US08351777B2

An image pickup apparatus includes a focus detector that utilizes a phase detection method, an image pickup device, an optical path switch configured to switch a path of light from an object between a first optical path used to lead the light to the focus detector and a second optical path used to lead the light to the image pickup device, a face detector configured to detect a face of the object from the image data, and a controller configured to provide such a control that the optical path switch can set the second optical path after the optical path switch sets the first optical path and the focus detector detects the on-focus state using the phase difference method, and allows the face detector to detect the face of the object after the optical path switch can set the second optical path.
US08351772B2

A shake correction apparatus comprises a shake detection unit which detects a shake of an image capture apparatus, a calculation unit which calculates a shake correction amount for correcting an image blur based on an output from the shake detection unit, a shake correction unit which corrects the image blur based on the shake correction amount, a shake level determination unit which determines a shake level of the image capture apparatus based on an output from the shake detection unit, an offset determination unit which determines an offset value based on the shake correction amount and the shake level, and a subtraction unit which subtracts the offset value from the output from the shake detection unit.
US08351765B2

A system for recording television programs for subsequent viewing by a user includes a preference determination module which is responsive to attribute information associated with television programs viewed by the user. The preference determination module categorizes the attribute information in accordance with categorization parameters to generate recordation preference information, indicative of television program viewing preferences of the user. The system also includes a recordation module which is responsive to the recordation preference information, for causing recordation on a storage medium of subsequently transmitted television programs, having attribute information corresponding to the recordation preference information.
US08351745B2

A 2-to-1 POF optical coupler, a bi-directional link that employs the coupler, and methods for performing 2-to-1 optical coupling are provided, wherein the 2-to-1 POF optical coupler is configured to provide a carefully-selected amount of cross-sectional overlap at the interface between the end face of a main POF or POF pigtail and the end face of the coupler. The amount of overlap is selected to ensure that optical coupling losses are reduced and optical efficiency is increased in both directions in a bi-directional optical communications links. Consequently, signal integrity is improved, limitations on link length are relaxed, and overall link performance is improved while, at the same time, overall link costs are reduced.
US08351739B2

A device for removing mosquito noise and associated method is provided to adaptively determine a proper strength for removing the mosquito noise according to image complexities, thereby removing the noise while maintaining the quality of image details. The device includes a buffer, a lookup table, and a strength determining unit. The buffer stores a pixel matrix having a target pixel. The lookup table stores a plurality of coefficients. The strength determining unit, coupled to the buffer and the lookup table, detects the image complexities of the pixel matrix and looks up the lookup table according to the image complexities of the pixel matrix, so as to output a strength coefficient for removing the mosquito noise.
US08351737B2

Provided is an image processing apparatus for performing a correction process with respect to object image data, the image processing apparatus including: a first determining unit that determines whether facial image data including a face of a person, which is extracted from the object image data, is attached to relevant object image data; a second determining unit that determines whether reduction image data of the object image data is attached to the relevant object image data; a selecting unit that selects the facial image data or the reduction image data as selection image data; a correction parameter setting unit that extracts a feature amount from the selection image data and sets a correction parameter for image correction based on the feature amount; and a correction processing unit that corrects the object image data based on the correction parameter.
US08351721B2

The image encoding device includes: signal-to-signal predicting unit 8 for separating an intra-signal prediction residual signal obtained by performing difference processing between an input image signal and an intra-signal prediction signal into a reference signal and a signal to be predicted and calculating signal-to-signal prediction information used for performing signal-to-signal prediction on each pixel of the signal to be predicted corresponding to each pixel of the reference signal; and signal-to-signal compensating unit 9 for obtaining a signal-to-signal prediction signal of the region to be encoded from a decoded intra-signal prediction residual signal and the signal-to-signal prediction information from the signal-to-signal predicting unit, wherein each pixel of the signal to be predicted is encoded by performing orthogonal conversion, quantization, and encoding on the signal-to-signal prediction residual signal obtained by performing the difference processing between the intra-signal prediction residual signal and the signal-to-signal prediction signal.
US08351711B2

A face categorizing apparatus for categorizing contours of a face of an examined subject is disclosed that includes image capturing means for capturing a face image of the face of the examined subject; control means for controlling operations for categorizing the face of the captured face image into one of at least four predetermined types of categories based on at least two indices including facial space and facial depth/bone structure/fleshiness; and indication means for indicating a categorization result of categorizing the face by the control means on a map having the four predetermined types of categories positioned at corresponding quadrants of a plane coordinate system.
US08351702B2

A handwriting compound system is provided. The system includes a handwriting recognition module that receives a proper number of letters from a user, detects a distance between phonemes/syllables, and shapes and locations of the phonemes/syllables, and recognizes the user's handwriting. The system also includes a point designating module, a reference point setting module and a handwriting transforming module. The point designating module designates a particular one of the subdivided positions in each phoneme recognized by the handwriting recognition module. The reference point setting module sets a reference point, serving as reference for the alteration of a phoneme/syllable, inside or outside the user's input phoneme/syllable recognized by the handwriting recognition module. The handwriting transforming module designates x and y coordinates of a first point with respect to the reference point. The handwriting transforming module sets x and y coordinates of the next points following the first point, based on the distances between a previous and the next point in the x- and y-axes, to determine a relative coordinate of each point. The handwriting transforming module alters a relative coordinate of a particular phoneme/syllable or a particular point. The handwriting transforming module transforms the position, distance, and shape of handwriting.
US08351700B2

Using methods, computer-readable storage media, and apparatuses for computer-implemented processing, an image of handwritten text may be segmented into a disjoint component image corresponding to individual glyphs connected by ligatures. The disjoint component image is skeletonized into a grid graph, and a connected path traversing the ligatures is determined. The disjoint component image is segmented into non-overlapping segments based on connected graphs corresponding to edges in the disjoint component image, where sets of adjacent non-overlapping segments correspond to the individual glyphs. Glyph geometry may be varied by obtaining an ensemble of glyph representations, each characterized by measurable geometric glyph properties. For each geometric glyph property, target values are obtained from ensemble-wide statistical distribution functions, and the target values are used to transform a base glyph representation into a target glyph representation.
US08351695B2

An image processing apparatus converts a color image signal into a luminance signal and a color signal in a predetermined color space (111), and performs tone conversion processing on the luminance signal on the basis of a predetermined tone conversion characteristic (112). A function for chroma correction processing is then set using the luminance signal, the tone conversion-processed luminance signal, a maximum value of the luminance signal in the color space, and a luminance value when a maximum chroma is indicated in a hue region to which the color image signal belongs, as parameters (113), whereupon chroma correction processing is performed on the color signal using the luminance signal, the tone conversion-processed luminance signal, and the set function (114).
US08351687B1

A bearing is provided for use in connection with expansion joint systems. The bearing may be incorporated into expansion joint systems that are used in roadway constructions, bridge constructions, and architectural structures. The bearing can absorb increased loads that are applied to the expansion joint system. The structure of the bearing also permits improved motion of, and provides improved support for, the components of the expansion joint system that are supported on or engaged with the bearing.
US08351685B2

The present invention relates to a device and a method for estimating a depth map, and a method for making an intermediate image and a method for encoding multi-view video using the same. More particularly, the present invention relates to a device and a method for estimating a depth map that are capable of acquiring a depth map that reduces errors and complexity, and is resistant to external influence by dividing an area into segments on the basis of similarity, acquiring a segment-unit initial depth map by using a three-dimensional warping method and a self adaptation function to which an extended gradient map is reflected, and refining the initial depth map by performing a belief propagation method by the segment unit, and achieving smoother view conversion and improved encoding efficiency by generating an intermediate image with the depth map and utilizing the intermediate image for encoding a multi-view video, and a method for generating the intermediate image and a method for encoding the multi-view video using the same.
US08351678B1

Images from checks may be compared with each other to detect a twice-deposited or represented check. An image of a check may be parsed into regions or tiles, for example. In an implementation, values for regions or tiles over a predetermined area (e.g., an area from a character in the magnetic ink character recognition (MICR) line at the bottom of the check to the dollar sign symbol) may be compared. In an implementation, a virtual overlay of two check images may be performed and a correlation may be determined.
US08351677B1

Remote deposit of checks can be facilitated by a financial institution. A customer's general purpose computer and image capture device may be leveraged to capture an image of a check and deliver the image to financial institution electronics. Additional data for the transaction may be collected as necessary. The transaction can be automatically accomplished utilizing the images and data thus acquired.
US08351676B2

Systems and methods for implementing a multi-step image recognition framework for classifying digital images are provided. The provided multi-step image recognition framework utilizes a gradual approach to model training and image classification tasks requiring multi-dimensional ground truths. A first step of the multi-step image recognition framework differentiates a first image region from a remainder image region. Each subsequent step operates on a remainder image region from the previous step. The provided multi-step image recognition framework permits model training and image classification tasks to be performed more accurately and in a less resource intensive fashion than conventional single-step image recognition frameworks.
US08351668B2

Disclosed herein are systems and methods for automatically identifying and characterizing particles within an image. In particular, the systems and methods disclosed herein may be utilized to identify particles that overlap or form agglomerations of particles. Agglomerates may be identified using a variety of techniques. Perimeters of individual particles within an agglomerate may be estimated. According to several embodiments, objects may be characterized using a variety of characteristics, including the particle size, shape, Stokes diameter, aerodynamic diameter, convexity, circularity, and the like. In some instances, these characteristics may allow additional information to be calculated or determined, such as the composition of a particle. These characteristics may also be utilized to determine physical properties of particles, such as flowability, abrasive efficiency, bioactivity, solubility, catalytic activity, and other properties.
US08351663B2

Dot templates are used for detecting objects within images. A computer-implemented method is performed for each of a number of dot templates corresponding to the object to be detected within an image. Each dot template is defined as a collection of points. At each position within the image, a value of the image is determined at each point of the dot template. The dot template is effectively overlaid at the given position within the image. A score of the dot template at this position is determined, based on the values of the image determined at the points of the dot template. Where the score is greater than a predetermined threshold, it can be concluded that the object is at least potentially located within the image at the position in question at which the dot template has been effectively overlaid.
US08351660B2

A face area is detected from an image captured by an image pickup device, pixel values of the image are adjusted based on information concerning the detected face area, a person area is detected from the adjusted image, and the detected face area is integrated with the detected person area. With this configuration, it is possible to accurately detect an object even in a case, for example, where the brightness is varied.
US08351656B2

A contactless system and method for estimating the volume, mass or weight of a target animal is provided. First, the target animal is imaged, preferably with a stereoscopic camera. A spatial representation of the target animal is derived from the stereoscopic images. Next, a virtual three-dimensional spatial model is provided, preferably having a shape resembling that of a characteristic of the animal to which the target animal belongs. A software module is provided to reshape the virtual spatial model, using a finite set of independently configurable shape variables, to approximately fit the spatial representation of the individual animal. Finally, the volume, mass or weight of the target animal is estimated as a function of shape variables characterizing the reshaped virtual model.
US08351654B2

Image processing using geodesic forests is described. In an example, a geodesic forest engine determines geodesic shortest-path distances between each image element and a seed region specified in the image in order to form a geodesic forest data structure. The geodesic distances take into account gradients in the image of a given image modality such as intensity, color, or other modality. In some embodiments, a 1D processing engine carries out 1D processing along the branches of trees in the geodesic forest data structure to form a processed image. For example, effects such as ink painting, edge-aware texture flattening, contrast-aware image editing, forming animations using geodesic forests and other effects are achieved using the geodesic forest data structure. In some embodiments the geodesic forest engine uses a four-part raster scan process to achieve real-time processing speeds and parallelization is possible in many of the embodiments.
US08351645B2

Methods and apparatus for embedding a watermark are disclosed. An example method disclosed herein to embed a watermark in a compressed data stream comprises obtaining a set of transform coefficients included in the compressed data stream, the set of transform coefficients having a respective first set of mantissa codes and a respective set of exponents, the first set of mantissa codes associated with a respective set of mantissa step sizes, identifying a first transform coefficient from the set of transform coefficients having a smallest magnitude among the set of transform coefficients, determining a second set of mantissa codes based on the first transform coefficient and the set of step sizes, and replacing the first set of mantissa codes included in the compressed data stream with the second set of mantissa codes to embed the watermark without uncompressing the compressed data stream.
US08351639B2

A multi-directional sound emission system comprises a speaker body and sound emission devices coupled to both ends of the speaker body. The sound emission devices each include a sound emission means for directionally emitting sound towards multiple directions. The sound emission means includes a plurality of hollow mechanical sound conducting elements. Each hollow mechanical sound conducting element has an inner opening end and an exterior opening end opposite to the inner opening end. The exterior opening ends of the sound conducting elements are directed towards desired multiple directions, respectively. The sound emission means is configured for receiving sound signals from the speaker body and emitting sound along the desired multiple directions through the sound conducting elements.
US08351633B2

Various exemplary embodiments are a noise-cancelling microphone housing including a body and a round wind shield member having a round depression in the end facing away from the body. The body is sized such that at least one microphone element will fit inside. The wind shield member is positioned such that in the course of normal use, wind directed toward the microphone will be intercepted and deflected by the wind-shield element. Deflecting wind away from the noise-cancelling microphone allows the microphone to produce a high-quality signal in spite of heavy winds. Various embodiments may also include a cover made of noise-damping material and/or holes through at least one face of the housing such that sound may pass through and reach the interior where the microphones are located.
US08351631B2

Provided is an enclosure including a rear chamber, a speaker unit chamber disposed adjacent to the rear chamber and connected to the rear chamber such that air flows between the speaker unit chamber and the rear chamber, a front chamber disposed adjacent to the speaker unit chamber and connected to the speaker unit chamber such that air flows between the speaker unit chamber and the front chamber, and a duct having a first side connected to the front chamber such that air flows between the front chamber and the duct and a second side opened to the outside, wherein the rear chamber, the speaker unit chamber, the front chamber, and the duct are disposed between a first plate and a second plate that are spaced apart from each other.
US08351630B2

An acoustic apparatus, including an acoustic driver, acoustically coupled to a pipe to radiate acoustic energy into the pipe. The pipe includes an elongated opening along at least a portion of the length of the pipe through which acoustic energy is radiated to the environment. The radiating is characterized by a volume velocity. The pipe and the opening are configured so that the volume velocity is substantially constant along the length of the pipe.
US08351625B2

Provided is an acoustic sensor capable of improving an S/N ratio of a sensor without preventing reduction in size of the sensor. A back chamber 45 is vertically opened in a silicon substrate 42. A thin film-like diaphragm 43 to serve as a movable electrode plate is formed on the top surface of the substrate 42 so as to cover the back chamber 45. The back plate 48 is fixed to the top surface of the substrate 42 so as to cover the diaphragm 43, and a fixed electrode plate 49 is provided on the under surface of the back plate 48. Further, the diaphragm 43 is divided into a plurality of areas by the slit 47, and the respective plurally divided diaphragms 43a, 43b and the fixed electrode plate 49 constitute a plurality of parallelly connected capacitors (acoustic sensing sections 60a, 60b).
US08351616B1

Differential spacing of loudspeakers in an end fire array is employed to reduce beam spread and, where a ground barrier is present, to suppress any resultant back wave.
US08351613B2

Method and apparatus for determination of gain margin of a hearing assistance device under test. In varying examples, the impulse response for multiple levels can be taken and used to arrive at a gain margin. The method and apparatus, in various examples, process critical portions of the resulting data for efficient processing and to increase accuracy of measurements. The method and apparatus performing a plurality of measurements to determine impulse responses and to derive gain margin as a function of frequency therefrom. The present subject matter includes principles which may are adapted for use within a hearing assistance device using a single white noise stimulus, according to one example. The principles set forth herein can be applied to occluding and non-occluding hearing device embodiments. Additional method and apparatus can be found in the specification and as provided by the attached claims and their equivalents.
US08351612B2

Disclosed is an object based audio contents generating/playing apparatus. The object based audio contents generating/playing apparatus may include an object audio signal obtaining unit to obtain a plurality of object audio signals by recording a plurality of sound source signals, a recording space information obtaining unit to obtain recording space information with respect to a recording space of the plurality of sound source signals, a sound source location information obtaining unit to obtain sound location information of the plurality of sound source signals, and an encoding unit to generate object based audio contents by encoding at least one of the plurality of object audio signals, the recording space information, and the sound source location information, thereby enabling the object based audio contents to be played using at least one of a WFS scheme and a multi-channel surround scheme regardless of a reproducing environment of the audience.
US08351605B2

Embodiments of the invention include methods of transmitting a hidden message within a secured primary data transmission. In one embodiment, a method involves transmitting a primary data transmission over a computer network from a source host to a receiving host. Intentionally-corrupted packets are introduced within the primary data transmission in a manner providing a hidden message. For example, a pattern of intentionally-corrupted packets may be used to encode the hidden message. Alternatively, the hidden message may be embedded within the data area of the intentionally-corrupted packets. The intentionally-corrupted packets are received and interpreted at the receiving host to determine the hidden message.
US08351604B2

In a coding method for the encryption of information worth protecting on a holographic data storage medium, an item of information (I; I1, I2) to be encrypted is converted into a graphic data image (D1, D2), which is in turn converted into a hologram in order to write the holographic data storage medium (4) therewith. The invention provides for the hologram to be changed graphically before the writing of the holographic data storage medium (4). As a result of the manner in which the hologram is changed graphically, encryption which is less susceptible to faults is achieved in a simple way, which presents increased resistance to a parallelized brute force attack.
US08351601B2

Elliptic polynomial cryptography with secret key embedding is a method that allows for the encryption of messages through elliptic polynomial cryptography and, particularly, with the embedding of secret keys in the message bit string. The method of performing elliptic polynomial cryptography is based on the elliptic polynomial discrete logarithm problem. It is well known that an elliptic polynomial discrete logarithm problem is a computationally “difficult” or “hard” problem.
US08351599B2

Provided is a cryptographic device for fast session switching, and more particularly, a cryptographic device using a block cipher algorithm and capable of rapidly performing session switching. The cryptographic device includes: a block cipher algorithm executer for performing encryption or decryption on input data using an initialization vector and a round key corresponding to a current session; an initialization vector manager for storing an initialization vector input from outside of the cryptographic device and an initialization vector received from the block cipher algorithm executer, and providing the initialization vector corresponding to the current session to the block cipher algorithm executer; and a session round key generator for storing a session key input from outside of the cryptographic device, generating the round key based on a session key corresponding to the current session, and providing the round key to the block cipher algorithm executer. The device has a structure capable of performing minimum operation to store and manage an initialization vector and a session key, and thus can minimize delay time caused by session switching.
US08351597B2

The present invention relates to an electronic device that can output received voice and input transmitted voice at the same time and enhances a suppression function for echo due to the received voice sneaking into the transmitted voice. An electronic device (e.g., portable telephone terminal device) outputs the received voice from a voice output unit (speaker), inputs the transmitted voice through a voice input unit (microphone), and includes an echo canceller unit that subtracts a pseudo echo signal for the received voice from the transmitted voice to suppress an echo component in the transmitted voice and a controlling unit that changes an echo suppression amount of the echo canceller unit in accordance with the received voice volume.
US08351595B2

A method for an automated call distribution system to re-associate a caller with a queue position previously established in an on-hold queue. The method includes receiving a first incoming call from a caller and assigning the caller to a position in an on-hold queue when the caller is placed on-hold by the automated call distribution system. A placeholder for the caller may then be assigned in the on-hold queue when the caller disconnects with the automated call distribution system. The placeholder corresponds to the position of the caller in the on-hold queue and is associated with a caller identifier. The method further includes receiving a second incoming call from the caller and associating the second incoming call with the caller identifier. It is then determined that the caller is associated with the placeholder. The caller is placed back into the on-hold queue at the position of the placeholder.
US08351574B2

An X-ray diagnosis apparatus includes a display-image creating unit that creates a display image from three-dimensional medical image data such that a display image of three-dimensional medical image data substantially matches up with an anatomical structure on an acquired image by the X-ray diagnosis apparatus. Moreover, the X-ray diagnosis apparatus includes a display-image changing unit that changes a display image so as to maintain consistency of an anatomical structure in accordance with change in acquiring conditions by the X-ray diagnosis apparatus. Furthermore, the X-ray diagnosis apparatus includes a display unit that displays a display image that is at least one of created and changed by at least one of the display-image creating unit and the display-image changing unit.
US08351561B2

An advanced digital rod position indication (ADRPI) system having rod drop monitoring capability. When a reactor trip occurs, the ADRPI system derives the rod drop time from the signals induced in the detector coils by the falling drive rods. The ADRPI system is linked to the reactor trip breaker to provide a reference point to allow accurate timing of the rod drop times.
US08351557B2

A circuit for detecting a clock has a plurality of first transmission elements, a plurality of first exclusive OR gates and a first AND gate. Each first transmission element is coupled to a last first transmission element for receiving output data, and the data received by each first transmission element is transmitted to an input terminal of a next first transmission element. In addition, the input of a first transmission element is coupled to a clock source for receiving a predetermined clock signal of which a frequency is less than a frequency of a local clock signal. Furthermore, the first and second input terminals of a kth exclusive OR gate are coupled to output terminals of a kth and a (k+1)th first transmission elements, wherein k is an integer greater than 0 smaller than a total number of the first transmission elements.
US08351553B2

In a MIMO receiving apparatus, the signals of single carriers transmitted from a plurality of transmission antennas are received by a plurality of reception antennas (1-1 through 1-N) and then separated according to frequency ranges. In this MIMO receiving apparatus, interference replicas of the antennas are eliminated from the received signals (by subtractor 54) before equalizing the two-dimensional frequency ranges, and non-distortion signal replicas are added (by a demodulating part 55) to the signals from which the interference replicas of the antennas have been eliminated after equalizing the two-dimensional frequency ranges.
US08351550B2

A correlation apparatus and method for frequency synchronization are provided. A frequency synchronization method of a receiver in a broadband wireless access communication system includes acquiring a highest correlation value by conducting a differential correlation of a variable interval between a received signal and a reference signal and performing a frequency synchronization according to the highest correlation value.
US08351548B2

A signal processing system is provided. The system includes a calculating apparatus, for calculating a phase error of a received signal and generating a weight according to the phase error; a signal adjusting apparatus, coupled to the calculating apparatus, for generating a plurality of soft values according to the weight and the received signal; and a decoder, coupled to the signal adjusting apparatus, for decoding the soft values to generate data.
US08351538B2

It is possible to improve the CQI reception performance even when a delay is caused in a propagation path, a transmission timing error is caused, or a residual interference is generated between cyclic shift amounts of different ZC sequences. For the second symbol and the sixth symbol of the ACK/NACK signal which are multiplexed by RS of CQI, (+, +) or (−, −) is applied to a partial sequence of the Walsh sequence. For RS of CQI transmitted from a mobile station, + is added as an RS phase of the second symbol and − is added as an RS phase of the sixth symbol. A base station (100) receives multiplexed signals of ACK/NACK signals and CQI signals transmitted from a plurality of mobile stations. An RS synthesis unit (119) performs synthesis by aligning the RS phase of CQI.
US08351531B2

An apparatus and a method for canceling interference using a space-frequency block coding in a multi-antenna system. The method includes confirming a code for coding to minimize a Pairwise Error Probability (PEP) of a transmit signal of which the PEP is maximized according to a time variation; and coding the transmit signal with the code and transmitting the coded signal via at least two antennas. Accordingly, the interference cancellation can be accomplished while lowering the complexity of the receiver without degrading the spectral efficiency.
US08351529B2

A method (200a-200b), apparatus (104), and computer program for detecting sequences of digitally modulated symbols transmitted by multiple sources (102, 102a-102t) are provided. A real-domain representation that separately treats in-phase and quadrature components of a received vector, channel gains, and a transmitted vector transmitted by the multiple sources (102, 102a-102t) is determined. The real-domain representation is processed to obtain a triangular matrix. In addition, at least one of the following is performed: (i) hard decision detection of a transmitted sequence and demapping of corresponding bits based on a reduced complexity search of a number of transmit sequences, and (ii) generation of bit soft-output values based on the reduced complexity search of the number of transmit sequences. The reduced complexity search is based on the triangular matrix.
US08351525B2

An orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) receiving apparatus, including a receiving unit, a subcarrier demodulation unit and a signal output processing unit, is provided. The receiving unit is for receiving an RF signal to generate a set of discrete signals. The subcarrier demodulation unit is coupled to the receiving unit, and used for demodulating a set of discrete signals to obtain a complex signal. The signal output processing unit is coupled to the subcarrier demodulation unit, and used for capturing and outputting real parts of the complex signal.
US08351523B2

A radio communication device for receiving a single-carrier signal transmitted in a partial spectrum of Nyquist frequency band, includes: an interference eliminator for eliminating interference from a received signal by spectrum reproduction of non-transmitted spectra using a symbol replica, to output an interference eliminated signal, wherein the interference includes intersymbol interference which is caused by symbols which are more than a predetermined distance away from a decision symbol point; a symbol sequence estimator for estimating a transmission symbol sequence by separating nearby intersymbol interference within the predetermined distance of the decision symbol point based on the interference eliminated signal, to output a decision signal; and a replica generator for generating the symbol replica from decoding result of the decision signal, wherein the symbol replica is fed back to the frequency-domain interference eliminator.
US08351516B2

As shown in FIG. 7, a data receiver receives video data and audio data together with a frequency division parameter N that depends on the pixel clock of the video data and the sampling frequency of the audio data, and a count value CTS that is obtained by counting the period of the audio clock that has been subjected to frequency division by the frequency division parameter N, with the pixel clock, which are transmitted from a data transmitter, and subjects the pixel clock to frequency division by the count value CTS, phase-control the divided clock (s501) in accordance with a phase comparison clock (s505) that is obtained by dividing an audio clock (s403) oscillated from a VCO (504) by the frequency division parameter N, thereby generating an audio clock (s403).Accordingly, the data transmitter and the data receiver can satisfactorily implement multiplexing of audio data and video data, and transmission of the multiplexed data using an existing DVI cable, with a simple structure.
US08351515B2

A plurality of items of content whose meaning content is the same and quality is different is acquired from a plurality of acquisition routes and managed as a single group. Each item of content in this group is analyzed, an evaluation value of each item of content is calculated from the results of analysis and content to be deleted is determined based upon the evaluation values.
US08351514B2

A method, protocol and apparatus for transporting Advanced Video Coding (AVC) content, e.g., using MPEG-2 systems is disclosed. Specifically, the present method is related to the carriage of various flavors of AVC streams in a uniform fashion over MPEG-2 systems (e.g., both transport and program streams). The method includes generating the AVC content from an input stream, and thereafter transporting the AVC content in a transport stream or a program stream over MPEG-2. The AVC content is generated in accordance with at least one constraint that is associated with the transport stream or the program stream.
US08351513B2

Digital video content is processed for delivery over a communications channel by segmenting the digital video content into one or more regions of interest (ROI) in accordance with content signature of the video content and encoding the digital video content in accordance with the ROI segmentation and the communications channel.
US08351508B1

Systems and methods are provided for calculating a motion vector for a macroblock between a reference frame and a current frame. The system includes a main processor. The system further includes a programmable video accelerator configured to receive a linked list of variable length descriptor inputs at the direction of the main processor. The descriptor inputs include the macroblock for which the motion vector is to be calculated. The video accelerator is further configured to calculate a motion vector identifying motion of the identified macroblock from the reference frame to the current frame.
US08351503B2

In one embodiment, the method includes selecting one motion vector of the co-located block in a first reference picture as the motion vector for deriving the motion vector of the bi-predictive block. A first temporal distance is derived from a difference between a current picture and a first reference picture. The current picture includes the bi-predictive block. A second temporal distance is derived from a difference between the first reference picture and a second reference picture. The selected motion vector is scaled based on the first and second temporal distances, and the motion vector of the bi-predictive block is derived based on the scaled motion vector.
US08351492B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide an apparatus comprising a transceiver having a receiver and a transmitter connected through a segment of a calibration loop back path. The apparatus also comprises a control system configured to communicate with the transceiver. The calibration loop back path has an intentional phase shift that can be toggled between an off state and an on state by the control system. The control system is configured to calculate the intentional phase shift by examining the difference of a first and second phase angle. The first phase angle is obtained from the transmission of a first pair of signals with the intentional phase shift in the off state. The second phase angle is obtained from the transmission of a second pair of signals with the intentional phase shift in the on state.
US08351488B2

A receiver, includes a plurality of antennas to receive radio signals from a plurality of transmission paths, and a plurality of sets of RAKE fingers to generate first signals. Each set of RAKE fingers is coupled to a respective one of the plurality of antennas, and a weighting factor generator generates weighting factors for weighting the first signals, wherein the weighting factor for one of the first signals is generated by using first signals generated by at least two of the plurality of sets of RAKE fingers. Further, at least two of the first signals used to generate the weighting factor are received from the same transmission path.
US08351486B2

An apparatus for processing spread spectrum signals is disclosed. The apparatus includes an intermediate frequency (IF) signal preprocessing unit, which includes a first set of multiply-accumulator (MAC) units and a second set of MAC units. The IF signal preprocessing unit generates a first and a second set of data streams using a digitized signal and a first and second local reference signals respectively. Each data stream is generated every predetermined time period, and each data stream includes pre-integration results generated at a predetermined rate.
US08351485B2

The present invention provides a time-frequency code spreading method in an OFDMA system. The method includes: converting a transmission message into one or more modulating signal vectors, and each bit of the transmission message is spread onto all vector elements of a modulating signal vector; mapping one or more modulating signal vectors to a set of time-frequency grids, wherein in an OFDMA time-frequency plane, two time-frequency grids to which any two vector elements in each modulating signal vector are mapped do not have the same frequency location or time location. In addition, the present invention also provides a time-frequency code spreading apparatus in an OFDMA system.
US08351481B2

Methods and apparatus for improved single-mode selection in a quantum cascade laser. In one example, a distributed feedback grating incorporates both index-coupling and loss-coupling components. The loss-coupling component facilitates selection of one mode from two possible emission modes by periodically incorporating a thin layer of “lossy” semiconductor material on top of the active region to introduce a sufficiently large loss difference between the two modes. The lossy layer is doped to a level sufficient to induce considerable free-carrier absorption losses for one of the two modes while allowing sufficient gain for the other of the two modes. In alternative implementations, the highly-doped layer may be replaced by other low-dimensional structures such as quantum wells, quantum wires, and quantum dots with significant engineered intraband absorption to selectively increase the free-carrier absorption losses for one of multiple possible modes so as to facilitate single-mode operation.
US08351479B2

An optoelectronic semiconductor component has a semiconductor body (1) comprising a surface emitting vertical emitter region (2) comprising a vertical emitter layer (3), at least one pump source (4) provided for optically pumping the vertical emitter layer (3), and a radiation passage area (26) through which electromagnetic radiation (31) generated in the vertical emitter layer leaves the semiconductor body (1), wherein the pump source (4) and the vertical emitter layer (3) are at a distance from one another in a vertical direction.
US08351477B2

A method of operating a digitally modulated solid state laser is disclosed. The laser is optically pumped by a current-supply driven diode-laser radiation and with output-power stabilized at a desired value by a light regulator cooperative with a power monitor and the current source is disclosed. When the laser is turned on, the current-source is enabled and the light-regulator is disabled. A current regulator allows current from the current-supply to increase until the monitored power reaches the desired value. At this point, the light regulator is enabled and the light regulator assumes control of the current-supply for maintaining the output-power at the desired level.
US08351464B2

In one implementation, a transmission apparatus includes a protocol stack for a DSL transmission system, the protocol stack includes a retransmission functionality, the retransmission functionality being provided between a sublayer of a TPS-TC layer and a data link layer, the retransmission functionality having a fragment of a packet or a group of fragments of a packet as basic retransmission unit. The protocol stack may implement a service specific retransmission functionality such that for a first class of services retransmission protection is provided and for a second class of services no retransmission protection is implemented.
US08351455B2

