US09381609B2

A chip discharging device of a machine tool is equipped with a chip discharging member for discharging chips generated by machine processing to a workpiece to an outside of the machine tool, and a chip shooter for introducing the chips to the chip discharging member. The chip shooter connects an introducing opening for introducing the generated chips and a discharging opening for discharging the chips toward the chip discharging member by a guide wall surface. The guide wall surface includes a vertical wall surface and a plurality of inclined wall surfaces inclined with respect to the vertical wall surface. At least a boundary parts between the inclined wall surfaces and a boundary part between the inclined wall surface and the vertical wall surface are formed by a flat surface or a curved surface.
US09381607B2

A feeding device includes a tool holder, a cutter, a feeding mechanism and a mounting seat. The cutter is positioned on the tool holder. The mounting seat has at least one guiding portion. The tool holder is engaged with the at least one guiding portion. The feeding mechanism drives the tool holder and the cutter to controllably reciprocate along the at least one gliding portion.
US09381603B2

An integrated laser material processing cell allowing laser-assisted machining to be used in conjunction with directed material deposition in a single setup, achieving greater geometric accuracy and better surface finish than currently possible in existing laser freeform fabrication techniques. The integration of these two processes takes advantage of their common use of laser beam heat to process materials. The cell involves a multi-axis laser-assisted milling machine having a work spindle, a laser emitter, and means for positioning the emitter with respect to the spindle so as to direct a laser beam onto a localized area of a work piece in proximity to a cutting tool mounted in the spindle. A powder delivery nozzle mounted on the machine and positioned adjacent to the emitter delivers powder to a deposition zone in the path of the beam, such that material deposition and laser-assisted milling may be performed substantially simultaneously in a single workspace.
US09381602B2

Various embodiments include apparatuses adapted to displace turbomachine components from a location within a turbomachine. In some embodiments apparatuses for displacing a turbine bucket from a turbomachine wheel slot include a body having at least two contacting portions for contacting the turbomachine wheel, a linear actuator coupled to the body, and an engagement arm for engaging the turbine bucket, the engagement arm coupled to the linear actuator and adapted to be actuated in a first axial direction by the linear actuator.
US09381598B2

A master verification assembly includes a plurality of plunger devices. Each of the plunger devices includes a piston that is axially moveable between a raised position and a depressed position. When placed in a washing assembly, each of the plunger devices is aligned with a nozzle. The nozzles dispense a cleaning fluid under pressure. An axial force applied by the dispensed cleaning fluid depresses the pistons into the depressed position, whereupon the pistons disposed in the depressed position are axially secured in an indicator position. Upon removal of the master verification assembly from the washing assembly, depressed pistons in the indicator position indicate proper function of the nozzles, whereas pistons disposed in the raised position indicate improperly functioning nozzles.
US09381596B2

A welding fixture comprises a suction assembly, a drive assembly, and a positioning assembly. The suction assembly comprises a fixing member and a suction member slidably coupled to the fixing member. The drive assembly couples the fixing member to the suction member. The suction assembly comprises a positioning member slidably coupled to the fixing member, a flange protruding from the positioning member, and an elastic member sleeved on the positioning member. The elastic member is configured to bias the flange away from a side of the fixing member. The drive assembly can move the suction member and thereby moving the workpiece towards the positioning member, so that the weldment makes contact with the workpiece via the positioning member.
US09381595B2

A Pb-free solder includes a first metal including at least Sn and Bi, and a second metal including at least an Ni—Fe alloy. In the first metal, the sum of Sn and Bi is 90 mass % or more, and a ratio of Bi is 5 to 15 mass %. A ratio of the second metal to the sum of mass of the first metal and mass of the second metal is 5 to 30 mass %.
US09381592B2

A method and apparatus for providing welding-type power includes receiving an input that may be either a single or a three phase input voltage. Three power modules, each having a single phase boost power circuit, and an output circuit process the input power. A weld output circuit receives and combines the outputs of the three power modules. An input power distribution module connects the three power modules such that each receives a unique single phase power signal. A controller controls the three power modules and the input power distribution module.
US09381575B2

A surface-coated cutting tool of the present invention includes a base material and a coating film formed on the base material. The coating film includes at least one TiB2 layer. The TiB2 layer has TC (100) that shows a maximum value in an orientation index TC (hkl), or has a ratio I (100)/I (101) of 1.2 or more between an X-ray diffraction intensity I (100) of a (100) plane and an X-ray diffraction intensity I (101) of a (101) plane.
US09381568B2

A system for making a material having domains with insulated boundaries is provided. The system includes a combustion chamber, a gas inlet configured to inject a gas into the combustion chamber, a fuel inlet configured to inject a fuel into the combustion chamber, an igniter subsystem configured to ignite a mixture of the gas and the fuel to create a predetermined temperature and pressure in the combustion chamber, a metal powder inlet configured to inject a metal powder comprised of particles coated with an electrically insulating material into the combustion, wherein the predetermined temperature creates conditioned droplets comprised of the metal powder in the chamber, and an outlet configured to eject and accelerate combustion gases and the conditioned droplets from the combustion chamber and towards a surface such that conditioned droplets adhere to the surface to form a material having domains with insulated boundaries thereon.
US09381559B2

A punch includes first and second blade sections juxtaposed relative to each other in a direction parallel or substantially parallel to a feed direction of a sheet material. The first blade section protrudes downwardly from the second blade section with a step intervening therebetween and includes lower end edges on downstream and upstream sides of the feed direction, which define respective punching edges. The first blade section includes a lower end edge following the feed direction, which defines a first notching and punching edge. The notching and punching edge includes a portion intermediate of the feed direction representing a projecting shape. The second blade section includes a lower end edge on the upstream side, which defines a punching edge and also includes a lower end edge following the feed direction, which defines a notching and punching edge. The notching and punching edge is inclined gradually upwardly towards the upstream side.
US09381544B2

Apparatus and methods consistent with the present invention provide for identifying and processing mail using an identification code on a mailpiece as a redundant source of identification information in a mail sorting system. In one embodiment, this information is stored in a temporary database and used for the identification and processing of mail in a Remote Bar Code System (RBCS). In this embodiment, the identification code enables the automation of mail sorting and other processing tasks, reducing costs and delays in mail delivery services. In another embodiment, the identification and processing of mail occurs in an Identification Code Sorting (ICS) system. In this embodiment, a long-term database allows for mail sorting and other processing tasks on a national or global level.
US09381538B2

A driving device of a metering and mixing apparatus for multi-component substances has at least two cartridge holders for holding interchangeable cartridges, a discharging apparatus for the simultaneous discharging of the substance components from the cartridges by discharging pistons entering the cartridge holder or cartridges, where at least one discharging piston has a thread which can generate a forward propulsion of the discharging piston, and a mixing apparatus for discharging the substance components in mixed form. A transmission unit connects a drive motor, and a spindle-like discharging rod of the discharging piston is provided with the thread, a rear part of the longitudinal extent of which discharging rod has a spiral-toothed, non-self-locking spindle section, and at a front end of which has an engagement element for engaging in the discharging piston.
US09381537B2

A modular, rotisserie type multifunctional tooling fixture assembly is disclosed. The disclosed tooling fixture assembly comprises a positioning ring having a plurality of anchor members configured or adapted to retain a plurality of workpieces to be processed, and a retaining base defining a plurality of retaining members configured to be in locking engagement with the anchor members of the positioning ring and retain a plurality of workpieces in a fixed orientation. The tooling fixture assembly has utility in various coating related processes, including coating and grit blasting operations.
US09381534B2

Provided is a method for forming a bezel pattern of a display panel, the method including: attaching a release film including a non-pattern portion to a panel; printing at least one bezel pattern by applying an ink composition on the panel; and removing the release film from the panel.
US09381518B2

Described herein is a process for preparing nano-suspensions, wherein the process comprises: providing an admixture of at least one active pharmaceutical compound, an aqueous dispersion medium, and milling media and applying thereto acoustic energy having a frequency of from about 10 hertz to 1000 hertz and which supplies a linear acceleration of from about 10 G's to about 100 G's (where “G” is the force of gravity) for a period sufficient to supply a nano-suspension having a D50 of less than about 1 micron, preferably less than about 500 nm. Described also are nano-suspensions having novel properties prepared via the inventive process.
US09381516B2

An element and a vial transport assembly made of a plurality of elements pivotally joined together to form a unitary row for storing and transporting vials and other such containers is disclosed. The assembly comprises a vial gripper removably seated on an inner face of the element. The unitary row of elements may be pivoted together to a closed position to secure the vials therein, and in some embodiments includes complementary magnets arranged to secure adjacent elements in registration when in the closed position.
US09381510B2

An exhaust gas purifying catalyst comprising a catalyst layer comprising two or more types of inorganic porous particles each having a different particle size, a catalytically active component, and voids, wherein; as a first characteristic, 50% or more by number of all the voids in the catalyst layer satisfies a condition of the following (formula 1); L/2/(πS)1/2≧2 . . . (formula 1) wherein S represents a void cross-sectional area, and L represents a void cross-sectional circumference in the (formula 1), and; as a second characteristic, in the void cross-sectional area in the catalyst layer, the average void radius, determined assuming that the void shape is a perfect circle, is 10 μm to 20 μm.
US09381509B2

The present invention provides methods and designs of enclosed-channel reactor system for manufacturing catalysts or supports. Both of the configuration designs force the gaseous precursors and purge gas flow through the channel surface of reactor. The precursors will transform to thin film or particle catalysts or supports under adequate reaction temperature, working pressure and gas concentration. The reactor body is either sealed or enclosed for isolation from atmosphere. Another method using super ALD cycles is also proposed to grow alloy catalysts or supports with controllable concentration. The catalysts prepared by the method and system in the present invention are noble metals, such as platinum, palladium, rhodium, ruthenium, iridium and osmium, or transition metals such as iron, silver, cobalt, nickel and tin, while supports are silicon oxide, aluminum oxide, zirconium oxide, cerium oxide or magnesium oxide, or refractory metals, which can be chromium, molybdenum, tungsten or tantalum.
US09381506B2

Disclosed herein are cobalt terpyridine complexes containing a single ligand coordinated to the cobalt, and their use as hydrosilylation and/or dehydrogenative silylation and crosslinking catalysts. The cobalt complexes also exhibit adequate air stability for handling and manipulation.
US09381501B2

The invention relates to improvements in the design of Fischer-Tropsch catalysts comprising a support and cobalt on the support. A first aspect is the modification of the silica support with at least 11 wt % titania to prevent the formation of cobalt silicates, thereby limiting the deactivation resulting from the silicate formation. A second aspect is the provision of C03O4 particles highly dispersed on the catalyst support with an average particle diameter of the cobalt oxide particle of less than 12 nm in order to improve catalytic activity and selectivity. A third aspect is the deposition of the catalyst precursor on the support by contact with a solution or suspension comprising the catalyst metal precursors and a carboxylic acid, preferably an alpha-hydroxy carboxylic acid in order to minimize the fracturing and fragmentation of the catalyst precursor during the following steps of drying and calcining, thereby preventing the formation of smaller catalyst particles, which should be removed by screening in order to limit pressure drop in the reactor.
US09381497B2

A filter is configured for efficient combustion of particulates accumulated on a catalyst layer 7 in both a rapid combustion range and a slow combustion range. The catalyst layer 7 on an exhaust gas passage wall of a filter 1 includes a mixture of a Rh-doped Ce-containing composite oxide particle material loaded with Pt and a composite particle material loaded with Pt. In mixed particles of this mixture, Zr-containing composite oxide particles containing no Ce and activated alumina particles are mixed together and agglomerated.
US09381491B2

A ceramic material, methods for adsorbing and converting carbon dioxide are provided. The ceramic material is represented by a chemical formula M1xM2yOz, wherein M1 is selected from a group consisting of Nd, Sm, Gd, Yb, Sc, Y, La, Ac, Al, Ga, In, Tl, V, Nb, Ta, Fe, Co, Ni, Cu, Ca, Sr, Na, Li and K; M2 is selected from a group consisting of Ce, Zn, Ti, Zr and Si; O represents oxygen atom; x<0.5, y>0.5, x+y=1.0, z<2.0; and the ceramic material has an adsorption capacity of not less than 20 μmol/g for CO2 at 50° C.
US09381485B2

A method of encapsulating a volatile, water-soluble substance in capsules having a hydrogel shell and an oily interior includes (i) providing blank capsules having a hydrogel shell and an oily interior and (ii) immersing the capsules in an aqueous solution of the volatile, water-soluble substance for a time sufficient for them to load to a desired extent with the volatile, water-soluble substance. The aqueous solution additionally has dissolved therein to saturation point at least one water-soluble, non-volatile material. The method permits the easy and durable encapsulation of volatile materials that hitherto have been difficult to encapsulate.
US09381481B2

The present disclosure relates to a liquid dispersant of the formula I wherein T is selected from a polyethylene imine (PEI) or modified PEI moiety, polyvinylamine (PVA) or modified PVA, or polyallylamine (PAA) or modified PAA; B is a branched monomer; R1 and R2 independently of one another are hydrophobic groups; X is B with —OH terminal group, or R1 or R2, q is a number between 5-2000, with the proviso that q is less than the sum of all amine groups of PEI, PVA, PAA; and n is a number of 1-6.
US09381473B2

The present invention relates to a device for frothing up a liquid, in particular cold and/or unheated milk, having a liquid supply line for supplying the liquid, an air supply line which opens into the liquid supply line for supplying air into the liquid, a discharge line which is configured downstream of the opening of the air supply line into the liquid supply line for discharging the mixture of liquid and air, a first conveying unit, in particular a pump, which is provided for conveying the liquid through the liquid supply line and/or the mixture through the discharge line and a mixing unit which is provided downstream of the opening in the discharge line, the mixing unit including at least one narrow place or being configured as narrow place of the discharge line.
US09381464B2

Provided is a facilitated CO2 transport membrane having an improved CO2 permeance and an improved CO2/H2 selectivity. The facilitated CO2 transport membrane includes a separation-functional membrane that includes a hydrophilic polymer gel membrane containing a CO2 carrier and a CO2 hydration catalyst. Further preferably, the CO2 hydration catalyst at least has catalytic activity at a temperature of 100° C. or higher, has a melting point of 200° C. or higher, or is soluble in water.
US09381463B2

The invention relates to a continuous process for removal of acid gas, such as carbon dioxide (CO2) from a fluid stream, such as natural gas comprising mainly hydrocarbons, by means of a absorbent medium in a rotating absorption zone. Subsequently, the acid gas is desorbed in a rotating desorption zone from the absorbent medium to allow the absorbent medium to be recirculated and the acid gas is removed for storage or drying and processing. This process can be carried out continuously, as the absorption medium is re-used.
US09381457B2

The present specification relates to an air treatment device and a detachable sensor module. The air treatment device comprises a user interface configured to display, for selection by a user, at least one static or open-loop operational mode to be executed by a controller; and a wall comprising one or more pervious sections towards an ambient volume. One side of the wall comprises a connector for mating with a corresponding connector of the detachable sensor module, and the connector, when the sensor module is present, enables a data connection from the sensor module to the controller. When the data connection is enabled, the user interface is configured to display at least one closed-loop operational mode, in which the controller controls the air treatment section in response to measurement data relating to the ambient volume received from the sensor module.
US09381449B2

A composite membrane for separations includes a fabric with a non-woven array of intermingled carbon nanotubes, and a dopant incorporated with the fabric to form a non-porous, permeable composite. The composite membrane may be used to separate a target gas from a liquid by mounting the composite membrane in a housing chamber, and conditioning a permeate side of the chamber to establish a driving force for the target gas across the non-porous, permeable composite membrane.
US09381445B2

A distance detecting device is mounted on a user's vehicle to detect a distance between the user's vehicle and a leading vehicle moving in front of the user's vehicle. The distance detecting device communicates with a processing device, which applies race based distance rules to determine whether the user's vehicle is close to or incurring a penalty based at least on the distance between the user's vehicle and the leading vehicle. An indication can be given to the user regarding an impending penalty and/or when a penalty is incurred. Similarly, the device can be read to apply a penalty. Various modifications can be made to allow for recording, display, and transmission of racing and penalty statistics, enabling and disabling recordation of penalty occurrences, tailoring the penalty determinations to a given race, and mounting the distance detecting device to a vehicle.
US09381427B2

Various embodiments, methods, and systems for communicating via a generic companion-messaging session are provided. The generic companion-messaging session includes a base platform running a base platform application and a companion platform running a companion platform application. An initialization message that automatically pairs the companion platform application and the base platform application is sent from the companion platform to the base platform for a generic companion-messaging session. The companion platform is connected to an encrypted communication channel for the generic companion-messaging session with the base platform. The encrypted communication channel supports bidirectional communication over a plurality of connections. A connection from the plurality of connections is determined for routing a message. The message is routed via a direct connection when the direct connection with the base platform is determined and the message is routed via an indirect connection when the indirect connection with the base platform is determined.
US09381426B1

A low-cost, low-demand (physical and cognitive) interface for puppeteers that allows them to easily participate in the control of verbal and non-verbal activities of a set of virtual characters or avatars. The invention further provides a low-cost, unencumbered interface for participants that allows them to employ both natural movement and also verbal and non-verbal interaction with virtual characters. A network protocol supports real-time remote interaction even when dealing with relatively poor network connections; and an integrated after-action review system supports trainers in the processes of tagging and commenting on events, subsequently using these to assist reflection on the part of participants.
US09381425B1

One aspect of the disclosure relates to determining locations for offers in a shop interface for an online game. The locations may be determined based on observance of purchases made by users in a test bed environment. The test bed environment may grant free virtual currencies to players that can be spent in the isolated and controlled test environment. The spending of these virtual currencies by users on offers of virtual items for use in the test bed environment may then be used to automatically adjust the shop menu/interface in a live environment for the online game, where the virtual currency spent has been purchased for real money consideration.
US09381422B2

Gliding board with a damping device for the vertical movements of the front or rear zone of the board said system including an arm whose first end is integral with an attaching point located in the front or rear zone of the board and whose second end is integral with the piston of a hydraulic device connected to the board near the attachment, said hydraulic device applying a retaining force during the movement of the second end of the arm in order to dissipate part of the kinetic energy from the front or rear zone of the board transmitted by said arm, wherein when the movement of the arm is consecutive to the movement of the attaching point downwards, the hydraulic device applies a retaining force which is less than the force applied when the movement of the arm is consecutive to a movement of the attaching point upwards.
US09381421B2

An inventive hockey pad with a recoil plate added to the pad to protect the internal padding by spreading impact loads, giving the pad longer performance life. In the preferred embodiment, the recoil plate is constructed of flexible carbon fiber that returns to its original shape. This property of the recoil plate effectively forces the pad back into its original shape after it is flexed.
US09381408B2

The present invention discloses an iron-type golf club head having a body and at least one weight disc having a first diameter, the body having a sole with a first recess, which comprises a first bore having a second diameter, a second bore having a third diameter, and a shelf located between the first bore and the second bore, the first diameter is smaller than the second diameter and greater than the third diameter, the first bore is sized to receive the at least one weight disc, the at least one weight disc rests against the shelf, and the at least one weight disc is secured within the first bore. The sole may further comprise second, third, and fourth recesses, each of which may have a first bore, a second bore, and a shelf.
US09381401B2

A range of motion machine having two or four cranks driven directly by motors without exposed gears or chains. The speed and direction of crank rotation and the length of the crank arms may be varied with electronic controls. Crank arm length may be varied whether the crank is stationary or rotating. The cranks and motors are mounted at the top of pedestals which are adjustable in height.
US09381399B2

An exercise reporting and maintenance system contains a device including a memory with a management application installed thereon. The application is configured to process a sensor signal including a total weight and movement speed, analyze the sensor signal by inputting the total weight and the movement speed into a monitoring heuristic to generate an output, and automatically transmit the output in real-time to be presented by a display system.
US09381394B2

An elliptical exercise machine, in one embodiment, includes a first assembly pivotally coupled with a second assembly and at least one assist mechanism. The first assembly includes a first frame member, a rotational resistance mechanism associated with the first frame member, a first foot support member pivotally coupled to a portion of the rotational mechanism and a second foot support member pivotally coupled to another portion of the rotational mechanism. The second assembly includes a second frame member, a first reciprocating arm pivotally coupled with the second frame member, a second reciprocating arm pivotally coupled with the second frame member. In one embodiment, the assist mechanism may include a folding assist mechanism to provide resistance between the assemblies during a folding transition. In another embodiment, the assist mechanism may include a rotational assist mechanism to assist a user in transitioning the elliptical machine to an upright storage position.
US09381391B1

A jump rope comprising cable and handle assemblies. The handle assembly comprises grip and bearing sections, the bearing section threadably connected to the grip section and comprising a housing and a heim joint, the heim joint comprising a metal ball that swivels within the heim joint housing. The grip section comprises female threads tor receiving a male threaded end of the bearing section. The cable assembly comprises a cable and cable stop. The cable is attached to the heim joint by slidably inserting a cable end through the aperture in the ball. A distal end of the heim joint comprises internal female threads that engage with a male threaded proximal end of a rotatable shaft located within the bearing housing. The rotatable shaft is supported by first and second ball bearings located on either end of the shaft so that the rotatable shaft may rotate freely within the bearing housing.
US09381388B2

A fire suppression system for a container including a first tank containing a first liquid component of a two-part foam and a second tank containing a second liquid component of the foam. The system also includes at least one liquid component release device configured to be selectively capable of releasing the first and second components from their respective containers upon receipt of a signal from a fire detector upon detection of a fire. The two-part foam components are propelled through the system by a pressurized propellant that, upon release of the release device, causes the exit of the foam components from their respective tanks, through a mixing conduit to at least one nozzle. The nozzle is configured to spray the liquid component foam mixture into the container wherein the foam cures into a substantially semi-rigid, closed cell foam that is substantially impermeable and may have charring and/or intumescence properties.
US09381385B2

A protective suit (100), especially for an operator (1) in a cooling chamber that is cooled using liquid nitrogen or vapor of the liquid nitrogen comprises a body suit (10) which has a thermally insulating, gas-tight cover material (20) and is designed to accommodate the operator (1), and a heating device (30) which is connected to the body suit (10) and is designed to heat the interior of the protective suit (100). A glove (70) which is made of a thermally insulating glove material (71) and includes a glove heater (77) is also described.
US09381368B2

A lead connector assembly for an Implantable Medical Device (IMD) is disclosed. The lead connector assembly includes a rigid elongated connector core having a core opening along its long axis. An alternating series of elastomer seals and header contacts are inserted into the core opening along the long axis and meet with an end stop to hermetically self-align the header contacts with contact openings along the sides of the core. A connector block can be inserted into an opening in the connector core, and sealed with an adhesive. Once the connector core, header contacts, seals, and connector block are subassembled, the connector core subassembly may be hermitically tested, and thereafter affixed to other subassemblies by affixing means on the connector cores. Feedthrough pins can then be connected to the header contacts through the contact openings, and overmolded with a header to the IPG's case.
US09381362B2

Methods and/or devices may be configured to monitor ventricular activation times and modify an atrioventricular delay (AV delay) based on the monitored ventricular activation times. Further, the methods and/or devices may determine whether the AV delay should be modified based on the measured activation times before modifying the AV delay.
US09381360B2

A neuromodulation system configured for providing sub-threshold neuromodulation therapy to a patient. The neuromodulation system comprises a plurality of electrical terminals configured for being respectively coupled to a plurality of electrodes, modulation output circuitry configured for delivering electrical energy to the electrical terminals in accordance with at least one modulation parameter, thereby providing therapy to the patient at a sub-threshold level and control circuitry configured for controlling the modulation output circuitry in a manner that pseudo-randomly varies a value of the at least one modulation parameter based on a previous value of the at least one modulation parameter, such that the delivered electrical energy is continually maintained at the sub-threshold level.
US09381356B2

An implantable device applies and controls a neural stimulus. The device has a plurality of electrodes, and a stimulus source for providing a stimulus to be delivered from the electrodes to a neural pathway in order to evoke an action potential on the neural pathway, such as the spinal cord. A control unit controls application of a neural stimulus as defined by a set of parameter values and measures via measurement circuitry an evoked neural compound action potential response. The control unit determines from the measured evoked response a feedback variable, and compares it to a therapy map. The therapy map defines a therapeutic relationship of control variable to feedback variable. One or more of the stimulus parameter values are altered to effect the required change in the control variable. This process is performed iteratively to improve alignment of the feedback variable with the therapy map over time.
US09381353B2

A patch for a therapeutic electrical stimulation device includes a shoe connected to the first side of the patch, the shoe including a body extending in a longitudinal direction from a first end to a second end, and having first and second surfaces, the first end of the shoe defining at least two ports, and the first surface of the shoe defining a connection member. The patch also includes at least one conductor positioned in the ports of the first end of the shoe. The shoe is configured for sliding insertion into a receptacle defined by a controller so that the conductor is connected to the controller to deliver electrical current from the controller, through the conductor, and to the electrodes, and the connection member is at least partially captured by a detent defined by the controller in the receptacle to retain the shoe within the receptacle.
US09381347B2

A pre-electrode for a stimulation lead includes a generally cylindrical body having an exterior surface, an interior surface, a proximal end, and a distal end. The body includes multiple segmented electrodes disposed along the body; connecting material disposed along the outer surface of the body and coupling each of the segmented electrodes to one another; and multiple cutouts defined between adjacent segmented electrodes. The body also includes one or more of the following 1) a end wall step section formed in the exterior surface of the body on either the distal end or the proximal end of the body; 2) an alignment feature selected from a slot or a notch extending inwardly from the exterior surface of the body, or 3) a longitudinal step section formed in the exterior surface of the body.
US09381346B2

The present invention features a medical device and methods for the prevention and/or treatment of neurological disorders via electrical stimulation. These device are minimally or non-invasive and are capable of detection of a neurological disorder and its subsequent prevention or treatment. Specifically, seizure control is among the targeted therapeutic areas. Components of the device include control electronics and electrodes; the latter are targeting electrodes located entirely outside the skull and can be constructed from ring type structures or virtually connected disc type arrays. Other sub-systems included in the medical device are a control system, a battery unit, and wires connecting these and other sub-systems.
US09381343B2

Systems and methods are provided for treating chronic pain occurring secondarily to subacromial impingement syndrome in a human body. A system is provided to deliver percutaneous electrical stimulation through at least one electrode to neurological motor points of the posterior and middle deltoid muscles to mediate such pain. One-time, continued and/or periodic dosing of treatment methods according to the present invention may result in a change to central nervous system maladaptive neuroplasticity.
US09381342B2

A lead assembly includes a lead with a distal end and a proximal end. The lead includes a plurality of electrodes disposed at the distal end and a plurality of terminals disposed at the proximal end. The lead also defines at least one central lumen and a plurality of outer lumens. The central and outer lumens extend from the proximal end to the distal end such that the plurality of outer lumens extend laterally from the at least one central lumen. The lead further includes a plurality of conductive wires. Each conductive wire couples at least one of the plurality of electrodes electrically to at least one of the plurality of terminals. At least two conductive wires are disposed in each of the plurality of outer lumens.
US09381336B2

The application relates to a device for repeated puncturing of the skin, with a housing, a drive device, which is accommodated in the housing and configured to provide a driving force, a coupling mechanism, which is accommodated in the housing, and a piercing device, which via the coupling mechanism driving force for a repetitive piercing movement is coupled to the piercing device, and the piercing device includes a base having a thereto formed distal active area, over which a plurality of spaced piercing elements are distributed, and where the base with the thereto formed distal active surface is mounted relative to the housing can be tilted. Furthermore, the application relates to a piercing module for a device for repeated puncturing of the skin.
US09381333B2

A surgical apparatus includes a seal anchor member including a compressible material. The seal anchor member may be adapted to transition between a first condition for insertion of at least a portion of the seal anchor member within a tissue tract and a second condition to facilitate a securing of the seal anchor member within a tissue tract and in substantial sealed relation with tissue surfaces defining a tissue tract. The seal anchor member may define at least one port extending between the proximal and distal ends, the at least one port being adapted for the reception of an object whereby compressible material defining the at least one port is adapted to deform to establish a substantial scaled relation with the object. The seal anchor member may include indicia that indicates to a user a location at which the member may be cut to reduce the size of the member.
US09381326B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure comprise occlusion and drug delivery devices and methods. One aspect of the disclosure comprises a drug delivery device comprising an inner expansion member and an outer drug delivery component. Another aspect of the disclosure comprises bioabsorbable, lumen-occluding implants.
US09381324B2

The present disclosure is directed to a catheter insertion device, which has a catheter hub at the proximal end of a catheter, a tubular needle hub, at which a hollow needle is fixed and extends through the catheter hub and the catheter in a ready position such that the needle tip projects over the distal end of the catheter, a protective barrel which is received in the tubular needle hub in the ready position and is releasably connected to the catheter hub, and a pressure spring arranged between the needle hub and the protective barrel and which displaces the needle hub and the protective barrel apart from each other in an axial direction, wherein a manually operable holding member is provided between the needle hub and the protective barrel, and holds the needle hub in the ready position at the protective barrel against the bias of the pressure spring, so that after the holding member is released, the pressure spring moves the needle hub into a protective position in relation to the protective barrel, in which position the needle is positioned in the protective barrel.
US09381318B2

A flow generator for generating a flow of pressurized breathable gas includes a cylindrical housing and a motor supported in the housing. The motor has a shaft having a first end and a second end opposite the first end. The shaft is generally coincident with an axis of the motor. A first impeller is attached to the first end of the shaft and a second impeller is attached to the second end of the shaft. A stator directs an air flow from the first impeller back towards the motor axis. The housing includes an inlet adjacent the first end of the shaft having an inlet axis generally coincident with the motor axis and at least one outlet between the first and second impellers. The at least one outlet has an outlet axis generally tangential to the motor axis.
US09381315B2

A head frame apparatus is secured to a human head during maxillofacial surgery and includes devices to easily position and secure an endotracheal (breathing) tube and an anesthesia delivery circuit for the patient that reduces the likelihood that the flow of oxygen through the tube is restricted thereby reducing the risk of severe injury or death. The head frame apparatus also includes a removable reference indicator, which may be easily attached and removed while identifying a reference point of the patient's face. Also the reference indicator includes a universal joint and pointer with an attached ruler. A transport apparatus positions multiple preset reference indicators and allows for preoperative transportation and removal, while protecting the preset reference indicators from inadvertent adjustment. A bendable reference indicator used in an articulator for preoperative modeling allows for easily identifying reference points in a cast model. An orbiting segment apparatus positions a portion of a cast of a jaw in relation to a condyle ball of the articulator.
US09381313B2

The invention is for a waterproof Inhaler Usage Indicator with or without a replaceable battery (6), to provide a count of the amount of drug remaining inside the canister (4) with the counter (1) still attached to the canister (4). It is not limited to inhalers alone, but any type of canister (4) that dispenses through a nozzle (24) when placed inside an housing (2) in order to count the number of displacements between the canister (4) and housing (2). The status of the drug can be checked at any time by a quick movement of the inhaler in any axis to allow the motion sensor (40, 41) to initiate the display of the amount of remaining drug uses. The counter assembly (1) is attached to the top of the canister (4) and uses the displacement between the canister (4) and housing (2) to count the number of uses.
US09381307B2

An injection device includes a housing (40) for containing a syringe or cartridge (14) of medicament; a rotary drive shaft (20) for being rotated by an adjustable preset amount to cause expression of a corresponding amount of medicament from the syringe or cartridge; a torsion drive spring (24) anchored at one end region relative to the drive shaft (20) and, at its other end region being secured to a fitting (44) adapted to non-rotatably engage a seat (48, 50) on the housing.
US09381302B2

