US07694078B2
An array of data values, such as an image of pixel values, is stored in a main memory (12). A processing operation is performed using the pixel values. The processing operation defines time points of movement of a multidimensional region (20, 22) of locations in the image. Pixel values from inside and around the region are cached for processing. At least when a cache miss occurs for a pixel value from outside the region, cache replacement of data in cache locations (142) is performed. Locations that store pixel data for locations in the image outside the region (20, 22) are selected for replacement, selectively exempting from replacement cache locations (142) that store pixel data locations in the image inside the region. In embodiments, different types of cache structure are used for caching data values inside and outside the region. In an embodiment the cache locations for pixel data inside the regions support a higher level of output parallelism than the cache locations for pixel data around the region. In a further embodiment the cache for locations inside the region contains sets of banks, each set for a respective line from the image, data from the lines being distributed in a cyclically repeating fashion over the banks.
US07694073B2
In a cluster-structured disk subsystem, when creating a volume for an online backup separately from a volume for a normal I/O, it is desirable to be able to achieve such a creation for any volume under subsystem. Further, with an increase in the capacity of the subsystem, it becomes more difficult for a user to determine where to place a volume to which data is to be copied. Thus, a cluster-structured storage system is provided in which it is possible to reference/renew snapshot control information in shared memory of other clusters and achieve a snapshot between clusters via an inter-cluster connecting mechanism. In this system, control is performed inside/outside the cluster, and a control is performed inside/outside the cluster, and a volume to which data is to be copied is suggested to the user.
US07694072B2
A system, method and computer program for allocating physical memory from a group of N memory devices to logical volumes. A group of N memory devices are partitioned into a plurality of bands, each of the group of N memory devices sharing a portion of each of the plurality of bands. A cluster map for each of the plurality of bands is generated. The cluster maps indicate the physical address for each of a plurality of clusters. Each of the plurality of clusters are distributed equally over two or more of the N memory devices to ensure a specified level of redundancy for each of the plurality of bands. Each of the N memory devices share an approximately equal number of clusters. Available bands are determined and are allocated to a logical volume.
US07694058B2
A storage router (56) and storage network (50) provide virtual local storage on remote SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) to Fiber Channel devices. A plurality of Fiber Channel devices, such as workstations (58), are connected to a Fiber Channel transport medium (52), and a plurality of SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) are connected to a SCSI bus transport medium (54) The storage router (56) interfaces between the Fiber Channel transport medium (52) and the SCSI bus transport medium (54). The storage router (56) maps between the workstations (58) and the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) and implements access controls for storage space on the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64). The storage router (56) then allows access from the workstations (58) to the SCSI storage devices (60, 62, 64) using native low level, block protocol in accordance with the mapping and the access controls.
US07694057B2
A portable computer adapted for electrical connection to a docking station having multiple power modes of operation is described. The portable computer has one or more CPU chips which have at least two power modes of operation, a low power mode and a high power mode. When the portable computer is operated as a stand-alone computer, it operates in the low power mode. When the portable computer is operated while electrically connected to the docking station, it operates in a high power mode. The docking station has greater cooling capacity than the portable computer alone to provide enhanced cooling of the high power mode of operation.
US07694054B2
Technologies are described herein for governing access to a computing resource. A proxy receives a request to access a computing resource. In response to the request, the proxy determines whether the request can be granted without consulting a governor for the computing resource. If the request cannot be granted without consulting the governor, the proxy transmits the request to a broker. The broker, in turn, transmits the request to a governor for the computing resource. The governor determines whether the requested access to the computing resource should be granted. The governor generates a response to the request and transmits the response to the broker. The broker, in turn, transmits the response to the proxy. The broker may also request notifications from the governor.
US07694049B2
Various embodiments adjust the rate at which periodic flow control updates are transmitted when in a lower power or power saving state. One embodiment transmits flow control updates across a bus based upon a first rate in response to a normal power mode and transmits second flow control updates across the bus based upon a second rate in response to a power saving mode.
US07694046B2
A communications adapter for facilitating electronic communications with an electronic device is disclosed. The adapter is remotely reprogrammable by a provider computer through a communications network. The adapter includes a communications port for electronically connecting the adapter to the electronic device. The adapter also includes communications hardware for communicating with the provider computer through the communications network. In addition, the adapter includes a processor and memory. The memory is programmed with instructions to cause the adapter to receive new data sent by the provider computer via the communications network. The new data comprises device instructions for communicating with the electronic device through the communications port.
US07694034B1
A system and method for transferring data flows, such as streaming video or audio signals, between end devices that are members of the same end device group is provided. A network examining module identifies end devices having an active data flow. A data session populating module populates a data store for an end device group identifying end devices having active data flows. A managing module determines which end devices are compatible for a data flow to be transferred. The data flow transferring module transfers the active data flow from one group member end device to another group member end device.
US07694021B1
Techniques for implementing a firewall in a gateway network element between two IP based networks is provided. Packets can be filtered out that specify the gateway network element as the source, where the packet comes from the network that is not visible to the other network. For example, if a packet on DCC going to the gateway network element specifies the gateway network element as the source, the packet can be discarded.
US07694020B2
A method for utilizing a product code having product information contained therein for interfacing over a network. A representation of the product information is extracted from the product code, which product code is disposed on or in close association with an associated product. In response to this extraction, network routing information is associated with the product code information.
US07694018B2
A method for communicating between two devices through a proxy server, and a system for implementing the same. The method discloses a proxy server that is capable of receiving traffic at a proxy server from a first device and a second device. The second device services the first device. The method and proxy server allow for communication between the first and second devices by editing machine specific information in the traffic at the application layer so that traffic sent to the first and second devices appears to be from the proxy server. The traffic complies with a protocol operating at the application layer. Thereafter, the traffic that is edited is forwarded to the first and second devices appropriately.
US07694016B2
A plurality of separate DNS zones are combined to form a composite DNS zone. The composite DNS zone is viewed as a single DNS zone by other elements on the network. Each of the separate DNS zones becomes a component DNS zone within the composite DNS zone but can still be separately owned and managed using standard DNS protocols. As such, the composite DNS zone provides a transparent method of combining DNS data owned by separate parties into a single location that can be searched using a DNS request of the prior art.DNS requests directed to the composite DNS zone may result in a plurality of answer candidates. Some embodiments include algorithms for searching the composite DNS zone and assembling a DNS answer from the plurality of answer candidates. The composite DNS zone may include telephonic DNS data according to the ENUM standard.
US07694011B2
Techniques for distributing control plane traffic, from an end node in a packet switched network to a cluster of service gateway nodes that host subscriber-aware application servers, include receiving a control plane message for supporting data plane traffic from a particular subscriber. A particular service gateway node is determined among the cluster of service gateway nodes based on policy-based routing (PBR) for the data plane traffic from the particular subscriber. A message based on the control plane message is sent to a control plane process on the particular service gateway node. Thereby, data plane traffic and control plane traffic from the same subscriber are directed to the same gateway node, or otherwise related gateway nodes, of the cluster of service gateway nodes. This approach allows currently-available, hardware-accelerated PBR to be used with clusters of subscriber-aware service gateways that must also monitor control plane traffic from the same subscriber.
US07693995B2
In a business system which allocates a request for one business application to one or more of the computer resources executing such business application, the computer resources are accommodated among the plurality of the business systems so that the load covered by each of the business systems is averaged out. The arbitration apparatus for resource allocation 101 calculates a margin rate for each business system by measuring load for respective business systems, and by calculating a ratio of the measured load and the allowable execution amount allowable under current constitution. When a computer resource 1241 which is not allocated to business system is found, this computer resource is allocated to the business system indicating low margin rate while if such computer resource 1241 is not found, the computer resource 1241 is reallocated by being released from the business system having high margin rate.
US07693992B2
A data retrieval system provides data to a user of a client computer connected to multiple data stores and multiple other computers. A request for data is received at the client computer. The request is forwarded from the client computer to a server computer and intercepted at a reverse proxy caching connection. An attempt is made to locate the data at a data store at the reverse proxy caching connection. If the data is not found the request is forwarded to the server computer. In order to provide data to a user. A user interface is provided. Initially, data elements associated with a grouping of data elements are identified. Then, a subset of the selected data elements are selected based on weights associated with the data elements, without selecting more than a specified number of data elements that are associated with a same sub-category.
US07693984B2
Systems and methods for providing status data to a requesting device are disclosed. A request for status data is transmitted from a requesting device to a providing device. The request includes prior values of variables stored at the requesting device. At the providing device, the transmitted prior values are compared with current values of the variables stored at the providing device. Changed variables, which comprise variables for which the current value is different from the prior value, are identified. A variable map is formulated that identifies the changed variables. Current values for the changed variables and variable map are organized into a pre-defined format to form status data. The status data is transmitted to the requesting device.
US07693981B2
To assist in monitoring the intelligent messaging network, a system and method for publishing logging and status information from the servers is provided. A list of available servers accessible for monitoring by persons, devices, and applications via a remote monitor device can be provided. The remote monitor device may forward selected servers from the list of available servers in which they are interested. Also, particular information about the selected servers can be requested. Access to certain servers and information may be restricted to those with authorization. Authorization can be verified by the use of digital certificates. The requested information can then be gathered and provided to authorized persons or devices. Typically, the information includes logging and status information from the servers. The information can be provided as an XML page and viewed using, for example, a standard web browser. Further, if the information is provided to the remote monitor device as an XML page, a standard XML parser may be used to extract particular information from the XML page.
US07693980B2
The present invention provides techniques for creation, operation, management, and access control of network-based storage services. Specific embodiments provide improved efficiency of the service management tasks used for designing, operating and accounting the robust and profitable network services, for example. In representative embodiments, techniques for constructing integrated network and storage services are provided. In a specific embodiment, the service comprises of three major service components: virtual private networks (VPN), application servers and storage area networks (SAN). Each of these service components has its own customer identification information, such as VPN identifier for VPN services, process identifier for application servers and logical unit number (LUN) for storage devices.
US07693960B1
A data storage system comprises a first storage system, a second storage system, and a third storage system. The first storage system receives individual data files from a customer system, and on an individual file-by-file basis substantially in real time from receiving each of the individual data files, determines individual file types for the individual data files and transfers the individual data files based on the individual file types over a bonded time division multiplex connection. The second storage system receives and stores the individual data files on the individual file-by-file basis, and subsequently forms blocks of data including the individual data files, and transfers the blocks of data over an internet protocol connection. The third storage system receives and stores the blocks of data.
US07693955B2
A Web service can be deployed using a backend component such as an Enterprise JavaBean or Java class. The operation of the Web service can be mapped to methods of the backend component. An interceptor can provide access to SOAP contents of a Web service invocation message, passing contents to and from the backend component. The interceptor writes response data received from the backend component to a Web service response message, which can be sent to the client invoking the Web service. A codec, such as a serializer or deserializer, can be used to convert data in the Web service invocation message and invocation response message between XML representations and Java objects for use with the backend component.
US07693952B2
Methods, systems, and computer program products that provide for a runtime messaging infrastructure, which abstracts send and receive operations for exchanging messages with partner endpoint. The messaging infrastructure improves availability and scalability of a message application by improving on the availability and scalability of the underlying message transports. In particular, availability and scalability are improved by linking the message application at runtime with any number of the message transports, without the message application specifying a transport at development time. The message infrastructure receives instructions from the message application specifying end-to-end delivery assurances. The infrastructure uses transports in order to fulfill the specified delivery assurance, and creates a link between the message application and transports for use in exchanging messages. Session state storage can be maintained in a pluggable store, which could be, for example, a durable database store or an application memory store.
US07693949B2
A method and electronic system for exchanging data between a handheld device and another computer system are described. A data file is transferred to the handheld device using the install application of a synchronization manager. The transferred file is stored as a digital stream file with its native data encoding. After synchronization, a message is sent to notify the exchange manager about the data file. The exchange manager then uses an application registry to identify the application program that corresponds to the file stream based on the extension of the stream file. The pertinent application program is then invoked and the stream file is dispatched to the application for processing. During processing, the pertinent application then formats the stream file such that the data file becomes a record within the database file that is associated with the pertinent application.
US07693947B2
Systems and methods for graphically displaying messaging traffic flows by collecting messaging data, converting a portion of the messaging data to a geographical position and collecting statistics related to the messaging data for overlaying upon a geographical map.
US07693942B2
A system and method for processing mail includes receiving a mail item, the mail item having recipient address information and one or more pages enclosed in the mail item, and scanning the mail item including the recipient address information and the enclosed one or more pages into an image file. A subscriber is identified from the recipient address information in the image file. An e-mail message is transmitted to the identified subscriber, the e-mail message indicating the reception of the mail item.
US07693933B1
Techniques for configuring relay processes for dynamically configuring hosts for network operations include receiving, at a relay process on a network device, a first message from a first server that dynamically configures hosts for network communications. The first message includes first data that indicates a particular set of one or more network addresses for servers that dynamically configure hosts for network communications. The particular set is stored for use in directing second data to a server that dynamically configures hosts for network communications. The second data is received in a second message from a client on a host connected to the network device. The second data indicates a host request for configuring the host for network communications. These techniques allow a Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) relay agent on a router to be automatically configured with a set of addresses for DHCP servers.
US07693931B2
A method and system for grid computing. In an embodiment, a plurality of client machines are interconnected to at least one master machine. The master machine assigns a portion of a computing task to each one of the client machines. If any given client machine fails, or is delayed, in the performance its portion of the task, the master machine uses an estimate of that particular portion when presenting output for the task.
US07693923B2
Digital filter system whose stopband roots lie on unit circle of complex plane and associated method
A method is disclosed for providing a digital filter system for providing a low pass filter function to a digital input. The method includes the steps of determining a finite impulse response of the input, determining a transfer function of the finite impulse response and providing a polynomial, identifying a plurality of stopband roots of the polymonial that lie in a complex plane, identifying real and complex conjugate pairs for the plurality of stopband roots, and providing coefficients for a complex polynomial that realizes the real and complex conjugate pairs such that a plurality of adjusted stopband roots lie on a unit circle of said complex plane.
US07693922B2
A method for preprocessing a signal, wherein an iterative process with at least one iteration is performed to generate an output signal based on an input signal. In each iteration a preceding intermediate output signal and the input signal is received. A process is applied to the preceding intermediate output signal to transform the latter according to a given transfer function so as to generate a transformed preceding intermediate output signal. Then, the input signal is subtracted from the transformed intermediate output signal. Thereby, an intermediate error signal is generated and then added to the intermediate output signal so as to generate a succeeding intermediate output signal which is used as an output signal after the iterative process stopped.
US07693903B2
A computer method of gathering and summarizing large amounts of information comprises collecting information from a plurality of information sources (14, 51) according to respective maps (52) of the information sources (14), converting the collected information from a storage format to XML-language documents (26, 53) and storing the XML-language documents in a storage medium, searching for documents (55) according to a search query (13) having at least one term and identifying the documents (26) found in the search, and displaying the documents as nodes (33) of a tree structure (32) having links (34) and nodes (33) so as to indicate similarity of the documents to each other.
US07693898B2
Systems and methods allow independent users to both search and classify third party information, in inconsistent ways, using lists of predefined topics. Users can preferably add their own topics, with the system providing information as to frequency of use of various topics to encourage conformity. Users are encouraged to classify third party material by having the ability to add and publish their own editorial or other comments on that third party material.
US07693896B1
A system and method for allowing a consumer to search a database containing used vehicles from a variety of sellers that can be queried to provide search results that include only vehicles having clean title histories.
US07693889B1
Performing a backup is disclosed. A first set of data associated with a second set of data is backed up. The first set of data is made available for use before backing up the second set of data. The second set of data is backed up within a prescribed interval after completing the backup of the first set of data. One of the first set of data and the second set data comprises metadata associated with the other of the first set of data and the second set of data and the other comprises one or more items of managed content.
US07693882B2
Techniques are provided for managing replicated data items in a cluster of shared nothing nodes. The techniques include synchronously propagating changes to one or more replicas, while asynchronously propagating changes to the remaining replicas. Because the replicas to which the change is synchronously replicated may be a relatively small percentage of the total number of replicas, the overhead associated with performing an update is reduced. The process of selecting which nodes are involved in the synchronous update operation may take into account a variety of factors, including which replicas are available at the time the update operation is being performed.
US07693879B2
A database system includes a center server and local servers. The center server includes a replication requesting unit, a data consolidating unit including a center DB freeze requesting unit and a center DB freeze release requesting unit, a replication source managing table and a data consolidation completion notifying unit. Each of the local servers includes a local DB freeze requesting unit, a remote volume split requesting unit, a remote volume split completion notifying unit and a local DB freeze release requesting unit. The center server permits replications of local DB's in local storage subsystems to be created in the center storage subsystem and accesses shadow images of the replications to give a consolidated access to the plurality of local DB's.
US07693869B2
A computer implemented method, apparatus, and computer usable program code for managing a serially presented set of items. The process displays a content for a given item for an amount of time based on user input in response to a user selection of the given item. The process identifies a dwell value for the given item based on a dwell time for the given item and a timing profile. The dwell time is the amount of time the content for the given item is displayed. The process removes the item from a plurality of content items in response to a determination that the dwell value for the item is less than a dwell threshold.
US07693867B2
A method for a computer system includes opening a first file describing a first object in an object environment, determining a reference for a second object, wherein the second object includes a plurality of attributes, receiving a second file describing the second object from a storage system; in response to the reference, and opening the second file describing the second object in the object environment, determining a modified value for an attribute from the plurality of attributes for the second object, and including in the first file the reference for the second object and the modified value for the attribute, wherein the second object is not stored in the first file.
US07693856B2
Systems and methods for managing data, such as metadata or indexes of content of files. In one exemplary method, notifications to update a metadata database or an index database are combined into a combined notification. According to other aspects, an order among logical locations on a storage device is determined in order to specify a sequence for scanning for files to be indexed. According to another aspect, a method includes determining whether to index a file based on a path name of the file relative to a plurality of predetermined path names.
US07693855B2
A method, system, and computer program product for managing data associated with a document stored in an electronic form. The document can be a part of a file. Computer processed algorithms, user-operated computer graphics tools, or both can be used to derive data from or assign data to the document or the file. First data is derived from the document, second data is assigned to the document, or both. The first data, the second data, or both are organized as attributes of an object of a first computer database. At least one attribute is organized as a child object of the object. The at least one attribute is associated with a feature of the document. Optionally, an attribute is moved from the object of the first computer database to an object of a second computer database and an address of a location in a memory at which the object of the second computer database is stored is added as a new attribute of the object of the first computer database.
US07693846B2
A data management system and method that collectively manages material data by synchronizing the material data stored in a material server with an OA server. The method includes sequentially storing material data including generated video/audio signals in at least a material server; determining that the material data stored in the material server has either a synchronous attribute or an asynchronous attribute with respect to at least an OA server which stores material data to be transmitted to a broadcast network. The method also includes synchronizing, between the material and OA servers, processing operations with respect to the same material data existing in both the material and OA servers and respectively having a synchronous attribute.
US07693845B2
Database systems, methods and/or computer program products provide for multiple but exclusive relationships between tables in a relational database. The multiple but exclusive relationship may be enforced based on a type associated with a record in a relating table. The multiple but exclusive relationship may be a one-to-many or a many-to-many relationship. A foreign key value of a record in a relating table may be selectively associated with a specific one of a plurality of related tables based on at least one attribute of the record containing the foreign key in the relating table. In particular embodiments of the present invention, the foreign key values of a record in the relating table are selectively associated with one of the plurality of related tables by defining a foreign key of records of the relating table and defining a plurality of types of foreign key associations, each of the types corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of related tables. One of the related tables having a type corresponding to a type value associated with a record of the relating table is selected and a record in the selected related table identified based on a foreign key value of the foreign key of the record in the relating table.
US07693841B1
Parallel generic and non-generic versions of a Web site allow a user of the site to either remain anonymous (if accessing the generic version) or allow user information to be collected (if accessing the non-generic version). In one exemplary embodiment, a Web site may provide a user an interface for entering and processing a search query. A search query processed by a generic version of the Web site includes a marker that informs a Web server supporting the generic Web site that the user wishes to remain anonymous. A parallel non-generic version of the Web site may also interface with the same Web server as interfaced by the generic Web site, but permit a data collecting scheme at the Web server to collect user-specific or user-identifiable information. Such user information, if collected, can be used by the Web server to enhance the user's experience with the Web site.
US07693839B2
This present invention is a method and system for providing an up-to-the-minute location of a recipient for delivery of a message. A computerized system imports corporation databases containing employee location codes and delivery preference information (as well as addresses for various message media such as FAX telephone numbers, E-mail addresses, Pager telephone Numbers, etc.) to a database in or accessible by the corporation's Mail Room. The system includes WEB-based and telephone access to this information to allow employees to keep this information up to date.
US07693838B2
A security manager receives a request for data that is subject to data security management. The security manager operates independently of a host partition and is not directly accessible or detectable by the host partition. The security manager determines whether to grant or deny access to the requested data based at least in part on a requesting user's authentication credentials. If the data request is approved, a security policy associated with the data is determined. In addition, instructions are sent to a system hypervisor to create a secure partition. The hypervisor loads the requested data and a verified version of an application necessary to access the data into the secure partition creating a secure environment for accessing the data.
US07693836B2
The invention comprises a set of complementary techniques that dramatically improve enterprise search and navigation results. The core of the invention is an expertise or knowledge index, called UseRank that tracks the behavior of website visitors. The expertise-index is designed to focus on the four key discoveries of enterprise attributes: Subject Authority, Work Patterns, Content Freshness, and Group Know-how. The invention produces useful, timely, cross-application, expertise-based search and navigation results. In contrast, traditional Information Retrieval technologies such as inverted index, NLP, or taxonomy tackle the same problem with an opposite set of attributes than what the enterprise needs: Content Population, Word Patterns, Content Existence, and Statistical Trends. Overall, the invention encompasses Baynote Search—a enhancement over existing IR searches, Baynote Guide—a set of community-driven navigations, and Baynote Insights—aggregated views of visitor interests and trends and content gaps.
US07693834B2
A search engine for dynamically generating search results for the user is disclosed. In one embodiment, the user submits a first search query for searching a primary database, such as the content obtained from the World Wide Web, and the search engine obtains primary search listings based upon the search query, which search listings are distinguished from banner advertisements. The system then performs a further search of one or more secondary databases. The secondary search is initiated by the user or automatically by the system, based upon one or more search parameters. The secondary databases may include internal databases maintained by a provider of goods or services, databases that are updated in real time, or databases that include data obtained from a variety of different sources. Examples of secondary databases include inventory databases, product information databases, scheduling databases, market-related databases, location databases or any other database. The search engine compiles the primary search results and secondary search results to produce dynamic search results. The system then presents the dynamic search results to the user, advantageously providing enhanced search listings that include both static and dynamic content relevant to the user's interests and needs.
US07693826B1
A parallel database system capable of deploying a pre-compiled query and pre-keying data associated with the pre-compiled query includes at least one master node. The at least one master node is operable to store and execute a pre-compiled query that is capable of resolving a data request received by the parallel database system. The system further includes a plurality of slave nodes coupled to the at least one master node. In this particular embodiment, each of the plurality of slave nodes is operable to store one or more key parts. The one or more key parts include data capable of resolving a portion of the pre-compiled query.
US07693825B2
Systems and methods for ranking implicit search queries are described. In one embodiment a method comprising receiving an event, the event comprising user interaction with an article on a client device, wherein the article is capable of being associated with at least one of a plurality of client applications, extracting at least one keyword from the event, generating a query based at least in part on the at least one keyword, performing a search based at least in part on the query to determine a result set, wherein the result set comprises one or more article identifiers associated with articles comprising the at least one keyword, and determining a ranking for each of the one or more article identifiers comprising the result set is described.
US07693824B1
A system and method is disclosed for generating numerical index terms for numbers encountered in documents indexed by a search engine. The numerical index terms include information about the indexed number (e.g., fieldname, characteristic, sign) and each digit, or a subset of the digits, of the number (e.g., position, value). Also, disclosed is a system and method of processing number-range search queries having one or more number ranges and generating expressions (e.g., Boolean expression tree) of numerical index terms based on a boundary number associated with the number range. An expression is used to control the search of a document index so as to identify documents that contain numbers that satisfy the expression.
US07693813B1
An information retrieval system uses phrases to index, retrieve, organize and describe documents. Phrases are extracted from the document collection. Documents are the indexed according to their included phrases, using phrase posting lists. The phrase posting lists are stored in an cluster of index servers. The phrase posting lists can be tiered into groups, and sharded into partitions. Phrases in a query are identified based on possible phrasifications. A query schedule based on the phrases is created from the phrases, and then optimized to reduce query processing and communication costs. The execution of the query schedule is managed to further reduce or eliminate query processing operations at various ones of the index servers.
US07693812B2
A method, apparatus, and computer program for querying data and an associated ontology in a database. An ontology is associated with data in database. Responsive to receiving a query from a requestor, relational data in the database is identified using the query to form identified relational data. Ontological knowledge in the ontology is identified using the identified relational data and the ontology. A result is returned to the requestor.
US07693806B2
A system and method that facilitates and effectuates optimizing a classifier for greater performance in a specific region of classification that is of interest, such as a low false positive rate or a low false negative rate. A two-stage classification model can be trained and employed, where the first stage classification is optimized over the entire classification region and the second stage classifier is optimized for the specific region of interest. During training the entire set of training data is employed by a first stage classifier. Only data that is classified by the first stage classifier or by cross validation to fall within a region of interest is used to train the second stage classifier. During classification, data that is classified within the region of interest by the first classification is given the first stage classifier's classification value, otherwise the classification value for the instance of data from the second stage classifier is used.
US07693804B2
Methods, systems and computer program products for identifying primary product objects on a web page. A primary product object is the object that shows the best view of the product the web page is detailing. A set of features is extracted for one or more objects on the web page. The primary product objects are identified by computing the probabilities of one or more objects on the web page being a primary product object, the probabilities indicating the likelihood of the one or more objects being the primary product object. The probabilities are computed by querying a statistical model.
US07693801B2
The present invention includes a method and system for creating a price-forecasting tool for a commodity. The method and system comprise providing price data and industry capacity utilization data related to the commodity, and establishing the price-forecasting tool based on a statistical relationship between the price data and the industry capacity utilization data. A method of doing business is disclosed comprising creating a price forecasting tool based on a statistical relationship between price data and industry capacity utilization data of the commodity, and utilizing the price forecasting tool to generate a plurality of scenario prices for the commodity for a plurality of forecast horizons. A computer program product is disclosed for creating a price forecasting tool comprising a computer usable medium having computer readable program means for causing a computer to perform the steps of providing price data and industry capacity utilization data related to the commodity, and establishing the price forecasting tool based on a statistical relationship between the price data and the industry capacity utilization data.
US07693796B2
A system and method for data recipient invoked electronic commerce allowing data subjects to provide information over a network and data recipients to receive such information relating to the needs of s data subject such as purchases, distribution of application information and the like. The system includes a server having software which gathers the information from a data subject to complete a transaction over a network. The system has a data subject data structure that stores information for registered data subjects. The software is able to access the data subject data structure and enter the data subject's information during subsequent transactions. Having the software obtain and enter the data subject's purchasing information, the data subject does not have to enter the same information every time the data subject desires to effect a transaction over the network. In alternate embodiments, the same technology can be applied to other arenas where a user may have to enter the same repetitive information.
US07693792B2
Payment system and method, server apparatus, payment processing method, and computer program product
A payment system having a server apparatus (50) capable of transmitting and receiving information via a communication network (1), a first terminal apparatus (10) for a purchase application, a second terminal apparatus (20) for an installment payment organization and a third terminal apparatus (30) for a settlement service organization. The first terminal apparatus includes an inputting device (104) for prompting to input desirable one of a plurality of payment plan informations each indicating a combination of (i) a part of an installment payment for a purchase price of a product, and (ii) a part of a settlement service for a price of a service, as well as for prompting to input personal information and the credit card number. The server apparatus includes a processing device (502) for extracting (i) information relating to items for an installment payment application and (ii) information relating to items for a settlement service application, separately from among the information inputted via the inputting device.
US07693783B2
A method is provided for supporting processing of a transaction conducted between a first party and a second party. The first party accepts payment via a plurality of different payment options selectable by the second party, and the plurality of different payment options are associated with a plurality of different authentication protocols prescribed therefor. The method includes: receiving payment information over a communications network at a server operatively connected to the communications network, the payment information identifying a particular payment option used by the second party for the transaction, and the server being equipped to format and route messages over the communications network in different manners to accommodate the plurality of different authentication protocols; determining from the payment information received at the server which of the different authentication protocols is prescribed for the type of payment option identified in the payment information; selecting, in accordance with the determination, a particular authentication protocol from the plurality of different authentication protocols supported by the server; and, obtaining an authentication determination for the transaction in accordance with the selected authentication protocol, including formatting messages and routing the formatted messages over the communications network in accordance with one or more mandates of the selected authentication protocol.
US07693766B2
A financial activity network includes a central managing system connected to a plurality of participant terminals. Rules governing operation of the financial activity are stored for future reference. A participant provides investment information such as a map location for the predicted strike by the natural event and, optionally, one or more secondary parameters relating to the natural event, such as the time interval between the time of investment and the time of an event strike and/or the severity of the event strike according to an established scale. In one example, an external objective independent information source is consulted, with the external objective independent information source providing monitoring, interpretation and derived determination of parameters pertaining to the natural event. Methods and articles of manufacture are also disclosed.
US07693763B2
In a trading environment that comprises buy side traders and securities brokers, a computer process capable of preventing securities brokers from receiving information irrelevant to a commission payment for a securities transaction. The process comprises means for providing an overview of commission payments for a predetermined time period, means for providing details of step-out payments for the predetermined period, means for adjusting step-in amounts and frequencies, means for providing notification that a commission payment has been stepped out and is capable of being credited, means for automatically suggesting and performing step-ins and step-outs, and means for assessing the step-outs and step-ins against a predetermined budget.
US07693759B2
A system and method for posting tracking accrued revenue and costs. The system includes an accrual system that causes each inputted accrual event to be posted at the same time (e.g., on the same day) that the accrual event was received; and a reversal system that, on demand (e.g., daily), checks a set of reversal rules and reverses any accrual events that triggered a reversal rule.
US07693753B1
System and method for presenting items and obtaining user selections of those items. In one embodiment, the method comprises presenting a sequence of images of a plurality of items and adding a currently displayed item to a holding area responsive to accepting user input. In one embodiment, the presenting may be a virtual slide show. The method may be implemented as software on a stand-alone computer or in a client-server networked environment.
US07693731B1
An improved method and system for developing a reinsurance administration system. Developers may build application programs for reinsurance administration with increased re-use of existing functionality and decreased development time. A business process framework may include common functionality for a plurality of business processes and a template for executing steps in the business processes. The common functionality may include behavior for GUI elements such as windows and buttons, error logging, and database commit and rollback transactions. One or more business process subclasses may be derived from abstract business process classes in the business process framework. One or more support processes in the business process framework may be specified for a business process. The support processes may include support processes for data or syntax validation, GUI, persistent data storage, security, and/or precondition checks. One or more hook methods in the business process framework may be overridden by a business process to identify methods to be performed at various points during execution of the business process. The business processes may be combined to build one or more application programs.
US07693724B2
A software application is provided designed to encourage collaboration between professional disciplines related to land development and construction projects. A graphical risk analysis system is provided based on answers to interdisciplinary questions related to risks. Use of the system promotes a complete checklist of interdisciplinary and informational consultation which, when completed, reduces the risk related to land development.
US07693723B2
A system and method is provided that enables a carrier of a mailpiece, such as a national postal service, to track a mailpiece as it passes from the control of a first carrier to the control of another, second carrier. The tracking of the mailpiece continues until the mailpiece is delivered, by the second carrier, to its ultimate recipient. In this manner the first carrier, who had control of the mailpiece when first posted, can monitor the handling of the mailpiece and can calculate delivery times when the mailpiece was in the control of the second carrier. The method and system of the present invention will find particular application to a national postal service seeking to track delivery performance of internationally addressed express mail that is first domestically posted and then ultimately delivered in a foreign country by the postal service of the foreign country.
