US07668488B2
A binary ink developer (BID) for a liquid electro-photography (LEP) printing device includes a sponge roller to absorb unused ink. The BID includes a squeezer roller to release the unused ink absorbed by the sponge roller for reuse. The squeezer roller releases the unused ink absorbed by the sponge roller by compressing the sponge roller. Compression of the sponge roller results in ink foam. The BID includes a mechanism having a wall, and a housing that together with the wall of the mechanism defines a passageway between the housing and the wall. The passageway is exposed externally to the BID. The BID includes one or more suction cavities defined within the wall of the mechanism through which the ink foam moves back from the passageway.
US07668479B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a primary transfer section which executes a first transfer by superimposing respective color toner images formed on a plurality of photoreceptors onto an intermediate transfer member; a secondary transfer section including a transfer roller, which concurrently transfers a plurality of toner images superimposed and formed on the intermediate transfer member onto a sheet conveyed from a sheet feed tray, which is in contact with the intermediate transfer member, and a high voltage power source which applies voltage to the transfer roller; and a controller which judges whether there is residual toner, which is a toner image formed onto the intermediate transfer member but not transferred onto the sheet when a sheet sensor detects the sheet exhaustion, and executes a cleaning mode in which the transfer roller is cleaned when there is the residual toner.
US07668468B1
The present invention relates to a numerous user laser communications optical system. Numerous optical signals comprising a number of channels are simultaneously received and demultiplexed (and/or multiplexed and transmitted) at a numerous access communication device. The numerous access communication device may comprise multiple stages that each include a multiple order waveplate and a polarizing beam splitter. The multiple order waveplate is configured so that it retards a first electrical field component of signals corresponding to certain channels in a frequency grid in an integer multiple of wavelengths with respect to a second electrical field component, and retards a first electrical field component of signals corresponding to other channels in the frequency grid in an integer multiple of wavelengths plus one-half a wavelength with respect to a second electrical field component. Separation can then be performed on the basis of the resulting opposite polarization.
US07668467B2
The demodulation circuit of the present invention is a demodulation circuit, connected with a plurality of light-receiving sections each for receiving an optical signal and converting the signal into a binary pulse signal, operable to select and demodulate a pulse signal out of pulse signals that are supplied from the light-receiving sections, respectively, the demodulation circuit including: a judgment and selection section for detecting timing with which High level and Low level of each of the pulse signals are switched and for selecting at least one pulse signal based on the timing; and a demodulation section for demodulating the pulse signal selected by the judgment and selection section. Consequently, the demodulation circuit easily selects and demodulates a signal whose jitter component is small out of a plurality of supplied signals.
US07668460B2
Optical communication networks often incorporate fiber rings or fiber mesh topologies for interconnecting its nodes. Both of these topologies can contain closed optical loops at one or more wavelengths within the optical spectrum. In amplified optical systems, the inherent loss of these optical loops is counteracted by the amplifier gain. Thus, the optical loop may have a net loss that is too low to prevent excessive noise buildup resulting in a lasing fiber loop. The noise that builds up within such amplified systems is dominated by the Amplified Spontaneous Emission (ASE) noise resulting in ASE loops. Such loops can have a serious impact on all wavelengths carried by the fiber and lead to a partial or complete loss of end to end communication due to a severe degradation in signal to noise ratio. This invention provides an effective method and system for avoiding ASE loops in optical communication networks. The method deploys optical seams as well as a unique signature for a wavelength instance for achieving an effective solution that is resilient to errors and failures that may occur on the system both during service creation and normal operation.
US07668458B2
A protective device for photographic apparatus comprises an umbrella with a shaft which slides in a ball joint having a compressible o-ring that fits inside a groove within the ball joint. The ball joint is held in place with compression screws joining two halves of a collar system which are adjusted to provide the desired frictional setting to maintain the umbrella in the desired position. A slide bar with an attachment bolt at one end and a stop at the other is used to attach the present invention to the base of a camera or video device and provides the slide wherein the collar system is moved to a desired position. The collar system includes grooves whereby the shaft of the umbrella may be rotated to lie flat against the collar system to facilitate storage and tilting of the photographic apparatus. The umbrella collapses pulling the protective canopy down along shaft for easy storage.
US07668454B2
A method for providing photography advice, such as in the use of a camera, is provided. The method includes storing image attributes associated with a plurality of images captured by the camera. Camera settings associated with the captured images are also stored. At least one of a plurality of photography pointers is provided based on the stored image attributes and the stored camera settings.
US07668453B2
The image taking apparatus of the invention includes a light quantity control device that is arranged on the optical axis of subject light and controls transmitted volume of the subject light. The light quantity control device includes a light quantity control layer and a pair of light-transmissive electrodes. The light quantity control layer expands and contracts in accordance with an electric field generated therein and thereby changes the transmitted volume of the subject light. The electrodes are disposed so as to sandwich the light quantity control layer and generate an electric field in the light quantity control layer, in response to application of voltage, thereby causing the light quantity control layer to expand and contract.
US07668441B2
An image recording and reproducing apparatus for re-compressing and re-recording once stored data, and a method thereof. The image recording and reproducing apparatus comprises an encoder for compressing input digital image data by a first compression rate, thereby generating and outputting first compressed data, a storage part for storing the first compressed data, a decoder for expanding the first compressed data of the storage part to restore a digital image data, and outputting the digital image data, and a controller for controlling the decoder such that the digital image data output from the decoder is transmitted to the encoder, compressed by the encoder by a second compression rate into second compressed data, and stored to the storage part.
US07668433B2
A telecommunications cable management system includes trough elements including a planar top surface and sides for cable routing and management. The trough elements are made from separate parts assembled together with a mating arrangement. The mating arrangement allows assembly of the system on site, such as by snapping the parts together. The trough elements are then assembled together to form the cable management system.
US07668428B2
An optical fiber includes a core region and a cladding region formed on an outer circumference of the core region. The cladding region includes a plurality of holes arranged around the core region and has a refractive index lower than a refractive index of the core region. A zero dispersion wavelength of the optical fiber is shorter than 1150 nanometers. The optical fiber propagates a light having a wavelength longer than 1000 nanometers exclusively in a fundamental mode of LP01 mode. An effective core area of the optical fiber is equal to or smaller than 12.0 μm2 at a wavelength of 1064 nanometers.
US07668416B2
The new single mode circuit (SMC) architecture is invented for photonic integrated circuits (PIC). This architecture allows using multimode waveguides or structures to construct a single mode operated PIC. The multimode sections used in such SMC based PIC possess strong lateral confinement so that the PIC can have high circuit density and high optical performance at the same time. A parallel mode converter structure is also invented here. Based on this parallel mode converter, a low loss optical splitter can be constructed for high index contrast waveguide system.
US07668415B2
A MEMS-based display device is described, wherein an array of interferometric modulators are configured to reflect light through a transparent substrate. The transparent substrate is sealed to a backplate and the backplate may contain electronic circuitry fabricated on the backplane. The electronic circuitry is placed in electrical communication with the array of interferometric modulators and is configured to control the state of the array of interferometric modulators.
US07668411B2
An optical time domain reflectometry (OTDR) system is configured to detect Rayleigh backscatter reflected from a multimode sensing optical fiber. The system includes a single spatial mode filtering system to select a single speckle of the Rayleigh backscatter produced in response to an optical pulse launched into the multimode fiber. The detected single speckle may be used for distributed disturbance (vibration) detection.
US07668402B2
A method for generating a composite image includes receiving a separate image into a computer system, comparing the separate image to the composite image so as to generate a mismatch value, and modifying at least one of the composite image and the separate image to reduce the mismatch value.
US07668400B2
In a method for generating a dimensionally tractable set of image layout constraints, a selected constraint is applied to limit a dimension of a highly dimensional solution space. Through random selection one or more unconstrained dimensions of the highly dimensional solution space are identified which, when constrained, will further limit the highly dimensional solution space to a dimensionally tractable solution space. The tractability of the dimensionally tractable solution space is associated with a capability of a computational resource.
US07668389B2
High frequency components are efficiently extracted from blurred images, and blur correction is efficiently performed. A blur analyzing means judges whether an image is a blurred image. If the image is judged to be a blurred image, blur data Q, which includes a blur width, is generated and transmitted to a blur correcting means. The blur correcting means extracts high frequency components from the image if the blur width is less than a predetermined threshold value, and performs blur correction by adding the high frequency components to the image. Meanwhile, if the blur width is greater than or equal to the threshold value, a reducing means reduces the size of the image to obtain a reduced image. Then, the blur correcting means extracts high frequency components from the reduced image, and performs blur correction by emphasizing and adding the extracted high frequency components to the reduced image.
US07668382B2
Systems and methods for block-based fast image compression are described. In one aspect, a digital image is segmented into multiple blocks. A respective set of statistical characteristics is identified for each of the segmented blocks. Each of the blocks is encoded with a particular encoding algorithm of multiple encoding algorithms. The particular encoding algorithm that is used to encode a particular block segmented from the digital image is selected to efficiently encode the block in view of statistical characteristics associated with the block. Thus, blocks of different block types may be encoded with different encoding algorithms.
US07668381B2
The decoding apparatus in the present invention includes a memory operable to hold encoded data representing one of a compressed sound and a compressed image, a memory read-out unit operable to sequentially read out the encoded data from said memory, a match determining circuit operable to determine whether or not data matching a specific bit sequence exists in the encoded data read out by said memory read-out unit, a deleting circuit operable to delete a part of the specific bit sequence from the encoded data read out from said memory, when said match determining circuit determines that the specific bit sequence exists, and a decoding circuit operable to decode the post-deletion encoded data.
US07668377B2
A method of obtaining a depth map from a single digital image of a three-dimensional scene containing geometric objects is provided that includes the identification in the image of at least one horizontal plane or one vertical plane of the three-dimensional scene and the assignment to every point of the image forming part of the identified plane, or to each one of the identified planes, of a depth level according to its distance from, respectively, a predetermined horizontal or vertical reference straight line of the image. In particular, the identification of at least one plane includes the identification in the image of at least two vanishing lines corresponding to two parallel lines in the plane and the assignment of a depth level made in accordance with the angular coefficients of the identified vanishing lines. Also included is a completely automatic method for obtaining a depth map from a single digital image of any three-dimensional scene.
US07668370B2
The invention relates to an apparatus for segmenting a series of 2D or 3D images obtained by monitoring a patient's organ or other body part, wherein a first segmentation is carried out on a first image of the series of images and wherein the first segmentation is used for the subsequent segmentation of the remainder of images of the series of images. A series of transformations are carried out wherein each separate transformation embodies a fitting operation between two images of the series of images, and wherein substantially all images of the series of images are subject of such a transformation. The first segmentation on the first image of the series of images is modified and subsequently applied to any further image of the series of images according to the transformation or sequence of transformations that fits the first image to a further image of the series of images.
US07668369B2
In one aspect, a metadata-based classification result is obtained based on metadata associated with an image. A histogram-based classification result is determined based on a histogram of intensity values derived from the image. The image is classified into a scene type class based on the metadata-based classification result and the histogram-based classification result. In another aspect, a first condition is applied on a first one of metadata associated with an image corresponding to a measure of amount of light received in capturing the image to obtain a first metadata-based classification result. A second condition is applied on a second one of the metadata corresponding to a measure of brightness of the image to obtain a second metadata-based classification result. The image is classified into a scene type class based on the first and second metadata-based classification results.
US07668366B2
A method having a corresponding apparatus and computer program comprises receiving a mosaic image comprising a plurality of pixels; separating the mosaic image into a plurality of color channels each comprising only the pixels having a corresponding one of a plurality of colors; and processing each color channel of the image data separately, wherein the processing of each of the color channels comprises at least one of compressing the pixels in the color channel, and color processing the pixels in the color channel.
US07668361B2
The invention relates to an imaging system for imaging an object (4), said imaging system comprising a detection unit (3) for consecutively acquiring projection data sets (Pi) of the object (4), said detection unit (3) having a temporal response function that is characterized by at least a time constant (τ), a rotation unit that, while the projection data sets (Pi) are being acquired, moves the detection unit (3) around the object (4) with an essentially constant angular velocity (ω), a reconstruction unit (9) for computing an image data set (13) of the object (4) from the projection data sets (Pi), and a filter unit (10) that, in an active state, applies a filter (f) on the image data set (13) to compute a correction, which filter acts as a derivative on the perturbed image, essentially in a direction corresponding to the direction of the angular velocity, is essentially proportional to the time constant (τ) and is essentially proportional to the angular velocity (ω), said filter unit (10) being arranged to subtract the correction from the image data set (13).
US07668355B2
A method for forming an enhanced image of tooth tissue for caries detection obtains fluorescence (50) and reflectance (52) image data from a tooth (20). Each pixel in the fluorescence image data is combined with its corresponding pixel in the reflectance image data by subtracting an offset to the reflectance image data value to generate an offset reflectance image data value, and then computing an enhanced image data value according to the difference between the fluorescence image data value and the offset reflectance image data value, whereby the enhanced image (64) is formed from the resulting pixel array of enhanced image data values.
US07668343B2
A measuring apparatus for measuring a position of a surface of an object while the object is scanned in a scanning direction in an X-Y plane. A detecting unit detects the position of the surface of the object in a Z direction perpendicular to the X-Y plane, a stage scans the object relative to the detecting unit in the scanning direction, and a controller causes the stage to pre-scan the object relative to the detecting unit in two scanning directions, in the X-Y plane, opposite to each other, to detect, using the detecting unit, with respect to each of the two scanning directions, a position of the surface in the Z-direction for each of the same detection points on the surface, to determine, with respect to each of the two scanning directions, a reference surface based on the detected positions of the surface, to calculate an offset value, which is a difference between the detected position and a position of the reference surface in the Z-direction for each of the same detection points with respect to each of the two scanning directions, to calculate a correction value for correcting the calculated offset value in accordance with a corresponding one of the two scanning directions based on a difference, in the Z-direction, between positions of the determined reference surfaces obtained with respect to the two scanning directions.
US07668340B2
A gesture recognition interface for use in controlling self-service machines and other devices is disclosed. A gesture is defined as motions and kinematic poses generated by humans, animals, or machines. Specific body features are tracked, and static and motion gestures are interpreted. Motion gestures are defined as a family of parametrically delimited oscillatory motions, modeled as a linear-in-parameters dynamic system with added geometric constraints to allow for real-time recognition using a small amount of memory and processing time. A linear least squares method is preferably used to determine the parameters which represent each gesture. Feature position measure is used in conjunction with a bank of predictor bins seeded with the gesture parameters, and the system determines which bin best fits the observed motion. Recognizing static pose gestures is preferably performed by localizing the body/object from the rest of the image, describing that object, and identifying that description. The disclosure details methods for gesture recognition, as well as the overall architecture for using gesture recognition to control of devices, including self-service machines.
US07668338B2
A person tracking method and apparatus using a robot. The person tracking method includes: detecting a person in a first window of a current input image using a skin color of the person; and setting a plurality of second windows in a next input image, correlating the first window and the second windows and tracking the detected person in the next input image using the correlated results.
US07668333B2
A speaker frame comprising: a rear end wall; a damper support portion; an edge support portion to which an edge as an outer circumferential portion of a vibration plate is to be stuck and fixed; and plural frame arms which connect the edge support portion to the rear end wall and the damper support portion, wherein: a width of each of the frame arms increases as the position goes from the edge support portion to the damper support portion, and damper-support-portion-side end portions of side edges of adjoining frame arms are continuous with each other to form a single as an axis of symmetry, a bisector of an angle formed by the adjoining frame arms; and a single vent window is formed in each of the frame arms, and a reinforcement rib erects at a circumferential edge of the vent window.
US07668322B2
Part of the (synthetic material) substrate (8) of a display is combined with a light source, e.g. a LED (14) and a photodetector (20) to be used as an optical microphone. A membrane (11) is formed which deforms due to air pressure fluctuations caused by sound waves. The fluctuations are detected by the photodetector for further processing.
US07668321B2
A power foldback circuit to automatically control the power of an audio amplifier by using the volume inputs to a pre-amp source which drives the audio amplifier. In an embodiment, a Universal Serial Bus (USB) on a personal computer is used to drive the audio speakers. In this circuit an audio digital to analog converter (DAC) with a USB interface receives a digitally encoded audio signal from a personal computer (PC). The USB DAC outputs an analog audio signal to a audio amplifier circuit. A supervisory circuit monitors the power used by the audio amplifier and through a volume control circuit lowers the volume control into the USB DAC to prevent the entire circuit from drawing more than the allowed power supplied by the USB connection to the PC.
US07668303B2
A method and apparatus are provided for processing a call within an automatic contact distributor between a caller of the call and the automatic contact distributor. The method includes the steps of assigning a call identifier to the call when it arrives at the automatic contact distributor and transferring a call registration message from a resource of the automatic contact distributor to a tracking server of the automatic call distributor to register a presence of the call at the resource using the assigned call identifier.
US07668301B2
The present invention disclosed a kind of simulate user calling's test system and method which built-in digital SPC exchange, include background processing module, foreground calling control processing module and hardware subsystem, therein: background processing module operation on exchange servicing platform, for supply user setting parameter and display operate interface for test result, foreground calling control processing module is include in the exchange main control module, for control said hardware subsystem execute test process according to designed logical flow and user mount parameter, hardware subsystem composed of loop circuit relay single board, simulation user interface board, interface board control processing unit, multifunction resources process board. Adopt present invention may use few cost to reach the test result which equal to commercial calling device, and may reach more mobility, reach inline test function.
US07668295B2
A system and method to improve the high voltage performance of an x-ray tube with electrostatic deflection of an electron beam focal spot. The system and method provides protection of bias circuits from high voltage transients and spit protection in x-ray tubes through the use of a high voltage transient suppression and spit protection circuit assembly coupled between the bias circuits of a high voltage generator and an x-ray tube vacuum housing of an x-ray generation system.
US07668294B2
A system and method are disclosed for acquiring images in a biplane angiography system. The system and method allows synchronization of the image zoom format settings for the x-ray images acquired from the two planes of the biplane angiography system thus allowing the user to adjust the image zoom format setting for only one image plane.
US07668293B2
An apparatus and method for determining the density and other properties of a formation surrounding a borehole using a high voltage x-ray generator. One embodiment comprises a stable compact x-ray generator capable of providing radiation with energy of 250 keV and higher while operating at temperatures equal to or greater than 125° C. In another embodiment, radiation is passed from an x-ray generator into the formation; reflected radiation is detected by a short spaced radiation detector and a long spaced radiation detector. The output of these detectors is then used to determine the density of the formation. In one embodiment, a reference radiation detector monitors a filtered radiation signal. The output of this detector is used to control at least one of the acceleration voltage and beam current of the x-ray generator.
US07668292B1
In some embodiments, a method includes receiving, in a processor, information indicative of (i) a treatment plan defining planned treatment beams, (ii) a patient volume relative to a reference, (iii) ideal intersections of the planned treatment beams with the patient volume at the time the patient is to be treated, (iv) any constraints that prevent achievement of the recommended repositioning using only the patient support, (v) an allowable change to a gantry position from a planned value and an allowable change to a collimator position from a planned value; defining, in the processor, a plurality of alternatives based at least in part on the information indicative of any constraints of the patient support and the information indicative of allowable movement of the gantry and collimator, each alternative defining a modified patient support position and modified beams, each modified beam being based at least in part on a respective one of the planned treatment beams, the change to the position of the gantry for the respective planned treatment beam and the change to the position of the collimator for the respective planned treatment beam; determining, in the processor, for each modified beam of each alternative, an intersection of the patient volume and the modified beam, with the patient volume positioned on the patient support and the patient support having the modified patient support position defined by the alternative; and defining, in the processor, for each alternative, a measure of difference between the ideal intersections and the intersections for the modified beams of the alternative.
US07668291B2
Systems and methods of controlling the leaves of an aperture in radiation treatment are disclosed. In some embodiments, these systems and methods allow the delivery of different radiation fluences to different parts of a treatment volume in a single rotation of the aperture around the treatment volume. In some embodiments, different radiation fluences are achieved by radiating different parts of the treatment volume from opposing positions of the aperture around the treatment volume. In some embodiments, different radiation fluences are achieved by assigning different leaf pairs to radiate different parts of the treatment volume.
US07668287B2
An imaging section includes a radiation source that emits radiation, a detecting panel for detecting the radiation, and a rotating section for integrally rotating the radiation source and the detecting panel about a rotating axis. The radiation source and the detecting panel face each other with the rotating axis that passes though a predetermined position interposed therebetween. The imaging section sequentially images a subject placed at the predetermined position while rotating the radiation source and the detecting panel about the rotating axis, and image signals are read out for each imaging operation. A control section refers to a necessary readout region set by a setting section and controls a readout switching means such that image signals recorded in detection pixels within the necessary readout region are read out by a normal readout section, and image signals recorded in other detection pixels are read out by a high speed readout section.
US07668286B2
An X-ray CT apparatus sets at least an imaging-subject area to be imaged, and a heart imaging area included in the imaging-subject area and determined based on a position and size of a heart on a subject P. When an image is taken, the X-ray CT apparatus sets imaging conditions, such as whether electrocardiographic synchronization is required for imaging and a type of reconstruction mode, based on each set imaging area.
US07668285B2
An X-ray computed tomographic apparatus comprises a scanner to scan in a three-dimensional region of a subject by X-rays, a storing unit to store projection data acquired by the scanning, a reconstruction processing unit to generate volume data which corresponds to a three-dimensional region, based on the stored projection data, an MPR processing unit to generate slice image data relating to three-direction slice planes from the volume data, a displaying unit to display the slice image data together with a graphic element representing a reconstruction range, an operating unit to operate the graphic element, and a reconstruction processing unit to reconstruct tomographic image data which corresponds to the reconstruction range represented by the graphic element, based on the stored projection data.
US07668284B2
A nuclear fuel assembly having a tube-in-tube control rod guide tube design that incorporates an end plug that extends axially upward to an elevation above the lower most grid where it is sealed at its upper end to the lower end of the control rod guide tube. The guide tube lower end plug has a threaded recess in its upper surface that mates with a corresponding dashpot end plug threaded extension that is formed as an insert in the lower end of the guide tube. A hole formed through the outer wall of the guide tube end plug at the elevation of the lower portion of the recess provides a positive inspection port for assuring the proper seating of the dashpot. A method of manufacture of such a fuel assembly is also disclosed.
US07668281B2
A method is provided for removing radioactive internals structural members in the core of a reactor pressure vessel in a containment vessel. The method includes placing a first cask in a first internals assembly, detaching radioactive first internals structural members from second internals structural members in the first internals assembly, placing the detached first internals structural members in the first cask, placing the first internals assembly in a second cask, and removing the second cask containing the first internals assembly and containing the casked detached radioactive first internals members from the containment vessel. The first internal members may be radioactive baffle plates, and the second internals members may be former plates bolted to the radioactive baffle plates. Novel tooling, framework and fixtures facilitate disassembling, moving and storing the radioactive baffle plates.
US07668279B1
A signal processing system includes a phase-locked loop to provide an output signal used, for example, as a delta sigma modulator operating clock signal. In at least one embodiment, a frame clock that provides synchronization for one or more blocks of data is used by the phase-locked loop as a reference signal. Utilizing the frame clock as the reference signal allows the signal processing system to reduce the number of clock signals present in the signal processing system. In another embodiment, a phase-locked loop includes a loop filter that utilizes a sample and reset circuit, a feed forward integrator, and a feed forward stabilizer to provide a low frequency phase-locked loop bandwidth. In at least one embodiment, the feed forward integrator amplifies capacitance of the sample and reset circuit, which reduces the size of loop filter capacitors and, thus, allows on-chip capacitor integration.
US07668274B2
A system and method is provided for bit eye center retraining. In general, the system samples an incoming data stream to determine where transitions in the data stream occur, selectively compares the location of the transitions to the expected locations to produce difference values, and combines pairs of difference values to determine when the sample point of the data stream needs to be adjusted.
US07668269B2
A method of signal processing according to an embodiment includes estimating a response of a transmission channel during a symbol period. Based on an estimated response of the transmission channel, components of a model of a phase noise process during the symbol period are estimated. Based on the phase noise process model, an estimate of a symbol received during the symbol period is obtained.
US07668257B2
Procedures performed prior to convolutional interleaving of 8VSB digital television signals restrict the alphabet of symbols in novel methods of generating trellis-coded digital television signals that include more robust symbol coding using a restricted alphabet of symbols selected from a full 8VSB symbol alphabet consisting of −7, −5, −3, −1, +1, +3, +5 and +7 normalized modulation levels superposed on a background modulation level. Certain of these novel procedures generate pseudo-2VSB or P-2VSB robust symbol coding with a restricted alphabet of symbols consisting of −7, −5, +5 and +7 normalized modulation levels superposed on a background modulation level. Others of these novel procedures generate prescribed-coset-pattern-modulation or PCPM robust symbol coding intermixing two restricted alphabets of symbols according to a prescribed pattern. One of the two restricted alphabets of symbols used in PCPM consists of −3, −1, +5 and +7 normalized modulation levels superposed on a background modulation level. The other of the two restricted alphabets of symbols used in PCPM consists of −7, −5, +1 and +3 normalized modulation levels superposed on a background modulation level.
US07668256B2
Methods and apparatus are described for generating and receiving amplitude and differential-phase encoded signals in which the number of phase states at a given amplitude level is always less than or equal to that at a higher amplitude level and at least two amplitude levels have different numbers of phase states.
US07668252B2
The present invention relates to estimating and correcting for frequency offset errors in wireless receivers, and is particularly but not exclusively related to MIMO WLAN applications. The present invention provides an improved method of tracking receiver frequency offsets in a receiver for MIMO systems. These receiver based frequency offset components are caused by errors or inaccuracies in various receiver sub-systems such as phase lock loops or carrier frequency oscillator error, and sampling clock rate errors. The frequency offsets due to each of a number of receiver sub-systems are estimated by monitoring frequency offsets on a number of channels or subcarriers (such as OFDM pilot channels) on different frequencies. These channel frequency offsets are preferably estimated by detecting the phase rotation between adjacent pilot symbols on each respective channel. They are then weighted according to a quality parameter of the estimates, which corresponds to their accuracy. An example of a quality parameter is the effective SNR of the respective channels, or preferably the error variance of the phase rotation. In an embodiment the quality parameter is or is proportional to ∥Hx∥2. The weighted channel frequency offsets are then used to determine one or more receiver sub-system frequency offset components. For example a least squares line fit analysis can be performed.
US07668247B2
A system is provided that includes a first device 110A that transmits an information symbol with a zero-padded suffix (ZPS) and a second device 110B that receives the information symbol with the zero-padded suffix. The second device 110B performs a Fourier transform on at least one sample of the information symbol before a ZPS sample is overlapped-and-added to another sample of the information symbol.
US07668245B2
The method for monitoring the stability of the carrier frequency (ωi) of identical transmitted signals (si(t)) of several transmitters Si of a single-frequency network is based upon a calculation of a carrier-frequency displacement Δωi of a carrier frequency ωi of a transmitter Si relative to a carrier frequency ω0 of a reference transmitter S0. For this purpose, the phase-displacement difference (ΔΔΘi(tB2−tB1)) caused by the carrier-frequency displacement Δωi between a phase displacement ΔΘi(tB1) at a first observation time tB1 and a phase displacement ΔΘi(tB2) at a second observation time tB2 of a received signal (ei(t)) of the transmitter Si associated with the respective transmitted signal (si(t)) is determined relative to a received signal e0(t) of the reference transmitter S0 associated with the reference transmitted signal s0(t).
US07668236B2
The present invention discloses a multi-stage cable equalizer, comprising a fixed gain device and an adjustable gain device. The fixed gain device compensates the loss caused by the cable at a major band, and the adjustable gain device further compensates the loss at adjusted bands. The multi-stage cable equalizer of the present invention exhibits advantages in design flexibility and reduced cost.
US07668235B2
A method of jitter measurement is provided and includes sampling a device-under-test (DUT) output signal, having a repeating pattern, using an asynchronous clock over a desired period of time and mapping the samples onto a single period of the repeating pattern. Each period of the repeating pattern is sampled at least twice. A sampling frequency of the asynchronous clock is based on user inputs. Sampling the DUT signal comprises capturing logical state information representing each edge of a single period of the DUT signal at least once. The method further includes, separating the samples into subsets and mapping the sample subsets onto a single period of the repeating pattern wherein the samples within a particular subset are mapped to a set of times which are in the same order as in which the samples were obtained, processing the samples within each subset independently of samples in other subsets, and combining results of the processed subsets and processing the combined results of the subsets.
US07668234B2
A test signal generating apparatus for communications equipment sequentially uses first and second sequence information which are stored in a sequence memory for storing the first sequence information including a reading order and read addresses of unit data including I and Q waveform data, and desired signal levels to be set to the unit data, and the second sequence information including frequency offsets. Consequently, the test signal generating apparatus provides frequency offsets at a plurality of steps every predetermined frequency intervals by using a predetermined carrier frequency as a reference, with respect to the I and Q waveform data at a digital stage up to digital-to-analog converters, and outputs a test signal in the frequency hopping system.
US07668232B2
A system and method for adaptively determining power cutback in communication system is described. According to an embodiment, the receiver determines noise on each sub-channel for different internal gain settings. It calculates what gain setting would be optimal from an SNR point of view and what power cutback value would lead to that gain setting.
US07668227B2
A receiver reduces interference in a received symbol of interest attributable to an interfering symbol using knowledge of the symbol spreading codes. The receiver comprises a plurality of correlators generating despread values for the received symbol of interest and the interfering symbol, and a combiner to combine the despread values using combining weights calculated based on spreading code correlations between spreading codes for the received symbol of interest and the interfering symbol.
US07668217B2
The present invention provides a Be-based group II-VI semiconductor laser using an InP substrate and having a stacked structure capable of continuous oscillation at a room temperature. A basic structure of a semiconductor laser is constituted by using a Be-containing lattice-matched II-VI semiconductor above an InP substrate. An active laser, an optical guide layer, and a cladding layer are constituted in a double hetero structure having a type I band line-up in order to enhance the injection efficiency of carriers to the active layer. Also, the active layer, the optical guide layer, and the cladding layer, which are capable of enhancing the optical confinement to the active layer, are constituted, and the cladding layer is constituted with bulk crystals.
US07668206B2
A method for automatically setting a time includes receiving a time set by a user and corresponding to a geographic region where a digital broadcast receiver is located, and then determining if a broadcast signal received by the digital broadcast receiver includes time information; if the broadcast signal includes the time information, calculating a difference between the set time and received time information; setting a time zone based on the difference in the digital broadcast receiver; and if a command to display time information is received, applying a time difference corresponding to the set time zone to the time information in the broadcast signal, which is received at the time the command is received, and displaying the resulting time information. A digital broadcast receiver using the method is also provided.
US07668204B2
A method for authenticating a message in a time division multiple access network is provided. The method includes receiving a message from an active relaying component, inspecting a value in the message inserted by the active relaying component, and comparing the value with an expected value based on a transmission schedule.
US07668199B2
In at least some embodiments, a system may comprise one or more devices configurable to communicate according to a first protocol that permits interpretation of transmitted symbols associated with a first time duration. The system may further comprise one or more devices configurable to communicate according to a second protocol that permits interpretation of transmitted symbols associated with multiple time durations. The one or more devices configurable to communicate according to the second protocol are operable to communicate using transmitted symbols associated with the first time duration and to communicate using transmitted symbols associated with a time duration that is not supported by the one or more devices configured to communicate according to the first protocol.
US07668182B2
A network for data transmission comprises a plurality of sub-networks for transmitting data in data frames. The sub-networks have different transmission rates and are connected to each other via at least one gateway. The transmission of the data frames is effected with a defined timing relationship between the sub-networks.
