US08531335B2

Methods and systems for wireless devices are disclosed. According to one system, a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag includes an RFID circuit packaged within a chip carrier package. The chip carrier package bonds out a first antenna connection for the RFID circuit. An antenna including a conductive lead is interfaced with the first antenna connection. The chip carrier package and the first conductive lead are coupled to a first side of a first spacer. A second spacer having a second dielectric constant greater than the first dielectric constant is coupled to a second side of the first spacer. The second spacer isolates the RFID circuit from a metal surface.
US08531332B2

Spoofing of a satellite positioning system is detected by receiving position location data from multiple sources. The received data is compared and inconsistent data is marked. A position location is estimated based on the received position location data, while accounting for the marked inconsistent data.
US08531322B2

Embodiments of a time-to-digital converter are provided, comprising a delay stage matrix and a measurement circuit. The delay stage matrix comprises a first and a second delay lines coupled thereto, and is arranged to propagate a transition signal from a starting delay stage in the first and a second delay lines, wherein each of the first and second delay lines comprises a same number of delay stages coupled in series, each delay stage in one of the first and second delay lines is coupled to a corresponding delay stage in the other delay line and operative to generate a delayed signal. The measurement circuit is arranged to determine a time of the transition signal propagating along the delay stages by sampling the delayed signals using a measurement signal to generate and hold a digital representation of the time.
US08531320B2

Various embodiments of the present invention provide systems and methods for data processing. For example, a data processing system is disclosed that includes a data decoder circuit. The data decoder circuit is operable to: apply a decoding algorithm to a decoder input on a first decoder iteration to yield a first decoder output; compress an output derived from the first decoder output to yield a compressed decoder output; de-compress the compressed decoder output to yield a second decoder output; and apply the decoding algorithm to the second decoder output to yield a third decoder output.
US08531314B2

A visual display used to indicate when aircraft wheel chocks have been inserted against the aircraft tires and the tarmac. The display is mounted on the exterior of an aircraft terminal at an elevation that is easily viewable by an aircraft operator. The indicator system contains illuminated characters operated from an electrical switch. The electrical switch is located remotely from the display where it is accessible by personnel standing on the tarmac. The switch positions include “OUT” and “IN”. When the switch is moved to the “IN” position, the arrow characters are illuminated. When the switch is moved to the “OUT” position, the arrow characters are not illuminated. This system provides a safe and efficient means for ground personnel to signal the aircraft operator that the wheel chocks are in place against the aircraft wheel assembly.
US08531307B2

A control system of a patient support surface calculates a surface performance index as a function of pressure and shear. The control system also receives information from an electronic medical record (EMR) corresponding to a person's susceptibility of developing at least one of a pressure ulcer and a superficial lesion and adjusts at least one of a component and a characteristic of the person support surface based on the information.
US08531305B2

A method for measuring electrical resistance of a joint includes supplying a first current between a first end of a first member of the joint and a first end of a second member of the joint. The method also includes measuring a first voltage between a second end of the first member and a second end of the second member. The first ends of the first member and the second member are oriented or situated opposite of the joint from the second ends of the first member and the second member. The method also includes calculating a first joint resistance of the joint from the supplied first current and the measured first voltage.
US08531304B2

A bin level monitoring system uses one or more monitoring devices (10) to measure a material (23) level in a bin (34). The monitoring devices (10) each have a frame (11) with at least two rigid frame members (12, 13) extending in a longitudinal direction with a space (14) between the frame members. A flexible material (22) covers the frame members (12, 13) and encloses the space (14) there between. A first resistive element (24) and a second resistive or conductive element (30) extend in the longitudinal direction of the device (10) and are arranged to move into contact with each other between the first and second frame members (12, 13) when pressure is applied by bulk material (23) in the bin (34) pressing against an outer surface of the flexible covering (22). An electric circuit (35) connected to the monitoring device (10) measures a total resistance of the free, non-contacted portion of at least one of the first and second elements (24, 30) to provide a measurement of the material level in the bin (34).
US08531302B2

A subscription system and corresponding method of operation for monitoring user's well being is disclosed. The method includes the steps of providing, at a user monitor module, a first indicator for the user well being; providing, at a receiving module operably coupled to the user monitor module, a first threshold for the first indicator; receiving, at the receiving module, the first indication; comparing the first indication and the first threshold; generating a secondary indication when the comparison indicates that the first indication equals or exceeds the first threshold; receiving, at a supervisory module coupled to the receiver module, the secondary indication; and informing a supervisor that the first threshold has been reached.
US08531295B2

A security system (SYS) is proposed for a sales facility having at least one first equipment (CP) for issuing a proof of payment for articles and/or services purchased and having at least one second equipment (CTR) for inspecting the proof of purchase, where the first equipment (CP) generates an electronic proof of payment in the form of an identifier (CD) and has a transmitting device (CP-S) that send the identifier wirelessly to a mobile device (M), and the second equipment (CTR) has at least one receiving device (CTR-R) that receives the identifier (CD) wirelessly from the mobile device (M). The first equipment can be a register system (CP), specifically a self-service register system and/or pay station. The second equipment (CTR) can be a control system that can be installed in the exit area of the sales facility, specifically a control gate system (CTR).
US08531288B1

A system and method for locating, tracking, and monitoring resource in large-scale facilities is disclosed herein. The system is based on a sensor network and is efficient, scalable, and requires only short-range communication. The system allows for sensor-to-sensor communication as well as the traditional sensor-to-anchor communication to effectively eliminate long-range communications. In order to perform resource localization and tracking, the present invention pairs each resource with an inexpensive, low-powered sensor possessing minimal resources or anchors and those resources communicate with their nearby resources or anchors until a wireless, linked network of resources and anchors is formed.
US08531285B2

A vehicle turn signaling apparatus includes a light source that is powered by a turn signal circuit of the vehicle. The light source is configured to project a low divergence visible line onto a driving lane adjacent to the vehicle in response to activation of the turn signal circuit to visibly warn other drivers where a driver of the vehicle may intend to move the vehicle.
US08531280B2

A multi sensor detection and disabling lock system includes detector cases for holding interchangeable detectors that sample for chemical, biological and radiological compounds, agents and elements, with each detector case disposed in or upon the monitored product. The detector case transmits detection information to a monitoring computer terminal and transmits a signal to a lock disabler engaged to the product to lock or disable the product's lock thereby preventing untrained, unauthorized and unequipped individual's from gaining access and entry to the product, and also preventing further contamination of the area. The detection system can be interconnected to surveillance towers scanning detector cases disposed at seaport docks, freight depots and rail terminals for monitoring containers being prepared for shipment or sitting on docks for long periods of time.
US08531279B2

An accessory mounting system for a vehicle includes a bracket attached at a windshield of the vehicle. The accessory mounting system includes control circuitry housed in a housing, and the control circuitry is associated with an electronic device housed in the housing. The electronic device is selected from the group consisting of a microphone, a camera, an antenna, a loudspeaker, a rain sensor and an automatic toll booth transducer. The control circuitry is in communication with a vehicle bus system of the equipped vehicle. The bracket may include first structure and the housing may include second structure. The first structure and the second structure may be configured to enable the housing (i) to be attached to the bracket with the bracket attached at the vehicle windshield and (ii) to be detached from the bracket with the bracket attached at the vehicle windshield.
US08531272B2

A radio frequency identification (RFID) apparatus includes a transmitting/receiving module and a determining module. When the transmitting/receiving module receives a radio frequency (RF) signal comprising a relay command, the determining module determines whether destination information of the relay command corresponds to the RFID apparatus and selectively transmits the content of the RF signal via the transmitting/receiving module.
US08531269B2

An automatic locking apparatus which is installed in a vehicle, communicates with a portable-unit in areas inside/outside the vehicle, and automatically locks doors, based on whether a response-signal is received from the portable-unit and opening/closing of the doors. The apparatus includes a door-opening/closing-detecting-unit, an inside-of-vehicle-determining-unit forming a communication-area inside the vehicle when one door changes from the opened-state to the closed-state, and determining whether the response-signal is received, an outside-of-vehicle-determining-unit forming a communication-area outside the vehicle when the response-signal is not received, and determining whether the response-signal is received, a locking-control-unit automatically locking the doors when the response-signal is received, when all the doors are closed and presence-of-reception is changed to absence-of-reception, and a storing-unit storing history-information indicating that the response-signal is received. When the response-signal is not received, and the storing-unit stores history-information, the locking-control-unit automatically locks the doors when all the doors are closed and reception is absent.
US08531263B2

A circuit protection device includes a conductive layer which is connected to first and second terminals. A spring is electrically connected to the first and second terminals. When an over-voltage or over-temperature condition occurs within a charging circuit, one or more heat generating resistive elements melts material associated with one or more of the ends of the spring thereby releasing the spring to create an open circuit.
US08531255B2

The present disclosure relates to a two-track surface acoustic wave (SAW) device that has a first SAW track and a second SAW track. The second SAW track may include an interconnecting grating that divides an acoustic cavity of the second SAW track into two acoustic cavities, which are acoustically coupled to one another. The first SAW track and the second SAW track may be electrically coupled to one another transversally via a first re-radiation interconnection and a second re-radiation interconnection. When the two-track SAW device is used in a bandpass filter, by including the interconnecting grating, insertion loss and roll-off response characteristics of the bandpass filter may be improved. Further, in one embodiment of the two-track SAW device, addition of capacitance between the re-radiation connections may improve return loss of the two-track SAW device.
US08531254B2

An elastic wave device includes a piezoelectric substrate, an IDT electrode disposed on the piezoelectric substrate, an internal electrode disposed on the piezoelectric substrate and connected to the IDT electrode, a support pillar disposed on the piezoelectric substrate and provided around the IDT electrode, a top panel provided on the support pillar to cover a space above the IDT electrode, an insulation protector provided to cover the support pillar and the top panel, an external electrode disposed on the insulation protector, a conductor pattern disposed on the insulation protector in order to obtain inductance, and a connection electrode provided through the insulation protector, to connect the external electrode and the internal electrode to each other.
US08531247B2

A device (1) for generating a random bit sequence has a digital ring oscillator circuit (2) having at least one first feedback path (R8) and one second feedback path (R14). To this end, a changeover is performed between the feedback paths (R8, R14) at times which can be predetermined, and a random signal (OS) having a random level history can be tapped at an output node (4) of the ring oscillator circuit (2).
US08531233B2

A switching circuit includes a switching device including the first and second main electrodes and a control electrode; and a driver including: a first rectifying device having an anode terminal connected to the first main electrode of the switching device; a first driving device having a first main electrode connected to a cathode terminal of the first rectifying device and a second main electrode connected to the control electrode of the switching device; a second driving device having a first main electrode connected to the control electrode of the switching device and a second main electrode connected to the second main electrode of the switching device; and input terminals receiving control signals inputted to a control electrode of the first driving device and a control electrode of the second driving device.
US08531229B2

An integrated circuit has a level shifter, a pull-circuit, and a voltage regulator. The level shifter and the pull-up circuit receive power from the same supply voltage. The voltage regulator changes the voltage level from the supply voltage to another voltage level used by the level shifter.
US08531224B2

An object is shortening a clock fall-rise period while suppressing an increase in a circuit area, an increase in current consumption, and a cost increase, without generating an abnormal operation, in a shift register within a monolithic gate driver.In a shift register (410) that operates based on four-phase clock signals, including two-phase clock signals (GCK1, GCK3) that are provided to odd-order stages and two-phase clock signals (GCK2, GCK4) that are provided to even-order stages, of which phases are shifted by 90 degrees from each other, a potential of a first clock (CKA) appears as a potential of a scanning signal (GOUT), when a potential of a first node is at a high level, in each stage. In this configuration, the potential of the first node included in each stage is set to a high level based on a pulse of a scanning signal outputted from a pre-stage, and is set to a low level based on a pulse of a scanning signal outputted from a third stage after a stage concerned.
US08531221B2

A delay lock loop circuit includes a voltage controlled delay line for generating a plurality of specific phase differential signals and a feedback signal according to an input clock source and a control voltage, a detector for comparing at least one of phases and frequencies of the input clock source and the feedback signal to generate at least one detection signal, a charge pump for generating the control voltage according to the at least one detection signal, and a phase selection buffer for generating the output clock source according to the plurality of specific phase differential signals, wherein each of the plurality of specific phase differential signals includes at least a non-inversion signal and an inversion signal, and the feedback signal is the inversion signal of one of the plurality of specific phase differential signals.
US08531216B1

The present invention discloses an electronic apparatus. The electronic apparatus comprises a reference oscillator, for generating a reference clock; a first communications module, comprising a first auto frequency control unit, for detecting a first frequency offset between the first communications module and a first communication device and generating a first detecting result; and a first frequency synthesizer, for adjusting the reference clock according to the first detecting result, to generate a first baseband clock; and a second communications module, comprising a second auto frequency control unit, for detecting a second frequency offset between the second communications module and a second communication device and generating a second detecting result; a second frequency synthesizer, for receiving and outputting the first baseband clock; and a compensation unit, for adjusting the first baseband clock according to the first detecting result and the second detecting result, to generate a second baseband clock.
US08531215B2

A voltage detector includes a first input terminal, a second input terminal, a first voltage detection circuit, a second voltage detection circuit, and a logic holder circuit. The first input terminal receives a first input voltage. The second input terminal receives a second input voltage. The first voltage detection circuit outputs a first detection signal that switches a logic state thereof when the first input voltage falls below a first detection voltage. The second voltage detection circuit outputs a second detection signal that switches a logic state thereof when the second input voltage falls below a second detection voltage. The logic holder circuit retains the logic state of the first detection signal when the second detection signal indicates that the second input voltage is below the second detection voltage.
US08531202B2

A probe card analyzer mounts on a probe card in a wafer prober and a use a fixture in the wafer probe and switch electronics in place of an ATE head. Methods of testing can confirm that probe cards are operating within their specifications over large temperature ranges and the mechanical force ranges seen in real manufacturing environments. This reduces the cost and improves the accuracy and speed of analyzing probe cards and improves diagnosing problems with probe cards.
US08531201B2

The present disclosure provides a method for testing a semiconductor device. The method includes providing a testing unit and an electronic circuit coupled to the testing unit and applying a first electrical signal to the testing unit. The method includes sweeping a second electrical signal across a range of values, the second electrical signal supplying power to the electronic circuit, wherein the sweeping is performed while a value of the first electrical signal remains the same. The method includes measuring a third electrical signal during the sweeping, the measured third electrical signal having a range of values that each correspond to one of the values of the second electrical signal. The method includes adopting an optimum value of the second electrical signal that yields a minimum value of the third electrical signal. The method includes testing the testing unit while the second electrical signal is set to the optimum value.
US08531199B2

The method and circuit for testing a TSV of the present invention exploit the electronic property of the TSV under test. The TSV under test is first reset to a first state, and is then sensed at only one end to determine whether the TSV under test follows the behavior of a normal TSV, wherein the reset and sense steps are performed at only one end of the TSV under test. If the TSV under test does not follow the behavior of a normal TSV, the TSV under test is determined faulty.
US08531197B2

An integrated circuit die comprises an electronic circuit and one or more output ports for outputting signals from the die via an external impedance, to a load, external from the die. The output port is connected to the electronic circuit. The die is further provided with an on-die sampling oscilloscope circuit connected to the output port, for measuring a waveform of the outputted signals.
US08531196B1

Programmable delay test circuitry is provided for testing a circuit under test on an integrated circuit. Delay test circuitry may use logic circuitry to output an error signal when a delay time provided by the circuit under test is greater than a characteristic time that may be programmed into the programmable delay test circuitry. Programmable delay test circuitry may use a logic gate to provide a pulse that has a pulse width equal to the delay of the delay circuitry. Programmable delay test circuitry may contain a programmable load that may be programmed to have a characteristic time. Programmable delay test circuitry may assert an error signal when the delay time is greater than the characteristic time of the test circuitry.
US08531195B2

A failure indicator seal includes a nonmagnetic housing, a plurality of annular pole pieces having distal ends, the plurality of annular pole pieces disposed within the nonmagnetic housing, an annular, non-conducting magnet disposed between the pole pieces, a predefined quantity of magnetic fluid disposed between each of the distal ends of the plurality of annular pole pieces and the rotary shaft of a rotary feedthrough forming a plurality of magnetic fluid O-ring seals, and means for measuring resistance through the plurality of annular pole pieces, the plurality of magnetic fluid O-ring seals and the rotary shaft.
US08531192B2

The MEMS switch has a high-impedance state and a low-impedance state for biasing a capacitive sensor, and includes an actuation bias terminal, a sense bias terminal, a switch control terminal, a sense node terminal, and a spring. The actuation bias terminal and the sense bias terminal reside in a released region of the switch. The sense bias terminal is physically coupled to the actuation bias terminal by a dielectric which electrically isolates the sense bias terminal from the actuation bias terminal. The switch control terminal is separated from the sense bias terminal by a first air gap, and the sense node terminal is separated from the sense bias terminal by a second air gap. The spring supports the actuation bias terminal, the sense bias terminal, and the dielectric.
US08531191B2

A microwave sensor assembly includes a signal generator for generating at least one microwave signal and an emitter coupled to the signal generator. The emitter is configured to generate an electromagnetic field from the at least one microwave signal, wherein the emitter is detuned when an object is positioned within the electromagnetic field such that a loading signal is generated. The microwave sensor assembly also includes a detector coupled to the emitter and to the signal generator. The detector is configured to calculate at least one of an amplitude, a phase, and a power of the loading signal at a primary frequency of the loading signal for use in measuring a proximity of an object to the emitter.
US08531189B2

An apparatus for measuring cement expansion comprises an expansion cell that comprises two nodes separated by a slit. The nodes are separated by a distance such that a change of the distance between the nodes may be correlated to a linear expansion of cement contained in the expansion cell. An electrical component is coupled to the two nodes, and the electrical component has an electrical property that may be correlated to the distance between the nodes. Measurement of the electrical-property change may be performed continuously and in real time. In addition, the expansion cell may be placed in a vessel equipped to simulate downhole pressure and temperature conditions.
US08531183B2

The control method includes obtaining an assumed angle and an actual angle of each of the plurality of rotation angle detecting members, determining a first rotation angle detecting member, the assumed angle and the actual angle of which differ from each other, determining a second rotation angle detecting member having the actual angle closest to the assumed angle of the first rotation angle detecting member, resetting the given count value of the second rotation angle detecting member to a new count value of the first rotation angle detecting member, changing the actual angle of the first rotation angle detecting member via the new count value of the first rotation angle detecting member to reduce an angular error between the assumed angle and the actual angle of the first rotation angle detecting member.
US08531170B2

A semiconductor device of the present invention includes an output transistor connected between a power supply terminal and an output terminal; a detection transistor generating a detection current that is proportional to a current flowing through the output transistor; a detection voltage generation unit generating a detection voltage based on a detection current; a protection transistor drawing a current from a control terminal of the output transistor to the output terminal according to the detection voltage; and a limited current generation circuit that generates a limited current that is obtained by converting a limit setting current that sets a current flowing through the output transistor in a protection state according to a variation of a threshold voltage of the protection transistor and a variation of the detection voltage with respect to the detection current, and supplies the limited current to a first terminal of the protection transistor.
US08531169B2

A system and method are provided for a PTAT cell with no resistors which can operate at low power, has less sensitivity to process variation, occupies less silicon area, and has low noise. Further, a system and method are provided to scale up the reference voltage and current through a cascade of unit cells. Still further, a system and method are provided for PTAT component to be fine-tuned, advantageously providing less process variability and less temperature sensitivity.
US08531165B2

A single-inductor multiple-output power converter includes an inductor having a first terminal and a second terminal. The first terminal of the inductor is coupled to a power input terminal, and the second terminal of the inductor is switched to either of the first terminal of the inductor, multiple power output terminals, and a ground terminal. By switching the second terminal of the inductor between the first terminal of the inductor, the power output terminals, and the ground terminal, the power converter may provide multiple output voltages at the power output terminals respectively, in a less loss and thereby higher efficiency manner.
US08531162B2

A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program product is provided for managing network based preferences associated with charging transactions for electric vehicles. The network based energy preference service receives an identification of a principal associated with a first computing device using a network connection. The network based energy preference service receives a selection of preferences from the principal associated with the first computing device over the network connection to form a set of preferences for the principal. In response to receiving a request for a subset of preferences from the set of preferences for the principal from a preference requesting service, the network based energy preference service retrieves the subset of preferences from the set of preferences by the network based energy preference service and sends the subset of preferences to the preference requesting service.
US08531160B2

Systems and methods for adjusting sampling and switching rates of a battery management system are provided. For example, a rate at which different battery cells of a battery cell stack are in communication with an analog to digital converter may be adjusted in response to conditions of a battery cell.
US08531155B2

The electronic apparatus includes a portable electronic device and a charger for capacitively charging the portable electronic device when the portable electronic device is temporarily placed adjacent the charger. The portable electronic device includes a device data communication unit and an associated battery, and a pair of device capacitive electrodes, defining a device conductive footprint, to receive a charging signal to charge the battery. The charger includes a base having an area larger than the device conductive footprint and able to receive the portable electronic device thereon in a plurality of different positions, and an array of charger capacitive electrodes carried by the base. A charger controller selectively drives only the charger capacitive electrodes within the device conductive footprint with a charging signal to capacitively charge the battery.
US08531153B2

The present invention provides wireless power supply systems that wirelessly supply power to a remote device for rapidly charging a charge storage capacitor, which charges a battery with the power stored in the charge storage capacitor. This allows the remote device to be positioned near the inductive power supply for rapid charging of the charge storage capacitor and allows battery charging to continue even after the remote device is removed from the inductive power supply.
US08531145B2

The methods and devices provided herein include methods and devices for controlling a permanent magnet motor. In one implementation, a method is provided that allows for the determination of the values of the phase back EMF voltage and of the phase inductances while the phases are powered with a PWM (Pulse Width Modulation) controlled current and/or voltage.
US08531139B2

In a drive control circuit of a linear vibration motor, a differential amplifier circuit includes an operational amplifier in which an P-channel type transistor is used as a transistor that receives an input voltage, and the differential amplifier circuit detects an induced voltage occurring in a coil. Before the H-bridge circuit is controlled to a high impedance state, a drive signal generating unit turns on a first transistor and a second transistor, and delivers a regenerative current through the coil, the first transistor, the second transistor and the power supply potential.
US08531131B2

An auto-sensing switching regulator, and systems and methods including same, is disclosed. The auto-sensing switching regulator includes a switching regulator and a controller coupled thereto. The controller is configured to provide a control signal to the switching regulator to increase the output voltage while receiving a current sense signal representative of a current output of the switching regulator, and to provide the control signal in response to the current sense signal to set the output voltage at a set value corresponding to a value at which the current output stops increasing with an increase in the output voltage. A system to drive a light source includes a current regulator configured to provide a constant current output to the light source and an auto-sensing switching regulator coupled to the current regulator, and configured to receive an input voltage from a voltage supply and provide an output voltage to the current regulator.
US08531119B2

A light emitting diode (LED) tube and an LED lamp using the same are provided. The LED tube is suitable for direct installation in a lamp holder which has a starter and a ballast. The LED tube includes an LED array, an LED driver, and a rectification-block diplexer. When the LED array is driven by the LED driver, the rectifier-block diplexer disables the starter and the ballast and at the same time receives and converts an AC power supply. Thus the rectifier-block diplexer provides an operating voltage to the LED driver. Without removing the starter and shorting the ballast, the user can easily install the LED tube into a traditional fluorescent lamp socket, saving the cost of lamp modification, thus achieving the purpose of energy saving and environmental protection.
US08531090B2

A piezoelectric element holder allows a piezoelectric crystal to be mounted with a single exposed surface. This permits more accurate estimates of applied coating weights and thicknesses to be obtained. The piezoelectric element is mounted via a removable cap and malleable seal that permit the element to be removed and replaced easily.
US08531088B2

A piezoelectric MEMS microphone comprising a multi-layer sensor that includes at least one piezoelectric layer between two electrode layers, with the sensor being dimensioned such that it provides a near maximized ratio of output energy to sensor area, as determined by an optimization parameter that accounts for input pressure, bandwidth, and characteristics of the piezoelectric and electrode materials. The sensor can be formed from single or stacked cantilevered beams separated from each other by a small gap, or can be a stress-relieved diaphragm that is formed by deposition onto a silicon substrate, with the diaphragm then being stress relieved by substantial detachment of the diaphragm from the substrate, and then followed by reattachment of the now stress relieved diaphragm.
US08531079B2

The present disclosure relates to a motor and a motor driven power steering system using the same. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to a motor adapted to maintain a balance of currents, and a motor driven power steering system adapted to reduce vibrations and noise and enhance steering quality using the same.
US08531042B2

A processing technique facilitating the fabrication of the integrated circuit with microsprings at different vertical positions relative to a surface of a substrate is described. During the fabrication technique, microsprings are lithographically defined on surfaces of a first substrate and a second substrate. Then, a hole is created through a first substrate. Moreover, the integrated circuit may be created by rigidly mechanically coupling the two substrates to each other such that the microsprings on the surface of the second substrate are within a region defined at least in part by an edge around the hole. Subsequently, photoresist that constrains the microsprings on the surfaces of the two substrates may be removed. In this way, microsprings at the different vertical positions can be fabricated.
US08531039B2

A microelectronic package includes a microelectronic element having faces and contacts, a flexible substrate overlying and spaced from a first face of the microelectronic element, and a plurality of conductive terminals exposed at a surface of the flexible substrate. The conductive terminals are electrically interconnected with the microelectronic element and the flexible substrate includes a gap extending at least partially around at least one of the conductive terminals. In certain embodiments, the package includes a support layer, such as a compliant layer, disposed between the first face of the microelectronic element and the flexible substrate. In other embodiments, the support layer includes at least one opening that is at least partially aligned with one of the conductive terminals.
US08531037B2

Disclosed is a power supply line in which a voltage drop generated in a resistance component of a metal line which delivers a power voltage is minimized so that the level of the power supply voltage delivered to a semiconductor chip becomes constant in the entire area of the semiconductor chip. The semiconductor chip includes: at least two power supply pads to which a power voltage applied from an external unit of the semiconductor chip is supplied; power supply main metal lines connected to each of the power supply pads; power supply branch metal lines extended from each of the power supply main metal lines to deliver a power voltage to a circuit in the semiconductor chip; and at least an electrostatic discharge (ESD) improvement dummy pad, wherein the ESD improvement dummy pad is electrically connected to the corresponding power supply main metal line and the corresponding power supply branch metal line to minimize a voltage drop.
US08531035B2

A system and method for forming through substrate vias is provided. An embodiment comprises forming an opening in a substrate and lining the opening with a first barrier layer. The opening is filled with a conductive material and a second barrier layer is formed in contact with the conductive material. The first barrier layer is formed with different materials and different methods of formation than the second barrier layer so that the materials and methods may be tuned to maximize their effectiveness within the device.
US08531028B2

Provided is a method for manufacturing an electronic component by using a solder joining method for bonding a first electronic component having a metal electrode with a second electronic component having a solder electrode, the method comprising; (i) forming a resin layer containing a thermosetting resin on at least one of the solder joint surfaces of said first electronic component and said second electronic component; (ii) positioning said metal electrode of said first electronic component and said solder electrode of said second electronic component to face each other, heating said positioned electrodes and applying pressure, and thereby bringing said metal electrode and said solder electrode into contact; (iii) heating electronic components while applying pressure thereby fusion bonding said solder to said metal electrode; and (iv) heating said resin layer.
US08531024B2

A semiconductor chip assembly includes a semiconductor device, a heat spreader, a conductive trace, a substrate and an adhesive. The heat spreader includes a post and a base. The conductive trace includes a pad, a terminal, a conductive pattern and first and second vias. The substrate includes the conductive pattern and a dielectric layer. The semiconductor device is electrically connected to the conductive trace and thermally connected to the heat spreader. The post extends upwardly from the base into an opening in the adhesive and an aperture in the substrate, and the base extends laterally from the post. The conductive trace provides signal routing between the pad and the terminal using the conductive pattern and the vias.
US08531019B2

A semiconductor device with efficient heat dissipating structures is disclosed. The semiconductor device includes a first semiconductor chip that is flip-chip mounted on a first substrate, a heat absorption portion that is formed between the first semiconductor chip and the first substrate, an outer connection portion that connects the first semiconductor chip to an external device and a heat conduction portion formed between the heat absorption portion and the outer connection portion to dissipate heat generated by the first semiconductor chip.
US08531018B2

A mechanically improved component comprising a chip in a cavity and a stress-reduced attachment is specified. A component comprises an opening in a housing, an opaque cover or a mechanically flexible line connector, which is attached to two locations.
US08531014B2

A method and a system for minimizing carrier stress of a semiconductor device are provided. In one embodiment, a semiconductor device is provided comprising a carrier comprising a mesh coated with a metallic material, and a semiconductor chip disposed over the carrier.
US08531013B2

Disclosed is a semiconductor device including a printed-circuit board which includes a plurality of first electrodes, a plurality of second electrodes and a semiconductor chip on which a plurality of first connection pads are aligned in a first line being disposed along an outer circumference side of a top surface and a plurality of second connection pads are aligned in a second line being disposed inside of and apart from the first line, when the semiconductor chip is seen from above, and any of the plurality of first connection pads are used for a power voltage terminal and a system reset terminal of the semiconductor device.
US08531008B2

A method for manufacturing a chip is disclosed. The method comprises forming a material structure in a kerf adjacent the chip on a wafer. The method further comprises selectively removing the material structure in the kerf and dicing the wafer.A semiconductor wafer is disclosed. The semiconductor wafer comprises a plurality of chips and a plurality of kerfs. The kerfs separate the chips from each other. At least one kerf comprises a kerf framing. The kerf framing is arranged directly adjacent a side of the at least on chip.
US08531007B2

A semiconductor device is disclosed which includes active section 100, edge termination section 110 having a voltage blocking structure and disposed around active section 100, and separation section 120 having a device separation structure and disposed around edge termination section 110. A surface device structure is formed on the first major surface of active section 100, trench 23 is formed in separation section 120 from the second major surface side, and p+-type separation region 24 is formed on the side wall of trench 23 such that p+-type separation region 24 is in contact with p-type channel stopper region 21 formed in the surface portion on the first major surface side and p-type collector layer 9 formed in the surface portion on the second major surface side. The semiconductor device and the method for manufacturing the semiconductor device according to the invention facilitate preventing the reverse blocking voltage from decreasing and shorten the manufacturing time of the semiconductor device.
US08531001B2

An example embodiment is a complementary transistor inverter circuit. The circuit includes a semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate, a lateral PNP bipolar transistor fabricated on the SOI substrate, and a lateral NPN bipolar transistor fabricated on the SOI substrate. The lateral PNP bipolar transistor includes a PNP base, a PNP emitter, and a PNP collector. The lateral NPN bipolar transistor includes a NPN base, a NPN emitter, and a NPN collector. The PNP base, the PNP emitter, the PNP collector, the NPN base, the NPN emitter, and the NPN collector abut the buried insulator of the SOI substrate.
US08530999B2

A semiconductor component with straight insulation trenches formed in a semiconductor material providing semiconductor areas laterally insulated from each other. Each insulation trench has a uniform width along its longitudinal direction represented by a central line. The semiconductor component has an intersecting area into which at least three of the straight insulation trenches lead. A center of the intersecting area is defined as a point of intersection of the continuations of the center lines. A central semiconductor area disposed in the intersecting area is connected with one of the semiconductor areas and contains the center of the intersecting area.
US08530993B2