US07693704B2
A computer-automated system and method identify text in a first “citing” court case, near a “citing instance” (in which a second “cited” court case is cited), that indicates the reason(s) for citing (RFC). The automated method of designating text, taken from a set of citing documents, as reasons for citing (RFC) that are associated with respective citing instances of a cited document, has steps including: obtaining contexts of the citing instances in the respective citing documents (each context including text that includes the citing instance and text that is near the citing instance), analyzing the content of the contexts, and selecting (from the citing instances' context) text that constitutes the RFC, based on the analyzed content of the contexts. A related computer-automated system and method selects content words that are highly related to the reasons a particular document is cited, and gives them weights that indicate their relative relevance. Another related computer-automated system and method forms lists of morphological forms of words. Still another related computer-automated system and method scores sentences to show their relevance to the reasons a document is cited. Also, another related computer-automated system and method generates lists of content words. In a preferred embodiment, the systems and methods are applied to legal (especially case law) documents and legal (especially case law) citations.
US07693697B2
A method, system and apparatus for the monitoring, diagnosis and evaluation of the state of a dynamic drug display system is disclosed. This invention provides for the rapid cognitive grasp of the overall state of drug combination effects with respect to a dynamic system. The system provides for displayed objects, which change in real-time to show the changes of the functions of the system. In particular, this invention is directed to the processing and display of drug data for the use of doctors in the process of monitoring or administering drugs to patients.
US07693687B2
The present invention relates to control of and data collection from sensors associated with tools. In particular, it relates to using a controller to mediate communications among a tool, sensors associated with the tool and data users, such as a host system or distributed processors. Particular aspects of the present invention are described in the claims, specification and drawings.
US07693685B2
A digital reordering unit, an ultrasonic front-end device and operating method thereof are provided. The ultrasonic front-end device may be connected between a probe and a detector of the ultrasonic system and controlled by a primary controller of the ultrasonic system; the ultrasonic front-end device having an ultrasonic transmission part and an ultrasonic reception part, wherein the ultrasonic transmission part includes a transmission beamformer and M transmission driving units, and has M transmission channels; the ultrasonic reception part includes M high-voltage isolation circuits, RC amplifiers, RC ADCs and a beamformer electrically connected in said order and has RC reception channels, where RC=[N,2N,3N . . . p*N], N being an integer larger than or equal to 1, being characterized in that, M low-voltage analog switches and a network of resistors are serially connected between the M high-voltage isolation circuits and the RC amplifiers.
US07693680B2
A communications system for a position detector comprises a position detector for detecting the amount of movement of a table, an A/D converter connected to the position detector, a numerical control device connected to the A/D converter and receiving a position signal converted by the A/D converter, and an information processor connected to the A/D converter via a USB capable of bidirectional communication. The information processor includes a storage section for preserving data and a program, a computing section for computationally operating the program, and a display section for indicating the results of computational operation by the computing section, and the data.
US07693677B2
The invention relates to a method having applications for oil exploration and CO2 storage of determining the three-dimensional distribution of the absolute permeability of a heterogeneous sample. The method includes: determining a 3D porosity map of the sample; carrying out a viscous miscible displacement experiment during which the evolution of the differential pressure on either side of the sample is determined; from this evolution, determining a 1D absolute permeability profile along the sample and constructing a first 3D permeability map from the 3D porosity map; estimating a simulated differential pressure by simulating numerically a viscous miscible test from the first permeability map and from the 1D permeability profile; determining the three-dimensional distribution of the absolute permeability of the sample by modifying at least once the first permeability map so as to minimize the difference between the simulated differential pressure and the differential pressure measured over the course of time.
US07693676B1
Low power design is a critical concern and metric for integrated circuits. During scan based manufacturing test, electric power dissipation becomes even more critical as the chip may not have been designed to tolerate excessive switching during scan test. Excessive electric power dissipation during scan test can result in excessive voltage variations, reduced noise margins and other signal integrity issues which could invalidate the test or may lead to premature chip failure. Power dissipation during test is minimized by selecting particular values for the unused care-bits in values of the test vectors on a probabilistic basis to minimize switching, while preserving test vector quality.
US07693661B2
The present lane departure prevention system can prevent a vehicle from departing from a lane of travel, even when the vehicle tows a towed vehicle. When the towed vehicle is detected, the lane departure prevention system changes a target yaw moment from that used in normal departure avoidance control operation. The change is based on a force input to the vehicle from the towed vehicle, which is caused by carrying out departure avoidance control, thereby controlling the vehicle so as not to depart from the lane using a corrected yaw moment.
US07693647B2
When it is predicted that an engine is going to be started in the near future, a heater portion of an air flow meter is energized so as to be heated in advance. Prior to the pre-heating, an intake air temperature is sensed by a temperature sensing portion of the air flow meter. After completion of start-up of an intake air temperature sensor, a difference between the intake air temperature sensed by the intake air temperature sensor and the previously sensed intake air temperature is obtained. When the difference is above a predetermined value, it is judged that the intake air temperature sensor or the air flow meter is in an abnormal condition.
US07693639B2
A vehicle dynamics control (VDC) apparatus for an automotive vehicle with a differential limiting device capable of limiting at least one of a differential motion between front and rear wheel axles and a differential motion between left and right wheel axles, includes a VDC system that controls a braking force of at least one of road wheels to control vehicle cornering behavior depending on a vehicle's turning condition independently of a driver's braking action. The VDC system advances a VDC initiation timing used in a differential limited state in which at least one of the front-and-rear wheel axle differential motion and the left-and-right wheel axle differential motion is limited, in comparison with a VDC initiation timing used in a differential non-limited state in which the front-and-rear wheel axle differential motion and the left-and-right wheel axle differential motion are allowed.
US07693638B2
A method of regulating operation of a hybrid transmission in a vehicle includes determining a desired transmission state using a first module, generating transmission control signals based on the desired transmission state using a second module and receiving at least one transmission parameter signal at the second module. An actual transmission state is determined based on the at least one transmission parameter signal at the second module. Whether a fault is present within the hybrid transmission control system is determined based on the desired transmission state and the actual transmission state at the first control module.
US07693636B2
A drive control system for an automotive vehicle includes an engine, an automatic transmission, a torque converter, a start clutch, an oil pump, a hydraulic pressure control unit, an engine control unit, an automatic engine stop/restart control unit and a torque transmission control unit configured to calculate target start clutch engagement time and torque based on an accelerator opening of the vehicle, calculate a target engine torque based on the target clutch engagement torque and cause the hydraulic control unit and the engine control unit to control the engagement state of the start clutch and the output torque of the engine according to the target clutch engagement time and torque and the target engine torque at a restart of the engine.
US07693625B2
A control module for a vehicle is provided. The control module includes at least one device driver implemented by the control module. The at least one device driver generates a control signal to a device of the vehicle and generates a state of health signal based on an operational status of the device driver. A processor implemented by the engine control module monitors the state of health signal from the at least one device driver and generates a running reset command to the at least one device driver based on a fault status of the state of health signal.
US07693618B2
Systems and methods for monitoring Required Navigational Performance (RNP) Procedures and reducing nuisance Enhanced Ground Proximity Warning System warnings including a processor, a memory with RNP instructions and data, and a communication device. The processor accesses the RNP data and instructions from the memory, and uses the communication device to obtain flight information from a Flight Management System of an aircraft. When the processor determines that the aircraft is in RNP space, the processor projects an RNP envelope and modifies a warning envelope of an EGPWS to coincide with the RNP envelope if the EGPWS warning envelope extends farther than the RNP envelope.
US07693617B2
An aircraft control system for operations close to the ground includes a camera having a rangefinder for measuring the azimuth, elevation and slant range from a fixed point on the aircraft relative to a selected target point on a surface below the aircraft, a navigation system for measuring the latitude and longitude of the aircraft on the surface, a computer for computing the position of the fixed point on the aircraft relative to the target point from the respective measurements of the camera and the navigation system, and a controller for controlling the movement of the aircraft such that the fixed point is positioned at a selected position above the selected target point on the surface. The controller may also include an automatic tracking mechanism for maintaining the position of the fixed point on the aircraft at the selected position above a moving object.
US07693615B2
A navigation system takes a graphical input and translates it into an alpha-numeric entry generally including latitude and longitude information. The system interprets the graphical entry, determines if a waypoint already exists or is depicted at the geographical location identified by the graphical entry and creates a new waypoint if no waypoint already exists or is depicted at the geographical location.
US07693612B2
A system, method and computer program for updating computer programs embedded in a vehicle is disclosed. Wireless communication means are used to detect and contact one of a plurality of neighbor vehicles. Information is exchanged with the contacted neighbor vehicle related to a plurality of computer programs embedded in the vehicle and the neighbor vehicle. One of a plurality of computer programs is requested and retrieved from the contacted neighbor vehicle. Another of the plurality of computer programs is delivered to the neighbor vehicle. The retrieved computer program is validated and installed.
US07693605B2
An apparatus for calling a mobile robot includes a generator installed at a remote controller, and generating an RF signal and infrared signal for calling a mobile robot when a call signal is inputted by a user; and a controller installed at the mobile robot, calculating a direction of the remote controller based on a position of an infrared ray receiver that receives the infrared signal when an RF signal is received, rotating the mobile robot in the calculated direction, and then making the mobile robot to go straight ahead. When a user calls the mobile robot from a specific place, the mobile robot can move by itself to the specific space, thereby enhancing users' convenience.
US07693603B2
The invention describes improved methods and mechanisms for providing secure access to pharmaceutical and supply items in a clinical setting. In one version of the invention, a dispensing unit has an interior housing one or more drawers. Each drawer has one or more storage locations. The fronts of the drawers are covered with one or more locking doors, preventing access to a particular drawer, unless the covering door is unlocked. Indicators are mounted on the side of the enclosure, to guide the user to a drawer covered by an associated unlocked door. The unit further includes indicators on the sides of the drawers, to guide the user to the right storage receptacles or pockets within the drawer. Some pockets may have lids. Some of the lids may have locks. Sensors associated with at least some of the individual pocket lids may be provided to detect the lifting of a lid. Means to automatically detect the entry of a hand or fingers into a pocket may be provided. One or more loudspeakers may be mounted on the unit, to provide auditory guidance and confirmation of correct access, by sounds and voice prompts. One or more video cameras may be mounted on the unit. A processor is mounted in the unit, or, in the case of an auxiliary unit, the auxiliary unit is connected to the processor on the main unit. The processor is connected to receive signals from sensors in the dispensing unit, from the video camera, and to send signals to the indicators, and to send auditory information to loudspeakers which are designed to focus the sound specifically to the user. Modular locking drawers may be mounted in this unit also, dispensing individual doses using a method where the drawer has to be fully closed for each unit dose of medication taken.
US07693588B2
The present invention relates to navigation of a path by a moving object, and, more particularly, to motion control systems for computer-controllable machine tools.
US07693587B2
Methods and apparatus are described for control of friction at the nanoscale. A method of controlling frictional dynamics of a plurality of particles using non-Lipschitzian control includes determining an attribute of the plurality of particles; calculating an attribute deviation by subtracting the attribute of the plurality of particles from a target attribute; calculating a non-Lipschitzian feedback control term by raising the attribute deviation to a fractionary power ξ=(2m+1)/(2n+1) where n=1, 2, 3 . . . and m=0, 1, 2, 3 . . . , with m strictly less than n and then multiplying by a control amplitude; and imposing the non-Lipschitzian feedback control term globally on each of the plurality of particles; imposing causes a subsequent magnitude of the attribute deviation to be reduced.
US07693583B2
A zone control panel that is easy and intuitive to use and to program. In some embodiments, a zone control panel may be configured to have an easy to use, single level menu structure with, for example, a configuration mode and/or a checkout mode. The configuration mode may, if present, include a number of menu screens sometimes without any sub-menu levels. Likewise, the checkout mode may, if present, include a number of menu screens sometimes without any sub-menu levels. A mode selector may be provided to select a particular mode, after which, the menu screens that correspond to the selected mode may be sequentially displayed to the user. Other features and aspects are also disclosed.
US07693575B2
A heart stimulator for electrical stimulation of a heart chamber includes a sensing stage sensing excitation of the heart chamber via an electrode lead having an electrode for picking up heart chamber electric potentials, a stimulation pulse generator generating electric stimulation pulses for delivery to the heart chamber via a stimulation electrode, and a control unit connected to the sensing stage and the stimulation pulse generator and being adapted to trigger the stimulation pulses at a controlled stimulation rate. A monitoring stage is provided for preventing too high of a stimulation rate for too long of a period of time, with the monitoring stage being connected to the control unit and being adapted to monitor the controlled stimulation rate, and to override the controlled stimulation rate by a fixed stimulation rate for a predetermined period of time if the average controlled stimulation rate exceeds a predetermined maximum rate.
US07693563B2
One embodiment discloses a computerized method of facilitating cardiac intervention. The method may include inputting patient data and creating a computerized interactive model of a heart based on the patient data. The model may include features. The model may simulate at least one proposed cardiac intervention by adding or deleting features to the model, and determining the effects of the proposed cardiac simulation upon the entire model. Simulations may be repeated to allow the user to determine an optimal cardiac intervention. A template and/or patient specific instrument may be created from the model to use as a guide during the cardiac intervention.
US07693561B2
For measuring the concentration of a substance in body fluid, such as the glucose level in blood or tissue, a strip electrode (18) and a ring electrode (19) are arranged at the specimen. The ring electrode (19) is in direct electrical contact with the specimen while the strip electrode (18) is electrically insulated therefrom. The strip electrode (18) is arranged parallel to an arm or a leg for obtaining a large interaction length. The electrodes (18, 19) form a capacitor in a resonant circuit. A modulated voltage in the MHz range close to or at the resonance frequency is applied to the electrodes and the response of the body fluid is measured. This design allows a measurement of high accuracy.
US07693557B2
The invention relates to a method of customisation of portable communication devices. A plurality of casing elements capable of individual formation are designated. The character of these elements is selectable by a commissioning party. The characters selected are communicated to a production facility for realisation of the customised casing.
US07693546B1
A compact removable voice handset for an integrated palmtop computer system/mobile phone is presented. The present invention is used in conjunction with a personal digital assistant (PDA). The PDA comprises electronics for wireless communications and a contact information database and a means for coupling the handset to the PDA. The present invention is compact such that when coupled to the PDA, there is minimal increase to the overall size and weight of the PDA. The present invention comprises a microphone and a speaker, and is communicatively coupled, via either a wireless connection or a wired connection, to the PDA. The handset comprises control elements such that the handset can be operated independent of the PDA. In one embodiment, the handset comprises a display and control elements configured for accessing the contact information database of the PDA, adjusting the volume of the handset, and for initiating or ending wireless communications.
US07693539B2
A mobile communication system comprises: a determination unit configured to determine as to layers of data to be transmitted by base stations to mobile stations for respective radio areas, based on area resource information concerning radio resources for the respective radio areas covered by the base stations; and a radio transmitter configured to transmit the data to the mobile stations according to a determination of the determination unit.
US07693527B2
A system and method are provided for controlling access to a wireless network by a remote terminal in a restricted frequency band in accordance with authorization conditions defined by geographic location. The remote terminal has a geographic self locating capability from which a location specifier is generated. The location specifier is compared to a geographic zone map which has information pertaining to conditions for authorizing communications in the restricted frequency band for various different geographic zones. Depending upon which geographic zone the remote terminal is in or nearby, power level, and time period of communication vary.
US07693523B2
This invention relates to methods and apparatus for establishing the flexible connections required to serve collaborative Telestar service requests. Telestar refers to services frequently described as being Tele* services such as teleeducation, teleconsultation and telemedicine. A customer node, such as a doctor's office, is connected via a high speed link to a switch which in turn is connected to a broadband network for interconnecting high speed links. The broadband network is connected to a Telestar service provider node. The customer signals requests for connections within the Telestar service provider nodes. These requests are processed by a Tele* service controller to generate request messages to the source and destination nodes to establish a requested connection. Advantageously, the highly flexible arrangements needed for providing optimum Telestar service can be readily controlled by a calling customer.
US07693516B2
A system and method for enhancing communications between a WiFi terminal and other devices coupled to a wireless network. A wireless Access Point is configured to receive data from a data network through a wired link and to transmit and receive data over an 802.11 wireless link to one or more wireless devices. The wireless Access Point also includes a preset communications profile. A set of IP addresses and capability set information associated with devices of the wireless network is provided. Accordingly, a WiFi terminal WiFi terminal can automatically establish a link capable of data exchange with the wireless Access Point by simply powering up the WiFi terminal. In one embodiment, IP address and capability set information is automatically exchanged between the WiFi terminal and other compatible devices of the wireless network.
US07693512B1
Disclosed is a personal identity beacon, which can be attached to a keychain, integrated into jewelry, and the like. The personal identity beacon can include a GPS receiver and a transmitter for communicating with a wireless macro network. The subscriber is also provided with universal service identifiers (e.g., telephone numbers, e-mail addresses and the like). The beacon periodically determines its current location and forwards its determined location to the wireless macro network. A subscriber registers geographic locations for forwarding communication services, such as home, the office, and the like, and corresponding communication service identifiers. When the wireless macro network receives a geographic location from the beacon identifying a new location, which corresponds to one registered by the subscriber, the wireless macro network automatically forwards communications destined for the universal service identifiers to the subscriber's communication service identifiers registered for that location, e.g., phone calls to a landline phone, e-mail to a particular e-mail account, etc. Because the personal identity beacon is integrated with, or attached to, an article, which a consumer will always carry with them, the personal identity beacon simplifies the automatic forwarding of communication services.
US07693502B2
Methods, systems, and apparatuses, and combinations and sub-combinations thereof, for down-converting an electromagnetic (EM) signal are described herein. Briefly stated, in embodiments the invention operates by receiving an EM signal and recursively operating on approximate half cycles (½, 1½, 2½, etc.) of the carrier signal. The recursive operations can be performed at a sub-harmonic rate of the carrier signal. The invention accumulates the results of the recursive operations and uses the accumulated results to form a down-converted signal. In an embodiment, the EM signal is down-converted to an intermediate frequency (IF) signal. In another embodiment, the EM signal is down-converted to a baseband information signal. In another embodiment, the EM signal is a frequency modulated (FM) signal, which is down-converted to a non-FM signal, such as a phase modulated (PM) signal or an amplitude modulated (AM) signal.
US07693500B2
Various embodiments of a panoramic display for a wireless device are described. In one embodiment, a wireless device may include a display comprising a plurality of display regions. The display regions may include a central display region and multiple lateral display regions arranged to provide a panoramic display. Image compression and/or scaling may be applied to media content that is to be displayed in one or more of the lateral display regions based on the proximity of the lateral display region to the edge of the display.
US07693499B2
In a transmission path, an input signal is amplified in a manner dependent on a digital control word present and is processed by an arrangement for signal processing to form an output signal. A digital setting word is read out from a memory device in a manner dependent on the digital control word, setting signals being derived from said setting word. The gain setting of the amplifier and the operating mode of the arrangement for signal processing are influenced by the setting signals.
US07693491B2
Aspects of compensating for transmitter output power may comprise sampling an on-chip transmitter circuit temperature at various time instants and determining a feedback temperature compensation value. At least one digital-to-analog converter may be adjusted by utilizing the feedback temperature compensation value, which may correspond to the sampled temperature. The digital-to-analog converter may be an I-component digital-to-analog converter and/or a Q-component digital-to-analog converter. At least a portion of the on-chip transmitter circuit may be characterized to determine power output dependence of the on-chip transmitter circuit on temperature variation of the on-chip transmitter circuit. Based on this characterization, a feedback temperature compensation value that may correspond to the sampled temperature may be used to adjust the digital-to-analog converter. The feedback temperature compensation value may be, for example, from a lookup table or an algorithm.
US07693487B2
A radio communication apparatus includes a carriage path through which a radio communication medium is carried, a communication antenna provided in the carriage path, and a detector provided on an upstream side of the antenna in a carrying direction of the moving radio communication medium. The detector detects the passing radio communication medium. A radio main unit detects the radio communication medium by using the detector, and transmits a polling command to the radio communication medium at a proper timing on the basis of a detection signal from the detector. Thereby, it is possible to transmit a polling command from the radio main unit to the radio communication medium at a proper timing when the radio communication medium comes to a communication area of the antenna.
US07693470B2
An image forming apparatus includes: a plurality of rollers including a drive roller and a follow roller; an endless belt made of an insulation material and looped around the plurality of rollers so that a bridging portion is formed between adjacent rollers and both ends of the bridging portion are supported on the adjacent rollers; a photosensitive drum positioned outside of and facing the outer peripheral surface of the bridging portion; and a transfer roller positioned opposite of the photosensitive drum with the bridging portion interposed therebetween. The inner peripheral surface of the belt is made of a material which has greater tendency to be charged in a polarity that is the same as developer in triboelectric series than the outer peripheral surface of the follow roller as an upstream-side roller.
US07693469B2
The image forming apparatus is provided with: an image carrier that carries an image; an intermediate transfer belt that is arranged as opposed to the image carrier, and that rotationally moves in a predetermined direction; a primary transfer member that is arranged as opposed to the image carrier through the intermediate transfer belt, and that primarily transfers the image on the image carrier to the intermediate transfer belt; a secondary transfer member that secondarily transfers the image on the intermediate transfer belt to a recording medium; first, second and third hanging members that hang the intermediate transfer belt; and a drive device that transmits drive force to the first and the second hanging members such that drive force by the second hanging member is larger than drive force by the first hanging member.
US07693467B2
A feeding unit that feeds a medium, a plurality of image carriers arranged in parallel along a moving direction of the medium, a developer image forming unit that forms a developer image on the plurality of image carriers, and a transfer unit that transfers the developer image formed on the plurality of image carriers onto the medium is described. The developer image forming unit forms a first developer image on a first image carrier of the plurality of image carriers, the first developer image being used for transferring a first pattern at a first interval on the medium along the feeding direction. Also, the developer image forming unit forms a second developer image on a second image carrier of the plurality of image carriers, the second developer image at the first interval and a second interval alternately on the medium along the feeding direction.
US07693462B2
Process cartridge and image forming apparatus using image developer providing reduced toner cohesion
An image developer, including a rotatable developer bearer; a rotatable developer feeding member contacting the developer bearer; a developer container located above the developer feeding member, wherein the developer container includes a pressure reducing member configured to reduce a pressure applied to the developer feeding member; and a first stirring bar located directly below the pressure reducing member and configured to stir a developer such that a gap between an end of the pressure reducing member and an outer diameter of the stirring bar is 6 mm.
US07693450B2
A developing unit and an image forming apparatus having the developing unit are disclosed. The developing unit includes a developing unit main body having a supporting groove that contacts and is supported by the supporting protrusion of a frame when the developing unit is mounted on the mounting frame. A photoconductor is rotatably disposed in the developing unit main body and has ends that form a supporting shaft and are supported by a supporting unit. A driven unit is disposed in the developing unit main body and geared with the driving unit when the developing unit main body is mounted on the mounting frame. One of side surfaces of the developing unit main body includes an interference unit that interferes with the mounting frame and push the developing unit main body into engagement with the driving gear when the developing main body is mounted on the mounting frame.
US07693447B2
A developing device has a sealing unit that seals a gap between an inner wall of a housing that stores developer and a blade that controls a thickness of developer attached on a developing roller. The sealing unit of the developing device includes a first sealing member inserted into a gap between the inner wall of the housing and an end portion of the blade, a second sealing member placed on the blade to contact the first sealing member, and a pressing member that presses the first and second sealing members so as to prevent gaps between the first and second sealing members. Therefore, the gap between the blade and the inner wall of the housing can be blocked efficiently without damaging the developing roller, and a stable and efficient developing process can be performed.
US07693446B2
There is provided a cleaning apparatus capable of preventing counter-bending of a stripper blade in a more reliable manner. The cleaning apparatus removes toner from a circulation mechanism having a circulating surface that circulates in a two-dimensional manner around one pivotal shaft or two or more pivotal shafts parallel to each other in a housing, the toner attaching to the circulating surface. The cleaning apparatus includes a stripper blade, a securing section, and a counter-bending prevention member. The counter-bending prevention member is formed separately from the securing section and disposed on a downstream side of the stripper blade in the circulation direction of the circulating surface. The counter-bending prevention member prevents bending of the one end portion of the stripper blade on the downstream side in the circulation direction of the circulating surface.
US07693436B2
A fixing unit adapted to fix a developing agent onto an image forming medium by way of a heat roller containing a heater and a press roller conducts a warming up operation for the optimum warming up time as determined based on the temperature and the humidity of ambient air detected by a temperature/humidity sensor.
US07693422B2
Techniques are disclosed for designing optical transmission systems that efficiently compute cost-optimal configurations under one or more constraints. For example, in one aspect of the present invention, a technique for designing an optical transmission system comprises the following steps/operations. A set of one or more demands and a set of optical transmission system elements are obtained. Elements may be consecutively coupled via a span. At least one constraint on the design of the optical transmission system is obtained. The at least one constraint comprises: (i) a signal loss in a span should not exceed a given maximum signal loss; (ii) a signal loss in a span should not exceed a given maximum signal loss and a span should be longer than a given minimum span length; (iii) a signal loss in a span should not exceed a given first maximum signal loss and a span should be longer than a given minimum span length, however, at most one in m contiguous spans can have a loss up to a given second maximum signal loss, wherein the second maximum signal loss is greater than the first maximum signal loss; or (iv) a signal loss in a span should not exceed a given maximum signal loss and a span should be longer than a given minimum span length, and an average span loss of any m consecutive spans should not exceed a given average loss, wherein the average loss is less than the given maximum signal loss. A least-cost configuration is then computed for the optical transmission system based on at least a portion of the set of one or more demands and the set of one or more optical transmission system elements such that the at least one constraint is satisfied.
US07693414B1
An adapter in an interposed position between a hand-held camera and a battery for operating the camera in facing relation to each other in the clearance therebetween the camera-attached adapter positions an eyepiece of the camera so the camera user makes eye contact against the eyepiece despite the physical obstacle of the battery.
US07693411B2
A mobile terminal and auto-focusing method for the same are disclosed. The auto-focusing method uses a lens position error compensation and includes: detecting a target object during a photograph mode; determining a lens position at which a focus value gradient related to the detected target object changes sign while moving a lens of the camera module in units of one step size; and performing lens position compensation by moving the lens to the found lens position. As a result, the lens position errors caused by a conventional a voice coil motor are compensated, thereby providing rapid and fine auto-focusing.
US07693407B2
An anti-shake apparatus for image stabilizing comprises an angular velocity sensor and a controller. The angular velocity sensor detects an angular velocity. The controller controls the angular velocity sensor and performs an anti-shake operation on the basis of an output signal from the angular velocity sensor. The controller performs a modification of an offset output in the value of the output signal during a predetermined period of the anti-shake operation, and does not perform the modification except for during the predetermined period.
US07693399B2
The present invention relates to method and apparatus of providing data stream together with program specific information (PSI) requisite for data stream selecting, separating, and decoding of a digital TV set. The present invention, when transmitting PSI to a digital TV set, measures time length of the PSI, creates time information preceding a transport time of the first TP belonging to data stream by the measured time length, converts PSI to at least one TP the created time information is added to, and transmits the converted PSI TPs before data stream TPs. Owing to the PSI provided along with a digital data stream, the digital data stream from a recording medium can be selected, separated, and decoded at a digital TV set without data loss. Furthermore, even though PSI is additionally provided, continuity among time information written successive TPs of PSI and data stream is always ensured.
US07693396B2
A designated program is recorded in a hard disk by a hard disk controller according to a program reservation database. A unique number is indicated at the head block of a video cassette tape for identifying the tape, and a genre of programs is recorded in the subsequent block of the tape. When the video cassette tape is loaded, the information concerning the genre is read, and if there is record information of the same genre as that of the tape contained in the hard disk, it is additionally recorded in the video cassette tape.
US07693395B2
An information storage medium which stores data structures supporting multi-angles includes clip AV streams for respective angle data of multi-angle motion picture data. As additional information for each clip AV stream, clip information is recorded on a separate storage area from that of the clip AV streams. The clip information includes jumping-point information for jumping into another angle. Each of the clip AV streams may be recorded in a contiguous recording area, or divided into smaller interleaved units that are interleaved with units of the other clip AV streams.
US07693387B2
A cable management system for use with a rack having at least a first and a second side configured to be coupled to at least one piece of electronic equipment comprises a first and a second support configured to be disposed along at least a portion of a first and a second side of the rack. The first and second supports each include a strut configured to be secured to a respective side of the rack and an arm support including at least one mounting area. The cable management system also comprises a plurality of arms configured to be removably coupled to the mounting areas of the first and second arm supports. At least one of arms comprises a first and a second row of notches arranged in a first and a second direction, respectively. The first and second rows of notches are configured to engage with at least one cable associated with said at least one piece of electronic equipment.
US07693383B2
Provided are polymers comprising the condensation product of silicon-containing reactants. Also provided are compositions suitable for use in forming optical waveguides which include such polymers, as well as optical waveguides formed from such polymers. The polymers, compositions and optical waveguides have particular use in the formation of printed wiring boards having electrical and optical functionality.
US07693374B2
Fiber optic distribution cables and methods for manufacturing the same are disclosed. The methods present one or more optical fibers outward of the protective covering for distribution of the same toward the subscriber. Specifically, the methods include presenting a length of distribution optical fiber outward of the protective covering that is longer than the opening at access location. After the opening is made in the protective covering at the access location, the optical fibers for distribution are selected. Then a tool according to the present invention is positioned about the optical fibers selected for distribution and slid within the protective covering of the fiber optic distribution cable until it reaches a cutting location within the fiber optic distribution cable. Consequently, the tool is positioned for cutting the distribution optical fiber at a cutting location within the fiber optic distribution cable at a downstream location. Thereafter, the tool is removed and the cut distribution optical fiber is routed through the opening at the access location so the distribution optical fiber is presented outside the protective covering.
US07693369B2
The present invention is directed to hollow core optical ring resonators (HCORRs), methods of fabricating HCORRs, and methods of using HCORRs in sensing applications. In particular, the evanescent field and whispering gallery modes of the HCORRs may be used to detect a target analyte within the hollow core of the HCORR. Other features of the present invention include utilizing the HCORR as part of a multiplex sensing device, including using the HCORR in capillary electrophoresis and chromatography applications.
US07693366B2
A cascaded pair of broad bandwidth optical filters provides an overlap in pass-bands that forms a flat, narrow band optical filter. A first band-pass filter is operable to receive the optical signal and to transmit a first portion of the optical signal. The second band-pass filter receives the first portion of the optical signal transmits a second portion of the optical signal. The first band-pass filter has a first corner-pass wavelength of λa, a first corner-stop wavelength of λb, and a first pass-band center wavelength λpb1 such that λa≦λpb1≦λb. The second band-pass filter has a second corner-pass wavelength of λc, a second corner-stop wavelength of λd, and a second pass-band center wavelength λpb2 such that λc≦λpb2≦λd, wherein λa<λc<λb<λd. As such, the combined pass-band is λc≦λpb3≦λb.
US07693365B2
Chromatic dispersion is determined based on the arrival times of different frames of data in a wavelength division multiplexed (WDM) system having an optical communication link. Namely, a first frame is transmitted on a first optical channel, which is supplied to the optical communication link. A second frame is then transmitted on a second optical channel and the transmission time difference between the two frames is obtained. At a receive end, the difference in arrival times of the two frames is measured to obtain a relative time delay between the first and second frames and used to determine a chromatic dispersion.
US07693358B2
A distributed fiber optic sensor device that employs a photonic band gap fiber as a sensing medium, in which: the photonic band gap fiber, which is the sensing medium, includes: a quartz section; and a plurality of high refractive index portions provided in the quartz section along the longitudinal direction of the fiber, the high refractive index portions being photonic band gaps periodically arranged to form a triangular-lattice pattern; the photonic band gap fiber has a bandwidth in which a wavelength band of a Stokes beam generated due to stimulated Raman scattering is included; and the photonic band gap fiber has a band gap width in which a wavelength band of an anti-Stokes beam generated due to the stimulated Raman scattering and a wavelength band of an optical signal incident into the photonic band gap fiber are included.
