US08472904B2

In various embodiments, systems and methods for automatically tuning an antenna to a desired frequency utilize a tuning detection element that sends or receives a signal in accordance with one mode of the antenna and that is separated from the antenna by a gap and outside of a signal path of the antenna. In various system implementations, a processor communicates with the tuning detection element and antenna and monitors the amplitude of a signal transmitted to or from the tuning detection element. A resonant frequency of the antenna may be tuned to the desired frequency by a tuning element.
US08472902B2

A radio broadcast receiving apparatus according to the present invention includes a reception unit for receiving a broadcast signal from a broadcast station of a predetermined frequency; a content information extracting unit for extracting content information related to a content the broadcast station is broadcasting from the broadcast signal being received by the reception unit and storing the content information in a storage unit; a frequency control unit for sequentially switching the frequency to be received by the reception unit; and an electronic program guide generating unit for generating an electronic program guide showing content information related to a content the broadcast station is currently broadcasting based on the content information stored in the storage unit.
US08472894B2

A signal transmitting/receiving circuit includes a transmitter, a receiver, a balun and an impedance matching circuit. The transmitter is utilized for transmitting an output signal. The receiver is utilized for receiving an input signal. The balun includes a first input terminal, a second input terminal and an output terminal. The impedance matching circuit, which is coupled between the transmitter, the receiver, and the balun, provides transmitting impedance when the transmitter transmits the output signal such that an output signal may be output at an output terminal of the balun via a transmitting path. Also, the impedance matching circuit provides transmitting impedance when the receiver receives the input signal such that the input signal may be transmitted from the output terminal of the balun to the receiver via a receiving path.
US08472889B2

A Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver Integrated Circuit (IC) includes a first RF transceiver group, a first baseband section, a second RF transceiver group, a second baseband section, local oscillation circuitry, and local oscillation distribution circuitry. The first baseband section communicatively couples to the first RF transceiver group. The second RF transceiver group resides in substantial symmetry with the first RF transceiver group about a center line of symmetry of the RF transceiver IC. The second baseband section communicatively coupled to the second RF transceiver group. The local oscillation distribution circuitry operably couples to the local oscillation generation circuitry, to the first RF transceiver group, and to the second RF transceiver group. The second baseband section may reside in substantial symmetry with the first baseband section about the center line of symmetry of the RF transceiver IC.
US08472887B2

A radio frequency integrated circuit (and method of making) for enhancing wireless communication and/or sensing systems comprising a base comprising a gallium arsenide (GaAs) substrate; a binary phase shift keying modulator fabricated on the base; a power amplifier fabricated on the base and operatively associated with the binary phase shift keying modulator; the power amplifier having a first shunt operatively associated therewith; a transmit/receive switch fabricated on the base, the transmit/receive switch being operatively associated with the power amplifier and being alternately connectable to an antenna port adapted to be connected to an antenna; a low noise amplifier fabricated on the base; the low noise amplifier being alternately connectable to the antenna port, the low noise amplifier having a second shunt operatively associated therewith; the circuit operating in a transmit stage in which the power amplifier is connected to the antenna port and in a receive stage in which the low noise amplifier is connected to the antenna port; whereby in the receive stage the power amplifier is bypassed by the first shunt to reduce current consumption and substantially isolate the receive stage from the transmit stage; and in the transmit stage the low noise amplifier is bypassed by the second shunt to reduce current consumption and to substantially isolate the transmit stage from the receive stage.
US08472884B2

Microelectronics have now developed to the point where radiation within the terahertz frequency range can be generated and used. Here, an integrated circuit or IC is provided that includes a phased array radar system, which uses terahertz radiation. In order to accomplish this, several features are employed; namely, a lower frequency signal is propagated to transceivers, which multiplies the frequency up to the desired frequency range. To overcome the losses from the multiplication, an injection locked voltage controlled oscillator (ILVCO) is used, and a high frequency power amplifier (PA) can then be used to amplify the signal for transmission.
US08472878B2

A system to deterministically and dynamically prevent interference to the operation of safety-of-life radio equipment in a vehicle is provided. The system includes a radio management system and a wireless network frequency controller communicatively coupled to the radio management system. The wireless network frequency controller is operable to restrict the operational frequency of any one or more of internal wireless communication devices and any one or more of wireless sensors that are communicatively coupled to the wireless network frequency controller. The restriction of the operational frequency is based on input from the radio management system. The restriction of the operational frequency ensures that all the safety-of-life radio equipment has interference-free operation with the internal wireless communication devices and the wireless sensors that are communicatively coupled to the wireless network frequency controller.
US08472874B2

Techniques that facilitate pairing of wireless devices with other wireless devices are disclosed. Once paired, the wireless devices can exchange data in a wireless manner. According to one embodiment, a pairing process can be secured through use of physical proximity, or even physical connection, of wireless devices to be paired. According to another embodiment, user actions to provoke or perform pairing can be reduced or eliminated. According to still another embodiment, a wireless device being paired can be configured using configuration information provided from another wireless device being paired.
US08472863B2

The present invention has application to countering IEDs which are triggered remotely through a RF signal directed at, or the same operating environment as, receiver components embedded in, or part of, commercially manufactured cell phones or remote control devices. The invention exploits those situations where the underlying device (i.e., a commercial cell phone) is designed to operate in an environment where noise is characterized by an additive Gaussian noise model. The invention exploits the optimization of the matched filter for Gaussian noise by introducing a specific non-Gaussian noise. Further, the invention is directed to a family of jamming waveforms which exhibit increased effectiveness against a variety of digital and analog communications systems.
US08472862B2

An integrated student retention system that automatically raises flags identifying at-risk students; permits students to raise flags identifying themselves as at-risk; permits providers to raise flags identifying students as at-risk; provides systems facilitating the process of enabling students to obtain assistance; provides systems for tracking students and providers; and provides systems for measuring effectiveness.
US08472861B2

Systems and methods for building a model for use in grading an essay are provided. A plurality of human graded essays are evaluated using a processor to generate a set of features. A score category is determined for each of the plurality of human graded essays. A weight is produced using a processor for each feature based on the score category for each of the plurality of human graded essays and the set of features. A model is generated using a processor based on the weights for the set of features for evaluating an essay. The set of features includes n features, where the first k features have optimized weights, and the last n−k features have fixed predetermined weights.
US08472856B2

An image forming apparatus includes a plurality of image forming units that are arranged in parallel so as to be opposed to an intermediate transfer belt or a transfer carriage belt. A black image forming unit that forms a black toner image is arranged at a downstream end or upstream end in the running direction of the intermediate transfer belt or the transfer carriage belt with respect to the other image forming units. The black image forming unit is configured so that its lubricant supplying unit contains a larger amount of lubricant.
US08472845B2

A developing device comprising: a developer tank housing a developer including a toner and a carrier; a toner replenishment port; a developing roller; a first developer conveying path and a second developer conveying path; a conducting plate for peeling a recovery developer on a surface of the developing roller after the toner is supplied to a photosensitive drum from the surface of the developing roller so as to guide the recovery developer to the first developer conveying path; and first and second developer conveying members arranged on the first and second developer conveying paths, wherein the first developer conveying member has a cylindrical hollow rotating shaft with opened both ends that is rotatably provided to the first developer conveying path, and divides the first developer conveying path into an external first developer conveying path and an internal first developer conveying path, an external spiral blade fixed to an outer periphery of the hollow rotating shaft, and an internal spiral blade fixed to an inner periphery of the hollow rotating shaft, a direction where the developer is conveyed by the external spiral blade is the same as a direction where the developer is conveyed by the second developer conveying member and is opposite to a direction where the developer is conveyed by the internal spiral blade.
US08472841B2

A photoconductor drum support structure includes a photoconductor drum that is supported to rotate about a rotation axis; a drum shaft that passes through the photoconductor drum, and is disposed along a rotation axis; a notch formed on the first end in the rotation axis direction of the drum shaft; a drum frame that retains the photoconductor drum to rotate, the drum frame including an opening that is formed on the first end in the rotation axis direction on the drum frame, and enables insertion of the first end of the drum shaft, an engaging portion that is engaged with the notch formed on the drum shaft inserted into the opening, and that regulates displacement of the drum shaft towards the second end.
US08472838B2

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a drum cartridge with an image bearing member and charging device for charging a surface of the image bearing member. The apparatus further includes a rotary supporting a plurality of developing devices each having a developer carrying member for developing an electrostatic latent image formed on the image bearing member, with the rotary being swingably mounted to the main assembly of the apparatus through a supporting member and being rotatable, relative to the supporting member, to bring the developing device to a developing position for developing the electrostatic latent image. A spacer member is provided for spacing between the charging device and the surface of the image bearing member, the spacer member being mounted between the image bearing member and the charging device.
US08472828B2

An invented fixing device having a fixing roller for fixing developer to a recording medium and plural fixing heaters for heating the fixing roller includes a temperature detection unit as well as a thermistor for detecting the temperature of the fixing roller, a RAM storing the switching temperature for switching drive of the fixing heaters, a heater selection unit for selecting some of the fixing heaters to be driven based on the switching temperature and the detected temperature of the fixing member detected through the temperature detection unit, and a heat control unit for selectively driving the fixing heater selected by the heater selection unit.
US08472825B2

An image forming apparatus is configured to control the timing to switch a development unit by a development rotary after forming an image, based on the size of the image to be formed. Accordingly, if the switching of the development unit is completed within a time period corresponding to a trailing edge margin of an image area, a subsequent color image can be formed without idling an intermediate transfer member, so that the image forming apparatus can suppress or reduce degradation of the throughput.
US08472823B2

An image forming apparatus includes first and second developer carrying members and a control device. The apparatus is operable in a first mode where an image of a single color is formed using the first developer carrying member and is operable in a second mode, wherein an image of a plurality of colors is formed using the first and second developer carrying members. The control device controls a first discharging operation for discharging developer from the first developer carrying member and a second discharging operation for discharging developer from each of the first and second developer carrying members. When the apparatus executes only the first mode, the control device performs more image formations, in a period between completion of the second discharging operation and start of the first discharging operation, compared to a period between completion of the first discharging operation and start of a subsequent first discharging operation.
US08472820B2

An image forming apparatus, comprises an image forming section, a transfer section to transfer the toner image onto a recording material; and a fixing device to fix the toner image onto the recording material; wherein the image forming section includes a plurality of color image forming sections and a transparent image forming section, and the plurality of color image forming sections and the transparent image forming section are arranged such that the transparent image is transferred so as to form a transparent image layer on an outer surface of the color image on the recording material at a fixing time by the fixing device, and wherein an amount of wax contained in the transparent toner is larger than an amount of wax contained in each color toner of the plurality of color toners and smaller than an amount of base resin contained in the transparent toner.
US08472818B2

An image carrier deterioration degree evaluating apparatus for evaluating a degree of deterioration of an image carrier of an image forming apparatus, the image carrier deterioration degree evaluating apparatus including: an image deletion detecting unit that detects image deletion by obtaining latent image information written on the image carrier; an image deletion reducing unit that performs a process of reducing image deletion when the image deletion detecting unit detects image deletion, and an image carrier deterioration degree evaluating unit that drives the image deletion detecting unit and the image deletion reducing unit alternately one or more times each, and evaluates a degree of deterioration of the image carrier by using the latent image information obtained one or more times by the image deletion detecting unit.
US08472805B2

Techniques, devices and systems for optical communications based on wavelength division multiplexing (WDM) that use tunable multi-wavelength laser transmitter modules.
US08472800B2

A light amount adjusting device including a support plate comprising a first through hole through which light passes; a first slider that comprises a second through hole corresponding to the first through hole, and linearly moves with respect to the support plate along a first direction; a first driver for generating a driving force for moving the first slider with respect to the supporting plate; and a light amount adjuster installed on the first slider and for adjusting an amount of light passing through the light amount adjuster. By using such a simple and compact light amount adjusting device, a two-dimensional (2D) photographing or a three-dimensional photographing is conveniently selected and performed.
US08472792B2

A multimedia file and methods of generating, distributing and using the multimedia file are described. Multimedia files in accordance with embodiments of the present invention can contain multiple video tracks, multiple audio tracks, multiple subtitle tracks, a complete index that can be used to locate each data chunk in each of these tracks and an abridged index that can enable the location of a subset of the data chunks in each track, data that can be used to generate a menu interface to access the contents of the file and ‘meta data’ concerning the contents of the file. Multimedia files in accordance with several embodiments of the present invention also include references to video tracks, audio tracks, subtitle tracks and ‘meta data’ external to the file. One embodiment of a multimedia file in accordance with the present invention includes a series of encoded video frames, a first index that includes information indicative of the location within the file and characteristics of each encoded video frame and a separate second index that includes information indicative of the location within the file of a subset of the encoded video frames.
US08472791B2

An exemplary method for variable speed video playback comprises obtaining a set of scores for a plurality of discrete segments in a digital video, enabling a playback of the digital video at a variable playback speed that may change from segment to segment based on the set of scores, receiving a user input to adjust the playback speed for at least one of the segments by modifying at least one of the set of scores, and adjusting the variable playback speed based on the user input.
US08472790B2

A digital cinema management device includes a control unit that supplies data of contents stored in a storage device to a playback device, in which the control unit refers to the contents stored in the storage device, contents stored in a content storage unit of the playback device, and an exhibition schedule, selects contents which are scheduled to be exhibited by the playback device, and which are not stored in the content storage unit, from the storage device, and supplies data of the selected contents to the playback device.
US08472789B2

The present invention provides an image editing apparatus which decreases a CPU load required for previewing a group of finished images used for continuous presentation, such as a photo movie, and reduces a processing time. The image editing apparatus includes an image obtaining unit obtaining material images; a converting unit carrying out conversion on an image, included in the material images, of which load required for playback is greater than a predetermined load reference, the conversion additionally creating a proxy image corresponding to the image and having a smaller load required for the playback; and a preview playback unit playing back, as a preview, the proxy image and material images which are included in the material images and are other than the image corresponding to the proxy image in a predetermined order.
US08472778B2

A video player and a video-playback control method which are capable of easily performing a selection operation on a display object in a moving image are disclosed. The video player predicts the occurrence of the selection operation of the display object, which is an area for which an action is defined in the moving image, by the start of a move operation of the cursor 51 or the proximity of a hand to a touch panel, and changes the playback state of the title to pause or slow playback. Description information defined for the display object may be automatically displayed. Also, the areas of the display objects may be visualized by displaying figures.
US08472776B2

A fiber retainer ring includes a bottom wall having a first end and a second end, a side wall projecting from the bottom wall first end and including a distal end, and a top wall connected to the bottom wall second end and forming a ramp inclined relative to the bottom wall. Also a method of installing a module in a shelf provided with such retainer rings.
US08472774B2

A module adapted for use with a datacommunications equipment mounting structure includes: a generally upright divider panel; a cover panel disposed generally parallel to the divider panel, the cover panel and divider panel being spaced apart from each other to form a gap; and a plurality of telecommunications cables, each of the telecommunications cables comprising a plurality of telecommunications patch cords, the cables comprising bundled patch cords at a first end and unbundled patch cords at a second opposite end, the cables being positioned in the gap between the divider panel and cover panel. The bundled patch cords at the cable first end include first interconnection terminals, and the unbundled patch cords at the second end include second interconnection terminals. The first terminals are located at first edges of the divider and cover panels. The unbundled patch cords are separately moveable between a stored position, in which the second terminals are located at second edges of the divider and cover panels, and an extended position, in which the second terminals are positioned away from the second edges of the divider and cover panels.
US08472771B2

There is provided a structure for supporting propagation of surface plasmon polaritons. The structure includes a plasmonic material region and a dielectric material region, disposed adjacent to a selected surface of the plasmonic material region. At least one of the plasmonic material region and the dielectric material region have a dielectric permittivity distribution that is specified as a function of depth through the corresponding material region. This dielectric permittivity distribution is selected to impose prespecified group velocities, vgj, on a dispersion relation for a surface polaritonic mode of the structure for at least one of a corresponding set of prespecified frequencies, ωj, and corresponding set of prespecified wavevectors, where j=1 to N.
US08472765B2

An all-fiber combiner device is described for combining multiple high power inputs, such as high power laser inputs. The device includes a first tapered fiber section made from fibers that allow for efficient size reduction of the optical signals. The output of the first tapered fiber section may then be coupled to a multimode output fiber for delivery of the combined power beam. Alternately, the first tapered section can be coupled to a second, multimode, tapered section, which provides further size reduction of the core for splicing into a final output fiber, while adding cladding to the main fiber.
US08472754B1

Systems and methods are provided for processing images (or other such instances of content) to detect which of the images exhibit artifacts when modified, such as by applying standard transformation algorithms to modify the images. Such techniques enable transformation algorithms to be applied to the detected images to minimize or prevent artifacts. In some embodiments, the headers of the detected images can be tagged with transformative instructions that indicate which transformation algorithms to apply. Responsive to a request from a web client to modify and render one of the detected images, embodiments obtain the requested image, read the transformative instructions in the header, apply the transformation algorithm specified in the header to modify the image so as to minimize or prevent artifacts, and render the modified image.
US08472747B2

An image composition device includes an obtaining section configured to obtain a downward-taken background image and a foreground image to be composed with the background image, a specification section configured to specify a position at which the foreground image is composed, in the background image obtained by the obtaining section, a composition section configured to compose the foreground image at the position in the background image which is specified by the specification section, to generate a composed image, and an image processing section configured to execute a smoothing process with a process intensity controlled based on the position, on the composed image.
US08472743B2

A method for estimating a blur direction (20) of motion blur (16) in a blurred image (14) includes the steps of blurring the blurred image (14) in a number of different test directions (360A) (362A) (364A), and finding the test direction (360A) (362A) (364A) for which the blurred image (14) changes the least by the additional blurring (366). With this design, when more blur (366) is applied to the blurred image (14) in a test direction (360A) (362A) (364A) that is similar to the blur direction (20), the difference in the image appearance is relatively small. However, when more blur (366) is applied to the blurred image (14) in a test direction (360A) (362A) (364A) that is very different to the blur direction (20), the difference in the image appearance is relatively large. In one embodiment, a blur difference is determined for each test direction (360A) (362A) (364A). Subsequently, the test direction (360A) (362A) (364A) with the smallest blur difference is selected as the blur direction (20). Alternatively, the estimated blur direction (20) can be perpendicular to the test direction (360A) (362A) (364A) with the largest blur difference.
US08472742B2

A signal processing device configured to produce a first output video signal and a second output video signal as video signals for right and left eyes in a stereoscopic video, the first and second output video signals each having a predetermined number of output gradation steps, from a first input video signal and a second input video signal, the first and second input video signals each having a predetermined number of input gradation steps. A predetermined gradation value difference is produced between the gradation values of the first output video signal and the gradation values of the second output video signal to express a higher number of gradation steps than the number of output gradation steps in the stereoscopic video.
US08472741B2

An image processing apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive image data of program content and genre information relating to the program content, a selection unit configured to select a size selection parameter for causing the genre information received by the receiving unit to be reflected in a block size, a determination unit configured to determine a block size in accordance with the size selection parameter selected by the selection unit, the block size being used for orthogonal transformation, and an orthogonal transformation unit configured to perform orthogonal transformation on the image data received by the receiving unit at the block size determined by the determination unit.
US08472731B2

A decoding method decodes a bit stream including a base stream and a dependent stream. The method includes decoding, by identifying a start position of a picture in the base stream based on an access unit delimiter indicating a boundary between access units in the base stream at the beginning of a picture in the base stream, the base stream configured by inserting the access unit delimiter as a NAL unit including nal_unit_type. The method also includes decoding, by identifying a start position of a picture in the dependent stream based on a dependent delimiter indicating a picture boundary between pictures in the dependent stream at the beginning of a picture in the dependent stream, the dependent stream configured by inserting the dependent delimiter as a NAL unit including nal_unit_type with a value which is different from the nal_unit_type of the access unit delimiter.
US08472728B1

A system and method for determining inappropriate content within images. A plurality of training images are used to teach the machine. The training images are converted into numerical data and stored along with its human judged label in a BigMatrix. Through the BigMatrix, a RandomForest is created to discern patterns among the training images and human-judged labels. To determine whether an image contains inappropriate content, the image is converted into numerical data. The numerical data is fed to the RandomForest generated from the plurality of training images and known content. The numerical data is fed down each tree within the RandomForest. When the numerical data is routed down through the branches of the trees and terminated at a leaf node, a vote for the leaf node is obtained. The overall response of the RandomForest is given by a majority rules vote for each tree within the RandomForest.
US08472724B2

A system and method of reducing noise are disclosed. In one embodiment a system comprises an input configured to receive an input image, a filter configured to filter the input image to generate a filtered image, a weight generator configured to generate one or more edge weights related to at least one edge of the input image, a mixer configured to generate an output image based on the input image, the filtered image, and at least one of the edge weights, and an output configured to output the output image.
US08472722B2

Methods, systems, and media for swapping faces in images are provided. In some embodiments, a detected face and face data corresponding to an input image is received. A pose bin associated with the detected face is then identified based on the face data. Next, the detected face is aligned to a generic face associated with the pose bin. At least a portion of a candidate face associated with the pose bin is selected. The at least a portion of the candidate face is then copied to a copy of the input image that is aligned with the generic image to form a swapped-face image. The swapped-face image is next aligned to the input image to form an output image, and then the output image is outputted to a display.
US08472710B2

Encoding and decoding an image may be performed by setting a plurality of segments of a second color component block based on pixel values of a first color component block. The plurality of segments may be predicted by using different context pixels, and the second color component block may be encoded and decoded based on the predicted plurality of segments.
US08472709B2

An apparatus and method of the present disclosure provides an automatic banding region detection function for detecting an image region that has a smooth linear transition of color intensity and is prone to have banding artifacts in image processing. The apparatus and method use a parametric model based approach to detect the banding region. The apparatus and method provide for segmenting at least one first image into at least one homogeneous color region (304), estimating the linear transition of color intensity for the at least one homogeneous color region (308), and if the linear transition of color intensity is substantially smooth, classifying the at least one homogenous color region as a banding region (310).
US08472707B2

A method for automatically recognizing Arabic text includes digitizing a line of Arabic characters to form a two-dimensional array of pixels each associated with a pixel value, wherein the pixel value is expressed in a binary number, dividing the line of the Arabic characters into a plurality of line images, defining a plurality of cells in one of the plurality of line images, wherein each of the plurality of cells comprises a group of adjacent pixels, serializing pixel values of pixels in each of the plurality of cells in one of the plurality of line images to form a binary cell number, forming a text feature vector according to binary cell numbers obtained from the plurality of cells in one of the plurality of line images, and feeding the text feature vector into a Hidden Markov Model to recognize the line of Arabic characters.
US08472696B2

Provided is an observation condition determination support device which can improve the defect classification accuracy. The observation condition determination support device includes: a means (26) for acquiring a plurality of defects images which have captured the same defect under a plurality of observation conditions set in advance in an observation device (5) in accordance with check data relating to defects of a semiconductor device detected by an inspection device (4); a means (12) for classifying the plurality of the same defects according to the respective defect images and determining a first category to which the same defects belong for each of the observation conditions as a result of the classification; and a means (13) for determining an observation condition to be used when fabricating the semiconductor device among the plurality of the observation conditions according to the ratio at which the first category is matched with a second category determined by a user of the observation device who has classified the same defects.
US08472695B2

A method of analyzing of a semiconductor integrated circuit includes inspecting a physical defect in a semiconductor wafer, subjecting the semiconductor integrated circuit chip to a logic test and extracting a malfunctioning chip, analyzing a detected signal observed from the malfunctioning chip by an analyzer, obtaining the layer and coordinates of a circuit related the detected signal, collating the physical defect with the circuit, and identifying the physical defect associated with the circuit. The layer and coordinates of the circuit is extracted using design data. An inspection step identifying information is collated with the layer of the circuit, and an in-chip coordinates of the physical defect is collated with the coordinated of the circuit.
US08472691B2

A method for ascertaining the position of a structure in a body, comprising the method steps of: providing 3D data which represents a three-dimensional image of at least the part of the body which contains the structure; providing at least two 2D image data sets which each represent an x-ray image of a part of the body containing at least the structure, from a known viewing direction; generating virtual x-ray images from the 3D data for a virtual position of the 3D data, wherein for each viewing direction for which a 2D image data set has been provided, a corresponding virtual x-ray image is generated; comparing the virtual x-ray images in pairs with the corresponding 2D image data sets and generating a cumulative degree of similarity for the virtual position of the 3D data from all the comparisons; repeating the steps of generating virtual x-ray images, comparing in pairs and generating a cumulative degree of similarity for different virtual positions of the 3D data; and ascertaining the position of the structure in the body from the virtual position of the 3D data which results in the greatest cumulative degree of similarity.
US08472690B2

Methods and systems are described for optimizing particular protocol parameters used in phase contrast magnetic resonance (PCMR) imaging. Optimal settings for PCMR protocol parameters such as coordinates, field of view (FOV), frequency/phase encoding lines, number of excitations (NEX), slice thickness, views per segment (VPS), and coil setting may be determined based upon the cut position/orientation of an image containing a vessel of interest, vessel size, length of the vessel segment, and heart rate. An optimal velocity encoding gradient (VENC) for PCMR may also be determined that both avoids aliasing and ensures an adequate signal-to-noise ratio.
US08472687B2

A method of processing a 3-dimensional Computed Tomography Colonography data set to remove tagged material is disclosed. The method involves the preliminary processing step of classifying voxels in the data set as corresponding to air, tagged material or colon tissue. Methods of overcoming erroneous classification of Partial Volume air/tagged material interface voxels are disclosed. The present invention also provides for methods of circumventing problems resulting from removal of tagged material from a CTC data set, which can result in the erosion of soft-tissue structures partially covered by tagged colonic fluid.
US08472684B1

This invention provides a system and method for fusing and synthesizing a plurality of medical images defined by a plurality of imaging parameters that allow the visual enhancements of each image data set to be selectively combined with those of other image datasets. In this manner, a user-defined parameter set can be generated in the final response image dataset. This final response image dataset displays visual data represents a form particularly useful to the clinician. In an illustrative embodiment, the system for fusing and synthesizing the plurality of medical images provides an image fusion process/processor that fuses a plurality of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) datasets. A first image dataset of the MRI datasets is defined by apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) values. A second image dataset of the MRI datasets is defined by at least one parameter other than the ADC values. The image fusion processor generates a fused response image that visually displays a combination of image features generated by the ADC values combined with image features generated by the at least one parameter other than the ADC values. The fused response image can illustratively include at least one of color-enhanced regions of interest and intensity-enhanced regions of interest.
US08472681B2

An iris and ocular recognition system using trace transforms. The system may acquire an eye image and provide it to an image quality metrics determination module for a quality evaluation to indicate whether the image goes to an iris recognition module and/or a trace transform module. The trace transform may also be used as a pre-filtering mechanism to determine a small database from bigger datasets. If the quality evaluation reaches a predefined quality measure, the image may be passed immediately to the iris recognition module. If not, the image may go to the trace transform module. If the quality evaluation is too poor for the latter, the image may be rejected subject to rehabilitation or reacquisition. A processed image from the iris recognition module may result in an only best match. A processed image from the trace transform module may be lined up instead with the most probable matches.
US08472680B2

A biometric register includes: a feature extraction unit for performing preprocessing for a fingerprint to extract a feature point m for the fingerprint; a transformation function generation unit for generating a transformation function which is composed of an arbitrary rotation matrix and an arbitrary vector; and a template generation unit for transforming a coordinate of the feature point m using the generated transformation function, and organizing a fuzzy vault using a randomly generated fake feature point and a feature point m1 applied by the transformed coordinate, thereby generating a one-time template.
US08472679B2

A biometric information processing apparatus includes: a biometric information acquiring unit which acquires a user's biometric information and generates a biometric input image representing the biometric information; and a processing unit. The processing unit implements: generating a first intermediate image by applying first image processing to the biometric input image; generating a second intermediate image by applying second image processing to the biometric input image; detecting, from each of the first and second intermediate images, a singular point candidate; calculating a distance between the singular point candidates detected from each of the first and second intermediate images for the same singular point contained in the biometric information; calculating a quality metric for the biometric input image based on the distance; and if the quality metric is not higher than a predefined threshold value, then prompting the user to have the user's biometric information reacquired by the biometric information acquiring unit.
US08472678B2

The present invention relates to a method for performing an image matching process for panoramic images. The method includes the steps of: (a) creating a connection(s) among images of a specific object respectively included in at least two panoramic images, if some objects included in the at least two panoramic images are recognized as the specific object by referring to information on shooting places of multiple panoramic images and information on directions of respective objects on the multiple panoramic images; and (b) matching an image of a certain object inputted as a query with at least one of images included in a specific connection and providing a search result for the query by referring to a result of the image matching process and the specific connection.
US08472677B2

A method for identifying a printing plate for a document includes: printing at least one document with the plate, capturing, at high resolution, at least one image of at least one part of the document, extracting a geometric characteristic of at least one captured image, storing the geometric characteristic extracted, for a candidate document where one seeks to determine whether the printing plate was used to print it, capturing, at high resolution, an image of the part of the candidate document corresponding to the part of the document for which a geometric characteristic has been stored, extracting the geometric characteristic of the image of the candidate document corresponding to the stored geometric characteristic; and determining whether a correlation measurement of the geometric characteristic for the candidate document and the stored geometric characteristic is greater than a pre-defined limit value.
US08472671B2

The present invention provides a tracking apparatus for tracking a target designated on an image which is captured by an image sensing element, including a calculation unit configured to calculate, for each of feature candidate colors, a first area of a pixel group which includes a pixel of a feature candidate color of interest and in which pixels of colors similar to the feature candidate color of interest continuously appear, a second area of pixels of colors similar to the feature candidate color of interest in the plurality of pixels, and a ratio of the first area to the second area, and an extraction unit configured to extract a feature candidate color having the smallest first area as a feature color of the target from feature candidate colors for each of which the ratio of the first area to the second area is higher than a predetermined reference ratio.
US08472665B2

A camera is used to detect a position and/or orientation of an object such as a user's finger as an approach for providing user input, for example to scroll through data, control a cursor position, and provide input to control a video game based on a position of a user's finger. Input may be provided to a handheld device, including, for example, cell phones, video games systems, portable music (MP3) players, portable video players, personal data assistants (PDAs), audio/video equipment remote controls, and consumer digital cameras, or other types of devices.
US08472659B2

A multimode audio reproduction device is disclosed that comprises first and second audio reproduction modules coupled by a support structure. The first and second audio reproduction modules are movable between two configurations. In the first configuration the audio reproduction device serves as a loudspeaker while in the second configuration the audio reproduction device serves as a headphone.
US08472658B2

A hand-held, portable electronic device is provided with a retainer port that defines an accessory retaining structure formed in an exterior periphery of a device housing for removably retaining a retainable wireless accessory in a cavity of the accessory retaining structure. In one embodiment of the present invention, the hand-held, portable electronic device includes a first transceiver adapted to communicate with the retainable wireless accessory over a short-range wireless communication link. The retainable wireless accessory may include a second transceiver adapted to communicate with the hand-held, portable electronic device using the short-range wireless communication link.
US08472654B2