A photodetector is described along with corresponding materials, systems, and methods. The photodetector comprises an integrated circuit and at least two optically sensitive layers. A first optically sensitive layer is over at least a portion of the integrated circuit, and a second optically sensitive layer is over the first optically sensitive layer. Each optically sensitive layer is interposed between two electrodes. The two electrodes include a respective first electrode and a respective second electrode. The integrated circuit selectively applies a bias to the electrodes and reads signals from the optically sensitive layers. The signal is related to the number of photons received by the respective optically sensitive layer.
US08530989B2

A solid-state imaging apparatus comprising a plurality of pixels each including a photoelectric conversion element, and a light shielding layer which covers the photoelectric conversion element is provided. The light shielding layer comprises a first light shielding portion which covers at least part of a region between the photoelectric conversion elements that are adjacent to each other, and a second light shielding portion for partially shielding light incident on the photoelectric conversion element of each of the plurality of pixels. An aperture is provided for the light shielding layer, the remaining component of the incident light passing through the aperture. A shape of the aperture includes a cruciform portion including a portion extending in a first direction and a portion extending in a second direction that intersects the first direction.
US08530986B2

A manufacturing method of an electronic device package includes: forming concave portions that later form the cavities in one surface of a cover substrate; forming a first metal film on the cover substrate on a surface opposite to the surface in which the concave portions are formed; forming a second metal film on the cover substrate on the surface in which the concave portions are formed; bonding a base substrate and the cover substrate together via the second metal film. It thus becomes possible to provide an electronic device package in which the base substrate and the cover substrate are boned together via the metal film in a stable manner by minimizing warping of the substrate even when the substrate is made thinner.
US08530985B2

An embodiment of the invention provides a chip package, which includes: a substrate having an upper surface and a lower surface; a passivation layer located overlying the upper surface of the substrate; a plurality of conducting pad structures disposed overlying the upper surface of the substrate, wherein at least portions of upper surfaces of the conducting pad structures are exposed; a plurality of openings extending from the upper surface towards the lower surface of the substrate; and a plurality of movable bulks located between the openings and connected with the substrate, respectively, wherein each of the movable bulks is electrically connected to one of the conducting pad structures.
US08530983B2

A semiconducting device includes a piezoelectric structure that has a first end and an opposite second end. A first conductor is in electrical communication with the first end and a second conductor is in electrical communication with the second end so as to form an interface therebetween. A force applying structure is configured to maintain an amount of strain in the piezoelectric member sufficient to generate a desired electrical characteristic in the semiconducting device.
US08530982B2

A micromechanical structure which includes a substrate having a main plane of extension, and a seismic mass which is movable relative to the substrate. The micromechanical structure includes a fixed electrode which is connected to the substrate, and a counterelectrode which is connected to the seismic mass. The fixed electrode has a first fixed electrode region and a second fixed electrode region which is connected in an electrically conductive manner to the first fixed electrode region. The counterelectrode is partially situated between the first and the second fixed electrode region, perpendicular to the main plane of extension.
US08530976B1

Integrated circuits may be provided that include memory elements that produce output control signals and corresponding programmable logic circuitry that receives the output control signals from the memory elements. The memory elements may include bistable storage elements formed from circuits such as cross-coupled inverters. The inverters may include n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors with p-metal gate conductors and n-channel metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors with p-metal gate conductors. These gate conductor assignments are the reverse of the gate conductor assignments used in the n-channel and p-channel transistors in other circuitry such as the programmable logic circuitry. The reversed gate conductor assignments increase the threshold voltages of the transistors in the memory elements to improve reliability in scenarios in which the memory elements are overdriving pass transistors in the programmable logic circuitry.
US08530967B2

A lateral insulated-gate bipolar transistor includes a buried insulation layer which opens only part of the collector ion implantation region and isolates the other regions, thereby reducing the loss by the turn-off time. The lateral insulated-gate bipolar transistor further includes a deep ion implantation region formed to face towards the open part of the collector ion implantation region, thereby decreasing the hole current injected into a base region under an emitter ion implantation region, and thereby greatly increasing the latch-up current level by relatively increasing the hole current injected into the deep ion implantation region having no latch-up effect.
US08530966B2

A semiconductor device includes a trench extending from a surface of a P-base layer to a surface of a P-well layer. The trench has a trench end portion defined in the surface of the P-well layer and in a direction in which the trench extends. The trench has first and second regions. The first region extends from the trench end portion to get into the surface of the P-base layer near a boundary between the P-base layer and the P-well layer. The second region extends in the surface of the P-base layer from an end portion of the first region. A trench width is greater in the first region than in the second region.
US08530954B2

Non-volatile memory devices include a tunnel insulating layer on a channel region of a substrate, a charge-trapping layer pattern on the tunnel insulating layer and a first blocking layer pattern on the charge-trapping layer pattern. Second blocking layer patterns are on the tunnel insulating layer proximate sidewalls of the charge-trapping layer pattern. The second blocking layer patterns are configured to limit lateral diffusion of electrons trapped in the charge-trapping layer pattern. A gate electrode is on the first blocking layer pattern. The second blocking layer patterns may prevent lateral diffusion of the electrons trapped in the charge-trapping layer pattern.
US08530951B2

A multi-functional and multi-level memory cell comprises a tunnel layer formed over a substrate. In one embodiment, the tunnel layer comprises two layers such as HfO2 and LaAlO3. A charge blocking layer is formed over the tunnel layer. In one embodiment, this layer is formed from HfSiON. A control gate is formed over the charge blocking layer. A discrete trapping layer is embedded in either the tunnel layer or the charge blocking layer, depending on the desired level of non-volatility. The closer the discrete trapping layer is formed to the substrate/insulator interface, the lower the non-volatility of the device. The discrete trapping layer is formed from nano-crystals having a uniform size and distribution.
US08530942B2

According to one embodiment, a semiconductor device, including a semiconductor layer including a first region and a second region isolated from the first region, a source in a surface of the first region, a drain in a surface of the second region, a back-gate in the surface of the first region, an end of a drain side of the back-gate being located closer to the drain side than an end of the drain side of the source, a gate insulator on a surface of the semiconductor layer between the first region and the second region, a gate electrode on the gate insulator, a source electrode being contacted to both the source and the back-gate, and a drain electrode being contacted to the drain area.
US08530941B2

Methods and apparatus relating to very large scale FET arrays for analyte measurements. ChemFET (e.g., ISFET) arrays may be fabricated using conventional CMOS processing techniques based on improved FET pixel and array designs that increase measurement sensitivity and accuracy, and at the same time facilitate significantly small pixel sizes and dense arrays. Improved array control techniques provide for rapid data acquisition from large and dense arrays. Such arrays may be employed to detect a presence and/or concentration changes of various analyte types in a wide variety of chemical and/or biological processes. In one example, chemFET arrays facilitate DNA sequencing techniques based on monitoring changes in hydrogen ion concentration (pH), changes in other analyte concentration, and/or binding events associated with chemical processes relating to DNA synthesis.
US08530938B2

According to one disclosed embodiment, a method for fabricating a monolithic integrated composite device comprises forming a group III-V semiconductor body over a group IV semiconductor substrate, forming a trench in the group III-V semiconductor body, and forming a group IV semiconductor body in the trench. The method also comprises fabricating at least one group IV semiconductor device in the group IV semiconductor body, and fabricating at least one group III-V semiconductor device in the group III-V semiconductor body. In one embodiment, the method further comprises planarizing an upper surface of the III-V semiconductor body and an upper surface of the group IV semiconductor body to render those respective upper surfaces substantially coplanar. In one embodiment, the method further comprises fabricating at least one passive device in a defective region of said group IV semiconductor body adjacent to a sidewall of the trench.
US08530935B2

A semiconductor device includes a substrate, a buffer layer, and a compound semiconductor layer. The buffer layer is configured by laminating two or more pairs of a first buffer and a second buffer. The first buffer is formed by laminating one or more pairs of an AlN layer and a GaN layer. The second buffer is formed of a GaN layer. A total Al composition of a pair of the first buffer and the second buffer on the compound semiconductor layer side is higher than that of a pair of the first buffer and the second buffer on the substrate side.
US08530934B2

A method for pseudomorphic growth and integration of an in-situ doped, strain-compensated metastable compound base into an electronic device, such as, for example, a SiGe NPN HBT, by substitutional placement of strain-compensating atomic species. The invention also applies to strained layers in other electronic devices such as strained SiGe, Si in MOS applications, vertical thin film transistors (VTFT), and a variety of other electronic device types. Devices formed from compound semiconductors other than SiGe, such as, for example, GaAs, InP, and AlGaAs are also amenable to beneficial processes described herein.
US08530931B2

A gate electrode, an element isolation film and a drain region in an LDMOS transistor formation region and a gate electrode, an element isolation film and an anode region in an ESD protection element formation region are formed to satisfy relationships of A1≧A2 and B1
US08530926B2

Embodiments relate to a light emitting device, a light emitting device package, and a lighting system. The light emitting device comprises: a substrate; a light emitting structure over the substrate, the light emitting structure including a first conductive type semiconductor layer, a second conductive type semiconductor layer, and an active layer between the first conductive type semiconductor layer and the second conductive type semiconductor layer, wherein the first conductive type semiconductor layer is partially exposed; a first region having a first concentration and provided at a region of the second conductive type semiconductor layer; a second region having a second concentration and provided at another region of the second conductive type semiconductor layer; and a second electrode over the second conductive type semiconductor layer.
US08530925B2

Provided are a light emitting device package and a lighting system including the same. The light emitting device package includes: a body, a plurality of electrode layers, a light emitting device, and a molding member. The body includes a plurality of pits. The electrode layers include first protrusions disposed in the pits, and second protrusions protruding in a direction opposite to the first protrusions. The light emitting device is disposed on at least one of the plurality of electrode layers. The molding member is disposed on the light emitting device.
US08530924B2

An organic photoelectric device includes a substrate, a base electrode, an electrode terminal, a roof electrode, an organic functional layer, and a self-supporting cover member. The base electrode is configured above a first surface of the substrate, and the electrode terminal is accessible from above the first surface of the substrate. The self-supporting cover member serves to encapsulate the organic functional layer, which is arranged between the substrate and the self-supporting cover member, the self-supporting cover member being formed from conductive material or being coated with a conductive material on a side facing the substrate. The conductive material is locally coupled, in an electrically conductive manner, to the base electrode or the roof electrode at laterally distributed locations, and is further coupled to the electrode terminal in an electrically conductive manner.
US08530916B2

An organic EL device in the present invention comprises a light-transmissive substrate 1, an organic light emitting layer 2, a light-transmissive electrode 3 disposed between the light-transmissive substrate 1 and the organic light emitting layer 2, and a light guiding layer 4 which is disposed between the substrate 1 and the light-transmissive electrode 3. The light guiding layer 4 is configured to alter light direction. The organic EL device is configured to emit light from the organic light emitting layer 2, and allow the light to propagate out through said light guiding layer 4, the light-transmissive electrode 3, and the light-transmissive substrate 1. The light guiding layer 4 includes a light dispersion layer 5. The light dispersion layer 5 is formed with a light dispersion region 8 and a light-transmissive region 9, which are arranged in a coplanar relation within said light dispersion layer 5. The light dispersion region 8 contains light dispersion particles 6 and a binder resin 7. The light-transmissive region 9 contains the light dispersion particles 6 at a lower ratio than the light dispersion region 8. The organic EL device in the present invention enables to improve an overall light output by suppressing the reduction of light output in the front direction as well as increasing light output in diagonal directions.
US08530912B2

A pixel structure including a substrate, a color filter layer, a conductive light-shielding layer, a buffer layer, a scan line, a data line, an active device, and a pixel electrode is provided. The substrate has a pixel region. The color filter layer is disposed corresponding to the pixel region. The conductive light-shielding layer is disposed corresponding to the periphery of the pixel region. The buffer layer covers the conductive light-shielding layer and color filter layer. The scan line and the data line are disposed on the buffer layer. The active device is disposed on the buffer layer and electrically connected to the scan line and data line. The pixel electrode is disposed on the buffer layer and electrically connected to the active device, wherein an overlapping area between the pixel electrode and the conductive light-shielding layer constitutes a storage capacitor. A method for manufacturing the pixel structure is also provided.
US08530910B2

A transparent organic light emitting display device having an improved transmittance, in which transmittance of external light is increased, the organic light emitting display device including: a substrate having transmitting regions interposed between pixel regions; thin film transistors positioned on a first surface of the substrate and respectively disposed in the pixel regions of the substrate; a passivation layer covering thin film transistors; pixel electrodes formed on the passivation layer and respectively electrically connected to the thin film transistors, the pixel electrodes are respectively located in an area corresponding to the pixel regions, and are disposed to respectively overlap and cover the thin film transistors; an opposite electrode facing the pixel electrodes and formed to be able to transmit light, the opposite electrode is located in the transmitting regions and the pixel regions and includes a first opening formed on a location corresponding to at least a portion of respective ones of the transmitting regions; and an organic emission layer interposed between respective ones of the pixel electrodes and the opposite electrode to emit light.
US08530902B2

A method of forming a silicon carbide transient voltage suppressor (TVS) assembly and a system for a transient voltage suppressor (TVS) assembly are provided. The TVS assembly includes a semiconductor die in a mesa structure that includes a first layer of a first wide band gap semiconductor having a conductivity of a first polarity, a second layer of the first or a second wide band gap semiconductor having a conductivity of a second polarity coupled in electrical contact with the first layer wherein the second polarity is different than the first polarity. The TVS assembly also includes a third layer of the first, the second, or a third wide band gap semiconductor having a conductivity of the first polarity coupled in electrical contact with the second layer. The layer having a conductivity of the second polarity is lightly doped relative to the layers having a conductivity of the first polarity.
US08530898B2

A display device which uses a TFT having a gate electrode film thereof arranged on a light source side can also suppress the increase of parasitic capacitance while suppressing the generation of a light leakage current. On at least one end of the TFT, between a high concentration region which constitutes a source region or a drain region and a channel region, a first low concentration region which is arranged on a high concentration region side and exhibits low impurity concentration and a second low concentration region which exhibits impurity concentration even lower than the impurity concentration of the first low concentration region are provided in this order.
US08530877B2

A variable resistance element that can stably perform a switching operation with a property variation being reduced by suppressing a sharp current that accompanies completion of forming process, and a non-volatile semiconductor memory device including the variable resistance element are realized. The non-volatile semiconductor memory device uses the variable resistance element for storing information in which a resistance changing layer is interposed between a first electrode and a second electrode, and a buffer layer is inserted between the first electrode and the resistance changing layer where a switching interface is formed. The buffer layer and the resistance changing layer include n-type metal oxides, and materials of the buffer layer and the resistance changing layer are selected such that energy at a bottom of a conduction band of the n-type metal oxide configuring the buffer layer is lower than that of the n-type metal oxide configuring the resistance changing layer.
US08530874B1

A phase change memory may include a plurality of thin layers covering a stack including a chalcogenide and a heater. The thin layers may form a barrier to heat loss. The thin layers may be the same or different materials. The layers may also be chemically or morphologically altered to improve the adverse affect of the interface between the layers on heat transfer.
US08530873B2

An electroforming free memristor includes a first electrode, a second electrode spaced from the first electrode, and a switching layer positioned between the first electrode and the second electrode. The switching layer is formed of a matrix of a switching material and reactive particles that are to react with the switching material during a fabrication process of the memristor to form one or more conductance channels in the switching layer.
US08530871B2

Methods and apparatus for producing EUV from plasma are disclosed. The apparatus includes a plasma generating system comprising a source of target material droplets and a laser producing a beam irradiating the droplets at an irradiation region. The plasma produces EUV radiation, wherein the droplet source comprises a nozzle having an orifice configured for ejecting a fluid and a sub-system having an electro-actuable element producing a disturbance in the fluid to cause at least some of the droplets to coalesce prior to being irradiated. The electro-actuable element is coupled to nozzle using an adhesive that has a high modulus at the nozzle operating temperature. Improvements also include tuning the nozzle assembly to more closely match the modulation waveform frequency with one of the resonance frequencies of the nozzle assembly by optimizing one of a mass, a shape, or material composition of at least one component in the nozzle assembly.
US08530868B2

An electromagnetic radiation generating device is a device that generates electromagnetic wave pulses from a plane surface. The electromagnetic radiation generating device includes an electromagnetic radiation generating element, a light irradiating unit. The electromagnetic radiation generating element includes: a depletion layer forming body formed by stacking a p-type silicon layer and an n-type silicon layer in a planar pattern; a light receiving surface electrode formed on one surface of the depletion layer forming body, the light receiving surface electrode including a plurality of parallel electrode parts that are equally spaced while a forming distance is maintained between the parallel electrode parts, the forming distance corresponding to the wavelength of the electromagnetic wave pulses generated from the depletion layer forming body; and a rear surface electrode formed on the opposite surface of the depletion layer forming body.
US08530866B2

The pattern observation method for observing a pattern which is formed on an insulating film, includes: irradiating an entirety of the pattern with a charged particle beam, to obtain a temporary image of the pattern which has region information of a convex pattern and a concave pattern; irradiating the convex and concave patterns with the charged particle beam having a first and second voltages based on the region information, to thereby form an electric field between a top surface of the convex pattern and a bottom surface of the concave pattern so that charged particles emitted from the bottom surface of the concave pattern may be drawn out to an outside of the pattern; and irradiating the entirety of the pattern with the charged particle beam to obtain an image of the pattern having the information of the bottom surface of the concave pattern.
US08530862B2

Described is an optically stimulated luminescence (OSL) sensor comprising one or more cylindrical cup-shaped filters.
US08530856B2

A beam device, in particular a particle beam device, for analyzing an object is provided, as well as a system comprising a particle beam device and an optical microscope for optically analyzing an object. The beam device simplifies the exchange and reduces the time of the exchange of objects to be examined. The beam device includes at least one beam generator that generates a beam, at least one objective lens that focuses the beam on an object arranged in a holding element. The objective lens comprises at least one connecting element. The holding element may be connected to the connecting element so that the holding element is removable from the connecting element for modification of the object. Alternatively, the holding element may be mounted to a beam column.
US08530853B2

A system for producing a charged particle beam from a photoionized cold atom beam. A vapor of neutral atoms is generated. From these atoms, an atom beam having axial and transverse velocity distributions controlled by the application of laser light is produced. The produced atom beam is spatially compressed along each transverse axis, thus reducing the cross-sectional area of the produced beam and reducing a velocity spread of the produced beam along directions transverse to the beam's direction of propagation. Laser light is directed onto at least a portion of the neutral atoms in the atom beam, thereby producing ions and electrons. An electric field is generated at the location of the produced ions and electrons, thereby producing a beam of ions traveling in a first direction and electrons traveling in substantially the opposite direction. A vacuum chamber contains the atom beam, the ion beam and the electron beam.
US08530837B2

A charged particle beam device for inspecting a specimen includes a charged particle beam source adapted to generate a primary charged particle beam; an objective lens device adapted to direct the primary charged particle beam onto the specimen; a retarding field device adapted to accelerate secondary charged particles starting from the specimen, a first detector device having a central opening, includes at least two azimuthal detector segments for detecting secondary particles, wherein the objective lens device is adapted such that particles with different starting angles from the specimen exhibit crossovers at substantially the same distance from the specimen between the objective lens and the detector device, and an aperture located between the objective lens and the crossovers, having an opening which is equal to or smaller than the central opening in the detector device.
US08530836B2

An electron-beam dimension measuring apparatus includes: electron-beam irradiating means for irradiating a surface of a sample with an electron beam; a stage on which the sample is placed; a photoelectron generating electrode disposed so as to face the sample; ultraviolet light irradiating means for emitting ultraviolet light; and control means for causing the ultraviolet light irradiating means to irradiate the sample and the photoelectron generating electrode with the ultraviolet light for a predetermined length of time, to cause the sample and the photoelectron generating electrode to emit photoelectrons, for applying a voltage to the photoelectron generating electrode, the voltage applied to supply energy corresponding to a difference between energy of photoelectrons emitted by the sample and energy of photoelectrons emitted by the photoelectron generating electrode, and thereby for controlling an electric potential of the surface of the sample to set the electric potential at 0 V. The control means measures the dimension of the sample after keeping the electric potential constant on the surface of the sample.
US08530831B1

An algorithm-based system and method for tandem mass spectrometry data acquisition in which multiple precursor ion attributes, such as mass, intensity, mass-to-charge ratio and charge state, as well as results from previously performed mass spectrometry scans, are used to determine the likelihood of identification for each precursor ion. This information is then used to prioritize subsequent tandem mass spectrometry events, such as which precursor ions are to be fragmented and undergo further mass spectrometry analysis. By interrogating precursor ions in order of probability of successful identification, an increase in identified proteins and peptides is achieved.
US08530822B2

An illumination device includes: a light source which has an emission surface forming area where a plurality of emission surfaces are disposed; a plurality of converging lenses disposed in correspondence with the plural emission surfaces to converge emission lights emitted from the emission surfaces; a first fly-eye lens which divides lights converged by the plural converging lenses into a plurality of partial lights; a second fly-eye lens which converges the plural partial lights; and a condenser lens which stacks the plural partial lights converged by the second fly-eye lens on an illumination receiving area, wherein the plural converging lenses stack the emission lights on the first fly-eye lens.
US08530821B2

A transmission line and method for implementing includes a plurality of segments forming an electrical path and a continuous optical path passing through the segments. Discrete inductors are formed between and connect adjacent segments. The inductors are formed in a plurality of metal layers of an integrated circuit to balance capacitance of an optical modulator which includes the transmission line to achieve a characteristic impedance for the transmission line.
US08530814B2

A solid-state imaging device includes a light sensing portion which is formed on a substrate and generates a signal electric charge according to incident light; a rectangular or gradient-index on-chip micro lens formed on a light incident side above the light sensing portion; and a planarized lens layer which covers the on-chip micro lens and is formed in such a manner that a light incident surface is planarized.
US08530811B2

An angle-sensitive pixel (ASP) device that uses the Talbot effect to detect the local intensity and incident angle of light includes two local diffraction gratings stacked above a photodiode. When illuminated by a plane wave, the upper grating generates a self-image at a selected Talbot depth. The second grating, placed at this depth, blocks or passes light depending upon incident angle. Several such structures, tuned to different incident angles, are sufficient to extract local incident angle and intensity. Arrays of such structures are sufficient to localize light sources in three dimensions without any additional optics.
US08530810B2

A laser scanning microscope (LSM) having variable light intensity and a control method for the same. The light intensity of a laser beam in an LSM has been controlled to date with high accuracy, but also high costs by means of an acousto-optic component (AOM, AOTF). According to the invention, such a component for beam modulation is to be omitted, without reducing the exposure accuracy of the sample. In an LSM, a directly modulated laser diode (10) is used with an electric control (12) for direct modulation. Said laser diode (10) has a turn-on delay of the light intensity that is dependent on the amount of the control variable when subjected to an electric control variable. The control (12) is designed such that the fluctuation width (ΔΔtV) of the occurring turn-on delay (ΔtV) is smaller than 1 μs, particularly smaller than 0.5 μs. Thus highly exact modulation without an acousto-optic component is possible. A quick direct modulation is achieved particularly by the following steps: a) identifying that an intensity to be achieved or achieved with the laser diode (10) falls below a lower threshold value or is below the lower threshold value, b) de-energizing the laser diode (10), c) providing an electric intermediate current, d) identifying that the intensity to be achieved exceeds an upper threshold value, e) flowing the intermediate current through the laser diode (10), and f) setting the diode current according to the intensity to be achieved.
US08530803B2

There is disclosed a honeycomb structure including a honeycomb structure section, and a pair of band-like electrode sections arranged on a side surface of the honeycomb structure section, an electrical resistivity of the honeycomb structure section is from 1 to 200 Ωcm, in a cross section which is perpendicular to a cell extending direction, the one electrode section is disposed on an opposite side of the other electrode section via the center O, an angle which is 0.5 time as large as a central angle of the electrode section is from 15 to 65°, and each of the electrode sections is formed so as to become thinner from a center portion in a peripheral direction toward both ends in the peripheral direction, and in the cross section which is perpendicular to the extending direction of the cells, the whole outer peripheral shape is a round shape.
US08530797B2

A cooking appliance (1) includes a lower casing (2), a lower food-contacting heating plate (3), and an upper bell-shaped body (4) which is movably mounted on the lower casing (2) so as to be movable to and from a closed position. An upper food-contacting heating plate (5) is located inside the bell-shaped body (4) so as to be positioned, when the bell-shaped body (4) is in the closed position, over the lower heating plate (3). The upper food-contacting heating plate (5) is connected to the bell-shaped body (4) to move freely inside the bell-shaped body (4) in a direction (d0) substantially perpendicular to the reference laying plane of the upper heating plate (5). A heating-plate locking device (14) selectively impairs movement of the upper heating plate (5) in the moving direction (d0), and a control unit (9) controls the heating-plate locking device (14).
US08530789B2

A power module cartridge for a welder includes a chassis tray that is dimensioned to fit inside an external case of the welder. The chassis tray includes a fan receptacle, a capacitor receptacle, a rectifier mounting slot and a transformer receptacle. A fan fits into the fan receptacle; a capacitor fits into the capacitor receptacle; a rectifier plate fits into the rectifier mounting slot; and a transformer fits into the transformer receptacle. The chassis tray can also include a clip for receiving a printed circuit board (“PCB”). The PCB can be electrically connected to the aforementioned components. A second chassis tray can fit on the top of each of the components such that the components are sandwiched between the first and second chassis trays. A method of manufacturing a welder is also disclosed.
US08530782B2

A body structure for rolling stock is disclosed. The body structure may include an outside sheathing of a side construction, and a plurality of reinforcement members joined to said outside sheathing interiorly of said outside sheathing. Each of said plurality of reinforcement members may include a U-shaped part which is substantially U-shaped in cross-section and two fitting flange parts extending continuously from end edges of the U-shaped part in opposite directions. The fitting flange parts may be joined to said outside sheathing by laser welding, and the U-shaped part of at least one of said plurality of reinforcement members may be smaller in width than the U-shaped part of another of said plurality of reinforcement members provided on another part of said outside sheathing.
US08530781B2

An processing apparatus comprises a laser oscillator, an overall control device which controls an operation of the laser oscillator, and a plurality of processing units. The processing unit comprises a holding part which movably holds a processed object, an optical system which guides the laser beam, oscillated from the laser oscillator, toward the processed object, a shutter which selectively prevents the laser beam from reaching the processed object, and an individual control device which controls an operation of the holding part, and transmits a laser request signal to the overall control device. When at least one of the plurality of individual control devices transmits the request signal, the overall control device controls the shutter of the processing unit, which has transmitted the laser request signal, to enable the laser beam to reach the processed object, and drives the laser oscillator to allow the laser oscillator to oscillate the laser beam.
US08530775B2

The present disclosure provides a pole part of a low-voltage, medium-voltage and/or high-voltage switching device. The pole part includes a vacuum interrupter chamber having a fixed contact and a movable contact, which includes an electrical contact piece. The vacuum interrupt chamber is cast into an insulating material. The insulating material has opening at the bottom in at least one of a region of the movable contact and a drive rod driving that drives the movable contact. To reduce the heating of the pole part to enable production of a higher rated current carrying capacity, in the region of the movable contact and/or the articulation point of the drive rod, at least one ventilation opening is formed to pass through at least one of an exterior wall of the insulation, a boundary zone between the insulation and the electrical connection piece, and the electrical connection piece.
US08530768B2

A thin illuminated keyboard comprises at least one keycap, an upper light guide plate and a lower light guide plate. The upper and lower light guide plates have respectively a first light guide layer and a second light guide layer opposing each other. The first and second light guide layers have respectively a first circuit layer and a second circuit layer laid on the opposing surfaces thereof. The first and second light guide layers also have respectively a first mask layer and a second reflection layer on the sides opposite to the first and second circuit layers to form an optical passage therebetween. The first mask layer has at least one light penetration zone receiving light from the optical passage. The light is transmitted and confined in the optical passage between the first and second light guide layers, and condensed to project to the keycap through the light penetration zone.
US08530765B2

An apparatus for selectively connecting and disconnecting a high voltage source includes a mechanical actuator including a plurality of stations. Each station includes connection elements that are electrically connectable to one or more corresponding high voltage modules which are part of a plurality of high voltage modules. The plurality of high voltage modules are electrically connectable to each other. The mechanical actuator has a connected position and a disconnected position for simultaneously electrically connecting each of the plurality of high voltage modules to each other, and for simultaneously electrically disconnecting each of the plurality of high voltage modules from each other.
US08530762B2

A flatbed weigh system and methods for weighing substantially flat articles such as mail flats while they are moving. A weigh system has an intake plate (2102) and an accelerator assembly (2100) that receives an article (2150) and accelerates it to a selected velocity. Acceleration is controlled by a servo motor (2112) which in turn is driven by a precision closed-loop servo system (FIG. 12) that accumulates motor torque data to determine the article weight. The accelerator assembly uses vacuum pressure (2130, 2132) to hold the moving article in engagement with a cylindrical capstan roller (2110) while it is being weighed. This vacuum-driven concept eliminates the need for a pinch roller to hold the moving article against a capstan roller as in other designs. Because the pinch roller is eliminated, there is essentially no “bouncing” to address, so dampen is obviated. Further, the vacuum design is not adversely affected by variations in thickness of the article under test as in the pinch roller designs.
US08530759B2

An electronic apparatus includes a case; a circuit board mounted in the case; and a connector. The connector includes at least two connection terminals electrically connected with the circuit board, and a base portion attached to the case. The base portion holds the at least two connection terminals. An electronic component is attached to the at least two connection terminals to electrically connect the at least two connection terminals with each other through the electronic component.
US08530755B2

A wiring board including a core insulation layer having a connection conductor formed in a hole of the core layer, and an interlayer insulation layer laminated on one side of the core layer. The conductor of the core layer includes plating filling the hole of the core layer. The interlayer layer has a connection conductor formed in a hole of the interlayer layer. The conductor of the interlayer layer includes plating filling the hole of the interlayer layer. The conductor of the interlayer layer is stacked on the conductor of the core insulation layer. The conductors of the core and interlayer layers have lands formed on the core and interlayer layers and including metal foils and plating on the foils. The foil of the land on the core layer has a thickness which is thicker than a thickness of the foil of the land on the interlayer layer.
US08530754B2

A printed circuit board having adaptable wiring lines includes an insulation layer. Electrode terminals and ball lands are formed on an upper surface of the insulation layer and are separated from each other. Wiring patterns are formed on the insulation layer, interposed between the electrode terminals and the ball lands, and partially removed in a region between the electrode terminals and the ball lands. Conductive members are selectively formed in the regions where the wiring patterns are partially removed to selectively connect the electrode terminals and the ball lands.
US08530753B2

At least one electronic component having a plurality of terminals on one of surfaces is temporarily fixed to a surface of a first support with a first adhesive layer in such a manner that the terminal side of the electronic component faces the first support. A second support having a second adhesive layer is fixed to the electronic component in order to interpose the electronic component between the first support and the second support. The first support and the first adhesive layer are peeled. The electronic component on the second support is sealed with a sealing resin in such a manner that at least a part of the terminals of the electronic component is exposed. An insulating resin layer and a wiring layer to be electrically connected to the terminal of the electronic component are stacked on the electronic component and the sealing resin.
US08530748B2

