US07693090B1
The present disclosure generally pertains to systems and methods for discovering PME bonding groups. In one exemplary embodiment, a plurality of communication links are terminated by physical medium entities (PMEs). In this regard, each link is terminated at one end via a network PME and at another end via a remote PME at a customer premises. Each of the PMEs has a transceiver that is allowed to train during a training phase that precedes a data phase. After training, discovery of PME bonding groups is performed via data communicated over data phase control channels, which are operational while links are operational in the data phase, transmitting data using the Ethernet in the First Mile (EFM) encapsulation. For example, the control channel data may be communicated over a link-level embedded operations channel (EOC). In another example, the control channel data may be communicated using 64/65 Byte (B) code words. In another example, the control channel data may be communicated via an Ethernet operations, administration and maintenance (OAM) channel. In yet another example, the control channel data may be communicated via EFM fragment messaging.
US07693087B1
A method, system, and medium are provided for selecting one or more hub aggregation points from a number of candidates on a network. The method begins by obtaining selection criteria for each of the candidates. Using the obtained criteria a score for each candidate is determined. This determination involves assigning intermediate scores for each criteria and applying a weighted multiplier to the intermediate score. The total of the intermediate scores is the overall score for any candidate. The method continues by selecting potential hub aggregation points for further consideration based upon the determined score of each candidate. The method then calculates a least cost route for each point on the network under consideration to each of the selected hub aggregation points. Different combinations of selected hub aggregation points can then be used to iterate through the least cost routing analysis to arrive at a final selection of hub aggregation points.
US07693083B2
An audio network system allows any two nodes among a plurality of nodes to transmit and receive audio data to and from each other. The plurality of the nodes are connected in loop so as to allow transmission of the audio data in loop manner through the plurality of the nodes, and the transmission of the audio data is performed in one direction from an upstream node to a downstream node. One of the plurality of the nodes is set as a master node and the other nodes are set as slave nodes. The master node periodically transmits a packet of frame data containing the audio data every sampling period, such that the packet transmitted from the master node circulates through the plurality of the nodes to return to the master node within one or more sampling period. The packet has a specific data length and includes an audio data storage region divided into a plurality of blocks corresponding to a plurality of channels, such that each of the blocks stores audio data of the corresponding channel.
US07693080B2
A network loop monitor (10) is disclosed which comprises an RS485 port (16) for connection to a host which receives and transmits data. The port (16) comprises termination jumpers (14), a transmitter/receiver (34) and an isolator (36). The monitor (10) includes two further RS485 ports (18, 20) each of which has a termination (26, 28), a transmitter/receiver (42, 44) and an isolator (38, 40). A relay (22) controls contacts (24) in the line pair (12). Router logic (32) controlled by a microprocessor (30) determines the status of the loop monitor.
US07693076B2
Methods and apparatus for determining that all conductors of an Ethernet connection are connected to the same powered device (PD). In one disclosed embodiment, it is first determined that a signal conductor pair of the Ethernet connection is coupled to a valid PD according to a discovery process, and the unused conductor pair of the Ethernet connection is also coupled to a valid PD. However, it is not yet determined whether they are both coupled to the same PD. This disclosure provides for injecting a polluting signal into one of the conductor pairs, and performing the discovery process on the other conductor pair. If the discovery process fails on the other conductor pair as a result of the polluting signal, then it is determined that both of the conductor pairs are indeed coupled to same PD.
US07693064B2
Each network node having at least one destination-oriented link toward a directed acyclic graph (DAG) destination can receive a corresponding set of path performance metrics via the destination-oriented link. The set of path performance metrics, initiated by the DAG destination outputting initial link metrics on each of its source-connecting links, identifies aggregate link metrics for a corresponding path to the DAG destination via the corresponding destination-oriented link. The network node outputs a corresponding updated set of path performance metrics on each of its source-connecting links based on the received set of path performance metrics and the corresponding link metric for the corresponding source-connecting link. Hence, each network node in the DAG can assess the performance of each connected path to the DAG destination, and forward a data packet via a selected destination-oriented link based on the corresponding path performance metrics and forwarding policies for the forwarded data packet.
US07693060B2
A method and corresponding apparatus establish a reservation in a segment of an end-to-end path between a data sender and a data receiver, up to a point in the end-to-end path; attempt to establish another reservation in an adjacent segment of the end-to-end path, beyond the point in the end-to-end path; and in an event that the other reservation is established in the adjacent segment of the end-to-end path, bind the other reservation to the reservation established in the segment of an end-to-end path up to the point in the end-to-end path.
US07693058B2
A method for enhancing transmission quality of streaming media. A first bandwidth for a first communication link and a second bandwidth for a second communication link of a network are determined. Provided the first bandwidth is greater than the second bandwidth, a first excess bandwidth is utilized to improve transmission quality in the first communication link, wherein said the excess bandwidth is related to a difference of the first bandwidth minus the second bandwidth. Provided the second bandwidth is greater than the first bandwidth, a second excess bandwidth is utilized to improve transmission quality in the second communication link, wherein the second excess bandwidth is related to a difference of the second bandwidth minus the first bandwidth.
US07693053B2
Methods and apparatus provide for: receiving tokens from a plurality of resources, where the tokens are exchange media for permitting a plurality of requesters to access an associated one of the resources for a period of time; allocating the tokens to respective requester groups into which the plurality of requesters have been assigned; receiving requests for one or more of the tokens from one or more of the requesters and granting, from the allocated tokens, one or more of the tokens to the requesters based on token granting criteria; and re-distributing unused tokens from one or more requester groups to one or more other requester groups based on priorities assigned to the requester groups; and dynamically altering the priorities assigned to the requester groups when a number of unused tokens of one or more of the requester groups has fallen below a threshold.
US07693046B2
A method or corresponding apparatus in an exemplary embodiment of the present invention monitors an operational status of network links and retrieves or receives the operational status. The operational status is stored (e.g., within 50 msec) on an ongoing basis. The operational status corresponds to an operational LSP from among a primary LSP and secondary LSP(s) used to service traffic via the network links to maintain network connectivity via the LSPs. The secondary LSP(s) may be either a bypass LSP or a backup LSP, where each LSP is Fast Re-route (FRR) enabled. Further, correspondence between the primary LSP, secondary LSP(s), and the network links may be tracked. In order to deliver network traffic via the operational LSP known to service traffic between the source and destination, a link identifier may be used. The link identifier is determined from the source and destination information within the network traffic.
US07693043B2
A method of advertising repair capability in a network repair scheme using network repair addresses for repairing around a repairable network component in a data communications network having, as components, nodes and links therebetween, comprises establishing whether an alternate repair path is available around a repairable component. If such a repair path is available, the method further comprises issuing a corresponding notification to nodes in the network.
US07693041B2
A mobile communication system for modulating input data with a specific size into an OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing) symbol and transmitting the OFDM symbol through at least two different antennas. A replica generator generates replica data by cyclically-circulating the input data. An encoder generates a first antenna signal and a second antenna signal by encoding the input data and the replica data. A first IFFT (Inverse Fast Fourier Transform) block generates a first OFDM symbol by performing IFFT on the first antenna signal, and a second IFFT block generates a second OFDM symbol by performing IFFT on the second antenna signal. A first antenna transmits the first OFDM symbol, and a second antenna transmits the second OFDM symbol.
US07693032B2
An arrangement is disclosed where in a multi-carrier communication system, the modulation scheme, coding attributes, training pilots, and signal power may be adjusted to adapt to channel conditions in order to maximize the overall system capacity and spectral efficiency without wasting radio resources or compromising error probability performance.
US07693025B2
An optical pickup includes a detector, a plurality of light guiding units, and a switching controller. The detector detects, using a plurality of detection areas, a reflected light beam that is emitted from a predetermined light source and is reflected off an optical recording medium. Each of the light guiding units has a specific light guide pattern and inputs a predetermined part of the reflected light beam to a predetermined detection area in accordance with the light guide pattern. The switching controller switches and selects the light guiding unit that acts on the reflected light beam from among the plurality of light guiding units according to a predetermined switching condition.
US07693019B2
An information recording device having a recording head for recording information on a recording medium includes: an inherent ID generator that generates an inherent ID for the recording medium; an inherent ID recording unit that records the generated inherent ID on the recording medium with the recording head; an encryption key generator that generates an encryption key, based on the inherent ID; an encrypting unit that encrypts contents information, using the generated encryption key; and a contents recording unit that records the encrypted contents information on the recording medium with the recording head.
US07693015B2
It is an object of the present invention to improve a margin to meet good recording quality by conducting a realtime correction of a recording condition of a medium with different recording characteristics for inner and outer circumferences. To accomplish the object, control factors for power and a pulse width are independently detected and corrected using an mT pulse having a length of m′T as a pulse for power control and an nT pulse having a length of n′T as a pulse for pulse width control; more specifically, power correction for mT pulse and pulse width correction for nT pulse are conducted in realtime, wherein a recording pulse stream including the mT pulse and nT pulse is irradiated onto a medium by a recording laser beam as well as pits and spaces formed by irradiation of the recording pulse stream are reproduced by a reproducing laser beam to detect the effects of power and pulse width variations independently.
US07693011B2
The invention provides a wobble detection circuit. An exemplary embodiment of the wobble detection circuit comprises an automatic gain control module, an analog to digital converter, a digital band pass filter, and a digital band pass filter. The automatic gain control module amplifies a first input signal and a second input signal detected by a pickup head to the same magnitude to obtain a first amplified signal and a second amplified signal. The adder then subtracts the second amplified signal from the first amplified signal to obtain an analog wobble signal. The analog to digital converter then converts the analog wobble signal to a first digital wobble signal. Finally, the digital band pass filter accepts frequency components of the first digital wobble signal within a pass band and rejects frequency components of the first digital wobble signal outside the pass band to obtain a second digital wobble signal.
US07693010B2
An optical beam control device that can suppress deterioration of a laser diode and a photosensitive member is disclosed. Control is performed in such a manner that the luminous energy of emitted light is increased gradually in an initial period from the activation of a laser diode until the first generation of a BD detection signal. The initial period includes an extinction period in which the laser beam is extinguished. Therefore, deterioration of the light-emitting portion of the laser diode and the photosensitive member can be suppressed.
US07693006B2
1st order free-surface multiples recorded in VSP data or reverse VSP data are processed using a 3-C 3-D vector migration method to produce an image of the subsurface. This image produces a larger coverage than that obtained in 3-C 3-D processing of reflection data acquired in the VSP.
US07693004B2
This invention discloses a semiconductor memory device having a voltage supply circuit for generating a driver power supply voltage. The voltage supply circuit is provided with a first voltage supply circuit for precharging the driver power supply voltage to a power supply voltage level of a memory cell, and a second voltage supply circuit for supplying a voltage lower than the power supply voltage level of the memory cell as the driver power supply voltage.
US07692993B2
A semiconductor memory device includes a plurality of memory blocks, a plurality of refresh block counters, a refresh word line counter, and an arbitration circuit. The plurality of refresh block counters generate block addresses of at least two memory blocks to select at least two memory blocks to be refreshed from the plurality of memory blocks. The refresh word line counter generates a common word line address that is common to the at least two memory blocks. The arbitration circuit generates at least one first word line address based on the at least two block addresses and the common word line address and arbitrate so that each word line indicated by the at least one first word line address is refreshed during a period in which a word line indicated by an externally applied second word line address is accessed.
US07692984B2
A system and method for disabling access to individually addressable regions of an array of non-volatile memory. In response to receiving an initial valid command, a process for disabling access to the defective portions of the array of non-volatile memory is initiated in addition to executing the initial valid command. One implementation provides receiving a memory command and determining whether an indicator has been set. In response to the indicator not being set, access to defective regions of the array of non-volatile memory is disabled in addition to executing the memory command. The indicator is also set to prevent the disabling process from being performed in response to receipt of subsequent memory commands.
US07692980B2
Provided are an apparatus and a method of capturing data by using a data transition of a data signal. The method includes detecting a data transition of a data signal input from an external source, generating a pulse signal corresponding to the detected data transition, and capturing the data signal by using the generated pulse signal as a trigger. Accordingly, stable capturing of data can be performed without changes in margins even when data bits of the read data enter a controller at different times due to skews.
US07692979B2
In a memory readout circuit for use in a phase-change memory device comprising phase-change elements as memory cells, a sense amplifier sets readout voltage, which is applied to a selected phase-change element selected among the phase-change elements by a column selecting switch, to voltage equal to or higher than hold voltage of the selected phase-change element but lower than transition voltage of the selected phase-change element in a readout cycle. The selected phase-change element is read out as a dynamic state in the case where the selected phase-change element is in a set state.
US07692975B2
The present disclosure includes devices, methods, and systems for programming memory, such as resistance variable memory. One embodiment can include an array of resistance variable memory cells, wherein the resistance variable memory cells are coupled to one or more data lines, a row decoder connected to a first side of the array, a column decoder connected to a second side of the array, wherein the second side is adjacent to the first side, a gap located adjacent to the row decoder and the column decoder, and clamp circuitry configured to control a reverse bias voltage associated with one or more unselected memory cells during a programming operation, wherein the clamp circuitry is located in the gap and is selectively coupled to the one or more data lines.
US07692974B2
Implementations are presented herein that relate to a memory cell, a memory device, a device and a method of accessing a memory cell.
US07692970B2
Disclosed is a method of verifying a programmed condition of a flash memory device, being comprised of: determining a level of an additional verifying voltage in response to the number of programming/erasing cycles of memory cells; conducting a verifying operation to programmed memory cells with an initial verifying voltage lower than the additional verifying voltage; and selectively conducting an additional verifying operation with the additional verifying voltage to the program-verified memory cells in response to the number of programming/erasing cycles.
US07692967B2
A method of programming a nonvolatile memory device using hybrid local boosting which includes a plurality of cell strings each having a plurality of electrically erasable and programmable memory cells connected in series and a plurality of wordlines respectively connected to control gates of the plurality of memory cells. The address of a selected cell that is to be programmed is received. A determination is made as to whether a selected wordline connected to the selected cell is located above or under a reference wordline based on the received address. The selected cell is programmed using local boosting when the selected wordline corresponds to the reference wordline or is located above the reference wordline. The selected cell is programmed using self-boosting when the selected wordline is located under the reference wordline. The programming method reduces circuit size of a nonvolatile memory device employing the programming method and efficiently prevents program disturbance due to charge sharing.
US07692966B2
In this AG-AND type flash memory, a layered bit line configuration where a memory array is divided into a plurality of sub blocks, new main bit lines are allocated so as to correspond to each sub block, and a main bit line is selectively connected to a global bit line in an upper layer via a switch is adopted, so that charge sharing write-in is carried out between two main bit lines. Accordingly, write-in of data into the flash memory can be carried out with low power consumption, and the threshold voltage can be controlled with precision.
US07692964B1
A Static Random Access Memory (SRAM) cell having a source-biasing mechanism for leakage reduction. In standby mode, the cell's wordline is deselected and a source-biasing potential is provided to the cell. In read mode, the wordline is selected and responsive thereto, the source-biasing potential provided to the cell is deactivated. Upon completion of reading, the source-biasing potential is re-activated.
US07692956B2
An MRAM is provided with a memory main body (2) having at least one cell array, and a magnetic field detecting section (4) which detects a magnetic field in the vicinity of the memory main body (2) and outputs the detection signal to the memory main body (2). In the cell array, a memory main body (2), which has a plurality of magnetic memory cells including a multilayer ferri-structure as a free layer, stops a prescribed operation of the memory main body (2), based on the detection signal.
US07692950B2
There is provided a semiconductor memory device including; first and second active areas formed to extend in a first direction on a semiconductor substrate, first and second split word lines formed in a second direction on the semiconductor substrate, a common source line extending between the first and second active areas in the first direction and coupled to the first and second active areas, a first variable resistance element formed on the first active area between the first and second split word lines, a second variable resistance element formed on the second active area between the first and second split word lines, first and second bit lines extending in the first direction and respectively coupled to the first and second variable resistance elements.
US07692948B2
The sense amp circuit includes a first node given a first, positive constant voltage larger than a fixed potential before reading, a second node given a second, negative constant voltage smaller than the fixed potential before reading, and a third node to be connected to the first and second nodes on reading. A first transistor is connected between the first node and the bit line and operative to turn on when the potential on the bit line becomes smaller than the fixed potential. A second transistor is connected between the second node and the bit line and operative to turn on when the potential on the bit line becomes larger than the fixed potential. A first capacitor is connected between the first node and the fixed potential. A second capacitor is connected between the second node and the fixed potential.
US07692945B2
A memory system and memory module includes a plurality of memory devices, each having a plurality, e.g. four, ports for transmitting and receiving command signals, write data signals and read data signals. One of the memory devices is connected to a host or controller, and the remaining memories are connected together, typically by point-to-point links. When the memory system configuration is such that at least one of the ports in at least one of the memory devices is not used, one or more other ports can use the pins that may otherwise have been used by the unused ports. As a result, a set of reconfigurable, shared pins is defined in which two ports share the pins. The port that is not being used in a particular application for the memory device is not connected to the shared pins, and another port that is being used in the application is connected to the shared pins. This allows for the used of fewer package pins and, consequently, reduced package size.
US07692943B2
A semiconductor device includes a plurality of memory cells, and an error-correction circuit. Its write operation is performed by a late-write method, and ECC processing is executed in parallel with writing to shorten a cycle time. Moreover, when a memory cell is power-supplied through a well tap, the same address is not assigned while the memory cell is power-supplied through the well tap.
US07692931B2
Microelectronic packages with leadframes, including leadframes configured for stacked die packages, and associated systems and methods are disclosed. A system in accordance with one embodiment includes a support member having first package bond sites electrically coupled to leadframe bond sites. A microelectronic die can be carried by the support member and electrically coupled to the first packaged bond sites. A leadframe can be attached to the leadframe bond sites so as to extend adjacent to the microelectronic die, with the die positioned between the leadframe and the support member. The leadframe can include second package bond sites facing away from the first package bond sites. An encapsulant can at least partially surround the leadframe and the microelectronic die, with the first and second package bond sites accessible from outside the encapsulant.
US07692926B2
The present invention is a MEMS-based two-phase LHP (loop heat pipe) and CPL (capillary pumped loop) using semiconductor grade silicon and microlithographic/anisotropic etching techniques to achieve a planar configuration. The principal working material is silicon (and compatible borosilicate glass where necessary), particularly compatible with the cooling needs for electronic and computer chips and package cooling. The microloop heat pipes (μLHP™) utilize cutting edge microfabrication techniques. The device has no pump or moving parts, and is capable of moving heat at high power densities, using revolutionary coherent porous silicon (CPS) wicks. The CPS wicks minimize packaging thermal mismatch stress and improves strength-to-weight ratio. Also burst-through pressures can be controlled as the diameter of the coherent pores can be controlled on a sub-micron scale. The two phase planar operation provides extremely low specific thermal resistance (20-60 w/cm2). The operation is dependent upon a unique micropatterened CPS wick which contains up to millions per square centimeter of stacked uniform micro-through-capillaries in semiconductor-grade silicon, which serve as the capillary “engine,” as opposed to the stochastic distribution of pores in the typical heat pipe wick. As with all heat pipes, cooling occurs by virtue of the extraction of heat by the latent heat of phase change of the operating fluid into vapor.
US07692924B2
The present invention provides a rack suitable for housing a liquid-cooled electric unit. A rack 2 comprises an electric connector 12 for supplying electricity to the housed electric unit 50, and a fluid connector 14 for supplying cooling liquid to the housed electric unit 50. The fluid connector 14 and the electric connector 12 are arranged at different positions in a horizontal cross section (plane) of the rack 2. More preferably, the electric connector 12 is mounted on a back panel 6 of the rack 2, while the fluid connector 14 is mounted on the foreside of the rack 2. Such a configuration makes it less likely that the cooling liquid leaking from the fluid connector 14 drips onto the electric connector 12.
US07692919B2
A notebook computer with detachable display unit is disclosed. The notebook computer includes a main body, a hinge, and a display unit. The hinge includes an electrical connector, an elastic element, a post, and a pivot shaft. The electrical connector is connected with the elastic element. The post is combined with the pivot shaft. The pivot shaft is assembled on the main body. The display unit defines an opening therein. The display unit includes an electrical connector, an opening, and a locking mechanism. The opening is configured for receiving the post. The electrical connectors of the hinge and the display unit are configured for engaging with each other. The locking mechanism is configured for locking or detaching the connection between the display unit and the main body. The elastic element can reduce the shock that the electrical connectors suffered when the display unit is connected or disconnected to the main unit.
US07692912B2
A current limiting MOSFET monitors power applied to a direct current boost regulator that powers an LED backlight to automatically shut off power to the boost regulator if the current exceeds a predetermined amount. An embedded controller interfaces with the current limiting MOSFET for normal control of operation of the boost regulator by turning the MOSFET on and off. An overcurrent alert is communicated from the MOSFET to the embedded controller if the current exceeds the predetermined amount so that the embedded controller shuts off power to the boost regulator and indicates the failure to an end user.
US07692905B2
An electrostatic discharge protection circuit for an electronic device includes an output buffer including a transistor having a gate configured to receive a control signal, a source connected to a voltage supply terminal, and a drain connected to a pad; and an ESD trigger circuit configured to produce a first electronic signal in response to an electrostatic voltage between the pad or the voltage supply terminal. The first electronic signal can isolate the control signal from the gate of the transistor and to turn on the transistor to discharge the electrostatic voltage between the pad and the voltage supply terminal.
US07692901B2
A thin-film magnetic head includes a lower electrode layer, an MR multi-layered structure, through which a current passes in a direction perpendicular to a lamination plane, stacked on the lower electrode layer, soft magnetic layers for magnetic domain control formed on both sides in a track width direction of the MR multi-layered structure, an anti-ferromagnetic layer for magnetic domain control continuously stacked on the MR multi-layered structure and the soft magnetic layers for magnetic domain control, the anti-ferromagnetic layer mutually exchanged-coupled to the soft magnetic layers for magnetic domain control, and an upper electrode layer stacked on the anti-ferromagnetic layer for magnetic domain control.
US07692897B2
A transducing head includes a substrate, a writer positioned upon the substrate, and a reader positioned adjacent the writer. The writer is in electrical contact with the substrate.
US07692891B2
A sealed head disk assembly has a cover for enclosing major components of the head disk assembly. The cover has a hermetic seal encompassing an outer perimeter of the cover and a semi-hermetic seal inside a perimeter of the hermetic seal. The hermetic seal and semi-hermetic seal are juxtaposed to at least one complementary surface on the base casting. The base casting, which provides attachment points for the major components of the head disk assembly has at least one complementary surface.
US07692881B2
A structure for mounting an assembly of optical elements disposed within a housing, in particular of a projection lens assembly of a projection exposure system for manufacturing semiconductor elements includes a plurality of supporting elements, each respective one of which forms part of a respective one of a plurality of connections though which the housing of the assembly is connected to said supporting structure through which the weight of the assembly is transferred to the supporting structure in such a way that supporting forces generated by said supporting structure are taken up by pressure forces and shear forces which act on at least one of the supporting elements.
US07692867B2
Devices and methods that reduce or eliminate chromatic or comatic variations in the location of the excitation or emission in an optical system such as a confocal microscope, by enhancing parfocality are provided. Such devices include an optical collimator comprising a parabolic reflector and a convex aspheric reflector, wherein the aspheric reflector and the parabolic reflector are positioned such that light is incident at an off-axis angle relative to the axis of symmetry of the reflectors to extend the useable field of view.
US07692858B2
A sight includes a housing with first and second openings, and includes an optics section that is disposed within the housing, that has image erecting optics and eyepiece optics, and that optically influences radiation received through the first opening from a scene, so as to deliver through the second opening a viewable image that is a function of the radiation. An adjusting section facilitates adjustment of the position of the image erecting optics and the eyepiece optics within the housing.
US07692856B2
A focus error detecting optical system has an optical parameter which makes a focus lock-in range by a focus error signal be a value capable of detecting focus on a front surface of a cover glass and focus on a back surface thereof separately. A control section, based on the focus error signal obtained by the focus error detecting optical system, brings a focal point of an observational optical system to a focus position. Further, focus error detecting optical systems include optical units each having an optical parameter corresponding to a numerical aperture of respective objective lenses. A control section selects the optical unit of the focus error detecting optical system corresponding to the objective lens in use. The control section, using a focus error signal obtained by the selected focus error detecting optical system, brings a focal point of an observational optical system to a focus position.
US07692853B2
A pulse reshaper for reshaping and re-amplifying optical signals in a communications network by adjusting threshold and amplification characteristics of a semiconductor optical amplifier (SOA) having first and second reflective regions optically cooperating at each of an input signal wavelength (λs) and an offset wavelength (λC) proximate the input signal wavelength (λs). In one embodiment, a vertical cavity semiconductor optical amplifier (VCSOA) device, comprising dual mode reflectors optically cooperating at each of an input signal wavelength (λs) and an offset wavelength (λC) proximate the input signal wavelength (λs) to provide thereby non-linear amplification of input signal (λs).
US07692852B2
A Raman amplifier according to the present invention comprises a plurality of pumping means using semiconductor lasers of Fabry-Perot, DFB, or DBR type or MOPAs, and pumping lights outputted from the pumping means have different central wavelengths, and interval between the adjacent central wavelength is greater than 6 nm and smaller than 35 nm. An optical repeater according to the present invention comprises the above-mentioned Raman amplifier and adapted to compensate loss in an optical fiber transmission line by the Raman amplifier. In a Raman amplification method according to the present invention, the shorter the central wavelength of the pumping light the higher light power of said pumping light. In the Raman amplifier according to the present invention, when a certain pumping wavelength is defined as a first channel, and second to n-th channels are defined to be arranged with an interval of about 1 THz toward a longer wavelength side, the pumping lights having wavelengths corresponding to the first to n-th channels are multiplexed, and an pumping light having a wavelength spaced apart from the n-th channel by 2 THz or more toward the longer wavelength side is combined with the multiplexed light, thereby forming the pumping light source. The pumping lights having wavelengths corresponding to the channels other than (n-1)-th and (n-2)-th channels may be multiplexed, thereby forming the pumping light source. The pumping lights having wavelengths corresponding to the channels other than (n-2)-th and (n-3)-th channels may be multiplexed, thereby forming the pumping light source.
US07692841B2
A system and method for regulating micromirror position in a digital micromirror device. The system and method adjusts micromirror operating temperature and/or a reset sequence of the micromirror by determining a desired tilt angle, adjusting voltage potentials of signals in a reference reset sequence, and saving the adjusted reset sequence. The adjustments are used to alter a voltage potential difference between micromirrors of the digital micromirror device and respective address lines, thereby allowing for a precise regulation of a tilt angle of the micromirrors. Additionally, the operating temperature of the digital micromirror device may also be controlled to regulate micromirror position. The precise control of the tilt angle of the micromirrors permits the use of digital micromirror devices in systems requiring fine focus and increased focus depth, such as photolithography and holography.
US07692837B2
A deflection device includes a tabular object for transmitting or reflecting an electromagnetic wave, a drive unit for driving the tabular object so as to rotate or perform a translation motion, and an electromagnetic wave irradiation unit for irradiating the tabular object with an electromagnetic wave so that an irradiation area extending in a direction intersecting a direction of the rotation or translation motion of the tabular object is formed. The deflection device is characterized in that, in order to change a direction of transmission or reflection of an electromagnetic wave radiated on the irradiation area by the rotation or translation motion of the tabular object, a plurality of grooves extending in an in-plane direction of the tabular object is provided in a section of the tabular object along a longitudinal direction of the irradiation area, and the plurality of grooves is formed so that intervals of the plurality of grooves which passes through the irradiation area are changed by the rotation or translation motion of the tabular object.
US07692832B2
A method for identifying and correcting for spatial variation within scanning bars includes performing diagnostic scans of at least one sheet, in which a sheet(s) is scanned in various orientations and translations, with each of the orientations identified. The diagnostic scans are registered with one of the individual diagnostic scans to produce registered scans. The registered scans are averaged to create a master scan corresponding to the sheet, such that the master scan is indicative of the spatial variation within the sheet.
US07692830B2
A luminance nonuniformity adjustment module for eliminating luminance nonuniformities in light emitting elements determines a luminance correction coefficient for each light-emitting element through a test print. The luminance nonuniformity adjustment module comprises a provisional luminance correction coefficient calculation unit, an improper coloring degree calculation unit and a luminance correction coefficient determination unit. The provisional luminance correction coefficient calculation unit calculates a provisional luminance correction coefficient by comparing a measured density value for a grayscale chart and a predetermined target density value. The improper coloring degree calculation unit calculates an improper coloring degree, which is the degree of improper coloring that occurs when other colors are expressed when developing a specific color, from the measured density values for the grayscale chart and an unbalanced chart in which the gray balance has been altered. The luminance correction coefficient determination unit corrects the provisional luminance correction coefficient using the improper coloring degree.
US07692827B2
An image reading apparatus including a light source for illuminating an original, a plurality of mirrors for reflecting a light beam from the original illuminated by the light source, a reading device, an imaging optical system for imaging a light beam reflected by the mirrors, upon the reading device, and a scanning optical system unit which integrally accommodates theses components therein and moves in a sub-scan direction to read imagewise information of the original, wherein, in a sub-scan section, one mirror optically closest to the surface of the original is disposed in an end portion of the scanning optical system unit in the sub-scan direction, as compared with the other mirrors, and wherein the central portion of the reflection surface of one mirror optically closest to the original is disposed in a space between the central portion of the reflection surface of a mirror optically closest to the light entrance surface of the imaging optical system and central portions reflection surfaces of other mirrors.
US07692818B2
An image reading apparatus for reading an image on an original document by irradiating it with light and photoelectrically converting reflected light from it by an image pickup unit, including: an original document guide member positionable opposite to the image pickup unit, with a conveyance position of the original document therebetween; a white reference member that is positionable, the same as the original document guide member, and has a reference white color; an achromatic constant-density reference member that is positionable, the same as the original document guide member, and has a reference achromatic constant-density; a drive unit that moves one of the three members so as to be positioned opposite to the image pickup unit; and a control unit that controls execution of detection processings for dust detection from data obtained by moving, as described above, the achromatic constant-density reference member and the white reference member by reading them.
US07692817B2
Image processing is carried out by transforming image data to image data having spatial frequency components, by judging whether the absolute values of the coefficients of the predetermined frequency components of the transformed image data are equal to or more than a predetermined value, by modifying the coefficients of the AC components of the image data depending on the result of the judgment, by inversely transforming the image data having the modified coefficients to image data having spatial coordinate components, by comparing the gray levels of the inversely transformed image data with predetermined values, and by transforming the gray levels to quantized levels corresponding to the result of the comparison. By carrying out proper image processing corresponding to the characteristics of the image, the number of gray levels of the image can be decreased while the characteristic portions of the original image are maintained properly.
US07692813B2
Upon synthesizing objects, information bits indicating the types of objects are lost. To solve this problem, this invention provides an image processing apparatus having discrimination means for discriminating a type of object to be rendered, determination means for determining the presence/absence of synthesis of the discriminated object, synthesis means for synthesizing an object and information of the type of object in accordance with the determination result, and processing means for appending information indicating the type of synthesized object to a rendering result obtained by rendering the object to be rendered in units of pixels.
US07692805B2
To provide a technology for, if a first distribution destination printing device cannot continue printing according to a print job, causing a second distribution destination printing device to execute an unexecuted print job without using a server. The first distribution destination printing device, used for a printing system, includes a print job processing module that acquires a distributed print job supplied from a distribution source device and gives the distributed print job to a printing execution module. The print job processing module acquires, from the distribution source device, device identification information for identifying the second distribution destination printing device among a plurality of distribution destination printing devices, the second distribution destination printing device belonging to the same group as the first distribution destination printing device. The print job processing module, if the first distribution printing device cannot continue printing according to the distributed print job, generates the unexecuted print job, and supplies the unexecuted print job to the second distribution destination printing device.
