US09116669B2

Information from communications is displayed in a calendar format. Text from the communications is used to determine whether a scheduling entry should be created. If so, text from the communication is used to create a proposed calendar or to-do list entry, which can be saved, modified or canceled by the user. Information from a call log can be filtered and displayed in a calendar format.
US09116668B2

The present invention provides a panel protecting device of a flat panel electronic device and a flat panel electronic device. The panel protecting device comprises: a sensor for detecting one or more of a falling speed, a falling time and a falling distance of the flat panel electronic device in a vertical direction when the flat panel electronic device is only under gravity; and a protecting means for being mounted around a panel of the flat panel electronic device. The protecting means has a rest position and a protruding position. The protecting means is accommodated in a recess of the flat panel electronic device when the protecting means is in the rest position and protrudes from the panel when the protecting means is in the protruding position. The protecting means moves to the protruding position from the rest position automatically when the one or more of the falling speed, the falling time and the falling distance is greater than or equal to a predetermined value. The panel protecting device of the flat panel electronic device provided by the present invention is able to protrude the protecting means automatically when the movement of the panel protecting device is determined to be the accidental falling, so as to prevent the panel from contacting with the ground and further avoid the damage of the panel.
US09116664B2

An embodiment of the present disclosure provides an electronic panel. The electronic panel comprises a protection cover having a visible area and a non-visible area, and a plurality of mask layers sequentially disposed on the non-visible area of the protection cover, wherein at least one of the mask layers has at least an escape ditch. Bubbles produced during the coating process can be discharged from the escape ditch, thereby improving the product's appearance and light transmittance. In addition, the present disclosure further provides a method of manufacturing the electronic panel and an electronic device.
US09116661B2

A storage server includes a cage, a midplane fixed on the cage, a fan module on midplane, at least one host, detachably disposed on the cage and electrically connected to the midplane, a plurality of HDD backplanes, detachably disposed on the cage and electrically connected to the midplane, and a plurality of data HDDs, detachably disposed on the cage and electrically connected to the HDD backplanes. The host can be detached from the cage along a first direction. The HDD backplanes can be detached from the cage along a second direction opposite to the first direction. The data HDDs and the host are respectively located at two opposite sides of the fan module, the data HDDs can be detached from the cage along a third direction intersected with the second direction and the first direction.
US09116657B1

A method of presenting a digital work includes displaying a portion of the digital work on a display screen under a set of display conditions, and providing one or more invariant location reference identifiers corresponding to the portion of the digital work on the display screen. The invariant location reference identifiers are separate from the digital work, and each invariant location reference identifier is provided along with the corresponding portion of the digital work, regardless of the display conditions under which the portion of the digital work is displayed.
US09116655B2

A housing for a handheld computing device can include an outer shell having a base and a sidewall connected to a periphery of the base, the sidewall having a port configured to receive a button and the outer shell having an inner surface and an outer surface and a backing plate connected to the inner surface of the outer shell, the backing plate having a front edge and a rear edge, the front edge being positioned a predetermined height above the base, the rear edge being positioned adjacent to the base, the backing plate being positioned adjacent to the sidewall having the port and spaced apart from the sidewall by a predetermined distance to provide rigidity to the button and to define a datum for positioning a component within the housing.
US09116653B2

A terminal apparatus may receive first information relating to a first function executing apparatus from the first function executing apparatus. The first function executing apparatus may be configured to execute a scan function. The terminal apparatus may select, by using the first information, a particular communication scheme from among M1 items of communication schemes in a case where the first information is received. Each of the M1 items of communication schemes may be different from each other and may be a communication scheme available for the first function executing apparatus to send scan data. The terminal apparatus may send a first selection result indicating the particular communication scheme to the first function executing apparatus in a case where the particular communication scheme is selected from among the M1 items of communication schemes.
US09116652B2

An image forming apparatus having at least one of print, scan, copy, fax, and web browsing functions, the image forming apparatus including a near field communication (NFC) module to detect a mobile terminal through NFC, a touch panel to display an interactive screen on which at least one object appears and to receive an input of a gesture with respect to the object from a user, and a control unit to interpret a gesture from the user based on a relative position relationship between the NFC module and the touch panel and to transmit the object to the mobile terminal according to a result of the interpretation of the gesture.
US09116651B2

An information transmission apparatus receives information indicating a display language type of a web page to be displayed on a web browser included in an information processing apparatus, and determines whether a display language type of a screen displayed on a display unit included in the information transmission apparatus matches the display language type indicated by the received information. If the display languages do not match, the information transmission apparatus changes the display language of the screen displayed on the display unit to the display language indicated by the received information, generates a web page including image data indicating a screen of a changed display language type, and transmits the generated web page to the information processing apparatus.
US09116646B2

An image forming apparatus, an information processing apparatus, a printing system, a method of controlling the same, and a storage medium. An image forming apparatus authenticates a user, transmits a request for a list of print jobs, and receives a list of print jobs transmitted in response to the request. The image forming apparatus displays on a display unit the list of print jobs received in the receiving, and in the displaying, a list of the print jobs, for which a user name of the user authenticated in the authenticating and a job owner name of the print job match, and a list of print jobs for which a job owner name is unknown is displayed.
US09116643B2

A method for managing a first version and a second version of an electronic document (ED), including: obtaining a request to print the first version of the ED; generating, in response to the request, a print job based on the first version of the ED and identifying a storage location of the second version of the ED, of which at least a part of contents is different from the first version of the ED; and sending the print job to a printer to generate a hardcopy document (HD) based on the first version of the ED, where the HD includes a graphical element specifying the storage location of the second version of the ED, and where the second version of the ED is accessible to a reader of the HD by visiting the storage location specified in the graphical element of the HD.
US09116633B2

Software, firmware, and systems are described herein that create and use a non-production copy of a virtual machine for reverting or restoring the virtual machine. The virtual machine is associated with an external storage device via a logical mapping. A snapshot is taken of a virtual disk associated with the virtual machine to create a snapshot copy of the virtual disk. A snapshot is taken of at least a portion of the mapped external storage device to create a snapshot copy of the mapped external storage device. The snapshot copy of the virtual disk is associated with the snapshot copy of the mapped external storage device. The snapshot copies can then be used to either revert or restore the virtual machine.
US09116631B2

A mobile device includes a storage configured to store data, a buffer memory configured to include a swap victim buffer area and a normal data area, and an application processor configured to select page data to be swapped from the normal data area and to perform a swapping operation on the selected page data. The swapping operation performs an instant swapping operation or a lazy swapping operation according to a data type of the selected page data.
US09116626B2

A file directory system comprises a directory file, a directory address for the directory file, and a directory address failsafe mechanism. The directory file includes one or more directory entries and one or more corresponding addresses for the one or more directory entries. The directory address failsafe mechanism functions to dispersed storage error encode the directory address to produce a plurality of encoded components of the directory address and transmit the plurality of encoded components of the directory address to a plurality of agent modules.
US09116625B2

The present disclosure includes methods and apparatuses that include write command overlap detection. A number of embodiments include receiving an incoming write command and comparing a logical address of the incoming write command to logical addresses of a number of write commands in a queue using a tree data structure, wherein a starting logical address and/or an ending logical address of the incoming write command and a starting logical address and/or an ending logical address of each of the number of write commands are associated with nodes in the tree data structure.
US09116623B2

A method, system and computer program product for optimizing storage system behavior in a cloud computing environment. An Input/Output (I/O) operation data is appended with a tag, where the tag indicates a class of data for the I/O operation data. Upon the storage controller reviewing the tag appended to the I/O operation data, the storage controller performs a table look-up for the storage policy associated with the determined class of data. The storage controller applies a map to determine a storage location for the I/O operation data in a drive device, where the map represents a logical volume which indicates a range of block data that is to be excluded for being stored on the drive device and a range of block data that is to be considered for being stored on the drive device. In this manner, granularity of storage policies is provided in a cloud computing environment.
US09116611B2

An electronic device with a display and a touch-sensitive surface displays, on the display, a first visual indicator. The electronic device receives a first single touch input on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to the first visual indicator; and, in response to detecting the first single touch input on the touch-sensitive surface at a location that corresponds to the first visual indicator, replaces display of the first visual indicator with display of a first menu. The first menu includes a virtual touches selection icon. In response to detecting selection of the virtual touches selection icon, the electronic device displays a menu of virtual multitouch contacts.
US09116608B2

A native application can be deployed that obtains configuration information for the native application at run-time. Digital marketing users or other marketing users can view or control the behavior of the native application by displaying or setting the configuration information of the native application. The native application can report tracked end user interactions and events with the native application according to the configuration information to tag management systems for data compilation by the tag management systems. In addition, the native application can enable digital marketing users or other marketing users to view or control the behavior of the native application from within the native application using an integrated configuration utility. The configuration utility can be activated using a two-stage activation process or an activation and authorization process to prevent an end user from accidentally encountering the configuration utility during routine use of the native application.
US09116601B2

A method and apparatus for providing a user interface in which user interfaces related to child elements are displayed on neighboring zones of a user interface related to a parent element. In the method, a first user interface related to a parent element that is associated with a plurality of child elements is displayed on a display screen. A plurality of second user interfaces related to the plurality of child elements are then displayed on neighboring zones of the first user interface.
US09116598B1

A user interface at a computing device with a sensitive display is disclosed. A dialog is popped up, on the sensitive display, at a position that is predetermined pixels away from the position of hover or a tap of an object detected by the sensitive display. A menu for operation of a computer program is displayed responsive to such hover being detected above a predetermined location within a screen of the computer program on the sensitive display. An assistance object for assisting a tappable object to be tapped is displayed responsive to such hover being detected above the tappable object on the sensitive display. A tappable object is emphasized responsive to such hover being detected above the tappable object on the sensitive display.
US09116592B2

A data processing device includes an input unit including an input detection region, a detection unit, a partition region setting unit, a valid region setting unit, a longitudinal direction determination unit and a magnification determination unit. The detection unit detects input to the input detection region. The partition region setting unit partitions the input detection region into partition regions. The valid region setting unit sets, among said partitioned partition regions, a partition region in which input is detected as a valid region. The longitudinal direction determination unit determines a longitudinal direction of the valid region. The magnification determination unit determines a magnification for enlarging or reducing a size of a drawing corresponding to the input in the valid region, so that a width along a direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the valid region conforms to a width along a transverse direction of a printing medium.
US09116590B2

A 5-wire touch screen system includes a touch screen (10) including a wiper (11) and a resistive layer (16) aligned with the wiper and first (UL), second (UR), third (LR), and fourth (LL) resistive layer contacts, wherein a touch on the screen presses a small portion of the wiper against the resistive layer, producing a touch resistance (RZ) between them at a touch point on the resistive layer. The wiper and various contacts are selectively coupled to first (VDD) and second (GND) reference voltages, respectively, to generate an analog touch voltage (VZ) at the touch point. The wiper and various contacts are selectively coupled to an analog input (56) and a reference voltage input of an ADC (48) for converting the touch voltage (VZ) to a digital representation. Analog voltages (VX) and (VY) at the touch point are converted to corresponding digital representations by the ADC.
US09116574B2

A gesture detecting method is adapted to an optical touch device. The optical touch device includes an indication plane and two image sensing units disposed at two corners of one side of the indication plane. The gesture detecting method includes steps of sensing two images of a gesture by the two image sensing units, wherein the gesture is performed on the indication plane; determining whether at least two touch points exist in one of the two images; if at least two touch points exist in one of the two images, generating a quadrangle according to a far left boundary and a far right boundary of each of the two images; calculating a reference radius of a reference circle corresponding to the quadrangle; and determining whether the gesture is a grab gesture according to a variance of the reference radius.
US09116572B2

A touch input device configured to detect a touch input event and determine if the touch input event is caused by a floating object is provided. The touch input device includes one or more electrodes that scanned with a set of stimulation signals to first detect the presence of a touch event and then scanned with subsequent sets of stimulation signals in order to determine if the touch event is from a grounded object, a poorly grounded object, or a floating object.
US09116568B2

According to one embodiment, a liquid crystal display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a liquid crystal layer, and a common electrode. A first driving circuit and a second driving circuit output a scanning signal to a scanning line and alternately output a first auxiliary capacitive voltage and a second auxiliary capacitive voltage to a auxiliary capacitive line. A first switching circuit is connected to the first driving circuit and alternately switches between a first state and a second state. A second switching circuit is connected to the second driving circuit and alternately switches between the first state and the second state.
US09116566B2

A liquid crystal display having a touch screen panel (TSP) function includes a sensor unit formed on the first substrate; a first sensor wire disposed on the first substrate and a second sensor wire extending perpendicular to the first sensor wire, wherein the sensor unit includes a first sensor electrode connected to the first sensor wire and a second sensor electrode connected to the second sensor wire, wherein said first sensor electrode and said second sensor electrode connect when touched, and said first and second sensor wires confirm a touch position by transmitting a sensing current through the connection between the first sensor electrode and the second sensor electrode, a trench is formed near the sensor unit and a silicon protrusion pattern to increase the sensitivity of the touch screen panel.
US09116563B2

A system and method for connection management between a consumer device and a vehicle. The connection management is performed automatically using a computing device, e.g., an application executing on a smartphone. The system and method configure the vehicle and consumer device in a manner that the screen display of the consumer device is mirrored on a touch panel of the in-vehicle computer system and the consumer device is controlled remotely by the user using the touch panel of the in-vehicle computer system.
US09116557B2

An apparatus and method for supporting an eraser function of a digitizer pen in a digitizer system are provided. The method includes, if it is recognized that an eraser part of the digitizer pen gets contact on a reception device, determining a pressure of the eraser part contacting on a surface of the reception device and, according to the determined pressure, changing a frequency transmitted to the reception device.
US09116553B2

A method and apparatus for determining an indication of interaction in a direction towards a webcam. The method includes the steps of determining an object in a region of interest, determining a first size of the object in the region of interest and tracking the object in the region of interest. A second size of the object in the region of interest is then determined, and a push interaction is confirmed as having taken place if the ratio of the second size to the first size is greater than a predetermined value.
US09116552B2

A method, including receiving an input of a character from a virtual keyboard displayed on a display; generating at least two sets of predicted input characters based on the input character; displaying at least two of the generated sets of predicted input characters at an input field, wherein each displayed set is displayed at a position in a defined arrangement; and selecting one of the displayed sets of predicted input characters in accordance with a gesture received at a partition of the virtual keyboard is disclosed. An electronic device and a non-transitory computer-readable medium to perform the method are also disclosed.
US09116544B2

Aspects of a method and system for interfacing with an electronic device via respiratory and/or tactual input are provided. In this regard, respiratory and tactual input may be utilized to interact with an electronic device via a user interface. The user interface may comprise a control region that may enable navigating and selecting objects, a fixed region that may enable display of information that may be independent of a state of, or activity in, the control region, and a content region that may enable display of information that may depend on a state of, or activity in, the control region. Accordingly, objects and/or information displayed on the electronic device may be affected and/or manipulated via tactual and respiratory input. Additionally, each region of the user interface may comprise one or more zones and a size, shape, and/or location of each region may be customized by a user.
US09116535B2

A differential amplification circuit includes a first current control unit configured to control driving current in response to a voltage level difference between first input voltage and second input voltage, a second current control unit configured to control the driving current in response to a voltage level difference between the second input voltage independent from temperature and a temperature voltage depending on the temperature, and a signal output unit configured to generate a detection signal in response to the driving current.
US09116534B2

A DC-DC controller is provided. The DC-DC controller is connected to an output stage and a load, and the output stage is connected to the load through an output inductor. The DC-DC controller includes an error amplifier, a pulse width modulation (PWM) generation circuit and a compensation circuit. A first input terminal of the error amplifier is connected to one terminal of the output inductor. A second terminal of the error amplifier receives a reference voltage. The PWM generation circuit is connected to the error amplifier and provides a PWM signal to the output stage. The compensation circuit is at least connected to an output terminal of the error amplifier. The compensation circuit includes an adjustable capacitor circuit. The adjustable capacitor circuit adjusts an equivalent capacitance value according to a change of the load dynamically, so as to speed up a reaction rate in the transient response.
US09116519B2

Methods for creating high quality alarms raise EMS operator awareness to abnormal conditions in monitored assets across multiple sites in a single EMS software platform. An embodiment includes steps for accessing an alarm designer software tool that contains a library of alarm definitions and the ability to create new alarm definitions, clone and edit existing alarm definitions, lock alarm definitions and delete alarm definitions. Applicable data is defined using channel attributes identifying which channel or channels associated with the multiple monitored sites are to be evaluated for alarming conditions. The alarm frequency, trigger conditions, pending open duration, close conditions, and pending close duration are also defined. Alarms can trigger upon one or more channels' behavior over periods of time and conditional relationships between multiple channels. Close conditions for an alarm can be, but are not required to be, the resolution of the trigger conditions.
US09116516B2

Information from a real sensor and a virtual sensor are fused to form a hybrid sensor. Control signals (and/or the absolute value of the control signals) applied to an actuator are accumulated and converted to a position the actuator should be in based on the accumulated control signals to form the virtual sensor. The actuator position from the virtual sensor is fused with an actuator position from a real sensor to form the hybrid sensor. Small periodic corrections can be made to the accumulating control signals to maintain or achieve, if possible, correlation between the virtual sensor and the real sensor over time. The corrections slowly decrement errors in the actuator position indicated by the virtual sensor. Accumulating numerical errors in the accumulating control signals are reduced and the significance of long past events is de-emphasized by a forgetting factor (kff) used at defined periods of time (tff).
US09116507B2

A universal timepiece includes a manual mechanism to shift selectively some of geographical labels borne by a dial by 1/24th of a revolution, to make it possible to change, by one hour, local times associated with the geographical labels during a change from wintertime to summertime or from summertime to wintertime.
US09116501B2

An image forming apparatus, comprising: a frame body to which an attachment unit is detachably attachable, the attachment unit being configured to have an input electrode and to be used for image formation on a recording medium; a power source substrate configured to have an output electrode for outputting a voltage and to be attached to the frame body from an opposite side with respect to a side on which the attachment unit is attached; and a connection electrode configured to electrically connect the output electrode to the input electrode of the attachment unit, wherein the frame body comprises an insertion part into which the connection electrode is inserted from an opposite side with respect to a side on which the power source substrate is attached.
US09116500B2

An image forming apparatus includes a first housing, a second housing pivotable relative to the first housing in such a manner as to be located to an open position and a close position, a slider provided in one of the first and second housings configured to be slidable relative to the one in a slide moving direction, a connecting portion provided in the other of the housings; an arm member configured to connected each of the slider and the connecting portion to be pivotable relative to each of them, and an elastic member comprising a first engaging portion engaging with the slider and a second engaging portion engaging with the one of the housings. The elastic member applies, to the slider, a force in a direction in which the slider moves closer to the connecting portion, when the second housing is in the close position.
US09116494B2

A fixing device includes a rotatable, flexible fuser belt, a fuser pad, and a pressure member. The rotatable, flexible fuser belt is looped into a generally cylindrical configuration. The fuser pad extends in an axial, longitudinal direction thereof inside the loop of the fuser belt. The pressure member extends in the axial direction opposite the fuser pad with the fuser belt interposed between the fuser pad and the pressure member. The pressure member presses against the fuser pad through the fuser belt in a load direction to form a fixing nip therebetween, through which a recording medium is conveyed in a conveyance direction. The fuser pad includes an upstream section, a midstream section, and a downstream section having differing thicknesses is a load direction arranged in series from upstream to downstream in the conveyance direction.
US09116491B2

An image forming apparatus is disclosed that corrects a gradation of an image to be formed by detecting a gradation pattern. The image forming apparatus includes an image forming unit that transfers a correction toner image corresponding to the gradation pattern on a surface of an intermediate transfer medium and forms a correction image corresponding to the gradation pattern on a surface of a recording medium, a detection unit that detects the correction toner image and the correction image, and an image processing unit that corrects the gradation based on the detected correction toner image and the detected correction image.
US09116490B2

An image forming apparatus includes: an image forming unit; a housing configured to store the image forming unit, the housing including an outer peripheral wall; a power supply unit disposed inside the housing; and a near field communication board including an antenna for near field communication, the near field communication board being disposed at a position of the outer peripheral wall apart from the power supply unit by a communicable distance or more.
US09116486B2

A control device includes an acquiring unit acquiring code image data expressing a code image having dots arranged in an array that expresses information; a generating unit extracting the dots from the code image and generating patch image data expressing patch images having the dots orderly arranged in different densities; an image-formation control unit controlling an image forming unit so as to form the patch images based on the patch image data in accordance with a preset image forming condition by using an invisible toner; a measuring unit measuring densities of the patch images; and a changing unit changing the image forming condition if at least one measured density is outside a density range set according to a corresponding dot density based on a correspondence relationship between the measured densities and densities of the dots, so that all of the measured densities are set within the corresponding density ranges.
US09116484B2

An image forming apparatus comprises: a piezoelectric sensor that produces an variable output signal depending on the amount of infrared energy; a human body detecting device having a lens that forms a detecting area serving for detecting if the person enters; a peak detector that detects a peak of an output signal produced when the person enters the detecting area; an offset voltage judgment portion that judges if the output signal falls to the offset voltage after the peak; a moving direction judgment portion that judges the direction in which the person moves in the detecting area; and a mode controller that switches the power supply mode to a first mode if the power supply mode is found to be a second mode requiring less power than the first mode while the moving direction judgment portion judges that the person moves toward the image forming apparatus.
US09116474B2

An image forming apparatus includes: a fixing unit that heats and presses a recording sheet having a toner image formed thereon, by means of a fixing nip portion to thereby fix the toner image to the recording sheet; a translation section that translates the fixing unit in a direction that is orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording sheet; and a controlling section that controls the translation section so that the fixing unit is translated by a translation amount that is one-half of a value obtained by subtracting an image width of the toner image from a sheet width of the recording sheet.
US09116473B2

A fixing device employing resistance heating system includes: a fixing roller being loosely inserted into an endless fixing belt; a pressure member being in pressure-contact with the fixing belt to form fixing nip; meandering prevention members preventing the fixing belt from meandering; prevention member holders holding the meandering prevention members for rotation independently from the fixing roller. Each meandering prevention member has rotation center inside circle, where, when seen in rotation axis direction of the fixing roller, the circle has center coincident with midpoint between two focal points of ellipse approximating belt rotation path of the fixing belt, and has radius equal to distance from the center of the circle to straight line passing through rotation center of the fixing roller and center of the nip in rotational direction of the fixing roller.
US09116472B2

An image forming apparatus includes a first image forming portion that forms a toner image on a latent image carrier with a toner containing a flat pigment; and a second image forming portion that forms a toner image on a latent image carrier with a toner not containing the flat pigment. The toner images formed by these image forming portions are transferred to a toner image carrier or a recording medium. The average charge amount per particle of the toner containing the flat pigment is smaller than that of the toner not containing the flat pigment. A transfer width is larger than the particle diameter of the toner containing the flat pigment. A transfer current flowing between the latent image carrier of the second image forming portion and the toner image carrier or the recording medium is higher than or equal to a value required to form an electric field.
US09116466B2

A cartridge includes: a toner chamber; and a toner supplying chamber for supplying a toner through a developer supply opening communicating with the toner chamber. The toner chamber includes: a feeding portion, including a rotatable member and a feeding sheet connected with the rotatable member, for feeding the toner from the toner chamber to the toner supplying chamber; and a toner seal member, including a first end portion and a second end portion, for unsealing the toner supply opening by being wound up by the rotatable member. During start of unsealing of the toner supply opening, the feeding portion is located below a powder surface of the toner with respect to a direction of gravitation, and the feeding sheet is located in a position where the feeding sheet is contactable to an inner wall of the toner chamber.
US09116464B2

An image forming apparatus includes a latent image carrier carrying a latent image, a developing device visualizing the latent image utilizing a two-component developer, a supply device supplying toner according to a change in toner density in the two-component developer inside the developing device, and a control device having an input side connected to a density sensor detecting a value of the toner density and an image information acquisition device acquiring information on an image formed on the latent image carrier, and an output side connected to a driving device driving the supply device. When the detected value is higher than a target value of the toner density stored by the control device, the control device performs control to stop the driving device or drive the driving device to supply toner in an amount less than a combined toner supply amount of first and second toner supply amounts.
US09116463B2

A developing device including: a first seal member arranged between a housing and a layer thickness regulation blade, and a second seal member arranged between the housing and a developing roller, wherein the first seal member is arranged adjacent to the second seal member in a rotating direction of the developing roller, wherein the second seal member includes a first member contacting a circumferential surface of the developing roller and a second member arranged between the housing and the first member, wherein the second member includes a protruding portion that, in the rotating direction of the developing roller, protrudes more towards the first seal member than the first member, and wherein end portions of the first and second members in the rotating direction of the developing roller are respectively configured to contact with the first seal member.
US09116454B2

A density detection apparatus includes the following elements. An image forming unit forms density detection images having different area ratios. A measuring unit measures an amount of reflected light. A storage unit stores reference values and also stores a representative value thereof. A determining unit determines a threshold for the area ratios of the density detection images on the basis of a variation among the reference values. A density obtaining unit obtains, for a density detection image having an area ratio which exceeds the threshold, a density level by using the amount of light reflected by the density detection image and the representative value, and obtains, for a density detection image having an area ratio which is equal to or smaller than the threshold, a density level by using the amount of light reflected by the density detection image, the associated reference value, and the representative value.
US09116441B2

An illumination system of a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus can include at least one transmission filter which has a different transmittance at least at two positions and which is arranged between a pupil plane and a field plane. The transmittance distribution can be determined such that it has field dependent correcting effects on the ellipticity. In some embodiments the telecentricity and/or the irradiance uniformity is not affected by this correction.
US09116438B2

A method of correcting flare includes measuring flare of a test pattern, calculating point spread functions (PSFs) of the flare as a function of distance, and correcting the flare using corresponding PSFs for an influence range of the flare. The influence range is divided into a first range less than a predetermined distance and a second range equal to or greater than the predetermined distance, and corresponding PSFs are separately applied to the first and second ranges to correct the flare.
US09116437B2

A pattern forming method, including: (i) forming a film from a chemical amplification resist composition; (ii) exposing the film, so as to form an exposed film; and (iii) developing the exposed film by using a developer containing an organic solvent, wherein the chemical amplification resist composition contains: (A) a resin capable of decreasing a solubility of the resin (A) in the developer containing an organic solvent by an action of an acid; (B) a compound capable of generating an acid upon irradiation with an actinic ray or radiation; and (C) a basic, compound or ammonium salt compound whose basicity decreases upon irradiation with an actinic ray or radiation, and a resist composition used for the pattern forming method and a resist film formed from the resist composition are provided.
US09116433B2

In the field of photolithography and, notably, photolithography in the extreme ultraviolet, a photolithography method is provided in which a first mask blank is produced that can have defects, an individual mapping of the positions of the defects of this mask blank is established using an inspection machine, and, for each defect, an exclusion zone is defined around the defect. Then, two complementary masks are produced, one with the first mask blank and with the desired design pattern, except in the exclusion zones, the latter being black, the other with a second mask blank and with the desired design pattern parts in the exclusion zones, all the rest of the second mask being black. The exposure of the surface to be processed by photolithography is done in two successive steps using the two complementary masks.
US09116432B2

Multiple patterned exposures of a single layer of image reversal resist prior to and following image reversal processing, upon development, respond to the respective exposures as either a positive or a negative resist, allowing a desired shape of a resist structure to be built up from any of a number of combinations of primitive masks. Exploiting the image reversal resist in this manner allows several types of diffraction distortion to be entirely avoided and for many sophisticated lithographic processes to he reduced in complexity by one-half or more while any desired resist structure shape can be formed form a limited number of primitive mask patterns. A regimen, which may be automated as an executable algorithm for a computer may be followed to evaluate different combinations of masks which are valid to produce a desired resist structure shape and select the optimum mask pattern combination to do so.
US09116418B2

A ceiling mount for a security camera includes a back end located in a ceiling space when the ceiling mount is mounted, a front end located below the ceiling when the ceiling mount is mounted, and a spring-loaded clamp to clamp the ceiling mount to the ceiling. The spring-loaded clamp includes a spring connected to a force application member. The clamp can be locked in a loaded state before the mounting process begins. When in the loaded state the spring in the clamp is sufficiently deflected to allow the ceiling to pass between the front end and the force application member. During mounting, once the back end has been pushed into the ceiling space the clamp can be released from the loaded state, which allows the spring to push the force application member against the ceiling and secure the ceiling mount to the ceiling.
US09116411B2

A display device includes an active element array substrate, a display layer and a transparent shock absorption layer. The display layer is disposed on the active element array substrate. The transparent shock absorption layer is disposed on the display layer. The transparent shock absorption layer is formed by curing liquid adhesive material. A manufacturing method of display device is also provided.
US09116407B2

Embodiments of the present invention disclose an array substrate and a manufacturing method thereof and a display device. The array substrate comprises: gate scanning lines and data signal lines; pixel regions, defined by gate scanning lines and data signal lines; thin film transistors, each comprised in each of the pixel regions; pixel electrodes, each covering each of the pixel regions and comprising first and second pixel electrodes, wherein the pixel regions are divided into first and second pixel regions, the first and second pixel regions both are provided at intervals, and each of the first pixel regions is covered with a corresponding first pixel electrode, and the first and second pixel electrodes are respectively located in first and second layers, and each of the second pixel regions is covered with a corresponding second pixel electrode, and an insulating layer is provided between the first and second layers.
US09116402B2

An array substrate includes a gate line extending in a first direction, a source line extending in a second direction orthogonally crossing the first direction and an auxiliary capacitance line having a trunk portion extending in the first direction so as to cross the source line and a branch portion branched from the trunk portion and extending along the source line. A switching element includes a drain line arranged under the auxiliary capacitance line so as to face the trunk portion and the branch portion thereof. A pixel electrode includes a main pixel electrode extending substantially in parallel to the source line and a contact portion electrically connected with the drain line. A counter substrate includes a couple of main common electrodes extending substantially in parallel to the main pixel electrode on the both sides sandwiching the main pixel electrode.
US09116392B2

A liquid crystal display including a twisted nematic liquid crystal panel and first and second substrates with the twisted nematic liquid crystal panel arranged therebetween. A first biaxial retardation compensation film faces the first substrate and a second biaxial retardation compensation film faces the first biaxial retardation compensation film with the twisted nematic liquid crystal panel arranged therebetween.
US09116387B2

A backlight unit includes a chassis, a plurality of LED light sources, and a reflection member. The chassis includes a bottom plate and side plates, and has an opening on a front surface side. The LED light sources are arranged in a matrix on a front surface of the bottom plate of the chassis. The reflection member includes a plurality of through holes through which the respective LED light sources are passed and side wall portions having inclined surfaces on the sides thereof. The side wall portions provided in the end portion of the bottom plate of the chassis has a height greater than a height of the side wall portions provided in the middle portion of the bottom plate, and surround each of the LED light sources. The inclined surfaces lead light from the light sources toward the opening side of the chassis.
US09116384B2

A display device includes a light source unit generating light a display unit displaying an image using the light generated from the light source unit and a display part displaying a symbol, the display part disposed on the display unit, wherein the symbol is determined based on a type of the light source unit, a driving method of the light source unit or a luminance generated from the light source unit.
US09116379B2

An electronic display includes electrically conductive layers. An active layer is disposed between adjacent electrically conductive layers. The active layer includes cholesteric liquid crystal material. At least one transparent front substrate is disposed adjacent one of the electrically conductive layers near a front of the display. A semitransparent back layer absorbs light that passes through the active layer, reflects grey light or light of a color and is light transmitting. Electronic circuitry applies a voltage to the conductive layers that enables at least one of erasing or writing of the active layer.
US09116374B2

