US07708473B2
A technique is disclosed for an optical transceiver, where the frame ground is electrically isolated from the signal ground in a low frequency region and is conducted in a high frequency region, without applying a capacitor as a substantial circuit component. The transceiver includes a TOSA whose housing is grounded with the FG and connected with the driver with a FPC board. On the FPC board is formed with a parallel plate capacitor, one conductive pattern on the one surface is connected with the housing of the TOSA, while the other pattern in the opposite surface is connected with the SG. This parallel plate capacitor isolates the FG from the SG in low frequencies, while conducts the FG with the SG in high frequencies.
US07708463B2
The flexible packaging (10) comprises a body (22) which has, at the outer side, at least one main face (26) which is formed at least partially by a flexible sheet (12). It comprises a reclosing strip (43) which is separate from the flexible sheet (12) and an adhesive (44) which can be reactivated by means of pressure and which is interposed between the outer surface of the flexible sheet (12) and the reclosing strip (43), the adhesive strength of the adhesive (44) to the surface of the reclosing strip (43) being greater than the adhesive strength of the adhesive (44) to the outer surface of the packaging sheet (12), the reclosing strip (43) and the packaging sheet (12) having identical structural features.
US07708460B1
A method for measuring temperature on a silicon device includes activating a heat source on the silicon device. A value of a parameter of an electronic component on the silicon device is measured. A temperature associated with the electronic component is determined from the value of the parameter.
US07708453B2
A device and method for creating hydrodynamic cavitation in fluid is provided. The device includes a fluid passage having at least two local constrictions of flow provided in a parallel relationship therein, wherein each local constriction of flow configured to generate a hydrodynamic cavitation field downstream therefrom. The at least two local constrictions of flow can include concentrically arranged annular orifices.
US07708443B2
A light guide unit for a point light source includes a light incident portion, a first reflecting portion and a second reflecting portion. The light emitted from the point light source enters to the light incident portion. The light incident portion includes an optical pattern diffusing an incident light corresponding to the point light source. The first reflecting portion reflects a first light of the incident light. The second reflecting portion roundly connects the first reflecting portion to the light incident portion and reflects a second light of the incident light.
US07708442B2
Devices and assemblies for providing light to a display panel, including methods of attaching such devices and assemblies to a circuit board, are disclosed. An illustrative device can include a light emitting panel including at least one light interface for receiving light from a light source. The light interface may define an aperture adapted to receive a portion of the light source, forming an air gap between the light source and interface. A number of centering ribs and/or beveled sections can be used to align the light source within the aperture during assembly of the device to a circuit board.
US07708433B2
A light has a housing of plastic material and a light fixture that is arranged within the housing and that receives at least one light bulb. The housing is made from plates that each have outer edges that are beveled at an angle of 45 degrees and provide contact surfaces where the plates adjoin one another. The plates are glued to one another in the area of the contact surfaces over the entire surface area of the contact surfaces in such a way that the plates are joined flush without the outer edges projecting past one another. The housing has a bottom side provided with a circular cutout, wherein the light fixture projects through the circular cutout into the housing. A member is provided that releasably closes the circular cutout. The member is a base or a closure lid.
US07708417B2
An audio system with an illumination mechanism is disclosed. One embodiment includes a device which can be mounted in the center of an audio speaker and used to create an optical effect.
US07708414B2
An antiglare film is disclosed including a transparent substrate; and an antiglare layer including a binder matrix and a particle, wherein reflectivity of 5° angle of a surface of the antiglare film which surface is in the antiglare layer side among both sides of the antiglare film is 2.4-4.4%, wherein image clarity (C(0.5)+C(1.0)+C(2.0)) measured by reflection method on an antiglare layer side is 20-70%, and wherein difference in refractive index between the binder matrix and the particle is equal to or less than 0.07.
US07708413B1
A sensing system comprises a corner-cube reflector that has three reflective surfaces wherein at least one of the reflective surfaces is a surface of a bimaterial cantilever. The reflective surface of the bimaterial cantilever undergoes a change between a substantially planar shape and a curved shape upon direct exposure to an agent of interest. Such a change is perceived by a suitable detector.
US07708405B2
The present invention generally provides improved devices, systems, and methods for measuring characteristics of at least one eye, and particularly for measuring the physiological changes in eyes under different viewing conditions. An exemplary embodiment provides a pupilometer which measures any changes in location of a pupil center with changes in viewing distances. As the eye often moves significantly during viewing, the pupil center location will often be measured relative to a convenient reference of the eye such as an outer iris boundary. Pupil size may also be recorded, and the measurements from both eyes of a patient may be taken simultaneously. Exemplary embodiments may be configured so as to allow the vergence angle between the eyes to vary with differing viewing distances, regardless of whether one or both eyes are being measured.
US07708404B2
An ophthalmologic surgical work station has a microscope and a foot switch corresponding thereto. The microscope is connected to the foot switch via a console. The microscope and the foot switch are coarsely prepositioned and a change of the relative position between the microscope and the foot switch with respect to each other is only possible via a fine positioning.
US07708389B2
A liquid jetting head using a piezoelectric element that is capable of obtaining sufficient displacement through the application of a driving voltage is provided. In the liquid jetting head, which comprises a substrate formed with a pressure chamber, a diaphragm formed on the substrate, and a piezoelectric thin film element formed on the diaphragm, the diaphragm bends in convex form toward the pressure chamber side, and the amount by which the diaphragm bends is no more than 0.4% of the width of the pressure chamber.
US07708383B2
The ink jet head includes a plate-like substrate having an ejection port bored therethrough and an ejection unit for ejecting ink droplets from the port, wherein at least a part of a periphery of the port convexly projects along an ejection direction of the ink droplets. The head ejects the ink droplets from the port by causing an electrostatic force to act on ink containing charged colorant particles. The head includes an ejection port substrate as the plate-like substrate, a head substrate disposed apart from the port substrate to form an ink flow path, an ink guide that is provided in the head substrate and a tip portion of which penetrates through the port, and an ejection electrode formed in correspondence to the port and causing the electrostatic force to act on the ink. The ink jet recording apparatus records an image on a recording medium using the ink jet head.
US07708373B2
An ink-jet head has a plurality of nozzle groups which respectively jet inks of a plurality of colors. Each nozzle group has a high density portion of small nozzle interval and two low density portions of larger nozzle interval than the high density portion. The high density portion is positioned between the low density portions. Because in accompaniment with a reciprocating movement of the ink-jet head, an intermediate area, in which inks from the two low density portions land in a mixed manner, is formed between two areas, in which inks from the high density portion land, color banding is made inconspicuous and lowering of the printing quality due to differences in color can be suppressed.
US07708352B2
A vehicle axle includes an axle housing defining a cavity. The axle includes a pair of outer drive shafts, each being coaxially received in a respective housing cavity and slidable therein, each outer drive shaft defining a splined cavity. The axle includes a pair of inner drive shafts, each having a splined end coaxially coupled to a respective outer drive shaft splined cavity such that a respective outer drive shaft is slidably movable therein. A piston is attached to the inner end of each outer drive shaft and separates an inner fluid chamber from an outer fluid chamber. A fluid channel includes opposed ends in communication with respective fluid chambers. A force absorption container is in fluid communication with each fluid channel and includes a compression spring, wherein the spring is compressed when movement of the piston pushes fluid through the channel into the force absorption container.
US07708351B2
The present invention refers to a high tonnage ultra light mining truck with a greater load efficiency for off-road applications that, in addition to the body, comprises a lightweight curved dump body and a knuckle joined lightweight power and traction system, a steering system, and a lateral suspension and tipping system for the lightweight curved dump body. The truck of the present invention has a payload capacity up to three times greater than that of similar trucks of the prior art.
US07708345B2
A recliner has a chair frame that provides support to a seat and back rest. The frame includes a recliner assembly that includes a bracket that is connected to the backrest enabling reclining movement of the backrest as the bracket moves through a correspondingly shaped bracket slot in a recliner base plate, and where the bracket rotates about an axis that approximates the position of the rotational axis of the hip of a seated user. The reclining chair can also be part of a modular system of components that enable one or more seating units to be in a spanned or ganged configuration.
US07708344B1
A patient chair for use in a dental operatory or the like generally comprises a base, a chair frame supported by the base, and a seatback support coupled to the chair frame. The seatback support is slidably movable relative to the chair frame. To provide a desired connection or fit between components, a locking assembly is configured to apply a clamping force between the seatback support and the chair frame.
US07708339B2
A canopy frame particularly applicable for deck chairs, garden chairs, beach chairs and the like, which can easily be assembled or disassembled in the place itself to be used or carried by the user which comprises a set of flexible rods coupled with each other in an axial way and which define respective side poles which are extended respectively like an arc on opposite sides of the chair or deck chair and separated between them by a distance which is the same or bigger that the space covered by said chair under the frame and a set of rigid rods which define the respective mounting supports of the side poles. The rods of said mounting supports have a horizontal segment which define a coupling tip to the chair or deck chair and a coupling tip to the corresponding side pole. On a segment of the length of the side poles and between them, is mounted in a retractile way by means of knots made by “hoop & loop” like fabric strips, a cover to prevent either partially or fully the sunrays from hitting the space occupied by the chair or deck chair. In this way, the cover can be moved along the side poles according to the variations in the direction of the sunrays to get the amount of shade the user wants.
US07708337B2
A vehicular sunroof apparatus includes a front panel, a rear panel, a linking rod, a rod-locking part, and a slider linking part. The linking rod is connected to a rear slider provided for opening the rear panel. The rod-locking part is disposed on a vehicle roof for locking a distal end of the linking rod when the rear panel is in a fully closed state. The slider linking part is provided on a front slider provided for opening/closing the front panel. The slider linking part is designed to engage with the distal end part and to release the distal end part from the locking engagement with the rod-locking part when the front slider moves from a fully closed position to a half-open position.
US07708336B2
A cross-shaped chassis frame (1) formed by abutting and connecting the end parts of side members (12) to the outer face of a front end cross member (11), wherein the side members (12) are formed of hollow pipes, the end parts of the side members (12) are gradually expanded to form joined parts (20) expanded in flare skirt shape, and the outer edges of the joined parts (20) are allowed to abut on and welded to the outer face of the front end cross member (11), whereby the side members (12) can be jointed to the outer face of the front end cross member (11).
US07708335B2
The invention relates to an air-guiding device (10) of a vehicle (1), comprising a spoiler (12) fastened to a spoiler base (14), and an adjusting device (20) for adjusting the spoiler base (14) between an inoperative position, in which the spoiler (12) is essentially situated within the vehicle contour (3), and at least one first operating position, in which the spoiler (12) is deployed beyond the vehicle contour (3) in order to provide a down force effect during the journey, the adjusting device (20) comprising a pivoting-link arrangement (22, 28) coupled to the spoiler base (14) and controllable driving means for pivoting the pivoting-link arrangement (22, 28) in order to adjust the spoiler base (14) between the inoperative position and the operating position. In order to permit a greater maximum deployment angle of the spoiler, according to the invention the adjusting device (20) is suitably designed in order to overstretch a joint (26) between a front region of the spoiler base (14) and an end of a front pivoting link (22) of the pivoting links (22, 28) during deployment of the spoiler (12).
US07708333B2
A convertible vehicle roof (20) comprises a forward roof element (22) and a rearward roof element (24). An unchangeable, upwardly opened, recessed storage area (14) for the roof elements is defined in a rear trunk lid (12). The forward roof element may be pivoted relative to the rearward roof element about a first axis (A1) that is perpendicular to the vehicle longitudinal plane. The forward roof element and the rearward roof element also may be pivoted together about a second axis (A2) that extends perpendicular to the vehicle longitudinal plane. At least the forward roof element is curved such that, in the open position of the vehicle roof, i.e. when it is folded onto the rearward roof element and is stored in the storage area, it forms a substantially continuous, curved outer shell together with the rear trunk lid.
US07708331B2
A seat slides in a vehicle longitudinal direction between a pair of wheel houses projecting inside a vehicle compartment, and slides in s vehicle width direction at a portion which is in front of the wheel houses. The seat takes a first position in which its outside portion overlaps with the wheel houses in the vehicle width direction, and a second position in which its rear portion overlaps with the wheel houses in the vehicle longitudinal direction. There is provided a rearward-slide restriction device operative to restrict rearward slide of the rear seat in the first position. Accordingly, there is provided a seat device of a vehicle which can prevent any improper interference of the seat with the wheel houses, ensuring a proper long slide function of the seat.
US07708328B2
A device holder and storage compartment for use in a motor vehicle. The device holder and storage compartment are in the form of a slidable drawer that is concealed within a dashboard when in a closed position and extended from the dashboard when in an open position. The drawer has a generally horizontal bottom surface, a front end wall, a back end wall oppositely disposed from the front end wall, a first side wall and a second side wall adjoining the front end wall and the back end wall. All the walls are generally vertical in orientation. The drawer also has a generally vertical dividing wall spaced apart from the front end wall. The dividing wall defines a front region between the dividing wall and the front end wall and a rear region between the dividing wall and the back end wall. A front cover can be moveably attached to the drawer proximate the front end wall and move between a closed position and an open position. When in the closed position, the front cover is generally vertical and adjacent to the front end wall. In the open position, the front cover is spaced apart from the front end wall and affords viewing of a front surface of a device held in the front device holder region of the drawer. The front end wall of the drawer can have a cut-away portion which allows viewing of a bottom portion of the front display of the device.
US07708322B2
An actuator for use in fenestration systems having a swinging sash or door is characterized by the use of a linear member running continuously from an actuating assembly to a locking pin assembly. The linear member can be a flexible linear member, allowing it to convey motion to the locking pin assembly around corners. The locking pin assembly has a moveable locking pin with an actuator and an extension that can engage a keeper. The linear member has multiple actuator engagement sites along its length where the actuator of the locking pin can engage the linear member. The linear member can then be used to move the locking pin with respect to the locking pin assembly so that the extension can engage or disengage a keeper. The locking pin assembly can be mounted on a fenestration frame and the keeper opposingly mounted on a window or door mounted in the fenestration frame. Alternately, the keeper can be incorporated into the fenestration frame and the locking pin assembly opposingly mounted on the window or door mounted in the fenestration frame.
US07708312B2
A three-point safety belt system (20) including: a tongue (100) configured to receive portions of a safety belt assembly (200); the safety belt assembly (200) comprising a shoulder belt section (202) and a lap belt section (250), the shoulder belt section including a hollow, generally flat first tube or tubular section (202), the first tube or tubular part configured to tear apart along a preferred region (203), a web guide (300); a first and second retractor (240, 260); the lap belt section (250) extending from the tongue to the corresponding retractor (260) and the shoulder belt section (202) extending from the tongue to the other retractor (240), each retractor configured to respectively retract the lap belt section and the shoulder belt section and to permit the extension or protraction of same; an inflatable air bag (400) received within the shoulder belt section and movable with the first tubular part (202) of the shoulder belt section, and inflatable by an inflator causing the air bag to extend and break the first tubular part as the air bag inflates from a stored condition to an inflated condition.
US07708305B2
The airbag apparatus includes an airbag folded and housed in a housing. The airbag includes an outer bag constituting an outer wall of the airbag and an inner bag disposed inside the outer bag. The inner bag includes an outlet port supplying inflation gas into the outer bag and an arm inflatable into a tapered bag contour. The arm holds down a peripheral defected region of the outer bag defected from the housing onto a top plane of a ring of a steering wheel all the while that the inner bag remains completely inflated at the operation of the airbag apparatus.
US07708302B2
Snowboards are provided that consolidate and redirect a portion of the weight and forces of the rider to the optimal locations (near the edges and near the longitudinal center of the board), providing excellent turning and control and providing impact absorption when landing from a jump. In some implementations, an adjustable spring suspension system allows custom optimization of both the turning and ride characteristics of the snowboard.
US07708292B2
In a riding mower having a frame, a mower deck supported beneath the frame, a chair on said frame and a source of motive power also supported on said frame. The frame is supported on forward and rear wheel assemblies, and the wheel assemblies each have a supporting wheel, each wheel assembly having a vibration damping system interposed between the frame and each wheel assembly. The vibration damping system comprising at least one pillow interposed between the frame and each wheel assembly and each pillow being of a resilient material for absorbing shock and vibration resulting from a wheel contacting irregularities in the terrain traversed thereby.
US07708274B2
In a card processing apparatus a card tray and, a card-transporting device are provided. A device for sensing the position or detention of a card in the card tray and a holding device for a card that has stopped in an irregular manner in the card tray due to manipulation of the card-processing apparatus, are also included. The holding device is activated if a change in the position of the card is not detected even though a conveying signal has been issued to the card-conveying device.
US07708273B2
A paper sheet processing apparatus including: an insertion slot into which a paper sheet is inserted, a paper sheet conveyance mechanism for conveying the paper sheet inserted into the insertion slot, a paper sheet traveling route through which the paper sheet is conveyed, a sensor for detecting the paper sheet existence in the paper sheet traveling route, a pair of contact members for holding the paper sheet, a driving source for moving one of the pair of contact members toward the other, and a control device for controlling driving of the driving source. Either of the pair of contact members is driven to convey the paper sheet. The control device controls the driving force to move either of the pair of contact members such that the pair of contact members are kept apart before the paper sheet is inserted and that the pair of contact members become closer to each other.
US07708269B2
A sheet feeding device includes a stacking plate, a sheet stacker, and a damping member. The stacking plate is liftably supported in the sheet stacker and is adapted for sheets to be fed into a sheet processing apparatus to be stacked thereon. The sheet stacker is adapted to be movable between a housed position where the stacker is housed in a housing and an exposed position where the stacking plate is exposed outside of the housing. The damping member is adapted to exert on the sheet stacker a damping force according to moving speed of the sheet stacker, thereby limiting the moving speed.
US07708264B2
A sheet feeding device, having: a sheet feeding tray which stacks a paper sheet bundle formed by a plurality of sheets; a first blower which blows air to a side edge of the paper sheet bundle stacked on the sheet feeding tray; a second blower which blows air to a leading edge of the paper sheet bundle in a sheet conveyance direction from a forward side of the paper sheet bundle in the sheet conveyance direction; and an adsorption conveyance section which adsorbs a topmost sheet of the paper sheet bundle stacked on the sheet feeding tray and conveys the topmost sheet, wherein a first area in which the adsorption conveyance section is provided, and a second area in which a ventilation port of the first blower is provided, respectively includes an overlapping area in which the first area and the second area overlap on the sheet conveyance direction.
US07708254B2
A valve actuator apparatus is provided, which further comprises a linkage mechanism, which can convert rotational force into translational force. This linkage mechanism also imparts a much greater degree of mechanical advantage than typical rack-and-pinion linkages allowing either for greater closing force on the valve or for the use of smaller drive motors to actuate the valve. Furthermore, this linkage mechanism can lock the valve closed, with full seating force, even when no torque is provided by a drive motor.
US07708250B1
A ceiling panel support apparatus includes a base that includes a plurality of legs each with a first end and a second end. The first ends are attached together and the legs radiate outwardly from each other. A support guide is attached to and extends upwardly from the base. A support post is slidably mounted in the guide and is extendable upwardly from a top edge of the support guide. A lifting assembly is mounted on the support post and is mechanically coupled to the support post. The lifting assembly lowers or lifts the support post with respect to the support guide when the lifting assembly is actuated. A plate is attached to an upper end of the support post. A plurality of arms is attached to the plate. The arms extend outwardly from a perimeter edge of the plate. A ceiling panel is positionable on the arms.
US07708248B2
The invention provides a device having a clamp-like structure with jaws designed to bite onto a support, and at least one of the handles shaped like a ring in order to serve as a receptacle for holding a cup-like container. A user may easily attach the device to a solid support in order to hold a liquid container. The holder may be used in work areas such as desks, tables and the like in order to prevent beverage spillage. The invention provides multiple designs that enable a device to adapt to supports with various thicknesses.
US07708240B2
A computer docking system comprises a support base and a docking bracket having a plurality of holding members. Each holding member is adapted to receive and support a computer display device. Each holding member is also adapted to interchangeably engage the support base to enable positioning of the computer display device in at least two different viewing orientations.
US07708238B2
A visual presenter includes a base having a pivot shaft unit including a shaft support bracket, a support column mounted on the pivot shaft unit so as to be pivotable between a standing position and a forwardly-inclined position, a pivot shaft supported on the bracket, a wave washer inserted through the shaft to be tightened against the bracket by a nut in threading engagement with the shaft, and a return spring attached to the shaft so as to apply a biasing force to the shaft. The braking force and the biasing force counteract a pivotal movement of the support column, and the base includes a counterweight disposed in the base so that the base is prevented from being moved during an operation of pivoting the support column.
US07708230B2
A nacelle structure for a gas turbine engine includes an inlet aft of an exit guide vane for supplying air flow to a forward plenum. Air is exhausted from the plenum into an air intake opening and over an inner surface of the nacelle for controlling air flow characteristics within the nacelle.
US07708225B2
Aircraft landing gear includes a retractable housing comprising an upper leg (11); a lower leg (15) including a wheel axle (16) slidingly disposed within the upper leg (11) and resiliency biassed to an extended condition; a turning collar (18) rotatably disposed about the housing and having connection means for a drag stay (17); and a steering collar (19) operatively connected to a steering motor (41) and connected to the lower leg (15) by a torque link (21, 22); in which the turning collar (18) is provided with a cam surface (24) which cooperates in use with the torque link (21, 22) to maintain the lower leg (15) with the wheel in the fore-and-aft position when in the extended condition.
US07708220B1
A cordless electric dual condiment grinder includes a hollow housing elongated to extend between a base for supporting the grinder uprightly and an opposing top, the top of the housing having a bulbous form to define two condiment reservoirs (e.g. for receiving salt and pepper respectively). A unidirectional rotary grinding mechanism is disposed in a lateral opening in each of the reservoirs. The lateral openings are on opposing sides of the housing and a tilt switch controls the direction of rotation of a reversible drive motor. One-way clutches in the transmission are provided such that each grinding mechanism is selectively rotated depending upon the direction of rotation of the motor output. The user can thus selectively dispense from one or other of the compartments by rotating the grinder through an acute angle from the upright such that the selected lateral opening faces downwardly and thus is particularly suited for use by people with limited dexterity.
US07708219B2
A mineral breaker 10 including a row of side-by-side breaker drum assemblies 30 having radially projecting breaker teeth 38. The row includes at least four breaker drum assemblies 30 arranged to define an inner pair DB of adjacent breaker drum assemblies 30a located in-between a pair of outer breaker drum assemblies. The inner pair of breaker drum assemblies 30a defines therebetween a mineral deposit region DM for receiving mineral in-flow. The breaker drum assemblies 30a of said inner pair DB of breaker drum assemblies being rotated in opposite directions such that, in use, breaker teeth 38 on each of said inner breaker drum assemblies 30a act upon mineral being deposited in said deposit region DM to cause agitation of the deposited mineral in-flow in order to encourage undersized mineral to pass therebetween whilst preventing oversized mineral passing therebetween. Each breaker drum assembly 30a of said inner pair DB of breaker drum assemblies acting upon oversized mineral in the material in-flow to cause the oversized mineral to be moved outwardly towards a respective one of said outer breaker drum assemblies.
US07708217B2
The present invention relates generally to a shredder waste leveler and a shredder waste compactor. Specifically, this invention discloses a shredder waste leveler which levels shredder waste as it accumulates in the shredder base. In addition, this invention discloses a shredder waste compactor which compacts shredded material.
US07708213B2
A method of providing a controlled batch of micrometer-sized or nanometer-sized coal material. This method includes the steps of: (a) specifying at least one desired physical and/or chemical parameter of the controlled batch of coal material; (b) specifying the desired range of the physical and/or chemical parameter in the controlled batch of coal material; (c) obtaining a feedstock batch of coal material; and (d) processing a feedstock batch of coal material to obtain the controlled batch of coal material having the at least one specified physical and/or chemical parameter in the specified range thereof. In a further step, the controlled batch of coal material can be activated.
US07708212B1
A nozzle assembly that includes upper and lower washers and a cam. A particular implementation of a nozzle assembly includes a stem coupled with a cam assembly. The stem has a nozzle in a first end which is in fluid communication with a second end of the stem. An upper washer is slidably coupled with a washer race in the stem and may have an upper washer groove and a lower washer may be coupled with the second end of the stem and have a lower washer groove. A spring element may be disposed around the stem between the upper and lower washer grooves. Particular implementations of a cam assembly may include a lower cam half slidably coupled into an upper cam half. Other particular implementations may further include the lower cam half rotationally and, in some implementations, removably indexed in relation to the upper cam half.
US07708203B2
A method of generating an association between an object and a sticker on a surface, the sticker having disposed therein or thereon coded data at least partially indicative of a sticker identity, the method including, in a computer system: receiving indicating data from a sensing device, the indicating data being at least partially indicative of the identity of the sticker, the sensing device being responsive to sensing at least some of the coded data to generate the indicating data; identifying, using the indicating data, the identity of the sticker on the surface; and, generating an association based at least partially on the sticker identity and an object.
US07708196B2
A method of providing business information data to a user, including allowing the user unlimited access to interactive, customizable modular applications through a single platform. The applications interface with a database to provide real-time business information data to the user, the business information data relating to an entity and being based on a unique corporate identification number associated with the entity.
US07708192B2
A bill depositing/withdrawing apparatus having a cash slot for charging/discharging a bill or bills, comprises: a bill storage section provided inwardly of the cash slot in the apparatus to store a bill or bills, and posture changing means that changes the bill storage section to a money depositing/withdrawing posture, in which a bill or bills are received from and paid to a user through the cash slot, and to a feeding/stacking posture, in which a bill or bills are fed into the apparatus and stacked in the bill storage section, and wherein a bill or bills stored in the bill storage section are caused to project toward a user when the money depositing/withdrawing posture is assumed.
US07708190B2
A payment card transaction notification and authorization system provides a notification message to a payment card holder of an attempted transaction using his/her payment card. The system provides multiple options for the payment card holder to decline authorization of the attempted transaction. The multiple options comprise a first option for the payment card holder to decline authorization of an undesirable but non-fraudulent transaction, and a second option for the payment card holder to decline authorization of a fraudulent transaction.
US07708178B2
A tool (12) has a body (14) having an opening (16) forming a barrel (18) which has a top and a bottom (20 and 22), an opening (30) at the bottom (22), and a pressure input (44) for fluid communication. The barrel (18) receives a piston (24) and a magnet (23) which is contiguous with the pressure input (44). An actuator pin tube (26) is received in the opening (30) at the bottom (22) of the barrel (18), and an actuator pin (38) is engaged in the tube (26). A second opening (28) may be disposed in the top (20). A kit (110) containing the tool (12), hose (94), cartridges (84) and a pump (P). A method for using the tool (12) is also contemplated hereby. Multiple tools (12) may be detonated at the same time by hooking them up to a manifold (95 or 95′).
US07708171B2
The invention is a pressurized gas providing and gas pressure regulating device. The invention is a container with an over pressurized second chamber of pressurized gas that can be released to the exterior of the container when a valve that is integrally connected to a piston that along with a first cylinder forms a first chamber that is filled with a comparably less over pressurized gas that pushes the valve open when the gas pressure outside of the container is too low, thereby permitting the over pressurized second chamber to fluidly connect via the valve and thereby increase the pressure outside the container, such as to a volume of gas located below a piston within a fluid dispenser, the first and second chambers are shaped as cylinders and the first cylinder fits within the second chamber.
US07708165B2
A vent for a liquid dispenser includes a vent flange comprising a flange body. The vent body includes a vent wall on which the membrane is applied. The vent wall extends parallel to the geometric axis of the device so as to have a sufficiently large area available for applying the transpiratory membrane and at the same time to limit the space occupied radially by the flange.
US07708158B2
A calf bottle is characterized by an improved neck design which prevents deposits and microbes from collecting therein. The bottle is in the form of a hollow container having top, side and bottom walls which define a chamber for receiving formula for feeding calves. The top wall includes a neck portion having a central opening and an annular lip surrounding the opening for receiving a removable nipple. The inner wall of the neck portion has a cylindrical configuration of constant diameter.
US07708142B2
A package is proposed, comprising a sleeve (2) of essentially parallelepipedal shape, and an insert ((3) which can be inserted into and withdrawn from the sleeve (2) in a sliding direction (S) through an opening (4) in the sleeve (2), the sleeve (2) comprising four longitudinal walls (2a, 2c) which are essentially parallel to the sliding direction (S). The package is characterized in that the sleeve is provided with a first stop tab (7) which extends from a first (2c) to a second (2a) of the longitudinal walls, the tab being at least partly separated from the first longitudinal wall (2c) and the second longitudinal wall (2a) in that the insert has a first locking edge (9a), the insert being prevented, upon contact of the first locking edge with the first stop tab (7a), from moving out of the sleeve, and in that the first locking edge (9a) can, by elastic deformation of a part of the insert (3) by means of maneuvering by a user, be moved so that its movement past the first stop tab (7a) is made possible.
US07708133B2
An apparatus in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention includes a driven roller and a idler roller each coupled with a flexible member. A pressure roller is also included and can be forced against the driven roller to tension the flexible member.
US07708128B2
The invention relates to a value document, such as a banknote (1), which includes one or more window zones (2A, 2B) with one for example optically active element each which rotates a polarization plane P0 of polarized light LA, LB, penetrating the window zone by a defined angle. If such value documents are stacked and polarized light penetrates the superimposed window zones, the number of stacked value documents can be determined by way of the overall rotation of the polarization plane PA, PB. The overall nominal value of a stack of banknotes can thus be determined. The window zones can have category-specific rotational characteristics for different categories or nominal values and/or can be disposed in category-specific positions in the valuable document.
US07708118B2
Method for the condition monitoring of the safety switches of the safety circuit of an elevator. Inferences can be made about the condition of a safety switch by measuring and examining the current of the safety circuit of the elevator after the state of the safety circuit has changed. The current signal is filtered, after which the amount of interference caused by contact malfunctions of the switch is determined from it. Based on the amount of interference it is possible to determine in what condition the switch is.
US07708117B2
The platform of a stairlift is moved along a rail in a stairwell. During the movement, the platform is automatically rotated relative to the rail about a vertical shaft, at angles depending on a position of the platform along the rail. The stairway contains, for instance, a virtually straight part and a bend, wherein the platform is rotated, at positions in the bend, at an orientation or orientations which make a smaller angle with a part of the rail going downstairs than an orientation of the platform in the straight part. In a stairwell with a wider part and a narrower part, wherein the stairwell is insufficiently wide to let the platform rotate through, at a position preceding the entering of the narrower part, the platform is rotated at an angle from which the platform can be rotated to a position for getting on and off in the narrower part without obstruction from walls of the stairwell.
