assembled groups of segments repeatedly within the spatially-fixed three-dimensional coordinate system during assembly. The method includes correcting the position of a respective segment or of a respective already assembled group of segments if a respective record shows that the positions of the respective segment or of the respective already assembled group of segments is outside a tolerance band, which is predetermined in accordance with a desired dimensional constancy, by a respective predetermined nominal value.
US08082049B2
The invention provides a method for operation of an automation system having at least one bus system connected to at least one subscriber, and having a central control system. The method includes parameterizing and/or programming the at least one bus subscriber by the central control device, identifying an interruption in the connection to the control device by the at least one bus subscriber, and controlling at least one output of the at least one bus subscriber as a function of the parameterizing and/or the programming upon identification of the interruption in the connection. The invention also provides an automation system which is suitable for carrying out the method.
US08082041B1
A bio-implantable energy capture and storage assembly, including an acoustic energy transmitter for contact with the skin, and an acoustic energy receiver—converter for converting acoustic energy to electrical energy; and a battery or capacitor connected to the energy converter. The acoustic energy receiver/converter is contained within a biocompatible implant.
US08082034B2
A device that programs a medical device includes a display and a user input device. The device displays a graphical representation of a plurality of electrodes on a medical lead implanted in the patient, and displays an active electrode template at a first position relative to the graphical representation of the electrodes. A processor of the device receives input dragging the active electrode template. In response to the input dragging the active electrode template, the processor adjusts at least one parameter of electrical stimulation delivered to the patient via the lead based on the position of the active electrode template relative to the graphical representation of the electrodes on the medical lead.
US08082032B2
The present disclosure comprises a system, catheter and method for measuring the cross-sectional areas and pressure gradients in any hollow organ, such as, for example, blood vessels. One embodiment of such a method includes the steps of introducing an impedance catheter into a treatment site, providing electrical current flow to the treatment site, injecting a first solution and measuring a first conductance value, injecting a second solution and measuring a second conductance value, and calculating the cross-sectional area of the treatment site, in part, based on the first and second conductance values.
US08082025B2
An apparatus for generating ECG recordings and a method for using the same are disclosed. The apparatus includes a handheld device and a controller. The handheld device has first, second, third, and fourth electrodes on an outer surface of the handheld device. The controller records signals from the first, second, third, and fourth electrodes and generates an ECG recording from the signals. The controller also provides placement information regarding locations on a user's body that are to be brought into contact with the first, second, third, and fourth electrodes while the controller records the signals. The handheld device can include a cellular telephone or a PDA. The controller stores an exemplary normal ECG recording, and compares a newly generated ECG recording with the stored ECG recording and generates an indication that indicates whether the newly generated ECG recording is consistent with the stored ECG recording.
US08082020B2
A method for tracking a position of an object includes using a field sensor associated with the object to measure field strengths of magnetic fields generated by two or more field generators, wherein a measurement of at least one of the field strengths is subject to a distortion. Rotation-invariant location coordinates of the object are calculated responsively to the measured field strengths. Corrected location coordinates of the object are determined by applying to the rotation-invariant location coordinates a coordinate correcting function so as to adjust a relative contribution of each of the measured field strengths to the corrected location coordinates responsively to the distortion in the measured field strengths.
US08082009B2
A mobile telephone or cellular telephone unit and a rear view mirror housing of an automobile are combined to provide an improved telephone apparatus that enables a hands-free use by a driver while operating the vehicle, the improved telephone apparatus includes a rear view mirror housing, the housing including a rear view mirror, telephone and SIM card for sending and receiving telephone calls and instant video image, the image display and SIM card are removably connected thereto. A telephone key pad is cooperatively connected to the telephone for dialing the telephone. An attachment bracket attaches the mirror housing to the vehicle. The housing has the electronic circuitry incorporated therewith to which a telephone and video assembly is connectable. A remote device, and computer process to communicate with the motor vehicle without the need for an automated hub, or Network Operating Center (NOC).
US08082007B2
A messenger strand mounted low-power pico-cell radio, having its own environmentally controlled box, mounted on utility messenger strands, connects to the cable using the Internet protocol (IP) for back-haul, and has in-band monitor and control capability. These pico-cell radios also receive power through the same cable connection. The configuration control and monitoring is by independent discretely-managed internal mechanisms that can be remotely addressed. These internal mechanisms include the modem for backhaul, wireless radio transceiver(s), and the system management device for operation, administration, maintenance, and control. Such pico-cell radios help to provide wireless connectivity and coverage efficiently by reducing dark spots in wireless coverage. Distributing these radios in reasonable, close proximity enables wireless coverage in difficult terrains, where current high power systems fail. The radios disclosed herein eliminate the need and cost for additional power lines and IP connection lines, and are therefore easy to install and maintain.
US08082006B2
A receiver of a wireless base station that uses a simple mode to detect a failure is provided, and an SW 201 switches whether an input port of the receiver 133 is to be connected with an antenna 114 or to be terminated. An LNA (a low noise amplifier) 205 amplifies an input signal with a low distortion. SWs 202 and 203 switch between a first path which runs through the LNA 205 and a second path 204 which does not run through the LNA 205. An AGC AMP, the gain of which is controlled such that the output thereof is constant, amplifies the signal with the controlled gain. A base station control section uses the SW 201 to terminate the input port of the receiver so that thermal noise is input to the LNA 205. Further, the SWs 202 and 203 are changed over to determine the normality of the receiver based on the fact that a first gain of an AGC-AMP 211 when connected to the first path, a second gain of the AGC-AMP 211 when connected to the second path, and a difference between the first and second gains fall within their respective predetermined ranges.
US08081997B2
Systems and methodologies are described that facilitate pilot channel optimization schemes for high data rate communications transmissions. In various illustrative implementations, pilot channel operations can be monitored and controlled by an exemplary base station for one or more cooperating wireless terminals (e.g., user equipment) such that one or more power features of the one or more cooperating wireless terminals can be illustratively changed in response to one or more selected pilot channel operational conditions. In an illustrative operation, an exemplary base station can engage one or more selected pilot channel control operations as part of pilot channel optimization comprising a jump detection technique, operating power control on another channel other than the DPCCH, engaging in delayed power control, engaging in a soft-handoff power control in the instance of a boosted pilot channel, and resolving ambiguity in grant messages resulting from a pilot boost.
US08081989B2
Embodiments of the present invention recite a method for implementing Geographic Information Systems (GIS) data collection utilizing a legacy electronic device. In one embodiment, a GIS data collector application is installed upon a legacy electronic device which is not originally intended to be used as a GIS data recording device. The method further comprises selecting a data dictionary comprising at least one desired GIS feature type which was not originally intended for use by the legacy electronic device based upon an assigned membership of the legacy electronic device to a workgroup. The method further comprises sending the data dictionary to the legacy electronic device via a wireless communication network.
US08081986B2
A method for transmitting location information includes the steps of: a) receiving a start message including MO (mobile originated location request) mode information from a first terminal; b) calculating location information of the first terminal; and c) transmitting the calculated first terminal's location information according to the MO (mobile originated location request) mode information. A method for transmitting location information in a Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) protocol of a first SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET), a SUPL Location Platform (SLP), and a second SUPL Enabled Terminal (SET) includes the steps of: a) receiving a start message including MO (mobile originated location request) mode information from the first SET; b) calculating location information of the first SET; and c) transmitting the calculated first SET's location information to any one of the first SET and the second SET according to the MO (mobile originated location request) mode information.
US08081980B2
A multimedia mobile communication system for recovering a handoff failure comprises: a hybrid access terminal; a base station transceiver subsystem for transmitting and receiving the voice and the data; a base station a mobile switching center a 1×EV-DO transceiver; and an access network controller for controlling the handoff by transmitting a traffic channel assignment signal when there is no response from the hybrid access terminal upon receiving the route update signal from the hybrid access terminal and transmitting the traffic channel assignment signal in response to the route update signal and a packet data serving node.
US08081978B2
A method of cell selection in a wireless cellular network having a plurality of radio system cells involves determining a bandwidth indication for data communication through each of a serving cell and at least one neighboring cell to the serving cell. The bandwidth indication comprises an indication of the capacity for data communication through each cell. One of the cells is then selected for packet-based communication in accordance with the determined bandwidth indications.
US08081974B2
A method and mobile terminal for an improved random access prioritization scheme for Random Access Channel (RACH) transmission is provided by increasing the transmission probability based on remaining access cycles and, whereby the access delay for terminals having less remaining access cycles is decreased by increasing the transmission probability.
US08081962B1
The communication device which implements a voice communicating function, an attached file emailing function, a geographic location function, a dictionary function, a schedule notifying function, a multiple type TV program function, a multiple TV screen displaying function, a touch panel function, a communication device finding function, and a resume enabled video game function, independently or simultaneously.
US08081961B2
A network management apparatus inputs a plurality of work dates and time periods to update software in a base station. The apparatus obtains an n-week average of the numbers of connection calls during each of the input time periods for each day of the week, based on statistical information about connection with a wireless terminal in each base station. The apparatus obtains an m-month average of the numbers of connection calls during each of the input time periods for each date, based on the statistical information. The apparatus calculates, for each of the time periods for a work date, an average or a weighted average of the n-week average and the m-month average to obtain a degree of impact upon a communication service. A processing section selects a work date and a time period having the minimum degree of impact and updates the software.
US08081955B2
Content is managed and delivered to mobile devices, often through a wireless network. Mobile devices have content management software containing instructions to receive and manage content at the mobile device. Content management servers select and manage content and transmit content to the mobile devices, receiving requests for content, and up-to-date information regarding quantity of content to be transmitted. Up-to-date information regarding quantity is repeatedly sent and received, and content is repeatedly selected and transmitted using the information to make selections. Specific embodiments provide methods, systems, and devices for automatically managing content to increase the probability that the user is gaining access to the content they want to see and for decreasing the chance that the delivery of content is tying up limited resources of mobile devices.
US08081952B2
A mobile communications device for communicating with a wireless network is described. The device includes a processor, a communications sub-system connected to the processor for exchanging signals with the wireless network and with the processor, a user input device connected to the processor for sending user input signals to the processor in response to user inputs. A security module is associated with the processor for automatically taking a security action upon detecting a predetermined security user input through the user input device. The security action can include sending a duress message and/or wiping data stored on the device.
US08081951B1
A telephone system includes a user-carried emergency communication system in combination with a cellular telephone. The user-carried handset has a large button on a first face. Pressing the button summons help by automatic connection to the 911 emergency telephone network. It also activates a signaling device mounted on the inside glass surface of a window that illuminates a message that 911 has been called. It may also sound an alarm. A pre-recorded massage may also be sent to the emergency call center. The other face has the functions of a cellular telephone. All elements are within the building, with installation by simply plugging cords into power outlets the same as any cellular phone and mounting the signaling device with suction cups. There are no monthly fees except for the usual cellular phone fee.
US08081950B2
A power line communication apparatus is provided with an auto gain detector that detects a gain fluctuation of an AGC (Auto Gain Control) circuit that automatically adjusts a gain of a received signal; a retry ratio calculator that calculates a ratio of retry based on output from an ARQ (Automatic Repeat request) unit that detects an error in the received data and issues a repeat request; and a transmission rate calculator that calculates a transmission rate based on output from a channel estimation unit that calculates a CNR so as to estimate a transmission status. A display displays a transmission status, including the detected AGC noise fluctuation, retry ratio, transmission rate and the like.
US08081949B2
Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide a method of managing multi-mode operations such that a multi-mode MS may utilize the WiMAX sleep mode for monitoring the paging intervals of other supported radio access technologies. For example, certain embodiments may enable the MS to determine a set of WiMAX sleep mode parameters that align a WiMAX sleep window with a CDMA page listening window. Additionally, certain embodiments may provide enhanced MOB_SLP-REQ and MOB_SLP-RSP messages enabling the multi-mode MS to establish a WiMAX sleep mode based on the previously determined WiMAX sleep mode parameters. As a result, embodiments of the present disclosure may enable an MS to manage multi-mode operations, such that the MS 430 may better employ the WiMAX sleep mode for switching from the WiMAX network to the CDMA network to listen for CDMA paging.
US08081946B2
Sampling may be employed to cancel an analog input radio frequency (RF) signal by using an upconverted analog cancellation RF signal to cancel the analog input RF signal at the sample instances. At least two sampling paths may be employed, a signal path and a cancel path, and direct RF bandpass sampling may be included in both the signal and cancel paths.
US08081945B2
A system and method for detecting antenna coupling and for providing feedback cancellation in response to the antenna coupling includes a signal feedback cancellation circuit configured to be coupled between a signal receiver and a signal transmitter. The feedback cancellation circuit is responsive to received signals, amplified signals and the detection of signal coupling between a receiving antenna any transmitting antenna, for providing a feedback cancellation signal to a signal amplifier. The feedback cancellation circuit may employ time domain or frequency domain methods. In the case of a time domain method, the feedback cancellation circuit may further include a White noise generator which serves to the tune or adjust the feedback cancellation circuit.
US08081941B2
Aspects of a method and system for an RF front-end calibration scheme using signals from a fractional-N frequency synthesized and received signal strength indicator (RSSI) are provided. A frequency synthesizer within a wireless receiver may generate a signal for dynamically modifying a gain in an integrated low-noise amplifier (LNA) for each selected receiver channel. The frequency-synthesized signals may be applied to at least one tunable load communicatively coupled to the LNA. The tunable load may be an input load or an output load. The signal generated by the frequency synthesizer may be sequentially applied to the input load and the output load. A logarithmic amplifier may generate an RSSI signal from the LNA output during the calibration process. The RSSI signal may be utilized for controlling a tunable load coupled to the LNA and optimize the tuning of the LNA in a desired channel by adjusting the tunable load.
US08081939B2
A frequency-control unit is used for controlling an external controllable reference-frequency source. The frequency-control unit includes a filter unit with a controllable filter parameter, which is configured to derive, using the filter parameter, from a frequency-error signal a frequency-control signal for minimizing the frequency error of the reference frequency; and a correlation unit, which is configured to determine from frequency errors of the reference frequency at different points in time a correlation measure indicative of a correlation between the frequency errors at the different points in time. The frequency-control unit is configured to adapt the controllable filter parameter of the filter unit in dependence on the determined correlation measure. The value of the filter parameter can depend also on a receiver path strength, such as an RSCP value.
US08081936B2
A method for tuning a digital compensation filter within a transmitter includes: obtaining at least one loop gain calibration result by performing loop gain calibration based upon signals of at least a portion of the transmitter, and obtaining at least one resistance-capacitance (RC) detection result by performing RC detection on the portion of the transmitter without individually measuring resistance values of resistors therein and capacitance values of capacitors therein, wherein the RC detection result corresponds to a detected value representing a product of a resistance value and a capacitance value, and the digital compensation filter includes a gain compensation module and an RC compensation module; and tuning the digital compensation filter by respectively inputting the loop gain calibration result and the RC detection result into the gain compensation module and the RC compensation module. An associated digital compensation filter and an associated calibration circuit are also provided.