US07693356B2
An optical modulator comprises a Z-cut lithium niobate substrate on which is formed a Mach-Zehnder interferometer having two generally parallel waveguides lying beneath a buffer layer of dielectric material. First and second ground electrodes and a hot electrode are disposed on the buffer layer, the first and second ground electrodes being spaced either side of the hot electrode, the hot electrode and the first ground electrode being proximate to at least apart of the respective waveguides. The electrode structure is unsymmetrical in that (a) the hot electrode and the first ground electrode each have a width substantially less than that of the second ground electrode and or (b) the spacing between the first ground and hot electrodes is different from the spacing between the second ground and hot electrodes. whereby a range of chirp values can be obtained. When the spacing between the first ground and hot electrodes is smaller than the spacing between the second ground and hot electrodes, and preferably the hot and first ground electrodes have a width not exceeding 15 .μm, the modulator is capable of operation at frequencies above 10 GHz, possibly up to around 40 GHz.
US07693338B2
Concealment of macroblocks in a rectangular array advantageously occurs by concealing successive rows of macroblocks by progressing in the direction of the larger side of the array. By performing concealment in this manner, information from the concealment of a preceding row or column propagates in a way that facilitates the prediction of contours either in the vertical, the horizontal or the diagonal direction horizontal/diagonal direction, thereby improving the quality of concealment.
US07693337B2
An alpha image encoding and decoding scheme operable according two different modes is disclosed. In the encoding, an alpha image is decomposed into alpha image blocks (600) comprising image elements (610). The blocks (600) are compressed into block representations (700) according to one of the two compression modes. A block representation (700) comprises a color codeword (720), an intensity codeword (730), an alpha codeword (740) and a sequence (750) of image element associated indices indicative of one of the codewords (730, 740). The compression and decompression mode to use for a block (600) is determined based on the alpha codeword (740). In a high alpha-resolution mode, the index sequence (750) comprises alpha indices selecting one of the quantized alpha values (740A, 740B) of the alpha codeword (740) and intensity indices selecting an intensity modifier from a modifier set represented by the intensity codeword (730). In a high luminance-resolution mode, the index sequence (750) only comprises intensity indices.
US07693333B2
A portable terminal and a user interface control method thereof are provided. In the terminal and method, patterns of a subject image captured by a camera are recognized and analyzed. First and second images changed according to motion (movement, holding away from or drawing close to a user) of the portable terminal are captured by the camera module. Patterns of the first and second images are recognized. The motion of the portable terminal is analyzed based on the recognized patterns. Control commands corresponding to the analyzed motion are selected. A function corresponding to the selected control command is performed. The portable terminal can be intuitively and simply used as its motion is directly applied to user interface control. User interface can be controlled without an additional part, using a camera installed to the portable terminal. Also, the present invention can resolve the problems caused when the conventional navigation key is operated.
US07693327B2
The invention relates to a method for rendering an image sequence. wherein an individual image is rendered by rendering monochromatic subimages in temporal succession. A subimage sequence obtained by temporal sequencing of the subimages is generated in motion-compensated fashion.
US07693323B2
A method for inspecting a substrate for defects, including: A method for inspecting a substrate for defects, the method including the steps of: (i) obtaining at least two wafer element detection signal; each wafer element detection signal reflects light scattered to a distinct direction; each wafer element detection signal having a wafer element detection value; (ii) calculating at least one wafer element attribute value in response to the at least two wafer element detection signals; retrieving at least one reference wafer element attribute value, each wafer element attribute value corresponding to a reference wafer element attribute value; and (iii) determining a relationship between the at least one reference wafer element attribute value, wafer element attribute value and at least one threshold to indicate a presence of a defect.
US07693320B2
A malignancy classification method and medium for classifying a region of lung tissue are disclosed. The classifying includes: setting time points T1 and T2 measured from injection of a contrast agent. TI represents a wash-in time point for malignant lung tissue at which a first concentration value of the injected contrast agent is substantially equal to or near a peak for injected contrast agent concentration in the region of lung tissue. Patient concentration values of the contrast agent for the area of lung tissue at time points T1 and T2 are obtained, and a malignancy classification for the region of lung tissue is provided by comparing the obtained sample concentration values with a predetermined malignancy profile. A visual representation of the malignancy classification of the region of lung tissue is outputted.
US07693318B1
The invention provides improvements in reconstructive imaging of the type in which a volume is reconstructed from a series of measured projection images (or other two-dimensional representations) by utilizing the capabilities of graphics processing units (GPUs). In one aspect, the invention configures a GPU to reconstruct a volume by initializing an estimated density distribution of that volume to arbitrary values in a three-dimensional voxel-based matrix and, then, determining the actual density distribution iteratively by, for each of the measured projections, (a) forward-projecting the estimated volume computationally and comparing the forward-projection with the measured projection, (b) generating a correction term for each pixel in the forward-projection based on that comparison, and (c) back-projecting the correction term for each pixel in the forward-projection onto all voxels of the volume that were mapped into that pixel in the forward-projection.
US07693315B2
Systems and methods are provided for automated assessment of regional myocardial function using wall motion analysis methods that analyze various features/parameters of patient information (image data and non-image data) obtained from medical records of a patient. For example, a method for providing automatic diagnostic support for cardiac imaging generally comprises obtaining image data of a heart of a patient, obtaining features from the image data of the heart, which are related to motion of the myocardium of the heart, and automatically assessing regional myocardial function of one or more regions of a myocardial wall using the obtained features.
US07693311B2
Within a digital acquisition device with a built in flash unit, the exposure of an acquired digital image is perfected using face detection in the acquired image is provided. Groups of pixels that correspond to plural images of faces are identified within a digitally acquired image, and corresponding image attributes to the group of pixels are determined. An analysis is performed of the corresponding attributes of the groups of pixels. It is then determined to activate the built-in flash unit based on the analysis. An intensity of the built-in flash unit is determined based on the analysis. Alternatively based on similar analysis, a digital simulation of the fill flash is performed on the image.
US07693309B2
The invention intends, in preparing so-called ID photograph by cutting out an area from the image of a person, to obtain an appropriate area with simple operations. The method the invention comprises a designation step s201 of designating a rectangle circumscribed about a face area on an original image including a human face, an acquisition step s202 of acquiring the vertical length and the horizontal length of the rectangle designated by the designation step, and a determination step s203 of determining a cutout area including the face area, based on the vertical length and the horizontal length.
US07693294B2
A method and system for reducing audible side effects of dynamic current consumption is provided. The system includes an audio subsystem, and a plurality of digital subsystems. The audio subsystem and the digital subsystem are powered by a common power supply. T he digital subsystem processes data packets including audio data packets. The processing events implemented in one or more than one digital subsystem are reorganized to change the profile for executing the events inside the subsystem(s). The dynamic current spectral properties in one or more digital subsystems are changed.
US07693293B2
Provided is a sound processing device including: a sound input unit for dividing an input sound into predetermined time units; a sound processing unit for encoding the input sound thus divided; a noise detecting unit; and an output control unit for replacing encoded data on the input sound with silent data according to detection results of the noise detecting unit. Also provided is an input sound processing method including: encoding an input sound; judging whether or not the input sound contains a noise; and replacing a noise portion contained in the encoded input sound with silent data.
US07693292B1
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that cancels fan noise in a computer system. During operation, the system obtains a fan noise signal using a microphone. Next, the system generates a spectral pattern based on the obtained fan noise signal. The system then uses the spectral pattern to identify a corresponding cancellation spectrum in an anti-spectra library. Next, the system generates a noise-canceling signal using the cancellation spectrum. Note that the amount of computation required to cancel fan noise is reduced because generating the noise-canceling signal using the anti-spectra library requires less computation than generating the noise-canceling signal using dynamic noise-cancellation techniques.
US07693289B2
A method and apparatus is provided for remotely controlling a set of functions for a wireless audio system from a remote control. The method includes the steps of generating a digitally modulated pilot tone, and transmitting this pilot tone within a radio communication to a wireless receiver. The digitally modulated pilot tone carries data about a plurality of functions related to an audio source and its associated transmitter. The method further includes a step of receiving the data at a wireless receiver, augmenting it by information related to the wireless receiver, and communicating the resulting data via a communication network to a remote central control. The method further includes monitoring the resulting data at the remote central control, diagnosing detected problems associated with the wireless audio system, and communicating to the wireless audio system appropriate remedial action to alleviate the detected problems.
US07693288B2
The invention provides for an audio system 10 comprising an audio signal generating means (12) for output of an audio signal (24), and a remote control device (14) for control of the audio signal generating means (12), the audio signal generating means (12) including means for including an identification signal within the audio output (12) and which serve to identify the audio signal generating means (12) from which the audio signal is output, the remote control device being arranged to receive the identification signal so as to identify the source (12) from which a particular audio signal (24) is output.
US07693283B2
End-to-end user anonymity is provided in electronic commerce or other types of online transactions through the use of an intermediary. An intermediary machine, which may be implemented in the form of a set of servers, receives communications from a consumer or other user, and generates and maintains an alias for that user. Connections between the user machine and any online vendor or other web site are implemented through the intermediary using the alias. The intermediary then communicates with the online vendor and supplies intermediary payment information. The online vendor charges the purchase to the intermediary, and redirects the delivery of the goods or services to the destination address provided by the intermediary. The intermediary charges the payment card number of the user, and arranges for the redirection of the delivery to the real user address.
US07693281B2
An apparatus and associated methodology are provided for distributing individual keys for deciphering scrambled digital data transmitted by a broadcasting system to a plurality of terminals connected to a data exchange network. The broadcasting system includes at least one portal designed to provide the individual keys, at least one scrambling platform and at least one server designed to broadcast the scrambled data. The scrambling period of the data is divided and transmitted into a succession of encoding periods CPi, each defining a period of validity of an individual key Ki. A set of individual keys are supplied at each connection of a terminal to the portal. The set of individual keys includes at least one key corresponding to the encoding period CPi, and at least one key corresponding to the encoding period CPi+1. The terminal has also provided the date of a future connection to collect a set of deciphering keys corresponding to at least a future encoding period if the continuation of the access is authorized.
US07693279B2
A security method and apparatus is provided in which a trusted authority is arranged to read in identity data from a memory device presented by an individual. This identity data comprises both biometric data of a specific individual ,and additional identity data concerning the same individual. The trusted authority uses the biometric data as a biometric reference for comparison with biometric characteristics of the individual presenting the memory card in order to determine whether the latter is the individual represented by the biometric data. The trusted authority uses the additional identity data or matching data, together with private data of the trusted authority, to generate a decryption key. This decryption key is apt to decrypt data encrypted using both an encryption key string comprising the additional identity data of the specific individual and public data of the trusted authority.
US07693278B2
An RTP packet generating unit 11 packetizes data into packets, and adds identification information to the header of each of the packets, the identification information identifying each of the packets. An RTP packet encrypting unit 13 divides data included in each of the generated packets into blocks, and encrypts the data included in each of the packets on a block-by-block basis using an encryption key which an encryption key sharing unit 12 shares with a receiving client in such a manner that, when encrypting a first block of the data, the packet encrypting unit encrypts it using the identification information for identifying each of the packets, which is contained, as an initial vector, in the header of each of the packets, and, when encrypting each subsequent block of the data, encrypts it according to an encryption method which uses an immediately-previously-encrypted block.
US07693269B2
A caller identification system provides a caller identifier of an actual user rather than the conventional telephone number dependent on a caller terminal. Further, a caller base billing method and its system can bill an actual user by carrying out user authentication through a certification authority for a caller identifier that is independent of a caller terminal. The method includes the steps of receiving authentication information of the caller from a caller terminal; verifying the authentication information; and carrying out call setup if the authentication information and the certificate match, wherein the authentication information is generated by using a caller identifier and a private key that are applied by the caller, with no dependency on the caller terminal, and caller information corresponding to the caller identifier is transmitted to a callee terminal during call setup.
US07693257B2
A method and apparatus to optimize delivery of radiation treatment.
US07693248B2
A timing recovery system and method for accelerated clock synchronization of remotely distributed electronic devices is provided. The system includes a phase locked loop, a linear estimator and control logic. The method includes sampling a clock signal received from an electronic device, applying a linear estimation technique to estimate the frequency and phase of the received signal and providing those estimates to a phase locked loop to accelerate the phase locked loop acquisition rate and secure signal lock quickly.
US07693246B2
A frequency control device capable of detecting a frame sync pattern and generating a frequency information accurately even if a reproduction signal is not zero-crossed, and an information reproduction apparatus having the same, which includes an oscillation circuit outputting a clock having a frequency corresponding to a control signal; a converter sampling an input analog signal having a predetermined pattern based on the clock and converting the same to a digital signal; and a frequency detection device detecting an object to be a sync pattern from a changing trend of the digital signal, generating a frequency information for controlling a reproduction clock based on the detected object to be the sync pattern, and outputting the same as the control signal to the oscillation circuit.
US07693244B2
A system, apparatus, method and article to encode, clock recover, and sample data bits are described. The apparatus may include a pulsed digital module comprising a first clock input, a first data input, a data output, and a reset input. The first clock input to receive an encoded signal from a single-wire. The encoded signal comprising a serial bit sequence comprising a clock signal embedded encoded data bit. The pulsed digital module to capture an edge of the encoded signal at the first clock input in accordance with a logic level coupled to the first data input. A delay module comprising a delay input is coupled to the data output and a delay output is coupled to the reset input. The delay module to delay the captured edge by a predetermined period and to generate a delay signal from the delay output after the predetermined period. The pulsed digital module is to generate a first clock edge of the sampling clock at the data output after the predetermined period. An apparatus, system, and method to embed a sampling clock signal via an encoded signal comprising n bits and to transmit the encoded signal to a single-wire as a serial bit sequence of n bits. The encoded signal represents a logic bit having an encoding clock period TCLK. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07693243B2
A circuit and method for timing recovery. The circuit for timing recovery comprises an converter, a timing recovery controller, and a initial phase generator. The converter converts an input signal to sample data with a sampling signal. The timing recovery controller is coupled to the converter, and determines the sampling signal. And the initial phase generator is coupled to the AD converter, detects a change with the sample data only, produces an initial phase based on the change, and controls the sampling signal.
US07693238B1
Various embodiments of the present invention relate to a method and system for Vertical Bell Layered Space-Time (V-BLAST) detection with near Maximum Likelihood (ML) performance and low complexity. The V-BLAST system is a Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) system. A receiver is provided that detects the data transmitted from the multiple transmitting antennas. The detection performance of such a method and system is better than that of linear receivers while keeping the complexity of the receiver marginally higher than that of the linear receivers. The detection performance of such a method and system is very close to that of the ML receiver while its complexity is much less than that of the ML receiver.
US07693237B2
In one embodiment the present invention include systems and methods for synchronizing wireless communication systems. In one embodiment, a baseband processor includes a reference frequency for synchronizing processing of received data. The baseband processor may detect received data and determine frequency hopping sequences to program a frequency synthesizer. The baseband processor may synchronize the synthesizer's frequency changes to receive incoming data. Symbols received by the system may be detected and used to start the reference frequency. In one embodiment, the reference frequency has a period equal to the symbol period. Cross-correlators may be used to detect frequency hopping patterns. Clusters of results from the cross-correlators may be analyzed and the results used to control timing of the system.
US07693233B2
A method to design parallel TH precoders and a circuit architecture to implement parallel TH precoders have been presented. The parallel design relies on the fact that a TH precoder can be viewed as an IIR filter with an input equal to the sum of the original input to the TH precoder and a compensation signal. The parallel design also relies on the fact that the compensation signal has finite levels. Therefore, precomputation techniques can be applied to calculate intermediate signal values for all possible values of the compensation signal.
US07693232B2
Data broadcast data, which is broadcast in data broadcasts, is constructed by disposing, for example, EMD (Electric Music Distribution) links required to acquire song data as actual broadcast data, which is broadcast in actual broadcasts by a transmitting device, the actual broadcast data is transmitted, and the data broadcast data wherein the EMD links for the song data in the actual broadcasts are disposed, is transmitted periodically during the transmission of the actual broadcast data. The actual broadcast data and the data broadcast data are received by a user terminal, and the EMD links disposed in the data broadcast data are stored whenever there is an input of an operation to attach a “bookmark”. Thus, audio data such as songs in programs broadcast can easily be acquired by radio.
US07693230B2
A balanced transmitter up-converts I and Q baseband signals directly from baseband-to-RF. The up-conversion process is sufficiently linear that no IF processing is required, even in communications applications that have stringent requirements on spectral growth. In operation, the balanced modulator sub-harmonically samples the I and Q baseband signals in a balanced and differential manner, resulting in harmonically rich signal. The harmonically rich signal contains multiple harmonic images that repeat at multiples of the sampling frequency, where each harmonic contains the necessary information to reconstruct the I and Q baseband signals. The differential sampling is performed according to a first and second control signals that are phase shifted with respect to each other. In embodiments of the invention, the control signals have pulse widths (or apertures) that operate to improve energy transfer to a desired harmonic in the harmonically rich signal. A bandpass filter can then be utilized to select the desired harmonic of interest from the harmonically rich signal.
US07693218B2
The present invention provides an improved method for motion estimation. For this purpose, the prediction quality of a motion vector estimate is evaluated twice, namely by comparing the prediction quality with respect to the two previous fields individually and combining both calculated error values into a single error value for selecting the best motion vector estimate from a plurality of candidate vectors. In this manner, the determination of the real motion of an image object is improved by eliminating false estimates which are not detectable by only referencing a single previous image.
US07693217B2
A moving picture coding apparatus 1 includes a counter unit 102 which counts the number of pictures following an intra coded picture; and a motion estimation unit 101 which compares respectively only reference pictures which are the intra coded picture or the following pictures, selected from among a reference picture Ref1, a reference picture Ref2 and a reference picture Ref3 stored in memories 408˜410, with a picture signal Vin, and determines the reference picture whose inter picture differential value is smallest.
US07693205B2
A vertical cavity surface emitting laser capable of efficiently injecting carries into an active region directly under a photonic crystal mirror is provided. The vertical cavity surface emitting laser includes a first reflective mirror 102 constituting a lower mirror, a second reflective mirror 112 constituting an upper mirror, and an active layer 106 provided between the reflective mirrors on a substrate 100. The second reflective mirror 112 includes a periodic refractive index structure periodically arranged in a plane parallel to a surface of the substrate, which structure is composed of a first medium 1100 having conductivity and a second medium 1102 having a refractive index lower than that of the first medium 1100. A layer structure by a third medium 1104 having a refractive index lower than that of the first medium 1100 is embedded in the first medium 1100 on the lower side of the periodic refractive index structure.
US07693203B2
This specification discloses a VCSEL (Vertical-Cavity Surface-Emitting Laser) device with single-mode output and optionally single polarization output. This device is given by lateral mode confinement by the PBG (Photonic Band-Gap) effect by shallow etching in a partial VCSEL top mirror. The PBG area encircles a MS-region (Mode-Shaping region), which is characterized by large longitudinal mode losses. The MS-region encircles the LA-region (Light Aperture region), which is characterised by low longitudinal mode losses. The MS-region does not contribute to the lateral mode-confinement to the LA-aperture, and the lateral modes confined by the PBG area. The VCSEL is thus optimized for single fundamental mode operation.
US07693201B2
A light-emitting semiconductor component which contains a sequence of semiconductor layers (2) with an area of p-doped semiconductor layers (4) and n-doped semiconductor layers (3) between which a first pn junction (5a, 5b) is formed. The pn junction (5a, 5b) is subdivided into a light-emitting section (7) and a protective-diode section (8) in a lateral direction by means of an insulating section (6). An n-doped layer (9), which forms a second pn junction (10) which acts as a protective diode along with the p-doped area (4), is applied to the p-doped area (4) in the area of the protective-diode section (8), the first pn junction (5b) in the protective-diode section (8) having a larger area than the first pn junction (5a) in the light-emitting section (7). The protective-diode section (8) protects the light-emitting semiconductor component from voltage pulses due to electrostatic discharges (ESD).
US07693194B2
A reflection element 3 disposed in an optical waveguide element 2 returns a part of light to a semiconductor laser diode element 1 so that the semiconductor laser diode element 1 oscillates in a coherent collapse mode, and a semiconductor light amplifier 7 is optically coupled to the optical waveguide element 2, and amplifies an optical output from optical waveguide element 2, so as to provide a high-power fundamental-wave light source.
US07693189B2
Analog HPNA hub including at least one group of coils, the coils inducing HPNA signals there between, a plurality of filters, each of the filters coupled with a respective one of the coils and further coupled, via respective telephone wiring, with at least a respective HPNA node, wherein each of the filters enables transmission of HPNA data signals there through, and wherein each of the filters prevents transmission of conventional telephony signals there through.
US07693183B2
A signaling method for signal division information is disclosed. The signaling method divides a signal into several signals, and effectively represents division information of the divided signals. The present invention provides the method signaling for signaling signal division information comprising: assigning number of lower nodes equal to the number of divisions to a lower layer if a node of an upper layer is represented by a division identifier (ID); and un-assigning any lower node to the lower layer if the node of the upper layer is represented by a non-division identifier (ID), wherein the signal division information includes the division ID and the non-division ID indicating the presence or absence of a signal division at a node of a layer.
US07693182B2
A supervisory communications node monitors and controls communications with a plurality of remote devices throughout a widely distributed network. A method is provided to convey and maintain information used to synchronize the packetization and burst operations within the network. During session setup, jitter constraints indirectly are used to explicitly communicate a synchronization timing reference. The timing reference is set at the beginning of a phase/period boundary used to service the session. In an embodiment, the announcement of the first grant is used as an explicit indication of the synchronization timing reference value. In another embodiment, the synchronization timing reference value is inferred if a remote device receives contiguous voice grants meeting certain conditions. In an embodiment implementing periodic scheduling, the actual arrival of the first grant is used to infer the synchronization timing reference value. In an embodiment, the present invention enables the synchronization timing reference value and/or the periodicity to be modified if network conditions indicate that packetization and burst operations are out-of-synchronization.
US07693180B1
Disclosed are methods and apparatus for translating data within a cable network between a first voice-over-IP (VOIP) protocol used by a user agent and a second VOIP protocol used by a call management server, or other type of call receiver. In one embodiment, data from an SIP (Session Initiation Protocol) user agent is translated for an NCS (Network Call Signaling) call management server. In one implementation, translation mechanisms are provided within the customer premises equipment in which the respective user agent is also configured.
US07693175B1
A method, apparatus and computer program product for providing a prioritized MAC protocol for a WLAN or wireless mesh using a time filtering technique wherein a time limit (Advanced Interval For Reservation or AIFR) is imposed on the time prior to the expiration of data channel's NAV when a data channel is considered ‘almost idle’. The same AIFR limit applies to all CC-RTS of the same priority, and a higher priority CC-RTS will have a longer AIFR.
US07693173B2
Each terminal is provided with a time sync unit for performing a process of establishing with a destination terminal, using time sync information for establishing time synchronization relating to an access timing to a communication medium, and a communication monitor unit for monitoring time sync information in communication between other terminals, wherein the time sync information in communication between other terminals, which is obtained by the communication monitor unit, is transmitted to a terminal which is different from the other terminals and establishes no time synchronization.
US07693167B2
An improved micro architectural approach for a network microprocessor has low power consumption, and employs two specialized processing cores, a MAC processing core and a network processor core. Each of these processing cores has facilities designed for a specific set of functions, to handle ISO layer 2 and layer 3 functionality in a packet switched Software Defined Radio mobile network.
US07693166B2
A TOE (TCP/IP Offload Engine) can transmit data to and receive data from a network without causing a plurality of high order processes to influence each other in a computer mounted by a plurality of processors, each of which is mounted by a plurality of cores. The TOE 101 generates a notification queue for each high order process. The TOE driver 102 holds information that tells which high order process corresponds to which socket and which notification queue. When transmitting data, the outgoing data are temporarily held on the transmission buffer queue 102-4 and the transmission buffer is added to the notification queue that corresponds to the relevant high order process after the transmission. When receiving data, the incoming data are stored in the reception buffer on the reception buffer queue 102-3 and the reception buffer is added to the notification queue that corresponds to the relevant high order process.
US07693165B2
A data processing method and device includes a data selecting unit of a GGSN selecting data received by the GGSN, which includes a GTP tunnel signaling packet and a normal data packet and performs corresponding processing in accordance with a type of the selected packet. A data information processing unit receives data transmitted from the data selecting unit and data transmitted from an external data network. The data selecting unit is added in the GGSN, so that the data with respect to the GTP tunnel is managed by categories, and the tunnel deleting notification packet is transmitted to the data information processing module in time, thus a wrong data forwarding is avoided, and the operation mode is simple. In other words, the data information processing module operates only in the routing mode; therefore, the failure rate of a single node is reduced, and the operation cost is lowered.
US07693163B2
A method of operating an Internet protocol (IP) address that effectively allocates, creates, and processes an interface identifier (ID) of an IP address area, and a subnet system using the same are provided. Allocation is done such that in the IP address area including a subnet prefix area and an Interface ID area, certain bits of the Interface ID area are used as an index area of a subnet gateway. In this case, the allocation is implemented in order from the higher layer to the lower layer so that the Interface ID area is sequentially allocated from the higher bits thereof for the index areas of the respective layers. The combination of the certain bits of the allocated Interface ID and the subnet prefix area of the IP address area is used as the subnet ID of the respective subnet layers. The lowest subnet gateway allocates the Interface ID to terminating equipment trying to access to the IP network based on a format of the IP address.
US07693158B1
Methods and systems for selectively processing VLAN traffic from different networks while allowing flexible VLAN identifier assignment are disclosed. According to one aspect, a layer 2 switch includes a virtual switch identifier data structure that associates a VLAN identifier extracted from a layer 2 frame and a port identifier corresponding to a port on which a frame is received with a virtual switch identifier. The virtual switch identifier is used to select a per-virtual-switch data structure, such as a forwarding table. The per-virtual-switch data structure is used to control processing of the layer 2 frame on a per-virtual-switch basis. The per-virtual-switch data structure may also be updated separately from the data structures assigned to other virtual switches.
US07693146B2
A method and system for filtering traffic in a multicast network are disclosed. Multicast packets are received at a network device which has a multicast routing table and a list containing nodes or interfaces authorized for transmitting multicast traffic into the network at the network device. The method includes determining if the network device is directly connected to a source of the multicast packet and only if the network device is directly connected to the source of the multicast packet, checking the list to determine if the source is an authorized source and dropping or blocking multicast packets from the source if the source is not an authorized source. The method further includes processing multicast packets from the source according to the multicast routing table.
US07693140B2
An S/P converting section (101) converts input transmission signals A1, A2, B1, B2, . . . , K1, K2 to parallelized data, separated in individual transmission lines. Spreading sections (102, 103) spread the respective data under control of a spread control section (107). Adding sections (104-1, 104-2) multiplex spread data. Transmitting sections (105-1, 105-2) provide radio transmission processing to the multiplexed signals, and transmit the data via antennas (106-1, 106-2) by radio. The spread control section (107) controls the spreading methods in the spreading sections (102, 103) based on channel quality. This makes it possible to improve error rate characteristics of the received signal and as maintain spectrum efficiency when varying data is transmitted from multiple antennas.
US07693139B2
A system for assisting a user in selecting a packet-based telephony service provider (“PBTSP”) from a group of PBTSPs, and in registering the user with the selected PBTSP for outbound and/or inbound calling. The selection of a particular PBTSP may be stored in a database, and this stored information may be used to enable the user to exchange telephone call data with one of the PBTSPs. One preferred system receives data from the user's computer device, determines whether the user is registered with one the PBTSPs and, if so, transmits data to the computer device which enables it to exchange telephone call data with one of the PBTSPs. The system also receives telephone call data from the computer device, accesses contact information for a PBTSP, and transmits the received telephone call data to the PBTSP using the accessed contact information.
US07693136B1
The present invention is directed toward a method, device, and system for use during a network failure. The invention provides a telecommunication device that may be circuit-switched and packet-switched enabled. In a first mode of operation the telecommunication device is operable to communicate via a packet-switched network and in a second more of operation the telecommunication device is operable to communicate via a circuit-switched network.
US07693134B2
The invention comprises a method and apparatus for providing multimedia content to a calling party device. Specifically, the method comprises receiving a connection establishment request from a calling party device where the connection establishment request is operable for establishing a connection between the calling party device and a called party device in an Internet Protocol (IP) Multimedia Subsystem (IMS) network, obtaining multimedia content information in response to the connection establishment request where the multimedia content information is operable for establishing at least one multimedia session with the calling party device, and transmitting at least a portion of the multimedia content information towards the calling party device contemporaneously with establishment of the connection.
US07693132B1
A plurality of local networks each have one or more terminal sets and a message re-director. The message re-directors are adapted to communicate with each other across another network through edge devices. The message re-directors are also adapted to convert multicast messages received locally from the terminal sets into unicast messages for transmission across the other network. The unicast messages are received by the other message re-directors. Each one of the other message re-directors then multicasts information received as part of the multicast messages received to the terminal sets within its local network.
US07693129B1
A method, system, and computer program product for frame and frequency synchronization in packet-based Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) in wireless digital communication systems. An OFDM packet includes a preamble preceded by a Cyclic Prefix (CP). The method includes computing a timing metric for packet-based OFDM. The timing metric yields a sharp peak at a preamble boundary. The preamble boundary is detected, based on a threshold. The threshold is determined a priori, based on mean and variance of the timing metric at the preamble boundary and in its neighborhood. The mean and the variance are evaluated for an Additive White Gaussian Noise (AWGN) channel. The detection of the preamble boundary enables frame synchronization in packet-based OFDM. The method further involves the task of frequency-offset estimation, using the preamble. The frequency-offset estimation enables frequency synchronization in packet-based OFDM.
US07693127B2
A time-division synchronous wireless modem device that includes: a modem unit which transmits and receives the communication packet; a communication state judging unit which obtains a transmission cycle period and a vacant communication slot from information contained in the header of the received communication packet; and a transmission timing controller. The controller selectively determines an arbitrary one of the communication slots in a next transmission cycle period when the communication packet is not received during the entire span of the one transmission cycle period, or selectively determines the one of the communication slots to be used by estimating a vacant one of the communication slots in the next transmission cycle period from the header of the communication packets when the communication packet is received.
US07693124B2
In an OFDM system, multiple (M) interlaces are defined for M non-overlapping sets of frequency subbands, and M slots with fixed indices are also defined. Data streams and pilot are mapped to slots, which are in turn mapped to interlaces based on a slot-to-interlace mapping scheme that can achieve frequency diversity and good performance for all slots. At a transmitter, a slot-to-interlace converter maps the slots to the interlaces. The slot-to-interlace converter includes multiple multiplexers and a control unit. The multiplexers map the M slots to the M interlaces based on the slot-to-interlace mapping scheme. The control unit generates at least one control signal for the multiplexers. The multiplexers may be arranged and controlled in various manners depending on the slot-to-interlace mapping scheme. At a receiver, a complementary interlace-to-slot converter maps the interlaces to the slots.
US07693115B2
A method of transmitting/receiving a packet using a hybrid automatic repeat request in the mobile communication system is disclosed. The packet data transmitting method includes transmitting at least one sub packet divided from plurality of encoded packets generated by repeating a bit stream that is made by encoding information desired to be transmitted with 1/5 rate turbo encoder, and transmission start point information of the sub packet through the sub packet identifier field on the accompanying control channel.
US07693110B2
A wireless communication system (100) and method for providing high speed uplink packet access from user equipment (128, 130) to a base station (114, 116, 118, 120). Each of the user equipment (128, 130) and the base station (114, 116, 118, 120) includes a transmitter (1106, 1206), a receiver (1104, 1204), and a controller (1108, 1208) coupled to the transmitter and the receiver. Data packets are transmitted from the user equipment (128, 130) to the base station (114, 116, 118, 120). Control information, corresponding to the data packets, is transmitted from the base station (114, 116, 118, 120) to the user equipment (128, 130). The control information includes an absolute grant channel indicator and/or channelization code(s) assigned to the user equipment (128, 130). The controller (1108) of the user equipment (128, 130) is configured to minimize a number of channelization code per scheduling active set cell to be monitored by the user equipment based on the absolute grant channel indicator and/or to utilize the channelization code(s) in response to handoff and/or entering an active channel state.