US07708115B2
A muffler for an internal combustion engine having a housing with an inlet end with an inlet opening formed for a flow of exhaust gases into the housing and an outlet end with an outlet opening formed for a discharge of exhaust gases from the housing; at least a first chamber, a intermediate and a last chamber sequentially arranged within the housing, the intermediate chamber containing a deflection element; a pipe passing longitudinally through the first chamber so as to open at its downstream end into the intermediate chamber, thereby directing the exhaust gases toward the deflection element; and a perforated pipe extending through the last chamber, the perforated pipe having an upstream opening into the intermediate chamber and configured to channel the exhaust gas to the outlet opening. A sound-attenuating material is deployed in at least one of the first chamber, the intermediate chamber and the last chamber.
US07708114B2
The present invention relates to an improvement muffler that includes an improved inlet configuration having first and second sequential chambers with a perforated central pipe passing longitudinally through a central region of both chambers for directing the exhaust gases into the third chamber in which the deflection element is deployed. Additionally, the partition separating the first and second chamber has a hole that enables some of the gas to pass from the first chamber into the second chamber not through the central pipe.
US07708113B1
A rotatable sound attenuation device is provided comprising a central portion rotatable about a first axis, a radial portion extending outwardly from the central portion and a chamber having a closed first end and a second end opening radially outwardly of the radial portion and defining a second axis therein having a radial component thereto. A piston is disposed within the chamber and is moveable to a location along the second axis in response to a centrifugal force imparted on the piston by rotation of the central portion and the radial portion about the first axis. A biasing member operates to limit movement of the piston along the second axis. A quarter wave chamber is defined by the second, open end of the chamber and the piston and has a sound attenuating length defined by the location of the piston along the second axis of the chamber.
US07708110B2
A hearing protection device and method for a human ear. A plug member caps or enters ear canal, and may be shaped to conform to the external auditory meatus. The device is biased at least in part by a pressure pad to provide some force against the plug member. An optional handle may be provided to assist with temporarily pulling the plug member away from the ear canal or providing adjustment. An optional bow member clips about the pinna. The device may be adapted for use as an ear phone.
US07708099B2
A motorcycle that secures engine cooling efficiency while reducing exposure of a radiator. A reserve tank disposed below the seat and inward of an exhaust pipe in the vehicle width direction exchanges cooling water with the radiator. A first heat blocking cover is disposed between the exhaust pipe and the reserve tank. The first heat blocking cover has an access hole formed therein. A second heat blocking cover covers the access hole of the first heat blocking cover.
US07708098B2
A brake support structure for effectively utilizes a space is disposed so as to be hardly visible in appearance. In addition, the brake support structure protects the pipes. A brake support structure includes a vehicle frame having rear frames extending from main frames with a swing arm having a front end pivotally supported on the rear frames and a rear end for rotatably supporting a rear wheel. Brake pipes are connected to a brake caliper for braking the rear wheel. An upper cross member interconnects the rear frames and is disposed near the swing arm. The brake pipes extend between the upper cross member and the swing arm.
US07708095B2
A control apparatus and method for a hybrid vehicle having a first engagement element between an engine and a motor-generator and a second engagement element between the motor-generator and a drive wheel. During EV drive mode, the first engagement element disengages and the second engagement element engages to drive the vehicle using the motor-generator. During HEV drive mode, the first and second engagement elements engage to drive the vehicle using both power sources. During a third drive mode, the first engagement element engages and the second engagement element slip-engages to drive the vehicle by both power sources. When a detected temperature of the second engagement element is too high during low-speed driving, the EV drive mode is selected to enhance durability of the second engagement element.
US07708091B2
Steering control apparatuses and methods for a vehicle are provided. A steering control apparatus can include a steering shaft drivingly linked to a pair of front wheels of a vehicle. A movable steering handle can also be provided and disposed about the steering shaft, with the steering handle being capable of selectively turning the pair of front wheels to direct the movement of the vehicle. A first and second brake clutch mechanism for engaging and disengaging first and second drive wheels, respectively, can be provided. First and second brake clutch control levers can selectively control the first and second brake clutch mechanism, respectively, to engage and disengage the first and second drive wheels. The steering handle can include a coupling base. The coupling base can engage the steering shaft to permit decoupling of the steering handle from the steering shaft allowing the steering shaft and the linked pair of front wheels to turn free of the steering handle while the steering handle is still disposed about the steering shaft.
US07708090B2
An elastomeric seal ring is located between each bearing pin and each cone of an earth-boring bit. An excluder ring or band is imbedded within the inner diameter of the seal ring. A portion of the inner diameter of the seal ring as well as the excluder ring are in dynamic sealing contact with the bearing pin. The excluder ring may be harder and more wear resistant than the seal ring. The excluder ring may have lubricating properties. An outer excluder ring may be located on the outer diameter of the seal ring for engaging the cone to resist rotation.
US07708085B2
A power tool includes an optical speed control switch for controlling the variable speed of an electrical motor in the tool. The tool includes a moveable member having a reflective surface and the moveable member traversing a distance between a stop position and a full speed position, a biasing member operatively coupled to the moveable member to bias the moveable member toward the stop position, an optical signal generator for generating an optical signal, the optical signal generator being oriented so that the optical signal is directed toward the reflective surface of the moveable member, and a speed control signal generator for generating a speed control signal that corresponds to a reflection of the generated optical signal reflected by the reflective surface of the moveable member.
US07708083B2
A hand power tool has a percussion mechanism; a drive motor that drives the percussion mechanism; a conversion element for converting a movement of the drive motor into an axial movement; and an operating unit that adjusts a rotary movement of the conversion element within a percussion period depending on at least one optimization criterium.
US07708069B2
A method of mitigating proppant settling in a hydraulic fracture in order to better suspend the proppant as well as ensure a more uniform pack, by mixing a pre-determined volume percent of low density additive, such as glass beads or other suitable material, such as polylactic acid particles, into the fracturing slurry along with the standard high-density proppant, it is anticipated that density gradients can be induced inside the fracture. Upward movement of low density additive due to them having density lower than the carrier fluid will interfere with downward movement of high-density proppant and vice versa. This mutual interference between the two proppants confined in the narrow fracture will significantly hinder the settling/segregation of the high-density proppant. The low density material has a specific gravity of about 0.3, particle size distribution similar to that of standard proppant, and sufficient mechanical strength to survive fracture closure stress.
US07708067B2
An apparatus for use in a wellbore is disclosed that in one aspect includes a drilling assembly configured for use in drilling the wellbore, a liner disposed outside a portion of the drilling assembly that includes a feature at a selected location of the liner, and a liner orientation sensor for providing signals representative of the displacement or movement of the feature relative to the drilling assembly.
US07708059B2
A subsea rotary gas separator system has a separator located adjacent the discharge of the pump for separating gas from the high pressure liquid stream exiting the pump. Some of the high pressure liquid is recycled back to the inlet of the pump to maintain a liquid-rich inlet stream for the pump.
US07708044B2
A molding apparatus of a wet friction material has a pair of guide posts vertically extending on a molding apparatus main body. The pair of the guide posts passes through fifteen stages (sixteen pieces) of molding dies. A pair of pantograph-type open-close mechanisms is attached to opposite side surfaces of the molding dies. Thus, the molding dies are piled up on each other so as to come near to each other (mold clamping) and move apart from each other (mold opening). With the pantograph-type open-close link mechanism, all the molding dies are opened and closed at the same time. If the molding dies are slid at a speed of 200 mm/sec, it takes only 3.75 seconds (50 mm*15/200 mm=3.75 sec). It takes a double of that time or 7.5 seconds, that is a half of the time of a related art.
US07708039B2
An apparatus for chipping material, particularly wood, includes a plurality of knife carriers are arranged around a mutual axis that form the boundaries of a cutting chamber while forming a comminution path. On the knife carriers, the slicing knives, under inclusion of a cutting angle δ, are detachably attached to the comminution path. The blades of the slicing knives uniformly project into the cutting chamber. To adjust the cutting angle δ so as to adapt it to the prevailing conditions, a control element for determining the cutting angle δ is detachably arranged between the slicing knives and the knife carriers.
US07708038B1
A cutterhead for a peripheral milling machine including a cutterhead body including a generally cylindrical portion and a plurality of circumferential, spaced and offset blade unit mounting cavities extending into the cutterhead body from the periphery of the cylindrical portion for receiving a blade unit. The cutterhead further includes a plurality of blade units each having at least one cutting edge and means for removably securing each of the removable blade units in the corresponding blade unit mounting cavity. The cutting edge of each of the blade units is disposed to align with the cutting edge of each of the other blade units in adjacent mounting cavities to form a substantially helical, stepped blade row when the blade units are secured to the cutterhead body.
US07708037B2
A tree pusher for safely felling a tree. The tree pusher includes (a) a base; (b) a frame mounted on the base; (c) a mechanism for pushing the frame against the tree to fell the tree; and (d) a mechanism for connecting the base of the tree pusher to the tree, so that the base will not move while the tree is being pushed over to fell the tree. The frame includes a detachable pronged head which engages the trunk of the tree, and which disengages itself from the frame of the tree pusher and remains with the trunk of the tree as the tree falls. The frame includes a series of tubes connected end-to-end by locking pins, making it very easy to assemble and disassemble the tree pusher. If a tree has accidentally fallen against a house, a building, or an electrical power line, two tree pushers are positioned on opposite sides of the fallen tree and used to lift the fallen tree.
US07708036B2
An obturating assembly includes a body having an aperture for passage to the pipe of a fuel supply spout of predetermined outer diameter and an obturator that is moveable with respect to the body. In accordance with the invention, the head further includes an access assembly having a shell through which the spout must pass before reaching the obturator, the shell having a plurality of flexible tabs generally forming an assembly of funnel shape of which the minor diameter is less than the outer diameter of the spout and of which the major diameter is greater than the outer diameter of the spout.
US07708029B2
A coupling member is provided that comprises a valve movable between a closed position and an opening position. The valve is provided with a seal ring fixed in an annular groove formed in the valve and urged against a valve seat in the closed position. The groove has a forward annular groove portion and a rear annular groove portion shallower than the forward annular groove portion. The seal ring has forward and rear annular seal portions fitted in the forward and rear annular groove portions, respectively. The rear ring portion has substantially the same diameter as the forward seal portion.
US07708014B2
An inhalation device for transpulmonary administration comprises: a chamber (16) for containing a pharmaceutical composition which is pulverized into fine particles by an air-generated impact for dispersal in air; an air inlet flow path (2) for introducing to the chamber (16) outside air to apply the air-generated impact to the pharmaceutical composition and for injecting the outside air toward the pharmaceutical composition; an inhalation flow path (1) for inhaling the pulverized pharmaceutical composition; a housing (9) for accommodating the chamber (16), the air inlet flow path (2), and the inhalation flow path (1); a mouthpiece (10) provided at one end of the housing (9), the mouthpiece (9) being provided with a mouth-side flow path (11) which communicates with the inhalation flow path (1), and an auxiliary flow path (12).
US07708013B2
An apparatus for delivering water vapor to a gas is formed from a plurality of hollow fiber membranes each defining a passage for the flow of gas from an upstream end of the passage and enclosed by an enclosure. The hollow fiber membranes have a combined surface area in the range of about 90 square centimeters to about 110 square centimeters. The enclosure contains an air inlet positioned to direct air to the upstream end of each of the passages of the hollow fiber membranes and an air outlet positioned to direct air from the downstream end of each of the passages of the hollow fiber membranes. The enclosure preferably has a water inlet positioned to direct water toward the outer surfaces of the hollow fiber membranes and a water outlet positioned to direct water from the enclosure.
US07708010B2
Solar heating systems are provided which utilize an integrated fixture for transferring heat from a solar collector to a lower-temperature loop, e.g. a domestic hot water system or radiant heating system. The fixture provides a heat exchanger for transferring heat from the solar collector to the lower temperature loop. The fixture may also include a casting, in which are formed solar collector supply and return ports, lower temperature supply and return ports, a solar collector pump volute, and a lower temperature pump volute. The systems also include two pumps, and a temperature optimization control that varies the speed of at least one of the pumps depending on the temperature of the liquid in the solar collector.
US07708005B2
An apparatus for splitting masonry material which includes a frame and table vertically moveable in the frame, the table also having an attached lower blade, for supporting masonry material thereon to be split. An upper blade is positioned in the frame over the table in alignment with the lower blade. A hydraulic jack with an extendable ram is also supported in the frame below the table and is actuated by an actuating lever to thereby raise the table and lower blade combination to engage masonry material supported thereon between the upper and lower blades for splitting. A mechanism for quickly raising the table with its attached lower blade and the ram of the hydraulic jack for initial fast engagement of the upper and lower blades with the masonry material to be split is provided upon initial actuation of the actuating lever.
US07708004B2
An archery bow with a rotatable hand grip is disclosed. The archery bow includes a riser, an upper limb, a lower limb, compound cams, and a bowstring supported on the cams. The riser includes a hand grip section manufactured integrally therewith. The hand grip section includes an elongated, rigid shaft having a hand grip rotatably mounted thereto.
US07708002B2
An air pressure gun to shoot a projectile, such as a golf ball, long distances using pressurized air. A flapper makes an airtight seal with an air duct to prevent air from leaking out of an air chamber. When a triggering mechanism releases the flapper, pressurized air from the air chamber can then swing the flapper open, thereby shooting the golf ball out of a barrel.
US07708001B2
A bow having an increased powerstroke allowing for reduced draw weight and increased speed. The bow is provided with a riser and a pair of limbs. A pulley is coupled to one limb and a cam is coupled to the other at a first journal point and second journal point respectively. The powerstroke is increased by locating the bowstring on the pulley and cam between the riser and the journal points.
US07707991B2
An intake control device of an internal combustion engine in which an intake path of each cylinder is partitioned into an upper and a lower path and a tumble control valve and an intake pressure control valve are provided to open/close the upper path and lower path respectively. In a given driving condition, the intake air flow velocity in the lower path is increased by closing the tumble control valve, thereby generating a tumble flow in the combustion chamber. In this process, the intake pressure control valve is opened around start of an intake stroke and closed around its end to make intake pressure downstream of the intake pressure control valve higher than upstream of it to increase the difference between upstream and downstream intake pressures in the intake stroke. This increases the intake air flow velocity in the lower path and intensifies the tumble flow in the combustion chamber.
US07707989B2
In an engine combustion chamber, a first intake port (19) formed from a straight port has a throat portion (43) formed in a linear shape and opening in a tangential direction of the inner periphery of a cylinder (11a), thus generating a first swirl (S1), and a second intake port (20) formed from a helical port has a throat portion (44) formed in a helical shape, thus generating a second swirl (S2) inside the first swirl (S1) in the same direction as that of the first swirl (S1). In this way, even with the first and second intake ports (19, 20) hardly curved overall, it is possible to efficiently generate first and second swirls (S1, S2) that do not interfere with each other, and it becomes possible to reduce the cost of machining the cylinder head, make the cylinder head compact, and simplify the structure of the cylinder head.
US07707977B2
A method for operating a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine includes varying the opening or closing of engine valves including intake or exhaust valves, in fluid communication with each of the cylinders of the engine. The method further includes generating a signal indicative of engine valve status in response to monitoring an acceleration parameter of the engine. An engine includes a computer configured to determine a performance status of intake or exhaust valves of the engine responsive to monitoring an engine acceleration parameter such as crankshaft acceleration. The computer is configured via fault detection and cylinder trimming routines to adjust valve performance based on a nominal crankshaft acceleration for the engine.
US07707964B2
An apparatus and method for manufacturing a pharmaceutical dose which dispenses a variable selectable quantity of at least one pharmaceutical onto a pharmaceutical receiving medium. The quantity of the dispensed pharmaceutical(s) are controllably dispensed to customize each pharmaceutical dose to suit the needs of a particular user. The apparatus is coupled by an external telecommunication network to a remote signal source for receiving pharmaceutical quantity and type data for custom manufacturing a pharmaceutical dose. In one aspect, a replaceable cartridge contains a reservoir carrying at least one pharmaceutical component and a fluid drop generator which is mountable in the fluid dispenser. The reservoir may contain a number of separate compartments, each carrying different pharmaceutical component.
US07707961B2
A fully temperature controlled apparatus comprising a thermoplastic stage assembly having solids processing components and a finishing stage assembly having liquid processing components and liquid applicator components or finishing assembly.
US07707958B2
A propulsion system is provided for an underwater vehicle such as a Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV). Two propellers are independently driven by motors, while the orientation of the propellers is simultaneously controlled by a third motor. A means is provided for reprogramming the control electronics that can be disabled when the vehicle is underwater. The control electronics also provides that all signals including video are transmitted to a base station without requiring coaxial cable.
US07707957B1
A supporting arrangement for a vessel for counteracting compressive loads at an operating temperature. The supporting arrangement also provides inertial stiffening of the hull of the vessel as well as acoustic and vibration damping. The supporting arrangement includes a support structure that is made from a shape memory alloy that contacts and presses against the inner walls of the vessel. The supporting arrangement utilizes the shape recovery properties and/or the internal energy properties of the shape memory alloy support structure to provide reinforcing and damping forces.
US07707954B2
A floatable dry dock includes a lifting cradle having two spaced arms pivotally mounted on a buoyant base and, one or more flotation tanks interconnecting the arms. A platform is mounted on the arms and a platform support is operable to ensure that the platform remains horizontal when the arms pivot about their pivotal attachment to the base.
US07707950B2
Security system having a container, which encloses a strongbox area for receiving valuables. A device for carrying the container, a protection system for protecting the valuables located in the strongbox area, and an access opening are provided. At least one protection module is provided in the strongbox area, the protection module being designed for the purpose of neutralizing the valuables located in the strongbox area. The device for carrying is implemented as a separate module, which comprises a handle area, a mechanical interface for the mechanical connection to the container, a security circuit for securing the security system, and a security interface for establishing a communication link between the security circuit and the protection module.
US07707944B2
A method and apparatus for spreading ballast along railways makes use of an inertial measurement system to determine where to apply ballast from a hopper car. A variety of techniques can be used to determine the location and speed of the ballast spreading train, including manual or automated visual techniques, laser technology, radar technology, radio frequency transponders, magnetic sensor, thermal imaging and aerial photogrammetry. The invention also contemplates “on the fly” surveys and terrain profiling using lasers or radar.
US07707943B2
A rail unloading vehicle is self-propelled and able to travel either over-the-road on conventional roadway tires or along railway tracks on railway wheels. Threading mechanisms for unloading the rails are arranged to retract so they provide a narrow profile for transport over the road. The threading mechanisms have thread boxes with jaws that open to accommodate easy reception of rails, and close to apply rollers to the rails for unloading operations. A special rail clamp has a pair of oppositely pivoting dogs to allow rail manipulation in opposite directions without slippage. A special saw allows safe on-site cutting of rails.
US07707936B2
A printing unit of a printing press includes at least two frame parts whose distance from each other can be varied. Each of these frame parts include two laterally spaced frame plates. The two frame plates in each of the frame parts accommodate at least one cylinder or roller which extends between them. The two lateral frame plates in each frame part are spaced from each other in an axial direction of the supported cylinder or roller. Adjacent ones of the frame parts are connectable to each other by abutting of their respective lateral frame plates. At least three locking and/or centering devices are used to align and to lock together the lateral frame plates of adjacent ones of the frame parts.
US07707933B2
A golf ball stamper which securely holds a golf ball while the golf ball is stamped. The golf ball stamper comprises a handle, a stamping element coupled to the handle, and a golf ball receptacle sized to hold a golf ball. When the handle is pushed, the stamping element applies a stamp to the golf ball. The golf ball receptacle stabilizes and holds the golf ball while it is stamped to ensure a legible stamp is applied.
US07707932B1
An improved mechanism for controlling the orientation of a plunger in a bale chamber of a small square baler that positions the lower plunger tail guide further from the working surface of the plunger than the upper plunger tail guide in order to better resist the rocking forces of the plunger in the bale chamber thereby improving the capability of the plunger guides to maintain proper plunger knife clearances and improving the durability of the bearing materials in the plunger guides.
US07707927B2
A beverage machine having a height-adjustment device that includes a movable support plate for adjusting the position of the recipient relative to at least one beverage outlet. The support plate is movable relative to the at least one beverage outlet. The machine also includes a displacement mechanism for displacing the support plate relative to the outlet. The displacement mechanism includes a motorized driver for driving the displacement mechanism, a controller for controlling the actuation of the driver and which is configured to set a predetermined distance between the outlet and the recipient. A drip-collecting device can also be selectively provided to collect liquid falling from the beverage outlet when the recipient is not present.
US07707926B2
A pressure differential-driven engine comprises an outer pressurizable enclosure and an actuator enclosure, disposed within the outer enclosure. An actuator is disposed within the actuator enclosure and a portion of the actuator and the actuator enclosure cooperatively define a pressurizable cavity cyclable between a first, high pressure state, and a second, low pressure state. The actuator and actuator enclosure are collectively restrained by at least one rail to linear, slidable motion within the outer enclosure. The engine is operable to output usable energy as the pressurizable cavity cycles between the first and second pressure states.
US07707925B2
A pumping system comprising a pump (21) for conveying a pumped fluid using an actuating fluid. The pump comprising a rigid outer casing (25) defining an interior space (26), a tube structure (27) accommodated in the interior space (26), the tube structure (27) being flexible and substantially inelastic. The interior of the tube structure (27) defines a pumping chamber (28) for receiving pumped fluid. The tube structure (27) is movable between laterally expanded and collapsed conditions for varying the volume of the pumping chamber (28) thereby to provide discharge and intake strokes. The region of the interior space (26) surrounding the tube structure (27) defines an actuating region for receiving and accommodating actuating fluid. The pumping chamber (28) is adapted to receive pumped fluid to cause the tube structure (27) to move towards the expanded condition and the pumping chamber (28) thereby undergoing an intake stroke. The pumping chamber (28) undergoes a discharge stroke upon collapsing of the tube structure (27) in response to the action of actuating fluid in the actuating region. The pumping system also comprises a delivery means (50) for delivering pumped fluid to the pumping chamber (28) in timed sequence for causing the pumping chamber (28) to undergo an intake stroke, and means (70) for supplying actuating fluid to the actuating region in timed sequence to cause the tube structure (27) to laterally collapse whereby the pumping chamber (28) undergoes a discharge stroke.
US07707924B2
A groove is provided to the rear of an inner wall of a cylinder. A locking ram capable of freely sliding in a radial direction and a cam rod having a profile changing with a transition from the rear to the front from a small diameter part to a large diameter part that are provided relative to a piston. The inner end of the locking ram makes contact with the profile, and the cam rod is urged to the rear by the spring, so that the cam rod can be pushed to the front by a push rod. The piston can therefore be locked with a simple structure, and it is possible to provide a linear actuator where locking can be released with a straightforward operation even when a pressurized oil source fails.
US07707923B2
A smooth-bore barrel semi-automatic shotgun include a frame comprising a breech. A barrel is slidingly mounted on the frame relative to the breech. A slide-bolt assembly, which slides relative to the breech, is adapted to close the barrel. A friction spring opposes the barrel's sliding movement relative to the frame.
US07707920B2
Improved table saws and table saws designed to implement safety systems that detect contact between a person and a dangerous portion of the saw are disclosed. The table saws may include an elevation mechanism, a tilt mechanism, and an adjustment system configured to adjust the parallelism between a tilt axis and a blade. The elevation mechanism may include a vertical slide that includes two shafts, and the adjustment system may include a mechanism to adjust the parallelism of the two shafts.
US07707917B2
A web is fed into a sheet severer prior to its entry into a subsequent processing stage. The sheets, which have been severed from the web are then cut into required product sections in a cross-cutter which is associated with this subsequent processing stage. In order to achieve an accurately registered severing process, using the sheet severer, it is triggered by a signal which represents the phase position of the cross-cutter. The sheet severer is thus phase-correlated in relation to the phase position of the cross-cutter.
US07707909B2
A device drives auxiliary machines by using power extracted from a multi-shaft gas turbine engine. The gas turbine engine may include a LP shaft and a HP shaft. The machines may be installed in a gearbox. The device may include a first mechanical transmission between the HP shaft and the gearbox. The device also may include a hydraulic transmission between the LP shaft and the gearbox. Further, the LP shaft connects a low pressure turbine to a low pressure compressor, the HP shaft connects a high pressure turbine to a high pressure compressor, and the low pressure compressor is upstream of the high pressure compressor.
US07707904B2
A shift range switching device is provided to a shift-by-wire system for an automatic transmission device. The shift range switching device includes a range switching unit for switching a shift range of the automatic transmission device between a P range and the other range. The shift range switching device further includes an actuator including an electric motor and a reduction device. The reduction device transmits driving force of the electric motor to the range switching unit for actuating the range switching unit as instructed. The reduction device has a variable reduction ratio. The reduction device transmits the driving force in switching of the shift range from the P range to the other range at a reduction ratio, which is greater than a reduction ratio in switching of the shift range from the other range to the P range.
US07707900B2
A magnetic shield made of magnetic material in the shape of a thin cylinder is externally fitted and fixed on a cylindrical mold member holding magnetic flux collecting rings so that it has extended sections with appropriate length on both sides in the axial direction, and therefore magnetic noise from outside in the radial direction is shielded directly by the outer surface of the magnetic shield, magnetic noise from both sides in the axial direction is shielded by concentrating the magnetic noise on the end faces of the magnetic shield, and the influence on the magnetic flux collecting rings held in the mold member is eliminated.
US07707888B2
A vibration sensor for detecting a vibration of a vibrating object includes a plurality of detecting members. Each of the detecting members includes a vibrating portion disposed to be separated from the vibrating object, a transmitting portion for transmitting the vibration from the vibrating object to the vibrating portion, and a detecting portion disposed on a vibrating face of the vibration portion. The detecting portion outputs an electrical signal corresponding to a resonance of the vibrating portion. At least two of the vibrating portions of the detecting members have resonance frequencies, which are different from each other.
US07707885B2
The invention concerns gyrometric measurement compensated as a function of the instantaneous internal temperature of a mechanical resonator in a gyrometric measurement device comprising a loop controlling the amplitude of the resonator vibration and a gyrometric loop delivering a gyrometric signal (S); the gain control (P) of the loop varies as a monotonous function, preferably increasing and of the first order, of the internal temperature of the resonator in a given range of temperature; during a calibrating step, a correspondence is established and stored between the values of the gyrometric scaling factor (Fe) and the gyrometric bias (S0) and the values of the gain control signal (F), that is F(P) and Q(P) respectively; in operation, the following operations are carried out: P→F(P), P→Q(P), and Ω′est=F(P)·S+Q(P) which is a more precise analog estimate, compensated as a function of the internal temperature of the resonator, of the mechanical rotation of the sensitive axis of the resonator.
US07707884B2
The present invention provides an apparatus and method for measuring the absorption and displacement of a fluid by a material. The apparatus comprises a container having graduated marks for measuring the volume, and change in volume, of a fluid (such as, but not limited to, a liquid) and a section for holding the material to be evaluated.
US07707875B2
The invention provides a soot collection quantity measuring device for a diesel particulate filter. The soot collection quantity measuring device for a diesel particulate filter includes: an anion charging unit that is provided in an exhaust pipe in front of a diesel particulate filter and has a plurality of conductor flat plates in parallel with one another, and a capacitor that is provided at the back of the anion charging unit and has upper and lower electrode plates connected to a direct-current high-voltage power supply. The soot particulates pass through the anion charging unit which is negatively charged, and the charged soot particulates are collected in the upper electrode plate by an electric field between the upper and lower electrode plate.
US07707874B2
A misfire determination device for a multi-cylinder internal combustion engine, of which an output shaft is connected, through a torsion element, to a downstream shaft downstream of the torsion element, includes: an first portion for detecting an output shaft rotational speed that is the rotational speed of the output shaft; a second portion for detecting a downstream shaft rotational speed that is the rotational speed of the downstream shaft; a third portion that calculates a component caused by an influence of resonance due to torsion of the torsion element on the output shaft rotational speed, based on the acquired output shaft rotational speed and the acquired downstream shaft rotational speed; and a fourth portion for determining the occurrence of the misfire in the internal combustion engine based on a rotational speed that is obtained by subtracting the calculated component from the detected output shaft rotational speed.
US07707868B2
A method for determining the operability of at least one pressure sensor of an internal combustion engine of a motor vehicle, in which the ambient pressure is first determined by the pressure sensor, and the ambient pressure determined by the pressure sensor is then compared to the ambient pressure determined by a reference pressure sensor not belonging to the internal combustion engine.
US07707866B2
A die separator cylinder for use in separating first and second portions of a metal forming die set comprises a housing including a bore. A piston is adapted to reciprocate in the bore between an extended position and a depressed position. The die separator cylinder further includes gas flow paths leading to and from the bore that define asymmetrical gas flow rates relative to each other so that said when the bore is charged with an inert gas, the inert gas biases the piston to the extended position with a force that varies depending upon a time interval elapsed since the piston moved from the depressed position to the extended position. As such, the cylinder is configured so that during opening and closing of the press for metal-forming operations, the piston moves inward and outward with reduced force, while during periods of inactivity, the piston is biased outward with maximum force sufficient to separate the die halves of the die set to protect the die surfaces and to facilitate stacking of the die set for storage. The die separator cylinder can be configured as a stand-alone self-contained cylinder or can be configured as part of a hosed system or the like.
US07707865B2
A flaw detection apparatus and flaw detection method for automatically detecting the occurrence of a flaw in a mother tube manufactured by rolling a hollow shell using a mandrel mill are provided. A flaw detection apparatus (100) according to the present invention includes a wall thickness gauge (1) which is installed on the exit side of a mandrel mill (M) and which measures the tube wall thickness in each of the reducing directions of a hollow shell (P) in the #1-#5 stands of the mandrel mill, rolling load measuring devices (2) which measure the rolling load in the #1-#5 stands, and a decision unit (3) which determines whether there are flaws in the mother tube based on the measured value of the tube wall thickness in each of the reducing directions of the hollow shell (P) and the measured value of the rolling load in each stand. The decision unit (3) determines that a flaw has occurred in the mother tube when the measured value of the tube wall thickness in any of the reducing direction in the #1-#5 stands locally varies by at least a predetermined amount and the measured value of the rolling load in any of the #1-#5 stands locally varies by at least a predetermined amount.
US07707858B2
A washing machine is provided. The washing machine includes a detergent box, a housing, and a filter. The detergent box is installed on one side of a main machine and connected to a flowing path of an exhaust duct through which air is exhausted. The housing is detachably installed in the detergent box. The filter is installed in the housing to collect lint while the exhaust air passes through the filter.
US07707855B2
A known method for producing synthetic quartz glass with a predetermined hydroxyl group content comprises the following steps: a porous SiO2 soot body is produced by flame hydrolysis or oxidation of a silicon-containing start compound and by layerwise deposition of SiO2 particles on a rotating support; the soot body is subjected to a dehydration treatment in a reaction gas-containing drying atmosphere at a drying temperature for removing hydroxyl groups; and the SiO2 soot body is vitrified into a body consisting of the synthetic quartz glass. Starting from this, and in order to permit a reproducible and reliable manufacture of synthetic, UV-radiation resistant quartz glass with predetermined hydroxyl group content and low chlorine content, it is suggested according to the invention that the dehydration treatment according to method step (b) comprises a drying phase during which ozone is used as the reaction gas, whereby the ozone content of the drying atmosphere is between 0.5% by vol. and 10% by vol. and the drying temperature is chosen in the range between 1200° C. and 1400° C., and whereby no halogens are supplied to the drying atmosphere.