US07668181B2
Virtual Private Network (VPN) dedicated to a customer using a physical transmission network based upon Multi-Protocol Label Switching (MPLS) technology including a plurality of Provider (P) devices and a plurality of Provider Edge (PE) devices, the customer owning at least two specific Customer Edge (CE) devices amongst a plurality of CE devices, a specific CE device being attached to a specific PE device and enabling the customer to gain access to any other CE device belonging to the same VPN, by the intermediary of PE devices to which are attached the CE devices. The VPN comprises several billing zones (10, 12, 14) being each defined by the application of a single flat rate. A PE device (18) belonging to each billing zone includes a virtual router (58, 60, 62) associated with each billing zone, two virtual routers being interconnected by a virtual circuit (38, 40, 42) transmitting all the traffic exchanged between the two associated billing zones so that the traffic flowing between the two billing zones can be measured and therefore precisely billed to the customer.
US07668170B2
The embodiments of the invention relate to source content streaming, particularly to transmitting data units scheduled for dropping or non-transmission. This data unit in the buffer scheduled for dropping is instead transmitted by dropping one or more consecutive data units later in the transmission order in the buffer and which meet a lower priority threshold. In some embodiments, the data unit is transmitted with a modified time value, e.g., a modified timestamp and/or an allowable presentation time range value.
US07668169B2
A method and apparatus for routing data in a device having a plurality of parts. A signal is received at a first port. A detection is made that the first port received the signal. information contained in the signal is selectively routed from the first port to a data recovery circuit.
US07668168B2
A new type of data transport service which uses a frame relay layer 2 data link connection identifier (DLCI) to select among various service types, feature sets, and/or closed user groups (CUGs). A layer 3 address may be extracted from a layer 2 frame, and the layer 3 address information may be used to route a data packet over a packet-switched network according to the service classes, feature sets, and/or CUGs selected. At the destination, the layer 3 data packet may again be enclosed in a layer 2 frame with a DLCI indicating the service classes, features sets, and/or CUGs. Because the use of conventional permanent virtual circuits (PVCs) is not required in aspects of the invention, new methods of measuring and managing network traffic are presented.
US07668166B1
A method for operating a router has the following steps. First, the router receives a data packet to be forwarded, the data packet having an indication that it is to be routed by tag switching to a destination router, the destination router to forward the packet to a destination computer. Second, the router prepends a tag to the data packet, the tag to be used by the destination router to route the data packet to the destination computer. Third, the router prepends an encapsulation header to the data packet, the encapsulation header to route the data packet to the destination router. Fourth, the router transmits the data packet with the encapsulation header and the tag for routing through the network to the destination router.
US07668164B2
The invention comprises an overlay network that can be under full control of a service provider. Routing of packets between nodes in said overlay network is performed by means of an underlying large communication network. The nodes in the overlay network comprises specific nodes in the large communication network. Therefore, routing of packets according to the invention is transparent for nodes not belonging to the overlay network. One or more federative nodes manages the routing information. The federative nodes are connected to the network and comprise a computer and software, designed for providing said management of the routing information. The management of routes in the overlay network may of course be distributed over several hosts, for scalability of large overlay networks and reliability reasons. A purpose of the invention is to enable a user organization to control the routing of packets for their overlay network via different external networks.
US07668163B2
Embodiments of the invention may be used to optimize communications between a first routing device and a second routing device. The first routing device may receive a packet for forwarding towards a destination. The first routing device may modify the packet to announce the presence of the first routing device to other routing devices. Thereafter, a second routing device may receive the modified packet and recognize the presence of the first routing device. In turn, when sending a packet back towards a source address identified in the modified packet, the second routing device may modify such a packet to announce the presence of the second routing device to the first routing device. Thereafter, the first and second routing device may optimize traffic between the first and second routing device.
US07668154B2
The information processing apparatus comprises a network setting information storage portion for storing network setting information corresponding to each of a plurality of locations; a communication interface setting information storage potion for storing communication interface setting information corresponding to each of plural pieces of network setting information; a network setting portion for selecting one piece of network setting information corresponding to the location of the information processing apparatus; a communication interface setting information setting portion for selecting one piece of communication interface setting information from plural pieces of communication interface setting information associated with one piece of network setting information; and a communication portion for performing communication based on setting according to the one piece of network setting information and the one piece of communication interface setting information.
US07668152B2
A bandwidth efficient subscriber unit initialization and synchronization method and apparatus is described. The inventive subscriber unit initialization and synchronization method and apparatus uses a combination of an access burst format and a data transportation technique to efficiently use bandwidth when initializing and synchronizing subscriber units in a time-synchronized communication system. Advantageously, the present invention provides a mechanism for a base station to receive multiple access bursts from multiple subscriber units in a single contiguous time period. In the preferred embodiment of the present invention, bandwidth is efficiently utilized by searching for multiple initial access bursts from multiple mobile stations during a single time period known as a new access opportunity. The preferred embodiment of the present invention initializes and synchronizes subscriber units in a “contention-based” manner.
US07668143B2
For data packet transmission in special format generated by connecting or patching data frames, a request packet and reply packet receivable only by STAs supporting the special format are transmitted/received before the data packet transmission, to check and manage the STA supporting the special format. Based on management information in own station, the data packet is transmitted in the special or standard format according to a receive-side STA. For generating plural data packets in special format in which plural data frames are patched, the plural data frames having subheaders added are connected and divided to data blocks. A main header including information necessary to restore patched data frames are added to each data block, and a control information field and a frame check field of a data packet are added before and after the data block having the main header added thereto, respectively, to generate data packets.
US07668142B2
A radio terminal (10) and a radio relay (20, 30, 40) perform radio communications therebetween by a radio communications system else than a TDMA system, an interference measurer (13a) measures a degree of interference of each of radio slots constituting a radio channel employed in the radio communications system, a decision maker (13b, 13c) makes a decision, depending on a measurement result of the degree of interference, whether or not the radio communications by the radio communications system is able to be continued, and a switcher (42) switches, as the decision is made of the radio communications by the radio communications system to be unable to be continued, the radio communications system to a radio communications system of the TDMA system.
US07668139B2
Methods and devices are disclosed for communicating in a wireless network using multi-protocol label switching (MPLS). A network service node is configured to send identical packets substantially simultaneously to each of a serving network access station and one or more target network access stations via two or more respective MPLS tunnels in response to a handoff trigger message. Additional embodiments and variations are also disclosed.
US07668136B2
Systems and methods are provided to permit a network, such as a data only network, with which a mobile terminal is not currently communicating to notify the mobile terminal that the network desires to establish communication with the mobile terminal, even in instances in which the mobile terminal is actively communicating via another network, such as a voice and data network and has stopped monitoring for paging messages. The mobile terminal can then end communications with the network with which it has been previously communicating and commence communications with the other network that has transmitted the paging message. For example, a mobile terminal may terminate voice communications via a voice and data network in order to receive a Multimedia Message Service message via a data only network upon receiving notification that the data only network desires to establish a communications session with the mobile terminal.
US07668134B2
A base station in a wireless communication network multi-codes a shared packet data channel using a continually changing set of spreading codes, and dynamically updates the transmission frequency of messages identifying the spreading codes to be used for that multi-coding based on tracking the net gain in data throughput for the shared channel that is obtained by transmitting such messages. In a 1xEV-DV network context, for example, a Walsh code in the defined Walsh code space that is not contiguous with the Walsh codes currently allocated to multi-coding the 1xEV-DV Forward Packet Data Channel (F-PDCH) generally remains unavailable for such use until an updated Walsh Mask Broadcast (WMB) message is transmitted to the mobile stations being served on the F-PDCH. The base station thus is configured to determine the frequency at which to send such messages and thereby make the unavailable codes available for multi-coding use.
US07668130B2
An apparatus is provided for efficiently allocating a transmission period in a wireless network system. An access point (AP) transmits a PSMP frame indicating a downlink period provided to each station (STA) and a minimum amount of an uplink period allocated to each STA, and at least one sub PSMP frame indicating an uplink period additionally provided for an STA that transmitted a resource request message for remaining queued data in the uplink period indicated by the PSMP frame. If the uplink period indicated by the PSMP frame is insufficient to transmit the queued data, the STA transmits a data unit including a part of the queued data and a resource request message for the remaining queued data in the uplink period. After transmitting the resource request message, the STA receives the sub PSMP frame after the full period indicated by the sub PSMP frame, and transmits the remaining queued data to the AP in the uplink period indicted by the sub PSMP frame.
US07668128B1
A method and apparatus for limiting the length of a service period in a Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) including an Access Point (AP) and at least one station is presented. A maximum service period (SP) length for at least one station is determined. A value in a max SP length field in a control field of an uplink frame sent from said station to said AP is set. The value of the max SP length field is determined at the AP. Frame transmittal from the AP to the station is triggered during a service period when the value is non-zero, while downlink frame delivery from the AP to the station is prevented when the value is zero.
US07668122B2
Provided is communication apparatus and method using a transmission medium, in an environment where at least one transmitter and at least one receiver are connected to at least one human body which is a conductive transmission medium, in which the receiver requiring any information data requests a transmission to the transmitter or the transmitter sends a signal indicative of a transmission of required information data, and then, the transmitter provides the required information data to the receiver requiring the corresponding information data, thereby providing a communication environment without interference between the transmission means and the receiving means.
US07668120B2
In one embodiment, a universal media server (e.g., a set-top box) has zero or more physical audio and/or video (A/V) inputs configured to receive A/V data, and at least one Internet Protocol (IP) input configured to receive IP data. In particular, the universal media server has one or more virtual A/V inputs, each virtual A/V input corresponding to an IP-based A/V source device having a corresponding IP source address and configured to receive IP-based A/V data from the IP-based A/V source device on the at least one IP input. The universal media server also has at least one A/V output configured to selectively output A/V data according to a selected input of the physical and virtual inputs.
US07668119B2
Each mobile ad hoc node has an assigned hierarchy position within an identified tree-based aggregation group. Each ad hoc node is configured for selectively attaching to one of a plurality of available ad hoc nodes based on identifying a best match, for the assigned hierarchy position within the identified aggregation group, from among identifiable hierarchy positions of identifiable aggregation groups. Each ad hoc node also is configured for selectively attaching to any available ad hoc node based on a determined absence of any available ad hoc node advertising the identified aggregation group of the ad hoc node, or an aggregation group containing the identified aggregation group. Hence, a root node of an aggregation group can filter group-specific routing information from packets destined toward a network clusterhead, resulting in a scalable routing protocol that is not adversely affected by added nodes.
US07668114B2
A communication apparatus receives identification information and generates source information indicating a source of transmission made based on the received identification information. The communication apparatus changes the source information and a transmission route. The transmission route corresponds to the identification information used in generating the source information.
US07668109B2
In a second variation, the system, which is configured to determine the performance of a mobile terminal within a wireless communications network, may comprise a first message receiving unit for receiving messages transmitted via the communications network associated with user transactions, a second message receiving unit for receiving messages transmitted via the communications network associated with mobile terminal type information, a correlating unit for correlating data within the received user transaction messages with data within the mobile terminal type information messages, and a derivation unit for deriving one or more performance indicators by mobile terminal type information from the correlated data.
US07668107B2
An embodiment of the present invention offloads the generation and monitoring of test packets from a Central processing Unit (CPU) to a dedicated network integrated circuit, such as a router, bridge or switch chip associated with the CPU. The CPU may download test routines and test data to the network IC, which then generates the test packets, identifies and handles received test packets, collects test statistics, and performs other test functions all without loading the CPU. The CPU may be notified when certain events occur, such as when throughput or jitter thresholds for the network are exceeded.
US07668105B1
A system configuration for use in testing and/or evaluating a network switching apparatus is set forth. The system configuration includes a network switching apparatus that is to be tested that has a plurality of bidirectional network ports, switch fabric, and a switch fabric control. The switch fabric interconnects the plurality of bidirectional network ports while the switch fabric control directs packet flow through the switch fabric and between the plurality of bidirectional network ports in response to control parameters. A plurality of interconnections facilitate communication of packets between selected pairs of the plurality of ports. The control parameters and the plurality of interconnections are selected to direct packets through each of the plurality of bidirectional network ports for testing using a minimal number of packet generators.
US07668103B1
A system with switching capability comprises a controlling device, a first switching device, and first and second ports. The first port communicates with the controlling device. A control module selectively instructs the second port to assert flow control when a flow control message is received from the first port if the received flow control message designates the second port as a target.
US07668092B2
A network interface mechanism and method is provided that facilitates precise transmission time control in a computer network. The network interface mechanism and method uses feedback to provide monitoring and precise control of the transmission time. Specifically, a message detector is provided that monitors the network for transmissions from the network interface mechanism. The arrival time of messages is compared to the desired transmission time, and the transmission time of subsequent transmissions is adjusted accordingly. A transmission disable mechanism is used in the forward path to disable the transmission driver at the transmission cut off time as a means to prevent the transmission node from babbling the media. Thus, the network interface mechanism and method provide precise control of the transmission time, and thus can be used to eliminate collisions in the network. The network interface mechanism and method allows the application of Ethernet controller to have precise transmission timing control in a computer network.
US07668088B2
A method of placing a call from a handheld device to a receiving device using VoIP includes initiating the call, transmitting a plurality of voice data packets to the receiving device, determining whether the receiving device has detected one or more missing or delayed packets, and providing a poor voice service indicator if it is determined that the receiving device has detected one or more missing or delayed data packets. Also, a method of placing a call to a receiving device over a network system which allocates bandwidth includes sending a request to the network system for a bandwidth allocation for the telephone call, determining whether the request has been granted, providing a poor voice service indicator to the user of the handheld electronic device if it is determined that the request has not been granted, and transmitting a plurality of voice data packets to the receiving device.
US07668087B2
Methods and systems are provided for applying metering and rate-limiting in a virtual router environment and supporting a hierarchy of metering/rate-limiting contexts per packet flow. According to one embodiment, multiple first level metering options and multiple second level metering options associated with a hierarchy of metering levels are provided. A virtual routing engine receives packets associated with a first packet flow and packets associated with a second packet flow. The virtual routing engine performs a first type of metering of the first level metering options on the packets associated with the first packet flow using a first metering control block (MCB) and performs a second type of metering of the second level metering options on the packets associated with the first packet flow and the packets associated with the second flow using a second MCB.
US07668083B1
A communications network (100) includes at least one control station (160) and a group of network nodes (110, 120, 140). The at least one control station (160) generates batches of forwarding tables (300), where each batch of forwarding tables (300) includes a primary forwarding table (305) and a group of backup forwarding tables (310), and forwards the batches of forwarding tables (300). Each of the network nodes (110, 120, 140) is associated with one or more outbound and inbound links and is configured to receive a batch of forwarding tables (300) from the at least one control station (160) and install the primary forwarding table (305) from the batch (300) as a current forwarding table. Each network node (110, 120, 140) is further configured to detect that a quality of one of an outbound and inbound link has changed, generate a message (900) instructing other nodes of the group of network nodes (110, 120, 140) to switch to a backup forwarding table (310) in response to detecting the quality change, and transmit the message (900) to the other nodes.
US07668079B2
A method and system for implementing Multiple Endpoint Paths (MEP) for Point to Multipoint (P2MP) calls over Soft Permanent Virtual Connections (SPVC) are provided. When a condition is detected that requires a particular endpoint to be switched to an alternate endpoint, all calls of the P2MP group that used the particular endpoint are torn down in sequence, in accordance with SPVC procedures. Once all of the calls are torn down, any calls that are enabled for MEP are re-established using the alternate endpoint to replace the particular endpoint.
US07668074B2
The present invention discloses a home network system (1) using a living network control protocol. The home network system (1) includes: a predetermined network; at least one electric device (40 to 49) connected to the network based on a predetermined protocol; and at least one network manager (2 to 23) connected to the network based on the protocol, for controlling and monitoring the electric device (40 to 49), wherein the protocol comprises an application layer, a network layer, a data link layer, and a physical layer, wherein the physical layer further comprises a special protocol for providing an interface with a dependent transmission medium, and the network layer further comprises a home code control sub-layer for managing a home code for network security when accessing the dependent transmission medium, the home control sub-layer processing a packet from the data link layer or the network layer, according to a predetermined home code.
US07668070B2
A phase-change disk has first and second disk sections each including a recording layer and a reflective layer. The first disk section includes a transmission-factor control film including first through third dielectric layers having refractive indexes of n1, n2 and n3, where n1>n2
US07668066B2
An optical pickup apparatus for information recording and/or reproduction on different optical information recording media with compatibility among these media, the optical surface of a first objective lens and the optical surface of a second objective lens are formed only of a refractive surface. The second objective lens is used in common for the first light flux with a wavelength of λ1 and the second light flux with a wavelength of λ2, but in the case where the protective substrate t2 of the second optical information recording medium and the protective substrate t3 of the third optical information recording medium are the same, it is not necessary to take the difference in thickness of the protective substrate into consideration. Chromatic aberration based on the difference in wavelength between the first light flux and the second light flux can be corrected by displacing the second coupling lens.
US07668065B2
An optical pickup apparatus for reproducing information from an optical information recording medium or for recording information onto an optical information recording medium, is provided with a first light source for emitting first light flux having a first wavelength; a second light source for emitting second light flux having a second wavelength, the first wavelength being different from the second wavelength; a converging optical system having an optical axis and a diffractive portion, and a photo detector; wherein in case that the first light flux passes through the diffractive portion to generate at least one diffracted ray, an amount of n-th ordered diffracted ray of the first light flux is greater than that of any other ordered diffracted ray of the first light flux, and in case that the second light flux passes through the diffractive portion to generate at least one diffracted ray, an amount of n-th ordered diffracted ray of the second light flux is greater than that of any other ordered diffracted ray of the second light flux, where n stands for an integer other than zero.
US07668055B2
A recording power determination method for determining a recording power of an optical beam for recording data on an information storage medium includes the steps of recording test data on the information storage medium at a plurality of test recording powers; reading the test data recorded at each test recording power, generating a signal, and measuring a modulation factor of the signal corresponding to each test recording power; calculating a product of an n'th power of each test recording power and the corresponding modulation factor, thereby obtaining a plurality of products corresponding to the plurality of test recording powers, where n is a value of exponent and is a real number other than 1; calculating a first recording power based on the correlation between the plurality of test recording powers and the plurality of products; and calculating the recording power based on the first recording power.
US07668051B2
An apparatus for detecting an oscillation of a servo controller of an optical disk is provided. An oscillation detector, electrically coupled to the servo controller of the optical disk, is provided and is configured to receive an error signal associated with the servo controller. The oscillation detector is further configured to compare an amplitude, a width and a period of the error signal with a reference amplitude, a reference width and reference period to determine if an oscillation is present in the error signal. Related methods and computer program products are provided.
US07668048B2
In an optical head according to the present invention, an act base on which an objective lens is arranged is formed in a rectangular shape with through holes formed in four corners thereof. A base on which a collimating lens is arranged has projections to engage with the through holes in correspondence with the through holes when the act base is arranged. With the through holes of the act base engaged with the projections of the base, an adhesive is injected to the through holes to thereby fix the act base to the base. This improves the accuracy in bonding between the base and the act base, and permits laser light of a more stable intensity accordingly to be irradiated to the optical disc, thus permitting suppressing failure involved in data recording or reading.
US07668046B2
An apparatus and method is disclosed for determining the position of a user interface mouse using time of arrival measurements. A transmitter transmits a signal to an array of receivers that are spatially separated from one another. The time difference of arrival for is found for each receiver relative to a predetermined reference receiver. Using the time difference of arrival (TDOA) of each receiver, the location in 3-dimensional space of each receiver, and the speed of sound the position of the transmitter in 3-dimensional space relative to the reference receiver may be found.
US07668041B2
A system for acquiring logging data comprises a controller for causing the generation of a signal in a formation surrounding a wellbore. The controller has a first clock for time-stamping a record of the generated signal. A receiver is deployed in the wellbore and is adapted for detecting the signal. A second clock comprises a double-oven surrounding a crystal oscillator. A controller is operatively coupled to the double-oven to maintain the crystal oscillator temperature substantially at the crystal oscillator turnover temperature. The second clock is synchronized with the first clock before deployment in the wellbore, and the receiver references the second clock in order to record a time-stamp associated with the detected signal.
US07668040B2
The memory device has: a plurality of banks, each of which has a memory cell array having a plurality of page areas that are selected by row addresses respectively, and each of which is selected by a bank address; a row controller that controls activation of the page areas within each of the banks in response to a first operation code; and a group of data input/output terminals. A memory unit area within each of the activated page areas is accessed based on the column address. The row controller generates bank activation signals for the plurality of banks in response to multi-bank information data and a supplied bank address that are supplied along with the first command, and generates the row address of each of the plurality of banks in response to the supplied bank address and a supplied row address. The plurality of banks activate the page areas in response to the bank activation signals and the row addresses generated by the row address calculator.
US07668036B2
A control apparatus of a GIO line includes a plurality of GIO line termination units, and a GIO control unit for generating a control signal to activate an operation of a specific one of the plurality of GIO termination units according to a data transmission method. Further, a method of controlling a GIO line through GIO termination includes the step of generating a control signal to activate an operation of a specific one of a plurality of GIO termination units according to a data transmission method.
US07668030B2
A method of operating a non-volatile memory device reduces a time for discharging a precharged voltage when a program operation or a read operation is performed, thereby decreasing a total operation time of the non-volatile memory device. The non-volatile memory device discharges a bit line and a word line using only a control signal without reading an algorithm block when a precharged voltage is discharged. The method of operating a non-volatile memory device includes detecting an operation command; generating algorithm blocks for generating an operation voltage, for precharging a bit line and a word line, and for performing a specific operation in accordance with the operation command; outputting a discharge enable control signal for the bit line and the word line; and reading an algorithm of turning off and discharging a voltage generating means for generating the operation voltage.
US07668028B2
A dual in-line memory module (DIMM) for use in test includes a memory array with a plurality of memories, a test signal input/output unit, and a normal data input/output unit. The test signal input/output unit is provided in the respective memories to perform an input/output operation of a test signal with an external test mode controller for a test mode operation. The normal data input/output unit is provided in the respective memories to perform an input/output operation of a normal data with an external memory controller for a normal mode operation.
US07668019B2
In one aspect, a non-volatile NAND-flash semiconductor memory device is provided which is configured to execute at least one of a pre-program operation and a post-program operation before and after an erase operation, respectively. Each of the pre-program and post-program operations includes applying a program voltage to a subset of a plurality of word lines defining a word line block of the memory device.
US07668013B2
A flash memory cell is of the type having a substrate of a first conductivity type having a first region of a second conductivity type at a first end, and a second region of the second conductivity type at a second end, spaced apart from the first end, with a channel region between the first end and the second end. The flash memory cell has a plurality of stacked pairs of floating gates and control gates with the floating gates positioned over portions of the channel region and are insulated therefrom, and each control gate over a floating gate and insulated therefrom. The flash memory cell further has a plurality of erase gates over the channel region which are insulated therefrom, with an erase gate between each pair of stacked pair of floating gate and control gate. In a method of erasing the flash memory cell, a pulse of a first positive voltage is applied to alternating erase gates (“first alternating gates”). In addition, a ground voltage is applied to erase gates other than the first alternating gates (“second alternating gates”). In a second method to erase the flash memory cell, a pulse of a first positive voltage is applied to the first alternating gates and a negative voltage is applied to the second alternating gates and to all control gates.
US07668012B2
One or more embodiments include programming, in parallel, a first cell to one of a first number of states and a second cell to one of a second number of states. Such embodiments include programming, separately, the first cell to one of a third number of states based, at least in part, on the one of the first number of states and the second cell to one of a fourth number of states based, at least in part, on the one of the second number of states.
US07668010B2
A memory array comprises a semiconductor body having a plurality of trenches aligned generally in parallel. The trenches contain semiconductor material, such as doped amorphous silicon, and act as source/drain lines for the memory array. Insulating liners lie between the semiconductor material within the trenches and the semiconductor body. A plurality of word lines overlie the plurality of trenches and channel regions in the semiconductor body in an array of cross points. Charge trapping structures lie between the word lines and the channel regions at the cross points, providing an array of flash memory cells. The charge trapping structures comprise dielectric charge trapping structures adapted to be programmed and erased to store data. A method for manufacturing such devices includes patterning and forming the sources/drain lines with insulating liners prior to formation of the charge trapping structure over the channel regions.
US07668004B2
Non-volatile and radiation-hard switching and memory devices using vertical nano-tubes and reversibly held in state by van der Waals' forces and methods of fabricating the devices. Means for sensing the state of the devices include measuring capacitance, and tunneling and field emission currents.
US07667994B1
A method for use with a magnetic racetrack device includes placing domain walls having a first structure and domain walls having a second, different structure along the racetrack at stable positions corresponding to different regions within the device. The domain walls having the first structure and the domain walls having the second structure occupy alternating positions along the racetrack. A current pulse is applied to the racetrack, so that each of the domain walls moves to an adjacent region. This results in a transformation of the domain walls having the first structure into domain walls having the second structure, and vice versa. The first structure may be a vortex structure and the second structure may be a transverse structure.
US07667992B2
A power source module is assembled on a main printed circuit board. The power source module comprises an input processing circuit, a PFC/PWM control circuit, a conversion circuit, and an output processing circuit. The input processing circuit is for rectifying an alternating current voltage to be a primary direct current voltage. The PFC/PWM control circuit is for modulating the primary direct current voltage. The PFC/PWM control circuit is assembled on a subsidiary printed circuit board electrically connected to the main printed circuit board. The conversion circuit is for converting the primary direct current voltage to be a secondary direct current voltage. The output processing circuit is for rectifying and filtering the secondary direct current voltage.
US07667989B2
A method for controlling start time series by stages adopted for use on a power supply consisting of a main power system and a standby power system. The power supply includes an energy storage unit to store a judgment power. The method mainly includes: setting a start voltage, setting a boosted voltage, getting a judgment power voltage and detecting whether the judgment power has reached the start voltage or the boosted voltage, and alternately starting the standby power system and the main power system. Thus the main power system and the standby power system are started at different time series. In terms of the energy storage unit the load increases by stages. Therefore the energy storage unit can be charged to increase the judgment power voltage and increase loading by stages. As a result, inrush current also rises by stages and can be harnessed as desired.
US07667986B2
A power system having a power converter with an adaptive controller. In one embodiment, a power converter coupled to a load includes a power switch configured to conduct for a duty cycle to provide an output characteristic at an output thereof. The power converter also includes a power converter controller configured to receive a signal from the load indicating a system operational state of the load and enable a power converter topological state as a function of the signal.
US07667971B2
Provided is an electronic control device, including: a housing (3) which includes opening portions at both end portions thereof and is made of insulating resin; a heat sink (5) attached to one of the end portions of the housing (3); a power device (2) provided to the heat sink (5); a circuit board (4) which is provided so as to be opposed to the heat sink (5) and formed with an electronic circuit including a control circuit for controlling the power device (2); and a plurality of first conductive plates (6) held in the housing (3), for electrically connecting the circuit board (4) with the power device (2), in which each of the plurality of first conductive plates (6) includes a press fit terminal (6bp) press-fitted into a through hole (4a) formed in the circuit board (4) to be bonded to the circuit board (4) on a surface opposed to the circuit board (4) and to be bonded to respective terminals of the power device (2) on a surface opposed to the heat sink (5). Accordingly, an electronic control device whose size and cost are reduced and whose electrical connection reliability is improved is obtained.
US07667969B2
Presented is a heat sink arrangement, incorporating a fluid media, which transfers heat between stationary and movable objects. Included are pump structures which are designed to be or operate integrally with the fluid-filled heat transfer apparatus, and are adapted to provide optimum and unique cooling flow paths for implementing the cooling of electronic devices, such as computer chips or the like, that require active cooling action. The pumps and heat sink arrangements selectively possess either rotating or stationary shafts, various types of impeller and fluid or cooling media circulation structures, which maximize both the convective and conductive cooling of the various components of the electronic devices or equipment by means of the circulating fluid.
US07667957B2
A thin-type display including: a panel main body having a panel, a frame for accommodating the panel and a transmission interface for receiving signals; a movable bracket having a connecting section fixedly connectable to the back of the panel main body and a fixing section pivotally connected with the connecting section; and a support arm composed of a jacket, a slide member, a leaf spring assembly and a sleeve. The movable bracket is disposed at an upper end of the support arm. A lower end of the support arm is connected with a base. The back face of the frame of the panel main body is formed with a downward extending recessed section. The connecting section of the movable bracket is connected with the panel main body at lower end of the recessed section distal from the transmission interface arranged on the top face of the recessed section.
US07667955B2
In a liquid crystal display, an enclosure is formed by detachably fitting a synthetic resin-made front enclosure including a liquid crystal panel with a synthetic resin-made rear enclosure, and the enclosure is fitted upright to a stand by drilling a substantially U-shaped stand hole in the middle of a bottom plate of the rear enclosure. Further, the stand is attached to the exterior casing of the liquid crystal panel by screws, the stand in the stand hole is removably formed on the outside of the rear enclosure through the cutout portion by forming the cutout portion reaching the stand hole from the edge of the bottom plate at the bottom plate of the rear enclosure 1B, and a sealing plate for sealing the cutout portion integrally protrudes from the central portion of the edge of the bottom plate of the front enclosure.
US07667951B2
The invention relates to an electronic component including a capacitor and provides an electronic component in which electromigration can be prevented and whose capacitor element has an accurate capacity value. The electronic component includes a bottom conductor formed on a substrate, a dielectric film formed to cover the bottom conductor, an organic insulation film formed on the dielectric film, and a top conductor formed in an opening provided in the organic insulation film over the bottom conductor, the top conductor forming a capacitor element in combination with the bottom conductor and the dielectric film.
US07667950B2
A multilayer capacitor has a laminate body in which a first internal electrode and a second internal electrode are alternately laminated with a dielectric layer in between, a first terminal electrode provided on one end side of the laminate body, and a second terminal electrode provided on the other end side of the laminate body. The first internal electrode has a first lead portion connected to the first terminal electrode. The second internal electrode has a second lead portion connected to the second terminal electrode. The first internal electrode consists of plural types of first internal electrodes and the plural types of first internal electrodes have their respective first lead portions at different positions. Distances between the first lead portions of the respective types of the first internal electrodes and the second lead portion are different from each other.
US07667949B2
A capacitor having improved surface breakdown voltage performance and a method for applying laser marking to capacitors which does not reduce capacitor surface breakdown voltage, can be applied using existing laser marking technologies and apparatus, and which results in a mark that is legible and clear, is disclosed. In a first exemplary embodiment a capacitor includes a laser mark which is located near one of the capacitor terminals. The exact location is not critical as long as the mark does not make physical contact with the terminal. Conventional laser marking technologies and apparatus may be used to fix the mark in the new location. In a second embodiment the laser mark is oriented so that a flat portion of the mark is is oriented closest to the adjacent terminal.
US07667946B2
A tunable capacitor using an electrowetting phenomenon includes a first electrode; a second electrode which is spaced apart from the first electrode and faces the first electrode; a fluidic channel which is disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode; a first insulating layer which is disposed between the first electrode and the fluidic channel; and a conductive fluid which is disposed in the fluidic channel and moves along the fluidic channel when a direct current (DC) potential difference occurs between the first and second electrodes. Accordingly, it is possible to fabricate the tunable capacitor with the simplified fabrication process, good reliability and durability, and no restriction on the tuning range.
US07667943B2
An electrostatic chuck comprises an insulating layer with an electrode embedded therein and having a surface to come in contact with a workpiece to be held. Formed on the insulating layer surface is a silicone rubber layer which is filled with reinforcing silica, but free of another filler having an average particle size of at least 0.5 μm. The ESC allows for an intimate contact with a wafer and has an improved cooling capacity.