An electro-optical device includes: an electro-optical panel; and a casing supporting and protecting the electro-optical panel, wherein the casing has a first frame body made by die casting supporting the electro-optical panel through a fixing layer, a second frame body protecting a lower surface of the electro-optical panel, a third frame body protecting end edges of the electro-optical panel, and a fixing portion fixing the second frame body and the third frame body to each other by a clamping force working in a first direction, and the fixing portion or the second frame body has an interference portion preventing falling-off of the first frame body in a state where a force is not applied to the first frame body in the first direction.
US09116373B2

An LCD device is discussed. The LCD device includes: an LCD panel; a backlight unit configured to apply light to the LCD panel; a bottom cover configured to receive the LCD panel and the backlight unit and include a bottom surface, which supports the backlight unit, and bending processed hemming portions extended from 4 edges of the bottom surface; and a support main disposed between the bottom cover and the outsides of the LCD panel and the backlight unit, wherein the bottom cover further includes stepped portions positioned at both ends of the hemming portion and inwardly inclined at a fixed angle from the edge of the bottom surface.
US09116369B2

A liquid crystal display (LCD) device and a method of manufacturing the same are proposed. A first transparent conducting layer is disposed on a first via for forming a testing point. A second transparent conducting layer is disposed on a second via and a third via. The first transparent conducting layer is connected to the second transparent conducting layer. By means of the method of manufacturing, the first transparent conducting layer and the second transparent conducting layer are still connected to each other after a process of edge exposure. It ensures that the testing point could be connected to a first metallic wiring layer and a second metallic wiring layer, preventing the testing point from malfunctioning.
US09116360B2

A stereoscopic image display and a method of driving the same are disclosed. The stereoscopic image display includes shutter glasses including a left eye shutter and a right eye shutter that are alternately turned on and off in synchronization with a display device, a backlight unit that irradiates light to the display device and is periodically turned on and off, a controller that divides a first frame period into a first address period and a first vertical blanking period, divides a second frame period into a second address period and a second vertical blanking period, and controls so that durations of the first vertical blanking period and the second vertical blanking period are different from each other, and a driving circuit that supplies data to the display device during the first and second address periods under the control of the controller.
US09116355B2

An improved monocular/binocular bridge and helmet mounting device employing same for an optical device are provided. The mounting device herein includes a mount with a bridge attachment for providing multiple options for a monocular or binocular optical device and multiple options for moving the attached optical device to any of multiple stowed positions out of the user's line of sight when the optical device is not in use. The bridge attachment and multiple stow positions also allow the unit to be adapted for a variety of viewing devices.
US09116342B2

A light blocking member that is a light blocking structure disposed in an exit pupil position can remove in advance a light component of video image light that undergoes unintended reflection to avoid generation of ghost light and allows formation of a satisfactory image. Further, a projection lens and other components form an intermediate image in a prism, and the video image light totally reflected off at least two surfaces of the prism, a third surface, a first surface, and a second surface in this order, passes through the first surface and reaches an eye of a viewer, whereby the prism can be thin and the overall optical system can be compact and lightweight and provide wide angle, bright, high-performance display.
US09116336B2

A zoom lens includes, in order from the object side, a positive first lens unit which does not move for zooming or focusing, a negative second lens unit which moves during zooming, a positive third lens unit which moves during zooming, a negative fourth lens unit which moves during zooming and focusing, and a positive fifth lens unit which does not move for zooming or focusing. An aperture stop which does not move for zooming or focusing is arranged adjacent to the fourth lens unit. The focal lengths of the second, third, and fourth lens units, a zoom ratio of the zoom lens at infinity focus, the lateral magnification of the third lens unit at the wide angle end and the telephoto end at infinity focus, the lateral magnifications of the fourth and fifth lens units at the telephoto end at infinity focus are appropriately set.
US09116334B2

A variable magnification optical system consists of a positive first lens-group, a negative second lens-group, a positive third lens-group and a positive fourth lens-group in this order from an object side. The first lens-group and the third lens-group are fixed when magnification is changed from a wide-angle end to a telephoto end, and the magnification is changed from the wide-angle end to the telephoto end by moving the second lens-group toward an image side, and correction of an image plane and focusing, which have been necessitated by magnification change, are performed by moving the fourth lens-group. The first lens-group consists of two positive lenses and a negative lens in this order from the object side. The second lens-group consists of a negative 21st lens, a positive 22nd lens, a negative 23rd lens and a negative 24th lens in this order from the object side.
US09116329B2

An imaging lens in which a positive (refractive power) first lens group, positive second lens group, and negative third lens group are arranged in order from the object side to the image side. The first lens group includes a positive first lens having a convex object-side surface and a negative second lens having a concave image-side surface near the optical axis. The second lens group includes third and fourth lenses each having at least one aspheric surface. The third lens group includes a negative fifth lens having a concave object-side surface near the axis, a positive sixth lens having a convex image-side surface near the axis, and a negative seventh lens having a concave image-side surface near the axis. The lenses are not joined to each other and the seventh lens has an aspheric image-side surface whose shape changes from concave to convex as the distance from the axis increases.
US09116319B2

Disclosed is a photonic integrated circuit having a plurality of lenses and a method for making the same. The photonic integrated circuit is comprised of optical circuitry fabricated over an underlying circuitry layer. In some embodiments, the optical circuitry includes a dielectric material having recesses disposed within, layers of a light waveguide material deposited within the recesses, and lenses disposed over each layer of waveguide material. The underlying circuitry layer may include, for example, a semiconductor wafer as well as circuitry fabricated during front end of line (FEOL) semiconductor manufacturing such as, for example, sources, gates, drains, interconnects, contacts, resistors, and other circuitry that may be manufactured during FEOL processes. The underlying circuitry layer may also include circuitry manufactured during back end of line semiconductor manufacturing processes such as, for example, interconnect structures, metallization layers, and contacts.
US09116312B2

A lens element includes a main body and a light splitting member. The main body includes an end surface allowing optical fibers to optically connect to the main body, and a bottom surface facing toward optical signal emitting/receiving elements. The main body defines a groove. The groove includes a reflecting surface for reflecting optical signals between the optical signal emitting/receiving elements and the optical fibers. The light splitting member is positioned in a path of light emitted by the optical signal emitting/receiving elements, the light splitting member splits the light into two split light beams, and directs one of the split light beams to the optical fibers and directs the other of the split light beams to an optical detector.
US09116311B2

A circuit board includes a mounting surface and a number of connecting pads on the mounting surface. Each of the connecting pads defines a mounting area for mounting an element thereon. At least two of the connecting pads are substantially circular-shaped.
US09116304B2

A planar or cylindrical, cantilever-type apparatus including a rigid support. The apparatus further includes a first optical fiber connected to the rigid support, the first optical fiber including a first neutral axis and at least one first wave-guiding core running parallel to the first neutral axis and located at a distance from the first neutral axis, each of the at least one first wave-guiding core including at least one first reflector. The apparatus further includes a first membrane surrounding the first optical fiber; and a first liquid inside the first membrane and surrounding the first optical fiber, the first liquid including a Reynolds number less than one.
US09116301B2

Described herein are polarizing articles and methods of making the same. The methods are useful in preparing polarizing articles having high durability and increased polarizing efficiency. The polarizing articles are useful in any article where it is desirable to reduce or remove glare.
US09116294B2

A waveguide lens includes a substrate, a planar waveguide, a media grating, and a pair of electrode. The planar waveguide is formed on the substrate and configured to couple with a laser light source that emits a laser beam into the planar waveguide along an optical axis. The media grating is formed on the planar waveguide and arranged symmetrically about a widthwise central axis that is collinear with the optical axis. The electrodes are formed on the substrate, positioned at two opposite sides of the waveguide lens, and arranged symmetrically about the optical axis.
US09116293B2

A reflective structure includes an input/output port and an optical splitter coupled to the input/output port. The optical splitter has a first branch and a second branch. The reflective structure also includes a first resonant cavity optically coupled to the first branch of the optical splitter. The first resonant cavity comprises a first set of reflectors and a first waveguide region disposed between the first set of reflectors. The reflective structures further includes a second resonant cavity optically coupled to the second branch of the optical splitter. The second resonant cavity comprises a second set of reflectors and a second waveguide region disposed between the second set of reflectors.
US09116292B2

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical waveguide module which has a small optical coupling loss between the light element and the optical waveguide and can perform high-quality optical communication, a method for producing the optical waveguide module with high efficiency, and an electronic apparatus which includes the optical waveguide module and can perform high-quality optical communication, and the present invention provides an optical waveguide module including: an optical waveguide including a core portion, a clad portion that is provided to cover a side surface of the core portion, and an optical path-converting unit that is provided partway along the core portion or on an extended line of the core portion and that converts an optical path of the core portion to the outside of the clad portion; an optical element that is provided over the clad portion; a circuit board that is provided between the optical waveguide and the optical element and has a through-hole formed along an optical path connecting between the optical path-converting unit and the optical element; and a sealing portion that is transparent and is formed in a gap between the optical element and the circuit board; wherein a part of the sealing portion is inserted into the through-hole, and an inserted portion of the sealing portion functions as a lens for converging signal light passing though the optical path.
US09116287B2

The lens structure comprises a first barrel, a second barrel and a third barrel. The second barrel has a first guiding groove and comprises a first pin. The third barrel has a second guiding groove and a second pin. The first barrel is rotatably disposed outside of the third barrel, and the second barrel is translatably but not rotatably disposed inside of the third barrel. The first pin of the second barrel slides along the second guiding groove of the third barrel, and the second pin of the third barrel slides along the first guiding groove of the second barrel.
US09116280B2

The holding frame is equipped for holding at least one optical element, the holding frame consisting of an opaque material.
US09116249B1

An apparatus for detecting radiation is provided. In embodiments, at least one sensor medium is provided, of a kind that interacts with radiation to generate photons and/or charge carriers. The apparatus also includes at least one electrode arrangement configured to collect radiation-generated charge from a sensor medium that has been provided. The apparatus also includes at least one photodetector configured to produce an electrical output in response to photons generated by radiation in such a sensor medium, and an electronic circuit configured to produce an output that is jointly responsive to the collected charge and to the photodetector output. At least one such electrode arrangement, at least one such photodetector, and at least one such sensor medium are combined to form an integral unit.
US09116248B2

One or more techniques and/or systems described herein provide for a detector array having an effective size that is larger than its actual size of its elements, thus reducing costs by reducing materials required. In one embodiment, one or more channels of the detector array are removed (e.g., and filled with a radiation absorbing material) to create what may be referred to as a sparse array. In another embodiment, one or more channels of a detector array comprise a detection portion and a dead space (e.g., filled with a radiation absorbing material). In yet another embodiment, one or more channels of a detector array comprise light focusing mechanisms configured to focus light from a scintillator portion of an indirect conversion detector array to a photodetector portion of the detector array, where a detection surface area of the photodetector is less than a detection surface area of the scintillator.
US09116232B2

A test system for performing over the air testing on a device under test (DUT) with satellite navigation system capability is provided. The test system may include a test host, a satellite navigation system emulator, a test chamber in which the DUT may be placed during testing, and test antennas mounted inside the test chamber. The satellite navigation system emulator may receive ephemeris and almanac data and may generate corresponding simulated test signals to be transmitted to the DUT via the test antennas. The test antennas may be mounted on fixed or rotatable ring-shaped antenna mounting structures configured to emulate respective orbital planes in a given satellite constellation that is currently being characterized. The DUT may also be rotated during testing to emulate user movement.
US09116230B2

Determining, with utilization of environmental sensor data, a floor in a building that the mobile computer is located is disclosed. The mobile computer may track indoor position on the floor with a combination of Wi-Fi related position data and an estimated distance traveled determined with accelerometer data. The mobile computer may also determine an area on the floor where the mobile computer is located.
US09116223B1

A variety of methods, systems, devices and arrangements are implemented for emergency call centers. According to one such method, a location database is populated from a plurality of endpoint devices. The location database determines locations for nodes in a data transmission route from information received from the endpoint devices. Emergency calls using these nodes are located using the populated database.
US09116218B2

A system for magnetic resonance (MR) spectroscopy includes a plurality of gradient coils positioned about a bore of a magnet and an RF coil assembly coupled to a pulse generator to emit RF pulse sequences and arranged to receive resulting MR signals from a subject of interest. A system control is also included in the MR spectroscopy system and is coupled to the plurality of gradient coils and the RF coil assembly. The system control is programmed to cause the RF coil assembly to emit a first RF pulse and a second RF pulse, wherein at least one of the first and second RF pulses is spectrally selective and at least one of the first and second RF pulses is spatially selective. The system control is also programmed to cause the RF coil assembly to emit a third RF pulse after a pre-defined time delay to generate a stimulated echo and detect MR signals resulting from the stimulated echo.
US09116210B2

Systems and methods of testing integrated circuits are disclosed. The systems include a test module configured to operate between automated testing equipment and an integrated circuit to be tested. The testing interface is configured to test the integrated circuit at a higher slew rate than the slew rate at which signals are received from the automated testing equipment.
US09116204B2

An all-digital delay measurement circuit (DMC) constructed on an integrated circuit (IC) die characterizes clocking circuits such as full phase rotation interpolators, also constructed on the IC die. The on-die all-digital DMC produces a digital output value proportional to the relative delay between two clocks, normalized to the clock period of the two clocks.
US09116200B2

Methodologies and test configurations are provided for testing thermal interface materials and, in particular, methodologies and test configurations are provided for testing thermal interface materials used for testing integrated circuits. A test methodology includes applying a thermal interface material on a device under test. The test methodology further includes monitoring the device under test with a plurality of temperature sensors. The test methodology further includes determining whether any of the plurality of temperature sensors increases above a steady state.
US09116196B2

One embodiment of the present invention relates to a vertical Hall-effect device. The device includes at least two supply terminals arranged to supply electrical energy to the first Hall-effect region; and at least one Hall signal terminal arranged to provide a first Hall signal from the first Hall-effect region. The first Hall signal is indicative of a magnetic field which is parallel to the surface of the semiconductor substrate and which acts on the first Hall-effect region. One or more of the at least two supply terminals or one or more of the at least one Hall signal terminal comprises a force contact and a sense contact.
US09116194B2

There is provided a connector inspection system. A connector housing to be inspected includes reference flat surfaces formed by straight extending in an insertion direction of a connecting terminal in a top side outer peripheral region of a terminal receiving part so as not to overlap with a mounting range of a packing attachment surface, and an inspection jig includes guide flat surfaces for slidably making surface contact with the reference flat surfaces in the case of inserting a detecting pin into a hole for inspection of the connector housing, and a position and a direction of insertion of the inspection jig into the connector housing are regulated by sliding contact between the reference flat surfaces and the guide flat surfaces.
US09116190B2

An apparatus for observing turns and twists in magnetic phenomena including a nonferrous box, a stationary platform set in the middle of the box with a post to support a magnet, a right-hand and a left-hand screws united with coupling and having moving platforms at equal distance from the middle fixed platform with posts to support the specimen, the specimen poized by the magnetic field, and to hover the specimen move the platforms back and forth in continuous and intermittent motions, dc stepper motor to provide the motion, and controlled by power supply, push button switches, and limit switches.
US09116185B2

Signal filtering removes effects of a periodic, low-frequency noise signal from a signal of interest. A signal waveform is sampled at different points of a number of consecutive periodic noise signal cycles and the collected samples are averaged to produce a corrected signal. The number of consecutive cycles in which samples are taken and averaged is inversely related to the signal amplitude such that as the signal level decreases, the number of cycles examined increases. Improved RMS calculations are obtained for filtering low-frequency random noise from Hall sensors by averaging samples at different points of a signal cycle to create a composite desired signal cycle to facilitate other signal calculations.
US09116178B1

A circuit tester for testing operation of an electrical receptacle includes a speaker that generates an audible signal when a voltage is present at the electrical receptacle. A cap on the end of the circuit tester includes openings on the side through which the audible signal may pass. The cap may be rotated on/off the housing such that the openings on the side of the cap move along the side of the circuit tester and become partly or fully obstructed by the side of the circuit tester, thereby varying the volume of the audible signal.
US09116177B2

A resistance measuring circuit includes a current generating component, a current control component, and a voltage measurement component. The magnitude of a target resistance can be measured by connecting the target resistance between first and second measurement terminals of the resistance measuring circuit, applying a current generated by the current generating component to the target resistance, and determining the voltage across the target resistance. When no target resistance is connected between the first and second measurement terminals, the current control component controls the current generating component to reduce current consumption of the resistance measuring circuit.
US09116163B2

A displacement measuring apparatus including: a first light detector including a first emitter illuminating optically identifiable marks disposed on a moving body, and a first light receiver detecting light through the marks; a second light detector including a second emitter illuminating the marks and a second light receiver detecting light through the marks, wherein the second light detector is arranged at a predetermined interval from the first light detector in a moving direction of the moving body; an identical point detecting unit detecting a first timing at which the first and second light detector detecting an identical mark among the marks, and a second timing; a velocity calculating unit calculating a velocity of the moving body by using the first and second timing determined by the identical point detecting unit; and a time-sharing light emitting unit allowing the first and second emitter to emit the light in a time-sharing manner.
US09116159B2

The invention provides a method for determining the level of VEGF-A121 isoform in a sample by selectively removing the VEGF-A165 isoform from the sample using a neuropilin-1 pull-down procedure, then determining the total amount of VEGF-A remaining afterward. The invention provides methods of treating a patient suffering from a disease which may benefit from the administration of a VEGF antagonist by determining the level of VEGF-A121 in the patient's circulation. Methods of diagnosis, prognosis, monitoring, and patient stratification are also provided.
US09116155B2

The invention relates to methods for the early diagnosis of Acute Coronary Syndrome.
US09116146B2

A method of determining the concentration of a test fluid sample using a paper-based microfluidic system having a plurality of hydrophilic testing zones, including: a) depositing said test fluid sample on at least one said testing zone; b) depositing a plurality of standard fluid samples or reactives of differing known concentrations on other said testing zones; c) introducing an indicator solution to each said test zone to thereby react with the deposited fluid sample and result in a color intensity change which is a function of the fluid sample concentration; and d) comparing the differences in color intensity between the test fluid sample and the standard fluid samples or reactives to thereby determine the concentration of said test fluid sample.
US09116135B2

A surface pattern detecting method includes: capturing a surface image of a sample element to be detected, wherein the surface image containing N grayscale pixels and wherein the N is a positive integer; selecting f×N pixels with small grayscale value based on a selection ratio f in order to define a pattern zone and further calculating a pattern mean of the pattern zone based on pixel amount and grayscale value of the pattern zone; selecting f×N pixels with big grayscale value in order to define a background zone and further calculating a background mean of the background zone based on pixel amount and grayscale value of the background zone; and determining whether the surface image has a defect based on the pattern means of the pattern zone and the background mean of the background zone.
US09116133B2

An imaging system for inspecting an inner surface bounding a component bore is provided along with a method of inspection therewith. The system includes a laser light source configured to emit a laser beam. Further, a camera is configured to image a reflection of the laser beam from the inner surface. At least a first minor is disposed within the bore. The laser light source is configured to emit the laser beam directly from the laser light source in substantially parallel relation to the central axis incident on the first mirror and the camera is configured to view a reflection of the laser beam from the inner surface.
US09116131B2

A method and device for the detection and monitoring of the contamination of an optical component in a device for laser material processing, which emits a process laser beam through or onto the optical component. A measurement beam emitted by a light source is projected under an angle of incidence onto an optical surface of the optical component. The beam reflected from the outer surface of the protective window under the angle of reflection corresponding to the angle of incidence is conducted through an aperture stop onto a first light-sensitive detector so as to record the intensity of the reflected beam. The intensity of the scattered radiation, scattered diffusely from the optical surface of the component under a scattering angle, is recorded by a second light-sensitive detector. The degree of the contamination of the component is determined from the recorded intensities of the reflected beam and the scattered radiation.
US09116128B2

Micro-cavity resonant sensors have outer surfaces that are functionalized using click chemistry, e.g., involving a cycloaddition reaction of an alkyne functional group and an azide functional group. A first polymer linking element binds to an outer surface of the micro-cavity and has an azide functional group, which bonds to an alkyne functional group of a second polymer linking element as a result of a cycloaddition reaction. A functionalization element such as an antibody, antigen or protein for sensing a target molecule is bound to the second linking element.
US09116124B2

Systems and methods for controlling fluids in microfluidic systems are generally described. In some embodiments, control of fluids involves the use of feedback from one or more processes or events taking place in the microfluidic system. For instance, a detector may detect one or more fluids at a measurement zone of a microfluidic system and one or more signals, or a pattern of signals, may be generated corresponding to the fluid(s). In some cases, the signal or pattern of signals may correspond to an intensity, a duration, a position in time relative to a second position in time or relative to another process, and/or an average time period between events. Using this data, a control system may determine whether to modulate subsequent fluid flow in the microfluidic system. In some embodiments, these and other methods can be used to conduct quality control to determine abnormalities in operation of the microfluidic system.
US09116115B2

An apparatus for determining the homogeneity of a fluid flow in a pipe, such as a reducing-agent flow in an exhaust-gas pipe of an internal combustion engine, including a transmitter arranged on a light-transmissive region of the pipe and a diametrically opposite detector. The transmitter and detector being coupled such that they are rotatable through an angle of 360° about a rotational axis which is located substantially in the axis of symmetry of the pipe. The transmitter and the detector are rotated through at least 360° about the rotational axis, thus capturing an intensity of the detected light over the rotation angle, and from this a homogeneity of the fluid flow is deduced.
US09116104B2

An apparatus and method for measuring the concentrations of oil, water and/or hydrates in a multiphase production fluid flow comprises measuring the complex permitivities, both real and imaginary parts, of the flow at at least two frequencies. One dispersive and one non-dispersive frequency are used. In one embodiment at least three frequencies may be selected, one of which is below about 1 MHz while the other two are within the dispersive and non-dispersive ranges for water. In this embodiment water may be distinguished from hydrates and both measured simultaneously.
US09116103B2

An apparatus includes (i) a bright light source for providing an illumination beam at multiple wavelengths selectable with a range from a deep ultraviolet wavelength to an infrared wavelength, (ii) illumination optics for directing the illumination beam towards a sample at selectable sets of angles of incidence (AOI's) or azimuth angles (AZ's) and polarization states to provide spectroscopic ellipsometry, wherein the illumination optics include an apodizer for controlling a spot size of the illumination beam on the sample at each of the selectable AOI/AZ sets, (iii) collection optics for directing an output beam from the sample in response to the illumination beam at each of the selectable AOI/AZ sets and polarization states towards a detector that generates an output signal or image based on the output beam, and (v) a controller for characterizing a feature of the sample based on the output signal or image.
US09116086B2

A method for depositing a protective layer of material on a localized area on a substrate, such as a pattern of photo resist, includes forming a controlled environment around the substrate and positioning a hollow needle adjacent to the localized area on the substrate. A liquid comprising the material is directed through the hollow needle onto the localized area, so as to deposit a layer of the material on the localized area. The layer of material may act as a Z-contrast forming layer in TEM.
US09116077B2

Disclosed are a method and a system for estimating food commodity intakes. The method includes (a) obtaining a food intake of a food searched as a subject to be estimated for food commodity intake based on food intake database, (b) obtaining a material mix ratio of the food searched based on the material mix ratio database and estimating a material mix ratio intake using the food intake, (c) detecting whether or not the material contained in the material mix ratio intake estimation results is a food commodity, (d) accumulating a weight data of the material that is detected to be a food commodity among the materials obtained from the material mix ratio intake estimation results, (e) repeatedly performing operations (b) to (d) on materials that are not food commodities, until all of the materials contained in the material mix ratio intake estimation results become food commodities, and (f) summing the accumulated weight data of each food commodity to estimate a food commodity intake of the food, when all of the materials contained in the material mix ratio intake estimation results are food commodities. According to the present invention, more accurate food intake data can be conveniently estimated by converting all ingredients of mixed foods into food commodities.
US09116076B2

An exemplary optical transmission system comprises an optical subassembly (OSA) coupled to an optical receiver via an optical fiber. The OSA comprises a laser diode configured to transmit optical signals across the optical fiber, and the OSA further comprises an avalanche photodiode (APD) configured to receive optical return signals from the optical fiber. The system further comprises a crosstalk canceller configured to estimate an amount of electrical crosstalk affecting measurements of the return signals in order to cancel such crosstalk from measurements of subsequent optical signals received by the APD.
US09116057B2

An integrated reference vacuum pressure sensor with an atomic layer deposition (ALD) coated input port comprises a housing with an port for a media to enter the housing; a substrate and stress isolation member in the housing; wherein a channel extends through the substrate and the stress isolation member, wherein a trace is embedded within the stress isolation member, wherein stress isolation member and substrate surfaces exposed to the channel are coated with an ALD; a sensor die bonded to the stress isolation member, the sensor die comprising a diaphragm having circuitry, wherein a side of the diaphragm is exposed to the channel and the circuitry is mounted to another side of the diaphragm; a via extending through the sensing die electrically connecting the circuitry to the trace; and a cover bonded to the stress isolation member, the cover having a recess, the sensor die in the recess.
US09116056B2

A transducer assembly configured to accommodate a plurality of individually tunable sensing elements of various geometries and configurations by using a cap and an accompanying capillary tube. The configuration of the various embodiments described herein eliminate the header to flat plate welds of the prior art, and therefore better accommodates a plurality of sensing elements and corresponding header assemblies within one transducer assembly.
US09116049B2

A thermal sensor system which includes a thermal sensor and a voltage control network which applies a reference voltage level and a delta voltage level to the same or different thermal sensors. The thermal sensor develops a reference current signal in response to the reference voltage level and a delta current signal in response to the delta voltage level. A current gain network adjusts gain of the delta current signal. A current compare sensor, which is responsive to the reference current signal and the delta current signal, provides a comparison metric. A controller controls the current gain network to adjust gain of the delta current signal while monitoring the comparison metric to determine a gain differential value indicative of a current ratio between the current signals. The controller determines a temperature value based on the gain differential value. A LUT may be used to retrieve the temperature.
US09116046B2

In various embodiments a device is provided. The device includes an integrated circuit that includes one or more photodetector elements and a blocking structure monolithically integrated with the one or more photodetector elements. The one or more photodetector elements are arranged relative to the blocking structure such that electrical currents provided by the one or more photodetector elements in response to electromagnetic waves received by the one or more photodetector elements are indicative of a direction to a source providing the electromagnetic waves.
US09116045B2

A UV exposure dosimetry system includes at least one UV sensor that accurately measures the UV irradiance intensity. The UV dosimetry system integrates the measured UV irradiance intensity over time to calculate the real-time UV dosage and the vitamin D production by taking into account factors comprising UV sensor location, body surface area, clothing coverage, and the effective sun protection factor of the applied sunscreen. Based on the measurement, the system can predict the time remaining to skin burn and the time remaining to reach daily goal of vitamin D production. The UV dosimetry system supports multi-user control through an advanced and user friendly input and output interface.
US09116041B1

A thermal imaging system includes at least one light source in the line of sight of at least one substance of interest. At least one thermal imager is in the line of sight of the substance of interest and is associated with the light source. The light source is configured to selectively transmit infrared wavelengths in the range of about 2 to 25 microns to irradiate the substance of interest. The thermal imager is configured to detect thermal responses of the irradiated substance of interest.
US09116037B2

An infrared detector (301) is provided which comprises a pyroelectric detector (303) having first and second sensing elements (345), an aperture stop (311), and a Fresnel lens array (305). The detector may be used as a passive infrared sensor unit for detecting intrusion into large openings.
US09116035B2

A method of estimating an in-focus level of a target in an image scanning apparatus, wherein the image scanning apparatus comprises a first line scan detector configured to obtain one or more image scan lines of the target and a second line scan detector configured to obtain one or more focus scan lines of the target, the second line scan detector comprising at least one focus shifting element such that each focus scan line is obtained at respective first and second focus levels, wherein the first focus level is different from the second focus level, the method comprising: obtaining at least one focus scan line of the target using the second line scan detector; obtaining at least one image scan line of the target using the first line scan detector, the image scan line being obtained at a respective third focus level; calculating at least one focus parameter using the at least one focus scan line; and estimating a nominal in-focus level of the target using the at least one focus parameter.
US09116029B2

An optical level sensor mounted to a ceiling of a tank includes a sensor tube. The sensor tube is provided with support and guidance elements extending with at least three radially distributed positions inside the tank. The support and guidance elements collect, support, and guide optical fibers to different heights of the tank. Each optical fiber has a number of input sides and a number of turns forming sensor heads between two input sides, for a different level. The corresponding support and guidance element bends the fiber in the turns forming sensor heads of a small radius r around at least one corresponding guideway.
US09116027B2

A flow meter comprises a flow tube, a magnetic switch and an adjustment assembly. The flow tube has two ends screwed respectively with a first fastening member and a second fastening member, and includes a jutting seat, a sleeve, a magnetic element and an elastic element inside. The magnetic switch is located on a lateral surface of the flow tube, and includes a magnetic induction member disposed inside to form magnetic induction with the magnetic element and a first gear rack. The adjustment assembly engages with the first gear rack for control. When the sleeve is pushed by liquid to generate displacement alteration, distance between the magnetic induction member and sleeve can be quickly adjusted by the adjustment assembly. In the event that the magnetic element in the sleeve exceeds the limit range of the magnetic induction member, a notice is sent to shut down electric power.
US09116016B2

A system for locating a downhole apparatus comprises a wellbore having an interior pressure cavity, wherein the apparatus is disposed in the pressure cavity, a magnetic device for generating a magnetic field in the pressure cavity, and a magnetic field indicator disposed external to the pressure cavity, the magnetic field indicator responsive to the magnetic field in the pressure cavity, wherein the magnetic field is indicative of a position of the apparatus in the pressure cavity.
US09116014B2

The present disclosure enables comparison of an energy consuming propensity of each energy consumer with that of other energy consumers. To this end, energy usage information of each energy consumer and comparison conditions (size of house, the number of families, energy consuming regions) are collected, and energy consuming propensities of other energy consumers are compared with energy consuming propensity of each energy consumer similar in terms of living environment, and the comparison is shown. A variety of statistical information for comparison is provided through an IHD (In-Home Display) installed at each house, whereby the energy consumers can easily and conveniently evaluate his own energy consuming propensity. An objective evaluation of his or her position related to energy consumption of other energy consumers promotes more active energy conservation and more rational energy consumption by being stimulated by the energy consumption of other energy consumers.
US09116009B2

One particular example includes a system, comprising a processor and a memory to store instructions that when executed by the processor performs operations, comprising displaying a map of a first area on a display; receiving an instruction to designate a second area on the map to be avoided; displaying the second area to be avoided on the map; and generating a route from a first point to a second point, where the route does not go through the second area to be avoided.
US09116002B2

A location aware device includes a navigation system and one or more environment sensors. Sensor output(s) are aggregated and used to determine a context for the location aware device. Based on the determined context, context data is generated and provided to a navigation engine where it can be used to determine a navigation solution.
US09116001B2

A mobile device compensates for a lack of a time stamp when an image frame is captured by estimating the frame time stamp latency. The mobile device captures images frames and time stamps each frame after the frame time stamp latency. A vision based rotation is determined from a pair of frames. A plurality of inertia based rotations is measured using time stamped signals from an inertial sensor in the mobile device based on different possible delays between time stamping each frame and time stamps on the signals from the inertial sensors. The determined rotations may be about the camera's optical axis. The vision based rotation is compared to the plurality of inertia based rotations to determine an estimated frame time stamp latency, which is used to correct the frame time stamp latency when time stamping subsequently captured frames. A median latency determined using different frame pairs may be used.
US09115998B2

A tracking system is provided for tracking objects. A first and a second trackable member each have an inertial sensor unit producing at least orientation-based data. A processing unit receives the orientation-based data from the trackable members. The processing unit has an orientation calculator calculating an orientation of the second trackable member with respect to the first trackable member from the orientation-based data of the trackable members, whereby the processing unit calculates an orientation of the objects. A method for tracking objects is also provided.
US09115994B2