US08081922B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for use in devices adapted to receive signals from at least one satellite positioning system (SPS). As part of at least one search for a transmission from a space vehicle (SV) associated with the SPS, the methods and apparatuses may correlate a code associated with the SV with a received signal to establish a plurality of correlation values, sample at least a portion of the correlation values during the search, and selectively transitioning the search early or prematurely based, at least in part, on at least one of the sampled correlation values.
US08081920B2
A transfer material separating device includes a transfer material moving member (intermediate transfer belt) adapted to move with a transfer material held in contact with and pressed against it so as to have a liquid developer image transferred onto the transfer material and a transfer material separation/suction section (a suction wheel, a suction wheel support lever, a cam and a spring) for sucking the transfer material moving with the transfer material moving member at the surface opposite to the image transfer surface thereof and separating the transfer material from the transfer material moving member.
US08081911B2
A development roller includes a base unit having a base recess and a base projection formed in a predetermined area of a circumference surface of the base unit, and a surface layer formed on the circumference surface of the base unit and having a recess and a projection formed respectively in accordance with the base recess and the base projection of the base unit.
US08081909B2
There is provided an image forming device, comprising: an image holding unit configured to hold an image formed by developing material; a developing material case configured to accommodate the developing material and to have a supplying opening facing the image holding unit; a carrying unit having a plurality of carrying electrodes, the carrying unit being configured to carry the developing material accommodated in the developing material case toward the image holding unit by generating a traveling electric field through the plurality of carrying electrodes; a vibrator that vibrates the carrying unit; and a controller that controls the vibrator to change a frequency of vibration.
US08081885B2
The present invention relates to a coherent optical communication apparatus and method. According to the invention, the optical communication apparatus receives a modulated optical signal, which is generated by modulating an optical signal with a first electrical signal obtained by adding a second electrical signal carrying information to be transmitted and a reference electrical signal, and converts the modulated optical signal to a third electrical signal by coherent detection. Then the apparatus detects an amount of fluctuation of the reference electrical signal included in the third electrical signal, and compensates the second electrical signal included in the third electrical signal using the amount of fluctuation.
US08081883B2
A method and an apparatus are provided for use in a parallel optical transmitter or transceiver to compensate for variations in optical crosstalk in an optical output power monitoring system that are caused by lasers being enabled and/or disabled. In particular, the method and apparatus cause adjustments to be made to the reference value of each optical channel based on determinations of whether one or more lasers of the other optical channels have been disabled or enabled. By making these adjustments, the average optical output power level of each laser of each channel can be maintained at a desired or required level even if one or more of the lasers of one or more of the other channels is enabled or disabled.
US08081881B2
An economical optical network is constituted by effectively using network resources by using the minimum number of, or minimum capacity of 3R repeaters. 3R section information corresponding to topology information on the optical network to which an optical node device itself belongs is stored, and the 3R section information stored is referred so as to autonomously determine whether or not the optical node device itself is an optical node device for implementing the 3R relay when setting an optical path passing through the optical node device itself. Alternatively, when the optical node device itself is a source node, another optical node device for implementing the 3R relay among the other optical node devices through which the optical path from the optical node device itself to the destination node passes is identified, and this identified optical node device is requested to implement the 3R relay when setting an optical path in which the optical node device itself is a source node.
US08081873B2
A hands-free hair dryer mounting apparatus adapted for holding a hair dryer in an oscillating universal hair dryer holder assembly is disclosed. The apparatus includes a wall mountable housing that is removably affixed to a wall mounting plate adapted for secure attachment to a wall or other supporting surface. A universal hair dryer holder, adapted for receiving and holding any type, size, or style of handheld hair dryer, projects outward from the housing. The hair dryer holder is connected to an oscillating arm via a horizontal pivot connection that allows for manual angular adjustment and affixation of the hair dryer about a generally horizontal pivot axis. The oscillating arm extends into the base and is connected to an electric motor by mechanical linkage such that angularly adjustable side-to-side oscillation is enabled. Angular adjustment is accomplished by providing the oscillating arm with an elongated longitudinal slot that receivably engages an eccentric motor driven axel, and by providing a manual adjustment lever that permits the user to selectively position the eccentric motor driven axel at various positions within the longitudinal slot thereby adjusting the angular displacement of the oscillating arm. The mounting base further includes a plurality of electrical outlets in electrical communication with the power source for providing power to the hair dryer as well as optional accessory devices, such as a curling iron.
US08081856B2
Provided is an optical fiber that has a small bending loss, can be securely prevented from being fractured due to accidental bending during installation or other operations, and is compliant with the G. 652 standard. An optical fiber 1 includes a core 11, a first cladding 12, a second cladding 13, and a third cladding 14. The relative refractive index difference Δ1 of the core 11 is in the range of 0.3% to 0.38%, the relative refractive index difference Δ2 of the first cladding 12 is equal to or smaller than 0%, and the relative refractive index difference Δ3 of the second cladding 13 is in the range of −1.8% to −0.5%. The inner radius r2 and the outer radius r3 of the second cladding 13 satisfy the expression “0.4r2+10.5
US08081853B2
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 improved coating system provides optical fibers that offer significant advantages to single-fiber drop cables, such as those employed for Multiple Dwelling Unit (MDU) applications.
US08081848B2
Presented are techniques for extracting metadata from a digitally scanned document. The text of the digitally scanned document is obtained and a first algorithm is provided to identify various numbers found within the text, determine which numbers correspond to the page numbers of the document, and associate the determined numbers with the pages of the document. Furthermore, a second algorithm is provided that uses the text to determine the page type of the pages within the document. The second algorithm is configured to determine if a page is a table of contents page, an index page, or a title page.
US08081847B2
The invention relates to techniques of up-scaling an input image represented by an input video signal in an image up-scaling system, especially to a method and an image up-scaling system for up-scaling an input image represented by an input video signal, the method comprising steps of receiving and processing the input video signal in an up-scaling device (21, 23), providing a linear up-scaled video signal generated by the up-scaling device (21, 23) to a signal combining device (24), receiving and processing the input video signal in a harmonics generation device (22, 25, 26, . . . , 30), generating an up-scaled output image represented by an up-scaled output video signal by combing the up-scaled video signal with a higher harmonics video output signal provided by the harmonics generation device (22, 25, 26, . . . , 30) in the signal combining device (24), and providing the up-scaled output video signal to an output of the combining device (24).
US08081829B2
The present invention enables highly accurate estimation of a motion amount of a target pixel for motion-estimation located between two adjacent lines in a current field when generating a non-interlaced video signal from an interlaced video signal. To achieve this aim, an inter-field motion-estimating unit estimates a motion amount between a current field and a previous field. An intra-field motion-estimating unit estimates a motion amount within a current field. A motion amount calculation unit calculates a final motion amount based on the inter-field motion amount estimated by the inter-field motion-estimating unit and the intra-field motion amount estimated by the intra-field motion-estimating unit, and then outputs the motion amount.
US08081825B2
There is provided a method for real-time target detection comprising detecting a preprocessed pixel as a target and/or a background, based on a library, and refining the library by extracting a sample from the target or the background.
US08081812B2
The invention relates to a method for visualizing an overlaid presentation of x-ray images. A first two-dimensional fluoroscopy image of an object of interest is provided. A second two-dimensional x-ray image of the object is intra-operatively recorded. A color is selected to a part of the first fluoroscopy image reproducing the object of interest. A complementary color corresponding to the selected color to the same part of the second fluoroscopy image reproducing the object is selected. The fluoroscopy images provided with the colors are overlaid. Deviations in the overlaid presentation remaining are identified with one of the added colors.
US08081807B2
A method of reconstructing an (n+1)-dimensional image function ƒ representing a region of investigation comprises determining the image function ƒ from n-dimensional or less dimensional Radon data comprising a plurality of projection functions pθ(t) measured corresponding to a plurality of predetermined projection directions (Θ), wherein the image function ƒ is determined as a sum of polynomials multiplied with values of the projection functions pθ(t). Imaging methods, imaging devices, and computer tomography devices using this reconstruction method are described.
US08081796B2
A method for estimating a petrophysical parameter from a rock sample includes making a three dimensional tomographic image of the sample of the material. The image is segmented into pixels each representing pore space or rock grain. Porosity of the sample is determined from the segmented image. An image of at least one fracture is introduced into the segmented image to generate a fractured image. The porosity of the fractured image is determined. At least one petrophysical parameter related to the pore-space geometry is estimated from the fractured image.
US08081783B2
A technique using a new diaphragm structure and support design is provided herein for microphones or structure designs for pressure sensing. The structure includes a set of capacitive structures. The capacitive structure has a combination of a diaphragm structure, a back plate structure and a surrounding micro-structure for fixing the diaphragm. After the diaphragm structure has deformed due to a pressure load, a gap between the back plate and the diaphragm is changed accordingly, and variation occurs in the capacitance value between the two parallel plates. By using the principle of the effect of capacitance value variation, the capacitive sensor causes the capacitance value to vary with the change in the sound, thus accomplishing the object of measuring.
US08081779B2
An object is to provide an audio circuit in which flow of excessive current through a capacitive speaker and a drive circuit thereof can be prevented while degradation of sound quality of high-pitched tones is suppressed. The audio circuit for driving a capacitive speaker includes: a weighting circuit for performing weighting in conformity with frequency components of an audio signal; and a signal-voltage limiting compression circuit for compressing a signal, which is input to the drive amplifier or which has been output from the drive circuit, at a prescribed compression ratio in accordance with a difference voltage between the output signal of the weighting circuit and a preset threshold voltage when the weighted signal exceeds the threshold voltage. Alternatively, the audio circuit is provided with a signal-voltage limiting compression circuit for passing, with amplitudes unchanged, signal components below a prescribed frequency contained in the signal reproduced by the capacitive speaker and compressing amplitudes of signal components not less than the prescribed frequency at a prescribed compression ratio.
US08081776B2
A system automatically determines an equalizing filter characteristic for a communication system within a vehicle. The communication system includes a loudspeaker and a microphone or microphone array. The system transmits a predetermined test signal through the loudspeaker and receive the test signal through the microphone or microphone array. Based on the predetermined test signal and the received test signal, a transfer function is developed. The equalizing filter characteristic is then developed from the transfer function.
US08081770B2
A pattern detection circuit detects a pattern in a received bit stream, for example a repetitive 8-bit silence pattern in a stream of digital audio data. Summing circuitry forms during first alternate time periods a sum of a first sequence comprising a predetermined number of alternate bits in the bit stream; and forms during second alternate time periods an inverse of a sum of a second sequence comprising the predetermined number of alternate bits in the bit stream. It is then determined whether successive sums formed by the summing circuitry are equal.
US08081766B2
A method is provided for creating a series of digital signal processing (DSP) filters to improve the transient response of a loudspeaker, wherein the loudspeaker is formed of multiple components. The method includes generally six steps. The first step involves identifying a substantially linear, time-invariant, and spatially-consistent loudspeaker mechanism causing transient response distortion. The second step involves characterizing the identified mechanism. The third step involves determining the characterized mechanism's two-port response. The fourth step involves establishing a target response for the characterized mechanism. The fifth step involves calculating an ideal filter to achieve the target response. The sixth step involves designing a cost-reduced filter based on the ideal filter.
US08081761B2
A communication encryption processing apparatus is provided in which a dedicated signal line is provided between a key management module and an encryption and decryption processing module to perform a key delivery via the dedicated signal line from the key management module to the encryption and decryption processing module, and as a result, transmission and reception of raw key data on a bus is no longer performed.
US08081755B2
A method and system is provided for encrypting an image compressed with a JPEG2000-based compression with minimal overhead so that the encrypted codestream is compliant with the syntax of the JPEG2000-based compression and can be scaled without decrypting. The encryption system generates, for each independent encryption segment of a codestream for an image, a unique initialization vector from a global initialization vector in such a way that the initialization vectors can be generated during decryption from the global initialization vector, even after truncation. The encryption system encrypts each independent encryption segment using its unique initialization vector. The encryption system ensures that the encrypted codestream is compliant with the syntax of the JPEG2000-based compression both as originally generated and as truncated by an encryption-unaware device.
US08081754B2
A key update method and a key update apparatus are provided. The method includes storing data in a database of an update server, the data having an encoded updated node key in response to a node key update for a group; selecting necessary data, from among the data having the encoded updated node key, to calculate a key immediately prior to when the member is switched to the online mode, and generating member update data; and performing a key update with respect to the member using the member update data in a device corresponding to the member which has switched from the offline mode to the online mode.
US08081750B1
A method that permits a user to select a telephone number contained in an e-mail, web page, or other text page displayed on the screen of a computing device and store that telephone number in memory for later use. Other information may also be selected and stored, such as the name or e-mail address of a person associated with the telephone number.
US08081746B2
In an exemplary method audible signals from participants of a conference call during the ongoing conference call are processed by a conference bridge. An incoming audible signal on a first line from a first participant is detected during the conference call with a plurality of other conference call participants coupled via corresponding other lines. The audible signal on the first line is automatically attenuated before information on the first line is summed into a common signal that is transmitted to the other conference call participants. This prevents the other participants from hearing the audible signal during the ongoing conference call.
US08081740B2
Before completing a call initiated at a calling telephony device for a called telephony device; caller identification information for the calling telephony device is obtained for the call. If standard caller identification information is not available, the caller is prompted to provide spoken caller identification information. The caller identification information is communicated to the called telephony device via a connectionless protocol such as VoIP where a continuing connection does not exist between communicating end points. The called party is given call disposition options. The process which controls this operation may be located anywhere in the network, including at switching equipment and at the called telephony device.
US08081739B2
Methods for routing a call based on voice activated dialing (VAD). A VAD device module may respond to a VAD instruction, or to a call received with a VAD instruction with a corresponding call destination number obtained from a personal VAD directory. If the personal VAD directory fails to include the call destination number, the VAD device module may route the call or initiate a call through a gateway to a VAD network module. The VAD network module may obtain call destination information from the VAD instruction, and may use the call destination information obtain the call destination number. The VAD network module may obtain additional information from the call or other source, and use the additional information to obtain the call destination number. The call then is routed to the call destination number. The call destination number may be added to the personal VAD directory.
US08081729B2
The invention relates to an assembly for exchanging heat between first and second fluids, the assembly comprising a central manifold communicating with one of the inlet and the outlet for the first fluid; an annular manifold disposed around the central manifold and communicating with the other one of the inlet and the outlet for the first fluid; a plurality of heat exchangers interposed radially interposed between the central manifold and the annular manifold; and a plurality of axial inlet manifolds communicating with the inlet for the second fluid, and a plurality of axial outlet manifolds communicating with the outlet for the second fluid, the axial inlet and outlet manifolds being interposed circumferentially between the heat exchangers. According to the invention, the assembly has an inlet chamber disposed at a first axial end of the heat exchangers and putting the inlet(s) for the second fluid into communication with at least a plurality of axial inlet manifolds.
US08081721B2
A wireless communication system uses relaying to enhance performance. Artificial frequency selectivity and spatial diversity are provided by introducing delay diversity. A transformed OFDM chunk is subjected to a 2D cyclic prefix by pre-appending to a representation of the chunk the last column of the representation and by copying a number of the last rows of the pre-appended chunk to the top of the representation thereby forming an augmented OFDM chunk.
