US07673089B2
A memory apparatus includes a non-volatile computer memory, a USB mass storage controller connected to the non-volatile computer memory, the USB mass storage controller including a daisy chain component, a male USB interface connected to the USB mass storage controller, and at least one other interface for a memory device, other than a USB interface, the at least one other interface being connected to the USB mass storage controller.
US07673085B2
A multi-channel communication circuit includes a master device, a plurality of slave devices, and a multiplexer (MUX). A transmitting pin and a receiving pin of a serial interface of the master device are respectively connected to a first data input pin and a first data output pin of the MUX. Two control pins of the serial interface of the master device are connected to two selecting pins of the MUX. Four pins of the serial interface of the master device are connected to a power pin of the MUX. Transmitting pins of a serial interface of each slave device are respectively connected to a plurality of second data input pins of the MUX and receiving pins of a serial interface of each slave device are respectively connected to a plurality of second data output pins of the MUX, the master device communicates with one slave device via transmitting a corresponding selecting signal to the two selecting pins of the MUX to select one slave device.
US07673084B2
A bus system and methods for initialization and communication in a bus system are presented.
US07673080B1
A flash memory card includes a differential datapath that enables communications between the flash memory card and a host device to be performed using differential signals. The differential datapath can translate between the differential signals and card-specific signals that control read/write operations to the memory array of the flash memory card. The card-specific signals can be standard MultiMediaCard, Secure-Digital card, Memory Stick, or CompactFlash card signals, among others. A host device that provides differential data transfer capability can include a similar differential datapath. By using differential data transfer rather than conventional clocked data transfer, overall data bandwidth between a flash memory card and a host device can be significantly increased, while simultaneously decreasing power consumption and pin requirements.
US07673070B1
The present invention generally relates to providing a plurality of logical nodes in a telecommunications node. A plurality of control processors are configured to manage data routing paths for the logical nodes. Each logical node can be associated with a different entity.
US07673068B2
A network node is described herein which ensures that whenever an ingress station (e.g., PC) communicates a special MAC DA packet then that packet's copies are forwarded (via a high availability VLAN) to its port(s) that are associated with remote network node(s) and/or egress server(s) (e.g., firewall(s)) and not forwarded to its port(s) that are associated with data storage server(s) or ingress station(s) (e.g., PCs). The network node also ensures that whenever an ingress station (e.g., PC) communicates a normal MAC DA packet then that packet's copies are forwarded to all of its port(s) that are associated with ingress station(s), remote network node(s), egress server(s) and/or data storage server(s) so that these stations/servers can maintain their connectivity via a default VLAN.
US07673064B2
Apparatus, methods, and program products that present commentary audio in conjunction with an experiential data stream by detecting proximity of a playback position to an audio trigger position associated with a commentary audio clip and presenting the commentary audio clip accordingly.
US07673061B2
A method or apparatus in an exemplary embodiment supports first and second layer network nodes that may be configured to communicate with each other via a communications path. In embodiments a first network node communicates via a second network node across a layer 2 network to send data. The first network node is typically on a different link layer protocol than the second network node receiving the data. Thus, the first and second layer network nodes, having different link layer protocols, may communicate with each other. Accordingly, through use of embodiments of this invention, Neighbor Discovery (ND) is possible in a network, such as an IPv6 network, that has protocols incompatible with each other.
US07673060B2
Embodiments of the present invention are broadly directed to novel systems and methods for providing reliable multicast of data in a multi-node graphics system. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a multi-node computer graphics system is provided comprising a master node capable of executing a graphics application and a plurality of render nodes configured to collectively render a graphic image, in response to graphics data communicated from the master node. The embodiment further comprises logic associated with the master node for communicating graphics data to the plurality of render nodes in a multicast packet. Additional logic, associated with the master node, is provided for determining whether a predetermined number of render nodes have acknowledged receipt of the multicast packet. The embodiment further comprises logic associated with the master node for re-transmitting the multicast packet to the plurality of render nodes, if the predetermined number of render nodes have not acknowledged receipt of the multicast packet within a given time.
US07673059B2
A method of tracking electronic content includes producing a file of electronic content and executable instructions that collect notification information and attempt to transmit the notification information to an address when triggered by an event. The executable instructions deny access to the electronic content until the notification information is transmitted successfully.
US07673058B1
The spam blocker monitors the SMTP/TCP/IP conversation between a sending message transfer agent MTA—0 and a receiving message transfer agent MTA—1; catches MTA—0's IP address IP—0, MTA—0's declared domain D—0, from-address A—0; to-address A—1, and the body of the message; and uses this source and content information to test for unsolicited messages. It interrupts the conversation when MTA—0 sends a .\r\n end-of-message indicator and uses the various test results to decide if the message is suspected of being unsolicited. If the message is suspected of being unsolicited then it logs the rejected message and sends an error reply to MTA—0 which forces MTA—0 to send a QUIT command before the body of the message is transmitted; else it logs the allowed message and releases the intercepted RCPT command which allows the conversation between MTA—0 and MTA—1 to proceed.
US07673052B2
A method and system for selecting compatible systems for virtual server mobility. Responsive to determining a current location of a workload partition instance running on a managed server, mandatory compatibility tests specified in a compatibility policy associated with the workload partition instance are executed to compare properties of the managed server with properties of potential target systems. A list of potential target systems is generated that have passed the mandatory compatibility tests specified in a compatibility policy. Optional compatibility tests specified in a compatibility policy associated with the workload partition instance are executed. The potential target systems that have failed any of the optional compatibility tests are removed from the list to form a filtered list, wherein the filtered list comprises a list of potential target systems compatible to support relocation of process collections within the workload partition instance.
US07673030B2
A control system, method and computer program are provided for communicating control information in a control system. The control system includes a master controller and a plurality of devices. Each of the plurality of devices have a number of channels. Each channel has an identifying number and a plurality of channel states. The method includes at least initially directing one or more messages sent to and from each device to the master controller, sending a first type of control message from the master controller to respective devices, and sending a second type of control message and a third type of control message from the master controller to respective devices. A control message of the first type directs the respective device to place one of its channels in a specified channel state. A control message of the second type directs the respective device to set the level of a specified parameter to a certain value, and a control message of the third type comprises a character string of variable length.
US07673015B2
An information-processing apparatus operated by a user to carry out communications through a network transmits user-disclosure information to an other information-processing apparatus. The user-disclosure information includes a number of other users utilizing the information-processing apparatus. The apparatus also receives user-disclosure information for the other apparatus and controls a process to display the other user-disclosure information. The apparatus produces a determination result indicating that a requested connection to the other information-processing apparatus is authorized or not authorized by the other information-processing apparatus based on a response received from the other information-processing apparatus. The response is based on the transmitted user-disclosure information. The apparatus is also configured to transmit image and voice data to the other information-processing apparatus and receive image and voice data from the other information-processing apparatus in case the determination result indicates that a connection with the other information-processing apparatus is authorized by the other information-processing apparatus.
US07673000B2
An email having a header and a message is processed by an email service to store the header in a plurality of attached storage devices that are each in communication with one of a respective plurality of header host computing devices. The email service stores the message in a separate file in a plurality of attached storage devices that are each in communication with one of a respective plurality of message host computing devices.
US07672995B2
A computer-implemented process takes content created collaboratively from a workgroup environment and converts it into a scheduled web page that is publishable on the Internet. The computer-implemented process loosely relates the generated collaboration content and the published web page such that each may be independently modified and have independent life cycles, but still reflect changes to the collaboration content on the published web page.
US07672987B2
A computer system for integrating medical information using the Unified Medical Language System (UMLS) as a taxonomy of medical terms includes a learner module for learning from training data concept classifiers for a source ontology and a target ontology, a mapper module for generating associations between source and target ontology classifiers using the UMLS, an annotator module for extracting knowledge from test data using source and target ontology classifiers and UMLS, and a feedback module for ranking associations according to a level or certainty, and presenting those associations that fall below a predefined level of certainty to a user for correction.
US07672986B2
A public graphic library coupled to a WAN offers access to a database of graphics, while another graphic library inside the firewall of an enterprise network provides graphics to users in an enterprise. Transferring graphics from the public graphic library to the enterprise graphic library enables enterprise users to access content residing on the public graphic library while the enterprise network is disconnected or otherwise isolated from the WAN. A remote library director in a drawing software program directs communication between a user computer and either the public graphic library or the enterprise graphic library. The configuration of this director specifies the library from which a user accesses graphics.
US07672971B2
A system and method identifying duplicate objects from a plurality of objects. The system and method groups similar objects into buckets based on a selected grouper, matches objects within the same bucket based on a selected matcher, and identifies the matching objects as duplicate objects.
US07672966B2
A facility for storing extrinsic data is described. The facility receives data associated with a distinguished extrinsic data item of a specified type. The facility determines whether a flexible column directory table contains an entry mapping the distinguished extrinsic data item to a flexible column pool column. If the flexible column directory table does not contain an entry mapping the distinguished extrinsic data item to a flexible column pool column, the facility creates an entry in the flexible column directory table that maps the distinguished extrinsic data item to an available flexible column pool column of the specified type. The facility then copies the received data to the flexible column pool column mapped from the distinguished extrinsic data item.
US07672951B1
A navigation system is used in combination with a data retrieval system to more effectively locate the correct answers or information in search content. The navigation system provides taxonomies that identify different information categories and sub-categories (facets). Classifiers automatically classify the search content by identifying the content corresponding with associated facets. The facets, in conjunction with the associated classifiers, provide robust classification and correlation between both structured and unstructured content. Rules can be used in conjunction with the facets and classifiers to automatically control different navigation operations. The navigation system can also leverage ontologies to dynamically create taxonomies and provides unique facet expansion and intra-document classification operations.
US07672950B2
Method and apparatus for selecting, analyzing, and visualizing related database records as a network
A method and apparatus for selecting and converting database records or sets of related documents into network data and presenting that data in a network visualization system that enables users to select among, and move between various network displays by selecting one or more attributes of the data to be represented as the nodes and links of the network.
US07672948B2
A method of facilitating transformation of survey data from being in at least one foreign format used by a survey-tool to being in a desired format may include: receiving instances of foreign data from survey-tools, the foreign data being in foreign format used by the survey-tools, respectively; and appending, to the instances of foreign data, service-keys to identify the service tools which gathered the foreign data, respectively, to produce a data block that includes key-and-foreign-data pairs. Another such method may include: receiving such a data block; culling from the block key-and-foreign-data pairs; and operating upon the pairs to transform respective chunks of foreign data from being in respective foreign formats into being in corresponding desired formats according to corresponding service-keys, respectively.
US07672942B2
Enables locating and merging potential data record matches. Enables locating duplicates through the definition of matching strategies. Each strategy may include transformations, matching rules and scoring thresholds to implement fuzzy matches that match closely related data records that are not exact matches. Performing a search allows for narrowing down the records to a desired set on which to apply a given matching strategy. Merging is performed on the potential duplicates thus located to consolidate data and remove duplicates. By narrowing down the records to a closely related set via a search, merging is simplified to work on a small number of closely related records, thus simplifying the process. The total matching score obtained via execution of match strategies may be utilized to determine which potential record(s) to merge for example. May utilize past user input to provide intelligent inputs for rules, tokens, weights, fields, parameters or any other past user input.
US07672939B2
The present invention relates to a system and methodology to facilitate database processing in accordance with a plurality of various applications. In one aspect, a large database of objects is processed, wherein the objects can be represented as points in a vector space, and two or more objects are deemed ‘close’ if a Euclidean distance between the points is small. This can apply for substantially any type of object, provided a suitable distance measure can be defined. In another aspect, a ‘test’ object having a vector x, is processed to determine if there exists an object y in the database such that the distance between x and y falls below a threshold t. If several objects in the database satisfy this criteria, a list of objects can be returned, together with their corresponding distances. If no objects were to satisfy the criterion, an indication of this condition can also be provided, but in addition, the condition or information relating to the condition can be provided.
US07672936B2
The present invention generally is directed to a method, system and article of manufacture for controlling the access to data granted to a requesting entity based upon data accessed by the entity in the past. Additionally, embodiments of the present invention allow for access control independent from the particular manner in which the data is physically represented. Generally, abstraction layers are provided to represent various data sources available for use by an application and to compose queries used by the application to access and/or update information contained in these data sources. A runtime component is responsible for resolving an abstract query into concrete data access requests to one or more data repositories using information contained in a data repository abstraction component (one of the abstraction layers). Typically, data is organized into a series of domains. Within each domain, data is associated with an account. User activity is monitored, and when data associated with one account is accessed, a user may subsequently be prohibited from accessing data from a related account within the same domain.
US07672934B1
Various embodiments of a method and system for accessing an instance of a database file previously created by a secured RDBMS are disclosed. The secured RDBMS is not used to reconstruct tables and records from an unmounted backed up copy of a database file. During backup, a schema file including table and index information is stored along with the database file. During a subsequent restore operation, the schema file may be read for efficiently reconstructing objects from the database file, without having to reload or reinstall the secured RDBMS. For restoring or comparing objects from the backed up database file, a stored procedure in the secured RDBMS may be called.
US07672927B1
A method and apparatus for generating a list of candidate alternative spellings is provided. Among a plurality of files, a first file, which contains a link that indicates a user-entered spelling, is found. The link links to a second file. A second spelling, which is spelled similarly to, but not exactly the same as, the first spelling, is located within the second file. The second spelling is added to a list of candidate alternative spellings of the first spelling. The second spelling does not need to be contained in any result field (e.g., title, abstract, or URL) that is associated with the second file.
US07672925B2
A system, method, and computer program product for processing a database query are presented. Steps for identifying a value expression comprising information needed in order to resolve a query, associating enumerated values with the set of distinct values for the value expression, evaluating the query utilizing the enumerated values, and deleting the association are disclosed.
US07672922B2
The pointer-oriented object acquisition method for abstract treatment of information of the computer system of AI of a cyborg or an android based on a natural language.The pointer-oriented object acquisition method for abstract treatment of information of the computer system of AI of a cyborg or an android based on a natural language, in which three pointers are created in the computer main memory (in RAM) of the computer system of AI of a cyborg or an android in the natural language, in which the computer system is working at this timeframe, at runtime. In this way, the subjective object, the associative object and the abstract object of the computer system of AI of a cyborg or an android are instantiated and are initialized. With these objects, which are implemented in a natural language, one can access to, i.e. manipulate with the element variables, i.e. with the data elements, of a class of the classification tree of the computer system of AI of the cyborg or the android.
US07672919B2
Determination of a connectivity-metrics for graphs representative of networks of interest. A graph that represents a network of interest is accessed. The graph includes nodes representing points in the network of interest, and edges corresponding to the nodes. Bit-vectors are generated corresponding to the nodes and/or edges, wherein individual bits in the bit-vectors respectively provide a logical indication of connectedness. The connectivity-metric is then determined by applying a logical bit operation to the plurality of bit-vectors. Examples of connectivity metrics include a connected components, shortest paths, betweenness, clustering, and tree-based determinations.
US07672906B2
A method and system for ensuring the secure authentication of transactions over a communication network using a validation code 40, wherein the user submits information over a communication terminal and submitting validation code 40 for authentication allows the transaction to be completed, the system comprised of: a substantially transparent alphanumeric cipher card 10 associated with the user information, wherein cipher card 10 contains rows and columns of random alphanumeric characters; and an authentication module for providing validation code 40 to the user whereby a color grid 20 is generated to be displayed on a user terminal, wherein the cells of color grid 20 are randomly filled with one of a plurality of colors and the design of color grid 20 is adapted to cipher card 10 such that upon positioning alphanumeric cipher card 10 over color grid 20, the user can deduce a validation code 40.
US07672905B2
An apparatus for rendering a digital content having license information defining specifics of permission of a rendering operation includes a license processor that acquires, from the license information of the digital content, a constraint defining conditions for rendering between the digital content and other digital content; an operation execution command generator that generates an operation execution command for rendering the digital content according to the constraint acquired by the license processor; and a content renderer that renders the digital content based on the operation execution command generated by the operation execution command generator.
US07672900B2
A method and system for generating a completed payment document ready for signature in image form and enabling signature in image form, storing the image and providing a printed copy of the document including the signature. A write input device for showing the image and enabling the signature includes a transparent interactive digitizing element with writing stylus, a display module positioned beneath the digitizing element and visible therethrough, and optionally a magnetic stripe reader for providing document-related information for the display. The device is embodied in a system which also includes a point of sale terminal, a printer for printing records of transactions processed by the system and a controller operatively coupled to other elements of the system.
US07672898B1
A system and method for regulating order entry based on an acceptable slop range for a trading strategy are described. According to one example embodiment, a trader may define an acceptable slop range for a trading strategy as a percentage. The trader may also define a variable to associate with the trading strategy. Using a spread trading algorithm, a spread price axis is generated and the trader may place an order for the trading strategy at a desired price, comprising placing an order in one leg market dependent on the market conditions of another leg market. Using the acceptable slop range, the system keep the net cost to the trader within the acceptable slop range, by regulating orders in the leg markets. Defining an acceptable slop range as a percentage allows the trader to monitor and regulate their profits and loss, regardless of the type of spread trading algorithm used or the placement of an order o the spread price axis.
US07672895B2
Market data is recorded from a real live exchange. The recording data can be played back in real time or delayed, in any manner, to simulate the recorded market. Moreover, one or more users can participate in the simulated market just as if they were participating in a real-live market. The system provides a realistic trading environment without the associated risks of trading in a live-market such as losing money and the cost of making trades. The system may be used for training purposes and for purposes of testing and analyzing various trading strategies. Software developers and testers may also utilize the realistic environment to develop trading products or applications. Additionally, the system provides a means for demonstrating trading application products.
US07672887B2
Disclosed is a system and method for creating a financial index related to healthcare costs. A financial derivative instrument can be created from the index. Using the financial derivative instrument, an entity can hedge against unexpected fluctuations of healthcare costs.
US07672882B2
Apparatus, methods and computer programs provided for metering and accounting in a commercial e-services infrastructure address the requirement for handling composite services in which higher-level services are built using simpler underlying services, each of which may be autonomously owned and operated. Metering records for each service underlying a composite service are correlated by a process associated with the composite service, and then sent to an accounting service where they can be aggregated. The correlation is performed in a distributed manner with correlated usage data provided on a per-request basis. Accounting services can take account of the usage and charges associated with the underlying services to provide accounting and billing on a per-request basis or per customer-provider pair for a billing period.
US07672871B2
A self-checkout system for processing an article with an security tag attached thereto includes a self-checkout station, a product code input device, a deactivation device and a prompting system to provide instructions to a user. The system can automatically prompt a user to pass an article within a deactivation region generated by the deactivation device to deactivate an anti-theft tag.
US07672867B2
A method for deploying parts is disclosed. Locations that include supply locations and demand locations are defined. A supply location supplies parts to a demand location. A demand is computed for each part at each location. An availability lead-time is estimated for each part at each location. A lead-time demand is computed for each part at each location using the availability lead-times for the part. A stock level is computed for each part at each location. A completely filled demand is determined from the lead-time demands and the stock levels, and a partially filled demand is determined from the lead-time demands and the stock levels. A coverage function for the parts at the locations is generated from the completely filled demand and the partially filled demand.
US07672865B2
The invention, referred to herein as PeaCoCk, uses a unique blend of technologies from statistics, information theory, and graph theory to quantify and discover patterns in relationships between entities, such as products and customers, as evidenced by purchase behavior. In contrast to traditional purchase-frequency based market basket analysis techniques, such as association rules which mostly generate obvious and spurious associations, PeaCoCk employs information-theoretic notions of consistency and similarity, which allows robust statistical analysis of the true, statistically significant, and logical associations between products. Therefore, PeaCoCk lends itself to reliable, robust predictive analytics based on purchase-behavior.
US07672863B2
A load balancing method comprises the steps of: registering a business configuration definition of each business service including a schedule of the business service with a business configuration management repository; storing at least a service level objective of each business service; storing information on performance of each information processing module; acquiring the registered schedule and the stored service level objective of the designated business service; partitioning the schedule of the designated business service into a plurality of partial schedules according to the acquired service level objective; selecting one or more information processing modules whose performance information stored in the performance management table satisfies the service level objective in each partial schedule; and reserving the information processing modules selected for the partial schedules as information processing modules for executing the designated business service in the schedule. A partition fulfilling agreements on service quality can be constructed dynamically.
US07672860B2
A computer-implemented method and system for estimating a contribution of a defense to premises liability is provided. In one embodiment, a set of characteristics of an accident may be provided to a computer system. A contribution of the defense may be determined from at least one of the characteristics of the accident. In one embodiment, a characteristic may include a location of the accident. The defense may selected from a group of one or more defenses.
US07672850B2
In one exemplary embodiment of the invention, a method is provided for arranging voice feedback to a digital wireless terminal device, which includes a voice-assisted user interface (Voice UI), wherein the terminal device gives a voice feedback corresponding to its state. The terminal device includes memory devices (PPM) for storing the voice feedbacks. In the method, the following stages take place to arrange the voice feedback in connection with the terminal device: one or more voice feedbacks are generated, the generated voice feedbacks are converted into a digital form, the digitalized voice feedbacks are edited with chosen algorithms (ACELP) in order to reduce their file size, and the edited voice feedbacks are stored in a memory (PPM) arranged in connection with the terminal device.
US07672847B2
Methods are given for improving discriminative training of hidden Markov models for continuous speech recognition. For a mixture component of a hidden Markov model state, a gradient adjustment is calculated of the standard deviation of the mixture component. If the calculated gradient adjustment is greater than a first threshold amount, an adjustment is performed of the standard deviation of the mixture component using the first threshold. If the calculated gradient adjustment is less than a second threshold amount, an adjustment is performed of the standard deviation of the mixture component using the second threshold. Otherwise, an adjustment is performed of the standard deviation of the mixture component using the calculated gradient adjustment.
US07672844B2
A voice processing apparatus for performing voiceprint recognition processing with high accuracy even in the case where a plurality of conference participants speak at a time in a conference; wherein a bi-directional telephonic communication portion receives as an input respective voice signals from a plurality of microphones, selects one microphone based on the input voice signals, and outputs a voice signal from the microphone; a voiceprint recognition portion 322 performs voiceprint recognition based on the input voice signal in voiceprint recognizable period, and stores voiceprint data successively in a buffer; and a CPU takes out voiceprint data successively from the buffer, checking against voiceprint data stored in a voiceprint register, specifies a speaker, and processes the voice signal output from the bi-directional telephonic communication portion by associating the same with the speaker.
US07672843B2
A signature is extracted from the audio of a program received by a tunable receiver such that the signature characterizes the program. In order to extract the signature, blocks of the audio are converted to corresponding spectral moments. At least one of the spectral moments is then converted to the signature. Also, a test audio signal from a receiver is correlated to a reference audio signal by converting the test audio signal and the reference audio signal to corresponding test and reference spectra, determining test slopes corresponding to coefficients of the test spectrum and reference slopes corresponding to coefficients of the reference spectrum, and comparing the test slopes to the reference slopes in order to determine a match between the test audio signal and the reference audio signal.
US07672840B2
A voice speed control apparatus comprising: an utterance/non-utterance judging unit judging whether a processing target segment in inputted a voice signal is an utterance segment or a non-utterance segment; a non-utterance continuation length acquiring unit acquiring a non-utterance continuation length representing a length of the voice signal judged continuously to be the non-utterance; a determining unit determining a reproducing speed of the processing target segment in the voice signal in accordance with the non-utterance continuation length so that the reproducing speed gets higher as the non-utterance continuation length gets larger and so that an increase in reproducing speed is restrained to a greater degree as the non-utterance continuation length becomes smaller; and a changing unit changing the reproducing speed of the voice signal, corresponding to the reproducing speed.
US07672833B2
Entity disambiguation resolves which names, words, or phrases in text correspond to distinct persons, organizations, locations, or other entities in the context of an entire corpus. The invention is based largely on language-independent algorithms. Thus, it is applicable not only to unstructured text from arbitrary human languages, but also to semi-structured data, such as citation databases and the disambiguation of named entities mentioned in wire transfer transaction records for the purpose of detecting money-laundering activity. The system uses multiple types of context as evidence for determining whether two mentions correspond to the same entity and it automatically learns the weight of evidence of each context item via corpus statistics. The invention uses multiple search keys to efficiently find pairs of mentions that correspond to the same entity, while skipping billions of unnecessary comparisons, yielding a system with very high throughput that can be applied to truly massive data.
US07672830B2
Methods are disclosed for performing proper word alignment that satisfy constraints of coverage and transitive closure. Initially, a translation matrix which defines word association measures between source and target words of a corpus of bilingual translations of source and target sentences is computed. Subsequently, in a first method, the association measures in the translation matrix are factorized and orthogonalized to produce cepts for the source and target words, which resulting matrix factors may then be, optionally, multiplied to produce an alignment matrix. In a second method, the association measures in the translation matrix are thresholded, and then closed by transitivity, to produce an alignment matrix, which may then be, optionally, factorized to produce cepts. The resulting cepts or alignment matrices may then be used by any number of natural language applications for identifying words that are properly aligned.
US07672829B2
A method and system for translating text from a source language into a target language is described. A source word table and a source structure analysis table corresponding to the source language can be generated based on the text to be translated. A target word table and a target structure analysis table corresponding to the target language can be generated based on the source word table and the source structure analysis table. A translation of the text from the source language into the target language is then generated using the target word table and the target structure analysis table.
US07672828B2
A software development technique is provided using target system virtualization software simulating behaviour of a target system. A target device driver running on a host system issues memory access commands to the target system virtualization software rather than to a memory interface unit of the host system. The memory interface unit may be an SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) interface. The target system may be an EGPRS (Enhanced General Packet Radio Service) modem.
US07672827B1
A system and method for simulating the electrical operation of a mixed analog/digital system includes the capability for analog circuit block inputs to respond to the condition in which digital gate outputs connected to the analog circuit block input are presented in high-impedance or floating signal states, thereby providing for simulation of a wide variety of mixed analog/digital designs in which this condition occurs. In a simulated design, an analog input of one or more analog circuit blocks is transformed into an analog tri-statable input-output referred to as an ioput. The ioput is capable of driving an analog signal when the digital gate outputs connected to the analog block input are presented in a high-impedance Z state; otherwise, the ioput acts as an analog input to the analog circuit block.
US07672825B2
A method is disclosed for controlling production of oil and/or gas from an underground reservoir by means of a closed loop production control system, in which: an assembly of monitoring sensors (4) monitor the physical properties of hydrocarbon and other fluids within the reservoir; a plurality of high order and/or low order mathematical reservoir models (5,7) calculate each an estimate of the physical properties of hydrocarbon and other fluids in the hydrocarbon containing formation and in the wells; the mathematical reservoir models (5,7) are iteratively updated in response to data provided by the assembly of sensors such that any difference between the properties monitored by the assembly of sensors and those calculated by each of the reservoir models is minimized; an optimal mathematical reservoir model (5,7) or an optimal combination thereof is selected during at least one updating step for which an averaged difference between the calculated properties and the properties monitored by the assembly of sensors (4) is minimal; and an optimization algorithm (8) controls, on the basis of data provided by the selected optimal mathematical reservoir model or optimal combination thereof, production control assemblies of a plurality of wells which traverse the formation.
US07672819B2
A spot weld fracture analysis method for a spot weld portion of three or more mutually superimposed plates that are spot-welded at a common welding point comprises an analysis step of executing an analysis by using a finite element model in which each plate is modeled by shell elements, and the shell elements corresponding to a spot weld point position of each plate are individually interconnected via beam elements, and a prediction step of finding an element force of a beam element that acts on a shell element relevant to a middle plate from a difference between the element forces of two beam elements connected to the shell element on a basis of the analysis result, and predicting a possibility of fracture of a spot weld between the middle plate and an adjacent plate by using the difference element force found from the difference.
US07672817B2
The invention relates to methods of measuring an aircraft under simulated flight-loads while the aircraft is not in-flight. While the aircraft is under the simulated flight-loads, positions of one or more portions of the aircraft may be measured in order to determine how the aircraft is performing under such loads. The aircraft may be readjusted and/or redesigned based on the measurements in order to reduce drag on the aircraft.
US07672815B2
A method of evaluating constraint functions, the evaluation being based at least in part on a control blade movement criteria.
US07672814B1
The present invention provides a system for identifying exceptional behavior of a hardware or software component. According to one embodiment, the system comprises an operational metric calculator that is operative to sample a first behavior of an operational metric and a second behavior of the operational metric. The operational metric may be any metric that quantifies the operation of a hardware or software component, as well as combinations thereof. A baseline threshold calculator is operative to calculate a baseline threshold on the basis of the first sampled behavior of the operational metric. The baseline threshold is applied by a baseline threshold analyzer to the second operational metric to generate an alarm when the second sampled behavior of the operational metric deviates from the baseline threshold.
US07672813B2
A method and system for detecting and classifying biosensor and chemical sensor data includes processing data fetched from an array of sensors. A statistical analysis of the processed data is performed, to obtain statistically analyzed sensor data. A determination is made, based on the statistically analyzed sensor data, whether or not there a response signal has been generated from the array of sensors. If a response signal is determined to have been generated, a numerical pattern recognition is performed on the data collected from the array of sensors, in order to categorize the data.
US07672802B2
A system and method for performing audiometric testing utilizes an independently normalized audiometer and independently calibrated earphones.
US07672799B2
A defect inspection apparatus includes: stages each mounting an inspecting object on which a circuit pattern having a group of parallel lines is formed, and each running perpendicular or parallel to the group of lines; an illumination optical system which illuminating a surface of the inspecting object with a slit beam being slit light so that a longitudinal direction of the slit beam is substantially perpendicular to the running directions of the stages, and which has a first inclined angle formed by the direction of the group of lines and a projection line, of an optical axis of the slit beam, to the inspecting object; a spatial filter that shields or transmits reflected and scattered light of the inspecting object according to a difference in distribution of orientation; and a detection optical system that detects the reflected and scattered light transmitted through the spatial filter by image sensors. Moreover, the illumination optical system illuminates the inspecting object with another slit beam from a direction opposite to an incident direction of the slit beam on a plane.
US07672795B1
A method includes the steps of providing a tidal seepage meter having a power supply, a controller capable of controlling the power supply according to a sampling schedule, a motor capable of receiving power from the power supply according to the sampling schedule, a selector valve having an input port and at least two outlet ports and capable of selecting an output valve according to the sampling schedule, a seepage chamber capable of receiving seepage and inputting seepage to the selector valve via the input port, and a first sample container and a second sample container capable of receiving seepage from the selector valve via the output valve, transferring the sampling schedule to the tidal seepage meter, positioning the tidal seepage meter in sediment; and sampling seepage according to the sampling schedule. The sampled seepage water may then be analyzed and the results may be displayed to a user.
US07672791B2
The virtual screening of a database of molecules is based on explicit three-dimensional molecular superpositions. The torsional flexibility of the database molecules is taken fully into account, and an arbitrary number of conformation-dependent molecular features may be considered. A fragmentation-reassembly approach is utilized, which allows for an efficient sampling of the conformational space. A fast clique-based pattern-matching algorithm generates alignments of pairs of adjacent molecular fragments on the (rigid) query molecule that are subsequently reassembled to complete database molecules. Using conventional molecular features (hydrogen bond donors and acceptors, charges, and hydrophobic groups), it is possible to rapidly produce accurate alignments of medium-sized drug-like molecules. Examples with a test database containing a diverse set of 1780 drug-like molecules (including all conformers) show that average query processing times of the order of 0.1 seconds per molecule can be achieved on a PC, depending on the size of the query molecule.