US07667935B2
The aircraft applicable current imbalance detection and circuit interrupter interrupts an electrical circuit when a current imbalance is sensed. The current imbalance detection and circuit interrupter includes a housing, power supplies, a sensor system for sensing a current imbalance at the line side of the electrical circuit, a logic controller and a power controller including a power relay having contacts capable of surviving carry-break and make-carry-break types of ground fault conditions at anticipated current levels. At power up, the device performs a test to confirm that none of the relay contacts have failed in a closed position, and to check whether a switching FET which controls the relay coil has shorted.
US07667929B2
An apparatus, system, and method are disclosed for fabricating a patterned media imprint master. A substrate and a deposition mask may be fixably attached by an intervening spacing element, such that the substrate and deposition mask act as a unified element during a deposition process. A deposition mask may include a plurality of apertures generated by a conventional lithographic process. Material may be deposited onto the substrate through the deposition mask from more than one deposition source oriented at a unique deposition angle. A resulting substrate deposition pattern thus exhibits a density greater than a deposition mask aperture density while avoiding deposition pattern distortion.
US07667924B2
A particle extracting device and a hard disk drive including the device are provided. The particle extracting device includes a cover member of the hard disk drive; and an air guiding member disposed on a bottom surface of the cover member and facing a disk, so as to form a flowing path which guides an air flow generated by a rotation of the disk to an outer portion of the disk. In addition, the flowing path formed along an outer circumference of the air guiding member has an air inlet portion having a larger cross-section than a cross-section of an air outlet portion of the flowing path.
US07667915B2
According to one embodiment, a disk drive is provided which has a head amplifier having a function of, at a data recording time, outputting AC pattern data to a write head prior to the recording of the write data to allow it to be recorded on a write splice section on a disk medium. The write head records an AC signal pattern of a high frequency on the write splice section on the disk medium according to an output timing of a write gate and then write data is recorded with a preamble as a header.
US07667914B2
Embodiments of the present invention provide a mixed-mode amplifier for amplifying signals in data storage devices such as disk drives. In one embodiments, a circuit for amplifying data signals comprises a magnetoresistive sensor having a bias voltage applied thereto; a signal amplifier which amplifies a signal detected by the magnetoresistive sensor having the bias voltage applied thereto; a feedback control block which is coupled to an output of the signal amplifier and outputs a feedback current used to vary a loop gain of the circuit; a bias setting circuit which outputs a bias setting current; and a transimpedance amplifier which receives the bias setting current from the bias setting block and the feedback current from the feedback control block and generates the bias voltage applied to the magnetoresistive sensor.
US07667909B2
A slew-rate control device controls a slew rate of a control signal based on which data reading or data writing is performed with respect to a storage medium. A retry executing unit changes, when an error occurs during the data reading or the data writing, the slew rate of the control signal, and executes a retry of the data reading or the data writing. A slew-rate setting unit sets, as the slew rate of the control signal, a slew rate with which the retry is successfully executed.
US07667905B2
A device is shown having at least two movable lens units, wherein each of the at least two movable lens units has at least one lens, wherein the at least two movable lens units are movable into a first state wherein the at least two movable lens units are arranged in parallel to each other, and wherein the at least two movable lens units are movable into a second state wherein the at least two movable lens units are arranged on top of each other for positioning the lenses of the at least two movable lens units in an optical axis.
US07667893B2
A display screen is provided. The display screen may be configured to receive an image from a display device, and includes a first surface with a topography configured to transmit light from the image, and a second surface configured with light reflecting portions and light absorbing portions. The light reflecting portions may be configured to substantially reflect light transmitted from the first surface, and the light absorbing portions may be configured to substantially absorb environmental light.
US07667889B2
A method of operating an amplifier system includes providing a pump signal at a pump wavelength. The pump signal is a function of a pump power. The method also includes providing an input signal at a signal wavelength and coupling the pump signal and the input signal to an optical amplifier. The optical amplifier includes a gain medium characterized by a gain value at the signal wavelength. The method further includes amplifying the input signal to provide an output signal, detecting a feedback signal related to the gain value, and modifying the pump power based on the detected feedback signal.
US07667886B2
A multi-layer film, useful as a front sub-assembly in electro-optic displays, comprises, in this order: a light-transmissive electrically-conductive layer (114); a light-transmissive first protective layer (112); a light-transmissive moisture barrier layer (108); and a light-transmissive second protective layer (106). This multi-layer film can be used in forming an electro-optic display by the processes described in U.S. Pat. No. 6,982,179 or Patent Publication No. 2007/0109219.
US07667879B2
The present invention is to provide an image reading apparatus reading image information of an original while moving the original on an original base plate comprising: a transport rotary member provided opposite the original base plate to transport the original; a supporting member that supports the transport rotary member to be rotatable; and a gap forming section provided in the supporting member to form a gap between the transport rotary member and the original base plate, wherein the transport rotary member and the supporting member each have a high reflectance surface condition.
US07667878B2
In a document handling system for moving documents for imaging over a transparent platen that is subject to contamination, and having a shared repositionable document illumination system that is normally positioned in a park position substantially spaced from this moving documents imaging platen area, wherein in response to lifting the document handling system and the activation of a diagnostics routine, which can be activated from detected image contamination, the repositionable document illumination system is automatically moved under the moving documents platen and activated to illuminate that platen area from underneath to illuminate the contamination thereon for cleaning.
US07667874B2
Disclosed herein are methods and systems for improving print quality. In one embodiment, a method of optimizing printer output quality is provided which includes identifying media in at least one media tray, querying a media database for a record corresponding to the identified media, extracting data from a record of identified media, adjusting printer operation based upon the extracted data, and printing on the identified media, wherein the printer operation is adjusted on a page-by-page basis within a single print job. Typical parameters which are adjusted during the print job are the transfer voltages and the volume of toner deposition. In another embodiment, media is assigned to groups based upon its color and print parameters are adjusted as different colors of media are used.
US07667873B2
An apparatus and method for image-adaptive color reproduction is provided. The apparatus includes an information-extraction unit, an image-compression unit and an image-information-reproduction unit. The information-extraction unit inputs image information of a first color space model, converts the input image information into image information of a second color space model, and extracts pixel frequency information of pixels belonging to a plurality of color regions by using the image information of the second color space model. The image compression unit inputs the image information of the first color space model, converts the input image information into the image information of the second color space model, and calculates compressed image information by compression-mapping the image information of the second color space model. The image information reproduction unit outputs final image information by using the pixel frequency information and the compressed image information.
US07667868B2
A light flux emitted from a light source is split into two by a light flux splitting unit, and these are respectively made incident on upper and lower tiers of polygon mirrors of a deflecting unit which coaxially rotates two polygon mirrors one on the other while being shifted in angles from each other. The respective light fluxes that have been deflected for scanning at mutually different timings by the deflecting unit respectively reach individual photodetectors through a first scanning lens, mirrors, and a second scanning lens as a predetermined light system and carry out main scanning.
US07667862B2
A method for interactively viewing raster images using scalable vector graphics (SVG), including receiving an SVG document, the SVG document including a reference to a raster image within the SVG document, the reference indicating a rectangular portion, a display width and height, and an IP address for a server computer, passing the SVG document to an SVG viewer, rendering the SVG document, including requesting from the server computer a first portion of raster image data corresponding to the rectangular portion, display width and display height, the first portion of raster image data being derived from the raster image, receiving the first portion of raster image data from the server computer, displaying the first portion of raster image data, transmitting a user request for a different portion of the raster image data, receiving a modified SVG document, modified according to the different portion requested by the user, passing the modified SVG document to the SVG viewer for re-rendering. A system and a computer readable storage medium are also described and claimed.
US07667861B2
An image forming apparatus including: a plurality of image data acquisition units for respectively acquiring one or more page(s) of image data; a color or monochrome determining unit for determining whether each of the acquired pages is in color or in monochrome; an image forming unit for performing image formation of each page switchably using a monochrome-only image forming function for a monochrome page or a color and monochrome image forming function for a color page and a monochrome page; an image data switching unit for sequentially selecting and arranging the acquired pages of image data one by one so that the image formation of each page is performed in the order of selection; a function selecting unit for selecting either one of the monochrome-only and color and monochrome image forming functions for each of the arranged pages on the basis of the determination result made by the color or monochrome determining unit; and a control unit for controlling the image forming unit so that image formation of each page is performed using the selected image forming function.
US07667860B2
A printing system for producing prints from a print job is provided. The printing system includes first and second digital fronts ends as well as an image path. The image path communicates selectively with the first digital front end and the second digital front end, and receives (1) printable information from the first digital front end when the first digital front end and the image path are configured in a first mode, and (2) printable information from the second digital front end when the second digital front end and the image path are configured in a second mode. A selection system disposes the first digital front end and the image path in the first mode, or the second digital front end and the image path in the second mode.
US07667856B2
An optical characteristic measuring apparatus of the invention is configured in such a manner that a specular reflection light component in reflection light from an object to be measured is received, and shake of the apparatus is detected based on the amount of the received light. The optical characteristic measuring apparatus having the above arrangement enables to precisely measure an optical characteristic of the object to be measured, without the need of providing a mechanical switch or a like device, and without depending on the shape of the object to be measured.
US07667855B2
Methods, apparatus, and products are disclosed for providing position information to computing equipment installed in racks of a datacenter that includes: projecting, by a projection module, a plurality of optical signals to a plurality of reference points on at least one reflective surface above the racks of the datacenter, each optical signal corresponding to one of the reference points and encoding reference point position information for that corresponding reference point; detecting, by a position detection module mounted on one of the racks, one or more of the optical signals reflected off of the reflective surface; determining, by the position detection module, rack position information in dependence upon the reference point position information; and providing, by the position detection module, the rack position information to a position information consumer that uses the rack position information to identify the position of the rack on which the position detection module is mounted.
US07667849B2
An optical sensing method transmits radiation from a source onto an optical link, the radiation being passed through an unbalanced interferometer connected between the source and the link. The radiation which is reflected back and has travelled through a portion of the link which is subject to an external disturbance is received and passed through the same unbalanced interferometer. A detector is used to detect the radiation that has returned through the unbalanced interferometer. To improve sensitivity, the unbalanced interferometer includes a coupler for coupling radiation to the detector, the coupler being an N ×N coupler where N is an integer greater or equal to 3.
US07667844B2
A line sensor includes a light source section for irradiating light of a plurality of colors to an inspecting object, and a light-receiving section for detecting reflected light from the inspecting object. The light source section has a plurality of light sources for each of the plurality of colors. The light-receiving section has a plurality of light-receiving sensors disposed in a row. The light sources are disposed in two rows so that the light-receiving section is interposed between the two rows. The light sources of the plurality of colors are divided into a first color light source group and a second color light source group. First disposition patterns, in which the light sources of the first color light source group are disposed in one of the two rows and the light sources of the second color light source group are disposed in the other row, and second disposition patterns, in which the first and second color light source groups are disposed in positions opposite to the first disposition pattern, are alternately disposed.
US07667838B2
A particle presentation apparatus for presenting particles being conducted within a gaseous stream for instream spectroscopic elemental analysis includes a particle blending section for homogenizing the distribution particles of significantly different sizes received within a gaseous stream of randomly distributed particles; and a particle sampling section including a window that is adapted for passing a particle excitation beam, such as a laser beam, and photon emissions, and a conduit for conducting the homogenized stream of particles past the window so that a particle excitation beam passing through the window can pass into the stream of homogenized particles. The apparatus may be used in combination with a drilling machine, wherein the particle blending section is coupled to an outlet pipe of the drilling machine for receiving a said gaseous stream of randomly distributed particles that are expelled from a drill hole.
US07667836B2
Apparatus, systems, and methods to recognize features on bottom surfaces of metal containers on a metal container production line, detect defects in the metal containers, and correlate the defects to specific production equipment of the metal container production line, based in part on the recognized features. The system includes imaging apparatus, programmable processing devices, and controllers. The methods include imaging techniques and estimation techniques.
US07667835B2
An apparatus and method for preventing the peeling of electroplated metal from a wafer, is disclosed. The apparatus includes a seed layer detector system having a light source and a reflectivity detector. According to the method, the light source emits a beam of light onto a wafer and the reflectivity detector receives the light reflected from the wafer. The reflectivity of the wafer surface is measured to determine the presence or absence of a seed layer on the wafer, as well as whether the seed layer has a minimum thickness for optimum electroplating of a metal onto the seed layer.
US07667833B1
A Theoretical Overlay Photographic (TOP) alignment method uses the overlay of a theoretical projected image of a perfectly aligned concentrator on a photographic image of the concentrator to align the mirror facets of a parabolic trough solar concentrator. The alignment method is practical and straightforward, and inherently aligns the mirror facets to the receiver. When integrated with clinometer measurements for which gravity and mechanical drag effects have been accounted for and which are made in a manner and location consistent with the alignment method, all of the mirrors on a common drive can be aligned and optimized for any concentrator orientation.
US07667825B2
A light source 165 of a projection unit 16 AM modulates an electric current supplied to a built-in LED. The projection unit 16 projects the modulated light on a projection screen. A photoreceiver 171 receives, with a time lag, a reflected portion of the modulated light from the screen, which corresponds to a time required for the light to travel from its projection to its reception. A calculation unit 173 acquires a phase difference between the projected light and its reflection at a respective one of a plurality of points on the screen, acquires a distance from the projector to the respective one of the plurality of points on the screen, and then acquires an inclination angle of the screen. Because the distance from the projector to a respective one of the plurality of points on the screen is acquired based on the corresponding phase difference, the measurement accuracy is improved compared to the triangular distance measuring method. The projector requires no distance measurement-only light source, thereby reducing the size of the projector.
US07667823B2
A device and a method for measuring the sizes of a remote object, for example, concrete crack, without using a high-place work vehicle or a ladder. An optical apparatus (e.g. a measuring device (10) ) used for this purpose is provided with a telescope (16) having a reticule plate (46) . The reticule plate (46) is provided with a plurality of reference scales (52) used for comparison with the size (W) of the image (C′) of an object (C) projected onto the reticule plate (46). The size of the object can be measured using the size of the object image measured with the reference scales (52) and a distance (a distance from a reference point P0 a to the object) measured with a distance measuring unit (20) of the optical apparatus.
US07667821B2
A method for implementing discrete superpositioning of two or more defocal wafer images at different defocal positions in a lithographic step and scan projection system. The method includes tilting one of a mask and a wafer with respect to a scanning direction and splitting an illumination beam into at least two illumination areas which are in different defocus zones of the mask.
US07667817B2
A laminated spacer portion formed by laminating various thin films that constitute thin-film transistors is disposed in peripheral driver circuits. As a result, even in a structure in which part of a sealing member is disposed above the peripheral driver circuits, pressure exerted from spacers in the sealing member is concentrated on the laminated spacer portion, whereby destruction of a thin-film transistor of the peripheral driver circuits can be prevented caused by the pressure from the sealing portion.
US07667812B2
A liquid crystal display apparatus includes a first substrate provided with an alignment film on one surface thereof, and a second substrate provided with an alignment film on one surface thereof. The first and second substrates are arranged to oppose each other with the alignment films inside the opposed first and second substrates. Spacers are interposed between the first and second substrates, and pixels are arranged in a matrix in the display apparatus. The spacers are arranged such that, along a direction of rubbing treatment for the alignment film of the second substrate, not more than one spacer is provided per pixel, at least one spacer is present per three consecutive pixels, and no three consecutive pixels all have a respective spacer corresponding thereto.
US07667811B2
A liquid crystal display (LCD) module includes a liquid crystal panel; a backlight unit supplying light to the liquid crystal panel; a PCB including a plurality of output pads connected to the liquid crystal panel and a plurality of dummy output pads; and a cover shield protecting the PCB and including an embossing pattern, wherein at least one of the plurality of dummy output pads facing the embossing pattern is electrically isolated.
US07667810B2
A mobile terminal comprising a frame, a flexible circuit wrapped around a portion of an edge of the frame, and a bracket located at an appropriate location between the frame and the flexible circuit along the edge of the frame. The bracket protects certain components of the flexible circuit during assembly of the mobile terminal and supports the frame during use of the mobile terminal.
US07667808B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a first electrode and a second electrode on a first substrate, wherein a horizontal electric field is generated between the first and second electrodes, and a third electrode on a second substrate, wherein a longitudinal electric field is generated between the third electrode and the first and second electrodes. In the liquid crystal display device, control of a wide viewing angle and a narrow viewing angle is enabled.
US07667807B2
An IPS-mode LCD device includes a TFT substrate and a counter substrate sandwiching therebetween a LC layer. Each pixel includes a pixel electrode covered by a passivation film formed on the TFT substrate, and a common electrode formed on the top surface of the passivation film. The passivation film has a first thickness at a portion in contact with the common electrode and a second thickness smaller than the first thickness at a portion in contact with the pixel electrode, thereby having a flat top surface of the passivation film.
US07667806B2
A thin film transistor panel for a liquid crystal display includes a substrate, a plurality of data lines formed over the substrate and extending in a first direction, and a plurality of gate lines formed over the substrate and extending in a second direction. The plurality of gate lines cross the plurality of data lines to form a plurality of pixel areas, each of the plurality of pixel areas having a multi-bent band shape. Each of a plurality of pixel electrodes are formed in a corresponding pixel area.
US07667801B2
A liquid crystal display device comprising a first polarizer, a first retardation film satisfying (1) to (6) below, a liquid crystal cell, a second retardation film satisfying (7) to (12) below, a second polarizer in this order wherein the absorption axis of the first and second polarizer and the slow axis of the first and second retardation film are substantially in parallel, respectively: 10 nm
US07667797B2
A liquid crystal display device includes an array substrate having reflective and transmissive regions in a pixel region, wherein the array substrate includes a reflective electrode corresponding to the reflective region and a pixel electrode on a first substrate. A color filter substrate defines the reflective region and the transmissive region in the pixel region. The color filter substrate includes a color filter with first and second portions that correspond to the respective transmissive and reflective regions on a second substrate. The thickness of the second portion is less than a thickness of the first portion. The combined thickness of the scatter and the thickness of the second portion is greater than the thickness of the first portion; and a liquid crystal layer between the array and color filter substrates.
US07667785B2
An optical separating filter separates impinging light into a first and a second part having different properties. The separating filter comprises reflective filters (FR) arranged in funnel shaped structures (F1). Each one of the structures (F1) have an inlet area (IA1) to receive the impinging light (IL) and an outlet area (OA1) smaller than the inlet area. (IA1) to converge reflected impinging light (RL) towards the outlet area (OA1). The structures (F1) comprise a first group of funnel shaped structures (F1) constructed to reflect light which has a first property (C1) towards their respective first outlet areas (OA1) and for transmitting light which has a second property (C2) towards respective second outlet areas (OA2).
US07667780B2
Methods, and apparatus for carrying out the methods, are disclosed for synchronizing a plurality of RF transmitters that are supplied with a common digital information signal for carrier modulation and subsequent transmission on a common channel throughout a prescribed region, whereby the digital signal receivers within the region may receive transmissions on the channel from more than one transmitter. The method involves inserting reference signals into the data sent to the transmitters in order to place them into known states at specific times relative to the digital signals sent to them for transmission. As a result of this method, the digital signals transmitted by each of the transmitters will be identical to one another so that the receivers will be able to identify one received signal as the main signal and the others as echoes. If necessary, the signal transmitted by at least one of the synchronized transmitters may be delayed, such that identical digital signals received from at least two of the transmitters by receivers in the region will arrive at each receiver within a prescribed time window. The methods and apparatus also can be applied to one or a plurality of RF transmitters for purposes of synchronizing processes at the source of the signals and at the transmitters.
US07667776B2
A noise level estimation module includes a pixel block selection module for selecting a plurality of selected pixel blocks over a set of K fields of a video signal, each of the plurality of selected pixel blocks containing a plurality of pixels having corresponding pixel values. A difference calculation module calculates a block difference for each of the plurality of selected pixel blocks based on a pixel difference between the pixel value for each of the plurality of pixels and a pixel value for a corresponding pixel in an adjacent field. A signal generator generates a noise level estimation signal based on a subset of M block differences for the plurality of pixel blocks, wherein M is greater than one.
US07667772B2
A video processing apparatus and method are disclosed. The video processing apparatus includes a first de-interlacer to de-interlace standard definition (SD)-level interlaced video signal into an SD-level progressive video signal by using spatial-temporal interpolation and output the SD-level progressive video signal, a scaler to convert the SD-level progressive video signal into a high definition (HD)-level interlaced video signal and output the HD-level interlaced video signal, and a second de-interlacer to de-interlace the HD-level interlaced video signal into a HD-level progressive video signal by using spatial interpolation and output the HD-level progressive video signal. Accordingly, an artifact ca be prevented from appearing at a vertical edge of an image.
US07667765B2
The shutter of a digital imaging device may be calibrated by comparing a characteristic of two separate exposures obtained from a single field of the device's imaging sensor during a single exposure cycle. Calibrating the shutter in this manner facilitates the accuracy of even very short exposure times.
US07667762B2
Various embodiments of a dual-sensor video camera are disclosed. The dual-sensor video camera includes a color filter array (CFA) sensor, which has a low-pass filter. The dual-sensor video camera also includes a panchromatic sensor. A beam splitter directs an incoming light beam to both sensors. An output image is produced based on image information from the two sensors. The output image includes luminance information based on the image information from the panchromatic sensor and chrominance information based on the image information from the CFA sensor.
US07667760B2
An output compensating device capable of effectively correcting pixel signals composing an image taken and output by the image sensor having a wide dynamic range to be adaptively displayed with high quality and high contrast on a viewable screen area by using means for detecting a minimal value and a maximal value of sensor (pixel) signals output from the image sensor to be displayed on the screen area, means for offsetting the detected minimal value of the sensor signal to a lower limit value of the screen area and means for adjusting a gain of the sensor signal in such a way that an output width determined by the detected minimal and maximal values of the sensor signals may be equal to the maximal width or a specified width of the screen area.
US07667743B2
Based on a detection signal from a drop sensor, it is determined whether or not an apparatus is actually dropping. When the apparatus is determined to be dropping, access to a HDD for recording or reading is forbidden, while when the apparatus is determined not to be dropping, the access is allowed. When the access is allowed, a process which is performed immediately before the access is forbidden is resumed.
US07667742B2
An image pickup position information acquisition unit acquires, from a position fixing unit, position information of an image pickup location of a moving image being picked up. A preceding image pickup position information storage unit stores position information of a preceding image pickup location as preceding image pickup position information. A change point detector compares the image pickup position information and the preceding image pickup position information. If the position indicated by the image pickup position information is spaced apart from the position indicated by the preceding image pickup position information by a predetermined distance, the change point detector detects the current position as a change point. The change point is recorded onto a change point position information. Thumbnail data generated by a thumbnail generator is recorded as a change point thumbnail.
US07667739B2
A brightness adjusting method for video frames of a video sequence includes receiving a current video frame of the video sequence and performing a scene change detection to determine if a scene change occurs between the current video frame and a previous video frame. Thereafter, one of a plurality of candidate brightness adjusting schemes is applied to the current video frame according to a scene change detection result.
US07667733B1
A computer monitor receiver for monitoring children's internet usage. The computer monitor receiver includes a video tap assembly operationally coupled between a video output and a video display device of an information handling system for routing a monitoring video signal, a signal transmission assembly for conditioning the monitoring video signal for transmission through a propagation channel, a receiver assembly for conditioning a signal received through the propagation channel and a video presentation device for displaying a real time substantially identical image of the video provided to a user being monitored.
US07667728B2
In some embodiments, spatially realistic audio may be provided for a conference call. Voices from participants on the left side of a display, in a conference call, may be directed through audio on the left side of the display at the other conferencing system in the conference call (similarly for voices from the center and right side of the display). In some embodiments, two speakers may be used in the system to create synthesized stereo sound at a location specified by directional information received as side information along with the existing audio channel. The location may be determined by using beamforming with integrated microphones on a camera or speakerphone. In some embodiments, the audio signal and directional information may be sent in the form of a left audio channel and a right audio channel.
US07667727B2
A printing system includes a multiple-beam generator array configured to generate multiple beams. A collimator lens is positioned to receive the multiple beams, and an aperture stop is located where the multiple beams are spatially coincident with each other. A scanning optical system is positioned to receive the beams from the aperture stop, and a recording medium receives the beams from the scanning optical system. A filter is located where the multiple beams are spatially coincident with each other, whereby each of the multiple beams may be filtered by the supplied filter.
US07667726B2
An optical writing unit, e.g., that can be included in an image forming apparatus includes a housing within which are disposed additional components of the optical writing unit including the following, a plurality of optical elements, a polygon mirror configured to deflect a laser light beam, and a collecting member configured to collect dust in the housing.
US07667723B2
Apparatus for aligning a scanner assembly in a laser scanning unit for an image forming device. A MEMS torsion oscillator is attached to a spherical base that is received by a socket in a laser scanning unit. The pivotal center of the scanner coincides with the center of the spherical base such that the center of the scanner does not move as the scanner is aligned in the skew, process, and scan directions. In various embodiments, the aligned relationship of the spherical base to the socket is maintained by an adhesive, a through-bolt, or a plurality of spring-biased adjustment screws. The configuration and location of the adjustment screws is such that adjustment of the scanner assembly is accomplished without blocking the laser beam used for alignment.
US07667714B2
A patterned polygon rendering apparatus has an edge dot attribute setting section 1 that assigns an attribute dot, which indicates an edge of a polygon, to respective dots located in an edge line of the polygon and stores the assigned attribute dots in work memory 2 on a per-dot basis, to thus perform edge processing; an internal attribute dot setting section 3 that assigns an attribute dot, which indicates the inside of the polygon, to respective dots located in an internal region of the polygon by reference to the work memory 2 and stores the assigned attribute dots into the work memory 2, to thus perform painting processing; and a pattern setting section 4 that sets edge color data to the dots assigned the attribute dots, which indicate the edges of the polygon, by reference to the work memory 2, sets pattern data to the dots assigned the attribute dots indicating the inside of the polygon, and renders the data stored in the work memory 2 to the frame memory 6, to thus perform pattern setting processing.
US07667702B2
In order to convert graphical content to a canonical format, the graphical content is separated into linear and filled polygonal planes. Linear features in the linear plane are decomposed into line segments having a canonical line segments ordering. Polygonal features in the polygonal plane are decomposed into trigons having a canonical trigons ordering.
US07667701B2
A system for displaying a tree map visualization including a processor, a memory device, and program code resident in the memory device. The program code is executable by the processor to prioritize data in a data set so as to associate a priority with respective elements of the data in the data set, to predefine a pattern that reflects a desired display pattern for the associated priority of the elements of the data in the data set, to generate the tree map visualization that positions within a display space, and to display the tree map visualization on a display device.
US07667700B1
The present invention relates to a system, method and computer program product for navigating within a virtual environment (VE). More specifically, the present invention relates to navigating large distances in a VE, without becoming disoriented and without becoming cybersick due to exposure to excessive amounts of optical flow. In one embodiment, the present invention combines jumping and flying to allow for quick navigation of large distances, while preserving a sense of orientation and limiting optical flow.
US07667691B2
A system, computer program product and method of preventing recordation of true keyboard acoustic emanations are provided. In an embodiment, it is determined whether a user has stricken a key on a keyboard. In response to the stricken key a keystroke sound from a mask which is dissimilar to a keystroke sound produced by the stricken key is emitted to drown out the keystroke sound of the stricken key. In another embodiment, when a plurality of keys is stricken, a random keystroke sound is emitted between keystroke sounds made by two stricken keys to blur out word boundaries.
US07667686B2
The use of motion sensing to perform sophisticated command control and data input into a portable device is disclosed. A motion sensor is embedded or fixedly attached to a portable device to measure movement, motion or tilt of the device in one-, two- or three-dimensions when the portable device is used to air-write or make gestures. The use of full motion information such as rate of change of motion or tilt angle to perform functions and commands is also disclosed. In addition, the use of air-writing to input search criteria and filter schemes for portable devices to manage, search, and sort through various data, files, and information is disclosed.
US07667682B2
A display having a shift register circuit capable of suppressing increase of power consumption is provided. This display comprises a shift register circuit including a shift register circuit portion including a first circuit portion having a second transistor turned on in response to a first signal and a second circuit portion having a sixth transistor turned on in response to a second signal providing an ON-state period not overlapping with an ON-state period of the second transistor and an input signal switching circuit portion for switching the first and second signals supplied to the second and sixth transistors respectively.
US07667675B2
A driving apparatus of a liquid crystal display device includes a multiplexer array for performing time-division on inputted pixel data to supply time-divided pixel data, a digital-to-analog converter array for converting the time-divided pixel data into pixel voltage signals, and a demultiplexer array for driving data lines in a time-division manner to supply the converted pixel voltage signals, wherein the digital-to-analog converter array receives a plurality of pixel voltage signal levels inputted from an external source and generates the pixel voltage signals using the pixel voltage signal level with a voltage at least one-step higher in absolute value than the original pixel voltage signal level in correspondence to at least one pixel data.
US07667674B2
In an organic electroluminescent light emitting display device comprising a plurality of pixels each of which includes an organic electroluminescent element emitting light by a current supplied thereto, a plurality of active elements including a first active element which acquires a data signal and a second active element which regulates the current supplied to the organic electroluminescent element in accordance with the data signal, and a capacitive element storing the data signal, the present invention utilizes a part of the capacitive element arranged in one of the pixels for a light shielding member which shields the plurality of active elements arranged the one of the pixels from light emitted by the organic electroluminescent element arranged therein or another pixel adjacent thereto so as to suppress image quality deterioration and smear appearing in an image display area of the organic electroluminescent light emitting display device.
US07667667B2
In a radio wave lens antenna, a lens cover for covering the surface of the lens is stably fixed to the reflector. The antenna has a semispherical Luneberg lens, a semispherical shell-shaped lens cover for covering the surface of the lens, a radio wave reflector, a ring-shaped plate placed along the outer circumference of the lens, a primary feed placed at the focal point of the lens, and a holding part for the primary feed. A flange provided at the opening edge of the lens cover is clamped by the reflector and the plate to fix the lens cover to the reflector, and more preferably, the lens cover is caused to be in contact with the lens, and the lens is pressed also in the radial direction by the plate via the lens cover.
US07667666B2
An antenna comprises a substrate, a feed conductor, a ground layer, a resonator and a short-circuited element. The substrate comprises a first surface and a second surface. The feed conductor is formed on the first surface. The ground layer is formed on the second surface, comprising an aperture. The resonator is disposed on the ground layer, comprising a body and a notch, the notch is formed on a first side of the body, wherein the first side is perpendicular to the ground layer. The short-circuited element is disposed on the first side connecting the ground layer.
US07667658B2
A tag antenna which, within a limited area, resonates with an RFID LSI chip having a capacitance component, and an RFID tag on which such a tag antenna is mounted, and which has an antenna and an LSI chip connected in parallel to the antenna are disclosed; the antenna has a feed terminal connected to the LSI chip, a loop antenna connected to the feed terminal, and a bypass conducting path which bypasses the loop of the loop antenna.
US07667657B2
The subject is to provide an information processing apparatus serving as a wearable device, which makes it possible not only to reduce the divergence of data toward the peripheral spaces, but also to eliminate the electrode to be contacted to the surface of the living body when wearing it, and further, which is superior in the transmitting efficiency. The information processing apparatus is provided with information processing section 101 to conduct various kinds of information processing; wearing section 170 to make the information processing section wearable onto a living body, by surrounding a part of the living body; antenna section 180 formed in the wearing section and serving as either a loop antenna or a dipole antenna; and communicating section 160 to conduct a wireless communication with an external device by transmitting data, processed by the information processing section, to the external device through the antenna section, or by feeding data, received from the external device through the antenna section, into the information processing section.