US08081719B2
A method and system for improving reception in wired and wireless systems through redundancy and iterative processing are provided. A multilayer decoding process may comprise a burst process and a frame process. Results from a first burst process may be utilized to generate a decoded bit sequence in the frame process. The frame process may utilize redundancy information and physical constraints to improve the performance of a decoding algorithm. Results from the frame process may be fed back for a second iteration of the burst process and of the frame process, to further improve the decoding operation. In some instances, the second iteration of the burst process may be based on a gradient search approach.
US08081707B2
A system and method of carrier less modulation is described in this disclosure that uses SAW filters as a modulator in addition to their conventional use as filters for band limiting an UWB system. This system and method is primarily designed to be used with any integer cycle, ultra-wide band or impulse type modulation and more particularly is designed to work with a method of modulation named xMax. This technique exploits the impulse response of the SAW filter producing a carrier less impulse radio system with limited bandwidth, low average power, but high peak power.
US08081702B2
It is possible to prevent lowering of a throughput of a radio communication system even when propagation path environments of an uplink line and downlink line are asymmetric. A maximum proper value calculation unit (115) calculates a maximum proper value from a channel matrix. A maximum proper value comparison unit (116) compares the maximum proper value with a maximum proper value of the downlink line reported separately from a base station. According to the comparison result obtained by the maximum proper value comparison unit (116), a proper mode initiative instruction unit (117) decides to pass the proper mode initiative to a communication partner or to the local device. When the initiative is to be passed to the local device, this fact is reported to a proper bam correction unit (118). When the proper beam correction unit (118) gets the proper mode initiative, the proper beam correction unit (118) corrects the correlation matrix by using the proper values of both of the downlink line and the uplink line and instructs a directivity forming unit (103) to form a proper beam according to the correlation matrix after the correction.
US08081700B2
A transmit power allocation method for computing a transmit beamforming W matrix for a N streams of data, the method has a first step of measuring a receive channel characteristic H matrix, a second step of decomposing the H matrix into a U matrix which is formed from the left eigenvectors of the H matrix, an Σ matrix which is a diagonal matrix formed from the square roots of the eigenvalues of said H matrix and re-ordered by strength, and a VT matrix with rows comprising the right eigenvectors of H, such that UΣVT=H. The transmit beamforming W matrix is then formed from the re-ordered V matrix of the previous decomposition. Optional waterfilling methods for a plurality of subcarriers may then be done using either a minimum mean square error, an optimal signal to noise ratio, or any other waterfilling method which optimizes a desired metric, such as signal to noise ratio or minimum mean square error.
US08081693B2
A system, apparatus and methods are described that select a guard interval length (345) for a multi-path communications channel. In one embodiment, the guard interval length is selected based on a relationship between a selected coherence bandwidth (335) and a RMS delay (340) of the communication channel.
US08081691B2
A method, system, and computer-readable medium for detecting an interferer in a wireless communication system are provided. The method includes receiving a signal having P tones, each of the P tones being associated with a frequency, determining a first signal quality of each of the P tones, determining a second signal quality of each of the P tones, and detecting the interferer that occupies the same frequency as one of the P tones based on the respective first signal quality and the respective second signal quality. The first signal quality and second signal quality behave differently when the interferer is present. The detecting the interferer includes determining a discrepancy in the behavior of the first signal quality and the second signal quality.
US08081681B2
A multimedia coding system has different picture qualities with different coding characteristics. It is done through a scaleable fractional motion estimation (FME) in H.264 and a block size trend prediction FME. Three quality levels are thus obtained. The first level processes a complete calculation and obtains a best picture; the second level, fewer calculation with a low power consumption and an acceptable picture quality; and the third level, fewest calculation with a fastest speed. And the present invention is suitable for hardware design to obtain a high efficiency, a low cost and a high performance.
US08081680B2
Systems and methods for using selective inter-layer prediction during layered video coding operations are described. In one aspect, a layered coded video structure is generated by selectively employing only objectively efficient inter-layer predictions between respective frames. Responsive to receiving a request for coded video data, one or more layers of the layered coded video structure are communicated to an application for decoding and presentation of video data to a user.
US08081677B2
An equalization circuit is disclosed that enables high data rate transmission over high loss communications channels. Also disclosed is a set of functional blocks and update criteria that allow for the equalization function to be adapted for a large variety of different communications channels. A fully continuous adaptive equalizer is used in conjunction with a Decision Feedback Equalizer to fully equalize a wide range of communications channels. Interoperability and Bit Error Rate performance are optimized through compensation of pre-cursor inter-symbol interference, which is performed adaptively in the receiver as opposed to the transmitter.
US08081670B2
A system and method for controllably chirping electromagnetic radiation from a radiation source includes an optical cavity arrangement. The optical cavity arrangement enables electromagnetic radiation to be produced with a substantially linear chirp rate and a configurable period. By selectively injecting electromagnetic radiation into the optical cavity, the electromagnetic radiation may be produced with a single resonant mode that is frequency shifted at the substantially linear chirp rate. Producing the electromagnetic radiation with a single resonant mode may increase the coherence length of the electromagnetic radiation, which may be advantageous when the electromagnetic radiation is implemented in various applications. For example, the electromagnetic radiation produced by the optical cavity arrangement may enhance a range, speed, accuracy, and/or other aspects of a laser radar system.
US08081667B2
A high power single mode fiber laser system is configured with an active fiber including coextending multimode core (MM) and cladding around the MM core. The MM core is doped with one or more ions selected from rare earth and transitional metals and has a bottleneck cross in accordance with one aspect of the disclosure. The bottleneck cross-section includes a relatively small uniformly dimensioned input end region, a frustoconical region and a relatively large uniformly dimensioned amplifying region. The refractive step index of the MM core is configured with a central dip shaped and dimensioned along the input region so as not to disturb a Gaussian field profile of fundamental mode, gradually transform the Gaussian field profile into the ring profile of the fundamental mode and support the latter along the amplifying region. In accordance with a further aspect, the core is further provided with an output transforming region with the dip which gradually shapes the ring field profile in the Gaussian field profile further distortlessly supported by the output end region. A variety of end and side pumping arrangements are employed with the structures configured in accordance with the first and second aspects.
US08081666B2
Normally ordered robust VSB data are reordered in accordance with a first interleave to produce reordered robust VSB data. The reordered robust VSB data and ATSC data are reordered in accordance with a second interleave to produce normally ordered robust VSB data and reordered ATSC data. The normally ordered robust VSB data and reordered ATSC data are time multiplexed for transmission to a receiver. The receiver discards the reordered ATSC data or the normally ordered robust VSB data depending upon receiver type or user selection. A robust VSB receiver is able to process the normally ordered robust VSB data upstream of an outer decoder without an interleave thereby avoiding the delay associated with an interleave.
US08081656B2
Herein described is a system and method for improving the performance in which data packets are processed in a set-top-box. The system determines and stores one or more values into a memory. The one or more values in memory are subsequently utilized when a firmware is executed. These values are used to efficiently index locations within one or more data packets, such that processing performance is improved. Based on the types of packets received by the set-top-box, the hardware assistance provided by the system may be gradually increased or attenuated to optimize the performance in which the data packets are processed. The method involves determining the one or more values, storing the one or more values in a memory, and using said one or more values to effectively index one or more data fields in the one or more data packets.
US08081655B2
There are provided methods for selecting a communication protocol for formatting data and for wirelessly transmitting data, preferably medical data, e.g., electrocardiogram data, methods for reducing data and/or selecting from data, methods for adding data, methods for generating trend data, methods for rendering data, methods for inputting and/or transmitting addressee data and for transmitting data to the addressee(s) and/or notifying the addressee(s), and methods for wirelessly transmitting data to a server and transmitting data from the server, as well as systems for carrying out such methods.
US08081654B2
A bandwidth divider and method for allocating bandwidth between a plurality of packet processors. The bandwidth divider includes a plurality of counters for measuring the bandwidth of data packets transferred from the bandwidth divider to a respective packet processor; and a controller for analyzing the plurality of counters and transferring a data packet to a selected packet processor based on the contents of the counters. The method monitors the bandwidth consumed by the packet processors; determines, based on the bandwidth consumed by the packet processors, which packet processor has consumed the least amount of bandwidth; and allocates a next data packet to the packet processor which has consumed the least amount of bandwidth.
US08081652B2
A circuit for enabling communication between a micro-controller device and a number of data networks using different network protocols comprises a switch circuit and a number of interface circuits. The switch circuit is configured to connect input-output terminals of the data network to corresponding terminals of the interface circuits. The interface circuits are configured to convert the data formatted according to the network protocol of the data network to data formatted in accordance with the micro-controller device communication protocol.
US08081651B2
A radio communication device includes a communication data selection unit for selecting from the received radio communication data containing communication time reservation request information in which a time slot for performing data transmission source radio communication device is described and a communication information analysis unit for extracting an identifier of the source radio communication device and the data transmission reservation time slot from the communication time reservation request information in the radio communication data. When the received radio communication data is addressed to the local device, a communication/response information generation unit correlates the identifier to the reservation time slot, records them in a communication reservation table, and generates communication time reservation response information including information of the reservation time slot.
US08081644B2
A method and device of controlling a queue buffer, in which a congestion notification procedure is conducted if a queue length parameter exceeds a threshold value, said threshold value being adapted automatically by a procedure that takes into account a flow control parameter.
US08081620B2
Traffic through a bridge or other network device is directed in a manner that enables link aggregation and other layer-2 protocols to operate fully, even though the device may have as few as a single bidirectional link, with the remaining links being unidirectional. The protocol stack logic of the network device includes shim logic that receives traffic and processes it to determine to where it is to be directed.
US08081614B2
A voice transmission apparatus includes a jitter absorbing buffer unit provided in the receiving unit and which absorbs a transmission delay in the packets, and a transmission wait control unit provided in a transmitting unit and which links a packet to be transmitted when transmission temporarily breaks down to a queue. A transmission wait control unit 15 includes an accumulated time computing unit 18 that computes the accumulated time of voice data in packets linked to a queue 19. The transmission wait control unit 15 extracts an oldest linked packet from the queue 19 and discards the same so that the accumulated time computed by the accumulated time computing unit 18 becomes equal to or less than a threshold in order to continuously link a new packet to the queue 19, thereby equalizing the threshold to an accumulation time of a jitter absorbing buffer unit 21.
US08081577B2
The present invention relates to a method of calculating a soft value and a method of detecting a transmission signal. The present invention estimates a channel on the basis of a received signal and rearranges a plurality of data streams. Further, a plurality of substitute vectors are selected from the rearranged data streams and a metric corresponding to each of the substitute vector is calculated. Further, a threshold value is calculated from a metric calculated for each of the substitute vectors and a soft value of each bit of a transmission signal is calculated from the metric and threshold value corresponding to each of the substitute vectors.
US08081576B2
A method and apparatus for identifying valid multipath energy peaks are described including locating an energy peak in a profile of energy peaks, categorizing the located energy peak based on a plurality of thresholds and processing energy peaks in at least one of the categories of located energy peaks. The method and apparatus further includes removing a direct current value component from each value in the profile of energy peaks, calculating a noise floor for a multipath searching window and determining a first threshold and a second threshold. The step and means for categorizing further includes determining if the located energy peak exceeds the first threshold, labeling the located energy peak as a false alarm, if the located energy peak does not exceed the first threshold, determining if the located energy peak exceeds the second threshold and labeling the located energy peak as confident, if the located energy peak exceeds the second threshold.
US08081575B2
A system, apparatus, and method are provided for dynamically selecting the data rate and/or transmit (TX) power. The method consists of devices periodically transmitting beacon frames in which they include data rate and/or TX power feedback for all senders of data streams, of which the devices are a receiver. The feedback may consist of recommended values for data rate and/or TX power or of channel state information. A sender chooses data rate and/or transmit power considering the feedback from the one or several receivers of the stream. The invention especially relates to systems based on an Ultra Wide Band Medium Access Control Protocol.
US08081572B1
A packet scheduler may include logic configured to receive packet information. The packet scheduler may include logic to receive an operating parameter associated with a downstream device that operates with cell-based traffic. The packet scheduler may include logic perform a packet to cell transformation to produce an output based on the operating parameter. The packet scheduler may include logic to use the output to compensate for the downstream device.
US08081568B2
Techniques for selecting authentication roles when establishing a link between devices in a secure network are provided. By assigning role levels to devices, devices may be more likely to assume a preferred role when establishing a link. For example, during a negotiation process, each device may establish a timer value based on their role level. Each device may initiate a timer with the timer value and, the device whose timer value expires first may assume a role as authenticator.
US08081555B2
A method for evaluating a read signal obtained by irradiating a medium with a laser beam through an objective lens and reading data from the reflected laser beam by a PRML detection method is provided. The method includes: a sampling step of sampling the data obtained from the reflected laser beam at clock timings to obtain sampled values; and a step of, when a constraint length of a PR class in the PRML detection method is an even number, computing an intermediate sampled value for evaluation using at least adjacent two of the sampled values arranged in the order sampled at the clock timings. The provided method is an objective evaluation method when the PRML detection method is used, whereby the selection of a recording medium and a reading apparatus is facilitated.
US08081552B2
A hologram disc reading and writing apparatus including a signal light source module, a beam splitter, a reference/reading light source, a reflector, and an optical reading head and a hologram disc reading apparatus are provided. A signal light beam emitted from the signal light source module is transmitted to a data region of a hologram disc through the beam splitter. The reference/reading light source, the signal light source module, and the optical reading head are disposed at the same side of the hologram disc. The reflector is disposed at the other side. A spherical wave light beam emitted from the reference/reading light source is transmitted through the data region and reflected by the reflector to form a phase conjugate light beam transmitted to and through the data region. The phase conjugate light beam is transformed to a data light beam transmitted to the optical reading head through the beam splitter.
US08081546B2
An optical disk apparatus for performing ROPC. A controller of the optical disk apparatus detects the quantity of reflected light Bo acquired when OPC is performed to set initial recording power Po; computes recording power P such that Bo/Pon=B/Pn is achieved in relation to the quantity of reflected light B acquired during recording of data; and computes next recording power Pr by use of a coefficient α by means of Pr=(1−α)·Pc+α·P in relation to current recording power Pc, to thus control recording power. The coefficient α is set to 0<α<1, thereby suppressing fluctuations and divergence of recording power. The coefficient α is dynamically set according to a parameter “n.”
US08081545B2
When an optical disk image forming device forms an image on an optical disk, the image forming device reads information of kinds of coloring matters used in an image forming area from information described in an information area of the optical disk. Then, the optical disk image forming device reads from a table laser power strength information corresponding to the information of the kinds of the coloring matters and a maximum linear velocity (Nx) at the time of forming the image and applies a laser beam having this laser power strength to form the image on the image forming area of the optical disk. Thus, since the discoloration of the coloring matter in the image forming area is always saturated, the image having a constant contrast can be formed on the image forming area of the optical disk.
