US08934615B2
A sender is identified based at least in part on originator identification information associated with an incoming communication. A message recipient is then determined based at least in part on the identified sender and one or more databases associated with message recipients by comparing the originator identification information to one or more entries in the one or more databases. The incoming communication is routed to the determined message recipient of a shared mailbox of a unified messaging system. An intended recipient is identified among the owners of the shared unified messaging mailbox owners. Only the determined message recipient is notified of the deposited message, based on the dynamic information derived from each deposited message.
US08934611B2
A mass-scale, user-independent, device-independent, voice messaging system that converts unstructured voice messages into text for display on a screen is disclosed. The system comprises (i) computer implemented sub-systems and also (ii) a network connection to human operators providing transcription and quality control; the system being adapted to optimize the effectiveness of the human operators by further comprising 3 core sub-systems, namely (i) a pre-processing front end that determines an appropriate conversion strategy; (ii) one or more conversion resources; and (iii) a quality control sub-system.
US08934608B2
New configurations of lasers and electron beams efficiently and robustly produce high flux beams of bright, tunable, polarized quasi-monoenergetic x-rays and gamma-rays via laser-Compton scattering. Specifically, the use of long-duration, pulsed lasers and closely-spaced, low-charge and low emittance bunches of electron beams increase the spectral flux of the Compton-scattered x-rays and gamma rays, increase efficiency of the laser-electron interaction and significantly reduce the overall complexity of Compton based light sources.
US08934604B2
In an image display apparatus of this invention, an image creation unit creates a plurality of cross-sectional images and a projected image from the volume data acquired at a CT volume data acquisition unit. The plurality of cross-sectional images and projected image are displayed on a monitor. When a specific point on the plurality of cross-sectional images displayed on the monitor is clicked at an operation unit, a line is displayed on the projected image displayed on the monitor according to the click.
US08934603B2
A contraband detection system is provided. The contraband detection system includes an X-ray system including a front X-ray transmitter/detector and a rear X-ray transmitter/detector. The contraband detection system further includes a quadrupole resonance (QR) system comprising a first QR coil, and a second QR coil, wherein the first and second QR coils are located between the front and rear X-ray transmitter/detectors, and wherein the first and second QR coils are constructed from a material having a low mass attenuation coefficient and a high conductivity such that the first and second QR coils do not substantially interfere with transmitting X-rays and detecting emitted photons using the X-ray system. The contraband detection system further comprise a computing device coupled to the X-ray system and the QR system, the computing device configured to detect contraband based on signals received from the X-ray system and the QR system.
US08934592B2
A method is provided for synchronizing binary data transmitted in parallel via N channels. The method comprises performing at the receiver side, a data-clock-alignment for the data in the N channels by selecting an optimal reference channel to which no delay will be added, and adding an appropriate delay to each of the remaining channels, until their respective centers of valid data portions are aligned to each other, and associating clock edges with the centers of the valid data portions. The method is characterized in that the alignment is performed regardless to whether binary word alignment is simultaneously achieved or not, and wherein the optimal reference channel allows aligning the centers of valid data of all the channels while adding a minimal delay to a worst channel from among the remaining channels, wherein the worst channel carries valid data portions which are maximally shifted from those of the reference channel.
US08934583B1
Systems, methods, and other embodiments associated with detecting an event are described. According to one embodiment, a device includes a detect logic that is configured to, during a sample window, monitor a communication channel for an event in a signal, wherein monitoring the communication channel for the event includes incrementing a counter in response to a magnitude of the communication channel being greater than a first predetermined threshold, and provide a detection signal in response to the counter reaching a second predetermined threshold, wherein the detection signal indicates detection of the event in the signal.
US08934580B2
A channel estimation method in a multipath channel, and which includes receiving a signal from a channel having multipath; obtaining information related to the number of paths and synchronization information related to each path from the received signal; estimating a channel using the obtained information related to the number of paths and synchronization information related to each path; calculating a metric using at least one impulse response value of a Square Root Raised Cosine (SRRC) filter and the obtained information; calculating an inverse metric of the calculated metric; and removing an inter-path interference from the estimated channel by multiplying the inverse metric with the estimated channel.
US08934576B2
A demodulation method for a pseudo-heterodyne signal, wherein the pseudo-heterodyne signal has a phase-modulated carrier signal and the pseudo-heterodyne signal is digitally sampled. A demodulation method at least partially avoids the disadvantages known from the prior art is implemented according to the invention in that the digitally sampled pseudo-heterodyne signal is subjected to a discrete Fourier transformation and at least one output Fourier coefficient featuring an amplitude and a phase is determined, an atan2 function (11) is applied on exactly one output Fourier coefficient of the discrete Fourier transformation and the atan2 function (11) provides the phase of the one output Fourier coefficient as a result.
US08934569B2
Aspects describe a Highly Detectable Pilot that allows a mobile device to detect more base stations and, thus, can provide more accuracy in location estimate. A highly detectable pilot can be transmitted in a position in one or more data symbols that are not currently being utilized for transmission of data. In certain aspects, a transmitter may not transmit during other positions of the one or more data symbols. Transmission of the highly detectable pilot in two data symbols provide a receiver with more convergence time, however, it can take the receiver a longer amount of time to acquire an adequate number of pilots for a location estimate.
US08934562B2
The disclosure provides an expansion assembly configured to increase a transmitting distance of a MIMO system, the expansion assembly comprises N first RF front end units, N second RF front end units, a first power divider and combiner, and a second power divider and combiner. The first power divider and combiner connects with each of the first RF front end units, for delivering a first signal polarized in a first direction to the each of the first RF front end units. The second power divider and combiner connects with each of the second RF front end units, for delivering a first signal polarized in a first direction to the each of the second RF front end units. Accordingly, the first and second signal polarized in a second directions are capable of being transmitted in different directions, so as to implement the omni-directional transmission and increase the transmission distance.
US08934558B2
A radio communication system comprises a control device that controls a radio station, which uses a plurality of first transmission antennas to transmit a first radio signal, for which a channel A is used, to a radio terminal, and a radio station, which uses a plurality of second transmission antennas to transmit a second radio signal, for which the channel A is used, to a radio terminal. The radio terminal, if having received the second radio signal, transmits, to the radio station, interference information based on the arrival direction from which the second radio signal comes to the radio terminal. Based on the interference information received by the radio base station, the control device transmits, to the radio station, control information to be used for directing, in the arrival direction, the null point of a directional beam formed by the second transmission antennas.
US08934541B2
A method, medium, and apparatus encoding and/or decoding an image in order to increase encoding and decoding efficiency by performing binary-arithmetic coding/decoding on a binary value of a syntax element using a probability model having the same syntax element probability value for respective context index information of each of at least two image components.
US08934539B2
A method and system for vector processor quantization acceleration for an encoding process. The encoding process is implemented using the hardware of a video processor. The method includes computing coefficients for a DCT (discrete cosine transform) encoding operation and determining a quantization step for use with a quantization operation for each of the coefficients. A vector processor is then used for quantization acceleration. Out of a range of possible quantized output values, the vector processor computes a set of quantized output values from the coefficients. The vector processor is configured to evaluate each of the quantized output values of the set in parallel. For the range of possible quantized output values that are not computed using the vector processor, the quantized output values are computed by using a multiplication logic path.
US08934532B2
A multichannel radio receiver is configured to define at least two channel plans, each channel plan having at least one channel. The channel plans may differ due to channel bandwidths, channel locations, channel number and/or channel spacings. At least a portion of a radio spectrum may be common to at least two of the channel plans. At least two decoders may operate simultaneously to decode different modulation schemes on each of the at least two channel plans. In one example, two channel plans overlap portions of the radio spectrum. Two different and complementary modulation schemes are used on the two channel plans, respectively. The complementary modulation schemes reject signals associated with the other. Accordingly, portions of the radio spectrum are used simultaneously by at least two channel plans and at least two modulation schemes, respectively.
US08934531B2
The present invention relates to an image processing apparatus and method that can generate a high-accuracy prediction image with a small amount of control information.A motion compensation circuit 51 specifies a macroblock corresponding to a prediction image in a reference frame other than a current frame using a motion vector supplied from a prediction mode determination circuit 41. The motion compensation circuit 51 reads an image of the specified macroblock from a frame memory 19, and extracts the read image as a motion compensation image. An intra-prediction circuit 52 performs intra-prediction on the current frame using an arbitrary method to generate an intra-prediction image IP. The present invention can be applied to, for example, an encoding apparatus and a decoding apparatus.
US08934530B2
Systems and methods for using redundant pictures and slice groups to encode spatially scalable H.264 Baseline profile conformant video and to route that video to endpoints of varying capabilities without using the Scalable Video extension of H.264 or transcoding. Reduced resolution versions of primary coded pictures are encoded as slice groups in a full-resolution composite pictures, which are added to the video bitstream as redundant pictures. A router then processes the spatially scaled video bitstream into separate streams having different resolutions and routes these to endpoints of varying capabilities.
US08934529B2
A transport stream for conveying a program for a particular channel includes an auxiliary channel, which conveys multiple lower resolution programs associated with other channels. When a receiver has difficulty receiving a particular channel due to the geographical location of the receiver, the receiver tunes to a stronger signal associated with another channel and recovers a lower resolution version of the desired program from the auxiliary channel conveyed therein.
US08934523B2
Provided is a method for configuring a transmission mode for a backhaul link transmission in a radio communication system including a relay station. The method comprises: a step in which a base station transmits, to the relay station, a relay-physical downlink control channel (R-PDCCH) containing backhaul control information; and a step in which the base station transmits, to the relay station, a relay-physical downlink shared channel (R-PDSCH) containing backhaul data, wherein the R-PDCCH is transmitted in one transmission mode selected from a plurality of predetermined transmission modes, and a reference signal transmitted through the R-PDCCH for the demodulation of the R-PDCCH is determined in accordance with said selected transmission mode.
US08934521B2
A receiver circuit provides improved noise estimation processing by at least partially removing receiver frequency error bias. An initial noise estimate is compensated using an error term based on the observed receiver frequency error, and the resulting compensated noise estimate can be used to improve other signal processing in the receiver. For example, the receiver may use compensated noise estimates to generate signal quality estimates, e.g., Signal-to-Interference (SIR) estimates, having improved accuracy. Additionally, or alternatively, the receiver may use the compensated noise estimates to generate RAKE combining weights having improved noise suppression characteristics. In an exemplary embodiment, the initial noise estimate is a noise correlation matrix generated from a received reference signal, e.g., pilot symbols, and the error term is an error matrix directly generated using the observed receiver frequency error and channel estimates taken from the reference signal.
US08934514B2
A vertical cavity surface emitting laser (VCSEL) configured to operate in a gain switching regime includes a cavity that is terminated by reflectors at both ends for enabling a standing wave of optical radiation therebetween. The cavity comprises at least one quantum well, each of the quantum wells located at a position where a value of a standing wave factor for each quantum well is between zero and one, 0<ξ<1.
US08934507B2
In at least one embodiment, a wavelength-tunable light source includes at least one fiber-based partial section and at least one delay section. For a wavelength λ of at least one portion of a radiation emitted by the light source as a function of time t, the relationship λ(t)=λ(t−τ) holds true. In this case, τ is a specific period of time. Furthermore, the delay section includes one or more oligomode fibers.
US08934505B2
Techniques are disclosed for synchronizing multiple clock sources of a system, and may include: determining time of a first clock at a first and second time instants; determining time of a second clock at a third time instant occurring between the first and second time instants, and a fourth time instant occurring after the second time instant; and determining a clock offset between the first and second clocks based on the determined times. The first and/or second clocks may be adjusted based on the clock offset to synchronize clock operation. This adjusting can be used, for instance, to synchronize operation of an audio and/or video component operating according to the first clock with an audio and/or video component operating according to the second clock. The techniques may further include determining if the clock offset is valid (e.g., based on detection of perturbing events or difference between a clock's times).
US08934502B2
A method and system for processing buffer status reports (BSRs) such that when BSR triggering is performed, the size(s) of the necessary sub-header(s) are also to be considered together in addition to the BSR size. The steps of checking whether any padding region is available in a MAC PDU that was constructed, comparing the number of padding bits with the size of the BSR plus its sub-header, and if the number of padding bits is larger than the size of the BSR plus its sub-header, triggering BSR are performed. Doing so allows the sub-header(s) to be inserted or included into the MAC PDU or transport block (TB) or other type of data unit.
US08934499B1
Embodiments disclosed herein provide systems and methods for dynamically transferring between multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) transmit modes based on a usage level of a wireless access node. In a particular embodiment, a method provides transferring wireless communications to a wireless communication device via a plurality of ports in a wireless access node on a wireless communication network. The method further provides determining an access node usage level for the wireless access node. If the access node usage level satisfies a condition for access node usage, the method provides configuring the plurality of ports to use a MIMO 2 transmit-2 carrier mode for transmitting the wireless communications. If the access node usage level does not satisfy the condition for access node usage, the method provides configuring the plurality of ports to use a MIMO 4 transmit-1 carrier mode for transmitting the wireless communications.
US08934498B2
A technique for operating a wireless communication device includes transmitting a scheduling request from the wireless communication device and receiving, following the scheduling request, an uplink grant that assigns an uplink channel to the wireless communication device. A time period between the scheduling request and the uplink grant is determined. Only channel quality information is transmitted in the uplink channel when the uplink grant requests the channel quality information and the time period is less than a predetermined time period.
US08934495B1
Systems and methods are disclosed that allow for improved management and control of packet forwarding in network systems. Network devices and tool optimizers and a related systems and methods are disclosed for improved packet forwarding between network sources and destination tools in a network monitoring environment. The network devices and tool optimizers disclosed can include a graphical user interfaces (GUIs) through which a user can create and modify filters and select associated filter criteria for forwarding packets from input ports to output ports. The network devices and tool optimizers can also automatically generate filter rules and apply them to the appropriate filter engines so that packets are forwarded as desired by the user. The GUI can be configured to provide other features as well.
US08934494B2
A transmission system including: transmission apparatuses; and a destination management apparatus including: first ports which are coupled to the transmission apparatuses; and a first processor configured to manage an address entry which indicates a relation between the first port which receives the frame from among the first ports and a transmission source address included in the frame; and to transfer the frame received by one of the first ports, to the first port in association with the transmission destination address from among the first ports based on the address entry, wherein one of the transmission apparatuses including: second ports which are coupled to another transmission apparatus in the network; a third port which is coupled to the destination management apparatus; and a second processor configured to transmit the frame received by one of the second ports only to the third port.
US08934492B1
The present disclosure generally pertains to network systems and methods that efficiently drop packets carried by virtual circuits. In one exemplary embodiment, a packet network has at least a first node having a first port that is coupled directly to a second port of a second node. A virtual circuit is established such that a virtual connection exists between the two ports. The first node communicates with the second node to determine whether the second node is provisioned such that the second port is a member of the virtual circuit. If the second node is not provisioned such that the second port is a member of the virtual circuit, then the first node drops the data packets that (1) are carried by the virtual circuit and (2) are to be forwarded to the first port, as indicated by virtual circuit (VC) mapping data in the first node. Thus, the dropped packets are prevented from usurping capacity that otherwise could be used to transmit other packets between the two nodes.
US08934487B2
A first packet is received from a client over an internal network destined for a remote node of an external network. The first packet includes a source IP address having an internal network portion that identifies a location of the client in the internal network and an external network portion that identifies a location of the internal network accessible by the external network. An obfuscation operation is performed on the internal network portion of the source IP address of the first packet to conceal the location of the client in the internal network and the internal network portion of the source IP address of the first packet is rewritten with the obfuscated internal network portion while maintaining the current external network portion of the source IP address. Thereafter, the first packet is transmitted to the remote node over the external network.
US08934482B2
A communication control apparatus includes a storing unit that stores terminal information including respective identifiers of a plurality of communication terminals, respective user identifiers, and respective media types, each media type indicating data format processed by each communication terminal. The apparatus also includes a selecting unit that selects second and third communication terminals which satisfy a connection request called from a first communication terminal, as a result of comparison of the terminal information with a user identifier and a media type; a first communication unit that transmits information identifying the third communication terminal to the second communication terminal, and receives information identifying the third communication terminal to be connected with the first communication terminal from the second communication terminal; a second communication unit that transmits the connection request to the third communication terminal; and a third communication unit that requests the first communication terminal to connect to the third communication terminal.
US08934474B2
A method and apparatus for enabling a subscriber who is originating a call to a called party endpoint to specify call handling treatments when a busy or a no answer network condition is encountered when calling the called party endpoint with no subscribed network based voice mail service are disclosed. The subscriber, for example, can re-originate the call that is originally directed to a home phone number of the called party to a cellular phone number of the called party instead upon encountering a busy or no answer network condition.
US08934467B2
The invention discloses a random access method and apparatus so as to perform random access for a User Equipment (UE) with a plurality of aggregated cells in a carrier aggregation-enabled LTE-A system. The method includes: determining a secondary cell configured for a UE and obtaining random access related parameter preset for the secondary cell; and sending the random access related parameter to the UE to instruct the UE to initiate random access procedure over the secondary cell corresponding to the random access related parameter. The inventive method achieves the purpose of enabling the UE to be synchronized with the network side by performing random access over a specified cell, having the UE maintain uplink synchronization with the network side in the configured secondary cell and ensuring the overall performance of the system.
US08934466B2
Certain aspects of the present disclosure relate to techniques for designing Modulation-Coding Scheme (MSC) set fields in a transmission frame of Very High Throughput (VHT) wireless systems.
US08934439B2
Methods and system are provided for managing and monitoring allocation of RF spectrum resources based on time, space and frequency. A network may be enabled to allocate excess spectrum resources for use by other network providers on a real-time basis. Allocated resources may be transferred from one provider with excess resources to another in need of additional resources based on contractual terms or on a real-time purchase negotiations and settlements. A network may be enabled to monitor the use of allocated resources on real-time basis and off-load or allow additional users depending on the spectrum resources availability. Public safety networks may be enabled to make spectrum resources available to general public by allocating spectrum resources and monitoring the use of those resources. During an emergency, when traffic increases on a public safety network, the public safety networks may off-load bandwidth traffic to make available necessary resources for public safety users.
US08934434B2
A method and apparatus are provided for transmitting control information in a base station for a wireless communication system. The method includes transmitting, to a terminal, information associated with a number of Control Channel Elements (CCEs) included in control channels, determining a set of control channel candidates based on an IDentifier (ID) of the terminal and the information associated with the number of CCEs; selecting at least one control channel candidate from among the set of control channel candidates; and transmitting the control information to the terminal through the selected at least one control channel candidate.
US08934431B2
A method, a device and a system for indicating terminal specific Demodulation Reference Signal (DMRS) are provided by the invention. The method includes that: a network side creates signal indicating information, and sends the created signal indicating information to a terminal (S501); the terminal, according to Transmission Block (TB) indicating information of the TB and multiple bits control information which are included in the signal indicating information, confirms DMRS pattern information, antenna port information and a scrambling ID of a reference signal sequence (S502) allocated for itself. The method, the device and the system provide by the invention, compared to the prior art, reduce signaling overhead which indicates the terminal specific DMRS, thus reducing resources waste of the system.
US08934420B2
A method is provided to receive and transmit network frames across a network. A wireless access point device is configured operate as a wireless bridge (e.g., wireless workgroup bridge) to reserve a predetermined number of bits of a media access control (MAC) address of the wireless access point device. Combinations of the predetermined number of bits can be assigned by the wireless access point device to respective ones of a plurality of wired clients of the wireless access point device. The wireless access point device can store data that maps the combinations of the predetermined number of bits of the mapped MAC addressees. The access point device can then process downstream network frames received wirelessly from a root wireless access point and can process upstream network frames received from the plurality of wired clients.
US08934419B2
A system, method, and node for protecting a telecommunication system against a mobile and multi-homed attacker, MMA (10). The telecommunication system includes one or more correspondent nodes, CN, (102, 104) for transferring data packets. A mobile and multi-homed network node, MMN, (108) associated with the MMA communicates and receives data packets with the CN. An access router, AR, (106) transferring data between the MMN and the CN performs a reachability test with the MMN to determine if the MMN is still reachable. The AR sends a message to the CN to flush cached information associated with the MMN if the MMN is not reachable by the AR. The CN, upon receiving the message to flush cached information, flushes binding cache entries associated with the MMN from the CN.
US08934416B2
A channel allocation system for allocating channels in a frequency band to a plurality of radios in close proximity so as to minimize co-channel interference. One method for allocating channels involves initially tuning each of the plurality of radios to the same one of the plurality of channels. All of the radios then receive signals from whatever sources and a signal score is determined for each radio. The radios are then tuned to another one of the plurality of channels. The steps of receiving a signal and determining a signal score for each radio are repeated for each of the remaining channels until all channels have been used. The signal scores are then tested against a table of mapping schemes to determine maximum isolation.
US08934408B2
The present invention relates to a system and method for proportional-fair resource allocation for multi-rate random access. The method includes receiving, by a device, data packets to be transmitted to an access point on a shared uplink channel, and determining, by the device, whether or not to contend for access to the shared uplink channel based on a probability of access. The probability of access is based on a data transmission rate between the device and the access point.
US08934393B2
A method for local selection of a retransmitting user equipment within a cluster comprises: selecting first retransmission indication information according to a first pre-defined criterion, in response to receipt of non-acknowledgement information from at least one non-acknowledgement user equipment at which a data packet from a network node is decoded incorrectly; performing a local selection of a retransmitting user equipment within a cluster based at least in part on the first retransmission indication least one non-acknowledgement user equipment, and at least one acknowledgement user equipment at which the data packet is decoded correctly; and determining whether or not to retransmit the data packet to the at least one non-acknowledgement user equipment, based at least in part on the local selection of the retransmitting user equipment.
US08934392B2
A method and system for supporting multimedia broadcast multicast service over a generic access network is provided. The method includes utilizing one or more channels to perform one or more application procedures in a multimedia broadcast multicast service (MBMS). The method also includes establishing an MBMS bearer for the MBMS over the generic access network by delivering an MBMS notification comprising generic access network cell description. The MBMS notification is delivers via the one or more of channels. Further, the method includes directing an electronic device to a generic access network cell based on the delivered MBMS notification. The system includes an electronic device. The system also includes a mobile station for rendering multiple mobile services to the electronic device. Further, the system includes a base station in communication with the mobile station for establishing an MBMS bearer in the generic access network for supporting the multimedia broadcast multicast service.
US08934391B2
A random access procedure between a mobile terminal and a network is performed based upon the characteristics of a RACH preamble. If the RACH preamble was explicitly signaled by the network, a downlink channel is monitored until a new transmission is indicated according to radio resource allocation information received from the network. If the RACH preamble was not explicitly signaled by the network, a contention resolution timer is started and the downlink channel is monitored until the contention resolution timer expires. Such monitoring of downlink channels in a more efficient manner, results in effective reduction in power consumption.
US08934383B1
To enable internet softphone users to join to calls hosted at an audio conferencing bridge, a SIP Invite may be received at a bridge interface layer of an audio conferencing system. Parameters of the SIP Invite may be extracted, e.g. from one or more X-header fields and processed to enable the internet softphone to be joined to an audio conferencing bridge. The bridge interface layer may receive a SIP Refer message from the audio conferencing bridge that indicates a second audio conferencing bridge external to the system. The bridge interface layer may forward the SIP Invite to the second audio conferencing bridge and the RTP media may be established through the session border controller (SBC) of the audio conferencing system.
US08934378B1
The constituency and topology of a dynamic network cluster comprising a plurality of hosts and a plurality of Level 2 network switches is automatically detected and mapped at selected intervals of time to provide current real time topology mappings. Network connections are determined by identifying the MAC addresses of host interfaces of hosts that a part of the cluster and the MAC addresses of the particular host interfaces connected to the switch ports of each switch. Resiliency to account for changes to the cluster between intervals is provided by caching cluster mapping and constituency information, and using the cached information from a previous update round to supplement information detected during a current round.
US08934371B2
A method of monitoring broadcast or multicast streaming service in a communications network comprising collecting (102) quality feedbacks related to the streaming service, determining (106) a maximum distance to a neighbor in a cluster and a minimum number of values required to form a cluster (106). The method further comprises grouping (108) collected values from the feedbacks into clusters based on the maximum distance to a neighbor in a cluster and the minimum number of values required to form a cluster and then mapping (112) the clusters onto topology of the network and determining (114) location of a problem causing degradation of the service.
US08934368B2
A network having distribution of access point loading includes access points to which mobile stations can associate themselves based upon access point beacon signal levels and loading levels for the various access points. A mobile station receives beacon signals from various access points and determines a signal strength for the received beacon signals. The mobile station also receives access point loading information from the access points. The mobile station associates with an access point based upon the access point beacon signal strengths and the access point loading information.
US08934367B2
Provided is a terminal apparatus including a first communication unit that performs communication according to a first wireless communication scheme using frequency division duplex; a second communication unit that performs communication according to a second wireless communication scheme different from the first wireless communication scheme; a detecting unit that detects deterioration of reception quality of the first communication unit due to generation of the communication by the first communication unit and the communication by the second communication unit at the same timing; and a reporting unit that reports the deterioration of the reception quality to a communication control apparatus scheduling the communication by the first communication unit, when the deterioration of the reception quality is detected by the detecting unit.
US08934366B2
In one embodiment, a device connected to a network receives at a network interface a first network size indicator for a first network and a second network size indicator for a second network. A difference between the first network size indicator and the second network size indicator is determined and a switching probability is calculated if the difference between the network size indicators is greater than a predetermined network size difference threshold. The device may then migrate from the first network to the second network based on the switching probability.
US08934365B2
Techniques are provided for a radio link quality monitoring method and apparatus wherein a given user equipment device receives a plurality of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex symbols that comprise a plurality of resource elements distributed in time and frequency, and which include reference symbols. The objective of the radio link quality monitoring is to predict the user equipment detection probability of control messages transmitted by the base station. The radio link quality estimation process calculates two average signal to noise ratio values over the complete frequency bandwidth for two assumed control channel formats corresponding to in-sync and out-of-sync conditions. The results of the calculations are then used to deduce the average error probabilities that are compared with predefined thresholds to provide the in-sync/out-of-sync indications.
US08934361B2
Embodiments of the present invention disclose a downlink Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (ICIC) method and relate to the wireless communication field. The method includes: obtaining information about multiple carriers in a current cell; obtaining, according to the information about the multiple carriers, a downlink ICIC parameter corresponding to each carrier of the multiple carriers; and sending the downlink ICIC parameter corresponding to each carrier to a neighboring cell of the current cell so as to enable the neighboring cell to perform, according to the downlink ICIC parameter, downlink interference coordination with the first cell. The embodiments of the present invention are applicable to downlink ICIC in a multi-carrier system.
US08934360B2
The present invention discloses a method, a terminal and a network system for reporting a buffer status report. The method comprises: a terminal triggers a buffer status report (BSR) and obtains radio resource information of uplink component carriers in a radio network; one or more BSR data units are constructed based on information of buffer data volume to be transmitted; one or more uplink component carriers are selected from the uplink component carriers with available radio resources, and the BSR data unit(s) is/are transmitted on the selected uplink component carrier(s) to a network side. The present invention fully takes advantages of wide bandwidth of a long term evolution-advanced (LTE)-A system, and can realize high-efficiency-and-quality transmission of BSR data unit(s).
US08934359B2
A method for managing upstream burst overhead parameters includes: an Optical Line Terminal (OLT) or an Optical Network Unit (ONU) detects transmission quality of a downlink between the OLT and the ONU; the OLT or the ONU determines the upstream burst overhead parameters suitable for the ONU according to the transmission quality; and the ONU starts to use the upstream burst overhead parameters suitable for the ONU after the switching time determined by the ONU itself or indicated by the OLT. The present invention also provides an ONU and an OLT for managing the upstream burst overhead parameters. The present invention can improve the bandwidth utilization rate and decrease the complexity of indicating the upstream burst overhead parameters in PON system, so that the ONU and the OLT are enabled to flexibly and simply select the upstream burst overhead parameters.
US08934351B2
A hybrid vehicle electronic control unit (HV-ECU) includes a communication unit and a retransmission control unit. The communication unit performs a retransmitting process of data when a transmission error of the data is detected. The retransmission control unit inhibits the retransmitting process in a corresponding communication period and releases the retransmitting process when the corresponding communication period ends and the next communication period starts if the number of times that a transmission error is detected in a predetermined communication period is larger than a transmission stop determination threshold value.
US08934347B1
Communicating among cores in a computing system comprising a plurality of cores, each core comprising a processor and a switch, includes: routing a packet from a core or from a device coupled to at least one core to a destination over a route including one or more cores, with an order of dimensions associated with the route being selected dynamically upon construction of the packet; routing the packet to a first core in the route over the first selected dimension; and routing the packet from the first core to the destination over the second dimension.
US08934345B2
A station includes a reservation request transmitter, a bandwidth request transmitter, and a data transmitter. The reservation request transmitter transmits a reservation request to an access point during a contention slot specified by the access point. The contention slot is periodically allocated by the access point. The bandwidth request transmitter transmits a bandwidth request to the access point using a first allocated bandwidth allocated to the station as a response to the reservation request. The bandwidth request has a first data structure different from a second data structure of the reservation request, and includes information indicating a required bandwidth for transmitting a data to be transmitted. The data transmitter transmits the data using a second allocated bandwidth allocated to the station based on the required bandwidth.
US08934336B2
A method is provided for facilitating preservation of session context information during an inter-radio access technology service retry. A user equipment (UE) may initiate a data transmission for a first service over a wireless communication session with a first network. Upon ascertaining that the first service has failed over the first network, a failover procedure is initiated by sending a service request for a second service to the first network. The second service may be distinct from the first service and has the effect of suspending the wireless communication session with the first network. The UE then resends the data transmission for the first service over a second network. The UE then resumes use of the wireless communication session over the first network after resending the data transmission over the second network. This resumption is done by using context information for the wireless communication session preserved prior to the suspension.
US08934331B2
A CS fallback procedure handles conflict that may arise when handover operations occur during CS fallback. If CS fallback is initiated for an access terminal and handover of that access terminal is then initiated before the CS fallback completes, the target for the handover is informed of the CS fallback so that the target may perform the appropriate CS fallback operations.
US08934330B2
The present invention provides a method for channel estimation used in a receiver of a multi-carrier communication system, including: receiving a multi-carrier symbols from a transmitter of the multi-carrier communication system; and obtaining channel information of sub-carriers carrying data of the multi-carrier symbols, using selectively time direction interpolation and frequency direction interpolation for channel information of a plurality of scatter pilots of the multi-carrier symbols.
US08934329B2
For transmit diversity in a multi-antenna OFDM system, a transmitter encodes, interleaves, and symbol maps traffic data to obtain data symbols. The transmitter processes each pair of data symbols to obtain two pairs of transmit symbols for transmission from a pair of antennas either (1) in two OFDM symbol periods for space-time transmit diversity or (2) on two subbands for space-frequency transmit diversity. NT·(NT−1)/2 different antenna pairs are used for data transmission, with different antenna pairs being used for adjacent subbands, where NT is the number of antennas. The system may support multiple OFDM symbol sizes. The same coding, interleaving, and modulation schemes are used for different OFDM symbol sizes to simplify the transmitter and receiver processing. The transmitter performs OFDM modulation on the transmit symbol stream for each antenna in accordance with the selected OFDM symbol size. The receiver performs the complementary processing.
US08934314B2
Embodiments of an apparatus and method to improve power delivery including a pre-charge circuit that may include a first voltage supply rail configured to provide a first voltage amount to perform a first phase of a pre-charge of a bit line and a second voltage supply rail configured to provide a second voltage amount to perform a second phase of the pre-charge of the bit line are described herein. In embodiments, the pre-charge circuit may be a pre charge circuit for a static random-access memory (SRAM) memory cell.