A substrate includes an auxiliary wiring pattern formed on a first main surface of a glass substrate in a grid-like pattern arranged horizontally and vertically, and a translucent glass layer formed on a surface of the glass substrate to cover the first main surface and the auxiliary wiring pattern. Through-holes exposing the auxiliary wiring pattern are formed in a portion of the translucent glass layer formed on the auxiliary wiring pattern, in each side of each grid of the grid-like pattern at uniform intervals. The substrate may be used in an electronic device having a long-life and a high reliability in which exfoliation or deterioration of a wiring is inhibited by embedding the wiring therein while maintaining smoothness of the surface.
US08530744B2

A DIN rail wiring duct has a top, a bottom, and a side. The DIN rail wiring duct includes a base. The base has a top wall, a bottom wall, a sidewall, and a divider wall, which define a channel and a channel opening for accessing the channel. The DIN rail wiring duct also includes a cover for the channel opening. The cover has a top wall and a sidewall substantially perpendicular to the top wall. The top wall of the cover is removably connected to the top wall of the base and the sidewall of the cover is rotatably connected to the sidewall of the base such that the channels are accessible through the channel openings from the top and the side of the DIN rail wiring duct when the cover is rotated from a closed position to an open position.
US08530743B2

To improve water discharging performance of a wire harness, and to protect a water discharging structure of the wire harness, an electric wire group is exposed from an outer cover material at a lower end portion (B) where the wire harness (10) is arranged, one side of the exposed portion is surrounded by a first waterproof material, the other side of the exposed portion is surrounded by a second waterproof material, the first waterproof material (I) forms an opening (27) at the lower end portion (B), the end of the second waterproof material is inserted into the first waterproof material (I) from the opening (27) so as to overlap on the first waterproof material, and a water discharging gap (28) is formed at a wrapped portion (C).
US08530740B2

A first aspect of the invention relates to a luminescent object comprising: a. a luminescent layer or core containing a photoluminescent material; and b. a wavelength-selective mirror; wherein the luminescent layer or luminescent core is optically coupled to the wavelength-selective mirror, said wavelength-selective mirror being at least 50% transparent to light absorbed by the photoluminescent material and at least 50% reflective to radiation that is emitted by the photoluminescent material. The luminescent object according to the present invention may advantageously be employed in luminescent solar concentrator systems as it enables highly efficient transportation of radiation emitted by the photoluminescent material following exposure to incident solar light. Another aspect of the invention concerns a photovoltaic device comprising an electromagnetic radiation collection medium containing the aforementioned luminescent object and a photovoltaic cell capable of converting optical radiation to electrical energy which is optically coupled to the luminescent object. Further aspects of the invention include a fluorescent light activated display and a room lighting system comprising the aforementioned luminescent object.
US08530739B2

A solar cell includes a substrate layer and a plurality of nanowires grown outwardly from the substrate layer, at least two of the nanowires including a plurality of sub-cells. The solar cell also includes one or more light guiding layers formed of a transparent, light scattering material and filling the area between the plurality of nanowires.
US08530733B2

A height adjustable music instrument support structure is used to secure a musical instrument while in a sitting position. A top is connected to base component using a nut and bolt mechanism. The height adjustment is lockable using a knob on the nut that latches to one of the notches on the bolt. The top is lined using soft material to prevent scratching of the musical instrument. The base is padded to enable comfortable user positioning.
US08530732B2

A hammer device for an electronic keyboard instrument, enabling prevention of grease or the like from adhering to an actuator portion during mounting of the hammer, to thereby enable speedy hammer mounting work and improve the work efficiency. The hammer device includes a hammer support and hammers arranged side by side in a left-right direction and each pivotally supported by the hammer support to pivotally move in accordance with depression of an associated key. When mounting the hammer to the hammer support, before a shaft hole is engaged with a fulcrum shaft portion, left and right protrusions of the hammer are brought into abutment with respective left and right stopper walls provided close to the respective left and right ends of the fulcrum shaft portion, to thereby prevent the actuator portion from being brought into contact with the fulcrum shaft portion.
US08530721B2

A method of making a resilient tampon includes the steps of providing binder fibers having an average fiber length of at least 35 mm; combining the binder fibers to form a loose fleece; activating the binder fibers; and compressing a portion of the loose fleece into a pledget after activating the binder fibers.A resilient tampon includes 70 wt % to 95 wt % absorbent fibers and 5 wt % to 30 wt % bicomponent binder fibers. The binder fibers have an average fiber length greater than 35 mm.
US08530701B2

A process for obtaining therapeutically active 2-[4-(3- and 2-(fluorobenzyloxy)benzylamino]-propanamides and their salts with pharmaceutically acceptable acids with a high degree of purity, i.e. with a content of dibenzyl derivatives impurities lower than 0.03% by weight. The process is carried out by submitting a Schiff base intermediate to a reduction reaction with a reducing agent in an amount of organic solvent to allow the formation (and presence during a substantial portion of the reduction reaction) of a suspension of the Schiff base.
US08530694B2

The present invention provides novel compounds useful as proteasome inhibitors. The invention also provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds of the invention and methods of using the compositions in the treatment of various diseases.
US08530679B2

The present invention provides a process for handling Δ9-THC, which comprises preparing a solution of Δ9-THC in a solvent which exists as a gas at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. The invention also provides solutions of Δ9-THC in the solvent and solid preparations of Δ9-THC.
US08530678B2

Processes are disclosed comprising: (a) reacting an aqueous formaldehyde solution in a reactor in the presence of a suitable catalyst to obtain a reaction product mixture comprising trioxane, formaldehyde and water; (b) distilling the reaction product mixture to form a top stream comprising crude trioxane; and (c) treating the top stream in one or more additional stages to form pure trioxane; wherein an aqueous sidestream is drawn off during the distilling of the reaction mixture.
US08530662B2

The present invention provides pyridine derivatives useful as intermediates of drugs and agricultural chemicals, electrophotographic receptors, dyes and so on. More specifically, the invention relates to novel pyridyltetrahydropyridines and novel pyridylpiperidines, and further to a method of manufacturing pyridine derivatives through reaction between bipyridine derivatives and benzyl halide or benzyloxycarbonyl halide and subsequent reduction of the resultant reaction products with the aid of palladium catalysts, platinum catalysts, ruthenium catalysts or rhodium catalysts.
US08530657B2

The present invention relates to tetrahydroquinoxaline urea derivatives of formula (I) as defined herein, and, to their preparation and to their therapeutic application.
US08530645B2

This invention relates to a process for producing an amide compound by Beckmann rearrangement of an oxime compound using a compound having at least two electron-withdrawing leaving groups as a rearrangement catalyst, the process comprising a pre-preparation step in which the rearrangement catalyst and at least a part of the oxime compound are mixed and reacted; and a rearrangement reaction step in which the oxime compound is rearranged at a temperature higher than that in the pre-preparation step.
US08530642B2

Particulate β-glucan is solubilized at elevated pressure and temperature to form particulate-soluble β-glucan. The particulate-soluble β-glucan is capable of being dried to a powder form and subsequently re-solubilized.
US08530640B2

The present disclosure provides bicyclic cyclohexitol nucleoside analogs of formula I and oligomeric compounds comprising these nucleoside analogs. These bicyclic nucleoside analogs are expected to be useful for enhancing properties of oligomeric compounds including for example nuclease resistance.
US08530625B2

The present invention provides for novel sustained release silk-based delivery systems. The invention further provides methods for producing such formulations. In general, a silk fibroin solution is combined with a therapeutic agent to form a silk fibroin article. The article is then treated in such a way as to alter its conformation. The change in conformation increases its crytallinity or liquid crystallinity, thus controlling the release of a therapeutic agent from the formulation. This can be accomplished as single material carriers or in a layer-by-layer fashion to load different therapeutic agents or different concentrations of these agents in each layer.
US08530622B2

The present invention relates to peptidic compounds of general formula (I): R1—X1—X2-Asp-Cys-Arg-X3—X4-(AA)p-R2. In addition, the present invention relates to, on the one hand, a cosmetic or pharmaceutical composition comprising at least one peptide of general formula (I), in a cosmetically or pharmaceutically acceptable medium and, on the other hand, its utilization to prevent or treat the cutaneous signs of aging and photo-aging and to protect the skin from aggressions due to UV radiation. Lastly, the invention applies to a cosmetic treatment process intended to prevent and/or combat the cutaneous signs of aging and photo aging.
US08530621B2

The specific molecular basis of the interaction between talin and integrin β3 has been defined. This specific interaction provides a new therapeutic target; agents that can disrupt this specific interaction should be useful therapeutic agents for a number of significant diseases and conditions including inflammation, heart disease, including myocardial infarction, and tumor metastasis. The present invention includes a chimeric peptide that has high affinity for talin, muteins of talin and integrin β3 as well as screening methods for agents that can disrupt the interaction between talin and integrin β3.
US08530617B2

A process for producing silicon-containing particles having an extremely small particle diameter by a simple process without using surface-active agents or the like. The process is characterized by forming silicon-containing particles as a result of phase separation from an organic polymer, wherein the phase separation is achieved by an addition reaction, condensation reaction, ring-opening reaction, or a radical reaction of a curable silicon-containing compound or a curable composition that contains said compound, and the silicon-containing compound or the composition is maintained in a uniform liquid, fused, or dissolved phase with the organic polymer that is free of silicon and does not participate in the curing reaction of the silicon-containing compound or the composition.
US08530616B2

This invention relates to a method of preparing poly(alkylene carbonate) that has a molecular weight and polymer chain structure precisely controlled by adding a chain transfer agent composed of a compound having an alcohol or carboxylic acid functional group upon alternating copolymerization of an epoxide compound and carbon dioxide using a catalyst composed of a trivalent metal complex compound synthesized from a quaternary ammonium salt-containing Salen type ligand, and to a polymer compound prepared thereby. According to this invention, the polymer compound having a star-shaped chain as well as the polymer having a linear chain can be prepared. The low-molecular-weight poly(alkylene carbonate) has an —OH terminal group and can be used alone as a coating agent, etc., and also in mixtures with an isocyanate compound and thus can be easily utilized to prepare polyurethane.
US08530615B2

The complex of the present invention containing an onium salt and a central Lewis acidic metal has a high catalytic activity at a high temperature for the copolymerization of an epoxide and carbon dioxide to produce a high molecular weight polycarbonate.
US08530609B2

A process for removing metal species from a composition comprising contacting: a. an oligomer mixture stream comprising the monomers of a partially aromatic polyester polymer and at least one metal species, or b. a molten polyester polymer stream comprising partially aromatic polyester polymers and at least one metal species, with a non-catalytic porous material in the presence of hydrogen to produce a treated stream containing a reduced amount of at least one metal species. There are provided compositions comprising a partially aromatic polyester polymer having an It.V. of at least 0.50 produced in a direct esterification melt phase process, from greater than 0 to less than 50 ppm antimony, and less than 40 ppm cobalt, or produced in an ester exchange melt phase process, having from greater than zero to less than 5 ppm titanium and less than 10 ppm manganese.
US08530607B2

Compounds having the formulas below. R is an aromatic-containing group. Each M is an alkali metal. Each m is a positive integer. The value of n is a positive integer. The value p is 0 or 1. If p is 0 then n is 1. A thermoset made by curing a composition containing the below phthalonitrile monomers. A method of reacting a diphenyl acetylene compound with an excess of an aromatic diol in the presence of an alkali metal carbonate to form the above oligomer. A method of reacting a phenoxyphthalonitrile with an acetylene compound to form the phthalonitrile monomer below.
US08530604B2

A polymer includes a reaction product of an epoxy resin, a first crosslinking agent, and a second crosslinking agent. The first crosslinking agent is reactive with the epoxy resin and has a first molecular weight. The second crosslinking agent is reactive with the epoxy resin and has a second molecular weight of at least ten times greater than the first molecular weight. The polymer has a first phase having a first glass transition temperature and a second phase having a second glass transition temperature that is lower than the first glass transition temperature. The polymer is transformable between a first shape and a second shape at the first glass transition temperature.
US08530602B2

A polyether polyol composition comprising: a polyether polyol, a phosphoric acid compound selected from the group consisting of at least one of orthophosphoric acid, polyphosphoric acid, polymetaphosphoric acid, and partial esters thereof in an amount raning from 0.5 to 100 ppm based on the polyether polyol metals derived from a composite metal cyanide complex catalyst in an amount ranging from 1 to 30 ppm based on the polyether polyol; a method for producing this polyether polyol composition; and methods of making polyurethane or isocyanate group-terminated prepolymers.
US08530601B2

The present invention provides for a composition comprising the reaction product of a. an oxirane or oxetane compound comprising at least two oxirane or oxetane groups; and b. an amino silane having the formula: N(H)(R1)R2Si(OR3)3-a-b-c(OR4)a(R5Si(OR6)d(R7)e) b Rc with R1 is chosen from the group consisting of H or a monovalent hydrocarbon radical containing one to 20 carbon atoms; R2 and R5 are independently selected from a group consisting of oxygen or a divalent linear or branched hydrocarbon radical consisting of 1-60 carbons; R4 is a hydrocarbon radical that contains 3 to 200 carbon atoms; R3, R6, R7, and R8 and are each independently selected from the group of monovalent linear or branched hydrocarbon radicals having from 1 to 200 carbon atoms; the subscript b is zero or a positive number and has a value ranging from 0 to 3; the subscripts a, and c are zero or positive and have a value ranging from 0 to 3 subject to the limitation that (a+b+c)≦3; the subscripts d and e are zero or positive and have a value ranging from 0 to 3 subject to the limitation that (d+e)≦3.
US08530594B2

The synthesis, characterization, optical and electrochemical properties of a regioregular copolymer, poly(3-octylthiophene-2,5-diyl-co-3-decyloxythiophene-2,5-diyl) (POT-co-DOT), and an alternating regioregular copolymer poly{(9,9-dioctylfluorene)-2,7-diyl-alt-[4,7-bis(3-decyloxythien-2-yl)-2,1,3-benzothiadiazole]-5′,5″-diyl} (PF-co-DTB) is disclosed. The incorporation of 3-alkoxythiophene units onto the conjugated backbones enhances the electron-donating property of the polymer and lowers its bandgap. The fabrication and performance of photovoltaic cells with bulk heterojunction architecture based on blends of these copolymers with PCBM are also described.
US08530593B2

This invention relates to Group 4 dialkyl compounds supported by a pyridyl-amido-aryl (“PAA”), an anisole-amido-aryl (“AAA”), a phenoxy-amido-pyridyl (“PAPY”), an anisole-amido-phenoxy (“AAP”) or a anisole-amido-phenoxy (“AAP”) tridentate ligand. Such compounds can polymerize olefins, such as ethylene.
US08530589B2

Embodiments relate to printing features from an ink containing a material precursor. In some embodiments, the material includes an electrically active material, such as a semiconductor, a metal, or a combination thereof. In another embodiment, the material includes a dielectric. The embodiments provide improved printing process conditions that allow for more precise control of the shape, profile and dimensions of a printed line or other feature. The composition(s) and/or method(s) improve control of pinning by increasing the viscosity and mass loading of components in the ink. An exemplary method thus includes printing an ink comprising a material precursor and a solvent in a pattern on the substrate; precipitating the precursor in the pattern to form a pinning line; substantially evaporating the solvent to form a feature of the material precursor defined by the pinning line; and converting the material precursor to the patterned material.
US08530586B2

The present invention is directed to a method for preparing polyolefins containing a high percentage of exo-olefin chain ends. The method involves ionizing a polyolefin containing tert-chloride chain ends and reacting the ionized polyolefin with one or more nitrogen-containing five-membered aromatic ring or one or more hindered secondary or tertiary amines, or mixtures thereof.
US08530585B2

The present invention provides a crosslinker used for crosslinking a polymer material having, in the molecule thereof, a multiple bond reactable with a nitrile oxide, the crosslinker including a bifunctional nitrile oxide having an aromatic nitrile oxide derivative structure in which one hydrogen atom of an aromatic ring is substituted with a nitrile oxide group and all hydrogen atoms at an ortho-position of the nitrile oxide group are substituted with a substituent other than a nitrile oxide group, wherein two such aromatic nitrile oxide derivative structures are bonded to either two oxy groups of a di-oxy structure having the two oxy groups or two carbonyl groups of a di-carbonyl structure having the two carbonyl groups.
US08530579B2

Two or more chemically distinguishable ethylenically unsaturated polymers, at least one having from 0.001 to 50 mole percent unsaturation and at least one other having an expected Tg or measured Tm value greater than 100° C. are cross-metathesized to form thermoplastic elastomers having improved performance properties.
US08530575B2

A tire satisfying both of the low rolling resistance of the tire and the improvement of tire strength is provided. A tire including sidewall including a rubber composition for sidewall including a rubber composition including a rubber component including 35 to 65% by mass of NR and/or IR, 15 to 55% by mass of a modified BR and 0 to 50% by mass of other rubber and 20 to 40 parts by mass of filler, in which complex elastic modulus E* is 2.0 to 3.5 MPa and tan δ is less than 0.12; case in which cord is covered with a rubber composition for covering case cord including a rubber component including 50 to 80% by mass of NR and/or IR, 20 to 45% by mass of diene rubber of a modified SBR, a modified BR or ENR and 0 to 30% by mass of other rubber and 20 to 40 parts by mass of filler, in which E* is 2.0 to 3.5 MPa and tan δ is less than 0.12; and clinch including a rubber composition for clinch including a rubber component including 30 to 50% by mass of NR and/or IR, 15 to 70% by mass of a modified BR and 0 to 55% by mass of other rubber and 35 to 80 parts by mass of filler, in which E* is 4.5 to 9.0 MPa and tan δ is less than 0.12.
US08530561B2

The invention relates to nonmetal material modified thermoplastic resin composite, comprising the following materials by weight percentages: 50-70% of filling, 25-40% of polypropylene, 3-6% of maleic anhydride modified polypropylene, 1-3% of titanium dioxide and 1-2% antioxidant. Said filling has been modified by stearic acid. The invention also provides a method for producing products like sanitary wares, hardware of sanitary wares, outdoor products, decorative pipes of external walls and decorations of public scenes using the nonmetal material modified thermoplastic resin composite. The raw materials are widely available and the preparation does not require long-time burning with high energy consumption, thus possessing the advantages such as low energy consumption, high mechanical automation degree, low labor intensity, and high yield, which is applicable to industrial mass production. The invented nonmetal material modified thermoplastic resin composite is applicable to the production of sanitary wares, hardware of sanitary wares, outdoor products, decorative pipes of external walls and decorations of public scenes.
US08530560B2

Embodiments described include devices and methods for forming a porous polymer material. Devices disclosed and formed using the methods described include a spacer for spinal fusion, craniomaxillofacial (CMF) structures, and other structures for tissue implants.
US08530555B2

To provide a polybutylene terephthalate resin composition that excels in the anti-heat shock property, flame retardation and hydrolysis resistance. A polybutylene terephthalate resin composition is prepared by combining a halogenated benzylacrylate compound, an antimony oxide compound and a carbodiimide compound with the polybutylene terephthalate resin. The content of the carbodiimide compound may be an amount that makes the amount of the carbodiimide functional group to be at least 0.3 equivalents and no more than 5.0 equivalents, when the terminal carboxyl equivalent of the polybutylene terephthalate is set as 1.
US08530541B2

Cement compositions comprising polymeric particles with inorganic fillers have utilities in the context of well cementing. The fillers improve bonding between the polymeric particles and the cement matrix leading to improved mechanical parameters of the cement system. The filled particles may also lead to improved mixability and slurries that are easier to optimise.
US08530540B2

A curable composition for imprints, comprising at least one polymerizable monomer and a photopolymerization initiator, wherein the content of a polymerizable monomer having a viscosity at 25° C. of 7 mPa·s or more is 80% by mass or more, relative to all the polymerizable monomers contained in the composition. The curable composition for imprints has low volatility of the components even in a thin film coating on a substrate and is thus capable of forming a good pattern.
US08530531B2

Method for the recycling of polyvinyl butyral based on obtaining recycled polyvinyl butyral (PVB) from laminated glass which is shattered and the polyvinyl butyral (PVB) is separated. The sheet obtained is cut into pieces and cleaned to eliminate dirt and foreign matter. The solid state PVB is subjected to a first polyvinyl butyral (PVB) purification stage with a chemical treatment with a first reagent and a final chemical treatment with a second reagent. The obtained purified polyvinyl butyral is suitable to be used in the manufacture of laminated glass.
US08530530B2

The invention relates to a process for producing non-agglomerating mixed bed ion exchangers or mixed bed components.
US08530529B2

Process for the production of substitute natural gas (SNG) by the methanation of a synthesis gas derived from the gasification of a carbonaceous material together with water gas shift and carbon dioxide removal thereby producing a synthesis gas with a molar ratio (H2−CO2)/(CO+CO2) greater than 3.00. At the same time, a gas with a molar ratio (H2−CO2)/(CO+CO2) lower than 3.00 is added to the methanation section. The final product (SNG) is of constant high quality without excess of carbon dioxide and hydrogen.
US08530526B2

A biobeneficial coating composition for coating an implantable device, such as a drug eluting stent, a method of coating the device with the composition, and an implantable device coated with the composition are provided.
US08530514B2

The present invention relates to the field of weight management. The invention particularly relates to a method for inducing satiety. In one of its embodiments, the present invention provides a method for inducing satiety in a human or an animal comprising administering to said human or animal an effective amount of a composition comprising a lipid of which at least part is in a crystal form in the small intestine.
US08530512B2

The present invention provides compounds and methods of using of the compounds as anti-infective and anthelminitc agents. In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides the following compound of Formula III: wherein: R1 is not H when R2 is H and R2 is not H when R1 is H, further wherein R1 is OH or CH(2n+1)O, wherein n is 1-10; R2 is OH or CH(2n+1)O, where n is 1-10; W is alkyl, phenyl, halophenyl, pyridyl, piperidyl, or a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, including unsubstituted and substituted aromatic heterocycles; and L is an optional linker or linking group selected from O, S, NH, CF2, or CH2, and x=0 or 1, i.e., if x=0, no linking group is present and when x=0, W is not phenyl.
US08530506B2

The invention provides a production method of a biaryltetrazole derivative useful as an intermediate for an angiotensin II receptor antagonist.The method comprises reacting an aryltetrazole derivative with a benzene derivative, deprotecting or reducing the resulting compound and halogenating the deprotected or reduced compound.
US08530504B2

A compound represented by the formula (I) or pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof exhibits an excellent CRF receptor antagonism wherein X is a nitrogen atom or CH; R1 is -A11-A12; A11 is a single bond or a C1-6 alkylene group; A12 is a hydrogen atom, a C1-6 alkyl group or a C3-6 cycloalkyl group, etc.; R2 is -A21-A22; A21 is a single bond or a C1-6 alkylene group; A22 is a hydrogen atom, a C1-6 alkyl group, a C3-6 cycloalkyl group, a non-aromatic heterocyclic group, or a heteroaryl group, etc.; R3 is a C1-6 alkyl group, a C3-6 cycloalkyl group, a C1-6 alkoxy group, a C3-6 cycloalkoxy C1-6 alkyl group, di-C1-6 alkyl amino group, a halogen atom, a cyano group, a formyl group, or a carboxyl group, etc; R4 is a hydrogen atom or a C1-6 alkoxy group; R5 is a halogen atom, a C1-6 alkyl group, or a C1-6 alkoxy group; R6 is a hydrogen atom, a C1-6 alkyl group, a C1-6 alkoxy group, a C1-6 alkylthio group, or a C1-6 alkyl sulfinyl group etc.; and R7 is a C1-6 alkyl group, a C1-6 alkoxy group, or a C1-6 alkylthio group.
US08530503B2

Compounds of the following generic structure are provided: Such compounds activate a sphingosine-I-phosphate receptor of the subtype 1 (S1P1), and have utility in the treatment of malconditions mediated by S1P1 activation. More specifically, such compounds are beneficial in the treatment of, for example, multiple sclerosis, transplant rejection and/or adult respiratory syndrome.
US08530500B2

The present invention is directed to a pharmaceutical solution or syrup formulation for oral administration comprising; omeprazole, a solubilizing agent, a sweetening agent, a flavoring agent, and an antioxidant.
US08530498B1

Methods of treating, preventing and/or managing cancer as well as and diseases and disorders associated with, or characterized by, undesired angiogenesis are disclosed. Specific methods encompass the administration of an immunomodulatory compound alone or in combination with a second active ingredient. The invention further relates to methods of reducing or avoiding adverse side effects associated with chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormonal therapy, biological therapy or immunotherapy which comprise the administration of an immunomodulatory compound. Pharmaceutical compositions, single unit dosage forms, and kits suitable for use in methods of the invention are also disclosed.
US08530497B2

This invention relates to novel tris(hydroxymethyl)aminomethane, choline and N-methyl-D-glucamine salt forms of the following Compound (1) and methods for the preparation thereof, pharmaceutical compositions thereof, and their use in the treatment of Hepatitis C Viral (HCV) infection:
US08530493B2

Compounds of a certain formula I, in which R1, R2, R3, R4, R5 and R6 have the meanings indicated in the description, are effective compounds with anti-proliferative and/or apoptosis inducing activity.
US08530490B2

Provided is a uracil compound or a salt thereof, which has potent human dUTPase inhibitory activity and is useful as, for example, an antitumor drug.A uracil compound represented by the general formula (I) or a salt thereof: wherein n represents an integer of 1 to 3; X represents a bond, an oxygen atom, a sulfur atom, or the like; Y represents a linear or branched alkylene group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, or the like; and Z represents —SO2NR1R2 or —NR3SO2—R4, wherein R1 and R2 each represent an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, an aralkyl group which is optionally substituted, or the like; R3 represents an alkyl group having 1 to 6 carbon atoms, or the like; and R4 represents an aromatic hydrocarbon group, an unsaturated heterocyclic group, or the like.
US08530481B2

This invention relates to a stable pharmaceutical composition of freeze-dried tetrodotoxin powder which contains trace amount of tetrodotoxin, substances which can stabilizes tetrodotoxin, including disaccharide(s) or polyglucose(s) or analogues thereof and solvent(s), and solvents which can help tetrodotoxin dissolve.
US08530469B2

The invention provides a combination comprising an Hsp90 inhibitor compound of the formula (VII): or tautomer or salt thereof and one or more therapeutic agents selected from topoisomerase I inhibitors; antimetabolites; tubulin targeting agents; DNA binder and topoisomerase II inhibitors; alkylating agents; monoclonal antibodies; anti-hormones; signal transduction inhibitors; proteasome inhibitors; DNA methyl transferases; cytokines; retinoids and HDAC or HAT modulators.
US08530437B2

An herpes simplex virus wherein the herpes simplex virus genome comprises nucleic acid encoding an antisense to the squamous cell carcinoma related oncogene (asSCCRO); and an herpes simplex virus wherein the herpes simplex virus genome comprises nucleic acid encoding a short interfering ribonucleic acid (siRNA) molecule that is capable of repressing or silencing expression of squamous cell carcinoma related oncogene (SCCRO) nucleic acid or polypeptide are disclosed together with methods for generation and applications of such viruses.
US08530429B2

A method of diagnosing and treating a human glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) brain tumor in a subject is disclosed. The method includes administering to the subject, an effective amount of composition having a peptide 12-20 amino acid residues in length and selected for its ability to bind preferentially to a subtype of human GBM cells identified as brain tumor initiating cells (BTICs) or highly invasive glioma cells (HIGCs). Also disclosed are a phage-display screening method for identifying such therapeutic peptides, and peptides that hind specifically to BTICs or HIGCs.
US08530427B2

This document provides methods and materials involved in modulating a cell's ability to be resistant to apoptosis. For example, methods and materials for exposing cells to KLK6 polypeptides, or increased KLK6 polypeptide activity, to promote resistance to apoptosis are provided. In addition, methods and materials for reducing the ability of KLK6 polypeptides to promote resistance to apoptosis are provided.
US08530415B2

The present invention is directed to a method of producing compositions including embryonic proteins. The method includes culturing cells under hypoxic conditions on a biocompatible three-dimensional surface in vitro. The culturing method produces both soluble and non-soluble fractions, which may be used separately or in combination to obtain physiologically acceptable compositions useful in a variety of medical and therapeutic applications.
US08530404B2

The invention relates to methods and compounds for treating or preventing cancer. Methods for treating or preventing cancer, for inhibiting tumor growth, reducing tumor volume, inhibiting tumor progression, inhibiting metastasis, and improving survival are provided herein.
US08530403B2

A solidification matrix includes a maleic-containing terpolymer, sodium carbonate, and water. The maleic-containing terpolymer, sodium carbonate, and water interact to form a hydrate solid. The solidification matrix may be used, for example, in a solid detergent composition.
US08530402B2

A cleaning apparatus comprises a container configured to hold an article to be cleaned, a cleaning solvent dispenser configured to supply a cleaning solvent to the container, an energy generator configured to provide thermal energy to an interior of the container; and a control device in communication with the energy generator and configured to select thermal energy sufficient to sublimate the particles. The cleaning solvent comprises a solvent and nanofabricated particles dispersed therein. The control device controls the energy generator to provide thermal energy to the cleaning solvent in container in which the article is submerged in order to cause sublimation of the particles.
US08530400B2

Provided is a maintenance liquid for inkjet printers, which comprises at least one of glycol ethers and glycol esters represented by the following general formulas (1) to (3), and 45 to 10 mg/L of dissolved oxygen: R1CO(OR2)xOR3  General formula (1) R4CO(OR5)YOCOR6  General formula (2) R7(OR8)ZOR9  General formula (3) wherein R2, R5, and R8 each independently represent an ethylene group or a propylene group, R1, R3, R4, and R6 each independently represent an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R7 and R9 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, and X, Y, and Z each independently represent an integer of 1 to 4.
US08530397B2

Compositions in the form of lubricating oil compositions, greases, fuels or functional fluids containing, in the form of Michael adducts, N-substituted phenylenediamine additives in which at least one of the substituents on the N atoms carries a carbonyl group that is connected to an alkyl, alkoxyalkyl, or alkylthioalkyl group either directly or via an oxygen atom.
US08530391B2

A device for coating at least one substrate or for producing at least one molding by means of at least one cold gas spraying pistol, wherein the cold gas spraying pistol and the substrate or molding to be coated are arranged in a vacuum chamber, and also a method for cold gas spraying relating thereto in such a manner that while eliminating the wire production, the coil winding and also the cast in procedure, a thoroughly compact coil without a degree of freedom of movement (elimination of the quench risk) can be produced, it is suggested that the particles have at least to some extent an electrically conducting, in particular superconducting, property and at least to some extent an electrically poorly conducting or electrically insulating property.
US08530386B2

Suitable for controlling harmful plants in sugar beet crops composed of tolerant or resistant mutants or transgenic sugar beet plants are herbicide combinations (A)+(B), if appropriate in the presence of safeners, with an effective content of (A) broad-spectrum herbicides from the group (A1) glufosinate (salts) and related compounds, (A2) glyphosate (salts) and related compounds such as sulfosate and (A3) imidazolinones or their salts and (B) herbicides from the group consisting of (B0) one or more structurally different herbicides from the abovementioned group (A) or (B1) foliar- and predominantly soil-acting herbicides which are active against monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous harmful plants, or (B2) herbicides which are active predominantly against dicotyledonous harmful plants, and (B3) herbicides which are predominantly foliar-acting and which can be employed against monocotyledonous harmful plants, or (B4) herbicides which are both foliar- and soil-acting and which can be employed against monocotyledonous harmful plants, or of herbicides of more than one of groups (B0) to (B4), the sugar beet crops tolerating the herbicides (A) and (B) present in the combination, if appropriate in the presence of safeners. If appropriate, the combinations are also suitable for regulating the growth or else for controlling the yield or the constituents of sugar beet plants.
US08530382B2