US07672790B2
A graphics processing unit implemented method for fiber tract mapping from diffusion tensor magnetic resonance imaging data includes providing a diffusion tensor magnetic resonance brain image volume, initializing a set of fiber positions in a 3D set of points, fiber displacements, and a posterior distribution for an updated fiber displacement in terms of the initial displacements and diffusion tensors, randomly sampling a set of updated fiber displacements from said posterior distribution, computing a new set of fiber positions from said initial fiber positions and said updated fiber displacements, wherein a fiber path comprises a set of fiber points connected by successive fiber displacements, accumulating connectivity values in each point of said 3D set of points by additive alpha-blending a scaled value if a fiber path has passed through a point and adding zero if not, and rendering said connectivity values.
US07672787B2
An electronic hybridization assay implements a hybridization reaction, or a sequence analysis, on sequences representative of the sequences of the molecules under examination to provide an output representative of a chemical hybridization reaction. An electronic hybridization machine implements a correlation algorithm where the correlation output provides information regarding the relationship between the molecules under examination. In one aspect, the degree of similarity between the molecules is indicated by the correlation output value. In another aspect, a locus of similarity between the molecules is indicated by a maximum value in the correlation output sequence. In a particular aspect, the sequences are encoded in an optimized format to optimize the operation of the operation of the electronic hybridization machine.
US07672784B2
Dispersive array acoustic data are acquired. A histogram is determined from the semblance-frequency coherence of the data. The low frequency limit of the data is estimated by matching the statistics of the histogram to the statistics of a modeling function.
US07672777B2
Moving history conversion apparatus making moving history accumulated in an apparatus available in other different-type apparatuses. The moving history conversion apparatus includes: a first map information accumulation unit which accumulates first map information representing a map using a series of first-type IDs for identifying geographical positions; a first moving history accumulation unit accumulating moving history represented as the series of first-type IDs accumulated in the first map information accumulation unit; the first moving history conversion unit converting, into latitude and longitude information, the series of IDs included in the moving history accumulated in the first moving history accumulation unit; a second map information accumulation unit accumulating the second map information which represents a map using a second-type IDs for identifying geographical positions; a second moving history conversion unit converting latitude and longitude information into the series of IDs included in the second map information accumulated in the second map information accumulation unit.
US07672772B2
The apparatus acquires acceleration data in time series at a fixed position of a tire while a vehicle having the tire is traveling on a road surface, obtains a spectrum of the acceleration by subjecting the acquired time series acceleration data to frequency analysis, and detects a peak value of the spectrum of the acceleration in a frequency range of 500 Hz-1500 Hz. The apparatus evaluates a degree of a safety in traveling of the vehicle according to the detected peak value. The acceleration data is acquired by an acceleration sensor mounted on the fixed position of the tire.
US07672771B2
There is provided a retarder control device which is simple in constitution and can reliably apply braking. An engine rotational speed detector detects an engine rotational speed, gear step detection means detects a gear step of a transmission, an accelerator operation detector detects the operated state of an accelerator, and a retarder controller previously stores automatic braking amount determination data representing the relation between the engine rotational speed and the automatic braking amount of a retarder corresponding to each gear step of the transmission and controls the retarder according to the automatic braking amount of the retarder calculated from the automatic braking amount determination data based on the detected engine rotational speed and gear step of the transmission when the accelerator is judged to be off from the detected operated state of the accelerator.
US07672770B2
A deceleration control apparatus to achieve the intended level of deceleration performance regardless of whether braking performance is changed by towing an object such as a trailer, and to reduce the possibility that a driver feels uncomfortable due to a change in the level of deceleration performance while the vehicle is running. Vehicle weight is calculated based on the actual running state of a vehicle, and it is determined whether the vehicle is towing an object based on the vehicle weight. When the vehicle is stationary, a deceleration pattern (the rate of change in a target deceleration) is changed based on whether the vehicle is towing an object. Therefore, it is possible to achieve the intended level of deceleration performance that matches the level of driver's request for deceleration, regardless of whether the vehicle weight is changed by towing an object.
US07672765B2
A system and method for providing a vehicle roll stability indicator that dynamically estimates the probability for vehicle rollover. The system determines vehicle kinematics from various vehicle sensors. From these kinematic values, the system estimates a roll angle of the vehicle and a bank angle of the vehicle. The estimated bank angle is used to correct the roll angle. The system determines a roll energy of the vehicle and a roll energy rate of the vehicle from the corrected roll angle. The system also calculates a tire lateral load transfer of the relative forces on the vehicle tires, and the duration that any of the tires have been off of the ground. From the roll energy, the roll energy rate, the tire lateral load transfer and the wheel airborne duration, the system calculates the roll stability indicator.
US07672759B1
A method and system for indicating a status of a load of a sub-system in a marine vehicle where the load is controlled by a switch provided on a steering wheel of the marine vehicle. The method comprises: providing a switch controller in the steering wheel for controlling communications between the steering wheel and the marine vehicle; providing a switch for the load on the steering wheel; providing a status indicator for the load on the steering wheel; detecting an activation of the switch by the switch controller; the switch controller transmitting a command to the load in the marine vehicle in response to the activation; providing a load controller in the marine vehicle, the load controller controlling a power input to the switch controller, the load controller receiving the command and activating the load in response to the command; detecting a status of the load; interrupting a power input to the switch controller for a predetermined interruption duration corresponding to the detected status; the switch controller activating the status indicator to indicate the detected status of the load.
US07672758B2
The invention relates to a method for assisting the piloting of an aircraft in the vicinity of a landing or takeoff point, by: determining the locus of entry and/or exit points for a given approach and/or departure altitude that are not safe for reaching the landing and/or takeoff point; and presenting a diagram including said locus on a display device.
US07672750B2
An etching monitoring apparatus and related method for use in the manufacture of microstructures (and in particular MEMS) located within an etching chamber is described. The apparatus and related method operates by setting the temperature of the chamber within which the microstructure is located at a starting temperature, and maintaining the partial pressure of an etching gas within the chamber at a constant value. As a result the surface temperature of the micro structure within the chamber is primarily determined by the etch rate. Therefore, by employing a thermometer to monitor the change in etching surface temperature, a direct diagnostic for monitoring the etching process is provided.
US07672748B2
An efficient manufacturing automation system and method is described. The system and method include bays, with each bay having a group of tools. Temporary storage locations are provided. A transport system facilitates movement of materials from the tools. The system and method enable direct transfer of materials from a first tool to a second tool or transfer of materials from a first tool to a temporary storage location when a second tool is unavailable.
US07672747B2
A recipe-and component control module (RACCM) is provided. The RACCM is a server for performing data management in a plasma processing system with a plurality of components. The RACCM includes a plurality of intelligent agents. Each intelligent agent of the intelligent agents is configured to interact with each component of the plurality of components. The RACCM also includes a coordinating agent, which is configured to receive processed data from the plurality of intelligent agents.
US07672743B2
A compressed digital audio signal is transmitted from an audio source along a connection wire to an audio receiver. The digital audio signal can encode digital audio data having different sampling frequencies, frames sizes, and other information. The audio receiver that receives the digital audio signal can decode and convert the compressed digital audio signal into multiple synchronized analog signals, which are used to drive multiple speakers. The audio receiver may also synchronize the audio data with associated video data so that the audio playback and video playback are “in sync”, despite delay introduced by the audio signal decoding at the audio receiver.
US07672739B2
A new multiresolution analysis (wavelet) assisted reinforcement learning (RL) based control strategy that can effectively deal with both multiscale disturbances in processes and the lack of process models. The application of wavelet aided RL based controller represents a paradigm shift in the control of large scale stochastic dynamic systems of which the control problem is a subset. The control strategy is termed a WRL-RbR controller. The WRL-RbR controller is tested on a multiple-input-multiple-output (MIMO) Chemical Mechanical Planarization (CMP) process of wafer fabrication for which process model is available. Results show that the RL controller outperforms EWMA based controllers for low autocorrelation. The new controller also performs quite well for strongly autocorrelated processes for which the EWMA controllers are known to fail. Convergence analysis of the new breed of WRL-RbR controller is presented. Further enhancement of the controller to deal with model free processes and for inputs coming from spatially distributed environments are also addressed.
US07672717B1
The present invention relates to a method of signal processing of electrograms for use in medical devices, preferably by time-frequency transforms. The present invention additionally relates to a system for receiving and analyzing such signals. The present invention preferably is a method utilizing the time-frequency transforms, such as wavelet transforms, for the purpose of artifact removal from EGs. These transforms decompose a signal in both time and frequency domains, and therefore, are well suited for non-stationary signal analysis. As a result, dissimilar signal features are well localized both in time and frequency, which potentially provides a good separation between the signal of interest and artifacts. This particularly applies to large-amplitude artifacts corrupting EGs.
US07672714B2
A miniature wireless apparatus for collecting physiological signals comprises an electrode pair, an amplifier module, a microcontroller, a wireless module, and a battery. The electrode pair collects a pair of physiological signals of a person under test. The amplifier module amplifies the pair of physiological signals. The microcontroller performs an analog-to-digital conversion and a data compression for an amplified physiological signal generated by the amplifier module. The wireless module modulates a digital physiological signal generated by the microcontroller and transmitting the modulated digital physiological signal to a receiver at the far end. The apparatus can be implemented by a structure of multilayered circuit boards. With the progress of semiconductor technology, all the components of the miniature wireless apparatus can be further integrated to one circuit board, or even one chip.
US07672709B2
The invention relates to a method for the determination of the position of a radiographic or radioscopic unit (16) with relation to a reference point (Rref) on producing a radiographic image of an object (10). The position of the unit (16) with relation to a reference point (Rref) is determined from the determination of the position of a test pattern (25), with relation to the unit (16), which is mechanically fixed to the object, by using the image of the test pattern with relation to the reference point (Rref). The invention further relates to a determining device for carrying out said method.
US07672707B2
This invention relates to a super-multichannel MEG system comprising sensors produced by printing sensor coils on thin films in positions shifted from each other and by laminating multiple thin-film sensor coils together. Intended for use in a multichannel MEG system comprising a dewar, the sensors are arrayed in the dewar to detect biomagnetism and the Superconducting QUantum Interference Devices (SQUIDs) to detect signals coming from the sensors. These sensors are characterized by the sensor coils being printed on thin films in positions shifted from each other laterally and longitudinally and by their being laminated in the required number.
US07672701B2
A telephone hands-free system for a mobile telephone, having a holder (1) which has electronics, for holding a mobile telephone which is designed for wire-free communication, and having a control arrangement for controlling at least one hands-free function for the mobile telephone can be designed with a universal holder (1) for different mobile telephones in that the control arrangement is accommodated in the holder, in that the holder is designed for wire-free communication with the mobile telephone, and in that the holder can be adjusted for mechanically holding mobile telephones of different size.
US07672696B2
A method of performing a ranging process between a base station and a mobile station in sleep mode in a wireless access system, wherein the base station provides the mobile station with an initial notification of a periodic ranging time that occurs during a sleep time interval and during which the mobile station is to perform the ranging process, the initial notification included in a first message, the first message indicating whether the mobile station should terminate sleep mode to receive downlink data, and wherein the base station provides the mobile station with subsequent notifications of periodic ranging times that occur during the sleep time interval, the subsequent notifications indicated in a second message, the second message transmitted to the mobile station as part of the ranging process such that the mobile station performs a plurality of ranging processes within the sleep time interval.
US07672693B2
Radio terminal equipment of a communication system, the communication system comprising one or more secondary units coupled to the radio terminal equipment, the radio terminal equipment comprising: means for receiving information on audio characteristics optimising an audio signal of the secondary unit, means for converting the audio characteristics information into a form of an audio control algorithm used in the radio terminal equipment for performing a secondary unit audio control algorithm, means for optimising an audio signal of the secondary unit by using the secondary unit audio control algorithm.
US07672691B2
There is provided a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module)/UIM (User Identity Module) card arrangement in a slide type portable wireless terminal having a main body and a slide body sliding by a predetermined length in a lengthwise direction of the terminal to slide up and down on the main body. In the arrangement, when the slide body is fully slid up, a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module)/UIM (User Identity Module) card is installed on a rear surface, which is open to the view, of the slide body.
US07672688B2
The present invention relates to a radio communication equipment comprising a first antenna 1, a first RF unit 2 for wireless communication, the first RF unit 2 being connectable to said first antenna 1, wherein a first frequency band is used by said first RF unit 2 for reception of a signal via said first antenna 1 and a second frequency band is used by said first RF unit 2 for transmission of a signal via said first antenna 1, said first and second frequency bands being used alternatively by said first RF unit 2 and a second RF unit 3 for wireless communication, the second RF unit 3 being connectable to said first antenna 1, wherein a third frequency band is used by said second RF unit 3 for reception of a signal and a fourth frequency band 3T is used by said second RF unit 3 for transmission of a signal, said third and fourth frequency bands being used simultaneously by said second RF unit 3. According to the present invention the radio communication equipment 0 further comprises a second antenna 4, wherein said second RF unit 3 is simultaneously connectable to both the first antenna 1 and the second antenna 4 and reception of a signal is performed by said second RF unit 3 via either the first or second antenna 1, 4 and transmission of a signal is performed by said second RF unit via the other antenna 1, 4.
US07672678B2
A communication system for limiting communication between communication terminals based, at least in part, upon a separation between communication terminals is disclosed. A first communication channel is coupled with a first communication terminal, where the first communication terminal includes a transmitter. A second communication channel coupled with a second communication terminal, where the second communication terminal includes a receiver. A separation determining function finds a distance between the first and second communication terminals. A distance squelch analyzes the distance to prevent use of a message by the receiver.
US07672670B2
In response to a BCMCS service request from a mobile station, a base station separately informs the mobile station whether the requested BCMCS service is available. Thus, the base station can include only broadcast channel information necessary for actual broadcast in a broadcasting overhead message, and if the BCMCS service is stopped or unavailable, the base station can order the mobile station to interrupt the BCMCS service, thereby reducing the load on system resources.
US07672669B2
Systems and methods enabling the efficient and repeatable simulation of mobility, during performance measurements of wireless data communications equipment are described. These are particularly useful for testing the impact on performance of spatial separation between Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) devices, clients, relative to their counterparts, access points. In accordance with one or more embodiments of the present invention, the controlled emulation of spatial distance effects by injecting impairments into the transmitted and received wireless data packet streams are disclosed to simulate the impact of distance on properties of signal level, signal to noise ratio, and frame error ratio. Injection of impairments may be accomplished by varying the transmit power, artificially inducing errors into transmitted frames, and withholding acknowledgements for otherwise valid received frames, at levels consonant with the amount of distance to be emulated. This enables various mobility performance measurements to be made on WLAN devices without actually requiring that they be physically separated.
US07672666B2
A method and system for implementing vehicle functions through a mobile device are provided. More particularly, a technique is implemented for initiating selected vehicle functions through a remote mobile device such as a mobile phone, rather that through a key fob. The system includes network functionality contained within the primary switching element of the network, e.g., a mobile switching center (MSC), to receive an access code (such as *89) from a user. The switching element subsequently transmits command signal(s) via a base station to a vehicle to perform vehicle functions such as locking, unlocking and starting.
US07672651B2
A high frequency signal selected via a pre-filter is inputted to first and second frequency conversion circuits together with a local oscillation signal. The first and second frequency conversion circuits each output a difference frequency component between both input signals. An output signal of the first frequency conversion circuit is inputted to an intermediate frequency filter while an output of the intermediate frequency filter is inputted to an amplifier. An output signal of the first frequency conversion circuit is inputted to an amplifier. The amplifier selects and amplifies any one of an intermediate frequency signal outputted from the intermediate frequency signal and an output signal of the second frequency conversion circuit, and thereafter, output it.
US07672646B2
A hardware is used to perform an SSDT processing, thereby avoiding performance degradation than otherwise would occur due to load increase caused by a software processing, and thereby realizing a base station that can instantaneously perform a transmission control and provide a high speed site selection. In order to perform a site selection diversity power control (SSDT) for the purpose of reducing the amount of interference that would be caused by transmitting the same data to a plurality of cells or antennas during soft-handover, an encode processing part (1) is used to add a transmission control bit to the transmitted data. In response to this transmission control bit, a transmission control signal selecting circuit (206) selects a transmission control signal of destination. An output control circuit (207) receives, as its inputs, a transmission spread signal and the transmission control signal to perform an output control and instantaneously perform a transmission control, thereby realizing a high-speed site selection.
US07672638B1
A satellite communications system is described for increasing capacity through spectrum reuse by multiple satellites. The system includes a constellation of satellites traveling in a geosynchronous orbit, where the geosynchronous orbit defines a ground track. The satellites operate in a first mode when traveling in a first latitudinal direction on the satellite track and in a second mode when traveling in a second latitudinal direction on the satellite track. By using different operation modes, satellites traveling in opposite latitudinal directions do not interfere with each other. Each of the satellites maintains a minimum spacing apart from other satellites moving in the same latitudinal direction to prevent interference from satellites using the same operation mode.
US07672635B2
Method and apparatus for image forming and effectively applying lubricant to an image bearing member
A lubricant supplying device including a molded lubricant having a Martens hardness of about 40 N/mm2 to about 70 N/mm2 measured with a test force of 50 mN and a load-applying period of 30 seconds, a rotative member including a fibrous brush of a thickness of about 5 deniers to about 15 deniers in a circumference of a rotative supporting axis of the rotative member with a density of about 20,000 fibers to about 100,000 fibers per square inch, and configured to apply lubricant shavings of the molded lubricant to an image bearing member held in contact with a cleaning member and to remove the lubricant shavings remaining on the surface of the image bearing member, and a pressing member configured to press the molded lubricant against the rotative member at a pressure force ranging from about 2 N/m to about 12 N/m.
US07672616B2
A control part provides a first region in which an image is formed on an image carrier using only a dark-color toner. The control part provides a second region, which is adjacent to the first region, in which an image is formed using a dark-color toner and a light-color toner. The control part provides a third region in which an image is formed using only a light-color toner at the boundary of the first and second regions. The control part controls a latent-image forming unit, a light-color developing unit and a dark-color developing unit so as to form an image in which these regions are provided. The control part may provide a third region in which neither a light-color toner nor a dark-color toner is used at the boundary of the first and second regions.
US07672612B2
The present invention relates to an electrophotographic photosensitive member including a substantially cylindrical body rotated by rotation power transmitted via an first end portion from in an image forming apparatus and a photosensitive layer including a latent image forming area formed on an outer circumference of the body. The present invention also relates to an image forming apparatus provided with the electrophotographic photosensitive member. In the photosensitive layer, when the body is charged with a constant charging ability in the axial direction, dark electric potential at the latent image forming area gradually becomes larger as proceeding in the axial direction of the body, from the first end portion to a second end portion opposite to the first end portion.
US07672610B2
Techniques for attaching a replacement chip to an imaging cartridge are described. An exemplary method of modifying a toner hopper assembly for use in a toner cartridge consists of providing the toner hopper assembly having a generally cylindrical shape and an at least partially non-functioning electronic chip with electrical contacts disposed in an endplate section of the generally cylindrical shape. The method further modifies the toner hopper assembly by affixing a replacement chip to the toner hopper assembly to form a modified toner hopper assembly. The replacement chip includes replacement electrical contacts which allow the replacement chip to communicate with a printer when the modified toner cartridge is installed in the printer.
US07672602B2
A developing unit supplies toner from a developing roller to an electrostatic latent image formed on an image carrier, and creates a visual image. A forced consumption unit causes, when a proportion of number of pixels used for forming the electrostatic latent image for a maximum image effective-width is equal to or less than a predetermined value, a forced consumption of toner by an amount corresponding to a difference between a toner amount corresponding to the number of pixels and a predetermined toner consumption amount. The forced consumption unit adds toner of an amount used in the forced consumption to an amount of toner to be supplied in a next imaging process.
US07672598B1
A carrier signal extraction system for suppressing and extracting a carrier signal component and transmitting a double sideband component includes a polarized light source for transmitting a polarized light signal output; a polarization modulator with a first input coupled to the polarized light signal output and a second input for adding a modulation signal to the polarized light signal, thereby generating a polarization modulated light output; and a polarizing element having an input coupled to the polarization modulated light output for suppressing and extracting the carrier signal component and preferentially transmitting a double sideband component of the polarization modulated light output.
US07672597B2
An optical transmitter with an external modulator includes a light-emitting unit emitting a continuous wave light, a modulation unit modulating the continuous wave light in accordance with an electric signal, a first terminal applying a first positive voltage to a cathode of the light-emitting unit and a cathode of the modulation unit, a second terminal applying a second positive voltage of a constant value to an anode of the light-emitting unit, and a third terminal applying a third positive voltage with the electric signal to an anode of the modulation unit. The second positive voltage is set to a value higher than the first positive voltage, and the third positive voltage is set to a value lower than the first positive voltage.
US07672596B2
An optical receiver circuit is provided which is able to receive optical signals having a variable transmission rate, without loss of data. The optical receiver circuit according to the present invention has a light-receiving section for converting an optical signal with a variable transmission rate into an electric signal. A recovery section recovers a plurality of different clock signals and data corresponding to possible transmission rates. These data are stored into a plurality of memories and at the same time a decision section decides the transmission rate. A switch section reads data from one of the memories selected according to the result of the decision.
US07672595B1
An optical communications system for conveying traffic through an optical link between transmitting and receiving nodes. The system comprises, for each node, respective legacy and bypass paths coupled in parallel between the optical link and the node. The legacy path of each node includes an optical dispersion compensation block for compensating a respective portion of dispersion of the link. Thus the present invention provides a system architecture by which an optical communications system can be constructed using conventional modulation and optical dispersion compensation technologies. Once installed, system growth can be accommodated using next generation transmitters (with electronic compensation) without stranding the legacy equipment. Legacy channels can also be upgraded to electronic compensation, as desired.
US07672580B2
An imaging apparatus automatically detects an object and displays information on a display device based on a comparison between detected data and memorized (stored) data. The imaging apparatus includes a detecting circuit and a memorizing circuit. The detecting circuit detects the object based on the image data produced from an output of an imaging element and calculates a feature value representing a feature of the detected object. The memorizing circuit memorizes the feature value calculated by the detecting circuit. A feature value calculated by the detecting circuit based on the image data displayed on the display device is compared with the feature value memorized in the memorizing circuit. The display device displays information relating to the comparison result.
US07672569B2
To mix video signals of plural channels in time division and record these video signals onto a recording medium, as well as to select and transmit the video signal of a specific channel to a terminal device at a remote location, there is a video signal switching unit for mixing the video signals of the plural channels in time division; a first video signal compressing unit for compressing the mixed video signals from the video signal switching unit; a unit for recording the video signal compressed by the first video signal compressing unit into the recording medium; second video signal compressing units for selecting a channel from the mixed video signals and compressing the video signals with a compressibility higher than that of the first video signal compressing unit; and a unit for transmitting the video signal compressed by the second video signal compressing unit to a remote location.
US07672568B2
Recording control with additional information superposed on data and recording control in response to a type of a recording medium on which data are recorded are disclosed. A recording apparatus for recording data onto a recording medium includes an identification data detection section for detecting identification data for identification of data from the data, a copying count data detection section for detecting copying count data for limiting the number of times of copying the data from the data, and a recording control section for controlling recording of the data onto the recording medium based on the identification data detected by the identification data detection section and the copying count data detected by the copying count data detection section. Another recording apparatus for recording data onto a recording medium includes a discrimination section for discriminating a type of the recording medium, and a control section for selecting a recording control method for recording the data onto the recording medium in response to the discrimination section and controlling recording of the data onto the recording medium in accordance with the selected recording control method.
US07672560B2
An optical coupling device for coupling light with an optical waveguide comprises a mirror formed within an optical waveguide. The mirror comprises a first material, a first reflective end, and a second reflective end. The first material is light conducting and has a first refractive index. The first and second reflective ends reflect and transmit light. The mirror has an axis line. The optical coupling device is useful for extracting light from a waveguide and providing a backlight for a liquid crystal display.
US07672554B1
New designs of optical devices, particularly for multiplexing or demultiplexing as well as adding or dropping are disclosed. According to one aspect of the designs, one or more beam redirecting parts (e.g., prisms or mirrors) are used in an optical device to redirect a beam for at least two purposes: to increase a distance between two optical parts that are not positioned along an optical path, by using one or two of such beam redirecting parts, and to minimize an angle of incidence (AOI) to an optical filter or to adjust the AOI to an optimum value. As a result, devices employing the techniques provide small AOL and flexibility in adjustment and are amenable to small footprint, broad operating wavelength range, enhanced impact performance, lower cost, and easier manufacturing process.
US07672553B2
The present invention provides an optical waveguide modulator. In one embodiment, the optical waveguide modulator includes a semiconductor planar optical waveguide core and doped semiconductor connecting paths located adjacent opposite sides of the core and capable of applying a voltage across the core. The optical waveguide core and connecting paths form a structure having back-to-back PN semiconductor junctions. In another embodiment, the optical waveguide modulator includes a semiconductor optical waveguide core including a ridge portion wherein the ridge portion has at least one PN semiconductor junction located therein. The optical waveguide modulator also includes one or more doped semiconductor connecting paths located laterally adjacent the ridge portion and capable of applying a voltage to the ridge portion.
US07672549B2
A solar concentrator having a concentrator element for collecting input light, a reflective component with a plurality of incremental steps for receiving the light and also for redirecting the light, and a waveguide including a plurality of incremental portions enabling collection and concentration of the light.
US07672546B2
A photonic integrated circuit (PIC) chip comprising an array of modulated sources, each providing a modulated signal output at a channel wavelength different from the channel wavelength of other modulated sources and a wavelength selective combiner having an input optically coupled to received all the signal outputs from the modulated sources and provide a combined output signal on an output waveguide from the chip. The modulated sources, combiner and output waveguide are all integrated on the same chip.
US07672536B2
A signal processing device, signal processing method, and program and recording medium which provide images and the like closer approximating real world signals. The signal processing device includes a processing region setting unit, a motion vector setting unit, a model generator, a normal equation generator, a weighting change unit, and a real world estimating unit.
US07672528B2
A method of processing an image to form an image pyramid having multiple image levels includes receiving a base level image comprising pixel values at pixel locations arranged in rows and columns; determining sample locations for a next level image in the pyramid such that the sample locations are arranged in a regular pattern and the sample locations exceed the range of the pixel locations of the base level image; determining the pixel values of the next level image by interpolating the pixel values of the base level image using an interpolation filter at the sample locations; and treating the next level image as the base level image and repeating steps of determining sample locations and pixel values until a predetermined number of pyramid image levels are generated, or until a predetermined condition is met.
US07672521B2
A system and method for page composition in a processor-controlled printing system. Formatted image data is first received to a processor, the data representing image elements to be merged into a new document. At least one compressed cell describing each of the page elements is generated based on the formatted image data. A compressed cell contains pixilated image data of a predetermined pixel size. An element table including at least one cell pointer for each page element is generated. Each cell pointer includes a memory location and a cell type for each compressed cell that is pointed to by the generated element table. A merged page is composed based on the cell type entries of the element tables. A page composition system and a computer readable media having computer instructions for implementing the method of page composition are also provided.
US07672508B2
A method of classifying images based on elliptical color models is utilized in a number of applications. One or more color models are generated from a set of images with a region of interest. Then, sets of images are utilized for training. One set of images has regions of interest, and the other set of images is without regions of interest. By utilizing the two sets of images, a maximum difference between the sets is achieved, so that a color model is most representative of the object desired. Then using the optimal color model, a collection of images are able to be searched, and images are retrieved based on the probability that the images contain the desired object.
US07672503B2
A direction-recognizing apparatus has a photographing unit, an image database, an image-recognizing unit, and a direction-recognizing unit. The database stores registered images and direction-data items associated with the registered images. The image-recognizing unit receives an input image and compares the input image with the registered images stored in the database. The image-recognizing unit selects one registered image that is identical or similar to the input image. The direction-recognizing unit recognizes a direction from the direction data associated with the registered image selected by the image-recognizing unit. The database may store N direction-data items associated with N surface segments SN of the circumferential surface of a pole. If so, the images registered in the database represent direction-recognition regions ASN that are larger than the N surface segments SN.
US07672500B2
A system for monitoring and visualizing the output of a production process, whose output materials or items are inspected by one or more inspection units, may include a communication module to receive data from the one or more inspection units. The received data may be associated with a measured or extrapolated value of at least one parameter of the inspected materials or items. A comparator module may compare at least one of the measured or extrapolated values against a corresponding stored value to determine a difference value, and a visualization module may generate an image representing the inspected items or materials. An area or section of the image corresponding to an area or section of the item or material associated with the at least one of the measured or extrapolated values which was compared to the stored value may be visually coded to indicate a corresponding difference value.
US07672498B2
A method is for correcting inhomogeneities in an image that is recorded from an examination object. The method includes recording an image to be corrected, calculating a correction image from the image to be corrected and correcting the recorded image with the aid of the correction image in order to produce a normalized image by multiplying the correction image by the image to be corrected. When calculating the correction images, the pixels in the vicinity of the imaged examination object are identified with the aid of a signal intensity that is lower than a limiting value. Further, these pixels are allocated signal intensities that in each case are a function of the signal intensity of the pixels in the respective neighborhood.
US07672492B2
A process includes: generation of knowledge of the anatomical object to be separated from neighboring objects and identification of high level features (e.g., prior knowledge that includes: a mean shape template of the vertebra; and, high level features, e.g., readily identifiable boundary regions between the vertebrae neighboring objects, such as neighboring vertebra and rib structures); and the subsequent use of this prior knowledge to level set.
US07672482B2
A method of finding an object in an image that consists of describing an object shape by one or more sets of feature points (220); estimating positions of the feature points (310); finding new locations for each feature point based on an appearance model of an aggregate appearance of the object in local neighborhoods of all features points (320); and constraining the positions of the feature points based on a shape model (330).
US07672480B2
The invention relates to a method for photographing on board of a flying rotating body and system for carrying out said method. According to said invention, pictures (V0, V90, V180, V270) are taken at predetermined angular positions of said flying body by a device which is rigidly fixed to the front thereof and are exposed to an image geometrical transformation required for the display thereof.
US07672478B2
A spray data acquisition system includes a spray pump actuator that is capable of providing a pumping force to a pumping device to generate an aerosol spray plume along a spray axis. The system also includes an illumination device that illuminates the aerosol spray plume along at least one first geometric plane that intersects the aerosol spray plume. The system further includes an imaging device that acquires data representative of an interaction between the illumination and the aerosol spray plume along at least one geometric plane.