US07707850B2
A liquid refrigerant drainage mechanism is described for use in a flooded evaporator to mitigate liquid carryover. The drainage mechanism can trap liquid refrigerant droplets, create a liquid column to overcome a pressure difference across the mechanism and drain liquid back to the pool in the evaporator. The drainage mechanism is disposed in a suction baffle, and has a mesh pad and a tapered pipe secured to the bottom of the baffle. The pipe has a drainage aperture at one end to allow the accumulated liquid refrigerant to return to the refrigerant pool below. The mesh pad helps to separate liquid droplets that coalesce and fall into the tapered pipe. By using this liquid drainage mechanism in conjunction with a suction baffle, liquid carryover can be reduced and chiller performance improved.
US07707836B1
A combustor for a gas turbine is provided having a nozzle assembly located at one end and a combustion chamber defining a second end of the combustor. A venturi is positioned within the combustor, between the nozzle and the combustion chamber. The venturi defines an internal passageway therein having a first side facing the nozzle and a second side facing the combustion chamber. Compressed air is directed into an inlet in fluid communication with the first and second sides of the internal passageway. The internal passageway directs the compressed air from the inlet in opposite directions within the first and second sides of the internal passageway for cooling the venturi.
US07707835B2
A combustor has a flow sleeve and a flow liner defining a generally axial flow direction of compressor discharge air toward combustor burners. A casing is secured to the forward end of the flow sleeve defining an annular plenum along the interior of the flow sleeve. Openings through the flow sleeve supply compressor discharge air into the plenum where the air changes direction for flow through apertures into and generally coaxially with the free air stream. The axial injection minimizes or eliminates energy losses due to cross flow injection within the axial air stream while continuing to cool the liner.
US07707832B2
A device for injecting a mixture of air and fuel into a combustion chamber of a turbomachine is disclosed. The injection device has symmetry of revolution about an axis and includes radial swirl inducers of outside diameter D2, a bowl spaced axially from the radial swirl inducers, and a support ring for supporting the injection device, which is arranged around the bowl. The bowl has a cylindrical wall extended by a flared wall, the flared wall being provided with air intake holes. The support ring includes a first cylindrical portion of outside diameter D3, connected to a second cylindrical portion of outside diameter D4 spaced axially from the first cylindrical portion, the first cylindrical portion being connected to the cylindrical wall of the bowl by a plurality of support tabs.
US07707831B2
A method for controlling boost pressure in an internal combustion engine is provided. The method includes a boost pressure control device, which is used to control the boost pressure in an internal combustion engine. The boost pressure control device includes a bypass unit, preferably in the exhaust gas flow of the internal combustion engine. The bypass unit includes an actuating device which enables the bypass unit when a predetermined actuating device setpoint value is reached. An adapted value is established as the correction value (pwgad) as a function of preset and/or detected internal combustion engine parameters (rlsol, nmot). The adapted value is used to adapt the setpoint value for the actuating device, which is specified as a function of the operating point, for a predetermined control deviation between a boost pressure actual value and a boost pressure setpoint value.
US07707827B2
An exhaust gas purifying apparatus for a diesel engine has a filter provided in an exhaust pipe of the engine for trapping diesel particulates contained in exhaust gas. The filter is re-generated when an accumulated amount of the diesel particulates exceeds a predetermined value. An electronic control unit estimates the accumulated amount of the diesel particulates from a pressure loss at the filter, based on an accumulation characteristic in which the pressure loss is related to the accumulated amount of the diesel particulates, and corrects the accumulation characteristic depending on flow velocity of the exhaust gas.
US07707825B2
A high-pressure metering pump for providing reductant in a single fluid engine exhaust dosing system having a solenoid for actuating a piston slidably received within an inner bore of a valve housing of the pump, the inner bore having a pressure chamber with an inlet check valve and an outlet check valve; and wherein movement of the piston causes high pressure reductant to be received at an atomizer of the system, the atomizer being disposed in a location to cause a maximum reduction of undesirable pollutant in the combustion gases of an engine.
US07707823B2
An exhaust purification device is provided to selectively perform a combustion purge control and an exhaust addition purge control in response to an operation state of the internal combustion engine. The combustion purge control process is performed in the case where a NOx occlusion amount of a NOx catalyst is larger than or equal to a first threshold value, and the exhaust addition purge control process is performed in the case where the NOx occlusion amount of the NOx catalyst is larger than or equal to a second threshold value which is larger than the first threshold value.
US07707822B2
An air-fuel ratio of each cylinder is estimated on the basis of a detection value of an air-fuel ratio sensor disposed in an exhaust confluent portion. An air-fuel ratio correction quantity is computed on the basis of the estimated air-fuel ratio of each cylinder. The air-fuel ratio of an air-fuel mixture to be supplied to each cylinder is corrected on the basis of the cylinder air-fuel ratio correction quantity to reduce a variation in the air-fuel ratio between the cylinders. When a state in which the cylinder air-fuel ratio correction quantity or its learning value of any cylinder is outside a specified range continues for a while during a period in which this cylinder air-fuel ratio control is performed, a combustion is stopped for the cylinder outside the specified range and the cylinder air-fuel ratio control is continuously performed only for other normal cylinders.
US07707821B1
A controlling method for adjusting concentrations of, for example, individual cylinder's exhaust gas constituents to provide engine functions such as catalytic converter diagnosis, increased overall catalytic converter efficiency and rapid catalyst heating, before and/or after initiating closed loop fuel injection control, using a selected temperature sensor location within a low thermal mass catalytic converter design.
US07707819B2
Hollow RX-08HD cylindrical charges were loaded with boron and PTFE, in the form of low-bulk density powders or powders dispersed in a rigid foam matrix. Each charge was initiated by a Comp B booster at one end, producing a detonation wave propagating down the length of the cylinder, crushing the foam or bulk powder and collapsing the void spaces. The PdV work done in crushing the material heated it to high temperatures, expelling it in a high velocity fluid jet. In the case of boron particles supported in foam, framing camera photos, temperature measurements, and aluminum witness plates suggest that the boron was completely vaporized by the crush wave and that the boron vapor turbulently mixed with and burned in the surrounding air. In the case of PTFE powder, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy of residues recovered from fragments of a granite target slab suggest that heating was sufficient to dissociate the PTFE to carbon vapor and molecular fluorine which reacted with the quartz and aluminum silicates in the granite to form aluminum oxide and mineral fluoride compounds.
US07707817B2
A fuel processor (10) comprises a supply of natural gas (12) and a compressor (14), which compresses the natural gas and supplies the natural gas to a partial oxidation reactor (16). A supply of oxygen (20) supplies the oxygen to the partial oxidation reactor (16). The partial oxidation reactor (16) partially reacts the natural gas and the oxygen to form a mixture comprising hydrogen and carbon dioxide. The partial oxidation reactor (16) supplies the mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide to a turbine (20). The turbine (20) is arranged to drive the compressor (14). The turbine (20) expands and cools the mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide and supplies the mixture of hydrogen and carbon dioxide to a fuel cell stack (22) requiring hydrogen and/or carbon dioxide.
US07707803B2
A method for producing a biodegradable bag and for packing a food, such as a snack food, which is required to have an oxygen barrier property and a water vapor barrier property. The biodegradable bag can be produced at a high speed by a bag making and packaging machine, which can be degraded by naturally occurring microorganisms in soil or water finally to a non-hazardous degradation product, which can be biorecycled, and which is not accumulated in nature. The biodegradable bag for packing a food comprises a laminated film obtainable by laminating in the following order: a sealant layer comprising a biodegradable polymer; a barrier layer having an oxygen barrier property and a water vapor barrier property; and a barrier layer-supporting substrate layer comprising a biodegradable polymer, the laminated film being heat-sealed in order for the sealant layer to be inside.
US07707795B2
An upright space-dividing wall panel having an inner rigid frame. The frame is of an open ring-shaped construction utilizing detachable corner gusset structures for rigidly joining the transverse frame rails together, thereby providing the frame with a high degree of flexibility with respect to assembly thereof.
US07707782B2
An assembly and method for facilitating the attachment of a metal alloy hood to the concrete shell of a spray absorber tower, and compensating for relative radial thermal expansion of the hood and the shell during start up, shut down, and operation of the spray absorber tower, while also providing accurate and effective distribution of shear forces circumferentially along a horizontal plane from the metal alloy hood to anchor rods partially embedded in the concrete shell of the spray absorber tower.
US07707781B2
A gutter cap forming tool is provided for use in a method of forming a gutter cap from a sheet stock blank. A roll forming operation is performed to form a reversely-turned arcuate bend in the gutter cap. The gutter cap assembly includes a gutter cap and a bracket that secures the gutter cap to a building and a gutter.
US07707780B2
A system for assembling a load-bearing support structure, and structure assembled with such a system. The system includes at least one supporting member, at least one connecting member, and at least one complementary member. Each supporting member includes an upper surface being provided with at least one section having at least one bulge protruding from the upper surface. Each connecting member is used for connecting a supporting member to at least one other member of the system. Each complementary member, typically a floor panel, is used for affixing onto a corresponding supporting member, and has at least one orifice being positioned, shaped and sized for inserting into a corresponding bulge of the corresponding supporting member so as form the load-bearing support structure. The system further includes at least one securing member cooperable between a given complementary member and a given supporting member for securing the complementary member onto the supporting member.
US07707779B2
A frame assembly for a window including a sash that slides vertically within a master frame. The master frame is substantially of unitary, one-piece construction that can advantageously be manufactured by an injection moulding process. The sash frame can also be of unitary, one-piece construction, and can also be manufactured by injection moulding. The master frame can be provided with liner support structures along the jambs to receive jamb liners in snap-fit. The liner support structures can advantageously be integrally moulded with the master frame.
US07707777B2
A doorframe structure comprises an upper guide formed of metal plate so as to have an enclosed space extending in a longitudinal direction of the upper guide, the upper guide having a constant cross section, a weather strip channel extending in a longitudinal direction of the upper guide and fixed to the upper guide, a window glass guide, made of metal plate, arranged so as to be inclined relative to the upper guide and fixed to the upper guide at one end thereof in order to guide a window glass so as to move, and a pillar outer panel, made of metal plate, for covering, on an exterior side of a vehicle, a vehicle exterior-end surface of the upper guide, a vehicle exterior-end surface of the window glass guide and an opening formed between the upper guide and the window glass guide.
US07707757B2
By providing a unique housing member within which a plurality of separate display and holding members are operatively interconnected for sequential display relative to each other in a unique, cooperative, continuous, extending manner, a unique, hands-on, visually exciting and interest generating multi-panel display and holding system is realized. In the preferred construction of the present invention, a plurality of separate and independent display and/or holding members are cooperatively interconnected to each other for sequential movement relative to each other. Furthermore, each of the display/holding members are also constructed for being automatically positioned in a precisely desired continuous array in response to the receipt of pulling or movement force applied to one of the display/holding members or to a designated lead element.
US07707749B2
A modular snow travel system for common footwear includes a first traction component which may be an overboot. The first traction component includes at least one traction cleat having latch, such as an exposed hook portion, for engagement with a snowdeck. The engagement is effected by a releasable locking mechanism on the snowdeck. The releasable locking mechanism includes a transversely movable slider and a longitudinally movable slider having contacting cam faces. The lateral position of the transverse slider determines the longitudinal position of the longitudinal slider so that the longitudinal slider could be moved longitudinally to and from a position where a catch on the longitudinal slider is engaged in the hook portion or is disengaged from the latch of the traction cleat.
US07707740B2
A height scale includes a base, a column assembly mounted on the base and a height rod assembly movably mounted along and within the column assembly, the height rod assembly including a lever assembly with a lever, a lever bracket and a rod cap having self-locking release tabs on opposite sides thereof.
US07707735B2
An embodiment of a hole angularity gage includes a gage body and a contact disc positioned within the gage body. The contact disc includes a central opening defined by an inner edge. The gage also includes a center pin that extends through the central opening, and a hole probe adapted to rotate the center pin from a primary gage axis toward the contact disc's inner edge. The gage also includes an indicator adapted to activate when the center pin makes contact with the contact disc. Another embodiment of a hole angularity gage includes a hole probe and a circuit. The circuit includes an indicator and a switch, which is adapted to close when the hole probe is rotated by an angle greater than a gage setting angle. The indicator is adapted to activate when the switch is closed. Other embodiments include methods for using and manufacturing hole angularity gages.
US07707734B2
A chalk line marking device includes a chalk line that is held in a storing, dispensing and retracting device. The device comprises a housing and an element for gripping the chalk line when it is extended from the dispensing device and lifting it from the workpiece surface at a point remote from the device. A spring mechanism causes the gripping element to suddenly snap back to its original position, when released, thereby causing the chalk line to leave a linear chalk mark on the workpiece surface. The device may also comprise a gripping element arranged within the housing that includes a plunger responsive to movement of the housing, for lifting and suddenly releasing the gripping element. A worker can extend the chalk line with one hand while holding the dispensing device in the other hand. The hand holding the dispensing device can actuate the gripping element with the thumb, for example, of that same hand while the other hand holds the extended end of the chalk line in position, thereby not requiring a third hand to snap the chalk line.
US07707729B2
A reciprocating tool comprising a drive shaft and a motor, a plunger for reciprocating motion, the plunger being driven by a wobble plate and pivotally supported in a front bushing and in a manner not prohibiting the plunger to rotate about a longitudinal axis of rotation, the plunger has a rear spherical end, a movable counterweight and a drive arm for moving the counterweight, the counterweight having an opening for receiving the plunger, the opening has side walls that support the rear spherical end of the plunger as it moves relative to the counterweight, a first wobble plate assembly connected to the drive shaft and having a first wobble plate interface engaging and reciprocating the plunger in the front bushing and the counterweight; and a second wobble plate assembly operatively connected to the drive shaft and having a second wobble plate interface engaging the drive arm of the counterweight.
US07707728B2
An engagement system for removably connecting gardening tools and similar type devices to a power unit comprising a drive motor, the system comprising a base element suitable for being fixed to a crankcase housing the drive motor, a fastening element of a tool that can be actuated by a shaft of the drive motor, suitable for coupling with the base element, a button mounted on the base element and suitable for cooperating with a corresponding opening formed on the fastening element to removably lock the elements in an engagement position, the base element being equipped with at least one electrical safety switch actuated elastically by a rod between a first position in which the electrical safety switch is closed and prevents the operation of the drive motor, and a second position in which the electrical safety switch is open and allows the operation of the drive motor, the second position only being obtainable when the fastening element is engaged with the base element.
US07707724B2
To avoid a difficulty of inserting a spline shaft into a spline hole, respective holding members 29 constituting a holding device 28 for holding a hub 3 are displaced in a radial inward direction of a small diameter stepped portion 15. The inner peripheral surface of the inside end of an original hole 25 is elastically deformed radially inward the same as or slightly greater than the elastic deformation caused by externally securing tightly an inner ring to the small diameter stepped portion 15. In this condition, a female spline portion for constituting a spline hole is formed in the original hole 25.
US07707722B1
A novel technique for setting a multiplicity of precious stones such as diamonds into a unique setting to enhance the beauty and presentation of the multiplicity of set stones, with the technique including setting a center stone into a socket and having it held by a multiplicity of prongs, an outer series of small stones wherein each outer stone is respectively placed in a socket and is held in most designs by a pair of the same prongs which hold the center stone and is also held by a lower groove in the interior facing surface of the outer wall, and an intermediate series of stones which are placed in a respective socket and are held by a pair of the prongs which also retain the center stone and in most designs all of the smaller stones and are also retained by a groove in the interior facing surface of the outer wall, the intermediate series of stones also serving to retain the small series of stones.
US07707715B2
Disclosed is a method of fabricating a multilayer printed circuit board, which enables the formation of a micro circuit able to be realized through a semi-additive process using the CTE and rigidity of a metal carrier on a thin substrate which is difficult to convey.
US07707712B2
Provided is an apparatus for assembling a camera module comprising a support frame that is formed in a rectangular shape and has a jig horizontally connected to an upper end thereof; a plurality of stages that are vertically stacked and installed in the support frame and adjust a printed circuit board (PCB) in three-axis directions; a board holder that is formed to extend from one end of the uppermost stage and has the PCB mounted on the extending end thereof; and a jig assembly that is disposed on an opening of the jig and has a barrel-integrated housing mounted on the central portion thereof.
US07707701B2
A method for manufacturing a piezoelectric element includes the steps of forming a first electrode above a substrate, forming above the first electrode a piezoelectric layer composed of a piezoelectric material having a perovskite structure, and forming a second electrode above the piezoelectric layer, wherein the step of forming the first electrode includes forming a lanthanum nickelate layer that is oriented to a cubic (100) by a sputter method, and a ratio of nickel to lanthanum (Ni/La) in a target used for the sputter method is greater than 1 but smaller than 1.5.
US07707697B2
Disclosed is an improved splicing nut of the type having a threaded nut portion and a core that is capable of being threaded into the nut portion, the nut portion and the core cooperating to receive and firmly retain a line therein. In the first embodiment of the invention, a visualization port is included in the core for providing visual access to at least a portion of the area between the nut portion and the core so that a user may quickly ascertain by looking through the visualization port whether or not a line is fully engaged with the splicing nut. Additional provision is made to cause the line to be compressed when the core is threaded into the nut portion and tightened. As a result, line slippage within the splicing nut is prevented. The invention further includes a fastening portion of the core that is exposed when the nut portion is firmly tightened onto the core. Either a pin hole or a shackle fastening means is included in the fastening portion for allowing additional hardware to be installed thereon with requiring the line to be removed from the splicing nut.
US07707686B2
A truckle assembly has a housing, a rotating unit movably mounted on the housing, a limiting unit and a wheel assembly. The housing includes a body and a sleeve. A slope portion is formed inside the body and neighboring the sleeve. The rotating unit includes a central shaft, and a gear ring mounted on the central shaft for corresponding to a first side of the slope portion. The limiting unit includes a pedal, an interferential portion linking an end of the pedal, and an arresting portion linking an end of the interferential portion. The pedal has a first portion extending into the housing, and a second portion extending out of the housing. The interferential portion corresponds to a second side of the slope portion. The wheel assembly includes at least a wheel assembled on sides of the housing, and a shaft pole extending through the wheels and the pedal.
US07707665B1
A shower water conservation apparatus (10) that conserves the shower water by storing the initially cooled water that is produced by a hot water source (124). The initially cooled water is routed by a series of pipes and timed valves into a water reservoir assembly (19), such as a bellows (20), where the water is stored for later use. The cooled water from the bellows (20) is timely released and mixed with flow of cold water from a cold water source (126). The mixed cold water is further mixed with the now hot water from the hot water source (124) before the mixed hot and cold water is manually regulated and applied through a shower head (122).
US07707658B2
The present invention relates to various types of garments to be worn by outdoors people such as hunters and fishermen. The garments include stretch fabric portions in strategic locations to provide mobility as well as comfort and thereby allow the wearer to engage in a wide range of activities. The garments having such stretch fabric portions include pants-type garments, bib overall type garments, and coat-type garments and coverall-type garments.
US07707657B2
The present invention provides a top knot cap (headgear provided with a ponytail) comprising the upper top knot portion (22) formed by extending the top knot portion (20) connected to the crown (10) and the said upper top knot portion (22) may be bundled with the binding cord (31) to form a ponytail or unfurled to cover the neck. The top knot cap may be provided with the meeting and parting portion (23) that splits apart when the said top knot portion (20) is unfurled. The inventive top knot cap may protect the head part of a user and further express various designs full of ornamental effects.
US07707654B1
A massage glove for use in administering a massage is provided. The massage glove includes a glove body that is configured for being worn on the hand of a user. At least one pad is carried by the glove body. The pad defines a bead pocket into which a plurality of beads are located. The pad defines a resilient pocket into which a resilient member is located. The beads are configured to be located intermediate the resilient member and the skin of the user proximate to the pad when the glove body is worn on the hand of the user.
US07707651B2
A two panel convertible maternity coat that can be used by a woman before, after, and during pregnancy, a pregnancy panel, and a baby panel. Pregnancy is accommodated through the addition of the pregnancy panel between the front sides of the coat. The pregnancy panel is wider at the bottom and tapered toward the top. The two panel convertible maternity coat also can be used as a garment for covering both baby and mother, father, or other wearer though the addition of the baby panel between the front sides of the coat. The baby panel is shaped wider at the top and tapers down to a lower portion. Means are provided for readily fastening each panel separately to the coat so as to provide for ease in transitioning between the uses of the coat.
US07707649B2
A knee pad for cushioning a human knee. The knee pad includes a cushion section having varied consistencies. The knee pad is held on the knee by two fastening straps. Each fastening strap is attached to the cushion section with buckles or similar fastening devices. A lower fastening strap has at least two closure devices, a first being a hook and eye fastening system and a second being a buckle fastening system.
US07712147B2
Data, stored in MRAM-cells (12) should be protected against misuse or read-out by unauthorised persons. The present invention provides an array (10) of MRAM-cells (12) provided with a security device (14) for destroying data stored in the MRAM-cells (12) when they are tampered with. This is achieved by placing a permanent magnet (16) adjacent the MRAM-array (10) in combination with a soft-magnetic flux-closing layer (18). As long as the soft-magnetic layer (18) is present, the magnetic field lines (20) from the permanent magnet (16) are deviated and flow through this soft-magnetic layer (18). When somebody is tampering with the MRAM-array (10), e.g. by means of reverse engineering, and the flux-closing layer (18) is removed, the flux is no longer deviated and affects the nearby MRAM-array (10), thus destroying the data stored in the MRAM-cells (12).
US07712144B2
The present invention relates to a secure device for copy protection comprising an ID database (3) for storing identification numbers IDs for decrypting copy protected encrypted content, a transceiving means (5,2) for transmitting and/or receiving IDs to and/or from an external device via a short range transmission system and an ID handler (4) for controlling the transmission and reception of the IDs in accordance with predefined transmission and/or reception rights.The present invention further relates to a rendering device for executing copy protected content comprising a data source (18,19,20) for providing copy protected encrypted content, a receiving means (5,2) for receiving IDs for decrypting the encrypted content from a secure device (1) via a short range transmission system and a controller (11) for assigning to every copy protected encrypted content the respective ID for decrypting said content in order to execute the decrypted content.The present invention in addition relates to a method for copy protection and to a method for executing copy protected content.
US07712143B2
A trusted enclave for a software system of a computer node provides relatively high assurance protection of a section of the software system. The trusted enclave attempts to stop malware from compromising parts of the software system within the trusted enclave. If a software system process outside the trusted enclave becomes compromised, the compromised process may be prevented from compromising software system resources within the trusted enclave. Compromise of a process or resource of the software system refers to, for example, malware access, alteration or control of the process or resource.
US07712140B2
The present invention is directed to a distributed architecture of an information handling system, including a buried nucleus inaccessible for inspection without heroic means while the buried nucleus is in operation, and a trusted authority for generating a secure protocol. The secure protocol controls the operation of the buried nucleus.
US07712129B2
Method and system for user authentication in a federated computing environment. The method includes a first method for recording server authentication information, including: establishing a trusting relationship between a first and second server, obtaining an authentication policy of the second server, and registering the authentication policy of the second server within the first server. The method includes a second method for registering new user authentication information of a new user, including: verifying that the new user authentication information conforms to an authentication policy of the first server, and registering the new user authentication information in the first server. The method includes a third method for authenticating a user, including: receiving an access request from the user to access the federated computing environment, receiving notification based on input authentication information that the user has been authorized for the requested access, and permitting the user to access the federated computing environment.
US07712125B2
Among other things, while a primary video program is being presented through a primary communication channel on a video device, a remote sewer receives, through a secondary communication channel from a handheld wireless device that is within viewing distance of the video device, identification information that is generated automatically and sent in response to an action at the handheld wireless device of selecting the primary video program presented on the video device, the identification information not based on information received electronically from the video device, and interactivity material is delivered from the remote sewer through the secondary communication channel to the handheld wireless device, the interactivity material delivered from the remote server being matched with the primary video program based on the identification information, and being delivered for presentation on a display of the handheld wireless device, the secondary communication channel comprising a wireless local area network.
US07712114B2
Methods and apparatus to monitor audio/visual content from various sources are disclosed. An example method to monitor media content provided by a selected one of a plurality of media content sources for presentation by an information presenting device disclosed herein comprises determining first information based on a video signal corresponding to the monitored media content, determining second information based on an audio signal corresponding to the monitored media content, identifying the selected one of the plurality of media content sources based on a first classification decision resulting from one of the first information and the second information and a second classification decision resulting from the other of the first information and the second information, and identifying the monitored media content based on identification information associated with at least one of the video signal or the audio signal.
US07712112B2
An optical disk drive includes a spindle motor for rotating an optical disk, and an optical pickup head. On a base plate, a pickup moving motor moves the optical pickup head in a disk radial direction. A motor plate supports the spindle motor. A spacer holder has a small thickness, and is secured to the base plate. A spacer boss is disposed to project from the spacer holder toward the motor plate. A first hole is formed through the spacer boss. A retaining screw has first and second shaft portions. A screw hole is formed in the base plate, for engagement with the first shaft portion inserted through the first hole, to retain the retaining screw. A great diameter peripheral surface is positioned at the second shaft portion, for applying pressure to fit the spacer boss tightly on the motor plate. Further, the spacer is formed from plastic material.
US07712107B1
A system and method for integrating messages across multiple applications. The applications may be on one server or on several servers, and each application may service one or more e-clients. The system and method securely segregates the data for each e-client. Further, the system can be dynamically reconfigured by adding or deleting new messages and/or applications, without affecting the performance of the unchanged parts of the system. The various applications using the system need not be aware of the existence of the other applications.
US07712090B2
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for generating an executable program, including receiving serial compile commands in a pseudo-compiler to compile source code modules, scheduling the serial compiler commands in parallel compilers to compile the source code modules, compiling the source code modules in the parallel compliers to generate object code modules, sending compiler completion acknowledgements to a synchronizer and linking the object code modules in linkers in response to linker initiation commands from the synchronizer.
US07712085B2
Architecture that facilitates management of an application or service of a system. A catalog is provided that stores management information which is accessible to determine the status of the application of service. Code of the application or service to be installed on the system is attributed with management information. When installed, the application or service is processed to copy the management information into a manifest, which manifest is further stored in the catalog along with other manifests associated with different applications or services. The management information in a manifest is uniquely identified by a URI, which access to the management information is via the URI, and which leads to the associated application or service.
US07712082B2
A call stack includes at least one frame of managed code and at least one frame of unmanaged code. In a multithreaded environment, a request from a diagnostic tool to a tracing function for the call stack is made on a thread that is not associated with the call stack. The tracing function preserves a context for a thread associated with the call stack until the call stack tracing function ends. In a particular embodiment, a method grants access to a stackwalking function, such that when a point on the call stack is designated in a request for the stackwalking function, the stackwalking function commences at the point on the call stack. When no point on the call stack is designated in the request for the stackwalking function, a default position on the call stack is determined based on a last managed frame pushed onto the call stack and the stackwalking function commences at the default position on the call stack.
US07712081B2
A tool is provided for modifying the code of a multi-threaded computer program undergoing testing. The program executes in an environment that has a governing memory model. It is assumed that there is a global heap and a thread-local heap, which are synchronized from time to time. The modifications are of two types: (1) code instructions are reordered while remaining in compliance with the memory model; and (2) thread-local variables are added to functions, together with inserted heap synchronizing instructions. The modified programs are then used by a test generator to prepare test cases for execution. The modifications have the effect of changing the interleavings that occur among different threads, and increase the likelihood of exposing flaws that may become evident under different memory models.
US07712074B2
A method and apparatus applies an action to a software application by determining a target object for the input action. The determination of the target object is performed by identifying the target object through socially identifying object information relative to a reference object. Then, the input action is applied to the target object.
US07712064B2
Some embodiments of the invention provide a manufacturing aware process for designing an integrated circuit (“IC”) layout. The process receives a manufacturing configuration that specifies a set of manufacturing settings for a set of machines to be used to manufacture an IC based on the IC layout. The process defines a set of design rules based on the specified manufacturing configuration. The process uses the set of design rules to design the IC layout. Some embodiments of the invention provide a design aware process for manufacturing an integrated circuit (“IC”). The process receives an IC design with an associated set of design properties. The process specifies a manufacturing configuration that specifies a set of manufacturing settings for a set of machines to be used to manufacture the IC, where the specified set of manufacturing settings are based on the set of design properties. The process manufactures the IC based on the manufacturing settings.
US07712063B2
A critical path detecting unit for detecting critical paths for a design in which cells are placed on an integrated circuit and information concerning timing constraints. A representative-critical-path extracting unit extracts a representative critical path by having one critical path represent critical paths which share more intervals than a certain number, and which are similar to one another, out of critical paths which have been detected by the critical path detecting unit. A path-image generating unit renders the representative critical path, which has been extracted by the representative-critical-path extracting unit and reflects information concerning other critical paths, which are similar to the representative critical path, on the representative critical path.
US07712058B2
A method for designing an electronic component includes receiving a device criteria (e.g., a parametric value, procurement value, etc.) from a designer, querying a database for devices corresponding to the device criteria, querying the database for procurement data and/or engineering data associated with the corresponding devices, presenting the devices to the designer based on the procurement data, and receiving input from the designer identifying one of the presented devices as a selected device. In a particular method, the returned devices are sorted based on one or more procurement values (e.g., manufacturer, price, availability, manufacturer status, etc.), and presented to the designer in a ranked list. Objects representative of the selected devices are then entered into a design file, and the objects are associated with the device's engineering and/or procurement data. In a particular embodiment, the objects are associated with the engineering data by embedding the engineering data in the file object. Optionally, data can be associated with the objects via links to the database. Types of engineering data that can be associated with design file objects include, but are not limited to, device footprint data, device pinout data, device physical dimension data, parametric data, and packaging data. Additionally, connection data and annotation data can be entered into the design file objects by the designer.
US07712057B2
A method is disclosed of determining allowable antenna limits for semiconductor-on-insulator (SOI) technology. In one embodiment, the method may include: determining antenna area on a gate; determining antenna area on a source/drain; determining a total gate insulator area between gate and source/drain nets; and calculating allowable antenna area as a function of the total gate insulator area between the nets such that a larger total antenna area is allowed for larger total gate insulator area between the nets.