US07692800B2
Systems and methods for detecting an obstruction in a detector surface fields are provided. In one respect, a set of lines may be projected over substantially a half of the detection area and may subsequently imaged and evaluated. Other embodiments may include a second set of lines that may be projected over substantially a second half of the detection area and may subsequently imaged and evaluated. The images may be evaluated to determine if there are breaks (e.g., an obstruction) in the projected set of lines. Based on the evaluation, the detector may provide dynamic feedback signals to a processor, which may adjust the position of the detector or provide a signal indicating an obstruction.
US07692798B2
A method of sensing at least one target on a receptor having a substrate and a translucent coating includes minimizing interference fringe patterns in an image of the target. The method also includes passing the image of the target through an imaging system intermediate the receptor and a detector.
US07692790B2
The present invention is directed to a grating spectrometer system for polychromator spectrometer arrangements and monochromator spectrometer arrangements. The grating spectrometer system, according to the invention, comprises a light source for illuminating the sample to be analyzed, a diffraction grating, imaging optical elements, a detector arranged in the image plane, and a controlling and regulating unit. Individual light sources, preferably LEDs having different spectral characteristics, whose spectral range covers a plurality of diffraction orders in the image plane are used as light source. Only those LEDs which do not illuminate the same location of the individual detectors arranged in the image plane in any diffraction order are switched on individually or in groups by the controlling and regulating unit. The proposed solution is suitable for polychromator spectrometer arrangements and for monochromator spectrometer arrangements. The field of application is determined by the spectral sensitivity of the detector that is employed. By using a plurality of diffraction orders, the resolution can be increased with the detector size remaining the same, or the detector surface can be reduced while retaining the same imaging quality.
US07692775B2
A system and method for standoff detection of explosives and explosive residue. A laser light source illuminates a target area having an unknown sample producing luminescence emitted photons, scattered photons and plasma emitted photons. A first optical system directs light to the target area. A video capture device outputs a dynamic image of the target area. A second optical system collects photons, and directs collected photons to a first two-dimensional array of detection elements and/or to a fiber array spectral translator device which device includes a two-dimensional array of optical fibers drawn into a one-dimensional fiber stack. A spectrograph is coupled to the one-dimensional fiber stack of the fiber array spectral translator device, wherein the entrance slit of the spectrograph is coupled to the one dimensional fiber stack.
US07692765B2
A method of removing liquid from a substrate supported on a substrate table and from a gap between the substrate and the substrate table includes: providing a liquid removal device with at least one outlet connected to an under pressure source, the outlet forming an elongated extractor of a predetermined geometry; relatively moving the substrate table and the liquid removal device such that the extractor is adapted to pass over all of the substrate and gap and such that substantially at any given time any local part of the extractor at the edge of a non-dried portion of the gap has, in a plane, its local tangent orientated at an angle of between about 35° and 90° to the local tangent of the gap.
US07692764B2
An exposure apparatus is equipped with a main controller that decides an operation of the exposure apparatus based on information on maintenance from a C/D. Therefore, the main controller can decide to perform a specific operation, which is necessary for maintaining performance of the exposure apparatus and requires stop of the primary operation of the exposure apparatus, during maintenance of the C/D, that is, when the primary operation of the exposure apparatus has to be stopped by necessity, in parallel with the maintenance of the C/D. As a consequence, downtime of the exposure apparatus necessary for performing the specific operation can be decreased as a whole, which makes it possible to improve the operating rate without lowering apparatus performance of the exposure apparatus that is inline connected to a substrate processing apparatus.
US07692744B2
The present invention provides a transflective liquid crystal display device which includes diffusion reflective electrodes suitable for a display of high definition. Into an organic resin film material PET which is formed by mixing NQD as a photosensitive agent in an acrylic resin having a specific gravity of 1.05 and a refractive index of 1.50, spherical particles PTC made of acrylic modified polystyrene which has a specific gravity of 1.00, a refractive index of 1.50 and a particle size of 1.6 μm are mixed at a rate of 3:1 so as to form an organic insulation film material in which a total solid content is adjusted to 30% and viscosity is adjusted 20 mPa·s. The organic insulation film material is applied and is dried to form an organic insulation film. A portion of the organic insulation film which is to be arranged below a diffusion reflective electrode is exposed using an exposure mask having half exposure apertures which are formed of a large number of slits and the organic insulation film is hardened. Aluminum is sputtered to the organic insulation film and is subject to photolithography etching treatment thus forming the diffusion reflective electrodes MT in a reflective region. A reflective region of the diffusion reflective electrode MT has an uneven surface shape which traces uneven surface shapes of the spherical particles PTC mixed into the organic insulation film PF arranged below the diffusion reflective electrodes MT.
US07692734B2
Provided is a liquid crystal device including: a liquid crystal panel which includes first and second substrates supporting a liquid crystal layer in a sandwich manner and a sealing material disposed between the first and second substrate to seal the liquid crystal layer, and on which illumination light is irradiated from the rear side thereof; an optical plate disposed in the front side of the liquid crystal panel; and a control element that controls a display status of an image displayed on the liquid crystal panel, wherein: the liquid crystal panel includes a light receiving element that receives ambient light; and the light receiving element is disposed in a position where at least a portion of a light receiving surface thereof does not overlap the optical plate when seen from a plan view.
US07692733B2
A liquid crystal display apparatus comprises first and second light emitting sections for emitting light with respective spreading angles that are different from each other and a liquid crystal display device arranged at the viewing side of the apparatus. The first light emitting section includes a first light guide plate for receiving light from a light incident end surface and diffusing it within a first angular range of spreading angle centered at the normal direction of a light emitting surface before emitting it from the light emitting surface and first light emitting elements. The second light emitting section includes a second light guide plate for receiving light from a light incident end surface and emitting it in directions within a second angular range of spreading angle smaller than the first angular range while transmitting light emitted from the first light guide plate and second light emitting elements.
US07692726B1
An embodiment may include a method to convert a video signal with an analog to digital converter in a video decoder, convert an audio signal with the analog to digital converter, demodulate the audio signal with an audio demodulator and amplify the audio signal with a programmable gain amplifier before it is converted in the analog to digital converter. In an embodiment the programmable gain amplifier may receive a control signal from the audio demodulator to adjust the audio signal level. Another embodiment may provide a video decoder comprising a programmable gain controller, an analog to digital converter coupled with the programmable gain controller, the converter to digitize audio and video information, and an audio demodulator coupled with the analog to digital converter, the audio demodulator to control the programmable gain controller for an audio signal.
US07692713B2
A solid-state image pickup device wherein, in order to obtain an output of large amplitude from a low-contrast object without using a bottom detecting circuit to thereby increase a capturing rate, an accumulation end is determined when a maximum value signal in a photosensor array reaches a predetermined accumulation end level, and an amplifier circuit unit is provided for amplifying a signal, which is outputted from each of the pixels of the photosensor array, with reference to the maximum value signal of the photosensor array and for outputting the signal.
US07692707B2
In a solid-state image sensor according to this invention, an image signal temperature variation suppressing unit changes a voltage value of a driver voltage applied to multiplying registers in response to variations in sensor temperature of a CCD image sensor. Thus, a charge multiplication gain of a charge multiplying unit is electrically controlled to suppress variations in signal strength of image signals due to the variations in the sensor temperature of the CCD image sensor. As a result, without relying on thermal control with which it is very difficult to realize high precision control, variations in the signal strength of the image signals due to the variations in the sensor temperature of the CCD image sensor are suppressed easily by controlling the charge multiplication gain of the charge multiplying unit based on the electric control, with which it is very easy to realize high precision control, performed by the image signal temperature variation suppressing unit in response to the variations in the sensor temperature of the CCD image sensor.
US07692705B2
An imaging device formed as a CMOS semiconductor integrated circuit having two adjacent pixels in a row connected to a common column line. By having adjacent pixels of a row share column lines, the CMOS imager circuit eliminates half the column lines of a traditional imager allowing the fabrication of a smaller imager. The imaging device also may be fabricated to have a diagonal active area to facilitate contact of two adjacent pixels with the single column line and allow linear row select lines, reset lines and column lines.
US07692703B2
An image pick-up apparatus includes an image pick-up device and a filter circuit. The image pick-up device includes a pixel portion for converting a subject image into an electric signal, a scanning circuit for dividing the pixel portion into a plurality of areas, for non-linearly dividing the boundary of the areas of at least one side of the adjacent areas based on the unit of pixel, and a plurality of output circuits for individually outputting video signals. The filter circuit performs filter processing of the video signals outputted from the plurality of output circuits for the pixels near the boundary of the areas. Thus, the image quality can be improved in the multi-channel output system.
US07692701B2
An image sensing apparatus has an image sensing device. The image sensing device includes a photoelectric conversion element that photoelectrically converts an optical image to acquire image data, and a readout control unit that reads out, in accordance with a supplied readout rule, the image data acquired by the photoelectric conversion element. The image sensing device also includes an image scaling ratio selection unit that selects the scaling ratio of the image to be output, a readout scheme selection unit that selects, in accordance with the selected image scaling ratio, the readout scheme of the image data to be read out from the photoelectric conversion element by the readout control unit, and a readout rule supply unit that supplies, to the readout control unit, a readout rule corresponding to the readout scheme selected by the readout scheme selection unit.
US07692698B2
An apparatus includes a solid-state image pickup element that outputs video signals obtained from pixels arranged in a column direction. The apparatus also includes an amendment unit that amends an error value corresponding to a column position of the video signals according to a temperature to supply an amended error value to a subtraction unit that subtracts the amended error value for each column from the video signals. The apparatus further includes an error computing section that shields the pickup element from light or irradiates light to the pickup element at a constant rate, computes a respective average value of each of a plurality of pixel signals obtained from the pixels in a predetermined region of the pickup element, subtracts the respective average value from a respective of the plurality of pixel signals obtained from the pixels of the pickup element, and accumulates values obtained by subtractions for respective columns.
US07692691B2
An image processor which forms a composite image of at least two images includes a storage unit which stores first and second image data, and a display unit which reads and displays the stored first and second image data in modes adapted to display forms of the first and second image data. The image processor also includes an image-signal forming unit which forms image signals representing a composite image of the stored first and second image data for display on a television monitor and a liquid crystal display panel.
US07692688B2
A method for correcting distortion of a captured image is provided. The method includes receiving a detection output from a sensor; optically correcting distortion of a captured image in image data from the element due to the positional change of the imaging element by controlling a control mechanism depending on the detection output in the receiving step, the mechanism being configured to control a position at which incident light from a target object enters the imaging element; receiving image data resulting from the optical correction of a captured image in the correcting step from the element, and detecting a motion vector per one screen of a captured image from the image data; and further correcting distortion of a captured image due to the positional change of the imaging element for the image data from the imaging element based on the motion vector detected in the motion vector detecting step.
US07692685B2
A system and method facilitating object tracking is provided. The invention includes an audio model that receives at least two audio input signals and a video model that receives a video input. The audio model and the video model employ probabilistic generative models which are combined to facilitate object tracking. Expectation maximization can be employed to modify trainable parameters of the audio model and the video model.
US07692683B2
In various embodiments, multiple participants (at endpoints) may connect through a video conferencing system. A screen may display other participants in the conference call. For example, multiple participants may be displayed in respective portions of the screen. In some embodiments, each of the participants may use video conferencing systems that support different resolutions. In some embodiments, a transcoder may resolution transcode signals to allow the conference call participants to be displayed on each participant's respective screen at up to the highest possible resolution supported by the respective screen. For example, low resolution video conferencing systems may be displayed on a high definition screen of a high resolution system at the low resolution of the low resolution video conferencing system while another image on the same high definition screen from a different, higher resolution video conferencing system, may be displayed at the higher resolution.
US07692676B1
The present invention provides a thermal head capable of reliably preventing occurrence of connection failure or insulation failure in each of the layers in a multilayered wiring structure, enabling easy manufacture even in the real edging constitution, capable of maintaining reliability and, further, with no trouble in the terminal connection of a common electrode even if three or more thermal head. There is provided a thermal head comprising a thermal radiating substrate, a temperature keeping layer formed on the thermal radiating substrate, a conductive layer formed on the thermal radiating substrate and an upper surface of the temperature keeping layer comprised of a fused material of nitride and metal or a fused material of oxide and metal, a first interlayer insulation layer formed by oxidization of the conductive layer except a portion of the conductive layer corresponding to a common electrode and a portion of the common electrode corresponding to an external connecting common electrode terminal, a second interlayer insulation layer comprised of insulating ceramics formed on the upper surface of the first interlayer insulation layer, a heat generating resistor member formed above the second interlayer insulation layer and the conductive layer, a common electrode and individual electrodes formed at a part of the upper surface of the heat generating resistor member, and a protecting layer covering the heat generating resistor member, common electrode, individual electrodes and second interlayer insulation layer.
US07692672B2
This invention relates to a liquid crystal device with grey scale. The invention uses dither, either spatial or temporal. For spatial dither the invention arranges so that at least one bit of dither is not a multiple of the size of a smaller bit of dither—in other words there is a fractional weighting. The two bits of dither have the same number of addressable transmission levels and the weighting sacrifices some linearity in exchange for reduction of manufacturing tolerances for the smaller bit. For temporal dither the invention relates to fractional weighting of the duration of the sub-frames.
US07692669B2
If there is any unprocessed character area, and if there is any character area sharing a common character color with the unprocessed character area, the image processing apparatus calculates, as a first number, the total number of the pixels included in these two character areas. The image processing apparatus also calculates, as a second number, the number of pixels included in an area formed by integrating the two character areas. Then, the image processing apparatus judges whether the ratio of the first number to the second number is less than a predetermined threshold value. In other words, the image processing apparatus judges whether the following is satisfied: Second Number/First Number
US07692665B2
Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods and systems for adaptive dither pattern array generation and application.
US07692656B2
Data tables that are required for the proper processing of font glyphs are automatically synthesized if they do not form part of an original font definition. The synthesized tables are stored in an annex file that is associated with the font, rather than being incorporated into the font definition. As a result, the integrity of the original font data is maintained, and does not adversely affect font protection systems that are based upon font data.
US07692649B2
A computer implemented method of visualizing an infrastructure comprising: acquiring a cross section definition, the definition comprising points defining a link and link information, each of the points exhibiting a type; creating at least one three dimensional face linking points of a same type; assigning a face rendering for each of the created at least one three dimensional faces with a material definitional associated with the link information; and displaying the faces with the rendering. The invention also provides for a computing system operable to: acquire a cross section definition, the definition comprising points defining a link and link information, each of the points exhibiting a type; create at least one three dimensional face linking points of a same type; and assign a face rendering for each of the created at least one three dimensional faces with a material definitional associated with the link information.
US07692633B2
An improved handheld electronic device includes an input apparatus, an output apparatus, and a processor apparatus. The input apparatus includes a reduced keyboard and a roller ball input. The roller ball input includes a movable portion that is substantially continuously rotatable with respect to a housing of the device and is rotatable about more than one axis to provide input. The processor apparatus includes a disambiguation routine that can output various proposed interpretations of inputs from the reduced keyboard. The roller ball input advantageously provides various inputs to the handheld electronic device without requiring significant user attention, which enables a user to direct a greater amount of attention to the output from the disambiguation routine and to other aspects of the device. The roller ball input potentially can be configured to additionally be translatable to provide an input, and additionally and/or alternatively the roller ball input can provide a tactile or other feedback to a user.
US07692631B2
It is possible to enable a pointer to execute a shifting operation input and a clicking operation input by use of a common type pressure-sensitive pointing device provided with an x-axis strain sensor and a y-axis strain sensor. A pressure-sensitive pointing device (11) is provided with strain sensors (11a), (11b), (11c) and (11d). A voltage corresponding to the strain along the x-axis direction, and a voltage corresponding to the strain along the y-axis direction are outputted from nodes (11e), (11f) and (11g), respectively. The voltage corresponding to the strain along the x-axis direction, and the voltage corresponding to the strain along the y-axis direction are inputted alternately to an operational amplifier (4) by switches (SW1) and (SW2) when a switch (SW3) is in an ON-condition. The voltage corresponding to the strain along the z-axis direction is inputted to an operational amplifier (3) when the switch (SW3) is in an OFF-condition. Respective outputs of the operational amplifiers (3), (4) are alternately inputted to an ADC (5) by switches (SW4) and (SW5) and processed in a digital processing circuit.
US07692629B2
Techniques and technologies are provided which can allow for touch input with a touch screen device. In response to an attempt to select a target displayed on a screen, a callout can be rendered in a non-occluded area of the screen. The callout includes a representation of the area of the screen that is occluded by a selection entity when the attempt to select the target is made.
US07692625B2
A camera-based touch system (50) includes a passive touch surface (60) and at least two cameras (63) associated with the touch surface. The at least two cameras (63) have overlapping fields of view (FOV) encompassing the touch surface. The at least two cameras (63) acquire images of the touch surface from different locations and generate image data. A processor (54) receives and processes image data generated by the at least two cameras to determine the location of the pointer relative to the touch surface when the pointer is captured in images acquired by the at least two cameras. Actual pointer contact with the touch surface and pointer hover above the touch surface can be determined.
US07692605B2
This invention describes methods and systems for correcting frame position error on one category of volumetric 3D displays that generates volumetric 3D images by using a rotary mechanism to move a screen to sweep a volume and projecting 2D profile images on the screen. The screen motion is in general rotating or reciprocating and a mechanism of rotational nature is generally applied to drive the motion. The method has three major steps. The first step provides a measure of the frame position error with respect to the theoretical position. The error is a periodical function of the angular position of the moving screen, due to the nature of the mechanisms. The second step constructs a correction function that shifts the position of frame image of each frame with respect to the frame center to compensate the error. The error measurement and the construction of the correction function can be performed statically or dynamically. The third step shifts the image frames to be displayed according to the correction function and projects them in the volumetric 3D display. This invention also includes preferred driving mechanisms that match the periodical nature of the error function.
US07692602B2
The present invention provides a control apparatus of an antenna array. The control apparatus of an antenna array comprises a control circuit including a serial interface circuit connected to the first switch and the second switch by a first control line and a second control line separately, and an antenna coupled between the first switch and the second switch. The serial interface circuit controls On/Off status of the first switch and the second switch separately through the first control line and the second control line. Furthermore, the control circuit and the others can be connected serially through the included serial interface circuits to increase the number of antennas.
US07692596B1
A VAR TSA For Extended Low Frequency Response Method (NC#098855). The method includes providing a first antenna element of a tapered slot antenna pair, providing a second antenna element of the tapered slot antenna pair and operatively coupling the first antenna element and the second antenna element to form the tapered slot antenna pair having an aspect ratio less than or equal to 1 to 2.16.
US07692594B2
A marker fixture for attachment to a utility conduit such as a telecommunications cable. The fixture has an extension member with an electronic marker at one end, and is secured at the other end to the cable. The extension member is movable between a retracted position wherein the marker is adjacent an access point and an extended position wherein the marker is distant from the access point. The extension member is preferably biased toward the extended position and releasably secured at the marker end proximate the utility structure. The marker fixtures may be pre-installed on a utility infrastructure. The extension member is loosely secured so that the fixture may be moved around the cable after it has been installed in a trench to lie atop the access point. The low profile and conforming shape of the fixture make it particularly advantageous for pre-installation on flexible cables wound on large reels.
US07692578B2
Three new methods are presented to improve floating solutions and ambiguity resolution for multiple global satellite navigation systems (GNSS), one of which may be an FDMA-based GNSS such as GLONASS: (1) modeling of the hardware-related differential clock error between two (or more) different GNSS, (2) modeling the frequency-dependent biases present in frequency-division multiple access (FDMA) GNSS, and (3) an ambiguity resolution method called Scoreboard Partial Fixing (SPF). The methods presented are independent of the number of carrier frequencies tracked for each satellite navigation system. Their application results in quicker and more reliable ambiguity resolution. The benefits of combining observations of multiple GNSS are exploited in a very efficient way, in contrast to known algorithms which often result in degraded performance with multiple GNSS. The frequency-dependent bias method has been found effective with GNSS observations from a combination of substantially dissimilar hardware, e.g., for processing signals from GNSS receivers of different manufacturers.
US07692572B2
A detecting and ranging apparatus and a program product obtain a correct relative velocity vector by a simple calculation based on a relative distance etc. obtained by a plurality of detectors such as a radar etc. by including: two relative distance measurement units receiving a reflected wave of a transmitted electromagnetic wave by an object to be detected, and thereby measuring a relative distance to the object to be detected, arranged at with each other different position; and an actual velocity vector calculation unit calculating an actual velocity vector of the object to be detected moving with an angle made in a direction from either relative distance measurement unit to the object to be detected based on the relative distances measured by the relative distance measurement units.
US07692557B2
An apparatus for providing instructions to an operator of a single motor vehicle or a vehicle having a trailer attached during backing up procedures, said apparatus comprising: a transmitter unit for wirelessly transmitting data, wherein the transmitter unit includes a plurality of predefined directives and a plurality of activation means wherein each of the plurality of activation means is capable of transmitting one of the plurality of predefined directives; and a receiver unit for wirelessly receiving data from the transmitter, wherein the receiver unit includes a plurality of indicator means wherein each of the plurality of indicators means is capable of indicating one of the plurality of predefined directives; wherein the predefined directives include at least a backdown directive, a stop directive, a left directive, a right directive, and a forward directive, and wherein in trailer operations mode, the activation means corresponding to the right directive results in the indicator means corresponding to the left directive being activated in the receiver unit and the activation means corresponding to the left directive results in the indicator means corresponding to the right directive being activated in the receiver unit.
US07692543B2
A security device detaches a combination electronic article surveillance (EAS) and radio frequency identification (RFID) tag (EAS/RFID tag), and includes a detacher (magnet) to selectively disengage a clutch release disposed in a first portion of the combination EAS/RFID tag, a near field antenna configured to electronically read information stored in a second portion of the combination EAS/RFID tag. The antenna encircles the detacher and reads information from the second portion of the combination EAS/RFID tag at a position relative to the detacher when the second portion of the tag is disposed at any angle relative to the detacher and only when the detacher is positioned to disengage the clutch release. As long as the portion of the EAS/RFID tag containing the clutch end mechanism is located over the detaching magnet, the RFID label is in a valid detection zone regardless of its orientation relative to the antenna.
US07692537B2
A method and an alarm processing system for deciding what alarm, out of a number of alarms generated in an industrial plant or process, to present to a system operator. The method includes creating hiding rules, associating each hiding rule with a real-world object, storing these rules in a storage means, receiving an alarm related to a real-world object, determining if a hiding rule is associated with the real-world object evaluating the hiding rule, deciding from the hiding rule whether to present or hide the alarm, selectively and actively hide such alarms that are decided to be hidden and not presenting the alarm to the system operator. The invention also includes an alarm processing system and a computer program for carrying out the method.
US07692534B2
In deviation prevention support ECU 10 in driving operation support system 1, an applied torque by steering torque applier 17 is set based on a vehicle speed of a vehicle. The applied torque is set to increase with increase of the vehicle speed. An upper limit according to the vehicle speed is set for this applied torque. Furthermore, in a Start interval in application of the applied torque, a rate of increasing to reach a maximum is determined according to the maximum of the applied torque. In a close interval, the applied torque is decreased at a rate different from that in the Start interval, and the absolute rate of increasing the torque in the Start interval is set to be larger than the absolute rate of decreasing the torque in the close interval.
US07692531B2
The present invention teaches a remote starting control system having a simple construction and being low in cost, that can be mounted on a vehicle having an immobilizing function. The system, which is mounted on a vehicle equipped with an immobilizer for capturing a code output in response to an insertion of an ignition key into a key cylinder and permitting an engine start when judging the captured code to be a unique code of the vehicle so as to control engine starting according to an instruction from a portable transmitter, comprises a device for storing a code in an EEPROM each time the code is supplied to a signal line, and a device for supplying the code stored in the EEPROM to the immobilizer when receiving a start instruction of the engine from the portable transmitter.
US07692524B2
Inductors are described for motor drives or other power converters having an inductor connected in a switching circuit, with one or more conductive shields positioned between an inductor coil winding and a flux-carrying inductor core leg to redirect flux away from the coil winding so as to inhibit heating of the coil.
US07692518B2
A transmission line junction for a coaxial conductor line has mating ends of interfitting cores, sleeves, and dielectrics for communicating broadband signals through the junction that blocks DC currents and voltages, the junction maintaining a quarter wavelength junction length for high frequency coupling while providing improved low frequency coupling across the junction.
US07692517B2
An oscillator or a sensor comprising a unit including two frequency determining elements each of which comprises at least one interdigital converter for acoustic surface waves and a back-coupling circuit comprising an amplifier, wherein the frequency determining elements are distinguished by a temperature dependence of a synchronous frequency. The frequency determining elements are embodied in the form of acoustic surface wave resonators, and the temperature coefficients of n-th order of the synchronous frequency of the two acoustic surface wave resonators have different sings if they are not equal to zero and the temperature coefficients of (n+1st) order of the synchronous frequency of the two acoustic surface wave resonators have the same sign and the temperature coefficients from the first order to (n-1st) order of the synchronous frequency of the two acoustic surface wave resonators are equal to zero if n is greater than 1, wherein n being equal to or greater than 1, c) the ratio between the converter openings and the ratio between the lengths in the direction perpendicular to the edge teeth of the converter and to strips of the object reflectors having different frequency determining elements which are assembled in one unit are selected in such a way that the oscillator frequency variation is minimum within the range of given temperatures.
US07692509B2
Conductor segments are positioned within a transmission line structure in order to generate microwave pulses. The conductor segments are switchably coupled to one or the other of the transmission lines or to each other, in parallel with the transmission line structure. Microwave pulses will be induced in the transmission line by closing the switches in a controlled manner to discharge successive segments or successive groups of segments into the transmission lines. The induced waves travel uninterrupted along the transmission lines in a desired direction.
US07692503B2
Embodiments of the invention are generally directed to systems, methods, and apparatuses for a random number generator (RNG) based on oscillator noise. In some embodiments, the RNG buffers effects of thermal noise from two independent oscillators impacted by effects of pseudo-stochastic processes and separates thermal noise from other effects. The RNG may then convert the thermal noise to a stochastic binary sequence based, at least in part, on a digital signal processing algorithm.
US07692499B2
A system and method for generating a highly stable holdover clock utilizing an integrated circuit and an external OCXO is presented. The integrated circuit comprises an input reference clock receiver, a phase and frequency detector that generates an error signal between the input reference clock signal and a feedback clock signal, a data storage block that stores model parameters to predict frequency variations of the OCXO, an adaptive filtering module that includes a digital loop filter and algorithms for updating the model parameters and predicting frequency variations based on the model, a switch that enables the system to operate in normal or holdover mode, a digitally controlled oscillator, and a feedback divider.
US07692498B2
A phase locked loop has a controlled oscillator for outputting an oscillator signal depending on a control signal. A comparator generates a comparison result from a comparison between a reference frequency signal and a feedback signal derived from the oscillator signal. The phase locked loop also has a filter block for filtering the comparison result and for deriving the control signal from the comparison result, where the filter block has a loop filter and a rejection filter for the frequency-selective attenuation of at least one first interference frequency in the comparison result.
US07692494B2
A variable frequency amplifier suffering less deterioration of strain characteristic and capable of operating at plural frequencies is disclosed. In one aspect, a changeable amplifier comprises an amplifying element, a changeable matching circuit disposed at an input side of the amplifying element and including a first variable capacity element connected in series with a signal conductor and a second variable capacity element connected in parallel with the signal conductor, and a control circuit for controlling the changeable matching circuit. Based on a feedback signal, the control circuit applies DC bias voltages to the first variable capacity element and the second variable capacity element of the changeable matching circuit and also applies thereto a correction signal.
US07692493B1
A high-efficiency single-to-differential amplifier has a first transistor acting as a first amplification stage. A second transistor, a third transistor, a first choke, a second choke, and a first capacitor form a second single-to-differential amplification stage. The first amplification stage receives and amplifies an input signal, outputs the amplified signal to the second single-to-differential amplification stage through a coupling module, and concurrently provides DC bias current to the second single-to-differential amplification stage through a tank. The second single-to-differential amplification stage reuses DC current of the first amplification stage, amplifies the output signal of the first amplification stage, and transfers it to a differential output.
US07692492B2
An operational amplifier includes a differential amplifier circuit provided at an input stage and an amplifier circuit at a post stage. In the differential amplifier circuit, first and third bipolar transistors are PNP-type bipolar transistors and Darlington-connected. An inverting input terminal is connected to the base terminal of the first bipolar transistor. The first and third bipolar transistors and second and fourth bipolar transistors construct an input differential pair. First and second protection diodes are connected between the base terminals of the first and second bipolar transistors constructing the input differential pair and the ground potential, respectively. Each of the protection diodes is connected so that the cathode terminal is positioned on the base terminal side of the bipolar transistor, and the cathode terminal is positioned on the ground potential side.
US07692489B2
A differential two-stage Miller compensated amplifier system with capacitive level shifting includes a first stage differential transconductance amplifier including first and second output nodes and an output common mode voltage, a second stage differential transconductance amplifier including non-inverting and inverting inputs and outputs and an input common mode voltage, and a level shifting capacitor circuit coupled between the first and second output nodes and the non-inverting and inverting inputs for level shifting between the output common mode voltage of the first stage and the input common mode voltage of the second stage.
US07692483B2
A method for preventing snap-back in a circuit including at least one MOS transistor having a parasitic bipolar transistor associated with it includes coupling a circuit node including at least one source/drain node of the at least one MOS transistor to a bias-voltage circuit and enabling the bias-voltage circuit to supply a potential to the at least one source/drain node of the at least on MOS transistor, the potential having a magnitude selected to prevent the parasitic bipolar transistor from turning on.
US07692478B2
A booster circuit includes a first transistor performing a first on-off operation based on a first control signal and a second transistor performing a second on-off operation based on the first control signal. The first on-off operation and the second on-off operation are reversed. A third transistor performs the first on-off operation based on a second control signal. The second control signal has a phase opposite the first control signal. A fourth transistor is included in a metal oxide semiconductor capacitor.
US07692474B2
A high-side semiconductor switch control circuit for switching a positive supply voltage is provided, having a circuit to provide a drive voltage for the high-side semiconductor switch, a driver circuit for driving the high-side semiconductor switch based on the control circuit, wherein both the circuit for providing the drive voltage as well as the driver circuit operate in relation to a floating switching point, an input circuit portion that receives a control signal related to ground, and a level shift circuit portion that is connected between the input circuit portion and the driver circuit portion and set up so as to transform the control signal related to ground into a floating voltage level for the driver circuit portion.
US07692469B2
In one embodiment, a voltage sense circuit receives an ac input signal and forms a rectified output voltage that is representative of the ac input signal.
US07692468B1
An active over-voltage clamp system includes at least one over-voltage detector that is responsive to an input voltage and provides a first current. The system also includes a replica over-voltage circuit that provides a second current, and circuitry subtracting the second current from the first current to produce a difference current. The system further includes a differential clamp activated in response to the difference current. The differential clamp prevents the input voltage from increasing beyond a target voltage.
US07692466B2
A circuit includes an input stage, an output stage, and a delay stage. The input stage is operative to receive a clock signal and a first and second input signal. The output stage is operative to receive the clock signal. The output stage is also operative to generate a first and second output signal based on the clock signal and the first and second input signals. The delay stage is operatively coupled to the input and output stages. The delay stage includes a first and second branch. The second branch includes at least one more delay element than the first branch.
US07692461B2
A charge pump for use in a Phase Locked Loop/Delay Locked Loop minimizes static phase error through the use of an operational amplifier. The charge pump further includes a pull-up circuit and a pull-down circuit coupled to the operational amplifier. The operational amplifier also mitigates the effects of low power supply voltage.