Disclosed is an insecticidal composition comprising by weight based on the total weight of the composition: (a) from about 9 to about 91% of one or more anthranilic diamide insecticides; and (b) from about 9 to about 91% of a nonionic ethylene oxide-propylene oxide block copolymer component having a water solubility of at least about 5% by weight at 20° C., a hydrophilic-lipophilic balance value of at least about 5 and an average molecular weight ranging from about 1500 to about 20000 daltons; wherein the ratio of component (b) to component (a) is about 1:10 to about 10:1 by weight. Also disclosed is a geotropic propagule coated with an insecticidally effective amount of the aforedescribed composition. Further disclosed is a liquid composition consisting of about 5 to 80 weight % of the aforedescribed composition and about 20 to 95 weight % of a volatile aqueous liquid carrier, and a method for protecting a geotropic propagule and plant derived therefrom from a phytophagous insect pest, the method comprising coating the propagule with an insecticidally effective amount of the aforedescribed liquid composition and then evaporating the volatile aqueous liquid carrier.
US08530381B2

The invention relates to active compound combinations, in particular within a composition, which comprises (A) an amidine compound of formula (I) and a further fungicidally (B-1), insecticidally (B-2) active or plant growth regulating compound (B-3). Moreover, the invention relates to a method for curatively or preventively controlling the phytopathogenic fungi of plants or reducing the mycotoxin contamination of plant or plant parts, to the use of a combination according to the invention for the treatment of seed, to a method for protecting a seed and not at least to the treated seed.
US08530373B2

Described is a catalyst and process useful in the hydrodesulfurization of a distillate feedstock to manufacture a low-sulfur distillate product. The catalyst comprises a calcined mixture of inorganic oxide material, a high concentration of a molybdenum component, and a high concentration of a Group VIII metal component. The mixture that is calcined to form the calcined mixture comprises molybdenum trioxide, a Group VIII metal compound, and an inorganic oxide material. The catalyst is made by mixing the aforementioned starting materials and forming therefrom an agglomerate that is calcined to yield the calcined mixture that may be used as the catalyst or catalyst precursor.
US08530364B2

A material mixture for producing a fireproof material, including spinel and zirconium oxide and a coarse-grained fraction with a weight fraction of greater than 50% and a fine-grained fraction, wherein the coarse-grained fraction includes coarse grains with dimensions larger than 20 μm and the fine-grained fraction includes fine grains with dimensions smaller than 20 μm.
US08530360B2

A device including a first body (101) with terminals (102) on a surface (101a), each terminal having a metallic connector (110), which is shaped as a column substantially perpendicular to the surface. Preferably, the connectors have an aspect ratio of height to diameter of 2 to 1 or greater, and a fine pitch center-to-center. The connector end (110a) remote from the terminal is covered by a film (130) of a sintered paste including a metallic matrix embedded in a first polymeric compound. Further a second body (103) having metallic pads (140) facing the respective terminals (102). Each connector film (130) is in contact with the respective pad (140), whereby the first body (101) is spaced from the second body (103) with the connector columns (110) as standoff. A second polymeric compound (150) is filling the space of the standoff.
US08530355B2

A method of making a semiconductor device begins with a semiconductor wafer that includes a first semiconductor layer overlying a second semiconductor layer. A first trench is etched in the semiconductor wafer. The first trench is filled with insulating material. A second trench is etched within the first trench and through the insulating material, such that insulating material remains along sidewalls of the first trench. The second trench exposes a portion of the second insulating layer. A semiconductor layer can then be grown within the second trench using the second semiconductor layer as a seed layer.
US08530354B2

The present invention provides a substrate processing method to process a substrate including at least a process layer, an intermediate layer, and a mask layer which are stacked in this order. The mask layer includes an aperture configured to expose a portion of the intermediate layer. The substrate processing method includes a material deposition step of depositing a material on a side surface of the aperture and exposing a portion of the process layer by etching the exposed portion of the intermediate layer by plasma generated from a deposit gas, and an etching step of etching the exposed portion of the process layer.
US08530353B2

A method of manufacturing a SiC substrate which has a first principal surface and a second principal surface, includes the step of removing, by a vapor phase etching process, at least a portion of a work-affected layer which is formed by mechanical flattening or cutting on the first principal surface of the SiC substrate.
US08530351B2

A semiconductor package and a fabrication method thereof are disclosed, whereby an environmental problem is solved by using external connection terminals or semiconductor element-mounting terminals containing a smaller amount of lead, while at the same time achieving a fine pitch of the terminals. The semiconductor package includes a board (20) including a plurality of insulating resin layers, semiconductor element-mounting terminals (18) formed on the uppermost surface of the board, and external connection terminals (12) formed on the bottom surface thereof. Each external connection terminal (12) is formed as a bump projected downward from the bottom surface of the package, and each bump is filled with the insulating resin (14) while the surface thereof is covered by a metal (16). Wiring (24), (26) including a conductor via (26a) electrically connect the metal of the metal layer 16 and the semiconductor element-mounting terminals (18).
US08530347B2

A process of forming an electronic device can include providing a first interconnect over a substrate having a primary surface, depositing a first insulating layer over the first interconnect, and patterning the first insulating layer to define an opening extending towards the first interconnect. The process can also include depositing a second insulating layer over the first insulating layer to seal the opening and form a cavity within the first opening, and forming a second interconnect over the first and second insulating layers. The cavity can be disposed between the first interconnect and the second interconnect. In another aspect, an electronic device can include a first interconnect, a first insulating layer defining a cavity, and a second interconnect. The cavity can be disposed between the first interconnect and the second interconnect, and a via may not be exposed within the cavity.
US08530345B2

An electronic apparatus and method of fabrication of the apparatus, the apparatus including a first electronic device having an interconnection surface with a first plurality of interconnection pads extending from the surface by a first distance and a second plurality of alignment posts extending from the surface by a second distance greater than the first distance, and a second electrical device having an interconnection surface with a first plurality of electrical interconnection pads, each pad arranged to contact a corresponding first electronic device interconnection surface pad upon assembly of the first electronic device interconnection surface upon the second electronic device interconnection surface, the second electronic device interconnection surface including a third plurality of alignment posts, each located to be adjacent to at least one of the first electronic device alignment posts upon assembly.
US08530344B1

A method for manufacturing fine-pitch bumps comprises providing a silicon substrate; forming a titanium-containing metal layer having a plurality of first zones and a plurality of second zones on the silicon substrate; forming a photoresist layer on the titanium-containing metal layer; patterning the photoresist layer; forming a plurality of copper bumps having a plurality of first top surfaces and a plurality of first ring surfaces; heating the photoresist layer to form a plurality of body portions and removable portions; etching the photoresist layer; forming a plurality of bump protection layers on the titanium-containing metal layer, the first top surface and the first ring surface, each of the bump protection layers comprises a bump coverage portion; plating a plurality of gold layers at the bump coverage portion; eventually, removing the second zones to enable each of the first zones to form an under bump metallurgy layer.
US08530340B2

Methods for depositing epitaxial films such as epitaxial Ge and SiGe films. During cooling from high temperature processing to lower deposition temperatures for Ge-containing layers, Si or Ge compounds are provided to the substrate. Smooth, thin, relatively defect-free Ge or SiGe layers result. Retrograded relaxed SiGe is also provided between a relaxed, high Ge-content seed layer and an overlying strained layer.
US08530336B2

Defects in a semiconductor substrate are reduced. A semiconductor substrate with fewer defects is manufactured with high yield. Further, a semiconductor device is manufactured with high yield. A semiconductor layer is formed over a supporting substrate with an oxide insulating layer interposed therebetween, adhesiveness between the supporting substrate and the oxide insulating layer in an edge portion of the semiconductor layer is increased, an insulating layer over a surface of the semiconductor layer is removed, and the semiconductor layer is irradiated with laser light, so that a planarized semiconductor layer is obtained. For increasing the adhesiveness between the supporting substrate and the oxide insulating layer in the edge portion of the semiconductor layer, laser light irradiation is performed from the surface of the semiconductor layer.
US08530335B2

A release layer formed over a substrate; at least one of thin film integrated circuits is formed over the release layer; a film is formed over each of the at least one of thin film integrated circuits; and the release layer is removed by using an etchant; thus, the at least one of thin film integrated circuits is peeled from the substrate. A semiconductor device is formed by sealing the peeled thin film integrated circuit by lamination or the like.
US08530334B2

The invention concerns a process of preparing a thin layer to be transferred onto a substrate having a surface topology and, therefore, variations in altitude or level, in a direction perpendicular to a plane defined by the thin layer, this process comprising the formation on the thin layer of a layer of adhesive material, the thickness of which enables carrying out a plurality of polishing steps of its surface in order to eliminate any defect or void or almost any defect or void, in preparation for an assembly via a molecular kind of bonding with the substrate.
US08530332B2

An object is to provide an SOI substrate with excellent characteristics even in the case where a single crystal semiconductor substrate having crystal defects is used. Another object is to provide a semiconductor device using such an SOI substrate. A single crystal semiconductor layer is formed by an epitaxial growth method over a surface of a single crystal semiconductor substrate. The single crystal semiconductor layer is subjected to first thermal oxidation treatment to form a first oxide film. A surface of the first oxide film is irradiated with ions, whereby the ions are introduced to the single crystal semiconductor layer. The single crystal semiconductor layer and a base substrate are bonded with the first oxide film interposed therebetween. The single crystal semiconductor layer is divided at a region where the ions are introduced by performing thermal treatment, so that the single crystal semiconductor layer is partly left over the base substrate. The single crystal semiconductor layer left over the base substrate is irradiated with laser light. The single crystal semiconductor layer left over the base substrate is subjected to second thermal oxidation treatment to form a second oxide film. Then, the second oxide film is removed.
US08530326B2

A method of semiconductor device fabrication including forming a plurality of gate structures in a first portion of a substrate, wherein the plurality of gate structures have a first height. A first metal gate structure is formed in a second portion of the substrate, the first metal gate structure being surrounded by an isolation region. A plurality of dummy gate structures is formed in the second portion of the substrate. The plurality of dummy gate structures are configured in a ring formation encircling the metal gate structure and the isolation region. The plurality of dummy structures have a top surface that is substantially planar with the plurality of gate structures and covers at least 5% of a pattern density of the second portion of the substrate.
US08530322B2

This disclosure provides a method of fabricating a semiconductor stack and associated device, such as a capacitor or DRAM cell. In such a device, a high-K zirconia-based layer may be used as the primary dielectric together with a relatively inexpensive metal electrode based on titanium nitride. To prevent corruption of the electrode during device formation, a thin barrier layer can be used seal the electrode prior to the use of a high temperature process and a (high-concentration or dosage) ozone reagent (i.e., to create a high-K zirconia-based layer). In some embodiments, the barrier layer can also be zirconia-based, for example, a thin layer of doped or un-doped amorphous zirconia. Fabrication of a device in this manner facilitates formation of a device with dielectric constant of greater than 40 based on zirconia and titanium nitride, and generally helps produce less costly, increasingly dense DRAM cells and other semiconductor structures.
US08530307B2

There is provided a semiconductor device including bit lines (14) formed in a semiconductor substrate (10), insulating film lines (18) located on the bit lines (14) to successively run in a length direction of the bit lines (14), gate electrodes (16) located above the semiconductor substrate (10) between the bit lines (14), and word lines (20) located on the gate electrodes (18) to run in a width direction of the bit lines (14), a trench region (22) formed between the bit lines (14) and the between word lines (20) in the semiconductor substrate, and there is also provided a fabrication method therefor. According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a semiconductor device where elements can be isolated between the word lines (14) and memory cells can be miniaturized, and to provide a fabrication method therefor.
US08530291B2

Exposure is performed by controlling an exposure amount applied to a photosensitive resin 23 arranged on a metal film 22, and development is performed to the photosensitive resin 23, and thus a resist 25 provided with an edge section 25b having a tilted surface 25a having a tilt angle α of at least 20° but no more than 60° is formed. Then, a metal wiring is formed by etching the metal film 22 by using the resist 25 as a mask.
US08530287B2

A method to fabricate a structure includes providing a silicon-on-insulator wafer, implanting through a semiconductor layer and an insulating layer a functional region having a first type of conductivity to be adjacent to a top surface of the substrate; implanting within the functional region through the semiconductor layer and the insulating layer an electrically floating back gate region having a second type of conductivity; forming isolation regions in the semiconductor layer; forming first and second transistor devices to have the same type of conductivity over the semiconductor layer such that one of the transistor devices overlies the implanted back gate region and the other one of the transistor devices overlies only the underlying top surface of the functional region not overlapped by the implanted back gate region; and providing an electrical contact to the functional region for applying a bias voltage.
US08530284B2

In one embodiment, a transistor is formed to have a first current flow path to selectively conduct current in both directions through the transistor and to have a second current flow path to selectively conduct current in one direction.
US08530279B2

Placement of an encapsulation material adhesion promoter onto a semiconductor device leadframe can be performed through the use of an offset printing apparatus such as a rotogravure printing apparatus or a tampoprint printing apparatus. This can provide accurate and low-cost placement of the adhesion promoter.
US08530277B2

A method of manufacture of an integrated packaging system includes: providing a substrate; mounting a die over the substrate; mounting an interposer having a slot over the die; covering a first encapsulant over the die and the interposer, a central region of the interposer exposed from the first encapsulant; and forming a hole through the first encapsulant to expose a peripheral portion of the interposer.
US08530271B2

Nanostructures are doped to set conductivity characteristics. In accordance with various example embodiments, nanostructures such as carbon nanotubes are doped with a halogenated fullerene type of dopant material. In some implementations, the dopant material is deposited from solution or by vapor deposition, and used to dope the nanotubes to increase the thermal and/or electrical conductivity of the nanotubes.
US08530260B2

A method for attaching a first carrier device to a second carrier device includes forming at least one first bond layer and/or solder layer on a first exterior of the first carrier device, a partial surface being framed by the at least one first bond layer and/or solder layer, and placing the first carrier device on the second carrier device and fixedly bonding or soldering the first carrier device to the second carrier device. The at least one first bond layer and/or solder layer includes a first cover area which is larger than a first contact area.
US08530259B2

A method for fabricating a micro electromechanical device includes providing a first substrate including control circuitry. The first substrate has a top surface and a bottom surface. The method also includes forming an insulating layer on the top surface of the first substrate, removing a first portion of the insulating layer so as to form a plurality of standoff structures, and bonding a second substrate to the first substrate. The method further includes thinning the second substrate to a predetermined thickness and forming a plurality of trenches in the second substrate. Each of the plurality of trenches extends to the top surface of the first substrate. Moreover, the method includes filling at least a portion of each of the plurality of trenches with a conductive material, forming the micro electromechanical device in the second substrate, and bonding a third substrate to the second substrate.
US08530258B2

A resonator includes a CMOS substrate having a first electrode and a second electrode. The CMOS substrate is configured to provide one or more control signals to the first electrode. The resonator also includes a resonator structure including a silicon material layer. The resonator structure is coupled to the CMOS substrate and configured to resonate in response to the one or more control signals.
US08530252B2

A method for manufacturing light emitting diodes includes steps of: providing a base have an upper conductive layer and a lower conductive layer on a top face and a bottom face thereof, respectively; forming a plurality of through holes in the base; defining a plurality of grooves to divide the upper and lower conductive layers into discrete strips; forming a connection layer on an inner circumferential face of each hole to connect the opposite strips of the upper and lower conductive layers; filling a supporting layer in an upper portion of each hole; forming a reinforcing layer on the supporting layer and the upper conductive layer; fixing chips on the reinforcing layer and electrically connecting the chips with the strips of the upper conductive layer; forming an encapsulant on the reinforcing layer; and cutting the base into individual LEDs along the holes.
US08530251B2

A manufacturing method of a high-efficiency light-emitting diode (LED) is provided. A soft mold is used to transfer a microstructure or a nano-scale pattern thereon onto an imprinting material. The imprinting material is distributed all over an LED wafer; and the imprinting process may be performed through forward imprinting or reverse imprinting.
US08530240B1

Disclosed herein is a method involving the steps of (a) precipitating an amount of asphaltenes from a liquid sample of a first hydrocarbon-containing feedstock having solvated asphaltenes therein with one or more first solvents in a column; (b) determining one or more solubility characteristics of the precipitated asphaltenes; (c) analyzing the one or more solubility characteristics of the precipitated asphaltenes; and (d) correlating a measurement of feedstock reactivity for the first hydrocarbon-containing feedstock sample with a mathematical parameter derived from the results of analyzing the one or more solubility characteristics of the precipitated asphaltenes.
US08530233B2

The present invention provides a novel expression vector which comprises a gene of interest, a nuclear anchoring element, and at least one inverted repeat element, preferably two inverted repeat elements. The expression vector is an episomal vector capable of transfecting a mammalian cell. The present invention further provides a method for enhancing gene expression by transfecting the expression vector to a mammalian cell, preferably a human cell.
US08530230B2

The present invention is directed to methods for conducting multiplexed assays. The methods are particularly well suited for measuring a plurality of analytes that may be present in very different abundances. The invention also relates to systems, devices, equipment, kits and reagents for use in such methods.
US08530228B2

The invention of Integrated Versatile and Systems Preparation of Specimens relates an open module technology which integrates synchronously the methods of protection, isolation and alteration of specimens into the “One for All” product or kit. The product or kit comprises a core module without or with Plug-in modules and a set of comprehensive protocols which can simultaneously or individually isolate systems biomolecules including DNA/ccfDNA, Large RNA/mRNA/ccfRNA, Small RNA/miRNA/ccfmiRNA, Protein, Lipid, Carbohydrates, and Metabolite versatilely from a vast variety of specimens including solid specimens and liquid specimens. The product or kit can accept new and custom Plug-in modules to expand functions and applications. The product or kit prepares specimens and biomolecules with features and benefits of high quality, easy, fast, no toxicity, safe to user and environment, low demanding, cost-effective, reducing waste, saving nature resources and protecting environment, and leads to a low-carbon and Green economy in preparation of specimens.
US08530227B2

A method of degrading carbon nanomaterials includes mixing the carbon nanomaterials with a composition comprising a peroxide substrate and at least one catalyst selected from the group of an enzyme and an enzyme analog. The peroxide substrate undergoes a reaction in the presence of the catalyst to produce an agent interactive with the nanotubes to degrade the carbon nanomaterials. The peroxide substrate can, for example, be hydrogen peroxide or an organic peroxide.
US08530225B2

The present invention relates to targeted killing of a cell utilizing a chimeric polypeptide comprising a cell-specific targeting moiety and a signal transduction pathway factor. In a preferred embodiment, the signal transduction pathway factor is an apoptosis-inducing factor, such as granzyme B, granzyme A, or Bax.
US08530223B2

The present invention pertains to a method to obtain McCoy cells persistently infected with Lawsonia intracellularis bacteria, comprising infecting McCoy cells with Lawsonia intracellularis bacteria, growing the infected McCoy cells in a suitable medium at an oxygen concentration less than 18% to arrive at a culture of McCoy cells infected with Lawsonia intracellularis bacteria, passing at least a part of the said culture to fresh medium, and without adding uninfected McCoy cells to the medium, growing the infected McCoy cells contained in the said at least part in the fresh medium at an oxygen concentration less than 18%, to obtain the persistently infected McCoy cells. The invention also pertains to the use of such persistently infected cells to grow and obtain these bacteria in purified form.
US08530222B2

Problem: To provide a microorganism with an ability to produce deoxy polyol dehydrogenase.Means for Resolution: A microorganism belonging to genus Enterobacter with an ability to produce a dehydrogenase for deoxy polyol of the same structure at the positions C2 and C3 as that of ribitol or L-iditol. The bacterial cell IK7 of the genus Enterobacter (accession No. NITE P-271). A method for producing deoxy ketose comprising allowing a culture containing the deoxy polyol dehydrogenase obtained by the culturing of the microorganism of the invention or allowing the deoxy polyol dehydrogenase to react with a solution containing deoxy polyol of the same structure at the positions C2 and C3 as that of ribitol or L-iditol to oxidize deoxy polyol to produce the corresponding deoxy ketose and then collecting the deoxy ketose. The deoxy polyol is 1-deoxy-D-allitol, while the corresponding deoxy ketose is 1-deoxy-L-psicose. Otherwise, the deoxy polyol is L-rhamnitol, while the corresponding deoxy ketose is 1-deoxy-L-fructose.
US08530215B2

The present invention relates to a novel protein and a method for the manufacture thereof. The novel protein according to the invention is a recombinant protein with fructanase activity. The recombinant protein according to the invention is an engineered protein derived from recombinant DNA encoding for the protein. The recombinant protein may be or may comprise a fragment of a naturally occurring protein, i.e. of a naturally occurring fructanase protein.
US08530211B2

Provided herein are methods of using yeast cells to produce ethanol by contacting a mixture comprising xylose with a Spathaspora yeast cell under conditions suitable to allow the yeast to ferment at least a portion of the xylose to ethanol. The methods allow for efficient ethanol production from hydrolysates derived from lignocellulosic material and sugar mixtures including at least xylose and glucose or xylose, glucose and cellobiose.
US08530209B2

A method for producing naturally derived beneficial compounds including dispersing a microbiological culture media including at least one live probiotic organism, and at least one nutraceutical and/or at least one nutritive agent in distilled water to form a broth, incubating the broth at a predetermined temperature for a select period of time to induce probiotic activity; halting the probiotic activity, and separating the desired compound from the broth.
US08530194B2

Aspects of the invention relate to the use of novel oligonucleotides as temperature-sensitive inhibitors for thermostable DNA polymerases. Some inhibitors exhibit temperature-dependent and, in some cases, reversible inhibitory property by changing the conformation of at least a portion of the oligonucleotides from double-stranded to single stranded or in some cases vice versa in a temperature-dependent manner. Aspects also relate to the use of an the inhibitors in a hot-start PCR compositions, wherein the inhibitor may act to suppress the activity of the thermostable DNA polymerase below a desired activation temperature, Tact, and wherein the inhibitor is thermally inactivated above Tact, thus liberating the polymerase activity and initiating the DNA amplification process. Aspects further relate to a procedure for formulating the composition of a hot-start PCR reaction mixture. The hot-start PCR methods disclosed herein are generally faster, more flexible and lower in cost than existing methods.
US08530188B2

A perfect palindrome operator sequence-based protein expression system is provided. The expression system comprises a promoter; and a perfect palindrome operator sequence, wherein the promoter is not T7. The expression system is preferably employed for the production of recombinant proteins by fermentation.
US08530187B2

Methods for stably transfecting mammalian natural killer cells comprising: transfecting a packaging cell line with a retroviral expression vector; culturing the transfected packaging cell line in a cell culture medium; and culturing the mammalian natural killer cells with the cell culture medium. Natural killer cells transfected according to the disclosed methods are also provided.
US08530173B2

This invention pertains to methods and compositions for the diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular conditions. More specifically, the invention relates to isolated molecules that can be used to diagnose and/or treat cardiovascular conditions including cardiac hypertrophy, myocardial infarction, stroke, arteriosclerosis, and heart failure.
US08530171B2

The present invention relates to the field of recombinant toxin protein production in bacterial hosts. In particular, the present invention relates to production processes for obtaining high levels of a recombinant CRM197, Diphtheria Toxin, Pertussis Toxin, Tetanus Toxoid Fragment C, Cholera Toxin B, Cholera holotoxin, and Pseudomonas Exotoxin A, from a bacterial host.
US08530170B2

The present invention is directed to electronic methods of detecting target analytes such that upon binding of the target analyte a shift in electrochemical potential is seen. This assay relies on the use of an electroactive moiety (“EAM”) that is attached to an electrode and comprises a self-immolative moiety, whose presence gives the EAM a first E0, and whose absence, upon irreversible cleavage gives the EAM a second E0. This difference is detected, and if such change occurs, it is an indication of the presence of a target analyte.
US08530161B2

Compositions useful for examining the PKD1 gene are provided. In addition, methods for detecting mutations of the PKD1 gene, which can be associated with autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease in humans, are provided. Methods for diagnosing a mutant PKD1 gene sequence in a subject also are provided, as are methods of treating a subject having a PKD1-associated disorder.
US08530156B2

Linkers and methods for determining a nucleotide sequence of a reference oligonucleotide are provided.
US08530155B2

The present invention refers to a method and a kit for diagnosing pediatric common acute leukemia by distinguishing between normal and common acute lymphoblastic leukemic (cALL) cells, wherein the method comprises the step of determining the gene expression of specific genes (markers) referring to this disease and the step of determining whether these genes are up-regulated or down-regulated. The method for determining the gene expression levels can apply hybridization techniques or PCR methods or combinations thereof. The present invention provides new gene markers, which have not been reported in context with cALL and are suitable for the diagnosis of this disease. In addition, the present invention refers to utilizing these targets for the development of targeted therapies employing RNA- and DNA-interference, antibodies, aptamers, anticalins and other small molecules.
US08530154B2

This invention relates to improved methods for sequencing and genotyping nucleic acid in a single molecule configuration. The method involves single molecule detection of fluorescent labeled PPi moieties released from NTPs as a polymerase extension product is created.
US08530153B1

The invention provides methods to prepare and use lentivirus transduced mammalian dendritic cells with altered levels of T cell co-stimulatory molecules.
US08530148B2

A pattern forming method, including: (A) coating a substrate with a positive resist composition of which solubility in a positive developer increases and solubility in a negative developer decreases upon irradiation with actinic rays or radiation, so as to form a resist film; (B) exposing the resist film; and (D) developing the resist film with a negative developer; a positive resist composition for multiple development used in the method; a developer for use in the method; and a rinsing solution for negative development used in the method.
US08530147B2

The invention is directed to a method for patterning a material layer. The method comprises steps of forming a first mask layer on the material layer and then patterning the first mask layer. The patterned first mask layer has a pattern therein and a plurality of gaps within the patterns and the gaps expose a portion of the material layer. Further, a second mask layer is formed over the material layer and the second mask layer fills the gaps. An interface layer is formed between the patterned first mask layer and the second mask layer. A portion of the second material layer is removed until the top surface of the interface layer is exposed. The interface layer is removed to expose a portion of the material layer and the material layer is patterned by using the patterned first mask layer and the second mask layer as a mask.
US08530146B2

A radiation-sensitive resin composition includes an acid-labile group-containing polymer and photoacid generator. The radiation-sensitive resin composition is used to form a resist pattern using a developer that includes an organic solvent in an amount of 80 mass % or more. The radiation-sensitive resin composition has a contrast value γ of 5.0 to 30.0. The contrast value γ is calculated from a resist dissolution contrast curve obtained when developing the radiation-sensitive resin composition using the organic solvent.
US08530145B2

In an exposure step, a combination of a first photomask and a second mask is used. The first mask has a real pattern corresponding to the pattern actually formed on the film to be processed, and a dummy pattern added for controlling pattern pitch in the first photomask within a prescribed range; and the second photomask has a pattern isolating a real-pattern-formed region from a dummy-pattern-formed region. In forming the pattern, after forming a film to be processed on a substrate, a first mask is formed on the film to be processed,by lithography, using the first photomask, and a second mask is formed on the film to be processed, by lithography, using the second photomask. Thereafter, the film to be processed is etched and removed using the first and second masks as masks to form the pattern.
US08530138B2

The present invention provides a salt represented by the formula (I): wherein Q1 and Q2 independently each represent a fluorine atom or a C1-C6 perfluoroalkyl group, L1 and L2 independently each represent a C1-C17 divalent saturated hydrocarbon group in which one or more —CH2— can be replaced by —O— or —CO—, ring W1 and ring W2 independently each represent a C3-C36 aliphatic ring, R2 is independently in each occurrence a C1-C6 alkyl group, R4 is independently in each occurrence a C1-C6 alkyl group, R3 represents a C1-C12 hydrocarbon group, t represents an integer of 0 to 2, u represents an integer of 0 to 2, and Z+ represents an organic counter ion.
US08530135B2

The present invention provides a photoresist composition comprising a resin having an acid-labile group and being insoluble or poorly soluble in an aqueous alkali solution but becoming soluble in an aqueous alkali solution by the action of an acid, an acid generator and a compound represented by the formula (I): wherein Z1 represents a C7-C20 alkylene group, a C3-C20 divalent saturated cyclic group or a divalent group formed by combining at least one C1-C6 alkylene group with at least one C3-C20 divalent saturated cyclic group.
US08530134B2

Disclosed is a process for producing a photoresist polymeric compound. The process includes the steps of polymerizing a monomer mixture containing at least one monomer selected from a monomer (a) containing a group capable of leaving with an acid to allow the polymeric compound to be soluble in an alkali, a monomer (b) having a lactone skeleton, and a monomer (c) having a hydroxyl-containing alicyclic skeleton, to give a polymer; passing a solution containing the polymer through a filter including a porous membrane having an anion-exchange group to give a polymer solution; and thereafter passing the polymer solution through a filter including a porous membrane having a cation-exchange group. The polymer solution before passing through the filter including a porous membrane having a cation-exchange group preferably has a content of metals of 1000 ppb by weight or less per the weight of the polymer.
US08530128B2

The present invention relates to a polymerized toner including a low molecular weight polymer having a weight average molecular weight of 3000 to 30,000 and a method for preparing the same, wherein the polymerized toner can realize excellent gloss and offset feature and can also can exhibit excellent performance in the applications of high speed copying, development of transferred photos, etc.
US08530124B2

A hydroxygallium phthalocyanine composite pigment, which is a composite pigment wherein an azo compound expressed by the following general formula (a) is conjugated to a hydroxygallium phthalocyanine pigment, wherein the hydroxygallium phthalocyanine composite pigment has diffraction peaks at least at 7.5°, 9.9°, 12.5°, 16.3°, 18.6°, 25.1°, and 28.3° on an X-ray diffraction spectrum with Bragg angle of 2θ±0.2°, using Cu—Kα X-rays: A(H)n  General Formula (a) where A is a residue of an azo compound; H is a hydrogen atom; the residue A is bonded to one or more hydrogen atoms, where the number of the hydrogen atoms is expressed with n, via one or more heteroatoms which are selected from the group consisting of N and O, and form part of the residue A; and n is an integer of 1 to 9.
US08530119B2

A positive photosensitive resin composition includes (A) a polybenzoxazole precursor resin, (B) a photosensitive diazoquinone compound, (C) a hindered phenol antioxidant shown by the following general formula (1), and (D) a phenol compound shown by the following general formula (2). Formula (1) is: wherein R1 represents a hydrogen atom or an organic group having 1 to 4 carbon atoms, a is an integer from 1 to 3, and b is an integer from 1 to 3. Formula (2) is: wherein R2 represents a methylene group or a single bond, c is an integer from 1 to 3, and d is an integer from 1 to 3. A protective film, an interlayer insulating film, and a semiconductor device and a display element using the same are also disclosed.
US08530115B2

A method of manufacturing a color filter array panel is provided. The method includes forming light-blocking members having a plurality of openings on a substrate, forming transparent organic layers within the openings, forming color filters by spraying ink for the color filters in the openings, and forming a common electrode on the color filters and the light-blocking members. The transparent organic layers are formed in reflective areas, and the color filters are formed by using an inkjet printing system so that it is possible to planarize the color filters and improve color characteristics of the reflective areas.
US08530114B2