Systems and methods for sideband heterodyning detection are provided. In certain embodiments a system includes an optical resonator configured to allow light to resonate therein; at least one light source that is controlled to form multiple optical fields, wherein each field is phase or frequency modulated at a common modulation frequency and is at a different frequency. The system also comprises multiple heterodyne modulators that phase or frequency modulate a respective field in the multiple fields at a respective heterodyne frequency to form multiple sidebands, wherein the corresponding heterodyne frequency is different for each heterodyne modulator; at least one coupler that couples the multiple sidebands into the optical resonator; and a feedback control that is configured to detect the multiple sidebands transmitted out of the resonator to create multiple detected sideband signals and adjust frequencies of the plurality of fields based on the multiple detected sideband signals.
US09115990B2

A geospatial and image data collection system includes a laser source configured to direct laser radiation toward a geospatial area, and an image sensor. The image sensor is configured to be operable in a first sensing mode to sense reflected laser radiation from the geospatial area representative of three dimensional (3D) geospatial data, and a second sensing mode to sense ambient radiation from the geospatial area representative of two dimensional (2D) image data. In addition, a controller is configured to operate the image sensor in the first and second sensing modes to generate the 3D geospatial data and 2D image data registered therewith.
US09115987B2

An optical metrology device simultaneously detects light with multiple angles of incidence (AOI) and/or multiple azimuth angles to determine at least one parameter of a sample. The metrology device focuses light on the sample using an optical system with a large numerical aperture, e.g., 0.2 to 0.9. Multiple channels having multiple AOIs and/or multiple azimuth angles are selected simultaneously by passing light reflected from the sample through a plurality of pupils in a pupil plate. Beamlets produced by the plurality of pupils are detected, e.g., with one or more spectrophotometers, to produce data for the multiple AOIs and/or multiple azimuth angles. The data for multiple AOI and/or multiple azimuth angles may then be processed to determine at least one parameter of the sample, such as profile parameters or overlay error.
US09115985B2

An inner surface shape measuring apparatus that measures an inner surface shape of a tested object by using a light-section method includes: a projection section which includes an outer peripheral section having a tubular shape and having a slit that light is capable of penetrating and that is provided in a circumferential direction, and a light source unit having a light-emitting element and arranged in the outer peripheral section, the projection section projecting a luminous flux that has a predetermined thickness from the slit onto the tested object; and an imaging section which images the inner surface of the tested object with the luminous flux projected thereon.
US09115984B2

A method of generating height information in a circuit board inspection apparatus, first, obtaining a first image corresponding to a first area and a second image corresponding to a second area with partially overlapped to the first area of a test board. Next, the first image and the second image are matched based on the overlapped area of the first and second area. Sequentially, a relative positional relationship of the first and second images is obtained from the result of matching. Sequentially, a combined grid image is generated by combining the first grid image and the second grid image based on the relative positioning relationship, wherein the first and second grid images are obtained by irradiating a grid patterned light toward a measurement object formed on the board inspection apparatus. Therefore, it is possible to generate an exact height information.
US09115982B2

An interchangeable chromatic range sensor (CRS) probe for a coordinate measuring machine (CMM). The CRS probe is capable of being automatically connected to a CMM under program control. In one embodiment, in order to make the CRS probe compatible with a standard CMM auto exchange joint, all CRS measurement light transmitting and receiving elements (e.g., the light source, wavelength detector, optical pen, etc.) are included in the CRS probe assembly. The CRS probe assembly also includes an auto exchange joint element that is attachable through a standard auto exchange joint connection to a CMM. In one embodiment, in order to provide the required signals through the limited number of connections of the standard CMM auto exchange joint (e.g., 13 pins), a low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) serializer may be utilized for providing additional control and data signals on two signal lines.
US09115972B2

An imaging apparatus adjusts the polarization directions of irradiation beams (to a diffraction grating) corresponding to first and second beams respectively which have different polarization directions (for example, by adjusting a relative angle formed between light-emitting ends of respective polarization maintaining fibers) so that the spectral characteristics of the irradiation beams at the diffraction grating coincide with each other. Then, the imaging apparatus acquires a tomographic image indicating polarization information for a object based on beams (that come from the diffraction grating for splitting and diffracting a beam from the adjustment unit) corresponding to the first and second beams respectively which have different polarization directions.
US09115969B2

In another embodiment of the present invention, an organizer assembly includes an article holding body and a mounting structure. The article holding body has a first body segment, a second body segment and a hinge segment connected between the first body segment and the second body segment. The first body segment, the second body segment and the hinge segment jointly define opposing major faces of the article holding body. An ammunition magazine holding structure, a shotgun shell holding structure, an article containment pocket and a canister holding structure are provided on a first one of the opposing major faces. The mounting structure is selectively attachable to and detachable from the first body segment at a second one of the opposing major faces.
US09115966B2

A spherical pellet marking round for gas propelled guns, such as airsoft electric guns and gas blow back guns, allows a user or military/law enforcement trainees to actually view a mark when they hit their opponent. The marking round is heavier than conventional gas propelled gun rounds, allowing for more reliable breaking on target. The marking round has a hard, brittle shell and is sized for the gun or rifle type. The marking round can include colored marking material, ultraviolet, infrared, forward looking infrared (FLIR) and luminous “glow-in-the-dark” shells for tracer versions. An oversized wedge can be used in production that allows for heavier weighted fill material to be used.
US09115963B2

A booster explosive (10) is comprised of assembled components comprising a canister body (12, 112) having a fuse tunnel (22) formed integrally therewith and a separate cap well (14, 114) mounted within the canister body (12, 112) which is filled with a solid cast explosive (34). The connector end (14c, 114c, 214c) of cap well (14, 114) is configured to engage cap well mounting fixture (28, 128) disposed within the canister body (12, 112). Cap well mounting fixture (28, 128) has a flexible and resilient crown-shaped locking member (28a, 128a) formed integrally therewith and is otherwise configured to positively retain a detonator (16, 116) within the cap well (14, 114). More than one cap well (214a, 214b, 214a′, 214b′) and more than one fuse tunnel (222a, 222b, 222a′, 222b′) may be provided in the canister body (212, 212′).
US09115958B2

A system for aiming a projectile weapon includes a telescopic sight for use with a second sighting device, such as a reflex sight or other non-magnifying sight. The telescopic sight has an eye point spaced apart rearwardly from its eyepiece and positioned at a vertical plane containing a line of initial trajectory of the weapon to which the aiming system is mounted so that a line parallel to the line of initial trajectory does not intersect the eyepiece. The location of the eye point facilitates concurrent use of a second sighting device at a normal mounting height and viewable past the eyepiece, thereby allowing the viewer to change views between the telescopic sight and the second sighting device with little eye movement and essentially no head movement.
US09115955B2

Frames for displaying 3D and/or user-selected pieces of artwork and related methods. Some frames comprise frame and rail engagement portions. The frame portions display the artwork and further comprise bodies defining curvilinear cross-sections and display areas on exterior surfaces of the bodies. The rail-engagement portions can couple to the frame portions and further comprise ridges. The ridges extend away from interior surfaces of the frame bodies and can be adapted to engage rails. Flats adjacent to the rails can facilitate securing the frames to the rails. Moreover, display areas of the current embodiment define the artwork. The bodies and rail engagement portions can withstand various shocks at the rails. Moreover, the bodies can be hand guards for weapons. Furthermore, the rail engagement portions can define apertures which receive weapons tools. Moreover, the frame portions can define stops which engage slots associated with the rails. If desired, engravings define the artwork.
US09115954B1

A double-barreled bullpup pump-action shotgun has a frame with two forward-extending barrels arranged side-by-side, a pair of tube magazines, each positioned beneath a respective barrel, an action attached to the frame and operable to load ammunition from the tube magazines to the barrels, and a trigger assembly attached to the frame, the action being located at least in part behind the trigger assembly, and the trigger assembly including a trigger linkage to connect the trigger assembly to the action and to operate the hammers behind the bolts. The action may be a pump action. The trigger assembly may include a plurality of hammer trips, each having a sloped forward surface. The trigger assembly may include a plurality of sears having tails, and the sloped surfaces of the hammer trips may lift the tails of the sears during a portion of a complete cycle of the action.
US09115949B1

Embodiments of a coil-equipped firearm suppressor are disclosed herein. According to various embodiments, the coil-equipped firearm suppressor can include a firearm suppressor housing. The firearm suppressor housing can include an outer surface, an inner cavity, and an attachment mechanism that attaches the firearm suppressor housing to a barrel of a firearm. The inner cavity can accommodate a baffle insert. The baffle insert can include one or more removable coils and/or rods that can enhance the suppression capabilities of the coil-equipped firearm suppressor.
US09115936B2

A cooling apparatus includes a shell adapted to hermetically store liquid water, a heat exchanging structure adapted to receive a substance to cool down, and a vacuum pump. The heat exchanging structure has one or more heat transfer walls, each of the heat transfer walls having a first surface in contact with the liquid water stored in the shell, and a second surface in contact with the substance to cool down. The vacuum pump is operable to create a partial vacuum on a surface of the liquid water, whereby causing a decrease in a temperature of the liquid water in the shell. In other embodiments, methods of cooling a substance are also described.
US09115931B2

In an air-conditioning apparatus, a heat source side heat exchanger, intermediate heat exchangers, and use side heat exchangers are separately formed and adapted to be disposed at separate locations, respectively. There is provided a defrosting operation function to melt frost attached around the heat source side heat exchanger, and a heating function during defrosting operation that drives a pump to circulate a heat medium and supply heating energy to the use side heat exchangers in need of heating to perform heating operation. The defrosting operation function can be executed by switching a four-way valve to cooling side to introduce a high-temperature high-pressure refrigerant flowed out of the compressor into the heat source side heat exchanger.
US09115920B2

A water filter device including a filter unit to receive water from an external water supply source and to purify the received water, a storage tank unit to store the water purified through the filter unit, and a case to receive the filter unit and the storage tank unit.
US09115916B2

A method of calculating net sensible cooling capacity of a cooling unit includes measuring a discharge pressure from of fluid from a compressor and a suction pressure from an evaporator, calculating a condensing temperature of fluid flowing from the compressor and an evaporating temperature of fluid flowing from the evaporator, calculating a mass flow rate of fluid flowing from the compressor, calculating enthalpy of fluid flowing from the compressor, of fluid flowing from the thermal expansion valve, and of fluid flowing from the evaporator, calculating a mass flow rate of fluid flowing through the hot gas bypass valve, and calculating net sensible cooling capacity. Embodiments of cooling units and other methods are further disclosed.
US09115910B2

A fan filter unit (FFU) includes a fan, and a filter screen coupled with an air inlet of the fan. An air inlet of the filter screen is further configured with an auxiliary filter screen, and a minimum diameter of dust particles filtrated by the auxiliary filter screen is greater than a minimum diameter of the dust particles filtrated by the filter screen.
US09115908B2

Systems and methods for managing a programmable thermostat are described herein. One or more system embodiments include a programmable thermostat having a first management profile; a data acquisition subsystem; and a data analysis subsystem. The data acquisition subsystem is configured to receive thermostat data from the programmable thermostat, and the data analysis subsystem is configured to receive the thermostat data from the data acquisition subsystem, and determine a second management profile for the programmable thermostat based, at least in part, on the thermostat data.
US09115896B2

A fuel-air mixer for use with a combustor is provided. The fuel-air mixer includes an outer ring, an intermediate hub disposed coaxially within the outer ring such that a first plenum is formed therebetween, and an inner hub disposed coaxially within the intermediate hub such that a second plenum is formed therebetween. A first swirler including a plurality of first swirler vanes is positioned between the outer ring and the intermediate hub, wherein the first swirler is configured to rotate fluid flowing therethrough in a first direction. A second swirler including a plurality of second swirler vanes is positioned between the intermediate hub and the inner hub, wherein the second swirler is configured to rotate fluid flowing therethrough in a second direction. A plurality of fuel injection conduits are also defined within the fuel-air mixer for channeling fuel to the first and second plenums.
US09115895B2

A flue gas desulfurization according to the present invention includes a desulfurization absorber that removes SOx and dust contained in flue gas, spray pipes that are provided in the desulfurization absorber, an absorbent feeding means that feeds an absorbing-agent-slurry containing absorbent, in which limestone is used as an absorbing agent, into the desulfurization absorber, nozzles that are provided in the spray pipe to spray the absorbent into the desulfurization absorber, an alkaline-agent feeding means that feeds an alkaline-agent containing solution into the desulfurization absorber, and an waste-water discharge pipe for discharging filtrate obtained by solid-liquid separating the absorbent discharged from the desulfurization absorber as waste water. A feed amount of the alkaline-agent containing solution into the desulfurization absorber is adjusted based on a discharge amount of the waste water.
US09115894B1

The invention is directed to an optimized two-chamber eductor based incinerator system. The two-chamber optimized incinerator system includes a primary and a secondary combustion chamber, the system having a single fuel fired burner located in one of the secondary combustion chamber, or the eductor. The system also includes an eductor connecting the primary combustion chamber to the secondary combustion chamber, the eductor creating a recirculation flow through the first and the second combustion chambers.
US09115890B2

A gas-fired heat gun is ignited using an electrode tip located downstream of a flame holder such that the electrode tip is in the path of the flowing gas. The electrode is connected to a voltage source that causes a spark to jump from the electrode tip to another part of the heat gun, such as the flame holder or a casing of the heat gun, when a trigger is pulled, thereby igniting the flowing gas. The electrode is typically a thin wire extending through a portion of a diffuser defining a portion of the gas flow path upstream of the flame holder. The electrode may be continuous from the diffuser to a terminal end downstream of the flame holder.
US09115887B2

An illuminated water bottle cage includes a holder base having a light transmission section and a lighting device. The holder base includes a coupling portion able to be mounted to a bicycle. The holder base includes a receiving space extending along a longitudinal axis of the holder base to receive a water bottle. The light transmission section includes an incident portion and a light guiding portion. The lighting device is mounted in the light transmission section. A light source of the lighting device is projected onto the incident portion, allowing light beams projected onto the incident portion to be transmitted to the light guiding portion, and diffusing the light source of the lighting device to the light transmission section to achieve the effect of diffusing the light source of the lighting device, the light scattering area can effectively be increased to enhance the function of nighttime warning.
US09115885B2

An LED assembly includes an optically active lens, an LED board seated on a first surface of a hear sink, and a gasket disposed between the lens and the heat sink. The lens and the first surface of the heat sink defining a cavity receiving the LED board, with the gasket configured to water-tightly seal the cavity. At least one electrical connector extends through a wall of the lens, with one end provided inside the cavity and connected to the LED board, and another end disposed outside the cavity and connected to a power source.
US09115880B2

A luminaire, such as a ceiling suspended luminaire, that can change its shape or some other state or characteristic based on user-input. The changes of shape or other state or characteristic can be achieved by hand gestures, such as moving the hand up and down in the detection field of a sensor. In one aspect of the invention, a suspended luminaire having a flexible sheet form is provided. The shape or attitude of the sheet form luminaire can be changed by exerting a force on one or more attachment points on the luminaire.
US09115879B1

A light tower has a mast, preferably provided in sections which can lift, some possibly with a rack and pinion system, and others possibly with a winch and pulley system. Some embodiments have a remote control to raise and lower the mast. Some embodiments have an array of lights atop the mast which can be rotated not only relative to horizontal light axes, but also relative to a horizontal array axis which is parallel to, but not collinear with, the horizontal light axes. Furthermore, some embodiments preferably provide at least one, if not a number of lights which can be unplugged from the array and connected into connections at the housing while still allowing for rotation of the lights (such as about horizontal and/or vertical axes).
US09115868B2

A wavelength conversion component for remote wavelength conversion is described in which a wavelength conversion layer is sandwiched between two light transmissive hermetic substrates. The light transmissive hermetic substrates form a barrier that protects the wavelength conversion layer from exposure to external environmental conditions. In some approaches, the wavelength conversion component further includes a sealant material disposed around an outer edge of the sandwich structure, where the sealant material hermetically seals an outer edge wavelength conversion layer.
US09115865B1

A lighting device includes a lens portion and a base portion. The lens portion includes at least one light-distributing void for distributing light throughout the lens portion. The base portion includes a light source for emitting light into the lens portion.
US09115862B2

The invention concerns a light source unit of tunable spectral properties, having a pump light source and a phosphor element for a conversion of pump light into converted light intended for illuminating a target, wherein the phosphor element has at least two phosphor element sections interacting differently with pump light, and wherein the light source unit further comprises a deflecting unit, such as a zoom lens or a variable diffraction grating, for deflecting the pump light so as to vary a distribution of pump light incident onto the phosphor element with respect to the different phosphor element sections, in order to vary spectral properties of the combined converted light beam emanating from the light source unit.
US09115850B2

A priority valve assembly includes a fluid supply line, a first fluid discharge line, and a second fluid discharge line, both of which are to be supplied with fluid via the fluid supply line. A priority valve throttles a fluid flow from the fluid supply line into the second fluid discharge line to prioritize the supply of fluid to the first fluid discharge line over the supply of fluid to the second fluid discharge line if a control parameter which is characteristic for an inlet fluid pressure (pE) in the fluid supply line falls below a first predetermined threshold value (p2). The priority valve reduces the throttling of the fluid flow from the fluid supply line into the second fluid discharge line if the control parameter falls below a second predetermined threshold value (p4) which is smaller than the first predetermined threshold value (p2).
US09115847B2

A lubricator comprises a container of variable volume holding a lubricant and having an opening for dispensing the lubricant. An electromechanical or electrochemical actuator operated by a control circuit makes it possible to reduce the volume of the container. An electrical circuit for displaying the state of the lubricator comprising a light source can emit at least one alarm light signal. A lid affixed to the container in a removable manner constitutes a housing for the electrical signal display circuit and defines a reference axis of the lubricator. A light diffuser guides the light emitted by the light source towards numerous light outlets distributed along the circumference of the lid in a manner that at least one of the light outlets is visible regardless of the position of an observer facing the lubricator and is located on a circle of observation centered on the reference axis of the lubricator.
US09115845B2

An esthetically pleasing article support in long thin rail form (11) is described. This rail is mated to double stick foam tape (12), the remaining face of that tape is affixed to a support structure (wall, under-shelf, door) (FIG. 1, FIG. 9). A double ended hook (15, 17, 30) linked to the rail through a pierced tab (24′, 27′) formed in the rail (23, 26) or coupled to the rail through a hasp (14,17, 20′) supports the article. When hasps engage the tape unwelcome hook motion is blocked. The double ended hook may be moved to alternate positions on the rail without use of additional equipment, without disturbing adhesive bonds and without disturbing other utensils. Use of a thin rail conserves material and permits effective application of pressure to the tape-structure interface to insure bonding and permits delivery of a rail-tape-protective liner assembly in space saving coiled form.
US09115844B2

The present invention provides an electronic display device stand which enables adjustment to, support at and maintenance of, the orientation of a supported electronic display device. The stand preferably comprises an engagement portion which supports and engages the portable electronic display device; and a support portion which allows adjustability of the orientation and maintenance of the device at the desired user defined orientation. The support portion includes a deformable mass portion which can be deformed by a user, and maintains support of the display device at the user defined orientation.
US09115839B1

A cylindrical foam tube strengthening and interconnecting system having at least one housing with an exterior wall and an interior wall and at least one edge. Extending a predetermined distance from the at least one edge, the interior wall has at least one channel that terminates at a hole. At least one connector is fixed to the at least one housing and to a noodle to build a structure. The noodle is a cylindrical hollow piece of polyethylene foam used while swimming, learning to swim, for floating, for rescue reaching, in various forms of water play, for aquatic exercise.
US09115837B2

Quick connector coupling having a connector body to receive a male member with a radial upset comprised of two separate, interconnected components, a head element and a sealing element which define a through-hole from a male member entry port at the end of the head element axially to an exit port at the end of the sealing element. A retainer for releasably securing the male member to the connector body is ring-shaped, and encircles the connector body head element. It includes at least one retainer element, which reaches through a window in the head element and interacts with the radial upset of the male member to secure the male member in the connector body.
US09115828B2

A device for separating pipe flanges through the application of a transverse force. The device contains a frame, a frame retaining plate, a pusher pin, a leveling pin, an anchoring pin, a member, and anti-slip screws.
US09115818B2

The invention relates to a single-lever mixing cartridge, comprising a head piece (1), which accommodates a bottom piece (8), and a disk control having a control disk (5) that can be displaced via an at least pivotably mounted spindle (2). An outer thread for screwing into a fitting is provided, and a fastening ring (16) is provided which has the external thread (161) and which is placed on the head piece (1) and is captively held thereon.
US09115814B2

A valve trim apparatus comprises a valve seat (216) and a closure member (214) to operatively engage the valve seat (216). One of the closure member (214) and the valve seat (216) includes a plurality of annular ribs (222), and at least one of the valve seat (216) and the closure member (214) defines at least one groove (218) to be positioned between at least two of the annular ribs (222) to receive material from a sealing surface (220) between the closure member (214) and the valve seat (216) when the closure member (214) is sealingly engaged with the valve seat (216).
US09115812B2

In a plug valve with a plug supported around its axis of rotation in a flow passageway of the valve housing, the plug is supported in a floating manner against a spring force pressing the plug against an annular sealing element. The spring force is provided by a spring element bearing against the valve housing and engaging with a trunnion of the plug. The sealing element is supported in a fixed position against a flow passage opening.
US09115810B2

A seal assembly for a rotary machine is provided. The seal assembly includes multiple sealing device segments disposed circumferentially intermediate to a stationary housing and a rotor. Each of the sealing device segments includes a stator interface element, a shoe plate having an extended portion having one or more labyrinth teeth facing the rotor and a load bearing portion, wherein the shoe plate is configured to generate an aerodynamic force between the shoe plate and the rotor. The sealing device segment further includes a secondary seal configured to be in contact with the stator interface element at a radially outer end and configured to be in contact with an elevated nose section of the extended portion of the shoe plate on a radially inner end; and multiple flexible elements attached to the shoe plate and to the stator interface element.
US09115809B2

A pin joint assembly including a pin defining a longitudinal axis and having an end portion, a bushing coaxial with the pin about the longitudinal axis and having an end portion, and a collar engaging the end portion of the pin and having an inner portion in proximal relation to the end portion of the bushing and an outer portion in distal relation to the end portion of the bushing. The end portion of the bushing, the inner portion of the collar, and the pin cooperate to define a channel. The pin joint assembly further includes a thrust ring coaxial with the pin about the longitudinal axis and residing in the channel in spaced-apart relation to the bushing.
US09115808B2

A transition piece seal assembly includes a first seal, and a second seal joined to the first seal. The second seal being spaced from the first seal to define a coolant passage.
US09115806B2

A first hydraulic pressure control unit forms an oil path to supply oil to a frictional engagement element when a select lever is located in a travel range or between the travel range and a non-travel range and forms an oil path to discharge the oil from the frictional engagement element when the select lever is located in the non-travel range. An abnormality determination unit cancels an abnormality determination when only a travel range signal is output from a range signal output unit after a signal of the range signal output unit is determined to be abnormal, and maintains the abnormality determination when only a non-travel range signal is output from the range signal output unit. A second hydraulic pressure control unit forms an oil path to supply the oil to the frictional engagement element during the abnormality determination or when only the travel range signal is output, and forms an oil path to discharge the oil from the frictional engagement element before the abnormality determination or when only the non-travel range signal is output.
US09115799B2

A ram air turbine gearbox housing includes a housing body that has a first flange that defines a first plane and a second flange that defines a second plane that is transverse to the first plane. The housing body extends around an axis and has a first axial end and an opposite, second axial end that are each open to an internal cavity of the housing body. The housing body includes a radially-enlarged section at least partially defining an oil sump within the internal cavity of the housing body.
US09115795B2

A planetary gear (1) such as a differential gear, with a planetary carrier (3) on which planetary wheels (5, 6) are rotatively connected, with at least one sun gear (9, 10, 11) in meshing engagement, whereby the planetary carrier (3) can be connected to a drive wheel (15) such as a spur wheel (16), whereby further comprising a rolling bearing (20) having an inner bearing ring (29) and an outer bearing ring (28) for the axial and/or radial positioning of the planetary carrier (3) with respect to a fixed housing such as a gear housing, characterized in that an outer bearing ring (28) between the inner bearing ring (29) and the planetary support (3) is forced as far as a seating region radially inwards of the planetary carrier (3) for connection to the planetary carrier (3).
US09115787B2

Disclosed is a lightweight and inexpensive chain guide that has little mechanical loss. The chain guide comprises: a plurality of rollers (2) which make contact with a chain; a chain guide base (10) which supports the plurality of the rollers (2) disposed along a direction of travel of the chain, and a plurality of shafts (3) attached to the chain guide base (10) at predetermined intervals along the direction of travel of the chain. Each of the rollers (2) includes a rolling-element bearing portion constituted of a cylindrical outer ring main body (20) encompassing an outer circumferential face of the shaft (3), and a plurality of rolling elements (21) disposed between the outer circumferential face of the shaft and an inner circumferential face of the outer ring main body (20). The outer ring main body (20) is supported on the chain guide base (10) via the shaft (3) so as to be in rolling contact with the chain.
US09115782B2

Disclosed is a ball balancer that increases a rate of balls in ball detention portions and restricts aggravation of unbalance caused by balls outside of the ball detention portions. When a rotation speed of a rotator is less than a first rotation speed, the ball detention portion allows the ball moved from a rolling face to be detained therein and to allow the ball therein to come into contact with the released ball outside thereof to prevent separation of the released ball from the rolling face. Anti-separation portions are provided to come into contact with the released balls outside of the ball detention portions to prevent separation of the released balls from the rolling face. When the rotation speed is greater than the first rotation speed, the ball detention portion allows separation of the ball therein to the rolling face by centrifugal force applied thereto.
US09115759B2

A tapered roller bearing (1a, 1b) satisfies the following three conditions: (a1) 0.8≦Hi/Dw≦1.2, (b1) 1.01≦dm/dh≦1.05, and (c1) 2.1≦L/Dw≦3.0, where a pitch circle diameter at a center of a roller length along an axis line (X) of each tapered roller (4) is (dm), the radial dimension of the inner ring (2) at an intersection of the inner ring raceway (2a) and a perpendicular line (v) extending from a position of the pitch circle diameter in a direction perpendicular to the axis line is the thickness (Hi) of the inner ring, a cross-sectional center diameter of the roller bearing is (dh), the length of the tapered roller (4) is the length (L) of the tapered roller, and a half of the sum of the large diameter dimension and the small diameter dimension of the tapered roller (4) is the diameter (Dw) of the tapered roller.
US09115758B2

In one example, an FDB motor having a shield member is provided. In one example, the method includes disposing a first member and a second member for relative rotation about an axis of rotation. An annular shield member is attached to the first member, the shield member disposed adjacent a fluid reservoir for containing a bearing fluid. The reservoir is filled through an aperture (e.g., a fill hole) in the shield member. Thereafter, the aperture is at least partially sealed. The aperture may be hermetically sealed via one or more laser pulses. In other examples, a two piece shield is provided for shielding a reservoir without a fill hole.
US09115756B2

A system and method are provided for an auxiliary bearing system. The system and method may include a sleeve extending circumferentially about a rotary shaft and coupled thereto. The system and method may also include an axial journal disposed circumferentially about the rotary shaft and adjacent an axial end of the sleeve. The system and method may further include a locking nut coupled to the rotary shaft. The locking nut may be configured to force the axial journal to engage the axial end of the sleeve to at least partially resist axial movement of the axial journal along the rotary shaft. The system and method may further include a gripping assembly disposed circumferentially about the rotary shaft. The gripping assembly may be configured to engage the axial journal to at least partially resist radial movement of the axial journal relative to the rotary shaft.
US09115753B2

A motion device includes a track rail, a moving body, rolling elements, fixing members each fixed to an end surface of the moving body, and rolling element circulation members arranged between the moving body and the fixing members. The rolling element circulation members each have a connection section connected to the moving body so as to be rotatable about a Y direction, and a pair of first outside surfaces. The fixing members each have accommodation sections to accommodate the rolling element circulation members, and a pair of first inside surfaces closely contact with the pair of first outside surfaces. The respective rolling element circulation members and the accommodation sections are provided at both sides of the track rail interposed there between.
US09115751B2

The present invention relates to a spring unit whose spring constant can be easily changed. The spring unit includes a plurality of wire springs each including a bent part formed in the middle of wire by bending, extending parts extending from the bent part, and end parts formed at ends of the extending parts. The wire springs are arranged side by side, and a deformed part protruding in a direction of arrangement of the wire springs is formed in one or more of the extending parts.
US09115745B2

In order to improve a securing nut comprising a base member which is provided around its circumference with a key face contour, a threaded bolt receptacle which is provided with an internal thread and passes through the base member in the direction of a central axis as well as at least one clamping element which is provided on the base member, in such a manner that it is, on the one hand, simple to produce and, on the other hand, allows reliable clamping without damaging the threaded bolt it is suggested that the clamping element be a collar which is arranged on one side of the base member and in which the internal thread is continued, and that the collar extend around the threaded bolt receptacle in an essentially closed manner in circumferential direction with respect to the central axis.
US09115741B2

A slide is provided for interconnecting to a frame. The slide includes a bar extending along a main axis and having an inner face, an outer face, first and second sides and a bolt-receiving bore extending between the inner face and the outer face along a bore axis at an acute angle to the outer face. The first and second sides includes recessed grooves therein. A sliding member includes first and second legs projecting therefrom and being slidably received in corresponding grooves in the first and second sides of the bar. The legs guiding slideable movement of the sliding member along the bar.
US09115740B2

A fixer for handheld, portable, mobile devices includes an extension rod that has one end provided with a positioning frame for holding and positioning an external mobile device, and has an opposite end provided with a securing member for attaching and securing the extension rod and the positioning frame onto an external article, wherein the securing member and the external article are fixedly connected by a locking unit so as to suspend the mobile device. The fixer is portable and can be easily and quickly mounted on or dismounted from any nearby handrail, particularly as one typically provided in a public transportation vehicle.
US09115718B2

A compressor is provided that may include a drive shaft, a compression mechanism, a bearing and an unloader. The drive shaft may include a main body and a crank pin extending from the main body. The compression mechanism may include first and second members. The crank pin may drivingly engage the second member and cause motion of the second member relative to the first member. The bearing may rotatably supporting the main body of the drive shaft. The unloader may rotatably engage the bearing and slidably engage the main body.
US09115713B2

A high-pressure pump includes a plunger for pressurizing a fuel, a cylinder accommodating the plunger reciprocatably in its axial direction and a pump body. The pump body defines a pressurization chamber, a low-pressure fuel passage hydraulically connecting a fuel inlet and the pressurization chamber, and a discharge passage. The pump body further defines a cylindrical space around the cylinder. The fuel flows into the cylindrical space from the low-pressure fuel passage so as to cool the cylinder. The entire outer surface of the cylinder can be surely cooled.
US09115711B2

A method of determining displacement of a radial piston machine (1) having adjustable eccentricity (e). The radial piston machine (1) includes cylinders (2) arranged in a pivoting manner and a drive shaft that drives an eccentric (5). The rotation angle of the drive shaft is labeled as α and the pivoting angle of the cylinders (2) is labeled β. The pivoting angle β is measured and from the measured values for the pivoting angle β, the eccentricity (e) and hence the displacement (v) are calculated.
US09115705B2

A dual well pumping unit (12) has two hydraulic ram units (26), one for each well (preferably with each ram unit (26) having three hydraulic rams). Each hydraulic ram units is connected to first ram pump (18) and a second ram pump (20). The drive shaft (40) of the first ram pump (18) is coupled to the drive shaft (38) of the second ram pump (20) and to a rotor of a drive motor (16). The ram pump (18) and the ram pump (20) are preferably variable displacement piston pumps which are controlled by a microprocessor based controller (44), such that during the downstroke of the hydraulic ram (26) the ram pump (18) operates as an hydraulic motor powering the ram pump (20) and during the up stroke of the hydraulic ram (26) the ram pump (20) operates as a hydraulic motor to provide assist to the ram pump (18).
US09115701B2