US07672469B2
An audio monitor system that includes a pair of in-ear monitors, each of which includes a connector and a corresponding detachable cable, is provided. Each connector may include a two pin jack assembly and each detachable cable may include a corresponding two pin plug assembly. Preferably, each plug assembly of each detachable cable includes a hooded member. More preferably, a portion of the hooded member covers a portion of the corresponding connector, thus effectively sealing the plug/connector assembly from contamination. Even more preferably, interlocking members are included on each hooded member and each corresponding connector, the interlocking members preventing accidental decoupling of the cable from the connector. The plug and connector assemblies may include means for insuring that a desired pin polarity is maintained during cable coupling.
US07672464B2
The invention describes a graphical method for detecting and adjusting audio overload conditions. The graphical user interface provides a user complete playback control of several audio tracks, detection of overload conditions such as audio clipping, and graphical methods to correct the overload conditions. The graphical interface provides drag handles which the user can use to adjust the various characteristics of an audio file. The characteristics, such as amplitude and tempo, may be adjusted as a function of time.
US07672458B2
An encrypted content transport stream is received by a viewer's device and recorded for subsequent playback. During recording, keys in headers of packets of the stream are stripped and placed in sequence in a table. Also, the table indicates changes in key indicating bits. When it is desired to play the content, start-of-frame indicator bits such as PUSI and/or RAI bits are used to access the table of keys to retrieve the keys necessary to decrypt the transport stream packets sought to be played.
US07672457B2
A wireless communication authentication program whereby a slave station in a small-scale wireless LAN system can be authenticated by a simple procedure. A wireless communication authentication device periodically increments a first system timer value (Step S1) for which an optional numerical value is set beforehand. A wireless communication device sets therein a second system timer value (Step S2) so as to coincide with the first system timer value and periodically increments the second system timer value (Step S3). The wireless communication device transmits an authentication request command including a third system timer value (Step S4), and the wireless communication authentication device compares the third system timer value included in the authentication request command with the first system timer value thereof assumed at the time of reception of the command (Step S6). In accordance with the comparison result, the wireless communication authentication device determines whether to authenticate the wireless communication device.
US07672452B2
According to the invention, a circuit that is capable of automated scan testing is disclosed. Included in the circuit are a cryptographic engine, a digital circuit, an input pin, and an output pin. The cryptographic engine capable of performing at least one of encryption and decryption of one or more digital signals. The digital circuit includes combinatorial logic and a number of memory cells. The memory cells have scan inputs connected serially in a scan chain. The input pin and output pin are coupled to the scan chain. At least one of the input pin and the output pin carries at least some cipher text data of the scan chain.
US07672445B1
Techniques for suppressing large echo due to nonlinearity, instable adaptive filter, and so on. An echo cancellation system includes an echo canceller unit, a nonlinear echo detection unit, and a nonlinear echo suppression unit. The echo canceller unit (e.g., an adaptive filter) receives a reference signal and a near-end signal, derives an echo estimate signal based on the reference and near-end signals, cancels a portion of echo in the near-end signal based on the echo estimate signal, and provides an intermediate signal having residual echo. The nonlinear echo detection unit detects for large nonlinear echo in the echo estimate signal. The nonlinear echo suppression unit suppresses large nonlinear echo in the first intermediate signal based on a variable gain, which may be adjusted lower if large nonlinear echo is detected and higher otherwise.
US07672444B2
A system and method is provided that includes an automatic call distribution system adapted to communicate over a network and includes a first software control module and a caller identification information device. The automatic call distribution system is configured to capture the caller identification information associated with an incoming call placed by a client and to route the incoming call and the caller identification information received from the network to a call agent station. The system also provides an interactive voice response system in communication with the automatic call distribution system for administering a survey to a client in communication with the call agent station. The survey is then associated with the client's caller identification information and identification information of the call agent.
US07672439B2
Audibly identifying an event includes enabling selection of a first sound based upon an identifier. The identifier enables identification of an entity related to the event. A notification of an occurrence of the event is received. The notification includes the identifier. An intended recipient is alerted of the event by playing, in response to the notification, at least a portion of the first sound and at least a portion of a second sound that is related to the event.
US07672434B2
An X-ray tube equipped with a rotating anode cartridge comprising a reinforced sealing system. This sealing system is achieved in three complementary manners. Firstly, when the anode rotates, in order to confine the liquid alloy within the cartridge, the invention provides to equip the two surfaces of a leak-tight joint with grooves thereby obtaining a double sided joint with an improved efficiency. Secondly, the double sided joint makes it possible to obtain, for the vacuum tightness, when the anode shaft is not rotating, two spaces limited by the surface tension of the alloy of liquid metal. The more symmetrical these two spaces, the more the sealing is reinforced. Thirdly, the invention provides to separate the ring from the axis of rotation. This enables a joint centering the two spaces in an automatic and natural manner to be obtained.
US07672427B2
It is disclosed an imaging system comprising: radiation generating means including at least one radiation source for generating radiations; data acquiring means including an detector matrix faced the radiation source for obtaining projection data by receiving radiations penetrated through an object to be inspected; transporting means for making the object to be inspected between the radiation source and the detector matrix linearly moving relative to the radiation source and the detector matrix; and controlling and image processing means for controlling the radiation generating means, the data acquiring means and the transporting means, and for reconstructing an image of the object to be inspected from the projection data. The imaging system according to the present invention achieves a real stereoscopic radiography by using straight-line trajectory scan and reconstructing a tomographic or stereoscopic image through a straight-line filtered back-projection algorithm. The present imaging system has advantages of fast examination speed, no rotation, and out of large cone-angle problem in a circular-orbit cone-beam CT.
US07672418B2
Control rod guide tubes for a nuclear reactor having a body with an axial length that defines a lower end portion and an upper end portion and a cavity within a substantial length of the body. Orifices are included at the upper and lower end portions of the body. A control rod chamber is located within the cavity and is configured for receiving a control rod. A plurality of ports is coupled to the cavity and is positioned at a substantial length from the upper end portion of the body. Also included are at least two flow channels within the cavity that extend a substantial portion of the axial length of the body. Each flow channel is fluidly coupled to one or more of the ports for receiving fluid flow from outside the body and an outlet proximate to the upper end portion of the body for providing the received fluid flow.
US07672412B2
A receiver and associated method estimates a channel impulse response of the communications signal. A communications signal is received as a burst of transmitted symbols, including a known training sequence. The joint estimation of timing offset and initial channel impulse response is determined based on the cross-correlations of the known transmitted symbols and received communications signal. A constant modulus interference removal iteration is applied to improve the initial channel impulse estimation.
US07672408B2
A signal separation device is disclosed that is able to reduce a number of calculations required when separating a received signal transmitted from transmission devices into the individual transmission signal. The signal separation device includes a signal point derivation unit that multiplies the received signal with respective elements of a unitary matrix, and derives at least one received-signal signal point on a signal constellation diagram; a definition unit that defines plural sections on the signal constellation diagram, each of the sections including a predetermined number of signal points; a detection unit that detects a received-signal section from the sections, the received-signal section including the received-signal signal point; a selection unit that selects signal points in the received-signal section as candidates of the received-signal signal point; and a determination unit that determines the transmission signals based on the selected signal points.
US07672404B2
A method of correlating a digital communications signal is described. In an example, a window is defined equal to a portion of an epoch of the digital communication signal. The digital communication signal is then correlated across the window. A determination is made as to whether a correlation peak results from the correlating. Timing parameters are then established for receiving additional digital communication signals in response to presence of the correlation peak.
US07672402B2
A data processing apparatus able to start decoding at a timing earlier than the conventional timing and able to reduce the storage capacity required for a storing means for storing the encoded data until a decoding side decodes the input encoded data in comparison with the conventional storage capacity, which apparatus selects frame data from frame data f(5) having the last decoding order to frame data f(0) having the first decoding order for processing for calculating a delay time min_delay and calculates the delay time min_delay. It calculates the delay time min_delay indicating the delay time from when the decoding side starts to receive input of the frame data to when the data is decoded based on the specified size and the bit rate of the input of the frame data to the decoding side for each of the frame data for processing.
US07672398B2
A method and system for determining amplitude and phase compensation values used to adjust the amplitude and phase characteristics of real and imaginary signal components of complex signals processed by an analog radio transmitter. The compensation values may be determined in response to detecting a significant temperature change in the transmitter. Corresponding amplitude and phase adjustment signals having levels that correspond to the compensation values are provided to respective amplitude and phase imbalance compensation modules to adjust the amplitude and phase characteristics of at least one of the real and imaginary signal components.
US07672389B2
The present invention concerns a method for transmitting symbols through at least a channel in a telecommunication system including at least one transmitter (10) provided with at least two transmitting antennas (Antt 1, Antt 2) and at least one receiver provided with at least one receiving antenna (Antr 1), the method includes an encoding step wherein a vector comprising symbols is multiplied by a coding matrix for producing coded symbols to be transmitted over the at least one communication channel established between the transmitter (10) and the receiver (20), wherein the coding matrix is calculated from an eigenvalue decomposition of a matrix obtained by calculating at least the Kronecker product of the identity matrix of size N, N being the time and/or the frequency dimension of the code and a matrix obtained from an estimated correlation matrix of the response of the channel. The invention concerns also the associated device and a method and device for decoding symbols.
US07672388B2
A method and apparatus is provided for transceiving an information signal in an orthogonal frequency division multiplexed (OFDM) communication system that uses a plurality of radio frequency subcarriers modulated with the information signal and transceives the modulated plurality of radio frequency subcarriers through first and second antennas at a transmitter and first and second antennas at a receiver. The method includes the steps of providing first and second copies of the modulated plurality of radio frequency subcarriers that are transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver, phase rotating the first copy of the modulated plurality of radio frequency carriers with a subcarrier dependent phase rotation and summing the first rotated copy of the plurality of radio frequency subcarriers with the second copy of the modulated plurality of radio frequency carriers.
US07672387B2
Embodiments of multiple input multiple output wireless communication systems, associated methods and data structures are generally described herein.
US07672386B2
A beam-forming apparatus applied in a Multiple Input Multiple Output (MIMO) system and a related method where the MIMO system transmits signals through a plurality of channels. The method includes generating a plurality of channel estimations corresponding to the channels; determining a plurality of first candidate transmitting vectors; selecting a first transmitting vector from the first candidate transmitting vectors according to the channel estimations; determining a plurality of second candidate transmitting vectors orthogonal to the first transmitting vector; selecting a second transmitting vector from the second candidate transmitting vectors according to the channel estimations; generating a plurality of transmitted signals by combining a first data stream and a second data stream according to the first and second transmitting vectors; and respectively transmitting the transmitted signals through a plurality of antennas. The apparatus ensures that power of a data stream is distributed equally for each antenna.
US07672378B2
A multiple video stream capture and encoding apparatus produces compressed data that represents multiple video streams capturing a common scene. Images from multiple video streams are analyzed to identify image color segments that are encoded into a composite graph data structure. Corresponding image segments across the multiple video streams are also identified and represented by one node in the composite graph data structure. The composite graph data structure also includes links between pairs of nodes that describe the relationship between the image segments associated with those nodes. The composite graph data structure is updated to represent changes to the image segments in the multiple video streams over time. The composite graph data structure is used to create compressed encoded data for storage and/or transmission.
US07672375B2
A video encoding method comprises selecting one combination, for each block of an input video signal, from a plurality of combinations each including a predictive parameter and at least one reference picture number determined in advance for the reference picture, generating a prediction picture signal in accordance with the reference picture number and predictive parameter of the selected combination, generating a predictive error signal representing an error between the input video signal and the prediction picture signal, and encoding the predictive error signal, information of the motion vector, and index information indicating the selected combination.
US07672371B2
The present invention relates to a multiplexing system comprising a set of transcoders (TC[1] to TC[n]), a controller (CONT) and a multiplexer (MUX). The set of transcoders comprises n transcoders, each transcoder (TC[i]) allowing an input compressed data signal (ICS[i]) encoded at an input bit rate (Rin[i]) to be converted into an output compressed data signal (OCS[i]) encoded at an output bit rate (Rout[i]). The controller (CONT) receives from each transcoder parametric information on the regulation process and the video coding complexity and subsequently computes the bit rate allocated (Rout[i]) to each transcoder (TC[i]) according to a total bit rate capacity available at the output of the multiplexer. The controller receives also parametric information derived from the input compressed data signal (ICS[i]), this information being used to improve the bit rate allocation strategy. Finally, the multiplexer (MUX) provides a multiplexed data signal (MS) by multiplexing of the output compressed data signals (OCS[1] to OCS[n]).
US07672358B2
A method and apparatus for selecting a signal processing resolution. A received signal is processed using a first resolution. When a multipath condition is detected, the signal is processed using a second resolution.
US07672357B2
A base station including a transmitting and receiving amplifier for amplifying CDMA signals exchanged with a mobile station; a radio stage connected to the transmitting and receiving amplifier for carrying out D/A conversion of a transmitted signal that undergoes baseband spreading, followed by quadrature modulation, and for carrying out quasi-coherent detection of a received signal, followed by A/D conversion; a baseband signal processor connected with the radio stage for carrying out baseband signal processing of the transmitted signal and the received signal; a transmission interface connected with the baseband signal processor for implementing interface with external channels; and a base station controller for carrying out control such as management of radio channels and establishment and release of the radio channels. The base station communicates with the external channels by mapping logical channels into physical channels. The CDMA signals are spread using a short code and a long code.
US07672356B2
A communication device according to the present invention detects a frequency-hopped signal in an environment including sinusoidal interference. The frequency-hopped signal includes a frequency shift keying (FSK) sequence, where the sequence alternates between frequencies shifted from the carrier signal or hop frequency by positive and negative frequency offsets. The communication device of the present invention uses independent detection paths for each of the shifted frequencies. In the detection path for the upper frequency (e.g., positive frequency shift), a series of filters suppresses signals in the lower frequency band (e.g., negative frequency shift), while the detection path for the lower frequency employs a separate series of filters to suppress signals in the upper frequency band. The filter outputs from each detection path are separately examined to detect the presence of an expected signal.
US07672354B2
A transversally electrically excited gas discharge laser for generating light pulses with a high pulse repetition rate. The gas discharge laser has components include a gas-tight discharge tube with opposed wall passages and front ends. The discharge tube includes ceramic material with laser gas sealed therein. The components also include partial metal layers disposed on the discharge tube. Decoupling and holding elements including support trays are disposed in the wall passages, with the support trays being adhered with solder to the discharge tube via the partial metal layers. The components also include a pair of electrodes extending axially and disposed in the decoupling and holding elements so as to form a gas discharge path. The components also include a pair of rod-shaped electrodes disposed in the discharge tube that are substantially parallel to the main electrodes and operable to control the starting conditions of gas discharge. The electrical excitation circuit includes a switch to generate a high-current discharge from an energy storage device. Support rings are joined to the front ends of the discharge tube and a pair of optical resonator mirrors are welded into the support rings. At least some of the components are usable with an ultrahigh vacuum and heatable to above a second water boundary. The support trays and the support rings are deformable so as to enable fine adjustment of the main electrodes and of the resonator mirrors.
US07672352B2
A surface-emitting semiconductor array device includes a substrate, a plurality of light-emitting portions, an electrode pad portion formed on the substrate and disposed through the plurality of light-emitting portions and a dividing groove, and having a plurality of electrode pads formed on an insulating film, and a plurality of metal wirings for connecting each of the plurality of light-emitting portions to a corresponding electrode pad through the dividing groove, the dividing groove has a wave-shaped side wall formed on the substrate.
US07672345B2
A drive signal for driving a semiconductor laser is generated on the basis of an image signal inputted in synchronism with a pixel clock. A bias signal to the semiconductor laser is generated at a timing earlier than the drive signal by a predetermined time. The bias signal is disabled in synchronism with the leading edge of the drive signal.
US07672341B2
An ADM apparatus includes a first synchronism section for detecting synchronism when a reception frame received from a reception port is a first frame, a fault information detection section for detecting whether or not fault information is set in a first predetermined region of an overhead of the first frame and outputting a signal representative of whether or not the fault information is set, a second synchronism section for detecting synchronism when the reception frame is a second frame, a third synchronism section for detecting synchronism when the reception frame is a third frame accommodated in the second frame, and an inhibit section for invalidating the output signal of the fault information detection section if, when the synchronism is detected by the first and second synchronism sections, synchronism is detected with regard to the preceding frame by the second synchronism section.
US07672339B2
A method of adjusting transmission timing, a method of continuously transmitting packets, and a mobile station are provided. The method of adjusting the transmission timing includes adjusting the transmission timing according to a transmission timing adjustment command when the transmission timing adjustment command is received from a receiving side; and creating a cyclic prefix (CP) in consideration of a part of a CP of a next symbol which overlaps with a previous symbol on a time axis on the basis of the adjusted transmission timing. Accordingly, it is possible to prevent deterioration in reception performance and minimize reception complexity even when packet transmission timing is adjusted at a transmitting side using an OFDMA or analogous radio access scheme.
US07672328B2
This invention can generally be described as an overall transmit (TX) scheduler state-machine that is broken down into two different state-machines: One first TX-scheduler state-machine (FTSM), executed in software, and one second TX-scheduler state-machine (STSM) executed in hardware, which is operating in four different basic states. The functional partitioning between the two state-machines is such that the most constrained real-time requirements are allocated to the STSM, while all complex decisions and non time-critical controls are allocated to the FTSM. The invention also relates to a terminal comprising the invented transmit scheduler.
US07672324B2
A technique capable of controlling packets to be output to a plurality of ports is provided. Disclosure is made of a packet forwarding apparatus for distributing packets received from a physical port to be transmitted over a plurality of physical ports, which includes a transmitting/receiving unit for transmitting/receiving packets via a physical port, a port group decision unit for deciding a port group corresponding to a plurality of physical ports, and a port group control unit for controlling flow of packets for each port group decided by the port group decision unit.
US07672296B2
A VoIP system has plural CPE units connected to an IP network as parties to be connected with each other. Each CPE unit is composed of a VoIP-IF circuit and an audio codec circuit. The VoIP-IF circuit executes at least one of the coding process to the first audio frequency signal and the restoration process to the media information to transmit the media information generated by the process to the party connected and restore the first audio frequency signal from the media information supplied from the party connected to output it. The audio codec circuit performs at least one of the sending of the received music data to the party and the conversion of the music data supplied from the party into the second audio frequency signal.
US07672280B2
In a broadcast/multicast service based on user location information, when a terminal sets contents desired to be received in a specific area, a broadcast/multicast server checks current location information of the terminal transmitted from a location server or from the corresponding terminal, selects contents provided in the corresponding area, and transmits it to the terminal. Thus, a waste of a communication channel can be prevented, and since a user can selectively receive contents or information according to his/her location, user's satisfaction and convenience can be enhanced.
US07672274B2
A communication system is described. In one embodiment, the communication system comprises a mobile station having a transmitter to transmit packets wirelessly according to a protocol and multiple repeaters communicably coupled with the mobile station. Each of the plurality of repeaters receives one or more packets of the wirelessly transmitted packets from the mobile station. Each of the repeaters receives an indication of which of the wirelessly transmitted packets were received without errors by other repeaters and a received signal strength for those packets. The communication system also includes a switch coupled to the repeaters. Each of the repeaters forwards to the switch each packet of the wirelessly transmitted packets that each repeater had received without errors at a received signal strength higher than any other repeater.
US07672272B2
A system and method in an unlicensed-radio access network for transporting a circuit-switched payload between an access network controller and a mobile station utilizing a packet-based transmission protocol. The controller sends to the mobile station, a channel activation message that includes a minimum acceptable sample size of the circuit-switched payload to be included in each packet. The mobile station determines whether it can support communications utilizing the minimum acceptable sample size, and if not, selects a larger sample size. The mobile station may send an acknowledgment message that indicates the sample size to be utilized. Alternatively, the mobile station begins transmitting packets, and the controller analyzes received packets to determine the sample size the mobile station is using. The controller then encodes transmissions to the mobile station utilizing the determined sample size.
US07672265B2
A physical automatic repeat request method implemented by a base station having a transmitter and a receiver. A physical layer, at the transmitter receives data and formats the received data into packets having a particular encoding/data modulation. The physical layer transmit the packets and retransmits packets upon failure to receive a corresponding acknowledgment for a given packet. An adaptive modulation and coding controller in the transmitter collects retransmission statistics and adjusts the particular encoding/data modulations using the collected statistics.
US07672262B2
A remote instrument control and reporting system utilizes a host communication gateway based on hardware and software that interfaces with a field device, remote terminal unit, or control system that operates across multiple communications infrastructures to a common back end data delivery system. This design allows Modbus hosts or similar SCADA polled technologies, such as a field bus that utilizes various industrial protocols to control instruments at and acquire instrumentation data from physically isolated installations. In particular, this design is well suited for applications such as oil well electrical submersible pumps. The data is communicated through, for example, a low Earth orbit satellite into a host communications gateway that simulates within a host computer environment the same polling registers that the data was collected from in the remote locations.
US07672259B2
A system 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.
US07672255B2
A server-based architecture for instant messaging conferencing is presented. Session-based instant messaging conferencing is established by transmitting necessary server network address information through page-mode based messaging services to establish connections among the various mobile devices with the server.
US07672253B2
An example embodiment of the present invention provides a process relating to the selective filtering of an LSA at a not-so-stubby-sub-area (NSSSA) border router. In one embodiment, the border router receives an LSA from another router inside the NSSSA, which might be in the access layer of the hierarchical network design model and which might use OSPF as its IGP. If the LSA is Type 1 and includes a subnet route or forwarder address, the border router floods it to its neighboring routers, regardless of whether they are inside the NSSSA. If the LSA is Type 7 and includes a host address, the border router floods it to a neighboring router if the neighboring router is inside the NSSSA, but filters the LSA if the neighboring router is outside the NSSSA, for example, in an OSPF area in the distribution layer of the hierarchical network design model.
US07672248B2
A network host device is enabled to initiate providing of network communication configuration information for a network to at least one network-enabled device for establishing a communication session via the network. It is determined when a last communication session is terminated of a last one of the at least one network-enable device. In response to determining when the last communication session is terminated, the network host device is disabled from providing the network communication configuration information. In response to determining when the last communication session is terminated, the network communication configuration information for the network is automatically changed.
US07672246B2
A system and method for evaluating at least one communication link between a transmitting node and a receiving node in a communications network. The system and method perform the operation of assigning respective link quality values to the respective communication links based on a transmit power level (TPL) value at which the respective data packets were transmitted by the transmitting node over the respective links, a received sensitivity (RS) value of the receiving node receiving the data packets, and a receive signal strength indication (RSSI) value provided by the network for each respective link. Based on the link quality values, the system and method can determine whether additional data packets are to be sent by the transmitting node to the receiving node via the communication link. Specifically, the link having the highest link quality value is selected.
US07672242B2
A traffic management device and the method thereof are disclosed. The traffic management device includes a control logic unit, a first counting unit, and a second counting unit. The traffic management method follows the dual leaky bucket mechanism. A first count value and a second count value are generated by the first counting unit and the second counting unit, respectively, such that the control logic unit controls the average rate by checking whether the first count value falls within the range of a first threshold and controls the peak rate by checking whether the second count value falls within the range of a second threshold. When both the conditions are satisfied, packets in the queue are transmitted. Thus, the network flow is controlled effectively.
US07672241B2
In a TCP/IP network, congestion control techniques such as slow start and congestion avoidance are employed. Such networks include wired and wireless links. However, normal operation of the wireless links exhibit different latencies than those exhibited over the wired link. The protocols employed in the wired network do not lend themselves well to efficient communication over wireless connections, and can cause slow start to be triggered. Determining when a sender will timeout due to non-receipt of an ACK, and intervening with a suppression message having an advertised window of zero to pause the user, are employed to prevent congestion control mechanisms such as slow start and congestion avoidance from activation.
US07672240B2
Method and system for using Bayesian network inference for selection of transport protocol algorithm
A method for optimizing a network stack includes inputting network information into a transport protocol algorithm selector, inputting a first transport protocol algorithm into the transport protocol algorithm selector, analyzing a result of the transport protocol algorithm selector, selecting the first transport protocol algorithm based on the result, receiving a first packet in the network stack, and processing the first packet using the first transport protocol algorithm.
US07672237B2
In a node having first, second, and third layers, a packet (or a cell) is mapped in the first layer. The first layer judges whether the packet (or the cell) is to be dropped at the node or to be hopped to a next node. The first layer transmits the packet to the third layer through the second layer when the first layer judges that the packet is to be dropped at the node. The first layer transmits, when the first layer judges that the packet is to be hopped to the next node, the packet to the next node by making the packet cut through the first layer.
US07672236B1
A switch architecture and method provides scaling through multi-level load balancing of flows across data and application processing planes. An input/output module receives a communication session flow (forward) from a client device and selects one of a plurality of data processors to process the flow. The selected data processor determines the level of processing needed for the forward flow and selects an application processor from a plurality of such application processors. The application processor generates a session structure identifying actions to be performed on the forward flow and transfers the session structure to the selected data processor to perform the actions on the forward flow. The application processor also predictively generates and offloads a session structure for the associated reverse flow. If the reverse session structure is offloaded to a different data processor, either the forward or reverse flow redirects packets, or is redirected, to the data processor hosting the other flow. Typically, the redirection is accomplished by offloading a redirection structure as the offloaded session structure.
US07672235B1
One embodiment provides a system and method for synchronously buffering real-time streaming content in a peer-to-peer overlay network to improve inter-peer-node synchronization. A requesting peer node identifies a partner peer node that transiently stages content segments. The requesting peer node determines the status of its local buffer and sends a request that indicates such status to a partner peer node. After receiving the most recent segment not present in the buffer from the partner peer node, the requesting peer node transiently stages the received segments in the buffer.
US07672224B2
To reduce the load on a host for controlling a data doubling. Between a host and two disk subsystems, there is connected a data doubling device. This data doubling device behaves as if it were a unit disk subsystem for the host. The data doubling device doubles a data I/O instruction from the host and issues the doubled data I/O instruction to two disk subsystems. In case either of the disk subsystems becomes faulty, the data doubling device sends the data I/O instruction from the host only to the normal disk subsystem. After the fault recovery, the data doubling device performs a data copy between the disk subsystems.
US07672219B2
A bidirectional communication system is provided. The system includes a first remote unit for communicating with a host unit using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing. The host unit is communicatively coupled to a plurality of remote units in a multipoint-to-point configuration. The first remote unit is configured to transmit up to a plurality of tones and the first remote unit includes a modulator for modulating the plurality of tones with upstream information using orthogonal frequency division multiplexing such that when any tones are transmitted from the first remote unit and at least one other remote unit of the plurality of remote units, the tones are substantially orthogonal when received at the host unit.
US07672215B2
In a single-sided incident type optical recording medium having a plurality of dye containing recording layers, sufficient reflectance and excellent recording characteristics necessary to record or read information in or from a dye containing recording layer positioning farther from a side from which a light beam comes in can be obtained. The optical recording medium has a first substrate (21) having a guide groove, a first dye containing recording layer (22), a semitransparent reflective layer (23), an intermediate layer (24), a second dye containing recording layer (25), a reflective layer (26) and a second substrate (27) having a guide groove. Information is recorded or read in or from the first dye containing recording layer (22) and the second dye containing recording layer (25) by irradiating the light beam from the first substrate's side. The depth of the guide groove on the second substrate is within a range from 1/100 ×λ to 1/6 ×λ where λ represents the recording/reading wavelength.
US07672214B2
A probe (100) is provided with: a substrate (110) having a surface facing a medium (20); and a point electrode (120), formed in the substrate, for performing at least one of detection operation of a state of a domain of the medium and change operation of the state of the domain of the medium, a tip portion, which is an edge portion on a side facing the medium, out of the point electrode being disposed in one point in a plane which is formed in a vicinity of an area portion in which the point electrode is formed by the surface.
US07672204B2
A method and apparatus for managing a defective area on a optical recording medium, e.g., of writable once type, permits more efficient writing and management of defect list information or temporary defect list information for managing the defective area in a minimum recording size. The method includes writing data in a defective area existing on a high density optical disc, e.g., such as a BD-WO, in a spare area in place of the defective area, producing defect list information for access to the data replacement written in the spare area and writing in a particular area for defect management. The defect entries actually corresponding to the replacement written data, and writing location information of the next available spare area are written and managed as defect list information for management, or the writing location information of a location where replacement writing is possible is written and managed as defect definition structure information.
US07672200B2
A method of inter-layer search of a multi-layer disk, the method including determining whether a search is required of a layer other than a currently accessed layer; searching the currently accessed layer for a position corresponding to a target address on the layer not currently accessed; and moving access to the layer not currently accessed according to the position corresponding to the target address.
US07672195B2
Diagonal gather trace interpolation systems and methods are disclosed. In some embodiments, the method includes obtaining seismic traces from a marine seismic survey performed using typically two seismic sources fired in a flip-flop pattern. The seismic traces are processed in common field file trace groups from each cable by performing trace interpolation in opposing diagonal directions. Among other things, diagonal trace interpolation may improve azimuthal regularization. In any event, the disclosed interpolation methods maintain spatial bandwidth increased spatial resolution with increased inline and crossline sampling components. Diagonal gather trace interpolation exploits reduced input trace separation to provide improved stability and detection of a greater range of formation dip angles. After interpolation and regularization, the seismic traces may be imaged and interpreted for improved seismic exploration and monitoring.
US07672194B2
The present invention provides a seismic surveying method in which vibrators in a first vibrator group are actuated at time T0 and vibrators in a second vibrator group are actuated at time T1, where T0
US07672178B2
An integrated circuit communicates with memory devices. Data from the memory devices arrives at the integrated circuit with varying propagation delays. The integrated circuit detects the arrival of data from the memory devices, and stores the data in FIFOs. A FIFO drain signal is generated responsive to the detection of the data arrival.
US07672169B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory according to an aspect of the invention comprises a plurality of serially connected memory cells arranged on a P-well area within a semiconductor substrate, select gate transistors connected to one end and the other of the serially connected memory cells, a P-well control circuit which controls the P-well area, a plurality of word lines connected to the plurality of memory cells, a row control circuit which controls the plurality of word lines, and an operation control circuit which controls the P-well control circuit and the row control circuit, wherein, when writing to a selected one of the plurality of memory cells, the operation control circuit controls the P-well control circuit to apply a precharge potential to the P-well area and thus precharge channel areas of the plurality of memory cells.
US07672168B2
A non-volatile semiconductor memory device includes an electrically data rewritable non-volatile semiconductor memory cell and a write circuit for writing data in the memory cell, the write circuit writing a data in the memory cells by supplying a write voltage Vpgm and a write control voltage VBL to the memory cell, continuing the writing of the data in the memory cell by changing the value of the write control voltage VBL in response to an advent of a first write state of the memory cell and inhibiting any operation of writing a data to the memory cell by further changing the value of the write control voltage VBL to Vdd in response to an advent of a second write state of the memory cell.
US07672157B2
A memory integrated circuit has memory arrays that are vertically layered. These memory arrays include word lines and bit lines. Intersections between the word lines and the bit lines include a diode and a memory state storage element. The diode and the memory storage element are connected in between a word line and a bit line. The diode at the intersections includes a first diode node and a second diode node. Various aspects of the memory integrated circuit are electrically interconnected in various ways, such as corresponding word lines, corresponding first diode nodes, or corresponding second diode nodes of different memory arrays being electrically interconnected. Various aspects of the memory integrated circuit are isolated in various ways, such as word lines, first diode nodes, or second diode nodes of different memory arrays being isolated.