A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) interconnect comprises a metal sheet with an air side and a fuel side in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. The metal sheet comprises a metallic composite having a matrix. The matrix comprises a first metal. The metal sheet also comprises a plurality of discontinuous, elongated, directional reinforcement wires. The reinforcement wires comprise a second metal that is immiscible in the first metal. An oxidation protection layer is disposed on the air side of the metal sheet.
US08530111B2

A fuel cell is disclosed. The fuel cell can include a membrane electrode assembly (MEA), converting a chemical energy to an electrical energy; a first end plate, stacked on one surface of the MEA and formed with a first coupling hole; a second end plate, stacked on the other surface of the MEA; and a protrusion, formed on the second end plate such that the protrusion penetrates the first coupling hole and an end part of the protrusion protrudes a surface of the first end plate, and the end part being transformed such that the end part couples the first end plate and the second end plate. With the present invention, the fuel cell can reduce contact resistance between elements and its overall size and prevent a leak of fuel. In the manufacturing process, the end plates and the MEA can be arranged, improving reproducibility and repetition for mass production.
US08530110B2

A lithium-ion secondary battery separator has a porous structure formed by laminating a second polymer layer, a first polymer layer, and a second polymer layer in sequence. The second polymer layer has a melting point lower than that of the first polymer layer. The second polymer layer has a higher molecular part formed on a side in contact with the first polymer layer and a lower molecular part formed on a side farther from the first polymer layer than is the higher molecular part. The higher and lower molecular parts have a weight-average molecular weight ratio (higher molecular part/lower molecular part) of 4 to 19 therebetween.
US08530106B2

A fuel cell assembly is disclosed, the fuel cell assembly including a plurality of fuel cell plates arranged in a stack, each fuel cell plate having reactant inlets and outlets and a coolant inlet and outlet; a first terminal plate disposed at a first end of the stack of the fuel cell plates; and a barrier layer disposed between one of the plurality of fuel cell plates and the first terminal plate to provide a thermal barrier therebetween, wherein the barrier layer includes a first portion having a first thermal conductivity and a second portion having a second thermal conductivity.
US08530105B2

Provided is a fuel cell system capable of accurately estimating I-V characteristics of a fuel cell. An impedance measurement section measures an impedance of the fuel cell and obtains a voltage drop caused by a direct-current resistance. An air stoichiometry judgment section detects the amount of oxidant gas supplied to the fuel cell and thereby judges whether or not the air stoichiometry ratio is 1 or higher at this time point. An estimated I-V characteristics line creation section determines that the remaining voltage component consists entirely of an activation voltage when the air stoichiometry ratio notified by the air stoichiometry judgment section is 1 or higher, while determining that the remaining voltage drop component includes the combination of the activation overvoltage and voltage drop corresponding to the change in the electromotive voltage when the notified air stoichiometry ratio is below 1.
US08530104B2

A method of operating a fuel cell system including stopping power generation of a fuel cell which generates electric power using a fuel gas and an oxidizing gas, filling and keeping a combustible gas in a cathode of the fuel cell after said step, supplying the oxidizing gas to the cathode, supplying the combustible gas discharged from the cathode in response to the previous step to a combustor capable of heating a fuel generator for generating the fuel gas or an exhaust pipe connected to the combustor via a branch passage branching from an oxidizing gas passage located downstream of the cathode, diluting the combustible gas supplied to the combustor or the exhaust pipe with air supplied to the combustor or exhaust gas supplied to the exhaust pipe such that the combustible gas has a concentration lower than a combustion lower limit, and discharging the diluted combustible gas to atmosphere.
US08530103B2

A fuel cell system includes: a power generation stack (1) composed by stacking a plurality of fuel cells (10); and a hydrocarbon-oxidizing device (2) disposed on an upstream side of the power generation stack (1) in a fuel supply passage (8). The hydrocarbon-oxidizing device (2) directly and electrochemically oxidizes hydrocarbons with a carbon number of 2 or more, which are contained in fuel gas, or decomposes the hydrocarbons and electrochemically oxidizes carbon obtained by decomposing the hydrocarbons.
US08530094B2

A reduced puffing needle coke is formed, which includes a reduced nitrogen content within the coke so that the coke particles do not experience as much puffing during the formation of graphitized carbon articles produced from such coke upon heating to graphitization temperatures.
US08530084B2

An electrode 13 has an active material layer 12 formed on each of two whole main surfaces of a current collector 11. A part of an electrode lead 14 overlaps the electrode 13. One end face of the electrode 13 in the width direction of the electrode 13 is flush with one end face of the electrode lead 14. Joints 15 are formed at the one end of the electrode 13 in the width direction. The joints 15 join the electrode 13 and the electrode lead 14 so as to provide electrical continuity between the exposed part of the current collector 11 at the one end face of the electrode 13 in the width direction and the electrode lead 14. The joints 15 are formed, for example, by plasma welding.
US08530079B2

A rechargeable battery includes an electrode group with a separator, a positive electrode, and a negative electrode in a case, a cap plate for sealing the case and including a terminal hole, an electrode terminal extending through the terminal hole, and a lead tab connecting the electrode terminal to the electrode group. The lead tab includes a horizontal part connected to the electrode terminal, a first vertical part and a second vertical part spaced apart from each other and extending from the horizontal part in a vertical direction along the electrode group, and a connection part connecting the first vertical part and the second vertical part, the connection part being spaced apart from the horizontal part to define a gas outlet that overlaps an end part of the electrode group.
US08530062B2

An organic electroluminescent includes an organic layer with a total thickness of 150 nm or over is included between an anode and a cathode. The organic layer includes a light-emitting layer containing a host material of a polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon compound with a basic skeleton having three to seven ring members, and hole supply layers arranged between the anode and the light-emitting layer and having a smaller thickness than a thickness of the light-emitting layer.
US08530058B1

A lead free solder consisting of a ternary eutectic composition of Sn-3.9Ag-0.7Cu with Ce in the amount of 0.5 to 2% by weight exhibits improved oxidation resistance increased ductility in comparison with other RE metals and is characterized by a homogeneous mixture of large grain CeSn3 intermetallics in a Sn beta phase. In solder applications, the joints with the solder are resistance to interfacial fracture by distributing the strain within the solder interface increasing impact resistance.
US08530053B2

A high heat-resistant composite material which comprises a polymerizable composition comprising a bi-functional epoxy compound, a tri- or more-functional epoxy compound and a polymerization initiator, wherein the polymerization initiator comprises a sodium salt or potassium salt of mono- or poly-functional carboxylic acid, and a reinforcing fiber such as a carbon fiber or a glass fiber; and a vehicle member or a construction member comprising the above heat-resistant composite material. Said composite material comprises an epoxy polymer having high heat-resistant physical properties over those of a conventional epoxy polymer as a matrix, and exhibits an extremely high retention factor of storage modulus at high temperature.
US08530052B2

A carbon nanotube composite preform includes a substrate and a plurality of carbon nanotubes formed thereon. Each carbon nanotube includes a first end adjacent to the substrate and a second end away from the substrate. Gaps between the second ends of the carbon nanotubes are bigger than gaps between the first ends thereof. The method for making the carbon nanotube composite preform includes the following steps: (a) providing a substrate; (b) forming a plurality of carbon nanotubes (e.g., a carbon nanotube array) on the substrate; (c) placing the carbon nanotubes and the substrate in a solvent for some time; (d) removing the carbon nanotubes and the substrate from the solvent; (e) drying the carbon nanotubes and the substrate to form a carbon nanotube composite preform.
US08530051B2

A high strength gear used as an element of a power transmission mechanism. The gear includes a base gear formed of an iron-based alloy subjected to carburizing or carbonitriding treatment. The base gear has an engaging surface with which an opposite gear is engaged. The engaging surface of the base gear is coated with a first diamond-like carbon film which has a hydrogen content of not more than 10 atomic % and a surface hardness ranging from 8 to 30 GPa in a nano-indentation test. Additionally, at least a part of the first diamond-like carbon film is coated with a second diamond-like carbon film which has a hydrogen content of not more than 10 atomic % and a surface hardness ranging from 50 to 90 GPa in the nano-indentation test. The second diamond-like carbon film has a surface roughness Ra ranging from 0.1 to 0.2 μm.
US08530041B2

The transparent conductive film of the present invention is a transparent conductive film, comprising a transparent film substrate, and a first transparent dielectric layer, a second transparent dielectric layer and a patterned transparent conductive layer that are formed on one or both sides of the transparent film substrate in this order from the transparent film substrate side, wherein the transparent conductive layer has a thickness of 31 nm or more, the first transparent dielectric layer has a thickness of from 7 nm to 16 nm, the second transparent dielectric layer has a thickness of from 30 nm to 60 nm, and the relation n2
US08530037B2

Window trim apparatus are provided that include scored grooves made by methods other than extrusion. Also provided are methods and apparatus for manufacturing and using same.
US08530034B2

A roofing product with a higher reflectivity is provided having a roofing material, and fine granules adhered to the roofing materials that are double-coated with a coating having a white pigment. A top white coating composition can be applied to the granules after the granules are applied to a roofing material. Further, a process of manufacturing a roofing product is provided, where fine granules that are double-coated with a coating having a white pigment are applied to a roofing material, and a top coating composition is then applied to the fine granules.
US08530032B1

There is provided a seal for covering a hole in a disk drive housing. The seal includes a conductive layer, a primary dielectric layer, and a gasket layer. The conductive layer has a covered surface region and an exposed planar surface region. The exposed planar surface region is lacking a dielectric coating disposed thereon. The primary dielectric layer includes an adhesive coating disposed between the primary dielectric layer and the covered surface region. The gasket layer includes first and second adhesive gasket layer sides and a gasket opening disposed through the gasket layer.
US08530028B2

A trim panel and method of forming a trim panel for a vehicle. The trim panel can include a localized cushioned portion of softness (150) at pre-selected locations on the panel.
US08530026B2

An artificial fiber for use in an artificial grass sports field is disclosed wherein, seen in a transverse sectional direction of the fiber, at least part of the fiber is provided with a stiffness-enhancing portion extending in the longitudinal direction thereof. The artificial fiber includes at least two fiber flange portions, at least one fiber flange portion forming the stiffness-enhancing portion, while at least two fiber flange portions have a uniform thickness. The improved artificial fiber is less flexible and consequently exhibits less tendency to deform to a flat orientation, but does not increase the risk of injuries to players or have an adverse effect on the playing characteristics of the field. Also disclosed is an artificial grass lawn, suitable for sports fields, having a substrate to which one or more artificial fibers of the invention are attached.
US08530025B2

An optical information recording medium comprises a plurality of recording layers, and intermediate layers provided between the plurality of recording layers. The optical information recording medium has a recess for use in tracking, in a layer which is provided in a position farther, than the plurality of recording layers, from a light-incident side on which a beam emitted for recording/reading enters. A depth D of the recess is λ/4n where λ is a wavelength of the beam emitted for recording/reading, n is a refractive index of a layer with which the recess is filled.
US08530024B2

A recording layer excellent in recording property, an optical information recording medium including the recording layer, and a sputtering target for producing the recording layer. The recording layer on which recording is performed through irradiation with a laser light, contains: a Pd oxide; a Ag oxide; and an oxide of a metal X of having an absolute value of the standard free energy of oxide formation per 1 mol of oxygen that is larger than an oxide of Pd and Ag, wherein a ratio of Pd atom to a total (metal X atom+Pd atom+Ag atom) is from 10 to 60 atomic %, a ratio of Ag atom to the total is from 5 to 45 atomic %, and a ratio of Pd atom and the Ag atom to the total is 75 atomic % or less.
US08530022B2

An article (1) of a medical and technical nature intended to be affixed to skin, or a component for affixing a medical article or part thereof to skin, which article or component comprises a layer of carrier material (2) that has a layer (3) of a soft skin-friendly adhesive on one side, and a protection layer (4) that protects the adhesive layer before use of the article or component and is affixed to the adhesive layer in such a way that it is releasable. According to the invention, the protection layer (4) is provided with a pattern of projections (6) on the side facing towards the adhesive layer (3) and a reinforcing layer (5) is arranged on the layer of carrier material (2), on the opposite side to the side that has the layer of soft skin-friendly adhesive, in such a way that it can be removed.
US08530021B2

Herein is disclosed a plastic tape, comprising a backing with a first major side comprising a microstructured paint-retention pattern and a second major side that may comprise a microstructured hand-tear pattern and with a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer disposed on second major side of the backing; wherein the backing, the microstructured paint-retention pattern, and the microstructured hand-tear pattern (if present) all constitute a monolithic plastic unit.
US08530016B2

The invention described herein includes a repellent elastomeric article with antimicrobial properties particularly useful in industrial and medical fields, such as gloves. The article contains an elastomeric base and a fluid-repellent coating composition that effectively repels both hydrophilic and lipophilic liquids from its surface and inhibits cross-contamination of surfaces. Articles prepared in accordance with the invention reduce the risk of contamination associated with blood and other body fluids, as well as reduce fluid-based visual obstruction and enhance the clarity of medical procedures. The invention also provides a method of reducing the ability of fluids to adhere to the surface of an elastomeric article.
US08530012B2

Food packaging articles, food packaging films, and food packaging methods comprising a myoglobin blooming agent that promote or preserve the desirable appearance of food products are provided. The food contact layer of the packaging films comprises a myoglobin blooming agent.
US08530006B2

A method of localized plasma processing improves processing speed and reduces work piece damage compared to charged particle beam deposition and etching. In one embodiment, a plasma jet exits a plasma generating chamber and activates a reactive gas. A jet of plasma and reactive gas impacts and processes the work piece. Because the plasma and the ions in the reactive gas can have low kinetic energy, there can be little or no surface damage. This is particularly useful for deposition processes. When it is desired to etch material, the reactive ions can be more energetic to enhance etching.
US08529995B2

A method of fabricating a thermostructural composite material part includes making a fiber preform formed of yarns or tows and impregnated by a consolidating composition containing a carbon- or ceramic-precursor, transforming the carbon- or ceramic-precursor by pyrolysis, and then densifying the preform by chemical vapor infiltration. A consolidating composition is used that additionally contains refractory solid fillers in the powder form presenting mean grain size less than 200 nanometers and leaving, after pyrolysis, a consolidated solid phase in which the carbon or the ceramic derived from the precursor occupies a volume representing 3% to 10% of the apparent volume of the preform, and the solid fillers occupy a volume representing 0.5% to 5% of the apparent volume of the preform.
US08529994B2

Ultralong carbon nanotubes can be formed by placing a secondary chamber within a reactor chamber to restrict a flow to provide a laminar flow. Inner shells can be successively extracted from multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWNTs) such as by applying a lateral force to an elongated tubular sidewall at a location between its two ends. The extracted shells can have varying electrical and mechanical properties that can be used to create useful materials, electrical devices, and mechanical devices.
US08529992B2

The present disclosure includes a method of applying a coating material to an air duct including inserting a first end of a supply line including a spray head and a camera through a first opening in the air duct; initiating flow of coating material to the spray head through the supply line; pulling the supply line and the attached spray head and camera so that the spray head deposits coating material onto the interior surfaces of the duct while capturing the deposition of coating material using the camera. Using the process and apparatus of the present disclosure provides for the coating of the inside of a air duct while being able to observe and monitor the deposition of coating material in order to ensure that the coating material is applied consistently and evenly along the length of the air duct.
US08529982B2

The invention relates to an apparatus for and a method of detecting latent fingerprints on a previously heated substrate, such as a bullet casing following discharge of a bullet. By applying a potential difference across the substrate, and contacting the substrate with detection means, such as graphite coated beads, arranged to selectively attract to or repel from the area of a latent fingerprint on the surface, a latent fingerprint may be recovered.
US08529975B2

A container can have a body with an integrally formed base attached to the body. The base includes a concave annular wall extending from the container sidewall to a standing surface, and an inner wall extending from the standing surface to a substantially flat inner annular wall. The inner annular wall is recessed in the base and is substantially perpendicular to the container sidewall. The inner annular wall includes a centrally located dimple. The dimple includes a plurality of spaced apart and radially extending indented ribs. One or more of the ribs extend radially into a brace that tapers to meet the inner annular wall.
US08529974B2

A collapsible container includes an outer cup, an inner cup located inside the outer cup, and a seal covering the container. The inner cup includes a base and a plurality of concentric sections that are configured to collapse toward an opening in the container, when a force is exerted toward the opening on the base. The plurality of concentric sections may include three concentric sections: a base section, a middle section, and a top section, wherein the base section perimeter is smaller than the middle section perimeter, and the middle section perimeter is smaller than the top section perimeter.
US08529973B2

The disclosure relates to a coffee composition, in particular, an instant coffee composition which can provide a three-layered coffee drink in one step. The coffee composition having coffee, a foaming agent, a protein source and at least 1.3 wt % (based on the total weight of the composition) of a kappa-carrageenan, iota-carrageenan or mixture thereof. The disclosure also relates to a method for the preparation of such a composition and such a drink.
US08529967B2

Sunscreen compositions are provided for protecting skin from sun-induced damage comprising (i) at least one UV-B and/or UV-A/UV-B sunblock active, (ii) at least one meroterpene and (iii) a dermatological acceptable carrier wherein the meroterpene is free or substantially free of psoralens and has a purity of at least 90% w/w. Preferably, the sunblock active will be a UV-A/UV-B sunblock active. These skin protective compositions may optionally include an effective amount of one or more skin protective ingredients such as antioxidants, vitamins, anti-inflammatory agents, self-tanning agents and mixtures thereof.
US08529964B1

Method and composition for treating citrus canker on citrus plants. The composition comprises copper nitrate complexed with amino acids from hydrolyzed yeast extract. In the method, an aqueous solution of this composition is sprayed on the plant foliage and absorbed by the plant.
US08529953B2

The present invention provides a method for producing spherical fine particles containing tamsulosin hydrochloride, the method includes the steps of: (1) mixing and stirring tamsulosin hydrochloride (a), microcrystalline cellulose (b), and water until a mixture of the component (a) and the component (b) is uniformly impregnated with the water; (2) granulating the mixture obtained in step (1) using an stirring granulator whose peripheral speed is set to be 5.5 to 9.0 m/s; and (3) drying the granules obtained in step (2). The present invention also provides spherical fine particles obtained according to the method, coated fine particles obtained by applying a coating to the spherical fine particles, and an orally disintegrating tablet containing the coated fine particles.
US08529948B1

Disclosed in certain embodiments is a controlled release oral dosage form comprising a therapeutically effective amount of a drug susceptible to abuse together with one or more pharmaceutically acceptable excipients; the dosage form further including a gelling agent in an effective amount to impart a viscosity unsuitable for administration selected from the group consisting of parenteral and nasal administration to a solubilized mixture formed when the dosage form is crushed and mixed with from about 0.5 to about 10 ml of an aqueous liquid; the dosage form providing a therapeutic effect for at least about 12 hours when orally administered to a human patient.
US08529947B2

There is provided an alkaloid formulation comprising the reaction product of one or more alkaloids with one or more phosphate derivatives of one or more electron transfer agents.
US08529933B2

This invention relates to biomineral-based cements incorporating biopolymer carriers for the site specific introduction of natural or synthetic compounds that influence bone repair and/or patient recovery. The invention further relates to methods for producing such biphasic calcium phosphate cements for drug delivery.
US08529926B2

To provide a formulation composition which improves the controlling effect of an anthranilamide compound against pests. A pesticide composition which is a concentrated composition containing an anthranilamide compound as a pesticidal active ingredient, a dispersant and a hydrophilic organic solvent, characterized in that when the composition is diluted with water, the anthranilamide compound precipitates as solid particles in water.
US08529924B2

A triacylglycerol-based wax, which can be used in candle making, is provided. The triacylglycerol-based material is predominantly includes a triacylglycerol stock which has a fatty acid profile has no more than about 25 wt. % fatty acids having less than 18 carbon atoms. In addition, the fatty acid profile of the triacylglycerol typically includes at least about 50 wt. % 18:1 fatty acid and no more than about 25 wt. % 18:0 fatty acid. In another embodiment, the triacylglycerol-based material is characterized in part by an Iodine Value of about 60 to about 75. For applications such as candles, the wax commonly includes a hydrogenated vegetable oil and palmitic acid. Candles formed from triacylglycerol-based material and methods of producing the candles are also provided.
US08529923B2

Disclosed is a cosmetic composition including, in a cosmetically acceptable medium, the combination of (a) a sufficient amount of uncoated substantially hemispherical PMMA particles and (b) a sufficient amount of substantially hemispherical PMMA particles coated with optionally treated metal oxide. It also relates to its uses in caring for or making up the skin.
US08529921B2

Polyamide-5 compounds show an increase of the care and/or efficacy properties of cosmetic or dermatological preparations, such as waterproofness, long-term stability, skin moisture and stickiness. The preparations preferably comprise one or more care agents or active ingredients selected from the group of UV filter substances, anti-wrinkle active ingredients, skin moisturizers and/or lipids.
US08529915B2

Short-chain 2- to 3-carbon alcohols are used as solvents for cooling agents in the preparation of topical therapeutic and cosmetic formulations. Some of these alcohols, especially ethanol, inhibit the ability of the cooling agent to activate its target receptor. In one embodiment of this invention, (R)-1,2-propanediol is used as an alcoholic solvent for the topical delivery of cooling agents to biological surfaces. This propanediol enantiomer has a minimum inhibitory effect on cooling with respect to standard 2- to 3-carbon alcoholic solvents, and functions to substantially protect the agent's cooling activity from inhibition when in the presence of a short-chain alcohol.
US08529911B2

The present invention relates to a peptide consisting of one antigen of Streptococcus pyogenes (S. pyogenes) of any of the SEQ ID NOS: 1 to 7 or a functional active variant thereof, optionally further consisting of additional amino acid residue(s); a nucleic acid coding for the same; a pharmaceutical composition, especially a vaccine, comprising said peptide or said nucleic acid; an antibody or functional active fragment thereof specifically binding to the antigen; a hybridoma cell line which produces said antibody; a method for producing said antibody; a pharmaceutical composition comprising said antibody; the use of said peptide or said nucleic acid for the manufacture of a medicament for the immunization or treatment of a subject; the use of said antibody or functional fragment thereof for the manufacture of a medicament for the treatment of an infection; a method of diagnosing a S. pyogenes infection; a method for identifying a ligand capable of binding to said peptide; and the use of said peptide for the isolation and/or purification and/or identification of an interaction partner of the peptide.
US08529908B2

Conjugated meningococcal capsular saccharides will be introduced into immunization schedules in the near future, but the phenomenon of “carrier suppression” must first be addressed, particularly where multiple conjugates are to be used. In the invention, tetanus toxoid is used as the carrier protein, even where multiple meningococcal conjugates are administered at the same time and where a patient has previously been exposed to the carrier protein, either in the form of a previous immunogen (e.g. in a DTP vaccine) or as a previous carrier protein (e.g. in a Hib or pneumococcal conjugate vaccine). The invention provides a method for immunizing a patient, comprising administering multiple conjugates of meningococcal capsular saccharides, wherein each conjugate comprises a tetanus toxoid carrier protein, and the capsular saccharide, and wherein the patient has been pre-immunized with a tetanus toxoid.
US08529904B2

A peptide comprising the amino acid sequence RMFPNAPYL or a portion or variant thereof provided that the peptide is not intact human WT-1 polypeptide or a peptide comprising the amino acid sequence CMTWNQMNL or a portion or variant thereof provided that the peptide is not intact human WT-1 polypeptide or a peptide comprising the amino acid sequence HLMPFPGPLL or a portion or variant thereof provided that the peptide is not intact human gata-1 polypeptide, and polynucleotides encoding these peptides. The peptides and polynucleotides are useful as cancer vaccines.
US08529897B2

The various embodiments provide a composition that provides local control over inflammation. The composition localizes the activities of the cytokine-neutralizing antibodies to the site of inflammation through covalent attachment to hydrophilic matrices. The various embodiments including a hydrophilic polymer, a ligand binding moiety covalently attached to the polymer, and optionally, a cellular adhesion peptide covalently attached to the polymer. The hydrophilic polymer may be a glycosaminoglycan such as hyaluronan. The cellular adhesion peptide may be a linear RGD peptide sequence covalently attached to the polymer. The ligand binding moiety may be a monoclonal antibody covalently attached to the polymer. The antibody may be selected from the group consisting of an anti-IL-1β, an anti-IL-6, an anti-TNF-α, and combinations thereof. The polymer functions as a substrate or matrix for cell migration and tissue regeneration. The RGD peptide functions to promote cellular proliferation, migration and attachment to the polymer. The monoclonal antibody functions to inhibit the inflammatory response.
US08529894B2

The invention pertains to methods of treating cardiovascular disease by modulating inflammatory and immunoregulatory responses associated with such pathological conditions. Embodiments of the invention provide methods for the treatment of cardiovascular disease in a subject having cardiovascular disease comprising administering an effective amount of one or more IL-17 antagonists, IL-18 antagonists, 4-1BB antagonists, CD30 antagonists, OX40 antagonists and/or CD39 alone or in any combination. This abstract is provided for the sole purpose of enabling the reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure and is not intended to be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. 37 CFR 1.72(b).
US08529892B2

The present invention relates to methods for characterization of bacterial skin microbiota to provide diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive measures for alleviating skin conditions. In certain embodiments, the invention relates to characterization of bacterial skin microbiota associated with psoriasis and related diagnostic, therapeutic, and preventive measures for alleviating psoriasis. These methods will be useful for detecting, diagnosing, and monitoring individuals who have or are at risk of certain skin conditions.
US08529882B2

The present invention relates to peptidomimetic compounds useful as protease inhibitors, particularly as serine protease inhibitors and more particularly as hepatitis C NS3 protease inhibitors; intermediates thereto; their preparation including novel stereoselective processes to intermediates. The invention is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions and to methods for using the compounds for inhibiting HCV protease or treating a patient suffering from an HCV infection or physiological condition related to the infection. Also provided are pharmaceutical combinations comprising, in addition to one or more HCV serine protease inhibitors, one or more interferons exhibiting anti-HCV activity and/or one or more compounds having anti HCV activity and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, and methods for treating or preventing a HCV infection in a patient using the compositions. The present invention is also directed to a kit or pharmaceutical pack for treating or preventing HCV infection in a patient.
US08529881B2

Peptide of a size comprised between 5 and 40 amino acids, originating from a cytokine, in which at least one of its amino acids comprises at least one of its atoms separated by a distance d of less than 5 angströms from an atom of the receptor corresponding to said cytokine, the spacing d being evaluated on the basis of structural data, derivatives, immunogenic compounds comprising them, use of a peptide or peptide derivative or immunogenic compound for the preparation of a curative or preventative medicament intended for the treatment or prevention of diseases linked to an excess or to the presence of cytokines or for the treatment of an auto-immune disease and pharmaceutical compositions which contain at least one abovementioned peptide or peptide derivative or immunogenic compound as active ingredient.
US08529876B2

Provided is a pigment composition comprising a first and second effect pigments, wherein the composition has a hue comparable to carmine but does not comprise carmine.
US08529868B2

ITQ-40 (INSTITUTO DE TECNOLOGÍA QUÍMICA number 40) is a new crystalline microporous material with a framework of tetrahedral atoms connected by atoms capable of bridging the tetrahedral atoms, the tetrahedral atom framework being defined by the interconnections between the tetrahedrally coordinated atoms in its framework. ITQ-40 can be prepared in silicate compositions with an organic structure directing agent. It has a unique X-ray diffraction pattern, which identifies it as a new material.
US08529863B2

Disclosed is a process for the continuous modification of dihydrate gypsum. The process includes a hemihydration step of calcining the dihydrate gypsum as a raw material into hemihydrate gypsum and a recrystallization step of hydrating and recrystallizing the hemihydrate gypsum in an aqueous slurry to convert the hemihydrate gypsum into modified dihydrate gypsum of a crystalline form different from the dihydrate gypsum as the raw material. In the recrystallization step, the aqueous slurry in a recrystallization reaction tank is maintained at a constant temperature under stirring such that the aqueous slurry becomes uniform, and a feed rate of the hemihydrate gypsum to the recrystallization reaction tank and a discharge rate of the recrystallized and modified dihydrate gypsum from the recrystallization reaction tank are controlled such that the feed rate and the discharge rate become substantially equal to each other, whereby the feeding of the hemihydrate gypsum and the discharging of the recrystallized and modified dihydrate gypsum are conducted continuously or intermittently. According to the process, dihydrate gypsum as a starting raw material can be converted into high-purity, modified dihydrate gypsum of large crystals by recrystallizing the starting dihydrate gypsum after it is once calcined into hemihydrate gypsum although such modified dihydrate gypsum is not available in general.
US08529861B2

Method and apparatus for carrying out highly exothermic catalyzed reactions, like so-called oxidative reactions, in pseudo-isothermal conditions, for example the reaction for producing nitric acid and the reaction for producing formaldehyde.
US08529860B2

Methods for producing silicon tetrafluoride by acid digestion of fluoride salts of alkali metal or alkaline earth metal and aluminum, optionally, in the presence of a source of silicon; methods for producing silane that include acid digestion of by-products of silane production to produce silicon tetrafluoride.
US08529852B2

A flue-gas purification system includes a flue-gas cycling system, a reactor, and an absorbent adding system having at least a catalytic absorbent, wherein the catalytic absorbent is being gasified for reacting with the flue-gas in the reactor in a homogenous gas-gas phase reacting manner. Therefore, the purification system has fast reaction rate between the pollutants of the flue-gas and the catalytic absorbent, which is preferably ammonia, to efficiently remove pollutants, so as to effectively purify the flue-gas.
US08529851B2

New process for obtaining lithium aluminosilicate-based (LAS) ceramic materials having a near-zero and negative thermal expansion coefficient within a temperature range of (−150° C. to 450° C.). These materials are applicable to the manufacture of components that require a high level of dimensional stability.
US08529846B1

A system, method and apparatus in the detection of a scent to locate the damage and its extent and to aid in the repair manually or self-repair.
US08529844B2

An apparatus for producing trichlorosilane includes: a decomposing furnace, a heating unit heating the inside of the decomposing furnace, a raw material supplying tube for guiding polymer and hydrogen chloride to be guided to the inner bottom portion of the decomposing furnace, and a gas discharge tube for discharging reaction gas from the top of the reaction chamber provided between the outer peripheral surface of the raw material supplying tube and the inner peripheral surface of the decomposing furnace, a fin, which guides a fluid mixture of the polymer and the hydrogen chloride supplied from the lower end opening of the raw material supplying tube to be agitated and rise upward in the reaction chamber, and is formed integrally with at least one of the outer peripheral surface of the raw material supplying tube and the inner peripheral surface of the decomposing furnace.
US08529843B2

A fibrous structure (10) of the present invention includes: long fibers (1) composed of an inorganic material; and short fibers (2) composed of the inorganic material and shorter than the long fibers (1), wherein at least one of the long fibers (1) and the short fibers (2) includes catalyst components (4), and a three-dimensional net-like structure is formed by the long fibers (1) and the short fibers (2).
US08529840B2

A method for managing treatment of a particular health condition afflicting a patient through connection of a patient local processing device with a remote web server system. The patient local processing device receives patient health condition data, such as subjective patient symptoms and analyte levels, compiles the data into summaries to correlate subjective symptoms to analyte levels. The web server automatically provides patient reports to a healthcare provider.
US08529834B2