A system and method for multi-stage zero forcing beamforming in a wireless communications system is provided. A method includes receiving feedback information from each mobile station (MS) in a first plurality of mobile stations (MSs), selecting a first MS from the first plurality of MSs, and broadcasting information related to the first MS to the first plurality of MSs. The first MS having a largest value of a first metric based on the feedback information received from the first plurality of MSs. The method also includes receiving feedback information from each MS in a second plurality of MSs, selecting a second MS from the second plurality of MSs, and creating a precoding matrix from feedback information from the first MS and the second MS. The second MS having a largest value of a second metric based on the feedback information received from the second plurality of MSs.
US08351449B1

A mobile communication device has both an (expensive) long-range wireless network interface and an intermittently available less expensive network interface. Requests are received to communicate data items to and from remote computing devices. Each data item is associated with a transmission deadline and an urgency rating. A transmission schedule is created by assigning data items to specific times for transmission over the long-range wireless network interface, based on their deadlines and urgency ratings. When the lower cost network interface is not available, data items are transmitted according to the transmission schedule. When the lower cost network interface is available, data items are transmitted over the lower cost network interface, based on their positions in the transmission schedule, until it is no longer available.
US08351442B1

Method and device for processing network and storage related traffic is provided. The device includes a network port for interfacing with a network switch; a plurality of ports that receive a converged storage and network protocol related initialization request. Based on selectable criteria, a controller selects a port from among the plurality of ports to respond to the converged storage and network protocol related initialization request. The device also includes a translation module operationally coupled to the port for translating information between a converged network and storage protocol and a storage protocol; and a flexible port that is configured by a port controller to communicate with a storage system using the storage protocol or configured to operate as a network port communicating with a network device.
US08351436B2

Provided are an apparatus and method for efficiently and dynamically allocating a bandwidth on a Time Division Multiple Access-based Passive Optical Network (TDMA PON). The dynamic bandwidth allocation apparatus for uplink data transmission of a plurality of Optical Network Units (ONUs) including a plurality of class queues corresponding to Transmission Container (T-CONT) types, the plurality of ONUs connected to an Optical Line Terminal (OLT) on a Passive Optical Network (PON), includes: a class queue information storage unit storing information regarding a bandwidth allocation period and an allocatable bandwidth amount for each T-CONT type; an allocation check table unit checking the bandwidth allocation period for the T-CONT type received from the class queue information storage unit, and determining an allocatable bandwidth amount for the T-CONT type; and a bandwidth allocation unit allocating an uplink bandwidth to the T-CONT type with reference to the bandwidth allocation period and the allocatable bandwidth amount for the T-CONT type, and re-allocating to each ONU an uplink bandwidth remaining after allocating a total uplink bandwidths to all T-CONT types.
US08351427B2

A telecommunication node such as a home gateway and a method of routing data packets received from customer premises devices connected to the node. The node includes an operator-configurable service profile table for storing service profiles and a user-configurable customer devices table for storing the source addresses of the customer premises devices and associations between each source address and at least one of the service profiles. The operator controls service provisioning while the user can freely allocate the customer premises devices to different service profiles and can access a plurality of services from the same device.
US08351426B2

A method for Ethernet virtualization using assisted frame correction. The method comprises receiving at a host adapter data packets from a network, storing the received data packets in host memory, storing the received data packets in a hardware queue located on the host adapter, setting a status indicator reflecting the status of the data packets based on results of the checking, and sending the status indicator to the host memory.
US08351425B2

The present invention relates to the formation by a communication relay server of a communication pathway between a terminal and a service provider server. It relates to a communication relay system, server and method for same, wherein, when a terminal accesses a service provider server, the communication relay server uses virtual information such as path ID, etc., to form a communication pathway so that terminal identification information such as telephone number, etc., may not be directly exposed, and the communication pathway that is formed between the terminal and the service provider server may also be changed to a communication pathway that is formed between another terminal and the service provider server.
US08351424B2

A method, device, and system for transferring a Service Control Signalling Path are provided. The method for transferring a Service Control Signalling Path includes: establishing a connection with an opposite end by a User Equipment (UE), where the UE uses a Circuit Switched (CS) bearer in a CS network and a Service Control Signalling Path in a first Packet Switched (PS) network; sending a transfer request via a second PS network, to instruct a network side to transfer the Service Control Signalling Path according to the transfer request. Thus, the UE can replace a current Gm reference point with a Gm reference point of a new and available PS network when the PS network where the current Gm reference point is located is unavailable, so as to ensure smooth data transmission.
US08351419B2

A method for billing a subscriber to a cellular telephone service for a VoIP call made by the subscriber, the method including determining when a subscriber to a cellular telephone service places a telephone call to a remote device using a local device associated with the subscription, where the telephone call has at least one VoIP call leg, capturing session information related to the telephone call, including information identifying the subscriber, and providing the information to a provider of the cellular telephone service, thereby enabling the cellular telephone service provider to bill the subscriber for the VoIP call.
US08351417B2

The present invention provides methods for efficient control message distribution in a VANET. Efficient flooding mechanisms are provided to fulfill the objective of flooding (delivering a message to every connected node) with a limited number of re-broadcasting by selected key nodes. A suppression-based efficient flooding mechanism utilizes a Light Suppression (LS) technique to reduce the number of flooding relays by giving up the broadcasting of a flooding message when a node observes downstream relay of the same flooding message. Additionally, a relay-node based efficient flooding mechanism selects Relay Nodes (RN) to form an efficient flooding tree for control message delivery. RNs are nodes that relay at least one control message, for instance a Membership Report (MR) to the upstream node in “k” previous control message cycles The upstream node may be the group header (GH) for the LPG.
US08351413B2

A method and apparatus of generating a ranging signal in a wireless communication system is provided. A mobile station (MS) generates a ranging code in which a covering code has been applied to each of a plurality of orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) symbols, and maps the ranging code to a plurality of subcarriers constituting each of the OFDMA symbols. The ranging signal is generated by performing OFDMA modulation on each of the OFDMA symbols.
US08351412B2

Methods and apparatus are provided for blind transport format detection using Discontinuous Transmission (DTX) detection. According to one aspect of the invention, the transport format that was used to transmit information is determined by identifying a transition between a Discontinuous Transmission segment and a data segment included in the transmitted information; and determining the transport format based on a location of the transition of the Discontinuous Transmission segment. A cyclic redundancy check can optionally be performed for a plurality of possible transport formats, and then the step of identifying a transition can be limited to those transport formats having a valid cyclic redundancy check.
US08351411B2

Provided are a system for channel sounding of broadband single carrier mobile communications and a method thereof. A channel sounding device is provided, which achieves precise modeling of a broadband mobile communication in a 5 GHz band. The channel sounding device can perform precise channel modeling by collecting broadband channel data of 20 MHz between a base station and a mobile station moving at maximum 150 km/h, using a sounding signal including a 802.15.3 preamble, a maximum length sequence (MLS) signal, and a single carrier frequency domain equalization (SC-FDE) symbol overcoming a limitation of signal distortion of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal. The channel sounding device can simultaneously perform modeling of interference of an adjacent channel as well as a transmission channel.
US08351408B2

A data packet generator periodically generates a data packet including a passcode comprising a plurality of characters. The data packet is sent to a server or a computing device for validation. If validated, the data packet is used, for example, to identify the location of a user or device. Additional systems and methods involving such a data packet generator are also disclosed.
US08351400B2

Systems and methods are provided in a synchronous wireless communication system 100 which enable data to be transmitted between wireless mobile user equipment 110 and base stations 120 without identifying information embedded in the packets 401, thus reducing the transmission overhead. Packets are reordered at base stations 120 based upon a prearranged transmission scheme in which a retransmission for a failed packet is expected in the corresponding HARQ instance of the next group.
US08351399B2

A method for multiple input multiple output wireless communication begins by determining protocols of wireless communication devices within a proximal region. The method continues by determining whether the protocols of the wireless communication devices within the proximal region are of a like protocol. The method continues by determining the number of transmit antennas. The method continues, when the protocols of the wireless communication devices within the proximal region are of the like protocol, formatting a preamble of a frame of the wireless communication utilizing at least one of cyclic shifting of symbols, cyclic shifting of tones, sparse tone allocation, and sparse symbol allocation based on the number of transmit antennas.
US08351396B2

A broad aspect of the invention provides a method of providing mobility support for a mobile node's traffic. The method involves maintaining context information for the mobile node on each of a first plurality of network nodes carrying the traffic; and proactively transferring and maintaining at least a portion of the context information in a plurality of network nodes which are not carrying the traffic, but which are candidates for carrying the traffic due to mobility of the mobile node. The method typically further involves defining and maintaining a definition of the second plurality of network nodes. In one embodiment of the invention, this involves adding a particular network node to the second plurality when the particular network node becomes a candidate for carrying the traffic, removing a particular network node from the second plurality when the particular network node is no longer a candidate for carrying the traffic.
US08351395B2

A method for providing information to a first terminal system and/or a second terminal system which connected to each other through a network and are subject to a potential or actual handover, provides convenience information about the execution of the potential or actual handover to at least one of the first and the second terminal systems, prior to or with the start of the handover, and provides in addition to at least one of the first and the second terminal systems a commercial communication relating to a commercial measure, whereby the commercial communication is provided in correlation with the provision of the convenience information.
US08351394B2

The embodiments of the present disclosure disclose an adaptive communication system, communication method, communication terminal and Access Point (AP). The system includes: an application mode information obtaining module, configured to obtain information about the application mode supported by the network; and an AP, configured to: provide a communication terminal with application mode information obtained by the application mode information obtaining module, wherein the application mode information indicates the application mode supported by the network; and create a communication connection with the communication terminal based on the application mode negotiated and determined according to the information about the application mode supported by the communication terminal and the information about the application mode supported by the network. The embodiments of the present disclosure may make the most of the access resources, improve the success ratio of access, and reduce unnecessary delay and power consumption.
US08351391B2

A method and apparatus for selecting the PL of an interested MBMS service for a UE in an MBMS mobile communication system are provided. A connected mode UE receives FLC applicability information for an interested MBMS service and keeps a current frequency or reselects to the PL of the MBMS service according to the FLC applicability information. Even if the FLC applicability information restricts FLC from the connected mode UE, the connected mode UE can reselect to the PL of the MBMS service according to its priority level.
US08351389B2

A base station in a communication system where mobile stations receive paging announce using a discontinuously received reception frame and the mobile stations receive multicast data as well as the paging announce, in which the mobile stations in idle mode are searched for from among the mobile stations receiving multicast data, the mobile stations located where a paging group to which the searched-for mobile stations belong overlaps an area where the multicast data are distributed are selected from among the searched-for mobile stations, and the base station includes a radio resource allocating unit allocating radio resources to the selected mobile stations, the radio resources being for transmitting uplink signal, and an allocated radio resource information including unit including information of radio resources allocated by the radio resource allocating unit in a radio frame transmitting the multicast data to be transmitted to the selected mobile stations.
US08351385B2

It is possible to provide a radio communication base station device, a radio communication terminal device, and a response signal allocation method which perform D-ACK and P-ACK resource allocation while maintaining a high use efficiency of the upstream line control channel of PUCCH or the like. When a plurality of CCE are allocated upon PDCCH transmission, PUCCH resources corresponding to odd CCE numbers are allocated for D-ACK and PUCCH resources corresponding to even CCE numbers are allocated for P-ACK among a plurality of CCE numbers which can be used.
US08351376B2

A method and apparatus for a transmitter having a radio protocol with an upper layer and a lower layer therein used for management of full header packet transmission when transmitting data packets to a receiver are provided. If the upper layer receives from the lower layer, information of a successful transmission of a full header packet, the upper layer decides to stop sending any additional full header packet that contains the same full header as the previously successfully transmitted full header packet.
US08351369B2

Various embodiments provide an apparatus and method for adaptive data packet scheduling in a mesh network. An example embodiment is configured to divide a time period into a plurality of frames; subdivide each of the plurality of frames into a plurality of slots, each of the plurality of slots providing a time segment for local data communication between nodes in a mesh network; enable a first node to dynamically assign itself a first slot of the plurality of slots for local data communication, the first node using the first slot to receive data communications destined for the first node; and communicate to other nodes of the mesh network information indicative of the first node's dynamic assignment of the first slot.
US08351368B2

A technique for communicating multimedia data between nodes over coaxial cable, wherein the nodes are connected via a coaxial cable network, is disclosed. In an embodiment, the technique involves establishing a primary channel for communicating between first and second nodes of the coaxial cable network, establishing a secondary channel for communicating between the first and second nodes of the coaxial cable network, wherein the primary and secondary channels are in different frequency bands and wherein the primary channel is used for communicating media access control frames, and communicating a time series of data frames between the first and second nodes using both the primary channel and the secondary channel.
US08351367B2

A user device on a wireless network includes a receiver, a noise detector and a noise determiner. The receiver receives downlink data communications from a base station that indicates an allocation of time/frequency resource blocks at least to user devices that are communicating with the base station. The noise detector measures noise in a time/frequency resource block, comprising plural time/frequency bins, that is not allocated to one of the user devices. The noise determiner determines a level of interfering noise based on noise in the resource block that is not allocated to one of the user devices.
US08351365B2

A method for retransmitting a multicast frame in a wireless network and a method for determining whether or not a received multicast frame is a duplicated frame are disclosed. In determining whether or not the received multicast frame is the same duplicated frame as a previously received multicast frame, a receiver address value and a sequence number of the multicast frame may be used. When fragmentation of a multicast frame is allowed, the value of a fragment number of the multicast frame may be also used, and if it includes a traffic ID, the value of the traffic ID can be also used for determining whether or not the multicast frame is a duplicated frame. If a multicast frame is transmitted in a wireless mesh network, it is determined whether or not the multicast frame is a duplicated one by using a mesh source address, a mesh destination address, and a sequence number. The fragment number and/or the traffic ID may be also used in the determining step as necessary.
US08351359B2

A method for reporting power headroom-related information for a plurality of aggregated carriers. The method includes reporting in a bitmap the power headroom-related information for a number of the aggregated carriers that is less than or equal to the total number of aggregated carriers, wherein the power headroom-related information is one of a power headroom for at least one of the aggregated carriers and a path loss for at least one of the aggregated carriers.
US08351358B2

A system for optimizing communications on a radio network by altering transitions between different link states that includes several modules. The activity, environment, and load module monitor monitors the link layer based on spectral-load metrics and radio-link metrics. The state transition control module determines when user equipment transitions between different states based on the type of user equipment, user equipment battery life, whether the user equipment is connected to an alternating current outlet, a spectral cost, and a backhaul cost. The channel state influencer module uses any of direct messages, ping messages, and keep-alive messages to influence the link state. The policy and preference handler enables or disables transitions based on the bearer technology type, the type of user equipment, the user's subscription plan, and the load level on the network.
US08351348B2

A network component comprising at least one processor configured to implement a method comprising receiving a message comprising a node's data value from the node, determining whether a local data value has been assigned, and adopting the node's data value as the local data value when the local data value has not been assigned. Also disclosed is a network component comprising a plurality of ports each configured to couple to a node via a link, a memory configured to store a port data value associated with at least some of the ports, and a processor coupled to the memory and the ports, wherein the processor is configured to access a node's data value in a message and adopt the node's data value as the port data value.
US08351345B2

A base station apparatus includes a receiving unit that receives a control signal having predetermined patterns for performing communication control processing at the base station; and a measuring unit that measures SINR of reception data that is obtained from the control signal received by the receiving unit.
US08351343B1

A data recognition system for a wireless device that includes a storage module that stores a first hash value and a processing module that generates a second hash value based on an incoming data stream received by the wireless device and detects a change in the incoming data stream based on a comparison between the first hash value with the second hash value.
US08351341B1

A first field of a data unit is analyzed to determine whether the data unit is marked as a particular type of data unit. If the data unit is marked as a particular type of data unit, a second field of the data unit is analyzed to determine whether characteristics of the second data field correspond to the particular type of the data unit. Determining whether the characteristics of the second field correspond to the type of data unit ensures that the data unit is properly marked with respect to type. The first field may indicate a particular priority or that the data unit is carrying voice data. The second field may carry voice data. The analysis of the fields may be done on a data unit by data unit basis, or on a stream basis.
US08351338B2

A test system for testing a communication system having a plurality of communication links is disclosed. The test system has a single tester for performing various measurement and diagnostic tasks on a single link. The test system also has a switching system for independently testing any link by coupling the tester into any one link. The tester is coupled into the link by coupling the tester input to the link's transmitter and the tester output to the link's receiver. The switching system couples the tester such that all remaining links of the communication system have a unique one of the plurality of transmitters coupled to a unique one of the plurality of receivers, whereby the operation of the communication system can be maintained while testing individual links.
US08351333B2

The present invention is generally directed towards a remote access architecture for providing peer-to-peer communications and remote access connectivity. In one embodiment, the remote access architecture of the present provides a method for establishing a direct connection between peer computing devices via a third computing device, such as a gateway. Additionally, the present invention provides the following techniques to optimize peer-to-peer communications: 1) false acknowledgement of receipt of network packets allowing communications via a lossless protocol of packets constructed for transmission via a lossy protocol, 2) payload shifting of network packets allowing communications via a lossless protocol of packets constructed for transmission via a lossy protocol, 3) reduction of packet fragmentation by adjusting the maximum transmission unit (MTU) parameter, accounting for overhead due to encryption, 4) application-aware prioritization of client-side network communications, and 5) network disruption shielding for reliable and persistent network connectivity and access.
US08351330B2

A method for management of Internet Protocol (IP) traffic comprises (a) receiving an uplink data packet associated with a connection of a plurality of connections; (b) assigning a weight to the uplink data packet; (c) updating a debt associated with the connection based on the weight assigned to the uplink data packet; (d) prioritizing the connections based on the debt associated with each of the one or more connections; and (e) processing packets in the one or more connections based on the prioritizing.
US08351321B2

Systems and methods for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing are provided. In one embodiment, a multi-carrier modem comprises: a receiver configured to de-modulate symbols from at least one of a plurality of spectrally overlapping carrier signals to produce a receiver output; a transmitter configured to modulate symbols onto at least one of a plurality of the spectrally overlapping carrier signals; a processor coupled to the transmitter, wherein the processor outputs data for transmission by the transmitter, wherein the processor applies an inverse Fourier transform to the data transmitted by the transmitter; the processor coupled to the receiver, wherein the processor applies a Fourier transform to the receiver output; and a controller programmed to instruct the transmitter to transmit at least one symbol representing a request for bandwidth allocation on a first carrier; wherein the controller is further programmed to determine when a collision has occurred on the first carrier.
US08351316B2

A beam shaper has a beam shaping element with an optical property that varies spatially over the profile of an incoming light beam in order to generate a first shaped light beam from the incoming light beam.
US08351303B2

An invention allows a stepping motor to be reliably driven to rotate when initializing the driving and allows power consumption of the stepping motor to be reduced. The controller, when initializing the driving (for example, replacing a battery), controls a main drive pulse generator to drive a stepping motor using a main drive pulse having a maximum energy and sets the generation cycle of a pulse down control signal of a pulse down counter for pulsing down the main drive pulse to a first cycle to drive the stepping motor, and when pulsing down the main drive pulse to that having a predetermined energy, changes the generation cycle of the pulse down control signal of the pulse down counter to a second cycle.
US08351290B1

A memory device and method, such as a flash memory device and method, includes a memory having a plurality of nonvolatile memory cells for storing stored values of user data. The memory device and method includes a memory controller for controlling the memory. The memory controller includes an encoder for encoding user write data for storage of code values as the stored values in the memory. The encoder includes an inserter for insertion of an indicator as part of the stored values for use in determining when the stored values are or are not in an erased state. The memory controller includes a decoder for reading the stored values from the memory to form user read data values when the stored values are not in the erased state.
US08351281B2

A memory device, system and method for allowing an early read operation after one or more write operations is provided according to an embodiment of the present invention. The memory device comprises an interface for providing a first write address, a first write data, and a read address. A memory core is coupled to the interface and includes a first memory section having a first data path and a first address path and a second memory section having a second data path and a second address path. In an embodiment of the present invention, the first data and first address path is independent of the second data and second address path. The first write data is provided on the first data path responsive to the first write address being provided on the first address path while a read data is provided on the second data path responsive to the read address being provided on the second address path.
US08351269B2

Part of the latency from memory read or write operations is for data to be input to or output from the data latches of the memory via an I/O bus. Methods and circuitry are present for improving performance in non-volatile memory devices by allowing the memory to perform some of these data caching and transfer operations in the background while the memory core is busy with a read operation. A read caching scheme is implemented for memory cells where more than one bit is sensed together, such as sensing all of the n bits of each memory cell of a physical page together. The n-bit physical page of memory cells sensed correspond to n logical binary pages, one for each of the n-bits. Each of the binary logical pages is being output in each cycle, while the multi-bit sensing of the physical page is performed every nth cycles.
US08351264B2

Circuitry for generating voltage levels operative to perform data operations on non-volatile re-writeable memory arrays are disclosed. In some embodiments an integrated circuit includes a substrate and a base layer formed on the substrate to include active devices configured to operate within a first voltage range. Further, the integrated circuit can include a cross-point memory array formed above the base layer and including re-writable two-terminal memory cells that are configured to operate, for example, within a second voltage range that is greater than the first voltage range. Conductive array lines in the cross-point memory array are electrically coupled with the active devices in the base layer. The integrated circuit also can include X-line decoders and Y-line decoders that include devices that operate in the first voltage range. The active devices can include other active circuitry such as sense amps for reading data from the memory cells, for example.
US08351253B2

A tunnel magnetic resistive element forming a magnetic memory cell includes a fixed magnetic layer having a fixed magnetic field of a fixed direction, a free magnetic layer magnetized by an applied magnetic field, and a tunnel barrier that is an insulator film provided between the fixed and free magnetic layers in a tunnel junction region. In the free magnetic layer, a region corresponding to an easy axis region having characteristics desirable as a memory cell is used as the tunnel junction region. A hard axis region having characteristics undesirable as a memory cell is not used as a portion of the tunnel magnetic resistive element.
US08351250B2

A memory includes a programmable resistance array and unipolar MOS peripheral circuitry. The peripheral circuitry includes address decoding circuitry. Because unipolar MOS circuitry is employed, the number of mask steps and, concomitantly, the cost of the programmable resistance memory may be minimized.
US08351246B2

Methods, and circuits, are disclosed for operating a programmable memory device. One method embodiment includes storing a value as a state in a first memory cell and as a complementary state in a second memory cell. Such a method further includes determining the state of the first memory cell using a first self-biased sensing circuit and the complementary state of the second memory cell using a second self-biased sensing circuit, and comparing in a differential manner an indication of the state of the first memory cell to a reference indication of the complementary state of the second memory cell to determine the value.
US08351245B2

The present disclosure includes resistive memory devices and systems having resistive memory cells, as well as methods for operating the resistive memory cells. One memory device embodiment includes at least one resistive memory element, a programming circuit, and a sensing circuit. For example, the programming circuit can include a switch configured to select one of N programming currents for programming the at least one resistive memory element, where each of the N programming currents has a unique combination of current direction and magnitude, with N corresponding to the number of resistance states of the at least one memory element. In one or more embodiments, the sensing circuit can be arranged for sensing of the N resistance states.
US08351240B2

A phase change memory device having a multi-level and a method of driving the same are presented. The disclosed phase change memory device includes variable resistors and shifting units. The variable resistors are interchanged into set and reset states in response to an applied current. The shifting units, which are connected to the variable resistors, shift resistance distribution in the set and reset state of the variable resistors by a predetermined level.
US08351233B2

In the method for closed-loop control of at least two converters in an energy transmission and/or distribution system, each rectifier regulator and each inverter regulator provides a differential DC voltage from the difference between a given set DC voltage and the relevant received measured DC voltage, and also provides a differential DC current from a differential DC current from the difference between a set DC current and the corresponding received measured DC current. Each converter is a self-commutated converter with power semiconductors. The rectifier regulation of the provided converter is regulated such that the sum of the product of the differential voltages and the value of given set DC current at the corresponding rectifier and the differential current is a minimum. The inverter regulation regulates the corresponding inverter such that the sum between the differential voltage and the differential current is a minimum.
US08351230B2

A plurality of power supply circuits Z1′ are provided according to a load capacity. The power supply circuits Z1′ have sides connected in parallel on the side of a direct current input Vi and have sides connected in series on the sides of alternating current outputs Ao. A rectifying circuit DC1 is connected via a resonance circuit Z2 across a combined output of the serially connected sides of the power supply circuits Z1′ on the sides of the alternating current outputs Ao. Switching frequencies are simultaneously controlled by a single control signal outputted from a control circuit S1 based on a direct current output voltage detected from the rectifying circuit DC1 through a detection resistor R5.
US08351224B2

A power conversion apparatus includes a main circuit with switches, and performs power conversion to generate power to a three-phase AC load from a three- or single-phase AC power supply. Some of the switches are configured, using a bidirectional switch including a normally-on device that is turned OFF when a gate circuit is provided with a positive or negative voltage, and a normally-off device that is turned ON when the gate circuit is provided with a positive or negative voltage, to provide only a specific unidirectional current flow when the gate circuit is not activated, and when the gate circuit is activated, provide and control a bidirectional current flow to direct only in an arbitrary unidirectional way. By providing the power conversion apparatus with a capability of directing back, to a load (motor), any power coming therefrom, the conversion apparatus requires no direct-current link capacitor and a diode clamping circuit.
US08351222B2

A package enclosing at least one microelectronic element (60) such as a sensor die and having electrically conductive connection pads (31) for electric connection of the package to another device is manufactured by providing a sacrificial carrier; applying an electrically conductive pattern (30) to one side of the carrier; bending the carrier in order to create a shape of the carrier in which the carrier has an elevated portion and recessed portions; forming a body member (45) on the carrier at the side where the electrically conductive pattern (30) is present; removing the sacrificial carrier; and placing a microelectronic element (60) in a recess (47) which has been created in the body member (45) at the position where the elevated portion of the carrier has been, and connecting the microelectronic element (60) to the electrically conductive pattern (30). Furthermore, a hole (41) is arranged in the package for providing access to a sensitive surface of the microelectronic element (60).
US08351221B2

The present disclosure is related to an electronic assembly in a stacked configuration. Electronic components are formed on substrates at each level of the stacked configuration. Electromagnetic shield compartments may be provided which substantially encapsulate the electronic components. Conductive vias are formed within the substrates on each level of the stacked configuration and coupled to one another so that the electromagnetic shields at each level of the stack can couple to a common node.
US08351216B2

The present invention relates to a layered structure assembly (1) for a DC to AC inverter comprising: a first layered structure (10) with first (12) and second (13) conductive layers, a second layered structure (14) with third (16) and fourth (17) conductive layers, and at least one connector (21) providing a low resistance/inductance interconnection between layered structures (10, 14), the connecter (21) comprising a rod (23) inside a sleeve (26).
US08351211B2

In an attachment structure for attaching an attached-plate to a printed substrate which is installed in a mechanical chassis, the mechanical chassis includes a positioning pin for positioning the printed substrate; and the attached-plate includes a guide groove that engages with the positioning pin and is slidably guided in a predetermined path, a fixing portion to the printed substrate, and an engaging portion that engages with a side portion of the printed substrate. By causing the attached-plate to slide along a substrate side of the printed substrate with the guide groove being engaged with the positioning pin, the guide groove is guided by the positioning pin, whereby the engaging portion engages with the side portion of the printed substrate. In the engagement state, by fixing the fixing portion of the attached-plate to the printed substrate, the attached-plate is attached to the printed substrate.
US08351199B2

An exemplary computer case includes an external shell, a circuit board received in the external shell, and a dehumidification device. The circuit board includes a PCI socket providing an auxiliary power supply when the computer shuts down but the computer case retains electrical connection with an external AC power source. The dehumidification device includes a dehumidification card received in the PCI socket for obtaining the auxiliary power supply therefrom and a remote device. The dehumidification card includes a fan for generating airflow to remove moisture from the computer case and a sensor detecting a humidity inside the computer case. The remote device includes a display unit for displaying the result. When the humidity exceeds a predetermined value, the computer is not powered up until the fan evacuates the excess moisture from the computer case and the humidity falls below the predetermined value.
US08351194B2

A mainframe structure includes a housing having a detachable front cover, and a circuit module accommodated in the housing. The circuit module includes a main circuit board affixed to the back side of the detachable front cover in vertical and carrying first and second electrical connectors, a chip (or chips) and memory devices, a functional circuit board horizontally mounted in the housing at the bottom side and having a first connection port connected to the first electrical connector of the main circuit board, and a display circuit board vertically mounted in the housing at the top side and having a second connection port connected to the second electrical connector of the main circuit board. The detachable design of the circuit module minimizes the sizes of the main circuit board and facilitates maintenance of the main circuit board.
US08351192B2

A rack for housing electrically powered components, the rack including: a power distribution bus configured to distribute AC power among components installed in the rack via direct coupling without cables; a plurality of slots, each slot configured to receive a component; and one or more components, each component installed in one of the plurality of slots, each component directly coupled to the power distribution bus without a cable, at least one of the components comprising an inter-rack power distribution unit (‘PDU’) configured to provide AC power to other components installed in the rack via the power distribution bus.
US08351190B1

The self-contained greeting card kiosk apparatus is fully self-contained and provides for a user to create fully customized greetings cards and to also input and retrieve personal card creations and information for same. The apparatus provides for the creation of both visual and audio visual greetings, whether in card form or in other printed formats.
US08351188B2

A first lead frame has a cathode connection portion connected via a first electrically conductive member to a cathode portion, and a first connection portion having a first connection surface, and is at least partially, externally exposed. A second lead frame has a supporting connection portion connected via a second electrically conductive member to the cathode portion, and a second connection portion having a second connection surface facing the first connection surface. A third electrically conductive member interconnects the first and second connection portions. A solid electrolytic capacitor that can achieve low cost and high production yield can thus be provided.
US08351185B2

The invention provides an electronic component and a manufacturing method thereof that can achieve an improved adhesion strength when the electronic component is solder-mounted onto an external substrate and can thereby obtain considerably improved electric properties and reliabilities, etc. An electronic component, which is a capacitor 1, has: a circuit element 5a formed on a substrate 2; an electrode layer 5b connected to the circuit element 5a; passivation layers 6 and 8 that cover the electrode layer 5b; and terminal electrodes 9a and 9b connected to the electrode layer 5b via via-conductors Va and Vb formed through the passivation layers 6 and 8, the terminal electrodes 9a and 9b being formed to cover the side wall of the passivation layers 6 and 8. Since the pad electrodes 9a and 9b are formed so as to cover the passivation layers 6 and 8 across their uppermost surfaces and side walls, the area of contact between the pad electrodes 9a and 9b and the solder for solder-mounting increases, and the capacitor 1 can consequently exhibit an improved adhesion strength.
US08351183B2

An energy storage device includes positive and negative electrodes; positive and negative lead wires connected to the positive and negative electrodes, respectively; a separator composed of unit fibers and positioned between the positive and negative electrodes to electrically insulate the positive and negative electrodes from each other; a housing accommodating the positive and negative electrodes and the separator; an electrolyte received in the housing; and positive and negative terminals connected to the positive and negative lead wires, respectively, wherein an electrolyte permeability index of the separator is larger than an electrolyte permeability index of the electrodes, and the unit fibers of the separator are arranged irregularly so that pores formed in the separator have cross sections of polygonal shapes. Using this energy storage device, the electrolyte of electrodes that gives a direct influence on electric capacity is not depleted. Also, stress failure of the separator may be prevented effectively.
US08351176B2

An electrical installation comprising control and/or monitoring means connected to a field device by means of an electrical communications circuit, in which the communications circuit comprises a power supply, a communications device, the field device as a load thereof, and Intrinsic Safety means, in which the communications device is adapted to send and receive signals over the communications circuit to and from the field device, in which the field device is adapted to send and receive signals over the communications circuit to and from the communications device, in which the Intrinsic Safety means renders all or part of the communications circuit Intrinsically Safe, in which the field device is located in an Intrinsically Safe part of the communications circuit, characterized in which the communications circuit is adapted to carry DSL signals, and in which the communications device and the field device communicate with one another according to the DSL protocol.
US08351172B2