US07692457B2
A method and device are disclosed. In one embodiment the method includes driving a first clock domain reference signal on a first clock tree and driving a second clock domain reference signal on a second clock tree. The first tree routes the first signal from a PLL to a first clock domain drop off circuit and the second tree routes the second signal from the PLL to a second clock domain drop off circuit. A jitter produced from the second tree is less than a jitter produced from the first tree. The method continues by detecting any phase misalignment between the first signal and the second signal. The method also causes the first signal to be delayed so that it aligns with the second signal.
US07692452B2
A semiconductor chip may include an internal circuit, at least one power gating transistor, a system manager, and/or at least one current regulator. The at least one power gating transistor may be configured to switch a supply of at least one drive voltage into the internal circuit. The system manager may be configured to generate a control signal corresponding to an activation state of the internal circuit. At least one current regulator may be configured to control an amount of a current flowing through the at least one power gating transistor in response to the control signal.
US07692437B2
Systems and methods for testing packaged microelectronic devices are disclosed herein. One such system for testing a packaged microelectronic device includes a test socket configured to receive the device for testing and a tester interface including a plurality of test contacts aligned with external contacts of the device when the device is received within the test socket. The system further includes a mask proximate to the test socket and the test contacts. The mask includes a plurality of apertures arranged in a pattern corresponding to the plurality of test contacts and corresponding at least in part to the array of external contacts when the device is received within the test socket. The apertures include (a) first apertures sized to allow the corresponding test contacts to extend completely through the mask, and (b) one or more second apertures sized to allow the corresponding test contacts to extend only partially through the mask.
US07692432B2
A liquid property sensor for detecting property of liquid includes a semiconductor board, a first electrode and a second electrode, and a protection film. The first and second electrodes are disposed on the semiconductor board to be spaced from each other at a predetermined distance. The protection film has resistance relative to the liquid, and is exposed to the liquid. The first and second electrodes detect a capacitance therebetween as the property of the liquid in accordance with a relative permittivity of the liquid. A capacitance-voltage conversion circuit of the semiconductor board converts the capacitance into a voltage value.
US07692430B2
A power control apparatus for controlling charging and discharging of a plurality of storage devices, including a voltage measuring device for measuring voltages of the storage devices, a current measuring device for measuring currents flowing through the storage devices, a status detecting device for detecting the operating status of each of the storage devices from values measured by the voltage measuring device and the current measuring device, and a charging/discharging controlling device for controlling currents, voltages, or power according to the operating status of each storage device detected by the status detecting device to charge or discharge the storage devices.
US07692426B2
In an arrangement with a basic field magnet and with a gradient coil of a magnetic resonance apparatus, the basic field magnet includes superconducting coils that are arranged in a reservoir with liquid helium for cooling. The helium reservoir is surrounded by a further reservoir, designated as an outer vacuum chamber. A vacuum exists between the outer vacuum chamber and the helium reservoir. A cryoshield is arranged between the outer vacuum chamber and the helium reservoir. The gradient coil is arranged in the inner chamber of the basic field magnet. The outer vacuum chamber has an additional coating with a high electrical conductivity.
US07692424B2
A method comprises digitally representing a volume of space as a plurality of voxels and assigning real and imaginary values derived from magnetic resonance imaging data of the space to each of the voxels. Furthermore, the method comprises a steps of calculating a first complex summation of the real and imaginary values of a first set of the voxels, and calculating a second complex summation of the real and imaginary values of a second set of the voxels. Each set of voxels represents a different region of the volume of space. The regions are concentric. The method also comprises steps of using the first and second summations, along with another value quantitatively calculated from the magnetic resonance imaging data, to calculate a value that is dependent upon the approximate magnetic moment of an object within the volume of space, and digitally representing and storing said value.
US07692404B2
A charging system for a vehicle rearranges the bank of battery cells between a series connection for delivering voltage to a load, e.g. a motor; and a parallel connection for being charged. The battery bank can thus be charged by a 12 volt battery charger. The charger can be a plug in charger, or can be a solar cell. For example, the solar cell can be moved to cover a windshield or other surface of the vehicle whenever the vehicle is shut down.
US07692403B2
A power control apparatus and method for an electronic device is provided, which utilizes a charge current control module and a feedback signal control module to transfer the power control signal to a remote-controlled adapter through a feedback circuit, to control the output voltage of the remote-controlled adapter so as to adjust the charge current until the total input current supplied by the remote-controlled adapter is equal to the highest total input current. Therefore, the system of the electronic device can be provided with sufficient power to process needed procedures in a safe condition. Besides, according to the power required by the system of the electronic device, the controller can distribute the power for both the system and the battery in order to improve the efficiency of power use.
US07692400B2
A battery and a DC-to-DC converter are contained in a battery pack. When the battery pack is connected to a load by means of a connector and an output voltage reference value, corresponding to the power supply voltage of the load, the output voltage of the battery is converted according to the output voltage reference value by the DC-to-DC converter. The output voltage reference value is set by an output voltage reference value output means in the connector. Furthermore, the converted voltage is supplied to the load via an output voltage line.
US07692395B2
A controller is provided for operating a DC motor through a commutation circuit and for synchronizing the commutation circuit to motor position and speed by measuring back EMF voltages along commutation cycle steps during which the measured phase is not being driven. In connection with each such step, the back EMF voltage is measured at two points offset from the center of the step. The controller uses the measured voltages and their corresponding locations to locate the center point of the step through extrapolation. The motor can be analyzed for determining suitable locations for the measuring points.
US07692393B2
Preferred embodiments of the invention comprise an automatic reel capable assisting a user when attempting to unspool a linear material, such as a water hose. The automatic reel includes a control system having a motor controller capable of sensing a pulling of, or increased tension of, the linear material and capable of causing a motor to rotate to unspool the linear material. In certain embodiments, the motor controller tracks the length of the unspooled portion of the linear material and/or reduces the spooling speed of the motor when retracting a terminal portion of the linear material.
US07692386B2
In a plasma display panel first and second substrates are located apart and substantially parallel to each other. A barrier rib layer is located between the first substrate and the second substrate. Discharge cells having various cross-sectional areas are formed within the barrier rib layer. Phosphor layers are formed within the discharge cells. Ring shaped first and second electrodes, conforming to the cross-sectional area of the discharge cells, surround the discharge cells adjacent to one or the other of the first and second substrates. The first electrodes are coupled together along a first direction and the second electrodes are coupled together along the same first direction. Address electrodes extend in a direction crossing the first direction and include protruding portions conforming to inner contours of the discharge cells.
US07692379B2
A display device including a transparent substrate having a first surface and a second surface; a first electrode that is transparent and formed the first surface of the substrate; a light emitting layer formed on the first electrode; a second electrode formed on the light emitting layer; and a lens formed on the second surface of the substrate. The display device further includes a reflective plate formed between the first surface of the substrate and the first electrode or between the second surface of the substrate and the lens and including a plurality of thin films.
US07692378B2
When light generated in a light emitting layer of a display device is emitted through insulating films such as a planarizing film, an interlayer insulating film and a gate insulating film of a transistor, diffused reflection is caused due to slight-rough surfaces of the insulating films every time light passes through each insulating film. Accordingly, problems are caused in which stray light is caused, an outline of a pixel becomes indistinct, and a characteristic of the transistor is deteriorated. A display device according to the invention includes a transistor formed over a substrate, an insulating film with a light shielding property formed on the transistor, an opening for transmitting light therethrough formed in the insulating film with the light shielding property, and a light emitting element formed overlapping the opening.
US07692373B2
A light-emitting device comprising a population of quantum dots (QDs) embedded in a host matrix and a primary light source which causes the QDs to emit secondary light and a method of making such a device. The size distribution of the QDs is chosen to allow light of a particular color to be emitted therefrom. The light emitted from the device may be of either a pure (monochromatic) color, or a mixed (polychromatic) color, and may consist solely of light emitted from the QDs themselves, or of a mixture of light emitted from the QDs and light emitted from the primary source. The QDs desirably are composed of an undoped semiconductor such as CdSe, and may optionally be overcoated to increase photoluminescence.
US07692370B2
A front substrate includes a phosphor screen including a plurality of phosphor layers arranged at a specific pitch in a first direction and at another specific pitch in a second direction intersecting at right angles to the first direction and including a light-shielding layer, divided metal-back layers laid on the phosphor screen and divided, in the first and second directions, divided getter films laid on the metal-back layer and divided, in the first and second directions, and a thin-film dividing layer formed on divided portions of at least one of the divided metal-back layers and the divided getter-films. Spacers are provided between the front substrate and a rear substrate and oppose to the thin-film dividing layer. Spacer-abutting layers are discretely arranged near the thin-film-dividing layer, at positions where the spacer-abutting layers abut the spacers.
US07692352B2
A laminated core for a motor includes a plurality of laminations each of which are disposed in a non-spaced relation to an adjacent lamination and each of which have a disc-like configuration and wherein the plurality of laminations are each dimensioned and configured to provide for a flow of a cooling fluid traveling in a radial direction to a rotational axis of the motor. A method of cooling a motor is also presented.
US07692339B2
To provide a less expensive and high-efficient free-piston Stirling cycle machine with an outer diameter of entire machine being relatively small. In a Stirling cycle cooler as a free-piston Stirling cycle machine including a cylinder 7, a piston 18 which is reciprocable inside said cylinder 7 and an electromagnetic driving mechanism 19 for reciprocating said piston 18, said electromagnetic driving mechanism 19 is comprised of a mover 20 and a stator 35, said piston 18 and said mover 20 formed by disposing a permanent magnets 24 outside an inner yoke 23 made of magnetic flux conducting material are disposed in an axial alignment, and said stator 35 and said cylinder 7 are disposed in an axial alignment. By this disposition, the outer diameter Rm of said mover 20 of said electromagnetic driving mechanism 19 can be reduced, and consequently the inner diameter Rs and the outer diameter of said stator 35 provided outside said mover 20, eventually the outer diameter of entire Stirling cycle cooler can also be reduced.
US07692331B2
The invention relates to an electrical emergency source device fitted on an aircraft, which comprises an energy source capable of outputting the power necessary for vital electrical loads (10) to operate correctly, wherein there are two types of these loads: first loads, that absorb a constant power with time, second loads, that absorb variable power with time. Wherein this device comprises: a power source (12) sized to output the average power absorbed by all loads, a power source (15) capable of supplying power peaks absorbed by the second loads, and wherein, since the power of several loads is reversible, the power of the said device is also reversible.
US07692320B2
An electrical energy generator that converts kinetic energy harvested from voluntary motor activity of a human or animal to electrical energy. The electrical energy generator includes a housing, a coil of electrically conductive material, a reciprocally movable electromagnetically active mass, springs connecting the mass to either the housing or to adjustment means engaged with said housing, and, optionally, means for constraining non-linear motion of the electromagnetically active mass, and/or means of mitigating motion retardation of the electromagnetically active mass within any existing housing atmosphere. The electrical energy generator may be associated with a carried item, such as a backpack.
US07692319B2
A semiconductor wafer includes multi chip areas each including two or more device chip areas and arranged in an X-axis direction and a Y-axis direction, a plurality of scribe lines formed parallel to the X axis and the Y axis such as to separate the device chip areas from each other, and one or more alignment marks formed in each of the multi chip areas on the scribe lines between adjacent ones of the device chip areas included in one multi chip area, the one or more alignment marks being fewer than the device chip areas in each of the multi chip areas and used for positioning of the semiconductor wafer.
US07692317B2
Apparatus for housing a micromechanical structure, and a method for producing the housing. The apparatus has a substrate having a main side on which the micromechanical structure is formed, a photo-resist material structure surrounding the micromechanical structure to form a cavity together with the substrate between the substrate and the photo-resist material structure, wherein the cavity separates the micromechanical structure and the photo-resist material structure and has an opening, and a closure for closing the opening to close the cavity.
US07692312B2
A semiconductor package providing with a printed circuit board and a semiconductor device, including a semiconductor substrate having a surface provided with an external connection electrode and mounted on the printed circuit board, and, a surface opposite that with said external connection electrode, abrased with a mirror finish and reinforced with a back-surface reinforcement.
US07692309B2
An application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC) is customized using two non-adjacent via layers. An array of logic cells, each including a plurality of logic devices, are arranged in a plurality of non-customized base layers. A first routing grid, which includes a first non-customized metal routing layer, a customized via layer, and a second non-customized metal routing layer, is disposed on top of the plurality of non-customized layers. A second routing grid, which includes a third non-customized metal routing layer, another customized via layer, and a fourth non-customized metal routing layer, is disposed above the first routing grid. A non-customized via layer is disposed above the first routing grid and beneath the second routing grid. The routing grids and the non-customized via layer collectively facilitate routing connections to and from the logic cells.
US07692299B2
A semiconductor apparatus having improved thermal fatigue life is provided by lowering maximum temperature on jointing members and reducing temperature change. A jointing member is placed between a semiconductor chip and a lead electrode, and a thermal stress relaxation body is arranged between the chip and a support electrode. Jointing members are placed between the thermal stress relaxation body and the chip and between the thermal stress relaxation body and the support electrode. A second thermal stress relaxation body made from a material having a thermal expansion coefficient between the coefficients of the chip and the lead electrode is located between the chip and the lead electrode. The first thermal stress relaxation body is made from a material which has a thermal expansion coefficient in between the coefficients of the chip and the support electrode, and has a thermal conductivity of 50 to 300 W/(m·° C.).
US07692297B2
A reliable semiconductor device including support bumps so as to adequately seal the region between the chips is to be provided. The semiconductor device includes a semiconductor chip; a bump formed on an upper face of the semiconductor chip; and a plurality of support bumps formed along a circumference of the region where the bump is provided, formed on the upper face of the semiconductor chip; and a flow path for a sealing resin is provided between the plurality of support bumps, so as to connect the region where the bump is provided and a periphery region of the semiconductor chip.
US07692295B2
An integrated circuit package includes a substrate, first, second and third dies and an antenna. The substrate includes a first layer with electrical traces and a second layer substantially formed of a dielectric material. The first die includes a first integrated circuit. The second die includes a second integrated circuit electrically coupled through wire bonds to the integrated circuit on the substrate and mechanically coupled to the first die such that the first die is disposed between the substrate and the second die. The third die includes a third integrated circuit and is electrically coupled to the integrated circuit on the substrate. The antenna and the first, second and third integrated circuits substantially form a radio transceiver.
US07692290B2
A heat slug includes a heat spreading member and a supporting member. The supporting member extends outwardly from the edge of the heat spreading member. The tips of the supporting member are formed with a plurality of contact portions, wherein each said contact portion has a bottom face inclined to the surface of the chip carrier art an angle of more that 5 degrees.
US07692287B2
A wiring board (20A) includes a first wiring portion (10A) having a plurality of wiring layers (1) and external connecting bumps (5), and at least one second wiring portion (15A) having a plurality of contact plugs (14). The second wiring portion is integrated with the first wiring portion such that each terminal (14a) of the second wiring portion is in direct contact with one of the wiring layers of the first wiring portion. Hence, there is no risk to produce an internal stress caused by the diffused component of the solder bump in the junction portion between the second and first wiring portions. Accordingly, even when a semiconductor chip (30) of a low-k material is highly integrated on the wiring board, a highly reliable semiconductor device (50) can be obtained.
US07692275B2
Disclosed are embodiments of a wafer that incorporates fill structures with varying configurations to provide uniform reflectance. Uniform reflectance is achieved by distributing across the wafer fill structures having different semiconductor materials such that approximately the same ratio and density between the different semiconductor materials is achieved within each region and, optimally, each sub-region. Alternatively, it is achieved by distributing across the wafer fill structures, including one or more hybrid fill structure containing varying proportions of different semiconductor materials, such that approximately the same ratio between the different semiconductor materials is achieved within each region and, optimally, each sub-region. Alternatively, it is achieved by distributing across the wafer fill structures having semiconductor materials with different thicknesses such that approximately the same overall ratio between the semiconductor material with the different thicknesses is achieved within each region and, optimally, each sub-region.
US07692254B2
Disclosed herein are embodiments of a multiple fin fin-type field effect transistor (i.e., a multiple fin dual-gate or tri-gate field effect transistor) in which the multiple fins are partially or completely merged by a highly conductive material (e.g., a metal silicide). Merging the fins in this manner allow series resistance to be minimized with little, if any, increase in the parasitic capacitance between the gate and source/drain regions. Merging the semiconductor fins in this manner also allows each of the source/drain regions to be contacted by a single contact via as well as more flexible placement of that contact via.
US07692253B2
In the present resistive memory array, included are a substrate, a plurality of source regions in the substrate, and a conductor connecting the plurality of source regions, the conductor being positioned adjacent to the substrate to form, with the plurality of source regions, a common source. In one embodiment, the conductor is an elongated metal body of T-shaped cross-section. In another embodiment, the conductor is a plate-like metal body.
US07692252B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit device includes a cell well, a memory cell array formed on the cell well and having a memory cell area and cell well contact area, first wiring bodies arranged in the memory cell area, and second wiring bodies arranged in the cell well contact area. The layout pattern of the second wiring bodies is the same as the layout pattern of the first wiring bodies. The cell well contact area comprises cell well contacts that have the same dopant type as the cell well and that function as source/drain regions of dummy transistors formed in the cell well contact area.
US07692247B2
An integrated receiver with channel selection and image rejection substantially implemented on a single CMOS integrated circuit is described. A receiver front end provides programmable attenuation and a programmable gain low noise amplifier. Frequency conversion circuitry advantageously uses LC filters integrated onto the substrate in conjunction with image reject mixers to provide sufficient image frequency rejection. Filter tuning and inductor Q compensation over temperature are performed on chip. The filters utilize multi track spiral inductors. The filters are tuned using local oscillators to tune a substitute filter, and frequency scaling during filter component values to those of the filter being tuned. In conjunction with filtering, frequency planning provides additional image rejection. The advantageous choice of local oscillator signal generation methods on chip is by PLL out of band local oscillation and by direct synthesis for in band local oscillator. The VCOs in the PLLs are centered using a control circuit to center the tuning capacitance range. A differential crystal oscillator is advantageously used as a frequency reference. Differential signal transmission is advantageously used throughout the receiver. ESD protection is provided by a pad ring and ESD clamping structure that maintains signal integrity. Also provided are shunts at each pin to discharge ESD build up. The shunts utilize a gate boosting structure to provide sufficient small signal RF performance, and minimal parasitic loading.
US07692238B2
The present invention is an object to provide a high-performance vertical field effect transistor having a microminiaturized structure in which the distance between the gate and the channel is made short not through a microfabrication process, having a large gate capacitance, and so elaborated that the gate can control the channel current with a low voltage, and a method for simply and efficiently manufacturing such a field effect transistor not through a complex process such as a microfabrication process. The field effect transistor of the present invention comprises a first electrode, a second electrode so arranged as to be electrically insulated from the first electrode, a semiconductive rod-shaped body extending entirely through at least one of the first and second electrodes, provided along the inner wall of a hole in which the first and second electrodes are exposed, and interconnecting the first and second electrodes, and a third electrode at least partially inserted in the hole and opposed to the semiconductive rod-shaped body with an insulating layer interposed between the third electrode and the semiconductive rod-shaped body. The aspect preferably include an aspect in which the thickness of the insulating layer is 50 nm or less and an aspect in which the semiconductive rod-shaped body is a single-wall carbon nanotube.
US07692228B2
A memory element for a magnetic RAM, having a first magnetic portion in a first recess of a first insulating layer; and a non-magnetic portion and a second magnetic portion in a second recess of a second insulating layer covering the first insulating layer, the second recess exposing the first magnetic portion and a portion of the first insulating layer around the first magnetic portion, the non-magnetic portion being interposed between the first and second magnetic portions.
US07692226B2
A CMOS image sensor includes a photodiode, and a plurality of transistors for transferring charges accumulated at the photodiode to one column line, wherein at least one transistor among the plurality of transistors has a source region wider than a drain region, for increasing a driving current.
US07692224B2
A method of forming a portion (10) of a compound semiconductor MOSFET structure comprises forming a compound semiconductor layer structure (14) and an oxide layer (20) overlying the same. Forming the compound semiconductor structure (14) includes forming at least one channel material (16) and a group-III rich surface termination layer (18) overlying the at least one channel material. Forming the oxide layer (20) includes forming the oxide layer to overlie the group-III rich surface termination layer and comprises one of (a) depositing essentially congruently evaporating oxide of at least one of (a(i)) a ternary oxide and (a(ii)) an oxide more complex than a ternary oxide and (b) depositing oxide molecules, with use of at least one of (b(i)) a ternary oxide and (b(ii)) an oxide more complex than a ternary oxide.
US07692220B2
The invention can include at least one storage cell having a store gate structure formed from a semiconductor material doped to a first conductivity type and in contact with a channel region comprising a semiconductor material doped to a second conductivity type. A storage cell can also include at least a first source/drain region and a second source/drain region separated from one another by the channel region. A control gate structure, comprising a semiconductor layer doped to the first conductivity type can be formed over a substrate surface. The control gate structure can be in contact with the channel region. Such a storage cell can be more compact and/or provide longer data retention times than conventional storage cells, such as many conventional dynamic random access memory (DRAM) type cells.
US07692219B1
The present invention is a biosensor apparatus that includes a substrate, a source on one side of the substrate, a drain spaced from the source, a conducting channel between the source and the drain, an insulator region, and receptors on a gate region for receiving target material. The receptors are contacted for changing current flow between the source and the drain. The source and the drain are relatively wide compared to length between the source and the drain through the conducting channel.
US07692212B1
A double heterojunction bipolar transistor on a substrate comprises a collector formed of InGaAsP, a base in contact with the collector, an emitter in contact with the base, and electrodes forming separate electrical contacts with each of the collector, base, and emitter, respectively. A device incorporates this transistor and an opto-electronic device optically coupled with the collector of the transistor to interact with light transmitted therethrough.
US07692209B2
The present invention is a semiconductor structure for light emitting devices that can emit in the red to ultraviolet portion of the electromagnetic spectrum. The semiconductor structure includes a Group III nitride active layer positioned between a first n-type Group III nitride cladding layer and a second n-type Group III nitride cladding layer, the respective bandgaps of the first and second n-type cladding layers being greater than the bandgap of the active layer. The semiconductor structure further includes a p-type Group III nitride layer, which is positioned in the semiconductor structure such that the second n-type cladding layer is between the p-type layer and the active layer.
US07692207B2
Light-emitting devices, and related components, processes, systems and methods are disclosed.
US07692203B2
A plurality of semiconductor layers including an active layer 6 and a light extract layer 4, and a reflective metal film 11 are formed in a semiconductor light emitting device. The light extract layer 4 is formed of a plurality of layers 23, 24 having different composition ratios. An irregularity 22 is formed on the layers 23, 24 including an outermost layer to provide a main surface S as a rough-surface.
US07692196B2
The memory device includes a first tunnel insulation layer pattern on a semiconductor substrate, a second tunnel insulation layer pattern having an energy band gap lower than that of the first tunnel insulation layer pattern on the first tunnel insulation layer pattern, a charge trapping layer pattern on the second tunnel insulation layer pattern, a blocking layer pattern on the charge trapping layer pattern, and a gate electrode on the blocking layer pattern. The memory device further includes a source/drain region at an upper portion of the semiconductor substrate. The upper portion of the semiconductor substrate is adjacent to the first tunnel insulation layer pattern.
US07692189B2
A colorant molecule is provided that includes at least one switch unit. The switch unit comprises ring-based tautomers, of which there may be more than one per chromophore, and may include donor and/or acceptor moieties.
US07692188B2
A display device includes an insulation substrate, a source electrode and a drain electrode disposed on the insulation substrate and distanced from each other and including a channel area interposed therebetween, a wall exposing portions of the source electrode and the drain electrode, and defining an opening area surrounding the channel area, and an organic semiconductor layer covering the channel area, and comprising a first sub layer and a second sub layer having different grain sizes.
US07692181B2
A number of light-emitting layer structures for the GaN-based LEDs that can increase the lighting efficiency of the GaN-based LEDs on one hand and facilitate the growth of epitaxial layer with better quality on the other hand are provided. The light-emitting layer structure provided is located between the n-type GaN contact layer and the p-type GaN contact layer. Sequentially stacked on top of the n-type GaN contact layer is the light-emitting layer containing a lower barrier layer, at least one intermediate layer, and an upper barrier layer. That is, the light-emitting layer contains at least one intermediate layer interposed between the upper and lower barrier layers. When there are multiple intermediate layers inside the light-emitting layer, there is an intermediate barrier layer interposed between every two immediately adjacent intermediate layers.
US07692178B2
A lower electrode layer 2, an upper electrode layer 4 formed above the lower electrode layer 2, and a metal oxide thin film layer 3 formed between the lower electrode layer 2 and the upper electrode layer 4 are provided. The metal oxide thin film layer 3 includes a first region 3a whose value of resistance increases or decreases by an electric pulse that is applied between the lower electrode layer 2 and the upper electrode layer 4 and a second region 3b arranged around the first region 3a and having a larger content of oxygen than the first region 3a, wherein the lower and upper electrode layers 2 and 4 and at least a part of the first region 3a are arranged so as to overlap as viewed from the direction of the thickness of the first region 3a.
US07692171B2
Embodiments of the invention relate generally to an ultraviolet (UV) cure chamber for curing a dielectric material disposed on a substrate and to methods of curing dielectric materials using UV radiation. A substrate processing tool according to one embodiment comprises a body defining a substrate processing region; a substrate support adapted to support a substrate within the substrate processing region; an ultraviolet radiation lamp spaced apart from the substrate support, the lamp configured to transmit ultraviolet radiation to a substrate positioned on the substrate support; and a motor operatively coupled to rotate at least one of the ultraviolet radiation lamp or substrate support at least 180 degrees relative to each other. The substrate processing tool may further comprise one or more reflectors adapted to generate a flood pattern of ultraviolet radiation over the substrate that has complementary high and low intensity areas which combine to generate a substantially uniform irradiance pattern if rotated. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
US07692170B2
Disclosed is a radiation apparatus for technical uses, especially a UV crosslinking apparatus of a printing press, coating machine, or similar. Said radiation apparatus comprises at least one radiation source emitting a processing radiation, at least one controllable and particularly wavelength-selective reflector which is assigned to the radiation source and is used for selectively directing the processing radiation onto a substrate that is to be processed or away therefrom, a driving mechanism which is effectively connected to the reflector, and a housing accommodating at least the at least one radiation source and the at least one reflector. At least one first and second radiation source are provided between which the controllable reflector is disposed and which can be operated above all in a separate manner. The reflector is formed and mounted so as to direct the processing radiation of all radiation sources towards the substrate in a first position while directing the processing radiation of all radiation sources away from the substrate in a second position.
US07692167B1
One embodiment pertains to an apparatus for reflection electron beam lithography, including at least illumination electron-optics, an electron-reflective pattern generator, projection electron-optics, a moving stage holding a target substrate, control circuitry, and a deflection system. The illumination electron-optics is configured to form an illumination electron beam. The electron-reflective pattern generator configured to generate an electron-reflective pattern of pixels and to reflect the illumination electron beam using the pattern to form a patterned electron beam. The projection electron-optics is configured to project the patterned electron beam onto the moving target substrate. The control circuitry is configured to shift the generated pattern in discrete steps in synchronization with the stage motion. The deflection system is configured to deflect said projected patterned electron beam so as to compensate for said stage motion in between discrete shifts of said generated pattern. Other features and embodiments are also disclosed.
US07692160B2
A method and system for fluorescence imaging of a target in a subject comprising a scattering medium is provided. The method comprises illuminating one or more points on a surface of the scattering medium using an illumination source, wherein the plurality of points define an illumination region, collecting emitted light from an illumination region and an area away from the illumination region, and generating an image of the scattering medium using the emitted light.
US07692159B2
A system and method for sterilizing a surface on an input device is disclosed. A chamber is configured to enclose an input device such as a keyboard and is configured to be switched between an open and a closed state. A drive unit may be provided to switch the chamber between states. In an embodiment, the drive unit may include a motor. A sensor provides a signal to a controller when the chamber is the closed state and the controller actuates a UV light. In an embodiment, the controller actuates the drive unit and the UV light in response to a trigger. In an embodiment, the trigger may be provided from a change in state in a computer coupled to the input device.
US07692156B1
The present invention provides radiation detectors and methods, including radiation detection devices having beam-oriented scintillators capable of high-performance, high resolution imaging, methods of fabricating scintillators, and methods of radiation detection. A radiation detection device includes a beam-oriented pixellated scintillator disposed on a substrate, the scintillator having a first pixel having a first pixel axis and a second pixel having a second pixel axis, wherein the first and second axes are at an angle relative to each other, and wherein each axis is substantially parallel to a predetermined beam direction for illuminating the corresponding pixel.
US07692150B2
A passive millimeter wave system of this invention is comprised of; human body detector sensors which detect human bodies passing a scanner; passive millimeter wave image sensor modules arranged horizontally or vertically to acquire millimeter wave images radiated from human body in horizontal and vertical axes at certain time intervals; amplifier which amplifies the DC voltage from passive millimeter image sensor modules to a certain level; analog-digital converter which transforms the amplified DC voltage to digital signals; mobility detector which detects movement of human body passing predetermined position to acquire millimeter wave signals from human body; digital signal processor which interlinks and reconstructs signals with the time and position of the object obtained from mobility detector and the signals obtained by passive millimeter image sensor modules; monitor which displays the image of the signals processed with digital signal processor.
US07692148B2
The invention provides a sensor element formed in a first substrate and having a thermal barrier disposed between the sensor element and a heat source provided elsewhere on the first substrate. The thermal barrier includes at least one pair of trenches formed within the first substrate, individual trenches of the pair being separated by a cavity.
US07692133B2
Provided is a photoelectric conversion device for outputting an output voltage according to incident light, including photoelectric conversion unit for holding an optical charge generated by the incident light, a signal processing circuit impressed with a reference voltage for outputting the output voltage according to the incident light by applying a predetermined process to an output signal of the photoelectric conversion unit, and a switch provided between a terminal externally supplied with the reference voltage, and the signal processing circuit.
US07692121B2
A temperature control and method of operating the temperature control, for an inductively heated heating element. The heating element is heated by an inductor to which electrical power is supplied via a control circuit, which can also be a control circuit for an induction hob or oven. The temperature control is activated at a first point in time subject to at least one electrical value of the control circuit, which depends on the temperature of the heating element. A reference value is determined at the first point in time and a comparison value and a deviation value from the reference value is determined at least one later point in time. Depending upon the deviation value, the inductor is supplied with power so that the heating element is adjusted to a substantially constant value corresponding to the reference value.
US07692114B2
The invention relates to a method for producing a thread in a bore (2) by remote automatic machining characterized in that the method consists in introducing into the bore (2) an electrode (11) provided with a thread (20) whose shape and dimensions are pre-determined according to the shape and dimensions of an inside thread to be produced, in machining the internal threads by electroerosion displacing the electrode (11) in an orbital manner in the bore (2) according to a predetermined number of operations and in adjusting the machining parameters according to each operation. A device for carrying out said method is also disclosed.
US07692113B2
The invention relates to a switch assembly comprising an essentially tubular enclosed housing. The tubular axis of the enclosed housing deviates from the horizontal and the vertical. The switch assembly comprises an interrupter unit, to which three main leads are connected.
US07692112B2
A control module for selectively switching electrical power from a circuit breaker with the circuit breaker including a load lug coupled to a load wire and mounted in a panelboard. The control module includes a housing in-line with and directly attached to the circuit breaker inside the panelboard and a pair of contacts coupled to an actuator mounted in the housing. One contact is coupled to the load lug and one contact is coupled to the load wire. The actuator is operated from a location remote from the control module and the contacts operate independently from the circuit breaker.