US07712056B2
Variations are characterized in feature dimensions of an integrated circuit that is to be fabricated in accordance with a design by a process that produces topographical variation in the integrated circuit, the variations in feature dimension being caused by the topographical variations. The process includes lithography or etch. Predicted characteristics are verified to conform to the design, the characteristics including feature dimensions or electrical characteristics. A process is selected for use in fabricating the integrated circuit based on the relative predicted variations. Chip-level features of a design of an integrated circuit are verified for manufacture within focus limitations of a lithographic tool. Whether a design of a level of an integrated circuit can be lithographically imaged in accordance with the design is predicted, and if it cannot be, the design or processing parameters are adjusted so that it can be.
US07712055B2
Method and system for designing integrated circuits for yield are described. Integrated circuits are designed for yield by finding worst yield corners based on design, statistical, and environmental variables and optimizing the design in light of the worst yield corners found.
US07712054B2
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, for populating a table in a business application. A computer-implemented method of displaying information on a computer display device includes displaying a first view on the display device, the first view including dropdown values and data in a table of rows and columns, the data received from a table node data structure stored in a memory, the table node data structure including node elements and attributes, and generating a second view in response to a change in a dropdown value by repopulating the table of rows and columns using attribute identifications (IDs).
US07712053B2
The present invention relates to a method and apparatus for explicit filtering in ambiguous text entry. The invention provides embodiments including various explicit text entry methodologies, such as 2-key and long pressing. The invention also provides means for matching words in a database using build around methodology, stem locking methodology, word completion methodology, and n-gram searches.
US07712045B2
A resource manager can vary content for various display aspect ratios used to display information in a computing environment. This allows providing content that is more suitable and/or especially designed for display on a particular aspect ratio. It will be appreciated that resource manager can facilitate execution of the same computer program code for various aspect ratio as content displayed can be effectively adjusted by the resource manager. In order to support multiple aspect ratios, the resource manager can use an Aspect Ratio Adaptable Data Set (ARADS) that effectively supports displaying graphical content for various aspect ratios. The (ARADS) can include “base data” and “aspect-ratio-specific data” that can complement and/or replace the base data. The base data can be used as an initial basis for displaying graphics on any one of a plurality of different aspect ratios while the aspect-ratio-specific data can be specifically designed for and/or accommodate a particular aspect ratio.
US07712040B2
When reserved mail fails to be transmitted, an error message is promptly displayed in a partial field of a display unit for a predetermined period of time. A user operates a specific key in the predetermined period of time, thereby allowing the user to return to a screen for editing the failed mail. The user can promptly take an appropriate action on the failed reserved mail.
US07712033B2
The present invention is directed to a method of dynamically controlling and displaying an Internet browser interface, and to a dynamically controllable Internet browser interface. In accordance with the present invention, a browser interface may be customized using a controlling software program that may be provided by an Internet content provider, an ISP, or that may reside on an Internet user's computer. The controlling software program enables the Internet user, the content provider, or the ISP to customize and control the information and/or functionality of a user's browser and browser interface.
US07712025B2
Methods and apparatus, including computer program products, implementing techniques for document object model caching and validation. A client identifies a change of a user interface (UI) element that references a node of the DOM hierarchy. The client determines whether the change of the UI element can be applied to the DOM hierarchy by using an update function, for example, a delta renderer. If so, the client finds in the DOM hierarchy the node that is referenced by the UI element and modifies at least one attribute related to the node according to the change by using the update function. Otherwise, the client sets a dirty flag.
US07712024B2
Application program interfaces (API) are provided for labeling strings while a user is creating a document and providing user actions based on the type of semantic label applied to the string. A recognizer API is provided and includes properties and methods or instructions which allow recognizer plug-ins to semantically label strings of text or cells or information. An action API is provided and includes properties and methods that are called upon when a user initiates particular actions such as opening a web browser, going to a particular URL, or opening an instance of a word processing or spreadsheet program. After the strings are annotated with a type label, application program modules may use the type label to provide users with a choice of actions. If the user's computer does not have any actions associated with a type label, the user may be provided with the option to surf to a download Uniform Resource Locator (URL) and download action plug-ins for that type label. One or more recognizer plug-ins perform the recognition of particular strings in an electronic document. The recognizer plug-ins may be packaged with an application program module or they may be written by third parties to recognize particular strings that are of interest. One or more action plug-ins provide possible actions to be presented to the user based upon the type label associated with the string.
US07712019B1
An apparatus comprising a storage medium and a communicatively coupled processor are presented. The storage medium has stored therein a plurality of executable instructions which, when executed, implement an information server which, upon receiving a request including a resource identifier for an information page that may or may not exist, constructs and issues commands to retrieve the requested information and dynamically generates instructions to create the requested information page for provision to a requesting client if the information page does not exist.
US07712011B2
Provided are a Vestigial Side Band (VSB) digital television (DTV) receiver based on is A/53 of the Advanced Television System Committee (ATSC) that can secure backward compatibility of a low-ranked DTV receiver by using parity bytes added to robust data for error correction and obtain RS coding gain from the robust data, and a method thereof. The DTV receiver includes: a receiving unit for receiving a transmission signal including general data and robust data and converting the transmission signal into a base-band signal; an equalizer for determining a symbol level of the transmission signal; a trellis decoder for performing trellis decoding on a symbol of the determined level; a nonsystematic Reed Solomon (NRS) decoder for performing NRS decoding on the trellis-decoded robust data and correcting an error; and a restoring unit for restoring a digital video data stream with respect to the trellis-decoded general data and the NRS-decoded robust data.
US07712010B2
Systems, method, and computer program products for utilizing a spare lane for additional checkbits. Systems include computer, storage or communications systems with bitlanes for transferring error correcting code (ECC) words in packets over a bus in multiple cycles, a spare bitlane available to the bus, a spared mode and an initial mode. The spared mode is executed when the spare bitlane has been deployed as a replacement bitlane for carrying data for one of the other bitlanes. The initial mode is executed when the spare bitlane has not been deployed as a replacement bitlane. The initial mode includes utilizing the spare bitlane for carrying one or more additional ECC checkbits. The initial mode provides at least one of a more robust error detecting function for the bus than the spared mode and a more robust error correcting function for the bus than the spared mode.
US07712000B2
An ATE system is described for testing one or more DFT testing blocks contained in one or more DUTs when coupled to the ATE system. The ATE system includes hardware resources and software processes under the control of a DPK (Distributed Processing Kernel). The DPK couples the hardware resources and software processes as needed for a first DFT testing block to be enabled for testing only when such resources and processes are available and locked for the first DFT testing block. The DPK is coupled to the first DFT testing blocks via data channels and control channels that are selected as needed for having the first DFT testing block enabled for testing. The channels are under the control of an DUTs-ATE interface which is directed by the DPK for connecting the first DFT testing block to the locked hardware resource and the locked software processes. Each set up process corresponding to any subsequent DFT testing block requesting any hardware resource and any software processes that are already locked for use is paused until such locked resource and locked software processes are unlocked and assigned for having that subsequent DFT testing block enabled for testing.
US07711998B2
A test circuit arrangement for testing latch units is provided which includes a) a voltage generator configured to adjust a voltage potential difference between a first ground line and a second ground line of the latch units and/or to adjust a voltage potential difference between a first supply voltage line and a second supply voltage line of the latch units; b) combiner configured to combine logical outputs of the latch units; and c) determiner configured to determine the voltage potential difference between the first ground line and the second ground line and/or the voltage potential difference between the first supply voltage line and the second supply voltage line in a state when all of the latch units have identical logical outputs.
US07711996B2
A method and apparatus for testing a data transfer system. The method comprises the steps of storing a first table, the first table noting at least a time of issuance of at least one command and a time of completion of the command and comparing the time of issuance of the command and the time of completion of the command. A timeout condition is registered if the processor determines that a time longer than a predetermined time elapsed between the time of issuance of the command and the time of completion of the command.
US07711992B2
Systems and media for generating an improved regression suite by applying harvesting models and/or regression algorithms to tests utilized in verification of a system are disclosed. In one embodiment, a regression manager responsive to user input may be coupled to a harvester module, an analysis module, and a management module. In one embodiment, the harvester module is responsive to harvesting models defined in a modeling language, where the harvester module is coupled to a regression suite database. In another embodiment, a regression methodology may be defined from a collection of regression strategies and each regression strategy may be defined from a combination of harvesting models and/or regression algorithms. A regression generator to receive tests, to apply one or more regression strategies to the tests, to provide reports, and to allow user control may also be provided.
US07711991B2
A computer program product and computer system for error monitoring partitions in a computer system. Provided to each partition is a partition status indicator (PSI) denoting a RUNNING or FAIL status of the partition, and an error log area (ELA) for storing partition error entries. The ELA includes a partition identifier, an entry status indicator (ESI) indicating READ/UNREAD status for the error entry, and an error identifier. An error procedure performed for each first partition whose partition status indicator indicates the FAIL status includes: copying each error entry in the ELA of the first partition whose ESI indicates the UNREAD status into the ELA of a second (running) partition; setting the ESI to the READ status for each copied error entry in the ELA of the first partition; and having the ESI set to the UNREAD status for each copied error entry in the ELA of the second partition.
US07711990B1
A system includes a graphics processing unit with a processor responsive to a debug instruction that initiates the storage of execution state information. A memory stores the execution state information. A central processing unit executes a debugging program to analyze the execution state information.
US07711979B2
A method and apparatus for providing flexible access to storage resources in a storage area network is provided. One aspect of the invention relates to managing hosts and storage resources on a storage area network. At least one logical relationship among the storage resources is associated with each of a plurality of virtual identifiers. At least one of the plurality of virtual identifiers is then associated to an interface of each of the hosts.
US07711977B2
A method for managing HPC node failure includes determining that one of a plurality of HPC nodes has failed, with each HPC node comprising an integrated fabric. The failed node is then removed from a virtual list of HPC nodes, with the virtual list comprising one logical entry for each of the plurality of HPC nodes.
US07711968B2
A method (and system) of managing heat in an electrical circuit, includes using a thermal instruction appended to an instruction to be processed to determine a heat load associated with the instruction.
US07711960B2
Methods and arrangements to control access to cryptographic keys and to attest to the approved configurations of computer platforms able to access these keys, which include trusted platform modules (TPMs) are contemplated. Embodiments include transformations, code, state machines or other logic to control access to a cryptographic key by creating an authorization blob locking authorization data to access the cryptographic key to platform configuration register (PCR) values of a TPM, the PCR values representing a configuration of a computing platform. Embodiments may also involve generating a first TPM cryptographic key bound to PCR values, receiving a second TPM cryptographic key owned by software, and receiving evidence of the identity of an upgrade service controlling the upgrading of the software. Embodiment may also include certifying the first TPM cryptographic key; certifying the second TPM cryptographic key; concatenating the first certification, the second certification, and the evidence of the identity of the upgrade service; and signing the concatenation.
US07711956B2
Efficient access processing is performed when the service level of a server apparatus is low. There is provided a proxy apparatus including: a request sending unit for sending a first server request message based on a first client request message received from an information terminal to a destination server apparatus; a server status information storage unit for storing timeout information of the destination if a timeout of a first server request message is detected; a request monitoring unit for deciding to time out a second client request message received from an information terminal if timeout information of the destination of the second client request message is stored; and a proxy timeout response unit for sending a timeout response message corresponding to the second client request message that is decided to be timed out to the requesting information terminal.
US07711946B2
One embodiment of the present invention provides a system that uses filesystem operations to initiate device naming and/or device discovery. The system operates by receiving a command to boot a computer system. In response to the command, the system loads a portion of a filesystem hierarchy that includes a device namespace into a memory of the computer system, wherein the portion of the filesystem hierarchy contains at least one entity which represents a device coupled to the computer system. The system can then perform a read-directory operation on the portion of the filesystem hierarchy or a lookup operation of a specific well-known device or directory to obtain a list of filesystem entities that correspond to devices attached to the computer system.
US07711944B2
A method and apparatus for securely updating and booting a code image is provided, where a code image is updated in a storage medium storing an operating system having a first region, on which a boot code is loaded, a second region, in which a first code image is stored, and a third region, in which the boot code and first check data for verifying the first code image are stored. Updating a code image includes storing a second code image in the second region, extracting information about a secure one-way function from the first check data, and generating second check data for verifying the second code image using the extracted information of the secure one-way function and storing the generated second check data in the third region. When the second check data is set as a parameter of the secure one-way function, the first check data is generated.
US07711939B2
A source terminated serial link can recover from a low power mode by turning on multiple current-mode drivers in a phased sequence where the phased sequence is related to a resonant characteristic of a power supply net.
US07711938B2
A pipeline video decoder and decompression system handles a plurality of separately encoded bit streams arranged as a single serial bit stream of digital bits and having separately encoded pairs of control codes and corresponding data carried in the serial bit stream. The pipeline system employs a plurality of interconnected stages to decode and decompress the single bit stream, including a start code detector. When in a search mode, the start code detector searches for a specific start code corresponding to one of multiple compression standards. The start code detector responding to the single serial bit stream generates control tokens and data tokens. A respective one of the tokens includes a plurality of data words. Each data word has an extension bit which indicates a presence of additional words therein. The data words are thereby unlimited in number. A token decode circuit positioned in certain of the stages recognizes certain of the tokens as control tokens pertinent to that stage and passes unrecognized control tokens to a succeeding stage. A reconfigurable decode and parser processing means positioned in certain of the stages is responsive to a recognized control token and reconfigures a particular stage to handle an identified data token. Methods relating to the decoder and decompression system include processing steps relating thereto.
US07711935B2
A system for speculative branch predictions. An embodiment of the system includes branch prediction logic, fetch logic, and branch identification logic. The branch prediction logic is configured to predict a branch path for a branch in an instruction stream. The fetch logic is coupled to the branch prediction logic. The fetch logic is configured to speculatively fetch an instruction corresponding to the predicted branch path. The branch identification logic is coupled to the branch prediction logic and the fetch logic. The branch identification logic is configured to mark the speculatively fetched instruction with a branch identifier using a universal branch identification format. The universal branch identification format includes a bit value at a bit position corresponding to the predicted branch path.
US07711933B1
A programmable device having a processing core is configured to use a subset of configuration memory cells as read/write memory. The subset of memory cells is a don't care set that includes configuration memory cells that can be set or reset without modifying the function or behavior of the configured circuits of the programmable device.
US07711928B2
A user is provided with means to sample memory hierarchy via software. This allows a user to enhance memory-level parallelism via software. A status of information needed for execution of a second computer program instruction is read in response to execution of a first computer program instruction. Execution continues with execution of the second computer program instruction upon the status being a first status. Alternatively, a third computer program instruction is executed upon the status being a second status different from the first status. Thus, execution of the first computer program instruction allows control of the memory hierarchy, which in turn give the user control of the memory hierarchy.
US07711927B2
An instruction preload instruction executed in a first processor instruction set operating mode is operative to correctly preload instructions in a different, second instruction set. The instructions are pre-decoded according to the second instruction set encoding in response to an instruction set preload indicator (ISPI). In various embodiments, the ISPI may be set prior to executing the preload instruction, or may comprise part of the preload instruction or the preload target address.
US07711926B2
A method, cache controller, and computer processor provide a parallel mapping system whereby a plurality of mappers processes several inputs simultaneously. The plurality of mappers are disposed in a pipelined processor upstream from a multiplexor. Mapping, tag comparison, and selection by the multiplexor all occur in a single pipeline stage. Data does not wait idly to be selected by the multiplexor. Instead, each instruction of a first instruction set is read in parallel into a corresponding one of the plurality of mappers. This parallel mapping system implementation reduces processor cycle time and results in improved processor efficiency.
US07711924B2
Provided are a method, system, and program for managing volumes in volume groups configured in a storage system. A first set of volumes is assigned to a first volume group and a first host is assigned to the first volume group. A second set of volumes is assigned to a second volume group and a second host is assigned to the second volume group. The first host may only access volumes in the first volume group and the second host may only access volumes in the second volume group, wherein one volume is assigned to both the first and second volume groups to be accessible to both the first and second hosts.
US07711923B2
Flash memory is accessed via mapping tables comprising a master mapping table and at least one secondary mapping table. The master mapping table contains indexes to the secondary mapping tables. The secondary mapping tables contain indexes to locations in the flash memory. The mapping tables are maintained in the flash memory. Upon initialization subsequent a safe power shutdown, the master mapping table is cached and secondary mapping tables are cached as needed. Upon initialization subsequent an unsafe power shutdown, the mapping tables are constructed in accordance with a multiple-phase process. In an example embodiment, the multiple-phase process comprises locating all the secondary mapping tables stored in the flash memory, determining which secondary mapping tables are valid, determining which secondary mapping tables are invalid, determining which sectors of the flash memory are free, and constructing the master mapping table and the secondary mapping tables from this information.
US07711919B2
A method of automated workflow processing includes transforming an object, A1, which is of class X, into an object which is of class Y. The method includes the steps of separating existing data elements of A1 from the object itself, generating new data elements corresponding to class Y, inserting the new data elements into object A1, and computing values for the new data elements, possibly based on values of the old data elements. Other objects that referred to A1 before the transformation continue to do so afterwards. Values of data elements prior to transformation can be preserved, e.g., to facilitate review, to facilitate further transformation, and/or to facilitate back transformation.
US07711918B2
Provided is an apparatus and method for operating a flash memory according to a priority order, in which a fast response is insured. The apparatus includes a time calculation unit which calculates an operation execution time required to perform a first operation, a remaining time calculation unit which calculates a remaining time until completion of the first operation based on the calculated operation execution time if a second operation having a higher priority than that of the first operation is requested during performing of the first operation, and an operation processing unit which compares the calculated remaining time with an operation suspension time requested to suspend the first operation and determines whether to suspend the first operation in accordance with a result of the comparison.
US07711915B2
This invention relates to a method for overcoming system administration blockage and refers particulars, though not exclusively, to a method for overcoming system administrator blockage of a device newly connected to a computer.
US07711914B2
A method is provided for use in a computer system for: (A) receiving notification of a virtual memory trap; (B) determining whether the virtual memory trap was triggered by an access to a region of memory identified as protected against access; (C) if it is determined that the virtual memory trap was triggered by an access to a region of memory identified as protected against access, determining whether the virtual memory trap was triggered by computer program code identified as suspect; and (D) if it is determined that the virtual memory trap was triggered by computer code identified as suspect, signaling a fault to a debugger executing on the computer system.
US07711901B2
A cache line replacement protocol for selecting a cache line for replacement based at least in part on the inter-cache traffic generated as a result of the cache line being replaced.
US07711892B2
A flash storage device having improved write performance is provided. The device includes a storage block having a plurality of physical pages and a controller for mapping the plurality of physical pages to a plurality of logical addresses at initialization or at run-time of the flash storage device and for writing data to the plurality of physical pages. When updating data previously written to one of the plurality of logical addresses, the controller is configured to write the updated data to a second physical page which is mapped to the logical address. Each of the logical addresses may be associated with a pointer field, which is for storing a pointer value indicating the invalidity of a physical page and/or the location of another physical page.
US07711885B2
A bus control apparatus includes a plurality of blocks configured to output a write command for writing data into memory via a bus, and a bus connection control unit provided in correspondence with each of the blocks. The bus connection control unit monitors signals between the bus and the block, and upon detecting a read command signal for reading data in a cause register of the block, blocks connection of a signal line between the block and the bus and outputs a dummy read command signal for the memory. The bus connection control unit releases blockage when a response signal for the dummy read command signal is received.
US07711884B2
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.
US07711879B2
A data transfer method which is capable of transferring a predetermined amount of data in one transaction at only one time, and preventing the number of ports of a master chip and the number of signal lines connected between the master chip and slave chips from being increased. A single master chip and a plurality of slave chips which receive data transferred from the master chip are connected by a ring-like path. Data is transferred from the master chip to the slave chips via the ring-like path.
US07711870B2
An interface detecting circuit and interface detecting method are provided, whereby operations can be carried out depending on peripheral devices connected to USB terminals, and whereby the system can be simplified and software load can be reduced. A pull-down resistor is connected to an ID terminal of a Mini-A receptacle of a peripheral device, the voltage generated by the pull-down resistor, which is pulled down by the ID terminal of the Mini-A receptacle of the peripheral device, and a pull-up resistor, which is pulled up by the ID terminal of a Mini-B receptacle of a device, is detected in an analog fashion, using a detecting section comprised of comparators, and, via a logic section, a logic output is subjected to noise cancellation in a filter section and is memorized in a register section. The operations of other devices are determined according to the states memorized in the register section.
US07711866B2
The described embodiments relate to testing streaming media capture devices and/or computer systems. One exemplary method enumerates and tests multiple streaming media capture device which are operably associated with a computer. The method simultaneously exercises said computer's display and power states.
US07711863B2
A method and apparatus for variably enabling interaction across a USB interconnect between a host and a peripheral device capable of performing a plurality of functions including enabling selection and execution of a vendor-specific support software supporting peripheral devices of a specific vendor by sending a first identification data to the host indicating that the peripheral device is of the same specific vendor and indicating that the peripheral device performs at least one of the functions indicated to be supported by the vendor-specific support software, awaiting receipt of an indication from the host of a selected subset of the plurality of the functions of the peripheral device that are to be enabled, simulating a detachment from and attachment to the host; and enabling the vendor-specific support software to again be selected and executed by sending a second identification data to the host indicating that the peripheral device is of the same specific vendor and indicating that the peripheral device performs the selected subset of functions.
US07711858B2
A scheduling method and apparatus for use by a processor that controls storage devices of a data storage system is presented. The method allocates processing time between I/O operations and background operations for predetermined time slots based on an indicator of processor workload.
US07711855B2
In one implementation, a method includes obtaining a data entry from a user of a device, and obtaining a first time entry related to a first time zone. The first time entry and the first time zone are selected by a user of the device and the device converts the first time entry to a second time in a second time zone associated with a user of the device. The device then stores the data entry with the second time in the device. The method and device can thus be used to schedule a meeting in a selected local time in selected time zone, which is then converted to a local time in a time zone associated with the device.
US07711839B2
The present invention relates to a device and a method for the preparation of data to be sent as a continuous stream via a communication network. The device comprises means for obtainment of the data originating from a database, which contains at least two data stream entities for data associated respectively with different transmission throughputs, means of transfer of these data to a sending system, means of connection to one of these entities, and means of switching of the means of connection from one of the entities to another. The preparation device also comprises means of regular addition to the data transferred, of error correction codes. The means of switching switch from a first entity to a second entity of greater throughput, when this augmented data stream reaches the sum of the sending throughput associated with the second entity and of an additional throughput associated with an initial input of error correction codes of the second entity, and the means of addition reinitialize the addition of the codes to this initial input upon this switching.
US07711835B2
A method and apparatus for reducing disclosure of proprietary data in a networked environment includes a client node, an access control server, and an application server farm. The client node transmits a request for a file. The access control server receives the request for the file and makes an access control decision. An application server farm presents the contents of the file to the client node using an application program associated with a file type of the requested file.
US07711826B2
A remote survivable DHCP technique is described for facilitating communications between nodes of a computer network. According to a specific embodiment, the network include a remote survivable DHCP (RSD) system adapted to enable a DHCP relay agent to temporarily respond, during at least a portion of times when the DHCP server is down or unreachable, to DHCP-related requests from clients that have already received a valid DHCP lease offer from a DHCP server during at least a portion of times when the DHCP server is down or unreachable.
US07711817B2
In each of the information processing apparatuses connected to each other via a network, there is arranged a quality of service (QOS) table to which functions and performance thereof are registered. When an information processing apparatus is additionally linked with the network, a QOS table thereof is automatically registered to a local directory of the network such that an agent converts the contents of the QOS table into service information to be supplied via a user interface to the user. Thanks to the operation, information of functions and performance of each information processing apparatus connected to the network is converted into service information for the user. Consequently, the user can much more directly receive necessary services.
US07711812B2
A web service development tool and method that allows a functional web service developer to associate a developed functional web service with a Web service Description Language (WSDL) document that contains a reference to a separate monitoring web service. The separate monitoring web service is specified as a Universal Resource Identifier (URI) in the Web Service Description Language (WSDL) document for a functional web service being. The web service developer includes instrumentation functions in the functional web service to collect data related to the performance of the web service. This collected data is then made available to the monitoring web service to support analysis of performance data for the executing functional web service.
US07711801B2
A Dynamic Host Configuration Protocol (DHCP) client/server device and method of providing DHCP server services on a network uses a set of commands to convert the DHCP client/server device to function as a DHCP server. The DHCP client/server device is converted when a response message in response to a request message for an IP address from the DHCP client/server device over the network is not received within a predetermined time period.
US07711791B2
A method, apparatus and article of manufacture for processing a content stream at a client computer, the method comprising displaying a tagged content stream that was received from a media source by using a first media player, wherein the first media player is embedded in a Web page; and, when the first media player receives notification that a tag was found, muting the first media player; and displaying an untagged content stream by using a second media player, wherein the second media player is embedded in the Web page.
US07711786B2
Systems and methods are disclosed for preventing spam, including email spam and telephone spam, through the use of dynamic passcodes or dynamic signatures included with transmitted messages. Both the dynamic passcodes and dynamic signatures may be changed periodically or continually, according to an example embodiment of the invention. Qualified senders may include a dynamic signature that is automatically generated by the sender's node or exchange entity. The recipient's node or exchange entity can then use a graylist associated with the recipient account in verifying the qualified sender and/or dynamic signature. On the other hand, non-qualified senders may need to manually obtain a dynamic passcode from a dynamic passcode provider and include the dynamic passcode with the transmitted message. The dynamic passcode provider may be a public website using human interactive proofs. According to an embodiment, a non-qualified sender may be optionally pre-charged with a fee to obtain a dynamic passcode. The recipient of the message may then refund the charge if the received message is not spam.
US07711782B2
An event notification method in a wireless communications system can reduce the amount of transmission data in a wireless section and improve transmission efficiency by reducing the number of notifications with respect to an event which is frequently generated as a user sends a server an event notification request message including period information through a SIP-based client in order to request the notification with the specific event, and the server sends an event notification message to the client according to a period included in the period information or when a permitted time range is satisfied in order to notify the event when the corresponding event is generated.
US07711781B2
A technique for tracking one or more thresholds relating to the blocking of a particular screen name used on an IM system is disclosed. If the number of people who have blocked a particular screen name reaches a threshold amount, a determination is made that the screen name is being used by a spimmer or other bothersome person, and disciplinary action can be taken. In a preferred embodiment, the email address associated with a user name of a suspected spimmer is identified and all screen names associated with that email address are also subjected to disciplinary action, if desired. Thus, an IM company can suspend all screen names of a spimmer that are tied to the same email address, even though not all (or even none) of the screen names individually have reached a threshold level for discipline/suspension.
US07711778B2
Disclosed is a method for transmitting a software robot (sobot) message including a sobot having a genetic code. The method includes producing a sobot object, which has a genetic code, to be included in the sobot message according to a user input, generating a script file by scripting the produced sobot object, configuring the sobot message according to a user input, and transmitting the script file together with the sobot message.
US07711775B2
A component manager receives requests for component updates from a variety of sources, parses the requests and extracts URL information that identifies the location of a file containing the component resources. The component manager presents the URL to a download manager that asynchronously retrieves the component resources from the specified location and places the file in a staging area. Once the component resources have been downloaded, an install manager, also operating asynchronously from the component manager and the download manager, installs the component update.
US07711760B2
A device includes a computer processor and a file store coupled to the computer processor. The file store includes a hierarchal file system. A plurality of files is located in the hierarchal file system. Each of the plurality of files is associated with digital signature metadata determined by a content of the file. A plurality of directories is located in the hierarchal file system. Digital signature metadata is associated with each of the plurality of directories and determined by the digital signature metadata associated with the directories and the files that are direct descendants of the directory. An update module determines if an update to any of the plurality of files is available based on the digital signature metadata associated with a root directory in the plurality of directories.
US07711759B2
A recording medium, a method of controlling a file of the recording medium, and a method and apparatus for reproducing the same are disclosed. The recording medium includes at least one data area storing an original file system, which includes original data files, at least one normal file designating at least one of the original data files, and at least one remote file designating at least one additional data file, the at least one additional data file being required to be downloaded from an external source in order to play-back the at least one remote file.
US07711750B1
The present invention specifies database security at a row level and, optionally, at a column and table level. The systems and methods cluster one or more sets of rows with similar security characteristics and treat them as a named expression, wherein clustered data is accessed based on associated row-level security. The systems and methods specify a syntax that invokes row(s), column(s) and/or table(s) security via programming statements. Such statements include arbitrary Boolean expressions (predicates) defined over, but not restricted to table columns and/or other contextual data. These statements typically are associated with query initiators, incorporated into queries therefrom, and utilized while querying data. Rows of data that return “true” when evaluated against an aggregate of associated security expressions are said to “satisfy” the security expressions and enable access to the data stored therein. Such security expressions can be created and invoked via the Structured Query Language (SQL) database programming language.
US07711733B2
Methods, devices, and products are provided for targeting media. Descriptive information is received that describes media. The descriptive information is compared to a stored set of user-defined criteria. If the descriptive information contains any criterion, then the media is stored in memory, wherein the stored media is targeted to a user's communications device.
US07711731B2
A computing system and method receive a query; separate a plurality of information sources into individual elements of content (EOC); tag each EOC with metadata that indicate source, date, and other relevant information; pattern match each EOC; calculate the respective distance function from every EOC to every other EOC; and output EOC to a set of virtual buffers (404) containing appropriately related EOC less than a given distance value. The method further creates virtual summary buffers (406); then concatenates the EOC in each virtual buffer (404); applies a comparative analysis filter (318) to remove redundant sub-elements; and presents the results as summary digests (408).
US07711730B2
A method for generating an execution plan for updating and retrieving data from a database in a single process includes: receiving a statement by a server to update a database with a first set of data and to retrieve a second set of data from the database; building a first execution plan to update the database with the first set of data; building a second execution plan to retrieve the second set of data from the database; and building a single execution plan including a combination of the first and second execution plans. The single execution plan allows for the updating and retrieval of data with a single crossing of an interface between a client and the database. By performing both functions in this manner, the efficiency of performing such tasks on the database is significantly increased.
US07711729B2
Search and filtering of documents with different metadata schemata is enabled using a single index that supports a single schema through decorated namespaces. Each metadata schema submitted to a system is assigned a unique identifier and property names associated with the schema are prefixed with the unique identifier. A single-valued, decorated property is used to indicate whether a submitted document is part of a registered schema in the system. The single-valued properties are converted to a search index table that enables resource-optimized searching and filtering of documents eliminating documents of other schemata by simply checking the association property.
US07711728B2
A system and method for concurrent investigations of static data stored in one or more secondary storage devices of one or more target machines in a data communications network. The network includes an examining machine, a secure server, and various target machines. The examining machine transmits to the target machines a search request including a search key. The examining machine also streams to each target machine metadata information and file extents of the files to be searched. The target machines concurrently search the indicated file extents for the search key. The target machines then stream the search results to the examining machine.