US08081543B2
An optical disc apparatus according to the present invention steadily performs a focus jump operation and a track-crossing seek operation relative to an optical disc having a plurality of recording layers. A signal processing section generates a focus error signal based on a conventional astigmatism detection (CAD) system and a focus error signal based on a differential astigmatism detection (DAD) system from a detection signal generated by an optical detector. When a focus jump is to be performed from one recording layer of the optical disc to another recording layer, a focus drive signal that is generated from the focus error signal based on the CAD system is used. When a read/write operation is to be performed in relation to one recording layer, a focus drive signal that is generated from the focus error signal based on the DAD system is used.
US08081527B1
A memory controller may implement variable delay elements, on a per-bit basis, in both the read and write paths. The memory controller may include multiple adjustable delay circuits associated with data lines and a strobe line, each of the adjustable delay circuits inserting an adjustable amount of delay into a signal destined to or received from one of the data lines or the strobe line. The memory controller may additionally include control logic to determine the delay amount for each of the adjustable delay circuits, the delay amount being determined to reduce static skew between each of the data lines and the strobe line.
US08081526B1
A method and system for serializing an enable signal designating an electronic device such as a chip to enable or disable in order to reduce the number of pins and physical signal traces required to provide connections for enable signals of multiple electronic devices, such as memory, e.g. Flash and DRAM, is described. The enable signal can be encoded to reduce the number of clock cycles to send the serialized enable signal. A device controller can serialize, encode, and send the enable signal to a decoding module using reduced number of pins and physical connections. Then the decoding module can send a decoded enable signals to individual electronic devices or chips to enable or disable.
US08081514B2
Partial speed and full speed programming are achieved for a non-volatile memory system. During a program operation, in a first time period, bit lines of storage elements to be inhibited are pre-charged, while bit line of storage elements to be programmed at a partial speed and bit lines of storage elements to be programmed at a full speed are fixed. In a second time period, the bit lines of storage elements to be programmed at the partial speed are driven higher, while the bit lines of storage elements to be inhibited are floated and the bit line of storage elements to be programmed remain fixed. In a third time period, the bit lines of storage elements to be inhibited are driven higher while the bit lines of the storage elements to be programmed at the partial speed or the full speed are floated so that they couple higher.
US08081512B2
A non-volatile semiconductor memory device includes a non-volatile memory having a plurality of blocks each including a plurality of memory cells, a bit line electrically connected to one end of a current path of the memory cell, a source line electrically connected to the other end of the current path of the memory cell, a word line electrically connected to the gate electrode, a sense amplifier circuit electrically connected to the bit line and configured to read data from the memory cell, a row decoder electrically connected to the word line and configured to apply a read voltage at which the memory cell is set to an ON state to the word line, and a controller configured to measure a cell current flowing through the memory cell in the ON state to judge whether the memory cell has been degraded.
US08081507B2
A non-volatile tri-state random access memory device, including a permanent magnetic bit; a write module in functional communication with the permanent magnetic bit and configured to selectably alter the permanent magnetic bit between three magnetic states, a write module including a write coil disposed about the permanent magnetic bit and in communication with a source of electrical power; and a read module in functional communication with the permanent magnetic bit and configured to observe and communicate each of three magnetic states of the permanent magnetic bit, the read module including a read sensor coupled to a read return line.
US08081497B2
A converter station for connecting an AC system to a bipolar HVDC transmission line. A DC neutral arrangement includes first DC breakers enabling breaking of a first current path from the neutral bus of one pole to the neutral bus of the other pole at bipolar operation of the station for changing to monopolar operation thereof for isolation of a faulty section of the system while establishing a current path to electrode line connecting members for diverting the current from the one pole thereto. A separate connecting member is provided for each of the electrode lines. A connector is configured to connect each neutral bus to an optional of the two electrode line connecting members.
US08081492B2
The first choke coil and the third choke coil are not magnetically coupled to the second choke coil and the fourth choke coil. Therefore, even in a case where a structure for increasing the heat radiation area is adopted, a pair of the first and third choke coils and a pair of the second and fourth choke coils located between the two ends of the capacitor maintain a state of equilibrium so as to be inversely proportional to mutual loss without affecting one another, and the output therefore stabilizes. Accordingly, the output of the switching power supply, that is, the rectified and smoothed output across the two ends of the capacitor stabilizes.
US08081490B2
An apparatus includes a computer chassis and a motherboard. The motherboard defines a mounting aperture and a securing hole. The mounting aperture includes a large hole and a small hole communicating with the large hole. The computer chassis includes a bottom plate which defines a screw hole therein. A first convex projection is formed on the bottom plate. A hollow pillar is formed on the first convex projection. The pillar defines a through hole extending through the pillar and the first convex projection. A blind rivet is mounted in the through hole. The blind rivet includes a cap located above the pillar. The cap has an area larger than the small hole. The motherboard is slidable between a first position and a second position. In the first position the motherboard is located on the first convex projection, the pillar extends in the large hole of the motherboard and the cap is positioned above the motherboard. In the second position the pillar is located in the small hole, the cap is misaligned with the large hole, the securing hole of the motherboard is aligned with the screw hole of the bottom plate.
US08081480B2
A fixing module for fixing a card module and a case having the fixing module are provided. The fixing module includes a base and a sliding element. The base is disposed on a bracket and includes a carrying portion, a cantilever hook, and a constraining structure. The sliding element includes a resilient portion and a body. The body is movably disposed on the carrying portion of the base. The constraining structure is adapted to contact the body and constrain a movement of the body when the sliding element is in a locked position, and the resilient portion constrains the locking bracket of the card module on the bracket. When a force is exerted on the cantilever hook to disengage the constraining structure from the body, the sliding element is moved to an unlocked position under the influence of an elastic restoring force of the resilient portion.
US08081479B2
An electronic apparatus includes a circuit board having a connector mounted at an end edge and a metal member reinforcing the connector, the connector including a fitting surface of the connector facing outside; a housing which accommodates the circuit board and includes a first opening for a keyboard arrangement formed in an upper surface thereof and a second opening for fitting with a mating connector formed on a side surface thereof, the second opening facing the fitting surface of the connector mounted on the circuit board; and a keyboard exposed to the outside from the first opening and having a plurality of keys arranged on an upper surface thereof. The metal member extends under the keyboard and supports a portion of the lower surface of the keyboard.
US08081469B2
An electronic assembly includes a heat source having a maximum operating temperature, a heat dissipating device, a thermal interface material sandwiched between the heat source and the heat dissipating device. The thermal interface material includes a base and a plurality of first thermally conductive particles dispersed in the base. The first thermally conductive particles have a size monotonically changing from a first size less than 100 nanometers and a first melting temperature below the maximum operating temperature, to a second size larger than 100 nanometers and a second melting temperature above the maximum operating temperature when the heat source operates at a temperature above the first melting temperature and at or below the maximum operating temperature.
US08081463B2
A water-cooled communication chassis includes a chassis body and a water cooling unit. The chassis body includes at least one heat receiving portion, at least one heat dissipation portion, and at least one first water pipe system. The first water pipe system has a front part extended through the heat receiving portion and a rear part arranged on the heat dissipation portion, so that heat absorbed by the heat receiving portion is transferred via the first water pipe system to the heat dissipation portion and dissipated therefrom into ambient air. The water cooling unit communicates with the first water pipe system and drives a cooling fluid stored therein to circulate in between the first water pipe system and the water cooling unit, so that the heat absorbed by the heat receiving portion can be quickly and continuously carried away from the communication chassis by the circulating cooling fluid.
US08081462B2
A method and kit of components for configuring electronics cooling configurations, the kit comprising a plurality of passageway forming members, each forming member including an extruded member having first and second ends and forming at least one passageway and at least one of an input port and an output port that opens into the passageway, each forming member also including at least one plug insert secured to the second end of the forming member to block the at least one passageway, a plurality of elastomeric seals, a plurality of mechanical fasteners, wherein forming members can be arranged adjacent each other with ports aligned and the fasteners can be used to mechanically fasten the forming members together with seals there between to form various cooling configurations.
US08081461B2
A cooling apparatus and method of fabrication are provided for facilitating cooling of an electronic device. The cooling apparatus includes a thermally conductive porous material and a liquid coolant supply. The thermally conductive porous material (such as metal foam material) is coupled to a surface of the electronic device to be cooled, or a structure coupled to the electronic device. The liquid coolant supply includes a jet impingement structure, which includes one or more jet nozzles for directing liquid coolant onto the surface to be cooled. The jet nozzle(s) extends into the thermally conductive porous material, and facilitates delivery of liquid coolant onto the surface to be cooled. The thermally conductive porous material is in thermal contact with the surface to be cooled and facilitates cooling of the electronic device by boiling of the liquid coolant passing through the porous material.
US08081456B2
An information processing apparatus sets a driving keeping voltage for keeping driving of a fan to a voltage that is higher than a voltage that is applied to the fan when the fan is determined not to be rotating after decreasing the voltage that is applied to the fan in a state where the fan is rotating.
US08081452B2
A computer case includes a case, a main board, and a carrier. The case includes guiding members. The main board includes a first circuit board and a second circuit board. The first circuit board is attached to the case. The first circuit board includes a first connector. The second circuit board includes a second connector. The carrier includes a main body, a handle, and at least one latching member. The second circuit board is removably connected to the main body. Each latching member includes a rotary member and a rotary arm. The rotary member is rotatably connected to the main body and the rotary arm. The rotary member defines a receiving groove. The rotary arm is rotatably connected to the handle. When the second connector is connected to the first connector, guiding members stay in the receiving grooves to prevent the main body and the handle from moving.
US08081447B2
A notebook PC includes a main body, a cover rotatably mounted to the main body, a projector detachably received in the cover and electrically connected to the cover, a holding mechanism received in the cover, and a driving mechanism received in the cover. The holding mechanism releasably holds the projector in place when the projector is received in the cover, and the driving mechanism drives the projector out of the cover when the projector is released by the holding mechanism.
US08081444B2
A computer system includes a chassis and an airflow guiding duct. The chassis includes a chassis bottom wall, a chassis front wall and a chassis rear wall. The chassis front wall defines a first ventilation hole, and the chassis rear wall defines a second ventilation hole. A motherboard is secured to the chassis bottom wall between the chassis front wall and the chassis rear wall. A memory card is secured to the motherboard. The airflow guiding duct is secured in the chassis and includes an entrance portion. The entrance portion covers a portion of the memory card, so as to guide airflow. Airflow flows in the chassis via the first ventilation hole, over the memory card, and then out of the chassis via the second ventilation hole.
US08081433B2
An electronic apparatus includes a keyboard unit that has an upper surface on which a plurality of keys are provided, and one side and a different side each of which has an attachment section, the different side facing the one side, a fixing section that fixes the keyboard unit in cooperation with the attachment sections of the keyboard unit, and a mounting section on which the keyboard unit is mounted in a state in which the keyboard is upwardly curved with respect to a predetermined reference surface when the keyboard unit is fixed by the attachment sections of the keyboard unit and the fixing section.
US08081431B2
A height-adjustable stand includes a base defining a receiving space and a sidewall. A height extender is slidably received in the receiving space and includes a front wall and an upper connecting end. The front wall defines a number of slots arranged along a sliding direction of the height extender. The upper connecting end is configured for connecting with a flat panel display device. A positioning member includes a threaded rod and a flange extending outward from the threaded rod. The threaded rod slidably extends through the sidewall of the base and includes a distal end. The distal end is able to be received in one of the slots to set the height extender in a desired position. The flange is external to the receiving space of the base. A locking member includes a nut and two guide rods protruding from the nut.
US08081427B2
Signal amplifiers are provided that have a two (or more) piece housing that has an input port, an output port and a power port. At least one of the housing pieces comprises an aluminum housing piece. A first coaxial connector is mounted in the input port, a second coaxial connector is mounted in the output port and a third coaxial connector is mounted in the power port. A power amplifier is mounted within the housing, and is configured to amplify an input signal received through the first coaxial connector. At least first and second of the housing pieces have at least one metal plated thereon, and the first housing piece is soldered, welded or brazed to the second housing piece.
US08081411B2
A protection device for monitoring current in a power cable to an electrical device and for controlling a remotely located starter for the electrical device in response to a system controller. The device includes a transformer magnetically linked with the power cable to produce a voltage signal in response to the presence of a changing current within the power cable. An input circuit located in a single housing together with the transformer is electrically connected to the transformer so as to receive the voltage signal. The input circuit produces, in response to the voltage signal, either a first signal or a first circuit condition at the output terminal of the input circuit, representative of the changing current in the power cable. A switch circuit also in the same container with the transformer has a terminal for sensing either a second signal or a second circuit condition of the remotely located system controller. The switch circuit has a second terminal to provide either a third signal or a third circuit condition effective to control the starter, in response to sensing one of the second signal and the second circuit condition. All of the transformer, the input circuit, and the switch circuit are located in a single unitary package which is easily mounted and adjusted to a desired position.
US08081392B2
The invention relates to a new mechanism for permitting a zoom lens to focus on a short distance subject by moving a focusing lens group in an amount that varies in an optical axis direction depending on a zooming position. The zoom lens comprises, in order from its object side, a positive first lens group, a negative second lens group and a positive third lens group. Zooming is implemented while the space between adjoining lens groups is varied, and focusing on a short distance subject is implemented by moving the negative second lens group in an amount that varies in the optical axis direction depending on a zooming position. The negative second lens group comprises a negative front unit G2F and a negative rear unit G2R. The space between the negative front unit G2F and the negative rear unit G2R is varied depending on a subject distance but that space remains constant wherever the zooming position lies.
US08081388B2
A photoelectric lens module is utilized to focus a light source. A fabrication method comprises steps of providing a first substrate; positioning a plurality of gap units on the first substrate, and forming a plurality of gap regions amongst the gap units on the first substrate; providing a second substrate comprising a plurality of photoelectric lens units, in which the positions of the photoelectric lens units are corresponding to the locations of the gap regions; and filling a transparent rubber in the gap regions in such that the first substrate and the second substrate are adhered closely.
US08081378B2
A microscope apparatus can generate information of a super-resolved image at high speed. For that purpose, the microscope apparatus of the present invention is equipped with an image-forming optical system for forming an intermediate image of light emitted from a specimen, a relay optical system for forming an image of the intermediate image, an illuminating optical system that jointly owns an optical path of the image-forming optical system and illuminates the specimen through the optical path of the image-forming optical system, and a spatial modulator disposed on a formation plane of the intermediate image. In this microscope apparatus, the specimen is subjected to structured illumination by an image of the spatial modulator. Light from the specimen which is modulated by the structured illumination is automatically remodulated in the spatial modulator.
US08081362B2
A galvanometer scanner includes a mechanical support unit engaged with a far end of an optical element. A near end of the optical element is connected to an output shaft of an electric rotary motor. The mechanical support unit maintains an alignment of an axis of rotation of the optical element and an axis of rotation of the electric rotary motor.