US07692103B2
A wiring substrate includes a lower insulating resin layer; wiring pattern layers provided on surfaces of the lower insulating resin layer; upper insulating resin layers; and via holes and via conductors connected electrically with at least one of the wiring pattern layers. An upper insulating resin layer includes an epoxy resin containing 30 to 50% by weight of an inorganic filler of SiO2 having an average grain diameter of 1.0 to 10.0 μm, and a via having a lower end opening diameter of between 40 μm and 60 μm.
US07692095B2
A wire harness lead-out structure includes a body that includes a containing portion for receiving a wire harness and a corrugated tube covering the wire harness, a lid that is attached to the body to close an upper opening of the body, two completely-fixing ribs that are formed on the body and the lid respectively to be engaged in grooves of the corrugated tube to prevent a movement of the corrugated tube in an axial direction of the corrugated tube, and a provisionally-fixing rib that is formed in a single line on the opposed side walls of the body to be engaged in a single groove of the corrugated tube, and is disposed between the two completely-fixing ribs. The wire harness lead-out structure length required for provisionally fixing a corrugated tube can be reduced and a compact design can be achieved.
US07692094B1
The present invention relates to wall plates for electrical wiring, and more specifically, to a plate including an opening for securing a connector or plurality of connectors therein. The plate includes a dual use opening at its center including cutouts that allow for a connector to be rotated at increments of 45 degrees up to 360 degree rotation at an angle in line to the angle of its receiving connector. Such angular mating requirements may originate from audio, video, and telecommunications applications where equipment is positioned at different elevations and distances away from an installed connector plate.
US07692078B2
In order to realize a small and light key actuating apparatus for actuating a key which is rotatably supported with respect to a frame, a key actuating apparatus (7) is provided which includes a polymer transducer (9) for rotatably moving the key (3) by using a deformation of the transducer, wherein the transducer which is substantially formed in a plate shape includes: a polymer film (15) which is dielectric and made from an elastically deformable polymer material; and a pair of electrodes (17) arranged at both sides of surfaces of the polymer film, and the transducer is deformed corresponding to switching between an application of voltage and a lack of voltage between the electrodes.
US07692073B1
The present invention is in the field of soybean cultivar S07-02KG242708 breeding and development. The present invention particularly relates to the soybean cultivar S07-02KG242708 and its progeny, and methods of making S07-02KG242708.
US07692070B2
The invention relates to the soybean variety designated D4125897. Provided by the invention are the seeds, plants and derivatives of the soybean variety D4125897. Also provided by the invention are tissue cultures of the soybean variety D4125897 and the plants regenerated therefrom. Still further provided by the invention are methods for producing soybean plants by crossing the soybean variety D4125897 with itself or another soybean variety and plants produced by such methods.
US07692064B2
This invention relates to an isolated nucleic acid fragments encoding an ammonium transporter. The invention also relates to the construction of a recombinant DNA constructencoding all or a portion of ammonium transporters, in sense or antisense orientation, wherein expression of the recombinant DNA construct may alter levels of the ammonium transporter in a transformed host cell.
US07692056B2
The present invention provides a process for producing lower olefins from methanol or dimethyl ether. The technical problem mainly addressed in the present invention is to overcome the defects presented in the prior art including high operation temperature, low yield and selectivity of lower olefins as the target products, and poor stability and short regeneration period of catalyst. The present process, which is carried out under the conditions of catalytic cracking methanol and dimethyl ether and the presence of diluting gas, and adopts as a feedstock methanol, dimethyl ether or their mixture, comprises the steps of: a) letting the feedstock firstly enter a first reaction zone to contact with a first crystalline aluminosilicate catalyst having a SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio of at least 10, to thereby produce a first reaction effluent containing lower olefins; b) letting the first reaction effluent enter in turn at least one second reaction zone to contact with a second crystalline aluminosilicate catalyst having a SiO2/Al2O3 molar ratio of at least 10, to thereby produce a second reaction effluent containing lower olefins; and c) separating lower olefins from the second reaction effluent; wherein the weight ratio of the diluting gas to the feedstock is 0.01-6:1, while controlling the reaction conditions.
US07692039B2
The present invention relates to a process for preparing purified terephthalic acid [PTA,], comprising the steps: dissolving crude terephthalic acid [CTA] in an aqueous medium in a reactor; hydrogenating CTA at a temperature of about 260-320° C. and a pressure of about 1100-1300 psig using a hydrogenation catalyst; crystallizing terephthalic acid in the reactor by lowering the temperature of the solution to about 160° C. without evaporation cooling; transferring the content of the reactor to a filtration unit; filtrating the content at a temperature of about 140-160° C. and a pressure of about 40-100 psig, preferably 80-100 psig to obtain a filter cake, washing the filter cake obtained with water having a temperature of about 140-160° C. in the filtration unit; and drying the filter cake.
US07692037B2
Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently and economically carrying out the liquid-phase oxidation of an oxidizable compound. Such liquid-phase oxidation is carried out in a bubble column reactor that provides for a highly efficient reaction at relatively low temperatures. When the oxidized compound is para-xylene and the product from the oxidation reaction is crude terephthalic acid (CTA), such CTA product can be purified and separated by more economical techniques than could be employed if the CTA were formed by a conventional high-temperature oxidation process.
US07692036B2
Disclosed is an optimized process and apparatus for more efficiently and economically carrying out the liquid-phase oxidation of an oxidizable compound. Such liquid-phase oxidation is carried out in a bubble column reactor that provides for a highly efficient reaction at relatively low temperatures. When the oxidized compound is para-xylene and the product from the oxidation reaction is crude terephthalic acid (CTA), such CTA product can be purified and separated by more economical techniques than could be employed if the CTA were formed by a conventional high-temperature oxidation process.
US07692031B2
A method of separating propylene oxide from a mixture (M) comprising propylene oxide and methanol, said method comprising: (i) introducing said mixture (M) into an extractive distillation column; (ii) additionally introducing an extracting solvent into said extractive distillation column; (iii) distilling propylene oxide overhead from said extractive distillation column as top stream; (iv) withdrawing a bottoms stream from said extractive distillation column; (v) compressing the top stream obtained overhead in (iii) by means of at least one compressor to give a compressed vapor.
US07692030B2
Compounds having an artemisinin-related endoperoxide moiety covalently coupled to a hydrazone moiety through a linker. Compositions and methods for treating cancer using the compounds.
US07692019B2
One aspect of the present invention relates to methods of synthesizing substituted piperidines. A second aspect of the present invention relates to stereoselective methods of synthesizing substituted piperidines. The methods of the present invention will find use in the synthesis of compounds useful for treatment of numerous ailments, conditions and diseases that afflict mammals, including but not limited to addiction and pain. An additional aspect of the present invention relates to the synthesis of combinatorial libraries of the substituted piperidines using the methods of the present invention. An additional aspect of the present invention relates to enantiomerically substituted pyrrolidines, piperidines, and azepines.
US07692017B2
The present invention relates to compounds having the structure (I) useful as potassium channel inhibitors to treat cardiac arrhythmias, and the like.
US07692010B2
Provided are rosuvastatin degradation products and their use as a reference standard (including reference marker) for analysis of rosuvastatin.
US07692000B2
A series of novel, melt- or mold-processable HA esters with varying aliphatic chain lengths are synthesized from silyl HA-quaternary (quat.) ammonium salt complex (preferably silyl HA-CTA, a silylated HA complex with cetyltrimethyl ammonium salt). Introduction of aliphatic acyl groups, preferably acid chlorides, to disrupt the strong HA intermolecular bonding, is done via acylation. Acylation takes place at the oxygen of the trimethylsilyloxy group —O—Si(CH3)3 in the silyl HA-CTA by removal of trimethylsilyl groups therefrom. Optionally, crosslinking may be performed during the shaping/molding of the HA esters into a structure/device, or thereafter, if at all. Native HA can then be regenerated/recovered by saponification hydrolysis, removing acyl groups, —CH3(CH2)10CO, and the cetyltrimethyl ammonium salt groups, -CTA, from HA ester. The structure/device of a preselected shape (e.g., porous or solid, bulk structure or fibers) may become a component of an assembly, a product that is further processed, integrated into another component (e.g., laminated, adhered, assembled, further shaped, chemically-intermixed/intermingled), and so on.
US07691995B2
The invention provides engineered RNA precursors that when expressed in a cell are processed by the cell to produce targeted small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) that selectively silence targeted genes (by cleaving specific mRNAs) using the cell's own RNA interference (RNAi) pathway. By introducing nucleic acid molecules that encode these engineered RNA precursors into cells in vivo with appropriate regulatory sequences, expression of the engineered RNA precursors can be selectively controlled both temporally and spatially, i.e., at particular times and/or in particular tissues, organs, or cells.
US07691982B2
The dispersant of the present invention comprises at least one component unit derived from kraft lignin and/or its salt and at least one component unit derived from at least one water-soluble monomer. The novel lignin derivative of the present invention comprises at least one component unit derived from kraft lignin and/or its salt, at least one polyoxyalkylene chain, and at least one anionic functional group.
US07691977B2
Anti-VEGF antibodies and variants thereof, including those having high affinity for binding to VEGF, are disclosed. Also provided are methods of using phage display technology with naïve libraries to generate and select the anti-VEGF antibodies with desired binding and other biological activities. Further contemplated are uses of the antibodies in research, diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
US07691976B2
An isolated nucleic acid sequence of BRAF35 and polypeptides encoded thereby are provided, as well as a multiprotein complex, and an antibody capable of binding selectively to the BRAF35 protein. Related agents and compositions which modulate interaction between BRCA2 and BRAF35 and methods of their use for screening for the BRCA2 protein, suppressing tumors and identifying DNA damage in cells indicative of a risk for developing cancer are also provided.
US07691969B2
An isolated GRP94 ligand binding domain polypeptide, a three-dimensional crystal structure of the same, and methods of using the same to design modulators of Hsp90 proteins.
US07691967B2
The present invention relates to prodrugs of protease inhibitors, such as inhibitors of proteosome, DPOP IV, FAPα and the like. These “pro-inhibitors” are activated, i.e., cleaved by an “activated protease” to release an active inhibitor moiety in proximity to a “target protease”. The identity of activating protease and target protease can be the same (such pro-inhibitors being referred to as “Target-Activated Smart Protease Inhibitors” or “TASPI”) or different (e.g., “Target-Directed Smart Protease Inhibitors” or “TDSPI”). After activation of the pro-inhibitor, the active inhibitor moiety can self-inactive by, e.g., intramolecular-cyclization or cis-trans isomerization.
US07691955B2
The present invention relates to the removal of hydrocarbon residues from a catalyst and more specifically the air activation of a catalyst containing hydrocarbon residues. It also relates to extruded pipe and utility conduit resins comprising polyethylene, household/industrial chemicals container resins, and to a polyethylene resin particularly suitable for large parts by blow molding and sheet extrusion procedures, wherein the resin is made by a process using an activated chromium and titanium-based catalyst.
US07691952B2
Disclosed herein is a method for inhibiting and retarding the premature polymerization and the polymer growth of ethylenically unsaturated monomers comprising adding to said monomers an effective amount of at least one inhibitor that is a sulfonated nitrophenol of the formula: wherein: R1, R2, and R3 are independently selected from the group consisting of hydrogen, alkyl, NO2, and SO3H, provided that at least one of R1, R2, and R3 is NO2 and at least one of R1, R2, and R3 is SO3H. In a preferred embodiment, at least one additional inhibitor selected from the group consisting of nitroxyl compounds, nitrosoanilines, nitrophenols, amines, and mixtures thereof is also added.
US07691944B2
The present invention provides a primer for a thermoplastic and/or elastomeric substrate, the primer comprising a film of an epoxy-modified polymer selected from the group consisting of an epoxy-modified-thermoplastic polymer, an epoxy-modified-thermoplastic polymeric composite, an epoxy-modified-elastomeric polymer, an epoxy-modified-elastomeric polymeric composite, a blend thereof, and any mixture thereof. Also provided are methods of repairing, inserting, assembling and coating a thermoplastic or elastomeric substrate using the primer of the present invention.
US07691943B2
Moulding compound, comprising 30 to 80% by weight of a polyamide as a thermoplastic matrix and of a cross-linked, disperse elastomer phase which is bonded to the thermoplastic matrix and contains 10 to 69% by weight of an ethylene copolymer and also 1 to 10% by weight of a compatibility agent, selected from the compounds obtained by means of grafting of α, β, ethylene-unsaturated mono- and/or dicarboxylic acids or derivatives thereof on an ethylene-copolymer-polymer backbone, respectively relative to the moulding compound.
US07691934B2
The invention is directed to a method of making ultra high molecular weight diallyldialkyl ammonium salt homopolymers, compositions thereof and use of compositions as a fixative in papermaking.
US07691932B2
A mixture of layered silicate, block copolymer having at least one block that is compatible with the first layered silicate, and a solvent is sheared while the solvent is removed.
US07691931B2
An organic-inorganic hybrid material, including a charge transportable organic polymer and a metal oxide.
US07691926B2
4,4′-Biphenol polysulfone composition comprising: as main ingredient, at least one polysulfone comprising more than 50 mol. % of recurring units formed by reacting 4,4′-biphenol with at least one sulfone monomer SM1 (Bo1 PSU), more than 0.01% by weight, based on the total weight of the composition, of at least one phosphorus-containing compound chosen from organic phosphites and organic phosphonites, and at least one polysulfone comprising more than 50 mol. % of recurring units formed by reacting bisphenol A with at least one sulfone monomer SM2(Bo1 A PSU). 4,4′-Biphenol polysulfone composition containing at least 60% by weight, based on the total weight of the 4,4′-biphenol polysulfone composition, of at least one Bo1 PSU, said composition having a melt viscosity ratio at 410° C. and at a shear rate of 50 s−1 (VR40) of below 1.20. Process which is especially well-suited to prepare the above compositions. Articles made from the above compositions or prepared by the above process.
US07691924B2
The present invention relates to a flame retardant polycarbonate thermoplastic resin composition that comprises a polycarbonate resin, a rubber modified vinyl-grafted copolymer, a phosphorous mixture of a cyclic phosphazene oligomer compound and a phosphate ester morpholide compound or a phosphoric acid ester as a flame retardant, and, optionally, a fluorinated polyolefin resin, which has good flame retardancy, heat resistance, mechanical strength, impact strength, heat stability, processability, and appearance.
US07691921B2
The present invention is to provide a method for producing a copolymer for a cement admixture, which enables to easily produce a blend of a plurality of copolymers with different monomer compositions in one polymerization operation, and is superior in water reducing performance and/or slump retention ability. Disclosed is a method for producing a copolymer for a cement admixture, which comprises a step of polymerizing monomer components comprising unsaturated polyalkylene glycol ether-based monomer (A) and unsaturated organic acid-based monomer (B), wherein the unsaturated polyalkylene glycol ether-based monomer (A) is added into a reactor in advance and the unsaturated organic acid-based monomer (B) is added thereto with an addition rate thereof changed at least one time.
US07691910B2
There is provided an acidic zirconia sol having compatibility of particle properties and binding properties, and a production method of the same.The present invention relates to a production method of an acidic zirconia sol containing zirconia particles having a particle diameter of less than 20 nm in a content of 10 to 50% by mass, based on the mass of all zirconia particles including: a first process in which an alkaline zirconia sol (A) and a zirconium salt (B) are mixed in a mass ratio (Bs/As) ranging from 0.2 to 5.0 of a mass of a solid content (Bs) which is converted into an amount of ZrO2 in the zirconium salt (B) to a mass of a solid content (As) which is converted into an amount of ZrO2 in the alkaline zirconia sol (A); and a second process in which the resultant mixture is reacted at 80 to 250° C. to produce an acidic zirconia sol.
US07691905B2
The present invention relates to the inhibition of melanogenesis with para-aminobenzoic acid (PABA) and its use in treating melanotic cancer.
US07691895B2
Disclosed herein are compounds of Formula (I), (II), and (III) pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same, methods of modulating the activity a thrombopoietin receptor using the same, methods of identifying compounds as thrombopoietin receptor modulators, and methods of treating disease by administering a compound of the invention to a patient in need thereof.
US07691894B2
The present invention provides a VLA-4 inhibitor having high water-solubility and excellent long-term stability; i.e., sodium trans-4-[1-[2,5-dichloro-4-[(1-methyl-1H-3-indolylcarbonyl)amino]phenylacetyl]-(4S)-methoxy-(2S)-pyrrolidinylmethoxy]cyclohexanecarboxylate pentahydrate.
US07691883B2
The present invention relates to a cinnamoyl compound represented by the formula (I):
US07691881B2
This invention provides a compound of formula (I): wherein R1 represents an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms or a halogen atom, R2 represents an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms, R3 represents a hydrogen atom or a hydroxy group, and A represents an oxygen atom or a group of the formula —C(R4)(R5)— (in which R4 represents a hydrogen atom or an alkyl group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms and R5 represents a hydroxy group or an alkoxy group having from 1 to 4 carbon atoms) or a pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. These compounds have 5-HT4 receptor agonistic activity, and thus are useful for the treatment of gastroesophageal reflux disease, non-ulcer dyspepsia, functional dyspepsia, irritable bowel syndrome or the like in mammalian, especially humans.
US07691875B2
The present invention relates to imidazopyridine derivatives of the Formula I and, therapeutically acceptable salts thereof which inhibit exogenously or endogenously stimulated gastric acid secretion and thus can be used in the treatment of gastrointestinal inflammatory diseases. In further aspects, the invention relates to the compound of the invention for use in therapy; to processes for preparation of such new compound; to pharmaceutical compositions containing the compound of the invention, or a therapeutically acceptable salt thereof, as active ingredient; and to the use of the compound of the invention in the manufacture of medicaments for the medical use indicated above.
US07691870B2
The present invention relates to benzimidazole carboxamides of formula I, the use of the compounds of formula I of as inhibitors of one or more kinases, the use of the compounds of formula I for the manufacture of pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treatment, comprising administering said pharmaceutical compositions to a patients.
US07691868B2
Disclosed are thiazolyl-dihydro-quinazolines of general formula (I) wherein the groups R1 to R4 have the meanings given in the claims and specification, the isomers thereof, and processes for preparing these compounds and their use as pharmaceutical compositions.
US07691862B2
The present invention is directed to a pharmaceutical composition comprising a therapeutically effective amount of misoprostol and an effective amount of an antibiotic. A suitable antibiotic is selected from the group consisting of doxycycline, gentamicin, tobramicin, ciprofloxacin, clindamycin, clarithromycin, azithromycin and metronidazole. Preferred antibiotics are doxycycline and ciprofloxacin. More preferably, the antibiotic is doxycycline. In its second aspect, the present invention is directed to a method for treating periodontal disease in a mammalian patient comprising administering to a mammalian patient in need of such treatment a therapeutically effective amount of misoprostol and an effective amount of an antibiotic. Typically, the mammalian patient is a human.
US07691860B2
The present invention relates to compounds of the general formula (I): wherein A, B, C and D each independently are a methine group or a nitrogen atom, said methine group optionally having a substituent(s) with at least one of them meaning the methine group; E means a group represented by the following formulae (E1): R1 means a lower alkyl group or an aryl group optionally having a substituent(s) or means a lower alkylene group linked to arbitrary, linkable position(s) of E, and others. The compounds of the present invention are useful as an agent for the treatment of a variety of diseases related to NPY.
US07691859B2
A family of imidazole compounds useful for inhibiting the activity of prenyl transferases. The compounds are covered by the following formula: wherein X is (CHR11)n3(CH2)n4Z(CH2)n5 where Z is O, N(R12), S, or a bond; Y is CO, CH2, CS, or a bond; R1 is or N(R24R25); and the remaining substituents are as defined in the disclosure.
US07691858B2
Compositions and methods and are provided for treating disorders associated with compromised vasculostasis. Invention methods and compositions are useful for treating a variety of disorders including for example, stroke, myocardial infarction, cancer, ischemia/reperfusion injury, autoimmune diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis, eye diseases such as uveitis, retinopathies or macular degeneration, macular edema or other vitreoretinal diseases, inflammatory diseases such as autoimmune diseases, vascular leakage syndrome, edema, or diseases involving leukocyte activation, transplant rejection, respiratory diseases such as asthma, adult or acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and the like.
US07691852B2
One aspect of the invention relates to inhibitors that preferentially inhibit immunoproteasome activity over constitutive proteasome activity. In certain embodiments, the invention relates to the treatment of immune related diseases, comprising administering a compound of the invention. In certain embodiments, the invention relates to the treatment of cancer, comprising administering a compound of the invention.
US07691850B2
Compounds of formula (I) and derivatives thereof: compositions containing them, their preparation and their use as antibacterials.
US07691849B2
The subject invention relates to carboxamidine derivatives, to pharmaceutical compositions comprising the same, and the use thereof in the preparation of pharmaceutical compositions for the treatment of vascular diseases.
US07691848B2
This invention provides pyrrolobenzodiazepine arylcarboxamides selected from those of Formula (1), which act as follicle stimulating hormone receptor antagonists, as well as pharmaceutical compositions and methods of treatment utilizing these compounds.
US07691846B2
The present application describes lactam-containing compounds and derivatives thereof of Formula I: P4-P-M-M4 I or pharmaceutically acceptable salt forms thereof, wherein ring P, if present is a 5-7 membered carbocycle or heterocycle and ring M is a 5-7 membered carbocycle or heterocycle. Compounds of the present invention are useful as inhibitors of trypsin-like serine proteases, specifically factor Xa.
US07691845B2
The invention provides compounds, compositions and uses of compounds of general formula (I) or (I′), or pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof, which are 3-aminocaprolactam derivatives, for the preparation of a medicament intended to treat an inflammatory disorder.
US07691843B2
Novel N-hydroxyamide derivatives are disclosed. These N-hydroxyamide derivatives inhibit UPD-3-O—(R-3-hydroxymyristoyl)-N-acetylglucosamine deacetylase, an enzyme present in gram negative bacteria and are therefore useful as antimicrobials and antibiotics. Methods of synthesis and of use of the compounds are also disclosed.
US07691838B2
The present invention provides a method for treating cancer. The method involves the administration of an HSP90 inhibitor and an antimitotic, where the combined administration provides a synergistic effect. In one aspect of the invention, a method of treating cancer is provided where a subject is treated with a dose of an HSP90 inhibitor in one step and a dose of an antimitotic in another step. In another aspect of the invention, a method of treating cancer is provided where a subject is first treated with a dose of an HSP90 inhibitor and subsequently treated with a dose of an antimitotic. In another aspect of the invention, a method of treating cancer is provided where a subject is first treated with a dose of an antimitotic and subsequently treated with a dose of an HSP90 inhibitor.
US07691832B2
Inflammatory bowel diseases are represented by two idiopathic disorders, which include ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease. Ulcerative colitis is restricted to the colon and involves uncertain and inflammation of the lining (mucosa) of the large intestine. Crohn's disease, on the other hand, can involve the mucosa of the small and/or large intestine and may involve deeper layers of the bowel wall. The present invention contains N-acetylcysteine disposed in a pharmaceutically acceptable carrier for oral or rectal delivery for treating such inflammatory bowel diseases by topical application within the colon.
US07691831B2
A method for treatment for conditions in human beings associated with either or both reactive arthritis or bursitis comprising administering a combination of a member from each of the following groups of medications: (1) synthetic purine nucleoside analog antiviral drugs, (2) antibiotic drugs, and (3) imidazole drugs. Alternate embodiments of the invention include dual combinations of (A) a member of the synthetic purine nucleoside analog group of antiviral drugs and a member of the antibiotic group of drugs, (B) a member of the antibiotic group of drugs and a member of the imidazole family of drugs, and (C) a member of the synthetic purine nucleoside analog group of antiviral drugs and a member of the imidazole group of drugs.
US07691826B2
A polysialic acid compound is reacted with a hetero-bifunctional reagent to introduce a pendant functional group for site-specific conjugation to sulfhydryl groups, for instance side chains of cysteine units in drugs, drug delivery systems, proteins or peptides. The functional group is, for instance, an N-maleimide group.
US07691825B2
The present invention provides compounds of the formula wherein R1, R2, R3 and n have meaning as described in the specification, methods for their preparation, and pharmaceutical compositions containing them. The compounds of formula (I) are adenosine A2B receptor agonists and, thus, may be employed for the treatment of diseases in mammals that are mediated by the A2B receptor including, but not limited to, septic shock, cystic fibrosis, impotence, diarrhea, and cardiac diseases. Cardiac diseases include hyperplasia consequent to hypertension, arteriosclerosis, and heart attack. The present invention also provides methods for the induction of pharmacological stress to facilitate coronary imaging of areas of ischemia by employing compounds of formula (I). The compounds of formula (I) may be labeled, e.g., with radioactive isotopes, and therefore are useful in kinetic binding experiments.
US07691816B2
The invention provides pharmaceutical compositions comprising TGF-β superfamily members and sugars, the compositions allowing improved recovery and/or increased biological activity of the TGF-β superfamily member incorporated therein. The invention also relates to uses of sugars to improve the recovery or increase the biological activity of TGF-β superfamily members in a pharmaceutical composition. Uses of the pharmaceutical compositions are also described, particularly with reference to wound healing and fibrosis. Furthermore, the invention discloses medicaments for the prevention or reduction of injection pain.
US07691812B2
Methods are provided for inhibiting growth of prolactin-responsive cancer cells and treating prolactin-responsive malignancies via administration of an agent such as cyclosporine A which directly inhibits an enzymatic activity of a cyclophilin.
US07691810B2
The present invention provides a process for producing an antithrombin III composition comprising an antithrombin III molecule having complex type N-glycoside-linked sugar chains, wherein the complex type N-glycoside-linked sugar chains have a structure in which fucose is not bound to N-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end in the sugar chains.
US07691801B2
A liquid fabric treatment composition comprising from 50 to 92% by weight of water, from 1 to 15% by weight of one or more alkylated sugars, from 1 to 15% by weight of one or more fatty acids, from 5 to 25% by weight of one or more fatty acid esters, and from 1 to 15% by weight of fatty acid soap.
US07691792B1
Compositions comprising a farnesane dimer and/or a farnesene dimer and a compound selected from squalene, squalene and dehydrosqualene are described. The compositions provided comprise conventional additives. Methods of making and using the compounds and composition are also disclosed.
US07691782B2
The present invention relates to an active carbon containing an alkaline earth metal compound inside the particle and having a specific surface area of 10 to 2,000 m2/g, which is suitable to be used for polarizable electrodes in an electric double layer capacitor. The active carbon of the present invention enables to increase the capacitance of an electric double layer capacitor as well as to control the expansion of electrodes. The active carbon of the present invention can be obtained by adding an alkaline earth metal compound to a material such as pitch and performing heat treatment and activation.
US07691781B2
This invention provides layered porous titanium oxide comprising an inorganic oxide as a core and titanium oxide deposited on the surface of the inorganic oxide, wherein the titanium localization index B/A represented by the ratio of the proportion of titanium (Ti) to the sum of the constituent metal (M) of the inorganic oxide and titanium (Ti) determined by X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) [B=Ti XPS/(Ti XPS+M XPS)] to the bulk mixing molar ratio of titanium (Ti) to the sum of the constituent metal (M) of the inorganic oxide and titanium (Ti) [A=Ti/(Ti+M)] is 1.6 or more and the titanium oxide is deposited on the surface of the inorganic oxide so as to be chemically and/or microscopically united to the inorganic oxide and also provides a process for producing the same and a catalyst comprising the same. The layered porous titanium oxide of this invention has a regulated pore structure, a large specific surface area, and excellent mechanical strength and is useful as a catalyst or a catalyst carrier.
US07691780B2
The present invention relates to particle and nanoparticle composites useful as oxygen-reduction electrocatalysts. The particle composites are composed of a palladium or palladium-alloy particle or nanoparticle substrate coated with an atomic submonolayer, monolayer, bilayer, or trilayer of zerovalent platinum atoms. The invention also relates to a catalyst and a fuel cell containing the particle or nanoparticle composites of the invention. The invention additionally includes methods for oxygen reduction and production of electrical energy by using the particle and nanoparticle composites of the invention.
US07691776B2
The invention relates to an oxidic catalyst containing cesium and tungsten for the synthesis of alkyl mercaptans from alkanols and hydrogen sulfide, and to a process for the production of this catalyst, wherein the molar ratio of cesium to tungsten is <2:1.
US07691774B2
A process for producing a catalyst for hydrodesulfurization and isomerization of a sulfur-containing hydrocarbon oil, which comprises supporting palladium on a composition comprising a platinum-supported sulfated zirconia and alumina.
US07691762B2
The invention relates to a glass composition and a glass frit adequate for low temperature sintering agent at 1,100° C. or less, and a dielectric composition and a multilayer ceramic capacitor using the same. The glass composition comprises aLi2O-bK2O-cCaO-dBaO-eB2O3-fSiO2, in which a, b, c, d, e and f satisfy following relationships: a+b+c+d+e+f=100, 2≦a≦10, 2≦b≦10, 0≦c≦25, 0≦d≦25, 5≦e≦20, and 50≦f≦80.
US07691756B2
A passivating coupling material for, on the one hand, passivating a dielectric layer in a semiconductor device, and on the other hand, for permitting or at least promoting liquid phase metal deposition thereon in a subsequent process step. In a particular example, the dielectric layer may be a porous material having a desirably decreased dielectric constant k, and the passivating coupling material provides steric shielding groups that substantially block the adsorption and uptake of ambient moisture into the porous dielectric layer. The passivating coupling materials also provides metal nucleation sides for promoting the deposition of a metal thereon in liquid phase, in comparison with metal deposition without the presence of the passivating coupling material. The use of a liquid phase metal deposition process facilitates the subsequent manufacture of the semiconductor device. In one example, the passivating coupling material has multiple Si atoms in its chemical composition, which desirably increases the thermal stability of the material.
US07691753B2
A deposition/etching/deposition process is provided for filling a gap in a surface of a substrate. A liner is formed over the substrate so that distinctive reaction products are formed when it is exposed to a chemical etchant. The detection of such reaction products thus indicates that the portion of the film deposited during the first etching has been removed to an extent that further exposure to the etchant may remove the liner and expose underlying structures. Accordingly, the etching is stopped upon detection of distinctive reaction products and the next deposition in the deposition/etching/deposition process is begun.
US07691748B2
A method for forming a through-silicon via includes the steps of defining a groove in each chip of a wafer which has a plurality of semiconductor chips; applying liquid polymer on the wafer to fill the groove; forming an insulation layer on a sidewall of the groove through patterning the polymer; forming a metal layer to fill the groove which is formed with the insulation layer on the sidewall thereof; and back-grinding a backside of the wafer to expose the metal layer filled in the groove.
US07691746B2
A silicon nitride layer is formed on at least a back side of a silicon wafer substrate of a semiconductor device. An oxide layer is formed on at least the silicon nitride layer on the back side of the substrate. The oxide layer protects the silicon nitride layer during processing of the device. The oxide layer is removed prior to packaging the device. After components have been formed on a front side of the substrate opposite the back side, packaging is attached to the silicon nitride layer. The components provide a functionality of the device. The silicon nitride layer completely remains on the back side of the substrate after fabrication of the device has been completed. The silicon nitride layer is adapted to minimize and does minimize bowing of the device.
US07691743B2
A dielectric film is formed by depositing an amorphous strontium oxide film to a thickness of one to several atomic layers on a first electrode layer, then depositing an amorphous titanium oxide film to a thickness of one to several atomic layers on the amorphous strontium oxide film, and then heat-treating a laminated film of the amorphous strontium oxide film and the amorphous titanium oxide film at a temperature close to a crystallization start temperature, thereby converting the laminated film to a single-layer amorphous strontium titanate film containing a plurality of crystal grains therein. The laminated film may have a plurality of amorphous strontium oxide films and a plurality of amorphous titanium oxide films that are alternately laminated. A semiconductor device includes a capacitor having as its dielectric film a single-layer amorphous strontium titanate film containing a plurality of crystal grains therein.