Some embodiments of an infusion pump system can include a controller device that communicates with a pump device, the pump device having a memory device. The controller device can be configured to record controller-related data, such as user profile data on the memory device of the pump device. This user profile data that is stored in the memory of the pump device can serves as a data backup system that permits the user to program a new controller device in a situation where the original controller device is lost or damaged. In addition or in the alternative, the controller device can be configured to receive controller-related data, such as software update programs or backup controller data, from the memory device of the pump device.
US09381291B2

A membrane separation device for use in blood processing procedures is disclosed. In one embodiment, a spinning membrane separator is provided in which at least two zones or regions are created in the gap between the spinning membrane and the shell, such that mixing of the fluid between the two regions is inhibited by a radial rib or ridge associated with the spinning membrane that decreases the gap between the spinning membrane and the shell to define two fluid regions, the ridge isolating the fluid in the two regions to minimize mixing between the two. Automated systems and methods are disclosed for separating a unit of previously collected whole blood into selected blood components, such as concentrated red cells and plasma, for collecting red cells and plasma directly from a donor in a single pass, and for cell washing. Data management systems and methods and priming methods are also disclosed.
US09381290B2

A dialysis system includes: a dialysis machine; and at least one of a blood pressure sensor and a weight sensor in wireless communication with the dialysis machine, wherein the dialysis machine is so positioned and arranged relative to the at least one blood pressure sensor or weight sensor that the dialysis machine is discoverable by the at least one blood pressure sensor or weight sensor when the at least one blood pressure sensor or weight sensor, respectively, is powered, and such that the at least one blood pressure sensor or weight sensor becomes paired automatically with the dialysis machine for secure wireless communication.
US09381284B2

An apparatus, system, and method for treating an incisional wound having incisional walls is disclosed. The apparatus includes a conduit having a first end for receiving reduced pressure and a second end. The apparatus further includes a scaffold. The scaffold has opposing surfaces for positioning adjacent the incisional walls and is fluidly coupled to the second end of the conduit for receiving the reduced pressure. The scaffold is generally elongated in shape and has a thickness between the opposing surfaces that is sufficiently thin for positioning within the incisional wound. The apparatus further includes an internal manifold that has a primary flow channel extending generally longitudinally within the scaffold and between the opposing surfaces of the scaffold. The internal manifold is fluidly coupled to the second end of the conduit. The application of the reduced pressure through the scaffold and the internal manifold induces tissue apposition between the incisional walls.
US09381283B2

Provided, in one embodiment, is a vacuum wound dressing for covering a wound bed comprising: a wound contact layer comprising a fibrous blend or fibrous material that forms a cohesive gel when wetted by wound exudate; a source of vacuum situated to be separated from the wound bed by the wound contact layer; and a vacuum sealing layer covering the wound contact layer and adapted to retain relative vacuum in the wound contact layer, wherein (i) the dressing is essentially missing a non-gelling, foam layer in which the source of vacuum is situated or (ii) the vacuum sealing layer comprises as an outer layer a foam layer.
US09381280B2

Methods of making polymeric devices, such as stents, with one or more modifications such as addition of plasticizers, to improve processing, and the devices made by these methods.
US09381277B2

Biocompatible and resorbable melt derived glass compositions which include: SiO2 60-70 weight-%, Na2O 5-20 weight-%, CaO 5-25 weight-%, MgO 0-10 weight-%, P2O5 0.5-3.0 weight-%, B2O3 0-15 weight-%, Al2O3 0-5 weight-%, and which contain less than 0.05 weight-% potassium. Biocompatible and resorbable glass fibers manufactured from these glass compositions, medical devices containing fibers of the invention, the use of these compositions for the manufacture of glass fiber and the use of the fibers for the manufacture of medical devices are also disclosed.
US09381273B2

Provided are fibrin or silk matrices comprising an oxygen carrier, and matrices, which comprise an oxygen carrier and mesenchymal stem cells. Also provided are methods of generating and using same for ex vivo or in vivo tissue regeneration and/or repair such as for treating a non-union bone fracture and a condition requiring spinal fusion.
US09381270B2

A method and apparatus for reducing or eliminating pain after surgical procedures related to mucosal tissue, including tonsillectomy, adenoidectomy, or other pharyngeal operations. Certain embodiments provide a biodegradable film or covering that serves as a mechanical barrier to reduce pain caused, for example, by friction between solid food and healing tissue in the first few days after surgery. Some embodiments may include one or more therapeutic substances for locally reducing pain, facilitating healing and/or otherwise treating mucosal tissue at or near a tonsil bed.
US09381265B2

This apparatus and method improves the way metal and other objects will be sterilized, disinfected and preserved by utilizing both electromagnetic radiation (UV light in particular) to kill anaerobic pathogens and oxygen depletion to kill aerobic pathogens. The removal of the presence of oxygen further increases the useful lifespan of the treated object by preventing corrosion in general and oxidation in particular.
US09381264B2

A steam sterilizer includes a sterilization tank configured to house an object to be sterilized and perform sterilization on the object to be sterilized by maintaining supplied steam at a predetermined temperature and under a predetermined pressure; a steam-supplying pipe configured to supply the steam into the sterilization tank; a steam-supplying pipe valve configured to control an amount of steam flow flowing through the steam-supplying pipe, wherein the steam-supplying pipe is provided so as to have a diameter that allows a pressure-increase rate of 100 kPa/min or more in the sterilization tank; and a control unit configured to control the steam-supplying pipe valve to be fully opened, in a conditioning process for repeatedly performing introduction and discharge of the steam in and from the sterilization tank and to control the steam-supplying pipe valve so as to supply a predetermined amount of steam, in a sterilization process after the conditioning process.
US09381244B2

The present disclosure relates to compositions and therapeutic methods for activating an immune response in a patient in need thereof. In a preferred embodiment, the subject methods and compositions are able to antagonize the activity of VISTA, a naturally occurring “checkpoint” protein which contributes to immune tolerance, optionally in combination with an antagonist of a second checkpoint pathway such as PD-1. For example, such methods and compositions may be suitable for preventing and treating colon cancer or another cancer. An exemplary VISTA antagonist, specifically, an anti-VISTA antibody, is demonstrated herein to activate an immune response against cancer cells in vitro and in vivo, thereby conferring protective anti-tumor immunity which decreased tumor burden. Additionally, an additive benefit was observed when a VISTA antagonist was used in combination with a second checkpoint protein antagonist, specifically, an antibody against PD-1 ligand (PD-L1).
US09381243B2

The present invention relates to compounds for treatment that protects the endothelium, prevents pathologic thrombus formation in the microcirculation and preserves platelet number and function and thus may be related to minimizing or preventing development of organ failure, including multiple organ failure (MOF), and, hence, death in critically ill patients by administration of agent(s) limiting the platelets ability to aggregate and form clots and/or by agents modulating/preserving endothelial integrity and/or by agent(s) increasing the rate of thrombus lysis, and Another aspect of the invention related to by a cell-based whole blood viscoelastical haemostatic assay identifying critically ill patients at increased risk of development of organ failure, including multiple organ failure (MOF) and death.
US09381238B2

The present invention relates to a method for improving the production of an influenza virus, and in particular influenza vaccine seeds, or a vaccine directed against an influenza virus, characterized in that the production is carried out in the presence of an inhibitor of the interaction between the Mdm2 protein and the p53 protein.
US09381236B2

Mutant Listeria bacteria that modulate interferon-β production are provided. The subject bacteria are characterized by having a mutation in a gene chosen from a TetR gene, a LadR gene, a VirR gene, a MarR gene a MdrL gene, a MdrT gene and a MdrM gene. The subject bacteria find use in a variety of applications, where representative applications of interest include, but are not limited to: (a) use of the subject bacteria as adjuvants; (b) use of the subject bacteria as delivery vectors for introducing macromolecules into a cell; (c) use of the subject bacteria as vaccines for eliciting or boosting a cellular immune response; etc.
US09381230B2

The invention relates to the field of medicine. Among others, it relates to biologically active analogs of interferons (IFNs) which show less unwanted side-effects and to the therapeutic uses thereof. Provided is an IFN analog, wherein the moiety mediating binding to its natural receptor is at least functionally disrupted and wherein the analog comprises a signaling moiety capable of mediating intracellular IFN activity, said signaling moiety being provided at its N-terminus, optionally via a linker, with at least one targeting domain capable of binding to a cell surface receptor other than the IFN receptor.
US09381220B2

A composition including as an active ingredient an extract of a plant of the family Mesembryanthemaceae with mesembrenol and mesembrenone as the two major alkaloids present. The invention also relates to the use of the composition as a PDE4 inhibitor and as a serotonin-uptake inhibitor, preferably applied in formulations for the use of the composition as a dual serotonin-uptake inhibitor and PDE4 inhibitor. The invention extends to compositions, such as pharmaceutical compositions or compositions used as dietary supplements, the total alkaloid content of which includes at least 80% (w/w) combined content of mesembrenol and mesembrenone, less than 5% (w/w) mesembrine, and at least 7% (w/w) mesembranol.
US09381218B2

A bioresorbable skeletal construct member formed from an osteoinductive composition comprising autogenic bone and an extracellular matrix (ECM) material, the construct member being configured to induce osteoanagenesis and angiogenesis when implanted proximate endogenous bone and tissue.
US09381216B2

This invention relates to a method for generating, repairing and/or maintaining connective tissue in a subject. In one embodiment, the invention relates to a method for generating, repairing and/or maintaining cartilage tissue in a subject. The present invention also relates to a method of treating and/or preventing a disease in a subject arising from degradation and inflammation of connective tissue.
US09381210B2

Disclosed herein are compositions and methods to treat and reduce therapeutic resistance in chronic myelogenous leukemia. Also disclosed herein are methods to generate leukemia stem cell like cells (iLSCs) generated from CML patient-derived iPSCs, and methods for utilizing iLSCs in screens to identify modulators of CML drug resistance and gene targets that underlie CML drug resistance.
US09381207B2

The invention provides derivatives of decitabine with superior chemical stability and shelf life, with similar physiological activity. The derivatives are provided in a non-aqueous formulation, which further stabilizes the derivatives. Methods of treating one or more myelodysplastic syndromes, leukemia, or solid tumors using the formulations are described.
US09381197B2

The present invention relates to the active pharmaceutical ingredient dipyridamole. In particular, it relates to efficient processes for the preparation of dipyridamole which are amenable to large scale commercial production and provide the required product with improved yield and purity. The present invention also relates to a novel crystallization method for the purification of dipyridamole.
US09381194B2

The invention relates to methods of enhancing normal melanocortin-4 receptor (MC4R) activity, and to enhancing activity of an MC4R having a mutation which affects protein folding and/or processing of the MC4R. The invention provides a method of treating an individual having a condition in which increased activity of an MC4R at the cell surface would be beneficial, for example in obesity, by administering an effective amount of a pharmacological chaperone for the MC4R. The invention provides MC4R pharmacological chaperones which enhance the activity of MC4R. The invention further provides a method of screening to identify pharmacological chaperones which enhance folding of an MC4R in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), in order to enhance the activity of the MC4R at the cell surface.
US09381192B2

Indazole compounds for treating various diseases and pathologies are disclosed. More particularly, the present invention concerns the use of an indazole compound or analogs thereof, in the treatment of disorders characterized by the activation of Wnt pathway signaling (e.g., cancer, abnormal cellular proliferation, angiogenesis, Alzheimer's disease and osteoarthritis), the modulation of cellular events mediated by Wnt pathway signaling, as well as genetic diseases due to mutations in Wnt signaling components. Also provided are methods for treating Wnt-related disease states.
US09381191B2

The present invention relates to imidazopyridine derivatives of the following general formula I: and to their use as a drug, in particular in treating and/or preventing diabetes, its complications and/or associated pathologies.
US09381187B2

Methods and compositions for reducing radiation damage in a subject with analog or derivative of benzo[c]chromen-6-one.
US09381178B2

In an embodiment of the invention, a composition for treating a cell population comprises an Affinity Medicant Conjugate (AMC). The medicant moiety can be a toxin including an acylfulvene or a drug moiety. The affinity moiety can be an antibody, a binding protein, a steroid, a lipid, a growth factor, a protein, a peptide or non peptidic. The affinity moiety can be covalently bound to the medicant via a linker. Novel linkers that can be directed to cysteine, arginine or lysine residues based on solution pH allow greater flexibility in preserving and/or generating specific epitopes in the AMC.
US09381176B2

Provided herein are methods for increasing insulin secretion from beta cells. Also provide herein are methods comprising administering to a subject in need of increased insulin secretion a composition comprising a compound that directly or indirectly activates adenylate cyclase and an E prostanoid 3 (EP3) receptor antagonist that attenuates G alpha-i-subfamily (GSIS)-mediated adenylate cyclase inhibition.
US09381174B2

A composition for exterminating an animal parasite, the composition including, as an active ingredient, at least one of 3-aminoxalylaminobenzamide derivatives represented by the following Formula (1): (R1 and R2 represent a halogen atom, a C1-C5 haloalkyl group, a C1-C5 alkyl group, or the like. R3 and R4 represent a C1-C8 alkyl group, a C1-C8 haloalkyl group, or the like. R5 represents a C1-C5 haloalkyl group. R6 and R7 represent a hydrogen atom, a C1-C5 alkyl group, or the like. Y represents a halogen atom or the like. Z represents a halogen atom or the like. n represents 0-4, and m represents 0-2.)
US09381170B2

The invention is directed to the use of a compound of formula I as defined herein, a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof; or a pharmaceutical composition containing a compound of formula I, in treating a mammal, including a human, for a psychiatric disorder or condition selected from the group consisting of stroke, Huntington's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
US09381169B2

The present invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising polyfunctional metal phenolates that have biological applications as an anticancer adjuvant, cytoprotective antimetastatic agents and antimutagenic agents when associated with chemotherapy drugs.The present invention further relates to the use of said polyfunctional metal phenolates in the preparation of drugs for the treatment, prophylaxis or prevention of neoplasic diseases in humans and animals.
US09381168B2

The present invention relates to a new use of capsiate or dihydrocapsiate, more particularly to a composition for preventing and treating inflammatory disease, angiogenesis-related disease and autoimmune disease or for suppressing immunity comprising capsiate, dihydrocapsiate or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof as an effective ingredient. The composition and immunosuppressant of the present invention may be used for preventing and treating inflammatory disease, angiogenesis-related disease and autoimmune disease, and for suppressing immunity.
US09381160B2

Sustained-released beads providing active ingredients over an extended period of time to an individual orally ingesting the sustained release beads. The sustained-release beads can be part of a suspension wherein the sustained-release beads are suspended and evenly dispersed in the suspension. Binding agents are used to form the structural framework of the sustained released beads and retain the active ingredients without chemical or electrical bonding. The components of the dispersion medium are GRAS designated, making the suspension suitable for use as a food product.
US09381157B2

A method for direct therapeutic treatment of myocardial tissue in a localized region of a heart having a pathological condition. The method includes identifying a target region of the myocardium and applying material directly and substantially only to at least a portion of the myocardial tissue of the target region. The material applied results in a physically modification the mechanical properties, including stiffness, of said tissue. Various devices and modes of practicing the method are disclosed for stiffening, restraining and constraining myocardial tissue for the treatment of conditions including myocardial infarction or mitral valve regurgitation.
US09381150B2

The present disclosure generally relates to alcohol antimicrobial skin sanitizing compositions for use in hand washing and skin sanitizing. The antimicrobial skin sanitizing composition comprises an alcohol for providing effective antimicrobial control, one or more cationic compounds for moisturizing and protecting the skin, and a compatible thickening system for thickening the antimicrobial skin sanitizing composition. The antimicrobial skin sanitizing compositions can be used alone or in combination with personal care products.
US09381149B2

The present invention provides a composition for stimulating hair growth in a mammal comprising a modified osteopontin polypeptide in which an RGD domain is inactivated; and a pharmaceutically acceptable and/or cosmetically acceptable excipient, carrier or diluent. The invention further provides methods of stimulating hair growth in a mammal.
US09381147B2

The present invention provides compositions utilizing a zwitterionic ester ammonioalkanoate surfactant according to Formula 1 and an ingredient selected from the group consisting a surfactant other than said zwitterionic ester ammonioalkanoate surfactant, emulsifiers, conditioning agents, emollients, moisturizers, humectants, thickeners, lubricants, chelating agents, fillers, binding agents, anti-oxidants, preservatives, active ingredients, fragrances, dyes, buffering agents, exfoliates, pH adjusters, inorganic salts, solvents, viscosity controlling agents and opacifying agents, wherein the composition is substantially free of alkylamidoamine and aminoalkylamine.
US09381143B2

The present invention relates to the use as a preserving agent, in particular in cosmetic or dermatological composition, of at least one compound of formula (I): in which:—X represents ═O or —OH;—R1 represents a hydrogen atom or a methyl;—R2 represents a hydrogen atom, a methyl or an ethyl;—R3 represents a C1-C12, saturated or unsaturated, linear hydrocarbon-based radical, optionally substituted with a hydroxyl group (OH); with the exclusion of the compound of formula (I) in which X represents ═O, R1=methyl, R2=H and R3=—(CH2)6—CH3. The invention also relates to certain novel compounds and to the cosmetic or dermatological compositions comprising same.
US09381140B2

The invention relates to a polymerizable dental material containing a) at least one curable aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic monomer system having a refractive index that is measured at 23° C. and a wavelength of 589 nm of less than or equal to 1.50 that contains at least one aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic bis(meth)acrylate and/or at least one aliphatic and/or cycloaliphatic bis(meth)acrylamide; and b) 15 to 80% by weight relative to the total mass of the dental material of at least one filler selected from the group of fused silica having a refractive index that is measured at 23° C. and a wavelength of 589 nm of 1.45 to 1.47, or cristobalite with a refractive index that is measured at 23° C. and a wavelength of 589 nm of 1.48 to 1.49, or combinations thereof. The radically polymerizable dental material has excellent storage properties and is formulated, in particular, as a two-component mixture containing components A and B. Subsequent to mixing components A and B, the polymerizable mixture cures quickly in the conditions present in the mouth and forms cured masses having outstanding mechanical and optical properties. The cured products can be used, in particular, for producing crowns and bridge material and as core buildup material.
US09381138B2

In this disclosure, a method is described wherein the method comprises mixing a therapeutic gas or a therapeutic liquid or a combination thereof and a liquid carrier in a high shear device to produce a dispersion; and administering the produced dispersion intravenously to a patient; wherein the produced dispersion contains nanobubbles of the therapeutic gas or droplets of the therapeutic liquid with a mean diameter of less than about 1.5 μm. In this disclosure, a system is also described wherein the system comprises a therapeutic gas source or a therapeutic liquid source or a combination thereof; a liquid carrier source; a high shear device (HSD) having an inlet, an outlet, at least one rotor, and at least one stator separated by a shear gap; and a pump configured to control the flow rate and residence time of a fluid passing through the high shear device.
US09381136B2

In one aspect, a fixturing member for fixing a source of flowable material relative to a pen injector so as to permit introduction of the flowable material into the pen injector is provided herein. The fixturing member includes a body having a web with opposing proximal and distal faces. A distal wall extends distally from the distal face of the web, with the distal wall at least partially encompassing a distal chamber. Features are formed on the body for removable mounting onto a pen injector. Also, features are formed on the body for mounting onto a source of flowable material, A cannula extends through the web the cannula having proximal and distal ends with a lumen extending therebetween. The distal end of the cannula is located in the distal chamber and positioned such that, with the member being mounted to a pen injector, the distal end is located to be in the pen injector. The proximal end of the cannula is located proximally of the proximally face of the web such that, with the member being mounted to a source of flowable material, the proximal end of the cannula is located to be in communication with the flowable material. Advantageously, with the subject invention, a fixturing member is provided which facilitates mixing of substances in a pen injector in preparing a pen injector for injection.
US09381132B2

A walker having a folded position and an unfolded position, wherein the walker comprises a structural frame with a first upright portion, a second upright portion, a folding mechanism between the first upright portion and the second upright portion, ground engaging elements on each of the first upright portion and second upright portion, and a foldable basket with first and second opposed ends secured by one or more fasteners to the first upright portion and the second upright portion, respectively. In another embodiment, walker comprises a structural frame with a first end, a second end, and sides between the first end and the second end, a handle or handles on the structural frame at the first end of the structural frame, ground engaging elements at the first end and the second end of the structural frame, and a suspension system integrated with the structural frame.
US09381128B2

A mobile treatment table including a central support. A first support member is pivotally connected with the central support and operable between a substantially vertical position and a substantially horizontal position. A second support member is pivotally connected with the central support and includes a handle integral therewith. The second support member is operable between a substantially vertical position and a substantially horizontal position. A wheel assembly is operably connected with the second support member and operable between an extended position adjacent a first side of the support member and a retracted position adjacent a second side of the support member.
US09381126B2

Latching motion transfer arrangements may be used to raise an object up and out of the engagement with the ground or other support surface and to lower the object back onto the ground or other support surface. In one exemplary embodiment, the mechanism is caused to lift and latch by applying force in a first direction, a first time, and is caused to release and lower by applying force in the first direction, a second time.
US09381112B1

Fluid is drained from a bleb using a device including a tubular member having opposed open ends to enable the fluid to flow from end to end through the tubular member. Inward from one end is a stop element enabling the one end to be inserted in one direction through a wall of the bleb but preventing the inserted end from being pulled in the opposite direction through the bleb wall. The opposed remote end of the tubular member is inserted into the retrobulbar space to enable fluid exiting the tubular member at this remote end to drain into the tissue. Along an exterior of the tubular member is an anchoring element enabling the device to be sutured in position. An ophthalmic product has a bleb drainage feature.
US09381111B2

This invention provides a device for delivering substances such as medical implants and tissues. The device comprises a mandrel and a mandrel guide whereby substances are delivered by retracting the mandrel guide relative to the mandrel. Included among the various embodiments are devices specialized for delivering retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells or nanoplates containing RPE cells to the retina, devices with precise control of delivery, devices with specialized mandrels and/or nozzles, and multifunctional devices adapted to provide additional functions such as infusion and/or suction, illumination, and diathermy.
US09381106B2

A force distribution apparatus and method are presented. Various embodiments of the disclosed apparatus include a plurality of layers configured and oriented to be deployed on a subject in a manner that disperses forces and lowers peak pressures experienced by the subject when resting on a surface, which tends to minimize risks of deformation and local ischemia. An innovative combination of novel construction methods, material selections, and sensors produce an apparatus that possesses an inherent three-dimensional shape despite being built from essentially flat components, while also retaining an ability to effectively distribute forces and reduce pressures. Further embodiments of the disclosed apparatus are adapted to detect and monitor motion and position of the subject, providing retrospective or real-time data for caregivers.
US09381104B2

A system and method for deploying an occluding device that can be used to remodel an aneurysm within the vessel by, for example, neck reconstruction or balloon remodeling. The system comprises an introducer sheath and an assembly for carrying the occluding device. The assembly includes an elongated flexible member having an occluding device retaining member for receiving a first end of the occluding device, a proximally positioned retaining member for engaging a second end of the occluding device and a support surrounding a portion of the elongated flexible member over which the occluding device can be positioned.
US09381101B2

Vascular devices and methods for addressing aortic pathologies are provided that facilitate hemostasis at the junctions of the ends of the device with the native aorta or other vessels to minimize or eliminate the risk of endoleaks. One or both ends of the device may include inner and outer skirts that are configured to receive a section of native blood vessel therebetween. The outer skirt may be flared in some cases or rolled up prior to placement at and engagement with the blood vessel to provide clearance for joining the blood vessel to the inner skirt of the device, such as via sutures. Once engaged, the outer skirt is disposed such that the blood vessel is between the inner and outer skirts. Devices and associated methods are also described that allow endografts to be deployed and engaged with an end of the device in areas with insufficient landing zones.
US09381078B2

An endovascular graft delivery system includes an endovascular prosthetic device and one or more trigger wires deployably engaging portions of the endovascular prosthetic device. An electrical element is positioned at a proximal end of a trigger wire. The electrical element is in signal communication with the trigger wire to communicate operational signals over the trigger wire. The operational signals may be power or control signals to assist with positioning the endovascular prosthetic device at a desired deployment location.
US09381077B2

The invention relates to a withdrawal member for a filter for the vena cava, essentially consisting of a head and shape memory or wrought strands forming a tail, said strands being attached to the head and being located on the same side of the head, said withdrawal member including a rod (7) comprising, at the distal end thereof, a plurality of resilient arms (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6) flaring from the rod (7), naturally spaced apart from each other and ending in the form of hooks oriented towards the inside so as to grasp the cap of the filter upon tightening, and including a flexible bent area adjacent to the distal end of the rod (7).
US09381076B2

Described are devices, implants, kits, and related methods for treating pelvic conditions such as urinary in incontinence, in a male or a female patient. The invention includes, in one embodiment, a multi-piece implant, including a tissue support piece, extension portion, and one or more self-fixating tips. The device may be employed through a medial incision in the pelvic region of the patient.
US09381075B2

In one general aspect, an apparatus can include an elongate member configured to be associated with an implant and having a piercing portion. The apparatus can include a deflection member having a fixed curvature disposed within a plane. The deflection member can have a distal end configured to be disposed within a body of a patient. The deflection member can define a groove extending along at least a portion of the deflection member. The groove of the deflection member can be configured to deflect the piercing portion of the elongate member.
US09381071B2

Thermoforming of plastic sheets over a model includes varying the thickness in the area that is stretched over the model so that when it thins it becomes more uniform in thickness. The plastic sheet is fabricated in a substantially uniform thickness but with a preformed a complex profile or 3D area that partially builds in part of the area that would be stretched so that it thins much less than a flat sheet. Combinations of these elements may also be made.
US09381064B2

Upon insertion of an insertion member into a living body vessel by an operator, a force individually applied to the living body vessel by the insertion member is measured by a force measuring unit, and based upon the force measured by the force measuring unit, information to be presented to an experiencing person is determined by a determination unit so that based upon the determined information, the corresponding force is presented to the experiencing person by a force presentation unit.
US09381060B2

A forceps includes first and second shafts, each having a jaw member disposed at a distal end thereof. At least one jaw member is moveable from an open to a closed position for grasping tissue therebetween. At least one jaw member is configured for reciprocation of a blade therethrough. A trigger assembly includes a trigger and at least one linkage coupled to the trigger and to the blade such that rotation of the trigger translates the blade between the retracted and the extended position. An interference member moveable between a locked position and an unlocked position is also provided. The interference member is configured to engage the linkage(s) when in the locked position to inhibit translation of the blade from the retracted to the extended position.
US09381056B2

A method and apparatus for depositing a film on a biological substrate are provided. A plasma generation device includes a dielectric conduit and a high voltage electrode. The plasma generation device is placed in proximity to the biological substrate and a gas supply that includes a precursor material is directed through the dielectric conduit. An electric field generated by the potential difference between the high voltage electrode and the biological substrate ionizes at least a portion of the gas supply and causes plasma to emanate from the dielectric conduit and contact the biological substrate. The plasma induces a reaction of the precursor material to form a film that is deposited on the biological substrate.
US09381051B2

A reduction jack for placing a spinal rod within a rod channel of a bone fixation screw includes a mounting stem having a tubular body, a plurality of teeth disposed on the body, a pair of legs projecting from the body, and catches disposed on the legs for engaging the bone fixation screw. A reduction sleeve at least partially encircles the mounting stem. A gear assembly is mounted on the reduction sleeve and engages the teeth on the body such that manipulation of the gear assembly facilitates movement of the reduction sleeve along the mounting stem. A first pawl is pivotably mounted to the reduction sleeve and resiliently biased against the teeth on the body, the first pawl being pivotable between a first position where the first pawl engages the teeth on the body and a second position wherein the first pawl does not engage the teeth on the body.
US09381042B2

An external fixation connection rod that allows for rapid and gradual length adjustment. In some embodiments, the fixation connection rod includes an inner sleeve received within a telescopic rod to allow for rapid adjustment of an overall length of the fixation connection rod. In some embodiments, the fixation connection rod includes an adjustment mechanism to allow for gradual adjustment of the overall length of the fixation connection rod by lengthening or shortening a threaded elongated member within the inner sleeve, and the adjustment mechanism includes a first rotation member, a second rotation member, and a spring. Distal translation of the first rotation member relative to the second rotation member allows the adjustment mechanism to move from a first, locked position to a second, unlocked position, allowing the first rotation member and the second rotation member to rotate about the inner sleeve and the threaded elongated member during gradual adjustment.
US09381039B2

Transdermal insertion of a transcutaneous filling apparatus, for the purpose of filling a fill chamber of an implanted therapy delivery device, is monitored by measuring each impedance between pairs of electrodes of a needle of the apparatus, and comparing each to a threshold impedance; the electrodes, preferably at least three in number, are isolated and spaced apart from one another along a length of the needle. A confirmation signal is generated when at least one of the measured impedances is greater than the threshold impedance, and another is less than the threshold, the condition indicating that one of the electrodes is located within a non-conductive septum, through which the apparatus must pass to access the fill chamber. A detection circuit, which may be located in a housing of the apparatus that is attached to a proximal end of the needle, measures and compares the impedances.
US09381035B2

A percutaneous needle guide includes a housing and an inclinometer secured to the housing for sensing a two dimensional inclination of the housing relative to the earth's gravitational field and for providing an indication thereof. A percutaneous needle is slidably mounting to the housing in a fixed axial orientation relative to the housing. A needle measuring device is mounted in the housing and operative by linear motion of the percutaneous needle so as to measure the linear position of the percutaneous needle relative to the housing and providing a measurement indication.
US09381032B2

A surgical instrument includes a hollow cylindrical member having a flexible region along at least a part of the hollow cylindrical member and a malleable tubing disposed over at least an outer surface of the flexible region of the hollow cylindrical member. The flexible region and the malleable tubing disposed over the flexible region can bend multiple times. The malleable tubing can maintain a bent orientation until the malleable tubing is re-bent by a user. The surgical instrument also includes connections that prevent the malleable tubing from moving longitudinally relative to the hollow cylindrical member. The malleable tubing may be made of various materials, one example of which is anodized, annealed aluminum.
US09381025B2

Disclosed herein are methods, compositions and tools for repairing articular surfaces repair materials and for repairing an articular surface. The articular surface repairs are customizable or highly selectable by patient and geared toward providing optimal fit and function. The surgical tools are designed to be customizable or highly selectable by patient to increase the speed, accuracy and simplicity of performing total or partial arthroplasty.
US09380996B2

An ultrasound endoscope includes an insertion portion, an ultrasound transducer provided at a distal end portion of the insertion portion, a first opening portion provided at a distal end portion of the insertion portion, a second opening portion and a raising stand provided at the distal end portion of the insertion portion. Furthermore, the raising stand includes a first contact portion that comes into contact with a treatment instrument protruding from the first opening portion for causing the treatment instrument to extend in a first direction and a second contact portion that comes into contact with a treatment instrument protruding from the second opening portion for causing the treatment instrument to extend in a second direction different from the first direction.
US09380978B2

The present invention relates to a method and apparatus to objectively measure stress and fatigue using measurement tools, record stress and fatigue related data in a standardized database, create automated prompts and alerts based upon pre-defined stress and fatigue thresholds (which are derived based upon individual end-user and task performance), provide a number of interventions (which can be preferentially selected by the individual end-user), create data-driven best practice guidelines though meta-analysis of the database, and provide an objective tool for comparative technology assessment.
US09380963B2