US07672156B2
In a phase-change random access memory (PRAM) device, a write operation is performed by applying a set pulse to failed PRAM cells. The set pulse comprises a plurality of stages sequentially decreasing from a first current magnitude to a second current magnitude. The first current magnitude or the second current magnitude varies from one write loop to another.
US07672154B2
Provided are a semiconductor memory device and a method of programming the same. The semiconductor memory device includes a mode input value generating unit and a logic operating unit. The mode input value generating unit changes a connection state between input values of a current driving circuit so as to correspond to each of at least two operating modes, and defines a logic function of a magnetic memory cell connected to the current driving circuit in response to each operating mode. The logic operating unit performs a logic operation on the logic functions of at least two magnetic memory cells defined according to each of the operating modes and generates a result of logic operation.
US07672152B1
A Schmitt Trigger (ST) based, fully differential, 10-transistor (10T) SRAM (Static Random Access Memory) bitcell suitable for sub-threshold operation. The Schmitt trigger based bitcell achieves 1.56× higher read static noise margin (SNM) (VDD=400 mV) compared to a conventional 6T cell. The robust Schmitt trigger based memory cell exhibits built-in process variation tolerance that gives tight SNM distribution across the process corners. It utilizes fully differential operation and hence does not require any architectural changes from the present 6T architecture. The 10T bitcell has two cross-coupled Schmitt trigger inverters which each consist of four transistors, including a PMOS transistor and two NMOS transistors in series, and an NMOS feedback transistor which is connected between the inverter output and the junction between the series-connected NMOS transistors. Each inverter has one associated NMOS access transistor.
US07672151B1
A non-volatile memory cell and related system utilize ferroelectric capacitors as data storage elements. Circuitry is provided for writing to a single ferroelectric capacitor storage element, as well as to dual storage elements operating inversely. The storage elements are read by use of a sense amplifier in a configuration which automatically restores the original data states, thereby eliminating the need for a subsequent restore operation. Memory systems are described which include circuitry for driving bit lines, word lines and drive lines to accomplish both the write and read operations.
US07672141B2
A component and card coupling alignment and support apparatus includes a card. A primary component connector is mounted to the card. A primary component including a connection edge engages the primary component connector. A secondary component extends from the primary component. An alignment and support member is included on the secondary component, whereby the card engages the alignment and support member on the secondary component. The engagement of the alignment and support member with the card aligns the primary component with the primary component connector during their coupling and supports the primary component in the primary component connector after their coupling. The card may then be coupled to an information handling system connector in an information handling system.
US07672134B2
An apparatus for dissipating heat from a device is provided. The apparatus includes a heat sink having an elongated shape and defining a groove. A heat spreader composed of a non-isotropic thermal conductor is positioned at least partially within the groove of the heat sink and thermally coupled to the heat sink. The heat spreader is oriented such that the thermal conductor propagates heat along a length of the heat sink. A heat channel composed of a non-isotropic thermal conductor is positioned at least partially within the groove of the heat sink and thermally coupled to the heat spreader. The heat channel is oriented to propagate heat towards the heat spreader.
US07672131B2
A heat sink assembly includes a base plate, a fin group and a heat pipe thermally connecting the base plate with the fin group. The fin group includes a plurality of fins. The heat pipe includes a straight evaporating section contacting with the base plate, a first condensing section extending upwardly from an end of the evaporating section and through the fins, a second condensing section bent downwardly from a free end of the first condensing section and through the fins, and a third condensing section extending upwardly from an opposite end of the evaporating section and through the fins. Periphery walls of at least two of the first, second and third condensing sections substantially totally contact with the fins to increase a contact area between the heat pipe and the fins.
US07672128B2
Apparatuses, methods, and systems directed to efficient cooling of data centers. Some embodiments of the invention allow encapsulation of cold rows through an enclosure and allow server fans to draw cold air from the cold row encapsulation structure to cool servers installed on the server racks. In other particular embodiments, the systems disclosed can be used to mix outside cool air into the cold row encapsulation structure to cool the servers. In some embodiments, the present invention involves using multiple cold row encapsulation structures to cool the servers installed on the racks.
US07672121B2
An exemplary flat panel display (200) includes a display module (22), a supporting member (25) for supporting the display module, and a base (27) detachably attaching to the supporting member. The supporting member includes a first hook (254) and a positioning groove (258). The base includes an elastic member (273) and a first through slot (274). When the first hook is latched in the first through slot and part of the elastic member is received in the positioning groove, the supporting member is detachably attached to the base.
US07672114B1
A composite having an electroactive polymer coating on a porous carbon structure is disclosed. The composite may be used in capacitor electrodes. The composite may be made by self-limiting electropolymerization of a monomer on the carbon structure.
US07672104B2
A current protection apparatus (200) and current protection method (1000) that may include programmable current protection characteristics has been disclosed. A current protection apparatus (200) may include a power distribution unit (230) with power distribution outlets (PDO-1 to PDO-8), each having a corresponding circuit breaker unit (CB1 to CB8). Each circuit breaker unit (CB1 to CB8) may operate in response to a processing unit (236) that can sample current values flowing between a respective power distribution outlet (PDO-1 to PDO-8) and a load device (LD1 to LD8). Processing unit 236 may operate under control of software stored on a memory (238) to control a switching circuit (320). Current protection characteristics for each circuit breaker unit may be independently programmed and/or altered by a user, for example by way of a computer (250). In this way, each power distribution outlet (PDO-1 to PDO-8) may have current rating characteristics independently provided for a particular load device (LD1 to LD8).
US07672081B2
A perpendicular magnetic recording head which moves in a track direction of a recording layer of a perpendicular magnetic recording medium to write information on the recording layer or read information from the recording layer. The perpendicular magnetic recording head includes: the perpendicular magnetic recording medium including a soft magnetic underlayer and the recording layer; a write head including a main pole that applies a magnetic field to, and writes information to, the recording layer and a return pole having a first end which is connected to the main pole and having a second end which is spaced apart from the main pole over an air bearing surface (ABS) of the perpendicular magnetic recording head which is adjacent to the recording layer; and a permanent magnet formed on at least one side of the write head.
US07672078B2
It is an object of the invention to provide a magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus in which a special motor for driving the head cleaning mechanism is eliminated, and space can be saved with low cost. An end of a tape accommodated in a tape cassette 2 has a coupling element 8, the coupling element 8 is pulled out by a tape-pulling-out element 40 and taken up around a drive reel 20, the magnetic recording/reproducing apparatus comprises a head cleaning mechanism 90 for cleaning a magnetic head 7, the head cleaning mechanism 90 includes a head brush portion for holding a brush portion, and a cam mechanism for changing a position of the head brush portion, the cam mechanism is operated by a tape-pulling-out element moving member 50 and a loading lever 30.
US07672074B2
A thermally assisted magnetic recording method includes the following steps. The recording layer of a magnetic recording medium is irradiated with a laser beam to produce a locally heated region. This heated region is moved by causing the recording layer and the laser beam to move relative to each other. To record desired information, a recording magnetic field is applied to the heated region of the recording layer. The laser beam has a cross section elongated in the direction in which the heated region is moved.
US07672073B2
A method for operating a head testing apparatus or, more generally, a host hard disk drive using a mounted hard disk that has had its servo track information pre-written in an external servo-writing apparatus rather than in the head testing or host apparatus itself. The method eliminates repeatable errors and repeatable runout by effectively replacing the pre-written servo tracks, which are eccentric, with new track profiles that are tracked like circular tracks. The problem of repeatable errors is caused by repeatable runout superimposed upon written-in position errors when a disk written in one machine is transferred to another. This problem is eliminated by forming IRON (Iterative Repeatable Runout Nulling) profile tracks from the initially pre-written servo tracks, where the IRON profile tracks are effectively tracked as concentric circular tracks and generate no PES. The IRON profile is formed by an iterative method that starts with the measurement of the PES of one of the pre-written tracks and iteratively forms a new track profile that is effectively circular.
US07672070B2
An apparatus for forming an image has one or more lenses in an optical path, at least one angular-sensitive light transmission filter in the optical path, in which transmission varies with change in angular orientation of the filter with reference to the direction of light in the optical path, and a mechanism for adjusting the angle of the light transmission filter.
US07672069B2
A linear motor and a camera module having the linear motor are provided. The linear motor includes: a piezoelectric substrate generating a vibration mode in a longitudinal direction on the basis of an applied voltage; first and second shafts coupled to both sides of the piezoelectric substrate with the piezoelectric substrate interposed therebetween; and a moving member coupled to at least one of the first and second shafts to be movable in the longitudinal direction of the first and second shafts and connected to a camera lens on one side. Accordingly, it is possible to remove a dead zone with a simple structure, to prevent an unnecessary increase in thickness, not to cause a stoppage at the time of moving a camera lens, to cause a small amount of tilt to enable a linear control, and to contribute to a decrease in thickness and a compactness of a mobile terminal.
US07672047B2
A catadioptric projection objective for imaging a pattern provided in an object plane of the projection objective onto an image plane of the projection objective comprises: a first objective part for imaging the pattern provided in the object plane into a first intermediate image; a second objective part for imaging the first intermediate imaging into a second intermediate image; a third objective part for imaging the second intermediate imaging directly onto the image plane;wherein a first concave mirror having a first continuous mirror surface and at least one second concave mirror having a second continuous mirror surface are arranged upstream of the second intermediate image;pupil surfaces are formed between the object plane and the first intermediate image, between the first and the second intermediate image and between the second intermediate image and the image plane; andall concave mirrors are arranged optically remote from a pupil surface. The system has potential for very high numerical apertures at moderate lens material mass consumption.
US07672042B2
The present invention provides methods and apparatuses for controlling a gain of an optical fiber amplifier. Gain circuitry operates in an opened loop configuration and uses a predetermined function relating a power variation of at least one wavelength region with a pump power adjustment for at least one optical pump. Two approximate linear relationships between the input signal power variations and the required pump power adjustments are utilized in controlling the Raman fiber amplifier. Each approximate linear relationship includes at least one linear coefficient that relates a power variation for a specific wavelength region and a power adjustment of a specific Raman pump. The dynamic gain control technique is applicable to an Erbium-doped fiber/waveguide amplifier. Also, a dynamic gain control technique controls a backward-pumped Raman amplifier, in which the power variation is determined at one geographical location and the optical pumps are controlled at another geographical location.
US07672038B2
A method for manufacturing an electrophoretic display includes the steps of: providing a substrate; forming a flexible plate on the substrate; forming an electrophoretic layer on the flexible plate; forming a transparent protection layer on the electrophoretic layer; forming an edge protection member between the flexible plate and the transparent protection member, the edge protection member surrounding the electrophoretic layer; and providing a laser beam to irradiate the flexible plate from a side of the substrate facing away from flexible plate, so as to release the substrate from the flexible plate.
US07672037B2
Provided are an electrophoretic display device and a manufacturing method thereof, and more specifically, electrophoretic e-paper to which a high-k dielectric material is applied in order to improve a reaction rate. The electrophoretic display device of the present invention comprises a plurality of capsules comprising a dielectric fluid and at least one type of particles individually operating in response to an applied electric field and suspended in the dielectric fluid; first and second substrates respectively formed on and below the capsules and having electrodes formed thereon; and a dielectric layer formed on at least one of the first and second substrates to be in contact with the capsules.
US07672036B2
The need to have a large single crystal of photorefractive material for devices such as optical limiters, optical memory, and beam couplers, is avoided by providing a photorefractive body (42) comprising small photorefractive particles (44) coupled by a couplant (43), for example glass, which is refractive index-matched to the particles. Such a body may comprise a fiber (42), or a bulk body (80). For many uses it will be necessary to align the photorefractive particles in the body and this can be achieved using fluid flows or electrostatically. Methods of making the particles, and of making photorefractive bodies are disclosed. Devices incorporating particle-couplant matrix bodies are disclosed.
US07672030B2
The present invention relates to a three-dimensional security feature using a hologram which can not be counterfeited with color copying machines or diffraction grating image forming devices. The three-dimensional security feature comprises a hologram which is recorded in such a manner that it can be reconstructed to comprise at least two three-dimensional linear patterns when locally viewed, at least one of these two three-dimensional linear patterns having at least one portion which crosses the other linear pattern at the inner side and at least one portion which crosses the other linear pattern at the outer side.
US07672024B2
A contact image sensor module for scanning a document includes a light source, a photosensing array and a lens assembly. The light source emits a light beam to the document, thereby generating an optical signal. The photosensing array is used for converting the optical signal into an electronic signal. The lens assembly is used for focusing the optical signal reflected from the document and imaging the optical signal onto the photosensing array. The photosensing array includes a first photosensing element with a first width and a second photosensing element with a second width. The first width is greater than the second width.
US07672022B1
A method analyzes an image to be scanned and analyzes at least part of the image pixel-by-pixel. Elements in the image are characterized according to a perceived characteristic and each image element having a given characteristic that is adjacent a similar or identical image element is identified. In one form, there are preferably at least three different characteristics, such as black, background and edge, by which the image elements can be characterized. In another form, image elements that are close enough to each other in physical location and close enough to each other in image characteristic are grouped together or included in a blob. Sub-blobs can be found to be part of a more predominant blob. In a further form, image elements are identified that represent an edge in the image, along with identifying those edge elements that are adjacent at least one other edge element.
US07672014B2
An image processing apparatus includes: a color conversion LUT selecting section selecting a fundamental color conversion LUT from among a set of fundamental color conversion LUTs, preliminarily prepared in compliance with different combinations of fundamental ink colors, based on information of ink colors to be used in multicolor-printing and information of fundamental ink colors defining each fundamental color conversion LUT; a color converting section converting pixel values, associated with a multicolor original image, from a display color space of the selected fundamental color conversion LUT to an ink color space of the selected fundamental color conversion LUT; and a correction processing section correcting pixel values stored in the selected fundamental color conversion LUT, in the ink color space, based on feature points information of the ink colors to be used in the multicolor-printing and feature points information of fundamental ink colors defining the selected fundamental color conversion LUT.
US07672003B2
A network scanner, communication protocols, and client and server programs and are provided which provide an improved way to transmit legally binding documents, obviating the need for outmoded, legacy fax transmissions. Using the network scanner, a document may be scanned and transferred directly into any shared folder inbox residing on any computer attached to the Internet. Enhanced server systems and network communications and messaging protocols are provided that are more practical to use than email for sending documents such as executed legal documents or other documents requiring robust integrity and authenticatability. Similarly, the inventive network scanner, server systems and communication protocols provide improved ways to perform large file transfers and to manage bandwidth to minimize problems associated with uploading/downloading large files as attachments to/from email servers and for enabling user control over VoIP quality during file transmission sessions.
US07671999B2
A device for measuring components by a laser triangulation measuring device includes at least two triangulation sensors for determining the height profiles of components. The component is arranged on a movable support plane in a horizontal moving direction relative to the laser triangulation measuring device, whereby at least two triangulation sensors are arranged in a mutual measuring plane forming a positional offset, for determining the height profile and a cross-sectional profile of the component in the measuring plane.
US07671997B2
A superluminescent diode according the present invention employs a uniform AlGaInAs quantum well on an InP substrate, emitting in a range of 1100 to 1800 nm. The favorable conduction band: valence band offset ratio of this material system enables superluminescent diodes which simultaneously provide high power and large optical bandwidth. A recent reduction to practice of the present invention simultaneously demonstrates output power exceeding 100 mW and bandwidth exceeding 100 nm. A preferred embodiment of this invention uses multiple uniform AlGaInAs quantum wells with two confined quantum states and energetic separation in a range of 100-130 nm. An alternate preferred embodiment uses non-uniform wells, with each well having two confined quantum states. The present invention is particularly useful in time domain and spectral domain optical coherence tomography systems, providing increased resolution and tissue penetration for in-vivo imaging.
US07671988B2
A device (10) is provided for measuring at least one characteristic (12) related to presence of particles. The device (10) includes a light source unit (16) for emitting light into a region (18) containing particles (20), with the light source being configured to emit light from a plurality of locations in a manner so that the emitted light follows a desired intensity distribution (22), the desired intensity distribution (22) being desired for the measurement of the at least one characteristic (12). In preferred embodiments the intensity distribution is Lambertian.
US07671984B2
An arrangement for measuring the diffuse reflection of samples and a method for internal recalibration of the measuring head. The spectrometric measuring head with a device for recalibration comprises a housing which is provided with a window and which contains an illumination source, a spectrometer arrangement and at least two standards for internal recalibration. The two standards can be swiveled into the beam path of the measuring head selectively so that the measurement light emitted by the illumination source can be used in its entirety for recalibration. A processor for acquiring and processing measured values and an interface to a bus system are arranged in the housing. Accordingly, relatively time-consuming calibration of the measuring head at the place of use is required only before putting into operation or at longer time intervals. By the internal recalibrations, it is possible to prevent changes in the measured values in long-term operation.
US07671981B1
A tunable laser spectroscopic carpet identification system comprises a tunable laser spectroscopy system for generating a tunable signal that is transmitted to a carpet sample. The system detects the tunable signal after interaction with the carpet sample so that an analyzer is able to relate a spectral response of the carpet sample to a chemical composition of the carpet sample. In one example, the spectroscopy system comprises a laser cavity in which the tunable signal is generated, a semiconductor gain medium in the laser cavity, and a tunable element for controlling a wavelength of tunable signal generated in the laser cavity. To deal with variations in water content, the analyzer estimates a water content of the carpet sample using the spectral response of the carpet sample and then determines the chemical composition of the carpet sample in part based on the estimate of the water content.
US07671977B2
A personal identification system, which uses a vein pattern of a finger, optimizes the amount of light of a light source based on a captured finger image and emphasizes the vein pattern during image processing for identification.
US07671976B2
Fingers and palms can be optically scanned to produce optical finger or optical palm prints by using one or more flexible imaging members in contact therewith. The palm or finger being scanned is positioned on one side of the flexible imaging member and in contact therewith. One or more optical scanners is positioned on the other side of the imaging member. The sensor(s) then sense incident radiant energy or light indicative of friction ridge patterns and minutiae on the respective finger and/or palm. Alternately, RF or electro-static sensing could be used.
US07671967B2
An exposure method includes the steps of (a) calculating a pupil transmittance distribution in a projection optical system based on a first effective light source distribution of the projection optical system acquired by a measuring apparatus of an exposure apparatus, and a second effective light source distribution derived from a pupil plane light intensity distribution measured on a plate plane using light that has passed the projection optical system without a reticle, (b) calculating an imaging performance by using a result of the pupil transmittance distribution calculating step and the first or second effective light source distributions, (c) adjusting at least one of the effective light source distribution or the projection optical system by using the imaging performance, and (d) exposing the plate based on at least one of the effective light source distribution and the projection optical system that have been adjusted.
US07671966B2
Parallel data bus architecture, lithography system and method for substrate patterning with a high-resolution image by data generation transferring, display or printing high edge placement accuracy images from multiple exposures of plurality of predefined patterns with lower edge placement accuracy. Data bus architecture includes n predetermined patterns in n memory arrays each storing a low resolution pattern to be formed onto microelement array with a data bus connecting memory arrays to an image transducer memory array. Data bus includes switches allowing data transfer from any one memory array to the image transducer array with a memory control unit connected to memory arrays and one or more data bus switches so 2m−1 columns of pattern data stored in the mth memory array are sequentially transferred to 2m−1 memory cell columns of the image transducer memory array, m an integer begging at 1 incremented by 1 to n.
US07671962B2
Providing a spacer forming method by which spacers can be securely formed in a predetermined region on a substrate. Ink containing granular spacers is jetted onto a crossing portion of a black matrix 5 in the shape of a lattice. Red pixel R, green pixel G and blue pixel B are formed in the openings of the lattice. The spacer containing ink is jetted onto the spacer forming positions from the nozzle by the ink jetting method. Plural drops of ink 7 are jetted onto each of the spacer forming positions on one of the opposite substrates E. The gap between the opposite substrates E can be securely maintained at a constant for filling with liquid crystal.
US07671960B2
A method of manufacturing at least one device defining a volume for retaining fluid or sensitive material capable of changing physical properties, particularly optical properties, via application of voltage, or electrical properties via stress or radiation, the device including a first front substrate and a second back substrate maintained at a constant distance from each other, and joined by a sealing joint which defines the volume, wherein the method includes the steps of: structuring at least one wall, which defines, via its inner lateral face, the volume for retaining the sensitive medium or fluid, on one of the substrates; joining the second substrate to the first substrate; introducing a sealing material into a gap defined by the outer lateral face of the wall and the two superposed substrates until at least part of the gap is occupied by sealing material, and solidifying the sealing material to form the sealing frame.
US07671941B2
The invention provides a liquid crystal display capable of obtaining light and high-contrast display having a wide viewing angle in a transflective liquid crystal display. A liquid crystal display of the present invention employs a vertical alignment mode using a liquid crystal layer that is vertically aligned in the initial alignment state. A transparent display area is disposed to surround the periphery of a reflective display area in one dot, and an insulating film is provided in the area that corresponds to the reflective display area in the center of the dot. The insulating film makes the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the reflective display area to be smaller than the thickness of the liquid crystal layer in the transparent display area.
US07671939B2
A liquid crystal display element includes: a first substrate having a first surface and including a pixel electrode; a second substrate having a second surface opposing to the first surface, and including a light-shielding film, a thickness adjusting film and a counter electrode arranged in sequence in a direction to the second surface; a sealing material having a frame-shape to bond the first substrate and the second substrate; a liquid crystal layer provided in a region surrounded by the sealing material and between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the thickness adjusting film is provided to cover the light-shielding film to define the thickness of the liquid crystal layer, and has a contact hole, wherein the counter electrode is provided to oppose to the pixel electrode, and electrically connected to the light shielding film via the contact hole.
US07671928B2
A display apparatus with a self-luminescent device and a non-self-luminescent device has a first substrate, a second substrate, and a pixel matrix with a plurality of pixels. Each pixel has a first switching device, a non-self-luminescent device controlled by the first switching device, a second switching device, and a self-luminescent device controlled by the second switching device. The first switching device and the second switching device are active devices, wherein the first switching device is disposed on the first substrate, and the second switching device is disposed on the second substrate. Alternatively, one of the first switching device and the second switching device is a passive device. Also, the first switching device is on the first substrate, and the second switching device is on the second substrate. An apparatus for controlling the disclosed display apparatus is also disclosed.
US07671920B2
A camera body of a video system has a housing which is comprised of cover elements. Two of the cover elements which, in an area of the handgrip, are fitted together and which shape a part of the housing, also shape the handgrip of the housing.
US07671918B2
A camera includes a first transfer unit which transfers, in a first transfer time, pixel data of a first pixel range of a plurality of pixel data, a second transfer unit which transfers, in a second transfer time that is shorter than the first transfer time, pixel data of a second pixel range of the plurality of pixel data, a number of pixels of the second pixel range being less than a number of pixels of the first pixel range, a first control unit which causes the first transfer unit to transfer the pixel data, updates a display screen on the basis of the pixel data, and controls the autofocus adjustment, and a second control unit which causes the second transfer unit to transfer the pixel data, interrupts the updating of the display screen while the pixel data is being transferred, and controls the autofocus adjustment.
US07671914B2
A method and associated architecture for dividing column readout circuitry in an active pixel sensor in a manner which reduces the parasitic capacitance on the readout line. In a preferred implementation, column readout circuits are grouped in blocks and provided with block signaling. Accordingly, only column output circuits in a selected block significantly impart a parasitic capacitance effect on shared column readout lines. Block signaling allows increasing pixel readout rate while maintaining a constant frame rate for utility in large format high-speed imaging applications.
US07671902B2
Images captured at a venue and relating to one or more patrons of the venue are incorporated into one or more products in accordance with image selections and/or product selections made by the patron(s). The images may be captured at venues with a variety of image capture devices such as pre-mounted cameras, cell phones, cameras brought by patrons to the venue, or cameras provided to patrons by the venue or another entity. The patrons may obtain products such as T-shirts, coffee mugs, prints, slideshows, or other products incorporating one or more selected images. Patrons may also view the images on portable electronic devices.
US07671900B2
In an imaging apparatus having an imaging unit, an image processor, and a recording unit, an electronic viewfinder screen is displayed with an image capture frame on the basis of image data captured by the imaging unit and output from the image processor. A conversion source color is determined on the basis of color information included in the frame of an image displayed on the electronic viewfinder screen in response to a first operation input. A conversion destination color is determined on the basis of color information included in the frame of an image displayed on the electronic viewfinder screen in response to a second operation input. Color conversion parameters of the image processor are set to convert a color within a predetermined range including the conversion source color into a color within a predetermined range including the conversion destination color on a color space.
US07671897B2
An image output/input system includes a phase comparator, an image synchronous signal generator, a sensor timing generator, a sensor, an image/color processing unit, and a video encoder. The phase comparator receives a digital signal and a vertical synchronous signal and compares their period and phase to generate a clock correction signal. The image synchronous signal generator receives the clock correction signal and adjusts a subsequent period of the vertical synchronous signal according to the clock correction signal. The sensor timing generator receives the vertical synchronous signal and generates the sensor control timing, and the sensor receives the sensor control timing and generates raw image data. The image/color processing unit receives the raw image data and deals with the image and color process of the raw image data to generate target image data. The video encoder receives the vertical synchronous signal and the target image data and encodes them to generate analog encoded image data.
US07671893B2
Interactive multi-view video presents a new type of video capture system. Many video cameras are allocated to capture an event from various related locations and directions. The captured videos are compressed in control PCs and are sent to a server in real-time. The compressed video can also be transcoded through an off-line compression approach to further reduce the data amount. Users can subscribe to a new type of service that allows users to connect to the servers and receive multi-view videos interactively.
US07671892B2
An image sensing apparatus according to the present invention includes: an image sensing unit configured to sense an object image and output image signals; a shift amount detecting unit configured to detect a shift amount between two image signals, from the image signals that are sequentially output by the image sensing unit; an image signal synthesizing unit configured to sequentially synthesize the image signals based on detection results of the shift amount detecting unit, and generate a synthesized image signal that has been corrected by the shift amount; and a memory unit configured to accumulate the synthesized image signal, wherein the image signal synthesizing unit performs level adjustment of a signal level, the level adjustment varying for each area of the two image signals that are to be synthesized, and generates the synthesized image signal.
US07671890B2
A covert all-weather roving camera security system includes a monorail track, at least one self-propelled trolley able to move itself back and forth continuously along the monorail track, and a plurality of surveillance cameras attached to the trolley. A housing completely encloses the monorail track and the trolley and has a sunshield on its top to protect the cameras from overheating and a filtered window on its sides and bottom to prevent human eyes from seeing in the housing while permitting the cameras to see out.
US07671888B2
The present invention provides a system including a stereoscopic endoscope having left and right image pickup units for picking up parallactic images of an object through objective lenses laterally arranged at a distance from each other and CCDs laterally arranged at a distance from each other. In the stereoscopic endoscope, the focal distance is variable by moving focusing lenses. A display control unit is constructed so as to mask image pickup areas in left and right images display in left and right display elements on the basis of information regarding the distance to an object, the image pickup areas being picked up-only by one of the left and right image pickup units. Thus, images corresponding to an area that is picked up in common by both the left and right image pickup units are displayed.
US07671885B2
An ink-jet recording apparatus is provided which can perform image recording on a recording medium being conveyed while restraining a curl at the front end of the recording medium. The ink-jet recording apparatus has an upstream curve forming portion that curves a recording medium being conveyed into a nearly U-shape when viewed in a cross selection orthogonal to a conveying direction of the recording medium, and an upstream conveying direction change portion that shifts the conveying direction of the recording medium being conveyed from the feed tray to between a platen and a recording head such that the recording medium is curved to form a nearly U-shape when viewed in a cross section along the conveying direction.
US07671882B2
A semiconductor laser modulation signal is generated for modulating a semiconductor laser. The semiconductor laser is driven based on the semiconductor laser modulation signal. An output impedance of a semiconductor laser modulation signal generating unit and an input impedance of a semiconductor laser driving unit are corrected. The semiconductor laser modulation signal is transmitted as a low amplitude differential signal, from the semiconductor laser modulation signal generating unit to the semiconductor laser driving unit.
US07671880B2
In one embodiment, a disk labeling system is configured to use calibration indicia to produce calibration data. A disk is then marked using a laser in a first position. The laser is then deflected from the first position into a second position, by applying an input according to the calibration data. The disk is then marked using the laser in the second position.
US07671879B2
An information recording apparatus enables information to be recorded in a thermosensitive recording medium accurately while preventing the development of skew. When a rewritable medium is conveyed to a recording unit, the rotation of the rewritable medium and its position with reference to an axis are adjusted. Specifically, the rewritable medium is held between guide pins to such an extent as not to warp the rewritable medium while the medium is sandwiched between a clamper and a conveyance tray, until the rewritable medium reaches the recording unit. Thus, the rewritable medium is delivered to the recording unit with an adjusted posture, allowing the recording unit to record information in the rewritable medium without the development of skew in the rewritable medium.
US07671875B2
In a case where a position and/or orientation of a shooting viewpoint is calculated by using information about image coordinates of markers placed in a scene, the present invention enables a user to easily determine positions of the markers so that the position and orientation can be calculated more accurately. Information about markers placed in a physical space is obtained and area information about mixing accuracy between a physical space image and a virtual space image is obtained based on the information about the markers, so that a virtual space image is generated in accordance with the obtained area information.
US07671873B1
According to one aspect, the invention provides an apparatus for converting data encoded in a graphics signal to at least one output signal. The apparatus includes an input, a plurality of outputs, signal processing circuitry and a controller. The input is adapted to receive the graphics signal where the graphics signal includes a plurality of frames generated at least in part from original data. The signal processing circuitry is adapted to locate, in the graphics signal, data corresponding to the original data, convert the data corresponding to the original data to output data and communicate the output data to the plurality of outputs. The controller is adapted to monitor a capacity of the signal processing circuitry and generate a signal that results in at least one disposable frame being added to the plurality of frames. The signal processing circuitry is adapted to discard the at least one disposable frame.
US07671871B2
To make an intuitive interface for curves for color correction, a particular color is selected, such as gray, and the effect of each curve on pixels of that color may be displayed as a background image for the curve. A background image also may indicate a color to which tones corresponding to a selected and manipulated point of a curve will be modified or corrected. An image representing a gradient from the color component, through gray, to a complement of the color component may be displayed in association with the displayed function curve to suggest a result of color correction to be applied to the input image by manipulation of the function curve. A background image may suggest to the user what will happen if a point on the curve is moved. For example, if a user takes a point on the green curve that is in the center of the display and moves it to the lower right, the resulting image will have a magenta tint. The background image for the curve for the green channel shows more magenta in the lower right. A user can determine from an image to be corrected and the background image of the curves both which curve to use and approximately which direction to manipulate the curve.