US07693107B2
A method, a system, and a local network switching device for providing access for a mobile communication terminal and the mobile communication terminal at a moved location to an Internet network via wireless local networks. The mobile communication terminal is moved from a first network to a second network. The WLAN handover, necessary therefore, takes place efficiently and in a robust manner, by providing access for the mobile communication terminal in the first network, by transmitting a device-specific address to a plurality of bordering networks, and by configuring further accesses on the plurality of bordering networks. After moving the mobile communication terminal, access to an Internet network can be continued immediately via the second network, via the local network switching unit of the second network, and via the local network switching unit of the first network.
US07693106B1
A base station captures phase difference information between a long period spreading code of a common control channel of the base station and a long period spreading code of a common control channel of a neighboring base station of the base station from a mobile station. The base station transmits the phase difference information to a mobile station. The mobile station carries out cell search in accordance with the received phase difference information.
US07693104B2
A method and apparatus are described for reducing link interference by a link between a user equipment component and an access network component. The user equipment component and access network component are connected by links over dedicated channels in respective directions, the link channel power in the first direction being controlled by the link channel in the second direction. A component sends in a second direction a link connection release message for a link connection in the first direction, identifies when the link connection in the first direction is released and, when the release is identified, releases the link connection in the second direction.
US07693102B2
A WCDMA communication system that enables smooth data transmission although a communication rate corresponding to a communication service desired by a user can not be ensured due to lack of resources. If the desired communication rate can not be ensured due to lack of resources, instead of an alternative lower communication rate which is compulsorily set to by the base station control station (2-1, 2-2), the communication rate for actually effecting a data communication is negotiated between a switching center (1) and the base station control stations (2-1, 2-2), only when it is possible to provide a service at a communication rate lower than the requested communication rate. As one method of this, an indicator that indicates whether the communication rate can be negotiated or not is provided in a RAB assignment request to be transmitted from the switching center (1) to the base station control stations (2-1, 2-2). Only when this indicator indicates passable, the base station control stations (2-2, 2-2) decide, in the case of lack of resources, a communication rate lower than the desired communication rate, and transmit to the switching center (1) a RAB assignment response containing this decided communication rate. The communication service for a user terminal (4) is started in accordance with this communication rate.
US07693101B2
An apparatus for interfacing a wireless local area network with a wide area, cellular or public switched telephone network including the function of a wireless LAN base station or access point, and a gateway. The interface may contain one or more different types of gateways, including a PSTN voice gateway, an analog modem gateway, and others. The apparatus may also include a well designed to receive the handset or mobile computer device to recharge the battery as well as to automatically transfer data when the phone or device is secured in the well.
US07693097B2
The present invention provides a method that is implemented in a base station. The method includes predicting a transmission rate adaptation associated with a mobile unit during a first time interval. The prediction is based on a signal-to-noise ratio for transmission associated with the mobile unit in the first time interval. The predicted request is for a transmission rate adaptation that is predicted to occur during a second time interval subsequent to the first time interval. The method also includes performing a system reconfiguration or a resource reallocation for communication between the base station and the mobile unit at the predicted transmission rate during the second time interval. The system reconfiguration or the resource reallocation is performed prior to the second time interval.
US07693096B2
A method is provided for transmitting a MAP message in a wireless communication system. A base station transmits the MAP message including operation mode information indicating a data burst allocation scheme, to a mobile station. The mobile station identifies a data burst according to the operation mode information included in the MAP message received from the base station.
US07693092B2
In accordance with an instruction from a network monitoring device (4), a transmission terminal (2T) serving as a source of video information transmits a certain amount of monitoring test packets differentiated from the usual multicast frames. Pass status information (for example, MIB information) generated by routers (3) receiving and passing through the continuous test packets is collected at the network monitoring device (4). The device (4) uses the collected pass status information and topology information which the device (4) holds by itself so as to judge the direction of transmission of the test packets at the interface of each router (3) and specifies the multicast tree based on the results of judgment.
US07693088B2
Methods and apparatus are provided for data rate detection using a data eye monitor. The data rate is one of a plurality of data rates comprising a base rate and one or more divide-by-N multiples of the base rate, where N is an integer. The data rate of a received signal is detected by sampling the received signal; comparing the samples for a plurality of full rate data eyes associated with the received signal to determine if there is a mismatch between at least two predefined samples; and detecting the data rate by evaluating the comparison based on predefined criteria. The comparison can be performed by an exclusive or (XOR) logic gate for samples of at least two adjacent data eyes of a given rate.
US07693081B1
A system, method, and computer readable medium for integrated IP DSLAM test monitor that comprises monitoring at least one data stream, collecting measurements of the at least one data stream, broadcasting the collected measurements to a remote monitoring station, analyzing the monitored at least one data stream by the remote monitoring station, identifying a fault signature from the analyzed at least one data stream, and sending an alert of the identified fault signature so that actions may be take to isolate and repair the fault.
US07693075B2
A method includes storing an address in an entry of a first memory device that is accessible by an address manager while the address is being stored in an entry of a second memory device included in a packet-forwarding device.
US07693074B2
A multicast communication path calculation method is disclosed which includes the steps of: obtaining minimum delay paths from a source node to each destination node; selecting, as candidate nodes of a rendezvous point node, nodes on one of the obtained minimum delay paths; for each candidate node, calculating minimum delay paths from the candidate node to each destination node, and obtaining a difference between the maximum value and the minimum value among delays of the calculated minimum delay paths; selecting, as the rendezvous point node, a candidate node by which the difference is smallest; and outputting a minimum delay path from the source node to the rendezvous point node and minimum delay paths from the rendezvous point node to each destination node.
US07693073B2
A system and method are disclosed for routing packet traffic. A system that incorporates teachings of the present disclosure may include, for example, a Provider Edge (PE) router having a routing element that routes packet traffic between a plurality of autonomous systems according to one or more Virtual Routing and Forwarding (VRF) tables each having a plurality of Enhanced Interior Gateway Routing Protocol (EIGRP) Autonomous System (AS) numbers. Other embodiments are disclosed.
US07693071B2
Systems and methods are described which provide enhanced stability, increased predictability, reduced transmission costs, and which conserve bandwidth in routing messages over computer networks. The systems and methods further include providing improved transmission of messages wherein the messages are transmitted to nodes closest to a target delivery node. If delivery is possible to a target node, the message transmission stops at the point of failure in the network, wherein delivery to the target node is accomplished at a later time or the message is returned to the sender.
US07693065B2
A packet transceiver system includes a detection module (210), a dropped rate determination module (110), a transmitting module (120), and a recalculation module (230). The detection module detects a network congestion status. The dropped rate determination module determines a packet dropped rate based on the network congestion status. The transmitting module transmits voice packets, dropping voice packets according to the packet dropped rate, ensuring an even distribution of dropped voice packets during the transmission. The recalculation module receives the un-dropped voice packets, and recalculates the dropped voice packets. A packet transceiver method is also provided.
US07693061B2
There is provided a traffic placement method in a communications network, the communications network comprising a plurality of nodes, the nodes being connected to one another by links, the method comprising selecting a (possibly non-strict) subset from a given set of traffic flow demands and calculating a plurality of paths for the selected demands under consideration of a set of constraints using an algorithm hybridization combining backtrack search with local consistency techniques (BT+CS) and guiding search by the use of one or more probe generators, that is, search techniques that solve a routing sub-problem or an arbitrary relaxation of the traffic placement problem. By using a hybrid algorithm that integrates other solvers (search techniques) into BT+CS through the use of probe generators, a more powerful search strategy can be achieved compared to BT+CS or the individual search techniques.
US07693059B2
Under the present invention, a method, system, and program product for providing advanced Virtual Private Network (VPN) routing that includes classifying a network transmission, between a user and a host, wherein the classification is based upon a destination port, protocol, and the like, for routing the communication either via the VPN or not via the VPN and selectively routing the network transmission based upon the classifying of the transmission.
US07693056B2
The invention relates to a method for a communication node with a plurality of network interfaces. Configured on the communication node is a virtual interface, which is accessible from the applications able to be executed on the communication node. A configuration module generates an identifier assigned to the communication node. The identifier is stored in an identifier table. The configuration module checks the communication node for available network interfaces and sets up a network interface table with the available network interfaces. At least one IP address of an available network interface is stored in the identifier table in a way assigned to the identifier, and a connection module connects at least one of the available network interfaces to the virtual interface.
US07693052B2
The invention provides a congestion control scheme that is a delay based scheme that includes a scalable queue size and one-way queueing delay measurement to reduce network congestion. Queue size is managed by queue control, a scalable utility function, dynamic alpha tuning, and/or randomized alpha tuning. One-way queueing delay is accomplished by measuring backward queueing delay management using various methods of estimating the receiver clock period. Embodiments include estimating the receiver clock period using single sample and multiple sample periods. The system includes a method for detecting route change.
US07693045B2
A system comprising a computer including a plurality of network interface controllers (NICs), the plurality of NICs associated with an address. The system further comprises a switching apparatus coupled to the computer and an echo device coupled to the switching apparatus. The echo device is adapted to send a packet to the switching apparatus to verify connectivity with the plurality of NICs. The packet comprises the address. The switching apparatus compares the address with a data structure to locate a matching address. If no matching address is located, the switching apparatus sends copies of the packet to each of the plurality of NICs coupled to the switching apparatus.
US07693044B2
The invention sets forth an approach for aggregating a plurality of NICs in a computing device into a single logical NIC as seen by that computing device's operating system. The combination of the single logical NIC and a network resource manager provides a reliable and persistent interface to the operating system and to the network hardware, thereby improving the reliability and ease-of-configuration of the computing device. The invention also may improve communications security by supporting the 802.1X and the 802.1Q networking standards.
US07693024B2
At startup when reproduction from a recording medium such as an optical disc is started, search time for searching for management information to manage recording states of user data is shortened to reduce startup waiting time. The present invention provides a recording/reproducing method for performing recording/reproducing onto/from a recording medium having a first recording area to record user data, a second recording area to record management information to manage a recording state of the user data, and a third recording area to record non-user data other than the management information, wherein recording position information of the newest management information within the second recording area is recorded at a predetermined position in the third recording area.
US07693022B2
A method for controlling read power and an open-loop read control device using the same. The open-loop read control device is used in an optical disk writer and includes a memory, a DAC and an amplifier. The optical disk writer includes a pickup head device having a laser diode. When writing is disabled, the read power of the optical disk writer for reading the disk corresponds to a specific voltage. The memory stores a relationship curve and outputs a corresponding reference value corresponding to the specific voltage. The DAC converts the corresponding reference value into an analog corresponding reference value. The amplifier receives the analog corresponding reference value and outputs a read power control voltage, which controls the laser diode to generate a substantially constant read power in the write process.
US07693014B2
The present invention relates to a method for controlling a LBR (Laser Beam Recorder) (56) suitable for mastering a record carrier (60) by writing data in the record carrier in circular or spiral tracks and comprising: means (58) for rotating a record carrier; means (62) for moving a laser (61) over the record carrier (60) in a radial direction with reference to the rotation of the record carrier (60); means (65) for controlling the laser output power; and means (66) for synchronizing the rotation of the record carrier (60), the movement of the laser (61) and the laser output power. In accordance with the invention synchronizing the rotation of the record carrier 60; the movement of the laser 61 and the laser output power is performed such that at least a part of the data is written in at least one track comprising a different arrangement than circular or spiral. The present invention also relates to a Laser Beam Recorder.
US07693013B2
An optical disc (1) for storing digital data, comprising a first storage area (10) for storing a first type of digital data and a second storage area (20) for storing a second type of digital data. Each of the first and second areas comprises a user-data area (11, 21). Furthermore, the storage areas (10, 20) are logically independent. The second storage area (20) has a defect management area (22a, 22b) associated with the user-data area (21) of the second storage area (20) for storing defect management data.
US07693008B2
According to one embodiment, for each GOP, frames from an I frame present at a leading position of GOP to an I frame contained in a succeeding GOP and B frames referencing the I frame contained in the succeeding GOP are managed as a new GOP. For each new GOP, video frames from a leading I frame to a last I frame are subjected to a decoding process in order of increasing PTS value. For each new GOP with the last I frame of the video frames discarded, the video frames are subjected to video display in order of decreasing PTS value.
US07693007B2
An ultrasonic sensor includes a sending device and a receiving device. The sending device has a sending surface for sending an ultrasonic wave into a sending area. The receiving device has a receiving surface for receiving the ultrasonic wave reflected by an external object from a receiving area. The sending area has an overlapping area with the receiving area. The overlapping area is offset to one of the sending area and the receiving area.
US07692999B2
An object is to provide a nonvolatile memory with reduced power consumption. The nonvolatile memory includes a memory element that has a low resistance state and a high resistance state, a writing circuit, a resistance element, a voltage source input terminal that inputs a writing voltage to the writing circuit, a bit line driver circuit that selects whether the memory element is connected to the writing circuit, and a word line driver circuit that selects whether or not writing is done in the memory element. With such as structure, power consumption during writing can be reduced, and a nonvolatile memory with low power consumption can be realized. Further, with such a nonvolatile memory, an active type wireless tag with a long lifetime of a battery or a passive type wireless tag with a wide communication range in which writing to a memory is possible, can be realized.
US07692997B2
A semiconductor integrated circuit device with reduced consumption current is provided. A first step-down circuit stationarily forms internal voltage lower than supply voltage supplied through an external terminal. A second step-down circuit is switched between first mode and second mode according to control signals. In first mode, the internal voltage is formed from the supply voltage supplied through the external terminal and is outputted through a second output terminal. In second mode, operating current for a control system that forms the internal voltage is interrupted and an output high impedance state is established. The first output terminal of the first step-down circuit and the second output terminal of the second step-down circuit are connected in common, and the internal voltage is supplied to internal circuits.
US07692994B2
A dynamic random access memory (DRAM) device has an array of DRAM cells of rows by columns. Each DRAM cell of the array is coupled with a wordline of a corresponding row and a bitline of a corresponding column. An entry into and an exit from the self-refresh mode are detected by a mode detector and a self-refresh mode signal is provided. An oscillation circuit generates in response to the self-refresh mode signal generates a basic time period. A first frequency divider/time period multiplier changes the basic time period in accordance with a process variation factor relating to the DRAM device. A second frequency divider/time period multiplier further changes the changed time period in accordance with a temperature change factor relating to the DRAM device. In the self-refresh mode, data stored in the DRAM cells is refreshed. In accordance with the two factors, the DRAM devices perform and achieve reliable self-refresh for variable DRAM cell retention time.
US07692992B2
A potential level of a word line when it is inactive is made different between during a self-refresh operation and during other than the self-refresh operation. The potential level is set to a ground potential GND during the self-refresh operation and set to a negative potential during other than the self-refresh operation.
US07692989B2
A memory has first and second memory arrays and first and second sense amplifiers coupled to the first and second memory arrays, respectively. A verify data line is coupled to first outputs of the first sense amplifier and the second sense amplifier as well as to a program/erase controller. The verify data line has a first logic circuit having a first input coupled to the first output of the first sense amplifier and an output. A second logic circuit has a first input coupled to the output of the first logic circuit, a second input coupled to the first output of the second sense amplifier, and an output. A global data line is coupled to a second output of the first sense amplifier and a second output of the second sense amplifier. A global sense amplifier is coupled to the global data line.
US07692981B2
A data transfer apparatus in a semiconductor memory device includes a DQ pad, a DQS pad, a DQ driver for transferring the data signal to the DQ pad according to a driver select signal, and a DQS driver for transferring data strobe signal to the DQS pad according to the driver select signal. Any one of the DQ driver and the DQS driver is activated by the driver select signal, and the driver select signal is generated by one of EMRS control code, MRS control code and test mode code.
US07692963B2
The disclosure concerns a semiconductor memory device comprising a semiconductor layer; a charge trap film in contact with a first surface of the semiconductor layer; a gate insulating film in contact with a second surface of the semiconductor layer, the second surface being opposite to the first surface; a back gate electrode in contact with the charge trap film; a gate electrode in contact with the gate insulating film; a source and a drain formed in the semiconductor layer; and a body region provided between the drain and the source, the body region being in an electrically floating state, wherein a threshold voltage or a drain current of a memory cell including the source, the drain, and the gate electrode is adjusted by changing number of majority carriers accumulated in the body region and a quantity of charges trapped into the charge trap film.
US07692958B2
A phase change memory cells including a memory element or a threshold device is read using a read current which does not threshold either the memory element or the threshold device in the case of both a set and a reset memory element. As a result, higher currents may be avoided, increasing read endurance. A sensing circuit includes a charging rate detector coupled to a selected address line and sensing a rate of change of a voltage on the selected address line.
US07692953B2
A method and device demultiplex a crossbar non-volatile memory that includes a first array of row nano-wires and a second array of column nano-wires, which cross the row nano-wires at a plurality of cross-points, hosting plural memory cells. A first electrode and a second electrode respectively cross a modulated doping portion of the row nano-wires and a modulated doping portion of the column nano-wires. A first contact and a second contact respectively the row nano-wires and the column nano-wires. The first electrode and the second electrode are biased respectively with a first and a second adjustable voltage value that progressively switch one by one said memory cells from the OFF state to the ON state, and this state can be memorized.
US07692947B2
A nonvolatile ferroelectric memory immediately outputs data stored in a page buffer without performing a cell access operation when a page buffer is accessed. Since a block page address region and a column page address region are arranged in less significant bit region, and a row address region is arranged in more significant bit region, the cell operation is not performed in the access of the page address buffer, thereby improving reliability of the cell and reducing power consumption.
US07692946B2
For one disclosed embodiment, an apparatus may comprise a first die including a first plurality of memory cells for a memory array and a second die including a second plurality of memory cells for the memory array. The second die may include a shared line for the memory array to conduct digital signals for memory cells of both the first and second plurality of memory cells. Other embodiments are also disclosed.
US07692944B2
An integrated circuit design, structure and method for fabrication thereof includes at least one logic device layer and at least two additional separate memory array layers. Each of the logic device layer and the at least two memory array layers is independently optimized for a particular type of logic device or memory device disposed therein. Preferably also disposed within the logic device layer are array sense amplifiers, memory array output drivers and like higher performance circuitry otherwise generally disposed within memory array layer substrates. All layers may be independently powered to provide additional performance enhancement.
US07692937B2
A resonant converter and voltage stabilizing method thereof are provided. The resonant converter includes a converting stage circuit, a diode-rectifying stage circuit, a filter and load stage circuit, a logic circuit, a driving circuit, and an energy-recycling circuit. The method includes steps of recycling an energy from the filter and load stage circuit to the converting stage circuit when the resonant converter is light- or zero-loaded.
US07692933B1
A stand-off having a flange and a projecting portion extending from the flange is integrated with a first substrate, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB), by forming a hole in the PCB, inserting the projecting portion of the stand-off through the hole, and attaching a second substrate to the first substrate with the flange therebetween. The flange can be at least partially received by a relief formed in one of the substrates or in an aperture in an adhesive layer between the two substrates. The stand-off can be further secured to the PCB using one or more of adhesives, interference fit techniques, snap-assembly features, and other applicable techniques. Alternatively, the stand-off can be attached to a substrate using a sliding snap feature or sliding interference fit. An attachable component can be attached to the projecting portion of the stand-off.
US07692929B2
A connection arrangement for a mainboard having at least one memory card connected to a processor and two series of FBD memory modules connected to respective FBD channels in the memory card by means of FBD connectors using a daisy-chain arrangement. Each channel of the memory card is connected to a linking module to another card the linking module receives two separate FBD channels and includes a FBD type connector with two series of electrical contact pins respectively connected to two paired channels of the memory card. The FBD connector is mounted on the back of the memory card so as to be associated with a connection interface providing the connection to a mainboard. The mainboard is also equipped with a connector of the FBD type designed for inter-card connection.
US07692928B2
A computer system comprising an interface assembly configured to support one or more I/O connections. In one variations the computer system comprises a main board housed within a chassis, a chassis connector coupled to the chassis, and one or more I/O cables coupled to the chassis connector. In another variation, the computer assembly comprises a computer rack with a plurality of connector interfaces, each of which is adapted for engaging a computer through a chassis connector with a plurality of I/O ports.
US07692927B2
Discloses herein is a shielding and heat dissipation device comprising a conductive bracket (1) provided on a PCB around a shielded heat-generating electronic component, and electrically connected to a conductive layer of the PCB; a heat sink (2), which is arranged above the heat-generating electronic component (3) and is provided with a conductive surface electrically connected to the conductive bracket (1). With the conductive surface, which may be used to replace a top cover of a prior art shielding case, developed on the bottom or sidefaces of the heat sink, an effective shielding cavity is formed by conductively connecting the conductive surface of the heat sink to the other parts of the shielding case. That is to say, the conductive surface of the heat sink serves as a part of the shielding case, so that the heat sink may play a role in electromagnetic shielding as well as in dissipating heat sufficiently.
US07692925B1
A heat dissipation device includes a base, a first fin unit and two second fin units arranged on the base. The base has a substrate and two parallel heat spreaders extending integrally and perpendicularly from the substrate. The first fin unit is arranged on the substrate and sandwiched between the heat spreaders. A plurality of first channels are defined in the first fin unit and parallel to the heat spreaders. Each of the second fin units is perpendicularly arranged on the substrate and located at a lateral, outer side of one of the heat spreaders. A plurality of second channels are defined in each of the second fin units and extend along a different direction compared to that of the first channels.
US07692923B2
A power converter of the present invention includes at least two power semiconductor modules having a plurality of switching devices, at least two cooling jackets having a coolant path for cooling the plurality of power semiconductor modules and equipped with the power semiconductor modules, a capacitor module interposed between the at least two cooling jackets, and a connector provided in the at least two cooling jackets for connecting the coolant path.
US07692918B2
Example embodiments relate to a coupling structure including a chassis base configured to support a display panel, and an electromagnetic wave shielding member connected to the chassis base so as to form an area for installing a circuit board. The electromagnetic wave shielding member may surround the circuit board.
US07692913B2
A multichannel spark-gap with multiple intervals for use in pulsed high-power generators of the LTD family. The spark-gap includes a sealed chamber, two discharge electrodes connected to electrical connecting elements, and a number of intermediate electrodes arranged uniformly inside the sealed chamber. One of the intermediate electrodes is called triggering electrode and is connected to triggering elements enabling the spark-gap to be fired. The triggering electrode further includes integral pipes enabling a gas to be distributed inside the chamber, so as to improve the voltage strength of the spark-gap. The spark-gap is characterised in that the negative discharge electrode includes a corona effect device equipped with needles whereof the geometry is adapted to compensate for the differences in shape between the negative discharge electrode and the immediately adjacent intermediate electrode so as to ensure a homogeneous distribution of the potentials inside the sealed chamber.
US07692911B2
In devices for producing strong current high power impulses, the electronic components, which include passive components including capacitors and/or switch elements, including semi-conductor switches, diodes or similar elements, need to be protected against overcurrents in the event of an error function. Generally, serial resistance and serial inductance are used. The serial resistance and the serial inductance are combined together in such a manner that a coil having necessary resistance and inductance values is produced.
US07692909B2
A power supply device having an overvoltage cutoff function, an image display device, and a method of cutting off overvoltage are provided. The power supply device includes a switch unit which cuts off a power supply to the power supply device; and an overvoltage sensing unit which compares a voltage of the power supply device with a specified reference voltage, and if the voltage of the power supply device is higher than the specified reference voltage, generates an overvoltage cutoff signal to control the switch unit. The overvoltage cutoff signal is used to report a power supply cutoff state. Accordingly, the damage of the power supply device due to an unstable AC input voltage can be prevented and the user can be alerted to the overvoltage through the display of the power supply cutoff state.
US07692906B2
Device for protecting an integrated circuit, comprising a device for detecting a latch-up condition, and a supply voltage control device for controlling a supply voltage of the integrated circuit, to modify a parameter of the supply voltage of the integrated circuit in order to prevent the latch-up from becoming permanently established.
US07692903B2
An apparatus and method for controlling the operation of a solenoid in a circuit breaker includes a control circuit configured to receive an activation signal in response to a predetermined condition. The control circuit, in response to said activation signal, provides a first energizing signal to the solenoid for a first predetermined period, and cuts off the first energizing signal for a second predetermined period. The control circuit further provides a second energizing signal to the solenoid for a third predetermined period.
US07692893B2
A method and apparatus for processing sub-micron write head flare definition is provided. The method for processing a perpendicular magnetic head forms a portion of a perpendicular write head, where the portion of the write head includes a first pole layer, a coil layer, a second pole layer and a write pole, the method forms a portion of a magnetic read head adjacent to the portion of the perpendicular write head, where the portion of the read head includes a shield layer and a sensor, the method also laps the write pole concurrently with the sensor to define a flare position of the pole tip and to define a sensor height, where the flare position of the pole tip is defined in the same photo-lithography step as the back edge of the sensor.
US07692879B2
A correction device for an imaging optical arrangement exhibiting a light path (1), in particular for a microscope, that exhibits at least one plane-parallel transparent plate (9), which is held in a mounting plate in the image beam path (1) and is propelable around at least one axle in a tipping and/or a swiveling motion, in order in adjust a definite parallel misalignment of the beams in the image beam path (1) by a change in the tipping situation of the plate (9). A confocal microscope with such a correction device exhibits a confocal screen (4), which illustrates a specimen mark (10), whereby the plane-parallel plate (9) is placed in front of the detector unit (2) in the light path (1), in order to center the illustration of the aperture diaphragm on the detector unit.
US07692877B2
An optical lens system for taking image comprises four lens elements from the object side to the image side: a first lens element with positive refractive power having a convex object-side surface; a second lens element with negative refractive power having a concave object-side surface and a concave image-side surface, at least one of the object-side surface and the image-side surface of the second lens element being aspheric, inflection points being formed on the image-side surface of the second lens element; a third lens element with positive refractive power having a convex object-side surface and a convex image-side surface; a fourth lens element with negative refractive power; and an aperture stop being located between the object side and the second lens element.
US07692869B2
An image-taking lens unit includes: a variable magnification optical system for forming an optical image of an object with a variable magnification; and an image sensor for converting the optical image into an electrical signal. The image-taking lens unit changes the shape thereof between a photographing state and a non-photographing state. The variable magnification optical system has a plurality of lens groups for performing magnification variation by changing intervals therebetween and a reflective surface for bending an optical axis. At least one of the plurality of lens groups is a movable group that moves during magnification variation. The reflective surface is kept in fixed position during magnification variation or focusing. In transition from the photographing state to the non-photographing state, at least the reflective surface moves so that at least part of the movable group is stored into a space left after the movement of the reflective surface.
US07692866B2
A color display (100, 200) for displaying an image is described wherein the color display (100, 200) is adapted for displaying a number of basic color light channels (102a, 102b, 102c). The color display (100, 200) comprises a basic color combiner (112, 212) for combining the basic colors and at least one basic color light channel (102a, 102b, 102c) comprising at least two light sources (104) having different spectral characteristics. The color display (100, 200) furthermore comprises an adjuster (106, 206) for adjusting a basic color by adjusting a relative proportion of a luminous output from the at least two light sources (104) in the basic color light channel (102a, 102b, 102c). A corresponding adjuster/controller, a multi-display system and a corresponding method for setting and/or adjusting a display system also is described.
US07692864B2
A crystallization method includes wavefront-dividing an incident light beam into a plurality of light beams, condensing the wavefront-divided light beams in a corresponding phase shift portion of a phase shift mask or in the vicinity of the phase shift portion to form a light beam having an light intensity distribution of an inverse peak pattern in which a light intensity is minimum in a point corresponding to the phase shift portion of the phase shift mask, and irradiating a polycrystalline semiconductor film or an amorphous semiconductor film with the light beam having the light intensity distribution to produce a crystallized semiconductor film.
US07692851B2
A method for increasing the number of channels amplified by an optical amplifier arrangement is provided. The optical amplifier arrangement includes at least one optical amplifier stage amplifying a first number of channels at a given average gain level. The method begins by selecting a second number of channels to be amplified by the optical amplifier arrangement. At least one additional optical amplifier stage is serially coupled to an input or output of the at least one optical amplifier stage to form a multistage optical amplifier arrangement. The gain shape of the multistage optical amplifier is adjusted to maintain, at the given average gain level or greater, a prescribed degree of gain flatness over an operating bandwidth in which the second number of channels are located.
US07692846B2
Disclosed is an image display device comprising: (i) a pair of substrates facing each other, provided that one of the substrates is transparent; and (ii) charged particles placed in a gap between the substrates, wherein each of the substrates has a layer containing a compound having a silicone structure in the molecule on a surface of the substrates faced with another electrode.
US07692845B2
Provided is a electrophoresis type display device includes a pixel electrode and a common electrode on a substrate and inducing an in-plane electric field; an electric charge layer on the pixel electrode and common electrode and having a plurality of first particles and a plurality of second particles, the first and second particles charged with opposite polarities; and a backlight unit supplying light toward the substrate.
US07692842B2
An electro-optical device includes a controller, a reference current source, a correction current source, a combining unit, and an electro-optical element. The controller generates a reference current control signal defining a first period during which a reference current is output, and a correction current control signal defining a second period during which a correction current is output, the second period being shorter than the first period. The reference current source generates the reference current based on the reference current control signal. The correction current source generates the correction current based on the correction current control signal. The combining unit combines the reference current and the correction current to generate a driving current. The electro-optical element emits an amount of light corresponding to the driving current. The controller generates the reference current control signal and the correction current control signal so that the second period is shorter than the first period.
US07692835B2
A recording medium, a recording apparatus, and a recording method. Recording data is recorded as element holograms on a hologram recording medium, a synchronization signal selected from among a plurality of synchronization signals and recording data encoded for every predetermined unit amount are arrayed to facilitate reproduction.
US07692834B2
An image processing system that can remove unnecessary blank parts in print data, thereby achieving sheet saving and efficient print output at the time of printing and copying. Data is inputted to an information processing apparatus of the system, and at least one object is extracted from the data. Out of the extracted object, at least one object to be reduced or enlarged is designated, and then reduced or enlarged. The data including the reduced or enlarged object is searched to find at least one blank part in the data, and the reduced or enlarged object is moved to the found blank part. After the reduced or enlarged object has been moved, a blank part generated on the data is deleted from the data.
US07692822B2
The image reading apparatus comprises an original document platen on which an original document is placed, an electroluminescent layer disposed inside the original document platen, transparent electrodes that cause each area of the electroluminescent layer to emit light, and a light receiving device that is disposed opposite the original document across the original document platen such that the light receiving device can receive the light from the electroluminescent layer that is reflected off of the original document.
US07692814B2
Disclosed is the prevention of the occurrence of uneven image density, as well as the image degradation caused by inhibiting the continuity of image density, produced by the photoreceptor in which uneven electrification exists, and additionally uneven sensitivity coexists, without enlargement of the apparatus as well as increase in the cost. To the exposure amount obtained by the approximate linear transformation of the pixel gradation in each segment multi-divided in the surface of the photoreceptor drum 1, in all the pixel gradation including 0 level, exposing source 2 is controlled to expose with the amount of exposure, offset with only the offset exposure amount Ea which corresponds to the difference between the initial electric potential and the reference initial electric potential V0 of the segment. The exposure amount adjustment of the offset exposure amount Ea is conducted by offsetting the exposure time in each pixel.
US07692808B2
An image information control method and apparatus, the apparatus includes a receiving unit configured to receive bit map image data sent from an information process unit, and an accumulating unit configured to accumulate the image data received from the information process unit line by line. A blocked unit is configured to group a plurality of lines of the image data into a predetermined size block of image data. A converting unit is configured to convert the block of image data into a language command corresponding to the image forming apparatus and including the block of image data, and a sending unit is configured to send the language command to the image forming apparatus.
US07692802B2
An imaging device for setting an image on a printing form by at least one imaging energy source, includes a device for determining a component of a relative movement between the imaging energy source and the printing form whereon an image is to be set. An actuator device moves the imaging energy source in such a manner that undesired components of the relative movement between the imaging energy source and the printing form are reduced. An imaging module may be formed of at least two of the imaging devices. A printing press includes the imaging device or the imaging module. A method sets an image on a printing form.