An integrated meter system for determining information related to an analyte of a fluid sample includes a meter including a housing and a plurality of test sensors. Each of the plurality of test sensors includes a penetrating member, a testing portion, and a channel. The channel is adapted to receive the fluid sample. The test sensors are removably located within the housing. At least one of the test sensors is removably connected to an adjacent test sensor. The integrated meter system also includes a test-sensor advancement mechanism that is configured to advance the test sensors.
US09380957B2

A measurement device with electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG) functionalities includes a shell and a turning structure. The shell includes a first contact and a second contact located at a first side of the shell; and a third contact. The turning structure, disposed on the shell, is utilized for adjusting the third contact to be located at the first side when the measurement device is in an EEG mode, and adjusting the third contact to be located at a second side of the shell when the measurement device is in an ECG mode, wherein the second side is substantially opposite to the first side.
US09380955B2

Tools and devices are provided for determining whether a patient is well suited to receiving an implantable cardiac stimulation device by analyzing cardiac signals captured using external or cutaneous electrodes. Some of the illustrative tools include shapes for visual comparison to printed ECG strips. Kits for use of illustrative tools are also shown. Automatic devices are also disclosed which perform at least some analytical functions electronically for a user. In an example, a printed ECG strip is visually compared to a shape in order to ensure a patient is well suited to receiving a cardiac stimulation device having a particular implant location and/or cardiac signal analysis method implementation.
US09380951B2

An apparatus for monitoring vital sign parameters in a biological entity is disclosed. In an embodiment, the apparatus includes at least one light source for transmitting light through the biological entity and at least one photodetector for receiving light transmitted through the biological entity. At least one light source and at least one photodetector are configured to be positioned proximate the biological entity in a manner that does not significantly impede blood flow through the biological entity. A signal is generated in response to the transmittance or reflectance of light through the biological entity. The signal corresponds to at least one characteristic of the generally unimpeded blood flow through the biological entity. The apparatus also includes a control system configured to analyze the signal to determine vital sign parameters in the biological entity. A method for monitoring vital sign parameters in a biological entity is also provided.
US09380948B1

A computer-assisted method for quantitative analysis of respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) includes obtaining a time series of a cardiac interval signal from an individual, obtaining a time series of a respiratory signal from the individual; decomposing the cardiac interval signal into a first group of ensemble empirical modes; obtaining, by a computer system, a time series of RSA instantaneous amplitude from at least one of the first group of ensemble empirical modes; decomposing the respiratory signal into a second group of ensemble empirical modes; obtaining a time series of respiratory instantaneous phase from the one of the second group of ensemble empirical modes; determining respiratory period from the time series of the respiratory instantaneous phase; and quantifying RSA in the individual according to a dependence of the RSA instantaneous amplitude on the respiratory period.
US09380940B2

A method and system for displaying a three dimensional visualization of cardiac motion. The method and system obtain point specific (PS) motion data for a plurality of map points. The PS motion data indicates an amount of motion that occurred at the corresponding map point on a wall of the heart during at least one cardiac cycle. The method and system determine three dimensional (3D) positions of the map points during the cardiac cycle based on the PS motion data and select a set of 3D positions based on a frame rate. The method and system further generate 3D visualizations for each selected set of 3D positions.
US09380936B2

An optical device for corneal measuring includes a light source module, a first optical module, a second optical module including a reference mirror, a light splitter and an image analysis unit. The light of the light source module is transmitted to the first and second optical modules through the light splitter. The light is transmitted to a cornea through the light splitter and the first optical module and reflected by the cornea to form a first light, the light is transmitted to the reference mirror through the light splitter and reflected by the reference mirror to form a second light. The first and second lights are transmitted to the light splitter and the image analysis unit. The reference mirror moves along a first direction, and when the first light and the second light interfere with each other, a relative optical path length is obtained.
US09380930B2

A steering mechanism is used as part of a medical device such as a catheter or an endoscope to allow movement of a steerable distal portion of the catheter or endoscope. The mechanism can include a elongate housing and an actuation system. The elongate housing is adapted to be coupled to the steerable portion of the medical device. The actuation system includes an actuator, a first cam, and a second cam. The actuator can move the first cam between a first position and a second position as the actuator is moved along a first axis (or about a second axis different than the first axis). Movement of the first cam between its first and second positions moves the steerable portion of the medical device along a first plane. The actuator can move the second cam between a first position and a second position as the actuator is moved along the second axis (or about the first axis). Movement of the second cam between its first and second positions moves the steerable portion of the medical device along a second plane different than the first plane.
US09380927B2

A footwear cleaning apparatus including a housing having an opening, an internal cavity and a discharge aperture, the internal cavity being shaped to move debris through the discharge aperture, a cover for at least partly covering the opening, and a brush assembly connected to the housing.
US09380924B2

A dish washer comprises a carcass having a washing compartment accessible through an access opening, and a door attached to the carcass for closing the access opening. The door is bounded on its door side facing the washing compartment by a door inner wall, which provides sealing contact surfaces for a sealing arrangement attached to the carcass. A door latch comprises a latch head attached to the door and fixed relative to the latter, and a latch unit arranged on the carcass and having two latch arms which are movable relative to one another and embrace the latch head on both sides when the door is closed. On closing the door the latch head runs against the latch arms and pushes apart the latter from a relative rest position against spring force. The latch head rises preferably completely above the surface contour of the door inner wall.
US09380921B2

A surface cleaning apparatus (10) comprises a base assembly (12), an upright handle assembly (14) pivotally mounted to the base assembly (12), a fluid distribution system including a supply of cleaning fluid, and a fluid recovery system for drawing dirty cleaning fluid from the surface to be cleaned. The base assembly (12) comprises a fluid supply tank (22) mounted on a base platform (20), and a recovery tank (24) and lid (70) mounted on the supply tank (22). The nozzle (146) assembly is split into three separable sections, and the upper handle (300) is foldable to a storage position. The base assembly (12) further comprises a pivotal brush carriage (210) assembly. A method for renting extraction cleaning machines (10) utilizes a vending machine (600) that dispenses cleaning formulations packaged in single use packages (602).
US09380911B1

Cooking apparatus including a receptacle for holding cooking oil and an extensible support centrally located within the receptacle for supporting a cooking basket, and for moving the basket between upper and lower positions in the receptacle and rotating the basket when the basket is in the upper position.
US09380905B2

Provided is an electric kitchen appliance including a housing which contains an electric motor connected to an upper drive output, a work chamber comprising a work container sealed by a lid with a chute for inserting food, the work container having a discharge outlet, a removable pressing screw which can be rotated by the upper drive output being arranged in the work chamber. Rotation of the pressing screw is provided by a rotary element removably mounted in the work chamber, the rotary element including a pre-cutting disc and a driving member which is rotated by the upper drive output.
US09380904B2

An integrated prayer support apparatus that may serve as a Sutrah, or symbolic partition. The apparatus is self-contained, lightweight, and highly mobile. The apparatus includes of a body with an open upper end and a closed lower end. A extendable rod such that the extendable rod may extend away from the lower body and out of the open upper end of the body in telescopic fashion. The extendable rod may have an instrument fixed to it for the purpose of identifying the location towards Mecca, Saudi Arabia. Support legs in a tripod orientation may stabilize the apparatus. The body may have an attachment device, such as a carabineer, keychain or hook. Additionally, the instrument and other elements may glow in the dark by using radioactive materials or may be electronically illuminated.
US09380895B2

A personal seasonal pillow for accommodating different temperatures occurring during different seasons is disclosed comprising a cool side and a warm side opposite the cool side. A gel layer is associated with the cool side containing a fluid gel, and a layer of insulating fill is associated with the warm side. A cool side indicator is associated with the cool side; and a warm side indicator is associated with the warm side whereby the person may easily identify the desired side.
US09380889B2

A guide assembly for a displaying a plurality of products is disclosed. The guide assembly includes a base, a first lateral wall and a second lateral wall. The base includes a product-supporting surface defining a longitudinal axis. Each lateral wall includes a plurality of support members and a rail. The support members extend upwardly from a lateral side of the base. The rail is spaced above the base and extends along portions of the support members. A proximal-most support member of the first lateral wall is longitudinally offset from a proximal-most support member of the second lateral wall.
US09380885B1

A modular seating and shelving system including two or more blocks. Each block includes six sides defining an open interior. Each block includes a first side having a first protruding member, a second side having a recess, a third closed side, and fourth side having an opening to enable access to the open interior of each block. Each block may be utilized individually or may be interlocked with another block to form children's furniture such as seating or shelving. The configuration of the modular seating and shelving unit enables a children to utilize and maneuver blocks with ease to form various pieces of children's furniture.
US09380880B1

The inventive device described in the instant application is a leg rest with collapsible capabilities. It is made with light weight metal and thin airy cloth to rest the user's legs on. It can be used by the user anywhere because of the devices collapsibility and portability it is an efficient and convenient way to transport a leg rest. It is emphasized that this abstract is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract that will allow a searcher or other reader to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure.
US09380878B1

A chair headrest including a headrest, a pivot member and a fastener assembly is revealed. The headrest is disposed with a damper and a guide and stop member for improving vertical movement stability and safety during adjustment. The pivot member having pivotally connected first and second portions is arranged between the headrest and a seat back. The first portion includes a pivot part with two separate ends while the second portion has a mounting part with two apart ends. The pivot part fitted to the mounting part can be rotated around an actuation axis. The fastener assembly is set between two ends of the second portion and having a connection portion for connecting the two ends of the pivot part and the two ends of the mounting part and an actuator assembly for making the two ends of the mounting part apart to be in a pressed state.
US09380872B2

The slide rail unit according to an exemplary of the invention includes an outer rail attachable to a rack, a middle rail slidably supported by the outer rail along the extending direction of the outer rail, and an inner rail slidably supported by the middle rail along the extending direction of the middle rail. The inner rail includes a lock mechanism. The lock mechanism includes a release member which releases a press against the middle rail by the inner rail when the inner rail slides in one direction along the extending direction of the middle rail, and a suppression member which prevents the middle rail from sliding in the one direction.
US09380869B2

A storage shelf includes a secure sleeve and a bracket that the secure sleeve is in a hollow cylinder shape with an outer circumference on which two symmetrical slots, constructed by L-shape elements, in a downward and skewed taper shape, are provided. A buckling piece, of a curve and in a downward and skewed taper shape, is provided at four corners of the bracket respectively. After assembling the multiply secure sleeves to a support tube, the buckling piece of the bracket is inserted into one slot of the secure sleeve so as to firmly position the bracket to the support tube for constituting a unity storage shelf. The other slot of the secure sleeve can be engaged by the buckling piece of the other bracket to extend multiply storage shelf in a parallel arrangement for achieving convenience for both assembly and extension in an orderly manner.
US09380859B2

A cleaner assembly includes a main body having a first end with a handle portion and a second end with a removable cleaner head; a pneumatic motor contained with in said main body; an actuator operatively associated with said motor; a rotational shaft operatively associated with said motor and with a rotational cleaner head support; and a cleaner head removably attached to said rotational shaft.
US09380854B2

A carrying case assembly for portable electronic devices includes a carrying case that has: an exterior casing that creates a compartment for receiving a portable electronic device; means for securing the portable electronic device within the compartment; and a first component of an interlocking mechanism attached to a surface of the exterior casing and utilized to hang the carrying case on a user wearable strap configured with a second component of the interlocking mechanism. The assembly further includes a holding latch having: (i) a first connecting section that securely attaches the holding latch to the user wearable strap; and (ii) a second connecting section serving as the second component of the interlocking mechanism, which receives the first component attached to the surface of the carrying case and enables the carrying case to be fixably and removably attached to the user wearable device via the holding latch.
US09380850B1

A container used in conjunction with a safety razor including a razorblade cartridge which in turn retains at least one razorblade having a sharp front edge within the container. The container includes a zinc metal strip within the container against which at least one of the razorblades from the safety razor are forced into contact with the zinc metal strip and the remaining blades are in close proximity to the zinc metal strip. It is within the spirit and scope of the present invention for the cartridge to retain any multiplicity of razorblades, with each respective razorblade having a sharp edge either forced to be against the zinc metal strip or adjacent the zinc metal strip.
US09380847B1

A mobile work station system which is adapted to be utilized in a wide range of locations for a wide range of uses, such as functioning as an eating table, work area, computer desk, television stand and the like. The mobile work station system generally includes a case including a first portion and a second portion. The first portion is hingedly secured to the second portion. A pair of cup holders extend from either side of the first portion for storing various beverages therein. A pair of dry-erase boards extend from either side of the second portion in a retractable manner. An attachment receiver is positioned on the lower end of the first portion for attaching a tripod attachment. A pair of mounting members are positioned within a slot formed in the second portion for suspending the present invention from various structures, such as a fence.
US09380841B2

A zipper assembly is described wherein the facing tapes having interlocking teeth along facing edges each have a plurality of eyelets distributed longitudinally therein. The eyelets permit the receipt of zip ties therethrough for securing the assembly to an opening in a net. When installed a user may selectively open and close the opening by zipping and unzipping the zipper assembly.
US09380840B2

A knitted surface fastener is provided that is capable of firmly forming warp knitting structure of a sewn area and achieving weight reduction as well as production costs reduction. A knitted surface fastener includes a pair of right and left sewn areas and a surface fastener area disposed between the right and left sewn areas. An average used amount of the weft insertion yarns in the sewn areas is set to be larger than an average used amount of the weft insertion yarns in the surface fastener area.
US09380824B2

An adjustable helmet and a head massager are provided. The adjustable helmet comprises a ring-shaped latitudinal shell and a longitudinal shell connected across the latitudinal shell, at least one of the longitudinal shell and the latitudinal shell has an adjustable means, the inside of the adjustable means has a bidirectional locking structure. In the embodiments, the adjustable means has a bidirectional locking structure which can lock the latitudinal shell or longitudinal shell in bi-direction. When the latitudinal shell or longitudinal shell is disengaged or contracted by the adjustable means and is locked by the bidirectional locking structure, the latitudinal shell or longitudinal shell is fixed in the expanding direction or contracting direction and can't continue to be expanded or contracted inwards. Advantageously, the helmet in use has a constant size, which is useful for users, when the above-mentioned adjustable helmet is applied to a head massager, it's convenient for massage.
US09380821B2

A neckline gusset for securing an exterior shell layer of an apparel item to an inner liner layer of the apparel item at a neckline region of the apparel item is provided. The neckline gusset comprises an outer edge corresponding in shape to the neckline of the exterior shell layer, an inner edge corresponding in shape to the neckline of the inner liner layer, a first center-front gusset edge connecting the outer edge to the inner edge at a first end of the neckline gusset, and a second center-front gusset edge connecting the outer edge to the inner edge at a second end of the neckline gusset. The first and second center-front gusset edges curve inwardly into the body of the neckline gusset and form acute angles with both the outer edge and the inner edge of the neckline gusset.
US09380808B2

A cigarette tobacco filler device includes a casing having an outlet for holding a cigarette tube in position, a plunger movably supported in said casing for delivering tobacco into the cigarette tube, and a plunger actuation unit which includes a power shaft rotatably supported in the casing to couple with the plunger and an operation handle which is pivotally extended above the top side of the casing and is arranged in such a manner that when the operation handle is pivotally moved down to the top side of the casing, the power shaft is driven to rotate so as to actuate the plunger for inserting the tobacco to the cigarette tube at the outlet.
US09380806B2

A system for producing secondary food product from primary food product waste is disclosed that comprises several modular subsections: a staging subsystem, a processing subsystem, a drying subsystem, and a pelletization subsystem. Each subsystem, and the connections between subsystems, are sealed such that the food product being processed is isolated from the general environment. Product is dried by the dryer in such a way that it emerges from the dryer at a desired moisture content level and at ambient temperature. A moisture sensor may provide control data to a controller that in turn controls product throughput to obtain a desired moisture content level. High nutritional content and long lifespan of the processed product can be maintained, while reducing the weight of the final product. One or more of the subsystems may be portable and configured for convenient connection and disconnection to mating subsystems, and to facilitate permitting for portable operation.
US09380803B2

Xanthan gums with improved characteristics are provided, a method for preparing the xanthan gums as well as compositions and products comprising the xanthan gums. In particular, the invention relates to xanthan gums obtained from Xanthomonas campestris strains, pathovar cynarae CFBP 19, juglandis CFBP 176, pelargonii CFBP 64, phaseoli CFBP 412 or ATCC 17915, celebenois ATCC 19046, or corylina CFBP 1847 or from a derivative or progeny thereof and to methods of producing xanthan gum from these strains.
US09380801B2

A chewing gum base which is cud-forming and chewable at mouth temperature contains water-insoluble highly substituted starch short chain carboxylate. The highly substituted starch short chain carboxylate may be plasticized to function as an elastomer in the gum base.
US09380796B1

A crab cleaner including a base and a wedge blade fixedly disposed atop the base. A rounded apex of the wedge blade is provided for splitting the crab's carapace into right and left halves upon pushing the carapace forward side onto the apex with a quick downward motion.
US09380779B2

A seed treatment composition includes ascorbic acid, choline chloride, indole-3-butyric acid, and water. In some embodiments, the seed treatment composition may further include salicylic acid.
US09380777B2

A powder plant treatment formulation for application to plants by insect vectoring includes: a plant treatment agent; a stabilizing agent bonded to the plant treatment agent for stabilizing the plant treatment agent; a moisture absorption agent for absorbing moisture from the formulation; an attracting agent for attracting the formulation to plants; and a diluent.
US09380770B1

A chummer and line extender is a hollow tubular member with a first end that is securable to a fixed structure such as a tree trunk and a second end from which a shock line extends, the end of the line secured to an appropriate fishing rig. Pulling on the line causes a spring within the tubular member to compress thereby absorbing shock on the line. Port holes on the tubular member and/or on a cap on the second end allow slow release discharge of chum from the tubular member.
US09380768B2

The present invention relates to transgenic red ornamental fish, as well as methods of making such fish by in vitro fertilization techniques. Also disclosed are methods of establishing a population of such transgenic fish and methods of providing them to the ornamental fish industry for the purpose of marketing.
US09380767B2

The present utility model discloses an aquarium with a fresh water replenishing system comprising an upper tank, a connecting cavity, a lower cabinet and a fresh water replenishing system, with the said upper tank fixed on the lower cabinet, and the said connecting cavity fixed at an inner corner of the upper tank. It effectively utilizes space to store a fresh water replenishing box with a small space occupied. It is provided with a salt water and fresh water circulating system, making it easy to keep salt water and fresh water fish. It is provided with a water baffle to reduce water velocity, reducing noise. All components of its upper tank are provided on the same wall and cover this wall, contributing to good visual effects, safety and aesthetics.
US09380758B2

A cleaning system for milking cups containing a dispensing device into which at least two different cleaning fluids can be introduced inside the milking cup in such a way as to enable an efficient intermediate disinfection between individual milking processes.
US09380740B2

A preferred embodiment of the invention generally comprises a hopper container attached to the top face of a spreader console having an electrically-powered spreader plate positioned within a distribution opening in the front center of the front face of the spreader console and operated with a spreader control switch extending down from the right side of the lower horizontal base of the spreader console. A conventional electric motor is housed in a motor compartment that extends from the center of the lower horizontal base of the spreader console. A conventional battery is housed within a battery compartment located on the left side of the motor compartment. The battery compartment is accessed via an access panel. It is contemplated that the device will be carried by the user in front of his body while walking over the area where the material is to be distributed.
US09380739B2

Methods and uses of controlling the flowability of a population of plant seeds and dust drift therefrom by placing individual seeds in contact with particles of a flowability enhancing agent that is made up of at least one species of wax that adheres more firmly to the said plant seeds than a compound or composition that comprises a substance that is or includes a mineral earth component.
US09380737B2

A steering system and method are described for a vehicle having steerable wheels. A steering device may be coupled to one or more of the wheels. A parked state of the vehicle and a present orientation of the hydraulic steering device may be determined. The present orientation of the steering device may be compared with a neutral orientation of the steering device. Based upon a determined parked state of the vehicle and the comparing of the present and neutral orientations of the steering device, the steering device may be moved from the present orientation toward the neutral orientation.
US09386736B1

Modular elements employing latches secured by linkages are disclosed. A modular element may include a chassis body in communication with a latch, control body, and control arm of the modular element. The modular element is removable from or secured to an enclosure using the latch. The latch may remain secured to the enclosure in a locked mode by being rotated to engage a control catch of a control arm of a linkage. By connecting the control arm to the control body with a rigid member connected to the control body with first and second rotary joints, the rigid member transforms a control body movement into a rotary motion of the control arm to disengage the control arm from the latch. In this manner, the modular element may be disengaged from the enclosure to facilitate upgrades or maintenance of electronic components supported by the chassis body.
US09386729B2

The energy conversion device (10) includes a power module (14), a unit (16) for cooling the power module (14), and a sealed enclosure (12) housing the power module (14) and at least part of the cooling unit (16). The cooling unit (16) includes a cooling circuit (18), in which a coolant circulates, a first heat exchanger (20) with the power module (14), through which the coolant passes, and at least one pump (24) making the coolant circulate in the circuit (18). The cooling circuit (18) includes a pressure regulating branch (26), extending between an outlet and an inlet of the driving pump (24), the regulating branch (26) including a pressure regulating valve (28), normally closed, capable of opening when the pressure difference between the outlet and the inlet of the driving pump (24) exceeds a predetermined threshold.
US09386728B2

A server having a cuboid housing and having first heat-generating components arranged at a front face, system fans that generate an air flow from the front face of the server to the rear face and arranged downstream of the front face, and second heat-generating components arranged downstream of the system fans in a flow direction of the air flow, and a heat exchanger arranged upstream of the second heat generating components.
US09386724B2

A vapor phase cooling apparatus (10) includes: a housing (11) including a heat receiver (14a) configured to receive heat generated by an electronic component (50) that is a heat generating source, the electronic component (50) being connected to a vertical outer surface on the +Z side of the housing, the housing including an internal space for enclosing refrigerant; and a first heat sink (21) and a second heat sink (22) that are disposed on the +Y side and the −Y side from the electronic component (50) and that dissipate heat to the outside. Both ends of the first heat sink (21) and the second heat sink (22) in X direction extend further along the surface on the +Z side than both ends of the heat receiver (14a) in X direction.
US09386718B2

This disclosure discloses a DIN-rail mount type device. The DIN-rail mount type device includes a housing, a rail groove provided along a width direction of the housing on a face of the housing and being capable of fitting with the DIN rail, a slider groove provided along a width direction of the rail groove on the face of the housing; and a lock member. The lock member configured to slide so as to move forward and backward with respect to the rail groove in the slider groove, and to be able to retain a fitting state between the rail groove and the DIN rail by engaging a one-side end with an engagement portion of the DIN rail fitted into the rail groove.
US09386716B2

An electronic device according to the present invention comprises a main body including a pair of body chassis, a pair of cover panels disposed to cover the front face and the back face of the main body, a switch unit disposed on the side part of the main body, an operation button which is held between the pair of cover panels and has a pusher projecting therefrom, a housing recess which is formed on at least one of the body chassis and recessed on a joint surface with the other body chassis to form a housing chamber for the switch unit, a through hole penetrating the one body chassis from the side face toward the housing recess, and a bag-like waterproof packing member which is attached to the through hole and recessed toward the switch unit to house the pusher of the operation button. The pusher of the operation button passes through the through hole toward the switch unit, and the end of the waterproof packing member is pressed against the switch unit to fixedly hold the switch unit inside the housing recess.
US09386711B2

There are disclosed a display device including a display module configured to display a screen, a case configured to mount the display module therein, a mount plate coupled to a back surface of the case, with a lower portion comprising an arch-shaped handle having a predetermined curvature, and a mount fixer fixed to a wall, the mount fixer comprising a seating portion having the same curvature as the handle, such that an installation angle can be changed to make the display device leveled even after the mount device is installed so as to relieve difficulty in leveling the display device when it is mounted to the wall.
US09386708B2

Disclosed is a method of forming an electric wiring using inkjet printing. The method includes forming a main trench and first and second guide trenches on a substrate. The first and second guide trenches are disposed at opposite sides of the main trench. The method includes ejecting ink into the main trench, the ink including a conductive material. The method also includes heating the substrate to sinter the ink such that the electric wiring is formed an upper portion of the main trench, and contract the ink such that a tunnel is formed in a lower portion of the main trench.
US09386701B2

An electronic component embedded printed circuit board includes a core having a cavity; an electronic component inserted in the cavity; insulating layers laminated on top and bottom of the core and mixed with a coupling agent, which has functional groups respectively acting on an organic material and an inorganic material, to be bonded to an outer peripheral surface of the electronic component; and circuit patterns provided on the insulating layers.
US09386697B2

A wiring board or an electronic component embedded substrate includes a substrate that includes a resin containing a plurality of fillers; and a via that is electrically connected to at least one interconnect provided to the substrate, wherein the via includes a mix area in which metal is provided between the fillers on an inner radial side with respect to the substrate. A method of manufacturing a wiring board or an electronic component embedded substrate includes preparing a substrate that includes a resin containing a plurality of fillers; forming a via formation hole in the substrate; performing an ashing process on at least an inner wall of the via formation hole; and performing electroless plating on the inner wall of the via formation hole.
US09386694B1

A method and system for applying conductive traces to a structure to complete an electrical circuit. One or more graphene traces is formed on a substrate. The substrate is applied to the structure such that one or more first portions of the electrical circuit are electrically connected to respective one or more second portions of the electrical circuit by respective ones of the one or more graphene traces. The substrate may be removed from the structure such that the graphene traces remain on the structure. The structure is preferably a fuselage of an aircraft and is formed from a composite material. The substrate may be applied to the structure is prior to curing of the composite material and/or prior to a complete formation of the fuselage, such that, after the fuselage is completely formed, the one or more graphene traces become embedded within the composite material forming the fuselage.
US09386689B2

A structure (10) includes at least three conductors (111, 131, 151) that are opposed to each other, a penetration via (101) that penetrates the conductors (111, 131, 151), openings (112, 152) that are formed so as to surround the penetration via (101), and conductor elements (121, 141) that are located in layers other than the layers in which the conductors (111, 131, 151) are located and that are connected to the penetration via (101). The conductor element (121) larger than the opening (112) is opposed to the opening (112) and the conductor element (141) larger than the opening (152) is opposed to the opening (152).
US09386682B2

A microwave circuit for a linear accelerator has multiple metallic cell sections, a pair of distribution waveguide manifolds, and a sequence of feed arms connecting the manifolds to the cell sections. The distribution waveguide manifolds are connected to the cell sections so that alternating pairs of cell sections are connected to opposite distribution waveguide manifolds. The distribution waveguide manifolds have concave modifications of their walls opposite the feed arms, and the feed arms have portions of two distinct widths. In some embodiments, the distribution waveguide manifolds are connected to the cell sections by two different types of junctions adapted to allow two frequency operation. The microwave circuit may be manufactured by making two quasi-identical parts, and joining the two parts to form the microwave circuit, thereby allowing for many manufacturing techniques including electron beam welding, and thereby allowing the use of un-annealled copper alloys, and hence greater tolerance to high gradient operation.
US09386680B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to methods for detecting unstable plasma in a substrate processing chamber. In one embodiment, the method includes providing a forward power from a power source to the substrate processing chamber through a detection device, splitting the forward power passing through the detection device at a predetermined ratio to obtain a first value of the power to the substrate processing chamber, measuring a reflected power from the substrate processing chamber to obtain a second value of the power from the substrate processing chamber, and directing the power source to turn off the forward power if the second value of the power is different than the first value of the power.
US09386676B2

An apparatus and method for containing plasma and forming a Field Reversed Configuration (FRC) magnetic topology are described in which plasma ions are contained magnetically in stable, non-adiabatic orbits in the FRC. Further, the electrons are contained electrostatically in a deep energy well, created by tuning an externally applied magnetic field. The simultaneous electrostatic confinement of electrons and magnetic confinement of ions avoids anomalous transport and facilitates classical containment of both electrons and ions. In this configuration, ions and electrons may have adequate density and temperature so that upon collisions ions are fused together by nuclear force, thus releasing fusion energy. Moreover, the fusion fuel plasmas that can be used with the present confinement system and method are not limited to neutronic fuels only, but also advantageously include advanced fuels.
US09386670B2

In various embodiments, an electric lamp includes a light source having at least two supply lines configured to supply electrical energy to the light source, and an outer bulb surrounding the light source. The outer bulb is filled with inert gas. The lamp further includes a disconnection mechanism arranged within the outer bulb. At least one of the supply lines is interrupted in the event that the disconnection mechanism is tripped. The disconnection mechanism has a switch.
US09386651B2

A backlight unit includes a dimming signal generator configured to generate first and second pulse width modulation signals, first and second driving blocks configured to receive a driving voltage to emit a light, a controller configured to receive the first and second pulse width modulation signals and an output signal from one of the first and second driving blocks to generate a voltage control signal, and a voltage converter configured to control a level of an input voltage in response to the voltage control signal to generate the driving voltage.
US09386639B2

The present invention discloses a white LED light emitting device driven directly by constant current in manner of being supplied with alternating current. N parallel branches, consisting of LED modules and constant current units which are in series connection with the LED modules, are connected to an output terminal of a rectification circuit, and by setting the current value, the turning-off voltage, and the turning-on voltage of the constant current unit of each branch, the periodic flickers generated due to changes in the voltage of the alternating current can be avoided. Because the current of each branch is constant, the changes in junction temperatures do not result in the current changing in LED, and the reliability is improved. Along with the increase of the number of the branches, the driving current waveform approximates a sine wave, and the power factor and the efficiency of the light emitting device are improved.
US09386637B2

Methods and apparatus f or electrically controlling a Iuminaire to alter it s appearance and illumination effects are disclosed. A luminaire (100) having a multiplexing controller controlling one or more LED light sources (110) and one or more electrically switchable optical elements (150). The light sources are switched between at least two illumination states and the optical elements are switched between at least two optical states during an illumination period. The switching sequence is fast enough not to be detected by an observer. As a result the lighting module or luminaire is perceived to have a substantially continuous light output. The multiplexing controller rapidly time sequences the states of light sources and switchable surfaces to produce visual changes to the luminaire and/or objects illuminated by the luminaire.
US09386634B2

An electrical resistance heating assembly comprises a heater ribbon woven through a first mica board. The heater ribbon extends upwardly from a top surface of the first mica board to provide heat to a fluid passing over the upwardly extending heater ribbon. The heat ribbon on an underside of the first mica board is electrically isolated by a second mica board positioned adjacent the first mica board. The first and second mica boards are held together with by a clamp-containing metal place positioned adjacent the second mica board with the clamps bent over the first mica board to keep the mica boards together.
US09386633B2

A heater control method and apparatus for a gas sensor which can quickly activate a detection element while reducing load due to heating even when a higher power supply voltage is applied. A heater element is connected to a power supply whose voltage is higher than 16 V, and power is supplied under PWM control such that a temperature rise of the heater element follows a temperature rise curve obtained when a voltage of 12 V is applied to the heater element. Even though a higher voltage is applied, the temperature rise per unit time during the ON time of the PWM control is decreased. This is because the ON time per cycle is shortened by increasing the PWM frequency to 30 Hz or higher. Thus, the temperature rise per cycle is kept low, whereby the temperature rise per 0.1 second is rendered less than 25° C.
US09386628B2