US07671870B2
Data tiles can be combined to form attribute data sets for use in generating computer graphics images. Tiles may be arranged in a regular grid pattern or in arbitrary, irregular positions. Tiles can be overlapped slightly and blended to hide tile boundaries. The value of the combined data set in an overlap region may be a weighted sum of values from the tiles. To compensate for reduced variance and contrast caused by blending, the values in overlap regions can be scaled by a variance correction factor. The variance correction factor is the inverse of the reduction in variance from the source tiles. Tile values can be scaled by their weights and variance correction values at the time they are combined or in advance, if the pattern of tile overlaps are consistent. Data tiles can be comprised of bandlimited noise data or other data types.
US07671869B2
A method and apparatus that provides adaptation in the content delivered to a palmtop computer. Connections between a palmtop computer and the Internet can vary from low speed dial-up to very high speed. Also, a palmtop computer's display, memory and processing power can vary considerably. Communication with the Internet is generally through a proxy server that can deduce these considerations from the palmtop computer's serial number and/or other information specified by user. The proxy server can then adapt the content based upon these considerations (e.g. only send two bit gray scale images to non-color palmtop computer, only send first frame of animated gif to low processing power palmtop computer, etc.).
US07671852B2
A display device includes a display unit, a state detecting unit, and a setting unit. The display unit includes a display screen on which an image is displayed. The state detecting unit detects a light emission state of a pixel of the display screen. The setting unit sets the pixel to any one of a display mode and a charge mode based on a result of detection by the state detecting unit.
US07671846B1
In order to minimize differences in a pushing speed of a user pushing control elements of a controller in, for example, an entertaining system, arising from differences in the body weights of users, the gives instructions to a computer running software depending on the pushing pressure of the user on the control element connected to a pressure-sensitive device of the controller. The controller is set up to instruct the user to push the control element with at least a maximum strength. The value obtained when the control element is pushed, is stored as the maximum value. Based on the maximum value and a pressure-sensing value table defined in software or various pressure-sensing values, a new pressure-sensing value table or various new pressure-sensing values are generated.
US07671829B2
A driving method for a color liquid crystal display which drives the color liquid crystal display based on a video red signal, a video green signal and a video blue signal by independently applying a gamma compensation to a clamped video red signal, a clamped video green signal and a clamped video blue signal in gamma compensating circuits in order to make suitable to a red transmittance characteristic, a green transmittance characteristic and a blue transmittance characteristic. With this operation, it is possible to carry out an optimal gamma compensation suitable to a characteristic of the color liquid crystal display and to remove a gradation batter occurring in a specific color.
US07671828B2
A color filter substrate includes a substrate and color layers of different colors which are disposed on the substrate. The color layers are provided in unit pixels. The unit pixels each include subpixels. The subpixels each include a reflection region where light entering the pixels is reflected and a transmission region where light entering the pixels is transmitted. The reflection and transmission regions include a different combination of two color layers selected from the color layers for each of the subpixels. The two color layers are adjacent to each other in a plane in the reflection region and are stacked on top of each other in the transmission region. The transmission region of at least one of the subpixels has an unstacked area where one of the two color layers is formed.
US07671825B2
According to one aspect of the present invention, it is possible to sufficiently perform the discharging of charge without lowering the light emitting efficiency of an organic EL device and hence, the device can exhibit the light emitting efficiency higher than a conventional organic EL device and, at the same time, can prevent the degradation of the device. As an organic EL device to which the present invention is applied, on a glass transparent substrate, a transparent electrode, a hole injection layer and a hole transport layer which function as a hole transport function layer, a light emitting layer, an electron transport function layer, and a metal electrode are formed sequentially, and a drive power sources are connected to the transparent electrode and the metal electrode. Further, from the drive power source, as an applying voltage, a voltage which is obtained by overlapping any one of a sine wave, a pulse wave, a triangle wave and a sawtooth wave having two cycles or more to a drive signal or a voltage which is obtained by overlapping a sine wave having two cycles or more to the drive signal is supplied.
US07671811B2
Disclosed is an antenna device arranged inside a display module of an electronic device with a conductive portion. The antenna device includes an antenna element with a ground plane and a signal feeding end for transceiving a wireless signal, an antenna signal feeding line coupled to the signal feeding end of the antenna element for feeding the wireless signal transceived by the antenna element. At least one mounting element for fixing the antenna element onto the casing and forcing the ground plane of the antenna electrically contacting with the conductive portion of the casing, so that the conductive porting serves as an extended ground for the ground plane of the antenna element.
US07671806B2
In an antenna system for a radar transceiver, in particular for measuring distance and/or velocity in the surroundings of motor vehicles, having at least one antenna, which includes at least one first part situated on a chip and a second part situated at a distance from the first part and beam-coupled to the first part, the second part of the antenna is situated on an antenna substrate or another chip, which is attached over the first part by flip chip bonds.
US07671804B2
A compact tunable antenna for a handheld electronic device and methods for calibrating and using compact tunable antennas are provided. The antenna can have multiple ports. Each port can have an associated feed and ground. The antenna design can be implemented with a small footprint while covering a large bandwidth. The antenna can have a radiating element formed from a conductive structure such as a patch or helix. The antenna can be shaped to accommodate buttons and other components in the handheld device. The antenna may be connected to a printed circuit board in the handheld device using springs, pogo pins, and other suitable connecting structures. Radio-frequency switches and passive components such as duplexers and diplexers may be used to couple radio-frequency transceiver circuitry to the different feeds of the antenna. Antenna efficiency can be enhanced by avoiding the use of capacitive loading for antenna tuning.
US07671801B2
According to an embodiment of the present invention, an electronically scanned array includes a plurality of armor segments interspersed between a plurality of transmit/receive integrated microwave modules (TRIMMs), and a clamping element compressing the armor segments.
US07671793B2
A communication base station has: a communication signal sending device for sending a communication signal including base station position information indicating a position of the communication base station and sending direction information indicating a sending direction from the communication base station, and the terminal apparatus has: a communication signal receiving device; a base station pseudo range information generating device; a satellite orbital position information generating device; a satellite pseudo range information generating device; a candidate position information generating device; and a positioning location information generating device for designating one position out of positions on the circumference indicated in the candidate position information on the basis of the sending direction information to generate positioning location information, and so on.
US07671783B2
A submarine warfare radar training system 10 includes an underwater vehicle 15 towing a float device 40 and a radar reflective target 45. The radar reflective target 45 is configured as a hollow tube-shaped element 50 having circular open leading and trailing open circular end to allow water to flow through the target as it is towed. The target 45 includes a positive buoyancy material layer 60 and is horizontally oriented during towing. The float device 40 is configured to support the radar reflective target 45 open leading end above the water surface 30 as the float device 40 and radar reflective target 45 are towed along the water surface to deliver air into the hollow cross-section. The radar reflective target 45 has an adjustable RCS which can be increased or decreased by lengthening or shortening the radar reflective target.
US07671781B2
A system and method for producing a character are provided. A remote control device having a plurality of numeral keys and capable of inputting a plurality of values is used to issue a command representing one of the plurality of values and composed of a combination of the plurality of numeral keys to an interactive equipment. In the interactive equipment, a reference table is provided to provide a relationship between the plurality of values and a plurality of characters each corresponding to one thereof. By referring to the reference table, the value corresponding to the command can be converted to a corresponding character among the plurality of characters. Finally, the character can be displayed and thus produced on the interactive equipment.
US07671777B2
An AD converter includes an analog data storing unit, a first DA converter for converting an input digital data into a first analog reference voltage which varies within a first voltage range in a range of every possible signal voltage of the input analog data, a second DA converter for converting the input digital data into a second analog reference voltage which varies within a second voltage range in the range of every possible signal voltage of the input analog data, a first comparator for comparing the input analog data with the first reference voltage, a second comparator for comparing the input analog data with the second reference voltage and a digital data storing unit for storing a digital data corresponding to a point of time when a change of state occurs in the comparison results of each of the first and second comparators.
US07671773B2
Systems and methods for a jitter insensitive 1-bit digital to analog converter (DAC) are described. The jitter insensitive 1-bit DAC employed in the feedback loop of a delta sigma analog to digital converter (ADC) converts a 1-bit digital data into the corresponding analog output.
US07671772B2
In one embodiment, at least one parameter set for at least one harmonic of a continuous wave (CW) signal is digitally generated in response to a parameter set for the CW signal. In response to the parameter set for the CW signal, the CW signal is synthesized; and in response to the at least one parameter set for the at least one harmonic of the CW signal, at least one nulling tone is synthesized. The CW signal and the at least one nulling tone are amplified; and the amplified CW signal and the at least one amplified nulling tone are summed to produce a linearized amplified CW signal. Other embodiments are also described.
US07671760B2
A traffic signal system for utilizing an efficient and simplistic structure to regulate vehicle and pedestrian traffic. The traffic signal system includes a support member including at least one receiver member and at least one light module including a plug member extending outwardly from the light module, wherein the plug member is positionable within a cavity of the receiver member.
US07671757B2
A method and system to detect misalignment of sensors used in train inspection systems are provided. The method includes receiving inputs from a train inspection sensor that is coupled to a railroad track, determining a position of the train inspection sensor using a motion detector, and identifying the inputs received from the train inspection sensor as at least one of acceptable or not acceptable based on the determined position of the train inspection sensor.
US07671755B2
A battery current sensing device for the battery of a vehicle includes a current sensor, a substrate having a measuring circuit, and a connecting element having first and second ends. The current sensor is connected to the battery to receive current flow of the battery. One end of the connecting element is electrically and mechanically connected to the substrate and the other end of the connecting element is electrically and mechanically connected to the current sensor such that the connecting element electrically and mechanically connects the substrate in a fixed position to the current sensor with the measuring circuit being electrically connected to the current sensor. The first end of the connecting element includes a press-fit contact for establishing the connection to one of the current sensor and the substrate.
US07671754B2
A sensor for detecting the presence of a liquid. The sensor includes a housing having a concave upper surface, a concave lower surface, and a peripheral wall connecting the upper surface and the lower surface, the wall extending above the upper surface and below the lower surface. A plurality of apertures are formed in the wall. A plurality of electrically conductive members extend above the upper surface and below the lower surface and are separated from one another by a gap in which a liquid can accumulate. The electrically conductive members are configured to generate an output signal when a conductive liquid comes into contact with the electrically conductive members and bridges the gap. An output connector is coupled to the plurality of electrically conductive members and is configured to carry the output signal.
US07671749B2
A device is disclosed which is configured to startle certain pests which may cause a variety of problems in certain areas of a home or workplace. By limiting the action of the pests, or removing the pests from the area, the invention may prevent the destruction of property, minimize animal droppings, and minimize the spread of disease. The invention includes an external shell in the shape of any desired animal, wherein the external shell also covers internal mechanical, electronic and electrical components. The components are configured to move parts of the animal shell and move other items attached to the shell. The movement may be a result of a motion detector detecting an undesirable pest, programmable timer, a remote control device operated within the safety of a home or by other sensors.
US07671742B2
A system and method for integrating point of sale (POS) data with electronic article surveillance (EAS) data, comprising a general-purpose computer for receiving and processing POS and EAS data is disclosed. The system and method preferable comprise reporting analyzed and collated data to a user.
US07671733B2
A system for monitoring and reporting medical alarms includes an alarm messenger for receiving an alarm signal from monitored equipment. The alarm signal includes information to enable determination of the location of the monitored equipment. The alarm messenger outputs an alarm messenger signal including the information. A database includes a master association table stored in the database. A central server receives the alarm signal, utilizes the information from the alarm signal to access the master association table to determine alarm information and, in response to the alarm information, notifies the appropriate staff of an alarm condition.
US07671723B2
A device for activating an actuator system for protecting a pedestrian is provided, the device being connected to an environment sensor system and a contact sensor system. The device compares a first signal from the contact sensor system to a threshold. The threshold or the first signal is changed as a function of a second signal of the environment sensor system and the actuator system is activated as a function of the comparison.
US07671722B1
A pill storage system includes a housing that with a bottom wall and a peripheral wall is attached to and extends upwardly from the bottom wall. The peripheral wall has an upper edge defining an opening into an interior of the housing. A cover is removably positioned over the opening and closes the housing. At least one loop is attached to an outer surface of the bottom wall. A bracelet for being worn by a user of the housing extends through the at least one loop. The bracelet removably secures the housing to the user.
US07671721B2
This publication discloses a remote identifier, a reader, and a method for activating a desired remote identifier. The remote identifier (2) includes a microcircuit (7), in which there is a memory and means for processing a radio-frequency signal, an antenna (6) connected to the microcircuit (7), by means of which both the signal and also electric power for the operating voltage of the microcircuit (7) can be received. According to the invention, a component (3), the electrical properties of which change due to the effect of infrared, or visible light, is electrically connected to the microcircuit (7) of the remote identifier and in the microcircuit (7) there are means, by which the combined effect of a change in the radio-frequency signal and the electrical component (3) can be expressed by a correlation method for the signals, in order to activate the remote identifier (2) for two-way data transmission.
US07671720B1
According to several embodiments of the invention, a radio frequency identification (RFID) interrogator utilizing a circuit to remove unwanted distortion from a received signal is described. The interrogator transmits a transmitted signal continuously, while receiving a received signal from a radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. The circuit samples the transmitted signal, and removes the unwanted distortion created by the transmitted signal from the received signal.
US07671718B2
A method and apparatus for detecting and tracking an object with a defined area, and determining its position, status movement and identity therein, includes interrogating the defined area to communicate with an information device on object and transmit received to a master controller unit, which determines the object's presence, position, movement and identity with the defined area.
US07671717B2
The present invention relates to an unrecoverable line-type temperature sensitive detector having short-circuit fault alarm function, comprises a detecting cable comprising at least two detecting conductors disposed in parallel and a fusible insulation layer, a resistor, and a resistance signal measuring device, wherein the detecting cable further comprises a semiconductor layer, and wherein the semiconductor layer and the fusible insulation layer are disposed between the detecting conductors so as to space the detecting conductors apart. The detector of the present invention may distinguish short-circuit fault from short circuit caused by fire, and thus overcome the disadvantage of not distinguishing short-circuit fault from short-circuit due to fire in the conventional detector. Therefore, the problem of lack of short-circuit fault alarm function in the prior art is resolved. Accordingly, the present invention improves the reliability of unrecoverable line-type temperature sensitive detector.
US07671713B2
An integrated structure of passive elements in an LLC resonance converter realized by flexible circuit boards includes a closed magnetic circuit formed by first and second magnetic cores, a tubular, double-sided, flexible circuit board, tubular magnetic-material layer and tubular, single-sided, flexible circuit board. The single-sided circuit board is coaxially sleeved in turn from inside outwards on a magnetic core column of the closed magnetic circuit. The tubular, double-sided, circuit board is a laminated plate material formed in turn of a first insulating layer, first copper foil, insulating medium layer, second copper foil and second insulating layer. The tubular, single-sided, circuit board is a laminated plate material formed in turn of a third insulating layer, third copper foil and fourth insulating layer. The integration of a resonance capacitor, resonance inductor, shunt inductor and transformer in a LLC resonance converter is realized by using these flexible circuit boards.
US07671707B2
A bandstop filter where variation in characteristics is suppressed to minimum and which realizes an increased production yield. The physical length of a line joint portion between a main line and an oscillator can be enlarged by providing an impedance non-continuous structure portion in a strip conductor of the oscillator. In comparison to the case where the impedance non-continuous structure portion is not provided, the width of a joint slit required to obtain an equal joint amount can be enlarged. When the joint slit width is enlarged, variation in filter characteristics caused by pattern accuracy can be reduced because of the enlarged joint slip width, thus improving a filter yield. This means that pattern accuracy requirement for production is loosened. Freedom in selecting a dielectric substrate is increased, which also provides an advantage that a filter can be produced using a less expensive dielectric substrate with not very high pattern accuracy.
US07671703B1
A coaxial orthomode transducer with improved port to port isolation, low higher order mode (“HOM”) coupling, and low transverse electromagnetic mode (“TEM”) coupling is disclosed.
US07671694B2
Embodiments of a programmable passive equalizer are described herein.
US07671693B2
The present disclosure relates generally to tunable impedance matching networks and methods for the use of such networks. In one example, a method includes identifying state information about a mobile device, accessing a memory to identify a configuration of an impedance matching network based on the state information, and applying the values from the configuration to the impedance matching network.
US07671691B2
A quadrature modulator divides a first signal input as a local signal into an I channel signal and a Q channel signal orthogonal to each other and outputs a second signal having a desired phase delay corresponding to direct current voltages as for the first signal by giving the direct current voltages Vi and Vq to the I channel signal and the Q channel signal, respectively. A phase comparison unit detects a phase difference θ between the first signal and the second signal. A setting unit sets the desired phase delay. A controller section controls the direct current voltages supplied to the I channel signal and the Q channel signal respectively in the quadrature modulator so that an output value corresponding to the phase difference θ detected by the phase comparison unit is equal to a value corresponding to the desired phase delay set by the setting unit, and controls the direct current voltages to be the direct current voltages Vi and Vq satisfying the relation of Vi=cos θ and Vq=sin θ.
US07671685B2
Aspects of a method and system for a low power fully differential noise canceling low noise amplifier (NC LNA) are provided. The NC LNA may receive signals via a single ended input and may generate an amplified symmetric differential output from the received signals. The NC LNA may utilize capacitor dividers, such as a capacitor bank, in the single ended input in order to provide impedance transformation that enables low power operation and matching to an input port. The NC LNA may generate one portion of the amplified symmetric differential output via a voltage divider, which may comprise a plurality of capacitors, such as a capacitor bank. The NC LNA may be implemented utilizing one or more circuits.
US07671677B2
A circuit includes an input stage configured to receive and amplify an input signal to produce an amplified signal, where the input signal is referenced to a higher voltage and is associated with a common mode voltage. The circuit also includes level shifter resistors configured to level shift the amplified signal to produce a shifted signal. The level shifter resistors are configured to provide a voltage drop so that the shifted signal is referenced to a lower voltage. The input stage may include multiple transistors floating in one or more isolated portions of a substrate, where the transistors perform amplification in the input stage. The circuit may also include circuitry configured to control current through the level shifter resistors so that the voltage drop depends on the common mode voltage of the input signal. In addition, the lower voltage may be between supply rails of the circuit.
US07671673B2
A PWM modulator adds first and second input signals to each other, and performs PWM modulation processing for outputting a PWM-modulated pulse whose pulse width is modulated according to a result of addition. A shift register delays a bit stream acquired from a ΔΣ modulator, thereby generating two bit streams having a time difference which is one-half a period of PWM modulation processing, and the bit streams are supplied at first and second input signals to the PWM modulator.
US07671671B2
A demodulation device (1) in semiconductor technology is disclosed. The device (1) is capable of demodulating an injected modulated current. The device (1) comprises an input node (IN1), a sampling stage (DG1, IG1, GS1, IG2, DG2) and at least two output nodes (D1, D2). The sampling stage DG1, IG1, GS1, IG2, DG2) comprises transfer means (GL, GM, GR) for transferring a modulated charge-current signal from the input node (IN1) to one of the output nodes (D1, D2) allocated to the respective time interval within the modulation period. The small size and the ability to reproduce the device (1) in standard semiconductor technologies make possible a cost-efficient integration of the device (1).
US07671670B2
The invention relates to a device for demodulating an input signal containing information being conveyed by phase modulation of a carrier wave. A transmitter generates a signal controlling a phase variation in the carrier wave, for each symbol having N cycles, N being an integer strictly greater than 1. The phase variation stretches on the receiver side over n cycles, n being an integer greater than 1 and less than N. The device generates a single pulse for each symbol received suited to generate the leading edge of the pulse corresponding to the symbol considered after a constant duration from the moment the symbol considered starts; and generates the trailing edge of the pulse considered at a moment the phase shift corresponding to the symbol considered has to be measured. Conversion means generate an output signal with a voltage varying as a function of the duration of the pulse produced.
US07671662B2
A semiconductor power device includes a circuit to provide a gate signal wherein the gate signal has a negative temperature coefficient of gate driving voltage for decreasing a gate driving voltage with an increase temperature whereby the semiconductor power device has a net Ids temperature coefficient that is less than or equal to zero. In an exemplary embodiment, the gate voltage driver includes a diode that has a negative forward voltage temperature coefficient connected between a gate and a source of the semiconductor power device. In another embodiment, the gate voltage is integrated with the semiconductor power device manufactured as part of an integrated circuit with the semiconductor power device.
US07671653B2
An implicitly pulsed dual edge triggered pulsed latch. The implicitly pulsed latch includes an overlapping clock generator and a transparency circuit designed to cause a transparent latch circuit to become transparent on each edge of a clock signal. A logic value on the input node of the latch is transferred to the output node of the latch in response to each clock edge transition. An explicitly pulsed dual edge triggered pulsed latch including a pulse generator and a transparent latch circuit. The explicitly pulsed latch includes a symmetrical pulse generator designed to cause the latch circuit to pass a logic value from the input node of the latch to the output node of the latch in response to a pulse on the clock node.
US07671650B2
A method for synchronizing a plurality of programmable timing verniers with a reference pulse signal, each of the verniers being programmable to one of a plurality of timing steps within a delay range determined by a control signal applied to a bias input. A first and second control vernier is selected from the plurality of verniers, the first control vernier is programmed to a first delay, and the second control vernier is programmed to a second delay. The first and second control verniers are triggered together to generate respective first and second delay signals. A difference pulse signal is generated with a duty cycle corresponding to a difference between the generated first delay signal and second delay signal. The duty cycle of the pulse signal is compared to a duty cycle of the reference pulse signal to generate a difference signal pulse. The difference signal pulse is coupled to the bias input of the verniers to adjust the delay range, such that the duty cycle of the difference signal approaches the duty cycle of the reference pulse signal. In one embodiment there is provided a circuit for implementing the method.
US07671645B2
Chipsets capable of preventing malfunction caused by feedback clock distortion are provided, in which a phase frequency detector generates a control voltage according to a first reference clock and a first feedback clock, a voltage-controlled oscillator generates an output clock according to the control voltage, a frequency divider performs a frequency-division on a second feedback clock to obtain the first feedback clock, and a frequency filter estimates swings and frequency of a third feedback clock from an external unit and selectively outputs one of the third feedback clock or the output clock to serve as the second clock.
US07671639B2
In the case of an electronic circuit, comprising a drive unit, which generates at least one drive signal, two or more power semiconductor switches each having a first and a second main terminal, which power semiconductor switches can be switched synchronously by the drive signal, the first and the second main terminals of the power semiconductor switches in each case being electrically connected in parallel among one another, for each of the power semiconductor switches a first and a second electrically conductive connection for connection to the drive unit, a uniform dynamic current division between the power semiconductor switches is achieved according to the invention by virtue of the fact that a first inductance is provided in each of the first electrically conductive connections, and a second inductance is provided in each of the second electrically conductive connections, the first inductance being coupled to the second inductance for each of the power semiconductor switches.
US07671634B2
A redundant clock switch circuit that includes two delay circuits and control logic is presented. The first delay circuit is configured to delay a first clock signal to produce a first delayed clock signal, while the second delay circuit is configured to delay a second clock signal to produce a second delayed clock signal. The control logic is configured to control the delay circuits to maintain phase alignment between the first and second delayed clock signals. The control logic is also configured to select one of the first and second delayed clock signals as an output clock signal.
US07671632B2
A transmission system and method may be provided. The transmission system may transmit 2-bit data for each transmission line set and each transmission line set may include first, second and/or third transmission lines arranged in order. The first, second and/or third transmission lines may respectively transmit first, second and/or third signals each having one of first, second and/or third values such that a combination of a first electric field between the first and second transmission lines and a second electric field between the second and third transmission lines may be made depending on a logic state of the 2-bit data. The transmission system may transmit differential signals using a smaller number of transmission lines and the transmission system may transmit a larger number of signals in the same circuit area.
US07671625B1
Disclosed is an LE that can provide a number of advantageous features. For example, the LE can provide efficient and flexible use of LUTs and input sharing. The LE may also provide for flexible use of one or more dedicated adders and include register functionality.
US07671624B1
A packaged PLD solution includes a first die having a masked-Read Only Memory (ROM) that is programmed during its fabrication to store configuration data, and includes a second die having a PLD including a number of configurable resources collectively configured to implement a circuit design embodied by the configuration data. The first die is electrically connected to the second die, and both the first die and second die are stacked and encapsulated together to form the packaged PLD solution. The configuration data is programmed into the masked-ROM by a manufacturer of both the masked-ROM and the PLD.
US07671615B2
In a method and an apparatus for measuring temperature-controlled electronic components in a test station, a component to be measured is held and positioned using a chuck, has a temperature-controlled and directed fluid flow applied to it and is electrically contact-connected using probes and is measured. The setting of the temperature of the component to the temperature at which the measurement is intended to be carried out is effected solely using a directed fluid flow at a defined temperature.
US07671613B1
A conductive connector includes a flexible-deflectable extension having a probing end and a head connection end. A conductive transmission path extends between the probing end and the head connection end. A pogo-rotational-action pin is electrically connected to the transmission path at the head connection end of the flexible-deflectable extension.
US07671612B2
An integrated compound nano probe card is disclosed to include a substrate layer having a front side and a back side, and compound probe pins arranged in the substrate layer. Each compound probe pin has a bundle of aligned parallel nanotubes/nanorods and a bonding material bonded to the bundle of aligned parallel nanotubes/nanorods and filled in gaps in the nanotubes/nanorods. Each compound probe pin has a base end exposed on the back side of the substrate layer and a distal end spaced above the front side of the substrate layer.
US07671611B2
An electronic element testing apparatus for use with a number of probes. Each probe has a lower pole and an upper pole. The apparatus includes: a first plate having a first side and a second side, the first side having an array of lower pole regions disposed thereabout, each lower pole region configured to receive a lower pole of a probe; and a plurality of signal conductor regions disposed proximate the array of lower pole regions, each signal conductor region arranged to provide a non-cable electrical path between a lower pole region and a switching circuit. The switching circuits are operable to sequentially connect each electronic element to a testing circuit via the upper and lower poles.
US07671609B2
A sheet-like probe has a porous film. In the sheet-like probe, a contact film is penetratingly supported at each position of through-holes formed in the porous film, and a peripheral edge of the contact film and the porous film are integrated such that a flexible resin insulation layer is included in a fine hole of the porous film. Electrode structure bodies are supported in a penetrating manner in the insulation layer. Each electrode structure body includes a surface electrode section exposed to the front surface of the insulation layer and projecting from the front surface of the insulation layer, a back surface electrode section exposed to the back surface of the insulation layer, a short-circuit section continuously extending from the base end of the front surface electrode section, penetrating the insulation layer in its thickness direction, and connected to the back surface electrode section, a holding section extending outward, along the front surface of the insulation layer, from the base end section of the front surface electrode section, and a supporting body supporting the insulation layer.
US07671604B2
Disclosed is a fault isolation and measurement system that provides multiple near-field scanning isolation techniques on a common platform. The system incorporates the use of a specialized holder to supply electrical bias to internal circuit structures located within an area of a device or material. The system further uses a multi-probe assembly. Each probe is mounted to a support structure around a common reference point and is a component of a different measurement or fault isolation tool. The assembly moves such that each probe can obtain measurements from the same fixed location on the device or material. The relative positioning of the support structure and/or the holder can be changed in order to obtain measurements from multiple same fixed locations within the area. Additionally, the system uses a processor for providing layered images associated with each signal and for precisely aligning those images with design data in order to characterize, or isolate fault locations within the device or material.
US07671601B2
In an abnormal condition detecting system, an electronic control unit determines that a condition for carrying out a process for detecting an abnormal condition of an electric motor and/or electric supply lines for the motor is satisfied, when a position of a control valve is at its initial closed position. Then, the electronic control unit stops supply of the electrical power to the electric motor, to start a detection of the abnormal condition (electrical disconnection) in the motor and/or the electric supply lines.
US07671585B2
A rotation angle detecting device includes a magnetic field forming member, magneto-sensing IC circuit including first and second sensing sections in a magnetic field to have a first preset angle between them, and a selecting circuit. One of the first and second sensing section includes plural magneto-sensing elements whose sensing surfaces face in directions different from one another by a second preset angle. When the magnetic field forming member rotates relative to the magneto-sensing means, the magneto-sensing elements respectively provide the output signals. The selecting circuit selects a pair of the output signals of the magneto-sensing elements that is closest to a preset phase difference angle.
US07671574B1
A buck DC to DC converter is arranged to more accurately regulate an output voltage by substantially eliminating a ground voltage error caused at least in part by parasitic resistance during low side conversion/regulation. During high side conduction of the high side switch, the converter employs the output voltage for error correction. And during low side conduction of the low side switch, the converter employs a sampled and held version of the output voltage for error correction which enables the converter to eliminate the ground voltage error caused by parasitic resistance.
US07671570B2
A method for operating an asynchronous generator comprising receiving an indication that a power grid frequency is reduced. Responsive to the receiving the indication, reducing a speed of the asynchronous generator from a first speed to a second speed for a first time period, wherein the reduction of the speed of the asynchronous generator results in a momentary increase in a total power output of the asynchronous generator. Increasing the speed of the asynchronous generator from the second speed to a third speed responsive to the end of the first time period.
US07671561B2
Various embodiments of the present invention are directed at a method and system for recharging batteries for wireless electronic devices. According to one embodiment, a host machine for recharging rechargeable batteries for wireless devices is disclosed. The host machine includes a plurality of wireless devices coupled to and powered by a first plurality of rechargeable batteries and a plurality of charging slots configured to couple with a second plurality of rechargeable batteries. The host machine is adapted to provide power to charge the second plurality of rechargeable batteries and to hold in standby a third plurality of rechargeable batteries comprising the second plurality of rechargeable batteries that have been fully charged. According to an embodiment, the host machine is further adapted to join a network of host machines and to share the batteries in standby with each other.
US07671556B2
An image sensing apparatus, which has a constant-voltage driven stepping motor, comprises a PWM waveform generation part that generates pulse signals to be applied to switching devices; and a PWM waveform determination section that determines a PWM waveform to be generated by the PWM waveform generation section. The PWM waveform determination section determines, in accordance with the determined rotation speed value and output torque value of the stepping motor, a duty ratio range that is a range extending from the minimum to the maximum of the duty ratio of the pulse signals. It is designed that the higher the rotational speed value is, the wider the duty ratio width is.
US07671555B2
An air movement system including a blower and an external controller operable to receive signals from a sensing device and generate a command based on the received signals. The command includes an address. The system also includes a communication channel coupled to the external controller and configured to communicate the command, and a motor assembly operable to drive the blower. The motor assembly includes a stator and rotor assembly coupled to the blower, and a drive circuit coupled to the stator and rotor assembly. The motor assembly includes a second controller and a memory. The memory includes a set of data having a plurality of addresses and an instruction associated with each address, respectively.
US07671546B2
To provide a voltage division resistor for acceleration tube, an acceleration tube, and an accelerator capable of reducing the cost of the acceleration tube and enhancing the operation efficiency. An acceleration tube (1) for accelerating ions (charged particles) I by applying an acceleration voltage V comprises a tubular acceleration tube body (2) made of synthetic resin, a plurality of ring-like acceleration electrodes (3) arranged in a row on the inner circumferential surface (2a) of the acceleration tube body (2) at predetermined intervals in the axial direction of the acceleration tube body (2), a plurality of voltage division resistors (voltage division resistors for the acceleration tube) (5) wound spirally on the outer circumferential surface (2b) of the acceleration tube body (2), and a plurality of terminal bolts (terminal member) (4) provided in close contact with the acceleration tube body (2) while penetrating the acceleration tube body (2) radially and having a forward end (front end) (4a) connected electrically with the acceleration electrodes (3) and a head (rear end) (4b) connected electrically with each connector (connection point) (16) of the voltage division resistor (5).