US07711720B2
An application server includes a cache memory that stores in a correlated form a retrieval condition and a retrieval result, an update condition setting unit that sets a cache update condition that indicates when the cache memory is to be updated; and an update processing unit that reads the retrieval condition from the cache memory upon fulfillment of the cache update condition, retrieves data as the retrieval result from the database using the retrieval condition, and updates the retrieval result in the cache memory corresponding to the retrieval condition.
US07711714B2
A method and a device for managing a computer network, especially a technique for ensuring the security of a network. A computer network system in which computers are connected to each other through transmission lines, each computer stores the data which constitutes a moving type software exclusively used for security and transmitted together with a message when the computer transmits the message to another computer of the system, and executes the moving type software by using the stored data upon receiving a message from another computer.
US07711711B1
A networked storage system includes network-attached file system (FS) nodes implementing a distributed global file system. Each FS node includes a file system server and at least one storage system including storage resources (such as disk drives) representing portions of a global file system storage space. The FS nodes are organized according to respective cost-performance characteristics of the storage systems, generally ranging from a high-cost, high-performance characteristic to a low-cost, low-performance characteristic. A storage management system performs information lifecycle management (ILM) which includes allocating the FS nodes for storing data according to a mapping between an ILM-based data classification scheme and the cost-performance characteristics of the storage devices, as well as dynamically managing the placement of data among the storage devices according to the ILM-based classification of the data. The storage management system also performs global file system management including allocating a set of identifiers (e.g. segment identifiers) of the distributed global file system among the FS nodes, and dynamically adjusting the allocation of the identifiers among the FS nodes in response to the addition and removal of whole storage systems and/or storage resources within each of the storage systems.
US07711704B2
A tabular operation provider is provided for processing a data agnostic business intelligence query with relational operations, herein called a relational query against a multidimensional datasource. The tabular operation provider comprises a query interceptor, a query decomposer and a query replacer. The query interceptor detects and intercepts a relational query that is issued against one or more multidimensional data sources. The query decomposer decomposes expressions of the relational query into one multidimensional expression and one or more relational expressions. The query replacer replaces the relational query with a stack of operations expressed by the decomposed multidimensional expressions and/or the relational expressions.
US07711699B2
Presenting of real-world situational data on a dynamically updateable user interface is provided for by providing a dynamically updateable user interface that includes dynamic objects having variable characteristics and that correspond to real-world objects, receiving situational data that corresponds to a status of the one or more real-world objects, and conforming the one or more variable characteristics to be consistent with the situational data such that an observer of the one or more dynamic objects is informed of a current status of a corresponding real-world situation.
US07711693B2
Systems and methods for testing and deploying LDAP applications are disclosed. A test application may be tested in a test environment including a test directory. The test application may change data stored in the test directory. Furthermore, the test directory may be configured to receive changes from a production directory in a production environment. When the application is ready to be deployed, changes to the test directory are migrated to the production directory through reverse replication or application data migration. The application is configured to connect to the production directory, and the application is thereby deployed in the production environment.
US07711685B1
A method and system for an extensible macro language is provided. The system for providing the extensible macro language includes a parser and a macro handler for processing macro commands not previously defined in the macro language. The parser analyzes keywords in a macro language expression and recognizes one or more keywords representing macro commands that were not previously defined in the macro language. The macro handler receives the keywords in the macro expression and retrieves from a registry of keywords, an executable code or procedure associated with the keyword. The executable code is run to process the macro command represented by the keyword. The template language registry may be augmented to include any keywords and associated codes for extending the macro language.
US07711672B2
A computer implemented data processor system automatically disambiguates a contextual meaning of natural language symbols to enable precise meanings to be stored for later retrieval from a natural language database, so that natural language database design is automatic, to enable flexible and efficient natural language interfaces to computers, household appliances and hand-held devices.
US07711671B2
A computer implemented problem solving system utilizing an information storage infrastructure and a flexible development environment for data storage, includes a stored, user modifiable program including a problem solving rule set relevant to a problem to be solved, a stored, user modifiable set of vocabularies related to a problem to be solved, at least one stored, user modifiable knowledge set relevant to a problem to be solved, and stored, user modifiable individual user preferences relevant to a problem to be solved. A computer implemented problem solving method utilizing an information storage infrastructure and a flexible development environment for data storage, includes generating screen displays on a display screen, and entering a problem identified by an initial assessment to the computer at a designated place in one of the screen displays. The method further includes selecting from at least one of the screen displays at least one item from at least one of: a stored, user modifiable set of vocabularies related to a problem to be solved, at least one stored, user modifiable knowledge set relevant to a problem to be solved, and stored, user modifiable individual user preferences relevant to a problem to be solved and entering the at least one item to the computer at a designated place in one of the screen displays.
US07711651B2
Media and apparatus for managing usage of utilities are disclosed. Generally, each involves receiving representation of utility service usage at a load, receiving and storing in a storage device a usage range representation comprising at least one expected value of utility input to the load and/or at least one expected value of output from the load, and producing a control signal for use by a utility service controller when usage is outside of usage range representation. Control signal is operable to cause the utility service controller to regulate or interrupt the supply of the utility service to the load.
US07711650B1
Systems and methods for dispensing postage or other authorization information electronically by using a secure processor containing an amount of preauthorized postage which can be applied to any piece of mail or other item are shown. The generated postage as applied to an item is preferably scanned and decoded toward the goal of validation of the pre-paid rights or obligation to pay to send the article of mail. A plurality of criteria and checks may be used to accomplish validation. For example, the fact that the indicia can be decoded gives a basic comfort level of validation and a check against a central user database for validation criteria provides for validation according to embodiments.
US07711643B2
A self-service terminal, such as an automated teller machine (12), is described. The terminal (12) has a display (52), and includes means (44,84) for accessing a mobile portal (30), whereby the terminal (12) is operable to retrieve information adapted for viewing on a portable device, and to present at least some of the retrieved information to a user on the display (52). The terminal (12) may also include a printer (56) for providing a user with a printed version of some of the information presented on the display (52). A network of self-service terminals is also described.
US07711640B2
An apparatus for processing a composite trading order comprises an interface operable to display a composite value representing a weighted quantity of a plurality of trading products. The apparatus further comprises a processor operable to receive at least one input representing a composite trading order, wherein the at least one input comprises a quantity that is equal to at least a portion of the weighted quantity. The at least one input is usable to generate one or more constituent trading orders that, when filled, combine to satisfy the composite trading order.
US07711636B2
Information regarding individuals that fit a bad performance definition, such as individuals that have previously defaulted on a financial instrument or have declared bankruptcy, is used to develop a model that is usable to determine whether an individual that does not fit the bad performance definition is more likely to subsequently default on a financial instrument or to declare bankruptcy. The model may be used to generate a score for each individual, and the score may be used to segment the individual into a segment of a segmentation structure that includes individuals with related scores, where segments may include different models for generating a final risk score for the individuals assigned to the particular segments. Thus, the segment to which an individual is assigned, which may be determined based at least partly on the score assigned to the individual, may affect the final risk score that is assigned to the individual.
US07711631B2
A graphical interface and method are provided for displaying market information corresponding to a tradeable object. One graphical interface includes a chart region for displaying historical market data in relation to a first value axis, and a market grid region in alignment with the chart region. The market grid region comprises a plurality of areas for receiving commands from a user input device to send trade orders, and the areas are displayed in relation to a second value axis. A plurality of values displayed along the second value axis is a subset of values displayed in relation to the first value axis, and can be modified to a new plurality of values that corresponds to a new subset of values on the first value axis.
US07711626B2
Methods of the present invention identify an asset allocation model and at least one security associated there with. An investment account portfolio is stored that includes at least one substitute security associated with the identified at least one security. A virtual portfolio is then generated that includes the identified at least one security. A tax lot is created for the identified at least one security to identify a total value for the at least one security, and the method determines whether the virtual portfolio complies with the asset allocation model. The identified at least one security associated with the asset allocation model is restricted from the investment account portfolio.
US07711602B2
The present invention is directed to systems and methods for supply chain management. An order for one or more products is received from a buyer or a seller. For each product in the received order, a buyer and a seller are determined. In some instances, multiple buyers and/or sellers may be determined. A product shipment configuration and a logistics plan are generated. A transporter is determined. The generated product shipment configuration is transmitted to a buyer, a seller, a transporter or combinations thereof. The generated logistics plan is transmitted to a buyer, a seller, a transporter or combinations thereof. In some embodiments, event data related to the generated logistics plan is received. In some such embodiment, exception reports are generated from the received event data. These processes, or subsets thereof, can in certain instances be implemented on a system processor in communication with a system data store, or be stored in the form of executable instructions on one or more computer readable media.
US07711596B2
A business method that improves brand identity by effectively allocating product development resources and prioritizing projects based on a systematic approach of defining assumptions that drive brand development and assessing a product development portfolio thereon.
US07711595B2
A method and system for generating a value proposition for a company in an industry is provided. Specifically, under the present invention, operational metrics and possible solutions are identified for the industry. Then, the impacts of the solutions on the operational metrics are assessed. Once the impacts have been assessed, a current operational performance of the company is compared to an operational performance of one or more companies within the industry to expose performance gaps. Then, a value proposition is generated by identifying a solution based the impacts to address the exposed performance gaps.
US07711592B2
A system is configured by a movement record acquiring unit that acquires a cargo movement record through data communication with a communication apparatus included in a transportation means to store the cargo movement record into a cargo movement record database, a load amount identifying unit that identifies cargos having the overlapping periods between the loading time and unloading time and transported by the same transportation means among the cargos to store a load record into a load record database, an average load amount calculating unit that calculates an average value of the past load amount in the loading period as an average load amount, an energy consumption calculating unit that calculates the energy consumption of each cargo, and an output processing unit that outputs the energy consumption of each cargo to an output interface.
US07711590B2
Embodiments of the invention provide methods for effecting a desired business solution. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, a plurality of aspects of a business are analyzed. Each aspect corresponds to an element of a particular domain of a set of domains wherein the plurality of aspects corresponds to elements from at least two domains. A modification of each element that will result in a desired outcome in regard to the corresponding aspect is determined. In accordance with one embodiment of the invention, the business solution development process identifies and provides exit criteria pertaining to each stage of the business solution development process. For one embodiment of the invention a set of metrics are defined and tracked to measure the effectiveness of the business solution.
US07711587B2
Systems and techniques for presenting travel information to a user are described. A code that includes predetermined travel parameters specified by the user is included in a web page. Access to the web page by a user is detected. A travel query is populated with the predetermined travel parameters and a variable parameter based on identification information associated with the user. Cached travel options that are obtained from prior queries and that satisfy the travel query are presented to the user.
US07711573B1
A computer system and method for managing access to a resume database. For each skill or experience-related phrase in a resume, the system computes a term of experience based on an experience range associated with a contextual use of the phrase in the resume. The term of experience for a phrase that occurs multiple times in the resume is the summation of the term of experience for each occurrence of the phrase associated with a different contextual use. The system stores each phrase and the term of experience in a parsed resume. The resume database also stores job descriptions that include required phrases and a required term of experience for each required phrase. The job descriptions also store a required level of education or field of specialization, and a required salary range. A recruiter searches the resume database to find matching resumes that satisfy a job description.
US07711571B2
A method and apparatus are presented for providing language translation assistance to a user of a mobile terminal. The terminal makes available a number of language translation services to the user, and the mobile terminal has a database for storing translation data. If the translation data is insufficient to cover a present or anticipated context of the mobile terminal, then the terminal sends a context change signal, and subsequently receives a data update signal that includes updates to the database. The terminal is then able to provide a changed language translation service to the user, utilizing the updates to the database.
US07711570B2
Controls are provided for a web server to generate client side markups that include recognition and/or audible prompting. The controls comprise elements of a dialog such as a question, answer, confirmation, command or statement. A module forms a dialog by making use of the information carried in the controls.
US07711564B2
The presently claimed invention relates generally to steganography and fingerprinting or hashing. In one embodiment, a method includes: obtaining a first set of plural-bit data, the first set of plural-bit data corresponding to at least a portion of steganographically encoded data in a media signal in the form of a digital watermark; obtaining a second set of plural-bit data, the second set of pural-bit data corresponding to a fingerprint or hash of the media signal. THe fingerprint or hash includes a reduced-bit representation of the media signal, and the first set of plural-bit data is not dependent on information in the second set of plural-bit data. The method further includes carrying out a first action associated with the first set of plural-bit data; and carrying out a second action associated with the second set of plural-bit data. Other embodiments are described and claimed as well.
US07711557B2
An audio signal reduction device that generates a gap period in accordance with a noise generation period of noise included in an input audio signal. Noise is removed from the audio signal, and the level envelope of the audio signal is continuously detected. A coefficient for the level envelope in the gap period is generated in accordance with the level envelope detection and is used to modulate an interpolated signal. The noise-removed audio signal and the modulated interpolated signal are mixed; and the mixed signal is output in a period corresponding to the gap period, while the audio signal is output, as is, not in the gap period.
US07711555B2
Digital audio data are divided into a plurality of frames, each of which includes a desired number of sub-band samples, which are gradually increased in a range between “16” and “1024”, and are then compressed by way of psychoacoustics analysis and quantization, whereby compressed data are realized with a high compression ratio and small tone-generation latency. The compressed data are decoded by way of inverse quantization and sub-band synthesis, so that decoded data are sequentially written into a memory (e.g., a FIFO memory). Decoding is appropriately turned on or off in response to a presently vacant capacity of the memory.
US07711552B2
A filter apparatus for filtering a time domain input signal to obtain a time domain output signal, which is a representation of the time domain input signal filtered using a filter characteristic having an non-uniform amplitude/frequency characteristic, comprises a complex analysis filter bank for generating a plurality of complex subband signals from the time domain input signals, a plurality of intermediate filters, wherein at least one of the intermediate filters of the plurality of the intermediate filters has a non-uniform amplitude/frequency characteristic, wherein the plurality of intermediate filters have a shorter impulse response compared to an impulse response of a filter having the filter characteristic, and wherein the non-uniform amplitude/frequency characteristics of the plurality of intermediate filters together represent the non-uniform filter characteristic, and a complex synthesis filter bank for synthesizing the output of the intermediate filters to obtain the time domain output signal.
US07711548B2
Disclosed are a method and system for enabling multi-language support for data. A piece of data is captured and translated into a plurality of languages. The original data and all of the translations are stored in the same database instance, for retrieval and presentation in any of a group of languages. The preferred embodiment of the invention provides a design and implementation of generalized database tables to implement the features of NLS Locales and NLS Text Groups, in order to enable the storage and retrieval of dynamic, textual data in multiple languages, concurrently, in a single database instance. The invention enables the scenario wherein a piece of data captured in one language is dynamically translated into all supported languages, and all translations are stored in the same database instance, for retrieval and presentation in any of the supported languages.
US07711545B2
A statistical machine translation (MT) system may include a compound splitting module to split compounded words for more accurate translation. The compound splitting module select a best split for translation by the MT system.
US07711544B2
A method of generating a markup language text template comprises identifying a variable text element in a source language text string and assigning a first predefined symbol to the variable text element, identifying a grammatical rule for the variable text element and assigning a second predefined symbol to the variable text element based on the identified grammatical rule, determining whether to assign supplemental information to the variable text element, wherein the first predefined symbol, the second predefined symbol, and the supplemental information if assigned represent a token, and repeating the identification of a grammatical rule, assignment of first and second predefined symbols, and determination of whether to assign supplemental information for remaining variable text elements in the source language text string so as to complete a markup language text template comprising one or more tokens.
US07711542B2
A system provides multilanguage text input in a handheld electronic device. The system includes one or more applications implemented in the handheld electronic device. The applications include a text input application requiring access to language data usable thereby. One or more language databases contain language data from a plurality of different languages usable by at least one of the applications including the text input application. An interface provides the applications with access to at least some of the different languages of the language data of the one or more language databases, in order that the applications including the text input application receive the different languages.
US07711537B2
According to a method of data processing, a data set including at least one entry specifying a signal group by a predetermined signal group name is received by a data processing system. In response to receipt of the data set, the entry in the data set is processed to identify the signal group name. Signal group information associated with an event trace file containing simulation results is accessed to determine signal names of multiple signals that are members of the signal group. Simulation results from the event trace file that are associated with instances of the multiple signals are then included within a presentation of simulation results.
US07711534B2
A method and system comprises extracting resources required to run a discrete test case or set of associated test cases on a design. The method and system further includes building a simulation model based on the extracted resources and executing the simulation model using only the extracted resources, exclusive of an entire design, to test a specific function or group of interrelated functions represented by the discrete test case or set of associated test cases for design verification, and correlating the simulation results with the test plan.
US07711528B2
A program causes a computer to perform a step 1 of reading a model from a storage apparatus; a step 2 of computing difference equations by replacing variables with numeric values of a time-series that are stored in the storage apparatus; a step 3 of determining ranges of parameters of the model using a quantifier elimination method and a step 4 of verifying numbers of significant figures that show an accuracy of a computation by the determined ranges of parameters of the model.
US07711524B2
A method and system generate a boundary of a Schmoo plot. In accord with the method, a plurality of seed points having a resolution that is less than or equal to ½ the acquisition resolution indicated by a smoothness of a representative Schmoo boundary are selected. A coarse boundary search is performed to identify a plurality of test points that are within an acquisition resolution of the boundary. The test points that comprise the coarse boundary are interpolated to produce a fine estimate of the boundary.
US07711516B2
The method estimates movement of a solid mobile in a medium capable of generating disturbances defined by a three-variable vector, wherein the movement is defined by a six-variable vector and the solid is equipped with at least one sensor sensitive to acceleration having at least three sensitive axes and at least one sensor sensitive to the magnetic field having at least three sensitive axes. The method for estimating the movement of a solid includes a step of calculating a nine-variable vector consisting of the six-variable movement vector and of the three-variable disturbance vector and a step of weighting the nine-variable vector capable of transforming the nine-variable vector into a vector with not more than five variables to be estimated.
US07711514B2
Various computer-implemented methods, carrier media, and systems for generating a metrology sampling plan are provided. One computer-implemented method for generating a metrology sampling plan includes identifying one or more individual defects that have one or more attributes that are abnormal from one or more attributes of a population of defects in which the individual defects are included. The population of defects is located in a predetermined pattern on a wafer. The method also includes generating the metrology sampling plan based on results of the identifying step such that one or more areas on the wafer in which the one or more identified individual defects are located are sampled during metrology.
US07711513B2
According to one embodiment of the present invention, a system for identifying a running speed of an integrated circuit is provided. An asynchronous multi-rail circuit is configured to receive input data and transmit output data. A completion detection circuit is configured to generate a completion detection signal for the asynchronous multi-rail circuit. A variable clock generator configured to be driven by at least the completion detection signal. A synchronous circuit element configured to receive at least a portion of the output data and configured to be clock driven by a clock signal from the variable clock generator. A period of the clock signal represents a running speed of the asynchronous circuit.
US07711503B2
System and method for integrating the internal and external quality control programs of a laboratory
A system and method that enables a laboratory to integrate its internal and external quality control programs to thereby control the quality of its laboratory testing services. The system has a storage device and a processor operable to maintain in the storage device a database identifying a plurality of laboratory tests and the corresponding internal laboratory statistical data, group statistical summary data and control rules. The processor is also operable to calculate a control range for a specified laboratory test by applying the group statistical summary data (and, in some cases, the internal laboratory statistical data) to the control rule corresponding to the specified laboratory test. Preferably, the processor is also operable to receive a test result from a laboratory instrument, and determine whether the test result falls within the calculated control range for the specified laboratory test. Various exemplary embodiments of the system and associated method are provided.
US07711501B2
Flowmeters are described in which a sensor signal received from a sensor that is attached to vibratable flowtube, so as to determine properties of a fluid within the flowtube, contains a drive signal component and a coriolis mode component. The flowmeters are operable to determine drive parameters of the drive signal component, as well as coriolis parameters of the coriolis mode component. By analyzing the sensor signal based on the drive signal parameters, and not on the coriolis signal parameters, the flowmeters are able to provide stable and accurate determinations of the properties of the fluid.
US07711496B2
A process system adapted for processing of or with a material therein. The process system includes: a sampling region for the material; an infrared photometric monitor constructed and arranged to transmit infrared radiation through the sampling region and to responsively generate an output signal correlative of the material in the sampling region, based on its interaction with the infrared radiation; and process control means arranged to receive the output of the infrared photometric monitor and to responsively control one or more process conditions in and/or affecting the process system.
US07711495B2
For automatic identification of microorganisms collected on a carrier, a color image of the carrier surface with collected microorganisms is recorded and digitalized. The digitalized image is converted into a grayscale image and optionally converted subsequently into a silhouette image. When microorganisms are present, an image is produced with full-surface labeled objects of a first grayscale and a background of a second grayscale. Objects are identified in the grayscale and/or silhouette image by a model-based comparative method. Contours of the objects are marked in the color or grayscale image. Features of the objects in the color image and/or grayscale image are determined. The objects are classified based on the features. The classified objects are indicated and/or saved as species, name and/or code. Non-classified objects are indicated and/or saved as color, grayscale and/or silhouette image. Non-classified objects are subsequently discarded or added as a new case to the classification system.
US07711490B2
This invention relates to methods and systems for in silico or bioinformatic modeling of cellular metabolism. The invention includes methods and systems for modeling cellular metabolism of an organism, comprising constructing a flux balance analysis model, and applying constraints to the flux balance analysis model, the constraints selected from the set consisting of: qualitative kinetic information constraints, qualitative regulatory information constraints, and differential DNA microarray experimental data constraints. In addition, the present invention provides for computational procedures for solving metabolic problems.
US07711488B2
Apparatus and methods to monitor contamination levels in a formation fluid arc disclosed. An example method involves obtaining first property data indicative of a first fluid property of a formation fluid and second property data indicative of a second fluid property of the formation fluid. A correlation between the first and second property data is generated and third data is fitted to the correlation. A fitting parameter is determined based on the third data indicative of an amount of change of the first property data relative to an amount of change of the second property data.
US07711487B2
The present invention relates to methods, systems, and apparatus for inducing fractures in a subterranean formation and more particularly to methods and apparatus to place a first fracture with a first orientation in a formation followed by a second fracture with a second angular orientation in the formation. The first and second fractures are initiated at about a fracturing location. The initiation of the first fracture is characterized by a first orientation line. The first fracture temporarily alters a stress field in the subterranean formation. The initiation of the second fracture is characterized by a second orientation line. The first orientation line and the second orientation line have an angular disposition to each other.
US07711485B2
A merge support system includes a first detection unit and a second detection unit for detecting a position and a speed of an approaching vehicle in a traffic on a main lane and a position and a speed of a subject vehicle, an information provision unit for providing information for a driver of the subject vehicle and a control unit for calculating a merge speed of the subject vehicle relative to the traffic on the main lane and a merge position relative to the traffic on the main lane. The control unit calculates the merge speed and the merge position on the main lane based on the position and the speed of the approaching vehicle and the subject vehicle, and the control unit controls the information provision unit for providing a calculation result of the merge speed and the merge position for the driver of the subject vehicle.
US07711484B2
A method and a system for avoiding collisions between aircraft. The method includes computing a default fly out maneuver regarding how the aircraft shall be maneuvered during a fly out action, predicting a fly away path including a prediction of the position of the aircraft during the fly out maneuver, sending information about the own fly away path to the other aircrafts, receiving information about fly away paths from the other aircrafts, detecting an approaching collision, and activating the fly out maneuver upon detecting an approaching collision. The method further includes carrying out the following steps after activation the fly out maneuver: receiving the current position of the aircraft, and calculating a compensated fly out maneuver for the aircraft based on the current position of the aircraft, the previously predicted position, and the default fly out maneuver.
US07711478B2
A novel mapping paradigm is provided for the visual display of information in the form of an improved navigational aid. Unlike today's road maps which use a point-arc-polygon paradigm, the new mapping paradigm uses a compressed linear-pictographic-topological design that typically depicts roads as vertical linear pictograms. Further, the display has a columnar layout, whereby the descriptive elements are grouped together by type, and displayed one above the other in columns. In this manner, the mapping paradigm also serves to increase traveler safety, provide navigation assistance during address-less trips, create valuable advertising space and new promotional opportunities, and dramatically increases the travelers' communications and entertainment options.
US07711475B1
A method of obtaining navigation information includes creating a first itinerary for a navigation route corresponding to a travel event for a first individual. Navigation information is searched for related to at least one location along the first itinerary via a situational network established with a plurality of devices corresponding to other individuals searching for navigation information. The navigation information found in the searching is received. The first itinerary is altered based on the received navigation information.
US07711473B2
A navigation apparatus is disclosed comprising update functions to update nationwide updated version map data using route-specific update data, and to update the nationwide updated version map data to the next nationwide updated version map data using nationwide update data. A map update processing portion of this navigation apparatus performs updates of map data in the background of navigation control, gives priority to update processing using the route-specific update data over update processing using the nationwide update data, and, if map files to be updated using route-specific update files included in the route-specific update data have not been updated using the nationwide update data, performs updates using the nationwide update data, and then performs updates using route-specific update files.
US07711470B2
When a variable valve lift control apparatus is in a steady condition, a fluctuation control is performed. In the fluctuation control, a target lift amount is increased by a fluctuation width during an up-time and then the target lift amount is decreased by the fluctuation width during a down-time which is longer than the up-time to be returned to an original value. A decreasing amount of the integral term is greater than the increasing amount thereof. Consequently, the integral term can be made smaller than the original value. Even when a control duty is a larger value due to a hysteresis, the fluctuation control gradually decreases the increment of the integral term and converges the control duty to the small value.
US07711462B2
A system and method for providing customized help to a vehicle user when a vehicle problem is detected. The method includes detecting vehicle data that indicates a condition of a vehicle and obtaining profile data comprising an estimated mechanical skill level of a user. The method further includes providing instructions, based upon the profile data and the vehicle data, to the user for addressing the condition.
US07711461B2
In a fault diagnosis data recording system including a plurality of nodes interconnected by a multiplex communication line, a first node is provided to perform fault detection of the first node, and a second node connected to the first node via the multiplex communication line is provided to have a storage unit. The first node and the second node are configured to store at least a part of result data of the fault detection performed by the first node, into the storage unit of the second node.
US07711458B2
A system which operates a digitally controlled model railroad transmitting a first command from a first client program to a resident external controlling interface through a first communications transport. A second command is transmitted from a second client program to the resident external controlling interface through a second communications transport. The first command and the second command are received by the resident external controlling interface which queues the first and second commands. The resident external controlling interface sends third and fourth commands representative of the first and second commands, respectively, to a digital command station for execution on the digitally controlled model railroad.
US07711457B2
The invention relates to a navigation aid method of an aircraft comprising a step for positioning an execution order in a flight plan then in a flight path. When the order is for deferred execution, that is, comprises a condition, estimating the position of the aircraft when the condition associated with the order is satisfied, modifying the flight plan based on the estimated position according to the order, computing a new flight path based on the flight plan.
US07711454B2
An irrigation controller has run-times that are modified as a function of a calculated volumetric irrigation amount and a preferred irrigation amount. The preferred irrigation amount is at least partly based on an evapotranspiration (ETo) value and the area of the irrigated site. The calculated volumetric irrigation amount is based on flow meter data and inputted irrigation run-times. Preferably the flow meter is a water meter that measures water distributed to the irrigation system and to other water using devices at the irrigated site, and the flow data is based on signature data. In addition to flow data, water pressure may be measured that corresponds with the flow data. It is anticipated that the function will involve the dividing of the preferred irrigation amount by the calculated volumetric irrigation amount to arrive at a modifying factor.
US07711449B2
An automated personal pill dispenser has one or more chambers for holding a supply of pills. A feed mechanism is associated with each chamber and is selectively operable to dispense an incremental number of pills from each respective chamber. A programmable controller is coupled to control and operate the feed mechanism. The controller has a timer, a memory and an input means and is programmably operable by the user and/or by remote input from a smart card, PDA or various networks such as one having access to data from a pharmacy. The programming presets at least one of a time and a number of pills to be dispensed from each chamber. The controller operates an alarm to alert the user and operates the feed mechanism to dispense pills at the preset time and number, also detecting the user's access to obtain the dispensed pills.
US07711444B2
An audio input/output control apparatus, in which the speed difference between writing speed in writing audio data to a ring buffer and reading speed in reading out the audio data under a constant speed is calculated. When a read-address is forcibly changed according to the speed difference, between the signal level of the audio data corresponding to a read-address before the change and the signal level of the audio data corresponding to a read-address after the change, an address position at which the signal level change is less than a predetermined value is determined as a read-address after the change. So, the amount of signal processing can be significantly reduced, and the quality of audio data can be maintained.
US07711442B2
Disclosed is an audio signal processor that determines the type of audio processing to be performed utilizing an audio processing device (APD) and a removable module. The APD includes a digital signal processor (DSP) that modifies an input audio signal in accordance with a signal processing instruction set. The removable module includes the signal processing instruction set, and when the removable module is coupled to the APD, the signal processing instruction set is transferred to and implemented by the DSP of the APD to perform an audio processing function upon the input audio signal. The removable module may also include a user interface having at least one control to set a control parameter that is transferred to the DSP of the APD to further modify audio processing. The APD may also include a multi-state footswitch whose functionality can be determined by the DSP.
US07711441B2
Plural energy beam sources are aimed at an energy receiving device by way of feedback control signals. Each energy beam is uniquely modulated by way of amplitude, polarization and/or coning patterns to enable individual detection and control. Sensors detect individual energy beams incident to the energy receiving device and provide corresponding detection signals. Control electronics receive the detection signals and derive one or more control signals that are coupled to the plural energy sources. Aircraft and other vehicles are thus provided with electrical and/or thermal energy without the need for source-to-vehicle cabling or substantial on-board energy resources.
US07711431B2
A method for stimulating a particular area of a brain using a stimulation device includes detecting a spatial structure of a head and determining electrical and/or magnetic properties of at least one part of anatomical structures of the head. An energy amount to be provided by the stimulation device for stimulating the particular area of the brain is calculated automatically based on the spatial structure of the head and the determined electrical and/or magnetic properties of at least one part of the anatomical structures of the head.
US07711430B2
Methods and devices for treating anaphylaxis, anaphylactic shock, bronchial constriction, and/or asthma include providing an electrical impulse to a selected region of the vagus nerve of a patient suffering from anaphylaxis to block and/or modulate nerve signals that would regulate the function of, for example, myocardial tissue, vasodilation/constriction and/or pulmonary tissue.
US07711429B1
Methods, lead retention assemblies and systems may provide a secure connection of electrical leads to an implantable medical device, such as a pacemaker or a defibrillator. The method may include: providing a lead retention assembly including a support member, a first side clamp and a second side clamp, a first port and a second port each defining a respective receptacle in conjunction with the support, and a fastener configured to urge both the first and second side clamps toward the support upon actuation of the fastener; providing at least two electrical lead bodies each including a respective proximal end portion; inserting the respective proximal end portions into the respective receptacles to be in electrical communication with a respective electrical contact in the respective receptacles; and actuating the fastener to thereby clamp the proximal end portions of the respective electrical lead bodies within the first and second ports.