US07691738B2
A metal line in a semiconductor device and fabricating method thereof includes a first contact plug on a substrate, a first insulating interlayer over the substrate including the first contact plug, a first etch stop layer formed over the first insulating interlayer; a trench in the first insulating interlayer and the first etch stopper layer, a metal line in the trench, the metal line including a second contact plug projecting from the trench, wherein the metal line and the trench are formed as a single body, and a second insulating interlayer over the substrate including the metal line and the second contact plug.
US07691736B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a semiconductor device having dielectric material and its method of manufacture. A method comprises a short (≦2 sec) flash activation of an ILD surface followed by flowing a precursor such as silane, DEMS, over the activated ILD surface. The precursor reacts with the activated ILD surface thereby selectively protecting the ILD surface. The protected ILD surface is resistant to plasma processing damage. The protected ILD surface eliminates the requirement of using a hard mask to protect a dielectric from plasma damage.
US07691732B2
Manufacturing method of nitride substrate, nitride substrate, and nitride-based semiconductor device
A manufacturing method of a nitride substrate includes the steps of preparing a ground substrate; forming a mask on the ground substrate; placing the ground substrate in a reactor, and heating the ground substrate to a temperature of 850° C. to 1100° C. In the step of heating the ground substrate, HCl and NH3 are supplied into the reactor so that partial pressure PHCl satisfies (1.5+0.0005 p) kPa≦PHCl≦(4+0.0005 p) kPa and partial pressure PNH3 satisfies (15−0.0009 p) kPa≦PNH3≦(26−0.0017 p) kPa, whereby an AlxGayIn1-x-yN crystal (0≦x<1, 0
US07691719B2
Embodiments of a semiconductor device having storage nodes include an interlayer insulating layer disposed on a semiconductor substrate; a conductive pad disposed in the interlayer insulating layer to contact with a predetermined portion of the substrate, an upper portion of the conductive pad protruding above the interlayer insulating layer; an etch stop layer disposed on the conductive pad and the interlayer insulating layer; and storage nodes penetrating the etch stop layer and disposed on the conductive pad. A penetration path of wet etchant is completely blocked during the wet etch process that removes the mold oxide layer. Therefore, inadvertent etching of the insulating layer due to penetration of wet etchant is prevented, resulting in a stronger, more stable, storage node structure.
US07691696B2
Hemi-spherical structure and method for fabricating the same. A device includes discrete pillar regions on a substrate, and a pattern layer on the discrete support structures and the substrate. The pattern layer has hemi-spherical film regions on the discrete support structures respectively, and planarized portions on the substrate between the hemi-spherical film regions. Each of the hemi-spherical film regions in a position corresponding to each of the support structures serves as a hemi-spherical structure.
US07691687B2
A crystalline film includes a first crystalline region having a first film thickness and a first crystalline grain structure; and a second crystalline region having a second film thickness and a second crystalline grain structure. The first film thickness is greater than the second film thickness and the first and second film thicknesses are selected to provide a crystalline region having the degree and orientation of crystallization that is desired for a device component.
US07691675B2
An electrical connection is encapsulated by dispensing an encapsulant on a first side of the electrical connection only, and directing the encapsulant to a second side of the electrical connection from the first side, where the second side generally faces opposite the first side.
US07691672B2
The present invention provides a substrate treating method including the steps of joining a one-side surface of a substrate to be treated to a support substrate, treating the substrate to be treated in the condition where the substrate to be treated is supported by the support substrate, and removing the support substrate from the substrate to be treated. The step of joining the substrate to be treated to the support substrate includes melting a joint bump formed on the substrate to be treated so as to join the substrate to be treated to the support substrate, and the step of removing the support substrate from the substrate to be treated includes polishing the support substrate so as to remove the support substrate.
US07691671B2
Methods and systems for attaching a chip to a next level package by directing radiant energy at the chip back side while substantially preventing irradiation of the next level package are described.
US07691668B2
A method and apparatus are provided for multi-chip packaging. A multi-chip package (100) includes a substrate (105) and a plurality of semiconductor dice (110, 120, 130). A first semiconductor die (110) is physically coupled to an upper face of the substrate (105), the first semiconductor die (110) being a smallest one of the plurality of semiconductor dice (110, 120, 130).
US07691662B2
An optical module is produced by coating, with respect to a substrate having a substrate surface provided with terminal pads and landing pads a solder material on the terminal pads, mounting an optical element package having terminals and a flat top surface on the substrate using the landing pads so that the top surface becomes approximately parallel to the substrate surface and a gap is formed between a bottom surface of the optical element package and the substrate surface, preheating the terminal pads simultaneously as the mounting, and electrically connecting the terminal pads to corresponding terminals of the optical element package by melting the solder material and thereafter hardening the solder material.
US07691659B2
This invention describes a radiation-emitting semiconductor component based on GaN, whose semiconductor body is made up of a stack of different GaN semiconductor layers (1). The semiconductor body has a first principal surface (3) and a second principal surface (4), with the radiation produced being emitted through the first principal surface (3) and with a reflector (6) being produced on the second principal surface (4).The invention also describes a production method for a semiconductor component pursuant to the invention. An interlayer (9) is first applied to a substrate (8), and a plurality of GaN layers (1) that constitute the semiconductor body of the component are then applied to this. The substrate (8) and the interlayer (9) are then detached and a reflector (6) is produced on a principal surface of the semiconductor body.
US07691655B2
Method for manufacturing a semiconductor optical device includes forming an epitaxial structure containing at least an active layer which can emit light, of a III-V group semiconductor material; forming an insulating layer over the epitaxial structure, which prevents the V group element from escaping from the epitaxial structure during heat treatment; heat treating the epitaxial structure at at least 800 degrees C.; and removing the insulating layer, thereby enhancing the reliability of the device.
US07691651B2
In a method for manufacturing a high-quality GaN-based semiconductor layer on a substrate of different material, an AlN nucleation layer is grown on a substrate, a GaN buffer layer is grown on the AlN nucleation layer, and the substrate annealed. The AlN nucleation layer is formed to have a thickness greater than a critical radius of a nucleus of AlN crystal and less than a critical resilient thickness of AlN, and the GaN buffer layer is formed to have a thickness greater than a critical radius of a nucleus of GaN crystal and less than a critical resilient thickness of GaN. Annealing time is greater than L2/DGa where L indicates a diffusion distance of Ga, and DGa indicates a diffusion coefficient of Ga in the AlN nucleation layer.
US07691650B2
Light emitting LEDs devices comprised of LED chips that emit light at a first wavelength, and a thin film layer over the LED chip that changes the color of the emitted light. For example, a blue LED chip can be used to produce white light. The thin film layer beneficially consists of a fluorescent material, such as a phosphor, and/or includes tin. The thin film layer is beneficially deposited using chemical vapor deposition.
US07691642B1
A method and apparatus for characterizing the type of a blood sample and a variety of blood components are provided wherein a transmission spectrum of the sample is collected over a predetermined wavelength range. For blood typing, this spectrum is then compared with a set of control spectra collected from control blood samples having known blood types, from which the type of the blood sample can be determined. Further methods and apparatus are provided for determining the viability of and for cross matching a platelet unit Additional method and apparatus permit analysis of the sample for the presence of a contaminant, Particles can also be counted in the sample, even when present in low concentrations, including white blood cell.
US07691637B2
A nanostructured substance, a process for sequestration of ionic waste, and an ion-sequestration apparatus are disclosed in the specification. The nanostructured substance can comprise a Lewis acid transition metal bound to a phosphate, wherein the phosphate comprises a primary structural component of the substance and the Lewis acid transition metal is a reducing agent. The nanostructured substance has a Brunner-Emmet-Teller (BET) surface area greater than or equal to approximately 100 m2/g, and a distribution coefficient for an analyte, Kd, greater than or equal to approximately 5000 ml/g. The process can comprise contacting a fluid and a nanostructured metal phosphate. The apparatus can comprise a vessel and a nanostructured metal phosphate. The vessel defines a volume wherein a fluid contacts the nanostructured metal phosphate.
US07691628B1
The present invention relates to the use of receptors of the Rev-erb family to screen substances which are useful in the treatment of lipid metabolism dysfunctions associated with apolipoprotein C-III. The invention relates more particularly to screening methods for selecting substances which are useful for the treatment of these dysfunctions. Lastly, the invention relates to the use of the substances thus identified for the preparation of therapeutic compositions which are useful for the treatment of lipid metabolism dysfunctions associated with apolipoprotein C-III. The subject of the present invention is also the use of screening tests for the characterization, justification and claim of the mechanism of action of substances possessing anti-atherosclerotic properties using the Rev-erb receptors and/or the response elements thereof, as well as their effect on apo C-III.
US07691613B2
The invention provides recombinant B. thetaiotaomicron GAG lyase polypeptides. The invention also provides nucleic acid molecules encoding such polypeptides, recombinant expression vectors containing B. thetaiotaomicron GAG lyase nucleic acid molecules, and host cells into which the expression vectors have been introduced. Characterization, diagnostic and therapeutic methods utilizing compositions of the invention are also provided.
US07691610B2
The present invention provides a new family of human proteins, designated as “Zven,” as agents that stimulate gastrointestinal contractility, gastric emptying, intestinal transit, and treating gastroparesis. The Zven1 gene, which resides in human chromosome 3p21.1-3p14.3, is expressed in testicular tissue and peripheral blood lymphocytes. The invention also provides methods for using the antibodies to detect the presence of the protein with antibodies and methods for using the polynucleotides to detect the presence of Zven RNA.
US07691605B2
This invention relates to the general field of recombinant expression of polypeptides in animal cell culture. More particularly, the invention concerns improved selection in cells of recombinantly engineered vectors designed to express polypeptides.
US07691600B2
The present invention relates to a method for detecting and/or identifying bacteria present in a liquid or solid sample, characterized in that: a. the sample that may contain said bacteria is placed in a liquid culture medium, in a first container, b. a second container comprising at least one system for detecting said bacteria is provided, c. a means of transfer between the first container and the second container is provided, d. a temperature T1 is applied inside the second container, then e. a temperature T2 is applied inside the second container, f. the temperature T1 is higher than the temperature T2 such that a defined volume of culture medium is transferred from the first container to the second container, g. the presence or absence of bacteria is determined and/or the bacteria are identified within the detection system.
US07691584B2
OCT3 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 OCT3 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.
US07691579B2
The present invention relates to novel methods for producing an enhanced immune response to an immunogen in a subject via the co-administration of a CD40 agonist and a GM-CSF agent.
US07691575B2
Methods useful, for example, in identifying plant compositions that have immunomodulatory activity. Also disclosed is an Asteraceae plant immunomodulatory composition useful for increasing an immune response, e.g., IFN γ or IL-2 transcription.
US07691568B2
A medicament for treating a patient who cannot be cured with a medicament comprising as an active ingredient an antibody composition produced by a cell unresistant to a lectin which recognizes a sugar chain in which 1-position of fucose is bound to 6-position of N-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end through α-bond in a complex N-glycoside-linked sugar chain, which comprises as an active ingredient an antibody composition produced by a cell resistant to a lectin which recognizes a sugar chain in which 1-position of fucose is bound to 6-position of N-acetylglucosamine in the reducing end through α-bond in a complex N-glycoside-linked sugar chain, and a method for screening the patient by using the medicament.
US07691562B2
A method for forming a film pattern, comprises: disposing a first bank forming material to a substrate so as to form a first bank layer; disposing a second bank forming material on the first bank layer so as to form a second bank layer; and pattering the first bank layer and the second bank layer so as to form a bank including a pattern forming region having a first pattern forming region and a second pattern forming region, the second pattern forming region having a width larger than a width of the first pattern forming region, and being continuously formed from the first pattern forming region, wherein the first bank layer has a sidewall facing the pattern forming region and a first contact angle of less than 50 degrees with respect to a functional liquid containing H2O on the sidewall, and the second bank layer has a second contact angle larger than the first contact angle with respect to the functional liquid.
US07691560B2
A resist composition comprising at least one kind of a nitrogen-containing compound selected from the group consisting of an amine compound having a phenoxy group, an ammonium salt compound having a phenoxy group, an amine compound having a sulfonic acid ester group and an ammonium salt compound having a sulfonic acid ester group; and a pattern forming method using the composition.
US07691558B2
A photosensitive composition for use in the production process of a semiconductor such as IC, in the production of a circuit substrate of liquid crystal, thermal head and the like or in other photofabrication processes, a compound for use in the photosensitive composition, and a pattern forming method using the photosensitive composition, are provided, which are a photosensitive composition excellent in the sensitivity, resolution and pattern profile, assured of large exposure latitude and small pitch dependency, and improved in the sensitivity and dissolution contrast at the exposure with EUV light, a pattern forming method using the photosensitive composition, and a compound useful for the photosensitive composition.
US07691551B2
A layer on the reverse side of an imaging member provides excellent crack resistance to the imaging layer(s) on the front side. The crack-deterring backing layer can be a laminated self-adhesive, such as tape, or a coating. Because the crack-deterring backing layer is on the reverse side, it does not affect the electrical properties of the imaging member. Overcoat layers may be used whose function is limited to improved scratch resistance.
US07691550B2
The invention provides a method for making a printing form having a relief surface on a floor from a photosensitive element. The method involves generating a polymerization rate curve for the photosensitive element from a step exposure test by measuring a cure response, such as floor thickness or one or more relief image characteristic/s, of the element relative to an energy density of a source of actinic radiation. The method exposes a photosensitive element to the source of actinic radiation based on energy density that accounts for changes in intensity of lamps used for the source of actinic radiation.
US07691537B2
An electrolyte for a lithium secondary battery and a lithium secondary battery having the electrolyte, the electrolyte including a lithium salt; a non-aqueous organic solvent including γ-butyrolactone; and succinic anhydride.
US07691528B2
Electrical separators for batteries, especially lithium batteries, having a shutdown mechanism. A process for their production. An electrical separator is used in batteries and other systems in which electrodes have to be separated from each other while maintaining ion conductivity. Safety is very important in lithium batteries, since in contrast to other types of battery(Pb, NiCd, NiMeH) the solvent for the electrolyte is not water but a combustible solvent. A separator for lithium cells must possess a shutdown mechanism while not to be able to melt down. This is achieved by an electrical separator having a shutdown layer which consists of particles which melt at a desired temperature, close the pores of the separator, and so stop ion flow. Since the separator also comprises a porous inorganic (ceramic) layer on a carrier, the cells cannot melt down as a result of a completely melted separator.
US07691523B2
Provided are a method of preparing a fuel cell and a membrane electrode assembly prepared by the method. The method includes preparing a substrate, forming a buffer layer having a single crystalline structure on the substrate, forming a proton conducting solid perovskite electrolyte membrane on the buffer layer, forming a first electrode on one surface of the proton conducting solid perovskite electrolyte membrane, etching the substrate, and forming a second electrode on the opposite surface of the one surface of the electrolyte membrane. Thus, the method of preparing a fuel cell can improve ion conductivity of an electrolyte membrane at a low temperature and a membrane electrode assembly of a fuel cell prepared by the method can improve ion conductivity at a low temperature.
US07691518B2
A fuel cell stack (1) generates power by an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen in plural stacked fuel cells (2a, 2b). Each fuel cell (2a, 2b) comprises an anode (26a) to which hydrogen is supplied, a cathode (26b) to which air containing oxygen is supplied, and a electrolyte membrane (20) which conducts hydrogen ions from the anode (26a) to the cathode (26b). The fuel cells (2a, 2b) comprise center cells (2a) and end cells (2b). By arranging the moisture absorption capacity of the end cells (2b) to be larger than that of the center cells (2a), flooding in the end cells (2b) which do not easily rise in temperature is prevented, and the low-temperature start-up performance of the fuel cell stack (1) is enhanced.
US07691511B2
A power generation cell includes a membrane electrode assembly, with an anode side metal separator and a cathode side metal separator sandwiching the membrane electrode assembly. Flow field walls are provided within the coolant flow field for preventing coolant from flowing into an area corresponding to an oxygen-containing gas inlet buffer, while allowing the coolant to flow into an area corresponding to an oxygen-containing gas outlet buffer. Likewise, flow field walls contact each other for preventing the coolant from flowing into an area corresponding to a fuel gas inlet buffer, while allowing the fuel gas to flow into an area corresponding to a fuel gas outlet buffer.
US07691509B2
A fuel cell system including: a reformer for generating hydrogen from a fuel containing hydrogen; at least one electricity generator for generating electric energy through an electrochemical reaction between hydrogen and oxygen; a fuel supply unit for supplying the fuel to the reformer; and an oxygen supply unit for supplying oxygen to the reformer and the electricity generator. Here, the reformer includes a plurality of plates stacked to form at least one passage for allowing a material selected from the group consisting of the fuel and a gas to flow therethrough, and at least one catalyst layer formed on entire surfaces of the at least one passage.
US07691501B2
A fuel cell system comprises: a fuel storage means for storing a fuel; a direct borohydride fuel cell (DBFC); a fuel circulation supply means for circulation and supplying a fuel to an anode of the DBFC from the fuel storage means; a polymer electrolyte membrane fuel cell (PEMFC) for receiving hydrogen generated at the anode of the DBFC as a fuel; a hydrogen control means for controlling hydrogen generated from the anode of the DBFC in correspondence to an amount required by the PEMFC and thereby supplying the hydrogen to the PEMFC; and an air supply means for supplying air to a cathode of the DBFC and an cathode of the PEMFC.
US07691490B2
A process for incorporating a long persistent phosphor into a fabric material which occurs by firing a phosphor within a crucible, then grinding the resulting aggregate into a phosphor particulate of specified size, encapsulating the phosphor particulate within a water impervious coating material and then applying a specified ratio by weight of the encapsulated phosphor particulates into the fabric material. Further, a fibrous product is described incorporating encapsulated long persistent phosphor particles.
US07691480B1
An elastomeric urethane composition that is the reaction product of an isocyanate and resin comprising polyetherol in the presence of a catalyst. The catalyst includes a metal selected from the group of titanium, zirconium, and hafnium. The elastomeric urethane is used in a method of making an article, which comprises reacting the isocyanate with the resin in the presence of the catalyst to form the elastomeric urethane, applying the elastomeric urethane to a mold cavity, and allowing it to cure to form a first layer. The method also includes applying a different urethane composition to the mold to form a second layer. The method further includes curing the article in the mold and de-molding the article.
US07691463B2
A rewritable phase change optical recording medium includes a substrate, a dielectric layer deposited on a surface of the substrate, and an optical recording layer deposited on the dielectric layer, wherein the dielectric layer may be omitted. The optical recording layer contains a composition of GexSb100-x-y-zMyEz, wherein 0.5≦x≦14.5; 0.5≦y≦14.5; 0≦z≦14.5; and M and E are different and are selected from the group consisting of Te, Cr, V, Ti, Ag, Sn, Si, Bi, Se, Al, Au, Ni, Fe, Cu, Mn, O, Ga, Cd, In, Pb and Hf, wherein M is not Te, when x is zero; and E is not Sn, when M is Te. The optical recording composition has a small crystal grain, a high ratio of reflectivity of the amorphous phase to that of the crystalline phase thereof, and a high crystallization rate, so that a blue light laser can be used to write/erase the recording medium.
US07691462B2
A label assembly comprised of a carrier strip and a plurality of labels. The carrier strip comprises at least a first backing layer and a layer of adhesive material located over said first backing layer. A second backing layer may be located over said adhesive layer. Predetermined areas are removed from the second backing area to expose the adhesive layer, which allows the labels to be removably adhered to the carrier strip. Sections may be further cutout of the carrier strip for a dual-sided printing arrangement.
US07691450B2
Two sprayer units are arranged along a conveyer. A coating surface of a panel conveyed by the conveyer is divided into four coating areas. Then, the sprayer units reciprocate parallel to the conveying direction and coat the individual coating areas. At this time, at the boundaries of the coating areas, the positions of the turning paths for reciprocation of the sprayer units are shifted from the front side to the rear side in the conveying direction and step-like coating trajectories are formed. As a result, the size of the area coated by each of the sprayer units can be expanded.
US07691440B2
A method of densifying porous substrates by chemical vapor infiltration comprises loading porous substrates for densification in a loading zone of an enclosure (10), heating the internal volume of the enclosure, and introducing a reagent gas into the enclosure though an inlet situated at one end of the enclosure. Before coming into contact with substrates (20) situated in the loading zone, the reagent gas admitted into the enclosure is preheated, at least in part, by passing along a duct (30) connected to the gas inlet and extending through the loading zone, the duct being raised to the temperature inside the enclosure, and the preheated reagent gas is distributed in the loading zone through one or more openings (33) formed in the side wall (32) of the duct, along the duct.
US07691439B2
A polymer film comprising at least two layers, wherein each layer comprises a compound comprising the formula: wherein R1 and R2 are independently selected organic groups. A method of making a polymer film comprising the steps of: providing a monomer solution comprising one or more monomers comprising the formula: wherein R1 and R2 are independently selected organic groups; dispensing the monomer solution onto a substrate; heating the monomer solution on the substrate to polymerize the monomer; and repeating the steps of providing a monomer solution, dispensing, and heating one or more times, wherein the spin-coating is performed on top of the prior spin-coated layer.
US07691433B2
The invention relates to a method for a structured application of molecules on a strip conductor and to a molecular memory matrix. The inventive method makes it possible, for the first time, to economically and simply apply any number of molecular memory elements on the strip conductor in a structured and targeted way, thereby making available, also for the first time, a memory matrix at a molecular level.
US07691420B2
Compositions comprising a catechin as found in green tea, e.g., epigallocatechin gallate, and ligand which activates the peroxisome proliferatoractivated receptor gamma (PPAR-gamma are useful for the treatment and prevention of diabetes mellitus).
US07691417B2
A compound derived from an extract of vegetative tissue of plants of the Genus Shortia demonstrates antitcarcinogenic potential by inhibiting the growth and development formation of tumors in living tissue in response to an organism known to cause the initiation of tumors in living tissue and by reducing mutation rates in living tissues exposed to a known mutagen.
US07691416B2
The present invention relates to a method of treating patients suffering from, or at risk for, intimal hyperplasia and/or arteriosclerosis. The treatment includes administering a pharmaceutical composition that includes carbon monoxide to the patient.
US07691415B2
There is provided an isolated pluri-differentiated human mesenchymal progenitor cells (MPCs), a method for isolating and purifying human mesenchymal progenitor cells from Dexter-type cultures, and characterization of and uses, particularly therapeutic uses for such cells. Specifically, there is provided isolated MPCs which can be used for diagnostic purposes, to enhance the engraftment of hematopoietic progenitor cells, enhance bone marrow transplantation, or aid in the treatment or prevention of graft versus host disease.
US07691413B2
The invention provides a composite particle, a process for producing the same, and cosmetics containing the same The invention relates to composite particles containing a polyolefin-based resin having a crystallization degree of 80% or less and zinc oxide and obtained by hot melt microencapsulation or spray cooling, or composite particles containing a polyolefin-based resin having a crystallization degree of 80% or less and zinc oxide, wherein the degree of remaining zinc oxide in the particles is 50 wt % or more after being dipped for 1 hour in 0.5 mol/L hydrochloric acid solution at 25° C. (solution composition: water and ethanol in equal volumes), a process for producing the composite particles, and cosmetics containing the composite particles.
US07691410B2
The invention relates to dicalcium phosphate anhydride powder, at least 50 wt. % thereof having a particle size of between 45 and 150 μm, a maximum of 50 wt. % having a particle size of <45 μm, and a maximum of 5 wt. % having a particle size of >150 μm. Said powder also exhibits a bulk density of 1000 to 5000 g/l and a specific surface area of <5 m2/g, and is used to directly tablet or encapsulate pharmaceutical preparations.
US07691401B2
An implantable medical device, such as a stent, is disclosed. The device includes a substrate and a polymeric layer including poly(methylmethacrylate) or poly(butylmethacrylate) supported by the substrate. The polymeric layer contains rapamycin. A barrier is over at least a portion of the polymeric layer to reduce the rate of release of rapamycin from the implantable medical device. The polymeric layer can additionally include poly(ethylene co-vinyl acetate).
US07691385B2
Polypeptides are provided, which are useful to produce specific monoclonal or polyclonal antibodies that serve as detection means in order to characterize any staphylococcal strain carrying genes encoding resistance to streptogramin A or to streptogramin B.
US07691384B2
The present invention includes a method to detect IgE using a human Fc epsilon receptor (Fc68 R) to detect IgE antibodies in a biological sample from a cat, a dog, or a horse. The present invention also relates to kits to perform such methods.
US07691383B2
The present invention discloses methods and materials for delivering a cargo compound into a cancer cell. Delivery of the cargo compound is accomplished by the use of protein transduction domains derived from cupredoxins. The invention further discloses methods for treating cancer and diagnosing cancer.
US07691376B2
The present invention is directed to cell surface antigens found on myeloma cells and on ovarian cancer cells that are recognized by monoclonal antibodies, and antibody binding fragments thereof, as described. The monoclonal antibodies of the invention are capable of being used for therapeutic, screening, diagnostic and cell purification purposes. A representative and exemplified monoclonal antibody of the present invention recognizes and binds to an epitope common to a surface antigen that is expressed on multiple myeloma cells and to a surface antigen that is expressed on ovarian cancer cells. The function of this monoclonal antibody both in vivo and in vitro is demonstrated.
US07691371B2
A preparation for inhibiting local invasion of malignant tumors is provided which comprises batroxobin and therefore can inhibit local invasion of malignant tumors. A preparation for encapsulating malignant tumor tissues is also provided which comprises batroxobin and therefore can cause or promote formation of capsule-like tissue around malignant tumor tissues.
US07691370B2
The present invention provides recombinant viruses which replicate the viral genome selectively in response to the intracellular conditions of the target cell through the use a pathway-responsive promoter which substantially inhibits viral replication in the host cell based on the phenotypic or genotypic of the infected cell. In the target cell, the promoter element of the pathway-responsive promoter is inactive and thus the virus is permitted to replicate. This results in: (1) killing the cells by natural lytic nature of the virus, and/or (2) provides a therapeutic dose of a transgene product (amplified in comparison to replication incompetent vectors) to the target cell, and (3) producing a localized concentration of the virus facilitating the infection of surrounding cells to the recombinant virus. The invention further provides therapeutic and diagnostic methods of use of the vectors, pharmaceutical formulations comprising the vectors, methods of making the vectors and transformed cells comprising the vectors.
US07691361B1
An approach is provided for generating mercury (II) sulfide from elemental mercury. Elemental mercury is injected into a reaction vessel containing vaporized sulfur. The elemental mercury reacts with at least a portion of the vaporized sulfur to form the mercury (II) sulfide.
US07691359B2
The invention incorporates new processes for the chemical modification of carbon nanotubes. Such processes involve the derivatization of multi- and single-wall carbon nanotubes, including small diameter (ca. 0.7 nm) single-wall carbon nanotubes, with diazonium species. The method allows the chemical attachment of a variety of organic compounds to the side and ends of carbon nanotubes. These chemically modified nanotubes have applications in polymer composite materials, molecular electronic applications, and sensor devices. The methods of derivatization include electrochemical induced reactions, thermally induced reactions (via in-situ generation of diazonium compounds or pre-formed diazonium compounds), and photochemically induced reactions. The derivatization causes significant changes in the spectroscopic properties of the nanotubes. The estimated degree of functionality is ca. 1 out of every 20 to 30 carbons in a nanotube bearing a functionality moiety. Such electrochemical reduction processes can be adapted to apply site-selective chemical functionalization of nanotubes. Moreover, when modified with suitable chemical groups, the derivatized nanotubes are chemically compatible with a polymer matrix, allowing transfer of the properties of the nanotubes (such as, mechanical strength or electrical conductivity) to the properties of the composite material as a whole. Furthermore, when modified with suitable chemical groups, the groups can be polymerized to form a polymer that includes carbon nanotubes.
US07691355B2
Described is a process for the preparation of a crystallised lamellar solid formed by magadiite consisting of implementing in a step (i) mixing of at least one silica source, at least one salt of N,N,N′,N′-tetramethyl-N,N′-dibenzyloctanediammonium, at least one alkali and/or alkaline earth metal M and water and then implementing in a step (ii) hydrothermal treatment of said mixture until said crystallised lamellar solid constituted by magadiite is formed.
US07691348B2
A process for removing anionic impurities from a caustic aluminate solution having aqueous tetrahydroxy aluminate ions is described. A caustic aluminate solution is obtained such that anionic impurities are partially or substantially substituted into tetrahydroxy aluminate ions to form substituted aluminate ions. A suitable calcium compound, such as quicklime, is reacted in a conventional slaker (10) with a slaking solution, for example water, and stored in an agitated storage tank (12). The resulting slurry is pumped to a reaction vessel (14) where it is reacted with a caustic aluminate solution under appropriate conditions such that the calcium compound is converted into tricalcium aluminate (TCA) precipitate. Upon reaction substituted aluminate ions are substantially incorporated within the TCA precipitate to form a substituted TCA precipitate enabling the anionic impurities to be removed from the solution via the substituted TCA precipitate for disposal or recovery. The caustic aluminate liquor may be optionally fortified with an anionic impurity by mixing it in a mixing tank (16) with the anionic impurity.
US07691344B2
An oil reconversion devices 1a and 1b for waste plastics which thermally crack a waste plastic Ro by heating it and converts a generated cracker gas Gr into oil by cooling it, equipped with a thermal cracking bath 2 which has a bath main body 4 placed inside a coil 3 . . . , induction-heats the bath main body 4 by feeding a high-frequency current through the coil 3 . . . , and thermally cracks at least a molten plastic Rd obtained from the waste plastic Ro to generate the cracker gas Gr, an injection port 5 through which the waste plastic Ro is injected, a feeder 6 which supplies the waste plastic Ro injected through this injection port 5 to the thermal cracking bath 2 via a forced or direct feeding means Ua or Ub without a bath, and an oil conversion processor 7 which cools and converts the cracker gas Gr generated by the thermal cracking bath 2 into oil.
US07691341B2
A combustion catalyst coating (36) applied to the surface of a ceramic thermal barrier coating (34) which is supported by a metal substrate (32). The microstructure of the thermal barrier coating surface provides the necessary turbulent flow and surface area for interaction of the catalyst and a fuel-air mixture in a catalytic combustor of a gas turbine engine. The temperature gradient developed across the thermal barrier coating protects the underlying metal substrate from a high temperature combustion process occurring at the catalyst surface. The thermal barrier coating deposition process may be controlled to form a microstructure having at least one feature suitable to interdict a flow of fuel-air mixture and cause the flow to become more turbulent than if such feature did not exist.
US07691338B2
A catalytic combustor (14) includes a first catalytic stage (30), a second catalytic stage (40), and an oxidation completion stage (49). The first catalytic stage receives an oxidizer (e.g., 20) and a fuel (26) and discharges a partially oxidized fuel/oxidizer mixture (36). The second catalytic stage receives the partially oxidized fuel/oxidizer mixture and further oxidizes the mixture. The second catalytic stage may include a passageway (47) for conducting a bypass portion (46) of the mixture past a catalyst (e.g., 41) disposed therein. The second catalytic stage may have an outlet temperature elevated sufficiently to complete oxidation of the mixture without using a separate ignition source. The oxidation completion stage is disposed downstream of the second catalytic stage and may recombine the bypass portion with a catalyst exposed portion (48) of the mixture and complete oxidation of the mixture. The second catalytic stage may also include a reticulated foam support (50), a honeycomb support, a tube support or a plate support.