There is provided a mass exchange apparatus (114) for use in blood/air mass exchange comprising plural blood flow conduits for defining a blood flow from a blood flow inlet provided thereto; and plural air flow conduits for defining an air flow from an air flow inlet provided thereto. The plural air flow conduits and plural blood flow conduits at least partially comprise gas-permeable membrane material, and the conduits are arranged relative to each other such as to enable transfer of oxygen from the air flow to the blood flow and transfer of carbon dioxide from the blood flow to the air flow through the membrane material.
US08529829B2

Disclosed herein is a high-strength hot-rolled steel sheet which is characterized by high strength (in terms of tensile strength at 900 MPa level) and excellent combined formability expressed by balance between strength and ductility [tensile strength (TS)×total elongation (El)] and balance between strength and stretch flangeability [tensile strength (TS)×bore expanding ratio (λ)]. The hot-rolled steel sheet contains C: no less than 0.02% and no more than 0.15%, Si: no less than 0.2% and no more than 2.0%, Mn: no less than 0.5% and no more than 2.5%, Al: no less than 0.02% and no more than 0.15%, Cu: no less than 1.0% and no more than 3.0%, Ni: no less than 0.5% and no more than 3.0%, and Ti: no less than 0.03% and no more than 0.5%. (% means mass %) It also has a metallographic structure in longitudinal cross section such that the sum of bainitic ferrite and granular bainitic ferrite accounts for no less than 85% by area.
US08529818B2

A method and system for forming a product including a layer of fiber to a surface of a mold is provided. The system includes a mold and an apparatus. The mold is configured to rotate about an axis of rotation. An apparatus includes a base and a head coupled to the base. The base is configured to rotate about the axis of rotation. The head is configured to apply the fiber to the surface of the mold to form the product. The product includes at least one layer including at least one fiber applied using centrifugal force.
US08529814B2

A hollow fiber membrane is made by covering a tubular supporting structure with a membrane dope and converting the membrane dope into a solid porous membrane wall. Optionally, a textile reinforcing structure in the form of a circular knit may be added around the supporting structure before it is covered in dope. The reinforcing structure thereby becomes embedded in the membrane wall. The supporting structure may be soluble in a non-solvent of the membrane wall, for example water, and may be removed from the membrane. Alternatively, the supporting structure may be porous. A porous supporting structure may be made by a non-woven textile process, a sintering process within an extrusion machine, or by extruding a polymer mixed with a second component. The second component may be a soluble solid or liquid, a super-critical gas, or a second polymer that does not react with the first polymer.
US08529811B2

Techniques for component protective overmolding using protective external coatings include selectively applying a protective material substantially over one or more elements coupled to a framework configured to be worn, the elements including at least a sensor, and forming one or more moldings substantially over a subset or all of the framework, the protective material and the elements, after the protective material has been selectively applied, at least one of the one or more moldings having a protective property.
US08529802B2

Disclosed is a solution composition for forming a thin film transistor including a zinc-containing compound, an indium-containing compound, and a compound including at least one metal or metalloid selected from the group consisting of hafnium (Hf), magnesium (Mg), tantalum (Ta), cerium (Ce), lanthanum (La), silicon (Si), germanium (Ge), vanadium (V), niobium (Nb), and yttrium (Y). A method of forming a thin film by using the solution composition, and a method of manufacturing thin film transistor including the thin film are also disclosed.
US08529794B2

The invention relates to polymers comprising fused selenophene rings, to their use as semiconductors or charge transport materials in optical, electrooptical or electronic devices, and to optical, electrooptical or electronic devices comprising them.
US08529793B2

The present invention provides a granular stabilizer for a polymer which is low-dusting and thus is easy to be handled. The present invention relates to a granular stabilizer for a polymer, comprising a compound shown by the formula (1): wherein R1s and R2s each independently represents a hydrogen atom, an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms, or a cycloalkyl group having 5 to 8 carbon atoms; R3s each independently represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms; and X represents a single bond, a sulfur atom, an oxygen atom, an alkylidene group having 1 to 8 carbon atoms or a cycloalkylidene group having 5 to 8 carbon atoms.
US08529790B2

The present invention provides white light emitting materials. The invention further provides a process for the preparation of white light emitting organogels using the concept of molecular self-assembly and partial energy transfer. The donor acceptor type molecules on coassembly and subsequent irradiation with suitable wavelength light produce white light. On irradiation, partial transfer of the excitation energy from the donor to the acceptor takes place, resulting a broad emission covering the entire range from 400-700 nm to give bright white light emission with CIE coordinates of (0.31, 0.35).
US08529778B2

Methods for creating nano-shaped patterns are described. This approach may be used to directly pattern substrates and/or create imprint lithography molds that may be subsequently used to directly replicate nano-shaped patterns into other substrates in a high throughput process.
US08529777B2

The present invention relates to a method of making a mask for patterning a thin film. The method includes a step of forming an inorganic material, which is resolvable into alkali solution, on a substrate; a step of forming the inorganic material in a predetermined pattern; and a step of narrowing the inorganic material with the alkali solution to form the mask.
US08529763B2

Systems and methods have been developed for reclaiming water contaminated with the expected range of contaminants typically associated with produced water, including water contaminated with slick water, methanol and boron. The system includes anaerobically digesting the contaminated water, followed by aerating the water to enhance biological digestion. After aeration, the water is separated using a flotation operation that effectively removes the spent friction reducing agents and allows the treated water to be reclaimed and reused as fracturing water, even though it retains levels of contaminants, including boron and methanol, that would prevent its discharge to the environment under existing standards. The treated water may further be treated by removing the methanol via biological digestion in a bioreactor, separating a majority of the contaminants from the water by reverse osmosis and removing the boron that passes through the reverse osmosis system with a boron-removing ion exchange resin.
US08529761B2

A reverse osmosis system includes a plurality of feed pumps each having a feed pump input and a feed pump output, an input manifold in fluid communication with the feed pump inputs and a membrane feed manifold in fluid communication with the feed pump output. The system also includes a plurality of membrane chambers each in fluid communication with the membrane feed manifold and generating a permeate output and a brine output, each brine output in fluid communication with a brine manifold. The system further includes a plurality of booster devices each having a turbine portion with a turbine input in fluid communication with the brine manifold and a pump portion having a booster device pump input and a booster device pump output, each booster device pump output in fluid communication with the membrane feed manifold. The system includes a pump input manifold in fluid communication with the booster device pump input. The system also includes a medium pressure pump in fluid communication with the input manifold and the pump input manifold.
US08529760B1

A device and method of using same, wherein the device includes a collimated light source operable to generate a collimated light source beam, the collimated light source beam comprising a beam cross-section. The device further includes at least one body defining a first channel in a first plane, the first channel comprising a first channel cross-section, the first channel being oriented to receive the collimated light source beam such that the beam cross-section completely overlaps the first channel cross-section. Optionally, the body defines a second channel in a second plane orthogonal to the first plane, wherein the body defines a third channel in a third plane orthogonal to the first plane.
US08529757B2

A process for separating a product from a multicomponent feedstream to an adsorption apparatus or system. The apparatus or system may comprise a moving-bed or a simulated moving-bed adsorption means. The product comprises at least one organic compound, such as an aryl compound with alkyl substitutes. In embodiments the conduits used to supply the feedstream to the apparatus or system are flushed with media of multiple grades. In embodiments the process achieves improvements in one or more of efficiency of adsorption separation, capacity of adsorption apparatus systems, and purity of product attainable by adsorption process.
US08529756B2

A settling system may be used to separate and/or remove solid particles, such as sand, from fluids produced by wells. The container of the settling system may be cleaned without need for manned-entry.
US08529754B2

The present invention relates to a catalytic conversion process for producing more diesel and propylene, comprising contacting the feedstock oil with a catalyst having a relatively homogeneous activity in a reactor, wherein the reaction temperature, weight hourly space velocity and weight ratio of the catalyst/feedstock oil are sufficient to obtain a reaction product containing from 12 to 60% by weight of a fluid catalytic cracking gas oil relative to the weight of the feedstock oil; the fluid catalytic cracking gas oil is fed into the fluid catalytic cracking gas oil treatment device for further processing. Catalytic cracking, hydrogenation, solvent extraction, hydrocracking and process for producing more diesel are organically combined together, and hydrocarbons such as alkanes, alkyl side chains in the feedstock for catalysis are selectively cracked and isomerized.
US08529745B2

Methods and apparatus for electrophoretic fabricating freestanding all nanoparticle thin films, and the resulting compositions of matter, are described. A method includes electrophoretically depositing a thin film of nanoparticles on a sacrificial layer; and freeing the thin film from the sacrificial layer. A composition of matter includes a free standing thin film of nanoparticles with no functionalized nanoparticles or chemical cross linkers.
US08529734B2

A coke-oven battery has at least two chambers separated by a heating wall head and having openings provided with vertical jambs juxtaposed with the head. An upright anchor post is spaced horizontally forward from the head, and a plurality of U-shaped yokes are provided between the post and the head. Biasers bear on the anchor post and press the yokes against the jambs and thereby press the jambs against the head. A thin-walled sheet-metal head cover having upright edges is clamped between the jambs and the head and extends horizontally as a single piece between the jambs.
US08529732B2

Process for the production of paper, board and cardboard having high dry strength by addition of a water-soluble cationic polymer and of an anionic polymer to a paper stock, draining of the paper stock and drying of the paper products, wherein an aqueous dispersion of at least one anionic latex and at least one degraded starch is used as the anionic polymer.
US08529729B2

An assembly comprises a component of a plasma process chamber, a thermal source and a polymer composite therebetween exhibiting a phase transition between a high-thermal conductivity phase and a low-thermal conductivity phase. The temperature-induced phase change polymer can be used to maintain the temperature of the component at a high or low temperature during multi-step plasma etching processes.
US08529721B2

A method and apparatus for a tray, a folding section connected to the tray, and a tape application system. The tray has a channel for receiving an elongate insert for a composite material with a number of layers for a release system. The folding section is capable of folding a number of layers around the elongate insert to cover the elongate insert as the elongate insert is moved through the folding unit. The tape application system is capable of applying a tape to the number of layers for covering the elongate insert to form the release system.
US08529697B2

A process for growing a crystal of a nitride semiconductor in which after the step of mounting a substrate (12) in a reaction tube (11), the step of feeding a first material gas containing a Group 3 element onto the substrate in the reaction tube and the step of feeding a second material gas containing elemental nitrogen onto the substrate in the reaction tube are carried out alternately to deposit a nitride semiconductor crystal directly on the substrate. The number of moles of the elemental nitrogen contained in the second material gas has a ratio of 200 or more to the number of moles of the Group 3 element in the first material gas.
US08529696B2

A method for producing hexagonal boron nitride single crystals including mixing boron nitride crystals with a solvent thereby obtaining a mixture, heating and melting the mixture under high-temperature and high-pressure thereby obtaining a melted mixture, and recrystallizing the melted mixture thereby producing hexagonal boron nitride single crystals, wherein the solvent is boronitride of alkaline earth metal, or boronitride of alkali metal and the boronitride of alkaline earth metal.
US08529693B2

An adhesion bond strength enhancer for cementitious adhesive mortar is disclosed. The adhesion enhancer improves bond strength between the mortar and relatively hydrophobic plastic material, such as extruded polystyrene boards and expanded polystyrene boards of the type generally employed in Exterior Insulation Finishing Systems (“EIFS”). Preparation of non-caking, free-flowing, solid dialkyl sulfosuccinate compositions for use as the adhesion enhancer is also disclosed. The adhesion enhancer is attractive for large-scale application in mineral mortar dry-mixes or other solid construction materials. The invention can be used to improve the strength of an adhesive bond between a) gypsum based plaster or stucco and concrete or bricks, b) tile adhesives and concrete, and c) mineral mortars on polystyrene boards, among others.
US08529692B2

The invention relates to a mixture of a calcium sulfate-based mineral binder and at least one additive that imparts hydrophobic properties to the calcium sulfate-based mineral binder. Said additive is a salt, a hydrophilic fatty acid, or a binder mixture containing fatty acid salts. The content of fatty acid salts of fatty acids that have 8 to 17 C atoms amounts to at least 20 percent by weight relative to the total amount of fatty acid salts in the fatty acid salt mixture, or the content of fatty acids that have 8 to 14 C atoms amounts to at least 10 percent by weight relative to the total amount of fatty acid salts in the fatty acid salt mixture, or both. The construction materials according to the invention can be gypsum boards, gypsum blocks, or other molded parts, especially gypsum plasterboards.
US08529686B2

The present invention provides a dis-azo compound and an oil ink comprising the same. The dis-azo compound is represented by the following formula (I): wherein R1 represents substituted or unsubstituted C4˜C16 alkyl, and R2 and R3 independently represent substituted or unsubstituted C1˜C6 alkyl. Besides, the present invention also provides an electrowetting display using the oil ink.
US08529677B2

A carbon canister as utilized relative to underground fuel storage tank vapor recovery, including for the capture and purging of hydrocarbon vapors as air is introduced into and released from an underground storage tank, and wherein, in one form intended primarily for use in Stage II Vapor Recovery systems, the carbon canister includes a valve activated by weight of saturated carbon and wherein, in another form intended primarily for use in Stage I Vapor Recovery systems, the carbon canister is a free breathing carbon canister with a surge protection device.
US08529662B2

A process for the separation of one or more heavy hydrocarbon gases from a gas mixture containing heavy hydrocarbon gas components and methane. The process is conducted in swing adsorption apparatus containing adsorbent contactor having a plurality of flow channels and wherein 20 volume percent or less of the open pore volume of the contactors, is in the mesopore and macropore range.
US08529658B2

A method of manufacturing an Fe/Ni-containing material having a low content of sulfur from an Fe/Ni/SO4-containing liquid waste, a ferronickel mass using the Fe/Ni-containing material, and a method of manufacturing the ferronickel mass. The method includes: removing SO4 from an Fe/Ni/SO4-containing liquid waste by adding an SO4 neutralizing agent to the liquid waste so that pH of the liquid waste can be maintained to a pH level of 0.5 to 2.5; precipitating Fe and Ni in the form of hydroxide [(Ni,Fe)(OH)] by adding NaOH to the SO4-free solution; washing the precipitate with water; and manufacturing an Ni/Fe-containing material by filtering and drying the washed Ni/Fe-containing sludge. The method may be useful to suitably apply to the field of recycling of waste acids since an Fe/Ni-containing pellet and a high purity plaster are recovered as the stainless steel material from the waste water at the same time.
US08529654B2

An objective of the invention is to obtain a cleaning unit which allows a cleaning mechanism, such as a dust removal device, for an air filter to be easily mounted in an indoor unit of an air conditioner that has an air filter on the intake side of an indoor fan. The cleaning unit includes: a chamber casing (101) connected to a room side of an indoor main unit (10) having an indoor heat exchanger (22) and an indoor fan (21) which draws air from the room and blows the air to the indoor heat exchanger (22); an air filter (30) provided in the chamber casing (101) on an intake side of the indoor fan (21); and a dust removal device (50) configured to remove dust captured by the air filter (30).
US08529649B2

In an embodiment, a method of fabricating a polycrystalline diamond structure includes forming an assembly including a sintered polycrystalline diamond body positioned between an aluminum-containing layer and a substrate. The method further includes subjecting the assembly to a high-pressure/high-temperature process to form the polycrystalline diamond structure including a polycrystalline diamond table bonded to the substrate.
US08529636B2

The present invention is drawn to a composition and method for dyeing keratinous substrates containing: (a) at least one phospholipid; (b) at least one nonionic surfactant; (c) at least anionic silicone; (d) at least one dye chosen from oxidation dye precursors and direct dyes. The compositions of the present invention may optionally contain at least one thickening agent, at least one alkaline agent, at least one fatty substance other than a fatty acid, at least one salt, and at least one oxidizing agent.
US08529635B2

A system and method for securing and tracking an electronic device. The system includes hardware, software and firmware components that cooperate to allow tracking, disabling, and other interaction with the stolen electronic device. The system includes an application component, non-viewable component and Basic Input/Output Subsystem (BIOS) component that are present on the electronic device. The BIOS component maintains the secured environment of the application and non-viewable components. If only the application component was provided, a simple low level format of the hard disk drive would remove the application and bypass the security features. The system implements an “application and BIOS” based solution to electronic device security.
US08529634B2

A technology for making the sensation at use of prosthetic limbs utilizing a hydraulic cylinder and a spring cylinder as comfortable as at use of those utilizing a pneumatic cylinder and further for improving walk following properties. In particular, the arrangement of a hydraulic cylinder or a spring cylinder, or the like, is specified. Accordingly, the resistance produced by the hydraulic cylinder or spring cylinder in accordance with an increase of knee angle is increased, The first torque T1 at the first stage of initial period of bend of the knee joint is made small, while the second torque T2 at the second stage of final period of the further advanced bend of knee joint is made large, thereby satisfying a relation of T1≧T2, as different from conventional ones.
US08529633B2

A cotyloid implant for a hip prosthesis, includes a first type of insert (2) with a spherical internal cavity (2a), for the mounting of a hemispherical core (4) with a capacity for mobility which has an internal cavity (4a) for co-operation with articulation with a femoral head, a second type of insert with an internal cavity for cooperation with a femoral head with articulation, characterized in that the center of rotation of the femoral head is different from the axis of rotation of the first type of insert (2) and/or of the second type of insert.
US08529630B2

Disclosed herein are tools for repairing articular surfaces repair materials and for repairing an articular surface. The surgical tools are designed to be customizable or highly selectable by patient to increase the speed, accuracy and simplicity of performing total or partial arthroplasty.
US08529629B2

Various embodiments of the present invention are directed to a shoulder prosthesis. These embodiments may relate to a shoulder prosthesis including, for example, a humeral stem for fracture indication. Of note, certain embodiments of the present invention provide a humeral prosthesis with improved integration of the tuberosities around the humeral stem. Various methods relating to uses and applications of the prosthesis are also disclosed.
US08529628B2

Disclosed is a spinal stabilization device having a plurality of elongate arms having a distal end portion and a proximal end portion, wherein the elongate arms define an interior volume between the distal end portion and the proximal end portion; at least one limit band coupled circumferentially to one or more of the plurality of elongate arms; and a tensioning element positioned within the interior volume. The plurality of elongate arms can transition from a constrained, delivery configuration that is radially contracted and axially elongated to a relaxed, deployment configuration that is radially expanded and axially shortened.
US08529618B2

A prosthesis is disclosed for placement across an ostium opening from a main body lumen to a branch body lumen. The prosthesis comprises a radially expansible support at one end, a circumferentially extending link at the other end and at least one spiral frond extending axially therebetween.
US08529617B2

A stent scaffolding including a polymer formulation comprising PLLA and polymandelide is disclosed. The polymandelide reduces the molecular weight drop during processing, particularly during sterilization. The stent scaffolding can further include one or more additional stabilizing agents that additionally reduce the molecular weight drop during processing.
US08529609B2

A screw system includes a screw and a washer assembly captive to the screw. The washer assembly is polyaxially pivotable relative to the screw. The screw may be freely rotated in one direction relative to the washer assembly, but frictionally binds with the washer assembly when rotated in a second direction.
US08529603B2

An intervertebral stabilization device and method is disclosed. The device preferably includes a planar spring enclosed within a housing. The housing is joined to an articulation component at either end, and the articulation components have couplings connectable to anchoring components which are securable to adjacent vertebrae. The planar spring can flex and retract providing relative motion between the adjacent vertebrae. The articulation components are ball and socket joints which allow the entire assembly to flexibly follow the curvature of the spine. A fusion rod with articulation components and couplings at either end may be substituted for the spring device. The couplings enable interchangeability between a fusion rod assembly and spring assembly, so that dynamic stabilization can occur at one vertebral level and fusion at the adjacent vertebral level. An overhung spring assembly with a sideways displaced housing which allows for a shorter pedicle to pedicle displacement is also disclosed.
US08529597B2

A medical system for treating an internal tissue opening can include a closure device and associated delivery device. The closure device can include a body portion operatively associated with a first anchor and a second anchor. The body portion can include a plurality of segments defining a multi-cellular structure. The closure device can be configured to apply lateral force to tissue of the internal tissue opening to bring tissue together. The closure device can have a substantially flat aspect, and have a depth thickness that is substantially greater than the thickness or width of a majority of the members forming the closure device to reduce out of plane bending. The closure device can also include a member adapted to induce tissue growth.
US08529590B2

Described are methods and devices relating to reconnecting the urethra and bladder after a radical prostatectomy, wherein the devices incorporate tissue approximating structure to maintain contact between a severed bladder neck tissue and a severed urethral stump tissue, preferably without the use of sutures.
US08529589B2

An implantable purse string suture tensioning device is provided, such that a hemostatic seal can be maintained without further manual adjustment over a range of purse string circumferences, including that surrounding a minimally invasive device, or a control or guidewire, and after complete removal of objects within the purse string suture, wherein the device is sized and shaped for in-dwelling implantation in a patient.
US08529586B2

A surgical ligation clip capable of remote deployment through a cannula to engage an anatomical structure.
US08529576B2

A curable material delivery cannula device and method are disclosed. The device includes a cannula and a hub. The cannula includes an open proximal end, a deflectable segment forming a pre-set curve, a lumen, and side orifice(s) adjacent, and proximally spaced from, the distal end and fluidly connected to the lumen. When inserted within a guide cannula, the deflectable segment straightens. When distally extended from the guide cannula, the deflectable segment reverts to the curved shape, which may be used to create a void in the bone for receiving curable material. The distal end has a blunt tip for non-traumatic interface with bodily material. During use, curable material, such as bone cement, is delivered from the side orifice(s) in a radial direction relative to the lumen.
US08529572B2

There is described a jig for identifying a point on the femoral head which is in alignment with a central axis of the femoral neck. The jig comprises a first member which defines a plane and has means for at least partially receiving the femoral neck. The jig also comprises a guide member which is mounted apart from the first member and which defines an axis at right angles to the plane defined by the first member. The axis of the guide member intersects the plane at a point which is a predetermined distance away from the means receiving the femoral neck. In addition, the jig comprises an elongate alignment means which is mounted with respect to the first member and which is spaced apart from, but extends parallel to, the axis of the guide member. There is also described a kit for use in the resurfacing of the femoral head. The kit comprises at least one jig as previously described.
US08529569B2

A system for preparing a proximal femur can include a broach that includes a broach body having an anterior side, a posterior side, a lateral side and a medial side. The medial side can have a roughened cutting surface. The lateral side can have a smooth, non-cutting surface. The system can further include a cutting scribe assembly and a cutting guide assembly.
US08529560B2

Embodiments of methods and systems for hair treatment are disclosed. According to various embodiments, light is used to shave, trim, or otherwise modify hair shafts.
US08529552B2

The present disclosure relates to an infusion control valve adapted to be actuated by a valve actuator. The present disclosure further relates to an infusion valve actuator adapted to actuate an infusion control valve upon being triggered by an authentication unit. Furthermore, the present disclosure relates to methods for the administration of a substance.
US08529551B2

Embodiments of a system including a remotely controlled substance delivery device and associated controller are described. Methods of use and control of the device are also disclosed. According to some embodiments, a delivery device or related device may be placed in an environment in order to pump a material into the environment or into an additional fluid handling structure within the device. Exemplary environments include a body of an organism, a body of water, or an enclosed volume of a fluid. The concentration of a substance in the fluid to be delivered may be modified by a remote control signal. In selected embodiments, an acoustic control signal may be used.
US08529549B2

A catheter assembly allowing for non-contaminated insertion of the catheter into the urinary canal. The catheter assembly includes a urinary catheter, a catheter package and a sealing member. The urinary catheter defines a conduit and has a proximal end adapted for insertion into the urinary canal and an opposite distal end. The catheter package has a hose with a cavity for accommodation of the catheter, and a catheter outlet adapted to dismantle the proximal end of the catheter from the catheter package. The sealing member is adapted to provide a substantially liquid-tight seal between the catheter package and the urinary catheter while the catheter is being dismantled.
US08529543B2

A method of delivering medication to a patient includes inserting a medication administration device into a rectum of the patient, inflating a balloon of the medication administration device to retain the medication administration device in the rectum, delivering a first dose of a medication through the medication administration device such that the first dose of medication is applied to a distal portion of the rectum, delivering a second dose of a medication through the medication administration device such that the second dose of medication is applied to the distal portion of the rectum, and leaving the medication administration device in the rectum until it is dislodged for defecation. The first and second doses are delivered without removing the medication administration device from the rectum between doses.
US08529540B2

An auto-injector confines all functional components inside an enclosed housing, to keep its needle out-of-sight, at all times. Within the housing, a needle holder positions a needle at a location. A drive mechanism then simultaneously engages the needle with a fluid source and accelerates it with a predetermined momentum for insertion into a patient. After fluid delivery, the withdrawn needle is moved to storage within the housing for subsequent disposal.
US08529529B1

A placental blood extractor consists of an outside box having plurality of plastic bags for compressing the placenta and mounted to the top of the box. The lower part of the box has possibility to use several different circularly movable plates for mechanically facilitating the flow of the blood in the collecting veins on the fetal side of the placentas toward the central main umbilical cord vein. The box has an opening in the central lower part of the box and the lower area mechanical tray for the umbilical cord to exit the box. Blood is collected from umbilical cord and is to be collected into commercial collection bags. The area of the bag for collection of blood may be under negative pressure to facilitate the collection of blood but also gravity force may be used for that purpose. Both, the first part with the compression chambers as well as the second part, the Collector of Blood have pumps and manometers controlled by computer in their operations.
US08529528B2

Microstrain-inducing manifolds, systems, and methods are presented that involve microstrain-inducing manifolds that include a plurality of shaped projections for creating microstrain. The shaped projections may be tapered projections. A system may include a sealing member for placing over the tissue site, a microstrain-inducing manifold, and a reduced-pressure subsystem that delivers reduced pressure to the sealing member. The reduced pressure causes the shaped projections to create microstrain at the tissue site. Other methods, apparatuses, and systems are also presented.
US08529510B2

The present invention relates to an injection device comprises a generally elongated tubular housing having opposite proximal and distal ends; a needle shield sleeve slidably and coaxially arranged inside the housing and protruding a distance outside the proximal end of the housing; a syringe carrier mechanism comprising a syringe carrier slidably and coaxially arranged to the needle shield sleeve, wherein said syringe carrier comprises a syringe having a medicament and a needle; a first activator member slidably and coaxially arranged to the housing and connected to said needle shield sleeve; an actuating member slidably and coaxially arranged to the first activator member; a drive mechanism slidably and coaxially arranged to the actuating member and to the syringe carrier mechanism, said drive mechanism being controlled by the actuating member; a second activator member slidably and coaxially arranged to the distal end of the housing and fixedly connected to the actuating member; wherein the first and the second activator members are coaxially movable relative each other from a non-activation position wherein the activator members are abutting to each other to an activation position wherein the activator members are co-acting independent of the sequence in which said activator members are activated; and wherein only in the activation position is the actuating member capable of releasing the drive mechanism to move said syringe carrier mechanism for penetrating the needle and to deliver said medicament though the needle.
US08529482B2

The tutor of this invention is made up of a support (1) to be fixed to the chest of the user with a chin rest (2) being connected to the support (1) through a hinge (7) and also being anchored at an element (3) provided on the patient's neck, and of a plate (4) positioned on the convexity of the patient's dorsal curve and having applied thereto a posteroanterior thrust. The said chin rest (2) is engaged to a means (8) articulated to the support element (1) in a central position with respect to the chin rest (2) and is able to generate and adjust an anteroposterior upwardly oblique thrust F on the chin of the user. The method for using the said tutor implies putting on and fitting the chin rest, then manually activating the means (8) engaged on the chin rest (1) so as to obtain, on the chin of the user, who keeps his/her mouth shut and head reclined forward, a desired anteroposterior upwardly oblique thrust F which, via the user's yaw, transmits to the atlas bone (first vertebra of rachis) an equal force R whose horizontal component Ro is cause for a retropositioning of the cervical curve, and whose vertical component Rw is cause for an upwardly directed stretching and, consequently, a direct straightening of the underlying dorsal curve.
US08529481B1

A system for protecting the appendage of a user from contamination and water seepage while bathing or outdoors during inclement weather. The system includes a protective cover and a sleeve. The protective cover is sized and configured for placement about the hand and arm or the foot and leg of a user. The cover includes a slit with a zipper closure and may include a closure flap at the upper end of the slit. The cover may include securing straps for retaining the cover securely about the appendage of the user. The sleeve extends over and covers the open end of the cover to provide an additional barrier against contamination and seepage.
US08529473B2

A method and apparatus are provided for processing a set of communicated signals associated with a set of muscles, such as the muscles near the larynx of the person, or any other muscles the person use to achieve a desired response. The method includes the steps of attaching a single integrated sensor, for example, near the throat of the person proximate to the larynx and detecting an electrical signal through the sensor. The method further includes the steps of extracting features from the detected electrical signal and continuously transforming them into speech sounds without the need for further modulation. The method also includes comparing the extracted features to a set of prototype features and selecting a prototype feature of the set of prototype features providing a smallest relative difference.
US08529466B2

A biopsy device includes a coring cannula, a retract stylet, and a localization needle. The coring cannula has a longitudinal axis and a shaft centered on the axis. The stylet has a tip containing at least one blade and a central passage. The localization needle has a channel and is slidably disposed within the central passage. A drive mechanism rotates the cannula and moves the cannula in a direction parallel to the longitudinal axis of the cannula. A guide element has a first end and a second end and is slidably disposed within the channel of the localization needle. The guide element is movable from a first position to a second position within the localization needle.
US08529464B2

Method and System are disclosed for a computer-assisted diagnostic hearing test. The computer-assisted diagnostic hearing test includes an ambient noise monitoring module configured to monitor an ambient noise in a surrounding environment, a patient information module configured to receive patient information and hearing related tests selections, and a pure tone threshold module configured to facilitate manual testing of a pure tone threshold test. The computer-assisted diagnostic hearing test further includes a speech reception threshold module configured to facilitate manual testing of a speech reception threshold test, and a speech discrimination module configured to facilitate manual testing of a speech discrimination test.
US08529462B2

An automated system and method for passive testing of alcohol and drug abuse. The system enters a participant or subject into the system who is to be monitored during a probationary or other program for alcohol or drug abuse offenders. The system provides a drug testing home device or a drug testing kiosk device for use by the participant. The system enrolls the biometrics information of the participant into the computer system (e.g., finger print, voice, image, volatile compound organic gas level, and pH level). When the participant is to be tested in accordance with a testing schedule, the system validates these same biometrics of the participant, conducts the test, and then analyzes the test information for determining if the participant has been using alcohol or other drugs and should be subjected to a confirming urinalysis exam.
US08529451B2

A shock wave adapter for use with a focused shock wave applicator has a flexible, rigid or semi-rigid membrane or housing adapted to be filled with a fluid. The membrane or housing is devoid of any air or gases and when filled forms a spacer volume for passing acoustic shock waves at low impedance. The wave pattern of the shock wave applicator enters the membrane or housing as a converging wave form to a focus inside the membrane or housing and exits through the membrane or housing in a diverging wave form into the patient to be treated. The spacer adapter may further include a gas filled shield around the perimeter of the fluid filled membrane or housing to block transmissions of acoustic shock waves.
US08529448B2