A method of converting thermal energy into mechanical work that uses a semi-permeable membrane to convert osmotic pressure into electrical power. A closed cycle pressure-retarded osmosis (PRO) process known as an osmotic heat engine (OHE) uses a concentrated ammonia-carbon dioxide draw solution to create high osmotic pressures which generate water flux through a semi-permeable membrane against a hydraulic pressure gradient. The depressurization of the increased draw solution volume in a turbine produces electrical power. The process is maintained in steady state operation through the separation of the diluted draw solution into a re-concentrated draw solution and deionized water working fluid, both for reuse in the osmotic heat engine.
US09115700B2

A method of stabilizing a wind power installation including early identification of the need for stabilization of the wind power installation by means of measurement of the pylon movement during operation of the wind power installation.
US09115697B2

A rotary turbine including at least one blade is disclosed. The rotary turbine includes a blade arrangement in which the orientation of the at least one blade movably changes relative to the fluid flow and also changes relative to an orbital path taken by the rotary turbine thereby increasing flow area usage and minimizing friction. Certain embodiments of the present disclosure include a rotary turbine with blade orientations that are linearly coupled to the orbital orientation of the turbine. Other embodiments of the present disclosure include a rotary turbine with blade orientations that are non-linearly coupled to the orbital orientation of the turbine.
US09115695B2

It is described a method and an arrangement for controlling a wind turbine (811) having a rotor (813) and being connected to a utility grid (831), the method comprising: increasing a rotational speed (205) of the rotor from a typical rotational speed (209, 505) to an increased rotational speed (211, 507).
US09115694B2

A pitch control system for a wind turbine is disclosed. The pitch control system may generally include a motor having an armature and a winding and a grid power source configured to supply electrical power to the motor. The pitch control system may also include a plurality of switching components configured to control a first current through the armature independent of a second current through the winding. In addition, the pitch control system may include an auxiliary switching component electrically coupled between the grid power source and at least a portion of the switching components. The auxiliary switching component may be configured to be opened when a grid voltage of the grid power source exceeds a first voltage threshold.
US09115688B1

A new wind resisting electricity generator that floats offshore supported by buoyancy-providing used tires filled with waterproof foam. Electricity is generated through water turbines, uniformly rotated using waves and under water currents, and through directional wind turbines. Used tires are mounted on a mechanical and electrical utilities structure and a wind energy structure to interrupt wind flow near water surfaces in onshore directed weather. Dummy floats that provide protection from floating debris for the water turbines and direct waves to the upper turbine blades are alternated with generator floats in a line offshore and are held together with connecting chains and recycled tires mounted on the connecting chains.
US09115687B2

A single-blade or double-blade cycloidal turbine can operate as a wave generator or a wave energy converter. Efficient operation techniques can adjust a pitch angle, a radial size, and/or a depth of the cycloidal turbine according to the height and wavelength of an incoming wave. The rotation of the cycloidal turbine can be controlled so that a rotational period of the cycloidal turbine matches the period of the wave and so that a target difference is maintained between a rotation angle of the cycloidal turbine and a phase angle of the wave.
US09115684B2

An engine control system of a vehicle includes a starter control module and an abort module. When a clutch pedal is depressed and a user activates an ignition system, the starter control module engages a starter motor with an engine and applies current to the starter motor. The abort module selectively generates an abort signal when the clutch pedal is released. The starter control module disengages the starter motor and disables current flow to the starter motor when the abort signal is generated.
US09115667B2

In one embodiment of the invention, the noise of a supersonic jet of gas venting from a lower stack having a flow control means may be reduced by at least about 20 dBA by attaching an upper stack to the lower stack, said upper stack being packed with granulae to provide a bed height at least one diameter of the upper stack the cross section area of the interstitial voids between the granulae being at least about 2.25 times larger than the cross section area of the flow controlling means installed in the lower stack. The said bed is contained in the upper stack and kept in place by suitable upper and lower retainers such as, for example, a mesh or a perforated plate.
US09115666B2

An apparatus includes a slotted multi-nozzle grid with a plate having multiple elongated slotlettes through the plate. Each of at least some of the slotlettes has a convergent input, a divergent output, and a narrower throat portion separating the convergent input and the divergent output. At least some of the slotlettes are arranged in multiple rows. The plate further includes multiple cooling channels through the plate. At least some of the cooling channels are located between the rows of slotlettes. Each cooling channel is configured to transport coolant through the plate in order to cool the plate, such as to cool the plate as hot combustion gases pass through the plate. Each of at least some of the rows may include at least two slotlettes, and two adjacent slotlettes in one row may be separated by a structural ligament (which may have a tear-drop cross-sectional shape).
US09115655B2

A system includes a net mean effective pressure (NMEP) error module, a correction determination module, a mean effective pressure (MEP) correction module, and an actuator control module. The NMEP error module determines an NMEP error for a combustion cycle of a cylinder based on an expected NMEP for the combustion cycle, a measured NMEP for the combustion cycle, and a difference between an expected change in an engine speed for the combustion cycle and a measured change in the engine speed for the combustion cycle. The correction determination module determines an offset correction and a slope correction based on the NMEP error. The MEP correction module that generates a corrected NMEP for the combustion cycle based on the measured NMEP, the offset correction, and the slope correction. The actuator control module controls an engine operating parameter based on the corrected NMEP.
US09115648B2

The subject application involves a method of controlling operation of a gas turbine. The method includes determining a first temperature associated with a portion of the gas turbine during operation of said gas turbine, and sensing an operational parameter of the gas turbine during operation of the gas turbine. An ambient pressure in an ambient environment of the gas turbine is also sensed, and the operational parameter corrected using the ambient pressure sensed in the ambient environment of the gas turbine to establish a corrected operational parameter. A threshold temperature is determined based at least in part on the corrected operational parameter, and a backup routine is initiated to limit operation of the gas turbine when the temperature associated with the gas turbine is greater than or equal to the threshold temperature.
US09115644B2

A turbocharger system for an air-throttled engine includes a variable flow expander (VFE) in the intake air conduit system that supplies intake air to the engine. At part-load operation, the VFE expands the air by an amount that is controllable, and thus regulates the air flow as needed by the engine. The power extracted by the VFE from the intake air flow is fed to the turbocharger, which helps to achieve quicker turbocharger response and improve scavenging of exhaust gases from the engine. The VFE can be a variable expansion ratio turbine.
US09115643B2

The present invention is a proposal relating to cooperative manipulation of an actuator which actively changes a supercharging pressure and a throttle in the case of application of torque demand control to an internal combustion engine with a supercharger. A control device provided by the present invention separately determines a target air quantity for manipulation of the throttle, and a target air quantity for manipulation of the actuator. In more detail, driver required torque which is included in required torque is converted into an air quantity in accordance with a predetermined conversion rule, and the air quantity which is obtained by the conversion is determined by calculation as a reference target air quantity. The reference target air quantity is used as a target air quantity for throttle manipulation, and is also used as a target air quantity for actuator manipulation at a normal time. When a change occurs to the required torque, and the change cannot be realized under the reference target air quantity, a correction target air quantity capable of realizing the change is determined by calculation, and is used as the target air quantity for throttle manipulation.
US09115642B2

A turbocharger for a supercharged internal combustion engine; the turbocharger has: a turbine, which is provided with a shaft mounted in a rotatory manner; a compressor, which is provided with a shaft mounted in a rotatory manner and is mechanically independent from the shaft of the turbine; and a single electrical machine, which is interposed between the turbine and the compressor, and is provided with a first rotor, which is mechanically connected to the shaft of the turbine, and with a second rotor which is mechanically connected to the shaft of the compressor to work as an electromagnetic joint between the shaft of the turbine and the shaft of the compressor.
US09115641B2

Various injector cooling structures and related engine systems and methods are provided. In one example, an injector cooling structure includes a cooling channel defined by a cooling jacket of a turbine. A cooling bore is provided at least partially within the cooling jacket, with the cooling bore configured to receive a pintle of an injector. The cooling channel is configured to circulate coolant for cooling the injector.
US09115639B2

Embodiments for an internal combustion engine having at least one cylinder, at least one exhaust line for discharging combustion gases via an exhaust-gas discharge system, and at least one intake line for supplying charge air via an intake system are provided. In one example, an internal combustion engine comprises an exhaust-gas recirculation arrangement which comprises a recirculation line which branches off from the exhaust-gas discharge system and which opens into the intake system, an exhaust-gas turbocharger comprising a compressor arranged in the intake system and a turbine arranged in the exhaust-gas discharge system, a throttle element which is arranged in the intake line downstream of the compressor, a bypass line which branches off from the intake line upstream of the throttle element and which opens into the intake line again downstream of the throttle element, and an expansion machine for gaining additional energy arranged in the bypass line.
US09115628B2

A flow restrictor for a secondary air injection system for an internal combustion engine. The flow restrictor includes a main body configured to be located between the intake end and a first injecting end of the supply conduit of the secondary air injection system. The main body defines a restricting orifice configured to reduce propagation of pressure fluctuations between the first injecting end a second injecting end. The main body includes a first connecting portion configured to connect to the supply conduit proximal to the intake end and a second connecting portion configured to connect to the supply conduit proximal to the first injecting end.
US09115624B2

A valve structure (20′) is provided for insertion into a boss (22′). The boss includes a threaded bore (46) and at least one key slot (48) therein. The valve structure includes a valve (26) constructed and arranged to control fluid flow, a fitting (24) surrounding at least a portion of the valve with the fitting having external threads (28) for mating with the threaded bore, and anti-rotate structure (34) between the valve and the fitting. The anti-rotate structure is constructed arranged such that when the fitting is rotated into threaded engagement with the boss, at least a portion of the anti-rotate structure engages a surface defining the key slot in the boss, thereby preventing rotation of the valve, with the fitting clamping on the anti-rotate structure and thus the valve.
US09115620B2

The present invention relates to a flexible polyolefin composition, a sheet made therefrom, and a formed textured skin for applications such as interior furnishings of an automobile and a process to make such composition, sheet, and textured skin. Specifically said composition comprises an extrudable cross-linkable polyolefin composition comprising: (i) from 60 to 75 weight percent of one or more one silane cross-linkable polyolefin polymer; (ii) a moisture-cure condensation catalyst; and (iii) from 25 to 40 weight percent of one or more polyolefin polymer elastomer. Preferably an extruded sheet of said composition is formed into a textured skin, preferably by positive vacuum forming.
US09115617B2

Disclosed is a hydrogen combustion system with closed-cycle recycling comprising a hydrogen combustion system with closed-cycle recycling of exhaust gas, comprising: a hydrogen supplier 110 which supply hydrogen used as a fuel, a combustion chamber 120 which is located in the engine 130 and connected to the hydrogen supplying pipe 111 in which the hydrogen is combusted, a condenser 140 which converts the hot exhaust gas emitted through the discharge pipe 121 installed on the outlet of the combustion chamber 120 into the cold exhaust gas and condensed water, and a recycling pipe 150 which performs recycling of a part of the cold exhaust gas from the condenser 140 to the inlet of the combustion chamber 120.
US09115614B2

Provided is a lubricant feed mechanism for an engine in which space above a cam cap is not used. A lubricant feed mechanism for an engine is configured to feed lubricant through a cylinder head, a camshaft, and a cam cap to a cam of a valve gear. The mechanism includes an oil feed member that is disposed in the cam cap such that an upper end thereof is set at a lower level than an upper end of the cam cap in a height-wise direction and has an oil passage configured to guide lubricant to be fed through the cam cap to the cam.
US09115613B2

An assembly including a rotatable shaft with external splines and an annular member receiving such shaft, provided with internal splines meshing with the external splines of such shaft wherein the external splines of different segments of the shaft are configured to effectively transmit torque in use and facilitate the mounting of the shaft into the annular member in assembly.
US09115597B2

A turbine vane for a gas turbine engine includes inner and outer platforms joined by a radially extending airfoil. The airfoil includes leading and trailing edges joined by spaced apart pressure and suction sides to provide an exterior airfoil surface. The inner and outer platforms respectively include inner and outer sets of film cooling holes, wherein one of the inner and outer sets of film cooling holes are formed in substantial conformance with platform cooling hole locations described by one of the sets of Cartesian coordinates set forth in Tables 1 and 2. The Cartesian coordinates are provided by an axial coordinate, a circumferential coordinate, and a radial coordinate, relative to a zero-coordinate. The cooling holes with Cartesian coordinates in Tables 1 and 2 have a diametrical surface tolerance relative to the specified coordinates of 0.200 inches (5.08 mm).
US09115591B2

A seal for a gas turbine engine is shown. The engine may have a first vane for imparting a first twist to air passing thereby and/or a second vane for imparting a second, different twist to air passing thereby, each of the first and second vanes having a mounting area for mounting the seal thereto. The seal includes a top, a bottom, a left side, a right side a back, and a front. The back is parallel to the front and the left side is parallel to the right side such that a non-square shape is formed by the intersection of the back, the left side, the front and the right side so that the seal may mate with the mounting area of the first vane and, if the seal is inverted, may mate with the mounting area of the second vane.
US09115588B2

A turbine blade for a gas turbine engine includes an airfoil that includes leading and trailing edges joined by spaced apart pressure and suction sides to provide an exterior airfoil surface that extends from a platform in a radial direction to a tip. The external airfoil surface is formed in substantial conformance with multiple cross-sectional profiles of the airfoil described by a set of Cartesian coordinates set forth in Table 1. The Cartesian coordinates are provided by an axial coordinate scaled by a local axial chord. A circumferential coordinate is scaled by a local axial chord, and a span location, wherein the local axial chord corresponds to a width of the airfoil between the leading and trailing edges at the span location.
US09115585B2

A seal assembly is provided having a retention assembly attached to a first component, and a seal element secured by the retention assembly. The seal element comprises at least one leaf seal, and the leaf seal is comprised of a plurality of tabs in series with a plurality of slots. The seal assembly forms a flexible seal between the first component and a second component.
US09115579B2

A burner is arranged for access to a cavity in a target zone of a hydrocarbon reservoir. The burner is operated into the cavity to create and sustain hot combustion gases at a steady state for flowing into and permeating through the target zone. Water is injected into the target zone and permeates laterally therein. The hot combustion gases and the water in the target zone interact to form a steam drive front in the hydrocarbon reservoir.
US09115575B2

Methods and systems for enhancing recovery of hydrocarbons below a permafrost layer are provided which use a downhole combustion device to inject a heated fluid into a subterranean formation to enhance hydrocarbon recovery through viscosity reduction. The system is configured to avoid adversely thermally affecting the permafrost, which is highly undesirable. One or more heat exchangers may be used in conjunction with the combustion device to enhance heat transfer of various streams. The heat exchanger(s) mitigate the adverse effects of various streams on the permafrost by lowering the return stream temperatures, which are transported through the wellbore. A carbon dioxide capture system may be provided to recover carbon dioxide from the combustion device exhaust. Certain optional embodiments allow the amount of carbon dioxide introduced into the formation to be independently controlled to further enhance the hydrocarbon recovery.
US09115569B2

Methods and apparatus for detecting nearby conductors such as pipes, well casing, etc., from within a borehole. A nearby casing string can be detected by transmitting an electromagnetic signal from a transmit antenna on a downhole logging tool and measuring a parallel response signal with a first receive antenna parallel to the transmit antenna and a perpendicular response signal with a second receive antenna perpendicular to the transmit antenna, both receive antennas on the downhole logging tool. As the tool rotates, the transmitting and measuring are repeated to determine the azimuthal dependence of the parallel and perpendicular response signals. The azimuthal dependence is analyzed to determine a diagonal component of said azimuthal dependence for each response signal. Distance to a casing string can be estimated using the diagonal component of each response signal. At least one of the antennas is preferably tilted.
US09115555B2

A magnetic attachment mechanism for use with a downhole tool comprises a plurality of permanent magnets each having a magnetic field, a demagnetizer configured to at least partially cancel one or more magnetic fields in an activated state, an actuator configured to transition the demagnetizer between the activated state and a deactivated state or the deactivated state and the activated state, and at least one downhole tool coupled to the plurality of permanent magnets.
US09115548B2

A method to add a joint of pipe to a conductor string includes securing the conductor string with a spider, grasping an upper end of the joint of pipe with a segmented-ring elevator, engaging a plurality of slips of the elevator with an outer profile of the joint of pipe, raising the grasped joint of pipe from non-vertical to vertical, positioning the vertical joint of pipe atop the secured conductor string, attaching the joint of pipe to the conductor string, releasing the conductor string from the spider, and retaining the joint of pipe and the conductor string with the segmented-ring elevator.
US09115542B1

An automated device digs a payload into a geologic formation while filling a hole behind it. The device is made of components including a computer controller; a battery; a motor; a payload body; a drill head having a spiral blade; a cylindrical shell attached to the payload body to form an annulus between an inner wall of the cylindrical shell and the outer wall of the payload body; and a plurality of rotating track treads controlled by the computer controller. The device optionally includes: a hydraulic ram adapted to compress debris; a coil of wire adapted to unwind from the top end of the payload body; a hammer blade; ground penetrating radar; a gimbal mechanism; an engine-generator unit; and a cave traverse system.
US09115540B1

A downhole adjustable mud motor for boring wellbores, such as a hole in the earth. The downhole adjustable mud motor has a progressive cavity power section with a power cavity end, wherein the progressive cavity power section has a rotor rotatably captured within a stator and a plurality of fluid flow paths between the stator and the rotor for flowing drilling fluid. A power transmission section can be connected to the power cavity end having a central axis and an offset axis. A first adjustable member can be fastened to the stator. A second adjustable member can have a locking member, a bearing assembly connecting to the transmission assembly, and a fastener operatively connected to the bearing assembly. The locking member prevents compression of the second adjustable member inside of the first adjustable member when drilling fluid flows through the downhole adjustable mud motor.
US09115539B2

A partition assembly kit including a receptacle, a sheet of material of a sufficient size to cover a standard-sized entry way, a roll of double-sided tape comprising a carrier material having a high-tack adhesive material on a first side of the carrier material and a low-tack adhesive material on a second side of the carrier material, wherein the first side of the carrier material has a peel adhesion greater than the second side of the carrier material, and at least one zipper having a length greater than 50% the height of the standard-sized entry way.
US09115536B2

The pane module comprises a pane element composed by glass sheets (31, 35) and provided with a border element (37, 38) by molding. The border element is adhered to the pane element during the molding process and at least partially encases the border of at least one sheet element.
US09115527B2

A control device at an opening/closing section of a vehicle and a method for controlling the opening/closing section of the vehicle control a motor so that a pinch at the opening/closing section is determined accurately. The control device includes a pinch determination device that is mounted to the motor for opening/closing the opening/closing section of the vehicle and determines a pinch of a foreign object based on a change in the rotation number of the motor, and demagnetization pulse applying device for supplying power with reverse polarity to the motor in a pulse-like manner at the completion of the opening/closing.
US09115526B2

A bracket is provided for use in installing door hardware on a support surface. The bracket comprises a rigid member having a longitudinal axis, a front surface, a substantially planar rear surface for engaging the support surface, and a peripheral edge extending between and joining the front and rear surfaces. A spirit bubble level is disposed on the rigid member such that the rigid member can be oriented relative to a horizontal line or a vertical line, the level having the bubble centered only when the level is horizontal or vertical. At least a portion of the peripheral edge of the rigid member provides a mounting surface for the door hardware when the rigid member is secured to the support surface.
US09115525B2

In an arrangement for damping and retarding a movable part including a housing with a pressure member guided in the housing and a cylinder-piston unit arranged in the housing and in the pressure member. An anchoring piece is adjustably disposed in the housing and engages the pressure member in which the cylinder piston unit is arranged. The anchoring piece is connectable to the housing in at least two different positions in a form-, force- and/or material locking manner for adaptation to different installation conditions.
US09115521B2

A motor-vehicle accessory having a pivotal element that can pivot about an axis on a generally fixed support element is provided with a mechanism having an extension on one of the elements offset from the axis and projecting angularly of the axis and a brake on the other of the elements. This brake has a pair of brake shoes flanking the extension and shiftable between a clamping position gripping the element and preventing movement of the element relative to the brake in at least one angular direction and a release position permitting movement of the element relative to the brake both in and against the one direction.
US09115517B2

A hinged two-part doorstop wedge that can be folded into a generally flat or collapsed configuration, and which can be unfolded and deployed in an elevated configuration for placement on the ground near a door so as to stop the motion of the door. The doorstop includes pivotally coupled first and second hinge elements, wherein in the fully collapsed configuration the first hinge element and the second hinge element have generally coplanar upper and lower surfaces, and when in the elevated configuration the top side of the first hinge element is angled upwardly to engage the bottom rail of a door.
US09115516B2

In a camera structure for an electromagnetic lock, the electromagnetic lock based on aluminum extrusion framing for development of one assembly is divided into an electromagnetic lock and a camera structure. The electromagnetic lock includes a frame, a wire harness space, an electromagnetic core, a plate body, an electromagnetic cover and a wire harness cover; the camera structure comprises a U-shaped frame, a plate body, a camera cover and side blocks.
US09115513B1

A security device to prevent the theft of personal items comprises a plastic clip with an adjustable movable hasp on a first end and interlocking gripping teeth on an opposing second end. The movable hasp squeezes the jaws together and prevents their opening. The hasp is in turn held in place by a padlock which can secure the device to a stationary object such as a beach chair, post, table, or similar item using a flexible cable.
US09115511B1

A padlock alarm system includes a shackle that carries a cut sensing element and a switch actuator that operates an alarm switch to activate an alarm when the shackle is cut. A shackle retention assembly is operated by a key cylinder to selectively open and close the lock.
US09115510B2

A sealed lever latch. It has a handle with a pivot end with a non-round bore passing therethrough, a housing having a well with a narrowed end with spaced apart sidewalls with holes, the narrowed end sized to receive the pivot end of the handle. A lever carriage with two spaced apart arms straddles the sidewalls of the narrowed end of the housing and each arm has a first engagement. A drive pin unit has a first keeper, a drive pin with a non-round profile extending from the first keeper, and a second keeper that engages with a free end of the drive pin. The keepers non-rotatably engage with the first engagements of the lever carriage arms and with the drive pin non-rotatably passing through the non-round bore in the pivot end of the handle to connect the handle and the lever carriage together. Seals are placed on the drive pin unit between the first and second keeper ride adjacent to the holes in the sidewalls of the housing to prevent passage of liquid or debris therethrough.
US09115504B2

Construction systems for erecting building structures comprise a plurality of prefabricated interconnectable modular building units, each unit comprising framing members and a plurality of nodes, each node situated for selective interconnection with other units, the nodes and the exterior dimensions of the frame conforming to ISO shipping standards such that each unit is transportable using the ISO intermodal transportation system, and such that when the units are interconnected, a building structure is formed. The modular units are assembled at a remote location, and are there constructed to a semi-finished state, following which the semi-finished modular units are transported from the remote location to the job site, where they are secured to form the structure being erected, and the semi-finished modular units are thereafter constructed to a finished state.
US09115484B2

A magnetic accessory attachment device for a sink that provides the ability to utilize a device to attach any one of an assorted set of accessories to the sidewalls, rim, or base of a sink. The magnetic accessory attachment device can have a magnet disposed within a body. The accessory can have a ferromagnetic material that is attracted to the magnet when brought into proximity with the magnetic accessory attachment device. Examples of suitable accessories include a cup, drain stopper, hook, small shelf, sponge holder, etc. The sink can also include a ferromagnetic material that is attracted to the magnet when brought into proximity with the magnetic accessory attachment device.
US09115483B2

A hydraulic excavator includes a base body portion, a movable portion, a hydraulic cylinder, a position sensor, a rotary encoder, and a control unit. The rotary encoder includes a light emitting unit, a light receiving unit, and a disk unit having a plurality of transmission portions. The control unit measures the stroke length of the hydraulic cylinder by correcting deviation of the stroke length, which is measured by the position sensor, based on the pulse signal output from the rotary encoder. In this way, there can be obtained a hydraulic excavator capable of precisely measuring a stroke length of a hydraulic cylinder driving a work implement, as well as a method for measuring the stroke of the hydraulic cylinder of the hydraulic excavator.
US09115479B2

A corrosion-resistant self-locking manhole cover includes a cover plate adapted to rest on a manhole cover support surface of a manhole frame so as to be substantially flush with a top portion of the frame and a surrounding surface. An anchor on the cover plate, which may comprise nonmetallic corrosion-resistant material, is adapted to engage the manhole frame at a first location in a manner that resists lifting of the cover plate proximate to such location. A locking member on the cover plate, which may also comprise nonmetallic corrosion-resistant material, is movable between a locked position and an unlocked position. In the locked position, the locking member is adapted to engage the manhole frame at a second location in a manner that resists lifting of the cover plate proximate to such location. In the unlocked position, the locking member is disengaged from the manhole frame.
US09115476B2

A floating wave attenuator including a plurality of elongated pipes, each including a plurality of corrugated pipes connected end-to-end, wherein the elongated pipes are secured together into a triangular formation oriented substantially between a protected area and anticipated wave activity, to provide a cross section against the wave activity, an opening at each end of the elongated pipes, for providing the elongated pipes to be substantially filled with water due to wave activity, and a plurality of cables for securing a selected corrugated pipe at its desired location within the water.
US09115472B2

A culvert structure interconnectable with interconnectable paver blocks. The culvert structure comprises an elongated rigid casing having a bottom wall, opposed parallel vertical side walls, and an open top end. One of the vertical side walls has at least one projection formation for interconnection with a slot of adjacent ones of the paver blocks in a paved surface formed by the paver blocks. The other of the vertical side walls has a slot formation for interconnection with a blocks engaging projection of adjacent ones of the paver blocks in the paved surface. The bottom wall has passage means for the evacuation of water therethrough and a support structure connected to the rigid casing for supporting a grate over the open top end.
US09115466B2

An exemplary method of making a woven fabric includes weaving a plurality of load supporting tension members and a plurality of cross fibers together into a woven fabric. A spacing between adjacent ones of the tension members has a first dimension. At least some of the cross fibers are shrunk to thereby decrease the spacing between the adjacent ones of the tension members to a second, smaller dimension. In another example, two woven fabrics are positioned next to each other. The two fabrics include a spacing between adjacent tension members having a first dimension. At least one tension member of one woven fabric is aligned with and between two of the tension members of the other fabric to thereby decrease the spacing to a second, smaller dimension.
US09115464B2

This invention relates to colored polymer particles preferably with surface functionality for charge retention, a process for their preparation, the use of these particles for the preparation of an electrophoretic device, color electrophoretic displays comprising such particle, and new water-soluble dyes.
US09115462B1

Methods, apparatuses and systems are described for utilizing the gravitational potential energy of a lifted weight to wash clothes. Systems may include a weight coupled with a cable such that the weight may be raised and lowered. Additionally, systems may include a rotation conversion system configured to convert the lowering of the weight into a rotational movement, and a torque transmission system configured to transmit the rotational movement from the rotation conversions system into a rotational movement of a washing drum. Moreover, methods for washing clothes may include capturing the kinetic energy of a weight being transformed from gravitational potential energy, converting the captured kinetic energy of the weight into a rotational movement of a crank shaft, and transmitting the rotational movement of the crank shaft into a rotational movement of a drive shaft coaxially supporting a washing drum.
US09115460B2

A coupling device for coupling a friction damper onto a washing unit or a machine frame of a washing machine comprises a support part for supporting the friction damper with a support plate for putting on the washing unit or on the machine frame, with a support wall and with a pin having a pin longitudinal axis for mounting in a coupling opening of the friction damper, and a locking part coupled pivotably on the support part about a locking pivot axis between a locking position and an unlocking position, wherein the locking part comprises a fastening element, wherein in the locking position the support plate is secured onto the washing unit or the machine frame by means of the fastening element, and wherein in the unlocking position the support plate on the washing unit or on the machine frame is released by the fastening element.
US09115456B2

A laundry treating appliance may include a rotatable treating chamber for receiving a laundry load for treatment, and a motor for rotating the treating chamber, and may be operated such that during the acceleration of the laundry load toward a satellizing speed, the satellizing of the laundry load may be detected, whereby subsequent operation of the laundry treating appliance may be controlled based on the detection.
US09115450B2

A multi-needle quilting machine (20) is provided with a tape or ribbon guide (30) that is operated by a method by which a narrow strip (32) is fed against a facing layer (11a) of a wide multi-layered material (24) as it is fed into the quilting machine. In the quilting machine (20), series of chain stitches are sewn, at least one of which joins the tape (32) and layers of the multi-layered material (24) together with the same thread in a quilting process, thereby applying the tape (32) to the quilted product in a single quilting operation without the need for a post-quilting tape application step. The tape may form a decorative strip or have unsewn sections that serve as handles for a mattress when the quilted product is formed into a mattress cover.
US09115444B2

An epitaxial growth process for producing a thick III-N layer, wherein III denotes at least one element of group III of the periodic table of elements, is disclosed, wherein a thick III-N layer is deposited above a foreign substrate. The epitaxial growth process preferably is carried out by HVPE. The substrate can also be a template comprising the foreign substrate and at least one thin III-N intermediate layer. The surface quality is improved by providing a slight intentional misorientation of the substrate, and/or a reduction of the N/III ratio and/or the reactor pressure towards the end of the epitaxial growth process. Substrates and semiconductor devices with such improved III-N layers are also disclosed.
US09115440B2

An object of the present invention is to provide a coated article having excellent finish and corrosion resistance unaffected by a chemical conversion coating solution even if water washing after a pretreatment step is omitted and a pretreatment solution is carried as a contaminant into an electrodeposition coating composition. The present invention provides a method for forming a multilayer coating film comprising a chemical conversion coating film (F1) and an electrodeposition coating film (F2); the method comprising the following steps. Step 1: immersing a metal substrate in a coating film forming agent (1) as a chemical conversion coating solution to form a chemical conversion coating film (F1); and Step 2: without water washing, subjecting the metal substrate to electrodeposition coating using a coating film forming agent (2) as a cationic electrodeposition coating composition (I) to form an electrodeposition coating film (F2).
US09115439B2

A light-weight composite material with enhanced structural characteristics includes, in one embodiment, a compositionally modulated nanolaminate coating electrically deposited into an open, accessible void structure of a porous substrate. As a result of including a nanolaminate within the void structure, the composite can include a greater amount of nanolaminate material per unit volume than can be achieved by depositing a nanolaminate material solely on a two-dimensional surface. In addition, the nanolaminate material as well as other material electrodeposited to form the composite is compositionally modulated so that discontinuities between layers are minimized and potentially eliminated. The light-weight but structurally enhanced composite material can be used in a number of different applications including, but not limited to, ballistic applications (e.g., armor panels or tank panels), automotive protection applications (e.g., car door panels, racing shells) and sporting equipment applications (e.g., golf club shafts and tennis racket frames).
US09115420B2

A thermoelectric material (and a method for producing the same) is essentially formed of an Mg2Si-based compound represented by the chemical formula Mg2-x-y-zAlxZnyMnzSi (x≠0, y≠0, z≠0, 0.04≦y/x≦0.6, and 0.013≦z/x≦0.075) wherein the total amount of Al, Zn, and Mn is 0.3 at % to 5 at %. Mg2-x-y-zAlxZnyMnz is provided in the form of an Mg alloy.
US09115419B2

A process for the extraction of rare earth elements, including yttrium, from a rare earth element-bearing ore or concentrate, comprising the steps of leaching the rare earth element-bearing ore or concentrate with a lixiviant of hydrochloric acid and magnesium chloride at atmospheric pressure at a temperature of from 90° C. to the boiling point of the solution and at an Eh of at least 200 mV. After a liquid/solids separation step, the solution obtained is subjected to steps for removal of iron and for recovery of rare earth elements. Alternatively, rare earth element-bearing ore or concentrate may be leached with sulphuric acid and liquid obtained subjected to extraction of iron and other impurities. Raffinate obtained may be treated with oxalic acid, the precipitate dissolved in hydrochloric acid and subjected to solvent extraction for rare earth elements or the raffinate may be subjected to solvent extraction for removal of rare earth elements and then stripped with hydrochloric acid.
US09115407B2