US07691337B2
A container for thermal conditioning of a fluid under pressure, use of the container for thermally conditioning a fluid under pressure, a chemical reactor including the container and a polymerization process using the reactor, and a method of producing the container and the reactor. The container is bounded over at least part of its surface facing the outside by at least one external plate and facing the inside by at least one internal plate, the external plate being thicker than the internal plate, the external plate and the internal plate being joined together in places to define a space between joints for circulation of a heat-transfer fluid and the container including a mechanism to adjust the pressure of the heat-transfer fluid to that of the fluid under pressure.
US07691336B2
Devices and systems and methods for dispensing volatile materials are disclosed. In one embodiment, the system includes a device for emitting volatile materials from an article of manufacture that contains volatile compositions. In such an embodiment, a portion of the device and a portion of the article together define an air flow path for emitting the volatile materials. The device may have various features, including: a heater that is movable with a spring; safety features; and a closed-loop heater temperature feedback system. The device can have placement instructions associated therewith for proper operation of the device.
US07691322B2
The invention provides an improved furnace structure and methods of melting material in furnaces, particularly aimed at reducing the start up time for such furnaces. The furnace (2) defines a container for the molten metal having a maximum depth of molten metal in that container during use. A flow generator (30) for the molten metal within the furnace is fed through a first conduit (32) and supplies material back to the furnace through a second conduit (36). The first conduit entrance is provided in the upper 60% of the maximum depth of the molten metal in the container and/or the second conduit exit is provided in the lower 25% of the maximum depth of the molten metal in the container. The flow generator may receive material preferentially from around the periphery of the container and/or direct material towards the centre of the container. The inlet and outlet to the flow generator may be angled downwards towards the container. All of these features improve heat transfer and material circulation within the furnace.
US07691317B2
In at least one method for manufacturing a double-walled, thermoplastic tube with a connecting sleeve, which enables precise and complete moulding of the connecting sleeve by simple means, it is provided that a) a first tube (1) is extruded into a mould tunnel (4) comprising at least one row of moulds (5) guided on a path, b) the first tube (1) is given a corrugated shape in at least one first section and expanded into a connecting sleeve in at least one second section, c) a second tube (6) is extruded into the first tube and pressed against the corrugation troughs (8) of the first tube (1), d) while the first tube (1) is being given a corrugated shape and the second tube (6) extruded into the first, the space (A) between the two tubes (1, 6) is subjected to a pressure p1 that is above atmospheric pressure, e) the space (A) between the two tubes (1, 6) is subjected, at a specified time before or after expansion of the first tube (1) into a connecting sleeve, to an essentially constant pressure p2≦p1 above atmospheric pressure, or to a variable, but not continuously declining pressure p2, f) during extrusion of the second tube (6) into the first tube (1), which has already been expanded into a connecting sleeve, the second tube (6) is internally subjected to a pressure p3 above atmospheric pressure and pressed against the first tube (1), and g) pressure p1 is subsequently again applied to space (A) between the two tubes.
US07691315B2
An apparatus and process are provided for molding articles such as animal chew toys by providing mold cavities in series. Plasticated resin may flow through a runner system and gate to substantially fill a first cavity and then through a sub-gate to fill a second cavity of which may include a shape that is similar to the first cavity shape. This may result in substantially reduced offal, e.g. trim waste, in the molding process.
US07691306B2
Method for producing transparent polypropylene based sheet and transparent polypropylene based sheet
The present invention relates to a transparent polypropylene based sheet and its manufacturing method capable of: providing proper properties as a transparent sheet such as tensile characteristic, impact resistance, rigidity and little generation of whitening when being folded as well as maintaining transparency; preventing generation of a gum-like material in molding; and realizing continuous production. A manufacturing machine 1 includes: an extruding unit 11 for melting and kneading a raw material and extruding the material into a sheet-like shape; a first cooling unit 12 for cooling the melted sheet-like resin composition 20a to obtain a sheet (sheet-like article) 20; a preheating unit 13 for reheating the sheet 20; a heat treatment unit 14 for heat-treating the sheet-like resin composition 20; and a second cooling unit 15 for cooling the heat-treated sheet 20. The raw material of a resulting sheet 21 contains a polypropylene resin (a) and a metallocene-type ethylene-α-olefin copolymer (b).
US07691305B2
A method for making a fiber-reinforced thermoplastic polymer composition and forming a fabricated article therefrom. A thermoplastic polymer, a masterbatch comprising an elastomer and a reinforcing fiber material are compounded, extruded and immediately formed into a fabricated article. The fabricated article is formed by compression molding, vacuum forming, thermoforming, injection molding, blow molding, profile extrusion or combinations thereof.
US07691301B2
A multi-cellular polypropylene container with a cut-scored region connecting the cells of the container is described. By varying the cut-score depths depending on the orientation of the plastic material, greater consistency in the tearability of the individual cells is achieved. One or more star-cut patterns may be provided between the cells. The star-cut patterns have curved edges that lead to the separation region. The curved edges provide a generally smooth surface that does not cut or snag the user.
US07691287B2
A method of polishing a substrate with a polishing composition comprising an oxidizing agent and abrasive particles having a surface, said surface of the abrasive particles being at least partially modified with 1) at least one stabilizer compound comprising aluminum, boron, tungsten, or both, said stabilizer compound being bound via a covalent bond to said abrasive particles, and 2) an organic chelating compound, said chelating compound being bound via a covalent bond to said stabilizer compound. The organic chelating compounds include one or more of 1) a nitrogen-containing moiety and between one and five other polar groups; 2) a sulfur-containing moiety and between one and five other polar groups; and 3) between two and five polar groups selected from carboxylic acid groups or salts thereof and hydroxyl groups.
US07691281B2
A method of producing a reflective design includes the steps of lasering a pattern on an adhesive side of a reflective laminated material. The lasering ablates the adhesive and causes these areas to not adhere. The reflective laminate material is applied to a substrate. A carrier layer of the reflective laminate is removed to produce a reflective design on the substrate. This method allows for highly customized designs at a reasonable cost that are very visually appealing. The substrate may be a textile, paper, or decal material. The textile may be the garment or may be a patch that is sewn onto a garment or applied to the garment with an adhesive.
US07691265B2
The present invention relates to a point-of-use water treatment system unit (10). The unit (10) includes a filter housing assembly (60) having a filter tank assembly (66) and a closure (64) which utilizes a handle (152) and cammed reciprocating lock blades (146, 150) to secure the closure (64) to the filter tank assembly (66). A UV tank assembly (300) includes a planar baffle plate (322) and a vaned baffle plate (324) to induce plug flow about a UV lamp assembly (280). The UV lamp assembly (280) is used which simultaneously electrically and sealingly mounts to UV tank assembly (300) and electrical cap assembly (290) using a bayonet mount. A bi-planar manifold assembly (40) is used to interconnect components of the WTS unit and to provide an envelope for accommodating a water pipe assembly (34). The bi-planar manifold assembly (26) enhances the compactness of the design of the WTS unit (10). Also, a support plate (26) is disclosed which provides support to subcomponents of the WTS unit (10) while also dissipating heat from a UV tank assembly (300).
US07691261B2
A granular filter media dry cell (or filter or bed) for dewatering a liquid composition of water and particulate solids. The liquid composition is applied to the granular filter media to remove water from the liquid composition by passing through the granular filter media with the particular solids collecting on top surface of granular filter media. Water is first allowed to fill from below to just above the top layer of the filter media. A non-porous liner is located on the inner, bottom surface of the container. A drain pipe, having small openings, is located on top of the liner in the valley. A porous layer of large filter media, with the drain pipe therein, is located in the bottom of the container. A grid having open passageways, with fine filter media therein, is located on top thereof. A layer of fine filtrate sand is located on top of the grid.
US07691256B2
Heavy hydrocarbon charges are converted in a deasphalting section in the presence of solvents and obtaining two streams, one consisting of deasphalted oil and the other one containing asphaltenes, mixing the deasphalted oil stream with a hydrogenation catalyst and passing the thus obtained mixture to a hydroprocessing section containing hydrogen or hydrogen/H2S, mixing the stream consisting of asphaltenes discharged from the deasphalting section with an appropriate hydrogenation catalyst and passing the obtained mixture to a second hydroprocessing section where it is reacted with hydrogen or a mixture of hydrogen and H2S, passing both the stream containing the reaction product with dispersed catalyst from the hydroprocessing section and the stream containing the reaction product with dispersed catalyst from the second hydroprocessing section, to one or more distillation or flash stages, whereby the more volatile fractions are separated from the distillation residue (tar) or from the liquid discharged from the flash unit, sending the distillation residue (tar) or the liquid discharged from the flash unit, containing the catalyst in the dispersed phase, with a high content of metal sulphides, produced by demetallization of the charge, to a second deasphalting section thereby obtaining deasphalted oil and asphaltenes.
US07691240B2
The invention includes backing plates having coolant deflectors with at least a portion of each of the deflectors being nonlinear. Projections projecting from the backing plate are configured to insert into openings within a sputtering target. The invention includes targets having at least one opening to receive a fastener extending into the target through a back surface. The invention includes a target assembly having projections projecting from the backing plate and insertable within openings within the target. The invention includes a target assembly having a plurality of coolant deflectors disposed between the target and the backing plate. A segment of each of the deflectors is nonlinear. The invention includes methods of cooling a target. Coolant deflectors are disposed within a gap between the target and a backing plate with coolant deflectors being nonlinear along at least a portion of their length.
US07691234B2
The present invention relates to an aqueous composition comprising anionic organic polymeric particles and colloidal anionic silica-based particles. The anionic organic polymeric particles are obtainable by polymerizing one or more ethylenically unsaturated monomers together with one or more polyfunctional branching agents and/or polyfunctional crosslinking agents. The anionic organic polymeric particles and the colloidal anionic silica-based particles in the aqueous composition are present in an amount of at least 0.01% by weight based on the total weight of the aqueous composition. The present invention further relates to a method for the preparation of the aqueous composition, uses of the aqueous composition and a process for the production or paper, in which the aqueous composition is added to a cellulosic suspension.
US07691228B2
An improved process for making sheet from a fibrous furnish includes: depositing the furnish on a foraminous support; compactively dewatering the furnish to form a nascent web; drying the web on a heated cylinder; creping the web therefrom and throughdrying the web to a finished product. The microstructure of the web is controlled so as to facilitate throughdrying. The product exhibits a characteristic throughdrying coefficient of from 4 to 10 when the airflow through the sheet is characterized by a Reynolds Number of less than about 1. The novel products of the invention are characterized by wet springback ratio, hydraulic diameter and an internal bond strength parameter.
US07691225B2
Disclosed is a thermal-release double-coated pressure-sensitive adhesive tape or sheet which includes a substrate, a foaming agent-free pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (A) arranged on one side of the substrate, and a foaming agent-containing pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (B) arranged on the other side. The pressure-sensitive adhesive layer (A) contains 5 to 30 parts by weight of a plasticizer and 100 parts by weight of a base polymer and has a tensile adhesive strength of 1 N/20 mm in width or less with respect to a poly(ethylene terephthalate) film as determined at a peel angle of 180 degrees, a rate of pulling of 300 mm/minute, a temperature of 23±2° C., and a relative humidity of 65±5%. The weight loss of plasticizer is 2 percent by weight or less when the tape or sheet is heated at a temperature of 165° C. and a pressure of one atmosphere for one hour.
US07691220B2
A method of depositing at least one functional film on at least one part of one or two faces of flat or curved substrates. The substrates are conveyed individually to a film-coating station and are advanced therein along the plane or neutral plane thereof. The film-coating station includes a film-applicator assembly including at least one axis perpendicular to the direction of advancement of the substrate and parallel to the advancement plane, at least one reel of film being mounted to the assembly. The method: conveys the leader of the film from each of the reels, which is to be applied to, and held against one face of, the substrate at a selected position, into the film-coating station; unwinds the reels such that the film can be applied in at least one strip to the advancing substrate; and cuts the film at a selected moment. Moreover, the new film leader is held to be ready to be applied at the selected position on the same substrate on a subsequent substrate.
US07691217B2
A process for manufacturing a tire includes providing an elastomeric layer on an outer surface of a toroidal support, manufacturing the tire on the toroidal support provided with the elastomeric layer, introducing the tire supported on the toroidal support into a moulding cavity, introducing a fluid under pressure into a space defined between the toroidal support and an inner surface of the tire in order to press an outer surface of the tire against walls of the moulding cavity, and curing the tire. The elastomeric layer forms an inner circumferential surface of the tire. The process further includes causing an electrical current to flow in at least one heating element provided to the outer surface of the toroidal support so as to obtain at least partial precuring of the elastomeric layer. A toroidal support for carrying out the process is also disclosed.
US07691204B2
A film formation system 10 has a processing chamber 15 bounded by sidewalls 18 and a top cover 11. In one embodiment, the top cover 11 has a reflective surface 13 for reflecting radiant energy back onto a substrate 19, pyrometers 405 for measuring the temperature of the substrate 19 across a number of zones, and at least one emissometer 410 for measuring the actual emissivity of the substrate 19. In another embodiment, a radiant heating system 313 is disposed under the substrate support 16. The temperature of the substrate 19 is obtained from pyrometric data from the pyrometers 405, and the emissometer 410.
US07691183B2
Method for drying the compressed gas of a compressor device (1) having at least two pressure stages (4-5), whereby a dryer (3) is used with at least two pressure vessels (9-12) which are filled with a desiccant and which work alternately, such that when one pressure vessel (12) is in action to dry the compressed gas, the other pressure vessel (9) is being regenerated, whereby, in order to regenerate the other pressure vessel (9), at least a part of this compressed gas is guided through the regenerating pressure vessel (9), and at least at the end of the regeneration cycle, this part of the compressed gas, after its passage through the regenerating pressure vessel, is guided to the pressure pipe (6) between two pressure stages (4-5).
US07691176B2
A method for manufacturing metal nanorods includes: a step of adding a reducing agent to a metallic salt solution; a step of radiating light into the metallic salt solution containing the reducing agent; and a step of leaving the light-radiated metallic salt solution containing the reducing agent stationary in a dark place so as to grow metal nanorods. Metal nanorods can be also grown by forming a mixed solution by fractionating the above light-radiated metallic salt solution and mixing the fractionated metallic salt solution into a non-radiated metallic salt solution containing the reducing agent, or mixing a non-radiated metallic salt solution and the reducing agent into the above light-radiated metallic salt solution; and leaving the mixed solution stationary in a dark place so as to grow metal nanorods.
US07691169B2
Soil dispersible and water dispersible granular nutrients for use in fertilizers include granules having a crystallized saccharide and acid binder with carboxylates (sucrates) of a nutrient embedded therein and a method of preparing the nutrient containing granules is provided. A reducible nutrient compound and citric acid is converted to a nutrient carboxylate (sucrate) and chelate by reacting the reducible nutrient and citric acid with a sprayed stream of a stoichiometric excess of reducing saccharides (sugar cane molasses) containing at least 76% by weight solids and glacial acetic acid at a temperature of 160° to 175° F.
US07691165B1
The present invention may be used for framing a fluid flow filter pack. A first frame member may have a first border element with an open portion. The first border element may have four first side walls bendable along a line parallel to a peripheral edge of each of the first side walls. A second frame member may have a second border element with an open portion. The second border element may have four side walls bendable along a bend line parallel to an outer edge of each side wall. Each side wall of the second frame member may have a sealing flap bendable along the outer edge. The second frame member may be positioned on the first frame member with each side wall overlapping and attached to one of the first frame member side walls. The sealing flap may be bent to be adjacent to the second frame member side walls.
US07691164B2
A suction device for a cyclone filter of a hand-guided work apparatus includes a blower which is located in a housing and a starting unit with a cable drum which is rotatably mounted about an axis, wherein ambient air sucked in with dirt particles is divided by the cyclone filter into a first air stream which is largely freed from dirt particles and into a second air stream loaded with dirt particles. The housing has an inlet and an outlet for the second air stream, which has a simple configuration and a good suction performance for air laden with dirt particles. The blower is mounted rotatably about an axis which is arranged coaxially to the cable drum axis and the housing is designed with a channel which is connected to the inlet and opens in the region of the cable drum axis.
US07691163B2
A vehicle air dryer comprising: a dryer cylinder for drying compressed air passing therethrough, an exhaust assembly for providing an additional air outlet, a backflow assembly for providing a backflow air passage, an air pressure governor assembly for maintaining air pressure inside the vehicle air dryer, an one way check valve for providing one way air passage for dried compressed air and preventing air leakage, and a dryer valve body having an air inlet, an air inlet chamber, an air outlet, a slanting air passage leading to the air outlet, a first opening for installing the exhaust assembly, an opposite, second opening for threadingly attaching the dryer cylinder, a third opening, substantially perpendicular to the second opening, for mounting the backflow assembly, and a fourth opening, substantially parallel to the third opening, for receiving the air pressure governor assembly.
US07691162B2
An elongate spike configuration of air filter for an automotive vehicle includes a cowl arranged to extend parallel to the ram air flow about the vehicle and resulting from movement of the vehicle at speed. The cowl is rotational and is power driven in rotation during operation of the vehicle such as to smooth ram air flow, reducing turbulence and excessive ram air pressure so as to improve running smoothness of the vehicle engine.
US07691157B2
The present invention relates to a method for producing a solid electrolytic capacitor in which a solid electrolyte layer is provided by a process comprising a step of dipping a valve-acting metal having thereon a dielectric film layer in a monomer-containing solution, followed by drying (Step 1), a step of dipping the valve-acting metal in an oxidizing agent-containing solution, followed by drying (Step 2), and a step of dipping the valve-acting metal in an oxidizing agent-free solution, followed by drying (Step 3); and to a solid electrolytic capacitor produced thereof. According to the present invention, a thin capacitor element with reduced failure of short circuit and less fluctuation in the element shape can be stably produced, the number of capacitor elements stacked in a solid electrolytic capacitor chip can be increased to realize high capacitance, and a solid electrolytic capacitor element suitable for a solid electrolytic multilayer capacitor with less fluctuation in the equivalent series resistance can be provided.
US07691156B2
An exemplary repairing method includes providing a substrate having a plurality of conducting lines; detecting a broken position of one of the conducting lines; switching on a nozzle; and forming a copper layer at the broken position on the substrate. The repairing method of the present invention employing a repairing device for performing a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method to forming the copper layer at a position of the broken defect of one of the conducting lines.
US07691149B2
A patellar implant includes a posterior portion and an anterior portion. The posterior portion may define an articulating surface and a first retaining feature. The anterior portion may define a tissue engaging portion and a second retaining feature adapted to advance into a mechanical interlock with the first retaining feature in an assembled position. The mechanical interlock between the first and second retaining features may cooperate to resist separation of the posterior and anterior portions in the assembled position.
US07691146B2
In various embodiment of the invention an implant can be placed between two adjacent vertebral bodies using a lateral insertion method. The implant is characterized as having a first end plate and a second end plate which a crossbar spacer there between. The crossbar spacer preferably fits within a channel on the inner surfaces of the first end plate and the second end plate, where the spacer allows the first end plate to pivot, twist and/or rotate relative to the second end plate. The first end plate and the second end plate include a keel extending therefrom, where the keel traverses longitudinally between a first lateral side and a second opposed lateral side and is substantially perpendicular to the sagittal plane of the patient's spine.
US07691134B2
A system for producing preferential damage to hair exiting mammalian skin. A agent having an average diameter for enabling the agent to penetrate the hair duct is selected. The agent is designed to attach to, or become physically incorporated into, the hair shaft, the hair follicle, the hair bulb or the hair duct. The agent has an electromagnetic radiation absorption characteristic which enables the agent to absorb a first wavelength of electromagnetic radiation from a skin-penetrating electromagnetic radiation source, such as a laser. The agent is applied to the skin so that the agent penetrates the skin and attaches to or becomes physically incorporated into the hair shaft, the hair follicle, the hair bulb or the hair duct. The agent is exposed to the first wavelength of electromagnetic radiation and absorbs the first wavelength of electromagnetic radiation.
US07691129B2
A spinal stabilizing system includes a collar having a tubular sidewall with an interior surface and an exterior surface, the interior surface at least partially bounding a longitudinal passage extending therethrough. A shoulder radially inwardly projects from a second end of the sidewall so as to at last partially encircle the longitudinal passage. A pair of spaced apart channels transversely extend through the sidewall at the first end thereof. The system further includes a screw having a threaded portion and an enlarged head mounted on the end thereof, the head of the screw resting against the shoulder of the collar so that the head can pivot on the shoulder, a locking slot being formed on the head of the screw. A pin is secured to the collar and projects into the locking slot on the head of the screw such rotation of the collar facilitates rotation of the screw.
US07691123B2
The invention provides a nested tubing cannula which comprises outer and inner elongate tubular members, both having a proximal end, a distal end, and a lumen therebetween. The inner tubular member is sealed at its distal end and is nested substantially coaxially within the lumen of the outer tubular member, so that the gap between the inner and the outer tubular member defines a second lumen whereas the first lumen is the lumen of the inner tubular member. A tubular sleeve is disposed coaxially between the inner and outer tubular members. A balloon is mounted on a distal region of the outer tubular member and is in communication with the first lumen. The cannula further comprises a port proximal or distal the balloon occluder and is in communication with the second lumen. Methods for making the devices herein are disclosed.
US07691117B2
A lancing device comprising a movable parallelogram-shaped rack. The rack rotates a linearly fixed pinion which drives a slider-crank system. The slider-crank system in turn drives a lance holder. The parallelogram-shaped rack defines one or more predetermined paths along which the pinion moves. The lance holder is prevented from being extended beyond a predetermined depth when the pinion reaches a predetermined position along the one or more predetermined paths. The pinion is mechanically stopped from further progress by intersecting two legs of the parallelogram-shaped rack. Teeth of the rack may be modified to reduce the change the pinion may jam in the rack.
US07691116B2
An athertome assembly comprises a series of spanning and descending members extended between a segmented base and a cutting surface. This athertome assembly configuration provides both flexibility and structural strength which facilitates the implantation of medical devices.
US07691099B2
A deuterated ocular solution is applied to an eye. The deuterated ocular solution includes deuterated water and one or more ocular drugs (such as proparacaine). A protective corneal device is applied to a cornea of the eye. The device includes a window configured to contact at least a portion of the cornea. At least part of the cornea is irradiated using light energy that passes through the window during a cornea reshaping procedure, where the window is substantially transparent to the light energy. The window of the protective corneal device and the deuterated ocular solution may prevent clinically significant damage to a corneal epithelium of the cornea during the cornea reshaping procedure, such as by preventing a temperature of the corneal epithelium from exceeding approximately 70° C. during the cornea reshaping procedure. This may help to avoid a wound healing response in the eye and an associated regression of refractive correction.
US07691093B2
A method is provided for controlling the fluid flow rate in an extension tube of an introducer needle assembly for use as confirmation flashback. The introducer needle assembly has a catheter attached to a catheter hub with a side port, an extension tube attached to the side port on the catheter hub, and an introducer needle with a notch adapted to be inserted into a bore in the catheter. A lumber extends through the needle and is in fluid communication with the notch. The needle has an outer diameter smaller than the diameter of the bore such that an annular space is defined between the catheter and the needle. The fluid, typically blood, is at a pressure and has a viscosity when the needle accesses it. A preferred minimum fluid velocity of the fluid through the extension tube is selected (preferably at least 1 inch per minute though the extension tube in certain applications). The notch and the annular space are sized based, at least in part, on the viscosity of the fluid and the pressure of the fluid to achieve the preferred flow rate though the extension tube.
US07691089B2
An adjustable trocar washer is provided to facilitate sealing an incision in skin. The adjustable trocar washer is configured for use with a trocar or cannula assembly. The adjustable trocar washer generally includes a compressible collar and a skirt formed at the distal end of the compressible collar for sealing an incision in skin. The compressible collar is longitudinally movable along an elongate tubular member associated with the trocar or cannula assembly. A latch mechanism is provided on the compressible collar to secure the collar in a compressed condition about the elongate tubular member.
US07691087B2
An injection device for use with tissue of a mammalian body comprising a first tubular member and a second tubular member slidably disposed in the first tubular member. The first and second tubular members have respective proximal and distal extremities. The distal extremity of the second tubular member is provided with a needle that is extendable from the distal extremity of the first tubular member. The proximal extremity of the second tubular member is lockable relative to the proximal extremity of the first tubular member. The second tubular member has a column strength when locked within the first tubular member for limiting retraction of the second tubular member relative to the first tubular member during puncture of the tissue by the needle.
US07691086B2
This invention overcomes the disadvantages of the prior art by providing a positionable, direct-injection catheters that can access a specific region of the heart or other organ. The catheter is provided with one or two needle shafts, which may be located within respective sheaths that extend axially along the interior of the lumen of a main catheter shaft. Each needle shaft carries, at a distal end thereof a penetrable element or “needle” that is normally retracted within the distal tip of the main shaft during travel to the target organ, but is subsequently deployed by action of a handle-mounted trigger mechanism to extend the needles into the organ's wall. Each extended needle is curved to relative to the shaft's axis to enter the organ wall in a flattened trajectory that both reduces the chance of puncture through the wall and anchors the needles into the wall during injection (for reduced chance of pullout under pressure). A plurality of apertures which provide for more complete agent delivery rapidly, while maintaining a low delivery velocity to effect treatment delivery in as short a period of time as possible without the problems caused by high velocity delivery. The needles are typically arranged to exit the tip at contralateral orientations relative to each other.
US07691084B2
Therapeutic devices that provide support or pressure to tissue. Devices contain a material that is capable of being contracted from its relaxed state to an evacuated state. The material applies pressure to the tissue of a patient when the material is in its relaxed state. Reduction of pressure by application of a vacuum results in a contracted state of the device, so that the device can be applied or delivered to a patient. Release of vacuum results in a return to the relaxed state, thus providing a maximum desirable pressure to tissue and avoiding the possibility of over-pressure which can result in tissue damage or necrosis.
US07691080B2
A device for interventional surgical or medical procedures is presented. The device is generally in the form of a balloon and is used to position itself or other working elements up against or through lumen walls in the body. The balloon is comprised of at least two materials of different elastic modulus, which allows for a flexible but relatively non-distensible, unfolding component of the balloon as well as an elastomeric, inflatable component of the balloon. The elastomeric component is fixedly attached to the flexible but relatively non-distensible component and together they form a pressure vessel that can be inflated within the lumens of the body.
US07691077B2
An implantable system for the treatment of hydrocephalus includes a plurality of microneedles in a fixed array relative to each other adapted to extend from the subarachnoid space containing CSF surrounding the brain, through dura mater forming the wall of the superior sagital sinus. A microvalve is associated with a proximal end of each of the microneedles and is adapted to permit the flow of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from the subarachnoid space through the wall of the superior sagital sinus and deposited in the venous return of the brain. The method of treating hydrocephalus with the system of this invention also constitutes a part of the invention.
US07691072B2
The present invention relates to an aerosol injection and spout for massages and a container including the same. In more detail, the present invention relates to a container including an aerosol injection and spout for massages that are applied to head skin by directly injecting the aerosol including effective elements and has massage effects by tapping head skin with the spout. The container of the present invention comprises a number of soft projecting parts, a medicine passage connecting to a valve of the container including aerosol with effective elements, and at least one orifice connecting to the medicine passage.
US07691071B2
A sensor and a lancet are integrated with each other. A thin strip-shaped sensor and a lancet are integrated so that the lancet moves in parallel, along a longitudinal direction of the sensor. A measuring device to which an integrated lancet and sensor is attached is provided with a function of driving the attached lancet.
US07691069B2
A method for predicting athletic performance for a subject, the method comprising: obtaining first heart rate data for varying speed, constant incline running; obtaining second heart rate data for varying incline, constant speed running; determining a first power per change in speed at the constant incline; determining a second power per change in incline at the constant speed incline; predicting athletic performance in response to the first power and the second power.
US07691065B2
In an ultrasonic probe including an insert section which is to be inserted into a body cavity organ of a subject and a handle section which is coupled with the insert section, a plurality of vibrator elements (104) are disposed at a tip end of the insert section over the entire 360 degree circumference thereof and in the handle section, a connection change over switch (105) is disposed which successively changes over the electrical connection of a predetermined number of the vibrator elements among the plurality of the vibrator elements to be connected with a predetermined number of ultrasonic wave transmission and reception channels (701,702) in an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus main body for transmitting and receiving ultrasonic wave signals. Accordingly, an ultrasonic probe which permits to collect ultrasonic wave images including tomograms and blood flow images of high quality without positional irregularity over the entire circumference of the insert section of the ultrasonic probe and to display the same, and an ultrasonic diagnostic apparatus using the same are obtained.
US07691064B2
Ultrasound imaging method combined with the presence of contrast media in the body under examination
An ultrasound imaging method for use in the presence of contrast agents is disclosed in which acoustic waves are transmitted at a first fundamental transmission frequency and are focused on at least one scan line. Acoustic beams reflected from the body under examination and the contrast agents are separated into at least one harmonic or subharmonic components along with the fundamental frequency component. The amplitudes of these components compared to determine whether the reflecting material is either body tissue or the contrast agent.
US07691055B2
A grasping apparatus for use with an elevator of an endoscope having enhanced grasping features for grasping an elongate medical device is disclosed. The apparatus comprises a body comprising a grasping surface and an opening formed through the grasping surface to receive the elevator. The opening of the body is configured to be disposed about the elevator of the endoscope. The grasping surface is configured to be disposed on the elevator for grasping of the elongate medical device.
US07691053B2
A gastric restrictor assembly is provided which includes a first longitudinal member, a second longitudinal member, a first connector and a second connector. The first and second connectors support the first and second longitudinal members in spaced relation. The second longitudinal member is rotatably supported between the first and second connectors and includes a bend or offset. The second longitudinal member is rotatable to rotate the offset in relation to the first longitudinal member to selectively vary the width of a channel defined between the first and second longitudinal members. In one embodiment, the second longitudinal member includes engagement structure for engaging a positioning tool and indexing structure for releasably securing the second longitudinal member at fixed positions of rotation in relation to the first longitudinal member.
US07691048B2
An infant monitoring system includes an incubation chamber configured to house an infant. Furthermore, the infant monitoring system includes a data reception interface configured to receive a wireless signal indicative of a vital sign. The infant monitoring system may be configured to communicate wirelessly with a LAN or a remote monitoring system.
US07691047B2
A device for epicardial support and/or the assuming of cardiac activity having a double membrane (1) consisting of an elastic inner membrane (2) and a non-expandable outer membrane (3) as well as a closed cavity (4) formed therebetween which can be inflated and deflated by means of a fluid. With the objective of further developing a device of the type as indicated at the outset which provides a simpler possibility of stimulating the heart in the critical post-operative phase, it is provided for at least one probe/electrode unit (7, 8) to be arranged on the inward facing side (6) of the inner membrane (2) to the heart (5) for epicardial ECG leads and/or signal transmission/conversion of an external pacemaker.
US07691046B2
Fluid transfer device configured as a vacuum pump particularly suited for nondestructive transfer of fluids, including blood and blood constituents. Fluid transfer device used for assisting in the pumping of blood through a patient's heart for reducing the load on the heart, reducing forces and blood pressure on the inner walls of the heart is reduced. Examples are aortic assist device, a ventricular assist device, or artificial heart. Industrial applications include the pumping of fluids, including destructible fluids such as foodstuff with or without food constituents of various sizes within the foodstuff. Food and other fluids may be stored until they are dispensed. By use of a vacuum, the device is operated at no more than atmospheric pressure. A pre-charged pressure tank may be used, such as where fluid pressure of the pumped fluid, including backpressure of body fluids, where pressure greater than atmospheric is required to expel pumped fluid.
US07691030B2
A shock-absorbing device for an exercycle dynamo comprises a bracket and a dynamo. The dynamo generates electricity for the exercycle, and the bracket is connected to the dynamo and the exercycle by plural elastic members, which can provide different shock-absorbing and buffering effects on different positions of the bracket. By such arrangements, better shock-absorbing and buffering effect can be provided to the dynamo.