US07667655B2
An electromagnetic interference preventing component (18) includes a high-permeability magnetic film in high-frequency in which a real number component μ′ of complex relative permeability at a transmission band frequency of an electronic device (10) incorporating the electromagnetic interference preventing component (18) is 10 or more, tan δ (=μ″/μ′) is 0.1 or less, and a ferromagnetic resonance frequency (fr) is 1.5 times or more of the transmission band frequency. The electromagnetic interference preventing component (18) having the high-permeability magnetic film in high-frequency is disposed in the electronic device (10) having an electromagnetic wave transmitting function, as to selectively decrease the electromagnetic field intensity in directions in which the electromagnetic waves radiated by an electromagnetic wave transmitting part such as an antenna (16) are not required.
US07667653B2
An antenna unit includes a board having first and second surfaces opposite to each other, a first antenna pattern, formed on the first surface of the board, for transmitting and receiving a first radio wave having a first frequency band, and a second antenna pattern, formed on the second surface of the board, for transmitting and receiving a second radio wave having a second frequency band different from the first frequency band. The first antenna pattern and the second antenna pattern are disposed so as to be opposed to each other through the board with they electrically disconnected.
US07667625B2
A multiphase hybrid digital pulse width modulator can comprise a counter that is selectable between at least two different numbers of states to indicate a first portion of a switching period. Unclocked logic can indicate a second portion of the switching period. The unclocked logic can include a delay line.
US07667618B2
A system includes one or more transponders, a number of sensors, a tracking sub-system, and a billing sub-system. Each transponder is located in a vehicle capable of being driven on a road having at least a first lane and a second lane in which vehicles move in a same direction. Each sensor is movably located at a point along the road to detect the transponder of each vehicle that has changed between the first and the second lanes at the point. The tracking system is communicatively coupled to the sensors to track when and at which of the points the vehicles have changed between the first and the second lanes. The billing system is to periodically bill users of the vehicles based on when and where the vehicles are driven in the second lane of the road.
US07667617B2
A messaging board and a traffic light apparatus comprising a primary traffic panel including a first matrix of multicolored LEDs for directing motor traffic by displaying a plurality of images; a message panel including a second matrix of multicolored LEDs for displaying information unrelated to the directing of traffic; and a personal device interface providing two-way communication of information between the traffic light apparatus and at least one local user with a personal portable electronic device is disclosed. The messaging board is capable of being used as a communications station, as well as an information terminal and/or point-of-sales station.
US07667612B2
A method and an arrangement to monitor localization, movement, and properties of an object, such as human body. An excitation signal is connected to a first division of selected conductors of a transducer which includes a distribution of conductors such as a matrix. A first signal including information about coupling impedance between a first and a second selected division of conductors is derived from a coupling of the excitation signal between the first and the second selected divisions of conductors of said transducer. The object is monitored by studying changes of the coupling impedance caused by the object to be monitored during subsequent repeated cycles of the above mentioned steps.
US07667607B2
An animal training system including a programming apparatus and an animal training collar. The animal training collar is communicatively couplable to the programming apparatus. The animal training collar includes at least one stimulation probe and a programmable device operatively connected to the at least one stimulation probe to activate the at least one stimulation probe. The at least one stimulation probe also transferring data at least one of to and from the programming apparatus.
US07667601B2
Security apparatus is provided for the display of battery operated hand-held electronic devices. It includes a electronic recoiler device that combines the function of tethering the displayed devices while at the same time providing the power required by each of the displayed devices by means of a continuous electrical connection from a power supply to each displayed device. It also provides wire and wireless alarm functions, as well as visual perpetrator identification. The apparatus also provides specific product information and comparative product information to the potential customer by visual and audible means.
US07667598B2
A multifunction detector for detecting energy reflected from the surface, the detector comprising: a focal plane array in communication with the optical receiving path; and an optical receiving path; a read-only integrated circuit in communication with the optical receiving path, integrated with a focal plane array; and a processor programmed to operate the focal plane array and read-out integrated circuit in a first mode to process signals in a first frequency band, and in a second mode to process signals in a second, wider frequency band.
US07667592B2
A treatment instrument output data analysis section includes a probe ID extraction section, an output waveform extraction section, a data analysis section and an analysis result output section. The analysis result output section of the treatment instrument output data analysis section can display on a centralized display panel a synthetic image made by synthesizing a frame image stored in an image storage section of an endoscopic camera apparatus and an analysis result analyzed by the data analysis section.
US07667589B2
RFID tags have an on-chip antenna and an off-chip antenna. One of the antennas can become uncoupled if the proper signal is received, while the other antenna may still operate. The uncoupled antenna can be the larger one, for example the off-chip antenna. Then the tag can then be read only by the smaller antenna, which effectively reduces the range of the RFID tag, but without disabling it entirely.
US07667587B2
A data communications apparatus for communicating with another apparatus is disclosed. The data communications apparatus includes: a physical amount detection unit configured to detect changes of a first physical amount caused by contact with the another apparatus; a physical amount receiving unit configured to receive a signal including change information of a second physical amount of the another apparatus detected in the another apparatus when the first physical amount detected by the physical amount detection unit exceeds a predetermined value; a physical amount comparing unit configured to compare the changes of the first physical amount with the changes of the second physical amount to determine presence or absence of similarity; and a communication establishment unit configured to establish a communication with the another apparatus when the physical amount comparing unit determines that there is a similarity between the changes of the first physical amount and the changes of the second physical amount.
US07667586B2
A multi-functional alert safety helmet assembly, comprises a safety helmet having a base plate, the base plate being installed with a wireless receiving module and a control unit; the safety helmet further installed with a display panel and indication lamps which are at the base plate; and the display panel is formed by light emitting elements; two sides of the display panel having the indication lamps; the light emitting elements flashing sequentially to present textures or patterns. The base plate is connected to the display panel and indication lamps for displaying signals from the wireless transmitting module; the flash of the indication lamps are controlled by the control unit; and display of the light emitting lights of the display panel; when turning right, right indication lamps will flash and when turning left, the left indication lamps will flash.
US07667581B2
A pedestrian detecting method including: picking up an image of a scene in front of a vehicle; extracting characteristic points from the picked up image; calculating a velocity at which, and a direction in which, each of pixels representing the respective characteristic points moves in the image; expressing coordinates of each of the pixels in a coordinate system corresponding to an overhead view; determining whether the characteristic points represent a two-dimensional object or a three-dimensional object, and if it is determined that they represent the three-dimensional object, whether or not the three-dimensional object is a moving object, on the basis of the calculated velocity and direction of each of the pixels and the coordinates thereof in the overhead view; and determining whether or not the moving object is a pedestrian on the basis of change in the velocity at which the moving object moves in the image.
US07667579B2
An interior mirror system suitable for use in a vehicle comprises an interior rearview mirror assembly with an information display disposed within the housing and behind the reflective element and viewable through the reflective element by a driver of the equipped vehicle viewing the reflective element when the interior rearview mirror assembly is normally mounted to an interior portion of the equipped vehicle. A control is responsive to a photo sensor and operable to distinguish between daytime and nighttime lighting conditions. The control is operable to vary the intensity of the information displayed by the information display as viewed through the reflective element by the driver of the equipped vehicle. When the information display is operating during daytime lighting conditions, the control may adjust the intensity of the displayed information to at least about 1000 cd/m2 as viewed through the reflective element by the driver of the equipped vehicle.
US07667572B2
An architecture of an RFID system that facilitates the accessing of RFID tag data within an RFID environment. The architecture includes a plurality of RFID readers, each reader being operative to transmit a first RF signal for scanning at least one RFID tag disposed within an RF coverage region associated with the reader, and to receive at least one second RF signal including tag data in response to the scanning of the tag. The architecture further includes at least one host computer operative to execute at least one client application, and at least one controller/processor communicably coupled to the plurality of readers and the at least one host computer. The controller/processor is operative to control operation of the plurality of readers, to process the tag data received by the plurality of readers, and to provide the processed tag data to the at least one host computer for use by the at least one client application executing thereon.
US07667570B1
A lock and key mechanism comprising a sensor detecting friction between first and second nanostructured surfaces and a controller receiving output from the sensor and comparing same to stored values. Also a method for activating or deactivating a lock comprising providing a first nanostructured surface, causing a second nanostructured surface to frictionally interact with the first nanostructured surface, sensing the interaction with a sensor, the sensor producing an output signal, and via a controller comparing the sensor output signal to a reference signal.
US07667561B2
A starter includes a motor and an electromagnetic switch disposed close to and radially outward of the motor. The switch includes a contacts cover, a terminal bolt, and a conductive metal member. The contacts cover is cup-shaped. The terminal bolt is secured in the contacts cover so as to extend in the axial direction of the motor through an end wall of the contacts cover. The metal member has a first and a second end portion. The first end portion is inserted in the contacts cover through a side wall of the contacts cover. The second end portion is located outside the contacts cover and electrically connected to the motor. The switch further includes a movable contact, a first fixed contact that is electrically connected to a power source via the terminal bolt, and a second fixed contact made up of the first end portion of the metal member.
US07667560B2
A membrane actuator includes a magnetically actuatable membrane and a magnetic trigger. The membrane includes a shape memory alloy (SMA), and the magnetic trigger is configured to induce a martensitic transformation in the SMA, to produce a larger force than would be achievable with non-SMA-based materials. Such a membrane actuator can be beneficially incorporated into a wide variety of devices, including fluid pumps, shock absorbing systems, and synthetic jet producing devices for use in an aircraft. The membrane/diaphragm can be formed from a ferromagnetic SMA, or a ferromagnetic material can be coupled with an SMA such that the SMA and the ferromagnetic material move together. A hybrid magnetic trigger, including a permanent magnet and an electromagnet, is preferably used for the magnetic trigger, as hybrid magnetic triggers are easy to control, and produce larger magnetic gradients than permanent magnets or electromagnets alone.
US07667552B2
A system is described for generating a discrete noise-shaped variable switching frequency signal that may be used to define a digital pulse width modulation (“PWM”) period. The system may define a switching frequency waveform that may be used to generate a current switching frequency signal as a function of a system clock. The system may quantize the current switching frequency signal to generate a discrete switching frequency signal that is realizable with the system clock. The system may detect quantization noise and input the noise into the current switching frequency signal to eliminate or reduce discrete tones at the switching frequencies of a PWM signal spectrum.
US07667547B2
Certain embodiments of the present invention provide a loosely-coupled oscillator including a circuit and an electronic device that are not physically connected. The electronic device may include an amplifier for amplifying a signal to produce an output signal and include a wire connected to an input of the amplifier. The wire can be electromagnetically coupled to the circuit that is physically disconnected from the electronic device. The output signal can be produced at an output of the amplifier without transmitting an excitation signal from the electronic device to the circuit and when the wire is electromagnetically coupled to the circuit.
US07667541B2
An amplifier circuit has a current conversion circuit that receives a high frequency signal and produces a signal current according to the high frequency signal; a gain control circuit that includes a control signal input for receiving a control signal, a first output, and a second output, and produces the signal current from the first output or the second output according to the control signal; an impedance circuit that includes a first node connected to the first output, a second node connected to the second output, and a third node, the impedance circuit presenting a predetermined impedance between the nodes; a switch circuit that is inserted between the first output and the first node; and a load impedance unit that is connected to the first output and produces a gain signal representing an amplified high frequency signal.
US07667536B2
In an offset fixing operational amplifier circuit, an operational amplifier circuit includes an input stage containing a first constant current source, a second constant current source, a first differential pair and a second differential pair. A bias circuit supplies a bias voltage to the operational amplifier circuit. An offset fixing circuit controls the input stage in accordance with an input voltage of the operational amplifier circuit.
US07667530B2
The present invention discloses a charge pump down circuit which comprises three capacitors operating in three time phases. In the first time phase, the total of the voltages across the three capacitors is equal to an input voltage; in the second time phase, the voltage across the second capacitor is equal to the voltage across the third capacitor; in the third time phase, the difference between the voltages across the first and the second capacitors is equal to the voltage across the third capacitor, wherein the voltage across the third capacitor is the output voltage of the charge pump down circuit.
US07667524B2
A method of driving a power transistor switch comprising: receiving a drive input signal; converting the drive input signal into a converted drive input signal; and providing the converted gate drive input signal to a control electrode of the switch to turn on the switch, the converted drive input signal having three regions with respect to time, each having a slope, a first region in time having a first slope up to a Miller Plateau of the switch; a second region in time having a second slope with a reduced slope compared with the first slope; and a third region having a third slope that is greater than the second slope, whereby the control electrode voltage rapidly reaches the Miller Plateau voltage, then more slowly reaches a threshold voltage of the switch and then, when the switch has substantially fully turned on, the control electrode voltage is rapidly increased. The switch delay time is also maintained substantially constant by adjusting the transistor control electrode precharge voltage.
US07667522B1
Circuits, methods, and apparatus for low-skew input/output level-shift circuits. One low-skew input/output circuit includes a single-ended-to-differential converter, a level-shift circuit, and a differential-to-single-ended converter. The circuit employs a low-skew single-ended-to-differential converter that provides an output to a level-shift circuit. To reduce skew, the single-ended-to-differential converter includes multiple paths from the input to its inverting and non-inverting outputs. The level-shift circuit translates signal levels between voltages used by the core and voltages used by the input and output circuits of the integrated circuit. An output from the level-shifter is received by the differential-to-single-ended converter. This converter also includes multiple signal paths coupling inverting and non-inverting signal paths. A threshold of an input inverter in the differential-to-single-ended converter is set by appropriately adjusting ratio of the size of its p-channel pull-up and n-channel pull-down transistors to match the rising and falling edges of the signals provided by the level-shift circuit.
US07667519B2
A pass transistor signal level translator between a first voltage level and a higher second voltage level having a bias circuit for the pass transistor including a first switching circuit coupled to the first voltage level for providing a bias voltage that is less than the first voltage level. A second switching circuit is coupled to the second voltage level for providing a pulse at substantially the second voltage to the bias voltage. A voltage clamping circuit is coupled between the bias voltage and a reference voltage.
US07667508B2
A circuit for receiving an input signal and generating an output signal, the input signal having a first frequency, the output signal having a second frequency. The circuit comprises a forward branch for generating the output signal and a return branch for feeding back the output signal. The return branch comprises a frequency divider for receiving the output signal, for dividing the frequency of the output signal by a factor, and for outputting a modified output signal. The forward branch comprises a detector for comparing the input signal and the modified output signal and outputting a comparison signal indicative of the comparison; a word-length reduction circuit for reducing the number of bits of the comparison signal, thereby generating a reduced-length comparison signal; a digital-to-analog converter for converting the reduced-length comparison signal to analog, thereby generating an analog signal; and an oscillator, controlled by said analog signal. By reducing the word length of the input to the digital-to-analog converter, the digital-to-analog converter may be greatly simplified.
US07667506B2
A power-on-reset circuit (POR) for integrated circuits that detects the minimum power levels needed to operate the most critical circuit(s) reliably. The circuit is implemented in a customized POR built into a custom IC, and emulates the critical circuit transistors in the custom IC using mimicking counterparts which are similarly affected by changes in temperature and process variations as the main circuit components. The mimicking counterparts may have smaller dimensions, to draw less current but still emulate the characteristics of the main working circuit components. Each critical sub-circuit of the main circuit may have a mimicking POR, and the multiple PORs may have their outputs combined by logic so that subtle failure modes can be modeled in the POR. The POR allows operation of the main circuit to continue at the lowest possible voltage levels while reducing the risk of unexpected results or undetected non-catastrophic failures. The POR also implements safety margins for the operation of the main circuit and tracks process sensitivity.
US07667505B2
A low voltage, low power, wideband quadrature divide-by-three frequency divider using a wideband low voltage, low power differential Muller C element with multiple inputs operates on quadrature input and quadrature output signals. This frequency divider can be used in frequency synthesizers and as quadrature local oscillator generator.
US07667500B1
Circuits and methods of suppressing signal glitches in an integrated circuit (IC). A glitch on a signal entering a clock buffer, for example, is prevented from propagating through the clock buffer. In some embodiments, a latch is added to an input clock path that detects a transition on the input signal, and then ignores any subsequent transitions for a time delta that is determined by a delay circuit. In some embodiments, a multiplexer circuit is used to select between the input clock signal and the output clock signal, with changes on the input clock signal not being passed through the multiplexer circuit unless the time delta has already elapsed. In some embodiments, the delay is programmable, pin-selectable, or self-adapting.
US07667492B2
Methods and corresponding systems for buffering an input signal include outputting a first logic value in response to the input signal being below a lower threshold. A second logic value is output in response to the input signal rising above the lower threshold. Thereafter, the second logic value is maintained until the input exceeds a higher threshold and thereafter falls below the higher threshold. In response to the input signal falling below the higher threshold, the first logic value is output, and maintained at the first logic value, until the input falls below the lower threshold and thereafter rises above the lower threshold.
US07667491B2
Method and apparatus are provided for buffering a data signal to a low voltage logic device. A circuit for buffering the data signal to the low voltage logic device includes an output buffer (12) having first and second inputs and an output and at least one N-type isolation transistor (13, 19) having a source coupled to one or both of the second input and the output. The first input receives the data signal, the second input receives a supply potential, and the output couples to the low voltage logic device. The isolation transistor has a drain for receiving a first potential and is configured to supply a second potential to the output buffer when the gate receives a bias potential. The second potential based on the first potential. The bias potential is greater than the supply potential.
US07667490B2
The present invention provides a voltage shifter circuit, in which a control circuit is used to control the pull-up circuit, so that the pull-up circuit is kept as off when the signal from the input signal source changes from a low voltage to a high voltage. Hence, the competition between the pull-up circuit and the pull-down circuit is avoided. The speed of the voltage shifter circuit is improved and the voltage shifter circuit can operate within a wider voltage range. The delay time of the pull-up circuit and the pull-down circuit is small and the duty cycle is small. In addition, since no direct current path is established, no current is wasted. Additionally, the voltage shifter circuit uses the second delayer to compensate the delay time between the pull-up circuit and the pull-down circuit and optimizes the duty cycle.
US07667486B2
Some embodiments of the invention provide a configurable integrated circuit (IC). The IC includes at least fifty configurable circuits arranged in an array having a plurality of rows and a plurality of columns. Each configurable circuit for configurably performing a set of operations. At least a first configurable circuit reconfigures at a first reconfiguration rate. The first configurable circuit performs a different operation each time the first configurable circuit is reconfigured. The reconfiguration of the first configurable circuit does not follow any sequential progression through the set of operations of the first configurable circuit.
US07667473B1
A semiconductor package having a substrate and a die includes a plurality of conductive posts attached to the substrate and bonded to an active surface of the die via a plurality of corresponding microbumps. The conductive posts are flexible and extend beyond the top surface of the substrate a sufficient distance to absorb lateral forces exerted upon the microbumps.
US07667464B2
A method for measuring a resistivity of a subsurface formation that includes transmitting continuously a signal at a first fundamental frequency at full power for a first period of time within a single window of time causing electromagnetic energy to propagate in the subsurface formations, transmitting continuously the signal at a second fundamental frequency at full power for a second period of time within the single window of time causing electromagnetic energy to propagate in the subsurface formations, measuring variations in the electromagnetic energy propagated through the subsurface formations at receivers at the first and the second fundamental frequencies, and determining the resistivity of the subsurface formations using the measurements of the variations in electromagnetic energy at the receivers.
US07667463B2
An RF receiver antenna (1), notably for use in an magnetic resonance imaging system for picking up magnetic resonance signals comprises a resonant pick-up circuit and communication unit (2) to transmit and/or receive data and including a transmit/receive antenna integrated in the resonant pick-up circuit.
US07667457B2
A gamma ray detector ring for a combined positron emission tomography (PET) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) system is integrated into a radio frequency (RF) coil assembly such that the detector ring is integrated with a RF shield. Each gamma ray detector in the detector ring includes a scintillator component that emits light when a gamma ray is detected and a photodetector component designed to be sensitive to the frequency of light produced by the scintillator. A RF shield may be integrated into a detector ring such that the RF shield is positioned between the scintillator and photodetector components of each detector, thereby saving valuable radial space within the imaging system. Multiple such detector rings may be located adjacent to one another to increase axial coverage and enable three-dimensional PET imaging techniques.
US07667454B2
The present invention provides an inspection system of ID chips that can supply a signal or power supply voltage to an ID chip without contact, and can increase throughput of an inspection process and an inspection method using the inspection system. The inspection system according to the present invention includes a plurality of inspection electrodes, a plurality of inspection antennas, a position control unit, a unit for applying voltage to each of the inspection antennas, and a unit for measuring potentials of the inspection electrodes. One feature of the inspection system is that a plurality of ID chips and the plurality of inspection electrodes are overlapped with a certain space therebetween, and the plurality of ID chips and the plurality of inspection antennas are overlapped with a certain space therebetween, and the plurality of ID chips are interposed between the plurality of inspection electrodes and the plurality of inspection antennas by the position control unit.
US07667448B2
A reference voltage generation circuit of the present invention includes: a band gap reference-type current generation circuit for controlling each of currents flowing through a first current path and a second current path, which are extending from a first node to a second node, to be a predetermined reference current, by utilizing a voltage difference occurring between a pair of transistors or diodes; and a resistive load circuit provided between the second node and a third node.
US07667445B2
An integrated circuit for controlling a switching power supply includes a signal input terminal in addition to a switching input terminal that is also provided in a conventional integrated circuit and is a terminal to switch IC operation modes using an external control signal. The switching input terminal signal is made valid when the signal input terminal voltage is higher than a threshold voltage, such that mode switching using an external control signal is enabled. When the signal input terminal voltage is lower than the threshold voltage, mode switching is automatically conducted by switching a MOSFET ON or OFF using output signals of portions of a comparator connected to a feedback terminal to which an output voltage of a power supply device is applied.
US07667428B2
A power monitoring apparatus for receiving an external input signal includes a first modulating unit, a second modulating unit and a comparing unit. The first modulating unit receives and modulates an input signal into a first signal. The second modulating unit receives and modulates the input signal into a second signal. The comparing unit is electrically connected with the first modulating unit and the second modulating unit and has a first input terminal, a second input terminal and an output terminal. The first input terminal receives the first signal and the second input terminal receives the second signal. When a difference between the first signal and the second signal is higher or lower than a predetermined range, the output terminal outputs a control signal.
US07667427B2
Presence/absence of a failure in a feedback control system of a motor is monitored. When a failure is detected in the feedback control system, the motor is driven by switching to an open-loop control. During the open-loop control, the motor is rotated by sequentially switching the motor current supply phase without feeding back encoder count information. The position count is incremented or decremented every time the current supply phase is switched. When the position count has reached a target count, it is determined that the rotor has reached a target position, whereupon the open-loop control is finished.
US07667426B2
A system and method for controlling an IPM synchronous machine in a vehicle that calculates an operating trajectory of the machine on-line. The system defines three operating ranges of the machine based on voltage magnitude, where a first operating range is controlled by a current limit of the machine and second and third operating regions are controlled by a voltage limit of the machine. The system calculates d- and q-axis current reference signals in the reference rotor frame for each of the three regions. The system determines which set of current reference signals will be used to control the machine based on the operating region. The third operating region is used during over-modulation of the machine.
US07667405B2
A PDP includes first and second substrates, a plurality of electrodes between the first and second substrates, a plurality of barrier ribs between the first and second substrates to define discharge cells, at least one dielectric layer on the electrodes, at least one photoluminescent layer in each discharge cell, a discharge gas in the discharge cells, and a protective layer on the dielectric layer, the protective layer including magnesium oxide and a light-scattering material having a general formula MOx, where M includes one or more of zinc and/or titanium and 1≦x≦2, the light-scattering material having a particle size of about 100 nm to about 900 nm and being present in the protective layer in an amount of about 1% to about 20% by weight of a total weight of the dielectric layer.
US07667398B2
A flat panel display device, including a substrate, a display unit disposed on the substrate, a sealing substrate affixed to the substrate to enclose the display unit therebetween, and a sealant composition disposed between the substrate and the sealing substrate, wherein the sealant composition includes an adhesive component and colored spacers.
US07667397B2
A flat panel display device including a display area in which a desired image is displayed, and a non-display area arranged outside the display area includes bank portions arranged on a substrate in a predetermined pattern in the display area and partitioning a plurality of first openings, an emission element arranged at each first opening, dummy bank portions formed in the non-display area together with the bank portions and a sealing passivation layer covering the emission element, the sealing passivation layer includes at least a two-layer structure including an organic film and an inorganic film alternately deposited, arranged along a surface defining the dummy bank portions on the upper surface of the emission element, and having a sectional portion directed to and contacting the substrate or a film on the substrate.
US07667388B2
The present invention discloses organic electroluminescent display device and a method for fabricating the same, which includes: a first hole transporting layer formed in the first, second, and third pixel regions; a second hole transporting layer formed on a portion of the first hole transporting layer in the second and third pixel regions; a third hole transporting layer formed on a portion of the second hole transporting layer in the third pixel region. Light emitting layers are formed on each of the first, second, and third hole transporting layers. The thickness of the second hole transporting layer is approximately one-third (⅓) to two-thirds (⅔) of an optical wavelength difference between the first and second pixel regions, and the thickness of the third hole transporting layer is approximately one-third (⅓) to two-thirds (⅔) of an optical wavelength difference between the second and third pixel regions.
US07667387B2
An organic electroluminescent device (OELD) and a method of manufacturing the OELD are provided. The OELD includes a substrate, an anode electrode stacked on the substrate, an organic light emitting layer that is stacked on the anode electrode and has a plurality of protrusions on the organic light emitting layer, and a cathode electrode that covers the protrusions formed on the organic light emitting layer and is formed of a metal.
US07667385B2
An organic thin film transistor (OTFT) and an organic electroluminescent display (OLED) device are disclosed. The OTFT includes a drain electrode, functioning as a pixel electrode (anode electrode) of an organic emission element, such that the manufacturing process of an OLED device is simplified. In one embodiment, the OLED device includes: i) a substrate comprising an emission region and a non-emission region, ii) an organic thin film transistor, which comprises, a gate electrode, source and drain electrodes respectively overlapping both side portions of the gate electrode, and a semiconductor layer, and is disposed in the non-emission region, and iii) an organic light emitting element comprising a lower electrode, an organic layer, and an upper electrode. In one embodiment, one of the source electrode and drain electrode of the OTFT extends to the emission region, the semiconductor layer has an opening exposing a portion of the extending electrode, and the exposed portion of the extending electrode acts as a lower electrode (pixel or anode electrode) of the organic light emitting element.
US07667383B2
At least one stacked organic or polymeric light emitting diode (PLEDs) devices to comprise a light source is disclosed. At least one of the PLEDs includes a patterned cathode which has regions which transmit light. The patterned cathodes enable light emission from the PLEDs to combine together. The light source may be top or bottom emitting or both.
US07667380B2
An electron emission device includes first and second substrates facing each other, cathode electrodes formed on the first substrate, and electron emission regions formed on the cathode electrodes. An insulating layer is formed on the cathode electrodes with opening portions exposing the electron emission regions. Gate electrodes are formed on the insulating layer with opening portions corresponding to the opening portions of the insulating layer. Phosphor layers are formed on the second substrate. At least one anode electrode is formed on a surface of the phosphor layers. The cathode and the gate electrodes are formed by thin filming, and the insulating layer is formed by thick filming.
US07667378B2
An illuminating device includes a light source including a light-emitting element, an electrode electrically connected to the light-emitting element, and a heat radiation terminal electrically isolated from the light-emitting element; and a multilayer substrate including a plurality of insulating layers, a plurality of metal layers, an electrically conducting interlayer contact portion, and a heat-conducting interlayer contact portion. The insulating layers include all insulating layer having a mount surface on which the light source is mounted with the electrode and the heat radiation terminal therebetween. The metal layers include an electrically conducting metal layer electrically connected to the electrode and disposed so as to be separated from the light source by the insulating layer having the mount surface and an electrically isolated metal layer electrically isolated from the other metal layers and disposed most distant from the mount surface of all the metal layers. The electrically conducting interlayer contact portion electrically connects the electrode to the electrically conducting metal layer. The heat-conducting interlayer contact portion connects the heat radiation terminal to the electrically isolated metal layer.
US07667375B2
A broad band energy harvesting system to harvest energy from a structure and associated methods are provided. The system includes a structure carrying a plurality of environmentally produced vibration frequencies extending over a frequency range and an energy harvesting apparatus positioned in vibration receiving communication with the structure to harvest energy from the structure. Each energy harvesting apparatus includes broadly tuned energy harvesting generators having relatively low quality factor and corresponding relatively wide bandwidth. The energy harvesting generators collectively provide energy harvesting over multiple modes to thereby provide energy harvesting over a substantial portion of the frequency range. Each energy harvesting generator can include a cantilevered beam connected to a common backbone comprised of a resilient material configured to transfer energy between adjacent generators to further enhance energy harvesting.
US07667368B2
In an axial air-gap electronic motor in which a stator is formed by a plurality of core members, the manpower for assembling the core member is reduced, and the motor is assembled in a shorter period of time. A hook portion 320, which is a first connecting means, is projectingly provided at one end in the circumferential direction of a flange portion 310 of each of the core members 21a to 21i, and a columnar locking shaft 330 to which the hook portion 320 is locked is provided at the other end in the circumferential direction of the flange portion 310, by which the core members 21a to 21i are connected to each other.
US07667366B2
A generator rotor core (54) carrying superconducting windings (60) and having a shield (426) over the superconducting windings (60) to prevent external magnetic fields from impinging the windings. Axial shield edges (430/434) mate with corresponding features of the rotor core (54) or with structures affixed to or supported by the core (54) to support the shield (426).
US07667361B2
An electric motor has a rotor having an end portion and a recessed portion formed at the end portion. A rotational shaft is mounted to the rotor. A stator covers an outer peripheral portion of the rotor and forms a magnetic field that generates a torque around the rotational shaft to thereby rotate the rotational shaft and the rotor. A bearing rotatably supports the rotational shaft and is entirely spaced-apart from the end portion of the rotor in an axial direction of the rotational shaft. A slider is slidably mounted around the rotational shaft and supports rotation of the rotational shaft about a rotational axis thereof. The slider is interposed between the bearing and the rotor so that a portion of the slider is entirely contained in the recessed portion of the rotor and the remaining portion of the slider is disposed in the space between the bearing and the rotor and in contact with the bearing.
US07667360B2
In bearing mechanism for a motor spinning a storage disk about a center axis, an interference-fit portion of a shaft is interference-fitted into a through hole of a bushing from an axial lower side thereof such that the shaft is fixed to a rotor hub. The interference-fit portion of the shaft is defined with an upper section, a lower section, and a concave portion. When the shaft is interference-fitted into the bushing, the upper and lower sections engage with the bushing, and the concave portion radially faces an inner surface of the bushing with a gap defined therebetween.
US07667352B2
The invention relates to an energy transmission device having a primary coil for transmitting to a detachable secondary coil electromagnetic energy by induction with the electromagnetic energy being characterized by an energy transmission frequency and sensing component for detecting at least one characteristic variable of a detachable secondary end including the secondary coil. The sensing component is adapted to detect information on the presence of a detachable secondary end in an especially reliable manner. For this purpose, the sensing component couples a measuring voltage having a measuring frequency that is different from the energy transmission frequency into the secondary coil.
US07667341B2
A power-generating apparatus includes a frame, an engine supported by the frame, an alternator coupled to the engine and operable to convert mechanical energy from the engine into electrical energy, and a battery charger supported by the frame and electrically coupled to the alternator. The battery charger is operable to charge a battery pack with the electrical energy from the alternator.