US08081353B2
A method for providing a visible reference marker on a scanning unit for orienting an item to be scanned or copied includes the steps of emitting a light from a light source, guiding the light to a scanning unit having a contact glass scanning surface, and redirecting the light to define an illuminated reference marker substantially adjacent to the contact glass. A reference marker assembly for accomplishing that method is provided, including a light source, a waveguide for guiding light emitted from the light source to a scanning unit having a contact glass, and a redirector for redirecting the light to define an illuminated reference marker adjacent to the contact glass, for orienting an item to be copied or scanned. The light source may be a light emitting diode, and the redirector may be a light diffuser for redirecting the collected light to define an illuminated reference marker adjacent to the contact glass.
US08081350B2
An fiber optic imaging device utilizing fiber optics for imaging portions of documents of varying shapes and/or sizes. For example, for imaging a book or any document having a centerfold, where the document will not lay flat (non-planar) against the platen of the image forming device. The device may be shaped to fit in the centerfold of an open document between the platen of the copying device and the document. Additionally, the fiber optic imaging device may also allow for performing a geometric translation based upon a portion of the document, for facilitating document reproduction.
US08081347B2
To facilitate sorting sheets of paper for recycling, a MFP includes an image data accepting portion to accept image data output from an image reader, a recycling information determining portion to determine recycling information corresponding to the image data, and an image forming portion to form an image of the image data together with the determined recycling information on a sheet of paper.
US08081334B2
An image forming apparatus is operative to avoid user confusion during a job-cancelling operation. A job executing portion of the apparatus executes at least one of a copy job, a print job, a facsimile reception job, an e-mail reception job, a facsimile transmission job, and an e-mail transmission job. A suspending portion of the apparatus suspends a printing-out operation of a running job in response to pressing a stop/clear key. A job list screen display controller allows a display portion to display a suspending job list screen for showing a user a suspended job and a waiting job. A cancel job selection receiving portion receives a user selection of a job to be cancelled among the jobs displayed on the suspending job list screen. A job cancelling portion then cancels the job received by the cancel job selection receiving portion.
US08081333B2
An image transmitting apparatus includes a reading condition determining unit that determines whether a first reading condition is satisfied that the first reading conditions contain compulsory information indicating compulsory use of that condition, and a second condition is satisfied that the first reading conditions are contradicting to each other. When both the first condition and the second condition are satisfied, the reading condition determining unit sets one of the first reading conditions as a reading condition for reading image data.
US08081327B2
Print job data is generated in accordance with a printing instruction from an application. When encryption of the print job data is designated, the generated print job data is encrypted, and the generated or encrypted print job data is output. When a printing apparatus serving as an output destination to which the encrypted print job data is output does not have a decryption function of decrypting the encrypted print job data, the output destination is changed to a decryption apparatus having the decryption function. When designation to save the print job data in the printing apparatus is detected in encryption, the print job is canceled.
US08081309B2
An optical microscope applies laser light to a sample through the an objective lens, detects reflected light reflected by the sample through the objective lens, changes a focal position of the laser light in an optical axis direction, extracts a focal position for spectrum measurement based on a detection result of the reflected light when the focal position of the laser light is changed, adjusts the focal position to coincide with the extracted focal position, separates outgoing light exiting from the sample by application of the laser light with the adjusted focal position from the laser light, and measures a spectrum of the outgoing light separated from the laser light with a spectroscope.
US08081298B1
A handheld rangefinder device operable to determine ballistic hold-over information is disclosed. The rangefinder device generally includes a range sensor operable to determine a range to a target, a memory storing a database of ranges and corresponding hold-over values for a default sight-in distance, and a computing element, coupled with the range sensor and the memory. The computing element may calculate an adjusted hold-over value based on the range and an actual sight-in distance. Additionally, a tilt sensor may be included to provide information for calculating an angle-adjusted hold-over value. Such a configuration facilitates accurate firearm use by providing ranges and hold-over values without requiring time-consuming and manual user calculations.
US08081288B2
Disclosed are a liquid crystal display device 10 and a method of making such liquid crystal display device that improves display quality by providing heat dissipation pattern 4 for effectively dissipating heat generated by the driver ICs 2. The heat dissipation pattern 4 is formed on a glass substrate of a liquid crystal panel 1 along one side thereof so as to minimize non-uniform thermal distribution on the liquid crystal panel 1 at locations adjacent to and distant from the driver ICs 2.
US08081278B2
A transreflective LCD has a TFT array plate, a color filter plate and a liquid crystal therebetween. A trench is in the overcoat layer of the TFT array plate and/or the color filter plate. The trench can be located in a transmission area or in a reflective area of a pixel. A conformal transparent electrode is located therein, and an overcoat material is filled up in the trench.
US08081275B2
A liquid crystal color display device has a light shielding film formed on a color filter substrate at positions overlying TFT elements formed on a TFT substrate. A color filter provided on the color filter substrate has blue-colored and green-colored layers laminated on the light shielding film at regions corresponding to green display pixels, blue-colored and red-colored layers laminated on the light shielding film at regions corresponding to red display pixels, and a blue-colored layer formed on the light shielding film at regions corresponding to blue display pixels. The laminated colored layers reduce reflection of blacklight by the light shielding film onto the TFT elements to prevent leak current of the TFT elements thereby preventing deterioration of the display quality.
US08081271B2
A backlight apparatus is provided that enables a balance of brightness to be maintained over the entire area of a display screen and long life to be achieved. The surface of substrate 130 is opposite the rear surface of liquid crystal panel 110. LEDs 140 are placed on the surface of substrate 130. LED drive circuits 150 supply LEDs 140 with a current that causes LEDs 140 to emit light that illuminates liquid crystal panel 110. LED drive circuits 150 supply a lower current to LEDs 140 placed in an area having a higher ambient temperature within the surface area of substrate 130.
US08081256B2
A method and a system is provided for deinterlacing interlaced video containing an interlaced image field f including scan lines of multiple pixels. Such deinterlacing involves detecting the one or more edge directions in the image field f using principal component analysis (PCA), and performing spatial interpolation to reconstruct a missing pixel value in the image field f substantially along each of the one or more detected edge directions.
US08081252B2
The image displaying apparatus of the present invention provides a first display mode in which a first display region for one screen image is formed in a display screen, with the short side direction of the display screen aligned with the vertical direction; and a second display mode in which a first display region and a second display region for two screen images are formed in the display screen, with the long side direction of the display screen aligned with the vertical direction, and the first display region and the second display region formed such that they are arranged up and down. According to this configuration, when images are displayed in a double screen, each image can be displayed as large as possible.
US08081246B2
There is provided a drive circuit of a solid-state image pickup device capable of generating a pulse for vertical scanning, an interval of which changes non-linearly, and of generating a pulse other than the pulse for vertical scanning, without increasing a circuit size and a communication time for setting an electronic shutter. There also is provided a drive circuit of a solid-state image pickup device including a polynomial arithmetic operation unit for carrying out an arithmetic operation of a polynomial of a first or higher order; an arithmetic operation controller for generating a variable of the polynomial to control an arithmetic operation in the polynomial arithmetic operation unit; and a pulse generator for generating a pulse based on a result of an arithmetic operation in the polynomial arithmetic operation unit.
US08081243B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a correlated double sampling (CDS) circuit and a CMOS image sensor unit using the CDS circuit. The CDS circuit shifts levels of sampled sensing signal and reset signal with equal amounts. Thus a voltage difference of the sampled sensing signal and the reset signal remains unchanged, and their levels may fall within a linear input range by adjusting their levels. Compared to a conventional CDS circuit, a gain of the CDS circuit provided by the embodiment of the present invention is not reduced, and thus a design complexity of a rear circuit thereof is lower, and an induced noise is relatively low. Furthermore, the CMOS image sensor unit using the CDS circuit provided by the embodiment also has these advantages.
US08081241B2
A solid-state image pickup device has signal lines to which photoreceiving elements are connected; a clamp circuit that has clamp capacitors where one terminal is connected to the signal lines and the other terminals are short-circuited, has a switch for applying a reference voltage to the other terminals by the clamping operation, and adds signals from the plurality of elements provided in the row direction along with the clamping operation; adding means (switches and capacitors) which is connected to the other terminals, adds addition signals of the respective element rows outputted from the other terminals, and adds the signals of the plurality of elements provided in the column direction; an amplifier connected to the that means; a switch for resetting the amplifier's input side; and circuit means (switches and capacitors) for outputting an offset of and the signal from the amplifier.
US08081239B2
An image processing apparatus includes a gradation correction unit configured to multiply input image data by a gradation correction value appropriate for the input image data so as to obtain gradation corrected image data; and a noise suppression unit configured to suppress noise of the gradation corrected image data on the basis of a noise model of the input image data to obtain output image data. The noise suppression unit includes a parameter generator configured to generate a noise suppression parameter in accordance with the gradation corrected image data by using the noise model; a parameter correction unit configured to multiply the noise suppression parameter by the gradation correction value to correct the noise suppression parameter; and a low-pass filter configured to vary characteristics thereof in accordance with the noise suppression parameter corrected by the parameter correction unit and to suppress noise of the gradation corrected image data.
US08081235B2
An image pickup apparatus capable of accurately detecting a flicker in a short time period without regard to a state of object and a photography scene. A signal processing circuit reads out an n-th line of an image subjected to collective reset/collective transfer readout, reads out an n-th line of an image subjected to rolling readout, and subtracts an output of a pixel section of a particular column of the n-th line of the image subjected to the rolling readout from an output of a corresponding pixel section of the image subjected to the collective reset/collective transfer readout. The signal processing circuit determines that a flicker is generated, if there is a differential value not less than a predetermined threshold value between each pair of outputs from the pixel sections of the same line and if there is a periodicity in an image vertical direction.
US08081230B2
An image capturing device includes a memory, a communication unit, and a processor. The memory stores a guiding system configured for guiding a user to capture an image including himself. The processor is configured for activating the system to: perform a facial recognition function on a current checking image to determine a face portion in the checking image, determine if the face portion is fully within a predetermined region of the checking image, and control the communication unit to instruct the user to adjust position of the image capturing device according to the position of the face portion in relation to the predetermined region upon the condition that the face portion is not fully within the predetermined region.
US08081228B2
An apparatus and method for processing image data are provided. Using the method of the present invention, image data output from an image sensor can be rapidly processes and the necessary amount of buffer memory can be reduced. To this end, first image data of one frame is processed and converted into second image data in an image sensor part. The converted second image data is stored in a plural buffer memory having a plurality of storage areas. The second image data is sequentially read from the plural buffer memory, and then encoded.
US08081221B2
A digital image processing method for correcting a shaking blur corrects a blurred image caused by a shake when a user shoots an image with a digital camera, which includes the following steps obtaining a safe shutter time of the digital camera; performing an exposure adjustment procedure, for adjusting an aperture and a ISO speed of the digital camera respectively, and obtaining a shutter time of the digital camera after being adjusted; performing a shooting procedure; shooting a plurality of digital images, if the shutter time of the digital camera is greater than the safe shutter time; and then performing an image compensation procedure according to the digital images, to align the same image object in the digital images and then to overlay each pixel of the digital images one by one, thereby outputting an output image.
US08081219B2
An image processor for a camera module having an image sensor that captures an image for transfer to a printer module of a compact printer system including a capture unit that captures the image from the image sensor and transforms it to planarized linear RGB form. The image processor also includes one or more interface units communicating with components of said camera module under control of the central processing unit and image processing units, being an application specific integrated circuits, in communication with said image storage memory to transform said image for transmission. A Serial Bus interface communicates with the Serial Bus of a compact printer system to transfer data and power between modules. In one application, the camera module captures an image, which is transferred to the image storage memory of a printer module for printing by a printhead.
US08081217B2
Disclosed herein is an image pickup apparatus capable of being used for preview image pickup of a predetermined scene prior to actual image pickup of the scene, including: an image pickup section configured to carry out the preview image pickup using setting data regarding image pickup; a transmission section configured to transmit image data obtained by the preview image pickup by the image pickup section and preview setting data used in the preview image pickup to an information processing apparatus which determines actual recommendation setting data recommended as actual setting data to be used in the actual image pickup; and an acquisition section configured to acquire the actual recommendation setting data determined based on the preview setting data by the information processing apparatus from the information processing apparatus.
US08081209B2
A system and method for object classification based upon the fusion of a radar system and a natural imaging device using sparse code representation. The radar system provides a means of detecting the presence of an object within a predetermined path of a vehicle. Detected objects are then fused with the image gathered by the camera and then isolated in an attention window. The attention window is then transformed into a sparse code representation of the object. The sparse code representation is then compared with known sparse code representation of various objects. Each known sparse code representation is given a predetermined variance and subsequent sparse code represented objects falling within said variance will be classified as such. The system and method also includes an associative learning algorithm wherein classified sparse code representations are stored and used to help classifying subsequent sparse code representation.
US08081202B2
An image forming apparatus includes a device-information storage unit configured to store a scanning frequency of an oscillating device; an image storage unit configured to store image data used for image formation; an image processing unit configured to perform an enlargement or reduction, in a direction orthogonal to a direction of the scanning of the laser beam and in accordance with a given parameter, on the image data stored in the image storage unit; a setting unit configured to calculate the parameter from the scanning frequency stored in the device-information storage unit and a predetermined reference frequency and configured to provide the parameter to the image processing unit; and a driving unit configured to drive a laser beam device according to the image data processed by the image processing unit.
US08081201B2
A thermal transfer printer according to the invention includes at least one printing unit for thermal transfer printing with a print head via a ribbon having a dye layer; a first bending member for bending the ribbon after thermal transfer, the first bending member having at least one curved surface that is aligned perpendicular to a conveyance direction of the ribbon and protrudes toward one or the other surface of the ribbon; a second bending member disposed at a distance from the first bending member, the second bending member having at least one acute apex that is aligned perpendicular to the conveyance direction of the ribbon and protrudes toward the one or the other surface of the ribbon, the apex causing a bend line to be formed in the used ribbon conveyed from the first bending member; a folder for folding the ribbon conveyed from the second bending member along the bend line; and a heater for fusing opposing dye layers of the folded ribbon together.
US08081198B1
A computer implemented method includes receiving, by a computer, a plurality of objects, each object in the plurality having one or more associated attributes and an associated visual representation, wherein a sequential arrangement of the plurality of objects is specified based on the one or more associated attributes. The method includes defining a path according to a space-filling curve. The method includes determining that a visual representation of a first object in the sequential arrangement has a shape that is incompatible with a current position on the path. The method includes responsive to the determining, reordering the sequential arrangement, including assigning at least one visual representation of a second object to the current position on the path. The method includes assigning the visual representation of the first object to a subsequent position on the path with which the shape is compatible.
US08081197B1
Various embodiments of a system and method for angular image selection are described. Embodiments may include a graphics application that may receive input indicating a first displacement of a control from a first location of an image to a second location of the image. The angle of the first displacement may be non-zero with respect to horizontal and vertical axes of the display. The graphics application may receive input indicating a second displacement (perpendicular to the first displacement) of the control from the second location to a third location of the image. The graphics application may generate a rectangular selection area on the image such that two sides of the rectangular selection area are parallel to the first displacement and two other sides of the rectangular selection area are parallel to the second displacement. The graphics application may perform an image editing function on the selected portion of the image.