Provided is an implanted hearing instrument having reduced sensitivity to vibration. In this regard, the instrument differentiates between the desirable and undesirable signals within an implanted microphone response. In one arrangement, an observer identifies a current operating state of the implanted hearing instrument and one or more cancellation filters are adjusted based on the current operating state. The cancellation filter(s) are used to reduce undesired signals form the implanted microphone response. In a first arrangement, the output of the implanted hearing instrument may be filtered and removed from the implanted microphone response to reduce or substantially eliminate feedback in the microphone signal provided to an implanted signal processor.
US08472652B2

An audio reproduction system includes an arrangement of audio speakers of a first kind having a first degree of directivity in combination with at least one audio speaker of a second kind having a second degree of directivity. In order to create a virtual sound source at a desired distance to a listener's position, the second degree of directivity is substantially larger than the first degree of directivity.
US08472650B2

An electro-acoustic transducer is disclosed. The electro-acoustic transducer includes an electret diaphragm, an orifice plate and a plurality of dividing structures. Each of the dividing structures, disposed between the electret diaphragm and the orifice plate, includes at least one main portion, and the number of the main portion is a positive integer. When the number of the main portion is larger than one, the main portions are respectively connected to a center and extended radially from the center.
US08472640B2

A video teleconferencing directional microphone includes three microphone elements arranged coincidentally on a vertical axis. The three microphone elements are placed on a supporting surface so that a first microphone element is on the surface, and the second and third microphone elements are elevated above the supporting surface. The directional microphone also includes three filters, a summing node, and an equalizer, which are used to shape the directivity pattern of the directional microphone into an elevated toroid sensitivity pattern. The elevated toroid sensitivity pattern increases sensitivity in the direction of a sound source of interest, but reduces sensitivity to any sound waves generated by noise sources at other locations.
US08472635B2

A system for countering ambient noise when operating an address system in at least one compartment of a passenger transport unit includes: (a) a noise control unit; and (b) at least one memory unit coupled with the noise control unit. The at least one memory unit stores noise characteristic information relating with at least one operational condition of the transport unit. The noise control unit employs the noise characteristic information to effect the countering.
US08472632B2

An audio system with a dynamic sound field adaptation to follow a listeners position. The audio system includes a relative location determination mechanism for determining the relative positions of at least all sound emitting components of the audio system with respect to each other, a personal device detector for detecting a personal device belonging to a user, a personal device position tracking mechanism for tracking the position of the personal device, and a re-calibration mechanism for re-calibrating the sound field such that the sweet spot of the sound field is placed at the current position of the personal device.
US08472627B2

Access to digital data is controlled by encrypting the data in such a manner that it can be decrypted only at a specified location, within a specific time frame, and with a secret key. Data encrypted in such a manner is said to be geo-encrypted. This geo-encryption process comprises a method in which plaintext data is first encrypted using a data encrypting key that is generated at the time of encryption. The data encrypting key is then encrypted (or locked) using a key encrypting key and information derived from the location of the intended receiver. The encrypted data encrypting key is then transmitted to the receiver along with the ciphertext data. The receiver both must be at the correct location and must have a copy of the corresponding key decrypting key in order to derive the location information and decrypt the data encrypting key.
US08472625B2

A video receiver receives a compressed 3D video comprising a base view video and an enhancement view video. The base view video and the enhancement view video are encrypted using same encryption engine and buffered into corresponding coded data buffers (CDBs), respectively. The buffered base view and enhancement view videos are decrypted using same decryption engine corresponding to the encryption engine. The decrypted base view and enhancement view videos are decoded for viewing. The video receiver is also operable to encrypt video content of the received compressed 3D video according to corresponding view information and/or coding layer information. The resulting encrypted video content and unencrypted video content of the received compressed 3D video are buffered into corresponding CDBs, respectively. The buffered encrypted video content are decrypted and are decoded together with the buffered unencrypted video content of the received compressed 3D video for reviewing.
US08472624B2

A method and a system for generating a scrambled data stream is described, wherein the method comprises: providing a code book comprising code information for scrambling data in data stream comprising one or more service streams; generating a control word request associated with at least one crypto period in at least one of said service streams; in response to said control word request, generating on the basis of said code information at least one control word associated with said crypto period in said service stream; and, scrambling data associated with at least one of said service streams using said control word.
US08472620B2

A portable electronic device for exchanging encrypted data with other electronic devices includes a processor, a memory operatively coupled to the processor, and a prime number generation circuit operatively coupled to the processor and memory. The prime number generation circuit includes logic that generates at least two prime numbers based on unique data stored in the electronic device, wherein said at least two prime numbers are always the same at least two prime numbers. The generated prime numbers then can be used to generate RSA public and private keys within the electronic device.
US08472608B2

A method and system for providing directory assistance to erroneous calls. The method and system includes an intercept system that intercepts erroneous calls and automatically routes them to a directory assistance service. The directory assistance service provides a least one advertisement, directory assistance information and derived information including caller demographics information.
US08472601B2

Methods and devices for controlling a charging of a composite service in a telecommunications network are described. The composite service comprises an invocation of a constituent service. The telecommunications network comprises a control node for controlling the composite service, a service node for providing the constituent service, and a charging system for performing the charging. The method comprises the steps of receiving from the service node a first usage report comprising charging indicators related to the invocation of the constituent service, receiving from the control node control information related to the composite service, the control information indicating that the invocation of the constituent service is associated to the invocation of the composite service, generating a further usage report by changing the charging indicators according to the control information, and sending the further usage report to the charging system to instruct the charging system to perform the charging according to the further usage report.
US08472588B2

An emergency call service system in an Internet Protocol (IP) network and a method thereof are provided. The system includes a policy control server, an emergency call agent, a call agent, and a network manager. The policy control server generates position information of a user terminal by mapping an IP address and local information to an identification (ID) of the user terminal. The emergency call agent detects a suitable emergency center for the user terminal sending an emergency call, and makes an emergency-call connection between the user terminal and the emergency center. The call agent relays the emergency call of the user terminal to the emergency call agent. The network manager stores position information of the user terminal generated through the policy control server, provides the emergency call agent with the position information of the user terminal sending the emergency call, and performs a resource reservation for the emergency-call connection.
US08472579B2

A communication system includes master host unit, hybrid expansion unit, and remote antenna unit. Master host unit communicates analog signals with service provider interfaces. Master host unit and hybrid expansion unit communicate N-bit words of digitized spectrum over communication link. Hybrid expansion unit converts between N-bit words and analog spectrum. Hybrid expansion unit and remote antenna unit communicate analog spectrum over analog communication medium. Remote antenna unit transmits and receives wireless signals over air interfaces. Master host unit includes master clock distribution unit that generates digital master reference clock signal. Master host unit communicates digital master reference clock signal over communication link. Hybrid expansion unit receives digital master reference clock signal from master host unit over communication link and generates analog reference clock signal based on digital master reference clock signal. Hybrid expansion unit sends, and remote antenna unit receives, analog reference clock signal across analog communication medium.
US08472575B2

A method of assessing a received signal acquired through a physical channel and comprising a pilot channel, the method comprising estimating from an oversampled version of the received signal an oversampled response for the physical channel and quantifying noise in the received signal using the oversampled received signal and the oversampled channel response.
US08472568B1

A method for communication includes receiving a communication signal conveying multiple encoded bits of an Error Correction Code (ECC). Respective N-bit soft decoding metrics are computed with respect to the bits of the ECC. A scaling factor is computed based on at least one characteristic of the N-bit soft decoding metrics and on at least one property of the received communication signal. The N-bit soft decoding metrics are scaled by the scaling factor. The scaled N-bit soft decoding metrics are quantized to produce respective K-bit metrics, K
US08472565B2

An apparatus for processing a received signal, method thereof, and mapping rule selecting method are disclosed, by which radio communications can be smoothly carried out in a receiving terminal (200) receiving signals via at least two antennas (201a) in a manner of estimating data accurately. The present invention includes performing transmission according to an adaptively decided mapping rule and demapping on a symbol signal received via the plurality of antennas (201a), extracting reliability information for bit signal obtained from the demapping, and re-performing the demapping on the symbol signal received via the plurality of antennas (201 a) using the reliability information.
US08472564B1

An automatic zero-crossing signal demodulation and classification device for rapidly identifying unknown modulation in a signal identifies unknown modulation in a signal, demodulates differential phase shift keying signals and automatically recognizes certain phase shift keying signals. This is accomplished by eliminating unknown term fc in differential phase estimation, introducing a symbol rate tracking mechanism, applying hysteresis nonlinearity to eliminate phase shaping effect and using weighted average to estimate phase difference. Better estimates are accomplished by using hysteretic nonlinear function to detect zero-crossing points in eliminating false detecting of zero-crossing points caused by additive noise, and calculating differential phase without directly using center frequency to simplify estimation process. Present invention also encompasses automated zero-crossing signal surveillance demodulation and classification device for rapidly identifying unknown modulation in a signal and method for automatic zero-crossing demodulation and classification of unknown modulation signal.
US08472563B2

A signal processing apparatus includes a first baseline wander correcting unit, provided in a processing path in which a predetermined processing is performed on an input signal, which corrects baseline wander by a feedforward and a second baseline wander correcting unit, provided anterior to the first baseline wander unit, which corrects the baseline wander by a feedback control. The first baseline wander correcting unit derives an amount of baseline wander. Further, it calculates a value corresponding to an average value of the amount of derived baseline wander and fine-adjusts a correction amount of baseline. Then it corrects the baseline wander by using the fine-adjusted baseline amount. The second baseline wander correcting unit calculates a value corresponding to an average value of the amount of baseline wander derived by the baseline wander derivation unit and coarse-adjusts a correction amount of baseline, and corrects the baseline wander by using the coarse-adjusted baseline amount. The fine correcting by the first baseline wander correcting unit and the coarse correcting by the second baseline correcting unit ensure efficient correction of baseline wander.
US08472550B2

This invention provides a method for exploiting precoder optimization gains and multi-user diversity gains with interference alignment in general MIMO wireless networks including multiple users. Specifically, two embodiments exploit either a gradient-based search or iteratively orthogonalizing inference. The method can achieve near-optimal performance at a low complexity. Furthermore, a scheduling criterion is provided for wireless networks comprised of a large number of mobile stations in each cell. The criterion can be done independently in each cell to significantly reduce information exchanged between base stations in different cells compared to the methods that perform joint scheduling over all cells. The two embodiments can be utilized in a spectrally efficient communications network equipped with relaying nodes.
US08472547B2

One aspect of the teachings herein relates to signaling codebook restrictions, to restrict the precoder recommendations being fed back from a remote transceiver, so that precoder selections made by the remote receiver are restricted to permitted subsets of overall precoders within a defined set of overall precoders, or to permitted subsets within larger sets of conversion precoders and tuning precoders, for the case where the overall precoders are represented in factorized form by conversion and tuning precoders. As a non-limiting example, these teachings advantageously provide for precoder restrictions in LTE or LTE-Advanced networks, where ongoing development targets the use of larger, richer sets of precoders, and where the disclosed mechanisms for determining, signaling, and responding to subset restrictions provide significant operational advantages.
US08472536B2

A method of controlling interference in a wireless communication system is disclosed. A method for controlling interference by a transmitter of a wireless communication system with multiple antennas comprises generating a base codebook subset including at least one precoding matrix selected from a base codebook; transmitting a base codebook subset indication, which represents the at least one precoding matrix included in the base codebook subset, to a receiver; and precoding data using the base codebook subset or the base codebook.
US08472534B2

One exemplary embodiment can describe a method for communicating. The method for communicating can include a step for identifying characteristics of a communications channel, a step for identifying a set of nonlinear functions used to generate waveforms, a step for assigning a unique numeric code to each waveform, a step for transmitting a numeric sequence as a series of waveforms, a step for receiving the series of waveforms, and a step for decoding the series of waveforms.
US08472522B2

A video encoding method includes setting candidates for reference pixels to pixels within a predetermined distance range measured from an encoding target block; generating a predicted signal by sequentially selecting reference pixels used for the intra prediction of the encoding target block from among the reference pixel candidates while changing a distance condition from the encoding target block, and by generating the predicted signal based on the reference pixels for each distance condition; computing an encoding cost required for subjecting the encoding target block to intra prediction encoding using each generated predicted signal; finally determining reference pixels used for the intra prediction of the encoding target block based on each computed encoding cost; and encoding information which indicates the position of the determined reference pixels.
US08472520B2

Systems, apparatus, and methods are provided to enhance transmitting and receiving video data streams with feedback information over a lossy and/or congested network. The systems, apparatus, and methods may optimize retransmission for lost packets or lost data frames. Optimizations are also provided to select reference frames in a data stream so that block errors are contained when RPS is used to encode data frames. Optimization in decoding may include reconstructing high-resolution data frames from low-resolution data frames.
US08472519B2

The method includes obtaining initialization information of a reference picture list for a random access slice, obtaining type information indicating whether the random access slice is predicted for a single direction or a bi-direction, initializing the reference picture list using the initialization information according to the type information, obtaining modification information for the initialized reference picture list from a multi-view video data stream, determining an assignment modification value for modifying an inter-view reference index in the initialized reference picture list according to the modification information, and modifying the initialized reference picture list for inter-view prediction using the determined assignment modification value.
US08472514B2

A circuit and method perform adaptive spectral enhancement at a frequency ω1 (also called “fundamental” frequency) on an input signal y which includes electromagnetic interference (EMI) at an unknown frequency, to generate a fundamental-enhanced signal φ1 (or its complement). The fundamental-enhanced signal φ1 (or complement) is thereafter used in a notching circuit (also called “fundamental notching” circuit) to generate a fundamental-notched signal y−φ1. The fundamental-notched signal y−φ1 is itself enhanced to generate a harmonic-enhanced signal φ2 that is used to notch the fundamental-notched signal y−φ1 again, in one or more additional notching circuits that are connected in series with the fundamental notching circuit. The result (“cascaded-harmonic-notched” signal) is relatively free of EMI noise (fundamental and harmonics), and is used as an error signal for an adaptation circuit that in turn identifies the fundamental frequency ω1. Use of a cascaded-harmonic-notched signal as the error signal improves speed of convergence of adaptation.
US08472506B2

Channel state information in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) pre-coding system is quantized onto a codebook, which comprises one or more unitary matrices, using a cost function. Voronoi regions are computed from the codebook. The codebook may be updated based on the computed Voronoi regions. The channel state information may comprise a matrix V. The cost function f(A) is defined by the following relationship: f ⁡ ( A ) = ( 1 N ⁢ ∑ j = 1 N ⁢  a jj  2 ) where A is a matrix of size N by N and aij is element (i,j) of matrix A. Voronoi regions may be generated from the codebook for the unitary matrices. A set of matrices based on the Voronoi regions and the unitary matrices may be generated. Updating the codebook may be achieved by modifying the set of matrices into a new set of unitary matrices, where the new set of unitary matrices become the codebook.
US08472504B2

A method for optimizing an acquisition phase of a spread-spectrum signal by a mobile receiver includes searching for a trend path having the maximum energy for different frequency assumptions and among all the positive trend paths of frequencies between initial and final instants marking the beginning and the end of a coherent signal integration.
US08472503B2

A method and apparatus for performing frequency analysis of sub-epoch correlations to estimate an unknown frequency of a received signal is provided. The method includes forming a sequence of correlation values from a plurality of correlations performed over a period less than a repeating period of a code, and analyzing the sequence of correlation values to estimate the frequency that is used to receive a signal comprising the code.
US08472502B2

Examples are disclosed for transmitting and receiving schemes for multiuser single-carrier space time spreading (STS) with frequency domain equalization.
US08472500B2

A method of demodulating at a receiver a plurality of symbols bk comprised in a e.g. UWB, received signal y(t), said receiver having knowledge of a time hopping sequence vector c of the transmitted signal, said method comprising the step of: generating a plurality of frequency-domain samples from the received signal y(t). It further comprises the steps of: from said plurality of frequency-domain samples and said time hopping sequence vector c, applying a coarse estimation stage (7) for identifying the beginning of a first complete symbol (formula A) in an acquisition interval; applying a stage for fine estimation (8) of the time delay (formula B) of each symbol bk, wherein k denotes the k-th symbol, by searching a relative maximum at which a signal energy distribution exceeds a certain threshold Pth; from said fine estimation of the time delay (formula B) of each symbol bk, demodulating (formula C) said symbols bk.
US08472495B2

A laser device includes a substrate, a lower cladding layer on the substrate, an active layer on the lower cladding layer and having a disordered portion spaced from an end face of a resonator of the laser device, an upper cladding layer located on the active layer, and a diffraction grating located in a portion of a layer lying above or below the active layer, with respect to the substrate. The disordered portion intersects a boundary between a diffraction grating section, in which the diffraction grating is located, and a bulk section, in which no diffraction grating is located.
US08472492B2

Included are: an active layer provided between an upper multilayer film reflecting mirror and a lower multilayer film reflecting mirror formed on a GaAs substrate and formed of a periodic structure of a low-refractive-index layer formed of AlxGa1-xAs (0.8≦x≦1) and a high-refractive-index layer formed of AlyGa1-yAs (0≦y≦x), at least one of the low-refractive-index layer and the high-refractive-index layer being of n-type; and a lower electrode provided between the lower multilayer film reflecting mirror and the active layer and configured to inject an electric current into the active layer.
US08472489B2

A light-emitting device having a ring optical resonator and capable of laser oscillation by a novel structure realized by working out the mechanism of light emission. The light-emitting device having a ring optical resonator fabricated on a base is characterized in that the optical resonator has a core made of a semiconductor and serving to propagate light and a clad formed on at least the base side of the core in the stack direction out of the base side and the opposite side of the core, at least the ring inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the core are covered with a transparent body having an index of refraction lower than that of the space or the clad, and a part of the ring inner and outer peripheral surfaces of the clad are covered with a transparent body having an index of refraction lower than that of the space or the clad.
US08472488B2

An algorithm to drive a semiconductor laser diode (LD) is disclosed. The algorithm assumes that the modulation current to keep the extinction ratio in constant has temperature dependence represented by an exponential function under the average output power of the LD is kept constant by an auto-power-control (APC). When a tracking error exists and the approximation by an exponential function is turned out in failure, the algorithm adds a correction to the exponential function determined by a difference between a practically measured modulation current and another modulation current calculated from a value determined for a bared LD.
US08472484B2

A signal processing circuit for controlling reading of segment data from a buffer in which a plurality of segment data generated by dividing a frame and received via a plurality of switches which direct each of the segment data to a designated destination are stored, comprises: a start detecting unit which detects a starting segment representing the first transmitted segment data to the switch among the segment data received after the buffer has emptied; a transmission time acquiring unit which acquires a transmission time at which the starting segment was transmitted to the switch; and a read timing control unit which determines, based on the transmission time, a read timing for reading the segment data from the buffer.
US08472482B2

In particular embodiments, there are provided methods and apparatus including receiving one or more Infiniband signal streams, de-serializing the received one or more Infiniband signal streams to generate a corresponding one or more parallel data streams, de-serializing further including selectively adding or deleting a control symbol associated with a quiescent period of the one or more received signal streams, time-division multiplexing the generated one or more parallel data streams, and serializing the time division multiplexed one or more parallel data streams.
US08472481B2

A DTV transmitting system includes two pre-processors. The first pre-processor codes high-priority enhanced data for forward error correction (FEC) and expands the FEC-coded data. The second pre-processor codes low-priority enhanced data for FEC and expands the FEC-coded low-priority enhanced data. The DTV transmitting system further includes a data formatter generating enhanced data packets including the pre-processed data, a multiplexer multiplexing the enhanced data packets with main data packets, an RS encoder RS-coding the multiplexed data packets, a data interleaves interleaving the RS-coded data packets, and a block processor which codes each block of enhanced data in the interleaved enhanced data packets and bypasses the interleaved main data packets.
US08472474B2

A packet communication control device transfers a control packet and a data packet and includes a plurality of sending units and a multiplexer which separates a data communication path and a control communication path, multiplexes the control packets and transfers the multiplexed control packets by the control communication path and the data packet by the data control path. The average Round Trip communication time can be shortened and the hardware cost can be reduced because the Shortest-Job-First control is implemented by separating data communication pathway from control communication pathway logistically or physically, and also multiplexing the control communication pathway with control packet.
US08472470B1

An apparatus including a first interface module, a second interface module, and a first physical layer device. The first interface module is configured to interface the apparatus to a copper medium. The second interface module is configured to interface the apparatus to a fiber-optic medium. The first physical layer device is configured to generate a control signal in response to establishing a link over the copper medium via the first interface module. The control signal (i) activates a link indicator to indicate status of the link over the copper medium and (ii) deactivates the second interface module.
US08472468B2

A physical frame is constructed, the physical frame including a medium access control super-frame payload which in turn includes a plurality of medium access control frames. With respect to the constructed physical frame, virtual carrier sense information is set in the plurality of medium access control frame so that a result of carrier sense is identical to another by virtual carrier sense based on the plurality of medium access control frames in the medium access control super-frame payload. The physical frame in which the virtual carrier sense information has been set is transmitted to a destined communication apparatus.
US08472465B2

A method for determining the radio frame structure of a Time Division Duplex system is disclosed, which comprises: configuring, by the network side, the radio frame structure used for service transmission as containing two half-frames each of 5 ms, wherein each half-frame consists of eight service time slots of 0.5 ms and one special time slot field of 1 ms, two consecutive service time slots form a subframe of which the length is 1 ms, and the special time slot field contains a DwPTS, a GP and an UpPTS; determining the lengths of the DwPTS, the GP and the UpPTS in the special time slot field according to the requirements of the coverage range, and determining the radio frame structure used for service transmission. By reconfiguring the radio frame structure, the invention can flexibly support different coverage ranges, enhance the flexibility of satisfying different service requirements, and implement the coexistence of two types of TDD systems.
US08472463B1

Certain exemplary embodiments comprise a method that can comprise wirelessly transmitting a thin Beacon message from an Access Point in a wireless local area network cell. The thin Beacon message can be transmitted during a superframe subsequent to a Beacon message. The thin Beacon message can be transmitted at a predetermined thin Beacon time interval. The time period between consecutive Beacon and/or thin Beacon messages can be divided further into a thin CFP and a thin CP.
US08472452B2

A packet processor provides for rule matching of packets in a network architecture. The packet processor includes a lookup cluster complex having a number of lookup engines and respective on-chip memory units. The on-chip memory stores rules for matching against packet data. Each of the lookup engines receives a key request associated with a packet and determines a subset of the rules to match against the packet data. As a result of the rule matching, the lookup engine returns a response message indicating whether a match is found.
US08472447B2

Aggregation Switches connected via a virtual fabric link (VFL) are each active and able to perform at least limited IP multicast snooping. The resulting IP multicast snooping information is maintained internally within each Aggregation Switch and shared substantially in real-time therebetween via the VFL.
US08472434B2

A circuit service tunneling system is provided. The circuit service tunneling system has a first and a second mobile service network, and a user equipment. The first mobile service network provides packet-switched domain services and the second mobile service network provides circuit-switched domain services. An interworking system in the second mobile service network interconnects the first mobile service network with the second mobile service network, by connecting to a mobility management entity in the first mobile service network, to enable the first mobile service network to provide the circuit-switched domain service to the user equipment via the second mobile service network.
US08472429B2

The present invention relates to a device (1) for transmission of communication signals between a master station location and a number of subscribers and in particular a device for transmission of a first communication signal in the form of an analogue telephone signal or ISDN data signal. The device contains corresponding interface means (11) for this. It is provided according to the invention that the device (1) is developed such that a further interface means (3) in the form of a DSL modem can be linked, in order additionally to transmit a second communication signal, preferably a broadband communication signal, over ports (15) for the transmission of the first communication signal. For this purpose, the device contains correspondingly developed distribution or addition means.
US08472424B2

Techniques for efficiently sending data in a wireless communication system are described. Time frequency resources available for orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM), which exclude time frequency resources used for traffic data and signaling sent with code division multiplexing (CDM), may be determined. The time frequency resources available for OFDM may be partitioned into multiple tiles. Each tile may be defined based on multiple OFDM symbol numerologies and may have a non-rectangular shape. Each terminal may be assigned at least one tile. A pilot pattern may be selected for each terminal from among multiple pilot patterns, which may support different delay spreads, spatial ranks, etc. Data and pilot may be exchanged with each terminal via the time frequency resources in the at least one tile assigned to the terminal. OFDM symbols may be processed based on multiple OFDM symbol numerologies for each assigned tile.
US08472421B2

A method and system for avoiding hanging Packet Data Protocol (PDP) contexts in a General Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network. A time-out period is included in a request message to create a PDP context. The request message is transmitted from a first GPRS Support Node (GSN) to a second GSN. The second GSN receives the request message and transmits a response message to the first GSN. If the second GSN is unable to create the PDP context within the time-out period, the response message informs the first GSN that creation of the PDP context has been aborted. A Network Service Access Point Identifier (NSAPI) may be included in the response message so that the first GSN may request the second GSN to delete the request for creating the PDP context after a N3-T3 timeout of the first GSN has expired.
US08472402B2

An apparatus and a method for providing a handover using an Mobile Station IDentifier (MS ID) in a wireless communication system are provided. In the method, at least one Base Station (BS) ID index assigned to a serving base station by at least one neighbor base station is confirmed. A target base station for a handover is confirmed. A temporary MS ID is formed using a BS ID index assigned to the serving base station by the target base station, and an MS ID index assigned to the mobile station by the serving base station. A network re-entry procedure with the target base station is performed using the temporary MS ID. Communication with the serving base station is performed until the network re-entry procedure with the target base station is completed.
US08472389B2

A radio resource management apparatus and radio resource management method, the radio resource management apparatus including a resource allocation section that, when a plurality of control channel elements are allocated to a physical downlink control channel for downlink data transmission, generates resource allocation information on control channel element numbers corresponding to the plurality of control channel elements, such that the control channel element numbers are different between neighboring cells, and a reporting section that reports an allocation result in the resource allocation section to a subordinate radio communication base station apparatus.
US08472387B2

A method for establishing a connection between user equipment (UE) and an associated network includes receiving at the UE a notification indicating either a start of a broadcast service or an availability of the broadcast service, such that the notification comprises an identifier which identifies the broadcast service. The method further includes receiving at the UE a setup message which establishes a point-to-point radio bearer between the UE and the network, such that the setup message comprises the identifier which is used to identify that the radio bearer carriers the broadcast service.
US08472383B1

A method in a receiving device that receives data from a plurality of transmitting devices via a shared wireless communication channel includes selecting a group of two or more transmitting devices from the plurality of transmitting devices for simultaneous transmission of respective data to the receiving device, so that each transmitting device in the group of transmitting devices transmits the respective data to the receiving device at a nominal power level of the transmitting device, and receiving the respective data from each in the group of transmitting devices simultaneously via the shared wireless communication channel.
US08472380B2

A method, system, apparatus and article are described for managing enhanced multicast broadcast services. In some embodiments, for example, a first connection may be established using a first wireless communication protocol, scheduling information for one or more multicast or broadcast data services may be received using the first wireless communication protocol, one or more of the multicast or broadcast data services may be selected, and a second connection using a second wireless communication protocol may be established to receive the one or more selected multicast or broadcast data services. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US08472375B2

A method and apparatus for user data traffic handling for an EVDO enabled hybrid mode mobile device, the method having the steps of: blocking a system selection at the mobile device until no EVDO traffic state exists, the blocking step includes either monitoring whether a user changes a scan mode on the mobile device; and if the user changes the scan mode, checking whether the mobile device is in an EVDO traffic state; and if yes delaying a system selection until the EVDO traffic state is ended, or monitoring whether a user is in an EVDO traffic state, and if yes, preventing a user from accessing a scan mode menu on the mobile device.
US08472370B2

An apparatus is capable of restoring a clock of a second node in a communication system with a symmetric network construction of a first node that is capable of receiving a Global Positioning System (GPS) signal, and the second node that is not capable of receiving a GPS signal. The method includes identifying synchronization information received from the first node, determining a delay with the first node, generating a clock using the synchronization information and delay, removing a clock phase being out of a reference range in a phase identification interval, dividing the phase identification interval into at least two subdivision intervals, and removing a clock phase being out of a normal operation range of a phase in each subdivision interval.
US08472369B2

An uplink scheduling method using one bit per user feedback includes: receiving one-bit feedback of the user's channel condition from a plurality of users, the one-bit feedback of the user's channel condition corresponds to a value of the cumulative distribution function of the user's instantaneous achievable rate; selecting a user from the users whose channel condition is equal to or greater than a predetermined threshold; and transmitting data at an instantaneous achievable rate of the selected user.
US08472368B2

Methods and arrangements in a network node and mobile terminal, respectively, in a wireless communication system supporting aggregation of component carriers. The method in a network node involves, when resources on at least two downlink component carriers are being assigned to a mobile terminal at the same time, allocating (908) control information bits not related to power control in a bit field, which is normally used for power control in a message on a physical downlink control channel associated with one of said at least two downlink component carriers. The method in a mobile terminal involves, using control information bits not related to power control obtained from a bit field, which is normally used for power control in a message on a physical downlink control channel associated with one of said at least two downlink component carriers, for locating information related to downlink or uplink transmissions.
US08472358B2

Method and apparatus in a communication unit employing a wireless TDD or half duplex FDD transmission arrangement when communicating with a data sending party, for scheduling feedback reports for data blocks in received receive (RX) sub-frames, in transmit (TX) sub-frames available for transmission. An obtaining unit in the communication unit receives allocation parameters for the connection where the number of required feedback reports is greater than the number of allowed feedback reports. A scheduling unit in the communication unit then schedules feedback reports in available TX sub-frames according to a predetermined spreading rule also known by the data sending party, dictating that the feedback reports are spread out or distributed evenly over the available TX sub-frames. In this way, the number of feedback reports in a TX sub-frame can be reduced.
US08472351B2

A Fast Ethernet and HDMI Ethernet channel (HEC) physical layer circuit. The physical layer circuit comprises a Fast Ethernet physical layer module implementing a physical layer specification of a Fast Ethernet communication standard; a hybrid circuit connected to the fast Ethernet physical layer module using a first twisted-pair wire and a second twisted-pair wire and capable of processing transmit and receive HDMI Ethernet channel (HEC) signals concurrently transported over a third twisted-pair wire; a switch for bypassing the hybrid circuit; and a controller for controlling the operation the hybrid circuit and the switch according to the operating mode of the physical layer circuit, wherein the operation mode of the physical layer circuit is any of a fast Ethernet and a HEC.
US08472350B2

Embodiments of the invention include a method performed by a bank aware mtrie control module for distributing a plurality of mtrie levels across a plurality of memory banks. The bank aware mtrie control module identifies the plurality of memory banks present and identifies one or more mtrie blocks in one or more mtrie levels, each mtrie block is an array of mtrie nodes associated with an mtrie level. The bank aware mtrie control module stores each mtrie block in one of the plurality of memory banks, all mtrie nodes in a given mtrie block are stored in the same memory bank. For each subsequent mtrie level, the bank aware mtrie control module ensures that each of the mtrie blocks in that mtrie level is stored in one of the plurality of memory banks other than the memory bank storing mtrie blocks of an immediately previous mtrie level.
US08472346B1