US07692801B2
An inspecting method inspects an optical stacked structure having a reflection layer and at least one light transmitting thin film sequentially stacked on a substrate. The inspecting method irradiates inspection light on the optical stacked structure from a side provided with the light transmitting thin film, measures a light intensity of reflected light from each layer, that changes depending on a change in an optical path length to each layer, and inspects a thickness of the light transmitting thin film based on the light intensity of reflected light for a specific wavelength.
US07692799B2
The invention provides a measurement apparatus which measures a wavefront aberration of an optical system to be measured, the apparatus includes a measurement mask which is inserted on an object plane of the optical system to be measured, and includes a plurality of reflection units configured to generate spherical waves by reflecting light, the measurement mask including a reflection layer configured to reflect the light, a first layer which is stacked on the reflection layer, has a plurality of openings, and is made of a first substance, and a second layer which is stacked on the first layer, has a window configured to expose a region in which the plurality of openings are arrayed, and is made of a second substance different from the first substance, wherein the plurality of reflection units are formed by portions of the reflection layer, which are exposed through the plurality of openings.
US07692797B2
An optical tomography system for obtaining a tomographic image of an object to be measured includes a light source unit which emits low coherence light. The low coherence light emitted from the light source unit is divided into measuring light and reference light. The reflected light from the object when the measuring light is projected onto the object and the reference light are multiplexed. The interference light of the reflected light and the reference light which have been multiplexed is detected, and a tomographic image information of the object is obtained by carrying out frequency-analysis on the detected interference light. A first detecting mode in which the interference light is detected at a first wavelength resolution and the interference light is detected at a second wavelength resolution higher than the first wavelength resolution are switched.
US07692796B2
An optical characteristic measuring apparatus includes: a light source section which sweeps wavelengths of a first input light and a second input light respectively, frequencies of the first and second input lights being different from each other and polarized states of the first and second input lights being perpendicular to each other, and outputs the first and second input light; an interference section which inputs one branched light of the first and second input lights to a measuring object, makes output light from the measuring object interfere with other branched light of the first and second input lights, and outputs a plurality of interference lights; a plurality of light receiving sections which are respectively provided for the interference lights, receives the interference lights respectively, and outputs signals in accordance with optical powers of the interference lights respectively; and a low-pass filter for filtering the outputted signals.
US07692793B2
The specification describes an optical wavelength monitor/analyzer that uses a cost effective wavelength reference source. The wavelength reference source is a nominally fixed wavelength laser with inherent tunability over a very limited wavelength range, i.e. a few nanometers. Tuning is effected by changing the temperature of the laser. The limited range is useful for making multiple wavelength measurements in the context of analyzing wavelength drift in tunable optical filters.
US07692789B1
The invention is a system and method of detecting a concentration of an element in a soil sample wherein an opening or slot is formed in a container that supports a soil sample that was extracted from the ground whereupon at least a length of the soil sample is exposed via the opening. At each of a plurality of points along the exposed length thereof, the soil sample is ablated whereupon a plasma is formed that emits light characteristic of the elemental composition of the ablated soil sample. Each instance of emitted light is separated according to its wavelength and for at least one of the wavelengths a corresponding data value related to the intensity of the light is determined. As a function of each data value a concentration of an element at the corresponding point along the length of the soil core sample is determined.
US07692788B2
The invention relates to a method for testing the slightest quality differences or quality features of any objects and agents interacting therewith based on measuring the percentage scatter of “ultraweak” photon emissions (“biophotons” in biological systems) and the delayed luminescence in a scatter chamber (darkroom). These scatter percentages can vary to such an extent as to enable the sufficiently sensitive registration of slightest quality differences (quality features).
US07692783B2
Methods and systems for real-time monitoring of optical signals from arrays of signal sources, and particularly optical signal sources that have spectrally different signal components. Systems include signal source arrays in optical communication with optical trains that direct excitation radiation to and emitted signals from such arrays and image the signals onto detector arrays, from which such signals may be subjected to additional processing.
US07692779B2
An apparatus for detecting defects on a specimen including an illumination optical unit which obliquely projects a laser onto a region which is longer in one direction than in a direction transverse to said one direction on a surface of a specimen, a table unit which mounts said specimen and which is movable, a detection optical unit which detects with an image sensor an image of light formed by light reflected from said specimen in both directions of the one direction and the direction transverse and which reflected light in both directions is formed on said image sensor while said table is moving, a signal processor which processes a signal outputted from said image sensor of said detection optical unit to extract defects of said specimen. A display unit which displays information of defects extracted by said signal processor.
US07692770B2
An apparatus and method for aligning a substrate and a mask are discussed. In one aspect of the present invention, the apparatus includes a mask stage, wherein the mask stage includes a mask fixing stage configured to fixedly support a mask; a base stage supporting the mask fixing stage; and at least one guide unit disposed in the base stage, coupled to the mask fixing stage, and configured to move the mask fixing stage, so as to move the mask in a predetermined direction.
US07692769B2
According to an aspect of the invention, there is provided an exposure apparatus including an illumination optical system which forms an effective light source having a first polarization area where a mask pattern is illuminated with polarized light dominated by an electric vector component radial from a center position on an effective light source plane, and a second polarization area where the mask pattern is illuminated with light whose electric vector vibration is not biased in a specific direction; and a projection optical system which projects an image of the mask pattern onto an object to be processed.
US07692756B2
A liquid crystal display device and a method of fabricating the same are disclosed in the present invention. The liquid crystal display device includes first and second substrates including a plurality of liquid crystal display panel regions, each liquid crystal display panel region having an active region and a dummy region, a sealant outside the liquid crystal display panel regions, a dummy column spacer on the dummy region to control a liquid crystal flow, a buffer region between the sealant and the dummy column spacer to accommodate a liquid crystal, and a liquid crystal layer between the first and second substrates.
US07692751B2
A simplified method for forming a pad electrode without using an additional light-irradiation device is disclosed. The method includes forming a gate pad on a substrate, forming a gate insulating layer on a substrate surface, forming a data pad on the gate insulating layer, forming a passivation layer on the substrate surface, forming a first contact hole in the gate insulating layer and the passivation layer, forming a second contact hole in the passivation layer, coating a conductive photoresist on the substrate surface, and forming a gate pad electrode in the first contact hole and a data pad electrode in the second contact hole by ashing the conductive photoresist. The pad electrode is formed in a simple method of ashing the conductive photoresist, thereby decreasing costs.
US07692749B2
In a horizontal electric field drive type liquid crystal electro-optic device wherein a liquid crystal material is driven by controlling the strength of an electric field parallel to a substrate, noncontinuity of the electric field strength around each pixel electrode is minimized and thereby the occurrence of flaws in the orientation of the liquid crystal material and dispersion in operation are reduced and a construction having improved display characteristics and a method of manufacturing the same are provided. In a horizontal electric field drive type liquid crystal electro-optic device wherein a gate electrode 403, a source electrode 407, a drain electrode 408, a semiconductor film 406 and a common electrode 404 are formed on a glass substrate and a liquid crystal material is driven by controlling the strength of an electric field substantially parallel to the glass substrate, the electrodes and the semiconductor film are made curved, for example semi-circular or semi-elliptical, in sectional profile. These curved sectional profiles can be formed by suitably selecting and combining various patterning and etching methods.
US07692748B2
A liquid crystal display includes a pair of transparent substrates opposed to each other with liquid crystal therebetween, one of the pair of transparent substrates having a plurality of drain signal lines and a plurality of gate signal lines, and a plurality of pixel areas defined by the drain signal lines and the gate signal lines. The pixel areas includes a pixel electrode formed of a transparent electrode having a plurality of slits including a slit opened in a first direction and a slit opened in a second direction, and a counter electrode formed of a transparent electrode disposed between the transparent electrode of the pixel electrode having the plurality of slits and the one substrate.
US07692740B2
The invention relates to a substrate for a liquid crystal display used in a display section of an information apparatus, a liquid crystal display having the same, and a method of manufacturing the same. There is provided a substrate for a liquid crystal display which achieves good display quality with reduced manufacturing steps, a liquid crystal display having the same, and a method of manufacturing the same. TFTs are formed on a glass substrate. A protective film is formed on the TFTs, and a resist pattern is formed on the protective film, the resist pattern having openings located above source electrodes, gate bus line terminals, and drain bus line terminals. The resist pattern is baked at a baking temperature of 200 (or more after irradiating the surface thereof with ultraviolet light to form a wrinkled resin layer having a wrinkled surface. The protective film and an insulation film are etched using the wrinkled resin layer as an etching mask to form reflective electrodes and protective conductive films on the wrinkled resin layer.
US07692737B2
A liquid crystal display device includes a liquid crystal display panel, a compensation film for compensating a viewing angle decline caused by improper alignment of liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal display panel, and an isotropic layer between the compensation film and the liquid crystal display panel.
US07692731B2
A new way of generating electrical power by changing the dielectric properties of liquid crystals by mechanical means is described. Such a method and device take advantage of the nature of the liquid crystal as the dielectric material in a capacitor. A broad range of materials, including various liquid crystalline materials, as well as additional mechanisms (flexoelectric polarization) to fully exploit the potential of this mechanism may be realized. Applications of this technology may be useful in wearable personal electric generators as well as in noise damping materials/devices, which not only absorb and dissipate sound, but use it to generate electric power.
US07692728B2
Disclosed here is a touch panel with improved visibility. The polarizing plate of the touch panel has a laminated structure in which the polarizing layer is sandwiched between the upper protective layer and the lower protective layer. Of the three layers, the lower protective layer is formed as a phase-difference layer with ¼ wavelength made of a cycloolefin-based polymer. The structure protects the polarizing plate from distortion and deterioration, offering good visibility. At the same time, the structure above contributes to a reduced parts count and accordingly a cost-reduced touch panel.
US07692727B2
A channel switch control method in a digital multimedia broadcasting receiver is disclosed, wherein discrimination is made as to whether a switch to the erstwhile selected channel has been completed in response to receipt of a channel switch command, and if it is determined that the switch operation to the erstwhile selected channel has not been completed, a switch operation to a newly selected channel in response to the channel switch command is delayed until the switch operation to the erstwhile-selected channel is completed and then the channel switch operation is performed, whereby an unstable operation can be avoided resulting from receipt of a switch command to the new channel before a screen output operation relative to the erstwhile-selected channel is completed.
US07692709B2
An optical system that behaves like an integrated low pass filter with an adjustable optical cutoff frequency. The filter behavior is “integrated” in the sense that the overall design of the optical system results in the low pass filter characteristic, rather than having a separate, discrete component that implements the low pass filtering. The filter behavior is “adjustable” in the sense that the optical system can be adjusted in a manner that changes the optical cutoff frequency of the MTF. For example, moving certain optical components within the optical system may cause the change in cutoff frequency.
US07692706B2
An image sensor includes a plurality of pixels overlaid with a color filter pattern of at least two colors having the same color on every other pixel in one direction; three or more charge-coupled devices oriented parallel to the every other pixel color filter repeat pattern; a charge sensing amplifier at the output of at least two of the charge couple devices; each charge-coupled device having a first and a second gate; a CCD-to-CCD transfer gate connecting adjacent charge-coupled devices with the first gate being on one side of the CCD-to-CCD transfer gate and the second gate being on the opposite side of the CCD-to-CCD transfer gate; all CCD-to-CCD transfer gates are electrically connected together; all first gates are electrically connected; and all second gates are electrically connected.
US07692695B2
An imaging apparatus includes an image creating section for imaging a predetermined surveillance range and creating image data, and a storage processing section converting the image data to a predetermined storage format and creating storage data. A data storage section having a storage medium with a predetermined storage space stores the storage data created by the storage processing section. The apparatus includes a compression processing section for reading storage data stored in the data storage section, and compressing the storage data and creating compressed data. A determination processing section detects the data storage amount of the storage data stored in the data storage section, supplies a compression control signal to the compression processing section in accordance with the detection result and supplies the storage control signal to the data storage section.
US07692687B2
An anti-shake apparatus of a photographing apparatus comprises a movable unit and a fixed unit. The movable unit has an imaging device and can be moved and rotated on a plane which is perpendicular to an optical axis of a camera lens of the photographing apparatus. The fixed unit supports the movable unit in a movable and rotatable situation on the plane. The movable unit and fixed unit have a moving apparatus that moves and rotates the movable unit. A number of points that receive a first force in a first direction by the moving apparatus, is equal to or more than 1. The first direction is perpendicular to the optical axis. A number of points that receive a second force in a second direction by the moving apparatus, is equal to or more than 2. The second direction is perpendicular to the optical axis and the first direction.
US07692681B2
A method (300) and an apparatus (110) for a communication device for controlling an image portion and an audio portion of a push-to-video communication are disclosed. The communication device (110) initiates the push-to-video communication (304), establishes the push-to-video communication (306), transmits the image portion and the audio portion of the push-to-video communication (308), and makes control of at least one of the image and audio portions of the push-to-video communication available (310) for other communication devices involved in the push-to-video communication. The communication device (110), after making the control of at least one of the image and audio portions of the push-to-video communication available, continues to transmit the corresponding portions of the push-to-video communication (312). The communication device (110) relinquishes the control when one of the other communication devices takes the control.
US07692668B2
Disclosed are an apparatus and a method for automatically compensating for an image gradient of a mobile terminal display. The apparatus and method capture a user's image, determine the user's line of sight, calculate an image gradient between the user's line of sight and a reference coordinate system of the mobile terminal, and generate control information used to adjust displayed images to coordinate for the image gradient.
US07692660B2
Techniques are provided for efficiently arranging shader constants into constant buffers to more efficiently set shader constants to a GPU. Techniques are provided for tracking runtime usage patterns of shader constants, and then generating usage pattern data regarding usage patterns of shader constants. This usage pattern data can then be fed into an optimization algorithm to efficiently lay out the data for maximal performance given certain heuristics. Factors considered include, for example, frequency of client update of the values, usage by certain shaders, and size and number of the resulting buffers.
US07692648B2
A method for volume rendering a digitized image includes providing a pair of adjacent 2-dimensional images of texture data, identifying a plurality of polygons extending in slabs between said adjacent two dimensional textures, and finding the first and last visible voxel for the data rows and data columns of each said polygon. The minimum and maximum bounds of each data row and for each data column are determined, those data rows and data columns that do not contain any visible voxels are marked as invisible, and the polygons are rendered along a direction orthogonal to a dominant viewing direction, wherein rendering of texture data is restricted by the outer bounds of polygons that are trimmed to the minimum and maximum bounds of two neighboring data rows or data columns, and wherein those data rows and data columns marked as invisible are skipped.
US07692646B2
A method of scaling a three-dimensional input model 100 in a three-dimensional input space into a three-dimensional output model 200 which fits in a predetermined three-dimensional output space 104 is disclosed. The scaling is such that a first input surface 106 in the three-dimensional input space, having a first distance to a viewpoint, is projected to a first output surface 110 in the predetermined three-dimensional output space by applying a first scaling factor and whereby a second input surface 108 in the three-dimensional input space, having a second distance to the viewpoint, which is smaller than the first distance, is projected to a second output surface 112 in the predetermined three-dimensional space, by applying a second scaling factor which is larger than the first scaling factor.
US07692644B2
In a display apparatus of a hold type represented by a TFT liquid crystal display, blurring of dynamic picture when the dynamic picture is displayed is improved. One frame is divided into dark fields and light fields. A dark brightness gradation voltage approaching to display of black as near as possible is generated in the dark fields and a light brightness gradation voltage for compensating the brightness reduced by the dark fields is generated in the light fields. At this time, low gradation voltages (V0P to V20P) or high gradation voltages (V43P to V63P) in the dark or light brightness gradation voltages are set to the same potential.
US07692643B2
An active matrix type display apparatus includes a plurality of pixel circuits each having an electroluminescent element EL, a 1st FET to control a current flowing in the EL, and a 2nd FET provided between a gate and a drain of the 1st FET. The plurality of pixel circuits are arranged in a matrix and have every column connected to a data line. The 2nd FET is turned on for a predetermined time period, and an image data current flowing in the data line is supplied to the gate and drain of the 1st FET, thereby writing a current value of the image data current. A preliminary charging circuit is connected to the data line. Before the writing operation in the predetermined time period is expired, a current of a predetermined current value is applied to the image data current so that a gate-source voltage of the 1st FET is equal to or larger than a threshold value.
US07692635B2
A user interface includes a thin display device and at least one control device. The control device is associated with a portion of the thin display device. A method of implementing a user interface for a device includes displaying data about a function of the device on a thin display device, the data being displayed in association with a control device that controls that function of the device.
US07692612B2
In visual display devices such as LCD devices with backlight illumination, the backlight typically consumes most of device battery power. In the interest of displaying a given pixel pattern at a minimized backlight level, the pattern can be transformed while maintaining image quality, with a transform determined from pixel luminance statistics. Aside from, or in addition to such minimizing, a transform also can be used for image enhancement, for a displayed image better to meet a visual perception quality. In either case, the transform preferably is constrained for enforcing one or several display attributes.
US07692609B2
An active matrix type display includes a light emission device having a transparent pixel electrode and a metal pixel electrode on both surfaces of a light emitting layer and a driving circuit controlling the driving current of the light emission device. The driving circuit is formed on a substrate, and the light emission device is formed as a layer above the driving circuit with an intermediate layer of insulation material interposed therebetween. The metal pixel electrode device is connected with the driving circuit through a conduction portion which extends through the intermediate layer. Thus, light emitted from the light emission device can be prevented from reaching transistors by locating the transistors below the metal pixel electrode, and leakage current produced by the light of a transistor in the off state can be suppressed to prevent degradation of the image quality.
US07692590B2
A radio-frequency integrated circuit chip package with at least one integrated aperture-coupled patch antenna includes at least one generally planar patch and at least one generally planar ground plane spaced inwardly from the generally planar patch and substantially parallel thereto. The ground plane is formed with at least one coupling aperture slot therein. The slot is substantially opposed to the patch. Also included are at least one feed line spaced inwardly from the ground plane and substantially parallel thereto, at least one radio frequency chip spaced inwardly from the feed line and coupled to the feed line and the ground plane, and a first substrate layer spaced inwardly from the feed line. The first substrate layer is formed with a chip-receiving cavity. The chip is located in the chip-receiving cavity.
US07692579B2
Systems, methods, device, apparatus, and machine-readable medium are described that provide for actuation of position determination in a wireless device based on a user input to an input mechanism associated with a group communication, such as a push-to talk and/or half-duplex communication. By marrying actuation of position determination with a user's request for push-to-talk communication (i.e., a request for a talk spurt in a PTT communication), the user is not required to perform any additional position determining initiating action to start the position determining process. In addition, the actuation of position determination is coupled with the initiation of another function on the wireless device, specifically, a push-to-talk request, which benefits from having accurate and current position data available for all current call members and/or a group administrator or the like.
US07692574B2
A radar apparatus can improve detection performance of a target, obtain high resolution without changing antenna construction, and suppress calculation load. A target detection unit, which calculates a distance, a relative speed, or a direction of the target based on frequency analysis results for a plurality of channels, includes a channel to channel integration unit that integrates, for each of the same frequencies, beat frequency spectra for the plurality of channels in the form of frequency analysis results for beat signals obtained for each of a plurality of receiving antennas, and a direction calculation unit that calculates the direction of the target from the beat frequency spectra for the plurality of channels.
US07692573B1
A system and methods enable efficient data association of input sensor data with uniquely identified candidate targets. The methods may use information provided by a target status history database, a target geolocation history database, and a target technical characteristics database, as well as data processing procedures provided by an algorithm rules database. The algorithm rules database provides procedures for generating target classification and identification information for input sensor data, for matching target classification and identification information obtained from input sensor data with information provided by the target technical characteristics database to generate an initial set of consistent, uniquely identified candidate targets, for estimating the minimal required speed of advance for each candidate target, for calculating weights and corresponding data association probabilities for the initial set of candidate targets with the input sensor data, and for selecting a final set of uniquely identified candidate targets with their data association probabilities.
US07692569B2
In one aspect, an apparatus for data conversion is provided. The apparatus comprises a plurality of inputs whose values together define a thermometer code to be converted to an analog output signal on each of a plurality of successive time increments, a plurality of conversion elements, each configured to convert one of the values at the plurality of inputs into an output signal, a shift circuit having a plurality of outputs connected to the plurality of conversion elements, the shift circuit coupled between the plurality of inputs and the plurality of conversion elements, the shift circuit selectively providing the values at the plurality of inputs to the plurality of conversion elements on the plurality of outputs to apply a rotation on each of the plurality of successive time increments, the rotation being indicated by a rotation pointer, and a pointer circuit coupled to the shift circuit and adapted to generate the rotation pointer on each of the successive time increments based on the values at the plurality of outputs during a preceding time increment, the pointer circuit indicating to the shift circuit which of the values at the plurality of inputs are to be provided to which of the plurality of conversion elements on a current time increment.
US07692567B2
Disclosed is a D/A converter including: a delta-sigma modulator for subjecting a digital signal to delta-sigma modulation; a pulse-width modulator for outputting a pulse-width-modulated signal having a pulse width conforming to a digital value that is output from the delta-sigma modulator; and a distortion detector for detecting a distortion component produced in the pulse-width modulator. The distortion detector includes a delay controller for receiving the digital signal and correcting the phase thereof; a second delta-sigma modulator; a second pulse-width modulator; a subtractor for subtracting the output of the second delta-sigma modulator from the output of the second pulse-width modulator; and a second subtractor for subtracting the output signal of the first subtractor from the output signal of the delay controller.
US07692566B2
A resolver includes an excitation signal generator which generates a sine wave and a cosine wave as an excitation signal, a rotor which receives the excitation signal, and a rotary transformer which detects an output signal of the rotor, the resolver being arranged to detect angle information of the rotor. The resolver further includes a controller which outputs angle information at a zero cross point of the output signal detected by the rotary transformer. The resolver can provide high detection accuracy and be low in cost.
US07692555B2
A system is described for powering a wirelessly controlled electric system, such as a sound or security system, via a preexisting power source within an existing building structure. The wirelessly controlled electric system may receive power from the preexisting power source via an adaptor that may be inserted between the preexisting power source and at least one preexisting electric device. The wirelessly controlled electric system may also include a switch for directing the supply of power from the preexisting power source to the preexisting electric device. An electric system controller may direct the operation of the wirelessly controlled electric system. The electric system controller may also direct the switch between a conducting and a non-conducting state to supply power from the preexisting power source to the preexisting electric device.
US07692548B2
A method and system for detecting operator alertness of an operator of a vehicle or machine comprises an image collection system. The image collection system collects reference motion data associated with an operator representation when the operator is in an alert state. An image processor determines observed motion data of one or more points of a three dimensional representation of the operator during a time interval. An analyzer sends an alert signal to alert the operator if a detected angular shift of one or more points of the representation exceed a displacement threshold.
US07692547B2
A microwave-resistant and waterproof security tag for use with food products, especially meat products. The security tag includes a pair of single, open loop conductive traces in between which is disposed a similarly-shaped dielectric layer. This combination is encapsulated within plastic membranes or covers that are sealed at their common edges. The preferred embodiment includes rectangularly-shaped single, open loop conductive traces with rounded corners and with one end of each trace forming a capacitor plate. The width of each trace is at least 1/10 of the length of the security tag.
US07692540B2
A method of operating a perimeter security system comprises monitoring a perimeter for a plurality of events, receiving an event signal for an event of the plurality of events wherein the event signal comprises an acceleration, processing the first event signal to determine if the event is a threat, transferring a confirmation request to confirm that the event is a threat in response to determining that the event is a threat, receiving a confirmation response in response to the confirmation request confirming that the event is a threat, and generating and transmitting a message identifying the event in response to confirming the threat.
US07692536B2
A RFID-enabled recommendation system and related method utilizing information from RFID tags of products (e.g., foodstuffs) to generate recommendations regarding said products. In accordance with one aspect, a server generates recommendations based on product-specific information sent from a RFID tag.
US07692525B1
An improved choke assembly for a power electronics device is provided. More specifically, a choke assembly with improved protection from environmental conditions such as dirt and water is provided. An improved choke assembly may include a double layer of protection around an inductor coil of a choke that seals the inductor coil from the outside environment. Another embodiment may include a choke with a projection that seals the cabinet from the cooling channel while allowing the choke leads to pass into the cabinet.
US07692522B2
A method and device are disclosed for safely operating a switching device with at least one main contact, which can be switched on or off, and which has contact elements and a moving contact bridge, and with at least one control magnet, which has a moving armature. During switching on and off, the armature acts upon the contact bridge whereby closing and opening the corresponding main contact. At least one embodiment of the method includes the following: a) identifying whether the moving contact bridge of the at least one main contact has surpassed an opening point after the switching off; and b) interrupting the further operation of the switching device when the opening point has not been surpassed after a predetermined period of time.
US07692520B2
There are provided a single package television tuning apparatus and a television receiver including the apparatus. The apparatus includes: a printed circuit board; a switching part installed on the printed circuit board and selecting one of a first radio frequency signal and a second radio frequency signal inputted; a tuner part installed on the printed circuit board and down-converting one of the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal, the one selected by the switching part; first and second input connectors receiving the first radio frequency signal and the second radio frequency signal; and a chassis supporting the first and second input connectors, covering the printed circuit board, the switching part, and the tuner part, and electrically connected to grounds of the switching part and the tuner part.
US07692514B2
A linear antenna switch arm comprising a plurality of field effect transistors connected in series, the drain of each transistor being connected to the source of the next transistor at a join, the end source comprising one of a signal input or output port and the end drain comprising the complementary signal output port or input port; a signal line extending between the input and output ports; at least one of the joins being connected to the signal line at a node by a connection line; the signal line comprising at least one resistor between signal input and output ports; and the connection line comprising at least one resistor.
US07692506B2
An oscillation driver device includes a gain control amplifier, an automatic gain control circuit, and a mode setting circuit. When the mode setting circuit has switched a mode from a normal operation mode to a low power consumption mode, the automatic gain control circuit is disabled, and the gain in an oscillation loop that drives the vibrator changes from a state in which the gain in the oscillation loop is controlled to be unity by the automatic gain control circuit to a state in which the gain in the oscillation loop is set to be larger than unity. When the mode setting circuit has switched the mode from the low power consumption mode to the normal operation mode, the automatic gain control circuit resumes operation, and the gain in the oscillation loop changes from the state in which the gain in the oscillation loop is set to be larger than unity to the state in which the gain in the oscillation loop is controlled to be unity by the automatic gain control circuit.
US07692491B2
A radio-frequency power amplifier for preventing a final-stage HBT from being destroyed is provided. To this end, a radio-frequency multistage power amplifier of the present invention includes: a first amplification stage having a first hetero bipolar transistor of which collector output is detected; a second amplification stage which is prior to the first amplification stage and which has a second hetero bipolar transistor in which the detection result is reflected; a first resistor provided between a collector of the second hetero bipolar transistor and a power supply; and a protection circuit which is connected between a collector of the first hetero bipolar transistor and the collector of the second hetero bipolar transistor, detects output from the collector of the first hetero bipolar transistor, and reduces a voltage of the collector of the second hetero bipolar transistor in accordance with the detected output.
US07692485B2
Method and device for modulating a signal comprising data symbols and reference symbols, characterized in that it comprises at least one step (3) wherein semi-pilot symbols are introduced that transport less information than the symbols customarily used but enough to obtain decisions decided during a decoding step (9), the semi-pilot symbols being disposed between the data symbols and the reference symbols.
US07692484B2
An active RC filter has an op-amp and a biasing circuit arranged to bias the op-amp to set a gain bandwidth product of the op-amp according to a desired pole frequency of the filter. The biasing circuit is operable according to an output of an RC calibration circuit. The op-amp can be an OTA transconductance amplifier, and the biasing circuit can be arranged to maintain a constant product of R and transconductance at an input of the transconductance amplifier. This biasing can help to set the pole frequency more accurately and can thus reduce the need for bandwidth margin to be provided to allow for manufacturing process variations.
US07692479B2
In a semiconductor integrated circuit device including a charge pump circuit flowing an operating current therethrough, a current circuit is adapted to receive the operating current and a substantially constant current and generate an inverse current relative to the operating current and the substantially constant current.
US07692460B2
A design structure for a loop filter in a phase lock loop circuit comprising a reference precision resistor, a first and second FET, wherein the gate of the first FET is tied to the gate of the second FET, and a filter capacitor connected to the first FET for producing a capacitor voltage. The capacitor voltage is applied to the source of the first FET, the source of the second FET, and the bottom of the reference precision resistor acting as a virtual ground. The capacitor voltage generated by the filter capacitor sets the bias point of the second FET such that the second FET comprises characteristics of an integrated precision resistor. A predetermined voltage generated by the second FET is applied to the gate of the first FET to set the bias point of the first FET such that the first FET comprises characteristics of an integrated precision resistor.
US07692455B2
Embodiments of methods and apparatus for receiving data are disclosed. More particularly, methods of receiving a current mode signal, which can improve a signal to noise ratio (SNR) according to a change in a power supply voltage, and current mode comparators and semiconductor devices that use the methods are provided. A method of receiving a current mode signal includes receiving a reference current signal and a data current signal through a channel and generating a sensing voltage based on a difference between the reference current signal and the data current signal, varying a transconductance to reduce an input resistance of the current mode comparator in inverse proportion to an increase in a power supply voltage supplied to the current mode comparator, and converting the sensing voltage into a CMOS level output signal using the current mode comparator.
US07692443B2
A display substrate includes a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of data lines, a gate signal-inputting unit, a first test unit, and a first dummy switching unit. The gate lines extend in a first direction. The data lines extend in a second direction intersected with the first direction. The gate signal-inputting unit is formed at a first end of each of the gate lines to apply gate signals to the gate lines. The first test unit is formed at a second end of each of the gate lines opposite to the first end applying a first test signal to the gate lines. The first dummy switching unit is formed between the gate signal-inputting unit and the first test unit and transferring the first test signal to the gate lines.
US07692435B2
The probe card is configured such that the outline of the probe card is formed almost round shape and a plurality of connectors for being electrically connected with a tester are provided on the upper surface thereof along the outline. A substrate with many probes arranged thereon is provided on the bottom surface of the probe card. The substrate and the connectors are connected with one another via a flexible print wiring board.
US07692431B2
A capacitive sensing apparatus includes a plurality of electrically conductive sensing elements that have widths that vary and lengths that traverse a sensing region. The sensing elements include a first sensing element including a first variable-width portion and a second variable-width portion that in combination produce a combined first sensor signal, a second sensing element including a third variable-width portion and a fourth variable-width portion that in combination produce a combined second sensor signal, and a third sensing element including a fifth variable-width portion and a sixth variable-width portion that in combination produce a combined third sensor signal. The first, third and fifth variable-width portions are arranged in a first pattern and the second, fourth and sixth variable-width portions are arranged in a second pattern, wherein the first pattern and the second pattern are bilaterally symmetrical about a median that is substantially equidistant from opposite edges of the sensing region.
US07692428B2
Systems and methods for downhole communication and measurement utilizing an improved metallic tubular having an elongated body with tubular walls and a central bore adapted to receive a run-in tool. The tubular including slotted stations to provide through-tubular signal transmission and/or reception. Hydraulic isolation between the interior and exterior of the tubular is provided by pressure barrier means at the slotted stations. Sensors and/or sources are mounted on the run-in tool, which is adapted for transmission through a drill string to engage within the tubular in alignment with the slotted stations. A run-in tool configuration includes a modulator for real-time wireless communication with the surface and/or remote downhole tools. A tubular and run-in tool configuration also includes inductive couplers for wireless signal data transfer. A method for measuring a formation characteristic utilizing a run-in tool adapted with an interchangeable end segment for multi-mode downhole transport. Methods for sealing an opening on the surface of a tubular having an elongated body with tubular walls and a central bore.
US07692421B2
Control meter for controlling the supply of services, in particular the supply of electric energy, having a support base, anchored with which is a main power supply line, and a metering group detachable from the support base and with a measurement apparatus interposed between the main power supply line and a subscriber line. A safety anchorage is provided for preventing fraudulent manipulations at the control meter and comprises mechanical means associated with the metering group and movable into a locking position for engagement with the support base when the metering group is mounted on the support base, and an interrupter for generating an activation signal upon activation by the mechanical means, wherein the mechanical means is arranged to activate the interrupter when the mechanical means is released from the locking position for detaching the metering group from the support base. The invention allows to positively obstruct acts of fraud and thus to provide a control meter which is able to permit the remote-control of the “open/closed” state in situations of fraud or rather attempted fraud and is capable of unequivocally proving the occurrence of fraud or attempted fraud.