US08081196B2
Properties of pixels of a digital image are sampled within different subdivisions of an editing tool impression to produce different pixel property distributions. The property distributions from each region may be automatically classified to identify different edit classes within the property space, which are then used to apply an edit effect to the digital image within the tool impression. The edit classes are represented by an edit profile, the generation of which may be completely automated based on selection of a tool impression, or partially automated using the selection of the tool impression and receipt of classification guidance input, such as one or more parameters received from user input or a configuration file. The edit classes may also be generated without reference to the pixel property distributions, such as via user input.
US08081186B2
Indicators operable to preview or show the position and relative zoom level of a field of view within a virtual space. Virtual space exploration tools typically make use of a field of view for limiting a user's view of the virtual space and zooming in on a portion of the virtual space. A spherical indicator is provided to show the current position of the field of view within the virtual space, as well as provide an indication of level of zoom. A local field of view indication is also provided to show the current position of the field of view, as well as provide an indication of level of zoom, with respect to a nearby object within the virtual space. Such indicators may be useful in exploring outer space as well as landscapes and any other spaces.
US08081185B2
Appearance parameters for each object are set by pressing an appearance parameter setting button (208) for each object ID selected by a body object selection button (207). Upon generation of a two-dimensional image for pseudo three-dimensional presentation, the color values of each object are determined based on the appearance parameters set for that object. A satisfactory three-dimensional presentation image can be generated according to the adaptation state of a human visual perception.
US08081180B2
A method is disclosed for the solid modeling of objects that is particularly suitable to modeling objects obtained from scan data, typically voxel-based data, for example medical imaging data. The method provides a more direct approach to providing solid modeling capabilities in modeling complex objects, such as organic objects, that are identified through a segmentation of the scanned data. The voxel-based data is obtained, and segmented to identify in the data the surface of the object. The segmentation is preferably accomplished using a graph cuts/level set method to obtain a grid of signed distance function data. The signed distance function data is then interpolated using wavelets, to produce a functional representation model of the object. The model does not require tessellation, and may be relatively compact. In particular, the resulting wavelet analysis is inherently amenable to multi-resolution analysis and compaction.
US08081175B2
A display panel and its uses are provided. The display panel has several photo-sensors for detecting values of the visible light spectrum of the environmental light and whole light spectrum of the environmental light to obtain a value of the invisible light spectrum. The photo-sensor can be incorporated into an electro-optical device with a display panel.
US08081172B2
A retention member holds a tip of a pen received in an inner space of a unit body through an opening. A narrowed path member is placed within the inner space at a position between a large-diameter member of the pen and the opening, when the retention member holds the pen. The large-diameter member expands outward from the outer peripheral surface of the pen by a predetermined amount. The narrowed path member contacts the large-diameter member when the pen is released from the retention member, and creates enough interference to prevent the pen from falling out of the unit body, but otherwise allows the pen to be drawn out of the opening.
US08081169B2
A cover lens with touch-sensing function is provided, which is combined onto an external side of an electronic device and allows the touch-sensing and protection for the electronic device. The provided cover lens is constructed by a tempered substrate, a pattern layer and a touch-sensing layer, where the pattern layer is formed on a first surface of the tempered substrate so as to provide the cover lens with an appearance of periphery-like pattern. The touch-sensing layer is also formed on the first surface of the tempered substrate. The present invention also provides a touch display having such cover lens and the fabricating method thereof.
US08081168B2
A detection resolution is improved in a display device that employs an electrostatic capacity coupling type touch panel provided with a transparent conductive film serving as a detection film. A plurality of electrode terminals (102) is provided such that at least three electrode terminals (102) are aligned in each side of a detection transparent conductive film (101). A touch panel control circuit is provided for selecting one of two to four numbers of electrode terminals from among the plurality of electrode terminals (102) of the detection transparent conductive film (101), applying an AC signal provided from a signal source (105) through a current detection resistor (r) (103), and then detecting a current that flows through each of the selected electrode terminals.
US08081163B2
A miniature keyboard wherein the keys are arranged in a way to improve data entry and decrease the chance of depressing multiple keys at a time. Accordingly, the height of the keys are patterned to decrease the chance of multiple key depressions thus increasing the accuracy of data input into the personal digital assistant. In one embodiment, the height of the keys is alternated down the individual rows of keys. In another embodiment, the height of the keys is alternated across individual columns of keys. Similarly, in another embodiment, the heights of the keys are arranged in a checkered pattern on the keyboard. In addition, another embodiment staggers the heights of the keys and incorporates embodiments mentioned above. By incorporating different key arrangements and alternating the height of the keys, key differentiation, key navigation, and data input accuracy is greatly improved due to the improved tactile feedback provided by the miniature keyboard.
US08081156B2
The invention is directed to a control element, particularly for automotive electronics, having programmable haptics. Moments of force or a variation of the friction moments are formed on a control element by dynamically adapting the operative currents of electromagnetic arrays in dependence of the adjustment path. The force/path behavior (tactile feedback) of the control element can be modified at will during use so that the actuation forces for different operative functions can be varied. The tactile feedback of the moments of force on the control element takes by way of a locking piece, which, for example, can be comprised of at least one locking disc and a spring, which can be rendered active or inactive via an electromagnetic array.
US08081149B2
An integrated circuit device includes first to Nth circuit blocks (N is an integer of two or more) disposed along the long side of the integrated circuit device. One circuit block of the first to Nth circuit blocks is a logic circuit block, and another circuit block of the first to Nth circuit blocks is a programmable ROM of which at least part of data stored therein can be programmed by a user. The logic circuit block and the programmable ROM block are adjacently disposed along a first direction. At least part of information stored in the programmable ROM block is supplied to the logic circuit block.
US08081143B2
A plasma display apparatus is disclosed. The plasma display apparatus includes a plasma display panel including an address electrode, and a data driver. The data driver supplies a data signal having at least three voltage levels to the address electrode during an address period using different voltages received from first and second constant voltage sources.
US08081140B2
A multi-screen system including an image source device for adding control information about to-be-displayed image segments to a video signal, and a plurality of display devices for detecting the control information from the video signal, extracting image segments corresponding to an ID of a display device from the video signal based on the control information, and displaying the extracted image segments.
US08081139B2
An antenna amount including first, second, and third plates is disclosed. Each of the first and second plates includes a planar section and a flange connected to the planar section. At least one attachment device attaches the first plate to the second plate to form a plate structure. When attached, the planar sections of the first and second plates contact each other. Also, the flanges are parallel to each other, extend in the same direction, and are positioned to abut opposing surfaces of a mounting base. The third plate includes a planar section and a mounting surface connected to the planar section. The mounting surface is configured to receive a mounting device for the antenna. The attachment device clamps the mounting base between the third plate and the plate structure.
US08081135B2
The invention consists of an antenna array, for the reception of two frequency bands, comprising two pairs of radiating elements and an network for excitation of these elements for the reception of one of the bands. The radiating elements are positioned so as to free the center of the array to allow colocalized reception of the other band. The excitation network comprises hybrid elements so as to introduce a certain phase shift between the radiating elements allowing a dual circular polarization. This network must comply with two constraints: The phase shift introduced between the hybrids must be equal to the phase shift of the hybrid modulo 2 integer. and the length of the line L1 placed between the first hybrid H1 and the first patch PA1 is such that it introduces a phase shift equal to π modulo 2 integer.
US08081133B2
A satellite antenna includes an antenna dish, a connecting arm, a pole, at least one clamp and a cover bracket. The antenna dish may include a front surface and a rear surface. The connecting arm has a first end and a second end, wherein the first end is coupled with the rear surface of the antenna dish. The pole may extend transversely with respect to the connecting arm and may include a channel extending from one end to the other end of the pole. The at least one clamp may each include a base with an opening that allows the pole to pass through. The cover bracket may include a front cover to seal the second end of the connecting arm, and a first cover integral with the front cover that includes a first side and a second side. The first cover may support the pole over the connecting arm on the first side and engage with the connecting arm with the second side.
US08081130B2
A shortened multi-band antenna includes in-line dipoles, selected elements of which having shielded meanderline chokes to be able to switch from an extended dipole at the lower VHF frequencies to a shortened dipole for the UHF band. Additionally, the staggered asymmetric meanderline configuration permits overall size reduction, whereas antenna construction includes an intermediate fiberglass layer over which conductive foil is placed for tuning and for parasitic radiator purposes to improve the gain of the UHF dipole in the upper regions of the band at 450 megahertz. Additionally, at the low end of the 30 megahertz band a sleeve is positioned between the base of the lowest dipole element and ground, with the sleeve provided with two parallel RLC circuits tuned to different bands to improve VSWR at the low end of the VHF band and to eliminate unwanted nulls.
US08081126B2
Even though an antenna apparatus is low profile to have a height of not more than 70 mm, sensitivity is maximally suppressed from being deteriorated. In an antenna case 10 projecting from a vehicle in a height of not more than 70 mm, an antenna circuit board 30 on which an antenna pattern is formed is uprightly arranged and an amplifier circuit board 34 which amplifies a received signal output from the antenna circuit board 30 are housed. In the antenna circuit board 30, an antenna coil to resonate the antenna pattern in an FM waveband is inserted between the antenna pattern and a feeding point. Therefore, a low-profile antenna pattern having a length which is about 1/20 a wavelength of an FM broadcast resonates the FM band.
US08081124B2
Disclosed is a planar monopole antenna including: a film formed of an insulating material; an antenna element which is a single-body planar conductor on the film; and a ground element which is a planar conductor on the film and kept at ground potential, wherein the antenna element includes: a first pole element which is formed of a planar body of a conductive material and has a feeding point; a capacitor element having a capacitor component and a coil element having a coil component, each of which is formed of a planar body of a conductive material and formed integral with the first pole element; and a second pole element which is formed of a planar body of a conductive material and formed integral with the capacitor element and the coil element.
US08081119B2
A product includes a power supply circuit board, which includes a power supply circuit having a stable frequency characteristic which enables communication among various products to be obtained. The product includes a power supply circuit board including a power supply circuit arranged thereon having an inductance element, and a wireless communication circuit board electrically connected to the power supply circuit. The wireless communication circuit board is mounted on the power supply circuit board. The product further includes a radiation plate which emits a transmission signal which is supplied from the power supply circuit through electromagnetic field coupling and which has a frequency substantially determined in accordance with a resonant frequency of the power supply circuit, and which is used to supply a reception signal to the power supply circuit through electromagnetic field coupling.
US08081117B2
An antenna device according to this invention having: a transmission antenna which is the first antenna element formed on a surface of a substrate; and a receiving antenna which is the second antenna element formed on the surface of the substrate includes a photonic crystal structure between the transmission antenna which is the first antenna element and the receiving antenna which is the second antenna element.
US08081116B2
In a broadband antenna unit including a ground plate, an antenna element disposed in the vicinity of an end of the ground plate, and a dielectric substrate for mounting the antenna element therein, the antenna element includes a folded plate-shaped monopole antenna portion having a U-shape in cross section and an extending portion extending from the folded plate-shaped monopole antenna portion. The antenna element is disposed on the side of one side edge of the ground plate. The broadband antenna unit has a feeding point between the ground plate and the antenna element that is disposed at a feeding position apart from the one side by a predetermined distance. A ratio between a width of the ground plate and the predetermined distance is substantially 5:2 when a ratio between the width of the ground plate and a width of the folded plate-shaped monopole antenna portion is 2:1.
US08081115B2
An exemplary apparatus providing an antenna for radiating electromagnetic energy is disclosed as having: a first dielectric substrate having opposite first and second surfaces, a patch of conducting material disposed on the first surface, a ground plane of conducting material disposed of the second surface, at least three input means coupled to a plurality of microstrip feed lines wherein the microstrip feed lines have an aspect ratio suitably configured to maximize antenna bandwidth. Disclosed features and specifications may be variously controlled, adapted or otherwise optionally modified to improve and/or modify the performance characteristics of the antenna. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention generally provide an antenna for providing wideband power combining and wideband radiation functions.
US08081114B2
A representative embodiment of the invention provides an antenna having an electrically conducting ground plane and an array of electrically conducting strips located at an offset distance from the ground plane. Electrically conducting pathways, each attached to the middle portion of the corresponding strip, connect the strips to the ground plane. Electrically conducting lips, each attached to an edge of the corresponding conducting strip, extend about halfway toward the ground plane. The size of the array is smaller than the wavelength of the fundamental radiation mode supported by the antenna. Advantageously, the antenna has a bandwidth about three times larger than that of a comparably sized prior-art patch antenna.
US08081112B2
A method and apparatus, including software, for the development and operational use of precise utility location and utility asset management information. Field-usable data sets may be produced that meet standards of accuracy and usability that are sufficient for use by field operations personnel participating in damage prevention activities associated with ground penetrating projects (e.g., excavating, trenching, boring, driving, and tunneling) or other asset applications. Some embodiments relate to integrating utility asset data including coordinate location, and geographical information data using a consistently available and accurate coordinates reference for collecting the data and for aligning the geographical information data. Some embodiments relate to managing projects with equipment that provides real time images and the updating of the data as required with this desired accuracy.
US08081108B2
In a method of autonomous orbit projection performed within a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) receiver, distinct broadcast orbits are received over time from a GNSS satellite during operation of the GNSS receiver. A plurality of the distinct broadcast orbits are stored within the GNSS receiver. Within the GNSS receiver, a plurality of the stored broadcast orbits are converted into a time series of range data for the GNSS satellite. A projected orbit for the GNSS satellite is determined by utilizing the time series of range data as an input to an orbit projector of the GNSS receiver.
US08081099B2
In a D/A converter that has a plurality of current sources (IS1, IS2 and IS3-1 to IS3-63) each including a transistor, and is for converting an input digital signal into an analog signal by selecting paths of currents output from the current sources (IS1, IS2 and IS3-1 to IS3-63), depending on the digital signal, a forward body bias voltage is applied to a back-gate terminal of the transistor included in each current source (IS1, IS2 and IS3-1 to IS3-63).
US08081084B2
A device is allowed to be used only in a specified country. The device has an automatic location detection part, and automatically determines its location, and whether that location is authorized. If unauthorized, or if no location detection signal is detected for too long a time, the device is deactivated.
US08081066B2
A vibrator assembly includes an electric motor, a shaft driven by the motor, and a cylindrical weight coaxially positioned on the shaft free end, wherein the cylindrical weight has a center of gravity that is radially offset from the shaft axis. The cylindrical weight includes a first portion that is lighter in weight than a second portion. When the vibrator assembly is installed within an electronic device, the cylindrical shape of the weight limits the amount of shaft deflection that can occur when the electronic device is dropped or subjected to other impact forces.
US08081065B2
The invention relates to a device for protecting a photovoltaic plant (1) against rodent bite damage, wherein the photovoltaic plant (1) comprises several components, among them solar cells (2), a control unit (5), an inverter (7), an internal voltage supply means (13) and at least one microcontroller (9) which are interconnected via corresponding lines (3, 6, 8, 11). To provide such a device which offers an optimum protection against damage caused by bites and which entails as little maintenance and installation expenditures as possible, an ultrasonic transmitter (12) is provided for emitting an ultrasonic signal, and the ultrasonic transmitter (12) is connected to a microcontroller (9) of the photovoltaic plant (1) such that the ultrasonic signal emitted is controllable via the photovoltaic plant (1).