In general, principles of the invention relate to techniques for detecting data plane failures in Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) Label-Switched Paths (LSPs) that may be tunneled over one or more other LSPs. More specifically, the techniques described herein allow for testing connectivity of an LSP that is tunneled through at least one other LSP, and testing connectivity of an inter-autonomous system LSP. For example, a method comprises providing, with an intermediate label-switching router (LSR) of an LSP, instructions to an ingress LSR of the LSP to modify a forwarding equivalence class (FEC) stack of MPLS echo request packets. The intermediate LSR may provide the instructions within an MPLS echo reply packet.
US08472337B2

The invention discloses a method (300) for a cellular system (100) with a first node (110) which controls traffic to and from users (120) in a cell (130). Traffic between the users (120) and the first node (110) comprises user resources and control resources, with uplink traffic, comprising channels sent in data frames (200). Each data frame comprises a number of resource blocks (1, 2, 3, 4), and each uplink channel is allotted an amount of resource blocks in each data frame. At least part of the traffic between the users and the first node is divided (305) into first and second groups, and a cell's usage of the first and second group is monitored (310). The amount of resource blocks which is allotted to one of the uplink channels in a cell (130) is varied (315) depending on the cell's usage of these two groups.
US08472335B2

Method and RNC for selecting transmission technology when a UE enters the network, which checks whether the UE is MIMO and, if so and only one carrier is available, allocates its traffic to said carrier and uses a S-CPICH to provide all MIMO traffic with a diversity pilot and Virtual Antenna Mapping for balance. If more than one carrier is available, the number of UEs, their radio conditions and load of carriers are checked periodically. If the carrier is busy only with MIMO and its load is higher than the load of the remaining carriers, diversity CPICH of STTD is selected; otherwise and only if the UEs vulnerable to STTD with good radio conditions exceed a certain number, the S-CPICH is selected. The RNC can reconfigure the network from transmitting MIMO traffic with STTD to using MIMO with S-CPICH or vice versa dynamically by periodical check of the load and UEs criteria for configuration change.
US08472329B2

The invention relates to network connection management, wherein user confirmations are queried for implementing operations requiring a network connection. According to the invention the user confirmation are queried variantly depending on the initiator of the operation. The invention relates to a devices for browsing the network and to a computer program product.
US08472326B2

A system and method is disclosed for monitoring and optimizing interlayer network performance that includes determining at the data link layer of a network device whether there is degradation in transmission performance over at least one link in the network using network performance information data and if so, the system and method communicates from data link layer of the network device to a second layer of the network device information regarding the degradation in transmission performance associated with the at least one link in the network. The system and method optimizes, at the second layer of the network device, network performance to overcome the degradation in the transmission performance associated with the at least one link in the network.
US08472317B2

The present invention provides a method for resource and admission control. In the process of resource requesting: upon receiving a resource initialization request, which is used for requesting a QoS resource for a service, sent by an SCF, a PD-FE of a visited network performing an authorization check and a resource availability check for the resource initialization request, and sending the resource initialization request to a PD-FE of a home network; the PD-FE of the home network performing an authorization check and making an initial policy decision for the resource initialization request, and sending a resource initialization response containing the generated initial policy decision to the PD-FE of the visited network; and the PD-FE of the visited network making a final admission decision for the resource initialization request according to the initial decision policy and the result of the resource availability check. The method provided by the present invention specifies respective functional attributes of the PACF in the home network and of the PACF in the visited network and the interaction process between the two, and solves the problem of resource and admission control supporting roaming.
US08472311B2

Systems, methods, and computer program products for providing instantaneous failover of packet processing elements in a network are disclosed. According to one aspect, the subject matter described herein includes a system for providing instantaneous failover of packet processing elements in a network. The system includes a plurality of packet processing elements for processing packets in a network and a packet distribution module for maintaining information about the operating status of each element of the plurality of packet processing elements, for maintaining information about packet flows being processed by the packet processing elements, and, for each packet flow, assigning one of the plurality of packet processing elements as the primary element for the packet flow and assigning another of the plurality of packet processing elements as the secondary element for the packet flow. The packet distribution module routing packets to the packet processing elements according to the operating status of the packet processing elements that have been assigned to the packet flow with which the packets are associated.
US08472306B2

In one aspect of a multiple-access OFDM-CDMA system, the data spreading is performed in the frequency domain by spreading each data stream with a respective spreading code selected from a set of available spreading codes. To support multiple access, system resources may be allocated and de-allocated to users (e.g., spreading codes may be assigned to users as needed, and transmit power may be allocated to users). Variable rate data for each user may be supported via a combination of spreading adjustment and transmit power scaling. Interference control techniques are also provided to improve system performance via power control of the downlink and/or uplink transmissions to achieve the desired level of performance while minimizing interference. A pilot may be transmitted by each transmitter unit to assist the receiver units perform acquisition, timing synchronization, carrier recovery, handoff, channel estimation, coherent data demodulation, and so on.
US08472296B2

An information recording medium, and a recording/reproducing apparatus and a recording/reproducing method for the recording medium. Original data is sequentially updated by replacing an original recording block with one or more replacement recording blocks. A replacement recording block includes at least one of an original address field indicating a location of the original recording block or a previous address field indicating a location of an immediately previous recording block. Replacement information is effectively recovered in a system where a replacement for logical overwriting (LOW) occurs in either a spare area and a user data area by reference to the address fields in each replacement recording block.
US08472283B2

In a clock synchronization system, clocks on a local area network are synchronized to a standard time signal such as the Network Time Protocol (NTP) signal or the Global Positioning System (GPS) time signal. A terminal on the network enables a user to introduce an offset to the clocks individually so that clocks can display the time in different time zones.
US08472279B2

Methods and systems for channel skewing are described. One or more methods for channel skewing includes providing a number of groups of data signals to a memory component, each of the number of groups corresponding to a respective channel, and adjusting a phase of a group of data signals corresponding to at least one of the number of channels such that the group of data signals are skewed with respect to a group of data signals corresponding to at least one of the other respective channels.
US08472270B2

An apparatus and method of testing one-time-programmable memory limits current through a one-time-programmable memory to less than a threshold amplitude, where the memory has a fuse configured to blow upon receipt of a signal having the threshold amplitude. The method also uses blow signal assertion circuitry to attempt to assert a blow signal to the fuse. When not defective, blow signal assertion circuitry is configured to permit the low amplitude signal to flow through the fuse when the fuse is not blown and the blow signal is asserted. The method then produces an output signal having a success value if the limited current flows through the fuse, and a failure value if the current does not flow through the fuse.
US08472265B2

A novelty repairing method and circuit are provided by the embodiments of the present invention, wherein the input/output (IO) compression manner can be used therein to reduce the access time during the chip probing 1 (CP1) test, and each redundant column selected line (RCSL) can be divided into several partial redundant column selected lines (P-RCSLs) which are respectively responsible for repairing the defects of the corresponding regions. Based upon the repairing method, the memory circuit can reduce the number of the RCSLs. Furthermore, a variable region dividing manner is applied therein, so as to increase the probability for repairing the defect of the memory circuit.
US08472263B2

A semiconductor memory device may include a mode-register reading controller and a mode register. The mode-register reading controller generates a control signal for loading data into an input/output line in response to an enable signal, during a mode-register reading operation. The control signal is generated in response to a mode-register read signal when there is a reset command is input. The mode register loads the data into the input/output line in response to the control signal.
US08472259B2

A non-volatile semiconductor memory device according to an embodiment includes a data write portion, the data write portion includes, in a write loop, a first operation mode of sequentially performing a program operation and a first verify operation, and a second operation mode of sequentially performing the program operation, the first verify operation, and a second verify operation, and the data write portion includes, in the first verify operation, precharging a bit-line connected to the first memory cell and a bit-line connected to a second memory cell adjacent to the first memory cell and verifying data of the first memory cell, then in the second verify operation, when the write to the second memory cell is completed, without precharging the bit-line connected to the second memory cell, precharging the bit-line connected to the first memory cell and verifying data of the first memory cell.
US08472247B2

A non-volatile memory device comprises a memory cell array comprising memory cells arranged in rows connected to corresponding word lines and columns connected to corresponding bit lines, a page buffer that stores a program data, a read-write circuit that programs and re-programs the program data into selected memory cells of the memory cell array and reads stored data from the programmed memory cells, and a control circuit that controls the page buffer and the read-write circuit to program the selected memory cells by loaded the program data from in page buffer and to re-program the selected memory cells by re-loaded the program data in the page buffer.
US08472245B2

Nonvolatile memory devices, memory systems and related methods of operating nonvolatile memory devices are presented. During a programming operation, the nonvolatile memory device is capable of using bit line forcing, and is also capable of selecting a verification mode for use during a verification operation from a group of verification modes on the basis of an evaluated programming condition.
US08472240B2

Spin Torque Transfer (STT) memory cell structures and methods are described herein. One or more STT memory cell structures comprise an annular STT stack including a nonmagnetic material between a first ferromagnetic material and a second ferromagnetic material and a soft magnetic material surrounding at least a portion of the annular STT stack.
US08472229B2

An integrated circuit and method of generating a layout for an integrated circuit in which circuitry peripheral to an array of repetitive features, such as memory or logic cells, is realized according to devices constructed similarly as the cells themselves, in one or more structural levels. The distance over which proximity effects are caused in various levels is determined. Those proximity effect distances determine the number of those features to be repeated outside of and adjacent to the array for each level, within which the peripheral circuitry is constructed to match the construction of the repetitive features in the array.
US08472217B2

A switching mode power supply with a multi-mode controller is provided. The switching mode power supply may include a transformer having a primary winding and a secondary winding to supply power to a load. A feedback circuit may be included to generate a feedback signal that varies in relation to the load on the secondary winding. The multi-mode controller may include a switching circuit, a frequency control circuit and a current limiting circuit. The switching circuit may be coupled to the primary winding to control current flow through the primary winding. The frequency control circuit may control a switching frequency of the switching circuit based on the feedback signal. The current limiting circuit may limit current flow through the primary winding by causing the switching circuit to suspend current flow through the primary winding when the current reaches a peak current limit that is set based on the feedback signal.
US08472214B2

A flyback power converter includes a power switch connected to a primary side of a transformer, and a sensing signal is provided for a control circuit to switch the power switch so as for the transformer to convert an input voltage into an output voltage. The sensing signal is a function of the input voltage, and the control circuit extracts a variation of the sensing signal during a preset time period. The variation of the sensing signal is used to prevent the output ripple and the green mode entry point of the flyback power converter from varying with the input voltage.
US08472208B2

A submount with an electrode layer having excellent wettability in soldering and method of manufacturing the same are disclosed. A submount (1) for having a semiconductor device mounted thereon comprises a submount substrate (2), a substrate protective layer (3) formed on a surface of the submount substrate (2), an electrode layer (4) formed on the substrate protective layer (3) and a solder layer (5) formed on the electrode layer (3) wherein the electrode layer (4) is made having an average surface roughness of less than 1 μm. The reduced average surface roughness of the electrode layer (4) improves wettability of the solder layer (5), allowing the solder layer (5) and a semiconductor device to be firmly bonded together without any flux therebetween. A submount (1) is thus obtained which with the semiconductor device mounted thereon is reduced in heat resistance, reducing its temperature rise and improving its performance and service life.
US08472207B2

An electronic device includes a substrate with a circuit layer thereon that has a solder pad. There is a liquid crystal polymer (LCP) solder mask on the substrate that has an aperture aligned with the solder pad. There is a fused seam between the substrate and the LCP solder mask. Solder is in the aperture, and a circuit component is electrically coupled to the solder pad via the solder. A first dielectric layer stack having a first plurality of dielectric layers is on the LCP solder mask and has an aperture aligned with the solder pad. There is a first LCP outer sealing layer on the first dielectric layer stack, and a second dielectric layer stack having a second plurality of dielectric layers on the substrate on a side thereof opposite the LCP solder mask. Further, there is a second LCP outer sealing layer on the second dielectric layer stack.
US08472206B2

One embodiment of the present invention provides a method that reduces power consumption by using capacitive coupling to perform a majority detection operation. The method involves driving a plurality of signals onto a plurality of driven wires. The signals are then fed from each driven wire through a corresponding coupling capacitor to a single majority detection wire. In addition, method involves feeding a signal on the majority detection wire and a bias voltage to a differential receiver. The output of the differential receiver switches if the signal on the majority-detection wire switches relative to the bias voltage. The method further involves using the output of the differential receiver to optimize the signals from the plurality of driven wires for transmission across a long signal route. Optimizing the transmission of signals reduces the power consumed by a computer system.
US08472204B2

A card assembly is disclosed comprising a carrier host card, an interposer printed wiring board (PWB) situated between the carrier host card and a hosted card, wherein the carrier host card and the interposer printed wiring board (PWB) are configured to have a space there-between. The card assembly further comprising a customized front panel including a first cutout for the carrier host card and a second cutout for said hosted card.
US08472198B2

A data center includes a housing and a number of server units arranged in the housing. Each server unit includes a server module and a cable management member. The first ends of a number of cables are connected to the back panel of the server module. The cable management member includes a bottom plate, a front plate, and two side plates. A number of connectors are set on the front plate. The second ends of the cables are connected to the connectors. The cable management member is fixed to one side of the server module. The cables are received in a space formed between the bottom plate and the server module. The cable management member includes a first clipping portion and a second clipping portion formed at opposite sides. The housing includes a number of rails, which can slide between the first and second clipping portions.
US08472197B2

Provided is a small and low-cost resin-sealed electronic control device including a first electronic board and a second electronic board respectively bonded onto an upper surface and a lower surface of a support plate, each of the first electronic board and the second electronic board having an increased mounting area on which circuit components are mounted. A first electronic board (30A) and a second electronic board (40A) respectively bonded onto an upper surface and a lower surface of a support plate (20A) include outer circuit components (31, 41) and inner circuit components (33, 43) respectively mounted on outer surfaces and inner surfaces thereof. The inner circuit components (33, 43) are fitted into a window hole portion (21) of the support plate (20A) and are sealed with a filler (25).
US08472196B2

A power module includes a first heat sink, first and second power chips, a thermo-conductive insulating layer, a lead frame and a molding compound. The first heat sink has a first area and a second area. The first power chip is disposed in the first area. The thermo-conductive insulating layer is disposed in the second area. The second power chip is disposed on the heat sink through the thermo-conductive insulating layer. The lead frame is electrically connected to at least one of the first and second power chips. The molding compound covers the first and second power chips, the thermo-conductive insulating layer and a portion of the lead frame. The first heat sink is electrically connected to at least one of the first and second power chips. Because the first power chip is not disposed on the first heat sink through the thermo-conductive insulating layer, the cost can be reduced.
US08472195B2

An electronic device includes an electronic component mounted on a substrate; a cooling system for cooling the electronic component; and a fastening structure for fastening the cooling system to the substrate. The fastening structure includes a first magnet provided to one of the substrate and the cooling system, a second magnetic material fixed to the other of the substrate and the cooling system and magnetically coupled with the first magnet, and a magnetic shield that covers a part or all of the first magnet except for a coupling face to be coupled with the second magnetic material.
US08472179B1

An electronic device includes a bay for a removable component with a vertical axis of insertion and removal. The component is inserted upwardly in the electronic device with aid of an actuation mechanism. For example, the actuation mechanism may include a lever and a horizontal support member sized to hold the bottom side of the component. Rotation of the lever translates the support member in the vertical direction to smoothly lift the component into a seated position in which connectors in the component and the electronic device are coupled. The actuation mechanism may include a latch to hold the component securely in the seated position. Rotation of the lever in the opposite direction lowers the support member. The actuation mechanism may include one or more tabs on the horizontal support member or elsewhere that pull the component during removal to overcome the unmating force of the connectors.
US08472168B2

A package structure for packaging a portable electronic device is provided. The package structure includes a base portion, a supporting portion and a connector. The supporting portion is connected to the base portion. The supporting portion includes a first fixing element and a second fixing element, wherein when the package structure is in a supporting state, the supporting portion is folded and standing upright, the first fixing element is detachably connected to the second fixing element, and the portable electronic device is supported by the supporting portion. The connector is disposed on the supporting portion, wherein the portable electronic device is connected to the connector.
US08472166B2

A display panel includes a first end portion and a second end portion facing each other. A face panel is arranged above the front side of the display panel including a first extending portion and a second extending portion extending to the outside from the first and second end portions of the display panel. An adhesive element is provided on the display panel along its end portions to adhere the display panel to the face panel. A frame is arranged so as to being spaced apart from the display panel having a first supporting portion and a second supporting portion to support the first and second extending portions of the face panel. The first and the second extending portions of the face panel are sandwiched between the bezel and the first and second supporting portions of the frame so that the display panel does not contact with the frame.
US08472161B2

A dielectric ceramic composition enabling one to obtain a laminated capacitor which hardly causes degradation of insulation resistance with time under high-humidity even in using a base metal such as Ni as an internal electrode, contains as a main constituent, a constituent represented by (CaxSr1-x)(TiyZr1-y)O3 in which x and y are 0≦x≦1 and 0≦y≦0.50, and, as accessory constituents, at least 0.5 parts by mol and at most 15 parts by mol of SiO2, at least 0.1 parts by mol and at most 10 parts by mol of MnO, and at least 0.01 parts by mol and at most 0.079 parts by mol of Al2O3, with respect to 100 parts by mol of the main constituent.
US08472153B1

A fault detection, identification, and protection system for a phase leg of a three-level neutral point clamped (NPC) power converter includes a fault detection circuit, the fault detection circuit configured to determine, based on signals received from the two inner switches and two outer switches via their respective gate drivers, the presence of a fault in the phase leg; a fault identification circuit, the fault identification circuit being configured to determine, based on signals from the fault detection circuit, a location of the fault in the phase leg; and a protection circuit, the protection circuit being configured to turn off at least one of the inner switches or outer switches in response to the identification of the location of the fault by the fault identification circuit.
US08472150B2

A giant magneto-resistive effect device (CPP-GMR device) having the CPP (current perpendicular to plane) structure comprising a spacer layer, and a first ferromagnetic layer and a second ferromagnetic layer stacked one upon another with the spacer layer interposed between them, with a sense current applied in a stacking direction, wherein the spacer layer comprises a first nonmagnetic metal layer and a second nonmagnetic metal layer, each made of a nonmagnetic metal material, and a semiconductor oxide layer interposed between the first nonmagnetic metal layer and the second nonmagnetic metal layer, the semiconductor oxide layer that forms a part of the spacer layer contains zinc oxide as its main component wherein the main component zinc oxide contains an additive metal, and the additive metal is less likely to be oxidized than zinc.
US08472139B2

In one embodiment, a magnetic head includes a main pole, a trailing shield positioned near a trailing side of the main pole, a side shield positioned near both sides of the main pole in a cross-track direction, a leading shield positioned near a leading side of the main pole, and a gap positioned between the main pole and the shields, characterized in that Sg1
US08472137B2

The present invention relates to a magnetic head, a manufacturing method therefor, a head assembly, and a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus. According to the present invention, it includes a magnetic pole layer, a non-magnetic layer, a trailing gap layer, and a trailing shield layer. The magnetic pole layer has a pole tip exposed on a magnetic medium-facing surface. The non-magnetic layer is laid on the magnetic pole layer. The trailing shield layer is exposed on the magnetic medium-facing surface and laid over the magnetic pole layer and the non-magnetic layer with the trailing gap layer between. The magnetic pole layer and the non-magnetic layer have a continuous tapered face opposed to a lower side of the trailing shield layer. Moreover, the tapered face extends from a trailing edge of the pole tip at a constant inclination angle.
US08472113B2

A scanning microscope includes a light source, illumination optics, and a scanning device for moving the illumination focus across a target region and doing so by varying the direction of incidence in which the illuminating beam enters an entrance pupil of the illumination optics. To incline the illumination focus relative to the optical axis of the optics, the scanning device directs the illuminating beam onto a portion of the entrance pupil that is offset from the center of the pupil and, in order to move the illumination focus across the target region, the scanning device varies the direction of incidence of the illuminating beam within said portion. An observation objective is provided which is spatially separated from the illumination optics and disposed such that its optical axis (O3) is substantially perpendicular to the target region and at an acute angle (α) to the optical axis (O1) of the illumination optics.
US08472105B2

A micro-electro-mechanical-system (MEMS) micromirror array has an array of micromirrors on a support structure. Each micromirror is pivotally attached to the support structure by a resilient structure. The resilient structure defines a pivot axis. There is an array of electrostatic actuators for pivotally driving the array of micromirrors about the pivot axis. Each electrostatic actuator comprises a first part carried by the support structure, and a second part carried by the corresponding micromirror. An electrostatic sink is mounted to the support structure that shields at least one micromirror from spurious electrostatic actuation.
US08472103B2

In a pixilated spatial light modulator having a mesh-based modulator element per pixel, a real location-dependent amplitude and a location-dependent phase can be adjusted independently of each other for modulating a coherent wavefront using complex values. A complex-valued spatial light modulator includes a regularly constructed pixel array, wherein each pixel comprises a controllable reflective line mesh. The modulation of the amplitude and phase take place independently of each other in each modulator element, by relative motions of the self-supporting line mesh relative to a base plate. The line meshes are suspended and supported such that both the distance between the base plate and the line mesh (normal adjustment for amplitude modulation) and the lateral displacement of the line mesh in the mesh plane itself (phase modulation) are modified by a system controller. The reflected light is thus modulated independently of each other.
US08472098B2

A wafer-level manufacturing method produces stress compensated x-y gimbaled comb-driven MEMS mirror arrays using two SOI wafers and a single carrier wafer. MEMS structures such as comb drives, springs, and optical surfaces are formed by processing front substrate layer surfaces of the SOI wafers, bonding together the processed surfaces, and removing the unprocessed SOI layers to expose second surfaces of the front substrate layers for further wafer-level processing. The bonded SOI wafers are mounted to a surface of the carrier wafer that has been separately processed. Processing wafer surfaces may include formation of a stress compensation layer to counteract physical effects of MEMS mirrors. The method may form multi-layered conductive spring structures for the mirrors, each spring having a first conducting layer for energizing a comb drive, a second conducting layer imparting a restoring force, and an insulating layer between the first and second conducting layers.
US08472093B2

A machine-implemented process determines web press printing capabilities and costs of different printing organizations using a processor. The printing capabilities comprise a number of printing units and a number of supply roll stands supplying continuous print media to the printing units. A printing request is received from a print customer through a graphic user interface. The printing request is evaluated using the processor to determine printing request requirements. A comparator compares the printing request requirements with the printing capabilities and costs to identify capable printing organizations of the different printing organizations that have abilities to process the printing request. The processor calculates different print choices and costs based on the printing capabilities and costs of the capable printing organizations and outputs the different print choices and costs to the print customer through the graphic user interface.
US08472091B2

A scanner includes: a photoelectric conversion element configured to photoelectrically convert light reflected from an original image to form an image signal; a timing generation circuit configured to generate a drive signal for the photoelectric conversion element; a drive circuit configured to drive the photoelectric conversion element; a signal processing circuit configured to subject a sample hold signal fed in through the drive circuit and the image signal to an A/D conversion; and a control circuit configured to turn on the sample hold signal when the scanner transitions to an “ON” state from an “OFF” state and turn off the sample hold signal when the scanner transitions to the “OFF” state from the “ON” state. The control circuit turns on and off the sample hold signal, based on each of input fed to the drive circuit and the signal processing circuit.
US08472089B2

The technology disclosed relates to handling varying pixel overlaps long a first axis as a scanning head sweeps a curved path that is not parallel to the first axis. In particular, we teach use of a variable frequency pixel clock to produce equally spaced pixels along the first axis as a rotor arm scans a curved path that is not parallel to the first axis. The pixel clock has a varying frequency that varies approximately sinusoidally with the position of the scanning head relative to the first axis.
US08472088B2

An original is read by an original reading unit configured to read image data, at least one of the original reading unit and the original is driven by a driving motor in a sub-scan direction, and, when an amount of the image data stored by the image data storing unit becomes equal to or more than a predetermined amount, the rotational speed of the driving motor is reduced according to driving control data provided for each of current rotation angles of the driving motor for finally stopping the driving motor at a predetermined rotation angle, and a speed in a sub-scan direction at which the original reading unit reads the original is reduced. Then, main scan line data are thinned out from the image data according to thin-out data provided for each driving control data, and image data of the original are restored.
US08472087B2

An office machine with both platform-type scanning mode and feeder-type scanning mode. The office machine includes a reciprocally movable scanning module arranged on upper side of the office machine for scanning documents placed on a platform. The office machine further includes a sheet-feeding path positioned under a bed. The sheet-feeding path has at least one position where the documents passing through the sheet-feeding path can be scanned by the scanning module.
US08472085B2

An image processing device provides a detection result of additional information added to each of pages which constitute a document. The image processing device includes an input part which inputs image data of each page of a document. A detection part generates a page detection result of additional information added to the image data, the page detection result being generated on a page basis and indicating a result of detection of the additional information for each page. A detection result output part outputs an outline result indicating an outline of the page detection results for the respective pages on a document basis, together with an identifier of the document associated with the outline result.
US08472062B2

Document data to be printed is decided from document data of a plurality of pages, based on an inclination of an information processing apparatus detected by a sensor for detecting the inclination of the information processing apparatus. The decided document data to be printed is transmitted to a printing apparatus in accordance with an instruction to transmit the document data to be printed to the printing apparatus.
US08472056B2

A printing system includes a transmitting terminal, which transmits printable printing contents, and a printing apparatus terminal, which receives and prints the printing contents, which are connected to the printing system via an Internet protocol network.
US08472049B2

An image forming system for communicably connecting a data processor and an image forming apparatus can include a registration unit for registering a print job based on a print request, a printing unit for conducting print processing based on a print job registered in the registration unit, an authentication unit for, when the print job is a locked job with an unlocking condition, prohibiting print processing of the locked job until the unlocking condition is fulfilled, and a prohibition unit for prohibiting print processing of a normal job, which is registered in the registration unit after registration of the locked job, without the unlocking condition.
US08472043B2

An information processing apparatus manages distributed processing by a plurality of devices which are connected to a computer network and have a power-saving mode. The apparatus includes a retriever, arranged to retrieve device information and operation states of the plurality of devices, and a selector, arranged to select target devices of the distributed processing based on at least one of the device information and operation states.
US08472037B2

A documentation apparatus includes: a selection unit which selects one function item from plural function items associated with documentation and selects one choice from plural selects included in the selected function item; a memory unit which stores the function item selected last and a non-selection candidate other than the selection candidate selected in the function item; and a function execution unit which performs function corresponding to the stored non-selection candidate by predetermined operation of the selection unit.
US08472033B2

A method of detecting an amount of an axis displacement in a power transmission device includes, for each of the rotary shafts of the first and second drive sources, measuring an amount of an axis position variation by using non-contact sensors respectively provided to face the rotary shafts, and detecting an amount of a relative axis displacement of the rotary shaft of the second drive source relative to the rotary shaft of the first drive source on the basis of the amount of the axis position variation between before and after engagement.
US08472005B2

System and method for enhancing optical lithography methodology for hole patterning in semiconductor fabrication are described. In one embodiment, a photolithography system comprises an illumination system for conditioning light from a light source, the illumination system producing a three-pore illumination pattern; a reticle comprising at least a portion of a pattern to be imaged onto a substrate, wherein the three-pore illumination pattern produced by the illumination system is projected through the reticle; and a projection lens disposed between the reticle and the substrate.
US08472004B2

An immersion photolithography system includes a lens system positioned to focus radiation emitted from the radiation source onto a workpiece or wafer on a stage. A liquid supply system provides liquid between the lens of the lens system closest to the wafer. A seal element encloses a volume of liquid which keeps the lower or wetted surface of the lens wet. The seal element may be located at a lens parking location adjacent to the stage. The system provides an improved way for keeping the lens wet between exposure processing.
US08472000B1

An animation stand which provides a camera support assembly that enables a camera to be positioned along any axis which allows users to create traditional, hand-made animation, specifically two-dimensional animation using a variety of art techniques and stop-motion animation of poseable figures and everyday objects.
US08471988B2

A water-repellent pattern (26) made from a water-repellent material is provided around a contact hole (20), and causes a polarizing layer (24) made from a water-soluble material to be separated from the contact hole (20). It is therefore possible to provide (i) an electrode contact structure which can prevent a reduction in mass productivity, (ii) a liquid crystal display apparatus in which the electrode contact structure is provided, and (iii) a method for manufacturing the electrode contact structure.
US08471987B2

A liquid crystal display device has pixel electrodes including a transmissive pixel electrode and a reflective pixel electrode. The liquid crystal display device includes a TFT array substrate, an opposing substrate, a sealing material that bonds both substrates, an organic film formed on the TFT array substrate and having a thick film portion provided below the pixel electrode and a thin film portion provided outside the thick film portion, a columnar spacer formed on the opposing substrate and holding substrate gap between the both substrates, and a gap retaining pad formed in a region outside the display region and inside the sealing material to adjust the substrate gap outside the display region according to the substrate gap on the pixel electrode. The columnar spacer holds the substrate gap between both substrates over the gap retaining pad and over the pixel electrode.
US08471986B2

An electro-optical device that includes scanning lines, data lines intersecting the corresponding scanning lines, pixels disposed at the intersections of the corresponding scanning lines and data lines, the pixels include color filters, and an address line that specifies a portion to be selected by the corresponding scanning line, the address line includes an address main line extending along the data lines and an address branch line extending from the address main line along the scanning lines. Among the pixels, pixels adjacent to each other across the address main line are set to be specific pixel groups, and among at least two of the specific pixel groups, the color arrangement of the color filters of one specific pixel group is different from the color arrangement of the color filters of another specific pixel group.
US08471985B2

A liquid crystal display (LCD) panel includes an active device array substrate, an opposite substrate, a liquid crystal layer, a polarizer, an analyzer, and a cover. The liquid crystal layer is configured between the active device array substrate and the opposite substrate. The polarizer is configured on the opposite substrate, and the polarizer and the liquid crystal layer are respectively located at two opposite sides of the opposite substrate. The analyzer is configured on the active device array substrate, and the analyzer and the liquid crystal layer are respectively located at two opposite sides of the active device array substrate. In addition, the cover is joined to the analyzer.
US08471981B2

A display apparatus includes: a substrate including display areas and a non-display area disposed around edges of the display areas; gate lines disposed in the display areas; data lines disposed in the display areas and crossing the gate lines; pixels disposed in the display areas and connected to the gate lines and data lines; and a gate driver disposed in the peripheral area, between the display areas. The gate driver is connected to the gate lines, to output gate signals to the gate lines.
US08471980B2