A system, methods and computer-readable media are provided for the automatic identification of patients according to near-term risk of sudden kinematic injury (falling). Embodiments of the invention are directed to event prediction, risk stratification, and optimization of the assessment, communication, and decision-making to prevent falling in humans, and in one embodiment take the form of a platform for wearable, mobile, unteathered monitoring devices with embedded decision support. Thus the aim of embodiments of the present invention relates to automatically identifying persons who are at risk for falls through the use of an inexpensive, noninvasive, portable, wearable electronic device and sensors equipped with signal-processing software and statistical predictive algorithms that calculate stability-theoretic measures derived from the digital accelerometer and gyroscope timeseries acquired by the device. The measurements and predictive algorithms embedded within the device provide for unsupervised use in the home or in general acute-care and chronic-care venues and afford a degree of robustness against variations in individual anatomy and sensor placement. In some embodiments, the present invention provides a leading indicator of near-term future abnormalities, proactively alerting the user, for example, 2 hours or more in advance, and providing the wearer and/or care providers with sufficient advance notice to enable effective preventive maneuvers to be undertaken. In one exemplary embodiment, the device is equipped with radiofrequency telecommunication capabilities that enable integration with case-management software, electronic health record decision-support systems, and consumer personal health record systems.
US08529440B2

An endoscope insertion assembly for performing endoscopy, including an endoscope insertion tube operative for passage through a body cavity, and an optical assembly operative for inspection of the body cavity, the optical assembly being selectably insertable within the endoscope insertion tube.
US08529439B2

An endoscopic system is composed by connecting an endoscope and peripheral equipment. The endoscope has an endoscope main body, and an imaging unit, which is slender imaging optics. The endoscope is constructed so that the endoscope main body and imaging unit are freely connectable and separable. The endoscope main body has an insertion part which is inserted into an abdominal cavity, a branch member, which is a middle end of the endoscope main body, and provided in a proximal end portion of the insertion part, a first extension part provided in the proximal end portion of the branch member, a main body operation unit provided in a proximal end portion of the first extension part, a universal cord, and a connection unit, which is provided in a proximal end portion of the universal cord, and is connected to the peripheral equipment.
US08529437B2

A surgical tool having proximal and distal ends and adapted to transverse a curved passageway comprises an end effector disposed on the distal end of the surgical tool, the end effector having a first body section and a second body section and a releasable connector joining the end effector first body section with the end effector second body section. The connector is operable to reversibly engage the first and second end effector body sections in a first fixed position and in a second movable position. The surgical tool further comprises an actuation device for moving the first and second end effector body sections from the first fixed position to the second movable position. The end effector is adapted to maneuver through a larger radius of curvature in the second movable position than in the first fixed position.
US08529433B2

A body-insertable apparatus system has a body insertable apparatus that is inserted into a subject and a control apparatus. The body-insertable apparatus includes a magnetic responding unit that is provided within a casing forming the body-insertable apparatus and has a magnetization direction; and a needle that is protruded and retracted with respect to a surface of the casing. The control apparatus includes a magnetic field generator that generates a magnetic field; and a control unit that causes the magnetic field generator to generate a magnetic field for changing an orientation of the magnetic responding unit based on the magnetization direction of the magnetic responding unit in the body-insertable apparatus, a position of the needle in the body-insertable apparatus, and a distal end direction of the needle, thereby changing an orientation of the entire body-insertable apparatus to enable the protruded needle to puncture a puncture target layer.
US08529431B2

A bariatric device and method of causing weight loss in a recipient includes providing a bariatric device having an esophageal member, a cardiac member and a connector connected with the esophageal member and the cardiac member. The esophageal member has an esophageal surface that is configured to generally conform to the shape and size of a portion of the esophagus. The cardiac member has a cardiac surface that is configured to generally conform to the shape and size of a portion of the cardiac portion of the stomach. The esophageal surface is positioned at the esophagus. The cardiac surface is positioned at the cardiac portion of the stomach. The bariatric device stimulates receptors in order to influence a neurohormonal mechanism in the recipient.
US08529424B2

There is provided a centrifuge that includes a motor, a rotor chamber accommodating a rotor that is rotated by the motor, a vacuum pump that sucks air from the rotor chamber to reduce a pressure therein, a controller that controls the centrifuge to operate selectively in one of a normal centrifuge operation mode and a pulsed operation mode in which the rotor is rotated for a short time at a speed equal to or lower than a predetermined set value, and an interface device connected to the controller to input information regarding the operation mode of the centrifuge, wherein the controller controls the vacuum pump to turn on when the centrifuge operation mode is selected by the interface device and to turn off when the pulsed operation mode is selected.
US08529423B2

In a sheet folding apparatus, to enable a jammed sheet to be removed with ease when a jam occurs, a casing having a carry-in entrance and a carrying-out exit is divided into an upper unit and a lower unit via a first transport path for carrying a sheet from the carry-in entrance to the carrying-out exit, a second transport path for performing folding processing on a sheet is disposed in the direction for crossing the first transport path, and in the upper unit are disposed a sheet front end switchback path for reversing and carrying the sheet toward a folding roller pair and sheet deflecting means for guiding the sheet to the folding roller pair. Then, the upper unit is coupled to the lower unit to be openable and closable by a hinge shaft rotating around one side end portion orthogonal to the sheet transport direction of the first transport path.
US08529421B2

An apparatus for folding the flaps of a package is provided. The apparatus has a pair of folding conveyors positioned such that, as a package having open major flaps is urged towards the folding conveyors, the folding conveyors fold the major flaps of the case to a closed position. The apparatus has a front flap mechanism configured to close the front flap of the package, and a rear flap mechanism configured to close the rear flap of the package.
US08529414B2

A neck exercise machine includes a position plate fixed to a cam for rotation therewith about an axis of rotation. The position plate has a multiple of apertures which defines a multiple of start positions for the arm.
US08529411B2

The present invention relates to a rocker boot for stretching or strengthening muscles. The rocker boot may include a base having a arcuate surface and a footrest attached to the base. The footrest may be adjustable to provide one or more different configurations.
US08529403B2

A method for improving starting of an engine that may be repeatedly stopped and started is presented. In one embodiment, the method adjusts a transmission actuator in response to engine combustion during an engine start. The method may improve vehicle launch for stop/start vehicles.
US08529400B2

A method of coupling a combustion engine of a parallel-hybrid drive train via a clutch positioned between the engine and an electric machine with the clutch device initially disengaged, the engine rotational speed approximately at an engine idling rotational speed, and the machine rotational speed larger than the engine idling rotation speed. When a request is made for a drive torque value which is larger than a torque threshold, the engine rotational speed is brought to a rotational speed value above the machine rotational speed and the clutch is slipping engaged once the rotational speed value is reached, while the engine, when the drive train decelerates and a request is made to couple the engine, is brought into deceleration cancellation and the engine rotational speed is brought up to the machine rotational speed while engaging the clutch and dependent on a transfer ability of the clutch.
US08529398B2

A load limiting mechanism for a motor vehicle, comprising at least two parts (1, 2, 10, 12, 16, 20, 21, 46, 22, 40) controlled relative to one another with a frequency controlled oscillating movement. The parts (1, 2, 10, 12, 16, 20, 21, 46, 22, 40) moving relative to one another comprise interlocking gears (3, 4, 13, 15, 24, 25, 26, 27) and the frequency controlled oscillating movement results thereby that at least one of the parts (1, 10, 21, 22) compared to the other part (2, 12, 16, 20, 40, 46) executes a wavelike oscillating feed motion, in which the gears (3, 4, 13, 15, 24, 25, 26, 27) alternately become engaged and disengaged thereby dissipating energy.
US08529395B2

A transmission is provided having an input member, an output member, four planetary gear sets, a plurality of coupling members and six torque transmitting devices. Each of the planetary gear sets includes first, second and third members. The torque transmitting devices may include clutches and brakes.
US08529392B1

A transmission includes a coplanar gear set with a first sun gear member rotatable about a first axis of rotation, a second sun gear member rotatable about the first axis of rotation, a carrier member, and an outer gear radially outward of and concentric with the first sun gear member. A first annular gear meshes with the first sun gear member, and the outer gear meshes with the first annular gear and with the second sun gear member. The first annular gear is rotatable about a second axis of rotation and the outer gear is rotatable about a third axis or rotation.
US08529385B1

Disclosed is an arrowhead in which a plurality of expandable blades can be quickly and reliably retracted or expanded without using an additional means to bundle the expanding blades, thereby enhancing the penetrating capability or killing capability of an arrow. Particularly, a portion of a shaft forming the arrowhead is provided with a rack gear portion formed thereon and a lower end of each of the expanding blades is provided with a pinion gear portion, such that the rack gear portion and the pinion gear portion engage with each other and such a rack-pinion action controls the operation of retracting or expanding the expanding blades.
US08529358B2

Rotational coupling is provided having: a first carrier body with a first base section and a plurality of first coupling arms extending from the first base section spaced in a circumferential direction, each having a first coupling section jointly defining a first plane running concentrically and perpendicularly to a rotational axis, a second carrier body including a second base section and a plurality of second coupling arms extending from the second base section spaced in the circumferential direction, each having a second coupling section jointly defining a second plane running concentrically and perpendicularly to the rotational axis, first and second carrier bodies arranged such that the planes coincide, the coupling arms facing one another, alternately interengaging and circumferentially spaced, base sections oriented oppositely along the rotational axis, and each of the coupling sections coupled via elastic link elements to the coupling sections respectively adjacent on both sides.
US08529355B2

A game apparatus includes a CPU, and the CPU controls a moving object within a virtual space on the basis of acceleration data and angular velocity data which are transmitted from a controller. For example, before the angular velocity data is above a predetermined magnitude, a position and an orientation of the moving object is controlled on the basis of the angular velocity data. When the angular velocity data is above the predetermined magnitude, an initial velocity of the moving object is decided on the basis of the acceleration data, and a moving direction (orientation) of the moving object is decided on the basis of the angular velocity data. Thereafter, the moving object moves within the virtual space according to a general physical behavior.
US08529345B2

One aspect is directed to a system whereby a live gaming table system is provided with one or more handheld user input devices which, for example, may allow multiple different players to simultaneously or concurrently provide wager input data and/or other data to the gaming table system. In at least one embodiment, the handheld user input devices may form part of a multi-player touch input interface system which is operable to identify or determine where, who, and what transactions are taking place at a multi-player gaming table and/or multi-player gaming system.
US08529339B2

A gaming system includes a network server connected to a plurality of gaming devices that are adapted to provide a video payout on each play based on a set of payout parameters. Memory at each gaming device stores payout parameters that correspond to each possible gaming result or outcome. When a play is initiated by a player, a gaming result is generated at a gaming device. The gaming device responds by accessing a corresponding payout parameter from the memory which may be a monetary amount, a video presentation segment or a combination thereof. If the payout is video, the network server receives the payout parameter and transmits video presentation segment to the gaming device accordingly. The gaming device then provides a video payout, in the form of displayed video presentation, to the player. The player thus receives at least one form of payment on each play.
US08529338B2

A wagering game system and its operations are described herein. In embodiments, the operations can include determining an achievement by a player account that occurs during a wagering game session and rewarding the player accounts achievement according to achievement settings or business rules. The operations can also include generating achievement data with marketing metadata and providing the achievement data to a marketing provider to market to the player account based on the achievement data. In some embodiments, the operations can also include presenting the achievement data on a website, such as a personal wagering game web log “gaming blog”.
US08529337B2

An enhanced parimutuel platform allows for the combination of multiple and single event wagers within a single pool, while maintaining payouts for the single event wagers that are independent of the multiple events. The enhanced parimutuel platform also allows for uniform payouts for wagers having a different number of outcomes for a single event, such as moneyline and point spread wagers.
US08529333B2

Apparatuses and methods for facilitating participation in a gaming activity. A reel configuration of a plurality of reels is presented, where each of the reels includes one or more associated gaming symbols. The presentation of the gaming symbols is modified on the plurality of reels, such as by spinning the reels or otherwise changing which symbols are presented on the reels. A replacement reel is presented, to supersede or otherwise supplant at least one of the gaming symbols of the reel configuration. Results of the gaming activity are established using the gaming symbols of the plurality of reels and the replacement reel. The result is thereby based on a resulting presentation of symbols that includes both the symbols of the primary reel configuration and the symbol(s) of the replacement reel(s).
US08529328B2

Gaming machines or devices utilize the output of random number generators (RNGs) in the presentation of games, wherein one or more of the RNGs are each assigned to a single player. Each uniquely assigned RNG is used to determine the outcome of the games played only by the assigned player, such as a casino gaming machine or a game board devices accessed via a remote presentation device such as a phone or computer. An RNG may also be stopped or paused and then restarted, whereby a sequence of random data remains continuous or contiguous relative to a number of games played, such as by the single player to which the RNG is assigned. Multiple players may also time-share a gaming machine in a manner whereby the gaming machine acts as a unique device to each player.
US08529327B2

Dynamic user testing implemented in a wager gaming environment allows new content to be tested on-the-fly, and allows the content presented on the wagering game machines to be accordingly varied, while live, based on the dynamic user testing of the new content. Such dynamic user testing allows the new content to be tested without implementing expensive testing processes. Moreover, the new content can be provided on-the-fly for presentation on the wagering game machines without affecting an ongoing wagering game or taking the wagering game machines offline if the new content is determined to be more successful than the current content. Dynamic user testing allows a wager gaming environment to collect data for creating new wagering games, for promoting wagering games, and for testing new content across multiple platforms.
US08529324B2

A powered air cleaning system (31) and a method of making the system are disclosed. The system comprises a flow path (22) extending through the system from an air inlet (4) to a clean air outlet (5). A motor-driven fan (24) located along the flow path draws particulate debris laden air into the inlet and rotates it about an axis (A-A) to form a rotating flow that stratifies the debris laden air with the heaviest particles in the outermost orbits of the rotating flow. An ejector port (8) is provided for ejecting particulate debris laden air from the stratified rotating flow in the system to the environment. An air filter (9) located within the rotating flow and across the flow path upstream of the outlet filters air from the innermost orbits of the stratified rotating flow. The system is formed of a plurality of components (2, 3) separately mountable in remote locations (32, 33) in a device to be supplied with clean air. The components are interconnected with an intermediate pipe assembly (34).
US08529323B2

The invention relates to a method for reducing a chimney draught in an upstream connected exhaust gas cleaning system consisting in immersing a chimney tube (1; 1′) provided with the open top part thereof in a bath in such a way that a liquid (condensate) collected therein forms a liquid barrier closing the exhaust gas input end of the chimney tube with respect to environment. In order to remove the exhaust gases from the upstream connected exhaust gas cleaning system, at least one part of the chimney tube cross section is exposed by lowering the liquid level under the edge thereof. Said lowering of the liquid level can be carried out by lowering the bath.
US08529319B2

Embodiments of the present invention resolve the safety and product management issues associated with conventional abrasive wheel bushings by, for example, reducing the opportunity for improperly mounting an abrasive wheel without the appropriate reducing bushing, simplifying the purchasing process, and/or reserving valuable SKU space for primary products. The abrasive wheel itself can be tailored to any number of purposes, such as grinding, cutting, and polishing. The bushing described herein can be used with any such abrasive wheels. The techniques could readily be extended to any arbor-based products that use reduction bushings or similar schemes.
US08529315B2

A method of producing a semiconductor wafer includes a plurality of steps carried out in the following order. Simultaneous double-side material-removal processing is carried out on a semiconductor wafer sliced from a single crystal by processing the semiconductor wafer between two rotating ring-shaped working disks. Each working disk includes first abrasives having an average grain size in a range of 5.0 to 20.0 μm. Both sides of the semiconductor wafer are treated with an alkaline medium. Grinding of the front and rear sides of the semiconductor wafer is carried out. For the grinding of each side a first side is held using a wafer holder and the other side is processed using a grinding tool. The grinding tool includes second abrasives having an average grain size that is smaller than the average grain size of the first abrasives and having an average grain size being in a range of 1.0 to 10.0 μm. Both sides are polished using a polishing pad including third abrasives having an average grain size in a range of 0.1 to 1.0 μm. The front side is polished using a stock removal polishing pad that is free of abrasives and a polishing agent containing fourth abrasives. The front side is then chemical mechanical polished.
US08529308B2

To improve the light emission characteristics of a device when a transition metal oxide is used for the hole injection layer, in particular, to enhance the electron blocking characteristics of a transition metal oxide. An organic electroluminescence element comprising an anode, a cathode and a plurality of functional layers formed between the anode and the cathode, the functional layer containing a layer with a light-emitting function composed of at least one kind of an organic semiconductor and, between the anode and the layer with a light-emitting function, a charge injection layer composed of at least one kind of a transition metal oxide, wherein the ratio of the metal to oxygen at the anode side of the transition metal oxide layer is smaller than the stoichiometric ratio and at the same time, the ratio of the metal to oxygen at the layer with a light-emitting function side is greater than that at the anode side.
US08529307B1

The present invention discloses a detection circuit in the assembly process of an LCD panel. Through the testing pad collection and the switch collection, the signal line of each of the panel units connects to the corresponding testing signal pad of the testing pad collection respectively through the input terminal and the output terminal of the control switch of the switch collection, and the control terminal of the control switch electrically connects to the control signal pad in order to selectively apply an individual testing to one of the panel units. The present invention also provides a manufacturing method for an LCD panel. Accordingly, the present invention can simplify the detection circuit and reduce the load of the detection circuit.
US08529306B2

The present invention is a device affording foot-powered propulsion of a watercraft by an occupant. The device consists of two levers, each with a shaft, serving as a fulcrum. When mounted on a host craft the force arms extend above the deck or floor of the vessel and each has a pedal attached to their end. The resistance arms extend beneath the hull of the craft and each has a folding paddle attached. The levers are linked so that pushing one pedal away from the operator forces the other pedal towards the operator. A back-and-forth pedaling motion moves the folding paddle blades, propelling the vessel. Direction of propulsion can be reversed by rotating the paddles 180 degrees. The invention is intended to be mounted to a watercraft, such as, a kayak that has been specifically designed for or altered to accept the device.
US08529304B2

The invention relates to a bushing contact element (1) with a receiving chamber (10) for a counter contact, comprising a cylindrical metal contact sleeve (2) and a contact grid (3) arranged in the contact sleeve (2) in the receiving casing (10) for electrically contacting a counter contact, the cylindrical contact sleeve (2) at one of its ends being completely sealed with respect to the receiving chamber (10) by a metal contact cover (4).
US08529295B2

A surface mount multi-connector having movable contact sections with high contact reliability and providing connection portions with high coplanarity. The surface mount multi-connector includes a first body in which a plurality of first contacts having movable contact sections and end sections that extend oppositely to each other are held by insert molding, a second body in which a plurality of second contacts having movable contact sections and end sections that extend oppositely to each other are held by insert molding, and a third body that incorporates the first body with which the second body has been coupled so that the movable contact sections of the second contacts and the movable contacts section of the first contacts face in the same direction. Tips ahead of the movable contact sections of the first and second contacts elastically mate with catching parts formed on the inner wall of the third body, and connection portions of the end sections of the first contacts and connection portions of the end sections of the second contacts lie in a same plane.
US08529288B2

A cover and a system of covers/boots for placement in sealed relation over a connector or pair of connectors that is or are adapted to terminate a cable or splice together a pair of cables, preferably cables that carry signals received by a receiving apparatus on a cell tower. The covers include a cable end that sealingly receives a cable therein, an elongated body that provides secure cover to a cable connector, and an end that abuts a bulkhead or sealingly engages with a second cover when used in a splicing application.
US08529284B1

A connector locking assembly includes a cable connector, a sleeve, and a locking device. The cable connector has a pressing plate. The sleeve includes a casing and a protective plate. The casing is connected to the rear portion of the cable connector. The protective plate extends from the casing, covers the pressing plate from above, and has a through hole. A ring set extends from the rear end of the casing. The locking device is inserted into the through hole of the protective plate for interfering with the descent of the pressing plate.
US08529281B2

The invention provides a connector including first and second beams, first and second conductive plates, and an urging device. The first and second beams extend substantially in parallel with each other and include first and second accommodating recesses, respectively. The first and second recesses are opposed to each other and open toward distal end sides of the first and second beams. The first and second conductive plates are to be accommodated in the first and second accommodating recesses, respectively, and removably insertable from the distal end sides into the first and second accommodating recesses, respectively. The urging device urges the first and second conductive plates in directions close to each other.
US08529277B2

A mechanical device for electrically connecting a first flexible assembly to a second flexible assembly comprises a wafer and a housing. The wafer has an insulator core and a plurality of wafer electrical connectors. The core has a first base side and an opposed second base side. The wafer electrical connectors include a first set of wafer electrical connector contacts exposed on the first base side and a second set of wafer electrical connector contacts exposed on the second base side. The wafer electrical connector contacts are adapted to electrically connect with each of the flexible assembly electrical contacts. The housing retains the wafer, the first flexible assembly terminal, and the second flexible assembly terminal in such a way that each of the first flexible assembly electrical contacts is removably secured and electrically connected to one of the wafer electrical connector contacts.
US08529256B2

An air water vacuum dental instrument includes a handle; a head; an air control carried by at least one of the handle and the head; a water control carried by at least one of the handle and the head; a vacuum control carried by at least one of the handle and the head; and an air water vacuum tip coupled to the head and configured to provide at least air, water, and vacuum in a mouth of a dental patient at the air water vacuum tip.
US08529255B2

A dental prosthesis system and a method of using same having a prosthesis, a primary bar, and a base-plate. The primary bar is adapted to be received on the implants and to be used as a superstructure for supporting the prosthesis and/or a verification jig. The base-plate has a shape adapted to be received on the patient's gum surface, having at least one hole each in alignment with a corresponding one of the aperture of the primary bar when the primary bar is seated on the base-plate, each hole of the base-plate correspond to the position of each implant hole, the base-plate supporting the primary bar to form a drilling guide for guiding the drilling of implants holes in the patient's jawbone, an impression matrix for creating a physical model of the patient's mouth with implants, and/or a superstructure when removable cylinders are attached to the primary bar.
US08529254B2

The occlusal position of a patient is measured by means of light transmission through a layer of a polysiloxane which is not cross-linked. This material forms an exceptionally accurate impression of a patient's bite essentially instantaneously and enables subsequent recording and analysis of the bite in a matter of minutes.
US08529249B2

A flame holder system includes a modified torch body and a ceramic flame holder. Catch pin(s) are coupled to and extend radially out from the torch body. The ceramic flame holder has groove(s) formed in its inner wall that correspond in number and positioning to the catch pin(s). Each groove starts at one end of the flame holder and can be shaped to define at least two 90°turns. Each groove is sized to receive one catch pin therein when the flame holder is fitted over the end of the torch body. The flame holder is then manipulated until the catch pin(s) butt up against the end of the groove(s).
US08529232B2

A compressor includes first and second scroll members, a structure supporting the second scroll member, and a first piston. The first scroll member includes a first end plate and a first spiral wrap. The second scroll member includes a second end plate and a second spiral wrap engaged with the first spiral wrap to form compression pockets. The second end plate includes a first aperture in communication with a first compression pocket. The structure includes a first recess and first and second passages. The first piston is axially displaceable between first and second positions within the first recess. The first piston isolates the first passage from communication with the second passage when in the first and second positions, prevents communication between the first aperture and the first passage when in the first position, and provides communication between the first aperture and the first passage when in the second position.
US08529225B2

An electromagnetic reciprocating fluid device in which a movable member is equipped with permanent magnets, resists a torque rotating the movable member about an axis thereof in the reciprocating direction. The electromagnetic reciprocating fluid device has a pair of electromagnets facing each other, and permanent magnets disposed in a space between the opposed electromagnets and held by a movable member. When an alternating current is applied to coils formed in the electromagnets, a magnetic force is generated between the electromagnets and the permanent magnets, whereby a driving force for reciprocation is applied to the movable member. One end of the movable member is connected to a piston of a first piston-cylinder assembly, while the other end is connected to a piston of a second piston-cylinder assembly. The first and second piston-cylinder assemblies are arranged such that an axis line of the first piston-cylinder assembly and an axis line of the second piston-cylinder assembly are non-coaxial and vertically offset from an axis of the movable member.
US08529221B2

A fuel control system (100) for supplying metered fuel flow to a gas turbine engine is disclosed that includes a variable delivery fuel pump (116) for outputting a fuel flow that includes a burn fuel flow for the gas turbine engine and a surplus fuel flow recirculated back to an inlet (124) of the variable delivery fuel pump (116) and a pump control (148, 158, 122) for controlling the output of the variable delivery fuel pump to maintain the surplus fuel flow at a substantially constant rate. A method of controlling a fuel system (100) is also disclosed.
US08529215B2

A liquid hydrocarbon slug-containing vessel for incorporation into a system integrating a low-pressure separator with a vapor recovery process system, and a method for regulating the temperature of a gas to be compressed by a two stage compressor so as to prevent liquification of the gas and to prevent over-heating of the compressor.
US08529214B2

A pump system including a pump and a sensor system for monitoring a fluid production of the pump and providing an output indicative of the fluid production. The sensor system is configured to use at least two discreet methodologies for measuring the fluid production. The pump system further includes a control system operatively coupled to the sensor system and the pump and configured to automatically vary the speed of the pump at least partially based upon the output of the sensor system.
US08529213B2

A structure of the decorating shell for a ceiling fan includes an outer shell and a decorating cover. The bottom of the outer shell has a connecting hole. The surrounding surface at the bottom of the outer shell has at least two opposite grooves. The decorating cover has an annular shape and is correspondingly disposed at the bottom of the outer shell. The outer rim of the decorating cover is protruded upward with hook parts to engage with the grooves. At least one elastic body is interposed between the inner rim and the outer rim of the decorating cover. When the decorating cover is mounted onto the bottom of the outer shell, the elastic body is squeezed by the outer shell and the decorating cover to urge against the surrounding surface at the bottom of the outer shell.
US08529198B2

A remote adjustment and measurement system for a steam turbine nozzle assembly is disclosed. In one embodiment, a steam turbine casing segment is disclosed including: a horizontal joint surface; a pocket having a first opening at the horizontal joint surface and a second opening facing substantially radially outward; and a port accessible from a radially outward surface of the steam turbine casing segment, the port fluidly connected to the second opening of the pocket.
US08529185B2

A work handling apparatus includes a general-purpose tray holding unit which can move in the left and right direction while holding a general-purpose tray that accommodates works, a processing tray holding unit which is arranged adjacent to the rear side in the front and rear direction of the general-purpose tray holding unit and can move in the left and right direction while holding a processing tray for carrying works in and out of a processing area, and work transfer units which can move in the front and rear direction and the vertical direction so as to transfer works between the general-purpose tray and the processing tray. Thus, the general-purpose tray holding unit and the processing tray holding unit move in the Y direction within the XY plane, and the work transfer units move within the XZ plane, so that the work transfer operation can be increased in speed and the productivity is improved.
US08529184B1

According to the present invention, there is provided a lift mechanism adapted for movement between a substantially horizontal position and a substantially vertical position. At least one saddle rack adapted to carry a horse saddle is combined to the lift mechanism and positively rotates with respect to the lift mechanism in rotational synchronization with the movement of the lift mechanism as the lift mechanism moves between the respective positions, such that the horse saddle is held in a substantially upright position throughout the lift mechanism's movement.
US08529179B2

A vehicular traction apparatus is manufactured which includes a connecting member having a female thread portion mountable to a vehicular side and a traction hook. At one end of the traction hook is a male thread portion screwable into the female thread portion and at the other end thereof is a hook portion to which a traction member is mountable. An original position and/or a terminal portion of the male thread portion of the traction hook is arranged in a predetermined position relative to the hook portion. After the male portion is clamped to the connecting member, position of the hook member is settable in a predetermined, allowable angle position.
US08529178B2

A building structure including a first building member and a second building member may be connected by a plurality of fasteners, each fastener having a head, a threaded portion having a through hardness of between HRB 70 and HRC 40, a thread-forming portion of at least HRC 50 hardness enabling the fastener to form threads in at least the second steel building member, and a fluted lead portion of at least HRC 50 hardness with a nominal diameter between 70 and 95% of major diameter, such that the fastener is capable of providing a ratio of strip torque to thread-forming torque of at least 3.0 and a ratio of strip torque to drive torque greater than 6.0 when the second steel building member having a thickness of 0.25 inch and the fluted lead portion having at least one diameter within nominal diameter between 80 and 98% of major diameter.
US08529174B1

A system for transporting a tower on deck of a railcar includes a locating assembly, with a key assembly fixed to the deck and disengageably coupled to a foot-stop assembly fixed to the tower adjacent to a first end, for locating the tower above the deck, and a saddle assembly and a saddle spacer disposed between the saddle assembly and the tower, where the saddles spacer conforms to the shaped of the elongated portion of the tower, and supports the tower above the deck.
US08529171B1

An apparatus for removing broken fasteners from an engine cylinder head having a plurality of internally-threaded bores formed therein. The apparatus may comprise a guide plate having a first surface and a second surface, with the second surface being for positioning toward the cylinder head. The guide plate may have a plurality of apertures formed therein to correspond to bores of cylinder heads, and the apertures may extend through the guide plate from the first to the second surface. The apparatus may include a plurality of securing elements removably insertable into one of the apertures for removably securing the guide plate to the cylinder head. The apparatus may include a plurality of drill positioning sleeves removably positionable in the apertures of the guide plate. The apparatus may also include sleeve securing structures associated with each of the apertures to removably secure one of the drill positioning sleeves in the aperture.
US08529162B2

A cutting tool includes a tool body and an ambidextrous clamp for removably securing a cutting insert to the tool body. The clamp has at least one internal fluid duct passing through a space between two clamp screw throughbores located mirror symmetrically with respect to a plane of symmetry and extending from a coolant fluid inlet port to at least one discharge orifice. The clamp is secured to the tool body by a single screw located in one of the clamp screw throughbores and threadingly engaged with a single threaded bore of the tool body. The same clamp is used in both left-handed and right-handed tools, and the jet of the coolant fluid is ejected from the discharge orifice of the clamp onto the same region of the cutting insert in both cases.
US08529149B2

A sponge type make-up brush is provided that comprises a handle part having a sponge-receiving portion and a sponge part having a first portion and a second portion, wherein the second portion of the sponge part has a plurality of coating blades each having cutting surfaces. The plurality coating blades are arranged one after another. A thickness of the coating blades is reduced in a direction away from the handle part. The second portion of the sponge includes a plurality of edge line portions and a plurality of valley portions. The edge line portions are formed where cutting surfaces of a coating blade meet each other and each of the plurality of valley portions is formed where a cutting surface of one coating blade meets a cutting surface of a neighboring coating blade.
US08529138B2

The invention pertains to a ferrule for aligning optical transports within an optical connector for coupling to a mating optical connector for purposes of aligning the optical transports in the first connector with optical transports in the mating connector. The ferrule comprises a main body portion defining a longitudinal cavity running between a front face and the rear face of the main ferrule body. The cavity has an opening to a lateral side of the ferrule main body that permits the installation of optical transports into the cavity from a lateral direction (as well as still permitting longitudinal installation, if desired). A cover may be provided for closing off the lateral opening after the optical transports are installed in the cavity.
US08529136B2

A ball bearing having external surfaces coated with ceramic materials is provided. The raceways of the ball bearing may advantageously be formed of metal such as stainless steel. The ceramic coating acts as an insulator increasing the resistance of the ball bearing to heat within the ball bearing environment. The balls within the raceway of the ball bearing may advantageously be coated with a lubricant to decrease friction in the ball bearing because the insulating ceramic coating prevents the environmental heat from causing the degradation of the lubricant.
US08529135B2