A system and method implemented at a communication device for providing access to telephony services over one or more of a number of communication networks, including cellular networks and IP-based fixed and wireless networks. A mobile device may be configurable for voice communication over both a cellular network and a LAN (e.g. a wireless LAN), and may be adapted to place and receive calls via a PBX over one of the cellular network and the LAN. When it is determined that the mobile device is configured for voice communication using one or both of the cellular network connection and the LAN connection, the mobile device may automatically adapt its user interface to reflect the availability of voice communication only over those connections that are available.
US09386627B1

A system and method for customizing call setup based on predicted call quality is disclosed. When a radio access network (RAN) device receives a request to set up a call between an originating wireless communication device (WCD) and a terminating WCD, the RAN device can predict that the call will use particular coding technique. The prediction can be made prior to alerting either of the originating or terminating WCDs of the new call, and can be based on a historical call record of calls originated by the originating WCD and/or terminated by the terminating WCD. The RAN device can then alert at least one of the originating WCD or the terminating WCD of the call with an alerting signal that indicates the particular coding technique will be used for the call.
US09386625B2

Methods, apparatuses, and computer programs that are able to minimize UE power consumption while still updating the TA are provided. For example, one embodiment includes performing TA update without starting the DRX inactivity timer and short cycle timer.
US09386624B2

Methods and systems are provided for facilitating communication with a base station. The system includes a plurality of relay nodes configured to communicate wirelessly via primary communications links with the base station and transmit operational data to the base station and/or at least another of the relay nodes. At least one controller is configured to determine which of the plurality of relay nodes to place in an active state based at least partially on the operational data.
US09386612B2

Establishing or handling a connection between a first and a second network element connected to different networks such as GPRS/UMTS and IP-based networks is disclosed. The connection is established via at least a third network element such as a SGSN or GGSN arranged in one of the networks. The third network element is adapted to send, when receiving information on an establishment of a connection, a request to a fourth network element which may be a Call State Control Function, a Policy Control Function, or a Call Processing Server. The request requests permission for establishing a type of connection, or requests a check of a connection parameter, and specifies the first and/or second network element and/or the connection or connection type to be established. The fourth network element returns a response specifying a permission for establishing a connection or connection type, or a connection parameter.
US09386592B2

A method is proposed for managing communications in a wireless network in which a first communication is set up or established on a plurality of carriers between a first sender device and a receiver device, the network comprising a set of at least one second sender device for which a second communication has to be established simultaneously with said first communication.Such a method comprises steps of: allocating a set comprising at least one carrier among said plurality of carriers to each second sender device; obtaining (, for each second sender device, a level of reception power of a predetermined signal sent by said second sender device on the set of carrier(s) that have been allocated to it; estimating a rate of disturbance of said first communication by one said or several said second communications as a function of the power level(s) obtained for the second sender device(s); authorizing the second sender device(s), for which the estimated rate(s) of disturbance is or are below a predefined threshold, to set up a said second communication on the plurality of carriers.
US09386591B1

In systems and methods of managing wireless communication link resources, a static overhead load, a data traffic load, and a signaling load are determined of a wireless communication link between an access node and at least one wireless device. A wireless communication link load is calculated based on the static overhead load, the data traffic load, and the signaling load, and a load control process is performed when the wireless communication link load meets a load criteria.
US09386590B2

Embodiments herein relate to a method in a radio network node (12) for enabling management of radio resources in a radio communications network, which radio network node (12) serves a first cell (11). The radio network node measures a received total power value at the radio network node (12) in the first cell (11). The radio network node (12) computes a factor indicating a load in the first cell (11). The radio network node (12) estimates a noise floor level in the first cell (11). The radio network node (12) computes a utilization probability value of the load in the first cell (11) and a neighbor cell interference value simultaneously in a non-linear interference model. This is based on the measured received total power value, the computed factor, and the estimated noise floor level in the first cell (11), which neighbor cell interference value is an interference from at least one second cell (14) affecting said first cell (11), and where at least one of the utilization probability value of the load in the first cell (11) and the neighbor cell interference value is to be used for managing radio resources in the radio communications network.
US09386587B2

Systems and methods for allocating transmit power among multiple interfaces in a wireless communication system are disclosed. In one embodiment, the method comprises determining a first power level used for transmission over a first air interface, determining a second power level used for transmission over a second air interface, comparing a composite of the first power level and the second power level to a threshold power level, and adjusting the second power level based on the comparison.
US09386581B2

Systems and methods of performing communication via television high throughput (TVHT) bandwidth channels are disclosed. Values of one or more physical layer parameters for use in communication via TVHT parameters are also defined. A short inter-frame spacing (SIFS) time is 120 microseconds (μs) for a 6 megahertz (MHz) or a 7 MHz bandwidth channel, and is 90 μs for an 8 MHz bandwidth channel. The parameters also include a clear channel assessment (CCA) time of 15 μs for a 6 MHz or 7 MHz bandwidth channel and 11.25 μs for an 8 MHz bandwidth channel. Additional parameters, such as compliance with a spectral flatness constraint, transmit center frequency tolerance, symbol clock frequency tolerance, transmitter center frequency leakage, transmitter constellation error, and non-HT duplicate transmission are also defined (e.g., for inclusion into a standard, such as Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11af).
US09386579B2

The present invention is directed to a method and an apparatus used for in a wireless communication system. Specifically, the present invention is directed to a method of controlling cell activity and an apparatus therefore, in which the method comprises: receiving a signal including an identifier and a timer value, wherein the identifier identifies a corresponding TAG and the timer value is used for cell deactivation of the corresponding TAG; and applying the received timer value to all cells belonging to the corresponding TAG.
US09386573B2

Provided are a communication device and an SRS transmission method capable of reducing the possibility of a difference in recognition between the presence or absence of an SRS transmission between a base station and a terminal or of an SRS resource so as to prevent degradation of system throughput. At a terminal (200), a reception processing unit (203) detects control information indicating whether or not to request transmission of a sounding reference signal (SRS), whereupon a transmission signal forming unit (207) transmits an A-SRS by way of control by a transmission control unit (206) on the basis of control information. The transmission control unit (206) determines whether or not to execute SRS transmission on the basis of an “SRS Transmission Execution Rule” and the reception status of trigger information.
US09386570B2

The present invention relates to a method and terminal apparatus which involve transmitting a sounding reference signal (SRS)-triggering-based SRS in a wireless communication system. The terminal apparatus of the present invention comprises a receiver which receives, from a base station, an SRS-triggering indicator for triggering an SRS transmission; and a transmitter which transmits the SRS via a preconfigured uplink subframe in accordance with the SRS-triggering indicator.
US09386565B2

The present invention relates to a wireless communication system. In more detail, the present invention relates to a method for transmitting uplink control information in a wireless communication system operating as TDD, and a device for same. The method includes transmitting Hybrid Automatic Repeat request—Acknowledgement (HARQ) in a subframe n through Physical Uplink Control Channel (PUCCH), and a transmission power of the PUCCH relates to a method determined using Equation 4 or 5, and a device for same.
US09386558B2

The concepts relate to radio channel utilization and more specifically to determining whether individual radio channels are available for use. One example can obtain a signal on a radio channel. The example can identify that the signal is an occurrence of a licensed use when a power level exceeds a threshold. The example can also determine that the signal is not the occurrence of the licensed use when the power level of the signal and a phase of the signal do not match an expected power level and an expected phase of the occurrence of the licensed use.
US09386548B2

A base station apparatus includes a wireless communication unit, a wired communication unit, and a communication timing correction unit. If the wireless communication unit fails to receive a synchronization signal from another base station apparatus at given reception timing, the wired communication unit transmits a synchronization state confirmation signal for confirming a synchronization state between the base station and another base station apparatus, and receives a synchronization state response signal including a determination result of the synchronization state. The communication timing correction unit corrects a communication timing based on the synchronization state response signal.
US09386546B2

A method of controlling uplink signal power in a distributed antenna system includes monitoring a noise condition of an uplink signal path in the distributed antenna system and determining the noise contribution from the distributed antenna system that is presented to the base station. The receive noise floor of the base station is determined. The determined noise contribution and receive noise floor are unlisted. Based on the evaluation, the uplink gain that is applied to uplink signals from the distributed antenna system to a base station is adjusted.
US09386545B2

Methods and apparatus are directed towards controlling power of physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) format 1b for advanced time division duplex. If HARQ-ACK bundling is not applied, then nHARQ associated with the PUCCH is determined based on a number of received transport blocks and SPS release physical downlink control channels in subframes i-km. If HARQ-ACK bundling is applied and a number of assigned resource blocks equal to 2, then nHARQ associated with the PUCCH is determined based on a number of received physical downlink shared channels (PDSCH) and semi-persistent scheduling (SPS) release physical downlink control channels (PDCCH) in the subframes i-km.
US09386541B2

Transmit power (e.g., maximum transmit power) may be defined based on the maximum received signal strength allowed by a receiver and a total received signal strength from transmitting nodes at the receiver. Transmit power may be defined for an access node (e.g., a femto node) such that a corresponding outage created in a cell (e.g., a macro cell) is limited while still providing an acceptable level of coverage for access terminals associated with the access node. An access node may autonomously adjust its transmit power based on channel measurement and a defined coverage hole to mitigate interference and perform a self-calibration process.
US09386524B2

The invention relates to methods for improving the DRX operation of a UE by introducing an additional DRX wake-up cycle, which runs in parallel to the short and/or long DRX cycle. The DRX wake-up cycle defines time intervals after which the UE starts monitoring the PDCCH for a wake-up duration of time; the UE does not perform any other operation during the wake-up duration apart from monitoring the PDCCH. The time intervals of the wake-up cycle between the wake-up durations are preferably shorter than the one of the DRX long cycle, and may have the same or a shorter length than the ones of the DRX short cycle. The wake-up duration may be as long as the on-duration of the DRX short/long cycle, or may be preferably much shorter, such as only one or a few subframes.
US09386503B2

Embodiments of the invention are directed to systems, methods and computer program products for routing traffic in a packet data network (PDN). A method includes determining whether the mobile device has an active long-lived data traffic session over an original PDN connection between the mobile device and a first PDN gateway (P-GW); if the mobile device has an active long-lived data traffic session, then routing any new long-lived data traffic session over the original PDN connection; and if the mobile device does not have an active long-lived data traffic session, then routing any new long-lived data traffic session over a location-based PDN connection established based at least in part on a current location of the mobile device. In other words, the mobile device initiates and maintains all long-lived data sessions (for which service continuity is essential) to only one PDN connection.
US09386501B2

A facility for customizable routing in a modularized routing environment is provided, where the complexities of routing functionality are not exposed to an application program. An identifier associated with a routing policy of an application program is used to configure a route table and to obtain routing instructions from the route table that are associated with the identifier. Routing is performed according to a message routing protocol, such as the Diameter protocol, for example. An interface between the facility and the application program may be implemented with an API that provides a relatively simple interface.
US09386499B2

The invention provides a method for communicating in a wireless communication network (206), the wireless communication network comprising a plurality of base stations (102; 104) and at least one mobile communication unit (100), the mobile communication unit comprising a transceiver component (300), a first Doppler compensation component (108), and a measurement component (110), wherein the first Doppler compensation component is adapted to compensate the Doppler shift of signals (1; 2; 7; 11; 12; 13) being exchanged between a base station of the plurality of base stations and the transceiver component. A handover procedure between two base stations is possible for fast moving user equipments.
US09386493B2

The embodiments of the present invention provide a physical-layer-based handover method. The method includes: generating handover signaling, where the handover signaling carries a signaling type identifier and a destination identifier that are used for handover, and the handover signaling is an HS-SCCH order or specific HS-SCCH signaling; and sending the handover signaling to a physical layer of a mobile terminal, so that the mobile terminal executes handover according to the handover signaling to be handed over to a small cell indicated by the destination identifier. A handover method based on a network side physical layer and a mobile terminal physical layer is provided, and even if cell IDs of a macro cell and a small cell or those of small cells are the same, handover of the mobile terminal can be implemented.
US09386491B2

Embodiments of the present invention provide a method and a device for log transfer. The method includes: configuring control information, where the control information is used to control transfer of an automatic neighbor relation ANR log; and sending the control information to control a first radio network controller to pause or continue transfer of the ANR log to a second radio network controller, where: the first radio network controller is a radio network controller that receives the ANR log from a user equipment; and the second radio network controller is a radio network controller that controls a cell where an unconfigured neighboring cell is detected.
US09386478B2

A method for controlling access to a machine-type communication (MTC) device having a dual priority application in a mobile communication network. More particularly, a signaling method executed in a terminal configured to perform non-access stratum (NAS) signaling including low access priority indication in a mobile communication network and configured such that the low access priority is negligible. The signaling method may include performing one of a procedure of mobility management and a session management including the low access priority, receiving a back-off timer due to one of mobility management congestion control and session management congestion control and operating the back-off timer, and performing one of the mobility management procedure and the session management procedure without including the low access priority.
US09386474B2

Systems, methods, and devices for qualifying quality of service in data services delivered through wireless networks established by wireless access points (WAPs) are disclosed. A portable computing device can be used to execute a wireless network connectivity qualification application that can include functionality for testing and evaluating wireless network connectivity signals between various devices, including the WAP, in a particular local wireless network. Based on the test results, the application can generate recommendations for remedying any detected network issues. The recommendations can be determined from information stored locally on the portable computing device or in remote backend servers.
US09386469B2

A technique for obtaining a radio frequency (RF) performance metric estimate for a receiver used for at least one of a positioning measurement and a timing measurement is described. A method implementation of that technique includes the steps of calculating at least one of a detection probability and a false alarm rate for a radio signal usable for the measurement, and obtaining at least one RF performance metric estimate for the receiver based on at least one of the calculated detection probability and the calculated false alarm rate.
US09386465B2

A system and method are described for distributed antenna wireless communications. For example, a method implemented within a wireless transmission system comprised of a plurality of wireless client devices and a plurality of distributed antennas is described comprising: computing channel state information (CSI) for wireless communication channels between the plurality of base distributed antennas and the wireless client devices; computing precoding weights from the channel state information; precoding data using the precoding weights prior to wireless transmission from the plurality of distributed antennas to the wireless client devices; and wirelessly transmitting the precoded data from the distributed antennas to each of the wireless client devices, wherein the precoding causes radio frequency interference between the plurality of base stations but simultaneously generating a plurality of non-interfering radio frequency user channels between the plurality of distributed antennas and the plurality of wireless client devices.
US09386463B1

A method of managing the risk of a monitored application installed on a mobile communication device comprises determining a risk profile of the monitored application based on at least one of: comparison of performance of the mobile communication device before and after installation of the monitored application on the mobile communication device, comparison of permission requests of the monitored application versus a type of the monitored application, community feedback of the monitored application, an amount of time elapsed since release of the monitored application, and a risk profile of a publisher of the monitored application; and performing a first action if the risk profile of the monitored application meets or exceeds a predefined first threshold.
US09386447B2

Disclosed herein is a method and system for detecting, monitoring and/or controlling one or more of mobile services for a mobile communication device (also referred to herein as a Controllable Mobile Device or CMD), and in particular, when the device is being used and the vehicle, operated by the user of the device, is moving. The present method and system determines whether the vehicle is being operated by a user that may also have access to a mobile communication device which, if used concurrently while the vehicle is in operation, may lead to unsafe operation of the vehicle. If the mobile services control system determines that a vehicle operator has potentially unsafe access to a mobile communication device, the mobile services control system may restrict operator access to one or more services that would otherwise be available to the operator via the mobile communication device.
US09386434B2

A method, apparatus, and computer program product are provided to enable the provision of a mechanism by which a device participating in a collaborative application may synchronize with other participating devices. A method may include providing for operation of a collaboration application, receiving a signal from a sensor, establishing a reference time in response to receiving the signal from the sensor, and synchronizing the collaboration application using the reference time. The sensor may include an accelerometer and the signal may include a sampling of information from the sensor. The sampling may be conducted during a pre-defined time interval or possibly until a bump is detected. Establishing the reference time may include detecting a maximum value of the signal and/or detecting the signal exceeding a pre-defined threshold. Establishing the reference time may not require wireless communication.
US09386433B2

A system for providing mobile network services is disclosed. A first server is communicatively coupled to a mobile device over a mobile network and configured to receive a unique authentication token from the mobile device over the mobile network and provide a service to the mobile device via the mobile network, the service associated with the service of the first server. A second server is communicatively coupled to the mobile network and is configured to monitor usage of the mobile network by the mobile device.
US09386425B2

A method of supporting group communication over LTE MBMS is provided. A UE first establishes a unicast Evolved Packet Service (EPS) bearer in an LTE network for group communication. The UE belongs to a communication group having a communication group ID. The UE receives access information from the network for monitoring downlink (DL) multicast traffic of the DL group communication based on a multicast decision. The UE is then ready for monitoring a multicast Multimedia Broadcast Multicast Service (MBMS) bearer for receiving the DL multicast traffic. The multicast MBMS bearer is associated with a Temporary Mobile Group Identifier (TMGI), and wherein the TMGI is associated with the communication group ID. In one embodiment, the access information comprises mapping information between the TMGI and the communication group ID.
US09386423B2

Systems, methods, and devices for multicast communications including access identifiers are described herein. In some aspects, a fixed mapping from a multicast device identifier (e.g., multicast MAC address, multicast IP address) to a multicast access identifier is provided. In some aspects, a device may transmit a request to join a multicast group identified by a multicast access identifier. In some aspects, a device may receive an invitation to join a multicast group identified by a multicast access identifier.
US09386420B2

There is provided an information delivery apparatus including a receiving portion to receive location information of a mobile communication terminal at a given time and acquired date and time of the location information from the terminal, an event information storage portion to store event information including an event place, date and time, a delivery terminal selecting portion to select the mobile communication terminal to which the event information is to be delivered based on the location information and the acquired date and time of the location information and on the event place, date and time, and an event information delivery portion to deliver the event information to the selected mobile communication terminal. The delivery terminal selecting portion selects the mobile communication terminal whose location indicated by location information is within a predetermined range and whose acquired date and time of the location information are before the event date and time.
US09386419B2

The present invention relates to methods for operating a user equipment in a wireless communication network and user equipments for a wireless communication network.
US09386413B2

A system is provided for providing location-specific images to a mobile device for display. The system generally comprises three components: a mobile device having a screen, a position identification system (e.g., a GPS receiver) that determines the position of the mobile device, and a database containing location-specific images taken at various locations. Each location-specific image is associated with geographic coordinates of the location at which the image was taken. Based on the position of the mobile device as determined by the position identification system, a location-specific image is selected from the database and displayed on the screen of the mobile device. For example, when a user is using the mobile device as a car navigation system, a location-specific image of the user's destination location can be selected and displayed when the determined position of the mobile device comes within a certain distance from the geographic coordinates of the destination location.
US09386412B2

A method and system which may determine when to deliver assistance data to a requesting user device. In one example, the user device may request updates of assistance data related to one or more data type from an assistance server. Additionally, the user device may include one or more parameters for the delivery of updates of assistance data. The assistance server may provide updated assistance data based on an event and in compliance with the one or more parameters.
US09386408B2

In an aspect, a generic positioning protocol (GPP) may be used to support satellite-based positioning methods and terrestrial-based positioning methods for different access types. A terminal may exchange a first GPP message with first information for a positioning method and an access type supported by GPP. The terminal may exchange a second GPP message with second information for the positioning method and the access type. Each GPP message may include at least one position element, and each position element may be for a specific positioning method. The terminal may obtain a position estimate for itself based on the second information. In another aspect, positioning may be performed based on measurements for cells of different wireless access types. In yet another aspect, received transmission times may be transformed to converted times based on common timing, which may be applicable for multiple wireless access types.
US09386398B2

A system and method implemented at a communication device or mobile hotspot device for providing access to data services over a wireless communication network to one or more user devices. The communication or hotspot device is adapted to provide router, mobile hotspot-type or ad hoc networking functions to user devices such as laptops, tablets, and other entertainment and productivity devices adapted to communicate over a wireless LAN and to provide access to broadband data services. The data services provided over the network may be subject to one or more data allowances or data transfer limits. The communication or hotspot device is adapted to manage the user device connections and data transfer to and from the communication device within the data allowances or according to predetermined prioritization.
US09386394B2

Execution of an application that functions when a mobile communication terminal is performing communication in a particular mobile communication network. A mobile communication terminal includes an application execution unit for executing one or more applications, a mobile communication unit for performing location registration in a mobile communication network for establishing a communication state, a communication network specifying unit for specifying the mobile communication network in which location registration is made, and an application control unit for performing control on the application execution unit so as to start an application corresponding to the specified mobile communication network.
US09386389B2

An audio signal processing device receives a plurality of audio signals via a left channel (L) and a right channel (R) so as to produce a composite signal L+R and a difference signal L−R. The composite signal L+R is changed in phase with an all-pass filter, while the difference signal L−R is changed in phase and frequency characteristic with a band-pass filter (e.g. a center frequency of 1 kHz). The band-pass filter has a gently curved frequency characteristic achieving a broad passing band. Additionally, a phase difference of 90 degrees is maintained between the all-pass filter and the band-pass filter over the entire audio frequency range. The composite signal and the difference signal are adjusted in their levels and then mixed together to produce a monaural signal achieving an audio surround effect for widely propagating sound into the surrounding space without degrading sound quality.
US09386381B2

A vehicle communications system and a method utilizing that system that provides audio within a vehicle cabin compartment to a hearing aid system. The method includes the steps of establishing a wireless connection via short range wireless communication (SRWC) between the hearing aid system and a vehicle audio system; and providing first audio from the audio system to the hearing aid system via the SRWC.
US09386360B2

In various embodiments, a system for receiving wireless power includes a magnetic core and a plurality of layers of electrical conductors wrapped around the magnetic core. Each electrical conductor includes a first endpoint and a second endpoint; the first endpoint and the second endpoint are electrically connected to a circuit to provide power thereto, and two of the electrical conductors are electrically insulated from each other between the first endpoint and the second endpoint.
US09386354B2

In particular embodiments, one or more computer systems of a social-networking system determine available media content from one or more content sources and query a social graph of a social-networking system for social content associated with a user of the social-networking system. The social graph includes nodes and edges connecting the nodes. The nodes include user nodes that are each associated with a particular user of the social-networking system. The one or more computer systems of the social-networking system determine, using the social content and the available media content, a plurality of social coefficients for the user, determine, based on the determined social coefficients, recommended media content for the user, and provide the recommended media content for display in a programming guide on a display device.
US09386350B2

Systems and methods are discussed for providing guidance for Internet-delivered media. In some embodiments, information on available media on the Internet is gathered. The information is associated with existing media guidance data. The associations enable a media guidance application to identify relevant online media and to display listings in a user-friendly way. A user interface for an online media guidance application is also provided. The user interface allows a user to narrow down the large amount of Internet-delivered media in a systematic way according to criteria that interests a user.
US09386349B2

Systems and methods presented herein provide for conflict resolution of assets selected for insertion into COD content. In one embodiment, the system includes an interface operable to process a request for asset insertion into the COD content selection. The system also includes an asset conflict resolution module operable to identify asset timeslots within the COD content selection from the request, to evaluate the assets to determine conflicts among the assets, to remove conflicting assets, and to select at least a portion of the remaining assets for insertion in the asset timeslots of the COD content selection. For example, the asset conflict resolution module may determine that conflicts exist between certain assets based on various identifiers associated with the assets and/or content such that the conflicts between the assets may be resolved with the removal of one or more of the assets from potential asset insertion selection.
US09386337B2

A broadcasting signal processing apparatus for controlling display of an image based on a received broadcasting signal, in response to a user selection command being continuously received while displaying the image, controlling display of a plurality of visual guide items on the image, the plurality of visual guide items representing a plurality of functions of the broadcasting signal processing apparatus for guiding a user how to control the input device to select a function among the plurality of functions, determining a movement direction of a pointing position while the user selection command is continuously received based on first and second information, and in response to the user selection command not being received, executing a function among the plurality of functions based on the movement direction of the pointing position.
US09386332B2

One or more network devices receive, from a third-party system, catalog metadata for physical media assets available to order and combine the catalog metadata with catalog entries for digital content to form a unified catalog file. The one or more devices receive, from a user device, a request to view a directory of available video content and send, to the user device, the unified catalog file for presentation to a user. The one or more devices receive, from the user device, a selection of an item in the unified catalog file. The one or more devices provide, to the user device, video content corresponding to the selection when the selection corresponds to one of the catalog entries for digital content and provide, to the third-party system and via a billing gateway, user payment information when the selection corresponds to the catalog metadata for one of the physical media assets.
US09386329B2

A broadcast program processing device includes video content recording unit. The video content recording unit causes a storage unit to store a plurality of pieces of video content each of which includes at least one advertisement video. The broadcast program processing device changes the advertisement video included in a piece of video content stored in the storage unit to a substitute advertisement video before being instructed to play any one of the pieces of video content and plays the piece of video content whose advertisement video has been changed if instructed to play any one of the pieces of video content.
US09386320B2

A moving picture coding apparatus includes an inter-pixel filter having filters for filtering decoded image data so as to remove block distortion which is high frequency noise around block boundaries. The inter-pixel filter includes filters having different filtering strengths. The coding apparatus also includes a filter processing control unit for determining a filtering strength of the inter-pixel filter.
US09386314B2

Region-based encoding apparatus and decoding apparatus. The encoding apparatus selects an optimum region division mode from region division modes with respect to regions divided from an image frame, and transmits, to the decoding apparatus, an optimum image filtering method and an optimum filter coefficient of regions divided, according to the optimum region division mode.
US09386301B2

The present invention discloses a stereoscopic display system, which includes a phase retarder, a display panel, a detector unit, and a processing unit. The phase retarder has a plurality of first strip shapes and a plurality of second strip shapes. The first strip shapes and the second strip shapes are alternately arranged. The display panel has a plurality of pixels. The pixels are arranged into a plurality of pixel rows corresponding to the first strip shapes and the second strip shapes. The detector unit utilized to detect a position of an observer's eyes relative to the display panel. The processing unit is electrically coupled to the display panel and the detector unit, and is utilized to adjust a position of the images displayed on the plurality of pixel rows, thereby reducing a crosstalk phenomenon.
US09386297B2

A reconstructed image which further reflects the photo shooting information of a main object is generated. A layer determiner defines a layer of a reconstructed image. A layer image generator reconstructs an image of an object included in the allocated depth range from a light field image and the depth map of the light field image for each layer. A conversion pixel extractor extracts corresponding pixels on a conversion layer which corresponds to an object to be modified. The object to be modified is designated by an operation acquired by a modification operation acquirer. A reconstructed image generator converts layer images using a conversion matrix defined by a conversion matrix determiner and generates an image whose composition has been modified by superimposing the layer images.
US09386263B2

When a continuous imaging mode is set, a screen is displayed for allowing input of a number of images to shoot and the imaging parameters for each of the images, a determination is made as to whether the number of images to shoot and the imaging parameters for each of the images have been input by the user. When the number of images to shoot and the imaging parameters for each of the images have been input, the input number of images and the imaging parameters are stored, and a direct image display is started. Moreover, when there is an imaging instruction, a continuous imaging process is started in which still imaging is performed continuously based on the stored number of images and the imaging parameters. When the continuous imaging process has been completed, the plurality of still image data, obtained with differing imaging parameters, is recorded.
US09386260B2

A projector includes an alternately-current-driven light source and a liquid crystal light valve that modulates light output from the light source. The light source and the liquid crystal light valve are driven under a condition that a current drive signal of the light source and a vertical synchronizing signal of the liquid crystal light valve are synchronized, and a synchronization timing of the current drive signal and the vertical synchronizing signal is changed to a different synchronization timing based on accumulated operating time at intervals of each time or a plural times of activation or with the same synchronization timing.
US09386250B2

A solid state image pickup device is provided that includes a pixel array unit having a plurality of pixels and a signal processing circuit that has a capacitor operatively configured to process a respective signal output from each of the plurality of pixels. The capacitor is operatively configured as a stacked capacitor or a trench capacitor.
US09386248B2

A pixel includes: a photoelectric conversion unit that photoelectrically converts incident light and has an upper electrode, a lower electrode, and a photoelectric conversion film interposed between the upper electrode and the lower electrode; an amplifying transistor that outputs a signal according to an amount of a signal charge generated in the photoelectric conversion unit; a charge transfer line that connects the lower electrode and the amplifying transistor; and an output line that outputs the signal from the amplifying transistor, wherein at least a part of the output line is disposed to overlap the lower electrode without another line interposed therebetween.
US09386246B2

To provide a small-area photoelectric conversion device without impairing a resolution switching function, signals for controlling output order control switches provided so as to correspond to photoelectric conversion elements are selected by an output order control circuit and a shift register. In this manner, the number of flip-flops forming a shift register is reduced.
US09386244B2

A solid-state imaging device of a three-transistor pixel configuration having no selection transistor has a problem of a non-selection hot carrier white point, which is specific to this apparatus. A bias current during a non-reading period of pixels is made to flow to a pixel associated with an immediately previous selection pixel, for example, the immediately previous selection pixel itself. As a result, dark current only for one line occurs in each pixel, and the dark current for one line itself can be reduced markedly. Consequently, defective pixels due to non-selection hot carrier white points can be virtually eliminated.
US09386243B2

A lens shading correction method includes providing lens shading correction profile data; calculating an intensity values of light passing through each of one or more visible light pass filters and each of one or more infrared light pass filters; calculating an average of the intensity values of the light passing through the one or more visible light pass filters; calculating an average of the intensity values of the light passing through the one or more infrared light pass filters; calculating a normalized intensity value of the light passing through the one or more infrared light pass filters, based on the calculated averages; adjusting one or more lens shading correction coefficients included in the lens shading correction profile data and each having a value varying depending on a frequency element of light, based on the calculated normalized intensity value; and correcting lens shading by using the adjusted lens shading correction coefficient.
US09386242B2

An imaging device and a method of driving the imaging device including a plurality of pixels and a control circuit to apply a signal to the pixels, wherein the pixels include a photodiode, a floating diffusion node, a first storage node and a second storage node connected in parallel between the photodiode and the floating diffusion node, a first shift switching unit to selectively shift charges integrated in the photodiode to the first storage node, a second shift switching node to selectively shift the charges integrated in the photodiode to the second storage node, a first transfer switching unit to selectively transfer charges integrated in the first storage node to the floating diffusion node, a second transfer switching unit to selectively transfer charges integrated in the second storage node to the floating diffusion node, and a reset switching unit.
US09386233B2

An image acquisition apparatus includes an optical system, an imaging device, a movement controller, and a multiple exposure processing unit. The optical system includes an objective lens for magnifying a portion of an imaging target. The imaging device is capable of performing all-pixel simultaneous exposure and is configured to image the portion magnified by the optical system. The movement controller is configured to move a focal point of the objective lens in a thickness direction of the portion of the imaging target. The multiple exposure processing unit is configured to perform multiple exposure of the imaging device at a plurality of positions such that, for each of ranges sectioned by positions in a direction in which the focal point is movable, an average image that covers each of the ranges is obtained.
US09386228B2

An image processing device includes an image generation device, a first display device and a second display device, and a display control device, wherein the image generation device generates the first display image and the second display image such that the first display image and the second display image are different in at least any one of decimation ratio, enlargement ratio and reduction ratio of the first display image and the second display image, and the image generation device makes the first display device and the second display device different in at least any one of pixels that are of the first pixel group and the second pixel group and that are used in the generation of the second display image, the enlargement ratio and the reduction ratio of the second display image, and a pixel region in which the second display image is displayed.
US09386221B2