A power supply control apparatus includes an output transistor coupled between a first power supply line and an output terminal, the output terminal being configured to be coupled with a load, a discharge transistor coupled between a gate of the output transistor and the output terminal, and rendered conductive when the output transistor is brought into a non-conduction state, a negative voltage control unit coupled between the first power supply line and the gate of the output transistor, and bringing the output transistor into a conduction state when the counter electromotive voltage applied to the output terminal from the load exceeds a predetermined value, a diode having a cathode coupled with the first power supply line, and an anode, a third resistor provided between the anode of the diode and a second power supply line, and a compensation transistor coupled between the second power supply line and the output terminal.
US08351163B2

According to one embodiment, a method for producing a Tunneling Magnetoresistance (TMR) read head includes forming a fixed layer, forming an insulating barrier layer above the fixed layer, forming a free layer above the insulating barrier layer, and annealing the free layer, the fixed layer, and the insulating barrier layer. The fixed layer includes a first ferromagnetic layer having a CoxFe (0≦x≦15) interface layer and a Co-based amorphous metallic layer between the CoxFe interface layer and the insulating barrier layer, an antiparallel coupling layer below the first ferromagnetic layer, and a second ferromagnetic layer below the antiparallel coupling layer. In another embodiment, a TMR read head includes the layers described above, and may be included in a magnetic data storage system.
US08351162B2

Embodiments of the invention reduce the throat height of a single pole type head with high accuracy. In one embodiment, a head with an electro lapping guide for controlling a write head's throat height during air bearing surface processing is made. Air bearing surface processing is performed using the electro lapping guide. For a read head, processing is performed using the read head itself or an electro lapping guide for the read head so that both the throat height of write head and the element height of read head are controlled.
US08351159B2

Approaches for protecting a component when a hard-disk drive (HDD) experiences a mechanical shock. An HDD includes a suspension comprising a load beam, a gimbal, and a flexure tongue. A component, such as a microactuator, is mounted on the suspension. The flexure tongue extends to at least the edge of the microactuator that is furthest from the gimbal. The flexure tongue prevents the microactuator from contacting the load beam when the HDD receives a mechanical shock. Alternately, the flexure tongue may comprise a tip portion that extends beyond the edge of the microactuator that is furthest from the gimbal, and the tip portion of the flexure tongue may deform to act as shock absorber when the HDD receives a mechanical shock. Alternately or additionally, a padding material may be used to prevent the microactuator or the flexure tongue from contacting the load beam when the HDD receives a mechanical shock.
US08351155B2

A perpendicular magnetic recording hard disk drive includes a write head with a write pole and an electrically conductive coil coupled to the write pole, a write driver for supplying electrical write current to the coil to generate magnetic flux in the write pole, a spin torque oscillator (STO) that injects auxiliary magnetic flux to the write pole to facilitate magnetization switching of the write pole, and STO control circuitry. Direct electrical current to the STO induces rotation of the magnetization of a free ferromagnetic layer in the STO, which generates the auxiliary magnetic flux. The STO control circuitry may be coupled to the STO via the electrical lines that connect the write driver to the write head, the lines that connect the read amplifier to the read head, or, if the disk drive is one with thermal fly-height control (TFC), the lines that connect the TFC circuitry with the heater.
US08351153B2

According to one embodiment, a magnetic recording head includes a main pole having a throat height portion and a flare portion that is connected to the throat height portion, the flare portion gradually being expanded in width to an upper part in an element height direction. The head also includes a sub pole, magnetic shields disposed via a nonmagnetic layer on a trailing side of the main pole and on both sides in a track width direction of the main pole, and a coil for generating a recording magnetic field from the main pole. The nonmagnetic layer has an upper portion of which the thickness is increased stepwise or in a tapered manner in the element height direction with respect to an ABS side, and each portion of the magnetic shields adjacent to the main pole has a shape corresponding to a surface shape of the nonmagnetic layer.
US08351145B2

A transducer positioning apparatus is provided that supports a read/write head on a data storage machine and biases the head against rotation. The transducer positioning apparatus may comprise a base that includes a linear drive motor and a support frame to which the read/write head is secured. The support frame is reciprocally driven by the linear drive motor relative to the base. A magnetic coupling is provided between the base and the support frame that resists movement of the frame other than the reciprocal movement of the support frame relative to the base. A method is also disclosed for magnetically biasing a movable head of a transducer against rotation.
US08351143B2

A method of manufacturing a color filter substrate, performed by: preparing a color mask including a cyan transparent layer, a fuchsine transparent layer and a yellow transparent layer; preparing a color sensitive material substrate including a red sensitive emulsion cyan layer, a green sensitive emulsion fuchsine layer and a blue sensitive emulsion yellow layer; exposing the color sensitive material substrate using the color mask; and performing processes of development, bleaching, fixation and stabilization on the color sensitive material substrate.
US08351138B2

A lens displacement device includes a flexible piece, a fixed element and a mobile element. The flexible piece has a support, a flexible part and an oscillation absorber. The flexible part connects to the support and at least one gap exists between the flexible part and the support. The oscillation absorber is installed in the gap between the flexible part and the support. Moreover, the fixed element couples to the support of the flexible piece, and the mobile element couples to the flexible part of the flexible piece. Furthermore, the flexible part of the flexible piece is deformed in shape for providing a restoration force with the mobile element. A manufacturing process of the flexible piece is also disclosed.
US08351136B2

This invention provides an optical imaging lens system in order from an object side to an image side including: a first lens element with positive refractive power having a convex object-side surface and a concave image-side surface, a second lens element with negative refractive power having a convex object-side surface and a concave image-side surface, a third lens element with positive refractive power, and a fourth lens element having a concave image-side surface, and at least one of the object-side and image-side surfaces thereof being aspheric; wherein the optical imaging lens system further comprises an aperture stop and an electronic sensor on which an object is imaged, and the aperture stop is positioned between an object and the first lens element; wherein there are four lens elements with refractive power. By such arrangement, total track length and photosensitivity of the optical imaging lens system can be effectively reduced while retaining high image quality.
US08351130B2

A zoom lens includes, in order from the object side to the image side, a positive refractive first lens unit, a negative refractive second lens unit, a positive refractive third lens unit, and a rear group including one or more lens units. The first lens unit consists of a negative lens and a positive lens. The first to third lens units and the lens units constituting the rear group move at a time of zooming. The first and third lens units move relative to the image plane in such a way that their respective positions at the telephoto end are displaced toward the object side from their respective positions at the wide angle end. The focal lengths f1, f2 of the first and second lens units and the focal lengths fw, ft of the whole system at the wide angle end and at the telephoto end are arranged appropriately.
US08351129B2

The zoom lens of the invention comprises, in order from an object side thereof, a first lens group having positive refracting power, a second lens group having negative refracting power, a third lens group having positive refracting power, a fourth lens group having positive refracting power, a fifth lens group having negative refracting power, and a sixth lens group having positive refracting power. The first lens group includes a reflective optical element, and the lens in and on the most image side of the fourth lens group comprises a negative lens concave on its image side.
US08351111B2

A light generation and amplification system includes a length of laser-active filter fiber having a refractive index profile that suppresses unwanted Stokes orders at wavelengths longer than a target wavelength and that has normal dispersion over its operating wavelength. A nested series of reflectors is provided at the fiber's input and output ends, and are configured to provide a nested series of Raman cavities, separated in wavelength by approximately the respective Stokes shifts. The first cavity in the series is a combined cavity that provides laser oscillation due to a combination of ionic gain and feedback at a selected first wavelength and that provides Raman gain to light at the first Stokes shift of the first wavelength when light at the first wavelength has an energy exceeding a Raman scattering threshold. The Raman cavities provide a stepwise transition between the first wavelength and the target wavelength.
US08351099B2

A method disclosed. The method includes receiving color pixel data for an object to be printed, receiving predefined color values, calculating color space coordinates corresponding to the predefined color values, performing monochromatic hue mapping to map each pixel to the calculated color space coordinate values and color mapping the pixels from a source color space to a destination color space.
US08351098B2

A color printed image with compressed colors produced by printing an electronic color image is reconstructed into an electronic color image similar to an original color image by using digital watermark image data with a reduced data size. The digital watermark image data is produced using color difference data of the color image data including luminance data and the color difference data. The digital watermark image data either does not include luminance data or includes luminance data with a data size reduced at a very large ratio.
US08351092B2

Provided are bristle brush rollers having bristles implanted on their surfaces. A gap exists between the bristle brush rollers and reading surfaces of scanners for allowing a medium to pass through. When transfer rollers transfer the medium in the medium transfer direction, the bristle brush rollers regulate a surface opposite to a to-be-read surface of the medium in order to guide the medium.
US08351088B2

An image reading apparatus with a structure capable of reliably discharging a document, and a multi-functional machine having the same are disclosed. The image reading apparatus includes a document feed path having a document outlet, a reading unit which reads an image of a document fed through the document feed path, and a guide member which is disposed at the document outlet downstream of the reading unit to form a curl on the trailing end portion of the document. The curl formed on the document may make it possible for a subsequent document being discharged to push the curled document out of the document outlet.
US08351087B2

This invention discloses new methods and security devices for authenticating documents and valuable products which may be applied to any support, including transparent synthetic materials and traditional opaque materials such as paper. The invention relates to parallax moire shapes which occur in a compound layer consisting of the superposition of specially designed and possibly geometrically transformed s-random base layer and s-random revealing layer with a small gap between them. The base and revealing layers are formed respectively by base layer element shapes and revealing layer sampling elements positioned at s-random locations, where the base layer locations and the revealing layer locations are strongly correlated. When tilting the compound layer or changing the viewing angle, a parallax moire intensity profile of a chosen shape is seen moving in the superposition, thereby allowing the authentication of the document. A major advantage of the present invention is in its intrinsically incorporated encryption system due to the arbitrary choice of the s-random number sequences used for defining the positions of the specially designed base layer element shapes and revealing layer sampling elements that are used in this invention.
US08351085B2

Disclosed are moiré-free color halftoning methods, apparatus and systems to digitally reproduce an original color image. The disclosed embodiments are particularly useful for rendering a color image with a color printing device. According to one exemplary embodiment, an image forming method utilizes three or four rotated hexagonal screens which can include regular shaped hexagon screens or convex tessellated hexagon screens.
US08351083B2

Image data of a pixel of interest is inputted, diffusion data diffused from errors occurred by decrease of a tonal number of image data is added to the image data of the pixel of interest, the tonal number of the image data of the pixel of interest, to which the diffusion data has been added, is decreased using an error diffusion method or minimized average error method, and an error occurred in the decrease of the tonal number for the pixel of interest is diffused to pixels close to the pixel of interest. Further, the errors occurred by the decrease of the tonal number of the image data in a predetermined image region are integrated as an integrated error, and a threshold value used in the error diffusion method or minimized average error method is set based on the image data of the pixel of interest and the integrated error.
US08351081B2

What is disclosed is a novel system and method for xerographic Dmax control based upon measurements made on the printed paper using an inline spectrophotometer (ILS) or similar device. The disclosed method is based upon directly measuring the color to actuator sensitivity. Each of the separations is controlled independently using an actuator specific to that color separation. The present method is effective at controlling the color of the solid primaries. The fact that the vector of change is highly correlated with solid color variation seen in the field suggests that the teachings hereof effectively increase the solid color stability. Increased solid color stability increases the color stability throughout the printer gamut and the stability of the gamut boundaries, which increases the robustness of gamut mapping algorithms. Advantageously, the present method can be combined with existing ILS-based maintenance architectures.
US08351066B2

An image forming apparatus includes a display section, a storage section, and a continuation reception section. The display section displays a plurality of setting items, and the setting items relate to only one of the plurality of functions. The storage section stores a single or plurality of groups of setting items relating to a function in a time-series manner. The continuation reception section receives an option of whether or not the provided function is continuously executed. When receiving the option, the continuation reception section causes the display section to display the group of the setting items and to display the history data in a list to select one from the single or plurality of groups of the setting items. When receiving the option for not continuously executing the provided function, the continuation reception section initializes setting of the provided function and clears all the history data.
US08351052B2

A method for reading a topographic structure applied to a component includes providing the component with the topographic structure, applying an agent configured to enhance a contrast of the structure to at least a region of the component where the structure is located and reading the topographic structure after the applying the agent.
US08351044B2

A spectral imaging apparatus includes: a spectral transmittance variable element having a spectral transmittance characteristics such that a transmittance periodically varies with wavelength and being capable of changing the variation period, for converting light from an object under observation into light having a plurality of peak wavelengths; a light extracting device for extracting, from the light having a plurality of peak wavelengths, light for imaging that contains a peak wavelength proximate to a predetermined command wavelength designated by a user and light for calibration that contains a peak wavelength other than the peak wavelength proximate to the command wavelength; an image sensor for capturing an image of the object under observation formed of the light for imaging; a detector for detecting, from the light for calibration, the peak wavelength other than the peak wavelength proximate to the command wavelength; and a control unit including, an operation processing section that calculates the peak wavelength that is proximate to the command wavelength and is contained in the light for imaging, from the peak wavelength that is other than the peak wavelength proximate to the command wavelength, is contained in the light for calibration and is detected by the detector, calculates an amount of shift between the peak wavelength proximate to the command wavelength as calculated and the command wavelength, and determines an amount of adjustment of the variation period on a basis of the amount of shift, and a drive processing section that drives the spectral transmittance variable element for changing the variation period.
US08351036B1

A combination of a focusing means, and a filtering means which naturally adjusts the cross-sectional area of a beam of electromagnetic radiation passed to the focusing means as a function of wavelength, optionally as an element of an ellipsometer or polarimeter system.
US08351035B2

According to example configurations herein, a fluid sample flow including particulate matter passes through a conduit. One or more optical sensors monitor optical energy scattering off of the particulate matter in the fluid sample flow as it passes through the conduit. A magnitude of the optical energy sensed by the one or more optical sensors varies depending on particulate matter present in the fluid sample flow. An analyzer monitors the magnitude of the optical energy sensed by the one or more optical sensors and detects changes in the optical energy. A change in the optical energy can indicate a change in the particulate matter present in the fluid sample flow. In response to detecting the change in the optical energy, the analyzer initiates one or more functions such as recalibration, purging, execution of diagnostics, etc.
US08351028B2

According to an embodiment, a measuring device for measuring a laser beam comprises a magnification lens system with a total of two lenses which are arranged in series in the beam path of the laser beam and whose foci are coinciding, as well as a camera which is arranged behind the two lenses in the focus of the last lens and includes an electronic image sensor which generates an electronic image of the magnified laser beam. The lenses together with the camera are adjustable along the beam path relative to a reference point of the measuring device, for the purpose of locating the beam waist of the laser beam and of determining a diameter profile of the laser beam. The measuring device further comprises an adapter enclosing the beam path for coupling the measuring device to a laser system which provides the laser beam. The adapter forms an abutment surface or the laser system, which is axially directed with respect to a beam axis of the laser beam, and permits the measuring device to be coupled in situ at the installation site of the laser system.
US08351022B2

A radiation beam modification apparatus for controlling a property of a beam of radiation in a lithographic apparatus includes a flexible sheet provided with a plurality of apertures, and a positioning apparatus comprising a first rotatable member and a second rotatable member, wherein a first end portion of the flexible sheet is coupled to the first rotatable member, a second end portion of the flexible sheet is coupled to the second rotatable member and a central portion of the flexible sheet extends between the first rotatable member and the second rotatable member. The apertures may be used to control the numerical aperture of a projection system of a lithographic apparatus.
US08351020B2

The current invention relates to writing or reading a pattern on a surface, such as in microlithography or inspection of mircrolithographic patterns. In particular, Applicant discloses systems recording or reading images by scanning sparse 2D point arrays or grids across the surface, e.g., multiple optical, electron or particle beams modulated in parallel. The scanning and repeated reading or writing creates a dense pixel or spot grid on the workpiece. The grid may be created by various arrays: arrays of light sources, e.g., laser or LED arrays, by lenslet arrays where each lenslet has its own modulator, by aperture plates for particle beams, or arrays of near-field emitters or mechanical probes. For reading systems, the point grid may be created by a sparse point matrix illumination and/or a detector array where each detector element sees only one spot. The idea behind the use of large arrays is to improve throughput. However, the throughput does not scale with the array size, since above a certain size of arrays, previously known schemes fall into in their own tracks and start repeating the same data over and over again. This application discloses methods to scan workpieces with large arrays while preserving the scaling of throughput proportional to array size, even for very large arrays, in fact essentially without limits.
US08351019B2

An apparatus and method maintain immersion fluid in the gap adjacent to the projection lens during the exchange of a work piece in a lithography machine. The apparatus and method include an optical assembly that projects an image onto a work piece and a stage assembly including a work piece table that supports the work piece adjacent to the optical assembly. An environmental system is provided to supply and remove an immersion fluid from the gap between the optical assembly and the work piece on the stage assembly. After exposure of the work piece is complete, an exchange system removes the work piece and replaces it with a second work piece. An immersion fluid containment system maintains the immersion liquid in the gap during removal of the first work piece and replacement with the second work piece.
US08351011B2

In an liquid crystal display device which includes: an image display part having a plurality of pixels; and a sealing member which is formed between the first substrate and the second substrate while surrounding the image display part and seals the liquid crystal therein, the sealing member includes a liquid crystal filling port which is formed by cutting away a portion of the sealing member, an side-wall edge surface of the first substrate and a side-wall edge surface of the second substrate are made coplanar with a side-wall edge surface of the sealing member along the extending direction of the sealing member on at least one side of the first substrate and the second substrate where the liquid crystal filling port is formed, and the liquid crystal filling port is formed such that a width of the liquid crystal filling port is narrowed along the liquid-crystal filling direction.
US08350997B2

A Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) device includes: a panel on which images are implemented; a backlight device below the panel and providing light; and a polarizer including a linear-polarizing layer over the panel that linear-polarizes light from the backlight device and a circular-polarizing layer over the linear-polarizing layer that circular-polarizes the linear-polarized light.
US08350990B2

A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a light source for emitting light having high directivity; a reflecting plate for reflecting the light emitted by the light source; a liquid crystal layer that the light reflected by the reflecting plate penetrates; a position detector for detecting a position of eyes of a user viewing a display image on the liquid crystal layer to generate position information regarding the position of eyes; a reflection angle controller for controlling a rotation angle of the reflecting plate based on the position information; and a light emission controller for controlling light intensity and a light-emitting angle of the light source according to the rotation angle of the reflecting plate. This configuration enables to effectively radiate the light emitted by the light source toward the eyes of the user.
US08350988B2

The present invention provides an anti-glare film which has <1> sufficient anti-reflection properties, <2> a high level of contrast and <3> strong antifouling properties. A surface of an anti-glare layer of the anti-glare film of the present invention has a concave-convex structure, an arithmetic mean roughness (Ra) according to JIS B0601-1994 in the range of 0.02-0.2 μm when a cut-off wavelength (λc) is 0.8 mm, and a surface free energy in the range of 15-25 mN/m. In addition, a haze of the anti-glare layer of the anti-glare film of the present invention is in the range of 1.0-5.0%.
US08350977B2

A display substrate includes a base substrate, a plurality of a gate line, a gate driving circuit, a starting pad and a first electrostatic dispersion portion. The gate lines are disposed at a display area of the base substrate and extend to the peripheral area. The gate driving circuit is disposed at a peripheral area of the base substrate, includes a plurality of a stage connected to the gate lines, and provides the gate lines with gate signals. The gate driving circuit is driven in response to a vertical starting signal applied to a first stage of the plurality of stages. The starting pad is disposed at the peripheral area and applies the vertical starting signal to the gate driving circuit. The first electrostatic dispersion portion is electrically connected to the starting pad. The first electrostatic dispersion portion disperses electrostatic applied to the gate driving circuit.
US08350973B2

A liquid crystal display device (100) of the present invention includes: a liquid crystal panel (20) including: an active matrix substrate (21); a counter substrate (22); and a liquid crystal layer (23) provided between the active matrix substrate (21) and the counter substrate (22); and a backlight (10) illuminating the liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal display device (100) has an area sensor function for detecting an external input position, and further includes a reflectance changing section (50) that reduces a reflectance of light from the backlight (10) in response to application of pressure on a panel surface (100a). The reflectance changing section (50) is configured so that in a state where no pressure is applied on the panel surface (100a), an air layer (50c) is formed between two elastic films (50a and 50b) whereas in a state where pressure is applied on the panel surface (100a), the two elastic films (50a and 50b) contact each other.
US08350970B2

A radio frequency front end for a television band receiver and spectrum sensor includes a first plurality of adaptive matching networks connected to a signal summer that combines signals received by the first plurality of antennas respectively connected to the first plurality of adaptive matching networks and outputs a combined signal to each of a second plurality of downconverter/tuners. The downconverter/tuners are respectively or collectively connected to an analog to digital converter that converts output of the second plurality of downconverter/tuners into at least one digital signal that is output to the television band receiver and spectrum sensor.
US08350964B2

A control unit creates caption management data having plural caption texts to which caption display times each indicating a time of starting reproduction of each caption text are added and plural images in association with one another in accordance with a reproduction order, and stores the caption management data in a memory unit. The control unit selects a caption text registered in the caption management data, and acquires received caption display times of the selected caption text and a caption text corresponding to the next reproduction order. The control unit sets the caption display time of the selected caption text as the initial value of a dummy caption display time. When determining that a difference between the initial value and the caption display time of the caption text corresponding to the reproduction order next to the selected caption text is larger than the reference time, the control unit stores a time acquired by adding a predetermined time to the initial value and a dummy caption in the memory unit in association with each other.
US08350947B2

In a digital camera operation method, photographic images are taken with the camera and a corresponding compressed high resolution image and also a corresponding lower resolution image is stored for each. A fast display mode of the camera sequentially displays individual lower resolution display images, using the data of one of the lower resolution images. A normal display mode displays high resolution display images by expanding and displaying one of the compressed high resolution images. When changing from the fast display mode to the normal display mode, the lower resolution display image currently displayed can be replaced with the corresponding high resolution display image.
US08350941B2

An A/D converter includes: a first comparator that compares an input signal, with a first reference signal which is a ramp wave having a predetermined polarity, and that when the input signal matches the first reference signal, reverses an output signal thereof; a second comparator that compares the input signal, with a second reference signal which is a ramp wave having a different polarity from the first reference signal, and that when the input signal matches the second reference signal, reverses an output signal thereof; and a counter capable of counting up so as to measure the comparison times taken by the first comparator and second comparator, wherein when either of the output signal of the first comparator and the output signal of the second comparator is first reversed, the counter ceases a counting action.
US08350939B2

A method and apparatus for reducing space and pixel circuit complexity by using a 4-way shared vertically aligned pixels in a same column. The at least four pixels in the pixel circuit share a reset transistor and a source follower transistor, can have a plurality of same colored pixels and a plurality of colors, but do not include a row select transistor.
US08350938B2

A method for manufacturing a color image pickup device including a pixel group in which a plurality of pixels each having a photoelectric conversion element and a color filter are arranged includes the steps of generating a random array pattern in which color filters of at least one color component are randomly arranged for an arbitrary pixel position, so that the occurrence frequency of color filters of a color component in a region having a predetermined size including the arbitrary pixel position is within a desired error range, generating a regular array pattern in which color filters of at least one color component are regularly arranged, and generating a color filter pattern by compositing in a regular manner the random array pattern generated in the random array generating step and the regular array pattern generated in the regular array generating step.
US08350928B2

A method and apparatus for automatically categorizing images in a digital camera is provided. In one aspect, image data is captured by a digital camera. Image data analysis is performed on the captured image data by the digital camera to automatically generate a category tag to which the captured image data may relate. The generated category tag is stored in association with the captured image data for categorizing the captured image data.
US08350926B2

This invention is applied to a system applied to an electronic still camera, for instance. According to the invention, thumbnail image data DT obtained by thinning RAW data is recorded along with the RAW data DR, and image correction information DS at the time of imaging-result capturing which is used in presentation.
US08350923B2

A mobile camera system is disclosed. The camera system connects plural camera apparatuses including at least first and second camera apparatuses mounted on a mobile body to one another and combines images photographed by the first and the second camera apparatuses, wherein reference data obtained by the first camera apparatus is transferred to the second camera apparatus via a camera control unit, signal processing is performed in the second camera apparatus on the basis of the reference data transferred to generate a corrected image, and an image from the first camera apparatus and the corrected image outputted from the second camera apparatus are combined to output a combined image.
US08350922B2

A method to create a video sequence of a plurality of resultant images is disclosed. The video sequence is produced from images originating from a rolling shutter acquisition sensor.
US08350918B2

In an image capturing apparatus with an operation mode for carrying out expression detection, it is determined whether or not the image capturing apparatus is operated in the operation mode for carrying out expression detection. In a case in which the image capturing apparatus is operated in the operation mode for carrying out expression detection, setting in such a way that images with a resolution higher than in a case in which the image capturing apparatus is not operated in the operation mode are read out from an image sensor allows the expression of a face of a person to be detected efficiently.
US08350916B2

To provide an image processing device that calculates a parameter used for correcting large video jitter with high accuracy even when the accuracy of a sensor for measuring a movement of a photographing device is low. The image processing device includes: a constraint condition generating unit (130) that generates a constraint condition using sensor information such that a parameter value falls within a range; and a parameter calculating unit (140) that calculates the parameter according to the constraint condition. The constraint condition generating unit (130) has: a feature vector generating unit (131) that generates a feature vector showing features of the sensor information; and a motion classifying unit (such as 132) that identifies a movement of the photographing device according to the feature vector generated by the feature vector generating unit (131), on the basis of an association between the feature vector and the movement of the photographing device, the association being obtained as a result of previously-executed machine learning of the feature vector and an actual movement of the photographing device. The constraint condition generating unit (130) determines the range corresponding to the information of the movement of the photographing device, the movement being identified by the motion classifying unit (such as 132).
US08350909B2

A process is repeated in which N state vectors each including, as elements, the position of a camera with respect to a vehicle, the posture of the camera, the width of a lane where the vehicle is driving, and the orientation of the vehicle with respect to the lane are changed according to a predetermined dynamics model, a reference state vector representing the positions of edges of lane marks included in an image captured by the camera is generated when each of the changed state vectors is true, considering the positions of edges of lane marks in the image as an observation vector, the degree of match between the reference state vector and the observation vector is calculated as the weight of the state vector, a weighted average vector of the state vectors is calculated, and N state vectors are resampled on the basis of the calculated weights.
US08350907B1

A method of storing digital video is provided where an original video clip is selected, according to selection criteria, from video clips stored on a digital storage medium. The frame rate associated with the selected video clip is lowered and a downgraded version of the original video clip is written to a digital storage medium at the lowered frame rate. The original video clip may then be overwritten or erased to thereby reduce the storage space requirements for the downgraded video clip by approximately the percentage reduction in downgraded frame rate.
US08350901B2

A brightness image is produced from a frame image input from a scope and a high brightness pixel group including pixels next to one another, of which the brightness values exceed a predetermined value, and of which the number exceeds a predetermined value, is detected. Only when the pixel group is detected, a microcomputer performs light amount adjustment. When no high brightness pixel group is detected any more, a brightness blurred image is produced from the brightness image. If the value of a pixel forming the brightness blurred image is greater than or equal to a predetermined value, the value is replaced with zero. If the value is less than or equal to a predetermined value, the value is replaced with a greater value as the value is smaller. Then, brightness conversion is performed on the brightness image by adding the brightness blurred image after replacement to the brightness image.
US08350896B2

A terminal apparatus includes: a display unit configured to display a projection image of a three-dimensional object on a two-dimensional display screen; an imaging unit configured to capture an image of an operator who is in a state of viewing the display screen; a changing unit configured to change a viewpoint position relative to the three-dimensional object in response to a position of an image of the operator's face relative to the captured image; and a projection image generator configured to obtain a projection image generated by projecting each portion of the three-dimensional object viewed from the viewpoint position onto a predetermined projection plane.
US08350895B2

An improved method of making stereoscopic pictures comprising photographing a scene with a camera spaced from the scene, moving the camera generally parallel to the scene while producing a plurality of pictures of the scene each taken at a different position relative to the scene, and separating the pictures into stereo pairs for viewing. Photographing and moving steps can be performed and the separating step can be done as soon as the pictures are available for viewing to produce the stereo pairs. Alternatively, the photographing and moving steps can be done at one time and the separating step can be done at subsequent times to produce the stereo pairs of the invention thereby allowing stereo pairs to be produced from existing motion pictures, computer generated images, videotapes and still photographs. The method can be used utilizing drones, satellites, rockets, slings and other vehicles to move the camera(s).
US08350893B2

A three-dimensional imaging apparatus 101 for generating an image of a three-dimensional object 111 is disclosed. The 3D-imaging apparatus 101 has two sets 103a, 103b of reflective elements 105, an image-capturing device 107 and a processor. The image-capturing device 107 is for capturing two images using rays emitted from the object 111 and reflected from each of the two sets 103a, 103b of reflective elements 105. The processor is arranged to identify a plurality of sets of matching points in the respective captured images, each set of the matching points having been generated by the respective rays emitted by a single corresponding element of the object 111. For each set of the matching points identified in the respective captured images, the processor is arranged to determine a location of the corresponding element of the object 111. Thus, a three-dimensional image of the object 111 can be generated by the processor using the determined locations of a plurality of elements of the object 111. A method of generating a three-dimensional image of an object is also disclosed.
US08350880B2

A heat-transfer imaging system and a method of using the same. The heat-transfer imaging system includes a heat-transfer sheet and an activating ink. The heat-transfer sheet and the activating ink are specially formulated so that only the areas of the heat-transfer sheet onto which the ink has been printed become adhesive under heat-transfer conditions. This effect may be achieved by designing the sheet to include an ink-receptive coating whose melting temperature is higher than that typically encountered during normal heat-transfer conditions and by formulating the activating ink to include a plasticizer that, when printed onto the ink-receptive coating, lowers the melting temperature of the ink-receptive coating sufficiently so that the modified melting temperature falls within the temperature range encountered during heat-transfer.
US08350877B2

There is provided a print state detection device for a printed sheet surface including a sheet conveying path on which a sheet printed with an image is conveyed, a contact member that contacts with the surface of the sheet moving on the sheet conveying path, a contact state detecting part that detects a physical phenomenon occurring when the contact member contacts with the sheet, a separating part that separates the difference in the physical phenomenon occurring when the contact member comes into contact with the ground of the sheet surface and when the contact member comes into contact with an image, based on detection information obtained by the detection of the contact state detecting part, and a print state determining part that determines the print state of an image on one sheet based on separation information obtained by the separation by the separating part.
US08350873B2

A method of controlling a vehicle navigation system may entail inquiring if the navigation system is displaying a road map in a first map scale on a display, inquiring if a scrolling feature was used to pan the road map in the first map scale on the display to a specific scrolled point, concluding that the scrolling feature was used, calculating a detail road display area based on the specific scrolled point of the display; loading detailed road link data in a second map scale from memory of the navigation system, the detailed road link data corresponding in actual geographic area to the detail road display area, converting the detailed road link data from the second map scale to the first map scale to create converted detail road link data, and displaying the converted detail road link data together with the road map in the first map scale.
US08350868B2

A method of compositing a plurality of graphic objects with a compositing buffer, is disclosed. The plurality of graphic objects forming a group is attenuated by group opacity and is composited from a top object to a bottom object. Based on a first mask and the group opacity, a second mask is generated. The first mask stores a remaining possible contribution for further graphic objects below and including the plurality of graphic objects. The plurality of graphic objects in a top down order is processed. In particular, for each graphic object of the plurality of graphic objects: (a) a contribution value for the graphic object using the second mask is determined, the contribution value representing a contribution of the graphic object to the compositing buffer; (b) a colour value of the graphic object is composited with the compositing buffer using the contribution value; and (c) the second mask is updated using the contribution value. The first mask is then updated using the second mask and the group opacity. The updated first mask is configured for further compositing of objects below the plurality of graphic objects.
US08350865B2