US07691029B2
A method for operation of a drive train having a drive machine and an automatic, unsynchronized gearwheel variable-speed transmission, which can be connected to the drive machine by using an automatic clutch is described. A control device carries out a selection process as a function of vehicle parameters and/or operating variables of the motor vehicle to determine whether a gear change of the unsynchronized gearwheel variable-speed transmission will be carried out with the clutch engaged or disengaged. To ensure reliable operation of the motor vehicle, a gear change is carried out with the clutch disengaged in a time interval after initial starting up of the drive train and/or after starting of the drive machine and/or when a malfunction is identified in a component in the drive train.
US07691026B2
There is provided a control system for a powertrain system including an electro-mechanical transmission that is selectively operative in a plurality of fixed gear modes and continuously variable modes. The control system is adapted to execute the following steps in the sequence set forth as follows. A preferred operating range state is selected. A shift and an engine start/stop operation are selectively executed to achieve the preferred operating range state. A commanded input torque from the internal combustion engine is determined. Commanded output torques of the first and second electrical machines are determined.
US07691021B2
A power train having dual modes for hybrid vehicles increases the range of the transmission gear ratio within which the efficiency of the power train is superior. The method of operating the power train varies depending on the transmission gear ratio, and thus the power train can be operated with superior efficiency.
US07691016B2
A racket including a string-stretching part for forming a ball-hitting face by tensionally mounting strings in string holes, formed through the string-stretching part, in which grommets are mounted respectively. As the grommets, a double-tubular grommet is mounted in at least one of the string holes. The double-tubular grommet is formed as an integrally molded article, including an inner tubular portion having a string insertion hole through which the string is inserted with the string in contact with the string insertion hole and pulled from an inward-end open portion thereof or an outward-end open portion thereof; an outer tubular portion fitted in the string hole formed through the string-stretching part with the outer tubular portion spaced at a certain interval from the inner tubular portion; and a base portion integrally connected with an outward-side end of the inner tubular portion and that of the outer tubular portion and disposed on a peripheral surface of the string-stretching part.
US07691009B2
Golf balls for use with a system for finding golf balls and methods for making such golf balls. In the case of one exemplary golf ball, the ball includes a shell, a core material and a tag having a diode which is coupled to an antenna which has at least a portion formed from an elastic conductive material, such as an elastic conductive ink. The core material may include a void for receiving at least part of the diode. Other golf balls are described and methods for making balls are also described.
US07691006B1
A golf club having multiple interchangeable striking face plate inserts and a movable weight element positioned therewithin. A number of different angularly inclined striker face plates are keyed to a club head body allowing the club to function as a multiple club configuration. Adjustable weight inserts are provided which impart their kinetic energy during the club swing to increase striking power of the club with the target ball during use.
US07691004B1
An improved golf putter incorporating a weight management system that allows for adjustment of a golf club head weighting by incorporating an adjustable weight system wherein weights may be removed and replaced quickly and easily without requiring a specialized tool is disclosed. Weights received within weight ports formed in the heel and toe portions of the putter are maintained securely affixed within the club head body by plugs adapted for snap fit engagement with the club head. Unlike other putter weight adjustment systems disclosed in the art, the present invention does not require use of a special tool, such as a wrench, to remove and replace the weights. While the preferred golf club embodiment disclosed is a putter, the present invention contemplates incorporating any of the features and/or advancements disclosed herein into any golf club. In addition, the present invention further includes novel aspects relating to overall design, including mass distribution and a rearwardly projecting portion having an upwardly sloped sole that prevents the club from snagging the turf. Furthermore a hollowed out area formed within the rearwardly projecting portion is sized and shaped to receive a correspondingly sized and shaped sensing module adapted to measure club head movement and wirelessly transmit data to a remote graphical user interface.
US07691002B2
A ride vehicle includes a tactile or physical contact system. The ride vehicle moves along a path or track. The path or track can be outdoors or partially or entirely indoors, i.e., in a dark ride. The system provides a touch effect by causing a physical or solid touch element to make physical contact with a part of a rider's body. Alternatively, the system can operate by projecting or spraying a gas, such as air, a vapor, such as water vapor or steam, or even a liquid, such as water, toward or onto part of a rider's body or the rider's clothing. The system is advantageously substantially self-contained aboard the vehicle, but may receive power or working fluid from off-board sources, either at discrete locations, or continuously along the ride path.
US07691000B2
There is provided a universal joint which is a universal joint of a block type in which a bearing cup for supporting a trunnion of a joint cross is integrally formed with a key portion, and the bearing cup is joined to be fixed to a yoke by a bolt in a state of fitting the key portion to a key way of the yoke, in which by forming WC—Ni—Cr thermally-sprayed coatings at both side surfaces of the key portion, corrosion resistance of the key portion is promoted, even when used over a long period of time in a drive system of a rolling mill or the like, a clearance between the key portion and the key way caused by corrosion of the key portion is prevented from being brought about, and a stable performance can be maintained over a long period of time by promoting service life of the bearing and preventing an excessively large bending load from being operated to the bolt.
US07690997B2
Virtual environments in which multiple characters are allowed to form relationships wherein the relationships may provide various benefits as well as obligations are described. Systems and methods for forming, monitoring, and terminating the relationships are also described.
US07690990B2
A virtual environment including various virtual financial institutions and instruments is described. According to some embodiments, some of the virtual financial instruments may be guaranteed by real world financial instruments such as a credit card. Accordingly, various virtual financial transactions such as virtual loans, virtual venture capital investments, virtual banking and virtual insurance are provided.
US07690989B2
According to some embodiments of the present invention a system and method are provided that allow a player of a game to receive at least one prize. The method may include receiving information about at least one merchant, enabling play of a game by a player, determining merchant information to communicate to the player, and providing at least one prize to the player. In some embodiments, the prizes made available to a player (e.g., for selection) may be based on the location of the player, a merchant, or both.
US07690987B2
A gaming device including a re-initiation mode wherein the probability of extending the bonus game is increased by fixing the reel or reels displaying a locking symbol on the reel. In the re-initiation mode embodiment, the gaming device re-activates some or all of the reels except the reel displaying the locking symbol for a predetermined number of additional free spins or until the reactivated reels display or indicate a terminating symbol on the reels. The gaming device provides any outcomes associated with indicated symbols or combination of symbols. In one embodiment, if a terminating symbol is displayed on designated reels during one of the additional free spins, the gaming device re-initiates the bonus game.
US07690979B2
The betting apparatus is configured such that the numbers of a number display portion forming BET areas are displayed in a second BET screen with the same number as those of number plates disposed on a roulette wheel and in a wheel shape in the common array, and such that not only the designated BET area but also the BET areas around the former can be simultaneously bet by setting the bet width in a BET width select unit.
US07690978B2
A wagering game including a wheel and multiple section indicators. The wheel includes a plurality of sections having awards associated with each of the sections. The section indicators associated with the wheel simultaneously indicate sections on the wheel. The awards associated with the sections indicated by the activated section indicators are summed and provided to a player. The number of activated section indicators is predetermined, randomly determined, determined by the player's wager in the primary or base game, determined in a primary game or determined by a sub-game or a set.
US07690962B2
A liquid crystal display device bonding apparatus includes a chamber part for bonding substrates together, a plurality of moving elements within the chamber part, and at least one origin verifying system provided along moving paths of the moving elements.
US07690955B2
A bushing well, which generally includes a bushing well housing defining a conical inner cavity for receiving an end of a bushing insert and an electrically conductive insert disposed within the housing, wherein the insert has an installation tool engagement portion accessible by an installation tool via the inner cavity of the housing for attaching the bushing well to an electrical device.
US07690952B2
A connecting module (1) having a insulating-material housing (2), at least one conductor connecting terminal (7) which is fitted into the insulating-material housing (2) and is accessible via an associated conductor insertion opening in the insulating-material housing (2) in order to hold an electrical conductor, and having at least one busbar bar (3), which is electrically connected to one or more associated conductor connecting terminals (7), is in the form of a round bar and is laid in associated channels (4) in the insulating-material housing (2) is described. At least one busbar bar (3) is angled and has a first connecting section (5, 9) which contains a free end and extends at an angle to a direction section (8) which extends to the connecting section (5, 9). The connecting section (5, 9) is inserted into a connecting opening (6) in the associated conductor connecting terminal (7) such that the extent direction is located essentially transversely with respect to the extent direction of the connecting opening (6) and parallel to the perpendicular to the plane which is covered by the connecting opening (6), and the direction section (8) is aligned in a desired extent direction in an associated channel (4) by suitable rotational alignment of the connecting section (5, 9) about its axis.
US07690948B2
An electrical connector includes an insulative housing (1), a plurality of contacts (2) arranged in the insulating housing, a pair of locking pieces (4) received in the insulative housing and a metal shell (3) receiving the insulative housing. The insulative housing has a base portion (11) and a tongue portion (12) extending from the base portion. The metal shell includes a main shell (31) and a sub shell (32) an ached to the main shell. The main shell has a front shroud portion (311) surrounding the tongue portion of the insulative housing and a rear portion (312) supporting the base portion. The front shroud portion forms at least one embossed portion (313) thereon. The sub shell is attached to the rear portion of the main shell and has a curve portion (321) abutting against a rear end of the front shroud portion to enclose the base portion of the insulative housing. The main shell and the sub shell each have curve arms (3102, 3202) abutting against the rear ends of the locking pieces.
US07690938B2
An electrical connector assembly (100) includes a housing (10), a number of signal terminals loaded in the housing (10) and a stiffener (11) disposed around the housing (10), a metal clip (13) and a lever (12) attached to two opposite sides of the stiffener (11), wherein a securing plate (15) is disposed between the metal clip (13) and the chip module (14), and the securing plate (15) is mounted above an upper surface of the chip module (14).
US07690936B1
An electrical penetrator for subsea use has an annular cavity between the connector pin and the body of the penetrator that is filled with a dielectric oil which may act as a pressure compensator. In certain embodiments, a plurality of nested boot seals provide a watertight seal between an electrical cable and the body of the penetrator. An inner boot seal has a stepped inner diameter which engages a central, axial, connector pin and at least one wall of a cylindrical projection or an annular recess formed in the external face of the penetrator body. An outer boot seal has a stepped inner diameter which provides a watertight seal to an attached electrical cable, the connector pin and an outer segment of the inner boot seal.
US07690932B2
Disclosed is an anisotropic conductive sheet which is equipped with an insulating base portion and a plurality of conductive portions extending through the base portion in a thickness direction thereof, which easily allows temporary fixation at a time of attachment thereof, and which, if pressurized, causes no adhesive material to be squeezed out onto the conductive contacts. An anisotropic conductive sheet includes a base portion and conductive portions exposed therethrough to form conductive contacts, with at least one of surfaces of the base portion having an adhesive portion spaced apart from the conductive contacts.
US07690931B2
The invention relates to a first component (12, 13, 31, 36a-36c, 50, 62) intended for being connected to a second component (14, 15, 51, 63a-63c). The first component (12, 13, 31, 36a-36c, 50, 62) comprises at least one recess (16, 17, 32, 37a-37c, 52a-52c, 64a-64c) having at least one opening (19, 20, 34, 35, 54a-54c) which will be filled at least in part by the second component (14, 15, 51, 63a-63c) which latter is in a flowing condition during establishment of the connection, at least in the area of the opening (19, 34, 54a-54c). A reduction in cross-section (18, 33, 38a-38c, 53a-53c, 65a-65c) is provided in the recess (16, 17, 32, 37a-37c, 52a-52c, 64a-64c) that will be back-filled by the second component (14, 15, 51, 63a-63c) during establishment of the connection. The reduction in cross-section (18, 33, 38a-38c, 53a-53c, 65a-65c) is provided in the recess (16, 17, 32, 37a-37c, 52a-52c, 64a-64c) on the side facing the second component (14, 15, 51, 63a-63c).
US07690920B2
A reinforcement for a dental restoration substructure is provided. The reinforcement is a generally annular structure that protrudes from the body of the substructure generally near an occlusal portion of the restoration. The annular structure provides a support for veneering porcelain at the location of the greatest thickness of the porcelain and at the location where occlusal stress is applied, and fractures of veneering porcelain are commonly experienced.
US07690917B2
A method includes obtaining an electronic model image representing teeth of a patient; determining a desired bracket arrangement for one or more brackets on the teeth; designing an electronic model image of an alignment device based in part on the desired bracket arrangement; and fabricating the alignment device based on the electronic model image of the alignment device. The desired bracket arrangement includes a surface location, a tip orientation, and a torque orientation of each bracket. The alignment device defines at least one slot through which a bracket can be placed at a surface location and an orientation indicator to indicate a desired tip orientation and a desired torque orientation of each bracket.
US07690914B1
A mold assembly includes a collapsible mount for releasably holding an insert within a mold cavity of the assembly in order to integrally form the insert with a molded article such as a tank liner. The collapsible mount includes a number of fingers secured to the mount and capable of being inserted through and expanded to engage the insert. The fingers are expanded after insertion through the insert by a core engageable with the fingers in order to securely hold the insert in position on the fingers of the mount and within the mold cavity. After formation of the article around the insert, the core can be disengaged from the fingers, which then move to a collapsed position such that the mount can be quickly withdrawn from within the insert and the mold cavity.
US07690896B2
A gas turbine engine comprises a compressor section, a combustion section disposed downstream from the compressor section, and a turbine section disposed downstream from the combustion section. The turbine section includes a turbine disk defining a plurality of turbine disk slots for accommodating turbine blades. The plurality of turbine disk slots each include an inlet having a rounded periphery at a bottom portion thereof.
US07690894B1
A turbine blade for use in a gas turbine engine having an internal serpentine flow cooling circuit with pin fins and trip strips to promote heat transfer for obtaining a thermally balanced blade sectional temperature distribution. The turbine blade is cooled by a 7-pass serpentine flow cooling circuit that extends from the leading edge and along the pressure side wall of the airfoil, into the trailing edge and then flows along the suction side wall ending just downstream from the leading edge where the 7-pass serpentine flow circuit started. Leading edge film cooling holes are supplied from the first leg of the serpentine while a row of trailing edge exit holes is supplied from the third leg which extends across both walls of the airfoil in the trailing edge.
US07690891B2
Resting element (10) for a compressor or turbine comprising a first cantilever resting portion (20) and a second fixing portion (30) to a case of the compressor or turbine by means of a series of screws (60), the second fixing portion (30) comprises a third end portion (32) externally axial symmetrical and also a fourth counter-portion (36) situated between the third portion (32) and the first resting portion (20) to prevent the disengagement of a hauling rope.
US07690890B2
A wall configuration of an axial-flow machine which can reduce the secondary flow loss is provided. A trough is formed between a blade and another blade in the blade row and extends in at least an axial direction of the blade row. The region where the trough is formed is axially between a leading edge and a trailing edge of the blade. A center line of the trough has a curvature in the same direction as a camber line of the blade. A maximum amplitude of the trough is located adjacent to an axial center of the blade or located axially between the axial center and the leading edge of the blade.
US07690885B2
A method for cooling a shroud segment of a gas turbine engine includes providing a turbine shroud assembly including a shroud segment having a leading edge defining a forward face. A turbine nozzle is coupled to the turbine shroud assembly such that a gap is defined between an aft face of an outer band of the turbine nozzle and the forward face, wherein a lip formed on the aft face is positioned radially inwardly with respect to the gap and extends substantially axially downstream from the gap. Cooling air is directed into the gap. Cooling air exiting the gap impinges against the lip. Post impingement cooling air is directed at the forward face to facilitate forming a film cooling layer on the shroud segment. The film cooling layer is shielded from combustion gases flowing through the gas turbine engine.
US07690880B2
An interface between a hydraulic power system and an hydraulically actuated engagement member includes a first portion that is pivotally coupled to a second portion, and has an inlet capable of being coupled to the power system. The second portion is fixedly attached to an attachment bracket capable of interfacing with an attachment. The first portion has a path to provide oil to the second portion, which in turn provides oil from the first portion to the attachment bracket. The attachment bracket includes a housing that accepts an engagement member capable of being hydraulically actuated to secure or release the attachment with respect to the power machine.
US07690875B2
A method of transporting and storing a wind turbine blade includes providing a wind turbine blade including a blade root having a longitudinal central axis and a blade tip. The wind turbine blade curves in an unloaded state in such a manner that the blade presents a substantially concave face and a substantially convex face, and such that the blade tip is spaced apart from the longitudinal central axis of the blade root. The wind turbine blade is prestressed at a distance from the blade root in such a manner that the blade tip is brought closer to the longitudinal central axis of the blade root.
US07690873B2
A spindle apparatus which facilitates assembling and removing operations at the time of maintenance and which is low cost. In the invention, the diameter becomes smaller in the order of an inner peripheral diameter of an outer cylinder (3), an inside diameter of a stator (4), and an outside diameter of a bearing sleeve (11); a sub-assembly (2) made up of a front housing (8), a rotating shaft (6), and the bearing sleeve (11) is withdrawable from the outer cylinder (3); and the diameter of a rotating part in an arbitrary section located rearwardly of the bearing sleeve (11) is made smaller than a minimum diameter of a non-rotating part between a rear end of the bearing sleeve (11) and the section.
US07690867B2
A center beam connection assembly for temporary shoring includes a pair of end-caps adapted to fit over respective ends of a center shoring beam. Arms extending from each end-cap engage a web of a main shoring beam in a excavation site shoring system. The end-caps may be used alone, or in combination with reinforcing and spacer bars. Reinforcing bars include first and second hooks adapted to connect to a main shoring beam and a center shoring beam, respectively. When utilized, each spacer bar is connected to at least one tab on an end-cap and at least one tab on a reinforcing bar via connecting pins. In this manner, one or more center shoring beams can span an excavation hole to provide removable, reusable and temporary support for a shoring system.
US07690859B2
In order to stop a moving vehicle without injury to occupants, a vehicle barrier is provided having a pair of platforms disposed on opposite sides of a roadway, and a capture net extending across the roadway between the platforms. Each platform has a rotatably mounted spool attached to a different end of the net, and a dual acting extension-compression shock absorber pivotally mounted to the spool, such that when the force or energy of an impacting vehicle on the net is applied to the shock absorbers, via rotation of the spools. Rotation of spools operate the shock absorbers in compression, and if needed, in extension. In railroad crossing application, two of the vehicle barriers are provided on either side of the railroad tracks to prevent vehicles from crossing the railroad tracks.
US07690844B2
Apparatus and methods for incrementally positioning at least one adjustable axis of a guidance system where the guidance system may be an image based guidance system.
US07690827B2
A light guide member illuminates with uniform light intensity distribution using the point light source light. On the lower end of the light guide member having a pair of side faces disposed oppositely, a groove is provided for receiving light output from each point light source and diffusing the above received light to at least three directions from the incident side toward the output side. Light components having directions using side-face reflection are generated in the light guide member, enabling light output to multiple directions from the cylindrical-shaped light guide member, and uniform illumination over a wide range. By using the ring-shaped light guide member, cost reduction is effectively achieved, and miniaturization of the illumination mechanism and the image capturing mechanism can also be attained.
US07690823B2
Comprises in combination: at least one light source; a support plate for the light source, which is at least one; a protective cover that permits the light emitted by the light source to reach the outside; at least one wall which, in combination with the cover, forms a casing to hold the said light source, in which at least the said support plate has a black coloured surface facing the said cover; and in which the position of said light source, which is at least one, in relation to the casing, is such that it emits the light directly to the exterior.
US07690821B2
A safety device for use with a load-carrying vehicle, which includes a lamp and a flag to warn vehicles of overhanging or extended loads. The device has a supporting member for attaching to a load. The supporting member may attach to the load using screws, bungee cords, or magnetism, or by receiving the end of a pipe or tubing in an internal indentation. The supporting member is formed as a clamp with two elongate parts hingedly connected in a base unit with a spring mechanism.
US07690819B2
An external light shielding film including a lens pattern formed on a surface of a base substrate and including a plurality of aspheric lenses, and an external light shielding pattern formed on another surface of the base substrate, and a display filter having the same, are provided. The external light shielding film and the display filter having the same may increase a contrast ratio in a bright room, enhance brightness, and increase a viewing angle.
US07690810B2
A plurality of LEDs are arrayed in the X-direction, and a light-guide plate is provided facing the LEDs. A plurality of prisms extending in the Y-direction are formed on a light-receiving surface of the light-guide plate. A plurality of prisms are additionally formed on a light-emitting surface of the light-guide plate. Light emitted from the LED is thereby divided into a plurality of light beams by the prisms, and a portion of the light is condensed toward the prisms. Light that is condensed toward the prisms is divided in a plurality of directions and transmitted in the light-guide plate. When the light reaches another prism, the light is reflected by the prism and emitted from the light emitting surface.
US07690809B2
The present invention provides an LED lighting device inlaid on a ceiling. The ceiling is divided into a plurality of lattice by a matrix of metal strip, plastic strip or wood strip, a matrix of LED are installed on the lattice; an AC power is inputted through a power line to an AC/DC converter for being converted into a DC power, and then the DC power passes through a current stabilizer, a resistor, a connector for being inputted to two ends of each row of the LEDs; LEDs of each row are serially connected.Another embodiment of the present invention is to divide a ceiling into a plurality of lattice by a matrix of metal strip, plastic strip or wood strip, a plurality of vacated frame are formed on the lattice for being inlaid with a plurality of LED module respectively; a connector and a matrix of LED are installed on the LED module; a plate is installed on the upper edge and lower edge of the vacated frame; a power line, an AC/DC converter, a current stabilizer and a resistor are installed on the plate; an AC power is inputted through the power line to the AC/DC converter for being converted into a DC power, and then the DC power passes through the current stabilizer, the resistor, the connector for being inputted to two ends of each row of the LEDs; LEDs of each row are serially connected.
US07690801B2
Lighting apparatus for an image-gathering device, includes a light frame supporting a plurality of light emitting diode lamps configured to emit light at a tungsten balanced color temperature, and a support member that defines a filter tray aperture to accommodate a filter tray. The light frame defines a circular aperture to enable the light frame to be located around the barrel of a camera lens, and the filter tray aperture is visible within said circular aperture of said light frame. A manually adjustable filter clamp is provided for holding a filter tray in place once located with respect to the filter tray aperture. Lighting apparatus arranged to accommodate a plurality of filter trays.
US07690800B2
A mirror angle controller is provided which includes a pivot plate (H) which is attached to a reverse side of a mirror (M), and an actuator (A) which holds the pivot plate (H), in which the actuator (A) includes a housing (A1), a rod (A3) which pushes and pulls the pivot plate (H), and a motor which provides driving force to the rod (A3), in which, a ringed holder (121) which is placed to surround the rod (A3) is formed in the housing (A1), and in which the pivot plate (H) includes a ringed sliding part (H31) which is contact with and arbitrarily slides on the holder (121), and an engaging part which is engaged with an end of the rod (A3) so as to securely hold the mirror (M).
US07690798B2
A protector includes a projector body which has an image display unit which displays an image, a member to be projected onto which an image emitted from the image display unit is to be projected, and a connecting part capable of holding the member to be projected and the projector body at a predetermined distance therebetween and capable of accommodating the member to be projected within the projector body. The member to be projected can be unfolded in an in-plane direction.
US07690797B2
A transportable projector includes a focus adjustment unit for moving a focus lens in a projection lens, an acceleration sensor for detecting acceleration in a direction along an optical axis of the projection lens in the projector, a determination unit for determining whether the projector is in a stationary state or in a moving state in accordance with an output of the acceleration sensor and for respectively determining the direction to which the projector has moved and the distance that the projector has moved in accordance with an output of the acceleration sensor, and a control unit for controlling movement of the focus lens by the focus adjustment unit in accordance with the determined direction and the determined distance of the projector.
US07690791B2
A visual acuity examination is performed on a patient by bringing a confocal imaging apparatus up to a patient's eye. Stimuli at various points in the patient's field of view are generated while the patient fixates on a point. The patient's responses to the stimuli are recorded with the movement of the eye with is tracked with the aid of the confocal imaging apparatus. The position of said stimuli on the retina is corrected to take into account any movement of the eye between stimuli.
US07690788B2
The present invention provides a drive circuit for driving a capacitive electromechanical transducer device. The capacitive electromechanical transducer device is constituted of two electromechanical transducer parts consisting of a first capacitive electromechanical transducer part and a second capacitive electromechanical transducer part and is operated in response to two-phase sinusoidal signals having mutually opposite phases. The drive circuit includes an inductor which resonates with the first electromechanical transducer part and the second electromechanical transducer part, and a resonance frequency of the resonance circuit is set substantially equal to an operation frequency of the electromechanical transducer device.
US07690787B2
The present invention is directed to an arrangement by which the image field of the illumination components and irradiation components of ophthalmic instruments for diagnosis and therapy is improved. In the arrangement according to the invention, one or more diffractive optical elements is/are arranged additionally in the illumination beam path for deliberate shaping of the image plane in the eye to be irradiated. These diffractive optical elements can be located on the surface of other optical elements, swiveled into the illumination beam path, and their wavelength changed by filters. The image plane can be adapted to the spherical contour of the eye so that the projected characters and structures have a uniformly high image quality in the center and in the edge area of the eye. The present invention is applicable for variable illumination for diagnosis and treatment of the eye, in particular for irradiation of the eye lens and other parts of the eye such as the cornea or retina. The arrangement can be used in a great variety of ophthalmic instruments such as fundus cameras, slit lamps, laser scanners, OPMI instruments or surgical microscopes.
US07690785B2
A digital pager has a built-in printer to enable the printing of a text message and/or a graphic image upon a page as the pager housing traverses the page. The pager can be maintained compact and lightweight as no paper storage or paper feed mechanism need be provided.
US07690784B2
A plate-shaped main body, has a first face formed with a recess portion defined by a bottom face and side walls and a second face which is opposite to the first face. The plate-shaped main body is formed with a through hole connecting the bottom face and the second face. An overhanging portion, is provided on at least one of the side walls in the vicinity of the first face, and is located so as to at least partially hang over the through hole.
US07690778B2
A printhead auto-alignment detection system includes a UV LED configured and positioned to transmit light in ultraviolet wavelengths onto a printed printhead alignment pattern formed using an aqueous ink having a UV fluorescing material. A sensor is configured and positioned to detect light in visible wavelengths emitted by the fluorescing material. A controller is communicatively coupled to the UV LED and the sensor. The controller is configured to execute program instructions for controlling the output of the UV LED and for reading a signal output of the sensor during a printhead alignment operation.
US07690774B2
Embodiments of a printing device fluid reservoir with gripping features are disclosed. In an embodiment of the present invention, the fluid reservoir includes a first surface and a fluid-containing body located beneath the first surface. According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first surface includes a protruding grip, and the fluid-containing body has a lever extending therefrom. According to an embodiment of the present invention, both the protruding grip and the lever are configured to receive a pinching force that compresses the lever towards the fluid-containing body, facilitates carrying of the fluid reservoir, and facilitates installing and/or releasing the fluid reservoir into/from a chassis of the printing device.
US07690770B2
A sheet-member stacked structure produced by a method including one or more of the following steps: stacking lead frames on each other, and stacking sheet members of one lead frame on sheet members of another or other lead frame or frames, each lead frame including a frame portion, the sheet members, and bridge portions which connect sides of the sheet members; to an inner peripheral portion of the frame portion and one of its adjacent sheet member, or to respective one sides of its two adjacent sheet members; stacking sheet members on each other via an adhesive; and stacking sheet members on each other, the sheet members including a liquid-chamber sheet member formed of a rolled metal sheet and having liquid chambers arranged, separately from each other, in a direction perpendicular to a direction of rolling of the metal sheet.
US07690764B2
A modular printhead module is disclosed. The printhead module includes a carrier. An elongate ink delivery member is mounted in the carrier and defines a plurality of longitudinal conduits, each for carrying a respective type of ink. The elongate ink delivery member further defines a plurality of sets of apertures, each set including a plurality of apertures which are each in register with a corresponding conduit. A single printhead including a plurality of inkjet nozzles is also provided. Each inkjet nozzle engages with a respective set of apertures so that each inkjet nozzle is engaged in fluid communication with a respective conduit.
US07690762B2
A water base ink for ink-jet recording is provided, which makes it possible to secure a high recording quality with a sharp image area edge by avoiding any blurring even when recording is performed on regular paper and which has satisfactory purge restoration performance. Therefore, no bubble remains in an ink flow passage, and no discharge failure is caused. Further, the discharge operation never becomes unstable. In the water base ink for ink-jet recording, the surface tension is not less than 40 mN/m, and the amount of dissolved oxygen is not more than 4 mg/L.
US07690756B2
An ink-jet head includes nozzles which are configured to discharge ink droplets, an ink discharge surface which has ink discharge apertures of the nozzles formed therethrough, and a cap configured to cover the ink discharge surface. The cap includes a base member which opposes the ink discharge surface. The base member has a recess formed therein, and the recess has a communication hole formed therethrough. The cap also may include a damper film which is connected to the base member at an outer periphery of the recess and covers the recess, and a lip which is formed along an outer periphery of the base member and is configured to selectively contact the ink discharge surface. Moreover, the ink-jet head may include a cap holder which is connected to the cap and is configured to selectively apply a force to the cap toward the ink discharge surface.
US07690753B2
An ink which is supplied from an ink cartridge via an ink supply tube is stored in an ink tank, and is supplied to a recording head. The ink cartridge is detachably connected to the ink supply tube. At every predetermined time interval, a maintenance unit carries out an air discharge operation to discharge air accumulated in the ink tank, through an air discharge passage. Moreover, even at a time shorter than the predetermined time interval, when a frequency of replacement of the ink cartridge is higher than a predetermined value, the air discharge operation is carried out and the air accumulated in the ink tank is discharged.
US07690752B2
Methods and apparatuses for optimizing the energy supplied to a print head heater are disclosed. A resistance associated with the print head heater or actuator is determined. A range of fire pulse values is determined based at least in part on the determined resistance and a velocity optimization procedure is executed based at least in part on the determined range of fire pulse values. An optimal fire pulse for the print head heater is selected based at least in part on the results of the velocity optimization procedure.
US07690748B2
A method of printing includes the steps of rendering continuous tone (“contone”) data to a pixel level and subsequently compressing the contone data in a personal computer. The bi-level data is rendered to a dot level and subsequently compressed in said personal computer. The method also includes the steps of transmitting the contone and bi-level data and decompressing the contone data and foreground bi-level data in parallel in a printer controller. The contone data is halftoned to bi-level color data. The foreground bi-level data is composited over the bi-level color data to create composited bi-level color image data. The steps of halftoning and compositing are performed in parallel. The method further includes the step of printing the composited bi-level color image data.
US07690744B2
A discharge failure nozzle, which cannot print, can be complemented by a printable discharge nozzle according to a simple, low-cost method capable of a high-speed process. A printing apparatus, which prints by using an inkjet head having nozzle arrays formed by arraying a plurality of nozzles for discharging ink while scanning the inkjet head on a printing medium, includes a storage unit which stores the position of an abnormal nozzle that abnormally discharges ink among the plurality of nozzles arrayed in the nozzle arrays, an assignment unit which assigns data subjected to discharge by the abnormal nozzle to a plurality of normal nozzles positioned near the abnormal nozzle in a nozzle array including the abnormal nozzle in accordance with predetermined priorities, and a control unit which controls to perform assignment of data subjected to discharge by the abnormal nozzle every time column data along the scanning direction are created by a predetermined number of columns.
US07690727B2
A motor vehicle seat back structure comprising a backrest support frame which consists of a surface turned towards the seat user's back, a lordosis support which is arranged on the front part of the backrest support frame for supporting the user's back and an adjusting device for vertically adjusting the lordosis support position with respect to the extension plane of said backrest support frame. The adjusting device comprises at least one adjusting element operably connected to the lordosis support and at least one sliding element which is displaceable with respect to said adjusting element and interacts therewith in such a way that when the sliding element moves, the adjusting element is displaced with a directional component perpendicularly to the displacement direction of the sliding element and performs an action on said lordosis support in the direction.