US07667332B2
A method for generating a pattern includes reading out an interconnect layout and a hole layout, the interconnect layout prescribing interconnect patterns, the hole layout prescribing hole patterns configured to connect to the interconnect patterns; extracting one of the hole patterns to be connected within the same interconnect layer level to one of the interconnect patterns in a pattern processing area; extracting a first processing area including the extracted hole pattern; calculating a first pattern density of the interconnect patterns included in the first processing area; and generating first additional patterns in the first processing area based on the first pattern density.
US07667329B2
A method for manufacturing a micromodule comprising an integrated circuit and an antenna coil electrically connected to the integrated circuit. The method includes manufacturing the integrated circuit and first contact pads of the integrated circuit on a first wafer of semiconductor material, making a conductive winding forming a coil and second contact pads of the coil on a second wafer of semiconductor material, and assembling the first and the second wafers face to face while putting the second contact pads of the coil in contact with the second contact pads of the integrated circuit.
US07667323B2
A spaced, bumped component structure including a first plate, a second plate spaced from the first plate by a first gap, a plurality of solder bumps interconnecting the plates and defining the first gap; at least one of the plates having an anomalous section including one of a raised platform and recess for defining a second gap having a different size from the first gap.
US07667313B2
A stacked semiconductor module is made by stacking a second semiconductor device having a second semiconductor chip mounted to the top surface of a second semiconductor substrate above the top surface of a first semiconductor device having a first semiconductor chip mounted to a first semiconductor substrate. The top surface of the first semiconductor substrate is provided with a first connection terminal and the bottom surface of the first semiconductor substrate is provided with an external connection terminal. A region of the bottom surface of the second semiconductor substrate lying opposite to the second semiconductor chip is provided with a second connection terminal. A conductive connecting member connects the first connection terminal to the second connection terminal.
US07667306B1
A leadframe-based semiconductor package is revealed, primarily comprising a chip, a plurality of leads of a leadframe, a multi-layer tape, and an encapsulant. The multi-layer tape is attached to the chip and includes an adhesive layer disposed on a dielectric core layer. The internal leads of the leads are partially embedded in the adhesive layer in a manner not to directly contact the dielectric core layer. A bonding interface with a U-shaped profile is formed between the adhesive layer and each internal lead to increase the adhesions of the leads so that the internal leads will not be shifted nor delaminated during molding processes. The concentrated stresses exerted on the internal leads disposed at the corners of the packages will be released and reduced.
US07667303B2
A multi-chip package including a carrier, a first chip, a second chip and a first conductive layer is provided. The first chip is disposed on the carrier and is electrically connected to the carrier through at least one first wire. The second chip is disposed on the first chip and is electrically connected to the first chip through at least one second wire. The first conductive layer is disposed on the second chip and is electrically connected to the first chip or the second chip through at least one third wire. The first conductive layer is electrically connected to the carrier through the at least one fourth wire.
US07667302B1
An integrated circuit chip includes an analog and/or RF circuit block, a digital circuit, and a seal ring structure surrounding and protecting the analog and/or RF circuit block. The seal ring structure comprises a continuous outer seal ring, and a discontinuous inner seal ring divided into at least a first portion and a second portion. The second portion is situated in front of the analog and/or RF circuit block for shielding a noise from interfering the analog and/or RF circuit block.
US07667299B2
A circuit board includes a substrate including electrode patterns formed thereon, first chip components mounted on the substrate and a second chip component mounted on a side of electrodes of the first chip components opposite from the substrate. The second chip component is bonded at one electrode to an electrode of the first chip component and is also bonded at the other electrode to an electrode of the first chip component. By stacking chip components in plural stages, it is possible to mount chip components with a high density on the substrate, thereby enabling reduction of the size of the circuit board.
US07667298B2
Oxygen is doped into a gallium nitride crystal by preparing a non-C-plane gallium nitride seed crystal, supplying material gases to the seed crystal, growing a non-C-plane gallium nitride crystal on the seed crystal and allowing oxygen to infiltrate via a non-C-plane surface to the growing crystal. Otherwise, oxygen is doped into the crystal by preparing a C-plane gallium nitride seed crystal or a three-rotationally symmetric plane foreign material seed crystal, supplying material gases to the C-plane seed crystal or the foreign seed crystal, growing a faceted C-plane gallium nitride crystal having facets of non-C-planes on the seed crystal, maintaining the facets on the crystal and allowing oxygen to infiltrate via the non-C-plane facets to the crystal.
US07667291B2
In an FPGA of a semiconductor device and a method of forming the FPGA, a first pattern having a voltage selectable conductivity is formed to connect first vias of the semiconductor device in parallel.
US07667275B2
A complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device has a substrate 100, a gate structure 108 disposed atop the substrate, and spacers 250, deposited on opposite sides of the gate structure 108 to govern formation of deep source drain regions S, D in the substrate. Spacers 250 are formed of an oxynitride (SiOxNyCz) wherein x and y are non-zero but z may be zero or greater; such oxynitride spacers reduce parasitic capacitance, thus improving device performance. A method of fabricating a portion of a complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) device involves providing a substrate 100, forming a gate structure 108 over the substrate, depositing a first layer 104 atop the substrate on opposite sides of the gate structure to govern formation of deep source drain regions in the substrate, depositing an oxynitride (SiOxNyCz) layer 250 atop the first layer (in which x and y are non-zero but z may be zero or greater), depositing a second layer 112 atop the oxynitride layer, and depositing a nitride layer 114B atop the second layer.
US07667270B2
A semiconductor device has a substrate (50), a buried layer (55), an active area extending from a surface contact to the buried layer, an insulator (130) in a first trench extending towards the buried layer, to isolate the active area, and a second insulator (130) in a second deep trench and extending through the buried layer to isolate the buried layer and the active area from other parts of the substrate. This double trench can help reduce the area needed for the electrical isolation between the active device and the other devices. Such reduction in area can enable greater integration or more cells in a multi cell super-MOS device, and so improve performance parameters such as Ron. The double trench can be manufactured using a first mask to etch both trenches at the same time, and subsequently using a second mask to etch the second deep trench deeper.
US07667267B2
A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor substrate having a first semiconductor layer, an insulation layer and a second semiconductor layer, which are stacked in this order; a LDMOS transistor disposed on the first semiconductor layer; and a region having a dielectric constant, which is lower than that of the first or second semiconductor layer. The region contacts the insulation layer, and the region is disposed between a source and a drain of the LDMOS transistor. The device has high withstand voltage in a direction perpendicular to the substrate.
US07667261B2
Split-gate memory cells and fabrication methods thereof. A split-gate memory cell comprises a plurality of isolation regions formed on a semiconductor substrate along a first direction, between two adjacent isolation regions defining an active region having a pair of drains and a source region. A top level of the active regions is lower than a top level of the isolation regions. A pair of floating gates is disposed on the active regions and aligned with the isolation regions, wherein a passivation layer is disposed on the floating gate to prevent thinning from CMP. A pair of control gates is self-aligned with the floating gates and disposed on the floating gates along a second direction. A source line is disposed between the pair of control gates along the second direction. A pair of select gates is disposed on the outer sidewalls of the pair of control gates along the second direction.
US07667252B2
To provide a semiconductor nonvolatile storage device capable of applying distributed voltage efficiently to a ferroelectric capacitor in a semiconductor nonvolatile storage device having an MFMIS structure without enlarging a memory cell area and a method of fabricating the same, a ferroelectric nonvolatile storage element is constructed by a structure successively laminated with a first insulator layer (3), a first conductor layer (4), a ferroelectric layer (5) and a second conductor layer (6) on a channel region and is constructed by a structure having a third conductor (9) and a fourth conductor (10) respectively laminated on a source region and a drain region, in which the third conductor (9) and the fourth conductor (10) are opposed to each other via the first conductor layer (4) and a second insulator thin film (11).
US07667249B2
A semiconductor device includes: a semiconductor element provided on a semiconductor layer; a light-blocking wall provided around the semiconductor element; and a wiring layer electrically coupled to the semiconductor element and extended from an aperture not having the light-blocking wall to an outside of the light-blocking wall; wherein the wiring layer has a pattern containing a first section positioned in the aperture and a second section which has a width not narrower than a width of the aperture by providing a branched portion intersecting with an extension direction of the wiring layer; and wherein a surface of the branched portion facing outside of the light-blocking wall includes thereon a convex part.
US07667244B2
On a semiconductor substrate, a gate electrode is disposed obliquely across the boundary between an N-type region and a P-type region, and thereby an effective gate width of a region, in which the boundary between the N-type region and the P-type region intersects with the gate electrode, is wider than that of the gate electrode. Accordingly, the occurrence of abnormal resistance, which makes it difficult for an electric current to flow in the gate electrode on the boundary between the N-type region and the P-type region, may be effectively suppressed without physically widening the gate width. Moreover, widening of the gate width of the gate electrode may be eliminated in suppressing the occurrence of abnormal resistance and it is not necessary to enlarge the areas of the N-type region and the P-type region, thereby inevitable enlargement of the overall size of the semiconductor device being avoided.
US07667239B2
A New Phosphor-converted LED Device (“NPCLD”) is disclosed. The NPCLD may include a lens over a phosphor body, in which the lens and the phosphor body each have a substantially convex upper surface. The NPCLD may alternatively include first and second lenses, the first lens having a substantially flat interface with a phosphor body.
US07667226B2
A semiconductor device comprises an active layer having a quantum well structure, the active layer including a well layer and a barrier layer and being sandwiched by a first conductivity type layer and a second conductivity type layer, wherein a first barrier layer is provided on side of the first conductivity type layer in the active layer and a second barrier layer is provided on the side of the second conductivity type layer in the active layer, at least one well layer is sandwiched thereby, and the second barrier layer has a band gap energy lower than that of the first barrier layer in the form of asymmetric barrier layer structure, where the second conductivity type layer preferably includes a carrier confinement layer having a band gap energy higher than that of the first barrier layer, resulting in a reverse structure in each of conductivity type layer in respect to the asymmetric structure of the active layer to provide a waveguide structure having excellent crystallinity and device characteristics in the nitride semiconductor light emitting device operating at a wavelength of 380 nm or shorter.
US07667225B1
A light emitting device can be used for light emitting diodes and laser diodes. The light emitting device includes a substrate, a first semiconductor layer on the substrate, a second semiconductor layer on the first semiconductor layer, and a multi-quantum well structure including at least one well layer and at least one barrier layer between the first and second semiconductor layers. A carrier trap portion is formed in at least one layer within the multi-quantum well structure. The carrier trap portion has a band-gap energy that gradually decreases from a periphery of the carrier trap portion to a center thereof.
US07667222B2
A phase change memory comprises a phase-change recording layer for recording information through changing between a crystal phase and an amorphous phase; and a means for applying a tensile strain onto the phase-change recording layer, thereby providing the memory having high reliability, as well as, high tolerance or durability against repetitive rewriting operation.
US07667219B2
A phase-change memory device more precisely controls electrical current required to accomplish a phase change by using contact holes that extend between phase change layers that are sized differently from each other.
US07667210B2
A multi-photon microscope has an illumination source, an objective lens unit arranged in an optical path of the illumination source, a first light collection system arranged to collect a first portion of light emitted from a sample when the sample is illuminated by light from the illumination source, and a second light collection system arranged to collect a second portion of light emitted from the sample when the sample is illuminated by light from the illumination source. The first portion of light when collected by the first light collection system and the second portion of light when collected by the second light collection system, together provide a means of collecting as much light from as many angles as possible emanating from an emitting point source. This collection scheme has the potential to approach the total emission collection of light from an emitting point source depending on the optical properties of the sample being imaged.
US07667200B1
A thermal microphotonic sensor is disclosed for detecting infrared radiation using heat generated by the infrared radiation to shift the resonant frequency of an optical resonator (e.g. a ring resonator) to which the heat is coupled. The shift in the resonant frequency can be determined from light in an optical waveguide which is evanescently coupled to the optical resonator. An infrared absorber can be provided on the optical waveguide either as a coating or as a plate to aid in absorption of the infrared radiation. In some cases, a vertical resonant cavity can be formed about the infrared absorber to further increase the absorption of the infrared radiation. The sensor can be formed as a single device, or as an array for imaging the infrared radiation.
US07667199B2
A timing circuit for implementation in a medical imaging system such as a PET scanner, and a method of ascribing times to events in such systems, is disclosed. In one embodiment, the timing circuit includes an n-phase clock having n frequencies of operation, wherein the clock is selectable to provide n-signals that each vary at n frequencies, an n-phase counter including n counter elements coupled to the clock, an n-phase status detection circuit including n status circuits coupled to the n-phase clock, and an n-phase output circuit including n-registers coupled to the n-phase clock and respectively coupled to the n-phase counter and to n-phase status detection circuit, wherein n-registers respectively receive the n-clock signals, the n-count signals, and the n-status signals, respectively, and in response respectively provide n-output signals that collectively form an output signal indicative of a time at which the event detection signal experienced the first status change.
US07667195B2
The invention comprises apparatus and methods for rapidly and accurately determining mass-to-charge ratios of molecular ions produced by a pulsed ionization source, and for fragmenting all of the molecular ions produced and rapidly and accurately determining the intensities and mass-to-charge ratios of the fragments produced from each molecular ion.
US07667171B2
In the case where a subject is captured with a high-luminance light, such as sunlight, for a background, a phenomenon that a portion of the high-luminance subject is detected as a no-signal level is prevented. The solid-state imaging device includes: a photoelectric transducer PD which converts incident light to charges; a voltage level detection circuit 50 in which pixel units 10an1 and 10bn1, each having a voltage conversion amplifying transistor Q13a which outputs a voltage by converting the charges accumulated in the photoelectric transducer PD, are arranged one-dimensionally or two-dimensionally, and which detects a pixel output voltage outputted from each of the pixel units to the common column signal line Ln; and a column signal processing circuit 80 which receives a logic output voltage of the voltage level detection circuit 50 and the pixel output voltage and which outputs a voltage to a horizontal output circuit 90. The column signal processing circuit 80 outputs either a voltage identical to the pixel output voltage or a fixed voltage, depending on the logic output voltage.
US07667169B2
Embodiments of the present invention are directed to a plurality of light sensor cells disposed in a substrate in a shared pixel arrangement. Common readout circuitry is used to simultaneously read out image information from a group of light sensor cells. The image information from the group of light sensor cells is added together simultaneously and coupled to auto-focus circuitry and/or preview circuitry to provide for better lens adjustments and preview display.
US07667162B2
Semiconductor thermal process control utilizing position oriented temperature generated thermal mask
During fabrication, a rotating semiconductor substrate is radiated in accordance with a thermal recipe. Temperature measurements of the semiconductor substrate are obtained along with the position of the semiconductor substrate at the time of each temperature measurement. It is then determined for the position of the semiconductor substrate whether at least one particular temperature measurement of the temperature measurements should be filtered. If so, at least one filtered temperature measurement is obtained. The radiation of the semiconductor substrate is subsequently controlled based on the temperature measurements, the at least one filtered temperature measurement, and the thermal recipe.
US07667159B2
Thermoelectric effects that occur during laser trimming of resistors (20) are resolved by taking voltage measurements. The voltage attributed to laser heating on a resistor (20) during a low-power simulated trim (10) is used to determine a relatively thermal-neutral location (18) on the resistor (20). A trimming-to-value operation can then be performed on all like resistors (20). Voltage measurements can also be taken before and after every pulse in a trimming operation to establish thermal deviation information that can be used to offset the desired trim value against which resistor measurement values are compared. Spatially distant or nonadjacent resistors (20) in a row or column can also be trimmed sequentially to minimize heating effects that might otherwise distort resistance values on adjacent or nearby resistors (20).
US07667157B2
A laser forming system includes a motion system. A mounting fixture is affixed to the motion system for supporting a workpiece. A plenum is affixed to the fixture for surrounding the workpiece. A gas supply is joined in flow communication with the plenum for channeling thereto an inert gas under pressure to fill the plenum. A laser is aligned with the plenum for projecting a laser beam at the workpiece for laser forming thereof inside the plenum.
US07667156B2
There are described various methods and circuits for trimming the parameter value of a thermally mutable electrical component in two directions. A sequence of heat pulses is selected as a function of thermal history using an adaptive trimming algorithm, where parameters of the sequence of heat pulses are based on a resulting impact of previous heating pulses. Direction of trimming, trimming increment, and remaining trimming distance can all be used to determine the parameters of succeeding heat pulses, wherein the parameters of the pulses can be, for example, amplitude, duration, and time interval between pulses.
US07667155B1
An electrical rocker paddle switch assembly having a switch housing; a manually movable rocker paddle coupled to the housing; an actuator having a first end and a second end, the actuator being attached to the rocker paddle at the first end and the second end configured to activate a switch in response to a corresponding movement of the rocker paddle; a bored member having a first end that is attached to an underside of the rocker paddle near a pivot axis of the rocker paddle, and a second end that has an opening configured to retain a roller member and allow a portion of the roller member to extend beyond an end of the bored member, the bored member extending in a substantially perpendicular direction from the rocker paddle. A spring and a ball are configured to be retained in the bored member, the spring configured in the bored member to urge the ball towards the opening. A detent member is formed along a bottom of the housing, the detent member being configured to contact the ball when a force is exerted on the rocker paddle, the detent member being further configured to retain the rocker paddle in a pre-determined position corresponding to the force that is exerted on the rocker paddle when the rocker paddle reaches an end position in a direction of movement.
US07667149B2
A safety switch is provided which is increased in durability and which offers a high degree of freedom of mounting the safety switch to place.A switch body has a rectangular solid shape. An actuator entrance hole is formed at one of the opposite corner portions of the switch body whereas a cable lead-out port is formed at the other corner portion, whereby the safety switch is increased in the degree of mounting freedom. Thus is offered a wider choice of place to mount the safety switch. The switch body is formed with only one actuator entrance hole so that the safety switch is prevented from suffering failure caused by foreign substances invading through an actuator entrance hole left unused. In addition, a driving cam may be formed with an engaging portion and a cam curve portion in spaced relation so that the driving cam is configured to be free from an area having poor strength. Thus, the driving cam is increased in strength. This leads to the increased durability of the safety switch.
US07667143B2
A circuit board module and a forming method thereof are provided. The circuit board module includes a first circuit board, a second circuit board and a conductive structure. The first circuit board has a first surface, a second surface and an opening. The opening passes through the first surface and the second surface. The first surface has a first solder pad. The second circuit board has a second solder pad. Part of the second circuit board passes through the opening from the first surface to the second surface, so that part of the second solder pad is exposed on the first surface. The conductive structure is electrically connected to the first solder pad and the second solder pad, so that the first circuit board is electrically connected to the second circuit board.
US07667125B2
Methods, systems, and devices are described for automatically converting audio input signal data into musical score representation data. Embodiments of the invention identify a change in frequency information from the audio signal that exceeds a first threshold value; identify a change in amplitude information from the audio signal that exceeds a second threshold value; and generate a note onset event, each note onset event representing a time location in the audio signal of at least one of an identified change in the frequency information that exceeds the first threshold value or an identified change in the amplitude information that exceeds the second threshold value. The generation of note onset events and other information from the audio input signal may be used to extract note pitch, note value, tempo, meter, key, instrumentation, and other score representation information.
US07667121B2
Multiple kernel-mode audio processing modules or filters are combined to form a module or filter graph. The graph is implemented in kernel-mode, reducing latency and jitter when handling audio data (e.g., MIDI data) by avoiding transfers of the audio data to user-mode applications for processing. A variety of different audio processing modules can be used to provide various pieces of functionality when processing audio data.
US07667120B2
A method is disclosed that utilizes specific techniques, based upon empirical study, to significantly increase the ability of a trainee to remain focused on the training materials and subject matter and actually learn and retain the training subject matter. More specifically, the present invention utilizes audio and/or visual (e.g., a personal computer) elements, with a strict set of rules which must be followed regarding sentence length, narrators, and underlying music within the dialog to create a specific rhythmic “feel” to the training. As a result of using such techniques, significantly improved results over prior art training methods can be obtained.
US07667119B1
A portable keyboard system having a pair of keyboards rigidly secured to and directed outward from one another. The keyboard system is secured to a user with shoulder straps, which allow the user to control one keyboard with each hand. The keyboards are separately adjustable across several sound and intensity parameters.
US07667116B2
A key actuating system (1) of a keyboard musical instrument is provided which helps quickly push the keys by reducing reaction force with respect to force of pushing the keys during manual operation, and which supports a person having less strength to play the keyboard musical instrument. The key actuating system for a keyboard musical instrument generates a sound when a key (3) is pushed including: a pressure detection sensor (11) detecting a pushing pressure on the key; a status detection sensor (13) detecting a movement status of the key: an actuator (15) actuating the key in a pushing direction of the key; and a control portion (19), when the pressure detection sensor detects the pushing pressure and the status detection sensor detects motion of the key, controls operations of the actuator in order to maintain the detected pressure by the pressure detection sensor at a pressure threshold which is in a range larger than 0 and smaller than a pushing pressure on the key which is necessary for making a sound.
US07667115B2
A wheat variety designated 25R62, the plants and seeds of wheat variety 25R62, methods for producing a wheat plant produced by crossing the variety 25R62 with another wheat plant, and hybrid wheat seeds and plants produced by crossing the variety 25R62 with another wheat line or plant, and the creation of variants by mutagenesis or transformation of variety 25R62. This invention also relates to methods for producing other wheat varieties or breeding lines derived from wheat variety 25R62 and to wheat varieties or breeding lines produced by those methods.
US07667114B2
This invention relates to a new starch branching enzyme, and to the gene encoding the enzyme. In particular, the invention provides a new starch branching enzyme type II from wheat, the nucleic acid encoding the enzyme, and constructs comprising the nucleic acid. The invention also relates to a novel method for identification of branching enzyme type II proteins, which is useful for screening wheat germplasm for null or altered alleles of wheat branching enzyme IIb. The novel gene, protein and methods of the invention are useful in production of plants which produce grain with novel properties for food and industrial applications, for example wheat grain containing high amylose or low amylopectin starch.
US07667113B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the hybrid corn variety designated CH934397. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CH934397, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CH934397 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to genetic complements of plants of variety CH934397.
US07667108B1
Basically, this invention provides for an inbred corn line designated G07-NPFA7278, methods for producing a corn plant by crossing plants of the inbred line G07-NPFA7278 with plants of another corn plants. The invention relates to the various parts of inbred G07-NPFA7278 including culturable cells. This invention also relates to methods for introducing transgenic transgenes into inbred corn line G07-NPFA7278 and plants produced by said methods.
US07667106B2
The present invention relates to a novel tobacco cultivar designated AOB 175, which has low to intermediate nicotine content. The invention provides seeds of the cultivar AOB 175, plants and parts thereof of the cultivar AOB 175, a tissue culture derived from the cultivar AOB 175, hybrids produced from cultivar AOB 175 and lines derived from cultivar AOB 175, as well as genetically modified forms of the foregoing plants and tissue culture. Also provided are methods of producing cultivar AOB 175 plants, cultivar AOB 175 hybrid plants, and tobacco lines derived from cultivar AOB 175. In addition, products produced from the plants of the present invention are provided.
US07667104B2
The present invention relates to a novel tobacco cultivar designated AOB 171, which has low to intermediate nicotine content. The invention provides seeds of the cultivar AOB 171, plants and parts thereof of the cultivar AOB 171, a tissue culture derived from the cultivar AOB 171, hybrids produced from cultivar AOB 171 and lines derived from cultivar AOB 171, as well as genetically modified forms of the foregoing plants and tissue culture. Also provided are methods of producing cultivar AOB 171 plants, cultivar AOB 171 hybrid plants, and tobacco lines derived from cultivar AOB 171. In addition, products produced from the plants of the present invention are provided.
US07667102B2
A novel cotton variety, designated as FM 989B2R, is disclosed. The invention relates to seeds, plants, plant cells, plant tissue, harvested products and cotton lint as well as to hybrid cotton plants and seeds obtained by crossing plants of variety FM 989B2R with other plants. The invention also relates to plants and varieties produced by the method of essential derivation from plants of FM 989B2R and to plants of FM 989B2R reproduced by vegetative methods, including but not limited to tissue culture of regenerable cells or tissue from FM 989B2R.
US07667097B2
The present invention relates to rice genomic promoter sequences which promote transcription preferentially in microspores and/or pollen of plants. Also provided are chimeric genes comprising these promoter sequences, and plant transformation vectors comprising these chimeric genes. The present invention also discloses plant cells, plant tissues, plants, seeds and grains comprising these chimeric genes. The invention further discloses methods for expressing foreign nucleic acid sequences preferentially in pollen and for producing plants with modified pollen fertility.
US07667096B2
The present disclosure provides methods, recombinant DNA molecules, recombinant host cells containing the DNA molecules, and transgenic plant cells, plant tissue and plants which contain and express at least one antisense or interference RNA specific for a thiamine biosynthetic coding sequence or a thiamine binding protein or a thiamine-degrading protein, wherein the RNA or thiamine binding protein is expressed under the regulatory control of a transcription regulatory sequence which directs expression in male and/or female reproductive tissue. These transgenic plants are conditionally sterile; i.e., they are fertile only in the presence of exogenous thiamine. Such plants are especially appropriate for use in the seed industry or in the environment, for example, for use in revegetation of contaminated soils or phytoremediation, especially when those transgenic plants also contain and express one or more chimeric genes which confer resistance to contaminants.
US07667087B2
Disclosed is a method, apparatus and system for the remediation of contaminated soils, groundwater and water. A combination of reagents such as persulfate and ozone or persulfate, ozone and hydrogen peroxide may be used to enhance destruction of organic contaminants. Reagents may be injected into the smear zone to trap and destroy volatile compounds that may otherwise escape treatment.
US07667086B2
A hydrocarbon fluid composition that comprises species of at least two different carbon numbers, an aerobic biodegradability of greater than 40% at 28 days, a cetane number of less than 60, and a certain boiling point range; and a process for making the hydrocarbon fluid composition.
US07667082B2
A method comprising applying a controlled flow cavitation apparatus to an alcohol production process in order to increase alcohol yield. A grain-based liquid medium comprising grain and a liquid carrier can be passed through a controlled flow cavitation apparatus at a velocity capable of generating a hydrodynamic cavitation zone where the grain size can be reduced. One or more controlled flow cavitation apparatuses can be applied at various points of an alcohol production process, such as a starch-to-ethanol production process.
US07667081B2
A method for purification of glycerol, especially crude glycerol from biodiesel production. The method uses gel-type acidic ion exchange resin beads to separate fatty acid salts and inorganic salts from the crude glycerol.
US07667070B2
The present invention has for an object a cationic lipophilic compound of the following general formula (I): wherein: a) R1 and R′1 each represent, independently from one another, an alkyl chain, an alkenyl chain or a polyalkenyl chain with from 10 to 24 carbon atoms, with the polyalkenyl chain having from 2 to 4 double links; b) R2 is a hydrogen atom or an alkyl chain having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms; and R3 is a group with the following formula (IIa) —(CH2)n— or following formula (IIb) —C(═NH)—NH—(CH2)n— wherein: n is an integer equal to 0, 1, 2, 3 or 4; and d) A+ is an organic cation; e) X− is an anion.
US07667064B2
A metallocene compound is represented by the formula (1): AMXn-1 wherein M is a transition metal atom having a coordination number of n selected from Group 3, 4, 5 or 6 of the Periodic Table of Elements, or a lanthanide metal atom, or actinide metal atom; A is a substituted monocyclic or polycyclic arenyl ligand pi-bonded to M, wherein said arenyl ligand includes at least one halogen substituent directly bonded to any sp2 carbon atom at a bondable ring position of the ligand; and the or each X is a univalent anionic ligand, or two X are joined and bound to the metal atom to form a metallocycle ring, or two X are joined to form a chelating ligand, a diene ligand, or an alkylidene ligand.
US07667063B2
The present invention provides method 1 for producing a trialkyl gallium comprising the steps of reacting gallium, magnesium, and an alkyl halide in an ether, and diluting during the reaction the reaction system with an ether; method 2 for producing a trialkyl gallium comprising the steps of heating in a vacuum a mixture of magnesium and molten gallium, and reacting the mixture with an alkyl halide in a solvent; and method 3 for producing a trialkyl gallium comprising the step of reacting an alkyl metal with an alkylgallium halide compound represented by the formula Ga2RmX6-m wherein R is a methyl or ethyl group, X is a halogen atom, and m is an integer from 1 to 5.
US07667059B2
The invention relates to a process for producing a fatty alcohol and glycerin by hydrogenation reaction of fats and oils in the presence of a catalyst, wherein the reaction is carried out in the coexistence of an organic solvent.
US07667055B2
The present invention provides processes for the production of polycyclic fused ring compounds. The polycyclic fused ring compounds are produced by protecting a polycyclic fused ring polyol with a bridging silicon-based protecting group and attaching a suitable side chain. Polycyclic fused ring compounds and intermediate compounds are also described.
US07667039B2
The invention relates to novel organic compounds of formula (I) processes for the preparation thereof, the application thereof in a process for the treatment of the human or animal body, the use thereof—alone or in combination with one or more other pharmaceutically active compounds—for the treatment of an inflammatory or obstructive airway disease, such as asthma, disorders commonly occurring in connection with transplantation, or a proliferative disease, such as a tumor disease.
US07667031B2
A novel artificial nucleic acid base pair which is obtained by forming a selective base pair by introducing a group having steric hindrance (preferably a group having steric hindrance and static repulsion and a stacking effect) and can be recognized by a polymerase such as DNA polymerase; a novel artificial gene; and a method of designing nucleic acid bases so as to form a selective base pair with the use of steric hindrance, static repulsion and stacking effect at the base moiety of the nucleic acid. An artificial nucleic acid comprising these bases; a process for producing the same; a codon containing the same; a nucleic acid molecule containing the same; a process for producing a non-natural gene by using the same; a process for producing a novel protein by using the above nucleic acid molecule or non-natural gene, and the like.
US07667024B2
An embodiment of the invention discloses new methods for designing labeled nucleic acid probes and primers by labeling oligonucleotides with a plurality of spectrally identical or similar dyes and optionally with one or more quencher dyes. Oligonucleotides labeled in accordance with some embodiments of the invention exhibit a detectable increase in signal, for example, fluorescent signal when the labeling dyes are separated from one another. Methods for separating the dye include cleaving the labeled oligonucleotides include using enzymes that have 5′-exonuclease activity. In one embodiment nucleic acid primers of the present invention may fluoresce upon hybridization to a target sequence and incorporation into the amplification product. Nucleic acid probes and primers of the present invention have wide applications ranging from general detection of a target nucleic acid sequence to clinical diagnostics. Major advantages of the oligonucleotides including nucleic acid probes and primers of many embodiments of the present invention are their synthetic simplicity, spectral versatility and superior fluorescent signal.
US07667020B2
The present invention provides novel isolated BFLP1698 polynucleotides and polypeptides encoded by the BFLP1698 polynucleotides. Also provided are the antibodies that immunospecifically bind to a BFLP1698 polypeptide or any derivative (including fusion derivative), variant, mutant or fragment of the BFLP1698 polypeptide, polynucleotide or antibody. The invention additionally provides methods in which the BFLP1698 polypeptide, polynucleotide and antibody are utilized in the detection and treatment of a broad range of pathological states, as well as to other uses.
US07667019B2
The present invention relates to flea ecdysone receptor and ultraspiracle proteins; to flea ecdysone receptor and ultraspiracle nucleic acid molecules, including those that encode such flea ecdysone receptor and ultraspiracle proteins; to antibodies raised against such flea ecdysone receptor and ultraspiracle proteins; and to compounds that inhibit flea ecdysone receptor and/or ultraspiracle activity. The present invention also includes methods to obtain such proteins, nucleic acid molecules, antibodies, and inhibitory compounds. Also included in the present invention are therapeutic compositions comprising a protective compound derived from a protein of the present invention that inhibits the binding between ecdysone receptor and ecdysone as well as the use of such therapeutic compositions to protect animals from flea infestation.