US08081054B2
A transformer is disclosed that includes a housing having a core-winding assembly positioned therein that is immersed in a dielectric transformer fluid contained within the housing. A cooling system is provided to cool the dielectric transformer fluid contained within the housing and includes a closed-loop fluid path having a quantity of dielectric cooling fluid that is circulated there through and that is maintained separate from the dielectric transformer fluid. A liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger is positioned along the closed-loop fluid path and within the housing so as to be immersed within the dielectric transformer fluid, with the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger cooling the dielectric transformer fluid based on a liquid-to-liquid transfer of heat energy between the dielectric cooling fluid and the dielectric transformer fluid. The cooling system also includes a heat dissipation system positioned remotely from the liquid-to-liquid heat exchanger to cool the dielectric cooling fluid circulating through the closed-loop fluid path.
US08081045B1
A beamformer includes an integrated-circuit power divider/combiner including a common port. A first transmission line extends from the common port to an individual port on the integrated circuit substrate. A first portion of a second transmission line extends on the substrate from the individual port to an integrated-circuit port. A second portion of the second transmission line extends from the integrated-circuit port vertically through plural layers of an underlying printed-circuit board stack. The characteristic impedances of the first and second portions of the second transmission line, and their combined length, are selected to match the impedance at the individual port to a standard impedance.
US08081044B2
A surface-mountable waveguide arrangement comprising a dielectric carrier material having a first main side and a second main side, the second side comprising a ground plane, and the first side being arranged to form a microwave circuit layout by means of metallization patterns on the respective sides. The microwave circuit layout comprises a footprint for a surface-mountable waveguide part, the waveguide part comprising an open side, a part of the footprint constituting a closing wall arranged for closing the open side. The waveguide part is arranged for being mounted to a footprint solder area comprised in the footprint, having an outer contour and corresponding to a solderable contact area on the waveguide part. A solderstop line is formed on the footprint, at least partly defining a border between the closing wall and the footprint solder area. The present invention also relates to a dielectric carrier.
US08081042B2
An apparatus, method and computer program, the apparatus including: a modulator including a first input for receiving a data signal and a second input for receiving an output signal from a phase locked loop wherein the modulator is for modulating the output signal from the phase locked loop using the data signal and providing the modulated signal to an output for connection to an amplifier; and a phase shifter configured to result in a predetermined phase shift to the modulated signal.
US08081041B2
A practical method and system for oversampled digitally controlled DC-DC converters is presented. To minimize the switching losses while maintaining all advantages of the oversampling, “glue logic” and application specific oversampling digital pulse-width modulator are introduced. Experimental results demonstrate transient response with 50% smaller deviation than that of conventional controllers, allowing for proportional reduction in the size of the power stage output capacitor.
US08081038B2
Provided is a ring oscillator having an extended range of oscillation frequency by varactors coupled to delay cells even in a simple structure. The wide frequency range results from simply varying an oscillation frequency by control signals applied to the varactors. Since additional switches connected to the delay cells contribute to increase or decrease of the oscillation frequency range, the ring oscillator can conveniently be employed in various types of oscillation systems.
US08081028B2
Systems and methods for implementing over-current protection in amplifiers are provided, including systems, methods and devices for specifying a clip level at which to clip an audio signal in response to an over-current condition being detected. In an embodiment, the clip level is reduced while the over-current condition is being detected. Once the over-current condition is no longer detected, the clip level is maintained for a specified period before allowing the clip level to be increased. In an embodiment, the specified period, for which the clip level is maintained before the clip level is allowed to be increased, starts when the over-current condition is no longer detected, and ends when each of N immediately preceding sample(s) of the audio signal are not clipped to the clip level, where N is an integer, and N≧1. After an over-current condition is no longer detected, and after the clip level has been maintained for the specified period, the clip level can be increased if an over-current condition is not detected for a sample and the clip level is below a specified maximum clip level.
US08081026B1
An integrated circuit, that includes: (i) a power gating switch, the power gating switch includes (a) an input port for receiving an input supply voltage; (b) an output port for outputting an output supply voltage; and (c) a control port for receiving a control signal that determines a difference between a value of the input supply voltage and a value of the output supply voltage; (ii) a power gated circuit, coupled to the output port of the switch, for receiving the output supply voltage; (iii) a mode indicator generator for generating a mode indicator that indicates of a desired mode of the power gated circuit; (iv) a leakage indicator generator for generating a leakage indicator that indicates of a leakage level of the power gated circuit; and (iv) a control circuit, for receiving the mode indicator and the leakage indicator, and for selecting the value of the control signal based on the mode indicator and on the leakage indicator.
US08081025B1
A biasing device can supply a bias voltage to bias-able element by coupling a bias circuit to the bias-able element, coupling a state adjusting device to the biasing circuit, configuring the state adjusting device to 1) increase an initial biasing voltage by a first amount when an intermediate voltage threshold exceeds a voltage drop across the bias-able element and 2) increment the increased initial bias voltage by a second amount, where the second amount is a fraction of the first amount, until the voltage drop across the bias-able element substantially equals a predetermined bias voltage. The bias circuit of the biasing device can include a variable resistance, which is controlled by the state adjusting device and configured to vary the biasing voltage, in series with the bias-able element. The variable resistance can include a first variable resistance coupled in series to a first terminal of the bias-able element and a second variable resistance coupled in series to a second terminal of the bias-able element.
US08081021B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a delay locked loop for achieving a delay locked state by correcting a phase difference between a reference clock and an internal delayed clock and for indicating the state that a larger delay amount than a maximum delay amount of a delay line is required, or a smaller delay amount than a minimum delay amount of delay line is required. A control unit resets the delay locked loop according to the state of the delay line.
US08081019B2
An apparatus for generating a compensation signal for a power converter where the second harmonic ripple on the voltage bus is substantially removed from the compensation signal. The apparatus comprises a frequency-locked clock generator, a bus voltage data generator, a stack, and a compensation signal generator. The frequency-locked clock is coupled to the power converter voltage bus that contains harmonics of the AC line frequency. The clock generator frequency locks to the second harmonic of the AC line frequency and creates a system clock which is used for the synchronous operations throughout the apparatus. The bus-voltage data generator inputs a power converter scaled-bus voltage, generates bus-voltage data at a sampling rate which is determined by the coupled system clock. The output of the bus-voltage generator is input into a stack. The output of the stack is coupled to a summer to remove the second harmonic ripple, and is used by a modified PID′ filter to generate a compensation signal for a power converter controller.
US08081014B2
A semiconductor apparatus includes an arithmetic circuit that executes a program based on an operating clock signal input through a clock transfer node, an internal oscillator that generates an internal clock signal to be used internally, a watch dog timer that counts the internal clock signal, detect that a count value reaches a predetermined value of an execution time of the program in the arithmetic circuit and output a notification signal, and a clock monitor circuit that detects presence or absence of the operating clock signal in response to the notification signal.
US08081012B2
A semiconductor buffer circuit that operates stably against PVT fluctuation is disclosed. The disclosed semiconductor buffer unit of the present invention includes: a detecting block configured to generate a plurality of code signals by detecting an external voltage, using a plurality of reference voltages; and a buffer unit configured to receive an input signal and the plurality of code signals and, based on the code signals, to generate an output signal, wherein a consumption of a driving current of the buffer unit is controlled based on the code signals.
US08081006B2
A sensor temperature compensation circuit that includes a sensor and non-linear temperature compensation circuit that compensates for non-linear temperature dependencies in offset and/or gain generated by the sensor. For instance, to at least partially compensate for offset temperature dependencies, a summer adds two offset compensation signals, the ratio of the second to the first being a function of temperature. The summed signal may then be multiplied by a function of temperature. The summed signal may then be used to provide the non-linear temperature compensation to the offset. Alternatively or in addition, to at least partially compensate for gain temperature dependencies, a summer adds two gain compensation signals, the ratio of the second to the first being a function of temperature. The summed signal may then be multiplied by a function of temperature. The summed signal may then be used to provide non-linear temperature compensation to the gain.
US08081004B2
A testing card for peripheral component interconnection (PCI) interface includes a body, a plurality of PCI pins, a PCI interface chip, and a plurality of PCI testing pins. The PCI pins are mounted to the body. The PCI interface chip is mounted to the body and connected to the PCI pins. The PCI testing pins are mounted to the body and electrically connected to the pins of the PCI interface chip. When the PCI pins are connected to a PCI slot of a motherboard, the PCI interface chip is configured to communicate with the motherboard.
US08081002B2
A method and apparatus for determining a distance of a phase-to-phase fault or a three-phase fault on a three-phase electric line, the apparatus (40) being configured to determine a first estimate value for a distance between the measuring point (40) and a point (F) of fault on the basis of a first equation based on a fault loop model in which the point of fault is located between the measuring point and load of the electric line, and a second estimate value for the distance on the basis of a second equation based on a fault loop model in which the load of the electric line is located between the measuring point and the point of fault, and to select according to predetermined criteria one of the determined two estimate values as the distance between the measuring point (40) and the point of fault (F).
US08080998B2
A method is described for use with first and second in-ground cables such that, when the first cable is driven at a locating signal frequency to emit a locating signal in an electromagnetic form, the locating signal can be coupled to the second cable to cause the second cable to generate a false locating signal. The method includes generating the locating signal frequency. A reference signal is produced. The locating signal frequency is impressed on the reference signal in a way which provides for distinguishing between the locating signal and the false locating signal. The locating signal frequency and the reference signal are summed to produce a summer output. The summer output is coupled onto the first cable such that the first cable emanates the locating signal and the reference signal, and the reference signal can be received for distinguishing between the locating signal and the false locating signal.
US08080997B2
An MRI apparatus and method reduces eddy currents generated by changing gradient magnetic fields used to image an object. Positioning image data from a pilot imaging mode is used to set reference imaging conditions for a subsequent actual diagnostic imaging mode used to acquire diagnostic image data. An eddy current stimulus index is calculated for a gradient magnetic field polarity successively (i.e., iteratively) renewed (i.e., changed) by renewal of imaging conditions and phase-encoding direction. Diagnostic image data is generated during an actual diagnostic imaging mode based on a gradient magnetic field polarity and phase-encoding direction that provides the lowest eddy current stimulus index value, thus using an optimum set of imaging conditions.
US08080996B2
According to the present invention, in a magnetic resonance imaging apparatus that receives magnetic resonance signals emitted from a patient by using a reception coil and reconstructs an image of the test subject from the received magnetic resonance signals, first and second cameras image positions of the patient and the reception coil and an audio recorder records the same to be stored in a PACS server when setting the reception coil. Further, when setting the reception coil for a subsequent time, information of the positions of the test subject and the reception coil is read from the PACS server and confirmed by using a monitor and a speaker.
US08080994B2
An integrated current sensor includes a current conductor, a magnetic field transducer, and an electromagnetic shield. The magnetic field transducer includes a sensor die. The electromagnetic shield is disposed proximate to the sensor die. The electromagnetic shield has at least one feature selected to reduce an eddy current in the electromagnetic shield.
US08080986B2
A driving control device and method for power converting system includes power converting circuit and driving control device. The driving control device has an analog/digital convertor, a measuring device, and a control module. The driving control method is the analog/digital convertor receives a inductor current and the parameters of the inductor current from the measuring device, measures the slope parameter of the inductor current according the parameters from Equation 1 and Equation 2, then calculates a duty cycle parameter from the slope parameter of the inductor current and use the duty cycle parameter to generate pulse control signal to perform driving control.
US08080983B2
A power element bypass and voltage regulation circuit shutdown is used in a low drop out (LDO) bypass voltage regulator to minimize current drawn by the voltage regulator circuit when the supply input voltage approaches the regulated output voltage of the voltage regulation circuit. Two modes of operation are used in the low drop out (LDO) bypass voltage regulator. A regulate mode is used when the supply input voltage is greater than the reference voltage input, and a track mode is used when the supply input voltage is less than or equal to approximately the regulated output voltage of the voltage regulation circuit. Hysteresis may be introduced when switching between the regulate and track modes of operation.
US08080975B2
The teachings relate to a power supply for a portable electronic device. The power supply comprises a modular hybrid-charger assembly operably connected to a device holder. The modular hybrid-charger assembly comprises a rechargeable internal battery connected to a port operable to function as a tetherless connection to a portable electronic device, a power management engine embodied in a computer readable medium, and an untethered solar energy source. The device holder comprises a framework operable to receive, hold, and release the portable electronic device; and an alignment mechanism that facilitates a mating of the portable electronic device with the hybrid-charger assembly. The modular hybrid-charger assembly can comprise a form factor that is interchangeable and operable with each of several different device holder form factors.
US08080969B2
A controller for a switched reluctance machine (SRM) generates current commands that reduce torque harmonics generated by the SRM. The controller monitors the phase currents and rotor position of the SRM to estimate torque generated by the SRM. The current command signal is modified based on the difference between the torque command and the estimated torque. A multiplier that varies with the monitored torque command is applied to the modified current command to provide a smooth phase-to-phase transition.
US08080967B2
The brushless electric machine includes a first drive member (30U) having a plurality of permanent magnets (32U); a second drive member (10) having a plurality of electromagnetic coils and capable of movement relative to the first drive member (30U); and a third drive member (30L) disposed at the opposite side from the first drive member (30U) with the second drive member (10) therebetween. The second drive member (10) has magnetic sensors (40A, 40B) for detecting the relative position of the first and second drive members. The third drive member (30L) has at locations facing the permanent magnets of the first drive member (30U) a plurality of magnetic field strengthening members (32L) for strengthening the magnetic field at the location of the second drive member (10) in conjunction with the permanent magnets.
US08080965B2
Motor controller with deterministic synchronous interrupt having multiple serial interface backplane
In one embodiment, a motor drive is provided that includes a control board and one or more option boards coupled to the control board via one or more serial interfaces such that data from the one or more option boards is communicated via one or more synchronous interrupts on the one or more serial interfaces. A method of operating a motor drive that includes transmitting one or more signals from an option board to a control board via one or more synchronous interrupts, wherein the option board is coupled to the control board via a serial interface. A tangible machine-readable medium implementing the method is also provided.
US08080963B2
A motor driving circuit includes a detecting unit, a signal control unit, a comparing unit and a driving unit. The detecting unit detects a rotation speed of a motor and thus outputs a detecting signal. The signal control unit generates a reference signal. The comparing unit electrically connected with the detecting unit and the signal control unit, and receives the detecting signal and the reference signal and thus outputs a comparing signal. The driving unit electrically connected with the comparing unit, and receives the comparing signal and thus outputs a driving signal to drive the motor.
US08080961B2
In one embodiment the present invention includes a vehicle window apparatus. The vehicle window apparatus comprises a position feature, a detector, a feature switch, and a motor. The position feature corresponds to a position of a vehicle window. The detector is coupled to use the position feature and is coupled to provide at least one signal corresponding to a movement of the vehicle window to a predetermined position. The feature switch is coupled to the detector. The motor is coupled to provide the movement of the vehicle window according to the signals provided by the detector. The movement results from the switching of the feature switch. The predetermined position is a position between a fully closed position and a fully open position.