US08934313B2
A negative voltage generator includes a variable-capacitance negative voltage generating unit, a switching unit and a positive voltage applying unit. The negative voltage generating unit includes a plurality of coupling capacitors for varying the capacitance in which the negative voltage is charged. The negative voltage generating unit selects at least one coupling capacitor of the plurality of coupling capacitors according to the number of rows (size) of a memory bank to which data is written, and charges the at least one selected coupling capacitor to a negative voltage. The switching unit selects one bitline of a bitline pair having complementary first and second bitlines in response to the data, and connects the at least one selected coupling capacitor to the selected bitline. The positive voltage applying unit applies a positive (high) voltage to an other bitline of the bitline pair.
US08934300B1
A memory array structure is provided. The memory array structure comprises a ring-shaped electrical pattern comprising a plurality of word lines, an array area comprising a first array, a second array and a plurality of bit lines, and a contact area comprising a plurality of contact points. The first array comprises one part of the word lines, and a first ground select line and a first string select line disposed on both sides of the word lines. The second array comprises another part of the word lines, and a second ground select line and a second string select line disposed on both sides of the word lines. The bit lines are disposed on the first array and the second array, and cross both of the first array and the second array. The word lines electrically contact with an external circuit through the contact points.
US08934285B2
A cell of a resistive random access memory including a resistive element and an access device. The resistive element includes (i) a first electrode and (ii) a second electrode. The access device is configured to select and deselect the cell. The access device includes (i) a first terminal connected to a first contact and (i) a second terminal connected to a second contact. The second contact is connected to the second electrode of the resistive element via a third contact. The third contact includes (i) a first surface in contact with the second contact and (ii) a second surface in contact with the second electrode. The first surface defines a first surface area, and the second surface defines a second surface area. The first surface area is greater than the second surface area.
US08934274B2
A current flowing into one of half-bridge circuits of a power semiconductor module is detected by corresponding ones of current detection circuits through a current detection terminal provided in corresponding ones of semiconductor switching devices forming the half-bridge circuits and a current detection terminal provided in corresponding ones of flywheel diodes back-to-back connected to the corresponding ones of the semiconductor switching devices. A pulse voltage waveform indicating the current detected by the corresponding ones of the current detection circuits is held for a predetermined period and converted into a stepwise voltage waveform by use of corresponding ones of sample-and-hold circuits, so that the voltage held by the corresponding ones of the sample-and-hold circuits is transmitted to a control circuit through corresponding ones of insulating circuits.
US08934271B2
A startup circuit includes a MOSFET that is connected between a startup power source and an auxiliary power source made of a smoothing capacitor and passes a startup current from the startup power source to the smoothing capacitor, a JFET that has a drain terminal connected to a drain terminal of the MOSFET and a source terminal connected through a resistor to a gate terminal of the MOSFET, and a pinch-off voltage controller that controls a pinch-off voltage of the JFET to a first reference voltage at startup and to a second reference voltage, which is lower than the first reference voltage, after startup.
US08934270B2
Controlling a converter of a wind turbine is disclosed. The converter is connected to a rotor of a doubly fed asynchronous generator in order to feed electrical energy into an electric network. The converter comprises a network-side inverter, a generator-side inverter, and a controller, which outputs target values for demanded reactive power to at least one of the inverters. A reactive power target signal is determined for the portion that the network-side inverter contributes to the demanded reactive power QT, a slip signal is determined from the frequency of the network and the rotational speed of the generator, a gain value is calculated according to the slip signal, and the gain value is modified according to the reactive power target signal for the network-side inverter. The distribution of the reactive power between the two inverters is thus optimized over a wide operating range, not only at individual predetermined operating points.
US08934269B2
We describe a photovoltaic power conditioning unit comprising: both dc and ac power inputs; a dc link; at least one dc-to-dc converter coupled between dc input and dc link; and a dc-to-ac converter coupled between dc link and ac output. The dc-to-dc converter comprises: a transformer having input and output windings; an input dc-to-ac converter coupled between dc input and input winding; and an ac-to-dc converter coupled between output winding the dc link. The output winding has a winding tap between the first and second portions. The ac-to-dc converter comprises: first and second rectifiers, each connected to a respective first and second portion of the output winding, to the dc link and winding tap; and a series inductor connected to the winding tap. Rectifiers are connected to the winding tap of the output winding via the series inductor wherein the series inductor is shared between the first and second rectifiers.
US08934263B2
The present disclosure relates to sensors including pressure sensors, humidity sensors, flow sensors, etc. In some cases, a cover for use with a sensor assembly may include an electrically insulating body having perimeter features extending a majority of the way around perimeters of upper and lower printed circuit boards that the cover may vertically separate. In one example, the body of the cover may include support features that extend from a lower side of the cover and those support features may contact the lower printed circuit board in at least two locations. The support features of the cover may be separated by a gap and a sensor connected to the lower printed circuit board may be situated within the gap.
US08934258B2
A motor controller comprising multiple types of interfaces assigned automatically, including a mother circuit board and a daughter circuit board. The daughter circuit board is plugged into the mother circuit board to form electric connection. The mother circuit board has a power circuit, a microprocessor unit of the mother circuit board, a rotor position sensing unit, a power inverter unit, and an analog sensing unit. The daughter circuit board includes a signal interface circuit. The mother circuit board further has a serial digital communication unit. The signal interface circuit includes a microprocessor of the daughter circuit board, and a serial digital communication unit of the daughter circuit board. The microprocessor unit of the mother circuit board communicates with the microprocessor of the daughter circuit board via the serial digital communication unit of the mother circuit board and the serial digital communication unit of the daughter circuit board.
US08934252B2
A fiber panel system includes a chassis including a backplane; and at least a first blade configured to mount to the chassis. The first blade is moveable relative to the chassis between a refracted (closed) position and at least one extended position. The first blade includes a coupler arrangement for connecting together media segments. The first blade remains electrically connected to the backplane of the chassis when moving between the retracted and extended positions.
US08934247B2
A fastener includes a main body, a washer, and a spring. The main body includes a pole, two spaced latches extending from a top end of the pole, and two spaced legs extending down from a bottom end of the pole opposite to the latches. An annular blocking portion protrudes out from a circumference of the pole adjacent to the legs. A tapered first projection protrudes from an outer side of a distal end of each latch opposite to the other latch. A tapered second projection protrudes from an outer side of a distal end of each leg opposite to the other leg. The washer and the spring are fitted around the pole, and the spring is sandwiched between the washer and the blocking piece.
US08934241B2
In the electronic device, an inlet 10 is provided on a front face 1c of a first housing 1. Thus, it is possible to reduce the possibility of the inlet 10 being blocked by objects. That is, when a user uses a notebook computer in a normal position, his body opposes the front face 1c in many cases. Thus, when the inlet is provided on the front face 1c, the inlet is less likely to be blocked than when it is provided on any other face of the first housing 1. For this reason, the cooling efficiency within the first housing 1 does not drop.
US08934238B2
A collapsible electronic equipment includes a first part, a shaft, a second part, a retaining element, and a blocking element. The first part pivots on the second part via the shaft. The retaining element is disposed on the shaft, and the blocking element is movably disposed on the second part. When the blocking element is abutted against the retaining element, a relative position between the first part and the second part is maintained.
US08934224B2
A casing 1, a lid component 11 for covering a terminal 13 disposed in an opening of the casing 1, and a water sealing component 12 disposed around the terminal 13, are provided. The lid component 11 is structured such that a support portion 11h of a fixing portion 11g is rotatably fixed to the casing 1, and a slidable portion 11b slides relative to a lid portion 11a. Thus, a projection 11c is engaged with a recess 14, and a pair of engagement portions 11f engages with a pair of fixed projections 16. Thus, the lid component 11 engages with the casing 1 in three directions, and is held by being pressed against the water sealing component 12. With this structure, an electronic device having a lid component which can be assuredly locked is obtained.
US08934223B2
An electronic device enclosure includes an inner tray and an outer tray. The inner tray includes a bottom plate. The outer tray receiving the inner tray and includes a base wall with a first bridge. The first bridge includes two first connecting panels and a first mounting panel between the two first connecting panels. Each of the two first connecting panels is slanted relative to the base wall. An acreage of the first mounting panel is less than an acreage of the base wall, and the base wall is engaged with the bottom plate via the first mounting panel by attaching the first mounting panel to the bottom plate, to decrease a contacting acreage between the base wall and the bottom plate.
US08934209B2
An information handling system power supply dynamically adapts thermal and power output protection constraints based upon thermal and power output conditions measured at the power supply. In the event of changing conditions at the information handling system, such as an increase in ambient temperature or an increase in power consumption, a power constraint adaptive module adjusts constraints at which the power supply will shut down in order to maintain power to an information handling system outside of a normal power and thermal constraint operating envelope for the power supply.
US08934206B2
A remote sensing circuit and a high-power supply apparatus having the remote sensing circuit. The high-power supply apparatus can include a feedback circuit to feedback power output from a high-power supply unit to an input terminal of the high-power supply apparatus. The remote sensing circuit can include a switching unit connected between an output terminal of the high-power generating unit and the feedback circuit of the high-power supply apparatus to open the connection in a normal status and to close the connection in an abnormal status, a load channel to connect the high-power generating unit and a load, and a remote sensing unit having one terminal commonly connected to the load and the load channel and another terminal commonly connected to the switching unit and the feedback circuit to sense power supplied to the load.
US08934204B2
A surge protection circuit comprises a surge detection circuit 14 for detecting a surge applied to a semiconductor integrated circuit, and a protection element 15 for absorbing the surge. The protection element is connected between a signal terminal for supplying a signal to the semiconductor integrated circuit and a power source terminal for supplying a power source voltage. When the power source voltage is not larger than a voltage enough to normally operate the semiconductor integrated circuit and the surge detection circuit does not detect the surge, the protection element is set in a current limiting state. When the power source voltage is not larger than a voltage enough to normally operate the semiconductor integrated circuit and the surge detection circuit detects the surge, the protection element is set in a current non-limiting state.
US08934201B1
A flexure includes a substrate layer, a dielectric layer formed thereon, and a conducting layer formed on the dielectric layer, the conducting layer includes multiple conductive traces and multiple bonding pads arranged in a first direction and adapted for connecting with a PCB, each bonding pad includes a first portion and a second portion, a first window is opened on the substrate layer, and a second window is opened on the dielectric layer to expose the bonding pads, wherein the substrate layer includes multiple first protuberances extending from at least one side wall of the first window along a second direction which is perpendicular to the first direction to cover the first portion of each bonding pad, and the second portion of each bonding pad includes at least one notch or hole. The flexure is applicable to connected with a PCB by soldering jetting process or hot bar process.
US08934200B2
A flex circuit including a multiple layer structure is disclosed. The multiple layered structure includes a first or top layer and a second or base layer. Top traces and bond pads are fabricated on the top or obverse layer and interlayer traces and bond pads are fabricated between the first and second layers to provide an electrical interconnect to electrical components on a head assembly. In an illustrated embodiment, the flex circuit includes portions including the first or base layer and the second or top layer and one or more reduced thickness portion including the first or base layer and not the second layer. In one embodiment, the gimbal portion of the flex circuit includes the first layer and not the second layer of the multiple layer structure and in another embodiment a bending portion of the flex circuit includes the first base layer and not the second layer of the multiple layered structure to provide a reduced thickness to facilitate bending, for example in a micro-actuation region of the load beam.
US08934199B1
A head gimbal assembly for a disk drive includes a flexure having a proximal tongue portion that connects to a head and a flexure tail that extends to a distal flexure tail terminal region. A dielectric layer in the distal flexure tail terminal region is bounded by first and second longitudinal edges. The distal flexure tail terminal region includes a plurality of flexure bond pads in electrical communication with the head. A structural layer of the distal flexure tail terminal region includes a first plurality of discontinuous islands. Each of at least three of the first plurality of discontinuous islands extends over the first longitudinal edge by a protrusion distance. Adjacent ones of the at least three of the first plurality of discontinuous islands are separated by a first longitudinal spacing, measured along the first longitudinal edge, that is no greater than thirty times the protrusion distance.
US08934193B2
A transport system for transporting magnetic tape includes at least one roller for guiding the magnetic tape having at least one electrode, wherein the at least one electrode is configured to be charged triboelectrically so as to produce a force of attraction between the magnetic tape and the at least one electrode.
US08934182B2
A lens system comprising, in order from an object side: a first lens group G1; and a second lens group G2 having positive refractive power; the first lens group G1 including a sub-lens group GS11 having positive refractive power, and a sub-lens group GS12 having negative refractive power, the sub-lens group GS12 having negative refractive power including a meniscus lens having a convex surface facing the object side, given conditions being satisfied, thereby providing a lens system having high optical performance with excellently correcting various aberrations, and an optical apparatus equipped therewith.
US08934178B2
An image capturing optical lens system includes, in order from an object side to an image side, a first lens element, a second lens element, a third lens element, a fourth lens element, a fifth lens element, and a sixth lens element. The first lens element with positive refractive power has a convex object-side surface. The second lens element has negative refractive power. The third lens element has refractive power. The fourth lens element has refractive power, wherein at least one surface of the fourth lens element is aspheric. The fifth lens element with negative refractive power has a concave object-side surface and a convex image-side surface, and the surfaces thereof are aspheric. The sixth lens element with refractive power has an image-side surface changing from concave at a paraxial region thereof to convex at a peripheral region thereof, and the surfaces thereof are aspheric.
US08934174B2
An object is to provide an image display sheet provided for position detection of an object to be observed so as to realize a smooth pseudo moving image. The image display sheet is provided for an object 3000 to be observed for position detection and constituted by laminating a lenticular sheet composed of arrangement of a plurality of cylindrical lenses and an image forming layer, and an image formed on the image forming layer from a convex shape side of the cylindrical lenses of the lenticular sheet is formed to be observable as virtual image provided with movement, or movement and deformation. A plurality of images for observing virtual images for displaying virtual images 104A, 104B in association with the cylindrical lenses are formed repeatedly on the image forming layer so as to correspond to the cylindrical lenses respectively one-on-one, an arrangement pitch length in a horizontal direction of the flat convex lenses and a pitch length in a horizontal direction of the image for observing virtual image differs in a range of not more than 10%, and an arrangement pitch length in a vertical direction of the flat convex lenses and a pitch length in a vertical direction of the image for observing virtual image differs in a range of not more than 10%, and the virtual image smoothly moving with respect to displacement of an angle θ at which the object 3000 is visually observed is thereby observed.
US08934173B2
A sheet-form light-redirecting optical article for illuminating building interiors with sunlight. At least one embodiment comprises a sheet of optically transmissive rigid material, preferably Poly(methyl methacrylate), in which a plurality of deep and narrow parallel channels are formed and arranged in two perpendicular arrays. Each channel has opposing walls configured for reflecting light by means of a Total Internal Reflection (TIR). At least a portion of off-axis rays incident onto the surface of the sheet is redirected by the TIR walls of the light-guiding channels. At least one embodiment comprises a grid formed by intersecting specular reflectors and further comprises a light diffusing element optically coupled to the grid. Disclosed also are a method for making the intersecting arrays of light-redirecting channels.
US08934172B2
According to one embodiment, a mirror includes a plurality of dielectric layers stacked in a first direction. A thickness along the first direction of each of the dielectric layers is half a design wavelength. The dielectric layers include a first dielectric layer. The first dielectric layer includes a first portion with a thickness being ⅛ of the design wavelength, a second portion stacked with the first portion with a thickness being ⅛ of the design wavelength, and a third portion provided between the first and second portions with a thickness being ¼ of the design wavelength. The second portion has a refractive index lower than that of the first portion. The third portion has a refractive index gradually decreasing from a side of the first portion toward a side of the second portion.
US08934162B2
A diaphragm device includes: a board including an opening; a step motor including a teeth portion, and rotatable and stoppable at an interval of a predetermined step angle; a transmitting member including a driven teeth portion meshing the teeth portion, and capable of rotating and stopping in response to a drive force of the teeth portion; a drive ring capable of rotating and stopping in response to a drive force of the transmitting member; and a blade capable of stopping at a receding position to recede from the opening or at an aperture position to cover at least a part of the opening, in response to a drive force of the drive ring.
US08934158B2
An image reading apparatus includes a light-emitting device having a peak wavelength that varies depending on a value of a drive current, and illuminates a document with illumination light from the light-emitting device. A light receiving unit receives a light reflected from the document when the illumination light is emitted from the light-emitting device, and converts the received reflected light into image data at a predetermined sensitivity depending on the wavelengths of the received light. A current drive circuit supplies the drive current to turn on the light-emitting device. A wavelength distribution control unit produces two or more durations each having a different value of the drive current by controlling the current drive circuit during each main scanning to the document to produce two or more durations each having a different peak wavelength in each main scanning.
US08934149B2
An image reader is provided, which includes a housing, a document table, a reading unit disposed between the housing and the document table and configured to read an image of a document sheet on the document table, and a carriage configured to hold the reading unit and move along a moving direction, the carriage including a protruding portion formed to protrude toward the reading unit, on a bottom surface of the carriage that faces a lower surface of the reading unit.
US08934137B2
A printing device includes at least one station and a transmission control unit. The station includes a printing unit that prints image data of a plurality of colors generated by an upper level device on a printing medium, and a plurality of holding units that receive and hold the image data of the plurality of colors transmitted from the upper level device through a plurality of first transmission paths respectively corresponding to the image data of the plurality of colors. The transmission control unit controls the plurality of holding units to receive printing information from the upper level device through a second transmission path, and controls, on the basis of the printing information, the plurality of holding units to respectively receive and hold the image data of the plurality of colors transmitted from the upper level device.
US08934127B2
An information processing apparatus enabling a user to easily select a desired memory medium from among a plurality of memory media connected thereto.Appearance image information indicating an appearance image of the information processing apparatus is stored, in a case that the memory medium is connected to at least one of the plurality of media interfaces, media identification information identifying the connected memory medium and interface identification information identifying a media interface to which the memory medium is connected among the plurality of media interfaces are acquired, and a memory media connection screen showing the state of connection of the memory media to the information processing apparatus is generated, according to the appearance image information, the media identification information, and the interface identification information, to display the memory media connection screen on a display section.
US08934124B2
An intermediary apparatus includes a communication interface connectable to an image processing apparatus via a first network and also connectable to a service via a second network, and a controller configured to: acquire tagging request information, which is transmitted from the image processing apparatus, for requesting to associate tag data with electronic data which has been uploaded to the service from the image processing apparatus; acquire upload notification information, which is transmitted from the image processing apparatus, indicating that the electronic data has been uploaded from the image processing apparatus to the service; output tagging instruction information for requesting to associate the tag data with the electronic data which has been uploaded from the image processing apparatus and stored in the service in response to acquiring the tagging request information and the upload notification information; and transmit the tagging instruction information to the service via the communication interface.
US08934123B2
An image forming system includes: an MFP switchable between a standby state and a power-saving state; a plurality of client computers outputting a print instruction to the MFP; and a server computer managing the MFP and the client computers. To the plurality of client computers, schedule information is input by the users of respective client computers. The server computer obtains the schedule information from the client computers and analyzes the schedule information. Based on the information resulting from the analysis, the server computer outputs an instruction to switch the MFP from the standby state to the power-saving state, to the MFP.
US08934122B2
Reducing waste in a digital printing system (200) includes moving media (214) through a web transport system (205) at a first speed. A first job is printed on the print media and a downstream finishing device (203) in a first configuration acts on the media. The web slows to a second speed prior the end of the first job and the finishing device changes to a second configuration after the first job has passed. A time to complete changing from the first to the second configuration is estimated and a time for a first section of the media containing the end of the first job to arrive at the finishing device is estimated. A second job is printed on the media prior to completion of the change based on the estimated time to completion.
US08934119B2
A computer architecture that integrates desktop productivity applications with various visualization engines and various output engines allowing visualization, modification and formatting of the ultimate output from the application. Methods for accomplishing content visualization, editing and formatting in light of one or more printing option are also provided. Methods and apparatus are also provided for environmentally-friendly printing in booklet form.
US08934115B2
There are provided a paper conveying apparatus that can precisely determine the presence of occurrence of a jam by a jam sound. The paper conveying apparatus includes an analog sound signal generator for generating an analog sound signal corresponding to a sound generated by the paper during conveyance of the paper, a corrected signal generator for generating a signal acquiring the peak hold of the analog sound signal or a signal detecting the analog sound signal as a corrected signal, a digital converter for sampling the corrected signal and converting the corrected signal to a digital format to generate a digital sound signal, and a sound jam detector for determining whether a jam has occurred based on the digital sound signal.
US08934089B2
Provided is an apparatus for analyzing an electroluminescence sample, which comprises: a pulse generator for applying a pulse driving signal to the electroluminescence sample; an electroluminescence (EL) detector for receiving electroluminescence which is emitted from the electroluminescence sample according to the application of the pulse driving signal, thereby acquiring a light-receiving signal; a temperature controller for varying the temperature of the electroluminescence sample; and an electroluminescence transient spectroscopy (ELTS) analysis unit for analyzing a change in a time division section of the light-receiving signal delayed depending on a change of the temperature of the electroluminescence sample, and acquiring information on a defect-type charge trap which exists in the electroluminescence sample.
US08934082B2
A lithographic apparatus is disclosed including a liquid supply system configured to at least partly fill a space between the projection system and the substrate with a liquid, an outlet configured to remove a mixture of liquid and gas passing through a gap between a liquid confinement structure of the liquid supply system and the substrate, and an evacuation system configured to draw the mixture through the outlet, the evacuation system having a separator tank arranged to separate liquid from gas in the mixture and a separator tank pressure controller, connected to a non-liquid-filled region of the separator tank, configured to maintain a stable pressure within the non-liquid-filled region.
US08934079B2
An optical arrangement for use in an optical imaging process includes an optical element, an immersion zone and a liquid repelling device. During the optical imaging process, the immersion zone is located adjacent to the optical element and is filled with an immersion liquid. The optical element has a first surface region and a second surface region. During the optical imaging process, the first surface region is wetted by the immersion liquid. At least temporarily during the optical imaging process, the liquid repelling device generates an electrical field in the region of the second surface. The electrical field being is adapted to cause a repellent force on parts of the immersion liquid which are responsive to the electrical field and inadvertently contact the second surface region. The repellent force has a direction to drive away the parts of the immersion liquid from the second surface region.
US08934071B2
When first grooves are formed by irradiating a lower surface facing a light outgoing surface of a light guide plate for an illuminating device with laser beams, an outer circumferential region is firstly irradiated with the laser beams to form second grooves. Then, the second grooves are inspected. Next, irradiation conditions of the laser beams are adjusted based on an inspection result of the second grooves, irradiation positions of the laser beams are linearly displaced from formation positions of the second grooves, and formation of the first grooves in the scattering reflection region is then started.
US08934058B2
A signal digitizing system and method based on analog-to-time optical mapping, optically maps amplitude information of an analog signal of interest first into wavelength information using an amplitude tunable filter (ATF) to impress spectral changes induced by the amplitude of the analog signal onto a carrier signal, i.e. a train of optical pulses, and next from wavelength information to temporal information using a dispersive element so that temporal information representing the amplitude information is encoded in the time domain in the carrier signal. Optical-to-electrical conversion of the optical pulses into voltage waveforms and subsequently digitizing the voltage waveforms into a digital image enables the temporal information to be resolved and quantized in the time domain. The digital image may them be digital signal processed to digitally reconstruct the analog signal based on the temporal information with high fidelity.
US08934050B2
An image-capturing device and associated method for selective exposure adjustment of an image, wherein, image data of a scene is acquired, the scene is displayed on d display unit, the scene is divided into a plurality of regions, and a level of exposure is chosen for at least one region from the plurality of regions.
US08934046B2
There is provided a zoom lens including a first focus lens group having negative refractive power and moving in orientation to an image side along an optical axis in focusing from a long distance to a short distance, and a second focus lens group having positive refractive power, the second focus lens group being arranged on a closer side to an image relative to the first focus lens group and moving along the optical axis in focusing. The first and second focus lens groups move in association with each other.
US08934044B2
In response to receiving, by an image editing application, selection of a layer from an image comprising at least two layers, selecting the layer in the image editing application. A view from a camera may be rendered by the image editing application in at least a portion of the selected layer. In response to receiving, by the image editing application, an input indicating that the view from the camera should be captured, the view from the camera can be captured. The captured view from the camera may be inserted into the at least the portion of the selected layer by the image editing application.
US08934043B2
In a camera and method, a scene is captured as an archival image, with the camera set in an initial capture configuration. Then, a plurality of parameters of the scene are evaluated. The parameters are matched to one or more of a plurality of suggested capture configurations to define a suggestion set. User input designating one of the suggested capture configurations of the suggestion set is accepted and the camera is set to the corresponding capture configuration.
US08934042B2
A candidate image presenting method using thumbnail images and an image signal processor and an imaging device performing the candidate image presenting method are provided. The image signal processing device processes a plurality of original image data by frames to generate a plurality of frame image data, generates and firstly outputs a plurality of thumbnail image data corresponding to the plurality of frame image data, and secondly outputs the frame image data corresponding to the thumbnail image data selected on the basis of a selection signal. Accordingly, it is possible to enable an image to be captured in a suitable photographing mode without missing a desired instant by providing a user with thumbnail images obtained by means of photographing operations in various photographing modes for a short time and causing a user to select a desired frame image on the basis of the thumbnail images.
US08934039B2
Equipment detachable from a body portion of the camera system includes: a communication unit communicating with the body; a storage unit storing manipulation information corresponding to a manipulation type of the camera system and operation information related to an operation of the camera system corresponding to the manipulation type; and a control unit transmitting the manipulation and operation information to the body when the external equipment is attached to the body, causes the camera system to display the manipulation image data based on the manipulation information, causes the camera system to perform an operation based on the operation information, and removes the display of manipulation image data when the external equipment is detached from the body portion.
US08934034B2
Generalized assorted pixel camera systems and methods are provided. In accordance with some embodiments, the generalized assorted pixel camera systems include a color filter array, where the color filter array includes a plurality of primary filters and a plurality of secondary filters. Each filter has a particular spectral response and each filter is formed on a corresponding pixel of a plurality of pixels. Each of the plurality of primary filters and the plurality of secondary filters enhances an attribute of image quality and the information obtained using the plurality of primary filters and the plurality of secondary filters is used to balance spectral resolution, dynamic range, and spatial resolution for generating an image of a plurality of image types.
US08934033B2
Provided is an imaging device including an image processing unit that executes artistic effect processing of applying an artistic effect causing a visual effect to image data by a combination of a plurality of image processing, and executes moving image special effect processing of applying a moving image special effect causing a visual effect over frames, a moving image special effect start signal input unit that receives an input of a moving image special effect start signal instructing a start of the moving image special effect processing in the image processing unit, and an image processing control unit that switches artistic effect processing to be executed by the image processing unit in response to the input of the moving image special effect start signal when plural kinds of processing remain set as artistic effect processing performed by the image processing unit.
US08934030B2
Suppressing flicker in digital images includes deriving pixel values from a non-content area of a digital image, estimating flicker values within the non-content area, and suppressing flicker throughout the digital image based on the estimated flicker values of the non-content area.
US08934012B2
A monitoring apparatus includes a video data obtaining section obtaining video data from a monitoring terminal, a metadata obtaining section obtaining metadata describing information on a monitored subject from the monitoring terminal, a filter setting storage section storing a filter setting, a metadata filter section performing filtering processing on the metadata by using a filter setting stored in the filter setting storage section, and an output section outputting a monitoring result based on the filtering processing result obtained by performing filtering processing in the metadata filter section.
US08934011B1
A vehicle reserve security system includes a plurality of cameras, a digital video recorder and a video server. A front view camera views an area in front of a vehicle. A front left side camera views an area behind the vehicle and to a left thereof. A front right side camera views an area behind the vehicle and to a right thereof. A rear left side camera views an area in front of the vehicle and to a left thereof. A rear right side camera views an area in front of the vehicle and to a right thereof. A rear view camera views an area to a rear of the vehicle. The output of the plurality of cameras is input by the digital video recorder. The digital video recorder outputs six delayed video signals to a video server. The video server outputs a single delayed signal to a computer.
US08934009B2
The invention provides a measuring device, comprising a distance measuring unit 8 for performing distance measurement on a measuring point by projecting a distance measuring light and by receiving a reflected distance measuring light from the measuring point, an image pickup unit 7 for acquiring a digital image of a measurement range, a distance measuring optical axis deflecting unit 16 for deflecting a distance measuring optical axis of the distance measuring light, an angle measuring unit 9 for measuring an angle of the distance measuring optical axis, an image processing unit 14 for extracting the measuring point through image processing of the digital image, and a control arithmetic unit 21, wherein the control arithmetic unit detects an angle of the measuring point on the digital image, controls the distance measuring optical axis deflecting unit based on the detected angle, directs the distance measuring optical axis toward the measuring point one after another and measures a distance to the measuring point.
US08933995B2
The quality of a planar image is improved while maintaining the parallax of a stereoscopic image. An image capturing device includes an imaging element that performs photoelectric conversion on respective light fluxes passing through different regions of a single pickup lens. The image capturing device includes a neutral density filter an AE control unit that acquires subject brightness, and a diaphragm control unit that, in a case of the stereoscopic pickup, controls whether or not to reduce the amount of light which reaches the imaging element using the neutral density filter based on the subject brightness, and that, in a case of the plane pickup, causes a diaphragm value of the diaphragm to be greater than a diaphragm value in the case of the stereoscopic pickup while setting the light extinction filter to a non-insertion state.
US08933994B2
Systems and methods for determining a customized cosmetic formulation. In one method, a user is guided to capture an image of a skin region with known lighting and color characteristics, and the image is processed to provide calibrated skin color information. A customized cosmetic formulation is automatically determined for the user based on the calibrated skin color information. In another method, a user is interactively guided through capture of one or more skin region images using a device having an image sensor. The skin region images are processed to provide calibrated skin color information, which is compared to a ground truth data set to identify a set of closest known values in the ground truth data set. A customized cosmetic formulation is automatically determined for the user based on the comparison.
US08933992B2
The invention relates to an image recording device, an image reproduction device and a system with such a recording and reproduction device. The recording device comprises an optical axis (1) and a concave mirror (10), whereas through the use of said concave mirror (10) an image of an object (12) can be generated through reflection, the object being located at or projected onto the optical axis (1) near the focal point (11) of the concave mirror (10). A flat light scanner surface (17) is disposed between the concave mirror (10) and the object (12) such that the light beams (15, 16) reflected by the concave mirror (10) generate a two-dimensional projection of the object (12) on the light scanner surface (17), whereas the light scanner surface (17) comprises light receptors (19) through which the incident light beams (15, 16) of the two-dimensional projection can be captured in relation to their frequency and/or phase and/or magnitude, whereas means are provided through which the captured two-dimensional projection can be encoded in an electronic file. Furthermore, the reproduction device comprises a flat projection surface (27) for displaying a two-dimensional graphic, the projection surface being disposed between a concave mirror (20) and a three-dimensional projection (22) to be generated of an object (12). Means are provided for decoding the electronic file and for causing the graphic to be displayed on the projection surface (27) according to the frequency and/or phase and/or magnitude information about light beams encoded in the electronic file. Through the use of said mirror (20) a three-dimensional projection (22) of the object (12) can be generated through reflection of the light beams (25, 26) emitted from the projection surface (27).
US08933991B2
A mobile terminal and controlling method thereof are disclosed, by which object information on an object within a 2-dimensional (hereinafter abbreviated 2D) preview image can be provided as 3D object information of a 3-dimensional (hereinafter abbreviated 3D) type or object information on an object within a 3D preview image can be provided as object information of a 3D type. The present invention includes displaying a preview image via at least one camera on a screen of a touchscreen, recognizing a current position of the mobile terminal, searching for an object information on at least one object within the preview image based on the recognized current position, displaying the found object information within the preview image, and converting and displaying a touched specific point to a 3-dimensional (hereinafter abbreviated 3D) shape if the specific point within the preview image is touched. Accordingly, the present invention converts a preview image for augmented reality to a 2D or 3D image and also converts information on an object within the preview image to a 2D or 3D image, thereby providing a user with various images in the augmented reality.