A method and system for efficiently organizing data in memory is provided. Exemplary aspects of the invention may include storing linear data and block data in more than one DRAM device and accessing the data with one read/write access cycle. Common control signals may be used to control the DRAM devices and the address lines used to address each DRAM device may be independent from one another. The data read from the DRAM devices may be reordered to make the data more suitable for processing by applications.
US08350852B2

In a device and associated method for reconstruction and visualization of projection data, projection data are stored per slice and are subjected to an image reconstruction procedure in parallel within arbitrary slice planes in a processor-controlled filtering process that is executed n times, wherein volume data that are created can already be made available (loaded) for a direct visualization.
US08350851B2

Disclosed herein are improved systems and methods for right sizing grid models for performing, for example, reservoir simulations. Implementations in accordance with the present disclosure may begin with a relatively fine scale grid model. Successive coarsening and resampling operations may be repeated until one or more characteristics of the coarsened grid model begin to unacceptably diverge from those of the fine scale model. Similarly, successive coarsening and upscaling operations may be performed until one or more characteristics of the coarsened grid model begin to unacceptably diverge from those of the previously-coarsened grid model. The resulting coarsened grid model may be suitably sized for reservoir simulations.
US08350848B2

A computer-implemented imaging process method includes generating a progression of images of a three-dimensional model and saving the images at a determined location, generating mark-up code for displaying image manipulation controls and for permitting display of the progression of images in response to user interaction with the image manipulation controls, and providing the images and mark-up code for use by a third-party application.
US08350843B2

The present invention discloses a creation of a virtual hand, body part, or tool in a virtual environment, controlled by a new 3-D haptic interface for virtual environments. There is also the provision of a method and arrangement applicable to computer systems for creating a virtual environment, which facilitates a user to touch, feel, edit, and interact with data about the objects, surfaces, and textures in the environment. There is also a provision for multiple virtual hands operating in the same virtual world, so that users can work collaboratively in the virtual world; they can touch, feel and edit the data in the virtual world, including data about the other users' virtual hands.
US08350837B2

A current detection unit that monitors changes in two types of voltage produced by the voltage control unit, and detects and abnormal current flowing due to a potential between the two types of the voltages at both ends of the voltage control unit and an HPG control that receives a control signal of a constant voltage supplied from the information processing device, and transmits a HPG signal to the information processing device based on the abnormal current detected by the current detection unit and the control signal, wherein the HPG signal is a signal indicating a supply state of the direct current power voltage.
US08350834B2

A portable electronic device may include a display for displaying an image having different color or grey scale fields. Neighboring fields in the image may have different luminance. The portable electronic device may also include an ambient light detecting unit and a control unit. The control unit receives a luminance value corresponding to detected ambient light from the ambient light detecting unit, compares the luminance value with an ambient light level threshold and increases the difference in luminance between neighboring fields of an image being displayed by the display when the luminance exceeds the ambient light level threshold.
US08350827B2

A touch-sensing display screen includes an upper transparent substrate, a lower substrate opposite the upper substrate, and a backlight unit having an infrared light source configured to radiate infrared light through the upper substrate in a first direction. A transparent window is disposed in alignment with the infrared light source and between the upper and lower transparent substrates. A portion of the infrared light radiated in the first direction is reflected back through the upper substrate and through the transparent window in a second direction by an object touching a surface of the upper transparent substrate. A pixel thin-film transistor on the lower substrate is configured to activate a pixel electrode, and an infrared light-sensing thin-film transistor is configured to sense the infrared light received through the upper substrate in the second direction, and output an infrared light-sense signal in response thereto.
US08350823B2

A coordinate detection device according to the present invention includes: a conductor for locating a point of contact; multiple terminals that are connected to the conductor at mutually different points; a signal output section, which includes a charge storage section to store electrical charge there and which outputs a signal with a voltage value representing the quantity of charge stored in the charge storage section; a setting section for setting a voltage for the charge storage section equal to a predetermined value; and a switching section for selectively connecting or disconnecting a particular one of the terminals to/from not only the charge storage section but also a predetermined power supply.
US08350820B2

A user interface for an audio/visual device incorporates a touch sensor having multiple adjacently positioned control surfaces defined thereon by a processing device in which adjacent ones of the control surfaces share boundaries by which a user may move a tip of a digit from one of the control surfaces directly to an adjacent one of the control surfaces by moving that tip across a boundary shared between them, and in which the surface area of whichever one of the control surfaces a user's finger overlies at a given moment is expanded in size to increase the distance by which the user must move that tip to reposition that tip from overlying that one of the control surfaces to overlying an adjacent one, and is reduced in size to a size corresponding to an absolute mapping when a person does so move that tip.
US08350801B2

A display apparatus according to the present invention comprises a plurality of pixel sections 150 and performs an image display operation and an image reading operation. The plurality of pixel sections 150 each include a light output section 160 for outputting first light, and a light receiving section 102 for receiving reflected light obtained as a result of an imaging subject being irradiated with the first light. The apparatus further comprises a directivity adjusting section for adjusting a directivity of the first light. The plurality of pixel sections 150 are divided into a plurality of groups. The light output section 160 outputs the first light and the light receiving section 102 receives the reflected light on a group-by-group basis.
US08350795B2

A thin-film transistor display panel according to one or more embodiments is provided. According to an embodiment, a thin-film transistor display panel includes an insulation substrate, a gate line that is formed on the insulation substrate and is extended in a first direction, a first data line and a second data line that cross with the first gate line, and are respectively extended side by side in a second direction, a first switching element that is electrically connected to the gate line and the first data line, a second switching element that is electrically connected to the gate line and the second data line, a first pixel electrode that is connected to the first switching element, and is at least partly overlapped with the gate line of the front end, a second pixel electrode that is connected to the second switching element, and is arranged with the first pixel electrode side by side, and a storage line that is at least partly overlapped with the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode by being formed with the gate line side by side and being formed at both sides of the first pixel electrode and the second pixel electrode.
US08350794B2

In a multi layer display device, at least two display material layers are concurrently driven while cross talk prevention and/or image quality adjustment is achievable by adjusting at least one of voltage, pulse width or repetition rate of the driving waveforms.
US08350786B2

Driving a display apparatus by performing write processing for applying an auxiliary video signal to a corresponding data line, then, applying a video signal, instead of the auxiliary video signal, to the corresponding data line, and in a state where a predetermined drive voltage is applied from a power supply portion to one area of the source and drain areas of a drive transistor, applying a voltage based on the auxiliary video signal and a voltage based on the video signal from the corresponding data line to the gate electrode of the drive transistor through a write transistor which is turned on in response to a scanning signal from the corresponding scanning line.
US08350785B2

In the case of reducing an effect of variations in current characteristics of transistors by inputting a signal current to a transistor in a pixel, a potential of a wiring is detected by using a precharge circuit. In the case where there is a difference between a predetermined potential and the potential of the wiring, a charge is supplied to the wiring to perform a precharge by charging rapidly. When the potential of the wiring reaches the predetermined potential, the supply of charge is stopped and a signal current only is supplied. Thus, a precharge is performed only in a period until the potential of the wiring reaches the predetermined potential, therefore, a precharge can be performed for an optimal period.
US08350780B1

A system, method and computer program product are provided for controlling stereoscopic glasses. In use, at least one aspect of a display is identified. Further, a delay is selected based on the at least one aspect. Thus, the stereoscopic glasses may be controlled as a function of the delay.
US08350776B1

The present invention is a compact directional receiving antenna utilizing true-time-delay methods to achieve a wide pattern bandwidth and small real estate footprint. In one embodiment, two right-triangular-shaped loops are positioned in mirrored relation, one to another, with less than 1/100 wavelength spacing. In another embodiment, two of these pairs of loops are positioned in an orthogonal manner to form an electronically rotatable antenna array. In yet another embodiment, a single loop is provided with a pair of spaced couplers. Finally, in another embodiment, a pair of single loops is arranged in orthogonal relation to form an electronically rotatable array.
US08350775B2

An improved antenna arrangement includes a reflector arrangement comprising a printed circuit board with an electrically conductive ground plane. The reflector arrangement also has a reflector frame with a coupling surface. The coupling surface is capacitively coupled to the ground plane. The coupling surface has a recess via which the ground plane, which is located underneath it, and/or the printed circuit board or an isolating intermediate layer which is provided above the ground plane or an isolating intermediate layer which is provided above the printed circuit board is exposed. The at least one antenna element arrangement is positioned and/or held on the printed circuit board in the area of the recess.
US08350768B2

The invention concerns a multi-layer film element (1) and a process for the production of such a film element. The multi-layer film element (1) has at least one flexible dielectric layer (16) and one or more electrically conductive layers (15, 17) each comprising an electrically conductive material. The layer thickness of the electrically conductive layer or layers is in each case less than 20 μm. The electrically conductive layer or layers are shaped in pattern form for forming two or more conductor structures which are coupled together to afford an antenna structure galvanically connected to an electric circuit (19).
US08350767B2

Described are a notch antenna and an array antenna based on a low profile stripline feed. The notch antenna includes a planar dielectric substrate having upper and lower surfaces. Each surface has a conductive layer with an opening therein. A notch antenna element is disposed on the conductive layer of the upper surface at the opening. A stripline embedded in the planar dielectric substrate extends under the notch antenna element. The stripline is adapted to couple an RF signal between the stripline and the notch antenna element. A conductive via is electrically coupled to the stripline and extends from the stripline to the opening in the conductive layer on the lower surface so that the RF signal is accessible at the lower surface.
US08350750B2

A distributed time reversal mirror array (DTRMA) system includes a plurality of independent, sparsely distributed time reversal mirrors (TRMs). Each of the TRMs includes an antenna; a transceiver connected to the antenna for transmitting a signal toward a target, for receiving a return, reflected signal from the target, and for retransmitting a time-reversed signal toward the target: means for phase-locking and for maintaining spatial and temporal coherences between the TRMs; and a computer including a machine-readable storage media having programmed instructions stored thereon for computing and generating the time-reversed retransmitted signal, thereby providing a phased array functionality for the DTRMA while minimizing distortion from external sources. The DTRMA is capable of operating in an autonomous, unattended, and passive state, owing to the time-reversal's self-focusing feature. The beam may be sharply focused on the target due to the coherently synthesized extended aperture over the entire array.
US08350746B2

Anti jamming system comprising a tunable negative jamming signal feedback loop for feedback suppression of a received jamming signal, including a receiver receiving an jamming signal followed by a jamming signal replica generator for generating an replica jamming signal. The receiver comprising a zero IF PLL jamming signal receiver having a synchronous demodulator and a phase detector, signal inputs thereof being coupled to said input means and carrier inputs coupled to in-phase and phase quadrature oscillator outputs, respectively, of a local voltage controlled oscillator (VCO), said VCO receiving a tuning control signal for tuning the zero IF PLL jamming signal receiver at the carrier frequency of the jamming signal. The VCO is included in a phase locked loop (PLL) comprising subsequent to the VCO, said phase detector and a loop filter. The replica jamming signal generator includes a tracking modulator with a baseband signal input coupled to an output of said synchronous demodulator and a carrier input coupled to the in-phase oscillator output of the VCO, an output of said modulator being negatively fedback to the input of the receiver.
US08350740B2

The A/D conversion circuit according to one aspect of the present invention includes: a first sampling capacitor; a first sampling switch; a buffer circuit; a second sampling capacitor; a second sampling switch; a first converter; a first reset switch; and a second reset switch. The first and second sampling switches are turned on to track voltage to the first sampling capacitor and to sample buffer voltage to the second sampling capacitor through the buffer circuit. The first sampling switch is turned off to hold voltage. The second sampling switch is turned off so that the first converter reads the voltage from the second sampling capacitor to perform A/D conversion thereon. After that, the first and second reset switches reset the first and second sampling capacitors.
US08350736B2

An offset compensation scheme using a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) is disclosed. In some embodiments, a DAC is coupled to a circuit having an undesired current or voltage offset and is configured to at least in part compensate for the undesired current or voltage offset. For example, in some embodiments, the DAC injects current or voltage into the circuit that shifts a current or voltage of the circuit by an amount equal or similar in magnitude but opposite in polarity to a shift in the current or voltage of the circuit caused by the undesired current or voltage offset.
US08350726B2

Methods and apparatus are provided for selecting a touchdown point for a vertical takeoff and landing aircraft. The eye movements of a user are tracked relative to an image being rendered on a display screen. An updated touchdown point location is determined from the tracked eye movements, and an updated touchdown point is rendered at the updated touchdown point location on the display screen.
US08350722B2

A method is disclosed for estimating the exposure of vehicle occupants to environmental conditions capable of inducing a least discomfort. The occupants are alerted to their proximity to a zone where environmentally-challenging conditions exist and, in a first embodiment, the details of the environmental condition and the estimated duration of any exposure is communicated to the occupants; in a second embodiment a suggested course of action by which the occupants may mitigate the effect of the environmental occurrence is communicated; and in a third embodiment the proposed course of action is automatically executed subject to override by the occupants.
US08350711B2

Systems and methods for safe handling of information handling resources are provided. In some embodiments, a method is provided. The method may include detecting occurrence of a power down sequence and in response to detecting of the power down sequence, controlling operation of a cooling fan coupled to information handling resources based at least on a first criteria of a predetermined policy. The method may include receiving a signal from a sensor, the signal indicating a thermal property of a particular information handling resource coupled to the sensor. The method may include determining if the thermal property satisfies a second criteria of the predetermined policy, the second criteria comprising a safe temperature range for handling the particular information handling resource. If the thermal property meets the second criteria, the method may provide an alert via an indicator to a user indicating the particular information handling resource is safe for handling.
US08350710B2

An enclosed space monitoring system includes a controller and a plurality of sensors. The sensors may include a humidity sensor, a water presence sensor, a water pump operation sensor, a temperature sensor, a radon gas detector, a propane or natural gas detector, a smoke sensor, a carbon monoxide detector and a motion sensor. Environmental parameter data obtained by the sensors is stored within a memory connected to the controller. The controller sends the data to a remote facility periodically and/or when the data indicates a potential condition within the space needing attention or remediation. The sent data is stored at the remote facility and may be accessed by a technician or an owner of the space. Also, the data may be comparatively studied relative to earlier data from the same space and to data collected in similar spaces to discern a potential condition needing attention or remediation.
US08350694B1

Techniques are described for providing control of a monitoring system (e.g., a home alarm or security system) using one or more mobile devices. In some implementations, a native mobile device application enables use of a mobile device as a security/automation system keypad and controller for a home security system. In these implementations, the mobile device, using the native mobile device application, checks real time status of system and sensors, arms/disarms system, turns lights on/off, looks in on live video of security cameras, reviews history of system events, reviews saved video clips, monitors/changes thermostat settings, and performs other features of a traditional security keypad in a home security system.
US08350691B2

On a first level of the wireless building automation architecture, sensors and associated actuators communicate directly. The sensor performs control processes appropriate for the sensor and regardless of the type of actuator being used. The actuator performs control processes specific to the actuator regardless of the type of sensor being used. By direct wireless communication between sensors and actuators, the opportunity for a failed communications link using a hub and spoke arrangement may be avoided. Communication redundancy is provided by receiving the outputs of sensors at a controller, such as a controller on a second high speed or high bandwidth tier of the architecture. Regional control is implemented in the higher level tier. The higher level tier may override or control operation of components of the lower level tier as needed. The distributed control processing allows for more convenient room level integration. Where a problem is detected, such as a fire, corrective action begins within the immediate region of the sensor generating an alarm signal. The corrective action occurs without routing the alarm signal to upper levels of control processes or across different systems. The alarm signal is also propagated to upper level control systems for generating appropriate responses in other zones. To provide the different zones and avoid interference, the transmit power of the sensors and actuators is controlled as a function of two or more other devices.
US08350688B2

A method of indirect tire pressure monitoring for indicating when a pneumatic tire on a wheel at one end of a motor vehicle axle is underpressurized relative to a pneumatic tire on a wheel at an opposite end of the axle while the vehicle is being driven on a road surface. ABS wheel sensors are used as inputs to a devoted processor for indirect tire pressure monitoring.
US08350687B2

Provided is a gauge device that can provide innovativeness to representation during an operation of effect creation, and can improve the marketability and designability. A gauge device 1 is configured to include a display section 2 that displays vehicle information by rotating a pointer needle on a display panel, and an operation section 3 for use to operate various types of functions of the display section 2. Control means is also provided for operating, in response to an input of a predetermined start signal, in a cooperative manner, first illumination means 2d provided for illuminating the display section 2 and second illumination means 3c provided for illuminating the operation section 3 to make those operate a predetermined operation of effect creation. The start signal is an input of turning on or off a power switch.
US08350671B2

Provided is a method and an apparatus for controlling a NEW MESSAGE alert in a portable wireless terminal. In a sender-side terminal, a NEW MESSAGE alert is set after a message is written. The NEW MESSAGE alert setting is designated at a header of the message. The message having the header with the NEW MESSAGE alert setting is transmitted. In a receiver-side terminal, a message is received and it is determined whether a NEW MESSAGE alert is designated at a header of the received message. If a NEW MESSAGE alert is designated at the header of the received message, the designated NEW MESSAGE alert is generated. Therefore, both a sending user and a receiving user can have equal authority over the NEW MESSAGE alert.
US08350667B2

A method for the start-up of a lighting system having lamps and a central control system, wherein each lamp has an identification code independently of its position and a position code assigned by a control device, has the following steps: a) Separating the lamps into two groups by putting one group in a first state and the other group in a second state, b) selecting one of the lamps and entering its state into the operating device selecting the group of lamps that has the same state as the selected lamp for further steps, while the other group is no longer considered, d) when the selected group does not only have the selected lamp, the steps a)-d) are carried out again e) assigning the position code to the remaining lamp, to bring the code directly into relation with the identification code, f) carrying out the steps a)-e) for further lamps.
US08350665B1

RFID tags are commanded to generate a pilot tone in their backscatter. When the backscattered pilot tone is received in the reader, the pilot tone is used to estimate the tag period/frequency. Then, the estimate is used to seed and lock a symbol timing recovery loop, which provides a detected signal to one or more correlators for detecting the tag preamble. A delayed version of the received tag signal is compared against a baseline signal threshold established from the received signal to detect the pilot tone.
US08350653B2

The present invention relates to a connector system that provides the transfer of electrical power and/or data communications signals between two systems. The connector has no conductive electrical connection and can operate independently of angular orientation.
US08350649B2

A plunger switch for use as a switch element in an electrical circuit, has a housing and a plunger movable axially in a bore of the housing in the direction of a longitudinal axis and when in an operating position in which it is depressed toward the housing, acts on an electronic sensor unit situated in the housing, which in turn initiates a switching procedure in the electrical circuit by electrical pulses, and the plunger, in its axial plunging region into the bore of the housing, is peripherally provided with at least one lubricating groove, which permits a lubricating fluid to travel into the axial plunging region between the plunger and bore, and the electronic sensor unit is protected from a penetration of lubricating fluid.
US08350648B2

A power control apparatus in the form of a standard, toggle, wall-mounted light switch for remote actuation of an electrical load or local manual override. A switch housing supports and retains a latching relay that includes power terminals, a switching terminal for remote actuation by a control signal, and a manual override. A switch lever extends from the body of the switch housing for manual actuation to override the state of the relay. The switch lever engages the manual override of the latching relay upon manual actuation by a person. A centering structure maintains the switch lever in a centered position to allow unimpeded movement of the manual override. The latching relay can be remotely actuated by a signal at its switching terminal to switch a power load connected to the power terminals on or off, or the relay can be manually overridden by actuation of the switch lever.
US08350644B2

A band pass filter combiner carrying a broadband signal with a central frequency comprises a power divider, a high pass band filter, a low pass band filter, and a power combiner. The distance from the signal input port of the power divider to each of signal input ports of the high pass band filter and the low pass band filter is equal to a quarter of the wavelength at the central frequency. The distance from each of signal output ports of the high pass band filter and the low pass band filter to the signal output port of the power combiner is also equal to a quarter of the wavelength at the central frequency.
US08350642B2

The present invention is directed to a system that includes a front-end interface device having a first front-end interface port, a second front-end interface port and a third front-end interface port. The front-end interface device is configured to split a first signal directed into the first front-end interface port into a second signal provided at the second front-end interface port and a third signal provided at the third front-end interface port. An N-way high-band device includes a first high-band device port coupled to the second front-end interface port and N second high band ports. An N-way low-band device includes a first low-band device port coupled to the third front-end interface port and N-second low band ports. N back-end interface devices are coupled to the N-way high-band device and the N-way low-band device.
US08350638B2

A connector assembly includes, but is not limited to, a body having a top side and a bottom side. A bottom signal plate is connected to the bottom side and is configured for capacitive coupling to a conductor of a coplanar waveguide. A bottom grounding plate is connected to the bottom side and is spaced apart from the bottom signal plate. The bottom grounding plate is configured for capacitive coupling to a grounding plane of the coplanar waveguide. A first electrically conductive pathway is electrically connected to the bottom signal plate and extends to the top side. A second electrically conductive pathway is electrically connected to the bottom grounding plate and extends to the top side. A dielectric adhesive at least partially covers a bottom portion of the connector assembly.
US08350637B2

A circuit substrate includes a first pair of ground lines, a second pair of ground lines, a plurality of first connection lines, a plurality of second connection lines and a plurality of conductive pillars. The first and second pairs of ground lines are located on first and second surfaces of the substrate, respectively. The pillars are located in the substrate and vertically conducted between the first pair of ground lines and the second connection lines and between the second pair of ground lines and the first connection lines, and the first and second pairs of ground lines are conducted, so that a 3-D grounding circuit loop is formed. Moreover, a first pair of signal lines is disposed between the first connection lines for grounding and a second pair of signal lines is disposed between the second connection lines for grounding to get a better signal integrity.
US08350634B2

This disclosure relates to a programmable wideband, LC Tuned, Voltage Controlled Oscillator with continuous center frequency select, and independent configuration of amplitude and tuning gain. The programmability can be via on chip non-volatile memory, or through data shifted into the part and stored via a data bus.
US08350633B1

Periodic signal generators include an oscillator circuit, which is configured to generate a first periodic signal at an output thereof, and a piezoelectric-based microelectromechanical resonator. The resonator is configured to generate a second periodic signal at a first electrode thereof, which is electrically coupled to the oscillator circuit. A variable impedance circuit is provided, which is electrically coupled to a second electrode of the piezoelectric-based microelectromechanical resonator. The variable impedance circuit is configured to passively modify a frequency of the second periodic signal by changing an induced electromechanical stiffness in at least a portion of the piezoelectric-based microelectromechanical resonator.
US08350627B2

A power amplifier (10) configured to generate impedances at harmonic frequencies such that the power amplifier (10) operates in a class C mode in a low output amplitude range and in a class F or inverse F mode in a high output amplitude range.
US08350623B2

An apparatus and method are provided. Generally, an input signal is applied across a main path (through an input network) and across a cancellation path (through a cancellation circuit). The cancellation circuit subtracts a cancellation current from the main path as part of the control mechanism, where the magnitude of the cancellation current is based on a gain control signal (that has been linearized to follow a control voltage).
US08350616B1

A drive frequency source with two selectable output frequencies connected to two charge pump arrays. A first array of basic charge pump units is connected to the first output frequency and a second array of basic charge pump units is connected to the output frequency. One or more of the basic charge pump units making up the aforementioned first and second charge pump arrays has an enable input allowing its output current contribution to be added or subtracted from the total array output. The output of the first array is coupled to a P-type substrate and the output of the second array is coupled to an N-well residing in the P-type substrate. A controller may be coupled to the drive frequency source for selecting the output frequencies, and an output monitor may be coupled between the array outputs and the controller to provide feedback.
US08350614B2

A distributed, reconfigurable statistical signal processing apparatus comprises an array of discrete-time analog signal processing circuitry for statistical signal processing based on a local message-passing algorithm and digital configuration circuitry for controlling the functional behavior of the array of analog circuitry. The input signal to the apparatus may be expressed as a probabilistic representation. The analog circuitry may comprise computational elements arranged in a network, with a receiving module that assigns probability values when an input signal arrives and communicates the probability values to one of the computational elements, the computational elements producing outputs based on the assigned probability values. The signal processing apparatus may be an analog logic automata cell or an array of cells, wherein each cell is able to communicate with all neighboring cells.
US08350604B2

A clock receiver in a semiconductor integrated circuit includes a first clock buffer configured to buffer an external clock to generate a low frequency buffered clock in response to a first operation signal; a second clock buffer configured to buffer the external clock to generate a high frequency buffered clock in response to a second operation signal; and an internal clock generating unit configured to receive the low frequency buffered clock and the high frequency buffered clock, to control states of the first operation signal and the second operation signal and to generate an internal clock.
US08350593B2

A semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor chip operating at a first power supply voltage and a second semiconductor chip operating at a second power supply voltage lower than the first power supply voltage to supply the second power supply voltage to the first semiconductor chip. The semiconductor chips according to the present invention are conveniently used for fabrication of the semiconductor device. The first semiconductor chip includes an output circuit including a first transistor and a second transistor, interconnected in series and turned on or off complementarily. The output circuit outputs a signal to a first external output terminal. The first semiconductor chip also includes a third transistor connected in series with the first and second transistors and having a gate electrode connected to a second output terminal. The entire chip area is reduced, as compared with the case where plural semiconductor chips, operated at different operating voltages, are interconnected and used as such in a semiconductor device provided with an input/output buffer operating at a voltage different from the respective operating voltages resulting in an increased chip area.
US08350586B2

Provided is a method of de-embedding. The method includes forming a test structure having a device-under-test embedded therein, the test structure having left and right pads coupling the device-under-test, the device-under-test dividing the test structure into left and right half structures, the left and right half structures each having intrinsic transmission parameters; forming a plurality of dummy test structures, each dummy test structure including a left pad and a right pad; measuring transmission parameters of the test structure and the dummy test structures; and deriving intrinsic transmission parameters of the device-under-test using the intrinsic transmission parameters of the left and right half structures and the transmission parameters of the test structure and the dummy test structures.
US08350582B2

A fluid sensor for detecting refrigerant leakage from a refrigerant circuit includes a sensor main body having two electrodes spaced apart from each other. The fluid sensor is configured such that the fluid sensor is connectable to an impedance measurement device to measure impedance between the two electrodes.
US08350580B2

A non-invasive Time Domain Reflectometry transmission line system and method for measuring one or more parameters of an electromagnetic Radio Frequency pulse transmitted, and reflected, along a transmission line, the parameters including at least one of; amplitude, propagation velocity and/or propagation time between defined predetermined instances. The system includes a transmission line structure including three or more elongated transmission elements each having two distal ends. Each element is capable of being selectively activated in at least two distinct pairs having distinct geometric configurations relative to each other to generate at least two distinct electric field potentials without physical displacement of the transmission line.
US08350579B2

An apparatus for optimizing a Wheatstone bridge robust in a temperature change, the apparatus including; a voltage difference measuring unit which measures a voltage difference between a current input end and a current output end of the Wheatstone bridge, wherein the Wheatstone bridge comprises a first resistor, a second resistor, a third resistor and a fourth resistor and a tuning resistor; and a resistance tuning controller which detects a resistance ratio of a first distribution resistance and a second distribution resistance of the tuning resistor so that the voltage difference measuring unit measures a maximum voltage difference, and controls tuning of the tuning resistor according to the detected resistance ratio.
US08350577B1

Aspects of the disclosure provide a method for calibrating pulse-width based measurement. The method includes generating a sloped time varying signal having a voltage level that varies with time, and generating a calibration pulse having a first calibration edge and a second calibration edge. The first calibration edge corresponds to a first calibration time that the sloped time varying signal has a first reference voltage, and the second calibration edge corresponds to a second calibration time that the sloped time varying signal has a second reference voltage. Further, the method includes modifying a parameter that governs a slope of the sloped time varying signal to calibrate the slope, such that a calibration pulse width of the calibration pulse is substantially equivalent to a reference time length. Then, the method includes performing pulse-width based measurement based on the calibrated slope.
US08350574B2

An embodiment of the invention provides a circuit for detecting a malfunction generation attack, including: at least one sensor circuit adapted to detect a radiation of a light; and a detection circuit for detecting an intermediate voltage between a voltage corresponding to a High level and a voltage corresponding to a Low level in accordance with an output from the at least one sensor circuit, and outputting a detection signal. At least one sensor circuit has an output node a level at which is changed in accordance with the radiation of the light, and outputs a signal corresponding to the level at the output node which is changed in accordance with the radiation of the light. The detection circuit outputs the detection signal when a level of the output signal from the at least one sensor circuit reaches a level previously set.
US08350569B2

A circuit for switching a PIN diode has a PIN diode and an inductor (in particular a coil) as well as a direct voltage source and a group of switches, wherein in a first switch setting of the group of switches the PIN diode can be fed with current from the direct voltage source in its admission direction; and in a further switch setting the PIN diode and the inductor are separated from the direct voltage source and are arranged in a closed current loop such that the inductor can generate a discharge current upon transitioning to the further switch setting, which discharge current is directed to the PIN diode opposite to the current generated by the direct voltage source (DC).
US08350567B2

In a device and method to install a coil in a circuit, the coil is installed on a substrate and the inductance value of the coil installed on the substrate is adjusted with a test circuit board. The substrate is then installed in the circuit. This enables an efficient installation of the coil.
US08350561B2

An apparatus for providing a signal related to a position of a part comprises an exciter coil, and a receiver coil disposed proximate to the exciter coil. The exciter coil generates magnetic flux when the exciter coil is energized by a source of electrical energy, such as an alternating current source. The receiver coil generates a receiver signal when the exciter coil is energized, due to an inductive coupling between the receiver coil and the exciter coil. The receiver coil has a plurality of sections, the inductive coupling tending to induce opposed voltages in at least two of the sections. Embodiments of the present invention include linear sensors, rotational sensors, and novel configurations for improved ratiometric sensing.
US08350543B2

A converter controller for discharge of a coil used in a DC/DC converter including a voltage detector connected to monitor a state of a diode connected between the coil and ground and an offset comparator, having an adjustable offset, for causing a coil discharge path to be interrupted. The comparator is provided with an initial high offset so that for at least a first converter switching period, the coil will have sufficient charge when the coil discharge path is interrupted to cause the diode to become forward biased as determined by the voltage detector. The offset is periodically reduced until the coil is sufficiently discharged so that the diode is not forward biased, with that value of offset being optimum and thus used in subsequent switching periods.
US08350540B2

A storageless DC-DC converter is provided having simultaneously ultra high efficiency of 99.5% in an ultra compact size leading to 1 kW/inch3 power density, while also providing a regulation over the wide input DC voltage range. In addition to fixed 2 to 1 step-down voltage conversion the continuous output voltage reduction is obtained by use of a new method of the modulation of the freewheeling time of one of the two current rectifiers. This provides a simple regulation of the output voltage via a standard duty ratio control, despite the wide range of the input voltage change and simultaneous wide range of the load current change. An alternative control method customarily used in classical resonant converters to control output voltage by change of the switching frequency with a fixed duty ratio control is also demonstrated. Because of its storageless feature and continuous output voltage regulation this converter is ideal for computer applications, such as VRM (Voltage Regulator Modules), demanding extremely fast transient response to fast load current changes and tight load voltage regulations requiring ultra low output ripple voltages.
US08350537B2

A power factor correcting power supply. The power factor correcting power supply includes a controlled current source for providing electrical power of a regulated current and a regulated voltage to a first output terminal, a voltage comparison current controller, and a control circuit responsive to the current at the output terminal, the control circuit coacting with the voltage comparison current controller to cause the controlled current source to increase or decrease the current at the first output terminal.
US08350531B2