US07690716B2
A convertible roof for an automotive vehicle is provided. In another aspect of the present invention, an in-folding convertible roof is employed. A further aspect of the present invention includes at least a partially self-covering convertible roof system which includes at least one side rail that moves in a generally cross-vehicular direction when the roof is raised or lowered.
US07690710B2
An assembly for opening and closing a passageway into the body of a motor vehicle includes a post secured to the body at a lateral side of the passageway, an endgate for opening and closing the passageway, and a hinge secured to the endgate and the post. The hinge defines a lateral axis and supports the endgate for pivoting about the lateral axis relative to the post, and the hinge defines an upright axis and supports the endgate for pivoting about the upright axis relative to the post.
US07690707B2
A hoisting frame that can be connected at an upper side to hoisting cables and have a device on an underside for picking up a secondary hoisting frame. The hoisting frame may be adjustable between a retracted position, in which its transverse dimension is equal to that of the secondary hoisting frame, and an extended position. Pick-ups are adapted to pick up a single secondary hoisting frame in the retracted position and to pick up two mutually adjacent secondary hoisting frames in the extended position. A method for transferring containers may include picking up one load at a first location when the hoisting frame is retracted, or two loads when the hoisting frame is extended, lifting, displacing to a second location and then lowering the hoisting frame with the picked-up load(s), uncoupling the load(s) from the hoisting frame, lifting the hoisting frame, moving the hoisting frame from one to another position. A secondary hoisting frame may be coupled or uncoupled and the steps repeated.
US07690702B2
A lock bar for controlling the position of a railroad warning gate includes an elongated body portion extending between a first end and a second end, a clutch mechanism disposed in the elongated body, the clutch mechanism permitting rotational movement in one direction but restricting rotational movement in the opposite direction and a hub disposed in the clutch mechanism for engaging a portion of a motor drive mechanism for a railroad warning gate such that the gate is permitted to move in one direction but is restricted from movement in the opposite direction. Indicia are preferably disposed on the opposing edges to indicate the position that the warning gate will be retained in. An oblong aperture defined through the lock bar receives a pin to hold the lock bar in engagement with the motor drive mechanism.
US07690697B2
A thread form is shown which is used to make a threaded pipe connection capable of being screwed together and subsequently unscrewed. A pin member is provided having external threads with stab flanks and load flanks and flat crests and roots for mating with the mating internal threads of a box member to make up a pipe connection. One of the stab or load flanks is made up of two facets and three radii. The other selected flank is made up of three facets and four radii, giving it irregular features forming a complex geometric profiles. The thread form can be used to form a premium threaded connection which is used with such tubulars as casing and tubing for oil, gas, water and waste disposal wells.
US07690696B2
A threaded pipe connection including a pin member having an external thread increasing in width in one direction, the external thread including load and stab flanks, a box member having an internal thread increasing in width in the other direction so that complementary internal and external threads move into engagement upon make-up of the connection, the internal thread comprising load and stab flanks, a positive stop torque shoulder, and wherein the width of the internal thread and external thread are selected to provide a selected clearance at least between the internal load and stab flanks and the external load and stab flanks upon initial engagement of the positive stop torque shoulder is disclosed.
US07690681B2
The present invention provides a vehicle airbag assembly and method for deployment. An inflator is connected to an airbag wherein the inflator generates gases that cause inflation of the airbag. A housing substantially encloses the airbag and the inflator. The housing includes a vent hole for venting gases. An airbag tether is included having at least a first and a second end, wherein the first end is attached to the airbag and the second end is attached to a venting member. The venting member, being configured to cover the vent hole, is moveable with respect to the housing. During a first airbag deployment stage, the venting member is forced away from the vent hole as the inflator generates gases. An actuator releases the second end of the airbag tether from the venting member during a second airbag deployment stage for the passage of gases through the vent hole.
US07690680B2
An airbag module for a motor vehicle includes a gas sack that can be inflated with gas to protect an occupant, a gas generator for generating the gas provided for inflating the gas sack, and an additional cooling device comprising an openable reservoir for storing a coolant. The reservoir is opened when the gas sack is inflated, so that the coolant for cooling the gas used to inflate the gas sack can come into contact with the gas. The cooling device comprises a movement generating device that opens the reservoir to release the coolant.
US07690678B2
A floating type air bag device able to prevent backlash of a module cover and easily position the module cover with respect to a steering wheel without dispersion and a sacrifice of an operation feeling of horn sounding is provided. The air bag device has a retainer (10) to which an inflator and a folded air bag are attached, the retainer (10) being fixed to a steering wheel armature (60) and having a plurality of hooks (13) formed in a side wall portion thereof (12); a module cover (20) in which the module cover covers the air bag and the hook (13) is engaged with an opening (22b) of a leg piece portion (22) projected from a rear side and the module cover (20) can be vertically moved with respect to the retainer (10); a horn plate (30) attached along a circumferential edge of the module cover (20); a contact plate (40) attached to an extending-out portion (11) of the retainer (10) or the horn plate (30); and a horn spring (50) arranged between the horn plate (30) and the retainer (10); wherein a first position regulation section (pin) (11d) of the retainer (10) to the steering wheel (60) is received by a resin coating portion (62) of the steering wheel armature, and is placed below a second position regulation section (C) formed by the opening (21a) of the leg piece portion (21) of the module cover (20) and a pawl (11c) extended in the retainer (10).
US07690676B2
A trim panel attachable to a structural pillar of an automotive vehicle for covering an expandable side-curtain air bag. The trim panel can also be part of a vehicular pillar structure or a vehicle subassembly. The trim panel is composed of a unitary molded body having first and second body portions connected to each other. The first body portion is formed of a first material and the second body portion is formed of a second polymeric material that is more flexible than the first material. The second body portion is configured as a deflectable flap movable between a first position in overlying relationship with the side-curtain airbag in a non-deployed state and a second deflected position upon deployment of the side-curtain airbag.
US07690674B2
A ski in accordance with the invention increases in width from a tip or shovel portion to a mid-portion. The mid-portion includes at least a slight sidecut. The ski then decreases in width from the mid-portion to a tail portion. The ski also includes an undersurface with a substantial portion being rockered. A substantial portion of the mid-portion of the ski is not rockered.
US07690671B1
An alignment mechanism for aligning the ball with the socket of trailer hitch comprised of a ball portion attached to a towing vehicle and a socket portion attached to a trailer. The alignment mechanism has an alignment body that is cylindrical-shaped having an outer wall, an upper face, a lower face, and a circular opening passing through the center of the body. The circular opening has a diameter that is substantially the same as the diameter of the socket. The upper face has a U-shaped slot and a wedge-shaped slot, the slots being adapted to receive the outer end of the socket portion. The lower face has a truncated conical surface extending upwardly and inwardly between the outer wall of the alignment body and the circular opening. A stop member extends downwardly from the truncated conical surface.
US07690665B2
A rear bicycle frame structure which has different rear triangles that make up a common tubular structure that forms part of the front frame, an upper tie bolt and a lower tie bolt. The upper tie bolt and the lower tie bolt are joined by a fourth side forming four-sided piece. A rear axle is placed on the fourth side of each four-sided piece formed.
US07690659B2
A motor-driven roller disc for multi-directional operation under the control of a user, with a multi-wheeled drive configuration with motorized direct-drive power-train to give a user the ability to move in any direction at any time, and to maintain control over steering and speed when in motion. The roller disc includes a platform having an array of radially-oriented wheels mounted around the underside perimeter, and a central pivot wheel mounted at the center of the underside. The central pivot wheel maintains a slightly higher clearance than the perimeter wheels, enabling the user to engage a desired perimeter wheel by shifting his/her weight towards it, thereby making contact with the ground. All of the perimeter wheels are connected to a common flexible/jointed axle that encircles the disc, the axle being driven by a battery-powered DC motor. The user controls the speed of the motor by a remote hand-controller such as an RF remote control, and maintains control over direction by shifting his weight about the pivot wheel to achieve traction with a desired perimeter wheel thereby allowing motion in that direction.
US07690656B2
A self-resetting paddle target is comprised of at least one paddle mounted to a carrier body. The carrier body is rotatably mounted to a support rod such that the carrier body may freely rotate about the support rod. The carrier body is formed as a cam follower configured to engage the upper surface of a carrier support member fixedly fastened to the support rod and that acts as a cam. The interaction of the carrier body and the carrier support member controls the rotation of the carrier body about the support rod and allows the paddle to reset itself after being impacted by a projectile. A plurality of paddles may be disposed along the support rod.
US07690655B2
The player is dealt two hole cards. Each opponent is dealt two hole cards. The player has the option to raise or check. If the player raises, all opponents must raise. If the player checks, all opponents must check. Then three community cards are dealt. If the player raises or checks, all opponents must raise or check likewise. Then the final two community cards are dealt. If the player raises or checks, all opponents must raise or check likewise. All of the opponents hole cards are exposed. Whoever has the highest five card poker hand by category wins the pot. If two or more of the opponents and the player have the same highest five card poker hand by category, the hand is a tie and the pot carries over to the next round of play.
US07690643B2
There is provided an apparatus provided with a tray which goes up and down with sheet stack being supported, a pickup roller which feeds the sheet on the tray a first detecting sensor which detects a object placed on the tray other than the sheets to be fed by the pickup roller, as the tray goes up.
US07690641B2
In accordance with one aspect of the present exemplary embodiment, a system transports paper to prevent stubbing within a printing machine. The paper path facilitates transport of one or more sheets of paper from the first end to the second end, each sheet of paper has a leading edge. A first entry point is located between the first end and the second end that allows one or more sheets to enter the paper path in succession. A first nip is adjacent to the first entry point to direct the leading edge of the one or more sheets away from the first entry point. A second entry point is located a distance from the first entry point that allows one or more sheets to enter the paper path. A second nip is adjacent to the second entry point to direct the leading edge of the one or more sheets away from the second entry point. A gateless diverter directs the one or more sheets of paper through the paper path which includes a convex section that is adjacent to a concave section to divert the leading edge of each of the one or more sheets away from the first entry point and the second entry point. The one or more sheets of paper are advanced to the convex section via the first nip in advance to the concave section to the second nip.
US07690638B2
A printing system is configured to be able to use a plurality of types of stacking units. The printing system comprises a first controller configured to execute operations to stack printed material which is printed by a printing unit to a stacking unit such that the printed material is stacked in a state shifted a defined amount as to other printed material stacked on the stacking unit. The printing system further includes a second controller configured to inhibit the operations based on information relating to a specified type of the stacking unit in the plurality of types of stacking units.
US07690634B2
A method is provided for processing and printing print job portions. The method includes providing an output related attribute, and using the attribute to divide a portion of one or more print jobs into a first section (including a first print output stack) and a second section (including a second print output stack). When the portion of the one or more print jobs is printed, an output stack processing instruction is used to separate the first output stack from the second print output stack along a boundary defined by the instruction.
US07690629B1
A modular rail and post fence system. The fence system includes a plurality of rail assemblies with each rail assembly formed from a pair of panels. Each panel has a pair of sidewalls joined together at an angle to form an angled edge wherein the pair of panels are joined together to form a rail assembly. A plurality of elongated posts are also provided. Each elongated post has at least one longitudinal recess with a pair of opposed protrusions extending into the longitudinal recess. At least one pair of notches in the pair of opposed protrusions is provided whereby the angled edges of each rail assembly are received in one pair of notches of the elongated posts. The entire system may be fabricated, assembled, and installed without fasteners.
US07690621B2
A method for producing a plurality of thin film actuators is disclosed. The method includes depositing a film of a shape memory alloy material onto a polyimide film to form a shape memory alloy construction. The shape memory alloy construction is strained from 2 to 8%. Post processing is conducted on the shape memory alloy construction after the step of imparting a 2 to 8% strain. This post processing can be the deposition of additional layers of the slicing of the actuators. Various shape memory metal actuators are disclosed.
US07690607B2
Bracket for mounting a guiding rail to a support surface. The mounting bracket includes a body part having a main body defining a mounting hole and opposite parallel first and second snap flanges. The bracket further has a clip part for engaging its body part and has at least one resilient tongue and at least one resilient arm extending from the clip part in alignment with the first and second snap flanges. The invention also relates to the combination of the mounting bracket and a guiding rail, as well as to a method for mounting a plurality of the brackets and the guiding rail to a mounting surface.
US07690595B2
A system, method, and apparatus for throat corner scoop offtake for mixed compression inlets for high speed aircraft engine applications is disclosed. The throat corner scoops are small air intakes located inside the large mixed compression inlet. They are positioned in a region otherwise prone to generate low pressure airflow. The throat corner scoops capture and remove the low pressure airflow from the bulk stream that is passed on to the engine. This location also provides inlet stability enhancement, and the airflow is used on the auxiliary systems.
US07690562B2
An automated banking machine includes a mechanism for accepting deposited items. Deposited items can be provided to the machine in envelopes passed out of the machine to a user. An empty envelope in an envelope holding container (132) is passed through a transport (124) and presented to the user through an opening (244). The user can insert deposit items in the presented envelope. The envelope containing inserted deposited items can then be placed by the user back through the opening (244), causing it to be stored in a deposit-holding container (128). The machine also includes a printer that can print transaction indicia on a deposited envelope. A wiper comprising a resilient squeegee is able to remove excess ink from nozzles of the printer.
US07690561B1
A card actuated automated banking machine system and method accepts checks and dispenses cash to users. The banking machine is operated to acquire image and magnetic data from deposited checks to determine the genuineness of checks and the authority of a user to receive cash for such checks. Cash is dispensed to the user from the banking machine in exchange for the deposited check.
US07690551B2
A die attach process employs a temperature gradient lead free soft solder metal sheet or thin film as the die attach material. The sheet or thin film is formed to a uniform thickness and has a heat vaporizable polymer adhesive layer on one surface, by which the thin film is laminated onto the back metal of the silicon wafer. The thin film is lead-free and composed of acceptably non-toxic materials. The thin film remains semi-molten (that is, not flowable) in reflow temperatures in the range about 260° C. to 280° C. The polymer adhesive layer is effectively vaporized at the high reflow temperatures during the die mount.
US07690543B1
A housing assembly is formed of a front sheet overlying a rear sheet with a curved periphery for the majority of the lower and upper extents of the housing assembly forming a passageway. A waist band with a clasp is secured by stitching to the upper edge of the housing assembly.
US07690529B2
The present invention relates to an automatic medicine packing machine for packing a variety of medicines dose by dose continuously. According to one embodiment, there is provided an automatic medicine packing machine for packing a variety of medicines dose by dose continuously, including: a plurality of cassette units in which the variety of medicines are accommodated; a hopper for collecting the medicines discharged from the cassette units; a packing unit for packing the medicines collected by the hopper; and a shutter assembly mounted on the hopper to temporarily suspend the medicines discharged from the cassette units, wherein the shutter assembly includes a frame detachably mounted to an upper end of the hopper; an openable/closable shutter unit arranged and mounted on the frame; a driving means for driving the shutter unit to be opened and closed; and an interlocking unit for transferring a driving force of the driving means to the shutter unit to interlock the shutter unit.
US07690527B2
The invention described herein is a shaped seal or gasket for use with a screw cap as commonly used in chemical barrels. The shaped gasket has a profile that includes a winged portion for contacting a sealing surface. The winged portion of the gasket defines a concave surface. The gasket has a second surface, or zone of contact, for contacting against a second surface, such as the underside of a screw cap. The winged portion of the gasket profile is wider than the zone of contact. The gasket profile can take on many different configurations, as shown in the drawings.
US07690518B2
A rack includes a loading chute into which products are loaded in a generally horizontal face-down orientation, and a dispensing chute defining a dispensing aperture at the front side of the rack. A cam is disposed at the rear end of the loading chute to tilt a product into an upright orientation and to position the upright product with the front face facing forward. The cam also slopes downwardly in a lateral direction so as to move the upright product onto the rear end of the dispensing ramp with the front face still facing forward. The product slides down the dispensing ramp and is stopped by a stop positioned adjacent the dispensing aperture. By virtue of the rack's design, facilitated by the specially designed cam, the upright product is positioned with its front face facing forward such that a consumer can view any indica thereon.
US07690517B2
A washing accessory is provided for supporting an article. The washing accessory includes a basket and can include an article positioning device adapted to be at least partially located within the reception area of the basket. If provided, the article positioning device comprises a first positioning element adapted to be removably attached with respect to the basket. The washing accessory can also comprise an optional cantilever support structure for supporting the washing accessory relative to a dishwasher rack.
US07690512B1
In a system to separate shredded vegetable pieces, a slicer cuts a vegetable having leaves and a core into pieces to form a mixture of leaf and core pieces. The mixture then passes through a sorting mechanism that separates the core pieces from the mixture.
US07690508B2
The present invention discloses a packing structure for a panel display device comprising a box having a base portion space that is created in a lower cushioning member on a side of a back of a main body and receives the base portion of a stand with a long side of the base portion oriented horizontally; a stand disposed in the base portion space with a shaft portion extended along a back of the main body; and the box accommodating the lower cushioning member, the main body, an upper cushioning member, and the stand.
US07690506B2
An aircraft brake assembly container and a method for using an aircraft brake assembly in servicing an aircraft, with the container having at least two identical container portions, at least one of the at least two container portions having an at least one sliding channel therein, an at least one cradle member having an at least one sliding portion engaging with the at least one sliding channel, and at least one securement device securing the at least two identical container portions. The method having the method steps of transporting an aircraft brake assembly container to the aircraft undercarriage, the container comprising at least two container portions, with a first of the at least two container portions supporting a new brake assembly; opening the container, rotating a second of the at least two container portions; aligning the second of the at least two container portions with the aircraft undercarriage and a used aircraft brake assembly; releasing the used aircraft brake assembly into the second of the at least two container portions; removing the second of the at least two container portions along with the used aircraft brake assembly; aligning the first of the at least two container portions with the aircraft undercarriage; installing the new brake assembly; and replacing the first of the at least two container portions atop the second of the at least two container portions.
US07690503B2
A product display and carrying bag. The bag is sized and configured to receive a juvenile vehicle seat therein, thereby forming a package when the seat is contained in the bag. The bag includes upper and lower chambers and side panels overlying the chambers. The bag further includes lifting means for lifting the packaging by a user.
US07690497B2
The invention relates to a transfer mechanism (12) for separating conveyed objects (4) out to the side from a first conveyor system (1) onto another conveyor system (14), with a pushing unit and two parallel flexible drives (15a, b) at a distance apart extending at an angle with respect to the longitudinal direction of the first conveyor system (1), each of which has an endless traction means (23) which can be driven, and the pushing unit has oppositely lying drivers secured to the traction means (23) and a profiled pushing element (29) which is able to slide out of an initial position at the side, adjacent to a conveyor path (6), into an operating position in the conveyor path (6). The pushing element (29) extends continuously between the two flexible drives (15a, b) and is mounted on the drivers so that it can be moved by means of articulated arrangements exclusively about the first axis extending perpendicular to the conveyor plane (18) of the conveyed objects (4) and about the second axis extending parallel with the transfer direction (13) of the transfer mechanism (12). The invention further relates to a conveyor system (1) in which the transfer mechanism (12) is integrated.
US07690489B2
A clutch for effectively prevents a clutch outer from tilting at the time when torque is varied. The clutch includes damper springs for transmitting, to a clutch outer, torque inputted to a driven gear, and a thrust washer for regulating positional change of a position of the clutch outer with respect to the driven gear in a direction of the shaft axis. The thrust washer is disposed between the driven gear and the clutch outer in an axial direction. The thrust washer is disposed only outward of the damper springs in a radial direction.
US07690483B2
Elevator comprising a car, a drive motor driving the car, a motor drive unit for controlling the drive motor and supplying power thereto, an encoder for sensing movement of the car, and an elevator rescue system for rescue operation in case of an emergency situation, wherein the elevator comprises one single encoder only for normal and rescue operation.
US07690480B2
A soundproof material is provided with a first sound absorbing layer arranged on a vehicle panel, a second sound absorbing layer closer to an inner side of a passenger compartment, and an intermediate layer provided between the sound absorbing layers. The intermediate layer is constituted by two layers having a high-density layer and a low-density layer. The air permeability of the intermediate layer is set lower than the first sound absorbing layer and the second sound absorbing layer. The intermediate layer is arranged in such a manner that the high-density layer is adjacent to the second sound absorbing layer.
US07690478B2
A resonator for a vehicle air intake system is disclosed, wherein the resonator is variable tuned to militate against the emission of sound waves caused by the engine and other sources at a wide range of engine speeds.
US07690473B2
A powered omni-directional security, patrol and surveillance vehicle that includes a circular frame and two drive wheels capable of independent powered forward and rearward rotation about a horizontal axis. The drive wheels are adapted to allow the vehicle to spin in place about a vertical axis which intersects the horizontal axis midway between the drive wheels and which is generally centered in the circular frame. An observation platform including an operators control station is mounted to the frame on a lift such that it is capable of selective elevation for superior vantage points. A cab preferably encloses the operator's station. A plurality of swivel casters disposed on distal ends of telescopic outrigger arms are circumpositioned about the circular frame.
US07690472B2
An off-road vehicle includes a frame and wheels. An engine of the vehicle has a crankshaft. A transmission transmits the rotation of the crankshaft to the wheels. A housing houses a transmission mechanism of the transmission. The housing has an air inlet duct through which ambient air enters the housing and an air outlet duct through which the air leaves the housing. The air inlet duct has an inlet opening. The outlet duct has an outlet opening. The inlet and outlet openings are positioned higher than the wheels.
US07690471B2
A hydraulic-drive work vehicle includes a plurality of variable capacity hydraulic motors which are rotated by receiving pressure oil from a variable capacity hydraulic pump. Wheels provided at two or more axles are rotated due to torques of the hydraulic motors. The work vehicle is provided with a traveling stabilizer, the traveling stabilizer including a traveling-state detector for detecting a traveling state of the vehicle, and a controller which receives a signal from the detector and varies a capacity of at least particular one of the plurality of hydraulic motors according to the traveling state of the vehicle.
US07690465B2
Disclosed is a vehicle hood structure disposed in a front region of a vehicle body and supported in an openable and closable manner, which comprises a link member swingably supported in a pivoted manner by a pivot member located on the vehicle body, and a restriction mechanism adapted to couple the link member to a rear end of a hood so as to restrict the link member from being separated away from the hood. The restriction mechanism includes a restricting element located in either one of the link member and the hood, and a restricted element located in the remaining one of the link member and the hood. The vehicle hood structure of the present invention makes it possible to release a coupled state between the link member and the hood according to need, and, facilitate an operation of re-coupling the link member and the hood.
US07690463B2
A straddle-type vehicle that adequately and smoothly sucks air into an air cleaner arranged between a front wheel and a leg shield while inhibiting foreign matter from being drawn thereinto. An intake port of the air cleaner is opened rearwardly. The leg shield is formed with a recess that surrounds the air cleaner. The recess includes a round portion along a direction in which the intake 61a is opened.
US07690447B2
A device for transporting a human subject over a surface. The device is a dynamically balancing vehicle having a control loop for providing balance. The device includes a platform defining a fore-aft plane. The platform supports a payload including the human subject. A ground contacting module is included which may include one or more wheels. A ground-contacting member is movably coupled to the platform. The platform and the ground-contacting module form an assembly having a center of gravity that is defined with respect to the ground-contacting member and which includes any loads on the device. The device further includes a support. The support may be a seat for supporting the subject and the support is coupled to the platform in such a manner as to permit variation of the position of the center of gravity in the fore-aft plane by translation and rotation of at least a portion of the support. In one embodiment, translation and rotation of the seat of the device are mechanically coupled together.
US07690442B2
A rolling cone drill bit comprises a plurality of bottomhole cutter elements positioned in a first circumferential row, wherein at least one of the cutter elements comprises a cutting portion extending from a base portion to a point furthermost from the base portion, defining an extension height. The ratio of the cross-sectional area of the cutter element at a point equal to ninety-four percent of the extension height to the cross-sectional area of the cutter element base is greater than 0.2. Moreover, the ratio of the extension height to the base diameter is not greater than 0.75.
US07690441B2
Concave front face surfaces of a blade device having ratios and configurations continuing from an upper end to a lower end of the blade device, and having a central face coupling front faces and end front faces on the right and left thereof.
US07690439B2
An automatically actuating apparatus for engaging an implement to an ASAE S278.6 three-point hitch quick coupler utilizing a pivoting motion about an upper hitch point and an automatic latching mechanism to engage and retain lower hitch pins that simplifies connection of an implement. The mechanism also includes a mechanism for automatically engaging the PTO driveline between a tractor and a powered implement as the implement is engaged with the hitch.
US07690438B2
Characterized in that in a first stage are loaded or produced on board in a mother aircraft at least a product or mixed of products to act on forest fires, pests or atmospheric phenomena; in a second stage the said product is stored in a glider container with gliding flight ability and equipped with a precision guidance system; in a third stage the glider container is dropped from the mother aircraft and guided towards the release point of the load; in a fourth stage the glider container releases of its interior the load of product on the release point, and in a fifth stage the glider container is recovered for a following reusing.
US07690426B2
The invention is directed to controlling sand production in an oil and/or gas well. A preferred embodiment of the invention is directed to repairing a downhole screen by pumping neutrally buoyant resin coated material into a damaged portion of a gravel pack screen and also into any void behind the damaged portion of the screen. The neutrally buoyant resin provides for the repair of a portion of the screen even if the damaged portion is located on the uphole side of a deviated well. Any excess resin coated material may subsequently be removed from the central passageway of the screen and then circulated to the surface because the resin coated material is neutrally buoyant. Neutrally buoyant resin may be pumped into a well that does not have a sand control system. The porous neutrally buoyant resin allows production of hydrocarbons, but prevents production of sand into the well.
US07690423B2
An extendable component for use in a downhole tool for traversing subsurface formations includes a drive element that defines an axis and has a distal end, and an abutment that is spaced radially from a distal end of the drive element. A driven element defines a driven element axis, is flexibly coupled to the drive element, and includes a proximal end disposed adjacent to the drive element and a distal end. A tilt arm is coupled to the driven element, is disposed at an angle with respect to the driven element axis, and is configured to engage the abutment. The driven element is moveable between a normal position and a tilted position. A contact head is coupled to the driven element distal end and is adapted to engage the wellbore wall.
US07690420B2
A plate heat exchanger includes a number of first heat exchanger plates (A) and second heat exchanger plates (B). The plates include a first plate interspace (1) between each pair of adjacent plates (A) and (B), and a second plate interspace (2) between each pair of adjacent plates (B) and (A). The first and second plate interspaces are separated from each other and provided beside each other in an alternating order. The heat exchanger plates have a porthole, which forms an inlet channel (6) to the first plate interspaces. The plate heat exchanger includes a separate space (11) for each plate interspace. The space (11) is closed to the second plate interspaces. The space (11) communicates with the inlet channel via an inlet nozzle (13), which forms a throttling, and with the respective first plate interspace via an outlet nozzle (14), which forms a throttling.
US07690410B2
A vehicle wheel in which an additional air chamber member in a tire air chamber is fixed on an outer circumferential surface of a well portion, includes: a first vertical wall surface rising outward in a radial direction from the outer circumferential surface of the well portion and extending in a circumferential direction of the outer circumferential surface; and a second vertical wall surface formed in the well portion facing the first vertical wall surface. The additional air chamber member has an additional air chamber and a communication hole formed therein. The communication hole provides communication between the additional air chamber and the tire air chamber. The additional air chamber member is fitted between the first and second vertical wall surfaces. Side end portions of the additional air chamber member in a width direction of the vehicle wheel are secured between the first and second vertical wall surfaces.
US07690409B2
A connecting and guide element for connecting a side mesh of a tire chain to a side tensioning strand and for accommodating an excess length of the tensioning strand, wherein the element has two eyes, which lie in a first plane for accommodating tensioning strand and excess length, and two eyes lying in a second plane running essentially orthogonally to the first plane for accommodating connecting links to the side mesh, and a tire chain in which the side mesh is connected by means of a side tensioning strand and a plurality of connecting and guide elements, and an excess length of the tensioning strand can be accommodated in one of the eyes of the elements.
US07690404B2
An apparatus and method for exposing a container to a controlled environment. The apparatus includes an elongated rail with first, second, and third manifolds positioned in substantial alignment with the container. The first, second, and third manifolds are adapted for providing flow of a gas therethrough. At least one gas flow regulator is operably attached to the first, second, and third manifolds. At least one nozzle is positioned adjacent the second manifold. The at least one nozzle is adapted for providing a composite gas stream exiting through the second manifold. The method includes providing an elongated rail with first, second, and third manifolds positioned in substantial alignment with the container. A flow of a gas is regulated through the first, second, and third manifolds. A composite gas stream is provided exiting through the second manifold.
US07690391B2
A liquid flow control device has a port or passageway through which liquid flow is to be controlled. A body of a liquid swellable material is located in the port or passageway having an upstream side and a downstream side in relation to the direction of liquid flow through the port or passageway. A layer of sealing material is provided on the upstream side of the body to prevent contact of that side of the body with the liquid when the body is swollen to close the port or passageway while allowing contact of the downstream side of the body when the body is in the non-swollen condition allowing liquid flow through the port or passageway.
US07690381B2
The present invention includes an intervertebral prosthetic disc, a method for installing a plate into an intervertebral space, and a method for installing a prosthetic disc into an intervertebral space. The intervertebral prosthetic disc can include a superior endplate and an inferior endplate, wherein at least one of the superior endplate and the inferior endplate is adapted to receive a guidewire. In the methods for installing a plate into an intervertebral space and for installing a prosthetic disc into an intervertebral space, a guidewire is used to facilitate installing plates onto vertebral bone endplates.
US07690373B2
A paintball gun having a quick-removal assembly for readily removing a pneumatic assembly from a chamber of the paintball gun body preferably includes a lift cap hingedly connected to an end of the pneumatic mechanism. A lift pin is preferably connected to the lift cap and removably engaged within a pin receptacle of the paintball gun body. Lifting of the lift cap preferably withdraws the lift pin from the pin receptacle and enables the pneumatic assembly to be removed from the paintball gun. A self-venting mechanism can also be provided to safely release compressed gas stored in the pneumatic assembly from the paintball gun during removal of the pneumatic assembly. A latching mechanism can latch the lift cap in a forward and closed position until a user desires to remove the assembly from the paintball gun. Slots can be arranged in the lift cap to permit rearward movement of the lift cap and to cause the lift cap to move away from a body of the paintball gun to allow rotational movement of the lift cap about a hinged axis.
US07690372B2
A pulley arrangement for a compound archery bow (100) that combines the forgiveness and symmetry of a “dual cam” system with the positive draw stop (hard wall), enforced synchronization (or built-in timing) between opposite pulley assemblies, and high let-off associated with “single cam” systems. The pulley rigging (112) includes only a single cable reference anchor to a limb (104, 106). Certain pulleys (108, 110) include rotating module portions (183, 214) effective to change the wrapped lengths of power and control cables (270, 272) to change draw length (LD) while the bow (100) is strung, and at a brace condition with the drawstring (116) under full tension, and without changing the timing of the pulley members (108, 110), or changing the lengths of rigging members (112). Certain embodiments include a resilient element (196) in a positive draw stop (194) to reduce noise as the draw stop (194) engages a rigging element (270). A resilient element (206) adapted to reduce drawstring vibration may further be included, in one or more pulleys, and arranged to contact the drawstring (116) as the pulleys (108, 100) over-rotate. A preferred mounting arrangement employs a flanged bearing assembly (200) to resist bearing walk relative to the pulley on which the bearing assembly (200) is installed. Certain preferred embodiments of pulleys (108, 110) include a spiral cam shape at a let-off portion of the string cams (150, 210).