US08933988B2
A picture transmission system is provided that provides a solution to drops in picture quality. A multiplexing unit (11) multiplexes N pictures in display order to generate a multiplexed picture. A transmission unit (12) transmits the multiplexed picture. A frame memory (23) delays pictures in the multiplexed picture that is received by a reception unit (21) by a one-frame interval of the pictures (one subframe interval) to generate reference pictures. With each reception of a picture in the multiplexed picture by the reception unit (21), an OD arithmetic unit (25) converts the picture element value of the picture (object picture) based on the reference picture to generate an OverDrive picture. A time-division display apparatus (3) displays the OverDrive pictures.
US08933978B1
Embodiments of the invention are directed to a substrate processing device, such as a printing device. In some embodiments, the device includes a substrate supply, a reusable card, an operative unit, at least one transport mechanism, and a controller. The substrate supply is configured to support a plurality of operative substrates. The reusable card is stored in a dedicated storage area, which does not receive the operative substrates. The controller is configured to control the at least one transport mechanism and the operative unit to deliver the reusable card from the storage area to the operative unit, to process the reusable card with the operative unit, and return the reusable card to the storage area, multiple times.
US08933972B2
A method and system for adjusting luminance in a display device including displaying an image with saturated colors, and adjusting luminance settings of sub-pixels so that a relative luminance ratio between full white color and any fully saturated color is within approximately 25 percent of a reference relative luminance ratio between the full white color and the same fully saturated color in an equivalent display device including red, green and blue sub-pixels.
US08933969B2
Methods for managing errors utilizing augmented reality are provided. One system includes a transceiver configured to communicate with a systems management console, capture device for capturing environmental inputs, memory storing code comprising an augmented reality module, and a processor. The processor, when executing the code comprising the augmented reality module, is configured to perform the method below. One method includes capturing an environmental input, identifying a target device in the captured environmental input, and querying the systems management console regarding a status condition for the target device. Also provided are physical computer storage mediums including a computer program product for performing the above method.
US08933960B2
Various techniques relating to the alteration of image data are provided herein. In generally, disclosed embodiments may provide techniques for applying on or more image alteration effects to image data that is displayed on an electronic device. In certain disclosed embodiments, the application of such image alteration effects may be triggered based upon various detected device operation events, which may include audio-related events, motion-related events, location-related events, and/or events relating the imaging properties. The selection of a triggering device event and a corresponding image alteration affect may be defined by a user through a set of user preference settings on the electronic device.
US08933947B2
Disclosed herein are systems, apparatuses, and methods for enabling efficient reads to a local memory of a processing unit. In an embodiment, a processing unit includes an interface and a buffer. The interface is configured to (i) send a request for a portion of data in a region of a local memory of an other processing unit and (ii) receive, responsive to the request, all the data from the region. The buffer is configured to store the data from the region of the local memory of the other processing unit.
US08933945B2
A graphics processing circuit includes at least two pipelines operative to process data in a corresponding set of tiles of a repeating tile pattern, a respective one of the at least two pipelines operative to process data in a dedicated tile, wherein the repeating tile pattern includes a horizontally and vertically repeating pattern of square regions. A graphics processing method includes receiving vertex data for a primitive to be rendered; generating pixel data in response to the vertex data; determining the pixels within a set of tiles of a repeating tile pattern to be processed by a corresponding one of at least two graphics pipelines in response to the pixel data, the repeating tile pattern including a horizontally and vertically repeating pattern of square regions; and performing pixel operations on the pixels within the determined set of tiles by the corresponding one of the at least two graphics pipelines.
US08933943B2
A technique to promote load balancing in parallel graphics rendering. In one embodiment, one or more threads are associated with one or more rendering tiles and scheduled in a balanced manner on one or more graphics processing resources.
US08933933B2
One embodiment of the present invention sets forth an architecture for advancing the Z-test operation prior to pixel shading whenever possible. The current rendering state, as maintained by the setup engine, determines whether advancing the Z-test function above the shader engine for “early” Z-testing is possible or whether the Z-test function should be deferred until after shading operations for “late” Z-testing. Data is dynamically routed to each processing engine in the pipeline, so that the appropriate data flow for either early Z or late Z is dynamically constructed, as determined by the current rendering state. The same functional units are utilized in both early Z and late Z configurations.
US08933929B1
Systems and methods are disclosed for transferring information metadata from a first digital image to a second digital image. In one embodiment, an assignment module is configured to assign a corresponding portion of the first image to the second image using geolocation data. An extraction module is configured to extract a collection of features associated with the second image and the corresponding portion of the first image. An alignment module is configured to align the second image with a portion of the first image by transforming the second image so that features associated with the second image are geometrically aligned with the corresponding features of the portion of the first image. A metadata module is configured to associate metadata from the portion of the first image with the transformed second image. An annotation module is configured to annotate the second image with the associated metadata to generate an annotated image.
US08933927B2
A method of operation of a display system includes: receiving an input image having input pixels; assigning a pixel information for the input pixels corresponding to a semantic category; detecting input background pixels from the input pixels with the pixel information; identifying input foreground pixels from the input pixels with the background pixels; assigning a pixel depth to the input background pixels and input foreground pixels; generating a depth map with the input background pixels and the input foreground pixels; and generating a processed image from the input image with the depth map for displaying on a device.
US08933922B2
A DC-DC converter and an organic light emitting display including the same are disclosed. The DC-DC converter generates first and second power voltages for the organic light emitting display with an inverting converter and a boost converter. The current of the converters is monitored, and if the currents exceed a threshold, the associated converter is stopped to prevent further damage to the display.
US08933921B2
Disclosed are an adjustment method of an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) overdrive voltage and the device. The adjustment method comprises steps below: locating a transistor at a position capable of sensing a temperature of an LCD panel; providing a constant current source to a drain of the transistor and a conducting voltage to the transistor, and a voltage difference between a source and a gate changing according to a temperature changing of the LCD panel; receiving voltages of the source and the gate of the transistor to calculate a voltage difference therebetween and outputting an amplified value of the voltage difference by an error amplifier; receiving the amplified value of the voltage difference and outputting corresponding binary signals by an analog to digital converter; providing a selector storing a plurality of overdrive voltages for selecting different overdrive voltages according to the different binary signals to adjust the LCD overdrive voltage.
US08933920B2
A display device includes a plurality of pixel portions provided in a matrix form. Each of the pixel portions includes a pixel circuit and a light-emitting element. The pixel circuit includes a driving transistor connected between the light-emitting element and a first power supply line, a capacitor connected at its one end to a gate of the driving transistor, a switching transistor connected between the other end of the capacitor and a signal line, a threshold voltage detection transistor connected between a connecting point between the light-emitting element and the driving transistor, and a connecting point between the capacitor and the switching transistor, and a reset transistor connected between a connecting point between the driving transistor and the first power supply line, and a connecting point between the gate of the driving transistor and the capacitor, and connected at its gate to a reset control line.
US08933903B2
A method of generating a control signal for control of a color variation of a color adjustable illumination device, using a user interface (2) comprising a touch sensitive color wheel (3) with a hue that varies in a tangential direction and a saturation that varies in a radial direction, said method comprising the steps of: monitoring (401; 602) the touch sensitive color wheel (3) for user inputs; acquiring (402) a color path (5) input as a curve drawn on the touch sensitive color wheel (3) by a user; and generating (403) a control signal adapted to be received by a control unit (9) for controlling the color variation of the color adjustable illumination device, the control signal including information about the hue variation and the saturation variation of the acquired color path (5). This allows a user to create a lighting effect with a color variation in an intuitive way by drawing a color path as a curve on a touch sensitive color wheel.
US08933900B2
A touch panel includes a transparent panel, a decorative layer which is formed in a decorative region on a first surface of the transparent panel, a transparent electrode which is formed from a transparent input region of the first surface to a surface of the decorative layer, and a wiring layer which is formed to extend to the surface of the decorative layer and electrically connected to the transparent electrode.
US08933897B2
The present invention provides a dual-mode touch sensing apparatus. The apparatus includes a sensor, a first selective unit, a second selective unit, a first control unit, a second control unit, first conductive lines and second conductive lines. The first conductive lines are arranged in a first direction. Each first conductive line has a first end and a second end. The first end couples with the first control unit and the second end couples with the first selective unit. Second conductive lines are arranged in a second direction. Each second conductive line has a first end and a second end, the first end couples with the second control unit and the second end couples with the second selective unit.
US08933896B2
In an indirect interaction input device, z-information can be considered in defining a user interaction model for the device. Any measurement of displacement in a z-direction can be used, if such information is available from the input device. The pressure data can be used to define states of interaction, with transitions between these states determined by various thresholds. The device can provide raw or normalized data, and can provide state information or data defining its thresholds that specify state transitions. This information can be provided as an attribute of a contact point provided by the device. Data can be normalized across various similar devices. Applications can use the raw pressure data from the device for their own purposes, or rely on the device itself or host operating system software to interpret the pressure data according to thresholds and states.
US08933880B2
An interactive presentation system includes: an imaging device; an image analyzer that calculates information regarding a pointed position by using captured-image data; a controller that receives the information and operates based on an input from an input device; a storage device controlled by the controller to store the information; a pattern generator controlled by the controller to generate a pattern image; an image display device that receives an output from the pattern generator; and a projector that enlarges and projects an output from the image display device. Upon initialization based on the input from the input device, the controller defines a pointed position as a boundary position of a command, assigns the command to an area demarcated by the boundary position, and stores the boundary position in the storage device. After initialization, the controller compares a pointed position and the boundary position and executes the command associated to the information.
US08933878B2
A display apparatus comprising a display panel including first and second display regions arranged in an alternating manner and respectively passing a first polarization component light and a second polarization component of incident light; a light source panel including first and second light sources arranged in an alternating manner and respectively emitting light of the first polarization component and light of the second polarization component to the back surface of the display panel; and a lenticular lens that is positioned between the display panel and the light source panel, refracts light from the first light sources in a direction of a first viewpoint to provide the first viewpoint with the light passed by the first display regions, and refracts light from the second light sources in a direction of a second viewpoint to provide the second viewpoint with the light passed by the second display regions.
US08933872B2
A liquid crystal display includes: a light source unit that includes a light-guiding plate with a light-exit plane partitioned into emission subsections, and one or plural sides, and light sources; a liquid-crystal-display panel that includes pixels, and modulates light emitted from the light source unit, thereby performing image display; and a display control unit that includes a partitioning-drive processing section generating each of a light-emission pattern signal and a partitioning-drive image signal, performs light-emission driving for each light source, and performs display driving for each pixel. The partitioning-drive processing section performs a gain correction of multiplying each pixel signal in the input image signal by a predetermined gain factor that is set so that a value increases as a pixel position of the pixel signal goes away from the light source, and generates the light-emission pattern signal and the partitioning-drive image signal, by using gain-corrected pixel signal.
US08933870B2
In a unit drive circuit in each stage in a shift register, a transistor which is maintained in ON state during a period where the unit drive circuit in the stage does not perform an outputting operation is configured not to generate Vth shift. As switches, transistors T6A, T6B are connected between the output terminal OUT and AC power sources VA, VB. At least one of T6A, T6B is brought into ON state and T6A, T6B are alternately brought into OFF state during the period other than the outputting operation period. VA, VB supply L level during a period where T6A, T6B are in ON state, while VA, VB supply a ground potential GND which is an intermediate potential between an H level and an L level during a period where T6A, T6B are in OFF state.
US08933860B2
A thermal management system and method for active cooling of high speed seeker missile domes or radomes comprising bonding to an IR dome or RF radome a heat pipe system having effective thermal conductivity of 10-20,000 W/m*K and comprising one or more mechanically controlled oscillating heat pipes, employing supporting integrating structure including a surface bonded to the IR dome or RF radome that matches the coefficient of thermal expansion the dome or radome material and that of said one or more mechanically controlled oscillating heat pipes, and operating the heat pipe system to cool the IR dome or RF radome while the missile is in flight.
US08933858B2
A front end parallel resonant switch is disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, an apparatus includes an inductor and a capacitor configured to couple a first RF transmission to an antenna, and at least one switch configured to connect the inductor to the capacitor to form a matching network when transmitting the first RF transmission from the antenna, and to connect the inductor to capacitor to form a parallel resonant circuit when transmitting a second RF transmission from the antenna.
US08933857B2
An antenna device including a dielectric resonator antenna configured to generate resonances in a first frequency band; a printed circuit board electrically connected to the dielectric resonator antenna and configured to process radio signals; and a defected ground structure formed on the printed circuit board and configured to generate resonances in a second frequency band using a current flowing on the dielectric resonator antenna and the printed circuit board.
US08933845B2
A communication device as disclosed herein may include a body, an antenna assembly provided in the body, and configured to transmit or receive wireless signals, and a circuit board connected to the antenna assembly and configured to process the wireless signals. The antenna assembly may include a carrier having at least one region that is dimensioned to be farther away from the body than other portions thereof, and a radiator provided on the at least one dimensioned region of the carrier and configured to receive or radiate electromagnetic waves corresponding to the wireless signals. The radiator may be positioned on the dimensioned region of the carrier such that a specific absorption rate (SAR) due to the antenna assembly is reduced.
US08933835B2
A two-channel directional antenna for use in a radar level gauge. The antenna comprises a partition wall dividing the antenna into a first partition for emitting an electromagnetic transmit signal, and a second partition for receiving an electromagnetic echo signal, the partition wall having an outer potion located downstream in a direction of radiation of the antenna. The partition wall comprises an electromagnetic de-coupling structure, which is arranged to reduce any leakage of electromagnetic energy from the transmit signal into the echo signal.The electromagnetic de-coupling structure according to the present invention ensures that the leakage of transmit signal into the received signal is reduced to a satisfactory level.
US08933832B2
Autonomously operating analog to digital converters are formed into a two dimensional array. The array may incorporate digital signal processing functionality. Such an array is particularly well-suited for operation as a readout integrated circuit and, in combination with a sensor array, forms a digital focal plane array.
US08933830B1
Provided is a successive approximation register analog-to-digital converter (SAR ADC) including a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) generating and outputting first and second level voltages based on first and second analog input signals and a reference voltage signal; a comparator comparing the first and second level voltages and outputting a comparison signal according to a comparison result; and an SAR logic generating a digital signal based on the comparison signal, wherein the DAC includes: first and second input switches controlling reception of the first and second analog input signals, respectively; a first discharge switch connected electrically to the first input switch, the first discharge switch discharging leakage current according to an operation of the first input switch; and a second discharge switch connected electrically to the second input switch, the second discharge switch discharging leakage current according to an operation of the second input switch.
US08933829B2
Embodiments relate to data compression using dictionary encoding. An aspect includes subdividing a table of uncompressed data into a first block and a second block of complete rows. Another aspect includes determining information about a frequency of occurrence of different values for each column of the first block. Another aspect includes selecting a row of the first block to be removed out of the first block using frequency of occurrence-information. Another aspect includes removing the a row out of the first block to form an updated first block and determining information about a frequency of occurrence of different values for each column of the updated first block. Another aspect includes deriving a dictionary containing code-words for encoding the values of the updated first block. Another aspect includes encoding the values of the updated first block based on the code-words. Another aspect includes adding the removed row to the second block.
US08933825B2
Data compression using a combination, of content independent data compression and content dependent data compression. In one aspect, a method for compressing data comprises: determining whether or not a parameter or attribute of data within a data block is identified for the data block wherein the determining is not based solely on a descriptor that is indicative of the parameter or attribute of the data within the data block; and compressing the data block with at least one encoder associated with the parameter or attribute of the data within the data block to provide a compressed data block.
US08933824B1
An approach is provided in which in which a decoder pipeline receives a data stream that includes a stream of deflate blocks. The decoder pipeline decodes an end of block symbol included in one of the deflate blocks and identifies a recycle point in the data stream in response to decoding the end of block symbol. In turn, the decoder pipeline recycles pipeline data residing between the end of block symbol and the recycle point.
US08933822B2
A system includes a processor configured to receive instructions from a vehicle computing system (VCS) to being reporting a mobile device location. The processor is also configured to access a list of emergency contacts. Further, the processor is configured to determine that a mobile device has left a predetermined perimeter around a last known vehicle location. The processor is additionally configured to periodically report mobile device GPS coordinates to members of the emergency contacts list, until the mobile device reaches a destination.
US08933821B2
An information providing device has a vehicle information acquiring section acquiring information about a plurality of vehicles, a charge history information acquiring section acquiring charge history information, and a charging facility information acquiring section acquiring charging facility information including at least a position and a utilization status of a charging facility. The device further includes a searching section searching, according to a request from a request vehicle, for a charging facility utilizable by the request vehicle as an object charging facility, a vehicle determining section determining, as a specific vehicle, a vehicle that is not the request vehicle and having a possibility of utilizing the object charging facility, and a utilization possibility predicting section predicting a utilization possibility of the specific vehicle utilizing the object charging facility. The device also includes a providing section providing information based on the utilization possibility to the request vehicle.
US08933818B2
A vehicular observation and detection apparatus and system incorporates a detection framework using video analysis to differentiate between motorized vehicles and bicycles for improved traffic flow and safety at intersections. The detection framework creates virtual zones overlaid on lanes of a roadway and analyzes input data representing objects in the virtual zones collected from one or more cameras positioned at or near the roadway.
US08933814B2
An LED light signal, in particular an LED railway light signal, contains a signal generator for generating varicolored light spots. The LEDs are embodied as multicolor LEDs, in particular RGB LEDs—Red/Yellow/Blue LEDs. In order to be able to utilize the possibilities for color mixing and thus for realizing a large number of color variants for safety-relevant signaling technology, the signal generator has at least one optical sensor for monitoring a color locus and a light intensity reliably in terms of signaling technology.
US08933804B2
A mobile security system is described herein. A detector communicates with a mobile device if an event has occurred. The event may be various types of events, such as fire or motion. Once the mobile device receives the communication of the event occurrence, the mobile device may, among others, sound an alarm or communicate with a central monitoring system to notify emergency services of the occurrence. The mobile device may also communicate with another communication device, such as another cell phone or a computer, using various forms of communication. The detector may be an integral part of the mobile device, i.e. fixed part of the mobile device, or may be detachable. The detector may also be wholly separate.
US08933799B2
A display device for a vehicle includes an information acquiring unit, a display unit and a control unit. The information acquiring unit acquires vehicle information regarding the vehicle. The vehicle information includes engine information indicating an engine on and off state. The control unit controls the display unit to display the vehicle information when the engine information indicates an engine on state. Further, the display unit controls the display unit to discontinue the display of the vehicle information once when the engine on state of the engine information is switched to the engine off state, and to restart display of the vehicle information.
US08933796B2
An obstacle notification apparatus uses a sight determination unit for determining a visible area of a driver in a subject vehicle based on whether another vehicle is present around the subject vehicle and a vehicle height of the subject vehicle. After determining whether an obstacle is within the sight of the driver or not, a notification mode is selected to alert the driver of the presence of an obstacle, thereby enabling nuisance-free notification of the obstacle from the obstacle notification apparatus.
US08933794B2
A vehicle presence notification apparatus notifying a presence of a vehicle includes an alarm device and a dynamic speaker. The alarm device includes an alarm generator generating an alarm sound and an acoustic tube through which the alarm sound is emitted outside of the vehicle. The dynamic speaker generates a notification sound with audible frequency. The dynamic speaker is fixed to the acoustic tube and emits the notification sound inside of the acoustic tube, such that the notification sound is generated outside of the vehicle through the acoustic tube.
US08933788B2
An RFID system includes a reader with antenna, a first barrier, a tag with a link antenna, a second barrier, and two key antennas connected to the tag, mechanically arranged in that order. The first barrier has two or more apertures in it to produce an interference pattern of a security signal from the reader. The security signal interference pattern passes at least partly through the second barrier. One of the key antennas is at a peak of the pattern after passing through the second barrier, and one is not. The tag includes a controller responsive to a downlink signal from the reader to transmit an uplink signal using the link antenna, but only if the downlink signal is preceded by the security signal and the security signal is received more strongly by the key antenna at the peak than by the other key antenna.
US08933786B2
Provided is a radio frequency identification (RFID) tag device. The RFID tag device includes memory which stores ID information and a second count value, and a certification unit which performs a certification process according to a keyed hash value received from the outside and a result of a comparison between first and second count values received from the outside, and adjusts the second count value.
US08933784B2
Provided are an RF powder particle, an RF powder, and an RF powder-containing base that can make it difficult to fabricate, for example, forged documents or forged bank notes with respect to sheet-like objects having high proprietary values, such as bank notes, and that allow necessary information to be stored in each of the large number of particles which are each provided with a tank circuit having a predetermined resonant frequency.The RF powder particle includes a coil 24 (inductance element) as a magnetic filed coupling element and a condenser 25 (capacitance element) connected to the both ends of the coil on an insulating surface of a substrate 22 and is configured so as to form a tank circuit 31 by the inductance element and the capacitance element. The tank circuit 31 functions as a circuit in a resonance state or in a non-resonance state in accordance with conditions in response to a high-frequency magnetic field from outside.
US08933783B2
The invention relates to a method of detecting fraud for an access control system using biometric recognition, comprising the steps consisting in: taking at least two images (S2) of a face presented to the access control system by an individual (I) according to at least two positions of the individual in front of the access control system, or two angles of picture-taking of the individual, processing these two images to determine a score representative of the flatness of the face appearing on the images, and as a function of this flatness score, detecting a possible fraud on the part of the individual, said detection conditioning the implementation of an identification processing of the individual by the access control system. The invention also relates to an access control system implementing said method.
US08933780B2
In a system (1) for transmitting RFID identifiers, which can be read from RFID tags (4), to an authentication server (6), at least one RFID protocol message, which is encoded in authentication messages, can be transmitted from an RFID reading unit (2A) to the authentication server (6).
US08933776B2
Techniques for determining whether a mobile device crosses a boundary defined by a first wireless access point (WAP) and a second fixed-location WAP are provided. A method according to these techniques includes receiving, at a mobile device, information defining a boundary defined by first and second fixed-location WAPs, the boundary being defined at least in part based on a ratio of a round trip time (RTT) between the mobile device and the first fixed-location WAP to a ratio of a RTT between the mobile device and the second fixed-location WAP, determining the ratio of the RTT between the mobile device and the first fixed-location WAP to a ratio of the RTT between the mobile device and the second fixed-location WAP, determining whether the mobile device has crossed the boundary, and triggering an event in response to the mobile device crossing the boundary.
US08933771B2
According to an embodiment, a transformer is provided that includes a first conductive coil wound about a first coil axis and a second conductive coil wound about a second coil axis. The second conductive coil is disposed proximate to the first conductive coil and the second coil axis is substantially parallel to the first coil axis. A closed-loop conductive winding is disposed proximate to the first conductive coil and the second conductive coil. The closed-loop conductive winding is wound about a loop axis at least one time where the loop axis is substantially parallel to the first coil axis and the second coil axis.
US08933766B2
A feeding system for providing a power using metal patterns having ‘U’ shape is disclosed. A phase shifter as the feeding system includes a first substrate, a first pattern as a conductor disposed on the first substrate, a second substrate separated from the first substrate and a second pattern as a conductor disposed on the second substrate. Here, the first pattern is overlapped with the second pattern, and electrical length of overlapped part of the patterns changes in case of changing phase of an RF signal outputted from the phase shifter.
US08933763B2
Presently disclosed is a matching network provided from a slow wave, wrapped, tapered-transformer transmission line.
US08933759B1
A shear-mode quartz resonator designed to mechanically oscillate at a predetermined frequency and electronic circuits for inhibiting oscillation of the shear-mode quartz resonator in response to externally applied mechanical forces which otherwise induce mechanical vibration of the shear-mode quartz resonator at frequencies significantly less than the predetermined frequency. The shear-mode quartz resonator includes a cantilevered quartz beam having relatively large metallic electrodes attached on opposite sides thereof, the relatively large metallic electrodes, in use, being coupled to an external oscillator circuit. The beam also has relatively smaller sense and rebalance electrodes attached on the same opposite sides of said quartz beam as said relatively large metallic electrodes. The relatively smaller sense and rebalance electrodes being coupled, in use, with said electronic circuits for inhibiting oscillation of the shear-mode quartz resonator in response to externally applied mechanical forces.
US08933757B2
A voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) with low phase noise and a sharp output spectrum is desirable. The present disclosure provides embodiments of LC tank VCOs that generate output signals with less phase noise compared with conventional LC tank VCOs, while at the same time limiting additional cost, size, and/or power. The embodiments of the present disclosure can be used, for example, in wired or wireless communication systems that require low-phase noise oscillator signals for performing up-conversion and/or down-conversion.
US08933748B1
An active pen IC includes a plurality of pads coupled to receive a plurality of receive (RX) signals induced from a mobile device, the received RX signals constituting an original group of RX signals. The active pen IC also includes a permuting unit configured to permute the pads such that the received RX signals corresponding to the permuted pads constitute a generated group of RX signals.
US08933745B2
A transconductance-enhancing passive frequency mixer comprises a transconductance amplification stage, a frequency mixing stage, and an output transresistance amplifier. The transconductance amplification stage has a pre-amplification transconductance-enhancing structure, so that the transconductance is greatly enhanced, thereby obtaining the same transconductance value at a lower bias current. A radio-frequency current is modulated by the frequency mixing stage to generate an output mid-frequency current signal. The mid-frequency current signal passes through the transresistance amplifier, to form voltage output, and finally obtain a mid-frequency voltage signal. The transresistance amplifier has a transconductance-enhancing structure, thereby further reducing input impedance, and improving current utilization efficiency and port isolation. The frequency mixer has the characteristics of low power consumption, high conversion gain, good port isolation, and the like.
US08933742B2
Time-Mode Signal Processing (TMSP) offers a means for offsetting some of the challenges for analog circuit designs when exploiting CMOS circuit processes designed for digital applications. It would therefore be beneficial to provide a digital method for the storage, addition and subtraction of Time-Mode variables as these offer significant benefit to providing TMSP techniques and expanding their exploitation within devices, systems, and applications. While driven by CMOS process challenges the TM circuits outlined may exploit essentially any digital circuit technology since they are based upon delay. The inventors present an approach to TM variables wherein a switched delay unit is exploited and adopted such that the instantaneous phase difference between two rising signal edges can be latched and used to perform various arithmetic operations. Beneficially, the technique allows analog sampled-data signal processing to be implemented within digital circuitry.
US08933733B2
A reconfigurable circuit is disclosed. The reconfigurable circuit comprises a pause detector mechanism, a clock extractor, and a multiplexer. The multiplexer is configured to receive a reference clock and is coupled to the clock extractor to receive a clock extracted from a carrier of a near field communication (NFC) field. The reconfigurable circuit also comprises a phase locked loop (PLL) coupled to the pause detector mechanism and the multiplexer, and the PLL can be configured in a first mode to be locked to the reference clock, in a second mode to be locked to the extracted clock, and in a third mode wherein the PLL can switch between being locked to the reference clock and being locked to the extracted clock.
US08933729B1
Differential receivers are “stacked” and independently calibrated to different common-mode voltages. The different common-mode voltages may correspond to the common-mode voltages of stacked transmission circuits. Multiple stacks of samplers are connected to the same channels. The clocking of each stack of sampler circuits is phased (timed) such that the samplers in a given stack are not resolving at the same time. Samplers in a different stack and receiving a different common-mode voltage resolve at the same time.
US08933727B1
An integrated circuit comprising a first circuit and a second circuit. The first circuit may be configured to generate a plurality of complementary outputs based upon a plurality of inputs, a first control signal, and a second control signal. The plurality of inputs may be received in parallel in a first mode and as a serial bit stream in a second mode. The second circuit may be configured to generate a plurality of outputs in response to a third control signal and a fourth control signal.
US08933719B2
A combined probe head being disposed in a space transformer of a vertical probe card is provided, in which the combined probe head is used for differentiating or segmenting a layout area of the probes in the vertical probe card. The combined probe head may include a locating plate and sub-probe heads. The locating plate may include fixed portions. Each sub-probe head may include corresponding sub-dies and probes inserted between the sub-dies, and each sub-probe head is assembled and fixed in the corresponding fixed portion. Therefore, the layout area of the probes in the vertical probe card can be respectively differentiated or segmented from the sub-probe heads in order to avoid mutual interference under repair process. In addition, a related method for assembling and aligning the above mentioned combined probe head is provided.
US08933715B2
The Configurable Vertical Integration [CVI] invention pertains to methods and apparatus for the enhancement of yields of 3D or stacked integrated circuits and herein referred to as a CVI Integrated Circuit [CVI IC]. The CVI methods require no testing of circuit layer components prior to their fabrication as part of a 3D integrated circuit. The CVI invention uses active circuitry to configure the CVI IC as a means to isolate or prevent the use of defective circuitry. CVI circuit configuration method can be predominately described as a large grain method.
US08933700B2
The invention is concerned with a tool for imaging a formation, the tool comprising: a pad capable of alignment adjacent a wall of the formation. The pad has located thereon an imaging electrode for injecting current into the formation. There is a first return electrode separated from the imaging electrode for receiving the injected current. There is at least one recessed electrode that is located at a different distance from the wall of the formation as the other electrodes.
US08933690B2
According to an embodiment of the invention, an angle detection apparatus detects the angle of a rotation axis of a rotating device to generate a first signal and a second signal perpendicular to the first signal using the angle detection unit. The first AD conversion unit receives the first signal to perform an analog-to-digital conversion of the first signal. The second AD conversion unit receives the second signal to perform an analog-to-digital conversion of the second signal. The first offset correction unit receives a third signal output from the first AD conversion unit to perform an offset correction of the third signal when the third signal is outside a predetermined range. The second offset correction unit receives a fourth signal output from the second AD conversion unit to perform an offset correction of the fourth signal when the fourth signal is outside the predetermined range.
US08933689B2
A device for measuring an electric quantity such as electric current flowing in an electric equipment unit, which device is in a case fitted on a mounting support, and having pass-through holes and terminals separated by insulating material, their number corresponding to the number of phases of the equipment unit, the holesto permit a conductor to pass therethrough, to be electrically connected to strips of terminals of the equipment unit the opposite end to electric contact strips of a load-side or line-side apparatus from the equipment unit and, for at least one terminal of the device, a magnetic core at least partially surrounding such terminal with an air-gap around which a secondary measuring coil is wound between two end portions of the magnetic core which define the air-gap, the coil(s) delivering a signal representative of the current flowing in the apparatus.
US08933683B2
A band gap reference circuit comprises a first branch (1) having a first transistor (Q1) and a first temperature-dependent resistive element (S0). A second branch of the band gap reference comprises a second transistor (Q2) having a different size compared to the first transistor (Q1). An output branch (3) comprises a second temperature-dependent resistive element (S1, S2), that second temperature-dependent resistive element being coupled to an output terminal (Vref). At least one of the first and second temperature-dependent resistive elements (S0, S1, S2) comprises a transistor (M2) being arranged in a current path of the respective branch (1, 3) and being controlled such that it operates in a linear region of its characteristics.
US08933675B2
Embodiments disclosed herein describe the use of two inductors in a non-isolated power converter. The power converter receives power from a non-regulated power source, and converts the received power to regulated output signals. Each inductor in the power converter receives power provided from the non-regulated power source via a switch controlled by a controller, and provides a regulated output to a power converter load. A first regulated output provided by a first inductor can be representative of a second regulated output provided by a second inductor. In addition, a voltage feedback signal can be provided for use by the controller based on the first regulated output and/or the second regulated output.