A secondary battery charge control method includes: a charge control step of executing charging by supplying a charge current to a secondary battery; a charge information acquisition step of acquiring information relating to the charging executed in the charge control step; a storage step of storing the information acquired in the charge information acquisition step as charge data; and a charge inhibition determination step of determining whether to inhibit the charging in the charge control step on the basis of the charge data of a previous cycle that have been stored in the storage step when charging in the charge control step is started again after charging in the charge control step has been completed.
US08350529B2

A method and apparatus are disclosed for a Battery Management System (BMS) for the controlling of the charging and discharging of a plurality of battery cell (12). Each battery cell has an associated plurality of control circuits (32, 36) which monitor and control the charging of individual battery cells. These units are controlled by a central microcontroller (14) which shunts current around the battery cell if fully charged and stops discharge if a battery cell is fully discharged in order to prevent damage to the other cells.
US08350523B2

Systems and methods are provided for operating a charging system with galvanic isolation adapted for multiple operating modes. A vehicle charging system comprises a DC interface, an AC interface, a first conversion module coupled to the DC interface, and a second conversion module coupled to the AC interface. An isolation module is coupled between the first conversion module and the second conversion module. The isolation module comprises a transformer and a switching element coupled between the transformer and the second conversion module. The transformer and the switching element are cooperatively configured for a plurality of operating modes, wherein each operating mode of the plurality of operating modes corresponds to a respective turns ratio of the transformer.
US08350522B2

A portable electronic device has a connector with a first pin and a second pin, and a battery charging circuit having an input coupled to receive current through the second pin to charge a battery of the device. The portable device also has a controller to determine whether the connector is coupled to an external power source (EPS) having a power converter circuit that can provide the current. The controller on that basis drives the first pin to stimulate the power converter circuit to raise voltage on the second pin. Other embodiments are also described and claimed.
US08350516B2

A control device controls a switching operation of a switching element such that an AC voltage allowing an AC motor to output torque in accordance with a torque command value is applied to a coil winding of each phase. The control device sets a gate resistance variably between a first pulse voltage at the time of reversal of polarity of the AC voltage and a remaining pulse voltage, in a drive circuit for turning on/off the switching element in response to a switching control signal. By making longer a time period for the first pulse voltage at the time of reversal of polarity to rise, occurrence of partial discharge in a gap between coil windings of respective phases is suppressed.
US08350515B2

An apparatus for controlling a stepper motor comprises a driver circuit and a brake circuit each having a motor controller device. The driver circuit, brake circuit and motor are connected in parallel. The driver circuit receives an enabling signal and outputs driver current to the motor accordingly. The brake circuit includes a logic circuit which receives the enabling signal, a brake input signal, and a power supply status signal, and outputs a brake logic signal. The brake circuit motor controller device is coupled to the logic circuit. This motor controller device receives an output of the brake logic circuit and outputs braking current to the motor in accordance therewith. The braking circuit is effective to prevent movement of the motor shaft in accordance with output of the braking current. The motor controller devices are substantially identical. The apparatus is effective to control the motor while avoiding generation of RF noise.
US08350507B2

A rotary electric machine controller including a current detector detecting rotary electric machine currents generated in a rotary electric machine, a position estimation mechanism outputting an estimated position in accordance with the rotary electric machine currents; a controller outputting voltage commands in accordance with the estimated position; a pulse-width modulator outputting logic signals which are pulse-width modulated in accordance with the voltage commands and with a switching cycle used for pulse-width modulation control; and a voltage application mechanism applying AC voltages for driving the rotary electric machine in accordance with the logic signals. The voltage commands output by the controller are obtained by superimposing, on fundamental voltages for driving the rotary electric machine, position detection voltages which each have a cycle equal to m times of the switching cycle and which are different in phase among respective phases.
US08350504B2

A brushless DC motor driving system, in which the duty cycle of the PWM control signals for the duty cycle generator is determined by a speed control circuit, a feedback comparator, and the set and reset signals of a S-R Flip-Flop, wherein the PWM control signals pass through the Hall synthesis circuit, the logic control circuit to drive the coil by the drive current generated, and the duty cycle of the PWM control signals is further adjusted by means of the feedback sensing voltage obtained from the driving current and sensing resistance and fed back to the feedback comparator, the stability and linear stability of the input voltage and the driving current being achieved.
US08350502B2

An electromagnetic motor having a frame, and at least one disc rotatably mounted to the frame. At least one permanent magnet is mounted on the disc, and at least one electromagnet is mounted to the frame in magnetic proximity to the at least one permanent magnet. A battery is electrically coupled to the motor for powering the at least one electromagnet. A switch controls electrical power between the battery and the at least one electromagnet, and a sensing means is provided for controlling the switch to activate the at least one electromagnet with respect to the at least one permanent magnet to cause the at least one disc to rotate. Preferably, a generator is mechanically coupled to the motor and electrically coupled to the battery for generating electrical power to the battery, and a renewable energy source such as a photovoltaic cell is electrically coupled to the motor to supplement any net electrical loss.
US08350498B2

A system includes multiple dynamic current equalizers (DCEs). Each DCE includes a first control loop configured to regulate a current through a circuit branch associated with the dynamic current equalizer. The first control loop includes a first amplifier having two inputs. Each DCE also includes a second control loop configured to regulate a control signal. The second control loop includes a second amplifier having two inputs coupled to the inputs of the first amplifier. The first amplifier has an input offset compared to the second amplifier. The DCEs are configured such that one DCE regulates the control signal while one or more other DCEs regulate the currents through the associated circuit branches based on the control signal. The DCEs can be configured to achieve one or more ratios between multiple currents flowing through multiple circuit branches, where the one or more ratios are defined by resistances coupled to the DCEs.
US08350483B2

A light-emitting element driving circuit includes a PWM signal output circuit configured to output a plurality of PWM signals each having one logic level whose duty ratio corresponds to gradation data and each corresponding to each of a plurality of light-emitting elements, on the basis of the gradation data indicating brightness of each of the plurality of light-emitting elements. A driving signal output circuit is configured to change the duty ratio of each of the plurality of inputted PWM signals to output the plurality of changed PWM signals as a plurality of driving signals, on the basis of instruction data for changing the brightness of the plurality of light-emitting elements. A driving circuit is configured to drive the plurality of light-emitting elements on the basis of a duty ratio of each of the plurality of driving signals.
US08350477B2

High color rendition (Ra≧80) and high efficiency (η≧100 (1 m/W)) which are effects conflicting to each other in a metal halide lamp are attained. An arc tube formed of translucent ceramics, capillaries are formed continuously on the both ends of an arc chamber formed substantially in an ellipsoidal shape in the direction of the longitudinal axis by way of a transition curve with no angled corner, and the arc tube is designed to effective length L/effective inner diameter D of 1.8 to 2.2, and formed to such a size that the lowest temperature of the arc chamber is 800° C. or higher and the highest temperature of the arc chamber is 1200° C. or lower during lighting, and at least thulium iodide, thallium iodide, sodium iodide, and calcium iodide are sealed as metal halides where sodium iodide and calcium iodide are sealed by a molar ratio of 40 to 80% and less than 30%, respectively, based on the entire metal halides.
US08350474B2

A plasma display panel includes a front plate and a rear plate disposed in such a manner as to face the front plate. The front plate has a display electrode and a dielectric layer covering the display electrode. The dielectric layer contains substantially no lead components but contains MgO, SiO2, and K2O. A content of MgO is in a range between 0.3 mol % and 1.0 mol %, both inclusive. The content of SiO2 is in a range between 35 mol % and 50 mol %, both inclusive.
US08350467B2

A flat panel display device including a display area where an image is displayed and a non-display area located at an outside of the display area includes bank portions arranged in a pattern in the display area and partitioning a plurality of openings, emission elements located in the openings, dummy bank portions formed in the non-display area and integrated therewith, and a sealing passivation layer having a multi-layered structure of organic films and inorganic films alternately arranged, one organic film being located at an interface directly contacting the emission element and one inorganic film located firstly on an outermost portion of the dummy bank portions when the sealing passivation layer extends from the display area to the non-display area.
US08350466B2

It is an object of the present invention to provide a technology for manufacturing a highly reliable display device at a low cost with high yield. In the present invention, a spacer is formed over a pixel electrode, thereby protecting the pixel electrode layer from a mask in formation of an electroluminescent layer. In addition, since a layer that includes an organic material that has water permeability is sealed in a display device with a sealing material and the sealing material and the layer that includes the organic material are not in contact, deterioration of a light-emitting element due to a contaminant such as water can be prevented. The sealing material is formed in a portion of a driver circuit region in the display device, and thus, the narrower frame margin of the display device can also be accomplished.
US08350464B1

An organic light-emitting display device having improved extraction efficiency and viewing angle characteristics includes a sub-pixel having a resonating region in which light generated by an emission layer resonates and is emitted, and a non-resonating region in which light does not resonate and is emitted.
US08350461B2

Provided are methods and apparatus for combining light emitters and devices including the same. Embodiments include methods of selecting combinations of multiple light emitters that are grouped into multiple bins. The multiple bins correspond to multiple emitter group regions in a multiple axis color space and multiple luminosity ranges. Such methods may include prioritizing multiple combinations of light emitters from at least two of the bins, each of the combinations including chromaticity values corresponding to a desired color region and a luminosity value corresponding to a specified luminosity range.
US08350449B2

The quartz crystal device of a first aspect comprises a quartz crystal element having an vibrating portion which vibrates when a voltage is applied and a frame portion which surrounds the periphery of the vibrating portion, the quartz crystal element being formed of an AT-cut quartz crystal material specified by the X-axis, the Y′-axis and the Z′-axis; a base which is bonded to one main surface of the frame portion, the base being formed of a Z-cut quartz crystal material specified by the X-axis, the Y-axis and the Z-axis; and a lid which is bonded to other main surface of the frame portion, the frame portion being formed of the Z-cut quartz crystal material. The Z′-axis of the quartz crystal element is coincident with the X-axis or the Y-axis of the base and the lid.
US08350448B2

An actuator includes: an ion conductive polymer layer including an ion conductive polymer; a pair of electrode layers disposed on both surfaces of the ion conductive polymer layer; and an ionic liquid contained in the ion conductive polymer layer and the electrode layers; wherein the electrode layers contain at least an ion conductive polymer and carbon powder, and kinds of carbon powders included on an inside and an outside of the electrode layers are different from each other.
US08350444B2

A method for converting heat to electricity by exploiting changes in spontaneous polarization that occur in electrically polarizable materials is described. The method uses an internally generated field to achieve poling during cycling. The internal poling field is produced by retaining residual free charges on the electrodes at the appropriate point of each cycle. The method obviates the need for applying a DC voltage during cycling and permits the use of the electrical energy that occurs during poling rather than an external poling voltage which detracts from the net energy produced per cycle. The method is not limited to a specific thermodynamic cycle and can be used with any thermodynamic cycle for converting heat to electricity by thermally cycling electrically polarizable materials. The electrical energy generated can be used in various applications or stored for later use. An apparatus for converting heat to electricity is also described.
US08350443B2

The invention encompasses a method for production of electric power from a system of contacts of nanostructured conductive surfaces with a thin water-containing layer, and a hydroelectric generator for carrying out the method. The basis of the invention is a discovery, confirmed by experiments, that the contacts of the conductive surfaces, having nano-dimensional structural and/or parametrical heterogeneities, with the water-containing layer, having a thickness from several nanometers to a fraction of a millimeter, under certain conditions, described in the present disclosure, generate electromotive force in an external electrical load. The invention utilizes new principles for building power systems, which can find further wide application in various areas of science and technology.
US08350442B2

To provide a power plant which makes it possible to make the power plant more compact in size, reduce manufacturing costs thereof, and improve the degree of freedom in design. The power plant 1 comprises an engine 3, and first and second rotating machines 10 and 20, and drives front wheels 4 by motive power from these. The first rotating machine 10 includes first and second rotors 14 and 15, and a stator 16, and is configured such that a ratio between the number of armature magnetic poles generated in the stator 16, the number of magnetic poles of the first rotor 14, and the number of soft magnetic material cores 15a of the second rotor 15 becomes 1:m:(1+m)/2 (m≠1.0).
US08350439B2

This motor includes a stator whereupon a plurality of magnetic poles are arranged at first prescribed intervals on the outer circumference section, and a rotor which is rotatively arranged on the outer circumference of the stator by having a prescribed space in between and has permanent magnets magnetized to different polarities at second prescribed intervals. The magnetic pole of the stator forms an extending section which extends from a magnetic pole base section in a direction parallel to the permanent magnet, and the extending length of the extending section in the direction parallel to the permanent magnet is same as that of the magnetic pole base section in the direction parallel to the permanent magnet or shorter.
US08350430B2

An R—Fe—B sintered magnet has a structure including main phase crystal grains and a grain boundary area surrounding the crystal grains. The sintered magnet includes fluorine and a specified metal element selected from elements belonging to Group 2 through Group 16 of periodic table excepting the rare earth element, carbon and boron. The fluorine has a higher concentration in a region closer to a magnet surface than in the center. The specified element also has a higher concentration in the region closer to the surface. The sintered magnet includes oxyfluoride containing carbon, Dy and the metal element in a grain boundary area region at a distance of 1 μm or greater from the magnet surface, and the carbon has a higher concentration than the concentration of the metal element in a region at a distance of 1 μm to 500 μm from the magnet surface.
US08350427B2

A stator of a rotary electrical machine includes a core unit configured by a plurality of core assemblies, around which wires are respectively wound to form the coils, including low voltage side terminals, which connect first ends of the coils, and a bus ring attached to the core unit so as to connect second ends of the coils to electricity supply wires by high voltage side terminals. Each terminal accommodating portion is individually formed relative to each of the core assemblies at an external side of the coils. Each of the terminal accommodating portions is filled with an insulating resin material in a state where at least one of a connecting portion of the first end and each of the low voltage side terminals and a connecting portion of the second end and each of the high voltage side terminals is accommodated within each of the terminal accommodating portions.
US08350425B2

A holder for a position sensor of an electric machine. The holder includes a pocket for holding the position sensor, an abutment, and a biasing mechanism mountable to a fixture of the electric machine so as to bias the abutment relative to the fixture. Additionally, an electric machine that incorporates the holder, the electric machine including a stator against which the biasing mechanism biases the abutment.
US08350424B2

The invention relates to a dynamoelectric machine (1) comprising a stator (2) and a rotor (3). At least the stator (2) has a winding system (4) which is arranged in grooves of the stator (2). Heat is transferred in a substantially radial direction on the front sides (6) of the stator (2) by means of heat pipes (5).
US08350422B2

A torsional vibration damper is integrated into a rotating electrical machine. A rotatable assembly of the electrical machine includes a rotor core pack having a first end and a second end. The integrated torsional vibration damper consists of a torsional elastic coupling and a torsional elastic damper and provides mechanical damping. The integrated torsional vibration damper is mounted to the rotatable shaft of the electrical machine by a flange. The rotor core pack is mounted at the first end to the integrated torsional vibration damper by suitable structure members such as a mounting flange and is not fixedly mounted directly to the rotatable shaft. In the case where the rotor core pack is cooled by circulating coolant fluid (e.g. MIDEL) then the integrated torsional vibration damper may be a viscous damper that uses the coolant fluid as a viscous working fluid.
US08350411B2

An apparatus and method for supplying energy to a load includes an energy recharge unit, an energy storage unit, an energy converter connected to the energy recharge unit, the energy converter being capable of transferring energy at a power level from the energy recharge unit to an output node, the power level being determined by a power transfer controller, and a bi-directional energy converter connected to the energy storage unit and to the output node. The bi-directional energy converter is capable of converting energy of varying voltages from the energy storage unit to energy of varying current levels to supplement the transferred energy with energy from the energy storage unit so as to maintain a constant voltage on the output node. The bi-directional energy converter is capable of converting the transferred energy to provide charging energy to the energy storage unit when the transferred energy exceeds a demand level of the load while maintaining the constant voltage at the output node.
US08350409B2

Objects of the invention are to minimize power consumption while maintaining the required information processing capabilities of an LSI chip by supplying multiple voltages to the LSI chip such that its circuit blocks receive necessary voltages and to prevent an increase in the chip area of the LSI chip and performance degradation of signal wires, which may result from the supply of the multiple voltages, by reducing the number of power supply wires.In an LSI chip to which two voltages are supplied, high voltage wires are more densely spaced than low voltage wires. By selectively applying voltages based on circuit block performance, it is possible to reduce power consumption while maintaining the amount of information processed by the LSI chip.
US08350401B2

Sea wave energy is converted into electrical or mechanical energy. When a sea wave is pushing up a float, a transporter arm is pushed up inside a sealed box. This pushing up motion converts linear motion of the transporter arm into kinetic energy for a chain belt and an upper sprocket which are moving in a rotational path. When the float is moving down because the sea wave is receding, the transporter arm also comes down. This downward motion converts the linear motion of the transporter arm into rotational motion for the same chain belt and a lower sprocket which are moving in the same direction as the chain belt moves with the upper sprocket.
US08350380B2

A leadframe package includes a die pad with four unitary, outwardly extending slender bars; a plurality of leads arranged along periphery of the die pad; a separate pad segment separated from the die pad and isolated from the plurality of leads; a semiconductor die mounted on an upper side of the die pad, wherein the semiconductor die contains first bond pads wire-bonded to respective the plurality of leads and a second bond pad wire-bonded to the separate pad segment; and a molding compound encapsulating the semiconductor die, the upper side of the die pad, the first suspended pad segment and inner portions of the plurality of leads.
US08350378B2

A diode, e.g., a press-fit power diode for a rectifier in a motor vehicle, includes a semiconductor chip which is connected to a head wire and a base via solder layers. A plastic sheathing, which is situated at least in the chip area and includes a plastic sleeve, enables a hard casting compound to be used and establishes a mechanical connection between the base and the head wire and forms a housing together with the base. An undercut, which extends into the casting compound, and a gap between the sleeve and the edge of the base achieve a compact design. Bevels provided on both sides enable the diode to be pressed into the rectifier from two sides.
US08350375B2

Disclosed is a flipchip scheme where power and ground bumps are arranged in a striped configuration. Specifically, there are a plurality of lines of power bumps, and a plurality of lines of ground bumps. Each line of power bumps is interconnected by a mesh core power bus, and each line of ground bumps is interconnected by a mesh core ground bus. The busses are shorted across the bumps without having to use metal tab extensions. This arrangement provides that: signal routing can be provided between the lines of bumps; and/or the mesh core power busses can be provided as being wider in order to provide improved power mesh performance and/or in order to reduce or eliminate the metal required on the second top-most metal layer.
US08350374B2

A multi-chip package according to an aspect of this disclosure includes a plurality of multi-chips. Each of the multi-chips includes a lead configured to receive an external power supply voltage, and a pad circuit configured to reset an internal node to the level of a ground voltage and to generate chip address information by controlling the potential of the internal node based on the state of a connection between the pad circuit and the lead.
US08350358B2

A semiconductor die includes a semiconductive substrate layer with first and second sides, a metal layer adjacent the second side of the semiconductive substrate layer, one or more active devices in an active layer on the first side of the semiconductive substrate layer; and a passive device in the metal layer in electrical communication with the active layer. The passive device can electrically couple to the active layer with through silicon vias (TSVs).
US08350341B2

Adjustment of a switching threshold of a field effect transistor including a gate structure including a Hi-K gate dielectric and a metal gate is achieved and switching thresholds coordinated between NFETs and PFETs by providing fixed charge materials in a thin interfacial layer adjacent to the conduction channel of the transistor that is provided for adhesion of the Hi-K material, preferably hafnium oxide or HfSiON, depending on design, to semiconductor material rather than diffusing fixed charge material into the Hi-K material after it has been applied. The greater proximity of the fixed charge material to the conduction channel of the transistor increases the effectiveness of fixed charge material to adjust the threshold due to the work function of the metal gate, particularly where the same metal or alloy is used for both NFETs and PFETs in an integrated circuit; preventing the thresholds from being properly coordinated.
US08350336B2

In a semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same, a first insulation layer is removed from a cell area of a substrate and a first active pattern is formed on the first area by a laser-induced epitaxial growth (LEG) process. Residuals of the first insulation layer are passively formed into a first device isolation pattern on the first area. The first insulation layer is removed from the second area of the substrate and a semiconductor layer is formed on the second area of the substrate by a SEG process. The semiconductor layer on the second area is patterned into a second active pattern including a recessed portion and a second insulation pattern in the recessed portion is formed into a second device isolation pattern on the second area. Accordingly, grain defects in the LEG process and lattice defects in the SEG process are mitigated or eliminated.
US08350335B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device that includes forming a dummy gate insulating film and a dummy gate electrode on a semiconductor substrate having a channel-forming region. An etching treatment including a first treatment of treating the surface of the exposed surface of the insulating layer with an etching gas containing ammonia and hydrogen fluoride and a second treatment of decomposing and evaporating the product formed in the first treatment are included in removal step of the dummy gate insulating film.
US08350333B2

A semiconductor device according to an embodiment includes: a semiconductor substrate; a resistance element of a first conductivity type formed in one region of the semiconductor substrate; a field effect transistor of a second conductivity type formed in another region of the semiconductor substrate; and a field effect transistor of the first conductivity type formed in still another region of the semiconductor substrate. The resistance element includes: an insulating film formed in an upper layer portion of the semiconductor substrate; and a well of the first conductivity type formed immediately below the insulating film, an impurity concentration at an arbitrary depth position in the well of the first conductivity is lower than an impurity concentration at the same depth position in a channel region of the field effect transistor of the second conductivity type.
US08350326B2

According to one embodiment, a nonvolatile semiconductor memory device includes first and second stacked structural bodies, first and second semiconductor pillars, a memory unit connection portion, a selection unit stacked structural body, first and second selection unit semiconductor pillars, a selection unit connection portion, and first to fifth interconnections. The semiconductor pillars pierce the stacked structural bodies. The first and second interconnections are connected to the first and second semiconductor pillars, respectively. The memory unit connection portion connects the first and second semiconductor pillars. The selection unit semiconductor pillars pierce the selection unit stacked structural body. The third and fourth interconnections are connected to the first and second selection unit semiconductor pillars, respectively. The selection unit connection portion connects the first and second selection unit semiconductor pillars. The fifth interconnection is connected to the third interconnection on a side opposite to the selection unit stacked structural body.
US08350325B2

A problem associated with n-channel power MOSFETs and the like that the following is caused even by relatively slight fluctuation in various process parameters is solved: source-drain breakdown voltage is reduced by breakdown at an end of a p-type body region in proximity to a portion in the vicinity of an annular intermediate region between an active cell region and a chip peripheral portion, arising from electric field concentration in that area. To solve this problem, the following measure is taken in a power semiconductor device having a superjunction structure in the respective drift regions of a first conductivity type of an active cell region, a chip peripheral region, and an intermediate region located therebetween: the width of at least one of column regions of a second conductivity type comprising the superjunction structure in the intermediate region is made larger than the width of the other regions.
US08350299B2

A memory cell is provided that includes a diode and a resistance-switching material layer coupled in series with the diode. The resistance-switching material layer: (a) has a dielectric constant in the range of about 5 to about 27, and (b) includes a material from the family consisting of XvOw, wherein X represents an element from the family consisting of Hf and Zr, and wherein the subscripts v and w have non-zero values that form a stable compound. Other aspects are also provided.
US08350290B2

Provided is a light-receiving device which has light-receiving sensitivity superior to that of a conventional Schottky diode type light-receiving device and also has sufficiently-strengthened junction of a Schottky electrode. A first contact layer formed of AlGaN and having conductivity, a light-receiving layer formed of AlGaN, and a second contact layer formed of AlN and having a thickness of 5 nm are epitaxially formed on a predetermined substrate in the stated order, and a second electrode is brought into Schottky junction with the second contact layer, to thereby form MIS junction. Further, after the Schottky junction, heat treatment is performed under a nitrogen gas atmosphere at 600° C. for 30 seconds.
US08350277B2

A light emitting element includes a semiconductor substrate, a light emitting part having a first and second conductivity type cladding layers and an active layer sandwiched between the cladding layers. A reflecting part is disposed between the substrate and the light emitting part. A current dispersing layer disposed on a side of the light emitting part opposite to the reflecting. The reflecting part has at least three pair layers of first and second semiconductor layers, the first semiconductor layer has a first thickness, the second semiconductor layer has a second thickness and a plurality of pair layers of the reflecting part have a different thickness to each other as values of the incident angle of light are different with respect to each pair layer. At least one pair layer is defined by the incident angle of light being not less than 50 degrees.
US08350275B2

An optoelectronic device assembly can include: a coated element and an electroactive cell on the coated element, wherein the electroactive cell is selected from the group consisting of a light emitting diode and a photovoltaic cell. The coated element can include: transparent thermoplastic substrate and a protective weathering layer. The transparent thermoplastic substrate can include a material selected from the group consisting of aromatic polycarbonate and polyester, and combinations including at least one of the foregoing materials. The protective weathering layer can have a UV absorbance loss rate at 330 nm of less than or equal to 0.15 A/year as estimated from filtered xenon arc exposure and/or having a rate of erosion of less than or equal to 5 μm per year as estimated from filtered xenon arc exposure.
US08350271B2

Disclosed is an RF power FET or HEMT including an electrically-conductive substrate, a grounding metallization layer disposed on a bottom surface of the electrically-conductive substrate, an active area comprising at least one cell including source, gate and drain electrodes disposed over a top surface of the electrically-conductive substrate, and an electrically-conductive shallow trench electrically connecting the source electrode to the grounding metallization layer by way of the electrically-conductive substrate. This configuration results in the effective RF ground being very close to the active area of the FET in order to reduce parasitic source inductance and resistance. This results in potentially higher gain, higher saturation point, higher 3rd-order intercept, more efficient combining of the input RF signal, and more efficient extraction of the output RF signal. Additional benefits include reduced process complexity, such as, reduced need for plated air bridges, via holes formation and plating, front and back lithography alignment.
US08350267B2

A high-speed flat panel display has thin film transistors in a pixel array portion in which a plurality of pixels are arranged and a driving circuit portion for driving the pixels of the pixel array portion, which have different resistance values than each other or have different geometric structures than each other. The flat panel display comprises a pixel array portion where a plurality of pixels are arranged, and a driving circuit portion for driving the pixels of the pixel array portion. The thin film transistors in the pixel array portion and the driving circuit portion have different resistance values in their gate regions or drain regions than each other, or have different geometric structures than each other. One thin film transistor has a zigzag shape in its gate region or drain region or has an offset region.
US08350264B2

An antifuse is provided having a unitary monocrystalline semiconductor body including first and second semiconductor regions each having the same first conductivity type, and a third semiconductor region between the first and second semiconductor regions which has a second conductivity type opposite from the first conductivity type. An anode and a cathode can be electrically connected with the first semiconductor region. A conductive region including a metal, a conductive compound of a metal or an alloy of a metal can contact the first semiconductor region and extend between the cathode and the anode. The antifuse can further include a contact electrically connected with the second semiconductor region. In this way, the antifuse can be configured such that the application of a programming voltage between the anode and the cathode heats the first semiconductor region sufficiently to reach a temperature which drives a dopant outwardly therefrom, causing an edge of the first semiconductor region to move closer to an adjacent edge of the second semiconductor region, thus permanently reducing electrical resistance between the first and second semiconductor regions by one or more orders of magnitude.
US08350258B2

An organic light emitting diode display and a method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. The organic light emitting diode display includes a first substrate, an organic light emitting diode that is positioned on the first substrate and includes a first electrode, an organic layer having at least a light emitting layer, and a second electrode, an organic buffer layer that is positioned on an entire surface of the organic light emitting diode and has a hydroxy group or an amide group, a sealant positioned on an entire surface of the organic buffer layer, and a second substrate positioned on the sealant.
US08350257B2

A white organic light emitting device having a stack structure of blue fluorescence and red/green phosphorescence is disclosed, in which efficiency of the blue fluorescence is improved to increase lifespan of the white organic light emitting device, color quality is improved, and power consumption is reduced.
US08350251B1

An opto-electric structure includes a plurality of nano elements arranged side by side on a support layer, where each nano element includes at least a first conductivity type semiconductor nano sized core, and where the core and a second conductivity type semiconductor form a pn or pin junction. A first electrode layer that extends over the plurality of nano elements and is in electrical contact with at least a portion of the second conductivity type semiconductor, and a mirror provided on a second conductivity type semiconductor side of the structure.
US08350248B2

A memory device of a resistance variation type, in which data retaining characteristic at the time of writing is improved, is provided. The memory device includes: a plurality of memory elements in which a memory layer is provided between a first electrode and a second electrode so that data is written or erased in accordance with a variation in electrical characteristics of the memory layer; and pulse applying means applying a voltage pulse or a current pulse selectively to the plurality of memory elements. The memory layer includes an ion source layer including an ionic-conduction material and at least one kind of metallic element, and the ion source layer further contains oxygen.
US08350247B2

A resistive random access memory (RRAM) having a solid solution layer and a method of manufacturing the RRAM are provided. The RRAM includes a lower electrode, a solid solution layer on the lower electrode, a resistive layer on the solid solution layer, and an upper electrode on the resistive layer. The method of manufacturing the RRAM includes forming a lower electrode, forming a solid solution layer on the lower electrode, forming a resistive layer on the solid layer and forming an upper electrode on the resistive layer, wherein the RRAM is formed of a transition metal solid solution.
US08350244B2

A variable resistance device includes a first electrode including a transition metal nitride film, a second electrode including a precious metal or a precious metal oxide, and a transition metal oxide film interposed between the first and second electrodes.
US08350234B2

Light from a light source is made to be reflected by a light source mirror and to pass through a variable collimator, an irradiation field shape shaped by the variable collimator is projected on a photographing screen by the light passed through the variable collimator, a projection portion of the photographing screen is photographed by a photographic device, and an image photographed by the photographic device is analyzed by an image processor.
US08350226B2

A radiation system employs magnetic field to move particle beams and radiation sources. The radiation system includes a source operable to produce a particle beam, a scanning magnet operable to scan the particle beam, and a target configured to be impinged by at least a portion of the scanned particle beam to produce radiation.
US08350223B2

In one embodiment, a quantum dot based radiation source includes a housing having a wall defining a cavity therein, a plurality of quantum dots disposed on an inner surface of the wall of the housing, and a radiation excitation source in optical communication with the housing and configured to output radiation to excite the plurality of quantum dots to emit radiation in a desired wavelength range. The quantum dot based radiation source can be used in a calibration system or calibrator, for example to calibrate a detector.
US08350214B2

Provided is a multi-beam type charged particle beam applied apparatus in an implementable configuration, capable of achieving both high detection accuracy of secondary charged particles and high speed of processing characteristically different specimens. An aperture array (111) includes plural aperture patterns. A deflector (109) for selecting an aperture pattern through which a primary beam passes is disposed at the position of a charged particle source image created between an electron gun (102), i.e., a charged particle source, and the aperture array (111). At the time of charge-control beam illumination and at the time of signal-detection beam illumination, an aperture pattern of the aperture array (111) is selected, and conditions of a lens array (112), surface electric-field control electrode (118) and the like are switched in synchronization with each beam scanning. Thus, the charges are controlled and the signals are detected at different timings under suitable conditions, respectively.
US08350212B2

A sample analysis system incorporates an ion removal mechanism for removing residual ions from the sample analysis system. The ion removal mechanism can be included in an ion optics assembly, which connects an ion mobility filter to a mass analyzer. A sample to be analyzed by the sample analysis system may be entered into an ion mobility filter. The ion mobility filter filters the ions of the sample and passes the filtered group of ions to the ion optics assembly. The ion optics assembly transports the filtered group of ions to a mass analyzer where some or all of the ions in the group are detected. The ion removal mechanism then removes all or substantially all residual ions from the ion optics that were left over from the first filtered group before a second filtered group is passed through.
US08350195B2