A backlight unit with uniform brightness (luminance) is disclosed.The backlight unit includes: a plurality of light sources arranged at a fixed interval; a diffusion plate disposed on the light sources to primarily diffuse light emitted from the light sources; and a diffusion sheet configured to secondarily diffuse the primarily diffused light from the diffusion plate, wherein the surface of the diffusion sheet is divided into first regions not opposite to the light and second regions opposite to the light sources, and the diffusion sheet includes lens pattern portions formed on the second regions.
US08471975B2

Disclosed is a display device. A liquid crystal panel and a backlight assembly are fixed to a frame by using resin such as silicon, so that a slim and small-sized display device is realized.
US08471973B2

This invention in one aspect relates to a pixel structure. In one embodiment, the pixel structure includes a scan line formed on a substrate and a data line formed over the substrate defining a pixel area, a switch formed inside the pixel area on the substrate, a shielding electrode formed over the switch, a plane organic layer formed over the date line and the pixel area and having no overlapping with the shielding electrode, and a pixel electrode having a first portion and a second portion extending from the first portion, and formed over the shielding electrode and the plane organic layer in the pixel area, wherein the first portion is overlapped with the shielding electrode so as to define a storage capacitor therebetween, and the second portion overlays the plane organic layer and has no overlapping with the data line.
US08471969B2

The present invention provides and optical display device and a method for use in displaying an image. The optical display device comprises An optical display device comprising: at least one region of nanostructures operable as an optically active media, such that said nanostructures are responsive to input electromagnetic radiation to emit output electromagnetic radiation, and an arrangement of electrodes being configured and operable to be selectively addressable to create an external electric field to said at least one region of nanostructures, said region of nanostructures and said arrangement of electrodes defining together a pixel arrangement of said display device; said external electric field affecting said at least one region of nanostructures to selectively modulate emission of said output electromagnetic radiation, said output electromagnetic radiation being an output of at least one pixel element of the display device.
US08471968B2

A liquid crystal panel includes a first substrate and a second substrate; a first electrode on a surface of the first substrate; a light refraction device on the second substrate, the light refraction device including a plurality of light refracting lenses facing the surface of the first substrate; and a liquid crystal layer interposed between the first electrode and the light refracting lenses.
US08471967B2

An eyepiece for a head mounted display includes an illumination module, an end reflector, a viewing region, and a polarization rotator. The illumination module includes an image source for launching computer generated image (“CGI”) light along a forward propagating path. The end reflector is disposed at an opposite end of the eyepiece from the illumination module to reflect the CGI back along a reverse propagation path. The viewing region is disposed between the illumination module and the end reflector. The viewing region includes a polarizing beam splitter (“PBS) and non-polarizing beam splitter (“non-PBS”) disposed between the PBS and the end reflector. The viewing region redirects the CGI light from the reverse propagation path out of an eye-ward side of the eyepiece. The polarization rotator is disposed in the forward and reverse propagation paths of the CGI light between the viewing region and the end reflector.
US08471963B2

A communication apparatus (receiving apparatus) configured to receive a communication parameter selects, when an access point itself is active as a providing apparatus or the communication apparatus detects an access point (active access point) that is communicatable with an active providing apparatus, the access point as the access point to be connected using wireless connection. If the communication apparatus does not detect an active access point, the communication apparatus selects an access point (setup-completed access point) which is configured with a communication parameter that is different from the one that is set at the time of initialization, as the access point to be connected using wireless connection.
US08471959B1

A system including a memory configured to store a plurality of initial frames of a video signal and a plurality of motion vectors; and a multi-frame interpolator coupled to the memory and including a first output port and a second output port, the frame interpolator configured to generate a first output frame and a second output frame from the initial frames and the motion vectors, to output the first output frame through the first output port and output the second output frame through the second output port.
US08471951B2

In an image capturing apparatus that carries out TV-AF type autofocus control by setting an AF frame on a predetermined object, for example a person's face, that is detected in an image, in a case in which a in-focus position search direction cannot be determined from an AF evaluation value, changes in the size of the region of the object are detected and focus detection is carried out by determining the in-focus position search direction based on the changes in the size of the region of the object.
US08471943B2

Provided is a stacked organic light-emitting device in which organic compound layers for respective emission colors are capable of separately emitting light. The stacked organic light-emitting device includes a first organic compound layer, a second organic compound layer, and a third organic compound layer, which have emission colors different from each other. The first organic compound layer is provided on one side of a common transparent electrode, and the second organic compound layer and the third organic compound layer are provided on another side thereof. The first organic compound layer has a polarity direction opposite to polarity directions of the second organic compound layer and the third organic compound layer.
US08471942B2

A solid-state image pickup device includes a voltage supply circuit configured to supply a voltage to load MOS transistors provided to vertical output lines and columnar signal-processing circuits. The voltage supply circuit includes a first amplifier circuit configured to amplify a predetermined voltage supplied to an input part thereof from a voltage generator and to output an amplified voltage to a voltage supply wire, and a sample-and-hold circuit including a sampling switch provided on a path between the voltage generator and the input part and a hold capacitor configured to hold the voltage sampled by the sampling switch.
US08471939B2

An image sensor includes a first sensor layer having a first array of pixels and a second sensor layer having a second array of pixels. Each pixel of the first and second arrays has a photodetector for collecting charge in response to incident light, a charge-to-voltage conversion mechanism, and a transfer gate for selectively transferring charge from the photodetector to the charge-to-voltage mechanism. The first and second sensor layers each have a thicknesses to collect light with a first and second preselected ranges of wavelengths, respectively. A circuit layer is situated below the first sensor layer and has support circuitry for the pixels of the first and second sensor layers, and interlayer connectors are between the pixels of the first and second layers and the support circuitry.
US08471938B2

A CMOS imaging system with increased charge storage of pixels yet decreased physical size, kTC noise and active area. A storage node is connected to the transfer gate and provides a storage node for a pixel, allowing for kTC noise reduction prior to readout. The pixel may be operated with the shutter gate on during the integration period to increase the amount of time for charge storage by a pixel.
US08471926B2

An imaging apparatus includes an information acquiring unit operable to acquire information representing a state of a recoding medium from the recording medium, a determining unit operable to determine the state of the recording medium based on the information acquired by the information acquiring unit, and an informing unit operable to inform result of the determination by the determining unit to an outside of the imaging apparatus.
US08471925B2

A digital image processing apparatus capable of reducing the number of calculations performed when a new image file satisfying a DCF standard generated for a captured image is edited, so as to reduce the time required for performing the edit, and a file managing method performed in the digital image processing apparatus. The digital image processing apparatus includes a digital signal processing unit which generates a file having a grouping attribute for a captured image and changes the grouping attribute of the file during a group edit of a selected file.
US08471923B2

A flicker detection region in which an image signal has values relating to luminance and colors within predetermined ranges is extracted from a plurality of flicker detection regions allocated in the vertical and horizontal directions of an image. A flicker component is detected using the luminance information of the image signal in the extracted flicker detection region. A correction value to correct the flicker component is generated from the detected flicker component. This makes it possible to accurately correct, using a simple arrangement, a flicker component contained in an image sensed under a light source whose brightness periodically changes even when the object or the image sensing apparatus moves.
US08471914B2

When a shot is taken by a portable terminal, the position and orientation at the time of shooting is transmitted to an information processing apparatus. The information processing apparatus, which stores information including the position of equipment, detects the equipment included in the shot image by the portable terminal, based on the position and orientation of the portable terminal and the position of the equipment, and transmits information about the equipment to the portable terminal. The portable terminal obtains an operation history on an image processing apparatus in the equipment based on the received information, and displays an operation screen presenting the operation history in a selectable manner on a display unit. Then, when a selection of operation history is accepted, a control signal for allowing the image processing apparatus to execute image processing indicated by the operation history is transmitted to the image processing apparatus.
US08471905B2

Methods and apparatus for imaging according to various aspects of the present invention may generate an enhanced image of a target in an environment using image data from a sensor. The methods and apparatus may scale the image data to a higher resolution and register the image represented by the image data with other images of the same target. The enhanced image of the target is generated according to the registered images.
US08471901B2

An image input module adjusting device includes a board moving mechanism configured to movably hold a board in directions crossing each other; a board moving restriction mechanism configured to restrict movement of the board; an engaging member moving mechanism configured to move an engaging member engaged with a position adjusting component provided on the board; a control part configured to drive the engaging member moving mechanism while allowing the board moving restriction mechanism to move the board, to move and thereby the engaging member is engaged with the position adjusting component and the board is moved to an adjusting original position; a lens position adjusting mechanism configured to perform the position adjusting of the lens; and a focus adjusting mechanism configured to perform the focus adjusting of the lens relative to the image input sensor while the movement of the board is restricted.
US08471895B2

Embodiments of the invention provide systems and methods for three-dimensional imaging with wide field of view and precision timing. In accordance with one aspect, a three-dimensional imaging system includes an illumination subsystem configured to emit a light pulse with a divergence sufficient to irradiate a scene having a wide field of view. A sensor subsystem is configured to receive over a wide field of view portions of the light pulse reflected or scattered by the scene and including: a modulator configured to modulate as a function of time an intensity of the received light pulse portion to form modulated received light pulse portions; and means for generating a first image corresponding to the received light pulse portions and a second image corresponding to the modulated received light pulse portions. A processor subsystem is configured to obtain a three-dimensional image based on the first and second images.
US08471894B2

The recording medium 100 stores playlist information and a plurality of elementary streams. The playlist information includes a basic stream selection table and an extension stream selection table. The basic stream selection table shows elementary streams that are permitted to be played back in a monoscopic playback mode. The extension stream selection table shows elementary streams that are permitted to be played back only in a stereoscopic playback mode. The stream entry in the extension stream selection table indicates a packet identifier that is to be used by the playback device to perform demultiplexing when the playback device is in the stereoscopic playback mode and the corresponding stream number is set in the stream number register provided in the playback device.
US08471889B1

A video conferencing system contains one or more display adjusting components, whereby an object to be displayed can be adjusted to appropriately fit various sized display screens. A display adjusting component is contained within the sending client, which adjusts the image of the object to be appropriately displayed to one or more receiving clients. The receiving clients also contain a display adjusting component, which can further adjust the image of the object to be displayed, as necessary. The multimedia conferencing server of the video conferencing system also contains a display adjusting component, which negotiates parameters of the sending and receiving clients. Any of the display adjusting components can function alone, or in any combination together. A method, and computer readable media which contain computer readable instructions to perform a method, of adjusting an image for video conference display are also described.
US08471886B2

An electrophotographic image forming apparatus performs latent image rendering using a plurality of light sources. The electrophotographic image forming apparatus includes a rendering time control unit that controls a latent image rendering start time for each of the light sources, a scanning time control unit that controls a scanning start time for each of the light sources, a pattern forming unit that forms a pixel pattern corresponding to pixel pattern data defined in advance on a photosensitive member, and a density detection unit that detects a density of the pixel pattern formed on the photosensitive member. The rendering time control unit and the scanning time control unit respectively control the rendering start time and the scanning start time for each of the light sources using a density value detected by the density detection unit.
US08471883B2

An optical scanner includes a light source, an optical element, a deflector, a casing, and a first cover. The deflector deflects the light beam emitted from the light source to scan a photoreceptor through the optical element. The casing includes an upper opening, walls including a transparent plate defining a deflector compartment to accommodate the deflector, and an optical element mounting portion to accommodate the light source and the optical element. The first cover covers the upper opening of the casing and includes a recessed portion recessed toward the bottom of the casing and including a first opening at the bottom thereof facing the deflector. The recessed portion and the walls are directly or indirectly connected to define a single continuous space isolating the deflector compartment from the optical element mounting portion. The recessed portion and the deflector compartment communicate via the first opening.
US08471878B2

The present invention provides a sign maker for printing signs and labels on a continuous roll of media without the use of a personal computer, the sign maker comprising: a keyboard for receiving user input; a printer for printing characters on the media; a cutter for cutting the media to a calculated length; and a user selectable template containing a centering algorithm stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium having computer executable program code embodied thereon, the computer executable program code configured to calculate a length of the media and center the printed characters on the media based upon the user input.
US08471870B2

A method of rendering magnified pointing indicia including the steps of monitoring application program interface messaging and intercepting a call for a unique system pointer identifier. A stored collection of predefined vector shapes is accessed and from that a predefined vector shape from the collection is selected which is correlated to the current system pointer identifier. A convergence point may be established for maximum pointing indicia magnification in addition to a user-selectable desktop magnification level. The vector shape is scaled in synchronization with the desktop magnification level up to the convergence point whereby the vector shape is no longer scaled up once the convergence point is reached. The scaled vector shape is rasterized and displayed to an end user operating a computer.
US08471864B2

An image processor includes a first dither data memory storing a first dither matrix, a second dither data memory storing a second dither matrix, a selecting unit selecting one of the first dither matrix and the second dither matrix, and a converting unit converting multi-value image data to binary data by comparing density of the multi-value image data to the threshold value set in corresponding element of the one of the first dither matrix and the second dither matrix selected by the selecting unit. The second dither matrix is configured of a plurality of sub-dither matrices. Each sub-dither matrix has a plurality of elements each assigned with a threshold value in a range from a maximum threshold value to a minimum threshold value. A set of threshold values from the minimum threshold value to a predetermined intermediate threshold value is assigned to elements in corresponding locations of each of the plurality of sub-dither matrices.
US08471862B2

An efficient rendering method for processing computer graphics in tiles. First a frame of data, typically at least one polygon, is received for rendering. While rendering a polygon the tile for the polygon is assigned so that it minimizes the number of the tiles needed for processing the polygon. It is possible to compute an offset value between the static tiles and the assigned tiles. If the offset value is computed, the rendering into an actual screen may be based on that.
US08471856B2

The principles of the present invention relate to rendering stroke pairs. A graphical object includes at least a first stroke and a second similarly oriented second stroke collectively representing a stroke pair. A calculated distance between the first stroke and the second stroke is constrained (e.g., to a center line between the strokes) to mitigate the possibility of rounding errors causing the represented stroke pair to be inappropriately rendered. After the stroke pair is constrained, controls points of the individual strokes can be adjusted so that the individual strokes are appropriately rendered at their respective constrained locations. The adjusted stroke pair is constrained between external reference points for appropriate rendering relative to other graphical objects. The graphical object, including the adjusted constrained stroke pair, is rendered at an output device.
US08471854B2

A geospatial modeling system may include a geospatial model data storage device, a user input device, and a display. A processor may be included for cooperating with the geospatial model data storage device, the user input device and the display for displaying a geospatial model data set on the display including at least one group of building data points, and displaying a plurality of user-selectable different building shapes on the display based upon the at least one group of building data points. The plurality of user-selectable different building shapes may have different respective feature detail levels. The processor may further replace the at least one group of building data points with a given one of the user-selectable different building shapes based upon user selection thereof with the user input device.
US08471848B2

Embodiments of the invention are directed to improved systems and methods for three dimensional (3D) image reconstruction. The systems and methods are directed to extracting, digitally reconstructing and optionally tracking 3D objects from multiple two dimensional (2D) video camera sources. The systems and methods are directed to reconstructing a 3D scene via 2D cameras and then re-projecting this data back onto 2D surfaces. This system and method can greatly simplify the image processing required to analyze the 3D model by moving the analysis techniques back into the 2D domain.
US08471846B2

A method and a corresponding apparatus for determining a position in an image, in particular a medical image enables a reliable determination of positions of interest in images of a variety of structures by displaying a volume rendering of image data acquired from an object, in particular a patient, pointing at a structure of interest displayed in the volume rendering of the image data, generating a viewing ray profile comprising information characterizing a ray running through said structure of interest, selecting a contextual profile from various contextual profiles, each of said contextual profiles comprising a representative ray profile representing a viewing ray profile of a structure, in particular an anatomical structure, and comprising profile information, and determining a position within said structure of interest based on said profile information of said selected contextual profile in the case that the representative ray profile of said selected contextual profile is matching with at least a part of said viewing ray profile.
US08471832B2

A keypad assembly having a light leakage prevention structure includes a switch board having at least one switch; a light guide panel mounted on the switch board, light propagating inside the light guide panel; and a first light blocking member stacked on a lateral surface of the light guide panel, the first light blocking member extending to the switch board and reflecting or absorbing incident light.
US08471829B2

A resistive touch panel has an upper module, a lower module and a spacer. The upper module has a substrate, an upper touch layer, a top insulation, two upper electrodes and two conductive layers. The two conductive layers are respectively mounted on the two sides of the upper touch layer between the two upper electrodes and the substrate. The lower module has a base, a lower touch layer, a bottom insulation layer and two lower electrodes. The spacer is mounted between the upper touch layer of the upper module and the lower touch layer of the lower module to space apart the upper touch layer of the upper module and the lower touch layer of the lower module. Based on the above structure, the conductive layers in the resistive touch panel are capable of properly sheltering electrodes to prevent the electrodes from being observed.
US08471814B2

User interface control using a keyboard is described. In an embodiment, a user interface displayed on a display device is controlled using a computer connected to a keyboard. The keyboard has a plurality of alphanumeric keys that can be used for text entry. The computer receives data comprising a sequence of key-presses from the keyboard, and generates for each key-press a physical location on the keyboard. The relative physical locations of the key-presses are compared to calculate a movement path over the keyboard. The movement path describes the path of a user's digit over the keyboard. The movement path is mapped to a sequence of coordinates in the user interface, and the movement of an object displayed in the user interface is controlled in accordance with the sequence of coordinates.
US08471813B2

A handheld electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes an electrode unit, a storage unit, and a processing unit. The electrode unit includes a main body defining an annular cavity, a plurality of electrode groups, and a conductive element arranged within the annular cavity, wherein each of the plurality of the electrode groups includes a pair of conductive sheets, which are partially received in the annular cavity and are spaced apart from each other. When the electronic device is rotated to be in different orientation, the conductive element connects different electrode groups and the conductive sheets of the one of the electrode groups are connected to each other via the conductive element. The processing unit determines the connected electrode groups and executes a function corresponding to the determined electrode group. A function control method of the handheld electronic device is also provided.
US08471808B2

A method and system for reducing power consumption in a display includes driving a display comprising a plurality of display elements characterized by a display state. In a first mode of operation, the display state of substantially all the display elements is periodically re-set so as to display a first series of image frames. Upon changing to a second mode of operation, a second mode of operations comprises re-setting the display state of only a portion of the display elements so as to display a second series of image frames at a display element resolution which is less than said display element resolution used to display said first series of image frames.
US08471807B2

A display has a screen which incorporates a light modulator. The screen may be a front projection screen or a rear-projection screen. The screen is illuminated with light from an illuminator comprising an array of individually-controllable light sources. The light sources and elements of the light modulator may be controlled to adjust the intensity and frequency of light emanating from corresponding areas on the screen. The display may be calibrated to compensate for differences in intensities of the light sources.
US08471804B2

A control signal generation method of integrated gate driver circuit includes the steps of: providing one gate control signal to an integrated gate driver circuit; and generating a plurality of internal control signals by the integrated gate driver circuit according to on the gate control signal to control internal operations of the integrated gate driver circuit. Furthermore, an integrated gate driver circuit is adapted to receive one external gate control signal. The integrated gate driver circuit includes an internal control signal generation circuit for generating a plurality of internal control signals according to the external gate control signal to control internal operations of the integrated gate driver circuit. In addition, a liquid crystal display device using the above-mentioned integrated gate driver circuit also is provided.
US08471797B2

A liquid crystal display includes: a display panel, which displays an image corresponding to a primary image signal, which includes a first image signal, a second image signal and a third image signal; a light-emitting unit, which supplies light to the display panel; and a timing controller, which receives an input including the primary image signal, and outputs a converted image signal. The timing controller converts each of the first image signal, the second image signal and the third image signal on a basis of whichever one of the first image signal, the second image signal and the third image signal is selected, and outputs the converted image signal. The light-emitting unit determines a luminance of the light supplied to the display panel according to a reference grayscale of a reference image signal, the reference image signal being selected among the first image signal, the second image signal and the third image signal.
US08471796B2

An apparatus for providing grayscale voltages and a display device using the same are provided. The display device includes a grayscale voltage provider that provides grayscale voltages using a first reference voltage and a second reference voltage in accordance with a selection signal. A data driver applies data voltages to data lines using the grayscale voltages and an image signal. A gate driver successively provides a gate-on voltage to the gate lines. A display panel displays an image for each frame using the data voltages and the gate-on voltage.
US08471789B2

In an organic electroluminescence display device (30) comprising an organic EL element (26) having a structure wherein an organic luminescent medium (24) is sandwiched between a top electrode (20) and a bottom electrode (22), and a driving circuit (14) for driving the organic EL element (26), the organic luminescent medium (24) comprises a host compound and a triplet-related luminous compound and the driving circuit (14) applies a electric pulse voltage or pulse current having a frequency of 30 Hz or more and a duty ratio of 1/5 or less. In this way, it is possible to provide an organic EL display device which consumes a low electric power and has a long luminous life span, and a method for driving the same.
US08471786B2

Display luminance is uniformized and the brightness is enhanced. A plasma display device has image signal processing circuit including loading correction part. The loading correction part has: number of lit cells calculator for calculating the number of discharge cells to be lit in each display electrode pair, in each subfield; load value calculator for calculating a load value of each discharge cell, according to the calculation result in number of lit cells calculator; correction gain calculator for calculating a correction gain of each discharge cell, according to the position of the discharge cell and the calculation result in load value calculator, such that the correction gain is smaller in the central portion than in the peripheral portion on the plasma display panel's image display surface; and corrector for subtracting the multiplication result of the output from correction gain calculator and an input image signal, from the input image signal.
US08471785B2

A first ramp waveform (RW1) rising from a first potential (Vscn) to a second potential (Vscn+Vset) is applied to a plurality of scan electrodes (SCi) in a first period (t5 to t6), and a driving waveform dropping from a third potential (Ve1) to a fourth potential (0V) is applied to a plurality of sustain electrodes (SUi) before the first period (t5 to t6), and the plurality of sustain electrodes are held at the fourth potential (0V) in the first period (t5 to t6). At this time, a second ramp waveform (RW10) rising from a fifth potential (0 V) to a sixth potential (Vd) according to change of a potential of the first ramp waveform (RW1) is applied to a plurality of data electrodes (Dj) in a second period (t5 to t5a) that starts at a starting time point (t5) of the first period (t5 to t6) and is shorter than the first period (t5 to t6), thereby preventing generation of strong discharges between the plurality of data electrodes (Dj) and the plurality of scan electrodes (SCi).
US08471784B2

This invention relates to a driving apparatus of a plasma display panel that is capable of being operated stable, regardless of temperature. A driving apparatus of a plasma display panel according to the present invention includes a panel having a scanning electrode for receiving a scanning pulse in an address period and an address electrode for receiving a date pulse synchronized with the scanning pulse in the address period; and a pulse width controller for changing the width of the scanning pulse when the panel is driven at a low temperature.
US08471783B2

The present disclosure describes systems and methods for transmitting, receiving, and displaying data. The systems and methods may be directed to providing a constant or substantially constant data transmission rate (e.g., frame rate per second) to a device and controlling bandwidth by presenting information directed to an area of interest to a user. Bandwidth can be lowered, for example by presenting high resolution data directed to the area of interest to the user (e.g., an area to which the user is looking or “gazing” using a heads-up display), and lower resolution data directed to other areas. Data can be transmitted and received at a constant frame rate or substantially constant frame rate, and gaze direction and progressive compression/decompression techniques can be used to transmit data focused on areas directed to an area of interest to the user.
US08471763B2

A system implements a location based service, and comprises a satellite navigation receiver implementing a position tracking function for providing the location of a user of the service. An analogue RF receiver receives satellite signals and performs at least a frequency downconversion. Correlation and decoding functions are applied to the downconverted signals for deriving location information from detected specific satellite signals. The system further comprises a server for receiving samples of the downconverted signals, and for verifying the samples are consistent with the expected satellite signals at that time and location. The invention provides a counter measure for detecting the counterfeiting of, or tampering with, the satellite signals at the receiver. A check can be made that the received satellite signals correspond to those which are expected at that location and time.
US08471759B2

Disclosure is a forward-looking 3D imaging radar, comprising: a transmitting unit which generates RF signals to be radiated for observing object in front of the radar; a transmitting antenna which radiates the RF signal generated by the transmitting unit; a receiving antenna which receives signals radiated from the transmitting antenna and reflected by the object in front of the radar; a receiving unit which mixes the signal received by the receiving antenna and the branched signal from the transmitting unit, and converts the signal to digital signal; and a signal processor which controls the operations of the transmitting unit and receiving unit, sends command to the transmitting unit to generate RF signals, receives the digitally converted signal from the receiving unit and extracts phase information of the object in front of the radar, and generates 3D radar image by producing altitude information based on the principle of interferometer.
US08471757B2

The invention relates to a dielectric lens useable in both the radio wave band and the light wave band, and a device using this dielectric lens. The device comprises a dielectric lens formed of a transparent dielectric member small in dielectric loss and having an omnidirectional feature with regard to an electromagnetic wave, a transparent dielectric shell that is hollow inside and having the radius that is equal to the focal distance of the dielectric lens, and a holding mechanism for positioning and holding the dielectric shell and the dielectric lens so as to locate the dielectric shell at a position along the focal distance with the dielectric lens included at the inner center of this dielectric shell. The device is provided, at the focal point of the dielectric lens, with a reflector for reflecting an electromagnetic wave or a generator for generating an electromagnetic wave.
US08471755B1

A system and a method are disclosed for establishing the biasing point of a comparator in a successive approximation analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC) by transferring an electric charge from a series of capacitors in a switched-capacitor array into a frame capacitor. The frame capacitor is formed by a parasitic capacitance between the series of capacitors and a conductive metal frame that surrounds the capacitors. To induce the charge transfer, the conductive metal frame is connected to a clock signal, which alternately drives the frame between a supply voltage and ground. By using the frame capacitor instead of a separate power source to establish the biasing point, the current consumption of the SAR ADC is reduced.
US08471754B2

A time measurement circuit measures the time difference between edges of a first signal and a second signal. A sampling circuit acquires the logical level of the first signal at a timing of the edge of the second signal. When a sampling circuit enters a metastable state, an output signal thereof transits with a long time scale. A transition time measurement circuit measures a transition time (settling time) of the output signal of the sampling circuit in the metastable state.
US08471749B2

A comparator is provided. In one embodiment, a method of operating a comparator comprises providing a bias current (920); comparing an input signal and a reference signal to determine a difference signal and an inverted difference signal (930); latching the difference signal and the inverted difference signal to generate a first and second latched signals (950); generating a control signal using at least the first and second latched signals (970); and controlling the bias current in response to the control signal (980), wherein the comparing the input signal and the reference signal (930) is activated and deactivated in response to the controlling the bias current (980). In another embodiment, a comparator comprises a bias circuit (420) configured to provide a bias current; a comparator circuit (430) configured to determine a difference signal and an inverted difference signal by comparing an input signal and a reference signal, wherein the bias current is used to place the comparator circuit (430) in an active mode; a latch circuit (450) configured to latch the difference signal and the inverted difference signal to generate a first and second latched signals; a control circuit (470) configured to generate a control signal using at least the first and second latched signals; and a switch circuit (480) configured to use the control signal to control the bias current to place the comparator circuit (430) in an active mode and an inactive mode.
US08471731B2

A system and method for determining when a LED-based position light is nearing its end of life by providing to maintenance personnel visible indication that end of life is approaching. An example system includes a controller, a main LED light, an indicator LED light, a first elapsed time counter, a second elapsed time counter, and an oscillator. The first elapsed time counter recognizes when a first time threshold is exceeded, causing the indicator LED light to flash and triggering the second elapsed time counter to start counting. The second elapsed time counter recognizes when a second time threshold is exceeded, disabling both the indicator LED light and the main LED lights, thereby notifying maintenance personnel that the main LED lights have reached their end of life.
US08471726B2

A system and method for collision warning in a host vehicle including: detecting a collision risk between the host vehicle and an other user of the road with a detection means based on input from at least one sensor which detects at least one parameter related to the other user of the road with respect to the host vehicle; identifying possible options to avoid a collision between the host vehicle and the other user of the road based on input from the detection means, wherein possible options for the host vehicle to avoid a collision are identified as well as possible options for the other user of the road to avoid a collision are identified; calculating among the identified possible options at least one preferred avoidance action in order to avoid a collision between the host vehicle and the other user of the road; and if the at least one preferred avoidance action involves at least one possible option identified for the other user of the road, then generating a warning signal from the host vehicle in a direction towards the other user of the road in order to warn the other user of the road of the collision risk.
US08471721B2

A server rack includes a main body, an electronic scale, and an alarm. The main body is used for receiving a number of servers. The electronic scale includes a pressure sensor and a microcontroller. The main body presses on the pressure sensor so that the pressure sensor can measure the pressure from the main body to obtain a pressure signal. The microcontroller analyzes the pressure signal to calculating the total weight of the main body and the servers. The alarm stores a predetermined weight threshold, which is the total weight of the main body and the maximum servers that the main body can bear. The alarm also compares the measured total weight with the predetermined weight threshold. When the measured total weight is larger than the predetermined weight threshold, the alarm alarms.
US08471718B1

An electrical unit outlet device is disclosed for controlling power isolation, based on a pre-determined time, for a device charger, while remaining plugged into a power outlet. A power isolating circuit cuts any power to the charging device off when charge is complete.
US08471708B1

RFID readers transmit a Quiet Technology (QT) command to RFID tags causing at least one of the tags to transition between a private profile and a public profile. When a tag is inventoried in the private profile, it replies to the reader with contents from its private memory. When a tag is inventoried in the public profile, it replies to the reader with contents from its public memory, where the contents of the public memory may be a subset and/or modified version of the private memory contents, or entirely different altogether. The tag's profile can be switched again by another QT command from the reader, or following a loss of power at the tag. An access password and/or a short-range mechanism may be employed to allow only authorized readers to transition tag profiles or interrogate the private memory contents of tags in the public profile.
US08471703B2

A network status indication system utilizes indicators on a keyboard to indicate the network status of a computer. When a simultaneous activation of two predetermined keys is detected and when the number of simultaneous activations is odd, the network status is determined, thereby indicating the network status of the computer.
US08471702B2

A method for monitoring the health of a compressor of a gas turbine is disclosed. The method includes receiving a plurality of turbine data points, wherein the plurality of turbine data points may include one or more operating parameters, at least one of a computer discharge temperature (CTD), and one or more performance parameters. The plurality of turbine data points may be categorized based on the one or more operating parameters. A statistical variability measure of at least one of the CTD and the one or more performance parameters may be computed for each of the plurality of bands. An alarm indicator may be computed based on the at least one statistical variability measure. The method may also include combining two or more of the operating parameters, the CTD and the performance parameters using sensor fusion techniques. The alarm indicator may be computed based on the combined parameters.
US08471691B2