Disclosed are compositions and methods for detecting the presence of viable cells in a sample. Included are compositions and methods for increasing the sensitivity of a nucleic acid amplification test for determining the presence of at least one target microorganism in a sample. Also disclosed are compositions and methods for detecting ribosomal RNA precursors (pre-rRNA) as dynamic indicators of viable microorganisms in a sample.
US09115401B2

Methods are disclosed for resolving measurement problems such problems in measuring chromosomal copy number. Some disclosed methods involve first selecting a primary assay element characteristic to partition. Such characteristic may be a source of experimental variability such as the GC content of measured DNA sequences. Additionally, the disclosed methods may employ an abundance or copy number function to transform the assay element frequencies into an abundance, dose, copy number score, or the like. In some cases, the disclosed methods estimate an amount of certain fetal DNA in a sample. The methods can further compare the estimated amount to a measured amount of fetal DNA in the sample. The comparison can be used to determine the fetal sex or aneuploidy.
US09115400B2

Disclosed herein are point mutations in the LMNA gene that cause HGPS. These mutations activate a cryptic splice site within the LMNA gene, which leads to deletion of part of exon 11 and generation of a mutant Lamin A protein product that is 50 amino acids shorter than the normal protein. In addition to the novel Lamin A variant protein and nucleic acids encoding this variant, methods of using these molecules in detecting biological conditions associated with a LMNA mutation in a subject (e.g., HGPS, arteriosclerosis, and other age-related diseases), methods of treating such conditions, methods of selecting treatments, methods of screening for compounds that influence Lamin A activity, and methods of influencing the expression of LMNA or LMNA variants are also described. Oligonucleotides and other compounds for use in examples of the described methods are also provided, as are protein-specific binding agents, such as antibodies, that bind specifically to at least one epitope of a Lamin A variant protein preferentially compared to wildtype Lamin A, and methods of using such antibodies in diagnosis, treatment, and screening. Also provided are kits for carrying out the methods described herein.
US09115398B2

The present invention relates to methods, compositions, kits and reagents for determining the prognosis of a clinical response in a human patient to a medicament which acts in the central nervous system (CNS) and which is a substrate of the ABCB1 protein. Further, the invention relates to a combination of medicaments for the treatment of human patients having specific polymorphisms in the ABCB1 gene.
US09115394B2

The present invention provides methods and reagents for use in the amplification of nucleic acids. Amplification carried out using oligonucleotides containing modified nucleotides can result in less non-specific amplification compared to amplification carried out using unmodified oligonucleotides.
US09115393B2

An isothermal reaction and analysis system may include a receiver to receive sample holders, a thermal control subsystem to control a temperature of the receiver, an excitation subsystem, a detection subsystem and an analysis subsystem. Excitation sources and/or detectors are positioned to enhance data collection. Sample holders may include filters, selectively blocking and passing wavelengths or bands of electromagnetic radiation.
US09115390B2

The present invention relates to a method for identifying frameshift mutations in coding nucleic acid sequences.
US09115382B2

A reagent is provided for the detection of an exotoxin protein produced by a beta-hemolytic streptococcus bacteria suspected of being present in a host biological fluid collected from a subject. An enzyme inhibitor is present to inhibit rogue protein modification of the substrate to prevent a false positive result of the color change. A kit is provided that is readily usable by an untrained user and merely requires that an element of the kit be contacted with a biological sample and thereafter no further actions are required by the user before a discernable color change is observed with visible or UV light and a positive/negative results reference card.
US09115369B2

Inbred corn line designated MN29 is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of inbred corn line MN29, to the plants and plant parts of inbred corn line MN29 and to methods for producing a corn plant, either inbred or hybrid, by crossing inbred corn line MN29 with itself or another corn line. The invention also relates to products produced from the seeds, plants, or parts thereof, of inbred corn line MN29 and/or of the hybrids produced using the inbred as a parent. The invention further relates to methods for producing a corn plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic plants produced by that method and to methods for producing other inbred corn lines derived from inbred corn line MN29.
US09115367B2

A stomata-increasing agent containing a compound capable of increasing the number and/or density of stomata in a plant, a polypeptide containing the amino acid sequence shown in SEQ ID NO: 6 or a variant thereof, a method for increasing the number and/or density of stomata in a plant and a method for increasing the yield of a plant are provided.
US09115361B2

A method for using cloning vector plasmids to produce DNA molecules, such as transgenes, in a single cloning step. The transgenes can be used for the purpose of gene expression or analysis of gene expression. The plasmid cloning vectors are engineered to minimize the amount of manipulation of DNA fragment components by the end user of the vectors and the methods for their use. Transgenes produced using the invention may be used in a single organism, or in a variety of organisms including bacteria, yeast, mice, and other eukaryotes with little or no further modification.
US09115354B2

This disclosure relates to the discovery and isolation of the entire cluster of genes encoding R-type high molecular weight bacteriocins that specifically kill Clostridium difficile bacteria, dangerous pathogens. Also disclosed are methods of producing the R-type bacteriocins in innocuous aerobic producer cells. Disclosed also are small, non-ORF1374 receptor binding domains (RBDs), which are incorporated into diffocins to form engineered or variant diffocins having altered killing spectra. Variant diffocins provided herein may include a heterologous RBD and its cognate base plate attachment region (BPAR), or a fused BPAR. This invention offers a potent bactericidal agent with increased thermal and pH stability, and methods for producing it, in order to kill selectively C. difficile bacteria in the environment of the gastrointestinal tract where they can cause great harm and even death of the infected patient or farm animal.
US09115349B2

Aqueous solution containing at least 300 mg/l of hydrophobin and at least 0.3 mg/l of antifoam, wherein the antifoam/hydrophobin weight ratio is below 0.2, preferably below 0.15, more preferably below 0.1.
US09115348B2

The present disclosure provides variant Csy4 endoribonucleases, nucleic acids encoding the variant Csy4 endoribonucleases, and host cells genetically modified with the nucleic acids. The variant Csy4 endoribonucleases find use in a variety of applications, which are also provided. The present disclosure also provides methods of detecting a specific sequence in a target polyribonucleotide; and methods of regulating production of a target RNA in a eukaryotic cell.
US09115314B2

A process for converting a solid biomass material, comprising contacting the solid biomass material and a hydrocarbon co-feed with a catalytic cracking catalyst at a temperature of more than 400° C. in a riser reactor to produce one or more cracked products, wherein the solid biomass material is introduced to the riser reactor at a location downstream of the location where the hydrocarbon co-feed is introduced to the riser reactor.
US09115309B2

Zinc manganese silicate containing metal particles luminescent materials and preparation methods thereof are provided. The said luminescent materials are a blend of metal M nanoparticles and Zn2-xSiO4:Mnx, wherein M is one of Ag, Au and Pt, 0.001≦x≦0.1, 0.00001≦y≦0.01, y is the molar ratio of M to Zn2-xSiO4:Mnx. The said methods include the following steps: step 1, preparing silica aerogel containing metal particles; step 2, weighing source compound of zinc, source compound of manganese and the silica aerogel in step 1 at stoichiometric ratio and mixing them to form mixture; step 3, sintering the mixture in step 2, then cooling and grinding to form the said luminescent materials with higher luminescent intensity. The said methods have simple steps, easy operation, low sintering temperature and low cost.
US09115305B2

In some embodiments, the present invention is a chemiluminescent system, including: an oxalate system, including: (a) at least one oxalate ester, (b) at least one first solvent selected from the group consisting of alkyl benzoates, dialkyl phthalates, trialkyl acetylcitrates, 2-acetyloxy isobutyrates, paraffinic liquids, isoparaffinic liquids, toluene, nitroethane, and a combination thereof, (c) at least one second solvent selected from the group consisting of: dialkyl malonates, dialkyl dialkylmalonates, dialkyl arylalkylmalonates, dialkyl succinates, dialkyl glutarates, dialkyl adipates, dialkyl pimelates, dialkyl polyalkylmalonates and a combination thereof, (d) at least one fluorescer, and (e) at least one inorganic salt, and an activator system, including: (a) at least one peroxide, (b) at least one third solvent, (c) at least one fourth solvent, and (d) at least one catalyst.
US09115289B2

The invention describes new synthetic medical adhesives and antifouling coatings which exploit the key components of natural marine mussel adhesive proteins.
US09115276B2

The invention relates to novel polyolefin compositions having a low coefficient of thermal expansion (CLTE), high stiffness and high flowability. The novel compositions comprise a heterophasic propylene copolymer, an inorganic filler, an ethylene/alpha-olefin elastomer and at least two different alpha-nucleating agents.
US09115266B2

Disclosed herein are processes comprising the steps of providing a porous mat comprising carbon nanotubes having an average longest dimension in the range of 1 micron to 1000 microns, wherein at least a portion of the carbon nanotubes are entangled; contacting the mat with one or more condensation polymer precursors, and optionally a catalyst; polymerizing the one or more polymer precursors in the presence of the mat at a temperature in the range of about 180° C. to about 360° C. to form a nonporous carbon nanotube-polymer composite comprising a mat of carbon nanotubes embedded in a condensation polymer produced from the polymer precursors, wherein the carbon nanotubes are present in the composite in an amount ranging from about 15 weight percent to about 80 weight percent, based on the weight of the carbon nanotubes and the condensation polymer; and optionally, curing the carbon nanotube-polymer composite.
US09115265B2

The present invention relates to storage stable film forming latex particles substantially free of adipic acid dihydrazide (ADH) that crosslink under ambient conditions during or after drying. Monomers for the formation of the crosslinkable moieties in the latex particles include diacetone acrylamide (DAAM) or the likes and methacrylamide (MAM) or the likes with or without styrene. A paint composition comprising the storage stable latex particles was described.
US09115263B2

Nanocomposite materials and methods of making composite materials reinforced with carbon nanotubes are disclosed. The composite material includes an array of functionalized and aligned carbon nanotubes having a degree of functionalization of about 1% to about 10%; and a polymeric matrix material bonded to the array of functionalized and aligned carbon nanotubes.
US09115260B2

An adsorption-desorption material, in particular, crosslinked organo-amine polymeric materials having an Mw from about 500 to about 1×106, a total pore volume from about 0.2 cc/g to about 2.0 cc/g, and an adsorption capacity of at least about 0.2 millimoles adsorbed CO2 per gram of adsorption-desorption material, and linear organo-amine polymeric materials having an Mw from about 160 to about 1×106, a total pore volume from about 0.2 cc/g to about 2.0 cc/g, and an adsorption capacity of at least about 0.2 millimoles adsorbed CO2 per gram of adsorption-desorption material. This disclosure also relates to processes for preparing the crosslinked and linear organo-amine materials, as well as to selective removal of CO2 and/or other acid gases from a gaseous stream using the adsorption-desorption materials.
US09115258B2

Preparation of a masterbatch of diene elastomer and silica including preparing at least one silica dispersion in water; bringing into contact and mixing an elastomer latex and the aqueous silica dispersion in the presence of a metal salt having an at least divalent metal element, in order to obtain a coagulum; and recovering the coagulum and drying same in order to obtain the masterbatch. The metal cation molar ration, defined as the number of moles of metal cations of the metal salt per BET unit area of the silica, is between 9.375*10−7 and 1.875*10−5 mol/m2.
US09115244B2

The invention concerns processes for forming polymer crumb comprising residues of 2-(4-amino phenyl)-5 (6) amino benzimidazole (DAPBI), paraphenylene diamine (PPD), and terephthaloyl dichloride, comprising the steps of: (a) forming a slurry of b mole percent DAPBI and y mole percent PPD in a solvent system comprising organic solvent and c weight percent of an inorganic salt, wherein the inorganic salt is present in an amount of at least 5 weight percent of the organic solvent, DAPBI and PPD being present in an amount sufficient for providing a polymer solution having a weight percent solids of 12 percent or greater on a polymer basis; and (b) contacting the slurry of step a) with a stoichiometric amount of terephthaloyl dichloride to form a product comprising the polymer; wherein the sum of y+b is 100 and the product of b×c is 225 or greater.
US09115242B2

The invention relates to a copolymer which can be obtained by free-radical copolymerization of one or more urethane-based, polysiloxane-containing macromonomers and one or more further free-radically polymerizable comonomers. Processes for preparing the copolymer and its use as additive in coating compositions and plastics and as wetting agent and dispersant in homogeneous dispersions are also described.
US09115239B2

The present invention provides a novel copolymer useful as a dispersing agent for a pigment or the like. The novel copolymer contains a block chain (A) consisting of a polymer comprising at least one repeating unit selected from the group consisting of a repeating unit having a tertiary amino group and a repeating unit having a quaternary ammonium base; and a block chain (B) consisting of a copolymer comprising a repeating unit having a polyoxyalkylene chain and a repeating unit having an acidic group.
US09115237B2

Disclosed is an oil-soluble lubricating oil additive composition, suitable for use as a dispersant viscosity index improver in lubricating oils; prepared by the process which comprises reacting a hydrocarbon polymer having a number average molecular weight (Mn) between about 7,000 and about 500,000 wherein the polymer backbone has been functionalized with an ethylenically unsaturated acylating agent and an aryloxy-alkylene amine.
US09115220B2

A method is provided for functionalizing nanoscale fibers including reacting a plurality of nanoscale fibers with at least one epoxide monomer to chemically bond the at least one epoxide monomer to surfaces of the nanoscale fibers to form functionalized nanoscale fibers. Functionalized nanoscale fibers and nanoscale fiber films are also provided.
US09115211B2

The invention concerns a method for production of lactoferrin comprising at least the steps of: a) disposing of raw material that have not been treated at a temperature greater than 500C, b) submitting this raw material to a treatment in order to obtain a solution of Lactenin (LN) or Milk Basic Protein (MBP), c) submitting this LN or MBP solution to a step of purification on a cation exchange resin equilibrated with an acetate buffer at a pH between 4 and 9 and eluted with different buffer solutions containing different solute concentrations, d) and collecting a fraction containing Lactoferrin having more than 95% of purity, having no polymers and substantially free of LPS, endotoxins and angiogenin. It also concerns the Lactoferrin obtained having more than 95% of purity, substantially free of LPS, endotoxins and angiogenin with an iron saturation level comprised between 9% to 15%.
US09115209B2

This document provides natriuretic polypeptides. For example, this document provides polypeptides having a natriuretic activity. In some cases, a polypeptide provided herein can have natriuretic activities without inducing excessive hypotension. This document also provides methods and materials for inducing natriuretic activities within a mammal.
US09115208B2

In general, the invention features substantially purified MANF and substantially purified nucleic acids encoding the same. The invention also features a pharmaceutical composition that includes MANF and a pharmaceutically-acceptable excipient, methods for treatment of a neurodegenerative disease, methods for improving dopaminergic neuronal survival during or following cell transplantation, methods for production of neurons for transplantation, and methods for identifying compounds that modulate or mimic MANF's biological activity.
US09115207B2

The present invention provides peptides containing the amino acid sequence of SEQ ID NOs: 1, 2, 3, 4, 16, 17, 30, 31, 34, 36, 37, 40, 41, 45, 49, 55, 57 and 61, as well as peptides containing the above-mentioned amino acid sequences in which 1, 2, or several amino acid(s) are substituted, deleted, inserted or added, but still have cytotoxic T cell inducibility. The present invention also provides drugs for treating or preventing tumors, which drugs containing these peptides. The peptides of the present invention can also be used as vaccines.
US09115202B2

A soluble canola protein isolate is prepared from canola protein micellar mass by solubilizing the protein micellar mass in a calcium salt solution, preferably a calcium chloride solution, followed by dilution of the resulting canola protein solution. Following removal of the precipitate phytic acid, the aqueous canola protein solution is concentrated, optionally diafiltered, and acidified to a pH of about 2.5 to 4.0 to produce an acidified clear canola protein solution, which may be concentrated, subjected to a color removal step and dried. The canola protein isolate so formed is soluble, transparent and heat stable in an acid aqueous environment and also is soluble at natural pH, without precipitation of protein.
US09115197B2

This invention relates to the use of monoclonal and polyclonal antibodies that specifically bind to and become internalized by mesothelin-positive cells and also induce an immune effector activity such as antibody dependent cellular cytotoxicity. The antibodies are useful in specific delivery of pharmacologic agents to mesothelin expressing cells as well as eliciting an immune-effector activity particularly on tumor cells and precursors. The invention is also related to cells expressing the monoclonal antibodies, polyclonal antibodies, antibody derivatives, such as human, humanized, and chimeric monoclonal antibodies, antibody fragments, mammalian cells expressing the monoclonal antibodies, derivatives and fragments, and methods of treating cancer using the antibodies, derivatives and fragments.
US09115193B2

The present invention relates to DNA sequences encoding Vmp-like polypeptides of pathogenic Borrelia, the use of the DNA sequences in recombinant vectors to express polypeptides, the encoded amino acid sequences, application of the DNA and amino acid sequences to the production of polypeptides as antigens for immunoprophylaxis, immunotherapy, and immunodiagnosis. Also disclosed are the use of the nucleic acid sequences as probes or primers for the detection of organisms causing Lyme disease, relapsing fever, or related disorders, and kits designed to facilitate methods of using the described polypeptides, DNA segments and antibodies.
US09115190B2

Detection sequences of periostin having from 6 to 30 amino acids and which include all or part of peptide sequence SEQ ID No. 1, SEQ ID No. 2 or SEQ ID No. 3, or a homologous peptide sequence. Antibodies suitable for specifically recognizing minimally one of these detection sequences, including an anti-periostin antibody, are disclosed. Periostin detection and dosage processes and kits that use these antibodies are also disclosed. A periostin marker for early diagnosis, tracking and prognosis of pathologies that involve periostin, including benign osteolysis such as inflammatory diseases, including osteoarticular diseases, and malignant osteolysis, such as cancers with bone metastases, is provided.
US09115185B2

The invention is concerned with epitopes derived from human papilloma virus, and peptides having a size of about 22-45 amino acid residues comprising minimal T cell epitopes. The invention further provides clinically relevant approaches for immunizing subjects against (Myco)bacterially and/or virally infected cells or tumor cells, and in particular against HPV. The invention demonstrates that peptide sequences of 22-35 amino acid residues in length can induce both peptide-specific CD8+ cytolytic cells and CD4+ T-helper cells. Moreover, the invention demonstrates that vaccination with 22-35 residue long peptides results in a more vigorous CD8+ cytolytic T-cell response than vaccination with peptides of the exact minimal CTL epitope length. The invention further demonstrates that the intrinsic capacity of certain minimal CTL epitopes which instead of activating cytolytic effector cells tolerize these cytolytic cells, can be overcome by use of these 22-35 amino acid long peptides. The invention further provides clinically relevant approaches for vaccination and/or treatment of subjects against HPV. The invention also provides methods and uses suited to treat subjects suffering from progressive lesions and/or cervical cancer.
US09115182B2

Compositions and methods are provided using fusion peptides comprising at least one multi-functional solubility tag having an effective number of cross-linkable cysteines residues. The multi-functional peptidic solubility tags facilitate efficient fusion peptide production, easier downstream processing of the fusion peptide, and provide functional surface properties when coupled to a target material while the cross-linkable cysteines provide enhanced durability when binding the fusion peptide to a target material.
US09115178B2

Embodiments of the present invention are directed to articles of manufacture, devices, methods and apparatus for performing liquid chromatography featuring a chromatographic sorbent having one or more pentafluorophenyl groups, wherein said one or more pentafluorophenyl groups are a bonded phase on a sorbent selected from the group comprising silica, organic polymers or hybrid organic silane material and said pentafluorophenyl groups are in a mono-, bi-, and tridentate forms.
US09115171B2

An azapeptide compound of Formula I: A-(Xaa)a-N(RA)—N(RB)—C(O)-(Xaa′)b-B  I.
US09115169B2

The invention provides a method of treating tumors by adminstering to a human or animal patient an effective amount of a molecule of 2 to 4 amino acids or equivalent subunits in length, which incorporates a bulky and lipophilic group comprising at least 13 non-hydrogen atoms and containing no more than 2 polar functional groups, in which the bulky and lipophilic group incorporates one or more closed rings of 5 or more non-hydrogen atoms, and in which the molecule further has at least two more cationic than anionic moieties.
US09115163B2

This invention provides a process for sequencing nucleic acids using 3′ modified deoxynucleotide analogues or 3′ modified deoxyinosine triphosphate analogues, and 3′ modified dideoxynucleotide analogues having a detectable marker attached to a base thereof.
US09115160B2

This invention discloses a solvent-free process for the preparation of cyclophosphamide. According to this invention, there is no solvent used during the reaction step for preparing cyclophosphamide, so that the total volume of the reaction for preparing cyclophosphamide can be reduced and the manufacture of cyclophosphamide can become more efficient. Furthermore, the above solvent-free process for the preparation of cyclophosphamide is more simply operated, more economic, and more environmental friendly than the preparation of cyclophosphamide in the prior art.
US09115159B2

Compounds of formula (I): wherein X, Y, A1, A2, Ra, Rb, Rc, Rd, R3, R4, T and R5 are as defined in the description. Medicinal products containing the same which are useful in treating pathologies involving a deficit in apoptosis, such as cancer, auto-immune diseases, and diseases of the immune system.
US09115155B1

The invention is directed to a process for preparing a 1,4-disubstituted cyclohexane compound of formula (I): where A is —OH, —OR, Br, or Cl; and R is a silyl group, a hydrocarbyl group, or an acyl group having 1 to 12 carbon atoms. The process includes the steps of reacting ethylene with a (2E,4E)-hexa-2,4-diene compound to produce a 3,6-disubstituted cyclohex-1-ene compound, and hydrogenating the 3,6-disubstituted cyclohex-1-ene compound to yield the 1,4-disubstituted cyclohexane compound of formula (I).
US09115154B1

The present disclosure discloses a method of preparing tris-(2-chloroethyl)phosphite, comprising: continuously pumping phosphorus trichloride and ethylene oxide into a tubular pre-mixer for pre-mixing, respectively, and starting a refrigerant cooling unit of the microchannel reaction device simultaneously, to obtain a product tris-(2-chloroethyl)phosphite after complete reaction. The method according to the present disclosure not only significantly improves the content of the esterification product, thus increasing the production efficiency by 10 to 100 times than that of an ordinary tank reactor, but also reduces the residence time of the esterification product in the reactor from 110 hours to several minutes.
US09115150B2

Provided are a camptothecin compound containing 7-membered lactone ring, as shown in general formula I, and pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, as well as the preparation method and use thereof. In general formula I, R1 is H, a C1˜C3 alkyl, acetyl or propionyl; R2 is H, a C1˜C6 alkyl, a C3˜C6 cycloalkyl, piperidyl; or a C1˜C6 alkyl substituted by an amino; R3 is H, a C1˜C3 alkyl, or a C1˜C6 alkyl substituted by an amino; R4 is H, a hydroxyl, or a C1˜C6 alkoxy; R5 is H, or a C1˜C6 alkoxyl; or R4 and R5 are linked to each other to form —OCH2O— or —OCH2CH2O—. The compound has good anti-tumor activity, and can be clinically used via oral administration, intravenous injection, and intramuscular injection, among others.
US09115148B2

This invention is related to new histone deacetylase inhibitors according to the general formula (I) wherein: the dotted line is an optional additional bond; n is zero or an integer from 1 to 4; R1 is hydrogen; C1-C6 alkyl, optionally substituted by cycloalkyl, aryl or by heteroaryl; (CO)R3; (SO2)R4; cycloalkyl; aryl; or heteroaryl; R2 is C1-C6 alkyl, optionally substituted by aryl or by heteroaryl; aryl; heteroaryl; or (CO)R5; X is CH2, oxygen or NR6; Y is a bond, CHR7 or NR8; Z is oxygen, CR9R10 or C═R11; and R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10 and R11 are as further defined in the specification; and pharmaceutical acceptable salts thereof.
US09115146B2

A process is described for producing an isohexide wherein an hexitol or a combination of hexitols is continuously dehydrated in the presence of an acid catalyst under vacuum using a thin film evaporator.
US09115140B2

The present invention relates to compounds of formula (I): wherein R6 is —CONH2 or a —C(Rα)(Rβ)(OH) group; R is a substituted phenyl or heteroaryl group; R7 is an optionally substituted aryl or heteroaryl group. Process for the preparation thereof and therapeutic use thereof.
US09115138B2

Various porphyrin compounds comprising one or more pyridone moieties, intermediates thereof, compositions thereof, and, methods of making and using thereof.
US09115137B2

Provided are new tricyclic compounds that may be used to modulate a histamine receptor in an individual. Compounds are described, including new 2,3,4,5-tetrahydro-1H-pyrido[4,3-b]indole compounds. Pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds are also provided, as are methods of using the compounds in a variety of therapeutic applications, including the treatment of a cognitive disorder, psychotic disorder, neurotransmitter-mediated disorder and/or a neuronal disorder.
US09115122B2

A compound, having the formula A-1: Wherein R1 and R2 are defined herein. Methods of using the compound and compositions containing the compound are provided.
US09115121B2

The present invention relates to compounds corresponding to formula (I) in which: —R1 represents a substituted phenyl; —R2 represents: —a substituted phenyl; —a heteroaromatic group, the said group being unsubstituted or substituted one or more times; —R3 represents a group Alk; —R4 represents a hydrogen atom or a (C1-C4)alkyl; —R5 represents a hydrogen atom, a (C3-C6)cycloalkyl or a (C1-C4)alkyl-O-Alk; —or alternatively R4 and R5, together with the nitrogen atom to which they are attached, constitute a heterocyclic radical chosen from: azetidin-1-yl, pyrrolidin-1-yl, piperid-1-yl, morpholin-4-yl; —R6 represents a group —COOAlk, a group —CONH2 or a group —NHSO2Alk; —Alk represents a (C1-C4)alkyl, which is unsubstituted or substituted one or more times with a halogen atom; in the form of the base or of an acid-addition salt. Preparation process and diagnostic and therapeutic use.
US09115120B2

The present invention relates to compounds and methods which may be useful as inhibitors of HIF pathway activity for the treatment or prevention of cancer and other hypoxia-mediated diseases.
US09115113B2

Provided herein are compounds useful for the treatment of HBV infection in a subject in need thereof, pharmaceutical compositions thereof, and methods of inhibiting, suppressing, or preventing HBV infection in the subject.
US09115112B2

Disclosed are a novel amino anthracene derivative and an organic electro-luminescence device using the same. More specifically, the disclosed amino anthracene derivative has a core (e.g., indenoanthracene core) of an anthracene moiety (with a high device characteristic) linked to a fluorene moiety (with a high fluorescence characteristic), in which in the core is substituted with at least one amine group represented by Formula 2 and the disclosed organic electro-luminescence device uses the amino anthracene derivative as a light emitting layer material so as to be enhanced in efficiency, operating voltage, and life span.
US09115103B2

The present invention relates to a process for producing an olefinic product, comprising (a) preparing a reaction product by converting an oxygenate-comprising feedstock in an oxygenate to olefin process, the reaction product comprising at least C2+ olefins and DME, (b) separating at least part of the reaction product by means of extractive distillation using a butanol solvent into: (i) a first fraction comprising C3− olefins and butanol; and (ii) a second fraction comprising C4+ olefins, DME and butanol; (c) separating the first fraction into: (iii)a C3− olefinic product; and (iv) a third fraction comprising butanol; (d) separating the second fraction into: (v) a DME-comprising C4-C5 olefinic product; and (vi) a fourth fraction comprising butanol and C6+ olefins, wherein at least part of the third and/or fourth fraction are recycled to step (b) together with or as part of the butanol solvent.
US09115102B2

The present invention relates to novel benzene-carboxamide compounds having a structure that corresponds to the general formula (I), and also to their method of synthesis and to their use in pharmaceutical compositions intended for use in human or veterinary medicine or else to their use in cosmetic compositions.
US09115101B2

Compounds of the formula I: or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein m, n, p, q, r, A, W, X1, X2, X3, X4, Y, Z, R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10, R11, and R12 are as defined herein. Also disclosed are methods of making the compounds and using the compounds for treatment of inflammatory diseases such as arthritis.
US09115091B2

The present invention relates to a novel crystals of 5-({[2-amino-3-(4-carbamoyl-2,6-dimethyl-phenyl)-propionyl]-[1-(4-phenyl-1h-imidazol-2-yl)-ethyl]-amino}-methyl)-2-methoxy-benzoic acid and methods of making the zwitterion of 5-({[2-amino-3-(4-carbamoyl-2,6-dimethyl-phenyl)-propionyl]-[1-(4-phenyl-1h-imidazol-2-yl)-ethyl]-amino}-methyl)-2-methoxy-benzoic acid.
US09115086B2

Compositions comprising compounds that modulate pyruvate kinase M2 (PKM2) are described herein. Also described herein are methods of using the compounds that modulate PKM2 in the treatment of cancer.
US09115082B2

The invention comprises novel inhibitors of dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) with beta blocker activity, pharmaceutical compositions comprising therapeutically effective amounts of novel inhibitors of DPP-IV, and novel methods of treating medical conditions are provided. The novel inhibitors of DPP-IV described herein are useful in the treatment of neurological disorders, diabetes, inflammatory disorders such as arthritis, obesity, osteoporosis, hypertension, and glaucoma of such other enumerated conditions as can be treated with inhibitors of DPP-IV and beta blockers.
US09115079B2

An objective of the present invention is to provide a novel NDM (New Delhi metallo-β-lactamase) inhibitor that functions as a drug for restoring the antibacterial activity of β-lactam antibiotics that have been inactivated as a result of decomposition by NDM. According to the present invention, there is provided an NDM inhibitor contains a compound represented by general formula (I):
US09115077B2

The present invention relates to the cinchonidine salt useful in the preparation of intermediates for preparing a macrocyclic HCV inhibitor, as well as processes involving this salt.
US09115062B2

The present invention relates to novel compounds containing fluorinated end groups, to the use thereof as surface-active substances, and to processes for the preparation of these compounds.
US09115055B2

A novel fluorenylamine compound represented by a general formula below, where R1 to R6 are each independently selected from a hydrogen atom and alkyl groups; R21 to R23 are each independently selected from a hydrogen atom and the alkyl groups; and the alkyl groups are a methyl group, an ethyl group, a n-propyl group, an isopropyl group, a n-butyl group, an isobutyl group, a sec-butyl group, and a tert-butyl group.
US09115044B2

Provided is a method for producing trans-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene usable as a raw material for a foaming agent for a hard polyurethane foam, a solvent, a cleaning agent, a cooling medium, a working fluid, a propellant, a fluorinated resin, etc., the method involving a step of bringing cis-1-chloro-3,3,3-trifluoropropene into contact with a catalyst, wherein the catalyst includes a fluorinated metal oxide or a metal fluoride each produced by applying a fluorination treatment to a metal oxide containing one kind or two or more kinds of metals and containing aluminum atoms that make up 50 at. % or more of metal atoms to thereby substitute some or all of oxygen atoms in the metal oxide with fluorine atom(s), wherein the fluorinated metal oxide or the metal fluoride is a compound produced through a drying treatment at 400 to 600° C.
US09115037B2

The present invention relates to a process for removing dimethylether from an olefin stream comprising dimethylether, comprising: (a) providing to an oxygenate recovery zone the olefin stream comprising dimethylether and a methanol-comprising solvent, treating the olefin stream comprising dimethylether with the methanol comprising solvent, and retrieving at least a dimethylether-depleted, methanol-comprising olefin stream; and (b) providing to the oxygenate recovery zone a non-aqueous C2 to C4 alcohol solvent and treating the dimethylether-depleted, methanol-comprising olefin stream with the non-aqueous C2 to C4 alcohol solvent, and retrieving from the oxygenate recovery zone at least an olefinic product that is depleted in dimethylether and methanol and a spent solvent comprising at least one C2 to C4 alcohol and methanol.
US09115036B1