A portable lateral test reader apparatus includes a processing arrangement, a digital camera, a user interface. The digital camera captures at least one image of locations of at least one test line, at least one control line and at least one reference of a test structure. The processing arrangement measures an intensity associated with the at least one test line, an intensity associated with the at least control line and an intensity of the at least one reference in the at least one image, forms a test result as a function of measured intensities associated with the at least on test line, the at least control line and the at least one reference, and outputs the test result using the user interface.
US09386204B2

An insertion part inserted into an insertion hole of a front case in an insertion direction which is a direction of an optical axis and a regulation part for regulating the insertion are formed in a lens holder for holding an image pickup lens. Projections of an engaging part are formed surrounding the insertion part, and projections of another engaging part are formed surrounding the insertion hole. An interval of the projections of the engaging part is wider than that of the projections of the other engaging part, and an interval of the projections of the other engaging part is formed wider than that of the projections of the engaging part. Accordingly, the position of the lens holder relative to the front case is adjusted in a state where the engaging parts and are engaged.
US09386202B2

Exemplary embodiments of a camera module are proposed, the camera module being such that a terminal formed at a holder is inserted into a through hole or a groove of a substrate in a case the substrate and the holder are coupled, to allow the terminal and the holder to be electrically connected.
US09386200B2

There is provided a camera module including an image sensor unit that is configured to include an image sensor and a mounting board, a sheet-shaped heat radiation member that comes into contact with a part of the image sensor unit and a component other than the image sensor unit and is elastically deformed so that an imaging surface of the image sensor unit is moved, and an actuator that elastically deforms the sheet-shaped heat radiation member so that the imaging surface of the image sensor unit is moved.
US09386198B2

An image pickup apparatus in which an imaging sensor package reflow mounted in advance to a circuit board can be fixed to a fixture member of the image pickup apparatus. A sensor holder of a digital video camera as an image pickup apparatus has a holder body that is positioned to surround an imaging sensor package mounted to a sensor board as a circuit board. Flange portions of the sensor holder are formed to project from a rear end surface of the holder body toward a heat radiation plate having a flat plate shape. The heat radiation plate is fixed to a lens barrel in a state that the flange portions are held between the lens barrel and the heat radiation plate.
US09386192B2

An invention for measuring, maintaining and correcting synchronization between signals which suffer varying relative delays during transmission and/or storage is shown. The present invention teaches measuring the relative delay between a plurality of signals which have suffered differing delays due to transmission, storage or other processing. The preferred embodiment of the invention includes the use of a marker which is generated in response to a second signal and combined with a first signal in a manner which ensures that the marker will not be lost in the expected processing of the first signal. Subsequently a first delayed marker is generated in response to the marker associated with or recovered from the first signal, and a second delayed marker is generated from the second signal. The first delayed marker and second delayed marker are compared to determine a measure of the relative timing or delay between said first signal and said second signal at said subsequent time.
US09386189B2

A color gamut conversion device includes: a target color coordinate converter configured to convert each RGB value of red (R), green (G), blue (B), cyan (C), magenta (M), yellow (Y), and white (W) of a target color coordinate into a tristimulus value XYZ; a reference conversion matrix generator configured to generate a first reference conversion matrix for converting each tristimulus value XYZ into an R′G′B′ value according to a color gamut of a reference display; a low power corrected value calculator configured to calculate a low power corrected value for correcting the R′G′B′ value; a lookup table (LUT) generator configured to generate an LUT including an R″G″B″ value corresponding to each RGB value by using a second reference conversion matrix that the low power corrected value is applied to the first reference conversion matrix; and a color gamut converter configured to convert image data of the RGB values into image data of the R″G″B″ values using the LUT.
US09386187B2

An image processing apparatus includes: a processor configured to receive selection of one of options including a first-kind option and a second-kind option, and receive designation of a saving format and a compression level; acquire scan data generated; and generate a compressed file by compressing the scan data, wherein in a case where the first-kind option is selected and where a specific saving format is designated as the saving format, the processor configured to generate the compressed file by using a first compression scheme, regardless of the designated compression level. In a case where the second-kind option is selected and where the specific saving format is designated as the saving format, the processor configured to select one compression scheme from the first compression scheme and the second compression scheme, according to the designated compression level, and generate the compressed file by using the selected compression scheme.
US09386186B2

An image processing apparatus accurately determines the inclination of an original even in the case where an original of a white sheet is read with a white sheet as a background. For this, the image processing apparatus extracts a fiber section having a feature of paper fiber from image data, analyzes a direction of fiber in the fiber section, and calculates the inclination of an original at the time of reading the original based on the direction.
US09386185B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure can include systems, methods, and non-transitory computer program products for using color space encoded images to publish an entire book including text and images onto a single piece of paper, or onto few pieces of paper. In certain aspects, the present systems and methods allow users to perform data backup using color space encoded images. In other aspects, the present systems and methods allow users to self-publish desired content significantly cheaper by encoding the desired content using color space encoded images. In certain aspects, publishers or booksellers can include traditional books in combination with digital or electronic books distributed using color space encoded images. In other aspects, the present systems and methods allow users or administrators to compress and/or copy massive documents using color space encoded images.
US09386180B2

An image processing device is capable of communicating with an information processing terminal and performing image processing on a scanned image together with the information processing terminal in a distributed manner. The image processing device includes: a document feeder that automatically feeds pages of a document continuously one by one; an image reader that generates a scanned image of one page by reading the document; an image processor that generates a processed image by performing image processing on the scanned image generated by the image reader; a halt processor that makes the image processor halt the image processing; and a transmission processor that transmits the processed image generated as a result of the image processing to the information processing terminal and transmits a scanned image not to be subjected to the image processing to the information processing terminal during the image processing or after halt of the image processing.
US09386179B2

An apparatus management system includes a first apparatus; a second apparatus having an apparatus type different from the first apparatus; and an apparatus management configuration connected via a network with the first apparatus and the second apparatus, and managing the apparatuses. The apparatus management configuration includes a reception part that receives apparatus information that includes apparatus type identifiers for identifying the apparatus types of the first apparatus and the second apparatus; and a control part that carries out control to generate management information according to the apparatus types, based on the apparatus type identifiers.
US09386169B2

In an image forming apparatus being capable of executing a specific copy job to perform copy processing in cooperation with an external apparatus, when cancel of the specific copy job is instructed before completion of printing by a printing unit, the external apparatus is notified of the cancel of the specific copy job, and printing based on processed image data received by a reception unit is canceled.
US09386157B2

Disclosed is a method for telecommunication using a system in which individual journal entries and/or voice mail messages for each user are stored. Each time a user initiates or receives a call the system verifies whether specific journal entries and/or voice mail messages are stored for the respective user and the system presents in case of said specific entries or messages an output to the user to inform the user that said specific entries or messages have been verified or found.
US09386155B2

A communication device is provided for enabling a user to establish an automated call back from a communication system, such as a call center, for example. A software device application enables the communication device to communicate with the call center through the exchange of data. The communication device includes a display screen for displaying controls for allowing the user to interact with the communication system. The controls allow the user to request a list of providers from which to select a provider or company to contact. The communication device further provides controls for allowing the user to select a queue to join from a list of queues associated with the selected provider. An embodiment of a system and method for managing, directing, and queuing communication events may also communicate contextual data between a communication device and a communication system.
US09386152B2

A system for a contact center includes: a processor; an interactive voice response (IVR) node configured to engage in an incoming interaction from a customer to the contact center by presenting set scripts to the customer and receiving corresponding responses; an intelligent automated agent including an artificial intelligence engine; a call server node configured to route the interaction and the responses to one of a pool of live agents or to the automated agent; and a non-transitory storage device coupled to the processor and configured to store customer profile data built from previous interactions. The automated agent is further configured to retrieve a profile of the customer from the customer profile data during the interaction and to update the retrieved profile on the storage device to reflect the interaction. The artificial intelligence engine is configured to learn knowledge from the interaction and to apply the learned knowledge to future interactions.
US09386147B2

A device is configured to determine that the user device is participating in a conference call with a plurality of other user devices; determine that the user device is muted during the conference call; receive a first sound from the user device while the user device is muted; recognize that the first sound matches a vocal pattern of a user associated with the user device; and un-mute the user device after recognizing that the first sound matches the vocal pattern.
US09386146B2

In one aspect, the present invention facilitates the investigation of networks of criminals, by gathering associations between phone numbers, the names of persons reached at those phone numbers, and voice print data. In another aspect the invention automatically detects phone calls from a prison where the voiceprint of the person called matches the voiceprint of a past inmate. In another aspect the invention detects identity scams in prisons, by monitoring for known voice characteristics of likely imposters on phone calls made by prisoners. In another aspect, the invention automatically does speech-to-text conversion of phone numbers spoken within a predetermined time of detecting data indicative of a three-way call event while monitoring a phone call from a prison inmate. In another aspect, the invention automatically thwarts attempts of prison inmates to use re-dialing services. In another aspect, the invention automatically tags audio data retrieved from a database, by steganographically encoding into the audio data the identity of the official retrieving the audio data.
US09386145B2

A method for calculating a mean opinion score (MOS) during an ongoing Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) call is provided. The method may include determining a time delay between a VoIP source and a VoIP destination connected by a communications network. A start recording message is sent from the VoIP source to the VoIP destination. A first recorded call sample from the VoIP source and a second recorded call sample from the VoIP destination are generated, whereby the first and the second recorded call sample are generated with a recording delay value corresponding the determined time delay for synchronizing the first and the second recorded call sample. Using an intrusive call quality measurement, a first MOS value is calculated based on the first and the second recorded call sample. Using a non-intrusive call quality measurement, a second MOS value is calculated based on the first MOS value.
US09386143B2

A hand-held communication device including a display. A plurality of communication incidents of the communication device is logged. A recent-communication-incident log is determined, which includes information regarding the most recent communication incidents. A most-frequent-communication-incident log is determined, which includes information regarding the sender or receiver of the most-frequent communication incidents. A combined-communication log is generated, which includes a portion of items relating to the recent-communication-incident log and a portion of items relating to the most-frequent-communication-incident log. A first or second number of items of the combined-communication log corresponds to the first N items of the recent-communication-incident log, and a second or first number of items of the combined-communication log corresponds to the first M items of the most-frequent-communication-incident log. The combined-communication log is displayed on the display, enabling a user of the communication device to select an item from the combined-communication log to initiate a communication.
US09386142B2

A system and method of automatically prevents a cellular telephone operated by a driver from receiving or transmitting text and email messages while driving a motor vehicle. The system includes a first Bluetooth transceiver located inside a motor vehicle configured to create a link, such as a piconet, with a compatible second Bluetooth receiver located in the cellular telephone that has text and email messaging capabilities. The cellular telephone includes a software program loaded into its memory designed to automatically disable the device's text and mail messaging capabilities when the link is created. Upon entering and starting the motor vehicle, the link is established, which automatically blocks or deactivates the telephone's transmission and receiving message capabilities. In one embodiment, the software program provides a menu page that allows the driver to selectively turn ON or OFF different features when the two transceivers are linked. Access to the menu page may be controlled by passwords.
US09386131B2

A method of performing a function by combining one or more blocks including sensing whether the one or more blocks are connected, determining indexes respectively corresponding to the connected one or more blocks, deciding, by using the indexes, a function to be performed based on the sensing, the function being one of a plurality of functions, each function associated with a respective set of function blocks, and generating a control signal for performing the decided function may be provided.
US09386130B2

A method of communications in a network interconnecting at least two power generators, each power generator being connected to said network by means of at least one interfacing device capable of sending and receiving communications frames, said frames comprising at least one piece of supervision data and at least one piece of information data. The method may include a step for sending during which the same pieces of information data are sent at least twice, two operations for sending frames to be sent that comprise identical pieces of information data being separated in time by a predetermined time interval, and a step for receiving, implementing a systematic elimination of one of the frames received when two frames comprising identical pieces of information data have been received.
US09386124B2

The apparatus comprises at least one database for storing digital information associated with at least a first user and a second user, at least one links module for the first user and for the second user, at least one manipulations module and at least one display device for respectively displaying at least said linked digital information wherein said linked digital information associated with said first user is automatically updated on at least said display device of said second user when that information is manipulated, and wherein said linked digital information associated with said second user is automatically updated on at least said display device of said first user when that information is manipulated.
US09386122B2

A server selecting apparatus which is configured to communicate with at least one image processing apparatus includes: a communication unit configured to communicate with the at least one image processing apparatus; and a control device. The control device is configured to: acquire, via the communication unit, specific function information as to whether the at least one image processing apparatus is capable of executing the processing of a specific function which is a specific image processing function; identify at least one specific-function executable apparatus which is capable of executing the processing of the specific function from among the at least one image processing apparatus, based on the specific function information; and select one image processing apparatus as a specific server, which manages execution information of the specific function with respect to all of the at least one specific-function executable apparatus, from among the at least one specific-function executable apparatus.
US09386108B1

This invention provides a social network for wildlife species observers, e.g. birders, to verify accuracy of observations made of wildlife in the field, and includes issuance of automatic rare species alerts when a sighting is determined to be rare, all via a web site.
US09386101B2

There is provided an analysis server including a first verifying unit that analyzes data acquired from a local power management system composed of an electronic appliance provided with a sensor and a power management apparatus managing power supply to the electronic appliance connected to a power network, by using history information of the local power management system or data acquired from another local power management system with a power usage state similar to that of the local power management system, a second verifying unit that analyzes the data acquired from the local power management system, by using an estimated value calculated by simulation using characteristics information and/or specification information of the electronic appliance, and a control unit that controls the first verifying unit and the second verifying unit.
US09386100B2

A cluster of computing systems is provided with guaranteed real-time access to data storage in a storage area network. Processes issue request for bandwidth reservation which are initially handled by a daemon on the same node as the requesting processes. The local daemon determines whether bandwidth is available and, if so, reserves the bandwidth in common hardware on the local node, then forwards requests for shared resources to a master daemon for the cluster. The master daemon makes similar determinations and reservations for resources shared by the cluster, including data storage elements in the storage area network and grants admission to the requests that don't exceed total available bandwidth.
US09386094B2

A system, method and apparatus for media submission. The submission mechanism is configurable to perform a variable amount of intelligent preprocessing on media objects prior to upload. In the example of digital images, the tool can perform sizing and formatting, for example.
US09386093B2

A method and apparatus for peer-to-peer file sharing is provided. In some embodiments, the method includes receiving a request for a list of neighbor peers, where the request is made by a requesting peer device, and where the requesting peer device has a local internet service provider (ISP). The method may also include employing a server device to rank each neighbor peer in a plurality of neighbor peers based on whether the respective neighbor peer is external to the local ISP, and if the respective neighbor peer is external to the ISP, further based on a cost metric associated with a next ISP hop from the requesting peer device to the respective neighbor peer. The method may also include generating the list of neighbor peers based on the ranking of the neighbor peers, and enabling transmission of the list of neighbor peers to the requesting peer device.
US09386085B2

A method for managing an application delivery controller (ADC) cluster operable in a software defined networking (SDN)-based network and including a plurality of ADC virtual appliances (VAs). The method comprises creating, by a central controller, a hash table including a plurality of buckets allocated to active VAs out of the plurality of VAs, each bucket is assigned to a range of a source internet protocol (IP) addresses of a client; and programming by the central controller at least one ingress network element connected to the ADC cluster and receive incoming traffic from clients to perform a balanced incoming traffic distribution among the plurality of VAs, wherein the traffic distribution is based in part on the allocation of the buckets to the plurality of VAs and the SIP addresses of the clients originating the incoming traffic. The plurality of VAs are virtual ADC instances operable i the plurality of physical devices.
US09386083B2

A managed services platform. An applications management server is provided for managing relationships with application service providers and others over a wide area network such as the Internet. The applications management server interfaces with a master database server and the servers of one or more application service providers, or other entities, to facilitate selection and deselection of applications, services, and capabilities that may be available for use by the information technology network of a company.
US09386076B1

A delivery system, media, and method for communicating content to devices are provided. The delivery system includes a services aggregator and content aggregator for processing requests from the devices. The services aggregator processes the request to identify credentials for the devices that generate the request and to identify providers of content specified in the request. The content aggregator receives the content from the identified providers and formats the content based on limits imposed by the device. Because the devices are configured to allow the services aggregator and content aggregator to perform computational-intensive tasks associated with requesting and transmitting the content, the complexity and cost of the devices are minimized.
US09386075B2

Methods, systems, and computer-readable media for providing a flexible download destination are provided. A download request for content transmitted from a first device to a content server is detected. In response to detecting the download request, a determination is made as to whether a user of the first device has subscribed to a flexible download destination service. Upon determining that the user of the first device has subscribed to the flexible download destination service, an interface for selecting alternate download destinations is provided. A selection of a second device is received through the interface. A transfer of the content to the second device is coordinated.
US09386073B2

Embodiments relate to a method, system and program product for performing data processing. The system includes a plurality of computer servers configured to perform data processing, a client in processing communication with the computer servers and enabled to request data processing from any of the servers and a storing component included in the client for storing information relating to requested data to be processed. A processing component included in each computer server for applying a control lock to data being processed. A reprocessing request component is included in the client for enabling a new server to take over processing of requested data upon failure of previously processing computer server. The computer server obtains information relating to requested data from storing component and information relating to control lock information from the processing component such that the new computer server commences processing at a processing point exactly prior to the failure.
US09386068B2

Service quality relating to multimedia content is measured in a mobile wireless telecommunication network by comparing, in a mobile wireless device, a received test media clip with a pre-stored sample media clip. The network transmits a test media clip, which is received by one or more mobile wireless devices. A device that receives the test media clip compares it with a sample media clip stored in mobile wireless device memory to detect differences between characteristics of the received test media clip and sample media clip. The device produces a result in response to detected differences. The result is provided to the network's service quality management function.
US09386060B2

A device receives information associated with over-the-top (OTT) content associated with a user of the device. The device retrieves, from an OTT content delivery system, an address a playback position, and a manifest file associated with the OTT content, where the manifest file identifies chunks of content associated with the OTT content. The device retrieves, from the OTT content delivery system, one or more chunks, of the chunks of content associated with the OTT content, based on the address, the playback position, and the manifest file, where the one or more chunks are fewer than all of the chunks. The device stores the one or more chunks in the memory, receives an instruction to play the OTT content after the one or more chunks are stored, and plays the one or more chunks, based on the instruction, while simultaneously obtaining remaining chunks of the OTT content.
US09386055B2

A system for signaling an application when a requested data rate and Quality of Service cannot be achieved using OFDM wireless data transmission, and the application proceeds by either renegotiating QoS and data rate, or waiting until they requested rate and QoS are met.
US09386049B2

The embodiments described herein recite a telephone communication system used for handling information such as messages, typically voice mail messages, and, more particularly, is directed to a system that provides distributed session initiation protocol (SIP) silos. Distributed SIP silos (DSS) is a Communications Application Platform (CAP) feature that maintains the site's call capacity even when a signaling server fails. DSS uses multiple non-redundant signaling servers to provide SIP signaling for the same set of media ports. Because there are multiple signaling servers providing signaling for the same set of ports, the failure of one signaling server only terminates the calls it was actively processing and once those calls have been cleaned up, all the available (non-suspended) ports in the configuration are available to the remaining signaling servers.
US09386044B2

Methods and systems are disclosed for identifying security risks, arising from credentials existing on machines in the networks that enable access to other machines on the networks. Account credentials indications are retrieved from machines in the network, which indicate that credentials for accounts are stored on those machines. Access rights for accounts are collected, describing the access and operation permissions of these accounts on machines in the networks. A correlation is then performed to identify machines that can be accessed by employing credentials of accounts retrieved from other machines in the network.
US09386042B1

Methods, systems, and computer readable mediums for utilizing geographical location information to manage applications in a computer network system are disclosed. According to one example, a method includes receiving, by a global positioning system (GPS) service entity, a request for geographical location information associated with an infrastructure enclosure device from a location request entity, wherein the location request entity is hosted by the infrastructure enclosure device. The method further includes acquiring, by the GPS service entity, the geographical location information from a location enablement device included in the infrastructure enclosure device and sending, by the GPS service module, the acquired geographical location information to the location request entity, wherein the location request entity enforces a policy based on the acquired geographical location information.
US09386038B2

Methods and systems for managing encrypted network traffic using spoofed addresses. One example method includes receiving a request to resolve a domain name; determining that the domain name is included in a predetermined set of domain names; associating a spoofed address with the domain name; sending a response to the request to resolve the domain name, the response including the spoofed address; receiving a secure request for a resource, the secure request directed to the spoofed address; determining that the secure request is directed to the domain name based on the association between the spoofed address and the domain name; and selectively decrypting the secure request based at least in part on determining that the secure request is directed to the domain name.
US09386031B2

Methods, systems, and computer programs for detecting targeted attacks on compromised computer. An example method includes receiving from a plurality of computer systems data about the network resource, wherein each of the plurality of computer systems has a set of parameters and associated parameter values; detecting presence of a suspect indicator in the respective data received from each of a first group of the plurality of computer systems; detecting absence of the suspect indicator in the respective data received from each of a second group of the plurality of computer systems; determining at least one suspect parameter and at least one suspect parameter value; and estimating a probability of the targeted attack from the network resource based on the suspect indicator, the at least one suspect parameter, and the at least one parameter value.
US09386030B2

An apparatus and method predict and detect network attacks by using a diverse set of indicators to measure aspects of the traffic and by encoding traffic characteristics using these indicators of potential attacks or anomalous behavior. The set of indicators is analyzed by supervised learning to automatically learn a decision rule which examines the temporal patterns in the coded values of the set of indicators to accurately detect and predict network attacks. The rules automatically evolve in response to new attacks as the system updates its rules periodically by analyzing new data and feedback signals about attacks associated with that data. To assist human operators, the system also provides human interpretable explanations of detection and prediction rules by pointing to indicators whose values contribute to a decision that there is an existing network attack or an imminent network attack. When such indictors are detected, an operator can take remediation actions.
US09386028B2

Methods and systems for malware detection techniques, which detect malware by identifying the Command and Control (C&C) communication between the malware and the remote host, and distinguish between communication transactions that carry C&C communication and transactions of innocent traffic. The fine-granularity features are examined, which are present in the transactions and are indicative of whether the transactions are exchanged with malware. A feature comprises an aggregated statistical property of one or more features of the transactions, such as average, sum median or variance, or of any suitable function or transformation of the features.
US09386026B2

A secure electronic correspondence method and system based on a principle relating to the uniqueness of the originals of the correspondences. The archiving thereof is certified by a certification service provider and performed by an archive operator in an electronic safe box. The main steps of the processes for processing said correspondences are the subject of a report confirming the correct execution thereof, including the return of a certification token by the operator responsible for the step to the managers of the trust chain. In a variant, correspondences belonging to a document management series can only be sent if they meet management rules set for the series. In a privileged mode, functions of the electronic correspondence operators that do not necessarily have to meet user proximity requirements can be grouped together into shared service centers within which the communications are reduced without negatively affecting the reliability of the process.
US09386024B1

Disclosed are systems and methods for detecting modified or corrupted external devices connected to a computer system. An exemplary method includes storing in a database, data that relates to devices previously connected to the computer system and rules that specify conditions that indicate when the device should be further analyzed as being possibly corrupted. The method further includes receiving from the device data that relates to the device or to a connection between the device and the computer system; performing an analysis of the received data by comparing the received data and the stored data relating to devices previously connected to the computer system; and applying results of the analysis of the received data to the rules to determine whether the at least one condition is satisfied that indicates that the device is possibly modified or corrupted and should be further analyzed for presence of malware.
US09386021B1

Approaches for providing operating environments selective access to network resources. A guest operating system, executing on a device, may issue a request to a network device for access to a set of network resources. Once the guest operating system authenticates itself to the network device, the network device provides, to the guest operating system, access to the set of network resources. Note that the host operating system, executing on the device, does not have access to the set of network resources. A guest operating system may be provided access to an untrusted network in a manner that denies the host operating system access to the untrusted network. In this way, any malicious code inadvertently introduced into the host operating system cannot access the untrusted network for unscrupulous purposes.
US09386018B2

A card reader controller engine includes an interface controller responsive to information. The engine is coupled to the interface controller and is configured to compress the information before the information is to be stored in a memory card. A master interface is coupled to the engine and is further responsive to the compressed information for storage in the memory card.
US09386015B2

Systems and/or methods are described relating to a security model that provides interoperability with foreign security domains while remaining scalable to small embedded devices. A security token service is provided, which is configured to issue, renew, and/or validate security tokens in response to a token request. A communication protocol, corresponding message structures, and the security tokens are defined in accordance with protocol buffer definitions.
US09386014B2

Systems and methods for a secure soft token solution applicable to multiple platforms and usage scenarios are provided. According to one embodiment a unique device ID of a mobile device is obtained by a soft token application via an API of an operating system of the mobile device. A seed for generating an OTP for accessing a secure network resource is requested from a provisioning server by the application via an IP-based network. The seed is received by the mobile device via a first out-of-band channel in encrypted form based on a secret key, the unique device ID and a hardcoded-pre-shared key. The received encrypted seed is decrypted and installed within the application. The OTP is generated by the application based on the seed. The OTP is bound to the mobile device by the application by encrypting the seed with the unique device ID and the hardcoded pre-shared key.
US09386013B2

The present invention discloses a dynamic password authentication method and a system thereof. The method comprises: a server receives first information sent from the client, generates second information according to the first information, sets every transmission bit in the second information to be in corresponding brightness status or color status to obtain a third information and sends it to a client; the client transforms the third information into impulse optical signal and outputs it; a dynamic password device transforms the impulse optical signal into intermediate information, extracts part or all of it and transforms it into display information; the dynamic password device receives trigger information, generates a first dynamic password; the server generates a second dynamic password or a set of second dynamic passwords and verifies whether the first dynamic password is legitimate by it. Security of authentication is improved by the present invention.
US09386006B1

An initial server responds to a request with a redirection object describing the a different server to which the request should be redirected, and providing additional information about authenticating to the other server. The redirection object includes a session check variable indicating whether a forms-based authentication process may need to be performed, a session URI through which the client may determine whether the client was previously authenticated to the other server, and optionally a forms URI through which the client may initiate a forms-based authentication process. If the session check variable indicates that the other server may require forms based authentication, and an authenticated session does not exist between the client and the other server, and the client has a forms URI for the other server, then the client opens a Web browser, and directs the Web browser to the forms URI to complete a forms-based authentication process.
US09386003B2

The present disclosure describes systems and methods directed towards a highly secure and intelligent, end to end provisioning, authentication, and transaction system which creates and/or consolidates user data for a unified profile for the user (e.g., a person, place, organization, object, etc.) to allow for the safe, secure, and verifiable exchange of information.
US09385997B2

In accordance with a method for communicating a control word (CW) from a client such as an encryptor to a server such as the entitlement control message generator (ECMG) of a conditional access system (CAS), communication is established between the client and server over a secure connection. A control word to be encrypted is received by the client and encrypted using a first and second key. The first key is a global secret key (GSK) that is known to the client and the server without being communicated over the secure connection. The second key is a control word encryption key (CWEK) that is derived from a locally generated client nonce (CN) and a server nonce (SN) obtained from the server over the secure connection. The encrypted control word (ECW) is sent to the server over the secure connection.
US09385985B2

Managing contact groups entails receiving email header information for electronic messages sent during a certain period of time. Each header includes unique identifiers for the sender and each recipient. The set of these unique identifiers from each header forms a de facto group. For each group, the process computes a usage value based on the number of distinct messages corresponding to the group. The process also identifies a set of saved groups, where each saved group is a set of unique identifiers of people, and each saved group has a usage value. The usage value is 0 when the saved group does not equal any de facto group. The process compares the de facto groups and their associated usage values to the saved groups and their associated usage values, and provides a recommendation to modify the set of saved groups based on the comparisons.
US09385982B2

A method of utilizing electronic communication activity information. The method can include receiving from each of a plurality of electronic communication clients activity information relating to activities of a respective electronic communication recipient accessing information associated with the electronic communication. Based on the received activity information, via a processor, each of the electronic communication recipients can be rated to generate at least one recommendation as to who is able to provide information pertaining to the electronic communication. The recommendation can be communicated to another electronic communication recipient.
US09385980B2

Attachments received at an email account are processed according to a processing rule that is selected using, for example, a sender's email address, the sender's domain, or metadata in the email. A feature triggers the processing rule that then removes the attachment from the received email and stores the attachment in a rule-indicated directory. Processing rules can be defined by the email sender or by the email recipient. Changes to the attachment can be synchronized across multiple user devices and user accounts using a file sharing application.
US09385971B2

In a multi-chassis link-aggregation device, each of first and second switch devices is provided with a relay condition, which defines prohibition of a predetermined relay path. If there is no link failure in each multi-chassis link-aggregation device, each of the first and second switch devices prohibits forwarding of a frame, which has been received by a bridge port, from each multi-chassis link-aggregation device. On the other hand, if a link failure is present in a second port (second multi-chassis link-aggregation device) of the first and second switch devices permits forwarding of the frame, which has been received by the bridge port, from the second port. In this case, if a destination port of the frame received by a first port includes the second multi-chassis link-aggregation device, the first switch device adds a port identifier representing the received port to the frame and forwards that toward the second switch device.
US09385956B2

Methods and apparatus for compound token buckets usable for burst-mode admission control are disclosed. A peak burst rate and a sustained burst rate of work requests that are to be supported at a work target are determined. The maximum token populations of a peak-burst token bucket and a sustained-burst token bucket are configured, based on the peak burst rate and the sustained burst rate respectively. In response to receiving a work request directed at the work target, a determination to accept the work request for execution is made based at least in part on the token population of the peak-burst token bucket and/or the sustained-burst token bucket.
US09385954B2

Some embodiments provide a physical forwarding element that hashes portions of packet headers using several novel hashing techniques. The techniques include a novel set of finishing operations that improve the quality of resulting hashes by increasing their distribution and improving their apparent-randomness. In addition, the finishing operations virtually guarantee that different length inputs will hash to different results, even when padded to be the same initial values. The techniques also include efficient handling of remainder sections when distributing sections of a hash input across multiple processing units. The remainders are hashed into various previously generated hashes based on how many remainders result. These hashing techniques are useful for many network applications.
US09385948B2

The present application provides a packet processing method, device and system. With the present application, timely processing can be performed on a received packet according to an added first flow table entry, so that the timely processing can be implemented for a flow whose importance is high, and the problem in the prior art that a forwarding device cannot add a new flow table entry to a flow table because all flow table entry resources are in use can be relieved, thereby improving the reliability of packet processing.
US09385947B2

A message transport system may use a publication subscription mechanism to connect nodes and transport messages through the nodes. Each node may establish connections to other nodes, and subscription requests and publication notifications may be passed across the nodes to establish paths for messages. When a message is published, the message may be passed over those connections for which a subscription is active. A path identifier may be added to the message as it is passed between nodes, and the path identifier may be used by a subscribing node for identification of the information being received. When a subscriber notification is removed, the path may be deconstructed across multiple nodes. The nodes may be arranged such that each node is agnostic to any connections past the nodes to which it is connected, and may allow any node to subscribe to any information published within the network.
US09385926B2