An angular contact ball bearing, and a method for lubricating the same, has multiple ball pockets connected to an annulus channel via at least one hole that allows a fluid to flow from the annulus channel to the ball pockets.
US08529131B2

The present invention provides a ball transfer unit, which includes: a main body, a first rotating body, and a plurality of second rotating bodies arranged between the main body and the first rotating body. The main body has an end forming a receiving chamber and thus forming a receiving chamber sidewall. The second rotating bodies are rotatably arranged on the receiving chamber sidewall. The main body forms an air entrance passage in communication with the receiving chamber. The receiving chamber sidewall extends out to form a bearing section corresponding to the air entrance passage. The bearing section has a side surface in which air outlet ports are formed. The ball transfer unit of the present invention prevents powder dusts from falling therein, ensures smooth operation of the ball transfer unit, and extends the lifespan.
US08529127B2

Thermal flow measuring device and method for the manufacture of a thermal flow measuring device with a spacer having a first cavity for accommodating a resistance thermometer, wherein the spacer has at least a first planar area, which faces the first cavity, and a second cavity, through which the resistance thermometer can be pressed by means of a hold-down onto the first planar area of the spacer.
US08529121B2

The column-wheel (1) for a chronograph includes: a ratchet (2) provided with a plurality of teeth (3) the shape of which defines the direction of rotation of the column-wheel; a superstructure coaxial to the wheel and having n>=3 order rotational symmetry, the peripheral part of the superstructure forming n columns (10) parallel to the wheel axis and arranged substantially along the periphery of the ratchet (2), each column including an outer part, the cross-section of which is substantially shaped like a truncated triangle with a base substantially parallel to the circumference of the wheel and a front side (12), called the leading edge, and a back side (13), called the trailing edge, extending from the base towards the interior of the wheel. The column-wheel is characterized in that said cross-section is asymmetrical, a first angle α between the leading edge (12) and the base (14) being smaller than a second angle β between the base and the trailing edge (13).
US08529117B2

Apparatus for mixing of a first gas and a second gas, including (i) a linear first tube for supply of the first gas, the first tube having an inlet for the first gas at an upstream end and tapering to form a nozzle at a downstream end, and (ii) a linear second tube for supply of the second gas. The second tube has an inlet for the second gas at an upstream end, a first portion which forms an annulus around the outer surface of the first tube upstream of the nozzle, and a second portion which forms a sheath around the nozzle of the first tube and which forms an area of expanded cross-section compared to the annulus.
US08529113B2

A backlight sufficiently bright to be useful as a backlight for a high definition LCD television panel, or other types of visual display screens is disclosed. An LED wide enough to provide adequate light energy is used. The light energy is directed into a thin substrate panel via a tapered aperture port, and released toward a viewing surface in a uniform manner due to light guide disrupters calculated to optimize the output pattern.
US08529112B2

A light guiding bar includes first and second light incident portions, a light exit portion and a reflecting portion. The first and second light incident portions are at opposite ends of the light guiding bar and receive light. The light exit portion extends in a first direction, and partially totally reflects and partially emits the light according to an incident angle. The reflecting portion extends in the first direction, is adjacent to the light exit portion and includes a plurality of reflecting surfaces. Each of the reflecting surfaces has a wedge shape and reflects the light in a direction inclined with respect to a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction. The light incident into the first and second light incident portions and directly on the light exit portion is totally reflected by the light exit portion.
US08529105B2

This invention relates to thermal management for removing heat generated by a heat source (110). This is done by a combination of a heat conducting member (120), which is thermally connected to the heat source in one end and to a remotely arranged heat sink (130) in the opposite end, and a synthetic jet actuator (140). The synthetic jet actuator is arranged to provide active cooling directly onto the heat source by generating and directing an air flow towards the heat source. The synthetic jet actuator comprises a resonator cavity housing (150) and an oscillating member (160). The oscillator member is arranged at least partly inside said resonator cavity. The combination of the heat conducting member and the synthetic jet actuator provides a highly efficient cooling.
US08529104B2

A first lighting device comprises at least one plural cavity element and a plurality of solid state light emitters. A second lighting device comprises at least one plural cavity element, a plurality of solid state light emitters and at least one encapsulant region, at least a portion of the plural cavity element being surrounded by the encapsulant region. Each plural cavity element has at least two optical cavities. Each optical cavity comprises a concave region in the plural cavity element. At least one solid state light emitter is present in each of at least two of the optical cavities.
US08529103B2

An illumination system (10) for spot illumination comprising a tubular reflector (2) with a reflective inner surface, the tubular reflector (2) having an entrance aperture (7) and an exit aperture (8) being larger than the entrance aperture (7); a light-source array (1) comprising a plurality of light-sources (13a-c; 30a-d, 31a-d, 32a-d) arranged to emit light into the tubular reflector (2) at the entrance aperture thereof; and a light-diffusing optical member (9) arranged to diffuse light emitted by the illumination system (10). The light-diffusing member (9) is configured to exhibit an increasing diffusing capability with increasing distance from an optic axis (12) of the illumination system.
US08529102B2

A reflector system for a lighting device. The system uses two reflective surfaces to redirect the light before it is emitted. The light source/sources are disposed at the base of a secondary reflector. The first reflective surface is provided by a primary reflector which is arranged proximate to the source/sources. The primary reflector initially redirects, and in some cases diffuses, light from the sources such that the different wavelengths of light are mixed as they are redirected toward the secondary reflector. The secondary reflector functions primarily to shape the light into a desired output beam. The primary and secondary reflectors may be specular or diffuse and may comprise faceted surfaces. The reflector arrangement allows the source to be placed at the base of the secondary reflector where it may be thermally coupled to a housing or another structure to provide an outlet for heat generated by the sources.
US08529096B2

A mechanical interface for a glass bulb is provided. The mechanical interface includes a connector and an optical mount. The connector is in contact with the glass bulb. The connector may be a separate component attached to the glass bulb, or may be a continuous part of the glass bulb, such that the connector is itself made of glass. The optical mount is configured to receive the connector. In so receiving, the optical mount operatively couples with the connector so as to secure the glass bulb in a position. The optical mount is also configured to attach to a lamp housing. A solid state light source retrofit lamp may thus be formed of a lamp housing including a solid state light source light engine and its required components, a glass bulb, and a mechanical interface for the glass bulb.
US08529090B2

An independently detachable light-emitting diode light source module adapted to be installed in a luminaire's casing having an opening and an accommodating cavity, is provided. The independently detachable light-emitting diode light source module includes an installing device, a light-emitting diode array, and a secondary optical light guide plate. The light-emitting diode array and the secondary optical light guide plate are disposed in the installing device. The light source module is disposed inside the accommodating cavity and is assembled in the luminaire's casing via the installing device, and the opening exposes the light-emitting diode light source module.
US08529080B2

Provided are a lamp fixing member, a backlight assembly having the same, and a display apparatus having the backlight assembly. The lamp fixing member includes a body that has a shape corresponding to a shape of the outer surface of the lamp, wherein a portion of the body is opened for fixing the outer surface of the lamp, and a fixing portion that has a coupling hole for fixing the body, the fixing portion being coupled to the body. It is possible to more easily couple and/or separate the lamps by means of the lamp fixing member which is easily fixed to a designated location of the lamp, and to couple the lamps at designated locations.
US08529079B2

The present invention discloses a backlight module, comprising a back plate, a reflection plate, a cold cathode fluorescent lamp (CCFL), an optical film, a panel and a front frame, wherein the backlight module further comprises a heating device, and the heating device is disposed between the reflection plate and the CCFL. When the backlight module of the present invention is used in a cold area, the heating device is electrically powered in advance to generate heat and to heat the CCFL, and temperature of the CCFL can be raised to a normal initiation temperature which is above ten degrees below zero. Accordingly, the CCFL can avoid usage of over-power voltages in low temperature initiation thereof, and the life of the CCFL is less affected.
US08529078B2

A mist lamp comprises a base, a container for storing a liquid, a mist generator, a shade, a light module, and a circuit board. The container is adapted to be mounted to the base. The mist generator is fitted into an opening of the container for converting the liquid into mist. The shade is located around the container and mounted to the base, the shade defining a hole communicated with an outlet of the mist generator such that mist converted in the container by the mist generator can be delivered to the ambient through the hole. The light module is adapted to be mounted in a recess of the base. The circuit board is adapted to be mounted in the recess of the base and electrically connected with the light module and the mist generator for controlling operations of the light module and the mist generator.
US08529077B2

There is provided an illuminator comprising: a light source that radially emits white lights in a forward direction; and a lens sheet that is arranged facing the light source and that has a plurality of prisms on one side thereof concentrically at an optical axis so as to control orientation of the white lights that are emitted from the light source, wherein the light source is composed of: a luminous element that emits lights with a predetermined wavelength; and a sealing body that covers the luminous element and that includes phosphors therewith, the phosphors being adapted to receive the lights with the predetermined wavelength which are emitted from the luminous element so as to emit fluorescence, and the lens sheet includes prisms that have focal distances each different from the prisms adjacent thereto.
US08529075B2

An antireflection structure having a high antireflection effect is provided.An antireflection structure (50) reduces reflection of light having a wavelength equal to or larger than a predetermined wavelength, and absorbs the light whose reflection is reduced. The antireflection structure (50) includes a base structure portion (7) which is configured to have a plurality of structural units (70) arranged on a reference plane, and each having a tilted surface (71) so that an angle between the first side surface (71) and a reference plane (51) is a predetermined angle, and a plurality of fine concave/convex portions (8, 8, . . . ) which are formed on a surface of the base structure portion (7), and arranged within a cycle equal to or smaller than the predetermined wavelength.
US08529067B2

An image synthesizing device for a projector apparatus includes first, second, third polarizing beam splitters respectively provided for red light, green light, and blue light; and a light combining unit configured to combine and output the red light, the green light, and the blue light passing through the first, second, and third polarizing beam splitters. The first, second, and third polarizing beam splitters respectively include first, second, and third polarizing films. The first and second polarizing films where the red light and the green light enter are each formed of an organic material, and the third polarizing film where the blue light enters is formed of an inorganic material.
US08529066B2

A projector includes a liquid crystal light valve to which first image data and second image data are alternately written and a polarization switching device that has a plurality of switching areas and switches a polarization state between a first polarization state and a second polarization state for each of the switching areas. A boundary position between a switching area that provides the first polarization state and a switching area that provides the second polarization state moves in synchronization with a boundary position between an area where the first image data is written and an area where the second image data is written.
US08529065B2

The invention relates to an illumination system (10) and an illumination method for an opthalmological analysis apparatus, in particular an analysis apparatus for measuring an intraocular pressure in an eye, wherein the analysis apparatus includes an actuation device (11) with which a puff of air for deforming a cornea (14) can be applied to the eye (12) in the direction of an optical axis (15) of the eye, wherein the illumination system includes at least one illumination device (23) with which the cornea of the eye can be illuminated by a slit light in such a way that a sectional image (27) can be generated in an illumination plane coinciding with the optical axis, wherein the illumination device is formed so that an illuminating beam path (28) of the illumination device oriented towards the eye is arranged at an angle α relative to the optical axis (15).
US08529064B2

Attachment module for a microscope, having an ophthalmoscopic lens (142; 242; 342) and an inverting device (140; 240; 340) for inverting an image of an object (143; 243; 343) that is to be observed generated by means of the ophthalmoscopic lens, wherein the inverter device comprises at least four deflection surfaces (146a, 146b, 146c; 246a, 246b, 246c; 346a, 346b, 346c, 346d) by means of which observation beam paths (102) which emanate from the object to be observed can be introduced into a main objective (110) of the microscope, at least two deflection surfaces being planar and at least two further deflection surfaces being non-planar, particularly spherical or in the shape of free-form surfaces.
US08529044B2

An ink composition includes: water-insoluble polymer particles having a colorant and a water-insoluble polymer; and a compound represented by the following Formula (A), wherein the content of free polymer derived from the water-insoluble polymer is 1.0% by mass or less with respect to the total mass of the ink composition: wherein, R1 and R2 each independently represent a hydrogen atom or a hydrocarbon group having 1 to 22 carbon atoms; R3 represents a divalent hydrocarbon group having 1 to 18 carbon atoms; R1 and R2 may be the same as or different from each other, but R1 and R2 do not both represent a hydrogen atom at the same time; R1 to R3 may each have a substituent; m and n each independently represent an average addition mole number of AO of from 0 to 30; and AO represents an alkylene oxy group.
US08529034B2

A liquid container detachably mountable to a recording apparatus to which a plurality of liquid containers are detachably mountable, wherein the recording apparatus includes apparatus electrical contacts corresponding to the liquid containers, respectively, photoreceptor means for receiving light, and an electric circuit connected with a line which is commonly connected with the apparatus electrical contacts, the liquid container includes a container electrical contact electrically connectable with one of the apparatus contacts; an information storing portion capable of storing at least individual information of the liquid container; a light emitting portion; a controller for controlling emission of light of the light emitting portion in response to a correspondence between a signal indicative of individual information supplied through the container electrical contact and the information stored in the information storing means.
US08529030B2

A check valve unit is provided for a high-speed phase change ink image producing machine between a reservoir for receiving and holding a volume of melted ink from a source and a receiving unit, which may be a printhead system. The check valve unit includes a plurality of ball elements trapped between upper and lower housings defining a like plurality of inlet and discharge passageways. The passageways are configured to optimize flow of melted ink through the unit during charging of the secondary reservoir. The check valve unit is scalable as to size and number of reservoirs for a particular application. The unit further incorporates features that simplify the manufacturing and assembly process while maintaining optimal performance.
US08529022B2

A flexible circuit substrate has an integrated circuit mounted on the substrate, a first set of traces arranged to connect between a first voltage source and a first set of connectors on the integrated circuit, a second set of traces arranged to connect between a second voltage source and a second set of connectors on the integrated circuit, and a gap in the flexible circuit substrate between the first and second set of traces, the gap of sufficient width to stop an electrical arc-tracking between the first set of traces and the second set of traces. The substrate may have a second gap between the first gap and other traces.
US08529020B2

A liquid discharge recording head includes: a recording element substrate including a plurality of recording elements and discharge ports for discharging liquid; an electric wiring board including an opening for disposing the recording element substrate, and a plurality of electrode terminals disposed at an edge of the opening and electrically connected to a plurality of electrodes provided at an edge of the recording element substrate; a supporting plate supporting the recording element substrate and the electric wiring board and including a material having a linear expansion coefficient lower than the linear expansion coefficient of the electric wiring board; and a cover plate including a material having a linear expansion coefficient lower than the linear expansion coefficient of the electric wiring board, stacked on the electric wiring board on the supporting plate and fixed to both the supporting plate and the electric wiring board.
US08529011B2

A drop detection mechanism and method of use thereof is disclosed. In an embodiment, a shaped laser beam is employed to scatter light off of ink drops that are fired from a plurality of nozzles. A low cost, high throughput detector is utilized to detect the individual drops and thereby calculate the drop count, drop velocity and other drop characteristics. Consequently, through the use of the below described embodiments, new levels of print image quality are enabled on a broad range of inkjet printers, including industrial and web printers.
US08529007B2

A method of operating a printer enables compensation parameters to be generated and stored in association with system conditions detected at the time of the compensation parameter generation. Upon detection of corresponding system conditions at a later time, the printer is able to use the previously generated and stored compensation parameters to adjust the timing of printhead ejections to improve the registration in ink images formed by the system.
US08528999B2

The slide assembly includes a first rail, a second rail, a bearing assembly and an engaging member. The first rail includes an opening located adjacent to an end thereof and a stop face is defined on a wall of the opening. The bearing assembly is located between the first and second rails. The bearing assembly has a bearing retainer which has a first contact portion. The engaging member is connected to the second rail and has a second contact portion and an engaging portion. The second contact portion is located corresponding to the first contact portion. When the second rail is pulled relative to the first rail, the bearing retainer is moved by engagement between the first and second contact portions. When the bearing assembly moves to a desired position, the engaging portion is inserted into the opening and contacts the stop face so that the second rail is engaged with the first rail.
US08528997B2

A support construction for at least one furniture drive includes a support rail for bearing the at least one furniture drive and a first and a second fixing device for fixing the support rail to an item of furniture. At least one of the fixing devices includes a mounting part to be fixed to the item of furniture and a bearing part that can be connected to the support rail. The mounting part and the bearing part can be displaced in relation to each other and can be releasably locked by a locking device.
US08528994B2

A drawer glide assembly for a drawer type dishwasher includes a mounting bracket having a top edge portion, a bottom edge portion and side portions that collectively define first and second opposing surfaces. The mounting bracket also includes a pad member that projects laterally outward from the first surface and a hook member that projects laterally outward from the second surface. The glide assembly further includes a drawer glide unit having a first rail member slidably interconnected with a second rail member through a third rail member. The mounting bracket serves as an interface between a tub of the dishwasher and an outer housing. That is, the mounting bracket is supported upon the outer housing by the hook member and the glide assembly is secured to both the tub and the first surface. In this fashion, the tub can be readily shifted into and out from the outer housing.
US08528990B2

An apparatus for use on a portion of a milling or mining drum may include a base portion and a cutter bit. The cutter bit may include a tip region, a flange having a nut-like gripping surface, and a shank portion. At least a distal end of the shank portion may include a threaded portion. The shank portion may be received in an opening of the base portion. The opening of the base portion may be internally threaded to engage the threaded portion of the shank portion of the cutter bit. The base portion may include a lower region having a second threaded portion of smaller diameter than the threaded portion engaging the shank portion of the cutter bit. A retainer may be internally threaded into the opening of the base portion and threadably engaged in the second threaded portion.
US08528989B2

A method of solution mining vertically disposed beds of water-soluble deposits comprising a lower bed and at least one upper bed having at least one non-soluble layer disposed therebetween, said method comprising the steps of: (a) forming a channel in the lower bed; (b) drilling at least one zero radius or ultra-short radius injection pathway in the at least one upper bed; (c) manipulating at least one of the channel and the at least one injection pathway such that a fluid pathway is established between said channel and at least one injection pathway; (d) injecting a stream of solvent through the at least one injection pathway; and (e) recovering the solvent containing dissolved deposit therein via a recovery well.
US08528987B2

A linear seat belt pretensioner (10, 110, 210) has a frame (12; 112, 113; 212, 213) and an axial cavity (24, 60; 124, 160; 232) rigidly connected to the frame (12; 112, 113; 212, 213), a gas generator (20, 120, 220) in fluid communication with the axial cavity (24, 60; 124, 160, 232), and a piston (40, 140, 240) movably arranged in the axial cavity (24, 60; 124, 160; 232). An actuating profile (42, 142, 242) movable with the piston (40, 140) pulls a length of seat belt webbing (38, 238) into the frame (12; 112, 113; 212, 213) that corresponds to twice the piston stroke (D). The pretensioner device having a locking ramp arrangement (66, 70; 266, 290, 292) configured to form a one-way clutch allowing an increase and resisting a reduction of the length of belt webbing (38, 238) received by the pretensioner (10, 110, 210).
US08528985B2

In a webbing guide structure, when a take-up stopper has made abutted to a contact face of a webbing guide due to take-up force acting on a webbing arising from a spiral spring of a webbing take-up device, a rigid portion of the webbing extends out from the webbing guide towards the vehicle front-side, and a portion of the rigid portion further towards an tip end than the take-up stopper projects out from the rear seat back to the vehicle front-side. Due to utilizing biasing force of the spiral spring to project the rigid portion out from the rear seat back to the vehicle front-side, the need to provide a separate mechanism to project the rigid portion out can accordingly be eliminated. A gap between the rear seat back and the webbing can thereby be provided by employing a simple structure.
US08528984B2

A retention clip for securing a trim cover. The retention clip may have first and second pads that may be spaced apart from each other and disposed on a first base axis. First and second arms may extend from the first pad. Third and fourth arms may extend from the second pad. A first and second extension arms may extend from the first arm to the third arm and from the second arm to the fourth arm, respectively.
US08528978B2

A sleep support system incorporates a head cushion having a face relief aperture to receive the nose and chin of a passenger placing his face against the head cushion and a chest cushion attached to the head cushion with a hinged support structure for angular adjustment. The chest cushion receives the passenger's chest in a forward leaning position. Suspension arms are attached to the hinged support structure and extend over the passenger's shoulders for attachment to a seat back frame.
US08528976B2

A detachable, foldable seat specially designed to attach to the tailgate of a pickup truck or sport utility vehicle. The device comprises a bench seat, having a bottom seat cushion and a back support cushion attached to a hinge mechanism with a tailgate jamb post. The seat can fold in half at the hinge between the bottom and back support cushion of the device. During installation, the jamb post of the hinge inserts into the jamb between the open tailgate and the truck bed, securing the seat in position. A dual purpose strap attaches to either side of the bottom cushion such that the strap wraps around the open tailgate and further secures the seat in place. When the device is uninstalled and in a closed configuration, the strap serves as a fastening strap to keep the device in a stowed position.
US08528968B2

A stowable tray table assembly including a tray table, an arm assembly supporting the tray table, and a frame comprising a vertical guide rail and a horizontal guide rail separately and consecutively guiding movement of the arm assembly, the arm assembly engaging the vertical guide rail when the tray table is in a vertical position and engaging the horizontal guide rail when the tray table is in a horizontal position.
US08528957B2

A vehicle is provided with a seat oriented in a passenger compartment forward of a storage compartment. The seat has a seat back that is pivotally connected to a body of the vehicle. The seat back is pivotable between a seating position and a storage position. A battery is disposed within the storage compartment. A tray is removably connected to the vehicle body in either one of a first and a second position. The tray is elevated from the battery within the storage compartment in the first position. The tray is connected to the vehicle body such that it is contiguous with and forward of the battery in the second position. A flat load floor is formed by the top surface of a housing of the battery together with the tray.
US08528955B2

Cable manager 30 is positioned between the distal end of a robot arm 16 and the robot end effector 18. Elongated cable carrier 44 positioned in a circular cable track 34 extends in an arc about the axis of connection 17 between the robot arm and the end effector. One end 56 of the cable carrier moves with the robot arm and the other end 54 moves with the end effector. The cable carrier forms a U-shape 60 between its ends so that the movements of the ends of the cable carrier result in the U-shape accommodating the change in distance between the ends of the utility line and the cable carrier. Utility lines 62 are gathered in one or more cables that extend through the cable carrier to provide the end effector with the controls necessary for its operation.
US08528937B2

A steering column support apparatus that is capable of simplifying tuning for stabilizing forward displacement of a steering wheel during a secondary collision, keeping material costs, processing costs and assembly costs of an energy absorbing member low, and when necessary, preventing the steering wheel from dropping down excessively during a secondary collision. A locking capsule 47 that is fastened to a bracket 3 on the column side is held inside a locking hole 45 of a bracket 11b on the vehicle side that is fastened to the vehicle body by a plurality of connecting members that shear during a secondary collision. An energy absorbing member 53 is placed between the locking capsule 47 and the bracket 11b on the vehicle side. This energy absorbing member 53 is formed by bending a plastically deformable wire, and allows forward displacement of the locking capsule while absorbing impact energy that is applied to the locking capsule by plastically deforming during a secondary collision.
US08528900B2

A sheet loading and handling apparatus that suppress anomalies in sheet supply operation and feed sheets in a stable manner is disclosed. The sheet loading unit includes a supply mechanism that moves a plurality of stacked sheets in a direction toward a feeding position located at an end of the loading unit, a feeding mechanism that individually feeds sheets to the feeding position, and a control unit controlling a plurality of sensors, which detect whether there is a sheet at the feeding position. The supply mechanism operates based on detection information of the sensors. The control unit monitors a relationship between signal information of the optical sensor and that of another sensor, and if a signal relationship that is not normal as compared to that of normal feeding occurs, the unit retracts the signal information of the optical sensor and uses only the signal information of the other sensor.
US08528895B2

A sheet feeder includes a stopper located in a sheet feeding route and supported rotatably about a pivot point. The posture of the stopper is changed among a restricting posture in which a contact end contacts a leading end SU of a sheet S in a feeding direction to restrict the leading end SU before a feeding of the sheet S by a feeding mechanism, a feed allowing posture assumed during feeding and in which the contact end is separated from the leading end SU in a first direction F in which the sheet S is fed, and a rotational posture reached by rotating the stopper about the pivot point so that the contact end faces in a second direction opposite the first direction. The second direction is a direction in which the sheet S is pulled out from the feeding mechanism when a jam occurs.
US08528891B2

A creasing device includes: a first member including a creasing blade; a first receiving member including an attachment surface where the first member is to be attached; a second member arranged to face the first member and including a first creasing channel and a second creasing channel opposite to the first creasing channel, the first creasing channel configured to allow the creasing blade to be fitted thereinto with the sheet between the first creasing channel and the creasing blade, the second creasing channel configured to allow the creasing blade to be fitted thereinto with the sheet between the second creasing channel and the creasing blade; a second receiving member including an attachment surface where the second member is to be attached; and a driving section that brings the first and second members into contact with each other and separates the first member and the second member from one another.
US08528890B2

A system is provided for printing and assembling printed products. The system includes a binding line and a plurality of pockets for delivering signatures to the binding line. A personalization line is associated with one of the plurality of pockets. The personalization line includes a printer configured to print variable information on a substrate and a converter positioned downstream of the printer and configured to convert the substrate into a variable signature including the variable information.
US08528885B2

Embodiments of a multi-stage spring system are provided herein. In some embodiments, a multi-stage spring system includes a spring assembly having at least one resilient element, wherein the spring assembly has a first spring constant when deflected up to a first distance, a greater, second spring constant when deflected beyond the first distance and up to a second distance, and a greater, third spring constant when deflected beyond the second distance and up to a third distance, and wherein the spring assembly stores mechanical energy when deflected towards a contact surface that biases the spring assembly away from the contact surface when released.
US08528882B2

A water carbonator has a tubular body (1) closed at the ends by a pair of end plates (2, 4) preset for the hydraulic circuit for mixing water with CO2. These end plates (2, 4) are secured to the tubular body (1) by a shape coupling. Sealing of pressure of the fluid contained in the tubular body (1) is ensured by interposing elastic gaskets (3, 18).
US08528881B2

A system for removing a forming pan from a concrete slab having integral joists. In some embodiments, the system includes a forklift powered by a power supply; and a pan puller supported thereon. The pan puller includes a motor receiving power from the power supply, a wheel driven to rotate by the motor, the wheel having a plurality of teeth adapted to engage and remove the forming pan from the joint, and a basket configured to receive and contain the removed forming pan.
US08528872B2

An equipment enclosure for housing electronic components includes a front assembly having a front frame, the front assembly defining a front of the enclosure, and a rear assembly having a rear frame. The enclosure further includes at least two side brace members, each side brace member having a first end and a second, opposite end. A first connector is configured to releasably connect the first end of one of the side brace members to the front frame. A second connector is configured to releasably connect the second end of the one of the side brace members to the rear frame. Other embodiments and methods are further disclosed.
US08528869B2

A retractable post with an alarm device includes a plurality of retractable pipes retractably sleeved with each other. A retractable air whistle is secured by a latch block at a proper location inside the retractable pipe. A plug piece is installed at a bottom of the retractable post. The plug piece and the latch block make an interior of the retractable pipe present a dummy seal state, wherein the retractable pipe is almost but not completely sealed. When an abnormal rapid falling displacement of the retractable pipes occurs, the latch block and the retractable air whistle compress the air inside the retractable pipe, and then a bellow of the retractable air whistle is further compressed, such that the air inside the bellow is rapidly discharged through a sounding valve disposed at a front end of the air whistle, thereby generating an alarm sound.
US08528864B2

A protection device includes a flexible laminar body resistant to impacts, arranged separately from the body to be protected and put in the way of the beam of possible trajectories with which a foreign object could impact on the object to be protected, and it includes a plurality of energy absorption elements, provided with device clamping elements over a support structure positioned outside of the beam of possible trajectories, in order for the flexible laminar body to intercept an impact trajectory by the foreign object, resulting in its deformation and the subsequent progressive extension of the energy absorption elements reducing the loads to be supported by the support structure. The protection device is applied to prevent birds or other objects from impacting on sensitive areas of aircraft. The protection device is of a textile nature of reduced weight.
US08528863B2

A laminated wing structure includes at least one layer of metal material and at least one layer of a shape memory polymer (SMP) material. The SMP is heated to a temperature in its glass transition band Tg to roll the wing around the air vehicle into a stored position. The metal layer(s) must be thin enough to remain below its yield point when rolled up. In preparation for launch, the SMP material is thermally activated allowing the strain energy stored in the layer of metal material to return the wing to its deployed position at launch. Once deployed, the SMP cools to its glassy state. The SMP material may be reinforced with fiber to form a polymer matrix composite (PMC). SMP may be used to provide shear strain relief for multiple metal layers. By offloading the motive force required to return the wing to its original deployed position from the SMP to the metal, the polymer does not acquire a permanent set and the wing may be deployed accurately.
US08528861B2

A seating system may comprise a first seat, a second seat, and a plurality of armrests. The plurality of armrests may be located between the first seat and the second seat. The plurality of armrests may be capable of being deployed to change a seating space for the first seat.
US08528857B2

A translatable thrust inverter with grids for a turbojet, that defines at least a portion of the downstream section of a nacelle housing the turbojet. The thrust reversal system includes a front frame secured to a fixed portion of the nacelle and bearing. A first side includes cylinders for the translational actuation of at least one mobile cowling. A second side includes grids for inverting the peripheral thrusts, wherein the front frame includes a fixed portion for securing the front frame to the fixed portion of the nacelle and bearing the diversion grids. The system further includes a portion mounted so as to be capable of translational movement along the longitudinal axis of the nacelle and on which one end of the cowling actuation cylinders is attached, wherein the fixed and mobile portions of the front frame can be removably connected to each other by locking means.
US08528832B2

A system that supplements the cooling of the power train of the vehicle and maintains the vehicle's cabin temperature. The system includes an processor, a blower, a heater core, and an evaporator. The blower blows air over the heater core so as to make the heater core in essence an auxiliary radiator. The system further includes a first proportioning valve and a second proportioning valve. The proportioning valves are operable by the processor to control the flow of the dissipated heat between the vehicle cabin and a designated location. Specifically, the first proportioning valve is disposed upstream the heater core and is moveable between an open position and a closed position. The second proportioning valve is disposed downstream the heater core and directs airflow from the heater core between the vehicle cabin and the environment.
US08528825B2

A Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) system according to one embodiment of the present invention includes an RFID device having a memory; and an electronic device in electrical communication with the RFID device via a direct physical connection; wherein data received by the RFID device from a remote device is stored in the memory of the RFID device, the data being communicated to the electronic device via the direct physical connection. An RFID system according to another embodiment of the present invention includes an RFID device having a memory; and an electronic device in electrical communication with the RFID device via a direct physical connection; wherein data initiating with the electronic device is stored in the memory of the RFID device for subsequent transmission to a remote device. Methods are also provided.
US08528820B2

A barcode reader for verifying a barcode is attached to an appropriate object particularly suitable for use at a point of sale. A database of expected object signatures in a vicinity of a properly affixed barcode properly is maintained. At a point of sale, the barcode reader obtains an image of a presented barcode (possibly not the correct barcode) and at least a portion of an object to which the presented barcode is affixed. Using data encoded on the presented barcode, the database is accessed to provide an expected signature of the object in the region of the presented barcode. A comparison is made between the expected signature of the object and a sensed signature derived from the image of the object. An improper barcode can thus possibly be identified and further investigation initiated.
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