A method and an apparatus for the heating of a solution, such as a dialysis solution, to a desired temperature includes heating the solution presented in a bag. The heating is effected with a heater system, which includes a heater, by means of a two-step control. The temperature forming the lower switch-on threshold of the heater and the temperature forming the upper switch-off threshold of the heater vary.
US08350194B2

A cooking apparatus performing cooking with a cooking container disposed at any desired position on a cooking plate, and a heating device thereof. The cooking apparatus includes a cooking plate to receive a cooking container thereon, and at least one working coil disposed under the cooking plate to heat the cooking container, the at least one working coil including a first portion and a second portion having a different winding structure of a conducting wire which forms the working coil so that a winding density of the conducting wire at one of the first portion and the second portion is relatively higher than the other of the first portion and the second portion.
US08350189B1

A method of making a metal art object using a MIG welder to form small and large end puddles having a primarily gold or blue sheen or a center gold dot formed by using combinations of a strip of selected metal and a wire of a selected metal; selectively tilting a surface to form end puddles having a feathered perimeter; randomly obtaining a hole in the end puddle; and affixing at least one, either randomly or non-randomly selected, end puddle to a user-selected media by welding, gluing, or wiring. The blue sheen is obtained by using a strip of stainless steel and a wire of stainless steel. The gold sheen is formed by using a strip of stainless steel and a wire of steel. The center gold dot primary is formed using the first metal of galvanized steel for the strip and the second metal of steel for the wire.
US08350180B2

An apparatus for coating a work piece includes a process chamber, a coating material supply apparatus located at least partially within the process chamber for delivering a coating material to the work piece, a pre-heater assembly adjoining the process chamber, and a support for holding the work piece. The pre-heater assembly includes a housing that opens to the process chamber, a thermal hood positioned within the housing and configured to reflect thermal energy for reflecting thermal energy toward the work piece. The support is movable to selectively move the work piece between a first position within the housing of the pre-heater assembly and a second position within the process chamber and outside the housing of the pre-heater assembly.
US08350170B2

An electric hand control, especially for electrically adjustable hospital and care beds and comprising a housing (1) constructed as a single trough shaped shell with a bottom and side walls, and wherein a printed circuit (2) with switches is mounted and above the switches there is a plate with tongue like shaped keys, and finally there is a cover foil (6) with indication of the keys and secured to the upper edge of the sides of the shell. As the housing is a single shell for one thing manufacturing of two difficult parts is avoided, for another assembling of these are avoided in the assembling process, and finally an assembling with a risk of leak is avoided. By further equipping the printed circuit and the cable with a plug (12a) the assembly is made easier. In this connection it is expedient that the spout (10) is equipped with an oval through going hole, so that the plug at the end of the cable can be led through the spout.
US08350166B2

A position indicator comprises a case having a housing portion and an opening; a rod with a substantially bar-like body and an end and housed in the housing portion such that the end of the rod protrudes outside the case through the opening; and a sealing member attached to the opening and having an aperture into which the rod is inserted such that a gap between the aperture and the rod is sealed. A position detecting system comprises a position detecting device having a plurality of superimposed coils, a processing unit; and a position indicator. When the indicator approaches the position detecting device, a signal is induced by one of the coils, and the processing unit determines a position of the indicator based on the signal and a coordinate of the coil that induced the signal.
US08350161B2

According to one of the invention, a circuit board comprises a conductive layer. The conductive layer includes a first land portion, a second land portion apart from the first land portion in a plan view, and a line portion connecting the first land portion and the second land portion to each other. The line portion includes lead portions through which a current is to flow and an opening portion arranged between the lead portions. The opening portion penetrates the conductive layer in a thickness direction.
US08350156B2

An improved pipe and utility protector comprising a rectangular piece of material composition featuring a down piece having a V-shaped cross-section along a longitudinal centerline, including an angular transition, to an offset mounting flange protruding slightly outward from the crest of the curved V-shape for attaching the embodiment to framing members. The flanges allow pieces to be attached together, joining framing members horizontally, vertically and at various angles throughout structures.
US08350153B1

The present invention relates to a locking mechanism for joining sections to enable plates to be separated, then reconnected and securely interlocked. A variety of plate configurations may be utilized with the locking mechanism in applications such as cable pass-through, electrical wiring, or any application in which the engagement of structures is desired. The locking mechanism embodying the principles of the present invention includes outwardly extending finger detents adjacent to the cantilever tabs of each plate that slideably engage the bottom surface of an opposing plate section and create resistive forces between the interlocked cantilever tabs. The addition of the finger detents increases the inter-mating strength of the locked plate by providing a resistive moment arm to resist outward forces acting to separate the plate sections. The cantilever tabs further include a locking lip that engages a locking means of an opposing plate section to resist lateral forces acting to separate the plate.
US08350142B2

An automatic player piano is equipped with an electronic supporting system, which makes a player learn an optimum pedal stroke to a half pedal region; while the player is practicing a music tune on the piano, the electronic supporting system monitors the damper pedal; when the player starts to depress the damper pedal, the electronic supporting system exerts an assisting force on the damper pedal so as to make the player feel the damper pedal light; when the damper pedal reaches an entrance of the half pedal region, the electronic supporting system removes the assisting force from the damper pedal so that the player feels the damper pedal heavy, whereby the player learns the pedal stroke to the half pedal region through the change of load borne by the player.
US08350134B1

A novel maize variety designated X18A652 and seed, plants and plant parts thereof, produced by crossing Pioneer Hi-Bred International, Inc. proprietary inbred maize varieties. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprises crossing hybrid maize variety X18A652 with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into X18A652 through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. This invention relates to the maize variety X18A652, the seed, the plant produced from the seed, and variants, mutants, and minor modifications of maize variety X18A652. This invention further relates to methods for producing maize varieties derived from maize variety X18A652.
US08350127B2

A soybean cultivar designated S080136 is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of soybean cultivar S080136, to the plants of soybean S080136, to plant parts of soybean cultivar S080136, and to methods for producing a soybean plant produced by crossing soybean cultivar S080136 with itself or with another soybean variety. The invention also relates to methods for producing a soybean plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic soybean plants and plant parts produced by those methods. This invention also relates to soybean cultivars, or breeding cultivars, and plant parts derived from soybean variety S080136, to methods for producing other soybean cultivars, lines or plant parts derived from soybean cultivar S080136, and to the soybean plants, varieties, and their parts derived from use of those methods. The invention further relates to hybrid soybean seeds, plants, and plant parts produced by crossing the cultivar S080136 with another soybean cultivar.
US08350123B2

The present invention provides transgenic cover crop plants which after harvest degrade the hemicellulose and cellulose therein to fermentable sugars which can further be fermented to ethanol or other products. In particular, the transgenic plants comprise cellulase, hemicellulase and optionally ligninase genes from microbes operably linked to a DNA encoding a signal peptide which targets the fusion polypeptide produced therefrom to an organelle of the plant, in particular, the chloroplasts. When the transgenic plants are harvested, the plants are ground to release the hemicellulase and cellulase which then degrade the hemicellulose and cellulose of the transgenic plants to produce the fermentable sugars.
US08350109B2

A process for dehydrogenation of alkylaromatic hydrocarbon, including: contacting a reactant vapor stream, comprising an alkylaromatic hydrocarbon and steam and having a first steam to alkylaromatic hydrocarbon ratio, with a dehydrogenation catalyst to form a vapor phase effluent comprising a product hydrocarbon, the steam, and unreacted alkylaromatic hydrocarbon; feeding at least a portion of the effluent to a splitter to separate the product hydrocarbon from the unreacted alkylaromatic hydrocarbon; recovered from the splitter as bottoms and overheads fractions, respectively; recovering heat from a first portion of said overheads fraction by indirect heat exchange with a mixture comprising alkylaromatic hydrocarbon and water to at least partially condense said portion and to form an azeotropic vaporization product comprising alkylaromatic vapor and steam having a second steam to alkylaromatic hydrocarbon ratio; and combining the azeotropic vaporization product with additional alkylaromatic hydrocarbon and additional steam, together or separately, to form the reactant vapor stream.
US08350103B2

The present disclosure is directed to processes for the direct conversion of lipidic biomass fuelstock to combustible fuels. In particular, the disclosure provides a process for the direct conversion of animal fats to transportations fuels suitable as replacement for petroleum-derived transportation fuels. In an example, the method comprises the steps of hydrolyzing a lipidic biomass to form free fatty acids, catalytically deoxygenating the free fatty acids to form n-alkanes, and reforming at least a portion of the n-alkanes into a mixture of compounds in the correct chain length, conformations, and ratio to be useful transportation fuels. Particularly, the product prepared comprises mixtures of hydrocarbon compounds selected from the group consisting of n-alkanes, isoalkanes, aromatics, cycloalkanes, and combinations thereof.
US08350086B2

The invention relates to an improved process for preparing cinacalcet hydrochloride. The invention provides an efficient and economic process for preparing cinacalcet hydrochloride which is suitable for industrial implementation i.e., affords cinacalcet hydrochloride with high purity, and uses small volumes of acidifying agent and solvents. The invention also related to a process for preparing a cinacalcet carboxylate salt, including cinacalcet accetate
US08350069B2

The present invention provides a method and apparatus for reacting a natural oil with a short chain alcohol in the presence of alkaline catalyst, in which a mixture of natural oil, short chain alcohol and alkaline catalyst is fed in one direction along a pipe reactor under transitional or turbulent conditions, so that the reactants are mixed in a direction normal to the flow direction to a greater degree than in a direction parallel to the flow direction or so that the reactants are mixed in a direction normal to the flow direction, such that the time taken for 90% of the elements of fluid to pass through the reactor is within 20% of the mean residence time of reactant in the reactor. There is also provided a ship, comprising means for storing a raw material used in the synthesis of biodiesel, a plant for the synthesis of biodiesel and means for storing the biodiesel synthesized.
US08350061B2

Bacterial quorum-sensing molecule analogs having the following structures: and methods of reducing bacterial pathogenicity, comprising providing a biological system comprising pathogenic bacteria which produce natural quorum-sensing molecule; providing a synthetic bacterial quorum-sensing molecule having the above structures and introducing the synthetic quorum-sensing molecule into the biological system comprising pathogenic bacteria. Further is provided a method of targeted delivery of an antibiotic, comprising providing a synthetic quorum-sensing molecule; chemically linking the synthetic quorum-sensing molecule to an antibiotic to produce a quorum-sensing molecule-antibiotic conjugate; and introducing the conjugate into a biological system comprising pathogenic bacteria susceptible to the antibiotic.
US08350053B2

The present invention relates to a process for the regioselective synthesis of 1-alkyl-3-halo-alkylpyrazole-4-carboxylic acid derivatives by cyclization of 2,3-disubstituted acrylic acid derivatives with hydrazines in the presence of carbonyl compounds.
US08350045B2

A process for preparation of E-isomer of 1-(4-methylphenyl)-1-(2-pyridyl)-3-pyrrolidinoprop-1-ene of Formula-I, and acid addition salts thereof, said process comprising; dehydrating 1-(4-methylphenyl)-1-(2-pyridyl)-3-pyrrolidinopropan-1-ol of Formula III followed by adding a base solution to obtain a mixture of E and Z isomers of 1-(4-methylphenyl)-1-(2-pyridyl)-3-pyrrolidinoprop-1-ene, and washing said mixture of E and Z isomers of 1-(4-methylphenyl)-1-(2-pyridyl)-3-pyrrolidinoprop-1-ene with water to dissolve Z isomer and to obtain E-isomer of 1-(4-methylphenyl)-1-(2-pyridyl)-3-pyrrolidinoprop-1-ene of Formula I, which is substantially free from Z isomer.
US08350042B2

Disclosed are compounds and methods of synthesis of Formula I for the development of antiviral drugs for the treatment of HCV infection.
US08350041B2

The invention is directed to delta opioid receptor modulators. More specifically, the invention relates to tricyclic δ-opioid modulators. Pharmaceutical and veterinary compositions and methods of treating mild to severe pain and various diseases using compounds of the invention are also described.
US08350040B2

The present invention relates to a process for isolating (αS,βR)-6-bromo-α-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-2-methoxy-α-1-naphthalenyl-β-phenyl-3-quinolineethanol from a mixture of stereoisomeric forms of 6-bromo-α-[2-(dimethylamino)ethyl]-2-methoxy-α-1-naphthalenyl-β-phenyl-3-quinolineethanol by optical resolution with chiral 4-hydroxydinaphtho[2,1-d:1′,2′-f][1,3,2]dioxaphosphepin 4-oxide or a derivative thereof, in particular (11bR)-4-hydroxydinaphtho[2,1-d:1′,2′-f][1,3,2]dioxaphosphepin 4-oxide, as resolution agent.
US08350037B2

A series of thieno[2,3-b]pyridine derivatives which are substituted in the 2-position by a substituted anilino moiety, being selective inhibitors of human MEK (MAPKK) enzymes, are accordingly of benefit in medicine, for example in the treatment of inflammatory, autoimmune, cardiovascular, proliferative (including oncological) and nociceptive conditions.
US08350016B2

The present invention provides novel synthetic oligonucleotide sequences (hereinafter sequence) of 3 to 9 bases in length comprising one or more non-DNA bases wherein the bases are nebularine, hypoxanthine, or uracil, or combinations of nebularine, hypoxanthine and uracil bases. These sequences optionally further comprise one or more guanine bases or one or more thymine bases, or combinations thereof. The present invention also provides methods of using these compositions to induce responses in cells, and to treat diseases and conditions characterized by undesired cellular proliferation such as autoimmune disease, lymphoproliferative disease, inflammation or cancer.
US08350014B2

A method for making diazo-compounds, diazonium salts thereof and other protected forms of these compounds. Diaz-compounds are prepared by reaction of a tertiary phosphine reagent carrying a reactive carbonyl group with an azide. The reaction can also generate an acyl triazene which can be converted thermally or by addition of base to form the diazo-compound or the acyl triazene can be isolated. The method is particularly useful for conversion of azides carrying one or more electron withdrawing groups to diazo-compounds. The method can be carried out in aqueous medium under mild conditions and is particularly useful for conversion of azido sugars to diazo-compound and diazonium salts thereof under physiological conditions. Tertiary phosphine reagents, particularly those that are water-soluble, and precursors for preparation of the reagents are provided.
US08350009B2

Antibodies and molecules derived therefrom that bind to 161P2F10B protein and variants thereof, are described wherein 161P2F10B exhibits tissue specific expression in normal adult tissue, and is aberrantly expressed in the cancers listed in Table I. Consequently, 161P2F10B provides a diagnostic, prognostic, prophylactic and/or therapeutic target for cancer. The 161P2F10B gene or fragment thereof, or its encoded protein, or variants thereof, or a fragment thereof, can be used to elicit a humoral or cellular immune response; antibodies or T cells reactive with 161P2F10B can be used in active or passive immunization.
US08350005B2

The present invention relates to polypeptide fragments of endolysin Ply511, which recognize and bind listeria irrespective of the serotype but which have no cell wall hydrolysing enzymatic activity. The invention further relates to methods for enrichment, removal, and detection of listeria.
US08350000B2

The present invention discloses a polymer and a copolymer and a method of making the same. The monomer of the polymer of the present invention includes a bi-triphenylamine functional group having a first end and a second end; a fluorene functional group bonded to the first end; and at least two phenyl isopropyl group bonded to the second end.
US08349999B2

The present invention discloses a pyrene-containing norbornene methylene amine which can be synthesized by 5-(amino methyl)bicycle[2.2.1]hept-2-ene (NBMA) and 1-bromopyrene. The pyrene-containing norbornene methylene amine can be used as a monomer for synthesizing a polymer containing pyrene side chain via Ring-Opening Metathesis Polymerization (ROMP). The polymer has good transmittance, optical and thermal properties.
US08349997B2

Disclosed is a method for producing a block copolymer which comprises two or more blocks composed of aromatic units having different basic structures from each other and has a high molecular weight, a narrow chain length distribution and a narrow molecular weight distribution. Also disclosed is a block copolymer produced by the method. The method for producing a block copolymer comprises the step of sequentially reacting two or more aromatic compounds which are selected from aromatic compounds represented by a specific general formula and are different in the group Ar, in the presence of a nickel complex containing a phosphine compound represented by a specific general formula or a palladium complex containing a phosphine compound represented by a specific general formula to thereby form blocks comprising the aromatic compounds sequentially, wherein the two or more aromatic compounds are reacted in descending order of parameter of aromatic ring charge.
US08349990B2

Polymers for extreme ultraviolet and 193 nm photoresists are disclosed. The polymers comprise a photoacid generator (PAG) residue, an acid cleavable residue and a diacid joined by ester linkages. The polymers include a photoacid generating diol, a diacid and an acid table diol.
US08349989B2

A method of sealing a semiconductor element which involves applying an epoxy resin composition including an epoxy resin and a phenolic resin obtained by reacting phenol, a biphenyl compound represented by the general formula (3) and benzaldehyde to a semiconductor element and curing the composition to seal the semiconductor element: wherein X in the formula (3) is a halogen, an OH group or an OCH3 group. The molar ratio of the total of the biphenyl compound and benzaldehyde relative to the phenol is from 0.27 to 0.40, and the molar ratio of benzaldehyde/biphenyl compound is from 5/95 to 40/60.
US08349983B2

The invention relates to a process for the preparation of an aqueous solution comprising 30 to 95% by weight of water and 5 to 70% by weight of a copolymer dissolved in the water by free radical solution polymerizations of an isoprenol polyether derivative with an acrylic acid derivative, so that the copolymer has 20 to 45 mol % of an isoprenol polyether derivative structural unit and 55 to 80 mol % of an acrylic acid derivative structural unit. The aqueous solution is suitable as a superplasticizer for hydraulic binders.
US08349981B2

The invention relates to anionically modified copolymers that can be obtained by the polymerization of monomers (A), (B), (C) and (D) in order to obtain non-ionic copolymers comprising reactive terminal OH groups, and subsequent reaction of the terminal OH groups to form anionic end groups, where A) is a monomer of formula (I) wherein A is C2-C4 alkylene and B is a C2-C4 alkylene different from A, and R is hydrogen or methyl; (B) is a monomer of formula (II) wherein D is C3 alkylene, R is hydrogen or methyl, and o is a number between 2 and 500; (C) is an ethylenically unsaturated monomer containing an aromatic group; and (D) is an ethylenically unsaturated monomer containing an alkyl radical.
US08349977B2

Preparation of high-reactivity isobutene homo- or copolymers with a content of terminal vinylidene double bonds per polyisobutene chain end of at least 50 mol % and a polydispersity of preferably 1.05 to less than 3.5, by polymerizing isobutene or an isobutene-comprising monomer mixture in the presence of an aluminum trihalide-donor complex effective as a polymerization catalyst or of an alkylaluminum halide-donor complex, especially of an aluminum trichloride-donor complex, said complex comprising, as the donor, an organic compound with at least one ether function or a carboxylic ester function.
US08349975B2

Method for transitioning from a first process for producing a first polymer to a second process for producing a second polymer. The first and second processes each include contacting a principal olefin and a comonomer with a catalyst under gas phase polymerization conditions to form the first or second polymer. The first and second processes utilize the same olefin but differ in at least one of the comonomer used and the reaction temperature at which the polymer is produced. The respective first or second polymer is then contacted with a purge gas to remove unreacted monomers. The method includes changing the flow rate of purge gas from a first rate to a second rate defined relative to a flow rate and temperature used for an earlier polymer produced using the same comonomer as the second process.
US08349971B2

The present invention provides a process for preparing a solvent-soluble polyimide copolymer synthesized from a 6,6-imide segment having an imide oligomer with PMDA at both ends produced by adding 4 molar equivalents of pyromellitic dianhydride (PMDA) and 2 molar equivalents of diaminotoluene (DAT) to an imide oligomer produced by heating 1 molar equivalent of biphenyltetracarboxylic dianhydride (BPDA) and 2 molar equivalents of diaminodiphenyl ether (DADE) at 160-200° C. in the presence of a catalyst in an organic polar solvent.
US08349968B2

The present invention relates to a method for radically curing an unsaturated polyester resin or vinyl ester resin composition, wherein the resin composition contains at least 10 ppm radical inhibitor; the resin composition has an acid value of from 0.001 to 300 mg KOH/g resin composition and the curing is effected in the presence of at least 5 mmol Mn/kg primary resin system and at least 10 mmol of thiol/kg primary resin system. The invention also relates to cured objects or structural parts obtained from a resin composition obtained by such a process.
US08349965B2

A fluororubber composition according to the present invention contains 0.1 to 3 parts by weight of a polyol compound, 0.1 to 4 parts by weight of a peroxide crosslinking agent, and 1 to 9 parts by weight of a co-crosslinking agent per 100 parts by weight of a peroxide-crosslinkable fluoropolymer. A crack-resistant seal according to the present invention contains a crosslinked fluoropolymer and a polyol compound. The crack-resistant seal according to the present invention can be formed by crosslinking the fluororubber composition, and the resultant crack-resistant seal has particularly high crack resistance. With the fluororubber composition according to the present invention, a durable crack-resistant seal having high plasma resistance, crack resistance, and compression set and that produces few particles can be formed at low cost.
US08349961B2

A process for the preparation of vinylaromatic (co)polymers grafted on an elastomer comprising a rigid matrix consisting of vinylaromatic polymers or copolymers and of an elastomeric phase dispersed in the matrix in form of particles with a strictly bimodal distribution which comprises the functionalization of a first elastomeric fraction by means of a catalytic system containing a stable free radical initiator and subsequently the polymerization of the thus obtained mixture also in presence of a second non functionalized elastomeric fraction.
US08349959B2

A seal is formed of a material including a crosslinked fluoropolymer. The seal substantially prevents leaks in a high pressure pump.
US08349956B2

The present invention relates to a tire having a tread comprising a rubber composition that comprises at least: as a first diene elastomer, between 5 and 25 phr of a styrene-nitrile-butadiene terpolymer (SNBR) having a nitrile monomer content between 4 and 18% by weight; a second diene elastomer other than SNBR; a reinforcing filler; a liquid plasticizer, the glass transition temperature of which is below −20° C. The invention makes it possible to improve the properties of rolling resistance and of grip on wet ground of tire treads.
US08349954B2

The present invention relates to a method for the polymerization of fluoromonomers using non-fluorinated polycaprolactone, and to the fluoropolymers formed thereby. Specifically, the method of the polymerization uses one or more polycaprolactone, or salts thereof.
US08349953B2

The invention provides a method of obtaining a compatible resin blend from at least two incompatible resins which are not conventionally blended with each other. The blend of an incompatible resins is dissolved at a molecular level by being melted and sheared under a high shearing rate by rotating a screw without adding a compatibilizer or the like.
US08349951B2

Polymers are disclosed that include a structure having the formula wherein, R1 is independently selected from a C2-10 n-alkylene group, a C2-6 branched alkylene group, a C6-8 cycloalkylene group, a C6-10 alkylcycloalkylene group, —[(—CH2—)p—X—]q—(—CH2—)r—, or —[(—CH2—)p—X—]q—(—CH2—)r—, wherein at least one —CH2— unit is substituted with a methyl group, wherein p is an integer having a value ranging from 2 to 6, q is an integer having a value ranging from 1 to 5, r is an integer having a value ranging from 2 to 10, and X is selected from O, S, and —NR—, wherein R is hydrogen or methyl; R2 denotes a structure derived from allyl (meth)acrylate or a multi-functional (meth)acrylate; R3 is independently selected from hydrogen and an alkyl group; n is an integer having a value ranging from 1 to 60; and m is a rational number having a value ranging from 0 to 10. Also disclosed are curable compositions containing such polymers, methods for making such polymers, and methods of coating and/or sealing substrates with such compositions.
US08349945B2

The instant invention is a composite dispersion, method of producing the same, and articles made therefrom. The composite dispersion according to the instant invention comprises (1) a first seed dispersion comprising (a) a first internal phase; and (b) an external phase, and (2) a second internal phase; wherein the composite dispersion comprises more than 60 percent by the combined weight of the first internal phase and the second internal phase, and the composite dispersion has a viscosity of less than 10,000 cP measured by RV4 spindle at 20 rpm at greater than 60 weight percent total internal phase, and wherein the composite dispersion has a bimodal particle size distribution and a particle size ratio (P2/P1) in the range of 2 to 200. The first internal phase comprises a first hydrophobic material selected from the group consisting of alkyd, silicone, polyolefin, polyurethane, epoxy, emulsion polymer, and polyester. The external phase comprises water. The second internal phase comprises a second hydrophobic material selected from the group consisting of alkyd, silicone, polyurethane prepolymer, epoxy, and polyester.
US08349941B2

The invention relates to a specific and novel use of a molding compound having the following constituents: (A) between 30 and 100 wt. % of a polyamide mixture containing (A1) between 50 and 95 wt. % of an aliphatic, partially crystalline homopolyamide or copolyamide or a mixture of such polyamides, and (A2) between 5 and 50 wt. % of a transparent homopolyamide or copolyamide or a mixture of such polyamides; and (B) between 0 and 70 wt. % of filling and reinforcing materials, and optionally auxiliary materials and additives. According to the invention, the molding compound can be used to produce a molded part for drinking water, especially a container or a line, in which, depending on the use, at least some regions of the processed molding compound are essentially directly exposed to the drinking water.
US08349940B2

The invention relates to rubber compositions containing a treated silica, particularly sulfur cured rubber compositions, and articles of manufacture having a component thereof such as, for example tires. The invention particularly relates to synthetic amorphous silica, particularly a precipitated silica, treated with a combination of allylsilane and dialkylsilane.
US08349939B2

The present invention relates to composites, comprising inorganic and/or organic pigments and/or fillers in the form of microparticles, the surface of which is coated at least partially with finely divided nano-calcium carbonate with the help of binders based on copolymers comprising as monomers one or more dicarboxylic acids and one or more monomers from the group of diamines, triamines, dialkanolamines or trialkanolamines, a method for producing such composites, aqueous slurries thereof and their use in papermaking or in the field of paint and plastic production and the use of the inventive binders for coating the microparticles with nano-calcium carbonate.
US08349928B2

A metal particle dispersion structure characteristically comprising (B) 0.005 to 100 weight parts of metal nanoparticles dispersed in (A) 100 weight parts of polymerized polymer, wherein the metal nanoparticles are metal particles obtained by mixing (b1) organohydrogenpolysiloxane and (b2) at least one metal compound which is soluble in component (b3) to uniformity in (b3) cyclic or chain dimethylpolysiloxane or at least one organic solvent.
US08349927B2

The present invention relates to scratch-resistant, impact-resistant polycarbonate (PC) compositions and molding compositions which have good mechanical properties as well as high resistance to chemicals, to a process for their preparation, and to their use in the production of molded articles, in particular of casings for flat screen devices.
US08349924B2

The present invention relates to a group of new plasticizers for thermoplastics such as polypropylene, copolymers of polypropylene, polyethylene, polyethylene terephthalates, polystyrene and/or other polymers or mixtures of polymers containing organic and/or inorganic fillers, where the plasticizer is used for obtaining polyvinyl chloride like aspects and improved processability as well as for obtaining a better flexibility and a lower energy consumption during the processing step.
US08349923B2

The present invention relates to a novel method of flame retarding a polymeric substrate by adding a small but efficient amount of a synergistic mixture of at least one sterically hindered N-alkoxyamine (NOR), at least a metal salt of hypophosphorous (phosphinic) acid and at least one organo-halogen flame retardant. A further aspect of the invention is the flame retardant composition itself and together with a polymer. The present invention also relates to polymeric articles (e.g. moldings, films, fibers, etc.) that are stabilized against light, heat and oxygen and made flame retardant by incorporation of at least one sterically hindered N-alkoxy amine, at least a metal salt of hypophosphorous acid (phosphinic acid) and at least one organo-halogen flame retardant.
US08349919B2

A dry mixture for use with water has been developed to be used as an erosion control spray matrix for reducing erosion of sandy soils while awaiting development of a root system of plants to hold the soil in place. The dry erosion control mixture includes alpha-calcined calcium sulfate hemihydrate, a non-gypsum binder polymer; biodegradable fibers; and wood fiber mulch. An erosion control slurry is applied to an area of soil in need of erosion-control. After obtaining the dry erosion control mixture, it is mixed with water to form erosion control slurry. The ratio of the composition to the water is preferably from about 1:8 to about 1:12. Seed is distributed over the soil and the erosion control slurry is applied over the distributed seed.
US08349918B2

An organic siloxane composite material containing polyaniline/carbon black and a preparation method thereof are disclosed. The organic siloxane composite material containing polyaniline/carbon black consists of a plurality of polyaniline/carbon black composites distributed in organic siloxane precursor while the organic siloxane composite material containing polyaniline/carbon black includes from 10 to 30 weight percent of polyaniline/carbon black composites. The preparation method of organic siloxane composite material containing polyaniline/carbon black includes the steps of: distributing a plurality of polyaniline/carbon black composites in organic siloxane precursor to produce a first solution; and adding a cross-linking agent into the first solution, after reaction with each other, an organic siloxane composite material containing polyaniline/carbon black is produced.
US08349914B2

A method of biodegrading polymeric products is disclosed, which provides for addition of brewer's yeast or yeast mother or a mix of the two in the polymers or compounds that form said polymeric products.
US08349909B2

Polymeric foam and polymeric foam products that contain a foamable polymer material, at least one blowing agent, an infrared attenuating agent, and a polystyrene/polyethylene oxide copolymer are provided. In exemplary embodiments, the blowing agent contains an HFC. The maleic anhydride-styrene copolymer grafted with polyethylene oxide increases the cell size of the polymer foam and offsets or even negates the decreased cell size caused by an HFC blowing agent and/or infrared attenuating agents. In addition, the copolymer of maleic anhydride-styrene grafted with polyethylene oxide has a positive affect on the processability of the blowing agent(s) in the composition by both widening the process window and enhancing the solubility of the blowing agent in the polymer melt. Thus, the polystyrene/polyethylene oxide copolymer present in the inventive composition acts as a cell enlarger, a plasticizer, and a processing aid. A method of forming an extruded foam product is also provided.
US08349903B2

The present invention discloses a dispersant for carbon nanotubes having excellent dispersion ability and to a carbon nanotube composition including the dispersant. In the dispersant, the heads and tails of the dispersant are regioregularly arranged in one direction, and the structural properties of the dispersant are controlled such that the ratio of heads to tails is 1 or more, thereby effectively stabilizing and dispersing carbon nanotubes in various dispersion media, such as an organic solvent, water, a mixture thereof and the like, compared to conventional dispersants.
US08349898B2

The invention provides compounds of formula I and compositions thereof. The invention further provides methods of using the compounds and compositions. The compounds of the invention can provide high affinity binding to sigma-1 receptors in a mammal. The compounds can exhibit selectivity for the sigma-1 receptor over the sigma-2 receptor. The compounds and compositions of the invention can also be used to treat conditions that involve the sigma-1 receptor, such as addiction, cardiovascular conditions, and cancer, for example, cancer of the breast, lung, prostate, ovarian, colorectal, or the CNS.
US08349896B2

Aspirin triggered lipid mediators (ATLMs) are disclosed which are useful for the treatment of prevention of inflammation associated with diseases, including ischemia.
US08349890B2

The present invention refers to 5,7-dioxatetracyclo[9.2.1.01.9,04.8]tetradecane derivatives of formula I wherein R1-R3 have the same meaning as given in the description. The invention furthermore refers to their preparation and to perfume compositions and fragrance applications comprising them.
US08349889B2