US07671540B2
For having magnitudes of all currents for supplying for all passive elements in a same product be equal, a current balancing module, which has balancing transformers as more as approximately half an amount of all the passive elements, is provided for meeting such requirements. The provided current balancing module is for solving defects caused by complicated designs and increased volumes caused by an increased number of balancing transformers. Each current path in the current balancing module flows through two mutual-corresponding passive elements and at least one balancing transformer. All the current paths have a same magnitude in current with the aid of a pair of sinusoidal waves having same magnitudes and opposite poles, and the aid of all the balancing transformers having a same number of turns.
US07671537B2
A metal halide lamp includes a discharge vessel surrounded by an outer envelope with clearance and has a ceramic wall which encloses a discharge space filled with a filling comprising an inert gas, such as xenon (Xe), and an ionizable salt. In the discharge space, two electrodes are arranged whose tips have a mutual interspacing so as to define a discharge path between them. The ionizable salt comprises NaI, TlI, CaI2 and X-iodide wherein X is selected from the group comprising rare earth metals.
US07671536B2
A mercury-free arc tube for a discharge-lamp device having a sealed glass chamber with at least metallic halide for main light emission and rare gas. Both end openings of a glass tube are pinch-sealed and electrode bars are provided so as to oppose to each other. Each electrode bar has such a concentric stepped shape that a tip side region is thicker than a base side region, the volume V of an electrode embedded region is from 0.25 to 0.42 mm3 and the total volume of the electrode bar is from 0.4 to 0.6 mm3.
US07671529B2
A semiconductor light emitting device is combined with a wavelength converting material. The semiconductor light emitting device is configured to emit first light of a first peak wavelength. The wavelength converting material is configured to absorb at least a portion of the first light and emit second light of a second peak wavelength. In some embodiments, the first wavelength converting material is (Ba1-xSrx)2-y-0.5zSi5N8-zOz:Euy2+ where 0.2
US07671523B2
Material for electrodes of low temperature plasma generators. The material contains a porous metal matrix impregnated with a material emitting electrons. The material uses a mixture of copper and iron powders as a porous metal matrix and a Group IIIB metal component such as Y2O3 is used as a material emitting electrons at, for example, the proportion of the components, mass %: iron:3-30; Y2O3:0.05-1; copper: the remainder. Copper provides a high level of heat conduction and electric conductance, iron decreases intensity of copper evaporation in the process of plasma creation providing increased strength and lifetime, Y2O3 provides decreasing of electronic work function and stability of arc burning. The material can be used for producing the electrodes of low temperature AC plasma generators used for destruction of liquid organic wastes, medical wastes, municipal wastes as well as for decontamination of low level radioactive waste, the destruction of chemical weapons, warfare toxic agents, etc.
US07671518B2
Piezoelectric vibrators provided with an electrode that includes a drive electrode and adjustment electrodes formed in advance on part of the electrode; the drive electrode and adjustment electrodes that are initially electrically connected to each other are electrically cutoff and insulated from each other by cutting conductive parts between the drive electrode and adjustment electrodes, or the mutually insulated drive electrode and adjustment electrodes are electrically connected using solder, a wire, or another electrically conductive member, whereby the characteristic frequencies are adjusted.
US07671507B2
A brush bag, a brush and a current transfer unit for a dynamo-electric machine comprising a commutator, in particular for an electromotor. The current transfer unit comprises at least the brush, which is embodied, in particular, as a multi-layer carbon brush, and a brush bag. The brush bag is configured in such a manner that the distance between the brush and the brush bag in a front guiding area is smaller than the distance in a rear guiding area. Beating of the brush on the brush bag is visibly reduced due to the configuration thereof and noise caused by the beat is avoided.
US07671503B2
A rotating electric machine whose output characteristics can be easily and freely adjusted and varied even in operation. The rotating electric machine is received in a housing of an electrically driven two-wheeled vehicle. A rotating shaft is connected to a rotor so as to form an axle. A stator is positioned opposite a rotor. A movable member is connected to a rotating member rotated about the rotating shaft by a regulating motor. The movable member is moved in the axial direction of the rotating shaft by the rotation of the rotating member. This movement causes the rotor to be rotatingly moved in the axial direction of the rotating shaft, changing relative position of the rotor and the stator.
US07671501B2
An electrical machine with torque limitation which is only slightly larger structurally than an identical machine without torque limitation and is thus as compact as possible has a stator with windings and a rotor supported movably relative to the stator, recesses distributed over the circumference and extending axially are present on the rotor surface, and a driver, located coaxially relative to the rotor and extending axially, is located in the air gap between the rotor and the stator, and exciter magnets on the upper driver face toward the stator and driver magnets on the inner driver face toward the rotor are located in such a way that upon rotation of the driver, the rotor is likewise capable of being set into rotation as a result of the rotary field generated by the windings and by the driver magnets.
US07671495B2
In an armature of a motor, each of windings is wound around at least two of a plurality of tooth portions of a core to form at least two wound parts of the winding. A crossover of each winding, which connects between corresponding two of the at least two wound parts, is placed on one axial side of a ring portion of the core. A crossover relief space is axially recessed in an end surface of the ring portion on the one axial side. At least a portion of each crossover is received in the crossover relief space. Guides project on the other axial side of the core and guide winding terminal portions of the windings.
US07671494B2
A motor/generator includes a rotor member, a shorting member and a stator. The rotor member has a plurality of permanent magnets. The shorting member is configured and arranged to selectively establish a short-circuit in magnetic flux of the permanent magnets to switch between a normal state in which the magnetic flux is not shorted and a shorted state in which the magnetic flux is shorted. The stator has a plurality of coils configured and arranged to be energized with a composite electrical current including first and second current components. The stator is further configured and arranged to form a first magnetic circuit between the coils and the permanent magnets with the first current component to drive the rotor member and to form a second magnetic circuit between the coils and the shorting member with the second current component to selectively switch between the normal state and the shorted state.
US07671490B2
The power conversion system allows for multiple segregated and ground independent power sources to provide redundant power to modules within an electronics equipment cabinet with increased reliability and reduced sensitivity to common fault propagation. The power conversion system provides power conditioning modules having independent supply rails that supply power to each module within an electronics equipment cabinet. FET and diode solid-state control and driver logic enable each individual supply rail. Efficient power distribution is facilitated by primary and hot-backup operation of one or more power conditioning modules. Power conversion is facilitated by one or more input supply power feeds and one or more converter stages.
US07671489B1
A method and apparatus for detecting the presence of a specified voltage source and automatically switching off a second voltage source regardless of voltage source potential of the two voltage sources are disclosed. The present invention uses pinch-off of a JFET, controlled by an inverter, to control a backup power supply based on the availability of the main supply.
US07671486B2
A switching control circuit having a synchronous input for the synchronization of power converters is provided. It includes a synchronous input circuit for receiving a synchronous input signal. An oscillation circuit is connected to the synchronous input circuit for generating an oscillation signal in response to the synchronous input signal. A signal converter is coupled to receive a feedback signal of the power converter for modulating the oscillation signal in response to the feedback signal for achieving power savings. The oscillation signal is connected for enabling the switching signal of the power converter. The switching signal can be synchronized with the synchronous input signal immediately after the synchronous input signal is inputted. Otherwise, the switching signal will be running free.
US07671485B2
In a RAID system, the power supplied to hard disks (HDDs) can be increased, and a plurality of types of HDDs can be installed. A plurality of HDD packs 33 are supplied with a single high voltage from a motherboard 28. The HDD packs 33 each accommodate, in a canister, an HDD 107, 181, 185 or 187 with different power supply specifications or communication interface specifications, as well as a DC/DC converter 109 to convert the power supply. Part of the HDD packs 33 have a data transfer interface conversion circuit 195 as well.
US07671484B2
A device for controlling power transfer between two cores of a direct current network, in which the cores, which are source-charge interconnection nodes, include protective and contact members, placed in different areas of a power distribution system in which the direct current network is installed. The device includes an electronic power converter including two switching cells mutually interconnected by an inductance, wherein each switching cell includes two switches, and a module for controlling the converter, which ensures both a controllable direct current power transfer and stabilization of the direct current voltage.
US07671480B2
A system and method for generating and harvesting energy in response to the flow of water through rotating device, such as a nutating or oscillating disk. Mechanical energy from flow of water is converted into electrical energy via an energy conversion unit. For example, the power generation system may be used to power electronic and mechanical devices used in automated meter reading (AMR) systems. The power generator system may recharge a storage circuit that enables long term AMR operations without the need for battery replacement. The power generation system, in various embodiments, can provide additional power for two-way communication and other sensors such as pressure, temperature, water quality and services such as remote shut-off, event-based messaging, and water quality monitoring.
US07671477B2
A device comprises a plurality of first electrodes which are arranged on a surface of a substrate at predetermined space, a component which has an elasticity and a longitudinal axis, a plurality of conductors which are applied to a surface of said component at predetermined space, and each of which are connected to a corresponding one of said first electrodes, and a plurality of second electrodes which are arranged on a surface of a electronic component at predetermined space, and each of which are connected to a corresponding one of said conductors.
US07671469B2
A semiconductor device with dummy patterns for alleviating micro-loading effect includes a semiconductor substrate having thereon a middle annular region between an inner region and an outer region; a SiGe device on the semiconductor substrate within the inner region; and a plurality of dummy patterns provided on the semiconductor substrate within the middle annular region. At least one of the dummy patterns contains SiGe.
US07671465B2
A power semiconductor module having an increased reliability against thermal fatigue includes a power semiconductor element, a lower-side electrode connected to the lower side of the element, a first insulating substrate connected to the upper side of the lower-side electrode and having metallic foils bonded on both surfaces thereof, an upper-side electrode connected to the upper side of the power semiconductor element, a second insulating substrate connected to the upper side of the upper-side electrode and having metallic foils bonded on both surfaces thereof, a first heat spreader connected to the lower side of the first insulating substrate, and a second heat spreader connected to the upper side of the second insulating substrate. The power semiconductor element and the first and second insulating substrates are sealed with a resin.
US07671456B2
An integrated circuit (IC) package is disclosed. The IC package includes a first die; and a second die bonded to the CPU die in a three dimensional packaging layout.
US07671448B2
It is an object of the present invention to form an organic transistor including an organic semiconductor having high crystallinity without loosing an interface between an organic semiconductor of a channel where carriers are spread out and a gate insulating layer and deteriorating a yield. A semiconductor device according to the present invention has a stacked structure of organic semiconductor layers, and at least the upper organic semiconductor layer is in a polycrystalline or a single crystalline state and the lower organic semiconductor layer is made of a material serving as a channel. Carrier mobility can be increased owing to the upper organic semiconductor layer having high crystallinity; thus, insufficient contact due to the upper organic semiconductor layer can be compensated by the lower organic semiconductor layer.
US07671437B2
A photogate structure having increased quantum efficiency, especially for low wavelength light such as blue light. The photogate is formed of a thin conductive layer, such as a layer of doped polysilicon. A nitride insulating cap is formed over the conductive layer. The nitride layer reduces the reflections at the conductor/insulator interface. A pixel cell incorporating the photogate structure also has a buried accumulation region beneath the photogate. A method of fabricating the photogate structure is also disclosed.
US07671434B2
An electronic component includes: a base a seal body fixed to the base, constituting a hermetically sealed space together with the base; and an electronic component main body attached to a metal substrate via an adhesive containing silver within the hermetically sealed space. The base has a nickel plated layer, substantially not containing phosphor, on the seal body side.
US07671426B2
In a MIS transistor of which gate length is 10 nm or less, a gate insulator comprising a silicon oxide film formed on a silicon substrate and a high-k film formed on the silicon oxide film has a nitrided region including more nitrogen at the lateral side than at the central side in the gate-length direction, and including more nitrogen at the upper side than at the lower side in the film thickness direction. The reliability and characteristics of a MIS transistor using a gate insulator including a high-k (high dielectric constant) film is enhanced.
US07671422B2
A pseudo 6T SRAM cell design comprising eight transistors is provided. An embodiment comprises a pair of cross-coupled inverters and a pair of pass-gate transistors electrically coupled to each inverter through the substrate. Each pass-gate transistor has a different beta ratio from the other transistor in its pair, and the smaller beta ratio in the pair acts as a “read” port while the larger beta ratio in the pair acts as a “write” port. Two pairs of bit lines are connected to the pass-gate transistors. A variety of word lines are connected to the pass-gate transistors. In one embodiment, a single word line is connected to all of the pass-gate transistors. In another embodiment, a pair of word lines is connected to the pass-gate transistors. In yet another embodiment, a different word line is connected to each pass-gate transistor.
US07671420B2
Disclosed are processes and techniques for fabricating semiconductor substrates for the manufacture of semiconductor devices, particularly CMOS devices, that include selectively formed, high quality single crystal or monocrystalline surface regions exhibiting different crystal orientations. At least one of the surface regions will incorporate at least one faceted epitaxial semiconductor structure having surfaces that exhibit a crystal orientation different than the semiconductor region on which the faceted epitaxial semiconductor structure is formed. According, the crystal orientation in the channel regions of the NMOS and/or PMOS devices may be configured to improve the relative performance of at least one of the devices and allow corresponding redesign of the semiconductor devices fabricated using such a process.
US07671419B2
A transistor having an electrode layer that can reduce or prevent a coupling effect, a fabricating method thereof, and an image sensor having the same are provided. The transistor includes a semiconductor substrate and a well of a first conductivity type formed on the semiconductor substrate. A heavily-doped first impurity region of a first conductivity type surrounds an active region defined in the well. Heavily-doped second and third impurity regions of a second conductivity type are spaced apart from each other in the active region an define a channel region interposed therebetween. A gate is formed over the channel region to cross the active region. The gate overlaps at least a portion of the first impurity region and receives a first voltage. An electrode layer is formed between the semiconductor substrate and the gate, such that the electrode layer overlaps a portion of the first impurity region contacting the channel region and receives a second voltage. An insulation layer is formed between the semiconductor substrate and the electrode layer, the semiconductor substrate and the gate, and the electrode layer and the gate. The insulation layer surrounds the electrode layer.
US07671406B2
A method of fabricating a semiconductor device having a non-volatile memory cell includes forming an insulation layer as an uppermost/outermost portion of the memory cell to enhance the charge retention capability of the memory cell. The insulation layer is formed after the gate structure and integrate dielectric of the non-volatile memory cell, and a gate of a logic transistor are formed. The insulation layer thus enhances the function of the intergate dielectric. Subsequently, a conductive layer is formed on the substrate including over the gate of the logic transistor. A silicide layer is then formed on the gate of the logic transistor and on the substrate adjacent opposite sides of the gate. The insulation layer thus also serves prevent the formation of a silicide layer on the non-volatile memory cell.
US07671403B2
A device includes a substrate and multiple wells formed over the substrate and isolated from one another by dielectric trenches. The device further includes multiple memory elements formed over the wells, each of the memory elements extending approximately perpendicular to the wells and including a material doped with n-type impurities. The device also includes multiple source/drain regions, each source/drain region formed within one of multiple trenches and inside one of the plurality of wells between a pair of the memory elements, each of the source/drain regions implanted with p-type impurities. The device further includes a first substrate contact formed in a first one of the multiple trenches through a first one of the wells into the substrate and a second substrate contact formed in a second one of the multiple trenches through a second one of the wells into the substrate.
US07671402B2
A solid-state imaging device includes: a substrate; a photoelectric transducer that is provided within the substrate and generates light-generated charge in accordance with incident light; a floating diffusion that retains the light-generated charge generated from the photoelectric transducer; a transfer and retention unit that is provided between the photoelectric transducer and the floating diffusion for a purpose of controlling a transfer of the light-generated charge and has a charge-retaining region that can retain the light-generated charge generated from the photoelectric transducer; a reset unit that initializes a potential of the floating diffusion; an amplifying transistor that generates an output based on a potential of the floating diffusion; a selection transistor that selectively outputs an output of the amplifying transistor; and an excessive charge-discharging unit that discharges excessive electric charge generated from the photoelectric transducer.
US07671399B2
A semiconductor storage device in which product cost is reduced includes a memory cell section (cells belonging to word lines) and a bypass section (cells belonging to bypass word lines). The memory cell section has a select gate, floating gates, a first diffusion region, a second diffusion region and a first control gate. The bypass section has the first select gate, the first diffusion region, the second diffusion region and a second control gate. The second control gate controls a channel in an area between the select gate and the first diffusion region or between the select gate and the second diffusion region. The channel of the bypass section becomes a current supply path when a cell of the memory cell section is read out.
US07671394B2
A deep trench is formed in a semiconductor substrate and a pad layer thereupon, and filled with a dummy node dielectric and a dummy trench fill. A shallow trench isolation structure is formed in the semiconductor substrate. A dummy gate structure is formed in a device region after removal of the pad layer. A first dielectric layer is formed over the dummy gate structure and a protruding portion of the dummy trench fill and then planarized. The dummy structures are removed. The deep trench and a cavity formed by removal of the dummy gate structure are filled with a high dielectric constant material layer and a metallic layer, which form a high-k node dielectric and a metallic inner electrode of a deep trench capacitor in the deep trench and a high-k gate dielectric and a metal gate in the device region.
US07671382B2
A semiconductor device which includes a radiating plate, a wiring patterned layer on the radiating plate via an insulating layer, at least one semiconductor chip mounted on the wiring patterned layer. The semiconductor chip has a surface electrode. The semiconductor device further includes a conductive lead plate electrically connected with the surface electrode of the semiconductor chip, and a resin package of thermoplastic resin having anisotropic linear expansion coefficient varying based upon directions. The resin package covers the wiring patterned layer, the semiconductor chip, the conductive lead plate, and at least a portion of the radiating plate. The conductive lead plate extends in a direction which provides the resin package with the maximum linear expansion coefficient. In the semiconductor device so structured, the warpage of the resin package is reduced both in longitudinal and transverse directions.
US07671379B2
A semiconductor system for voltage limitation includes a first cover electrode, a highly p-doped semiconductor layer that is connected to the first cover electrode, a slightly n-doped semiconductor layer that is connected to the highly p-doped semiconductor layer and a second cover electrode. At least one p-doped semiconductor layer and two highly n-doped semiconductor layers are provided next to one another in an alternating sequence between the slightly n-doped semiconductor layer and the second cover electrode.
US07671369B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide a semiconductor display device having an interlayer insulating film which can obtain planarity of a surface while controlling film formation time, can control treatment time of heating treatment with an object of removing moisture, and can prevent moisture in the interlayer insulating film from being discharged to a film or an electrode adjacent to the interlayer insulating film. An inorganic insulating film containing nitrogen, which is less likely to transmit moisture compared with an organic resin, is formed so as to cover a TFT. Next, an organic resin film containing photosensitive acrylic resin is applied to the organic insulting film, and the organic resin film is partially exposed to light to be opened. Thereafter, an inorganic insulting film containing nitrogen, which is less likely to transmit moisture compared with an organic resin, is formed so as to cover the opened organic resin film. Then, in the opening part of the organic resin film, a gate insulating film and the two layer inorganic insulating film containing nitrogen are opened partially by etching to expose an active layer of the TFT.
US07671368B2
A capacitor including a polysilicon layer doped with impurities to be conductive, a first dielectric layer formed on the polysilicon layer, a first conductive layer formed on the first dielectric layer, a second dielectric layer formed on the first conductive layer, and a second conductive layer formed on the first dielectric layer. The second conductive layer is coupled to the polysilicon layer.
US07671366B2
The present invention relates to a thin film transistor. The thin film transistor includes a semiconductor having first, second, third, fourth, and fifth electrode regions arranged in a direction and spaced apart from each other and first, second, third, and fourth offset regions disposed between the first, second, third, fourth, and fifth electrode regions, respectively. An input electrode is connected to the third electrode region, an output electrode is connected to the first and fifth electrode regions, an insulating layer is disposed on the semiconductor, and a control electrode is disposed on the insulating layer and the second and fourth electrode regions.
US07671364B2
A thin film transistor (TFT) substrate comprises: a plastic insulation substrate; a first silicon nitride layer with a first refractive index, formed one surface of the plastic insulation substrate; and a TFT comprising a second silicon nitride layer formed with a second refractive index smaller than the first refractive index on the first silicon nitride layer. Thus, the present invention provides a TFT substrate wherein there is reduced a problem in that thin films are lifted from a plastic insulation substrate.
US07671355B2
The present invention relates to a phase change memory and a method of fabricating a phase change memory. The phase change memory includes a heater structure disposed on a phase change material pattern, wherein the heater structure is in a tapered shape with a bottom portion contacting the phase change material pattern. The fabrication of the phase change memory is compatible with the fabrication of logic devices, and accordingly an embedded phase change memory can be fabricated.
US07671348B2
Carbon contamination of optical elements in an exposure tool is minimized by incorporating a hydrocarbon getter. Embodiments include EUV lithography tools provided with at least one hydrocarbon getter comprising a substrate and a high energy source, such as an electron gun or separate EUV source, positioned to direct an energy beam, having sufficient energy to crack heavy hydrocarbons and form carbon, on the substrate. Embodiments also include exposure tools equipped with a hydrocarbon getter comprising an energy source positioned to impinge a beam of energy on a quartz crystal thickness monitor, a residual gas analyzer, and a controller to control the electron-current and maintain the amount of hydrocarbons in the system at a predetermined low level.
US07671340B2
Embodiments relate to an imaging system that includes a collimator assembly having one or more pinhole apertures therein. The imaging system is configured so that one or more of the pinhole apertures has an adjustable focal length. The imaging system further includes a detector assembly configured to generate one or more signals in response to gamma rays that pass through the one or more pinhole apertures. Embodiments also relate to methods of changing collimator performance and methods of imaging a volume.
US07671334B2
A viewing device is used with coded data on a surface. The device includes a sensor arrangement for sensing the coded data when the device is placed on the surface, and a processor in signal communication with the sensor arrangement. The processor is configured to decode the coded data. Also included is a transceiver for transmitting the decoded data to a computer system, and to subsequently receive a file pre-associated with the decoded data from the computer system. The device also includes a display configured to display the received file to a user.
US07671326B2
Disclosed is an image inputting apparatus including: a base; a sensor main body coupled with the base so as to be able to move in a vertical direction on the base; a switch provided on either one of an upper surface side of the base or a lower surface side of the sensor main body; and a convex part provided on another one of the upper surface side of the base or the lower surface side of the sensor main body at a position facing to the switch.
US07671315B2
Provided is a 4-transistor CMOS image in which a driving condition or a pixel structure is changed so that a transfer transistor in a pixel operates in a pinch-off condition during reset and transfer operations in order to reduce dark current and fixed-pattern noise caused by a change in an operation condition of the transfer transistor and inter-pixel characteristic discrepancy. The image sensor includes a photosensitive pixel including a transfer transistor for transferring photon-induced charges created in a photodiode; and a voltage control unit for controlling a turn-on voltage applied to a gate of the transfer transistor to be lower than a floating diffusion node voltage plus the threshold voltage of the transfer transistor during a partial or entire section of a turn-on section of the transfer transistor such that the transfer transistor operates in a pseudo pinch-off mode.
US07671307B2
A transversal field heating installation for inductively heating flat objects transported in an advancing direction includes at least one inductor unit that extends across the width of the flat object. The inductor unit has at least two superimposed inductor layers parallel to the plane of the flat object. These inductor layers can be independently displaced transversally in relation to the advancing direction of the flat object, and each have two inductor sections with two parallel interspaced base limbs extending transversally in relation to the advancing direction and one lateral limb. Each inductor layer has lateral limb per strip edge of the flat object. The inductor sections of an inductor layer can be independently displaced transversally in relation to the advancing direction of the flat object.
US07671306B1
An improved method for the production of single walled carbon nanotubes that utilizes an RF-induction heated side-pumped synthesis chamber for the production of such. Such a method, while capable of producing large volumes of carbon nanotubes, concurrently permits the use of a simplified apparatus that allows for greatly reduced heat up and cool down times and flexible flowpaths that can be readily modified for production efficiency optimization. The method of the present invention utilizes a free electron laser operating at high average and peak fluence to illuminate a rotating and translating graphite/catalyst target to obtain high yields of SWNTs without the use of a vacuum chamber.
US07671296B2
The present invention concerns the nose-piece of a laser-beam drilling head for a drilling machine, emitting a pulsed laser beam, where the drill head includes a resource which is suitable for mounting the nose-piece, where the nose-piece includes a first laser beam entry opening and a second pulsed laser beam exit opening and a beam focusing resource arranged upstream of the second opening, characterized by the fact that a mirror is positioned in the optical path of the laser beam downstream of the said beam-forming resource, so that the emerging beam forms an angle of less than 180° with the entering beam, and where the nose-piece includes a laser-beam fluid assisting feed that is arranged so that the said fluid is emitted via the second opening in the direction of the laser beam.
US07671293B2
A sorting device and method for dynamically allocating bins to objects such as mail pieces. The device has at least one reading device for reading delivery information of objects and a conveying system which transports the objects. At least one feeder inducts the objects onto the conveying system. A plurality of physical bin locations are adjacent to the conveying system for storage of the object injected from the conveying system. A controller or processor dynamically assigns and reassigns sort locations, as required, to the plurality of physical bin locations during a sorting operation for each object of the objects.
US07671291B2
An operations panel wherein a board having an upper surface where a plurality of switches is provided is provided in a housing, the operations panel includes a base where the board is arranged; a cover forming the housing together with the base, the cover having an upper surface having a part where a plurality of concave parts is formed in positions corresponding to the switches; a plurality of key tops provided at the concave parts from outside in a state where operations parts and projection parts including engaging claws are inserted via a plurality of openings formed in the concave parts; and an intermediate member provided between the cover and the board.
US07671281B2
An inexpensive multilayer wiring circuit board capable of conducting high frequency switching operation on the circuit while the generation of high frequency noise is being suppressed by reducing the inductance of the circuit in provided. A multilayer wiring circuit board with an uppermost layer designated as a first layer on which parts are mounted; a second layer on which one of a ground layer and an electric power source layer is arranged; a third layer on which the other is arranged; and an insulating layer arranged between the ground layer and the electric power source layer. A resin layer having a thermoplastic adhesion property on both faces is used as material of the insulating layer arranged between the electric power source layer and the ground layer.
US07671278B2
Provided herewith a cable (1, 2) with EMI suppressing arrangement which comprises a conductive wire (10) and an insulative layer (20) enveloping over the wire. A braided metal layer (30) envelops over the insulative layer, and a magnetic layer (40, 501) is arranged thereover. And an insulative jacket (50, 502) envelops over the magnetic layer.
US07671271B2
A method for producing a solar cell including the steps of forming a p-type microcrystalline silicon oxide layer on a glass substrate using a PECVD method and raw gases comprising Silane gas, Diborane gas, Hydrogen gas and Carbon Dioxide gas. The method may employ a frequency of between about 13.56-60 MHz. The PECVD method may be performed at a power density of between about 10-40 mW/cm2 and a pressure of between about 0.5-2 Torr, and with a ratio of Carbon Dioxide to Silane of between about 0.10-0.24; a ratio of Diborane to Silane of 0.10 or less, and a ratio of Silane to Hydrogen of 0.01 or less. A tandem solar cell structure may be formed by forming top and bottom layers by the method described above, and placing the top layer over the bottom layer.
US07671264B1
A lightweight, portable, flexible protective cover for a guitar is disclosed. Upon placement of the cover in an operative position onto the guitar, the protective cover is adapted to provide unobstructed access to and use of the functional control elements of the guitar during the playing thereof.
US07671259B1
In order to be able to salvage toy pianos that have become damaged during shipping, a process has been developed to manufacture toy pianos using a set of predetermined jigs in order to cut the parts of the piano in order to achieve uniform pieces in the event of damage to the piano and the replacement of a piece on the piano becomes necessary. Rather than the entire piano needing to be discarded the damage part can simply be removed and a new piece put in its place.
US07671246B2
A catalytic process for converting biomass-derived carbohydrates to liquid alkanes, alkenes, and/or ethers is described. The process uses combinations of self- and crossed-aldol condensation reactions, dehydration reactions, and hydrogenation reactions, over specified metal-containing catalysts, to yield alkane, alkene, and ether products from carbohydrate reactants.
US07671241B2
The invention provides a host material for organic light emitting diodes, having the general formula: wherein R1 is selected from a C1-8 alkyl group, each R2 is independently selected from a hydrogen or a C1-8 alkyl group, Ar is selected from a C5-14 aromatic or hetero aromatic group, R3 is selected from a C5-14 aromatic or hetero aromatic group, a C1-8 alkyl group, a C5-8 cycloalkyl group, a C1-8 fluoroalkyl group, or a C1-8 alkoxyl group, and n is an integer of 1-10. The host materials have a higher energy gap (greater than 4.0 eV), and high thermal stability.
US07671238B2
The present invention is directed to arylamino-arylpropanolamine derivatives of formula I: or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt thereof, compositions containing these derivatives, and methods of their use for the prevention and treatment of conditions ameliorated by monoamine reuptake including, inter alia, vasomotor symptoms (VMS), sexual dysfunction, gastrointestinal and genitourinary disorders, chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia syndrome, nervous system disorders, and combinations thereof, particularly those conditions selected from the group consisting of major depressive disorder, vasomotor symptoms, stress and urge urinary incontinence, fibromyalgia, pain, diabetic neuropathy, and combinations thereof.
US07671228B2
A method of forming a polyethercarbonate polyol enhances incorporation of CO2 into the polyethercarbonate polyol. The method provides a catalyst including a multimetal cyanide compound. An H-functional initiator, an alkylene oxide, and CO2 are reacted in the presence of the multimetal cyanide compound in a reactor. The method further provides a CO2-philic compound or a CO2-philic substituent. The CO2-philic compound and substituent enhance incorporation of the CO2 into the polyethercarbonate polyol and reduce formation of cyclic alkylene carbonates, such as cyclic propylene carbonate, which are undesirable byproducts.
US07671226B2
The present invention relates to a transition metal complex represented by the formula (I): wherein M represents a Group 4 transition metal; —Y— represents (a): —C(R1)(R20)-A-, (b): —C(R1)(R20)-A1(R30)—, (c): —C(R1)=A1-, or (d): —C(R1)=A1-A2-R30; A represents a Group 16 element and A1 and A2 each represents a Group 15 element; R1 to R9, R20, and R30 are the same or different and each represents an optionally substituted hydrocarbon group, etc.; and X1 and X2 are the same or different and each represents a hydrogen atom, a halogen atom, an optionally substituted C1-10 alkyl group, etc., and an intermediate product thereof, and a catalyst for olefin polymerization which comprises said transition metal complex as a component.