US07667016B2
The present invention provides nucleic acid compositions encoding a novel colorless GFP-like protein, acGFP, from Aequorea coerulscens and fluorescent and non-fluorescent mutants and derivatives thereof, as well as peptides and proteins encoded by these nucleic acid compositions. The subject protein and nucleic acid compositions of the present invention are colored and/or fluorescent and/or can be photoactivated, and can be used in a variety of different biological applications, particularly for labeling. Finally, kits for use in such biological applications are provided.
US07667009B2
A method for purifying a modified major mite allergen obtained by the genetic recombination technique and a purified modified major mite allergen obtained by said method for purification are provided. A method for purifying a modified major mite allergen obtained by the genetic recombination technique, which comprises the purification steps: (1) Washing and recovering inclusion bodies containing a modified major mite allergen obtained by the genetic recombination technique with MF membrane; (2) Dissolving said inclusion bodies followed by refolding; (3) Concentrating a solution containing the modified major mite allergen with simultaneous removal of low molecular weight components with ultrafiltration membrane; (4) Recovering the modified major mite allergen in non-adsorbed fractions with an anion exchanger; (5) Recovering the modified major mite allergen in adsorbed fractions with a hydrophobic gel; and (6) Recovering the modified major mite allergen in adsorbed fractions with an anion exchanger, and a modified major mite allergen with high purity obtained by said method for purification.
US07666995B2
The present disclosure provides isolated Interferonα nucleic acids and polypeptides. The disclosure also provides antibodies which specifically recognize the subject Interferonα polypeptides, expression vectors containing the subject nucleic acids, and host cells expressing the subject polypeptides. In addition, methods of treatment using Interferonα are provided.
US07666994B2
An isolated and purified GnRH protein receptor protein including an amino acid sequence selected from the group and an isolated and purified DNA which comprises a nucleotide sequence coding for the GnRH protein receptor protein. Also, a vector comprising the DNA of the GnRH protein receptor protein, a transformant carrying the vector comprising the DNA of the GnRH protein receptor protein, a process for producing a GnRH protein receptor protein or a salt thereof including culturing the transformant carrying the vector comprising the DNA of the GnRH protein receptor protein under sufficient conditions and for appropriate time to express the GnRH protein receptor protein, and a method of screening for a ligand to the GnRH protein receptor protein including contacting the GnRH protein receptor protein or a salt thereof with a sample to be tested. A screening method for a compound capable of inhibiting binding of the GnRH protein receptor protein with a ligand. Also, a kit for screening a compound capable of inhibiting binding of the GnRH protein receptor protein with a ligand including the GnRH protein receptor protein or a salt.
US07666987B2
A sensitive bioluminescent assay to detect proteases including caspases is provided which employs an aminoluciferin or a carboxy-terminal protected derivative thereof covalently linked via a peptide bond to a substrate for a caspase or an aminoluciferin or a carboxy-terminal protected derivative thereof covalently linked via a peptide bond to a peptide substrate comprising aspartate that is specifically cleaved by a protease specific for the substrate.
US07666985B2
HLA-A24-restricted peptides derived from WT1 which have an activity to induce CTLs in vivo, polynucleotides encoding said peptides, cancer vaccines using those peptides or polynucleotides in vivo or in vitro, or the like are provided. The cancer vaccines of the present invention may be used to treat many cancer patients.
US07666980B2
A protein according to the invention can be used to detect or measure calcium ions is provided. Further the protein is useful as a reporter protein or a luminescence marker. A polynucleotide according to the invention is also useful as a reporter gene.
US07666977B2
Poly(carbonate-co-urea) copolymers and melt transesterification method of preparing these copolymers
Disclosed herein is a process to prepare a poly(carbonate-co-urea) copolymer comprising reacting in the melt: (a) a dihydroxy reaction component comprising a dihydroxy compound, (b) a diaryl carbonate reaction component comprising a diaryl carbonate, (c) a urea reaction component comprising a urea compound in the presence of (d) a transesterification catalyst during at least part of the reaction and removing a phenolic byproduct to produce a poly(carbonate-co-urea) copolymer, wherein the urea and dihydroxy compounds are reacted in a molar ratio: (total moles of urea compound)/((total moles of urea compound)+(total moles of dihydroxy compound)) of less than or equal to 0.5.
US07666968B2
Acene-thiophene copolymers with attached silylethynyl groups are provided that can be used in electronic devices. The copolymers are often soluble in common organic solvents and can be part of a coating composition.
US07666962B2
This invention concerns a free radical polymerization process, selected chain transfer agents employed in the process and polymers made thereby, in which the process comprises preparing polymer of general Formula (A) and Formula (B) comprising contacting: (i) a monomer selected from the group consisting of vinyl monomers (of structure CH2=CUV), maleic anhydride, N-alkylmaleimide, N-arylmaleimide, dialkyl fumarate and cyclopolymerizable monomers; (ii) a thiocarbonylthio compound selected from Formula (C) and Formula (D) having a chain transfer constant greater than about 0.1; and (iii) free radicals produced from a free radical source; the polymer of Formula (A) being made by contacting (i), (ii) C and (iii) and that of Formula (B) by contacting (i), (ii) D, and (iii); and (iv) controlling the polydispersity of the polymer being formed by varying the ratio of the number of molecules of (ii) to the number of molecules of (iii); wherein Q, R, U, V, Z, Z′, m, p and q am as defined in the text.
US07666958B2
The invention relates to methods for producing cesium hydroxide solutions during which: cesium-containing ore is disintegrated with sulfuric acid while forming a cesium aluminum sulfate hydrate, which is poorly soluble at low temperatures; the formed cesium alum is separated away in the form of a solution from the solid ore residues; the aluminum is precipitated out of the cesium alum solution while forming a cesium sulfate solution; the formed cesium sulfate solution is reacted with barium hydroxide or stontium hydroxide while forming a cesium hydroxide solution, and; the formed cesium hydroxide solution is concentrated and purified.
US07666955B2
A method for producing a branched-polyether resin composition of the present invention includes a first step of obtaining a reaction mixture including: (1-A) a branched-polyether resin (X) containing a hydroxyl group, an acryloyl group, and an epoxy group and (1-B) at least one resin component selected from the group consisting of (1-B-1) a diacrylate (A2) of an aromatic difunctional epoxy resin, (1-B-2) a monoacrylate (A1) of an aromatic difunctional epoxy resin, and (1-B-3) an aromatic difunctional epoxy resin (B) other than (A1) and (A2); and a second step of mixing the reaction mixture and an unsaturated monocarboxylic acid, and reacting the epoxy group in the reaction mixture and a carboxyl group in the unsaturated monocarboxylic acid.
US07666953B2
The invention relates to a curing accelerator for a curing resin obtained by reacting a phosphine compound (a) with a compound (b) having at least one halogen atom substituted on an aromatic ring and at least one proton atom which can be discharged, and subjecting the reaction product to dehydrohalogenation, a curing resin composition containing the curing accelerator, and an electronic component device having a device component encapsulated with the curing resin composition. The curing accelerator exhibits superior curability under moisture absorption, flow properties, reflow cracking resistance and high-temperature storage characteristics.
US07666949B2
A curative composition comprising a cation and an anion of the formula Anq−Qpm+, wherein m, n, p, and q are positive integers, wherein m*p=n*q, wherein Qm+ is an organo onium, and Aq− is an anion, provided that at least one Aq− is selected from the formula: wherein each R independently is H, halo, alkyl, aryl, aralkyl, or cycloalkyl, and which also may be halogenated, fluorinated, or perfluorinated, wherein two or more of R and R′ groups may together form a ring, wherein each R group independently may contain one or more heteroatom(s), wherein R′ can be the same as R, with the proviso that R′ cannot be halo. Also provided are a fluoropolymer composition including this curative, a method of making a fluoropolymer, and fluoropolymer articles containing curable or cured fluoropolymer compositions.
US07666948B2
The present invention provides an elastomer composition comprising a mixture of (A) a perfluoroelastomer and (B) at least one elastomer selected from fluorine rubbers, silicone rubbers and ethylene-propylene based rubbers, in a mixing ratio (A/B) of from 0.5/99.5 to 80/20 in terms of weight ratio.
US07666935B2
Aqueous solutions comprising: one or more polymeric components selected from the group consisting of homopolymers of N-vinylpyrrolidone, copolymers of N-vinylpyrrolidone, and mixtures thereof; and hydrogen peroxide; wherein the hydrogen peroxide is present in an amount of 100 to 5000 ppm; and methods of stabilizing aqueous solutions containing one or more polymeric components selected from the group consisting of homopolymers of N-vinylpyrrolidone, copolymers of N-vinylpyrrolidone, and mixtures thereof.
US07666934B2
Provided is a thermoplastic resin composition, in particular, an aliphatic polyester resin composition comprising a plasticizer which is soft, exhibits high transparency, is reduced in bleeding out and exhibits high resistance to the extraction by a paraffinic solvent; and a sheet, a film or a molded article formed from the thermoplastic resin composition. An aliphatic polyester resin composition, characterized in that it comprises 100 parts by mass of an aliphatic polyester and, as a plasticizer, 1.0 to 100 parts by mass of a specific ester compound which is an ester formed from a trivalent polyhydric alcohol and an acyl group derived from a carboxylic acid having 2 to 18 carbon atoms and has an average acylation degree of 50 to 90%.
US07666932B2
Disclosed are new compositions consisting of polyphosphonates and specific additive compositions that exhibit superior resistance to degradation due to exposure to air, high temperature and air, moisture or combinations thereof. Also disclosed are polymer mixtures or blends comprising these polyphosphonates/additive compositions and commodity and engineering plastics and articles produced therefrom. Further disclosed are articles of manufacture produced from these materials, such as fibers, films, coated substrates, moldings, foams, fiber-reinforced articles, or any combination thereof.
US07666926B2
A method of making a photocatalytic material comprising a base substance and photocatalytic particles bonded on the base substance by chemical bonding through a silane compound. The chemical bonding is bonding a reactive group of the silane compound through graft polymerization to a radical produced on a resin surface of the base substance by irradiating radiation ray. The resulting photocatalytic material has the advantage that, even when used over a long time, the photocatalytic particles are less apt to shed and the resin base is less apt to deteriorate.
US07666925B2
There is provided an ink composition for waterless lithographic printing of a seamless can for retort food which is excellent in retort resistance and does not have an adverse effect on environment, and a printing method using the same ink composition. This ink composition comprises (A) an alkyd resin containing 40 to 60% by mass of at least one kind of fatty acids and (B) an organic solvent which contains an aliphatic hydrocarbon solvent as main component and does not contain an aromatic hydrocarbon solvent substantially, wherein the number average number of carbon atoms of fatty acids in the alkyd resin (A) is from 10 to 14 and a solid content of the alkyd resin is from 30 to 70% by mass.
US07666916B2
A flocculant, a manufacturing method therefor, and a flocculation method using the flocculant are provided such that a suspension of tap water treatment plant, sewage treatment plant, industrial drainage water or other service water or drainage water can be easily, safely, and quickly treated. A flocculant made from a silicon colloidal solution for gelation through dilution and flocculating suspended matter in conjunction with the gelation.
US07666913B2
The object of the present invention is to provide a drug effective in treating or preventing osteoporosis. The present invention discloses a therapeutic or preventive drug for osteoporosis having a compound shown in the formula (1) (wherein R1 is an alkyloxy group with the carbon number of 1 to 4) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or ester of said compound in the formula (1) as an effective ingredient. In the compound of the formula (1), a substance in which R1 is CH3O is isotaxiresinol derived from Taxus yunanennsis and showed physiological activities in inhibiting bone resorption and improving bone formation.
US07666909B2
D-glyceric acid has been found to enhance alcohol metabolism and thereby prevent adverse effects of alcohol consumption. D-glyceric acid is administered concurrently with alcohol, to accelerate the elimination of the alcohol from the body. D-glyceric acid is converted into D-glyceraldehyde and further into glycerol in reactions catalysed by NADH-aldehyde dehydrogenase and NADH-alcohol dehydrogenase complexes, which are produced in excess during alcohol oxidation, in the cells of alcohol-metabolising tissues. In these reactions, the NADH complexes become NAD-aldehyde dehydrogenase and NAD-alcohol dehydrogenase complexes. These complexes in turn accelerate the oxidation of alcohol, which is paralleled by enhancement of acetaldehyde oxidation to metabolically harmless acetic acid. D-glyceric acid or its salt or ester is used for the manufacture of a pharmaceutical preparation for enhancing the metabolism of alcohol. A method of enhancing the metabolism of alcohol in a subject by administering said compounds an effective amount of D-glyceric acid or its salt or ester is disclosed. An oral or parenteral preparation comprising said compounds is also disclosed.
US07666902B2
The subject invention provides anticoagulant compounds of formula I: and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, wherein R1, R3, n and Ar are as defined herein. The compounds of the subject invention can be used to treat at-risk populations thereby bringing relief of symptoms, improving the quality of life, preventing acute and long-term complications, reducing mortality and treating accompanying disorders. The invention further comprises pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compounds and salts of the invention, as well as methods of using the compounds, salts, and compositions of the invention.
US07666896B2
A process for preparing perindopril (III) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, which process comprises a substituted benzyl ester of (2S,3aS,7aS)-octahydroindole-2-carboxylic acid (I) with N—[(S)-carbethoxybutyl]-(S)-alanine (II) where R represents a halo, C1-4 alkoxy or nitro substituent.
US07666891B2
The present invention relates to a compounds according to formula I, methods for treating diseases mediated by human immunodeficiency virus by administration of a compound according to formula I and pharmaceutical compositions for treating diseases mediated by human immunodeficiency virus containing a compound according to formula I where R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, are as defined herein.
US07666890B2
Synthesis and herbicidal activity of novel 1-(2-substituted benzo[d]thiazol-5-yl)-1H-1,2,4-triazol-5(4H)-one derivatives. Using a dose of 300 gai./h, the compounds of the invention possess significant herbicidal activity for Echinochloa crusgalli, Digiatria sanguinalis, Setaria viridis, Brassica juncea, Amaranthus retroflexus and Chenopodium album.
US07666888B2
Compounds of formula I and IV are described and have therapeutic utility, particularly in the treatment of diabetes, obesity and related conditions and disorder: wherein the variables A-B, R1, R2, m, and Q are described herein.
US07666886B2
The invention is in general directed to compounds and methods for diagnosing, preventing or alleviating the symptoms of amyloid-associated diseases, for example, neuronal diseases, such as, for example, Alzheimer's disease, methods of screening for compounds useful in preventing or alleviating the symptoms of amyloid-associated diseases, methods of diagnostic imaging of A-beta fibrils, and compounds and methods useful for studying normal or disease-associated cellular mechanisms relating to amyloid proteins.
US07666883B2
The present invention is directed towards the synthesis of novel and new chloropyridine skeleton based compounds and these are Bayllis Hillman adducts having a remarkable in vitro anti-malarial activity. These compounds have been found to possess anti-malarial activity against chloroquine sensitive and chloroquine resistant Plasmodium falciparum. The anti-malarial compounds of the present invention inhibit the mature schizonts in vitro.
US07666881B2
Methods of treating allergic reactions using hydrated forms of antihistaminic piperidine derivatives
The present invention is related to novel processes for preparing anhydrous and hydrated forms of piperidine derivatives, polymorphs and pseudomorphs thereof of the formulas which are useful as antihistamines, antiallergic agents and bronchodilators.
US07666879B2
The present invention provides compounds that are inhibitors of VEGF-R2 of the formula: (I) and methods of using these compounds.
US07666875B2
The invention relates to the use of hydantoin compounds useful for treating or preventing autoimmune disorders. The present invention also provides compositions and uses thereof.
US07666863B2
The present invention relates to benzofuran derivatives and analogs, as well as compositions containing the same and to the use thereof for the treatment or prophylaxis of viral infections and diseases associated therewith, particularly those viral infections and associated diseases caused by the hepatitis C virus.
US07666861B2
The present invention is directed to synthetic cytoskeletal active compounds that are related to natural Latrunculin A or Latrunculin B. The present invention is also directed to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such compounds and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier. The invention is additionally directed to a method of preventing or treating diseases or conditions associated with actin polymerization. In one embodiment of the invention, the method treats increased intraocular pressure, such as primary open-angle glaucoma. The method comprises administering to a subject a therapeutically effective amount of a cytoskeletal active compound of Formula I or II, wherein said amount is effective to influence the cytoskeleton, for example by inhibiting actin polymerization.
US07666857B2
An improved thrombopoietin mimetic, the choline salt of 2-(3,4-dimethylphenyl)-4-{[2-hydroxy-3′-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)biphenyl-3-yl]-hydrazono}-5-methyl-2,4-dihydropyrazol-3-one.
US07666855B2
Compounds of Formula I, stereoisomers, and pharmaceutically acceptable salts or prodrugs thereof, their preparation, and their uses for the treatment of hepatitis C viral infection are described:
US07666850B2
The present invention provides methods and compositions for the diagnosis and treatment of cells lacking normal growth arresting characteristic. The present invention demonstrates that many tumor cells lack normal cell surface α-dystroglycan and thereby lack dystroglycan function. Dystroglycan can be lost from the cell surface by proteolytic shedding of a fragment of α-dystroglycan into the surrounding medium. Upon restoration of dystroglycan function and over-expression of the dystroglycan gene, the once tumorigenic cells revert to non-tumorigenic cells which polarize and arrest cell growth in the presence of basement membrane proteins, demonstrating that dystroglycan functions as a tumor marker and suppressor.
US07666849B2
The invention provides methods for producing high resolution crystals of ribosomes and ribosomal subunits as well as crystals produced by such methods. The invention also provides high resolution structures of ribosomal subunits either alone or in combination with protein synthesis inhibitors. The invention provides methods for identifying ribosome-related ligands and methods for designing ligands with specific ribosome-binding properties as well as ligands that may act as protein synthesis inhibitors. Thus, the methods and compositions of the invention may be used to produce ligands that are designed to specifically kill or inhibit the growth of any target organism.
US07666843B2
The present invention provides methods and compositions for producing a neurosalutary effect in a subject useful in treatment of neurological disorders, including retinal and optic nerve damage, in a subject in need thereof. The method includes administering to a subject a therapeutically effective amount of a hexose, such as mannose.
US07666841B2
The described peptides possess the capacity to bind to Transforming Growth Factor TGF-β1 (TGF-β1), and are potential inhibitors of the biological activity of TGF-β1 through direct binding to this cytokine. These peptides can be used in the treatment of diseases or pathological alterations based on excessive or deregulated TGF-β1 expression.
US07666834B2
Inhibitors of HCV replication of formula (I) and the N-oxides, salts, or stereoisomers thereof, wherein each dashed line (represented by - - - - -) represents an optional double bond; X is N, CH and where X bears a double bond it is C; R1 is —OR6, —NH—SO2R7; R2 is hydrogen, and where X is C or CH, R2 may also be C1-6alkyl; R3 is hydrogen, C1-6alkyl, C1-6alkoxyC1-6alkyl, or C3-7cycloalkyl; n is 3, 4, 5, or 6; R4 and R5 independently from one another are hydrogen, halo, hydroxy, nitro, cyano, carboxyl, C1-6alkyl, C1-6alkoxy, C1-6alkoxyC1-6alkyl, C1-6alkylcarbonyl, C1-6alkoxy-carbonyl, amino, azido, mercapto, C1-6alkylthio, polyhaloC1-6alkyl, aryl or Het; W is aryl or Het; R6 is hydrogen; aryl; Het; C3-7cycloalkyl optionally substituted with C1-6alkyl; or C1-6alkyl optionally substituted with C3-7cycloalkyl, aryl or with Het; R7 is aryl; Het; C3-7cycloalkyl optionally substituted with C1-6alkyl; or C1-6alkyl optionally substituted with C3-7cycloalkyl, aryl or with Het; aryl is phenyl or naphthyl, each optionally substituted with 1-3 substituents; Het is a 5 or 6 membered saturated, partially unsaturated or completely unsaturated heterocyclic ring containing 1-4 heteroatoms each independently selected from N, O or S, and optionally substituted with 1-3 substituents; pharmaceutical compositions containing compounds (I) and processes for preparing compounds (I). Bioavailable combinations of the inhibitors of HCV of formula (I) with ritonavir are also provided.
US07666829B2
The present invention describes therapeutic compositions comprising one or more minerals, including trivalent iron, divalent manganese and salts thereof, suitable in facilitating synthesis and deposition of connective tissue matrix, particularly rich of elastin and collagen, and mitogenic potential in human dermal fibroblasts. It also describes the phenomenon in which stimulation of elastogenesis by arterial SMC associates with a net decrease in proliferation of these cell types. The present invention also describes methods of treatment of human skin fibroblasts and arterial smooth muscle cells. The therapeutic compositions of the present invention comprise one or more of trivalent iron or divalent manganese or salts thereof and may be combined with an elastic tissue digest.
US07666824B2
Aqueous liquid cleanser compositions are disclosed. The cleanser compositions are structured liquids capable of suspending a skin benefit agent therein to improve transfer of the skin benefit agent to the skin upon use of the wash. In one embodiment, the skin benefit agent is a lipid material, which remains on the skin after washing to provide skin barrier enhancement.
US07666819B2
Various methods are provided for an integrated micro array system (100) that allows fully automated sample processing and detection/quantification of nucleic acid and protein samples in a single analytical device, which may be configured to communicate data to a person other than the person operating the device. The integrated micro array system has a housing (110) in which robotics assembly (120) controls motion of automatic pipette (124) and second actuator (122) that control motion of the automatic actuator (123). Fluidics station (130) includes a plurality of multi-reagent packs (132). Sample station (140) comprises a plurality of sample vessels (142). Pipette tip storage area (150) and magazine holder (160) that includes a plurality of magazine (162). The system also comprise of a sample processing platform (170), a stringency station (181), and optical detector (180), and a data transfer device (190).
US07666817B2
The present invention provides compositions including peptide display scaffolds that present at least one candidate peptide and at least one detectable moiety in at least one of the N-terminal and C-terminal candidate peptide presenting domains that when expressed in a cell are accessible at a surface of the cell outermembrane. In addition, the present invention also provides kits and methods for screening a library of cells presenting the candidate peptides in peptide display scaffolds to identify a ligand for an enzyme.
US07666816B2
An aqueous suspension concentrate formulation of insoluble or partially soluble agrochemical active ingredient in which there is used a suspending system comprising silica and an alkypolyvinylpyrrolidone is disclosed.
US07666813B2
An absorption medium for deacidifying fluid streams which has improved oxidation stability includes at least one aliphatic amine, and at least one non-hydroquinoid antioxidant. The absorption medium may be employed in deacidifying a fluid stream, in particular an oxygen-containing fluid stream, when the fluid stream is brought into intimate contact with the absorption medium in at least one absorption step.
US07666810B2
A magnesium titanium olefin polymerization procatalyst is prepared by A) reacting a diorganomagnesium compound with a source of active chlorine, (with the proviso that the amount of chlorine is insufficient to completely convert the diorganomagnesium to magnesium dichloride); then B) removing unreacted diorganomagnesium from the reaction product; then depositing a tetravalent titanium species on the reaction product. This procatalyst is highly active for the solution polymerization of olefins when combined with a cocatalyst.
US07666807B2
A porous wall hollow glass microsphere is provided having a diameter range of between 1 to 200 microns, a density of between 1.0 to 2.0 gm/cc, a porous-wall structure having wall openings defining an average pore size of between 10 to 1000 angstroms, and which contains therein a hydrogen storage material. The porous-wall structure facilitates the introduction of a hydrogen storage material into the interior of the porous wall hollow glass microsphere. In this manner, the resulting hollow glass microsphere can provide a membrane for the selective transport of hydrogen through the porous walls of the microsphere, the small pore size preventing gaseous or liquid contaminants from entering the interior of the hollow glass microsphere.
US07666802B2
The present invention is directed to a fabric composed of nylon or polyester fibers and having both liquid barrier properties and fire retardant properties without sacrificing many of the desirable properties of the fabric. In particular, the present invention helps overcome many of the disadvantages associated with prior art fabrics by providing a fabric having feel and drape of a textile fabric while having good fluid barrier characteristics and fire retardant characteristics. In one embodiment, the invention is also directed to a breathable nylon or polyester fabric having liquid barrier and fire retardant properties. The present invention also provides methods of making such fabrics.
US07666801B2
A method of forming (and an apparatus for forming) a metal oxide layer on a substrate, particularly a semiconductor substrate or substrate assembly, using a vapor deposition process and one or more precursor compounds that include aminosilane ligands.
US07666794B2
A method of double patterning a semiconductor structure with a single material which after patterning becomes a permanent part of the semiconductor structure. More specifically, a method to form a patterned semiconductor structure with small features is provided which are difficult to obtain using conventional exposure lithographic processes. The method of the present invention includes the use of patternable low-k dielectric materials which after patterning remain as a low k dielectric material within the semiconductor structure. The method is useful in forming semiconductor interconnect structures in which the patternable low k dielectric materials after patterning and curing become a permanent element, e.g., a patterned interlayer low k dielectric material, of the interconnect structure.
US07666780B2
A method is provided for the making of interconnect solder bumps on a wafer or other electronic device. The method is particularly useful for the well-known C4NP interconnect technology and determines if any off-set resulted between the solder mold array and the wafer capture array during the transfer process. The amount of off-set enables the operator to adjust the transfer tool before solder transfer to compensate for the off-set caused by the transfer process and provides a more cost-effective and efficient solder transfer process. A solder reactive material surrounding the capture pads is used to determine where the solder reacts with the solder reactive material showing the off-set resulting from the transfer process. Copper is a preferred solder reactive material.
US07666772B2
A heat treatment apparatus which enables a heating process for a short time with high reproducibility in a manufacturing process of a MOS transistor manufactured using a semiconductor substrate, and a method of manufacturing a semiconductor device using the heat treatment apparatus are provided. The heat treatment apparatus of the present invention which enables the above heat treatment method is characterized by comprising: a light source; a power supply for turning the light source on and off in a pulse shape; a processing chamber in which the substrate can be irradiated with light from the light source; and a unit for supplying a coolant to the processing chamber and also increasing and decreasing the supply amount.
US07666763B2
This invention provides a substrate structure capable of controlling the threshold voltage of a MOS transistor independently of the substrate concentration and easily suppressing a short channel effect caused by reducing the channel length. A first nanosilicon film formed from nanosilicon grains having the same grain size is formed on a silicon oxide film on the surface of a silicon substrate. A silicon nitride film is formed on the first nanosilicon film. Then, a second nanosilicon film having an average grain size different from that of the first nanosilicon film is formed. A semiconductor circuit device is formed on a thus manufactured nanosilicon semiconductor substrate.
US07666752B2
The present invention relates to a method for depositing a dielectric material comprising a transition metal compound. After providing a substrate, a first pre-cursor comprising a transition metal compound and a second pre-cursor predominantly comprising at least one of water vapour, ammonia and hydrazine are successively applied on the substrate for forming a first layer of transition metal containing material. In a next step the first pre-cursor and a third pre-cursor comprising at least one of ozone and oxygen are successively applied on the first layer for forming a second layer of the transition metal containing material.
US07666749B2
Provided are a SiGe semiconductor device and a method of manufacturing the same. The method includes the steps of: forming a buried collector by doping impurity ions into a buried collector region formed on a substrate; forming a collector layer which is an active region and a collector electrode region by forming a Si epitaxial layer on the substrate having the buried collector; forming an isolation layer on the substrate and exposing the collector layer and the collector electrode region; forming a collector pad oxide layer on the collector electrode region; stacking a base epitaxial layer and a pad oxide layer on the substrate having the collector pad oxide layer and patterning the pad oxide layer; forming a first polycrystalline Si (poly-Si) layer on the patterned pad oxide layer; exposing at least a portion of the patterned pad oxide layer by etching the first poly-Si layer; depositing a metal layer on the first poly-Si layer to form a first silicide layer; forming an oxide layer on the substrate having the first silicide layer, and exposing a base-emitter junction and the collector electrode region; forming an emitter electrode and a collector electrode by depositing a second poly-Si layer on the exposed base-emitter junction and collector electrode region; and depositing a metal layer on the emitter and collector electrodes to form a second silicide layer, and forming a base terminal, an emitter terminal, and a collector terminal. In this method, base parasitic resistance can be reduced, an electrical short due to agglomeration caused by Ge can be prevented during the formation of the silicide layer, and the base-emitter junction can be protected using the pad oxide layer from external processes, thereby enhancing process stability and reliability.
US07666747B2
A method that suppresses etching damage without increasing a chip area of a semiconductor device. An integrated circuit including a MOS transistor is formed in a device area, and a discharge diffusion region is formed in a device area, and a discharge diffusion region is formed in a grid area. The discharge diffusion region is connected to a metal wiring of the integrated circuit via a contact hole. Therefore, when the metal wiring is formed by a dry etching method, an electric charge stored in the metal wiring is discharged to a semiconductor substrate through the discharge diffusion region. Thus, etching damage of the MOS transistor is reduced. Since the discharge diffusion region and the contact hole are formed within the grid area, they are cut off by a dicing process, thus causing no increase in chip area of the semiconductor device.
US07666746B2
A semiconductor structure and a method for forming the same. The structure includes (i) a semiconductor substrate which includes a channel region, (ii) first and second source/drain regions on the semiconductor substrate, (iii) a gate dielectric region, and (iv) a gate electrode region, (v) a plurality of interconnect layers on the gate electrode region, and (vi) first and second spaces. The gate dielectric region is disposed between and in direct physical contact with the channel region and the gate electrode region. The gate electrode region is disposed between and in direct physical contact with the gate dielectric region and the interconnect layers. The first and second spaces are in direct physical contact with the gate electrode region. The first space is disposed between the first source/drain region and the gate electrode region. The second space is disposed between the second source/drain region and the gate electrode region.
US07666745B2
A method of manufacturing a semiconductor device, has forming a gate insulating film over a surface of a substrate, eliminating a portion of the gate insulating film in a region, forming a gate electrode over the gate insulating film and a drain electrode on the region, implanting first impurities into the substrate using the gate electrode and the drain electrode as a mask, forming an insulating film to fill the space between the gate electrode and the drain electrode, and implanting second impurities into the substrate to form a source region using the gate electrode, the drain electrode and the insulating film as a mask.
US07666743B2
Semiconductor devices including an isolation layer on a semiconductor substrate are provided. The isolation layer defines an active region of the semiconductor substrate. The device further includes an upper gate electrode crossing over the active region and extending to the isolation layer and lower active gate electrode. The lower active gate electrode includes a first active gate electrode extending from the upper gate electrode to the active region and a second active gate electrode below the first active gate electrode and having a greater width than a width of the first active gate electrode. The device further includes a lower field gate electrode that extends from the upper gate electrode to the isolation layer and has a bottom surface that is at a lower level than a bottom surface of the active gate electrode such that the sidewalls of the active region are covered below the lower active gate electrode. Related methods of fabricating semiconductor devices are also provided herein.
US07666740B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory device that realizes a multi-bit cell and a method for manufacturing the same includes manufacturing the nonvolatile semiconductor memory device to be capable of storing multi-bit data, for example, 4-bit data, in a single memory cell and, as a result, the integration degree of a NOR type nonvolatile semiconductor memory device can be improved.
US07666735B1
A method for forming different active thicknesses on the same silicon layer includes masking the silicon layer and exposing selected regions of the silicon layer. The thickness of the silicon layer at the exposed regions is changed, either by adding silicon or subtracting silicon from the layer at the exposed regions. Once the mask is removed, the silicon layer has regions of different active thicknesses, respectively suitable for use in different types of devices, such as diodes and transistors.