US07711427B2
An implantable active medical device is disclosed and includes a hermetically sealed housing defining a sealed housing interior, a power source and electronics in electrical communication and disposed within the sealed housing interior, and a lead connector projecting into the sealed housing interior. The lead connector includes a closed end, an open end, an outer surface, and an inner surface defining a lead aperture. The lead connector includes one or more electrically conducting contact rings spaced apart by electrically insulating rings. The one or more electrically conducting contact rings are in electrical communication with the electronics and the lead connector provides a hermetic seal between the lead connector outer surface and the lead connector inner surface.
US07711423B2
Impedance, e.g. sub-threshold impedance, is measured across the heart at selected cardiac cycle times as a measure of chamber expansion or contraction. One embodiment measures impedance over a long AV interval to obtain the minimum impedance, indicative of maximum ventricular expansion, in order to set the AV interval. Another embodiment measures impedance change over a cycle and varies the AV pace interval in a binary search to converge on the AV interval causing maximum impedance change indicative of maximum ventricular output. Another method varies the right ventricle to left ventricle (VV) interval to converge on an impedance maximum indicative of minimum cardiac volume at end systole. Another embodiment varies the VV interval to maximize impedance change. Other methods vary the AA interval to maximize impedance change over the entire cardiac cycle or during the atrial cycle.
US07711421B2
A method of performing a medical procedure is provided. The medical procedure includes stimulation of a patient's heart while stimulating a nerve of the patient in order to modulate the patient's inflammatory process. More particularly, the medical procedure includes pacing the ventricles of the patient's heart while stimulating the vagal nerve of the patient. Systems and devices for performing the medical procedure are also provided.
US07711417B2
Described is a system and method which includes the following steps. A plurality of interventional agents are administered to a patient until the patient attains a predetermined plane of anesthesia. Brain waves of the patient are amplified and digitized before and after the administering step to generate a first set of digital data. The brain waves of the patient are amplified and digitized during a medical procedure to generate a second set of digital data. Separate trajectories for at least two different indices of an anesthetic state of the patient are computed during the medical procedure as a function of a comparison of the first and second sets of digital data. The indices include a Depth Index (DI), a Memory Index (MI) and a Pain Index (PI). The DI corresponds to a depth of anesthesia of the patient, the PI corresponds to a sensitivity of the patient to pain and the MI corresponds to an ability of the patient to form and store memories.
US07711403B2
A method of estimating an amount of a substance in a bodily fluid from the color of a tissue surface of a subject includes capturing an image including at least a portion-of-interest of the subject and at least a reference portion of a color reference, the image being a digital image of pixels of at least one color, the image including a component value for each pixel for each of the at least one color, obtaining a first value associated with at least one component value corresponding to the portion-of-interest of the subject, obtaining a second value associated with at least one component value corresponding to the reference portion, and calculating an estimated amount of the substance using the first and second values.
US07711392B2
A system and method for provisioning a primary mobile device from a secondary mobile device, including storing at the secondary mobile device provisioning data for the primary mobile device, the provisioning data including information used by the primary mobile device for communicating over a wireless network; establishing a direct wireless communications link between the secondary mobile device and the primary mobile device; and sending the provisioning data over the communications link from the secondary mobile device to the primary mobile device and storing the provisioning data at the primary mobile device.
US07711384B1
A method and computer-readable medium for displaying group call status information and participant status information for a group call are provided. Users participating in a dispatch group session (call) are provided with details about the group itself (group status) and the users participating in the group (participant status). When changes are made to the group call, the group call status information and the participant status information may be updated and displayed in real time.
US07711382B2
A method for providing dynamic group call among a group of users both wireless (10-30) and wireline (40) places the selectability of the call in the hands of an originating user (10). An originating user (10) may make a fixed number of entries (80). The originating user (10) can create a dynamic group call, add a group call list for later execution, add a member to the group call list, or create a dynamic group call list and immediately execute a group call (92). The method for dynamic group call also provides for selecting a time to live for each group call entry (81) in database (60). This parameter time to live is directly selectable by the originating user (167) or the server. In addition, any member to a previous or existing group call may rejoin or reestablish the dynamic group call (220).
US07711376B2
At least three base stations transmit a specific signal pattern at given intervals. This allows a mobile station that received this signal pattern to locate itself by using the positional information about the base stations, sending timing (or information on phase shift from the reference time) of each signal pattern from the base stations, and signal pattern receiving time information. At least one of the above base stations changes the sending timing of the signal pattern. On this occasion, the mobile terminal or station is notified of the altered reference time offset (or information on phase shift from the reference time) of the sending timing or updated sending timing of the signal pattern.
US07711374B2
A system and method that provide dynamic reconfiguration of communication resources in a multi-transceiver configuration. Various aspects of the present invention may comprise communicating a first portion of a first communication using a plurality of transceivers. A determination may be made to reallocate at least one of the plurality of transceivers for a second communication. A second portion of the first communication may be communicated using the plurality of transceivers less the reallocated transceiver(s), and the second communication may be communicated using at least the reallocated transceiver(s). Various aspects of the present invention may also comprise communicating a first communication utilizing a first transceiver and a second communication utilizing a second transceiver. A determination may be made to utilize the first and second transceivers in a MIMO configuration to communicate next information. The next information may then be communicated utilizing the first and second transceivers in a MIMO configuration.
US07711372B2
According to one embodiment of the invention, a method includes determining, at a base station, at least one usability factor providing a relative measure of the desirability of receiving control of a mobile unit. The method also includes communicating, from a base station to a remote controller, the determined at least one usability factor for comparison to at least one usability factor of another base station as determined at the other base station and communicated to the remote controller. The method also includes taking control, by the base station, of the mobile unit in response to receiving a signal from a controller to take control of the mobile unit in response to comparison of the controller of the at least one usability factor determined by the base station and the at least one usability factor determined by the other base station.
US07711371B2
A system and method for analysis of a wireless communications network is disclosed. A map of a physical environment integrating communications hardware for implementing a wireless communications network is defined. Client service requirements and regions for the wireless communications network are defined. Mesh point constraints and mesh linkage constraints for the wireless communications network are defined. The communications hardware is placed on the map at initial locations. Whether at least one of the defined mesh point constraints and mesh linkage constraints have been met by at least one mesh link between communications hardware based upon the initial locations of the communications hardware in the communications network is calculated. In one embodiment, the at least one calculation is displayed as a visualization on the defined map.
US07711366B1
Tools and techniques for providing seamless enterprise and consumer mobility are described. More particularly, the tools manage network connections between a communications device and two or more networks. A first network has a first type, and a second network has a second type different type than the first network. When the communications device is proximate the first network, a first device detection signal is generated. Also, a first presence signal is associated with the first network, and varies in response to a condition of a connection between the communications device and the first network. The first presence signal indicates whether the condition of the connection permits an ongoing communication to use the first network. When the condition of the connection does not permit the ongoing communication to continue using the first network, the communication is handed over to the second network.
US07711363B2
An apparatus and method provides for controlling communications from multiple base stations to a mobile station in a communication system. A mobile station transmitter transmits from the mobile station channel quality indicator data of a first base station. The data is covered with Walsh code assigned to the first base station. A base station receiver receives the transmission of the channel quality indicator data of the first base station. The mobile station transmitter punctures the transmission of the channel quality indicator data of the first base station with null channel quality indicator data, and covers the null channel quality data with Walsh code assigned to a second base station of the multiple base stations to indicate a desire to switch a source of transmission of traffic data from the first base station to the second base station.
US07711360B2
A method includes providing a first set of location data using a first coordinate system that corresponds to a first building and a second set of location data using a second coordinate system that corresponds to a second building. A third set of location data is generated from the first and second sets of location data by converting the first set of location data from the first coordinate system to a third coordinate system and converting the second set of location data from the second coordinate system to the third coordinate system.
US07711349B2
Apparatus, and an associated method, for automatically reporting on the occurrence of a vehicular emergency. A vehicular-positioned transceiver searches for the presence of a paired transceiver positioned in proximity to the vehicular-positioned transceiver. The paired transceiver, forming part of a mobile station operable in a cellular communication system, is identified and used upon the occurrence of the vehicular emergency automatically to generate a report message that is routed to a public safety access point.
US07711343B2
The present invention relates an RF tuner module that comprises one or more standard RF connectors. As, relative big, standard RF connectors are widely in use but at the same time there is a pressure to make products smaller an RF tuner module design is size constrained. The invention describes a measure to make an RF tuner module, with a standard RF-connector, smaller by extending one of the shielding sides of the RF tuner in order to facilitate a proper mounting of the RF connector to the RF tuner module.
US07711338B2
The present invention relates to a method for controlling a frequency in a receiver, in particular in a receiver used in a telecommunications system. To keep precise clock frequency even when the synchronization signal from base-station is missing the method comprises the steps of: determining a change of an internal reference oscillator frequency relative to the frequency of the received signal from a transmitting station, determining a frequency control value for controlling the internal reference oscillator frequency, storing at least one value indicating the change of the internal reference oscillator frequency, and controlling the internal reference oscillator frequency in accordance with the frequency control value, that has been determined either in accordance with the change of the internal reference oscillator frequency relative to the frequency of the received signal in case that the signal from the transmitting station has been received (S20), or in accordance with the stored value(s) indicating the change of the internal reference oscillator frequency in case that the received signal has been missed (S30).
US07711337B2
An embodiment of the present invention an apparatus, comprising an adaptive impedance matching module (AIMM) adapted to minimize the magnitude of an input reflection coefficient seen at an RFin port under boundary conditions of a variable load impedance ZL, a tuner connected to the AIMM and including a plurality of variable reactance networks with independent control signals, wherein node voltages are sampled within the tuner; and a microcontroller or digital signal processor (DSP) calculates complex reflection coefficient information from the sampled voltages, the microcontroller or DSP providing a coarse and fine tune function that feeds bias signals to control impedance matching.
US07711335B2
A receiver for receiving and processing digital satellite radio signals includes multiple antenna modules for receiving digital satellite radio signals, multiple processing circuits for converting digital satellite radio signals to low-IF or 0-IF signals, diversity circuitry for selecting from among multiple low-IF or 0-IF signals, and additional processing circuitry for extracting audio and/or data from the selected signals. The system also includes automatic and manual switches for selecting from among multiple antennas, and for reducing power consumption of antenna and processing circuitry.
US07711332B2
An antenna for suppressing harmonics of a signal transmitted from the antenna, the signal having a carrier with an imposed modulated data signal, the antenna including a modulator associated with a controlled variable impedance in series, the modulator being operable to modulate in accordance with the data signal, and being configured to produce a voltage across the antenna corresponding to a voltage provided by the controlled variable impedance.
US07711331B2
In a transmission power amplifier apparatus, a signal calculator divides an input signal into a plurality of N constant amplitude signals having a substantially identical predetermined constant amplitude value and having predetermined phases different from each other, and N power amplifiers amplify electric powers of the N constant amplitude signals under same predetermined operating condition. A power combiner combines the electric powers of the N power-amplified constant amplitude signals, and outputs a combined output signal. A controller controls the signal calculator to detect an amplitude value of the input signal, to detect an average value and one of a maximum value of the amplitude value of the input signal and a peak-to-peak value of the amplitude value for a unit time interval based on the detected amplitude value of the input signal, and to divide the input signal into the N constant amplitude signals having a constant amplitude value and different phases.
US07711329B2
An adaptive filter suitable for fabrication on an RF integrated circuit and used for transmit (TX) leakage rejection in a wireless full-duplex communication system is described. The adaptive filter includes a summer and an adaptive estimator. The summer receives an input signal having a TX leakage signal and an estimator signal having an estimate of the TX leakage signal, subtracts the estimator signal from the input signal, and provides an output signal having the TX leakage signal attenuated. The adaptive estimator receives the output signal and a reference signal having a version of the transmit signal, estimates the TX leakage signal in the input signal based on the output signal and the reference signal, and provides the estimator signal. The adaptive estimator may utilize an LMS algorithm to minimize a mean square error between the TX leakage signal in the input signal and the TX leakage signal estimate in the estimator signal.
US07711325B2
According to one embodiment, an electronic apparatus comprises a wireless communication device configured to conduct wireless communication with an external apparatus, a switch connected to a radio frequency circuit of the wireless communication device, and configured to couple an RF signal input and output port of the radio frequency circuit to one of a wireless communication antenna and a cable connected to the external apparatus, and a control module configured to control the switch to switch a mode of conducting communication with the external apparatus between a wireless communication mode and a wired communication mode, a wireless signal being transmitted and received between the external apparatus and the wireless communication device through the wireless communication antenna in the wireless communication mode, the wireless signal being transmitted and received between the external apparatus and the wireless communication device through the cable in the wired communication mode.
US07711323B2
A wireless communication apparatus that communicates data with an external wireless apparatus in a wireless communication range includes a controller and a wireless communication interface device is provided. The wireless communication interface device includes a transmitting unit that transmits response request data to the external wireless apparatus, a counter that counts time for determining whether or not a time limit for waiting for the response data has elapsed, a storage unit that stores the response data, a receiving unit that receives first response data from the external wireless apparatus and that instantaneously receives second response data without an instruction from the controller when the time limit has not elapsed, a frame length checking unit that checks a frame length of the received response data, and an error detector that performs error detection on the response data.
US07711321B2
A low profile mobile in-motion antenna and transmit/receive terminal system for two-way “VSAT” type satellite communication using FSS service, preferably in Ku band, supporting at the same time TV signal reception from the same satellite or a separate DBS satellite located at the same or nearby geo-stationary orbital position.
US07711320B2
A satellite communication system is disclosed which provides at least one satellite employing multiple beams to a plurality of user terminals. A gateway is employed to connect to either a PSTN or an Internet communicating with the user terminal over the constellation so that the users within a given frequency range are distinguished one from the other employing orthogonal codes. The user terminal has the capability of either initiating or receiving packet data messages.
US07711307B2
A cleaning device and a blade which is provided in the cleaning device and which has an edge portion to be pressed against a surface of a photoreceptor, so as to scrape toner are arranged so that: the blade includes (a) a blade main body constituting a main body portion of the blade and (b) a fluorocarbon resin layer formed in an edge portion, which is to make contact with the photoreceptor, of the blade main body, the fluorocarbon resin layer being made of a resin material, the resin material being filled in irregularities of a smooth surface of the blade main body. With this, even when the cleaning device is provided in a high-speed machine using small-particle toner with no corner, it is possible to extend the life of the photoreceptor without reducing a cleaning property.
US07711302B2
Disclosed is an image forming apparatus including: a sheet feeding tray to store a sheet; an image forming section to form an image on the sheet; a fusing section to fuse the image; a controlling section to perform cleaning of the fusing section when a sheet has been nipped in the fusing section at an occurrence of a jam by passing a sheet through the fusing section after the jam is relieved; an operating section to set an allowed condition of a sheet; and a memory section to store an allowed condition, wherein the controlling section determines whether the sheet feeding tray stores a sheet which satisfies the allowed condition, and when the sheet feeding tray stores the sheet which satisfies the allowed condition, selects the sheet feeding tray and controls the sheet feeding tray to feed the sheet and controls the fusing section to pass the sheet.
US07711301B2
An image transfer device provided in an image forming apparatus in which, employing an endless belt as an intermediate transfer member, image transfer is performed at nip positions of a primary transfer portion and secondary transfer portion. Generation of warp in the transferred image resulting from transmission of fluctuations in load and torque of the endless belt generated at the nip position of one transfer portion nip to the nip position of the other transfer portion is prevented. The endless belt is turned between rollers and the endless belt is individually driven at the primary transfer portion and secondary transfer portion by drive sources to generate deflection between the primary transfer portion and the secondary transfer portion.
US07711295B2
A toner cartridge has a control board mounted therein and an electrophotographic image forming apparatus using the same. The toner cartridge includes a toner tube having a mounting part on which a control board is mounted, a control board cover for covering the mounting part to mount the control board therein, and a sealing cover for sealing the toner tube.
US07711293B2
A toner bottle that is composed of a main part, a toner loading portion, a bottle cap that can hermetically close and open a toner loading opening in the toner loading portion, and a bottle-side toner discharge port. This toner bottle is constructed such that the bottle cap that encloses the toner loading opening has a locking projection which can limit the rotation in the loosening direction while the toner loading portion has a cap locking projection which will engage the locking projection and can limit the rotation in the loosening direction.
US07711280B2
An image forming apparatus comprising a fixation device having a heating part for heating and fixing a toner image formed on a recording medium is provided, which comprises a rotational velocity detecting part for detecting a rotational velocity of a conveyance roller for conveying the recording medium and a control part for estimating a surface temperature of the recording medium based on the rotational velocity of the conveyance roller detected by the rotational velocity detecting part, for estimating a temperature change of the heating part at a time of fixation based on the estimated surface temperature, and for determining a heating control variable of the heating part based on the temperature change.
US07711279B2
An image forming apparatus includes a rotatable image bearing member on which an electrostatic latent image is formed; a charging member for being supplied with a charging voltage which is a DC voltage not having an AC voltage component and for contacting the bearing member to electrically charge a surface of the bearing member using an electric discharge; a transfer member for transferring onto a transfer material a toner image formed on the surface of the bearing member by developing the electrostatic latent image, at a transfer position; wherein the charging potential of the charging member is different between when the charging member provides a first region with a potential and when the charging member provides a second region with a potential, thus providing a predetermined potential difference between the first region and the second region, and wherein the transfer member is not supplied with a voltage when the second region is at the transfer position, where the first region is a region on the image bearing member which has been charged by the charging member and which is to be an image forming region, and the second region is a region of the image bearing member which is a non-image-forming region in an immediately previous rotation of the image bearing member and which corresponds to the first region on the bearing member.
US07711277B2
A toner density estimating method for a two-component developer is provided. The toner density estimating method includes: sensing photo-reflectance of a test pattern having a plurality of grayscales formed by using toner; calculating a rate of change of the photo-reflectance according to the grayscales of the test pattern; and estimating a toner density based on the rate of change. Accordingly, it is possible to accurately estimate the toner density irrespective of the influence of changes in temperature, humidity, or other external factors.
US07711274B2
An image forming apparatus is provided which is capable of preventing a drop in productivity even if a consumable such as toner is not replenished as expected. The image forming apparatus has a feature of shifting to a mode of saving the consumable if an arrival time of the consumable is determined to be later than a time when the consumable needs to be replenished, on the basis of the shipping status information on the consumable obtained from a management server and the calculated time when the consumable needs to be replenished.
US07711267B2
In one implementation, a system detects that a fiber within a fiber optic cable has failed and automatically causes a location of a faulty portion of the fiber to be identified in response to the detecting. In another implementation, a central office includes a first optical patch panel operably coupled to an optical fiber and a second optical patch panel configured to couple the first optical patch panel to a test device. The optical fiber is automatically coupled to the test device in response to one or more signals from a remote management device.
US07711260B2
There is disclosed a digital camera which detects a focus of a lens unit by a method selected from a plurality of focus detection methods based on information on the lens unit taken from the lens unit attached to the digital camera. As an example of a focus detection method, there is a method by a phase difference system or a contrast system, but the method is not limited to this example.
US07711255B2
A camera-equipped portable terminal facilitating convenient transmission of taken photographs and method therefor are provided. The portable terminal has a display unit for displaying at least one input address, a camera module for taking one or more photographs of target objects, a wireless communication module for transmitting the photographs taken by the camera module to the input address through wireless communication, and a controller. The controller controls address display of the display unit, target-object image display of the camera module through the display unit in response to a photography mode command during display of the input address, a photograph-taking operation of the camera module in response to a photograph-taking command, and photograph transmission of the wireless communication module. As a result, photographs taken for transmission can be rapidly and conveniently transmitted to a destination address.
US07711254B2
A blur correction device is disclosed, which acquires a plurality of time-division images, each captured for a time-division exposure time having a period that is an integral multiple of an image reading cycle of an image pickup device, to generate a blur-corrected image from the plurality of time-division images. According to this blur correction device, since the exposure times for the plurality of time-division images are substantially continuous, an image in which the trajectory of a moving body is continuous can be obtained.
US07711247B2
With this invention, at least one of a video file containing video information, a still picture file containing still picture information, and an audio file containing audio information and a management file having management information on a control method of reproducing the information in the file are recorded on an information storage medium. This realizes a data structure that causes the recording and deleting places on the information storage medium to correspond spuriously to places on a single tape, such as a VTR tape. Use of the data structure provides users with an easy-to-use interface.
US07711246B2
With this invention, at least one of a video file containing video information, a still picture file containing still picture information, and an audio file containing audio information and a management file having management information on a control method of reproducing the information in the file are recorded on an information storage medium. This realizes a data structure that causes the recording and deleting places on the information storage medium to correspond spuriously to places on a single tape, such as a VTR tape. Use of the data structure provides users with an easy-to-use interface.
US07711243B2
Embodiments of methods and apparatus for recording at least two broadcast programs that are consecutive in time can consecutively record the plurality of programs (e.g., consecutively) on a recording medium without a process of creating and recording navigation information between programs. Navigation information for the recorded section can be created and recorded on the recording medium after the consecutive recording of the plurality of programs is completed. Such navigation information can consider the consecutive broadcast programs as a single entity or a plurality of individual entities (e.g., for play back).
US07711234B2
The housing of a telecommunications cabinet can be replaced without recabling the internal components by removing a panel arrangement from a cable access region of the cabinet to reveal an open end of the cable access region that is continuous with the open side of the cabinet. The frame is uncoupled from the cabinet and the cabinet is slid away from the internal components. The fiber optic cables pass through the open end of the cable access region and through the open side of the cabinet.
US07711225B2
A sample slide, launch system, and method for microscopy having a fiber insertion portal terminating within the sample slide and having a fiber insertion axis such that when an optical fiber is inserted within the fiber insertion portal the optical fiber is positioned so to deliver an EMR to a surface of the sample slide at a desired angle.
US07711221B2
The present invention discloses an optical device able to luminesce, whereby the optical device comprises, inter alia, a luminescent source that is directly or indirectly mechanically coupled to a low-order mode waveguide, such that light emitting from the luminescent source is optically coupled into the low-order mode waveguide. In embodiments of the invention, the distance D between point sources of the luminescent source and the waveguide is about equal to or smaller than the decay length of the exponential tails of the modes supported by the waveguide, thereby obtaining an optical coupling efficiency of at least 3%. Additional and alternative embodiments are claimed and disclosed.
US07711209B2
According to one embodiment, a first correlation calculator calculates a correlation between first pixel blocks, and detects as first reference pixels actual pixels contained respectively in the first pixel blocks with the highest correlation. A second correlation calculator calculates a correlation between second pixel blocks, and detects as second reference pixels actual pixels contained respectively in the second pixel blocks with the highest correlation. The first pixel blocks include pixels arranged in a plurality of rows and columns The second pixel blocks include pixels arranged in at least one row less than the rows of the first pixel blocks and a plurality of columns. An interpolation calculator calculates, when the first reference pixels are located perpendicular to the actual pixel lines, the pixel value of the interpolation pixel based on the second reference pixels.
US07711194B2
An image processing method includes: when performing quantization processing on pixel values of an image, regarding each pixel of a plurality of pixels of the image, calculating a quantization error value of the pixel, where the quantization error value corresponds to a difference between a quantized value of the pixel after the quantization processing for the pixel and an original value of the pixel before the quantization processing for the pixel; and adjusting original values of a plurality of neighboring pixels of the pixel before the quantization processing for the neighboring pixels according to the quantization error value, a plurality of weighted values, and a plurality of random numbers, where the plurality of weighted values respectively correspond to relative locations of the plurality of neighboring pixels with respect to the pixel.
US07711193B2
A facility is provided for recognizing blank and nearly blank images. In various embodiments, the facility receives an indication of an image, creates an analysis image based on the received image by detecting edges, determines an edge ratio for the analysis image, determines whether the edge ratio exceeds a threshold and, when the edge ratio does not exceed the threshold, identifies the received image as a blank image. The facility can include an edge detector component that creates an analysis image based on a selected image by detecting edges in the selected image, a calculator component that calculates an edge ratio for the analysis image, and an analysis component that determines whether the calculated edge ratio exceeds a threshold.
US07711167B2
A fissure detection method for lung lobe segmentation in 3D image data is disclosed. In this method, 3D lung image data is filtered using one or more filters based on at least one of planar structures coupled with vessel suppression, curvature computations, and local gradient magnitude and direction comparisons. Fissures are detected in the 3D lung image data based on the filtered 3D lung image data, and lung lobes are segmented from the 3D lung image data based on the detected fissures.
US07711163B2
A method and system for guiding imaging reading for colon screening includes scrolling through a succession of two dimensional (2D) cross-sectional images of a colon in respective image planes. A point of intersection with a current image plane with the centerline of the colon is marked in a first color in the current cross-sectional image. As the scrolling proceeds and a new current cross-sectional image in a respective image plane is observed. a new point of intersection is marked in the current cross-sectional image in the first color and the prior point of intersection is projected onto the new current cross-sectional image and marked in a second color.
US07711162B2
An exemplary method of combining two images to form a fused image is provided. A hierarchical structure for each of a plurality of volumes is built. All blocks in each of the hierarchical structures that intersect a slicing plane are found. Each of the plurality of volumes is divided into stacks of parallel slices, and the parallel slices are sorted by visibility order. A next slice in the sorted parallel slices is chosen. The next slice belongs to a current volume. Rendering parameters are changed if the current volume is different from a previous volume associated with the chosen slice in a previous iteration of the step of choosing the slice. Based on the rendering parameters, the next slice is rendered by intersecting the slicing plane with the blocks corresponding to the current volume. The steps of choosing the slice, changing the rendering parameters, and rendering the slice are repeated until all of the sorted parallel slices are rendered.
US07711161B2
Method and apparatus for determining the quality of alignment of a pair of volumes of data of medical images is disclosed. The method for validating the alignment includes selecting one or more points in the first volume and one or more points in the second volume, determining the average distance between the one or more points in the first volume and the one or more points in the second volume, determining a distortion category based on the average distance, determining an average noise level in the first and second volumes, and assigning a Q value indicative of the quality of the alignment based on the distortion category.
US07711160B2
A method, system, and apparatus of determining optimal viewing planes for cardiac image acquisition, wherein the method includes acquiring a set of sagittal, axial, and coronal images of a heart, where the axial and coronal images intersect with the sagittal image orthogonally, and where the heart has a natural axis and a left ventricle (“LV”) with a bloodpool, a bloodpool border, and an apex. The method also includes making a map of the bloodpool border, and using the map to create a full coordinate frame oriented along the natural axis.
US07711151B2
The invention provides a computer software means for determining physical characteristics of an unrestrained animal by enabling a user to interact with one or more images of the unrestrained animal on a graphical user interface connected to a computer. Using the graphical user interface, the user is able to designate piecewise linear and circumferential measurements of selected animal features on the one or more images. The computer software program receives one or more selected images of an unrestrained animal, displays the one or more images on the graphical user interface, receives a user designated animal type and calibration measurements of animal size indicia, receives user selected measurements of animal physical characteristic from the one or more images and adjusts the measurements based on the calibration measurements of animal physical size, and displays the selected images, adjusted and computed measurements and estimated measurement error on the graphical user interface.
US07711150B2
A system in a moving surveillance vehicle operates in background mode to capture images of license plates of neighboring moving vehicles, which may occupy lanes other than the lane in which the surveillance vehicle is moving. The images are used to determine the license plate numbers of the moving vehicles, which are then checked against a database to determine whether there are any potential law enforcement-related problems that require the attention of the operator. If so, the system alerts the operator using an audible tone, visual prompt, vibration, or in some other suitable manner. The entire process, including generation of the alert can occur autonomously of the operator.
US07711149B2
A computer-implemented method for indicating positions of and directions to battlefield entities in a soldier's head-mounted display using annotated arrows which indicate units both in and out of the soldier's field of view. The method includes a Unit Identifier (100) for associating units in aerial imagery with soldiers on the battlefield, a Commander Presenter (102) for presenting the aerial imagery and unit positions to a commander, a Unit Annotator (104) for enabling commanders to identify unknown units, and a Soldier Presenter (106) for identifying and labeling units that appear in a soldier's head-mounted display.
US07711147B2
A time-to-contact estimation device for estimating a time to contact of a moving body to an object in surroundings of the moving body, includes: an image sensor provided on the moving body, and continuously capturing time-varying images of the surroundings of the moving body; a brightness change calculation unit calculating brightness changes in pixels between the time-varying images captured one after another; and a time-to-contact calculation unit calculating optimized brightness gradients based on the brightness changes calculated by the brightness change calculation unit, and calculating the time to contact of the moving body to the object based on the optimized brightness gradients.
US07711139B2
[Problem to be Solved] To provide a digital information carrier which enables blending of cluster information carrier comprising of image objects joined together to other viewable content (a character, an image, background, etc.) of a document, to seamlessly unify a printed document and an electronic document when accessing the cluster information carrier by an image recognition means, such as partial scanning, and to perform a method for finding positional information and processing commutative with the written contents of the document without incorrect recognition at high speed and a method for recognition.[Solution Means] A digital information carrier comprising of a plurality of image objects as constituent elements, containing a cluster information carrier constituted by at least two image objects, and having bit data correlated to the relative relationship of at least two image objects concerned serving as configuration elements were used. In addition judgment conditions of whether the two image objects concerned serving as configuration elements constitute a cluster information carrier were correlated to the above-mentioned cluster information carrier. Furthermore, configuration of a logical block obtained by unifying a plurality of unit information carriers which are the minimum units at the time of decoding bit data from a digital information carrier was realized, and configuration of a new logical block was enabled by replacing at least one of the configuration elements of the concerned logical block with the above-mentioned unit information carrier adjacent to the logical block concerned.
US07711136B2
An electronic device includes a housing, a plurality of microphones, and a plurality of guide tubes. The plurality of microphones are disposed in the housing. The plurality of guide tubes extend from the housing toward the plurality of microphones, whereby the plurality of microphones in the housing receives external sound via the guide tubes.
US07711132B2
The object is to ensure that device signals intended, for example, to inform hearing aid wearers about program changes or the end of a battery's life are perceived independently of ambient noise. Provision is therefore made, for instance, for reducing the level of the input signal with the aid of a gain adjuster (12) so that a device signal from a generator (4) driven via a control element (6) such as, for example, a program-changing switch, and via a control logic (5) can be perceived. Other possible solutions are to change the level of the device signal as a function of the level of the input signal or to mute the input signal while the device signal is fed out.
US07711124B2
A method for attenuating the low-frequency noise generated at the outlet (18) of an exhaust line (14). A signal representing the noise to be attenuated is defined; a first high-frequency acoustic wave (F1) is emitted from a first transducer (22) into an attenuation region (26) of the exhaust line (14), the first acoustic wave having a carrier frequency higher than 50 kHz; and a second high-frequency acoustic wave (F1+Δfcb) is emitted by a second transducer (24) into the attenuation region (26) of the exhaust line, the second acoustic wave having the carrier frequency of the first high-frequency acoustic wave (F1) and containing a low-frequency counter-noise signal (Δfcb) which is out of phase with the signal representing the noise to be attenuated.