The present invention relates to a topical skin-care preparation in the form of an ointment containing mupirocin and betamethasone dipropionate as active principles and a carrier formulated with all or some of the following components: hydrogenated castor oil, polyethylene glycols and preservatives. The inventive preparation is advantageous over prior art compositions in that it has a specific therapeutic effect on primary and secondary skin infections, such as relief of pruritic inflammatory manifestations of dermatosis, a wide range of activity against the majority of bacterial species involved in skin infections, and a high level of activity against Staphylococcus and Streptococcus, including multi-resistant strains. In addition, the therapeutic effect of the preparation is not affected by the size of the inoculum and the preparation has no sensitization potential, thereby providing the product with an excellent safety profile for use by the patient. Moreover, the preparation can counteract the possible secondary effects of one of the components with the effect of another.
US08349887B2

The present invention provides novel conformationally-defined macrocyclic compounds that have been demonstrated to be selective modulators of the ghrelin receptor (growth hormone secretagogue receptor, GHS-R1a and subtypes, isoforms and variants thereof). Methods of synthesizing the novel compounds are also described herein. These compounds are useful as agonists of the ghrelin receptor and as medicaments for treatment and prevention of a range of medical conditions including, but not limited to, metabolic and/or endocrine disorders, gastrointestinal disorders, cardiovascular disorders, obesity and obesity-associated disorders, central nervous system disorders, genetic disorders, hyperproliferative disorders and inflammatory disorders.
US08349885B2

The present invention relates to a composition for preserving cells, tissues and organs, comprising as an active ingredient indole and indazole compounds of formula (1), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or isomer thereof, which are effective for preventing injury of organs, isolated cell systems or tissues caused by cold storage, transplant operation or post-transplantation reperfusion; a preservation method; and a preparation method of the composition.
US08349882B2

A pharmaceutical composition for external use, including: i) luliconazole represented by the following structural formula (1) and/or a salt thereof; and ii) one or two or more selected from N-methyl-2-pyrrolidone, propylene carbonate, and crotamiton.
US08349881B2

Methods for preserving technical products such as fuels and lubricants with a microbicidal composition. The composition is made up of at least one formaldehyde donor compound and at least one antioxidant. The antioxidant is either a gallic ester, a phenol derivative, a L-ascorbic acid, including salts and derivatives thereof, a tocopherol or one of its associated derivatives.
US08349880B2

The present disclosure provides a series of compounds of the formula (I) which reduce β-amyloid peptide (β-AP) production and are useful in the treatment of Alzheimer's Disease and other conditions affected by β-amyloid peptide (β-AP) production.
US08349878B2

The invention relates to the use of compounds having pharmacological activity towards the sigma receptor, and more particularly to 1,2,4-triazole derivatives of formula I to processes of preparation of such compounds and to pharmaceutical compositions comprising them.
US08349876B2

Disclosed are compounds of the formula I: wherein R1, R2, V, W, X, Y and Z can be as defined herein. The compounds can be used in the treatment of disorders mediated by the cannabinoid receptors.
US08349875B2

The invention is directed to compounds having the formula: wherein: Ar, r, Y, Z, Q, W, X, and R5-7 are as defined in the specification, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. These compounds have AT1 receptor antagonist activity and neprilysin inhibition activity. The invention is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds; methods of using such compounds; and process and intermediates for preparing such compounds.
US08349866B2

The invention provides compositions of novel high penetration compositions (HPC) or high penetration prodrugs (HPP) of 1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-amines and 1H-imidazo[4,5-c]quinolin-4-amine-related compounds, which are capable of crossing biological barriers with high penetration efficiency. The HPPs are capable of being converted to parent active drugs or drug metabolites after crossing the biological barrier and thus can render treatments for the conditions that the parent drugs or metabolites can. Additionally, the HPPs are capable of reaching areas that parent drugs may not be able to access or to render a sufficient concentration at the target areas and therefore render novel treatments. The HPPs can be administered to a subject through various administration routes, e.g., locally delivered to an action site of a condition with a high concentration or systematically administered to a biological subject and enter the general circulation with a faster rate.
US08349862B2

The present invention provides novel compounds represented by the general formula (I): their stereoisomers, pharmaceutically acceptable salts and their pharmaceutically acceptable solvates thereof, which are useful in treating metabolic disorders related to insulin resistance or hyperglycemia. The invention also relates to a process for the manufacture of compounds of formula (I) and pharmaceutical compositions containing them.
US08349860B2

The present invention is directed to compounds of formula I-V and tautomers thereof or pharmaceutically acceptable salts, esters, and prodrugs thereof which are inhibitors of syk kinase. The present invention is also directed to intermediates used in making such compounds, the preparation of such a compound, pharmaceutical compositions containing such a compound, methods of inhibition syk kinase activity, methods of inhibition the platelet aggregation, and methods to prevent or treat a number of conditions mediated at least in part by syk kinase activity, such as undesired thrombosis and Non Hodgkin's Lymphoma.
US08349859B2

A compound of the following formula: wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, T, U, V, X, Y, Z, G, and Z are defined herein. It also discloses a method of treating an angiogenesis-related disorder, e.g., cancer or age-related macular degeneration, with such a compound.
US08349856B2

The present invention relates to quinazoline containing zinc-binding moiety based derivatives of formula I that have enhanced and unexpected properties as inhibitors of epidermal growth factor receptor tyrosine kinase (EGFR-TK) and their use in the treatment of EGFR-TK related diseases and disorders such as cancer.
US08349854B2

The present invention relates to salt forms of N-{4-[3-chloro-4-(3-fluoro-benzyloxy)phenylamino]-quinazolin-6-yl}-acrylamide as exemplified by formula (I), methods of preparation thereof, pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same and their use thereof. The salt forms of the present invention, which possess excellent tumor inhibitory activity, good bioavailability and low toxicity in an animal body, are suitable for use of preparation of anti-tumor medicaments.
US08349848B2

The present invention provides compounds of the following formula and pharmaceutical compositions that are selective antagonists of A2B adenosine receptors (ARs). These compounds and compositions are useful as pharmaceutical agents.
US08349830B2

The present invention is directed to aryl aminopyridine compounds which are useful as therapeutic agents for the treatment of central nervous system disorders associated with phosphodiesterase 10 (PDE10). The present invention also relates to the use of such compounds for treating neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia, psychosis or Huntington's disease, and those associated with striatal hypofunction or basal ganglia dysfunction.
US08349829B2

The invention relates to antibacterial compounds of formula I wherein R1 represents alkoxy or halogen; U, V and W each represent CH, or one of U, V and W represents N and the others each represent CH; A represents CH2 or O; G is CH═CH-E wherein E represents a phenyl group mono- or di-substituted with halogen, or G is a group of one of the formulae hereafter wherein Z represent CH or N, Q represents O or S and K represents O or S; and salts of such compounds.
US08349822B2

This invention relates to compositions and methods utilizing a chemotherapeutic drug and 6-bromoindirubin3′-oxime (BIO) for the treatment of cancer, including glioblastoma multiforme. The present invention demonstrates that BIO works synergistically with chemotherapeutic drugs to increase the cytotoxic effects of these drugs in glioma cells.
US08349821B2

A stanol composition containing in addition to sitostanol as the main component, also a substantial amount of at least 10% campestanol has been found to effectively lower serum cholesterol levels when incorporated in edible commodities. Upon esterification the composition is especially useful in edible fats and oils and in fat-containing foods.
US08349819B2

A process in which urine is optionally filtered to remove solid extraneous matter and optionally treated so as to reduce the phenolic content of the urine to give and the resulting fluid is then subjected to a solid extraction of the major concentration steroids content therefrom by a first suitable resin (to yield a first resin laden with major concentration steroids and a minor concentration steroid laden first liquid remainder). The minor concentration steroid liquid remainder is subjected to a solid extraction of the minor concentration steroid content therefrom by a second suitable resin (to yield a second resin laden with minor concentration steroids and a second liquid remainder). The first and second resins laden with their respective steroids are then eluted and the eluates are collected separately and optionally subjected to further purification and chromatographic separations, with each resulting separate collection being analyzed for the steroid content thereof. The separate analyzed materials are dried and stored for recombination in an appropriate manner to meet a desired profile. The ultimate product has very nearly the same steroid components and concentrations from batch to batch.
US08349809B2

The invention provides compositions and methods for reducing expression of a target gene in a cell, involving contacting a cell with an isolated double stranded nucleic acid (dsNA) in an amount effective to reduce expression of a target gene in a cell. The dsNAs of the invention possess a single stranded extension (in most embodiments, the single stranded extension comprises at least one modified nucleotide and/or phosphate back bone modification). Such single stranded extended Dicer-substrate siRNAs (DsiRNAs) were demonstrated to be effective RNA inhibitory agents compared to corresponding double stranded DsiRNAs.
US08349804B2

The present invention relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising a bone graft material, a scaffold for tissue engineering applications and type I collagen Binding Peptides which have bone calcification-promoting peptides immobilized on the surface, and more particularly, to a bone graft material and a scaffold for tissue engineering applications (hereinafter, referred to as scaffold), which have peptides specifically binding with type I collagen immobilized on the surface, and pharmaceutical composition for recovering tissue regeneration containing type I collagen binding-inducing peptide. In the inventive bone graft material and scaffold for tissue engineering applications, the cells related to regeneration by collagen binding-inducing peptide adhered to the surface, promote an adhesion of type I collagen binding-inducing peptide (main ingredients of extracellular matrix) to increase differentiation rate into bone tissues, and promote a calcification which is last step of bone regeneration to maximize a tissue regeneration finally.
US08349803B2

The present invention concerns the use, in a cosmetic composition, of an effective quantity of active principle originating from flax (genus Linum) to activate cytochrome c and to stimulate the functions of the mitochondria. The active principle originates from the hydrolysis of flax proteins and contains principally polypeptides or peptides. It can be used alone or in association with at least one other active principle. The invention further relates to a method of cosmetic treatment intended to protect the skin and the appendages from external aggressions and to combat against cutaneous ageing.
US08349795B2

Resorbable lactide polymer thin membranes are disclosed. The thin membranes are constructed of polylactide resorbable polymers, which are engineered to be absorbed into the body relatively slowly over time in order to reduce potential negative side effects. The membranes are formed to have very thin thicknesses, for example, thicknesses between about 0.010 mm and about 0.30 mm. The membranes can be extruded from polylactide polymers having a relatively high viscosity property, can be preshaped with relatively thick portions, and can be stored in sterile packages.
US08349793B2

The present disclosure provides a method, composition and kit for treatment of inflammatory disease and disorder using PKC isoform modulators. Exemplary modulators include inhibitors of PKC-alpha, PKC-epsilon and PKC-eta, as well as activators of PKC-delta.
US08349787B2

The present invention relates to personal care compositions, especially those personal care compositions in the form of a personal care article that is a porous dissolvable solid substrate. The porous dissolvable solid substrate has a surface resident coating comprising the cationic surfactant conditioner active that can provide a conditioning benefit.
US08349781B2

Fluid reservoirs which are based on polymer substrates and are capable of storing large amounts of fluids. The storage is reliable and the reemergence from the liquid reservoir is readily controllable, for example, via the temperature or via mechanical actions, to achieve retardation of the fluid release. Also, processes for producing such fluid reservoirs and also their use, for example in washing or cleaning compositions.
US08349779B2

The invention relates to graft copolymers produced by radically polymerizing polymerisable monomers and, in addition comprising long-chain ethylenically unsaturated compounds which contain alkyl substitutes, in particular acrylates or methacrylates and monomers with hydrogen bridge donator functions. According to said invention, said hydrogen bridge donator monomer is introduced into a polymer backbone and into graft side branches. The inventive polymers are particularly usable for lubricating oil formulations.
US08349771B2

Using a complex emulsion for treating a subterranean formation, such as to dissolve minerals therein (e.g. carbonates, scales, and/or filter cake) to improve permeability, substantially improves post treatment fluid clean-up for improved hydrocarbon production. The complex emulsion is made by mixing an acid aqueous phase with an oil external microemulsion to give an initial product, where the acid aqueous phase is an external phase and the microemulsion is an internal phase. Then the initial product is mixed with a second oil (e.g. xylene, diesel, toluene, kerosene, other aromatics, refined hydrocarbons and the like) containing an emulsifier to make a complex emulsion.
US08349741B2

Embodiments described herein relate to materials and processes for patterning and etching features in a semiconductor substrate. In one embodiment, a method of forming a composite amorphous carbon layer is provided. The method comprises positioning a substrate in a process chamber, introducing a hydrocarbon source gas into the process chamber, introducing a diluent source gas into the process chamber, introducing a plasma-initiating gas into the process chamber, generating a plasma in the process chamber, forming an amorphous carbon initiation layer on the substrate, wherein the hydrocarbon source gas has a volumetric flow rate to diluent source gas flow rate ratio of 1:12 or less, and forming a bulk amorphous carbon layer on the amorphous carbon initiation layer, wherein a hydrocarbon source gas used to form the bulk amorphous carbon layer has a volumetric flow rate to a diluent source gas flow rate of 1:6 or greater.
US08349740B2

In sophisticated semiconductor devices, stress-inducing materials may be provided above the basic transistor devices without any etch control or etch stop materials, thereby enabling an efficient de-escalation of the surface topography, in particular above field regions including closely spaced polysilicon lines. Furthermore, an additional stress-inducing material may be provided on the basis of the superior surface topography, thereby providing a highly efficient strain-inducing mechanism in performance-driven transistor elements.
US08349737B2

A method of forming a pattern includes forming a photoresist pattern on a substrate, forming a first material layer on substantially an entire surface of the substrate including the photoresist pattern, heat-treating the substrate including the first material layer and the photoresist pattern, and forming the pattern by removing the photoresist pattern and the portion of the first material layer on the photoresist pattern. A method of manufacturing an array substrate includes forming a pixel region bounded by gate and data lines, and a thin film transistor; an insulating layer is selectively removed to form a passivation layer using a photoresist pattern as an etching mask; a transparent conductive layer is formed on substantially the entire substrate, and the substrate is heat treated. The photoresist pattern and the portion of the transparent conductive layer on the photoresist pattern are removed by a stripping material.
US08349733B2

A manufacturing method of a substrate with through electrodes, comprising a substrate having through holes, and through electrodes received in the through holes, includes a through electrode formation step of forming the through electrodes on a support plate, a substrate formation step of forming the substrate, a through electrode reception step of stacking the substrate on the support plate 45 and receiving the through electrodes in the through holes, a resin filling step of filling gaps between side surfaces of the through electrodes and inner walls of the through holes of the substrate 11 with a resin, and a support plate removal step of removing the support plate after the resin filling step.
US08349725B2

The present invention is a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device comprising: forming a recess in an interlayer insulating film formed on a substrate surface, the recess being configured to be embedded with an upper conductive channel mainly made of copper to be electrically connected to a lower conductive channel; supplying a gas containing an organic compound of manganese, and forming a barrier layer made of a compound of manganese for preventing diffusion of copper to the interlayer insulating film, such that the barrier layer covers an exposed surface of the interlayer insulating film; after the formation of the barrier layer, supplying organic acid to the barrier layer in order to increase a ratio of manganese in the compound of manganese forming the barrier layer; after the supply of the organic acid, forming a seed layer mainly made of copper on a surface of the barrier layer; after the formation of the seed-layer, heating the substrate in order to separate out manganese from on the surface of the barrier layer or from in the barrier layer onto a surface of the seed layer; supplying a cleaning liquid to the seed layer in order to remove the manganese separated out on the surface of the seed layer by the heating; and after the supply of the cleaning liquid, forming the upper conductive channel mainly made of copper in the recess.
US08349722B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of: preparing an underlying structure having a silicon carbide layer covering a copper wiring, and growing silicon oxycarbide on the underlying structure by vapor deposition using, as source gas, tetramethylcyclotetrasiloxane, carbon dioxide gas and oxygen gas, a flow rate of said oxygen gas being at most 3% of a flow rate of the carbon dioxide gas. The surface of the silicon carbide layer of the underlying structure may be treated with a plasma of weak oxidizing gas which contains oxygen and has a molecular weight larger than that of O2 to bring the surface more hydrophilic. Film peel-off and cracks in the interlayer insulating layer decrease.
US08349715B2

A method of fabricating templated semiconductor nanowires on a surface of a semiconductor substrate for use in semiconductor device applications is provided. The method includes controlling the spatial placement of the semiconductor nanowires by using an oxygen reactive seed material. The present invention also provides semiconductor structures including semiconductor nanowires. In yet another embodiment, patterning of a compound semiconductor substrate or other like substrate which is capable of forming a compound semiconductor alloy with an oxygen reactive element during a subsequent annealing step is provided. This embodiment provides a patterned substrate that can be used in various applications including, for example, in semiconductor device manufacturing, optoelectronic device manufacturing and solar cell device manufacturing.
US08349713B2

A system and method for enhancing the conversion efficiency of thin film photovoltaics. The thin film structure includes a photovoltaic absorbent layer covered by a confinement layer. A laser beam passes through the confinement layer and hits the photovoltaic absorbent layer. The laser can be pulsed to create localized rapid heating and cooling of the photovoltaic absorbent layer. The confinement layer confines the laser induced plasma plume creating a localized high-pressure condition for the photovoltaic absorbent layer. The laser beam can be scanned across specific regions of the thin film structure. The laser beam can be pulsed as a series of short pulses. The photovoltaic absorbent layer can be made of various materials including copper indium diselenide, gallium arsenide, and cadmium telluride. The photovoltaic absorbent layer can be sandwiched between a substrate and the confinement layer, and a molybdenum layer can be between the substrate and the photovoltaic absorbent layer.
US08349707B2

A process for producing electrical contact connections for a component integrated in a substrate material is provided, the substrate material having a first surface region, and at least one terminal contact being arranged at least partially in the first surface region for each component, which is distinguished in particular by application of a covering to the first surface region and production of at least one contact passage which, in the substrate material, runs transversely with respect to the first surface region, in which process, in order to form at least one contact location in a second surface region which is to be provided, at least one electrical contact connection from the contact location to at least one of the terminal contacts is produced via the respective contact passages.
US08349705B2

To provide a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device in which the space between semiconductor films transferred at plural locations is narrowed. A first bonding substrate having first projections is attached to a base substrate. Then, the first bonding substrate is separated at the first projections so that first semiconductor films are formed over the base substrate. Next, a second bonding substrate having second projections is attached to the base substrate so that the second projections are placed in regions different from regions where the first semiconductor films are formed. Subsequently, the second bonding substrate is separated at the second projections so that second semiconductor films are formed over the base substrate. In the second bonding substrate, the width of each second projection in a direction (a depth direction) perpendicular to the second bonding substrate is larger than the film thickness of each first semiconductor film formed first.
US08349701B2

The invention pertains to a combination of a substrate (6) and a wafer (15), wherein the substrate (6) and the wafer (15) are arranged parallel to one another and bonded together with the aid of an adhesive layer (8) situated between the substrate (6) and the wafer (15), and wherein the adhesive is chosen such that its adhesive properties are neutralized or at least diminished when a predetermined temperature is exceeded. According to the invention, the adhesive layer (8) is only applied annularly between the substrate (6) and the wafer (15) in the edge region of the wafer (15).
US08349698B2

An integrated semiconductor device and method of manufacturing the same includes leaving one part of a semiconductor layer so that an inclined surface is formed on a trench when forming the trench on a SOI wafer. A thick silicon oxide film (second insulation film) is formed along this incline surface. This thick silicon oxide film prevents oxygen entering a boundary surface between an insulation layer and the semiconductor layer of the SOI wafer within the trench.
US08349696B1

A bilayer second electrode for a MIM DRAM capacitor is formed wherein the layer of the electrode that is in contact with the dielectric layer (i.e. bottom layer) has a composition that is resistant to oxidation during subsequent anneal steps and have rutile templating capability. Examples include SnO2 and RuO2. The capacitor stack including the bottom layer is subjected to a PMA treatment to reduce the oxygen vacancies in the dielectric layer and reduce the interface states at the dielectric/second electrode interface. The other component of the bilayer (i.e. top layer) is a high work function, high conductivity metal or conductive metal compound.
US08349689B2

A non-volatile memory device includes a pair of columnar cell channels vertically extending from a substrate, a doped pipe channel arranged to couple lower ends of the pair of columnar cell channels, insulation layers over the substrate in which the doped pipe channel is buried, memory layers arranged to surround side surfaces of the columnar cell channels, and control gate electrodes arranged to surround the memory layers.
US08349688B2

A nonvolatile semiconductor memory transistor includes an island-shaped semiconductor having a source region, a channel region, and a drain region formed in this order from the Si substrate side, a floating gate surrounding the outer periphery of the channel region with a tunnel insulating film interposed therebetween, a control gate surrounding the outer periphery of the floating gate with an inter-polysilicon insulating film interposed therebetween, and a control gate line connected to the control gate and extending in a predetermined direction. The floating gate extends to regions below and above the control gate and to a region below the control gate line. The inter-polysilicon insulating film is interposed between the floating gate and the upper surface, lower surface, and inner side surface of the control gate and between the control gate line and a portion of the floating gate that extends to the region below the control gate line.
US08349684B2

A semiconductor device including a control terminal sidewall spacer structure made of a high-K dielectric material. The semiconductor device includes a control terminal where the spacer structure is a sidewall spacer structure for the control terminal. The semiconductor device includes current terminal regions located in a substrate. In some examples, the spacer structure has a height that is less than the height of the control terminal. In some examples, the spacer structure includes portions located over the regions of the substrate between the first current terminal region and the second current terminal region.
US08349683B2

The present invention relates to a method for producing a capacitor comprising, as one electrode, an electric conductor having formed on the surface thereof a dielectric layer and, as the other electrode, a semiconductor layer formed on the electric conductor by energization using the electric conductor as the anode, wherein fine protrusions are formed on the dielectric layer before energization; a capacitor produced by the method thereof having a good capacitance appearance factor and a low ESR; and an electronic circuit and an electronic device using the capacitor.
US08349681B2

Monolithic, three dimensional NAND strings include a semiconductor channel, at least one end portion of the semiconductor channel extending substantially perpendicular to a major surface of a substrate, a plurality of control gate electrodes having a strip shape extending substantially parallel to the major surface of the substrate, the blocking dielectric comprising a plurality of blocking dielectric segments, a plurality of discrete charge storage segments, and a tunnel dielectric located between each one of the plurality of the discrete charge storage segments and the semiconductor channel.
US08349680B2

The present disclosure provides a method of fabricating a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a semiconductor substrate having a first active region and a second active region, forming a high-k dielectric layer over the semiconductor substrate, forming a capping layer over the high-k dielectric layer, forming a first metal layer over the capping layer, the first metal layer having a first work function, forming a mask layer over the first metal layer in the first active region, removing the first metal layer and at least a portion of the capping layer in the second active region using the mask layer, and forming a second metal layer over the partially removed capping layer in the second active region, the second metal layer having a second work function.
US08349675B2

A method for forming a gate electrode includes: providing a substrate; forming a gate dielectric layer and forming a sacrificial layer, the sacrificial layer including doping ions, a density of the doping ions in the sacrificial layer decreasing with increasing distance from the substrate; forming a hard mask layer; patterning the sacrificial layer and the hard mask layer; removing part of the patterned sacrificial layer by wet etching with the patterned hard mask layer as a mask, to form a dummy gate electrode which has a top width bigger than a bottom width, and removing the patterned hard mask layer; removing the dummy gate electrode and filling a gate trench with gate material to form a gate electrode which has a top width bigger than a bottom width, which facilitates the filling of the gate material and can avoid or reduce cavity forming in the gate material.
US08349674B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method of forming a semiconductor structure. The method includes creating an opening inside a dielectric layer, the dielectric layer being formed on top of a substrate and the opening exposing a channel region of a transistor in the substrate; depositing a work-function layer lining the opening and covering the channel region; forming a gate conductor covering a first portion of the work-function layer, the first portion of the work-function layer being on top of the channel region; and removing a second portion of the work-function layer, the second portion of the work-function layer surrounding the first portion of the work-function layer, wherein the removal of the second portion of the work-function layer insulates the first portion of the work-function layer from rest of the work-function layer.
US08349670B2

A memory cell has N≧6 transistors, in which two are access transistors, at least one pair [say (N−2)/2] are pull-up transistors, and at least another pair [say (N−2)/2] are pull-down transistors. The pull-up and pull-down transistors are all coupled between the two access transistors. Each of the access transistors and the pull-up transistors are the same type, p-type or n-type. Each of the pull-down transistors is the other type, p-type or n-type. The access transistors are floating body devices. The pull-down transistors are non-floating body devices. The pull-up transistors may be floating or non-floating body devices. Various specific implementations and methods of making the memory cell are also detailed.
US08349668B2

Different approaches for FinFET performance enhancement based on surface/channel direction and type of strained capping layer are provided. In one relatively simple and inexpensive approach providing a performance boost, a single surface/channel direction orientation and a single strained capping layer can be used for both n-channel FinFETs (nFinFETs) and p-channel FinFETs (pFinFETs). In another approach including more process steps (thereby increasing manufacturing cost) but providing a significantly higher performance boost, different surface/channel direction orientations and different strained capping layers can be used for nFinFETs and pFinFETs.
US08349647B2

A TFT includes a zinc oxide (ZnO)-based channel layer having a plurality of semiconductor layers. An uppermost of the plurality of semiconductor layers has a Zn concentration less than that of a lower semiconductor layer to suppress an oxygen vacancy due to plasma. The uppermost semiconductor layer of the channel layer also has a tin (Sn) oxide, a chloride, a fluoride, or the like, which has a relatively stable bonding energy against plasma. The uppermost semiconductor layer is relatively strong against plasma shock and less decomposed when being exposed to plasma, thereby suppressing an increase in carrier concentration.
US08349633B1

A denticulated Group III nitride structure that is useful for growing AlxGa1-xN to greater thicknesses without cracking and with a greatly reduced threading dislocation (TD) density.
US08349630B1

The present invention provides methods for manufacturing a thin film transistor (TFT) array substrate and a display panel. The method for manufacturing the TFT array substrate comprises the following steps: forming a plurality of gate electrodes, a gate insulating layer, a semiconductor layer, an ohmic contact layer, an electrode layer and a photo-resist layer on a transparent substrate in sequence; using a multi tone mask to pattern the photo-resist layer; forming a plurality of source electrodes and a plurality of drain electrodes at both sides of the channels, respectively; heating the photo-resist layer; etching the semiconductor layer; removing the photo-resist layer; forming a passivation layer on the channels, the source electrodes and the drain electrodes; and forming a pixel electrode layer on the passivation layer. The present invention can reduce an amount of the required masks in the fabrication process, and only one wet etching is required to etch the metal material on the TFT array substrate.
US08349625B2

In one embodiment, a method of sensing a high voltage element includes forming a sense element overlying a semiconductor substrate and configuring the sense element to receive a high voltage having a value that is greater than approximately five volts and responsively form a sense signal having a value that is representative of the value of the high voltage and varies in a continuous manner over an operating range of the high voltage.In one embodiment, the sense signal may be used for one of detecting a line under-voltage condition, detecting a line over-voltage condition, determining input power, limiting input power, power limiting, controlling standby operation, a line feed-forward function for current mode ramp compensation, regulating an output voltage, or detecting an energy transfer state of an energy storage element.
US08349616B2

A method for assaying a sample for each of multiple analysis is described. The method includes contacting an array of spaced-apart test zones with a liquid sample (e.g., whole blood). The test zones are disposed within a channel of a microfluidic device. The channel is defined by at least one flexible wall and a second wall which may or may not be flexible. Each test zone includes a probe compound specific for a respective target analyte. The microfluidic device is compressed to reduce the thickness of the channel, which is the distance between the inner surfaces of the walls within the channel. The presence of each analyte is determined by optically detecting an interaction at each of multiple zones for which the distance between the inner surfaces at the corresponding location is reduced. The interaction at each test zone is indicative of the presence in the sample of a target analyte.
US08349614B2

Alkalinity determination, including an alkalinity determination process and/or alkalinity determinator. An alkalinity determination process may include providing a known value of volume of an acidic fluid, forming a titration system by providing one or more additions of a known value of volume of a relatively alkaline fluid to an acidic fluid, determining a pH value and/or a temperature value for one or more additions and/or determining an alkalinity value of a system by calculating a transformation including one or more determined pH values and/or temperature values of one or more additions. An alkalinity determination process may include modeling, such that an informed determination may be made with reference to relevant and/or irrelevant factors, as well as parameters to maximize likelihood of alkalinity determination. In embodiments, an alkalinity determinator may include one or more titration cells, one or more sensors and/or one or more alkalinity value determinators.
US08349613B2

Methods for determining the amount of vitamin D compounds in a sample are provided. The methods can employ LC-MS/MS techniques and optionally the use of deuterated internal standards. Methods for diagnosing vitamin D deficiencies are also provided.
US08349611B2

Resonant sensors, preferably having floating bilayer symmetry, and their methods of use is determining the presence, amount or binding kinetics of an analyte of interest in a test sample are disclosed. The test sample may be a liquid or gas.
US08349608B2

Disclosed is a method for producing a tooth, which comprises the steps of: positioning a first cell mass substantially comprising either one of amniotic mesenchymal cells or epithelial cells, and a second cell mass substantially comprising the other one in the inside of a support carrier while keeping them in close contact with each other without being mixed together; and culturing the first and second cell masses in the inside of the support carrier.
US08349604B2

The present invention pertains to a nano-based sensing device (a sensor) comprising a nano-scale working electrode that can be used for the ultra-sensitive detection of blood analytes, disease biomarkers, and other target molecules. The present invention also pertains to a method for detecting target molecules using the sensor as the sensor element of a microfluidic device.
US08349600B2

Polypeptides having nucleic acid binding activity are provided. Methods of stabilizing a nucleic acid duplex are provided. Methods of promoting the annealing of complementary nucleic acid strands are provided. Methods of increasing the processivity of a DNA polymerase are provided. Methods of enhancing the activity of a nucleic acid modification enzyme are provided. Fusion proteins are provided. Methods of using fusion proteins are provided. Kits are provided.
US08349598B2

A method of optoperforation of the membrane of a cell by application of laser pulses characterized by focusing the pulsed laser beam onto the cell membrane to be perforated, applying a series of laser pulses of predetermined pulse energy, measuring the oscillation time of the bubbles formed in the laser focus from the change in laser intensity of a test laser beam transmitted through the laser focus and caused by the bubbles in the laser focus, and increasing the pulse energy to a level at which the oscillation time of the bubbles attains a predetermined value.
US08349595B2

[PROBLEMS] To provide a fat-and-oil in which the content of docosahexaenoic acid is increased.[MEANS FOR SOLVING PROBLEMS] A process for producing highly unsaturated fatty acids comprising culturing a stramenopile capable of producing highly unsaturated fatty acids in a culture medium containing an inhibitor for fatty acid desaturases; fats-and-oils in which the content of highly unsaturated fatty acids, particularly docosahexaenoic acid produced by the relevant method, is increased. A method for enhancing the productivity of highly unsaturated fatty acids in stramenopiles, comprising culturing a stramenopile in a culture medium containing an inhibitor for fatty acid desaturases; stramenopiles having the enhanced productivity of highly unsaturated fatty acids, generated by the relevant method. Particularly, the process for producing highly unsaturated fatty acids, the method for enhancing the productivity of highly unsaturated fatty acids, and the stramenopile having the enhanced productivity of highly unsaturated fatty acids, wherein the stramenopile is a microorganism classified into Labyrinthulea.
US08349585B2

The present invention provides and includes monoclonal antibodies (mAbs) preferentially selective for HER2 antigens, hybridoma lines that secrete these HER2 antibodies or antibody fragments, and the use of such antibodies and antibody fragments to detect HER2 antigens, particularly those expressed by cancer cells. The present invention also includes antibodies that are specific for or show preferential binding to a soluble or secreted form of HER2. The present invention also includes an antibody or antibody fragment that is capable of reducing the activity of HER2 in at least one form, including a soluble form or a secreted form. The present invention further includes chimeric antibodies, processes for producing monoclonal and chimeric antibodies or monoclonal or chimeric antibodies, and their therapeutic uses, particularly in the detection of cancer most preferentially in human breast, stomach, and colon. The present invention further includes methods and kits for the immunodetection and immunotherapy of cells for samples which express HER2 antigens.
US08349583B2