US07692418B2
A BGR circuit includes a temperature-proportional current generating part configured to generate a current in proportion to a change in temperature through a plurality of current paths; a temperature-inverse proportional current generating part generates a current in inverse proportion to a change in temperature through a plurality of current paths. An internal voltage reference voltage generating part generates a reference voltage for an internal voltage using the current of the temperature-proportional current generating part and the current of the temperature-inverse proportional current generating part. A temperature voltage output part outputs a voltage corresponding to a change in temperature.
US07692415B2
A reactive power control apparatus for an AC power system includes a reactive power compensation device, a compensation capacitor device and a compensation capacitor control device. The compensation capacitor control device includes a detection voltage output circuit which outputs a bus detection voltage after the clearing of a voltage drop abnormality, corresponding to the AC voltage of a system bus after the voltage drop abnormality that occurred in the AC power system has been cleared, and a compensation capacitor control circuit which controls the connection status of a compensation capacitor with respect to the system bus. The compensation capacitor control circuit controls the connection status of the compensation capacitor with respect to the system bus, on the basis of the voltage level of the bus detection voltage after the clearing of the voltage drop abnormality.
US07692410B2
An apparatus for determining a rate of charge/discharge, C rate, or state of charge, SOC, of a battery having unknown characteristics comprises a circuit for applying at least a two-pulse current load to said battery. A change in voltage, ΔV, resulting from the application of the second or a subsequent pulse is used to determine the C rate of the battery as a function of ΔV. An Open Circuit Voltage, OCV, of the battery a time interval after the completion of the application of the second or subsequent pulse is used to determine the SOC of the battery as a function of OCV.
US07692399B2
A method of controlling a DC motor is presented. In a determining action, a thermal power dissipation is determined from a motor input and a motor velocity. In another determining action, a motor temperature is determined based on a thermal model using the thermal power dissipation. In an adjusting action, a usage of the motor is adjusted, taking the motor temperature into account.
US07692398B2
The actuator (ACT) is intended to be linked to phase (AC-H) and neutral (AC-N) conductors. It comprises a motor (MOT) provided with windings (W1, W1), a capacitor (CM) disposed between two ends of the windings and the terminals of which form a first (P1) and a second (P2) phase terminal. It includes a switch (TR) controlled by an electronic unit (CPU) to link the common end of the windings to the neutral conductor, at least one pair of diodes (D1, D2; D3, D4), the diodes of one and the same pair being connected by an electrode of the same type to a resistive circuit (RA, RB, RC, DZ1, DZ2) connected to the neutral conductor, the other electrode of each diode being respectively linked to the first and second phase terminals and means (CS1, CS2) of detecting the state of conduction of the diodes.
US07692394B2
A motor current control method is provided to reduce voltage and current spikes within a spindle motor and a power supply. Subsequently, the amount of current applied to the spindle motor is monitored. In addition, an apparatus for limiting motor power is provided.
US07692390B2
A high-power amplifier having a current-adding array is provided for high-speed driving of an inductive element, e.g., a deflection coil of an electron beam gun. The amplifier includes a first voltage node (U1) and a second voltage node (UV), at least one of which is connected to a regulated power supply, and a plurality of first switchable bridges (B11, B12, B13, . . . , B1k) connected in parallel between the first and second voltage nodes. Each switchable bridge includes at least one resistor (R11, R12, R13, . . . , R1k) with a resistance value that is selected so that a first resistor (R11) has a first resistance value WR11 equal to Rmin, a second resistor (R12) has a second resistance value WR12 greater than or equal to WR11 and an n-th resistor has an n-th resistance value WR1n greater than or equal to WR1n−1.
US07692389B2
The impedance of a variable load is matched to the output resistance of an HF generator by performing a first impedance matching for a first load impedance and by performing a second impedance matching for a second load impedance. The first impedance matching is carried out at a first frequency and the second impedance matching is carried out at a second frequency.
US07692387B2
Provided is a plasma display panel that can increase bright room contrast and luminous efficiency. The plasma display panel includes a first substrate; a second substrate which is separated from the first substrate and faces the first substrate; a plurality of barrier ribs formed between the first and second substrates and defining a plurality of discharge cells; a plurality of sustain electrodes formed between the first and second substrates, comprising inner sustain electrodes and outer sustain electrodes; a plurality of scan electrodes formed in parallel to the sustain electrodes and comprising inner scan electrodes and outer scan electrodes; a plurality of address electrodes formed between the first and second substrates and extending in a direction crossing an extending direction of the sustain electrodes and the scan electrodes; an inner sustain connection electrode that electrically connects the inner sustain electrodes formed in adjacent discharge cells arranged in an extending direction of the address electrodes; and a discharge prevention element that prevents the generation of discharge in a non-discharge region around the inner sustain connection electrode, wherein the sustain electrodes and the scan electrodes are repeatedly and alternately disposed in each of the discharge cells, and adjacent electrodes of the outer sustain and outer scan electrodes formed in the two adjacent discharge cells arranged in an extending direction of the address electrodes are electrically connected to each other.
US07692384B2
An envelope has a glass bulb body and a cylindrical glass bulb base. The glass bulb body includes an upper hemisphere and a lower hemisphere. The upper hemisphere is curved in a substantially spherical shape. The lower hemisphere is substantially curved in a spherical shape and connects the upper hemisphere and glass bulb base. A photocathode is formed on the inner surface of the glass bulb body. An avalanche photodiode is disposed on the glass bulb body side relative to an intersection between an imaginary extended curved surface of the lower hemisphere within the glass bulb base and an axis. When light enters the photocathode, electrons are emitted from the photocathode. The electrons are converged at the position above and in the vicinity of the APD by an electrical field in the electron tube, so that the electrons enter the APD in an efficient manner and are detected satisfactorily.
US07692369B2
Discoloration and deformation of a resin case triggered by heat generation from a failed circuit component at the end of the life of an arc tube are prevented without increasing the cost and size. A lighting unit that lights a light source with an inverter while receiving electric power from an AC power supply, and that contains a lighting circuit that includes a plurality of circuit components inclusive of capacitors. Among the capacitors, all capacitors with an applied voltage of 50V or greater (C4, C5, C6, C7, C8, CD1 and CD2) are foil type film capacitors with exceptions of smoothing electrolytic capacitors (CD1 and CD2).
US07692365B2
One aspect of the present patent application is an energy harvesting device comprising a composite structure including a base spring and a piezoelectric structure. The base spring has a base spring surface having elevated portions separated by a recessed portion. The piezoelectric structure substantially crosses the recessed portion. In one aspect the piezoelectric structure includes a piezoelectric element that is bonded to the elevated portions. In another aspect, the base spring has a base spring stiffness. The piezoelectric element has a piezoelectric element stiffness. The base spring stiffness is less than the piezoelectric element stiffness. In another aspect, the composite structure has a natural frequency of vibration, and this natural frequency of vibration of the composite structure is automatically adjustable. In another aspect, the piezoelectric elements are stacked. In another aspect, the piezoelectric structure is located in the recessed portion.
US07692363B2
An electro-mechanical transducer, which provides dipole motion from its housing which is driven by a bender transducer attached to the housing at the outer edge and attached to an inertial mass at its center providing a lower resonance frequency, lower mechanical Q and enhanced motion and acoustical source level.
US07692356B2
The invention relates to an electric machine (1) comprising a stator (21) and a rotor. The stator (21) includes at least one winding system having a plurality of coils (2) wherein start and end of the corresponding coils (21) is fixed on an end face of the stator (21) by means of a circuit support (7) and contacted in such a manner as to obtain predeterminable connections of the coils (2).
US07692353B2
The invention relates to a permanent-magnet two-phase synchronous electric motor (1) with mechanical start-up for washing machines and similar, in particular for washing pumps (2), of the type centrally comprising a permanent magnet axial rotor (4) and a stator (5) with a lamination pack core (16) and a double pair of pole pieces (20) with ends enveloping said rotor (4) and with relative windings (L1, L2), wherein the first pair of pole pieces is asymmetrical compared to the second pair of pole pieces. Moreover, said motor is further distinguished for the structure of the stator, which comprises the following characteristics: the ends of the pole pieces (20) are structurally independent and are removably coupled to the lamination pack core; and the lamination pack core has a shorter axial length than the ends of the pole pieces (20). Advantageously, the pole pieces of the stator (5) are obtained by pressing of magnetic powders.
US07692350B2
A horizontal axis washing machine includes a clothing receptacle rotated by a 4 pole rotor. A 36 slot stator having an interior bore with an interior diameter receives the 4 pole rotor in magnetic coupling relation and capable of operating within a flux weakening range of at least 5:1. The stator has a ratio of an interior diameter to a minimum exterior diameter greater than or equal to 0.63:1.
US07692346B2
A compact enclosed type vibrator capable of ensuring a large amount of vibration has a casing (5), a coil (10) and a magnetic circuit unit (11) provided in the casing, and a suspension (3) supporting the magnetic circuit unit. The magnetic circuit unit has an extent in the radial direction and has an outer peripheral surface set adjacent to the inner peripheral surface of the casing across an annular gap. At least one of the casing and the magnetic circuit unit is provided with a vent passage (13a and 13b) that additionally communicates between a first space (17) and a second space (18) formed at the upper and lower sides of the magnetic circuit unit.
US07692345B2
The present invention is directed to a vibration generating device used for mobile telephone, etc., which comprises a rotor (110), and a stator (120) for rotatably supporting the rotor, and serving to rotate the rotor to thereby generate vibration. The rotor comprises a bearing sleeve (160) consisting of resin molded material and rotatably attached to a fixed shaft (124) provided at the stator, a magnet (170) and a weight (180) positioned in eccentric state with respect to the bearing sleeve, wherein the bearing sleeve and the magnet are formed in the state where they are integrated by material resin of the bearing sleeve. The stator comprises, in addition to the fixed shaft, a bottom plate (121), a cover plate (122) and a coil (140) disposed in a manner opposite to the magnet, whereby the coil is energized so that the rotor is rotated, and the bearing sleeve is rotated in the state in contact with the bottom plate or the cover plate by attractive force exerted between the magnet and the bottom plate or the cover plate.
US07692342B2
Objects of the present invention is to provide an outer rotor of a motor for a direct drive drum type washing machine, in which a structure of the outer rotor is improved, to resolve throbbing of the outer rotor at the time of high speed rotation, and consequential noise, and to provide a variety of products.For this, the outer rotor having a rotor frame with a bottom, a side wall extended from a circumference of the bottom substantially perpendicular to the bottom, and magnets mounted on an inside of the side wall, wherein the bottom of the rotor frame is elevated in a direction of extension of the side wall on the whole.
US07692341B2
A compact, high power, power conversion apparatus including a rotor and a stator. The rotor includes a cylindrical casing, and a predetermined number of permanent magnets disposed on the casing, and is adapted for rotation about the axis of the casing. The stator includes a core and a plurality of sets of conductive windings, each set including a predetermined number of individual conductive windings and associated with an electrical phase. A respective collecting conductor is associated with each set of conductive windings, with each individual conductive winding of the set being electrically connected to the associated collecting conductor. The respective collecting conductors are disposed in a coolant flow path a coolant flow path directing coolant into contact with the stator windings, electrically isolated from each other and spaced apart from each other and from the windings. Collecting conductors in the form of continuous rings and in the form of a plurality of arcs are disclosed.
US07692333B2
An adjustable speed drive system for a primary loop recirculation pump and method of control in which a first breaker is connected to an auxiliary power supply system, an inverter is connected to the first breaker, a second breaker is connected to an output of the inverter, a gate driver supplies a gate pulse to the inverter, and an inverter control portion drives the gate driver. The adjustable speed drive system is combined with a backup adjustable speed drive system. When a malfunction in a main adjustable speed drive circuit portion including the inverter and the gate driver in the adjustable speed drive system used in a normal operation is detected, the main adjustable speed drive circuit portion is switched to the backup adjustable speed drive system, and an operation of a recirculation pump motor for driving a recirculation pump that controls a flow of a reactor core is continued.
US07692332B2
A system for use with an electrical distribution panel having a bonded neutral connection. In some embodiments, the system includes a generator having a first bonded neutral connection and a ground fault circuit interrupter. The system also includes a neutral bus that is connected to either the bonded neutral connection of the distribution panel or the bonded neutral connection of the generator. Additionally, the system includes a switch for disconnecting the neutral bus from the bonded neutral connection of the distribution panel and connecting the neutral bus to the bonded neutral connection of the generator.
US07692330B2
Electronic equipment is provided in which a bi-directional voltage converter is connected between a fuel cell and a secondary battery, and a load apparatus is connected in parallel to the fuel cell. Further, if a plurality of voltage converters are provided, when each output voltage is closer to an output voltage of the secondary battery than an output voltage of the fuel cell, they are classified into a first voltage-converter group, while being closer to the output voltage of the fuel cell than the output voltage of the secondary battery, they are sorted out as a second voltage-converter group. Then, the secondary battery is connected in parallel to the first voltage-converter group and the fuel cell is connected in parallel to the second voltage-converter group.
US07692324B2
A monitoring system for a machine is provided. The machine includes at least one movable member including at least one sensor configured to generate at least one speed measurement of the moveable member. The machine also includes at least one processor coupled in electronic data communication to the sensor. The sensor is configured to generate at least one time stamp value for the at least one speed measurement signal. The at least one processor is configured to generate a plurality of time-stamped speed measurement signals of the at least one moveable member. The processor is further configured to determine a prioritization of the plurality of time-stamped speed measurement signals as a function of at least one predetermined temporal value.
US07692315B2
In a pad forming region electrically connecting an element forming region to the outside, in which a low dielectric constant insulating film is formed in association with in the element forming region, a Cu film serving as a via formed in the low dielectric constant insulating film in the pad forming region is disposed in higher density than that of a Cu film serving as a via in the element forming region. Hereby, when an internal stress occurs, the stress is prevented from disproportionately concentrating on the via, and deterioration of a function of a wiring caused thereby can be avoided.
US07692314B2
Provided is a wafer level chip scale package that reduces the parasitic capacitance generated between ball pads and the solder balls, and enhances the joint reliability between the ball pads and the solder balls. The wafer level chip scale package provides a conductive pattern in each ball pad section, on which a solder ball is mounted, so as to have a spiral or mesh shape, provides a space defined by the conductive pattern such that a first dielectric layer under the conductive pattern is exposed, and provides the solder ball on a top surface of each ball pad section such that part of the solder ball is inserted into the space defined by the conductive pattern. When viewed from the top, the dielectric layer is exposed from each ball pad section by an area of about 50% or less.
US07692311B2
A POP (Package-On-Package) semiconductor device with encapsulating protection of soldered joints between the external leads, primarily comprises a plurality of stacked semiconductor packages and dielectric coating. Each semiconductor package includes at least a chip, a plurality of external leads of leadframe, and an encapsulant where the external leads are exposed and extended from a plurality of sides of the encapsulant. Terminals of a plurality external leads of a top semiconductor package are soldered to the soldered regions of the corresponding external leads of a bottom semiconductor package. The dielectric coating is disposed along the sides of the encapsulant of the bottom semiconductor package to connect the soldered points between the external leads and to partially or completely encapsulate the soldering materials so that the stresses between the soldered joints can be dispersed and no electrical shorts happen.
US07692310B2
In one embodiment, the present invention includes a hybrid device having a first die including a semiconductor device and a second die coupled to the first die, where the second die includes a magnetic structure. The first die may be a semiconductor substrate, while the second die may be a magnetic substrate, and the first die may be stacked on the second die, in one embodiment. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07692308B2
The circuit structure includes at least two generally parallel conductor structures, and a plurality of substantially horizontal layers of layer dielectric material interspersed with substantially horizontally extending relatively low dielectric constant (low-k) volumes. The substantially horizontal layers and the substantially horizontally extending volumes are generally interposed between the at least two generally parallel conductor structures. Also included are a plurality of substantially vertically extending relatively low-k volumes sealed within the substantially horizontal layers and the substantially horizontally extending volumes between the at least two generally parallel conductor structures. The substantially vertically extending relatively low-k volumes and the substantially horizontally extending relatively low-k volumes reduce parasitic capacitance between the at least two generally parallel conductor structures as compared to an otherwise comparable microelectronic circuit not including the relatively low-k volumes.
US07692305B2
A power feed device for an electrical component which improves the quality of transmission and reduces the mounting density of a printed circuit board in the power feed device or reduces the thickness of the printed circuit board and thereby realizes smaller size, provided with a power supply for supplying power, a printed circuit board having built-in signal line patterns, and a power bar having conductive projections provided in shapes and at positions corresponding to the shapes and positions of electrodes of the electrical component and provided outside of the printed circuit board, power from the power supply being supplied through the conductive projections of the power bar to electrodes of the electrical component.
US07692304B2
A semiconductor device includes: first and second interlayer dielectric films consecutively deposited to overlie a silicon substrate; contact plugs penetrating the first interlayer dielectric film and having a top surface located within the second interlayer dielectric film; and via-plugs having a first portion, the diameter of which reduces from the top of the second interlevel dielectric film toward the bottom thereof and a second portion extending between the first portion and the first plug, the second portion having a diameter increasing from the first portion to the first plug.
US07692291B2
A circuit board having heating elements and a hermetically sealed multi-chip package. The multi-chip package includes a plurality of semiconductor chips, a substrate electrically coupled to the plurality of semiconductor chips, heat dissipation means, and a plurality of thermal interfaces disposed between the semiconductor chips and the heat dissipation means. The heat dissipation means forms a hermetically sealed cavity that encloses the semiconductor chips and at least a portion of the substrate. The circuit board includes a chip mounting surface, a chip mounting area on the chip mounting surface, the chip mounting area including a plurality of lands, and heating elements connected to the lands, the heating elements capable heating a joint formed between the lands and electrode pads of a semiconductor chip.
US07692283B2
A device including a housing for a semiconductor chip is disclosed. One embodiment provides a plurality of leads. A first lead forms an external contact element at a first housing side and extends at the first housing side into the housing in the direction of an opposite second housing side. The length of the first lead within the housing is greater than half the distance between the first and the second housing side.
US07692279B2
A multipackage module has multiple die of various types and having various functions and, in some embodiments, the module includes a digital processor, an analog device, and memory. A first die, having a comparatively large footprint, is mounted onto first die attach region on a surface of a first package substrate. A second die, having a significantly smaller footprint, is mounted upon the surface of the first die, on a second die attach region toward one edge of the first die. The first die is electrically connected by wire bonds to conductive traces in the die-attach side of the substrate. The second die is electrically connected by wire bonds to the first package substrate, and may additionally be electrically connected by wire bonds to the first die.
US07692271B2
Structure and methods for a differential junction varactor. The structure includes: a silicon first region formed in a silicon substrate, the first region of a first dopant type; and a plurality of silicon second regions in physical and electrical contact with the first region, the plurality of second regions spaced apart and not in physical contact with each other, the plurality of second regions of a second dopant type, the first dopant type different from the second dopant type; a cathode terminal electrically connected to the first region; a first anode terminal electrically connected to a first set of second regions of the plurality of second regions; and a second anode terminal electrically connected to a second set of second silicon regions of the plurality of second regions, second regions of the first set of second regions alternating with second regions of the second set of second regions.
US07692259B2
A solid-state element device having: a solid-state element having a pad electrode smaller than a contact electrode, the solid-state element being flip-mounted; a power receiving/supplying portion for receiving/supplying a power, the power receiving/supplying portion being bonded to the solid-state element such that an element mounting surface thereof is nearly flush with a mounting surface of the solid-state element; and an inorganic sealing portion for sealing the solid-state element formed of an inorganic sealing material and a thermal expansion coefficient equal to that of the power receiving/supplying portion. The inorganic sealing portion defines an air layer between the solid-state element and the power receiving/supplying portion.
US07692257B2
A semiconductor element, a semiconductor sensor, and a semiconductor memory element are provided, in which an MFMIS structure having a lower electrode and an integrated circuit can be integrated. An epitaxially grown γ-Al2O3 single crystal film (2) is disposed on a semiconductor single crystal substrate (1), and an epitaxial single crystal Pt thin film (3) is disposed on the γ-Al2O3 single crystal film (2).
US07692249B2
Carbon nanotubes may be selectively opened and their exposed ends functionalized. Opposite ends of carbon nanotubes may be functionalized in different fashions to facilitate self-assembly and other applications.
US07692246B2
The present invention provides a FinFET transistor arrangement produced using a method with the steps: providing a substrate (106, 108); forming an active region (1) on the substrate a fin-like channel region (113b′; 113b″). Formation of the fin-like channel region (113b′; 113b″) has the following steps: forming a hard mask (S1-S4) on the active region (1); anisotropic etching of the active region (1) using the hard mask (S1-S4) forming STI trenches (G1-G5) having an STI oxide filling (9); polishing-back of the STI oxide filling (9); etching-back of the polished-back STI oxide filling (9); selective removal of components of the hard mask forming a modified hard mask (S1′-S4′); anisotropic etching of the active region (1) using the modified hard mask (S1′-S4′) forming widened STI trenches (G1′-G5′), the fin-like channel regions (113b′; 113b″) of the active region (1) remaining for each individual FinFET transistor.
US07692230B2
Disclosed herein is an improved memory device wherein the area occupied by a conventional landing pad is significantly reduced to around 50% to 10% of the area occupied by conventional landing pads. This is accomplished by removing the landing pad from the cell structure, and instead forming a conductive via structure that provides the electrical connection from the memory stack or device in the structure to an under-metal layer. By forming only this via structure, rather than separate vias formed on either side of a landing pad, the overall width occupied by the connective via structure from the memory stack to an under-metal layer is substantially reduced, and thus the via structure and under-metal layer may be formed closer to the memory stack (or conductors associated with the stack) so as to reduce the overall width of the cell structure.
US07692229B2
In a magnetic memory 1, a magneto-resistivity effect element 4 is disposed adjacently to a wire 5 for producing a writing magnetic field and further a ferromagnetic body 20 is disposed so as to cover at least part of the wire 5 and consequently orient the state X of magnetization of this ferromagnetic body 20 in one direction. According to this invention, it is made possible to homogenize the magnetic property during the course of writing and implement the writing work efficiently.
US07692221B2
A semiconductor device having an insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) is formed on a semiconductor substrate. A base region and an emitter are formed on a first surface of the substrate while a collector layer is formed on second surface of the substrate. A region having a low breakdown voltage is formed on the first surface around the IGBT, and a carrier collecting region is formed in the vicinity of the region having the low breakdown voltage. The IGBT is prevented from being broken down due to an avalanche phenomenon, because the breakdown occurs in the region having the low breakdown voltage, and carriers of the breakdown current are collected through the carrier collecting region. The breakdown of the IGBT is further effectively prevented by forming a guard ring for suppressing electric field concentration around the region having the low breakdown voltage.
US07692217B2
One embodiment of the invention relates to an integrated circuit. The integrated circuit includes a first matched transistor comprising: a first source region, a first drain region formed within a first drain well extension, and a first gate electrode having lateral edges about which the first source region and first drain region are laterally disposed. The integrated circuit also includes a second matched transistor comprising: a second source region, a second drain region formed within a second drain well extension, and a second gate electrode having lateral edges about which the second source region and second drain region are laterally disposed. Analog circuitry is associated with the first and second matched transistors, which analog circuitry utilizes a matching characteristic of the first and second matched transistors to facilitate analog functionality. Other devices, methods, and systems are also disclosed.
US07692205B2
A semiconductor light-emitting device, the device includes a substrate, a semiconductor stacked layer, a lead electrode and a lead, wherein the semiconductor stacked layer at least includes a N-type layer and a P-type layer, at least one of the N-type layer and the P-type layer has an opening, the opening is just beneath the lead; or includes a conductive substrate having a main surface and a back surface, an adhesive metal layer, a reflective/ohmic metal layer, a semiconductor stacked layer, a lead electrode and a lead sequentially deposited on the main surface of the substrate, the reflective/ohmic metal layer has an opening, the opening is just beneath the lead.
US07692199B2
An object of the invention is to provide a lighting device which can suppress luminance nonuniformity in a light emitting region when the lighting device has large area. A layer including a light emitting material is formed between a first electrode and a second electrode, and a third electrode is formed to connect to the first electrode through an opening formed in the second electrode and the layer including a light emitting material. An effect of voltage drop due to relatively high resistivity of the first electrode can be reduced by electrically connecting the third electrode to the first electrode through the opening.
US07692197B2
An organic light emitting display includes a substrate having a pixel driving circuit region and an opening region. A thin film transistor having source/drain electrodes is positioned on the pixel driving circuit region of the substrate. A passivation insulating layer is positioned on the source/drain electrodes to have a via hole for exposing one of the source/drain electrodes. A pixel electrode is positioned on a bottom surface of the via hole and in contact with the exposed source/drain electrode, and extends onto the passivation insulating layer. A first photosensitive organic insulating layer is positioned within the via hole in which the pixel electrode is formed to fill the via hole and to expose a portion of the pixel electrode around the via hole. An organic emission layer is positioned on the exposed pixel electrode.
US07692184B2
A substrate having organic thin film capable of growing two dimensionally such organic thin film as C60 and a transistor using the same are constituted with a substrate (1) having organic thin film by sequentially depositing a buffer layer (3) and organic thin film (4) on the substrate (2), and with the buffer layer orienting the organic thin film (4). A layer easily oriented with the substrate (2) and the buffer layer (3) may be inserted between the substrate (2) and the buffer layer (3). A sapphire substrate as the substrate (2), pentacene or pentacene fluoride as the buffer layer (3), and C60 or rubrene as the organic thin film (4) may be used, thereby C60 or rubrene two dimensional thin film of high quality can be obtained. By using such a substrate (1) having organic thin film, a field effect transistor of high quality can be realized.
US07692179B2
A nano-scale device and method of fabrication provide a nanowire having (111) vertical sidewalls. The nano-scale device includes a semiconductor-on-insulator substrate polished in a [110] direction, the nanowire, and an electrical contact at opposite ends of the nanowire. The method includes wet etching a semiconductor layer of the semiconductor-on-insulator substrate to form the nanowire extending between a pair of islands in the semiconductor layer. The method further includes depositing an electrically conductive material on the pair of islands to form the electrical contacts. A nano-pn diode includes the nanowire as a first nano-electrode, a pn-junction vertically stacked on the nanowire, and a second nano-electrode on a (110) horizontal planar end of the pn-junction. The nano-pn diode may be fabricated in an array of the diodes on the semiconductor-on-insulator substrate.
US07692174B2
A method and apparatus wherein a substrate is provided with a preformatted structure, with structural elements arranged in a matrix, wherein the matrix extends in an X-direction and Y-direction, wherein a processing head is provided, wherein a camera is provided which is connected with the processing head and which comprises at least one series of sensors arranged along a main line, wherein the camera scans the substrate and thereby provides at least one one-dimensional camera signal, wherein, for real-time determining at least the X-position and the Y-position of the structure with respect to the camera, the said main line includes an angle with the X-direction and with the Y-direction, wherein the angle is chosen such that the camera signal contains spatially separated X-position information and Y-position information and that the X-position information and the Y-position information can be separated from the sensor signal with the aid of signal processing.
US07692173B2
A pharmaceutical pig is used to transport a syringe containing a liquid radiopharmaceutical from a radiopharmacy to a medical facility for administration to a patient. The pharmaceutical pig includes an elongate polymer cap that is removably attached to an elongate polymer base. The elongate polymer cap includes a cap shell that completely encloses a cap shielding element and the elongate polymer base includes a base shell that completely encloses a base shielding element. Preferably the polymer utilized for the cap shell and the base shell is polycarbonate resin, e.g., LEXAN®. An inner liner is not utilized and the cap shielding element and the base shielding element, which are preferably, but not necessarily, made of lead, are completely sealed and unexposed.
US07692172B2
A system for sanitizing an enclosed structure comprises a first sensor, a second sensor, a third sensor, a germicidal ultraviolet light source, a motor, and a controller. The first sensor detects the presence of humans or animals within the enclosed structure. The second sensor detects the position of at least one door of the enclosed structure. The third sensor detects tampering with the system. The ultraviolet light source provides electromagnetic radiation in the ultraviolet range. The motor moves the ultraviolet light source from an inactive position to an active position and from the active position to the inactive position. The controller receives inputs from the first sensor, the second sensor, and the third sensor, and transmits outputs to the ultraviolet light source and the motor. When the controller receives signals that no humans or animals are present in the enclosed structure and that the door is in a closed position, the controller transmits a signal to the motor to move the ultraviolet light source from the inactive position to the active position and a signal to activate the ultraviolet light source. If humans or animals are detected to be present in the enclosed structure or if the door is detected to be open, then the controller deactivates the ultraviolet light source and repositions the ultraviolet light source.
US07692169B2
A method for filtering particles out of a beam of radiation propagating from a radiation source is provided. The method includes passing the beam of radiation through a filter having a first portion within the beam of radiation and a second portion outside of the beam of radiation, capturing at least some of the particles in the beam of radiation with the first portion, and moving the filter in a direction that is transverse to the beam of radiation so that the first portion is moved outside of the beam of radiation and the second portion is moved into the beam of radiation.
US07692165B2
The present invention provides a charged particle beam device for irradiating a specimen with ions. The charged particle beam device comprises a gas field ion source unit for generating a beam of ions, the gas field ion source having an emitter unit having an emitter unit tip; and a gas supply system for directing gas to the emitter unit tip. The gas supply system comprises an array of capillary tubes. Further, the present invention provides a method for irradiating a specimen with ions by operating a charged particle beam device having a gas field ion source, wherein the method comprises the step of directing a gas flow to an emitter unit tip, wherein the gas flow has a gas beam aperture angle of 3° or less.
US07692154B1
A collimator incorporating shielding shaped according to the formula L 0 2 = y 2 + [ y 2 z 2 ( y + D ) 2 ] where y is the minimum thickness of encased shielding needed to shield the collimator from un-collimated radiation entering the collimator at a distance, z, along the longitudinal axis of the collimator, z measured from the bottom of a cylindrical detector, and D is the inner diameter of the collimator as established by the outer diameter of the detector. Select embodiments may be employed for collecting collimated high energy gamma rays from soil using a gamma ray detector.
US07692153B2
A scintillator crystal represented by the following general formula (1). Ln(1-y)CeyX3:M (1) wherein Ln(1-y)CeyX3 represents the chemical composition of the matrix material, Ln represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of rare earth elements, X represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of halogen elements, M is the constituent element of the dopant which is doped in the matrix material and represents one or more elements selected from the group consisting of Li, Na, K, Rb, Cs, Al, Zn, Ga, Be, Mg, Ca, Sr, Ba, Sc, Ge, Ti, V, Cu, Nb, Cr, Mn, Fe, Co, Ni, Mo, Ru, Rh, Pb, Ag, Cd, In, Sn, Sb, Ta, W, Re, Os, Ir, Pt, Au, Hg, Tl and Bi, and y represents a numerical value satisfying the condition represented by the following inequality (A): 0.0001≦y≦1 (A).
US07692151B2
A device (10) for analyzing a circuit (14) includes at least one element (22) for observing light emitted by at least one localized observation zone of the circuit resulting from the electric current flowing in the zone; elements (26) for exciting the circuit. The circuit exciting elements include a laser source (26) and elements (30) for applying a laser beam generated by the source on the observation zone (22). The device includes members (M1, M2) for protecting the observation zone (22) against the incident and reflected laser beams.
US07692145B2
The present invention relates generally to a method for analyzing the surface and the near-surface layers of a solid and, more specifically, to a method that utilizes activating actions to analyze the physical and the chemical properties of the layers. The instant abstract is neither intended to define the invention disclosed in this specification nor intended to limit the scope of the invention in any way.