US08933671B2
Disclosed is a multi-BMS identifier allocation system. The multi-BMS identifier allocation system according to the present invention comprises a master BMS and N slave BMSs (N is an integer greater than or equal to 2) which are connected to a series communication network and a parallel communication network, wherein the master BMS comprises at least two first and second master communication channels which form a communication interface with the series communication network and selectively output a forward or backward enabling signal and allocates unique communication identifiers to the slave BMSs through the parallel communication network, and the first to Nth slave BMSs start enabling in response to the forward or backward enabling signal received through the series communication network, are allocated the identifiers from the master BMS through the parallel communication network, and output an enabling signal to an adjacent slave BMS along a transmission direction of the enabling signal.
US08933670B2
There are provided a power supply system, an electric vehicle and a charging adapter. Electric power from a commercial power supply is distributed to electric lines by way of a distribution board and provided to electric apparatuses and an electric vehicle from the electric lines. When power consumption of electric apparatuses exceeds a predetermined value upon charging the electric vehicle, charging power to be supplied to the electric vehicle is decreased. Decreasing the charging power to the electric vehicle can avoid the restriction of the use of the electric apparatuses, thereby improving user's satisfaction.
US08933664B2
Methods and apparatus for providing a power supply to a device, including an inductive rechargeable power supply for a data monitoring and management system in which a high frequency magnetic field is generated to provide power supply to a rechargeable power source such as a battery of a transmitter unit in the data monitoring and management system are provided.
US08933663B2
In a device for transmitting energy to the electric vehicle a first rotating disc is provided on a parking space, which turning disc can be rotated about a rotational axis by means of a drive device. Arranged on the rotating disc is a positioning device by means of which an energy output device can be positioned on the first rotating disc, as a result of which a radial distance between the output device and the first rotational axis can be changed.
US08933662B2
A charging apparatus 10 includes: a half-wave rectifier 21 that half-wave rectifies an alternating current supplied from a commercial power supply 11; a radiofrequency generating circuit 22 that converts the output current of the half-wave rectifier 21 to a radiofrequency current with a predetermined frequency and outputs the radiofrequency current; an induction coil 23 that is fed with the radiofrequency current from the radiofrequency generating circuit 22; a power receiving coil 24 that receives an electromotive force induced by a magnetic flux produced on the induction coil 23; a resonant capacitor 25 that is connected in parallel with the power receiving coil 24 and forms a resonant circuit with the power receiving coil 24 at the predetermined frequency; and a full-wave rectifier 27 that full-wave rectifies the output current of the parallel resonant circuit and supplies the current to a lead storage battery 12.
US08933661B2
An apparatus and method efficiently integrating inductive and conductive charging systems, including embodiments directed towards enabling user selection of either, or both, of conductive and inductive charging. Conductive charging and inductive charging both have, in certain contexts or when judged by different criteria, advantages over the other. Systems and methods relying on one or the other would not have as wide-spread value to a user with opportunities to access both types of charging modalities.
US08933660B2
Technologies related to a photovoltaic array apparatus are generally described. In some examples, the apparatus may comprise a central hub, adjustable length struts, and a plurality of photovoltaic segments coupled to the central hub and struts. The photovoltaic segments may be selectively positioned between a stowed arrangement and a deployed arrangement by operation of the central hub and/or struts. In the stowed arrangement, the photovoltaic segments may be stacked, and in the deployed arrangement, the photovoltaic segments may be azimuthally displaced about the central hub. A control system coupled to the struts may be configured to control the struts to dynamically orient the photovoltaic segments so as to maximize, or otherwise adjust, power collected from incident radiation.
US08933656B2
A blower system, including a permanent magnet motor and a wind wheel. The permanent magnet motor includes a stator assembly, a rotor assembly, and a motor controller. The rotor assembly includes a salient pole rotor including a rotor core and magnets embedded in the rotor core. The motor controller includes a microprocessor, a frequency inverter, and a sensor unit. The sensor unit inputs a phase current or phase currents, a phase voltage, and a DC bus voltage into the microprocessor. The microprocessor outputs a signal to control the frequency inverter which is connected to a winding of the stator assembly. The ratio between an air gap of the motor and the thickness of the magnets ranges from 0.03 to 0.065, and the ratio between the length of a pole arc and the length of the magnets ranges from 0.8 to 1.0.
US08933647B2
An LED controller and a method for controlling an LED device is disclosed. A current sense signal is representative of a load current flowing through the LED device. The current sense signal is compared with an upper threshold value and a lower threshold value. Current is provided to the LED device via an inductor coupled in series with the LED device when the current sense signal exceeds the upper threshold. A load current loop is closed over a free-wheeling diode when no current is provided to the LED device while the current sense signal is below the lower threshold. The upper threshold and the lower threshold are adjusted dependent on the current sense signal such that peak values of the current sense signal match corresponding desired peak values.
US08933646B2
A protection circuit of a backlight driver circuit includes a backlight driver circuit. The backlight driver circuit includes a backlight driver integrated circuit (IC), and the backlight driver IC includes a protection pin that controls the backlight driver IC to enter a protection mode. The backlight driver circuit further includes a protection circuit, and the protection circuit includes a monitoring unit that monitors a temperature of the backlight driver circuit. When the temperature of the backlight driver circuit exceeds a preset temperature, the monitoring unit sends the protection signal to the protection pin to control the backlight driver IC to enter the protection mode.
US08933644B2
LED lamp systems having improved light quality are disclosed. The lamps emit more than 500 lm and more than 2% of the power in the spectral power distribution is emitted within a wavelength range from about 390 nm to about 430 nm.
US08933622B2
Disclosed is an organic electroluminescent device having a longer drive life. Specifically disclosed is an organic electroluminescent device (100) comprising an organic material layer (16), which is composed of a hole transporting layer (164), a light-emitting layer (166) and an electron transporting layer (167), between a pair of electrodes, namely a cathode (18) and an anode (12). The light-emitting layer (166) (having a film thickness (dM) of 5-3000 nm) contains a luminescent dye and a host material. The first oxidation potential (ED+) of the luminescent dye is lower than the first oxidation potential (EH+) of the host material, while the first reduction potential (ED−) of the luminescent dye is lower than the first reduction potential (EH−) of the host material. The film thickness (dE: 5-3000 nm) of the electron transporting layer (167) and the film thickness (dH: 5-3000 nm) of the hole transporting layer (164) satisfy the following relation: dH≦dE.
US08933614B2
The piezoelectric resonator (21) includes a first and a second planar tuning fork shaped part arranged in a common plane. It is intended to be mounted on a support via a linking part (29), the linking part being arranged to connect the tips of the inner vibrating arms (25a, 25b) of the first and second tuning fork shaped parts so as to link the first and second tuning fork shaped parts together, The electrodes carried by the first and second tuning fork shaped parts are interconnected through the linking part so as to make the outer vibrating arms of the first and second tuning fork shaped part oscillate with opposite phase.
US08933613B2
An ultrasonic transducer driving circuit configured to supply an output current and/or an output voltage to an output line for driving an ultrasonic transducer is provided. The ultrasonic transducer driving circuit includes a first current discharge circuit configured to allow a current arising from electric charges accumulated in the ultrasonic transducer to flow from the output line to ground when the output line is at a positive voltage, and a second current discharge circuit configured to allow the current arising from the electric charges accumulated in the ultrasonic transducer to flow from ground to the output line when the output line is at a negative voltage. The first current discharge circuit and the second current discharge circuit are controlled based on the output current and/or the output voltage.
US08933610B2
A rotor includes at least one of a group of one or more auxiliary magnets that are located between first and second claw poles in a circumferential direction and magnetized to be magnetic poles of the same polarity as the first and second claw poles and another group of one or more auxiliary magnets that are located on a rear side of the first and second claw poles and magnetized to have radially outer portions of the same polarity as the first and second magnetic poles. The auxiliary magnets are arranged to protrude beyond at least one of axial end surfaces of the first and second core bases.
US08933600B2
A brushless DC motor structure including a motor body, a controller, and a fan radiator. The fan radiator is mounted between the motor body and the controller to disperse heat from the motor body and the controller. The brushless DC motor structure increases air flow on the surface of the motor body and the controller by the fan radiator and speeds up heat dispersion, and meanwhile effectively controls the operating temperature of the motor body and the controller. Thus, the brushless DC motor structure has an excellent heat dispersion capability, and the failure rate thereof has been largely reduced.
US08933596B2
A micro rotary machine may include a micro actuator and a micro shaft coupled to the micro actuator. The micro shaft comprises a horizontal shaft and is operable to be rotated by the micro actuator. A micro tool is coupled to the micro shaft and is operable to perform work in response to motion of the micro shaft.
US08933595B2
A plasma interaction simulator is presented. The simulator magnetically induces multiple distinct flows of plasma within a physical plasma vessel. The plasma flows collide with each other at flow interaction boundaries where discontinuities arising due to differences between the flows give rise to interactions. Sensors can be incorporated into the plasma simulator to observe and collect data about the plasma flow interactions.
US08933592B2
A power supply circuit for an electrical appliance, including a turning-on stage configured for determining a transition from a turned-off state, in which the power supply circuit is off and does not supply electric power, to a turned-on state of the power supply circuit. The turning-on stage includes a transducer of the remote-control type configured for triggering the transition in response to the reception of a wireless signal.
US08933588B2
Method and device for controlling internal combustion engine driven generator set to run in parallel
Provided are a method and a device for controlling an internal combustion engine driven generator set to run in parallel. The method includes: each time an internal combustion engine is started, a controller detects whether a voltage is outputted in an output voltage circuit; obtaining of respective active power and effective values of output currents; seeking of corresponding output voltage amplitudes in respective droop characteristic curves according to the effective values of the respective output currents, and seeking of corresponding inner power factor angles in the respective droop characteristic curves according to the respective active power; the droop characteristic curves of each generator have the same slope; and each generator is controlled to reach the respective corresponding output voltage amplitudes and inner power factor angles.
US08933565B2
Integrated circuits having electrically conductive traces are described. The electrically conductive traces may be formed of multiple electrically conductive layers. One or more of the multiple electrically conductive layers may have a cut formed therein to form a gap in that electrically conductive layer. One or more electrical conductive layers of the electrical conductive traces may bridge the gap.
US08933554B2
A semiconductor device has an insulation substrate formed with a conductive pattern; an independent terminal, which is an externally leading terminal, soldered to the conductive pattern of the insulation substrate; a case disposed over the insulation substrate such that a top surface of the independent terminal is exposed; an opening provided on a side surface of the case; a nut glove inserted from the opening so as to be below the independent terminal, and fix the independent terminal; and a first projection part formed on a side surface of the nut glove, and having tapers in a frontward direction and a rearward direction of insertion of the nut glove, respectively. The rearward taper of the first projection part is pressure contacting with a sidewall surface of the opening.
US08933549B2
A dual-leadframe multi-chip package comprises a first leadframe with a first die pad, and a second leadframe with a second die pad; a first chip mounted on the first die pad functioning as a high-side MOSFET and second chip mounted on the second die pad functioning as a low-side MOSFET. The package may further comprises a bypass capacity configured as a third chip mounted on the first die pad or integrated with the first chip. The package may further comprise a three-dimensional connecting plate formed as an integrated structure as the second die pad for electrically connecting a top contact area of the first chip to a bottom contact area of the second chip. A top connecting plate connects a top contact area of the second chip and a top contact area of the third chip to an outer pin of the first leadframe.
US08933537B2
A semiconductor device, comprising a substrate layer made of a semiconductor material of a first conductivity type and having a first insulation region, and a vertical bipolar transistor having a first vertical portion of a collector made of monocrystalline semiconductor material of a second conductivity type and disposed in an opening of the first insulation region, a second insulation region lying partly on the first vertical portion of the collector and partly on the first insulation region and having an opening in the region of the collector, in which opening a second vertical portion of the collector made of monocrystalline material is disposed, said portion including an inner region of the second conductivity type, a base made of monocrystalline semiconductor material of the first conductivity type, a base connection region surrounding the base in the lateral direction, a T-shaped emitter made of semiconductor material of the second conductivity type and overlapping the base connection region, wherein the base connection region, aside from a seeding layer adjacent the substrate or a metallization layer adjacent a base contact, consists of a semiconductor material which differs in its chemical composition from the semiconductor material of the collector, the base and the emitter and in which the majority charge carriers of the first conductivity type have greater mobility compared thereto.
US08933533B2
According to an embodiment, a solid-state bidirectional switch includes a first and a second power field-effect transistor electrically connected anti-serial with each other. Each of the first and second power field-effect transistors includes a source region, a drain region, a body region forming a pn-junction with the source region and having an inversion channel region, a gate terminal, a drift region between the body region and the drain region and having an accumulation channel region, and a drift control region adjacent to the accumulation channel region. The accumulation channel region is controllable through the drift control region. The solid-state bidirectional switch further includes a controller connected with the gate terminals of the first and second power field-effect transistors.
US08933528B2
A bulk semiconductor substrate including a first semiconductor material is provided. A well trapping layer including a second semiconductor material and a dopant is formed on a top surface of the bulk semiconductor substrate. The combination of the second semiconductor material and the dopant within the well trapping layer is selected such that diffusion of the dopant is limited within the well trapping layer. A device semiconductor material layer including a third semiconductor material can be epitaxially grown on the top surface of the well trapping layer. The device semiconductor material layer, the well trapping layer, and an upper portion of the bulk semiconductor substrate are patterned to form at least one semiconductor fin. Semiconductor devices formed in each semiconductor fin can be electrically isolated from the bulk semiconductor substrate by the remaining portions of the well trapping layer.
US08933519B2
The present invention is for a novel semiconductor transistor memory (MRAM) specifically designed to interact with magnetic field generating devices. The function of the transistor can be affected by the magnetic fields. Storage of electronic information is achieved by rotations of the devices in the system.
US08933516B1
A three-dimensional nonvolatile memory array includes a select layer that selectively connects vertical bit lines to horizontal bit lines. Individual select switches of the select layer include two separately controllable transistors that are connected in series between a horizontal bit line and a vertical bit line. Each transistor in a select switch is connected to a different control circuit by a different select line.
US08933511B2
A semiconductor device with improved characteristics is provided. The semiconductor device includes a LDMOS, a source plug electrically coupled to a source region of the LDMOS, a source wiring disposed over the source plug, a drain plug electrically coupled to a drain region of the LDMOS, and a drain wiring disposed over the drain plug. The structure of the source plug of the semiconductor device is devised. The semiconductor device is structured such that the drain plug is linearly disposed to extend in a direction Y, and the source plug includes a plurality of separated source plugs arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction Y. In this way, the separation of the source plug decreases an opposed area between the source plug and the drain plug, and can thus decrease the parasitic capacitance therebetween.
US08933508B2
A recessed transistor construction is formed between a first access transistor construction and a second access transistor construction to provide isolation between the access transistor constructions of a memory device. In some embodiments, a gate of the recessed transistor construction is grounded. In an embodiment, the access transistor constructions are recess access transistors. In an embodiment, the memory device is a DRAM. In another embodiment, the memory device is a 4.5F2 DRAM cell.
US08933494B1
A pixel cell includes a storage transistor including a deep implant storage region having a first polarity is implanted in a semiconductor substrate to store image charge accumulated by a photodiode. A transfer transistor is coupled between the photodiode and an input of the storage transistor to selectively transfer the image charge from the photodiode to the storage transistor. An output transistor is coupled to an output of the storage transistor to selectively transfer the image charge from the storage transistor to a readout node. A first shallow implant region having the first polarity is implanted in the semiconductor substrate under a first spacer region between a transfer gate of the transfer transistor and a storage gate of the storage transistor. A second shallow implant region having the first polarity is implanted in the semiconductor substrate under a second spacer region between the storage gate and the output gate.
US08933480B2
According to one embodiment, a semiconductor light emitting device includes a semiconductor stack, a first electrode, a second electrode, a first interconnect, an insulating film, and a second interconnect. The semiconductor stack includes a first major surface, a second major surface provided on a side opposite to the first major surface, a side face, and a light emitting layer. The first electrode is provided on the first major surface. The second electrode is provided at least on a peripheral portion of the second major surface. The first interconnect is provided on the first electrode. The insulating film is provided on the side face of the semiconductor stack. The second interconnect is provided on the side face of the semiconductor stack via the insulating film. The second interconnect is connected to the second electrode in outside of the peripheral portion of the second major surface of the semiconductor stack.
US08933472B2
An array substrate, which is formed with a gate electrode (2), a source electrode (5), a drain electrode (6), a gate insulating layer (3), an active layer (4) and a passivation layer (9) in a thin film transistor region, and with the gate insulating layer (3), a pixel electrode (7), the passivation layer (9) and a common electrode (8) in a pixel electrode pattern region, and a color resin layer (11) is formed between the passivation layer (9) and the common electrode (8). Since the color resin layer (11) for planarization is formed on the passivation layer (9), the horizontal driving manner may be suitably applied in order to reduce light leakage, to improve contrast ratio and aperture ratio of a panel and to lower production costs.
US08933468B2
A first product may be provided that comprises a substrate having a first surface, a first side, and a first edge where the first surface meets the first side; and a device disposed over the substrate, the device having a second side, where at least a first portion of the second side is disposed within 3 mm from the first edge of the substrate. The first product may further comprise a first barrier film that covers at least a portion of the first edge of the substrate, at least a portion of the first side of the substrate, and at least the first portion of the second side of the device.
US08933467B2
A light emitting diode (LED) system includes a substrate, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and at least one light emitting diode (LED) that includes a Group-III nitride based material such as GaN, InGaN, AlGaN, AlInGaN or other (Ga, In or Al) N-based materials. The light emitting diode (LED) system can also include a polymer lens, and a phosphor layer on the lens or light emitting diode (LED) for producing white light. In addition, multiple light emitting diodes (LEDs) can be mounted on the substrate, and can have different colors for smart color control lighting. The substrate and the application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) are configured to provide an integrated LED circuit having smart functionality. In addition, the substrate is configured to compliment and expand the functions of the application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), and can also include built in integrated circuits for performing additional electrical functions.
US08933465B2
A semiconductor device of an embodiment includes an n-type SiC substrate, an n-type SiC layer formed on the SiC substrate; a p-type first SiC region formed in the surface of the SiC layer and contains a p-type impurity and an n-type impurity, the p-type impurity being an element A, the n-type impurity being an element D, the element A and the element D being a combination of Al, Ga, or In and N, and/or a combination of B and P, the ratio of the concentration of the element D to the concentration of the element A in the combination(s) being higher than 0.33 but lower than 0.995, the concentration of the element A forming part of the combination(s) being not lower than 1×1017 cm−3 and not higher than 1×1022 cm−3, a first electrode, and a second electrode.
US08933455B2
To provide a liquid crystal display device having high quality display by obtaining a high aperture ratio while securing a sufficient storage capacitor (Cs), and at the same time, by dispersing a load (a pixel writing-in electric current) of a capacitor wiring in a timely manner to effectively reduce the load. A scanning line is formed on a different layer from a gate electrode and the capacitor wiring is arranged so as to be parallel with a signal line. Each pixel is connected to the individually independent capacitor wiring via a dielectric. Therefore, variations in the electric potential of the capacitor wiring caused by a writing-in electric current of a neighboring pixel can be avoided, whereby obtaining satisfactory display images.
US08933434B2
A vertical stack including a p-doped GaN portion, a multi-quantum-well, and an n-doped GaN portion is formed on an insulator substrate. The p-doped GaN portion may be formed above, or below, the multi-quantum-well. A dielectric material liner is formed around the vertical stack, and is patterned to physically expose a top surface of the p-doped GaN portion. A selective low temperature epitaxy process is employed to deposit a semiconductor material including at least one elemental semiconductor material on the physically exposed surfaces of the p-doped GaN portion, thereby forming an elemental semiconductor material portion. Metallization is performed on a portion of the elemental semiconductor material portions to form an electrical contact structure that provides effective electrical contact to the p-doped GaN portion through the elemental semiconductor material portion. The elemental semiconductor material portion spreads electrical current between the electrical contact structure and the p-doped GaN portion.
US08933420B2
A particle beam therapy system comprising a treatment table, a treatment table control unit and an irradiation control unit configured to output an instruction for controlling the treatment table control unit, an accelerator and a scanning electromagnet, wherein after the treatment table control unit controls the treatment table so as for a patient isocenter which is reference position of an affected area of a patient to move to a position of an irradiation isocenter which is set at a position which is closer to an irradiation nozzle than an equipment isocenter which is reference of positional relation of the irradiation nozzle and the treatment table, the irradiation control unit outputs an instruction for irradiating the patient with a particle beam.
US08933412B2
This disclosure is directed to devices, integrated circuits, and methods for sensing radiation. In one example, a device includes a radiation sensitive oscillator, configured to deliver a first output signal at intervals defined by a first oscillation frequency that alters in resistance in response to radiation. The device includes a reference oscillator, configured to deliver a reference output signal at a constant reference oscillation frequency. A controller records a first instance of the count from the radiation sensitive oscillator for a duration of time defined by the count from the reference counter; compares a second instance of the count from the radiation sensitive oscillator with the first instance of the count from the radiation sensitive oscillator; and performs a selected action in response to the second instance of the count from the radiation sensitive oscillator varying from the first instance of the count from the radiation sensitive oscillator.
US08933401B1
A scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM) system is disclosed. The system may make use of an electron beam scanning system configured to generate a plurality of electron beam scans over substantially an entire sample, with each scan varying in electron-illumination intensity over a course of the scan. A signal acquisition system may be used for obtaining at least one of an image, a diffraction pattern, or a spectrum from the scans, the image, diffraction pattern, or spectrum representing only information from at least one of a select subplurality or linear combination of all pixel locations comprising the image. A dataset may be produced from the information. A subsystem may be used for mathematically analyzing the dataset to predict actual information that would have been produced by each pixel location of the image.
US08933398B2
The invention generally relates to systems and methods for mass spectrometry analysis of samples. In certain embodiments, the invention provides a mass spectrometry probe including at least one porous material connected to a high voltage source, in which the porous material is discrete from a flow of solvent.
US08933396B2
Quantitation of analytes, including but not limited to peptides, polypeptides, and proteins, in mass spectrometry using a labeled peptide coupled to a reporter, and a universal reporter.
US08933385B2
A hybrid ADC having a successive approximation register (SAR) ADC mode for generating a bit of a digital signal and a ramp ADC mode for generating an additional bit of the digital signal is disclosed. When in the SAR ADC mode, a control circuit is configured to disable a ramp signal generator; disable a counter; and enable a register to control an offset stage to set the magnitude of an offset voltage that is provided to an input of a comparator of the ADC. When in the ramp ADC mode, the control circuit is configured to enable the ramp signal generator to provide a ramp signal to the input of the comparator; enable the counter to begin providing the digital count in response to the output of the comparator; and disable the register so that the offset stage is not providing the offset voltage.
US08933376B2
A heating device has a heating chamber 3. An initial temperature distribution is created in a surface of a substrate (wafer W) when the substrate is carried into the heating chamber 3 . . . Temperature distribution creating means (heating lamps 2) creates a preheating temperature distribution in the substrate supported on a cooling plate 4 at a waiting position before the substrate is carried into the heating chamber 3 so as to level out the initial temperature distribution.
US08933373B2
Provided is a highly durable ceramic heater capable of suppressing development of cracks in a base body resulting from a difference in thermal expansion between the ceramic-made base body and a heat generating element. A ceramic heater of the invention includes a ceramic base body and a heat generating resistor including a heat generation section composed of a bend portion and two rectilinear portions extending from opposite ends of the bend portion, respectively, the heat generating resistor being embedded within the ceramic base body. The two rectilinear portions include inner sides opposed to each other in a transverse section, and the inner sides include recesses in at least a midportion.
US08933370B2
A welding control method alternately repeats a short circuit period, during which a welding wire and an object to be welded short-circuit, and an arc period, during which an arc is generated and discharged, to weld the object to be welded. The method compares average output voltage, which is an average of welding voltage calculated during welding, to set voltage preliminarily set, and controls a welding output current produced when an arc is generated based on the comparison result therefrom, to regulate the meltage of the wire for adjusting the arc length, which brings the short circuit cycle closer to a constant one when a disturbance (e.g. extended or shortened arc length) occurs.
US08933355B2
A switch triggering device of an electronic device is provided. By the switch triggering device, a switch on a top surface of a circuit board can be controlled from a bottom side of the electronic device. The switch triggering device includes a first linkage element, a second linkage element and a third linkage element, which are arranged between an upper cover and a base of the electronic device. The second linkage element is pivotally coupled to the upper cover. The two ends of the second linkage element are pivotally coupled to the first linkage element and the third linkage element, respectively. When the first linkage element is pressed from the base and moved toward the upper cover, the second linkage element is rotated relative to the upper cover. Consequently, the third linkage element is correspondingly moved toward the switch so as to trigger the switch.
US08933345B1
A silicon interposer has a plurality of conductive vias extending from a first side of a silicon substrate to an opposite side of the silicon substrate. A plurality of first side scan chain links are disposed on the first side of the silicon substrate. Each scan chain link electrically connects two conducting vias of the plurality of the conductive vias together. In some cases, a test fixture connects the opposite side of the conductive vias together and continuity or resistance is measured. In other cases, scan chain links are formed on the opposite side of the wafer to form a scan chain, which is electronically tested.
US08933343B2
An electronic structure includes a substrate body, an electronic package structure and a conductive unit. The electronic package structure is disposed on the substrate body. The electronic package structure includes a first inner electrode portion, a second inner electrode portion, a first outer electrode portion electrically connected to the first inner electrode portion, and a second outer electrode portion electrically connected to the second inner electrode portion. The conductive unit includes a first conductive body and a second conductive body respectively electrically contacting the first and the second outer electrode portions. The electronic package structure has a first notch and a second notch, the first outer electrode portion is extended into the first notch to contact the top surface of the first inner electrode portion, and the second outer electrode portion is extended into the second notch to contact the top surface of the second inner electrode portion.
US08933338B2
A terminal block for a vehicle-mounted battery assembly, the terminal block being attached to a total positive/negative terminal block which is attached to the vehicle-mounted battery assembly. An external extraction positive-side fastening portion and an external extraction negative-side fastening portion are positioned at different heights. A terminal cover is configured to cover the external extraction positive-side fastening portion. The terminal cover includes a fitting portion fitted into the terminal block for the vehicle-mounted battery assembly, a hinge portion engaged with the fitted portion, an arm portion engaged with the hinge portion, and a cover body engaged with the arm portion. The arm portion has a predetermined length, so that by hinge operation of the hinge portion, the cover body covers both the external extraction positive-side fastening portion and the external extraction negative-side fastening portion which are positioned at different heights.
US08933337B2
The invention concerns a device for preventing the establishment of an electric arc between adjacent portions (9) having no electrical insulation of at least two electrically conductive elements (7). According to the invention, the device comprises at least one separating partition (13) made of dielectric material inserted between said adjacent portions (9) of said conductive elements (7), the dimensions of said separating partition (13) being adapted so that the shortest path between said adjacent portions (9), by bypassing said separating partition (13), corresponds to an instability threshold for an electric arc that is likely to be established between said adjacent portions.
US08933326B2
Disclosed is a multijunction compound semiconductor solar cell having a buffer layer between a first cell and a second cell. In the buffer layer, a plurality of semiconductor layers is arranged such that lattice constants thereof have larger values in order from the first cell side to the second cell side. Of the plurality of semiconductor layers, two layers having the largest difference in lattice constant among each two adjacent layers are disposed closer to the first cell than the center in the thickness direction of the buffer layer.
US08933323B1
A two-axis tracking solar cooking system includes a sunlight concentrator, a two-axis solar tracker, sunlight reflectors, an enclosure, an oven or a stove, and other components. The 90-degree offset parabolic reflector has very long focal length so that all concentrated sunlight will enter the oven through a small window at the focal point of the 90-degree offset parabolic reflector. The elevation rotation axis goes through the focal point so that the oven will remain at the same horizontal level all the time. The concentrated sunlight makes it easy to achieve needed cooking temperature. The two-axis tracking design eliminates the need of frequent adjustment. The 90-degree offset design permits having the oven under shade, so that people do not have to expose themselves to sunlight to do solar cooking. The enclosure significantly reduces the risk of burns and fires. It also makes it very easy to control the cooking process.
US08933319B2
A photoelectric conversion element includes: an electrically conductive thin layer; an organic photoelectric conversion layer containing a compound having a partial structure represented by formula (I) and a fullerene or a fullerene derivative; and a transparent electrically conductive thin layer: X represents O, S or N—R10, R10 represents a hydrogen atom or a substituent, Rx and Ry represent a hydrogen atom or a substituent, with at least one representing an electron-withdrawing group, Rx and Ry may combine to form a ring, R represents a bond (—), a hydrogen atom or a substituent, with at least one being the bond, nr represents an integer of 1 to 4, R's may be the same or different when nr is 2 or more, and R's at the 2- and 3-positions or R's at the 5- and 6-positions may combine with each other to form a ring.
US08933317B2
In one embodiment, a system includes a strap configured to be coupled to a container. The strap includes a plurality of plates arranged to allow the strap to flex. The system also includes a thermoelectric device coupled to the strap. The strap is configured to transfer heat between the thermoelectric device and the container. The system includes a thermal interface situated between the thermoelectric device and the strap.
US08933316B2
Each of Dampers provided for each of keys is controlled in response to both an operation of a damper pedal and an operation of the corresponding key. For each of the dampers and over one stroke of the pedal in at least one of depressing releasing directions of the pedal, load information indicative of loads imposed on a portion linked to the damper is acquired in association with individual stroke positions of the pedal. Then, for each of the dampers, a half pedal region is identified on the basis of relationship between the stroke positions and the loads corresponding to the stroke positions. The portion linked to the damper may be any suitable portion related to a damper lever moving in an up-down direction in interlocked relation to both of vertical movement of a lifting rail responsive to an operation of the pedal and an operation of the key.
US08933314B2
We describe a musical effect device comprising drive electronics to drive a first tuned resonant circuit at a resonant frequency, a moveable mechanical control associated with a second, passive tuned resonant circuit and read-out electronics coupled to the first tuned resonant circuit to sense a position of the control. A first frequency of resonance of the first tuned resonant circuit matches a second frequency of resonance of the second, passive tuned circuit, and the first and second frequency resonance match a resonant frequency of the drive signal. The first tuned resonant circuit has an input coupled to the drive electronics, an output coupled to the read-out electronics and a resonant LC circuit coupled in series between the input and output. The variable output signal is dependent on an amplitude of a signal at the output of the first tuned resonant circuit.
US08933309B2
A sound generation mechanism, provided with a string for generating a vibration sound in response to striking by a hammer, is automatically played in accordance with performance data. The performance data include striking data (note-on event data) for designating timing at which the string should be struck by the hammer, velocity data indicative of an intensity of the striking, and muting data (soft pedal data) for controlling muting. A controller determines drive start timing of the hammer in accordance with the velocity data in such a manner that the string is struck by the hammer at the timing designated by the striking data and performs control such that the drive start timing is advanced in accordance with the muting data. Thus, the string is struck at the striking timing designated by the striking data, but also muting control is performed in accordance with the muting data.
US08933300B2
The invention relates to novel elongase genes with the sequences stated in sequence SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO: 3, SEQ ID NO: 5 and SEQ ID NO: 7 or their homologs, derivatives or analogs, to a gene construct comprising this gene or its homologs, derivatives and analogs, and to its use. The invention also relates to vectors or transgenic organisms comprising an elongase gene with the sequence SEQ ID NO:1, SEQ ID NO: 3, SEQ ID NO: 5 and SEQ ID NO: 7 or its homologs, derivatives and analogs. The invention furthermore relates to the use of the elongase gene sequences alone or in combination with further elongases and/or further fatty acid biosynthesis genes. The present invention relates to a novel elongase gene with the sequence SEQ ID NO:1 or its homologs, derivatives and analogs. Furthermore, the invention relates to a process for the preparation of polyunsaturated fatty acids and to a process for introducing DNA into organisms which produce large amounts of oils and, in particular, oils with a high content of unsaturated fatty acids. Moreover, the invention relates to an oil and/or a fatty acid preparation with a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids with at least two double bonds and/or a triacylglycerol preparation with a higher content of polyunsaturated fatty acids with at least two double bonds.