US07711118B2
The security system for a protected object comprises a first wireless module, a central controller, and a remote authorization server. The first wireless module and the central controller are disposed in the protected object. The first wireless module transmits an authorization request with an authorization ID (identification) of the protected object, and receives an authorization response. The central controller is coupled to the first wireless module, and allows the protected object to operate in accordance with the authorization response. The remote authorization server, responsive to the authorization request, generates the authorization response from an authorization record thereof in accordance with the authorization ID, and transmits the authorization response.
US07711115B2
A descrambler adapted as an integrated circuit (IC) according to one embodiment. The descrambler comprises a control word ladder logic to produce, among other data, a control word to descramble incoming scrambled content. The descrambler further comprises copy protection key ladder logic to recover a copy protection key for encrypting descrambled content before subsequent transmission to a digital device.
US07711114B2
A traitor tracing enabling system assigns sequence keys to a media player to enable better tracability with fewer actual variations in the content. The system comprises a technique for increasing a number of sequence keys, allowing a finer granularity in a traitor tracing process with little increase in sequence key storage or in bandwidth required to transmit sequence keys to a media player. The present system comprises a variation table which maps the sequence keys to the individual variations in the file, such that multiple sequence keys can be mapped to a single variation.
US07711111B2
A mobile phone at least includes a first back cover, a second back cover and a main body. The first back cover has a first fastening part on its inner wall. The second back cover has a first interfering part on its inner wall. The first back cover and the second back cover are assembled with the main body. The main body has a resilient hook including a resilient arm, a second fastening part and a second interfering part. One end of the resilient arm is fixed to the main body, and the second fastening part is provided on the other end of the resilient arm. The second interfering part is provided on the resilient arm. When the second back cover is separated from the main body, the first interfering part pushes against the second interfering part to drive the second fastening part to separate from the first fastening part.
US07711106B2
A system and method for adding contact information to a personal network address book is provided. Contact information is added to the address book by analyzing a billing database or call detail record in order to determine telephone numbers which meet predetermined criteria set by a user. Telephone numbers meeting the predetermined criteria are extracted and transferred to the user. The user is prompted for a nickname corresponding to each extracted telephone number. The nickname and the corresponding telephone number are then stored in the personal network address book. In a voice activated dialing system, the user is able to speak the nickname in order to initiate the dialing process.
US07711104B1
The present invention is directed to a system for tracking a contact center operation. The system includes a tracking agent 232 operable to (a) receive a notification indicating a change in agent focus from a first work item to a second work item; (b) determine whether the first work item involves a communication medium different from the second work item; and (c) when the first work item involves a communication medium different from the second work item, cause termination of a timer with respect to the servicing of the first work item and initiation of a timer with respect to the servicing of the second work item. The first and second work items are concurrently assigned for servicing to the agent.
US07711101B2
The present invention provides a technique for directly calling telephones via a shared telephone number, which telephones do not have telephone numbers in the address space of the Public Switched Telephone Network. This is particularly useful for visitors and guests who are, for example, temporarily at a hotel, school campus, or business.
US07711100B2
A system and method for controlling financial transactions is disclosed. A customer, using a wireless device, identifies a point of sale and the amount of a transaction at that point of sale is first communicated to a central service and then transmitted to the wireless device for display at the wireless device. The customer can either accept the transaction amount to complete the transaction or reject the amount to cancel the transaction. The customer may have to enter a password or personal identification number to verify the authorization to use the wireless financial system. The customer is billed for the transaction via credit, debit, ATM or other methods, such as the wireless carrier or an internet provider.
US07711094B1
A system including an IP device configured to provide registration data, a Service Bureau configured to store location information of the IP device and provide routing data based on location information of the IP device, location server configured to receive registration data from the IP device, and location database configured to store location information of the IP device, wherein the location server queries the location database to determine whether the registration data matches the location information stored at the location database.
US07711093B2
A set of telecommunications test plugs. A first test plug has a first test plug printed circuit board having circuit traces for establishing first predefined near end crosstalk between at least two of pairs of wires. The first predefined near end crosstalk is at a first level of a first defined range. A second telecommunications plug has a second printed circuit board having circuit traces for establishing a second predetermined level of near-end crosstalk. The circuit traces are positioned to establish second predefined near end crosstalk between at least two of pairs of wires. The second predefined near end crosstalk is at a second level of a second defined range.
US07711089B2
A visualization or imaging system involves inducing and/or detecting Compton scattered X-rays to provide information or a visual representation of a portion of an individual. In one approach, the Compton scattered X-rays are converted to a visible or detectible representations through scintillation.
US07711083B2
To enable an artifact free reconstruction even in the case of large regions of interest and with scanning paths of below 360°, provision is made for a method, with which a three-dimensional image volume is reconstructed from a number of two-dimensional projection images of a region of interest, which were recorded about the region of interest during a rotation of a recording system, comprising an x-ray source with a focal point and a detector, by calculating the gray scale values of the voxels of the image volume by back projection of the projection images, with which each two-dimensional projection images is composed in each instance from at least two individual projection images to form an extended two-dimensional projection image, with the respectively at least two individual projection images being recorded with a constant relative position between the focal point and the region of interest.
US07711081B2
A method is disclosed for compiling computer tomographic representations using a CT system with at least two angularly offset ray sources. A first ray cone with a relatively larger fan angle and a second ray cone with a relatively smaller fan angle scan an object circularly or spirally. The first ray cone generates a first dataset A and the second ray cone generates a dataset B. The dataset B of the smaller ray cone is supplemented with other data at the edge to give an expanded dataset B+ for reconstruction of the CT representation. The expanded dataset B+ of the second, smaller ray cone and the dataset A of the first, larger ray cone is subjected to a convolution operation to give datasets B+′ and A′. Finally, a back projection to reconstruct sectional images or volume data is respectively carried out from the convoluted datasets B+′ and A′. The dataset B is supplemented with data of the dataset A and supplementary data are removed from the dataset B+′ after the convolution but before the back projection.
US07711077B2
A method and a system for providing ISI compensation to an input signal in a bifurcated manner. ISI compensation is provided in two stages, a first stage compensates ISI components induced by characteristics of a transmitter's partial response pulse shaping filter, a second stage compensates ISI components induced by characteristics of a multi-pair transmission channel. First stage ISI compensation is performed in an inverse response filter having a characteristic feedback gain factor K, during system start-up. Second stage ISI compensation is performed by a single DFE in combination with a MDFE operating on tentative decisions output from a Viterbi decoder. As the DFE of the second stage reaches convergence, the feedback gain factor K of the first stage is ramped to zero.
US07711074B2
A synchronization extraction apparatus for a communication system and a method thereof are disclosed. A frame synchronization is obtained in a manner that the sum of an input signal and a delay signal is obtained without obtaining a simple correlation value between the input signal and the delay signal, and then a correlation value between a summed signal and the delay signal is obtained. The synchronization extraction apparatus and method can reduce the implementation complexity and power consumption in obtaining the frame synchronization, and thus increase the battery cycle of a terminal provided with the synchronization extraction apparatus or method.
US07711072B2
Baseband (BB) input units input baseband received signals. An initial weight data setting unit sets weighting coefficients to be utilized in the interval of a training signal as initial weighting coefficients. A gap compensating unit compensates control weighting coefficients with a gap error signal and outputs the updated weighting coefficients acquired as a result of the compensation. A weight switching unit selects the initial weighting coefficients in the interval of the training signal and selects the updated weighting coefficients in the interval of the data signal. Then the weight switching unit outputs the selected initial weighting coefficients and updated weighting coefficients as the weighting coefficients. A synthesizing unit weights the baseband received signals with the weighting coefficients and then sums them up.
US07711066B2
A multi-input-multi-output (MIMO) communications system is provided for conveying signals over a MIMO channel. The system includes a precoder for precoding a signal based upon a uniform channel decomposition scheme. The system further comprises a transmitter in communication with the precoder for conveying the precoded signal over a subchannel of the MIMO channel.
US07711064B2
In a multivalue modulation type with one pilot symbol inserted for every 3 or more symbols, signal points of each one symbol immediately before and after a pilot symbol are modulated using a modulation type different from that for pilot symbols. In this way, it is possible to suppress deterioration of the accuracy in estimating the reference phase and amount of frequency offset by pilot symbols and improve the bit error rate characteristic in the signal to noise ratio in quasi-coherent detection with symbols whose symbol synchronization is not completely established.
US07711060B1
Systems and techniques relating to processing multiple data streams transmitted over a wireless channel. In general, according to at least one implementation, a technique includes: obtaining multiple data streams to be transmitted over a wireless channel using spatially diverse transmission; and applying data rotations to respective data streams, in connection with interleaving the multiple data streams, where the applying includes using data rotation values with respective data streams such that the data rotation values plotted against stream indices correspond to a non-monotonic function. The data rotation values can be independent of a total number of the multiple data streams to be transmitted. The data rotation values can be fixed constants. The same data rotation values can be used with respective data streams irrespective of a selected frequency band. The data rotations can include subcarrier rotations. The data rotations can include column rotations.
US07711056B2
A transmitting and receiving arrangement as well as a method for transmission of monitoring and/or payload data in a transmitting and receiving arrangement for a wirefree communications system has a device which processes baseband for processing digital signals to form a baseband signal and a device which processes radio frequency for conversion of the baseband signal to a radio frequency signal. Monitoring and/or payload data are/is transmitted in the form of data packets via at least one channel of a channel-oriented link between the device which processes baseband and the device which processes radio frequency.
US07711049B2
A method for fast macroblock mode decision is disclosed. The method includes: (A) determining if a motion cost at the origin (0, 0) or a prediction motion vector (PMV) for a 4n*4n macroblock is smaller than a first threshold; (B) if the motion cost is smaller than the first threshold, determining a macroblock mode as 4n*4n and ending the method; (C) if the motion cost is not smaller than the first threshold, using an adaptive diversity search strategy to perform motion estimation on four 2n*2n blocks associated with the 4n*4n macroblock; (D) determining if all motion costs of the four 2n*2n blocks in step (C) are smaller than a second threshold; and (E) if step (D) determines that the motion costs of the four 2n*2n blocks are smaller than the second threshold, determining the macroblock mode as 2n*2n and ending the method.
US07711046B2
Blocks in two different frames are subjected to Hadamard transform by first and second Hadamard transform circuits, and a sum component and a difference component are calculated for the components of the two blocks corresponding to each other to perform three-dimensional Hadamard transform, so that detection is made as to whether or not these blocks include a motion. While the sum component and the difference component are encoded for the block determined as including a motion, a motion detection result, rather than the difference component, is encoded for the block determined as including no motion. As a result, a high compression ratio can be achieved in video encoding with a small-scale circuit.
US07711042B2
A second-order Volterra filter has a quadratic section including a plurality of multiplication units that multiply a first input signal with a second input signal. One of the multiplication units employs a signal not delayed from the first input signal, as the second input signal. A remaining one of the multiplication units employs a signal delayed a preset time from the first input signal, as the second input signal. The one of the multiplication units includes a multiplier that multiplies the signal output from the one of the multiplication units and a signal output from each of one or more delay units, each with a preset coefficient. A step gain parameter for updating each preset coefficient of a multiplier of the remaining one of the multiplication units is twice a step gain parameter for updating each preset coefficient of the multiplier of the one of the multiplication units.
US07711039B2
A transceiver module can share a common connector with a rechargeable battery connection. The transceiver module can be protected from the high voltages applied by a battery charger. Determining when the voltage applied at a connector exceeds a reference voltage and electrically decoupling the transceiver module from the connector when the reference voltage is exceeded can protect the transceiver module. The reference voltage can be set at a level so that the transceiver is decoupled from the connector when the voltage at the connector reaches a voltage that is unsafe for the transceiver.
US07711034B2
A wireless communication system (10). The system comprises a user station (12). The user station comprises despreading circuitry (22) for receiving and despreading a plurality of slots received from at least a first transmit antenna (A121) and a second transmit antenna (A122) at a transmitting station (14). Each of the plurality of slots comprises a first channel (DPCH) comprising a first set of pilot symbols and a second channel (PCCPCH) comprising a second set of pilot symbols. The user station further comprises circuitry (50) for measuring a first channel measurement (α1,n) for each given slot in the plurality of slots from the first transmit antenna and in response to the first set of pilot symbols in the given slot. The user station further comprises circuitry (50) for measuring a second channel measurement (α2,n) for each given slot in the plurality of slots from the second transmit antenna and in response to the second set of pilot symbols in the given slot. The user station further comprises circuitry (52) for measuring a phase difference value (φ2(n)) for each given slot in the plurality of slots in response to the first channel measurement and the second channel measurement for the given slot and in response to a ninety degree rotation of the given slot relative to a slot which was received by the despreading circuitry immediately preceding the given slot.
US07711023B2
A semiconductor laser device has a multilayer structure including a first clad layer, an active layer, and a second clad layer stacked successively on a semiconductor substrate in order of increasing distance from the semiconductor substrate. At least one of the first clad layer and the second clad layer has a compressive distortion with respect to the semiconductor substrate. At least one of the first clad layer and the second clad layer includes a semiconductor layer having a tensile distortion with respect to the semiconductor substrate.
US07711018B2
The luminance of a laser diode is a function of laser diode drive current. The luminance is also a function of other factors, such as age and temperature. A laser projection device includes laser diodes to generate light in response to a commanded luminance, and also includes photodiodes to provide a measured luminance. The commanded luminance and measured luminance are compared, and drive currents for the laser diodes are adjusted to compensate for changes in laser diode characteristics.
US07711013B2
A modular ultrafast pulse laser system is constructed of individually pre-tested components manufactured as modules. The individual modules include an oscillator, pre-amplifier and power amplifier stages, a non-linear amplifier, and a stretcher and compressor. The individual modules can typically be connected by means of simple fiber splices.
US07711012B2
The yield of a semiconductor device is improved which has a large-scale logic circuit or which has both a logic circuit and a memory. A basic circuit block is provided with an input/output circuit. A transmission line and a branch line connect the input/output circuits so that information can be exchanged through the input/output circuits between one basic circuit block and another basic circuit block. The memory in each basic circuit block or in each input/output circuit can be programmed from the outside to designate the destination of a signal. By thus changing the program in the memory, the transmission destination of a signal can be changed to give various functions efficiently with a limited circuit scale. Moreover, if a basic circuit block fails another basic circuit block substitutes for it to improve the yield drastically.
US07711011B2
A play-out apparatus and method for switching a channel in a digital multimedia broadcasting receiver are provided which can decrease a delay occurring in a channel switching time. A demultiplexer demultiplexes a signal received from a transmitter and outputs video data. A time stamp adapter changes a time stamp for indicating a play-out time of the video data such that the video data can be immediately output from a playback buffer without a Coder-Decoder (CODEC) delay, and outputs the video data including the changed time stamp. The playback buffer buffers and outputs the video data output from the time stamp adapter according to the changed time stamp. A video decoder decodes and outputs the video data output from the playback buffer according to the changed time stamp. A display unit plays the decoded video data out.
US07711006B2
A data merge unit is provided for providing an interleaved data stream, the data stream including data frames received on two or more input channels, wherein data frames from each of the two or more input channels are arranged in time-slots of the interleaved data stream. The data merge unit comprises an input unit to receive data frames from two or more input channels, a frame merge buffer arranged to receive data frames from the two or more input channels via the input unit and store said data frames; and, an output generator to generate the interleaved data stream, the output generator being configured to select complete data frames from the frame merge buffer and arrange said complete data frames in the interleaved data stream.
US07710993B1
A method is provided for pseudo wire processing in a packet forwarding device in which a packet is processed based on whether the ports through which the packet is transmitted are real or pseudo wire ports. The inbound and outbound port information is encoded using a predefined range of index values such that index values falling within one range of values are used for passing real port information, and index values falling within another range of values are used for passing pseudo wire port information. The index values are used in a manner that facilitates efficient performance of pseudowire processing for the packets in the switch fabric component of the packet forwarding device.
US07710990B2
A receive queue provided in a computer system holds work completion information and message data together. An InfiniBand hardware adapter sends a single CQE+message data to the computer system that includes the completion information and data. This information is sufficient for the computer system to receive and process the data message, thereby providing a highly scalable low latency receiving mechanism.
US07710981B2
In one embodiment, a system is configured to generate a time reference where the system includes a bi-directional loop configured to have a first propagation speed in a first direction and a second propagation speed in a second direction, wherein the first propagation speed is substantially equal to the second propagation speed. In one embodiment, the system further includes a plurality of system elements coupled to the bi-directional loop, wherein each respective system element of the plurality of system elements is configured to determine a time reference common to each as an average arrival time at the respective system element of a first signal transmitted in the first direction over the bi-directional loop and a second signal transmitted in the second direction over the bi-directional loop.
US07710977B2
A mobile communications base station has a service quality detection unit that monitors and measures communication qualities of wireless terminals currently located in the service area, and a packet classification unit that classifies packets addressed to the wireless terminals into two or more groups based on the measured communication qualities. The base station also has a buffering delay measuring unit that measures buffering delay of the packets for each of the groups. A transmission priority detection unit of the base station determines the order of priority for transmitting the packets based on the measured buffering delay in comparison with a prescribed threshold value. A resource allocation unit of the base station allocates the radio resources to the packets based on the order of priority to transmit the packets to the associated wireless terminals.
US07710966B1
Routing nodes in communications networks use policies and certain fields, called selection fields, in packet headers to make routing decisions. When routing over a trunk, a specific trunked link over which to forward a packet must be selected. Policies and selection fields can be used in a way that causes the packets in data streams to be distributed more evenly across the trunked links than is currently done.
US07710960B2
Data packets transmitted over a wireless network are suppressed by hardware at the transmitting end and expanded on the receiving end. This conserves bandwidth as well as reduces the processing resource requirements in both the subscriber station and the base station. An extended header element is added to a data packet that is to be transmitted over the wireless network. The extended header element contains an index that is used along with an identifier to access a rule. The rule is used to determine which bytes are to be suppressed at the transmitter and expanded at the receiver.
US07710959B2
A source endpoint connected via a Virtual Local Area Network to a first access port and a destination endpoint connected to a second access port. Two or more network processing devices indirectly connected through a backplane interconnect to transmit data between the source and destination endpoints according to a protected port status of the first and second access ports.
US07710954B2
A method of handling data packets in a series of network switches includes receiving an incoming data packet at a data port of a first switch of the series of network switches. A module id bitmap of the incoming data packet is resolved and a bit corresponding to the first switch of the module id bitmap is examined to determine if the bit is set. A destination address of the incoming data packet is resolved when the corresponding bit is set and the incoming data packet is forwarded or dropped based on the destination address. When the corresponding bit is not set, the incoming data packet is forwarded to a next switch of the series of network switches. A network switch configured to allow for cascading of data packets is also disclosed.
US07710953B2
The invention includes an apparatus and method for switching packets through a switching fabric. The apparatus includes a plurality of input ports and output ports for receiving arriving packets and transmitting departing packets, a switching fabric for switching packets from the input ports to the output ports, and a plurality of schedulers controlling switching of packets through the switching fabric. The switching fabric includes a plurality of virtual output queues associated with a respective plurality of input-output port pairs. One of the schedulers is active during each of a plurality of timeslots. The one of the schedulers active during a current timeslot provides a packet schedule to the switching fabric for switching packets through the switching fabric during the current timeslot. The packet schedule is computed by the one of the schedulers active during the current timeslot using packet departure information for packets departing during previous timeslots during which the one of the schedulers was active and packet arrival information for packets arriving during previous timeslots during which the one of the schedulers was active.
US07710952B1
A network device includes one or more processing units and an external memory. Each of the one or more processing units includes a centralized counter configured to perform accounting for the respective processing unit. The external memory is associated with at least one of the one or more processing units and is configured to store a group of count values for the at least one processing unit.
US07710951B2
The invention relates to a signaling method for a network system. In this solution, a common analog read signal is fed via a signaling channel to all nodal units under control of a control unit. The read signal is modified by modification means units at each nodal unit for identification of the nodal unit and data indicating the state of each nodal unit is added to the read signal. In the control unit, the state of each nodal unit is determined based on the modification made and the read signal.
US07710941B2
A method for restitution of data flows or data packets transmitted over a network, using at least two restitution appliances that are at least indirectly connected to the network, for a synchronized and error-free restitution. To synchronize the restitution by the at least two restitution appliances, either one of the restitution appliances, as the master, provides its internal clock as the reference, and the other restitution appliances, as the slaves, coordinate their internal clock with that of the master by the network and restitute the data flows or data packets according to the coordinated clock, or the internal clock of an external appliance also available on the network is used as the master, and all restitution appliances, as the slaves, co-ordinate their internal clock with that of the master by the network, and restitute the data flows or data packets according to the coordinated clock.
US07710938B2
A check is carried out for those stored transport formats which have been declared as being temporarily permissible by a mobile radio base station to determine whether these transport formats satisfy a selection criterion which is specific to that mobile radio device. The transport format used for data transmission is selected exclusively from those transport formats which satisfy the selection criterion which is specific to that mobile radio device.
US07710934B2
A method and apparatus for keeping information included in routing tables consistent throughout a wireless network are provided. The method includes enabling a mesh access point to generate data and transmit the data, gathering a plurality of pieces of information about a plurality of stations associated with the mesh access point, classifying the plurality of pieces of information into a plurality of blocks, generating a checksum for each of the blocks, and transmitting the checksum.
US07710927B2
A method for using a wireless digital base station to receive, process and transmit a plurality of communications having independent data rates establishing a first communication channel having a first data communication rate to support a first communication; determining the data rate required to support the first communication; selecting one or more transmission channels, from a plurality of available transmission channels, required to support said required data rate; and transmitting the first communication using one or more selected transmission channels. The plurality of available transmission channels includes at least one B or D channel.
US07710918B2
A pilot designing method in an uplink OFDMA system is provided. In the uplink OFDMA system, communications are carried out in a frame divided into time-frequency lattices, and each time-frequency lattice includes a plurality of data symbol periods and a plurality of pilot symbol periods intermittently arranged with respect to the data symbol periods. The frame is divided into a plurality of blocks. The blocks are allocated to the terminals. A predetermined allocated pilot time-frequency lattice is shared between adjacent terminals.
US07710916B2
A method of establishing connection between a first mobile station (MS) and a second MS in a mobile communication system is disclosed. More specifically, the method includes transmitting to at least one base station (BS) a service message which includes information of at least one service type supported by the first MS and the second MS. Here the at least one service type relates to a multimedia service supported by each of the first MS and the second MS. Furthermore, the method includes transmitting a request message which includes information of at least one service type selected by the first MS, receiving a response message which includes information of the selected service type which is supported by both the first MS and a second MS, and transmitting a connection complete message between the first MS and the second MS for communication using the selected service type.
US07710915B2
A system and method are provided for managing information in a wireless network. The information can be utilized during handoff of a client from an access point to an access point. The method includes a first frame being generated and transmitted by the client to the access point through the access point. The frame includes a request for the information, wherein the information includes at least a target beacon transmission time (TBTT) of the access point. The method also includes the client receiving a second frame containing the information from the access point through the access point.
US07710910B2
A wireless base station that performs data communication using a plurality of sub carriers, and repeatedly generates frame patterns comprising one combination or more of at least two types of frames in which the number of common pilots in each is different, and transmits data for mobile terminals having poor receiving quality in a frame having a large number of common pilots, and transmits data for mobile terminals having good receiving quality in a frame having a small number of common pilots.
US07710909B2
A wireless communications system employs code-division multiple access information transmission techniques where the uplink and downlink transmission bandwidths are unequal. The higher bandwidth is an integer multiple of the lower bandwidth. The present system requires a base station and a subscriber unit to have two pseudo-random code generators which can be clocked separately. Alignment of the uplink and downlink pseudo-random spreading codes is achieved by truncating the code sequence for the lower speed link at the conclusion of a complete code sequence for the higher speed link.
US07710905B2
A method and system for link latency determination in a Mobile IP network determine an unloaded network delay; set a current estimated delay; initiate a current round trip estimation process; and set a retry timer. If the retry timer expires before the process completes, the method and system update the predetermined backoff period and repeat the preceding two steps. After re-registration, the method and system reset the current estimated delay time. The link latency determination optimizes the re-registration process between a mobile device and an agent device, thereby enhancing mobile device communications, minimizing network loading, and optimizing network traffic levels.
US07710901B2
Ethernet provider backbone transport (PBT) paths are controlled utilizing Generalized Multi-protocol Label Switching (GMPLS) signaling protocol. A path between edge nodes is identified by a combination of a VID and destination MAC address in a VID/MAC tuple populated in the forwarding tables of intermediary nodes. To establish the PBT path, a path calculation is performed from the originator node to the terminator node through the network. The originating node then sends a GMPLS label object with a suggested VID/MAC to identify the path to the terminator. The intermediary nodes or bridges forward the object to the terminating node. The terminating node then offers a VID/MAC tuple in a GMPLS label object in response. When the intermediary nodes forward the response from the terminating node to the originator, the appropriate forwarding labels are then installed in the forwarding tables of each node utilizing the associated VID/MAC tuples.
US07710898B2
Embodiments of the invention provide a method and an apparatus for automatic verification of a zone configuration of a plurality of network switches. In one method embodiment, the present invention accesses an actual zone configuration comprising a plurality of network switching devices, the actual zone configuration for defining the switching devices which are actually part of the zone. Additionally, a machine-readable map of the network is accessed, the map providing a pre-determined zone configuration defining the switching devices which should be part of the zone. An automatic verification is performed, wherein the verification verifies that the actual zone configuration of network switching devices correlates with the pre-determined zone configuration defined by the machine-readable map.
US07710887B2
The present disclosure provides a method for providing network protection. A method according to one embodiment may include detecting an infected data packet at an in-line device. The method may further include receiving a first instruction from the in-line device at a central management server, the instruction identifying the origin of the infected data packet. The method may also include receiving a marking instruction from the central management server at an infected endpoint device and marking outgoing data packets at the infected endpoint device to create marked data packets. Of course, many alternatives, variations and modifications are possible without departing from this embodiment.
US07710879B2
The present invention provides a system and method for improving the quality of real-time multimedia sessions wherein each endpoint of a real-time packet stream transmits (1) feedback reports that describe the quality of the stream received by the endpoint and (2) forward reports that are based on the feedback reports received by the endpoint and that describe the quality of the stream received by the other, remote endpoint. The forward reports are used by routers to re-route packets around problems in the network that are located between the router and the remote endpoint.
US07710859B2
A fault-tolerant router includes first and second router matrix card. The first and second router matrix cards receive a common set of 4n parity encoded input digital audio data streams and respectively generates therefrom, first and second sets of M output digital audio streams. As the first and second sets of data streams propagate along the first and second router matrix cards, respectively, one or more health bits are set whenever an error or other type of fault condition is detected. First and second parity check circuits are configured to detect parity errors and/or assess the relative health of the first and second sets of data streams and one of the two sets of data streams is selected as the output of the fault-tolerant router based upon either the parity error analysis, health analysis or both.
US07710858B1
A FFT module for a baseband processor of a receiver includes an input for receiving a timing window correction signal. In response to the timing window correction signal the FFT module adjusts a timing window for processing groups of samples within an input queue of the FFT module.
US07710857B2
A method and system for coherent detection in which an OFDM symbol is multiplied by the complex conjugate of the previous OFDM symbol, which is obtained by one OFDM symbol delay and a complex conjugation circuit. This soft decision is passed through a QPSK slicer to obtain a hard decision. The soft decision is then divided by the hard decisions. The channel phase change between the two OFDM symbols is then obtained. For the first OFDM symbol, the channel is computed. A channel estimate for each ODFM symbol is computed from corresponding channel estimates and channel phase difference estimates. The channel phase difference between each two OFDM symbols is computed. The channel phase difference is passed through an exponent operation and multiplied by the soft decision to obtain a refined soft decision that is then passed through another QPSK slicer to obtain the final hard decision.
US07710856B2
In at least some embodiments, a system may comprise one or more devices configurable to communicate according to a first protocol that implements a first data packet, and one or more devices configurable to communicate according to a second protocol that implements a second data packet having a predetermined quadrature component. The one or more devices configurable to communicate according to the second protocol associate detection of the predetermined quadrature component with a function that is not supported by the one or more devices that communicate according to the first protocol.
US07710855B2
The present invention relates to an optical recording medium containing a first substrate, a first information layer, an intermediate layer, a second information layer and a second substrate in this order, wherein the first information layer contains a first recording layer disposed on the first substrate and the second information layer contains a reflective layer, a second recording layer containing an organic dye and a protective layer which are disposed on the second substrate in this order; and the second recording layer contains an organic dye which is at least one elected from the group consisting of the specified squarylium metal chelate compounds.
US07710852B2
An optical disc according to the present invention includes a plurality of recording layers; a receiving section for receiving, from outside an optical disc, a switching instruction for switching a target layer to be targeted for recording or reproducing information among the plurality of the recording layers; and a switching section for switching the target layer among the plurality of recording layers, based on the switching instruction received.
US07710851B2
A variable gain amplifier (203: VGA) for amplifying an amplitude of a signal extracted by a pickup (202), an A/D converter (204) for converting the amplified signal into digital, and an amplitude detecting circuit (206) for detecting amplitude information from the digital information, are provided. A gain control circuit (205) for calculating a control value for the VGA (203) is calculated from the detected amplitude information, and an envelope generating circuit (207) for executing an operation of absorbing transfer characteristics of the VGA (203) from the control value for the VGA (203) and the amplitude information, are provided to generate an envelope extracted by the pickup (202). When the characteristics of the VGA (203) vary, a degree of the variation is calculated from the amplitude information of the signal extracted by the pickup (202) and amplitude information obtained by fixing the control value for the VGA (203), and characteristic correction is executed.
US07710850B2
A data reproducing method reproducing data recorded in a super resolution information storage medium in a form of marks having magnitudes less than a resolving power of an incident light beam, and an apparatus thereof. The data reproducing method includes irradiating a first beam having a resolving power causing a super resolution phenomenon and a second beam having a resolving power not causing a super resolution phenomenon into different places on the information storage medium, detecting a first reproduction signal based on the first beam and a second reproduction signal based on the second beam, and compensating for and calculating a temporal delay between the first reproduction signal and the second reproduction signal. Therefore, a signal reflected from a peripheral area of a reproduction beam spot other than a super resolution area can be excluded, thereby improving reproduction signal characteristics.
US07710837B2
A label side of a light-scribe optical disc includes a control feature zone recording therein reference information of the optical disc and a label zone to be marked based on the reference information. An optical head is moved in the label zone to determine a first FE gain and a first sub-beam addition (SBAD) signal by way of focusing servo technology. The optical head is further moved in the control feature zone to determine a second SBAD Signal. The first and second SBAD signals are operated to obtain a ratio. The ratio is used with the first FE gain to estimate a second FE gain for accessing to the control feature zone.