A method and system for integrating a camera-equipped handheld mobile device with a vehicle's electronic systems, such that the imaging capabilities of the mobile device can be utilized by the vehicle, and information from vehicle's systems can be utilized by the mobile device. The mobile device is placed in a mounting fixture, which can provide power to the mobile device, and is designed to dynamically aim the mobile device's camera based on driving conditions. The mobile device can communicate with the vehicle's systems wirelessly, or via a wired connection. Images from the mobile device's camera are provided to a processor onboard the vehicle, and can be used by vehicle safety and convenience systems. The mobile device can also receive information from the vehicle and use the information in applications on the mobile device. Computing workload can be shared between the vehicle's processor and the mobile device.
US08471685B2

A non-contact IC card system includes a non-contact IC card having a display element and an IC card reader/writer communicating with the non-contact IC card. The IC card reader/writer disables detection of a load modulated signal from the non-contact IC card when the non-contact IC card displays data on the display element.
US08471668B2

A coil device includes a first coil pattern, a second coil pattern, an insulating layer, a magnetic covering element and a number of conductive pillars. The second coil pattern is disposed above the first coil pattern, and is spaced apart from the first coil pattern. The insulating layer covers the first coil pattern and the second coil pattern and defines an opening surrounded by the first coil pattern and the second coil pattern. The magnetic covering element covers the insulating layer and extends into the opening. The conductive pillars are disposed within the magnetic covering element and are exposed from a bottom side of the magnetic covering element. A portion of the conductive pillars are electrically connected to the first coil pattern, and another portion of the conductive pillars are connected to the second coil pattern. The coil device can be easily manufactured.
US08471663B2

A combined winding structure is provided. The combined winding structure includes a plurality of winding wires each having a winding portion in a hollow column form, an anodic portion and a cathodic portion; the anodic portions and the cathodic portions are integrally extended from the winding portions respectively. The winding portions each have a surrounding dimension, and the surrounding dimensions are mutually different. The winding portion with the smaller surrounding dimension is located inside and surrounded by the winding portion with the larger surrounding dimension. With these arrangements, the combined winding structure can have a larger equivalent cross-sectional area and lower production costs. A magnetic device is also provided, which includes the aforesaid combined winding structure.
US08471659B1

An automatic transfer switch to automatically electrically connect an electrical panel to a second power source, e.g., an electric generator, during interruption or failure of a first power source, e.g., a utility power supply, includes a powered interlock arrangement that is operative to prevent the electrical panel from being electrically connected to both power sources simultaneously.
US08471655B2

A device for transferring motion from a manual lever to a reset lever of a pressure trip mechanism in a molded case circuit breaker. The pressure trip mechanism is activated when hot gasses are released during an arc event and the resultant increase in pressure forces a piston in the mechanism to expand and thereby activate the breaker. In some interruption events, hot gasses, and occasionally fragments of molten metal, are responsible for marring the plastic piston surface of the pressure trip mechanism and prevent the mechanism from returning to its pre-interruption position even when it is biased to the pre-interruption position with a spring. A configuration disclosed herein provides for linking the motion of the hand-driven manual lever used to reset the breaker to the reset lever connected to the pressure trip mechanism in order to force the pressure trip mechanism to return to its pre-interruption position.
US08471648B2

There is provided a signal dividing device (10) for use in a co-axial network used for distributing signals within the home, the signal dividing device (10) comprising an impedance transformer (12), a first (14) and a second (16) two-way signal splitter, each two-way signal splitter having an input, and first and second outputs. The output (22) of the impedance transformer is connected to the input of the first and the second signal splitter, the other port (20) of the impedance transformer being connected to earth. Resistive elements (32, 34) are connected between the outputs of the first and second signal splitters respectively. A diplex filter (40) may be connected at the input (18) of the impedance transformer (12).
US08471630B2

A fast settling reference voltage buffer and method are disclosed. In one of embodiments, An apparatus comprising: an OTA (operational trans-conductance amplifier) with a positive input terminal coupled to a reference voltage, a negative input terminal coupled to a feedback node, and an output terminal coupled to a circuit node shunt to ground by a shunt capacitor via a current sensor; a tunable resistor, controlled by a control signal, coupling the circuit node to the feedback node; a load circuit coupled to the feedback node via a switch controlled by a logical signal; and a control circuit for receiving an output of the current sensor and outputting the control signal, wherein the control signal is adapted in accordance with the output of the current sensor.
US08471625B1

A beta enhancement circuit includes a current source connected in series with a transistor between two voltage supply lines. In an embodiment, the voltage supply lines are configured for connection to a power source and ground potential. A resistor device is connected between a control terminal of the transistor device and one of voltage supply lines. A value for the resistor device is selected based on one or more process dependent parameters of the transistor.
US08471620B2

The amplitude voltage of a signal input to a level shifter can be increased and then output by the level shifter circuit. Specifically, the amplitude voltage of the signal input to the level shifter can be increased to be output. This decreases the amplitude voltage of a circuit (a shift register circuit, a decoder circuit, or the like) which outputs the signal input to the level shifter. Consequently, power consumption of the circuit can be reduced. Alternatively, a voltage applied to a transistor included in the circuit can be reduced. This can suppress degradation of the transistor or damage to the transistor.
US08471618B2

The invention provides a flip-flop. In one embodiment, the flip-flop receives a low swing clock signal, and comprises a first NMOS transistor, a first latch circuit, a second NMOS transistor, and a second latch circuit. The low swing clock signal is inverted to obtain an inverted low swing clock signal. The first NMOS transistor is coupled between a receiving node and a first node, and has a gate coupled to the inverted low swing clock signal. The first latch circuit is coupled between the first node and a second node. The second NMOS transistor is coupled between the second node and a third node. The second latch circuit is coupled between the third node and a fourth node, and generates an output signal on the fourth node.
US08471615B2

A timing adjustment circuit includes at least one data line; a phase synchronization circuit that includes a plurality of oscillation delay elements which oscillate an oscillation signal, and that is configured to oscillate the oscillation signal by synchronizing a phase of a feedback clock with a phase of a reference clock; at least one delay circuit that includes a delay element which is disposed on the data line and which is equivalent to one of the plurality of oscillation delay elements, and that is configured to delay data which is to be transmitted on the data line; and a delay adjustment unit configured to adjust an amount of delay of the delay element of the delay circuit in accordance with a signal associated with oscillation of the phase synchronization circuit.
US08471598B2

The present disclosure provides for magnetic logic devices and methods of operating such a device. In one embodiment, the device includes a bottom electrode configured to receive a first input current and a second input current, a bottom magnetic layer disposed over the bottom electrode, a nonmagnetic layer disposed over the bottom magnetic layer, a top magnetic layer disposed over the nonmagnetic layer, and a top electrode disposed over the top magnetic layer, the top electrode and the bottom electrode configured to provide an output voltage which is dependent on the first and second input currents and which follows an AND gate logic or an OR gate logic.
US08471597B2

A circuit is described including a clock input for at least one clock signal. Only one clock buffer is connected to the clock input to generate, based on the at least one clock signal, at least a first modified clock signal and a second modified clock signal. A plurality of flip-flops are connected to the clock buffer. Each of the flip-flops receive the first and second modified clock signals. A plurality of data inputs are each connected to at least one of the plurality of flip-flops to provide input data to the plurality of flip-flops. A plurality of data outputs each are connected to at least one of the plurality of flip-flops to provide output data from the plurality of flip-flops. Each of the plurality of flip-flops transform the input data to the output data utilizing the first modified clock signal and the second modified clock signal.
US08471584B2

A multilevel converter includes a plurality of phase legs each having at least two inner switching devices, at least two outer switching devices, at least two clamping diodes, a split DC link and a switching device failure detection circuit. The switching device failure detection circuit includes a logic module for each of the switching devices, a voltage calculation module and a failure detection algorithm. The logic module generates a blocking state logic signal by comparing a switching device voltage and a threshold reference voltage and the voltage calculation module determines an expected voltage blocking state for each of the switching devices based on the gate drive signals of the switching devices and an output current direction. The failure detection algorithm detects a failure condition in any of the switching devices based on the blocking state logic signals and the expected voltage blocking states of the switching devices.
US08471575B2

Methodologies and test configurations are provided for testing thermal interface materials and, in particular, methodologies and test configurations are provided for testing thermal interface materials used for testing integrated circuits. A test methodology includes applying a thermal interface material on a device under test. The test methodology further includes monitoring the device under test with a plurality of temperature sensors. The test methodology further includes determining whether any of the plurality of temperature sensors increases above a steady state.
US08471564B2

The invention relates to a system for recording characteristic curves for a light-emitting diode arrangement (1) comprising at least one light-emitting diode (2). A control unit (4) is used to operate the light-emitting diode arrangement (1) and to record the diode current (8) and the voltage (9) on the light-emitting diode arrangement (1). The control unit (4) is also used to record a first current/voltage pair (P1) and a different second current/voltage pair (P2), at a first temperature of the light-emitting diode arrangement (1), and a third current/voltage pair (P3) and a different fourth current/voltage pair (P4), at a second temperature of the light-emitting diode arrangement (1). The invention also relates to a method for recording characteristic curves of a light-emitting diode arrangement.
US08471563B2

A steerable, magnetic dipole antenna for Measurement-While-Drilling (MWD) or Logging-While-Drilling (LWD) applications. The antenna elements use a hole arrangement in addition to grooves in a steel tool body, which is typically a drill collar. This antenna embodiment is extremely robust, meaning that does not significantly reduce the structural integrity of the tool body in which it is disposed. The antenna embodiment is also relatively wear resistant. The resultant magnetic dipole generated by this antenna is also electrically steerable in inclination angle from a common origin. A variable dipole moment inclination angle combined with independently measured tool rotation orientation during normal drilling allows the antenna to generate a magnetic dipole moment that may be directed at any three dimensional angle and from a common origin point at the centroid of the antenna. The antenna can also be embodied to be more sensitive to resitivity in a particular azimuthal direction.
US08471559B2

A downhole micro MR analyzer for use in a wellbore, having a micro sample tube, a micro RF coil in close proximity to the micro sample tube, and one or more magnets disposed about the micro sample tube is disclosed. The micro MR analyzer can be used for nuclear magnetic resonance or electron spin resonance experiments to ascertain formation properties and chemical compositions.
US08471535B2

A semiconductor switching device includes a power control part, which includes a voltage dropping chopper circuit having a first switching element and a first diode, a voltage boosting chopper circuit having a second switching element and a second diode, and an inductance. And the inductance is connected such that an unusual current caused by the arm short circuit is forced to pass through the inductance.
US08471532B2

A system and method for battery protection. In some aspects, a battery pack includes a housing, a cell supported by the housing, a circuit supported by a flexible circuit board. The circuit is operable to control a function of the battery pack.
US08471529B2

A by-pass circuit for a battery system that disconnects parallel connected cells or modules from a battery circuit or controls the current through the parallel connected cells or modules. If a cell has failed or is potentially failing in the system, then the by-pass circuit can disconnect the cell or module from other cells or modules electrically coupled in parallel. If a cell or module has a lower capability than another cell or module, then the by-pass circuit can control the current to the cell or module to maximize the performance of the system and prevent the system from creating a walk-home condition.
US08471524B2

The present invention is adapted for the field of power supply and provides a battery charging device and a method for controlling charging thereof, including: a charging circuit which has a charging current setting terminal for charging the battery according to charging current of the charging current setting terminal; a charging current control circuit which is connected with the charging current setting terminal and adjusts the charging current gradually according to equivalent resistance in the charging current control circuit; a general register circuit which is connected to the charging current control circuit and to control the equivalent resistance by setting value of a general register. In the present invention, a plurality of switching tubes and resistances are integrated into the charging current control circuit. The switching tubes is switched on or off by setting the value of the general register, thereby adjusting the existing charging current gradually and causing the voltage of the charging power source to descend/ascend smoothly. This provides a solution to the problem of equipment instability caused by the voltage fluctuation in the adjustment process of charging current in the existing technology.
US08471522B2

A system for periodically charging an electrically powered automated guided vehicle includes a charging station positioned adjacent a predetermined route of the automated guided vehicle. The charging station includes a charging arm which is selectively movable between a stowed position and a charge position in which the charging arm engages with the automated guided vehicle to perform a charging operation. The charging station is dimensioned and positioned so as to be positioned underneath a bottom surface of a platform connected to the automated guided vehicle and between a side edge of the platform and the automated guided vehicle.
US08471517B2

A motor controlling apparatus includes a control unit which sets a motor on standby for a predetermined time if an enable signal is applied and sets the motor to a default state by rotating the motor at least once for the next predetermined time. The apparatus includes a driver unit which generates a drive signal to control the motor and outputs the drive signal to the motor. Accordingly, a stepping out of the motor may be prevented.
US08471501B2

An illumination brightness control apparatus receives an input voltage from a light dimmer and produces a control signal to regulate a drive signal to a power conversion switch of a switching mode power converter. The apparatus includes a voltage conditioning circuit to condition the dimmer input voltage to provide a conditioned voltage signal; an ADC circuit to sample analog data of the conditioned voltage signal at a sampling rate that is high relative to a nominal variation rate of the dimmer input voltage and to provide digital data corresponding to the sampled analog data; a digital signal processing circuit to produce a running data average of the digital data; and a controller to produce a signal corresponding to the running data average as the control signal to regulate the drive signal.
US08471481B2

The present disclosure discloses a dimming method of a lighting apparatus using a PN junction light-emitting element, the method including: supplying AC controlled by a dimmer; causing a first group, which has one PN junction light-emitting element positioned within a first boundary and one PN junction light-emitting element positioned within a second boundary, to emit light at a first voltage by the supplied AC when a first switch is in the ON state; and causing a second group, which has another PN junction light-emitting element positioned within the first boundary and another PN junction light-emitting element positioned within the second boundary and which is connected in series to the first group, to emit light at a second voltage higher than the first voltage by the supplied current when the first switch positioned between the first group and the second group is in the OFF state.
US08471480B2

A decorative light string includes a controller having a master mode and a slave mode, with the master mode being the default. A light strand including a plurality of light emitting elements is operatively coupled to the controller, as is a light pattern selector. In the master mode, the controller is configured to control the light emitting elements according to a setting input at the light pattern selector. A mode select circuit is electronically coupled to the controller, and the controller is configured to enter the slave mode when a control signal is received by the mode select circuit.
US08471479B2

An illumination device (4) includes a light-emitting diode (light-emitting element) (9) and an LED substrate (light source substrate) (8) including a mounting surface (8a) on which the light-emitting diode (9) is mounted. A plurality of the light-emitting diodes (9) are mounted on the mounting surface (8a) of the LED substrate (8) and an LED driver (driving circuit element) (11) for driving the light-emitting diodes (9) is provided on the backside (8b) of the mounting surface (8a).
US08471474B2

A mercury-free vehicle discharge bulb is provided. The discharge bulb includes an arc tube a glass shroud extending in a front-rear direction to cylindrically surround the arc tube, a metal band surrounding and holding a rear end portion of the glass shroud, and an insulating plug supporting the glass shroud in a fixed manner via the metal band. A ratio S1/S2 of a first area S1 to a second area S2 is 1 to 3. The first area S1 is a surface area of an outer surface of the glass shroud in a region from a circumference of the glass shroud at a position of a center of the discharge space to a front end edge of the metal band, and the second area S2 is a surface area of a surface of the metal band that touches the glass shroud.
US08471463B2

Provided is an organic EL element in which emission efficiency is improved by suppressing a loss of excitation energy by a surface plasmon generated on an electrode surface. A hole transport layer is formed of a material having a refractive index of 1.20 or more and 1.65 or less at a maximum peak wavelength of a spectrum of light emitted by a light-emitting layer.
US08471458B2

There is provided a light emitting device which includes a light emitting element having a main emission peak in the wavelength region of greater than 420 nm and equal to or less than 500 nm, and a phosphor layer formed on the light emitting element. The light emitting element of this light emitting device has a junction temperature of from 100° C. to 200° C. at the time of continuous driving. Furthermore, the phosphor layer contains a phosphor represented by the following general formula (A), which absorbs the light emitted from the light emitting element and thereby emits light having a main emission peak in the wavelength region of equal to or greater than 650 nm and equal to or less than 665 nm: (Mg1-x,AEx)a(Ge1-y,Sny)bOcHAd:zMn  (A) wherein AE represents at least one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Ca or Sr; HA represents at least one or more elements selected from the group consisting of F or Cl; 2.54≦a≦4.40, 0.80≦b≦1.10, 3.85≦c≦7.00, 0≦d≦2.00, 0≦x≦0.05, 0≦y≦0.10, and 0
US08471457B2

A transparent plate with a transparent conductive film for an organic electroluminescent element, comprising a transparent plate main body and a transparent conductive film formed on a surface of the transparent plate main body, wherein when the refractive index of the transparent conductive film is represented by n1, and the refractive index of the transparent plate main body is represented by n2, n1 and n2 satisfy the following Expression (1): {  n ⁢ ⁢ 2 - n ⁢ ⁢ 1  < 0.4 n ⁢ ⁢ 1 ≤ 1.8 , Expression ⁢ ⁢ ( 1 ) and the transparent conductive film has a transmittance of light in a visible region of 80% or more, a volume resistivity of 1 Ω·cm or less, and a surface roughness of 100 nm or less.
US08471455B2

A fluorescent lamp includes a discharge tube and an auxiliary amalgam assembly held in the discharge tube by a holder. The holder has first and second regions with attaching portions adapted to receive an associated attachment member. The holder has a first dimension prior to disposition in the discharge tube.
US08471451B2

A ruthenium-based electrode material for use with a spark plug. The electrode material comprises ruthenium (Ru) and a precious metal. The ruthenium (Ru) is the single largest constituent of the electrode material on a wt % basis. The electrode material may have a density that is less than or equal to about 15.5 g/cm3 and may include at least one other precious metal. The electrode material may be used in a spark plug that includes a metallic shell having an axial bore, an insulator having an axial bore and at least partially disposed within the axial bore of the metallic shell, a center electrode at least partially disposed within the axial bore of the insulator, and a ground electrode attached to a free end of the metallic shell. The center electrode, the ground electrode or both may be formed at least in part from the electrode alloy.
US08471442B2

Disclosed is a piezoelectric ceramic which is characterized by containing [K1-xNax]1-yLiy[Nb1-z-wTazSbw]O3 (wherein x, y, z and w each represents a molar ratio and satisfies 0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, 0≦z≦1, 0≦w≦1) as the main phase and K3Nb3O6Si2O7 as a sub-phase, while containing, as an additive, a Cu compound in an amount of 0.02-5.0 mol in terms of CuO relative to 100 mol of the main phase.
US08471438B2

An actuator with a sensor, including an actuator having electrodes and an ionic conduction layer, a sensor and a rigid body member provided in contact with the sensor. The actuator is connected to the sensor through the rigid body member such that the sensor is not deformed attending on deformation of the actuator.
US08471437B2

A piezoelectric component includes an electromechanical transducer with two first electrodes and a second electrode. The second electrode is arranged between the two first electrodes. The transducer also includes a first main side, a second main side, opposite from the first main side, and a first longitudinal side. A first contiguous metallization layer is arranged on a first partial region of the first main side and on a partial region of the first longitudinal side adjacent to the first partial region of the first main side. Here, the partial region of the first longitudinal side is kept at a sufficient distance from a side edge facing the second main side and the partial region electrically contacts the at least two first electrodes.
US08471430B2

An electric motor includes a stator and a rotor rotatably installed in the stator. The stator has a stator core and windings. The stator core has a yoke and a plurality of teeth extending inwardly from the yoke. The stator includes two end caps disposed at opposite axial ends thereof and a plurality of locking members securing the end caps to the stator core. The windings are wound on the respective teeth, and the locking members extend between the end caps through gaps formed between adjacent teeth.
US08471429B2

A stator assembly includes a stator stack and a plurality of conductors extending from the stator stack. An isolator/assembly ring is located on the stator stack. The isolator/assembly ring includes a plurality of inwardly protruding fingers. A method of assembling the stator assembly includes threading the plurality of conductors through the stator stack such that each of the plurality of fingers on the isolator/assembly ring is located between respective ones of the plurality of conductors.
US08471428B2

A rotating electrical machine includes a rotor, in which a plurality of magnetic poles are provided in circumferential direction, and a stator, within which the rotor is disposed. In the stator, two stator magnetic poles are formed by winding coils of one phase and by a stator core of the stator within 360° of electrical angle defined by the magnetic poles of the rotor. The coils that form respective stator magnetic poles have angular widths in circumferential direction of less than 180° of electrical angle, the coils that form the respective two stator magnetic poles are provided so as not to mutually overlap and are wound so that adjacent ones of the stator magnetic poles have mutually opposite polarities, and, in the stator, each winding of each coil consists of an external bridge wire, a turn portion, an internal bridge wire, and a turn portion, in that order.
US08471426B2

Machines and motors with multiple three-phase AC power connections. A motor includes first, second, and third windings arranged to drive a rotator shaft. A first end of each winding is connected to a respective power input of a three-phase alternating current (AC) power source and a second end of each winding is connected to a neutral. The motor includes at least one intermediate tap connected to each of the first, second, and third windings at substantially equal respective distances between the neutral and the respective power inputs. The intermediate taps together provide a three-phase AC power output at a voltage that is less than the voltage of the three-phase AC power source.
US08471419B2

The present invention relates to a rotating electric machine stator that includes connecting members for connecting jumper wires to each other between neighboring magnetic pole coils of the rotating electric machine stator, and its manufacturing method. In a conventional connecting member, its portions to be connected to the jumper wires are figure-U shaped and have openings on the opposite side to a core's end-face where the jumper wires are disposed, so that, in order to insert the jumper wires into the openings, complex drive controls have been required for the connecting portions being figure-U shaped. In order to simplify the drive controls, such connecting portions being made in curved shapes have openings each facing the end-face of a core. It is possible to generally apply the present invention to rotating electric machine stators that obey coil connection specifications.
US08471417B2

An inverter input terminal, a coil terminal for a U-phase coil, and an inverter ground terminal are arranged in this order and neighboring to one another to form a U-phase terminal group. An inverter input terminal, a coil terminal for a V-phase coil, and the inverter ground terminal are arranged in this order and neighboring to one another to forma V-phase terminal group. The inverter input terminal, a coil terminal for a W-phase coil, and an inverter ground terminal are arranged in this order and neighboring to one another to form a W-phase terminal group. Flow directions of electric current in the neighboring terminals are opposite to each other, so that inductance of inverter circuits can be decreased.
US08471414B2

A low impedance polarity conversion circuit for driving a load with a DC power source is disclosed. The DC power source has a first pole from which a first DC signal originates and a second pole from which a second DC signal originates. The first DC signal has a voltage greater than a voltage of the second DC signal. The conversion circuit includes a circuit output node through which an output DC signal is delivered from the conversion circuit to the load. The conversion circuit also includes a charge conditioning circuit for generating third and fourth DC signals. The third DC signal has a voltage greater than the first DC signal voltage and the fourth DC signal has a voltage less than the second DC signal voltage. A rectification circuit includes first and second inputs for attachment to the first pole and the second pole. A Field-Effect Transistor (FET) bridge is electrically connected to the first and second inputs. The FET bridge includes first and second pairs of cooperating FETs. The third voltage controls a first of the first pair of FETs and a first of the second pair of FETs. The fourth voltage controls a second of the first pair of FETs and a second of the second pair of FETs. The FET bridge is for rectifying the first and second DC signals in order that the output DC signal is the same polarity irrespective of whether the first input is attached to the first pole or the second pole.
US08471407B2

An emergency power system for operation during loss of power on power mains comprises a spring-driven energy storage unit (ESU) and a generator. The ESU enters a generator mode responsive to a power outage state of a power sensor, during which mode unwinding of the spring drive powers the generator. After power is restored to the mains, a preferred embodiment automatically rewinds the spring using the generator as a motor.
US08471393B2

A semiconductor component includes a semiconductor chip, and a passive component, with the semiconductor component including a coil as the passive component. The semiconductor chip and the passive component are embedded in a plastic encapsulation compound with connection elements to external contacts.
US08471384B2

A method of closely interconnecting integrated circuits contained within a semiconductor wafer to electrical circuits surrounding the semiconductor wafer. Electrical interconnects are held to a minimum in length by making efficient use of polyimide or polymer as an inter-metal dielectric thus enabling the integration of very small integrated circuits within a larger circuit environment at a minimum cost in electrical circuit performance.
US08471381B2

A complete power management system implemented in a single surface mount package. The system may be drawn to a DC to DC converter system and includes, in a leadless surface mount package, a driver/controller, a MOSFET transistor, passive components (e.g., inductor, capacitor, resistor), and optionally a diode. The MOSFET transistor may be replaced with an insulated gate bipolar transistor, IGBT in various embodiments. The system may also be a power management system, a smart power module or a motion control system. The passive components may be connected between the leadframe connections. The active components may be coupled to the leadframe using metal clip bonding techniques. In one embodiment, an exposed metal bottom may act as an effective heat sink.
US08471372B2

A thin flip chip package structure comprises a substrate, a chip and a heat dissipation paste, wherein the substrate comprises an insulating layer and a trace layer. The insulating layer comprises a first insulating portion and a second insulating portion, the first insulating portion comprises a first upward surface, a first downward surface, a first thickness and a recess formed on the first downward surface, wherein the recess comprises a bottom surface. The second insulating portion comprises a second upward surface, a second downward surface and a second thickness larger than the first thickness. The trace layer is at least formed on the second insulating portion, the chip disposed on top of the substrate is electrically connected with the trace layer and comprises a plurality of bumps, and the heat dissipation paste is disposed at the recess.
US08471371B2

A semiconductor composite wiring assembly includes a wiring assembly and a lead frame. A copper wiring layer of the wiring assembly includes first terminals, second terminals, and wiring sections connecting the terminals. The second terminals and the lead frame are electrically connected by connecting members. The lead frame includes a die pad for mounting the wiring assembly, and lead sections located at outer positions. The die pad includes a central area in which a semiconductor chip is mounted via the wiring assembly, and a peripheral area connected to the central area with spaces formed therebetween that serve as resin-seal inflow spaces. The wiring assembly is positioned over the central area and the peripheral area so as to cover the central area completely and the peripheral area partially, and at least the central area and the peripheral area of the die pad are glued to the wiring assembly by resin paste.
US08471368B2

This invention discloses a semiconductor wafer for manufacturing electronic circuit thereon. The semiconductor substrate further includes an etch-back indicator that includes trenches of different sizes having polysilicon filled in the trenches and then completely removed from some of the trenches of greater planar trench dimensions and the polysilicon still remaining in a bottom portion in some of the trenches having smaller planar trench dimensions.
US08471367B2

A semiconductor device includes a second oxide film and a pad electrode on a first oxide film that is formed on a front surface of a semiconductor substrate, a contact electrode and a first barrier layer formed in the second oxide film and connected to the pad electrode, a silicide portion formed between the contact electrode and a through-hole electrode layer and connected to the contact electrode and the first barrier layer, a via hole extending from a back surface of the semiconductor substrate to reach the silicide portion and the second oxide film, a third oxide film formed on a sidewall of the via hole and on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate, and a second barrier layer (H) and a rewiring layer formed inside the via hole and on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate and connected to the silicide portion.
US08471366B2

A nitride semiconductor device includes a main surface and an indicator portion. The main surface is a plane inclined by at least 71° and at most 79° in a [1-100] direction from a (0001) plane or a plane inclined by at least 71° and at most 79° in a [−1100] direction from a (000-1) plane. The indicator portion indicates a (−1017) plane, a (10-1-7) plane, or a plane inclined by at least −4° and at most 4° in the [1-100] direction from these planes and inclined by at least −0.5° and at most 0.5° in a direction orthogonal to the [1-100] direction.
US08471364B2

A group III nitride substrate in one embodiment has a surface layer. The surface layer contains 3 at. % to 25 at. % of carbon and 5×1010 atoms/cm2 to 200×1010 atoms/cm2 of a p-type metal element. The group III nitride substrate has a stable surface.
US08471363B2

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a first single conductor, a single insulator, and a second single conductor. The substrate includes first and second regions located adjacent to each other. The first region has blind holes, each of which has an opening on a front surface of the substrate. The second region has a through hole penetrating the substrate. A width of each blind hole is less than a width of the through hole. The first single conductor is formed on the front surface of the substrate in such a manner that an inner surface of each blind hole and an inner surface of the through hole are covered with the first single conductor. The single insulator is formed on the first single conductor. The second single conductor is formed on the single insulator and electrically insulated form the first single conductor.
US08471362B2

A three-dimensional (3D) semiconductor device including a plurality of stacked layers and a through-silicon via (TSV) electrically connecting the plurality of layers, in which in signal transmission among the plurality of layers, the TSV transmits a signal that swings in a range from an offset voltage that is higher than a ground voltage to a power voltage, thereby minimizing an influence of a metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) capacitance of TSV.
US08471361B2

An integrated chip package structure and method of manufacturing the same is by adhering dies on an organic substrate and forming a thin-film circuit layer on top of the dies and the organic substrate. Wherein the thin-film circuit layer has an external circuitry, which is electrically connected to the metal pads of the dies, that extends to a region outside the active surface of the dies for fanning out the metal pads of the dies. Furthermore, a plurality of active devices and an internal circuitry is located on the active surface of the dies. Signal for the active devices are transmitted through the internal circuitry to the external circuitry and from the external circuitry through the internal circuitry back to other active devices. Moreover, the chip package structure allows multiple dies with different functions to be packaged into an integrated package and electrically connecting the dies by the external circuitry.
US08471357B2

This invention provides an integrated inductor structure including a substrate, a metal coil layer on the substrate and a dielectric layer between the substrate and the metal coil layer. A well shielding structure for reducing eddy current is disposed in the substrate under the metal coil layer. The well shielding structure is chequered with a plurality of N wells and a plurality of P wells. The N wells and P wells are arranged in a chessboard-like manner. A P+ pickup ring is provided in the substrate to encompass the well shielding structure. A guard ring is formed directly on the P+ pickup ring.
US08471354B2

An e-fuse structure includes an anode, a cathode, a fuse part connecting the anode and the cathode to each other, and a dielectric contacting the fuse part. The dielectric is configured to apply a stress to the fuse part, where the stress constructively acting on a migration effect of atoms constituting the fuse part. The migration effect is generated by electromigration and thermomirgration.
US08471350B2

A very high transmittance, back-illuminated, silicon-on-thin sapphire-on-fused silica wafer substrate design is presented for enabling high quantum efficiency and high resolution, silicon or silicon-germanium avalanche photodiode detector arrays with improved indirect optical crosstalk suppression. The wafer substrate incorporates a stacked antireflective bilayer between the sapphire and silicon, comprised of single crystal aluminum nitride (AlN) and non-stoichiometric, silicon rich, amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiNX<1.33), as well as a one quarter wavelength, magnesium fluoride (λ/4-MgF2) back-side antireflective layer which is bonded to a fused silica wafer. The fused silica provides mechanical support, allowing the sapphire to be thinned to optimal thickness below 50 μm, for improved optical transmittance and in conjunction with monolithic sapphire microlenses, suppression of indirect optical crosstalk from multiple reflections of APD emitted light. After solid-state device fabrication, the silicon can be coated with photoresist and the fused silica dissolved in buffered hydrogen fluoride (HF) to recover the thin Si—(AlN/a-SiNX<1.33)-sapphire-(MgF2).
US08471343B2