US07666731B2
A method of fabricating an LDMOS transistor and a conventional CMOS transistor together on a substrate. A P-body is implanted into a source region of the LDMOS transistor. A gate oxide for the conventional CMOS transistor is formed after implanting the P-body into the source region of the LDMOS transistor. A fixed thermal cycle associated with forming the gate oxide of the conventional CMOS transistor is not substantially affected by the implanting of the P-body into the source region of the LDMOS transistor.
US07666722B2
The present invention provides a manufacturing method of a semiconductor device used as an ID chip, by which data can be written with improved throughput. According to the manufacturing method of a semiconductor device having a modulation circuit, a demodulation circuit, a logic circuit, a memory circuit, and an antenna circuit over an insulating substrate, the memory circuit is a nonvolatile memory circuit of which data is written in the manufacture of the semiconductor device, and elements in a data portion are formed by electron beam exposure or laser exposure while the other portions are formed by mirror projection exposure, step and repeat exposure, or step and scan exposure.
US07666721B2
An improved semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) substrate is provided, which contains a patterned buried insulator layer at varying depths. Specifically, the SOI substrate has a substantially planar upper surface and comprises: (1) first regions that do not contain any buried insulator, (2) second regions that contain first portions of the patterned buried insulator layer at a first depth (i.e., measured from the planar upper surface of the SOI substrate), and (3) third regions that contain second portions of the patterned buried insulator layer at a second depth, where the first depth is larger than the second depth. One or more field effect transistors (FETs) can be formed in the SOI substrate. For example, the FETs may comprise: channel regions in the first regions of the SOI substrate, source and drain regions in the second regions of the SOI substrate, and source/drain extension regions in the third regions of the SOI substrate.
US07666717B2
A non-volatile device includes a semiconductor substrate having a fuse window region. At least one fuse crosses the fuse window region. Field regions are arranged outside of the fuse window region and arranged under end portions of the at least one fuse. An isolation layer is configured to isolate the field regions. A fuse insulating layer is interposed between the at least one fuse and the field regions.
US07666706B2
A method is disclosed for making a thin-film poly-crystalline silicon solar cell. In the method, there is provided an ITO-glass substrate by coating a glass substrate with a transparent and conductive ITO film. An amorphous silicon film is grown on the ITO-glass substrate. An aluminum film is grown on the amorphous silicon film. The aluminum film and the amorphous silicon film are annealed and therefore converted and interchanged into an aluminum-silicon alloy film and a p+ poly-crystalline silicon film, respectively. In a low-temperature plasma-based deposition process, a p− poly-crystalline silicon film is coated on the p+ poly-crystalline silicon film, and an n+ poly-crystalline silicon film is coated on the p− poly-crystalline silicon film. An ohmic contact is provided on the transparent and conductive ITO film. Other ohmic contacts are provided on the n+ poly-crystalline silicon film. An anti-reflection film is coated on the n+ poly-crystalline silicon film.
US07666704B2
A solid-state imaging device of the present invention includes a base 13, a plurality of photoelectric conversion portions 11 formed in a surface of the base 13, and an insulating film 18 formed above the base 13. Openings 18h are formed in the insulating film 18 so that each of the openings 18h is located above each of the photoelectric conversion portions 11. Optical waveguides 19 having a refractive index higher than that of the insulating film 18 are formed in each of the openings 18h. And the optical waveguides 19 are made of a composite material containing a resin 19a and inorganic particles 19b.
US07666699B2
A high-density impurity diffused layer of an identical conduction type to the semiconductor substrate on which the impurity is doped higher in density than the semiconductor substrate around the diffuse resistance region is provided, one side of the electrodes is formed extending to the high-density impurity diffused layer and the diffused resistance region and the high-density impurity diffused layer are connected in a semiconductor strain gauge that is formed on the surface of the semiconductor substrate of a fixed conduction type and is provided with the diffused resistance region of opposite conduction type to the semiconductor substrate and is provided with electrodes on both ends of the diffused resistance region.
US07666673B2
The present invention provides a method of growing spermatogonial stem cells of mammals and the like in vitro, which is characterized in that glial cell-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) or an equivalent thereto, and leukemia inhibitory factor (LIF) are contained in a medium (culture broth) for culturing spermatogonial stem cells. According to the method of the present invention, spermatogonial stem cells can be grown in vitro to the extent that enables use thereof for developmental engineering.
US07666670B2
In a first aspect the present invention provides a tumor cell line stably transfected with an expression vector containing a reporter gene, preferably a fluorescent protein, operably linked to a promotor that also controls expression of a protein that is associated with tumor regression, stabilization of tumor growth or inhibition of metastatic growth, characterized in that said cell line is capable to form a tumor when implanted or injected into the non-human animal. Compared to the traditional in vivo models, the present invention differs in that the reporter gene is not constitutively expressed, but only after exposure to a test compound that results in the expression of a protein or enzyme associated with tumor regression, stabilization of tumor growth or inhibition of metastatic growth. Only when a compound to be tested got into circulation and infiltrated the tumor it may generate the reporter signal, provided it promotes the expression of a protein associated with tumor regression and the promoter of said protein is operably linked to the reporter gene.
US07666659B2
The present invention is to provide a process for simply producing an optically active 3-hydroxypropionic ester derivative useful as a medicament intermediate from an inexpensive material. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a process for producing an optically active 3-hydroxypropionic ester derivative comprising reacting an acetic ester derivative available at low cost with a base and a formic ester, thereby converting the acetic ester derivative into a 2-formylacetic ester derivative, and thereafter, stereospecifically reducing the formyl group of the derivative by use of an enzymatic source capable of stereoselectively reducing the formyl group of the derivative.
US07666658B1
Nine efficient aldolase antibodies were generated using hapten 2. This hapten combines, in a single molecule, structural components employed for reactive immunization with structural components employed for forming a transition state analog of the aldol reaction. Characterization of two of these antibodies reveals that they are highly proficient (up to 1000-fold better than any other antibody catalyst) and enantioselective catalysts for aldol and retro-aldol reactions and exhibit enantio- and diastereo-selectivities opposite that of antibody 38C2.
US07666644B2
Novel proteins are provided herein, including proteins capable of catalyzing the acetylation of glyphosate and other structurally related proteins. Also provided are novel polynucleotides capable of encoding these proteins, compositions that include one or more of these novel proteins and/or polynucleotides, recombinant cells and transgenic plants comprising these novel compounds, diversification methods involving the novel compounds, and methods of using the compounds. Some of the novel methods and compounds provided herein can be used to render an organism, such as a plant, resistant to glyphosate.
US07666639B2
This invention relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising plant deoxyribonucleoside kinase enzymes (dNK) capable of phosphorylating nucleoside analogs and to medical use of said dNKs. More specifically the invention relates to the medical use of deoxyribonucleoside kinase enzymes derived from (Arabidopsis thaliana), from loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), from tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum), from maize (Zea mays) or from rice (Oryza sativa). The invention also relates to methods of sensitizing cells to prodrugs, and to methods of inhibiting pathogenic agents in warm-blooded animals using said plant dNKs.In another aspect the invention relates to plant derived deoxyribonucleoside kinase enzymes provided in isolated form from loblolly pine (Pinus taeda), from tomato (Lycopersicum esculentum), from maize (Zea mays) or from rice (Oryza sativa). In further aspects the invention provides polynucleotides encoding the plant dNKs, vector constructs comprising the polynucleotide, packaging cell lines capable of producing said vector, and genetically modified isolated host cells transduced/transfected/-transformed with the vector.
US07666638B2
The invention relates to a selenium-enriched biomass containing live microorganisms selected from the group consisting of Lactobacillus reuteri, Lactobacillus ferintoshensis, Lactobacillus buchneri/parabuchneri and combinations thereof, a method of preparation of the said selenium-enriched biomass, as well as food preparations, nutraceutical products and food supplements containing the said biomass. Moreover, new strains of lactobacilli are described that are able to concentrate selenium in very high amounts, and are therefore particularly useful for use in the method of the invention.
US07666635B2
A novel biotechnological process for the preparation of nitriles, starting from amides, is described. Micro-organisms of the genus Amycolatopsis, Actinomadura or Rhodococcus are employed for this process.
US07666626B2
A P4 variant protein that has reduced enzymatic activity and that induces antibody to wild-type P4 protein and/or has good bactericidal activity against non-typable H. influenzae (NTHi) is useful as an active component in an immunogenic composition for humans. Methods of using these proteins, and compositions containing them in combination with additional antigens, are also provided.
US07666612B2
A method for labeling acyl carrier protein (ACP) fusion proteins with a wide variety of different labels is disclosed. The method relies on the transfer of a label from a coenzyme A type substrate to an ACP fusion protein using a holo-acyl carrier protein synthase (ACPS) or a homologue thereof. The method allows detecting and manipulating the fusion protein, both in vitro and in vivo, by attaching molecules to the fusion proteins that introduce a new physical or chemical property to the fusion protein. Examples of such labels are, among others, spectroscopic probes or reporter molecules, affinity tags, molecules generating reactive radicals, cross-linkers, ligands mediating protein-protein interactions or molecules suitable for the immobilization of the fusion protein.
US07666599B2
Aspects of the present invention provide novel compositions and methods based on novel calpastatin (CAST) genetic markers, such as missense mutations in exon 3 that result in G48D or P52L substitutions (NM_174003.2:c.271G>A and 283C>T), a G/T substitution in intron 3 (AAFC02060381.1:g.2110G>T) and a GAAA repeat in intron 8 (AAFC02060381.1:g.6700[(GAAA)4]+[(GAAA)5]. Particular aspects provide novel markers for fertility (e.g., daughter pregnancy rate, DPR) and longevity (e.g., productive life, PL) in, for example, dairy cattle. Additional aspects provide for novel methods comprising marker-assisted selection to improve fertility and/or longevity in dairy cattle. Therefore, in particular embodiments, a combination of genetic selection based on one or more of the novel CAST markers, and high PTA potentials of milk production traits, provides for improved reproductive traits in association with continued high milk production traits. Further aspects disclose a previously unrecognized XL domain in the human CAST gene, and thus provide for the use of human CAST XL domain mutants/variants as markers for human fertility and longevity.
US07666594B2
This invention relates to an aggregation sensor useful for the detection and analysis of aggregants in a sample, and methods, articles and compositions relating to such a sensor. The sensor comprises first and second optically active units, where energy may be transferred from an excited state of the first optically active unit to the second optically active unit. The second optically active unit is present in a lesser amount, but its relative concentration is increased upon aggregation, increasing its absorption of energy from the first optically active units. This increase in energy transfer can be detected in variety of formats to produce an aggregation sensing system for various aggregants, including for quantitation. Other variations of the inventions are described further herein.
US07666592B2
The present invention provides methods for the quantification of an unknown bioagent in a sample by amplification of nucleic acid of the bioagent, and concurrent amplification of a known quantity of a calibration polynucleotide from which are obtained a bioagent identifying amplicon and a calibration amplicon. Upon molecular mass analysis, mass and abundance data are obtained. The identity of the bioagent is then determined from the molecular mass of the bioagent identifying amplicon and the quantity of the identified bioagent in the sample is determined from the abundance data of the bioagent identifying amplicon and the abundance data of the calibration amplicon.
US07666589B2
The present invention relates to compositions and methods for cancer diagnostics, including but not limited to, cancer markers. In particular, the present invention provides methods of identifying methylation patterns in genes associated with specific cancers.
US07666588B2
The present invention provides methods for rapid forensic analysis of mitochondrial DNA and methods for characterizing heteroplasmy of mitochondrial DNA, which can be used to assess the progression of mitochondrial diseases.
US07666585B2
Chimeric replicons of North American Porcine Reproductive and Respiratory Syndrome Virus (PRRSV) containing the 5′ sequence of an avirulent strain of PRRSV and a 3′ sequence of a virulent strain of PRRSV are provided. Further provided is a method of producing attenuated PRRSV from the chimeric replicon. Also provided are compositions containing the replicon or attenuated virus. Vaccines and a method of vaccinating pigs against PRRSV are also provided.
US07666580B2
A lithography system is disclosed that includes an array of focusing elements for directing focused illumination toward a recording medium, and a reversible contrast-enhancement material disposed between the recording medium and the array of focusing elements.
US07666575B2
The present invention relates to an antireflective coating composition comprising, (i) a thermal acid generator; (ii) a crosslinkable polymer comprising at least one aromatic group; and, (iii) a polymeric crosslinker comprising at least one unit of structure (6), where R11 to R13 is independently selected from H, (C1-C6) alkyl and aromatic group, R14 and R15 are independently (C1-C10) alkyl. The invention also relates to a process for imaging the antireflective coating composition of the present invention.
US07666573B2
A positive photosensitive resin composition containing 100 parts by weight of a polyimide precursor (A) having a constituent unit represented by the formula (1), 15 to 25 parts by weight of a crosslinking agent (B) represented by the formula (2), and 2 to 5 parts by weight of a photosensitizer (C) generating acid upon irradiation of an actinic ray: wherein m is an integer of 1 or greater, and R is an aromatic group or an aliphatic group having a valency of 1 or higher. The positive photosensitive resin composition can be developed by using an aqueous solution of alkali metal carbonate, is capable of forming micropatterns, and has excellent thermal resistance and the like. A method for forming a positive pattern, and uses thereof are also provided.
US07666569B2
A positive resist composition including a resin component (A) containing an acid dissociable dissolution inhibiting group whose alkali solubility increases under action of acid and an acid generator component (B) that generates acid on exposure, wherein the resin component (A) is a copolymer comprising a first structural unit (a1) derived from a hydroxystyrene and a second structural unit (a2) derived from a (meth)acrylate ester containing an alcoholic hydroxyl group, in which 10 mol % or more and 25 mol % or less of a combined total of hydroxyl groups within the structural units (a1) and alcoholic hydroxyl groups within the structural units (a2) are protected with the acid dissociable dissolution inhibiting groups, and a weight average molecular weight of the copolymer prior to protection with the acid dissociable dissolution inhibiting groups is 2,000 or more and 8,500 or less.
US07666565B2
A method of forming electrophotographic toner. An organic solution containing a polymer resin and a solvent and an aqueous solution containing an anti-coagulant are provided. The aqueous solution is added into the organic solution to form colloidal polymer particles. The colloidal polymer particles are then aggregated, coalesced, and solidified to form toner particles.
US07666563B2
A toner is provided including a binder resin including at least one polyester resin in an amount of from 50 to 100% by weight, and a colorant having a specific formula, wherein the toner has a shape factor SF-1 of from 120 to 150 and a shape factor SF-2 of from 125 to 180; and a developer using the toner.
US07666560B2
An imaging member includes a charge generating layer and a charge transport layer. The charge transport layer includes a first surface in contact with the charge generating layer and a second surface. The charge transport layer includes a film forming polymer binder and a charge transport component dispersed therein. The concentration of the charge transport component in the charge transport layer is at a peak in a region of the charge transport intermediate the first and second surfaces of the charge transport layer.
US07666559B2
An enhanced technique for determination of an alignment accuracy involves an overlay target assembly which comprises at least two targets, each target having a first sub-structure of a first layer and a second sub-structure of a second layer, wherein, when the first layer and the second layer are correctly aligned, the first sub-structure and the second sub-structure of at least one of the targets are offset with respect to each other by a programmed offset and the overlay target assembly is invariant to at least one geometric transformation. If the offset vectors which describe the offset between the first sub-structure and the second sub-structure all have the same norm, the overlay error may be determined without calibration. Redundancy may be increased by providing each target with two or more programmed offsets between elements of the first sub-structure and elements of the second sub-structure.
US07666550B2
An electrode precursor sheet in which the active electrode material is bound by a polymer binder that includes an oxidized polymer or a blend of a first polymer with an oxidized polymer additive. The oxidized polymer advantageously has a minimum oxygen content of 1 atom % and may be an oxidized form of the first polymer.
US07666539B2
The invention relates to fuel cell systems with improved thermal efficiency. The systems include a fuel cell that generates electrical energy using hydrogen and a fuel processor that produces hydrogen from a fuel. Some heat efficient systems described herein include a thermal catalyst that generates heat when the catalyst interacts with a heating medium. The heat is used to heat the fuel cell. The thermal catalyst may be disposed in proximity to the fuel cell, or remote from the fuel cell and a heat transfer pipe conducts heat from the catalyst to the fuel cell. Another thermally efficient embodiment uses a recuperator to transfer heat generated in the fuel cell system to incoming fuel. A fuel cell package may also include a multi-layer insulation arrangement to decrease heat loss from the fuel cell and fuel processor, which both typically operate at elevated temperatures.
US07666529B2
A magnetic recording medium having a first magnetic layer, a spacer layer, and a second magnetic layer, in this order, wherein the spacer layer includes a non-magnetic layer and a thickness of the spacer layer is selected to establish anti-ferromagnetic coupling between the first magnetic layer and the second magnetic layer, and a thickness of both the first and second magnetic layers are less than a critical thickness for formation of stripe domains in the magnetic layers is disclosed.
US07666524B2
The present invention provides a novel material capable of realizing excellent color purity of blue, a light-emitting element and a light-emitting device using the novel material. The present invention provides an oligonaphthalene derivative represented by the formula (1). The oligonaphthalene derivatives of the present invention have an extremely large band gap, can emit light with extremely short wavelength, and can emit blue light with favorable color purity. In addition, a light-emitting element that can exhibit excellent color purity of blue can be obtained by applying this material to the light-emitting element or a light-emitting device; therefore the light-emitting element having superior color reproducibility can be provided.
US07666522B2
A method is provided for depositing a hard wear resistant surface onto a porous or non-porous base material of a medical implant. The wear resistant surface of the medical implant device may be formed by a Laser Based Metal Deposition (LBMD) method such as Laser Engineered Net Shaping (LENS). The wear resistant surface may include a blend of multiple different biocompatible materials. Further, functionally graded layers of biocompatible materials may be used to form the wear resistant surface. Usage of a porous material for the base may promote bone ingrowth to allow the implant to fuse strongly with the bone of a host patient. The hard wear resistant surface provides device longevity, particularly when applied to bearing surfaces such as artificial joint bearing surfaces or a dental implant bearing surfaces.
US07666508B2
A glass article having at least one edge of which at least a portion has been laser melted. The laser melted portion scatters light, thus enabling the glass article to be properly aligned. In some embodiments, the laser melted portion also provides a roughened edge having a coefficient of friction that facilitates handling of the glass article. The laser melted portion is formed by irradiating the peripheral surface with a laser beam to cause localized melting.
US07666507B2
To provide an activated carbon sheet molding that can reduce a leak amount of fuel vapor, realize small ventilation resistance, and is excellent in moldability and strength, and an element for a fuel evaporative emission preventing device for preventing evaporative emission of fuel vapor from a fuel tank system and an intake system by using the activated carbon sheet molding. The object can be achieved by an activated carbon sheet molding made of activated carbon that satisfies b/a=0.3 through 0.55 provided that a 100%-concentration n-butane adsorbing amount per 100 parts by weight of activated carbon at 40° C. is defined as a parts by weight, and a 1%-concentration n-butane adsorbing amount is defined as b parts by weight.
US07666496B2
The ePTFE structure includes an ePTFE structure which has a node and fibril micro-structure. The micro-structure includes specific nodes which are connected to the fibrils. One or more of the specific nodes are sintered and the fibrils are un-sintered. A method for making the ePTFE structure includes identifying and sintering one or more of the specific nodes.
US07666491B2
In one embodiment, the present invention relates to a membrane for use as an outdoor building material comprising a non-reinforced TPO outdoor building material membrane composed of a single ply embossed thermoplastic polyolefin polymer wherein the embossed membrane has a stretchability in the range of about 5 lbf to about 30 lbf, as tested with about a 30-mil thickness sample under the “stretchability test.” In yet another embodiment, the present invention relates to a method of applying a non-reinforced TPO outdoor building material membrane to a motor home roof comprising the step of: a) applying a non-reinforced TPO membrane to RV roof wood deck, wherein the membrane is composed of a thermoplastic polyolefin polymer with at least one of the following ingredients of a fire retardant, a UV and thermal stabilizers, a titanium dioxide and a calcium carbonate and wherein the membrane has a stretchability in the range of about 5 lbf to about 30 lbf, as tested with about a 30-mil thickness sample under the “stretchability test” and wherein the roofing membrane has a whiteness of at least an L* value of 90 as measured by the Whiteness Test; and b) adhering the non-reinforced TPO membrane to the wood deck via factory or field applied adhesive with a minimum 4 PLI of peel strength under the ASTM D413 peel test.
US07666490B1
A functional roll film comprises a plastic film which is transparent and having gas barrier properties, and provided at its at least one surface with an inorganic oxide layer, and which can be wound; wherein a maximum thickness of the inorganic oxide layer is 1.5 times of a minimum thickness.
US07666487B2
An easy-open end which comprises a steel sheet and formed on at least one side thereof an about 10-30 mum-thick coating film of a polyester resin having a 50% crystallization time of about 5 minutes or shorter and a coefficient of planar orientation of about 0.04 or lower and which has a groove for cutting which has a cross section having a radius of curvature of about 0.1 to 1 mm; and a laminated steel sheet for use in the easy-open end. This easy-open end can combine suitability for opening and no need of repair even when the residual score thickness is small.
US07666484B2
Film for wrapping food products, made of an edible or inedible material, curved onto itself along a longitudinal axis to form a cylinder in which the longitudinal side edges of the film are overlapping to a certain extent are in direct contact with each other but not otherwise connected, shirred or wrinkled in the manner of an accordion to form folds perpendicular to the axis of said cylinder, that can have an internal support in the form of a tube of a stiff material, and which can be externally coated by a separation sheet and an also shirred tubular net, and the method for manufacturing it.
US07666483B2
An artificial palm tree assembly for insertion into a table, preferably a patio table, is provided. The artificial palm tree assembly comprises a palm head comprising a crown element and a plurality of tree elements attached to the crown element of the palm head. Each of the tree elements comprises a branch having a plurality of artificial palm tree leaves thereon. In addition, the artificial palm assembly further comprises a trunk element adapted for installation through an opening in the top of the table. The palm head connects to the trunk element via an attachment formed between a bottom area of the crown element and the top end of the trunk element. Moreover, artificial palm assembly preferably further comprises a base portion for providing support for the palm head and the trunk element of the palm tree assembly installed within the patio table.
US07666481B2
A liquid crystal composition including 5 to 15% by weight of at least one compound of chemical formula 1, 25 to 40% by weight of at least one compound of chemical formula 2, 10 to 25% by weight of at least one compound of chemical formula 3, 20 to 30% by weight of at least one compound of chemical formula 4, 15 to 25% by weight of at least one compound of chemical formula 5, 0 to 10% by weight of at least one compound of chemical formula 6, 0 to 10% by weight of at least one compound of chemical formula 7, and 0 to 10% by weight of at least one compound of chemical formula 8.
US07666478B2
The present invention is related to a method for immobilising a biomolecule on a surface by generating and maintaining an atmospheric pressure plasma, the method comprising the steps of: introducing a sample in the space between two electrodes, a mixed atmosphere being present between the electrodes, applying an alternating voltage to the electrodes for generating and maintaining a plasma in the volumetric space between the electrodes, characterized in that the mixed atmosphere comprises an inert gas or nitrogen, an aerosol comprising a reactive precursor and an aerosol comprising a biomolecule, the reactive precursor and biomolecule being deposited and immobilized during the depositing step.
US07666475B2
A method for forming interphase layers in ceramic matrix composites. The method forms interphase layers in ceramic matrix composites thereby enabling higher matrix densities to be achieved without sacrificing crack deflection and/or toughness. The methods of the present invention involve the use fugitive material-coated fibers. These fibers are then infiltrated with a ceramic matrix slurry. Then, the fugitive material is removed and the resulting material is reinfiltrated with an interphase layer material. The ceramic matrix composite is then fired. Additional steps may be included to densify the ceramic matrix or to increase the strength of the interphase layer. The method is useful for the formation of three dimensional fiber-reinforced ceramic matrix composites envisioned for use in gas turbine components.
US07666469B2
An coated particulate is provided with a graphite-impregnated resin coating. The oil field particulates may comprise any of gravel-pack sand, granular betonite, ground Gilsonite, calcium carbonate, glass beads, rock wool, shredded paper, metal spheres, ceramic beads, nut hulls, ground rubber, plastic beads, muscovite mica, calcined petroleum coke, and perlite. The resin may comprise as a binder one or more of a natural, synthetic, water-soluble, and organic resins. More specifically, the resins may comprise an organic film-forming resin such as an alkyd, polyurethane and epoxy. Alternatively, the resin may comprise a film-forming water-soluble polymer, such as a starch, carboxymethyl cellulose, hydroxyethyl cellulose, and xanthan gum. In a further alternative, the resin may comprise a resin-dispersed emulsion, such as a latex or acrylic.
US07666465B2
Methods of forming a microelectronic structure are described. Embodiments of those methods include providing a substrate comprising at least one opening, and then applying a nanotube slurry comprising at least one nanotube to the substrate, wherein the at least one nanotube is substantially placed within the at least one opening.
US07666464B2
A method of measuring ion dose in a plasma immersion ion implantation reactor during ion implantation of a selected species into a workpiece includes placing the workpiece on a pedestal in the reactor and feeding into the reactor a process gas comprising a species to be implanted into the workpiece, and then coupling RF plasma source power to a plasma in the reactor. It further includes coupling RF bias power to the workpiece by an RF bias power generator that is coupled to the workpiece through a bias feedpoint of the reactor and measuring RF current at the feedpoint to generate a current-related value, and then integrating the current-related over time to produce an ion implantation dose-related value.
US07666453B2
A composition and method for the prevention and therapeutic treatment of skin conditions and disorders are disclosed. The composition and method of the invention are particularly directed to the treatment and prevention of dermal irritations. These irritations include, for example, psoriasis, eczema, ichthyosis, pruritus, dryness and dermatitis, which may cause skin to crack, chap or chafe. The composition and method are particularly useful in treating and preventing diaper dermatitis. A therapeutic composition according to the invention includes an agent, which is an enzyme constituent, promoting the synthesis of collagen and the reproduction of cells, particularly skin cells. Such therapeutic agents include, for example, zinc oxide. This agent is generally nonprescription and capable of effectively preventing and treating diaper dermatitis through local or topical application. Therapeutic compositions according to the invention also include both natural and synthetic components, which aid in application, use and treatment.
US07666447B2
Methods and compositions for the prevention, therapy and/or treatment of several disease states. The methods comprise the administration of a therapeutically effective amount of a composition including krill extract and conjugated linoleic acid. In addition, the present invention provides new and improved therapeutic compositions including krill extracts and conjugated linoleic acid.
US07666436B1
New pertussis toxin (PT) mutants are described being immunologically active and having reduced or no toxicity, characterized in that at least one of the amino acid residues Glu129, Asp11, Trp26, Arg9, Phe50, Asp1, Arg13, Tyr130, Gly86, Ile88, Tyr89, Tyr8, Gly44, Thr53 and Gly80 of subunit S1 amino acid sequence is deleted and substituted by a different amino acid residue selected in the group of natural amino acids; Bordetella strains capable of providing and secreting said PT mutants and means and methods for obtaining them are also described. The Bordetella strains and the PT mutants produced by them are particularly suitable for the preparation of effective cellular and acellular antipertussis vaccines.
US07666429B2
Isolated nucleic acids encoding an allergen of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus, Der p III, are disclosed. A cDNA encoding a peptide having a Der p III activity and a predicted molecular weight of about 24,985 daltons is also described. The nucleic acids can be used as probes to detect the presence of Der p III nucleic acid in a sample or for the recombinant production of peptides having an activity of Der p III. Peptides having an activity of Der p III can be used in compositions suitable for pharmaceutical administration or methods of diagnosing sensitivity to house dust mites.
US07666427B2
In one embodiment, the invention provides a multiclade HIV plasmid DNA or viral vector vaccine including components from different clades of Env (optionally Env chimeras) and Gag-Pol-(optionally)Nef from a single clade. The vaccine of the invention may further include V1, V2, V3, or V4 deletions or combinations thereof. In another embodiment, the invention provides multiclade HIV envelope immunogens.
US07666404B2
The present invention relates to nucleic acids encoding B. mallei and B. pseudomallei AHL synthases and LuxR transcriptional regulators, and methods for use, as well as describes the construction, characterization and use of avirulent strains of B. mallei and methods of use.
US07666399B2
A composition is provided that includes in combination fertilizer particles inclusive of a plant nutrient component and a binder inhibitive of particle disintegration. The fertilizer particles are mixed with and dispersed in concert with bait particles attractive to a pest and inclusive of a pesticide or pest reproduction control agent. The bait particles remain sufficiently devoid of adherent fertilizer particle fragments so as to remain attractive to a target pest. Composition homogeneity is maintained by density matching between the fertilizer particles and bait particles or compensating for differences in density by sizing the lower density particles larger than the higher density particles.
US07666395B2
Chronic obstructive airway diseases are treated by administering an osmotically active compound such as a salt, sugar, sugar alcohol, or organic osmolyte to the afflicted airway surface. The compound may be administered as a liquid or dry powder aerosol formulation. Diseases that can be treated by the method include cystic fibrosis, chronic bronchitis, and ciliary dyskinesia. The formulations of the invention can also be used in conjunction with other active agents such as bronchodilators, sodium channel blockers, antibiotics, enzymes, or purinoceptor agonists on airway surfaces.
US07666394B2
A particle having a core and a surface to which are covalently coupled a plurality of reactive ester groups. Methods for using the particle to prepare a particle having one or more of a plurality of a targeting agent, a diagnostic agent, or a therapeutic agent covalently coupled thereto.
US07666370B2
The present disclosure relates to a process for recycling a sodium salt by decomposition of a sodium nitride liquid waste, comprising a neutralization step in which a nitric acid liquid waste or an off-gas having nitric acid dissolved therein which is produced through a wet reprocessing process comprising a dissolution step for dissolving a spent nuclear fuel in nitric acid is neutralized by adding or contacting the nitrate liquid waste or the off-gas to or with at least one sodium salt selected from the group consisting of sodium hydroxide, sodium hydrogencarbonate and sodium carbonate, thereby yielding a sodium nitrate liquid waste; a sodium nitrate-decomposition step in which the sodium nitrate liquid waste is reductively decomposed with a reducing agent, thereby decomposing sodium nitrate into a nitrogen gas and the sodium salt; and a recycle step for recycling the sodium salt into the neutralization step or wet reprocessing process.
US07666368B2
The invention provides an apparatus for continuously and efficiently treating volume-reduced polystyrene resin in gel state, thereby removing solvent and recovering resin. A volume-reduced gel-state polystyrene resin is heated in the separation/recovery apparatus under ambient pressure or reduced pressure, for removal of solvent and recovery of resin. The apparatus includes an apparatus main unit 10 having at the top of the unit a solvent-recovering section for continuously recovering evaporated solvent and having at the bottom of the unit a resin-recovering section for recovering the solvent-removed resin; a heating medium flow pipe 20 provided inside the apparatus main unit 10 for allowing flow of a heating medium inside the pipe; a gel-state resin-feeding means 14 for feeding the volume-reduced polystyrene resin in gel-state such that the resin is brought into contact with the heating medium flow pipe 20; a resin-holding section 13 provided in the bottom of the apparatus main unit 10 for holding the resin flowed down to the member after contact with the heating medium flow pipe 20; a heating means 25 for heating the resin held in the resin-holding section 13; and a stirring means 26 for stirring the resin contained in the resin-holding section.
US07666366B2
The invention relates to improvements in internal loop reactors. The reactor of the invention is characterized by a plurality of cooling tubes which form the annulus between the riser and the downcomer path of said internal loop reactor. The reactor also provides improvements in hydroformylation reactions using the improved reactor.