Technologies for generating service templates to achieve service level agreement (SLA) metrics include a service template generator that accesses a generic service template and an SLA metric specification. The generic service template defines a virtual application service to be provided by a datacenter. The service template generator generates one or more specific service templates based on the generic service template. Each of the specific service templates provides one or more of the specified SLA metrics, such as specified uptime, reliability, or manageability. The generated service templates are stored in a service template catalog. A datacenter manager controlling a number of datacenter nodes receives a service request including one or more SLA requirements, selects a matching service template from the service template catalog, and deploys the selected service template. The service template generator and the datacenter manager may be the same device. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US09385924B2

Provided is a design assistance system that enables even a user having no expert knowledge to easily design a network system taking into consideration the types of port connection interfaces. The design assistance system has a storage section for storing slave information data in which unique information of the slave device is described; an acquisition section for acquiring information of a connection interface of a port of the slave device from the slave information data; and a generation section for generating a device component serving as a GUI component representing the slave device based on the slave information data, generates a line component serving as a GUI component representing connection of the ports of the slave devices in different aspects in accordance with different types of the connection interface, and generates a design assisting GUI having a topology display screen configured to display the topology of the network system.
US09385917B1

Generally described, systems and methods are provided for monitoring and detecting causes of failures of network paths. The system collects performance information from a plurality of nodes and links in a network, aggregates the collected performance information across paths in the network, processes the aggregated performance information for detecting failures on the paths, analyzes each of the detected failures to determine at least one root cause, and initiates a remedial workflow for the at least one root cause determined. In some aspects, processing the aggregated information may include performing a statistical regression analysis or otherwise solving a set of equations for the performance indications on each of a plurality of paths. In another aspect, the system may also include an interface which makes available for display one or more of the network topology, the collected and aggregated performance information, and indications of the detected failures in the topology.
US09385914B1

A client updates a display of a user interface associated with a state-based client-server application in accordance with a client-side cache. The server supplies data for a new state and additional data for one or more subsequent states that possibly follow the new state if appropriate one or more operations are performed. When a client request is generated that indicates an operation that causes the application to transition to the new state, the client updates the display in accordance with the data that corresponds to the new state from the client-side cache, if available from the client-side cache. The new state data is available since the server has previously supplied the new state data.
US09385909B2

A technique for detecting symbols includes performing an over-sized discrete Fourier transform (DFT) operation on a received signal that includes at least two repeated symbols. A sum of signal characteristics for subcarriers of one or more possible symbols are determined based on the DFT operation. A sum of signal characteristics for non-subcarriers of the one or more possible symbols is determined based on the DFT operation. Finally, a determination is made as to whether one or more of the one or more possible symbols is detected based on the sum of signal characteristics for the subcarriers and sum of signal characteristics for the non-subcarriers.
US09385907B2

An apparatus and method for dual re-configurable logic devices for MIMO-OFDM communication systems. The apparatus includes two FPGA devices, wherein the FPGA 1 has a centralized processing unit that manages the data flow between both MIMO OFDM modem. The apparatus and method support transmitting and receiving via a plurality of dual-polarized antennas. The modulated transmitted from FPGA 1 uses antenna 1 horizontal polarization to antenna N/2 horizontal polarization and the modulated transmitted from FPGA 2 uses antenna N/2+1 vertical polarization to antenna N vertical polarization.
US09385897B2

Methods and apparatus are provided for adapting transmitter equalization coefficients based on receiver gain adaptation. Equalization coefficients of a transmitter that communicates over a channel with a receiver are adapted by determining if a gain value for an amplifier in the receiver is within a limit of the amplifier; and preventing one or more adjustments to the transmitter equalization coefficients if the gain value does not satisfy the upper or lower limit of the amplifier. The gain adjustments comprise, for example, up and down requests for the transmitter equalization coefficients. One or more enable flags can optionally be set based on whether the gain value is within the limit of the amplifier.
US09385896B1

Quasi-reduced state trellis equalization techniques achieve low-latency inter-symbol interference (ISI) equalization by selecting a subset of accumulated path metrics (APMs) for a leading symbol to propagate over a trellis to candidate states of a trailing symbol. This simplifies the computation of APMs for candidate states of the trailing symbol. Thereafter, APMs for candidate states of the trailing symbol are computed based on the subset of APMs for the leading symbol that were propagated over the trellis. Propagating fewer than all APMs for the leading symbol to the trailing symbol reduces the complexity of APM computation at the trailing symbol.
US09385878B1

A system for communicating with a network of devices is disclosed. The system can include a control device configured to send a first digital communication using a network protocol. The system can also include a number of network devices communicably coupled to the control device, where each of the plurality of network devices is configured to receive the first digital communication using the network protocol. The system can further include a first communication channel communicably coupled to the control device and the plurality of network devices. The first digital communication sent by the control device can be sent to all of the network devices using the first communication channel. The first digital communication can be addressed to a number of recipient devices of the network devices.
US09385877B2

Systems, methods, and computer-program products enable multicasts. Data corresponding to a multicast from a source is received from a native multicast address. Other data corresponding to the multicast from the sources is also received from a mesh network. The data and the other data is assembled to generate combined data, and at least some of the combined data is stored or displayed.
US09385876B2

A method of transmitting a broadcast signal includes performing Reed-Solomon (RS) frame encoding and Cyclic Redundancy Check (CRC) encoding on first mobile service data to form a primary RS frame and on second mobile service data to form a secondary RS frame; encoding on at least the first mobile service data or the second mobile service data, in serial concatenated convolution code (SCCC) block units; encoding signaling information including transmission parameters, the transmission parameters including SCCC encoding information and RS frame encoding information; formatting a data group including the encoded first mobile service data and second mobile service data, wherein the first mobile service data are included in a first region within the data group and the second mobile service data are included in a second region within the data group, the second region being different from the first region; and transmitting the broadcast signal including the formatted data group.
US09385873B2

According to one aspect, the subject matter described herein includes a method for subscriber activated policy enhancement. The method may include receiving a policy enhancement code from a user device at a policy enhancement server (PES). The method may further include obtaining at least one policy enhancement corresponding to the policy enhancement code in response to receiving the policy enhancement code from the user device. The method may further include enhancing at least one policy aspect of a policy for the user device based on the policy enhancement.
US09385871B2

An apparatus and method for authenticating a Non-Volatile Memory (NVM) device are provided. A host device that authenticates the NVM device transmits challenge information for authentication to the NVM device, receives pieces of authentication information in response to the challenge information from the NVM device, and authenticates the NVM device using the pieces of authentication information by the host device. The pieces of authentication information are generated based on the challenge information and secret key information stored in the NVM device.
US09385849B2

The present invention relates to a method for receiving a terminal signal in a wireless communication system that supports plural component carriers, the method comprising: receiving a subframe including a plurality of OFDM symbols from a base station (BS); and receiving identification information indicative of a particular component carrier, from one or more consecutive OFDM symbols located at the front of the subframe, wherein the identification information indicative of the particular component carrier includes a carrier offset value with respect to a reference component carrier.
US09385845B1

A value is distributed in a distributed computing system having a master system in communication with a plurality of worker systems. Partitions of a graph are assigned to the worker systems. The graph represents relationships among a set of tangible items that model a real-world condition having an associated problem. Configuration information is determined that describes a configuration of the distributed computing system. A distribution scheme is selected for distributing a value from the master system to the plurality of worker systems based on the configuration information. The value is distributed from the master system to the worker systems according to the selected distribution scheme. The worker systems are configured to use the value to produce an output representing a solution to the real-world problem.
US09385823B2

As an aspect of the present invention, an embodiment of the invention provides a method of transmitting broadcast data, the method comprising: encoding transmission units for forward error correction, wherein the transmission units carry the broadcast data which carry a service or service component; mapping the encoded transmission units on constellations; MIMO encoding the mapped transmission units; time-interleaving the MIMO encoded transmission units; building signal frames including the time-interleaved transmission units; modulating the signal frames by Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing, OFDM scheme; and transmitting the modulated signal frames, wherein the transmitted signal frames include preambles, the preambles having physical signaling data for the transmission units.
US09385817B2

Embodiments described herein provide a system, apparatus and methods to enable a diver to communicate more clearly with other divers or locations Embodiments process the speech to add clarity, or otherwise convert speech into an outputted form that is more intelligible e.g. so as to simulate the diver's unhindered speech. Embodiments provide hardware and software for receiving and recognizing hindered speech of a diver (e.g., speech hindered by a mouthpiece) and then augmenting the speech with generated output sounds corresponding to the intended speech sound or generating or replacing at least some of the diver's speech with synthesized words. The output sounds may be in the speaker's own voice or a synthesized voice. Embodiments may be configured to add clarity to and/or augment speech that is hindered by the wearing of a mouthpiece from a snorkel, SCUBA or other diving apparatus.
US09385811B2

Systems and methods presented herein provide for optical communications. In one embodiment, a communication system includes a plurality of communication nodes and a communication hub. A bundle of optical fibers optically links the nodes to the communication hub. The communication hub includes a laser operable to propagate unmodulated laser light to a first node along a first of the optical fibers in the bundle. The first node is operable to modulate the laser light with a first modulating signal source, and to propagate the modulated laser light to a second node. The second node is communicatively coupled to a second modulating signal source and to the first node. The second node is operable to optically combine upstream communications from the second modulating signal source with the modulated laser light from the first node, and to propagate the modulated laser light with the upstream communications to the communication hub at a same carrier wavelength.
US09385808B2

The present invention relates to the color communication system so that human eye does not sense flicker. Communication using 3 primary color light pulses is faster than the communication system using only one white color pulse. Illumination light source or color display can be used for such color communication system.
US09385796B2

It is presented a method for selecting an output stream for bits of a bit set. The method comprises the steps of: obtaining indicators of how much transmission power is allowed to be used; calculating a maximum number of bits that can be provided to each one of the two output streams; determining which one of the two output streams is to be a primary output stream and which one of the two output streams is to be the secondary output stream. The primary output stream is then filled first and any surplus is provided to the secondary output stream. A corresponding user equipment, computer program and computer program product are also presented.
US09385794B2

To provide a mobile terminal apparatus, radio base station apparatus and radio communication method that enable accurate precoding weights to be generated in coordinated multipoint transmission, a radio communication method of the invention is characterized in that a mobile terminal apparatus (10) performs channel estimation using a downlink reference signal, selects a PMI using the obtained channel estimation value, measures an IQI using at least the channel estimation value and the PMI, and transmits at least the PMI and IQI to a radio base station apparatus, and that the radio base station apparatus generates precoding weights using the PMI and IQI, and performs coordinated multipoint transmission utilizing MIMO transmission using the precoding weights.
US09385791B2

Embodiments of the present disclosure describe devices, methods, computer-readable media and systems configurations for configuration of downlink coordinated multi-point (CoMP) communications in a wireless communication network. A user equipment (UE) may receive channel state information (CSI) reference signal (RS) parameters, from an evolved Node B (eNB), for individual transmission points of a coordinated multi-point (CoMP) Measurement Set including a plurality of transmission points. The UE may generate CSI-RS feedback information for the individual transmission points of the CoMP Measurement Set, and may transmit the generated CSI-RS feedback information for one or more of the individual transmission points to the eNB. The UE may receive a transmission from the eNB updating the individual transmission points included in the CoMP Measurement Set.
US09385789B1

A near field communication (NFC) system includes a portable device having an embedded NFC antenna, an add-on module blocking the embedded NFC coil and an NFC transfer coil wrapped around the add-on module to eliminate blocking of the embedded NFC antenna. A predetermined set of NFC antenna tuning parameters is associated with each add-on module and is applied by the device's NFC controller upon identifying the docked add-on module. In an embodiment, the NFC transfer coil includes linked first and second NFC coils which replicate NFC signals in each other. The NFC transfer coil may include a ferrite shield between each of the linked NFC coils and the add-on module to minimize the creation of eddy currents that may degrade the performance of the embedded NFC antenna.
US09385781B2

The present invention relates generally to addressing performance issues in xDSL communication systems, and more particularly to methods and apparatuses to measure and characterize CM noise impacting a DSL line in a customer premises, measurements and characterization of the projection of these CM signals in Differential Mode (DM), and finally a derivation of an estimate of the loop balance.
US09385780B2

The present invention generally relates to a method and apparatus for effectively detecting and characterizing noise and other events affecting a communications system such as digital subscriber lines (DSL). According to certain aspects, the invention includes a noise analysis engine that is embedded in customer premises equipment that classifies noise sources according to their specific characteristics and tracks each noise source in a dynamic manner, in such a way as to provide visibility to the changing noise environment within the customer premises and/or report this environment to a remote entity.
US09385779B2

A processing system can include a tracking microphone array; audio tracker circuitry connected to the tracking microphone array to track an audio source based on an audio input from the array; communication microphones; and a processor. The processor can include audio circuitry to receive an audio input from the communication microphones and process the audio input to apply one or more of acoustic echo cancellation (AEC) and acoustic echo suppression (AES) processing to the audio input. The processor can further include calculating circuitry to calculate a ratio of signal power after and before the AEC and/or the AES processing, and control circuitry to generate an acoustic echo presence indication based on the ratio calculated by the calculating circuitry. The processor can transmit, via transmitting circuitry, the acoustic echo presence indication to an audio tracking device via a data communication channel between the processor and the audio tracker.
US09385764B2

A digital pre-distortion arrangement is disclosed. The arrangement comprises a respective filter bank for each of two or more initial signals to be amplified simultaneously by a non-linear power amplifier, N combiners, N pre-distorters and a multiplexer. Each respective filter bank comprises N interrelated filters. Multiplexed impulse responses of the interrelated filters define an overall filter function comprising a pass band associated with a transmission frequency of the initial signal. Each respective filter bank is configured to filter the respective initial signal in each of the interrelated filters to produce N digital filtered signals. The initial signal and each of the digital filtered signals have sample rate R. Each of the combiners is configured to combine corresponding digital filtered signals of each of the two or more initial signals to produce a composite digital signal having sample rate R. Each of the pre-distorters is configured to apply digital pre-distortion at a processing rate R to a respective one of the composite digital signals to produce a pre-distorted composite digital signal having sample rate R. The multiplexer is configured to multiplex the N pre-distorted composite digital signals to produce a pre-distorted digital signal having a sample rate N times R, wherein the pre-distorted digital signal comprises a signal component of each of the two or more initial signals and N times R is greater or equal to a total bandwidth comprising the transmission frequencies of the two or more initial signals. Corresponding method, transmitter and wireless communication device are also disclosed.
US09385750B2

The invention relates to an encoder and a decoder and methods therein for supporting split gain shape vector encoding and decoding. The method performed by an encoder, where the encoding of each vector segment is subjected to a constraint related to a maximum number of bits, BMAX, allowed for encoding a vector segment. The method comprises, determining an initial number, Np—init, of segments for a target vector x; and further determining an average number of bits per segment, BAVG, based on a vector bit budget and Np—init. The method further comprises determining a final number of segments to be used, for the vector x, in the gain shape vector encoding, based on energies of the Np—init segments and a difference between BMAX and BAVG. The performing of the method enables an efficient allocation of the bits of the bit budget over the target vector.
US09385749B1

Aspects of dynamic data compression selection are presented. In an example method, as uncompressed data chunks of a data stream are compressed, at least one performance factor affecting selection of one of multiple compression algorithms for the uncompressed data chunks of the data stream may be determined. Each of the multiple compression algorithms may facilitate a different expected compression ratio. One of the multiple compression algorithms may be selected separately for each uncompressed data chunk of the data stream based on the at least one performance factor. Each uncompressed data chunk may be compressed using the selected one of the multiple compression algorithms for the uncompressed data chunk.
US09385737B1

A system includes an interleaved analog-to-digital converter (ADC) comprising a plurality of sub-ADCs, where each of the plurality of sub-ADCs has an adjustable timing. The system includes a data analyzer that analyzes an output of the interleaved ADC, that estimates timing mismatches of the plurality of sub-ADCs, and that corrects the timing mismatches by adjusting the adjustable timing of one or more of the plurality of sub-ADCs based on the estimated timing mismatches.
US09385736B2

A semiconductor device according to an aspect of the invention relates to an AD converter that converts a signal level of an analog signal into a digital value by using a comparator, and determines an amount of adjustment of an offset voltage of the comparator based on an offset determination result of the comparator obtained immediately after a least significant bit (LSB) of a digital value output as a conversion result is converted.
US09385731B2

A phase-locked loop (PLL) is provided. The PLL comprises a clock adjuster configured to receive an initial clock signal having an initial frequency and a mode control signal. The clock adjuster is configured to modify the initial clock signal into a modified clock signal based on the mode control signal. The PLL is configured such that a loop bandwidth is equal to a specified bandwidth. When the modified clock signal is changed, a loop gain of a loop filter is adjusted such that the loop bandwidth is substantially equal to the specified bandwidth. When the modified clock signal is changed, an oscillator tuning word (OTW) signal is modified into a normalized OTW signal such that the loop bandwidth is substantially equal to the specified bandwidth.
US09385730B2

A phase-rotating phase locked loop (PLL) may include first and second loops that share a loop filter and a voltage controlled oscillator in order to perform the operation of a phase-rotating PLL, the first and second loops configured to activate in response to an enable signal. The PLL may further include a phase frequency detection controller configured to provide the enable signal to the first and second loops in response to a transition of a coarse signal that may be applied as a digital code.
US09385706B2

A boost converter for driving the gate of n-channel MOSFET power devices is described. The boost converter includes a monitoring circuit and a kick start circuit to quickly bring the boost converter online when required to drive the MOSFET on.
US09385705B2

A gate control circuit for controlling gates of at least a half side of an H-bridge circuit includes: an input terminal configured to connect to a PWM signal; a power terminal configured to connect to a voltage source that supplies a positive voltage; a ground terminal configured to connect to a ground reference; and a control circuit connected with the input terminal, the power terminal, and the ground terminal. The control circuit includes: two high side switches configured to be connected with the voltage source respectively through the power terminal; two low side switches configured to be connected with the ground reference respectively through the ground terminal; a first inverter connecting the two high side switches; a second inverter connecting the two low side switches; and a first resistor and a second resistor connecting the two high side switches to the two low side switches respectively.
US09385693B2

A flip-flop circuit may include: a latch unit configured to latch an input signal in response to a clock signal; and a timing control unit configured to delay a signal provided from the latch unit by a predetermined time regardless of the clock signal.
US09385687B2

RF attenuator circuitry includes an RF attenuator and a control system. The RF attenuator is configured to provide an attenuation response between an input node and an output node. The control system is coupled to the RF attenuator and configured to adjust one or more control signals provided to the RF attenuator based on either the temperature of the circuitry or an externally applied test signal provided to the control system. The control signals are provided such that the attenuation response of the RF attenuator is substantially linear-in-dB with respect to either the temperature or the test signal provided to the control system. Because the control system is configured to adjust the control signals based either on a temperature of the circuitry or the test signal, the response of the RF attenuator can be easily and quickly tested to ensure linear-in-dB operation thereof.
US09385686B2

An acoustic wave filter includes a piezoelectric substrate, an insulating pattern that has higher thermal conductivity than the piezoelectric substrate formed on the piezoelectric substrate, at least two pads formed on the piezoelectric substrate or the insulating pattern, at least one pad formed on the insulating pattern, at least one acoustic resonator formed on the insulating pattern, and at least one acoustic resonator directly formed on the piezoelectric substrate.
US09385685B2

A micro-electrical-mechanical system (MEMS) vibrating structure includes a carrier substrate, a first anchor, a second anchor, a single crystal piezoelectric body, a first conducting layer, and a second conducting layer. The first anchor and the second anchor are provided on the surface of the carrier substrate. The single-crystal piezoelectric body is suspended between the first anchor and the second anchor, and includes a uniform crystalline orientation defined by a set of Euler angles. The single-crystal piezoelectric body includes a first surface parallel to and facing the surface of the carrier substrate on which the first anchor and the second anchor are formed and a second surface opposite the first surface. The first conducting layer is inter-digitally dispersed on the second surface of the single-crystal piezoelectric body. The second conducting layer is inter-digitally dispersed on the first surface of the single-crystal piezoelectric body.
US09385683B2

A diplexer, for coupling a first radio frequency (RF) signal corresponding to a first carrier frequency and a second RF signal corresponding to a second carrier frequency is disclosed. The diplexer includes a first port arranged to couple the first RF signal; a second port arranged to couple the second RF signal; a third port capable of connecting an antenna; a first impedance unit coupled to the first port and the third port; and a second impedance unit coupled to the second port and the third port; wherein the first port, the second port and the third port are coupled to a direct current (DC) ground; wherein the first impedance unit is arranged to provide an first open-circuit impedance against the second RF signal, and the second impedance unit is arranged to provide a second open-circuit impedance against the first RF signal.
US09385673B2

Aspects of this disclosure relate to compensating for a relatively large offset in a signal generated by a sensor, such as a pressure sensor and/or a resistive bridge based sensor. Such offset compensation can include applying an offset correction signal generated by a configurable voltage reference, such as a voltage mode digital-to-analog converter (DAC), to an input of an amplifier included in an instrumentation amplifier to compensate for the offset of the signal generated by the sensor.
US09385671B2

A circuit includes a first pair of transistors connected in parallel between a first node and a second node with a diode-connected transistor coupled to the second node. A second pair of transistors has current terminals connected at a third node. A first and second current sink transistors are connected in a current mirror configuration with the diode-connected transistor and further coupled to the third node. A first differential amplifier has an output coupled to control terminals of the first and third transistors and an input coupled to a further current node of the third transistor. A second differential amplifier has an output coupled to control terminals of the second and fourth transistors and an input coupled to a further current node of the fourth transistor.
US09385668B2

A cableless high power RF or microwave amplifier may amplifies an RF or microwave signal. The amplifier may include: an input signal divider (DIV) that has a DIV input connector that receives the RF or microwave signal and that divides this input signal into multiple sub-input signals, each of which is delivered to a DIV output connector; multiple power amplifier units (PAUs), each of which has a PAU input connector that receives an RF or microwave signal and a PAU output connector that delivers an amplified version of the received RF or microwave signal; and an output signal switching combiner unit (SCU) that has multiple SCU input connectors and that coherently sums the signals at the multiple SCU input connectors and delivers this to an SCU output connector. Each of the PAU output connectors may be electrically connected to a different one of the SCU input connectors without connecting cables.
US09385667B2

A photodetector integrated circuit (IC) having an electromagnetic interference (EMI) sensor integrated therein is provided for sensing EMI at the photodetector. Integrating the EMI sensor into the photodetector IC ensures that the EMI sensor is in proximity to the photodetector so that any EMI that is sensed is actually EMI to which the photodetector is exposed. The sensed EMI may then be used for a number of reasons, such as to determine the root cause of damage to circuitry of the system, to determine the point in time at which an EMI event occurred, or to trigger a warning when a determination is made that an EMI limit has been reached.
US09385662B2

There is disclosed an envelope tracking supply modulator comprising a switch mode path and a linear amplifier path, wherein the linear amplifier path includes a plurality of amplifiers, each amplifier having an output stage of a different size, wherein at least one of the plurality of amplifiers is enabled in dependence on an output power.
US09385653B2

A crystal oscillator having a plurality of quartz crystals that are manufactured so that the directional orientation of the acceleration sensitivity vector is essentially the same for each crystal. This enables convenient mounting of the crystals to a circuit assembly with consistent alignment of the acceleration vectors. The crystals are aligned with the acceleration vectors in an essentially anti-parallel relationship and can be coupled to the oscillator circuit in either a series or parallel arrangement. Mounting the crystals in this manner substantially cancels the acceleration sensitivity of the composite resonator and oscillator, rendering it less sensitive to vibrational forces and shock events.
US09385642B2

An air conditioner includes: an outdoor fan provided in an outdoor unit; a permanent magnet synchronous motor that drives the outdoor fan; an inverter that uses a DC power source as a power source and applies a voltage to the permanent magnet synchronous motor; an inverter control means that controls the output voltage of the inverter; and a shunt resist connected between the DC power source and the inverter. If the outdoor fan is rotating due to an external force while the inverter is stopped, the inverter control means causes the inverter to operate using a brake sequence that brakes the rotation of the outdoor fan, and then causes the inverter to operate using a drive sequence that power-drives the outdoor fan.
US09385640B2

A control circuit for a DC motor, has: a first and second input ports for connection to a DC source; a H-bridge driving circuit, having first and second switches connected in series between the input ports, and third and fourth switches connected in series between the input ports, a first output port between the first and second switches and a second output port between the third and fourth switches, and a shunt circuit and/or a blocking circuit. The motor is connected between the first and second output ports. The shunt circuit is connected between the first second output ports and has a resistance that will decrease in response to BEMF generated by the motor. The blocking circuit is connected in series with the motor between the output ports and has a resistance that increases in response to BEMF generated by the motor.
US09385637B2

A system and method for controlling a brake coil in a motor having a control processor and a controller in communication with the control processor, the controller comprising a processor and memory with instructions stored thereon when executed by the processor cause the controller to receive signals indicative of threshold current values for the brake coil; provide enabling signals to each of a high-side and low-side driver circuit; receive signals indicative of a sensed current in the brake coil; compare the sensed current with the threshold current values; and provide an adjustment signal if the sensed current is outside a known range of values for the threshold current values.
US09385634B2

A cantilever type of electrostatic vertical combdrive actuators may generate larger actuator displacement (typically over 70 um) with a relatively small and simple structure. The actuation voltage is lower while the actuation movement is robust without any typical sideway finger snapping phenomena due to a cantilever type of structure. Because of its small form factor, it can form a high fill factor array in applications such as lower power consumption display devices, sensitive electromagnetic radiation detector/detector arrays, etc. The MEMS (Micro-Electro-Mechanical Systems) electrostatic rotational actuators may have wide applications such as in optical shutter, optical chopper, optical switches, optical attenuators, optical tunable filter, RF shunt switch, RF ohmic contact switch, RF MEMS variable capacitors, MEMS display and sensitive electromagnetic radiation detector etc.
US09385632B2

A multi-level inverter includes two N-level inverter units with pulse width modulation waves staggered by a phase of 180 degrees, and N is an integer greater than or equal to 3; a direct current power source module, where an output end thereof is connected to input ends of the two N-level inverter units; a transformer, where the transformer includes a primary side and a secondary side, an inductor of the primary side and an inductor of the secondary side are coupled, and one end of the inductor of the primary side and one end of the inductor of the secondary side are connected to output ends of the two N-level inverter units respectively. The two N-level inverter units are reversely coupled, and the other end of the inductor of the primary side and the other end of the inductor of the secondary side are connected.
US09385628B2

An inverter comprises a first boost apparatus, a second boost apparatus, a first converting stage coupled to the first boost apparatus, wherein the first converting stage is configured such that a first three-level conductive path is formed when a voltage at a dc source is greater than an instantaneous value of a voltage at an output of the inverter and a first five-level conductive path is formed when the instantaneous value of the voltage at the output of inverter is greater than the voltage at the dc source.
US09385624B2

A rectifier circuit includes an inductor connected to AC inputs of a diode bridge circuit, a capacitor series circuit connected to a DC output, and bi-directional switches that are connected between the series connection point of the capacitors and the AC inputs of the diode bridge circuit. In order to reduce the loss that would occur if both bi-directional switches were driven at high frequency, one of the bi-directional switches is driven at the frequency of the AC input voltage and the other bi-directional switch is driven at a high frequency, and also general rectifying diodes are used as the diodes connected to the bi-directional switch that is driven at the frequency of the AC input voltage and fast recovery diodes are used as the diodes connected to the bi-directional switch that is driven at high frequency.
US09385621B2

An electronic transformer stabilization circuit includes a detection circuit and a reactive load. The detection circuit may be configured to receive a transformer output or a transformer signal derived from the transformer output. The detection circuit may determine whether the transformer that generated the transformer output is an electronic transformer. The determination may be made based on the presence of absence of high frequency components in the transformer output. Responsive to determining that an electronic transformer generated the transformer output, the stabilization circuit may operate a switch to connect the reactive load across an output of the transformer. The reactive load may include an inductor and may be configured to draw a stabilization current from the transformer. The stabilization current may ensure that the total current drawn from the transformer exceeds an oscillation current required to maintain reliable operation of the electronic transformer.
US09385595B2

A charge pump regulator circuit includes an oscillator and one or more charge pumps. One or more oscillating signals are generated by the oscillator. Each oscillating signal has a peak-to-peak amplitude that is variable dependent on a variable drive signal. For some embodiments having multiple oscillating signals, each oscillating signal is phase shifted from a preceding oscillating signal. For some embodiments having multiple charge pumps, each charge pump is connected to receive a corresponding one of the oscillating signals. Each charge pump outputs a voltage and current. For some embodiments having multiple charge pumps, the output of each charge pump is phase shifted from the outputs of other charge pumps. A combination of the currents thus produced is provided at about a voltage level to a load.
US09385594B2

The present invention generally relates to a DVC having a charge-pump coupled to a MEMS device. The charge-pump is designed to control the output voltage delivered to the electrodes, such as the pull-in electrode or the pull-off electrode, that move the switching element within the MEMS device between locations spaced far from and disposed closely to the RF electrode.
US09385588B2

Methods and systems for controlling a reactive power contribution to reactive power flowing in an electricity distribution network, so as to optimize this reactive power flow are described. A reactive power characteristic of electrical power flowing in the electricity distribution network is detected at a power device. The reactive power characteristic relates to a reactive power component of electricity flowing in the network. On the basis of the detected reactive power characteristic a reactive power contribution to the electricity distribution network is controlled so as to adjust a value of the detected reactive power characteristic. This enables individual power consumption and/or provision devices to react autonomously to local variations in the electricity distribution network, and to provide a reactive power contribution, to drive the detected reactive power characteristic towards a desired value.
US09385584B2

Provided is a voltage regulator including a leakage current correction circuit capable of keeping the accuracy of an output voltage of the voltage regulator even when an output voltage of a reference voltage circuit is decreased due to the influence of a leakage current. The voltage regulator includes: a reference voltage circuit configured to output a reference voltage; an output transistor configured to output an output voltage; a voltage divider circuit configured to divide the output voltage to output a feedback voltage; an error amplifier circuit configured to amplify a difference between the reference voltage and the feedback voltage, and output the amplified difference to control a gate of the output transistor; and a leakage current correction circuit connected to an output terminal of the voltage divider circuit. The leakage current correction circuit is configured to decrease the feedback voltage to prevent the output voltage from dropping at high temperature.
US09385573B2

A rotor includes a rotor laminated steel plate (12), rotor end plates (16, 18) arranged on both end surfaces of the rotor laminated steel plate (12), and balance weights (20, 22) provided on the outer surfaces of the rotor end plates (16, 18), respectively. The rotor laminated steel plate (12) and the rotor end plates (16, 18) are provided with at least three axial through holes (24) that are equally spaced apart in the circumferential direction. The rotor laminated steel plate (12) and the rotor end plates (16, 18) are fixed by three rivets (26a, 26b, 26c) passing through the axial through holes (24), respectively. The balance weight (20) is fixed to the rotor end plate (16) by the two rivets (26a, 26b) of the three rivets.
US09385558B2

Provided are an electric automobile to which a power supply device supplies power, and an electricity supply system capable of accurately associating the power supply device and the electric automobile carrying out communication therewith. A power supply-side control unit (24) controls such that electricity that a power supply unit (21) supplies reaches a first electricity quantity Pa before a power supply-side communications unit (23) receives a request signal from a vehicle-side communications unit (43), and controls such that electricity that the power supply unit (21) supplies reaches a second electricity quantity Pb, which is greater than the first electricity quantity Pa, after the power supply-side communications unit (23) receives the request signal from the vehicle-side communications unit (43). The vehicle-side communications unit (43) activates on the basis of the first electricity quantity Pa received from the power supply unit (21) of a power supply device (2).
US09385555B2