A method of thermally treating high density ammonium nitrate for manufacturing ANFO and heavy ANFO including loading high density ammonium nitrate into a tank; entering the high density ammonium nitrate into heating equipment at room temperature; heating the high density ammonium nitrate inside the heating equipment; removing the treated ammonium nitrate from the heating equipment at a temperature less than 60° C.; and sieving the treated ammonium nitrate, thereby obtaining thermally treated ammonium nitrate; feeding thermally treated ammonium nitrate at a temperature of less than 30° C. into a mixing chamber while injecting fuel into the thermally treated ammonium nitrate feeding pipe, thereby obtaining ANFO; loading gassed or ungassed bulk emulsion into a hopper; feeding the bulk emulsion into the same mixing chamber as the ANFO; and mixing the bulk emulsion and the ANFO, thereby obtaining heavy ANFO.
US09115033B2

A moisture absorbent for an organic EL element having hydrophobicity and no reduction in moisture absorption speed, and a method for producing the moisture absorbent are provided. The moisture absorbent for an organic EL element includes, as a main component, calcium oxide particles each having an alkoxide layer on the surface thereof. Furthermore, the method for producing a moisture absorbent for an organic EL element includes dry-pulverizing calcium oxide in the presence of an alcohol, and thereafter dry-treating the pulverized calcium oxide.
US09115031B2

A ceramic having a plurality of crystal grains that contain lead, lithium, and boron, are arranged in a planar direction, and have a mutually same crystal orientation with respect to the thickness direction.
US09115022B2

A high resolution stencil is produced by a thermal printer for the purposes of permanently etching glass for parts identification, tracking and labeling. An improved process to attach the stencil to the glass substrate is defined. An amended aqueous adhesive is used to bind the stencil so that it is in direct contact with the glass at all times and across the entire plane of the stencil and the adhesion is aided by use of a straight-edged tool to help evacuate any potential elements which may hinder the prescribed glass etching compound(s) from completing a clear and precise permanent mark.
US09115021B2

The present invention relates to a neutral grey glass composition which has a basic composition containing the following main coloring agents: 0.40 to 0.80% of Fe2O3; 0.05 to 2.0% of TiO2; 0.2 to 2.5% of Er2O3; 20 to 200 ppm of CuO; 0.08% to 0 0.1% charcoal; and 15% to 50% of ferrous (redox), in which the glass has light transmission “A” greater than 65%, solar transmission (TS) <55%, and ultraviolet transmission <40%, having color values a*=−4 to 3 and b*=4 to −2.
US09115017B2

Methods and systems for determining density or density gradient of molten foamed glass in a glass melter, an apparatus downstream of a glass melter, or both. A molten foamed glass is generated having molten glass and bubbles entrained therein and/or a layer of glass foam on a top surface thereof in a melter. At least a portion of the molten foamed glass is transferred into an apparatus positioned downstream of the melter, and the density or density gradient of the molten foamed glass in the melter or downstream apparatus is determined as a function of distance from a structural feature of the melter or downstream apparatus, or both, using one or more electromagnetic (EM) wave-based sensors.
US09115011B2

An electrolyzed water production apparatus and method safely and simply produce electrolyzed water having a sterilizing action, having a physiologically neutral pH value, and, in addition, simultaneously with strong acidic electrolyzed water and strong alkaline electrolyzed water depending upon the structure. The electrolyzed water production apparatus has an electrolyzer tank with an end that receives or stores raw water, and a power supply. The interior portion of the electrolyzer tank is partitioned by a plurality of diaphragms into a plurality of regions. An anode and a cathode (constituting an electrode pair) are positioned on either side of the diaphragm. In a certain region of the electrolyzer tank, an anode and a cathode are arranged so as to face each other without a diaphragm sandwiched between them. When raw water for electrolysis is electrolyzed, electrolyzed water having a desired pH of a neutral range is produced during electrolysis.
US09115004B2

A negative active material comprising lithium titanate oxide having an area ratio of a diffraction peak of a (111) plane that appears at 2θ=18.3°±0.4 to a diffraction peak of a (311) plane that appears at 2θ=35.5°±0.4, in an XRD spectrum, in the range of about 2.2:1 to about 5.5:1, a negative electrode comprising the negative active material, a lithium secondary battery comprising the negative electrode, and a method of preparing the negative active material.
US09114990B2

A device for the production of silicon blocks comprises a vessel for receiving a silicon melt, the vessel comprising a vessel wall comprising at least one side wall and a bottom as well as an inside and an outside and a central longitudinal axis, and means for creating a temperature field on the inside of the bottom, the temperature field having a temperature gradient at the bottom of the vessel which is perpendicular to the central longitudinal axis at least in some regions when the silicon melt cools down for crystallization.
US09114988B2

The present disclosure provides a method for isolation and purification of sodium sulfide (Na2S) formed during desulfurization of petroleum residue. The process involves treating a sludge containing Na2S obtained during desulfurization of petroleum residue with a mixture of at least one organic solvent and water.
US09114980B2

A resistive random access memory (ReRAM) cell, comprising a first conductive electrode and a dielectric storage material layer over the first conductive electrode. The dielectric storage material layer is conducive to the formation of conductive filaments during the application of a filament forming voltage to the cell. The cell includes a second conductive electrode over the dielectric storage material layer and an interface region comprising a plurality of interspersed field focusing features that are not photo-lithographically defined. The interface region is located between the first conductive electrode and the dielectric storage material layer or between the dielectric storage material layer and the second conductive electrode.
US09114979B2

A chip device is produced providing at least one wafer having a plurality of chip components. The wafer or wafers are separated into the individual chip components and/or into groups of chip components. The individual chip components and/or the groups of chip components are applied to a carrier element, in such a way that interspaces having a predetermined width are formed between the individual chip components and/or the groups of chip components. A polymer is introduced into the interspaces in order to form a composite element composed of the chip components and a polymer matrix. The composite element is separated in such a way that chip devices composed of in each case one of the chip components and at least one section of the polymer matrix are formed. The invention furthermore relates to a chip device produced by means of the method.
US09114973B2

A sump for a fuel dispenser which allows wiring to pass from beneath the ground vertically upwards through the footprint of the fuel dispenser without compromising a wall of the sump and without providing access to the ground positioned beneath the footprint of the fuel dispenser for a fluid contained within the fuel dispenser, including fuel leaks from the piping contained within the dispenser. In an exemplary embodiment, a sump frame is provided which mates with an open upper portion of the sump which provides access to the sump. The portion of the frame extending over the opening to the sump is generally open, allowing passage of fluids from within the fuel dispenser to the sump. The sump frame further includes a conduit entry frame adapter which extends beyond the perimeter of the sump, but which is positioned within the footprint of the fuel dispenser. A wiring conduit is formed in the conduit entry frame adapter so that wiring may be passed from beneath the footprint of the fuel dispenser vertically upward into the fuel dispenser, without compromising a wall forming the sump. Fluid within the fuel dispenser will fall downwardly either into the sump opening or into contact with the conduit entry frame adapter. In one exemplary embodiment, the conduit entry frame adapter is sloped downwardly toward the sump opening so that fluid contacting the conduit entry frame adapter will flow via gravity into the sump.
US09114966B2

A jack stand for use with a power unit having a slide forward bridge for positioning by the jack stand; and having a pair of leveling pads with inner roller bearings thereon for engaging an upper lifting plate of the jack stand, and a bottom plate having openings therein for engaging a mobile rack for transporting the jack stands. The jack stand has the bottom plate with a series of telescopic frames extendable therefrom, and the upper lifting plate extending from the upper frame, having side flanges with a rectangular bottom surface thereon for engaging the roller bearing of the power unit. A pair of bumpers are attached to the lowermost vertical frame with one extending forwardly and one extending rearwardly (one of which is always positioned) for engaging the slide forward bridge, as the jack stand is loaded into the power unit. The bottom plate has a pair of rectangular opening therein (one of which is always positioned) for engaging one of a plurality of rectangular fingers, extending from the platform of the mobile rack.
US09114964B2

This two-stage jack apparatus for lifting aircraft comprises: a tripod base having three legs; a base tube; a ring having an orifice therethrough, wherein the ring engaging end of each leg is attached to the ring; a cylinder housing a jack wherein the base tube supports the cylinder and wherein the cylinder extends through the orifice of the ring; a two stage hydraulic extension attached to the jack; and a dual speed hand pump comprising a high volume low pressure pump for quick ram actuation to the jack point and a low volume high pressure pump used to actuate rams with a hydraulic pump.
US09114950B2

The invention relates to a system (1) for conveying a strip of material (20) along a production line, and a production line provided with such a system, the system (1) comprising: a bearing means (10) for the strip of material (20); at least one chain (11) provided with means (111) for driving the strip of material (20); at least one return wheel (12) for the chain (11) to position the chain (11) facing the strip of material (20); characterized in that the return wheel (12) also forms a counter-bearing means for the chain (11) to press said chain against the bearing means (10), so that the means (111) of driving the strip of material can penetrate into the strip of material (20).
US09114939B2

A conveying system includes a case turner which selectively reorients selected articles or cases from an orientation to a desired orientation. The case turner includes a primary conveying path and a secondary conveying path which intersects with the primary conveying path. The conveying system may include a plurality of right angle transfer conveyors and an alternative conveying path for reject cases. A right angle transfer conveyor may be configured and controlled to reorient articles to a desired orientation.
US09114937B2

A conveyor system pallet is provided, having: a pallet body; and a guiding system operatively attached to the pallet body and designed to abut against at least one side rail of a conveyor system, the guiding system including: a plurality of first directional guides; and a plurality of second directional guides oriented approximately orthogonally to the first directional guides. A further guiding system for a conveyor pallet is provided, having: a plurality of first directional guides having: a plurality of guides designed to abut against a first side rail of the conveyor system; and a plurality of guides designed to abut against a second side rail located above the first side rail of the conveyor system; and a plurality of second directional guides designed to engage an underside of the first side rail.
US09114936B2

A conveyor apparatus includes a pusher piece (19) fixed to a conveying rod (18) adapted to reciprocate along a board conveyance path, and a switching mechanism adapted to switch the pushing piece, by turning the conveying rod a predetermined angle, between an engaged position where the pusher piece (19) engages with a rear end face of a board (7) and a retracted position where the pusher piece (19) does not interfere with the board (7). The switching mechanism includes a guide member (23) provided with a guide hole (24) adapted to guide a guide rod (22). The guide hole (24) is made up of first and second guide holes (25 and 26) configured to extend in parallel to each other in a conveyance direction and slanted coupling guide holes (27, 27) adapted to couple ends of the first and second guide holes (25 and 26). When the conveying rod (18) reciprocates, the guide rod (22) makes a round of the closed-loop guide hole (24). When the guide rod (22) is guided by the first guide hole (25), the pusher piece (19) is positioned at the engaged position. When the guide rod (22) moves from the first guide hole (25) to the second guide hole (26), the conveying rod (18) axially rotates a predetermined angle, thereby positioning the pusher piece (19) at the retracted position.
US09114931B2

A container includes an enclosure housing an interior compartment for containing waste and further defining slots on sides of the enclosure for receiving lifting forks, a lockable rear lid pivotally connected to the enclosure, and an automatic unlocking mechanism actuated by lifting forks inserted into the slots for unlocking the rear lid to enable waste to be dumped from the container. The container may also be automatically re-locked when the forks are withdrawn from the slots.
US09114930B2

Systems and methods for installing a compressed natural gas housing apparatus to a vehicle are disclosed. The housing apparatus is configured to be retrofitted to existing cab liners used on refuse vehicles. The complete installation of the housing apparatus and roof liner are disposed below the roofline of the refuse vehicle. The housing apparatus can be configured to contain a variable number of compressed natural gas tanks. The housing apparatus is installed such that the length of the gas pipeline and electrical wiring connected to the apparatus from the vehicle engine and controller is minimized. The location of housing apparatus provides the additional safety of minimizing the exposure of the gas tanks to falling debris or prevent possible contact with the compressed natural gas tanks being damaged as vehicle travels under bridges, other low objects, or contact in the event of a rollover accident.
US09114924B2

A product package includes a backer and a corner protector. The backer includes a back panel, a flange, one or more fold lines, and a slot. The one or more fold lines extend along an edge of the back panel, and the slot is positioned near the one or more fold lines. The flange extends from the one or more fold lines and is folded about the one or more fold lines to extend over the back panel. The corner protector includes a front section, a side section, and a rear section. The front section extends substantially parallel to and spaced from the back panel, and the side section extends from the front section toward the backer. The rear section extends from the side section opposite the front section and through the slot of the backer. The rear section is maintained between the back panel and the flange.
US09114922B2

A knock-type propelling includes a body storing a medium therein and having a tip end opening for allowing the medium to be propelled therefrom, a propelling member slidably arranged in the body and capable of propelling the medium toward the opening, the propelling member being provided with a forward/rearward extending prolongation portion having engaging-stop portions formed at fixed intervals in a forward/rearward direction, a knock member provided at the body so as to be reciprocably moved relative to the body, a thrusting member arranged in the body so as to be moved forward by knocking the knock member, and having an engagement portion engageable with the engaging-stop portions, and a detent member fixedly arranged in the body and engageable with the propelling member.
US09114909B2

A storage container according to the present invention includes a base and a lid hingedly coupled to one another to enable rotation of the lid between a closed position in which the lid is disposed parallel with a bottom wall of the base and an open position in which the lid is rotated with respect to the base between 110 and 230 degrees. A number of hinge assemblies are provided between the base and the lid for rotation of the lid thereabout. The hinge assemblies include a base engaging assembly and a lid engaging assembly for coupling between the base and the lid respectively. The lid engaging assembly includes a receiver configured to engage a pin of the lid for hinged rotation of the lid thereabout. The receiver is configured to enable the lid to break away from the lid as desired or under impact from an external force.
US09114905B2

It is provided a container having at least in one part a textured surface (12), wherein the container (10) has an in-mold label (14) on the textured surface (12). An in-mold label (14) on a textured surface (12) dispenses with the need to provide a smooth area on an otherwise textured container (10) for attaching the label thereto. This facilitates the fabrication of containers (10) with textured surface (12). An in-mold label (14) on a textured surface (12) further provides a visually and/or haptically appealing labeling which provides a good durability on the surface.
US09114904B2

A display container is provided herein which includes a box portion having a base portion, spaced-apart upstanding first and second end panels, and spaced-apart upstanding first and second edge panels extending from the base portion. The first and second edge panels are located between the first and second end panels, and the first edge panel extends a lesser distance from the base portion than the first end panel and the second end panel. The display container also includes a reinforcing layer which may be formed of a material stronger in shear than the material of the box portion. Advantageously, with the subject invention, a display container may be formed which has greater strength both for product containment and stacking as compared to the prior art.
US09114901B2

A tray includes a base including a plurality of base walls each having a peripheral wall defining a container-receiving pocket therein. Adjacent pairs of the peripheral walls of the base walls are spaced apart to define low-profile lateral and longitudinal dividers. The base includes a generally horizontal upper divider wall connecting the peripheral walls. A plurality of side columns have outer walls extending up from upper portions of side walls and have inner walls extending down to the base. The side columns are arranged between spaced apart lower portions of the side walls. A pair of opposed end walls each include an upper bar and a lower bar extending between a pair of corner columns. A handle opening is defined between the upper bar and the lower bar. Each lower bar is connected to the base by an end inner wall.
US09114894B2

An article inserting apparatus has a first thrust plate and a first abutting blade. A first straight guide is fixed to the frame. A first member has a second straight guide. A first linear motor moves a first rod bearing the first thrust plate in an alternating motion, with a second member slidable along the second straight guide. A second linear motor moves a second rod with the first abutting blade in an alternating motion. The apparatus has a third hinged member, a fourth hinged member, a fifth hinged member, and a sixth hinged member. The third and fifth hinged members rotate to move the first member and the second member in synchrony with the first conveyor and the second conveyor, the first thrust plate and the first abutting blade driven by the first and second linear motors to insert an article into a box.
US09114887B2

A method and an instrumentation system for an aircraft are provided. The method of presenting aircraft information includes activating a master indicator in response to a trigger event associated with operation of the aircraft, receiving a user input associated with the master indicator, and displaying information associated with the trigger event in response to receiving the user input associated with the master indicator. The instrumentation system performs the operations of the method.
US09114885B2

Methods for controlling an aircraft turbofan engine during icing of a temperature probe and devices for carrying out such methods are described. The methods may comprise: using one or more signals representative of temperature received from a heated temperature probe to generate one or more control signals for use in controlling the engine; determining that an icing condition associated with the probe exists; and using data representing one or more substitute signals in place of signals representative of temperature received from the heated temperature probe to generate the one or more control signals for use in controlling the engine.
US09114878B2

A work area is provided for members of a flight crew that includes, but is not limited to a central module, which borders an area adapted for being closed intended for use by crewmembers to change clothes. The central module is arranged in the tail area of the aircraft cabin, and can be used for stowing trolleys. The area is closed by lateral doors, and can be used as a passageway when the doors are open.
US09114875B2

A lead lag damper (10, 11) for a helicopter rotor unit has a rotor and a hub (8), said rotor having N rotor modes, with N being the number of blades. This centered single lead lag damper (10, 11) for the entire rotor unit has an essentially cylindrical shape, with an elastomer material shear element between a first side (7) and a second side (9) having a homogenous resistance to shear deformation and being axially preloaded, so that the lead lag damper (10, 11) acts in a homogenous manner in the rotor inplane eigenmodes. Thus, the lead lag damper (10, 11) acts as a single unit on the critical inplane mode of the rotor, which is having N identical blades (1-4). The elastomeric material is loaded by a uniform shear deformation in contrary to the commonly used oscillatory deformation.
US09114870B2

The present invention relates to an aircraft window, of the type including a holding frame for securing the window to the fuselage of an aircraft and at least one pane mounted in the holding frame by a sealing system, the at least one pane having an inner surface and an outer surface, characterized in that: the pane includes, in a first state called the rest state, at least one concavity in its outer surface when there is no pressure difference between the outer surface and the inner surface of the pane, and the at least one concavity of the pane is at least partially eradicated in a second state in which there is a pressure difference between the outer surface and the inner surface of the pane.
US09114866B1

A balloon with a generally tubular shaped balloon envelope. The tubular shaped balloon envelope may comprise a number of gores, where each gore is shaped with two elongated edges and two vertices. The vertices of each gore may be located at the top and bottom of the balloon envelope. The gore edges may be sealed together at adjacent edges to seal the balloon such that it is airtight.
US09114856B2

A step assembly for attachment to a boat lift frame to allow for easy entry and exit from a boat secured on a boat lift. The assembly comprises a platform connected to a vertical member. The vertical member is fastened to a beam of the boat lift frame. The platform may be hingedly connected to the vertical member and movable between a horizontal position and a vertical position.
US09114853B1

A watercraft having a changeable hull structure. More particularly, a watercraft having a first subassembly and one or more second subassemblies. The first subassembly includes a sponson, a flooring, and a transom, the one or more second subassemblies, each being a replaceable hull structure. The first subassembly and each of the one or more second subassemblies have commensurate shapes allowing for attachment and/or replacement of the one or more replaceable hull structures. The watercraft also includes one or more elongated connectors are used to attach the first and second subassemblies.
US09114852B2

A suspension assembly for a snowmobile comprises first and second suspension arms pivotally connected to a chassis and to a rail, and extending forwardly and upwardly from the rail. A bracket arm is fixedly connected to the first suspension arm. A link is pivotally connected to the bracket arm. A first shock absorber is pivotally connected to the first suspension arm and to the rail. The lower end of the first shock absorber is disposed forwardly of the lower end of the first suspension arm. A second shock absorber is pivotally connected to the link and to second suspension arm. The lower end of the second shock absorber is disposed rearwardly of the lower end of the first shock absorber. A tie rod is pivotally connected to the link, and to the second suspension arm. A snowmobile having such suspension system is also disclosed.
US09114844B2

An apparatus is provided for bicycles to make them more utilitarian and functional. The attachment is easily attached, and potentially attached without damage or significant modification to the bicycle. The apparatus includes a frame member attached to the bottom bracket portion of the existing bicycle, and a gimbal attached to the fork of the existing bicycle in place of the original front tire. The apparatus is steerable using the handle bars and fork on the existing bicycle frame, and is configured for stability when cornering. The apparatus includes a cargo carrier located in front of the cycler where it is easy to see, while maintaining a stable center of gravity and also an ability to lean into corners for cornering stability. Variations include one or two front wheels, and one or two steering drive links. Also, the apparatus is a flexible design providing multiple potential utilitarian uses.
US09114835B1

A vehicle front end structure includes a hinge pillar having laterally spaced first and second vertical mounting surfaces that extend in a longitudinal direction. The vehicle also includes a tubular support member having a first wall secured to the first vertical mounting surface and a second wall secured to the second vertical mounting surface. The second wall extends rearward of the first wall and is secured to the hinge pillar laterally outboard of the first wall. A notched portion through at least one horizontal wall interconnecting the first and second walls of the tubular support may operate as a buckling location of the tubular support.
US09114834B2

A method and corresponding device for turning at least one steerable wheel of a motor vehicle during parking on a longitudinal inclination of a roadway includes activating a parking brake of the motor vehicle, ascertaining the inclination angle of the vehicle inclination that is effected by the longitudinal inclination of a roadway, and turning the steerable wheel to achieve a wheel angle as a function of at least one specifiable and/or ascertained parameter. The setting of the magnitude of the wheel angle takes place as a function of at least one surroundings situation of the motor vehicle, ascertained using at least one sensor. The corresponding device cooperates with a parking brake, an inclination angle sensor, a steering device, and a surroundings recording device having at least one sensor.
US09114831B2

The invention provides a method and a system for moving an element, e.g. a rudder of a ship or a wheel of a vehicle. The element is moved by a hydraulic fluid. According to the invention, an operator indicates a desired movement, and in accordance with the desired movement, at fluid is provided from at least three fluid providers each providing a share of the fluid in parallel streams and only considering the desired movement not the shares provided by the other fluid providers. The invention allows continuation of a steering task even if one fluid provider is disabled, and the invention allows the continuation even without having to notice that one provider is disabled. Accordingly, the invention provides an improvement and simplification relative to the known hydraulic steering systems.
US09114820B1

An adjustable travel stop mechanism for a leg support on a foldable stroller frame. The leg support is moveable between opposing first and second positions wherein folding of the stroller frame moves the leg support to the second position. The user-positionable travel stop interacts with the leg support which is biased toward the first position to limit the extent to which the leg support can move toward the first position when the stroller is unfolded.
US09114814B2

A method of manufacturing a friction wedge of a rail car includes forming, in drag and cope portions of a mold, at least one cavity that defines at least some exterior features of at least one friction wedge. At least one core is inserted into the drag portion adjacent to the cavity. The core includes at least one surface configured to define a column face of the friction wedge. Rigging is formed in the drag and cope portion of the mold. The rigging includes a down sprue, at least one ingate, and at least one runner for directing molten material to the cavity. Molten material is poured into the mold to form the friction wedge casting. The friction wedge casting is removed from the mold. Rigging is removed from the friction wedge casting and the friction wedge casting is finished.
US09114813B2

An autorack railroad car has a housing surmounting an underframe. The underframe defines a first or main deck. The housing, or “rack” defines at least one additional deck spaced upwardly from the main deck. The housing has end doors. The end doors may be folding end doors, such as a tri-fold hinged door. When closed, the door may be secured by latches at top and bottom. The car may have a movable sill-step, or foot-hold that is movable between a deployed or extended position, and a stowed or retracted position. The movable step may be mounted to a panel of the door. The movable step may be biased away from any position between the stowed and retracted positions. The movable step may be free of springs that may break, and free of pins or other items requiring careful removal and replacement. The movable parts of the step assembly may be captured by the stationary parts to prevent them from coming loose or falling off.
US09114810B2

A preceding vehicle selection apparatus detects an object ahead of the own vehicle, and determines a relative position and a relative speed in relation to the own vehicle for each object ahead. Based on detection results of the object ahead, a lateral movement speed of the object ahead is determined. Based on the calculated lateral movement speed, the lateral position of the object ahead with reference to a traveling direction of the own vehicle is corrected. Based on the relative position of the object ahead of which the lateral position has been corrected, an own vehicle lane probability for each object ahead is calculated. Based on the calculated probability, a preceding vehicle from the objects ahead is selected. Based on a distance to the object ahead, the lateral position of the object ahead is corrected such that an amount of correction in the lateral position decreases as the distance increases.
US09114802B2

A method for control of braking by a supplementary brake (290-296) of a motor vehicle (100; 110): Choose (s410) supplementary braking by a control device (270). Continuously determine 20) total available supplementary brake torque (Mtot) and determine (s430) by the control device (270) a chosen proportion (Mshare) of total available supplementary brake torque (Mtot). Determine (s440) a supplementary brake torque (Mtot*) corresponding to the chosen proportion share) and apportion (s450) supplementary brake torque determined (Mtot*) to a chosen supplementary brake (290-296). A computer program (P) implements the method. A device controls braking by a supplementary brake (290-296). A motor vehicle (100; 110) is equipped with the device.
US09114801B2

A method for controlling an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle includes interrupting a fuel supply in an overrun mode of the motor vehicle above a switch-off rotational speed of the internal combustion engine. The fuel supply is switched on again when a starting rotational speed (n1) is reached or undershot. A brake pressure gradient of a brake system of the motor vehicle is detected and the starting rotational speed (n1) is varied as a function of the brake pressure gradient.
US09114790B2

A transmission park-brake system includes a transmission park brake, a solenoid, first, second and third pressure sources, and a servo valve for disengaging the park-brake using the first and second pressure sources, holding the park-brake disengaged using a force produced by the solenoid and one of the first and second pressure sources, and engaging the park-brake using the third pressure source.
US09114775B2

A pre-weakened cover of an airbag module is provided including a layer having an outer show surface and an opposing inner surface. A plurality of first cuts is arranged at a first angle on the inner surface. A plurality of second cuts is arranged at a second angle on the inner surface. Each of the second cuts intersects two adjacent first cuts to form a generally V-shaped pattern.
US09114768B2

A bumper reinforcement for a vehicle (also simply referred to as a bumper reinforcement, herein below) 10 in FIG. 1 (a)-(c) is arranged on a front side of a vehicle, and FIG. 1(a) is a perspective view, FIG. 1(b) is an enlarged view of a section taken along IB-IB in FIG. 1(a), and FIG. 1(c) is an enlarged view of a section taken along IC-IC in FIG. 1(a). FIG. 2 is a view that also shows the bumper reinforcement 10, and FIG. 2(a) is a plan view seen from above in a state where the bumper reinforcement 10 is arranged in the vehicle, and FIG. 2(b) is a front view seen from a front side of the vehicle. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a rectangular metal plate material 12, which is a material of the bumper reinforcement 10. In this example, a steel plate for hot press forming is used, which is bent into a given shape by hot press forming, and is given high strength up to tensile strength of 1400 MPa or higher through quench hardening.
US09114756B1

A lighting assembly operable to be placed in the headlight unit of a motor vehicle that is operable to emit a first color and second color dependent upon environmental conditions. The lighting assembly includes a harness plug that is configured to operably couple the lighting assembly to the electrical system of a motor vehicle. A CPU is disposed within the harness plug. A base plug is operably coupled to the harness plug and includes a photo sensor and a fog sensor. A bulb base is operably coupled to the base plug and includes a first light bulb and a second light bulb. The lighting assembly includes a first operational mode that illuminates the first bulb subsequent the detection of fog. A second operational mode and third operational mode are controlled by the photo sensor and is dependent upon the absence or presence of ambient light.
US09114755B2

A control device for a first motor vehicle, and for dimming lights for vehicles ahead and/or oncoming vehicles during turning maneuvers includes a first interface with a recognition device for the purpose of recognizing vehicles ahead and/or oncoming vehicles, a second interface with headlights, wherein the control device selects different light distributions of the headlights and generates an adjusting signal at the second interface for adjusting the selected light distribution at the headlights to dim the headlights if a signal is present at the first interface indicating at least one vehicle ahead or oncoming. The control device has a third interface for indicating the start of the recognition of a turning maneuver of a vehicle ahead, wherein the dimmed light distribution of the headlights remains set for a predetermined distance or a predetermined time if the signal is present.
US09114744B2

A vehicle headrest has at least one generally vertical support rod formed with a vertical row of horizontally open notches, a body vertically slidable along the rod, and a latch element shiftable in the body between a first position engaged in one of the notches and impeding sliding of the body along the rod, a second position offset in one direction from the rod, and a third position offset in another direction from the rod. The latch element travels in a first straight line from the first position to the second position and in a second straight line nonparallel to the first straight line from the first position to the third position.
US09114743B2

A cushion air bag includes a waist restraining portion that is arranged at a central portion of a cushion panel, and a gas introducing portion that connects this waist restraining portion to an inflator that is provided at a front portion of a cushion panel. This cushion air bag is inflated such that the waist restraining portion reaches a higher height than the gas introducing portion.
US09114742B2

A vehicle seat including: a seat structure member including a seat back and a seat cushion; and a support member configured to support the seat structure member and fastened to a vehicle compartment structural body, wherein the support member is a flat plate member which elongates in a longitudinal direction and has a convex bead portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the support member, wherein the bead portion includes a first bead portion and a second bead portion, and a stress concentrating portion of the support member, to which stress is configured to concentrate when vehicle collision occurs, is interposed between the first bead portion and the second bead portion, and wherein the stress concentrating portion of the support member includes a weakened portion configured to promote breakage of the support member.
US09114737B2

A fitting for a vehicle seat, in particular for a motor vehicle seat, includes a first fitting part and a second fitting part, which are rotatable relative to one another and which are in geared connection with one another by a ring gear and a gear wheel which meshes with the ring gear. The fitting also includes a cam which is driven by a driver and revolves in the circumferential direction in order to drive a relative rolling movement of the gear wheel and the ring gear. The driver is mounted with a clearance and/or the cam is mounted on a collar of the second fitting part. The collar has a flange on the free end thereof. The end face of the flange forms an axial support surface for the driver. The flange includes a groove in the support surface.
US09114736B2

A seat assembly includes a seat cushion, a seat back for pivotal movement between an upright position, a plurality of reclined positions, a fold flat position, and a dumped position. A recliner assembly is coupled between the seat cushion and seat back for actuation between locked and unlocked conditions allowing pivotal movement of the seat back. A seat track is coupled to the seat cushion for actuation between locked and unlocked conditions allowing fore and aft sliding movement of the seat assembly. An easy-entry mechanism is coupled to the recliner assembly and the seat track for actuating the recliner assembly and the seat track to the unlocked conditions and providing movement of the seat assembly to an easy-entry position defined by the seat back pivoted to the dumped position and the seat track sliding the seat assembly to a full-forward position allowing access behind the seat assembly.
US09114733B2

A vehicle seat can be moved from a starting position to a laterally offset end position and back, and the vehicle seat is oriented in the same direction in the starting position and in the end position. The vehicle seat includes a first upper rail, which is movably guided in a first lower rail, a second upper rail, which is movably guided in a second lower rail, and a seat cushion, which is movably mounted on the at least one upper rail. The lateral motion of the seat cushion relative to the rails is accomplished by carrying out a predetermined relative motions of the rails.
US09114732B2

A passenger support includes a vehicle seat and an easy-entry motion controller. The vehicle seat is moveable between a passenger-use configuration and an easy-entry configuration. The easy-entry motion controller controls movement of the vehicle seat between the passenger-use configuration and the easy-entry configuration, including movement of a seat back between an occupant-use position and a tilted-forward position, movement of a seat bottom between an occupant-use position and a folded-up position, and movement of a seat base between a rearward position and a forward position. The passenger support thus provides enhanced access to other areas of the vehicle, such as passenger supports located therebehind.
US09114726B2