US07666359B2
The invention relates to an analysis system which, by means of a reagent cartridge opening module, permits automatic opening of reagent vessels which are closed by screwing. The reagent cartridge opening module for this purpose has catch elements which can lock securely against rotation in correspondingly configured catch elements of a reagent vessel lid. In addition, the reagent cartridge opening module and the reagent vessel lid are connected via snap-in elements, so that transport of the reagent vessel lid perpendicular to the plane of the rotational movement is possible.
US07666347B2
A melting apparatus facilitates the melting of pieces of solid metal in a bath of molten metal (10). The melting apparatus comprises a device (18) having a lower portion (22), an upper portion (20), and a body portion (24) extending therebetween. Solid metal is introduced into the device (18) through the upper portion (20). A flow inducer, such as an impeller (28) induces flow of molten metal through the device (18). Flow straighteners, such as baffles (38) encourage axial flow of molten metal through the device (18). The body portion (24) is formed with a plurality of apertures (36) therein and the device (18) is arranged, in use, with the lower portion (22) and the plurality of apertures (36) positioned within the bath (10) and the upper portion (20) positioned above the upper surface (12) and the molten metal bath (10).
US07666341B2
A screed mold method for continuously or periodically molding thermoplastic material into a cushioning element is disclosed.
US07666332B2
To provide a production process capable of making the transmittance of an optical glass element obtainable by press-molding a TeO2-containing glass high.A process for producing an optical glass element, which comprises press-molding a TeO2-containing glass, wherein the press-molding is carried out in an atmosphere in which the nitrogen partial pressure is at most 102 Pa. The above process for producing an optical glass element, wherein the face of a mold for the press-molding to be in contact with the glass is made of carbon. The above process for producing an optical glass element, wherein the molded glass obtained by the press-molding is held in an oxygen-containing atmosphere at a temperature within a range of at least a temperature lower by 50° C. than the glass transition point of the TeO2-containing glass and at most the softening point of the glass.
US07666331B2
Describes an article, e.g., an optical article such as a lens, in which the article includes (a) a rigid substrate, e.g., a transparent ophthalmic substrate, such as a thermoset or thermoplastic substrate, having at least one surface suitable for accommodating a photochromic coating, and (b) a transparent photochromic coating comprising dendritic polymeric acrylate, e.g., polyester acrylate, on at least a portion of said surface of the substrate, the coating comprising a photochromic amount of at least one photochromic material, e.g., an organic photochromic material.
US07666326B2
A conductive composition comprises a π conjugated conductive polymer, a dopant, and a nitrogen-containing aromatic cyclic compound. A capacitor comprises an anode composed of a porous material of valve metal, a dielectric layer formed by oxidizing the surface of the anode, and a cathode provided on the dielectric layer and having a solid electrolyte layer containing a π conjugated conductive polymer, which comprises an electron donor compound containing an electron donor element provided between the dielectric layer and the cathode. Another capacitor is based on the above-described capacitor, wherein the solid electrolyte layer further comprises a dopant and a nitrogen-containing aromatic cyclic compound. An antistatic coating material comprises a π conjugated conductive polymer, a solubilising polymer containing an anion group and/or an electron attractive group, a nitrogen-containing aromatic cyclic compound, and a solvent. An antistatic coating is formed by applying the antistatic coating material.
US07666321B2
A method for decapsulating a package is provided. The method comprises steps of providing a package having a chip therein, wherein the chip has an active surface and a rear surface. Further, the package further comprises a heat sink, a plurality of solder bumps, a substrate, an underfill and a plurality of solder balls. The method further comprises removing the heat sink and removing the substrate together with the solder balls. A dry etching process is performed to remove a portion of the underfill. A wet etching process is performed to remove the rest portion of the underfill. A thermal process solder bump removal process is performed to melt the solder bumps and then a solder bump removal process is performed to remove the melted solder bumps from the active surface of the chip.
US07666312B2
This invention provides a method of preventing corrosion in industrial water systems. The method includes maintaining a real-time oxidation-reduction potential at a set point, wherein the system is at operating temperature and pressure. A nonlinear equation is derived based upon theoretically derived or empirically collected data. The equation is then used to determine an inflow of active chemical species to the water system.
US07666302B2
A water treatment apparatus including a series of pairs of water filtration cells of an upwelling type. Each cell of each pair has a longitudinally extending water conduit in fluid communication between an upper and a lower end of each cell. The first cell of each pair is a fluidized bed type containing a biologically active media, the water entering a bottom of this cell upwelling through the biologically active media to discharge from a discharge port at or near the top of the first cell. The second cell of each pair has the upper end of its water conduit in fluid communication with the discharge port of the paired first cell and contains media which removes nitrates from the water entering and upwelling through the nitrate removing media for discharge from the second cell.
US07666292B2
The present invention relates to a method of manufacturing a printed circuit board using an imprinting process, in which a pattern having a large area can be uniformly formed using a plurality of molds, and the plurality of molds is sequentially removed, thereby solving problems occurring in release of the molds from an insulating layer.
US07666290B2
The invention relates to a method for producing a textured metal strip. In order to be able to implement a method of this type in a comparatively simple manner and thus cost-effectively, a metal layer (4) is galvanically produced on a textured substrate (1) having electrical conductivity, and the metal layer (4), while producing the textured strip (4a), is removed from the substrate (1).
US07666282B2
The invention is a process for the purification of ethanol. In one embodiment the process includes boiling a degassed beer feed (106) in a pre-boiler (110) to provide a vapor by-pass fraction (112) that by-passes the conventional beer column and is fed into the rectifier column (124). The process allows free capacity in the rectifier column of new or established plants to be filled by ethanol-water vapor and/or condensate streams that do not originate from the beer column.
US07666276B2
A paper machine includes a dryer and a reel; at least one blow box located between the dryer and the reel; and a blower supplying a source of dry air to the at least one blow box.
US07666261B2
The present invention relates to a starch composition comprising starch, a polymer that is substantially compatible with starch and has a weight-average molecular weight of at least 500,000 such that the polymer forms effective entanglements or associations with neighboring starch molecules, and preferably at least one additive to improve melt flow and melt processability. The additive may be a hydroxyl plasticizer, a hydroxyl-free plasticizer, a diluent, or mixtures thereof. The composition is melt processable on conventional thermoplastic equipment. The composition is especially suitable for uniaxial and biaxial extensional processes to make fibers, films, foams and like products.
US07666258B2
A lightweight cementitious composition containing from 22 to 90 volume percent of a cement composition and from 10 to 78 volume percent of particles having an average particle diameter of from 0.2 mm to 8 mm, a bulk density of from 0.03 g/cc to 0.64 g/cc, an aspect ratio of from 1 to 3, where after the lightweight cementitious composition is set it has a compressive strength of at least 1700 psi as tested according to ASTM C39. The cementitious composition can be used to make concrete masonry units, construction panels, road beds and other articles and can be included as a layer on wall panels and floor panels and can be used in insulated concrete forms. Aspects of the lightweight cementitious composition can be used to make lightweight structural units.
US07666257B2
The present invention relates to a special coating composition based on components a) at least one hydrolysable fluoroalkylsilane of the formula (I) CF3(CF2)n(CH2)2Si(CH3)yX3-y, in which X is a group from the series chlorine, methoxy, ethoxy, isopropoxy, and n-propoxy and n is a number from the series 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 9, and y is 0 or 1, b) HCl, c) water, d) isopropanol, and e) at least one further solvent and/or diluent from the series of the alcohols, glycols, glycol ethers, ethers, esters, ketones, and aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, wherein the silane component (a):water molar ratio of 1:4.5 to 1:9. The invention further relates to a process for preparing such a composition and also to its use for providing smooth, inorganic substrate surfaces with an abrasion-resistant and weathering-stable easy-to-clean coating.
US07666256B2
Ink-jet ink sets, pigment-based ink formulations, methods of printing, and methods of enhancing print quality, are disclosed. One exemplary ink-jet ink set, among others, includes a pigment-based ink formulation at a first pH, including: a pigment, and an amphoteric dispersant having an isoelectric point; and a second ink formulation at a second pH, wherein the first pH and the second pH are each selected from an acidic pH and a basic pH, wherein the first pH and the second pH are not the same, and wherein the amphoteric dispersant has a higher isoelectric point than the first pH when the dispersant is acidic, and a lower isoelectric point than the first pH when the dispersant is basic.
US07666250B1
A process of producing magnesium metal includes providing magnesium carbonate, and reacting the magnesium carbonate to produce a magnesium-containing compound and carbon dioxide. The magnesium-containing compound is reacted to produce magnesium metal. The carbon dioxide is used as a reactant in a second process. In another embodiment of the process, a magnesium silicate is reacted with a caustic material to produce magnesium hydroxide. The magnesium hydroxide is reacted with a source of carbon dioxide to produce magnesium carbonate. The magnesium carbonate is reacted to produce a magnesium-containing compound and carbon dioxide. The magnesium-containing compound is reacted to produce magnesium metal. The invention further relates to a process for production of magnesium metal or a magnesium compound where an external source of carbon dioxide is not used in any of the reactions of the process. The invention also relates to the magnesium metal produced by the processes described herein.
US07666249B2
Systems and methods for use in processing raw material (e.g., iron bearing material) include a linear furnace apparatus extending along a longitudinal axis between a charging end and a discharging end (e.g., the linear furnace apparatus includes at least a furnace zone positioned along the longitudinal axis). Raw material is provided into one or more separate or separable containers (e.g., trays) at the charging end of the linear furnace apparatus. The separate or separable containers are moved through at least the furnace zone and to the discharging end where the processed material is discharged resulting in one or more empty containers. One or more of the empty containers are returned to the charging end of the linear furnace apparatus to receive further raw material.
US07666245B2
Provided is iron-based metal powder for powder metallurgy including a metallic soap containing at least one or more types of metal selected from a group of Ag, Au, Bi, Co, Cu, Mo, Ni, Pd, Pt, Sn and Te having a higher standard oxidization potential than iron, and an additional metal which forms a liquid phase at a temperature of 1200° C. or less in the combination with the metal, wherein the soap contains metal for forming an alloy phase between the two. As a result, obtained is mixed powder for powder metallurgy capable of improving the rust prevention effect easily without having to hardly change the conventional processes.
US07666231B2
In this process of continuous manufacture of a flocked and dyed cloth backing (S) comprising successive stages of application (1) of a polymerizable resin (RP) layer to at least one surface of the cloth backing, projection (2) of white or unbleached polyester flock fibers (FF) onto said resin layer, polymerization (3) of the resin to fix the flock fibers on the cloth backing, deposition (4) of at least one sublimable dye (E) on the flocked surface of the cloth backing and sublimation (4) of the deposited dye to dye the flocked fibers, for the stage of projection (2), polyester super microfibers are used with a titer of less than 0.5 Dtex and a length of between 0.2 and 0.5 mm.
US07666218B2
In a device for the installation of a compression sleeve around a blood vessel, including a guide element for holding the blood vessel, and a carrier for holding the compression sleeve in a bent-open state in which the carrier and the compression sleeve are supported at the distal end of the installation device, the installation device includes a push element for pushing the compression sleeve off the carrier while the blood vessel is disposed in the bent-open compression sleeve so that, upon its release from the carrier, the compression sleeve extends tightly around the blood vessel.
US07666217B2
Implantable medical endoprosthesis delivery systems and related components, as well as related methods are disclosed.
US07666216B2
The present invention is directed to a delivery catheter for use in deploying a vascular prosthesis having a self-expanding radial distal section joined to a helical section for use in a wide range of interventional applications. The delivery catheter comprises an elongated member having a balloon disposed adjacent to a distal end of the member, means for engaging the distal section of the vascular prosthesis against axial translation, and a sheath that restrains the vascular prosthesis against the elongated member during transluminal delivery. The balloon also may be used to perform angioplasty of a stenosis located within the vessel prior to deployment of the vascular prosthesis. Methods of using the delivery catheter of the present invention also are provided.
US07666212B2
An external fixator implant screw with an intercalated head, of which one embodiment for lag screw mode has a spherical head, and a partial thread. The spherical head in countersunk bone exerts concentric wide contact on insertion at various angles to surface. Optional canalization of central rod allows guide wire technique and optional mobility of head allows variable shaft length between head and thread. Another embodiment for use in basic implant mode, in a single bone fragment, at right angles to bone surface, has a conical head with limited basal contact on bone, the head being integrated to a solid rod and is fully threaded from head to leading tip. In both embodiments, the load transmission is renewable from outside in case of loosening, without reopening any wound. The implant is made of biocompatible material.
US07666206B2
A surgical instrument has an insertion section, an operation section disposed in a proximal end of the insertion section, and a treatment section disposed in a distal end of the insertion section. First and second driving rods are disposed in the insertion section. The operation section is opened/closed and rotated to transmit an opening/closing force to the first driving rod, and a rotating force to the second driving rod. The treatment section comprises a pair of jaws. The treatment section is connected to the distal end portions of the first and second driving rods disposed in the insertion section to rotate and open/close the pair of jaws with respect to the insertion section.
US07666198B2
A system for making anastomoses between hollow structures by mechanical means is provided with a device in the shape of an annular or tubular element comprising circumferentially provided means, such as pin-shaped elements, for joining the abutting walls of the hollow structures together. An applicator is intended for moving said annular or tubular element in position and activating the joining means thereof, so as to make the anastomosis. Possibly, intraluminal joining means can be inserted without using an annular or tubular element.
US07666192B2
The present invention provides skin grafting and devices that comprise a systematic approach to the process of skin grafting, i.e., harvesting, post-excision processing and application of donor skin and pre and post-graft treatment of the recipient site.
US07666188B2
Minimally invasive methods and devices are provided for positioning a spinal fixation element in relation to adjacent spinal anchors. In an exemplary embodiment, the device is a percutaneous access device that can be coupled to a spinal anchor, and the method includes the step of positioning a spinal fixation element through at least one sidewall opening of at least two percutaneous access devices such that the spinal fixation element extends in a lengthwise orientation that is substantially transverse to the longitudinal axis of each percutaneous access device. The spinal fixation element can then be advanced in the lengthwise orientation to seat the spinal fixation element in or adjacent to the receiver heads of at least two adjacent spinal anchors. A fastening element or other closure mechanism can then be applied to each spinal anchor to engage the spinal fixation element within the receiver heads of the adjacent anchors.
US07666181B2
A multi-purpose minimally invasive instrument having a small diameter elongated rod with a distal end that receives different interchangeable tools for a variety of uses, and also a handle used by an operator to control the interchangeable tool by manipulating the electricity it receives from a generator. The rod enters a cavity through a very small diameter telescopic port, which provides it with added support during its use. Interchangeable tools comprising imaging/surgical/sensing/electromagnet/radiofrequency/laser/heat-generating probes and/or other devices enter the cavity, supported by an introducer removed after tool attachment, one-at-a-time through a regular-size port that is concurrently used by an endoscope/camera. The instrument is adaptable for therapeutic, investigative, and/or other applications, in any space. An important medical benefit is the usage of many tools simultaneously while employing only one regular-size port and a very small diameter port for each additional tool used, which expedites patient recovery with excellent cosmetic outcome.
US07666168B2
A device for expelling a fluid through a needle mounted on a hub includes an elongated luer member that has a distal portion dimensioned to engage the needle hub to provide fluid communication between the luer member and the needle. An adapter anchors the luer member within the device. Slidingly mounted on the adapter is a cylindrical-shaped inverted plunger that is movable thereon between an advanced position and a withdrawn position. A needle guard is biased by a biasing member to extend distally from the luer member when the plunger is in the advanced position. The guard is selectively engageable with the plunger to be retracted to expose the distal portion of the luer member for fluid engagement with the needle hub when the plunger is moved to the withdrawn position.
US07666162B2
A breast cup for use with a breast pump for expressing breast milk is provided. The breast cup sealingly separates the air flow from the breast milk, provides a barrier against impingement of the flexible insert by the user's breast and provides a massaging member for facilitating expression of the breast milk.
US07666159B2
A venous reservoir in an extracorporeal blood circuit, comprising a rigid outer enclosure for a filtering mass in the form of a hollow cylinder, provided with an upper lid which comprises couplings for the inflow of blood with the portion of space delimited by the filtering mass and with a connector at the bottom, the reservoir further comprising a diaphragm which is arranged below the upper lid and is adapted to receive the blood that enters through the couplings provided in the peripheral region of the lid, at the axis of a central hole of the diaphragm there is a column with longitudinal vanes which protrude upwardly until they skim the rim of the hole and are adapted to follow the blood in its flow by gravity toward the collection region at the base of the enclosure.
US07666151B2
Devices, systems and methods provide passive patient monitoring of such parameters as body motion, body position, respiratory rate and/or heart rate. Passive monitoring generally involves a sensor device having at least two piezoelectric sensors, provided on a surface, such as a bed, chair, operating table or the like, so that a patient may be coupled with the device by simply allowing the patient to lie, sit, lean, stand on or wear the surface. In one embodiment, multiple patients in a general care area of a hospital may be continuously monitored via multiple passive monitoring devices. If a patient fails to meet one or more predefined threshold criteria or has a negative physiological trend, the system may activate an alarm.
US07666144B2
Method and apparatus are introduced for determining proportional cardiac output (CO), absolute left atrial pressure (LAP), and/or other important hemodynamic variables from a contour of a circulatory pressure waveform or related signal. Certain embodiments of the invention provided herein include the mathematical analysis of a pulmonary artery pressure (PAP) waveform or a right ventricular pressure (RVP) waveform in order to determine beat-to-beat or time-averaged proportional CO, proportional pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), and/or LAP. The invention permits continuous and automatic monitoring of critical hemodynamic variables with a level of invasiveness suitable for routine clinical application. The invention may be utilized, for example, to continuously monitor critically ill patients with pulmonary artery catheters installed and chronically monitor heart failure patients instrumented with implanted devices for measuring RVP.
US07666139B2
An ultrasonic imaging apparatus, including an ultrasonic probe including an ultrasonic vibration element configured to transmit and receive an ultrasonic wave in a scanning direction in an object in which a contrast media has been injected; a transmission unit configured to apply successive drive pulses to the probe so as to transmit respective ultrasonic signals in respective rate sections; a reception unit configured to receive reflected ultrasonic signals, including first reflected ultrasonic signals produced by a first drive pulse in a first rate section and reflected back to the probe in the first rate section and in a second rate section subsequent to the first rate section; an operation unit configured to perform an operation including at least one of addition and subtraction of at least two of the first ultrasonic signals received during different rate sections; and a signal processor configured to produce image data based on the result of the operation performed by the operation unit. Plural driving pulses having alternating polarity may be applied to the probe in a same scan direction.
US07666133B2
An apparatus and a method for urine containment, storage, and release is provided for male and female patients suffering from incontinence. The device comprises a housing including a valve implanted generally in the bladder of a male or female patient. The device further comprises an access port connecting the housing and extending through the abdominal wall of the abdomen. The device replaces the functionality of the urethral valve and allows on demand drainage of the natural bladder which flows from the natural bladder into the urethra and exits the body. The access ports may provide a backup system for urine drainage as well as facilitate access to the gastro-intestinal region as well as the rest of the body.
US07666125B2
A portable leg exercise device is provided for permitting a user to perform both adductor thigh muscle movements and abductor thigh muscle movements.
US07666124B2
The present invention is an exercise machine which includes a moveable section connected to a frame such that the moveable section is independently and simultaneously moveable along an horizontal direction and vertical direction. The exercise machine further includes and a weight stack operably connected to the moveable section, such that the weight stack providing resistance to movement of the moveable section; and a frame operably supporting the moveable section and the weight stack.
US07666118B1
An exercise data collection system and method of collection of data concerning the performance of weightlifters and the like which can be retrofitted for use with a power rack or half rack used by weightlifters and detached after use or alternatively set up in a freestanding arrangement, such as for use on a platform, in which by emitted electromagnetic radiation coupled detectors the movements of a barbell past such emitters is detected by the reflected emission and the speed of passage calculated by determining the interval between reflection of the detector beams between adjacent detectors, the height of such reflection beam being related to the portion of the musculature of the weightlifter that is undergoing extension or retraction during exercise.
US07666115B2
A control system for a hybrid vehicle, in which an engine is connected to a first motor generator and to an output shaft through a power distributing mechanism (12), in which a second motor generator is connected to the output shaft through a transmission (6) wherein a torque capacity is varied in accordance with an oil pressure, and which has an electric oil pump (OPM) for generating an oil pressure, comprising: an oil pressure judging means for judging whether or not the oil pressure established by operating OPM is raised higher than a preset value; an electric oil pump output lowering device for lowering an output of OPM in case the oil pressure judging device judges that the oil pressure is raised higher than the preset value; and a cranking device for carrying out a cranking of E/G by the first motor generator.
US07666114B2
An electric variable inertia apparatus uses a servo drive device to drive a planetary gear mechanism to which a load assembly is attached to provide variable and wide-ranging rotational inertia. A planetary frame and a ring gear of the planetary gear mechanism act as two input ends of the electric variable inertia apparatus, and a rotated shaft of a sun gear assembly of the planetary gear mechanism acts as a load terminal. The load assembly is rotated at a controlled rotational velocity with the ring gear to generate a widely ranging rotational inertia to change a dissipating degree of an input energy from the planetary frame. The electric variable inertia apparatus can be used in different fields such as shock absorbers, stabilizers, dampers or vibrators in the automotive field, etc.
US07666109B2
The present invention is a sports support structure with an integrated pad. By ensuring that the protective pad is integrated with the structure, the present invention ensures theft padding is properly located around the support structure. The integrated pad and sports structure may be raised and lowered to a desired height with a handle attached to an elevator mechanism.
US07666104B2
A water ride attraction is disclosed which utilizes a containerless riding surface to eliminate disadvantageous boundary layer effects. A sheet flow of water is directed up the incline to produce a simulated wave. The configuration and contour of the riding surface and the various flow parameters can be widely varied to produce numerous desirable wave conditions.
US07666100B2
A power transmission device (10) comprises a rotatable rotary part (1, 2) to which a rotational drive force is transmitted from a drive source and a power transmission shut-off member (3) that shuts off transmission of an excessive torque between the rotary part and a rotating shaft (4) of a device to be driven. The power transmission shut-off member is threadedly coupled to the rotating shaft and can rotate with the rotating shaft. The rotary part is installed so as to be sandwiched between the power transmission shut-off member and the rotating shaft. A disc spring (8), installed between the power transmission shut-off member and the rotary part, is further provided. A caulked part (204a) for preventing a part of the power transmission shut-off member from dropping is provided on the front end side of the rotating shaft.
US07666097B2
A method for generating an image in a virtual space seen from a predetermined viewpoint, has: judging whether to start a motion of a first object placed in the virtual space; if it is judged to start the motion of the first object, automatically controlling the motion of the first object in a predetermined moving direction; if it is judged to start the motion of the first object, locating a plurality of effect objects at a front side in the moving direction from a location of the first object; and making the plurality of effect objects sequentially not displayed in proximate order from the location of the first object at time that it is judged to start the motion of the first object.
US07666093B2
A method of gaming is disclosed wherein progressive award values may be increased in response to certain pre-established game outcomes, wager amounts or random events. The increased progressive award values may be based on a primary game or secondary game outcome. Another innovation is the resetting of progressive awards upon completion of a bonus event whether or not award actually won in said bonus event. Player tracking systems permit progressive award values to be linked to a particular player such that the progressive award values remain personal to the player. Re-setting increased progressive award values is also disclosed.
US07666078B2
A method and apparatus for a vending promotional printer for use within a vending machine are disclosed. A vending promotional printer includes a coupon database describing a stack of coupons that are specified using a template based couponing printer language. A coupon is selected for creation and issued to the customer based on a matrix of event-based triggers involving factors or parameters known to the vending promotional printer directly or supplied by master promotional controller. Triggers may include the time of day, the date or amount of a cash-out voucher to be issued to a customer, the duration of play on a vending machine, a customer classification, the amount of money or credits added to a game, or a random frequency of coupon issuance having satisfied any or all of the aforementioned factors. The vending promotional printer may further include the ability to store all of the coupons, trigger conditions, and related information resident in the vending promotional printer in a non-volatile fashion thus enabling a host system to download a promotional environment into the vending promotional printer which will run promotional campaigns on behalf of the hosting system.
US07666077B1
A paint booth arrangement maximizes floor space and efficiency of a painting operation. The arrangement comprises an equipment enclosing structure and certain air handling equipment specifically configured within the structure. The structure comprises forward and rearward sections, opposed wall sections, a centralized roof section, and opposed wall-to-roof sections, which sections define open space having varied elevation for receiving paintable equipment. The air handling equipment comprises an air intake and exhaust assemblies and an air replacement system. The air intake and exhaust assemblies extend coextensively intermediate the wall sections at the rearward section and function to support portions of the air replacement system. The air replacement system comprises conduit extending intermediate the forward and rearward sections as defined by the wall-to-roof sections. The air intake assembly communicates with the conduit for directing inlet airflow to the open space, and the air exhaust assembly comprises exhausts airflow from the open space.
US07666067B2
A device for grinding a cutting tool uses a rotatable grindstone and a tool holder for mounting the cutting tool. The device guides the tool, mounted in the tool holder, along an intended plane, which is tangential to a peripheral surface of the rotatable grindstone, using a practically linear contact between the rotatable grindstone and the cutting tool. By moving the tool holder, with the mounted cutting tool, along the intended plane, this plane is transferred to an unbevelled side of the cutting tool.
US07666065B2
A shaping apparatus for shaping a flotation core includes a worktable. At least one support is adjustably mounted on the worktable to be adjustable at least along a z-axis and configured to support the core. At least one engagement mechanism is mounted on the worktable and is displaceable relative to the worktable to engage and retain the core in position on the worktable. A gantry supports a rotary shaping machine so that a tool of the machine rotates in a y-z plane. The worktable and the gantry are displaceable relative to each other along x-, y- and z-axes. A displacement mechanism displaces the worktable and the gantry relative to each other on receipt of suitable control signals.
US07666056B2
An apparatus for launching streamers is disclosed in which the streamers remain connected to the user's hand during and after launch.
US07666054B2
An offset matrix adapter for integrating existing components of K'nex construction toys with existing components of Lego-style brick systems, notwithstanding that the spacing matrices of the systems are incompatible. Adapter bricks or bases are provided, having adapter sockets with the same spacing matrix as the studs of the Lego-style bricks. Special K'nex offset matrix adapters are provided, consisting of a pair of spaced-apart mounting stems for reception in a pair of spaced-apart adapter sockets. An offset rod is rigidly supported at the tops of the mounting stems but is offset laterally from the axes of the mounting stems by a distance which is preferably about one-third of the spacing between adapter sockets. By orienting a pair of matrix adapters with the rods offset alternatively inward or outward, the spacing differences between K'nex and Lego-style systems can be reduced to insignificance, allowing the two systems to be easily integrated.
US07666050B2
To provide a method of manufacturing a display device having an excellent impact resistance property with high yield, in particular, a method using a plastic substrate. The method of manufacturing a display device includes metal film, an oxide film, and an optical filter on a first substrate; separating layers including the optical filter from the first substrate; attaching layers including the optical filter to a second substrate; forming a layer including a pixel on a surface of a third substrate; attaching the layer including the pixel to a fourth substrate; and attaching layers including the optical filter to another surface of the third substrate.
US07666046B2
A rescue water craft comprising an elongated closed-loop tubular structure and a floor is described. The tubular structure has a mid portion and two end portions. Both end portions rise upwardly and outwardly from the mid portion at an angle comprised between 70 and 85 degrees. The floor partially runs along the mid portion. The floor is attached to and encircled by the tubular structure. Each of the two end portions defines an opening between the tubular structure and the floor.
US07666044B2
Method of supplying oil from a first floating structure to an offloading structure, includes providing a flexible duct extending between the two structures at a water depth of between 50 m and 500 m, the duct including a flexible elastomeric material and having an internal diameter of at least 600 mm and a length of between 1500 and 3000 m, providing at least one pump at the first structure and pumping the oil through the duct at a pressure between 5 bar and at a flow rate between 1000 and 50,000 m3/hr, providing a single flexible duct, and providing a wall thickness of the duct such that at water temperatures between 2° C. and 20° C., the oil has at the first structure an inlet temperature Tin and at the second structure an outlet temperature T0 that Tin-T0 is smaller that or equal to 15° C., preferably smaller than 5° C.
US07666040B2
Enhanced watercraft performance is provided by combinations of one or more inboard swivel propulsion drives and hull tunnels. A tunnel at the hull centerline with specific features provides performance advantages for a center swivel propulsion drive. Use of front propeller based traction propulsion is particularly advantageous in the swivel drive systems and allows the use of tunnels with improved tunnel conformations. Advantages of the traction swivel drive arrangements include minimization of hull space with smaller engine room volume, greater propulsion efficiency and improved watercraft handling.
US07666027B2
An electrical connector includes a first connector including a first interlock terminal, a first connecting terminal, and a first interlock connector for holding the first interlock terminal, and a second connector including a second interlock terminal electrically connected to the first interlock terminal, and a second connecting terminal engaged with the first connecting terminal. The second connector further includes a second interlock connector engaged with the first interlock connector and holding the second interlock terminal, a fit detecting portion movable in conjunction with the second interlock connector for detecting a fit state of the first connector and the second connector, and a rod for connecting the second interlock connector to the fit detecting portion. The second interlock connector includes an interlock female connector including a U-shaped portion substantially U-shaped in a side cross sectional view.
US07666026B2
An electrical connector includes a first connector including a first interlock terminal, a first connecting terminal, and a first interlock connector for holding the first interlock terminal, and a second connector including a second interlock terminal electrically connected to the first interlock terminal, and a second connecting terminal engaged with the first connecting terminal. The second connector further includes a second interlock connector engaged with the first interlock connector and holding the second interlock terminal, and a fit detecting portion movable in conjunction with the second interlock connector for detecting a fit state of the first connector and the second connector.
US07666024B2
Disclosed herein is an electrical connector. The electrical connector includes an upper pad, a lower pad, a fastener, and a spring. The upper pad includes a first upper groove, a second upper groove, and an upper hole. The upper hole extends through the upper pad between the first upper groove and the second upper groove. The lower pad includes a first lower groove, a second lower groove, and an elongated hole. The elongated hole extends through the lower pad between the first lower groove and the second lower grove. The fastener extends through the upper hole and the elongated hole. The spring is between the fastener and the lower pad. The spring is configured to bias the upper pad and the lower pad towards each other. The lower pad is configured to be pivotable around the fastener, and relative to the upper pad, at the elongated hole.
US07666021B2
An electrical connector assembly includes a frame (7) defining a central opening (70) and with a front portion (75) and a rear portion (76), an insulative housing (10 securely disposed within the central opening, a cover (6) having hook portions (61) rotatablely assembled in the rear portion of the frame, a lever (3) with a pressing portion (32) pivotally retained to the front portion of the frame to lock the cover against the insulative housing, a heat sink (4) disposed onto the cover and at least one clip (5) for securing the heat sink to the cover. The frame defines locking portions (710, 720) at the front portion and the rear portion thereof, the at least one clip defines a pair of legs (50) and a connecting portion (52) connecting the legs. One leg locks with the locking portion of the front portion and the other leg locks with the locking portion of the rear portion of the frame.
US07666020B2
A fastening structure comprises a stiffener including a first end and a second end opposite to the first end. A load plate is pivotally supported on a first end of the stiffener and has a pair of lateral walls. A lever is pivotally mounted on the lateral walls of the load plate and a locking portion to lock the load plate to the stiffener. An LGA socket using the fastening structure comprises an insulative housing having a plurality of contacts. A stiffener includes a first end and a second end and is positioned on a bottom surface of the insulative housing. A load plate is pivotally attached on the first end of the stiffener and has at least a lateral sidewall. A lever is pivotally mounted on the lateral sidewall, the lever and the load plate is being pivotal between an open position and a closed position together, the lever has a transverse locking portion to lock the load plate to the stiffener near the second end of the stiffener.