The instant disclosure relates to MOSFET semiconductor structures exhibiting a reduced parasitic capacitance, as well as methods of making the MOSFET semiconductor structures. The MOSFET semiconductor structures of the instant disclosure comprise an air-gap interlayer dielectric material between the contacts to the source/drain and gate structures and gate stack structures. The air-gap interlayer dielectric material causes the MOSFET semiconductor structures of the instant disclosure to have a reduced parasitic capacitance.
US08471339B2

A semiconductor device comprises a device isolation pattern, an active region, a gate pattern, a first source/drain region, and a first barrier region. The device isolation pattern defines an active portion in a semiconductor substrate and the active portion comprises first and second sidewalls extending in a first direction and doped with a first conductive type dopant. The gate pattern extends in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction to cross over the active portion. The first source/drain region and the first barrier region are disposed in the active portion at one side of the gate pattern. The first barrier region is disposed between the first source/drain region and the first sidewall and contacts the first sidewall. The first barrier region is doped with the first conductive type dopant and the first source/drain region is doped with a second conductive type dopant.
US08471335B2

A semiconductor structure includes a semiconductor substrate, formed on which are a first layer and a second layer, and an alignment-control mask. The alignment-control mask includes a first direction reference element, formed in a first region of the first layer and extending in a first alignment direction, and first position reference elements, formed in a first region of the second layer that corresponds to the first region of the first layer accommodating the first direction reference element. The first position reference elements are arranged in succession in the first alignment direction and in respective staggered positions with respect to a second alignment direction perpendicular to the first alignment direction.
US08471328B2

A manufacturing method of a non-volatile memory is disclosed. A gate structure is formed on a substrate and includes a gate dielectric layer and a gate conductive layer. The gate dielectric layer is partly removed, thereby a symmetrical opening is formed among the gate conductive layer, the substrate and the gate dielectric layer, and a cavity is formed on end sides of the gate dielectric layer. A first oxide layer is formed on a sidewall and bottom of the gate conductive layer, and a second oxide layer is formed on a surface of the substrate. A nitride material layer is formed covering the gate structure, the first and second oxide layer and the substrate and filling the opening. An etching process is performed to partly remove the nitride material layer, thereby a nitride layer is formed on a sidewall of the gate conductive layer and extending into the opening.
US08471321B2

A semiconductor device, having a memory cell region and a peripheral circuit region, includes an insulating film, having an upper surface, formed on a major surface of a semiconductor substrate to extend from the memory cell region to the peripheral circuit region. A capacitor lower electrode assembly is formed in the memory cell region to upwardly extend to substantially the same height as the upper surface of the insulating film on the major surface of the semiconductor substrate. Additionally, the lower electrode assembly includes first and second lower electrodes that are adjacent through the insulating film. A capacitor upper electrode is formed on the capacitor lower electrode through a dielectric film, to extend onto the upper surface of the insulating film. The capacitor lower electrode includes a capacitor lower electrode part having a top surface and a bottom surface. A semiconductor device organized as just described, permits implementation having a high density of integration while ensuring the capacitor exhibits high reliability and a constant capacitance.
US08471319B2

A semiconductor device is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor substrate; a gate insulating film formed above the semiconductor substrate; a charge storage layer formed above the gate insulating film; a multilayered interelectrode insulating film formed in a first region above an upper surface portion of the element isolation insulating film, a second region above a sidewall portion of the charge storage layer and a third region above an upper surface portion of the charge storage layer, the interelectrode insulating film including a stack of an upper silicon oxide film, a middle silicon nitride film, and a lower silicon oxide film; a control gate electrode formed above the interelectrode insulating film; wherein the middle silicon nitride film is thinner in the third region than in the second region and the upper silicon oxide film is thicker in the third region than in the second region.
US08471318B2

A semiconductor device and a method for forming the same are disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a plurality of bit lines having a uniform width on a semiconductor substrate, an active region obliquely arranged to have a predetermined angle with respect to the bit lines, a spacer arranged around the bit lines connected to a center part of the active region. A contact pad is connected to a lower part of the bit lines. The spacer is formed not only at an upper part of sidewalls of the contact pad but also at sidewalls of the bit lines. As a result, a CD of the bit line contact increases, so that a bit line contact patterning margin also increases. A bit line pattern having a uniform width is formed so that a patterning margin increases. A storage electrode contact self-alignment margin increases so that a line-type storage electrode contact margin increases.
US08471315B1

The invention describes a solid-state CMOS image sensor array and in particular describes in detail image sensor array pixels having global and rolling shutter capabilities that are using a dual channel transfer-storage gate for charge transfer from a PD to a TX gate well and from the TX gate well onto a FD. The dual channels are stacked above each other where a shallow charge channel is used to drain surface generated dark current away from the pixel structure, while a buried bulk channel provides for standard charge transfer and storage functions. This feature thus improves the sensor noise performance and prevents signal contamination and various shading effects caused by the dark current buildup during a prolonged charge storage sequence in pixels of image sensor arrays using the global shutter mode of operation. Several embodiment of this concept are described including pixels which utilize shared circuitry, a complete PD reset capability, and an efficient anti-blooming control.
US08471308B2

Process variation-tolerant diodes and diode-connected thin film transistors (TFTs), printed or patterned structures (e.g., circuitry) containing such diodes and TFTs, methods of making the same, and applications of the same for identification tags and sensors are disclosed. A patterned structure comprising a complementary pair of diodes or diode-connected TFTs in series can stabilize the threshold voltage (Vt) of a diode manufactured using printing or laser writing techniques. The present invention advantageously utilizes the separation between the Vt of an NMOS TFT (Vtn) and the Vt of a PMOS TFT (Vtp) to establish and/or improve stability of a forward voltage drop across a printed or laser-written diode. Further applications of the present invention relate to reference voltage generators, voltage clamp circuits, methods of controlling voltages on related or differential signal transmission lines, and RFID and EAS tags and sensors.
US08471306B2

A double-sided integrated circuit chips, methods of fabricating the double-sided integrated circuit chips and design structures for double-sided integrated circuit chips. The method includes removing the backside silicon from two silicon-on-insulator wafers having devices fabricated therein and bonding them back to back utilizing the buried oxide layers. Contacts are then formed in the upper wafer to devices in the lower wafer and wiring levels are formed on the upper wafer. The lower wafer may include wiring levels. The lower wafer may include landing pads for the contacts. Contacts to the silicon layer of the lower wafer may be silicided.
US08471298B2

Electrical devices comprised of nanoscopic wires are described, along with methods of their manufacture and use. The nanoscopic wires can be nanotubes, preferably single-walled carbon nanotubes. They can be arranged in crossbar arrays using chemically patterned surfaces for direction, via chemical vapor deposition. Chemical vapor deposition also can be used to form nanotubes in arrays in the presence of directing electric fields, optionally in combination with self-assembled monolayer patterns. Bistable devices are described.
US08471295B2

A flash memory cell string and a method of fabricating the same are provided. The flash memory cell string includes a plurality of cell devices and switching devices connected to ends of the cell devices. Each of the cell devices includes a semiconductor substrate, a tunneling insulating layer, a charge storage node, a control insulating layer, and a control electrode which are sequentially laminated on the semiconductor substrate. In each cell device, a source/drain region is not formed. The switching device does not include a source or drain region in a side connected to the cell devices. The switching device includes a source or drain region in the other side that is not connected to the cell devices. The source or drain region does or does not overlap the control electrode. Accordingly, it is possible to improve a miniaturization property and performance of NAND flash memory cell devices. If necessary, it is possible to electrically connect cells or cell strings by inducing an inversion layer through a fringing electric field from a control electrode.
US08471293B2

An embodiment of an array of Geiger-mode avalanche photodiodes, wherein each photodiode is formed by a body of semiconductor material, having a first conductivity type, housing a first cathode region, of the second conductivity type, and facing a surface of the body, an anode region, having the first conductivity type and a higher doping level than the body, extending inside the body, and facing the surface laterally to the first cathode region and at a distance therefrom, and an insulation region extending through the body and insulating an active area from the rest of the body, the active area housing the first cathode region and the anode region. The insulation region is formed by a mirror region of metal material, a channel-stopper region having the second conductivity type, surrounding the mirror region, and a coating region, of dielectric material, arranged between the mirror region and the channel-stopper region.
US08471283B2

A white LED lamp including: a conductive portion; a light emitting diode chip mounted on the conductive portion, for emitting a primary light having a peak wavelength of 360 nm to 420 nm; a transparent resin layer including a first hardened transparent resin, for sealing the light emitting diode chip; and a phosphor layer covering the transparent resin layer, the phosphor layer being formed by dispersing a phosphor powder into a second hardened transparent resin, and the phosphor powder receiving the primary light and radiating a secondary light having a wavelength longer than that of the primary light. An energy of the primary light contained in the radiated secondary light is 0.4 mW/lm or less. In the white LED lamp, a backlight, and an illumination device using the white LED lamp an amount of UV light to be contained in the released light and an amount of heat to be generated from the lamp are decreased to be small.
US08471281B2

A side-emitting light emitting device (100) is provided, comprising at least one light emitting diode (101) arranged on a substrate (102) and facing a scattering reflector (103, 109) disposed at a distance from and extending along the extension of said substrate. The reflector comprises a plurality of non-parallel oriented reflective flakes (112) distributed in a transmissive carrier (113), such that light incident thereon from any angle of incidence is reflected and scattered. The scattering action of the reflector gives rise to an angular redistribution in the device, which increases the chance of light exiting the device through lateral openings between the reflector and the substrate, while the opacity of the reflector prevents light from being emitted through the top surface.
US08471280B2

In one embodiment, a flip chip LED is formed with a high density of gold posts extending from a bottom surface of its n-layer and p-layer. The gold posts are bonded to submount electrodes. An underfill material is then molded to fill the voids between the bottom of the LED and the submount. The underfill comprises a silicone molding compound base and about 70-80%, by weight, alumina (or other suitable material). Alumina has a thermal conductance that is about 25 times better than that of the typical silicone underfill, which is mostly silica. The alumina is a white powder. The underfill may also contain about 5-10%, by weight, TiO2 to increase the reflectivity. LED light is reflected upward by the reflective underfill, and the underfill efficiently conducts heat to the submount. The underfill also randomizes the light scattering, improving light extraction. The distributed gold posts and underfill support the LED layers during a growth substrate lift-off process.
US08471279B2

A nano/micro-sized diode and a method of preparing the same, the diode including: a first electrode; a second electrode; and a diode layer that is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode. The diode layer includes a first layer and a second layer. The first layer is disposed on the first electrode and has a first surface that is electrically connected to the first electrode, and an opposing second surface that has a protrusion. The second layer is disposed between the first layer and the second electrode and has a first surface having a recess that corresponds to the protrusion, and an opposing second surface that is electrically connected to the second electrode.
US08471271B2

Provided is a light emitting diode package and a method of manufacturing the same. The light emitting diode package includes a package main body with a cavity, a plurality of light emitting diode chips, a wire, and a plurality of lead frames. The plurality of light emitting diode chips are mounted in the cavity. The wire is connected to an electrode of at least one light emitting diode chip. The plurality of lead frames are formed in the cavity, and at least one lead frame is electrically connected to the light emitting diode chip or a plurality of wires.
US08471262B2

This invention provides a semiconductor device having high operation performance and high reliability. An LDD region 707 overlapping with a gate wiring is arranged in an n-channel TFT 802 forming a driving circuit, and a TFT structure highly resistant to hot carrier injection is achieved. LDD regions 717, 718, 719 and 720 not overlapping with a gate wiring are arranged in an n-channel TFT 804 forming a pixel unit. As a result, a TFT structure having a small OFF current value is achieved. In this instance, an element belonging to the Group 15 of the Periodic Table exists in a higher concentration in the LDD region 707 than in the LDD regions 717, 718, 719 and 720.
US08471251B2

There is provided an electroactive material having Formula I wherein: Q is the same or different at each occurrence and can be O, S, Se, Te, NR, SO, SO2, or SiR3; R is the same or different at each occurrence and can be hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, alkenyl, or alkynyl; R1 through R8 are the same or different and can be hydrogen, alkyl, aryl, halogen, hydroxyl, aryloxy, alkoxy, alkenyl, alkynyl, amino, alkylthio, phosphino, silyl, —COR, —COOR, —PO3R2, —OPO3R2, or CN.
US08471250B2

A display apparatus includes an organic electroluminescence (OEL) device and a color filter. At different correlated color temperatures (CCTs), a light emitting spectrum of the OEL device is adjusted to meet specific display requirements and improve the display quality of the display apparatus. In addition, a light filtering spectrum of the color filter is adjusted simultaneously to match the light emitting spectrum of the OEL device, so that the display apparatus has an excellent display effect.
US08471249B2

Carbon transistor devices having channels formed from carbon nanostructures, such as carbon nanotubes or graphene, and having charged monolayers to reduce parasitic resistance in un-gated regions of the channels, and methods for fabricating carbon transistor devices having charged monolayers to reduce parasitic resistance. For example, a carbon field effect transistor includes a channel comprising a carbon nanostructure formed on an insulating layer, a gate structure formed on the channel, a monolayer of DNA conformally covering the gate structure and a portion of the channel adjacent the gate structure, an insulating spacer conformally formed on the monolayer of DNA, and source and drain contacts connected by the channel.
US08471247B2

There is provided an organic light-emitting diode luminaire. The luminaire includes a patterned first electrode, a second electrode, and a light-emitting layer therebetween. The light-emitting layer includes a first plurality of pixels having an emission color that is blue; a second plurality of pixels having an emission color that is green, the second plurality of pixels being laterally spaced from the first plurality of pixels; and a third plurality of pixels having an emission color that is red, the third plurality of pixels being laterally spaced from the first and second pluralities of pixels.The additive mixing of all the emitted colors results in an overall emission of white light.
US08471243B1

Radiation-emitting semiconductor devices include a first base region comprising an n-type III-V semiconductor material, a second base region comprising a p-type III-V semiconductor material, and a multi-quantum well structure disposed between the first base region and the second base region. The multi-quantum well structure includes at least three quantum well regions and at least two barrier regions. An electron hole energy barrier between a third of the quantum well regions and a second of the quantum well regions is less than an electron hole energy barrier between the second of the quantum well regions and a first of the quantum well regions. Methods of forming such devices include sequentially epitaxially depositing layers of such a multi-quantum well structure, and selecting a composition and configuration of the layers such that the electron hole energy barriers vary across the multi-quantum well structure.
US08471238B2

Light emitters using nanotubes and methods of making same. A light emitter includes a nanotube article in electrical communication with a first and a second contact, a substrate having a predefined region with a relatively low thermal conductivity said region in predefined physical relation to said nanotube article; and a stimulus circuit in electrical communication with the first and second contacts. The stimulus circuit provides electrical stimulation sufficient to induce light emission from the nanotube article in the proximity of the predefined region. The predefined region is a channel formed in the substrate or a region of material with relatively low thermal conductivity. The light emitter can be integrated with semiconductor circuits including CMOS circuits. The light emitter can be integrated into optical driver circuits (on- and off-chip drivers) and opto-isolators.
US08471236B2

A phase change memory cell having a flat lower bottom electrode and a method for fabricating the same. The method includes forming a dielectric layer over a substrate including an array of conductive contacts, patterning, a via having a low aspect ratio such that a depth of the via is less than a width thereof, to a contact surface of the substrate corresponding to each of the array of conductive contacts to be connected to access circuitry, etching the dielectric layer and depositing electrode material over the etched dielectric layer and within each via, and planarizing the electrode material to form a plurality of lower bottom electrodes on each of the conductive contacts.
US08471228B2

The invention concerns a method for irradiating a target with a beam approaching target points, involving the following steps: Measuring at least one of the parameters relating to the position of the beam and the intensity of the beam, changing the beam as a function of the at least one measured parameter, particularly as a function of a variance relating to the at least one measured parameter. The method is characterized in that the at least one measured parameter is measured at the most once per target point. Furthermore, the invention concerns a device for irradiating a target in accordance with the invention-based method and a control system for controlling such a device.
US08471226B2

An EUV (Extreme Ultra Violet) light source device ionizes a target material in an ionizer, and supplies the ionized target material to a point of generating a plasma. This reduces the generation of debris. The ionizer simultaneously irradiates laser beams of plural wavelengths corresponding to the excited level of tin on a target material to ionize the target material. The ionized target material is extracted from the ionizer with a high voltage applied from an ion beam extractor, and accelerated and supplied to a plasma generation chamber. When driver laser beam is irradiated on the ionized target material, a plasma is generated, thereby emitting EUV radiation.
US08471224B2

A path of a particle beam is determined through a 3D planning treatment volume (PTV), wherein the PTV includes a set of slices in a depth order, and each slice includes a set of locations. For each slice, the set of locations are grouped into a set of lines along a selected direction, wherein each line is a straight line and includes a starting location and an ending location, and each line is connected to one or two other lines, and the connecting connects two lines to either the starting location or the ending location of the lines to form a tour, and the tours are connected through the slices in the depth order to form the path of the particle beam.
US08471212B2

In this radiography device, the radiation conversion panel side of a scintillator is formed in a convex shape towards the radiation conversion panel, the end portions of columnar crystals are formed at said side, and the end portions of the columnar crystals can contact the radiation conversion panel.
US08471206B1

Systems and methods are directed to determining the vacuum integrity within a vacuum package assembly containing an infrared detector, such as within an infrared imaging device. For example for an embodiment, a method of performing a vacuum pressure test on a vacuum package includes changing a first parameter value associated with an infrared detector within the vacuum package to vary a temperature of the infrared detector; measuring a second parameter value associated with the infrared detector based on the changing of the first parameter value; comparing the second parameter value to a threshold value; and determining a vacuum pressure condition of the vacuum package based on the comparing of the second parameter value to the threshold value.
US08471204B2

In one embodiment, a dual-band focal plane array includes a readout circuit (ROIC), and a plurality of electro-optical (EO) polymer pixels for absorbing visible and/or short wave infrared (SWIR) radiation, each of the EO polymer pixels electrically coupled to the ROIC. The detector further includes a plurality of microbolometers for detecting long wave infrared (LWIR) radiation, each microbolometer electrically coupled to the ROIC via contact legs disposed between adjacent microbolometers and between adjacent EO polymer pixels. A method of fabricating a focal plane array is also provided.
US08471202B2

A method for producing a representation of an object using a particle beam, as well as a particle beam device for carrying out the method are disclosed. The system described herein is based on the object of specifying the method and the particle beam device for producing a representation of an object such that images which are produced, in particular including FFT images, are as free as possible of artifacts which are not caused by the object to be examined. This is achieved in particular in that pixel lives, line flyback times and pixel pause times are varied in raster patterns.
US08471184B2

Various blanks and constructs formed therefrom are provided. The various constructs include features for supporting a food item at an elevated position to enhance the heating, browning, and/or crisping of the food item in a microwave oven.
US08471182B2

The present invention relates to a system and method for automated or “robotic” application of hardfacing to the surface of a steel-toothed cutter of a standard earth-boring rock bit or a hybrid-type rock bit. In particular, the system incorporates a grounded adapter plate and chuck mounted to a robotic arm for grasping and manipulating a rock bit cutter, particularly a hybrid rock bit cutter, beneath an electrical or photonic energy welding source, such as a plasma arc welding torch manipulated by a positioner. In this configuration, the torch is positioned substantially vertically and oscillated along a horizontal axis as the cutter is manipulated relative along a target path for the distribution of hardfacing. Moving the cutter beneath the torch allows more areas of more teeth to be overlayed, and allows superior placement for operational feedback, such as automatic positioning and parameter correction. In the preferred embodiment, sensors provide data to the control system for identification, positioning, welding program selection, and welding program correction. The control system, aided by data from the sensors, manipulates the robotically held cutter while controlling the operation and oscillation of the torch. These systems and methods can be applied to hardfacing steel teeth of the rolling cutters of both standard tri-cone or di-cone type rolling cone bits, as well as to hybrid-type earth boring drill bits.
US08471180B2

The invention relates to a glow plug comprising a housing in which an inner conductor is disposed, a metal sleeve which is inserted into the housing, and a ceramic glow pin which is disposed in the metal sleeve, wherein the two ends of the glow pin protrude from the metal sleeve and the rear end of the pin is connected to the inner conductor, and wherein the metal sleeve has a tapering section at the rear end, the section enclosing a tapering section of the glow pin. According to the invention, the glow pin is pressed into the metal sleeve. The invention further relates to a method for connecting a pin made of functional ceramic to a metal sleeve.
US08471173B2

The invention relates to a method for welding coated sheet metal (3), which comprises at least one laser (13) and at least one shielded arc unit (5) and a rod feeding device (11) for a welding rod (12). The aim of the invention is to provide a method or a device of the aforementioned kind which allows fo˜ reducing or completely avoiding inclusions such as are e.g. caused by the evaporation of the coating of the metal sheet (3). For this purpose, a clamping device (6) is used for positioning the coated metal sheet (3) without substantial gaps between the individual sheets. A material having a zinc and/or carbon and/or aluminum content is used as the weld metal or welding rod (12).
US08471172B2

A method of selectively eliminating electrical shorts and other electrical defects from specific layers of a multilayer electronic device without damaging underlying layers. The method is based on a combination of an automated detection of the defects and selective laser ablation patterning (SLAP).
US08471169B2

Provided is an electrode (1) which has a double structure including Cu or a Cu alloy as an electrode body (2) and a core material (3) made of W, Mo, a W-based alloy, or a Mo-based alloy embedded in a surface of the electrode body (2) which is abutted against a material to be welded, the core material (3) being formed by using W, Mo, the W-based alloy, or the Mo-based alloy which is in the form of a fibrous structure extended by sintering, swaging, and annealing in an electrode axis direction, the fibrous structure having a horizontal cross-sectional average particle diameter of 50 μm or more and an aspect ratio of 1.5 or more. The electrode (1) can be used as an inexpensive electrode obtained by suppressing particle dropping/attrition and defects in electrodes for spot welding, in which heat and pressure are applied repeatedly, stably enhancing durability.
US08471167B2

A rough machining method for machining a channel in a workpiece includes the steps of: provide a power supply to energize one of a workpiece and an electrode as an anode and the other as a cathode; advance the electrode into the workpiece from a first start point to travel a first toolpath, so as to generate a first annular groove with a first core connecting with the workpiece; advance the electrode into the workpiece from a second start point to travel a second toolpath, so as to generate a second annular groove with a second core connecting with the workpiece, wherein the second annular groove intersects with the first annular groove and the first and the second cores are at least partially broken and disconnected with the workpiece upon intersecting of the first and the second annular grooves; and circulating a cutting fluid cross a working gap between a working face of the electrode and the workpiece.
US08471155B2

In a method and apparatus for fabricating a semiconductor device having a flexible tape substrate, a hole is punched in the flexible tape substrate. The flexible tape substrate includes a metal layer attached to a polyimide layer without an adhesive there between. A cover is placed on the metal layer to cap a base of the hole. A metal is deposited on the cover exposed at the base of the hole, the metal being used to form a bond with the metal layer. The metal being deposited causes the hole to be plugged up to a selective height. Upon removal of the cover, the metal may also be deposited on the metal layer to increase a thickness of the metal layer.
US08471154B1

A stackable variable height via package includes a substrate having a first surface and terminals thereon. The terminals include a first terminal and a second terminal. Vias are on the terminals, the vias including a first via on the first terminal and a second via on the second terminal. The first via has a height from the first surface of the substrate less than a height of the second via from the first surface of the substrate. The package further includes a package body and via apertures in the package body to expose the vias. Forming the stackable variable height via package with variable height vias readily accommodate stacking of additional packages having different types of terminals, e.g., LGA and BGA type packages, as well as variable degrees of warpage on the stackable variable height via package. Further, the vias are formed with a minimum pitch.
US08471144B2

An adapter box for the protection of the electrical connection of a photovoltaic module is attachable by form-fit to an electrical junction box of the photovoltaic module. At least one side of the adapter box comprises openings for inserting protective conduits in which cables run through for being connected to electrical connectors of the junction box, the adapter box further comprising at least one opening for said connectors.
US08471138B2

Touch sensitive musical instruments are described herein including embodiments having: one-sided capacitive touch sensors with conductive ground planes, one-sided capacitive touch sensors with air gaps, one-sided capacitive touch sensors with separating material, and/or one-sided capacitive touch sensors including a combination of conductive ground planes, air gaps, and/or separating material. Embodiments of touch sensitive musical instruments simulating string instruments such as guitars are described.
US08471128B2

According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the corn variety designated CV547369. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CV547369, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CV547369 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to corn seeds and plants produced by crossing plants of variety CV547369 with plants of another variety, such as another inbred line. The invention further relates to the inbred and hybrid genetic complements of plants of variety CV547369.
US08471118B2

According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH020602. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH020602, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH020602 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH020602.
US08471115B1

A novel maize variety designated PHEJP and seed, plants and plant parts thereof. Methods for producing a maize plant that comprise crossing maize variety PHEJP with another maize plant. Methods for producing a maize plant containing in its genetic material one or more traits introgressed into PHEJP through backcross conversion and/or transformation, and to the maize seed, plant and plant part produced thereby. Hybrid maize seed, plant or plant part produced by crossing the variety PHEJP or a trait conversion of PHEJP with another maize variety. Inbred maize varieties derived from maize variety PHEJP, methods for producing other inbred maize varieties derived from maize variety PHEJP and the inbred maize varieties and their parts derived by the use of those methods.
US08471087B2

Disclosed is a process for separating an acidic contaminant and light hydrocarbon of a light hydrocarbon feed having a large contaminating acidic contaminant content. Among other features, the process uses a combination of distillation and membrane separation arranged in a unique way to yield a high-purity light hydrocarbon product and a high-purity acidic contaminant product.
US08471079B2

A process for producing a fuel or fuel blending component from co-processing at least two different classes of renewable feedstocks, is presented. One feedstock comprises glycerides and free fatty acids in feedstocks such as plant and animal oils while the other feedstock comprises biomass derived pyrolysis oil. The source of the animal or plant oil and the biomass may be the same renewable source.
US08471078B2

A method of providing a blend of tetra- and/or pentafluoroalkanes comprising hydrogenating a pentafluoropropene.
US08471068B2

Solid acid catalyst such as acid activated-Montmorillonite clay composite has been developed by modifying the Na-Montmorillonite clay with acid (HCl) treatment for different periods such as 5 minutes to about 4 hours and activating at about 120° C. for about 2 hours. Friedel Crafts alkylation reaction between phenol and 4-hydroxybutan-2-one in presence of the acid activated Montmorillonite clay catalysts exhibiting layered clay structures (basal spacing d001 ranging from about 10 to 13.5 Å), high surface area (250-400 m2/g), highly porous {micropores in the range 5 to 15 Å and mesopores in the range 30 to 80 Å}, average pore volume 0.2 to 0.65 cc/g, and surface acidity in the range 0.4-0.6 mmol/g; under constant stirring and at pressure of 1-15 bar, temperature 100-150° C. for a period of about 12-24 hours produces 4-(4-hydroxyphenyl)butan-2-one (Raspberry ketone) exhibiting conversion about 35-55% and high selectivity in the range 75-81%.
US08471062B2

Method for purifying lactic acid by crystallization in one or a plurality of steps, characterized in that crystals are formed from an impure aqueous lactic acid solution having a color of >500 Hazen, at a concentration between 85 and 95% by controlling the lactic acid oligomer content expressed in terms of a relative monomer content greater than 80% and controlling the degree of supersaturation of the solution between 1 and 60% in order to obtain lactic acid crystals having a specific surface area by mass of <0.05 m2/g.
US08471060B2

A process and reactor for the production of acetic acid comprising the steps of: passing a feed stream containing ethanol and water together with a predetermined feed rate of an oxygen containing atmosphere in presence of one or more catalysts being active in simultaneous non-oxidative and oxidative conversion of ethanol to a product stream with acetic acid; recovering from the product stream a stream of acetic acid; optionally recovering reactive derivatives of acetic acid and recycling these to step (a).
US08471056B2

To provide a fluorinated compound having an RF group with at most 6 carbon atoms, whereby a fluorinated polymer having a highly durable water/oil repellency can be produced, and an environmental load is little, and a fluorinated polymer and a fluorinated copolymer having a highly durable water/oil repellency and presenting little environmental load, obtainable by polymerizing such a fluorinated compound. A fluorinated compound represented by the following formula (I) and its polymer: CH2═C(M)COO(CH2)nPhCOO(CH2)mCrF2r+1  (I) (in the formula (I), M is a hydrogen atom, a methyl group or a halogen atom, n is an integer of from 0 to 2, Ph is a phenylene group, m is an integer of from 1 to 4, and r is an integer of from 1 to 6).
US08471055B2

The present invention relates to photo-crosslinkable liquid crystal monomers with optical activity. The liquid crystal monomers contains one chiral center with an acrylate group or terminal diacrylate groups, and terminal dibenzene rings are introduced in order to extend its hard segment for the purpose of getting a wider liquid crystalline phase. By introducing the liquid crystal monomers, the room temperature nematic liquid crystal or the cholesteric liquid crystal may have a better mutual solubility and a wider, steadier structure of liquid crystal. The liquid crystal monomers have the following formula structure:
US08471048B2

The present invention relates to a ruthenium carbonyl complex that is represented by the following Formula (1): RuXY(CO)(L)  (1) (in the Formula (1), X and Y, which may be the same or different from each other, represent an anionic ligand and L represents a tridentate aminodiphosphine ligand which has two phosphino groups and a —NH— group), its production method, and a method for production of alcohols by hydrogenation-reduction of ketones, esters, and lactones using the complex as a catalyst.The ruthenium carbonyl complex of the invention has a high catalytic activity and it can be easily prepared and handled.
US08471046B2

A process is claimed for the enantioselective epoxidation of α,β-unsaturated ketones, in which a compound of the general formula I, is reacted with an oxidizing agent to form α,β-epoxy ketones of the general formula II, in which R1, R2, R3 are as defined above. The α,β-epoxy ketones of the general formula II can be obtained in good yields and outstanding enantioselectivities from α,β-unsaturated ketones of the general formula I by epoxidation with hydrogen peroxide in the presence of a chiral catalyst, such as amino compounds and their acid addition salts.
US08471039B2

Processes for the preparation of Silodosin and its intermediates comprising reductive amination of compound of Formula (VIII) with a compound of Formula (VII) or a compound of Formula (XV) in a suitable solvent using a reducing agent.
US08471031B2

The present invention relates to a novel process for the preparation of a sterically hindered nitroxyl ether from the corresponding sterically hindered nitroxyl radical by reacting it with a carbonyl compound and a hydroperoxide. The compounds prepared by this process are effective stabilizers for polymers against harmful effects of light, oxygen and/or heat, as flame-retardants for polymers and as polymerization regulators.
US08471024B2

The present invention relates to Tetrahydrofuropyridones compounds useful as HIF prolyl hydroxylase inhibitors to treat anemia and like conditions.
US08471022B2