US08933297B2
The invention provides Nicotiana benthamiana mutant plants which are incapable of forming xylosyl-structures on glycoproteins. In addition, the invention provides methods for the production of heterologous glycoproteins in said mutant plants.
US08933289B2
A method of disposing nuclear waste in underground rock formations is presented. The method includes the steps of selecting a land area having a rock formation positioned there-below of a depth able to prevent radioactive material placed therein from reaching the surface and drilling a vertical wellbore from the surface, to a depth ranging between 5,000 feet and 25,000 feet, into the underground rock formation or repository. A plurality of horizontal laterals or horizontal wellbores, ranging in length from 500 feet to 40,000 feet, are drilled from the vertical wellbore into the underground rock formation or repository. Nuclear waste to be stored within these laterals is encapsulated in a special waste canister and these nuclear waste canisters are positioned within the horizontal laterals wherein they are sealed to prevent loss and leakage. Means are also provided by which these canisters are adapted to allow retrievability of the canisters from the wellbore at a later date and to return the waste to the surface for use after retrieval.
US08933288B2
A process according to various approaches includes flushing an intermediate transfer line between a raffinate stream transfer line and a desorbent stream transfer line away from the adsorptive separation chamber to remove residual fluid including desorbent from intermediate transfer line. The process may include directing the residual fluid flushed from the intermediate transfer line to a recycle stream to introduce the residual fluid into the adsorptive separation chamber.
US08933283B2
This invention relates to a petroleum refining method for producing high value-added clean petroleum products and aromatics (Benzene/Toluene/Xylene) together, by which low pollution petroleum products including liquefied petroleum gas or low-sulfur gas oil and aromatics can be efficiently produced together from a fluid catalytic cracked oil fraction.
US08933280B2
The present invention provides continuous, gas phase, free radical processes for the production of chlorinated and/or fluorinated propenes or higher alkenes from the reaction of chlorinated and/or fluorinated alkanes and chlorinated and/or fluorinated alkenes, wherein wherein at least a portion of any intermediate boiler by-products generated by the process are removed from the process.
US08933258B1
Disclosed herein are methods for a simple process to make 3-aminoorgano functional silanes and siloxanes, free from isomers, by the use of commonly available materials. One embodiment of such a method comprises reacting aminoorgano functional silanes with hexamethyldisilazane in the presence of an acidic catalyst to produce a cyclic gamma-functional aminoorganic silane and beta isomers; separating the cyclic gamma-functional aminoorganic silane and the beta isomers; and converting the separated cyclic gamma-functional aminoorganic silane to pure gamma-aminoalkylsilane or pure aminoorganic siloxane. Also disclosed herein are cyclic derivatives of gamma-functional aminoorganic silanes.
US08933257B2
Disclosed are compounds and methods of making said compounds comprising a zinc oxide molecule chemically bound to one or more molecules having an acidic hydrogen, such as an organic acid. The invention also provides compositions comprising such compounds and methods of preparing such compounds. The compounds of the invention may be provided in, for example, topical skin formulations, pharmaceutical compositions, or delivery systems for active ingredients.
US08933253B2
Compounds of the formula 1 wherein, R is hydrogen, alkyl or substituted alkyl, aryl or substituted aryl are useful intermediates in the synthesis of fragrance ingredients such as Ambrox 2.
US08933249B2
In one aspect, the invention relates to compounds of formula I: where a and R1-6 are as defined in the specification, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The compounds of formula I are serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors. In another aspect, the invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds; methods of using such compounds; and process and intermediates for preparing such compounds.
US08933245B2
Compositions comprising ergothioneine and a trimethylamine absorber are provided. Also provided are methods for preventing, reducing or minimizing the fishy, amine odor, due to trimethylamine, that is associated with the processing and/or storage of a preparation containing ergothioneine, by combining with the ergothioneine, during processing or prior to storage, a trimethylamine absorber in an amount sufficient to prevent the detection of any trimethylamine odor by the human nose. A method is further provided for ameliorating the methylamine odor associated with an aqueous ergothioneine-containing preparation after it has developed a fishy trimethylamine odor.
US08933243B2
Polyphenylene compounds such as compounds represented by Formula I may be used in electronic devices such as organic light-emitting devices. For example, the compounds may be used as host materials in a light-emitting layer.
US08933241B2
A method for producing high-purity olmesartan medoxomil is provided in which a solvent containing water is used in steps of tritylation and DMDO esterification of olmesartan.
US08933240B2
The present invention provides novel methods for synthesizing PPARγ sparing compounds, e.g., thiazolidinediones, that are useful for preventing and/or treating metabolic disorders such as diabetes, obesity, hypertension, and inflammatory diseases.
US08933238B2
The present disclosure relates to a compound comprising an aryloxy-phthalocyanine compound of Group III metals, a method for preparing the aryloxy-phthalocyanine compound of Group III metals and an article of manufacture made therefrom.
US08933237B2
Methods for synthesizing deuterated vinylpyridine compounds of the Formula (1), wherein the method includes: (i) deuterating an acyl pyridine of the Formula (2) in the presence of a metal catalyst and D2O, wherein the metal catalyst is active for hydrogen exchange in water, to produce a deuterated acyl compound of Formula (3); (ii) reducing the compound of Formula (3) with a deuterated reducing agent to convert the acyl group to an alcohol group, and (iii) dehydrating the compound produced in step (ii) with a dehydrating agent to afford the vinylpyridine compound of Formula (1). The resulting deuterated vinylpyridine compounds are also described.
US08933234B2
It relates to an anthranilonitrile compound, and to the process for preparing the said anthranilonitrile compound, and to its use. The anthranilonitrile compound has a chemical general formula (I). The compound of the general formula (I) has excellent pesticidal activity, can be used to control pests, and has more than 98% of mortality in 3 days to diamondback moth and pink borer.
US08933232B2
β-Lactamase inhibitor compounds (BLIs) are disclosed, including compounds that have activity against class A, class C or class D β-lactamases. Methods of manufacturing the BLIs, and uses of the compounds in the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions and antibacterial applications are also disclosed.
US08933229B2
Disclosed is a compound represented by formula (1) or a pharmacologically acceptable salt thereof (In the formula, A represents a group that is represented by formula (A-1); R1a and R1b may be the same or different and each independently represents a C1-6 alkyl group which may be substituted by one to three halogen atoms; m and n each independently represents an integer of 0-5; X1 represents a hydroxyl group or an aminocarbonyl group; Z1 represents a single bond or the like; and R2 represents an optionally substituted C1-6 alkyl group, an optionally substituted C6-10 aryl group or the like).
US08933227B2
The present invention relates to a process for making 2,4-differentiated 5-trifluoromethyl pyrimidines and 2-amino-5-trifluoromethyl-pyrimidine derivatives, which compounds are useful in the preparation of pharmacologically active compounds.
US08933222B2
The present invention provides methods of synthesizing oxadiazoanthracene derivatives of the formula (I) and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein A, B, C, R, R1, R2, R3, R4 and R5 are as herein described, and methods of synthesizing precursors to these oxadiazoanthracene derivatives.
US08933221B2
Compounds and pharmaceutically acceptable salts of the compounds are disclosed, wherein the compounds have the structure of Formula I, as defined in the specification. Corresponding pharmaceutical compositions, methods of treatment, methods of synthesis, and intermediates are also disclosed.
US08933217B2
Aspects of the invention relate to compounds, extracts and compositions thereof, and methods of using of the same, to treat neurodegenerative disorders and/or improve brain health. In certain embodiments, said compounds are pomegranate flavonoids.
US08933214B2
The present invention relates to novel phosphoramidites, A-n-bz, C-n-bz, C-n-ac, G-n-ac and U are produced with an HPLC purity of greater than 98% and 31P NMR purity greater than 99%. A novel process of reverse 5′→3′ directed synthesis of RNA oligomers has been developed and disclosed. Using that method demonstrated high quality RNA synthesis with coupling efficiency approaching 99%.
US08933201B2
The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concepts include inhibitors of antiplasmin cleaving enzyme (APCE) and fibroblast activation protein alpha (FAP) which can be used in various therapies related to disorders of fibrin and α2-antiplasmin and abnormal cell proliferation. The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concepts also include substrates of APCE and FAP, which may be used, for example, in screening methods for identifying such inhibitors. The presently disclosed and claimed inventive concepts further include, but are not limited to, methods of treating or inhibiting atherosclerosis and thrombus disorders by altering the ratios of types of plasma α2-antiplasmin and to methods of treating conditions involving abnormal cell proliferation such as cancers.
US08933199B2
The present invention relates to fibronectin-based scaffold domain proteins that bind to myostatin. The invention also relates to the use of these proteins in therapeutic applications to treat muscular dystrophy, cachexia, sarcopenia, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, diabetes, obesity, COPD, chronic kidney disease, heart failure, myocardial infarction, and fibrosis. The invention further relates to cells comprising such proteins, polynucleotides encoding such proteins or fragments thereof, and to vectors comprising the polynucleotides encoding the proteins.
US08933198B2
The instant invention provides TCRs having one or more amino acid substitutions that bind to the AL9 epitope of the HIV protein vpr (AIIRILQQL (SEQ ID NO: 1)).
US08933197B2
The present invention relates to biologically active polypeptides linked to one or more accessory polypeptides. The present invention also provides recombinant polypeptides including vectors encoding the subject proteinaceous entities, as well as host cells comprising the vectors. The subject compositions have a variety of utilities including a range of pharmaceutical applications.
US08933196B2
A method of purifying a compound from a mixture through a chromatographic column loaded with a column adsorbent. The method comprises: applying the mixture to the chromatographic column; eluting the mixture with an elution solvent composition; and collecting the compound; wherein at least one of the column adsorbent and elution solvent is selected based on one of solubility parameters of the compound, column adsorbent, elution solvent, and conformation energy of the compound.
US08933193B2
The present invention provides isolated lantibiotics that inhibit. Gram negative and Gram positive microbes. The antibiotic includes an amino acid sequence, wherein the amino acid sequence of the compound and the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NO:21 or SEQ ID NO:22 have at least 80% identity. The lantibiotics have the characteristic of inhibiting growth of a Gram negative microbe in conditions that do not damage the outer membrane of the Gram negative microbe. The present invention also provides methods for making and using the lantibiotics.
US08933192B2
The present invention relates to a process for the activation of double metal cyanide (DMC) catalysts for the preparation of polyether carbonate polyols by catalytic copolymerisation of carbon dioxide (CO2) with alkylene oxides in the presence of one or more H-functional starter substances.
US08933179B2
A method of producing a compound of formula (i): wherein R=H or CH3 the method comprising exposing a source of a compound of formula (ii) to reaction conditions of temperature and pressure: formula (ii) wherein R is defined as above wherein, when R=CH3, the source of a compound of formula (ii) is exposed to reaction conditions of temperature and pressure while being in a liquid phase.
US08933176B2
High green strength reactive hot melt adhesives are prepared using crystalline monofunctional reactants.
US08933164B2
A dispersion, comprising 0.1 to 25% by weight hydrophobized silica, 8 to 90 wt % of at least one alcohol selected from the group consisting of ethanol, 1-propanol and 2-propanol, 7 to 89 wt % of water, 0 to 30% by weight solvent immiscible with water, and 0.04 to 5 wt % of at least one carboxyvinyl polymer present in neutralized form, can be applied to a surface using a non-drip application method and, by modifying the surface with hydrophobized silica, imparts water-repelling and self-cleaning properties to the surface.
US08933159B2
Described are a particular group of novel aromatic hydrocarbon telomers that, on bromination, result in the formation of novel flame retardants having a uniquely beneficial combination of properties. The resultant flame retardants and uses thereof are also described. The disclosure includes descriptions of methods for preparing both the aromatic hydrocarbon telomers and the brominated flame retardant polymers.
US08933143B2
Compositions and methods for adjustable lenses are provided. In some embodiments, the lenses contain a lens matrix material, a masking compound, and a prepolymer. The lens matrix material provides structure to the lens. The masking compound is capable of blocking polymerization or crosslinking of the prepolymer, until photoisomerization of the compound is triggered, and the compound is converted from a first isomer to a second isomer having a different absorption profile. The prepolymer is a composition that can undergo a polymerization or crosslinking reaction upon photoinitiation to alter one or more of the properties of the lenses.
US08933139B1
Combinations of gelatinous elastomer and polyurethane foam may be made by introducing a plasticized A-B-A triblock copolymer resin and/or an A-B diblock copolymer resin into a mixture of polyurethane foam forming components including a polyol and an isocyanate. The plasticized copolymer resin is polymerized to form the gelatinous elastomer in-situ while simultaneously polymerizing the polyol and the isocyanate to form polyurethane foam. The polyurethane reaction is exothermic and can generate sufficient temperature to melt the styrene-portion of the A-B-A triblock copolymer resin thereby extending the crosslinking and in some cases integrating the A-B-A triblock copolymer within the polyurethane polymer matrix. The combination has a marbled appearance. The gel component has higher heat capacity than polyurethane foam and thus has good thermal conductivity and acts as a heat sink. Another advantage of in situ gel-foam is that the gel component provides higher support factors compared to the base foam alone.
US08933136B2
The present invention pertains to a process for carrying out a high-speed stop in a Fischer-Tropsch process which comprises providing a feed to a fixed bed reactor comprising a Fischer-Tropsch catalyst, the reactor being at reaction temperature and pressure, and withdrawing an effluent from the reactor, wherein the high-speed stop is effected by blocking provision of feed to the reactor and simultaneously blocking the withdrawal of effluent from the reactor.
US08933135B2
The present invention relates to a novel process for the production of methanol. The process comprises the heterolytic cleavage of hydrogen by a frustrated Lewis pair comprising a Lewis acid and a Lewis base; and the hydrogenation of CO2 with the heterolytically cleaved hydrogen to form methanol.
US08933133B2
Animal feed compositions which include a polyol are described. Processes for producing an animal feed composition with a polyol are disclosed. Methods of feeding an animal the polyol are also disclosed.
US08933130B2
The present invention is directed toward methods for treating vasomotor symptoms, (e.g., hot flashes and night sweats) in a patient in need thereof comprising administering a SERM as described herein.
US08933123B2
The present invention discloses polymorphic forms of O-desmethyl-venlafaxine succinate and processes for the preparation thereof.
US08933116B2
Disclosed herein are compounds of Formula (I) and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein each of the substituents is given the definition as set forth in the specification and claims. Also disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions containing the compound of Formula (I) and use of the compound in the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases or conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.
US08933114B2
Are disclosed new crystalline forms of asenapine maleate, useful in the production of pharmaceutical formulations for the treatment of diseases of the central nervous system, in particular schizophrenia; processes for the production of these new crystalline forms are also disclosed.
US08933113B2
Disclosed are the compounds of the Formula (I) as well as pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, which are useful for treating aldosterone-mediated diseases. The processes for preparing compounds of the Formula (I), the use for the therapy and prophylaxis of the abovementioned diseases and for preparing pharmaceuticals for this purpose, and the pharmaceutical compositions which comprise compounds of the formula (I) are disclosed too.
US08933098B2
The present invention provides a compound of the Formula II: wherein A is: R1 is CH3, CF3, or F; R2 is H, CH3, or F; R3 is CH3, OCH3, OH, F; R4 is OH or CH2OH; and X is CH or N; or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof.
US08933097B2
The present invention is directed to an aqueous pharmaceutical suspension of fexofenadine zwitterionic dihydrate Form I.
US08933094B2
The present invention relates to ethynyl compounds of formula wherein X, Y, Z, and R4 are as defined herein or to a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or acid addition salt, to a racemic mixture, or to its corresponding enantiomer and/or optical isomer and/or stereoisomer thereof. Compounds of formula I are positive allosteric modulators (PAM) of the metabotropic glutamate receptor subtype 5 (mGluR5) and they are therefore useful for the treatment of diseases related to this receptor.
US08933074B2
1,2-disubstituted heterocyclic compounds which are inhibitors of phosphodiesterase 10 are described. Also described are processes, pharmaceutical compositions, pharmaceutical preparations and pharmaceutical use of the compounds in the treatment of mammals, including human(s) for central nervous system (CNS) disorders and other disorders which may affect CNS function. Among the disorders which may be treated are neurological, neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders including, but not limited to, those associated with cognitive deficits or schizophrenic symptoms.
US08933073B2
The invention relates to macrolide compounds of formula (I), the use of said compounds as medicaments, in particular for the treatment or prevention of inflammatory and allergic diseases, pharmaceutical compositions containing said compounds and to processes for their preparation. The invention relates in particular to macrolide compounds with antiinflammatory activity mediated primarily through inhibition of phosphodiesterase 4 (PDE4) which makes them useful for the treatment and/or prevention of inflammatory and allergic diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, atopic dermatitis or inflammatory bowel disease or proliferative diseases such as cancer.
US08933068B2
A diluted solution of ceftiofur sodium is intrathecally or ventricularly delivered to effectively treat bacterial meningitis while maintaining the patient's threshold and reducing the likelihood of seizure.
US08933066B2
The disclosure provides compounds of formula I, including pharmaceutically acceptable salts, as well as compositions and methods of using the compounds. The compounds have activity against hepatitis C virus (HCV) and may be useful in treating those infected with HCV.
US08933065B2
A first aspect of the invention is a compound (sometimes also referred to herein as an “active agent” or “active compound”) of Formula I or Ia: or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or prodrug thereof. Compositions thereof and methods of using the same (e.g. for the treatment of a neurological disease) are also described.
US08933061B2
A process is described, comprising the oxidation of 17α-(3-hydroxypropyl)-6β,7β,15β,16β-dimethylen-5β-androstan-3β,5,17β-triol, for the preparation of drospirenone, a synthetic steroid with progestogenic, antimineralocorticoid and antiandrogenic activity, useful for preparing pharmaceutical compositions with contraceptive action.
US08933047B2
The present invention is directed membrane active poly(acrylate) polymers and compositions for targeted delivery of RNA interference (RNAi) polynucleotides cells in vivo. RNAi polynucleotides are conjugated to the poly(acrylate) polymers and the polymers are reversibly modified to enable in vivo targeted delivery. Membrane activity of the poly(acrylate) provides for movement of the RNAi polynucleotides from outside the cell to inside the cell. Reversible modification provides physiological responsiveness.
US08933044B2
Double-stranded RNA (dsRNA) induces sequence-specific post-transcriptional gene silencing in many organisms by a process known as RNA interference (RNAi). Using a Drosophila in vitro system, we demonstrate that 19-23 nt short RNA fragments are the sequence-specific mediators of RNAi. The short interfering RNAs (siRNAs) are generated by an RNase III-like processing reaction from long dsRNA. Chemically synthesized siRNA duplexes with overhanging 3′ ends mediate efficient target RNA cleavage in the lysate, and the cleavage site is located near the center of the region spanned by the guiding siRNA. Furthermore, we provide evidence that the direction of dsRNA processing determines whether sense or antisense target RNA can be cleaved by the produced siRNP complex.
US08933041B2
The present invention is directed to a system for treating individuals at risk of or suffering from breast cancer. The system comprises administering to the individual a recombinant poxvirus, where the poxvirus contains in a foreign nucleic acid encoding at least one breast cancer antigen.
US08933024B2
The present invention relates to azolopyridin-3-one derivatives of the general formula (I) with the meanings specified in the description, to their pharmaceutically usable salts and to their use as drug substances.
US08933023B2
Injectable insulin formulations with improved stability and rapid onset of action are described herein. The formulations may be for subcutaneous, intradermal or intramuscular administration. In the preferred embodiment, the formulations are administered via subcutaneous injection. The formulations contain insulin in combination with a chelator and dissolution agent, and optionally additional excipients. In the preferred embodiment, the formulation contains human insulin, a zinc chelator such as EDTA and a dissolution agent such as citric acid. These formulations are rapidly absorbed into the blood stream when administered by subcutaneous injection. In the preferred embodiment, the insulin is provided as a dry powder in a sterile vial. This is mixed with a diluent containing a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier, such as water, a zinc chelator such as EDTA and a dissolution agent such as citric acid shortly before or at the time of administration. In another embodiment, the insulin is stored as a frozen mixture, ready for use upon thawing.
US08933019B2
Disclosed herein are cell penetrating peptides useful as treatment for Human Immunodeficiency Virus.
US08933014B2
Isolated peptides derived from SEQ ID NO: 50 and fragments thereof that bind to an HLA antigen and induce cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and thus are suitable for use in the context of cancer immunotherapy, more particularly cancer vaccines are described herein. The inventive peptides encompasses both the above mentioned amino acid sequences and modified versions thereof, in which one, two, or several amino acids sequences substituted, deleted, added or inserted, provided such modified versions retain the requisite cytotoxic T cell inducibility of the original sequence. Further provided are nucleic acids encoding any of the aforementioned peptides as well as pharmaceutical agents, substances and/or compositions that include or incorporate any of the aforementioned peptides or nucleic acids. The peptides, nucleic acids, pharmaceutical agents, substances and compositions of this invention find particular utility in the treatment of cancers and tumors, including, for example, AML, bladder cancer, breast cancer, cervical cancer, cholangiocellular carcinoma, CML, colorectal cancer, esophagus cancer, Diffused-type gastric cancer, liver cancer, NSCLC, lymphoma, osteosarcoma, ovarian cancer, pancreatic cancer, prostate cancer, renal carcinoma, SCLC, soft tissue tumor and testicular tumor.
US08933010B2
The invention relates to polymer-micelle complex. The polymer-micelle complexes include a positively charged micelle selected from the group consisting of a monomeric quaternary ammonium compound, a monomeric biguanide compound, and mixtures thereof. The positively charged micelle is electrostatically bound to a water-soluble polymer bearing a negative charge. The polymer does not comprise block copolymer, latex particles, polymer nanoparticles, cross-linked polymers, silicone copolymer, fluorosurfactant, or amphoteric copolymer. The compositions do not form a coacervate, and do not form a film when applied to a surface.
US08933008B2
A disinfectant solution comprising: an aldehyde; a polyol; one or more acetal derivatives formed by reaction of said aldehyde with said polyol; one or more surfactants selected from the general classes anionic, cationic, or non-ionic; one or more pH buffering agents selected from the group consisting of monosodium phosphate, disodium phosphate, trisodium phosphate, sodium tetraborate, sodium bicarbonate, sodium citrate, phosphoric acid, boric acid and citric acid. The invention also relates to a process of producing the disinfectant solution, and a method of disinfecting and/or sterilizing heat sensitive medical devices comprising treating the medical devices with the disinfectant solution of the invention.
US08933007B1
A solid synthetic bar cleanser for cleaning a person's skin has an acidic pH of about 5.5. The syndet from which the solid bar cleanser is formed comprises as a natural foaming agent quillaja bark extract in an amount of 0.01% to about 1%. The syndet further comprises from 0.5% to about 2% of bergaptene-free essential lemon oil, from 0.0001% to about 1% thymol, and 0.01% to about 1% of lavender oil for odor and antimicrobial purposes.
US08933002B2
Disclosed herein is a neutral or overbased salt of a sulfurized alkylhydroxyaromatic compound obtained by the process comprising the steps of (a) sulfurizing an alkylhydroxyaromatic compound derived from alkylation of a hydroxyaromatic compound with one or more olefins comprising C9 to C18 oligomers of monomers selected from propylene, butylene or mixtures thereof to provide a sulfurized alkylhydroxyaromatic reaction product; (b) removing any unsulfurized alkylhydroxyaromatic compound from the sulfurized alkylhydroxyaromatic reaction product of step (a) to obtain a sulfurized alkylhydroxyaromatic compound substantially free of the unsulfurized alkylhydroxyaromatic compound; and (c) neutralizing the sulfurized alkylhydroxyaromatic compound of step (b) to provide a salt of the sulfurized alkylhydroxyaromatic compound, wherein the overbased salt of the sulfurized alkylhydroxyaromatic compound contains less than about 2% by combined mass of the unsulfurized alkylhydroxyaromatic compound and its unsulfurized metal salt.
US08932997B2
Esters of alkanolamines with unsaturated, polyunsaturated or saturated C8-C36 monocarboxylic acids are additives for reducing accretion on drilling equipment (anti-accretion agents) to be used in drilling muds during drilling and completion of oil and gas wells.
US08932987B2
A composition and method to mitigate plant autophagy and/or apoptosis of newly developing cells in plants grown under environmentally stressful growing conditions, such as high temperature. Exogenous application of a cytokinin, preferably kinetin, to either the roots or the foliage (i.e., flowers and leaves) of plants has been discovered to overcome, or at least substantially mitigate, autophagy when applied during or just prior to flowering. Experimental results indicate that high temperature-induced autophagy, and subsequent new cell apoptosis, is the result of a deficiency of cytokinin in the plant tissues. The application of low concentrations of potassium together with the cytokinin appears to provide a synergistic effect by amplifying the effect of the cytokinin to lessen autophagy and increase crop productivity.
US08932978B2
A solid solution photocatalyst composition and its preparation method are provided in the present invention. The solid solution photocatalyst can utilize its solid solution structure to regulate the conduction band position, valence band position, conduction band range and valence band range of the different response properties of the photocatalyst, so that oxidoreductive reaction is performed to remove the foul-smelling substances.
US08932977B2
A catalyst for the electrolysis of water molecules and hydrocarbons, the catalyst including catalytic groups comprising A1-xB2-yB′yO4 spinels having a cubical M4O4 core, wherein A is Li or Na, B and B′ are independently any transition metal or main group metal, M is B, B′, or both, x is a number from 0 to 1, and y is a number from 0 to 2. In photo-electrolytic applications, a plurality of catalytic groups are supported on a conductive support substrate capable of incorporating water molecules. At least some of the catalytic groups, supported by the support substrate, are able to catalytically interact with water molecules incorporated into the support substrate. The catalyst can also be used as part of a photo-electrochemical cell for the generation of electrical energy.
US08932975B2
A catalyst composition comprising (a) a first metallocene complex represented by the general formula: where M1 is Ti, Zr or Hf, X1 and X2 are each independently F, Cl, Br, I, methyl, benzyl, phenyl, H, BH4, a hydrocarbyloxide group having up to 20 carbon atoms, a hydrocarbylamino group having up to 20 carbon atoms, a trihydrocarbylsilyl group having up to 20 carbon atoms, OBR′2 wherein R′ may be an alkyl group having up to 12 carbon atoms or an aryl group having up to 12 carbon atoms, and SO3R″ wherein R″ may be an alkyl group having up to 12 carbon atoms or an aryl group having up to 12 carbon atoms, and Cp1 and Cp2 are each independently a substituted or unsubstituted cyclopentadienyl group, or a substituted or unsubstituted indenyl group, where any substituent on Cp1 and Cp2 is H, a hydrocarbyl group having up to 18 carbon atoms or a hydrocarbylsilyl group having up to 18 carbon atoms, (b) a second metallocene complex, (c) a non-group 4 metallocene transition-metal complex, (d) an activator or activator-support, and (e) an optional cocatalyst.
US08932972B2
This invention relates to an in-situ remanufacturing method of SCR aged catalyst. More specifically, in case the activity of the catalyst, which is used in selective catalytic reduction (SCR) to remove nitrogen oxides, is decreased, such deactivated catalyst, in this in-situ remanufacturing method, is not to be separated from its related reactor but to be remanufactured in-situ for elimination in this method, which, compared to the one that otherwise includes detachment and transportation to remanufacturing facilities, should prevent potential damage to the catalyst, reduce transportation costs as well as additional enormous costs depending upon unloading and loading of the catalyst and shorten the remanufacturing time.The activity of reclaimed catalyst in this invention is recovered at a level of 95% or more than that of fresh SCR catalyst by rapidly facilitating the in-situ elimination of any contaminant and possesses high economic efficiency as there is no catalyst loss during the process. The reuse of the catalyst which otherwise is to be disposed is also possible, mitigating environmental burden.
US08932967B2
The present invention relates to a coloring composition free of nickel oxide. In particular, the coloring composition for glass comprises manganese dioxide (MnO2), chromium oxide (III) (Cr2O3), cobalt oxide (Co3O4) and a glass medium. Furthermore, the present invention relates to the process for producing the coloring composition and the use thereof for the purpose of imparting a dark color (black), in particular a blue-violet-black color, to the glass.
US08932966B2
A composite velour fabric garment includes a laminate consisting of an outer woven shell layer, an inner thermal layer of knit construction, and an intermediate layer disposed between and laminated to each of the shell layer and the thermal layer. The outer woven shell layer contains spandex in at least a weft direction for stretch and recovery in a width direction. The knit construction of the inner thermal layer provides stretch in at least a width direction, in harmony with the shell layer, and the inner thermal layer has a raised surface facing inwardly, away from the shell layer. The intermediate layer has controlled air permeability, including zero air permeability.
US08932956B2
A method for far back end of the line (FBEOL) protection of a semiconductor device includes forming a patterned layer over a back end of the line (BEOL) stack, depositing a first conformal protection layer on the patterned layer which covers horizontal surfaces of a top surface and sidewalls of openings formed in the patterned layer. A resist layer is patterned over the first conformal protection layer such that openings in the resist layer correspond with the openings in the patterned layer. The first conformal protection layer is etched through the openings in the resist layer to form extended openings that reach a stop position. The resist layer is removed, and a second conformal protection layer is formed on the first conformal protection layer and on sidewalls of the extended openings to form an encapsulation boundary to protect at least the patterned layer and a portion of the BEOL stack.
US08932952B2
Disclosed is a method for polishing a silicon wafer, wherein a surface to be polished of a silicon wafer is rough polished, while supplying a polishing liquid, which is obtained by adding a water-soluble polymer to an aqueous alkaline solution that contains no free abrasive grains, to a polishing cloth. Consequently, the surface to be polished can be polished at high polishing rate and the flatness of the edge portion including roll-off and roll-up can be controlled.
US08932943B2
A method of manufacturing a nitride semiconductor light emitting device which includes forming an n-type semiconductor layer, forming an active layer on the n-type semiconductor layer, forming a superlattice layer by alternately stacking at least two nitride layers made of InxAlyGa(1-x-y)N (0≦x≦1, 0≦y≦1, and 0≦x+y≦1) having different energy bandgaps from each other and doped with a p-type dopant, and forming a p-type semiconductor layer on the superlattice layer. The forming of the superlattice layer is performed by adjusting a flow rate of a p-type dopant source gas to reduce the flow rate in a growth termination period of the superlattice layer by no greater than about half of the flow rate in a growth initiation period of the superlattice layer while being doped with the p-type dopant.
US08932940B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a method for direct heteroepitaxial growth of vertical III-V semiconductor nanowires on a silicon substrate. The silicon substrate is etched to substantially completely remove native oxide. It is promptly placed in a reaction chamber. The substrate is heated and maintained at a growth temperature. Group III-V precursors are flowed for a growth time. Preferred embodiment vertical Group III-V nanowires on silicon have a core-shell structure, which provides a radial homojunction or heterojunction. A doped nanowire core is surrounded by a shell with complementary doping. Such can provide high optical absorption due to the long optical path in the axial direction of the vertical nanowires, while reducing considerably the distance over which carriers must diffuse before being collected in the radial direction. Alloy composition can also be varied. Radial and axial homojunctions and heterojunctions can be realized. Embodiments provide for flexible Group III-V nanowire structures. An array of Group III-V nanowire structures is embedded in polymer. A fabrication method forms the vertical nanowires on a substrate, e.g., a silicon substrate. Preferably, the nanowires are formed by the preferred methods for fabrication of Group III-V nanowires on silicon. Devices can be formed with core/shell and core/multi-shell nanowires and the devices are released from the substrate upon which the nanowires were formed to create a flexible structure that includes an array of vertical nanowires embedded in polymer.