The present inventions, in one aspect, are directed to techniques and/or circuitry to adaptively charge a battery/cell using data which is representative of a change in terminal voltage of the battery/cell. In another aspect, the present inventions are directed to techniques and/or circuitry to adaptively charge a battery/cell using data which is representative of partial and/or full relaxation time of the battery/cell. In yet another aspect the present inventions are directed to techniques and/or circuitry to determine whether the data which is representative of partial and/or full relaxation time exceeds a predetermined range and/or is greater than a predetermined value.
US09385549B2

A portable charger is provided for charging electronic devices from a rechargeable internal battery. To accommodate multiple electronic devices, a portable charger unit is combined with multiple power output connection interfaces for connecting to more than one electronic device, as necessary, including connector cables attached to the charger housing or power connection ports. The charger also includes at least one power input connection interface for recharging the internal battery from an external power source, including an AC wall plug interface and a DC car charger interface, each connected to the charger housing and movable between a retracted, storage position and an extended use position. The power output connector cables can also be stored within storage cavities formed in the charger housing when not in use and extended therefrom for connection with electronic devices in need of recharging. The power connection ports can act as power inputs, power outputs, or both.
US09385543B2

Provided is a hybrid storage cell that can prevent overcharge, despite lacking an expensive protection switch or other device adapted to deal with high current or high voltage, in order to proactively prevent rupture or ignition of lithium ion storage cells or other organic solution storage cells in the event of unforeseen overcharging. The cell comprises a plurality of series-connected virtual cells (32) of parallel-connected organic solution storage cells (24A) and aqueous solution storage cells (26A), the organic solution storage cells and the aqueous solution storage cells having closely approximating average discharge voltages. The overcharge threshold voltage of the organic solution storage cells is designed to be higher than the final discharge voltage of the aqueous solution storage cells, and the final discharge voltage of the organic solution storage cells to be lower than the final discharge voltage of the aqueous solution storage cells. In the event that the organic solution storage cells of a virtual cell are exposed to overcharge energy that could lead to overcharge, the energy is absorbed by a hydrogen-generating reaction of the aqueous solution storage cells, holding the discharge voltage of the virtual cell to the final discharge voltage of the aqueous solution storage cells, and preventing the organic solution storage cells from reaching the overcharge threshold voltage.
US09385541B2

The invention relates to a universal quick charger for recharging primary or secondary electrolytic members, in particular alkaline batteries with a non-rechargeable reputation, that can receive and automatically recharge a variable number of members without manual switching, that further comprises a switching transistor for hashing the recharge current in order to impart thereto a pumped characteristic, and that further comprises a microprocessor for automatically detecting the number and the nature of the members to be recharged, for supervising the recharging using a routine for continuously measuring the voltage at the terminals of the members as well as the time elapsed since the beginning of the recharging, said microprocessor being further used for deciding to stop the recharging when a criterion of the supervision routine is validated.
US09385540B2

A battery control system, which controls operation of a plurality of batteries connected to an electric power system, comprises: detecting means that detects a delay period of each of the batteries which represents a period that has elapsed after the battery control system supplies the battery with an execution command for charging or discharging the battery until the battery operates according to the execution command; measuring means that measures a frequency rate-of-change of electric power of the electric power system; selecting means that selects adjustment batteries for adjusting the electric power of the electric power system from the batteries based on the frequency rate-of-change and the delay period of each of the batteries; and command means for supplying the execution command to the adjustment batteries.
US09385537B2

Apparatuses and methods are provided for driving a conductor with a signal comprising a series of pulses for inducing a voltage in an output circuit wirelessly. The pulses can be sufficiently short so as to reduce an amount of current produced along the conductor, thereby reducing the Lenz effect, which is proportional to a change in current along the conductor. Further, the pulses can have a sufficiently fast rise time (e.g., less than 30 ns) to induce a sufficiently high voltage in the output circuit (e.g., greater than 5 or 10 V). A surprisingly high voltage can be induced in an output circuit when using fast rise times of less than 30 ns.
US09385530B2

An input line selector system provided to selectively connect one of two input power lines is configured with a single switch provided in series with each of the input power lines, the connection between the switches being made such that it prevents reverse flow of current in the event that the switches are OFF. A smart, simple and precisely operating automatic line selector is provided to control the operation of the two switches. The line selector system configuration is simple and implements only two switches and can be applied to a linear charger or switching charger application with addition of one or two switches respectively, thereby providing a simple, efficient and cost effective system.
US09385524B2

An arc flash mitigation system for use with a generator excitation system is provided. An exemplary arc flash mitigation system includes three semiconductor fuses, three current transformers, an overcurrent detection circuit, a gate firing circuit, and three pairs of thyristors respectively arranged in an anti-parallel phase-to-phase configuration. An exemplary method includes detecting an overcurrent and providing a gate signal to each of a plurality of thyristors included in a crowbar circuit.
US09385518B2

A cable guide includes an upper face and a lower face. The lower face has a generally convex form so as to lie in contact with the flow channel when fitted in the flow channel. The upper face has a generally concave form and is shaped to minimize disturbance of the flow when fitted in the flow channel. A passage is defined between the lower face and the flow channel having an entrance opening at a first end of the cable guide and exit openings on the sides of the cable guide towards a second end. By utilizing a cable guide, disruption to the flow within the channel by the entrance or exit of the cable is minimized.
US09385516B2

A connector (10) to be mounted on a case (C) of a device includes a resin housing (30). A shield bracket (50) is fixed to the case (C) to cover the housing (30) and wires (W) are drawn out through a rear opening (51A). Rubber plugs (24) are accommodated in cavities (37) in the housing (30) and seal between inner surfaces of the cavities (37) and the wires (W). A resin back retainer (40) is mounted in a wire draw-out portion (32) of the housing (30) to be arranged in a tubular portion (51) of the shield bracket (50) with the wires (W) supported and retains the rubber plugs (24). Wire protecting portions (46) are provided at positions of the back retainer (40) at a distance from the wires (W) and project back from the rear end opening (51A) of the shield bracket (50).
US09385513B2

A cable positioning arrangement comprises a flexible member, such as an elastic band or cord, extending between two structures. The flexible member is associated with a hole through which a cable passes thereby positioning the cable relative to the structures.
US09385504B2

A light source assembly (300) for emitting depolarized light, and comprising: at least one light source (312) configured to emit substantially polarized light; and a light depolarizer (318) arranged to receive light from the light source and comprising a high birefringence optical fiber having a longitudinal core and orthogonal birefringent axes having an angular displacement around the core that varies along the length of the fiber, wherein light emitted from the depolarizer comprises a plurality of polarization states.
US09385497B2

In a method for attaching a connector to a coaxial cable a solder perform is placed upon an end of an outer conductor of the cable. A connector body of the connector is seated upon an interface pedestal and the end of the outer conductor is inserted into a bore of the connector body against the interface pedestal. The outer conductor, the connector body and the interface pedestal contribute sidewalls to form a solder cavity, and the solder perform is heated. A seat may be applied to the interface pedestal to provide a thermal barrier and/or enhanced seal characteristics that are cost efficiently replaceable upon degradation.
US09385492B2

A switch connector includes an insulative base, a fixed terminal, a movable terminal inserted molded with the insulative base, an insulative body assembled with the insulative base, and a shielding shell enclosing the insulative body. The fixed terminal has a block portion and the movable terminal has an elastic arm, the block portion elastically contacts the elastic arm. The insulative base includes a first insulator having a terminal receiving passageway and a second insulator. The fixed terminal is inserted molded in the first insulator, the movable terminal is received in the terminal receiving passageway, and the second insulator over-molds the movable terminal and the first insulator. A method of making a switch connector includes: insert molding a fixed terminal with a first insulator; disposing a movable terminal in the first insulator; over-molding a second insulator on the moveable terminal and the first insulator.
US09385487B2

An active plug connector (100; 300) adapted to plug into a receptacle includes a shell (11; 21; 31) defining a receiving room (114; 314), a pair of printed circuit boards (12, 13; 22, 23; 32, 33) received in the receiving room and disposed horizontally and spaced apart from each other along a vertical direction, an active element mounted on one of the two printed circuit boards, and a connecting member (14; 24; 34) electrically connected with the two printed circuit boards to share the active element. A method for assembling the active plug connector comprises inserting the connecting member into the receiving room to electrically connect with the conductive pads of the printed circuit boards to share the active element.
US09385483B2

A cable connector assembly (100) includes an electrical connector (1), a cable connecting the electrical connector electrically, an external shell (2) mounted to the connecting portion of the electrical connector and the cable. The electrical connector includes an insulative housing (12), a number of terminals (13) received in the insulative housing, and a front shell (11) mounted to the insulative housing. The insulative housing includes a base section (120) and a mating section (123) extending forwardly from the base section. The front shell (11) includes a frame portion (113) enclosing the mating section and a retaining portion (110) extending rearwardly from the frame portion and assembled to the base section. The retaining portion further defines a number of elastic portions (111) bent upwardly from the retaining portion and resisting against an inner face of the external shell.
US09385482B2

An electrical connector assembly includes a first electrical connector and a second electrical connector mated with each other. The first electrical connector includes an insulative housing, a plurality of conductive terminals and a grounding plate. The insulative housing extending along a longitudinal direction includes a base portion and a plurality of side walls extending forwardly from the base portion and forming a mating cavity. The insulative housing defines a plurality of first passageways and second passageways separately formed in two opposite side walls thereof communicating with the mating cavity. The conductive terminals include a plurality of first terminals and second terminals received in the corresponding first and second passageways. Each of the first and second terminals has a contact portion extending into the mating cavity. The grounding plate is disposed between the first and second terminals and defines at least one pressing portion located in the mating cavity.
US09385476B2

A connector (1) comprising a least a housing (10) with a least one aperture (12), at least two terminals each being inserted into one of the aperture (12) and at least one locking device (30) for insertion into an opening (11) of the housing (10) for locking at least one of the terminals in an aperture (12), permits an easy control of the connection of the terminals, if the locking device (30) comprises at least two contact pads (36), each contact pad connecting one of the at least two terminals (50), and if the locking device (30) supports a signaling circuit, being connected to the contact pads (36).
US09385470B2

A connector includes a shell and a coupling mechanism rotatable about the shell. The coupling mechanism includes inner and outer coupling nuts. The inner coupling nut has threads configured to be threadably coupled to a mating connector. The outer coupling nut is configured to be locked to the inner coupling nut to transfer rotation of the outer coupling nut to the inner coupling nut. The outer coupling nut is configured to be unlocked from the inner coupling nut to allow free rotation of the outer coupling nut relative to the inner coupling nut. The outer coupling nut is automatically unlocked when the connector is fully mated to the mating connector. The coupling mechanism may include a plunger movable between a locked position and an unlocked position with the plunger locking the outer coupling nut to the inner coupling nut in the locked position.
US09385469B2

A protector comprises a terminal engagement section to be engaged with a terminal of a tubular body into which one or a plurality of electrically conductive paths are to be inserted, wherein an electrically conductive path pullout hole is formed in the terminal engagement section as an area by which the one or the plurality of electrically conductive paths are pulled out; and the terminal engagement section further includes an electrically conductive path fixing portion that extends from an opening edge of the electrically conductive path pullout hole in a direction in which the one or the plurality of electrically conductive paths are pulled out, and a tubular body fixing portion that extends along an exterior surface of the tubular body.
US09385463B2

A contact fitting has a supporting portion capable of contacting a surface of a sensor element, and a conducting portion protruding in the same direction as the supporting portion and capable of contacting an electrode on the sensor element. Before the contact fitting is attached to the sensor element, a protrusion height of the conducting portion is 90% to 110% of a protrusion height of the supporting portion, and the protrusion heights and are relatively close to each other. The supporting portion and the conducting portion are elastically deformable and are curved in shape. The supporting portion and the conducting portion are arranged along a longitudinal direction of the contact fitting.
US09385462B2

A card edge connector is used for connecting an electronic card to a printed circuit board and includes an insulative housing defining a central slot extending along a longitudinal direction with a key disposed therein and a plurality of terminal slots located on at least one side of the central slot; and a plurality of conductive terminals received in the terminal slots and each defining a retaining portion retained in the insulative housing, a contacting portion extending into the central slot along a mating direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction and a soldering portion extending outside of the insulative housing. The retaining portion of each conductive terminal defines a pair of positioning portions interfering with the insulative housing in the longitudinal direction, and each positioning portion defines an inclined portion guiding the conductive terminal inserted into the insulative housing along the mating direction.
US09385458B2

A mezzanine header connector includes a contact assembly having a pair of contact modules arranged back-to-back. The contact modules each have a dielectric holder holding a plurality of header contacts. The dielectric holder extends between a mating end and a mounting end and has an inner side and an outer side. The header contacts have mating segments exposed along the outer side at the mating end for termination to corresponding receptacle contacts of a mezzanine receptacle connector. The header contacts have terminating segments extending from the mounting end of the dielectric holder for termination to a circuit board. Each of the header contacts extend along a linear path between the corresponding mating segment and the corresponding terminating segment. The inner sides of the dielectric holders of the pair of contact modules abut against each other such that the header contacts face away from each other.
US09385455B2

A connector can be provided that allows for improved route-out including straight-back routing. Signal and ground terminal tails can be arranged in a single row to help facilitate such functionality. A commoning member can connect ground tails to ground terminals. Consequentially, a connector with two vertically stacked card slots can be provided that allows for straight back routing of the signal traces in four layers while still providing a compact connector design.
US09385451B2

A connector housing includes a terminal housing in which at least one connector terminal electrically connecting two printed circuit boards to each other is housed. The terminal housing includes a holder for holding the at least one connector terminal therewith, the holder being elastically deformable in accordance with a displacement of the at least one connector terminal.
US09385449B2

A one piece integral electrical terminal has a mount portion and a wire receiving portion. The wire receiving portion has a continuous annular interior wall having a contact portion with an integral oxide breaker especially suited to breaking through the oxide layer on aluminum wire. The wire receiving portion also has a sealing portion with at least one integral seal ring. An electrical cable is made by crimping the electrical terminal to an aluminum wire using a modified hexagonal crimp.
US09385444B2

An apparatus comprises a socket for an integrated circuited (IC), wherein the socket includes a socket body that includes a plurality of land grid array contacts for contacting the IC, an alignment mechanism, and a locking mechanism, and a cover for the socket, wherein the cover is vertically alignable with the alignment mechanism of the socket body and laterally slidable over the grid array contacts upon alignment to engage the locking mechanism of the socket body.
US09385442B2

The present disclosure provides systems and techniques for an improved grounding hub installation experience. The apparatus disclosure herein provides a plurality of quick access coupling points for connecting an integral grounding hub to a ground wire. Specifically, the disclosed apparatus includes one or more bosses having a top screw hole and a side screw hole and one or more recessed channels next to the screw holes. A ground wire can be received in the recessed channels and secured by a screw received in the respective screw hole. Additionally, some example embodiments include a through-hole formed beneath and orthogonal to the screw holes. The through-hole can receive a ground wire therethrough, which is pinned down by a screw received in the respective screw hole.
US09385439B2

A metal member includes a base material composed of one of copper and a copper alloy, a white metal layer provided on the base material at a part or an entirety thereof, and an oil film provided on the white metal layer. The white metal layer has a thickness of 0.01 μm to 0.80 μm. A surface of the white metal layer has an arithmetic mean roughness of 0.6 μm to 1.2 μm. The oil film has an electric double-layer capacitance of 1.5 μF/cm2 to 7.0 μF/cm2.
US09385434B2

A multiple input, multiple output (MIMO) antenna system includes an electrically conductive, substantially planar, ground reference and a plurality of antenna assemblies electrically connected to respective antenna feeds at respective connection points. The antenna assemblies extend on a first side of the ground reference and are formed from a conductive material. Each antenna assembly is rotationally asymmetric around an axis perpendicular to the ground reference and passing through the connection point.
US09385430B2

An antenna of the present invention includes: a first conductive patch having a rectangular shape with corrugations on two opposing sides; and a second conductive patch below said first conductive patch and connected to a feeding point.
US09385424B2

The three-dimensional integrated structure including a support element, an interface device connected to the support element by first electrically conductive connection, an integrated circuit arranged between the support element and the interface device and connected to the interface device by second electrically conductive connection, a filler region between the second electrically conductive connection and between the interface device and the integrated circuit, and an antenna, having a radiating element in electromagnetic coupling with an excitation element through the interconnection of a slot, the antenna being distributed over the interface device and the integrated circuit.
US09385423B2

A protective ballistic radome for a satellite antenna which can turn about an axis of rotation, has: a circular support in the form of a ring, having an axis of revolution RR'to coincide with the axis of rotation, with the circular support having a lower base and an upper part in planes respectively parallel and perpendicular to the axis RR', an annular groove, having an axis of revolution that coincides with the axis RR', opening onto the upper part of the circular support, a set of n contiguous walls having upper ends and lower ends in planes that are respectively parallel and perpendicular to the axis RR′, the walls having their lower ends inserted into the annular groove of the circular support in order to form a ballistic wall in the form of a tube of circular section, having the same axis of revolution RR', about said satellite antenna.
US09385422B2

The invention relates to a hybrid antenna structure that comprises at least one electrically insulating substrate, at least one electrically conductive coating that covers at least one surface of the substrate at least section-wise and serves as a planar antenna for reception of electromagnetic waves, as well as at least one coupling electrode electrically coupled to the conductive coating for coupling out of antenna signals from the planar antenna. It is essential here that the coupling electrode be electrically coupled to an unshielded, linear antenna conductor that serves as a linear antenna for reception of electromagnetic waves, with the antenna conductor situated outside an area that can be projected by orthogonal parallel projection onto the planar antenna serving as a projection area, by which means an antenna foot point of the linear antenna becomes a common antenna foot point of the linear and planar antenna. The invention further relates to a method for producing such a hybrid antenna structure.
US09385417B2

A broadband antenna is mounted in a metal piece and includes a radiating portion, a ground portion, and a feed portion. The radiating portion includes a main portion and a plurality of radiating arms extending from the main portion in multiple directions, the radiating arms extend to contact the metal piece. The main portion, the radiating arms, and the metal piece enclose several slots. The ground portion is connected to a plurality of end portions of the radiating arms. The feed portion is connected to the metal piece and is adjacent to the radiating portion. The feed portion, the ground portion, the main portion, and the plurality of radiating arms form different current paths, thus to form different resonance nodes, thereby tender the broadband antenna to work at multi frequency bands. A wireless communication device employing the broadband antenna is also described.
US09385416B2

According to one embodiment of the invention, a wireless network device comprises wireless logic and a heat dissipation unit that encases the wireless logic. The heat dissipation unit includes an antenna dome array that comprises a top surface having a convex-shaped outer periphery with a plurality of antenna elements positioned along the outer periphery.
US09385407B2

A radio-wave half mirror for millimeter waveband is fixed inside a transmission line propagating electromagnetic waves of millimeter waveband in a single mode so as to transmit a part of incident electromagnetic waves and reflect a part thereof. The radio-wave half mirror includes: a half mirror body where a slit for transmitting electromagnetic waves is provided on a metal plate; and a dielectric plate that is provided on one surface side of the half mirror body so as to form a dielectric resonator which resonates at a frequency determined by the thickness and the permittivity, and has a transmittance characteristic having a degree of inclination substantially the same as that of the half mirror body in a slope which is inverse to a slope of a transmittance characteristic of the half mirror body in a desired frequency range of the millimeter waveband.
US09385405B2

A power storage device includes a case in which at least one unit cell is housed; a heat exchanger (31) that is provided in a wall surface of the case so as to face both an inside of the case and an outside of the case, and that performs heat exchange between the inside of the case and the outside of the case; and a plurality of dividing members (21, 22) that are arranged in an up-down direction inside the case so as to be opened and closed independently of one another, and that divide a space inside the case into a space in which the at least one unit cell is housed and a space in which the heat exchanger is arranged.
US09385402B2

A secondary battery pack is provided. The secondary battery pack has a structure in which a protection circuit module (PCM) is mounted to a top of a plate-shaped battery cell having electrode terminals formed at an upper end thereof, the PCM includes a printed circuit board (PCB) having a protection circuit formed thereon, a safety element electrically connected between one of the electrode terminals of the battery cell and the protection circuit of the PCB, an external input and output terminal electrically connected to the protection circuit of the PCB, and an electrically insulative module case to cover the PCB and the safety element in a state in which the external input and output terminal extends outside. The PCM is loaded on an upper end case extension portion of the battery cell in a state in which the PCM is electrically connected to the electrode terminals of the battery cell.
US09385398B2

Provided is a method for manufacturing a lithium secondary battery which is capable of preventing a local deposition of a metallic foreign substance at a negative electrode regardless of the type of a positive electrode and in which a short-circuit is less likely to occur. The present manufacturing method comprises: a step of assembling a cell that includes a positive electrode, a negative electrode, and a nonaqueous electrolyte; a micro charging step of performing a micro charge on the assembled cell before performing an initial conditioning charge until a positive electrode potential with respect to a metal lithium (Li) reference electrode exceeds an Me dissolution potential set in advance at which a mixing-anticipated metal species (Me) starts to dissolve; and an Me dissolution potential holding step of holding the positive electrode potential of the cell at or above the Me dissolution potential for a prescribed period of time after the micro charge.
US09385393B2

A device for measuring stack voltage includes a stack part and a connector. The stack part includes terminals of a bipolar plate extending outward from a side of the bipolar plate, a gasket combined with the bipolar plate, a sub-gasket combined with the gasket and having extensions laterally protruding corresponding to the terminals. The connector has insertion grooves in which the terminals are disposed at a front of the connector. A plurality of wires pass forward from behind through the connector. The connector has sensing units that are disposed in the insertion grooves, connected to front ends of the wires, and are in contact with the terminals of the bipolar plate when the connector is combined with the stack part.
US09385387B2

The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a membrane electrode assembly which improves the reliability of seal, mechanical strength, and handling ability of a solid polymer type fuel cell. The manufacturing method includes: preparing a membrane electrode assembly which differs in the size of the gas diffusion layers at the anode side and the cathode side; and providing a resin frame at the outer peripheral edge of the membrane electrode assembly by molding; wherein the molding includes the use of a mold that keeps penetration of the resin frame material into the gas diffusion layers and/or electrode layers to a minimum and prevents warping of the outer peripheral edges.
US09385375B2

In an aspect, a positive electrode for a rechargeable lithium battery including a current collector, a positive active material layer disposed on the current collector, and a coating layer disposed on the positive active material layer is disclosed.
US09385371B2

A positive electrode material for a secondary battery and a method for manufacturing the same are provided, in which manganese fluorophosphate containing lithium or sodium can be used as an electrode material. That is, a positive electrode material for a lithium/sodium battery is provided, in which intercalation/deintercalation of sodium/lithium ions is possible due to a short lithium diffusion distance caused by nanosizing of particles. Furthermore, a positive electrode material for a lithium/sodium battery is provided, which has electrochemical activity due to an increase in electrical conductivity by effective carbon coating.
US09385370B2

A transition metal hexacyanoferrate (TMH) cathode battery is provided. The battery has a AxMn[Fe(CN)6]y.zH2O cathode, where the A cations are either alkali or alkaline-earth cations, such as sodium or potassium, where x is in the range of 1 to 2, where y is in the range of 0.5 to 1, and where z is in the range of 0 to 3.5. The AxMn[Fe(CN)6]y.zH2O has a rhombohedral crystal structure with Mn2+/3+ and Fe2+/3+ having the same reduction/oxidation potential. The battery also has an electrolyte, and anode made of an A metal, an A composite, or a material that can host A atoms. The battery has a single plateau charging curve, where a single plateau charging curve is defined as a constant charging voltage slope between 15% and 85% battery charge capacity. Fabrication methods are also provided.
US09385368B2

Positive electrode for lithium-ion electrochemical cells are provided that have capacity retentions of greater than about 95% after 50 charge-discharge cycles when comparing the capacity after cycle 52 with the capacity after cycle 2 when cycled between 2.5 V and 4.7 V vs. Li/Li+ at 30° C. Compositions useful in the provided positive electrodes can have the formula, Li1+x(NiaMnbCoc)1−x O2, wherein 0.05≦x≦0.10, a+b+c=1, 0.6≦b/a≦1.1, c/(a+b)<0.25, and a, b, and c are all greater than zero. The process of making these positive electrodes includes firing the compositions at 850° C. to 925° C.
US09385367B2

A process of preparing mesoporous nano-composite LiMn1-xFexPO4 (0≦x≦1, e.g., x=0, 0.2, 0.5 and 0.8) particles. The process contains the steps of providing a mixture of a soft-template compound, a lithium ion-containing compound, an iron ion-containing compound, a manganese ion-containing compound, and a phosphate ion-containing compound in a solvent, removing the solvent to obtain a LiMn1-xFexPO4 precursor, and calcining the precursor followed by milling and annealing. Also disclosed is a mesoporous nano-composite LiMn1-xFexPO4 particle prepared by this process.
US09385366B2

A positive electrode for a secondary battery which enables both good battery characteristics and electrode strength at a predetermined level, a secondary battery, and a method for fabricating the positive electrode for a secondary battery are provided. The positive electrode for a secondary battery includes a current collector and an active material layer over the current collector. The active material layer includes an active material, graphene, and a binder. A carbon layer is on a surface of the active material. The proportion of the graphene in the active material layer is greater than or equal to 0.1 wt % and less than or equal to 1.0 wt %.
US09385362B2

A battery pack includes a plurality of unit batteries arranged side by side in a first direction, each unit battery including a can accommodating an opening including an electrode assembly having a first electrode plate, a second electrode plate, and a separator between the electrode plates, and a cap plate sealing the opening. The plurality of unit batteries may be arranged side by side in the first direction with all the cap plates exposed in the same direction. The battery pack may further include a protection circuit module adjacent to the cap plate with a circuit board extending in the first direction and a protection device coupled to it, wherein each unit battery further includes a first terminal on a first area of the cap plate and a second terminal on a second area of the cap plate, each coupled to the unit battery and the protection circuit module.
US09385360B2

A reversibly connected battery pack is provided. The reversibly connected battery pack includes a pair of end frames, at least one frame, a plurality of battery cells, and at least one power connector. One end frame has a positive terminal, and the other has a negative terminal. The frame(s) is positioned between the pair of end frames. Each of the plurality of battery cells has a positive tab and a negative tab. The positive tab of one of the plurality of battery cells is electrically connected to the positive terminal in the end frame, and the negative tab of another one of the plurality of battery cells is electrically connected to the negative terminal in the end frame. The plurality of battery cells are positioned in the frame(s) and the end frames. The plurality of battery cells and the positive and negative tabs are supported by the frame and the pair of end frames. There is at least one power connector electrically connecting the negative tab of one battery cell with the positive tab of an adjacent battery cell.
US09385356B2

An electric vehicle battery assembly according to an exemplary aspect of the present disclosure includes, among other things, a battery cell, a rail securing the cell, and a terminal holder in direct contact with the rail.
US09385350B2

Disclosed herein is a plate-shaped secondary battery configured to have a structure in which an electrode assembly of a cathode/separator/anode structure is mounted in a battery case in a sealed state by thermal welding, wherein a protuberance is formed at an outer edge sealed portion of an electrode assembly receiving part of the battery case such that the protuberance protrudes upward and downward from the sealed portion, and the protuberance extends along the outer edge of the electrode assembly receiving part continuously in a curved line or in a straight line in a state in which the protuberance is adjacent to the electrode assembly receiving part.
US09385349B2

A thin film battery package includes: a case having an open top side and defining a predetermined space therein, wherein the case has one side at which first and second electrodes formed of a metal material are exposed and electrically connected to the outside; a battery block on which a plurality of unit batteries are stacked so that the plurality of unit batteries is electrically connected between a first terminal and a second terminal, wherein the battery block is seated within the case so that the first and second terminals of the unit battery disposed at one end thereof are electrically connected to the first and second electrodes; and a cover sealed and coupled to the top surface of the case.
US09385337B2

The present invention relates inter alia to light- and/or irradiation-emitting fibers comprising nanocrystals, in particular quantum dots and nanorods, their preparation and use. The fiber may have a fiber core 10, an outer first electrode 20, a light emitting layer 30, a radiation transmissive second electrode 40 positioned over the organic light emitting layer 30. Eventually the fiber may also comprise an optional radiation transmissive moisture and/or air barrier layer 50 and/or an optional radiation transmissive encapsulating material 60.
US09385334B2

An object of the present invention is to provide an organic EL light-emitting device in which a permeation and diffusion of moisture from outside are prevented and a stable light-emitting characteristic is able to be maintained for a long period. The present invention relates to an organic EL light-emitting device comprising a sealing layer, a hygroscopic layer and a protective layer, which are aligned on the back of an organic electroluminescence element under a predetermined condition, wherein the sealing layer and the protective layer are constituted from a specific material, whereby it is possible to maintain a stable light-emitting characteristic for a long period together with suppressing the deterioration caused by moisture being permeated from outside.
US09385311B2

A semiconductor device includes a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer spaced from the first conductive layer, a variable resistance layer interposed between the first and second conductive layers, and an impurity-doped layer provided over a side surface of the variable resistance layer. The variable resistance layer has a smaller width than the first and the second conductive layers.
US09385306B2

A memory device comprising a base; a capacitor comprising a ferroelectric layer and at least two electrically conductive layers, the ferroelectric layer being located between the at least two electrically conductive layers; each of the at least two conductive layers being operatively connected to a current source; a cantilever attached to the base at first end and movable at a second end, the ferroelectric capacitor being mounted to the cantilever such that the second end of the cantilever moves a predetermined displacement upon application of a current to the ferroelectric layer which induces deformation of the ferroelectric layer thereby causing displacement of the cantilever which is operatively associated with a contact so that an electrical connection is enabled with the contact upon the predetermined displacement of the cantilever. The presence or absence of a connection forms two states of a memory cell.
US09385302B2

A multi-layer electronic component that can be repetitively operated under high voltage, high temperature and high humidity is provided. The multi-layer electronic component comprises a plurality of dielectric material layers made of a sintered material having perovskite structure that includes Pb; and a plurality of internal electrodes, the dielectric material layers and the internal electrodes being stacked alternately one on another, wherein lead compound that remains in the crystal grain boundaries of the dielectric material layers is controlled so that the number of grains of the lead compound not smaller than 0.01 μm are 2 or less per 100 μm2 on average.
US09385273B2

The Group III nitride semiconductor light-emitting device has an insulating multilayer film intervening between a second semiconductor layer and a transparent electrode. The insulating multilayer film serves as a distributed Bragg reflector and is formed in a region including a projection area obtained by projecting a p-electrode to the p-type contact layer. The insulating multilayer film has a first region and a second region, wherein the first region has a layer thickness greater than 95% of the maximum film thickness of the insulating multilayer film, and the second region has a layer thickness not greater than 95% of the maximum film thickness of the insulating multilayer film. The second surface of the insulating multilayer film in the second region has a slope having a dent portion denting toward the first surface of the insulating film.
US09385264B2

The invention provides a light emitting semi conductor device comprising a zinc magnesium oxide based layer as active layer, wherein the zinc magnesium oxide based layer comprises an aluminum doped zinc magnesium oxide layer having the nominal composition Zn-xMgxO with 1-350 ppm Al, wherein x is in the range of 0
US09385263B2