A method for detecting the absence or presence of cells of interest in a liquid sample is provided. The method comprises providing a sample suspected of containing cells of interest that contain an intracellular enzyme with a measurable activity. The sample further comprises an extracellular medium that also includes an extracellular enzyme with the measurable activity. The method further comprises the steps of treating the liquid sample with a reagent that inactivates the measurable activity in the extracellular medium but does not inactivate the measurable activity in the cells of interest, lysing the cells of interest to release the intracellular enzyme, and measuring the measurable activity. Thus, the measurable activity of the intracellular enzyme can be measured without interference from the extracellular enzyme. The invention is particularly useful for treatment of bacterially-infected blood using a detection assay based on adenylate kinase activity.
US08349578B2

Provided are hydrolases, including lipases, saturases, palmitases and/or stearatases, and polynucleotides encoding them, and methods of making and using these polynucleotides and polypeptides. Further provided are polypeptides, e.g., enzymes, having a hydrolase activity, e.g., lipases, saturases, palmitases and/or stearatases and methods for preparing low saturate or low trans fat oils, such as low saturate or low trans fat animal or vegetable oils, e.g., soy or canola oils.
US08349577B2

A system and method for evaluating blood-neural barrier permeability. Phospholipid liposomes are labeled with a fluorescent phospholipase A2 substrate and exposed to cerebrospinal fluid. The change in fluorescence is monitored to determine PLA2 activity. The PLA2 activity is used to evaluate the permeability and function of the blood-neural barrier.
US08349566B2

Provided herein are optimized methods for performing multiplexed detection of a plurality of sequence variations. Also provided are methods for performing multiplexed amplification of target nucleic acid.
US08349548B2

Compounds of the formula (I), wherein A1 is formula (II); A2 is formula (III); A3 is formula (IV); A4 is formula (V); w, x, y and z independently of each other are an integer from 0-4, provided that the sum of x+y+z is an integer from 2-4, corresponding to the valency of Q; M1, M2, M3 and M4 for example are a direct bond, CO or O; Y for example is a direct bond or S; Q is a (x+y)-valent linking group; R1 is for example hydrogen, C1-C20alkyl or phenyl or naphthyl; R2 and R″2 for example are is hydrogen or C1-C20alkyl; R3, R4, R′3, R′4, R″3 and R″4 for example are hydrogen, halogen, phenyl, or C1-C20alkyl; and R24 is for example a direct bond; exhibit an unexpectedly good performance in photopolymerization reactions.
US08349547B1

A lithographic method is used to fabricate porous carbon structures that can provide electrochemical electrodes having high surface area with uniform and controllable dimensions, providing enormous flexibility to tailor the electrodes toward specific applications. Metal nanoparticles deposited on the surface of the porous carbon electrodes exhibit ultra small dimensions with uniform size distribution. The resulting electrodes are rugged, electrically conductive and show excellent electrochemical behavior.
US08349543B2

A pattern-forming method, including: forming a first resist film by applying a first chemically amplified resist composition onto a support, forming a plurality of resist patterns by selectively exposing and then developing the first resist film, forming a plurality of coated patterns by forming a coating film composed of a metal oxide film on the surface of each resist pattern, forming a second resist film by applying a second chemically amplified resist composition onto the support having the coated patterns formed thereon, and selectively exposing and then developing the second resist film, thereby forming a pattern composed of the plurality of coated patterns and a resist pattern formed in the second resist film onto the support.
US08349538B2

The present invention relates to a photo-curable and thermo-curable resin composition and a dry film solder resist making it possible to provide the dry film solder resist having superior heat-resistance and dimensional stability while exhibiting improved alkali developing properties. The resin composition may comprise an acid-modified oligomer having carboxyl group (—COOH) and photo-curable functional group; a photo-polymerizable monomer comprising a compound having a structure that three or more functional epoxy-acrylate groups are bonded to a heterocyclic structure containing nitrogen, and a functional group having carboxyl group is bonded to at least one epoxy-acrylate group; a thermo-curable binder having thermo-curable functional group; and a photo-initiator.
US08349533B2

A resist lower-layer composition configured to be used by a multi-layer resist method used in lithography to form a layer lower than a photoresist layer acting as a resist upper layer film. The resist lower-layer composition is insoluble or poorly-soluble in an alkaline developer after formation of the lower layer, and the resist lower-layer composition comprises, at least, a thermal acid generator for generating an acid by heating at a temperature of 100° C. or higher.
US08349524B2

The present invention provides a hologram recording material which attains high refractive index change, flexibility, high sensitivity, low scattering, environment resistance, durability, low shrinkage, and high multiplicity, and is suitable for volume hologram recording. Also, the present invention provides a hologram recording medium. A hologram recording material comprising: an organometallic compound at least containing at least two kinds of metals, oxygen, and an aromatic group, and having an organometallic unit wherein two aromatic groups are bonded directly to one metal; metal oxide fine particles; and a photopolymerizable compound. For example, the metal oxide fine particles are selected from the group consisting of silica fine particles, alumina fine particles, titania fine particles, zirconia fine particles, and complex oxide fine particles containing one or more kinds of metal atoms which constitute said four metal oxides. A hologram recording medium 11 has a hologram recording material layer 21.
US08349518B2

A copper foil for a current collector of a lithium secondary battery has a crystalline structure, in which a ratio of the sum of texture coefficients of a (111) surface and a (200) surface to the total sum of texture coefficients of the (111), (200) and (220) surfaces is 60 to 85%, a ratio of the texture coefficient of the (111) surface to the total sum of texture coefficients of the (111), (200) and (220) is 18 to 38%, a ratio of the texture coefficient of the (200) surface thereto is 28 to 62%, and a ratio of the texture coefficient of the (220) surface thereto is 15 to 40%. The copper foil has surface roughness (Rz-JIS) of 2 μm or less, weight deviation of 3% or less, tensile strength of 30 to 40 kgf/mm2, elongation of 3 to 20%, and thickness of 1 to 35 μm.
US08349516B2

A seal arrangement in a fuel cell device seals against leaks in a mechanical joint between two components which convey a liquid and/or a gaseous process medium 3 in a media chamber of the fuel cell device. The seal arrangement has a first sealing member which extends around the media chamber in an installed state, and is in active connection with the components. A second, surrounding sealing member is arranged facing away from the media relative to the first sealing member and is formed of a different material from the first sealing member and/or has a different geometry.
US08349512B2

Disclosed is a multi-MEA test station capable of simultaneously testing and activating a plurality of MEAs and a multi-MEA test method using the same. The multi-MEA test station includes a chamber capable of receiving a plurality of MEAs; a first multi cell body including a first channel for supplying an oxidant to a cathode electrode of the MEA, and a second multi cell body including a second channel for supplying fuel to an anode electrode of the MEA; a pressing means closely adhering the first multi cell body, the second multi cell body and the MEA positioned therebetween by applying force in a direction that the first multi cell body and the second multi cell body are opposed to each other; a reactant supply means for supplying the oxidant to the first channel and supplying the fuel to the second channel; and a multi-loader controlling the environment of a test and activation on the plurality of MEAs and performing the test and the activation.
US08349508B2

When the output of a fuel cell starts to decrease, in consideration of the increase in the power generation efficiency, an instruction for the output of the fuel cell undergoes a smoothing process to gradually decrease the output, and excessive electric power generated during a period in which the power generation efficiency is high is used for charging a battery. While the output of the fuel cell is increasing, the power generation efficiency of the fuel cell is low. Thus, assisting electrical energy from the battery is increased. In this manner, the power generation output when the power generation efficiency of the fuel cell is low is reduced from a high power generation output to a low power generation output to achieve improvement in the average power generation efficiency.
US08349505B2

A fuel cell power generation system of the invention includes a hydrogen supply unit for reforming hydrocarbon fuel to generate reformed gas including hydrogen or generating reaction gas including the hydrogen from a hydrogen material, an oxygen supply unit, a fuel cell for receiving the hydrogen from the hydrogen supply unit and oxygen from the oxygen supply unit, for power generation, temperature sensors each for detecting a temperature of the hydrogen supply unit, and a temperature control unit for adjusting generated power, thereby controlling the temperature of the hydrogen supply unit, based on the detected temperature. The temperature control unit includes a target power setting unit for setting first and second target powers as generated power target values, and a target power switching unit for performing target value switching between the first and second target powers according to a predetermined change in the detected temperature.
US08349488B2

A secondary battery has a bare cell including a can, an electrode assembly in the can and a cap assembly sealing the can. A protective circuit module is on the bare cell, the protective circuit module including a metal protective circuit board.
US08349486B2

The present invention relates to a lithium secondary battery unit set where a plurality of lithium secondary batteries are stacked, and a lithium secondary battery set including a plurality of lithium secondary battery unit sets. The present invention relates to a lithium secondary battery unit set with a bus bar and a lithium secondary battery set with a bus bar. The lithium secondary battery unit set with a bus bar: accommodates and protects a plurality of lithium secondary batteries comprising a pouch and an electrode tab; facilitates the changes of voltage and capacity as the stacked structure of the lithium secondary batteries becomes free; prevents the flow of overcurrent during charging and discharging; and enables uniform temperature distribution of the stacked batteries.
US08349476B2

To provide a process to improve acid resistance of a glass substrate for an information recording medium. A process for producing the glass substrate for an information recording medium, includes processing a glass formed into a plate by a float process, a down-draw method or a press method, wherein, in cooling the glass at the last step the glass has a temperature of at least its strain point, the time during which the glass temperature is at least its strain point and at most a temperature where the glass viscosity is 1010dPa·s is at least 13 minutes.
US08349470B2

The exemplary embodiments relate to a multilayer aluminum alloy sheet material suitable for fabrication into coolant-conveying tubes, headers and the like used for heat exchangers, and to the tubes and headers, etc., fabricated from the sheet. The multi-layer metal sheet has a core layer of aluminum alloy having first and second sides. The first side has an interlayer made of a Zn-containing aluminum alloy positioned between a Zn-containing outer layer and the core layer. The alloy of the outer layer is more electronegative than the alloy of the interlayer. The alloy of the interlayer is preferably more electronegative than the alloy of the core layer. The first side clad in this way is the side intended for exposure to the coolant, and provides good resistance to corrosion and erosion.
US08349466B2

Composite materials comprising a hard ceramic phase and an infiltration alloy are disclosed. The hard ceramic phase may comprise a carbide such as tungsten carbide and/or cast carbide. The infiltration alloy is Cu-based and comprises Ni and Sn. The infiltration alloy may further include Nb, and may be substantially free of Mn. The composite material may be heat treated in order to improve its mechanical properties. For example, the composition of the Cu—Ni—Sn infiltration alloy may be selected such that its hardness, wear resistance, toughness and/or transverse rupture strength are improved after the composite material is solutioned and aged at elevated temperatures.
US08349456B2

Disclosed are processes for preparing articles having anti-fog properties, comprising providing a substrate having at least one main surface coated with an intermediate coating obtained by applying and at least partially curing an intermediate coating composition comprising at least one monoepoxysilane and/or an hydrolyzate thereof and at least one polyepoxy monomer comprising at least two epoxy groups, forming onto said intermediate coating at least one bi-layer, and curing said at least one bi-layer by heating at a temperature of 150° C. or less at atmospheric pressure and in the absence of added water steam. Also disclosed are articles made and/or makeable by these processes.
US08349450B2

A thermal spray powder contains granulated and sintered particles composed of an oxide of any of the rare earth elements having an atomic number from 60 to 70. The average particle size of the primary particles constituting the granulated and sintered particles is 2 to 10 μm. The crushing strength of the granulated and sintered particles is 7 to 50 MPa. A plasma resistant member includes a substrate and a thermal spray coating provided on the surface of the substrate. The thermal spray coating is formed by thermal spraying, preferably plasma thermal spraying, the thermal spray powder.
US08349449B2

The invention covers a method of forming functionally active fibers and substrates including functionally active fibers. The method includes forming a mixture of at least one poly vinyl polymer and at least one bleaching active. The mixture is then injected at a controlled flow rate into an electric field to cause the mixture to at least partially form fine fibers that have an average diameter of less than about 1000 nanometers.
US08349445B2

The invention relates to a substrate comprising at least one photocatalytic compound active under the conditions of illuminating an interior of a building or transport vehicle, intended to neutralize the microorganisms with which it comes into contact, and also to its preparation processes and its uses as glazing or another substrate for disinfection, filtration, ventilation, etc.
US08349444B2

A utility material can include microparticles, an organic binder and an inorganic binder. The microparticles can be present in an amount from about 25 wt % to about 60 wt %, based on wet formulation. The inorganic binder can optionally include sodium silicate. The organic binder can optionally include a vinyl acetate. The utility material can be formed into a variety of different products or building materials, such as wallboard, shear panels. In addition, the building material may be particularly used to attenuate sound.
US08349441B2

Pyrogenic titanium dioxide is compressed to slugs by preliminarily deaerating it, compressing it to slugs, and crushing the slugs and optionally classifying them. The slugs are characterized by a tamped density (to DIN EN ISO 787-11) of 500 to 1200 g/l.
US08349426B2

A sealing tape roll comprising a soft foam strip (1) of rectangular cross section formed into a roll with two outer lateral surfaces (1a), a top surface, and a bottom surface, and at least one film strip (3), which covers at least one of the lateral surfaces (1a) of soft foam strip (1). Two portions (5a, 5b) of film strip (3) are attached adhesively to soft foam strip (1), wherein at least one of the portions (5a, 5b) is located on the bottom surface or top surface of soft foam strip (1) and is arranged between adjacent turns within the roll.
US08349419B2

The present invention provides a resin coated seamless aluminum can and a resin coated aluminum can lid having adhesiveness and corrosion resistance by applying a non-chromium chemical conversion coated film to an aluminum alloy sheet and by applying an organic resin layer to the non-chromium chemical conversion coated film. For this end, an organic-inorganic composite surface treated layer containing 2 to 20 mg/m2 of zirconium compound expressed in terms of zirconium atoms, 1 to 10 mg/m2 of phosphorus compound expressed in terms of phosphorus atoms, and 5 to 60 mg/m2 of organic compound expressed in terms of carbon atoms is formed on at least one-side surface of an aluminum alloy sheet, and an organic resin coated layer is formed on the organic-inorganic composite surface treated layer.
US08349404B2

A method for directly growing carbon nanotubes, and in particular single-walled carbon nanotubes on a flat substrate, such as a silicon wafer, and subsequently transferring the nanotubes onto the surface of a polymer film, or separately harvesting the carbon nanotubes from the flat substrate.
US08349401B2

A method for using a film formation apparatus includes performing a main cleaning process and a post cleaning process in this order inside a reaction chamber. The main cleaning process is arranged to supply a cleaning gas containing fluorine into the reaction chamber while exhausting gas from inside the reaction chamber, thereby etching a film formation by-product containing silicon. The post cleaning process is arranged to remove a silicon-containing fluoride generated by the main cleaning process and remaining inside the reaction chamber and to alternately repeat, a plurality of times, supplying an oxidizing gas into the reaction chamber to transform the silicon-containing fluoride into an intermediate product by oxidization, and supplying hydrogen fluoride gas into the reaction chamber while exhausting gas from inside the reaction chamber to remove the intermediate product by a reaction between the hydrogen fluoride gas and the intermediate product.
US08349394B2

A method of forming an electrode having an electrochemical catalyst layer is disclosed, which comprises providing a substrate with a conductive layer formed on the surface of a substrate, conditioning the surface of the substrate, immersing the substrate in a solution containing polymer-capped noble metal nanoclusters dispersed therein to form a polymer-protected electrochemical catalyst layer on the conditioned surface of the substrate, and thermally treating the polymer-protected electrochemical catalyst layer at a temperature approximately below 300° C.
US08349386B2

The invention relates to a serum protein product, suitable as an ingredient for foods and therapeutic compositions, in particular infant and baby foods. The invention also provides a method for the preparation of the serum protein product, based on micro filtration of milk. The invention provides a method for the preparation of a serum protein product, comprising the preparation of a permeate through micro filtration of cow's milk at a temperature of between 10 and 20° C. utilizing a membrane having a pore size of between 0.3 and 0.5 μm.
US08349382B2

A beverage system for providing a beverage, methods of making the beverage and the resulting beverage are shown herein. The system includes a beverage-forming concentrate and an aroma or aroma-providing component separated from the concentrate; wherein the concentrate and aroma are combinable upon reconstitution for providing the beverage. One method includes delivering a fresh beverage taste to an on-premise beverage at a point of dispensation, by delivering at least one aroma or aroma-providing component in an amount sufficient to enhance the organoleptic properties of a beverage separately from a beverage concentrate prior to when the beverage is dispensed, and mixing the aroma or aroma-providing compound with a liquid and the beverage concentrate or with a mixture of a beverage concentrate and a liquid when the beverage is being dispensed. The resulting beverage may be coffee, tea, carbonation, a juice, milk, or a non-dairy creamer-based component; or a combination thereof, while the aroma or aroma-providing component is coffee aroma, tea aroma, chocolate or cocoa aroma, malt, Maillard reaction flavor, or a combination thereof.
US08349377B2

The invention relates to a medicament which comprises a peptide extract of avocado and which can also comprise a composition containing D-mannoheptulose and/or perseitol, such as a water-soluble extract of avocado sugars, and/or a peptide extract of lupine. The inventive medicament is intended for the treatment and/or prevention of illnesses that are linked to an alteration in innate and/or acquired immunity, through an increase in the production of anti-microbial peptides, preferably hBD-2, without inducing inflammatory reactions, irritations or intolerances.
US08349375B2

The present invention is drawn to water-soluble compositions for providing hops constituents, particularly alpha acids, iso-alpha acids, and beta acids. A pharmaceutical gel composition can comprise a hops extract and a surfactant. Such compositions can be formulated into products for various therapeutic applications, including oral and topical uses. Such compositions can also be dissolved in water to yield a clear solution containing more dilute hops acids. The invention also provides methods of treatment comprising administering water-soluble hops compositions. The present invention is also drawn to methods for making water-soluble preparations of hops constituents.
US08349370B2

The present invention provides a bloat controlling agent for a ruminant, comprising cashew nut shell liquid.
US08349365B2

Disclosed is a cellooligosaccharide composition comprising, as the main ingredient, at least one cellooligosaccharide selected from the group consisting of cellobiose, cellotriose, cellotetraose, cellopentaose and cellohexaose, which is in the powdery form having an average L/D value of 3.0 or lower, a bulk density of 0.80 g/mL or lower and an angle of repose of 60° or lower.
US08349364B2

Particles are provided which are suitable for delivery from a particle-mediated delivery device. The particles are obtained by precipitating a nucleic acid on inert metal carrier particles in the presence of a nucleic acid condensing agent and a metal ion chelating agent. Also described are processes for preparing the particles, and therapeutic methods using the particles including methods of nucleic acid immunization and gene therapy.
US08349363B2

There is provided a new aqueous temperature responsive delivery system made with a temperature responsive polymer and a bioadhesive which is intrinsically cationic. This system may also have an effective amount of a treating agent, which may be a medical or cosmetic agent. The bioadhesive, temperature responsive delivery system is useful in delivering moisturizers or pharmaceutically active agents to the user in controlled release manners, through the tissues in a body cavity.
US08349362B2

A dosage form from which a burst release of a drug contained within a tampered dosage form is reduced or retarded by the presence in or on the dosage form of a TPTA (Tamper Prone Therapeutic Agent) trap. If the dosage form has not been tampered with, the TPTA trap does not significantly interfere with the rate of release of the drug from the dosage form. However, if the dosage form has been physically tampered with, the TPTA trap reduces or retards burst release of the drug from the dosage form.
US08349361B2

The present invention provides rapid disintegrating tablets in oral cavity having a shortened disintegration time in oral cavity as well as a sufficient hardness with compared to rapid disintegrating tablets of the prior art.The above objective is solved by a composition for rapid disintegrating tablets in oral cavity, wherein components (a) to (c) are contained in such manner that (a) saccharides consisting of a combination of mannitol and xylitol is 40 to 90 parts by weight; (b) the inorganic excipient is 1 to 30 parts by weight; and (c) the disintegrating agent is 5 to 40 parts by weight, provided that the total amount of (a), (b) and (c) is 100 parts by weight.
US08349356B2

The present invention provides hemostatic compositions comprising components of the flowers of pharmaceutical chamomile (Chamomilla recutita) and the leaves of dioecious nettle (Urtica dioica). Further inclusion of a biocompatible polymeric base, particularly an alignate, generates a composition with excellent and broad spectrum hemostatic capabilities, with concurrent antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. The invention further provides methods of using the inventive compositions in to reduce or stop bleeding, as well as a variety of apparatuses useful in hemostatic contexts that incorporate the inventive compositions. In one particular embodiment, the invention provides hemostatic dressings in which a polymeric layer incorporating chamomile and nettle components is applied to a textile or fabric material, for example a non-woven viscose.
US08349351B2

A drug delivery system is disclosed. The drug delivery system includes a recognitive polymeric hydrogel through which a drug is delivered by contacting biological tissue. The recognitive polymeric hydrogel is formed using a bio-template, which is a drug or is structurally similar to the drug, functionalized monomers, preferably having complexing sites, and cross-linking monomers, which are copolymerized using a suitable initiator. The complexing sites of the recognitive polymeric hydrogel that is formed preferably mimics receptor sites of a target biological tissue, biological recognition, or biological mechanism of action. The system in accordance with an embodiment of the intention is a contact lens for delivering a drug through contact with an eye.
US08349349B2

Compositions provided by mixing a biotin-containing component and an avidin-containing component are useful as an adhesive or sealant for medical/surgical uses.
US08349337B1

The invention describes therapeutic compositions including a lactic acid-producing bacteria, such as isolated Bacillus coagulans, in combination with a cholesterol-reducing agent for use in reducing LDL cholesterol and serum triglycerides. Also described are therapeutic methods using the compositions and systems containing the therapeutic compositions.
US08349333B2

Compositions and kits for inhibiting an allergic response against an allergenic protein are disclosed. The compositions comprise a eukaryotic cell expression vector containing nucleotide sequences encoding an allergenic protein or a polypeptide that comprises an antigenic epitope of said allergenic protein; and an allergenic protein or a polypeptide that comprises an antigenic epitope of the allergenic protein. The kits comprise a first container which comprises a eukaryotic cell expression vector containing nucleotide sequences encoding an allergenic protein or a polypeptide that comprises an antigenic epitope of the allergenic protein and a second container which comprises an allergenic protein or a polypeptide that comprises an antigenic epitope of said allergenic protein. Compositions and kits for inhibiting an allergic response against an flea allergenic protein; a feline allergenic protein; a canine allergenic protein; a dust mite allergenic protein; a peanut allergenic protein; a Japanese cedar allergenic protein; and a blomia tropicalis allergenic protein are disclosed. Methods if using such compositions and kits are also disclosed.
US08349329B2

The invention relates to the identification and isolation of novel DNAs encoding the human Toll proteins PRO285, PRO286, and PRO358, and to methods and means for the recombinant production of these proteins. The invention also concerns antibodies specifically binding the PRO285, or PRO286, or PRO358 Toll protein.
US08349328B2

The present invention relates to novel rodent control agents comprising antibodies, or antigen-binding fragments thereof, that bind to proteins expressed in rodents and in particular antibodies or antigen-binding fragments that bind to proteins expressed in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract of rodents, as well as to methods of making such novel rodent control agents. The invention further extends to novel antibodies and antigen-binding fragments for use in rodent control as well as to methods of controlling rodents through the use of such antibodies, antigen binding fragments and novel rodent control agents.
US08349322B2

The present invention relates to soluble and stable anti-VEGF immunobinders comprising CDRs from rabbit monoclonal antibodies. Said antibodies are designed for the diagnosis and/or treatment of VEGF-mediated disorders. The hybridomas, nucleic acids, vectors and host cells for expression of the recombinant antibodies of the invention, methods for isolating them and the use of said antibodies in medicine are also disclosed.
US08349317B2

Use of L-carnitine and/or one or more alkanoyl L-carnitines or one of their pharmaceutically acceptable salts for the preparation of a dietary supplement or medicament for the treatment of corneal diseases is disclosed.
US08349316B2

The present invention provides a strain of Lactobacillus fermentum SG-A95 with deposit number of CGMCC NO. 3248 and a fermentation product thereof. The present invention also provides a health care composition for improving oral bacteria population, which comprises the Lactobacillus fermentum SG-A95 or the fermentation product thereof.
US08349314B2

Use of whole cells of bacteria from the genera of aerobic organisms in the order of Actinomycetales in the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment or prevention of Type II diabetes and/or obesity and methods of treating or preventing Type II diabetes and/or obesity in a subject by administering an effective amount of a composition comprising a whole cell of a bacterium from a genera of aerobic organisms in the order of Actinomycetales to said subject. Preferably the bacteria is from one or more of the following genera for example: Gordonia, Rhodococcus, Tsukamurella, Nocardia, Dietzia and Mycobacterium.
US08349311B2

The present invention relates to IL-2 mutants with increased affinity for the IL-2 alpha-receptor subunit (IL-2Rα). The invention thus includes IL-2 mutants with improved biological potency. The invention also includes methods for directed evolution of IL-2α using yeast surface display to generate mutants with increased affinity for IL-2Rα.
US08349295B2

A method and apparatus for multicomponent surface modified aerosol particle production suitable for, for instance, therapeutic, cosmetic or diagnostic use in which an aerosol containing an active agent is introduced in an aerosol reactor together with a surface agent or surface agent source and/or precursor and wherein the surface agent and/or surface agent precursor is volatilizable. The surface agent vapor saturation ratio is elevated so to cause it to nucleate from the gas phase. Reactor conditions are maintaining such that the active agent remains in the condensed phase and provides a surface for the surface agent to deposit on the active agent containing aerosol particle thus producing surface modified aerosol particles. The method can be used for batch or continuous production. Particles made according to the method and powders and dispersions containing the particles are also described.
US08349294B2

Microparticle compositions comprising metal ion-lipid complexes for drug delivery are described including methods of making the microparticle compositions and methods of treating certain conditions and disease states by administering the microparticle compositions. The metal ion-lipid complexes can be combined with various drugs or active agents for therapeutic administration. The microparticle compositions of the present invention have superior stability to other microparticle compositions resulting in a microparticle composition with longer shelf life and improved dispersability. The microparticle compositions of the present invention have a transition temperature (Tg) of at least 20° C. above the recommended storage temperature (Tst) for drug delivery.
US08349291B2

Crystalline microporous zeolites designated calcined UZM-22 and UZM-22HS have been synthesized. The calcined UZM-22 is represented by the empirical formula: M1′mn+Al1-xExSiyOz and UZM-22HS has an empirical formula of: M1an+Al(1-x)ExSiy′Oz″ where M1 and M1′ are exchangeable cations such as lithium or strontium and E is a framework element such as gallium. Both zeolites are obtained from an as synthesized microporous crystalline composition having an empirical formula of: Mmn+RrAl1-xExSiyOz either by calcination for UZM-22 or by various treatments such as ammonium hexafluorosilicate treatment for UZM-22HS.M is an alkali, alkaline earth, or rare earth metal such as lithium and strontium, R is a singly charged organoammonium cation such as the choline cation and E is a framework element such as gallium.
US08349289B2

The invention provides methods for the production of synthesis gas. More particularly, various embodiments of the invention relate to systems and methods for volatilizing fluid fuel to produce synthesis gas by using a metal catalyst on a solid support matrix.
US08349282B2

A method for the treatment of fly ash obtained from an incineration process of a waste incineration plant, in particular for municipal solid waste, whereby fly ash is separated from the incineration process. Furthermore, a method for the operation of a waste incineration plant, in particular for municipal solid waste or the like. The process for the treatment of fly ash is further characterized in that metals and/or metal containing compounds, in particular heavy metals and/or heavy metal containing compounds, are separated from the fly ash, which is separated from the combustion process and preferably non-fractioned, in a separation step and subsequently the fly ash reduced by the metals and/or metal containing compounds is, preferably dosed, mixed with or added to the waste to be incinerated so that the mineral parts of the fly ash, reduced by its metals and/or metal containing compounds, are returned to the combustion process.
US08349280B2

Disclosed are a multi water-gas shift membrane reactor for producing high-concentration hydrogen and a method for producing hydrogen using the same. More specifically, disclosed are a multi water-gas shift membrane reactor wherein high-concentration carbon monoxide, obtained by dry-gasification performed by reacting dry bituminous coal with water and oxygen, reacts with water gas in the presence of catalysts in a single reactor, to produce hydrogen and carbon dioxide and separate highly pure hydrogen and carbon dioxide through a separation membrane arranged in a low region, and a method for producing hydrogen.
US08349273B2

A microreactor device comprises: a microchannel that sends one or more fluids; and a section that isolates vibrations to a first portion of the microchannel.
US08349266B2

Provided is a plasma generator which can eliminate breakage due to thermal stress without deteriorating plasma generating efficiency. A plasma generator 1 has an base member 3 provided with a discharge space 5 and a pair of electrodes 9 provided on the base member 3 while sandwiching the discharge space 5 therebetween, wherein at least one electrode 7 of the pair of electrodes 9 has a plurality of electrode layers 15 provided at positions different from each other in a facing direction of the pair of electrodes 9.
US08349264B2

Methods and systems for preparing catalyst, such as chromium catalysts, are provided. The valence of at least a portion of the catalyst sent to an activator is changed from Cr(III) to Cr(VI). The catalyst is prepared or activated continuously using a fluidization bed catalyst activator.
US08349253B2

A product package is provided for containing a product or object. The package contains a first agent that is energizably convertible by an energy source to a sanitizing agent including ozone in the package. The sanitizing agent including ozone in the package is transferred to the product or object while in the package. The first agent can include oxygen. The oxygen converts to ozone after being energized by ultraviolet radiation energy inside the package. The ultraviolet radiation energy can be radiated from outside the package, through the package, and into the package to energizably convert the oxygen to ozone in the package. The product or object in the package can be treated with the sanitizing agent including ozone in the package to provide a sanitizing, disinfecting, or sterilizing treatment, in the package.
US08349250B2

A cobalt-nickel alloy composition is described, containing about 20% to about 28% cobalt; about 37% to about 46% nickel; at least about 6% chromium; aluminum; and at least one refractory metal. The total weight of cobalt, aluminum, and refractory metal in the composition is less than about 50% of the total weight of the composition. Moreover, the alloy composition comprises both a (Co, Ni)-gamma phase and an L12-structured (gamma prime) phase. Various components made from the cobalt-nickel alloy composition are also described. Examples include high-temperature machinery and devices, e.g., components of gas turbine engines.
US08349246B2

A blowing apparatus for expanding containers with a gaseous medium has a blowing piston and a blowing nozzle, through which the container is expanded with the gaseous medium. The blowing piston is movable in a longitudinal direction (L) of the blowing nozzle, the blowing nozzle is movable in the longitudinal direction (L) relative to the blowing piston, and a guide device is provided which guides the movement of the blowing nozzle in the longitudinal direction (L) relative to the blowing piston.
US08349244B2

In an injection molding apparatus comprising a clamp plate, a heated manifold and a mold, a system for mounting an actuator to the manifold and the clamp plate, the system comprising: a mount comprised of a thermally conductive material having first and second heat conductive surfaces; the first conductive surface being in heat conductive communication with the actuator, the second conductive surface being in heat conductive communication with the clamp plate; the actuator being mounted in thermal communication with the manifold; the mount being adjustably mounted to the actuator such that the second conductive surface can be adjusted in position toward and away from the actuator.
US08349234B2

A method to produce building panels is disclosed which method includes the step of applying a layer (5) comprising a mix of fibers (14), binder (12), and wear resistant particles (12) on a carrier (6), pressing the layer (5) with an embossed matrix (2a, 2b) and providing embossed portions (4) and filling the embossed portions with decorative a substance (3).
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