US08080954B2
An inverter apparatus comprises an inverter circuit using pairs of switching elements. The pseudo AC voltage of each phase of this inverter circuit is controlled by pulse modulation using pulses generated by a PWM generator, and the pseudo AC voltages are applied to a power supplied load. The average voltage of respective phases of the output voltages applied to the power supplied load is detected as a virtual neutral voltage corresponding to the neutral voltage of the power supplied load by detecting the voltage at a common node where the phases of a voltage detecting circuit provided between the inverter circuit and the power supplied load are connected. The detected virtual neutral voltage is fed back for controlling the output duty of each phase by the PWM generator. Thus the output voltage of each phase from the inverter circuit is controlled so as to become a target output voltage. The target output voltage can be accurately obtained stably at all times.
US08080953B2
A control device includes a drive control unit that performs control for driving the electromagnetic coil, and a regeneration control unit that performs control for regenerating power from the electromagnetic coil. The drive control unit includes an excitation interval setting unit that sets an excitation interval and a non-excitation interval such that voltage is applied to the electromagnetic coil during the excitation interval while not applied to the electromagnetic coil during the non-excitation interval. The excitation interval has a symmetrical shape whose center corresponds to a π/2 phase point of the induced voltage waveform, and the non-excitation interval has a symmetrical shape whose center corresponds to the π phase point of the induced voltage waveform. The regeneration control unit includes a regeneration interval setting unit that sets a regeneration interval and a non-regeneration interval such that power is regenerated from the electromagnetic coil during the regeneration interval while not regenerated from the electromagnetic coil during the non-regeneration interval. The regeneration interval has a symmetrical shape whose center corresponds to the π/2 phase point of the induced voltage waveform, and the non-regeneration interval has a symmetrical shape whose center corresponds to the π phase point of the induced voltage waveform.
US08080945B2
The present invention provides a multiple lamp driving capable of being applied to a multiple lamp system such as an LCD, wherein the multiple lamp driving device includes: a power supply unit for supplying a driving voltage to a lamp unit provided with first to 4nth lamps; and a balancing circuit unit including first to nth balance transformers for receiving the driving voltage from the power supply unit and balancing currents flowing through the first to 4nth lamps, wherein each of the first to nth balance transformers includes a primary side connected to the power supply unit in series and first and second secondary sides electrically connected to the primary side, each one end of the first and second secondary sides is connected to one end of one of the first to 4nth lamps, each of the other ends of the first and second secondary sides is connected to one end of another among the first to 4nth lamps, and the other ends of all of the first to 4nth lamps are connected to a ground.
US08080941B2
The cold cathode lamp includes a light-transmissive insulating tube; the first and second internal electrodes disposed inside the insulating tube; the first and second external electrodes disposed outside the insulating tube and connected to the first and second internal electrodes, respectively; the first and second insulating members covering the first and second external electrodes, respectively; the first opposite electrode opposite the first external electrode with the first insulating member interposed therebetween, the second opposite electrode opposite the second external electrode with the second insulating member interposed therebetween, the first insulating layer covering the outer edges of the first opposite electrode; and the second insulating layer covering the outer edges of the second opposite electrode. It is possible to light up a plurality of cold cathode lamps that are connected in parallel to a power supply. It is also possible to suppress the generation of a corona discharge around the outer edges of the opposite electrode.
US08080938B2
The present invention relates to an organic light emitting display device and a manufacturing method thereof. The organic light emitting display device according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes: a substrate; a plurality of thin film transistors disposed on the substrate; an overcoat disposed on the thin film transistor; a thin film pattern disposed on the overcoat, the thin film pattern comprising a plurality of first portions where the thin film is present and a plurality of second portions where the thin film is not present; a first electrode disposed on the thin film pattern; an organic light emitting member disposed on the first electrode; and a second electrode disposed on the organic light emitting member. The first portion and the second portion are alternately arranged.
US08080936B2
In a display device including, a display area having a plurality of organic EL devices on a substrate; a peripheral area having a driving circuit for the organic EL devices and surrounding the display area on the substrate; and an organic insulating film covering at least the driving circuit, the organic insulating film has a separating groove which divides itself into the inner part and outer part at the periphery of the display area.
US08080935B2
Provided is a top emission type organic EL display, more specifically, an organic EL display having a specific sealing film and improved light extracting efficiency. The organic EL display provided with a top emission type organic EL element having the sealing film including a transparent inorganic material is characterized in that the density of a transparent inorganic material for an inner layer of the sealing film is lower than the density of a transparent inorganic material for an outer layer of the sealing film. The transparent inorganic material is silicon oxide, silicon nitride, silicon oxynitride, aluminum nitride or the like. Thus, the low power consumption organic EL display is provided.
US08080932B2
An electron-emitting device of the present invention has an electron-emitting film, and the electron-emitting film is composed of a first layer made of a first material, and a plurality of particles made of a second material whose electric resistivity is lower than that of the first material and provided into the first layer. The first material contains oxygen and nitrogen. A method for manufacturing the electron-emitting device according to the present invention has a step of forming the electron-emitting film, and the electron-emitting film forming step includes a step of forming the plurality of particles made of a second material whose electric resistivity is lower than that of a first material into the first layer made of the first material containing oxygen and nitrogen.
US08080928B2
A convex portion 2 having a specific sectional shape is formed on a substrate 1 between electrodes 3 and 4, and a gap 6 is formed on a conductive film 5, connecting the electrodes 3 and 4, on the convex portion 2, whereby the distance from the center of the gap 6 serving as a electron-emitting portion to the stagnation point is reduced so as to enhance an electron emission efficiency.
US08080926B2
Provided are a multi-display apparatus and a method of manufacturing the multi-display apparatus. The method includes preparing a pair of unit panels respectively comprising display devices, etching main bodies of the pair of unit panels, and connecting the pair of unit panels so that etched portions of the main bodies of the unit panels overlap in a thickness direction of the unit panels.
US08080922B2
An ultrasonic sensor, in particular for a vehicle, including a housing, includes the following: a transducer element which is attached to the bottom of the housing for generating ultrasonic oscillations; a first damping element situated in the housing for damping oscillations of the bottom; and a cover for sealing the housing, the cover being provided with a second damping element and having continuous tapering of the cover thickness in the region of the second damping element.
US08080921B2
A piezoelectric device includes: a base substrate; an electronic component provided on a first surface of the base substrate; and a piezoelectric resonator that is provided on the first surface of the base substrate without planarly overlapping with the electronic component and have a package base, a mounting surface of the package base having one of a recessed part and a cutout part. In the device, the base substrate includes a resonator-disposing section disposed in a region of the one of the recessed part and the cutout part of the piezoelectric resonator and the resonator-disposing section is a part of the base substrate in plan view and is coupled to a bottom surface of the one of the recessed part and the cutout part.
US08080918B2
Patterns detection to input data containing a plurality of transactions, each transaction having at least one item, is carried out in the following way. Filter conditions for interesting patterns are received, and a first wet of filter conditions applicable in connection with generation of candidate patterns is determined.
US08080911B2
A spherical motor rotating in multi degrees of freedom has a reliable capability of determining positioning. The spherical motor includes a hollow spherical-shaped stator installed with a bi-level bobbin wound by coil generating a synthesized magneto-motive force on an inner surface thereof; and a rotor formed inside the stator and rotating around a shaft, wherein a slope of the shaft is adjusted by the synthesized magneto-motive force. Two or more of the bobbins are provided and installed at regular intervals along the inner surface of the stator, and the rotor includes one or more permanent magnets. The spherical motor rotating in multi degrees of freedom, formed with the above mentioned figures, can embody multi degrees of freedom by the interaction between the flowing current in the winding coil around the bobbin and the permanent magnet.
US08080908B2
A rotor for an electric rotating machine includes d-axis through holes located on respective d-axes, hollow shafts formed in both axial sides of a rotating shaft not inserted into a rotor core, presser plates mounted on both axial ends of the rotor core, cooling grooves formed in faces of the presser plates in contact with the rotor core, a plurality of presser plate refrigerant outlet holes in the presser plates, the presser plate refrigerant outlet holes of one of the presser plates having diameters different from diameters of the presser plate refrigerant outlet holes of one of the other presser plates, and a refrigerant channel formed so that a refrigerant supplied into one of the hollow shafts of the rotating shaft flows through the refrigerant channel and further through the hollow shaft wall hole of said one hollow shaft and the radial grooves of the respective presser plates.
US08080907B2
The present invention provides a rotor of a brushless (BL) motor, including: a high-strength engineering plastic member formed by injection-molding high-strength engineering plastic around a concavo-convex portion 12a formed on the outer circumferential surface of a rotary shaft; a sound-absorbing resin element formed by injection-molding a sound-absorbing resin around the high-strength engineering plastic member; a cylindrical ring magnet assembly including a plurality of axially aligned ring-shaped magnets, each of which has a plurality of indented grooves 20a and 20b formed on both end edges of the inner circumferential surface thereof; and a high-strength plastic member formed by injection-molding a high-strength plastic between the sound-absorbing resin element and the ring magnet assembly, the high-strength plastic member having a plurality of protrusions formed on the outer circumferential surface thereof in such a fashion that each protrusion corresponds to an associated one of the indented grooves of the ring-shaped magnets.
US08080897B1
Optimal feedback sensing locations are determined based on minimizing the sum of the differences between actual voltages and nominal voltages at the devices being supplied by the voltage regulator. An optimal sense location may be determined to be a location (for example, on a PCB or PKG) where the sensed voltage is equal to the nominal voltage of the multiple devices when the voltage output of the power source(s) is equal to a level that minimizes the sum of the differences between the actual voltages and nominal voltages at the devices being supplied by the power source(s). An optimal sense location may also be determined to be a location where the sensed voltage is equal to the average of the voltages at the devices that are supplied by the power source(s). Visual data is generated, the visual data indicating an area or areas that comprise optimal sense locations and locations that are optimal within a preset tolerance range.
US08080896B2
A system for converting an airflow into mechanical or electrical energy, which includes a tubular member having a first opening and a second opening, a leading edge member positioned adjacent to one of the first and second openings, and a raised edge along each longitudinal edge of the leading edge member.
US08080892B2
A combined water tank and generator is provided. By capturing rainwater into a container at a higher point, using the weight of the container to drive an electrical generator, and releasing the stored water once it has reached the ground, a system is provided that provides electricity and provides a source of water for later use.
US08080887B2
A closed loop control system for controlling generator cooling pressure, purity and dew point at power plants with hydrogen cooled generators to achieve optimum efficiency. The present invention uses feedback from plant status monitoring software to dynamically control parameters such as hydrogen pressure, purity and dew point to achieve optimum efficiency and provide necessary reserve capacity. The hydrogen pressure setpoint can be manipulated based on plant conditions such as output voltage, MVAR reserve capacity, likelihood of increased demand and other parameters. In general, an attempt is made to lower the pressure setpoint to achieve efficiency. Margin is built in to account for time lag in raising hydrogen pressure in the case of increased demand.
US08080881B2
The invention provides a contact pad supporting structure. The contact pad supporting structure includes an underlying first conductive plate and an overlying second conductive plate, wherein the first and second conductive plates are separated by a first dielectric layer. A plurality of circular ring-shaped via plug groups comprising a plurality of circular ring-shaped via plugs is through the first dielectric layer, electrically connecting to the first and second conductive plates. All of the circular ring-shaped via plugs of each of the circular ring-shaped via plug groups are disorderly arranged.
US08080875B2
An interconnection substrate including therein one or more resin layers, each of the resin layers including therein a via-hole penetrating from a top surface to a bottom surface of the resin layer. A via-plug of metal particles is formed in the via-hole. Each of the metal particles has a flattened shape generally parallel to a plane of the resin layer.
US08080864B2
For improving efficiency of a power device having an exposed surface capable of radiating energy, a shielding layer is disposed in between the exposed surface and a conductive layer. The shielding layer causes at least a portion of the energy to be directed back into the power device, thereby substantially preventing the energy from inducing eddy currents in the conductive layer. The conductive layer is fabricated from a metal foil for compliance with electromagnetic energy leakage regulations.
US08080862B2
An electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection device is fabricated in a vertical space between active layers of stacked semiconductor dies thereby utilizing space that would otherwise be used only for communication purposes. The vertical surface area of the through silicon vias (TSVs) is used for absorbing large voltages resulting from ESD events. In one embodiment, an ESD diode is created in a vertical TSV between active layers of the semiconductor dies of a stacked device. This ESD diode can be shared by circuitry on both semiconductor dies of the stack thereby saving space and reducing die area required by ESD protection circuitry.
US08080860B2
A semiconductor device comprises an active region including a core circuit forming region and a buffer forming region, and a fuse element forming region arranged on a corner of the active region and to be able to be electrically fused. It is possible to arrange the fuse element without forming the fuse in the core circuit forming region by arranging the fuse element forming region at the corner of the active region.
US08080855B2
According to the present invention, a protective seal S1 for protecting a transparent member 11 is composed of an organic base 16, adhesive layers 17, and a second adhesive layer 18 having low adhesion. The adhesive layers 17 are provided only on edges corresponding, on the organic base 16, to sides 11b of the transparent member and the second adhesive layer 18 is provided on a portion corresponding, on the organic base 16, to a surface 11a of the transparent member. The organic base 16 is fixed to the sides 11b and the surface 11a of the transparent member 11 with the adhesive layers 17 and 18.
US08080847B2
In one embodiment of the present invention an array of power transistors on a semiconductor chip has repeating patterns of two “wave” gates which have alternating longer and shorter horizontal sections which are offset mirror images of each other together with a third straight horizontal section. Alternating source and drain regions lie between adjacent gates. Contacts are located adjacent each side of sections of the “wave” gates which connect the ends of the horizontal sections of the “wave” gates.
US08080845B2
A semiconductor device includes a gate insulating film formed over a semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode formed over the gate insulating film, a source region formed in the semiconductor substrate, a first drain region formed on the other side of the gate electrode and formed in the semiconductor substrate, the first drain region having one end extending below the gate electrode, the first drain region having a first impurity concentration, a second drain region formed in the first drain region and spaced apart from the gate electrode by a first distance, the second drain region having a second impurity concentration higher than the first impurity concentration, a third drain region formed in the first drain region and spaced apart from the gate electrode by a second distance, the second distance being greater than the first distance, the third drain region having a third impurity concentration.
US08080834B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit includes a substrate, an oxide layer formed on an upper surface of the substrate, a plurality of polysilicon members arranged at constant intervals in a matrix on an upper surface of the oxide layer and including at least one first polysilicon member and a plurality of second polysilicon members, and a diffusion layer formed in the substrate under the first polysilicon member and electrically coupled to an interconnect for supplying a first power supply voltage, wherein the first polysilicon member is situated at an outermost periphery of the matrix and electrically coupled to an interconnect for supplying a second power supply voltage, and the plurality of second polysilicon members are situated inside the outermost periphery of the matrix.