US07710824B1
A system is provided for location monitoring. The system includes an event sensor and a sonar sensor in communication with the event sensor. The event sensor detects an event at a location. The sonar sensor determines a presence at the location.
US07710817B2
A semiconductor memory device includes: a modulation controller for generating a modulation control signal for controlling a frequency modulation operation; a delay locked loop (DLL) circuit for performing a delay locking operation to generate first and second DLL clocks and outputting a frequency-modulated DLL clock in response to the modulation control signal; and a data strobe signal generator for outputting the frequency-modulated DLL clock as a data strobe signal.
US07710812B2
A semiconductor memory device includes memory cells; word lines connected to gates of the cells; n bit lines connected to the memory cells; sense amplifiers connected to the bit lines; refresh cells provided to correspond to the word lines, respectively, and provided to correspond to k bit lines, where k is a natural number smaller than n, one of the refresh cells storing therein refresh data indicating whether to perform a refresh operation on k memory cells out of the plural memory cells connected to a corresponding word line out of the plural word lines and connected to the k bit lines, respectively; a refresh sense amplifier reading the refresh data; and a refresh selection part provided to correspond to the refresh sense amplifier, and selecting whether to perform the refresh operation on the k memory cells according to the refresh data read by the refresh sense amplifier.
US07710810B2
A device can be used for refreshing memory contents of first and second memory cells. The memory contents of the first memory cells are refreshed in a first period of time and the memory contents of the second memory cells are refreshed in a second period of time. A pre-charge circuit is provided for bit lines for the first memory cells and the second memory cells. A controller may be coupled to the pre-charge circuit to control the pre-charge circuit such that a pre-charge voltage may be applied to the bit lines of the first memory cells during the first period of time and not during the second period of time and that the pre-charge voltage may be applied to the bit lines of the second memory cells during the second period of time and not during the first period of time.
US07710809B2
A method for driving a semiconductor memory device, includes initializing first data corresponding to a refresh time of each corresponding row included in a cell array; storing second data corresponding to column data included in the first row after entering a self refresh mode; setting the first data corresponding to the first row by detecting the refresh time of the first row while performing refresh operations on the other rows in the cell array according to a refresh period selected based on the corresponding first data for predetermined refresh cycles, wherein the refresh operation is not performed on the first row during the predetermined refresh cycles; restoring the second data to the first row; and repeating the above steps for the other rows to thereby set the corresponding first data until the setting step is completed for all rows or the self refresh mode expires.
US07710794B2
A semiconductor memory device can a desired internal clock in consideration of a delay time of an actual clock/data path. The semiconductor memory device includes a multiclock signal generating unit configured to receive a reference clock signal and generate a plurality of clock signals having a constant phase difference from each other, a delay modeling unit configured to generate a plurality of delay clock signals by reflecting a delay time of an actual clock/data path to the plurality of clock signals, a selection signal generating unit configured to generate selection signals by comparing phases between the reference clock signal and the plurality of delay clock signals, and a phase multiplexing unit configured to output any one of the plurality of clock signals as a final clock signal in response to the selection signals.
US07710792B2
Disclosed is a semiconductor device comprising: a signal selecting circuit for receiving, at first and second inputs thereof, respectively, a first signal output from a first initial-stage circuit that receives a data strobe signal from a first terminal, which is an input/output terminal, and a second signal output from a second initial-stage circuit that receives a data mask signal from a second terminal, which is an input terminal, and based upon a control signal that is supplied thereto, outputting the first and second signals from first and second outputs or interchanging the first and second signals and outputting the interchanged first and second signals from the second and first outputs; a buffer circuit for receiving an output signal from a third initial-stage circuit that receives a data signal from a data terminal; and a data latch circuit for latching a signal from the buffer circuit. The signal from the first output of the signal selecting circuit is supplied to the data latch circuit as a latch timing signal.
US07710790B2
A semiconductor memory device comprise a word line, a bit line intersecting the word line, a memory element arranged at intersections of the word line and the bit line and having different required time for a write operation according to a logical value of write data, a write driver supplying a write current to the bit line, a write control circuit controlling operations of the write driver, and a timing signal generation circuit supplying a timing signal to the write control circuit. The timing signal has a waveform including a pulse indicating a time of starting supplying the write current when a first logical level is to be written, a pulse indicating a time of ending supplying the write current if the first logical level is to be written, and a pulse indicating one of a time of starting supplying the write current and a time of ending supplying the write current when a second logical level is to be written.
US07710787B2
A method for erasing an EEPROM cell which reduces the need for monitoring algorithms. The potential at the erase gate is initially raised and the potential at the control gate is lowered to cause FN tunneling through the erase gate. A subsequent soft programming step is employed to raise the potential at the control gate to a value sufficient to cause FN tunneling to start though the oxide of the transistor. A new memory device structure suitable for practicing this method employs a transistor having a floating gate, where a data value is stored as charged on the floating gate; a control gate; a control gate capacitor coupling the control gate to the floating gate; an erase gate; an erase gate capacitor coupling the erase gate to the floating gate; and an erase control circuit.
US07710786B2
A method of charging a floating gate in a nonvolatile memory cell comprises bringing a substrate channel within the memory cell to a first voltage, bringing a control gate to a programming voltage, and floating the substrate channel voltage while the control gate is at the programming voltage. Memory devices include state machines or controllers operable to perform the described method, and operation of such a state machine, memory device, and information handling system are described.
US07710783B2
A method for operating a nonvolatile memory and related circuit are applied to a nonvolatile memory of an RFID tag. The operating method is for repeatedly performing a program procedure on the nonvolatile memory at least twice, and then performing an verification procedure on the nonvolatile memory.
US07710782B2
A data sensing method for sensing data stored in first and second memory cells includes the steps of: setting a first voltage according to a bit-line voltage corresponding to the first memory cell in response to an enabled level of a first clock signal; providing the first voltage as a sensing voltage in response to a disabled level of the first clock signal; comparing the sensing voltage with a reference voltage to generate a first output voltage; setting a second voltage according to a bit-line voltage corresponding to the second memory cell in response to an enabled level of a second clock signal, a phase difference between the first and second clock signals being 180 degrees; providing the second voltage as the sensing voltage in response to a disabled level of the second clock signal; and comparing the sensing voltage with the reference voltage to generate a second output voltage.
US07710781B2
A wireless device that includes a memory device having an engine to execute a voting algorithm to average a memory cell data sensing result over time to provide a charge placement in the memory cell.
US07710779B2
A nonvolatile semiconductor memory includes: a memory cell unit including a plurality of memory cells having an electric charge accumulation layer and a control electrode, said memory cells being electrically connected in series; a plurality of word lines, each of which is electrically connected to said control electrode of said plurality of memory cells; a source line electrically connected to said memory cells at one end of said memory cell unit; a bit line electrically connected to said memory cells at the other end of said memory cell unit; and a control signal generation circuit, which during a data readout operation staggers a timing for selecting the word line connected to said memory cells of said memory cell unit from a timing for selecting a non-selected word line connected to a non-selected memory.
US07710778B2
An embodiment of a flash memory device with NAND architecture, including a matrix of data storage memory cells each one having a programmable threshold voltage, wherein the matrix is arranged in a plurality of rows and columns with the memory cells of each row being connected to a corresponding word line and the memory cells of each column being arranged in a plurality of strings of memory cells, the memory cells in each string being connected in series, the strings of each column being coupled to a reference voltage distribution line distributing a reference voltage by means of a first selector, wherein each string further includes at least one first shielding element interposed between the memory cells of the string and said first selector, the first shielding element being adapted to shield the memory cells from electric fields that, in operation, arise between the string of memory cells and the first selector.
US07710766B2
Apparatus and methods are disclosed that enable writing data on, and reading data of, multi-state elements having greater than two states. The elements may be made of magnetoplastic and/or magnetoelastic materials, including, for example, magnetic shape-memory alloy or other materials that couple magnetic and crystallographic states. The writing process is preferably conducted through the application of a magnetic field and/or a mechanical action. The reading process is preferably conducted through atomic-force microscopy, magnetic-force microscopy, spin-polarized electrons, magneto-optical Kerr effect, optical interferometry or other methods, or other methods/effects. The multifunctionality (crystallographic, magnetic, and shape states each representing a functionality) of the multi-state elements allows for simultaneous operations including read&write, sense&indicate, and sense&control. Embodiments of the invention may be used, for example, for storing, modifying, and accessing data for device, sensor, actuator, logic and memory applications. Embodiments may be particularly effective for non-volatile memory or other read&write, sense&indicate, and/or sense&control functions in computer or other applications; such simultaneous operation of two (or more) of said multiple functionalities open new pathways for miniaturization of devices.
US07710763B2
An SRAM device that includes an array of SRAM cells arranged in rows and columns. The SRAM device also includes a word line associated with at least one row, the word line operable to control access to cells in the row for both read and write. In addition, the SRAM device includes a write bit-line associated with at least one column operable to provide input to the cells in the column for write. Furthermore, the SRAM device includes a read bit-line associated with the column operable to receive output from cells in the column.
US07710760B2
A method and apparatus for charging large capacitances of a circuit, such as an integrated circuit, without imparting noise on an operating voltage. A comparator compares a reference voltage to a voltage representing the voltage on the capacitance and a multiplexer routes one of an external voltage or an operating voltage derived from said external voltage to charge the capacitance depending on the output of the comparator.
US07710759B2
A nonvolatile ferroelectric memory device includes a plurality of memory cells connected serially between a bit line and a sensing line, a first switching unit configured to selectively connect the memory cells to the bit line in response to a first selecting signal, and a second switching unit configured to selectively connect the memory cells to the sensing line in response to a second selecting signal. The first switching unit and the second switching unit have the same structure as that of the memory cell.
US07710748B2
The present invention relates to an AC/DC converter (1) of the type having an AC/DC conversion stage (2) and a DC/DC conversion stage (3), the AC/DC conversion stage (2) comprising an input filter stage (4), an input rectifier stage (5) and a tracking boost converter stage. The boost converter stage in turn comprises an input choke (10), a boost diode (16) and a bulk capacitor (17). The bulk capacitor (17) is arranged to store a range of voltages substantially proportional to the input voltage of the converter. The DC/DC stage (3) is arranged to receive the range of voltages from the bulk capacitor (17) and is controllable to provide a desired DC output regardless of the voltage received from the bulk capacitor (17). This is achieved through careful combination of components and use of output feedback control to control the voltage applied to an isolated transformer (41) in the DC/DC stage.
US07710743B2
A printed circuit board (PCB) connector assembly for a wiring harness is disclosed. The PCB connector assembly may include a PCB, a connector housing disposed on a surface of the PCB, and a plurality of ID resistors for identifying data and limiting voltages through the cordless power tool. The ID resistors are mounted on the surface of the PCB. An encapsulant covers the plurality of ID resistors.
US07710725B2
An electronic apparatus includes: a housing; a motherboard that is accommodated in the housing; a first daughterboard that is accommodated in the housing; a second daughterboard that is accommodated in the housing; a host controller that is mounted on the motherboard; a bridge controller that is mounted on the first daughterboard and electrically connected to the host controller; a first chip that is mounted on the first daughterboard and electrically connected to the bridge controller; and a second chip that is mounted on the second daughterboard and electrically connected to the bridge controller.
US07710711B2
A first terminal electrode has a first electrode portion disposed on a first face and connected to a first internal electrode, and a second electrode portion disposed on a third face and connected to the first electrode portion. A second terminal electrode has a first electrode portion disposed on a second face and connected to a second internal electrode, and a second electrode portion disposed on the third face and connected to the first electrode portion. Each of the second electrode portions of the first and second terminal electrodes, when viewed along a second direction perpendicular to the third face, is arranged with a gap in a third direction perpendicular to the second directions so as to sandwich at least a portion of an end in the first direction of an element body region sandwiched between the first internal electrode and the second internal electrode, at an end in the first direction of the second electrode portion.
US07710709B2
Devices and methods for their formation, including electronic devices containing capacitors, are described. In one embodiment, a device includes a substrate and a capacitor is formed on the substrate. The capacitor includes first and second electrodes and a capacitor dielectric between the first and second electrodes. At least one of the first and second electrodes includes a metal layer having carbon nanotubes coupled thereto. In one aspect of certain embodiments, the carbon nanotubes are at least partially coated with an electrically conductive material. In another aspect of certain embodiments, the substrate comprises an organic substrate and the capacitor dielectric comprises a polymer material. Other embodiments are described and claimed.
US07710706B2
An apparatus for demagnetizing a shadow mask includes a shadow mask stocker, a cassette in the shadow mask stocker, wherein at least one shadow mask is disposed in the cassette, and a demagnetizing device that generates a magnetic field by an alternating current (AC), thereby removing magnetism of the at least one shadow mask.
US07710705B2
A power supply controller having final test and trim circuitry. In one embodiment, a power supply controller for switched mode power supply includes a selector circuit, a trim circuit, a shutdown circuit and a disable circuit. The trim circuit includes a programmable circuit connection that can be selected by the selector circuit by toggling a voltage on an external terminal such as for example a power supply terminal, a control terminal or a function terminal of the power supply controller. The programmable circuit connection in the trim circuit can be programmed by applying a programming voltage to the external terminal. The shutdown circuit shuts down the power supply controller if the temperature rises above an over temperature threshold voltage. The shutdown circuit includes adjustment circuitry that can be used to test the shutdown circuit. The adjustment circuitry can adjust and reduce the over temperature threshold of the power supply controller. Thus, the power supply controller can be tested without having to actually heat the part. The disable circuit includes a programmable circuit connection, which when programmed prevents further trimming of power supply controller and prevents adjustment of the shutdown circuit over temperature threshold.
US07710699B2
A method and a circuit for limiting the current in an inductance, comprising means for interrupting the power storage in the inductance at the end of a delay triggered by the current in the inductance.
US07710698B2
A protective relay for an electrical power distribution system and a method. The protective relay includes first and second current transformers arranged to sense a respective current flowing into a power line, and a voltage sensing device arranged to sense the voltage of the power line. The protective relay further includes a first and a second device for determining the direction of a fault within the system based on a current signal from the first and second current transformers and a voltage signal from the voltage sensing means. The protective relay further includes a third device for determining the fault direction based on a sum of the current signals from the first and second current transformers and a voltage signal from said voltage sensing means. A controller determines whether a fault is internal or external based on the fault directions determined by the first, second and third devices.
US07710697B2
An electrical circuit protection system provides circuit protection in an electrical power distribution system. The electrical circuit protection system according to one embodiment comprises: an automatic reset circuit breaker; a commutation module electrically connected to the automatic reset circuit breaker; and a controller that sets a state of the commutation module based on detected state of the automatic reset circuit breaker and externally input commands.
US07710696B2
A transient detection circuit including a detecting unit, a setting unit, and a memory unit. The transient detection circuit provides an information signal to an external instrument when an electrostatic discharge (ESD) event occurs. The detecting unit is coupled between a first power line and a second power line for detecting the ESD event. The setting unit sets a level of a first node according to the detection result. The memory unit controls the information signal according to the level of the first node. The information signal is at a first level when the ESD event occurs in the first power line.
US07710685B2
If the length of a track-defining section from an air bearing surface varies due to tolerance during a head manufacturing process, the recording magnetic field changes, which involves the variation of the track width to be recorded on the medium. In accordance with an embodiment of the present invention, the main magnetic pole of a magnetic head includes a track-defining section shaped in trapezoid and a magnetic flux guiding section formed in trapezoid, as viewed from above. The track-defining section is formed such that its width parallel to the air bearing surface (ABS) increases at the rate of 10 to 20% with respect to its height-direction length. The rate of 10 to 20% is a range in which the shape is properly controllable taking into account the variations resulting from the tolerance of the head manufacturing process.
US07710684B2
A library apparatus includes a cartridge type sensor and a robot. The cartridge type sensor includes a cartridge having the same shape as that of each recording medium stored in a cell, an optical reader for reading a medium identification code, and a medium detector for detecting the presence or absence of a recording medium in a target cell. The optical reader and the medium detector are disposed in the cartridge of the cartridge type sensor. The robot picks up the cartridge type sensor from a cell which stores the cartridge type sensor and positions the cartridge type sensor at a predetermined location in the library apparatus while holding the cartridge type sensor.
US07710677B2
A thermally assisted magnetic head has a medium-facing surface facing a medium, and comprises: a waveguide an end face of which is exposed in the medium-facing surface; an electroconductive near-field light generator plate disposed on a medium-facing surface of the waveguide so that a principal face thereof faces the medium; and an electroconductive near-field light scatter plate disposed on the medium-facing surface of the thermally assisted magnetic head so that a principal face thereof faces the medium; when viewed from a direction perpendicular to the medium-facing surface, the near-field light generator plate has a cusp portion at an end; when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the medium-facing surface, the near-field light scatter plate is arranged along the other end opposite to the cusp portion of the near-field light generator plate; when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the medium-facing surface, a width of the near-field light scatter plate in a first direction perpendicular to a direction connecting the cusp portion and the other end of the near-field light generator plate is larger than a width in the first direction of the near-field light generator plate.
US07710672B2
A holder unit for use in a transfer apparatus that causes a surface of a transfer master and a surface of a slave medium to be in direct contact with each other and transfers information on the transfer master surface to the slave medium surface. The holder unit includes a pair of gripping members, movable toward and away from each other, for holding the transfer master. The transfer master is stuck firmly on either or both of the pair of gripping members through or without an elastic member.
US07710663B2
A prismatic lens and a reflector/refractor device having enhanced characteristics are provided for lighting fixtures. The prismatic lens and the reflector/refractor device are formed of a silicone material. A prismatic lens member includes a plurality of prisms on a surface thereof for refracting light. The reflector/refractor device includes a plurality of prisms on a surface thereof for reflecting and refracting light. The silicone material forming the prismatic lens and the reflector/refractor device is substantially transparent, and enables forming enhanced optical elements, for example, by injection molding technique. The silicone material is a selected one of dimethylsilicone, phenylmethlysilicone, or similar silicone material enabling enhanced optical performance for the prismatic lens and the reflector/refractor device.
US07710661B2
An optical apparatus includes a magnification-varying lens, a controller configured to control an actuator, and to move the magnification-varying lens; and a temperature detector configured to detect a temperature of the optical apparatus, wherein the controller sets a telephoto end position of the magnification-varying lens to a first position when the temperature detected by the temperature detector is a first temperature, and the controller sets the telephoto end position of the magnification-varying lens to a second position closer to a wide-angle side than the first position when the temperature detected by the temperature detector is a second temperature higher than the first temperature.
US07710656B2
The transparent polycrystalline optoceramic has single crystallites and at least 95 percent by weight of the single crystallites have a cubic pyrochlore or fluorite structure. The optoceramic is composed of an oxide of stoichiometry: A2+xByDzE7 wherein 0
US07710653B2
A liquid immersion type projection optical system that can stably prevent the outflow of immersion liquid into inside of an optical system and can maintain good imaging performance. In the projection optical system of the present invention, an optical path between a light transmitting member (Lp) disposed closest to a second surface (W) side and the second surface is filled with a liquid (Lm1) having a refractive index greater than 1.1, and a light shielding film (36) for shielding the passing of light is formed on the side surfaces (41, 42) of the light transmitting member. When D is a space between the second surface and the light shielding film, Θ is a maximum incident angle of an image forming beam which reaches the second surface, and Ym is a maximum image height on the second surface, the condition of 0.25
US07710645B2
A projection screen for selectively reflecting light from a front projector. The screen includes an etalon coating structure with a first layer of reflective material, a second layer of dielectric material, and a third layer of partially reflective semiconductor material. The projection screen produces a reflection having an asymmetric-shaped response in the visible spectrum.
US07710640B2
A projection objective for a microlithographic projection exposure apparatus. The projection objective can project an image of a mask that can be set in position in an object plane onto a light-sensitive coating layer that can be set in position in an image plane. The projection objective can be designed to operate in an immersion mode, and it can produce at least one intermediate image. The projection objective can include an optical subsystem on the image-plane side which projects the intermediate image into the image plane with an image-plane-side projection ratio having an absolute value of at least 0.3.
US07710638B2
A wavelength conversion device has a supporting substrate, and a wavelength conversion element provided on the supporting substrate, with separate portions provided on both sides of the wavelength conversion element. The separate portions are separated from the wavelength conversion element by an adhesive layer that bonds the supporting substrate and the wavelength conversion element while also bonding the supporting substrate with the separate portions. The element and separate portions are made of ferroelectric materials, respectively. The wavelength conversion element has a ridge optical waveguide, with grooves provided on each or both sides of the ridge optical waveguide and extended portions provided on the outside of each of the grooves.
US07710636B2
Various embodiments include interferometric optical modulators comprising a substrate layer having a thickness between about 0.1 mm to about 0.45 mm thick and a method for manufacturing the same. The interferometric modulator can be integrated together with a diffuser in a display device. The thin substrate permits use of a thicker substrate. The thinner substrate may increase resolution and reduce overall thickness of the inteferometric modulator. The thicker diffuser may provide increased diffusion and durability.
US07710631B2
An interior rearview mirror assembly includes a reflective element assembly having a front substrate and a rear substrate with an electro-optic medium sandwiched therebetween. A substantially non-transparent perimeter band is disposed at the second surface of the front substrate and around a perimeter border region of the second surface of the front substrate. The perimeter band is not specularly reflective to visible light that passes through the first substrate and is incident on the perimeter band. A first electrical connection is at the first electrically conductive layer at a first overhang region and a second electrical connection is at the second electrically conductive layer. The perimeter band is dimensioned so as to render the presence of the perimeter seal and at least the first electrical connection substantially unobservable to a driver normally viewing the reflective element assembly when the vehicle is normally equipped with the interior rearview mirror assembly.
US07710618B2
An image reading apparatus includes: three line sensors mutually spaced in a sub scanning direction; a platen arranged between the original and the three line sensors; a mover moving the platen at a rate relative to the three line sensors, the rate being different from that of the original relative to the three line sensors; a first detector detecting a noise pixel based on a plurality of data output from the three line sensors; and a second detector detecting a subsequent noise pixel based on the noise pixel detected with the first detector.
US07710614B2
A bottom plate 25 is formed so as to open and close over substantially the entire bottom side of a document transport device 2, which is provided on the top of an image forming device, the bottom face of the bottom plate 25 being a pressure face for pressing against a document. The bottom plate 25 can be swung around a pivot 25a, and engages with a document transport device main body 21 by way of a document transport path bottom member 21. One end of the document transport path bottom member 71 is swingably supported by the document transport device main body 21, and a pin 71a that is provided at the other end thereof slidably engages in a groove 25c in a side wall 25b that is provided on the swinging end of the bottom plate 25, so as to open together with the bottom plate 25.
US07710613B2
An image information apparatus includes image input devices that read images on both sides of an original in parallel, a local memory that temporarily stores one or more image data read by the image input devices, and a hard disk device that stores the same image data that is stored in the local memory. A PCI bus, which serves as a transfer path for the image data on both the sides, and a PCI transfer controller, which controls communication via the PCI bus, are provided between the image input devices and the local memory. In addition, transfer units, which pass the image data on both the sides read by the image input devices to the PCI transfer controller in parallel and individually, is provided on the image input devices.
US07710604B2
A method and system for providing a halftoned image is disclosed. The method and system comprise scaling the halftoned image by performing pel repetition utilizing an error diffusion algorithm such that artifacts are minimized. According a system and method in accordance with the present invention performs pel repetition using error diffusion technology, so that any resulting “artifacts” are realized as high-frequency image addition, making them much less visible. A system and method in accordance with the present invention provides adjustability in the computational complexity of the scaling, so that quality can be traded off continuously against the amount of processing power required.
US07710602B2
Embodiments of the present invention comprise methods and systems for context-based adaptive image processing wherein print job elements are processed according to context, which may be determined by segmentation and analysis of print job elements.
US07710600B2
An image processing apparatus that stores input image data is disclosed. The image processing apparatus includes a color space evaluating unit which evaluates a color space of the input image data by comparing the color space of the input image data with a reference color space, a frequency distribution calculating unit which calculates an appearing frequency distribution of a color included in the input image data, and a color space determining unit which determines a color space in which the input image data are to be stored by applying color control to the input image data based on the evaluated result by the color space evaluating unit and the calculated result by the frequency distribution calculating unit.
US07710594B2
It is an object of the present invention, when using image scanner(s) to capture image(s) of original(s) and using printer(s) to print same, to enable four-sided borderless copying such that margin(s) do not appear on printout(s). An image scanner might capture an image corresponding to scan region 263 which might be somewhat larger than original 262. Image processing circuitry might then enlarge an image corresponding to scan region 266 (arrow 279), converting it into enlarged image 271. Within enlarged image 271, the image of original 262 might have been enlarged so as to become image 273, which might be somewhat larger than printing paper 274. This enlarged original image 273 which would be present within enlarged image 271 might then be printed by a printer.
US07710590B2
A method for generating a print job ticket includes extracting page attribute information from an electronic document, embedding the page attribute information as an object within the document, processing the document to form a print job, automatically reading the object embedded in the processed document to retrieve embedded page attribute information, and generating a job ticket for the print job based on the retrieved embedded page attribute information.
US07710583B2
There is provided a surface position measuring system which includes a reflectivity computing module which computes predictive reflectivities of a plurality of circuit patterns, an inspection light source which irradiates an inspection light onto each of a plurality of inspection areas, area by area, above the plurality of circuit patterns under irradiation conditions determined based on a corresponding each of the predictive reflectivities of the plurality of circuit patterns, and a photodetector which detects a reflected inspection light reflected from each of the plurality of inspection areas to detect a surface position of a corresponding each of the plurality of inspection areas.
US07710582B2
Before applying a processing laser beam to a surface of a substrate through a film of liquid, distance M2 between a reference point on an axis of a first laser displacement meter and the surface of the substrate is measured to correct distance M1 between a lower end of an optical unit and the surface of the substrate, on the basis of distance M2, the processing laser beam is applied to the surface of the substrate, thereby cutting and removing a part of the surface of the substrate, and a depth to which the surface of the substrate has been cut and removed with the processing laser beam is measured by a second laser displacement meter.
US07710569B2
A portable apparatus having a source, a detector and a filtering element placed a known distance from the source and/or the detector. One embodiment of the apparatus is a headlamp having an illumination source, a camera, and two eye pieces. The headlamp has an adjustable headband for positioning the headlamp on the head of the user and a protective cover for interacting with the camera, eye pieces, and/or illumination source. The protective cover preferably includes multiple sets of filtering elements such that motion about or along an axis changes the filtering elements interacting with the camera, eye pieces, and/or the illumination source.
US07710567B1
Methods and systems are provided for determining the density and/or temperature of a fluid based on the manner in which optical energy is affected as the optical energy propagates across a gap between opposing end faces of optical waveguides, or the manner in which the optical energy is reflected from interfaces of optical waveguides and the fluid.
US07710555B2
An apparatus for determining wheel assembly alignment comprises a contact assembly, a light source, and a light beam receiving assembly. The contact assembly engages the wheel assembly to define a plane of orientation of the wheel assembly and the light source projects a beam of light with respect to the contact assembly. The light beam receiving assembly receives the light beam and forms an image of the light beam indicating the orientation of the wheel assembly with respect to a predetermined position. The receiving assembly may include a Fresnel lens for directing the received light beam to a target and a camera device for imaging the light beam on the target, with the camera device adapted to provide toe and camber information of the wheel assembly based on the location at which the light beam impinges upon the target. The contact assembly may be pressed against the wheel assembly without being secured thereto.
US07710553B2
A device provides precise determination of angle or position based upon linear array imaging of unique coded sequences imprinted on a reference wheel or linear scale. An optical image of coded reference marks thus obtained is digitally processed to identify the width and centroid location of lines within a sequence, from which precise angle or position can be derived. The device provides either absolute or relative angle or position measurements that may be used for reference, control, monitoring, or display. The code sequence, imprinted on the exterior cylindrical edge of a code wheel or on the face of a code strip, is subdivided into unique coded segments, The coded segments and imaging array are sized such that the array is always able to image a full contiguous segment for any angular or linear position.
US07710549B2
A movable-body-speed-detecting apparatus includes a movable body capable of moving linearly and/or circularly, a plate fixed to the movable body, the plate having a predetermined length in a direction in which the movable body moves, and light emission/reception means arranged such that light output from a light-emitting element enters a light-receiving element. The plate has a window section that passes between the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element in accordance with movement of the movable body and that blocks or allows passage of light to the light-receiving element. The apparatus further comprises speed calculation means for calculating the speed of the movable body by converting the amount of light received by the light-receiving element into a signal and measuring the signal.
US07710546B2
In a laser receiver receiving a laser beam from a laser transmitter and a laser receiving system composed of a plurality of laser receivers, a plurality of photo devices are arranged on an acceptance surface so that acceptance angles of the laser beam thereof are mutually different in order to detect distances between an acceptance position of a center point of a received laser beam on an acceptance surface and a reference point and an elevation angle of the received laser beam from a reference surface. Also, distance detection means respectively compare acceptance levels of the photo devices detected by the level detection means with thresholds, thereby detecting distance between the center point of the laser beam and the reference point of the acceptance surface by combination of comparison results thereof. Elevation angle detection means respectively compare acceptance levels of the photo devices detected by the level detection means with thresholds, thereby detecting elevation angles from the reference surface by combination of comparison results thereof.
US07710538B2
The invention provides a method for correcting thermally-induced field deformations of a lithographically exposed substrate. First, a model is provided to predict thermally-induced field deformation information of a plurality of fields of the substrate. The pre-specified exposure information used to configure an exposure of the fields is then modified based on the thermally-induced deformation information as predicted by the model. Finally a pattern is exposed onto the fields in accordance with the pre-specified exposure information as modified. The predicting of thermally-induced field deformation information by the model includes predicting of deformation effects of selected points on the substrate. It is based on a time-decaying characteristic as energy is transported across substrate; and a distance between the selected points and an edge of the substrate.
US07710537B2
In an immersion lithography apparatus in which immersion liquid is supplied to a localized space, the space is substantially polygonal in plan substantially parallel to the substrate. In an embodiment, two corners of the space have a radius of curvature no greater than the width of a transition zone between the space configured to contain liquid and a surrounding configured not to contain liquid.
US07710528B2
There is provided an electro optical device including an electro optical panel formed by sticking a first substrate and a second substrate together, and a flexible wiring substrate connected to the electro optical panel. The first substrate includes a extension portion flaring from the second substrate, the wiring substrate includes a base material having flexibility and a conductive pattern provided on the base material, the wiring substrate is connected to the extension portion of the first substrate by using an adhesive agent, the wiring substrate includes a wide width portion connected to the extension portion and a narrow width portion continuing to the wide width portion and extending outwardly from an edge side of the extension portion in the flaring direction, and an edge side of the wide width portion at the narrow width portion side is matched to the position of the edge side of the extension portion in the flaring direction or is positioned inside of the edge side of the extension portion in the flaring direction.