A vehicle includes: a power storage device; a motor generator that generates traveling driving power using electric power from the power storage device; an ECU; and an inclination detecting unit for detecting inclination of a road surface. The ECU performs power changing driving in which the vehicle is traveled while switching the motor generator between a first state and a second state, driving power of a first level being generated in the first state, driving power smaller than the driving power generated in the first state being generated in the second state. When the ECU recognizes, based on the inclination detected by the inclination detecting unit, that the vehicle is traveling on a road surface having a slope, the ECU eases up at least one of an upper limit value and a lower limit value of SOC of the power storage device.
US09114693B2

A daylight opening system for a vehicle window opening may include a module having a carrier, a trim member and a first seal. The carrier may be adapted to be secured to a door of a vehicle. The trim member may be secured to the carrier and may cooperate with the carrier to define a space in which a window pane is selectively receivable. The first seal member may be integrally formed with the carrier and configured to sealingly engage the window pane.
US09114675B2

The bead breaking unit (1) for tire changing machines (A) includes one arm (2) associated rotatable with a supporting structure (3), a bead breaking tool (4) associated with the arm (2) and a movement apparatus (5) associated with the arm (2) and suitable for moving the arm (2) from a disengagement position, wherein the bead breaking tool (4) is substantially moved away from the tire (B) of a wheel (D) to undergo bead breaking, to an operating position, wherein the bead breaking tool (4) is engaged on the tire (B). The arm (2) includes an adjustment apparatus (9) for adjusting the position of the bead breaking tool (4) along a near/away direction to/from the wheel (D), suitable for adjusting the position of the bead breaking tool (4) when the arm (2) is in the disengagement position, depending on the sizes and/or type of the wheel (D).
US09114674B2

A tire assembly for a road vehicle is provided. The assembly includes a tire and first and second expandable chambers positioned within the tire. A series of actuators for selectively pumping air to the first and second chambers is provided, wherein the assembly includes a third chamber arranged between the first and second chambers. Each of the actuators is pneumatically connected to the first, second and third chambers by way of a radial air loop, wherein the radial air loop has a first chamber valve, a second chamber valve, an actuator valve, and a third chamber valve.
US09114672B2

Appliance for locking wheel rims includes: a supporting structure associable with a rotation device of a repair workshop machine; at least two locking jaws for locking a wheel rim, which are associated with the supporting structure and move along a direction of reciprocal moving close/away between a position of maximum opening, and a position of minimum opening; a movement arrangement associated with the jaws for moving them between the positions of maximum and minimum opening; an adjustment device placed between the movement arrangement and at least one of the jaws, for adjusting the position of maximum and/or minimum opening and including a substantially elongated adjustment element associated with the movement arrangement, revolving around its own longitudinal axis and having a threaded portion, and a mobile element associated integral with at least one of the jaws and having a threaded hole for engagement with the threaded portion of the adjustment element.
US09114666B2

Methods and apparatus for processing a substrate in a multi-frequency plasma processing chamber are disclosed. The base RF signal pulses between a high power level and a low power level. Each of the non-base RF generators, responsive to a control signal, proactively switches between a first predefined power level and a second predefined power level as the base RF signal pulses. Alternatively or additionally, each of the non-base RF generators, responsive to a control signal, proactively switches between a first predefined RF frequency and a second predefined RF frequency as the base RF signal pulses. Techniques are disclosed for ascertaining in advance of production time the first and second predefined power levels and/or the first and second predefined RF frequencies for the non-base RF signals.
US09114655B2

A binding machine includes a body, an actuator coupled with the body, and a punch mechanism housed in the body for punching a stack of sheets upon actuation of the actuator. The punch mechanism includes a plate including a plurality of punch pins. The punch pins are configured to punch through the stack of sheets during a punch stroke. A shaft is coupled with the actuator such that movement of the actuator causes rotation of the shaft. At least one cam is mounted on the shaft for rotation therewith. The cam is coupled with the plate to drive the plate in a punching direction. The cam includes a cam profile that dictates displacement of the plate in the punching direction relative to rotation of the shaft.
US09114654B2

Systems and methods for high-speed variable printing are provided. Ink jet technology and lithographic systems may be combined in such a way to create a fully variable and high-quality print system. Ink is applied to a first cylinder. Aqueous solution is applied to a second cylinder to produce a negative image. At least a portion of the ink from the first cylinder is transferred to the second cylinder. A positive image in ink is then transferred from the second cylinder to a print medium, and residue ink and aqueous solution is cleaned from the second cylinder. The systems and methods described herein may be used to create high-quality one-to-one marketing applications.
US09114645B2

A conveyance printing system and methods for printing articles of manufacture of different types and with different content is presented. Systems include a conveyance system configured to convey a plurality of trays, each having an associated identifier and each holding one or more articles of manufacture within the tray, and a printing system configured to receive a print tray from the conveyance system, receive a print job associated with the tray identifier, and print the associated print job simultaneously onto the respective print surfaces of the one or more articles of manufacture held by the tray.
US09114644B2

A sheet feeder, including: a sheet supply roller configured to supply a sheet to a sheet feeding path; a sheet feed roller configured to feed the sheet supplied to the sheet feeding path by the sheet supply roller to a downstream side in a sheet feeding direction in which the sheet is fed; a discharge roller configured to discharge the sheet fed by the feed roller to a downstream side in the sheet feeding direction; a drive motor configured to drive a first shaft for rotating the feed roller; a first transmitting mechanism configured to transmit a rotary motion of the first shaft to a second shaft for rotating the discharge roller; and a second transmitting mechanism configured to transmit a rotary motion of the second shaft to a third shaft for rotating the sheet supply roller.
US09114634B2

An apparatus and method generates a print out of physiological information from a patient (4) undergoing a magnetic resonance scan in a magnetic resonance system (8). The magnetic resonance system includes a main magnet that generates a static magnetic field (B0) through an examination region (12). A recorder device (38) is located adjacent the patient within a five Gauss line and more particularly, in the examination region with the patient at full field. A piezoelectric motor (68) drives a pinion (72) which drives a roller platen (62) of a printer assembly (60). A primary controller board (70) generates electromechanical stepper motor drive signals (90) and a secondary controller board (74) converts the electromechanical stepper motor drive signals (90) to piezoelectric motor drive motor signals (100).
US09114624B2

A liquid discharge member includes discharge ports, and a first opening and a second opening that communicate with the discharge ports. A liquid supply member includes a first filter disposed in a gravitational direction and in a disposed direction, a first containing chamber containing the first filter, a second containing chamber containing the second filter, a first flow path connecting the first opening and the first containing chamber, and a second flow path connecting the second opening and the second containing chamber. The second filter and the first and the second flow path are disposed in an area between a surface perpendicular to the disposed direction and parallel to the gravitational direction and going through one end of the length of the first filter and a surface parallel to the first surface and going through the other end of the length of the first filter in the disposed direction.
US09114622B2

In one embodiment, a seal includes a body of resilient material having a generally cylindrical opening therein. A first, smaller diameter part of the opening is defined by a cylindrical inner surface having a plurality of bumps protruding therefrom, and a second, larger diameter part of the opening is defined by an inwardly bulging sidewall. In another embodiment, an assembly includes: a boss protruding from a boss base; an elastomeric seal comprising a collar and a flexible collar base supporting the collar on the boss base, the collar having an opening therein closely receiving the boss and the collar base configured to flex when compressed along the longitudinal axis and rebound back toward an original position when uncompressed; and a plurality of elastomeric bumps on the collar and/or on the boss, the bumps protruding into the opening such that the collar is supported laterally around the boss on the bumps.
US09114618B2

A liquid ejecting apparatus includes a liquid ejecting head that ejects a liquid from a nozzle toward a target which is positioned away from a nozzle forming surface where the nozzle is formed; a wiping member that is capable of wiping the nozzle forming surface; a movement mechanism that relatively moves the liquid ejecting head and the wiping member when wiping is carried out; and a control portion that controls the movement mechanism so as to cause a relative moving velocity between the liquid ejecting head and the wiping member to be lower when wiping is carried out in a case where the liquid is ejected at a second distance of which an opposing distance between the nozzle forming surface and the target is longer than a first distance compared to a case where the liquid is ejected at the first distance of the opposing distance.
US09114617B2

A method of manufacturing a liquid discharge head having a flow path communicating with a discharge port for discharging liquid includes in the following order: preparing a substrate with an evenly provided first layer as a flat layer; forming, of the first layer, a pattern of the flow path for forming the flow path, and a member (A) provided outside the pattern via a gap; providing a second layer so as to fill the gap and to cover the pattern and the member (A); forming, of the second layer, a member (B) for forming the discharge port on the pattern; and removing the member (A), providing, at least on the substrate, a third layer so as to hold it in intimate contact with the member (B), and removing the pattern to form the flow path.
US09114616B2

A printhead module includes a plurality of rows of printhead nozzles, at least some of the rows including at least one displaced row portion, the displacement of the row portion including a component in a direction normal to that of a pagewidth to be printed, wherein the displaced row portions of at least some of the rows are different in length than the displaced row portions of at least some of the other rows.
US09114606B1

Approaches for determining the delivery success of a droplet from an ink jet print head are disclosed. On approach utilizes an apparatus for the ink jet printer that includes an ejector, a spatial filter, a detector, and an analyzer. The ejector is configured to release an ink droplet along a path and the spatial filter has a plurality of features. The detector is positioned to sense light emanating from the droplet along the path with the sensed light being modulated according to the features as the droplet moves along the path relative to the spatial filter. The detector is configured to generate a time-varying electrical signal in response to the sensed light. The analyzer determines one or more physical, spatial, or dynamic characteristics of the droplet based upon the time-varying signal.
US09114602B2

A process for making a lithographic printing plate is provided that includes a step of producing a negative-working lithographic printing plate precursor comprising, above a support, a photopolymerizable photosensitive layer comprising a vinylcarbazole compound-derived monomer unit-containing acrylic polymer and/or a urethane-acrylic hybrid polymer, a step of imagewise exposing the negative-working lithographic printing plate precursor, and a step of developing the exposed negative-working lithographic printing plate precursor using a developer comprising (Component A) an organic solvent having a solubility in water at 20° C. of 1.5 to 7.0 g/100 mL, (Component B) an amphoteric surfactant represented by Formula (I) below and/or Formula (II) below, and (Component C) water.
US09114597B1

A prong style file fastener and the method of manufacture is disclosed which has a protective element to prevent damage to paper documents and personal injury. In one embodiment, the prongs of the fastener are covered with a heat shrinkable sheath. In another, the prongs are overcoated with a powder coating which is melted thereon. A method of applying the sheath to the prongs uses a pair of jaws or V-shaped surface to drive the sheath onto the prongs.
US09114588B2

A skin-stiffener transition assembly (1) with a skin (4) and two L-shaped fiber-reinforced fabric preforms (2, 3) for a flange and a composite gusset filler (5) integrated between said skin (4) and said two L-shaped fiber-reinforced fabric preforms (2, 3). The skin (4) comprises two separate skin layers (7, 8) and the flange comprises a flange layer (6), each of said skin layers (7, 8) and said flange layer (6) being provided with cut outs (9, 10) along one side. Said skin layers (7, 8) and the flange layer (6) are attached to the composite gusset filler (5) with at least one of its cut-outs (9, 10) to one side of the essentially polygonal cross section of the composite gusset filler (5) and with at least one of its adjacent cut-outs (9, 10) to another side of the essentially polygonal cross section of the composite gusset filler (5). The present invention relates as well to a method of manufacture of said skin-stiffener transition assembly (1) and to applications of said skin-stiffener transition assembly (1).
US09114583B2

A method of operating a servo press and apparatus therefore, including a press plunger and a servo drive and such a press, the press plunger is operated in accordance with a predetermined guide angle/position-curve based on a guide angle α and the movement of the plunger is controlled in accordance with this curve with a tolerance which depends on the guide angle α.
US09114578B2

A film blowing head for the production of film tubing from a single or multi-layer film includes an extrusion gap to form a film layer. The extrusion gap is embodied between two boundary walls, with at least one melt pipeline mouthing into the extrusion gap, which converts inside the extrusion gap into a first melt channel, which is formed in a section of the progression of the first melt channel by recesses in the two boundary walls of the extrusion gap, and which distributes melt in the extrusion dap. The first melt channel tapers in the progression in the direction of transportation of the melt (h), and in an end section, entirely converts into the extrusion gap. The first melt channel is formed at one of the sections only by the recesses in one of the two boundary walls.
US09114575B2

To apply a course on a layup mold, a ply boundary that defines a ply area on the layup mold is determined and a tape of composite material is applied on the ply area at an oblique angle relative to the ply boundary. In addition, a leading edge of the tape is butt cut and the leading edge, and the ply boundary essentially converge. Furthermore, a trailing edge is generated. The trailing edge is a butt cut and the trailing edge and the ply boundary essentially converge.
US09114572B2

A multi-piece golf ball is manufactured by molding a cover layer and a core layer to form a golf ball preform in a mold. The cover layer has a thermoplastic polyurethane composition which may be crosslinked by ultraviolet radiation. After molding, the golf ball preform is removed from the mold. A UV curable topcoat composition is applied to the golf ball preform. The golf ball preform is then irradiated with ultraviolet radiation under conditions sufficient to both crosslink the crosslinkable thermoplastic polyurethane and cure the UV curable topcoat composition.
US09114567B2

The present invention relates to a process for the bonding of material for the production of three-dimensional objects by selective heating via a laser of wavelength from 100 to 3000 nm. The beam spot may be a focused or unfocused beam spot, or may indeed be spread, as is the case with the diode laser, where the bars may have a stacked arrangement. The selectivity of the melting process is achieved via the application of an absorber to certain subregions of a layer composed of a pulverulent substrate, and then heating of the absorber by laser radiation of wavelength from 100 to 3000 nm. The heated absorber transfers the energy present therein to its surrounding pulverulent substrate, which is melted thereby and, after cooling, has firm cohesive bonding.
US09114566B2

Apparatus and methods of forming selected portions of integral sheets of material are disclosed. Unformed portions of the sheets may remain undistorted during the forming process, allowing them to contain text, art work, or other desired information without material risk of the information being degraded or becoming unintelligible during the forming process. This result may be accomplished, moreover, with less trim than usually occurs in conventional forming processes.
US09114563B2

Apparatus for the shaping of plastics material pre-forms into containers includes at least one blow mold with two blow mold parts movable with respect to each other. The blow mold forms a cavity inside which the pre-forms may be shaped into the containers. The apparatus includes a stressing device which acts upon the pre-forms with a flowable medium for their expansion, a conveying device which conveys the blow mold along a pre-set conveying path, and a clean room inside which the blow mold may be conveyed during the expansion of the pre-forms. An inner wall of the blow mold facing the pre-form has at least one opening through which a flowable medium may be removed out of the cavity during the expansion procedure. A flow connection provided between the opening and the clean room is sealed off from a non-sterile environment of the clean room.
US09114562B2

A foamed polyester extrusion process and equipment can be used in plants for producing sheets, boards or tubes of foamed polyester, preferably of the type operating continuously which has a thermoregulated frame provided with a feeding inlet of pure and/or recycled polyester material inside the frame. Two co-rotating screws are arranged inside the frame, the co-rotating screws defining, with the internal walls of the frame, a first degassing zone interposed between a feeding zone placed at the feeding inlet and a first tight zone. A second degassing zone is placed downstream from the first degassing zone and is separated from the latter through the first tight zone. A foaming agent inlet zone is placed downstream from the second degassing zone and is separated from the latter through a second tight zone and a pumping end zone of the melted material is placed downstream from the foaming agent inlet zone. The first degassing zone has a first vent placed at a first segment of the first degassing zone adjacent to the first tight zone, wherein the first degassing zone is adapted to carry out a forced atmospheric degassing at a temperature lower than the melting point of a treated polyester material, and the second degassing zone is adapted to carry out a vacuum degassing at a temperature equal to or greater than the melting point of the treated polyester material.
US09114560B2

Disclosed is a blowing device (10) for forming containers (24) from thermoplastic material preforms. The device (10) includes a blowing nozzle (12) including a bottom outlet opening (28) for a pressurized blowing fluid to leave along a vertical outlet axis (28) and a single duct (14) for supplying the nozzle (12) with blowing fluid that leads into the nozzle (12), via a top supply opening (31), along an axis that is completely radial relative to the outlet axis (A2) of the nozzle (12). The blowing device is characterized in that the upstream end section of the supply duct (14) leads into the nozzle (12) along a branching axis (B) that forms an obtuse angle (a) with the outlet axis (A1) of the nozzle (12) such that the blowing fluid leaving the supply duct (14) is directed downward.
US09114544B2

A cutting device includes a main body unit and a support unit. The main body unit includes a cutting unit on a lower side. The cutting unit cuts off an edge portion of paper. The support unit supports the main body unit in such a way that the main body unit rotates. The main body unit exposes a blade of the cutting unit at least on a lateral side by rotating.
US09114539B2

A robot includes a first horizontal arm coupled to a base, a second horizontal arm coupled to the base via the first horizontal arm, first and second motors adapted to rotate the respective arms, and first and second encoders adapted to calculate rotational angles and rotational velocities of the respective motors. A first motor control section subtracts first and second angular velocities based on the first and second encoders from a sensor angular velocity detected by an angular sensor, and controls the first motor so that a velocity measurement value obtained by adding a vibration velocity based on a vibration angular velocity as the subtraction result and a first rotational velocity becomes equal to a velocity command value.
US09114538B2

A parallel link robot includes a housing, a plurality of driving devices, and a plurality of arms. The housing includes arm coupling openings and a receiving opening. The plurality of driving devices are disposed in the receiving opening of the housing. The plurality of driving devices are attachable and detachable from and in a direction above the receiving opening. The plurality of arms are coupled to the respective driving devices through the respective arm coupling openings.
US09114535B2

An object-sensing valve configured for integration in the suction duct (3) of a vacuum gripper includes a flexible and back-springing tongue (10), one end (11) of which is anchored by the side of the suction duct and the other end (14) of which extends freely outside a mouth (8; 8′) to the suction duct, the tongue dimensioned to be forced by an air flow (F) to bend towards the mouth of the suction duct and to cover the mouth incompletely in the loaded state of the tongue.
US09114525B2

A robot arm assembly includes a first output shaft, a first driving mechanism, a second output shaft and a second driving mechanism. The first driving mechanism includes a first driving motor for driving the first output shaft to rotate, a first driving belt pulley non-rotatably connected to the first output shaft, and a first belt winding on the first driving motor and the first driving belt pulley. The second output shaft is rotatably sleeved in the first output shaft. The second driving mechanism includes a second driving motor for driving the second output shaft to rotate, a second driving belt pulley non-rotatably connected to the second output shaft, and a second belt winding on the second driving motor and the second driving belt pulley.
US09114524B2

Disclosed herein is a method of obtaining the intended manipulation torque of a user for a wearable robot. The method allows the wearable robot, the motion of each joint of which is operated by a motor and which is capable of measuring a variation in current in the motor of each joint and calculating a torque at each joint, to simply and rapidly extract the intended manipulation torque of the user using both an acceleration value (e.g., measured by an acceleration sensor installed on a gripper), and the current variation of the motor, in a state in which the wearable robot does not know the weight of a weight object to be lifted with the gripper. Accordingly, the wearable robot may be suitably controlled at a comparatively lower cost.
US09114514B2

A rotary power tool operable in either an impact mode or a drill mode comprising a driveshaft (10), an output shaft (32), a hammer (18) coupled to the driveshaft (10) for transmitting torque to the output shaft (32), and a blocking member (40, 74) which is in a first position wherein it blocks the hammer (18) from moving axially along the rotational axis (37) of the tool when the power tool operates in the drill mode and is in a second position wherein it allows the hammer (18) to move axially along the rotational axis (37) of the tool when the power tool operates in the impact mode, wherein the blocking member (40, 74) is supported by the driveshaft (10).
US09114512B2

A motorized hand tool, such as a cordless ratchet wrench, is configured for reducing part count and reducing assembly processes. The motorized hand tool includes an overmolded window for a light emitting diode (LED) in a clamshell housing. An LED is secured within the clamshell housing by conductors extending from the LED that are encapsulated in rigid sleeves. The rigid sleeves provide a friction fit in a channel between fingers molded in the clamshell housing. A switch assembly of the motorized hand tool is mounted in the clamshell housing and covers channel to contains the conductors and sleeves. By containment of the rigid sleeves and conductors, the LED is located securely in the overmolded window.
US09114503B2

A nozzle, a nozzle unit having a plurality of nozzles, and a blasting machine equipped with the nozzle unit, which can achieve a micro-machining with a high precision and a high productivity for the blasting process. A portion for escape 13c is formed at the distal end of the ejecting portion 13 of the nozzle 11, so if the distance between the surface of the work and the nozzle 11 is shortened to suppress the broadening of the flow of the abrasives, the reflected abrasives do not remain within the space between the surface of the work and the distal end of the ejecting portion 13. Thus, a blasting process with a high precision can be achieved. Further, since two nozzles 11m and 11n can be arranged so as to correspond to the width of the surface of the work to be processed by a rotational device 16, it is possible to blast a wider area of the surface of the work while the nozzle unit 10 or the blasting machine 20 sweep one time. Thus, the high productivity of the blasting process can be achieved.
US09114488B2

A rotor component assembly including at least one void space formed therein that provides for reduction in weight of the component and/or cooling of the component during operation. The rotor component is formed by positioning a coated mild steel insert within a mold having an internal cross-section substantially the same in dimensions as the final rotor component. The mold is filled with a superalloy metal powder and undergoes hot-isostatic pressing to consolidate the powder about the coated core insert and form a superalloy structure. The mold is removed from about the superalloy structure and the core insert is removed from within the superalloy structure, thereby defining the at least one internal void within the rotor component.
US09114486B1

An adjustable working platform for a curved surface includes a support member configured to be inserted into a hole in the curved surface. An adjustable surface is configured for supporting a load, and the adjustable surface is configured to rotate and lock in multiple positions. An anti-rotation arm is connected to the support member, and the anti-rotation arm includes an adjustable section configured to engage an axial facing portion of the curved surface.
US09114482B2

Systems and methods for laser based processing of layered materials. Methods may include selectively adjusting ultrafast laser output of an ultrafast laser device based upon one or more physical attributes of a layer of the layered material, applying the ultrafast laser output of the ultrafast laser device to the layer of the layered material along a tool path to ablate the layer along the tool path, and then re-executing the steps to ablate one or more additional layers, the re-execution occurring for each distinct layer of the layered material that is to be ablated.
US09114480B2

The present invention relates to methods for joining a rotationally asymmetrical part, preferably a turbine blade, which is made of a monocrystalline material, to a part, preferably a rotor core, which is made of polycrystalline material, having the method steps of: —joining the rotationally asymmetrical part to an adapter piece made of polycrystalline material by means of rotational friction welding, and —joining the adapter piece to the part made of polycrystalline material. The present invention also relates to a turbine blisk having a rotor core made of polycrystalline material and turbine blades made of monocrystalline material.
US09114478B2

An additive manufacturing apparatus comprises a processing chamber (100) defining a window (110) for receiving a laser beam and an optical module (10) The optical module is removably-mountable to the processing chamber for delivering the laser beam through the window. The optical module contains optical components for focusing and steering the laser beam and a controlled atmosphere can be maintained within the module.
US09114476B2

The invention relates to a high-pressure compressor of a gas turbine having at least one blisk, specifically a disk with a plurality of blades that are disposed on the disk, wherein the blisk has at least one titanium material from the group that comprises Ti-6246 and Ti-6242, wherein the materials of the disk and the blades of the blisk differ in their chemical composition and/or their microstructure. The blades are welded to the disk, in particular, by means of a pressure welding method supported by high-frequency current, whereby the current is conducted through the joint surfaces and leads to local limited melting therein.
US09114475B2

A plasma electrode for a plasma cutting device consisting of a hollow cylindrical electrode body at whose front side a centric core holder directed in the interior of the electrode, arranged on the front side for the mounting of an emitting electrode core is arranged, wherein in the interior of the electrode body a cooling tube is arranged, through which an axial coolant flow flows, characterized in that the cooling tube is held position secured at least partially with its face on the core holder.
US09114463B2

The present invention relates to embodiments of a cutting tool holder having at least one insert pocket, wherein at least one insert pocket comprises a side surface and at least one antirotation stop protruding from the side surface.
US09114454B2

An arrangement and method in a ram-up machine (1) for moulds (2) for metal casting (10) comprising:—a squeeze plate (3) carrying a first mould pattern (32)—a horizontally movable piston (31) for operating the squeeze plate (3) and a finished mould block (2),—a sand supply system (7)—a swing plate (4) carrying a second mould pattern (42), the swing plate (4) is configured to be translatorily movable in a horizontal direction to a released position (4r) and further to be pivotable upwardly to a sidestep position (4s),—a feeder element insertion configuration (50) wherein one or plurality of feeder elements (5) are configured to be attached to the second mould pattern (42) when during operation the swing plate (4) carrying the second mould pattern (42) is pivoted to the sidestep position (4s).
US09114448B2

A device for configuring foil as it is dispensed comprising a first section comprising a first configuration; a second section comprising a second configuration; the foil dispenser adapted to dispense foil between the first and second sections, the first and second sections imparting a grill-like configuration to the foil as the foil exits the dispensing device. A method of creating a cross sectional configuration in foil comprising: passing the foil through an opening; the opening having first and second sections which impart a configuration to the foil; the first and second sections being configured to create a grill-like configuration along the longitudinal axis of the foil.
US09114446B2

Disclosed are methods and a system for manufacturing a lead or lead alloy plate lattice for a lead-acid battery, comprising continuous extrusion of a melt of lead or lead alloy under temperatures lower by 10-100° C. than the melting point of lead, or the lead alloy, the extrudate being subsequently subjected to a flattening process under a temperature lower by more than at least 230° C. than the melting point of lead or the lead alloy, with a total draft rate less than 10%, and thereafter the extrudate may be processed so as to manufacture a plate lattice.
US09114440B1

A hardware and software method, system and apparatus comprising an autonomous all weather outdoor cleaning robot designed to identify, and clean various outdoor household objects including but not limited to personal automobiles and other vehicles. The robot autonomously navigates to a designated area and scans the vehicle or object to determine the optimum cleaning routine. The robot learns its working environment by comparing scanned vehicles and outdoor objects with its existing database for future reference. The robot also compares and stores navigation data, which correlate to areas previously visited to increase efficiency for future work by reducing travel and scanning times. The Present Invention focuses on autonomous outdoor cleaning multi-purpose robots. The robots utilize microprocessors to control cleaning, navigation and perception. More specifically, the robots use multi-segmented arms to perform needful chores. Even more specifically, a robot can adapt and learn from its environment while performing useful tasks.
US09114439B2

A device for disinfecting the soles of shoes or feet is disclosed. The device contains a spool of sanitizing wipe stretched across an opening. The user may step into the opening to sanitize shoe or foot soles, and also may wind the sanitizing wipe spool to reveal a fresh, unused portion of sanitizing wipe. The device may also contain a second opening that allows access to a drying material.
US09114433B2

Disclosed herein are methods of sorting coal into multiple fractions based upon x-ray absorption and size characteristics in order to remove rocks and other contaminants of various sizes from coal. The use of such dry processing of coal is desirable as it reduces pollution and transportation costs. The multi-fractional sorting of coal is a more efficient manner for identifying and removing rock and contaminants from coal.
US09114424B2

Apparatus (1) for enabling a coating to be applied to an internal surface of a pipe elbow or bend C comprises a flexible body (2) adapted for location to extend within the pipe elbow or bend, and a bendable core (3) extending through the body. Bending of the core causes the flexible body to be bent in a similar manner. A method for applying the coating to the internal surface of the pipe elbow or bend (C) comprises the steps of shaping the flexible body (2) and locating it to extend within the pipe elbow or bend, and introducing a coating material so as to flow around and into a space defined between the flexible body and the internal surface of the elbow or bend.
US09114421B2

Solvent-based flexographic or rotogravure inks are formulated to provide good pin-holing performance at high-speed printing conditions by combining the ink ingredients such the Maron-Pierce MPF (Maximum Packing Fraction) of the resulting ink is below 42 volume percent at a shear of either 10 reciprocal seconds or 2100 reciprocal seconds or both.
US09114418B2

A system is disclosed. The system includes a fluid reservoir containing a volume of fluid, a bell housing that forms a chamber, a workpiece having a first surface portion and a second surface portion, and a pressure manipulating sub-system in fluid communication with the chamber of the bell housing. The bell housing is arranged relative to the fluid reservoir such that a lower end of the bell housing is at least partially submerged in the fluid thereby sealing the chamber of the bell housing from atmosphere. The bell housing is arranged relative to the fluid reservoir such that the second surface portion of the workpiece is disposed within the chamber of the bell housing that is sealed from atmosphere. A method is also disclosed. An apparatus is also disclosed.
US09114416B2

A nozzle opening/shutting device of an airless type cosmetics vessel, in which a nozzle actuation button is installed between a nozzle housing and a stem, and a cam guide actuation unit is provided such that the cam guide actuation unit can guide a guide groove of a plunger upward and downward and can move the plunger forward and backward in a nozzle pipe by a cam operation, thereby opening and shutting the nozzle. This invention can move the plunger by a cam mechanism instead of a conventional spring mechanism, thereby preventing a misoperation and realizing a precise nozzle opening/shutting operation. The plunger is inserted in the nozzle such that a plunger end protrudes outside the nozzle and comes into close surface contact with the inlet of the nozzle, thereby preventing air introduction into the nozzle and preventing oxidation of the contents, and maintaining the quality of the contents constantly.
US09114415B2

A system and method for dispensing sprayable material such as paint and other liquefied products. The system includes a dispenser such as a marking stick or other commercially available dispenser. The dispenser is configured to accept a container housed inside a cartridge and filled with sprayable material. The sprayable material is sprayed through a valve and spray tip at one end of the cartridge. An electrically powered motor assembly is removably coupled to the cartridge. The motor is used to power a pump that is incorporated in the cartridge to draw the sprayable material from the container. The material is pumped from the container and delivered through a tube to a spray head. The pressure generated by the pump inside the container and the tube are sufficient to spray the product through the valve and spray tip when valve is opened.
US09114414B2

The invention relates to a flow regulator (1) having a flow regulator housing, with a rotor disk (9) being supported in a rotary fashion in the interior space of its housing, which is embodied at least in a partial section of the disk in a liquid-permeable fashion and (9) is in a driven connection with a rotor disk drive, which transfers the flow of the water flowing through the flow regulator housing into a rotary drive force used for a rotary motion of the rotor disk (9). Using the flow regulator according to the invention considerable water savings can be achieved without here any reduction of the volume flow being clearly discernible.
US09114403B1

A gravity separation system for separating and recovering heavy metal particles from a slurry of suspended particles. The separation system includes a channeling member with an interior space, for guiding a flow of a slurry of suspended particles, and a magnetic member situated external to the channeling member. The magnetic member includes a geometrically patterned array of magnets, for generating a geometrically patterned magnetic field extending into the interior space of the channeling member. Magnetic particles such as magnetite, suspended in the slurry, are assembled by the geometrically patterned magnetic field into a correspondingly patterned array of riffles within the channeling member. The array of riffles promotes the sedimentation of heavy particles from the slurry. The geometrically patterned magnetic field is interruptible, to allow disassembly of the riffles and recovery of the settled heavy particles. A method for the gravity separation and recovery of heavy metal particles from a flow of slurry. A magnetic field system for producing an interruptible geometrically patterned magnetic field at a surface.
US09114399B2