US07671224B2
According to the present invention there is provided a compound in the form of a transition metal compound including a transition metal, a phosphorus containing ligand, and a cyclic organic ligand. The phosphorus containing ligand is a heterocyclic organic compound with a ligating phosphorus atom which ligates with the transition metal, and which ligating phosphorus atom is an atom in the heterocyclic ring structure of the heterocyclic organic compound. The cyclic organic ligand is a cyclic organic compound with a ligating carbon atom in the cyclic ring structure of the cyclic organic compound which ligates with the transition metal by means of a double bound. The invention also relates to a method preparing such a compound and a metathesis reaction wherein such a compound is used as a catalyst.
US07671213B2
Optically active bisoxazoline compounds represented by the general formula (1), a process for producing the compounds, and a process for producing cyclopropanecarboxylic esters by using the same: wherein R1 and R2 are the same and each represents C1-6 alkyl, substituted or unsubstituted aralkyl, or substituted or unsubstituted phenyl or R1 and R2 are bonded each other together with the carbon atom of oxazoline ring to which they are bonded to form a ring; R3 is substituted or unsubstituted naphthyl; R4 and R5 are the same and each represent hydrogen or C1-6 alkyl, or R4 and R5 are bonded each other together with the carbon atom to which they are bonded to form a cycloalkyl ring having 3 to 6 carbon atoms; and * represents an asymmetric center.
US07671209B2
Methods of synthesizing nicotine analogs and derivatives are described. The methods are particularly useful for the regioselective production of enantiomerically pure nicotine analogs having substituents at the C4 position. Intermediates useful for the synthesis of such compounds are also described.
US07671208B2
An acetone solvate of phthaloyl amlodipine, as well as a process for its preparation including dissolving phthaloyl amlodipine in acetone and cooling the mixture. The present invention also comprises a method for the synthesis of amlodipine, its salts or solvates, which comprises the use of an acetone solvate of phthaloyl amlodipine.
US07671207B2
A process for preparing thiazolidinediones, preferably pioglitazone, is described. Also described are intermediates involved in synthesizing thiazolidinediones, and processes for preparation and use in medicine.
US07671203B2
An apparatus and method for separating at least one narcotic alkaloid that includes loading a stationary phase media into a high performance preparative liquid chromatography column, feeding a crude narcotic alkaloid solution into the chromatographic column, applying a mobile phase to the chromatographic column, and recovering a narcotic alkaloid eluate from the chromatographic column. The narcotic eluates arc collected and treated separately from each other. Each separated alkaloid, however, has sufficient recovery and purity.
US07671202B2
Mono- and diimide perylene and naphthalene compounds, N- and core-substituted with electron-withdrawing groups, for use in the fabrication of various device structures.
US07671201B2
Certain novel phenyl substituted cyclic derivatives have unexpected insecticidal activity. These compounds are represented by formula I: where B is a cyclic bridging group containing at least one N or N oxide link and a, A, b, B, c, d, D, L, M, R1 through R9, inclusively, and R13, R14 and R15 are fully described herein. In addition, novel intermediates useful in preparing compounds of Formula I, compositions comprising an insecticidally effective amount of at least one compound of formula I, and optionally, an effective amount of at least one of a second compound, with at least one insecticidally compatible carrier are also disclosed; along with methods of controlling insects comprising applying said compositions to a locus where insects are present or are expected to be present.
US07671196B2
The present invention relates to methods for synthesizing compounds useful as 5HT2C agonists or partial agonists, derivatives thereof, and to intermediates thereto.
US07671189B2
The invention relates to haloalkane dehalogenases and to polynucleotides encoding the haloalkane dehalogenases. In addition methods of designing new dehalogenases and method of use thereof are also provided. The dehalogenases have increased activity and stability at increased pH and temperature.
US07671187B2
Tools and methods are provided for determining whether or not a dog is genetically normal, is a carrier of, or is affected with or predisposed to progressive rod-cone degeneration. The method is based on the detection of a transversion from G to A at position corresponding to nucleotide position 1298 of SEQ ID NO: 1.
US07671186B2
Multimeric hybrid genes encoding the corresponding chimeric protein comprise a gene sequence coding for an antigenic region of a protein from a first pathogen linked to a gene sequence coding for an antigenic region of a protein from a second pathogen. The pathogens particularly are parainfluenza virus (PIV) and respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). A single recombinant immunogen is capable of protecting infants and similar susceptible individuals against diseases caused by both PIV and RSV.
US07671165B2
A method of forming polycarbonate includes the steps of introducing a plurality of reaction components to a reactor operating under melt polymerization conditions and removing ester-substituted phenol from the reactor. The plurality of reaction components include a dihydroxy compound, an ester-substituted diaryl carbonate, and a melt transesterification catalyst. The reaction components are introduced in a plurality of reaction component streams. A first reaction component streams includes a melt transesterification catalyst dissolved or suspended in a liquid carrier containing an ester-substituted phenol. The composition of the first reaction component stream is selected such that ester-substituted phenol is not generated as a reaction product in the first reaction component stream.
US07671158B2
According to an aspect of the present invention, a method is provided in which a double diphenylethylene compound is reacted with a polymer that contains a carbocationically terminated chain thereby providing a 1,1-diphenylene end-functionalized chain. Subsequently, an alkylating agent is reacted with the 1,1-diphenylene end-functionalized chain, thereby providing an alkylated 1,1-diphenylene end-functionalized chain. In some embodiments, the method further comprises (a) optionally combining a 1,1-diphenylorganolithium compound with the alkylated 1,1-diphenylene end-functionalized polymer followed by (b) reacting an organolithium compound with the alkylated 1,1-diphenylene end-functionalized polymer. This provides an anionically terminated polymer, which can be used, for example, in subsequent anionic polymerization and coupling reactions. According to another aspect of the present invention, a novel polymer is provided that comprises a polymer chain, which chain further comprises the following: (a) a plurality of constitutional units that correspond to cationically polymerizable monomer species and (b) an end-cap comprising a group or a group, where R is a branched or unbranched alkyl group containing from 1 to 20 carbons and R1 is a branched, unbranched, or cyclic alkyl group or an aryl group, containing from 1 to 20 carbons. Other aspects of the present invention relate to novel copolymers that comprise: (a) a first polymer block that comprises a plurality of constitutional units that correspond to isobutylene; and (b) a second polymer block that comprises a plurality of constitutional units that correspond to hydroxyethyl methacrylate.
US07671157B2
The C—H bond of pendant aromatic groups such as commercial polystyrenes with three types of tacticities (syndiotactic, isotactic, atactic) undergo catalyzed functionalization with boron reagents. A boronic ester group formed on the polymer in the polystyrene was further converted to hydroxy and arene via oxidation and coupling reactions, respectively. These functionalizations proceeded without significantly affecting the molecular weight of starting polymer and the functional concentrations could be easily controlled by changing the ratio of boron reagent to monomer unit.
US07671143B2
Disclosed herein is a flame retardant polycarbonate resin composition having high heat resistance and good impact resistance. The flame retardant polycarbonate composition is prepared by incorporating into a polycarbonate resin a silicon-based core-shell graft copolymer, in which a vinyl monomer is graft polymerized onto a rubber comprising about 20 to about 95% by weight of silicon, and optionally a phosphoric acid ester compound. The present invention can accordingly provide superior flame retardance while maintaining good impact resistance, high flowability and high heat resistance.
US07671142B2
A thermoplastic resin composition which comprises (A) 1 to 99 parts by weight of polytrimethylene terephthalate and (B) 99 to 1 part by weight of a polycarbonate, wherein the ingredient (A) crystallization enthalpy, ΔHcc, which is obtained when the thermoplastic resin composition is heated from 0 ° C. at a rate of 20° C./min is 0 to 15 J/g.
US07671138B2
A method for preparing a functionalized polymer, the method comprising the steps of (i) polymerizing conjugated diene monomer by employing a lanthanide-based catalyst to form a reactive polymer, and (ii) reacting the reactive polymer with a hydrobenzamide compound.
US07671136B2
A functionalized polymer prepared by a process comprising the steps of preparing a pseudo-living polymer by polymerizing conjugated diene monomer with a lanthanide-based catalyst, the polymer having greater than about 85 percent in the 1,4-cis microstructure and less than about 3 percent in the 1,2- or 3,4-microstructure, and reacting the pseudo-living polymer with at least one functionalizing agent defined by the formula (I) or (II): where Z is a substituent that will react or interact with organic or inorganic fillers; with the proviso that each group attached to the imino carbon is attached via a carbon atom and R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R13, R14 and Z are substituents that will not protonate a pseudo-living polymer.
US07671133B2
A vulcanized fluoro rubber is provided by vulcanizing a composition comprising 100 parts by mass of mixture in which a raw fluoro rubber (A) in which appropriate amount of vulcanizing agent has been previously compounded and a raw fluoro rubber (B) in which the vulcanizing agent is not compounded are mixed at a rate of 8/2 to 3/7, 1 to 10 parts by mass of an acid acceptor and 0 to 5 parts by mass of another compounding agent which is compounded as needed. Number average molecular weight of each of the raw fluoro rubber (A) and the raw fluoro rubber (B) is 3.5×104 to 2.0×105.
US07671132B1
The present invention is directed to a pneumatic tire comprising a ground contacting tread, the tread comprising a rubber composition comprising from 30 to 70 parts by weight, per 100 parts by weight of s first elastomer (phr) having a glass transition temperature Tg ranging from about −40° C. to about −10° C. and a solubility parameter ranging from about 4.1 MPa1/2 to about 4.5 MPa1/2; from 70 to 30 phr of a second elastomer having a Tg ranging from about −105° C. to about −30° C. and a solubility parameter ranging from about 3.7 MPa1/2 to about 4.1 MPa1/2; from 1 to 40 phr of a first plasticizer having a solubility parameter ranging from 3.4 MPa1/2 to 3.8 MPa1/2; from 1 to 20 phr of a second plasticizer having a solubility parameter ranging from 4.3 MPa1/2 to 4.7 MPa1/2; and from 30 to 150 phr of silica.
US07671111B2
A process for reducing the fluorosurfactant content of a stabilized fluorosurfactant-containing aqueous fluoropolymer dispersion by passing dispersion through a first fixed bed of anion exchange resin to reduce fluorosurfactant content. The first fixed bed has a working zone which moves though the column as the ion exchange resin is saturated. The process includes monitoring a property of the dispersion as the dispersion exits the fixed bed to determine break though of the working zone indicating saturation of the fixed bed. The property being monitored is selected from the group consisting of pH and conductivity.
US07671104B2
The invention relates to a process for the production of water-blown, finely cellular rigid foams containing urethane groups and/or isocyanurate groups by the reaction of polyisocyanates with a polyol component in the form of an emulsion. The invention also relates to open-cell polyurethane foams which are foamable in the mould.
US07671103B2
The invention relates to the use of compounds of the general formula (VII) as stabilizers in the preparation of polyurethane foams.
US07671096B2
The light stabilizer emulsion composition of the present invention includes: water; an emulsifier; and a light stabilizer and/or a UV absorber, in which components constituting the light stabilizer emulsion composition has an average particle size of 150 nm or less.
US07671092B2
Disclosed is a compound represented by the Structural Formula (I): Y is a covalent bond, a phenylene group or a substituted or unsubstituted straight chained hydrocarbyl group. In addition, Y, taken together with both >C=Z groups to which it is bonded, is a substituted or unsubstituted aromatic group. Preferably, Y is a covalent bond or —C(R7R8)—. R1 and R2 are independently an aryl group or a substituted aryl group, R3 and R4 are independently —H, an aliphatic group, a substituted aliphatic group, an aryl group or a substituted aryl group. R5-R6 are independently —H, an aliphatic group, a substituted aliphatic group, an aryl group or a substituted aryl group. R7 and R8 are each independently —H, an aliphatic or substituted aliphatic group, or R7 is —H and R8 is a substituted or unsubstituted aryl group, or, R7 and R8, taken together, are a C2-C6 substituted or unsubstituted alkylene group. Z is ═O or ═S. Also disclosed are pharmaceutical compositions comprising the compound of the present invention and a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier or diluent.Also disclosed is a method of treating a subject with cancer by administering to the subject a compound of Structural Formula (I) in combination with Paclitaxel or an analog of Paclitaxel.
US07671091B2
A method for causing a permanent increase in the length and girth of a male subject's penis, the method comprising treatment comprising the step of (a) administering to the male an effective amount of a vasodilator selected from the group consisting of a vasodilator per se and compositions thereof comprising a pharmaceutically-acceptable diluent or carrier, to induce a cumulative prolonged engorgement of the subject's penis; and (b) repeating step (a) as necessary to cause the increase during the treatment. A potentiator which enhances the effect of the vasodilator may also be used.
US07671088B2
Etoposide analogs with improved water-solubility such as 4′-O-Demethyl-4′-(N′,N′-dimethyl-glycyl)-4β-(4″-nitroanilino)-4-desoxy-podophyllotoxin (8) and 4′-O-Demethyl-4′-(N′,N′-dimethyl-glycyl)-4β-(4″-fluoroanilino)-4-desoxy-podophyllotoxin (9) are described, along with pharmaceutical formulations containing the same, methods of use thereof, and intermediates and methods of making the same.
US07671084B2
This invention provides estrogen receptor modulators of formula I having the structure where R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7 and R8 are as defined in the specification and the use of such compounds as estrogenic agents.
US07671080B2
The present invention relates to i-benzylindole-2-carboxamide derivatives of formula I, or a pharmaceutically acceptable salt or solvate thereof. The invention also relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising said 1-benzylindole-2-carboxamide derivatives and to their use in therapy, particularly for the treatment of obesity or nicotine dependence.
US07671077B2
The present application is directed to therapeutic compounds, compositions, and methods for culturing neuronal cells and for preventing and the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS).
US07671076B2
The present invention relates to compounds of formula (I), which inhibit dipeptidyl peptidase IV (DPP-IV) and are useful for the prevention or treatment of diabetes, especially type II diabetes, as well as hyperglycemia, syndrome X, hyperinsulinemia, obesity, atherosclerosis, and various immunomodulatory diseases.
US07671075B2
Compounds of Formula I, wherein R1-R8 are defined herein are provided, together with pharmaceutically acceptable salts, hydrates, metabolites, and/or prodrugs thereof. Uses of these compounds for inhibiting beta amyloid production and for the prevention and treatment of Alzheimer's Disease and Down's syndrome are also described.
US07671074B2
Sulfonylguanidine compounds corresponding to the tautomeric formulas I and Ia, a method for producing them, pharmaceutical compositions containing them, and methods of using them to prepare medicaments and for treating various medical conditions. The sulfonylguanidine compounds have an affinity for the gabapentin binding site and can be used to treat conditions such as pain, epilepsy, migraine and others.
US07671070B2
Ophthalmic, otic and nasal compositions containing a new class of antibiotics (e.g., moxifloxacin) are disclosed. The compositions preferably also contain one or more anti-inflammatory agents. The compositions may be utilized to treat ophthalmic, otic and nasal conditions by topically applying the compositions to the affected tissues.
US07671065B2
The present invention is directed to novel pyridine derivatives, pharmaceutical compositions containing them and their use in the treatment of disorders related to ion channels such as potassium channels.
US07671054B1
Conformationally constrained compounds that mimic the secondary structure of reverse-turn regions of biologically active peptides and proteins as well as their prodrugs are disclosed. Such reverse-turn mimetic structures and prodrugs have utility over a wide range of fields, including use as diagnostic and therapeutic agents. Libraries containing the reverse-turn mimetic structures of this invention are also disclosed as well as methods for screening the same to identify biologically active members. The invention also relates to the use of such compounds and prodrugs for inhibiting or treating disorders modulated by Wnt-signaling pathway, such as cancer, especially colorectal cancer, restenosis associated with angioplasty, polycystic kidney disease, aberrant angiogenesis disease, rheumatoid arthritis disease, tuberous sclerosis complex, Alzheimer's disease, excess hair growth or loss, or ulcerative colitis.
US07671052B2
Novel phenyl compounds, pharmaceutical compositions containing these compounds, and methods for their pharmaceutical use are disclosed. In certain embodiments, the compounds are agonists and/or ligands of cannabinoid receptors and may be useful, inter alia, for treating and/or preventing pain, gastrointestinal disorders, genitourinary disorders, inflammation, glaucoma, auto-immune diseases, ischemic conditions, immune-related disorders, and neurodegenerative diseases, for providing cardioprotection against ischemic and reperfusion effects, for inducing apoptosis in malignant cells, and as an appetite stimulant.
US07671046B2
This inventive subject matter relates to novel metal complex protein kinases inhibitors, methods for making such compounds, and methods for using such compounds for treating diseases and disorders mediated by kinase activity.
US07671036B2
The present invention relates to novel types of peptide nucleic acids (PNAS) with improved properties. In particular, it relates to positively charged PNA units having an ethylene linker between the backbone and the nucleobase, to oligonucleotide analogs comprising these units, to oligomers comprising these units, and to the use of positively charged PNAs as novel delivery agents with therapeutic and diagnostic applications including for antisense therapy.
US07671033B2
An amphiphilic dendritic dipeptide, comprises a dipeptide(s) comprising one or more of a naturally occurring or synthetic amino acids and a dendron. These are suitable for use in various formulations, films, coatings, membranes and sensors, among other applications.
US07671030B2
The invention describes compounds, compositions, and methods of using the same comprising a chemical moiety covalently attached to amphetamine. These compounds and compositions are useful for reducing or preventing abuse and overdose of amphetamine. These compounds and compositions find particular use in providing an abuse-resistant alternative treatment for certain disorders, such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), ADD, narcolepsy, and obesity. Oral bioavailability of amphetamine is maintained at therapeutically useful doses. At higher doses bioavailability is substantially reduced, thereby providing a method of reducing oral abuse liability. Further, compounds and compositions of the invention decrease the bioavailability of amphetamine by parenteral routes, such as intravenous or intranasal administration, further limiting their abuse liability.
US07671029B2
Pharmaceutical agents, compositions containing the same and methods for their use for enhancing the bioavailability and pharmacological efficacy of therapeutic peptides. The pharmaceutical agents have the formula Carrier-Linker-Peptide Wherein Peptide is a therapeutically active peptide species having the formula aan wherein n is the number of amino acid residues in the peptide and n is 2 to 40, Carrier is benzoyl, phenylacetyl, cinnamoyl, 3-OH-cinnamoyl, 3,4-OH-cinnamoyl, 3,4-dimethoxycinnamoyl, 3,4-methylenedioxycinnamoyl, 3-methoxycinnamoyl, 3,4-diethoxy-cinnamoyl, 3,4,5-trimethoxy-cinnamoyl, t-butoxycarbonyl, benzyloxycarbonyl, pivaloyl, N-9-fluorenylmethoxycarbonyl, fumaroyl and derivatives thereof and Linker is a C6 to C16 lipidic chain or a derivative thereof, an 8-amino-3,6-dioxaoctanoic acid or polymeric derivative thereof, pseudo peptide, or peptide mimic. Methods of use of compositions having the formula Carrier-Peptide wherein Carrier and Peptide are as just defined are also disclosed.
US07671027B2
The present invention concerns the use of an agonist of an hypothalamic hormone for the preparation of a pharmaceutical agent to support the luteal phase during infertility treatment of female mammals and more specifically of woman. According to this invention, the pharmaceutical agent is suitable to be used for supporting the luteal phase after a spontaneous ovulation or after stimulation of follicular growth, trigger of final follicular maturation and ovulation with one or several additional agents.
US07671025B2
This document provides methods and materials for treating pain. For example, this document provides methods that involve administering a neurotensin receptor (NTR) agonist and an opioid receptor agonist to a mammal (e.g., a human). Compositions containing an NTR agonist in combination with an opioid receptor agonist also are provided.
US07671017B2
A method of treating a patient having a HCV infection which method comprises administering to said patient a cyclosporin A or a cyclosporin A derivative in association with a conjugate of interferon to a water-soluble polymer in an amount effective to alleviate or eliminate one or more of the signs or symptoms of HCV.
US07671012B2
Formulations, kits and methods for bone or cartilage repair, including treatment of osteogenic defects, including formulations of synthetic heparin-binding growth factor analogs, non-ionic polymers, gelling agents and calcium-containing agents.
US07671008B2
The concentrated liquid fabric softening composition of the present invention comprises an ester-linked triethanolamine (TEA) quaternary ammonium fabric softening material having an Iodine Value of between 0 and 60 and comprising a mixture of at mono-, di- and tri-ester linked components; a single long chain cationic surfactant based on quaternized fatty acid amido-amine surfactants with optional ethoxylate groups and preferably having a methylsulphate counter-ion; and a co-fragmenting agent which is a polyol selected from trihydric and polyhydric polyols. The compositions have a desirable pearly appearance which is stable across a range of storage temperatures.
US07670997B2
An aqueous ophthalmic composition comprising a branched, glycerol monoalkyl compound and a fatty acid monoester. The fatty acid monoester comprises an aliphatic fatty acid portion having six to fourteen carbon atoms and an aliphatic hydroxyl portion. The composition will also have an osmolality in a range from 200 mOsmol/kg to 400 mOsmol/kg. The invention is also directed to a method of inhibiting the formation of foam in an aqueous ophthalmic composition that includes a surfactant as well as to a method of enhancing the biocidal efficacy of an aqueous ophthalmic composition containing a fatty acid monoester.
US07670994B1
A two step process for treating an oil or gas well. The first step uses a cross linking agent, such as borax, as a preliminary wash for the well following drilling. The cross linking agent cleans the well of excess mud and pre-coats the tubing and the formation surfaces with the cross linking agent. The second step introduces a cement-polymer mixture into the well. A polymer, such as for example polyvinyl alcohol, that undergoes cross linking when exposed to the cross linking agent is employed. When the polymer comes into contact with the cross linking agent in the well, cross linking of the polymer occurs. This cross linking helps to prevent fluid loss into the formation. Also, because the cross linking agent wash previously cleaned the surfaces of the tubing and the formation, better bonding between the cement and the surfaces of the tubing and the formation occurs.
US07670977B2
The invention relates to a glass composition of silica-soda-lime type colored blue which comprises the coloring agents below in a content varying within the following limits, by weight: Fe2O3 (total iron)0.2 to 0.51% CoO10 to 50ppm Cr2O310 to 300ppm CuO0-400ppm the glass exhibiting a redox factor of less than 0.35, a dominant wavelength λD of between 485 and 489 nm, an excitation purity of less than 13% and a selectivity at least equal to 1.1 under a thickness of between 3 and 5 mm. It also relates to the glass sheet obtained from the abovementioned composition, said sheet being intended in particular to form an automobile window or for the construction industry.
US07670976B2
The present invention relates to a glass substrate composition comprising SiO2 55˜70 wt %, Al2O3 0˜1 wt %, ZrO2 0.1˜5 wt %, Na2O 0.1˜5 wt %, K2O 7˜13 wt %, MgO 7˜14 wt %, CaO 0˜4 wt %, SrO 7˜12 wt % and SO3 0.01˜0.5 wt %. The glass substrate prepared by using the above composition shows less thermal deformation at a baking process under a high temperature since the strain point of the glass is at least 570° C., does not have such disadvantages as increase of fuel cost and short life cycle of refractories resulted from less than 1460° C. of melting point, and has 80˜95×10−7/° C. of thermal expansion coefficient in the temperature range of 50˜350° C. Therefore, the glass according to the present invention is suitable as a substrate.
US07670969B2
A device for obtaining off-axis reinforcement of a woven object. The device is made up of a fixed mandrel and a rotating mandrel. The rotating mandrel is connected to the fixed mandrel by a shaft that rotates through the middle of the fixed mandrel. The shaft allows the rotating mandrel to move up and down in relation to the fixed mandrel. A portion of the woven object can be clamped to the fixed mandrel while a second portion of the woven object can be clamped to the rotating mandrel. When rotated, the rotating mandrel causes the warp fibers in the woven object to twist off the 0° direction while fill or hoop fibers remain substantially parallel to the 90° direction.
US07670968B2
The subject of the invention is a functional textile material (1), wherein the functional textile material (1) comprises a textile backing (2) in the form of a two-dimensional textile formation, and the textile backing (2) is provided with microcapsules (3), which contain at least one active ingredient, and the microcapsules (3) are secured to the textile backing (2) by means of an adhesive (4) applied discontinuously to the textile backing (2). In this way, one obtains a functional textile material (1) with high air-permeability and high water vapor-permeability at reduced basis weight, which material can be used in particular for making functional clothing.
US07670966B2
Method of processing a substrate containing at least one semiconductor of the SiXAY type and comprising at least four separate types of light elements, comprising at least the following steps: carrying out a first anneal of the substrate at a temperature T1 corresponding to a thermal activation temperature for a first one of the four types of light elements, carrying out a second anneal of the substrate at a temperature T2 corresponding to a thermal activation temperature for a second one of the four types of light elements, carrying out a third anneal of the substrate at a temperature T3 corresponding to a thermal activation temperature for a third one of the four types of light elements, carrying out a fourth anneal of the substrate at a temperature T4 corresponding to a thermal activation temperature for a fourth one of the four types of light elements, each anneal comprising a holding at the temperature T1, T2, T3 or T4 and the temperatures T1, T2, T3 and T4 being such that T1>T2>T3>T4.
US07670965B2
A silicon wafer is thermal-annealed in an atmosphere to form new vacancies therein by thermal annealing and the atmosphere in the thermal annealing contains a nitride gas having a lower decomposition temperature than a decomposable temperature of N2 so that the thermal annealing is carried out at a lower temperature or for a short time to suppress generation of slip and to provide satisfactory surface roughness.
US07670959B2
A method of manufacturing a memory device forms a first dielectric layer over a substrate, forms a charge storage layer over the first dielectric layer, forms a second dielectric layer over the charge storage layer, and forms a control gate layer over the second dielectric layer. The method also forms a hard mask layer over the control gate layer, forms a bottom anti-reflective coating (BARC) layer over the hard mask layer, and provides an etch chemistry that includes tetrafluoromethane (CF4) and trifluoromethane (CHF3) to etch at least the control gate layer.
US07670955B2
The invention is directed to a semiconductor device having a penetrating electrode and a manufacturing method thereof in which reliability and a yield of the semiconductor device are enhanced. A semiconductor substrate is etched to form a via hole from a back surface of the semiconductor substrate to a pad electrode. This etching is performed under an etching condition such that an opening diameter of the via hole at its bottom is larger than a width of the pad electrode. Next, a second insulation film is formed on the back surface of the semiconductor substrate including in the via hole 16, exposing the pad electrode at the bottom of the via hole. Next, a penetrating electrode and a wiring layer are formed, being electrically connected with the pad electrode exposed at the bottom of the via hole 16. Furthermore, a protection layer and a conductive terminal are formed. Finally, the semiconductor substrate is cut and separated in semiconductor dies by dicing.
US07670943B2
The present invention provides an enhanced interconnect structure with improved reliability. The inventive interconnect structure has enhanced mechanical strength of via contacts provided by embedded metal liners. The embedded metal liners may be continuous or discontinuous. Discontinuous embedded metal liners are provided by a discontinuous interface at the bottom of the via located within the interlayer dielectric layer.
US07670935B2
Island-like semiconductor films and markers are formed prior to laser irradiation. Markers are used as positional references so as not to perform laser irradiation all over the semiconductor within a substrate surface, but to perform a minimum crystallization on at least indispensable portion. Since the time required for laser crystallization can be reduced, it is possible to increase the substrate processing speed. By applying the above-described constitution to a conventional SLS method, a means for solving such problem in the conventional SLS method that the substrate processing efficiency is insufficient, is provided.
US07670922B2
A resist pattern for alignment measurement being shrunk by a heat flow includes a plurality of positive type or negative type line patterns. Widths of spaces between the line patterns are greater than twice those of the line patterns. Alternatively, the resist pattern comprises a box-shaped or slit-shaped measurement pattern and a pair of box-shaped or slit-shaped auxiliary patterns provided inside and outside the measurement pattern, respectively.
US07670913B2
The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a semiconductor device having multiple gate dielectric thickness layers. The method, in one embodiment, includes forming a masking layer over a semiconductor substrate in a first active region and a second active region of a semiconductor device, patterning the masking layer to expose the semiconductor substrate in the first active region, and subjecting exposed portions of the semiconductor substrate to a nitrogen containing plasma, thereby forming a first layer of gate dielectric material over the semiconductor substrate in the first active region. The method, in that embodiment, may further include incorporating oxygen into the first layer of gate dielectric material located in the first active region, and then removing the patterned masking layer, and forming a second layer of gate dielectric material over the first layer of gate dielectric material in the first active region and over the semiconductor substrate in the second active region, thereby resulting in a first greater thickness gate dielectric in the first active region and a second lesser thickness gate dielectric in the second active region.
US07670906B2
Embodiments relate to a flash memory device and to method of fabricating a flash memory device is disclosed. According to embodiments, a method may include forming a device isolation layer on a semiconductor substrate to define active regions, forming floating gate patterns on the active regions, forming the photoresist patterns on the device isolation layer such that the photoresist patterns have side walls higher than the floating gate patterns, forming spacer patterns at the side walls of the photoresist patterns such that the spacer patterns partially cover the floating gate patterns, and etching the floating gate patterns by a predetermined depth using the spacer patterns as an etching mask.
US07670899B2
A MIM capacitor includes a lower electrode disposed on a semiconductor substrate. A dielectric layer is disposed on the lower electrode to completely cover an exposed surface of the lower electrode. An upper electrode is disposed on the dielectric layer. A method for forming a MIM capacitor includes forming a lower electrode on a semiconductor substrate. A dielectric layer and an upper metal layer are formed on an entire surface of the substrate to cover the lower electrode. The dielectric and upper metal layers are patterned on the lower electrode.
US07670895B2
A process of forming an electronic device can include patterning a semiconductor layer to define an opening. After patterning the semiconductor layer, the opening can have a bottom, and the semiconductor layer can have a sidewall and a surface. The surface is spaced apart from the bottom of the opening. The sidewall can extend from the surface towards the bottom of the opening. The process can also include forming a layer over the semiconductor layer and within the opening, and removing a part of the first layer from within the opening. After removing the part of the layer, a remaining portion of the layer may lie within the opening and adjacent to the bottom and the sidewall, and the remaining portion of the layer may be spaced apart from the surface. In another aspect, the electronic device can include a field isolation region including the first layer.
US07670886B2
A method of fabricating a polysilicon film includes: forming a seed layer on a surface of a substrate; forming a silicon layer over the surface of the seed layer; and performing a laser annealing process to transform the silicon layer into a polysilicon layer at a laser energy equal to or greater than that needed to cause complete melting of the silicon layer.
US07670879B2
The present invention provides a manufacturing method of a semiconductor module which enables the joining at a low temperature within a short time and can obtain more reliable joining portions by performing the joining without using a solder joining medium. The manufacturing method of a semiconductor module includes a first joining step for joining first circuit electrodes which are formed on a circuit board and back-surface-side die electrodes of a semiconductor die, a second joining step for joining the front-surface-side electrodes of the semiconductor die and one ends of lead frames, and a third joining step for joining another ends of the lead frame and second circuit electrodes which are formed on the circuit board, wherein a low-melting-temperature metal layer is formed on one conductive portion of a pair of conductive portions to be joined and, thereafter, the low-melting-temperature metal layer is heated and pressurized thus diffusing the low-melting-temperature metal layer into the pair of conductive portions by solid-liquid diffusion whereby the conductive portions are joined to each other.