This invention relates to the synthesis of (R),(R)-2,2′-bis-MNTX, as shown in Formula (I), and related methods and products.
US08471020B2

The present invention provides a compound of formula The compound of formula (1) is suitable for use as semiconducting material, in particular in electronic devices.
US08471016B2

The present invention provides a process for preparing a compound of formula (I), or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, having the R-configuration, of formula (IA), or S-configuration of formula (IB), selectively over the other enantiomer.
US08471014B2

The present application is directed to compounds, intermediates and methods for preparing compounds of formula (I) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein R is H or F, and each of R3, R4, and R5 are as defined herein. The compounds of formula (I) and pharmaceutical compositions comprising said compounds and salts inhibit bacterial gyrase and/or Topo IV and are useful in treating bacterial infections.
US08471011B2

A process for the preparation of an acid addition salt of an organic base comprising exposing the organic base in solid form to a gaseous acid, with the proviso that ziprasidone, its acid addition salts and intermediates thereof are excluded.
US08471007B2

Process for preparing higher 1,3,5-triazine carbamates and 1,3,5-triazine ureas from lower 1,3,5-triazine carbamates.
US08470987B2

A protective group represented by the following general formula (I) (the oxygen atom attached with * represents oxygen atom of 2′-hydroxyl group of a ribonucleoside, a ribonucleotide or a derivative thereof; R1 and R2 both represent hydrogen atom, or represent a halogen atom, a C1-6 alkyl group, or a C1-6 halo-substituted alkyl group; R3 and R4 represent hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, a C1-6 alkyl group, or a C1-6 halo-substituted alkyl group; and R5 and R6 represent a halogen atom, a C1-6 halo-substituted alkyl group, cyano group, nitro group, or the like), which is stable under the reaction conditions of the nucleic acid synthetic cycles and has little steric hindrance, and can be removed under mild conditions using fluoride ions as a base.
US08470985B2

The present invention provides triazole macrocyclic compounds useful as therapeutic agents. More particularly, these compounds are useful as anti-infective, antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, and prokinetic agents. These compounds are represented by the following formula (I): wherein R1, R2, ect. Are defined in claim 1.
US08470978B2

Described are methods of separating viable cells, apoptotic cells and dead cells and antibodies or use in such methods. The antibodies may also be used in treatment of inflammatory disease, cancer and in wound healing.
US08470971B2

Disclosed are a cell-permeable p53 recombinant protein in which a macromolecule transduction domain (MTD) is fused to the tumor suppressor p53, a polynucleotide encoding the same, a recombinant expression vector for producing the same, and a pharmaceutical composition of the treatment of cancer, comprising the same. Having high cell permeability, the p53 recombinant protein is effectively transduced into cells so that the tumor suppressor p53 can be translocated into cell nuclei. Within nuclei, p53 inhibits the formation of cyclin-CDK complexes to halt the cell cycle, thus suppressing excessive cell proliferation and inducing apoptosis of tumor cells. Therefore, the p53 recombinant protein can be useful as an anticancer agent in the treatment of various cancers.
US08470964B2

The present invention relates to novel compounds comprising at most 13 contiguous amino acid residues derived from the fibronectin type 3,11 module of neural cell adhesion molecule (NCAM), or a variant or fragment thereof, capable of interacting with an FGFR and thereby the compounds are capable of inducing differentiation, modulating proliferation, stimulate regeneration, neuronal plasticity or survival of cells. Further, the present invention relates to the use of the compounds for production of a medicament for treatment of conditions and diseases, in which NCAM or FGFR play a prominent role.
US08470954B2

A novel macromer or mixture thereof is described herein, comprising benzoyl isocyanate terminal moieties and at least two residues of a water-soluble polymer having a molecular weight ranging from 80 to 10,000 adjacent to the carbonyl group of the benzoyl isocyanate moieties, thereby forming at least two ester linkages in the macromer or mixture thereof. A method for making a polyisocyanate macromer is also described herein.
US08470952B2

The present invention relates to a composition for a thermosetting silicone resin, the composition including: (1) a dual-end silanol type silicone oil; (2) an alkenyl group-containing dialkoxyalkylsilane; (3) an organohydrogensiloxane; (4) a condensation catalyst; and (5) a hydrosilylation catalyst.
US08470950B2

A method is described for sealing and assembling components of a drive train by means of silicon elastomers prepared using silicon compositions that do not contain any metal catalyst such as, for example, tin, and cross-linking by polycondensation reactions in the presence of water (for example, ambient moisture).
US08470945B2

The invention provides a polymerizable composition which comprises: a) acrylates and/or methacrylates, b) 0.05% to 70% by weight of SiO2 particles having an average particle size of 1 to 30 nm which have polymerizable groups of the methacryloyl, acryloyl, styryl, itaconyl, crotonyl, vinyl, allyl and/or alkenyl type on the surface and are present in dispersion in the acrylates and/or methacrylates, at least 50% of the SiO2 particles consisting of individual, unaggregated or unagglomerated primary particles, c) not more than 2% by weight of crosslinker molecules.
US08470943B2

A solid polymer electrolyte material made of a copolymer comprising a repeating unit based on a fluoromonomer A which gives a polymer having an alicyclic structure in its main chain by radical polymerization, and a repeating unit based on a fluoromonomer B of the following formula (1): CF2═CF(Rf)jSO2X  (1) wherein j is 0 or 1, X is a fluorine atom, a chlorine atom or OM {wherein M is a hydrogen atom, an alkali metal atom or a group of NR1R2R3R4 (wherein each of R1, R2, R3 and R4 which may be the same or different, is a hydrogen atom or a monovalent organic group)}, and Rf is a C1-20 polyfluoroalkylene group having a straight chain or branched structure which may contain ether oxygen atoms.
US08470939B2

A process for preparing a polyethylene in a multi-stage process is described. The process comprises pre-treating a Ziegler catalyst in a first stage in the presence of a 1-olefin/ethylene mixture or a 1-olefin to produce a LLDPE or VLDPE, which have the characteristics of a polymer prepared with a single-site catalyst, e.g. high levels of short-chain branching that are uniformly distributed. The contents of the first stage are then transferred to a second stage where an ethylene or an ethylene/1-olefin mixture is polymerized in the presence of the pre-treated catalyst to form a polyethylene with good processability.
US08470936B2

A liquid epoxy resin composition for semiconductor encapsulation comprising: (A) at least one epoxy resin, (B) at least one curing accelerator and (C) at least one acid anhydride terminated polyamic acid. The liquid epoxy resin composition provides a cured material that has an excellent adhesiveness to a semiconductor chip surface and has an excellent moisture resistance.
US08470929B2

Provided is a composition for a stretchable film, which achieves a high-level balance between a high elastic modulus and a small permanent set, and can be formed into a stretchable film with satisfactory formability. A composition for a stretchable film comprises a block copolymer composition containing a block copolymer A represented by the following general formula (A) and a block copolymer B represented by the following general formula (B), and a tackifier resin: Ar1a-Da-Ar2a   (A) (Arb-Db)n-X   (B), in the general formulas (A) and (B), Ar1a and Arb each represent an aromatic vinyl polymer block having a weight average molecular weight of 6,000 to 20,000; Ar2a represents an aromatic vinyl polymer block having a weight average molecular weight of 40,000 to 400,000; Da and Db each represent a conjugated diene polymer block having a vinyl bond content of 1 mol % to 20 mol %; X represents a single bond or a residue of a coupling agent; and n represents an integer of 2 or greater.
US08470918B2

There are provided an epoxy resin composition exhibiting less warpage after molding and during a solder treatment process as well as during a low temperature process of, for example, a temperature cycle test, and excellent in flame retardancy, solder crack resistance, and flowability; and a semiconductor device using the same. The epoxy resin composition used in the semiconductor device contains at least one type of epoxy resin (A) selected from a trifunctional epoxy resin and a tetrafunctional epoxy resin, a curing agent (B) having at least two hydroxyl groups per molecule, a compound (C) having at least two cyanate groups per molecule, and an inorganic filler (D), as essential components.
US08470909B2

A tire puncture sealant is disclosed and described. Such a sealant may include a natural rubber latex and a surfactant, wherein a content of the surfactant is from 1.0 to 6.0 mass % of a solid content of the natural rubber latex and the surfactant includes a non-ionic surfactant and an anionic surfactant at a mass ratio where the non-ionic surfactant/the anionic surfactant=1.0/1.0 to 1.0/5.0.
US08470903B2

The present invention generally provides implantable articles and methods of forming implantable articles from a crosslinked ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene (“UHMWPE”) blend stabilized with Vitamin E. The crosslinked UHMWPE blend may be prepared by combining the UHMWPE material and vitamin E prior to irradiating the UHMWPE blend with electron beam radiation at a sufficient radiation dose rate to induce crosslinking. The crosslinked UHMWPE blend may be incorporated into a variety of implants, and in particular, into endoprosthetic joint replacements.
US08470900B2

The present invention relates to a porous polymer and a synthetic method thereof. The porous polymer has the following general formula: wherein, the positions marked with the numeral 1-10 are C, CH, N, or CH with its H being substituted by methyl, ethyl, amido, carboxyl, methoxyl, hydroxyl, or ester group; the positions marked with letter a or b are C, N+, or B−.
US08470897B2

A process for devulcanizing crosslinked elastomer particles comprising applying an alternating electric field to a composition comprising crosslinked elastomer particles under compression. The alternating electric field preferably has a frequency between 1 and 100 MHz and a voltage between 1000 and 10,000 V, and may be applied between an apparatus that continuously conveys the particles through the field.
US08470891B2

A biodegradable block copolymer is disclosed, comprising a hydrophilic block derived from a polyether alcohol; and a hydrophobic block comprising a first repeat unit derived by ring opening polymerization of a first cyclic carbonyl monomer initiated by the polyether alcohol, the first repeat unit comprising a side chain moiety comprising a functional group selected from the group consisting of i) urea groups and ii) mixtures of urea groups and carboxylic acid groups. No side chain of the hydrophobic block comprises a covalently bound biologically active material. The block copolymer self-assembles in water forming micelles suitable for sequestering a biologically active material by a non-covalent interaction, and the block copolymer is 60% biodegraded within 180 days in accordance with ASTM D6400.
US08470871B2

Novel ligand compounds having the general formula (I): and pharmaceutical/cosmetic compositions comprised thereof are useful in human and veterinary medicine or, alternatively, in cosmetics.
US08470841B2

Heterocyclic derivatives, processes for their preparation, medicaments comprising these compounds, and the use thereof. The invention relates to compounds of the formula I in which the radicals R1, R2, R3, R4, W, A, B, D, E, G, L, M, R, T and Y have the stated meanings, and to the physiologically tolerated salts thereof. The compounds are suitable for example for the treatment of the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, obesity and diabetes.
US08470840B2

A fungicidal composition containing a fungicidally effective amount of a) a compound of Formula IA and/or IB and (b) at least one fungicide selected from the group consisting of epoxiconazole, prothioconazole, azoxystrobin, pyraclostrobin, penthiopyrad, isopyrazam, bixafen, boscalid, prochloraz, chlorothalanil, isobutyric acid (3S,6S,7R,8R)-8-benzyl-3-[(3-isobutyryloxymethoxy-4-methoxypyridine-2-carbonyl)-amino]-6-methyl-4,9-dioxo-[1,5]dioxonan-7-yl ester, and (5,8-difluoroquinazolin-4-yl)-{2-[2-fluoro-4-(4-trifluoromethylpyridin-2-yloxy)-phenyl]-ethyl}-amine provides synergistic control of selected fungi.
US08470837B2

Compounds of the following formula are provided for use with MEK: wherein the variables are as defined herein. Also provided are pharmaceutical compositions, kits and articles of manufacture comprising such compounds; methods and intermediates useful for making the compounds; and methods of using the presently described compounds.
US08470825B2

The present invention relates to diazabenzo[de]anthracen-3-one compounds which inhibit poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (“PARP”), compositions containing these compounds and methods for using these PARP inhibitors to treat, prevent and/or ameliorate the effects of the conditions described herein.
US08470823B2

The present invention relates to compounds of formula I: and pharmaceutically acceptable salts or tautomers thereof which are inhibitors of the Sonic Hedgehog pathway, in particular Smoantagonists. Thus the compounds of this invention are useful for the treatment of diseases associated with abnormal hedgehog pathway activation, including cancer, for example basal cell carcinoma, medulloblastoma, prostate, pancreatic, breast, colon, bone and small cell lung cancers, and cancers of the upper GI tract.
US08470821B2

Compounds active on phosphodiesterase PDE4B are provided. Also provided herewith are compositions useful for treatment of PDE4B-mediated diseases or conditions, and methods for the use thereof.
US08470820B2

The invention is concerned with novel nitrogen-containing heteroaryl derivatives of formula (I) wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, A1, A2, and Y are as defined in the description and in the claims, as well as physiologically acceptable salts and esters thereof. These compounds inhibit PDE10A and can be used as medicaments.
US08470814B2

A diazepinedione derivative represented by the formula (I) or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof is used as a P2X4 receptor antagonist: wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, or the like, R2 and R3 represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, a halogen atom, or the like, R4 and R5 represent a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, or the like, and W represents tetrazole or the like.
US08470803B2

This invention provides, among other things, novel compounds useful for treating inflammatory conditions, pharmaceutical compositions containing such compounds, as well as combinations of these compounds with at least one additional therapeutically effective agent.
US08470802B2

Sensory modifiers and compositions comprising sensory modifiers are described. The sensory modifiers comprise polysaccharide carbohydrate having at least about 75% by weight amylopectin and the polysaccharide carbohydrate has been treated and swollen with a substantially anhydrous solvent.
US08470801B2

A myocardial imaging method that is accomplished by administering one or more adenosine A2A adenosine receptor agonist to a human undergoing myocardial imaging as well as pharmaceutical compositions comprising at least one A2a receptor agonist, at least one liquid carrier, and at least one co-solvent.
US08470799B2

The invention relates to a double-stranded ribonucleic acid (dsRNA) for inhibiting the expression of the HAMP gene (HAMP gene), comprising an antisense strand having a nucleotide sequence which is less that 30 nucleotides in length, generally 19-25 nucleotides in length, and which is substantially complementary to at least a part of the HAMP gene. The invention also relates to a pharmaceutical composition comprising the dsRNA together with a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier; methods for treating diseases caused by HAMP gene expression and the expression of the HAMP gene using the pharmaceutical composition.
US08470798B2

The present inventors discovered that inhibition of the expression of various genes associated with chromosome stabilization induces cancer cell-specific apoptosis and inhibits cell proliferation. Compounds that inhibit expression of a gene associated with chromosome stabilization or inhibit the function of a protein encoded by such a gene are thought to have cancer cell-specific apoptosis-inducing effects.
US08470792B2

Disclosed herein are siRNA compositions and methods useful for inhibiting expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) isoforms. Such compositions and methods further involve siRNA capable of selectively targeting angiogenic VEGF isoforms while selectively sparing anti-angiogenic isoforms. Diseases which involve angiogenesis stimulated by overexpression of VEGF, such as diabetic retinopathy, age related macular degeneration and many types of cancer, can be treated by administering small interfering RNAs as disclosed.
US08470782B2

Transglutaminase inhibitors and methods of use thereof are provided.
US08470780B2

Disclosed are compositions and methods useful for targeting regenerating tissue, wounds, and tumors. The compositions and methods are based on peptide sequences that selectively bind to and home to regenerating tissue, wound sites, and tumors in animals. The disclosed targeting is useful for delivering therapeutic and detectable agents to regenerating tissue, wound sites, and tumors in animals.
US08470777B2

The present invention relates to a method to increase oligodendrocytes and oligodendrocyte precursor cells through administration of prolactin or a prolactin inducing agent.
US08470774B2

Compositions and methods for inducing the deposition of elastin in skin by administering compositions including a mineralocorticoid, such as, for example, aldosterone and, optionally, a secondary active agent for enhancing or modulating the effect of the mineralocorticoid are described herein.
US08470771B2

The invention relates to a process for inhibiting the infection of influenza viruses and a polypeptide or protein medicine used therein. More particularly, the invention involves a process for inhibiting the highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (such as H5N1 subtype) infection and human influenza virus (such as H1N1 subtype and H3N2 subtype) infection, as well as the polypeptide or protein involved therein, and a polynucleotide encoding the polypeptide or protein and a vector or host cell expressing said polypeptide or protein.
US08470768B2

The present invention relates to antibodies raised against fragments of apolipoprotein B, in particular defined peptides thereof, for immunization or therapeutic treatment of mammals, including humans, against ischemic cardiovascular diseases, using one or more of the antibodies.
US08470766B2

The present invention provides novel formulations of a δPKC inhibitor. The δPKC inhibitor can be, for example, a peptide. The present invention also discloses a method of preventing acute pulmonary cell injury associated with trauma, ALI or ARDS and a method of inhibiting an inflammatory response in pulmonary cells by inhibiting the activity of δPKC. The invention also provides a method of treating a pulmonary disease with an aerosol formulation of a δPKC inhibitor to inhibit neutrophil activity.
US08470762B2

Fabric softening compositions comprising polymeric materials capable of retaining volatile perfume ingredients are disclosed, as well as methods of softening fabrics.
US08470758B2

Disclosed herein are compositions comprising an alpha-amylase enzyme obtained from Bacillus sp. no. 195, and methods of using the enzyme to clean surfaces and textiles. Also disclosed are variants of the enzyme with different signal sequences.
US08470753B2

An ethylene oxide-free, dioxane-free, and formaldehyde-free personal care concentrate composition free of ethoxylated components which is non-irritating to eyes comprising water, sodium alkyl sulfate, propanediol, and a synthetic amphoteric surfactant selected from the group consisting of cocamidopropyl hydroxysultaine and cocamidopropyl betaine is disclosed. This composition is especially suitable for baby shampoos which are not irritating. In some embodiments the composition is free of formaldehyde.
US08470752B2

Lubricant compositions for use in automotive engine oils comprising a combination of a specific base stock or mixture of base stocks and a friction reducing additive to improve fuel economy and fuel economy longevity of the automotive engine oil. The friction reducing additive is a specific partial polyol ester and may also include a specific saturated primary amide.
US08470747B2

Of the many methods provided herein, one method of reducing the viscosity of a viscosified treatment fluid includes: providing a clean-up composition comprising a carboxylic acid; providing a chlorite-based breaker system; providing a viscosified treatment fluid; placing the viscosified treatment fluid in a subterranean formation via a well bore penetrating the subterranean formation; contacting the viscosified treatment fluid with the clean-up composition; contacting the viscosified treatment fluid with the chlorite-based breaker; and allowing the viscosity of the viscosified treatment fluid to reduce. Also provided herein are methods that include a method of reducing polymeric residue from a subterranean formation that includes: placing a clean-up composition and a chlorite-based breaker system in a subterranean formation in contact with an amount of polymeric residue; and allowing the amount of polymeric residue present in the formation to be reduced.
US08470746B2

The present invention relates to methods and compositions for treating a water- and hydrocarbon-producing subterranean formation with a relative permeability modifier, and more specifically, to improved treatment fluids, methods for preparing treatment fluids, and methods for use thereof in a subterranean formation. Methods of the present invention comprise providing a treatment fluid comprising a relative permeability modifier, at least one surfactant, and an aqueous phase base fluid; and placing the treatment fluid in a subterranean formation. The relative permeability modifier comprises a hydrophobically modified hydrophilic polymer. The at least one surfactant is operable to maintain the relative permeability modifier in a dissolved state in the treatment fluid above a pH of about 8.
US08470727B2

Zinc carboxylate clays and zinc carboxylate organoclays, methods for their preparation, and compositions containing the same are disclosed. The methods comprise either mixing a zinc clay composition with a carboxylic acid, or mixing a carboxylic acid with a zinc ammonia complex solution, then combining the resulting zinc carboxylate salt with a slurry or suspension of a cation-exchangeable clay, to prepare the zinc carboxylate clay. These clays can be further intercalated with quaternary ammonium salts to make zinc carboxylate organoclays. The present clays may be used in compositions and/or as additives in rubber and plastic formulations and products and in catalyst formulations.
US08470726B2

A catalyst is presented for use in the production of linear alkylbenzenes. The catalyst includes two zeolites combined to improve the quality of the linear alkylbenzenes. The catalyst includes a first zeolite that is UZM-8 and a second zeolite that is a low silica to alumina ratio zeolite. The second zeolite is also cation exchanged with a rare earth elements to provide a zeolite that increases the alkylation of benzene while reducing the amount of skeletal isomerization.
US08470724B2

Upon producing a transparent polycrystalline material, a suspension liquid (or slurry 1) is prepared, the suspension liquid being made by dispersing a raw-material powder in a solution, the raw-material powder including optically anisotropic single-crystalline particles to which a rare-earth element is added. A formed body is obtained from the suspension liquid by means of carrying out slip casting in a space with a magnetic field applied. On this occasion, while doing a temperature control so that the single-crystalline particles demonstrate predetermined magnetic anisotropy, one of static magnetic fields and rotary magnetic fields is selected in compliance with a direction of an axis of easy magnetization in the single-crystalline particles, and is then applied to them. A transparent polycrystalline material is obtained by sintering the formed body, the transparent polycrystalline material having a polycrystalline structure whose crystal orientation is controlled. In this calcination step, after subjecting the formed body to primary sintering at a temperature of 1,600-1,900 K, the resulting primarily-sintered body undergoes hot-isotropic-press sintering (or HIP processing) at a temperature of 1,600-1,900 K.
US08470715B2

A method for etching a line pattern in an etch layer disposed below an antireflective coating (ARC) layer below a patterned mask is provided. The method includes opening the ARC layer, in which an ARC opening gas comprising CF3I, a fluorocarbon (including hydrofluorocarbon) containing gas, and an oxygen containing gas are provided, a plasma is formed from the ARC opening gas to open the ARC layer, and providing the ARC opening gas is stopped. Line pattern features are etched into the etch layer through the opened ARC layer.
US08470714B1

A method of forming fin structure in integrated circuit comprising the steps of forming a plurality of fin structures on a substrate, covering an insulating layer on said substrate, performing a planarization process to expose mask layers, performing a wet etching process to etch said insulating layer, thereby exposing a part of the sidewall of said mask layer, removing said mask layer, and performing a dry etching process to remove pad layer and a part of said insulating layer, thereby exposing the top surface and a part of sidewall of said fin structures.
US08470711B2

A method for tone inversion for integrated circuit fabrication includes providing a substrate with an underlayer on top of the substrate; creating a first pattern, the first pattern being partially etched into a portion of the underlayer such that a remaining portion of the underlayer is protected and forms a second pattern, and such that the first pattern does not expose the substrate located underneath the underlayer; covering the first pattern with a layer of image reverse material (IRM); and etching the second pattern into the substrate. A structure for tone inversion for integrated circuit fabrication includes a substrate; a partially etched underlayer comprising a first pattern located over the substrate, the first pattern being partially etched into a portion of the underlayer such that a remaining portion of the underlayer is protected and forms a second pattern, and such that the first pattern does not expose the substrate located underneath the underlayer; and an image reversal material (IRM) layer located over the partially etched underlayer.
US08470710B2

A method of forming a metal pattern includes depositing a metal material over a photosensitive, insulative material and into a trench positioned over a bond pad. A photoresist material having a substantially planar surface may be formed over the metal material. A portion of the photoresist material may be etched to expose the metal material outside of the trench. The metal material may be isotropically etched to leave sidewalls of the metal protruding above surfaces of the photosensitive, insulative material outside of the trench. Some methods include removing a portion of a dielectric material to form at least one trench. Metal material and photoresist material may be deposited over the trench. A portion of the photoresist material may be etched to expose areas of the metal material. The metal material may be etched to form sidewalls of the metal material that protrude above the dielectric material.
US08470704B2

A nonvolatile memory device and a method of forming a nonvolatile memory device are provided. The nonvolatile memory device includes an active region of a semiconductor substrate defined by a device isolation layer, a tunnel insulating structure disposed on the active region, and a charge storage structure disposed on the tunnel insulating structure. The nonvolatile memory device also includes a gate interlayer dielectric layer disposed on the charge storage structure, and a control gate electrode disposed on the gate interlayer dielectric layer. The charge storage structure includes an upper charge storage structure and a lower charge storage structure, and the upper charge storage structure has a higher impurity concentration than the lower charge storage structure.
US08470703B2

Methods of forming a semiconductor device include providing a substrate having an area including a source and a drain region of a transistor. A nickel (Ni) metal film is formed on the substrate area including the source and the drain region. A first heat-treatment process is performed including heating the substrate including the metal film from a first temperature to a second temperature at a first ramping rate and holding the substrate including the metal film at the second temperature for a first period of time. A second heat-treatment process is then performed including heating the substrate including the metal film from a third temperature to a fourth temperature at a second ramping rate and holding the substrate at the fourth temperature for a second period of time. The fourth temperature is different from the second temperature and the second period of time is different from the first period of time. The sequentially performed first and second heat-treatment processes convert the Ni metal layer on the source and drain regions into a NiSi layer on the source and drain regions and a NiSi2 layer between the NiSi layer and the source and drain regions.
US08470688B2

A semiconductor device and a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device are provided. A semiconductor device comprises a first single-crystal semiconductor layer including a first channel formation region and a first impurity region over a substrate having an insulating surface, a first gate insulating layer over the first single-crystal semiconductor layer, a gate electrode over the first gate insulating layer, a first interlayer insulating layer over the first gate insulating layer, a second gate insulating layer over the gate electrode and the first interlayer insulating layer, and a second single-crystal semiconductor layer including a second channel formation region and a second impurity region over the second gate insulating layer. The first channel formation region, the gate electrode, and the second channel formation region are overlapped with each other.
US08470685B2

The present invention provides an improved method of forming air cavities to overcome IC via-misalignment issues. The method of forming air cavity trenches in-between metal lines of an integrated circuit includes the steps of partially removing (42) an intertrack dielectric deposited on an interconnect structure surface to control the height between the top surface of a metal line of the interconnect surface and the surface of the intertrack dielectric; depositing (44) a dielectric liner on the interconnect surface; removing (46) at least part of the dielectric liner on the interconnect surface; successively repeating (48) the deposition of the dielectric liner and the removal of the dielectric liner on the interconnect surface in so far as the interconnect surface is sufficiently protected by a remaining dielectric liner for forming of the plurality of air cavity trenches; and forming (50) at least one air cavity trench in-between the metal lines by etching the intertrack dielectric material.
US08470683B2

The invention relates to a method of manufacturing an integrated circuit. An electrically resistive layer of a material for serving as a thin film resistor (TFR) is deposited. A first electrically insulating layer is deposited on the electrically resistive layer of the TFR. An electrically conductive layer of an electrically conductive material is deposited. An area is left without the conductive layer and the area overlaps the electrically resistive layer of the TFR. A second electrically insulating layer is deposited on top of the conductive layer. A first VIA opening is etched through the second insulating layer, the area without the conductive layer adjacent to the electrically conductive layer and through the first insulating layer down to the electrically resistive layer of the TFR. A conductive material is deposited in the first VIA opening so as to electrically connect the conductive layer and the electrically resistive layer of the TFR.
US08470681B2

A resistor with improved switchable resistance includes a first electrode, a second electrode, and an insulating dielectric structure between the first and second electrodes. The insulating dielectric structure includes a confined conductive region providing a first resistance state and a second resistance state; the resistance state of the confined conductive region being switchable between the first and second resistance states by a control signal.
US08470678B2

A method for inducing a tensile stress in a channel of a field effect transistor (FET) includes forming a nitride film over the FET; forming a contact hole to the FET through the nitride film; and performing ultraviolet (UV) curing of the nitride film after forming the contact hole to the FET through the nitride film, wherein the UV cured nitride film induces the tensile stress in the channel of the FET.
US08470675B2

A process of forming an integrated circuit, including forming a dummy oxide layer for ion implanting low voltage transistors, replacing the dummy oxide in the low voltage transistor area with a thinner gate dielectric layer, and retaining the dummy oxide for a gate dielectric for a DEMOS or LDMOS transistor. A process of forming an integrated circuit, including forming a dummy oxide layer for ion implanting low voltage and intermediate voltage transistors, replacing the dummy oxide in the low voltage transistors with a thinner gate dielectric layer, replacing the dummy oxide in the intermediate voltage transistor with another gate dielectric layer, and retaining the dummy oxide for a gate dielectric for a DEMOS or LDMOS transistor.
US08470672B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes forming a drift layer on a substrate; forming a base layer on the drift layer; forming a trench to penetrate the base layer and to reach the drift layer; rounding off a part of a shoulder corner and a part of a bottom corner of the trench; covering an inner wall of the trench with an organic film; implanting an impurity to a surface portion of the base layer; forming a source region by activating the implanted impurity; and removing the organic film after the source region is formed, in which the substrate, the drift layer, the base layer and the source region are made of silicon carbide, and the implanting and the activating of the impurity are performed under a condition that the trench is covered with the organic film.
US08470665B2

Capacitor structures for use in integrated circuits and methods of their manufacture. The capacitor structures include a bottom electrode, a top electrode and a dielectric layer interposed between the bottom electrode and the top electrode. The capacitor structures further include a metal oxide buffer layer interposed between the dielectric layer and at least one of the bottom and top electrodes. Each metal oxide buffer layer acts to improve capacitance and reduce capacitor leakage. The capacitors are suited for use as memory cells and apparatus incorporating such memory cells, as well as other integrated circuits.
US08470659B2

This description relates to a method including forming an interfacial layer over a semiconductor substrate. The method further includes etching back the interfacial layer. The method further includes performing an ultraviolet (UV) curing process on the interfacial layer. The UV curing process includes supplying a gas flow rate ranging from 10 standard cubic centimeters per minute (sccm) to 5 standard liters per minute (slm), wherein the gas comprises inert gas, and heating the interfacial layer at a temperature less than or equal to 700° C. The method further includes depositing a high-k dielectric material over the interfacial layer.
US08470658B2

A semiconductor integrated circuit device and method of fabricating a semiconductor integrated circuit device, the method including preparing a first conductivity type substrate including a first conductivity type impurity such that the first conductivity type substrate has a first impurity concentration; forming a buried impurity layer using blank implant such that the buried impurity layer includes a first conductivity type impurity and has a second impurity concentration higher than the first impurity concentration; forming an epitaxial layer on the substrate having the buried impurity layer thereon; and forming semiconductor devices and a device isolation region in or on the epitaxial layer.
US08470657B1

An ion implantation method for semiconductor sidewalls includes steps of: forming a trench on a substrate, and the trench having a lower reflecting layer and two sidewalls adjacent to a bottom section; performing a plasma doping procedure to sputter conductive ions to the lower reflecting layer and the conductive ions being rebounded from the lower reflecting layer to adhere to the sidewalls to respectively form an adhesion layer thereon; and performing an annealing procedure to diffuse the conductive ions of the adhesion layer into the substrate to form a conductive segment. Thus, without damaging the substrate, the conductive segment having a high conductive ion doping concentration is formed at a predetermined region to satisfy semiconductor design requirements.
US08470650B2