A method for producing a dopant profile is provided. The method includes starting from a surface of a wafer-shaped semiconductor component by introducing dopant atoms into the semiconductor component. The dopant-containing layer is produced on or in a region of the surface in order to produce a provisional first dopant profile and then a plurality of semiconductor components having a corresponding layer is subjected to heat treatment on top of one another in the form of a stack in order to produce a second dopant profile having a greater depth in comparison to the first dopant profile.
US09385262B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device provided with an interlayer insulating film formed on a semiconductor substrate, and a plurality of wiring layers formed on the interlayer insulating film. The method includes forming of a first wiring layer closest to the semiconductor substrate among the plurality of wiring layers, and forming of an alloy of a titanium layer and a metal layer by heating treatment. The forming of the first wiring layer includes: forming of a titanium layer on an interlayer insulating film; forming of a metal layer containing a metal capable of forming an alloy with titanium in the titanium layer; forming of an orientation layer on the metal layer; and forming of an aluminum layer on the orientation layer.
US09385261B2

A solar cell and a method of manufacturing a solar cell are disclosed. The solar cell includes forming a first doped region of a first conductive type and a second doped region of a second conductive type opposite the first conductive type on a semiconductor substrate of the first conductive type; forming a passivation layer on the semiconductor substrate to expose a portion of each of the first and second doped regions; and forming a first electrode electrically connected to the first doped region and a second electrode electrically connected to the second doped region, wherein the forming of the first and second electrodes includes forming a metal seed layer directly contacting the first doped region and a metal seed layer directly contacting the second doped region, and forming a conductive layer on the metal seed layer of each of the first and second electrodes.
US09385259B2

In various embodiments, a solar cell screen-printing composition is provided, comprising aluminum; and silicon; the percentage by mass of silicon lying in a range from 5% to 95% of the sum of the percentages by mass of silicon and aluminum.
US09385258B2

An optoelectronic semiconductor device includes at least one radiation-emitting and/or radiation-receiving semiconductor chip including a radiation passage surface and a mounting surface opposite the radiation passage surface, wherein the mounting surface includes a first electrical contact structure and a second electrical contact structure electrically insulated from the first electrical contact structure, and wherein the radiation passage surface is free of contact structures, a reflective sheath surrounding the at least one semiconductor chip at least in sections, and a protective sheath surrounding the at least one semiconductor chip and/or the reflective sheath at least in sections.
US09385255B2

Photovoltaic modules may include multiple flexible thin film photovoltaic cells electrically connected in series, and laminated to a substantially transparent top sheet having a conductive grid pattern facing the cells. Methods of manufacturing photovoltaic modules including integrated multi-cell interconnections are provided. Methods may include steps of coordinating, integrating, and registering multiple rolls of substrates in continuous processes.
US09385251B2

A flexible semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the flexible semiconductor device are provided. The flexible semiconductor device may include at least one vertical semiconductor element that is at least partly embedded in a flexible material layer. The flexible semiconductor device may further include a first electrode formed on a first surface of the flexible material layer and a second electrode formed on a second surface of the flexible material layer. A method of manufacturing a flexible semiconductor device may include separating a flexible material layer, in which the at least one vertical semiconductor element is embedded, from a substrate by weakening or degrading an adhesive force between an underlayer and a buffer layer by using a difference in coefficients of thermal expansion of the underlayer and the buffer layer.
US09385249B2

An optical element module includes an optical element having a light receiving unit configured to input an optical signal or a light emitting unit configured to output an optical signal, a board on which the optical element is mounted, and a guide holding member that has a through hole into which an optical fiber is configured to be inserted for inputting and outputting the optical signal to or from the light receiving unit or the light emitting unit of the optical element, and is mounted and arranged to be aligned with the optical element in a thickness direction of the board. The through hole has a cylindrical shape and has substantially the same diameter as an outer diameter of the optical fiber. A diameter of the light receiving unit or the light emitting unit is smaller than that of the optical fiber.
US09385247B2

A method of forming an oxide layer on an exposed surface of a semiconductor device which contains a p-n junction is disclosed, the method comprising: immersing the exposed surface of the semiconductor device in an electrolyte; producing an electric field in the semiconductor device such that the p-n junction is forward-biased and the exposed surface is anodic; and electrochemically oxidizing the exposed surface to form an oxide layer.
US09385246B2

A differential MOS capacitor includes a first plurality of upper capacitor plates, a second plurality of upper capacitor plates, and a conductive plate. At least two of the second plurality of upper capacitor plates are spaced laterally from each other and are disposed laterally between at least two of the first plurality of upper capacitor plates. The conductive plate is configured to serve as a common bottom capacitor plate such that a first capacitor is formed by the first plurality of upper capacitor plates and the conductive plate and a second capacitor is formed by the second plurality of upper capacitor plates and the conductive plate.
US09385245B2

A gate tunable diode is provided. The gate tunable diode includes a gate dielectric formed on a gate electrode and a graphene electrode formed on the gate dielectric. Also, the gate tunable diode includes a tunnel dielectric formed on the graphene electrode and a tunnel electrode formed on the tunnel dielectric.
US09385240B1

A memory device includes a substrate, a first doped region, composite structures, word lines, and a charge storage layer. The first doped region is disposed on a surface of the substrate. The composite structures are disposed on the first doped region. Each composite structure includes two semiconductor fin structures and a dielectric layer. Each semiconductor fin structure includes a second doped region disposed at an upper portion of the semiconductor fin structure and a body region disposed between the second doped region and the first doped region. The dielectric layer is disposed between the semiconductor fin structures. The word lines are disposed on the substrate. Each word line covers a partial sidewall and a partial top of each composite structure. The charge storage layer is disposed between the composite structures and the word lines.
US09385238B2

Stable electrical characteristics and high reliability are provided for a semiconductor device including an oxide semiconductor. In a transistor including an oxide semiconductor layer, a buffer layer containing a constituent similar to that of the oxide semiconductor layer is provided in contact with a top surface and a bottom surface of the oxide semiconductor layer. Such a transistor and a semiconductor device including the transistor are provided. As the buffer layer in contact with the oxide semiconductor layer, a film containing an oxide of one or more elements selected from aluminum, gallium, zirconium, hafnium, and a rare earth element can be used.
US09385237B2

Carbon-doped semiconductor material portions are formed on a subset of surfaces of underlying semiconductor surfaces contiguously connected to a channel of a field effect transistor. Carbon-doped semiconductor material portions can be formed by selective epitaxy of a carbon-containing semiconductor material layer or by shallow implantation of carbon atoms into surface portions of the underlying semiconductor surfaces. The carbon-doped semiconductor material portions can be deposited as layers and subsequently patterned by etching, or can be formed after formation of disposable masking spacers. Raised source and drain regions are formed on the carbon-doped semiconductor material portions and on physically exposed surfaces of the underlying semiconductor surfaces. The carbon-doped semiconductor material portions locally retard dopant diffusion from the raised source and drain regions into the underlying semiconductor material regions, thereby enabling local tailoring of the dopant profile, and alteration of device parameters for the field effect transistor.
US09385233B2

A bulk finFET with partial dielectric isolation is disclosed. The dielectric isolation is disposed underneath the channel, and essentially bounded by the channel, such that it does not extend laterally beyond the channel under the source and drain regions. This allows increased volume of SiGe source and drain stressor regions placed adjacent to the channel, allowing for a more strained channel, which improves carrier mobility. An N+ doped silicon region is disposed below the dielectric isolation and extends laterally beyond the channel and underneath the stressor source and drain regions, forming a reverse-biased p/n junction with the P+ doped source and drain SiGe stressor to minimize leakage currents from under the insulator.
US09385232B2

The present disclosure provides in some aspects a semiconductor device and a method of forming a semiconductor device. According to some illustrative embodiments herein, the semiconductor device includes an active region formed in a semiconductor substrate, a gate structure disposed over the active region, source/drain regions formed in the active region in alignment with the gate structure, and an insulating material region buried into the active region under the gate structure, wherein the insulating material region is surrounded by the active region and borders a channel region in the active region below the gate structure along a depth direction of the active region.
US09385230B2

A semiconductor device including a first conductor layer, a second conductor layer formed over the first conductor layer, a third conductor layer formed over the second conductor layer, a gate trench which passes through the third conductor layer and is formed in the second conductor layer, a first insulating film formed on an inner wall of the gate trench, a second insulating film formed on the inner wall of the gate trench, a first buried conductor layer formed in the gate trench, a gate electrode formed in the gate trench, a fourth conductor layer of the second conductivity type formed on a lower end of the first buried conductor layer and a lower end of the gate trench, and a fifth conduction layer of the first conductivity type formed over the third conductor layer. The first insulating film is thicker than the second insulating film.
US09385225B2

A method of making a circuit structure includes growing a bulk layer over a substrate, and growing a donor-supply layer over the bulk layer. The method further includes depositing a doped layer over the donor-supply layer, and patterning the doped layer to form a plurality of islands. The method further includes forming a gate structure over the donor-supply layer, wherein the gate structure is partially over a largest island of the plurality of islands. The method further includes forming a drain over the donor-supply layer, wherein at least one island of the plurality of islands is between the gate structure and the drain.
US09385222B2

A cavity is formed in a first semiconductor layer that is formed on a semiconducting base layer. The cavity extends from a process surface of the first semiconductor layer to the base layer. A recessed mask liner is formed on a portion of a sidewall of the cavity distant to the process surface or a mask plug is formed in a portion of the cavity distant do the process surface. A second semiconductor layer is grown by epitaxy on the process surface. The second semiconductor layer spans the cavity.
US09385207B2

A stratified gate dielectric stack includes a first high dielectric constant (high-k) gate dielectric comprising a first high-k dielectric material, a band-gap-disrupting dielectric comprising a dielectric material having a different band gap than the first high-k dielectric material, and a second high-k gate dielectric comprising a second high-k dielectric material. The band-gap-disrupting dielectric includes at least one contiguous atomic layer of the dielectric material. Thus, the stratified gate dielectric stack includes a first atomic interface between the first high-k gate dielectric and the band-gap-disrupting dielectric, and a second atomic interface between the second high-k gate dielectric and the band-gap-disrupting dielectric that is spaced from the first atomic interface by at least one continuous atomic layer of the dielectric material of the band-gap-disrupting dielectric. The insertion of the band-gap disrupting dielectric results in lower gate leakage without resulting in any substantial changes in the threshold voltage characteristics and effective oxide thickness.
US09385200B2

This disclosure relates to bipolar transistors, such as heterojunction bipolar transistors, having at a doping spike in the collector. The doping spike can be disposed relatively near an interface between the collector and the base. For instance, the doping spike can be disposed within half of the thickness of the collector from the interface between the collector and the base. Such bipolar transistors can be implemented, for example, in power amplifiers.
US09385179B2

Solutions for forming a silicided deep trench decoupling capacitor are disclosed. In one aspect, a method of forming a semiconductor device includes: forming an outer trench in a silicon substrate, the forming exposing portions of the silicon substrate below an upper surface of the silicon substrate; depositing a dielectric liner layer inside the trench; depositing a doped polysilicon layer over the dielectric liner layer, the doped polysilicon layer forming an inner trench in the silicon substrate; forming a silicide layer over a portion of the doped polysilicon layer; forming an intermediate contact layer within the inner trench; and forming a contact over a portion of the intermediate contact layer and a portion of the silicide layer.
US09385177B2

A sequence of semiconductor processing steps permits formation of both vertical and horizontal nanometer-scale serpentine resistors and parallel plate capacitors within a common structure. The method of fabricating such a structure cleverly takes advantage of a CMP process non-uniformity in which the CMP polish rate of an insulating material varies according to a certain underlying topography. By establishing such topography underneath a layer of the insulating material, different film thicknesses of the insulator can be created in different areas by leveraging differential polish rates, thereby avoiding the use of a lithography mask. In one embodiment, a plurality of resistors and capacitors can be formed as a compact integrated structure within a common dielectric block, using a process that requires only two mask layers. The resistors and capacitors thus formed as a set of integrated circuit elements are suitable for use as microelectronic fuses and antifuses, respectively, to protect underlying microelectronic circuits.
US09385175B2

There is provided a flexible display having a plurality of innovations configured to allow bending of a portion or portions to reduce apparent border size and/or utilize the side surface of an assembled flexible display.
US09385147B2

Thin film transistors (TFT) and methods of manufacturing the same. A TFT includes a line-shaped gate of uniform thickness. A cross-section of the gate is curved where a side surface and a top surface meet. The gate includes one, or two or more gate lines.
US09385145B2

A double thin film transistor includes a first semiconductor layer, a gate, a second semiconductor layer, a first insulating layer, a second insulating layer, a first source, a first drain, a second source and a second drain. The first semiconductor layer is disposed over a substrate. The gate is disposed over the first semiconductor layer. The second semiconductor layer is disposed over the gate, and the first and second semiconductor layers are the same conductive type. The first insulating layer is disposed between the first semiconductor layer and the gate. The second insulating layer is disposed between the gate and the second semiconductor layer. The first source and the first drain are disposed between the substrate and the second insulating layer. The second source and the second drain are disposed over the second insulating layer.
US09385138B2

In a semiconductor device and a method of forming such a device, the semiconductor device comprises a substrate of semiconductor material extending in a horizontal direction. A plurality of interlayer dielectric layers is provided on the substrate. A plurality of gate patterns is provided, each gate pattern between a neighboring lower interlayer dielectric layer and a neighboring upper interlayer dielectric layer. A vertical channel of semiconductor material extends in a vertical direction through the plurality of interlayer dielectric layers and the plurality of gate patterns, a gate insulating layer between each gate pattern and the vertical channel that insulates the gate pattern from the vertical channel, the vertical channel being in contact with the substrate at a contact region that comprises a semiconducting region.
US09385126B2

Embodiments of the invention provide a semiconductor structure including a finFET having an epitaxial semiconductor region in direct physical contact with a plurality of fins, wherein the epitaxial semiconductor region traverses an insulator layer and is in direct physical contact with the semiconductor substrate. The gate of the finFET is disposed over an insulator layer, such as a buried oxide layer. Methods of forming the semiconductor structure are also included.
US09385123B2

The present invention relates generally to semiconductor devices, and particularly to fabricating a shallow trench isolation (STI) region in fin field effect transistors (FinFETs) having a small fin pitch. According to one embodiment, a method of using selective etching techniques to remove a single fin to form a fin trench and to form an isolation trench having a width approximately equal to a width of the single fin below the removed fin is disclosed. The fin trench and the isolation trench may be filled with isolation material to form an isolation region.
US09385114B2

A non-linear element, such as a diode, in which an oxide semiconductor is used and a rectification property is favorable is provided. In a thin film transistor including an oxide semiconductor in which the hydrogen concentration is less than or equal to 5×1019/cm3, the work function φms of a source electrode in contact with the oxide semiconductor, the work function φmd of a drain electrode in contact with the oxide semiconductor, and electron affinity χ of the oxide semiconductor satisfy φms≦χ<φmd. By electrically connecting a gate electrode and the drain electrode of the thin film transistor, a non-linear element with a more favorable rectification property can be achieved.
US09385105B2

A semiconductor device includes: a chip having at least one electrically conductive contact at a first side of the chip; an extension layer extending laterally from one or more sides of the chip; a redistribution layer on a surface of the extension layer and the first side, and coupled to the contact; an interposer having at least one electrically conductive contact at a first surface of the interposer and coupled to the redistribution layer, and at least one electrically conductive contact at a second surface of the interposer opposite to the first surface; a molding material at least partially enclosing the chip and the redistribution layer, and in contact with the interposer. Another semiconductor device includes: an interposer; a redistribution layer over the interposer; a circuit having first and second circuit portions, wherein the redistribution layer includes the first circuit portion, and the interposer includes the second circuit portion.
US09385100B1

An integrated circuit packaging system, and a method of manufacture thereof, includes: an embedded trace substrate having bonding sites and traces embedded in a base material, an insulation layer on the traces, the insulation layer having a top surface coplanar with the top surface of the base material; and an integrated circuit die connected to the bonding sites.
US09385088B2

A semiconductor device including: a first layer including first transistors including at least one first monocrystalline silicon transistor channel; a second layer including second transistors including at least one second monocrystalline non-silicon transistor channel; a plurality of connection paths extending from the second transistors to the first transistors, where at least one of the connection paths includes at least one through layer via with a diameter of less than 200 nm.
US09385082B2

Embodiments of the invention describe low capacitance interconnect structures for semiconductor devices and methods for manufacturing such devices. According to an embodiment of the invention, a low capacitance interconnect structure comprises an interlayer dielectric (ILD). First and second interconnect lines are disposed in the ILD in an alternating pattern. The top surfaces of the first interconnect lines may be recessed below the top surfaces of the second interconnect lines. Increases in the recess of the first interconnect lines decreases the line-to-line capacitance between neighboring interconnects. Further embodiments include utilizing different dielectric materials as etching caps above the first and second interconnect lines. The different materials may have a high selectivity over each other during an etching process. Accordingly, the alignment budget for contacts to individual interconnect lines is increased.
US09385079B2

An embodiment is a circuit. The circuit includes active circuitry, a first capacitor, a first fuse, a second capacitor, and a second fuse. The active circuitry has a first power node and a second power node. The first capacitor is coupled to the first fuse serially to form a first segment. The second capacitor is coupled to the second fuse serially to form a second segment. The first segment and the second segment are coupled together in parallel and between the first power node and the second power node.
US09385076B2

A semiconductor device includes a post-passivation interconnect (PPI) structure having a landing pad region. A polymer layer is formed on the PPI structure and patterned with a first opening and a second opening to expose portions of the landing pad region. The second opening is a ring-shaped opening surrounding the first opening. A bump structure is formed on the polymer layer to electrically connect the landing pad region through the first opening and the second opening.
US09385057B2

A semiconductor flat package has a semiconductor chip, leads connected to the semiconductor chip, and an encapsulation resin covering the semiconductor chip and partially covering the leads. Outer end surfaces of the leads are exposed from the encapsulation resin and covered with a plated layer, and a side end surface of the plated layer and a side end surface of the encapsulation resin are flush with each other. A material with good solder wettability is formed at a lead cut portion of the semiconductor flat package, to thereby improve solder connection strength with a circuit board. A solder fillet is formed from the lead cut portion of the semiconductor package, to thereby enable adaptation of solder automatic visual inspection after mounting.
US09385044B2

An integrated circuit containing metal replacement gates may be formed by forming a CMP stop layer over sacrificial gates, and forming a dielectric fill layer over the CMP stop layer. Dielectric material from the dielectric fill layer is removed from over the sacrificial gates using a CMP process which exposes the CMP stop layer over the sacrificial gates but does not expose the sacrificial gates. The CMP stop layer is removed from over the sacrificial gates using a plasma etch process. In one version, the plasma etch process may be selective to the CMP stop layer. In another version, the plasma etch process may be a non-selective etch process. After the sacrificial gates are exposed by the plasma etch process, the sacrificial gates are removed and the metal replacement gates are formed.
US09385040B2

A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device includes providing a wafer, grinding a backside of the wafer, disposing a backside film on the backside of the wafer, cutting the wafer to singulate a plurality of dies from the wafer, and forming a mark on the backside film disposed on each of the plurality of dies by a laser operation.
US09385030B2

Aspects of the present invention relate to approaches for preventing contact encroachment in a semiconductor device. A first portion of a contact trench can be etched partway to a source-drain region of the semiconductor device. A dielectric liner can be deposited in this trench. A second etch can be performed on the lined trench to etch the contact trench channel the remainder of the way to the source-drain region. This leaves a portion of the dielectric liner remaining in the trench (e.g., covering the vertical walls of the trench) after the second etch.
US09385023B1

A semiconductor structure is provided that contains silicon fins having different heights, while maintaining a reasonable fin height to width ratio for process feasibility. The semiconductor structure includes a first silicon fin of a first height that is located on a first buried oxide structure. The structure further includes a second silicon fin of a second height that is located on a second buried oxide structure that is spaced apart from the first buried oxide structure. The second height of the second silicon fin is greater than the first height of the first silicon fin, yet a topmost surface of the first silicon fin is coplanar of a topmost surface with the second silicon fin.
US09385019B2

A material handling system includes an overhead rack defining a plurality of storage positions. The overhead rack defines at least one interior window devoid of storage locations. First and second side rails are disposed above the overhead rack. A first cross rail is movably coupled to the first and second side rails. A first transport vehicle movably is coupled to the first cross rail and operable to descend below the overhead rack through the at least one interior window.
US09385007B2

A plurality of semiconductor elements for power control are formed on a semiconductor substrate. A stress relaxation resin layer covering a crossing region where band-shaped dicing areas dividing the semiconductor elements adjacent to each other cross is formed. The crossing region is diced to cut the stress relaxation resin layer to obtain the separate semiconductor elements. Accordingly, even with semiconductor elements produced with a compound semiconductor substrate of SiC or the like, a semiconductor device having high adhesive strength with a sealing resin and being less likely to cause cracking or peeling of the sealing resin due to thermal stress during an operation can be obtained.
US09385006B2

A semiconductor device includes a ball grid array (BGA) package including first bumps. A first semiconductor die is mounted to the BGA package between the first bumps. The BGA package and first semiconductor die are mounted to a carrier. A first encapsulant is deposited over the carrier and around the BGA package and first semiconductor die. The carrier is removed to expose the first bumps and first semiconductor die. An interconnect structure is electrically connected to the first bumps and first semiconductor die. The BGA package further includes a substrate and a second semiconductor die mounted, and electrically connected, to the substrate. A second encapsulant is deposited over the second semiconductor die and substrate. The first bumps are formed over the substrate opposite the second semiconductor die. A warpage balance layer is formed over the BGA package.
US09385005B2

The present disclosure is related to semiconductor technologies and discloses a semiconductor device and its method of making. In the present disclosure, a transistor's source and drain are led out by forming vias or contact holes in an insulator layer covering the transistor and at metal silicide contact regions corresponding to the source and drain, and by filling the vias with metal-semiconductor compound. Because the metal-semiconductor compound has relatively low resistivity, the resistance of the material in the vias can be minimized. Also, because the material used to fill the vias and the material forming the source/drain contact regions are both metal-semiconductor compound, contact resistance between the material filling the vias and the source/drain contact regions can be minimized. Furthermore, because the material filling the vias is metal-semiconductor compound, the conducting material in the vias and dielectric material in the insulator layer can form good interface and have good adhesion properties, and the conducting material would not cause structural damage in the dielectric material. Thus, there is no need to form a barrier layer between the insulator layer and the material filling the vias.
US09385003B1

Systems and methods for etching a substrate include arranging a substrate including a first structure and a dummy structure in a processing chamber. The first structure is made of a material selected from a group consisting of silicon dioxide and silicon nitride. The dummy structure is made of silicon. Carrier gas is supplied to the processing chamber. Nitrogen trifluoride and molecular hydrogen gas are supplied to the processing chamber. Plasma is generated in the processing chamber. The dummy structure is etched.
US09384996B2

A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device and a device manufactured by the same are provided. According to the embodiment, a substrate having at least a first area with a plurality of first gates and a second area with a plurality of second gates is provided, wherein the adjacent first gates and the adjacent second gates separated by an insulation, and a top surface of the insulation has a plurality of recesses. Then, a capping layer is formed over the first gate, the second gates and the insulation, and filling the recesses. The capping layer is removed until reaching the top surface of the insulation, thereby forming the insulating depositions filling up the recesses, wherein the upper surfaces of the insulating depositions are substantially aligned with the top surface of the insulation.
US09384991B2

A system and method for manufacturing a carbon layer is provided. An embodiment comprises depositing a first metal layer on a substrate, the substrate comprising carbon. A silicide is eptiaxially grown on the substrate, the epitaxially growing the silicide also forming a layer of carbon over the silicide. In an embodiment the carbon layer is graphene, and may be transferred to a semiconductor substrate for further processing to form a channel within the graphene.
US09384968B2

Provided is a technique of forming a film on a substrate by performing a cycle a predetermined number of times. The cycle includes: forming a first layer by supplying a gas containing a first element to the substrate, wherein the first layer is a discontinuous layer, a continuous layer, or a layer in which at least one of the discontinuous layer or the continuous layer is overlapped; forming a second layer including the first layer and a discontinuous layer including a second element stacked on the first layer; forming a third layer including the second layer and a discontinuous layer including a third element stacked on the second layer; and forming a fourth layer including the first element, the second element, the third element and a fourth element by supplying a gas containing the fourth element to the substrate to modify the third layer.
US09384954B2

Certain embodiments described herein are directed to time of flight tubes comprising a cylindrical tube comprising an inner surface and an outer surface, the cylindrical tube comprising an effective thickness and sized and arranged to couple to and support a reflectron assembly inside the cylindrical tube. In some configurations, the cylindrical tube further comprises a conductive material disposed on the inner surface of the cylindrical tube, the conductive material present in an effective amount to provide a field free region for ions when the conductive material is charged.
US09384950B2

In one embodiment, a processing chamber is disclosed wherein at least one surface of the processing chamber has a coating comprising SivYwMgxAlyOz, wherein v ranges from about 0.0196 to 0.2951, w ranges from about 0.0131 to 0.1569, x ranges from about 0.0164 to 0.0784, y ranges from about 0.0197 to 0.1569, z ranges from about 0.5882 to 0.6557, and v+w+x+y+z=1.
US09384942B2

A TEM specimen kit is disclosed, which comprises: (a) a top substrate and a bottom substrate, the top and the bottom substrates being transparent and substantially parallel to each other; (b) a first spacer and a second spacer, located beneath the top substrate and sitting on the bottom substrate, the second spacer being opposite to and spaced apart from the first spacer at a distance of d; and (c) a chamber formed between the top and bottom substrate and between the first and second spacer, the chamber having two ends open to the atmosphere and characterized by having a height defined by the thickness h of the spacer, wherein the height being smaller than the diameter of a red blood cell. Also enclosed are methods for preparing a dry specimen for TEM nanoparticle characterization, and methods for analyzing TEM images of nanoparticles in a liquid sample.
US09384934B2

An electron exit window foil for use with a high performance electron beam generator operating in a corrosive environment is provided. The electron exit window foil comprises a sandwich structure having a film of Ti, a first layer of a material having a higher thermal conductivity than Ti, and a flexible second layer of a material being able to protect said film from said corrosive environment, wherein the second layer is facing the corrosive environment.
US09384933B2

A field emission device is configured as a heat engine, and the performance of the device is optimized.
US09384923B1

A circuit breaker, or transformer, or insulated bus for use with AC voltages greater than 30 kilovolts and AC currents greater than 400 amperes includes an elongated bushing made from electrically insulating material and having a first end adapted to be coupled to a main enclosure of the circuit breaker, or transformer, or insulated bus. An elongated extruded radiator has a first end coupled to the second end of the bushing and a second end. A terminal pad is coupled to the second end of the extruded radiator. An electrical conductor is disposed in internal cavities of the bushing and the extruded radiator in spaced relation to internal walls of the bushing and the extruded radiator that define the internal cavities. One end of the conductor is electrically connected to the terminal pad.
US09384919B2

Methods and apparatus for a touchsurface assembly such as a key assembly are described. The touchsurface assembly includes a sheet metal component having ramps formed therein and a keycap having ramp contacting features and a touchsurface for receiving a press force that moves the keycap toward a pressed position. The ramp contacting features contact at least one of the ramps in the sheet metal component while the keycap moves toward the pressed position, the ramps guiding the keycap to move in a second direction orthogonal to the press direction as the keycap moves from the unpressed position toward the pressed position.
US09384917B2

A push button switch has a button section having a push operation surface that is made of a light-transmitting material, and a light guide plate arranged in parallel with the push operation surface, a moving mechanism that causes the button section to move in parallel with a pushing direction, a detecting section that detects when the button section has moved in parallel with the pushing direction, a light source that emits light that enters the light guide plate via a lateral surface of the light guide plate, and a base positioned on a rear surface side of the button section, on which the moving mechanism is disposed. The moving mechanism holds the button section at an area other than an area corresponding to the push operation surface. The detecting section and the light source are positioned outside the area corresponding to the push operation surface.
US09384911B2

A dampening assembly is for an electrical switching apparatus, such as a circuit breaker. The electrical switching apparatus includes a housing, separable contacts enclosed by the housing, and an operating mechanism structured to open and close the separable contacts. The dampening assembly includes a D-shaft pivotably coupled to the housing, and an anti-bounce assembly. The anti-bounce assembly includes a first element coupled to the housing, and a second element, such as an elongated resilient pin member, which is adapted to cooperate with the D-shaft to resist undesired movement of the D-shaft. The D-shaft has opposing first and second ends and a recess disposed between the first end and the second end. A portion of the elongated resilient pin member is disposed in the recess.
US09384907B2

The present invention relates in particular to a conductive electrode for an electrical energy storage system (1) having an aqueous electrolyte solution, said electrode comprising a metallic current collector (3) and an active material (7), said metallic current collector (3) comprising a protective conductive layer (5) placed between said metallic current collector (3) and said active material (7), characterized in that said protective conductive layer (5) comprises: —between 30% and 85% as a proportion by weight of dry matter of a copolymer matrix, —between 70% and 15% as a proportion by weight of dry matter of conductive fillers, in addition to the proportion by weight of dry matter of copolymer in order to achieve a total of 100%.
US09384889B2

A vacuum induction melting and strip casting equipment for rare earth permanent magnetic alloy includes a vacuum induction melting and strip casting chamber, a material receiving heat preservation treatment chamber, a cooling chamber and an isolation valve. The isolation valve is located between the material receiving heat preservation treatment chamber and the cooling chamber, the vacuum induction melting and strip casting chamber is located above the material receiving heat preservation treatment chamber, an outlet of a material guiding tube of the vacuum induction melting and strip casting chamber is corresponding to the material receiving heat preservation treatment chamber. Water-cooled electrodes, a vacuum pumping device, an inert gas introduction pipeline, a temperature measurement mechanism, a pressure gauge, a vacuum gauge and a safety valve are provided on the vacuum induction melting and strip casting chamber. The present invention improves the production efficiency and has high production performance and good consistence.
US09384888B2

Upon producing a transparent polycrystalline material, a suspension liquid (or slurry 1) is prepared, the suspension liquid being made by dispersing a raw-material powder in a solution, the raw-material powder including optically anisotropic single-crystalline particles to which a rare-earth element is added. A formed body is obtained from the suspension liquid by means of carrying out slip casting in a space with a magnetic field applied. On this occasion, while doing a temperature control so that the single-crystalline particles demonstrate predetermined magnetic anisotropy, one of static magnetic fields and rotary magnetic fields is selected in compliance with a direction of an axis of easy magnetization in the single-crystalline particles, and is then applied to them. A transparent polycrystalline material is obtained by sintering the formed body, the transparent polycrystalline material having a polycrystalline structure whose crystal orientation is controlled.
US09384887B2

A first device may be paired to a second device, with the first and second devices including inductive elements, the devices may be paired by aligning a first magnetic element of a first device and a second magnetic element of a second device. At least one additional magnetic element is used to redirect magnetic fields generated by the first magnetic element and the second magnetic element away from the inductive elements.
US09384877B2

In accordance with the present invention, novel superparamagnetic magneto-dielectric polymer nanocomposites are synthesized using a novel process. The tunability of the dielectric/magnetic properties demonstrated by this novel highly-viscous solvent-free polymer nanocomposite that is amenable to building 3D electromagnetic structures/devices by using processes such as 3D printing, compression molding or injection molding, when an external DC magnetic field is applied, exceeds what has been previously reported for magneto-dielectric polymer nanocomposite materials.