US08932939B1
Methods and systems for forming water soluble masks by dry film lamination are described. Also described are methods of wafer dicing, including formation of a water soluble mask by dry film lamination. In one embodiment, a method involves moisturizing an inner area of a water soluble dry film. The method involves stretching the water soluble dry film over a surface of the semiconductor wafer, and attaching the moistened inner area of the stretched film to the surface of the semiconductor wafer. A method of wafer dicing may further involve patterning the water soluble dry film, exposing regions of the semiconductor wafer between the ICs, and etching the semiconductor wafer through gaps in the patterned water soluble dry film.
US08932928B2
A power MOSFET includes a semiconductor substrate with an upper surface, a cavity of a first depth in the substrate whose sidewall extends to the upper surface, a dielectric liner in the cavity, a gate conductor within the dielectric liner extending to or above the upper surface, body region(s) within the substrate of a second depth, separated from the gate conductor in a lower cavity region by first portion(s) of the dielectric liner of a first thickness, and source region(s) within the body region(s) extending to a third depth that is less than the second depth. The source region(s) are separated from the gate conductor by a second portion of the dielectric liner of a second thickness at least in part greater than the first thickness. The dielectric liner has a protrusion extending laterally into the gate conductor away from the body region(s) at or less than the third depth.
US08932925B1
A method includes forming a first conductive layer over a substrate in a first region and second region of the substrate; patterning the first conductive layer to form a select gate in the first region and to remove the first conductive layer from the second region; forming a charge storage layer over the select gate and the substrate in the first region and over the substrate in the second region; forming a second conductive layer over the charge storage layer in the first and second regions; and patterning the second conductive layer and charge storage layer to form a control gate overlapping the select gate in the first region, wherein a first portion of the charge storage layer remains between the select gate and control gate, and to form an electrode in the second region, wherein a second portion of the charge storage layer remains between the electrode and substrate.
US08932917B2
A manufacturing method of a thin film transistor (TFT) includes forming a gate electrode including a metal that can be combined with silicon to form silicide on a substrate and forming a gate insulation layer by supplying a gas which includes silicon to the gate electrode at a temperature below about 280° C. The method further includes forming a semiconductor on the gate insulation layer, forming a data line and a drain electrode on the semiconductor and forming a pixel electrode connected to the drain electrode.
US08932911B2
Integrated circuits and methods for fabricating integrated circuits are provided. In an exemplary embodiment, a method for fabricating integrated circuits includes forming a metal contact structure that is electrically connected to a device. A capping layer is selectively formed on the metal contact structure, and an interlayer dielectric material is deposited over the capping layer. A metal hard mask is deposited and patterned over the interlayer dielectric material to define an exposed region of the interlayer dielectric material. The method etches the exposed region of the interlayer dielectric material to expose at least a portion of the capping layer. The method includes removing the metal hard mask with an etchant while the capping layer physically separates the metal contact structure from the etchant. A metal is deposited to form a conductive via electrically connected to the metal contact structure through the capping layer.
US08932910B2
The invention relates to a method for producing chip stacks with the following method sequence: applying an especially dielectric and/or photostructurable base layer to one carrier side of a carrier which on its carrier side is provided with an adhesively acting adhesion zone and a less adhesively acting support zone, the base layer being applied largely over the entire surface at least to the support zone, building up the chip stacks on the base layer, potting of the chip stacks, detaching the carrier from the base layer. Moreover the invention relates to a carrier for executing this method.
US08932895B2
An image sensor assembly includes an image sensor die attached adjacent to a cavity and a lower surface in a preformed package having substantially vertical surfaces extending from the lower surface to an upper surface of the package. The image sensor die provides the light receiving surface for capturing the image. A light absorbing layer is applied to a cover such that the light absorbing layer prevents light from falling on the substantially vertical surfaces of the preformed package without preventing the passage of light that falls on the light receiving surface of the image sensor die. The light absorbing layer includes openings that provide a line-of-sight view of two opposing corners of at least one of the light receiving surface and the image sensor die to facilitate placing the cover over the upper surface of the package in registry with the image sensor die.
US08932880B2
Method and apparatus for the quantitative determination of molecular interactions between ligands in solution and receptors immobilized on the surface of a solid transparent material coated by one or more antireflective dielectric layers, through direct measurement of the light reflected by the interface between the surface and the solution.
US08932873B2
A method for monitoring the concentration of water borne substances in an aqueous medium, by introducing a defined amount of the aqueous medium into a gas circulatory system of an analytical apparatus which extends through a high temperature reaction chamber and a measuring chamber. The introducing of the aqueous medium occurs upstream of the high temperature reaction chamber or into it. The aqueous medium is evaporated in the high temperature reaction chamber, the water borne substance with at least one reaction partner in the high temperature reaction chamber reacts to a gaseous reaction product, and a current value of a measured variable is registered, which is a function of the concentration of the chemical species of the reaction product in the gas circulatory system. The concentration of the chemical species of the reaction product in the gas circulatory system depends, on the one hand, on a time-dependent state of the gas circulatory system and, on the other hand, on the concentration of the substance in the aqueous medium; ascertaining the concentration of the substance in the aqueous medium by applying the current value of the measured variable, wherein, in the ascertaining of the concentration of the substance in the aqueous medium, the contribution to the concentration of the chemical species of the reaction product in the gas circulatory system by the state of the gas circulatory system is ascertained on the basis of a model of the state, and a correction of the concentration of the chemical species of the reaction product in the gas circulatory system occurs on the basis of this contribution.
US08932871B2
A system for a vehicle includes a first ozone sensor that generates a first sensor signal indicating a first amount of ozone in air flowing into a radiator. A second ozone sensor generates a second sensor signal indicating a second amount of ozone in air flowing out of the radiator. A control module receives the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal and determines an ozone conversion rate based on the first sensor signal and the second sensor signal.
US08932869B2
Certain embodiments of the present invention relate to the preparation of microbeads that exhibit a “turn on” fluorescence response within seconds of exposure to an analyte vapor (e.g., a chemical warfare agent or a reactive stimulant). This sensing approach is modeled after the mechanism for inhibition of acetylcholinesterase enzyme activity, and utilizes a specific and irreversible reaction between phosphonyl halides and a fluorescent indicator. The present invention also relates to a sensor and a method for sensing an analyte through detection of changes in the fluorescing properties of the inventive microbeads.
US08932865B2
A method that enables quantification of cholesterol in high-density lipoprotein 3 (HDL3) in a test sample without requiring a laborious operation is disclosed. The method for quantifying cholesterol in HDL3 having: Step 1 wherein a surfactant that reacts with lipoproteins other than high-density lipoprotein 3 is reacted with a test sample to transfer cholesterol to the outside of the reaction system; and Step 2 in which cholesterol remaining in the reaction system is quantified. The method enables specific quantification of HDL3 cholesterol in a test sample using an automatic analyzer without requirement of a laborious operation such as ultracentrifugation or pretreatment. Further, quantification of the HDL2 cholesterol level can also be carried out by subtracting the HDL3 cholesterol level from the total HDL cholesterol level obtained by a conventional method for quantifying the total HDL cholesterol in a test sample.
US08932853B2
The present invention provides a method of more efficiently producing pancreas cells, particularly pancreatic hormone-producing cells, a method of stably producing pancreas cells in a large amount by more efficiently inducing differentiation of stem cells into pancreas cells, a medicament containing a pancreas cells and a screening method using the cells.A method of producing pancreatic hormone-producing cells, including subjecting stem cells to the following steps (1)-(4): (1) a step of cultivating stem cells in a medium containing an activator of activin receptor-like kinase-4,7 and a GSK3 inhibitor (2) a step of cultivating the cells obtained in the aforementioned step (1) in a medium containing an activator of activin receptor-like kinase-4,7 (3) a step of cultivating the cells obtained in the aforementioned step (2) in a medium containing any one or more kinds selected from the group consisting of (a) retinoic acid receptor agonists, (b) at least one kind selected from the group consisting of inhibitors of AMP-activated protein kinase and/or activin receptor-like kinase-2,3,6, and BMP antagonists, and (c) inhibitors of activin receptor-like kinase-4,5,7 (4) a step of cultivating the cells obtained in the aforementioned step (3).
US08932849B2
A method to produce N2O from organic nitrogen and/or reactive nitrogen in waste uses a bioreactor coupled to a hardware reactor device in which the N2O is consumed in a gas phase chemical reaction, e.g., catalytic decomposition to form oxygen and nitrogen gas. Heat from the exothermic reaction may be used to generate power. The N2O may alternatively be used as an oxidant or co-oxidant in a combustion reaction, e.g., in the combustion of methane.
US08932822B1
The present invention discloses, inter alia, methods for labeling a target protein with an SHG-active probe for detection by second harmonic or sum-frequency generation in order to identify agents which bind to an allosteric site on the target protein thereby altering its structural conformation.
US08932816B2
Compositions, methods, and kits for detecting one or more species of RNA molecules are disclosed. In one embodiment, a first adaptor and a second adaptor are ligated to the RNA molecule using a polypeptide comprising double-strand specific RNA ligase activity, without an intervening purification step. The ligated product is reverse transcribed, then at least some of the ribonucleosides in the reverse transcription product are removed. Primers are added and amplified products are generated. In certain embodiments, the sequence of at least part of at least one species of amplified product is determined and at least part of the corresponding RNA molecule is determined. In some embodiments, at least some of the amplified product species are detected, directly or indirectly, allowing the presence and/or quantity of the RNA molecule of interest to be determined.
US08932815B2
The present invention includes methods, devices and systems for isolating a nucleic acid from a fluid comprising cells. In various aspects, the methods, devices and systems may allow for a rapid procedure that requires a minimal amount of material and/or results in high purity nucleic acid isolated from complex fluids such as blood or environmental samples.
US08932812B2
Method for de novo whole genome sequencing based on a (sequence-based) physical map of a DNA sample clone bank based on end-sequencing tagged adapter-ligated restriction fragments, in combination with sequencing adapter-ligated restriction fragments of the DNA sample wherein the recognition sequence of the restriction enzyme used in the generation of the physical map is identical to at least part of the recognition sequence of the restriction enzyme used in the generation of the DNA sample.
US08932807B2
A cell-lysate extract based assay reagent for detecting quorum sensing signals is generally provided, along with methods of making and using the same. The assay reagent generally includes a cell-lysate extract formed from a biosensor bacterium (e.g., Agrobacterium tumefaciens NTL4 (pCF218)(pCF372)) and a detecting substrate (e.g., an absorbance-based or luminescence-based substrate). The cell-lysate extract can be prepared by (1) disrupting the cell membranes of the biosensor bacterium to release the cellular components into a solution, (2) centrifuging the resulting solution, and (3) removing the resulting supernatant solution.
US08932804B1
The invention provides a method for patterning a flexible substrate. The method for patterning a flexible substrate includes providing a carrier substrate. A release layer is formed on the carrier substrate. A flexible substrate film is formed on the release layer. A plurality of UV blocking mask patterns is formed covering various portions of the flexible substrate film and the release layer. A UV lighting process is performed to expose the flexible substrate film and the release layer not covered by the UV blocking mask patterns, to a UV light. A debonding step is performed so that the various portions of the flexible substrate film directly above the various portions of the release layer, which were not exposed to the UV light, are separated from the carrier substrate.
US08932803B2
A pattern is formed by coating a first chemically amplified positive resist composition comprising a resin comprising recurring units having an acid labile group so that it may turn soluble in alkaline developer upon elimination of the acid labile group, a photoacid generator, and a first organic solvent, onto a processable substrate, prebaking, exposing, PEB, and developing in an alkaline developer to form a positive pattern; heating the positive pattern to render it resistant to a second organic solvent used in a second resist composition; coating the second resist composition, prebaking, exposing, PEB, and developing in a third organic solvent to form a negative pattern. The positive pattern and the negative pattern are simultaneously formed.
US08932795B2
A resist composition including a base component (A) which exhibits changed solubility in an alkali developing solution under action of acid and an acid-generator component (B) which generates acid upon exposure, the acid-generator component (B) including an acid generator (B1) represented by general formula (b1-1) shown below (in the formula, RX represents a divalent aliphatic group of 3 to 20 carbon atoms; RY represents a monovalent aliphatic group of 3 to 20 carbon atoms having —C(═O)—O— or —S(═O)2—; each of R1 and R2 independently represents a divalent linking group; and Z+ represents a monovalent organic cation).
US08932793B2
The present invention relates to new polymers that contain phenolic groups spaced from a polymer backbone and photoacid-labile group. Preferred polymers of the invention are useful as a component of chemically-amplified positive-acting resists.
US08932789B2
To provide a toner, which contains: a non-crystalline polyester resin A obtained through a reaction between a non-linear chain reactive precursor and a curing agent, and having a glass transition temperature of −60° C. to 0° C.; a non-crystalline polyester resin B having a glass transition temperature of 40° C. to 70° C.; and a crystalline polyester resin C, wherein the toner has a glass transition temperature Tg1st of 20° C. to 40° C. as measured with first heating in differential scanning calorimetry (DSC).
US08932783B2
A solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) or SOFC sub-component comprising a YSZ solid oxide electrolyte layer (10), a LSCF cathode layer (14) and a mixed phase layer (18) comprising at least zirconia and ceria between the electrolyte layer and the cathode layer, with the cathode layer in direct contact with the mixed phase layer, that is with no ceria, other than in the mixed phase layer, between the cathode layer and the electrolyte layer. One method of forming the SOFC or sub-component comprises applying a layer of ceria on the electrolyte layer (10), heating the electrolyte and ceria layers to form the mixed phase layer (18), and removing excess ceria from the surface of the mixed phase layer before applying the cathode layer (14).
US08932772B2
In a fuel cell system, a controller is programmed to control a first gas supply mechanism to deliver a first gas containing a fuel gas to a cathode in a pre-stop process performed at a system stop of the fuel cell system. The controller is programmed to control the first gas supply mechanism to stop the delivery of the first gas in a first state where a partial pressure difference between an anode and the cathode with respect to at least the fuel gas of remaining gases in the anode and in the cathode is reduced to or below a preset reference value.
US08932765B2
An object is to provide an electrode assembly for an electric storage device, such as a nonaqueous electrolyte cell, and an electric storage device that are capable of preventing increase of a short-circuit current at the time of occurrence of a short-circuit within a cell and have high safety. In order to achieve the object, provided is an electrode assembly for an electric storage device including a positive electrode, a negative electrode and a separator disposed between the positive electrode and the negative electrode, in which at least one of the positive electrode and the negative electrode includes a current collector, an active material layer formed on at least one face of the current collector, and an undercoat layer formed between the current collector and the active material layer and including an organic binder that evaporates and decomposes when heated to a predetermined temperature or more.
US08932763B2
The disclosure relates to an anode active material, a non-aqueous lithium secondary battery, and a manufacturing method thereof. The anode active material of this disclosure comprises a carbon-based material, and a coating film formed on the surface of the carbon-based material by performing heat treatment using an ammonia-based compound. The coating film may be formed on the surface of the carbon-based material through a thermal decomposition method using 10% or less by weight of the ammonia-based compound with respect to the carbon-based material. Since the surface of the carbon-based material is thermally treated using the ammonia-based compound, side reaction of the carbon-based material with an electrolyte at the surface thereof can be suppressed and structural stability can be enhanced, thereby improving battery lifespan and high-rate capability of a non-aqueous lithium secondary battery.
US08932761B2
An anode wherein the anode active material layer includes anode active material particles made of an anode active material including at least one of silicon and tin as an element. An oxide-containing film including an oxide of at least one kind selected from the group consisting of silicon, germanium and tin is formed in a region in contact with an electrolytic solution of the surface of each anode active material particle. The region in contact with the electrolytic solution of the surface of each anode active material particle is covered with the oxide-containing film.
US08932759B2
A process of etching silicon includes treating silicon, e.g. granules or bulk material, with an etching solution, including HF, Ag+ ions and nitrate ions thereby etching the silicon to form silicon having etched pillars on its surface, which silicon includes a surface deposit of silver. The etched silicon is then separated from the spent etching solution. The silver from the etched silicon is dissolved using nitric acid to form a solution containing Ag+ ions and nitrate ions. The solution containing Ag+ ions and nitrate ions is mixed with further HF to form a further etching solution. The further etching solution is used to treat further silicon. The pillars may be used as an anode material in a Li-ion battery.
US08932755B2
The invention relates to performance improvements in lead accumulators and lead-acid batteries by admixing so-called expanders or spreading materials to the active negative materials. Succinates are proposed as a new synthetic and consequently chemically clearly defined spreading means that can be used in place of lignin sulphonates, particularly iminodisuccinates or succinyl groups or oligomers containing iminosuccinyl groups or polymer compounds, individually or in any mixtures.
US08932746B2
A separator for non-aqueous rechargeable lithium batteries and a non-aqueous rechargeable lithium battery including the separator are provided. The separator includes a separator body and a composite including an organic compound and an inorganic compound supporting the separator body, where the organic compound has a higher melting point than that of the material composing the separator body, and the inorganic compound includes an element selected from the group consisting of 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, 3B, and 5B elements from the periodic table, and combinations thereof, and at least one moiety selected from the group consisting of oxides, hydroxides, carbonates, phosphates, sulfates, nitrates, alkoxides, and combinations thereof.
US08932740B2
Provided is a battery cell that allow the inner surfaces of connection strips of a current collector to be brought into contact with the outermost circumferential surface of a layered electrode portion of a power generating element while preventing the connection strips from scratching the layered electrode portion. The battery cell includes: a power generating element formed of cathode and anode sheets that are wound up with a separator interposed between the cathode and anode sheets, the power generating element having a layered electrode portion on at least one side of the winding axis direction, the layered electrode portion being one of a cathode and an anode; a current collector having a connection strip arranged along an outermost circumferential surface of the layered electrode portion, the current collector being conductively connected to an external terminal; and a clamp including a first clamp portion that clamps the layered electrode portion and a second clamp portion that clamps the layered electrode portion clamped by the first clamp portion and the connection strip of the current collector together.
US08932738B2
A fuel cell assembly structure mainly comprises a housing in which there is an accommodating space; a plurality of unit cell stacks that are stacked in the same direction in the accommodating space of the housing and made by stacking in sequence a cathode layer, a power generation electrode, an anode layer and a connection disk; a connection disk connecting is series each unit cell stack, a sealing disk and a cover in sequence to cover the opening of the accommodating space of the housing. On the outer side of the cover there is a connection base, at least one surface of which has a plurality of conduits and the other end connects to a plurality of cell stack bypass manifolds that further connect to a plurality of side bypass manifolds.
US08932735B2
An aromatic amine derivative represented by the following formula (1): wherein A1 is a substituted or unsubstituted alkyl group, a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic group, a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic group or an organic group represented by the following formula (2): wherein X1, X2 and X3 are independently a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic group or a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic group; X1 and X2 are linkage groups which are different from each other; and B1, B2 and B3 are independently a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic group or a substituted or unsubstituted heterocyclic group.
US08932733B2
There is provided an electroactive composition. The composition has (a) a host material having Formula I and (b) an electroactive dopant capable of electroluminescence having an emission maximum between 500 and 700 nm. In Formula I: R1 to R8 are the same or different and can be H, alkyl, or alkoxy, or adjacent R groups may be joined together to form a 5- or 6-membered aliphatic ring, with the proviso that at least one of R1 to R8 is not H, Ar1 to Ar4 are the same or different and are aryl groups, A is the same or different at each occurrence and can be a single bond or a phenylene group, and a and b are the same or different and are an integer of 0-2.
US08932729B2
A base steel sheet has a hot-dip galvanized layer formed on a surface thereof, in which, in a steel sheet structure in a range of ⅛ thickness to ⅜ thickness centered around ¼ thickness of a sheet thickness from a surface, a volume fraction of a retained austenite phase is 5% or less, and a total volume fraction of phases of bainite, bainitic ferrite, fresh martensite, and tempered martensite is 40% or more, an average effective crystal grain diameter is 5.0 μm or less, a maximum effective crystal grain diameter is 20 μm or less, and a decarburized layer with a thickness of 0.01 μm to 10.0 μm is formed on a surface layer portion, in which a density of oxides dispersed in the decarburized layer is 1.0×1012 to 1.0×1016 oxides/m2, and an average grain diameter of the oxides is 500 nm or less.
US08932725B2
A monoaxially oriented film including a propylene-based random copolymer and at least about 3 wt % of a low density polyethylene which is oriented at least about 2.5 times in one direction and exhibits excellent linear directional tear properties parallel to the orientation direction and excellent heat seal performance in terms of high heat seal strengths and low seal initiation temperature. This film formulation and orientation is suitable for pouch applications requiring an “easy-tear” linear tear feature and excellent hermetic seal properties.
US08932722B2
The present invention relates to a process for the preparation of highly reactive, low-viscosity and water-dilutable polyisocyanate reaction products which contain activated groups which react, by polymerization, with ethylenically unsaturated compounds under the action of actinic radiation. The present invention furthermore relates to a process for the preparation of such products and their use.
US08932708B2
Gas generating and releasing articles consisting essentially of a polymer and a gas generating solid dispersed therein are described. The article generates a controlled fast and followed by a slow release gas in response to moisture.
US08932707B2
A hard film excellent in abrasion resistance and heat resistance includes: a first film consisting of AlaCrb(SiC)cαdN, where α denotes one or more elements of groups IVa, Va, VIa (except Cr) of the periodic table, B, C, Si, and Y; a b, c, and d are atom ratios within ranges of 0.35≦a≦0.76, 0.12≦b≦0.43, 0.05≦c≦0.20, and 0≦d≦0.20, respectively; an atom ratio b/a of Cr to Al is within a range of 0.25≦b/a≦0.67; and a+b+c+d=1 is satisfied. The first film disposed on a top surface, the hard film having a total thickness Ttotal within a range of 0.5 μm to 15 μm with a thickness T1 of the first film or, if another film portion having the same film components as the first film is included, a thickness including the film thickness T1 and the another film portion accounting for 20% or more of the total thickness Ttotal.
US08932694B2
The invention provides fluorinated polymeric articles formed a composition including a fluoropolymer. The fluoropolymer is formed using a fluorinated monomer that provides the fluoropolymer with most or all of the fluorine atoms not directly covalently attached to an atom of the fluoropolymer backbone. The fluoropolymer can also include a non-fluorinated hydrophilic monomer in a weight amount greater than the fluorinated monomer. The fluoropolymer composition also includes an ultraviolet light (UV)-reactive group capable of covalent bonding to promotes formation of the fluorinated polymeric article. The fluorinated polymeric article can be in the form of a durable lubricious coating on the surface of an implantable medical device. Coatings of the invention exhibit excellent wet/dry lubricity, durability, and controlled swelling.
US08932683B1
Method and apparatus for enhancing the durability as well as the strength and stiffness of prepreg fiber tows of the sort used in composite materials are disclosed. The method involves adhering electrospun fibers onto the surface of such composite materials as filament-wound composite objects and the surface of prepreg fiber tows of the sort that are subsequently used in the production of composite materials of the filament-wound, woven, and braided sorts. The apparatus performs the methods described herein.
US08932677B2
Liquid dispensing includes providing a downwardly inclined slide surface and a carrier liquid dispensing channel that includes an outlet opening on the slide surface. A carrier liquid source is pressurized causing carrier liquid to flow continuously through the outlet opening of the carrier liquid dispensing channel and down the slide surface. A liquid dispenser array structure is provided and includes functional liquid dispensers located on a substrate that is common to the functional liquid dispensers. The functional liquid dispensers include a functional liquid supply channel, a functional liquid source that provides functional liquid, and a drop formation device associated with an interface of the functional liquid supply channel and the slide surface. The drop formation device is selectively actuated to form discrete functional liquid drops in the carrier liquid flowing down the slide surface. The functional liquid is immiscible in the carrier liquid.
US08932676B2
Provided is a method for producing a gas barrier plastic molded body by forming a gas barrier thin film which is substantially colorless and has gas barrier properties, on the surface of a plastic molded body by a heating element CVD method using only raw material gases that are highly safe. The method for producing a gas barrier plastic molded body according to the present invention is a method for producing a gas barrier plastic molded body (90) by forming a gas barrier thin film (92) on the surface of a plastic molded body (91), the method comprising: a film-forming process in which the gas barrier thin film (92) is formed on the surface of the plastic molded body by a heating element CVD method, using an organosilane-based compound represented by formula (Chemical Formula 1) as a main raw material gas, using an oxidizing gas as an additive gas, and using a heating element containing tantalum (Ta) as a main constituent element: H3Si—Cn—X (Chemical Formula 1) wherein in Chemical Formula 1, n represents 2 or 3; and X represents SiH3, H, or NH2.
US08932670B2
A method of making a glass article with an anti-smudge surface includes providing a glass article with a target surface. The method includes providing a coating solution consisting essentially of a fluorosilane compound and a solvent that is miscible with the fluorosilane compound. The method includes spray-coating the target surface with the coating solution while controlling the spray-coating to form a coating layer having a thickness in a range from 1 to 20 nm on the target surface.
US08932669B2
A method for producing an antiglare film includes: a step of preparing coating liquids comprising components capable of being unevenly distributed in an antiglare layer-forming coating liquid and a low-refractive index layer-forming coating liquid, respectively; a coating step of applying the low-refractive index layer-forming coating liquid as an upper layer and the antiglare layer-forming coating liquid as a lower layer on a support to form a coating layer; and a drying step of drying the coating layer and making the coating layer cause phase-separation so as to unevenly distribute the components and form an antiglare layer and a low-refractive index layer. By the production method, an antiglare film which suppresses reflection and glaring of external light in a display and whitening due to irregular reflection can be produced at a low cost.
US08932667B2
A method including forming a multilayer structure. The multilayer structure includes a seed layer comprising a first component selected from the group consisting of a Pt-group metal, Fe, Mn, Ir and Co. The multilayer structure also includes an intermediate layer comprising the first component and a second component selected from the group consisting of a Pt-group metal, Fe, Mn, Ir and Co. The second component is different than the first component. The multilayer structure further includes a cap layer comprising the first component. The method further includes heating the multilayer structure to an annealing temperature to cause a phase transformation of the intermediate layer. Also a hard magnet including a seed layer comprising a first component selected from the group consisting of a Pt-group metal, Fe, Mn, Ir and Co. The hard magnet also includes a cap layer comprising the first component. The hard magnet further includes an intermediate layer between the seed layer and the cap layer. The intermediate layer includes the first component and a second component selected from the group consisting of a Pt-group metal, Fe, Mn, Ir and Co. The first component is different than the second component. Additionally, a read/write head including the hard magnet.
US08932666B2
A method is for producing an active matrix organic EL display element by an inkjet method to eject droplets (12) of a liquid via an ejection hole of a nozzle so as to form an organic EL layer. The liquid contains an organic EL layer material. An electrostatic attraction type inkjet apparatus (15) is used whose ejection hole (1b) has a diameter smaller than a diameter of the droplets (12). The droplets are ejected from the nozzle of the electrostatic attraction type inkjet apparatus (15) in such a manner that each of the droplets is 1 pl or less in amount. With this arrangement, the landed droplet dries quickly, and movement of the landed droplet is restricted. This makes it possible to form an organic EL layer accurately with low cost.
US08932664B2
A protective coating solution, liquid, gel, or film and a method of using such a material to provide a sterile covering for fingers, hands, arms or other selected skin surface for use as a glove substitute.
US08932657B2
The disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for the production of cheese. In one embodiment, the disclosure relates to methods and apparatuses for making pasta filata cheese. In one embodiment, a microwave system is used for the production of pasta filata cheese.
US08932650B2
A two-part aqueous composition for treating skin ailments, such as acne vulgaris, includes an acidic part having salicylic acid and an α-hydroxy acid, and an alkaline part having an alkaline nitrite salt. The α-hydroxy acid is preferably glycolic acid, lactic acid, malic acid, mandelic acid or a combination thereof. The alkaline nitrite salt is preferably sodium nitrite. The acidic part and the alkaline part are an acidic aqueous solution and an alkaline aqueous solution, respectively, which may either be mixed with one another then applied to an affected portion of a patient's skin or, alternatively, may be sequentially applied to the affected portion of the patient's skin, preferably within 15 minutes of one another.
US08932633B2
A method of preparing polysaccharide glassy microparticles which are less than 10 μum in diameter and contain structurally delicate agents, such as proteins, peptides, gene materials, vaccines, antibodies, viruses and liposomes using low-temperature aqueous-aqueous emulsification (free of polyelectrolytes) and freezing-induced phase separation. When delicate agents are added to a polysaccharide-PEG two phase system followed by homogenization (or other shear adding process), the agents partition into the polysaccharide dispersed phase preferentially. These processes help to avoid aggregation of proteins caused by interaction with charged polyelectrolytes used for stabilizing the polysaccharide dispersed phase in our previously reported aqueous-aqueous emulsion. When this system is frozen and lyophilized, glassy particles less than 10 μm in diameter containing delicate agents can be formed. These fine polysaccharide particles protect proteins within their hydrophilic glassy matrix, and can therefore be easily suspended in hydrophobic polymer solutions and formulated to various forms of sustained release devices such microsphere, sheets, fibers, coating layers, and scaffolds. The particles can also be dispersed in hydrophilic gels to improve releasing kinetics and to deliver vaccines and antibodies for immune therapy.
US08932622B2
Disclosed herein are a kit and a method for forming a tissue coating that prevents undesired tissue-to-tissue adhesions resulting from trauma, surgery, infection, or other stimulus. The tissue coating is a hydrogel formed by reacting an aminocarboxymethyldextran containing primary amine groups with an oxidized carboxymethylcellulose containing aldehyde groups.
US08932613B2
This invention relates to a method of controlling or preventing infestations of ectoparasites, preferably hematophageous ectoparasites, on an animal by administering to the animal a composition comprising an parasiticidally effective amount of a compound of Formula 1, or an N-oxide, or a pharmaceutically or veterinarily acceptable salt thereof, wherein R1 is Me, Cl, Br or F; R2 is F, Cl, Br, C1-C4 haloalkyl or C1-C4 haloalkoxy; R3 is F, Cl or Br; R4 is H; C1-C4 alkyl, C3-C4 alkenyl, C3-C4 alkynyl, C3-C5 cycloalkyl, or C4-C6 cycloalkylalkyl, each optionally substituted with one substituent selected from the group consisting of halogen, CN, SMe, S(O)Me, S(O)2Me, and OMe; R5 is H or Me; R6 is H, F or Cl; and R7 is H, F or Cl.
US08932612B2
The present invention relates to a composition for cosmetic raw material containing cellulose dyed with a natural coloring matter having improved photostability, and a visual carrier system comprising the same. In the composition for cosmetic raw material and the visual carrier system comprising the same according to the present invention, by using no iron oxide chemical coloring matter and applying a typical and natural dyeing method of cloths to the microcrystalline cellulose that is the cosmetic raw material, photostability that is a problem of the natural coloring matter in the related art is largely improved.
US08932610B2
A pharmaceutical otic sterile preservative-free composition in the form of a clear aqueous solution comprising 0.01-0.10% (w/v) of Fluocinolone Acetonide, optionally accompanied by 0.1-0.8% of Ciprofloxacin or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, a nonionic surfactant, a tonicity adjusting agent and a viscosity increasing agent. It is useful for the prevention and/or treatment of otic inflammation, optionally accompanied by bacterial infection, and for administration from single-use containers.
US08932606B2
The construction of a chimeric Pestivirus by the identification of selected regions in the 3′NTR of the viral RNA genome is described where additional RNA sequences can be stably inserted. These sequence insertions in the viral RNA genome were stable in replication and capable of forming infectious, RNase resistant virus particles. This chimeric Pestivirus with a 3′NTR insertion can be utilized as a quality control material in analytical assays for RNA targets, including external, internal controls, quantitative standards in PCR and NAT nucleic acid assays.
US08932599B2
The invention relates to a synthetic gene coding for the Gag protein of the human immunodeficiency virus HIV-1. Said gene may optionally be fused with one or more other HIV sequences. The invention may notably be used within the scope of obtaining anti-HIV vaccines.