An object is to provide a method for manufacturing a highly reliable semiconductor device including thin film transistors which have stable electric characteristics and are formed using an oxide semiconductor. A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device includes the steps of: forming an oxide semiconductor film over a gate electrode with a gate insulating film interposed between the oxide semiconductor film and the gate electrode, over an insulating surface; forming a first conductive film including at least one of titanium, molybdenum, and tungsten, over the oxide semiconductor film; forming a second conductive film including a metal having lower electronegativity than hydrogen, over the first conductive film; forming a source electrode and a drain electrode by etching of the first conductive film and the second conductive film; and forming an insulating film in contact with the oxide semiconductor film, over the oxide semiconductor film, the source electrode, and the drain electrode.
US08470648B2

A semiconductor device including a plurality of field-effect transistors which are stacked with a planarization layer interposed therebetween over a substrate having an insulating surface, in which semiconductor layers in the plurality of field-effect transistors are separated from semiconductor substrates, and the semiconductor layers are bonded to an insulating layer formed over the substrate having an insulating surface or an insulating layer formed over the planarization layer.
US08470647B2

There has been a problem that the manufacturing process is complicated and the number of processes is increased when a TFT with an LDD structure or a TFT with a GOLD structure is formed. In a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, after low concentration impurity regions (24, 25) are formed in a second doping process, a width of the low concentration impurity region which is overlapped with the third electrode (18c) and a width of the low concentration impurity region which is not overlapped with the third electrode can be freely controlled by a fourth etching process. Thus, in a region overlapped with the third electrode, a relaxation of electric field concentration is achieved and then a hot carrier injection can be prevented. And, in the region which is not overlapped with the third electrode, the off-current value can be suppressed.
US08470642B2

Methods and devices for multi-chip stacks are shown. A method is shown that assembles multiple chips into stacks by stacking wafers prior to dicing into individual chips. Methods shown provide removal of defective chips and their replacement during the assembly process to improve manufacturing yield.
US08470640B2

A method of fabricating a semiconductor die and a low profile semiconductor package are disclosed. The semiconductor package may include at least first and second stacked semiconductor die mounted to a substrate. The first and/or second semiconductor die may be fabricated with localized cavities through a bottom surface of the semiconductor die, along a side edge of the semiconductor die. The one or more localized cavities in a side take up less than the entire side. Thus, the localized cavities allow low height stacking of semiconductor die while providing each die with a high degree of structural integrity to prevent cracking or breaking of the die edge during fabrication.
US08470638B2

A thin film transistor and a manufacturing method thereof are provided. In the manufacturing method of the thin film transistor a semiconductive active layer and a semiconductor passivation layer are sequentially formed such that the semiconductor passivation layer protectively covers the semiconductive active layer. Then the stacked combination of the semiconductive active layer and semiconductor passivation layer are patterned by using a same patterning mask so that formed islands of the semiconductive active layer continue to be protectively covered by formed islands of the semiconductor passivation layer. In one embodiment, the semiconductive active layer is formed of a semiconductive oxide.
US08470637B2

A method for fabricating a resistor for a resistance random access memory (RRAM) includes: (a) forming a first electrode over a substrate; (b) forming a variable resistance layer of zirconium oxide on the first electrode under a working temperature, which ranges from 175° C. to 225° C.; and (c) forming a second electrode of Ti on the variable resistance layer.
US08470635B2

Subject matter disclosed herein relates to a method of manufacturing a semiconductor integrated circuit device, and more particularly to a method of fabricating a phase change memory device.
US08470629B2

A structure which prevents thinning and disconnection of a wiring is provided, in a micromachine (MEMS structure body) formed with a surface micromachining technology. A wiring (upper auxiliary wiring) over a sacrificial layer is electrically connected to a different wiring (upper connection wiring) over the sacrificial layer, so that thinning, disconnection, and the like of the wiring formed over the sacrificial layer at a step portion generated due to the thickness of the sacrificial layer can be prevented. The wiring over the sacrificial layer is formed of the same conductive film as an upper driving electrode which is a movable electrode and is thus thin. However, the different wiring is formed over a structural layer, which is formed by a CVD method and has a rounded step, and has a thickness of 200 nm to 1 μm, whereby thinning, disconnection, and the like of the wiring can be further prevented.
US08470626B2

Exemplary embodiments of the present invention relate to a method of fabricating a light emitting diode (LED). According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the method includes growing a first GaN-based semiconductor layer on a substrate at a first temperature by supplying a chamber with a nitride source gas and a first metal source gas, stopping the supply of the first metal source gas and maintaining the first temperature for a first time period after stopping the supply of the first metal source gas, decreasing the temperature of the substrate to the a second temperature after the first time period elapses, growing an active layer of the first GaN-based semiconductor layer at the second temperature by supplying the chamber with a second metal source gas.
US08470624B2

A fabricating method of an organic electroluminescent display unit is provided. A gate and a gate insulating layer covering the gate are formed on the substrate. A patterned metal-oxide layer with an etching stop layer thereon is formed on the gate insulating layer. A surface treatment is performed on the patterned metal-oxide layer with use of the etching stop layer as a mask, such that a portion of the patterned metal-oxide layer uncovered by the etching stop layer has greater conductivity than conductivity of another portion of the patterned metal-oxide layer covered by the etching stop layer. The patterned metal-oxide layer treated by the surface treatment includes a pixel electrode and an active layer located above the gate. A source and a drain are then formed. And then, an organic electro-luminescence layer and a top electrode are sequentially formed on the pixel electrode.
US08470621B2

A method for fabricating flip-chip semiconductor optoelectronic devices initially flip-chip bonds a semiconductor optoelectronic chip attached to an epitaxial substrate to a packaging substrate. The epitaxial substrate is then separated using lift-off technology.
US08470620B2

A solid-state imaging device with a semiconductor substrate; a pixel formation region in the substrate and including a pixel made of a photoelectric conversion element; and an element isolation portion in the substrate and including an element isolation insulating layer and an impurity element isolation region. The element isolation insulating layer is positioned in a surface of the substrate. The impurity element isolation region is positioned under the element isolation insulating layer and within the substrate. The impurity element isolation region has at least a portion with a width that is narrower than that of the element isolation insulating layer. The photoelectric conversion element extends to a position under the element isolation insulating layer of the element isolation portion.
US08470619B2

A method of texturing a surface within or immediately adjacent to a template layer of a LED is described. The method uses a texturing laser directed through a substrate to decompose and pit a semiconductor material at the surface to be textured. By texturing the surface, light trapping within the template layer is reduced. Furthermore, by patterning the arrangement of pits, metal coating each pit can be arranged to spread current through the template layer and thus through the n-doped region of a LED.
US08470617B2

Methods for depositing nanomaterial onto a substrate are disclosed. Also disclosed are compositions useful for depositing nanomaterial, methods of making devices including nanomaterials, and a system and devices useful for depositing nanomaterials.
US08470611B2

A method of a general biological approach to synthesizing compact nanotubes using a biological template is described.
US08470609B2

A versatile drug testing device (a lateral flow diagnostic testing device) includes a flat transparent carrier with a top and a bottom with the carrier having a series of independent parallel grooves formed therein running from adjacent to the top to adjacent to the bottom of the carrier, each groove having a first opening and a second opening above the first opening therein adjacent to the bottom of the carrier, at least one drug test strip installed in one of said grooves with its absorbent pad contiguous to the openings and a cover layer attached to the carrier operable to sealing close each of said grooves whereby the bottom of the device can be immersed in a specimen of “urine”, “body fluid” or “other biological specimen” to wet the pad of the at least one test strip though the ingress of the specimen though the associated openings and the test results on the test strip can be easily viewed through the transparent carrier. Because of the unique construction the device will give accurate reading if temporarily immersed in the specimen or left in the specimen for an extended period of time, making it very user friendly.
US08470600B2

A biocompatible material, wherein at least a part of a surface of the biocompatible material is characterized by a micro or nano-meter scale topographical structure comprising a plurality of features where the structure is selected to promote the growth of undifferentiated pluripotent stem cells or serve to promote the uniform differentiated growth of stem cells. Furthermore, a biocompatible material is provided having a surface structure and composition that affects a cellular function, in particular cellular functions related to gene induction, cell differentiation and the formation of bone tissue in vivo and ex-vivo.
US08470596B2

Described herein are isolated mammalian cells (progenitor cell biomarkers), referred to as primitive vascular progenitor cells (PVPC), which are present in and isolated from blood (e.g., peripheral blood) and useful as biomarkers of vascular remodeling in mammals (e.g., humans, rodents).
US08470592B2

The present invention provides for the isolation and characterization of the cbh1 gene from Schizochytrium aggregatum. In particular, the present invention provides for the nucleic acid and amino acid sequences of Schizochytrium aggregatum cbh1, and domains, variants and derivatives thereof. The present invention further provides for the heterologous expression of Schizochytrium aggregatum Cbh1 in host cells, including yeast, e.g., Saccharomyces cerevisiae. Expression of Schizochytrium aggregatum Cbh1 in host cells will augment cellulose digestion and facilitate ethanol production by those host cells on cellulosic substrates. In certain embodiments, heterologous expression in Saccharomyces cerevisiae is in coordination with heterologous expression of other known, or newly identified saccharolytic enzymes. Therefore, the present invention also provides that the novel Schizochytrium aggregatum Cbh1 gene can utilized in a consolidated bioprocessing system.
US08470589B2

A multilayered cell culture apparatus for the culturing of cells is disclosed. The cell culture apparatus is defined as an integral structure having a plurality of cell culture chambers in combination with tracheal space(s). The body of the apparatus has imparted therein gas permeable membranes in combination with tracheal spaces that will allow the free flow of gases between the cell culture chambers and the external environment. The flask body also includes an aperture that will allow access to the cell growth chambers by means of a needle or cannula. The size of the apparatus, and location of an optional neck and cap section, allows for its manipulation by standard automated assay equipment, further making the apparatus ideal for high throughput applications.
US08470588B2

A test element and method for detecting an analyte with the aid thereof is provided. The test element is essentially disk-shaped and flat, and can be rotated about a preferably central axis which is perpendicular to the plane of the disk-shaped test element. The test element has a sample application opening for applying a liquid sample, a capillary-active zone, in particular a porous, absorbent matrix, having a first end that is remote from the axis and a second end that is near to the axis, and a sample channel which extends from an area near to the axis to the first end of the capillary-active zone that is remote from the axis.
US08470572B2

The present disclosure provides engineered ketoreductase enzymes having improved properties as compared to a naturally occurring wild-type ketoreductase enzyme. Also provided are polynucleotides encoding the engineered ketoreductase enzymes, host cells capable of expressing the engineered ketoreductase enzymes, and methods of using the engineered ketoreductase enzymes to synthesize a variety of chiral compounds.
US08470568B2

Provided herein compositions and methods for producing isoprenoids, including squalene. In certain aspects and embodiments provided are genetically converted yeast and uses therefore. In some aspects and embodiments, the genetically converted yeast produce isoprenoids, preferably squalene. Also are provided methods of producing squalene using a genetically converted yeast or a non-genetically converted yeast. The invention also provides squalene produced by genetically converted yeast or non-genetically converted yeast.
US08470562B2

A highly efficient method of making a primary cell derived biologic by purifying mononuclear cells (MNCs) in a automated cell processor to remove contaminating cells by loading leukocytes onto lymphocyte separation medium (LSM) and centrifuging the medium to obtain purified MNCs, storing the MNCs overnight in a closed sterile bag system, stimulating an induction mixture of the MNCs with phytohemagglutinin (PHA) or other mitogen and ciprofloxacin in a scalable cell culture device and producing a primary cell derived biologic from the MNCs, removing the mitogen from the induction mixture by filtering, incubating the induction mixture, clarifying the induction mixture by filtering to obtain a primary cell derived biologic supernatant, and clearing the primary cell derived biologic supernatant from adventitious agents by anion exchange chromatography, filtration. A closed system prevents contamination of the resulting primary cell derived biologic. An automated method of purifying cells. A method of scalably inducing cells.
US08470559B2

We disclose growth hormone [GH] fusion proteins that have increased in vivo stability and activity; nucleic acid molecules encoding said proteins and methods of treatment of growth hormone deficiency that use said fusion proteins. The GH fusion proteins comprise human GH covalently linked to the extracellular domain of Growth Hormone Receptor [GHR] either as a direct in-frame translational fusion or via a flexible peptide linker. The GH/GHR fusion proteins have exceptional pharmacokinetics and are potent growth hormone receptor agonists. The GH/GHR fusion proteins form head to tail dimers.
US08470552B2

The present disclosure provides a method for culturing cells in exogenous lactic acid. Certain aspects of the present disclosure include the production of recombinant proteins, such as antibodies and fragments thereof. Certain aspects of the present disclosure also relate to methods of controlling lactic acid production, pH stability and osmolality in cell culture.
US08470551B2

The present invention relates to a fusion protein in which a myostatin mature protein is fused to a multimer of myostatin-derived antigenic peptide Myo-2, a surface expression vector containing a polynucleotide encoding the fusion protein, a recombinant microorganism transformed with the vector, and a feedstuff additive or a pharmaceutical composition containing the microorganism as an effective ingredient. The feedstuff additive or pharmaceutical composition according to the present invention can be used for muscle development and regulation of muscle growth in livestock and poultry, as well as for preventing and treating muscle-wasting diseases and degenerative diseases such as muscular dystrophy, muscular atrophy and the like. In addition, the transformed strain shows the same effect even if the strain itself after culture thereof is directly used, and thus it is very economical.
US08470528B2

Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to compositions and methods of delivering one or more transgene to a target cell, such as a tumor cell, in a site-specific manner to achieve enhanced expression and to constructs and compositions useful in such applications. In certain aspects, expression from a therapeutic nucleic acid may be assessed prior to administration of a treatment or diagnostic procedure to or on a subject.
US08470527B2

The claimed invention is directed toward modified HIV-1 gp41 C-terminal heptad repeat fusion inhibitors. In particular, peptide derivatives of C-34 were prepared (e.g., FB006M) and modified with 3-maleimidoproionic acid (MPA), which allows rapid and irreversible conjugation to serum albumin at a 1:1 molar ratio. These polypeptides have an extended half-life in vivo and display potent antiviral activity against HIV-1.
US08470521B2

The present invention relates to methods for removing antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants from a platelet preparation. In one embodiment, the method includes the step of flowing the platelet preparation through a filtering tube comprising a filtering membrane and separating the antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants from the platelet preparation by tangential flow filtration. In another embodiment, the method includes the step of passing the platelet preparation through porous material that specifically binds to the antiplatelet agents and anticoagulants.
US08470514B2

A low-cost information recording medium is provided by which good recording quality can be obtained even when information is recorded thereon in a high density using a blue laser. The recording medium has a recording layer which comprises Sb, O and M. A content of O atoms is 30 atom % or more but not more than 55 atom %, a content of M atoms is 5 atom % or more but not more than 35 atom %, and a content of Sb atoms is 20 atom % or more but not more than 55 atom %. The recording layer does not contain Au, Pt and Pd.
US08470497B2

Methods for attaching a subgasket to an ionomer membrane, wherein the methods provide for the precise location of the subgasket relative to the other component edges of the fuel cell, such as the catalyst layers, so as provide the functionality required to extend the ionomer membrane life and prevent damage to the ionomer membrane during the assembly process.
US08470466B2

A battery cover latching mechanism and a portable electronic device using the same are provided. The battery cover latching mechanism detachably locks a battery cover to the housing and includes an assembly portion, a locking assembly and a lock portion. The locking assembly is mounted to the assembly portion of the housing and includes an elastic piece and a latching member. The elastic piece is assembled within the receiving slot. The latching member is elastically and releasably assembled within the receiving slot by the elastic piece for locking or releasing the battery cover. The locking portion is formed on the battery cover and locked by the latching member.
US08470465B2

Disclosed is a battery device including a battery enclosure incorporating a battery cell. The battery device further includes an output terminal that outputs power of the battery cell. The battery enclosure includes a first surface, a second surface, a first step surface, a second step surface, a first engaging portion, a second engaging portion, a first groove, and a second groove formed in the second step surface and the second engaging portion, and a recess is provided in at least one of the first step surface and the second step surface.
US08470463B2

An apparatus and associated method are generally directed to a magnetic shield capable of screening magnetic flux with in-plane anisotropy. Various embodiments of the present invention may have at least one magnetic shield. The shield may be constructed of a Cobalt-Iridium compound capable of providing in-plane anisotropy along a longitudinal plane of the shield.
US08470459B2

The present invention describes processes for coating substrates with a nanocomposite SiCON material. In addition, the present invention describes the dielectric nanocomposite coatings.
US08470454B2

A material for an organic photoelectric device and an organic photoelectric device including the same, the material including an asymmetric compound represented by the following Chemical Formula 1: wherein, in Chemical Formula 1, Ar1 is hydrogen or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl, provided that when Ar1 is a substituted aryl having a substituent, Ar2 is not the same as the substituent of Ar1, Ar2 and Ar3 are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted carbazolyl, a substituted or unsubstituted C2 to C30 heteroaryl, a substituted or unsubstituted C2 to C30 arylamine, or a substituted or unsubstituted C2 to C30 heteroarylamine, L1 and L2 are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted phenylene, a substituted or unsubstituted naphthylene, or a substituted or unsubstituted anthracene, and m and n are each independently integers of 1 to 4.
US08470453B2

A new substrate makes it possible to modify surface properties relating to biocompatibility. Said substrate has an electron donating surface, characterized in having metal particles on said surface, said metal particles comprising palladium and at least one metal chosen from gold, ruthenium, rhodium, osmium, iridium, and platinum, wherein the amount of said metal particles is from about 0.001 to about 8 μg/cm2. The substrate is suggested for different uses, such as for modifying the hydrophobicity, protein adsorption; tissue ingrowth, complement activation, inflammatory response, thrombogenicity, friction coefficient, and surface hardness.
US08470442B2

The present invention provides a composition and method for functionalizing nanoparticles that enables them to undergo reversible aggregation/deaggregation. The aggregation properties of this new system are reversible and readily monitored by optical absorbance measurements with the possibility of electrical and/or magnetic monitoring as well. The outer portion of the coating material is functionalized with polyethylene glycol (PEG) entities that facilitate biocompatibility and stability both in solution and in the solid state. Also provided are nanoparticles functionalized with rationally designed free radical initiators to effect tailored polymer growth from the surface. These systems may be used for a broad variety of applications, including biosensing with real-time feedback.
US08470439B2

Antireflective films are described having a surface layer comprising a the reaction product of a polymerizable low refractive index composition comprising at least one free-radically polymerizable fluoropolymer and surface modified inorganic nanoparticles. A high refractive index layer is coupled to the low refractive index layer. In one embodiment, the high refractive index layer comprises surface modified inorganic nanoparticles dispersed in a crosslinked organic material. The antireflective film is preferably durable, exhibiting a haze of less than 1.0% after 25 wipes with steel wool using a 3.2 cm mandrel and a mass of 1000 grams.
US08470438B2

There is provided a connecting structure with high reliability produced at low cost through the production process simplified by connecting connection electrodes, each including an organic film as an oxidation preventing film, to each other using a conductive adhesive. An electrode-connecting structure in which a first connection electrode 2 and a second connection electrode 10 are connected to each other with a conductive adhesive layer 9 therebetween includes organic films 6 and 11 formed on at least the first connection electrode and conductive particles 8 contained so that major axes of the particles are oriented in a thickness direction of the conductive adhesive layer and the average length of the major axes is larger than the total thickness of at least the organic films and the conductive adhesive layer, wherein the conductive particles pierce the organic films and contact the first connection electrode and the second connection electrode.
US08470436B1

A roofing system includes a plurality of insulation boards adapted for overlying a roof deck to form a layer of insulation, and a plurality of cover boards adapted for overlying the layer of insulation. Each insulation board includes a polymer foam material having a first density. Each cover board includes a material including polyisocyanurate, the material having a second density greater than the first. The foam material of the insulation boards may include, for example, polystyrene, polyurethane, or a phenolic material. The insulation boards and cover boards may include facers on top or bottom surfaces.
US08470432B2

An exemplary system, method of making, of use, for providing a hard shell cover for covering objects, boats, and like. Hard shell cover is disclosed as comprising, inter alia, a material layer 202, a material layer 204, and a material layer 206, and a transition region. Disclosed features and specifications may be variously controlled, configured, adapted or otherwise optionally modified to further improve or otherwise optimize material and design performance or other material characteristics. Exemplary embodiments of the present invention representatively provide for hard cover components, methods of making and use that may be readily incorporated with existing technologies for the improvement of covers, packaging of objects, form factors, weights and/or other manufacturing, device or material performance metrics.
US08470431B2

Embossed sheet materials are disclosed. In accordance with the present disclosure, the embossing pattern includes at least one line element that has a gradually decreasing depth. The gradually decreasing depth has been found to alter the shadow characteristics of the embossing pattern thus creating a line in the embossing pattern that appears to decrease in line weight. The decrease in line weight is accomplished without having to change the width of the embossment, although the width can also be changed in conjunction with the depth. Being able to incorporate line weight variations into embossing patterns can dramatically improve the aesthetic appeal of the patterns.
US08470424B2

A method of improving the shelf life of a beverage may involve selecting a container for containing a beverage, the container having a first gas barrier property; selecting a blended label having a second gas barrier property; applying the blended label to the container such that the container has a resultant gas barrier property that is greater than the first gas barrier property; and placing the beverage in the container. A beverage container may have a PET wall having a first gas barrier property and a blended label adjacent the PET wall, the blended label having a second gas barrier property, wherein the container has a resultant gas barrier property that is greater than the first gas barrier property. Two different beverage products may be bottled in the same type of container using blended labels that have different gas barrier properties tailored for each beverage product.
US08470418B2

An exhaust pipe for an internal combustion engine includes a metal tube enclosing a passage through which an exhaust gas from the internal combustion engine passes, and a ceramic film covering the metal tube from the outside, the ceramic film containing no more than about 0.5 mass % of a metallic element which is dominantly present in a surface of the metal tube. The ceramic film is an SiON film containing about 30 mass % or less of O and about 10 mass % or more of N.
US08470415B2

Addition of a surfactant to either the under-layer, the image-receiving layer, or to both the under-layer and the image-receiving layer provides a quick-drying, transparent ink-jet recording film capable of achieving an optical density of at least 2.8 while still having a low haze and producing a number of grey levels.
US08470410B2

A method for producing nanostructured coatings on a substrate, comprising: preparing a nanocrystalline powder of a powder size comprised between 1 and 60 μm; and combining cleaning the surface of the substrate and cold spraying the nanocrystalline powder on the surface of the substrate, and a system for producing nanocrystalline coatings on a substrate, comprising a spray head, a cleaning head and a handling system monitoring the spray head and the cleaning head relative to the substrate to be coated, the spray head being a first cold spray head, the first cold spray head depositing on the substrate at least one nanocrystalline powder, the cleaning head optimizing the surface being coated with the at least one layer of nanocrystalline powder.
US08470406B2

The present invention provides a spray method and spray apparatus for bentonite-based material that allow forming a bentonite layer of high dry density. A spray apparatus 1 comprises a supersonic nozzle 2, to which a compressor 5 and a bentonite container 6 are connected. The supersonic nozzle 2 is fed compressed air from the compressor 5 and a bentonite-based material from the bentonite container 6. The compressed air, mixed with the bentonite-based material, is accelerated to supersonic speed when passing through a constriction portion 14 of the supersonic nozzle 2, and is sprayed at supersonic speed out of a jet orifice 11.
US08470405B2

To provide a method of forming a multi-layer paint film with which, even when applying three paint layers and baking the paint layer only once, it is possible to achieve a paint film appearance the same as that with the conventional baking twice method. [Means of Resolution] A method of forming a multi-layer paint film in which an aqueous first base-paint is painted on a base material on which an electro-deposition paint has been coated and a first base-paint layer is formed, an aqueous second base-paint is painted on said first base-paint layer as a wet-on-wet system and a second base-paint layer is formed and, moreover, a clear-paint is painted on the second base-paint layer as a wet-on-wet system and a clear-paint layer is formed and then the three paint layers are all baked at the same time which is characterized in that the aqueous first base-paint includes as essential components hydroxyl group containing non-ionic resin where ethylene oxide units and/or propylene oxide units are included in an amount of from 4 to 15 mass % in the resin and of which the resin acid value is less than 15 mgKOH/g and the hydroxyl group value is from 10 to 100 mgKOH/g, and crosslinking agent.
US08470390B2

A method of forming an integrated circuit structure includes providing a substrate; forming a metal feature over the substrate; forming a dielectric layer over the metal feature; and forming an opening in the dielectric layer. At least a portion of the metal feature is exposed through the opening. An oxide layer is accordingly formed on an exposed portion of the metal feature. The method further includes, in a production tool having a vacuum environment, performing an oxide-removal process to remove the oxide layer. Between the step of forming the opening and the oxide-removal process, no additional oxide-removal process is performed to the metal feature outside the production tool. The method further includes, in the production tool, forming a diffusion barrier layer in the opening, and forming a seed layer on the diffusion barrier layer.
US08470389B2

Provided is a method of manufacturing a solid electrolytic capacitor, including the steps of: forming a capacitor element including an anode body having a dielectric coating film on a surface thereof; impregnating the capacitor element with a polymerization liquid containing a precursor monomer of a conductive polymer and an oxidant; impregnating the capacitor element impregnated with the polymerization liquid with a silane compound or a silane compound containing solution; and forming a conductive polymer layer by polymerizing the precursor monomer after impregnating the capacitor element with the silane compound or the silane compound containing solution.
US08470385B2

A novel canola protein isolate including predominantly 2S canola protein and having equal to better solubility properties and improved clarity properties, has an increased proportion of 2S canola protein and a decreased proportion of 7S canola protein. The novel canola protein isolate is formed by heat treatment or isoelectric precipitation of aqueous supernatant from canola protein micelle formation and precipitation, to effect precipitation of 7S protein which is sedimented and removed. Alternatively, the novel canola protein isolate may be derived from a selective membrane procedure in which an aqueous canola protein solution containing 12S, 7S and 2S canola proteins is subjected to a first selective membrane technique to retain 12S and 7S canola proteins in a retentate, which is dried to provide a canola protein isolate including predominantly 7S canola protein, and to permit 2S canola protein to pass through the membrane. The permeate is subjected to a second selective membrane technique to retain 2S canola protein and to permit low molecular weight contaminants to pass through the membrane, and the retentate from the latter membrane technique is dried.
US08470384B2

The compound of the formula (1) is novel and is useful in conferring umami taste on consumable compositions, such as foodstuffs and beverages.
US08470379B2

A new use of a potent product extracted from rhizomes of Zingiber officinale in treating a disease associated with Helicobacter pylori such as gastritis, gastric ulcer or duodenal ulcer in a patient. The potent product is prepared by a process including the steps of a) preparing a crude extract from rhizomes of Zingiber officinale, said crude extract comprising 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol; b) introducing the crude extract to a normal phase chromatography column, and eluting the column with a first eluent having a polarity lower than that of a mixture of n-hexane and ethyl acetate in a weight ratio of 6:4 to obtain a potent fraction. Preferably, the potent fraction is substantially free of both 6-gingerol and 6-shogaol.
US08470374B2

[Object] The object of the invention is to provide a granular antimicrobial agent for water processing which has sufficient water permeability and antimicrobial effect, and the effective duration of which can be readily ascertained when used as a water-processing antimicrobial agent in the home.[Means for Solving the Problems] A granular antimicrobial agent for water processing which has a solubility at 25° C. of preferably 0.1 mg/g·L·hour to 1 mg/g·L·hour, comprises 0.5 wt % to 4 wt % of Ag2O, 2 wt % to 10 wt % of K2O, 35 wt % to 50 wt % of SiO2, and 40 wt % to 55 wt % of B2O3, and has a semispherical or conical shape in part was found. In addition, the inventors found that the antimicrobial agent is highly suitable for use in various kinds of water processing, particularly, the antimicrobial treatment of water used for washing, and completed the invention.
US08470372B2

Provided is a fusion protein, which comprises human papillomavirus E7 antigen, virus capsid protein and molecular chaperone. Also provided is a macromolecule with immunogenicity aggregated by the fusion proteins. The particle morphology of the macromolecule is different from that of the virus-like particle. The macromolecule can be used for treatment of human papillomavirus relating diseases.
US08470369B2

Bone paste compositions are described, which promote bone healing and remodeling by stimulating bone marrow elements using a combination of hemopoietic agents, angiogenic agents and a bone molecular signaling material.
US08470351B2

The present invention is directed to providing antimicrobial compositions consisting of a polymeric material and, embedded therein, an antimicrobial compound. The antimicrobial compound contains at least one quaternary ammonium group, at least one hydrocarbon chain comprising a minimum of 10 carbon atoms and a maximum of 24 carbon atoms, and one or more anions to balance the charge of the quaternary ammonium groups. The invention is also directed to a method of making antimicrobial compositions containing an antimicrobial compound embedded in a polymeric material.
US08470345B2

A lipid preparation including a glycerophospholipid or salt, conjugate and derivatives thereof, particularly phosphatidylserine (PS), phosphatidylcholine (PC), phosphatidylethanolamine (PE), phosphatidyl-inositol (PI), phosphatidylglycerol (PG) and phosphatidic acid (PA), and poly-unsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) acyl groups, particularly long-chain poly-unsaturated fatty acid (LC-PUFA) acyl groups such as omega-3 and/or omega-6 acyl groups, wherein said PUFA is covalently bound to said glycerophospholipid. The preparation possesses an improved bioactivity, and is useful in the treatment of various cognitive and mental conditions and disorders and for maintenance of normal functions of brain-related systems and processes.
US08470344B2

The present invention encompasses a method of preparing a ready-to-dissolve or ready-to-disperse composition of difficult to dissolve in water compounds and suspensions or aqueous solutions of difficult to dissolve in water compounds.
US08470333B2

Compositions, methods, and vaccines that may stimulate the immune system and that may be used for treating malignancies associated with overexpression of the HER-2 protein are provided. Such compositions include epitopes of the HER-2 proteins.
US08470328B2

The present invention provides a method of purifying an antibody by protein A affinity chromatography. More specifically, the present invention provides a technique relating to an elution buffer solution which provides a good antibody recovery rate without denaturation.
US08470321B2

Isolated antibodies have been characterized which show specific affinity to a repeating conformational epitope of a protofibril form of the human β-amyloid peptide as compare to low molecular weight forms of β-amyloid peptide. These isolated antibodies and related pharmaceutically effective compositions may be useful in the therapeutic and/or prophylactic treatment of Alzheimer's disease by effectively blocking the ability of the protofibril form of β-amyloid peptide to form fibril forms linked with complications associated with Alzheimer's disease. The isolated antibodies of the present invention are also useful in various diagnostic assays and associated kits.
US08470317B2

Novel polypeptides which comprise a receptor-ligand pair involved in T-cell, activation are disclosed. Nucleic acid molecules encoding said polypeptides, and vectors and host cells for expressing same are also disclosed. The polypeptides, or agonists and antagonists thereof, are used to treat T-cell mediated disorders.
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