US07692144B2
A method and apparatus for assessing a height of a specimen includes an electron beam unit having an electron beam source, lenses, a table for setting a specimen and controllable in a height direction, and a detector, and a height detection system for detecting height of the specimen set on the table while the specimen is irradiated by an electron beam. The height detection system further includes an illumination system, a collection system, first and second detectors, a device configured to receive output signals from the first and second detectors while the specimen is irradiated by the electron beam and to generate a comparison signal from the output signals, wherein the comparison signal is responsive to the height of the specimen.
US07692138B1
A combination confocal and scanning probe microscope system permits accurate location of a sample within the field of view as the sample translates from one type of microscope to the other. Alternate embodiments permit both microscopes to view the same sample location at the same time. Further alternate embodiments include a confocal and a probe microscope integrated into a common optical path.
US07692135B2
A detector includes a light detecting layer and a grating structure. The light detecting layer, which can be a photodiode, has an optical mode that resonates in the light detecting layer, and the grating structure is positioned to interact with the optical mode. The grating structure further couples incident light having a resonant frequency into the optical mode, and causes destructive interference to prevent light having the resonant frequency from escaping the detecting layer. The light detecting layer can be made transparent to light having other frequencies, so that a stack of such detectors, each having a different resonant frequency, can be integrated into a WDM detector that is compact and efficient.
US07692124B2
Provided is an air flow passage of a microwave oven including: a cavity for accommodating foods therein; an electric component chamber disposed at a predetermined portion of the cavity; a suction hole formed at one sided portion of the cavity such that the cavity communicates with the electric component chamber; an exhaust hole formed at the other sided portion of the cavity, through which air sucked through the suction hole is exhausted; an exhaust guide covering an outer wall of the cavity where the exhaust hole is formed, for guiding air exhausted through the exhaust hole to an outside of the microwave oven; and a back plate having an exhaust passage hole communicating with one end of the exhaust guide, through which air is exhausted. According to the present invention, hot air of an inside of the microwave oven can be smoothly exhausted. In particular, since the exhausted air does not return to the electric component chamber, cooling efficiency can be enhanced.
US07692118B2
A glow plug including a center pole extending along an axial direction; a heater including a heating element capable of generating heat upon energization, which heater is connected to a leading end portion of the center pole so as to constitute together with the center pole an integrated heater/center pole member in a mechanically rigid state; a metal shell as defined herein; and a vibration preventing member for preventing vibration of the center pole, the vibration preventing member being fixed on an outer peripheral surface of the center pole at an axial position corresponding to a portion where an inside diameter of the axial hole of the metal shell is constant.
US07692108B1
A circuit breaker lock-out device having a generally U-shaped cross section, configured to mount on a switch having a housing having a recess is provided. Device comprises a first leg connected with a second leg, said second leg having a first aperture configured to receive a blocking member, wherein at least one of said first and second legs has a protrusion configured to engage with said switch housing.
US07692107B1
A luggage case having a built in luggage scale is described. A first frame coupled to and substantially coextensive with a bottom wall of a luggage case is provided. The luggage case comprises a lid movable between open and closed positions, the lid being substantially parallel to the bottom wall. A second frame moveably coupled to and substantially parallel to the first frame is provided. At least one load sensor between the first frame and the second frame, the at least one load sensor configured to measure a weight of the luggage case is also provided.
US07692104B2
This cable-fastening system is intended to maintain cables (4) in a longitudinally extending housing (10) having an aperture through which cables (4) can be introduced into the housing (10).It has the form of a flexible sheet (16) of elongated shape, provided on its two longitudinal rims with fastening intended to cooperate with complementary fastening.A cable support according to the invention is provided with a metal profiled structure (2) having at least one housing (10) intended to receive cables (4) or similar components, and also with such a fastening system (16).
US07692102B2
An electronic circuit device includes at least two circuit substrates for mounting electronic components and a flexible board for external electrical connection disposed between the circuit substrates. The flexible board is electrically connected to at least the surface of one circuit substrate opposed to another circuit substrate.
US07692086B2
A method for interpreting an image into sound is provided and includes scanning an image to provide a plurality of scanned elements which are assigned a value and an associated sound element. The sound elements are arranged to produce a sound track for the scanned image.
US07692076B2
According to the invention, there is provided seed and plants of the corn variety designated CV805067. The invention thus relates to the plants, seeds and tissue cultures of the variety CV805067, and to methods for producing a corn plant produced by crossing a corn plant of variety CV805067 with itself or with another corn plant, such as a plant of another variety. The invention further relates to corn seeds and plants produced by crossing plants of variety CV805067 with plants of another variety, such as another inbred line. The invention further relates to the inbred and hybrid genetic complements of plants of variety CV805067.
US07692075B2
A soybean cultivar designated 7907301 is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of the soybean cultivar 7907301, to the plants of soybean 7907301, to plant parts of soybean cultivar 7907301 and to methods for producing a soybean plant produced by crossing soybean cultivar 7907301 with itself or with another soybean variety. The invention also relates to methods for producing a soybean plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic soybean plants and plant parts produced by those methods. This invention also relates to soybean cultivars or breeding cultivars and plant parts derived from soybean variety 7907301, to methods for producing other soybean cultivars, lines or plant parts derived from soybean cultivar 7907301 and to the soybean plants, varieties, and their parts derived from use of those methods. The invention further relates to hybrid soybean seeds, plants and plant parts produced by crossing the cultivar 7907301 with another soybean cultivar.
US07692074B2
A soybean cultivar designated 7524005 is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of soybean cultivar 7524005, to the plants of soybean 7524005, to plant parts of soybean cultivar 7524005 and to methods for producing a soybean plant produced by crossing soybean cultivar 7524005 with itself or with another soybean variety. The invention also relates to methods for producing a soybean plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic soybean plants and plant parts produced by those methods. This invention also relates to soybean cultivars or breeding cultivars and plant parts derived from soybean variety 7524005, to methods for producing other soybean cultivars, lines or plant parts derived from soybean cultivar 7524005 and to the soybean plants, varieties, and their parts derived from use of those methods. The invention further relates to hybrid soybean seeds, plants and plant parts produced by crossing the cultivar 7524005 with another soybean cultivar.
US07692069B2
A soybean cultivar designated SG3865N is disclosed. The invention relates to the seeds of soybean cultivar SG3865N, to the plants of soybean SG3865N, to plant parts of soybean cultivar SG3865N and to methods for producing a soybean plant produced by crossing soybean cultivar SG3865N with itself or with another soybean variety. The invention also relates to methods for producing a soybean plant containing in its genetic material one or more transgenes and to the transgenic soybean plants and plant parts produced by those methods. This invention also relates to soybean cultivars or breeding cultivars and plant parts derived from soybean variety SG3865N, to methods for producing other soybean cultivars, lines or plant parts derived from soybean cultivar SG3865N and to the soybean plants, varieties, and their parts derived from use of those methods. The invention further relates to hybrid soybean seeds, plants and plant parts produced by crossing the cultivar SG3865N with another soybean cultivar.
US07692067B2
Polynucleotides and polypeptides incorporated into expression vectors have been introduced into plants and were ectopically expressed. The polypeptides of the invention have been shown to confer at least one regulatory activity and confer increased yield, greater height, greater early season growth, greater canopy coverage, greater stem diameter, greater late season vigor, increased secondary rooting, more rapid germination, greater cold tolerance, greater tolerance to water deprivation, reduced stomatal conductance, altered C/N sensing, increased low nitrogen tolerance, increased low phosphorus tolerance, or increased tolerance to hyperosmotic stress as compared to the control plant as compared to a control plant.
US07692044B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a process capable of producing cycloalkanol and/or cycloalkanone with a favorable selectivity by oxidizing cycloalkane with a favorable conversion.Disclosed is a process for producing cycloalkanol and/or cycloalkanone, which comprises oxidizing cycloalkane with oxygen in the presence of mesoporous silica, wherein (1) the mesoporous silica contains at least one transition metal, and (2) a ratio of total volume of mesoporous silica particles having a particle diameter of 20 μm or less to total volume of entire mesoporous silica particles is 25% or more in the mesoporous silica.
US07692038B2
The present invention relates to crystalline forms of (3S)-3-[N—(N′-(2-tert-butylphenyl)oxamyl)alaninyl]amino-5-(2′,3′,5′,6′-tetrafluorophenoxy)-4-oxopentanoic acid (see formula I). The invention further relates to pharmaceutical compositions comprising such crystalline forms and to the use of said pharmaceutical compositions and said crystalline forms in the treatment of various conditions, particularly in the treatment of liver fibrosis.
US07692035B2
A compound comprising Formula 2A, 2B, or 2C (Ra—O—CO—)2YFormula 2A Ra—O—CO—Y—CO—O—(CH2CH2)RfFormula 2B Ra—O—CO—Y—CO—O—RFormula 2C wherein Ra is the group (i) Rf(CH2CF2)d—(CgH2g)—; (ii) RfOCF2CF2—(CgH2g)—; (iii) Rf OCFHCF2O(CH2CH2O)v—(CgH2g)—; (iv) RfOCFHCF2O(CwH2w)—; (v) RfOCF(CF3)CONH—(CgH2g)—; or (vi) Rf(CH2)h[(CF2CF2)i(CH2CH2)j]k; each Rf is independently CcF(2c+1); c is 2 to about 6; d is 1 to about 3; g is 1 to 4; v is 1 to about 4; w is from about 3 to about 12; h is 1 to about 6; i, j, and k are each independently 1, 2, or 3, or a mixture thereof; provided that the total number of carbon atoms in group (vi) is from about 8 to about 22; Y is a linear or branched diradical having olefinic unsaturation of the formula —CeH(2e-2)— wherein e is 2 or 3; R is H or a linear or branched alkyl group CbH(2b+1)—; and b is from 1 to about 18.
US07692024B2
A novel compound, used for example, as a gas generating fuel, is defined as a compound having the structural formula of R3—R1—R2, wherein R1 is a benzene ring with nitro substitution, R2 is a tetrazolyl group with a C—C bond to the benzene ring, and R3 is a tetrazolyl group with a C—C bond to the benzene ring. A method of making the compound is also provided. A gas generating composition containing the novel compound as a fuel, and an oxidizer is also provided. The novel compound is contained within a gas generant composition, within a gas generator. The gas generator may be contained within a gas generating system such as an airbag inflator or seat belt assembly, or more broadly within a vehicle occupant protection system.
US07692023B2
Provided are candesartan cilexetil forms and methods of their preparation. Also provided are pharmaceutical compositions prepared by combining at least one pharmaceutically-acceptable execipient with at least one candesartan cilexetil form of the invention.
US07692022B2
The present invention provides methods, compositions, substrates, and kits useful for analyzing the metabolic activity in cells, tissue, and animals and for screening test compounds for their effect on cytochrome P450 activity. In particular, a one-step and two-step methods using luminogenic molecules, e.g. luciferin or coelenterazines, that are cytochrome P450 substrates and that are also bioluminescent enzyme, e.g., luciferase, pro-substrates are provided. Upon addition of the luciferin derivative or other luminogenic molecule into a P450 reaction, the P450 enzyme metabolizes the molecule into a bioluminescent enzyme substrate, e.g., luciferin and/or luciferin derivative metabolite, in a P450 reaction. The resulting metabolite(s) serves as a substrate of the bioluminescent enzyme, e.g., luciferase, in a second light-generating reaction. Luminescent cytochrome P450 assays with low background signals and high sensitivity are disclosed and isoform selectivity is demonstrated. The present invention also provides an improved method for performing luciferase reactions which employs added pyrophosphatase to remove inorganic pyrophosphate, a luciferase inhibitor which may be present in the reaction mixture as a contaminant or may be generated during the reaction. The present method further provides a method for stabilizing and prolonging the luminescent signal in a luciferase-based assay using luciferase stabilizing agents such as reversible luciferase inhibitors.
US07692004B2
Use of metal complex compounds of formula [LnMemXp]zYq (1), wherein Me is manganese, titanium, iron, cobalt, nickel or copper, X is a coordinating or bridging radical, n and m are each independently of the other an integer having a value of from 1 to 8, p is an integer having a value of from 0 to 32, z is the charge of the metal complex, Y is a counter-ion, q=z/(charge Y), and L is a ligand of formula wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10 and R11 are each independently of the others hydrogen; unsubstituted or substituted C1-C18alkyl or aryl; cyano; halogen; nitro; —COOR12 or —SO3R12 wherein R12 is in each case hydrogen, a cation or unsubstituted or substituted C1-C18alkyl or aryl; —SR13, —SO2R13 or —OR13 wherein R13 is in each case hydrogen or unsubstituted or substituted C1-C18alkyl or aryl; —N(R13)—NR′13R″13 wherein R13, R′13 and R″13 are as defined above for R13; —NR14R15 or —N⊕R14R15R16 wherein R14, R15 and R16 are each independently of the other(s) hydrogen or unsubstituted or substituted C1-C18alkyl or aryl, or R14 and R15 together with the nitrogen atom bonding them form an unsubstituted or substituted 5-, 6- or 7-membered ring which may optionally contain further hetero atoms; with the proviso that R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, R7, R8, R9, R10 and R11 are not simultaneously hydrogen, as catalysts for oxidation reactions, and the novel metal complex compounds of formula (1) and the novel ligands of formula (2).
US07692003B2
The present invention provides 2β-chloromethyl-2α-methylpenam-3α-carboxylic acid benzhydryl ester (CMPB) crystals of excellent stability, and a process for producing the CMPB crystals comprising the steps of (A) concentrating a solution containing CMPB; (b) subjecting the thus-obtained concentrate to column chromatography; (C) concentrating a CMPB-containing fraction; and (D) dissolving the thus-obtained CMPB-containing concentrate in an ether solvent and adding a hydrocarbon solvent to the resulting solution to precipitate CMPB crystals.
US07691999B2
This invention relates to compounds, compositions, and methods useful for modulating NOGO and/or NOGO receptor gene expression using short interfering nucleic acid (siNA) molecules. This invention also relates to compounds, compositions, and methods useful for modulating the expression and activity of other genes involved in pathways of NOGO and/or NOGO receptor gene expression and/or activity by RNA interference (RNAi) using small nucleic acid molecules. In particular, the instant invention features small nucleic acid molecules, such as short interfering nucleic acid (siNA), short interfering RNA (siRNA), double-stranded RNA (dsRNA), micro-RNA (miRNA), and short hairpin RNA (shRNA) molecules and methods used to modulate the expression of NOGO and/or NOGO receptor genes, such as NOGO-A, NOGO-B, NOGO-C, NOGO-66 receptor, NI-35, NI-220, NI-250, myelin-associated glycoprotein, tenascin-R, and NG-2.
US07691997B2
Efficient sequence specific gene silencing is possible through the use of siRNA technology. By selecting particular siRNAs by rationale design, one can maximize the generation of an effective gene silencing reagent, as well as methods for silencing genes.
US07691988B2
A method is provided for nucleic acid amplification with enhanced sensitivity. The method for enhanced sensitivity involves carrying out the amplification reaction in the presence of gellan. For instance, the method allows for the production of detectible amounts of PCR amplified DNA from at least 10 fold fewer target molecules than a comparable PCR reaction in absence of gellan.
US07691986B2
Pectins having a combination of unexpectedly high molecular weights and low degrees of methylation have been isolated. These high molecular weight, low degree of methylation pectins form gels at unexpectedly low concentrations. Such pectins can be obtained by extracting homogenized Aloe Vera plants or portions thereof. These pectins can be used to prepare pharmaceutical compositions comprising pharmacological agents encapsulated in a pectin gel, for application to animals and humans so as to provide controlled release of the pharmacological agent.
US07691985B2
The present invention relates to a method of suppressing bone marrow (BM) and treating conditions that arise in or near bone such as cancer, myeloproliferative diseases, autoimmune diseases, infectious diseases, metabolic diseases or genetic diseases, with compositions having as their active ingredient a radionuclide complexed with a chelating agent such as macrocyclic aminophosphonic acid.
US07691979B2
The present invention aims at providing an antibody, by which metastin or its derivative can be quantified specifically with a high sensitivity, a method of detecting/quantifying metastin or its derivative using the antibody, and a diagnostic agent (e.g., a diagnostic for pregnancy) the same. Specifically, an antibody capable of specifically reacting with a partial peptide at the N-terminus or C-terminus of a polypeptide having the amino acid sequence represented by SEQ ID NO: 1 or its derivative, and a method of detecting/quantifying metastin or its derivative using the antibody as well as a diagnostic agent using the same.
US07691978B2
The present invention is directed to compositions of matter useful for the diagnosis and treatment of tumor in mammals and to methods of using those compositions of matter for the same.
US07691974B2
Modified neurotoxin comprising neurotoxin including structural modification, wherein the structural modification alters the biological persistence, preferably the biological half-life, of the modified neurotoxin relative to an identical neurotoxin without the structural modification. The structural modification includes addition or deletion of a leucine-based motif or parts thereof. In one embodiment, methods of making the modified neurotoxin include using recombinant techniques. In another embodiment, methods of using the modified neurotoxin to treat biological disorders include treating autonomic disorders, neuromuscular disorders or pains.
US07691973B2
The present invention relates to nucleotide sequences, including expressed sequence tags (ESTs), oligonucleotide probes, polypeptides, vectors and host cells expressing, and immunoadhesions and antibodies to mammalian GFRα3, a novel α-subunit receptor of the GDNF (i.e. GFR) receptor family. It further relates to an assay for measuring activation of an α-subunit receptor by detecting tyrosine kinase receptor activation (i.e., autophosphorylation) or other activities related to ligand-induced α-subunit receptor homo-dimerization or homo-oligomerization.
US07691964B2
Disclosed herein are isolated, purified peptides, biologically active fragments and analogs of the peptides having anti-tumor activity in mammals, pharmaceutical formulations comprising the peptides, fragments and analogs and methods of treating mammals suffering from tumors using such materials.
US07691963B2
Modified exendins and exendin agonists having an exendin or exendin agonist linked to one or more molecular weight increasing compounds, for example, polyamino acids, polyethylene glycol polymers, and related formulations and dosages and methods of administration thereof are provided. These modified exendins and exendin agonists, compositions comprising the modified exendin or the agonist thereof are useful in treating diabetes and conditions that would be benefited by lowering plasma glucose or delaying and/or slowing gastric emptying or inhibiting food intake.
US07691962B2
The present disclosure provides drug-ligand conjugates that are potent cytotoxins, wherein the drug is linked to the ligand through either a peptidyl, hydrazine, or disulfide linker. The disclosure is also directed to compositions containing the drug-ligand conjugates, and to methods of treatment using them.
US07691960B2
The present invention relates to a composition of citric acid based emulsifiers comprising polyamides for oilfield drilling applications that exhibit very low fluorescence, and to a process for their preparation.
US07691958B2
A polypropylene for an electric material has a melt flow rate of 0.1 to 30 g/10 min., a mesopentad fraction calculated from a 13C-NMR spectrum of 0.90 to 0.99, and a firing residue of 50 ppm by weight or less based on the polypropylene, a titanium content and an iron content which are detected from the firing residue, of 1 ppm by weight or less and 0.1 ppm or less, respectively, based on the polypropylene, and the chlorine content of 5 ppm by weight or less based on the polypropylene. The above polypropylene exhibits excellent electric insulation and has a roughened surface when it is formed into a film, and thus the polypropylene can be suitably used for a capacitor film without using an additive such as a β crystal nucleating agent. The polypropylene is also useful as a material of a film for coating an electric wire and a material for an instrument for conveying an electronic material.
US07691957B2
This invention is concerned with a butadiene-based polymer having a high cis-1,4 bond content, a low vinyl bond content and a molecular weight distribution of a specified range, and more particularly a butadiene-based polymer having a 1,3-butadiene monomer unit, characterized in that a cis-1,4 bond content and a vinyl bond content in the 1,3-butadiene monomer unit as measured by a Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FT-IR) is not less than 98.0% and not more than 0.3%, respectively, and a ratio (Mw/Mn) of weight average molecular weight (Mw) to number average molecular weight (Mn) is 1.6-3.5.
US07691954B2
A controlled molecular weight polymer of styrene is provided having bromine substituted thereon. Control of molecular weight is achieved by the use of alpha-methyl styrene dimer as a chain transfer agent. The brominated polymer of styrene is useful as a flame retardant, particularly for polyamides giving improved properties including color retention after molding.
US07691927B2
A process for stabilising a natural or synthetic organic polymer or copolymer obtained from a water based latex or emulsion of the polymer or copolymer comprising adding to the later or emulsion prior to coagulation of the polymer or copolymer a substantially water-free self-emulsifying liquid stabiliser mixture comprising (a) a phosphite or phosphonite stabiliser; (b) a phenolic antioxidant and (c) an emulsifying agent. The preferred stabiliser package is a blend of 2 parts by weight liquid phosphite stabiliser to 1 part by weight liquid phenolic antioxidant which has dissolved in it a fatty acid ester emulsifier.
US07691922B2
The addition of zinc borate alone or together with a hindered amine light stabilizer and ultra-violet light absorber to organic materials such as thermoplastic polyolefin resin, as is common in wood-plastic composites, provides a substantial reduction in the ultra-violet light degradation of the resin in comparison with similar materials made without zinc borate. This could provide substantial improvements in the long term durability of wood-plastic composites and other organic materials which are used in exterior environments and subject to ultra-violet exposure from the sun.
US07691919B2
The invention relates to compositions, polymerizable by ring-opening metathesis, which contain (a) at least one monomer and/or oligomer which is polymerizable by ring-opening metathesis polymerization, (b) at least one filler and (c) at least one initiator for the ring-opening metathesis polymerization. The compositions are characterized in that the initiator is chemically or physically bound to the filler.
US07691918B2
Disclosed are ophthalmic device materials having improved light transmission characteristics. The materials contain a combination of certain UV absorbers and blue-light absorbing chromophores.
US07691917B2
Prepolymers comprising at least one block of Formula II and terminated with a polymerizable ethylenically unsaturated radical are useful in hydrogel materials are disclosed: wherein n, R, R1, R2 and X+ are as defined herein.
US07691911B2
The present invention relates to cross-linked polyolefin aerogels in simple and fiber-reinforced composite form. Of particular interest are polybutadiene aerogels. Especially aerogels derived from polybutadienes functionalized with anhydrides, amines, hydroxyls, thiols, epoxies, isocyanates or combinations thereof.
US07691909B2
An improved process for the production of ultralow density, high specific surface area gel products is provided which comprises providing, in an enclosed chamber, a mixture made up of small particles of material suspended in gas; the particles are then caused to aggregate in the chamber to form ramified fractal aggregate gels. The particles should have a radius (a) of up to about 50 nm and the aerosol should have a volume fraction (fv) of at least 10−4. In preferred practice, the mixture is created by a spark-induced explosion of a precursor material (e.g., a hydrocarbon) and oxygen within the chamber. New compositions of matter are disclosed having densities below 3.0 mg/cc.
US07691907B2
Therapies are for treating patients in need of nitroglycerin therapy and allow increased dosage, postponement of tolerance and preconditioning, without exacerbating or causing hypotension. Methods for determining cross-tolerance, nitroglycerin effectiveness and dose are also disclosed. Composition for intravenous administration of nitroglycerin does not contain ethanol or contains less ethanol than conventional compositions.
US07691903B2
The invention relates to a composition for topical use containing at least one oxidation sensitive hydrophilic active principle and at least one maleic anhydride copolymer, comprising one or more maleic anhydride comonomers and one or more comonomers selected from the group consisting of vinyl acetate, vinyl alcohol, vinylpyrrolidone, olefins containing from 2 to 20 carbon atoms, and styrene, in a physiologically acceptable medium containing an aqueous phase. The invention also relates to the use of a maleic anhydride copolymer as defined above for stabilizing an oxidation-sensitive hydrophilic active principle, in particular in the aqueous phase.
US07691899B2
Compounds having a general formula X-(A)n-Y, wherein: n varies between 6 and 20; X denotes a hydrogen atom, an RaCO, RaOCO, RaNHCO or RaSO2 group, Ra being an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, aralkyl, heteroaryl group, the groups being substituted or not, on condition that X is different from H when n is equal to 6; A denotes either a group having formula (I) or (II), wherein Ri is a hydrogen atom, an amino acid side chain, an alkyl, alkenyl, alkynyl, aryl, aralkyl or heteroaryl group, said groups being substituted or not, i being an integer of between 1 and n; Y is an NRbRc, Rb and Rc group having the same meaning as given earlier for Ra. The compounds are used for the preparation of medicaments that are intended to treat bacterial, fungal or cytotoxic diseases and, in particular, fungal infections, such as aspergillosis and candidiasis, and resistant bacterial infections.
US07691898B2
This invention related to a series of new phosphonic acid derivatives having anti-hyperphosphatemia activity. wherein: A is selected from —(CH2)n—, —CO—, —(CH2)n—CO—(CH2)m—, —(CH2)n—CS—(CH2)m— or a branched alkylene group, B ring and C ring are selected from a benzene ring, naphthalene ring, azulene ring or, heterocycle or fused heterocycle compound, D is —(CH2)(n+1)—, —(CH2)—O—(CH2)m—, —(CH2)—S(O)o—(CH2)m—, —CF3 or —(CH2)n—NR10—(CH2)m— wherein a D ring is connected with the carbon atom composing the C ring, E is selected from an oxygen atom or a sulfur atom, P is a phosphine atom, R1˜R7, wherein R1 and R2, R4 and R5 are joined together with neighbored carbon atom to form 5˜7 membered saturated or unsaturated hydrocarbon ring, or 5˜6 membered fused heterocycle, R1, R2 and R3 are not a hydrogen atom if the B ring is a benzene ring and may be the same or different and are substituents, R8 and R9 are may be the same or different and are substituents, R10 is an alkyl group, n and m are 0-10 and o is 0-2.
US07691892B2
The present invention relates to new compounds of formula I, wherein P, Q, X1, X2, X3, X4, R1, R2, m and p, are as defined as in formula I, or, salts, solvates or solvated salts thereof, processes for their preparation and new intermediates used in the preparation thereof, pharmaceutical compositions containing said compounds and to the use of said compounds in therapy.
US07691884B2
Compounds of Formula (I), wherein R1, R2, R3, R4, R5, R6, T, W, X, Y and Z are as defined herein are provided, together with pharmaceutically acceptable salt, hydrates and/or prodrugs thereof. Methods of using these compounds for determining β-amyloid levels in a subject are described.
US07691873B2
A process for the production of a composition comprising a water-insoluble opioid which comprises the steps of: a) providing a mixture comprising: i) a water-insoluble opioid, ii) a water soluble carrier, and iii) a solvent for each of the opioid and the carrier, and b) spray-drying the mixture to remove the or each solvent and obtain a substantially solvent-free nano-dispersion of the opioid in the carrier.
US07691867B2
Quinazoline derivatives of formula (I); for use in the treatment of proliferative diseases such as cancer and in the preparation of medicaments for use in the treatment of proliferative diseases, and to process for their preparation, as well as pharmaceutical compositions containing them as active ingredient.
US07691865B2
Compounds of formula I possess unexpectedly high affinity for Alk 5 and/or Alk 4, and can be useful as antagonists thereof for preventing and/or treating numerous diseases, including fibrotic disorders. In one embodiment, the invention features a compound of formula I:
US07691861B2
A compound of formula I wherein R, Ra, Rb, Rc, Rd and Re are as defined in the specification, processes for their production, their uses, in particular in transplantation, and pharmaceutical compositions containing them.
US07691847B2
The present invention provides methods for treating neurological diseases and disorders. Compounds that replace or enhance the function of SMN or alleviate or reduce a phenotype of cells with low SMN protein levels are provided. Screening methods and kits for identifying such compounds also are provided.
US07691839B2
The present invention provides compositions of saratin and methods of use thereof. One aspect of the invention is a method of prevention or mitigation of the development of adhesions, keloids and scars. The adhesions, keloids and scars can be due to surgery, such as plastic surgery or orthopedic surgery, or can be pre-existing scars. Another aspect of the invention is a method for treatment of flexor tendon injuries.
US07691834B2
The invention relates to a substance which lowers LDL cholesterol levels in serum and which is fat soluble β-sitostanol fatty acid ester, and to a method for preparing and using the same. The substance can be taken orally as a food additive, food substitute or supplement. A daily consumption of the β-sitostanol ester in an amount between about 0.2 and about 20 g/day has been shown to reduce the absorption of biliary and endogenic cholesterol.
US07691807B2
The present invention relates to compositions and methods for producing therapeutic oligomeric compounds. In one aspect the invention relates to methods for administering the oligomeric compounds for the treatment and prevention of disease, for example, a fungal infection, bacterial infection, or cancer, in a mammal. In particular, the invention relates to medicaments comprising various novel oligomeric compounds and pharmaceutically acceptable salts thereof. The compounds of the invention may optionally be administered with at least one of a pharmaceutically acceptable excipient, pharmacologically active agent or a combination thereof.
US07691805B2
The invention relates to compositions comprising a compound based on the general formula (I) R1-Arg-R2—NH—CH(R3)—CH2—NH—R4 (I) and a carrier, diluent or an excipient.
US07691799B2
The present invention is related to a conditioning composition for hair comprising at least one arylated silicone and at least one silicone quaternary compound. The conditioning composition of the present invention can be in the form of a shampoo, cleansing-conditioning composition, or in the form of a conditioner used after washing hair with cleansing compositions. It has surprisingly been found out that a composition comprising at least one arylated silicone and at least one silicone quaternary compound gives hair its natural excellent shine, volume and body, elasticity and it is easily manageable.
US07691796B2
A method of improving the compatibility of an overbased detergent with other additives in a lubricating oil composition. The method includes the step of adding an oil-soluble, hydrocarbyl sulphonic acid to the detergent.
US07691793B2
A composition is disclosed that comprises the reaction product of an acidic organic compound and a boron compound. The composition is useful as a detergent additive for lubricants and hydrocarbon fuels.
US07691789B2
A composition and method is given for a well control fluid that is injected into a well during completion or remediation and prevents fluid flow from a formation into the well during operations (such as shut-in, or placement or adjustment of tools/hardware) when no fluid flow is desired. The composition includes a viscoelastic surfactant fluid system (VES) and a decomposable first solid material, preferably in fiber form, that forms a pack or plug in the well at the location where fluid would otherwise leak off, and then decomposes without intervention to release a product that is a breaker for the surfactant or the micelles of the VES. The composition optionally also contains a pH control agent and a second solid (that may also be a fluid loss agent) that affect the decomposition of the first solid.
US07691783B2
A transfer substrate includes a support base which transmits laser light with a predetermined wavelength, a photothermal conversion layer provided on the support base, and a transfer layer provided on the photothermal conversion layer, the transfer layer including at least a luminescent layer. The photothermal conversion layer is composed of a first material and a second material having different absorptances with respect to the laser light.
US07691778B2
An exhaust gas purification catalyst comprises: an oxygen storage component constituted by a mixed oxide containing cerium and zirconium; and a catalytic metal carried on the oxygen storage component. The oxygen storage component is in the form of hollow secondary particles each formed so that primary particles of an average particle size of less than 10 nm cohere into a shell.
US07691769B2
A Selective Catalytic Reduction (SCR) catalyst was prepared by slurry coating ZSM-5 zeolite onto a cordierite monolith, then subliming an iron salt onto the zeolite, calcining the monolith, and then dipping the monolith either into an aqueous solution of manganese nitrate and cerium nitrate and then calcining, or by similar treatment with separate solutions of manganese nitrate and cerium nitrate. The supported catalyst containing iron, manganese, and cerium showed 80 percent conversion at 113 degrees Celsius of a feed gas containing nitrogen oxides having 4 parts NO to one part NO2, about one equivalent ammonia, and excess oxygen; conversion improved to 94 percent at 147 degrees Celsius. N2O was not detected (detection limit: 0.6 percent N2O).
US07691765B2
After synthesizing particles by liquid phase synthesis, the solution is substituted without drying these particles, and here, a solution comprising a grain boundary phase composition consisting of at least one or more types selected from a group consisting of Al2O3, yttrium oxide, silicon oxide, yttrium-silicon complex oxide, aluminum-silicon complex oxide, and a compound having a garnet structure with a lower melting point than the aforementioned particles, or a solution comprising a precipitate is introduced. Microparticles are adjusted by allowing adhesion and growth of the solution comprising a composition of grain boundary phase or the solution comprising a precipitate on the surface of the particles; these microparticles are allowed to align in 3-dimensions in solution and are formed into a molded body, and this molded body is sintered.