The present invention relates to systems and methods for the real time processing of nucleic acid during polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and thermal melt applications. According to an aspect of the invention, a system for the rapid serial processing of multiple nucleic acid assays is provided. In one embodiment, the system includes, but is not limited to: a microfluidic cartridge having microfluidic (flow-through) channels, a fluorescence imaging system, a temperature measurement and control system; a pressure measurement and control system for applying variable pneumatic pressures to the microfluidic cartridge; a storage device for holding multiple reagents (e.g., a well-plate); a liquid handling system comprising at least one robotic pipettor for aspirating, mixing, and dispensing reagent mixtures to the microfluidic cartridge; systems for data storage, processing, and output; and a system controller to coordinate the various devices and functions.
US09114389B2

Provided is a catalyst having the ability to combust PM at relatively low temperatures and having high HC and CO removal (conversion) efficiency even at the above operating temperature. In the catalyst composition, at least one kind of platinum group element selected from Pt, Rh, and Pd is dispersed in and supported by a platinum group-supporting carrier containing at least one kind of element selected from Zr, Al, Y, Si, Bi, Pr, and Tb, and the platinum group-supporting carrier is supported on the surface of a Ce oxide containing Ce as an essential component. The catalyst composition has both PM combustion activity and gas purification activity.
US09114386B2

A self activating catalyst for treating heavy hydrocarbon feedstocks that comprises a calcined particle comprising a co-mulled mixture made by co-mulling inorganic oxide powder, molybdenum trioxide powder, and a nickel compound and then forming the co-mulled mixture into a particle that is calcined to thereby provide the calcined particle. The calcined particle comprises from 1 to 10 weight percent molybdenum and nickel that is present in an amount such that the weight ratio of said nickel-to-molybdenum is less than 0.4. The calcined particle has a pore size distribution that contributes to the unique properties of the catalyst. The calcined particle and catalyst also exhibits a unique Raman spectrum. The self activating catalyst is activated when contacted under suitable process conditions with a heavy residue feedstock having high nickel, vanadium and sulfur concentrations.
US09114380B2

The invention relates to a method for conditioning double metal catalysts which are used in the production of polyether polyols. The conditioning enhances the performance of the catalyst, so that lower concentrations of the DMC catalyst can be used in polyether polyol production.
US09114373B2

There is provided a plasma generation device capable of suppressing arc discharge in which discharge is localized to cause a high temperature, and allowing atmospheric discharge plasma to be stably generated with a high generation efficiency in a low temperature at about a room temperature without being spatially biased. The plasma generation device arranged with a plurality of electrodes facing each other includes a discharge position control unit, which is arranged between each of the plurality of electrodes, and is formed by containing an inverse characteristic material composed of a fluid having polarizability and a property that dielectric constant decreases with an increase in temperature, in a container formed of a dielectric material, wherein the inverse characteristic material is spaced apart from each of the plurality of electrodes.
US09114361B2

The device comprises a support (20) and at least one basket (22A to 22E) carried by said support (20). The basket (22A to 22E) comprises an upstream apertured wall (60) and a downstream apertured wall (62) together defining an intermediate space (70) for receiving the solid product (24). The upstream apertured wall (60) defines, opposite the intermediate space (70), a feed passage (90) for the upstream flow, and the downstream apertured wall (62) defines, opposite the intermediate space (70), a discharge passage (92) for a treated flow. The upstream apertured wall (60) and the downstream apertured wall (62) are mounted in such a way that said apertured walls can be moved freely in relation to one another and in relation to the support (20), on a given expansion path.
US09114358B2

An acid-impregnated activated carbon matrix is formed from a carbonaceous material by the addition of a mineral acid, and may be used to chemisorb ammonia from a gas stream. The ammonia reacts with the acid to form a fertilizer salt. The spent matrix may be used as a fertilizer, or the fertilizer salt may be elutriated from the matrix.
US09114349B2

An adsorbent construction for use in an electronic enclosure is disclosed. In certain embodiments the adsorbent construction comprises an adsorbent material and a polymeric material substantially surrounding the adsorbent material. The polymeric material regulates the flow of water vapor into and out of the adsorbent material. In example implementations one or more openings are present in the polymeric cover, the openings permitting flow of water vapor through the polymeric cover. A filter material can cover the opening in the polymeric cover. The adsorbent material can comprise, for example, activated carbon, silica gel, or a combination thereof.
US09114337B2

An appliance for washing objects is disclosed that effectively and energy-efficiently filters oil-based residue from a fluid such as washing fluid that drains from a basin in the appliance. In one illustrative embodiment, an appliance includes a novel filter assembly for filtering oil-based residue out of the washing fluid. The filter assembly includes a filter layer composed of a material that is both oleophilic and hydrophobic. The filter assembly forms part of a fluid distribution system that has different configurations. A first configuration allows for recirculating filtered wash fluid from an outlet of the filter assembly back into the basin of the appliance. A second configuration allows for draining both the washing fluid from the outlet of the filter assembly and the oil-based residue from a bypass zone of the filter assembly to an appliance outlet.
US09114336B2

A cooking-oil filtration system and method for automated food-fryers with a solids-removing filter for cleaning cooking oil from the food-fryer which includes and involves an oil/air separator for receiving air-containing oil from the filter and then returning air-separated oil to the food-fryer. In certain highly preferred embodiments the oil/air separator includes a cylindrical inner wall and an inlet conduit configured for tangential entry and spiral flow of oil. In another embodiment, the oil/air separator is a surge tank having upper and lower tank upper portions and conduits facilitating the in-flow of air-containing oil and the gravity out-flow of air-separated oil to the food-fryer. In-flow is preferably driven by a pump upstream of the filter media.
US09114335B1

A reusable liquid chromatographic column consists of three parts, a column body with an integral outlet port molded on one end, a sealing insert with an inlet port, and a perforated cap providing downward force to compress the sealing insert into the column body. A wedge-like seal is employed to seal the connection between the sealing insert and the column body. Two filters on both ends of the column body are used to prevent escape of packing materials from the column chamber under pressure. Hand tightening is adequate to seal the connection by screwing the perforated cap onto the column body. The column is reusable due to its simple disassembling and reassembling processes. It is also disposable due to its inexpensive fabricating materials and manufacturing process.
US09114332B1

An apparatus for separating and measuring fluid streams having oil, water, and gas phases includes a first generally vertical fluid separation chamber, a second generally vertical fluid separation chamber, an oil outlet line, a water outlet line, and a gas outlet line. The first separation chamber includes a first outlet at the top end for the gas outlet line. A second outlet is at the bottom end of the first fluid separation chamber for discharging the oil and water phases. The second separation chamber includes an inlet for receiving the oil phase and the water phase from the first chamber. The oil outlet line directs the oil phase away from the second chamber. The water outlet line directs the water phase away from the second chamber. The gas outlet line directs the gas away from the first chamber. Flow meters measure water, gas, and oil flow.
US09114331B2

A planar degasser comprises (1) a flow plate comprising a flow channel, (2) a planar separation membrane comprising a membrane transmission section which has a first major surface and a second major surface, the flow channel being at least in part bounded by the first major surface of the membrane transmission section, (3) a supporting member which supports the second major surface of the membrane transmission section when the pressure on the first major surface is greater than the pressure on the second major surface, and (4) structural features which enable liquid to flow through the flow channel when the pressure on the first major surface is equal to or less than the pressure on the second major surface, for example when there is no longer a vacuum on the second major surface of the membrane transmission section. The structural features can for example be an open channel in the base of the flow plate, or upstanding features on the base of the flow plate, or a passageway which is closed when the vacuum is on, but open when the vacuum is off, for example a passageway having a valve which is controlled by the vacuum.
US09114327B2

A play set configured for use with an item removably secured to a base item having a plurality of wheels and a ferromagnetic material disposed therein is disclosed herein, the play set having: a plurality of launchers each being configured to launch the item and the base item along one of a plurality of track segments, wherein each of the track segments terminate at a central area; and at least one magnet disposed in the central area, wherein the base item is attracted to the at least one magnet when it reaches the central area after traversing along one of the plurality of track segments.
US09114324B2

A carrier and a conventional toy vehicle have mating structures to releasably connect the two together. The carrier is configured to support the vehicle to run along a T shaped portion of the monorail track. The carrier has a main housing having the mating structure and a through channel on upper and lower sides. Rollers support the carrier to move on the upper running surface of the track while other structures extend beneath the running surface to capture the surface in the through channel. Weights are supported from the main housing in legs extending below the main housing, through channel and running surface.
US09114320B2

An electronic entertainment system for creating a video sequence by executing video game camera behavior based upon a video game sound file includes a memory configured to store an action event/camera behavior (AE/CB) database, game software such as an action generator module, and one or more sound files. In addition, the system includes a sound processing unit coupled to the memory for processing a selected sound file, and a processor coupled to the memory and the sound processing unit. The processor randomly selects an AE pointer and a CB pointer from the AE/CB database. Upon selection of the CB pointer and the AE pointer, the action generator executes camera behavior corresponding to the selected CB pointer to view an action event corresponding to the selected AE pointer.
US09114305B2

A splitboard binding was developed specifically for boots that have toe and heel landings for full auto binding bails. The binding is also designed to interface with splitboard and solid snowboard bolt patterns. The basic components of the design can be broken up into two pieces, the parts that stay with the splitboard at all times, and the parts that are removable, only to be used when the splitboard is being ridden as a snowboard. The basic design of the mechanism is a twist lock motion with two tabs that secure the binding in place.
US09114303B2

A full swing golf exercise apparatus comprises a supporting rod (7). The supporting rod (7) is provided with a noncoplanner upper rod track rail (1) and lower rod track rail (2) with two ends thereof being joined correspondingly, wherein a stopping rod track rail (13) with a free end is provided on one of the joints.
US09114302B2

A golf swing training device communicates a deviation from a proper golf swing path. The golf swing training device includes a two stands each having a stand adjustment scale attached to a light detector, a light source and a stand base. An upper beam is created by aligning the upper light detector with the upper light source. A lower beam is created by aligning the lower light detector with the lower light source. The proper golf swing path involves swinging a golf club on a back swing outside the lower beam and inside the upper beam, on a down swing inside the upper beam and outside the lower beam and on the follow through, outside the lower beam and inside the upper beam. The deviation from the proper golf swing path is communicated to a user.
US09114301B2

A vibrating grip assembly for providing a sensory response to excess gripping pressure on a golf club. The vibrating grip assembly comprises a grip body, defined by a rubber cover and a vibrating transducer, and a removable battery compartment. The vibrating grip assembly is configured to be placed around the gripping area of a golf club, replacing the conventional grip on a golf club. In operation, when manual pressure which exceeds a predetermined threshold is exerted in a compressing direction on the rubber cover, the vibrating transducer uses a integrated sensor to convert the mechanical energy from the manual pressure into electrical energy and an integrated actuator to accept the electrical energy and product vibration. This action results in the vibrating grip assembly vibrating in a user's hands in response to manual pressure in a compressing direction which exceeds the predetermined threshold.
US09114291B2

A releasable connection system for assembling a shaft and a club head, e.g., a golf club shaft and a golf club head. The connection system provides interchangeability between a shaft and a club head and allows the head to be adjusted with respect to the shaft. The mating structures between the shaft and the club head may be indexed for reproducible placement. In an embodiment, the connection system also includes retaining structures that maintain the connection fastener position when the head and shaft are separated.
US09114288B2

A magnetic retrieval device includes a magnet and a helical thread fixed relative to the magnet. The helical thread is screwed onto a proximal end of a grip of a golf club. The golf club can be used by a golfer to retrieve a laying golf club already on a playing surface without the need for the golfer to bend over or bend down. The helical thread may include a pointed distal end and a cutting slot or a drill distal end. A body may surround the magnet, where the body includes a base and a top. The top may include an elastomeric material such as rubber. A metallic ball marker may be magnetically attached to the body.
US09114285B2

A tennis ball pick-up cart comprises a chassis including a pair of driven wheels and a pair of steering wheels. A ball collection case is coupled to the chassis. A ball pick-up mechanism includes a concave ball guiding plate laterally placed under two vertical side plates. The ball pick-up mechanism also includes a fixing shaft and a rotating shaft each laterally extending between the vertical side plates. Synchronous belt pulleys are provided on the fixing shaft and the rotating shaft. Two synchronous belts are assembled with two of the synchronous belt pulleys. Laterally placed ball-moving plates are evenly distributed on an outer surface of each of the synchronous belts. Each of the ball moving plates includes a ball moving surface perpendicularly connected to the outer surface of each of the belts. An electric motor drives the driven wheels and the rotating shaft.
US09114279B2

A compressible barbell adapter is disclosed, which consists of a compression-retraction member fastened to a hollow shaft for use on a bar. The compression and retraction movement of the compression-retraction member is generally achieved by means of a pinion and a rack system, and can be utilized in conjunction with dampening means. Slidable handles are also connected to the compression-retraction member, and serve to slide along the axis of the hollow shaft, and thus along the bar. The compressible barbell adapter is meant to be fastened onto existing bars or barbells such that additional exertion is focused on the pectoral, deltoid and back muscles during various exercises.
US09114278B1

A recumbent exercise assembly allows a person to exercise while lying in bed. The assembly includes a base panel and a pedal assembly coupled to and extending upwardly from the base panel. At least one support panel is coupled to and extends from the base panel. Each support panel is configured to support a person thereon while the person pedals the pedal assembly.
US09114274B2

A dynamic postural balance training system includes a base frame, a support frame which extends upwards from the base frame, a roll motion frame which is coupled to the upper portion of the support frame by a first shaft so as to be rotatable to the left or the right, and a pitch motion frame which is coupled to the roll motion frame by a second shaft so as to be rotatable forwards or rearwards. The system also includes a pelvis fastening unit which is disposed inside the pitch motion frame and which expands to fix the pelvis of the user in place, a connector which extends downwards from the pitch motion frame, and a foot fastening unit which is coupled to the lower end of the connector and expands to fix the feet of the user in place.
US09114271B1

A flight of stairs (22) and a slide (26) with respective top ends (23, 27) adjacent to each other and spanned by a platform (29). Respective bottom ends (48, 46) are adjacent to each other. A hand grip mounting portion (32) of the apparatus has a horizontal upper surface (33) within 3 feet or preferably within 16-22 inches above a floor (60) for sitting in preparation for dips. One or more pairs of hand grips (34, 36, 37) extend outwardly at an angle of 0-40 degrees from such mounting portion within 6 inches below the horizontal surface (33) or preferably within 3 inches. The grips are retractable (36) into or against the mounting portion (32). The slide (26) may have a peak (28) that increases headroom for inclined pushups on handgrips (37) below it. Other exercise devices (54, 56, 59) may be attached for multiple concurrent users.
US09114265B2

Embodiments of the invention provide methods, systems, and devices for enabling data communication between an IMD and a host computer. In one embodiment, a device is provided that comprises a frequency and protocol agile transceiver capable of communicating with an IMD via a first communications link and with a host computer via a second wireless communications link, wherein the first wireless communication link is configured for substantially shorter communication range than the second wireless communication link. An apparatus is provided according to another embodiment of the invention that comprises an interface between an IMD and a communications device, such as a wireless telephone or a two-way wireless pager. The interface can communicate directly with the IMD to retrieve clinical data stored in the IMD and can utilize the communications device to transmit the clinical data to a host computer.
US09114264B2

Methods, systems and devices described herein can be used for automatically adjusting one or more cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT) pacing parameters (and more generally stimulation parameters), to achieve a long term reduction in left ventricular (LV) diastolic pressure (and more generally, preload) of a heart failure (HF) patient. A reduction in LV diastolic pressure is indicative of a reduction in preload (the force of blood the fills the left ventricle), which is typically indicative of an improvement in a patient's HF condition. In accordance with certain embodiments, when a set of stimulation parameters is tested, the set is tested for a period that is sufficiently long enough to allow the patient's compensatory mechanisms to react to the set of stimulation parameters and achieve a substantially steady-state LV diastolic pressure corresponding to the using the set of stimulation parameters. Such techniques are believed to provide better results than achieved using acute hemodynamic optimization techniques.
US09114256B2

Electric stimulation method and system for treating Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) Syndrome using an external actuator on the pharyngeal-laryngeal muscles.Using this actuator, the muscles involved receive an electric stimulus, with the aim of widening the muscular opening and attaining sufficient air flow to prevent the lack of air. Said stimulus only acts in the event of an apnea episode being detected, by means of analyzing sound patterns of the upper airways. Both detection and treatment arc self-regulatory, in order to adapt to the patient's morphology and the evolution of the condition or problem.
US09114254B2

The present invention relates to an electromagnetically-countered display system including at least one wave source and at least one counter unit, where such a wave source irradiates harmful electromagnetic waves and the counter unit emits counter electromagnetic waves for countering the harmful waves therewith. More particularly, the present invention relates to various counter units for the electromagnetically-countered display system and to various mechanisms to counter the harmful waves with the counter units, e.g., by matching configurations of the counter units with those of the wave sources, by matching wavefronts of the harmful waves with those the counter waves, and so on. The present invention also relates to various methods of countering the harmful waves with such counter waves by source and/or wave matchings, various methods of providing the counter units for emitting the counter waves defining desired wave characteristics, and the like. The present invention further relates to various processes for providing the electromagnetically-countered display systems and their counter units. The present invention further relates to various electric and magnetic shields employed either alone or in conjunction with the counter units for minimizing irradiation of the harmful waves from the shaving system.
US09114249B2

An assembly for pain suppressing electrical stimulation of a patient's nerve, the assembly including lateral, medial, and oppositely lateral series of contact plates; a lateral panel, a medial panel and an oppositely lateral panel, the electrical contact plates being fixedly attached to the panels; living hinges pivotally attaching the lateral and oppositely lateral panels to the medial panel; proximally extending wires electrically communicating with the contact plates; a proximally extending insulator attached to the medial panel, the insulator having a hollow bore and the wires being embedded within the insulator; a proximally opening traction socket fixedly attached to the medial panel; and a semi-rigid stay which is extendable through the hollow bore, the semi-rigid stay being engageable with the proximally opening traction socket.
US09114246B2

A device circles the spinal segmental nerves like a ring and causes stimulation of the nerves. The present invention offers magnetic as well as electric stimulation properties in order to balance the two modes.
US09114244B2

A needleless valve system includes a cannula comprising a cannula tip; a valve comprising a valve tip, wherein the valve is disposed around the cannula; and a housing comprising a housing tip, wherein the cannula tip, the valve tip, and the housing tip comprise a flat surface when the needleless valve system is in a sealed position.
US09114242B2

Some embodiments comprise a connector including a rigid housing having a first end and a second end. A second member can be positioned at a second end portion of the housing and be engageable with a second device. The second member can have a body portion having a first body portion, a second body portion, and a flow lumen extending axially through the body portion, an annular covering portion extending in a radial direction away from the body portion, a receiving portion extending away from the covering portion in an axial direction, and at least one protrusion extending radially away from an outside surface of the body portion. In some embodiments, the second member can be supported by the housing such that, in an assembled state, the first body portion is positioned within the housing and such that the annular covering portion and the second body portion are positioned outside the housing.
US09114228B2

A cystotomy apparatus includes a sound from which an advancement device having a cutting tip creates a surgical pathway from the bladder through abdominal tissue to the external abdomen along a predetermined path. The cutting tip is captured and removed from the advancement device in a capture cup located in the predetermined path by an alignment structure. The cutting tip is removed from the advancement device while within the capture cup, to allow a dilator, cannula or catheter to be drawn through the surgical pathway into the bladder.
US09114223B2

An apparatus for indicating a strapping force applied by a headgear of a patient interface device. The apparatus includes a first portion structured to be selectively connectable to a connecting element of a mask of the patient interface device, a second portion structured to be selectively connectable to a strap of the headgear, and a force gauging mechanism coupled to the first portion and the second portion. The force gauging mechanism is structured to gauge and indicate a force being applied by the headgear in response to the second strap portion being pulled by the strap of the headgear.
US09114212B2

The invention relates to an injection device (1, 100) configured to perform automatic priming upon removal of a protective cap (15, 115) from a cap receiving portion (9, 109) of a housing (2, 102). When mounted on the injection device (1, 100) the cap (15, 115) defines a first position for a drive member (10, 110) relative to the housing (2, 102), which drive member (10, 110) is capable of causing a piston rod (7, 107) to advance a piston (8, 108) in a reservoir (4, 104). Means (13, 120) are provided defining a second position for the drive member (10, 110) relative to the housing (2, 102). During removal of the cap (15, 115) from the cap receiving portion (9, 109) the drive member (10, 110) moves from the first position to the second position under the influence of a spring (11, 111), thereby causing the piston rod (7, 107) to pressurize the reservoir (4, 104).
US09114210B2

Some embodiments an infusion pump system can be configured to modify alarm limit parameters as the user's insulin load increases or decreases. Moreover, in particular embodiments, the infusion pump system can be configured to provide a “missed bolus” or “missed meal” alarm in response to the user's blood glucose characteristics, the user's insulin load information, or the like.
US09114207B2

A syringe plunger driver system capable of capturing syringes of widely varying sizes comprises a pair of asymmetric plunger retainer arms pivotally mounted to a plunger driver. The system includes a low profile driver having a length that exceeds its width so that it may be mounted adjacent control modules and other operational modules. The arms are biased toward each other and one arm is longer than the other with a notch on an inside edge to receive the tip of the shorter arm when capturing small syringe flanges. A rotation knob mounted to the front surface of the low profile driver forces the arms apart when rotated to a first rotation position. A force sensor is mounted in the driver to detect occlusions in the fluid line. A processor monitors the force sensed by the force sensor and provides an alarm if the force exceeds a threshold. The driver includes a force concentrator that defines a pushing surface adapted to press against a plunger flange so that the force applied to the plunger flange is concentrated at a defined location for more accurate measurement.
US09114206B2

An infusion assembly is provided having a first outlet conduit adapted to be in fluid communication with a delivery site of a patient. The assembly further includes at least first and second fluid inlet conduits adapted to be in fluid communication with at least a first and second fluid reservoir, and an infusion switching device, including a housing and an internal valve assembly. The internal valve assembly is adapted for selective manipulation by a patient or caregiver. The valve assembly includes an off-setting, and first infusion setting, for initiating an infusion of a first fluid from a first fluid reservoir to a delivery site, and a second infusion setting for initiating an infusion of a second fluid from a second fluid reservoir to a delivery site.
US09114204B2

An apparatus and method for dispensing a saline solution for nasal rinsing includes using a container having a bottom for resting on a surface and a top defining an opening. A pump having a pump housing is disposed within the container and is coupled to the opening of the container. A pump handle is coupled to a pump shaft, which is in turn coupled to the pump housing. The pump handle is coupled to a plunger disposed within the pump housing. An elongate flexible tube is coupled at a first end to the pump handle. A nozzle configured for mating with a nostril of a user is coupled to a second end of the flexible tubing. Pumping the handle causes the saline solution to flow through the nozzle under controlled pressure into a nasal passage of a user.
US09114202B1

A lighted suction device comprises a light pipe member extending from a proximal end to a tip so as to allow light to travel down the light pipe member from the proximal end to the tip, and a suction channel integral to the light pipe member or a suction catheter member that is affixed to the light pipe member having an opening at the tip of the light pipe member and a connector at its proximal end for connection to a source of vacuum. The tip of the light pipe member is introduced into a body orifice, suction is applied wax, debris, a foreign object, or the like in the body orifice, and the light pipe member is withdrawn to remove the wax, debris, and/or foreign object.
US09114192B2

A cultured periodontal membrane cell sheet, produced through a process comprising culturing cells on a cell culture support composed of a base material having its surface coated with a temperature-responsive polymer of 0˚C to 80˚C upper limit or lower limit critical dissolution temperature in water under specified conditions, (1) regulating the temperature of culture fluid to temperature≧the upper limit critical dissolution temperature or≦the lower limit critical dissolution temperature, (2) causing a cultured periodontal membrane cell sheet resulting from the culturing to adhere to a carrier, and (3) detaching the sheet together with the carrier. This cultured periodontal membrane cell sheet has a syndesmotic microstructure, exhibiting extremely high bioadherence to the surface of dental root, and realizes high-density transplant of target cells and positive reconstruction of periodontal tissue. Moreover, through laminating of cell sheets to be transplanted and donating of three-dimensional polarity, highly efficient reconstruction of attachment apparatus can be accomplished, and clinical application thereof to moderate periodontitis, severe periodontitis, gingival recession, etc. is highly promising.
US09114190B2

Compositions and processes for the effective and efficient regeneration of spinal discs are provided. These compositions contain stem cells, donor cells, and platelet plasma compositions. By using these compositions, there is an increased likelihood of acceptance and proper cell differentiation.
US09114187B2

An identification device that combines an antimicrobial coating with a printable substrate. For example, the invention includes a wristband with a face stock supporting indicia which are applied on (such as through thermal transfer printing) or through (such as through direct thermal printing) an antimicrobial layer. The antimicrobial layer is preferably a coating or varnish that is applied as the outermost layer and can bind with thermal transfer printing ink or supports pass through of direct thermal printing on a chemically receptive sublayer. The antimicrobial varnish includes varnish compounds and antimicrobial compounds such as a silver zeolite ion that is configured to react to moisture with a controlled release of microbial disinfectant. Preferably, the wristband is a hospital wristband bearing on-site printed identification indicia for a patient.
US09114184B2

The present invention relates to a device for the hygienization of medical instruments, in particular stethoscopes.In particular, the present invention relates to a hygienization or sterilization system (1) of a medical-healthcare instrument, comprising a hygienization or sterilization device (2) and a coupling member (3) associable to said medical-healthcare instrument, characterized in that the coupling between said coupling member (3) and said device (2) is actuated by magnetic coupling means.
US09114175B2

Disclosed is a process for preparing a pharmacologically active compound, in which at least one internal conjugation site of an Fc domain sequence is selected that is amenable to conjugation of an additional functional moiety by a defined conjugation chemistry through the side chain of an amino acid residue at the conjugation site. An appropriate amino acid residue for conjugation may be present in a native Fc domain at the conjugation site or may be added by insertion (i.e., between amino acids in the native Fc domain) or by replacement (i.e., removing amino acids and substituting different amino acids). In the latter case, the number of amino acids added need not correspond to the number of amino acids removed from the previously existing Fc domain. This technology may be used to produce useful compositions of matter and pharmaceutical compositions containing them. A DNA encoding the inventive composition of matter, an expression vector containing the DNA, and a host cell containing the expression vector are also disclosed.
US09114170B2

A stable and high loading ternary solid dispersion composition comprising (a) about 50% wt. to about 90% wt. of amorphous Efavirenz; (b) about 10% wt. to about 50% wt. of polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), a first polymer; (c) about 1% wt. to about 30% wt. of a water-soluble second polymer; and (d) optionally about 0.1% wt. to about 50% wt. of at least one pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. Also discloses a high loading ternary composition comprising (a) a solid dispersion composition comprising (i) about 50% wt. to about 90% wt. of amorphous Efavirenz; (ii) about 10% wt. to about 50% wt. of polyvinyl pyrrolidone, a first polymer; (b) about 1% wt. to about 30% wt. of a water-soluble second polymer blended with solid dispersion of composition of (a); and (c) optionally about 0.1% wt. to about 50% wt. of at least one pharmaceutically acceptable excipient. Additionally discloses a method for preparing solid dosage forms comprising (i) amorphous Efavirenz and (ii) polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP), a first polymer; (iii) a water-soluble second polymer; and (iv) optionally, at least one pharmaceutical excipients.
US09114169B2

Formulations are disclosed that contain one or more prebiotics and one or more probiotics. The formulations of the present invention may be used as a supplement that is also a sweetener. The supplement may be useful for anti-aging and/or anti-oxidant properties, increasing mental faculties and/or a decreasing cognitive decline, antibacterial properties, cardiovascular health properties, digestive health benefits such as being effective against irritable bowel syndrome, cognitive health benefits, mental health benefits, anti-inflammatory activity, dry skin treatment, and other benefits.
US09114166B2

A liquid aqueous pharmaceutical formulation is described which has a high protein concentration, a pH of between about 4 and about 8, and enhanced stability.
US09114161B2

The present invention relates to compositions and methods, in particular to methods based on systemic administration of scAAV, for delivering genes to cells of the retina of mammals, and in particular to photoreceptor cells, ganglion cells, glial cells, inner nuclear layer cells or cells of the retinal pigmented epithelium.
US09114150B2

Compositions containing one or more bioactive forms of creatine, which are aqueous compositions in which the one or more bioactive forms of creatine do not appreciably degrade into creatinine. Also are methods for providing various beneficial effects which comprise administering aqueous compositions comprising at least one creatinol O-phosphate species to a mammalian subject, either chronically or acutely.
US09114149B2

Cu(I) complexes of the type [Cu(thp)4]n[X]−n, wherein thp is a tris(hydroxymethyl)phosphine, X is a counteranion, n=1-4, for the use as antineoplistic agents against solid tumors in humans.
US09114138B2

The present invention relates to novel compounds, in particular novel pyridinone derivatives according to Formula (I) wherein all radicals are as defined in the application and claims. The compounds according to the invention are positive allosteric modulators of metabotropic receptors—subtype 2 (“mGluR2”) which are useful for the treatment or prevention of neurological and psychiatric disorders associated with glutamate dysfunction and diseases in which the mGluR2 subtype of metabotropic receptors is involved. In particular, such diseases are central nervous system disorders selected from the group of anxiety, schizophrenia, migraine, depression, and epilepsy. The invention is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions and processes to prepare such compounds and compositions, as well as to the use of such compounds for the prevention and treatment of such diseases in which mGluR2 is involved.
US09114137B2

Substituted pyrazolophenyl-benzenesulfonamide compounds of formula (I) are described, wherein m, R1, R2, R3, and R4 are defined in the description, which modulate the activity of protein kinases, These compounds find utility in treating diseases caused by deregulated protein kinase activity, such as cancer and cell proliferative disorders.
US09114128B2

The present invention relates to biocompatible polymeric scaffold materials, methods for making the materials and methods of using the materials. More particularly, the present invention relates to implants and grafts comprising polymeric scaffold materials of cross-linked human tropoelastin polypeptides and methods of making and using the same. In addition, the present invention provides alternatively spliced tropoelastin polynucleotides and polypeptides.
US09114125B2

The present disclosure relates to drug eluting devices, and their uses. The drug eluting devices can allow for perfusion during deployment. The coatings the may contain bioactive materials which elute once deployed in a patient and can have anti-proliferative, anti-inflammation, or anti-thrombotic effects. Sol gel technology can be used to coat the devices.
US09114123B2

According to some embodiments, a method of treating a subject having diabetes or symptoms associated with diabetes is provided. The method includes delivering a neuromodulation catheter within a vessel (e.g., hepatic artery) having surrounding nerves that innervate the liver (e.g., sympathetic nerves of the hepatic plexus). The method may also include modulating (e.g., disrupting, ablating, stimulating) the nerves by mechanical compression, energy delivery, or fluid delivery.
US09114122B2

The present invention is directed to a pharmaceutical composition comprising a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier and 3-(methylthio)propionitrile, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof. The present invention is directed to a method for treating inflammation, inflammatory-related disorders, or pain, by administering ω-(methylthio)alkylnitriles such as 3-(methylthio)propionitrile, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof to a subject in need thereof.
US09114109B2

Described herein is the finding that a mutant form of human neuroglobin (H64L) with a stable five-coordinate geometry reduces nitrite to nitric oxide approximately 2000-times faster than the wild type neuroglobin. Five-coordinate neuroglobin is also capable of binding and releasing oxygen. Based on these findings, the use of five-coordinate neuroglobin as a blood substitute is described herein. Particularly provided is a method of replacing blood and/or increasing oxygen delivery to tissues in a subject by administering to the subject a therapeutically effective amount of neuroglobin with a stable five-coordinate geometry. In some cases, five-coordinate neuroglobin is administered in combination with another therapeutic agent or composition, such as a second blood replacement product (for example, a hemoglobin-based oxygen carrier), a blood product (such as red blood cells, serum or plasma) or whole blood.
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