US08932596B2
The present invention relates to the treatment of EE. More specifically, the invention relates to a new method of treating EE through the epicutaneous route. In particular, the method of the invention comprises applying to the skin of the subject a skin patch device, comprising a composition, under conditions allowing a contact between said composition and the skin. The present invention also relates to the skin patch device and to a use of the skin patch device in the manufacture of a composition for treating eosinophilic esophagitis in a subject.
US08932595B2
The present invention provides compositions and systems for delivery of nanocarriers to cells of the immune system. The invention provides nanocarriers capable of stimulating an immune response in T cells and/or in B cells. The invention provides nanocarriers that comprise an immunofeature surface having a plurality of nicotine moieties. The invention provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising nanocarriers. The present invention provides methods of designing, manufacturing, and using nanocarriers and pharmaceutical compositions thereof. For example, the present invention describes nanocarriers capable of eliciting an immune response and the production of anti-nicotine antibodies.
US08932593B2
The present invention concerns methods and compositions for stably tethered structures of defined compositions, which may have multiple functionalities and/or binding specificities. Particular embodiments concern homodimers comprising monomers that contain a dimerization and docking domain attached to a precursor. The precursors may be virtually any molecule or structure, such as antibodies, antibody fragments, antibody analogs or mimetics, aptamers, binding peptides, fragments of binding proteins, known ligands for proteins or other molecules, enzymes, detectable labels or tags, therapeutic agents, toxins, pharmaceuticals, cytokines, interleukins, interferons, radioisotopes, proteins, peptides, peptide mimetics, polynucleotides, RNAi, oligosaccharides, natural or synthetic polymeric substances, nanoparticles, quantum dots, organic or inorganic compounds, etc. Other embodiments concern tetramers comprising a first and second homodimer, which may be identical or different. The disclosed methods and compositions provide a facile and general way to obtain homodimers, homotetramers and heterotetramers of virtually any functionality and/or binding specificity.
US08932592B2
The present invention features compositions and methods related to humanized antibodies and FKN-binding fragments thereof that bind fractalkine.
US08932590B2
An adsorbent for immunosuppressive substance, which can adsorb an excessive immunosuppressive substance directly from a body fluid, can carry out extracorporeal perfusion safely and can be utilized in treatment of cancer. The excessive immunosuppressive substance may be involved in growth of cancer cells. The adsorbent for immunosuppressive substance includes a water-insoluble carrier and a hydrophilic amino group immobilized to the water-insoluble carrier. An extracorporeal perfusion column contains the adsorbent of the invention. A method for treating cancer carries out extracorporeal perfusion using the extracorporeal perfusion column. A method of adsorbing the transforming growth factor β which is combined with another protein, includes adsorbing the transforming growth factor β and protein on an adsorbent containing a water-insoluble carrier to which quaternary ammonium groups each having 3 to 18 carbon atoms per one nitrogen atom are attached, and having a specific surface area of 0.1 m2 or more per gram.
US08932589B2
The present invention is directed to methods, kits and compositions for preventing or treating age-related conditions or metabolic disorders. The Klotho fusion polypeptides of the invention include at least a Klotho protein or an active fragment thereof. In one embodiment, the fusion polypeptide comprises a Klotho polypeptide, a FGF (such as FGF23) and (optionally) a modified Fc fragment. The Fc fragment can, for example, have decreased binding to Fc-gamma-receptor and increased serum half-life. The Klotho fusion proteins are useful in the treatment and prevention of a variety of age-related conditions and metabolic disorders. In another embodiment, the fusion polypeptide comprises a FGF (such as FGF23) and a modified Fc fragment.
US08932582B2
The present invention relates to blood serum and dermally-derived cells for use in tissue repair. Particularly it relates to blood serum and collagen producing cells for use in the treatment of connective tissue injuries. Preferably the cells and the blood serum are autologous and the connective tissue to be repaired is a tendon or ligament. Also provided is a method of treating connective tissue injuries by the administration of blood serum and collagen producing cells directly to the site of injury. It also relates to the use of blood serum and muscle-like cells for use in the treatment of muscle injury, particularly skeletal muscle injury.
US08932575B2
Compositions and methods of activating dendritic cells with LMP1 and LMP1-activated dendritic cell based compositions and methods are effective for dendritic cell therapy and provide an adjuvant function for vaccine administration. LMP1 or LMP1-CD40 chimeric protein may be used to activate and mature dendritic cells. LMP1 and LMP1-activated dendritic cells act as an adjuvant to enhance the cellular immune response. Also disclosed herein are kits for activating dendritic cells and for preparing a vaccine formulation. Administration of the dendritic cells transfected with LMP1 can induce an immune response against cancer or infection. The mature dendritic cells may comprise an antigen and at least one cytokine in addition to LMP1. Use of LMP1 or LMP1-CD40 provides a way to activate and mature dendritic cells that retain functional and migratory abilities without the side effects that result from maturing the dendritic cells using PGE2.
US08932570B2
A transfer-resistant, single phase aqueous cosmetic compositions are provided. The compositions consist essentially of a water-soluble, film-forming acrylates copolymer and a water-soluble plasticizer for the copolymer. The compositions contain no oils, waxes, surfactants or emulsifiers, are water- and oil-resistant upon drying on the skin, and exhibit high gloss and long-wear and transfer-resistant properties. Compositions containing pigment also demonstrate high color intensity. The compositions are useful as eyeliner, mascara, lipgloss, lipliner, and other cosmetic products.
US08932565B2
The present invention relates to a non-therapeutic makeup and/or care process for non-fibrous human keratin matter, such as the skin, the lips and the fingernails, comprising the following steps: placing a heating device on or near an outer surface of a lump of a solid cosmetic composition to heat said lump locally in such a way as to soften essentially only said outer surface and lower its coefficient of dynamic friction and then apply the outer surface of the heated composition to the region to be treated, said solid cosmetic composition comprising in a physiologically acceptable medium at least one semi-crystalline polymer.
US08932557B2
Disclosed here in are compounds and methods of diagnosing Alzheimer's Disease or a predisposition thereto in a mammal, the method comprising administering to the mammal a diagnostically effective amount of a radiolabeled compound, wherein the compound is selected from the group consisting of radiolabeled carbazoles and derivatives thereof and triazoles derivatives, allowing the compound to distribute into the brain tissue, and imaging the brain tissue, wherein an increase in binding of the compound to the brain tissue compared to a normal control level of binding indicates that the mammal is suffering from or is at risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease.
US08932555B2
A sulfur trioxide decomposition catalyst, in particular, a sulfur trioxide decomposition catalyst capable of lowering the temperature required when producing hydrogen by an S—I cycle process is disclosed. A sulfur trioxide decomposition catalyst that includes a composite oxide of tungsten, vanadium and at least one metal selected from the group consisting of transition metal and rare earth elements is provided. Also, a sulfur dioxide production process that includes decomposing sulfur trioxide into sulfur dioxide and oxygen by using the sulfur trioxide decomposition catalyst above is provided. Furthermore, a hydrogen production process, wherein the reaction of decomposing sulfur trioxide into sulfur dioxide and oxygen by an S—I cycle process is performed by the above-described sulfur dioxide production process is provided.
US08932554B2
Method to produce diamonds containing Nitrogen-Vacancy centers from diamonds grown by a high pressure and high temperature process and containing isolated substitutional nitrogen, comprising: —Irradiating (12) said diamonds by an electron beam such that the irradiation dose is comprised between 1017 and 1019 electrons per square centimeter; —annealing (14) the irradiated diamonds in vacuum or in a inert atmosphere at a temperature above 700° C. and for at least 1 hour; characterized in that said electron beam has an acceleration energy above 7 MeV.
US08932548B2
A silicon oxide for use as a negative electrode active material of a lithium-ion secondary battery is characterized by: a g-value measured by an ESR spectrometer is in the range of not less than 2.0020 to not more than 2.0050; and given that A, B, and C are the area intensities of peaks near 420 cm−1, 490 cm−1 and 520 cm−1 respectively in a Raman spectrum measured by a Raman spectroscopy, A/B is not less than 0.5 and C/B is not more than 2. The lithium-ion secondary battery has excellent cycle characteristic and initial efficiency in addition to high capacity. The silicon oxide preferably has a spin density in the range of not less than 1×1017 spins/g to not more than 5×1019 spins/g. A negative electrode material for the lithium-ion secondary battery contains not less than 20% by mass of this silicon oxide as a negative electrode active material.
US08932545B2
A method is provided for the synthesis of a mesoporous lithium transition metal compound, the method comprising the steps of (i) reacting a lithium salt with one or more transition metal salts in the presence of a surfactant, the surfactant being present in an amount sufficient to form a liquid crystal phase in the reaction mixture (ii) heating the reaction mixture so as to form a sol-gel and (iii) removing the surfactant to leave a mesoporous product. The mesoporous product can be an oxide, a phosphate, a borate or a silicate and optionally, an additional phosphate, borate or silicate reagent can be added at step (i). The reaction mixture can comprise an optional chelating agent and preferably, the reaction conditions at steps (i) and (ii) are controlled so as to prevent destabilization of the liquid crystal phase. The invention is particularly suitable for producing mesoporous lithium cobalt oxide and lithium iron phosphate. The method can be used to synthesize mesoporous lithium cobalt oxide having a specific surface area in excess of 10 m2/g, preferably 15 m2/g or more.
US08932543B2
An apparatus including a reagent cartridge and a reaction chamber, the reagent cartridge having a reagent capsule removably positioned therein for dispensing of a reagent onto the reaction chamber. A system including a linearly translatable mounting assembly having a plurality of mounting stations dimensioned to receive at least one fluid dispensing cartridge, a linearly translatable bulk reagent dispensing assembly having a plurality of bulk reagent dispensing nozzles coupled thereto and a receiving assembly positioned beneath the mounting assembly and the bulk reagent dispensing assembly, the receiving assembly including a plurality of reaction stations. A method including determining an inventory of an automated sample processing system, downloading a processing protocol from a central controller to the automated sample processing system, operating the automated sample processing system based on the processing protocol and independently of the central controller and dispensing a reagent from the automated sample processing system.
US08932542B2
A gripper unit for handling a vessel for receiving biological material is proposed, inter alia. The vessel has a lid which can assume an open position and a closed position. The gripper unit comprises a gripper for gripping and releasing the vessel, and a lid holder, for holding a lid in a defined position in relation to the vessel. The defined position is an open position of the lid.
US08932536B2
A structured packing for insertion in a reactor having an inlet, an outlet, a wall and an axis. The packing comprises a first part, i.e., a reactor core and a second part, i.e., a reactor casing. The second part is free to move relative to the first part. The first part and the second part are inserted in the reactor such that the first part is located proximate the axis and the second part is located between the first part and the reactor wall. In general, the second part will be in contact with the reactor wall.
US08932534B2
In one aspect, the invention includes a reactor apparatus for pyrolyzing a hydrocarbon feedstock, said apparatus including: a reactor component comprising a refractory material in oxide form, the refractory material having a melting point of no less than 2060° C. and which remains in oxide form when exposed to a gas having carbon partial pressure of 10−22 bar and oxygen partial pressure of 10−10 bar, at a temperature of 1200° C.; wherein said refractory material has no less than 4 vol % formed porosity, measured at 20° C., based upon the bulk volume of said refractory material. In another embodiment, the refractory material has total porosity in the range of from 4 to 60 vol %.
US08932527B1
Loop reactors for olefin polymerization and processes utilizing such loop reactors are described herein. In one or more embodiments, the loop reactor generally includes a plurality of vertical sections; a plurality of elbow sections connecting the vertical sections to either a horizontal section having a horizontal length (LH) or another elbow section, at least one elbow section having an internal diameter (d), a radius (Rc) of an inner curvature and a chord length (W) and wherein the horizontal length (LH) is from 0 feet to 3 feet, the chord length (W) is 250 inches or less and a ratio (Rc/d) of the radius (Rc) of the inner curvature to the internal diameter (d) of the at least one elbow section is maintained from 2 to 4; and at least one loop reaction zone configured to polymerize an olefin monomer in the presence of a liquid diluent into a slurry comprising particles of a polyolefin polymer.
US08932525B1
Described herein is an apparatus for characterizing an analyte in breath and related method. The apparatus comprises an interactant that is configured to interact with the analyte in breath to generate a change in thermal energy relative to a base thermal energy. The apparatus further comprises a piezoelectric system that is coupled to the interactant, comprises at least one piezoelectric material having a material property, and generates a signal that comprises information useful in characterizing the analyte in breath. The signal is in response to a change in a material property of the piezoelectric material. The change in the material property is in response to the change in thermal energy. The apparatus may be used for a variety of applications such as, for example, personal health monitoring, clinical diagnostics, safety and law enforcement monitoring, and others.
US08932516B2
It is an objective of the present invention to provide an aluminum porous body which is formed of a pure aluminum and/or aluminum alloy base material and has excellent sinterability and high dimensional accuracy without employing metal stamping. There is provided an aluminum porous body having a relative density of from 5 to 80% with respect to the theoretical density of pure aluminum, in which the aluminum porous body contains 50 mass % or more of aluminum (Al) and from 0.001 to 5 mass % of at least one selected from chlorine (Cl), sodium (Na), potassium (K), fluorine (F), and barium (Ba). It is preferred that the aluminum porous body further contains from 0.1 to 20 mass % of at least one selected from carbon (C), silicon carbide (SiC), iron (II) oxide (FeO), iron (III) oxide (Fe2O3), and iron (II,III) oxide (Fe3O4).
US08932514B1
A method of making glass is provided. The method comprises preparing a dispersion of a nano-material. A slurry of a glass matrix material is prepared. The nano-dispersion is mixed with the matrix slurry to form a nano-dispersion/slurry mixture. The nano-dispersion/slurry mixture is dried. The nano-dispersion/slurry mixture is pressed into a final manufacture comprising a molecular structure including the nano-material bonded within and uniformly distributed throughout the molecular structure. The manufacture comprises an increased fracture toughness compared with a conventional manufacture produced without bonding the nano-material within the molecular structure. The nano-material has a size on the order of tens of nanometers. The matrix material has a size on the order of several micrometers. Five percent of the nano-dispersion/slurry mixture comprises the nano-material dispersion. Sintering is performed on the final form using a sintering process following the pressing step. The sintering process includes a hot isostatic pressing process.
US08932509B2
A dope (24) containing a solid electrolyte and an organic solvent is cast onto a web (111) so as to form a casting membrane (24a) thereon. A first blower unit (91) applies dry air to the casting membrane (24a). After a lapse of 60 seconds from the casting, a skin layer (24c) is formed at an exposed surface (24b) side of the casting membrane (24a). The casting membrane (24a) with the web (111) is brought into contact with a first liquid (65a), and thereby reducing a remaining solvent amount of the casting membrane (24a). The casting membrane (24a) is then peeled from the web (111) as a membrane (62). In a tenter drier (64), the membrane (62) is dried while it is stretched. The membrane (62) is then brought into contact with a second liquid (66a). In a drying chamber (69), the membrane (62) is further dried.
US08932502B2
Methods and apparatuses disclosed herein relate to a recyclable thermoplastic unit that includes a casing body composed of a first thermoplastic having a first melting point. The casing body also includes a first locking mechanism that is configured to mate with a second locking mechanism of a sacrifice layer. The sacrifice layer is composed of a second thermoplastic and includes the second locking mechanism. The sacrifice layer has a melting point that is greater than the melting point of the casing body.
US08932499B2
Method for producing an SMC multi-layer component in a production process. The component has a sandwich structure. At least one foam material layer (3) is embedded between two SMC cover layers (2, 2′). An insert layer arrangement comprising at least one first and one second SMC semifinished product cover layer (2, 2′) is positioned in a press mold comprising a punch (1) and a die (1′). A first and a second SMC semifinished product cover layers (2, 2′) are shaped into two SMC cover layers (2, 2′) by applying pressure to the layer arrangement. Curing of the first and the second SMC semifinished product cover layers (2, 2′) is initiated. The punch (1) and the die (1′) are moved away from each other, until the distance provided therebetween corresponds to a thickness of the SMC multi-layer component to be produced. A foaming process of a material (3′) that can be foamed, which is provided between the two SMC cover layers (2, 2′) is initiated, producing the foam material layer (3). After the foaming has ended, the SMC multi-layer component is removed from the press mold.
US08932492B2
The present invention relates to an energy-saving anti-corrosive metal film composition and manufacturing method for the same. The energy-saving anti-corrosive metal film composition includes: at least one metal powder selected from the group consisting of aluminum, magnesium, and alloys thereof, having particle size of 5-10 um; a first sol-gel resin selected from the group consisting of zirconium tetra-n-butanolate, zirconium butoxide, isopropyl titanate, and mixtures thereof; a second sol-gel resin selected from the group consisting of tris[3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl] isocyanurate, gamma-meta-acryloxypropyl trimethoxysilane and n-phenyl-gamma-aminopropyltrimetoxysilane, and mixtures thereof; and a solvent.
US08932490B2
The invention relates to novel compositions for preventing caking and crust formation in several types of manures or fertilizers in the form of granular solids. Said compositions comprise at least one phosphoric ester and at least one fatty trialkylamine of formula (III) wherein R1 represents a linear or branched alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl group containing between 6 and 24 carbon atoms, R2 represents an alkyl group containing between 1 and 5 carbon atoms, R3 represents a linear or branched alkyl group containing between 1 and 5 carbon atoms, or alkyl, alkenyl or alkynyl group containing between 6 and 24 carbon atoms.
US08932487B2
Disclosed is a strontium cerate luminescent material having a chemical formula of Sr2CeO4:xM and comprising the luminescent material Sr2CeO4 and metal nanoparticle M, and the preparation method thereof, where M is at least one of Ag, Au, Pt and Pd, and x is a molar ratio of M to the luminescent material Sr2CeO4 and 0
US08932483B2
A thermoplastic composition that comprises a low-naphthenic, thermotropic liquid crystalline polymer blended with a flow modifier is provided. The flow modifier is an aromatic carboxylic acid that contains one or more carboxyl functional groups. Without intending to be limited by theory, it is believed that the functional groups can react with the polymer chain to shorten its length and thus reduce melt viscosity. It is also believed that such acids can combine smaller chains of the polymer together after they have been cut during processing. This helps maintain the mechanical properties of the composition even after its melt viscosity has been reduced. As a result of the present invention, the melt viscosity of the thermoplastic composition is generally low enough so that it can readily flow into the cavity of a mold having small dimensions.
US08932470B2
An aggregate-removing filter material efficiently removes aggregates that are contained in a blood product for transfusion and may cause transfusion reactions without clogging, and exhibits excellent quality stability, and a blood product filtration method uses a filter apparatus that includes the aggregate-removing filter material and a leukocyte-removing filter material. The aggregate-removing filter material includes short fibers having a fineness of 0.7 to 4.0 dtex and a fiber length of 1 to 80 mm, and a ground fabric that includes long fibers, a fiber axis of the long fibers being oriented in a planar direction of the ground fabric, the short fibers being entangled with the ground fabric so that the aggregate-removing filter material has a total weight per unit area of 10 to 80 g/m2, and a layer of the short fibers forming a three-dimensional structure.
US08932468B2
Disclosed is a process for the separation of one or more fractions from a resulting reaction mixture of an enzymatically catalyzed polymerization of flavonoid using HPLC with a varying concentration of organic solvent in the mobile phase. The isolated fractions can be used in numerous applications including as an antioxidant.
US08932463B2
A filter assembly for filtering a liquid or gaseous medium includes a filter housing for receiving an exchangeable filter insert. The filter housing has a housing head and a housing cover that can be removably connected to the housing head by means of a connecting element. The connecting element interacts with a locking element associated with the housing head so that, for the purpose of assembly, the housing cover can be connected to the housing head only if the filter insert is located in the filter housing.
US08932461B2
Sieve valves for use in microfluidic device are provided. The valves are useful for impeding the flow of particles, such as chromatography beads or cells, in a microfluidic channel while allowing liquid solution to pass through the valve. The valves find particular use in making microfluidic chromatography modules.
US08932456B2
An integrated process for the manufacture of olefins and intermediates for the production of ammonia and urea, comprising an FCC reactor, a regenerator, a steam reforming unit, an air-separation unit, an ammonia production unit and a urea production unit, is described. This process makes it possible to minimize CO2 emissions to atmosphere, make use of heavy feedstocks of low added value (AR) for the production of light olefins, in addition to making maximum use of all the flows involved, thus increasing the energy efficiency achieved, all at the same time.
US08932443B2
A wafer carrier is described. In one embodiment, the wafer carrier includes a variable aperture shield. The wafer carrier may include an electrically conductive wafer plating jig base having a plurality of concentric overlapping cavities of different depths, each cavity configured to receive a semiconductor wafer of a different size, a plurality of concentric magnetic attractors, at least one positioned within each of the plurality of overlapping cavities, and a cover plate comprising an open center surrounded by a support, the cover plate comprising an attractive material positioned within the support adjacent to the open center and aligned with at least one of the magnetic attractors when the cover plate is positioned over the wafer plating jig base.
US08932442B2
The invention relates to a catalytic coating suitable for oxygen-evolving anodes in electrochemical processes. The catalytic coating comprises an outermost layer with an iridium and tantalum oxide-based composition modified with amounts not higher than 5% by weight of titanium oxide.
US08932429B2
System and methods for plasma processing of a wafer include a chamber with an electrode having a support surface and an outer edge region defined thereon. A radio frequency power is communicated to the electrode via a conductive delivery connection and returned through a conductive return connection. A capacitance is applied to a first end that causes appropriate capacitive adjustment and opposite impedance adjustment at a second end of the conductive delivery connection that is coupled to a dielectric surround structure that surrounds the electrode. The dielectric surround structure presents the opposite impedance adjustment near an outer edge of the electrode, such that increasing the capacitance at the first end causes a corresponding increase of impedance at the second end and a corresponding increase in voltage distribution near the outer edge region of the electrode that decreases toward a center of the support surface of the electrode.
US08932425B2
The invention relates to a method and a transfer strip for decorating surfaces, in particular for decorating outer packagings. A transfer strip comprising a strip-like backing film (11), a decorative layer (13) and a release layer (12) arranged between the decorative layer (13) and the backing film is provided. The decorative layer (13) has a multiplicity of identical optically variable decorative elements, which are arranged in first area regions, which are separate from one another and spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the transfer strip. The decorative layer (13) has second area regions, which are separate from one another and spaced apart from one another in the longitudinal direction of the transfer strip and in which the decorative layer (13) has one or more individualizable layers for providing respectively different machine-readable optical markings. A first area region or a subregion of a first area region and a second area region or a subregion of a second area region of the decorative layer (13) is respectively transferred to a surface to be decorated. The one or more individualizable layers of the respective second area region are individualized before or during the transfer, so that, in addition to one of the optically variable decorative elements, an individualized machine-readable optical marking is transferred from the transfer strip to the surface to be decorated.
US08932418B2
The invention relates to a method of producing an overlapping hybrid connection between two or more components. A hybrid connection in the meaning of the invention is characterized by adhesively bonding and producing mechanical spot joint connections between two joining parts, the adhesive layer being arranged in the region of the mechanical joint connections. The method according to the invention is carried out in the following method steps: purposefully removing material from one or more of the components or purposefully applying material to one or more of the components in the region of the lap joint to be produced to form one or more projections, applying adhesive to one or more of the components in the region of the lap joint to be produced, overlapping the components, pressing the components together in the region of the lap joint to press the projections against the overlapping component(s) and producing one or more mechanical spot joint connections on the projections in the overlap region. The method according to the invention enables a desired uniform adhesive material thickness to be obtained reliably by using the projection as spacers and also enables a mechanical spot joint connection to be produced without curing the adhesive. The invention further relates to a component comprising projections for obtaining a defined adhesive layer thickness and the use of the method and the component in an aircraft.
US08932412B2
A dishwasher configured to perform a physical cycle of operation and having a power savings mode during which the dishwasher periodically monitors a key press by a user to determine if the dishwasher should be taken out of the power savings mode.
US08932399B2
A pre-mixed mortar, stucco or masonry composition includes from 70 to 80 percent sand and from 20 to 30 percent of a light-weight cement mix composition. The light-weight cement mix composition comprises either slag cement, gypsum or a combination of slag cement and gypsum; Portland cement; silicon dioxide; calcium stearate; and metakaolin.
US08932396B2
The invention relates to a solution, in particular for pre-treating a hydrophilic surface for hydrophobization, comprising: I. at least one silane of the formula (1) where R1, R2, R3 independently of one another are selected from the group consisting of methyl, ethyl, 2-methoxyethyl, propyl and i-propyl, butyl, benzyl m=0 or 1, n=3 to 12, p=1 or 2, and, for p=1, Y=a functional group selected from the group consisting of (meth)alkyl, (meth)acryloxy, mercapto, ureido, —NH—CH2—CH2-NR4R5 and —NR4R5 (where R4 and R5 independently of one another are selected from the group consisting of H, alkyl, phenyl, benzyl, cycloalkyl), or, for p=2, Y=NH; and II. at least one second silane increasing the aging stability having no more than two carbon atoms bound to the silicon in a chain.
US08932393B2
A coloring matter which exhibits excellent (ozone) gas resistance, high print density, low color rendering properties, low color saturation, and high-quality black hue when is recorded on a paper only for inkjet exclusive use, i.e., an azo compound represented by formula (1), a tautomer of the azo compound, or a salt of the azo compound or the tautomer; and an ink composition containing the coloring matter, particularly a black ink composition for inkjet recording applications.
US08932381B2
A porous membrane, comprising a blend of a first powder of metal particles of the first average size and a second powder of metal particles of a second average size, the first powder and the second powder sintered together. The first average size is five to fifty times greater than the second average size. The porous membrane comprises from 40% to 60% by weight of the first powder.
US08932361B2
An apparatus and modeling method of the present invention includes the successive steps of generating cartographic data representative of points belonging to a glenoid surface; distinguishing from among the cartographic data a first group of cartographic data corresponding to a first part of the glenoid surface, the first surface part being situated farthest down in the vertical direction in relation to the scapula; calculating from the first group of cartographic data a first ellipsoid portion that coincides substantially with the first surface part; and obtaining a theoretical glenoid surface from the first ellipsoid portion. By virtue of the theoretical glenoid surface obtained by this method, it is possible to assist the surgeon in optimizing the position of implantation of a glenoid component and to produce a glenoid component “made to measure” for the scapula that is to be fitted with a prosthesis.
US08932360B2
Minimally invasive surgical techniques including techniques and implants for provision of therapy to a spine from a lateral approach. Implants that may be used with other approaches to the spine are disclosed. Minimally invasive surgical techniques using one or more extended retractors to create an extended access route such as the non-limiting example of lateral access to the spine. Minimally invasive surgical techniques using internal retractors that may be reversibly expanded with a removable retractor inserter to create an extended access route. A linkage jack to expand a set of two or more extended retractors to create an extended access route.
US08932358B1
A precisely size matched intervertebral plate and spacer assembly for ensuring a tight fit within a disc space to promote spinal fusion, comprising: a “U-shaped” spacer configured to fit within the intervertebral space; and, a matching countersunk low profile “H-shaped” anterior plate joined perpendicularly to the spacer. The plate further comprises: a plurality of anchor members configured to attach to the junctions of the anterior cortex faces and the endplates; and, channels individually traversing through the anchor members for inserting screws into the vertebral bodies' cortical bone. The spacer comprises a hollow three-sided U-shaped member, comprising two opposing parallel side walls, and a perpendicular posterior wall, while lacking a superior, inferior, and anterior wall. The exterior walls of the plate and spacer are planar, while the interior walls of the spacer are curved to house a precisely fitting cylindrical graft, or other insert such as DBM, bone dust, bone paste, bone dowel with direct contact to the endplates to promote fusion.
US08932344B2
A prosthetic aortic conduit (1) for use during surgery on the aorta of a patient. The conduit includes an elongate tubular portion (10) extending along a longitudinal axis (11) between a first conduit terminal end (12) and a second conduit terminal end (13). The first conduit terminal end (12) is configured with two substantially U-shaped tongues (21, 22) extending away from the tubular portion (10) generally along the longitudinal axis (11). Each of the tongues (21, 22) is appropriately sized to together collectively approximate the shape of the scalloped bicuspid valve annulus. The second conduit terminal end (13) is configured with three substantially U-shaped tongues (31, 32, 33) extending away from the tubular portion (10) generally along the longitudinal axis (11). Each of the tongues (31, 32, 33) is appropriately sized to together collectively approximate the shape of the scalloped tricuspid valve annulus.
US08932338B2
A noninvasive method of reducing fat from targeted regions of a patient's body by applying low-level laser energy externally through the skin of the patient to the targeted areas. Sufficient laser energy is applied to release at least a portion of intracellular fat into the interstitial space. The released intracellular fat is removed from the body through the body's natural functions. The preferred embodiment uses laser energy at about 635 nm.
US08932337B2
Implants for forming a positive connection with human or animal parts include a material, such as thermoplastics and thixotropic materials, that can be liquefied by means of mechanical energy. The implants are brought into contact with the tissue part, are subjected to the action of ultrasonic energy while being pressed against the tissue part. The liquefiable material liquefies and is pressed into openings or surface asperities of the tissue part so that, once solidified, the implant is positively joined thereto. The implantation involves the use of an implantation device that includes a generator, an oscillating element, and a resonator. The generator causes the oscillating element to mechanically oscillate, and the element transmits the oscillations to the resonator. The resonator is used to press the implant against the tissue part to transmit oscillations to the implant.
US08932336B2
A device for treating a bone includes (a) an elongate body sized and shaped for insertion into a bone and extending longitudinally from a proximal end to a distal end, the elongate body including a channel extending therethrough and a coating along an outer surface thereof, the coating adapted to absorb a selected frequency of light such that, when the selected frequency of light is applied thereto, portions of the coating melt to form a mass; and (b) a first anchor member slidably mountable over the elongate body and movable therealong from a first position at the proximal end of the elongate body to a second position adjacent a bone into which the elongate body has been inserted to cooperate with the mass to fix the elongate body to the bone.
US08932335B2
A retaining mechanism for use in affixing a stratum to bone is disclosed. The mechanism comprises a stratum comprising a first surface, a second surface, and a hole extending between the two surfaces. The hole has a central longitudinal axis extending substantially perpendicular to the two surfaces. The retaining element comprises a first position that permits a fastener to be passed through the hole, a second position that at least partially overlaps the hole, and a spring element. The spring element is configured to engage the stratum, configured to move in a direction substantially perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis of the hole when the retaining element moves between its first and second positions, and configured to engage the retaining element to help maintain the retaining element in its second position to help prevent inadvertent backing out of the fastener after it has been fully inserted into the hole.
US08932330B2
A suture and a suture retainer are positioned relative to body tissue. Energy is utilized to heat the suture retainer and effect a securing of portions of the suture retainer to each other and/or to the suture. Portions of the body tissue may be pressed into linear apposition with each other and held in place by cooperation between the suture and the suture retainer. The suture retainer may include one or more portions between which the suture extends. The suture retainer may include sections which have surface areas which are bonded together. If desired, the suture may be wrapped around one of the sections of the suture retainer. The suture retainer may be formed with a recess in which the suture is received. If desired, the suture retainer may be omitted and the sections of the suture bonded to each other.
US08932329B2
A compound barb medical device includes a body portion and at least one barb extending therefrom. The at least one barb defines an inner surface. The inner surface includes a first portion disposed at a first orientation relative to a longitudinal axis of the body portion and a second portion disposed at a second orientation relative to the longitudinal axis. The at least one barb is made from a shape memory material which can be deformed into a temporary shape from a permanent shape. The barb projects from the body portion in a first position relative to the body portion when in the permanent shape and in a second position when in the temporary shape.