US07691764B2
Provided is a translucent ceramic which has a high Abbe number, is advantageous in aberration correction, and can be easily produced. The translucent ceramic contains, as a main component, a garnet type compound represented by the General Formula: Y3AlvOw, wherein the condition of 4.4≦v≦5.4 is satisfied and w is a positive number for maintaining electrical neutrality, in which the Al is partially or entirely substituted by Ga and the Y is optionally partly substituted by Gd. The translucent ceramic is suitably used, for example, for lenses arranged with a diaphragm interposed therebetween in a Gauss lens optical system, such as an optical system for single-lens reflex cameras.
US07691763B2
A glass composition for forming a blue colored glass is disclosed. The glass composition is made up of a base glass portion, iron oxide, and at least one first additive compound selected from Nd2O3 in an amount up to 1 weight percent and/or CuO in an amount up to 0.5 weight percent. The base glass portion has the following components: SiO2 from 66 to 75 weight percent; Na2O from 10 to 20 weight percent; CaO from 5 to 15 weight percent; MgO from 0 to 5 weight percent; Al2O3 from 0 to 5 weight percent; B2O3 from 0 to 5 weight percent; and K2O from 0 to 5 weight percent. The total iron in the glass composition ranges from 0.3 to 1.2 weight percent, and the glass composition has a redox ratio ranging from 0.15 to 0.65.
US07691759B2
A barrel assembly for a pneumatic paintball gun includes a barrel body and a barrel insert. The barrel body has a breech end, a muzzle end, and a barrel bore extending longitudinally through the barrel body from the breech end to the muzzle end. The barrel insert has a breech end, a distal end, and an insert bore, and is configured to be removably housed within a breech portion of the bore of the barrel body. The breech end of the barrel body is configured to attach to a breech end of the paintball gun. The barrel insert collaborates with the barrel body to provide a firing bore for the barrel assembly which guides a paintball fired from the breech end of the gun through the barrel and out the muzzle end of the barrel body. The barrel insert can be constructed having a thin, flexible wall so as to permit lateral deformation of the barrel insert. This lateral flexibility enables the insert to dynamically adapt to the shape and diameter of the paintball, thereby increasing the efficiency of the energy transfer from the compressed gas to the paintball.
US07691752B2
Methods and associated structures of forming a microelectronic device are described. Those methods may include plasma etching a portion of a source/drain region of a transistor, and then selectively wet etching the source drain region along a (100) plane to form at least one (111) region in the recessed source/drain region.
US07691750B2
A method of self-aligned silicidation involves interruption of the silicidation process prior to complete reaction of the blanket material (e.g., metal) in regions directly overlying patterned and exposed other material (e.g., silicon). Diffusion of excess blanket material from over other regions (e.g., overlying insulators) is thus prevented. Control and uniformity are insured by use of conductive rapid thermal annealing in hot wall reactors, with massive heated plates closely spaced from the substrate surfaces. Interruption is particularly facilitated by forced cooling, preferably also by conductive thermal exchange with closely spaced, massive plates.
US07691742B2
In one embodiment, a method for forming a tantalum-containing material on a substrate is provided which includes heating a liquid tantalum precursor containing tertiaryamylimido-tris(dimethylamido) tantalum (TAIMATA) to a temperature of at least 30° C. to form a tantalum precursor gas and exposing the substrate to a continuous flow of a carrier gas during an atomic layer deposition process. The method further provides exposing the substrate to the tantalum precursor gas by pulsing the tantalum precursor gas into the carrier gas and adsorbing the tantalum precursor gas on the substrate to form a tantalum precursor layer thereon. Subsequently, the tantalum precursor layer is exposed to at least one secondary element-containing gas by pulsing the secondary element-containing gas into the carrier gas while forming a tantalum barrier layer on the substrate. The tantalum barrier layer may contain tantalum, tantalum nitride, tantalum silicon nitride, tantalum boron nitride, tantalum phosphorous nitride or tantalum oxynitride.
US07691739B2
An integration approach to improve electromigration resistance in a semiconductor device is described. A via hole is formed in a stack that includes an upper dielectric layer, a middle TiN ARC, and a lower first metal layer and is filled with a conformal diffusion barrier layer and a second metal layer. A key feature is that the etch process can be selected to vary the shape and location of the via bottom. A round or partially rounded bottom is formed in the first metal layer to reduce mechanical stress near the diffusion barrier layer. On the other hand, a flat bottom which stops on or in the TiN ARC is selected when exposure of the first metal layer to subsequent processing steps is a primary concern. Electromigration resistance is found to be lower than for a via structure with a flat bottom formed in a first metal layer.
US07691734B2
A far subcollector, or a buried doped semiconductor layer located at a depth that exceeds the range of conventional ion implantation, is formed by ion implantation of dopants into a region of an initial semiconductor substrate followed by an epitaxial growth of semiconductor material. A reachthrough region to the far subcollector is formed by outdiffusing a dopant from a doped material layer deposited in the at least one deep trench that adjoins the far subcollector. The reachthrough region may be formed surrounding the at least one deep trench or only on one side of the at least one deep trench. If the inside of the at least one trench is electrically connected to the reachthrough region, a metal contact may be formed on the doped fill material within the at least one trench. If not, a metal contact is formed on a secondary reachthrough region that contacts the reachthrough region.
US07691733B2
The present invention provides an improved amorphization/templated recrystallization (ATR) method for fabricating low-defect-density hybrid orientation substrates. ATR methods for hybrid orientation substrate fabrication generally start with a Si layer having a first orientation bonded to a second Si layer or substrate having a second orientation. Selected regions of the first Si layer are amorphized and then recrystallized into the orientation of the second Si layer by using the second Si layer as a template. In particular, this invention provides a melt-recrystallization ATR method, for use alone or in combination with non-melt-recrystallization ATR methods, in which selected Si regions bounded by dielectric-filled trenches are induced to undergo an orientation change by the steps of preamorphization, laser-induced melting, and corner-defect-free templated recrystallization from the melt.
US07691727B2
A method for manufacturing an integrated circuit containing fully and partially depleted MOS transistors, including the steps of forming similar MOS transistors on a thin silicon layer formed on a silicon-germanium layer resting on a silicon substrate; attaching the upper surface of the structure to a support wafer; eliminating the substrate; depositing a mask and opening this mask at the locations of the fully-depleted transistors; oxidizing the silicon-germanium at the locations of the fully-depleted transistors in conditions such that a condensation phenomenon occurs; and eliminating the oxidized portion and the silicon-germanium portion, whereby there remain transistors with a thinned silicon layer.
US07691720B2
Vertical device structures incorporating at least one nanotube and methods for fabricating such device structures by chemical vapor deposition. Each nanotube is grown by chemical vapor deposition catalyzed by a catalyst pad and encased in a coating of a dielectric material. Vertical field effect transistors may be fashioned by forming a gate electrode about the encased nanotubes such that the encased nanotubes extend vertically through the thickness of the gate electrode. Capacitors may be fashioned in which the encased nanotubes and the corresponding catalyst pad bearing the encased nanotubes forms one capacitor plate.
US07691714B2
The present invention provides a method for manufacturing a transistor device, a method for manufacturing an integrated circuit, and a transistor device. The method for manufacturing the transistor device, among other steps, includes forming a gate structure over a substrate and forming source/drain regions in the substrate proximate the gate structure, the source/drain regions having a boundary that forms an electrical junction with the substrate. The method further includes forming dislocation loops in the substrate, the dislocation loops not extending outside the boundary of the source/drain regions.
US07691705B2
A method for manufacturing a flash memory cell with a floating gate and a control gate having an increased coupling ratio due to an increase in gate capacitance. The gate size is increased by reducing a groove width in a photoresist pattern used to define the gate region. The groove width is reduced by employing a slope-etching process to form the photoresist pattern.
US07691700B2
One aspect of the inventors' concept relates to a method of forming a semiconductor device. In this method, a gate structure is formed over a semiconductor body. A source/drain mask is patterned over the semiconductor body implanted source and drain regions are formed that are associated with the gate structure. After forming the implanted source and drain regions, a multi-stage implant is performed on the source and drain regions that comprises at least two implants where the dose and energy of the first implant varies from the dose and energy of the second implant. Other methods and devices are also disclosed.
US07691690B2
Methods for forming fully silicided gates over fins of FinFet devices are disclosed. The disclosure provides methods for patterning a gate stack over each fin from a polysilicon layer and a polysilicon germanium layer, and then removing the polysilicon germanium layer over one of the fins. The disclosure further includes forming a metal layer over both fins and annealing the FinFet device to form fully silicided gates over each fin of the FinFet device.
US07691689B2
In methods of fabricating a semiconductor device having multiple channel transistors and semiconductor devices fabricated thereby, the semiconductor device includes an isolation region disposed within a semiconductor substrate and defining a first region. A plurality of semiconductor pillars self-aligned with the first region and spaced apart from each other are disposed within the first region, and each of the semiconductor pillars has at least one recessed region therein. At least one gate structure may be disposed across the recessed regions, which crosses the semiconductor pillars and extends onto the isolation region.
US07691680B2
The present disclosure suggests various microelectronic component assembly designs and methods for manufacturing microelectronic component assemblies. In one particular implementation, a microelectronic component assembly includes a microelectronic component, at least two leads, and at least two bond wires. Each of the leads may have a reduced-thickness inner length adjacent terminals of the microelectronic component and a body having an outer surface spaced farther from the microelectronic component than a bond surface of the inner length. Each of the bond wires couples the microelectronic component to one of the leads and has a maximum height outwardly from the microelectronic component that is no greater than the height of the outer surface of the lead.
US07691679B2
A process for producing a pre-plated leadframe that has enhanced adhesion by molding compound is provided, wherein a base leadframe material is first plated with multiple layers of metallic material. Thereafter, the plated base leadframe material is covered with a mask, so as to expose selected surfaces thereof at unmasked areas where enhanced adhesion of molding compound is desired. The said unmasked areas are plated with a layer of copper before removing the mask. Optionally, the layer of copper may further be oxidized to form a layer of specially controlled copper oxide.
US07691678B2
A solid-state imaging device comprises a housing in which a base and ribs forming a rectangular frame are formed in one piece by a resin; a plurality of metal lead pieces embedded in the housing, each of which has an internal terminal portion facing an internal space of the housing and an external terminal portion exposed at an outer portion of the housing; an imaging element arranged on the base in the internal space of the housing; connecting members connecting electrodes of the imaging element to the internal terminal portions of the metal lead pieces; and a transparent plate fastened to an upper face of the ribs. The upper face of the ribs is provided with a lower step portion that is lowered along an external periphery, and the transparent plate is fastened to the upper face of the ribs by an adhesive filled at least into the lower step portion. The joint between the ribs and the transparent plate has a cushioning effect with respect to stress caused by thermal deformation and the like, improving durability.
US07691677B2
The quality of a non-leaded semiconductor device is to be improved. The semiconductor device comprises a sealing body for sealing a semiconductor chip with resin, a tab disposed in the interior of the sealing body, suspension leads for supporting the tab, plural leads having respective to-be-connected surfaces exposed to outer edge portions of a back surface of the sealing body, and plural wires for connecting pads formed on the semiconductor chip and the leads with each other. End portions of the suspending leads positioned in an outer periphery portion of the sealing body are not exposed to the back surface of the sealing body, but are covered with the sealing body. Therefore, stand-off portions of the suspending leads are not formed in resin molding. Accordingly, when cutting the suspending leads, corner portions of the back surface of the sealing body can be supported by a flat portion of a holder portion in a cutting die which flat portion has an area sufficiently wider than a cutting allowance of the suspending leads, whereby it is possible to prevent chipping of the resin and improve the quality of the semiconductor device (QFN).
US07691676B1
A mold array process (MAP) for manufacturing a plurality of semiconductor packages is revealed. Firstly, a substrate strip including a plurality of substrate units arranged in an array within a molding area is provided. A plurality of chips are disposed on the substrate units. An encapsulant by molding is formed on the molding area of the substrate strip to continuously encapsulate the chips. During the molding process, an adjustable top mold is implemented where a cavity width between two opposing sidewalls inside a top mold chest can be adjusted to make the mold flow speeds at the center and at the side rails of the molding area the same.
US07691660B2
Methods for manufacturing microelectronic imaging units and microelectronic imaging units that are formed using such methods are disclosed herein. In one embodiment, a method includes providing a plurality of imaging dies on a microfeature workpiece. The individual imaging dies include an image sensor, an integrated circuit operably coupled to the image sensor, and a plurality of external contacts operably coupled to the integrated circuit. The method further includes attaching a plurality of covers to corresponding imaging dies, cutting the microfeature workpiece to singulate the imaging dies, and coupling the singulated dies to a support member. The covers can be attached to the imaging dies before or after the workpiece is cut.
US07691658B2
A method for improved growth of a semipolar (Al,In,Ga,B)N semiconductor thin film using an intentionally miscut substrate. Specifically, the method comprises intentionally miscutting a substrate, loading a substrate into a reactor, heating the substrate under a flow of nitrogen and/or hydrogen and/or ammonia, depositing an InxGa1−xN nucleation layer on the heated substrate, depositing a semipolar nitride semiconductor thin film on the InxGa1−xN nucleation layer, and cooling the substrate under a nitrogen overpressure.
US07691654B2
A method for manufacturing an active matrix substrate having a pixel electrode including: forming a bank partitioning the pixel electrode by a droplet discharge method; and disposing a functional liquid containing a conductive material to a region partitioned by the bank so as to form the pixel electrode.
US07691653B2
A substrate with a nitride semiconductor layer is cleaved to form resonator end faces, on which a coating film is formed so as to make a nitride semiconductor laser bar. This is divided into nitride semiconductor laser elements. Prior to forming the coating film on the resonator end face, the resonator end face is exposed to a plasma atmosphere generated from the gas containing nitrogen gas. When a ratio of nitrogen to gallium in the surface of the resonator end face before the exposure is represented by “a”, an average value of ratios of nitrogen to gallium inside from the surface of the resonator end face before the exposure is represented by “b”, a ratio of nitrogen to gallium in the surface of the resonator end face after the exposure to the first plasma atmosphere is represented by “d”, and an average value of ratios of nitrogen to gallium inside from the surface of the resonator end face after the exposure is represented by “e”, the value “g” that is expressed by g=(b·d)/(a·e) is set to a value that satisfies g≧0.8.
US07691648B2
Magnetic particles with a metal coat holding target substance captors are made to react with a target substance contained in a specimen in a solution where the magnetic particles are dispersed in a liquid medium. Subsequently, the dispersion of the magnetic particles is applied to a surface having a periodic structure that is adapted to generate plasmon resonance and a change in the plasmon resonance attributable to the concentration of the target substance held on the magnetic particles fixed magnetically to the surface is optically detected to determine the concentration of the target substance in the specimen.
US07691644B2
The present invention relates generally to an assay for detecting and differentiating multiple analytes, if present, in a single fluid sample, including devices and methods therefore.
US07691625B2
An object of the present invention is to provide a cell culture vessel which is simple in structure and easy to handle, and is capable of preventing damage to the cells when separated, promoting transport of nutrients and excretion of effete matter, and elevating the culturing efficiency improving effect by the structural features. In order to attain the above object, there is provided a cell culture vessel including a culture section provided with a plurality of projections having an equivalent diameter smaller than the cells to be cultured and the culture section side walls enclosing the culture section, wherein the distance between an arbitrary position on the culture section/side wall boundary line and the nearest projection is smaller than the diameter of the cells to be cultured. The effect of the projections in the vessel given to the cultured cells is enhanced.
US07691614B2
A method of specifically amplifying desired regions of nucleic acid from a sample is provided. The method uses a plurality of first and second PCR primers, each having a region of fixed nucleotide sequence identical or complementary to a consensus sequence of interest and a region of randomized nucleotide sequence located 5′ to, 3′ to, anywhere within, or flanking the region of fixed nucleotide sequence; and then amplifying the nucleic acid present in the sample via PCR using the plurality of first and second PCR primers; whereby a subset of the first primers binds to the consensus sequence of interest wherever it occurs in the sample, and a subset of the second primers binds to the sample at locations removed from the first primers such that DNA regions flanked by the first primer and the second primer are specifically amplified.
US07691608B2
Disclosed are new recombinant nucleic acids encoding protein A polypeptides and methods of using these nucleic acids.
US07691594B2
It is an object of the present invention to provide a cancer-suppressing agent comprising a novel cancer-suppressing gene based on the discovery of such cancer-suppressing gene. The present invention provides A cancer-suppressing agent which comprises PCDH20 gene or a homologous gene thereof.
US07691586B2
A method for prognosing possible recurrence after treatment of the liver cancer, characterized by measuring GPC3 contained in a test sample by use of an anti-GPC3 antibody.
US07691583B2
A system and method for detecting mass based on a frequency differential of a resonating micromachined structure, such as a cantilever beam. A high aspect ratio cantilever beam is coated with an immobilized binding partner that couples to a predetermined cell or molecule. A first resonant frequency is determined for the cantilever having the immobilized binding partner. Upon exposure of the cantilever to a solution that binds with the binding partner, the mass of the cantilever beam increases. A second resonant frequency is determined and the differential resonant frequency provides the basis for detecting the target cell or molecule. The cantilever may be driven externally or by ambient noise. The frequency response of the beam can be determined optically using reflected light and two photodetectors or by interference using a single photodetector.
US07691573B2
The present invention relates to means for cleaving a nucleic acid cleavage structure in a site-specific manner. Enzymes, including 5′ nucleases and 3′ exonucleases, are used to detect and identify nucleic acids derived from microorganisms. Methods are provided which allow for the detection and identification of bacterial and viral pathogens in a sample.
US07691566B2
The present invention concerns compositions and methods for the treatment of disorders characterized by the overexpression of an LIV-1. More specifically, the compositions include DNA and amino acid sequences of an LIV-1, antibodies to an LIV-1, and methods for the treatment of a mammal susceptible to or diagnosed with cancer wherein an LIV-1 is overexpressed.
US07691555B2
There are provided a photocurable composition capable of being readily cured by irradiation of ultraviolet rays and a cured product of the photocurable composition, as well as a coating composition and a coating film obtained from the coating composition. The cured product exhibits a high refractive index, a less discoloration and an excellent transparency. The present invention relates to a photocurable composition comprising (A) an episulfide compound containing a thiirane ring; and (B) a photo-base generator represented by the general formula (1): wherein Ar is phenyl, etc.; R is an alkyl group, etc.; —A+ is an ammonium ion; and X− is a borate anion, etc., and a coating composition comprising the photocurable composition and (C) a modified silicone oil, as well as a cured product and a coating film obtained from these compositions.
US07691554B2
An image forming method of forming a full-color image in which black can be expressed in addition to a color expressed by diffracted light. Each of plural diffraction gratings R, G, and B is transferred onto a base material from a transfer sheet in which the plural diffraction gratings R, G, and B are laminated, and the plural diffraction gratings R, G, and B are different from one another in a color of diffracted light observed in a particular direction. A black ink layer constituted by black ink is formed on the base material. Thereby, a color image is formed on the base material, in which a color to be expressed of each pixel is expressed by a combination of luminances of colors corresponding to the diffraction gratings R, G, and B and the black ink.
US07691545B2
A crystallization mask for laser illumination for converting amorphous silicon into polysilicon is provided, which includes: a plurality of transmissive areas having a plurality of first slits for adjusting energy of the laser illumination passing through the mask; and an opaque area.
US07691541B2
Photomask repair and fabrication with use of direct-write nanolithography, including use of scanning probe microscopic tips (e.g., atomic force microscope tips, etc.) for deposition of ink materials including sol-gel inks. Additive methods can be combined with subtractive methods. Holes can be filled with nanostructures. Heights of the nanostructures filling the holes can be controlled without losing control of the lateral dimensions of the nanostructures. Phase shifters on phase shifting masks (PSMs) are additively repaired with selectively deposited sol-gel material that is converted to solid oxide, which has optical transparency and index of refraction adapted for the phase shifters repaired.
US07691536B2
An air lithium battery (10) is provided having two equal halves (11) that are joined together along a centerline (12). Each half includes a substrate (13), a carbon based cathode (14), a solid electrolyte (15), an anode (16), an anode current collector (17), and end seals (19). The solid electrolyte includes alternating layers of ion conductive glass (21) and ion conductive polymer (22) materials.
US07691532B2
A sealed prismatic battery has a battery case made of a plurality of prismatic cell cases coupled together via partition walls. Electrode plate groups are accommodated together with liquid electrolyte in each of the cell cases. Each electrode plate group consists of alternately stacked-up positive and negative electrode plates with separators interposed therebetween, lead portions of positive and negative electrode plates being protruded on opposite sides. Collectors are bonded to these lead portions. Between the collectors and end walls (and/or partition walls) of the battery case are provided conductive plates that are connected to the collectors one or more than one location in their middle part so as to decrease the resistance between connection terminals and the electrode plate groups.
US07691531B2
This invention relates to an alkaline battery including spherical nickel oxyhydroxide that includes crystals having a β-type structure. In a powder X-ray diffraction profile of the spherical nickel oxyhydroxide obtained using a Cu target, a half-width W of a diffraction peak P derived from a (001) plane is 0.6° or less. The ratio H/W of a height H of the peak P to the half-width W is 10,000 or more. The nickel contained in the spherical nickel oxyhydroxide has a mean valence of 2.95 or more. The use of such nickel oxyhydroxide in an alkaline battery results in a battery having excellent heavy-load discharge characteristics and improved energy densities.
US07691530B2
A cylindrical lithium secondary battery includes a wound electrode assembly having a first electrode plate, a second electrode plate, and a separator interposed between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate. A core member is substantially in a shape of a pipe and has a cut formed along a longitudinal direction thereof, the cut forming two edges. The core member is inserted into a central space of the electrode assembly and has a predetermined deformation direction when subjected to external pressure. The battery also includes a case with a space for accommodating the electrode assembly and an open upper portion, and a cap assembly fixed to the upper portion of the case to hermetically seal the upper portion of the case.
US07691527B2
One embodiment of the present invention is a hydrogen generator that includes: (a) an anode material; (b) a cathode material; and (c) an electrolyte; wherein the electrolyte comprises a metal hydride, at least one stabilizing agent, and a solvent; and wherein hydrogen gas is generated whenever the anode material and the cathode material are electrically connected.
US07691520B2
A fuel cell system including a flat type stack in which a plurality of unit cells, in which an electricity generating reaction is performed, are arranged on a plane, and the fuel cell system pre-heats the fuel provided from the outside for reducing the temperature differences of the fuel provided to each unit cell, thereby reduces the differences in the output characteristics of each unit cell, thereby increasing the electricity generating efficiency of the system.
US07691519B2
A fuel cell has a structure that an area of an opening at which a first flow passage opens toward a diffusion layer side of a fuel electrode is smaller than an area of an opening at which a second flow passage opens toward the diffusion layer side. This structure serves as a supply suppression structure for suppressing supply of liquid fuel from the first flow passage to the diffusion layer of the fuel electrode, and a discharge acceleration structure for accelerating discharge of discharge gas from the second flow passage. As compared with the case where the opening area of the first flow passage and the opening area of the second flow passage are equal to each other, the supply of liquid fuel from the first flow passage to the diffusion layer is suppressed so that liquid fuel is more easily filled in the first flow passage.
US07691517B2
There is provided a fuel cell system which can prevent the drying of a proton exchange membrane and prevent the generation of liquid droplets at a hydrogen tank surface which blocks the supply of air, at the same time, and which includes a hydrogen tank, a fuel cell stack disposed such that a first air hole thereof faces the hydrogen tank and a second air hole thereof is open to the atmosphere, and a water holding member provided on a surface of the hydrogen tank facing the first air hole of the fuel cell stack, for collecting and holding water generated in the fuel cell stack.
US07691510B2
A fuel cell system includes a fuel cell that is subjected to a purge operation of supplying an inert gas to an anode and/or cathode upon shut-down of the fuel cell. The differential pressure ΔP is defined as ΔP=Pa−Pc where Pa is the pressure in an inlet-side flow path leading to the anode and Pc is the pressure in an inlet-side flow path leading to the cathode. The differential pressure during the purge operation is controlled such that the differential pressure during operation ΔPo and the differential pressure during the purge operation ΔPp satisfy the relation: 0<ΔPo×ΔPp. This makes it possible to reduce the stress exerted on a solid electrolyte membrane and improve the long-term reliability of the fuel cell.
US07691505B2
This cathode-side humidification tank 1038 also functions as a coolant tank. The water in the cathode-side humidification tank 1038 cools the fuel cell 1030 and returns to the cathode-side humidification tank 1038. In the foregoing situations where the fuel cell 1030 is low in temperature, such as during the startup of the fuel cell system 1100, the coolant warmed by the heat exchanger HEX05 can also be supplied to the fuel cell 1030 to warm up the fuel cell 1030. Moreover, a coolant channel 1040 for supplying a coolant to a cooling plate 1036 provided in the fuel cell 1030 is in connection with a heat exchanger HEX06 which is formed in an anode-side humidification tank 1042. Consequently, the coolant even plays the role of maintaining the cathode-side humidification tank 1038 and the anode-side humidification tank 1042 in almost the same temperatures.
US07691503B2
The present inventions relate to power systems (for example, fuel cell power systems) and architectures having an integration plane to incorporate various technology modules therein including, for example, one or more fuel cell stacks, fuel storage containers/tanks (for example, hydrogen, methanol and/or hydrogen containing compounds or substances from which hydrogen can be extracted on demand (e.g., a hydride)), power unit having a power management unit to provide a conditioned and/or regulated electrical power using electrical power provided by a fuel cell, fuel cartridge having one or more fuel storage containers/tanks and electrical circuitry to monitor and/or store one or more parameters of the fuel storage container(s)/tank(s), supercapacitors, batteries, and/or electrical or electronic devices such as mobile communications (for example, phones and/or modems), data processor circuitry, and/or monitoring or surveillance device (for example, a imaging sensing device (for example, camera) and/or audio sensing device).
US07691497B1
A pressable body is described possessing a flexural strength of at least 125 MPa and is flowable at about 850° C. to about 950° C. The body is composed of at least a glass matrix phase having a composition comprising Li2O and MgO. A dental article formed at least in part from the pressable body is also described. Associated methods are also described.
US07691494B2
The present invention provides electronic devices comprising novel organic iridium compositions which provide for enhanced device performance. The novel iridium compositions employed comprise at least one novel organic iridium compound which comprises at least one cyclometallated ligand and at least one ketopyrrole ligand. The organic iridium compositions employed are referred to as Type (1) organic iridium compositions and are constituted such that no ligand of the novel organic iridium compound has a number average molecular weight of 2,000 grams per mole or greater (as measured by gel permeation chromatography). Type (1) organic iridium compositions are referred to herein as comprising “organic iridium complexes”. In one aspect, the present invention provides optoelectronic devices, such as OLED devices and photovoltaic devices. In another aspect, the invention provides OLED devices exhibiting enhanced color properties and light output efficiencies.
US07691486B1
Implementations of the present invention relate aesthetically pleasing, post-formable, reparable decorative architectural resin panels having a thin or brittle veneer layer, such as thinly sliced natural wood or stone. In particular, at least one implementation includes a flat or curved decorative resin panel made with a natural wood veneer layer whose structural integrity has been maintained despite being subject to various heats and pressures. The resulting resin panel is at least partially translucent, and allows for a unique display both of the resin sheets used to form the panel and of the thin wood materials encapsulated therein. Additional implementations relate to the use of other brittle veneer layers, such as translucent stone, translucent metals, or the like, which also provide unique, decorative architectural, aesthetic features.
US07691479B2
A composition for and method for bonding a substrate. In general, applied to a substrate will be a primer composition that includes an adhesion promoter, which is an adduct prepared by the reaction of at least one aromatic polyisocyanate compound, with an active hydrogen containing moiety of an organofunctional silane, and a prepolymer derived from the reaction of at least one aliphatic polyisocyanate and a polyol, and is at least partially reacted with an active hydrogen containing moiety of an organofunctional silane.
US07691475B2
Provided are adhesive compositions comprising a mixture of a maleimide terminated polyimide resin, a thermoplastic resin compatible with the maleimide terminated polyimide resin, a thermally activated free radical curing agent, and electrically conductive particles and/or scrim. Various embodiments add a silane coupling agent and/or an ethylenically unsaturated compound with acid functionality. Methods of using the compositions also are provided.
US07691468B2
The invention discloses a device and a method for transferring a predeterminable, high-resolution magnetic design onto a document printed with a magnetic ink, in particular a magnetic optically variable ink. The device comprises a body of a composite permanent-magnetic material, having at least one flat or curved surface engraved with indicia corresponding to the design to be transferred, wherein the said magnetic material is permanently magnetized, preferably in a direction substantially perpendicular to the said surface. The method comprises imprinting or coating a first surface of a sheet or web with a magnetic ink or coating composition, and approaching the imprinted sheet or web to the engraved surface of a body of magnetized composite permanent-magnetic material while the ink is wet, followed by hardening the ink.
US07691467B2
A plaster board including a plaster core having a front surface, a back surface, two opposite side surfaces and two opposite end surfaces and a covering base paper covering the front surface, back surface, and two opposite side surfaces, which core includes high-density hard edge parts including the two opposite side surfaces, at least one high-density part including the front or back surface, and having a density substantially equal to densities of the high-density hard edge parts, and a central low-density part having a density less than the densities of the high-density hard edge parts and the high-density part and being inscribed in the high-density hard edge parts and the high-density part, wherein each of the high-density hard edge parts is formed so as not to be present in the nailing area along longitudinal directions of the board in which a nail for fixing the board is driven.
US07691453B2
A method for forming an organic/inorganic hybrid insulation film includes the following steps. An organic silicon compound containing siloxane bonds is vaporized, the vaporized organic silicon compound is transported to a reaction chamber maintaining the compound in a monomer state, and then, the organic/inorganic hybrid insulation film having a main chain structure where siloxane parts and organic molecule parts are alternately combined on a substrate installed in the reaction chamber is formed by plasma-polymerizing the vaporized organic silicon compound in the reaction chamber.
US07691451B2
The present invention provides a composite powder coating composition obtained by granulating, with a liquid binder, a plurality of starting powder coating materials that are different from each other in hue and/or kind of base resin, and drying the granules, the liquid binder being a solution or dispersion of a binder compound having a softening temperature of 30 to 200° C. and containing a self-crosslinkable functional group or groups and/or a functional group or groups that complementarily react with functional groups of the starting powder coating materials, in a solvent that does not dissolve the starting powder coating materials; production process therefor; and a method for color-matching a composite powder coating composition, the method comprising the steps of dry blending, for color matching, a plurality of starting powder coating materials having different hues, granulating the resulting blend by adding the above-mentioned liquid binder, and drying the granules.
US07691435B2
The invention discloses differing embodiments of thermal control coatings, spacecraft components having coatings, and methods for controlling the temperature of a component. In one embodiment, a thermal control coating under the invention may include one or more thermochromic multi-layer coatings and one or more solar rejection multi-layer coatings. The thermal control coating may have one or more transition temperatures at which the solar absorptance of the solar rejection coating substantially stays the same, while a thermal emittance of the thermochromic coating substantially changes.
US07691427B1
High-capacity extrusion die assemblies (20, 90, 130, 140, 180, 252) each having a tubular sections (44, 146, 162, 268) and an elongated, axially rotatable, helically flighted screw section (56, 56a, 152, 168, 276, 278) which cooperatively define frustoconical, outwardly diverging material flow paths (75, 160, 291) at constant or differing divergence angles of from about 1-11°. The use of diverging tubular sections (44, 146, 162, 268) and screw sections (56, 56a, 152, 168, 276, 278) permits the use of larger die plates (76, 118, 292) with an increased number of die openings (80, 124, 296). This allows significant increases in extrusion production rates. The die assemblies (20, 90, 130, 140, 180, 252) can be used in the production of a wide number of human foods or animal feeds, and particularly aquatic feeds of the floating or sinking variety. In another aspect of the invention, an extruder (210) is provided having diverging and converging sections (212, 214) along the length thereof and defining corresponding flow paths (230, 246).