US07670875B2
In a state of a first semiconductor integrated circuit device on which a first semiconductor integrated circuit board including a first mask ROM and a programmable ROM are mounted, an ultimate program determined by using the programmable ROM is stored in a second ROM of a second semiconductor integrated circuit board which is substantially similar in structure to the first semiconductor integrated circuit board, thereby manufacturing a second semiconductor integrated circuit device as an ultimate product.
US07670859B2
A method for manufacturing a semiconductor device, includes: preparing a semiconductor module including: a semiconductor substrate having an electrode; a test pad electrically connected to the electrode; a land electrically connected to the test pad; and an external terminal provided on the land; and testing an electrical characteristic by bringing a probe into contact with the test pad.
US07670856B2
A method of making a nitride semiconductor substrate having the steps of providing a free-standing substrate that is of a nitride semiconductor and has one of a penetrating pit and a penetrating crack that penetrate from a top surface to a back surface of the free-standing substrate, attaching a metal to the penetrating pit or the penetrating crack, the metal being adapted to be nitrided, and nitriding the metal to form a nitride that seals the penetrating pit or the penetrating crack. A nitride semiconductor substrate has a free-standing substrate that is formed of a nitride semiconductor and has one of a penetrating pit and a penetrating crack that penetrate from a top surface to a back surface of the free-standing substrate, and a metal nitride that seals the penetrating pit or the penetrating crack. The metal nitride is formed of GaN, InN and AlN.
US07670851B2
The present invention relates to assay methods used for detecting the presence of PIF, and to PIF peptides identified using this assay. In particular, the present invention relates to flow cytometry assays for detecting PIF. It is based, at least in part, on the observation that flow cytometry using fluorescently labeled anti-lymphocyte and anti-platelet antibodies demonstrated an increase in rosette formation in the presence of PIF. It is further based on the observation that flow cytometry demonstrated that monoclonal antibody binding to CD2 decreased in the presence of PIF. The present invention further relates to PIF peptides which, when added to Jurkat cell cultures, have been observed to either (i) decrease binding of anti-CD2 antibody to Jurkat cells; (ii) increase expression of CD2 in Jurkat cells; or (iii) decrease Jurkat cell viability. In additional embodiments, the present invention provides for ELISA assays which detect PIF by determining the effect of a test sample on the binding of anti-CD2 antibody to a CD2 substrate.
US07670848B2
In a luminescence detecting apparatus and method for analyzing luminescent samples, luminescent samples are placed in a plurality of sample wells in a tray, and the tray is placed in a visible-light impervious chamber containing a charge coupled device camera. In the chamber, light from the luminescent samples pass through a collimator, a Fresnel field lens, an infrared filter, and a camera lens, whereupon a focused image is created by the optics on the camera. The use of an infrared filter suppresses stray IR radiation resulting from plate phosphorescence (which can result in abnormally high backgrounds and/or alteration of the image received by the camera).
US07670843B2
A method of and device for sampling polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the ambient environment, the method including: (a) providing a polymer film for collecting the PAHs; (b) exposing the polymer film to a gas containing the PAHs, and (c) performing an analysis of the PAHs collected by the polymer film, the analysis being selected from the group consisting of fluorescence analysis and Fourier Transform Imaging Microscopy (FT-SIM).
US07670837B2
The present invention provides novel MDCK-derived adherent non-tumorigenic cell lines that can be grown in the presence or absence of serum. The cell lines of the present invention are useful for the production of vaccine material (e.g., viruses). More specifically, the cell lines of the present invention are useful for the production of influenza viruses in general and ca/ts influenza viruses in particular. The invention further provides methods and media formulations for the adaptation and cultivation of MDCK cells such that they remain non-tumorigenic. Additionally, the present invention provides methods for the production of vaccine material (e.g., influenza virus) in the novel cell lines of the invention.
US07670836B2
The present invention provides an antimicrobial peptide, monodoncin, which is isolated and purified from Penaeus monodon and is capable of being mass produced by molecular cloning techniques in a heterologous expression system, such as yeast. Monodoncin demonstrates a wide-range of bacteriostatic and bactericidal effects on G(−) and G(+) bacteria as well as fungicidal activities, and can be used in combination with conventional antibiotics as “cocktail therapy” to improve the therapeutic effects of the conventional antibiotics.
US07670834B2
The present application relates to an apparatus and method for thermal cycling using a source of cooling gas.
US07670831B2
Conductive carbon nanotubes (CNTs) obtained by dotting carboxylated CNTs with metal nanocrystals by chemical functional groups, are described, as well as a method for fabricating a pattern or film of the conductive CNTs which involves repeatedly depositing conductive CNTs on a substrate to achieve high surface density. A biosensor is described, in which bioreceptors that bind to target biomolecules are selectively attached to conductive CNTs or a conductive CNT pattern or film. By use of the conductive biosensor, various target biomaterials that bind or react with the bioreceptors can be precisely measured directly or by electrochemical signals at large amounts in one step. Additionally, the biosensor can be used for an electrical detection method capable of providing precise measurement results even with a small amount of source material.
US07670819B2
The present invention relates to isolated polypeptides having beta-glucosidase activity and isolated polynucleotides encoding the polypeptides. The invention also relates to nucleic acid constructs, vectors, and host cells comprising the polynucleotides as well as methods for producing and using the polypeptides.
US07670815B2
A previously unknown mammalian UDP-N-acetylglucosamine:α-6-D-mannoside β-1,6-N-acetylglucosaminyl-transferase (termed GlcNAc T-Vb herein) coding sequence, protein, recombinant host cells and antibodies which specifically bind GlcNAc T-Vb are described. In particular, GlcNAc T-Vb of mouse is disclosed.
US07670807B2
The invention relates to an isolated polynucleotide sequence from the genome of Bacillus stearothermophilus (Geobacillus stearothermophilus) and an amino acid sequence encoded by the polynucleotide sequence, the corresponding amino acid sequence comprising a novel enzyme, Tirt (thermostable intron reverse transcriptase), having reverse transcriptase activity and retaining that activity at temperatures of up to about 75° C.
US07670804B2
The present invention provides humanized, chimeric and human anti-CSAp antibodies and anti-CSAp antibody fusion proteins that are useful for the treatment and diagnosis of various cancers, including colon cancer.
US07670802B2
A novel CXC-chemokine binding protein is cloned from the salivary glands of Rhipicephalus sanguineus. Compounds prepared in accordance with the present invention can be used as anti-inflammatory and immuno-modulatory compounds and in the treatment or prevention of CXC-chemokine-related diseases.
US07670798B2
The present invention describes semi- and fully-automated methods and reagents therefor for the assay and analysis of body fluid samples, particularly non-blood samples. The methods and reagents are especially useful for the assay and analysis of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples. The reagent compositions sphere and fix all cells in the sample in suspension. Reported results can include red blood cell (RBC) and white blood cell (WBC) counts, WBC differential values, cell-by-cell volumes and dry-mass concentrations.
US07670795B2
The invention provides methods and kits for characterizing the activity of an acetyl transferase or deacetylase. The method involves enzymatically acetylating or deacetylating in vitro a substrate that is a peptide fragment of a full-length polypeptide, and then non-enzymatically acylating the peptide substrate with acyl groups that differ in molecular weight from the enzymatically added or removed acetyl groups. Typically, deuterated acetic anhydride is used to non-enzymatically acylate the substrate. The fully acylated substrate is then characterized by mass spectrometry to determine the amino acid positions of the substrate that are enzymatically acetylated or deacetylated.
US07670790B2
The present invention relates to the diagnosis of hematopoietic disorders and to determining the prognosis of patients affected by such disorders. The methods generally comprise determining a level of myeloperoxidase in a body fluid sample from the individual and using the level as a factor for diagnosing the disorder in the mammal or as a factor for determining the prognosis of a patient diagnosed with such a disorder. Myelodysplastic syndrome, acute myeloid leukemia and chronic myeloid leukemia are exemplary disorders. Also provided are method of cancer therapy involving reducing the level of myeloperoxidase in the body fluid of the individual.
US07670787B2
Proteins that interact with c-Fos, nucleic acids encoding them and inhibitors utilizing them as well as methods for detecting an interaction and screening methods utilizing a protein that interacts with c-Fos are provided. Comprehensive analysis of transcription control factor complexes in a mouse brain cDNA library with c-Fos as a bait by using the cotranslation selection and screening of in vitro virus (IVV) and the C-terminal labeling method are conducted, thereby to analyze proteins unknown so far, proteins known so far, but unknown to form a complex with the c-Fos protein, and so forth.
US07670782B2
CAT1 is consistently expressed at high levels in brain microvessel endothelial cells. Disclosed herein are assays for determining whether a test material/molecule is a substrate for, and/or is actively transported by, the CAT1 transporter, and therefore a candidate substrate for crossing the blood brain barrier. The assays are useful in screening for therapeutic, cytotoxic or imaging compounds used in the treatment or diagnosis of neurological diseases.
US07670780B2
Compositions are disclosed as nucleic acid sequences that may be used as amplification oligomers, including primers, capture probes for sample preparation, and detection probes specific for Candida albicans 26S rRNA sequences or DNA encoding 26S rRNA. Methods are disclosed for detecting the presence of C. albicans in samples by using the disclosed compositions in methods that include in vitro nucleic acid amplification of a 26S rRNA sequence or DNA encoding the 26S rRNA sequence to produce a detectable amplification product.
US07670774B2
Oligonucleotide probes for analyzing 40 types of HPV were synthesized, and DNA chips were produced by using the oligonucleotide probes. The synthesis of the oligonucleotide probes is based on clones of L1 and E6/E7 genes of 35 types of HPV obtained from cervical cell specimens from 4,898 Korean adult women and tissue specimens from 68 cervical cancer cases in addition to information based on American and European cases. The DNA chips can analyze the 40 types of HPV found in cervical, diagnose complex infection by at least one type of HPV, and have excellent diagnostic sensitivity and specificity on HPV genetic type up to 100% and reproducibility. Also, the DAN chips are superior to conventional analytic method, and very economical, since they can analyze numerous specimens in shortest time. Accordingly, the DNA chips are useful for predicting cervical cancer and precancerous lesion.
US07670772B2
Provided are a microfluidic chip for multiple bioassay and a method of manufacturing the same. The method includes: forming microfluidic channels by coupling a channel structure having grooves for sample channels and probe channels in a bottom surface and a substrate; forming probe immobilization regions at intersections between the probe channels and the sample channels; and forming blocking walls in the probe channels before and after each of the probe immobilization regions to prevent mixing of target sample. Since the probes are immobilized in the microfluidic channels after the formation of the microfluidic channels, difficulty in connecting fluidic channels after the immobilization of probes on a substrate can be removed. In addition, a microfluidic platform for a multiple bioassay into which a plurality of samples can be simultaneously loaded can be formed.
US07670765B2
Methods and compositions for identifying and characterizing the affinity of one or more ligands of a peptide are provided. In particular, a “stripped phage ligand sensor device” (SPLSD) is provided comprising a sensor coupled to a binding element of interest. Binding elements of the invention comprise phage which in most embodiments express a peptide of interest on the phage surface. Assays using the SPLSD allow detection and quantitation of ligands. Also provided are improved methods for forming monolayers using phage. In particular, methods for the formation of monolayers using “stripped phage” are provided. Further provided are monolayers and Langmuir-Blodgett films formed by the methods of the invention as well as substrates having deposited thereon the films of the invention. The monolayers, films and substrates of the invention are useful as components of biosensors and/or chemosensors.
US07670764B2
The present invention provides a method of diagnosing the presence or severity of tissue fibrosis in an individual by detecting α2-macroglobulin (α2-MG) in a sample from the individual; detecting hyaluronic acid (HA) in a sample from the individual; detecting tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) in a sample from the individual; and diagnosing the presence or severity of tissue fibrosis in the individual based on the presence or level of α2-MG, HA and TIMP-1.
US07670763B2
This invention describes unique patterns of distribution of ganglioside GM1 in non-capacitated sperm and demonstrates that the pattern of distribution of GM1 undergoes changes that can be correlated with the process of capacitation and/or with acrosomal exocytosis. Accordingly, the present invention discloses a method for determining the ability of sperm to respond to capacitation and/or acrosomal exocytosis stimuli. The method comprises determination of distribution pattern for GM1. The method can be used for both diagnostic and predictive purposes when assessing male reproductive fitness, and can also be used to assess the effects on sperm of cryoprotective agents and protocols, and contraceptive agents.
US07670760B2
A method for reducing line edge roughness (LER) in a layer of photoresist is provided. In accordance with the method, a layer of photoresist is applied to a substrate. The layer of photoresist is then patterned and annealed in an atmosphere comprising at least one gas selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, nitrogen and fluorine-containing materials. Preferably, the anneal is performed after patterning the photoresist, but either immediately after, or subsequent to, the trim.
US07670757B2
To provide a positive type photosensitive resin composition, containing at least an acrylic resin having a carboxylic anhydride structure in a molecule, and a compound that generates an acid when irradiated with light.
US07670756B2
First, a first exposure process is performed using dipole illumination with only a grating-pattern forming region as a substantial object to be exposed. Next, a second exposure process is performed with only a standard-pattern forming region as a substantial object to be exposed. A development process is then performed to obtain a resist pattern. A mask for the first exposure process is such that a light blocking pattern is formed on the whole surface of a standard-pattern mask part corresponding to the standard-pattern forming region. A mask for the second exposure is such that a light blocking pattern is formed on the whole surface of a grating-pattern mask part corresponding to the grating-pattern forming region.
US07670753B2
To provide a lithographic printing plate precursor which generates no stains in the non-image area and is also excellent in development latitude. Disclosed is a lithographic printing plate precursor comprising a support and a photosensitive layer, said lithographic printing plate precursor further comprising a subbing layer containing a maleamic acid (co)polymer, in which at least one hydrogen atom on a nitrogen atom is substituted with an onium group, provided between the photosensitive layer and the support.
US07670752B2
A photosensitive resin composition which is excellent in storage stability required for one-part type compositions and in processability required for dry-film formation and gives a cured product suitable for FPC substrates or suspension substrates for hard-disc which each retains essential properties required for solder resists, such as heat resistance, water resistance, and electrical-insulation reliability, and has flexibility and low polluting property. The composition comprises: a compound which has a carbon-carbon double bond and carboxy group and is obtained by allowing a bisphenol type epoxy compound and an unsaturated monocarboxylic acid to react and then allowing a polybasic acid anhydride to undergo addition reaction with part or all of the secondary hydroxy groups of the reaction product; a urethane (meth)acrylate compound having a structure derived from a polycarbonate polyol structure; another polymerizable compound having a carbon-carbon double bond; and a photopolymerization initiator.
US07670741B2
A toner containing a toner particle manufactured by dispersing an organic solvent in which a component comprising a polymer having a portion reactive with an active hydrogen group is dispersed or dissolved in an aqueous medium; and reacting the polymer with a compound having at least one active hydrogen group, where the polymer is prepared by reacting an aliphatic polyol, a polyester resin and a diisocyanate compound and has an isocyanate group on at least one end of the polymer.
US07670735B2
A photoconductor containing a substrate, a layer thereover wherein the layer comprises, for example, a polyol resin, an aminoplast resin, an ester of phosphoric acid adhesion component, and a metal oxide; and at least one imaging layer of, for example, a photogenerating layer and a charge transport layer formed on the polyol resin containing layer.
US07670733B2
A photoconductor containing an optional supporting substrate, a photogenerating layer, and at least one charge transport layer comprised of at least one charge transport component, and wherein the photogenerating layer contains a Type V hydroxygallium phthalocyanine having incorporated therein a silanol.
US07670728B2
A method for repairing a bridge in a photo mask includes disposing a phase shift layer pattern and a light shielding layer pattern over a transparent substrate with the phase shift layer pattern disposed between the transparent substrate and the light shielding layer; forming a resist layer over the entire surface of the photo mask having a defective pattern causing a bridge between neighboring portions of the phase shift layer pattern; exposing the defective pattern by etching the resist layer; and removing the exposed defective pattern.
US07670714B2
A battery pack for an electrical device has a base body, a locking element for locking the base body to the electrical device, and an actuating element for actuating the locking element. The locking element has a retaining region, which is provided for retaining the actuating element at least in the unlocked state of the base body.
US07670712B2
An electrode catalyst that maintains catalytic activity under conditions of an electrode potential as high as 0.4 V or above and exhibits improved stability. The metal oxynitride electrode catalyst is composed of an oxynitride containing at least one transition metal element selected from the group consisting of La, Ta, Nb, Ti, and Zr, the metal oxynitride electrode catalyst being used at a potential of 0.4 V or higher relative to the reversible hydrogen electrode potential in an acidic electrolyte. The metal oxynitride electrode catalyst is useful as an electrode catalyst for electrochemical systems used in acidic electrolytes in the fields of water electrolysis, organic electrolysis, fuel cells, etc.
US07670708B2
Provided is a solid polyelectrolyte fuel cell capable of suppressing a gas leak between a fuel electrode film side and an oxide electrode film side by suppressing deterioration of a solid polyelectrolyte film on its peripheral side. A solid polyelectrolyte fuel cell includes: a cell in which electrode films are provided on one side and the other side of a solid polyelectrolyte film, respectively; a first gas diffusion layer provided so as to cover the electrode film on one side of the cell; a second gas diffusion layer provided so as to cover the electrode film on the other side of the cell; and separators provided on the one side and the other side of the cell, respectively, with the gas diffusion layers interposed therebetween. The solid polyelectrolyte fuel cell includes: first insulating layers which are provided between the solid polyelectrolyte film of the cell and the gas diffusion layers and have electrical insulating properties; and second insulating layers which are provided on peripheral edges of the gas diffusion layers and have electrical insulating properties.
US07670704B2
A diffusion media and a process for its fabrication are provided for addressing issues related to water management in electrochemical cells and other devices employing the diffusion media. In accordance with one embodiment of the present invention, a process for fabricating a diffusion media is provided. A diffusion media substrate is provided comprising a porous fibrous matrix defining first and second major faces. The substrate comprises an amount of carbonaceous material sufficient to render the substrate electrically conductive. A mesoporous layer is applied along at least a portion of one of the first and second major faces of the substrate. The mesoporous layer is applied to the substrate by providing a coating comprising a hydrophobic component, a hydrophilic component, and a pore forming agent. The substrate is free of fluorinated polymers outside of regions of the substrate carrying the mesoporous layer. The pore forming agent is decomposed such that the mesoporous layer is more porous than the diffusion media substrate.
US07670702B2
A liquid-gas separator assembly is used in separating gas bubbles from a liquid coolant which liquid coolant is used in a polymer electrolyte membrane (PEM) fuel cell power plant. The assembly includes a cylindrical housing containing a central tube which is surrounded by an annular chamber. The annular chamber is defined by the outer surface of the central tube and the inner surface of the cylindrical housing. An inlet line injects a stream of the coolant from the fuel cell stack area of the power plant into the bottom of the central tube in a tangential flow pattern so that the coolant and gas bubble mixture swirls upwardly through the central tube. The swirling flow pattern of the coolant and gas bubble mixture causes the gas bubbles to separate from the liquid coolant so that the gas in the mixture will migrate to the central portion of the swirl tube and the liquid component of the mixture will centrifugally migrate to the inner wall of the swirl tube. The gaseous component of the separated mixture is then expelled from the housing through an outlet in the upper portion of the housing, and the coolant liquid descends through the annular chamber to the bottom of the housing where the coolant liquid will be returned to the cell stack area of the power plant. The gas bubbles may include reactant from either the cathode or the anode. The separator of this invention is particularly useful in mobile applications since it is less sensitive to vehicular acceration forces.
US07670701B2
A fuel cell or fuel cell stack heater using resistive heat. A resistive conductor (preferably some type of metal wire) is attached to a source of electricity such as a battery. The resistive conductor is in proximity with the fuel cell or stack so that when the resistive conductor is heated, the cell or stack will also become hot. An insulating material surrounds the outside of the fuel cell or stack, so that it encloses the cell or stack and the resistive conductor. The insulating material will capture heat from the resistive conductor and any waste heat given off by the operation of the fuel cell or stack. A means for modifying the amount of electrical current in the resistive conductor is attached to the apparatus. When the fuel cell or stack reaches the desired temperature, the means is employed to reduce or turn off current in the resistive conductor.
US07670696B2
A patterned perpendicular magnetic recording medium of the type that has spaced-apart pillars with magnetic material on their ends and with trenches between the pillars that are nonmagnetic regions is made with a method that allows use of a pre-etched substrate. A nonmagnetic capping layer is located in the trenches above the nonmagnetic regions. The substrate has diffusion material in the trenches that when heated will diffuse into the magnetic recording layer material and chemically react with it. The pillars are formed of material that will not diffuse into the recording layer. The recording layer is formed over the entire substrate and a nonmagnetic capping layer that is not chemically reactive with the diffusion material is formed over the recording layer in the trenches. The substrate is annealed to cause the recording layer material in the trenches and the material in the substrate to diffuse into one another and chemically react to render the trenches nonmagnetic. The capping layer suppresses the diffusion of material from the substrate to the surface in the trenches and thus prevents migration of diffusion material to the recording layer material on the ends of the pillars.
US07670690B2
A vacuum deposition method for fabricating high-strength nitinol films by sputter depositing nickel and titanium from a heated sputtering target, and controlling the sputter deposition process parameters in order to create high-strength nitinol films that exhibit shape memory and/or superelastic properties without the need for precipitation annealing to attenuate the transition conditions of the deposited material. A vacuum deposited nitinol film having high-strength properties equal to or better than wrought nitinol films and which are characterized by having non-columnar crystal grain structures.
US07670683B2
A composition includes a cross-linkable epoxy resin, a polystyrene-polybutadiene-polymethylmethacrylate tri-block copolymer, and a filler material. The polystyrene-polybutadiene-polymethylmethacrylate tri-block copolymer has a concentration ratio of from about 1:1:1 to about 1:1:1.5.
US07670675B2
Layered systems in prior art are inefficient at cooling an external hot gas. The inventive layered system comprises an external porous layer, in which the pore walls of the pores have differing thicknesses. This improves the cooling action by preventing too much heat from entering the layered system.
US07670661B2
A synthetic-grass covering, usable, for example, for making artificial pitches for sports activities, consisting of a substrate made of sheet material and filiform formations, implanted in the sheet material so as to present a looped part that extends up against one of the surfaces of the sheet material and lateral branches that extend in order to simulate the grassy sward of natural turf from the opposite surface of the sheet material. The substrate made of sheet material comprises a pad with coupled thereto a layer made of heat-meltable material, and the filiform formations are also made of heat-meltable material, with the aforesaid looped parts that extend in an area corresponding to the layer made of heat-meltable material, heat-welded to the aforesaid layer.
US07670656B2
A plastic substrate includes resin and glass fibers. In an end surface of the substrate, interfaces between the glass fibers and the resin are covered with a solidified melt of the glass fibers.
US07670654B2
A bistable nematic liquid crystal display device includes two cell walls enclosing a layer of a nematic liquid crystal material, means for applying an electric field across at least some of the layer, and means for inducing local planar alignments of said liquid crystal material at an inner surface of each cell wall. The local planar alignments are oriented to each other at an angle greater than 0° and less than 90°. The device also includes means for selectively masking an alignment effect of either of the local planar alignments by applying a unidirectional electric field pulse of suitable magnitude and duration to stabilise the device in one of two different homeoplanar configurations determined by the polarity of the pulse.
US07670652B2
A method of manufacturing a patterned film by which an accurately patterned film is formed when film formation is performed by using the AD method. The method includes the steps of: (a) disposing a multilayered mask containing at least one soft mask layer formed of a soft material and at least one hard mask layer formed of a hard material on a substrate or an electrode formed on the substrate; (b) spraying powder formed of a brittle material toward the substrate, on which the multilayered mask has been disposed, and allowing the powder to collide with an under layer to deposit the powder thereon, thereby forming a brittle material layer; and (c) removing the multilayered mask after step (b).
US07670651B2
A composition is provided having cylindrically shaped metal or metal-coated particles and a polymer latex dispersion. A coating is provided having cylindrically shaped metal or metal-coated particles and a polymer matrix formed from a latex dispersion. The particles form a continuous, conductive network. A method of electromagnetic shielding is provided having the steps of providing the above composition, applying the composition to a surface, and drying the applied composition.
US07670631B2
A method for the prevention of infection of humans by plasmodium parasites is provided. The method consists of the application of compounds that interfere with the infection of hepatocytes by Plasmodium viax.
US07670630B2
A composition for treating cancer cells and a preparation method therefor are provided. The novel flavonoid compounds are obtained from natural plants, and more particularly the compounds have a cytotoxicity on cancer cells.
US07670624B2
The present invention provides compositions and methods for the multiple release of a drug in the gastrointestinal tract of a subject through the use of an oral multiple drug release system. The system provides site-specific release of the drug to both the small intestine and the colon in the form of multiple controlled doses for long-lasting efficacy, thereby reducing the drug dosing frequency.
US07670616B2
Variation in precursor ratio and mass of double bond functionalized polyhydric alcohol precursor and polyethylene glycol diacrylate precursor provide a wide range of release rates of drug or other biologically active agent from hydrogel formed therefrom.
US07670613B2
The present invention is directed to a new class of 4-cycloalkoxy benzonitriles and to their use as androgen receptor modulators. Other aspects of the invention are directed to the use of these compounds to decrease excess sebum secretions and to stimulate hair growth.
US07670609B2
A vaccine against Mycobacteria tuberculosis (Mtb) is provided. The vaccine comprises a recombinant Bacille Calmette-Guerin (BCG) subunit-based vaccine in which one or more Mtb antigens and one or more Mtb resuscitation or reactivation antigens are overexpressed, and in which at least a portion of the DosR regulon is up-regulated. The vaccine is protective against active Mtb infection both pre- and post-exposure to Mtb, and thus prevents disease symptoms due to the recurrence of a latent Mtb infection.
US07670607B2
A pharmaceutical composition for treating or preventing a papillomavirus infection or tumor, including, as the therapeutical agents, a polypeptide from an early region and a polypeptide from a late region of a papillomavirus, optionally combined with a polypeptide having immunostimulatory activity or a polypeptide from an early or late region of a papillomavirus and a polypeptide having immunostimulatory activity, or alternatively, a recombinant vector containing inserted DNA fragments coding for the above-mentioned polypeptide combinations.
US07670605B2
The invention features polymeric biomaterials formed by nucleophilic addition reactions to conjugated unsaturated groups. These biomaterials may be used for medical treatments.
US07670599B2
This invention provides methods for detecting cancers and for evaluating the prognosis of cancer patients. In particular, the methods of this invention utilize YKL-40 as a marker for the presence or absence of a cancer and for the prognosis (e.g. likelihood of recurrence) of a cancer. Elevated levels of YKL-40 are indicative of the presence of a cancer in undiagnosed subjects and indicate likely recurrence of the cancer in subjects diagnosed as having a cancer.
US07670595B2
Disclosed are Fc-interferon-beta (Fc-IFN-β) fusion proteins and nucleic acid molecules encoding them. The Fc-IFN-β fusion proteins include variants of the interferon-beta (IFN-β) protein that are altered to achieve enhanced biological activity, prolonged circulating half-life and greater solubility. Also disclosed are methods of producing the fusion proteins and methods of using the fusion proteins and/or nucleic acid molecules for treating diseases and conditions alleviated by the administration of interferon-beta.
US07670591B2
The present invention relates to novel heteroaryl substituted benzoxazole derivatives and therapeutic uses for such compounds, having the structural formula (Ia) below: and to their pharmaceutically acceptable salt, compositions and methods of use. Furthermore, the invention relates to novel heteroaryl substituted benzoxazole derivatives that are suitable for imaging amyloid deposits in living patients, their compositions, methods of use and processes to make such compounds. More specifically, the present invention relates to a method of imaging amyloid deposits in brain in vivo to allow antemortem diagnosis of Alzheimer's disease as well as measuring clinical efficacy of Alzheimer's disease therapeutic agents.
US07670579B2
Nano-particles of calcium and phosphorous compounds are made in a highly pure generally amorphous state by spray drying a weak acid solution of said compound and evaporating the liquid from the atomized spray in a heated column followed by collection of the precipitated particles. Hydroxyapatite (HA) particles formed by such apparatus and methods are examples of particle manufacture useful in bone and dental therapies. Dual nozzle spraying techniques are utilized for generally insoluble compounds.
US07670578B2
The invention relates to a method of preparing a polycrystalline block of a halide of formula AeLnfX(3f+e) in which Ln represents one or more rare earths, X represents one or more halogen atoms selected from the group consisting of Cl, Br and I, and A represents one or more alkali metals selected from the group consisting of K, Li, Na, Rb and Cs, e, which may be zero, being less than or equal to 3f, and f being greater than or equal to 1, having a low water and oxyhalide content, in which the method comprises heating a mixture of, on the one hand, at least one compound having at least one Ln—X bond and, on the other hand, a sufficient amount of NH4X in order to obtain the oxyhalide content, resulting in a molten mass comprising the rare-earth halide, the heating being followed by cooling, and the heating, after having reached 300° C., never going below 200° C. before the molten mass has been obtained. The blocks thus produced allow very pure single crystals having remarkable scintillation properties to be grown.
US07670574B2
A method of cooling syngas in a gasifier is provided. The method includes channeling cooling fluid through at least one tube-bundle that includes at least three tubes coupled together within a radiant syngas cooler and extends through a reaction zone of the gasifier, and circulating reactant fluid around the at least one tube-bundle to facilitate transferring heat from the reactant fluid to the cooling fluid.
US07670573B2
A process for decoking of a process that cracks hydrocarbon feedstock containing resid and coke precursors, wherein steam is added to the feedstock to form a mixture which is thereafter separated into a vapor phase and a liquid phase by flashing in a flash/separation vessel, separating and cracking the vapor phase, and recovering cracked product. Coking of internal surfaces in and proximally downstream of the vessel is controlled by interrupting the feed flow, purging the vessel with steam, introducing an air/steam mixture to at least partially combust the coke, and resuming the feed flow when sufficient coke has been removed. An apparatus for carrying out the process is also provided.
US07670570B2
A casing tube is provided for a honeycomb element used for exhaust gas treatment. The casing tube is provided with a first area which is located close to a first front face and a third area which is located to close a second front face. The casing tube has a first inner diameter in the first and third area and is provided with a second area that is disposed between the first and the third area. The second area has a second inner diameter that is larger than the first inner diameter. The casing tube is characterized in that the axial length of the first area is less than 5 mm, preferably less than 3 mm. The relatively narrow first area enables the honeycomb to be permanently fixed and ensures that only a small amount of heat is transmitted to the casing tube. As a result, a significant improvement is achieved in the cold start performance of a catalytic converter.
US07670567B2
The present invention provides a scalable microreactor comprising a multilayered reaction block having alternating reaction plates and heat exchanger plates that have a plurality of microchannels; a multilaminated reactor input manifold, a collecting reactor output manifold, a heat exchange input manifold and a heat exchange output manifold. The present invention also provides methods of using the microreactor for multiphase chemical reactions.