US08932328B2
A method and device for anchoring a length of self-retaining suture. The method of anchoring includes providing for an assembly having a length of self-retaining suture and a suture insertion device. The length of suture includes at least a portion of the length having a plurality of retainers thereon extending in a first direction. The insertion device has a length and a recess to receive a portion of the suture length. The method further includes placing a portion of the suture length in the recess and inserting the device into the body of a mammal until the recess reaches a predetermined location thereby forming an insertion pathway. The method further includes retrieving the insertion device from the body by moving the insertion device in a direction substantially opposed to the insertion pathway.
US08932321B1
Thrombus aspiration may be performed using manual negative intermittent suction (e.g., provided by a syringe) or using an automated negative suction device (e.g., provided by a vacuum pump). The suction device may be connected through suction tubing to a hub of a catheter. The automated negative suction device may include an external control panel for the operator configured to allow the operator to choose from any of a plurality of suction patterns during an aspiration procedure.
US08932320B1
Methods of providing suction may include providing suction patterns having varying intensity levels, such as a “crescendo suction” pattern. Cycles of crescendo suction patterns may comprise variable intensities of negative suction in a crescendo pattern (such as a small intensity negative suction pressure, a medium intensity negative suction pressure, and a large intensity negative suction pressure). The suction patterns may include pauses or temporary stops to the negative suction pressure.
US08932319B2
The devices and methods described herein relate to improved structures for removing obstructions from body lumens. Such devices have applicability in through-out the body, including clearing of blockages within the vasculature, by addressing the frictional resistance on the obstruction prior to attempting to translate and/or mobilize the obstruction within the body lumen.
US08932316B2
Methods and devices for diagnosing, monitoring, and/or treating tissue through an opening or port through an airway wall are provided herein.
US08932315B2
The present invention provides methods and apparatuses for crossing or bypassing total or near total occlusions of vessels through the use of elongate members and specialized catheters that include a piercing catheter, a reentry catheter, a multi-lumen, reentry catheter, and combinations thereof. A piercing catheter comprises a distal tip used to pierce an occlusion in a crossing procedure and can be configured to microdissect the occlusion or provide support for an elongate member. A reentry catheter comprises a distal side port and ramp to facilitate the reentry or perforation of a vessel wall. A multi-lumen, reentry catheter comprises a tearable lumen divider and a distal side port and ramp.
US08932314B2
Described and illustrated herein is an exemplary lancing device. The lancing device includes a first housing, second housing, movable member, lancet, and lancet depth adjustment member. The lancet depth adjustment member is captured by both the first and second housings so that the lancet depth adjustment member is rotatable relative to both housings to provide for a plurality of stop surfaces to the movable member. Other exemplary embodiments are also described.
US08932311B2
An occluder (7) for sealing body orifices (6, 6a) of the human or animal body is illustrated and described, in particular an occluder (7) for percutaneous transcatheter sealing of atrium septum defects of the human or animal heart (1). According to the invention it is provided that the occluder (7) or parts of the occluder (7) form an electric oscillating resonance circuit, whereby at least one conductive loop forming the inductivity of the oscillating resonance circuit is provided and the occluder (7) or parts of the occluder (7) are formed by the conductive loop.
US08932303B2
An instrument for attachment and insertion of a screw assembly into a surgical site includes a housing, an attachment shaft, and a drive shaft. The housing including a movable hub. The attachment shaft includes a proximal end for coupling to the housing and a distal end with a flexible portion for selectively attaching to a receiver of the screw assembly. The drive shaft within the attachment shaft includes a proximal end for selectively engaging the hub and a distal end with a driving feature for driving a head of the screw assembly.
US08932301B2
An instrument system is provided for positioning an internal fixation prosthesis and guiding a cannulated bone drill during a surgical, radioscopic procedure for the repair of a fractured bone of a patient. The instrument system includes a target wire, a handle formed from a radio translucent material having a target hole for guided passage of the target wire along a target axis. The target axis coincides with the intersection of a first plane and a second plane orthogonal to the first plane. The instrument system also includes a nose component attached to an end of the handle and removably connectable to the prosthesis. The nose component includes an alignment sight formed from a radio-opaque material.
US08932299B2
Disclosed herein are systems and methods for performing total hip arthroplasty with patient-specific guides Pre-operative images of a pelvic region of a patient are taken in order to predefine the structure of the guides and corresponding implants. From the obtained image data an insertional vector for implanting an acetabular implant or component into an acetabulum of the patient is determined, wherein the insertional vector is coaxial with a polar axis of the acetabular component. Also from the obtained image data, a superior surface of the guides and implants can be shaped to match the acetabulum of the patient. A nub portion extending outwardly from the superior surface of the guides and implants is shaped to substantially match the shape of a fovea of the acetabulum. A guide portion of the guides forming a slot has a longitudinal axis coaxial with the determined insertional vector of a corresponding acetabular component.
US08932295B1
A bone graft delivery system can include an elongate tube, a handle having a trigger, and a tip. The trigger is actuated to deliver bone graft material through the tube. The tip has one or more openings to deliver the bone graft material to a desired location and includes a surface suitable to act as a rasp for decorticating bone. A method for delivering bone graft material to a desired surgical location includes providing a bone graft delivery device, positioning the device adjacent the surgical location, decorticating bone, and delivering bone graft material to the surgical location.
US08932290B2
A tissue ablation probe is provided. The tissue ablation probe comprises an elongated shaft, at least one electrode tine carried by the elongated shaft, at least one tine exit from which the electrode tine(s) can be deployed from the elongated shaft and retracted within the elongated shaft, and a sheath covering the electrode tine exit(s). The sheath may, e.g., line an exterior surface of the elongated shaft or an interior surface of the elongated shaft. The sheath has at least one tine valve (e.g., a slit) positioned over the electrode tine exit(s) and configured to open when the electrode tine is deployed and to close when the electrode tine(s) is retracted. In one embodiment, the tine valve(s) is configured to open in response to pressure exerted during deployment of the electrode tine(s). In another embodiment, the tine valve(s) is configured to hinder the entry of biological material within the elongated shaft. In one embodiment, the sheath is pliable, such that the tine valve(s) can more easily hinder the entry of the biological material.
US08932282B2
An electrosurgical system and method are disclosed. The system includes an electrosurgical generator adapted to supply electrosurgical energy to tissue. The generator is further adapted to supply an electrosurgical signal at a variable power level. The generator includes sensor circuitry adapted to sense tissue impedance and/or an electrosurgical signal zero crossing. The generator also includes a controller, which may include a microprocessor, that is adapted to receive a tissue impedance signal and/or a waveform zero crossing signal. The controller is configured to monitor tissue impedance, and in response to a threshold value of impedance being reached, to cause a power level of the electrosurgical energy to transition from a first power level to a second power level. The slew rate of the power transition may be in accordance with a transition function, such as a cosine function. The power transition may additionally or alternatively be performed during, or correlated with, an electrosurgical signal zero crossing. The system also includes an electrosurgical instrument including at least one active electrode adapted to apply electrosurgical energy to tissue for treatment.
US08932275B2
A surgical seal assembly, includes a seal housing defining a longitudinal housing axis and having a longitudinal opening therethrough, a seal having an inner seal portion defining a passage and being adapted to form a substantial seal about a surgical instrument disposed within the passage and a guide mounted to the seal housing. The guide has an inner guide portion proximal of the inner seal portion of the seal and spaced therefrom. The inner guide portion defines a channel adapted to generally direct the surgical instrument toward the inner seal portion of the seal upon entry of the surgical instrument within the longitudinal opening of the seal housing. The inner guide portion is relatively compliant to accommodate initial offset or angled entry of the surgical instrument.
US08932273B2
A disposable absorbent insert for a two-piece wearable absorbent article having features for the containment and absorption of bodily exudates. The insert may be adapted to be used with an outer cover and may have containment and absorption features including cuff structures that prevent soiling of the outer cover by the wearer's exudates, so that the outer cover may be reused after an exudation event and change of inserts. The insert may have features to enhance containment, absorption, economy of materials and/or fit that makes it asymmetric about its lateral axis, and may have features that direct a user to install the insert with correct front-rear orientation relative the outer cover and/or the wearer.
US08932259B2
A catheter assembly is disclosed having a catheter adapter and a needle hub. The catheter adapter has an inner lumen with a septum located within the inner lumen. An introducer needle is inserted through the inner lumen. A septum activator also located within the inner lumen, such that a distal end of the septum activator contacts the septum. The septum activator has an internal cavity and a cavity seal forming a surface of the internal cavity.
US08932256B2
An insertion device may include a device housing configured to be operatively engaged with and disengaged from a base, and engageable with an actuation device, the device housing having a carrier body supporting a piercing member. The carrier body moveable by a carrier body of the actuation device at least between a retracted position and an advanced position. The device housing having a section for supporting a portion of the carrier body of the device housing, the section moveable relative to the carrier body of the device housing to provide sufficient clearance to allow the carrier body of the device housing to be moved by the carrier body of the actuation device.
US08932252B2
An apparatus includes a simulated medicament delivery device and an electronic circuit system coupled to the simulated medicament delivery device. The electronic circuit system is configured to output an electronic output associated with a use of the simulated medicament delivery device.
US08932250B2
A disease management system, methods, and devices are shown and described. In one embodiment, the system includes an infusion pump and a remote controller with the ability to be paired to each other. A method to verify a wireless connection between an infusion pump and a remote controller is shown and described herein. In a further embodiment, a method to verify a wireless connection between an infusion pump and a remote controller is provided. In addition, a method of operating a diabetes management system is provided in which the system includes an infusion pump and at least a remote controller.
US08932245B2
An orthopedic boot has a boot body, a front cover and at least one binding strap. The boot body has a foot support, a leg support, an air cushion and a toecap. The leg support has a free edge provided with multiple slits and multiple vents. The air cushion is mounted on the foot support. Accordingly, the orthopedic boot is ventilative and can provide comfort to a user.
US08932239B2
An ultrasound treatment includes applying ultrasound at a first energy level to a region of interest in a subject for activating a cavitation nucleation agent during a first portion of a treatment cycle. Ultrasound at a second energy level is applied to the region of interest during a second portion of the treatment cycle for implementing a desired thermal therapy in the presence of the cavitation nucleation agent activated during the first portion of the treatment cycle. The second energy level is at an energy level different from the first energy level.
US08932238B2
A medical ultrasound system. A base unit is included having system electronics, a user interface and ultrasound control electronics. An ultrasound therapy head is in electronic communication with the base unit. The therapy head includes a replaceable, sealed transducer cartridge with a coupling fluid therein. A cooling system is provided for cooling the coupling fluid. A plurality of guide indicators are positioned around the therapy head to align with crossed lines on a patient so as to properly align the therapy head prior to use. The therapy head can provide variable treatments to an area while the therapy head is in contact with a patient.
US08932232B2
A device and method for collecting a tissue sample. The device includes a blade comprising an anterior portion and an elongated blade body. The elongated blade body is substantially firm and the anterior portion is bendable. The anterior portion comprises a sharp or pointed anterior end adapted to pierce and penetrate into tissue and a sampling mechanism with at least one recess or notch disposed therein or a sampling channel to collect the tissue sample. The sheath comprises an elongated body having an interior lumen, and an arcuate slot corresponding in shape to the blade and forming a continuum between the interior lumen and an exterior aperture laterally on the body of the sheath.
US08932229B2
An apparatus and method for recognizing an emotion by use of a heart rate data is provided. The apparatus includes an input signal generation unit configured to receive a plurality of heart rate data, and generate input signals each having a sequence, a signal classification unit configured to classify the input signals into groups, and an emotion recognition unit configured to search for a group, to which the input signal generated by the input signal generation unit belongs, among the groups classified by the signal classification unit, and recognize a user emotion corresponding to the found group.
US08932228B2
An optical device including a contact part having a contact surface and an opposing surface, the contact surface coming into contact with a test subject and the opposing surface being opposite the contact surface; a support body installed on the opposing surface; a first element supported by the support body; and a second element disposed between the opposing surface and the support body; wherein one of the first element and the second element is a light-emitting element for emitting light towards a detection site of the test subject; another of the first element and the second element is a light-receiving element for receiving reflected light, the reflected light being light emitted by the light-emitting element and reflected at the detection site; and the contact part is formed from a material that is transparent with respect to a wavelength of the light emitted by the light-emitting element.
US08932227B2
The disclosed embodiments relate to a patient monitor for evaluating a patient. The patient monitor may comprise a capnometer that is adapted to receive at least a portion of exhaled flow from the patient and to produce a first output indicative of exhaled carbon dioxide associated with the exhaled flow, an oximeter that is adapted to receive an input from the patient and to produce a second output indicative of oxygen saturation of blood of the patient, and a processor adapted to receive at least the first output and the second output and to correlate the first output with the second output.
US08932224B2
A method and system for energy-based (e.g., ultrasound treatment and/or other modalities) of sweat glands are provided. An exemplary method and system for targeted treatment of sweat glands can be configured in various manners, such as through use of therapy only, therapy and monitoring, imaging and therapy, or therapy, imaging, and monitoring, and/or through use of focused, unfocused, or defocused ultrasound (or other energy) through control of various spatial and temporal parameters. As a result, ablative energy can be deposited at the particular depth at which the aberrant sweat gland population is located below the skin surface.
US08932223B2
A design and a fabrication method for an intravascular imaging and therapeutic catheters for combined ultrasound, photoacoustic, and elasticity imaging and for optical and/or acoustic therapy of hollow organs and diseased blood vessels and tissues are disclosed in the present invention. The invention comprises both a device—optical fiber-based intravascular catheter designs for combined IVUS/IVPA, and elasticity imaging and for acoustic and/or optical therapy—and a method of combined ultrasound, photoacoustic, and elasticity imaging and optical and/or acoustic therapy. The designs of the catheters are based on single-element catheter-based ultrasound transducers or on ultrasound array-based units coupled with optical fiber, fiber bundles or a combination thereof with specially designed light delivery systems. One approach uses the side fire fiber, similar to the one utilized for biomedical optical spectroscopy. The second catheter design uses the micro-optics in the manner of a probe for optical coherent tomography.
US08932221B2
Multi-directional transmitters for in-body devices, such as implantable and ingestible devices, are provided. Aspects of the in-body multi-direction transmitters of the invention include signal transmitters configured to transmit an identifying signal in at least two different directions in an x-y plane. Embodiments of the in-body devices are configured to emit a detectable signal upon contact with a target physiological site. Also provided are methods of making and using the devices of the invention.
US08932215B2
A retractor system includes a rail having two opposed widened rail portions separated by a narrowed portion, each widened portion engageable by a separate clamp. The clamps are configured to support the rail to a fixed surface, or to support a surgical device. Each clamp may independently be positioned or slid along the rail to a desired location without interference with a clamp on an opposing widened rail portion. A device clamp is formed of spherical mating portions which enable alignment of a surgical device along six degrees of freedom, and tightenable by securing a single fastener. A retractor blade mount enables an angular and tilting disposition of a retractor blade, as well as remote manipulation of the retractor blade.
US08932213B2
A seal anchor member defines a housing defining a longitudinal axis, the housing having leading and trailing ends, and including a plurality of lumens extending between the leading and trailing ends, each lumen being adapted for substantially sealed reception of an object therein and defining a longitudinal axis, wherein at least two of the lumens define longitudinal axes that are non-parallel to facilitate angled, at-rest placement of multiple instruments within the seal anchor member.
US08932212B2
A seal anchor member defines a housing defining a longitudinal axis, the housing having leading and trailing ends, and including a plurality of lumens extending between the leading and trailing ends, each lumen being adapted for substantially sealed reception of an object therein and defining a longitudinal axis, wherein at least two of the lumens define longitudinal axes that are non-parallel to facilitate angled, at-rest placement of multiple instruments within the seal anchor member.
US08932206B2
An endoscopic apparatus having an image pickup system operating as follows. Before picking up a still image in a body cavity that almost no light can reach, the system extinguishes LED and resets charges accumulated in respective pixels in a CMOS image sensor. In this reset state, the system illuminates LED and allows the CMOS image sensor to pick up a still image. While the charges are being read from the pixels, the system extinguishes LED and prevents further charges from being accumulated in the pixels from which the charges have not been read yet.
US08932205B2
Described herein are delivery devices and methods of using the devices for delivering an ocular implant into a suprachoroidal space without use of a goniolens. The delivery device includes a handle including a channel extending from a proximal end of the handle to a distal end of the handle, an applier coupled to the handle, the applier including a blunt distal tip and an elongate, flexible wire insertable through a fluid channel of an ocular implant, and a fiber optic image bundle reversibly inserted through the channel such that the fiber optic image bundle extends to a region proximal to the blunt distal tip of the applier.
US08932197B2
A device and method for creating a connection with the left ventricle of a heart are provided. A seal member capable of moving between a folded position and an open position is attached to the end of a conduit. An introducer capable of moving between a first and second position allows for the expansion of the seal member into an open position. A clamp component is positioned outside of the heart to provide an axial clamping force with the wall of the heart so that a seal is created between the seal member and the wall of the heart.
US08932193B2
A sheet feed rolling element for an electrophotographic device includes a roller portion and shoulders on both sides formed by curved chamfers. A parting line between the fixed mold plate and the movable mold plate of an injection mold is located at the boundary between one shoulder and the roller portion outer periphery, a step is provided at the boundary due to a difference between the opening diameter of the cavity portion defined by the fixed mold plate and the opening diameter of the cavity portion defined by the movable mold plate so the one shoulder has a smaller diameter than the outer peripheral surface, and a chamfer is provided adjacent to the one shoulder to absorb any difference in molding shrinkage rate due to a difference in molecular orientation of resin at the step, thereby preventing circumferential bulging on the outer periphery of the formed roller portion.
US08932191B2
The invention relates to a training device for fixing in the area of the human waist, composed of a belt-like element (2) and of at least one force element arranged on the belt-like element (2), wherein the force element is coupled at least indirectly to a grip element, and the force element has the property of providing a resistance force (tensile force) against the pull of the grip element. According to the invention, provision is made that the force element (4; 204) is additionally designed such that it also provides an opposing force (pressure force) when the grip element (4.3; 204.3) is moved back in the direction of the force element.
US08932190B2
The invention provides an apparatus, system, and method for enhancing exercise effectiveness via first and second elastic resistance bands that wrap around a user's thighs.
US08932189B2
A training tool comprising an elongate hollow space enclosed by a holder, which hollow space is partly filled with an amount of freely movable particles, the particles being configured to provide a reactive impact when the particles collide during acceleration and deceleration.
US08932185B2
A brake device with built-in power generation mechanism and permanent magnetism eddy current comprises: an external rotator including a flywheel and a permanent magnet fixed at an inner periphery of the flywheel; an internal stator including a fixing bracket and a tile-shaped armature mounted at an outer periphery of the fixing bracket; a brake mechanism including a magnetic-conductive plate; when the external rotator is rotated the tile-shaped armature generates a three-phase alternating current, and the arc-shaped metal plate generates eddy current and braking torque of magnetic resistant; a cooling fan mounted on the flywheel to produce a cooling effect; an adjustment mechanism provided for adjusting a gap between the arc-shaped metal plate and the permanent magnet to adjust magnetic flux, and thus change the braking resistant load; a controller transferring the three-phase alternating current into direct current for required power of the control panel and server.
US08932181B2
It is provided a control device of a vehicle drive device having an electric motor connected via an inverter to an electric-motor power source, an inverter smoothing capacitor connected to the inverter of the electric-motor power source side thereof, and a transmission making up a portion of a power transmission path between the electric motor and drive wheels, the control device being configured to make an output torque of the electric motor smaller as the rotation speed of the electric motor being higher, and to make a gradient of an output torque reduced amount of the electric motor larger as the rotation speed of the electric motor being higher if a rotation speed of the electric motor rises at the time of upshift of the transmission higher than a rotation speed before the shift.
US08932180B2
A claw clutch includes first and second rotors disposed coaxially with each other, and is switched between an engaged state engaging teeth of the rotors and a disengaged state releasing the engagement. An actuator moves either one of the rotors in an axial direction to switch the clutch between the states. A synchronization controlling unit controls an electric motor coupled to the second rotor to cause its rotation number to approach the rotation number of the first rotor when the clutch is switched to the engaged state. An engagement controlling unit that controls the actuator moves either one of the rotors to a position where the teeth are engaged before a difference in rotation speed between the rotors falls within a predetermined range and the rotation number of the second rotor reaches that of the first rotor when the clutch is switched to the engaged state.
US08932175B2
A transmission is provided having an input member, an output member, at least four planetary gear sets, a plurality of coupling members and a plurality of torque transmitting devices. Each of the planetary gear sets includes first, second and third members. The torque transmitting devices include clutches and a brake actuatable in combinations of three to establish a plurality of forward gear ratios and at least one reverse gear ratio.
US08932174B2
A rear wheel drive transmission is provided having an input member, an output member, four planetary gear sets, a plurality of coupling members and a plurality of torque transmitting devices. Each of the planetary gear sets includes a sun gear member, a planet carrier member, and a ring gear member. The torque transmitting devices include clutches and brakes arranged within a transmission housing. Each of the clutches and brakes are located within specific areas defined by the planetary gear sets and the housing walls.
US08932168B2
An automated manual transmission may include first and second auxiliary gears, wherein the first auxiliary gear is rotatably provided on an INPUT shaft to be rotated relatively with respect to the INPUT shaft and wherein the second auxiliary gear is provided on an OUTPUT shaft to be meshed with the first auxiliary gear, a planetary gear unit provided with three or more rotational elements wherein one rotational element thereof receives power from an engine to be rotated constantly and another rotational element thereof is coupled to the first auxiliary gear provided on the INPUT shaft to be rotated, and a motor generator that is coupled to still another rotational element of the rotational elements and provides a rotational power to the still another rotational element in shifting gears so that the rotational power is transmitted to the OUTPUT shaft through the first and second auxiliary gears.
US08932163B2
A tensioning system including a base and an arm pivotally coupled to the base, the arm having an engagement surface thereon. The system further includes a biasing mechanism operatively coupled to the arm to bias the arm relative to the base. The biasing mechanism includes a coil spring having a plurality of coils, at least some of the coils or parts thereof being configured to switch between an activated state and deactivated state based upon a position of the arm relative to the base.
US08932151B2
The invention provides a solid golf ball having a core and a cover. The core is formed of a rubber composition containing a base rubber, a co-crosslinking agent, a crosslinking initiator and a metal oxide. The base rubber contains polybutadiene, a styrene-butadiene rubber and, optionally, an isoprene rubber. The co-crosslinking agent is methacrylic acid, and the rubber composition includes a specific waste material in the form of a powder. The core deflection and the cover material are optimized. Utilizing a waste material in a solid golf ball conserves resources and thus is beneficial to the global environment. Even during prolonged use, the golf ball maintains its basic performance attributes (feel, flight, durability) at a high level.
US08932150B2
An iron-type golf club head is disclosed having a first piece including a portion of an iron-type face. A second piece including a heel portion, a sole portion, a toe portion, a top-line portion, a hinge region, and a front opening for receiving the first piece is also disclosed. A first contact surface of the first piece is connected with a second contact surface of the second piece at a contact interface. A continuous weld extends along the contact interface attaching the first and second pieces together at the contact interface. The continuous weld includes a fusion zone occurring substantially on the iron-type face outside the hinge region of the club head.
US08932149B2
A golf club includes a shaft and a club head. The club head may have a channel extending adjacent to a trailing edge of the club head. The channel may have a maximum depth of 6 mm and a maximum width ranging from 10 mm to 20 mm. A rough textured surface region may be provided on a sole, wherein the rough textured surface region has a surface roughness of greater than or equal to 1.00 μm. A recess, formed in the sole, may extend from a mid-region to a toe of the club head, wherein the mid-region extends over the middle 40% of a length of the club head. A crown has an upper, forward surface and a stepped-down region, and the upper, forward surface transitions to the stepped-down region at a transition feature that extends from the hosel region at an angle of from 25 to 50 degrees.
US08932146B2
A golf putter grip comprises a main tubular body having a non-circular cross-section being symmetrical and remaining similar throughout its axial length, and a flat front area also along and throughout its axial length. The non-circular cross-section and the flat front area respectively have a width dimension sufficient to have two hands cupped together at the same height and two thumbs placed side by side on the flat front area to hold the putter grip comfortably with minimal wrist breaking-down. The main tubular body has flat-topped arch cross-section and is reversely tapered, and its reverse taper is sufficient in certain degrees to accommodate different finger lengths of two hands for reducing the gripping pressure, so as to make the gripping comfortable.
US08932144B2
When hitting a ball to a target with a putter, the ball often travels to a point which is deviated to the right from the target. When a golfer looks at the target just after taking his address, he turns his head to a target about a rotation axis which extends through the back of his head. When this rotation axis is not horizontal and an angle defined by the rotation axis and his sighting line to a putter head is not 90°, he has an optical illusion which tricks him into believing that he has to correct his address position. The putter of the present invention is provided with a thin-plate pendulum thereby allowing him to turn his head about the rotation axis while keeping the angle defined by the rotation axis and his sighting line at 90°.
US08932141B2
A flexible shaft arrangement is provided having a ductile shaft, a sleeve which surrounds the shaft as well as a jacket which surrounds the shaft and the sleeve. The sleeve extends within the jacket at least sectionally in arcuate form and thus produces a contact of the shaft at the inner contour of the sleeve point-wise. Vibrations or knocks of the shaft are thus effectively damped.
US08932126B2
A method of gaming comprising: selecting a plurality of symbols and displaying the symbols at a plurality of display positions on a display; determining whether there is a match between a first subset of symbols at a first subset of the display positions and a second subset of symbols at a second subset of the display positions based on at least one matching rule, the first and second subsets of display positions having the same number of display positions; and taking at least one designated action if a match is determined.
US08932118B2
Replenishing coins in a coin store associated with a coin handling device includes feeding a batch of coins from a bulk coin store to a receptacle near the coin handling device, delivering coins from the receptacle to the coin handling device and routing at least some of those coins from the coin handling device to the coin store associated with the coin handling device.
US08932114B2
Embodiments provide various components of a chain saw, including saw chain elements, sprockets, and other fixtures, that may facilitate sharpening of cutter links during operation. In various embodiments, the components may increase stability during sharpening, provide nose mounted sharpening fixtures, and/or facilitate the resizing and/or reshaping of a sharpening element.
US08932101B2
A roller toy apparatus is provided. The roller toy apparatus may include a handle including a grasping portion, an elongate portion and a ball coupling portion, the ball coupling portion including a pair of left and right extensions, each of the left and right extensions including a respective mount extending inwardly into an interior region of the ball coupling portion. The roller toy apparatus may further include a ball rotatably coupled to the ball coupling portion. The ball may be formed of a mesh having a plurality of loop structures, each loop structure surrounding a void, and where each of a pair of loop structures is rotatably coupled to a respective mount of the ball coupling portion, to thereby rotatably couple the ball to the handle.
US08932096B2
Disclosed is a personal flotation and rescue device. The device includes a life vest with an interconnected backpack. The backpack includes an interior area that is enclosed by a peripheral zipper. A boom is initially stored within the backpack in an uninflated and accordion-like state. A water activated inflator is secured to the boom and is adapted to fully inflate the boom upon contact with water. Inflation of the boom causes the zipper to open and thereby permit the boom to be fully extended from the back of the wearer. Joints are included along the length of the boom such that it takes on a bounded configuration after inflation. The bounded area and then be used by rescue personnel in retrieving the wearer of the device.
US08932091B2
A propulsion system may include a cylindrical support member and a tubular rotatable member rotatably mounted within the support member that may be adapted to permit fluid flow therethrough. The tubular rotatable member may extend past a down stream end of the support member. An exemplary embodiment of a propulsion system may also disclose a vane attached on an interior surface of the tubular member and may include a blade which extends in a direction toward a rotational axis of the rotatable member such that rotation of the tubular member and the vane attached thereon draws fluid into the tubular member to accelerate the fluid flow through the tubular member. Additionally, a nozzle may be attached to the down stream end of the support member and include a primary nozzle and a secondary nozzle within the primary nozzle. The secondary nozzle may be engaged with the primary nozzle by a stator.
US08932088B2
A conductive member for mounting a meter socket line connector includes an aperture configured to receive a fastener for the line connector and a protrusion in a different plane than that of the aperture. The protrusion includes a first notch configured to receive a first-size line connector that is secured to the conductive member by the fastener through the aperture and a second notch configured to receive a second-size line connector that is secured to the conductive member by the fastener through the aperture. The protrusion is configured to receive a corner of either the first-size line connector or the second-size line connector without changes to the conductive member.
US08932086B2
A battery terminal lug (1) is disclosed, the lug being equipped with a shunt (7) for measuring the battery current and other battery characteristics. The lug includes a support (8), such as for a printed circuit, of at least one electronic component. The lug is made up of a first part (2), which is configured to be secured to a terminal of the battery, and a second part, which is configured to be secured to the cable of the battery (which is ordinarily directly associated with the terminal of the battery). The two parts (2, 3) of the terminal lug are electrically insulated from one another and are provided with projecting portions (28, 38) to bear the shunt (7), and a casing (5, 6) to accommodate the shunt (7) and the support (8), wherein electrical insulation (4, 17) is positioned so as to intervene between the two parts (2, 3) of the terminal lug (1).
US08932085B2
An electrical connector includes an insulative housing a front opening cavity a front-to-back direction, a plurality of contacts retained in the insulative housing and a spacer attached to the insulative housing. Each of the contacts incudes a contacting portion exposed in the cavity, a soldering portion protruding from the insulative housing and a bridge portion connecting with the contacting portion and the soldering portion. A first row of the solder portions of the contacts extend rearward and a second row of soldering portions of the contacts extend forwards. The spacer has a horizontal section under the insulative housing and a vertical section at back of the insulative housing to press against the bridge portions of the second contacts.
US08932084B2
A connector system includes a pass-through connector that includes a housing with a front and a rear opposite the front. The front of the housing has a front opening, and the rear of the housing has a rear opening. The housing also has a cavity between the front opening and the rear opening. The pass-through connector also includes conductors which are held by the housing in the cavity. The system also includes a plug that is received in the cavity through the front opening. The plug has a contact holder that holds plug conductors. The contact holder has a head that is received in the cavity, and the head is configured to push contaminants from the cavity through the rear opening as the plug is loaded into the cavity.
US08932079B2
A straight electrical coaxial cable connector (2) for connecting first and second coaxial cables (8, 10) each including a core (16, 24) and a shield layer (20, 28), the connector (2) including first and second interengeagable housing parts (68, 70), first and second crimp ferrules (34, 52) for respectively engaging the shield layers (20, 28) of the first and second cables (8, 10), shield connection means (38) for electrically interconnecting the first and second shield layers (20, 28), core connection means (36, 64) for electrically interconnecting the two cores (16, 24), and first and second ferrule engagement means (76, 88) operable to respectively secure the first and second ferrules (34, 52) relative to respective said housing parts (68, 70).
US08932076B2
A temporary mobility kit to minimize or prevent the inadvertent outflow of tire sealant is provided. The temporary mobility kit includes a switch-inflator assembly and a removable sealant assembly. The switch-inflator assembly includes a pump motor and an electrical plug assembly having a cord portion and a plug. The plug is adapted for use in the vehicle's power unit. The housing includes a peripheral channel about which the cord portion of the electrical plug assembly is wrapped when the electrical plug assembly is not in use. A plug-receiving aperture is provided to receive and retain the plug when not in use.
US08932075B2
An electrical connection device for connecting at least one stripped conductor end, having a bus bar piece and a clamping spring which compresses an insert conductor end, the bus bar piece having a conductor through opening and a contact section which borders the conductor through opening and extends in the conductor through direction, the clamping spring forming a spring force clamping connection for the electrical conductor. The bus bar piece of the connection device requires less material use since the contact section has two side walls which extend in the longitudinal direction of the bus bar piece, are connected integrally to the bus bar piece and the contact section, and the side walls have a maximum extension in the longitudinal direction of the bus bar piece which is smaller than the longitudinal extension of the conductor through opening.
